IT training BBC good food india 2012 08

Cook — and drool — along with us as we celebrate the sensational Indian curry in all its punchy hues Recipes NAREN THIMMAIAH Photographs SUDEEP GURTU Ask folks from the south of India

eat in ✴ eat out ✴ eat away

Trishna's step-by-step butter-garlic

WorldMags.net

Calling India a food paradise is like saying the sea is wet

Mind-numbing variety in cuisines? We've got it Spices that changed the course of history? That too The world's most exciting fruit? Yep Astounding street food, groundbreaking chefs, swanky restaurants And curry Yes, curry

I marvel at the sheer hugeness of our incredible world of flavours and spices, at how I'll never be able to know it all And that's a wonderful thing This issue is our loving tribute to the nation Some reasons to tuck in:

Curries old and new: It's deliciously ironic The 'authentic' Indian curry that has rocked the planet from the Balti

houses of Birmingham to the karee raisu stalls of Japan

would be unrecognisable in its country of origin So what does curry mean to Indians? Turn to Meher Dasondi's special feature on curries to get a true taste

Salads gone desi: At the height of the monsoon when produce is bountiful, it's fun to kick off some well-worn salad customs and find new roles for beloved

Indian ingredients in them Chef Vicky Ratnani's modern Indian salads feature stars of Indian cooking and tweak them subtly, cleverly, so each dish remains true to a classic salad even while offering fresh tastes and textures Uber sexy

Bihar on your plate: Extending the revelry of Anurag Kashyap's

headline-making gamcha party for Gangs of Wasseypur at Cannes,

we spotlight the relatively lesser-known cuisine of Bihar Indian Accent chef Manish Mehrotra does the honours with an earthy menu from his beloved native state (It was my first encounter

with litti chokha and I’m totally smitten.)

Little big biryanis: No five-star restaurant offers biryanis to compare to the ones served in the local eateries of India You'll spend no more than a couple hundred

rupees, the plates will be strictly functional and you'll drink nimbu pani or lassi

instead of wine or beer But the biryanis you'll eat here are cooked by masters and

are some of India's most delicious Turn to p 108.

There's heaps more From local Indian grains that bring a nutritional boost to the table to our wonderful homemade achars, from slurp-friendly flavoured rasams

to an easy menu from Bengal

To the wonderful people who contributed to this edition, and to you, dear reader, who will cover it with stains from repeated use, we dedicate this sumptuous spread

Please, help yourself

Sona Bahadur, editor

eat in

entertaining

curry The great Indian

Recipes MEHER DASONDI Photographs PRATEEKSH MEHRA

It’s got the planet in a spice-crazed swoon Cook — and drool — along with us as we celebrate the sensational Indian curry in all its punchy hues

Recipes NAREN THIMMAIAH Photographs SUDEEP GURTU

Ask folks from the south of India what their comfort food is and the answer is most likely to be rasam This tangy-spicy and simple dish is famous for its rejuvenating properties

with rice for many or a palate cleanser before the main course Little wonder then that rasam is popular all over the country For this feature I have shared my recipe for basic rasam along with other exciting variants

to suit everyone’s palate – green mango, pepper and pineapple rasam.

■ To prepare the dressing, heat some olive oil, add mustard seeds, cumin seeds and curry leaves Once they splutter, add the onions, ginger, garlic and chillies and cook for a minute or so.

■ Deglaze the pan with lime juice

Add coconut milk and simmer for two minutes

■ Cool and blend the dressing Season

it with salt and pepper

■ Toss the arugula, the vegetables and the prawns with the cooled dressing

Garnish with fresh coriander

■ PER SERVING 247.17 kcals, protein 12.70g, carbs 10.70g, fat 17.63g, sat fat 11.35g, fibre 2.70g, salt 0.3g

Seared salmon and mango chaat

Serves 6 ■ 25 minutes + marinating

■ EASY

Tandoori-flavoured salmon chunks with the sweetness of silky Alphonso mangoes make for a remarkable salad High in Omega-3 fatty acids and antioxidants, it scores on the health front as well The beet yoghurt is just the proverbial icing on the cake

salmon 300g red bell pepper 150g, roasted Alphonso mangoes or any other sweet, ripe mango 150g coconut cream (malai) 60g raw mangoes 30g

green chilli 3 tsp, chopped coriander leaves 6g black salt (kala namak) 3 tsp olive oil 15ml THE MARINADE hung curd 150g mustard oil 30g ginger-garlic paste 30g red chilli paste 15g Kashmiri red chilli powder 3 tsp

garam masala powder 3 tsp black salt a pinch fenugreek (kasuri methi) 6g lemon juice to taste cumin powder 6g coriander powder 6g THE RAITA beetroot 180g olive oil hung curd 1/2 cup black salt a pinch chaat masala 2 tsp dill 3 tsp, chopped coriander 3 tsp, chopped

■ Cut the salmon into neat cubes Whisk all the ingredients together for the marinade Marinate the salmon for 30-40 minutes.

■ Cut the red bell pepper and the mango into cubes Tear the malai into strips Slice the raw mango into paper- thin slices using a mandolin slicer.

■ Roast or boil the beetroot until soft Peel and purée along with the olive oil, hung curd, black salt, chaat masala, dill leaves and coriander Blend to a smooth, silky purée.

■ Pan sear the salmon for 2 to 3 lly cooked.

■ Toss with the fresh coriander, chopped chillies, coconut malai, peppers and diced mango.

■ Spoon the red beet raita over along with sprigs of coriander, dill and a drizzle of black salt, chaat masala and olive oil

■ PER SERVING 582.50 kcals, protein 26.43g, carbs 27.43g, fat 41.43g, sat fat 15.50g, fibre 5.75g, salt 1.9g

India’s amazing

curries, p 92

BIG ON BIRYANI?

It’s the little joints

that serve up the

here! P 82

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Artichokes

Chief Executive Officer Tarun Rai

Editor Sona Bahadur

Chief Copy and Features Editor Meher Mirza

Senior Features Writer Vidya Balachander

Junior Food Editor Kainaz Contractor

Consulting Editor Camellia Panjabi

Assistant Art Director Shalaka Shinde

Senior Graphic Designer P Vel Kumar

Editorial Coordinator Prital Patil

Brand Publisher Debolin Sen

Senior Brand Manager Abhishek Krishnan

Assistant Brand Manager Savio Joseph

Marketing Coordinator Asha Karandikar

Chief Financial Officer Subramaniam S

Publisher, Print and

Production Controller Joji Varghese

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Good Food India is edited by Sona Bahadur and printed & published by

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560044, India.

Good Food India Magazine is published by Worldwide Media Pvt Ltd under

licence from BBC Magazines, a division of BBC Worldwide Ltd, Media Centre,

201 Wood Lane, London W12 7TQ, England © 2011

The publisher makes every effort to ensure that the magazine’s contents

are correct However we accept no responsibility for any errors or omissions

Unsolicited material, including photographs and transparencies, is submitted

entirely at the owner’s risk & the publisher accepts no responsibility for

its loss or damage Submissions to the magazine may also be used on the

publication’s related platforms Good Food Magazine India is not responsible

for any controversies that may arise thereof

All material published in Good Food is protected by copyright and

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Amarena Cherries

Bread Toppings and Paté Biscotti

Breakfast Cereals Breads

Customized Hampers Capers

Green Peppers Flours

Japanese

Olives

Olive Oil Soaps

Olive Oils

Pasta Sauces Pasta

Sea Salt Rice

Tofu Soymilk

Truffles and Mushrooms Tomatoes

Vinegars

olivetreetrading.com

online store

Artichokes

Chief Executive Officer Tarun Rai

Editor Sona Bahadur

Chief Copy and Features Editor Meher Mirza

Senior Features Writer Vidya Balachander

Junior Food Editor Kainaz Contractor

Consulting Editor Camellia Panjabi

Assistant Art Director Shalaka Shinde

Senior Graphic Designer P Vel Kumar

Editorial Coordinator Prital Patil

Brand Publisher Debolin Sen

Senior Brand Manager Abhishek Krishnan

Assistant Brand Manager Savio Joseph

Marketing Coordinator Asha Karandikar

Chief Financial Officer Subramaniam S

Publisher, Print and

Production Controller Joji Varghese

UK TEAM Group Editorial Director Nicholas Brett

Editor Good Food Gillian Carter

Head International Development James Hewes

AD SALES Director Ad Sales & Business Development

Jyoti Vermajyoti.verma@wwm.co.in

WEST ASSOCIATE VICE PRESIDENT

Gautam Chopra gautam.chopra@wwm.co.in

Mumbai Reena Dave reena.dave@wwm.co.in

Pune Ekta Dang ekta.dang@wwm.co.in

Ahmedabad Nishi Shukla

nishi.shukla@wwm.co.in

NORTH BUSINESS HEAD

Sohan Singh sohan.singh@wwm.co.in

GENERAL MANAGER Sameer Chhabra

Delhi / Noida sameer.chhabra@wwm.co.in

Lokesh Arora lokesh.arora@wwm.co.in

SOUTH Chennai Rajeshkumar Jagdish

Kolkata alka.kakar@wwm.co.in

FOR MARKETING ENQUIRIES

Abhishek Krishnanabhishek.krishnan@wwm.co.in

Priyadarshi Banerjeepriyadarshi.banerjee@wwm.co.in

Subscribe online: mags.timesgroup.com

Good Food India is edited by Sona Bahadur and printed & published by

Joji Varghese for and on behalf of Worldwide Media Pvt Ltd., The Times of

India Building, 4th Floor, Dr D N Road, Mumbai 400001 Printed at Rajhans

Enterprise, No 134, 4th Main Road, Industrial Town, Rajajinagar, Bangalore

560044, India.

Good Food India Magazine is published by Worldwide Media Pvt Ltd under

licence from BBC Magazines, a division of BBC Worldwide Ltd, Media Centre,

201 Wood Lane, London W12 7TQ, England © 2011

The publisher makes every effort to ensure that the magazine’s contents

are correct However we accept no responsibility for any errors or omissions

Unsolicited material, including photographs and transparencies, is submitted

entirely at the owner’s risk & the publisher accepts no responsibility for

its loss or damage Submissions to the magazine may also be used on the

publication’s related platforms Good Food Magazine India is not responsible

for any controversies that may arise thereof

All material published in Good Food is protected by copyright and

unauthorised reproduction in part or full is forbidden.

WorldMags.net

Inspiring, seasonal recipes that work every time

Restaurants on trial, cafés with character and signature recipes

Delhi’s Yeti on trial

120 OFF THE EATEN TRACK

Mumbai’s Friends Union Joshi Club thali

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To apply, write to us at

bbcgoodfood@wwm.co.in.

148 SUBSCRIBE to Good Food India

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Mushroom and

aloo chaat salad

Serves 6 n 40 minutes n EASY

This salad can be enjoyed at hot,

chilled or room temperatures

The vinegar and chilli add zing It

can even be used as a filling for a

sandwich or a wrap.

red onion 1/2, sliced

yellow bell pepper 1/2, sliced

red bell pepper 1/2, sliced

garlic cloves 2, peeled and sliced

green chilli 1, sliced

new potatoes 8, cooked and cut

n Deglaze with balsamic vinegar

Season to taste with the chilli powder, salt and pepper

n Add the freshly chopped herbs

Serve chilled to allow the flavours

to marinate properly

n PER SERVING 204.5 kcals,

protein 3.9g, carbs 42.62g, fat 2.55g, sat fat 0.38g, fibre 4.48g, salt none

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97Shahi mirch bhara paneer

A foodie’s guide to Chennai

140 POSTCARD FROM BENGALURU

Karen Anand eats her way through the Garden City

143 COOK LIKE A PRO

The handiest microwave rice cooker

144 CHEF SKILLS

Karam Sethi’s step-by-step Garlic, Black Pepper and Butter Crab with Paratha

Actor Shazahn Padamsee

on the food she loves

masterclass

THE BBC GOODFOOD LEGACY

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Local Indian grains

24 NEWS, TRENDS AND SHOPPING

New products, gadgets

we love and more

Coffee gets a boozy kick

40 BOOKS & COOKS

This month’s delicious new reads

41 WHAT’S ON

August’s must-watch food television

129

JUST A FEW GOOD PLACES TO EAT FEATURED THIS MONTH

Kumaon Delhi

Darjeeling

Kolkata

Chennai Kochi

n

n n n n

n

n

Contents

Inspiring, seasonal recipes that work every time

Restaurants on trial, cafés with character and signature recipes

Delhi’s Yeti on trial

120 OFF THE EATEN TRACK

Mumbai’s Friends Union Joshi Club thali

Become our punter in the

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along with a seasoned pro

To apply, write to us at

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148 SUBSCRIBE to Good Food India

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Mushroom and

aloo chaat salad

Serves 6 n 40 minutes n EASY

This salad can be enjoyed at hot,

chilled or room temperatures

The vinegar and chilli add zing It

can even be used as a filling for a

sandwich or a wrap.

red onion 1/2, sliced

yellow bell pepper 1/2, sliced

red bell pepper 1/2, sliced

garlic cloves 2, peeled and sliced

green chilli 1, sliced

new potatoes 8, cooked and cut

and sauté for a minute

n Deglaze with balsamic vinegar

Season to taste with the chilli powder, salt and pepper

n Add the freshly chopped herbs

Serve chilled to allow the flavours

to marinate properly

n PER SERVING 204.5 kcals,

protein 3.9g, carbs 42.62g, fat 2.55g, sat fat 0.38g, fibre 4.48g,

salt none

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over to you

readers write

Over to you

For top restaurant, recipe and travel tips, we ask you,

our readers, to keep us on the pulse

We love hearing from you E-mail us your feedback, your favourite recipes and your comments at

bbcgoodfood@wwm.co.in Let’s be in touch!

Write to us!

Good Food reader Veena Nair shares her tips on where to eat in her hometown

T BREAKFAST A typical Kerala breakfast starts with characteristic south Indian delicacies like dosas and idlis and

proceeds to lesser-known dishes like idiappam and mutta

curry (string hoppers and egg roast) The best place for

this is the Gokul Oottupura (Tel: +91 484 2203841) chain of

restaurants Affordable, clean and easily accessible, it is the best place for an authentic vegetarian breakfast

T LUNCH Though the traditional ela sadya (a feast

served on a plantain leaf) used to consist of 11 to 24 dishes, today, due to lack of time, we tend to

prefer fewer choices But the karimeen pollichathu (spicy fish steamed in

plantain leaf), chemmeen ularthu ( dry roasted prawns), tharavu varattiyathu (pepper duck) and

mutton piralan (lamb in gravy) still

hold a special place in our hearts

Try them at Grand Pavilion (Tel: +91

484 2382061) restaurant, at Hotel Grand

JOIN OUR TASTE TEAM

Our Taste Team comprises readers and home cooks who try our recipes and give us feedback

on what they liked and what they would do

differently Read p 99 to see Pinky Gaikwad’s twist

on the Kaikiri stew On this page, Ruchi Mathur shares how she adapted the Chicken narangi do

pyaaza featured on p 94 Go to p 76 to see what

Chandrama Mohanty thought of our Litti chokha with tamataar-khajur chutney Write to us at bbcgoodfood@wwm.co.in to join us.

oranges 8, 4 juiced and 4 diced

garam masala powder 5g

aniseed (saunf) powder 10g

ginger powder 5g

HOW YOU PIMPED IT

I made a fresh plum sauce to add a new dimension to the recipe

I substituted the boneless chicken with chicken drumsticks and ghee

with olive oil, then baked the chicken after sautéing the masalas and

onions in olive oil I also cooked the juices from the chicken dish with

the cashew and plum sauce before serving Ruchi Mathur is a food

blogger who blogs at ruchisimplyfood.blogspot.com

ginger 20g, julienned

lime wedges to garnish

mint sprigs to garnish

n Dice the chicken and marinate with salt and ginger-garlic paste Keep aside for an hour Temper the cinnamon, cloves and cardamom in ghee Add sliced onions and baby onions

n Add chilli powder, turmeric and fry for 2 minutes Add the chicken and sear well Then add the chopped tomatoes and cook till the chicken is done, about 25 minutes

n Add in the yoghurt, cashew paste and orange juice Add garam masala powder, saunf and ginger powder

Serve hot garnished with the ginger juliennes, orange dices and mint sprigs accompanied with lime wedges

n PER SERVING 769.65 kcals, protein 80.60g, carbs 37.01g, fat 31.85g, sat fat 10.15g, fibre 7.55g, salt 0.4g

Go green cucumber surprise

Serves 2 n 20 minutes n EASY

THE SNACKS cucumbers 4

oil 2 tsp

green chilli paste 1 tsp

peas 1/2 cup, boiled

paneer 3/4 cup

fresh low-fat curd 4 tsp

black pepper powder 1 tsp

chaat masala 1 tsp

mint leaves 1 tsp, chopped

THE MOCKTAIL cucumbers 2, finely chopped

mango pulp 1/2 cup

sugar syrup 2 tsp or to taste

n Heat the oil in a pan After 5 minutes, add the green chilli paste, peas, paneer and curd and mix well Cook until the paneer becomes light golden

n Add the pepper powder, chaat masala, mint leaves and salt Mix well and divide into equal portions

n Stuff each cucumber slice with a portion of the prepared mixture Then cut each slice into 3 equal portions and garnish with a sprig of mint leaves

Interact with other Good Food

readers on Facebook at facebook.

com/GoodFoodMagazineIndia

or follow us on Twitter at twitter.

com/goodfoodmagin

The winner of the letter of the month for this

issue wins a special festive hamper worth

` 5,000 from Foodhall The hamper is filled

with tempting goodies like Kalamata olives,

extra virgin olive oil, penne rigate, basil

crackers , chocolate fondue, Lemnos jalapeno

cream cheese  and Jamie Oliver’s chilli

salt  To write in to the magazine, e-mail

us at bbcgoodfood@wwm.

co.in and include your address and telephone number. 

Dear editor,

I eagerly await your magazine

every month The recipes are

unique, yet easy to prepare and

most importantly, healthy and nutritious

This month, I tried out the different types

of khichdis given in your July 2012 issue

and everyone at home enjoyed it Since I

have started subscribing to Good Food, I have

stopped buying recipe books! You and your

team have been doing a commendable job in

making Good Food a success Thank you for

helping me better my cooking skills.

Debasmita Pani, Mumbai

What is your favourite Indian curry?

The winner of the Reader Recipe of the Month wins a special gift hamper worth ` 5,500

from Debenhams The hamper contains a set of storage jars and a stainless steel pan set

To win the hamper, write in with your favourite recipe, attach a photograph of the dish that

is at least 1 MB in size, along with a photograph of yourself that is at least 500 KB in size

and e-mail it to us at bbcgoodfood@wwm co.in with the subject line ‘Reader Recipe’ Don’t forget your address and telephone number!

AUGUST 2012 WorldMags.net BBC GoodFood11

in Mumbai He then set up Oriental Octopus, a pan Asian restaurant in Delhi, and Tamarai, an award-winning pan Asian restaurant in London In recent years, he has won accolades for his experimental, contemporary take on Indian food at Indian Accent He also won the televised cooking competition Foodistan in 2012 Mehrotra created a classic Bihari menu of

vegetarian delights for Good Food, featured in our Weekend

Menu section, p 72.

CHRISTINE MANFIELD

Christine Manfield is an Australian chef, author, restaurateur and gastronomic traveller She set up several restaurants in Sydney, such as Paragon and Paramount, before relocating

to London in 2003 In London, she set up the critically acclaimed restaurant East @ West Currently based in Sydney, Manfield is the author of seven award-winning books based on her recipes and travels Read Manfield’s account of Kolkata’s culinary legacy, drawn from her sixth

book Tasting India, in Eat Like a Local in Eat Away, p 126

VICKY RATNANI

Vicky Ratnani is a chef, television

anchor and culinary consultant based

in Mumbai He graduated from the

Institute of Hospitality Management

in Mumbai and is currently Corporate

Chef, Fine Dining at Dish Hospitality,

the company that owns and manages

Aurus restaurant in Mumbai Ratnani

came up with his own version of

modern salads with a desi twist

featured in Weekend on p 82.

NAREN THIMMAIAH

Naren Thimmaiah is the Executive Chef of Karavalli restaurant at The Gateway Hotel in Bangalore Thimmaiah began his career with the Taj group of hotels, and over the years, has been instrumental in cementing Karavalli’s reputation as a restaurant that serves authentic regional coastal cuisine In this issue, Thimmaiah shares his take on the fiery South Indian staple, rasam Find his flavoured

rasams in Modern Veggie on p 64

SHIRISH SEN

Shirish Sen is a Delhi-based freelance photographer who specialises in food, people and product photography His portfolio includes advertising campaigns, editorial features and packaging for clients such as Pizza Hut, KFC, Ruby Tuesday, Minute Maid and Pepsi, among others His work

has appeared in publications such as Cosmopolitan, Elle and Marie Claire In this issue, Sen shot the Bihari menu featured

in the Weekend Menu section of Eat In, p 72

first bite

go with the grain

Discover real flour power with Indian grains and attas

Grain course

Indigenous grains such as jowar,

bajra, ragi and rajgira have long

been a part of our heritage

are gluten-free and rich in

fibre and several communities

still continue to cook with

them Take for instance, the

Maharashtrian thalipeeth (recipe

overleaf), which is is a pancake

made of a blend of most of

these flours Another example

best paired with zunka (a mix of

besan, onion, garlic and spices)

While the Gujaratis make theplas

with rajgira flour, in Karnataka,

boiled ragi flour is made into

dumplings and eaten with

sambhar (called ragi mudde).

news, trends, shopping

039-040-L4 First Bite-STAN R1.indd 21 13/07/12 10:37 PM

eat in

entertaining

curry

The great Indian

Recipes MEHER DASONDI Photographs PRATEEKSH MEHRA

It’s got the planet in a spice-crazed swoon Cook — and

drool — along with us as we celebrate the sensational

Indian curry in all its punchy hues

058-062-L1 res spy-STAN R1.indd 108 13/07/12 9:48 PM

EAT LIKE A LOCAL

Kolkata and

Darjeeling

Writer Christine Manfield dishes about the city of joy and

its stunning culinary legacy

Text, recipes and photographs adapted from TASTING INDIA by CHRISTINE MANFIELD,

Photographs by ANSON SMART Published by LANTERN, PENGUIN BOOKS.

Bengali food is elegant, richly

flavoured and textured

key, and great stress is

placed on how spices are ground and

how much water is used to make

them into a paste, with the finesse

of the paste being paramount Panch

phoran is Bengali five-spice mix, and

its flavours define the Bengali kitchen

Many dishes are characterised by the

astute use of mustard seeds (brown

and yellow) tempered in mustard

oil with dried chilli and curry leaves;

white poppy seeds (khus khus) are

used in equal measure

Fish plays an integral role in

Bengali cooking, to the extent that fish

curry is considered inseparable from

coastal position and inland waterways

produce abundant supplies, with

freshwater fish being more highly

sought-after than seawater fish We are

lucky enough to be in Kolkata for the

herring family, these small, silver bony

fish are known as ilish in local dialect,

and their arrival has everyone excited

at every meal: we have hilsa for lunch

the first day, check it out at the fish

market, have it for lunch again the

second day and then twice more

for dinner

EASY BENGALI MENU

T Kewpie’s tomato chutney

T Tatul Ilish Bhaja

T Alur dom

T Bati chorchori

T Rasagullas

In the days of colonial rule, the

British initiated the tradition of tiffin

– little snacks to nibble on – and it has

become an essential component of

Indian culinary culture At the same

and encouraged their house cooks to

make cakes and breads, setting the

Kolkata is now synonymous with

sweets Sandesh is perhaps the most

renowned local sweet Its name is

the Bengali word for ‘message’ and

it is held in special regard Originally

produced in the private kitchens

of the wealthy, it is now made by

professional confectioners We also

taste mishti doi, the highly revered

sweet curd that every Bengali is

brought up on Made from reduced

milk, combined with caramelised

jaggery (palm sugar) and curd, then

set in small earthenware cups or

vessels, it’s rich and luscious

Serves 8 n 20 minutes n EASY

A delicious fresh relish from Kewpie’s Kitchen, where it is served as an accompaniment to almost everything

seedless raisins or sultanas 1 tbsp,

soaked in water and drained

n Add the tomato and stir to coat with the spices Mix in 2 tsp salt, then cover the pan and simmer for 10 minutes.

n Add the ginger, chilli powder and raisins and stir to combine

n Stir in the sugar and 1 cup (250ml) water.

n Simmer for 10 minutes until the tomato is cooked and the chutney has thickened

n Season with salt to taste and allow to cool before using

031-033-L4 Eat like a local Kolkata & Darjeeling-STAN R1.indd 126 13/07/12 10:42 PM

KARAM SETHI’S

Masterclass

Karam Sethi, head chef of London’s Trishna restaurant, shows how to

pick cooked crab, then creates a sumptuous dinner dish with it

EXCLUSIVE

STEP-BY RECIPE -STEP

Garlic, black pepper

paratha

Serves 4 as a starter or 2 as a

light lunch n 40 minutes

n A LITTLE EFFORT

The paratha recipe makes more

than you’ll need but you can freeze

the leftovers for another time.

butter 190g, melted

vegetable oil 1 tsp

garlic paste 2 tbsp (made by

crushing 4 fresh garlic cloves)

golden caster sugar 1 tbsp (try

Tate & Lyle available at gourmet

stores)

4 tbsp, chopped

butter or ghee 3 tbsp, melted

condensed milk 1 tbsp (optional)

ghee or oil for frying, 125ml

salt to taste

n Pick the crab meat from the

brown meat in separate bowls

(see our masterclass on the next

page)

n To make the paratha, sift the

flour in to a bowl, add the egg,

salt, sugar, chives and melted

butter Combine 250ml water with

the condensed milk and add it in

n Mix to make a soft dough Roll the dough into a ball and cover rest for about 30 minutes to 1 hour.

n Divide the dough into 12 small balls Brush with ghee or oil, minimum of 30 minutes

n Flatten the dough balls and stretch each one out into a circle

as far as it will go.

n Fold the edges inward, continuing until you have a round shape of approximately 15 cm in the paratha in ghee until crisp

on the outside but still very soft inside.

n To make the crab, heat the butter and oil in a pan Once hot, add the garlic paste and cook

on a low heat without colouring for 2 minutes Add the brown crab meat and cook for a further minute, followed by the white crab meat and black pepper

remove from the heat Check the

as the brown crab meat acts as seasoning Serve sprinkled with paratha

nPER SERVING (as a starter for 4) 700 kcals, protein 19.6g, carbs 63.4g, fat 42.6g, sat fat 22.8g, fibre 2.8g, salt 1.8g

Recipe KARAM SETHI Photographs DAVID MUNNS

Karam Sethi was born in London

and spent his childhood summers in

Delhi His kitchen experience includes

stints at Bukhara in Delhi, Trishna

in Mumbai and Zuma in London He

took over as head chef of Trishna in

London from early last year.

003-004-L1 Masterclass-STAN R1.indd 144 13/07/12 11:37 PM

Get to know us

Our five easy-to-navigate sections enable you to find exactly what you are looking for

Here’s what you can expect to see in every issue of Good Food India:

T First Bite

Our opening section is the perfect appetiser for the pages that follow First Bite brings you the month’s freshest food buzz — new launches, events, great bargains, supermarket sweeps, health tips on food and more In every issue we spotlight local produce in season in Need To Know And our Good Food Investigates pieces delve deep into important

T Eat In

The largest section of the magazine, Eat In is packed with fabulous recipes with little tips and tricks that are perfect for the home cook Each recipe is triple-tested by us so you get it right the very first time you make it We’ve got everything covered — from easy everyday dinners and show-off menus for the weekend to modern veggie dishes and seasonal recipes bursting

Attack these attas!

Thalipeeth

Makes 8 n 30 minutes n EASY

Recipe MEHER DASONDI

rice flour 150g

wheat flour 30g

pearl millet flour (bajra) 30g

sorghum flour (jowar) 30g

Bengal gram flour 30g

coriander and cumin powder 10g

pepper 5g, ground

fenugreek seeds 5g

clove powder 3g

cardamom powder 5g

ginger and green chilli paste 20g

onions 100g, finely chopped

tomatoes 120g, finely chopped

fresh yoghurt 120ml

chilli powder 10g

salt as required

oil 120ml

n Sift all the flours together Heat

2 tbsp of oil and add to the flours

Mix well.

n Add the other ingredients except the remaining oil to prepare a soft, yet firm dough.

n Rest the dough for 10 minutes.

n Make small roundels of the dough diameter, by pressing lightly with your palm Use a little extra flour if required.

n Place one thalipeeth on a heated griddle Apply a little oil on the surface, cover the pan and let it cook

on a slow flame.

n Gently turn it over when it turns light brown and similarly, cook the other side too.

n Serve it with garlic chutney.

Jowar (Sorghum)

The sturdiest and most drought resistant of

all grains, jowar has long been a staple source

of nutrition for the poor Jowar absorbs

flavours easily, which is why it is used by

Gujaratis to make bhakris and a porridge-like dish called khichu As the grain is gluten-free,

the flour isn’t as malleable as wheat, which requires one to hand-press the dough into shape as opposed to using a rolling pin

Bajra (Pearl millet)

The flour extracted from the pearl millet grain has a slightly nutty flavour and appears greyish in colour Mostly consumed during the northern states and Gujarat Its culinary

uses are commonly restricted to chapatis,

bhakris, theplas and khichdis Apart from

finding favour with the gluten intolerant,

bajra is also beneficial to those with acidity- related problems Nutritionally, this grain is rich in Omega 3, 6 and 9 fatty acids, iron, calcium and protein

Ragi (Red millet)

Popularly known as nachni, this grain is

primarily used in the kitchens of southern India In its raw form, it can easily be mistaken for a variety of red mustard seeds Apart from diet snack counters being flooded with

nachni chips, crackers and papads, it is also traditionally consumed in idli, dosa, upma,

adai (thick uttapam), laddoo, chapati and

halwa It is also recommended for patients with calcium deficiencies, high cholesterol and diabetes

Rajgira (Amaranth)

The flavour du jour of the grain world,

amaranth or rajgira is seeing a powerful

power grain, but we in India have long been aware of its benefits — it’s packed with calcium, protein and antioxidants Western

good old rajgira laddoos (see recipe on p 80)

that are as good for dunking in milk as they are for midday snacking.

biryanisWe put seven

restaurants famed for their biryanis to the test

HOW WE DID IT Hearty, fragrant and usually meaty, biryani is a rich, gourmet dish, redolent of exotic spices and boasting a great depth of flavour The restaurants featured in this selection aren’t the epitome of fine dining, but are local favourites that are best known

for their biryanis, whether they are of the mild, Awadhi style, the fiery Dindigul style or the aromatic Hyderabadi kacchi-style (where, the

layered) Although the menus of these restaurants also include other dishes, they are most famously associated with their biryanis

Travelling the distance for a great meal always made a certain

‘gastronomadic’ sense to me It’s about going where the action is In the case of Delhi, you go to the Walled City via Turkman Gate, standing the gate is like entering another era

façades outshines the gaudy bangles sniffing out Elaichiwali Gali, home to Haji Noor’s famed biryani eatery

It’s a largish hole in the wall, with no frills at all The grimy benches can

is reserved for a massive

copper-bottomed degh from which Haji sahib

or his grandson Sikandar ladle out biryani by the plate (eat in) or by the kilo (takeaway)

nTHE BIRYANI

Rice and meat glisten on my plate, robustly red with a hint of rose

essence (kewra) The meat slides off

the bone, melting on my tongue The clove and nutmeg and pepped up

with garlic, chillies, pepper and

achaari masala It makes my tongue

tingle without numbing it to the other flavours The greasy dish is served onions, tomatoes and green chillies.

nORIGINS

Haji Noor’s style is a variation of

the Awadhi tradition The rice and meat are cooked separately Then, the rice is laden on top All of it is then cooked again, on dum The rice and meat are mixed at the time of serving.

nWHAT TO DRINK

Nothing Unless you carry in some

of the delicious sherbet or sattu (a

refreshing drink made with roasted alley outside.

nINSIDER TIP

Haji sahib prepares three deghs of

dum biryani each morning All 210 plan to reintroduce the beef korma soon, which was their other speciality until a decade ago Given the quality

of their meat, it should be another crowd puller.

— Mudita Chauhan-Mubayi

THaji Noor Mohammed

New Delhi

Below:

Haji Noor’s succulent mutton biryani

Kewpie’s tomato chutney

A bustling local market in Kolkata Picking tea in Darjeeling

4 The feathery dead man’s fingers (gills) Remove and discard them and any that are left in the shell.

5 Scoop the brown crab meat from the shell and keep in a bowl 6 Next, cut the body of the crab in half using

a heavy knife.

7 Tease the white meat from the cavities in separate bowl to the brown meat 8 Use a small mallet or back of a heavy knife

to crack the claws 9 Use a pick to pull all the meat from the claws

Check through all the white meat for stray shell pieces before you use it.

003-004-L1 Masterclass-STAN R1.indd 145 13/07/12 11:37 PM

eat in

entertaining

- Meher Dasondi, ex-chef and former professor at Sophia Polytechnic’s culinary department in Mumbai

The culinary legacy of Indian curry dates back

to medieval aristocracy patronised the khansamas (royal cooks) and bawarchis From the basic salan to the aromatic kalia, or the rich korma, the cooks strove to innovate and build the gastronomic heritage of curries ranging in textures and fl avours

Indian curries vary from region to region in their taste, colour, texture and aroma

Cooking Indian curries often involves a combination of several methods These include baghar or tempering, bhunao – a combination of stewing and stir- from dum (which involves ‘cooking involves smoking to enhance the fl avour whereas bhunana comprises roasting on a tawa, kadai or even in a tandoor

I have categorised the curries according to fi ve basic colours

These include red, where tomatoes

form the base; brown, derived from browned onions and masala and white, wherein the colour

is obtained from badam or kaju paste or a combination of char magaz or pumpkin seeds, or from the freshness of ground coconut and coconut milk Yellow curries get their colour from the addition of saff ron while green ones are replete with the freshness

of vegetables like palak, methi, coriander or mint, either on their own or in combination.

we get leading chefs from around the country to simplify their signature

T Eat Away

Our seasoned travel journalists and food experts (who are often residents of the featured locations) arm you with insider information and recipes from the world’s most exciting food destinations Eat Like A Local brings easy, authentic menus from fantastic food destinations while Budget and Blowout shows you how to get your wallet’s worth when travelling And City On the

T Masterclass

Learn to cook like a pro in our Masterclass section Pick up cooking lessons directly from culinary masters in India and abroad Make restaurant- perfect dishes and pick up fine dining finishing touches of chefs through illustrated step-by-step recipes in Chef Skills We also feature nifty kitchen gadgets that sharpen your kitchen skills and our 10-minute wine guide is

WorldMags.net

Thengai paal (coconut milk) rasam

Serves 8 n 15 minutes n EASY

How can any South Indian dish be complete without coconut? The simple addition of coconut milk to this rasam brings out a plethora of flavours.

ghee 4 tbsp mustard seeds 2 tsp rasam powder 8 tsp (see recipe on

p 68)

red chilli powder 4 tsp tomatoes 5, chopped coconut milk 8 cups salt to taste coriander leaves 1 cup

Milagu (pepper) rasam

Serves 8 n 30 minutes n EASY

This masala-filled, fiery rasam is certain

to rid you of those bad colds Drinking it plain is a heady experience, though not for the faint of heart.

tamarind balls 2, lemon-sized oil 2 tsp mustard seeds 1 tsp cumin powder 1 tsp curry leaves 12 salt to taste turmeric 1 tsp asafoetida (hing) 1 tsp THE RASAM POWDER black pepper 2 tsp coriander seeds 2 tsp cumin powder 2 tsp red chillies 6 split pigeon peas (toor dal) 2 tsp

n Soak the tamarind in warm water for

15 minutes Then squeeze the tamarind

to extract the juice.

n Fry the mustard seeds, cumin powder and curry leaves in oil

n Add the tamarind water, salt, turmeric and asafoetida and allow to boil.

n Grind the rasam ingredients together the boiling mixture Serve the rasam hot with steamed rice

n PER SERVING 25.50 kcals, protein 0.65g, carbs 2.73g, fat 1.50g, sat fat 0.07g, fibre 0.81g, salt none

n Heat some ghee in a pan or kadai

Throw in the mustard seeds, wait till they pop and then add the curry leaves Now mix in the rasam powder and chilli powder

n Stir well and tip in the chopped tomatoes Sauté for some time until the tomatoes are soft and mushy

n Now add diluted coconut milk and heat it, stirring occasionally and making sure it doesn’t split Add salt to taste

n Add the coriander leaves and let the mixture continue boiling Remove from white rice

n PER SERVING 594.63 kcals, protein 5.58g, carbs 16.08g, fat 59.16g, sat fat 51.68g, fibre 5.63g, salt 0.1g

REALLY EASY

044-047-L3 Rasam-STAN R1.indd 68

13/07/12 9:58 PM

How to get the best

from Good Food India

THE GOOD FOOD INDIA PROMISE

We hope you enjoy our lively mix of recipes, restaurant reviews and travel features We attempt to make them fun to read, but we are also serious about eating well and doing it sustainably Here’s what you can expect from this and every issue:

TRIPLE-TESTED RECIPES All our recipes are tested

at least three times For great results, we recommend you use standard level measuring spoons, and don’t mix imperial and metric measures

EASY RECIPESMost of Good Food’s recipes are quick and simple to follow and can be made using easily available ingredients

elaborate meals and entertaining We’ve included a smattering of show-off recipes for those who enjoy a good challenge

GOOD VALUELook out for our recipes that aim to make the most of your budget — 7 meals for ` 700 We also use full packs, cans and jars where we can, to avoid waste, but if that’s not possible we aim to suggest ways

of using up leftovers

SEASONAL EATING We love using seasonal ingredients

in our recipes because they give the food a distinct flavour and add seasonal freshness

HEALTHY EATING We reckon the 80% sensible, 20% indulgent way of eating is best which is why we support our recipes with nutritional info We’ll also tell you how to give popular recipes a healthy makeover

PROVENANCE MATTERS Where possible, we use humanely reared meats, free-range chickens and eggs, sustainably sourced fish and unrefined sugar

INTERNATIONAL SAVVY Sometimes, recipes call for ingredients that aren’t available locally and can’t be brought to India without notching up air / sea miles It’s your choice whether or not you use them

CHEAP EATS AND SMART TREATS Hole-in-the-wall eateries and fine dining restaurants — there’s room for both in Good Food’s Eat Out pages

LOCAL KNOWLEDGE The Eat Away section arms you with insider info and recipes from the world’s most exciting food destinations written by on-the-ground food journalists

BIG ISSUES Preaching doesn’t come naturally, so we won’t tell you what, or what not to eat Instead, we keep you up-to-date with issues and debates in the food world

in our Good Food Investigates feature Read about the

disappearance of Indian fruit from markets on p 34

Why you can cook our

recipes with confidence

All the recipes in Good Food are tested

thoroughly, so they’ll work the first

time for you at home Most of our

recipes are developed in the Good

Food test kitchen by our cookery

team or come from food writers and

chefs We aim to make our recipes

as practical as possible, keeping

ingredient lists to a minimum and

avoiding lengthy preparations

How we triple test

our recipes

1 The first time is by the recipe writer,

who tests the recipe in a domestic

kitchen

2 Next, a member of the cookery

team makes the recipe in the

Good Food India kitchen

3 The recipe is then tested at our

photo shoot Some recipes are

tested a fourth time at home by

individual members of the Good Food

editorial team — we’re all keen cooks

and often can’t resist trying out a

recipe we particularly love, as soon as

we’ve discovered it

Testing our recipes three times or

more may seem over-cautious, but

mistakes can be costly, so we think it

makes sense to ensure you get the

right result every time

Show-off recipes when you

fancy a challenge These

recipes require a little effort

Recipes that can be made

under 20 minutes Perfect

for hectic weekdays

Those recipes marked with

this stamp are the simplest

and require very little effort

What our symbols mean

EASY Recipes everyone can make, even beginners These dishes are usually quick, often on the table within

20 minutes

MODERATELY EASY These require

a bit more skill – for example making and rolling out pastry

A LITTLE EFFORT

Recipes aimed at experienced cooks who cook for pleasure and like a challenge

CAN BE FROZEN Unless otherwise stated, freeze for up to three months

Defrost thoroughly and heat until piping hot

VEGETARIAN Meat-free dishes

JAIN Suitable for Jain cooking

Over to you  

Have a family recipe to share or think you could add to our recipes? Email

co.in and let us know We’re always on the look out for new places and food stories and would love to hear about great places to eat in your hometown.

LOOK OUT FOR

THESE HIGHLIGHTS

For a list of stores that stock gourmet ingredients, turn to p 153

WorldMags.net

At BBC Good Food India, we believe no reader of ours should ever have to sit down to anything less than a king’s buffet Which is why when you subscribe to our magazine, you receive an exclusive Privilege Card that allows you to live out all your food fantasies through a host of special offers You can swing by over 150 hand-picked fine dining restaurants and enjoy special prices, welcome drinks and complimentary desserts Or head out on fabulous culinary tours and gastronomic adventures around the globe You can also stock your larder with exotic ingredients and fine wines or pick up fancy chef’s paraphernalia for the kitchen and bar To savour this lavish offer, visit goodfoodprivileges.in

All about BBC Good Food India’s Privilege Programme

To subscribe, SMS GFPC to 58888 or log on to mags.timesgroup.com/good-food.html

Privilege Programme goodfoodprivileges.in

Shiro, the fine-dining, pan-Asian restaurant with outlets in Mumbai,

Bangalore and New Delhi, is all set to woo gourmets with its brand

new menu The menu will bring together sushi, sashimi, Cantonese

dim sum and teppanyaki along with a plethora of Korean, Vietnamese and Thai dishes This sumptuous spread will be available at all Shiro outlets by mid November

From Spinach Gomae served with a sesame and flavoured dip to chunky cubes of fish, stir-fried in hoisin and from Thai chilli sauce to succulent lamb dumplings in

miso-a smoky bmiso-arbeque smiso-auce, you miso-are sure to find something

to suit your palate What’s on our wish list? The delicious Tofu with Spicy Korean Bean Paste, Tenderloin Asparagus with Ginger Lemon Sauce, Tofu Kimchi Chigae (a classic Korean kimchi stew), Spicy Galbi (tenderloin marinated in traditional sweet Korean sauce and barbequed to perfection) and Chicken and Kimchi Casserole with Tofu The chef though, insists patrons must try the Fish with Chilli Mustard Sauce, Kai Kaprow with Garlic Rice and Hung Shao Green Beans We say, why choose at all? Bon appetit!

NEW FLAVOURS AT SHIRO

BBC Good Food India together with Chef Vikas Seth

of Sancho’s, added a touch of Mexico to Mumbai with

Seth's live masterclass at Foodhall

enthusiastic ladies gathered

in Mumbai’s Foodhall for a

Mexican-themed masterclass hosted by the

genial chef Vikas Seth of Sancho’s

Chef Seth whipped up a delicious

Mexican spread, starting with the

basics — creamy guacamole (made with

avocado and lime) with roasted tomato

salsa accompanied by crisp tortilla

chips There were smiles all around

as pretty little bowls of guacamole

and salsa were handed round to the

participants

Seth then went on to create

the Corn, Zucchini and Jalapeno

Chimichanga, a popular Tex-Mex dish,

heaped with sour cream But all eyes

were on his masterpiece, the Habanero

Tequila Fired Cottage Cheese, Mexican

Rice and Fresh Lettuce Salad Camera

flashes went off as the chef dribbled

tequila all over the cottage cheese and

dramatically flambéed the dish

Throughout the class, chef Seth

regaled the audience with anecdotes

about his life on board a cruise ship He

interspersed the cooking with lots of

culinary tips on several kinds of Mexican ingredients, talking about, among other things, the various types of Mexican chillies available that are used differently in different preparations such as tortas (a sort of sandwich) and molé (the famous traditional Mexican sauce made with cocoa)

Plenty of audience participation led

to the class going on for well over the allotted two hours The event finally came to an end with participants enjoying plates of the

delicious food that the chef conjured

up The denouement saw all participants taking home little boxes from Sancho’s

restaurant, filled with crunchy black and regular tortilla chips

Mexican

Habanero Tequila Fired Cottage Cheese

WorldMags.net

first bite

go with the grain

Discover real flour power with Indian grains and attas

Grain course

Indigenous grains such as jowar,

bajra, ragi and rajgira have long

been a part of our heritage

Cheap and wholesome, they

are gluten-free and rich in

fibre and several communities

still continue to cook with

them Take for instance, the

Maharashtrian thalipeeth (recipe

overleaf), which is is a pancake

made of a blend of most of

these flours Another example

is the jowari/bajri ki roti that’s

best paired with zunka (a mix of

besan, onion, garlic and spices)

While the Gujaratis make theplas

with rajgira flour, in Karnataka,

boiled ragi flour is made into

dumplings and eaten with

sambhar (called ragi mudde).

Attack these attas !

Thalipeeth

Makes 8 n 30 minutes n EASY

Recipe MEHER DASONDI

rice flour 150g wheat flour 30g

pearl millet flour (bajra) 30g sorghum flour (jowar) 30g

Bengal gram flour 30g coriander and cumin powder 10g pepper 5g, ground fenugreek seeds 5g

clove powder 3g

cardamom powder 5g ginger and green chilli paste 20g onions 100g, finely chopped

tomatoes 120g, finely chopped

fresh yoghurt 120ml chilli powder 10g salt as required

oil 120ml

n Sift all the flours together Heat

2 tbsp of oil and add to the flours Mix well

n Add the other ingredients except the remaining oil to prepare a soft, yet firm dough

n Rest the dough for 10 minutes

n Make small roundels of the dough and roll each into balls, 3 inches in diameter, by pressing lightly with your palm Use a little extra flour if required

n Place one thalipeeth on a heated griddle Apply a little oil on the surface, cover the pan and let it cook

on a slow flame

n Gently turn it over when it turns light brown and similarly, cook the other side too

n Serve it with garlic chutney

Jowar (Sorghum)

The sturdiest and most drought resistant of

all grains, jowar has long been a staple source

of nutrition for the poor Jowar absorbs

flavours easily, which is why it is used by

Gujaratis to make bhakris and a porridge-like

dish called khichu As the grain is gluten-free,

the flour isn’t as malleable as wheat, which

requires one to hand-press the dough into

shape as opposed to using a rolling pin

Bajra (Pearl millet)

The flour extracted from the pearl millet

grain has a slightly nutty flavour and appears

greyish in colour Mostly consumed during

the winter months, bajra is widely eaten in

the northern states and Gujarat Its culinary

uses are commonly restricted to chapatis,

bhakris, theplas and khichdis Apart from

finding favour with the gluten intolerant,

bajra is also beneficial to those with acidity-

related problems Nutritionally, this grain is

rich in Omega 3, 6 and 9 fatty acids, iron,

calcium and protein

Ragi (Red millet)

Popularly known as nachni, this grain is

primarily used in the kitchens of southern

India In its raw form, it can easily be mistaken

for a variety of red mustard seeds Apart

from diet snack counters being flooded with

nachni chips, crackers and papads, it is also

traditionally consumed in idli, dosa, upma,

adai (thick uttapam), laddoo, chapati and

halwa It is also recommended for patients

with calcium deficiencies, high cholesterol

and diabetes

Rajgira (Amaranth)

The flavour du jour of the grain world,

amaranth or rajgira is seeing a powerful

resurgence The West has only recently

started promoting amaranth as the new

power grain, but we in India have long been

aware of its benefits — it’s packed with

calcium, protein and antioxidants Western

imports incorporate the grain in breakfast

cereals and energy bars, but we prefer our

good old rajgira laddoos (see recipe on p 80)

that are as good for dunking in milk as they

are for midday snacking

Exclusive Hacker Showrooms in India :

DELHI

E-mail: info@hacker-kitchens.comWebsite: www.haecker-india.com / www.haecker-kuechen.comWorldMags.net

need to know

news, trends, shopping

THE CASE FOR

That’s right! I don’t care if I stink up

the entire restaurant by ordering

the smelliest cheese platter or

a steaming plate of blue cheese

risotto I love stinky cheeses

Look beyond the initial waft of

body odour and old socks and

you’ll find that some of the best

cheeses are to be found amidst the

stench — Gorgonzola, Roquefort,

Stilton and Camembert I don’t

always subscribe to ‘the smellier

the better’ school of

thought but cheese

noses (or in this

case, away) there’s more for me!

- KAINAZ CONTRACTOR

THE JURY’S OUT

Stinky cheese How to use up…

Recipes compiled by CHARLOTTE MORGAN

T Honey friands Whisk 6 egg whites to stiff peaks and sift over 75g

plain flour , 200g icing sugar and 140g ground almonds Add 200g

melted butter and 2 tbsp runny honey Fold together Spoon into 12

buttered cupcake tins Bake at 200°C for 18-20 minutes, or until they

are risen and springy Warm 4 tbsp runny honey and spoon a little

over each friand

T Homemade granola Melt 60g butter with 70ml honey and 1/2

tsp vanilla extract Mix in 200g nuts or seeds and 250g oats

Spread in a roasting tray and bake for 20 minutes at 160°C until

golden When cool, add 150g dried fruit and serve.

T Honeyed carrots Peel some carrots and cut in half lengthways Boil for 3-4 minutes and drain Put 3 tbsp

honey and a knob of butter in a roasting

tin and heat in a 190°C oven for 3 minutes

Tip in the carrots, coating completely, and roast for 30 minutes until golden

T Honey and mustard marinade Mix 3 tbsp

clear runny honey , 4 tbsp soy sauce,

2 tbsp wholegrain mustard and

1/2 tbsp toasted sesame seeds

Use to coat chicken or ribs before

Start by boiling 1 packet of Ching’s noodles (` 25/200g), following pack instructions In a wok,

heat 1 tbsp sesame oil, 1 tbsp butter and fry a pack of Godrej Real Good chicken, sliced (`

90/300g), for 5 minutes Add the entire contents of the Blue Dragon Oyster and Spring

Onion Stir Fry sauce (` 65/120g) and sauté the chicken cubes until cooked, 10 more minutes

Once the chicken is cooked through, remove from the pan and keep aside Flash-fry a bowl of

sliced spinach , pok choy, bell pepper and carrots (` 25/200g) Next, add the noodles and

chicken and toss together Divide between two bowls and serve immediately

CUPBOARD LOVE HONEY

THE CASE AGAINST

On a recent trip to Paris, I visited Pascal Beillevaire, a fromagerie with a dizzying range of French cheeses Even for a cheese junkie like me, entering the store was overwhelming — it smelled funky, mouldy and vaguely foreboding

That is the problem I have with stinky cheese If you believe food must smell delicious, you are likely

to be put off by the pungent smell

of strongly flavoured cheeses such

as Roquefort, Stilton or Camembert Once you have a bite, you are unlikely to forget the taste in a hurry The smell lingers on and

on If you’re going on

a date, give the big, bold, stinky cheeses

a wide berth and try the meek and elegant ones instead

need to know

news, trends, shopping

JIVO CANOLA OIL

Now that heart-healthy, cholesterol busting, Omega 3-rich oils are all the rage, canola oil has made a rather timely entry into the market Canola is a member of the Brassicaceae family that also includes cabbage, cauliflower and varieties of mustard It is extracted from its oil-rich seed, commonly known as rapeseed

Refined canola oil is said to have among the highest content of essential Omega 3-and-6 fatty acids in cooking oils It is also devoid of trans-fats and has the lowest amount of saturated fats among cooking oils But how does it fare in the kitchen? Our taste test revealed that when heated

to a high temperature, it has a strong, mustardy odour that may or may not appeal to you However, the smell is tamed by other fragrant pastes and strong flavours, so you can easily use

it in curries or stir-fries It’s less suited to

delicately flavoured dishes or tadkas, unless you don’t mind

its distinctive smell

` 160 for 1l Available at major grocery stores

Presto pastes!

Take the tedium out of cooking with these exotic

ready pastes

FRESH ON THE SHELF

AL FEZ SPICY LEMON

TAGINE PASTE

A slow-cooked stew with tender lamb or chicken

and plenty of aromatic herbs and spices, a tagine is

a Moroccan classic Recreate the warm flavours of

this hearty dish at home with Al Fez’s Spicy Lemon

Tagine Paste The paste is extremely simple to use: we

stir-fried chicken pieces in a little oil and added two

medium teaspoons of the paste to it The paste has a

wonderful lemony tang, which is an important part of a

traditional tagine It is not too sour and has the perfect

blend of spices, which gives the tagine – or curry – a rich complexity We tried our

tagine with flavoured couscous, but we recommend spooning it over plain, cooked

couscous to fully appreciate its flavour

` 185 for 100g Available at Godrej Nature’s Basket and Foodhall stores

BLUE DRAGON SZECHUAN PEPPER SHOT

A stir-fry is the perfect after-work dinner It is fuss-free yet satisfying and easy to rustle up when the chips are down Blue Dragon’s new range of Stir Fry Shots make the task even easier Simply sauté any combination of meat and vegetables you like in a little oil, and add a few teaspoons of the paste for flavour Thanks to the tomatoes present in the paste, it is the sweetness that

is more pronounced than the heat from the peppers If you like your stir-fry to be spicy, we recommend adding

a pinch of dried chilli flakes for extra heat This is also a good paste to use, with an extra dash of soy and chilli sauce, to make restaurant-style chicken chilli

` 115 for 140g Available at major grocery stores

BLUE ELEPHANT MASSAMAN CURRY PASTE

If red and green curries are the crowd-pleasing

favourites of Thai cuisine, Massaman curry is the

grown-up flavour Traditionally made with meat

(usually beef or lamb) and potatoes, Massaman

curry gets its rich, deep flavour from the use of

spices such as cardamom, cinnamon and star

anise Blue Elephant’s Massaman Curry Paste

provides the all-important spice mix, but in order

to complete the curry, you need to add a lot of

other seasoning, such as ginger-garlic paste, fish

sauce, sugar, salt and vinegar The end result is a

deeply flavourful brown curry that is sure to be a

hit at dinner parties

` 205 for a 70g packet Available at major grocery stores.

QUAKER OATS KESAR AND KISHMISH FLAVOUR

When we first came across Quaker’s Indian-flavoured oat porridge mix, we couldn’t help being sceptical about

how it would taste Kesar and kishmish belong in mithai,

not oats, we thought But the creamy and not-too-sweet porridge allayed our fears It is easy to prepare – you just need to add the contents of the single serve sachet into a cup of milk and let it cook briefly until it reaches the desirable consistency The mild flavours (there are real raisins but only the barest hint of saffron) and understated sweetness make this porridge a good candidate for a nutritious, power-packed breakfast

One pack for ` 10 Available at major grocery stores Also available in other savoury and sweet flavours

Words VIDYA BALACHANDER

AUGUST 2012 WorldMags.net BBC GoodFood25

need to know

news, trends, shopping

How to order coffee

Words JANINE RATCLIFFE, JESSICA GUNN

A SIDEWAYS LOOK AT FOODIE TRENDS…

Apply the wrong coffee culture to the joint you’re in and you’ll suffer at best, barista incomprehension At worst, burning coffee-house shame

n In Italian restaurants and cafés, observe the cardinal cappuccino rule – never after 11 am

n In American-style chains, make sure you know the correct ordering sequence – size, shots, milk and drink type, eg:

‘I’ll have a grande, double shot, skinny mocha, please.’

n Resist flavoured syrups and chocolate sprinkles (especially when applied through a motif template) True aficionados seek out proper coffee art to adorn their cup of Joe (see coffeegeek.com/guides/frothingguide/examples)

BOMBAY PIMMS

Try this Indian take on a British summer classic, from the Southbank outpost of Dishoom café (dishoom.com)

Place a slice each of lemon, lime, orange and 1 whole

strawberry in a glass Clap 5 mint and 5 coriander leaves

in your hands to release the flavour and place on top Add

a dash of pomegranate juice, 10ml gin and 25ml Pimms

Top with ginger ale, churn slowly with a spoon and garnish

with some fresh pomegranate seeds

as an exclusively crafted range of chinaware by Denby (Tel: +91 22 61801491)

MORTAR AND PESTLE

Food processors may be an invaluable tool

in the modern kitchen but they can’t quite

match the old-worldly yet practical charm

of a marble mortar and pestle Whether it

is to pound basil leaves and pine nuts into

a grainy pesto or to crush whole spices to

make the masala base for a biryani, you can

use a mortar and pestle in multiple ways The

marble stone is sturdy and non-corrosive, which makes it ideal to grind spices and

make chutneys in It is also easy to wash and store What’s best, the smooth marble

ensures that the mortar and pestle doesn’t absorb odours and flavours, which is

important for both hygiene and taste This is a valuable investment, especially to

cook Indian and Thai cuisines

` 1,250 Available at Good Earth stores across the country

need to know

pantry basics

ON TEST Mango pickles

We put five mango achars to the test to pick out the yummiest one

Words KAINAZ CONTRACTOR Photographs VINIT BHATTProducts courtesy FOODHALL

FABINDIA` 100/200G

At first, beneath the chunks of

masala-stained raw mangoes, it

resembles a dry pickle that has

been doing its time in a Punjabi

grandmother’s home With a

generous serving of fragrant and

whole, pounded spices, there is barely

any visible layer of oil The aniseed

gives the pickle a unique freshness

and the whole kalonji seeds and

mustard seeds give it its homemade

pickled flavour Preserved in organic

mustard oil, the mango pieces have

a familiar raw crunch and come with

the pith This is the closest you can

come to home-style pickle; we just

can’t stop at one bite When not

directly eating out of the jar, we love

pairing it with flaky mathris.

LOVES

♥

KHAZANA ` 60/300G

The aroma of this pickle strikes

us as odd and unfamiliar We soon find the cause – corn oil – which is also responsible for the odd taste This was sadly one of the most disappointing pickles that we tasted The pickle, though advertised as hot, is more sour than spicy

It is grainy and does not go down too well with us – the oil sticks to our tongue and it is tough to swallow It tastes the most processed of the lot and nothing like you’d associate with a spicy mango pickle

SOUL, GORKERI ` 80/ 465G

Soul’s Gujarati chutney has a lot

of flavours packed in one bottle

– sweet, sour and spicy Much like

the homemade version, Soul’s

gorkeri has the bite of chopped

mango (though it was chopped

a bit too fine for our liking) and

fenugreek coming through We couldn’t wait

to smear it over some theplas and khakras!

PRIYA, GONGURA ` 56/ 300G

We can’t think of a more delicious use for green sorrel leaves than pickling them Much like the Andhra ginger pickle, this Telugu staple too has sour notes followed by the more dominant taste of spice The texture of the roughly pound spices can be detected and there is a bit of a bite that comes through with the fenugreek and mustard seeds

MOTHER’S RECIPE, ANDHRA GINGER

` 56/ 300G

This pickle evokes quite a feeling of nostalgia We love it for taking us right back to our first Andhra meal, during which it made repeated appearances on our plate The pickle stays true to its roots with

a piquant flavour and a kick of pickled ginger, but it is not very fiery The initial sourness of tamarind is replaced by the rather mild hit of the Andhra spices

PRIYA ` 56/300G

An old favourite, Priya’s pickle has spiced up our staid lunch of dal-chawal on many occasions

There’s no denying that it is a tad too salty for its own good but its mild fieriness and resemblance to

the Tamil mango thokku won us

over The mango pieces are soft but not too mushy and are best eaten with curd rice or dal We sorely miss a depth of texture to this pickle; the masala makes for a rather smooth paste, apart from the stray mustard seeds The protective layer of oil isn’t too overpowering and lingers until the last piece of mango has been devoured

BEDEKAR ` 40/250G

True to the Maharashtrian style of pickling,

Bedekar’s achar is not too spicy and has

dominant tones of mustard and methi The mango pieces are cut small and are soft but not too squishy, just like

a homemade one that has been aged for a year This pickle goes down the smoothest, with no residual aftertaste or oil deposits

It is a tad sour but that’s nothing

a homemade thalipeeth can’t

remedy

MOTHER’S RECIPE` 54/300G

A whiff of asafoetida (hing) and raw

mango hits you as soon as you open the bottle Although packed with chilli and mustard seeds, the taste of the vegetable oil is more prominent The addition of brine makes the mango pulpier than it should

be It also has plenty of acidity-inducing raw masala, which is not the best of traits in

a pickle The spice, however, lingers on and we found it to be adequately salted in spite of the addition

of brine Best eaten with stuffed parathas

Best of the rest

need to know

pantry basics

ON TEST Mango pickles

We put five mango achars to the test to pick out the yummiest one

Words KAINAZ CONTRACTOR Photographs VINIT BHATT

Products courtesy FOODHALL

FABINDIA` 100/200G

At first, beneath the chunks of

masala-stained raw mangoes, it

resembles a dry pickle that has

been doing its time in a Punjabi

grandmother’s home With a

generous serving of fragrant and

whole, pounded spices, there is barely

any visible layer of oil The aniseed

gives the pickle a unique freshness

and the whole kalonji seeds and

mustard seeds give it its homemade

pickled flavour Preserved in organic

mustard oil, the mango pieces have

a familiar raw crunch and come with

the pith This is the closest you can

come to home-style pickle; we just

can’t stop at one bite When not

directly eating out of the jar, we love

pairing it with flaky mathris.

LOVES

♥

KHAZANA ` 60/300G

The aroma of this pickle strikes

us as odd and unfamiliar We soon find the cause – corn oil

– which is also responsible for the odd taste This was sadly

one of the most disappointing pickles that we tasted The

pickle, though advertised as hot, is more sour than spicy

It is grainy and does not go down too well with us – the

oil sticks to our tongue and it is tough to swallow It tastes the most processed of the lot

and nothing like you’d associate with a spicy mango pickle

SOUL, GORKERI ` 80/ 465G

Soul’s Gujarati chutney has a lot

of flavours packed in one bottle

– sweet, sour and spicy Much like

the homemade version, Soul’s

gorkeri has the bite of chopped

mango (though it was chopped

a bit too fine for our liking) and

fenugreek coming through We couldn’t wait

to smear it over some theplas and khakras!

and mustard seeds

MOTHER’S RECIPE, ANDHRA GINGER

dal-chawal on many occasions

There’s no denying that it is a tad too salty for its own good but its

mild fieriness and resemblance to

the Tamil mango thokku won us

over The mango pieces are soft but not too mushy and are best eaten with curd rice or dal We

sorely miss a depth of texture to this pickle; the masala makes for a rather smooth paste,

apart from the stray mustard seeds The protective layer of oil isn’t too overpowering and lingers until

the last piece of mango has been devoured

BEDEKAR ` 40/250G

True to the Maharashtrian style of pickling,

Bedekar’s achar is not too spicy and has

dominant tones of mustard and methi The mango pieces are cut small and are

soft but not too squishy, just like

a homemade one that has been aged for a year This pickle goes

down the smoothest, with no residual aftertaste or oil deposits

It is a tad sour but that’s nothing

a homemade thalipeeth can’t

remedy

MOTHER’S RECIPE` 54/300G

A whiff of asafoetida (hing) and raw

mango hits you as soon as you open the bottle Although packed with chilli

and mustard seeds, the taste of the vegetable oil is more prominent The

addition of brine makes the mango pulpier than it should

be It also has plenty of acidity-inducing raw

masala, which is not the best of traits in

a pickle The spice, however, lingers on

and we found it to be adequately salted in

spite of the addition

of brine Best eaten with stuffed parathas

Best of the rest

need to know

news, trends, shopping

Good Food tracks down this month’s best value foodie events, meals and deals Words KAINAZ CONTRACTOR

` 105-A-HEAD DINNER PARTY FOR FOUR! ` BENGALURU 242 BREKKIE BUFFET

All prices PER HEAD excluding taxes

We sure are, which is why we’ve decided

to give early rising a chance, in exchange for sunny side up eggs, bangers and mash, waffles, pancakes and juice Bengaluru’s Boca Grande is offering all this and more in their king-sized Sunday Breakfast that comes inclusive of taxes Other breakfast staples include freshly baked bread, chilli cheese toast, seasonal fruit and cold cut platters The highlight is the omelette station where you can customise your omelette with a variety of fillings such as cheese, ham, chicken, mushroom and bell peppers

Vying for sangria supremacy among Mumbai’s many bars

is the sangria pitcher

at The Tasting Room

Muddled to perfection, the fruit is fresh and the wine, generous and unadulterated So when a rare offer like this one comes along, it’s best to keep your day free, take a couple

of your besties and drink like there’s no tomorrow The happy hours last throughout the day from noon

to 11:30 pm We recommend reserving a table for a couple of hours and then considerately calling it a day to make way for the next lot of inebriated souls

As fun as it is to say Yum Cha, we’ve found that an afternoon spent indulging in the Chinese afternoon tea drinking tradition with dim sum is far more enjoyable Those with a weakness for these delicate dumplings now have reason to cheer The Oriental Pavilion in Gurgaon offers limitless dim sum to pair with its selection of Chinese teas, for just ` 299 (plus taxes) Choose from bamboo baskets filled with Pok choy and Mushroom Dumplings, Pot Fried Chicken Wontons, Pork and Mushroom Bao, Spinach and Sweet Corn Crystal Dumplings and Prawn and Basil Sui Mai

` 299 UNLIMITED DIM SUM

GURGAON

` 500 UNLIMITED SANGRIA PITCHER MUMBAI

BARGAIN HUNTER

AUGUST 2012 WorldMags.net BBC GoodFood29

Words VIDYA BALACHANDER

To Indians, nothing says

‘home’ as simply and reassuringly as pickle Whichever part of the country you might hail from, pickle is likely to have been part

of your earliest food memories –

as an incentive to make the staid combination of dal and rice seem more appetising; as a counterpoint

to the cool comfort of curd rice or as

a tasty accompaniment capable of weathering long train journeys.Pickling techniques and the finished product might vary vastly from region to region – Gujarat’s

sweet chhunda mango pickle has so little in common with a hot avakkaya

pickle from Andhra Pradesh that it’s hard to believe that they are made

of the same fruit – but at the most elemental level, it’s clear that no matter what gulfs might separate the culinary customs of the country, pickle acts as a bridge between them

No Indian meal is complete without a smidgen of pickle Although readymade pickles have made easy work of the painstaking process of pickle-making, in many households, it is an annual ritual that

is still treated with the ceremony it rightly deserves

BACK TO THE BEGINNING

It’s difficult to trace the exact origins

of Indian pickle, but it is connected

to the ancient art of preserving food

by curing it with salt or sugar Long before refrigeration and canning made it possible to preserve foods

Piquantly delicious pickles are used all across India to spice up everyday meals

Good Food gets a taste of an age-old ritual that is as much an art as a science

Indian pickles

for long periods of time, ancient

civilisations had discovered that the

secret to increasing the longevity of

perishable foods was to dry them in

the sun and cure them with salt or

immerse them in brine

In fact, according to Western

history, the tradition of pickling can

be traced back right to the dawn of

civilisation Cucumbers, which are

native to India and are believed to

have grown wild in the foothills

of the Himalayas, were carried

westward to Mesopotamia, where

they were preserved in brine In the

1st Century BC, Roman emperor

Tiberius is said to have been a

tremendous cucumber aficionado,

having them at his table every day

To ensure their availability all year

round, cucumbers were grown in

green houses and mentions of spiced

and pickled cucumbers can be found

in Roman historian Pliny’s writings

This is probably why pickles have

come to be associated almost

exclusively with pickled cucumbers

(or gherkins) in the Western world

The tradition of pickling may

have also developed as a solution

to the problems of food scarcity and

seasonality of produce Perhaps

that is why nearly every culture

in the world has a tradition of

preserves and pickles – Germany

has sauerkraut or sour pickled

cabbage, South Korea has kimchi

made of cabbage, radish and

other vegetables, Morocco makes

preserved lemons and the Nordic

countries have a long-standing

tradition of pickled herring,

considered a delicacy in Europe

According to food historian KT Achaya’s

A Historical Definition of Indian Food, it is clear that

the repertoire of Indian pickles became highly evolved several centuries ago “A Kannada work of

AD 1594, the Lingapurna

of Gurulinga Desika, describes no less than fifty kinds of pickles,”

states Achaya The most commonly pickled foods included not just wild mangoes, limes, lemons, brinjals and chillies but also pork, prawns and fish

HOW DOES PICKLING WORK?

When you watch tart, whole limes treated with little more than salt and spices, transform into mature lemon pickle after

a few weeks in the sun, it may seem magical The scientific processes that increase the shelf life of salt-treated foods also simultaneously add depth and new dimensions to their flavour The natural process to thank for the flavour of most Indian pickles is anaerobic fermentation

When vegetables or fruits are dried, cured with salt in airtight jars and left out in the sun, halophyllic

or salt-tolerant bacteria naturally present on their surface digest the sucrose in the fruit or vegetable matter to produce by-products such

as carbon dioxide, acetic acid and

lactic acid Lactic acid is what gives yoghurt its characteristic sourness and imparts a tangy flavour to them The acid that is produced acts as a natural preservative and prevents the growth of pathogenic bacteria that could cause the pickle to go rancid Direct sunlight or adequate ambient light provides the warmth that is required for the bacteria to go about the business of fermentation It takes anywhere between 15 days to a month for this process

ATTENTION TO DETAIL

Certain precautions need to be taken

for a pickle to mature and stay fresh

for several years Most importantly,

moisture is anathema to pickles Even

the slightest amount of moisture at

the time of bottling and even after the

pickle is mature, can invite mould to

form on its surface This is why all

vegetables and fruits are thoroughly

dried before they are cured with salt

It’s also why most Indian pickles are

traditionally made in the dry months

of summer, when humidity is low

and adequate sunlight is available

Using sterile, non-reactive jars and

dry ladles, good quality fruits,

vegetables and other ingredients and

precise proportions of sugar, salt and

oil is also important for a pickle to

taste right and last long

Oil is added to several Indian

pickles to increase longevity — it

plays the role of the preservative Oils

that stay stable over long periods of

time, such as mustard and sesame oil,

are preferred The herbs and spices

that are added to Indian pickles don’t

just enhance the taste of the pickle

Many of them have anti-microbial

properties that aid in digestion

“Cumin and green cardamom

are cooling, clove and cinnamon

are warming, ginger is good for

colds, while raw garlic is good for

circulatory ailments,” explains Usha

Prabhakaran, author of Usha’s Pickle

Digest, a compendium of over 1,000

pickle recipes from across India

In general, pickles should have

a pH factor of less than 4.6, which indicates medium to high acidity, sufficient to kill most kinds of bacteria While pickles made of naturally acidic fruits such as mango and lime don’t require the addition

of a souring agent such as vinegar

or curd, alkaline vegetables, meat and fish do require a certain level

of acidity, which is usually ensured

by adding amchur (dried mango

powder), vinegar or lime juice

TYPES OF PICKLES

Given the wide variety of pickles available in India, it’s impossible to fit them into neat categories One way of organising them could be on the basis of souring agents Regional cooking in India is influenced by the souring agents that are commonly available in those regions – for

instance, amchur is popular in north

Indian cuisine, vinegar is preferred

in Goa and tamarind dominates in the south Many of these agents are also used in pickling and contribute

to the subtle variations in regional styles Take cooked south Indian

pickles like the sweet-sour puli inji,

for instance The pickle made of fresh ginger gets its pucker from the

use of tamarind extract (puli is Tamil

for tamarind), which also contributes

to its deep brown colour Similarly, the sweet-sour Bengali favourite

tetuler achar is made by cooking

tamarind extract with jaggery, mustard and other spices until it reaches a thick, viscous consistency.Although not as common, curd

or buttermilk is also used as a souring agent in certain south Indian pickles Sarsaparilla, a creeper with medicinal properties, which is called

mahani in Tamil Nadu, is sometimes

preserved in buttermilk

In contrast, Parsi pickles such as

buffena, made out of a whole, ripe

mango, and the rare and seasonal

garabh nu achar, made with bhing

fish roe, are distinguished by the use of sugarcane vinegar brewed

in Navsari in Gujarat Similarly,

fiery Goan prawn balchao gets its

characteristic acidity from distilled white vinegar

VINTAGE VALUE

Although most pickles can be kept for years if they are stored in the right conditions, there are some that just keep getting better with age The best known of these is the aged Punjabi pickle made of whole

limes, popularly called kala nimbu

ka achaar or kala kagzi nimbu This

pickle requires no oil, simply ample sunshine Over several months,

the spices such as ajwain and black

pepper that preserve the limes, give

it a distinctive black colour The tough outer rinds soften and become wispy due to the natural acidity of the limes, giving them a paper-like appearance This pickle, which is believed to have digestive properties,

Click a pickle!

If you’re craving the flavour of homemade achaar,

help is just a mouse click away Goosebumps is a website that allows you to purchase readymade, home-style pickles

online, such as gor keri, a sweet pickle made with mangoes

and jaggery You can also custom make your own blend

Pinank Shah, the director of the site, says all the pickles are made by his mother-in-law, who has perfected the art over the last 11 years Shah is also experimenting with ‘new-age’

pickles such as olive pickles and fruit pickles

Visit goosebumpspickles.com for details.

Indian pickles

can last for several years without

spoiling The North East also has its

own tradition of aged chutneys and

relishes In Naga cuisine, cooked

soya bean (called akhuni) and fish are

allowed to ferment for months in pots

strung outside the house After they

are sufficiently aged, the akhuni or

fish is smoked, or mixed with salt and

chillies to make pungent chutneys,

that take the place of pickle in meals

A MEATY MATTER

Given the staggering variety of

vegetable and fruit pickles that

are available in India, it would be

easy to believe that pickling is the

preserve of vegetarians However,

non-vegetarian pickle made of

chicken, mutton, beef, fish and other

seafood has always been popular

among certain communities For

instance, East Indians and Parsis

have a tradition of pickling dried

Bombay duck and prawns, often

using cane vinegar or distilled white

vinegar The Syrian Christians of

Kerala pickle beef, while the Coorgi

Hindus of Karnataka have a long

history of pickling wild boar and

pork using brine and spices In

addition to the popular fermented

bamboo pickle (called mesu), the

North East also has a tradition of

pickled meats, especially pork The

process of pickling meat does not

vary very much But meats such as mutton and beef are usually cooked before they are cured with spices and pickled using an acidic, souring agent such as vinegar

THE PROBLEM OF PLENTY

We have a rich history of pickling

in India, thanks to a wide variety of regional ingredients and the time-honoured tradition of making pickles

from scratch at home However, the easy availability of commercial pickles means some of the more exotic flavours are in danger of being forgotten

“Once common varieties of pickle such as raw jackfruit pickle

and gongura (a kind of sour spinach

from Andhra Pradesh) pickle are seldom encountered these days,”

says author, professor and food expert Pushpesh Pant Traditional

pickles such as vadu mangai, made of

baby mangoes in brine, or kair sangri

pickle, made of the dried beans and desert berries found in Rajasthan, are disappearing With so much

of our culinary history at stake, it’s worth forsaking store-bought convenience for the painstaking, yet ultimately rewarding experience of making your own pickles After all, what you will be preserving is the taste of home

Given the huge variety of pickles available

in India, it’s impossible to fit them into neat

categories One way of organising them

could be on the basis of souring agents

WorldMags.net

Good Food investigates

When there is such an abundance of Indian fruit grown in India, why are we

increasingly turning to marked up, foreign-grown produce? Good Food finds out

Words VIDYA BALACHANDER

If you reflect on your childhood

memories, you are likely to

remember eating a plethora

of Indian-grown fruit: plump

and sweet oranges from Nagpur,

black grapes with tart skins grown

in Bangalore and if you were lucky,

firm, crisp and sweet apples from

Himachal Pradesh Cut to the present

day — the kinds of fruits you will

encounter in most vegetable markets,

especially in large cities, are likely

to be very different The shiny Red Delicious apples are likely to have travelled all the way from the United States, the oranges from Florida, and temperate fruits such as cherries and plums from Thailand, Australia

or South Africa Why is foreign fruit crowding out our indigenous produce and what does that say about the quality of Indian fruit?

BOUNTIFUL PRODUCE

If you go purely by what you see, you may be led to believe that Indian fruit production is on the decline

But one look at the statistics and it’s immediately apparent that that

is far from the truth In fact, over the years, India’s production of fruits has steadily been on the rise

According to the Indian Horticultural Database compiled by the National

need to know

food issues

the largest producers of fruit in the world Around 40 per cent of the world’s mangoes and 30 per cent of bananas and papayas are produced here

Horticulture Board under the aegis

of the Union Ministry of Agriculture

and published in 2009, the total

production of fruits in the country

in 2009-10 was 715.16 lakh tonnes,

nearly 2.5 times the production in

1991-92 By 2012, the total annual

production of fruits had further risen

to 775.25 lakh tonnes

In simple terms, India is one of

the largest producers of fruit in the

world Around 40 per cent of the

world’s mangoes and 30 per cent of

bananas and papayas are produced

here We cultivate a staggering

variety of fruits, including bananas,

mangoes, papayas, custard apples (or

sapota), guavas, grapes, pineapples,

litchis and pomegranates

We cultivate more than 60

varieties of bananas, including the

tiny, intensely sweet Elaichi variety,

the plump yellow variety called the

Rasthali, and the Kerala Nendran

plaintains that are used to make chips

in Kerala, among others According

to the Indian Horticultural Database,

a large variety of apples, including

Golden Delicious, Red Delicious,

McIntosh and Granny Smith are

grown in the states of Jammu &

Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh and

Uttarakhand However, India’s

consumption of fruits is far below

global levels Also, India’s exports of

fruits and other agricultural products

accounts for only roughly 2 per cent

of the total global trade

THE PROBLEM OF

WASTAGE

The reason for this shortfall – and

one of the biggest problems facing

India’s fruit trade – is significant

wastage “On an average, about 20

per cent of fruit is getting wasted

at the harvesting stage, during

transportation and during sale in the

market,” says Dr K Narayana Gowda,

vice-chancellor of the University of

Agricultural Sciences in Bangalore

Fruits are perishable and need careful

handling after being harvested, in

order to survive their long journeys to

markets But the absence of efficient

infrastructure means a lot of the harvest is lost in the process

Besides, fruit production in India

is still largely the preserve of small and marginal farmers, and organised retail chains that pay farmers directly for their produce are still a novel idea

“Even today, the transactions that happen between the producer and the consumer are in the unorganised sector,” explains Gowda “Thanks to middle men, the farmer is denied his rightful due in these transactions.”

Without the requisite money muscle

or technical know how, small farmers are unable to package their produce

as attractively or market them in the same way that larger farmers or retail chains with higher yields and more support systems are able to

STORAGE WOES

Besides, one of the biggest problems facing the fruit trade in India is the lack of cold storage facilities In order for fragile fruits such as grapes and apples to stay in good condition until they reach the consumer, they need

to be stored in ideal, controlled conditions But according

temperature-to a study conducted in 2010 by the Central Institute for Post Harvest Engineering and Technology in Ludhiana, around 18 per cent of the fruit and vegetable production in the country, worth ` 44,000 crore, is going

to waste due to the absence of cold storage infrastructure

In contrast, fruit importers have

a much more organised network

of cold storage facilities that allows

them to store seasonal fruits in good condition and ensure their availability all through the year This is how your supermarket is able to stock imported apples, oranges and purple grapes all year round This easy availability affects the demand for seasonal delicacies such as apples from Jammu

& Kashmir or Himachal Pradesh, which are only available for about five months of the year, from early winter to spring

The casualties of this high stakes business are those fruits that have been traditionally valued in the

a book on the fruit called Banana: The Fate of a Fruit That Changed The World, “Cavendish is the fruit equivalent of a fast-food hamburger: efficient to produce, uniform in quality and universally affordable.” But as Koeppel reports in his book, the Cavendish variety is being threatened

by a virulent disease that is sweeping across the world Since all bananas come from the same gene pool, none

of the plants have resistance to the soil-borne fungus that causes the disease Hence, it is entirely possible for the world’s crop of Cavendish bananas to be completely wiped out

by the disease This is the most urgent reminder that we need to conserve fruit diversity in India

country but are now being edged

out by more ‘glamorous’, profitable

and perennially available fruits such

as apples and oranges For instance,

fruits such as jackfruit and jamun

are rarely available outside of street

markets, mostly sold by

handcart-pushing vendors Even in states

where they are traditionally grown,

these fruits have been relegated to a

second-class status

LOCAL RESURGENCE

The falling demand for jackfruit

among consumers is what prompted

Santhigram, a community-based

voluntary organisation in Kerala, to

organise the first National Jackfruit

Festival in Trivandrum in June 2011

The festival featured a number of dishes made from jackfruit, including

jackfruit payasam, pickle and ice

cream, and products such as jackfruit flakes and unripe jackfruit flour

It drew a crowd of nearly 25,000 exhibitors and consumers

“Jackfruit is a highly versatile fruit

Each jackfruit can be utilised in five

or six different ways, starting from when it is tender to the unripe fruit

to the sweet, mature fruit Even the seeds are edible,” says Shree Padre, award-winning farmer and journalist who is also closely associated with what he calls “the resurgence of interest in jackfruit in Kerala and

Karnataka” In these two states, nearly 30 to 40 local jackfruit festivals have been conducted over the last couple of years Individual farmers and cooperatives are being trained

on how best to add value to the fruits with products such as ready-to-eat tender jackfruit, which made its debut

at the National Jackfruit Festival

“A silent, grassroots movement to promote the jackfruit is taking shape

in south India,” says Padre

Until we acquire the infrastructure

to better handle, store and market indigenous produce, similar movements based on taking pride

in homegrown fruits, are required to preserve their diversity in our country

Glassware for gourmets

Gourmet range is

for those who

believe cooking is an art

After years of research,

the company has

launched its versatile

range of Gourmet

products, a twist on its

microwaveable range All

Gourmet products are

specially hand blown, a

process which makes the

glass thinner and more

transparent, and looks

extremely elegant The

Gourmet range is 100 per

cent flame proof – all

Gourmet products can be

heated on a flame or hot

plate, and can also be

taken out from the freezer

and put directly on the

flame without fear of the

be visible through the crystal clear glass and will add visual delight to your already delicious cooking (log onto youtube.com/

user/BorosilAndYou for video recipes) Follow it up with individual servings of dessert in the Baby Gourmet — alternate layers of crumbled brownie with ice-cream to make a quick, delicious (and impressive) dessert!

Borosil offers lots of options within the Gourmet range — the

Gourmet bowl set, the Gourmet Pot and a set

of Gourmet Cook and

Store containers Being

a Gourmet Chef has never been easier!

days has become

as easy as the click

of a button Clothes,

accessories, mobile phones

-name it and it’s available

online With such a

plethora, could buying fine

dining ingredients online be

left far behind?

Suku Shah set up Olive

Tree Trading in 2001 to

import, distribute and

market quality products

in the food and beverage

industry, with an emphasis

on promoting products that

could enhance healthier

lifestyles Years down

the line, the company has

now set up its online store,

which makes shopping

even simpler Customers

can now easily buy

ingredients which are usually available at only select retail locations across the country Simply

com The products on offer

are varied – antipasti, pesto and pasta sauces from Sacla, dried porcini mushrooms, Italian black

rice, silken tofu from

Mori-Nu, stuffed olives from Olea Europaea, regional Italian olive oils from Olitalia, aged vinegars, artichokes, white truffle oil and black truffles from Tartufalba, kalamata olives, a spread of unusual breads and toppings, Amarena cherries, Swiss

breakfast cereals, Silk soymilk, biscotti and even customized orders for Japanese products - the range is exhaustive.

The products are of the finest quality and imported directly from the producers factories They are then stored at Olive Tree Trading’s warehouse outside Pune, ready to

be delivered to over six hundred cities in India With a minimum order value of Rs 1500, there

is no cash against delivery With Olive Tree Trading making shopping so easy and reliable, your search for international products has come to an end! Log

25 years) by Acetaia Giuseppe Cremonini

Oil by Tartufalba

Tomatoes by De Cecco

Stuffed with Piri Piri by Olea Europaea

Serves 1 n 10 minutes n EASY

Put 30ml vodka, 15ml Kahlua, 15ml

Bailey’s, 15ml espresso and a dash of

cream along with a few cubes of ice in

a shaker and shake well Sprinkle a bit

of coffee powder and serve chilled in a martini glass

Coffee martini

Serves 1 n 10 minutes n EASY

Put 45ml vodka, 15ml Kahlua and

15ml espresso along with a few cubes

of ice in a shaker and shake well

Garnish with coffee beans and serve chilled in a martini glass

Coffee hazelnut

Serves 1 n 10 minutes n EASY

In a warm wine glass, mix 300ml

hot, brewed coffee , 30ml chocolate

liqueur and 30ml hazelnut liqueur Top with a sprinkling of cocoa powder

Spanish coffee

Serves 1 n 10 minutes n EASY

Add 22.5ml brandy and 7.5ml coffee

liqueur to a snifter and top off with

coffee Stir and add some whipped

cream to top

Recipes HEMANT MANDHARE, BARTENDER, RED ZEN AT COURTYARD BY MARRIOTT, MUMBAI

Make up a small jug drinking

chocolate of really good quality

Make 50ml strong espresso

Add the espresso to a glass,

adding sugar to taste Add an

equal amount of chocolate and

a slug of whisky Whisk some

single cream until frothy, pour over the mocha so that it sits on the top Drink and enjoy

need to know

books

books & cooks

Check out our top reads this month

Words MEHER MIRZA

The Savoy Chill

Pour 500ml boiling water and 125g caster sugar into a bowl, add 2 Earl

Grey teabags and stir Allow to steep for 10 minutes, then add the juice of

1 lemon and stir again Cover and refrigerate, ideally overnight until chilled

Remove tea bags and pour into an ice cream machine Churn Then use a spoon to scrape the sorbetto into a freezer-proof container with a lid Freeze until it reaches the correct scooping texture (at least 2-3 hours) Decorate

each portion with a little lemon zest before serving.

You can buy all this month’s books online at flipkart.com and landmarkonthenet.com.

The Food and Cooking

of India

- Mridula Baljekar

Mridula Baljekar takes

a culinary trip from the north down to the south of India in

her latest book, The Food and Cooking of India Although it sounds authoritative, the book is nowhere near as comprehensive

as, say, Pushpesh Pant’s India Cookbook No matter Baljekar talks novice cooks through seemingly complex Indian recipes, with plenty of step-by-step photographs There are more than 150 recipes in here, but for a cuisine as varied as ours, that’s just skimming the surface

Available from Anness Books for ` 1,358

Yes Chef

- Marcus Samuelsson

Samuelsson was born in Ethiopia, adopted by Swedish parents, won Top Chef Masters, was the youngest chef ever to get a three-star review from New York Times, won a James Beard award, and now owns the award-winning Red Rooster in Harlem However, his upward trajectory was tempered

by a few hiccups; most famously, Gordon Ramsay called him a “black b***” Samuelsson is no sordid tale-teller though His book is also a lesson in how to succeed in a very stressful environment — show up

on time, don’t shoot your mouth off and work bloody hard

Available from Random House Publishing for ` 1,207

Mummy ka Magic: Never-Fail

Kiddie Treats

This book is based on the show of

the same name hosted by chirpy

former model Amrita Raichand

There’s a smattering of unexciting

recipes such as Farfalle in Tomato

Sauce, Fried Idlis, Vegetable

Lasagne and Curd Rice We

were intrigued, however, by the

mention of Puppy Dog Cookies

- was a hapless puppy swept off

the street and baked into a tasty

teatime treat? (Hope not) We

were also puzzled by why we were

asked to use a fish mould to bake

a chicken pie Quibbles aside,

the book is quite a resource for

time-starved moms We found the

Crispy Chicken delicious (although

decidedly unadventurous) and

the Wholewheat Banana Yoghurt

Pancakes particularly wholesome

and satisfying

Available from Popular

Prakashan for ` 250

100 Best Fresh Soups

Parragon Books’s 100 Best Fresh Soups is perfect for those intemperate monsoon evenings

The soups are divided into Classic, Hearty, Spicy, Light and Refreshing and Luxury sections This one is

a straightforward cookbook: no celebrity chef angle, no chitchat, just recipes of soups with lots of lovely photographs We cooked our way through the ‘Refreshing’

Genoese Fish Soup, which was rather filling with its wine, prawns and fish Then onto the Mushroom and Sherry Soup, with two of

my favourite things; mushroom and sherry! Finally, I tried the

‘Spicy’ Hot and Sour Soup with Tofu, which was not spicy but had delicately balanced flavours But before you grab a copy, be warned – there seem to be more non-veg recipes than veggie ones here

Available from Parragon Books for ` 395

The Icecreamists- Matt O’Connor

Everything about The Icecreamists

screams cool — cheeky ice cream names (Lady Marmalade, Priscilla Cream of the Dessert and The Vanilla Monologues), punk fonts and design, the opening section with its Ten Commandments of Cool (Thou shalt never refreeze), the saucy anecdotes…you get the drift Based on the edgy London ice cream store of the same name, this one’s definitely not for kids

There’s a recipe for Baby Googoo, the infamous breast milk ice cream actually served in the shop and Sex Bomb Cocktail, filled with

a potent mix of libido-inducing ginkgo biloba, arginine and guarana, flambéed with absinthe

We recommend you try the slightly less lethal The Savoy Chill

Available from Octopus Books, Hachette Publishing for