Yummyness

Prawns or Shrimps (the difference is more linguistic than taxonomic, the British calls them Prawns while the Americans prefer Shrimp; I use the terms interchangeably) are perhaps my favorite aquatic things to cook with.  Packed with high-quality proteins, minerals and bit of good fat, their mellow taste and bouncy texture make them a one-of-a-kind guilt free indulgence. They cook super fast and hardly require any prep work, making them the perfect comfort food when you’re in a hurry. A kitchen all-rounder, their likable yet subtly sweet flavor beautifully adapts to nearly everything – from a citrusy Ceviche to rich Butter Pepper Garlic and fiery Indian coastal curries. In my opinion, the affordable small to medium sized ones pack more flavor than the showy Tiger prawns. However, all this simplicity comes with a price - Prawns are deceivingly difficult to get just right. By just right, I mean – plump, juicy and bursting with a taste of the waters they came from. To mast...

North Campus, Delhi University - look beyond the affordable cafes, cult college canteens and fast food chains teeming with students, and discover some of the legends of classic Delhi food in this part of town. Stalwarts of their craft, these guys have stood the test of time and fed generations of Dilliwallas; they would undoubtedly figure amongst the best places in the city for their food. Chhole Bhature at Chacha di Hatti, Kamla Nagar Any Delhite worth his salt has a favourite Chhole Bhature place; some swear by Sitaram in Paharganj, while others patronise Lala in Lajpat Nagar. I am an out and out Chache da fan.  A landmark in Kamla Nagar, Chache Di Hatti has been dishing out lip smacking, Rawalpindi style Chhole Bhature for over half a century. Come lunch time and a serpentine queue spills out on to the road, as hordes of locals, students and university staff descend upon the tiny eatery. Not a place to ponder over what to order, you grab a plate of Chhole, Hari...

I attended by my first Hyderabad Write Club meet at Lamakaan last Saturday. HWC is an offshoot of the Bangalore Write Club, and follows the concept of bringing together established and aspiring writers to hone their skills.  Image from SoDelhi.com Late by an hour, I joined in just as the group was beginning their writing exercise. It was centred around the theme of human senses. After a brief, but insightful, conversation on the many human senses we take for granted everyday we were given the challenge of writing a short story around one of them. A fishpot was passed around with a bunch of chits. Each chit was inscribed with a line to help us get started. I picked one which read, “I saw the pots”. Almost instantaneously, a nightmare unfolded in my mind and I penned a story extempore. Here’s what I wrote. I saw the pots I drove past the ramparts of the Old Fort. Fondly called Purana Qila, Shergarh Fort or Sher Fort is said to predate Delhi's more famous Red fort i...

Gwalior - a city whose fate passed from one dynasty to another through the ages - from the Tomars through the Mughals to the present-day monarch-turned politicians, the Scindias. The influence of this historical game of thrones is as vividly visible on its food as it is on the walls of its imposing fortress. While the typical artery-clogging staples of the Northern Plains - Bedai, Boondi Ladoo and Kachoris vindicate its geographic location, the ubiquitous carts peddling Poha, Dabeli and even Vada Pao attest to the Maratha heritage of its last monarchs. Dining out in Gwalior would be incomplete without hogging on rich Mughlai Qormas and Kebabs at some of its old school restaurants like Kwality and Volga.  After arriving in the region for an official assignment last winter (here’s how ), I soon took a liking to Gwalior. As the mustard fields turned from green to a sea of yellow, finally withering away into the dust, my days in the city led to an evolution of my own. Her...

Source: Wikipedia I woke up one Sunday to the tune of my phone's ringtone. My boss' name was flashing on the screen. It couldn't mean anything but trouble. It took me about 10 minutes to comprehend and, the rest of the day hence, to accept what I had just heard. I was about to be unceremoniously shipped off to Bhind, Madhya Pradesh on an official assignment.  I am usually game for taking a break from the monotony of my cubicle and exploring new cities but, this one was a bummer. Because,  I was going to Bhind. Maybe if it was Mumbai, Delhi, Pune or pretty much any place I had heard good things about, I could overlook all the above points and be happy about it. But it was BHIND, of the Chambal Dacoits fame. Deserted, cold and dangerous, it fizzled the wanderlust out of me Touchdown and Transformation Fast forward one week, my initial despair had all but vanished. The gloom surrounding my well being was replaced by the bubbly excitement of exploring the re...

Image credit: justhungry.com Ever since I first came across Soba Noodles last year at Dahlia in Chennai, it has become my favorite rendition of carbohydrates. I remember chomping down the chewy light brown noodles in between slurps of Miso and bites of Prawn Tempura. The noodles had a subtle nutty flavor and held their own in front of all that umami and crunchy shellfish. It was love at first bite.  Soba is made (mostly) from Buckwheat flour. Wheat flour is also added sometimes, to stabilize the dough with gluten during the rolling process. Sadly, I am yet to come across 100% Buckwheat Soba or  Juwari Soba  at Asian stores in India. The Buckwheat flour gives Soba its characteristic milk-chocolate brown color and an earthy, nutty flavor. These noodles  don't  give in easily when you chew, whilst not being hefty like Udon. Gluten free and with almost half as much calories as regular noodles, Soba...

Image source: IFCA Facebook page Image credit: Sharanya Chander “Press the rice as gently, as you would press your lover’s palm!” quipped Chef Hirotoshi Ogawa as he tactfully shaped a lump of vinegared rice for a Nigiri. The deft and graceful movement of his hands held me in a trance, much like the mudras of an Odissi dancer.  Chef Hirotoshi Ogawa teaches at the All Japan Sushi Association and was conducting a Sushi workshop at the International Chef's Conference, IFCA 2015. His face shone with sweat as he surgically sliced through a hunk of tuna, with hardly a glance at it. He was streaming out every step in great detail in a flurry of Japanese, made comprehensible by his adept translator Ruchi Naithani Chinoy. The twinkle in his eyes, when he spoke about Sushi immediately reminded me of Jiro-san of the legendary 3-Michelin starred Jiro’s. I, sadly, have only laid eyes upon Jiro and his masterful creations in the Essential-watch-for-every-Sushi-lover movie, Jiro Drea...