Caramel Wings

I am just realizing that my journey with Tata Salt Lite is coming to an end soon. I am so glad I did this, because it got me back my mojo, and it made me feel heard again. I am so grateful for all the love and support I have received from every single one of my readers, and with my blog recently crossing 1,50,000 hits, I have nothing to complain. You guys made this happen. Thank you so, so much. I have to celebrate this with something delicious, but not without my #sLITE change!



I had come across the recipe for Zucchini Spaghetti with Pesto and Buffalo Mozzarella last year over Twitter, and it has been fixed in my mind ever since. I have made numerous excuses to myself, right from Zucchini not being available in the market to 'I-don't-know-how-this-will-taste', from 'I'll-just-make-it-next-time' to 'It's-easier-to-make-an-omelet'. I stand corrected. This is hands down the easiest and yummiest Salad you'll ever come across. Bonus points because it is Vegetarian and a One-Up because it looks like Pasta.

Zucchini Fettuccine Salad with a Cashew Pesto dressing.
Serves 2
Takes 10 minutes

Ingredients:

1 large Zucchini
A handful of Cherry Tomatoes
4 cloves of Garlic
1/4 Cup Cashew Nuts
1 Cup Basil
Tata Salt Lite, to taste
Pepper, to taste
1/2 Cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Method:

Use a mandoline, peeler or spiralizer to shave Zucchini into your desired shape. I shaved super thin ribbons and cut them into thirds length-wise for Fettucine sized ribbons. You can also make Spaghetti using a spiralizer. Keep the Zucchini ready into a mixing bowl, in the refrigerator while you make the dressing.

Grind together Garlic, Pepper, Cashews and 1 tbsp EVOO (Olive Oil) until smooth. Then add in the Basil leaves, remaining EVOO and Tata Salt LITE to taste. Grind together till smooth. 

Pour the dressing over the Zucchini and toss to combine. Add in the cherry tomatoes. You can also tear up some fresh Mozzarella cheese if you fancy it. Serve immediately!

I don't know about you guys, but I am addicted to Chaat. I am guilty of consuming at least 3 plates of pani puri every week. It's like I just can't function without it. It keeps me sane. Yeah, it's that bad.

Meanwhile, I'm also trying to add the Chaat element to wherever it makes sense. My doctor asked me to make the SLITE change from Potato to Sweet Potato (seriously, it is loaded with non guilty carbs that will actually contribute positively towards your health with all those workouts) and I was like, hey, I can make this into a Chaat! The very famous Shakarkandi ki chaat on the streets in New Delhi is not just nostalgic, but very comforting! I made my version at home. You can too! Here's how:

Sweet Potato Chaat
Serves 4
Takes 30 minutes.

Ingredients:

500 gm Sweet Potato
A pinch of Tata Salt Lite
A pinch of pepper powder
A pinch of Aamchur powder (dried Mango)
A pinch of Chaat Masala
A pinch of Red Chili Powder
2 tbsp Green Chutney (optional)
1 tbsp Chopped Coriander
A squeeze of Lemon
1 tsp Olive Oil. (Not extra virgin)

Method:

Boil the sweet potatoes till tender. Peel and cut them into slices.

Heat up a pan on medium with the oil. Place the slices and cook till slightly brown on both sides.

While the potatoes are browning, mix all the powders together and keep them ready.

Once the potatoes are done, transfer them into a bowl and sprinkle with the powders while they're still hot. Toss to incorporate. Add in a squeeze of lemon. You can also add green chutney (green Chili, mint, coriander, lemon, sugar ground together) to this if you like. I did, and it tasted great! Also add in the chopped coriander for an extra dimension!

Serve warm or cold, tastes great either way! You can also serve this mixed with Yogurt, and can also add Sev as garnish. Yum.

We all have that one food item we cannot do without, right? I'd love to know yours, do let me know in the comments section!

Have you ever made something at home that turned out so amazing you had tears in your eyes? Like, it's so unbelievable that you had to take a moment of silence just to absorb the awesomeness of the dish? Yes, that happened to me when I made this Hummus recipe. Initially I was skeptical, since it omits one of the most important ingredients from the traditional Hummus, the Tahini. Instead of that we add in Greek Yogurt to make this supremely creamy, light, yet delicious portion of Hummus that contains just over half of the calories as compared to the traditional version (173 v/s 280) and that is very good news for Hummus binge eaters like yours truly.

Once you have your Garbanzo beans ready, all it takes is less than 5 minutes. Serve it with freshly cut sticks of Zucchini and Carrots instead of the regular Pita, a SLITE change that will make you love your healthy eating spree even more!






Ranch Style Hummus
Serves 4
Takes 5 minutes (plus cooking time for the Garbanzo beans, if any)
Recipe credit: adapted from bodybuilding.com

Ingredients:

1 can of Garbanzo Beans aka Chickpeas. (I soaked 1.5 cup overnight and cooked them in the pressure cooker for 4 whistles).
6 cloves of Garlic
Tata Salt Lite, to taste
Juice of 1 Lemon. I used a Meyer lemon, so I used half.
1/2 cup Greek Yogurt
1/2 Cup (or more) good quality Extra Virgin Olive Oil.
Paprika, for garnish.

Method:

In a food processor, throw in all the ingredients except Extra Virgin Olive Oil and Paprika. Process till smooth. Then drizzle Olive Oil until you have a uniform, creamy consistency. I like my hummus a little runny so I adjusted accordingly. Taste and check if salt is okay.

Transfer to a serving bowl and make a well in the middle, fill her up with EVOO, and sprinkle with Paprika. Serve with Pita, Lavash, Vegetables, or if you're hummus crazy like me, eat it as is, by the spoonful!

I know you guys will try this one, waiting for feedback!

How many people have asked you to steer clear of rice if you wanted to be healthy? How many people went "Chawal mat khana, Roti pel lo"? Well, I have a lot to say to those people, about rice, but I'm going to save it for another post. Meanwhile, Brown Rice is a super food you cannot miss out on. Not only is it high in Fiber, Brown Rice is also rich in Magnesium that contributes towards healthy and stronger bones, along with Calcium, of course. It also helps with contraction of muscles and strong teeth. Brown Rice needs to be soaked before cooking, just so that it would absorb the moisture and not have a bite to it (unless you like it that way).






Load your body with this super simple complex carb rich in glucose, and do not forget to use low sodium Tata Salt Lite to make it even better! I must say, I am delighted that I am getting the chance to share so many healthy recipes with you guys and the driving force behind is the campaign by these amazing guys that urges us to make a SLITE change in our lives. A little goes a long way!

Brown Rice Pulao
Serves 2
Takes 20 minutes

Ingredients:

1 medium Onion, sliced.
1 tbsp Ginger Garlic Paste
3/4 Cup Brown Rice
1.5 Cups Water
1 tsp Cumin Seeds (jeera)
A pinch of Asafoetida (heeng)
1 tbsp Ghee, you can also use Canola Oil.
A handful of mixed vegetables. I used Cauliflower, Carrots, Beans and Peas
10 Raisins
Tata Salt Lite, to taste
1 tsp Red Chili Powder (add more if you like it spicy)
1/2 tsp Garam Masala Powder

Method:

Soak the rice in water for 30 minutes.
Heat up a pressure cooker on medium. Add Ghee/Oil.
Add in cumin seeds and asafoetida followed by Onions. Sauté till translucent.
Turn the heat to medium high, add in the mixed veg and ginger garlic paste. Mix to combine. Now add in the Red Chili powder and mix for 1 minute.
Give the brown rice and water mixture a stir and pour it into the cooker. Season with salt, and add raisins and garam masala. Mix everything well and cook for 2 to 3 whistles (or how much ever long it takes for normal rice to cook in your pressure cooker).
Open the cooker after 20 minutes of turning the gas off, and fluff the rice with a fork.
Serve hot, with chilled Yogurt!

Bon appetite!

I'm so grateful that Tata Salt Lite actually gave me the opportunity to speak for the cause, since I had been going through a writers block for the longest time. Since leading a fit and healthy lifestyle is a choice that I have made, this bodes well for me as well as my readers (I hope!) these little changes actually make a big difference in our lives. You can totally avoid the sodium loaded French fries when you go out to eat and opt for the humble baked potato without salt, and sprinkle your own low sodium salt on it as required. I have noticed that I am able to click better selfies, my clothes fit better, and I feel less lethargic when I keep my sodium intake in check. Of course, it's a little bit of everything like I always say. Eating healthy, working out and keeping your water intake and nutrition in check.

To tell you a little bit about what Paleo is, Paleo is short for Paleolithic lifestyle. I am not going to call it a diet, because it isn't. It's a lifestyle. We eat what our ancestors ate in the Paleolithic times. I have what you call a semi Paleo lifestyle, what with the food writing and everything else. But it does help me make an informed decision about what I'm eating. If you're interested, Google it right away!

Since couscous is a refined carb, I used Cauliflower as couscous for this recipe since its unrefined and is more nutritious, and also easier to digest for our body. I make this recipe so often that it is a house favourite! The gentle crunch of the cauliflower, the sweetness from the raisins, the saltiness from the olives and the smokiness from the chili flakes makes this a perfectly balanced treat!







Cauliflower Couscous
Serves 2
Takes 15 minutes
Recipe credit: watched on food network

Ingredients:

250 gm Cauliflower florets
1 shallot, finely chopped
1 tbsp Lemon Juice
5-6 Olives, roughly chopped
Mixed nuts, roasted on a pan. I used almond and pistachio slivers
15 Raisins/ Cranberries
Tata Salt lite, to taste
1 tsp Chili flakes
A handful of chopped coriander
1 tbsp Olive Oil
Extra Virgin Olive Oil, to drizzle on top

Method:

Pulse the cauliflower florets in a blender till they resemble the texture of couscous.

Heat a pan on medium high, add oil. Start with the shallots and chili flakes and give them a minute till they are sweet and translucent. Add in the cauliflower and sauté for 2 minutes.

Season with Tata salt lite, and sprinkle some water over the cauliflower. Cover the pan and turn the heat to low. Let it cook for 2 minutes. Lift the lid and give it a good mix.

Transfer to a plate and top with the nuts, olives, lemon juice, raisins, coriander and drizzle generously with extra virgin olive oil. You can add anything else you like, for example cumin powder, sumac, even grilled Apple would taste great!

Let me know how you like this!

Picture Courtesy : Smoke House Deli

Pharrell William's Happy is doing the rounds almost everywhere on the internet. Its great, everyone is uploading their version of the Happy Song on youtube, so much so that someone has actually uploaded a parody video called 'Crappy'. Crappy makes them Happy. Well, whatever floats their boat!

Happiness for me is simple things. Food, Love, and Laughter. Smoke House Deli has consistently managed to maintain the number 1 spot in all 3 departments for me. It also happens to be my most visited place for a Date night, other than Big Chill in New Delhi, just for the perfect setting and feel-good ambiance along with lip smacking food.

Picture Courtesy: Smoke House Deli

Smoke House Deli has opened their brand new outlet at Bandra Kurla Complex, which happens to cater to mostly clientele who want to grab a quick lunch during their break from office, or who want to chill with a drink after work. Time is the essence to this outlet, in my opinion.

Excuse me, for an excerpt from the imaginary book of my life follows before this recipe :

No, don't cringe like that, I know most of you hate Beetroots but this soup is a game changer. I have been trying to eat healthy (now that's one race I will be running forever) and I have to keep mixing things up so that I stay amused and intrigued towards what I am eating, much like a stubborn kid.

I was watching Fox Traveller on TV this morning and one of my most favorite shows to watch is Food Safari, and in the Poland special they showed the recipe for this soup and I knew I just had to try it out. Don't you just love it when you have all the ingredients from the list in your pantry?

Borscht

Source : Food Safari on Fox Traveller

Serves 4

Ingredients :
300 gm Beetroots, peeled with trimmed ends
1 small Potato
1 small Onion/1 Shallot
1 Zucchini
1 Cup of Yogurt
Juice of one small Lemon (4 tsp)
Salt to taste
Sour Cream/Hung Curd for topping
Dill Leaves/Coriander for garnish
Water

Method:

Boil/Pressure cook Beetroots and Potatoes in some water until tender.

Blitz them in the blender along with the water, and all the other ingredients roughly chopped, except the ones for topping and garnish. (You may roughly chop the Cucumber with skin on).

Pour into a bowl and top with a dollop of Sour Cream and sprinkle Dill or Coriander leaves over the top. Easy? Healthy?
Enjoy! :)

I always segregate my food review into parts such as decor, ambiance, service, attentiveness, taste and presentation, other than the most important question of whether or not I would visit this place again. I follow a checklist (I am a checklist person!) and review places accordingly. I wish I could

Sometimes, mess is good. Sometimes, chaos is all we want. I, for one, am a believer in organized mess and a planned chaos (control freak) and come to think of it, Cuisine is one such mess, and a mess that I love. Indian Cuisine in particular has so many distinct flavors and techniques involved that there has to be a region which has not had enough justice. For me, that cuisine is the Sindhi cuisine. Now I know that Sindh is in Pakistan but a lot of Sindhis migrated over to India during

I think I've completely taken after my Mother, especially in the department of having hunger pangs. These hunger pangs are rather specific and detailed, such as having Pav Bhaji but only from Amar Juice Center during peak hours of traffic. I wouldn't blame her

Why stick to the ordinary when it comes to food? The world is your oyster when it comes to experimentation with food. There are no rules that one must follow except the ones that keep the sanctity of the dish intact, if not better it, and the real art lies in getting the flavor combination spot on.



This was a crazy idea of mine which I used for a cooking workshop that I hosted with Amrita Rana from Life Ki Recipe called Glam Food. I have made this recipe numerous times since then and it has only caused people to ask me for the recipe. Since I am done with workshops for now, I can blog the recipe :) Here it goes!

Shahi Tukda with Mascarpone Rabdi
Serves 4

Ingredients:

4 slices of Bread
1 Cup Ghee
1 Cup Sugar
1 Cup Water
180 gm/6 oz Mascarpone Cheese
Few strands of Saffron
¼ Cup Warm Milk
Icing Sugar to taste
2 drops + 2 drops Rose Water
¼ Cup Slivered Nuts
Silver Leaf (Optional)
Rose Petals (Optional)
Salt to taste

Method:

Trim the ends off the bread and cut into desired shape (baton, triangle, circle)
Fry them in Ghee on a Medium flame until golden brown and crisp on both sides. Set aside.
Prepare Sugar syrup by adding Sugar and Water in a saucepan and letting it melt together till dissolved. Do not stir until sugar is almost dissolved. Add  drops of Rose Water for flavor and let it cool.
Dip the Bread slices for 5 minutes in the Sugar syrup, turning them once in the middle, and then transfer them to a dish.
Let half of the Saffron steep in warm Milk.
To put together the Mascarpone rabdi, beat together the Mascarpone, Salt, Milk and Icing Sugar. Add in the Rose Water, and half of the slivered nuts. We’re looking for a slightly tangy rabdi to complement the sweetness of the Sugar syrup soaked bread.
Garnish with the remaining nuts, Saffron strands and rose petals.
Serve as desired.

Now that I am back to the drill, out of vacation mode and back to work, I decided to take up few reviews for this month. Noodle Bar in Bandra invited me to review their BBQ festival which is on till the 31st of January, 2013. They have a special menu for the festival offering out of the ordinary options like these :



After a little bit of a mix up on reaching the restaurant, we got right down to business.

Hauz Khas Monument

Note : Picture and Text heavy post.

I make it a point to be in New Delhi during this time of the year, every year. Since Mumbai doesn't exactly have what we call winters and the season is my most favorite, I feel at home in the foggy and unbearably chilly days in Delhi. My relationship with Delhi began on the wrong foot as is the case with most Mumbaikars, with the whole whos-better-than-who battle going on. I lived in the city for a good 10 months and I tried my best to not fall in love with it, but heck, I gave in. A city in its true beauty does comprise of culture and feel, and a certain mix of people, but I learned that people can be crappy anywhere, irrespective of their location. In being a little less judgmental, one can look past crappy attitudes and experience what the city has to offer.

Foggy Mornings

I hate to admit that I am (was) kind of a spoiled child, and this is one reason why I have not been able to even experience my own city in its true glory yet. I barely travel by trains (which I only started to do last year) and I prefer being at home. Same was my case with Delhi, as I was being picked up and dropped off everywhere by car. This time around, things were different, and I visited Delhi with a new mindset. I decided to stay in an International Youth Hostel for the first time in my life on the recommendation by a very dear twin sister duo (Hello Ramya/Kavya!) and was urged to stay in the *gulp*

After all that festive mithai eating and binging on Indian food over this Diwali, there was a desperate need to eat something light yet creamy, not overloaded with spices yet flavorful, and that is how this dish happened. Lemon and Butter is the kind of combination that can never go wrong in my opinion, unless you manage to get some Lemon in your eyes or burn down the Butter to bits that are darker than the usual brown. If you haven't been a part of kitchen

Last month I took a trip to North India. It was a work thing which mostly kept me busy throughout my time in New Delhi but what made the trip totally worth it was the 2 day getaway to Amritsar, or Ambarsar as it is lovingly called. Amritsar is home to the famous Golden Temple, and is the kind of place where one has to face oneself and go through self evaluation. Watching those beautifully huge Koi swim in the water where you also see your reflections only makes you realize that the most important things in life are fairly simple. We over-complicate everything.



 Incidentally we visited the Temple on the Birthday of Guru Ram Das, and we got to witness the overwhelming crowd as well as an Aerobatic show

French Fries available in India feel like they are half heartedly done. I underwent the life changing experience of having Fries with Gravy during my stay in Canada and now that I am back here, French Fries feel incomplete! If it were up to me, I'd go borrow, beg or steal some Rennet from somewhere and make my own Cheese Curds so I could show you guys the ultimate recipe - Poutine (French Fries topped with Fresh Cheese Curds topped with Piping Hot Gravy!).

I have grown to really love my Wine over the past few months all thanks to this blog, and I have discovered that the more I am keen on learning more about Wines, the more I fall in love with them, and the vicious circle just keeps going on. But of course, for these reasons, I had to be present at the Wine Trail organized at the much spoken about Veda at Palladium in Lower Parel, by Four Seasons Wine. Before I talk about any of it, I have a good news to share with you guys.



I have teamed up with the most amazingly awesome team of photographers, Trisha Sarang from Trisha Sarang Photography and Varun Joel from ComePose photography to capture these one-of-a-kind experiences with me. I am so happy to be working with them and they have been doing an outstanding job. This feature was photographed by Trisha and you can already see how amazing she is with her work!



Veda boasts of its beautiful decor designed by none other than the famous designer Rohit Bal and the bright Red and Black interiors instantly prepare you for the melange of amazing Indian dishes heading your way. Four Seasons managed to up the ante with pairing some of their wines with the melt-in-the-mouth Indian cuisine for a wholesome experience. I spoke about the art of pairing food and wine on my previous post on Wine Tasting with Shamita Singha for Four Seasons here.



The food and wine were paired with great attention such that none of the food overpowers the taste of the wine and vice versa. The Four Seasons Sauvignon Blanc was served with Delhi Spinach Chaat, The Four Seasons Blush Rose Wine was paired with Malai Broccoli which was an interesting combination, The Shiraz from Four Seasons was paired with Veda's signature melt-in-the-mouth Kakori Kebabs and my favorite was The Four Seasons Barrique Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon, a 9 month Oak aged beauty served with Gahlauti Kebabs.



With a tummy full of yummy and our minds going Hic!, we enjoyed a good Wine Tasting session with Clive Castelino, Training Manager at Four Seasons who was more than happy to entertain all our questions related to Food and Wine pairing.









A big thumbs up to the team at both Veda and Four Seasons for organizing an event that made us a little more enriched with our knowledge about wines. You guys are doing a great job with introducing the culture of Wine with food in India. All the best!

You know how there are some things you never get tired of doing? That one song that you would listen to on loop until one day you cannot hear it anymore, or the movie that has been watched one times too many? Its like its so good, that its bad. Something like this happened to me at the Rajwar Food Festival, where I had so much amazing Rajasthani Food, after the festival at ITC which was also awesome, that I almost went into a good food coma.

The Rajwar Festival is a celebration with a special menu, a special service and an absolutely Royal treatment. We actually drove all the way down to Kurla , The Phoenix Market City, and were starving by the time we reached and made way to the outlet right in the middle of the food court after such a cumbersome journey.