Dining At The Kitchens Of Kangan Festival: Westin, Goregaon East

So last month was the brother's birthday and we wanted to take him out some place fancypants just before throwing him off the stiff edge of the cliff - first job and moving out. It's always a tough decision when you have to be a mom and dad simultaneously without forgetting to be the big sis. You have to protect and provide, you have to egg and push, you have to be fun and just mildly dictatorial. But birthdays are times to put all of that aside and just, you know, have a good time.

The brother is a major foodie but his experiments will usually stop at the familiar and comforting. So dinner at The Kitchens Of Kangan Festival put together at Kangan, Westin, was perfect. What's more, three of their best chefs from Hyderabad, Pune and Mumbai had put together a delectable menu.

 

We started out with polishing off an entire plate of poppadums served with a bunch of chutneys; a garlic yogurt, pudina chutney and small pickled onions. Nice stuff. I had a horrid cold but the man got himself a tall glass of a 'Herbal Fair' mocktail, which looked a lot like one of those health drink smoothies. But once I tasted it, I instantly regretted not getting one for myself. Refreshing, crushed basil with citrus notes and hints of cumin. Very good.

 

 A platter of assorted starters came in. A grilled paneer, some Aloo Tuk,a Corn Kebab - all of it good but most shockingly, what blew our minds was the Baby Potatoes - Aloo Tuk, a sweet, sour, spicy, roasted dish that we could have eaten in heaps and called it a day. I'd go back just for that.

Main course arrived, it was again something the chefs decided for us because we insisted they take charge of our menu for the night. Sometimes, it's a huge relief not having to select, especially when there are two men looking beseechingly at the food blogger in the family to make all the right choices. That's when higher gods are summoned: chefs' choice. A basket of assorted breads, including Roomali Roti, Missi Roti, Tandoori Rotis, Pahadi Roti (a lovely, earthy roti with spinach blended into the dough) and Garlic Naan spiked with some very potent red chilli.

I know it all sounds very simple and usual but you eat this and every other regular restaurant will pale in comparison. I loved the Pahadi Roti and Garlic Naan and I do hope the former stays on the regular menu. Very yum. There was Saag and Paneer - the usual fare. And Adalhaat ki Dal.

There's something very interesting I noticed about the entire menu we tasted - nothing was overtly spiced, a lot of the ingredients were able to find their own voice in the dishes. You could taste the spike of ginger in the dal, the bitter earthiness of methi in the saag - there was no attempt made to cloak any flavour and if you clsoed your eyes, you could believe this was a meal as rustic in flavour as it contained finesse in delivery. Impressive. We also got a supremely tiny tasting portion (we were about to burst and dessert was still a future milestone) of Dal Kangan - please go eat this. Please. It is, essentially, Kaali Dal aka Maa Ki Dal but they do glorious things to it, slow cooking it for 12 hours and then lifting it with heavy cream and...just, seriously, go eat this. It's a bowl of divinity.

We finished the dinner with a very sweet, very rich and very flavourful Khubani ka Meetha - which you may find too sweet. I do not have much of a sweet tooth. My sugar cravings are limited to those times when my blood sugar dips. But as sweet and loud as this dish was, I somehow found myself going back for extra scoops of it. it was ridiculously delicious and I think I would eat it again. Oh yes. They also had this Gulab Patte Ki Kheer - nice, fresh, cooling and delicately sweetened. The man loved it more I suppose. I don't know if my sugar was dipping or if I was just feeling out of sorts but Khubani ka Meetha is what I will go back for.

It was a lovely dinner, and an even lovelier idea, getting three master chefs from three cities to put together a delicious menu. We were most impressed by and spoke the most to Chef Shamsher of the Mumbai kitchen. Chef Shamsher is a sweet, humble man who strives to stick to simplicity and very soulful, full bodied, Indian flavours in this world where molecular gastronomy, and new and alien flavours are all the rage. He's easily a symbol of all that is familiar and comforting that you can go back to in the culinary world. His flavours are home.

And Westin is fast turning into one of my favourite dining out destinations in Mumbai. If you folks get a chance to sample, do. Westin in Pune and Hyd are also hosting this festival and well, even if they are not, go. Parts of the menu are part of the perennial menu.

(PS: If you plan to photograph your food, carry your DSLR and some fancypants lenses- great food, very romantic and candle light worthy but terrible for taking food photos.)

Why You Should Go Grab A Bite At Me So Happi, Khar West

So recently, I went down to sample a brand new restaurant that's just opened up in Khar West. It's called Me So Happi and it's in Kusum Kunj, Linking Road, close to where Love n Cheesecake used to be. I went along with a very good friend, Ramya, better known as Idea Smith. Sort of took us back to the 90s. Kismi toffee in jars, books we all grew up reading. Very nostalgic for a 90s kid, this place. We met Arathi, the owner of the place and she walked us through the menu and the restaurant.

Me So Happi has this lovely little wall that belong entirely to Jai who still drops by once in a while to add something to his wall. So, umm, can you spot Batman in the pic above?

There is a wall of Happiness which keeps getting altered and guess what? You can go add to it too.

And just bellow that wall is the dessert counter. Very apt.

There's a bunch of things on the mocktails menu but this is the one I have had thrice now. Kokum Bounty. It's very refreshing, albeit aerated. And I am avoid aerated stuff but if I make an exception for this one every time, it's gotto be that good.

Baked Potato Skins with Refried Beans. From the starters menu. Quite nice, could have had more flavour but still works well if you want to catch a quick bite.

Spicy Shroomy Burger. Not as spicy as the name will have you believe but very delicious, I ate this in slider portions given how much food I was sampling. Another thing - all the sandwiches and burgers come with a side of salad (which I did not care for) and freshly fried banana chips that they make at the restaurant. Love the chips! Refreshing change from potato fries and chips. The mushrooms were earthy, creamy and delicious, topped lightly with sour cream. Burger buns? Quite okay.
That's Ramya biting into her non vegetarian Mighty Melt burger, which has a fried egg and uses lamb. She quite loved it. I went back another day with another pal who did say she's eaten better. So I guessing it's a matter of preference. They are proud of this burger, which is btw a pain to eat given how huge it is - but I guess, if you like your burger, you will not complain!
Gnocchi in a butter walnut sauce. This was one thing I truly wanted to try. And I did not regret it one bit. I was sampling, which means, not finishing any dish in totality. This one? I must confess I polished it off. It was delicious, warm, comforting. I will definitely go back for this.
The Vegetable Lasagna. This is one of their best sellers. Quite amazing. I did want more basil per bite but that's just me. Would I go back for this? I would. Pit it against the Gnocchi? I would pick the gnocchi.

Quinoa, Beets and Smoked Cheese Salad. We have seen beets paired with goats' cheese and feta but this one had Scarmoza. Interesting variation. I quite loved this and I would go back for this. It was fresh, had textural elements from the pine nuts. Would I prefer a feta or goats' cheese? Yeah, i would. But I eady to consider that's just my palette and it's used to that marriage.

Spicy Spinach & Crazy Bhindi Sandwich. So a lot of you folks may find that combo odd but if you love those two veggies, you will love this. It's very homey, the sorta thing you would be able to fix at home, only not quite as refined. I did beg the chef to keep it on the menu for veggie fans who are sick of potato and paneer in their veg options for sandwiches.

Chocolate Mousse Cake. Very light, smooth mousse and that crumb you see on top? It's crackle that pops in your mouth! It's like being a 10 year old again. Try!

Baked Philly Cheesecake. I love this and would definitely ask you to count this among the best in the city. Dense but not cloying, sour but not overpowering, smooth crust, Oreo base, and it came with a lovely apricot reduction which is such a refreshing change from berry compotes! Seriously good.

Fudge Pecan Nut Pie. I am a huge fan of pecans. I loved this. But not enough. It was a bit too sweet so go for this if you prefer your sweet intensity on the higher end. It was nutty, caramelly, and that ice cream on top was gorgeous. Try :)

You can check Me So Happi online at Zomato. And do hop in for a visit. And oh, yeah, make it a long leisurely lunch or dinner. The place deserves that you sit back, savour the food and have a good time. Therefore the name. 

Meeting Chef Sarah Todd At Godrej Nature's Basket!

Pretty sure that cheese platter grabbed your attention. I thought I'd put Nicki Minaj's butt up there but some of us are at work here and that's as NSFW as NSFW gets. Look hard. I ate some of those cheeses. You did not. My life rocks. Yours, not so much.

Okay sorry. This is not about the cheese I sampled at Nature's Basket yesterday. It's about meeting Sarah Todd. I don't go on about it so much but I am a crazy MasterChef Australia fan. Have you seen that show? The contestants are enthusiastic, friendly, classy, supremely talented, unlike America's show-offy, scripted malicious and ridiculously competitive ones. The week that Tracy from MasterChef Australia's season 6 got her power apron, I was not in town and with very limited access to a television set & internet & it almost hurt physically to not tune in every night at 9.

So when I got an email from Godrej Nature's Basket to come & meet one of my absolute favorites from this season, I just said a very impulsive yes. Monday morning (oh yes) at the Hill Road branch of Nature's Basket, to meet Sarah Todd do a live demo of two of her recipes from the series.

Some of us bloggers went out to meet her while she demo'ed at Nature's Basket. It's unfair that somebody so incredibly pretty is also such a knock-your-socks-off-awesome cook.

Of course, there were the biggies from Nature's Basket welcoming here and introducing her. The bloggers? Well, we were mostly just beaming ear to ear waiting for Chef Sarah to talk.

And cook. And to frantically scribble down her recipes. And go ape shit nuts about seeing a recipe in action that hasn't yet aired on national TV.

I also ran into Rushina, which was a very, very pleasant surprise - I love that woman, she's a joy to work with and so talented. And I also ran into some old college friends, blogger pals. It felt good to see them all after a while.

I tried not to be entirely star struck and have a fan moment when I ran into her as soon as I got into the Cocoa Tree Basement at Nature's Basket. I did keep my head on long enough to ask her a few things I really wanted to hear about. This is her first time in India & she is actually pleased with the horrid humid receding monsoon climate right now in Mumbai, mostly because she's from Queensland & is used to tropical climate - it's good weather for the skin!

I asked her how it felt to get eliminated & then miss out on Marco Pierre White before getting back to the MasterChef house again. She hasn't quite gotten over that but said it helped that she was with her family at the time. She totally loves Indian food and shared that the other contestants were pretty wowed by North Indian foods and that she taught them to roll chapatis :D 

Sarah demo'ed two of her recipes from the series: Scotch Quail Eggs & a Mint & Goat's Cheese Parfait with a Nutmeg Tuille - delicious, that dessert, a fine balance of sweetwith savoury, minty freshness bursting through every scoop. I can imagine why thejudges must have gone bats over that one. I also managed to meet a bunch of oldfriends who showed up for the demo. All in all, a great Monday.

And oh, for those of you who want the parfait recipe, lookie! I ate that. I cannot even begin to describe how good it was. I am attaching a screenshot of the recipe here for you guys to replicate at home if you are up for it. And while you do that, I will be out buying a truckload of goat's cheese.

Go. Make. Send me some coz hey, I did share the recipe after all. Kindness must beget kindness.

Tastes Of Europe At Prego, The Westin, Mumbai

So the man works in the Westin building - it's a huge landmark for us because it signals the end of traffic bottlenecks on the way home, northbound. Plus, it looms majestically, reaching for the clouds - probably the tallest visible building until Omkar Alta Monte launched. I have hung around outside The Westin often, waiting for the man or seeking backdoor entry into the Oberoi mall. The man has often told me about his breakfasts at Pronto. Pronto is a cafe and the man quite likes their croissants, waffles and coffee. Once in a month or so, he breakfasts there and then proceeds to make me extremely envious about his access to a good breakfast place. The man's also often told me about Prego, which would be The Westin's restaurant - he had never really had enough time to go lunch at Prego. But we had been meaning to. So when Tastes Of Europe, an initiative by the EU decided to host a week of fine dining with focus on European cuisine and Prego was one of the restaurants hosting the week long menu - we pretty much leaped at the opportunity. Turned it into a date night, cancelled all plans because really, what is as vital as good food? i am not ging to say much about the ambiance except - I'd go back for that setting - it's mellow, it's airy and breathtaking.

As soon as I reached, I spent some time chatting with Sous Chef Shrikant - he's been at prego for a short while but has revolutionised the menu in more ways than one, along with Chef Ajay Chopra (of Veggistan, NDTV Good Times). Chef took us through the kitchen (I was quite dazzled by their wood fired oven, which I felt was pretty huge, while chef insisted it was quite tiny) and later, he also took us through every item in the menu. The menu spans vegetarian and non vegetarian options and irrespective of your choices, costs upto Rs2500 + taxes. If you intend doing justice to that, I'd say go ravenous and with a raging appetite.

This, basically, is the menu you will be looking at - the menu will be live until this Saturday so remember to hurry. We stuck to the vegetarian menu because vegetarian people - something that Chef Shrikant was ready to lament because so much of his adventure with the menu rests in the non vegetarian options - but hey, we were mighty impressed with sections of the vegetarian menu too!

I started with this watermelon beverage - the man stuck to orange. Mine was light, breezy and gently, naturally sweet. This is the only form I really like watermelon in so I relished it. I also used it as a palate cleanser because it did that job beautifully too.

From the salad course, we picked the Insalata Rucola e Feta - a Rocket/Arugula and Feta Salad - there was quite a bit going on there - fresh baby rocket, feta, toasted pine nuts, cherry tomatoes, lime wedges, but the hero was truly the caramelised walnuts - delicious, delicious. It lifted the salad to divine proportions. I am hoping to replicate this at home!

I am a huge soup fan so this course was not something I considered optional. I stuck to this vegetable broth with a side of garlic bread. It has a beetroot reduction that added cut through the general creaminess of the broth - if you are a fan of warm, rich and creamy broth with delicate and subtle flavours, this will rock your boat. It had sections of broccoli and carrot and I quite enjoyed it. The man, however, did not like this soup - which explains why he went pretty crazy with the soup he selected.

The man selected a good old rustic minestrone. I cannot get over this soup - i wish I had an extra stomach to also eat this one! It was warm, full bodied, bursting with fresh flavours, the basil added it's glorious aromas to the soup - that's the sort of soup that convinces you all is right with the world.

We got two pizzas - a classic and one that is also just as classical but less known. The Margherita and the Pizza Pane E Formaggio. The man is a huge Margherita fan - I settle for Margherita only when I am playing safe, which is rare. Surprisingly, my pizza, with hints of garlic and a smattering of parmesan on a flatbread, baby rockey and olive oil shining through? It was the show stopper. The Margherita was okay - we have eaten better Margheritas. So I'd say err on the side of the adventurous with this menu.

We also got small portions of pasta - linguine Aglio Olio - a classic again - but oh my, what a beautiful surprise this pasta was! The pasta was perfectly al dente, the parmesan was not overdone, it clung gently to the linguine, run through with curly parsley and red chilli flakes - it was complex, textural with a hint of extra garlic because hey, no matter how refined we get as Indians, we like our garlic full bodied! Delicious!

Next came the one course we are always excited to try out - the man coz he loves desserts - and I coz I make them. We usually always go for the unusual sounding ones because dessert is one course we love experimenting with. So the man quickly settled for the Giandouiotti - that's a semi frozen hazelnut mousse with chocolate - and quite boozy! It was nutty, flavourful, the mousse was smooth and textured with nutty hazelnut coated with chocolate - we were very glad that this dessert was not frugal because had it been a small portion, we'd have fought over it. This was the dish of the day for us. yes. I'd go back for it. Ditch boring old gelato and Tiramisu please (although I am sure those would be glorious too) and go for the Giandouiotti!

My dessert was this Panna Cotta. I am a slave for panna cotta and it gives me great pleasure to see it jiggle (let's not make any assumptions here, peeps!). It was quite delicious, the coffee was understated but still crooned through every bite. The panna cotta was smooth but in my opinion, and I may be wrong, slightly overset. It still worked well. There is a possibility i was entirely distracted by the other dessert. Go sample it for yourself before Saturday? Also, there are other restaurants across the city that are hosting the Tastes Of Europe festival so if one of those locations works out better for you, go! Details here: https://t.co/dGdAk8yRDI

Eating Out At Aqaba, Lower Parel, Mumbai

You know how sometimes you get caught up enough in life and in Mumbai, because the city tends to do that to the best of us, and forget that you have to specifically take time out for the people in your life? And no, not just family; friends too. 'Let's meet someday' isn't easy to bring about because in the days of the week, there isn't a 'Someday'. Which is why when I knew I had a chance to meet two dear friends, I said a conscious yes.

And the excuse was Mumbai's new, fancy, extravagantly spacious Middle Eastern restaurant: Aqaba. It took me a fair amount of struggling to get to this place (rains and irate rickshaw drivers and heartless cab drivers) but I got there in decent time. This place is in Peninsula Business Park (Opp Urmi Estate), Lower Parel. Please drive. There's no way you are getting a cab unless you take it from five kilometres away. Was it worth it? Umm, yes :) Arrived a little before Gaurav Jain, who writes at 'Eating Out In Bombay'.

I have stuck to a boring old photo of the menu up top mostly because i don't think one of my usual pics will do justice to how beautiful the space really is. Go. And sit by the window. It's the biggest patch of green in all of Lower Parel. They came up with a drinks menu - wasted on me. Plus, I wanted real estate for the food.

My no drinks policy might start to make sense as you scroll down. We started with a Mezze Platter & Pita. There's Hummus, Muhammarah, Labneh, olives, Falafel and Tzatziki. I know I do not have a clear picture of the pita but that pita was seriously amazing. It was puffy, had a pocket, and when I tore it, a billow of steam got out - that lovely warm smell of freshly baked bread. You can tell. The pita made every dip shine. But despite all that perfection, not a big fan of this particular, salsa-like Muhammarah. Sweetish and grainy. Not my thing but it might rock your boat.

Then came this salad. Simple, old school Greek salad. Don't you love calling for one of these and then judging the heck out of a place because there's the tiniest bit of feta in there? Couldn't complain. This salad was huge. Tons of cheese. Very fresh greens. No bitter undertones. Crunchy. Fresh. And, umm, despite all my reservations, I managed to finish that. It was gorgeous. You might want to split it up though :)

By this time, I was pretty sure I would not be having any main course. Which is when Gaurav suggested we split the main course (thank god for vegetarian friends!) and we settled on the Arabic Cottage Cheese & Haloumi Kofte on a bed of spiced rice with mash and veggies. Beautiful looking platter, lovely Kofte, a bit reminiscent of the Bangla Veg Chop - just a bit, in a lovely, 'That feels familiar!' way. It came with two sauces that I forgot all about because this in itself was pretty complete.

And finally, the one course I was really looking forward to. I am not a big fan of eating dessert, but I always go through this section first on the menu. I do this because it makes me happy if I see a restaurant trying something new. Frankly, I am sick of seeing ice creams, sizzling brownies, cheesecakes and caramel custards dominate dessert menus. While the usual suspects made their appearance on the menu, it was also sprinkled with a few new desserts - refreshing change! Like a couscous Baklava, and the usual pistachio Baklava...and then this Rose Petal Ice Cream! It sounded lovely, light, fresh so we called for it. The ice cream was delicious! We avoided the fruit - i don't know about you guys but I do not like fresh fruit on my ice cream. So we pushed the Kiwi aside and ate through the ice cream. The wine drop biscuits, while amazingly rose flavour infused, were chewy in a bad, not fresh way. I'd just skip that cookie but hey, yours might just turn up fresher than ours did.

So, go for the view, for the food. Make it long and leisurely. And go loaded - the place is on the expensive side. But worth it for the sort of place and food they have served up. Bon appetit!

Where To Buy Indigenous/Indian Cow's Pure Desi Ghee In India

For a few months now, I have been following the Rujuta Diwekar way of life. I won't bother explaining just what this way of life really is because she's already written quite a few books for the benefit of interested folks.

A lot of changes have been made to how we eat, what we eat and how often. A lot of changes are also being made to how to work out and why. Somehow, this is making our lives more wholesome and fulfilling because we are learning to care for our bodies the way it must be cared for: with common sense.

Rujuta has been speaking about respecting local and seasonal produce in our choices and food for a while now. To the extent possible, I have made these changes and been found that they work. One little product, however, that she kept talking about and that I found toughest to acquire? Indigenous cow ghee - pure, with a tint of yellow, hand churned, extracted from the yogurt of cow's milk - and not one of those Jersey cows, fed on genetically mutated corn-soy feeds and made to produce excess amounts of milk by being pumped with hormones - but an Indian cow who has been bred naturally, fed grass and treated kindly.

How do you ensure getting something like that? I found an answer when my mum went for a Naturopathy treatment over a year ago. The ashram she stayed in had several desi cows and a stud bull - each cow was adopted by a family that lives on the ashram - they would feed it with grass, hay and a mixture of several natural, whole grains that were mixed with seeds and mustard oil - and then shaped into laddoos. The cows ate this during every full moon and had come to expect it - which also means they knew when the full moon was approaching and would moo in anticipation until the laddoos arrived. The lactating mothers first got to feed their calves and then, the milkman would approach only those cows who were willing to be milked. This milk would then be collected, cream collected, yogurt set and then churned to extract the butter, which would then be clarified into pure ghee.

Naturally, this ghee was super expensive. 1200 bucks for 1 litre and there would be a waiting list - so you would have to order it in advance and then in a month or so, it'd arrive. Also, it had a limited shelf life - which isn't a problem. I live on ghee and a half litre bottle doesn't go beyond a month & a half between the two of us.

Then I stumbled upon http://vediccowproducts.com/ - which is where I bought my very first bottle of pure desi cow ghee - although they are not certified organic, they assured me that their product is as natural as possible and safe. Reiterating that just because something says it is organic, does not mean it is healthy, the people at VCP said they want to ensure that the tradition of original Indian produce stays alive with them.

I also got a bottle of honey - I keep honey for those off times when I need to mix some Ayurvedic medicine with it. Also, honey is a great hair conditioner so that is where I use up most of my honey too. It's a refreshing change to see a thick, deep and full bodied honey after so many years of seeing antibiotic ridden, diluted, amber honey. I am super happy with my purchase.

The VCP guys ship globally - they are located in Mumbai. They accept wire transfers as payments as of now. They also have a host of other products on their website that I intend to try out the next time I place an order.

The Hundred Foot Journey: A Reminiscing

Last Wednesday, I went for a movie screening. It was organised by Atout France in collaboration with Reliance entertainment.

The movie’s description in my invite was as follows: Shot extensively in the Midi-Pyrenees region in France, The Hundred Foot Journey boasts of a formidable star cast with stalwarts such as Om Puri, Helen Mirren and Juhi Chawla besides others. With an engaging storyline and a script that integrates the subtleties of French and Indian culture, we believe that the movie will appeal to a discerning audience appreciative of cross-culture cinema as well as to avid Francophiles.

And then there was the trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jhop0XdC5s8

And a visual introduction of the Midi Pyrenees region :http://www.youtube.com/embed/xt6y-GJPFsQ

The movie was to be followed by a discussion around the movie with Chef Saransh Goila.

Can you imagine that I still considered not going for this screening? Yeah, I considered backing out because I had tons of work but then, I figured, what the heck.

Seriously, what the heck!

So I got out, took a share cab to the nearest big bus station, got soaked waist down in the rain, cursed every cow on the planet for leaving heaps of dung on the road, cursed cowherds for letting the cows wander around, stood under a banyan tree and hailed down an AC bus and jumped in.

“Last stop,” I declared.

“Nehru Science Centre?” the conductor wanted reconfirmation.

“Yes. NSCI,” I said, with finality in my tone.

The journey took one and a half hours. I reached at 6.03pm for a 6.00pm screening. I was the only person remaining in that bus by the time I got off it. And I arrived and declared to the folks of Atout France, “Hey, I am starving, where can I get some food?”

Expectedly dramatic for a food blogger, is that not? I was told I’d get some during the interval. So I ran into the hall and traced Rushina, who had gotten me into the screening in the first place and told her I was starving. Typical mum hen that she is, thank goodness, she produced two Bourbon biscuits while I shared my bottle of water as we settled down into our seats. I said my hellos to a few more bloggers I knew and then sat through the trailer of SIngham 2, wishing it would end quickly. I have never much like Ajay Devgnn or Devgunn or however it is that he spells his name these days.

And it finally began.

Everything you need to know about the movie is already on IMDB so I will spare you the facts.

The Hundred Foot Journey is a food lover’s / blogger’s / cook’s chef’s movie. It’s a visual stunner. Rushina and I were ooh-ing and aah-ing at plump mushrooms, bright peppers, the sight of a cauldron full of masalas swimming in a curry laced with oil and meat, at kebabs sizzling on the grill, at the way a kitchen comes alive, at the language only cooks and chefs can speak – of this complete and helpless adoration of how magical cooking actually is.

The story was a complete masala movie – but as unlike the definition of masala films we have become familiar with in Bollywood, for lack of a better word. Masala, very often, means trashy but entertaining. No, this was not trashy. It was very entertaining. The characters did all those things you want them to do as an audience. You want the guy to get the girl, you want the guy to make it big, you want the guy to come back home, you want him to be given opportunities – in that, the movie was absolutely Indian. All those things, happy endings included, happened. You did not feel stood up and slightly miffed; those are things you leave for reality to do. Reel, no, reel must please. And it pleased.

But the story of the food, the journey of a mind, that treatment of feelings that get conveyed sharply despite the complete lack of dialogue – those are things that only refined film making brings. And you know, when you see the movie, that this is what a perfect marriage should bring about. And it did. The film is a love story. Between people, between people and foods, between people and their dreams, their hopes and their deepest desires.

What takes it to another level of delight are the dialogues – smart and tongue in cheek, you want to roll about laughing when Om Puri tells Helen Mirren that French food and Indian cuisine will never mix, just like the French & Indian won’t, because the two are so different. He goes on to say ‘we don’t sprinkle our spices, we spoon them!” When Mirren replies that French food is all about subtlety, he retorts saying “Some people would call it meanness of spirit!” And you know what he means when you remember craving an Aloo Paratha the morning after a night of gourmet food eating. The body knows what it knows, after all.

So watch the movie. Give yourself the chance to wish you lived in a small French hamlet. That you had the leisure to sit in a cremerie on a cobbled street to have crepes and croissants for breakfast. That you could pick fresh berries and wild mushrooms on your way to work, in a restaurant. Give yourself the ability to wish that you could buy an overgrown jungle of a bungalow and turn it into a fancy ass restaurant serving Indian curries and tandoori dishes and call it Maison Mumbai. It’s a breath taking escape. Very likely that you will step out of the film ravenous and with a complete plan to leave the city, move to the mountains and open a little restaurant.

And maybe win a Michelin star along the way.

Who knows, maybe you will!

PS: I went back home immediately after the movie. I spent two hours getting back home. I had forgotten all about my hunger during the movie's interval. And I lived without any food post lunch at 12.30 until 11 that night. I came home to a bowl of instant noodles. And I'd still go through all of it to watch the movie all over again.

Why I Stopped Blogging

Because I ran out of recipes.

I woke up one day and realised that the reason I started blogging in the first place was this: I got married, I was now cooking more than just khichdi and Maggi and this meant frequently calling various members of the family for recipes that would work no matter what. So I decided to record them online coz my recently acquired smartphone could help me get online from within the kitchen should I need to consult a recipe. Yay. Why bother with scribbling in books and get them all turmeric stained while leafing through a recipe you cannot find fast enough? I have always missed the CTRL+F function in books.

And I have run out of recording those recipes.

We are simple eaters. We eat rice, rotis, whole wheat pasta, rice noodles on most days of the week. We stick to the sauces we most like and both of us are perfectly thrilled to bits about regular old dal, veggies and curries. Once in a fancypants while, we make pizza from scratch, risotto, hummus & pita from scratch, one pot meals or something very, very traditional.

Given how hard we both work at home and outside it, making fancy stuff from scratch is not something we do anymore. If we want to eat something too fancy, we go out and eat at a very, very good restaurant. We save ourselves the effort and dishwashing and that suits us just fine. A lot of people may not agree with me but when you run a house and keep no maid and are a freelancer working five different jobs and across time zones, your priorities shift from food to rest.

So why bother with recipes? Once in a while, if we need something different, I consult my various cookbooks and blogs that I deeply trust and take that leap. Why blog that? It's already 'out there'. And about reviewing? I still do like going out to sample good food and talk about it so I remember that we ate something really, really good at some point. But I go for very few of those now. There are too many people out there who know too little but talk too much. It gets tiring.

What would be great? Reviewing food from a place that has good food, where I can go with a very small group of people or maybe even alone, and not have to indulge in forced niceties. That would be the only reason to keep this space alive.

Apart from, maybe, talking about nutrition and health married to good, delicious food. We see so little of it these days. We see so little of people who are passionate about food not just because it tastes good and looks good but because it also truly, deeply nourishes you.

That is why I stopped blogging - because I did not have enough powerful excuses to. I have a few now. I also managed to free up sometime. I also moved to a new house (yay!) and now that I am done setting up, it'd be nice to come back here and talk. Not about recipes so much, but about great food that we ate. Over fun times that we had.

If you are still reading this blog, thank you for hanging around and waiting for me :) And let the good times begin!

Easy Palak Dal Khichdi

Most unusually, it rained in Mumbai this month. It was pleasant and foggy and then it drizzled. It got colder and for the first time in ages, I was walking around in my Mumbai home wearing socks. And weather like that is perfect for something warm, soul warming, homely and quick. The focus here is on quick. Because I have recently realised that I am a married cook. That means, when I am married, I am a voracious cook. When I am not married (which basically refers to being alone at home) I take every possible shortcut. This is one of them.

Try it. It's easy, pairs well with curd, roasted papads, raita, or any spicy pickle.

Name: Palak Dal Khichdi

Prep Time: 20 Minutes

Cooking Time: 15 Minutes

Recipe Source: Me :)

Serves: 2

You need:

1 1/2 cup rice, washed, soaked

1/2 cup masoor dal, washed soaked

1 potato, peeled, chopped

1/2 bunch of spinach, washed thoroughly, chopped roughly

1 onion, chopped

6-7 stalks of fresh green garlic and stalks, washed finely chopped

1/2 tsp jeera / cumin

1 big green chilli chopped

1/2 tsp hing / asafoetida

1/2 tsp jeera / cumin powder

1/2 tsp haldi / turmeric

1 tsp dhania / coriander powder

Dash of garam masala (optional)

Oil

Salt

1 tbsp ghee

Here's how you make it:

- Heat some oil in a saucepan. When it's hot, throw in the cumin seeds, let them pop, then add the onion, potatoes, green chilli. Stir about a bit.

- Add the haldi, hing, green garlic and stalks. Mix again. Once the onions turn a bit tender, the potatoes look slightly caramelised, add the spinach, some salt. Let the spinach wilt. Give it about 3-4 minutes on medium flame.

- Then add the jeera powder, dhania powder, mix. Throw in the rice and dal, adjust salt. Move to high flame. When the rice feels like it's sticking slightly to the saucepan, add 2 cups of water. Adjust salt again. Add that dash of garam masala. Cover and cook. I usually put some water on the lid to prevent sticking. Roughly 7-8 minutes should be enough.

- Open, stir in the ghee lightly. Allow it to cool slightly but do serve it while it's still quite warm with whatever side suits you.