Pork with East Indian Bottle Masala and a few other conveniences

It's always on days that are really busy that I feel the urge to cook. Not only did I want to cook, I wanted an appreciative audience too. So I cajoled friends to drive down for dinner (from Pune!) and proceeded to raid the freezer and the store cupboards for inspiration. I took out the pork we had bought from a recently discovered pork shop nearby and waited for it to thaw while I finished my writing assignments for the day. I had a date with the kitchen to look forward to so I was inspired and the work was done sooner than I expected.

In the meantime I also badgered friends online for some ideas for the pork. I got some great suggestions but didn't quite have all that was required for the recipes. So I dug around my cupboards to see what I had. I found a packet of East Indian Bottle Masala that I had bought a few months ago at the Versova Koli Festival. It looked a nice fiery red and smelled awesome! I had it - a spicy pork curry was on the menu!

This is what I did-

500gms pork chunks with some fat
1 large onion, sliced
2 large potatoes cut into large cubes
4 slim carrots, in chunks

star anise
cinnamon
oil
coconut Milk
red wine
sugar or jaggery

Marinade-

2 tsp ginger garlic paste
2 2sp garlic/cumin/red chilly paste

2 tbsp EIB masala
vinegar

Method -

Wash the pork and drain it well. Marinate the meat for a hour or so in the ingredients listed above. If you're okay with a bit of heat add some red chilli powder to your marinade or some minced green chillies.

In a pressure cooker heat a tablespoon or two of any neutral oil. Don't waste your olive oil here, just use sunflower or peanut oil. This is a strong flavoured curry so the olive oil will be completely smothered. Fry the potatoes and let them turn slightly red/brown. Remove and put aside.

In the same oil add a couple of star anise and a 2" stick of cinnamon or cassia bark. Keep the heat down so you don't burn the spices. In a minute add the sliced onions and fry them slowly.

Let them start to brown and then add the marinated pork. Increase the heat and sear the meat well. Reduce the heat and let it braise nicely for a while. Give it a good 10 minutes and stir once in a way. Don't add any more oil even if you don't see any at the bottom of your cooker.

Just stir patiently and let it all cook slowly. Add the potatoes and the carrots and give it all a good mixing.

Pour in enough water till you can just see the water. Add 200ml coconut milk. You can extract fresh coconut milk out of the coconut or you can, like me, cut open a tetrapak. Your choice entirely!

Stir nicely and bring it to al boil. Add a very generous slug of red wine now and a sprinkling of sugar. If you have jaggery at hand use that instead. Just a little knob of it to give the curry a nicely rounded flavour - not an overt sweetness but enough to balance the flavours. Shut the cooker and once it has whistled/let off steam reduce the flame and let it cook for 15 minutes. Switch off and let it cool on it's own.

Voila! We're done!

Serve this with bread, steamed rice, or sannas.

While you might easily make this without the potatoes, don't. Heaven is in those potatoes, trust me. If you don't have carrots at hand that will be sad but can be lived with. You must have the potatoes.

The East Indian Bottle Masala that I used contained 24 different spices that included the usual turmeric, chillies (3 types), mustard seed, fenugreek, coriander seed, sesame and cumin. It also had cinnamon, bay leaf, cardamom, black cardamom, cloves, asafoetida, mace, nutmeg, all spice, star anise and other interesting spices like triphala and dagad phool.

Traditionally stored in long nosed glass bottles, that's where the masala gets its whimsical name. the masala is filled into the bottle and then tamped down firmly with a stick removing all the air in between the grains making it practically airtight. This allowed the spice to remain fresh over long periods of storage in the humid climes along the Indian coast. A little at a time is scraped out as required.

EIB Masala is available at most 'cold storage' shops in Mumbai. These are usually made by an enterprising lady in her own kitchen though some have built successful businesses selling this traditional spice mix.

Botticino - Ravioli and a Ravishing Lunch

A couple of weeks ago I was at The Trident at BKC for a ravioli making demonstration and lunch thereafter. Many people, like me, are unaware that The Trident has a gorgeous property right here in the suburbs. And here  is where you will find one of the finest Italian restaurants in the city - Botticino. This restaurant boasts a menu that goes way beyond pastas and pizzas and the much flogged Tiramisu. The menu covers the distinct cuisines from across Italy going from Lombardy to Tuscany, Piedmont and beyond.  


Drive confidently into BKC, down the main road and you will see big signs pointing you in the right direction. Once you're at the hotel, come up to the first floor and straight into Botticino. My first impression was of space and of light, lots of light. There are few things that put me off  more than an ill lit eating space and Botticino was bright and cheerful, with natural light streaming in from the glass sides of the building. There's a lounge area as you enter and the main restaurant is just beyond. 


We joined the other guests for the lunch in this lounge and chatted over some gorgeous Prosecco. I'm no wine expert or connoisseur but Prosecco is a word I recognise and love :) Once all the invitees had arrived we were taken on a short tour of the restaurant and then we trooped into the kitchen, ready for our very own Master Class in ravioli making. 


Ravioli has always piqued my interest the most among all the pastas...the mystery of a secret stuffing ensconced in the folds of fresh velvety perfectly cooked pasta..what's not to love?! A little mystery, a little excitement and then the amazing (we hope) burst of flavours in your mouth as you bite into the pasta and discover what lies hidden. Here was a chance to see how it was made and I wasn't going to miss it. 

Photo credit Nikhil Merchant of http://nonchalantgourmand.com/

Chef Vikas Vichare gave us a very patient and informative demonstration beginning with how to make the dough, then how to roll it in the pasta machine, making the filling, putting the ravioli together, cooking the ravioli and finally, plating it beautifully. We also had a look in the chef's pasta freezer where he keeps racks and racks of fresh pasta that is made in-house in his kitchen. Though quite large the freezer has to be restocked every two days, such is the demand for the pastas that they make here. 

Photo credit Nikhil Merchant of http://nonchalantgourmand.com/

                                         In the Botticino kitchen, geared up for class. 


By the time the demo was done I was ravenous for ravioli and the other goodies that were going to make up lunch. 


We were led to our 'flying' table which is a huge 10 seater set upon a platform that seems to float in mid air, discreetly supported by thin metal poles going to the ceiling. 

Photo credit: Megha Goyal of http://i2cook.wordpress.com/

Lunch was an orgy of Italian good food. A tomato and mozzarella amuse bouche did it's job and set us off on our journey into a delicious flavourful Italian meal accompanied by a lovely Chianti that went really well with what we ate. I liked the fact that we didn't have different wines with every course. As I said, I'm not that much into wine and for people like me, it can get quite intimidating if wine after wine is paraded in front of you. I could sit back and pay attention to what I was drinking and actually appreciate it. 


I chose the Foie Gras for my appetizer and went for the Chilli and Fennel crusted Snapper for my main course. Both turned out to be excellent choices. The food world is in the midst of much debate and discussion regarding foie gras and there is a very serious campaign on to ban it. Chef Vikas urged us to enjoy it while we still could. Every morsel was piece of heaven. Go over to Botticino and enjoy the Foie Gras while it's still available. Seriously. and not just because you might not get it anywhere in the near future, but because Chef does a fabulous job with it. Even the best ingredients need a master to cook it perfectly. Chef Vikas certainly has the Foie Gras mastered. 

                                                  Photo credit Nikhil Merchant of http://nonchalantgourmand.com/

Photo credit: Saee Koranne Khandekar of http://www.myjhola.in/

Fish is another ingredient that needs to be handled with love and respect. While Indian palates prefer lots of spices and flavours in their food, fish can be poetry on a plate even when done delicately. This was proved by the Snapper that Chef served at this lunch.  Chili and fennel crusted snapper in orange sauce.  I could have eaten another entire serving and died happy!


All this was accompanied by fresh home baked ciabatta that I couldn't have enough of. A dash of olive oil with a bit of balsamic and it was perfect. Good bread makes a world of difference to a meal and the fact that the Botticino bakes its own is good to know. 


Italian desserts! Makes your mouth water instantly and a peep into the menu card had told me there were ice creams to look forward to - three of them! Being diabetic I usually skip dessert and stuff myself on the main course and appetizers. This time I didn't. Coming up were Stracciatella, Lemon Cheesecake  and a Salted Caramel ice cream. 

                                          Photo credit: Megha Goyal of http://i2cook.wordpress.com/


The Stracciatella, nice though it was, didn't stand a chance against the lemon cheesecake or the  Satled Caramel gelatos which were both simply divine. You have to eat it to understand just how divine. 


Botticino has a very well stocked wine library and they also have Grappa on offer. Have it in a cocktail, in your coffee or on it's own.
 
I might not end up making ravioli in my own kitchen - I don't have all the toys. But then Botticino is there whenever I'm in the mood for a bit of mystery, not to mention that salted caramel gelato...

Peanut Butter Brownies with chocolate chips

One of the most fun things about reading a blog is hopping from that blog to another following a recipe or a photograph. I was looking for a recipe for cup cakes and after Googling and not finding anything appealing I decided to check Saee's site My Jhola; I was sure I'd find something there. I did.

I found this most amazing blog with easy to do recipes that had me drooling. And I had soon forgotten about the cup cakes and was checking the pantry cupboard to see if I have everything required to make these. I did!

So I gathered everything together and threw together a batch of what looked like something I'd be making again and again. Peanut Butter brownies, and with chocolate chips too!

Here we are ready to be popped into the oven.

I followed the recipe exactly and here's what the final product looks like.

Now it might not look like brownies, I agree - it doesn't, but it tastes fabulous. Though the original instructions say use an 8x8 tin, she does mention that the brownies tend to remain under cooked in the middle and a larger tin might be a better idea. Silly me, I should have listened. I will, the next time :P

If you're going to try out this recipe, USE A LARGER TIN! That's the only thing I'd tweak in this otherwise perfect recipe.

And for now, I have some awesome peanut butter brownies with chocolate chips to look forward to. Where's my mug of coffee?

Kaancha Aamer Chatney - A Bengali summer recipe

Mango season has begun and as is always the case when the raw mangoes hit the markets, the pickling and preserving recipes are put to use and practically every household is busy making something or the other with raw mangoes. I too have joined the mass of mango maniacs and I made one of the most simple raw mango preparations across the board. Aamer Chatney is a thin sweet stew of raw mangoes, sugar, mustard and ground cumin. The more sour the mangoes the more delicious this simple preparation turns out.

1 medium sized raw mango, de-seeded and sliced thick
2-3 tbsp sugar
1/2 tsp mustard seeds
2 tbsp mustard oil
a pinch of salt
1/2 cup or so water

Wash the mango and slice it thick. Discard the seed.

Heat the mustard oil in a saucepan or kadai. Once it's nice and hot throw in the mustard seeds.

Once the exuberance of the spluttering seeds has quietened, add in the sliced mango pieces. Lower the heat and fry gently for a good 5 minutes. The mango will begin to soften and will also darken around the edges. Add a pinch of salt too. 

Pour in the water and let the mango cook for a bit. You can let it completely turn to mush or you can leave it still intact with a bit of bite, like I prefer. Once the water has come to a boil sprinkle in the sugar and give it a gentle stir. Let it simmer.

In the mean time broil a teaspoon of jeera or Cumin seeds and pound them in a mortar and pestle.

Pour the chatney into a pretty bowl and sprinkle the pounded jeera on top. Enjoy this hot or cold at the end of your meal. It's especially divine after a rice/daal/subzi lunch on a hot afternoon.

There are many variations to this recipe, each different in each household. My Mum's recipe (from her mum) is frugally simple, letting the mango be the star of the show with the pounded fresh jeera giving it a nice punch of extra flavour. 

Brinjal Capsicum Salan - Parsi vegetarian preparation

Believe it or not, Parsis do have quite a few vegetarian dishes that are quite traditional. Recently friends of mine attended a Parsi dinner in Delhi and the vegetarian menu described to me left me quite disappointed. That's when I decided to explore the vegetarian fare that is regularly cooked in many Parsi households, quite defying the general perception that Parsis have no clue about vegetarian food.

Brinjal Capsicum salan is a lightly spiced medley of just brinjals and capsicums. This combination of vegetables quite surprised me when I first encountered it, but it actually works very well and is one of my favourite Parsi vegetarian preparations. It's easy to put together and is perfect for a light summer meal with rotis.

The simplicity makes this ideal for the hot months. There is no ginger- garlic paste and there are no whole spices either. In fact, it is a lot like the Bengali vegetarian everyday preparations where the vegetables get to do the talking without being smothered under spices and heavy flavours.

1 medium sized brinjal, cubed
2 large green capsicums, cubed
1 onion, sliced
1 medium tomato, chopped
salt
turmeric
cumin powder
coriander powder
garam masala powder
oil to cook

Heat oil in a wok or kadai and fry the brinjal pieces. When they are nearly done add the capsicums and let it fry for another 3 or 4 minutes. Don't let the capsicums get soft. Remove into a bowl or a plate.

In the same kadai heat a little more oil and fry the onions. Once they turn pink dunk in the chopped tomato. Cook this till the tomatoes and onions are completely soft.

Add the spice powders and a couple of teaspoons of water.

Traditionally spices were ground to a paste but in modern kitchens we use powdered spices. These often get burned in a hot wok so adding a bit of water saves them from burning and also helps the flavours meld. Cook covered for about 5 minutes.

Add the fried brinjal and capsicum pieces and stir the whole lot nicely. Another 2 or 3 minutes of cooking covered and you're done. Serve with hot rotis, parathas or bread. I enjoy this with rice and daal too, though traditionally it is paired with breads.

Cajun Spiced Chicken with Vegetables

Chicken is a great favourite with me because it's easy to cook and can shine on it's own without too much dressing up. I'm a great fan of the short cut and if there are products that can make life in the kitchen easier and with splendid results, I'm happy.

This Cajun spiced chicken is something I make very often. It's easy, it's delicious, and it's quite healthy too.

1 chicken
olive oil
Cajun spice powder
salt
pepper
2 large onions, sliced
chopped garlic
1 large potato, cut into large batons
2 carrots, cut into large batons


Take a large non stick pan and heat a couple of tablespoons of olive oil. Add in the potatoes and carrots and fry for a bit keeping the heat low. Once the edges begin to brown throw in the sliced onion and the chopped garlic. Stir nicely and cook covered for 5 minutes.

Start adding the chicken pieces. Put in the leg pieces first. Season well with the Cajun spice. Be generous! Cook covered for about 5 to 8 minutes. Add the breast pieces and mix well. Add more seasoning only if required. Let it all cook covered for another 10 minutes. Keep an eye on the flame and make sure you don't burn the onions. Stir once in a way.

Cooking the legs and breasts separately ensures that you don't end up with chewy chunks of chicken. The breast pieces cook much faster and tend to become tough and inedible. So just cook them one after the other.

The chicken will release water and help the whole thing cook so you won't need to add any water. Add just a little if you think it's required. Add salt very conservatively as most spice mixes contain salt. Add pepper to heat up things a little!

Once the chicken and the potatoes are cooked through, boost up the heat and dry off any gravy. Let the chicken brown nicely. The onions will combine with the spice powder and become wonderfully flavourful.   Serve hot with bread or simply enjoy it as it is with a crisp salad.

You can add many other vegetables to this easy dish. Green beans, peas, sweet potatoes, capsicums, zuchini, whatever works for you.

You can buy Cajun spice mix at most supermarkets these days. Hyperciti, Spar, and even Godrej Nature's Basket carries this and many other interesting spice mixes.

Try this same simple preparation with any mix. It works really well!

1419 - A new year and a full on Bangali'r Bhuri Bhoj at Bangali Mashi's Kitchen

So there we were, back once again at Bangali Mashi's Litchen. It was the first day of the new year, 1419, and what better way to bring it in than with a full on Bengali feast or Bhuri Bhoj at BMK?

Usually BMK serves a variety of thalis, Bong snacks and a whole lot of main course options and desserts from the a la carte menu but it being a special occasion today, there were only two options, the veg thali and the non veg thali. K was in the mood to eat something light and I was eager to attack the full on non veg spread so we ordered a veg thali and a non veg thali.

What I forgot is that the non veg thali is basically the veg thali with added non veg items.

So here's what I attempted to eat while K smirked from across the table.

The shiny kansha (bell metal) plates had four batis (bowls) on them. These were duly filled with daal, aloo phulkopi chhana'r danla (potatoes cooked with cauliflower and paneer), Potoler dorma, and enchorer danla (raw jackfruit). The plate was quickly filled with a chicken chop, a fat slice of begun bhaja, aloo jhuribhaja and a delectable veg paturi made with spinach and broad beans (papri).

The piece de resistance was the posto'r bora - melt in the mouth with a sharp spike of chili and the crunch of onion, these were to die for.

Then came a huge serving of vegetable polao as bowls of more food arrived to be arranged around my plate - the fish (sorse diye tangra, and rui machher jhol) and the mutton made their entry. And alongside were placed the mixed fruit chatni, the rosogolla and the misti doi. All this in one thali?!

Unfortunately I hadn't carried my camera so I took this on my phone. As you can see there was an enormous amount of food in front of me. No, I couldn't eat it all and duly had a few things parcelled and brought them home.

Mangoes being in season this heavenly feast was washed down with a glass of the piquant aam panna, a cooling summer drink made with raw mangoes.

If you're looking for Bengali food, the real stuff, not the glammed up version that you can find at most Bengali restaurants, Bangali Mashi's Kitchen is where your search will end. Say hello to Sushmita and she will be more than happy to guide you through the menu if you're not sure what to order and how much to order.

Veg Thali - Rs.350/-

Non Veg Thali - Rs.500/-

Bangali Mashi's Kitchen. 

Gurgaon - Gluttony and Gender Issues

I spent a wonderful 10 odd days being spoiled silly by my sis in law and my cousin. They have a lovely new home in one of the innumerable towers that dot the Gurgaon landscape and I enjoyed a long overdue holiday with them. One thing that unites all three of us is our unending love for good food and our constant search for new places to eat, new flavours to try out. And Gurgaon is simply bursting at the seams with options for the die hard foodaholic.

From road side momo joints to swanky restaurants that serve endless lunch buffets that include cuisines from around the world, Gurgaon covers it all. Goan, Bengali, Korean, Udupi, classic American fast food, Italian, you name it, it's there somewhere! And if it hasn't got there yet, rest assured, it's coming soon.

Among the meals that really stood out were the Goan lunch at Bernardo's tucked away on the first floor of the Galleria shopping centre. Roast pork, prawns recheado, spicy Goan style fried liver, pork vindaloo, mutton Xacuti, we had it all, perfectly rounded off with a helping of that queen among desserts, the  deeply sensuous layered Bebinca.

Then there was Love & Mustard - a brightly lit restaurant with a cheerful colour filled atmosphere and an extensive menu offering many traditional Bengali treats. It had been a long day and we were not at our 'eager to eat' best. However, the food was so good that we found ourselves revived and licking our plates. We ordered Alu'r dom with luchi, Polau with kosha mangsho, and chicken chaamp with triangle porota. All was perfect except that what they passed off as polau was, in fact, biryani rice. Not that it tasted bad, it just wasn't   what we'd ordered or expected.  Love & Mustard is also in the same Galleria mall.

Another memorable meal was Gung the Palace, a Korean restaurant in Gurgaon that also has a branch in Green Park, Delhi. This was one occasion where I wished I knew more about the cuisine so I could eat things in the correct combinations and sequence to do full justice to the meal and to appreciate it correctly too. However ignorance did not get in the way of enjoyment and we feasted on the best Barbecued Pork Belly I have ever eaten, accompanied by Spicy Calamari and a wonderful light Kimchi fried rice. This might not sound like a lot but with a Korean meal you get such a huge variety of little side dishes that include pickled vegetables, and a fabulous fish stock and greens soup, that you really eat like a king.

The portions are huge and are usually for four.You can ask the staff for help while you order and they will happily guide you through the unfamiliar sounding names of the dishes. The menu card has pictures and descriptions to help you along anyway. To really enjoy Gung, go in a group. And if you can't rustle up a group, go anyway.

The best food was at home. Classic Bengali home fare. Seasonal vegetables, daal cooked in different ways, and an endless variety of fish! The heart and soul were as sated as my rapidly expanding tummy. Ruti torkari for breakfast reminded me of summer holidays in Kolkata at my Father's house where Jethima (aunt) would make different vegetables every morning for breakfast, to be eaten with rotis or parathas or, sometimes, with hot fluffy luchis. Ah, the Bengalis do eat well!

We spent an incredible evening at the imposing Red Fort and also caught the Son et Lumière show there.

After wandering around the extensive grounds admiring the remains and imagining the grandeur that once was, we were ready to head out for a good meal. Karim's was legendary and so we set forth. It was unbelievably crowded and we ended up sharing a table with a group of young boys. The seating was cramped, we were tired and the meal was rushed. Somehow, you cannot enjoy the finer things of life with people breathing down your neck waiting to grab your table. Maybe some other day, but this time Karim's was not worth its legendary name.

This trip was also about catching up with friends - friends I knew in the real world and some who were from the virtual world and some from Mumbai who happened to be there in Gurgaon at the same time. I also made new friends on a foodie group on Facebook and it these new friends who told me where to eat, what to order and what I simply should not miss. Thanks everyone at Chef at Large on Facebook :)

Rushina invited me to dinner one evening where I met a wonderful mix of bloggers, architects, businessmen, and home stay owners. There I met Purba Ray, a blogger, who told me about her experience with the local police when she went to report her stolen purse. The Gurgaon mall rape cases were fresh in everyone's minds and the attitude that the police have towards victims is unbelievable, and Purba was unfortunate enough to find out for herself just how badly the police treat a woman who has come in to ask for help.

I met Manjula, my friend from college, over coffee one morning. She lives in Gurgaon too and we also talked about men, attitudes, how safe a woman can feel in Gurgaon even in the daytime, and a whole lot of frivolous things too. The next day I read this wonderful piece that she wrote about a new product for women.

It's not just Gurgaon that suffers this malaise. My friend is looking for a swimming pool that she can use daily. She went to the YMCA pool in Belapur to find out their timings, rates, etc., and she was confronted with a big board displaying "appropriate dress for women using the pool". Why is a woman seen as an amoral creature for whom the law has to be laid down? There was no board showing "appropriate dress for men using the pool" there. So if a man wants to wear very brief swimming trunks a la John Abraham in Dostana, that is fine, but a woman has to wear a one piece bathing suit with sleeves and, hold your breath, bicycling shorts underneath! I'm sure the pool authorities do not guarantee a woman safety if she comes dressed as prescribed. If anything untoward were to happen, they would blame it on her wet clothes, I'm sure.

Where does this incredible attitude come from? And what are we doing to change it? If you have a son teach him.  It's not the daughters we need to stifle, it's the sons we need to teach.

The Mistress of Moplah - Abida Rasheed at the Taj Land's End

One of my best food experiences ever was the Moplah feast served up by the Mistress of Moplah herself, Abida Rasheed. I was fortunate enough to be at the preview dinner for the Moplah food festival that is on at the Taj Land's End, Mumbai. Not only did I get to taste this fabulous cuisine, I also got to meet and interact with one of the most charming celebrity chefs ever.

A relaxed 20 odd minutes with a smiling Abida had us all up to date with what Moplah food is all about - The Yemeni and Arab influences, the matriarchal society, the incredibly rich variety using quite a sparse repertoire of ingredients, the lightness of the cuisine in spite of it being mainly non vegetarian - Abida filled us in, eagerly answering our questions as we sat around in an informal circle.

We moved on to the Masala Bay for dinner as Abida disappeared into the kitchens. I wish she had been with us while the meal was served, explaining the intricacies of each dish that we sampled.

Here are some pictures of the delectable food served up by Abida herself.

Mixed poppadums...

Kanji - a rice soup served with a fabulous coconut and chilli chutney.

Mushroom Ada - a flat rice dumpling stuffed with mushroom

Meen Porichathu - A fiery fried fish that set my palate on fire, along with Chemeen Porichatu - fried prawn that was perfection on a plate.

Kozhi Kakathil - A dry chicken fry in a spicy tomato base.

Atti Erachi Ishtew - an ambrosial lamb stew, lightly spiced with perfectly cooked lamb shanks.

Meen Biryani - Fish biryani. The rice and the fish is served separately so you can have both in whatever proportion you want. Clever!

The fabled Mutta Mala accompanied by Chakkara Chor - Fine sev like noodles in sugar syrup made purely from egg yolks on a sweet egg white base served with a wheat porridge sweetened with pine jaggery and finished with coconut milk.

Abida Rasheed, the lady who made the evening more special than we imagined possible.

The experience at this dinner at the Masala Bay left me with mixed feelings. The food was faultless, the guest of honour an absolute pleasure to be with. Abida Rasheed is a name that always pops up when Moplah cuisine is mentioned. She is the reigning queen of this rich, yet delicate cuisine that comes from north Kerala. She served us a variety of classic Moplah favourites and the food was an absolute treat.

The evening would have been superlative but the Masala Bay let Abida down. The service was slow. The waiters were like turtles on valium. We waited endlessly in between courses and service was indifferent at best. If one guest was served one item, the others saw it after 15 minutes. If a guest was waiting for a paratha they waited interminably while food congealed on their plate. If they weren't alert, a waiter dumped biryani onto a plate that was already crowded with food. One felt like one was at a fast paced thali joint where turnover at top speed was the order of the day or as if one was forgotten in a remote corner of a vast hotel.

I felt completely offended on Abida Raheed's behalf. All the hard work she put in was wasted just because of indifferent shoddy service. How tragic.

Dum Pukth at the ITC Maratha - A review

A couple of weeks ago I received an invitation to a dinner at the Dum Pukth at the ITC Maratha. Rushina told me this was a dinner designed for the meat lover and the cuisine that would be show cased was the Avadhi cuisine of the Nawabs. Of course I accepted!

The Dum Pukth is one of the biggest feathers in the ITC cap. The restaurant had had a makeover and we were invited to participate in what was the soft launch while the absolute final touches were being done. A lot of thought had been put in to designing the space, the décor, the place settings, and the staff had been trained in Nawabi tehzeeb too.

As we were welcomed with a gracious 'adaab' we beheld a splendidly laid out table with glittering cutlery, gorgeous china, delicately embroidered linen, and sparkling crystal. It was a sumptuous setting, a hint to the sheer luxury that was to follow. And believe me, it did.

Rini and Aishwarya, our hosts for the evening, explained how much thought had gone into every detail resulting in the splendour we saw before us. I loved the wave pattern on the marble floor, supposed to recreate flowing water.

As we were seated with more 'adaab's greeting us, the sheer beauty of the crockery hit me. In these days of  melamine and Corelle convenience the sight of the fabulous china was sheer delight. Custom designed china paired with beautiful silverware and glittering crystal, for me this was half the pleasure of the evening.

A silver base plate topped with an exquisite charger plate. Eating off fine china makes a world of difference and at the Dum Pukth, they've really chosen well. I'm a fan already!

As we were seated we were handed our individual menu cards...

As I glanced through it I realised I was going to be really stuffed at the end of this meal...in fact, I wondered if I could actually eat that much! Any way, that's what I was here for and so I waited for the meal to begin.

The starters began to arrive. First up was the murgh chandi tikka. Around 7 scary looking cameras were whipped out and the frantic clicking began. Yes, us bloggers are as obsessed about taking pictures as we are about eating. Food to us as much visually beautiful as it is on the tongue. This went on as every new dish was presented and I must say, the gentlemen who served us were very, very patient.

Going back to the murgh chandi tikka, it looked appetizing topped with silver varakh and all. Along with it arrived the Mahi Dariya and soon followed one of the Dum Pukth's signature dishes, the Kakori kebab. The tikkas were decent enough but the Mahi Dariya and the Kakori Kebabs stole the show. Flat fillets of Bhekti lightly spiced, battered and deep fried to crisp perfection. I would go back just for those. The legendary Kakori Kebabs were redolent of cloves and were smooth and soft, velvet on the tongue. Even though I knew there was lots more to come, I couldn't resist having seconds of both.

As the dinner began and the guests were served, we were gently welcomed to enjoy our meal with a softly spoken 'nosh farmiye'...

We were also plied with Seekh Nilofari, kebabs made with lotus seeds and lotus stems, flavoured with fresh herbs and spices. This was accompanied by a Navratan chutney, a green chutney with anaar daana. The kebabs on their own were okay but with the chutney they escalated to another level entirely. The Dudhiya kebab, discs of paneer with a spiced mash potato filling were also quite nice. But then I'm a carnivore, and I couldn't give these their true due...

Then came the Shorba Purbahar. A beautiful soup plate was placed in front of each guest and in the centre was then sprinkled a tablespoon of tender mung sprouts. On the sprouts was then poured the shorba.

A neat gimmicky presentation and a genuinely delicious shorba.

As we enjoyed the starters we were served a beautiful Sauvignion Blanc from South Africa. It went perfectly with the food, suited my fundamentally Indian palate and taste and I had glass or two...

Next on the menu were the main courses. I was quite stuffed already. Avadhi food creeps up on you and at the Dum Pukth every dish is cooked in pure ghee, not something one is used to at all! We took a bit of a break as conversation flowed across the table. There were discussions ranging from Islamic calligraphy, the Nawabs and their food to the what camera setting worked best for the food shots for the evening!

The main course started with the Jhinge ka Salan. Huge prawns in a yoghurt based methi and turmeric sauce. The thing with prawns is that you have to get them just right. The thing with the Jhinge ka Salan was that the jhinga was overcooked. The sauce was well made but the prima donna was not at her best.

The Shahi Nehari (lamb shanks) was a delight with the flavour of saffron the easily recognisable star of the show.

The Murgh Khushk Purdah made its grand entrance and of course the cameras clamoured to get a good shot of this celebrity. The food paparazzi was in full form! Chicken Pot Pie, Nawabi style. The puff pastry was spiced and flavoured and was as delicious as the chicken that nestled under.

We were also served Maash Qaliya - split green mung cooked with spinach and spices. This was another preparation that I could go back to Dum Pukth for.

These main courses were accompanied by a variety of breads. We sampled khamiri roti, Taftan dum pukth, warqi parathas, roghani roti, and with our starters we'd had the most delightful little sheermals.

Finally it was time for the biryani. Now I am mad about biryani and can have it for breakfast, lunch and dinner. This is probably the first time I didn't savour it because I was just too stuffed. Such a grand dinner was simply too much! I wish I was 18 again, I could have eaten it all and then some! But, stuffed as I was, I couldn't resist so I had a teeny bit anyway. I'm glad I did.

Fragrant rice, succulent pieces of lamb, what more does one want? A dash of mace, a splash of ittar and a whiff of kewra - it was all there. This is what makes a Bengali weep with joy and though I've grown up in Mumbai with a preference for the richer, more robust Hyderabadi style of biryani, the more sophisticated Avadhi style is growing on me. Another reason to come back to the Dum Pukth.

Since I have diabetes I don't pay much attention to the desserts. There was a saffron and pistachio kulfi, a variation of the gulab jamun called the shahed e jaam, and on demand, they also served Shahi Tukda (which is double ka meetha for the Hyderabadis). 

I did sip on the Hungarian dessert wine that was served but I found it too sweet. That is probably because I eat very little 'sweet' and am not used to the taste.  

The experience at the Dum Pukth was luxurious. One was cosseted and very well taken of. The staff was most sporting especially with all the manic photographing that went on all through the dinner and probably delayed things in the kitchen endlessly. I can understand that because we work the kitchen end ourselves and interruptions in the course of service are not what one really appreciates.

Dum Pukth. If a taste of a royal cuisine is what you are looking for, this is the place to find it.

Dum Pukth. ITC Maratha. Sahar, Mumbai.