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Tag: Indian Food

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.

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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

Back to University with Leela Ambience Convention Hotel!

Posted on by Aditi Malhotra

Wanna revisit college days, head straight to Leela Ambience Convention Hotel, and in case you have missed eating the typical canteen food, the Back to University Food Festival at Leela, will help you recreate those memories again.

The ambience really catches your eyes the moment yo enter Cafe Knosh, with a huge gold spot bottle forming the centre piece and scholar hats and degrees hanging on the ceiling and blackboards on the walls.  A nice bus stop, sports zone and cycles, trophies shelf and loads of interesting artistic decor really brings the college life magic alive.

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Loved a Tapri Chai Thela, which served some cutting chai along with age old rusk and cookies. It was like a Deja Vu, remembering number of times we went for tea and biscuits to a near by thela and enjoyed simple things of life chatting away with friends.

The food has been inspired from various colleges across Delhi and typically served specialities from all these colleges. Like Rajma Chawal and Dosa from Hansraj College, Egg Fried Rice and French Fries with Mint Chutney from Ramjas, Minced Cutlets, Omelletes and Chicken Curry from St Stephan’s, Chole Bhature from SRCC and so on.

We tried Vada Pao, which was nice, crispy and spicy. I really liked it. Next on my plate was a piping hot Mattar Samosa, which was delicious. The stuffing of potatoes and peas was perfectly done and was very flavourful. You can’t afford to miss this one. Relish it with a glass of cutting chai and you will experience sheer bliss.

Then came one of the best dishes of the evening, the chicken sliders. Juicy chicken patty in soft buns, it was mouth meltingly delicious and again a must try.

We tried both Chicken Maggie and Masala Maggie, I mean how can you ignore Maggie in college days, its been a lifeline for most of the people and one dish which has evolved so much in taste. I mean the typical masala maggie is actually a legacy of colleges and at Leela, the same tastes were recreated, I personally enjoyed the Masala Maggi more.

We also relished some Crispy Fried Fish with Tartar Sauce and Paneer and Chicken Tikka and all of them were delectable and perfectly done. This is something that at least I didn’t get in my college days, changing times.. but I am glad I could experience it this way!

Then we came down to trying a plate of Kadhi Chawal and Chicken Curry Rice, a staple diet for many in college time. I still remember how we used to crave Rajma Chawal and Kadhi Chawal and the days Chicken was served was a boon. I loved the typical way of how Kadhi Chawal and Chicken Curry Rice were served here, nothing fancy, steel plate, rice topped with gravy and some onions and voila, you are good to gorge upon those plates.

Apart from trying these college legendary dishes, if you have appetite for more, Cafe Knosh serves an amazing spread of buffet that you can lay your hands on along with this special menu

I thoroughly enjoyed this REWIND.. BACK TO UNIVERSITY concept as those are the best days of anyones life and who doesn’t want to revisit them again. SO catch hold of your friends and head straight to Leela Ambience Convention Hotel to indulge in some great food and create new memories. The festival is on till 13th August so make the most of it!

 

 

Secrets in the Spice Mix- Book Launch by Pankaj Bhadouria at Piali, CP

Posted on by Aditi Malhotra

Pankaj Bhadouria, has been a household name ever since she won the title of first Master Chef India, and there has been no looking back for her. Her constant growth in terms of her cooking skills and her overall persona has been an inspiration to many women who used to think that cooking is only a duty and not a passion that can turn your life around. But Pankaj has proved her mettle over and over again, and more recently by launching her 5th book, she not only proves her capabilities as a chef but also tries touching a million chords by giving her readers exactly what they need.

Food is synonymous to breath for her and spices are the essence of it. Her journey of teaching kids in a classroom to teaching young chefs and cooks the art of making food is one of its kind. Right after winning the competition she has come to the world imparting her culinary skills to the world through the form of shows or books.

The right blend of spices is crucial to Indian cooking and it’s the combination of different spices that make some dishes so hard to resist. India’s First MasterChef Pankaj Bhadouria has identified around 50 such spice mixes with a tantalizing recipe following each spice mix which can be made at home. With 4 books to be acclaimed for, Pankaj’s 5th book, The Secrets in the Spice Mix, helps you make these wonderful spices at the comfort of your home and infuse some authentic flavours to your everyday cooking.

Chosen Piali, The Curry Bistro, as the venue for launch of her book, Panjak went on to conduct a live cooking session as well.

Piali’s menu is one of its kind and what makes it different is the class of curry and the spices that go into making them what they are! One such dish on the menu is the Thai Curry. Pankaj not only shared her secret spices and signed the books for her followers but also demonstrated the cooking of the Thai curry live for the present audience.

“I am really excited to be launching my secrets at Piali and the following live cooking session. I am happy to be able to share them with my audiences and where better than a place which savors the spices the most!” said an eager Pankaj.

Upon being asked what her favourite cuisine and dish was, she said it without any apprehensions that her favourite cuisine for sure is Indian, and she loves home cooked Khichdi, for the simplicity of the dish. Here is a glimpse of the event coverage right from the Piali’s Facebook Page.

She is such a down to earth person, that meeting her overtime, leaves me inspired totally. She fills me with so much of gratitude and warmth. I wish Pankaj all the success for her book, and stay tuned, will be sharing the book review and a recipe from it soon as I am currently reading my personally signed copy of the book, and in my kitchen trying the recipes.

 

 

Tasty Thursdays…Select Recipes from Indo-Japan Food Forum

Posted on by Aditi Malhotra

Recently the first ever Indo- Japan Food Forum took place at the Assocham where in collaboration of Japanese food in India was the highlight. As everyone cant be a part of such events, we bring to you some of the selected recipes that were created specially for the event which have an essence of both Indian and Japanese Food. Enjoy

And here is a little about the people behind these amazing recipes..

Nawabi Food Festival @Ardor2.1 with MasterClass by Chef Dinesh Patel

Posted on by Aditi Malhotra

Ardor 2.1 recently organised a Nawabi Food Festival, serving delicacies of Lucknow & Hyderabad and the highlight of the event was a masterclass conducted by none other than Master Chef India finalist Chef Dinesh Patel.

The Master Class started by the chef preparing Khubani Ka Meetha, which is an authentic Hyderabadi sweet dish. While preparing the dish, chef Dinesh freely interacted with an even more enthusiastic audience, who kept asking different questions to the chef.

Must say that the presentation of the dish was fabulous, and it looked so very tempting that we found it hard to wait, trying it.

After the master class, we all settled for relishing the Nawabi dishes with live Ghazals being performed in front of us, there was an elaborate spread of food and some specially curated cocktails and mocktails to go along with the cuisine.

Laal Mirch Bhuna Chooza and Lucknawi Chaamp were amazing. The mutton chop especially was one of the highlight dishes. Mutton Ki Gilafi Seekh and Mahi Ka Tukda too were amazing, the mutton seekh was tender and juicy and the fish tikka was very well prepared. Mutton Galauti though could have been better. There were options for vegetarians as well like Paneer Tikka Tilla, Chutney Bharwa Aaloo, Hyderabadi Khumb and Nawabi Broccoli.

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Even the main course was delectable. I tried the Nawabi Murg Korma and Tawa Subz, then there was Paneer Lababdar and Dal Sahi Makhmali. The food for sure was good, but I wish the service was a little better, but I give it to Ardor still because I have been there otherwise also and they have never disappointed me. In desserts I had the Dal Halwa and Rabdi and both of them were nice, but I liked the Halwa more.

Drinks were good too and I specially loved the Jaljeera based mocktail, though the original menu had a jaljeera cocktail but I got myself without alcohol and it was fabulous. Aampana and Thandai were good too.

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Like I mentioned though service was a little disappointment this time around, but Suveet’s (the owner) hospitality made up for it and I am sure it will be looked into with immediate effect. We were also given a Sweet Nawabi Gift as a kind gesture by him and I wish him and the entire Ardor team all the best for their future endeavours. I would also like to thank Sachin Sahni and Sonal Mahendru, who organised the event with Ardor, for inviting me to be a part of such an event.

And in the end all I can say is Nawabi Food Festival or No Nawabi Festival, you can surely head to Ardor 2.1 for some lip smacking food anytime during the month and you won’t be disappointed.

8 Stalls serving awesome regional food at Dilli Haat- Be the tourist in your own city..!!

Posted on by Aditi Malhotra

Exploring regional food is always an interesting thing to do and when you get a chance to indulge in some awesome regional food from across regions under one roof, with a great ambience and loads of shopping options, its a pure bliss. So head straight to Dilli Haat and you get to do all of this, and here is handy list of 8 stalls that you should not miss..

Read More…

Grills on Fire @ The Ancient Barbeque

Posted on by Sunil Malhotra

The Ancient Barbeque hosted a preview of their Grills on Fire festival specially curated by Chef Ashish Massey, Director, The Ancient Brabeque, along with Rohini T Chawla, Masterchef top 12 contestant, Sadaf Hussain, Masterchef , Top 10 contestant and Majid Khan, Biryaniwala discovered by HT City.


Held on the terrace on a warm winter afternoon the setting was absolutely right for A Fiery Feast of Barbeque delights. The entire space was filled with mouth drooling aromas, I mean you just could not ignore it and felt automatically hungry.
There were 26 starters both Non Veg n Veg to be savoured along with some wine and beer and each one of them was a delight. Practically it won’t have been possible to try all 26 of them so we ended up tasting most of the non-vegetrarian variety.


They started with the Brazilian Churrasco Chicken which was grilled to perfection with a right balance of spices.
Then there were the Murg Asafjahi, Mexican Chicken Wings with Hot Sauce, Butter Biryani Chicken and all of them were absolutely delicious. My mouth waters even as I write about them.


Then there were the Mutton Galouti with Ulta Tawa Paratha which were simply mind blowing. Really soft and juicy.
The Mutton Barra was a real treat. The chops were tender and a superb marination enhanced the flavours.
The Kasundi Mahi Tikka, Patrani Machi, Drunken Fish and Prawn Verde were a gourmet’s delight. After trying so much I really could not figure out which one ended up being the best, because all of the dishes were one better than the other.
Tandoori Chicken Momos were another fine creation. Each and every dish served was just simply awesome.


Kudos to all the Chefs, they did a fabulous job with food, their hard work was visible and definitely paid off.
A special mention on the Veg staters which we tried, Brazilian Churrasco Pineapple, Dal Harimirch ki Shammi and Tandoori Chinese Dahi ke Sholey were extraordinary. Even the Tandoori Bhutta looked so tempting.

This entire experience was not just a foodies delight, but to say the least, it was a visual delight too, in fact it evoked all the five senses, the visual beauty, the tastes, the aromas, the sizzles and the warmth.. truly everything was beautiful.

They also served a superb Chicken Biryani and a specially made Chicken Korma which were superb.

The service by the ever smiling most courteous staff was something out of this world.

The Ancient Barbeque deserves a visit over n over again for their mouth watering delicacies and efficient service. We are really grateful to Neha Bahl from Qube Communications to have invited for this culinary experience and also Chef Ashish Messy for his warm hospitality

Rush! Rush!Rush!
Not only for Grills on Fire but anytime you want to relish good food, drinks and an ambience of its own with a smiling cheerful staff who really are efficient.

Koshur Saal @Holiday Inn, Mayur Vihar- Celebrating Kashmiri Cuisine!

Posted on by Aditi Malhotra

Koshur Saal, truly meaning authentic and quick Kashmiri Recipes was also the name given to the Kashmiri Food Festival hosted by Holiday Inn, Mayur Vihar at one of their restaurants Cafe on 3. Along with the executive Chef Suprabhath Roychowdhury, Mrs Rajni Jinsi, a home chef discovered be Suprabhath, brought to us a specially curated Cuisine of Kashmiri Pandits (1st to 12th Feb). Rajni is a home chef and has mastered the skills of Kashmiri Cuisine because of her background, she hails from the land of Kashmir and belongs to a Kashmiri Pandit Family. In her early years of age, she showed keen interest in cooking under the influence of her mother. Kashmiri Pandit’s basically all Saraswat Brahmins are followers of Shiva, and refrain from using onions, garlic and tomatoes while cooking. Now to come up with a mouth watering dishes inspite of not using onions, garlic and tomatoes is a big task and Rajni emerged as true winner in the same. She not only prepared the authentic Kashmiri Cuisine but also paid attention to the minutest details and made the whole foodie experience so flavoursome.

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There was an extensive spread starting with the Live Counter which offered the Kabargah, a signature dish of flattened lamb ribs deep fried. Simply awesome.
The other dishes were Gadh Pakoir, Aloo Mondi And Nadru Tikki. All deep fried and delicious quite similar to the pakoras we have. There was that supremely delicious Gucchi Shorba along with the starters.

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The main course offered Neni Yakhni, lamb braised in yoghurt gravy, Murgh Kailya, chicken in a typical Kashmiri yellow curry
Mujh Gadh, fresh river fish curry with radish. Lyodur Chaman, cottage cheese cooked in Kashmiri yellow curry, Choek Wangan, Moej kailya, Nadur Yakh, Dama Oluv, Haak, Rajmah goagj, Baatha, Steamed Rice, Modur Polav, a sweet rice pilaf rich in dry fruits. To accompany were a variety of breads Sheermal, Laws se, Tillwurr, Katlam, Ghee Roti, Baqarkhan, Kulchae.

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To sum up the cuisine it was simply mouthwatering authentic Kashmiri Pandit food at its best.
Desserts was another excellent offering of the day, Firun, Rice n Milk pudding, Shufta, an exotic dessert of dry fruits honey and saffron, Simply Superb. Also on offer were Shier Chay and Kehwah.

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I really thank Holiday Inn, Mayur Vihar to host such a beautiful festival and discover gems like Rajni Jinsi who not only showcase their love for food and their culture but also showcase what the woman of India can do independently. The food was of superlative quality though it may take sometime to develop taste buds for the same, but it should definitely be given a shot, its totally worth it.

A must try for food lovers.

Cafe on 3 - Holiday Inn Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato

Lemon Drops-Restaurant Review

Posted on by Aditi Malhotra

G0od Vegetarian dine-out options are few and less and the ones with a good ambience and even scarce. Lemon Drops, at Ambience Mall, Vasant Kunj is such a relief when it comes to a great dining experience with great vegetarian food. On the lines of Haldiram’s Lemon Drops also has a variety of cuisines with a great emphasis on street food of Indian regions. From Bhalla Papris to Golgappas and Pav Bhaji to Dosas and Idly, Chowmein to Dimsums, you name it and they have it.

To begin with we ordered the Street Food Platter, the Chinese Platter and the South Indian Platter, all three of these are totally worth it as you get to try smaller quantities of a variety of things, Like the Street Food Platter consisted of cholera bhature, dhokla, pav bhaji, dahi bhalla and a gulab jamun. Frankly speaking its more than enough for one person, but as we were a group of foodies exploring this place, this helped us in deciding which cuisine and what to order next.

Next we ordered, Pav Bhaji, which was one of the best dishes I tasted that afternoon and is a must try. The Raj Kachori too was good, and so was the Bhalla Papdi. The Pain Puri or Golgappas were another favourite amongst everyone and should surely be tried.

We also tried the Veg Spring Rolls and Veg Pizza, the pizza was great, soft and cheesy and perfectly made, the spring rolls were just about ok.

The paneer tikka was the only disappointing factor in the entire array of dishes as it was too spicy but I am sure the management will take our feedback and improve upon the same.

Also tried the Sweet Corn and Tomato Soups which were both delectable. For the mains we tried the Dal Makhani and Butter Naan Combo which was simply amazing and also the Cheesy Macaroni was scrumptious. Bedmi Poori is another must try, it was extremely delicious.

For drinks try out their range of milk shakes and some mocktails, they are really nice, especially the Banana Shake.

 

Moong Dal Ka Halwa brought my foodie exploration to a sweet end and should be on your must try list.

Overall I loved the vibrant ambience of the place and whenever you find yourself strolling in the Ambience Mall, think no more and head straight to this place and otherwise make a special effort and try it out, you won’t be disappointed.

Lemon Drops Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato

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