Life 'n' Such

If Indians (living anywhere in the world) had to make a list of their favorite comfort food, guess what would be in every list?

Maggi! (yes, you bet, maggi noodles, the 2 minute wonder which was introduced in India decades ago, and it spread like wild fire all across the country in no time)

Nestle rocks, first Nescafe, milk, chocolates, Maggi noodles… go Nestle go! *

Indians, no matter, young or old, love Maggi noodles, (it is like Top ramen noodles, only so much more tastier, and the flavors are crazy, plus they are making the whole grain ones these days – win win!)

I have so much cooked food in our refrigerator, but tonight we both just wanted to eat Maggi noodles.

Hmm, yummy!

Do you agree?

*Please note: I am uncertain of the order in which the products debuted in India.

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My mother would give me a bowl of roasted unsalted peanuts with jaggery (called ‘gud or gool’ in India) to eat as a snack since the time I could chew nuts.

She would say peanuts are poor man’s almonds.

Little did I know that I was getting a high protein snack with iron. (Peanuts has protein, and jaggery, I think, has iron).

So, if you or your little ones, are craving a snack at an odd hour of the day, then this is a very good option.

To health and happiness!

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Yes, Yes, please! Non-veg platter and mocktails on the side, aha!

Yasir is a big fan of mocktails, so every time we go to a fancy restaurant, he has to order one.

Mango-colada is such a refreshing take on the good ol’ Pinacolada. Punjab Grill by Jiggs Kalra, had this on their menu, and oh it was so good! Good Job guys!

And their presentation was terrific! In a fancy shaped blue glass, mango pulp drizzled down the inner sides of the glass, it looked good, and it tasted great! And who can resist the little umbrellas on the glass, very tropical.

The price for the size was right too. So go ahead, indulge once in a while, I wont tell.

Note: Here is the link to his site for the address for the restaurant: http://punjabgrill.in/

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Do you know what Caravan Serai means. Well it means Roadside Inn for travelers. You could still see a lot of these in Turkey, Iran, Afghanistan, Israel, etc. But mostly ruins, which I am sure are still a lovely sight.

We went to a restaurant last night, craving good ol’ fashioned non veg food. We decided on Caravan Serai, an Afghani styled joint. This is located on Link Road, Andheri w, in Mumbai, near the Infinity Mall.

My thoughts:
Taste: Alright, I could eat similar food almost every other place,
Cost: A bit pricey (per person about Rs. 750, i.e. in USD hmm about say $15-$18),
Ambiance: Good ambiance, nicely decorated cream walls, with unique things hanging on walls and ceiling, pretty cool, good mood lighting, inside and outside dining option, low seating, which was unique, I don’t know if taller people would like that.

We ordered a few things, but the best thing we liked was the masala papad. It was perfect!

Recipe for Masala Papad:

A udid dal papad fried in oil.
The topping: It was just plain finely chopped onions, tomatoes, cilantro (corriander leaves) with a little salt, and red chilli powder.

That my friend, was the recipe, so easy huh? So get up make it, and eat it right away, so you know what I am drooling about. Its a good snack, appetizer, and oh I almost forgot, we ordered a tall glass of sweet lassi, which was so good with this Masala papad. Yumm!

They served the lassi beautifully. It was a tall glass, with few ice cubes, and the lassi was nice thick consistency, not completely smooth and whisked, but there were a few pieces of yogurt (dahi) in it, which a nice idea I liked. And the best part is the small stream of a rose syrup they had down the side of the glass, gave a light flavor and looked brilliant!

It was just divine!

So, quick take, if you have money to splurge, sure go ahead, enjoy at the Caravan Serai and definitely order the Masala papad.

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Last night we had a bunch of bananas which had over ripe. Now we didnt have the heart to trash them, so I just remembered my friend Shilpa’s mothers recipe for banana chaat. I did not have all ingredients, but even then it turned out superb. And best part, no guilt about wasting.

Ingredients:

Bananas (use 1 1/2 per person),
salt as per taste,
sugar as per taste,
black pepper powder as per taste,
lemon juice (freshly squeezed, again as per your preference – generally you will need 1/2 lemon for 1 banana)
black salt (kala namak) and cumin powder (jeera powder) / or chaat masala

Method:

Chop bananas. Sprinkle the other ingredients. Toss. Serve!

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Vaishali is my cousins wife. She is super talented. What can I say, everyone I know are super talented people (my peeps )

So, when we visited her last time in Pune, she made a big spread for lunch. Fish curry (next recipe), crab curry, fried prawns, some vegetables, and this raita. Everything was so good. Yumm-O rating!

So finally, I called her yesterday and took these recipes from her. This raita is made with lots of yogurt, so I cannot call the yogurt a dressing, but technically it is I guess. God Knows! Well, who cares!

Here is the recipe!

Ingredients:

Yogurt, 2 cups, (dahi)
salt, sugar for taste
oil for the ‘tadka’
mustard seeds (raai), curry leaves (kadi patta), asafoetida (hing), green hot peppers (hari mirchi) for the tadka
boiled and chopped in small size (like corn and peas) potatoes (optional carrots, etc)
boiled sweet american corn, green peas
grated beet root

First get the vegetables ready and cooled.

For the tadka, heat the oil, add the mustard seeds, when they splatter, add the green peppers and curry leaves, and finally the asafoetida. Turn off the heat, let the tadka cool a bit. Then add it to the whisked yogurt.

Add the vegetables to the yogurt, and finally add salt and sugar as needed.

Eat it as a evening snack or part of your meal. What did I say, Yumm-O!

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Chock full of vitamins in this recipe. So many vegetables you can use, and there are very high chances your kids are going to love it. No fuss, no mess, easy recipe. Few ingredients, lots of vegetables!

Here you go!

Ingredients:

For the basic white sauce, (which has been used by me in some of the previous recipes too with pasta, with cauliflower and broccoli, etc etc, the Beshamel sauce used by Turkish friends)

unsalted butter, 2 tbsp
all purpose flour (maida), 2 tbsp
milk, cold 2 cups

Vegetable mix:
carrots, broccoli, cauliflower, french beans, (any combination, chopped into equal bite sized pieces)
peas, american corn (off the cob that is)

(you can optionally throw in some boiled chicken too)

seasoning: salt, white pepper, red chilli flakes

Method:

First boil the vegetables and keep separate the stock. Retain the stock, do not discard it.

To make the white sauce, heat the butter, and fry the flour in it, till the color changes, and you get an aroma. (maybe 1 or 2 mins). Do not let it brown. Slowly add the cold milk, and whisk quickly with the other hand. Stir continuously till the sauce thickens. The sauce is ready.

Now if required, thin the sauce with water, stirring constantly. Then when it comes to a boil, add the vegetables and some salt and white pepper powder. (To make it a bit spicy, add red chilli flakes).

Done, go ahead, get a spoon, eat it right out of the pan. Don’t burn your tongue though.

Yum-O rating!

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I watch a lot of television these days, what to do, nothing else to do (you know I am lazy).

Anyhow, here is a recipe I watched on a Television show, that I am dying to try out.

Ingredients:

1 Apple chopped,
1 cup chopped cabbage,
1 cup grated carrot,
1 cup sweet corn,
1 cup orange (peeled and cut into bite sized pieces)
1 tomato chopped,
1 cup cucumber, chopped

For Salad Dressing: olive oil, lemon juice, salt, sugar, black pepper

Method:

Put all the above ingredients in a big salad bowl. Mix the salad dressing in a separate bowl with a fork. And drizzle over the fruits and vegetables. Toss with 2 big spoons. Let it sit for 5-10 mins (this gets the juices flowing out of the vegetables and fruits).

Thats it! Don’t you all think this will be excellent for the hot summer, which is right around the corner? And of course super low calorie too, so excellent if you are dieting.

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Dried apricot and almond

= Cookie? Nah.. I dont think so.

I read on MSN’s website somewhere that it tastes like a cookie, but it so does not taste like a cookie. A cookie is a cookie. No replacement.

BUT, what they suggested does not taste bad. A pulpy dry fruit, and a nut is always a good combo.

Like Raisins and walnuts, that tastes good together.

Fresh Pineapple and fresh avocado is my absolute favorite. I love the sweet, tangy, and crunchy taste of pineapple and the smooth creamy bland taste of avocado together. I think I have written about it earlier too.

Good for snack or dessert time.

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Marie Biscuits dipped in Nutella

= Pure ‘Nutty Chocolate-y Heaven’

The end. Thats the recipe.

So what are you waiting for… go get a pack for Marie biscuits ( or Graham cracker like cookies in US), open a jar of Nutella, dip and indulge.

p.s. I am doing it all day today, But I have a warning, excess of anything is bad… so Indulge, but in moderation.

Note: Nutella is made with hazelnuts.

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