Tag: Food Blog

Halloween Recipes from The Bristol, Gurgaon

Posted on by Aditi Malhotra

Halloween Recipes

These recipes are especially curated for us by Executive Chef Anil Dahiya, Bristol, Gurgaon

Born to a royal Jaat family where men were not commonly allowed into the kitchen, Executive Chef Anil Dahiya broke the rule and entered the culinary world with great enthusiasm. He started his hospitality journey in 1996, when he got his Diploma in Hotel Management from the Institute of Hotel Management , New Delhi. He began his career under their kitchen management scheme from the Oberoi hotels. He spent several years with the Oberoi hotels, followed by InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG), ITC and Lemon Tree Hotels. He is currently the Executive Chef of The Bristol Hotel, Gurugram.

Chef Dahiya has amassed a great deal of knowledge and developed numerous culinary skills, having worked with many renowned chefs such as Chef Vincent Joseph, Chef Michael Beechey, Chef Marshal and Chef Sadhu Rohilla.

He takes pride in creating and experimenting with new techniques and ingredients. Chef Dahiya loves to cook food in numerous ways, utilizing different unique techniques. He has appeared on various cooking shows on television such as “KUCH KITCHEN SE” on Sahara Samay on Sahara NCR.

Spider Cake

Ingredients for Cake Quantity

Unsalted Butter 110 gm

Cocoa Powder 3tbls

Chocolate Stout 140 ml

Light Brown Soft Sugar 170gm

Vanilla Extract 1tsp

Large Eggs 3

Melted and Cooled Dark Chocolate 100gm

Plain Flour 280gm

Bicarbonate of Soda 2tsp

Ingredients for White Chocolate Buttercream Quantity

Large Egg White 3

Caster Sugar 40gm

Unsalted Butter 360gm

White Chocolate 200 gm

To purists, this is not chocolate because it is made only from the fat or butter of the cacao… melted and cooled

Ingredients to decorate Quantity

White Mini Marshmallows 100gm

Black Sugar Paste 25gm

Method

  • Heat oven to 180C/160C fan/gas
  • Grease three 20cm round cake tins and line the bases with baking parchment.
  • Put the cocoa in a bowl, add 280ml boiling water and whisk until dissolved.
  • Pour in the stout, mix then well and set aside to cool.
  • In a stand mixer or a large bowl using an electric hand whisk, beat together the butter, both sugars and vanilla extract until light and fluffy (about 5 mins).
  • Add the eggs little by little, mixing until fully incorporated before adding more. Once all the egg has been added, spoon in the melted chocolate and mix to combine.
  • In another bowl, mix the flour, bicarb and 1/2 tsp salt. Add this mixture to the butter mixture in three stages, alternating with the stout mixture (which will be very runny).
  • Pour the batter equally between the prepared tins and bake for 25-30 mins until a skewer inserted into the cake comes out clean.
  • Leave to cool in the tins for 10 mins, and then turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely.
  • To make the buttercream, put the egg whites and sugar in a heatproof bowl and set over a pan of gently simmering water.
  • Stir with a whisk until the sugar has dissolved and the mixture is warm to the touch. Remove the bowl from the heat and beat with an electric hand whisk on high speed until the mixture has tripled in volume and has cooled down.
  • Slowly add the butter 1 tbsp at a time while continuing to whisk. Once all the butter has been added, the mixture should look glossy and thick
  • To assemble the cake, put one of the cake layers on a cake stand and top with a layer of buttercream. Repeat with the other two layers. Spread the remaining buttercream all over the cake, using a spatula or palette knife to smooth the sides. Chill for 1 hr or until the buttercream is firm.

 

To Decorate

  • Melt the marshmallows in a heatproof bowl set over a pan of simmering water, stirring from time to time.
  • Remove from the heat and put to one side for a few mins until the mixture is cool enough to handle.
  • Use your fingers to grab a small amount of the marshmallow and stretch it out to form long strands (dipping your fingers in vegetable or sunflower oil will help!)
  • Drape the strands over the cake in a random pattern, so it’s thoroughly covered.
  • Create a spider using the sugar paste (roll two balls, one bigger than the other, for the body, and thin strands for the legs) and place on top of the cake.

Mummy Dogs

Ingredients for Cake Quantity

Breadstick Dough Package refrigerated 11 Ounce

Hot Dogs 8

Mustard

Poppy Seed

Ingredients for Breadstick Dough Quantity

Warm Water 1cup

Brown Sugar 3tbsp

Salt 1tbsp

Oil 1⁄4cup

Bread Flour 3 cups

Yeast 2 1⁄2tbsp

Method

  • Make dough using your favorite method- bread machine, mixer or by hand
  • Preheat oven to 375°F Using 1 dough strip for each, wrap hot dogs to look like mummies, leaving an opening for eyes.
  • Place on ungreased baking sheet.
  • Bake 12 to 15 minutes or until light golden brown.
  • Place dots of mustard and poppy seeds for eyes and enjoy!

 

 

Halloween Recipes by Chef Om Nayak, Pasta Bowl Company

Posted on by Aditi Malhotra

CAPPELLACCI DI ZUCCA : Fresh Stuffed Pasta

Serves 5 portions

Ingredients

  • 5 eggs
  • 350 grams pasta flour, plus more for dusting
  • 1 tablespoon Olive oil for marination of Butter nut pumpkin
  • 1 garlic clove
  • 600 grams butternut pumpkin
  • 100 grams freshly grated parmigiano reggiano cheese
  • Freshly grated nutmeg
  • salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • 100 grams butter
  • Fresh sage leaves

Method

Making the Dough

  1. Mix Eggs, Flour and salt. Knead Well. About 3 mins should be ok. Keep it for 30 mins.

Making the Filling

  1. Preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C). Lightly oil a baking sheet. Peel and Cut the Pumpkin and scoop out the seeds and cut into small dices Bake the squash for 45 mins along with garlic or until well cooked
  2. Place it in a bowl, mesh it well, stir in the cheese and grate the nutmeg and some crushed pepper corns and mix well.

Making the Pasta

  1. Roll out the pasta dough very thin so as to literally see the yellowish filling inside
  2. Cut the pasta sheet into 2 ½ inch squares.
  3. Place 1 spoon of filling and stick the parallel ends together to form a triangle and then stick the other ends together for form the Cappellacci.
  4. In boiling water, cook Cappellacci for 3-4 mins approximately or Until firm or as they say “Al Dente”
  5. Melt the butter in a pan and add sage leaves
  6. Transfer Cappellacci to the pan, add few spoons of stock if needed.
  7. Check on the seasoning.
  8. Top up with some Parmesan Cheese. Serve Hot.

 

 

RISOTTO ALLA ZUCCA Italian Creamy Rice

Serves 5 portions

500 grams Arborio Rice

300 grams Roasted Butter Nut Pumpkin

120 grams Butter

100 grams Parmigiano Reggiano Cheese

2 grams rosemary leaves

2 cloves of Garlic

3 table spoon chopped Onion

1.25 ltr Stock

Salt

Pepper

 

Method

  • To the pan add butter, garlic and onions. Sauté till transparent
  • Add roasted Butternut Pumpkin and Arborio Rice
  • While stirring, keep adding stock in the batches of 250 ml each
  • Once half done add rosemary leaves
  • After adding all the stock OR nearing Rice being soft add Parmesan Cheese
  • Check Seasoning and add crushed black pepper
  • Serve Hot

 

Chef Om Nayak

 

Masala House- An outstanding culinary experience!

Posted on by Aditi Malhotra

Masala House serves as a perfect place to tantalise your taste buds with some Modern Indian Cuisine. Each and every item on the menu feels like hand picked and curated with a lot of dedication and detailing, both in terms of taste and presentation. Spread across two floors, the ambience is comfortable, cosy and inviting enough for you to spend some relaxed time gorging on good food in company of your family or friends.

Katafi Wrapped Achari Arbi and Asparagus Paddu were the first ones to appear on our table, one look at them and my confidence in the taste increased multifolds, as both the dishes looked extremely tempting. Even taste wise, both of them were great. I am not a big fan of arbi otherwise, but this one was really nicely done.

Dahi Kebab, Murg Luqmi, Kadi Patta Jheenga and Dill Salmon Tikka were the other starters we tried and again all of them were delicious. I personally enjoyed the Murg Luqmi and Dill Salmon Tikka the most.

Coming to the main course, there was a wide variety to choose from, but our selection included Amritsari Wadi Tarkari, Khatti Tadka Dal, Palak Moti, Pota Kaleji Shitake, Bafat Masala Fish, Moge Wala Kukkad, Dum Biryani and Chur Chur Naan Platters. I loved the chur chur naan platter, the non veg one, which had keema stuffed naans, which I relished with some dal makhani. The pota kaleji shitake was a unique dish with this combination of kaleji and mushrooms and it was really nice. Moge wala kukkad aka our very own butter chicken was good too, I loved the balanced flavours, so as that neither it was too sweet nor too spicy, but just the way it should be. Another dish that I really enjoyed was the palak moti, creamy palak gravy with creamier mascarpone cheese, it was delectable.

Desserts included Gajar Halwa Kunafa and Saffron Pear Malai Chaap, and once again, the presentation bowled me over. Taste wise I enjoyed the Gajar Halwa Kunafa more, though it could have been sweeter, but it was nice.

I really look forward to another foodie experience at Masala House, and I urge you to give it a try, I am sure you won’t be disappointed.
Masala House Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato

Halloween Cocktail Recipes by Leela Ambience Convention Hotel, Delhi

Posted on by Aditi Malhotra

Halloween is just around the corner, so what special are you drinking..?

Here are some interesting cocktail recipes for you to try and indulge in, so make the most of it and do share your feedback

Cocktails Recipes- Courtesy, Leela Ambience Convention Hotel, Delhi

Sangria (Red cocktail)

Ingredients Quantity

Red wine 120 ml

Cognac 15ml

Triple Sec 15 ml

Seasonal fruits as required

Method

  • Cut up the seasonal fruits into thin slices or wedges. Leave the peels on.
  • Transfer the cut fruit to a pitcher.
  • Uncork the Red Wine and pour it over the fruit.
  • Measure the Cognac and pour it into the pitcher as well.
  • Measure and pour triple sec into the pitcher.
  • Stir the Red Wine, Cognac, Triple Sec and fruit together.
  • Cover the pitcher and refrigerate for at least 4 hours, or preferably overnight. Sangria gets softer, sweeter, and much more delicious overnight in the fridge.
  • When ready to serve, top off the Sangria with sparkling water.
  • Stir gently to combine.
  • Taste and add more if desired. Scoop a few pieces of fruit into each glass when serving.

Witch’s Spell (Blue cocktail)

Ingredients Quantity

Vodka 45 ml

Blue curacao 15 ml

Lemon juice 5 ml

Orange juice 5 ml

Orange Spiral for garnish

Method

  • Measure and pour Vodka into the cocktail shaker.
  • Measure and pour Blue Curacao into the cocktail shaker.
  • Measure and pour Lemon Juice into the cocktail shaker.
  • Measure and pour Orange Juice into the cocktail shaker.
  • Mix the Vodka, Blue Curacao, Lemon Juice and Orange Juice together.
  • Garnish the top off the Witch’s Spell glass with orange Spiral.

The Leela Ambience Convention Hotel, Delhi commenced the ‘Dining with the Maharaja’ series with a taste of the royal cuisine from the city of Mahmoodabad

Posted on by Aditi Malhotra

The Leela Ambience Convention Hotel, Delhi never fails to impress its patrons as it continuously keeps bringing new innovations in terms of food experiences. Recently the Dilli 32 restaurant within the hotel celebrated the gloriously grand and royal cuisine of Mahmoodabad as its inaugural city.

The 16 day (30th September – 15th October) food festival is a part of the signature ‘Dining with the Maharajas’ series at the hotel. This series of culinary festivals has been especially created to celebrate and revive the love for the fabulously diverse range of dishes served in the royal households across India. The journey to the Quila of Mahmoodabad served as the perfect beginning to the festival. The melodious live performances by in-house Ghazal musicians at the hotel created an ambience that was similar to the one in the Mahmoodabad palace and facilitated an authentic experience for the guests. The ambience really was a big turn on for me, from upholstery, to the table decor, candle chandeliers to the crockery and utensils, each and every element reflected the era and theme.

The first pit stop on the ‘Dining with the Maharajas’ journey, Mahmoodabad, also known as the kingdom of ‘Oudh’ is situated in the heart of the holy city of Sitapur. To bring out the true flavours of each dish Chef De Cuisine Ashwani Kumar Singh himself travelled to the city to learn the art of recreating the royal dishes.

The refreshing imperial menu of Mahmoodabad offered its guests a lavish spread of signature dishes such as Kababs, Shorbas and Salans including specialties such as Murgh Mussallam, Gosht Makhana Kurma, Matter Latpata, Paneer Hazrat Mahal, Laab- i- Mashooq and much more. Each and every item was carefully chosen and spoke volumes about sheer dedication of Chef Ashwani Kumar to bring the cuisine alive on our tables. I personally loved Gole Kebab and Boti Kebab from the starters and Murg Mussallam, Paneer Hazrat and Noor Mahili Pulao the most from the mains menu. The spread was an elaborate one and still left me asking for more.

The dessert menu too was exceptionally good and I loved everything from the menu, but Shahi Tukda and Laab-I-Mashooq need special mentions and should not be missed at any cost.

With the tastes of this food festival still lingering on, I am already looking forward to the next attraction that Leela would bring in.

Everything You Need To Know About Baking With Almond Flour

Posted on by Aditi Malhotra

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Almond flour is nothing new; it’s been around for as long as wheat flour has, but it’s only in the past few years that it’s become a kitchen staple for many of us. The reason behind this sudden explosion of popularity is simple: almond flour is gluten free, which means it’s compatible with gluten free and Paleo diets — diets that have been all the rage in recent times.

The idea of using almond flour is attractive on the surface. There’s no gluten, which is great if you’re Celiac or have an intolerance. Almond flour is also, compared with wheat flour at least, more nutritionally-dense, so you get more goodness for the calories consumed. However, almond flour can also be tricky to handle — especially if you’ve never baked with it before.

If you’re tempted to give almond flour a go in place of wheat flour, then it’s a fairly simple swap when it comes to finding suitable recipes. If you can make something using wheat flour, you can generally substitute almond flour in place of wheat. However, almond flour requires something of a learning process. So, before you go diving into your recipes, here are a few vital facts you need to be aware of when it comes to using almond flour.

#1 – Watch Your Storage Temperature

Most of us store flour in the back of a kitchen cupboard, which is fine for wheat flour. It will also be fine for almond flour, but it’s not optimal. Almond flour keeps for longer and tends to taste better when it’s stored at low temperatures. Some users even say it’s easier to work with when cold-stored, too. So try and make space in your fridge, or even your freezer, so you can get the best results.

#2 – Use More Binding Agents

If you’re going to be making bread with your almond flour, the lack of gluten to bind the mixture is going to be very noticeable. The mixture will usually be runnier, resulting in very disappointing loaves. To counteract this, ensure you add more eggs or butter to compensate. This will likely lengthen your mixing time, so ensure you look into finding the best stand mixer for bread dough — or you might wind up with aching arms!

The lack of gluten is less noticeable on items that aren’t required to rise in the same way as bread. A good first bake with almond flour is sweet cookies; very little rise required, and gives you the chance to get used to the new flour experience.

#3 – Watch Your Calories

As mentioned, almond flour is nutritionally dense, making it generally better for you than wheat flour. However, you still need to know how many calories are in almond flour. Just because you’re using something that’s good for you doesn’t mean it’s not calorific. There are less calories in almond flour compared to wheat, but don’t be tempted to eat without consulting the calorific load — too much of a good thing is still too much!

So, have you ever been tempted to try baking with almond flour?

Love Minnions, a visit to The Minnions Cafe is a must!

Posted on by Aditi Malhotra

These cute little adorable Minnion characters have been loved by all age groups since long now. From stuff toys, to balloons, we even try to make them a part of our day to day life and if you love Minnions, The Minnion Cafe is just the place for you, and if you don’t love them, visit this cafe, and I am sure you will fall in love with both Minnions and the cafe.

Minnion cafe situated in the by lanes of Laxmi Nagar Market is like an underdog for cafes. It just opened a few months back and has been on a hype and to-visit list of many food enthusiasts. This hype is mostly due to the edge given to it by its owners, regarding the theme.

The ambience is quite innovative, with posters, paintings as well as a special wall portion for Minnions language dictionary. It gives a happy go lucky feel around the cafe which will appeal to children, youth and even elderly people. The vibes, the music, is all peppy and alive. The walls have been specially painted by hand and that rawness has its own appeal. They even have an area dedicated for playstation games which can be accessed for a very nominal amount. In fact the place is perfect to host private parties/birthday celebrations etc whether you have a small group of friends or a full-blown guest list.

Coming to food, the innovation has been kept in mind while developing the menu, simple things made with a twist are the highlight of the cafe.

For example, we tried the Nachos Pizza, Jalapeno Cheesy Poppers, Dhaba Maggi and Baked Paneer Tikka and each and every item was simply delicious. I highly recommend the Dhaba Maggi and Jalapeno Cheesy Poppers, they are not to be missed for sure. Try their amazing shakes to go along and I am sure you will enjoy this foodie experience to the core. Nutella Shake, Oreo Shake and Paan Mojito were the best and highly recommended.

Over all, I would not rate this place, rather visit it again. Which will tell you, how wonderful my experience was, that I am already planning my second delightful visit.

The Minnions Cafe Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato

Experiencing great North Indian food at The Yellow Chilli, Goa!

Posted on by Aditi Malhotra

When you are away from your home town, apart from missing your loved ones back home, you miss the typical home food the most. During my recent trips to Goa, one evening I was really missing the typical Indian food, especially the Dal Makhani and some Butter Naans and then I remembered The Yellow Chilli by Sanjeev Kapoor which is housed in the very famous Mall de Goa and I immediately jumped with joy, grabbed hold of my friends and we all headed straight to the restaurant.

The quirkiness of the places catches your attention immediately, with some amazing caricatures adorning the walls. The seating is casual dining type and is apt for families and youngsters both.

[easy-image-collage id=8245]

To begin with we settled for some Masala Papad, Dahi Ke Kebab, Tangra Chilly Paneer, Lehsuni Murg Tikka and Chanak Tawa Masala. The Chanak Tawa Masala was easily the best dish, nice and crispy fish with a flavourful masala and I simply loved it. The Lehsuni Murg Tikka was another delightful preparation, the chicken was mouth meltingly soft and the taste of garlic was just right.

Dahi Ke Kebabs were nicely done and I loved the small innovation of adding a bit of cheese in the centre, which tasted quite well. The Chilly Paneer was good, but could have been better, as the taste of salt and garlic overpowered everything else.

For drinks, we tried Jaljeera, Butterscotch Caramel and Tarbooza and all of them were good. I personally loved the Jaljeera, my friend ended up ordering the Butterscotch Caramel twice so I am very sure it would be awesome too.

For the mains we settled for Lalla Mussa Dal, a hot favourite at the Yellow Chilly and Ghee Roasted Chicken. Both the dishes were great, and we relished them with butter naans.

Bebinca with butter made for our dessert and it was delicious. You can’t miss on trying a bebinca especially when in Goa. Overall it was a great experience of having typical North Indian food in Goa and satiating my taste buds to the fullest. So when in Goa do try the Yellow Chilly and I am sure you will love it.

The Yellow Chilli Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato

Dakshin Food Festival at Crowne Plaza Rohini!

Posted on by Aditi Malhotra

The word Dakshin, by default doesn’t excite me much, because I am not a big fan of South Indian Cuisine, but recently when my foodie friends decided to visit the DAKSHIN Food Festival at Crowne Plaza Rohini, I reluctantly agreed. I am so glad that I actually went, because my perception of the Dakshin food changed completely, it was so so good that I can actually now say that I relished it.

The spread was an elaborate one and offered wide variety of dishes for both vegetarians and non-vegetarians. I tried quite few things and I have to admit that I loved each one of them. Some of them need a special mention, The Rawa Fish was an amazing preparation, crispy outer coating to an otherwise tender fish, it just melted in mouth. Chonka Idly, Maysore Bonda and Paneer 65 were other delightful preparations. I loved the tiny tiny crisp idly a lot. Mulagu Vada too was a delectable dish and so were Chicken 65 and Meen Pollichathu.

Then we tried the Veg Stew with Appam and it was simply delicious. Rasa Omelette was a dish that stood out for its awesome flavours. Ulli Theeyal Mutton and Mangalorian Fish Curry were relished with Malabari Paranthas and trust me they were drool worthy.

After a hearty platter of desserts, we ended our culinary trip to Dakshin, without having to go their actually and enjoyed ourselves to the core. Now I can say that I look forward to more such festivals and I am extremely open to explore more South Indian dishes.

Experiencing Culinary Delights at Auro Kitchen & Bar!

Posted on by Aditi Malhotra

Auro Kitchen & Bar, nestled in Aurobindo Market, Hauz Khas is surely one of the coolest places you will come across. With a huge terrace to spend some cosy time, they have an equally spacious interior seating as well. Even if the weather isn’t too fantastic to sit outside, the mist fans do the job and make it up the heat and humidity. For those who wanna try their various varieties of Hookah, by default will have to sit outside and enjoy both the weather and the hookah along with some scrumptious food and drinks.

This time around as I was with a vegetarian friend, and also for a change, I too gave non-veg a skip and I don’t regret it at all, as the food was great.

To begin with we ordered, Char Grilled Potatoes, small jacket potatoes cooked with tandoori masala which was spicy and topped with creamy cheese, this surely was one delectable dish. The spiciness of tandoori masala was perfectly balanced by the cheese and it was a match made in heaven.

Next we tried Paneer 65 Sliders and they were truly amazing. Spicy paneer 65 in soft buns, this made for a delightful dish and should definitely be given a try, I am sure even the non vegetarians will love it.

The mushroom Ranikhet was another amazing preparation, mushroom paste, truffle oil, matahari ranikhet cheese and mozzarella over a flat bread, though for my liking the mushroom taste was slightly overpowering, but nevertheless the dish was unique and can surely be given a try.

Truffle Kulcha and Wild Mushroom Seekh Kebabs totally compensated for the non-veg craving, because the mushroom seekh kebabs tasted just like mutton kebabs and were very soft and tender.

For drinks, I settled for Orange Thyme, an orange based mocktail which was quite refreshing, whereas I sipped 2-3 cocktails which my friend had ordered, Passioned Secret Tea, a whiskey based cocktail with bourbon and this was really nice. Other was The Union, a vodka based cocktail with pomegranate and I liked this one too.

While gorging upon the starters and slurping away the drinks, we really werent too hungry for a main course, yet we wanted to try something from the menu. We settled for Masala Cottage Cheese and were so glad that we ordered it. Cottage Cheese chunks cooked in rich tomato gravy served with paranthas, made for an amazing dish and I really recommend it to all my vegetarian friends. You will surely love it.

Overall, Auro was a great foodie experience and I look forward to visit the place again with my friends and family.