Sunday, July 28, 2013

5 delicacies bangalore is feasting on

TNN | Jul 28, 2013, 03.18 AM IST

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Thursday, July 25, 2013

Burger with lab-grown meat is ready to eat

Kounteya Sinha, TNN | Jul 26, 2013, 05.07 AM IST

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READ MORE London|laboratory-grown hamburger|bovine muscle stem cells

LONDON: The first laboratory-grown hamburger developed using bovine muscle stem cells would be unveiled in London next week. Professor Mark Post of Maastricht University in Netherlands has utilized existing technology for growing muscle cells and used 3,000 cell strands to create enough meat for a single hamburger.

Scientists say cultured beef will greatly reduced need for livestock and address the increasing global demand for food.

"The project could also be the answer that feeds the world, saves the environment and spares the lives of millions of animals. It will lead the way to environmentally friendly meat production, sustainable meat sources and cruelty-free meat production ,'' the scientists involved in the project said in a statement. It said meat and other staple foods are likely to become luxury items thanks to the increased demand for crops for meat production unless a sustainable alternative is found.

Post said current livestock meat production is not sustainable from an ecological point of view or in terms of volume. "Right now we are using more than 50% of all our agricultural land for livestock. It's simple maths. We have to come up with alternatives. If we don't do anything meat will become a luxury food and be very, very expensive."

Experts say cultured beef will allow scientists to eradicate human disease contracted from livestock and control the level of fat content of meat products. It would also be ecofriendly as keeping livestock for food produces 39% of all emitted methane and 5% of carbon dioxide.

Further, pigs and cows transform only 15% of vegetable proteins into edible animal proteins, but occupy more than 70% of all arable land. Currently to produce 1 kg of beef requires up to 15,000 litres of water, according to UN figures.

Monday, July 15, 2013

Humble tallo replaces tamso, modso, bangdo on dinner plate

Suraj P Kaisuvker, TNN | Jul 16, 2013, 01.56 AM IST

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READ MORE SGHRAO|sardines|mackerels

PONDA/PANAJI/MARGAO/MAPUSA: With mackerels selling at Rs 40 a piece in many fish markets across the state, Goans are digging deep into their pockets to relish some sea food to go with their daily meal and even then some are opting for varieties they would otherwise overlook.

"I now purchase good quality fish only once a week and we prefer buying cheaper varieties like sardines (tallo), which we would avoid earlier," Ponda resident Santosh Fadte told TOI.

Fadte is not the only one to be hit by the rise in fish prices. After 45 days of the ban on trawler fishing, skyrocketing prices have many fish-loving Goans only dreaming about savouring the choicest fish and restaurateurs are offering cheaper varieties to their customers.

A portion of fish may still cost Rs 50, but the quantity for that price is making the common man groan in despair, while varieties sold by weight-such as prawns at Rs 300 a kg and lady fish at Rs 500 per kg-are not cheering them up any and sending them looking for alternatives.

Ponda resident Hanumant Chopdekar said he cannot afford to purchase fish regularly and has switched to chicken. "A small fish of less than 500 gm costs about Rs 200, while we get chicken at Rs 180 a kg," he said.

Though prices of some fish varieties have remained unchanged, better fish qualities have gone beyond the reach of even the middle class families. Kingfish (visvon) which would cost Rs 400 a fortnight ago is now sold at Rs 550, giant sea perch (chonak) has gone up to Rs 500 as compared to Rs 400, mangrove red snapper (tamso) Rs 400 as against Rs 300.

Prices have risen as fish is now being sourced from outside the state. Panaji trader Suresh Agarwal said, "The price of kingfish and lemon fish have gone up in the past week. Due to the fishing ban in Kerala and Karwar, we now bank on Chennai, Kanyakumari and Vishakhapatnam for supplies."

Other fish varieties, such as Indian salmon, lady fish, silver belly (Velli) and prawns are sourced locally and their prices have remained largely constant.

Margao wholesale fish merchant Ibrahim Musa said fish prices fluctuate during the monsoon depending on the quantum of stock available on a given day. "During the monsoon, fish is brought from the east coast states like Andhra Pradesh and Orissa. While we face shortage of fish sometimes, on other days there is plenty of fish. These days we have sardines, mackerels and silver belly arriving in adequate quantities," he said.

Ponda fish vendor Chandrakant Gaude conceded that the shortage of fresh fish is becoming more acute with the fishing ban still on, though supply is maintained with fish from other states.

"The rates have doubled or even tripled. Those reluctant to purchase about 25-30 sardines for Rs 20 in the past are now forced to buy hardly ten sardines for Rs 50," Ponda restaurateur Teja Gaude said. She said the shortage of quality fish has affected her business and the number of customers is declining.

Small and up market restaurateurs, who banked on quality fish to lure diners are compelled to rely on lower quality fish to cut costs and a few restaurants in some towns have been forced to take better quality of fish off their menus.

Ponda restaurant owner Surendra Dhulapkar said he had stopped serving king fish, pomfret, mackerels and prawns and replaced it with sardines or even eggs. "We charge Rs 50 for a plate and using quality fish is not affordable to small hoteliers like us," Dhulapkar said.

This was echoed by Niraj Naik of Margao who said, "It's extremely difficult to offer delectable fish dishes to our customers at such exorbitant rates. When the thali (lunch plate) is priced at Rs 50, we cannot afford to buy sardines which are sold at Rs 10 a piece."

Some Pernem and Bardez restaurateurs have played it smart by keeping the rate of their rice plates flexible, depending on the rate of the fish they purchase on a particular day. The rice plates are sold between Rs 60 and Rs 120 in these two talukas.

South Goa Hotel and Restaurant Owners' Association ( SGHRAO) president C P Jaggi, who runs a fast food joint in Margao has taken off three fish items-fried fish and chips, fish fillet burger and fish fingers-from his menu.

"Short supply of fish apart, what is available in the market is fish stored in deep freezers for a very long period which affects the quality and taste of the fish. As Goans are real fish eaters, they can judge the quality of fish just by looking at it. So I decided to strike out the three fish items from my menu," Jaggi said.

Ponda resident Navnath Parkar said fish from Karwar or Maharashtra cannot compete with the taste of Goan sea food. He admitted that the scarcity of Goan fish at Ponda market, forced him to buy fish from neighbouring states.

Ponda market fish seller Varsha Fadte said she brings fish caught by using traditional fishing methods. "The price of the local fish remains very high, but the customer who values quality is willing to pay this price."

With inputs from Govind Kamat Maad in Margao, Keshav Naik in Mapusa and Surabhi Kamat in Panaji

Saturday, June 8, 2013

Bio-food now in vogue at weddings, luncheons

CHENNAI: It's not every wedding that dishes out its guests a brief bio of the food they're served. But then, not every wedding lays out an organic spread. If you're at a reception catered by 25-year-old Raja Murugan, you'll be introduced to each item as the server comes around with it. The dosas will be pointed out for the jowar they're made of; the grain will be identified as bamboo rice, and the kodo millet in the bisibele bath will be spoken for. By the way, that's foxtail millet in your pongal.

Murugan steers a one-man catering outfit called NallaSoaru (Good Food) that only works with organic ingredients - grain, millets, fruit and greens. He set up the business two-and-a-half years ago, as an extension of his association with the organic farming collective, Nalla Keerai (Good Greens). "We're out to promote healthy living," says Murugan.

There's a growing interest in living right, as the number of organic stores, both online and off, suggest. While Chennai's interest in the organic way hasn't yet scaled the high bar of a city's commitment to clean cultivation - an all-organic restaurant - the demand for it is gradually growing beyond the domestic dinner plate. People who care about their own health and that of the environment, and buy into the principles of chemical-free cultivation, are making their dietary vote known to friends and family by throwing organic parties and 'health' luncheons and even supplementing wedding and anniversary reception menus with ingredients that have never known a synthetic supplement.

Samir Singla, who runs the catering company Uncle Sam's Kitchen with wife Guneet, says they provide organic buffets on order at least twice a month. "People inquire about it all the time, but it's only the ones who are truly convinced of the virtues of organic food who serve it at their parties," says Samir (aka Uncle Sam). It's not its provenance alone that sets this food apart, but also the manner in which it is cooked. "You want the taste of the organic ingredients to come through, so you cook in ways that preserve flavour - grilled and steamed instead of deep-fried," he says. His offerings include broken wheat and fresh orange custard, millet and mushroom pilaf, soya pancakes with fresh herb salsa and roasted grain and dates granola with banana and yoghurt. Sam doesn't charge his clients a premium even though he may be paying his suppliers a surcharge because he wants to create business opportunities for them.

Murugan, who charges between Rs 100 and Rs 200 a head, points out that unlike ordinary catering an organic offering depends on what the local fields throw up. It would defeat the organic purpose to ship food in from afar. Murugan now receives about four to five commissions a month, including NGO lunches, house parties, IT gatherings and weddings.

At a mass meal organised this January by the environmental non-profit, Poovulagim Nambargil (Friends of the Earth), Murugan catered to a crowd of 1,350 on Loyola College grounds. "We conducted a workshop on the importance of eco-living and followed it with a paid dinner," says Dr G Sivaraman, an activist. "The entire menu of 16 dishes comprised of millets and organic vegetables. I was apprehensive about its reception, but people even tried to replicate those dishes at home," he says, adding that recipes were also handed out at the dinner.

Whether it's a humble house party or a super-sized shindig, a repeat order will materialise only if the customer is convinced of the goods. Sunil Varghese, director of The Dune, an eco resort en route to Puducherry, believes it may be one of the reasons people return to the resort to host a small wedding or a corporate affair. The food offered here is almost entirely organic, sourced from the hotel's farms in Kodaikanal and Puducherry. "Due to our limited resources, we wouldn't cater to a crowd over 200," says Verghese, adding Christian Dior's global launch of their perfume Escale a Pondicherry four years ago was an all-organic affair at The Dune.

As Shrikant Ram, owner of Eco Nut Health Food Shop, an organic store in Besant Nagar, observes, it's not just the moneyed who are setting up organic suppers. "I've lately witnessed a wider cross-section of clients shopping organic," he says. "There is a growing awareness of the merits of organic food, aided by the media." With more acreage added to the organic green pool in Tamil Nadu, perhaps the time for organic to large-scale is finally ripe.

Tuesday, May 14, 2013

Food Reviews

Restro review: Wise Owl, The Coffee Shop

Changing palettes with changing times

Cooking up a stylish storm

Restaurant review: Bamboo House (Multicuisine)

Restaurant review: Flurys (European Confectionery)

Bar Reviews

Beer and bites galore at The Beer Café!

Point of No Return

Expresso bars gone topless

Bar Review: Mix@36

Lounging around at 'Over The Top'

Recipes

Recipe: Jacket potato with garlic mushrooms

10 best recipes for healthy weight loss

Recipe: Chunky chicken noodle soup

Recipe: Death by chocolate

Recipe: Rajma or Indian spiced vegetarian chilli

Kebab recipes: Mutton Galawati, Kakori Kebabs

Recipe: Fish salad, vanilla creme brulee

Recipe: Tomato chicken with brown rice

Drinks Corner

4 Types of tea leaf symbols

Stir up the girly ‘Pinky’ cocktail

How to shake it without stirring

Stir up a bond cocktail

Thursday, April 18, 2013

Restaurant review:

Modern Cantonese on plate! Monday, January 07, 2013,01:03:09 PM After a long day at work with busy schedules I headed to Bandra Kurla’s famous hot spot; Yauatcha, which recently celebrated its 1st birthday; is a haven for food aficionados, offering Modern Cantonese cuisine and a wide array of international tea’s menu to Mumbai’s High end section.... Full Story		Restaurant review: Ellipsis Monday, August 27, 2012,03:54:17 PM There is more to this restaurant than just remarkably fresh good food….... Full Story
Arabian cuisine at Lake View Cafe Friday, August 24, 2012,06:51:45 PM For all foodies out there, Renaissance Mumbai Convention Centre hotel is hosting special Arabian cuisine at Lake View Cafe this month. .... Full Story		Try some unusual farsaan Thursday, August 23, 2012,05:44:30 PM Vile Parle's Irla lane offers some interesting versions of Indian snacks..... Full Story
Restaurant review: At Fat Cat- bar & bistro Tuesday, August 21, 2012,04:49:34 PM When we came to know that Fat Cat Café is now under a new management and has been re-launched as At Fat Cat- Bar & Bistro, we decided to check this place out..... Full Story		Recipe: Strawberry wine cosmo classic Monday, August 20, 2012,05:59:26 PM Give your regular cocktails a makeover and create a new drink. .... Full Story
Get more out of coconut water Friday, August 17, 2012,05:27:28 PM Tender coconut water has been declared as Kerala's official drink recently. So here are some awesome tender coconut water combos and get set to experiement..... Full Story		Ramzaan special recipes Monday, August 13, 2012,05:52:23 PM With Ramzaan going on, Executive Sous Chef Rahul Dhavale of The Westin Mumbai Garden City gives us two recipes to relish on. .... Full Story
Review: Dolcemente Italia Thursday, August 09, 2012,03:26:13 PM Dolcemente Italia, which recently opened its first outlet in the city, is the new entrant in the world of healthy flavoured yogurt and creative deserts with an Italian twist..... Full Story		Corn recipes for monsoons! Wednesday, August 08, 2012,11:41:06 PM Chef Amit Chaudhary of Corniche, a high end restaurant in Bandra, tells us three easy-to-cook corn recipes to relish during monsoons..... Full Story
Review: Afternoon Tea at Yauatcha Monday, August 06, 2012,06:44:18 PM It offers Cantonese cuisine and has tried to introduce the international tea drinking culture with their special Afternoon Tea menu..... Full Story		Restaurant Review: Peninsula Grand Hotel Thursday, August 02, 2012,03:17:04 PM The hotel offers a Sunday brunch with unlimited food and beverages and one spa treatment priced at Rs 1111..... Full Story
Restaurant review: Jyran, Sofitel Hotel Monday, July 30, 2012,04:11:52 PM Mumbai Mirror Online decided to visit the newly opened restaurant Jyran which offers Nawabi cuisine..... Full Story		Pinky Vodka, a must in your poison Thursday, July 26, 2012,05:27:03 PM Pinky Vodka, with its mild hint of berries, is serious vodka like any other. .... Full Story
5 Wine cocktail recipes for the season Tuesday, July 24, 2012,04:51:15 PM Here are the recipes of some simple ye easy to make wine cocktails..... Full Story		Restaurant Review- Global Desi Tadka Tuesday, July 17, 2012,04:05:32 PM Global Desi Tadka, a chain restaurant from Ahmedabad, is the perfect new joint for family outings that has sprung up in the western suburbs..... Full Story
5 Ayurvedic mocktails Monday, July 16, 2012,03:30:16 PM These combos replenish nutrients that the body loses during the day and nourishes it with antioxidants..... Full Story		5 teas to enjoy in the rains! Tuesday, July 10, 2012,04:52:31 PM Curl up on the sofa and start sipping...here's how to brew the most flavourful and aromatic teas this season. .... Full Story
Restaurant Review: Kazan Friday, July 06, 2012,06:04:28 PM A review on 2 month old city restaurant 'Kazan'..... Full Story		Desi cocktail recipes Monday, July 02, 2012,06:24:22 PM Bartenders add fun and zing to drinks by giving them an Indian twist!.... Full Story

20 years in the baking

Oven Fresh, that Shivaji Park oddity, turns 20 this year. The Mehta men tell us how they’ve stuck their ground

Oven Fresh was born out of simple Gujarati canniness. The Mehtas own the building where it stands, and in the early 90s, when the ground floor tenants moved away, Jagat Mehta wondered how he’d put the space to use. “I realised that when people craved a pastry, they had to go to a five-star (restaurant),” says the chartered accountant. That’s how the idea of opening a bakery-cum eatery that served puffs, cakes and breads was born. “And khaari,” pipes in Ronak, Jagat’s son, who enrolled in a bakery course at Dadar catering college, while his brother Deepak, was given charge of anchoring backend operations.

Born in 1993, Oven Fresh is an oddity in its location. Dadar is not a restaurant district. The few eateries that exist (Prakash Lunch Home, Gomantak) have a distinct Maharashtrian tilt. Fastfood MNCs like McDonald’s have stayed away. “People said I was going to drown my savings,” says Jagat. “When the oven arrived, they thought it was a safe and that I was opening a jewellery showroom, like a dutiful Gujarati. They wondered why the safe had a window!”

The oven became the star of the show. “Everything in the restaurant is made inhouse - the breads, the pizza base, the sandwich buns. I wanted patrons to see it emerge fresh from the oven, which is why the kitchen is at the centre, encased in glass walls,” he explains.

College kids started dropping in for a puff, and a curiously populated menu was pasted behind the cash counter in case you wanted to order while you waited for a table. Which you very often did. There was Chinese, Italian, Mexican and fast food, apart from the danishes and pastries.

But in the last three years, the restaurant has been inching towards sophistication. Gone are the syrupy soda floats. The menu has been chiselled to select flavour pairings within Continental and Mediterranean cuisine. The stir fries and house special nachos remain, but a tortellini with mascarpone in paprika orange butter sauce has moved next door. “We’ve moved away from artificial, sugary flavouring,” says Ronak, “and now source single origin chocolates, vegetables and other ingredients directly from their native countries. Everything is light on the palate.” They use an extra-dry French butter that doesn’t retain moisture, so the croissants are crisp.

The shift is subtle, and not advertised. The service (crockery and cutlery) is more flamboyant and the portions, a wee bit smaller. But Ronak doesn’t take it upon himself to educate his guests. “Our fondue always used gruyere cheese. People would take two bites and leave it. But when they ordered the same thing elsewhere, they realised that they were eating a plain cheddar cheese sauce, and recognised the difference,” he says proudly.

And yet, the price of a dish hardly touches Rs 400. “It’s because we don’t pay rent,” offers Jagat. “And we don’t offer frills - no valet parking, credit cards or home delivery. It sounds proud when we refuse, but we want to keep it simple.”

And they have no branches. “There are Parisian patisseries that have stayed put in the same place for 300 years,” Ronak says by way of comparison. “We’re only 20 years old. In the next few years, several international celebrity chefs are going to open restaurants in Mumbai. We have to be able to continue business in the face of this competition.”

The other adamant decision has been to turn and remain vegetarian. Old timers get nostalgic about the chicken burger, which they served till 2005. “We’re Jains, and when my late wife was very ill, she got sentimental. It was her wish that we stop serving non-vegetarian food, and we did over night,” says Jagat.

Deepak is the official taster, as are regular patrons. “We make small samples and ask guests whether they’d like to try them,” says Ronak. Deepak likes everything on the menu, “because everything passes through me, literally.” Jagat could be speaking for his locality when he says, “I grew up in Shivaji Park, so if you gave me a choice between a spicy misal and pasta, I’d choose the first.”