February 2007

I have been hearing that some people are reading my blog but I am not getting any comments. I wish that would change. As I had mentioned earlier, blogging in a vacuum is not fun. The comments can be mean or nice - that is not the point, as long as I have something coming in. So here is my appeal once again. And please spread the word.

Having said that I was told by a neice of mine whose brother's wedding I attended in India that I didn't talk about the food. I remember saying in one of my posts that I would get to it. One thing that was true of all the food we ate at any of the functions was that there was plenty of it. From a caterer point of view I was not thrilled with the presentation of the appetizers. Everything was in these warm plates with candles underneath to keep things warm. I would change that. I am all for the keeping of the food warm but I am sure there is a better way than to dump all the food in a bowl. So that is definitely one thing that I am going to change when I open my catering company in India.
Now I think this is the first time that I am mentioning this on my blog that I intend on moving to India next year and open a catering company along with a recreational cooking school. So the presentation was one thing that was lacking.
The type of items was plentiful, I can't remember all things off the top of my head but there was a lot of chicken tikka and paneer tikka and some mini corn thing. Potato cooked in a tandoor marinated in yogurt was a big one. It was something I haven't had before and might borrow at my company except I would garnish it with some chives and lay them individually on a tray instead of throwing them all in a pile.
All this should certainly not be taken as me saying the food was poor because it certainly wasn't, just needed some visual tweaking. Cliche coming up, but we really do eat with our eyes first. Maybe it would be a good idea for me to first start a consulting company that teaches people on how to present food. And garnishes, no sign of them anywhere.
Now to the main dinner. That was another story. Before I describe it I have to say the best thing I ate was not at my nephew's wedding but the wedding of one of our old neighbor. They made this paneer dish that was just to die for. I had finished eating when I saw this thing of wonder on other peoples' plate. When I realized what it was I rushed to stand in the food line again and took copious amounts of this paneer that was smothered in this creamy pinkish red sauce. Heaven, heaven, heaven. This is what I remember the paneer being like at all the wedddings that I had attended when I lived in India. I remember loving this dish so much that I would wake up the next morning wishing that I had eaten more than I did.
Hmmm. Well, that was that. The dinner buffets were lavish and had many types of things to offer. A couple of curries, vegetables, rice and the best part was that most people had a person or two making fresh bread. That was excellent since bread has the tendency of getting soggy when cold and this took care of that. There was a salad bar with various chopped salads and this thing called a Russian Salad that I grew up with. It is nothing but boiled vegetables in mayonnaise. May not sound appealing but it has a lot of nostalgic appeal. Oh, there was also a lentil or two and then there was dessert. I have never been someone who pays much attention to sweets but had to try some. Carrot Halva, Gulam Jamun, Kulfi with Falooda sometimes and even Caramel Custard once. All pretty good.
So my overall assessment of these buffets, pretty good but standard nonetheless.
I hope I haven't bruised any sensibilities.
Would love to hear about it.

February 2007

I was at Starbucks, my office a couple of days ago and wrote 2 posts that I lost. Was extremely frustrated. So I am going to try again. And no, I am not at a Starbucks right now - I am at my home office.

So I mentioned that I had a sushi lunch the other day. Something that I didn't realize that I had missed so much until I had it. There are a few sushi restaurant in Delhi now but couldn't find anyone to go with me. I did have what was called sashimi at a restaurant called Nu Delhi. Its a french restaurant but the menu said otherwise. I hate to see menus that are a mile long. Having worked in kitchens and eaten in good restaurants, the longer the menu the lower the standards are, in my opinion. Anyway, this place had an appetizer that said Sashimi in their special sauce or marinade. I had to try it even though it was hopelessly over priced. It was not revelatory but it did seem a bit odd to me to be sitting in the middle of Delhi and eating raw fish - even if it was quite "overcooked" in the acid. It was not all that bad. I am still here to tell the story - so how bad could it have been. I might be sounding derogatory to some diehard delhite but I hate from that city too and am used to eating chaat or going to a hotel for chinese food when we went out to eat. There weren't the choices that there are now like Mediterranean, Lebanese, French and American. So don't blame me for my surprise.

I was also complaining in my lost post that I am not getting as many comments as I would like. It is really tough blogging in a vacuum. Please comment and please spread the word. In 6 months I intend on being listed on the Epicurious website's blogs to read. Help me get there.

Until next time.

February 2007

Just lost a long post. Mad, mad, mad

February 2007

Today is my last day in India. I have been here for almost 2 months. I can't wait to get back to NYC even though this was an absolutely terrific trip. The first thing that I am going to have when I get home is a cup of coffee and a bagel with cream cheese and smoked salmon. Then that evening I am going to have a plateful of ripe cheeses with crackers and a french baguette. The next day will start a cleansing process of eating just fruits and vegetables. I have committed many an act of decauchery (eating wise), not one that I regret but life has to get back to normal. The gym shall be visited too; I will be sure to post on how that goes.
What is the food that you miss most when you are travelling?

I know I haven't posted for quite a few days but I have been having trouble with finding a fast enough and reliable internet connection. That is another thing that I will be immensely grateful for when I get back and that is an internet connection at all times and almost anywhere.

I am coming back to India in March and would love to hear feedback and requests about what to blog about when I get back.

Until then.
See you in New York.

Until we eat again!

January 2007

My camera has been stolen. So those photographs that I promised will just have to wait until I find it or arrange for another one. I am quite upset and depressed about it but such is life I guess.

So the eating frenzy continues. Went to another wedding last night and the food was all vegetarian. At first, I was deceived into thinking that it was meat since they were peddling (i know, i know - offering is what i should be saying) things such as chicken tikka and kebabs but later found out that it was all different versions of tofu. Tofu galore I will call the evening. It got to be a bit much and so we decided to go to a neighboring restuarant that served Indian Chinese food. We all trapsed in there and ordered Chicken Corn Soup. It was so so, not the best that I have had. Was missing some of the inherent sweetness that corn provides. Then we had some prawns that were succulent and some chicken and pork ribs which were delicious. There were big chunks of fat attached to the ribs which made them mouth meltingly divine and yummy. We were stuffed to the hilt and were not even able to get to the main course which were Chili Garlic noodles. As soon as we saw it at the table we asked them to pack it up had them for breakfast this morning. Nothing like cold chinese food for breakfast.
Lets see where the day takes me today. I will sure to report about all the food I partake of today.
Until then. Please, please send me some comments.

Until we eat again!

January 2007

Going for another round of the afore-mentioned chaat. Looking forward to it. Had a big breakfast but should have enough room in a couple of hours to enjoy the chaat.

So are there any childhood foods that you crave? What are they and how often are you able to get your hands on them. Lets get the conversation going here.

January 2007



In the last couple of days I went to two catered affairs in Delhi. The first was a wedding reception and the other was a wedding anniversary celebration. One of the two was clearly my favorite and thus the winner. There were atleast a dozen appetizers being passed around by servers. It was all Indian and quite good. There was Chicken Tikka and Green Pea Kebabs (which I liked very much and was unusual). There was also soup, which was quite bad I hate to say. The appetizers were hot, plentiful and provided most of the respite from hunger. By the time dinner was unveiled at the first event I was quite full but that hasn't stopped me in the past - so what was different on this day? I took a plate and started to make my way down the buffet. There were the obligatory salads which I generally stay away from except the Russian Salad which was a childhood favorite. I had to indulge in that one. All it is is boiled vegetables like carrots, peas and potatoes slathered in mayonnaise. Quite simple and not too appealing to some but for me it carries a load full of childhood memories. And how can you go wrong with anything that is slathered in copious amounts of mayonnaise?
Moving down the buffet line there were the curries - lamb and chicken and then some sauteed stuff with paneer and chicken. There was dal and some vegetables. The thing I liked most was that fresh breads were being prepared to order. Tandoori naan and parathas and missi rotis. Also roomali roti. That was quite a treat and I enjoyed that part of the meal the most.
So this buffet was done and over with. To be fair I will say that I had had more than my share of the appetizers and probably didn't do much justice to the dinner but I have taste buds and this wasn't the best food I've had.

The second was a lunch yesterday at a farm house. The setting was beautiful and so was the day. A nice sunny afternoon. The appetizers started and they were quite good and also as plentiful as the last event. There were seekh kebabs, chicken tikka, mushrooms, tandoori stuffed potatoes and more. Once again, I had to try it all and more than once or twice. This time when lunch was set I still had enough of an appetite to enjoy the lunch. I was told that the focus was on Kashmiri food. Some I was familiar with and some not. There were these meatballs where the meat was way too pulverized for my taste. Almost like a bad hot dog. Then there was this chicken curry in a white sauce redolent with whole spices like cinnamon and cardamom. The rice was beautifully cooked. There was paneer prepared on a large skillet and leg of mutton that was luscious and falling off the bone. There was haleem which is lentils and meat cooked together for a long time to form a creamy and silky concoction. They also had breads prepared to order and then these gulati kebabs, which if I am not mistaken are little morsels of minced meat cooked on a skillet. Crispy on the outside and creamy on the inside. Very nice indeed.
That was the delicious lunch - far superior to the dinner of the other night. A good introduction to the caterers of Delhi that I hear are plentiful.
It is my plan to move to India some day and open a catering company of my own. I will not do too much Indian food as there seem to be plenty other people doing a good job of it. I intend on offering a variety of other cuisines and focusing on the service and presentation which I wasn't impressed with.
So that's the plan and that's the description of my two catered affairs that I attended.

January 2007

Random thoughts about my dining experiences in India

Most meals are had with a companion. Now that may be because I am on vacation and am always surrounded by family - but as a rule ... at least one meal is had with family. The other thing that I noted was that almost every meal is freshly prepared that day from scratch. This is probably the case since all households have help and the prep if not the cooking is done by the help. That encourages most people to eat fresh meals everyday. There is also some unconscious Ayurvedic traditions at play here since it is suggested that all food is alive and thus should be eaten at its prime. Refrigerated, and especially frozen food is frowned upon.

Thinking to my life back in the United States, I am certainly not going to employ a cook or a person to cut my vegetables but I can surely try to eat a freshly cooked meal everyday or every other day. Also, all the food eaten starts off in its natural form in that the carrot is freshly peeled and the chicken is probably freshly killed. No packets and cans here - which adds to the healthful properties of the meal.
Eating with another person has to be important too. One actually takes the time to lay the table and the sense of sharing and well being prevails.

I probably cannot dramatically change my lifestyle when I get back to the states but I can surely incorporate a few of the above in my daily meal times.

Until we eat again.

January 2007

So the chaat was quite nice. One of the biggest complaints I have about the chaat these days is the sanitization of it. As opposed to getting it on the streets like the days of yore, one eats chaat in brick and mortar buildings now. Some of the charm, atleast for me is lost in the process. But what can one do. Atleast the chaat thrives and that is what is more important to me.

We went to this place called Om Sweets after seeing another store we originally wanted to go closed. We sat down and ordered a few things. Papri chaat was the first to come. This is fried flats of chickpea dough, doused in tamarind chutney, yogurt, boiled potatoes and more chickpeas. It is also sprinkled with some indescribeable spices which will never be revealed by the proprietor. Dry mango powder and cayenne is my guess. We enjoyed the crunchy chaat with the tangy tamarind and the cooling yogurt. Quite delicious sans the grimy hands of the man on the street.
Next we had the Raj Kachori. What this is - is an over-sized fried dough ball about 5 to 6 inches big. It is placed smack in the middle of the plate and is then stuffed with sprouted green lentils, boiled potatoes, chickpeas and the tamarind and yogurt sauces. Quite good and eerily similar to the Papri Chaat. This is a fairly new concoction. Didn't exist when I was last here about 10 years ago. Good development nevertheless.
Now on to Channa Bhatura. This is a delicious chickpea dish cooked in dark spices like cinnamon, cloves and cardamom. It is all simmered for quite some time until the spices have immersed themselves into the chickpeas and developed this rich, luscious dark sauce that coats the chickpeas. It is garnished with fresh cilantro, raw red onions and green chillies. It is served with these fried pillows of love, as I think of them. It is white flour that is kneaded and fried into large poori like bread. It is different from pooris in that they are more doughy and a tad sour with the yeast in the dough. A very delicious lunch any given day.
The next dish is a bit hard for me to describe. This is Mattar Kulcha. Now the mattar part of the dish is dried green peas cooked with some mellow spices. It is garnished similarly to the above described channa. This dish has major childhood romantic value. The man that sold this treat - yelled outside on the street every few days to get our attention. He placed his make shift stand down and atop it a big pot of these mattars that simmered for hours. I had to negotiate with my mother and promise her that it wouldn't ruin my dinner and that I would study extra hard the next day. The kulcha part is similar to the Bhatura - but it is not fried. I believe it is steamed and then baked-not to be quoted at this time. I have recently acquired this encyclopedia of Indian food that I shall be referring to often and reporting back.
That was lunch. A very worthy trip despite the sanitized surroundings.

Until we eat again.

January 2007

I am in India these days on holiday. Have returned after 10 years and there are many changes for me to experience and of course a lot of food for me to consume. The traditional food remains the same. I thank God for that. Some new fangled European restaurants have sprung up. More on those later. Right now I want to talk about chaat. This is India's quintessential street food. Say the word Chaat to anyone in India and they begin to salivate and look around to see what awaits them on the street corner. There are many kinds of chaat. Much like all Indian food it varies by region. I was in Bombay a few weeks ago and Bhel Puri and Pav Bhaji is the thing to have. I am in Delhi now and Gol Gappas and Papri and Tikkis are what I am about to have for lunch. I can't wait.

January 2007

Happy New Year. This is the first day of the rest of my blog. I have wanted to blog for several months now-enjoying many specimens of very good blogging and some not so good blogging. Wanted to join the bandwagon but one thing or the other kept stopping me. But today I woke up with a resolve that has brought me to this post.
I hope you will join me in my journey of all things food. I would love to hear from you regularly - the good, the bad and the out right rude. Bring it on. I am a big girl and I am sure that I can handle it.

So what do I intent to do with this blog?

I have no set ideas as of yet except that it will involve food every step of the way. What I eat, what I am about to eat, what I would love to eat. There will be no recipes or reviews per se, but once in a while if I come across something exceptional that I think you will enjoy - I will be sure to post it.
This blog will evolve with me and the times. Lets see where the journey takes me and I hope you join me along the way.