Monday 29 November 2010

Easy as pie?

I have always admired people who can bake. It isn't like cooking where you can just whack stuff together. Baking drills a certain discipline into you, teaches a cook how to follow orders when the urge is to do otherwise. No wonder some of the best chefs in the world train as pastry chefs at some point in their career.

Now, I knew baking wasn't easy, yet so easily forgot. A disastrous attempt at making puff pastry sent me crashing down to earth this evening. I knew the ingredients I had weren't perfect. To begin with, I only had plain flour as opposed to strong flour, and I was a little short on butter. Though I did not expect fireworks to begin with, I was horrified at how different the pastry was to anything remotely like puff pastry. It sure was nothing like how I had imagined it.

Not saying that it's time to put away the butcher's knife and bring out the oven mitts, but most certainly time to give the cake tins a little attention.

Thursday 25 November 2010

Indigo, Colaba, Mumbai.

The much talked about Indigo in Colaba, Mumbai. World class cuisine with Indian notes to some, to others, a failed attempt to bring fine dining to the city. I have wanted to go to the place for sometime now, since I saw Rahul, also a Dosco, on a television interview a few years ago. So this time around, while I was in Mumbai, a snoop was in order.

The property is beautiful, nestled in a by-lane in old Mumbai. A bungalow surrounded by greenery and old-world charm. you enter into the contemporary, dimly lit lounge, with a bar running its length. The two dining rooms on the ground floor were skipped in favour of the terrace. A nice terrace, ambient and cooled by the winter breeze, and the large fans that were only about a couple of metres from the table.

The menu is extensive, but then a clientele as diverse as the one in this city is not easy to please. It did take me a couple of whiskies to take it all in. They were running a special 'Best of the Last 10 Years' menu, and there I found myself suddenly scrutinizing everything even more intently. Best you say huh? Well, let's see how good your best is then!

Ravioli of Curried Pumpkin with Sage Butter and Pinenuts
You eat with your eyes even before your mouth gets involved, and the presentation could have been better. I prefer square ravioli for some reason, and if it's going to be round then make them bigger. Five was a crowd. But a good sized starter. I give Indigo the benefit of the doubt and let's say that even if the pasta was made fresh on the day, the edges were a little too thick, making them a little dry.

As for the flavours, the sweetness of the curried pumpkin worked beautifully with the salty Parmesan and the sweet and savoury Sage Butter. A little too salty though. A tad bit less cheese would have done the trick. But a good contrast, almost very well balanced.

Pan-roasted Duck with Coriander & Orange Glaze with Baked Turnip Puree and Snowpeas
How well a duck breast is cooked says a lot about a kitchen in my mind. And when the waiter said to me that the chef highly recommends that the duck be ordered medium rare I though to myself - this is going to be good. They know what they are talking about. And because I like my meat to still be bleeding on the plate, I ordered it as rare as the chef wanted to cook it. 

And the moment I saw the plate of food my heart sank. Not even a hue of pink. More brown. I was convinced that they had used frozen duck breast. I can't see how a fresh breast could have been murdered like this. They assured me that their duck was fresh. Since the meal, a few people who I trust with food in the city have told me otherwise.  

Put knife to meat and I lost the will to live. Soggy skin. Rubbery. This really does makes me think that the breast came out of a vacuum sealed packet. And even if it was fresh it was just so hopelessly cooked. The flavours worked though, but then citrus and sweet take to duck very well and it's a time-tested combination. Like pork and apple or lamb and mint or beef and mustard. So nothing worth praise here. The coriander in the glaze is worth a mention though. The woody punch of the seeds worked well with the sweetness of the glaze, and the turnip puree.

The place has a long way to go before becoming a fine dining destination in my mind. The insult to injury was the waiter's body odor as he reached across the table to pick up my starter plate. Now, the humid weather makes you sweat, but when you are paying through your nose for a meal this is unacceptable. This glitch aside, Indigo may be one of the better places around here, in terms of the food and the dining experience, but it most certainly is rough  around the edges. Maybe they need to rethink the expectations they set along with working on the food and service. Until that happens, over-rated I'd say!

Tuesday 16 November 2010

Deep fried goats' brains with Green Sauce

The first time I ate brains I wasn't too impressed. I don't think they really taste of much on their own. A little like marrow. Fatty but not as concentrated with flavour. The texture is, well, exactly how you'd imagine it. But I'd try anything twice, and besides I've never cooked them myself. This recipe is from Fergus Henderson's Nose to Tail Eating.


The first thing about brains, I am surprised at how expensive they are. A 100 rupees for 3? Second, they have a smell. A smell even I am not too keen on. You need to rinse them in cold running water to get rid of small pieces of bone and other stuff that does not belong.


In a stock pot simmer for 15 minutes
  • 1 onion, peeled and quartered.
  • 1 carrot
  • bay leaf
  • celery stalk. I used the upper stalk and leaves as the celery cost me an absolute bomb and I didn't have the heart to let anything go to waste. The leaves impart an intense aroma. Very pleasant.
  • a few pepper corns
  • and about 6 cloves of garlic. Bruised
  • You could add in any other fresh herbs. I recommend leaving the herbs whole otherwise they will stick to the brains and the brains will need picking.
Once the stock has simmered for 15 minutes put in the brains and cook gently for 6 minutes. I am not normally this anal about time, but as far as textures are concerned, mine was pretty perfect, so stick to Dr. Henderson's 6. The poaches takes away the pungent smell of the brains, and of course, pre-cooks them before the frying.

Fish out the poached brains and leave to cool. While the brains cool prepare these 3 bowls:
  1. Plain flour. Seasoned with salt and pepper
  2. 2 eggs whisked with 100mls of milk
  3. breadcrumbs
Once cold separate the lobes of the brains. Introduce them to the 3 bowls in the same order as above, coating well, and then into a sauce pan of hot vegetable oil. The frying is very quick. Pull them out golden.



I had mine with Green sauce, another Henderson creation. It is finely chopped parsley, dill, mint, garlic, capers, crushed pepper and extra virgin olive oil. Wish I had some anchovies. Chopped anchovies was, I think, the ingredient that seals the deal on this sauce, and also the only ingredient I could not get my hands on. The anchovies were missed.

My opinion of brains hasn't changed much. I'd happily eat them, but I'd much rather cook them.

Monday 15 November 2010

Gamda nu khavaanu

I seldom hesitate in telling people of the non-Indian credentials of the Chicken Tikka Masala or the Balti. Indian food is more than that. It's about marrying countless spices in accordance to timeless recipes, about impart flavours through patience and pain. It's about serving up rich portions of food in generous proportions. Food fit for kings. Or is it?

These ideas of extravagance are most certainly not false. But, there is another India. If Indian food is what most Indians eat on a daily basis then this is it.

I have been working on 'The Land' for the past few days, coming home in the afternoon for lunch, and to get out of the blistering mid-day sun. Its been a while since I ate there, with the care-taker and his wife, and some good gamda nu khavaanu (village food in Gujarati) was long over due. Cooking in rural India is no easy feat. The wood has to be foraged and prepared, the fire tended to with great care and, in the case of dinner, the setting sun to race.

Sunita cooking the potatoes and eggplant
The village spread
The food can best be described as functional. Wheat is not on the menu of most rural households. Coarse grain such as corn, jowar (sorghum) and bajra (pearl millet) are the order of the day and the bread is unlike the rotis or the naans served up in restaurants. The 'roti' (called rotla in Gujarati when made from these coarse grain) are heafty, dense and on most occasions eaten cold. They taste great hot with some melted butter on the top but labourers working in the farms do not have that luxury, and nor did I.

The bajra was cultivated on The Land itself and the veg was picked from neighbouring farms. Debts are settled in kind. The eggplant was paid for in grass for the farmers buffalo. I think the potatoes were too. It's all done on good faith. That afternoon only a handful of ingredients went into everything. Garlic, chilli, turmeric, and salt and lots of oil. Without non-stick cookware the copious amounts of oil is a necessity. The oil also helps prevent the food  drying up as left overs are consumed at the next meal and are stored in a cool place without refrigeration.

This is great food. Hardy and whole. Only one complaint though. No meat?

Saturday 13 November 2010

Little parcels of goodness

You cannot possibly go to Mussoorie and not eat Momos. I asked around town for the best place to go and there seemed to be a split in the local opinion. I very nearly went to the Rice Bowl but got coaxed into Kalsang by a friend who prefers the latter. The large Tibetan population in Mussoorie, and in other cities around, and on, the Northern ranges means that their delicious food has found its way into our hearts and stomachs. Tibetans have not had it easy. Driven out of their country by the Chinese, their integration into India, though they are largely welcome, has not been easy either. In fact just as we were leaving Kalsang we passed a protest march of locals demonstrating against a nearby Tibetan market.
Tibetan food is understated. At least the authentic dishes are. There is extensive use of broths, which is a great way to get the most of the limited ingredients you have. However, Tibetan food is greatly influenced by Chinese cuisine and also by Sino-Luthianvi food, as I discovered. Kalsang also has a few Thai inspired dishes on the menu. For someone like me who appears to know more about Tibetan food than he actually does, telling where authentic ends and influence starts is a difficult one. But you can tell Sino-Luthianvi influence quite easily by an overdose of everything. Sino-Luthianvi food is not Called Masala Chinese for nothing.

Kalsang
The place is family run, like most great eateries round the world and opened about 5 years ago. Kalsang, I was told by one of the boys who worked there, is a Tibetian name that is lucky for the family that runs the joint. May have been the name of a dead loved one - I didn't probe. The space is comfortable. From the collection of foreign currency pasted on one wall, it seems to be a popular tourist haunt. This could explain the extensive, east-influenced menu, even if not wholly authentic.

Mutton and Chicken Momos

I kept it simple, and authentic, I think. The Momos to the left are mutton and the others are chicken. The stuffing in both was meat, cabbage, garlic and onions. Sure there was other stuff. The the skill in making Momos is in the parceling. The stuffing is sealed in flour parcels and steamed. You can also have them fried. I eat a lot of Momos when I am up north and you can always tell the ones made by a Tibetan. There is only as much pastry as is needed and they are stuffed to the brim with meat. Momos made by non-native Momo eaters are quite heavy on the pastry. It's really is a skill - see how the ones on the left are so beautifully sealed off with a twirl? The dipping sauce could make Chuck Norris cry.

Devil's Chicken Momo

A friend ordered these little bastards, and God most certainly would not have approved. Sino-Luthianvi to the bone. But that's not what ruined it. It just did'nt work. With Momos less really is more. These devils were served up in a think, hot and sweet sauce with spring onions. The sauce took away from the Momos more than it lent. Bad deal for the Tibetan side. Again.

Monday 8 November 2010

Mussoorie, UK (Uttarakhand)

Apologies for the radio silence. I am finally back from my holiday and feel like a human being again. The blood alcohol levels are back to normal. Mostly. The Garhwal Terrace Bar is worth a visit. It's what you'd expect from a government bar but the view of Dehra Dun from the balcony is spectacular. The food however, was downright disgusting. Stick to the peanuts and papads.

Tavern

The Tavern, at the other end of Mall Road is the place for food.  I am told that during the peak season consider yourself lucky if you get a place to sit. This time of the year though, we had the place to ourselves, to the horror of the manager. The menu is eclectic, which made me vary at first, but that changed once the food arrived. The Kali Mirch Murg Tikka (Black Pepper Chicken Tikka) I highly recommend. Superbly juicy and, as the name suggests, peppery. Simple and  very satisfying.


Kali Mirch Murg Tikka

The Seekh Kebabs were interesting. The texture was not granular at all. It was dense and reminded me of Rista, the Kashmiri meat balls, that are made by pounding meat and lamb fat for hours, till the structure of the meat itself changes. This gave the kebab a nice bite. Though I hate to say this, a bite similar to that of processed meat. And I mean that in the nicest possible way.


Seekh Kebabs

This is another one of the Sino-Ludhianvi greats - Crispy Shredded Lamb. The peppers and onions were crispy indeed, but I cannot say the same for the lamb. Hearty slices of lamb though and boldly seasoned with Schezwan peppercorns. I have had this dish in numerous places but I have never come across one as good as that that used to be served at Kwality Restaurant in Dehra Dun. Unfortunately the place shut down sometime ago, but I am told the chef is now at the Alcove, at Meedo's Grand in Dehra Dun. Give it a try.  Good food after you've had a few. Even better when you've had a few too many.


Crispy Shredded Lamb