Wild Blueberry and Banana Muffins

I do love bananas, if you haven’t figured that out already. Banana bread, banana muffins, banana halwa, banana smoothie, french toast with bananas are just a few of my favorite foods. Growing up, sliced bananas in a bowl of cold milk were my favorite breakfast. It was either the taste I grew up on or some weird coincidence but when I was pregnant with my son, the only food I craved was a banana and a glass of milk. Thankfully it was a craving easy to satisfy, or so I thought. So it wasn’t the usual story of me demanding ice cream, pickles or fried food in the middle of the night. It was instances of me waking up in a hotel room (on vacation in Florida) and demanding a banana and a cold glass of milk from room service at 2am in the morning. I’ve got to admit that was the most expensive banana I’ve ever had!

It’s probably no wonder that banana muffins are Nikhil’s favorite snack.

And so, when my friend, Bharathi, made these scrumptious yet very healthy blueberry banana muffins, I had to try them and share, despite the many banana bread and muffin recipes that you already see here.

Ingredients: (Makes 12 muffins or 24 mini-muffins)

1 cup whole wheat flour

3/4 cup brown sugar

1 cup frozen wild blueberries (from Costco or other health food store)

1 over ripe banana

1/2 cup olive oil

1 tbsp white distilled vinegar

1 tsp vanilla essence

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 cup walnuts

1/4 cup almonds (optional)

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 350F. Mix the flour, brown sugar, nuts and baking soda in a mixing bowl.

2. In a blender, grind the frozen wild blueberries, banana, vanilla essence, olive oil and vinegar to a smooth paste.

3. Make a well in the bowl with the dry ingredients and add the blueberry-banana mixture.

4. Mix well with a beater. Alternatively, you can mix everything in a stand mixer with the paddle attachment.

5. Line the muffin pans, and spray with oil if needed. Fill the muffin cups with the batter.

6. Bake in the heated oven for 17-19 minutes.

I added nuts to this which is a modification from the original recipe. Adding the nuts gives the muffins a cracked surface. I tried a batch without nuts and it turned out smooth on the surface. I also added slivered almonds as topping just to give it a different look.

Published in:  on February 2, 2010 at 12:40 am Leave a Comment
Tags: , , , ,

“Maharashtrian Dal” (Lentil Soup – Maharashtrian style)

An easy yet healthy (as always) entry from Anusuya’s kitchen. She insisted that I not call it a Maharashtrian Dal as she isn’t really sure if this is authentic Maharashtrian, but given that it tastes better than the the dals I’ve tried and the fact that it required “Goda Masala”, a must spice ingredient in authentic Maharashtrian cuisine – these were reasons enough for me to give it the original name. I’m adding the quotes just for her sanity:). This is an easy recipe as it calls for red gram dal and Rotel..once again, a creative twist to an otherwise common dish, true to Anusuya’s kitchen.

Ingredients:

1 cup red lentils (masoor dal)

4 cups water

1 can Rotel (mild or medium)

1/2 tsp Goda Masala (this was a generous contribution from Anusuya’s kitchen)

1/2 tsp cumin powder

1/2 tsp coriander powder

2-3 green chilies (optional)

1 small red onion

Curry leaves – a few

Oil – 1 tsp

Method:

1. Boil the red lentils in about 3 cups water in a saucepan, till the lentils are cooked.

2. Add a can of Rotel.

3. In a small frying pan, add a tsp of oil. When the oil gets hot, add finely chopped onion, the cumin powder, coriander powder, goda masala, curry leaves. Fry till the onions get transparent. You may also add chopped green chilies for extra spice.

We had it for lunch with some hot quinoa and aloo methi (potato with fenugreek leaves). Finger-licking good!

Published in:  on January 31, 2010 at 10:46 pm Leave a Comment
Tags: , , , ,

Thai Vegetable Fried Rice

Thai Food. This was the theme at the Christmas get together at my friend, Mona’s home this past year. I offered to make something, knowing fully well I’d be making something that I’d never tried before. I’ve made Indo-Chinese (Veg. Haka noodles and Veg Manchurian) dishes before but not authentic Thai. Well, this was a challenge, kind of like a Food Blog event, so when Mona asked me if I could help with the fried rice, I was all for it. I didn’t let her know that I’d never made it before, of course..she was expecting at least 100 people:). The good news was that I wasn’t the only one making it, so to keep things consistent between the two cooks making the rice, I suggested if Mona could share the recipe with both of us. Probably a stealthy way of letting her know that I was going to try it for the first time, ever!

Anyways, she sent me the recipe as promised and I tried it the afternoon of the party. Read on to see the verdict of the Thai Veg Fried Rice that I made, thanks to Mona!

Ingredients:

3 cups cooked Basmati rice

4 nos. baby corn, sliced thin

1 large capsicum, sliced thin

2-3 tablespoons green curry paste

2-3 Thai green chillies ,chopped

1 large green bell pepper, sliced thin

Ginger and garlic paste – 1 tsp each

6 spring onions, chopped

2 tablespoons soy sauce

1 tablespoon oil (I used Wok Oil available in Asian stores)

salt and pepper to taste

Chopped basil leaves – 1/2 cup

Method:

1. Heat the wok for a few minutes, then add the wok oil. Once you hear the oil sizzle a little, add the baby corn and capsicum and stir fry for 2 to 3 minutes.

2. Add the green curry paste, chillies and spring onions.

3. Add the rice, soya sauce, salt and pepper.

4. Serve hot

You can add a little more green curry paste and soy sauce depending on how spicy you like the rice.

GREEN CURRY PASTE

Makes 1 cup.

Ingredients

10 green chillies, chopped

6 clove garlic, peeled

1 onion, chopped

3/4 piece of ginger, peeled

1 cup chopped coriander

Rind of 1 lemon, grated

Juice of 1/2 lemon

1 tablespoon ground coriander

2 tablespoons ground cumin

2 stalks lemon grass

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

1. Grind all the ingredients in a mortar or a food processor using a little water.

2. Store in an airtight container or in the refrigerator. Alternatively, freeze for upto 3 months.

3. Use as required.

Verdict: Let’s just say I only got to taste a spoon. It was all gone at the party before I knew it! I would add a little more green chilies for additional spice, but that’s only because we tend to eat our food spicier than normal.

Published in:  on January 8, 2010 at 6:48 am Leave a Comment
Tags: , , ,

Chocolate Banana Cake (and it’s eggless too)

Happy 2010 to all! May this year brings you everything you wish for. May you stick with all the resolutions you made on the 1st of the year. And may you have your cake and eat it all!

I hope to be a little more regular this year on Roz Ka Khana. I know, its January 7th already and I’ve been remiss in posting my New Year greetings. So much for a start. But I’m trying. Actually, I have been cooking and baking a lot, its just the writing and posting that takes time. Okay, I resolve to stop with the excuses and get on with sharing the recipes.

The year started off better than I thought. I finally figured out how to bake eggless cakes. Finally! An eggless cake that looks and actually tastes normal! I don’t have any dietary restrictions with eggs (I’m not vegan) but have run into occasions/potlucks where others are, and baking eggless cakes has always been elusive for me. I’ve had some one off successes (like the whole wheat banana nut muffins posted earlier) but for the most part, they literally fall flat. My eggless date and walnut muffins, for one, stuck to the paper with folks having to scrape (rather, gnaw) it off with a fork or their teeth. I could argue that they at least tasted good if people wanted to have every bite, even if they just felt like rocks:), but I’m just using my power of positive thinking here.

Madhuram’s Eggless Cooking was my answer! Her recent post, the vegan chocolate banana cake looked so tempting that I had to try my hand at it. Interesting recipe, as it calls for no milk or eggs. I substituted butter instead of the canola oil she used (per her notes) and the outcome was an amazingly soft and moist chocolate cake. This recipe is a keeper for sure and I will probably try it as a birthday cake with frosting the next time. I used a few variations and also added nuts to give it some crunch.

Ingredients:

Whole wheat Pastry Flour – 2 cups

Dutch Chocolate powder – 2/3 cup (I used the one sold in Sprouts Farmer’s Market but am sure you can use any chocolate powder)

Sugar – 1 1/2 cup

Baking soda – 1 1/2 tsp

Unsalted butter – 1/4 cup

Hot water – 1 1/2 cups

Bananas, mashed and pureed – 1 cup (Per Madhuram, use 2 bananas mashed and add water to make up th 1 cup amount)

Chopped walnuts – 1/2 cup

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 350F

2. Mix the flour, chocolate powder, baking soda and sugar in a bowl.

3. In a stand mixer, cream the butter and add the vanilla essence at medium speed. Add the hot water. Now add the dry flour and chocolate powder mixture from the bowl to the mixer. beat for a few minutes at medium speed until all the ingredients are mixed well.

4. Add the mashed bananas while the mixer is running and beat again for a minute.

5. Add the chopped walnuts.

6. The mixture is quite runny which probably gives it the soft texture. Pour this in the bundt cake tin (I used the silicone mould and it turned out great) and bake at 350F for about 45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the cake comes out clean.

7. I did not frost the cake but you can if you like after it cools. Madhuram suggests that you reduce the sugar to 1 1/3 cup if you plan on frosting the cake.

Verdict: A soft and moist chocolate cake that was quite the hit with my son and nephew (you can tell they are my food critics, or rather the “guinea pigs”), as they tell me it’s good to the last crumb! That’s what’s left of it anyway!

Published in:  on January 7, 2010 at 11:46 am Comments (2)
Tags: , , , , ,

Bisi Bele Bhath Huli Quinoa (Spiced lentil and quinoa Gumbo)

A friend of ours recently introduced us to quinoa and all its benefits. Quinoa or KEEN-WAH as it is pronounced,  is 100% whole grain and I was excited to note that not only does it have fewer carbs than rice but is a great source of protein – 12% to 18%. To learn more about Quinoa and its benefits, go here.

We had been trying to find alternative methods to cut down rice from our diet. Brown rice, broken wheat are all great alternatives, but I find that neither has the protein content that quinoa provides. Basically, quinoa seems the closest to providing a balanced nutrition, the carbs, protein, Vit.B etc.

Of course, we tried it as an alternative to plain rice and then mixed it with plain yoghurt for the traditional South Indian staple, thayir saadhan or rather thayir quinoa! The other characteristic of quinoa that differentiates it from brown rice or broken wheat is that though there is a slight nutty flavor, you cannot taste it at all when you mix it with spices or curries. This, to me, is a perfect alternative to white rice!

Girish came up with the brilliant idea of trying bisi bele huli quinoa today for lunch and my mother got equally excited with the idea and pulled out her staple recipe for bisi bele huli bhaath. She and I got busy making it and I have to say it was awesome. So if you truly want to try this with rice, the recipe is just the same, only replace the quinoa with cooked rice.

Ingredients:

Boiled Toor Dal (yellow pigeon peas)  – 1 cup

Cooked quinoa - 1 cup (1 cup quinoa and 2 cups water in a pressure cooker, or a rice cooker)

Madras Sambar Powder – 2 1/2 tsp (you can use the MTR brand)

Turmeric – 1 tsp

Tamarind – lemon size soaked in water and made into a paste

Beans – 1/2 cup julienne sliced

Carrots – 2 julienne sliced

Peas – 1/2 cup

Cauliflower – florets 1/2 cup

Masala – to be ground into a paste

Onions – 2

Garlic – 8 pods (optional, if you dont like the smell of garlic, you can skip)

Red chilies – 8-10

Ginger – 2 inches

Khus Khus – 2 tbsp (poppy seeds)

Cloves – 4

Cardamom – 2

Dalchini (Cinnamon sticks) – 2

Grated coconut – 1/2 cup

Oil – 1/2 cup

Garnishing: cilantro – 1/2 cup, cashew pieces – 1/2 cup, mustard seeds – 1 tsp, curry leaves – a bunch, red chilies – 2

Method:

1. Take 2 tsp of oil in a heavy bottomed pan, add all the ingredients for the masala and fry lightly for about 5 minutes.

2. Add the turmeric powder and fry again for 2 more minutes. Allow to cool.

3. Put all the ingredients in the pan, add the tamarind and the tomatoes and grind to a smooth paste. Keep this aside.

4. Now take the same kadai, add the remaining oil and lightly fry the vegetables for about 5 minutes.

5. Add the ground paste and continue to fry until the oil separates, for about 10 minutes. Then add the sambar powder.

6. Now add the boiled and mashed toor dal, add about a cup of water and leave it to boil, for about 5-7 minutes. Add salt to taste.

7. Now add the cooked quinoa to the above mixture, and mix well. Cook a little more for about 5 minutes until the ingredients are thoroughly mixed.

8. In a separate pan, add a little oil, about 1 tsp. When the oil gets hot, add the mustard seeds and fry till they crackle. Now add the curry leaves and the red chilies. Add cashews and fry till they brown a little.

Add this to the bisi bele huli quinoa. Garnish with chopped cilantro and serve hot.

Published in:  on December 26, 2009 at 2:35 pm Comments (2)

Vanilla Cupcake

I haven’t been baking much this year aside from the ones already posted here, the banana bread and the pistachio cookies, all the same tried recipes. I did get the idea once to bake a batch of different cookies and give them as homemade gifts this year, to add that personal touch. But like everything else, the time got away from me and I resorted to gift cards, once again, the tried and true method:) I know, sounds a little boring, but aside from looking up some delectable recipes on the web, I couldn’t get myself to actually shake things up a little this season. Until I went grocery shopping with my nephew and he told me he was craving cupcakes and wanted to buy some, from Walmart! Of all the places, I thought. I mean, Walmart is fine for basic groceries, but I don’t consider it to be a place to buy gourmet food.

Is vanilla cupcake considered “gourmet food”, probably not, but I had my biases with Walmart anyway. Of course, my actual response was, “I’ll make a better cupcake for you!!” There, I had said it. Now I had opened myself up to a challenge that I make better cupcakes than Walmart. Should have said “better than “Sprinkles” – the best cupcake-ry in town, but I had to start small:)

So we got home and I started on the challenge of making the cupcakes from scratch, the cake, frosting and all….I was not going to use a mix or frosting out of a box or can. That’s probably not a big deal for most, but it felt good, saying that at least;)

In case you’re curious, I got the recipe from here.

Vanilla Cupcakes

1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature

2/3 cup granulated white sugar

3 large eggs

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Zest of 1 large lemon (optional)

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 cup milk

Buttercream Frosting:

2 cups confectioners sugar (icing or powdered sugar), sifted

1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

2tablespoons milk or light cream

Method:

Vanilla Cupcakes:

1. Preheat oven to 350F and line 12 muffin cups with paper liners.

2. In a food processor or a stand mixer with the whisk attachment, cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. The mixture will look a little curdled. Beat in the vanilla extract and lemon zest.

3. In a separate bowl whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt.

4. If using the stand mixer, chage the whisk attachment to the paddle attachment. If using a food processor, continue as is. With the mixer on low speed, alternately add the flour mixture and milk. Scrape down the sides of the bowl.

5. Fill the muffin cups with the batter and bake for about 18-20 minutes or until nicely browned and a toothpick inserted into a cupcake comes out clean. Remove from oven and place on a wire rack to cool. Once the cupcakes have completely cooled, frost with icing. You may scrape the top off a little to flatten the top of the muffin so the frosting goes on smoothly.

For the Frosting:

In an electric mixer, or standmixer, cream the butter until smooth and fluffy. Add the vanilla extract. With the mixer on low speed, gradually beat in the sugar. Add the milk and beat on high speed until frosting is light and fluffy (about 3-4 minutes). Add a little more milk or sugar, if needed.

Verdict: According to my nephew, he may not buy a Walmart cupcake again:) It turned out moist and just right, like the recipe said it would.

Happy Holidays everyone!!

Published in:  on December 24, 2009 at 3:40 pm Comments (1)
Tags: , , ,

Apple Raisin Bread

I suppose I have an expensive hobby. Cooking and blog writing isn’t really expensive I know but in my case, I seem to fall into a lull often. This time my new Vita-Mix got me inspired. Ha, for how long do I hear you all say? Well, let’s not get too cynical . Instead, allow me to share my enthusiasm and the recipe for this apple raisin bread that I baked this Thanksgiving weekend. Happy Thanksgiving everyone! Oh also I’m trying to use my wordpress app on my iPhone as I try to churn recipes and blog entries quickly. So this one comes to you straight from my phone. I know, two new gizmos to get me to get back into RKK mode…this IS an expensive hobby, don’t you think?
One neat and very healthy aspect of this recipe is that it has zero oil, zero butter and uses the natural juices from apples and dry fruits to moisten the batter making this a wholesome and nutritious bread. I’m sure you can make it without a Vita-Mix as well and it must have similar results. Do let me know if you do.

Ingredients:
1 cup whole wheat flour
1/4 cup uncooked rolled oats
1 medium apple quartered
1 thin slice lemon peeled and sliced
2 tbsp water
1 thin slice orange with peel
1/2 cup honey
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp allspice
1 cup raisins, dates or other dried fruit

Method:
1. Preheat oven to 350F. Spray an 8×8 inch baking pan with cooking spray.
2. Add the wheat flour and oats into the Vita-Mix container and secure the lid.
3. Turn machine on and increase speed to high till the mixture becomes a fine powder.
4. Remove lid and add rest of the ingredients.
5. Turn speed to variable and then to high.
6. Blend for 30 seconds until batter is smooth. Pour into greased pan.

7. Bake for 20-30 mins or until knife inserted comes out clean.

Verdict: The bread turned out quite soft and moist, with just the right amount of sweetness to it. The only thing I would consider adding are some nuts, walnuts or almonds to get the right crunch to it.

Published in:  on November 27, 2009 at 7:06 pm Leave a Comment
Tags: , ,

India Trip Food Round-up – Chennai Part 2

DSCN0921You’re correct in the assumption that of the 12 days I spent in India, more than 8 were at restaurants. I visited 4 cities in 12 days, and each one had its own specialty, Hyderabadi Biryani, Bombay pav bhaji and gujarati food. I probably spent the most time eating at home in Chennai. I had to ask my sister in law Meena, to make this dish for me and of course share it on Roz Ka Khana. Its called Ambat (Sour) Bhaaji (vegetable dish). Its made from sour greens like amaranth or puli keerai as we say in Tamil. Can also be made from spinach leaves. The sourness to the dish comes from adding the tamarind.

Ambat Bhaji is a Tanjore Marathi inspired dish and is sort of a hybrid between a sambar (lentil and vegetables soup) and a koottu (vegetables in gravy).

Ingredients:

Spinach – 1 bunch. You may also use amaranth.

Tamarind – lemon sized ball

Turmeric – 1 tsp

Asafetida – a pinch

Toor dal (yellow pigeon peas) – 1 cup boiled and mashed

Methi seeds (fenugreek) – 1  tsp

Dry red chilies – 4-6

Chopped Cilantro – for garnish

Method:

1. Wash and chop the spinach. You can chop the spinach and steam in a heavy bottomed vessel with a little bit of water. This helps retain the green color better. You can also microwave the fresh spinach. Alternatively, you may use frozen spinach.

Boiled spinach

2. While the spinach cooks, soak the tamarind in a little warm water, and squeeze it to extract tamarind paste. Alteratively, you may use about 1 to 1 1/2 tsp of tamarind paste. Add water to this paste (about 1 cup) and take this tamarind water in the heavy bottom vessel (kadai)

3. Add the spinach, salt and asafetida to the tamarind water. Let this mixture boil till the raw smell of tamarind goes away.

Tamarind water and spinach

4. Now add the boiled and mashed toor dal. Boil for another 5 to 10 minutes till everything is well blended.

DSCN0916

DSCN0917

5. Now dry roast the methi seeds and the red chilies, grind to a fine powder. Add this powder to the dal mixture and boil one more time for another 2-3 minutes. Garnish with cilantro leaves and serve hot with white or brown rice.

In the above picture, we mixed the mashed dal with the ground powder and then added the mixture to the tamarind water. You may do this as well, but I think adding the powder at the end and then boiling provides an added taste.

Published in:  on September 21, 2009 at 7:57 pm Leave a Comment
Tags: , , , , , ,

India Trip Food Round Up – Chennai

My 2 day trip to Chennai was dotted with some saree shopping, jewelry shopping (the fashion and the junk jewelry kind - not the 24k gold Thangamaligai kind:), of course, some food – the restaurant and home-cooked kinds!

We visited Cream Center in Raja Annamalai Puram on Chamiers Road. This is the same Cream Center that has had its origins in Bombay (I know – I can call Madras, Chennai but I just can’t get myself to call Bombay Mumbai) and this time I had planned to visit newer places in Bombay so I figured I would get my Cream Center fix in Chennai . The menu was exactly the same as I remembered it, but I also knew what I was going there for…..the carrot pickle with the famous Chole Bhatura. This was my favorite restaurant in growing up, during my annual visits to Bombay, and though Cream Center got its name from its famous ice-cream varieties, I loved it only for the carrot pickle!

Only they had now morphed from a Punjabi menu to a Mexican, Italian and rather Continental menu but with a desi flair. I say desi flair as even though the menu had items like Tostadas, Nachos, Sizzlers etc, the “refried beans” were more like mashed rajma unlike the pinto beans that you get here in the US. Nonetheless, I ordered the Chole Bhatura and couldn’t wait to indulge in my favorite pickle. I was quite disappointed, I have to admit. The chole was fine but they had messed up the pickle! Soggy carrots were all I got. They had obviously been sitting in the oil for a while. And the Bhatura looked like it had been sitting in the same oil too..well, you know what I mean. It was as oily as the pickle.

Cream Center pickle

Cream center choleThe Dum Biriyani however was a pleasant surprise as I had, by now, dismissed the food as being mediocre. The Sizzler was a hodge podge of pulao meets veggies meets samosa meets fries! Yes, it had a samosa perched on top of the rice concoction and though the description on the menu intrigued me, it didnt taste as good as it sounded.

Cream center sizzler

I think the best part of the dinner was the dessert..or maybe it’s just my sweet tooth that makes me love anything that has sugar and chocolate. The sizzling brownie was a hit with the kids too. Brownie with vanilla ice cream in a sea of bubbling hot chocolate! Yum! That’s all I could say before I burnt my tongue!!

Cream Center brownie

The Verdict - Cream Center Chennai wasn’t half as good as the parent in Chowpatty, Bombay. There are better restaurants in Chennai to spend your money on.

Published in:  on September 10, 2009 at 9:20 pm Leave a Comment
Tags: , , ,

India Visit Food Round-up – New Delhi

Once again, I’m back after a long pause. This time, I have a valid (well, sort of!) reason for the silence. I was on my annual trip to India..the usual, 2 week visit, filled with travelling, jet-lag, and an over-stimulation of the senses that leaves me wanting a vacation after the vacation. Only this time it felt a little different. I was visiting India without the rest of my family, for one. Nikhil was in India for over a month with his cousins and my trip was planned solely to bring him back home. This time the 2 weeks was filled with the same crazy travelling, jet-lag and did I mention, eating to my heart’s content, and, shopping? Those were a part of my previous trips too, but this time it felt a little more relaxed. I felt like I was savoring every minute of my trip, taking in all the flavors, the smells, the food, like there was no tomorrow. Maybe it was a new fangled appreciation for food or the fact that I really tried to plan my visits to the various cities so I could make the most of my stay and savor the local fare. I took lots of pictures and tried to capture many foodie moments that I will recount here.

My first halt was New Delhi, more of a transit stop on my way to Hyderabad. I was only there for the night, but was bright eyed at 9.30pm when I reached my hotel and absolutely famished. And no wonder..it was time for my lunch! Girish had suggested I eat at the Bukhara, and am I glad I did.

The restaurant is rated not only the best in New Delhi but one of the top 14 in the world according to UK Magazine, and is supposedly one of Bill and Hillary Clinton’s favorite places when they visit India. The restaurant has apparently added the “Hillary Platter” recently to their menu! The cuisine is one from the north-west frontier, prepared in a clay ‘tandoor’ oven, in a kitchen area that is visible to customers, and which adds to the experience. Another unique fact about the restaurant is the red and white checkered apron they offer you instead of a napkin to tie around your neck before you attack the food with your bare hands. Yes, they do not give you silverware, as that takes away from the taste, they claim. And they are absolutely right! Meals are expensive, but the food is to die for! Bill Clinton, on one of his visits apparently said he wished he had two stomachs! Let’s just say I ate like I did!!

I ordered the Vegetarian platter which had a sampling of their famous tandoor vegetarian options, succulent paneer tikka  (grilled Indian cottage cheese), tandoori phool (gobi or cauliflower), tandoori aaloo (potato), roti (bread) and the world famous Dal Bukhara (black lentils simmered in gravy). This was followed by rasmalai for dessert. I was in heaven with all the food options in front of me and me being me, I absolutely had to sample them all. All I can say is that the UK mag is about 14 ranks off the mark and I have a renewed respect for the Clintons …if only for their taste in food:). I spent the night tossing and turning with my stomach full of tandoori delights, but it was worth it!

Image004

Image005

Image006

Next stop…Chennai. Yes I did say I was going to Hyderabad, but that was only for a day, and I was soon on my way to Chennai to meet the in-laws and of course, see Nikhil after a whole month! Chennai food round-up coming up next…

Published in:  on August 27, 2009 at 10:13 pm Leave a Comment
Tags: , , , , ,
« Older Entries