Adhi Potoba

Butternut Squash Ravioli with Butter Sage Sauce

2010-12-10T11:34:00.007-05:00

There’s nothing more comforting than a fluffy chapatti straight from the griddle to the plate. I always enjoyed mine rolled with some ghee and sugar. The one aspect of the chapatti that was always of endless amusement to me was the flour and getting it from the flourmill. Of course, in a household full of Type-A cooks, there was always a redundant, yet lengthy process that had to take place before the food hit the plate and the chapatti was no exception. I remember distinctly, acquiring the wheat for chapatti flour was always a challenge. It had to be the right grain, the right size, the right taste, the right colour; you get the point. Every year, the female collective of the family would gather to discuss the wheat issues with worthy samples each had discovered. After drawing conclusions without any actual experimentation, a grain sample would be chosen. That would be the wheat almost everyone I was related to on my mother’s side would eat for the next year or so. Ordering huge gunny bags of said wheat was followed by systematic distribution. And then those lowest on the totem pole, such as myself, had the privilege of taking it to the flourmill to grind.

One can’t help but be intrigued by a flourmill— it is a nameless, faceless shop where everything in the shop, the shop owner included, is covered in a thick layer of assorted flours. The mill itself is pretty huge with feeders, belts, gears, wheels and everything an impressive machine out of the 1950s looks like. The mill operator makes sure it runs smoothly by banging a medium-sized rock strategically on different parts of the machine. I was always sent to the flourmill with specific instructions for the mill operator. Such as “I’ll grind my grain here only if you promise to run wheat over wheat. Otherwise, I’m taking my business somewhere else.” That’s the kind of power someone blowing 40 Paise / Kg has. Any flour expert who had been to a flourmill knows that you can’t let your wheat follow someone’s rice or millet. That privilege is reserved for the schmucks that don’t know better.

While living in India, I had only seen wheat flour being used for chapatti and occasionally pooris, mostly because I was only at the table to consume them. But now that I have come to cook a lot on my own, I have found the good old chapatti flour to be extremely versatile. Here’s one example.

Ingredients

For Flour:

2 cups Chapati Ata (Durum Wheat flour)
1 tsp Oil
1/4 cup Milk
Tepid Water to knead the dough

For Filling

1 Butternut Squash, cleaned and cut into cubes
1.5 Tbsp. of Sage
1 tbsp of Olive Oil
1/2 tsp Nutmeg
1/2 tsp Cinnamon
Salt and freshly ground Pepper to taste

For Sauce

1/4 cup unsalted Butter
1/4 cup chopped fresh Sage Leaves
Salt and freshly ground Pepper to taste

Method

Pasta
Make the dough the same way you make the chapatti
Knead into dough all the ingredients
Cover it with a wet cloth and place aside for an hour
Take a golf ball sized portion of the dough and roll it into a thin flat sheet

Filling

Roast or pressure cook the butternut squash cubes and allow to cool
Heat a pan and add olive oil to it
Add pepper, sage, nutmeg and cinnamon to it and stir
Once the spices start to bubble add the cooked butternut squash
Add salt
Mash into a thick paste mixing all ingredients and allow to cool.

To make the Ravioli

Take one sheet of rolled out dough and place 1 tsp of squash filling on the dough
Place a few more tsp of filling at least 1.5" apart
Place another sheet of rolled out dough over this
Press around the bump of filling to seal the stuffing completely
Cut into individual raviolis
Heat a large pan with water and bring it to a boil
Add a few raviolis to the water and boil for 4-5 min / batch

Click here to see a video demonstration of filling Ravioli and cooking it

Sauce

In a pan melt the butter
Add sage, salt and pepper and stir
When ingredients start to bubble, remove from heat

Serve

Place a 4-6 raviolis on a place
Drizzle generous amount of sauce over the ravioli
Garnish with fresh sage and orange zest

Besan Dosa

2010-04-08T11:15:00.003-05:00

In Pune you’re never more than a few hundred feet away from a place that serves a hot, crisp dosa. I, like many others I know, grew up getting my daily requirement of dosa from Hotel Vaishali. And for most of us Puneris, Vaishali will always remain the golden standard by which all dosas will be judged. When I returned to India a few years back for a brief visit, a friend of mine wanted to take me to a ‘hip’, new dosa joint, which in itself is an oxymoron. We arrived at a place called Dosa Hut, located on the corner where Bhandarkar Rd meets Jangli Maharaj Rd and housed in what used to be the old Café Sunrise. It had just opened when I first visited. The abmience was a little overwhelming for a restaurant that made it’s living by selling dosas. I kept an open mind; that was until the menu arrived. Veg Jaipuri Dosa, Paneer Bhurji Dosa and the killer, I kid you not, Chicken Manchurian Dosa. I understand the need to be different in a saturated marked, but this was just insane (not to mention 40% more expensive than the best dosa in Pune). I looked at the menu once again, because it deserved a second look. My first question was, “why?” So did you just take the ‘masala out of the dosa and just replace it with generic Punjabi and desi Chinese dishes? Or was this an ill-conceived plot to overthrow the almighty naan? Was there any point to completely ruining two good dishes to create one disastrous hybrid? All for the sake of being different. I can’t really remember what I ordered there and but I do remember leaving the place rather confused. And I am not sure if the restaurant is still there either. If one wishes to go against the grain using the dosa, then why not change the dosa itself? I have seen so many recipes from food bloggers that have completely redefined the dosa using new ingredients from oatmeal to ladyfingers. Here’s one of my favourites.

Ingredients

2 cups of Besan Flour (Chickpea)
½ tsp Cumin powder
¼ tsp Turmeric
¼ tsp Chili Powder
1 Chili grated
¾ tsp Grated Ginger
½ tsp Cilantro finely chopped
Salt to taste
Water

Method

In a bowl, mix the flour, cumin, turmeric, chili powder and salt
Add water to the mixture and mix till you achieve a dosa batter like consistency
Add the remaining herbs and mix thoroughly
Heat a skillet or Tawa and pour a ladel of batter on it
Spread the dosa thin using a large spoon. (Watch the video below)
Serve with fresh coconut chutney

Vegan Hot and Sour Soup

2010-03-11T11:32:00.009-05:00

“Teja main hoon, mark idhar hai.” The most memorable dialogue from what was possibly one of the funniest films to come out of Bombay and one that steered clear of the usual Bollywood formula. Never before had a Hindi movie so brilliantly paid homage to the fine art of buffoonery. One rarely sees a movie anymore where each of the characters has a perfectly measured role that lends so well to the movie; right from Tiku Talsania’s jittery inspector to Shakti Kapoor’s “Crime Master Gogo”. I remember the movie had opened at the newly redone West End theatre on Main Street, Camp, in 1994 and a small group of 24 of my closest friends had gone to see it, first day, first show style. I had been robbed before of what little pocket money I had by Bollywood’s lame attempts at being funny and I didn’t expect anything more from this one. But as soon as I saw Amir Khan pedal his bike in the dream sequence, it felt promising. Andaz Apna Apna was an instant classic, and the kind that I watched over and over till the VHS tape was too scratched to play any more. Watching really great Bollywood movie, an extremely rare event, is a thoroughly satisfying event in itself (especially, having watched the other atrocities this public was part of for the better part of their careers). However the trend set by the movie continued into the night. Right after the movie our small group of two-dozen made it to the Chinese Room on East Street, two blocks away. A great evening should always end with great food. And at that point, there was no place in camp, which could beat the place that brought Chinese food to Pune. The movie high was transferred to a foodie high instantly as a long table was populated with various combinations of manchurians, spring rolls, soups, fried rice and chopsueys. As the night ended the victorious got on their scooters and returned to their respective quarters, hearts filled with content and bellies filled with assorted meats.

Ingredients:

½ cup Carrots chopped
½ cup Mushrooms sliced
½ cup Green Peas
½ cup Corn
¼ cup Spring Onion
¼ cup Green Beans julienne cut
1 tsp Lemon Juice
2 tsp crushed Garlic
2 tbsp Ginger finely chopped
1 ½ tbsp Sesame Seed Oil
1 tsp Chili Oil
5 Vegan / Vegetarian Bullion Cubes (adjust according to flavour)
8 cups Water

Method

Heat a large pot and add sesame seed oil to it
Add garlic, ginger and chilli flakes while oil is still cool
Once the garlic/ginger begin to splatter, add vegetables (carrots, mushrooms, peas, corn, beans, spring onion) and sauté
Add water and bullion cubes and allow it to cook on high for 15 min and then reduce heat to medium for another 15 minutes
Add Lemon juice and chili oil, stir and turn heat off
Serve hot

Cauliflower Pakora

2010-01-31T22:08:00.005-05:00

Following my wedding on my last trip, I decided to take my firang wife to a city that offers a little more of the India that is promised in travel books than what Pune can offer. And after an impromptu flight to Jaipur, we settled in a generic hotel, the name of which escapes me at the moment. It was a quaint little place and by quaint I mean management had absolutely no interest in managing the it. It was the kind that makes your local lodge look like a 5 star hotel. The restaurant part of the hotel consisted of 7 tables haphazardly huddled into a room attached to a kitchen. The food however was spectacular. They had some pretty good pakoras, the likes of which I have never had before. Their cauliflower pakoras were especially memorable. My most memorable moment in said restaurant, however, was when I asked for some sugar to go with my coffee. I discovered some ants in my sugar and summoned the waiter immediately. As I referred him the ants in my sugar he gave me a look that suggested disappointment more than disgust. He picked up the bowl, blew on it as hard as he could and placed it back on the table. Sure enough the ants were gone. That was the moment I realized that the fault was my own, for in the motherland ants in your food is not an issue, just a minor detail. And after living in the US for over a decade I had forgotten the most important lesson growing up in India has taught me—If life hands you lemons, you f-ing deal with it without making an issue and move on with life.

Ingredients

Florets from 1 Cauliflower
1 cup besan (chick pea flour)
1 cup Water
1 tsp Cumin powder
1 tsp Chilli powder
1 tsp Turmeric powder
Pinch of baking soda
Salt to taste.
Oil for frying

Method

Mix besan, cumin, chilli. turmeric, soda and salt in a bowl
Add water slowly and stir the mixture as you do.
Add water till water turns to a runny paste.
Heat the oil in a wok. Turn flame to medium heat once oil is hot.
Dip a cauliflower floret in the besan mixture till it is completely coated and fry the potato.
Be careful not to over crowd the wok. You can put 5-6 pakoras in at a time.
Serve with tamarind & date or mint chutney

Vada Pav

2010-01-02T15:53:00.004-05:00

To a Puneite living abroad, especially the US, the worst part of the journey home isn’t the eighteen-plus hour plane ride home, it’s the miserable three and a half hour car ride to Pune after landing in Bombay. It goes something like this. After careful calculation of vacation days the momentous decision to visit home is reached a couple of months before the actual journey and thus begins the saga of finding the perfect (cheapest) ticket. Browsing through many sites, with multiple windows open at one time, carefully considering the layovers, and chat consultations with fellow desis, all done in office time, a purchase is made. No sooner does the itinerary hit the inbox, it is forwarded to at least 4 family members and 8 friends. And if you’re lucky, they won’t all show up to pick you up at the airport in one car. The day of the journey arrives and the sojourner leaves for the airport with maximum allowable baggage and a list of explanations for Indian customs about how it is all within the allowance.

After an 18-hour journey and up to 6 award-winning airline meals (I don’t know of a single airline that doesn’t claim that their food isn’t award-winning) the jumbo jet touches the motherland. After the gastro-intestinal assault, it’s time for olfactory annihilation, and the Mumbai air is only happy to oblige. Thus arrives the prodigal son (or daughter) to the motherland weary, chaffed and slightly constipated. No matter what fly-by-night operator you use, a trip originating from the US somehow ends up reaching Bombay around midnight. Once out of the plane your first greeting is the indifference of the immigration officer at CST, the delay in anything appearing on the luggage conveyor and the harassment by customs. These are all just mere hurdles between you and the warm hug that you’ll receive from your posse waiting for you outside the airport if you know where the exit is. Life would be so much simpler if CST airport didn’t change so damn much every 12 months. The last leg of the journey to Punyanagri thus starts.

This time around, I had the pleasure of taking the Bombay-Pune midnight express twice as my wife and I arrived in Pune a week apart and I had to go back to bring her to Pune. Her flight arrived at 2:30 a.m. and after one Akshay Kumar brought the airport to a standstill for an hour, she emerged out of the door at around 4:00 a.m. We started for Pune with one of my dearest friends. Over the bridges and through poorly designed signage, unnecessary construction and everything Bombay can throw at you we finally made it to the express highway. This journey is truly awful, but there are some bright spots along the way like the Khandala Ghat and the new truck stops that are for some reason called malls. We stopped at one such mall, the one before Khandala Ghat starts. I would say that I can’t remember the name, but the truth is that at 5:45 a.m., I really didn’t care what the name of that place was. It wasn’t as busy as it would be during the day, but at a quarter to six, what place really is. My firang wife pointed to the glass case filled with the “orange potato dumplings”. And against my better judgment, we all had the orange potato dumplings. Two sandwiched in buns with green chilies and one without. My wife didn’t think deep-fried potato sandwiched in white bread was a healthy option. That was until she saw the culinary delight known as the bread pakora. It wasn’t the greatest Vada-Pav I have had, but it was definitely the first one I had just before sunrise, and after a night of no sleep and 250 km, it tasted pretty darn good with a cup of chai in a flimsy plastic cup.

Ingredients

For stuffing

4 Potatoes boiled and peeled
1 Onion finely chopped (optional)
6 Chillis finely chopped
6 Garlic cloves crushed
2 tbsp Ginger grated or paste
1 Lemon juiced
1/2 cup Cilantro / Coriander finely chopped
1 tsp salt

For batter

2 cups Besan (Chickpea flour)
1 tsp Chili powder
1 tsp Turmeric
1/2 tsp Cumin Powder
1/4 tsp Baking soda
1 tsp Salt

Method

In a pan mash potatoes, onion, chilis, garlic, ginger, lemon, coriander and salt into a solid mixture making sure that the potatoes don't have any large lumps.
Make small balls the size of a golf ball
Place aside
Mix besan, chilli powder, turmeric, cumin, baking soda and salt in a bowl
Add water and mix till it turns into a thick batter
Heat oil in a wok
Dip the potato balls in the batter and deep fry till golden
Take a Pav and tear it open keeping them together at one edge
Place one hot Vada in the Pav and serve with deep fried green chilies on the side

Homemade Potato Chips

2009-12-05T20:21:00.003-05:00

The month of May in Pune is a time for summer vacation, over-chlorinated swimming pools, Alphonso mangoes and 40º C plus temperatures. It is also time for the industrious Puneri housewife to make homemade kurdai, papadi and potato chips. There isn’t a Puneri worth his salt that hasn’t slipped on or walked over a sheet full of sticky sabudana papad freshly laid out to dehydrate in the scorching summer sun. One of the most common sights of the Maharashtrian summer is an assortment of papads spread over sheets of tarp on roofs, terraces, courtyards and any flat surface that had the potential for catching a bit of the sun, irrespective of its inconvenience to the passerby. I always wondered “Why would you toil for a whole day making the batter, spend another couple of hours laying them in the sun, employ the area kids to make sure the birds aren’t stealing them and in a week you’d have a substandard side-dish that one can totally live without?” Not to mention these are readily available at any neighbourhood store—and really cheap, too. Although I must say, my cricket skills would have been even more lacklustre, if I didn’t have to submit to the rule that if the ball were to land directly on any of Mrs. Natoo’s papads, you’re out!! And as if that wasn’t punishment enough, an addendum to the rule stated that the retrieval of said ball would become the sole responsibility of the batsman.

Ingredients

2 Whole boiled Potatoes
Chili powder
Salt to taste
Oil for deep frying

Method

Using a slicer make thin slices of the potatoes over a sheet of plastic making sure the potatoes do not overlap
Place the sheet directly in the sun (or better yet, start the slicing outdoors in the sun) and allow the potatoes to dehydrate for a day or two
When completely dehydrated, they’re ready to fry
In a wok, take enough oil for deep-frying
Put 7-8 slices at a time
When slices puff up, remove and place over an absorbing sheet (like a newspaper or tissue)
Drizzle chili powder and salt over chips as per taste
Serve without guilt

Bhutta (Fire Roasted Corn on the Cob)

2009-11-21T23:42:00.004-05:00

The year was 1988 and my mediocre performance in the SSC exams was followed by successful admission to the science stream at the prestigious Fergusson College with little help from my dear aunt who headed the Dept. of Physics. A decision she no doubt came to regret after going over my attendance record and my report card. As it is common knowledge, junior college is best attended as a casual student and yours truly took that piece of advice to heart. As a result, most of my time at Fergusson was spent either in deep, 'scholastic' discussions at Vaishali or under the eight odd tin sheds outside the main gate that served as two-wheeler parking. The bicycle stand was an excellent alternative to attending class, except for one problem — there wasn't any food readily available. However, all was not bleak among the Hero Hondas! Stationed right outside the gate of the ladies was a bhuttawala. With a pyramid of corn and a large bowl of live coals and the right combination of lemon, salt and chili, his corn hit the spot for many bicycle shed dwellers. The FC road bhuttawala provided the much needed 3:00 p.m. comfort as well as a reason to carry dental floss in the glove compartment of my Kinetic Honda.

Ingredients:

1 ear of Corn
1 tsp Salt
1 tsp Chili
1 tsp Ghee
1/2 Lemon

Method

Roast the corn over an open flame till it has blackened evenly
While still hot take some ghee in your hands and rub all over the corn
Mix the chili and salt
Dip lemon in the mixture and rub it on the corn while gently squeezing it making sure that the salt, chili and lemon juice are evenly coated on the corn

Enjoy hot, ideally on a two-wheeler under a tree

Kheema Pattice

2009-11-15T12:59:00.008-05:00

Long before Tendulkar and somewhere between Azhar making his debut and Ravi Shastri being declared 'Champion of Champions' India decided that the time was to introduce some Western ishtyle fast food. The result — Big Bite, a culinary hodge-podge that was a cross between a burger and a pita. A small, oblong, lightly-spiced meat or vegetable patty microwaved and stuffed inside a half egg-shaped bun along with onion slices and a generous squirt of Kissan tomato sauce. It tasted every bit as bad as it sounds. The Big Bite logo, too, was a winner. It consisted of the words Big Bite in Times Roman sandwiched between two luscious red lips with a giant highlight. It looked more like an X-rated venture more than anything to do with food. In Pune, the most forward thinking and modern of all politicians, one 'honourable' Mr. Suresh Kalmadi, in all his bearded wisdom, tried to cash in on this 'thing' all the youngsters seemed to be into. He immediately carved a piece out of his Poona Coffee House restaurant and converted it into the cool place where supposedly all the kids influenced by the Break Dance movies would then hang out. Big Bite was a national chain supported by a strong media presence and a good advertising campaign. But the old advertising slogan "Nothing kills a bad product faster than good advertising" held true and Big Bite lost steam faster than it took to microwave the lame meat patties. I guess the answer to the question posed at the end of every Big Bite ad "Don't you feel like a Big Bite now?" was pretty evident. About 50 ft down the same block from Big Bite in Pune, our friends at Borawke's completely ignorant of the competition were doing what they did best — grilling and frying meats. The mutton pattice they served was one of best foods I have ever tasted, and had Big-Bite served that instead, maybe they would still be around.

Ingredients:

For filling:

1 lb lamb extra-lean kheema (minced)
2 large onions finely chopped
2 large tomatoes finely chopped
5 cloves of garlic crushed or 1 tsp paste
1 tsp ginger paste
1 tsp ginger-garlic paste
4 tsp chopped cilantro
1 lemon
2 tsp chili powder
2 tsp turmeric powder
2 tsp garam-masala
Salt (or according to taste)
2 cups water
1/2 cup oil

For Shell:

4 Potatoes boiled and mashed
2 beaten eggs
2 cups bread crumbs

Method:

In a large pot heat oil on high and add ginger and garlic.
When the garlic starts to splatter add chopped onion
Once the onion browns on the edges, add tomato and stir
Allow it to cook for 5 min
Then add chili, turmeric and garam masala
Allow it to cook for a few minutes
Add one cup of water to make it loose and reduce flame to medium heat
Add the lamb gently and separate it making sure it is completely mixed with the spices
Gently stir and allow it to cook for a couple of minutes till the meatballs are firm
Add rest of the water and stir mixing thoroughly
Turn up heat between medium and high
Allow to cook till it water is completely reduced and only a thick mass of kheema remains
Place aside for 6-8 hours so the spices are absorbed well in the meat

To make Patties

Take a lemon-sized ball of the potato and flatten it
Place a tablespoon of Kheem at the center and fold the potato over it making sure that the filling is completely sealed
Pat is slightly to make shaped like a patty
Beat the eggs in a bowl
Dip the patty making sure all of it is coated with the egg
Then dredge the patty in the bread crumbs

Frying:

In a wok, heat enough oil for frying 2-3 patties at a time
When oil is hot turn the flame between medium and high
Fry the patties gently (remember these are very delicate and tend to break in the oil if not careful. Also this is another reason to make sure all the water from the kheema is gone)
When the patties are golden brown, remove from the wok

Serve with tamarind or mint chutney

Guava Raita

2009-11-08T15:36:00.003-05:00

There are certain things that schools in India guarantee — a good education, lifelong friendships and a peruwala outside every school gate. For those of you who didn’t go to school in India, a peruwala is a guava vendor and there’s one situated outside each school gate with a black Atlas bicycle and flat cane basket tied to the “carrier” over the rear wheel. The basket lined with grass is quartered with rope to separate the guavas by size and price. In my days, 75 paise (roughly 15¢ in 1988) would fetch you the biggest guava on the cart. It was harmless and inexpensive treat that made recess just that much sweeter. Cut into 4 quarters, each guava would then be filled with chili and salt — the thought of which freaks my firang wife out to this day. The guavawalla is a phenomenon I couldn’t quite understand. Why are there only peruwalas outside school? There’s never an apple cart or even an orange cart. Either way, memories of my post-lunch guava with friends are something I cherish to this day.

Ingredients
20 Monaco biscuits (or salty crackers)
2 ripe Guavas chopped
1 tsp finely chopped Coriander
1 cup Yogurt
4 tsp ground Peanuts
1/2 tsp Sugar
Salt to taste
1 tbsp Olive Oil
1/4 tsp Mustard seeds
1/2 tsp Cumin seeds

Method
Beat yogurt in a bowl till it is a thick liquid
Mix coriander, peanuts, sugar and salt into the yogurt
Gently add the chopped guava into the bowl
Heat oil in a small pot
When the oil is hot add mustard and cumin seeds
When the seeds start to splatter reduce heat and pour the tempered mixture over the guavas
Mix well
Lay out the crackers and place a little dollop of the raita on each cracker

Watermelon Salad

2009-08-30T10:38:00.003-05:00

As April approaches, temperatures in Pune begin flirting the 40º C mark. But the sweltering heat also brings with it some very familiar sights. There are mango stalls on every corner, as are the “barf gola” people. Naral Pani walas are everywhere. And my favourite of them all, foothpaths and roadsides lined with mountains of watermelon. When I was in art school in Pune, college used to let out at 1:15 p.m. A sweet spot during the day in the summer months when the tar on the roads has just begun to melt, but it’s nowhere are hot as it’ll be at 4:00 p.m. As I traveled from my college on Tilak Rd to my residence on Law College Rd, I passed MES college on Karve Rd. Outside MES college was a watermelon vendor with atl east a 25 metre long wall of melons lined up against the college walls all the way up to the main gate. And just next to the main gate stood his watermelon slice cart. A small cart with blocks of ice that was stacked in steps which were in turn lined with red rexine cloth. The top of the steps was reserved for a photo of Balkrishna that had clearly seen better days. 3 remaining tiers were lined with wedges of juicy red watermelon in ascending order. Rs 1.50 would fetch you the biggest wedge, which at times was as big as the wheel of a scooter. It was just what was needed on a summer day as a buffer between college and a nice home cooked lunch. Sliced into pieces and served on a weathered plastic plate it really hit the spot. And as if that wasn’t enough, it was dusted lightly with pepper and salt. And of course, you could always take home a whole melon if you so desired. Simple pleasures, good times!

Ingredients
2 cups Seedless Watermelon cubed, preferably cold
1 Tsp Feta Cheese
6 Black Olives sliced
10 Mint leaves crushed
1 tsp Orange Zest
1 tsp extra virgin Olive oil

Method
Place all ingredients except cheese and oil in a bowl
Sprinkle the cheese and drizzle the oil over it
Toss the salad gently and serve.

Sev Batata Dahi Puri (SBDP)

2009-08-02T08:51:00.002-05:00

I can admit without any resentment that I have spent the better part of the mornings of growing years at Hotel Vaishali. There’s no other place that embodies the slow paced, there’s-always-tomorrow sprit of Pune city more than Hotel Vaishali. Any regular visitor can tell you with their eyes closed what the scene at Vaishali is like in the mornings. Sadly, they can also name the people who will be there at any given time and the area in which they might be sitting. I first started visiting Vaishali for the food. I have yet to find a single thing or item on the menu to complain about. However, years went by, and although the food never took a back seat, mornings at Vaishali became more of a social event than a strictly culinary visit. Although, as fun as the mornings at Vaishali were, evenings at Vaishali just as awesome. And the one thing that made that possible was that the Chaat bar would open at 4:30 p.m. And the crowning jewel of the Chaat bar was the hero of the evenings, the Sev Batata Dahi Puri known simply as “The SBDP”. I have eaten this dish pretty much all over the country, but none even comes close to the SBDP at Vaishali.

Ingredients
2 boiled Potatoes, cut into small cubes
1 finely chopped Onion
2 finely chopped Tomatoes
1/4 cup Cilantro finely chopped
1/4 cup Mint finely chopped
1 pack Chaat Puris
1 cup Yoghurt, slightly sweetened and whipped
1/2 cup Tamarind Pulp
1/2 cup Date pulp
2 tsp Jaggrey
1 cup Sev

Method
In a pot boil 2 cups of water and add the jaggrey, date pulp and tamarind pulp stirring it to make sure it is a homogenous mixture
Reduce the mixture to half or till it is a thick liquid
Place aside and allow it to cool
On a plate place a few puris (if the puris are puffy, make a hole on one side and place with the hole facing up)
Place potato on the puris (or in)
Place the tomato and onion on the puris (in that order)
Using a teaspoon drizzle the Tamarind chutney over the puris so that each puri gets at least a spoonful
Drizzle some yoghurt over each of the puri (1/2 tsp per puri)
Top generously with Sev
Garnish with cilantro and mint
Serve immediately before puris get soggy

Kheema Meatball Curry

2009-07-03T08:00:00.005-05:00

Shivaji Market situated a few blocks to the south of Main Street, is the centre for all things meat in Pune and the central wholesale market for meat, poultry and seafood in the city. This is the place you’d go to if you wanted the freshest and the best meats. Most families serious about their non-veg get their meats from here and every family has their favourite vendor who apparently has the ‘best’ meat or fish. Getting is from someone else is tantamount to throwing money down the drain. Shivaji Market is probably one of the smelliest places in the city and not the prettiest of places. It has four major sections—poultry, meat (mostly lamb), fish and vegetable. It is very colourful, full of character (and characters) and a photographers dream. A late uncle of mine had an obsession with buying the freshest meat. The meat trucks delivered the meat around 7:00 p.m. He would go the market around 7:00 and hang out in the smelly gala (stall) with our family butcher. He would then order some prime cuts of the freshest meats from the butcher making small talk about nothing. Of course, it’s another story that this meat would then sit in the freezer at home for many days, thus leaving it’s freshness redundant. This obsession with buying things fresh and then keeping them in the fridge runs through my extended family. The butcher did have the best mutton. Kheema (minced meat) is one of my favourite mutton dishes, although I would only eat it if the mutton was minced by hand and not by a machine. The meat minced by hand on a butcher’s block is much chunkier and thus tastier as compared to the machine cut version. And it stays really firm and juicy when making meatballs.

Another interesting story on Shivaji Market by The Cook's Cottage

Ingredients
I lb lamb extra-lean kheema (minced)
2 large onions finely chopped
2 large tomatoes finely chopped
5 cloves of garlic crushed or 1 tsp paste
1 tsp ginger paste
1 tsp ginger-garlic paste
4 tsp chopped cilantro
1 lemon
2 tsp chili powder
2 tsp turmeric powder
1 1/2 tsp garam-masala
Salt (or according to taste)
3 cups water
1/2 cup oil

Method

For meat balls
In a bowl mix thoroughly the Kheema, ginger-garlic paste, cilantro and 1/2 tsp salt and juice of 1 lemon
With greased hands, make small balls 1” in diameter and place aside

For curry
In a large pot heat oil on high and add ginger and garlic.
When the garlic starts to splatter add chopped onion
Once the onion browns on the edges, add tomato and stir
Allow it to cook for 5 min
Then add chili, turmeric and garam masala
Allow it to cook for a few minutes
Add one cup water to make it loose and reduce flame to medium heat
Add the meatballs gently and making sure they are coated with the curry
Gently stir and allow it to cook for a couple of minutes till the meatballs are firm
Add rest of the water and stir gently taking care not to dissolve the meatballs
Turn up heat between medium and high
Allow to cook till it reduces by half and a thick gravy remains
Serve with chapatti or basmati rice.

Aaamras (Alphonso Mango Pulp)

2009-05-19T19:45:00.004-05:00

When I was young the Deccan Gymkhana area was filled with Brahmins who crossed the river from the old city and settled in and around what is now Erandwane. We had one such senior Puneite who lived in our lane. He was by all means a sweet and kind old man with some solid 60s fashion. He was a very close friend of the family as well and he taught us many useless things that only old people can. My fondest memory of him is watching him eat his daily alphonso during mango season. Every afternoon after his lunch he would lay a newspaper on the ota (stone platform) outside his house. He would then sit with a ripe alphonso mango, a glass of water wearing and a pair of scissors wearing his striped blue pajamas and a sleeveless t-shirt that was once white. Slowly he would begin devouring the alphonso, enjoying every bite to the fullest till he reached the pit. He would then proceed to suck it dry till it could be sucked no more. This is when it got interesting. He would then place the mango on the newspaper and proceed to remove whatever yellow matter may still be left from the little grooves of the pit using his fingernails. Once satisfied, he would then cut the fibers of the pit and eat them. And finally, a dip in the glass of water to make sure every last bit of mango has come off completely would end this unequal struggle between him and the mango. And anyone who has ever had an aplhonso will agree, it is that good!

Ingredients
2 ripe Alphonso Mangoes
1/4 cup Milk
1 Tsp sugar
Pinch of Saffron (optional)

Method
Soften the mango using fingers
Squeeze out all the pulp of the mango
Add milk, sugar and saffron and mix it thoroughly
Serve cold with hot fluffy pooris

Hummus Cauliflower Sandwich

2009-04-28T18:32:00.003-05:00

In my entire time in Pune city, the only place that came close to delivering a delicious mouth-watering sandwich that could rival Marzorin, was Jaws. Anyone who has lived in Pune in the 90s can remember Jaws. If you weren’t a vegetarian, you couldn’t go to Camp without at least considering if there was a possibility of a sandwich at Jaws. Jaws was famous for being the first place in Pune that served a real grilled beef burger. It was run by a couple of fresh graduates in an old British Raj style bungalow that looked like it was once army property. The restaurant wasn’t really part of the bungalow and was situated in the verandah. The seating was on concrete benches haphazardly scattered across the dusty parking area, Western music playing on loudspeakers that clearly couldn’t handle the sound. There was a room with a table tennis table where one could play for a token fee although no one went there to play. It was all about the burgers and the best chicken roll you ever had. Great burgers, Frankies, rolls and shakes made from the simplest recipes and ingredients. Food for the young, made and sold by the young. It was the cool place to be, although nothing about the place itself was cool. The sad part about Jaws however was that they didn’t have anything in the way of vegetarian foods except for an alu Frankie and that would be a problem in a mixed group. Hanging out at Jaws has definitely been one of the childhood memories of my college days. Jaws disappeared as the guys who ran it found real careers. It was one of the best places to eat and to be in Pune and sadly, it’s a thing of the past.

Ingredients:
1 cup Hummus (Click here for hummus recipe)
10 slices of Wheat Sourdough Bread
1 Cauliflower finely chopped
2 tbsp Olive oil
1 tsp fresh cracked pepper
Salt to taste
1 sliced tomato
Method:
Heat the oil in a pot and add black pepper to it
Once the pepper starts to splatter add cauliflower and salt
Stir and close lid
Cook for 15-20 min till the Cauliflower is soft and slightly browned on some flowerets
Allow it to cool
Take two slices of bread and apply hummus on the inner sides generously
On one of the slices add a layer of cauliflower
Top it with a couple slices of tomato
Place the other slice of bread with the hummus side inside
Press to make the sandwich firm
Serve as a snack

Chana Saag

2009-04-26T08:11:00.004-05:00

Pune being the educational capital of India, everyone had in their friend’s circle a group of out station students who had come to for a better education, especially during their college years. Of course choosing my group of friends to hang out with proved that no amount of education can improve poor judgment. Most of my out station friends were as good in the kitchen as Maninder Singh in his early years with the bat. On the positive side, you’d always have a group ready to go on a culinary adventure. Although, these kids mostly had their list of staples they’d visit and order the same thing day after day. On Deccan Gymnkhana, behind Karachi Sweet Mart and a few waves short of being immersed in the Mutha river, there was restaurant by the name on Purab. A basically non-descript restaurant that served Punjabi as well as South Indian foods. Purab was a favourite of one of my friends and he had a standard order—Paneer Bhurji with 3 rotis. I remember sitting across the table and watch him eat the same week for weeks at a time. Enough to make you never want to eat it again, but that never affected him. Purab had the standard Punjabi menu. Although I avoided most things with Palak in it, the waiter once mistakenly brought me Chana Saag instead of plain Chana. And much to my surprise it was not only edible, but quite delicious, too. Ever since, I have used Chana Saag to help me get my much-needed serving of greens.

Ingredients
1 can Chickpeas (cooked)
2 bags Baby Spinach
1 large Onion finely chopped
2 tsp Tomato paste
1 tsp Garlic paste
1/2 tsp grated Ginger
1/2 cup heavy Cream
5 Green Chilies chopped
1 tsp Turmeric
2 tsp Garam Masala
2 tbsp chopped Coriander
Salt to taste
3 tbsp Cooking Oil

In a pot heat the oil on medium heat and add garlic, ginger and chilies and stir
As they start to splatter, add onions and stir and allow it to cook till golden brown on the edges
Add tomato paste and coriander and allow it to cook for a couple of minutes
Add turmeric and garam masala and mix it thoroughly
Add spinach, stir, reduce heat and place lid on the pot
Keep stirring occasionally even after spinach has reduced completely
Remove from heat and allow it to cool
Once cool blend the cooked spinach with heavy cream
Pour it back into the pot and add chickpeas
Allow it to simmer for 20 min on medium heat with the lid on
Serve with bread

Kala Chana Usal (Stir Fried Bengal Lentils)

2009-03-28T13:15:00.003-05:00

I grew up on Prabhat Road in nicer times; when the air SPM index was way below 100. Breathing was easier, washing hands didn’t make the sink muddy and Deccan Gymnkhana was the shopping area for fresh fruit and vegetables in addition to sundries. Vegetable shops ranged from huge fruit and vegetable stalls to small ones, like women sitting on a damp jute rag with small portions of cilantro or pieces of young coconut for 25 Paise each. The most interesting shops were on the side where Karve Rd met Prabhat Rd. There were 3 levels of shops / vendors on this street. The concrete shops starting with the Oil Depot at the apex, Vrindavan which was once a tea house, the school (Shishu Vihar) in the middle of nowhere, followed again by some oil depots, grain shops and then the Central Book House which never sold a book you actually could use. After the concrete shops was a layer of semi-permanent low-level shops that sold anything from bangles to brooms to poorly made plastic items. On the next level were the small herb and spice vendors that would have just one or two things to sell. One such lady sat outside the Latay Oil Depot and sold sprouts. It was the only one of its kind and in spite of being so small, was the place to go for fresh sprouts. I don’t quite know why no one else had sprouts. The sprout lady had become a landmark on that street although she occupied less that a 3 feet X 3 feet area. Anyone who has ever shopped there definitely knows who this person is. The last time I visited Pune, the pollution had gone from bad to worse, especially near Deccan Gymnkhana. And these small vendors sit at street level right next to the main Deccan traffic light where hoards of poorly maintained vehicles spew petrol and diesel fumes. It would be a shame to see this little market go away. And although I can claim that 90% of the sprouts I ate in Pune came from this frail lady, I hope for her sake that she along with her friends has relocated. Or better yet, retired, breathing some cleaner air in her village and munching on some nutritious sprouts.

Ingredients
1 lb fresh Green Bengal Lentils (not dried)
1 tbsp oil
1 twig Curry Leaves (around 10)
1/2 tsp Chili Powder
1/2 tsp Turmeric
1/2 tsp Maharashtrian Goda Masala
1/4 tsp Mustard Seeds
1/2 tsp Asafoetida (Hing)
Salt to taste

Method
In a wok, heat the oil.
Add curry leaves, mustard seeds and asafoetida
As the mustard seeds start to splatter add the chili, turmeric and goda masala
Once the spices start to froth, add the lentils and stir so that they’re all coated with the spices
Allow it to cook covered for a few minutes stirring occasionally
Garnish with lemon and cilantro
Serve with bread or rice and yoghurt

Happy Holi

2009-03-10T08:52:00.002-05:00

Spicy Fish Sticks

2009-02-27T11:29:00.002-05:00

Schools in Pune organized “Fancy Fetes” as a means of raising much needed funds. My alma mater would raise more money in 3 days with a fete than it could with the meager alms received through ZP funding in a year. The maths for this was simple. Host a huge fair on the school grounds by asking students to contribute as well as sell raffle tickets and massive corporate sponsorships would fill the void. Parents would be asked to volunteer their services in supervising the student run stalls of games or refreshments. For a college student, the most important part of going to a school fete was the large collection of young women and supporting schools was as far from anyone’s mind as could be. Besides the games including the large central hoopla and the obvious collection of pretty girls, my favourite part of these fetes were the stalls of home made foods run by parents. Delicious home ‘ishtyle’ food was presented in paper plates that were inevitably covered with grass or sand. One year, I came across a stall run by one of the parents that was selling fish and chips. Of course, besides the name, it had no resemblance to the actual beer battered British namesake. This one actually had some taste and packed a spicy Puneri punch. Every year after that, I tried looking for the fish and chips stall, but never saw it again. Maybe the woman had a special recipe that made it so delicious. Maybe it was the smell of the sand which was soaked to keep dust from rising or maybe it was being back at school to play with everyone you ever knew that made the fish taste so good. No matter how many seafood shacks I visit, I know I’ll never taste the same fish again, just as I know that I can never go back to school and play with the same friends again.

Ingredients:
1 lb Halibut (or Pomfret) filet cut into sticks
1 tbsp fresh garlic paste
1/3 tsp Turmeric
1/2 tsp Chili powder
1/3 tsp Garam Masala
1 tsp Lemon Juice
Salt to taste
2 cups Besan (Chickpea Flour)
Oil for deep frying

Method:
In a large bowl mix all the ingredients except fish and besan to create marinade.
Add a few teaspoons of water if necessary
Add fish sticks and mix thoroughly till the fish is covered with the marinade
Allow it to marinate for a few hours
Heat the oil in a wok
When oil is hot, reduce heat to medium
Dredge the fish sticks in besan
Deep fry till golden brown
Serve hot with a slice of lemon

Toor Dal Khichidi (Pigeon Pea Rice)

2009-01-20T16:58:00.007-05:00

My wife grew up in San Diego very close to the Mexican border; a place blessed with the best rice and beans North of the border and something she misses dearly. I would never attempt to cook rice and beans (as it would inevitably taste like an amateur hack job) especially for someone who has grown up eating it. As I thought about the Mexican rice and beans, I couldn’t help but think about the Maharashrtian khichidi. Cheap and downright delicious comfort foodthat never fails to transport me back to Pune. I have fond memories of being fed soft khichidis topped with ample ghee whenever I was feeling a bit under the weather. On one such occasion I introduced my wife to this humble food with spectacular results. Although, a lentil khichidi can never replace rice and beans as my wife’s favourite food, I think it is pretty high up on the list based on the requests I get to cook it.

Ingredients
2 tbsp cooking oil
1 cup uncooked Basmati Rice, washed
1 cup Pigeon Peas, washed (or Moong Dal)
1 Onion finely shredded
1 tbsp Tomato paste
1½ tsp Maharashtrian Goda Masala
½ tsp Cumin & Coriander seed powder
¾ tsp Turmeric
½ tsp Chili powder
½ tsp Asafoetida
½ tsp Mustard seeds
½ cup chopped Cilantro
Ghee for garnish
Salt to taste

Method
In a medium sized pot heat the oil and temper mustard seeds
Add chopped onion and stir and allow it to cook till light brown on the sides
Add Cumin & Coriander powder, Chili, Turmeric, Asafoetida, Goda Masala and stir for a minute
Add the Rice and Peas and stir for a minute till it is a homogenous mixture
Add 2 cups of water, salt and stir in cilantro
Allow it to cook on medium heat stirring occasionally and adding water as needed
Keep cooking till peas are cooked and mushy
Serve hot garnished with cilantro and ghee with pappadum and pickle

"Just for You" by Alka of Sindhi Rasoi

My Legume Love Affair at Cooking 4 All Seasons

FIC Yellow at Tum Yum Treats

Orange Chicken

2008-12-28T18:47:00.007-05:00

After growing up in a land where every menu includes Chicken Manchurian, Sweet Corn-Chicken soup and Chopsuey, the Chinese food here in the US was a little bit of a let down. Sitting in my sad little student apartment in Syracuse, I could only dream about having a piping hot bowl of sweet corn chicken at the Pune University fountain or a spicy plate of Chicken Manchurian at the Oriental Room on Karve Road. I did find some relief in form of Chinese food in the most unlikely of places, the Carousel Mall. A seven-floored eyesore with a footprint of a ceiling fan that contained pretty much every store that could ever come from America’s flyover zones. You could buy a Macbook, a Midor Saw and some sexy lingerie, all under one roof. The food court stood on second floor of the mall with an gigantic old carousel, thus the name. The food court included all of America’s greatest names in generic mall food. Not to mention that fine family restaurant of silicone fitted spandex dolls, Hooters. On my first visit to the food court, as I was glancing over the uninviting food options, I came across the Manchu Wok. One of their offerings was orange chicken, which didn’t exactly blow my mind, nor does it come close to a piece of dry Manchurian, but it is a fitting choice when your other options are tasteless chicken with snow peas.
Ingredients
2 boneless Chicken breasts chopped into small pieces (not minced chicken)
1/2 cup All-purpose Flour (Maida)
1/4 teaspoon MSG (Ajinomoto)
1/4 teaspoon Pepper
1/2 tsp Orange Zest
Oil for frying
1 tsp chopped Garlic
3 tsp chopped Scallion (Spring Onion)
1 chopped chili
For Sauce
1/4 tsp grated Ginger
1 tbsp Sugar
1/4 Cornflour
1 Cup Orange Juice
1/2 tbsp Orange Zest
1 tsp Lemon Juice
1 tbsp Soya Sauce
3 tsp Butter
Method
Mix flour, MSG, pepper and orange zest to 3/4th cup water and make it into a batter.
Add chicken and mix thoroughly
Heat oil in a wok and drop small dumpling sized balls of the battered chicken and fry till golden brown.
For sauce:
In a wok, melt the butter and add grated ginger and soya sauce
When the ginger sizzles add sugar, lemon juice and mix
Add orange juice and allow it to boil
Reduce the orange juice to 1/2 and add corn starch
Place aside

In a wok, take 1 tbsp of olive oil
Add garlic and chili
Add chicken balls and mix thoroughly
Add orange sauce and stir
Serve with brown rice.

Spicy Mango Avocado Sushi

2008-11-27T11:49:00.005-05:00

Besides vacation, summer in Pune meant the mushrooming of Mango stalls pretty much everywhere there was space available. If one had a sky view, the entire city would look like it had a case of saffron coloured chicken pox with the abundance of mangoes everywhere. The Alphonso mango is the greatest fruit on the surface of this planet and the naysayers who pooh-pooh the notion just haven’t had one from Ratnagiri. Mango, the Alphonso Mango, especially remains by far my favourite food and I have tried to come up with recipes that use mango, even where it is not needed. We have recently embarked on a heart-friendly diet trying to cut a lot of the fat and sodium from our diet leaving me to find new ways of make food interesting and edible. The mango never fails to come to the rescue of such ambition and I have managed to forge a couple of good heart-friendly recipes. Here's one such triumph.

Ingredients:
For Rice
3 cups cooked Brown Rice
3 tbsp Rice Vinegar
2 tsp sugar
Pinch of salt
Nori Wraps (Seaweed sheets)

For Filling
1 semi-ripe peeled Mango sliced into extremely thin julienne pieces
1 Carrot sliced as above
1 Cucumber (white part) sliced as above
1 Avocado sliced as above

For Sauce
Flesh of 1 ripe Mango
1/2” piece of Ginger
4 tbsp light Coconut Milk
Pinch of Chilli Flakes

Method
Mix the vinegar, salt and sugar in a pot and heat on a low flame till the sugar dissolves and allow it to cool.
Spread the cooked rice while it is warm and gently flatten it
Drizzle the vinegar mixture on the rice and fold the rice to make sure the vinegar is spread evenly
On a Sushi mat place one Nori Sheet aligned with the edge of the mat
Cover the sheet with a very thin layer of rice
Place the sliced vegetables lengthwise parallel to the edge of the mat
Make the roll (Click here for video directions on making a roll)
Once the roll is done, cut into small pieces
To make the sauce, mix all ingredients and blend till it is a fluffy, homogenous mixture
Place a tiny dollop of sauce on each of the pieces
Serve with pickled ginger and wasabi

Cabbage Paratha

2008-11-16T16:23:00.003-05:00

At the intersection of BMCC Road and Fergusson College Road stands Hotel Rangoli. A place that in all respects is pretty low key, tries too hard to be cool and for the most part, would not be missed if it ceased to exist. This is one of the third tier hotels in terms of places you want to be. If Vaishali is closed and Roopali is too crowded and you really want to eat, then Rangoli is a semi-decent option. It is also a great option if a young man has befriended a young woman whose entire family hangs out at Vaishali and the two lovebirds want to have a date, but not have the young man beaten to a pulp and at the same time have the illusion that they can express their love in public freely.... you get the idea. Rangoli's food, although pretty decent, tries to hard to be everything to everyone, but really doesn't do justice to any of it. I did spend a decent amount of time there in the days when Vaishali was undergoing reconstruction and the parathas there weren't bad. However, it failed to convert any real customers, myself included, during that period. I do fondly remember the parathas at Rangoli as that was the only thing that Vaishali didn't serve. And they were'nt bad. Of course, I haven't been there since Vaishali reopened in 1996 and that doesn't say a lot about Rangoli.

Ingredients
1 Cabbage finely chopped
1/2 tsp ginger paste
2 Green Chillies finely chopped
1/2 tsp Chili Powder
1 tsp Turmeric
Salt to taste
3 tbps cooking oil

Click here for dough recipe

Method
In a wok heat the oil and add ginger paste.
Once the ginger starts for bubble add green chillies, turmeric and chili powder
Add cabbage and salt and toss
Cook on medium heat stirring occasionally till cabbage is fully cooked
Place aside and allow to cool fully

To make the paratha, take a golf ball sized ball of dough
Flatten and cup it
Put some cabbage in the cup and close the cup so that the cabbage is completely stuffed
Flatten the ball gently and roll it out into a flat paratha using hands of a rolling pin
Heat a skillet to high and put the paratha on the skillet
If the skillet is hot enough, no oil is required
Cook both sides evenly
Serve hot with yogurt and garlic chutney

Citrus Beet and Fruit Salad

2008-11-11T20:51:00.004-05:00

In Pune, there are two seasons; the one where you need rain gear and one where you don’t. Sure there are temperature variations throughout the year, but this is pretty much the only difference. Summer clothes are not that different than winter clothes, with the exception of a light sweater and I really don’t recollect there being a spring in Pune. It’s pretty much either hot or wet and the only seasonal touch to your wardrobe comes from a worn out jacket or sweater. Even after a decade here in New York, I am still not really used to the four specific seasons. Especially summer, which is so short here in the city. And even though we’re soon approaching the end of the fall season, I am still enjoying my summer salads.

Ingredients
2 Beets peeled and pressure cooked and cooled
1 Apple
1 Orange
1 Mango
4 Figs cut into quarters
Zest of one Orange
1 tsp Mint chopped
2 tbsp Orange Juice
3 tsp chopped Pecans

Method
Cut the Beets, Apples and Mango into cubes and place in a bowl
Peel the orange, separate flesh from skins and add to bowl
Add figs, mint, orange zest and pecans to the bowl
Drizzle orange juice evenly
Toss the salad gently and serve

Whole Wheat Pizza

2008-11-02T21:53:00.006-05:00

In 1998 when Pizza Hut came to Pune it was greeted with the same kind of fanfare normally reserved by the Congress junta for Sharad Pawar’s motorcade. Residing on Jangli Maharaj road in a new construction built on the grave of a typical Puneri corner bungalow; Pizza Hut projected itself as an example of American fine dining. The Puneris ate it with a spoon, or by the slice to be precise. During the first few weeks, the line to get in was around the block. There was a host table outside the restaurant taking reservations. At the time the host had the same attitude as Sachin Tendulkar’s public relation’s manager. Everyone was apparently wasting his time and no one really seemed good enough to have a Pizza Hut slice. I, along with a few friends managed to get a table without waiting, as we knew “people”. Even at this low level of government, corruption did butt its ugly head. Once inside we were greeted with interior decoration that was trying too hard to be cool, arrogant waiters and lacklustre food. Once we placed the order, our waiter announced that the pizza would be ready in 37 min. One of my dining companion’s reminded the waiter that (in spite of it being Pizza Hut) we’re in Pune and they both knew that the 37 min means nothing, so he should just bring it when it comes out.” The food didn’t come out for a good 45 min. In the interim we were treated to an extremely embarrassing and poorly choreographed dance to the then popular song “Backstreet’s Back” courtsey of the Pizza Hut waitstaff who seemed just ashamed to be part of it. It was definite You Tube material. That was my first and last visit to any Pizza Hut, ever. To compensate, I have been experimenting at making pizza at home from scratch and getting somewhat successful at it.

Ingredients

For the base
5 cups Durum Wheat or Whole Wheat flour
2 tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
2 packets Yeast
1 cup tepid Water
2 tsp sugar
1 tbsp Cornmeal
Salt to taste

Toppings
1 cup shredded Mozzarella Cheese
1 sliced Capsicum (Green Pepper)
1 cup sliced Mushrooms
1 sliced Onion
1 sliced Tomato
6 sliced Olives
1/2 cup sliced Chicken marinated in Salt and Pepper

Click here for the sauce recipe.

Method
Add yeast and sugar to the tepid water, stir and place aside for 10 minutes
When the mixture doubles in volume, the yeast is active
Add the mixture to the flour along with olive oil and salt
Knead the mixture to a dough adding water as necessary
Place dough aside for a hour; the dough should double in size
Knead the dough again and leave aside for 15 min
On a greased pizza stone (or a large baking pan) spread cornmeal evenly
Toss the dough into a 12” round base and gently place on top of the corn meal
Spread 1/2 sauce evenly over the base all the way up to the edge
Spread cheese evenly on pizza
Add toppings making sure not to add too many
Pre-heat oven to 400º F
Place pizza stone on centre rack
Bake pizza till edges of the base appear deep brown
Serve with red pepper flakes

Happy Diwali

2008-10-28T08:35:00.002-05:00

Here's wishing you and yours a very happy Diwali and a prosperous New Year.

Fire Roasted Tomato and Red Pepper Halloween Soup

2008-10-18T20:45:00.009-05:00

When I was still a youngster back in India, we learned everything there was to know about American culture from those American Culture for Dummies books a.k.a Archie Comics. I first learnt of Halloween in Archie Comics as a holiday, which involved costumes, and hitting the neighbours for cheap candy like it was a right. Archie Comics in all their PG-ness never really mentioned two really important aspects of Halloween (or what Archie and Veronica really did at Lover’s Lane). They never really covered the part where it is the one day where girls can dress in their skimpiest, something the male junta does not seem to mind. I for one encourage freedom of expression. The other aspect of this dentist’s dream holiday that remained unexplained was the pumpkin connection wherein pumpkin based recipes are dumped on the general public during this period, never to be heard of for the rest of the year. Recently my wife cooked me a delicious soup with a recipe inspired by Souvlaki for the Soul. Here it is with a Halloween twist.

Ingredients
6 large Tomatoes cut in half
1-2 red Red Peppers, quartered
1 tsp Balsamic Vinegar
1 tbsp olive oil
2 Garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 Potato, peeled, roughly chopped
1 red Chili finely sliced
2 cups Vegetable Stock
1 tsp Tomato paste
1/2 cup Basil leaves
6 bowl sized Pumpkins

Method
Set your oven to broil
Place the tomatoes and capsicum in a baking dish
Sprinkle with olive oil, balsamic vinegar, garlic and salt and pepper
Roast for about 45 min or until tender till tomatoes and peppers are soft
Add some olive oil to a pan and fry the chili
Add the stock, the potatoes and the tomato paste
Bring to the boil and then lower the heat
Cook for about 10 min or until the potatoes are tender
Once cooked, remove the pot off the heat and set aside.
Your tomatoes and capsicums should be ready about now
Remove from the oven and add them to the potato mixture.
Add the basil
Blend the soup to desired texture
Serve in a hollowed out pumpkin

Kala Chana Saag

2008-10-12T16:05:00.012-05:00

On my visit back to Pune, I noticed that Main Street in Camp looks nothing like the one I used to remember. Of course, when I still lived there, it bore no resemblance to the Main Street of when I was a little kid. There were a couple of stores I remember vividly. Toy Center, one would think, as the name suggests would be a Toy Shop. However pestonji logic dictated that the store be half pharmacy, a quarter electrical appliance store with some toys behind the counter. Thus the name. There were the usual Marzorin, Budhani, Wonderland and other Camp staples. One place, however, where they still don’t seem to get with the fact that it is 2008, is Monafood. The weirdly designed restaurant was divided into 3 levels from the street. The outermost served Softee ice cream. The next level in was the juice bar. And the third level in from the street was the actual restaurant. Complete with discoloured Formica tables and waiters who bring you your water in steel glasses with their fingers in it. I never knew what the complete Monafood menu except that they had one, because the only reason you’d go to there was the Chana Bhataura. The most delicious bowl of spicy chana with long a green chili sticking out of it, surrounded be a juicy wedge of lemon and a couple of slices of onion. All placed next to the fluffiest, puffiest bhataura you’ve ever seen. It has been almost 30 years since I have been to Monafood, but I every time I eat chana bhataura, I can help but compare it to the Monafood one and thankfully, none has even come close.

Ingredients
2 cups Black Chana soaked overnight.
1 large Tomato chopped
2 Onions chopped
1 bunch Spinach finely chopped
1 tbsp Oil
2 tsp Garam Masala
1 tsp Chili
1 tsp Turmeric powder
1/2 tsp Cumin seeds
4 tsp chopped Cilantro
1 tsp grated fresh Ginger
1 tsp fresh Garlic paste

Method
Heat oil in a wok and add ginger and garlic
Add onions and stir till brown on the edges
Add tomato and allow it to cook for a few minutes
Add Garam Masala, turmeric, salt and chilli and mix thoroughly
Add Spinach and allow it to cook
Add Chana and stir till it is mixed in properly
Add 2 cups water and allow it to cook
Keep adding water till Chana is completely soft and cooked

Kayani Bakery and the Mawa Cake.

2008-10-05T15:28:00.012-05:00

Whenever we had guests visiting us from out of town they had things they needed to do, places they had to visit and certain things they absolutely had to take back. One of these that came under all three categories was a visit to the Kayani Bakery on East Street in Camp. If you are a visitor to Pune and you return home without a bag containing a Kayani cake, a box of Shrewsbury biscuits and a bag of wine biscuits, it is safe to say you’d be in the doghouse for at least a week. The Kayani bakery has been a Pune landmark since it was established by brothers Hormuz and Khodayar Irani in 1955. The Shrewsbury biscuit, which is Kayani’s flagship product, is quite possibly the most delicious biscuit you will ever eat. Just opening the pink box to reveal the line of biscuits embossed with the KB logo is a near orgasmic experience. But dipping it in tea and eating is like an orgy in your mouth that will definitely take you there. A Kayani product will never fail to put you in a great mood. After all, most of their products are essentially tons of butter and sugar with barely enough flour to hold it all together. But no one does it better than Kayani. The other notable Kayani product is the Mawa cake. A ten inch button of goodness wrapped in a line of butter paper, it melts in your mouth and requires extreme amounts of will power to not polish it off in one sitting. There’s not a household in Pune that doesn’t have a Kayani product in their pantry at any given time. And with the outside chance one does come across such a household, the goodies are probably in their bellies, which mean that it’s time to go to East Street and stand in line for some more.

Ingredients
1 cup Unsalted Butter (softened)
1 1/4 cups granulated Sugar
4 Eggs
1 tbsp Vanilla
2 cups all purpose Flour (maida)
1 tsp Baking Powder
1/4 tsp Salt
1/3 cup Milk

Method
Pre-heat oven to 350º F
Beat butter in a large bowl till soft and fluffy
Add sugar and beat till fluffy (about 4 min)
Add eggs 1 at a time and keep beating making the batter as fluffy as you can
Stir in vanilla and milk
Sift flour, baking powder and salt into the batter and continue to beat until blended completely
Grease a baking pan with butter and spread the batter evenly
Bake for exactly 1 hr and 5 min (Or until it passes the toothpick test)
Remove from oven and allow it to cool for 10 min
Invert pan to release cake on to serving dish

Spinach Paratha and a Balanced Breakfast

2008-09-28T08:27:00.007-05:00

They say breakfast is the most important meal of the day. In Pune, however, breakfast almost seems to be a second thought. It’s something you do between getting dressed for work or school and leaving the house. I for one have been brought up on a steady breakfast of Carbury’s drinking chocolate (the one that came in the blue tin) and Britannia Nice biscuits. (Hello diabetes!) Shoving the biscuits in my mouth and washing it down with chocolate milk hot enough to take the top layer off your gullet. All this mostly while the school bus would stand outside honking the horn and my mother, trying in vain, to ask the driver to wait just one more minute till her son got his shit together. Unfortunately, no matter how old you get or where you go in the world, breakfasts might change, but the chaotic morning scene remains the same. On the weekends however, we try to bring back some sanity to our lives and what better way to start than with a healthy, hearty sit-down breakfast.

Ingredients
3 cups Atta (Durum Wheat Flour)
3 cups Spinach (very finely chopped)
1 tbsp Oil
1 tsp Coriander Powder
1 tsp Cumin Powder
3 Green Chilies finely chopped
1/4 tsp Hing (Asafoetida Powder)
1/2 tsp grated Ginger
Salt to taste
Tepid Water (to make dough)

Method
Chop the spinach very finely in the same way you would chop coriander
Add all ingredients except water and oil to the flour and mix thoroughly
Add water and oil and knead to form a nice ball of dough
Place aside for an hour covered with a damp cloth
Take a golf ball sized piece of dough and roll it into a thin paratha
Heat a skillet and turn the gas on high
If skillet is hot enough, no oil is needed to cook the paratha
Place the paratha on the skillet
Cook paratha on both sides
Serve hot, or wrap in a cotton cloth and place in an airtight container to maintain softness

For a balanced breakfast, serve:
2 parathas, 1 boiled egg, fresh fruit or fruit juice

Healthy Apple Dumpling

2008-09-25T10:27:00.006-05:00

The Osho commune is the brainchild of "Rajneesh" Chandra Mohan Jain and self-proclaimed “Bhagwan”. The spectacular commune looks more like a spa or resort than a religious center complete with waterfalls, exotic flora and fauna and bold architecture. And the beautifully landscaped Osho Park created out of a swamp is just breathtaking. Bhagwan Rajneesh was infamous for his teachings as they encouraged communal sexual indulgence. Here’s a man who took the bumper sticker “Make love, not war” a bit too seriously and turned it into a religion. I for one totally support such thinking.

Osho ashram has brought a lot of good things to Koregaon Park. The best thing to happen to Koregaon Park as a result of the ashram, however, is the German Bakery. Situated right on the entrance to Koregaon Park, it looks like a beach shack situated on a main road. Although from the name, you’d think they serve German snacks, it is still Pune city, and the menu is a mish-mash of anything goes. On my first encounter with the German Bakery, I felt totally out of place amongst the beaded, orange robed, Rajneesh firangs. I had my first Apple Danish Pastry at the German Bakery. “This is a really stupid pattice” I remember my cousin remarking. Clearly, the place was not meant for vada-pav morons like yours truly. Looking back, it was actually quite delicious if you weren’t expecting to bite into a spicy pattice. I went back a few more times and have fond memories of the German bakeries. I thought I’d treat my wife by recreating the taste with a slightly healthier version (by replacing the butter pastry shell with a healthy dumpling wrapper and boiling it).

Ingredients
3 Apples peeled and diced into small pieces
½ tsp Cinnamon Powder
¼ tsp Nutmeg
3 tsp sugar
1 cup Water
Wonton Wrappers (or extremely thin flour rotis)

Method
Add apples, sugar, water, cinnamon and nutmeg to the pot and boil on medium flame
Boil till apples are cooked and all the water has been absorbed
Allow the mixture to cool
Place a wonton wrapper on a sheet or a dumpling press and wet one side
Place 1 tsp apple mixture in the centre of the wrapper and close the dumpling making sure there are no air pockets
Make dumplings and place aside
Bring a pot of water to a boil
Add 6-8 dumplings to the pot and allow them to boil for no more than 3 minutes
Scoop dumplings from the water with a holed spoon and onto a plate
Drizzle honey and cinnamon
Serve hot

Masoor Amti

2008-09-03T11:20:00.004-05:00

"Panchang, menu, arogya, dnyana,

Upayukta sahitya pratyeka paana."

The radio ad for Kalanirnay promised more crap than 16 years in school can throw at you. Kalanirnay is a calendar that most Indian housewives cannot live without. It is published in 13 different languages and contains just as much useless information on the calendar side as it does on the back pages. The 3 sq inch space for each day includes information on solar and lunar cycles, any insignificant holiday that might fall on this day (complete with obscure illustrations) and most importantly for the three people who understand what it is, concise information on ‘Rahukal’. The backside of the month’s page is where the real fun stuff is. Redundant information relating to the month, including medical advice, puzzles, religious information, recipes and lessons in arts and crafts etc. printed in 7 point, blue type are what make up the backside. I have never visited a house in Pune without a Kalanirnay on the kitchen wall, and I have never seen anyone actually refer to the back pages. I, too, have Kalnirnay in my apt as I can’t really visualize the month without mentally putting it into the pale yellowness of the Kalanirnay grid. Recently, I decided to check out the back pages of the one on my wall. It does have a lot of information about stuff you never cared about. I did however find this awesome recipe for Masoor chi Amti. I guess I should flip the page more often.

"Bhinti vaari Kalanirnay asave"

Ingredients
2 cups sprouted Masoor (Red Lentils)
1 Onion chopped
½ tsp Chili powder
½ tsp Turmeric
1 tsp Maharashtrian Goda Masala
3 tsp Cilantro chopped
3 tbsp Olive Oil
1 cup Water
Salt to taste
Method
Heat oil in a wok
Reduce to medium heat once hot and add onion.
Fry onions till translucent, tender and brown on edges
Add chili, turmeric and goda masala and allow it to cook for a minute or two
Add masoor, cilantro and salt and allow it to cook for a few minutes
Add water and allow it to boil for a 10 minutes on medium heat with the lid on till masoor is cooked
Serve with hot chapati or rice and yogurt

Tomato Soup

2008-08-26T11:00:00.009-05:00

Before the ‘spectacular’ express highway, the cheapest and most convenient way to make a Bombay-Pune journey was with a ride on the Deccan Queen. A 180 km journey that took anywhere between 3½ - 4 hours on a good day. The journey would actually begin way before the day of actual travel by a trip to a little place known as the booking office. A small self-standing structure in the middle of nowhere, where you were served by indifferent civil servants from behind rusty windows. Some of the things you were never served, however, were proper information, prompt service or, heaven forbid, a smile. The chances of you actually getting a reservation instead of being wait-listed were pretty slim. Even as you enter Pune Station through parking, it looks like a haphazard mess. As you arrive inside you see that the rails and platforms thrown together by some eager engineer who made the mistake of believing himself. 6:30 a.m. is probably the most bearable time to be there, as people who fell asleep on the platform the night before aren't completely awake yet.

Once on the Deccan Queen, things are pretty smooth sailing, if you accept all things as they are. No sooner has the train crossed city limits, somewhere around Talegaon, the waiter comes by to take your breakfast order. One thing that has always impressed me about the railway food service on Indian Railways is the waiters. They manage to take down the order of an entire car of over 100 people without writing anything down and then bring you your entire order without screwing anything up. Of course it helps that there are only a couple of items on the menu. Omelet bread, which consists of two slices of bread and an omelet bathed in a stream of pure fat. A cheese toast (pronounced chis-toz), which strangely is neither cheese, nor toast and of course there was the usual tea or coffee. The other thing on the menu was the tomato soup; a thin, thimble-sized plastic cup of foaming brownish-red goodness. This was quite possibly the most vile tasting (and smelling) version of the soup and one can only conclude that it came out of one of those Nestlé machines. Not that it ever stopped anyone from ordering one. Coz’ nothing says good morning in the Sayadhris like instant soup and flirting with the langoors on monkey hill.

Ingredients

6 Tomatoes (medium size)
1 Beet
1 tsp Butter
½ tsp Black Pepper
½ tsp Cumin Powder
1 tsp Ginger Garlic Paste
4 tsp Heavy Cream
Salt to taste

Method

Boil tomatoes and beet in water for 15 min till tomatoes appear completely boiled.
Allow it to cool and then blend the tomatoes and beets together to a puree
Using a sieve strain the seeds and skin and place the juice aside
In a pot heat the butter and add ginger-garlic paste, cumin and pepper to it
Once the ginger-garlic paste sizzles, add the tomato juice and allow it to cook for 10 min
Serve hot and garnish with heavy cream and mint

Boneless Butter Chicken

2008-08-16T11:04:00.004-05:00

When I was in junior college, Pirangut (which is now almost in city limits) used to be a destination for day trips. En route, one could drive for miles of lush paddy fields and open land on both sides of the road, the monotony broken only by a lake, a river or the occasional small body of water. You would have to slow down sometimes as herds of sheep walked alongside the road, blocking most of it. Village folk sat under the shade of tamarind trees waiting for the greatest form of rural transportation—the S.T. bus, known to most of the junta as the Laal Dabba (red tin can). The road took you straight to the village of Mulshi, where the Mulshi dam is located. There is a village on the way named Disli. In Marathi, Disli means “I see it.” The reason it is so named is that as you take a turn to enter the limits of Disli, you can see the walls of the massive dam for the first time. Just before the village of Disli is the village of Pirangut and also the home of one my favourite joints, Buninda Dhaba. It had just opened up when we started visiting Buninda. It was essentially a poorly built structure with a huge swimming pool, a garden restaurant, a children’s playground that would require tetanus shots and for some reason, a large number of ducks just hanging out. It was a nice place to go to, especially when parents thought you were busy at college busy attending classes and getting a good education. The food there was always good. However, as college students, money was always in short supply and the newly liberated college students would prefer to allocate more funds to spirits than waste it on food. After a good afternoon of drinking when it’s time to eat, it is common practice to order a couple of pots of boneless butter chicken with a stack of rotis. Thankfully, the butter chicken at buninda was exceptional.

Ingredients
1 1/2lb whole boneless Chicken breast cubed
1 large Onions finely chopped.
2 Tomatoes finely chopped
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 stick butter
1 tsp grated Ginger
1 tsp crushed Garlic
1 tsp Chili powder
1 tsp Turmeric
1 tsp Garam Masala
1 1/2 cup Chicken stock
Salt to taste

For marinade
1/2 cup Buttermilk
2 tsp Lemon Juice
2 tsp Ginger Garlic paste
1 tsp Chili powder
1 tsp Turmeric
1 tsp Garam Masala
Salt to taste

Method
Mix all the items for the marinade and coat the chicken with it.
Allow it to marinate overnight.
Grill chicken till it is done and the marinade crisp.
Remove chicken in a bowl and place aside.

Heat 1/2 stick of butter in a pot and add ginger and garlic to it.
Add chopped onions and stir occasionally till onion is translucent brown on the edges.
Add tomato, stir and allow to cook for a few minutes
Add chili, turmeric, garam masala and salt, stir and allow to cook for a couple of minutes
Add chicken stock and bring to a boil and continue heating on low heat till tomato and onion have almost dissolved.
Remove sauce and blend it in a blender with heavy cream

Return sauce to the pot and gently fold in the grilled chicken and the remaining butter and allow it to cook on low heat for 10-15 min
Serve with rice and naan

Green Mango Chutney

2008-08-10T15:05:00.006-05:00

As a little boy growing up in Pune, I became aware of the fact that the raw green mango (kairi) and the deliciously sweet, ripe mango in spite of being the same fruit are completely different animals. I also understood that a mango stolen from someone else’s yard tastes infinitely better than a store bought mango. It is popular knowledge that the best green mangoes inevitably come from the trees that are in the yards of the meanest people in the neighbourhood. These trees are usually guarded by some of the house’s senior gentry, who will come after you with sticks—making stealing mangoes from the neighbourhood one of my favourite summer sports.

After the annual examinations in April one quickly discovers that two months of summer vacation is in fact really boring. During our vacation, the area kids would gather to pass their afternoons with a game of cricket, carrom or cards. A good afternoon’s cricket is really incomplete without a good snack and the raw mangoes that were in peak season spiced with salt and chili filled that void very well. Stealing mangoes is a group effort and confidence in a solitary attempt is a rookie mistake. Good bicycles with a carrier capable of going “double seat” are also an integral part of the mango stealing operation. Three is the perfect number of people needed to steal mangoes. One to climb the tree, one to stand under it, catch the loot and assist in the getaway and the third one near the compound wall to keep watch and relay information with fake coded animal sounds that don’t even come close to the real thing. The third one also keeps the getaway bicycles ready. Since there has rarely been an attempt where the owner of the property didn’t come after you, most operations yield varied results and thus require multiple attempts on various yards. Regardless, the mango stealing exercise is a large part of the summer vacation and one I miss dearly.

Here are some rules of successful mango stealing that can never be ignored:

Never climb so high that you won’t be able to directly jump to the ground if and when needed
Sticks, hooks, bags only get in the way, throw the mangoes directly to the person on the ground.
No matter how awesome the mango, don’t select the tree that is closer to the house than the fence
Before the operation begins, locate a spot in the barbed wire fence that is either easy to jump over or has a huge hole
Do not underestimate a bogan-villa plant that doubles as a fence
Angry, old people can run faster than you think
Always locate a compound where the owners may or may not know you, but they most definitely don’t know your parents

Ingredients
1 large Raw Mango (peeled and cubed)
1/2 cup shredded fresh Coconut
1/2 cup Cilantro
2 cloves Garlic
3 Green Chilies
Salt to taste
1/2 tsp sugar (Only if the mango isn’t sweet)
1/2 cup

Method
Put the cilantro at the bottom of the blended and then add the rest of the ingredients on top
Blend to a smooth mixture

Mango Chutney Sandwich
Apply mango chutney to one slice of whole grain toast
Apply sour cream to another slice and create a sandwich
Serve as a snack.

MBP Fruit Fare

Crispy Mint Lamb Chops

2008-07-30T08:52:00.001-05:00

This is the story of how yours truly was involved in an incident that almost closed down Residency Club. In the summer of 93 I started what was my first job, an internship at an industrial design firm in our building. One of the assignments I was working on was to build a permanent Mandap for Residency Club. Back then; Residency club was a newer, cheaper alternative to Poona Club and the Royal Connaught Boat Club. Mr. Tanna, the owner of Residency Club had solicited the help of Blueprint Design to build a permanent Mandap over a courtyard that was surrounded by rooms for club guests, so that he could rent the courtyard for functions even during monsoons. Blueprint design had delivered a highly futuristic concept for a Mandap using a tensile structure. Tensile structures are made of strong sheets of synthetic fibers stretched and held together with tension wires. Blueprint design had come up with a design that worked really well in theory. If all went well, this would cover an area of over 20,000 sq ft with columns only on the periphery. It was sometime in May and the summer had almost come to an end. The mangoes were already in their second harvest. We employed a large crane to hoist the heavy fabric in place and all the wires were put in place. By this time it was 6:00 p.m. and the only thing left to do was to apply tension to the wires and make the fabric taut. It was a couple of hours of work, so the team decided to call it a day and complete it all next morning. Mr. Tanna looked happy with the result and invited us have some drinks poolside. It was a lavish affair with some nice finger foods. The best dish in the spread was crispy lamb chops. I couldn’t recall any other restaurant that had lamb chops on the menu, so it was quite a thrill. On our way back home we saw some rather ominous looking clouds gather, but didn’t think much of it. Looked like your average pre-monsoon shower. It rained rather heavily that night. It was the kind of storm where you are almost OK with the powers that be turning the electricity off for an extended period of time. The rains had made the air cooler so I didn’t mind sleeping without air conditioning as I was already in a lamb-induced coma. Meanwhile back at the Residency club, the rains that had fallen on the loose fabric had started to create ponds in the air and continued till it became one 8 ft deep gigantic body of water floating in the air 25 feet above ground. Finally, it grew to a size where the fabric and the trusses could no longer hold it and it gave way flooding all the rooms around it and partially drowning some. Thankfully, there were some minor injuries and no lives were lost. Early next as we went to check the damage it looked like a post-Katrina scene. I was just surprised that no one got arrested for neglect. Blueprint design had to rebuild the entire thing out-of-pocket and suffered heavy losses. As eventful as the night was, being a true foodie, the most memorable part for me was still the lamb chops.

Ingredients

Marinade
12 Lamb Chops
3 tsp chopped Cilantro
1 tsp chopped Mint
2 Green Chilies, chopped
2 tbsp Ginger Garlic paste
½ cup Buttermilk
Salt to taste

To cook
½ cup Oil
½ tsp Chili Powder
½ tsp Turmeric
1 tsp Garam Masala

Method
Blend together all the ingredients for the marinade and apply to the lamb chops.
Allow it to marinate for at least 3 hours. Preferably overnight.
In a flat pan heat oil
Once oil is hot, turn heat to medium
Add Chili powder turmeric, and garam masala to oil and mix completely with the oil
Lay 4 lamb chops flat turning them every couple of minutes
Cook till the surface is crisp and golden brown
Serve with Yoghurt Mint Chutney

Medu Wada with Green Chutney

2008-07-25T11:34:00.006-05:00

In 1996 the owner of Hotel Vaishali , Jagannath B.Shetty, decided it was time to renovate. This was mostly to tackle the problem of vagabonds that occupied tables for long periods of time by ordering just coffee or tea and spent that time ogling at the honeys from nearby colleges. The brilliant solution to this problem was creating a small smoking section where the lallygagging, leering, permanent fixture like customers would be reassigned. Actual paying customers could then use the rest of the busy hotel. As a result, Mr. Shetty closed Vaishali for 3 months. People like myself and the rest of the collegiate crowd found themselves completely lost and had to find a place to park themselves for those meaningful hours between breakfast and lunch. Or what is known in college as the first four classes. Anyone who has gone to college in India knows that while it is essential to be enrolled in a top-notch college, attending classes is for losers. In desperation we turned to the few acceptable eateries around the area and thanks to Jagannath Shetty’s decision, they also did a fair amount of business during these three months. Some people including yours truly gravitated towards Hotel Savera. Savera is situated right opposite Fergusson College’s main gate, but its real selling point was the proximity to the Fergusson Women’s hostel. Savera’s South Indian food was not really that bad, but it will never compare to Vaishali. They did serve a few things that Vaishali didn’t. Like puri-bhaji and a few parathas. The one thing that I always ordered was the wada sambhar—it wasn’t bad. By the end of the third month I was actually getting quite fond of Savera. But then Jagannath Shetty opened the doors to the new and improved Vaishali. All the surrounding restaurants that had enjoyed good business during this time were almost empty. The Vaishali parking was full that day and I parked my Kinetic Honda close to Savera, but walked to Vaishali. Because although Savera was nice, it’s no Vaishali. But then again, what is? Ask any Puneite and you’ll get the same answer. There’s no substitute.

Ingredients
2 cups Urad Dal (Black Lentils)
½ cup Rice
1/s tsp cracked Pepper
1 tsp Ginger
3 tbsp grated or chopped Coconut
Salt as per taste
Oil for deep-frying

Method
Soak dal and rice over night in separate containers
Grind the dal and rice separately
Mix the two pastes
Add pepper, ginger, coconut and salt
Heat 2 1/2 cups of oil in a wok
With a Medu Wada maker drop doughnut like wadas directly into the hot oil
(If you don’t have a wada maker you can also drop 1 tbsp batter at a time using a tablespoon”
Deep fry till golden brown
Serve with coconut chutney or raw mango chutney.

Click here for Green Chutney Recipe
Click here for Green Mango Chutney Recipe

Vegetable Korma

2008-07-19T12:10:00.005-05:00

Once upon a time Pune was a small town with cute little houses. The traffic was manageable. The air was breathable air. And roads had no dividers. Fergusson college road was a beautiful street lined with Banyan trees and pretty much everything else was hunky dory. Much unlike the awful shit storm that FC Road has become today. A few things however have remained unchanged there. One of them, much to my delight, is a restaurant called Amrapli. As far back as I can remember, Amrapali was the place to go to for vegetarian fare. It is located off Fergusson College Road at the end of an access road right behind Hotel Roopali. It is very easy to miss as the only indication is a beaten up cantilevered neon sign, which must’ve worked at some point in time. A bicycle repair shop on one side and a scooter garage on the other guard the entrance to the access road. The entrance also featured a Lambretta, which I guess no one had claimed for decades, rusted and sunk half way into the ground. The left side of the access road was lined with custard apple trees and a moss covered wall, which seemed like it could collapse if someone broke wind and the right moment. The road itself, partially lined with Shahabad tiles, is an abandoned, half-hearted attempt at making it into a permanent road. While all these add charm to Amrapali, the restaurant itself is pretty lavish. The staff is courteous and the food delicious. They serve mostly vegetarian Punjabi food and the odd attempt at a vegetarian Chinese dish (which is usually quite tasty, just not Chinese). My favourite food there was the veg-korma, an artery clogging vegetarian feast. Amrapali has lost its attraction in recent years with the expansion of Pune city and the mushrooming of hundreds of other ‘me too’ restaurants. But most will remember it as one of the best vegetarian restaurants in Pune.

Ingredients
3 tbsp Olive Oil
1 large Onion chopped
2 Tomatoes chopped
1/2 tsp Ginger (ground to a paste)
1/2 tsp Garlic crushed
1/2 cup Cashew Paste
1/4 cup heavy Cream
1 tsp Garam Masala
1/2 Tsp Chili powder
1/2 tsp Turmeric
1 Carrot chopped
1/2 cup Green Peas
1 cup Capsicum
1/2 cup Cauliflower florets
1/2 cup fried Paneer Cubes
1/2 cup chopped Mushrooms
Salt to taste

Method
Heat a pot and add oil to it.
Sauté the garlic and ginger and add onion.
Stir the onion and heat till translucent and brown on the edges
Add tomato and allow to cook for a few minutes
Add Turmeric, Garam Masala and Chili Powder and stir
Add Cashew Paste and mix thoroughly
Allow it to cool and then blend the mixture into a fine paste
Transfer contents back to the pot and turn heat to medium
Add vegetables and Paneer cubes and allow to simmer for 15 min
Garnish with grated fresh Paneer and serve with Nan or Basmati rice.

What is the difference between a Sauté and a Stir-fry?

2008-07-13T07:29:00.005-05:00

Recently, I visited one of my favourite Thai restaurants, Pongsri, in New York. One of our mutual friends found two items on the menu that looked exactly the same with similar ingredients. The only difference was that one was sautéed and the other one was stir-fried. She asked me what the difference was and it was something I had never thought about. Does anyone know?

Picture of you

2008-06-27T10:51:00.004-05:00

over my desk

used to hang
a note

with one of
bobby dylan's
famous lines
on it

"when you got
nothing,
you got
nothing to lose"

I took it
down
today

and replaced it
with
a picture of you.

Sabudana Khichadi

2008-06-27T10:43:00.003-05:00

Appa is a word for father in many Indian languages. But for a true Punekar, there is only one ‘Appa’ and he owns the canteen that is part of the Deccan Gymnkhana, nestled snugly in a tiny lane between the cricket ground and the tennis courts, at the Eastern end of the long billiards hall. Appa’s canteen needs no introduction as it has been in the same spot since days of the Raj. A humble place made up of one small room divided into two tiny sections, the dining area and the kitchen. There is usually a machine making some sort of batter in the door between the kitchen and dining area. The dining area seats 8 people at a time. As a result most of Appa’s goodies are consumed out on the street on the back seat of a scooter or car. Appa’s canteen boasts a minimal menu of 3-4 dishes a day and menu items are set by the day of the week. Only a true Puneri can recite the menu by what day it is. If it’s Sunday, this must be idli-sambar. Some of the most famous items on this menu are idli sambar, kanda poha and khichadi kakadi. Appa, a man with a cheery disposition and skin darkened by years under the Indian sun always greets his customers with a smile and is on a first name basis with almost everyone who visits. His pajamas and ‘bandi’ which once used to be white are a trademark as is his checkered shirt which usually hangs on a ‘khunti’ on the wall. His generously proportioned son, Shree, now manages the 6’ X 6’ kitchen where 3 other cooks manage not only to stand with him, but cook delicious meals as well. Shree’s rusty old Java motorcycle is another permanent fixture right front of the door of the canteen occupying just as much space as him. One may notice soaked Sabudana being aired in the sun on the seat of the Java. Appa’s canteen has stood the test of time as well as the great flood of Pune in 1962. One of the most charming aspects of Appa’s canteen is the rusty Coca-Cola sign that remained there through the flood, and even after coke was asked to leave India. I visited Appa a few months back on my trip to Pune and the Coke sign was still standing strong. As humble as this little canteen is, it boasts some of India’s most famous sons as its patrons including Sunil Gavaskar and Raja Paranjpe. In the ever changing landscape of Pune, there a are few things that have stayed the same since the time of my grandfather. Appa’s canteen has been one of them. And all three living generations of my family will swear by one dish—Appa’s Khichadi Kakadi.

More about Appa.

Ingredients

Khichadi
1/3 cup Ghee
2 cups Sabudana / Sagoo (unsoaked)
4-5 Chillies (chopped)
3/4 cup roasted Peanut
1/2 tsp Cumin Powder
Cilantro / Coriander chopped
1 medium sized Potato (peeled and chopped)
I tsp Sugar
Salt to taste

Ingredients for Cucumber Raita
1 cup Yogurt
1 large Cucumber (peeled and chopped)
1/2 cup ground roasted Peanut
1/2 tsp Mustard Seeds
1/2 tsp Cumin Seeds
Pinch of Asafoetida
2 tbsp Oil
1/2 tsp Sugar
Salt to taste.

Method

Khichadi
Soak Sabudana overnight* and make sure it is soft to the centre.
In a deep pot heat the ghee on medium heat and add the chillies and cumin powder.
Add potatoes and stir till they look cooked.
Add soaked sabudana, peanuts, cilantro, sugar and salt.
Fold the ingredients together so it is completely mixed.
Put a lit on it and let it cook in the steam.
When the sabudana is hot, Khichadi is done.

Cucumber Raita
In a bowl, mix cucumber, peanuts, yogurt sugar and salt.
In a small pan heat oil and ass Asafoetida, mustard seeds and cumin.
Remove from heat when the mustard seeds begin to pop.
Pour this mixture over the cucumber and mix well.

Serve hot Khichadi with Raita or Plain Yogurt.

Khari

2008-06-22T14:49:00.004-05:00

On returning to New York as a married couple, our ‘gruha pravesh’ involved pushing huge suitcases packed to the maximum allowable baggage allowance across the threshold. The only way a true desi travels and something I just can’t explain to my wife. I’m still on a high from all the pampering a prodigal son gets on his brief, infrequent visits home. The trick however is the leave before the novelty wears off. Now back in my apartment, as I was having my Sunday morning chai, I looked at my Nice biscuits (my favourite biscuits), which has turned limp from moisture as they were pretty old. Quite a contrast to the Sunday mornings back home.

When I lived in Pune, the family of one of the boys that worked for us lived in Tulsibaug. Although he lived with us all week, he would visit his family every weekend, leaving on Friday evening and returning early morning on Sunday. One of his most important duties (at least according to me) was to go to Hindustan Bakery on the way back and pick up a Kg of Khari, cream rolls and the legendary Hindustan Pav, all while they were still hot. He’d be home with the goodies, just in time for Sunday morning tea with a crisp copies of Times of India, Sunday edition and of course, Sakal.

If any one from Pune doesn’t know Hindustan Bakery (which would be quite sad), it’s the bakery that provided all the other bakeries in Pune with that ambiguous, yet delicious bread wrapped in unbranded brown paper and white thread. It was in essence a loaf of sourdough bread, neatly sliced and best if consumed with Mutton Rassa. This bread remained unbranded in brown paper for the better part of my life till others started passing their inferior bread as Hindustan bread. When they did start branding it, it was just a red, illegible, rubber stamp on the brown paper. Don’t you just love the Puneri arrogance and indifference? The original Hindustan Bakery located on Laxmi Road had some of the best bakery items that Puneites still swear by. Veg pattice, Khari (also pilachi khari), the strangely delicious bite sized cream rolls and of course the loaf of bread.

Khari and chai was a perfect start to most weekend mornings back home, but once I came to New York, it all but disappeared except for that sad excuse for Khari that Haldiram sells through Indian stores here. That was till discovered one of America’s greatest packaged inventions. Pepperidge Farms® Pastry Puff. And as much disdain I have for anything Pepperidge Farm, these artery clogging sheets of goodness have brought back the Khari back into my Sunday mornings. And of course giving my gori wife yet another reason the shake her head in disbelief.

Ingredients
1 sheet of Pepperidge Farms® Pastry Puff

Method
Fold sheet in half making it double layered
Cut into 3” X 1” rectangular blocks
Pre-heat the oven and using good judgment, bake the bad boys as directed on the box till crisp and golden
Allow to cool and serve with hot Chai.

And Then There Were Two...

2008-06-18T13:14:00.003-05:00

Wheat Crepe

2008-06-07T09:51:00.003-05:00

So my girlfriend and I finally tied the knot with a small ceremony in Pune last week and flew straight to Jaipur for our honeymoon. My wife wanted to live in a small place with lots of character so anything with the name Taj, Oberoi or Sheraton was out. We found this small hotel, Hotel Palms that must’ve been someone’s residence at one point. It was one of those hotels where the owners lost interest in running it just as soon as they acquired it, giving it the right amount of character and ample scope for comic relief that we were looking for. It came with notable amenities such as mosquitoes, an internet café that was open only between 10 a.m. and 5 p.m., a utilities shop that never opened the entire time that I was there and more staff than there were rooms none of whom were of any real help. On my first morning there, I woke up and ordered some tea. The tea came in a stained thermos with a jar of sugar cubes. The jar of sugar cubes had ants crawling all over the sugar. When I pointed this out to the barefoot waiter, he simply demonstrated the best way to get rid of the ants. Picking up the sugar cube, blowing on it and then directly tossing the cube in the tea. At this point I was looking more like the NRI arse hole who couldn’t deal with some ants than someone who wanted good service. My favourite part of the hotel, not surprisingly, was the restaurant. The Olives restaurant as it was called boasted an Indian, Mexican, Thai, Chinese, Italian and Continental menu. Pretty impressive I thought and then I was disillusioned by the pizza I ordered. It was made from readymade pizza base, Kissan sauce and Amul cheese product. There also was some dried fruit and nuts in the toppings. I have always been enamoured by the ability of Indians to take any dish and Indianize it instantly. My wife decided to go for the walnut and banana pancakes. I knew in the back of my mind that it was a bad idea, but I somehow wanted to see what came out of the kitchen. As I saw the waiter walking with our order towards us, I noticed that there wasn’t anything even slightly resembling a pancake on his tray. As he finally placed the ‘pancake’ on our table my American wife gave me a look that would make most Indians respond with the “hey, this is India” look. The pancake was a crepe made out of chapatti flour drowned in honey. The ‘pancake’ in spite of not being one, was extremely delicious and probably one of the healthiest versions of a crepe she had ever eaten. So in honour of my Rajasthani friends, here’s a recipe for the pancake/crepe that left my wife smiling for more reasons than one.

Some other menu translations at Hotel Palms
Hash browns or Home Fries = Potato subji.
Pizza = Bread base, topped with lots of stuff including nuts and dried fruits, Kissan ketchup and Amul Cheese.
Thai Spring Roll = Maggi Noodles in a spring roll
Mexican rice and beans = Rajma and Basmati rice

Ingredients
1 cup Chapati flour (Durum Wheat Flour)
2 eggs
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup water
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons butter (optional)
Honey
2 cups cut up Fruit

Method
In a big bowl add the water, milk, salt and flour and whisk till it is completely mixed
Then add the eggs and whisk till it becomes a homogenous mixture.
Melt butter and mix it to the batter
On a non-stick skillet pout half cup of the batter
Turn the skillet to make spread it around and make a thin crepe
Place 2-3 tsp cut up fruit at the centre of the crepe and then fold the crepe over
Drizzle honey or powdered sugar over the crepe
Garnish with some more fruit and serve

Onion Uttapa

2008-04-21T16:11:00.006-05:00

After my lackluster performance in my SSC exams I thought I had sealed my fate of getting into the prestigious science stream or even get in to a good junior college such as Fergusson. Of course, anyone from India knows that merit has absolutely nothing to do with what college you get into or pretty much anything you do in life. So through "family connections" I was granted a seat at Fergusson College in the science stream. In fact my parents went one up and secured me a seat in division D of the science stream. In Fergusson, divisions C and D were reserved for the smartest students. You know those really annoying, snooty kids whose lives revolve around books, coaching classes and HSC merit lists? All of my friends however, were placed in division F—the class that every teacher feared, the class that is made entirely out of students who have come there by all means except merit. Even the girls were a force to be reckoned with. As the FYJC year progressed, my misery in a class of the snooty kids grew and so did my absence from class. And I found solace in the greatest place on campus, the IMDR canteen. Situated between the Gokhale Institute, IMDR (Institute of Management Development and Research) and the Dept of Geography, this canteen served one of the happiest places on Campus. (Also a little weird was the fact that there was a geography building and it was so big.) This canteen was the place to be for the 'Lukhi Junta' of which I was a major member. The make up of the canteen was so weird that from the outside, it looked like caged hooligans enjoying cigarettes and tea. Tea served in the tiniest of chipped cups was just all you needed to wake up, a 2 ft peripheral wall that also served as part of the seating arrangement, dented and partially washed steel plates, a flimsy roof, creaky chairs and countless flies were all things that added charm to this place. In addition the waiter ability to never write down your order and still not fuck it up were pretty amazing. Not to mention that the hill behind the canteen looked like it would crash into the structure at any minute. The food at IMDR although fair, was not the main attraction of this establishment. It was more like you ate because that’s where you happened to be. Although the bun wada at the IMDR canteen remains legendary, it seems that the bun keeps getting bigger and the wada keeps getting smaller. Let’s just hope that the management allows the wada to catch up. Besides the bun-wada, there was a second item that they did really well. The onion utappa although vastly overshadowed by the bun wada was really good. Also served in a dented steel plate, the onion utappa, sprinkled with generous amounts of onion, coriander, green chili and a generous helping of white butter really held it’s own. I made many friends here and witnessed my teenaged friends inhale their first ‘Goldflake’ here, too. And although I’ll never remember this place for its food, it will always remind me of when I went to college, but didn’t quite get there.

Ingredients
Idli Batter 4 cups (click here for idli batter recipe)
1 onion finely chopped
½ cup Green Peas
2 Green chilies chopped
3 tsp Coriander finely chopped
Oil

Method
Mix onion, peas and chili in the idli batter
Heat a skillet and spread ½ cup of the batter on it
Spread it as thin as possible
Drizzle ½ tsp oil on and around the dosa
Tilt the skillet so that oil spreads evenly on the edges
Allow it to cook till the top of the batter appears cooked
Flip dosa if you prefer both sides cooked
Serve with green chutney (Click here for recipe)

Kanda Poha

2008-04-15T18:20:00.003-05:00

For many Puneites or Maharashtrians, a Poha Program is a running joke and for some a pretty hair- raising experience. For the non-Maharashtrians, a poha program is when a boy of marriageable age goes to a girl's house for the purpose of an arranged marriage with the decision makers of his family. Decision maker in this case may or may not include the two parties actually getting hitched. The meeting usually takes place in the evening hours. Somewhere around tea time, but much before dinner time. The most popular dish that is served at this time is Kanda Pohe. Very quick and easy to make, and really hard to screw up. And no matter who makes the Poha, it is always passed off as a shining example of the bride-to-be's many special talents. As for those of you guys who fell in love without first testing the poha-power of your bride to be, you can still fix a decent plate for yourselves. Here's how:

Ingredients:
3 cups Thick Poha
1 large White Onion finely chopped
1 Potato cut into small pieces
3-4 Chillis each cut into 3-4 pieces
6-7 Curry Leaves (Kaddipatta)
1/2 tsp Mustard Seeds
3/4 tsp Sugar
3/4 tsp Turmeric
1/2 cup Cilantro chopped (Coriander)
1/2 cup oil
Salt to taste
1/2 cup Fresh Coconut shredded
1 Lemon cut into quarters

Method
Soak Poha in a sieve and drench completely
Place it aside
Place oil in a deep pot on medium heat.
Add mustard seeds and curry leaves.
Once mustard seeds splatter add chili, onion and potato in that order
Cover with a lid stirring occasionally
When potatoes are cooked
Add Poha, turmeric, sugar, salt and coriander
Mix well, close lid
Cook for 4-5 min on medium heat stirring occasionally
Serve hot in a flat quarter plate with a slice of Lemon
Garnish with Coconut and Cilantro

Khaman Dhokla

2008-04-09T13:25:00.008-05:00

While the streets of London are paved with gold, the streets of Pune are lined with numerous non-descript halwais. Pretty much anything that is not a Chitale Bandhu Mithaiwale, Karachi Sweet Mart or Kaka Halwai is a non-descript halwai. The one thing I like about these halwais is the layout of their stores. Barring the odd one that goes against the grain, pretty much all stores are rectangular with the shorter side serving as the storefront. All goods are behind a counter to one side of the store and the other half serving as ‘browsing area for the patrons. As you enter the store a mildly enthusiastic man imitating one of Henry Moore’s reclining sculptures greets you. He is usually the owner or at least the one in charge of the cash. Chances are, you’ll also be greeted with an insincere offer for some tea or coffee. You’re best advised not to accept, as it is quite an inconvenience for all parties concerned. Nod gracefully and move on. As you make your way into the store through the omnipresent swarm of flies you pass numerous brightly coloured sweets placed in perfect pyramids. Jarring yellow sev’s, saturated jalebis and many such delicacies. At about 3/4th of the length of the curved glass showcase you will come across a youth hanging out in a baniyan that once used to be white and way too enthusiastic for the job he is doing. These stores usually sell 3 kinds of foods—sweets made from milk and milk derivatives. Papdi, sev and fresh potato wafers (which are actually really good) and some hot snacks like Kachoris, Samosas and Khaman Dhokla. If you live in Pune and choose to buy your sweets from places other than Chitale Bandhu Mithaiwale, Karachi Sweet Mart or Kaka Halwai there is something seriously wrong with you and you need to seek counsel soon. Budhani makes the best fresh wafers in Pune, but at the core they all taste pretty much the same. They key to a non-descript halwai’s success however is the hot foods like the samosa, kachoris and such. The khamang dhokla remains my favourite among the hot foods at these shops as you can never find it in a restaurant. For some reason it’s only available at these small in-between shops. In my Pune days, my high-school days actually, there was a small shop called Ummed at Dynaneshwar Paduka — a seedy looking joint by all standards, the kind girls think twice about stopping at; mostly because it is frequented by vagabonds such as myself. This Formica decorated store had enough mirrors to give you vertigo and had a thin layer of oil on pretty much every surface. But the man made a mean dhokla. Besides its proximity to my school and being on the way home there was nothing much worth mentioning about this store. As a 16 year old, my immune system was at its peak and could tackle any ‘extras’ this store threw at me. Especially, when they poked a hole with their thumbs in my kachori to make way for some chutney. I was addicted to the Ummed Dhokla drenched in tamarind chutney for many, many years. I’m not sure if Ummed has survived the latest spate of ‘development’ that Pune has gone through. Maybe a new building came up in its place and Ummed moved to new location; perhaps one with less mirrors, moderate Formica surfaces and store help with better laundry ethics.

Ingredients
2 cups Chickpea Flour (Besan)
1/2 cup Water
1 tsp Sugar
1 tsp Oil
Pinch of Baking Soda
1/2 tsp Turmeric
Juice from 1/2 Lemon
Salt as per taste

For Tadka (Tampering)
1/2 tsp Mustard seeds
1/2 tsp Asafoetida
1/4 tsp Cumin Seeds

For Garnish
2 tsp grated Fresh Coconut
2 tsp Cilantro

Method
Mix all ingredients for Dhokla in a bowl and beat it with a whisk till the Besan is completely dissolved and doesn’t have any lumps.
Allow the mixture to sit for 10 min.
Pour the mixture in a lightly greased Dhokla tray.
Steam the tray for 15 min.
Mixture will rise and the surface will have a smooth skin.
Remove from heat after 15 min and allow the tray to cool.

In a small pan take 1 1/2 tbsp oil and place it on medium-high heat.
Add all Tadka spices and heat till mustard seeds start to crackle.
Pour the hot oil mixture over the Dhokla and spread it evenly with a spoon
Garnish with fresh coconut and cilantro.
Cut the Dhokla into 2” squares with a knife.
Serve with tamarind chutney.

Pani Puri

2008-04-05T15:54:00.006-05:00

Saras Baug is quite possibly the biggest garden in Pune City. Together with the temple, the sad excuse for a zoo that is Peshwe Park and the open ground that is used for firework sales as well as India’s biggest classical music festival Savai Gandharva, Saras Baug could have it’s own pin code. My favourite part of Saras Baug is the Ganesh temple part. Situated on a small hillock and surrounded by an artificial moat it houses the beautiful Saras Baug temple at the summit. The moat is surrounded by hundreds of acres of lush green lawns and unimpressive yet charming topiary. When I used to go to Saras Baug for Chaturthi with my mother, I would notice many young couples taking care of business behind the trees. I guess it’s hard to ‘get a room’ when you’re living as a joint family in a tiny one bedroom flat. It was pretty amazing how everyone pretty much ignored the cuddling and fondling couples. The couples returned the favour by pretending no one else existed. Especially giggling, unsupervised brats. Children could waste hours feeding the guppies in the moats or trying to get extra Prasad from the priest. My other favourite part of Saras Baug were the chat vendors and no visit could be complete without begging your parents to take you for some good old pani puri or bhel. A pro knows to casually mention about it while entering the park. Nothing can be achieved if you ignore this little fact and start on the way out. You’ll be dragged straight to the car. The chat area is a long quarter mile stretch filled with chat, pav bhaji and milkshake vendors. It also included such breakthrough entertainment as shooting balloons with pellet guns. Actually, that was pretty much it. Everyone has a chat vendor they’re loyal to and ours was a stall by the name of Poonam Bhel. Complete with chipped plates, aluminium spoons, outdated movie calendars and turbid water that came through a tulshibaug style bucket with a tap, best used only for washing hands. I have never really had Pani Puri that stood above the rest, but eating it on that street brought it’s own flavour. As a returning emigrant, I probably will never dare to eat there on my short, infrequent visits. The memories however will serve me for the rest of my life.

Ingredients
1 pack Puris (available at any Indian store)
1 can Chickpeas
1/2 tsp Turmeric

For Pani Puri Water
2 tsp Tamarind paste
2 tsp Date paste
1” piece of Jaggery (1 tsp sugar if you can’t find Jaggery)
4 cups Water
4 tbsp finely chopped Cilantro
4 tbsp finely chopped Mint
1 tsp Cumin powder
1/2 tsp finely chopped Green Chili
Salt to taste (you can use Shendelon-Pandelon if you have it instead)

Method
Heat a pot and cook the Chickpeas in 1/2 cup water with turmeric till all the water is gone.
Place aside
For the Pani Puri Water, heat the water and when it is warm add all the ingredients.
Turn off heat immediately. Do not cook.
Churn the Pani in a blender when it is cool.

To make the Pani Puri, take 5 Puris in a dish and poke a large hole on one side
Fill the Puri with a couple of chickpeas
And fill it with a little bit of Pani Puri Water.
Eat the whole puri.
When serving, serve Puris filled with chickpeas and Pani in a bowl.

Chicken Sheekh Kabab

2008-03-30T20:52:00.005-05:00

Back in the 1970s in Pune, Borawke’s KuKu Ch Koo was the god of all things tandoori. It is still by far the tastiest tandoori chicken I have tasted in Pune. The first KuKu Ch Koo, and the only one I have ever been to, is situated on the Deccan end of JM Road. Nestled cozily between two sugarcane juice bars and directly opposite the P.M.T. bus depot it is at a prime location for the Deccan junta. The restaurant is very basic in design. It consists of two structures. A solitary concrete room is the management office. A shed opposite to it, open on all sides, houses the tandoor ovens. The rest of the restaurant is open to sky with seating consisting of cracked granite squares placed on cinder blocks for tables and plastic chairs around it. Hey, why waste on décor if they keep returning? The only way to tell the waiters from the general customer was the indifferent attitude, as they didn’t really have any uniform. Actually, KuKu Ch Koo was always self-service but there were always a number of waiters hanging out not really doing anything. There is a strong aroma or tandoori spices in the air. Almost enough to over power omnipresent the scent of low-grade diesel smoke from the poorly maintained P.M.T. buses. However, a meal sandwiched between the tandoori smoke on one side and diesel smoke on the other was quite delightful. Yours truly was a bit late jumping on the tandoori wagon and till the ripe old age of 10 abhorred anything tandoori. During my family’s many visits to KuKu Ch Koo, of which there were quite a few, it was slim pickings for those who didn’t eat tandoori. However, a little roll of meat known as the Sheekh Kabab came to the rescue till I was ready to take a leap into the world of tandoori.

Ingredients
1lb Boneless Chicken Breast (Lean lamb can also be used)
1 tsp Garlic Paste
1 tsp Ginger Paste
3 tsp Coriander finely chopped
3/4 tsp Chili Powder
1/2 tsp Hungarian Paprika
1/2 tsp Turmeric
1/2 tsp Cumin Powder
Juice of 1 Lemon
1 tbsp Olive Oil
Salt to taste

Method
Coarse grind the chicken in a food processor. Do not grind it too fine.
Mix all the above ingredients till it is a homogenous mixture and allow it to marinate for few hours
Make kababs by taking a handful of the paste and patting it on flat kabab skewers. (Flat skewers are easier and the meat stays on without much drama)
Grill the kababs on a conventional grill or broil in an oven brushing with oil and turning over to make both sides evenly cooked.
Serve over a bed of onion, tomatoes with a slice of lemon

Mutton cha Rassa (Maharashtrian Lamb Curry)

2008-03-22T10:48:00.003-05:00

Mutton Rassa (Maharashtrian lamb curry) was probably the first food I knew I couldn't live without. Especially the way my mother makes it. My grandmother, my mother and all my aunts would make their own garam masala. Although my grandma has passed away, her memory still lives on every time I cook something as my garam masala still comes from home. I have had Mutton Rassa all over Pune, but only the Parsi restaurants do real justice to the Rassa part of it.

Although it has been 10 long years since I've been to Cafe Good Luck on Fergusson College Rd, I still remember the L shaped restaurant where time seems to have stood still. It has withstood many a communal riot that required reconstruction for other Parsi establishments. The entrance of Good Luck, the apex of the L, is at the corner of Bhandarkar Rd and Fergusson College Rd. One wing of the L extends into the dining area, the other is only for tea & pastry consumption. I remember the slightly bent old man who used to sit at the counter. He was a grumpy old man with a blue fly swatter who watched your every move. He didn’t quite know what year it was, but kept a watchful eye on the waiters making sure then don’t ‘favour’ their favourite customers of which there were many. An old, rickety Cinni fan from the 1950's, with most of the black paint chipped used to keep him cool. I don’t think it had been oiled since the 70’s either. My father would tell me that he was quite the dashing man when my father was a regular at Good Luck in his Fergusson days. Quasim his grandson, was my classmate at Fergusson College and from what I hear, is running Good Luck — and quite successfully, too. I have fond memories of dining at Good Luck with my father as he would order my mutton just the way I liked it. It was a dish only known as Mutton Double Fry. Your basic mutton curry, sautéed with onions, tomato and chili till the curry was reduced to a dry coarse paste, to be consumed with larger than life chapatis.

Most of the restaurants around the neighbourhood I grew up with have disappeared due to new construction and the so-called malls. Good Luck is still standing strong. Maybe someday I'll able to take my children to Good Luck and introduce them to the food three generations of their family have grown up on. Hopefully, it will happen before Cafe Good Luck is just a blip in the rear view mirror like Lucky, Cafe Sunrise, Poona Coffee House and Hotel Deepa.

Ingredients.
I lb lamb cubed
2 large onions finely chopped
2 large tomatoes finely chopped
5 cloves of garlic crushed or 1 tsp paste
1 tsp ginger paste
2 tsp chili powder
2 tsp turmeric powder
1 1/2 tsp garam masala
1 tsp salt (or according to taste)
3 cups water
1/2 cup oil

Method
In a large pot heat oil on high and add ginger and garlic.
When the garlic starts to splatter add chopped onion
Once the onion browns on the edges, add tomato and stir
Allow to cook for 5 min
Then add chili, turmeric and garam masala
Allow to cook for a few minutes and add Lamb
Stir and allow to cook for a minute or two
Add water and mix well
Turn heat to medium and allow to boil till water reduces by 1/2
Keep cooking till meat is tender
Serve with Chapati or rice.

Tup Sakhar Chapati

2008-03-17T18:04:00.004-05:00

If you grew up in Pune you’d remember of a mildly annoying siren that would go off at 10:00 a.m. every day and last for a good 10 minutes. I never figured out what it was for, where it came from or if anyone was supposed to do anything about it. We just knew that it was there and we ignored it, much like the coloured ‘Terror Alert System" compliments of the Department of Homeland Security.

The one thing I can always remember about it though was that when the ‘bhonga’ (as it was called) would go off aayi would be making her dabba of chapatis for the day. And during the holidays my brother and I would sit cross-legged on the cold floor of our humble dining-table-less kitchen and wait for aayi to give us a hot chapati slathered with some ghee and sugar and rolled up on dented steel plates. After a generous helping of chapati rolls, all young members of the galli would then emerge from their respective homes. for a good day of galli cricket.

I have tried recreate that taste at home many, many times for myself, but somehow it just doesn’t taste that good in my quiet kitchen, on Pfaltzgraff china and a Heywood-Wakefield dining table.

Ingredients
2 cups Chapati Ata (Durum Wheat flour)
1 tsp Oil
¼ cup Milk
Tepid Water to knead the dough
3 tsp Ghee
1/2 cup Granulate Pure Cane Sugar

Method
Knead into dough all the ingredients except Ghee and Sugar
Cover it with a wet cloth and place aside for an hour
Take a golf ball sized portion of the dough and roll it into a thin flat chapati
Dip a finger in oil and rub it over the top surface
Fold the chapati into half and then a quarter again.
Roll this quarter into a round chapati
Cook on a hot skillet

Place the hot, cooked chapati on a place
Rub ½ tsp of ghee and drizzle some sugar on it
Roll the chapati and serve hot.

Thalipeeth

2008-03-08T17:48:00.006-05:00

Like any big art school my alma mater gave India many successful artists, sculptors, architects and creative directors. Of course, it wasn’t enough to be at par with everyone else, so Abhinav Kala Mahavidyalaya gave us something no other art school has produced—the deadliest gang of serial killers in the history of Pune city. Jakkal, Sutar, Shah and Jagtap were students of the commercial arts stream, the same major that produced the lack luster career of yours truly. The four went on a killing spree for 14 months between Jan 1976 and March 1977. Being evil is one this, but being stupid and evil just isn’t a good trait to have. The four were finally apprehended as suspicions arose when the foursome went and inquired about the progress of the investigation at police stations one time too many. The first victim of the infamous foursome was Prakash Hegde, the son of the owner of a small hotel, Vishwa. Situated behind the college. Prakash’s murder was the only claim to fame for this otherwise mediocre hotel serving the usual Puneri fare mixed with some Udpi favourites and milkshakes. In my many lunchtime visits to Vishwa, I did happen to order the Thalipeeth, which wasn’t so popular, but actually quite good. Not many restaurants have Thalipeeth on their menu in spite of it being a hardcore Marathi food. Unfortunately, like Prakash, the Thalipeeth at Vishwa, too, met a premature end and was taken off the menu. It has been over 30 years since Prakash was murdered and nothing can make really this story have a positive end (besides the knowledge that his killers are sleeping in their graves). In memory of Prakash, my fellow alumni, whose restaurant gave me a few good college lunches, I dedicate this recipe.

Ingredients:
3 cups dry Thalipeeth Bhajani (flour) Click here for recipe
1 Onion finely chopped
2 Chillis finely chopped
1/2 cup Coriander
1/2 tsp Chili powder
1 tsp Turmeric
3 tsp Butter
Water for kneading
Salt to taste
Oil for cooking

Method
Knead all ingredients into dough
Cover with a wet cloth and place aside for an hour
Take a golf ball sized piece of dough and roll it into a pancake on a clean wet cloth or butter paper
Poke a few holes with your fingers
Heat a skillet and put rolled out pancake on the skillet
Drizzle oil on the pancake and through the holes
Cook both sides till golden brown and crisp.
Garnish with a little butter and serve with yoghurt and lasun chutney

Egg Curry

2008-03-02T11:59:00.007-05:00

Hostelites, especially males, living in the Deccan area were really lucky to have the Lucky restaurant. Situated in the prime location of Deccan Gymnkhana, between Hong Kong lane and the Champion sports shop, it proudly served most of the Fergusson, B.M.C.C and M.E.S Garware college students. Of course, it was a popular dining spot for families, too. The structure of the restaurant was very similar to Café Good Luck, the other Irani restaurant on the block. It was divided into two sections. One served tea and snacks. And the other was for dining and families. Dining at Lucky (or Good Luck for that matter) took you back into the sixties. Mostly because it hadn’t been redecorated since the sixties. The design of the Formica on the tables was a mere suggestion of what it may have looked like 3 decades ago. The surface of most tables was so worn out that there were huge black spots caused by wear and tear. There were areas of the walls with extensive water damage and the ones that didn’t were covered in calendars inevitably showing the wrong month, if not the year. Creaking fans that hadn’t been oiled for years would rotate so slowly that you could see the individual blades. The washbasins were a treat. The metal taps were inevitably chipped. (How does a metal tap get chipped?) The soap dish had, I kid you not, dish washing detergent powder and usually a squeezed out slice of lemon. Perhaps it’s because you needed something with real grease-cutting power with all the food they served. The service, however, was always good. Although I wasn’t a hostelite, I would frequent Lucky a lot. Sometimes I would get some tea and bread before college. The elderly gentleman who managed the counter and all the bakery products under it would put an extra dollop of butter on my thick, unevenly cut slices of sourdough bread. Maybe he felt sad for kids who stayed away from home and extra butter was his way of showing love. Lucky restaurant was a family dining room for many a student living away from their families. And for all its shortcomings, the food was really good; it was cheap; and it felt like home. I was really sad when I heard that Lucky was torn down a while back to make room for a shopping mall. The thought of future generations of Puneites going through life without the Lucky Restaurant is really sad. The place where I consumed countless cups of tea and mhaska-pav, biryanis and egg curries is now just a memory. I try to recreate the Lucky taste in my kitchen, but it just isn’t the same.

Ingredients
7 hard-boiled Eggs
2 large Onions shredded
1 cup Tomato Puree
1/2 cup coconut flakes
4 tsp chopped Coriander
1 tsp Chili Powder
1 tsp Turmeric Powder
3/4 Garam Masala
2 bay leaves
1 tsp crushed Garlic
1/2 tsp Ginger paste
4 tbsp Olive Oil
Salt to taste

Method
Roast coconut flakes till slightly brown on the edges and place aside
Peel eggs, halve longitudinally and place aside
In a pot heat oil and add ginger, garlic and bay leaves
As they start to splatter, add onion and heat till it turns brown
Add roasted coconut and stir
Add the tomato paste and mix
Allow it to cook for a couple of minutes
Add coriander, chili, turmeric, salt and garam masala and allow it to cook for a few minutes
Take the yolk from one egg and mix with the sauce
Add one cup of water and allow it to simmer
Carefully fold in the egg halves into the sauce and allow to cook for a minute or two
Serve with bread or rice

Dhansak with Bulgur Wheat

2008-02-28T15:40:00.007-05:00

In spite of being situated in Satara district, Puneites claim the hill stations of Mahabaleshwar and Panchgani as if it were their own back yard. My first trip to Mahabaleshwar (or Mabby as the wannabe cool kids called it) was in 1980 at a ripe old age of 10. It was fascinating to see streets full of pretty much every kind of berry, honey and jam stores, swarms of monkeys, and vagabonds from Bombay and Pune trying to act extra cool. Equally fascinating were guys pretending to be expert horseback riders in the area around Venna lake, trying to impress women that were more interested in gnawing at their ‘bhutta’ (roasted corn on the cob) than any dude on a horse that can drop at any minute. Note to the ladies: Bhutta teeth is not a great look. There are a couple of cool places in Mahabaleshwar though. The shopping street, the horse rides everywhere. And what is the deal with those burnt Mahabaleshwar walking sticks? We were living at a Parsi hotel called Race View. (I have been to ‘Mabby’ numerous times after that, but have failed to locate it.) It was a really beautiful hotel with cute cottages, natural gardens, great views and berry wallahs that came straight to your doorstep. The greatest Parsi gift to India (besides incredibly hot girls, lessons in auto care, and a holiday for Parsi New Year) is Dhansak. And the ‘Pestonji’ at Race View delivered on his promise of really great Dhansak every night. I have tried in vain to find Dhansak like that. Even the otherwise great Dorabjee fails to deliver on great Dhansak. (It’s not bad, but it’s not great.) And this recipe doesn’t even come close.

Ingredients

For Dhansak
2 cups Red Lentils
½ cup Carrots chopped
½ cup French Beans chopped
½ cup Green Peas
½ cup Cauliflower chopped
3 tsp Tomato Paste
1 tbsp ginger and garlic paste
1 cup Onion finely chopped
1 tsp Garam Masala
¾ tsp Turmeric
4 tbsp Olive Oil
4 cups water
Salt to taste

For Bulgur Wheat
1 Cup Bulgur Wheat
½ cup onions chopped
1 tbsp Tomato paste
½ tsp Hungarian Paprika
1 tbsp whipped butter

Dhansak
Heat oil in a pot and add onions after oil is hot
Stir till onions are translucent and brown on the edges
Add tomato paste and allow it to cook
Add ginger, garlic, turmeric, masala, salt and cook for a minute or two
Add red lentils and the vegetables and stir
Add water and allow it to simmer on medium heat for 20-30 min
Turn heat off when the dal is completely cooked

Bulgur Wheat
Heat oil in a pot and add onions after oil is hot
Stir till onions are translucent and brown on the edges
Add tomato paste and allow it to cook
Add bulgur wheat and 3 cups water
Add water as needed.
When bulgur wheat is cooked stir in whipped butter.

Garnish Dhansak with coriander and lemon juice and serve with a side of Bulgur wheat

Matki chi Usal (Moth Bean Curry)

2008-02-18T13:30:00.006-05:00

It’s President’s day today here in the U.S. and I am among the very few losers who has to work on this day. Nothing is more depressing than being the only one going to work while your significant other gives you the “sucks to be you” look while cozily snuggled up in a blanket. It reminds me of my school days when only some of the kids would have the day off on 'Rang Panchami' (A Maharashtrian version of Holi, 2nd day). It was pure torture to hear the kids in the school neighbourhood playing with their colours, splashing each other with coloured water on each other and throwing water balloons, while you sat in the 1:40 p.m. history class pretending to be interested in the renaissance in Europe. Today is a lot like that except that it is 25 years later and the urge to not be here is just as strong. Instead, I’d much rather be at home with Scanlynn and my cats enjoying some simple comfort food like Matki Usal and Chapati instead of what passes for lunch time fare here in midtown Manhattan.

Ingredients
2 cups Matki sprouts (Moth Beans)
1 Onion chopped
½ tsp Chili powder
½ tsp Turmeric
1 tsp Maharashtrian Goda Masala
3 tsp Cilantro chopped
3 tbsp Olive Oil
Salt to taste

Method
Heat oil in a wok
Reduce to medium heat once hot and add onion.
Fry onions till translucent, tender and brown on edges
Add chili, turmeric and goda masala and allow it to cook for a minute or two
Add matki, cilantro and salt and allow it to cook for a few minutes
If you desire some sauce, add a cup of water
Allow it to boil for a few minutes with a lid on till matki is cooked
Serve with hot chapati or rice and yogurt

Tandoori Chicken

2008-02-09T09:35:00.002-05:00

Tilak Tank is known to most Puneites as the largest ‘natural’ swimming pool in Asia. What it really means is that this is the largest natural body of water where some dude had the brilliant idea of putting pavement around it and a few changing rooms. “Voila, now we can charge people money for this” he said. “Let’s put a statue of Lokmanya Tilak in the front call it Tilak tank.” It is true that Tilak Tank is large by any standards. And for the most part, pretty scary. It sits right off Prabhat Road boasting beautiful moss green water. Mostly on account of the abundant moss, algae and random freshwater flora. It is dotted by large schools of guppies that live in perfect harmony with bullfrogs, freshwater snakes, eels and some uncomfortably giant crabs. To emerge out of this cesspool disease free after a summer is a testament to one’s immune system. (Yours truly spent six summers in Tilak Tank, almost 5-6 hours a day). The tank is divided into different zones by depth. 3ft and 4ft are meant for young ones and beginners and are separate from the rest of the pool. Not surprisingly, they also have a very high ammonia content. The rest of it is divided into 5ft, 7ft, 25ft for diving, the 7 ft water polo area and the 5ft women’s area (where most of the men are). Of course, being a natural body of water, these depths are mere suggestions and not actual numbers. 5ft could mean anything from 4ft to 10 ft. They have one ‘lifeguard’, usually a rookie on the water polo team, hanging out like he owns the place, in Speedos two sizes too small. They have one lifeguard in spite of the fact that there is no point at the pool where you can see more than 50% of it at a single glance. Tilak tank, however, boasts of a fantastic safety record of ‘only’ 3 deaths a year. The diving area which is inhabited by numerous swallow’s nests (that attack you every time you try to dive) is the deepest point in the pool. This is the area that can never be cleaned and has dense moss under a certain depth. A small miscalculation in your dive and chances that you’ll never resurface are pretty high. The slide, which is meant for children, is made of cement. When I had the misfortune of using the slide I remember that used to be a giant crack in the middle of the slide. (The male folk for obvious reasons had to be extra careful over the crack). And the edge of the slide was broken with metal gauze sticking out. Which means if one were to use the slide the way it was meant to be used, you’d either crack a vertebra on the middle or leave a piece of your arse on the metal gauze. Oh, I kid the tank that gave me so many years of joy and needed me to take a cholera shots before I took a dip. In spite of all the bitching, it was a fun place to swim and get few shades darker from all the chlorine in the water. My favourite part of this activity was that it made me really hungry and aai would have the most delicious snacks waiting for my brother and myself when we reached home. One of her best ideas was to have a couple of containers of pre-marinated tandoori chicken legs sitting in the freezer. Coming home hungry to a kitchen lightly filled with tandoori chicken smoke was a pleasant memory I still cherish. Just as much as I cherish my Tilak tank days.

Ingredients
12 Chicken Drumsticks
3/4 cups Butter Milk
4 tsp Tandoori Masala (available at all Indian stores or click here for recipe.)
1 tsp grated Ginger
1 tsp Garlic paste
3/4 tsp Chili
3/4 tsp Turmeric
1 Lemon
1/4 cup Oil
Salt to taste

Method
Make holes in the drumstick and place aside
In a large bowl create marinade using all ingredients except oil and lemon
Add chicken and coat it thoroughly with the marinade
Allow it to marinate for 4-6 hours (preferably overnight)
Char grill using a gas or coal grill or in the oven at 450ºF
Drizzle oil every now and then
Squeeze lemon and serve hot garnished with onions and cilantro

Brahmni Amti (Spicy Stir-fried Lentils)

2008-02-02T18:58:00.000-05:00

During my primary school years my mother used to threaten me with taking me to lunch to a dreadful place by the name of Suvarnarekha Dining Hall on Prabhat Road. And rightfully so. People from the Deccan Area might be well accustomed to this sorry excuse for a restaurant. Owned by the Yenpure family, it was housed in one of those buildings where a permanent heap of construction material lies blocking the footpath. Suvarnarekha is one of the restaurants that serves only the thali. The menu for the day is a mystery till the plate of food is in front of you. So if you don’t like what you see on your plate, you’re S.O.L. The food was acceptable at best when I first visited the place in the 80s, but the quality has gone down as the price of a thali has gone up. I remember the ambience being the canteen-like and was only complimented with the hostile wait-staff that usually served you like they were doing you a favour. I am quite sure that it hasn’t changed and the mediocre food remains quite popular with the senior Brahmni gentry and students in the Deccan area. The one thing Suvarnarekha did serve that was top-notch was the brahmni amti. To this day, it ranks only second to the one my aai makes.

Ingredients
1/2 cup Toor Dal (split Pigeon Peas)
2 teaspoon Maharashtrian goda masala (Kala masala)
2 tsp Oil
1/2 tsp Red Chili Powder
1 tsp Turmeric Powder
1/4 tsp Asafoetida
1/2 tsp Mustard Seeds
1 tsp Jaggrey (melted)
1/2 tsp Coconut Flakes
1 tsp chopped Cilantro
Salt

Method
Cook dal in a pressure cooker as you would for Varan
Once cooked, churn it to make it into a homogenous liquid
Add jaggery, stir and place aside
In a pot heat the oil
Once hot add the mustard seeds till they splatter
Add chili, turmeric, asafoetida, and cilantro and stir
Add Dal, salt and stir.
Allow it to boil
Top each serving with half spoon of ghee and serve with rice

Chicken Kaathi Kabab Roll

2008-01-20T17:45:00.000-05:00

Kaathi Kabab Roll is a relatively new food to Pune and the first time I had discovered it was while interning for an industrial design company way back in 1991. We had just designed a sexy, stand-alone Dollops ice-cream parlour that stood outside the original Chinese room on East Street in Camp. It was a really boring job, having to supervise the labour with little or no contribution from yours truly. Just the way I like it. My then boss asked me if I was hungry and then suggested that we should get a Kathi Kabab roll. I didn’t know what it meant, but anything with the word kabab in it was cool with me. We got onto his cream coloured, fairly dented Bajaj Super with broken indicators and flew past Kayani Bakery to the corner of the block right opposite Victory talkies. A journey that took all of 30 seconds. As a rule, in Pune, walking is not only frowned upon, but ridiculed, too. At the corner of Central Bank stood a rusty, old, overloaded cart that was clearly a traffic violation in numerous ways. Divided into 3 parts, one housing tandoori chicken, one half cooked rotis and one with a rather huge tawa protruding out of two sides of the cart. It was 4:00 p.m. on a hot April day. In addition, the heat from the kabab cart made it unbearable. We stood in line and ordered two chicken tikka rolls with 2 cups of tea provided by the adjacent cart. Although it was much too hot for that kind of food, the smells from the cart were just too delicious to care. Our orders arrived on soggy paper plates that could barely hold the bulky rolls. They were however, a big improvement to the newspaper dishes provided by bhel vendors. Needless to say, my first bite of a Kaathi Kabab Roll was an out of the world experience. Although, many more carts dishing out the same fare mushroomed all over the city, this would be the cart I went to over and over again, even long after the design company I worked for went out of business. And, thanks to the incompetent road construction techniques employed by the PMC, the ice cream parlour that we once built is now almost at ground level and in a complete state of disrepair. Not to mention the parking situation makes it impossible to even get near it. The Kathi Kabab Wala, however, is doing extremely well and from what I hear has an even bigger cart with more traffic violations. God bless him.

Ingredients

For Roti
2 cups Wheat flour
1/2 cup milk
1/4 tsp salt
3 tsp oil
Water to knead

For filling:
6 Chicken Drumsticks
1 tbsp Tandoori Masala (Click for recipe) or available readymade at all Indian stores
2 tbsp yoghurt
1 tsp ginger and garlic paste
1/2 tsp Chili
1/2 tsp Turmeric

Other
3 Eggs beaten
1/2 cup chopped Cilantro
1 Thinly Sliced Onion
1 Thinly sliced Tomato
1/2 cup Tamarind and Date Chutney (click for recipe)
1/2 cup Mint Chutney (click for recipe)

Method
Roti:
Knead all ingredients into a smooth dough and leave aside for an hour.
Make Rotis and leave them aside half cooked.

Tandoori:
Make a marinade out of the Tandoori Masala, Ginger, Garlic, Chili, Turmeric and Salt and Yogurt.
Make it runny by adding a little water
Marinate the Chicken legs in the marinade
When marinated for a while, cook either on a grill or broil in the oven till the surface is crisp.
Pull flesh off the legs and place it aside.

Making the Roll
Heat a tava (skillet)
Roast the roti on one side and flip it
Pour 1 tbsp egg on the roti
Spread it around as the other side of the roti cooks.
Flip roti so that egg side touches the skillet
Allow egg to cook.
Remove from skillet once egg is cooked and place on a plate egg side up.
Place Tandoori chicken on the roti in a generous single line
Add onions, tomatoes and cilantro.
Drizzle a little lemon juice, tamarind date chutney and mint chutney
Roll tightly into a wrap
Slice diagonally
Garnish with cilantro.

Serve with hot with mint chutney

(You can substitute chicken for any meat or fish, potato or paneer.)

Gulab Jamun

2008-01-16T21:19:00.000-05:00

I remember of a simpler time when there was no flyover on Deccan Gymkhana, no Stock Exchange above the P.M.T bus stop and Chitale Bandhu was just a milkman. That’s right, Chitale bandhu had just a humble little store selling milk and milk products nestled snugly between Hong Kong lane and an HP petrol pump. Living in Pune, Chitale Bandhu Mithaiwale is an integral part of life, especially on holidays and during festivals. The smiling face of the 'kobra" Chitale behind the counter is still fresh in my memory. It has been in the family for many generations, but recently they have branched out into franchises. It was inevitable with the vagabond younger generation of Chitales. (They are friends of mine so I can say that).

I remember that the line for sweets would stretch from Chitale all the way up to Lucky restaurant the day before a festival. Young and old alike would stand in the sweltering heat with tins to take home a litre of Basundi. I also remember celebrating the mediocrity of my SSC and HSC results among the local junta with some rather expensive Pedhas from Chitale. Today Chitale is not just the little family owned store, but a big brand. Whenever I go home, I always return to the US with a few staples from Chitale Bandhu. Bakarwadi, Coconut Burfi, Batata Chivda and Pedhas. One of my other favourites from Chitale are the Gulab Jamuns. I have tried to get my California bred girlfriend (and now fiancé) to like Gulab Jamuns. We have tried many varieties and different restaurants all over New York, but so far the appeal of a calorie filled, deep fried ball of fat has eluded her. But I won't give up till she finally gets on board with these red balls of goodness.

Ingredients
1lb Khoa
(Make Khoa by kneading evapourated milk and dry whole milk powder in a 2:1 ratio till it is a stiff mixture. Wrap khoa in Muslin and steam for a few minutes. Allow to cool and sour for a few hours. However, if you live in India, this can be purchased at most sweet stores or a dairy)

3/4 cup Maida (All Purpose Flour)
1/4 tsp Baking Soda
4 tbsp Milk
1/2 tsp Cardamom powder
Few Strands of Saffron
2 Cups Sugar
Ghee for deep frying

Method
Make thick sugar syrup with sugar and water.
The syrup should make strings (dhaga) when a dipped spoon is removed

Jamuns
Crumble and mix Khoa, flour, baking soda, cardamom, saffron and knead it in to a dough using milk to soften it.
Make little balls about 1” in diameter and keep aside
Heat the ghee and reduce to a low flame
Start frying the balls till they become reddish brown evenly
Drop the balls in the sugar syrup while it is still somewhat warm

Allow the syrup to soak in the Jamuns. These do not need to be frozen.
Microwave 5-6 in a bowl for 30 sec before serving.

Sabudana Vada

2008-01-14T20:50:00.000-05:00

Long before Bhandarkar Road was mauled by malls, there was only one block with any commercial activity on the entire 1 km strip. It was the block opposite Sane Dairy and consisted of 6 completely unrelated stores. A food store named Ruchira. A tea house the name of which escapes me. A store that was split into two smaller businesses: M/s Joshi (the granary) and Snacks (the grocery). The Prince laundry. And then there was a bicycle repair shop and a car garage. In spite of this weird juxtaposition they all served the community in perfect harmony. Ruchira was the new kid on the block and had added a few extra items to his daily inventory to compete with the older, well known Snacks. The owner of Ruchira was a generously proportioned man with pitch black skin (and only partially visible at night), with an extremely cheery disposition. He would wave to you from behind the register whether you knew him or not. His offerings in terms of fresh ready-to-eat foods were very humble. A tray each of Batata Vada, Sabudana Vada, Kachori and Khamang Dhokla covered with a netted dome to keep the pesky flies at bay. Although this was 25 years ago to this day, his was the best Sabudana Vada I have tasted. Crisp, hollow and way too delicious for it’s own good. As Pune grew and fast food places mushroomed all over, the ready-to-eat food at smaller stores like Ruchira lost their allure. Later the Sabudana Vada I so cherished was discontinued at Ruchira. Maybe the sales dwindled, maybe the cook died or maybe the owner just didn’t care to compete with the likes of the ‘food mall’ that has sprung across the street. And now that Pune has transformed into a bustling metropolis, I miss little city that I grew up in just as much as I miss Mr. Ruchira and his crispy sabudana vadas.

Ingredients
1 cup Sabudana (Tapioca/Sago) soaked overnight
2 Potatoes boiled
2 /3 Green Chilies chopped
1/4 cup Roasted Peanuts.
2 tsp Coriander chopped
1/2 tsp Cumin Seeds
Salt To taste.
Oil for deep frying

Method
Mash Sabudana, Potatoes, Chilies, Peanuts, Coriander, Cumin Seeds and Salt till it is a homogenous mixture.
Make round balls from this mixture and then pat them down to flatten them like patties.
Heat oil and reduce to medium heat when it is hot.
Deep fry on medium heat till golden brown.
Serve hot with yoghurt.

Chakli

2008-01-06T10:00:00.000-05:00

I just returned from a short trip to Pune. It had been a long three and a half years since my last visit. No matter where your life takes you, it’s always nice to come back home, even if it’s for a short visit. Of course, having to pass through Mumbai traffic makes you question your return immediately. This time, however, I was shocked and disappointed to come home. Pune has changed beyond recognition and is no longer the city where I grew up. Huge buildings have replaced the small bungalows. And a lot of the infrastructure is in a state of disrepair. The air is intolerable, the noise unbearable and the traffic situation — let’s just not go there. And what is up with the ringtones people? Isn’t there a phone that rings like one? I guess we can’t go back after half a decade and expect things to be the same. But it would be nice, wouldn’t it? In spite of all the change I tried to visit all my favourite spots — at least the ones that are still standing. But no matter how much it changes, Punyanagri will always be home.

Of course, the one thing that hasn’t changed in Pune is the taste of my mother’s chaklis. She made me a huge container of chaklis for the auspicious occasion of my arrival. And although, I consumed the entire tin with some fresh dahi and a couple of bottles of Gelusil, it was worth every second of heartburn.

Ingredients

1 cup Besan (Chick Pea Flour)
1 cup Jowar Flour (Sorghum)
1 cup Rice flour
1 cup All Purpose Flour
3/4 cup Butter liquefied (Reduce to 1/2 cup if needed)
2 tsp red chili powder
2 tsp Coriander powder
1 tsp Turmeric powder
1/2 tsp Asafoetida (hing)
2 tbsp Ajwain seeds
2 tbsp Sesame seeds
Salt to taste
Oil for deep frying

Method
Mix ingredients except oil and knead into a thick, smooth dough adding water
Cover and place aside for an hour
Using a chakli mould create raw chaklis on butter paper
Heat the oil and deep fry the chaklis 2 –3 at a time
Drain on paper

Serve with fresh yoghurt

Herbal Tea for Cough and Cold

2007-12-09T19:56:00.000-05:00

The cold and cough season has affected our house severely. Mostly on account of the cretins on my commute that use the subway as their own personal Petri dish. The cough has been especially rough on Scanlynn. I on the other hand have been bred on the fine air in Pune city with an S.P.M. count of over 150. As we entered the 4th day of our seasonal suffering, I remembered a concoction my ayurvedic doctor would prescribe. I would take most of what my vaidya prescribed with a pinch of salt. Not to mention the fact that some of his prescriptions actually required a pinch of salt. But I remembered that he had given me a recipe for a cough tea that could be taken if you were looking for a non-chemical alternative to calming the tickles in your throat. It was a good change from regular tea, and it did the job. And as a bonus it is herbal and all natural.

Ingredients
4 cups water
3 tsp grated ginger
1 stick cinnamon
10 cloves of cardamom
3 cloves
1/2 tsp black peppercorns (crushed)
1/4 tsp nutmeg
Honey as per taste.

Method
Place the water in a pot and heat it
Add all ingredients except honey
Bring to boil and allow it to boil for 4-5 min
Strain brew into a cup
Add honey
Drink while hot

Palak Soup (Spinach Soup)

2007-12-04T22:06:00.000-05:00

Growing up I had always been attracted to red foods. I could never really understand this fascination, but a red curry always seemed more appetizing than a green curry. Beets seemed more attractive than cucumbers. I never gave it much thought till I came across a research paper done by our friends at the TWBA / Chiat Day agency for their client, Heinz ketchup. Apparently, this is a very common phenomenon and not as I thought, one more of my many irritating habits. A plate of food where the central item is red always looks appetizing. This is because the eye associates the colour red with many appealing things. Freshly killed meat and blood. An abundance of blood in one’s body also signifies good health. And thus the eye looks for this colour on a plate. I just wish that I could’ve known these facts when I was young. It would’ve made refusing some rather unappealing dishes that mom tried to shove down our throats easier. It also explains my disdain for all things green. Like this Palak soup. My aunty used to make it whenever someone in the family was sick. But I could never fathom it. I have mastered making this soup. My girlfriend really likes it and asks me to make it often. I prepared it yesterday for her since she's the latest victim of flu season. Like an Alzheimer’s patient, I sat down to eat it and as I took the first spoonful in, I remembered just how much I hated spinach soup.

Ingredients
2 large Onions grated
2 bunches of Palak (Spinach) chopped
3 tsp Tomato Paste
1/2 cup milk
1” piece of grated Ginger
6 cloves crushed garlic
1/2 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
4 Chilies finely chopped
1 1/2 cup vegetable stock (or water)
Salt to taste

Method
Heat oil in a pot and add ginger, garlic and chilies while the oil is still cold
Once it starts to sizzle, add grated onions and stir
Allow it to cook till onion turns light brown
Stir in tomato paste and allow it to cook some more
Add milk and mix till mixture becomes a loose paste
Add palak in batches and putting the next batch after the previous one has reduced
Add stock and allow it to simmer for 15 min
Remove from heat and allow the soup to cool
Blend the soup in a mixture. (If blending while hot, remove the small cap of the blender or steam will explode)
Reheat the blended soup
Garnish with croutons and butter or cream

Matar Khichadi (Spicy Rice with Green Peas)

2007-11-08T11:25:00.000-05:00

I have been meaning to pay a visit to the motherland for over a year now. Unfortunately, due to work constraints, it’s just not happening. And when it does happen, it will be an extremely short visit and I won’t be able to do all the things I have planned. Of course, the one thing I am dreading about going back is the breakfast, lunch and dinner engagements. As any sojourner making a return visit to India knows, you can’t leave unless you have consumed food with all your obscure relatives. And the funniest part is that they expect you to eat platefuls of stuff for breakfast knowing fully well that you have to be somewhere for lunch in a couple of hours. And this almost always means that I will be eating less of mom’s cooking. The simple, homemade comfort food I so desperately need. Like matar khichadi with lots of ghee and papad.

Ingredients
1 1/2 cup Green Peas
1 cup Rice
1/2 tsp Mustard Seeds
1 Onion grated
2 tsp Goda Masala
1/2 tsp cumin powder
1/2 tsp Dhania
1 tsp Turmeric
1 tsp Chili powder
1 tsp Sugar
3 tsp Oil
1/4 cup Coriander
Salt to taste

Method
Heat oil in a pan
Add mustard seeds and stir till they pop
Stir in grated onion and let it cook it golden brown on the edges
Add masala, cumin, coriander seed powder, turmeric, and chili till it froths
Add green peas, rice and salt and stir for a while so that the peas and rice are coated with the mixture of spices
Add water and cook as you would cook rice.
Add more water if you desire the khichadi soft
Serve with papad and add some ghee for some extra taste

Bhindi Fry (Okra Frites)

2007-10-21T09:22:00.000-05:00

Scanlynn and I recently paid a visit to a local South Indian eatery here on Curry Hill by the name of Tiffinwallah. It's a charming little place with a homey feel and decorated with 3-tier tiffins. It immediately brought back memories of school and my dabba wallah. As I tried explaining the concept of the Tiffinwallah to Scanlynn, I realized that the Indian tiffin delivery system that I didn’t think twice about was such an elaborate and complicated ordeal. The New York Times recently had a big article about the Tiffinwallahs of Mumbai and their FedEx like precision delivery systems. This article does more justice to it than anything I can ever say about it. And all this fuss just so that people like myself that too lazy to go down during lunch hour can get hot, home cooked lunches at their desks at work (or school). Although my dabba wallah at school operated at a much smaller scale, he did cater to about 100 students. One of my pet peeves about my dabba was getting watery curries in my lunch, which would inevitably spill out of the tiffin making a soggy mess. And my favourite tiffin food was Bhindi Fry. Just like my mother made it. Thin cut, deep fried, devoid of any nutritional content and spiced to perfection with warm thin chapattis. They were more like Bhindi Frites really. Although the Tiffinwalah remains a distant memory for this gourmand, the Bhindi Fry will always be a big hit in my kitchen

Ingredients
1 lb Okra (Lady Fingers) quartered longitudinally
1 tsp Chili powder
1 tsp Turmeric
1/2 tsp Garam Masala
1/4 tsp Cumin powder
1/4 tsp Coriander powder
Salt to taste
Oil for deep-frying

Method
Deep-fry the okra till it is crisp and then drain it
Heat a deep pot and put okra in it
Add drizzle all spices and salt over okra and stir it so that the spices are evenly distributed over the okra.
Squirt a little lemon and garnish with coriander
Serve with warm fluffy chapattis or pooris.

Spicy Red Lentil Soup

2007-10-16T06:03:00.001-05:00

Since my move to Sunnyside, Queens I have been spoilt by a neighbourhood blessed with some really good restaurants. One of my favourite restaurants is a Turkish restaurant out on Queens Blvd. My girlfriend, who has spent considerable amount of time in Turkey, loves visiting our local Turkish Grill. Her favourite dish there is the red lentil soup, which I admit is really, really good. However, the only thing it misses is the burning sensation that can only come from excess spice. And that as we all know is the one thing a ‘pucca’ Puneri needs. I recently attempted to ‘Indianize’ this soup and the results turned out pretty good. Not to mention the cheap brownie points, since this can be done in a healthy 'organic' fashion.

Ingredients
1 cup Red Lentils
1 Onion shredded
2 cups Vegetable Stock
2 tsp Butter
1/2 tsp Chili Powder
1/4 tsp Cumin
Salt to taste

Method
In a pot heat the butter and add onions
Heat the onions till they are light brown
Add chili powder and cumin and stir
Add red lentils and stir
Pour in vegetable stock, salt and raise heat to high
Cover with lid and allow to simmer for 20 minutes.

Ragda Pattice

2007-10-08T11:07:00.000-05:00

For students in Pune, especially those that have passed their SSC, the ones that are in the final year of their degree courses and everyone in between, hanging around spending entire evenings doing nothing is a big part of life. My immediate circle of 40 odd vagabonds such as myself had chosen a particular corner of town when we were 16 where we would waste a major part of the next 12 years of our lives. It was a small “paanwala”. For those unfamiliar with the concept of a paanwala, it is a shack, which sells beetle leaves and loose cigarettes. , a staple for said age group. Our Paan Tapri stood proudly next to a run down hotel, Village Corner. Village Corner had changed hands faster than coalition governments in Delhi till it finally shut down one day. The little cigarette shop however stands proudly to this day as the hotel that would’ve given it business stands in a state of utter disrepair. We would park our respective two wheelers next to the Paan shop and blowing hot air that amounted to very little, leering at young women making them extremely uncomfortable — every evening without fail. Down the road from us where Lakaki Road met Ganeshkhind Road, there was a Pani Puri cart. Complete with a kerosene lantern, wheels sunk six inches into the ground and an unsupervised, bottomless baby just hanging out in the mud for good measure. For some reason this dude had really, really good Ragda Pattice. Warm yellow ragdas that had been dehydrated from sitting on the tava for hours, slightly off colour yoghurt and unsolicited advice from the vendor. Somehow, it all came together quite well. I have been to the best hotels and chaat houses in and around Pune city, but for some reason, the chaat never tastes as good as it does on the street. Is it the flies, the questionable water supply or the chipped plates that at one point used to be white? As long as you don’t think too much about it and train yourself to have a cast iron stomach, you’ll enjoy the best chat you’ll ever eat… on the streets. All for next to nothing.

Ingredients

For Ragdas:
2 boiled potatoes
¼ tsp Salt

For Chana
1 cup Chana soaked overnight
1 Onion chopped fine
1 Tomato finely chopped
½ tsp Chili Powder
½ tsp Turmeric powder
½ tsp Cumin powder
½ tsp Coriander Seed powder
¼ cup chopped Coriander
½ cup Oil
½ tsp salt.

For Tamarind Date chutney
¼ cup Tamarind paste
¼ cup Date paste
1 tsp Jaggery or Sugar
Pinch of Salt

For topping
1 Tomato chopped
1 Onion finely chopped
½ cup Coriander finely chopped
1 cup whipped Yoghurt
1 cup Sev

Method

Ragdas:
Mash the potatoes and mix the salt.
Pat into small patties and bake on an oiled skillet till both sides are brown.

Chana
Heat oil and add onion till edges are slightly brown.
Add tomatoes and mash till it becomes a homogenous sauce.
Add chili, tumeric, cumin and coriander and allow to cook.
Add Chana and salt.
Add a cup of water and cook till water is reduced completely leaving a thick sauce.

Tamarind Date Chutney:
In a small pot heat 1/4 cup water
Add tamarind paste, date paste and jaggery
Let it cook for five minutes. And then allow to cool.

Place 4 patties in a plate
Top each patty with a spoonful of chana
Add small amounts of chopped onion and tomato on top
Drizzle tamarind date chutney and then yoghurt over it
Sprinkle with sev and garnish with coriander

Tomato Raita Hors D'oeuvres

2007-09-27T09:45:00.000-05:00

I was always intrigued by the old ads for Monaco biscuits with their nicely decorated toppings. I, on the other hand, dipped my Monacos in my tea till my cup became a soggy, salty, inedible mess. I wasn't aware that Monaco was a salty cracker and didn't always have to be consumed with one's tea. (Of course, when you drink your tea on a two-wheeler parked under a tree, you dunk whatever is available in your tea.) In the ads the Monacos were usually decorated with strange, colourful toppings, although I had never really seen one pass by on a tray of hors d'oeuvres at a party. Not so long ago, I happened to be on the Parle Monaco website where they featured Monaco wallpapers for your computer. Why? I had to take a peek and I must share this ad / wallpaper with everyone. And as a professional in advertising I couldn't help but laugh at it. Considering the fact that no one outside of India would've even heard of Monaco, this ad must be for Indian audiences. It features a couple that have an Asian girl and a Caucasian boy in a house that has wood flooring, dry wall and a cast-iron heater in the background. All so very Indian. Of course, if you're from India you'll immediately know what the 'international' flavour of this ad means. I think it is a step back from the days of "Quick Gun Murugan" and "We're like this only".

Anyway, I recently had someone over for dinner and I realized that I hadn't made enough appetizers. Thankfully, I remembered the Monaco ads from the old days that would appear on the back of Filmfare. So I decided to repurpose the tomato raita at hand with some wheat crackers my girlfriend keeps around. The results were pretty good. I think pretty much any raita would've worked.

Ingredients
20 Wheat Crackers
2 ripe Tomatoes chopped
1 tsp finely chopped Coriander
1 cup Yogurt
4 tsp ground Peanuts
1/2 tsp Sugar
Salt to taste

Method
Beat yogurt in a bowl till it is a thick liquid
Mix coriander, peanuts, sugar and salt into the yogurt
Gently add the chopped tomatoes into the bowl
Lay out the crackers and place a little dollop of the raita on the cracker

Shikran (Banana Dessert)

2007-09-24T09:06:00.000-05:00

Keli chya baaga maama chya.
Pivlya ghaada ni vakaychya.

If you were in an English medium school and Marathi was a second language, you'd remember this poem from your Bal Bharati text book in Std II. It was a poem about the poet's uncle who apparently had some large banana plantations. The poem goes on to describe the how each member of the family tended to the banana plants and it all climaxed in a domestic orgy of Shikran. One may conclude that the uncle's family really, really loved their bananas. Had this poem come in at a slightly later year I am sure one of the pupils would have surely questioned such a banana centric lifestyle. Actually, it was a very sweet poem and whenever I think of Shikran, I cannot help but think of the nicely illustrated yet slightly exaggerated banana plants weighed down by large clusters of ripe yellow bananas. A well prepared bowl of Shikran never fails to transport me back to my mom's kitchen where she'd serve me Shikran and chapattis straight from the skillet brushed with ample amounts of ghee and love.

Ingredients
1 Banana cut into thin round slices
1 cup cooked Whole Milk
2 tsp sugar
4 seeds of Cardamom (Elaichi) crushed
1/4" Vanilla Bean
Pinch of Saffron

Method
In a bowl mix the milk, vanilla bean, cardamom and sugar
Stir till the sugar dissolves
Stir in the bananas
Top with a little saffron if desired
Enjoy with hot chapatis brushed with ample ghee

Visit JFI Banana for more Banana recipes.

Veg Pattice (Spicy Vegetable Turnover)

2007-09-17T11:11:00.000-05:00

At the far end of Apte Road lies a tin shed that looks like the aftermath of an eager pyromaniac's unsuccessful experiments. This is the legendary Santosh bakery and the last time I saw it, the walls inside were black from being baked all day, everyday for the last couple of decades. I have fond memories of Santosh Bakery growing up. I remember my dad on his way back from work would make a stop at Santosh Bakery to bring home some hot vegetable pattice. The evening batch would come out at exactly 5:00 p.m. and there would be a huge line to get your hands on a dozen of these bad boys. The veg pattice (not to be confused with meat patties) is a spicy vegetable mixture in a puff pastry. The one thing I absolutely loved about Santosh Bakery was that it appealed to all classes. It was really nice to see a bullock cart parked behind a Mercedes. And their respective drivers standing close to the furnace in the hot Indian sun, in a line where they are all the same. Santosh Bakery serves some really great products. Straight from the oven sourdough bread, cream rolls, cakes, nan-katai, rusk toast, brun butter (hard bread rolls) all wrapped in day old newspaper. I have been dying for a pattice for a while, but the thought of making the dough seemed like too much effort. Until I read on Spice and Rice that Pepperidge Farms makes puff pastry sheets. So here they are. And a quick shout out to my friend Gayatri for whom I made these.

Ingredients
1 Sheet Pepperidge Farm Puff Pastry
2 boiled Potatoes
1/2 cup shredded Carrots
1/2 cup Peas
1/2 cup Cauliflower
1 Onion finely chopped
1 tsp Tomato paste
1 tsp crushed Garlic
1/4 cup oil
1/2 tsp Turmeric
1/2 tsp Chili Powder
1/2 tsp Garam Masala
1/2 Tsp Salt

Method
Heat oil in a pot
Add garlic and onion and stir till golden brown on edges
Add tomato paste and stir
Add carrots, peas cauliflower and stir
Add Salt, Turmeric, Chili and Garam Masala
Cook the ingredients adding little water at a time
When it's cooked, add potato and mash together into a coarse paste
Allow to cool
Cut pastry sheet into 3" squares and lay them on an ungreased cookie tray
Place a small ball of the filling in the centre of each square and fold over
Seal edges by pressing lightly
Pre-heat oven at 400º F
Place in oven and bake at 400º F for 15 min
Remove when the pastries turn golden
Serve with Chai and tamarind sauce

Prawn Curry

2007-09-13T10:49:00.000-05:00

If there's one thing the great city of Pune lacks, it's a beach and an abundance of fresh seafood. Sure there are a few fish markets and some scattered fish mongers, but the seafood is always expensive and unless you're really tight with the fish monger, not really that great. This would also explain the lack of good seafood restaurants in Pune. Growing up, I couldn't recall a single restaurant that was known for great fish. But in the last two years that I still lived in Pune, a restaurant by the name of Kalinga had just opened it's doors on the small road whose only claim to fame was a quick access to the Mhatre Bridge. A restaurant that tried too hard with a seating capacity of 500 and was decorated with baroquean excess. Hopefully they've toned down the decorations a bit. The only saving grace to this eyesore was the great food. And great seafood. During my limited number of visits to Kalinga I had the only acceptable prawn curry served to me in any restaurant in Pune. In Pune, the seafood is expensive and let's face it — the people are cheap. And I give Kalinga an A for effort for even trying to serve good seafood to picky, cheap bastards like myself who would cause a stink if it wasn't absolutely great. Of course, the best prawn curry I have ever had came out of my mother's kitchen and hopefully this recipe comes close.

Ingredients
1/2 cup oil
1 lb. Jumbo Prawns peeled and de-veined
1 large Onion chopped very fine
6 cloves of Garlic crushed
1 tsp Tomato Paste
3/4 tsp Turmeric
3/4 tsp Chili Powder
1 tsp Garam Masala
1 cup Coconut milk
1/2 tsp Tamarind paste
1/2 cup water
Salt to taste

Method
Heat oil in a pot
Add garlic and onions and stir till onions are translucent and brown on the edges
Add tomato paste and stir
Add turmeric, garam masala and chili powder and stir
Add prawns and make sure they're mixed well with the onion tomato mixture
Add the water to make the mixture lose
Add tamarind paste and stir
Allow to cook for a minute or two
Add coconut milk and stir
Simmer on low heat for 5 min
Do not over cook Prawns
Serve with chapatti or rice.

Pavta Usal (Stir Fried Lima Bean)

2007-09-03T11:42:00.000-05:00

In Maharashtra the word Pavta is slang for a village simpleton. Or more precisely a term used by city folk to describe a simple person from a village who has moved to the city. Someone who sticks out like a sore thumb. Much like the wonderful people in Times Square who are not locals. Moving at their own pace, always looking up in awe at the tall buildings. It is also the Marathi word for Lima Bean. The Lima Bean we get at home is much smaller than the one found here in the US. Each bean is no bigger than the nail on your little finger. It also packs more flavour. Probably because most of the vegetables available in our markets in India are locally grown. Pavta was a staple in my mother's kitchen and she'd always a maintain a bag of fresh beans in her fridge. Pavta usal (stir-fried Lima Bean) was something she cooked very often. It was a quick, easy and delicious meal and I found it in my tiffin almost every week. For some reason none of the restaurants I know served Lima Beans which is strange. This dish is very quick and easy and cheap, too. And goes well with chapati, bread or rice.

Ingredients
2 cups Lima Bean (Pavta)
3 tsp Oil
1 tsp Chili powder
1 tsp Turmeric
1 tsp Maharashtrian Goda Masala
6-8 Curry Leaves
1/4 tsp Mustard Seeds
Salt to taste

Method
Heat oil in a wok and add mustard seeds and curry leaves
When they start to splatter, reduce heat and add Chili, Tumeric and Goda Masala
Stir the masala into the oil and allow it to cook for a minute
Add Lima Beans and Salt
Stir so that all the beans are coated with spices
Add 1/2 cup water, stir and cover with a lid
Stir occasionaly till beans are cooked
Serve with a hot chapati

Moong Dal Khichidi

2007-08-30T22:12:00.000-05:00

I followed the one day international between India and England all day today and once again in true Indian fashion the 'Men in Blue' snatched defeat from the jaws of victory. If I had a dime for every time the Indian team let me down this way, I wouldn't be here writing this blog. Back home, news like is taken seriously and involves hours of pointless analysis over tea, rum or some comfort food. This analysis is usually done by people whose latest cricketing experience has been stumps drawn on a wall by means of a broken brick. A bat with a bare handle because the rubber went missing within the first week. And an MRI faux tennis ball that used to be some some what white when it was bought. And yes—the grand rule of 'one tuppa out'. Ah, I miss being a drawing room cricketeer. The absence of someone who even knows what cricket is, leave alone understands it, is really hard on a depressed fan such as myself. So today, I decided to make some comfort food for myself that I thought I'd sink my sorrows into something nice and hot. And perhaps try explaining to my American girlfriend that even if a 5 day match has no outcome, it is still important in the grand scheme of things. Namely statistics! So I made some moong khichidi. Some of you may say that's not really comfort food. It is after the huge dollop of ghee I put on it.

Ingredients
1 cup Moong
1 cup Rice
1/2 tsp Mustard Seeds
2 tsp Goda Masala
1/2 tsp cumin powder
1/2 tsp Dhania
1 tsp Turmeric
1 tsp Chili powder
1 tsp Sugar
3 tsp Oil
1/4 cup Coriander
Salt to taste

Method
Heat oil in a pan
Add mustard seeds and stir till they pop
Add masala, cumin, coriander seed powder, turmeric, and chili till it froths
Add moong dal, rice and salt and stir for a while so that the dal and rice is coated with the mixture of spices
Add water and cook as you would cook rice.
Make sure you add enough water so that the rice and dal become soft
Serve with papad and add some ghee for some extra taste

Alu Paratha

2007-08-24T23:15:00.000-05:00

It was the early nineties and the ladies had just started noticing the dating potential of yours truly. It was also a time when 'pubs' had just started turning up in the 411001 pin code. Black Cadillac (which is now closed) and Ten Downing Street with their 200 Rupee cover charge were the first to arrive. I have always been a non-drinker, but for some reason ladies would always insist on visiting the pubs. Even the ones that couldn't hold down their gimlets to save their lives. For a reasonably broke person such as myself, the 200 Rupee cover charge was a bit steep and left little to spend in the way of dinner. Thankfully, there was one great option, just down the street. Hip enough and cheap, too. Steaming hot, authentic Punjabi parathas at Nandu's. Crisp, flaky, cheap and downright delicious. Seating was optional and the waiter would bring your order right up to you. Whether you were parked in a car or just standing by on the footpath. One of the 15 varieties of parathas, a little yogurt on the side and it was heaven on the bonnet of your Fiat. The Alu paratha was by far the best among all the parathas they had. Nandu's has become somewhat of an institution in the Boat Club Rd. / Dhole Patil Rd. area. I still remember it as a humble little spot that fed young broke kids on a budget trying to entertain their respective ladies. And depending on the company you kept, it promised to be the one (and in some cases only) bright spot in your evening.

Ingredients 
For Atta (dough) 
2 cups Chappati atta (finely ground wheat flour) 
1/2 tsp Salt
1 tsp oil  
1/2 cup Milk  
Warm Water

For Filling
3 Boiled Potatoes
1 tsp crushed Garlic
1 tsp crushed Ginger
1/4 cup chopped Cliantro
4 Green Chilies chopped
Juice form 1/2 Lemon
Salt to taste

Method
Using all the ingredients for dough, knead the dough
Mash the potatoes and add garlic, ginger, lemon juice, cilantro, chilies and salt
Take a golf ball sized portion of the dough
Flatten it with your hands and place 2 tsp filling in the centre
Enclose the filling in the dough and roll it into a thin roti using a rolling pin
Cook on a hot tawa (flat pan)
Serve with plain yogurt or tamrind chutney

Egg Bhurji

2007-08-22T22:00:00.001-05:00

Before I left Pune, one of my favourite spots to hang out on a lazy evening was the Pune University fountain. This spot was especially fun during the brief Pune winters as it served great, hot food. What started as three small carts when I was in Std X had become a mini Chowpatty in just a couple of years. (Not to be confused with the mini Chowpatty near Farazkhana). You could find all kinds of food here to match your mood and budget. Chinese, Vada Pav, Pav Bhaji, Dosas and last but not least, awesome Egg Bhurji. The fact that there was a steady traffic of pretty, young girls coming to enjoy the lively atmosphere didn't hurt business either. I loved hot bhurji at Univ. fountain on a crisp winter evening. One egg, onions, tomatoes, questionable oil, spiced to perfection and served with 'pavs'. Heaven for 3.00 Rupees (approximately 7 cents). I remember spending many an evening with my friends at the University Fountain watching the St Joseph's girls returning from Hockey practice. Univ Fountain was a place for all seasons. In the summer the gentle mist from the 3 story fountain kept the area cool and in the winter, the hot food took care of business. Today, due to the haphazard growth of Pune city and ambitious local politicians, Pune has lost one of its greatest landmarks to 'road widening'. The great University fountain had been razed and the food stalls are all gone. Every time I pass Pashan road, I can't help but look out and reminisce about my teenage years, close friends, my red, rusty BSA SLR and a hot plate of anda bhurji at the edge of the fountain.

Ingredients
3 Eggs
1 Onion finely chopped
1 Tomato finely chopped
2 tsp Coriander finely chopped
1 Green Chili chopped
1/2 tsp Chili powder
1/2 tsp Turmeric
1/2 tsp Garam Masala
2 tsp Oil
Salt to taste

Method
Heat oil in a wok and add chili and onions
Stir occasionally till onions become brown on the edges
Ass tomato and let it cook for a minute of two
Add chili, turmeric, salt and garam masala and mix thorougly
Break the eggs on the hot mixture and start scrambling
Add coriander
Scramble till eggs are completely cooked

Serve with Sourdough bread rolls.

Veg Hakka Noodles

2007-08-18T11:11:00.000-05:00

Some of the best restaurants in Pune are successful because they satisfy the three following conditions—great food, low prices and proximity to a ladies hostel or college. As someone most of whose friends included hostelites, eating out was huge. And Fergusson College road with it's many cheap eats was a hot destination. In the early 90s a Chinese restaurant, China Garden, popped up on F.C. road that satisfied all of the above conditions and then some. Situated on the corner of that nameless street between Roopali and Vaishali that meets F.C. road at an angle it was a heaven sent for gourmands. The greatest part of this restaurant was that it's front part was a restaurant and the back half, a car garage. So you could feast on some spicy chicken lollipops as you waited for your car tune up. This tiny restaurant had a seating capacity of 8 tables, provided it wasn't raining. Then it was down to only 5. If you came in a car, the food would come to your car. My favourite dish at this restaurant was pan-fried hakka noodles. A heart attack special which included vegetable hakka noodles topped with chicken manchurian. I loved this dish a lot, but as I have become more health conscious I have started eating my own, healthier version, stir-fried vegetable-hakka noodles.

Ingredients
2 cups whole wheat noodles / pasta (cooked and drained)
1 cup mixture of chopped vegetables (Capsicum, Carrots, Green Peas, Mushrooms, Scallion, Cabbage)
2 tsp Chili Oil
2 Green Chilis spliced
1 tsp fresh Garlic Paste
1/2 tsp Soy Sauce
Salt to taste

Method
Heat the chili oil in a wok on medium heat
Add chilis and garlic paste and stir
Add vegetables, salt and soy sauce, stir and cover with a lid till vegetables are partially cooked
Add noodles and mix well
Cover with a lid and allow to cook in it's own steam for 3-4 min
Serve hot

Kashmiri Roti

2007-08-10T22:22:00.000-05:00

My girlfriend and I visited the Sapphire Indian restaurant on Broadway at Lincoln Center in New York. After the meal, as the waiter asked us for our dessert selections, my girlfriend ordered a Kashmiri Naan with Masala Chai. The waiter turned to me to convey a "What the fuck?" look. And I responded promptly with a "Dude, don't even get me started" look. Anyway, my girlfriend really, really likes the Kashmiri naan which is traditionally made from enriched white flour, which is nasty. I thought I'd try making a healthier version for her using whole wheat chapatti flour. I'm not so sure that the FDNY is comfortable with me having a Tandoor oven, so I had to use a tawa. Turns out, it tastes even better. Especially, if you top it with a generous amount of ghee.

Ingredients
For Atta (dough)
 2 cups Chappati atta (finely ground wheat flour)
 1/2 tsp Salt,
 1 tsp oil
 1/2 cup Milk
 Warm Water

For Filling
1/2 cup Raisins
1/4 cup Pistachio
1/4 cup Almond
1/2 cup Coconut Flakes
1 tsp Sugar

Method
Using all the ingredients for dough, knead the dough
Blend all the ingredients for the filling in a blender
Take a golf ball sized portion of the dough
Flatten it with your hands and place 2 tsp filling in the centre
Enclose the filling in the dough and roll it into a roti using a rolling pin
Cook on a hot skillet
Serve with fruit

Chutney Sandwich

2007-08-07T16:53:00.001-05:00

After securing a less than adequate percentage in my foundation examination during my first year of art school, I was faced with a dilemma. Bribe someone with a lot of money at the school or bribe someone with a little money at the state level and have them direct the school to accept me in the program of my choice for very little money. The second option although the natural choice was easier said than done. It involved traveling to Bombay and dealing with the red tape at the Directorate of Art in the J.J School of Art compound. Of course, after a little research, I did find someone who was willing to push some paper for a little grease on the palms. And since said transaction couldn't be done in broad day light, he suggested I meet him in front of V.T. station at lunch time. There are a number of small food stalls that sell delicious food on the footpath opposite V.T. station, so that was a good option. We met at a man selling vegetable sandwiches out of a cart. 'Indian Club Sandwich - Rs 3.00' it said in bold type. He grilled it in a hand held contraption on a bed of coals. The piping hot sandwich was served on cut up pieces of old newspaper. I along with my 'associate' ate a hearty meal of fresh lemonade and a club sandwich and got out for under 10.00 rupees. After lunch I gave him a suspicious brown package and took the Deccan Queen to Pune. Next week I was called into my college to let me know that I had been admitted to the applied art program. I still remember that sandwich fondly and I wish to someday visit VT station. I hope my sandwich guy is still there.

Ingredients
Sliced Wheat Bread
Chutney (click here for recipe)
Sliced Tomato
Thinly sliced Cucumber
Butter

Method
Apply chutney on one slice of bread
Apply butter on another slice of bread
On the chutney side place a layer of sliced cucumber
Add a layer of tomatoes
Close the sandwich with the buttered slice
Cut off crusts and cut the sandwich diagonally
Serve with hot chai

Sada Dosa

2007-08-06T22:29:00.000-05:00

If you are a Puneite and not on a first name basis with the waiters at Vaishali, it is safe to say that you're not a cool as you think you are. Hotel Vaishali is the crowning jewel of Fergusson College Rd (and for many years the Sun around which my life revolved). Sure there are many important landmarks on that road, like Fergie itself, or maybe the Ranade institute, but nothing says FC Road like Vaishali. The restaurant where our fathers, and grandfathers grew old, no doubt leering at young unsuspecting girls just as their sons and grandsons would. Where many a relationship started and ended. Deals worth lacs of Rupees are initiated and finalized. Vaishali is not just a restaurant. For generations, it has been a way of life. Vaishali is nothing without it's permanent fixtures. The people who are always there no matter what time of day or night. If you've been a Vaishali regular in the past 20 years and are not close friends with one Mr.Uday Sanas, you really haven't embraced the spirit of Vaishali. Of course, besides its religious followers Vaishali boasts the best tasting South Indian menu in the city. There's not a single item on the menu that's not simply amazing. Whether it is the Idli, the SPDP or just something as simple as the lemonade. And nobody makes dosa in Pune like Vaishali and their Sheetal Special sada remains by far one of my most favourite meals. I often wondered what made a meal at Vaishali so special. Was it the just the food? Or that it felt so much like home? Or the fact that you knew almost everyone on every other table? Or that when you were at Vaishali, you were never without friends (even if you were eating alone)? My trip to the motherland is coming up and Vaishali is one of the thing I am looking forward to most. Besides mommy dearest, of course.

Ingredients
3 cups rice
1 cup Urad Dal
1/2 tsp Meethi seeds
1/2 tsp Salt to taste

Method
Soak the rice and meethi seeds and urad dal in water overnight
Coarse grind rice and meethi seeds and urad dal separately
Mix in a container and add salt
Keep aside for a couple of hours so that it begins to ferment

To make the dosa, take a non stick pan and spread the batter thin as you would a crepe
Drizzle a couple of drops of oil or one squirt of oil spray
Dosa is done when the edges loosen by themselves and the dosa is a crisp golden colour.
Serve with green chutney

Sugarcane Juice (Ganne ka Ras)

2007-07-28T18:50:00.000-05:00

In my unequal struggle with Hindi during Std X I had an earth shattering 15 1/2 marks combined in my first unit test, terminals and prelimins. My father concerned at my progress or lack thereof did the only thing a responsible Indian parent can do — looked for Hindi coaching classes. After much begging the Hindi teacher at St. Loyola's agreed to let me and two of my friends join his class of Hindi challenged pupils. We were thrown out of class on the very first day on account of laughing at a logo on the teacher's polo shirt. It was laughing buddha styled monkey, so it was a no brainer. Getting thrown out of class was a very common thing for vagabond students such as myself and one desperately needed a place to park in such an event. In Model Colony at the edge of Shirke's Sugarcane Farm, they had cleared 10000 sq. ft. of land and put some tables and bamboo chairs. And at one end there was a shed with a sugarcane juice machine. One Rupee for a tall, cold one. In this case a tall glass of sugarcane juice were the cane was cut after the juice was ordered. A few hot samosas on the side, and you were golden. Cane House was to the Model Colony teenager what a local pub is to an Irishman. I passed by Cane House the last time I was in Pune and there was a rusty tin door with a lock on it. The shed and the chairs and tables were still all there—in a state of complete disrepair. The rusty cane juice machine looked like it hadn't moved for many a monsoon. And the rich, black soil floor was covered with 'congress grass'. Juice from Whole Foods' organic sugarcane can never compare to the experience of a roadside gannawala or ghural. But in case you wish to recreate the feeling while watching Seinfeld reruns, here goes...

Ingredients
1 large Sugarcane (the part closest to the root yields the tastiest juice)
2" piece of Ginger
1 tsp fresh Lemon Juice
Pinch of Salt and Pepper

Method
Cut the Sugarcane and put through a strong juicer
Add ginger to the juicer, too
Collect in a jug / glass and add lemon, salt and pepper
Add ice cubes and enjoy cold

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Tawa Prawns

2007-07-27T11:36:00.000-05:00

Most of my friends through my twenties were big rum & coke drinkers. And great thing about having a solid 'pettad' as a friend is that whenever you go out, there are always great appetizers on the table. One of the more popular watering holes in Pune back in the early 90's was Pinnacle in Chandani Chowk. If one can remember that far back, Chandani Chowk was a place people went to get out of the city, stand at the pinnacle, enjoy some fresh air and a great view of the city from the top of the hill. At that point, Pinnacle was still trying to attract customers with low prices and a sit-as-long-as-you-want policy for drinkers. As a result, the average young drinker on a shoestring budget could manage to go beyond the masala peanuts for drinking snacks. Some drinking snacks like Chicken Manchurian Dry, Fish Koliwada and Masala Papad continue to be the favourites. My favourite was the Tawa Prawns. Fresh jumbo prawns spiced and stir-fried to perfection. Today, the city of Pune has grown in all directions, Chandani Chowk is pretty much in the middle of the city, the humble Pinnacle is called Banjara Hills and has gone from a humble restaurant to a resort with a restaurant that boasts a multi-cuisine menu. And although my coke still remains rumless I never fail to order the tawa prawns with my Thumbs Up when I visit the new Banjara Hills on my infrequent trips home.

Ingredients
1 lb Jumbo Prawns peeled and de-veined
1 tsp Chili Powder
1 tsp Turmeric
1 Tsp Garam Masala
1 tsp Lemon Juice
6 cloves of Garlic crushed
3 tbsp oil
Salt to taste

Method
In a wok, heat the oil on medium heat
Add garlic, chili, turmeric and garam masala
Stil till oil and spice mixture starts to foam
Add prawns and stir till all prawns are coated with the spice mixture
Add lemon juice, salt and stir
Cover with a lid and allow prawns to cook in the steam
This should not take more than 3-4 minutes.
Garnish with Corainder (Cilantro)

Chicken Finger Sandwiches

2007-07-25T21:23:00.000-05:00

No trip to Pune is complete without a visit to Marzorin. It is situated on Main Street in Camp in a tiny little shop three steps above everyone else. Back in the 80s when I used to frequent Marzorin, they had a very short menu. 4 types of sandwiches. 5 types of drinks and a few pastries here and there. Today, Marzorin is a huge 2 story restaurant with a fairly complex menu. My favourite food at Marzorin is still by far the little triangular chicken sandwich. I have tried every possible combination of chicken, spreads and bread to make it taste like the Marzorin. I have come up with many recipes in the process, but the Marzorin combination still eludes me. Here's one of my favourites.

Ingredients
1 cup Grilled Chicken, very finely chopped
8 slices Whole Wheat Bread
1/2 cup Butter
1/4 cup Cream Cheese
1/4 tsp Black Pepper
Salt to taste

Method
Saute grilled chicken with pepper and salt with little oil
Whisk cream cheese and butter till they are completely mixed
Apply mixture generously to two slices
Place some of the chicken mixture on one slice being careful not to put too much. Single layer is much better
Place second slice to make the sandwich.
Press slightly so that chicken is held in place by the butter and cheese
Trim edges and serve with hot chai

Masala Chips (Masala French Fries)

2007-07-24T11:10:00.000-05:00

By the time I was in the 7th standard, I along with a few neighbourhood kids had perfected the art of making a good potato chip. Known in this country as the French Fry or in the fly over states as Freedom Fries (sad, isn't it?). In India young boys are always discouraged from carrying experiments in the kitchen. As a children of parents who were busy and away from home most of the day, my friends and I found the kitchens at our disposal during the afternoons. We would have potato chip parties between games of 'galli' cricket. It involved everyone stealing 2 potatoes from home and maybe some oil. Stealing oil from the oil dispenser on the kitchen counter was a rookie mistake that would get caught. Only the seasoned potato chipper knew to steal directly from the 15 litre Postman dabba as a few missing cups wouldn't be detected. The loot would then be gathered at one of the kitchens where peeling and cutting began. As a measure to increase the number of chips per potato, we would cut the potato longitudinally as opposed to making them longer. Also, thinner strips meant more chips. This tended to make the chips crispier. A few experiments with seasonings and it was a delightful mid-afternoon snack. Afterwards everything was cleaned and the evidence destroyed. Every time I sit with a paper cup full of fries beneath the golden arches, I can't help but think of my memories of cricket and masala chips.

Ingredients
2 Large Idaho Russet Potatoes
3 cups Oil
1 tsp Chili
1/4 tsp Sugar
1/4 tsp Garam Masala

Method
Julienne the potatoes and divide it into 3 portions.
Heat oil in a wok.
When the oil is hot put one portion in the oil
Stir occasionally
When the potatoes start browning on the edges remove from wok and place in a pot
Drizzle chilli, sugar, salt and garam masala
Mix thoroughly making sure all chips are coated with some seasoning
Serve with ketchup

Varan Bhat (Dal and Rice)

2007-07-22T16:16:00.001-05:00

Varan Bhat is to a Maharashtrian what rice and beans are to our Mexican friends. This is the one dish that for some reason never tastes as good in a restaurant as it does at home. More so for lunch than diner. And if you nail the combination of the dal, salt, lemon and ghee at the first helping, just stop. The second helping will never taste as good. A good batch of dal is probably the second yardstick for judgement that the mother-in-law uses against the new bride after the roundness of a chapati. Here's to a start to a good finger licking lunch.

Ingredients
1 cup Toor Dal (pigeon peas)
2 tsp Oil
1 tsp Turmeric
1/2 tsp Cumin Powder
1/2 tsp Asafoetida
2 cups water
Salt to taste
Lemon, sliced
1 tsp Ghee

Method
In a pressure cooker cook the pigeon peas till they are completely soft and almost dissolved. (If you don't have a pressure cooker, boil in a pot till cooked.)
Set aside.
In a pot, heat the oil.
Add cumin and asafoetida and allow to cook in the oil.
Add turmeric and then the dal.
Whisk the dal and add water to achieve desired consistency
Add salt according to taste

Cook rice with a little extra water so that it is softer than usual.
Serve dal over rice generously and top it with salt, a few drops of lemon juice and ghee.

Spicy Stir-fried Corn

2007-07-17T10:48:00.000-05:00

I have always associated corn with the monsoon season. Before the weather patterns on the Deccan plateau shifted the first showers would show up by mid-May. It was just around the time when we would be busy putting brown paper covers on new text books for school and enjoying that new book smell. It also meant that summer vacation was in its last three weeks. As the rains started drenching the parched earth, children in my neighbourhood would run out to collect mangoes that would've fallen as a result of the rains. As the victorious returned with shirts full of muddy bounty, aayi would have hot cups of chai waiting for us. Along with Glucose biscuits and roasted corn or stir-fried corn. The 4'o clock chai on a rainy afternoon is something I miss dearly.

Ingredients
2 cups of Corn kernels
1/2 tsp Mustard Seeds
1/2 tsp Sugar
1/2 tsp Turmeric
1/2 tsp Chili powder
1 tbsp Butter
Salt to taste

Method
Heat butter in a pot and add mustard seeds
Add corn and saute
Add sugar, turmeric, chili and salt
Stir
Cover with a lid and allow to cook
Keep stirring as the corn tends to stick to the wok
Serve with hot chai

Mutton Roast

2007-07-01T11:06:00.000-05:00

Back in the early 90's, when my friends were at the peak of their drinking form, Green Park on Baner Road was a popular watering hole. Although it was designed and advertised as a family restaurant, most of it's patrons were young and middle-aged men who were used to drinking Old Monk by the quarter. Even though the food at Green Park was extremely delicious, it was always secondary as most of their customers weren't sober enough to appreciate the food or for that matter remember it the next day. Having been a non-drinker all my life, I had the pleasure of sampling almost everything on the Green Park menu and remembering it long enough to write about it. One of their lesser known dishes (and one of my favourites) was mutton roast. A succulent piece of lamb shank breaded and grilled to perfection in a tandoor oven and served with 3 wedges of roasted potatoes and a mint dipping sauce. From what I hear, Green Park has been completely renovated with a swimming pool, a kids playing area and everything that makes it a really family oriented restaurant. And although most of my friends have now sobered up, have kids and hold respectable positions in society, I am saddened to think that they may have missed out on a really fabulous mutton dish. The one other place that still serves it is Café Good Luck.

Ingredients
6 5" pieces of Lamb Shank
10 Garlic cloves crushed
1 tsp Ginger paste
1 tsp Garam Masala
1 tsp Turmeric
1 tsp Chili powder
1/2 cup Oil
1 cup Bread Crumbs
Salt to taste

For the Marinade
Add ginger, garlic, chili, turmeric and garam masala to the cup of oil
Heat mixture in microwave for 30 sec or till oil starts boiling
Set aside

Method
Remove the fat off the shanks and place in a bowl
Apply marinade generously to the shanks
Place in fridge for 4-6 hours
Pre-heat oven to 40 degrees
Dredge the shanks in bread crumbs
Place on a baking sheet and cook for 40 min or till shanks are fully cooked
Serve with tamarind or mint chutney and potato chips

Mutter Kheema

2007-06-29T19:08:00.000-05:00

Our convent school was never really equipped for taking large number or students on trips and whenever an attempt was made it was an utter disaster that made for some really great memories. One of the great features of these overnight trips was that the food would be prepared by the students themselves. A great idea in theory. But not when the cooks in question have barely mastered long division. Never a great selling point, but looking back the trips were fun. The destination was always a small sea side village or one of Shivaji's many forts. Or in some cases both. When I was in high school, we went on one such trip to Sindhudurg. Sindhudurg was Shivaji's invincible fort in the Arabian Sea a couple of miles from land. We set camp on the beach right opposite the fort. We attempted to cook on kerosene stoves, but it was a disaster. The chapatis were rock hard, the fish was burnt and everything has a strong aroma of kerosene. Eating this food was mandatory or you'd face the wrath of a strict bearded teacher and his ruler. Sneaking out to eat was a good option. I found a small restaurant which a woman ran out of her home. She served the food on two cots outside her house. Although the food was so-so and the meat was extremely questionable, it was completely edible in comparison to what lay in store back at the camp. Here I had mutter-kheema for the first time and fell in love with the combination.

Ingredients.
I lb lamb or chicken kheema (minced)
1 1/2 cup green peas
2 large onions finely chopped
2 large tomatoes finely chopped
5 cloves of garlic crushed or 1 tsp paste
1 tsp ginger paste
2 tsp chili powder
2 tsp turmeric powder
1 1/2 tsp garam masala
1 tsp salt (or according to taste)
3 cups water
1/2 cup oil

Method
In a large pot heat oil on high and add ginger and garlic.
When the garlic starts to splatter add chopped onion
Once the onion browns on the edges, add tomato and stir
Allow to cook for 5 min
Then add chili, turmeric and garam masala
Allow to cook for a few minutes and add kheema and green peas
Stir and allow to cook for a minute or two
Add water and mix well
Turn heat to medium and allow to boil till water reduces by 1/2
Keep cooking till meat is tender
Serve with Chapati, Sourdough Bread or Basmati Rice.

Vanga Batata Bhaji

2007-06-22T14:50:00.000-05:00

There's no story to this dish. This is just a delicious dish my mom used to make. I just happened to make it the other day and thought I'd share.

Ingredients

2 medium Potatoes cubed
2 large Brinjals (Eggplants) cubed
1 large Onion finely chopped
1 large Tomato finely chopped
1/2 cup Peanuts crushed
1 tsp Chili Powder
1 tsp Garam Masala
1 tsp Turmeric
1 tsp crushed Garlic
1/2 tsp Ginger paste
1/4 cup Olive Oil
Salt to taste

Method
Heat oil in a pot and add garlic, ginger and onion.
Sauté till onions are translucent and brown on the edges
Add tomato and stir till it becomes a homogenous paste
Add garam masala, turmeric, chili and stir
Add potatoes and 1cup water
Allow to boil till potatoes are cooked
Add eggplant and boil till most of the water evapourates leaving a pasty sauce
Add ground peanuts and keep stirring for 5 min
Garnish with chopped cilantro
Serve with Rice Bhakari or Naan

This recipe is for Nupur's RCI June: Maharashtrian Cuisine!