Lulu Loves Manhattan

My new London blog is now live!

2005-12-28T09:18:00.000-05:00

My new blog is now up and running. Here's the link:

Lulu Loves London

I haven't yet had time to add my favourite blog links etc but will be doing so soon.

Come visit!!

Bye Bye Manhattan, Hello London!

2005-12-18T09:47:00.000-05:00

I can't believe that today is my last Sunday in Manhattan. In New York. In the United States. H and I are relocating to London for our respective jobs. The movers come tomorrow. We fly Tuesday. We'll be in London for breakfast on Wednesday morning. Wow. I feel kinda sad that we're leaving the city barely a year and a half after arriving here. And just when I had almost gotten over the Bay Area and was become a New Yorker!

But London is one of the most loved cities in the world. Everyone tells me that I'll love it even more than San Francisco and New York. I'm excited that London has such an eclectic mix of cultures and traditions. Also, the city has undergone a culinary renaissance in the past decade - I can't wait to go on my food adventures. But the most delightful part about living in London will be that Paris, Nice, Madrid, Barcelona, Casablanca, Zurich, Milan, Reykjavik, Prague, Dubrvovnik, Vienna, Ljubljana - to name just a few of the fabulous European Cities I'm dying to visit - are just a hop, skip and an easyJet ride away! Not to mention Bombay just 8 hours away as well. Woohoo!

Lulu Loves London, shall we say?

MEME: You are what you eat!

2005-12-17T09:49:00.000-05:00

Rums tagged me for this latest meme on listing my ten favourite foods. I had a really hard time restricting my selections to just ten. It was also difficult to keep the list consistent in terms of produce, ingredients, dishes or types of cuisine. As a result, my list is a bit of a hodgepodge of all the above. Since this meme claims that you are what you eat, I thought I'd give you a glimpse of me in my kitchen, my favourite space in the world.

CHEESE. My love affair with cheese began with the Amul cheese that K (my parents' cook who has been with our family for over 30 years) used in my toasted cheese sandwiches, the perfect after school snack for a 10 year old. It continued through high school with Britannia cheese spread with jeera (cumin) that I was crazy about. Then it was Cheddar, Swiss, Monterrey and Pepper Jack at Davidson. And then my love for cheese was taken to an entirely new level when I lived in Paris and Tours my junior year in college. I must have tasted over a 100 types of French cheese and I loved every one of them, including some of the stinkiest varieties. My French host family served us a cheese plate after dinner every night and that's how my knowledge of cheese really improved. These days, I experiment with new cheeses from all over the world, including some fantastic artisinal ones frm the U.S. I hesitate to list just a few but my top faves are Brie, Manchego, Fontina, Jarlsberg, fresh Mozzarella, Tomme de Savoie, Reblochon, Chevre and Comte.

IYENGAR FOOD. I once read somewhere that Iyengar food is food for the brain. It combines all the elements in the right proportion. It is pure vegetarian and is based on a diet of rice, pulses, vegetables and yogurt. Garlic is strictly prohibited and onions are used sparingly in modern Iyengar households. This was my staple diet for the first eighteen years of my life. I probably didn't love it as much growing up as I do now. I prefer this cuisine to any other I've discovered since leaving home. This will make my dad and mom smile, I'm sure! I love vatral kuzhambu, aviyal, mysore rasam (spicier and tangier than tomato rasam), paruppu usili curry, manga pachadi, masala sundal, thenga thuvaiyal, puliodarai (tamarind rice), and the best of all, thair sadaam or yogurt rice.

CHAAT. I can never get enough of bhel puri, sevi puri, pani puri, dahi batata puri, samosa chaat, dahi vada, pavi bhaji, ragda patties, the list is endless. Indian street food as it is called these days is growing in popularity and I am thankful for that. I would go stir crazy without being able to satisfy by regular bhel cravings.

INDIAN CHINESE. Sweet Corn Vegetable Soup. Lemongrass Soup. Veg Manchurian. Chili Garlic Potato. Paneer Fry. Veg Chopsuey. You get the picture. I love the Indian version of Chinese food. Everything deep fried and drowned in lots of masalas with extra spicy sauces, vinegar and green chilies. Not sure my tummy loves Indian Chinese as much as I do!

INDIAN PICKLES. I am crazy about pickel given what a thair sadam gal I am. Eternal favourites are vadu manga, manga thokku, chunda, manga inji. H has gotten me into carrot pickle and garlic pickle, both of which are great with parathas at 3 am in the morning!

MEXICAN/SOUTHWESTERN. This is probably my favourite cuisine after South Indian and Chaat. My love for Mexican was nurtured in Northern California though I've heard that the food per se is better in Southern Cal and Texas. I'm crazy good quality pico de gallo and freshly baked tortilla chips. I also love tomatillo salsas and have been experimenting with different type of tomatillo and chili combos lately to create spectacular salsas. Vegetable burritos, cheese and bean burritos, mushroom quesadillass are regular selections of mine on any Mexican menu. I love corn, beans, cilantro, tomatoes, lime. So you know know why anything Mexican Southwestern is always enticing!

SPANISH TAPAS. An unusual choice for a vegetarian because authentic tapas at the bars and restaurants in Spain isn't exactly vegetarian (I learnt the hard way on our honeymoon in Andalusia!) but I love the flavours and have made this my number one party cuisine. Roasted red peppers. Patatas bravas. White bean salads. Marinated olives. Banderillos. Tostadas. Mushrooms in garlic and olive oil. Potato croquettes. Frittatas. All to be enjoyed with warm crusty bread, glugs of good quality extra virgin olive oil and lots of sangria.

BASIC ITALIAN. Fresh pasta, basil, tomato sauce and olive oil. My idea of a great Italian meal. Nothing too fancy, just the basics. I love Pizza Margherita for its simplicity. I've become a huge arugula fan thesedays so I enjoy simple Italian salads with arugula and freshly grated cheese. I also love homemade risotto, my favourite being a Wolf Gang Puck recipe for Wild Mushroom Risotto with Truffle Oil which you can find on the Food Network website. A terrifc dish for seduction - yes, it works every time!

FRUITS. I could live on fruits alone. And there's not a single fruit in the world I don't love. Banana, grape, mango and avocado are my favourites. I prefer enjoying fruits by themselves rather than in desserts, milkshakes, pies etc.

MY SWEET TOOTH. And finally a bit on which sweets I love the most. Jalebis. Mishti dhoi. Rasamalai. Turkish delights. Nutella. White chocolate fondue. Creme brulee. Sorbet.

What a long post! Hope you enjoyed it. Were you surprised at my selections? Do you love any of the same foods I do? Would love to hear your comments.

I'm tagging five new blog friends - Indira,VKN, Melissa, Sury and Meenakshi.

The gift of friendship

2005-12-14T19:59:00.000-05:00

When we came home from dinner on Sunday night, my doorman surprised me with a beautifully wrapped gift which he said my friend Shivani had just dropped off. I gently opened the box when I got to the apartment though I was dying to tear it apart and see what was inside. To my complete delight and ecstasy, I found lots of yummy homemade treats and a heap of Hershey's kisses thrown in. I didn't know which one would be the first best bite as all the goodies smelt heavenly and looked utterly ready to melt in my mouth. I reached for a piece of what looked like a lemon curd treat and dug in with my eyes closed. Yummmm...what followed was pure lemony creamy bliss that lingered well after the first bite. I called Shivani immediately to thank her and to also get the exact names of everything she had personally baked for me - lemon squares, carrot cake with cream cheese, chocolate chip cookies, magic cookie bars (graham crackers crumbs, chocolate chips, walnuts, coconut flakes and condensed milk), sugar cookies and mint chocolate surprises. Shivani and her sister spent all day Saturday (11 plus hours) baking goodies for their friends and family. What a special gift! Thank you from the bottom of my heart, Shivani.

For those of you contemplating homemade food gifts, you can also consider foods like candied nuts, spiced olives, fruit jellies and mulled wine spice mixes to name a few. Drop into a beautiful jar, tie a nice bow and your gift is ready to be parted with this season of giving.

Roz ka khana (everyday food)

2005-12-13T18:25:00.000-05:00

Except that roz ka khana at my house is not Indian. H is one of those few Indian guys who doesn't need Indian food everyday. I was annoyed at first but it has actually helped me to grow and expand my culinary skills.

When he does crave Indian food, I try to do something different every time to impress him. Last night I made rotis from scratch. I had several failed attempts in the past few years but I learnt a few tricks when I spent the weekend last summer with my best friend, Darshini, in London. She is quite the Gujju cook extraordinaire and she shared with me her mother-in-law's secrets for the perfectly puffed and soft rotis.

For every cup of atta (best to get chapati flour from an Indian grocery store), add 1/3 cup of warm water and 1 tbsp oil. As you knead the dough till it all comes together nicely, add a few tsps of milk. That's the first trick. And boy, does it make a difference in the softness of the rotis. Set aside the dough and cover with a slightly damp cloth. That's the second trick. After about 10 minutes, divide the dough into golf ball size balls and keep covered until all the other dishes are ready and the family is seated at the table. At that point, take each golf ball and roll into a flat circular shape.

After every roll you must dip the dough in a big bowl full of atta. How thin you roll the chapati will determine how much it puffs up. I haven't yet mastered either this or exactly how hot the pan needs to be so you don't burn the chapati but I hope to get it right next time around!

By the way, you don't have to use loads of ghee when cooking the chapati. Just make sure that the grid or pan is hot enough and cook on both sides till browned.

I made matar paneer and spinach moong dal as accompaniments to the roti. Of course, lots of raw onions chopped up, a few baby tubs of yogurt and a few varieties of Indian pickle were close at hand.

H was amazed how delicious the rotis were even though they weren't perfect. Now he doesn't want to ever have store-bought rotis! His next challenge to me: gobi parathas. Now that's a dish I would not attempt without oodles of ghee!

CONTEST: The prizes

2005-12-12T18:56:00.000-05:00

Congratulations to Sandeep, Faffer and Sandhya for winning the contest last week. Sandeep who is based in Delhi will receive a copy of Rachel Ray's new cooking magazine, Every Day with Rachel Ray. I picked it up while traveling last week and was totally hooked to it - she makes food and cooking so accesible and fun! The other two winners live in America so it easier to send them bulkier items :) Faffer is going to get a bottle of Apricot Butter that I made and Sandya will receive some fine Belgian chocolates from Le Pain Quotidien. Enjoy your gifts and thanks for participating!

Mediterranean Veggie Burger

2005-12-09T18:24:00.000-05:00

I'm amazed how mainstream veggie burgers have become. As a freshman at Davidson in North Carolina, I used to ask for "Hamburgers without the beef" at the local McDonald's only to receive dumfounded stares from the staff taking the order. McDonald's has a McVeggie option these days but I find their burgers and fries unbelievably greasy. I had shied away from veggie burger at fast food joints, choosing only to indulge in the frozen patties that can be grilled at home. But a few weeks back I discovered a very flavourful and healthy veggie burger at New York Burger which has me hooked.

Homemade chickpeas and fresh herbs (parsely, dill, mint etc) are pound together and cooked to make an amazingly fresh and tasty patty that is served on a whole wheat bun with cucumber dill yogurt on the side. The burger comes with Idaho fries which are freshly cut and fried in 100% soybean oil so no transfats or cholestrol lurking around. I like to wash down the burger and fries with a fresh lemonade frappe.

New York Burger
303 Park
btw 23rd and 24th
212-254-2727

Blakcberry Cabarnet Sorbet and Vanilla Icecream with Fresh Berries

2005-12-07T20:53:00.000-05:00

I'm not really into making desserts at home. Somehow they intimidate me. And H gets really mad when I make high-calorie dishes because he finds it hard to resist them!

But last week when we had a few some of our friends over for dinner, I whipped up a dessert which was really easy and low in calories. I was totally surprised that my impromptu combination of ingredients turned out to be such a bit hit!

I like to use a nice red wine glass for building these kind of desserts - I learnt this trick from watching too many Rachel Ray shows :) I then add a few scoops of Ciao Bella blackberry cabernet sorbet and a few scoops of vanilla icecream. Top with blackberries and raspberries. And drizzle a few drops of cointreau. The tartness of the sorbet pairs beautifully with the creaminess and sweetness of the vanilla icecream. The fresh berries add a burst of juice and the cointreau's contribution is a nice orangey high note. Yum-o!

Ciao Bella sorbet is available in over 30 different flavours and their gelato is available in over 40 different flavours so one can really go wild with combos! I love sorbets and my favourites are the Blood Orange, Passion Fruit and Mango.

How to make shrikhand at home

2005-12-06T21:11:00.000-05:00

Who knew that making shrikhand at home was so simple! I found out how to make this simple Indian dessert last week when my Maharashtrian sister-in-law brought a full tub of homemade shrikhand to our cousins' reunion in Chicago.

To keep it super simple, start with any amount of yogurt (does not matter if it is full fat or fat free either) you have in the fridge. Tie up the yogurt in a cheesecloth or even dupatta and leave to hang over the kitchen sink faucet. After about three hours (or till all the liquid has drained), remove from the faucet and transfer the thickened yogurt to a nice bowl. Use your judgement to add the right amount of sugar, a few pinches of saffron dipped in a bit of warm milk and several pods of cardammom. You can also add any type of nuts you fancy like pistachio, walnuts, almonds etc. If you love the taste of mangoes, try adding mango pulp to make aamkhand. If you want to make this dessert a bit tangy, add sour cream and stir well before adding the nuts.

I can eat shrikhand by the spoonful without anything else but my sister-in-law loves to eat her shrikhand with puris. How about you - what is your favourite way to enjoy shrikhand?

CONTEST: And the correct answer is...

2005-12-06T18:15:00.000-05:00

Homemade Shrikhand!

Saffron gives the shrikhand the yellowish colour and I added some pistachios and elaichi as well.

For those of you who haven't heard of this deliciously creamy and sweet Indian dessert, stay tuned for a simple recipe to make shrikhand at home.

Congratulations to Sandeep, Faffer and Sandhya for winning the first three prizes for guessing the correct answer. Please send your mailing addresses to lools@hotmail.com . Once I've determined how far away from New York you live, I'll announce your prizes accordingly.

A special mention to Indira for linking to this contest from her beautifully designed Indian Food Blog called Mahanandi and all of you for providing me lots of amusement through the comments :)

Did you enjoy this contest? Was it annoying? Did I make you guys wait too long before giving away your answer? Please take a second to give me your feedback. Thanks!

CONTEST: Guess the food pictured!

2005-12-03T12:55:00.000-05:00

Given the holiday season, I'm giving away surprise gifts to the first three of you who correctly guess the food in the picture. The only hint I will give you is that it is homemade.

Please post your answer along with your email address by 6pm Eastern Time on Tuesday, December 6th. I'll notify the winners that evening by email and also post on the blog.

Good luck - I'm dying to see what everyone guesses!

Trendy and Tasty Mexican (from my archives)

2005-11-30T20:53:00.000-05:00

Over one hundred tequilas to choose from,highly creative menu items and the best freshly made guacamole in town. An unbeatable combination for a nice Mexican night out in Manhattan.

Folks, head to Dos Caminos everytime you're in the mood for margaritas and some people watching. The restaurant is rated among the ten best in New York City by the World Press. The place is usually packed on weeknights with young professionals all out to have a fun time with colleagues. Despite the huge dining room, there's a cozy feeeling created by the dim lights and the warm hues. While you wait to be seated, try the prickly pear margarita and order a serving of some guacamole and chips. The chips are brought in a small basket and are still warm from being freshly made. Guacamole is custom made depending on how spicy you want it. I love being entertained just bit while dining and Dos Caminos' personalized guacamole preparation is quite something to watch. And the guac is absolutely delicious. Go easy as you may fill up even before appetizers!

The menu looked very interesting though I have to admit that the veggie options are quite limited. My farmer's market vegetable quesadilla was just heavenly - it had roasted peppers, eggplant and other complex flavours. If I hadn't gone overboard on the chips, I would have definitely tried the sides of which there were enticing options for vegetarians including grilled corn and fried plantain.

A bit on the expensive side but if you stick to a margarita, some guacamole and an entree, it's actually not too much of a splurge.

Lovely, lovely, lovely.

Dos Caminos, 373 Park Avenue South, between 26th and 27th Streets (212-294-1000)

Wow Bao, Chicago

2005-11-26T09:35:00.000-05:00

Greetings from the windy city! For those of you living in America, hope you are enjoying Thanksgiving weekend. We arrived here on Wednesday for H's cousins' reunion. 17 of us have piled on at his eldest cousin sister's home in Aurora, a suburb of Chicago which is supposed to have one of the best school districts in the nation. When looking to relocate anywhere in the U.S. based on your kids' schooling needs, follow the desi trail to the zipcodes that have the best public schools and you can't go wrong.

We drove to downtown Chicago yesterday. Some of our cousins had never been so were excited to take in as many sights and sounds they could on a freezing cold evening. It was 20 degrees fahrenheit and flurrey when we drove in. Our first stop was the mega Borders bookstore on Michigan Avenue for some cappucinos, masala chais and hot chocolate to warm us up. the 2nd floor had a pretty impressive food section and I was dying linger on but everyone else wanted to go clothes and shoes shopping so I allowed myself to be dragged along to the Water Tower Place, one of the nicest shopping malls in downtown.

I noticed Wow Bao the minute we walked in to the Water Tower Place. A wonderfully inviting aroma of garlic, ginger and sesame stir-fried foods wafted in the air. Upon close inspection I discovered that one could take-out steamed buns filled with meat and vegetables, spicy pad thai noodles, rice bowls, soups and salads. Steamed buns are the Chinese version of bread made from flour and yeast except that they are almost always filled with something delicious. I loved the green vegetable bun I ordered along with a glass of Hibiscus Lemonade.

Wow Bao is a fantastic modern concept for Chinese takeout. I'm really looking forward to Wow Bao spreading its wings soon to Manhattan.

Samosa chole

2005-11-25T12:39:00.000-05:00

Kailash Parbhat also has the best samosa chole in Bombay. Samosas are crispy turnovers stuffed with spicy potato and peas. Chole is made from chickpeas simmered in and onion and tomato curry with lots of Indian spices. Samosas are usually dipped in coriander chutney or tomato ketchup but chole makes an excellent and hearty accompaniment to make samosa chole a perfect mini lunch.

You can also make a yummy street food called samosa chaat using the samosa and chole by cutting the samosas into small pieces and then adding a bit of chole, some sev (puffed rice), raw onions, tomatoes, coriander, tamarind chutney, salt and lime juice. Yum!

Crispy and succulent jalebis

2005-11-24T11:10:00.000-05:00

Jalebis are my favourite Indian dessert. And the best jalebis in Bombay are made at Kailash Parbhat Hindu Hotel in Colaba. Flour batter and sugar are piped into spirals and dunked in ghee to create this crispy delight which is soft and gooey on the inside. A pinch of the best quality saffron is added to the mixture before frying to impart the charactertistic tangerine colour. The jalebis from KP are just the right sweetness and crispness. I can easily eat five or more at once if I'm not careful!

I've never attempted to make jalebis at home but in case you are feeling adventurous, here is a simple recipe that I found on the net:

Ingredients:
* 2 cups Sugar
* 2 cups Maida (flour)
* Ghee for frying
* A pinch of Kesar (saffron)
* ½ tsp Baking powder
* 1 tsp Cardamom powder

Method:
1. Mix maida with baking powder, cardamom powder and water to made a batter of the consistency of thick cream.
2. Put it aside in a warm place to ferment for 24 hrs.
3. Dissolve 2 cups of sugar in 2 cups of water and boil till it becomes a syrup of one thread consistency.
4. Add saffron soaked in warm water.
5. Now heat Ghee in a deep frying pan.
6. Fill up with batter in a muslin cloth and pierce it from the bottom.
7. Now allow the batter to fall into continuos double circles .
8. Allow the jalebis to set and then turn over once.
9. When fried well, remove out of the pan and slip into the syrup, apply slight pressure so as to make them absorb the syrup.
10. After 5 minutes, take it out of the syrup, drain and serve hot.

Tip: Place a piece of plastic wrap on the surface of cooked pudding filling immediately after pouring to prevent a skin from forming.

Souk at The Taj Mahal Palace & Tower, Mumbai

2005-11-23T06:32:00.000-05:00

I am amazed by the dazzling diversity of international food available in Bombay these days and not just at the five star restaurants. Chinese, Japanese, Italian, Thai and Middle Eastern seem to be the most sought after by Bombayites from Churchgate to Vashi. It's quite exciting to see Bombay develop into a terrific city for foodies and words like katsu, carpaccio, tabouli and satay become common parlance.

As luck would have it, I dined twice at Souk located at the Taj in South Bombay on my quick visit this time. Souk is a Middle Eastern restaurant serving mezze and other traditional dishes from Iran, Turkey, Lebanon, Egypt, Greece, and Morocco. The ambience is not particularly Middle Eastern (and I was sad that they didn't energize the atmosphere with Turkish music) but the top floor of the hotel offers stunning views of the Gateway of India and the Bombay Harbour. On my first visit for a business dinner, I was very lucky to be seated at the Chef Table in the exclusive Casablanca Room overlooking a small balcony with roses and other fragrant potted plants as well as a close-up view of the Gateway of India. The chef paid special attention to our table and surprised us with a delicious tasting menu including mezzes, humus and babaganoush, falafel, chickpeas soup, Moroccan vegetarian tagine, bakhlava and rose petal icecream. On my second visit, I had a simple dinner with Nisha and Vikram for Vikram's bithday. We ordered a few mezzes and shared a light couscous and vegetable stew dish. We were even treated to a creamy birthday cake. The highlight of my second visit was ordering a hookah in double apple flavour and savouring it with mint tea while catching up with my dear friends.

Aviyal

2005-11-20T21:26:00.000-05:00

Aviyal is a traditional South Indian vegetable dish made from an assorted variety of boiled vegetables laced with a deliciously light curry of yogurt, green chilies, coconut and cumin. Fresh curry leaves and some dollops of coconut oil add the finishing touches giving aviyal its distinct flavour. Aviyal is best enjoyed with freshly cooked basmati rice but is also yummy on its own if you are watching your carbs.

Here's how GB makes Aviyal:

1 Potato
1/2 cup French beans
2 carrots
1 green plantain
4 or 5 medium sized arbi (you need to boil the arbi separately and not with the other vegetables)
Half pumpkin each (red and white)
1 cup yogurt (a bit sour if possible)
1 tablespoon rice
1 tsp cumin
1/2 cup grated coconut
5 to 8 green chilies
A pich of hing
2 teaspoons coconut oil
a bunch of fresh curry leaves

Chop all the vegetables and boil them is as little water as is needed. Keep aside.Take 1 tbsp rice and soak in 3 tbsps of water. Then grind with 1 tsp cumin, 1/2 cup grated coconut and five to eight green chillis. Beat the yogurt taking care to remove all lumps. Add the ground masala and boil for few minutes. Then add vegetables to this batter. Stir well and add salt, hing powder stir for few minutes. Once the aviyal becomes thick, keep aside. Heat two teaspoons coconut oil in a small fry pan and add the fresh curry leaves until they sizzle. Then add this mixture to the aviyal.Enjoy with freshly prepared rice.

Homemade Bhel Puri

2005-11-19T22:53:00.001-05:00

I arrived in Bombay from London a few days back for a business meeting. I'm staying the weekend to hang out with my parents and friends. As always, it feels so terrific to be back here in Bombay. I'm being totally pampered in every way you can imagine. And I'm soaking up the sun, glad to be far away from the bitter cold in the U.S. I so wish I could stay longer and extend the luxury of being thoroughly spoilt but I have to hop back on the plane tomorrow and make my way back to New York. Agh!

Our cook at home, Gulabibai (GB), knows all my favourite foods and starts cooking them for me from the minute I arrive. I almost have to beg her not to stuff me so much that I sleep all day long. Yesterday GB made me some lip-smackingly delicious bhel puri at home.

Bhel is very simple if you have the right ingredients. In the U.S, you even get dry bhel ingredients in readymade packets and all you need to do is add a couple of chopped boiled potatoes, fresh ripe tomatoes, raw onions, tamarind chutney, cilantro chutney, fresh cilantro, a bit of lemon juice and salt. I love the flavour of garlic in my bhel so when I make this in Manhattan I also add some freshly chopped garlic or some garlic paste. But GB would never dare to add garlic though I love it so much because it is banned in my parents' house. Many South Indian Brahmins do not use garlic in cooking because it is considered to be a flavour enhancer for meat and therefore not to be found in the kitchen of a strictly vegetarian home.

Next up: Aviyal (including the recipe)

Fifteen - Jamie Oliver's restaurant

2005-11-13T14:26:00.000-05:00

The excitement about eating at Fifteen starts even before you get there. Jamie Oliver's bubbly recorded voice surprises you when you call to make a reservation as he explains the concept of the restaurant. Fifteen was been conceived as a training ground kitchen for handpicked disadvantaged teenagers who Jamie thinks have the potential to be next generation star chefs. Once Jamie signs of with a characteristic panache - "big love, J" - you speak to an equally warm and enthusiastic hostess who makes and confirms your reservation.

By the time you arrive, the expectation is already set very high. Fifteen is located in the north east part of the city, a short walk from the Old Street tube station. It forms a triangle of sorts with Clerkenwell and Islington just north of the city centre. I was impressed by the unpretentious exterior and just couldn't wait to get in. The trattoria is located on the ground floor and it serves Jamie's taken on Italian food. An open kitchen and freshly made antipasto and seasonal vegetable dishes tempt the diner. The atmosphere is somewhat rustic Italian.

I had lunch downstairs in the restaurant which serves modern Mediterranean food with an Italian influence. It is quite retro in styling and I loved the pink and white decor of the place which makes it feel like an upscale diner. There are many interesting pieces of art including a gigantic pencil shaded drawing of a pig and a baby created from coloured mosaic tiles.

Appetizer was ricotta fritters in a chili tomato sauce with rocket and shaved parmesan. The ricotta was amazingly fresh and just melted in the mouth after you savoured the light crisp coating.

Main course was a ravioli of sorts whose name I am blanking on now. The ravioli thingie was stuffed with butternut squash and came in a light white sauce with saffron and sage. I loved how the sage was lightly fried which gave it a nice texture. This dish was pure heaven. All the sweet and savoury flavours combined beautifully together to create something truly outstanding.

Dessert was also exceptional. I ordered a vanilla and grappa panna cotta with honey roasted figs and balsamic.

I would rate this meal one of the best meals I've ever had, if not THE BEST. Jamie Oliver has gone up in my esteem and adoration more than ever. Not only is the food in the restaurant exceptional but it is also for a great cause. I don't think Jamie makes any money from this establishment - it all goes towards helping disadvatanged kids. No wonder you don't even blink when you see the bill and realize what an unbelievably expensive meal you just thoroughly enjoyed!

On the way out you can buy any of his several books. I noticed that Jools (Jamie's wife) has just published a book called "Minus nine to one: The diary of an honest mum" that is all about her two pregnancies and bringing up their baby girls, Poppy and Daisy. If Jools' style is anything like Jamie's, this should be a thoroughly enjoyable and fun read for anyone thinking of or just had babies.

Sandwich and Crisps

2005-11-13T06:27:00.000-05:00

I don't think the Atkins diet ever made it to the UK judging by the heavy consumption of carbs at every meal. I haven't been able to escape sandwich and crisps which is a very popular combination at lunchtime in London. The good news is that both the sandwiches and crisps are available in a wide range of fillings and flavours.

I had roasted pepper, goat cheese and caramelized onions in a toasted sandwich yesterday from an organic cafe in Clerkenwell. I couldn't resist getting a bag of Salty Dog Crisps which were delciously crisp and had a wonderful sea salt flavouring. These crisps are made from the best potatoes and are sliced thick and loaded with flavour for maximum bite and punch. And they come in all sorts of interesting flavours like Jalapeno and Coriander, Roast Beef (!), Sea Salt and Black Pepper, Strong Cheddar and Onion, Ham and Mustard etc. Frito Lay could get some great ideas from these guys!

Absolut Icebar London

2005-11-11T15:32:00.000-05:00

Talk about taking cool to an entirely different level. Literally. I had drinks at the Absolut Icebar London last night and it was absolutely amazing and quite inspirational. I drank a hot passion fruit vodka cocktail which sounded like the perfect drink to give me some relief from the minus five degrees centigrade temperature at the bar. I drank from a glass made entirely from ice brought to London from the Torne River in Jukkasjarvi, Sweden where the Icehotel is located. I had never heard of this architectural icon before and just couldn't believe that they build the hotel every year at the start of winter and it melts when summer comes around. The hotel has now been built and melted by nature fifteen times. Wow. My colleague and I spent about thirty minutes at Icebar mostly freezing our asses off (even though we were robed in capes before we entered). But we were totally in awe of the concept. Make sure you have reservations before you go and be prepared for a chillingly different experience. Cheers!

The only redeeming quality about Air India

2005-11-10T01:19:00.000-05:00

I got a call on Friday morning that I had to be half way across the world by Monday morning for a client meeting so I jumped on the next flight out of JFK which happened to be Air India from New York to Mumbai via London. I was really bummed not to have a better connection on a better airline. Who wants to fly Air India!! I have no positive associations with Air India. I had flown them only once before when I was doing my undergrad at Davidson and used to make the annual trip home every summer. Air India lost both my bags and did not find them for a week. I chose not to fly them ever again if I had a choice. 12 years later, I find myself on Air India again (at least in Business Class thanks to work). I decided to have an open mind and actually looked forward to the journey.

I won't bore you with how bad the experience turned out to be yet again. I won't tell you about the seats which didn't fully recline or the lack of in-flight entertainment all together. And I won't tell you about all the other little things that these guys have just not bothered to think about while designing the customer experience. I will tell you though that the food was just fabulous. And it wasn't so tasty to me just because I love Indian food. It really was pretty outstanding. If Air India has got one thing right, it's the meal service. The cabin crew are super warm and go out of their way to make sure you have a nice drink and meal. And they don't skimp on the alcohol either. The British gentleman next to me was pleasantly surprised at how much gin he got in his G&T!

The meal in the picture was breakfast. We were served spicy potato curry, a light and airy upma with peas, baby uttapams with tomatoes and onions, plain creamy yogurt, a croissant, 3 parathas and some jam. I asked for some extra spicy pickle and was delighted when the stewardess produced a nice selection from First Class - lemon pickle, green chili pickle and chunda. Yum, yum - I could have survived on the parathas and the pickles alone!

PS - I'm on the road till mid-November and will try to post as much as possible, workload and jetlag permitting :)

Tofu Udon Soup at Republic

2005-11-03T22:20:00.000-05:00

Republic is a surprisingly affordable but trendy noodle house in Union Square that I visit often, especially at lunch when there is time to eat away from my desk. Not having the luxury of time this week, I ordered in. I was worried that the soup would get cold by the time it arrived but that wasn't the case.

I highly recommend the tofu noodle soup for vegetarians. It's tastiest dish on the menu but only after you add lots of spicy sauce! Tofu udon miso broth is the base to which udon noodles, fried, soft & firm tofu, tibbon seaweed and bean sprouts and other greens are added. This dish has an amazing combination of textures from the fried tofu to the silky noodles. Be warned: you've got to love tofu to enjoy this noodle broth!

37 Union Sq W
New York
(212) 627-7172

Tomatos and Basil

2005-11-02T21:27:00.000-05:00

I rarely walk out of the grocery store without tomatoes in my bag. Since moving to New York, I've been addicted to fresh basil as well. And the combo of the two is just plain delicious.

I make bruschette on weekdays when I'm too tired to make anything more involved. I usually pick up some sourdough bread on my way home from work. I cut the bread into 1cm thick slices and grill on my grillpan that is sprayed lightly with olive oil. Meanwhile, I wash, core and squeeze out the seeds of a few tomatoes. I place them in a bowl, tear in the basil and the add a few glugs of extra virgin olive oil and some vinegar. I like to add sea salt and pepper as well but you don't have to if you like your tomatoes on the sweeter side. Once the bread is grilled, I rub with a cut garlic clove, heap some tomatoes and basil and dig in!

The canteen at the Ganesh Temple

2005-10-31T21:55:00.000-05:00

To celebrate Diwali, I made a trip with some friends on Sunday morning to the Ganesh Temple in Flushing, New York. I so wish I had heard about this temple earlier. It's a pity that my father missed out on the one visit he would have most enjoyed on his recent trip to New York. He would have appreciated the worship and devoured the food!

When my friend, Vikram, mentioned that we should eat lunch there after the morning pooja, I was a bit surprised. I've never heard of temples having canteens so I really did not know what to expect. Vikram was raving about the idli, dosas, vadas and the "deadly" onion rava dosa. The only food experience I have had at a temple is gobbling ladoos and bananas at the Meenakshi Temple in Madurai, the city of my birth and the place I return to every year to visit my grandmother.

After a quick darshan, we followed the clearly-marked signs to the canteen in an adjoining building where they have a big hall that is rented out for special events like weddings. The thought of steaming idli-vada-dosa had our mouths watering all the way to the basement of the building which housed the canteen. The Ramayana was playing on a large Sony plasma TV. 20 odd tables were scattered unevenly across the hall. The place was packed with families enjoying a hearty Sunday meal. You ordered from a fast food like counter through which you could see the food being prepared. One gentleman took your order and rung you up while the other was getting just-made-food from the open kitchen and calling out your token number. The self-service was understandably a bit slow.

But as you waited in queue to reach the counter, you were tempted by the $1 prasad packets of traditional Brahmin "mixture" (like the Gujju chivda which I consider to be Indian Trail Mix), murukku and laddoos. I grabbed a small mixture packet and a laddoo (sweet fat dumplings!) of course. I remembered how a family friend would insist on calling me Laddoo instead of Lulu when I was a plump teenager and how that use to irritate me so much and I used to keep saying "Please, uncle, stop it!" It brought back those days of carefree fun and frolic (versus the hectic lifestyle today and the tension of preparing PowerPoint decks!!)

Vikram and I debated on all the terrific choices including bisibela, mysore dosa, sada dosa, dahi vada to name a few but we both chose the Special Lunch thali. We wanted a bit of many things. Of course.

My thali came with a huge mound of white rice, rasam, sambhar, cabbage karamndhu and coconut dry vegetable curry, aviyal (mixed vegetables in a yogurt sauce), dahi, applam, payasam and a lemon pickle with a sharp bite. The rasam was by far the tastiest item. It was not only steaming hot but tongue-burning spicy just the way it is meant to be. I also loved the aviyal and the cabbage dishes. The payasam was waaaaaaaaaaay too sweet for my liking but would be loved by those who drink and tea with 2-3 tablespoons of sugar! The only let down was the dahi vada which Vikram and I decided to share. The vada did not melt in my mouth like it was supposed to and the yogurt was a bit off-perfect flavour. I could just hear my mom's age-old warning of not ordering yogurt-based dishes at Indian restaurants because they can never get the sourness and freshness right.

What a fabulous pre-Diwali lunch that was. I wish I had more time this week to cook something special at home for Diwali. In the absence of that, I will be cherishing, all week long, my lovely lunch at the Ganesh Temple canteen.

Happy Diwali to those of you celebrating.

Wishing you a happy and prosperous New Year as well!

Bengali food in Manhattan at Babu

2005-10-28T17:59:00.000-04:00

Babu is the only Bengali restaurant in Manhattan that I am aware of. It is less than a year old but it has already cultivated a loyal customer base. My friends, Anil and Payal, own this upscale Indian restaurant on McDougal street that specializes in the regional cuisine of Bengal.

We ate dinner at Babu on Saturday night. My father grew up in Calcutta and speaks fluent Bengali so I was keen for him to try the amazing food at Babu. The ambience was super cozy and homely as always. The diya lights reminded me that diwali is coming up soon. I ordered the dhoi baingan (eggplant cooked in spices and yogurt) which came with rice, light fries, cucumber salad and mango chutney. The eggplant is lightly fried in mustard oil and oozes with the juicy goodness of yogurt and spices. You can have it on its own or with some white rice.

I also dipped into my father's alu dum (potato curry) which was just divine. I love the hints of cinnamon and sugar that lace Bengali dishes. The luchis (deep fried puffed bread) were a great accompaniment for the dhoi baingan as well as the alu dum.

The most outstanding dish at Babu is jhaal muri (spicy hot puffed rice) which is a very popular street food in Calcutta. I just love the combination of puffed rice, chopped onion, tomatoes, green chillies, tamarind paste, crushed peanuts, coconut bits and a dash of mustard oil. I think I like the jhaal muri at Babu even better than the bhel puri at Chennai Garden!

What I love most about Babu is the original presentation of the food including the brown bag for the jhaal muri and the copper thalis for the entrees. I like how each entree is made into a meal of its own and you don't have to order other dishes. The downside, of course, is that you won't have much variety unless you eat with a big group of friends.

My recent visit to Babu has got me all excited about Bengali food. I'm going to finally test out some recipes from the book Rumy sent me a while back.I'm already dreaming of cooking delicacies like cholar dal, khosha bhaja, luchi and rosogolla - my mouth is watering just thinking of all the yummy food I plan to cook!

All you can eat for $5.95 at Chennai Garden!

2005-10-27T22:09:00.000-04:00

Chennai Garden keeps getting better. I go to this Indian restaurant on 27th and Lex quite often to satisfy my bhel puri cravings but I recently discovered an incredibly cheap way to get my Indian food fix. It's the lunch menu served up on weekdays for - hold your breath - $5.95, unlimited servings. I took my father here for the bhel but we discovered a fantastic buffet offering a wide variety of dishes including tomato and onion uttapamlings, spicy sambhar, tadka daal, a few different sabzis, raita, raw veggies (carrost, onions), parathas, lemon rice and payasam. The food (especially the sambhar) tasted like it was made at home with the best spices. My father spoke to one of the owners and found out that the cooks are from Chennai, Coimbatore and Pondicherry in Tamil Nadu. Pretty amazing that these chaps can prepare not only authentic South Indian dishes but also North Indian favourites like daals and subzies. I just can't believe what a great deal this is for a Manhattan restaurant. No wonder the place was packed with Indians and non-Indians alike. The owner was boasting that Chennai Garden has the most non-Indian clientele of all the neighbourhood Indian restaurants. So if you haven't tried Indian food as yet, this is a low-cost way to try authentic Indian food.

Incredible Sicilian Aubergine Stew

2005-10-25T17:39:00.000-04:00

A few nights ago I had some friends over to meet my father who is visiting from India. I decided to prepare various Italian tapas, inspired by Jamie's Italy, the latest cookbook from celebrity chef Jamie Oliver. I was excited to make caponata for the first time every - Jamie's description, recipe and photo of the "incredible Sicilian aubergine stew" was too good to pass up.

Jamie says that this is a fantastic dish from southern Italy that's eaten as a warm vegetable side dish or a cold antipasto. You need nice, firm aubergines (eggplant), good tomatoes and a fine vinegar. He warns against cutting the aubergines too small as they will soak up too much oil and become heavy.

for 4 servings you will need:
olive oil
2 nice large purple aubergines, cut into large chunks
1 heaped teaspoon dired oregano
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 small red onion, peeled and finely chopped
2 cloves of garlic, peeled and finely sliced
a small bunch of fresh flat-leaf parsley, leaves picked and stalks finely chopped
2 tablespoons salted capers, rinsed, soaked and drained
a handful of green olives, stones removed
2-3 tablespoons best-quality herb vinegar
5 large ripe tomatoes, roughly chopped
optional: 2 tablespoons slivered almonds, lightly toasted

Get yourself a large pan, pour in a couple of glugs of olive oil, and place on the heat. Add your aubergine chunks and oregano, season with a little salt and toss around so the aubergine is evenly coated by the oil. Cook on a high heat for around 4 to 5 minutes, giving the pan a shake every now and then. When the aubergines are nice and golden on each side, add the onion, garlic and parsley stalks and continue cooking for another couple of minutes. Feel free to add a little more oil to the pan if you feel it's getting too dry. Throw in the drained capers and the olives and drizzle over the herb vinegar (I just used a nice white vinegar). When all the vinegar has evaporated, add the tomatoes and simmer for around 15 minutes or until tender. Taste before serving and season if you need to with salt, pepper and a little more vinegar. Drizzle with some good olive oil and serve sprinkled with the chopped parsley leaves and the almonds if you like.

I doubled this recipe as we had 8 people coming over. I served the caponata cold on lightly toasted bread that had been rubbed with a cut garlic. I must say that this dish was a big hit!

Amy's Bread at Chelsea Market

2005-10-23T12:08:00.000-04:00

My father is visiting me from Bombay. H hasn't visited Manhattan in more than 10 years. I took him on a long walk this morning to show him around Chelsea, my neighbourhood. We spent twenty minutes at the Whole Food Market where I shop regularly and then we walked along 23rd street to the West Side Highway. From there we went down till 15th and then headed east to the Chelsea Market on 9th Avenue. It was very cold this morning and I was wearing three layers including gloves but my dad was bearing the elements with just a T.shirt and a rain jacket. The sun hasn't made an appearance as yet but at least it's not raining hard like it was yesterday.

At Chelsea Market, I showed my father the different shops and restaurants including Sarabeth's, Bowery Kitchen, Chelsea Thai and BuonItalia. He loved the atmosphere of the old factory turned into a foodie's delight. We were tempted by the delicious aroma of fresh bread coming from Amy's Bread so we went in and succumed to some savoury treats including an onion rosemary focaccia and a cheddar biscuit. They both were super fresh and hit just the right soft, chewy and salty notes. I also picked up a loaf of country bread as I'm having friends over this evening for cocktails so they can mingle with my dad. I'm going to make antipasti from Jamie Oliver's new cookbook.

What's in season?

2005-10-21T20:17:00.000-04:00

That's the question I asked myself today when finally in the mood to step into my kitchen again. It seems like ages since I cooked. This has truly been the week from hell. I was supposed to be in London from Wednesday onwards for business and flying to Mumbai on Sunday for a meeting next week but my trip was cancelled last minute on the day I was supposed to leave for London. And somehow I was even busier at the office this week though I was supposed to have been travelling! I had made elaborate plans to hook up with my Dad in Europe and was really distraught that I was going to miss seeing him. But luckily he was able to get a ticket at the last minute from London to New York and is visiting me this weekend. Woohoo!

I plan to wake up early and go to the Farmer's Market with my Dad tomorrow. I'm tempted by the butternut squash (from which I'll make a nice velvety soup), the figs (I love salad of arugula, figs and blue cheese) and the apples (maybe apple clafouti?) which seem to be in season. I found this picture on Food Network's site. Will report back manana with some nice pictures from Green Market, weather permitting. It's supposed to rain all weekend long :(

Goodies from Vancouver, British Columbia

2005-10-15T11:02:00.000-04:00

I learnt about Blogging by Mail from Samantha of The Samantha Files whose blog I've been reading regularly since I met her at the C&Z event several months back in Manhattan. Blogging by Mail is a really fun concept. Hosting is a bit time-intensive since you have compile all the participants and organize the swap partners. The host decides the theme and will send you an email to let you know who to send the package to. As a participant, all it entails is sending a goodies package (food of course, given we're all food bloggers) to another blogger and then blogging about the one you receive!

I signed-up for Samantha's Blogging by Mail 2 event. For my part, I sent The Fabulous Cheese Babe some almond marzipan cookies and hazelnut raisin flute bread from my favourite local bakery, Le Pain Quotidien. Unfortunately, FedEx did not corporate. I feel really bad about that.

I received my goodies package a few days back from Linda of Kayak Soup from Vancouver, British Columbia. Thanks so much, Linda! It was such a plesant surprise to receive a package from so far away. The package got badly damaged in the mail but I was able to salvage the maple sugar cookies and plum jam that you bought from your favourite Farmer's Market and the strawberry bbq jam you made yourself. Another bottle of jam that you sent was completely smashed up and had bits of glass everywhere so I couldnt even taste it. Thank you for sending me these treats. It's so nice to taste your homemade strawberry bbq sauce. Being vegetarian, I'm not a big bbq person but I discovered that the sauce goes really well with the maple sugar cookies. The tang and bit of spice from the sauce nicely offsets the sugar blast. Thanks again!

Jamie Oliver's latest book on Italy

2005-10-12T22:21:00.000-04:00

I'm totally besotted with Jamie Oliver. But you already knew that! I just got my copy of Jamie's latest book "Jamie's Italy" from amazon.co.uk and I'm more in love with him than ever. Reading his story-like, heartfelt intro about his passion for Italy has got me hooked already and I can't wait to learn more about the flavours and foods of the different regions of Italy through the eyes of my favourite chef. Things are crazy-busy right now at work but I'm going to read a few pages every night before tucking into bed. Get your copy soon - what are you waiting for?

Pepper-Cumin Rasam

2005-10-10T19:31:00.000-04:00

It rained heavily on Saturday night and it was quite dreary and cold all weekend long. Given how long we've enjoyed the warm weather this year, it was a bit hard to adjust to the fierce wind and pouring rain. I was reminded of the monsoons in Bombay and how much I loved sipping hot rasam and cuddling up with a great book in such weather. So I started craving rasam. Not just simple tomato rasam that I usually make but a very spicy variety called milagu-seeraka rasam that has a fiery kick from the fresh black peppercorn and red chillies ground into a paste and mixed in with the tamarind water. So I made a big batch to last all week long.

Ingredients
Tamarind - a small ball the size of a lime
Salt - 1 1/2 tsp
Asafoetida - a bit
Mustard - 1/2 tsp

For the masala
Coriander seeds - 1/2 tsp
Pepper - 1/2 tsp
Thur Dhal - 1 tsp
Red chillies - 2
Cumin seeds - 1/2 tsp

Fry the masala ingredients (except cumin seeds) and grind them with cumin seeds into a smooth paste. Soak the tamarind and extract about 500 ml of juice. Add salt and asafoetida. Boil for five minutes and then add the ground masala. Simmer for 10 minutes. When the rasam froths up, add curry leaves. Remove from the fire. Season with mustard.

I love how Indian recipes are so perfectly imprecise - please use lots of good sense and intuition when making this! I can hardly describe how I do it myself as I read Indian recipes for the basic proportions and method before doing my own thing.

Essex - best brunch deal in town!

2005-10-09T17:12:00.000-04:00

We find ourselves going to the Lower East Side every time we get together with friends whether it's for dinner, drinks or even brunch! A few weeks back I got a taste of the best brunch deal in town at this trendy Latin-Jewish place called Essex which turns into a nightclub after the sun goes down. Their $14 brunch special runs from 11:30am to 4:30pm on the weekends and includes one dish, 3 blood marys, screwdrivers or mimosas and as much coffee or tea that you can stomach.

I was dying to have something sweet and something savory from the very interesting list of options that included foods as diverse as cubano sandwiches and banana chocolate chip pancakes inspired byMexican and Eastern European cooking which seems like an odd combo but actually work quite well together. I ended up sharing with my sister-in-law, Mathili, so we both could eat sweet and savory. Our main dish was Mexican Matzo Brei which is part-scrambled eggs, part-nachos, part chips and salsa. How can that not be absolutely divine? The eggs, cheese, black beans, guacamole, salsa and tortilla chips melded really well with eachother. It was much tastier that huevos rancheros that I usually order at brunch when I am in the mood for spicy eggs.

For dessert, we shared Challah French Toast with cinnamon maple syrup & fresh fruit. Challah is a sweet, eggy bread that is golden colored. It tasted a bit like bread pudding and was intensely sweet thanks to the syrup. Just a few bites were enough to satisfy my sweet craving.

After chowing down the Matzo Brei and the Challah French Toast we were definitely egged out for a few weeks but agreed that Essex was a fabulous spot to return to on weekends.

20 Essex St
At Rivington St
212-533-9616

Tempeh in Charmoula

2005-10-05T19:39:00.000-04:00

One last dish from Moroccan cuisine that I want to share with you this month is tempeh in charmoula. I made it for dinner this weekend and everyone loved it! Charmoula is a classic Moroccan herb and spice vinaigrette that is great on tempeh. You can also use this recipe and substitute the tempeh with a fish like tilapia, striped bass or red snapper filletes.

Ingredients:
1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 medium onion, thinly sliced (1 cup)
1/4 cup sun-dried tomatoes, soaked in warm water until softened, drained and cut into thin strips
1/2 cup olives, preferably Gaeta or calamata, left whole
3 cloves minced garlic
1/4 cup chopped parsely leaves
1/4 cup chopped cilantro leaves
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon ground cumin
4 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
salt
4 5-ounce pieces of tempeh or fish

Procedure:
Preheat the overn to 400F. Warm 1 tbsp of the olive oil in a meidum skillet. Add the onions and saute until softened over medium-low heat, about 10 minutes. Add the sun-dried tomatoes and the olives and saute to heat through. Place in a baking dish large enough to hold the tempeh or fish in a single layer. In a small bowl stir together the garlic, parsely, cilantro, paprika, cumin, lemon juice, the remaining 1/4 cup oil, and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Sprinkle the tempeh or fish with salt and pepper and place on top of the onion mixture. Cover with the herb and spice mixture.Bake about 20 minutes, until the fish is cooked through. Serve hot.

The traditional way to make couscous

2005-10-02T19:44:00.000-04:00

You may remember that I blogged about my Moroccan cooking class a few months ago. Last night, we had family over for dinner and I dilligently recreated all the recipes I learnt in my class. Some of you were interested in how to make couscous the traditional way so here's Chef Myra Kornfeld's recipe which I used. It was definitely laborious to say the least, but well worth the effort.

The process of wetting, drying, raking, aerarting, and steaming the semolina grains is done with the purpose of swelling them with as much water as possible without allowing them to become lumpy or soggy. You need either a couscousiere or a pot with a colander on top (like the one in the photo). A pasta cooking pot that comes with a steamer insert makes a good substitute couscousiere.

1. First washing and drying of the couscous: Wash the couscous in a large shallow pan by pouring water over the grain in a ratio of 3 parts water to 1 part grain. Stir quickly with the hand and then drain off excess water through a strainer. Return the coucous grains to the pan, smooth them out, and leave them to swell for between 10 and 20 minutes. After about 10 minutes begin, with cupped, wet hands, to work the grains by lifting up handful of grain, rubbing them gently and letting them fall back into the pan. This process should break up any lumps that may have formed. Then rake the couscous with your fingers to circulate it and help the grains to swell.

2. First steaming of the couscous: Dampen a strip of cheesecloth, dust it with flour, and twist into a strip the length of the circumference of the rim of the bottom part of the coucousiere. Use this to seal the perforated top or colander on the top of the pot. Check all sides for effective sealing: the top and the bottom should fit snugly, so that the steam rises only through the holes. The perforated top should not touch the broth below. Slowly dribble one-quarter of the swollen couscous grains into the steamer, allowing them to form a soft mound. Steam 5 minutes and gently add the remaining couscous. When all the grains are in the steamer, lower the heat to moderate and steam 20 minutes. Do not cover the couscous while it steams.

3. Second drying of the couscous: Remove the top part of the couscousiere (or the colander). Dump the couscous into a large, shallow pan and spread out with a wooden spoon. Sprinkle 1/2 to 1 cup cold water and 1 teaspoon salt all over the grains. Separate and break up lumps by lifting and stirring the grains gently. Oil your hand lightly and rework the grains - this helps to keep each grain separate. Smooth the couscous out and allow it to dry for at least 10 minutes. If the couscous feels too dry, then add another cup of water by handful sprinnkles, and rake the couscous well before each addition. If you are preparing couscous in advance, at this point let it dry and cover it with a damp cloth. It can wait many hours.

4. If you want to serve right away, allow the couscous to dry for 10 minutes, then pile it back into the couscousiere top, being sure to reseal the two containers with a cheesecloth, for its final steaming of 20 minutes. If you have prepared steps 1-3 in advance, 30 minutes before serving break up lumps of couscous by working the grains lightly between your wet fingers. Steam the couscous in the couscousiere top for 20 minutes, as previously directed.

Do let me know how the couscous turns out if you follow these steps.

How to roast peppers

2005-10-02T10:55:00.000-04:00

Even though the smallest grocery stores in Chelsea stock preserved roasted peppers, nothing compares to the joy of roasting peppers at home. It's totally worth the fresh and asbolutely succulent taste that results.

There are two methods to roast peppers (courtesy of Chef Myra Kornfield):

Place pepper directly on the grate over a gas burner. Turn the heat to high and leave to cook until each side is blistered and charred. Use tongs to turn the pepper and cook each side until the whole surface is blackened. This should only take a few minutes. Place it in a plastic bag or paper bag or under an inverted bowl to steam the skin loose. When the pepper is is cool enough to handle, remove the charred skin, using a paring knife if necessary. Don't run the pepper under water to remove the skin as that washes awy a lot of flavour. You can keep a small bowl nearby to dip your fingers in which makes slipping off the skin much easier.

As alternate methos, halve the pepers and remove the stems, seeds, and white membranes. Place cut-side down on anoiled or parchment covered baking sheet. Place in a very hot over or under a broiler. Roast or broil until evenly charred. Remove from the oven or broiler. Roast or broil untiulevenly charrred. Remove from the over or broiler and cover immediately.

Roasted peppers can be used in literally anything including salads, pizzas, omelettes and sandwiches. They can also be blended and made into a delicious soup. I like to add goat cheese , greens, champagne vinegar, olive oil, salt and peper to my roasted peppers and enjoy as a French Provencal salad.

Bonobo's Vegetarian

2005-10-01T13:53:00.000-04:00

I am not a huge raw food fan but I have changed my mind after eating a fabulous lunch at Bonobo's Vegetarian cafe. I got an organic vegetable burger made from nuts and raw veggies which had amazing flavour and texture. The burger was served on mixed greens with a choice of five raw vegetables and a basil dressing. I also got sime Gingeraid made from lime juice, freshly grated ginger and nectar from the agave plant. It was refreshing and had the perfect level of sweetness. The best part of this meal was that I was not hungry again till the evening and did not crave my 4pm chocolate bar that day!

18 E. 23rd Street
at Madison Avenue overlooking Madison Square Park.

It's a meme again!

2005-09-28T19:47:00.000-04:00

"When I walked in, I realized that Le Pain Quotidien was not only a bakery but also a restaurant."

This is the 5th sentence of the 23rd post that I wrote on this blog last September. I'm sure you're wondering why in the world I went digging through my archives to tell you this. It's quite simple - I've been tagged! Another meme is making its way through the blog world and it landed in my email courtesy of my good friend Amy of Cooking with Amy fame.

My 23rd post was about Le Pain Quotidien, a French bakery and restaurant chain in Manhattan. They have a location right next to my office on 19th street between Broadway and Park which I still frequent often for vegan soups and cheese sandwiches. Seeing the fresh bread everyday for over a year has enticed me back to eating bread which I had almost given up when I was on my weight-loss mission a few years back BEFORE I moved to Manhattan. Bread is back in my life thanks to LPQ and so are the pounds. Quel dommage!

I like to make pannini sandwiches with organic bread from LPQ. I love the combination of roasted peppers, fontina cheese (it melts really well), arugula and English mustard in my panini. I use my grill pan but would really love Mario Batali's panini grill and press:

The five blogs I tag are:

The Samantha Files because I really enjoyed meeting Sam at the C&Z get-together but have lost touch since.

Salli Vates' NY Food Page because her archive might spring up something really interesting in Manhattan that I can check out.

life & food because I read Rumy's blog regularly and love keeping in touch with India through her postings.

Margaritas and Miaows because Nisha tagged me for a shoe meme and this is tit for tat (sorry, Nish, I haven't yet done the shoe thing yet!)

Chumma Chumma because my dearest Dad is just so adorable and I still can't get over how much he's taken to blogging!

Paradou

2005-09-25T16:57:00.000-04:00

I love Paradou in the Meatpacking District. It's a cute little French restaurant that has a tres charmant garden in the back. They serve nice cheese plates, salads, crepes, sandwiches and a few entrees and have a great selection of wine. The outstanding dishes at Paradou are the crepes. I love the mushroom, asparagus pecorino truffle oil crepe as my main dish and the dark chocolate and candied orange crepe for dessert. Delicieux!

8 Little West 12th (at 9th avenue)
212-463-8345

Jamie's Favorite American Chopped Salad

2005-09-22T18:30:00.000-04:00

According to Jamie Oliver, the difference between a fantastic chopped salad and a really bad one is the freshness and combination of ingredients. I couldn't agree more. I've made this recipe many times and it never fails to delight. The only down side is that it is a bit time consuming since it requires a lot of chopping. I like to make this salad after a stressful day at work. By the time I'm done with all the chopping, I'm in a relaxed and mellow mood, ready for a glass of red wine.

Serves 6
1 red bell pepper, halved
1 fresh red chilli, halved
1 red onion, peeled
5 or 6 ripe tomatoes
1/2 a cucumber
7 oz feta cheese
2 romain lettuces, or 4 butter lettuces
1 radicchio
2 or 3 handfuls of mixed fresh herbs (parsley, basil, chives, mint)
2 teaspoons English mustard
3 tablespoons white wine vinegar
8 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Wash all your salad ingredients and drain, then get a large chopping board and either a mezzaluna or a chef's knife and get ready to chop! It is important to chop the onion and chilli finely and to dice the tomatoes, pepper and cucumber and feta into 1/2 inch piece, as this will help to bind with the dressing when you come to mix it in. With the lettuce, radicchio and herbs, just make sure you chop them all into 1/2 inch strips.

Make a well in the center of the ingredients. Add the mustard and stir it in with a teaspoon while you add the vinegar and oil. Keep tasting to balance the flavors. Season well, then add a tiny bit more seasoning before bringing all the salad into the center of the board. Mix it up and serve.

Cafe Medina

2005-09-22T08:28:00.000-04:00

It's not quite fall as yet in Manhattan but I'm already in a mood for soup at lunch just about every other day. A colleague introduced me to Cafe Medina located on 17th street between 5th and Broadway, just off Union Square.

What is unique about Cafe Media and that distinguishes them from other neighbourhood cafes is their soup selection. They make amazingly flavourful soups using seasonal ingredients. Yesterday, I got the pumpkin corn bisque for lunch. The soup had a delicious sweet and spicy flavour combo and a great texture. The others I passed on were butternut squash, tuscan tomato bread soup and celery pear. And of course, all the non veggies ones. If you're ever in the Union Square area, you've got to stop at Cafe Medina for lunch.

Pita as pizza base

2005-09-19T19:11:00.000-04:00

Whole wheat pita pockets make a great pizza base. I whipped up a gourmet pita pizza on Saturday afternoon that H totally loved. I lightly brushed some pita pockets with some olive oil and stuck the tray in a 350F oven for about ten minutes until the pita bread was nice and crisp. In the meanwhile, I took out the homemade pesto and slow roasted tomatoes I had prepared last weekend while I was hanging out in the kitchen. I also found a jar of pepperonata that I had made several weeks back. Once the pita bread was cool enough to handle, I spread some pesto on each baked pita, placed a slow roasted tomato and then sprinkled some pepperonata and finally drizzled a lit bit of extra nice extra virgin olive oil. Voila, an easy meal bursting with the flavours of basil, roasted tomatoes and peppers was ready to eat.

You can use all your creatvity with different ingredients to create yummy pita pizzas. I think fig and blue cheese pizza will taste great. Or fontina cheese and wild mushroom pizza. Or you can always stick with a simple tomato, bazil, mozzarella combo which is sure to be simply delicious.

Vosges - Haut Chocolate

2005-09-18T21:31:00.000-04:00

I discovered an exotic brand of chocolate today at Whole Foods called Vosges. I was tempted by the intriguing name and engaging graphics on the cover of the chocolate bar. Black Pearl promised a sensous dark chocolate experience with hints of ginger, wasabi and sesame seeds. I didn't taste it right away but waited for the right moment which promptly presented itself after a late afternoon snooze. Somehow, I always crave a sweet hit when I wake up from a nap on weekends. And Vosges hit my sweetspot perfeectly - from the first bite itself, I was sold. I'm not great with tasting notes so I will leave it to your imagination except to say that plain dark chocolate will never suffice once you've tried Vosges. Next up, I'm going to treat myself to the Oaxaca bar which has Oaxacan guajillo y pasilla chillies and Tanzanie bittersweet chocolate.

Sweet and Sour Sensation

2005-09-17T10:10:00.000-04:00

I went to Zen Palate for lunch yesterday. This vegetarian's oasis is located at the heart of bustling Union Square but the atmosphere can be quite zen-like, especially if you sit upstairs. The food is new age Asian and wonderfully varied - from spring rolls and steamed vegetable buns to soy crepes and potato croquettes. I'm not used to having so much choice at restaurants so it's really hard to decide what to eat.

I've been to Zen Palate five times. My favourite dish thus far is the Sweet and Sour Sensation. Battered soy protein balls in a sweet and sour sauce are served on a bed of steamed broccoli with a few taro spring rolls plus brown and red rice. I love the different textures and flavours of this dish so much that it has found its way to my cravings hit list which includes the Watsonville burrito from Uncle Moe's, the chocolate milkshake from Shake Shack, the spicy lemon and coriander soup from Chinese Mirch, the guacamole at Dos Caminos and the queso fundido at Mesa Grill, to name a few.

Holy Basil

2005-09-15T20:11:00.000-04:00

I just can't get enough of basil these days. I buy fresh basil every time I go to the grocery store. I use this favourite herb every opportunity I get - in pasta sauces, thai curries, salads and pestos to name a few. Recently I discovered that a restaurant called Holy Basil which is one of the most popular Thai restaurants in Manhattan.

Holy Basil is located in the Lower East Side on 2nd Avenue between 9th and 10th street. You walk up a flight of stairs to reach the restaurant on the second floor of an apartment building. The high ceilings, dark wood furniture, velvet upholstery and dim lighting make you feel like you are in library instead of a restaurant. The chandeliers and stained glass add a romantic touch to the ambience. We ate at the bar which is at the front of the restaurant.

I was quite impressed with the taste of the Thai food at Holy Basil though Patpong is still my favourite. We ate vegetable spring rolls, a Thai salad with peanut sauce, yellow curry with vegetables and deep fried tofu. I'd never tried deep fried tofu before and was expecting something dripping in oil. To my delight, the tofu chunks were moist on the inside and deliciously crisp on the outside and came with a yummy sweet and spicy dipping sauce.

Oh, and did I mention that the meal was quite reasonably priced? Overall, fabulous value for money. The Lower East Side is really the place for great food finds.

Holy Basil
149 2nd Ave
Between 9th Street and 10th Street
(212) 460-5557

Slow roasting tomatoes (encore)

2005-09-11T19:40:00.000-04:00

It was about this time last year that I learnt to slow roast tomatoes. Sometimes I love spending all day Saturday or Sunday cooking and the slow roasting tomatoes in the oven which takes over 4 hours gives me a great excuse to hang around the kitchen, browse through my cookbooks and find interesting things to make.

This year, I used 6 heirloom tomatoes that I bought from Whole Foods. I cut the tomatoes from the equator and laid down the halves on a large baking tray.
I drizzled a little bit of balsamic vinegar on each half as well as some sea salt, freshly ground pepper and some fresh basil. They looked so delicious that I was super tempted to forget about roasting and enjoy the fresh and juicy tomatoes as is:

I then should have poured half a cup of extra virgin olive oil all over the tomatoes and stuck them in a pre-heated 350 degree fahrenheit oven and left them alone for about four hours at which point they become amazingly packed with flavour:

While writing this post I realized that I forgot to add the olive oil which is why the tomatoes in the photo look somewhat dry. They were as tasty though so I inadvertently cut out some calories without losing taste. These cooked tomatoes can be used in many creative ways. I like them as antipasti or between toasted bread with some pesto.

Tennis in the Lower East Side

2005-09-10T10:26:00.000-04:00

Today is such a gorgeous day. I was lucky to enjoy the beautiful day from as early as 7:30 am as I played tennis at the courts located by the East River at Delancey and Houston. Sangeet invited me to play with his friend Carol who secured the passes for all of us as she is a regular player.

My first time playing tennis in Manhatan was a total disaster. Not having picked up the racquet in over a year and a half, I was shocked to discover that my somewhat decent game has completely fallen apart. I couldn't hit a forehand at all and I was just about getting my backhand in. Needless to say, I was totally embarassed. I need to go hit a whole lot of balls before I sum up the courage to play with someone again.Shriraj (my regular tennis partner in California) and my Dad will be sad to read this.

The best part of the morning was being introduced to Carol, a fellow foodie, and getting dropped back home in her bright yellow Mini Cooper Convertible. Zipping around Manhattan in a convertible on a fabulous day quickly erased my memory of tennis. Thanks, Carol!

Fried eggs over a salad

2005-09-06T20:28:00.000-04:00

I was trying to make us a light lunch yesterday but I didn't want it to be so light that we would be hungry in a few hours. That's when I had the idea of frying eggs and tossing them on a bed of greens and some veggies. I'm always amazed how just a little protein goes a long way in keeping hunger at bay.

I made a salad from arugula, wild assorted mushrooms sauteed in a little bit of olive oil and cherry tomatoes. I dressed the salad with some red wine vinegar, extra virgin olive oil, seat salt and coarsely crushed black pepper. Then I fried the eggs in a non-stick sautee pan with a little butter before gently placing them on the salad.

You can jazz up any simple green salad with eggs. I grew up thinking that eggs were meant to be consumed at breakfast only but six months in France quickly taught me that eggs can be enjoyed at literally any time of the day.

Some other things I like to do with eggs are:

* Poached eggs in a spicy tomato sauce
* Akuri
* Egg sandwich on wheat bread with gently crushed soft boiled eggs, mustard and small celery chunks
* Fried eggs on a toasted English muffin and a slice of Jarlsberg
* Egg curry
* Frittata

Sania at the US Open '05

2005-09-05T16:03:00.000-04:00

I feel so lucky that I got to see Sania Mirza play at the US Open. We weren't planning on going at all but H managed to get two tickets for Sunday at the last minute so we showed up and were incredibly fortunate to have watched some of the best tennis in the world.

We took the 7 train from Grand Central to Flushing Meadows. It took about half an hour. The subway was not as packed as I had anticipated but you could clearly tell the tennis fans from the locals. Once we got to Flushing, we breezed passed the lines and got straight to the President's Gate which is the VIP entrance to the stadium. We lucked out in getting incredible seats in a law firm's suite on the mezzanine level. One of the GS partners that H works with has all sorts of connections through which he got two tickets for us. So generous of him to treat us to a day of fabulous tennis, lots of champagne and fine food! Now of course, H is more of a slave to GS than ever.

The first match was the best of the day in which Hewitt beat Dent in a thrilling five sets. I was rooting for Hewitt just to go against the crowd and was duly rewarded. Dent lost so many opportunities to seize the match but played an incredibly sharp game against a never-say-die Hewitt.

The second match was an emotional one for us as Sania Mirza, Indian's rapidly rising tennis star, was pitted against Maria Sharapova, seeded number one. Deep down I probably knew that Sania did not stand a chance but I cheered enthusiastically after every single shot she won. There were pockets of Indian fans scattered throughout the stadium who chanted "S-a-n-i-a, S-a-n-i-a" and clapped at regular intervals. I was most impressed by Sania's fierce backhand and crosscourt shots but her serve has a long way to go. She converted only 22% of second serves so pretty much every time she faulted, my stomach churned as I knew she would lose the point. Sania lost but India won. It's so incredible to have an Indian woman athlete on the center stage of one the greatest sportings events in the world.
I have no doubt that will all the international coaching she is getting now, she will soon be an incredible force to reckon with.

The third match was Serena versus Venus Williams:

Their first set lasted as long as the entire Sania versus Sharapova match. Both sisters were in top form but Venus just seemed more determined to win and she did.

Many family members and friends cheered them on including their mom:

Serena's dog Jackie sat on her friend's lap and watched the entire game:

But I guess Jackie's suport and cheerleading wasn't enough to overcome big sis's comeback to the game. I think Venus is going to be champ next Saturday.

Brown rice sushi rolls

2005-09-03T18:10:00.000-04:00

I love vegetarian sushi rolls but white rice is such a no-no when trying not to pack on the pounds so I had given up sushi entirely. And then Shivani told me all about brown rice sushi and suggested that I try the veggie rolls at Whole Foods. Now I'm totally hooked and have it for lunch as often as possible. I love the nutty texture of the rice and it pairs exceptionally well with both crunchy vegetables like carrot and cucumber and the mushy ones like avocado. As far as I am aware, Whole Foods (Union Square) is the only place south of Chelsea where you can get brown rice sushi rolls.

Green pepper and tomato frittata

2005-08-28T11:41:00.000-04:00

I've got this new kick to try a different way to cook eggs every weekend. While I was flipping through some of my cookbooks, a frittata recipe from Cook 1.0 got me excited. I was motiavted by Heidi's description of the frittata as an open-faced Italian omelet as I had a green pepper, a few tomatoes and mixed olives that I wanted to use. I improvised on Heidi's basic recipe and in less than twenty minutes from start to finish, I had hearty veggie frittata ready to be chowed down by two hungry, hungover stomachs!

Preheat oven to 450F. In a medium bowl whisk together 6 large eggs, a splash of cream (I used a few splashes of skim milk), a pinch of salt and pepper, 1/2 cup grated parmesan, 2 plum tomatoes sliced into wedges, a handful of fresh rosemary and a few red pepper flakes.

To an 8 1/2-inch ovenproof noonstick skillet over medium-high heat, add 1 tbsp olive oil, 1 shallot minced and 1 clove garlic minced. Sautee, stirring constantly until the shallots get translucent, about 2 minutes. Add thinly sliced wedges of 1 green pepper and continue to sautee till the peppers are a little soft. Turn down the heat a bit.

Add the egg mixture and cook over medium-low hear for about 5 minutes, or until just set and there isn't a lot of liquid. I added a handful of mixed olives once the eggs were almost set.

Place the skillet in the oven and bake for about 9 minutes, or until golden, firm and puffy.

I was amused with H's remarks that the frittata was like a pizza without the carbs. He added lots of tabasco and ate it just like a pizza!

Bumper crop of tomatoes

2005-08-27T15:17:00.000-04:00

August is the hottest month in New York. It's that time of the year when things are really slow at work and people take long weekends to cool off at the beach. It's also the month when you taste the best of summer including all kinds of juicy tomatoes.

Greenmarket is overflowing with tomatoes in different colours, shapes and sizes. Thomas Jefferson first grew this fruit at Monticello (where he had an enviable vegetable garden) in 1781 and now it is America's third most popular produce after potato and lettuce!

The tomatoes I've used and am familiar with are tomatillo, vine-ripened, heirloom, beefsteak, cherry and plum. Tomatillos are great for salsa verde. I make a rustic panzanella salad from vine-ripened tomatoes. I enjoy heirloom tomatoes by themselves with a drizzle of aged balsamic vinegar, salt and pepper. Beefsteak tomatoes are great for slow-roasting. I use plum tomatoes for different pasta dishes. But I love the cherry tomatoes best of all for their burst of juiciness in every bite.

Fattoush at Horus Cafe

2005-08-23T22:43:00.000-04:00

I love going to Horus Cafe in the Lower East Side for Middle Eastern food. H and I went on a weeknight and it was such a different, mellow scene from the crazy, jam-packed atmosphere and pricey attitude on Friday and Saturday nights.

We sat at a table outside, enjoyed the warm temperature at night and lightly noshed while drinking white wine and smoking an apple hookah. The best dish at Horus is their Fatoush Salad. Fatoush is a Lebanese bread salad made with fresh vegetables like cucumber, tomatoes, radishes and onions tossed in a lemony vinaigrette with toasted pita and some sprinkles of sumac. A perfect way to beat the summer heat while watching that waistline!

Moroccan Feast

2005-08-21T11:27:00.000-04:00

I took my first cooking class ever yesterday. I've been searching for interesting vegetarian cooking classes in Manhattan but wasn't able to find a class at which at least three quarters of the recipes being taught would be meatless. After several Googlings, I found the National Gourmet Institute for Food and Health, located just a few blocks away from my apartment. The school offers a variety of public classes for those not enrolled in their regular programs. The Authentic Moroccan class by Myra Kornfield (author of The Voluptous Vegan and ex-head pastry chef at Angelica Kitchen) was the perfect class for me as I love learning about cuisines that have lots of complex flavours.

Moroccan cuisine uses an exotic array of ingredients from sun-dried tomatoes and red hot chili peppers to preserved lemons and orange flower water. The melange of everything on a plate of Moroccan food is what makes eating this type of food so exciting. You never know if you're going bite into a plump raisin or savour the flesh of a roasted pepper coated with lemon juice and fresh herbs. Or relish the saffron spiked vegetable stew over freshly steamed couscous in between bites of orange and carrot salad.

Myra was a ball of energy and a fabulous instructor. She taught us many little things about cooking in general as we prepared the various dishes. Who knew that roasting peppers over a gas flame was that much better than broiling them. Or that tempeh is the closest subsitute to red snapper or Striped Bass. This cooking class was hands-on so twelve of us were divided into two groups. Each group made all the dishes and we had a big feast at the end of class.

Learning how to make fluffy couscous was my biggest take away. Forget about the five minute method professed by the store-bought brands. Couscous requires a lot of TLC. It needs a lot of love by way of washing, drying, swelling and a couple of steamings in a couscousier (a pasta cooking pot that comes with a steamer insert is a good substitute) to get it to its best form. Before the second steaming, I learnt that you should sprinkle salt and then work the couscous with oiled hands to keep each grain separate. If all goes well, you'll end up with amazingly tender and airy couscous which can be garnished with freshly chopped parsley:

My second biggest takeaway was learning how to make harissa, the deep orange coloured chili paste that is stirred into stews. You can use this paste to jazz up any Moroccan dish. It is made from red hot chili peppers, sun-dried tomatoes and a few spices like caraway, cumin and coriander with garlic and olive oil. A little bit goes a long way and it keeps well in the fridge. Here's the harissa my group made:

I also learnt to make a seven vegetable stew using turnips, celery, zucchini, carrots, green peppers, tomatoes and peas:

The three pepper salad with preserved lemon was my favourite dish:

But I also loved the spiciness of the chickpeas in charmoula (a classic Moroccan herb and spice vinaigrette):

Dessert was semolina cookies with orange and lemon drizzled with chocolate:

Now that I have some knowledge of Moroccan cuisine, I can't wait to cook the same Moroccan Feast at home. Any takers?

Homemade Apricot Butter

2005-08-19T17:26:00.000-04:00

I love making different kinds of jellies, jams, butters, conserves, marmalades and preserves at home. In California, I used to make sesame fig jam every July using the fruit from Gabe's fig tree in our backyard. Last summer I made spicy peach butter from some deliciously sweet peaches I had bought at Greenmarket.

This time I was in a mood for a tangy and sweet butter to serve on a cracker with cheese so I bought lots of apricots from the market and got to work. Making fruit butter at home is as simple as washing and cutting the fruit, adding sugar, lemon juice and being patient till the mixture reaches the right consistency. Just don't mess with the proportion of fruit, sugar and lemon juice. Though the recipes tell you to process your jars in a boiling-water canner, I've always skipped that step. It's not necessary if you're going to consume in a month or two.

24 medium apricots
3 cups sugar
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1/2 to 1 teaspoon each ginger, nutmeg, cinnamon

To prepare pulp:
Wash and stem apricots; cut in halves; pit. Cook apricots until soft, adding only enough water to prevent sticking (about 1/2 cup). Press through a sieve or food mill. Measure 11/2 quarts apricot pulp.

To prepare butter:
Combine apricot pulp and sugar. Cook until thick enough to round up on a spoon. As mixture thickens, stir frequently to prevent sticking. Add lemon juice. Ladle the hot butter into jars.

Having a few different homemade jams and butters at home is so handy. They're so much more satisfying than readymade ones and add a real special touch to dishes.

The best thin crust pizza in Manhattan

2005-08-18T18:19:00.000-04:00

Natasha introduced me to Posto, an unassuming and cozy neighbourhood pizza place where they make thinnest and crispest pizza. You get to choose from a never-ending list of toppings including caramelized onions, bella di cerignola olives, fresh spinach and shiitake mushrooms. I got a slice with jalapenos and sweet red onions which was just perfect after a few margaritas at Underbar. I wasn't terribly hungry otherwise I would have ordered the Shroomtown pie- portobello, shitake, and button mushrooms with white truffle oil. Yum - can't wait to go back for that one!

Posto has outdoor seating and delivers as well.

310 2nd Ave
(at 18th St)
212-716-1200

One full year in Manhattan!

2005-08-16T22:23:00.000-04:00

I just realized that I totally blew the one year anniversary of my blog (August 12th) which was supposed to be a big deal - I had challenged myself to keep this going for a year even though I started blogging on a total whim when I moved to Manhattan. Oh well!

I SO did not want to leave the Bay Area but the past year has been so exhilarating and full of new experiences that I can't help but be in love with Manhattan. I've lost a bit of the California "niceness" and definitely the "laidbackness" but I've gained a huge dose of energy, curiosity and an even bigger appetite for life. And I've become more food obsessed than ever so my blog will now be totally devoted to my adventures in cooking and eating.

Can't say for sure if I'll live in Manhattan for the rest of my life, but I'm certainly going to make the most of every single day as if it were my last..

Grilled eggplant and portobello strips

2005-08-16T21:19:00.000-04:00

As if the 100 degrees weather this weekend was not hot enough, I decided to fire up my grill pan on Sunday. I had a big eggplant and a few portobellos hanging out in the fridge that I wanted to use before the week rolled around.

I cut up the vegetables in chunky strips and marinated them in some finely chopped garlic, balsamic vinegar, extra virgin olive oil, loosely torn rosemary, some salt and pepper. After about thirty minutes, they were ready for the grill. Once the pan was well heated, about three minutes per side was all that was needed to have succulent eggplant and potobello strips that I placed on a bed of arugula before chowing down. If I hadn't been nursing a mega hangover, I might have washed down the grilled veggies with a glass of rose or a red wine sparkling.

Murray's Cheese

2005-08-15T21:16:00.000-04:00

I finally went to Murray's Cheese in Greenwich Village. It is New York's most famous cheese shop. It turns out that they also have other gourmet foods there so it was a very fun food shopping trip indeed. H controlled my desire to splurge on unnecessaties (mais non!) like sea salted capers and white truffle oil but he couldn't stop me from buying a few different cheeses, a bamboo cheese board, a cheese knife and some sheets of a specially waxed paper that keeps cheese really fresh.

Ribafria was one of the two cheeses I brought home. It's a blackpeppercorn encrusted goat cheese from Portugal that is spicy and pungent. Definitely not for the less adventurous souls. I also bought was Tomme de Savoie, which I am sure you've heard of as it's quite popular. Tomme is made from raw cow's milk and has a salty taste and semi-soft texture. It is made from skim milk so is quite healthy actually. The other two cheeses you can see on my new bamboo board in the photo are Parmesan and Brie both of which I always keep handy. I used to consider Parmesan only a cooking cheese until I moved to Manhattan last year and saw it being served in strips or squares on cheese plates. Now it's my favourite cocktail snack!

For those of you who don't want to make it all the way to the Village, Murray's has a location in Grand Central as well.

Murray's Cheese
Greenwich Village
254 Bleecker St. (between 6th & 7th Ave.)
New York, NY 10014
(212) 243-3289
Store Hours:
Mon - Sat: 8am-8pm
Sunday: 9am-6pm

Sapa

2005-08-12T19:20:00.000-04:00

Some restaurants have the most interesting toilets that the toilets become the central talking point and shamelessly grab the limelight from everything else. Sapa, an ultra trendy Vietnamese restaurant in Chelsea, has two rows of individual toilets overlooking a concrete pool with underwater lighting. Very private and tres cool! But what about the rest of the restaurant? It's actually quite lovely. High ceilings, dark wood furniture, a wide variety of white lighting fixtures of different shapes and sizes, white netted curtains and huge potted plants. It feels a little bit like Le Colonial in San Francisco although Sapa's housed in a much bigger space and the long bar with a row of low-hanging lampshades is quite striking. And the scene is very happening. I felt a bit frumpy in a full-sleeved shirt and black trousers. A delicate tank top on designer jeans might have been more in order. And two inch heels, of course!

The menu was overly long and seemed very expensive. Being a mojito purist, I was quite annoyed with the "Cosmojito" so I decided to have a simple glass of Sancerre with some mussels in a spicy coconut broth:

For those of you who don't know, mussels are one of the few non-vegetarian things that I indulge in every once in a while. I loved the cilantro, lime and coconut flavours of the broth. I found some cooked pineapple sqaures hidden inside the mussels which was a tangy, soft surprise. And the torn basil leaves added a lovely burst of freshness after every bite. I polished the dish off and even used the bread to scrape every bit of the sauce left behind :)

I may not go back to Sapa for dinner (seems too expensive and no dish on the menu particularly struck my fancy other than the mussels) but I would definitely go there for drinks when friends from out of town visit.

Sapa
43 West 24th Street
(212) 929-1800

Chennai Garden

2005-08-09T20:34:00.000-04:00

If you're searching for the best bhel puri in Manhattan, look no further than Chennai Garden. Quite odd that you would find the most lip-smackingly delicious Bombay street snack in a kosher certified South Indian restaurant, but I've got to award Chennai Garden with first prize when it comes to bhel.

I've tried bhel puri at every Indian restaurant in the city that I've eaten at - Tabla Bread Bar, Amma, Devi, Sukhadia's, Madras Mahal, Tamarind Cafe, Pongal to name a few - but none comes even close to the one you can eat at Chennai Garden. The bhel you get here is just the perfect mix of crunchiness, moistness, crispnesss, sweetness and sourness. And consistently so. Maybe they use a special puffed rice. Or organic onions that impart just the right flavour :) Or perhaps the juju is in the tamarind paste. Or maybe it's the cilantro chutney. I can't figure out what makes the bhel so damn special but it sure beats anything I've tasted elsewhere.

My friend, Shivani, swears by the gobi masala. She goes to Chennai Garden at least once a week to eat sambhar (on its own like a soup!), phulkas (puffed chapatis) and gobi masala. I stole a few bites when we went together last week and it was so yummy:

Chennai Garden
129 East 27th Street
(between Park & Lexington)
(212) 689-1999

Mangiami

2005-08-07T16:55:00.000-04:00

Eat me! I so love the name of this new, moderately-priced, Italian restaurant in the Lower East Side. Everything - from the deep red brick walls to the very Italian owner - is quite inviting, to say the least. Mangiami is the perfect spot for an intimate dinner with a close group of friends before heading to Kush or Le Souk for a big night out!

We dined at Mangiami last night and totally loved it. The mojitos were the best I've had thus far in Manhattan, the antipasti platter was just delicious (roasted eggplant, spicy roasted peppers, cheeses, olives, salami, grapes, crackers) and my risotto with truffle mushrooms was unbelievably divine. Some of my friends had the chicken stuffed with spinach and really liked it. The simple penne with tomato and fresh basil and the spaghetti alla carbonara were big hits with our group as well. The owner's passion for the restaurant really comes through when he prepares your drinks and serves your food. Lovely, lovely, lovely. I know I'll be heading to Mangiami everytime I'm in the mood for fresh food made from the finest ingredients.

9 Stanton St
Btwn Bowery & Christie St
212-477-7047

Butter lettuce salad on a hot summer day

2005-08-06T11:31:00.000-04:00

Nothing speaks of freshness and summer days like butter lettuce. Okay, maybe a watermelon does but we're in Manhattan not in Mississippi. Melting in your mouth like butter without leaving a guilty feeling, it's the perfect green when you're in the mood for something lighty and airy.

Live Butter Lettuce is available in the grocery stores these days which means that it staysfresh for up to three days when you are ready to use. I made a simple salad with these tender greens, mushrooms and fresh parmesan.

I started by sauteeing a pack of assorted mushrooms in extra virgin olive oil. I threw in some lemon thyme. You should try it if you haven't already - it adds a lovely aroma and subtle citrus flavour. Once the mushrooms were well done, I left them to cool, about twenty minutes. Meanwhile, I took out a chunk of parmesan cheese and cut finger sized strips. And I made a simple dressing using white wine vinegar and extra virgin olive oil. Once the mushrooms were ready, I tossed all the ingredients together and added some coarse sea salt and ground pepper. A nice accompaniment would be lightly toasted baguette slices but I'm trying to watch those carbs again so bread is a no no!

Homemade Sindhi kokis

2005-08-04T20:02:00.000-04:00

I usually buy fresh parathas from Kalustyans or Sinha's on 27th street and freeze them after feasting on a couple. But I recently discovered a recipe for Sindhi Koki (double cooked paratha) which is very easy to make and is just delicious. I love my kokis with mango chunda, a sweet mango pickle made with shreds of green mangoes and sugar. Enjoy!

4 cups wheat flour
2 medium-sized onions, finely chopped
6 green chillies, finely chopped
2 tbsps coriander leaves, finely chopped
2 tbsps ghee to be added to the flour
Sufficient water to make the dough
Salt to taste

Add the finely chopped onions, green chillies and coriander leaves to the flour. Knead a slightly stiff dough with ghee and salt. Make equal portions. Roll out each portion like a thick round chappati. With a knife make a design of diagonal lines criss-crossing each other from one end of the chappati to the other. This is to ensure that the Koki gets cooked well. Rub the tava with a touch of ghee and cook the Koki on a low flame, (adding ghee when turning from one side to the other) till golden.

Antique Garage

2005-08-01T20:01:00.000-04:00

Chandeliers are rendered their original meaning in this hip, Turkish restaurant off the beaten track in SoHo/Nolita. I'd almost forgotten that they are not only my favourite style of earrings but also long, ornate lighting fixtures that can magically transform a space, especially at night.

My sister-in-law, who is totally in-the-know of the coolest of the cool places in her neighbourhood, picked Antique Garage for dinner on Saturday night. Our husbands' cousin, D, was leaving town now that his summer internship is over. M and I are so jealous that D is heading to Dubrovnik before he goes back to finish up business school. We want to go to Croatia too! Dubrovnik has become THE place to vacation - it's amazing how many people we know are heading there this year.

Besides the chandelier, Antique Garage is filled with - you guessed it - antiques from all over the city that you can actually purchase. The plush, maroon velvety decor lends a charming elegance to the place and the early 19th century plates on which the food is served adds a vintage touch.The drinks are tres noveau though - we were sipping on raspberry mojitos and kiwi caipirinhas all night long.

The food was excellent - might I add - better than what I ate in Istanbul. The eggplant meze was outstanding - it was char grilled pureed baby eggplant marinated in olive oil and lemon juice. Tzatziki (yogurt spread with fresh dill and garlic) is always a pleaser for me and the one that Antique Garage served up did not disappoint. But the real surprise was the Mediterranean Pasta. I usually don't order pasta at restaurants but since they weren't any other veg entrees on the meny, I had no choice. The penne, which was tossed with tomatoes, green peppers, olives and feta cheese was super fresh and flavourful. It was a nice, light meal on a hot summer evening. The big bonus was listening to live music while we chatted away and warned D about not getting into too much trouble with the Eastern European women!

41 Mercer St
(SoHo/NoHo/Little Italy)
between Grand and Broome Sts.
212-219-1019

Vegetarian Caviar

2005-07-31T17:21:00.000-04:00

Inspired by a blog post at 101 Coobooks, I made Beluga Lentil Crostinis. I'd never heard about these little beans and was very intrigued by Heidi's post. So I bought a can yesterday at the grocery store and used it in her innovative recipe.

Beluga beans are tiny black lentils that look like caviar though I can't compare the taste between the two since I have never tasted caviar. The beans were delicious when heaped on top of a crostini with a goat cheese and chive spread. I've read that they are a great addition to soups and salads. I'm going to experiemnt with different fresh herbs to see which ones really enhance the flavour of these little jewels. Let me know if you have a favourite recipe.

Figs with attitude!

2005-07-29T20:37:00.000-04:00

Manhattan makes me do things I may not do elsewhere in the world. Nothing here is plain Jane. Somehow it does not fit with the vibe of the city. It seems so wrong not to infuse just a little bit of attitude in everything one does. So that's how I ended up experimenting with chunks of blue cheese on ripe and juicy figs for dessert. Surprisingly, I was quite pleased with the combo - the sharpness of the cheese was a nice pairing with the bursting sweetenss of a just-halved fig. Figs and blue cheese, a glass of Muscat, streaming music from a French radio station over iTunes, a novel that I'm just getting into and I'm all set for a mellow Friday night...

Istanbul Diary: Bosphorus

2005-07-27T23:07:00.000-04:00

No description of Istanbul is complete without a mention of the Bosphorus, the strait between the Black Sea and the Sea of Marmara. I find it so fascinating that one part of Istanbul is in Europe and the other is in Asia and that the Bosphorus sits in between. Despite its waters being jammed with ships, oil tankers, local ferries and speed boats, the Bosphorus is endlessly endearing to Istanbullus and tourists alike. For the locals, it is wonderful escape from the stifling city life. For visitors, it offers a glimpse into the past of one of the most important trading centers in the world. A cruise along the Bosphorus is also a fantastic way to learn about the history and culture of the city as the entire course is dotted with Ottoman boat houses, mosques, grand palaces and gardens. I was lucky to experience a night cruise along the Bosphorus - there are very few things in life that are as romantic. I'm hooked to Istanbul!

Istanbul Diary: Porcelain

2005-07-26T19:54:00.000-04:00

The most difficult part about shopping in Istanbul is that you feel like buying everything. This is especially true of Turkish porcelain ware. I was completely mesmerized by the colours and patterns of the housewares. From serving plates to rice bowls, mini tea cups to full dinner sets, I wanted to bring everything home and jazz up my dinner parties. Luckily, the handmade pieces were quite expensive and that put a natural control on my urge to splurge.

Istanbul Diary: Four Seasons rooftop

2005-07-26T19:45:00.000-04:00

If you ever find yourself in Istanbul, be sure to swing by the Four Seasons Hotel Istanbul for some tea on the rooftop. This exquisite property has been converted from an old neoclassical Turkish prison. Located in the heart of the city in Sultanahmet, you are literally steps away from Topkapi Palace, the Blue Mosque and all the other architectural jewels in the neighbourhood. Talk about being steeped in the beauty of Istanbul while enjoying the conveniences of a moderm, luxury hotel. When I return to Istanbul, I'm coming back here for dinner when it's full moon!

Istanbul Diary: Apple Tea

2005-07-24T10:20:00.000-04:00

Shopping in Istanbul's bazaars is incomplete without a cup of apple tea that is served in seductive tea cups. The tea is served piping hot and you can burn your tongue if you are not careful. I loved drinking a cup of tea while I mentally calculated my starting price for the various exotic wares that I was covetting. It is easy to assume that you must buy from a shop that has taken the trouble to serve you tea, but remember that it's part of the shopping experience and you need not feel indebted at all.

My most memorable cup of apple tea in Istanbul was actually not at a shop but at an authentic cafe near the Blue Mosque. My Russian girlfriend and I were exhausted after a long day of continuous haggling. An outdoor Turkish cafe with comfortable couches and hookahs was just what we needed. We ordered apple tea and some pistachio ice cream. At a couch from where we had a stunning view of the mosque at sunset, we took off our shoes, sunk our feet in the cushions and set out to enjoy the ice cream and the tea one sip and spoon at a time. We wanted to see just how long how long we could stretch out the experience. We thoroughly went over the day's events and about thirty minutes later, we we scraping off pistachios and sipping the last drops of the tea. Wish I could transport myself back to this cafe in Istanbul so I can unwind in such a delicious fashion every time I'm exhausted!

Istanbul Diary: Turkish Delight

2005-07-23T09:16:00.000-04:00

It's soft, gooey and bursting with the goodness of sugar and nuts. One bite and you'll be craving more and more until your body screams "STOP."

Turkish Delight, or lokum, is nothing but a candy made from sugar, starch and a flavouring like rosewater that makes it pink. It is cut up into little cubes that are dusted with sugar to prevent sticking. Like all sweets, Turkish delight comes in many varieties with ingredients like hazelnut, almonds, pistachio, dates, coconut etc.

The Spice Bazaar in Istanbul has hundreds of shops selling Turkish Delight. Walking through this market is a real feast for the eyes. There's candy everywhere and you can even sample the different flavours before settling on your selection. It was too difficult for me to choose which shop to buy from. But the persistence, charm and humour of one of the shopkeepers won me over - he kept insisting I was Pakistani and literally dragged me into his store to show me pictures of his trip to Pakistan, apparently my homeland! After a lot of chit chat, I bought a big box of assorted flavours. I let the shopkeeper make the selections for me as each flavour tasted unbelievable delicious and I just couldn't make up my mind.

Lokum is one of the oldest sweets in the world - it was created in Turkey about 500 years ago but it was not until the early 1800s under the reign of Sultan Abdul Hamid 1 did the candy really become popular thanks to his appointment of a confectioner in his court. Lokum then made its way to Britain in the 19th century thanks to an unknown traveler who bought cases in Istanbul and shipped them to Britain under the name Turkish Delight.

The long name for the sweet is rahat lokum. It is a corruption of the Turanian word meaning morsel. Rahat is a Turkish word, meaning peace or contentment, therefore the correct translation is a morsel of contentment. What a delightful story!

Istanbul Diary: Aryan

2005-07-23T08:37:00.000-04:00

I drank a lot of Aryan when I was in Turkey. It is a salted yogurt drink that tastes exactly like salted lassi. A cold glass of Aryan is perfect on a hot summer day, especially if you're dehydrated from a lot of alcohol consumption the previous night :)

Did you know that yogurt originated in Turkey? The nomadic tribes of Eastern Europe and Western Asia were tinkering around with defermentation and chanced upon this manna. The ancient Assyrian word for yogurt, lebeny, meant "life." The word yogurt also comes to us from the Turkish language. The root "yog" means roughly to condense.

I haven't been able to find a suitable answer for why this Turkish yogurt drink is called "Aryan." Any suggestions?

Istanbul Diary: Gul Receli

2005-07-20T21:23:00.000-04:00

I'm back in Manhattan after a full week in Istanbul. Although it feels good to be home, I miss waking up and eating a big breakfast in the mornings before embracing a beautiful vacation day.

I stayed at the Anemon Galata Hotel located in the Beyoglu area of Istanbul. It is near the famous Galata Tower which you may have heard of if you've read any of Orhan Pamuk's books. Orhan Pamuk is a wonderful authour, by the way. You should check him out if you haven't heard of him already. His most famous books are "Snow," "My name is Red," and "Istanbul."

I ate breafast every day at the rooftop terrace restaurant of the hotel. From 7:30 am to 10:30 am, they served a wonderful spread of breads, olives (interesting choice for breakfast, I thought, but the Turks are Mediterranean after all!), meats, cheeses, cereals, fruits and eggs. And then there were the jams and the honeys. Many delicious and unusual varities of them. I fell totally in love with gul receli or rose jam. I added generous spoonfuls of this wonderfully aromatic and intensely flavourful jam on my croissant every morning. With every bite, I imagined floating on a bed of light pink rose petals, ignorant to the world around me.

I liked it so much that I even brought a few bottles home. I'm hoping that Kalustyans carries gul receli so I won't ever run out. Even though I have the bottles at home now, I am scared to open it and try the jam. I feel that the commercial version won't be half as good as the one seen in the picture. Wish me luck!

Off to Istanbul

2005-07-12T22:45:00.000-04:00

I'm off to Istanbul tomorrow for Aylin and Max's wedding. Aylin and I were in undergrad together in North Carolina and we've kept in touch over the years. She even made it to my wedding in Bombay many years back.

I'm really excited about visiting Turkey as it will be my first time. I've been hearing so much about what an exotic city Istanbul is. How lucky to be there for a wedding - I can't think of a better excuse to visit a country and a better way to get to know the people, the food and the culture. I'm not taking my laptop so I won't be able to post regularly and share my experiences with you but I'll see if I can find an Internet cafe from where I can blog.

Please do let me know if you have any suggestions for what to see and where to eat

I'll back back mid next week.

Chinese Mirch on the Web

2005-07-11T20:09:00.000-04:00

Just to let you know that one of my favourite restaurants, Chinese Mirch, finally has an online menu (or has always had it and I only now discovered it) which makes it so much easier to order from home. Hope you are lucky enough to live in the delivery zone so you can enjoy sweet corn vegetable soup, fried baby corn, chili garlic noodles and chili paneer in your pyjamas! A glass of ice-cold lychee juice would be perfect, if handy.

Akuri for brunch at home

2005-07-09T18:05:00.000-04:00

Saturday brunch always seems to involve eggs. I woke up in a mood for akuri today. Akuri is spicy scrambled eggs, Parsi style. I first learnt the recipe from my friend Daljeet in California. I pair akuri with lightly buttered toast and a glass of fresh orange juice - a sumptious way to start Saturday, don't you think?

I attempted a visual recipe for you this time. Ingredients include 1 small red onion (to give the eggs an extra kick), 1 inch ginger, 2 cloves garlic, 4 green chilis, some fresh coriander, tomatoes, 1 tsp garam masala or dhania-jeera powder, 1 tsp cumin, 4 eggs beaten well with a few tsps of milk, a little butter.

Happy Saturday!

My first video

2005-07-09T10:53:00.000-04:00

I just discovered this very cool digital video repository called YouTube that I'm quite psyched about. I used the video function on my beloved Canon PowerShot S200 (yes, I sorely need a new camera!) and voila, here is my first attempt:

Sixth Avenue by day from a Chelsea apartment

I hope to bring you many more interesting snippets of Manhattan life through this medium. I'll also experiment with some cooking videos. How exciting!

Red curry when it rains

2005-07-07T21:16:00.000-04:00

I crave spicy food when it rains heavily and I start missing the monsoon in Bombay. But Indian food can take a while to cook so I dish out a quick Thai curry to satisfy my soul while it pours outside.

I usually make green curry paste from scratch a few times a year and freeze it. But I haven't gotten around to making red curry paste ever so I just use a concentrate from Thai Kitchen which I really like because it does not contain fish sauce like some other brands do. Green curry is for happy times when I'm in an easgoing, lighthearted mood. Red curry is for when my spirits are down, my muscles are tense and I need the comfort of a robust curry to calm me down.

I combine 1 tbsp of red curry paste with a 14oz can of light cocount milk and simmer for about five minutes. I then add a handful of fresh basil leaves and a packet of frozen Thai stir-fry vegetable mix that I keep on stock. The secret ingredients are brown sugar (2 tbsps) and vegetable stock (1/3 cup). I also add a small can of baby corn if available. I leave it to simmer for about 15 minutes before taking off the flame.

Red curry is usually best enjoyed over a bed of cooked jasmine rice. I prefer my red curry mixed with Annie Chung's Thai Basil noodles, easily made from the ready made packet I buy from Whole Foods.

Blueberry Dazzler

2005-07-05T20:58:00.000-04:00

Tis the season for blueberries and I find myself buying some every time I pop into Whole Foods. The deep blue colour satisfies my daily need for antioxidants while the delectable flavour is just perfect for my sweet cravings, especially around 4 p.m.

I've been tossing in a handful of blueberries in my cereal (Kashi Honeypuffed) and eating them as a snack in the afternoons, but it wasn't until yesterday that I used these sweet little sugarpops in an intersting way - I made a smoothie! You may wonder why I'm all excited about it so I have to shamefully declare that I've never made smoothies so this was embarassingly momentous for me. It was so brainless that I've been kicking myself for not having made such nutritious, delicious, filling drinks earlier in life. I suppose there's always a first time for everything!

Blueberry Dazzler

3/4 cup mango juice (or use any juice you have)
1/2 cup plain yogurt
1 banana, sliced and forzen
Two handfuls of fresh or frozen blueberries

Pour the juice into a blender or food processor. Add the yogurt and process until smooth.

Add the banana and half of the bluberries and process well, then add the remaining blueberries and process until smooth. Pour the mixtuer into a tall glasses and decorate with whole fresh blueberries and serve.

I can' wait to make blueberry pancakes next. Maybe this weekend...

Khaled plays at Central Park

2005-07-04T11:54:00.000-04:00

The free concert series at Central Park's Summerstage is one of the most interesting summer events in Manhattan. Just imagine how relaxing it is to be enjoying the lushness of the park while listening to fabulous music by some of the world's most famous musicians.

I went to the park yesterday with a group of friends to hear Khaled sing. Khaled, for those of you who may not have heard of him, is an Algerian Rai star who made a big name for himself in Paris and then worldwide with his Arabic/French music with highly controversial lyrics. It was the now famous song "Didi" that really rocketed Khaled to international stardom. His other famous song is "Aicha" which I'm sure you may have heard. It's H's favourite song in the world but I was really sad that he could not come to the concert as he was stuck at work - agh!

We waited in line for about thirty minutes before getting in but it was totally worth it. The warm-up singers were belting out Latin jazz tunes which set the mood for the afternoon. The crowd waited impatiently for Khaled to take center stage and when he finally came on stage, everyone went crazy. I loved his deep voice, exuberant energy and exotic music. I recognized many of the songs from his first few albums but also enjoyed the tunes from his latest album which was just released a few weeks back. Khaled didn't play his hit songs till much later into the performance but it was a lovely payoff for those of us who lingered on. Right at the end, his teenage daughter came on stage, and they jointly sang "Imagine." He seems very proud of his duaghter's talents - it was nice to see Khaled give her so much importance and exposure.

What I loved most about being at the park was people-watching. Manhattan is truly a melting pot more than any other city in America. There was such a amazing diversity of pepople - Indians, Arabs, Jews, Chinese, French, Americans mingling freely, drinking, eating, laughing, dancing - thoroughly enjoying the moment. Maybe it was Khaled, maybe it was the spirit that binds Manhattan. It was certainly wonderfully intoxicating.

Parineeta

2005-07-02T20:42:00.000-04:00

I saw Parineeta today and totally loved it. It's the first Hindi movie I've seen in Manhattan. From the days of QSQT (Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak) when I first started understanding Hindi movies, Bollywood has come a long, long way. I was so amazed by the spectacular cinematography, brilliant acting, decent plot and of course, the songs. It was nice to get a taste of Calcutta in the 1960s though I wish they had shown more of the city. I should also add that the love scene between Saif and Vidya was very tastefully done and really beautiful.

Saif is my new favourite now - he has dethroned Shahrukh in my books. And Vidya Balan looks gorgeous in all the scenes. She is such a breath of fresh air in Hindi cinema. Also, I'm secretly glad to see increasing numbers of South Indian women make it big in Bollywood.

You can watch Parineeta at Loewes Theatre on Broadway and 46th. It's located inside the Virgin Megastore.The movie is screened with English subtitles which is helpful, especially when the dialogue gets pretty heavy. Get ready to cry lots though. I was sniffing the entire time.

If you go this weekend, check out the incredible sales at the Virgin store. Lots of fabulous CDs from all genres are available for less than $10!

Bizou morphs into Coco 500

2005-06-30T21:57:00.000-04:00

Tim and I were looking for a place to have dinner together on Tuesday night. I remembered an old favourite, Bizou, that Radhika and Sunil had taken me to when I lived in San Francisco. We spent five minutes walking up and down 4th street not being able to find the restaurant. We decided to walk into this restaurant at the same place where I swore Bizou had been located. Little did we realize that we were at the grand opening of Coco 500, Chef Loretta Keller's reincarnation of what was previously a French bistro.

Coco 500 specializes in small plates inspired by local produce and Mediterranean flavours. I loved the teak wood tables which added a real warmth to the place. The menu is very innovative on top of being vegetarian friendly and includes a host of assorted starters, salads, pastas, flat-bread pizzas and vegetable sides.

We started with tender green beans that were lightly fried. They came with a spicy, mustard dipping sauce:

This was followed by four ravioli pillows swaddled in a fresh, green sauce made from fava beans and peas that are in season now topped with a few lavender flowers:

We then nibbled on some greens that were perfectly dressed in a champagne vinaigrette and tossed with toasted almonds:

Main course was rocket and red pepper pizza with feta which you'll love if you like the sharp taste of rocket:

We also couldn't resist tasting the side of mushrooms that had been slow-cooked to coax out the robust flavours:

Finally, we gave in to some sweet indulgence as the coco bar looked too good to pass up:

500 Brannan Street
San Francisco, CA 94107

The Slanted Door

2005-06-28T20:36:00.000-04:00

The Slanted Door is one of my favourite restaurants in San Francisco. Almost every time I visit the city, I make it a point to at least have a drink and a few appetizers at this upscale, Vietnamese place that has spectacular views of the Bay Bridge.

I was lucky to get dinner reservations last night. A group of us from work headed over for an early dinner at the restaurant. We walked to the Ferry Building from our office that is located along the Embarcadero. I love the renovations done to the building and the wide variety of food and wine shops including Sur Le Table. The Slanted Door is now much bigger and more contemporary in design than its previous location in the Mission. Despite more space, it's still very difficult to get reservations on any day for any meal!

The food here is so good that you can't really go wrong on any item. I suggest ordering a few bottles of riesling to keep you going throughout the meal - they have a lovely selection of wines to choose from. The dishes are meant to be enjoyed family-style so get a couple of items per person and you'll be set. I'd recommend these delicious small-plates for vegetarians:

- Vegetarian spring rolls with tofu, shiitake mushrooms, cabbage and mint (comes with a spicy peanut sauce)
- Grapefruit and jicama salad with candied pecans (I love the grapefruit and candied pecans combo)
- Green papaya salad with rau ram and roasted peanuts (spicy!)
- Lemongrass tofu with fresh shiitake mushrooms, onions and chili sauce
- Spicy japanese eggplant with green onions and coconut milk
- Wild French asparagus with black trumpet musrooms

Make sure to order a few bowls of steaming jasmine rice as well. There are lots of tempting dessert options, but I usually stick with the seasonal sorbet trio which never disappoints. Last night, I had grapefruit, watermelon and blackberry sorbet. Best way to end the meal is by sipping a small cup of herbal like Jade Spring or Drum Mountain.

1 Ferry Building #3
San Francisco
415-861-8032

The best tiramisu in San Francisco

2005-06-27T01:29:00.000-04:00

It's so lovely to be in the Bay Area. Driving up the 280, from the South Bay to San Francisco, on an absolutely gorgeous day makes me miss my Cabriolet oh so much. I had to sell my car when we moved to Manhattan last year. Being in California always reminds me of those sunny days when I had the top down all the way to work, despite the bad hair day that inevitably followed the morning commute.

I had an early dinner tonight with some close friends at Steps of Rome in North Beach. I usually don't like this touristy part of the city, but the traffic situation was out of control because of the gay parade so we didn't venture to parts of town (Haight Ashbury) that would have taken longer to get to.

Steps of Rome is a casual Italian trattoria that was voted Best Italian in 2004 for San Francisco. The most memorable part of my meal tonight was tiramisu - it was by far tastier than the ones I've had in many other places in the world. It was just the right level of moistness - not too gooey or too dry. The sweetness was perfect as well. As was the creaminess. And the freshness. What can I say? If you are ever in San Francisco, you have to stop by Steps of Rome and taste their tiramisu. It's like finding a bit of heaven on earth.

348 Columbus Ave, San Francisco

Radio Mexico

2005-06-25T19:20:00.000-04:00

You know how much I love Mexican food and can't ever pass up an opportunity to eat at a Mexican restaurant. GG was in town today. He was staying near South Street Seaport, close to Ground Zero so H and I decided to meet him at Radio Mexico. I had heard about this place from Shivani who is my walking-talking version of Zagat's.

You feel transported to a cantina in Ensenada or Guadalajara at Radio Mexico. A large bar with lots of different tequilas is the star attraction. If you get here between 4:30 and 6:30 p.m. on weekdays, you can enjoy special frozen margaritas and play a few rounds of pool at the back of the restaurant. The only thing you can't really do is speak Spanish to the staff.

The food here was delicious. I didn't particularly care for the salsa but the guacamole with chipotle sauce was just delicious:

We also ordered stuffed jalapenos as an appetizer. The herbed cheese stuffing really set off the flavour of the grilled jalapenos:

GG loved his vegetable fajita:

And H hogged his chipotle burger that came with yummy fries:

I stuck to a simple, chopped salad as I had wolfed down a big fat Watsonville burrito at Uncle Moe's for lunch yesterday:

Radio Mexico
259 Front Street
212-791-5416

Jazz at Jules

2005-06-25T10:03:00.000-04:00

Today's a perfect day for brunch at Cafe Jules, a delightful French bistro in the Lower East Side. Sip on a mimosa at the bar and enjoy the live jazz while you wait to be seated. Even though you may have to wait for half an hour, it's easy to just chill out and soak up the festive atmosphere. Brunch options include typical French fare like Le Croque Monsieur, Le Steak Frites, Les Moules Frites and La Soupe a L'Oignon. When I brunched at Jules a few weeks back, I thoroughly enjoyed my spinach and goat cheese omelette made from fresh organic eggs. It came with Prince Edward Island potato homefries and baby greens.

65 Saint Marks Pl
Btw 1st and 2nd Ave
212-477-5560

Bok choy for less than a buck!

2005-06-24T18:46:00.000-04:00

We were wandering around in Chinatown last weekend looking for some ceramic serving plates with unusual patterns. I love entertaining at home but am currently a bit dissatisfied with my dinnerware. A friend mentioned that the ceramic shops in Chinatown would be the perfect place for me to shop.

The problem is that she never told me where exactly these shops are located. I thought it would be as simple as asking around but little did I realize that no one - I mean NO ONE - in Chinatown speaks English! That adds a lovely authenticity to the place but is not exactly fun when you're trying to get directions! With one hand pinching my nose (you can't escape the deadly smell of raw seafood in Chinatown), I went from shop to shop trying to find a place that sold kitchen stuff. Two hours and many broken-English conversations later, still no luck. Very frustrating. Harsha kept reminding me that we should have just gone to Crate & Barrel which didn't exactly make me feel better.

The upside of it all was that I came across a middle-aged Chinese lady who was selling all kinds of green vegetables at throw away prices. She kept smiling at me and I couldn't resist buying something from her. I scanned her swath of greens including spring onions, spinach, caulifower and cabbage, and settled on the bok choy. They looked so ready for a nice soy and chili bath. I bought a whole pound for, hold your breath, 60 cents.

I like my bok choy as a side with Thai curry and rice. I get a wok heated till it's really hot, throw in a few drops of sesame oil. I give it a few twirls and then add a little bit of freshly chopped garlic and ginger and shake it up a bit. Then I add four liquids in no particular proportions, just enough to create a tasty and very spicy sauce for the bok choy to be lightly coated in - soy sauce, rice vinegar, rice vinegar and chili garlic sauce. Finally, I add the washed and cleaned bok choy. Sautee for a few minutes and I'm done:

I love the slight sweetness and crunchiness of the bok choy with the spice explosion from the soy and chili.
Yum!

Amma

2005-06-21T22:01:00.000-04:00

My favourite Indian restaurants in Manhattan are Chennai Garden and Chinese Mirch. Now I have to add Amma to the list and I'll have to take my parents there whenever they come visit me from Bombay. Located in Midtown East, Amma is a class act as far as Indian restaurants are concerned. The ambience is sophisticated, the service impeccable and the food truly outstanding.

I had dinner last night with a friend visiting from San Francisco. The candle lighting, orange walls and tiny space created a cozy atmosphere that was perfect for a mellow night out when you want to chat more than check out the scene. Chris had been to Amma twice before and so the service we got from Prem, the restaurant manager, was extra special. Prem is a burly chap with oodles of enthusiasm and impressive knowledge about Indian food and wine pairings. He really knew his wine and had a ready recommendation as the perfect pairing for every dish we asked about.

Chris and I shared a bhel puri (of course!) as an appetizer. It was a good blend of crispiness, spiciness, sweetness and tartness from the sev, onions, potatos and the various chutneys. But I have to say that Chennai Garden still holds (for me) the title of best bhel in Manhattan.

I ordered the jackfruit biryani and bhindi ka raita (crispy okra and yogurt salad). Chris opted for the farm raised basil chicken with tomato chutney and lemon rice. We decided to share gobi manchurian which is garlic marinated cauliflower coooked the Indo-Chinese way.

My mouth was literally watering when my plate of steaming, aromatic rice and vegetables arrived along with the yogurt-based side dish. Prem recommended the Zemmer Pinot Grigio 2002 (Alto Adige, Italy) which he felt paired well with the biryani. Between sips of the Pinot Grigio and bites of biryani, I went to heaven and back a few times. I've never really experienced such a fabulous wine and food pairing (I'm vegetarian after all) which is perhaps why I enjoyed the meal so much.

Since it was a regular weekday night, I didn't want to overeat. I'm definitely coming back with Harsha for the vegetarian tasting menu with wine pairing. It looks totally divine:

Bombay Bhel Puri
rice puffs, cilantro, red onions, mint and tamarind chutneys, potatoes
..........
Crispy Fried Spinach
mung beans, potatoes, onions, tamarind and mint chutneys
..........
Pea Stuffed Samosa & Stuffed Mushroom
ginger-cilantro peas in pastry, cheese-chile stuffed mushrooms
..........
Idly Upma
rice and bean dumplings, curry leaves and mustard seeds
..........
Manchurian Cauliflower
garlic marinated cauliflower, Indo-Chinese style
Crispy Okra
red onions, tomatoes, chaat masala
Laukee Ke Kofte
zucchini dumplings, aromatic tomato gravy
..........
Jackfruit (kathal) Biryaani
cauliflower,potatoes, whole spices
Bhindi Ka Raita
crispy okra and yogurt salad
..........
Mango Cheesecake
or
Kulfi (Indian ice cream) with Citrus Soup
..........

Amma
246 East 51st Street (between 2nd and 3rd Avenues)
New York, NY 10022
Tel: 212-644-8330

Chocolate & Zucchini comes to Manhattan

2005-06-19T20:57:00.000-04:00

I went to Otto at 5 p.m. this evening to meet the famous Clotilde of Chocolate & Zucchini fame. She is a 25-year old, Paris-based, food blogger who has become somewhat of a celebrity in the food blogging world. Her food writing and photography has such a distinctive voice and style that she has won over foodies the world over. Her popularity has increased stateside after NPR started syndicating her column.

I had read on C&Z a few weeks back that Clotilde (eighth from left in the photo) and her boyfriend, Maxxence, were going to be in Manhattan. They had organized a get-together at Otto's enoteca so that fellow bloggers and C&Z fans could mingle over Italian wine and antipasti nibbles. Clotilde and Max arrived after a few of us had already gotten an amicable, food-centric conversation going.

Clotilde was definitely the center of attraction from the moment she arrived. Tall and striking, she seems tres sophisticated and as charming in person as in her blog. Luckily, I got to speak to her at the very beginning so did not have to stand around, waiting for the right opportunity. We chatted about her time in the Bay Area, digital photography and my stint in France. Max was very friendly as well and I got to practice my French with him. I found out that he's the technical brain behind C&Z as they house the servers in their apartment in Mont Martre!

Once I had met Clotilde, I was eager to meet the others. The big bonus of this event was talking with other New York bloggers and foodies. I spent the most time chatting with Samantha and Adam who were both very warm and personable:

I was also glad to have met Josh and David who I spoke to briefly. David was particularly generous and bought everyone a bottle of wine and some white bean bruschetta. I thought that was a very nice gesture, especially since we were all strangers. I was most impressed by Jessica who had made macaroons with chocolate-chip filling for everyone.

I look forward to meeting and getting to know all the New York bloggers. Please let me know if you're interested in coming to a potluck - I'm happy to organize and host. Leave a comment here or email me at lools@hotmail.com with the subject: NYC Bloggers Potluck.

Aachar Paneer Kati Roll

2005-06-19T20:49:00.000-04:00

H and I walked all the way from Chelsea to the West Village for lunch today. Not feeling particularly hungry, we stopped at our friend, Payal's, Kati Roll Company, for a light meal.

KRC serves just one dish, the kati roll, which you can order with different fillings. It's nothing but a lightly fried paratha wrapped with marinated grilled veggies, paneer and meats. There were two vegetarian choices - aaloo masala (spicy potato) and aachar panner (pickled cottage cheese).

I ordered an aachar paneer from the self-service counter and also helped myself to a mango juice from the fridge. My kati roll filling was packed with grilled pickled paneer, peppers and onions with a generous heaping of finely chopped green chilis. The portion size was just perfect for lunch. My meal cost less than $5. Wow! No wonder street food is so "in" these days - it's so tasty while being easy on the budget.

99 MacDougal St. (West Village)
between Bleecker St. and Minetta Ln.
212-420-6517

PS - Kati rolls taste especially delicious at 3 a.m. in the morning after a long night of bar-hopping. KRC stays open till 4 a.m. so you know where to find yummy food when you are next painting the town red.

Portobello Mushroom Blue Cheese Burgers

2005-06-19T11:04:00.000-04:00

Emeril Lagasse was my favourite celebrity chef when I first started watching Food TV almost five years ago. I had just gotten married and moved to the Bay Area from Bombay. Never having cooked in India, I had to learn everything from scratch, including boiling water! So I was endlessly fascinated by the TV channel that was entirely devoted to food and cooking.

I watched hours and hours of Food TV in an attempt to learn cooking. While Emeril's recipes were a bit complicated, I used to enjoy just watching him in action - his flamboyance was irritatingly charming. But I soon got a tired of his predictable phrases like "kick it up a notch" and "bam!"

I'm not a huge Emeril fan these days but I have to say that one of my all-time best dishes is from a recipe I got from Emeril. I have never failed to get compliments for my cooking when I make these burgers. Harsha absolutely loves them because he is a big portobello and blue cheese fan.

Aditya and Shlok came over last night. Being single, tewenty-something Investment Banker-types living in Manhattan, any home cooked food for them is manna. They wolfed down the burgers and oven-cooked parmesan fries while appreciating and complimenting me the entire time. I need to have them over more often!

Here's Emeril's recipe for Portobello Mushroom Blue Cheese Burgers with Lemon Aioli and Bitter Greens:

1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1/4 cup olive oil
1 tablespoon chopped garlic
1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary
4 large fresh portobello mushrooms, wiped clean and stems removed
4 thick Vidalia onion slices
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper
6 ounces Gorgonzola, thinly sliced
4 large whole wheat hamburger buns or large kaiser rolls
Lemon Aioli, recipe follows
1 bunch watercress, rinsed and dried, stems removed

In a small bowl, whisk together the vinegar, oil, garlic, and rosemary. Place the mushrooms in a large re-sealable plastic bag, or a baking dish, and cover with the marinade. Marinate for at least 1 hour and up to 2 hours.
Prepare the grill.
Remove the mushrooms from the marinade and pat dry. Season both sides with salt and pepper, and place gill sides-down on the grill. Cook for 5 minutes, then turn. Arrange the cheese and onion slices on the gills of each mushroom and continue to cook until tender, about 6 to 8 minutes. Open the rolls and lightly toast on the grill, insides down.
Place 1 grilled mushroom inside each bun and garnish each, to taste, with aioli. Divide the watercress among the 4 buns and serve immediately.

Lemon Aioli:
3 cloves garlic
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 egg yolks
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
Pinch cayenne
1 cup extra-virgin olive oil

With the back of a knife, mince the garlic, then crush. Gradually work the salt into the crushed garlic to make a paste. Place in a bowl. Whisk the eggs and lemon juice with the garlic paste and incorporate. Add the cayenne. Slowly whisk in the oil, a little at a time, until all the oil is incorporated and the mixture emulsifies. Keep refrigerated until ready to use.
(Use within 24 hours.)

In a mood for Vietnamese

2005-06-17T18:19:00.000-04:00

Vietnamese food is hot in my books these days. I can't seem to let go my desire for spicy foods despite the soaring temperatures in Manhattan. I've found that summer rolls with spicy peanut dipping sauce, noodles in vegetarian broth, grilled vegetables wih soy-chili dressing and many other Vietnamese dishes are nice and light for the summer while having just the perfect amount of spice to excite my taste buds.

Two restaurants that I've recently discovered are:

Republic
37 Union Sq W
Btwn 16th & 17th St
212-627-7172

Bao Noodles
391 2nd Avenue
(212) 725-7770

Republic is a trendy Pan-Asian spot that has lots of options for vegetarians. The restaurant can be very noisy despite the high ceilings. It's usually packed at all hours but the open seating plan allows for a quick turn of tables so you never have to wait more than ten minutes. I usually get their veggie broth soup with noodles, different types of tofu, spinach and mushrooms. Their grilled eggplant dish is also delicious.

Bao Noodles is neighbourhood kinda place, perfect when you're in a mellow mood and just want some good food and nothing more. The flickering candles, thick wood tables (like those at a park) and hand-painted murals create a cozy atmosphere. I loved the vegetable spring rolls which had a nice kick from green chilis. My main dish was lemongrass tofu with noodles which was also yummy.

Other Vietnamese restaurants I'm looking forward to checking out this summer are Saigon Grill and Monsoon.

Central Park West

2005-06-15T21:59:00.000-04:00

Although I've lived in Manhattan for almost a year now, I haven't really taken advantage of everything that Central Park has to offer. Yesterday evening, I took the subway to 72nd street in the Upper West Side and then walked a few avenues to the park entrance on 72nd and Central Park West. I'm running the JPMorganChase Corporate Challenge next week. It's a 3.5 mile course through the park and being a first-time long-distance runner, I dilligently attended the practice run despite the 95 degree heat.

The park is definitely the shining jewel in Manhattan's crown. Once you're inside and absorbed by nature, you can totally forget about the urban grind until a fire engine's screeching reminds you that no place in the city is shielded from that deafening siren. That aside, Central Park is a dream for fitness enthusiasts, romantic couples, families to name a few. There's something for everyone from the jogging trails to the picnic meadows. I'm going to start coming here more often!

The Upper West Side seems to be a nice balance between the edginess/cool factor of downtown and the sophistication of the Upper West Side. Here you won't find investment banking millionaires and corporate tycoons but you may bump into Jerry Seinfeld, Robin Williams or Helen Hunt and plenty of directors, musicians and ad folks to name a few. I noticed lots of pre-war buildings and walk-up brownstones which gives the neighbourhood a certain grandeur without any pretentions. No guesses for where I'd like to live if we choose to settle down in Manhattan!

The outdoors, indoors

2005-06-13T20:51:00.000-04:00

I miss my little Hibachi grill. Gone are the days of gorgeous Californian weather, barbecues galore and lounging on the deck till sunset. Living on the 28th floor of a typical Manhattan apartment building with no balcony to boast, I can barely get excited about grilling. But my grill pan has improved my life a little bit. Whether it's 90 degrees and sweltry or cool and perfectly calm, I count on my new best friend in the kitchen for grilled vegetable skewers, portobello mushroom burgers and a host of other barbeque delights. The only problem was that I set off the alarm bell whenever I turned the grill pan on. I've finally learnt how to keep the fire alarm in check by opening all the windows and my front door as well.

I ordered a pack of pre-made vegetable skewers from Fresh Direct a few days back. Usually, I like the to assemble the veggies myself but given the price of peppers these days, the prepared version was actually better value for money. And it came seasoned with olive oil, rosemary, salt and pepper. It went from fridge to heated grill pan and voila, ten minutes later, grilled veggies were ready to be relished.

I also made a side using cooked brown rice, papaya, pitted black olives, red wine vinegar, EVOO, roasted slivered almonds, sea salt and freshly ground pepper served on a bed of lettuce with papaya wedges as garnish. Raghav came over for brunch. I was totally surprised that this hard core Delhiwala who likes his chickenmutton actually appreciated the vegetarian meal. It was nice catching up with him and enjoying a barbeque meal in the comfort of air conditioning!

When you've got it, flaunt it!

2005-06-11T12:19:00.000-04:00

That's my favourite line from the Broadway hit musical, The Producers to which I got a free ticket on Tuesday night. My sister-in-law had bought tickets for her family who was visiting from Bombay and were really keen on a Broadway show but she couldn't make it on the day of the musical because of work. So lucky me, I experienced theatre without going through any of the hassle associated with securing a ticket, researching the shows etc.

The only other show I've seen is Bombay Dreams so Broadway is still all new to me. In both shows, it took me at least 30 minutes to start appreciating the show and the experience itself. My first reaction seems to be one of disgust because of the melodrama, the loudness and the crassness of it all. But then when I suspend judgement and just start enjoying the spectacle, I have a really good time.

The Producers is a delightful tale of a once-famous Broadway producer who discovers through his accountant that he can actually make money by producing flops. So he and his accountant set out to find the worst story line and the worst actors to create a show which they are sure will be a mega loss. But as it turns out, their show (a riff on Hitler with a big cast of gay characters) turns out to be very successful. There's a lot more to this but that's the jist of The Producers for those wanting to see it. The acting was superb as evidenced by the long list of Tony awards that the show has won. The creativity and imagination that goes into producing such musicals is truly astounding.

My favourite character in the show is Ulla who the producer and his accountant ("the producers") hire as their secretary to help them produce their flop. She does a lovely Swedish accent that is so endearing. And she has a body and voice that had all the men AND women in the show drooling after!

Now that I've begun to enjoy Broadway, expect more musical reviews that go further than the basic story line :)

St. James Theatre
246 W. 44th Street
btw Broadway and 8th
212-239-5800

London apres 11 p.m.

2005-06-08T20:15:00.000-04:00

One aspect of London nightlife --especially if you're used to Manhattan's -- that is highly annoying is that bars close at 11 p.m. sharp. So if you attempt to eat dinner at home and then step out, you have to scurry to get to the happening places before you are denied entry.I guess the Brits start drinking right after work at 6 p.m. so the pubs need to shut at a reasonable hour to control the number of drunkards on the roads!

Last Friday night, Darshini and I reached this bar called Collection in Knightsbridge at around 10:55 p.m. and just managed to sneak in. My friend, Tiese, was running late and I thought I could flash a big smile at the bouncer and get her in. But unfortunately we had to chuck our drinks which we'd just ordered and leave when Tiese showed up around 11:15 because she was barred from entering. Needless to say I was cursing London and singing praises of Manhhattan the rest of the night.

On Saturday night, however, we were pleasantly surprised when Rutton told us that we did not have to rush through dinner (at a trendy Japanese place in SoHo called Roka). He had an annual membership to this exclusive club called Milk & Honey and that he could get us in. Cool!

I was expecting a stuffy atmosphere and an arrogant crowd but what Milk & Honey' was actually cozy and oozing a lot of warmth and the young professionals there seemed modest and easy-going. We had a nice table reserved for us and we all sat around, chatted and had a wonderful time. Our group being diverse, we had a fun and interesting conversation indeed. We talked about everything from horrible airplane trips to how Italian men like their women. Amongst us we were a Gujrati, a Parsi, an Italian, a Turk, a Spaniard, a Brit and a Tamilian. I only wish I had been able to whip up one of those jokes that made fun of each of us!

Double Decker

2005-06-06T18:58:00.000-04:00

My favourite chocolate while I was growing up was the Double Decker made by Cadbury's. Memories of childhood came flooding back to me when I was in London last week and saw the Double Decker buses everywhere. Made me crave those absolutely delicious chocolate nougat sandwiches that my parents treated me to when I was good!

I found London to be a charming city with an edge. A nice combination of the the best of San Francisco and Manhattan. As beautiful and clean as San Francisco and as cosmopolitan and vibrant as Manhattan. There's a certain old world, deeply rooted feeling that you get in London that is missing in the U.S. cities. Though I visited all the tourist spots like Piccadilly and Leicester Square, I also got to explore smaller neighbourhoods like West Hampstead, Swiss Cottage and St. John's Wood. I experienced the busiest spots in the city and felt the energy in the air and also took in the calm and peace offered by the quieter parts of town. I'd certainly add London to the list of places I'd love to live in which now includes San Francisco, Sydney, Hong Kong, Dubai and Bombay.

I'm in London till Sunday

2005-05-31T17:55:00.000-04:00

Hi People -- I'm going to be in London for work and then pleasure through this Sunday. I haven't been in over 10 years so I'm really excited. Please let me know if you have any suggestions on where to eat and cool places to check out. Thanks!