Friendship and a Cup of Tea

Every time I make a cup of tea, I think of my two best friends Sanaya and Vidhi. And of course, our crazy families. Since my morning cup of tea is how I best start my day, I start my day with amazing memories of a friendship that's been around for 12 years.

Thinking of Sanaya when I make a cup of tea is a no-brainer. After all it was she (and daddy, her father) who got me hooked to tea. I still remember the day like it was yesterday. It was my first trip to Sanaya's bungalow in Matheran in the summer vacation of 2005. We'd taken the 6 kilometer long hike from Dasturi to the bungalow (and it was the first time for me). When we got there, Sanaya and daddy immediately expressed (in their very endearing way) their want (it was more like a need, really) for afternoon tea! While making tea, daddy took out a cup for me too and asked me how I'd like mine. I was a little scared and shy as I told him almost apologetically, "I don't have tea, uncle." You should've seen the way Sanaya and daddy whirled around to get an eyeful of me. It was almost like a Hindi movie, where you'd expect daddy to drop the plate in his hand with a loud crash and cover his ears with both his palms. While that (almost) didn't happen, I did get an exasperated "She DOESN'T drink tea?!" from daddy. Then he and Sanaya with their sense of humour and gentle coaxing convinced me to have a cup of the mint tea with lots of sugar (for my Gujju preferences) and without milk (daddy grudgingly caving into my intolerance of it). And till date, it's the best cup of tea I've ever had. Every time I have mint tea, I always think of this first cup (and their whirling!).

Sanu's and daddy's love for tea can be seen in the way how their days are planned around tea. Like when we'd walked through the market halfway between Dasturi and home, Sanaya had already asked daddy to buy some mint for afternoon tea. Then of course there always was the way Sanu, with her very Parsi sweet tooth, would plan what to buy for tea wherever we'd go. If we were at Colaba Causeway then it was Theobroma's, if we were at Churchgate, it as Gaylords, if we were around college, it was Kyani's or Paris bakery, RTI near Fountain, or Parsi General for their lemon tarts, or if we were near Malabar hills, it was Country of Origin. I have some very interesting memories of shopping with her for 'something sweet for tea'. We'd have all our other shopping in one hand and we'd be balancing the very delicate box of pastries, or biscuits, or tiramisu. And then there were those days we'd try to get into a crowded bus to get home. I believe a lot of my flexibility has come from delivering these 'sweets' for tea in one piece.

There are always the great number of teas we've had around the table at Sanu's home. We'd always time our stays  and visits so we could have tea together. There would be at least 4-5 people. And somehow the 3-chairs-on-one-side sized table (pushed up to the wall on one side) always managed to accommodate all of us comfortably. Uncle, Sanaya or me would put up a large 'tapeli' (there is no other word in my mind for it except the way Sanu and daddy call it tapeli) to boil the water. Then we'd ask the question, "How do you want your tea" and the chaos would unleash! Every one had their preferences, which also changed after hearing someone else's preference, or the choice of tea available, or the food that was there, or just simply because of a change of mind. Then there was the preference of sweetener (sugar or honey) and it's amount, other additions like milk or lemon and so on and so forth. Of course there was convincing people who generally did not drink tea to have some with us. This was accompanied by loud talking, general teasing (it was the boys who usually got it from us girls), demands for food (mostly from me or Sanu because we'd always be hungry), stories of the day, western classical music, discussions of books and movies, sarcastic comments, and hugs and love; all of which were freely available around the table. And when the cups of teas were poured, they simply joined the conversation.

Tea with Vidhi was always a new experience. In her well-travelled panache she'd always have a new tea to share with me. The first one I have to talk about is the one that will always be 'our' tea: the smoky Lapsang Souchong with it's fragrance like the fragrance of the dry earth after the first rains (I know the word for it is petrichor, but somehow it's doesn't sound poetic enough to me). Both of us hoard our stocks of good Lapsang Souchong. And when we are having one of 'those' days where we miss 'us' we'll make ourselves a cup of beautiful Lapsang and comfort ourselves. Then there is her obsession with Russian Caravan. Every time she hears of a rare place in Mumbai that serves Russian Caravan, she HAS to rush there (with me in tow, of course) and have a cup of it. How can I also forget running around with her to stock up on her always depleting stock of Typhoo's Orange Spicer every time she travels back home from Indonesia. And there is always going to be the very local (I swear to you looks like it has all the parts of tea plant including barks in it) Indonesian jasmine tea that she has introduced me to as a Christmas and now she keeps filling my stock of it. She travels, travels well and introduces me to so many new teas that keep my love for it going.

The ritual of making tea at Vidhi's home is always a private thing between the two of us even when the whole family would be there. Vidhu's mom, the quintessential Indian host, would leave her kitchen to us when it came to making tea with an exasperated, "I don't know how to make your tea, you girls make it yourself". It was a symbol of her 'give up' on trying to understand us in general. The last time I went to Vidhu's place was the morning of her engagement. Her aunt and mom were running around making sure the whole family was having tea and breakfast while still getting ready. And then when she saw me (one of her 'vavajhodu' or typhoon in Gujarati), she smiled fondly and told me, "go make it". It will always be the great bond between us that she loves us even though she never will fully understand us.

Tea and Vidhi are so many places. The seating by the window in her home that overlooks the small patch of greenery with the background noise of the school next door. Or the couch at Tea Trails at Viviana Mall where we'd grab a peaceful cup of tea before we'd rush to shop for whatever she needed shop for before she flew out. The window by the bed of my parents' old home or the balcony of our new home with conversations about food and menu planning, baking, Sanskrit literature, Hindi literature, books to read, growing up and travel, silliest board games, missing the three of us. We are at our happiest when we sit with each other with a cup of tea warming our hands and conversations warming our hearts.

Every cup of tea is a walk down memory lane for me, because tea is Sanu and Vidhu. Each cup of tea is a precious memory that makes me smile or sigh. Each cup of tea is friendship in all it's simple ever-presence.

New Food Beginnings

I realised something new yesterday. I am entering a new phase of cooking. And there are newer and exciting things I have to learn now.

I got engaged in May and am getting married in December. I have started cooking a bit at my to-be home too. I made my garlic dal a few days back, some mixed vegetable soup day before yesterday and aamti (dal) last night. As I have been cooking these dishes and getting feedback about them, I've realised that there are so many newer things that I have to learn about cooking for myself and other people.

I've been a lover of Indian cuisines and a lot of international ones. I've always experimented with them in my kitchen to create and eat what suits my taste palate. And not all of them are always going to be hits. The garlic dal with it's flavouring from slowly cooked garlic was a hit. But the soup (which I like a little sour) needed some onions while steaming to balance out the sourness with their sweetness.

So you see I have a lovely new learning goal coming up for my cooking. Four die-hard foodies. Some common taste preferences. Some completely different ones. Everyday cooking. And finding the right balance of tastes for all.

Oh, I'm not worried. I'm looking forward to the learning and the feedback. I know there are going to be hits and misses. It's always been a part of the game and will always be. It's finding those hits and replicating them that I am looking forward to! Because learning something new is always fun! 

Singapore Food Adventures: Bubble Tea and Iced Tea with Jelly

Bubble teas were my first ever Singapore food adventure.. My to-be sister-in-law (who was my lovely host in Singapore) knows I love tea. So the day I landed and we passed by a bubble tea shop she told me, "You should definitely try this!"

Passionfruit Bubble Tea from Agantea

The best way I could find to describe a bubble tea was to call it a 'tea falooda'. Basically, it is flavoured iced tea, with or without milk, with tapioca pearls, jelly chunks, coconut-y noodles etc. This drink is meant to be sipped and chewed. It fulfills your thirst and sweet food cravings in one glass!

Lemongrass Iced Tea with Lime Jelly at Toastbox Singapore

Another interesting tea beverage I had was the lemongrass iced tea with lime jelly. It's a very simple concept. Sweet and cold lemongrass iced tea is served with thin slices of lime jelly on top. It makes for a refreshing drink for the hot and humid Singapore weather.

When you're in Singapore, switch from your regular cup of coffee to these local tea beverages for a pick-me up!

Where to Find Them? There are bubble tea shops at every corner, mall and metro station in Singapore. I personally preferred agantea for the variety of flavours and milk-less bubble teas. I had the lemongrass iced tea with lime jelly at Toastbox, a franchise selling Kaya toast and more. They have many restaurants around Singapore.

Singapore Food Adventures: Thai Food

Ah, to fall in love all over again!

The first time I had Thai food was at a local restaurant about 12 years back. At that time Thai food had not gained popularity in my little corner of Mumbai (Thane). So they served only two dishes, the quintessential Red Thai Curry and Green Thai Curry. I fell in love with the creamy and coconuty spiciness of the curries with the first fiery spoonful. And the love affair never stopped.

Now that I've been to Singapore with a better understanding of Thai food and more adventurous tastebuds, I've fallen in love all over again with this cuisine. These are the dishes in Thai cuisine that have made my tastebuds sing Hallelujah! 

Stir Fried Greens

Stir Fried Greens

There is one thing all of us agreed on, Thai cuisine really knows how to treat vegetables. This dish used only oil, slowly browned garlic and salt as spices. However, the main taste in the dish was the fresh, original flavour of the greens themselves. It may seem simple but it will require quite some experience to get the balance just right! 

Thai Pineapple Fried Rice

Thai Pineapple Fried Rice

This is fried rice taken to another level. Thai sticky rice is stir fried with vegetables, egg (optional), fried cashews, hint of turmeric and diced fresh pineapple. The pineapple adds a delicate fresh sweetness to this dish that is enhanced by the slight pungency of the turmeric. The vegetables and fried cashews add a crunchy texture to the rice that sticks to your teeth. And when it comes to your table served in a pineapple boat, you can't stop smiling at it!

Pad Thai

Pad Thai

Pad Thai is a popular street food. It is believed to be introduced to Thailand by Vietnamese traders. Soaked rice noodles are stir fried with bean sprouts, cut up tofu, eggs (optional), vegetables and local sauces. It has the traditional Thai taste profile with a balance of sweet, sour, pungent and salty. 

Thai Dessert: Black Glutinous Rice with Thai Mango in Vanilla Sauce

Black Glutinous Rice with Thai Mango in Vanilla Sauce

Believe it or not, the black sticky rice is black in colour naturally. There are no food colours added to it. I had seen this dessert on a food show and was intrigued by how popular a dessert made of black rice was. Now I completely understand the why! The sticky sweet rice simply melts in your mouth. Have it with the mango and vanilla sauce and there is a burst of different kinds of sweet flavours in your mouth. 

Lemongrass Juice

Lemongrass Juice

If you think lemon juice is great, you're going to flip over lemongrass juice. That's what happened to me. It has the citrusy flavour of lemons and lemongrass without the sour taste of lemons. This drink hits the right notes for me. 

Where to Eat Thai Food in Singapore?

For the Mains I found the most authentic and pocket friendly Thai food at small restaurants in the Thai quarters near Nicoll Highway. I would recommend at least one visit there. Food courts in malls or outside specialising in South East Asian cuisine also serve good Thai food. For more pricier options, Bali Thai is a great place. 

For Desserts: Honeymoon Desserts located at Bugis junction has a wide range of Thai desserts. 

Singapore Food Adventures: Turkish Food

Singapore is true multi-cultural country. It has people from many different regions across the world living there. They've managed to bring their own cultural heritage to Singapore and preserve it. You will, therefore, find a lot of different cuisines in Singapore, not just from regions of South East Asia, but beyond that too.

One of the cuisines I tried here was Turkish food. Turkish cuisine has many influences which also include Middle Eastern cuisine (think dips and Mezze platters), Mediterranean  (think olive oil and fresh vegetables), Caucasian cuisines (think kebabs and dolma).

Here's a short introduction to the foods in Turkish cuisine that I've tried.

Turkish Mezze Platter

Turkish Mezze Platter

The word mezze in Turkish means "taste, flavour, relish". Mezze Platters are usually a dish of various savoury and creamy dips and snacks served with local breads. The dips that we had were: hummus the quintessential dip made of boiled chickpeas, sesame paste (tahini), lemon juice, garlic and olive oil (for the recipe, click here), Baba Ghanoush which has roasted eggplants with sesame paste and garlic, muhammara dip made of tomatoes and green onions with spices, cacik dip of yoghurt, dried mint and cucumber etc. The platter also had a dolma (stuffed snack) of vine leaves stuffed with cooked soft rice flavoured with tangy gravy and spices. 

Lavash Bread

Lavash Bread

We had Lavash, a leavened bread that puffs up like a bhatura when cooked in the oven, to scoop up the dips in the mezze platter. The lavash bread comes topped with black sesame seeds that add a great texture to the bread.

Kebab Platter

Kebab Platter

Turkish cuisine loves it's charcoal grills and serves a wide range of succulent and spiced up kebabs. The kebabs are served like a plated meal with rice, pan-grilled vegetables, rich gravy on the kebabs and herbs and spices to top it all off.

Having had all this heavy food, we needed something to wash it off and digest it, right? So we had:

Ayran

Ayran 

Ayran is a salty yoghurt drink, kind of like our chhas.

Turkish Mint Tea

Turkish Mint Tea

Being a tea lover I have heard a lot about Turkish mint tea and now I've had it too! Turkish people have tea at breakfast and throughout the day. The mint tea has a strongly brewed full-bodied black tea served with fresh spearmint leaves.

Where to Find Turkish Food in Singapore? Arab Street area has many great restaurants serving authentic Turkish cuisine. Here I would recommend visiting Alaturk and Nasreen.

Singapore Food Adventures: Breakfast Like A Local

Let's start at the very beginning,
A very good place to start
                                - The Sound of Music

As I was thinking about what should I write first about from all the crazy food adventures I've had in Singapore, the notes of this song played in my head and I said, why not? So here I am starting at the beginning, the first meal of the day: breakfast!

A breakfast that is close to the Singaporeans' hearts is Kaya Butter Toast with some Kopi (coffee) or Teh (tea) to dip it in.

Kaya Thick Toast with Kopi at Toast Box Singapore

Kaya is a spread made by slow cooking coconut milk, sugar and eggs till the sugar caramelises giving a golden colour and rich taste to the spread. Kaya toast can be made using a thick toast or two thin slices of bread. In both versions, there is a thick slab of salted butter and a thick layer of kaya, either on top or between the two slices. The slightly salted buttery taste brings out the caramelised sweetness of the kaya on the toast.

Kopi or coffee is a local coffee blend that makes a strong brew. It is served with evaporated milk (think condensed milk, minus some of the sugar) which makes lends a distinctively delicious taste and consistency to the coffee.

If you ever go to Singapore, do breakfast like a local!

Where to Find Kaya Toast and Kopi? Small tea shop and eateries selling Kaya toast and kopi are everywhere. Just walk into one of these and enjoy the authentic experience. There are also chains of brands like Toast Box located in malls or individually around Singapore that serve Kaya Toast too.

Singapore Food Adventures: An Overview

Hello dear readers. I know I have been MIA last month, but I have good reasons for it. I have been on a relaxed vacation where I have really skipped even looking at my blog. 

This July I was taking my first international holiday in Singapore. I was hosted by my lovely to-be sister-in-law and her husband at their beautiful home and my fiance was able to join me the last two weeks of the trip! My fiance's best friend and his family are also in Singapore making it a great tourist and family vacation.

If you've been in touch with my Facebook page you'll have read of the food adventures I've been having there. How could the foodie in me miss out on all the variety of tasty food available.

 Here is a snapshot of all the great food memories I've carried back with me!

This past month I've had breakfast like a local, eaten authentic Thai food, sampled Korean barbecue at a stall in the mall, had three Vietnamese cuisine dinners, fallen in love with Indonesian bamboo cakes (that require a certificate of skill), had Swedish meatballs at IKEA, celebrated tai's birthday with Greek food, finally had authentic Mexican food, devoured burgers from American burger chains, dipped my toes in the ocean of Japanese food and celebrated my love for Turkish food (phew!). 

I will be writing about these over the next few posts, so watch out for them.

Shopping at Crawford Market Mumbai

I am a non-traditional shopper. When it comes to shopping for clothes, shoes, bags, jewellery etc, my standard operating rule is "Like, Fit, Price, Pay, Leave." But when it comes to food and books, I savour the experience. At food markets I linger over every shelf, enjoy the display, discover new ingredients, pick them up, smell them, touch them and read about them in detail, I jump with joy when I find the right thing at the right price or sigh softly when I can't find what I need.

My most favourite experiences for shopping for food has always been that of shopping at Crawford Market in Mumbai. Crawford Market, or Mahatma Jyotiba Phule Mandai as it officially goes, is a 144 year old building located close to the Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus (CST) station in Mumbai. You can find ANYTHING food-related here, including the most unheard of ingredients, fruits, vegetables, cheeses and chocolates at prices that will make you not only jump, but dance with joy.

Everything at one place: Crawford Market Mumbai

For me and my friend who loves cooking too, shopping at Crawford is like our version of 'making a day of it'. Going to Crawford market to shop is like a picnic for us. We mark an entire day for going to Crawford, not only because of the travel time (as we live in the suburbs), but also because of the time we'll take to browse, linger, and shop. We'll carry at least 3 to 4 huge (and by huge I mean HUGE) bags to carry back whatever we 'plan' to shop for. Of course, every time the number of bags end up being more than what we have carried as you simply cannot stick to lists here if you love food.

My first experience of shopping at Crawford felt like an interesting irony of all the ingredients I need in ways I didn't think it could be available. It is like shopping for high-end, rare ingredients at an everyday bazaar. Where else will you find Thai Bird Chilly, Galangal, Kaffir Lime, Italian Basil, and curled Parsley next to your everyday curry leaves and dhania patti at a traditional sabziwaala stall? Where  else can you find Parmesan, Gouda and Edam sharing shelf space with Amul and Britannia? And in which bazaar will you find Earl Grey and Lady Grey nestled next to your Girnar and Society Tea?

Shopping at Crawford can be best described an assault on your senses. Though it is an indoor market that is poorly lit, you cannot miss the bright colours of the products at display.There are a variety of smells:  fishy, spicy, cheesy and chocolaty sweet that mingle and permeate through the market. And the symphony of sounds of calling out to customers, persuading, questioning, bargaining and haggling are a tribute to Indian bazaars.

The range of products available at Crawford does not end at rare ingredients and people also go there to shop for cheap and good quality clothes, footwear, beauty products from around the world, crockery and serveware, bakeware, party items, jewellery-making stuff and even alcohol. The range is wide indeed.

Till date, I have never been disappointed by a trip to Crawford. I've always found whatever I have needed at very reasonable prices. It is a must-go for all Mumbai food lovers. A word of caution though for first time shoppers, go with someone experienced with the maze of Crawford Market and its bylanes or you'll be spending hours there with not much fruitful outcomes. Whatever it is, I can assure you you'll still enjoy the experience. 

Hummus Platter

Special occassions call for special creations. My little brother had his 22nd birthday (okay, so he is not so little anymore then!) on Wednesday and I wanted to gift him something made from my love for cooking. He loves trying different types of cuisines that I try at home quite often. So I made something from a new cuisine with my twist to it for him: a Hummus platter. I made the Hummus platter with three types of Hummus: Regular Hummus, Basil Hummus and Spicy Hummus with whole wheat pita bread. He loved it! So it was quite a success!

Hummus Platter

The above picture has the Basil Hummus in the front, the Regular Hummus in the middle, and the Spicy Hummus at the farther end. 

Regular hummus is a post I have already done. You can click on the title to go to it!

Basil Hummus

Ingredients

1 cup chickpeas soaked overnight
5 tbsps seasame seeds
8-10 garlic cloves
6-7 leaves of fresh Italian basil
3 tbsps olive oil
Salt to taste
Water to adjust consistency

Method

Pressure cook the chickpeas. Roast the seasame seeds in a pan on a low flame till they are brownish and release their aroma. Blend with a little water to make the tahini paste.

In the blender, blend the garlic cloves, the basil leaves, the tahini paste and the salt to form a smooth paste. Add in the cooked chickpeas and olive oil and blend. Add water to adjust consistency as desired.

To serve, create a little depression in the middle and pour some olive oil into it (see picture above).



Spicy Hummus

Ingredients

1 cup chickpeas soaked overnight
5 tbsps seasame seeds
8-10 garlic cloves
6-7 leaves of fresh Italian basil
3 tbsps olive oil
1 1/2 tsps of red chilly powder
1 tsp of cumin powder
Salt to taste
Water to adjust consistency

Method

Cook the soaked chickpeas in the pressure cooker. Make the tahini paste by roasting seasame seeds as described above and then blending them with a little water to form a smooth paste.

Blend together the chickpeas, the tahini paste, the garlic cloves, the olive oil, salt and the red chilly and cumin powder. Keep adding water in little quantities till the desired consistency of the dip is reached.

Serve with some olive oil on it (see picture below).

Serve the different types of Hummus with pita bread toasted in a little olive oil and enjoy!

The three types of Hummus served with olive oil on them

Life Lessons

Spend an hour in the kitchen with a mother, and along with recipes you will learn some of life's greatest lessons!

My First Newspaper Publication!

Your's truly in Saturday's newspaper... a huge half page article on my recipe contributions! 

The dream of seeing my name in the newspaper comes true! 

This one is for my granny... the start of it all, in cooking, in reading and writing...

The recipes can be found on my blog: 

1. Punjabi Dal Makkhani Simplified

2. Maharashtrian Aamti

3. Marwari Panchmel Dal

Enjoy these!

A Creative Cake For My Birthday

Homemade Bertie Bott's Every- Flavoured cake with a special way of adding Gryfindor's red and yellow colours... only a best friend can make a cake fantasy you never knew you had come true! :-)

Joy

Hot wadapav from a gaadi in rainy weather... sometimes it's just as simple as that!

Cooking Beyond Eating

Eating is a joy to people because it is the activity that appeals to all the five senses. The tastes of dishes play with the tongue, the fragrance appeases the nose. The eyes are visually seduced by the colours and presentation of the dish. The ears crave the sounds of gulping, sizzling, crunching, slurping. And the skin enjoys the seductive warmth, the pliancy and the textures of the food as we eat with out fingers.

Cooking meets all these needs. You see the colours of the ingredients and how they blend together, and enjoy the maturity that the smells achieve as the dish cooks. You have the textures ranging from the strong ones of rice and dals to the silky soft ones of flour and spice powders for your skin. You have the musical grilling,sizzling, whistling, boiling, frying sounds for your hearing and of course the graduating tastes of the dishes at different times in cooking.

But cooking also has so much more for those who love it. It jogs your brain and memories and tests you on your creativity. Ask someone who cooks daily for the family how he/she comes up with new menus to keep the interest going and fingers licking, and you'll know what I am talking about. It brings with it a sense of great accomplishment with every meal. Ask the mother of a three year old who manages to find new ways to make the toddler eat the veggies the toddler has an absolute dislike for, and you will know what I am talking about. And it gives you a way to express your love. Ask the lover who has just appreciated the home-cooked meal cooked by their loved one, and you'll definitely know what I am talking of.

No wonder I love cooking!

P.S. This is just an aha moment that had to be captured! The week of the dals continues today with the recipe for the Punjabi favourite, but ordered by all only at restaurants, Dal Makkhani later today.

A Morsel of Childhood

A small hot ball of rice, mixed with a dab of ghee and a sprinkle of salt, fed to me by the loving fragrant and slightly wrinkled hands of my grandma... I want a morsel of 'that' simply flavoured rice, a morsel of the simplicity of childhood...

An Aha Moment about Beginnings of Salt Pepper and Spice

Last evening, a chat with a friend about food (yes, what else?!) brought on the realisation of learning to cook that I have always believed in but never phrased before.

So he was telling me about his attempt to cook by experimenting with thai green curry and tofu.

Ah! my aha moment! I have heard of quite a few people having this experience; they won't cook generally and when they feel like learning to cook they will start with something really fancy or foreign and since it won't turn out to be good most of the times, they will be turned off from the experience of cooking.

My experience of cooking and what I have heard of from people who love cooking around me has been of starting with traditional foods. My first experiences of cooking were when I was eight years old. My grandmother's legs weren't functioning too well, but she still would cook; so she would turn on the stove, put all the vegetables/ dal with the tadka, come and sit outside in her chair in the living room and then open the magic box, the masala box as I saw it. I would stare at her in awe as she measured out these small mounds of masalas with just her fingers (yes she never used any measures but was always so perfect in her measurement!) and then ask me to go add them to the dal and the vegetables and keep an eye. These magic powders started to hold me in amazement because of what they did to those bland vegetables and dals. I started being able to name all these powders, distinguish them by what they did to the foods and what flavours they brought. Once I started understanding this alchemical process, I could enjoy it more and as my basics strengthened, I started to have the confidence to try my own recipes.

Another important thing with traditional food is that you know so well what it is supposed to taste like at the end and there is someone with a lot of experience to guide you about how to get there, to get it to taste just right! This voice of experience and guidance is one of the most important things to cooking according to me. This someone can explain the new  and old spices to you, what do they do to the food and how to get them to create magic and not a mess! I may have sometimes taken for granted the ease and the confidence my grandmother was able to instill in me about cooking from a very young age, but I never can forget her contributions to my love for cooking. A good guide, be it your mother, grandmother, your friend or anyone (gender-neutral anyone) can make cooking a wondrous experience for you.

And once the comfort level with the basics is established, it becomes easier to move on to new creations with these familiar tastes and then adding a novel taste or going to more foreign dishes. This comfort could make cooking more than just a necessary chore! 

First Time

In my 11 years of cooking, today was the first time ever I have ended up putting too much salt in a dish.  My regular strategy is too add less salt, because you can always add some more salt if needed while eating but too much salt is an incurable disaster.

Then again, my parents and brother did not find it too salty so maybe it was just me as I do eat less salt compared to them. To me it was too much and this was my first time making that mistake! 

Thai Soup Shots With Pani Puri @ Poptates Thane

This is an experience worth sharing. Poptates, one of my preferred restaurants to eat at, has introduced a few new dishes (at least at the Thane Korum outlet) one of which appealed to us today: Thai soup shots with pani puri. My lovely company and I agreed to venture into this new territory and it worked out!
The dish is our regular pani puri filled with boiled mashed potatoes, onion, green corriander mint chutney and sev served with hot thai soup in shot glasses.
We all tried eating differently, I ate the pani puri and then drank the soup from the shot glass as the pani puri was in my mouth, one of us ate the pani puri and had a spoonful of the soup with it, and one of us poured the soup in the pani puri in the traditional style and ate it.
Whatever our eating style, we all agreed that the dish was a great experience in both the textures of the crunchiness with the warm smoothness of the soup and the tastes of the tangy pani puri chat with the (a little) spicy flavourful warmth of the soup.
The creator of this interesting fusion can take a bow!

Starbucks (It Finally Feels Christmas-y!)

My friend and I missed Christmas yesterday, thanks to the really hot weather, the no Christmas trees around our places and me also because of no Christmas Carols or movies!

So today on a whim, we made a bit of a change in our plans for the day, and stepped into Starbucks (because it would be Christmas-y there!) and we weren't disappointed. Starbucks is spread over a decently large area for South Bombay or even Mumbai for that matter. The first thing that hits you, apart from the delightful smell of the coffee, is this space, the lighting, the soft lighting, the Indianised classic decor and for this season, the Christmas trees (there were 2, one large, one small!) and the carols! I was totally floored! We were so happy as it feels like you have stepped into a different world.

The Christmas Tree at the Mezzanine seating level

View of the reception and coffee serving area from the mezzanine seating level

Tree stump-like tables!

Decor shelf with old brass kettles and teacups, old books and some trunks.

 After enjoying the decor for some time and finding ourselves huge comfortable chairs in a corner of the cafe, me and my friend went ahead and placed our orders, a mocha latte, a white chocolate latte (something new, coffee with white chocolate!) and a fudge chocolate chip cookie. The coffees were fragrant and rich with the chocolate but the best part we savoured over was the cookie, it was pure sin. My friend who has stayed in Leeds in England for a year did comment that she couldn't find as good cookies in England at Starbucks as this one! Says quite something, I must say!

Mocha latte, White chocolate latte and Fudge Chocolate chip cookie

Me enjoying our time at Starbucks! (check out the huge chair!)

We did not have anything else as we had gone pretty close to lunch, but we do plan to go there again soon to try out the sandwiches that captured our interest.

Overall a good coffee experience!

Cannon Pav Bhaji: My Happy Meal

Mumbai pav bhaji has always been famous; but there is pav bhaji and then there is Cannon pav bhaji!

Located right outside CST (earlier VT) station, this place has been a landmark for years! The first time I had their pav bhaji was when I was in the 6th standard (about 12 years back) and was going to Birla Auditorium for an awards function and the taste hasn't changed since. It was also our Saturday special when we were studying at Xavier's (because it fits right into any college student's budget) and was on our bucket list of things to do when my friend came back from England after a  year! 

The pav bhaji made in huge quantities over these old cast iron tawas tastes the same from as far as I can remember it: perfect combination of spices, veggies with an overload of butter that just melts in your mouth (see the pic and you will see what I am talking of). This flavoursome (and not too pungent) mix of vegetables is served with two pieces of bread (again) drenched in butter! The best thing to wash it down with is the masala chhas they serve (its spicy, cold, tangy and yummy!)

Cannon Pav Bhaji with a just right overdose of butter and masala chhas: Our Happy Meal!

Cannon also serves misal pav, gajar halwa and wada pav, but I have never tried them because I go there for the pav bhaji and the masala chhas and that's what I stick to! The proof lies in the long queue of people, at any time of the day, having hot fresh pav bhaji right off the tawa!