Thursday, October 20, 2011

Aval Upma


Its Blog Hop Wednesday, I have been paired with Rajani of My kitchen Trails. Its interesting to note the little stories she writes as an introduction before the recipe itself and she has some unique recipes in her blog. Do check her space. I tried Aval upma from her blog for breakfast today. It tasted good and it was light. You can also add vegetables to this upma.

Ingredients

1 cup-Aval(Beaten rice flakes)
1 medium sized-Onion
Green Chilli-1
Lemon juice optional
Turmeric powder-1/4 tsp
Oil-2 tsp
Urad dal-1 tsp
Mustard-1 tsp
Curry Leaves -A sprig
Salt-to taste
Water to soak Aval

Soak Aval for ten minutes if your using the thick variety. I used the medium variety. Take oil in pan. Add mustard, wait for it to splutter. Add Urad dal, let it brown. Add curry leaves and then Onion. Let the onions turn transparent. Now take the soaked Poha from water add it to the pan, add turmeric powder and salt to taste. Let this cook for 2-3 minutes. Take off the pan, squeeze lemon juice and serve. Another keeper recipe for sure.


Wednesday, October 19, 2011

Burgundy-A review


The colour Burgundy evokes a rich imagery in my mind. Like purple it connotes royalty, but without being stodgy! Well did the the restaurant Burgundy live up to this imagery it certainly did. Burgundy is located in Somerset Greenways, a premium serviced apartment. It is an all day dining restaurant with a punch line "A new gourmet of color". The restaurant was roomy with a lounge area, bar area and a long counter for buffet. They also have the alfresco option. Vipin Sachdev and his wife were kind enough to join us for the review too.   

Somna Sachdev, a wonderful hostess

I expected the menu to be continental, but I was really surprised to see Indian dishes. The buffet spread is very kind to the vegetarians with out the overdose of potatoes and paneer. The buffet was placed on a warm counter which took care of the temperature of food. Buffet food is usually made in huge quantities and it feels like a factory production. The spread here was laid out in copper coloured pans and in manageable quantities, which was a welcome break. The salad counter was also temperature controlled, the counter top was cold so there is no fear of eating wilted or stale salad.

The starters were served on the table.


Take a look at the chat that was served on the table. I liked the Dahi puri chat, which was not overtly spicy



The tandoori vegetables were a little spicy for me. I got a selection of Cauliflower,Broccoli and Zucchini. The Tandoori paneer was soft. I just nibbled at the buffalo mozzarella cheese from the sandwich. I did not want to stuff my self up.


I had a glass of yummy orange juice along with the starters

Check out the Salad counter.

 

Pasta Salad and  Cucumber and cherry tomato salad



     An array of dips to choose from Tzatziki,Hummus,Guacamole and Babaganoush  


From the salad counter I liked these two salads the best, the apple pear salad and the pumpkin pepper salad. I loved the petite dishes they were served on and the taste was absolutely refreshing.

Now moving over to the main course. I was already feeling stuffed by this time, and I had so many dishes to taste. It was visually overwhelming too.Vipin Sachdev, was keeping us thoroughly entertained and man he is so knowledgeable. At the end of the meet I called him the "walking wikipedia". He surely is a seasoned entrepreneur.


 It was really nice to see Avarakkai kootu. It tasted just like home made food.This was really a surprise element for me and I enjoyed eating this.

                                                   The roasted vegetables tasted great too.



Rice is nice- A selection of curd rice,lemon rice and biryani

Raw banana poriyal

Glazed pumpkin


Lyonnaise potatoes-French styled potatoes

These are some of the dishes I liked. The buffet surely has something for everyone from South Indian,North Indian,Thai,Chinese and Continental. A crowd pleaser for sure.The variety is mind boggling. They also have a live chat and dosa counter.The highlight from the main course for me was the raw banana curry and the broad bean melange.  

I had been to the launch party of Burgundy I have included some  pictures from there. I cannot get over the Baklava from the party. I have noticed that whenever this dessert is placed on the counter, the stock clearance takes place very soon! The Broccoli pizza tasted good, but I still prefer the wood fired one from Tuscana.

Baklava

Rotating pizza oven with an internal flame

Broccoli pizza


There was a small group of ladies who were ordering their drinks for their kitty party. Mr Ananth one of the staff members informed me that during the day you can order non alcoholic drinks  like this one here.




The passion Mojito

Finally moving on to the desserts. They have a good selection of Indian and continental desserts.

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I liked the mango mouse in this selection. Next I dug into the Sachertorte, the classic dessert from Vienna, but I could not taste the apricot glaze.  The Thai coconut custard was average, but it was beautifully decorated with a blob of cream and a stalk of lemon grass, like my friend said reminding one of the Jasmine flower. Next time will try their Rasmalai.     


English Tea

To wash down all these excesses I had some English tea. Vipin offered to take us on a tour of the kitchen. The kitchen is the best in its class. They have a separate space where the desserts are plated up, this zone is temperature controlled. They do not make desserts here but source it from their centralized kitchen. The fruits are cling wrapped, the food is tagged with stickers and a date on them. They have water proof switches. They have drain points in the kitchen to facilitate easy cleaning.They have a walk in freezer unit, an infrared gun to detect refrigeration gas leakage!. I can confidently say that Burgundy takes utmost care when it comes to food safety and hygiene. I was so enlightened at the end of the tour. We also got a sneak peek of the B Bar. 

Food tags from my mobile phone

The TV dinner pack from Burgundy-from my mobile phone
There was another perk during this food review. We checked out the suite at Somerset. It was so cool. The best part of this tour for me was the infinity pool. Do check it out.

The infinity pool from my mobile phone

What a review this was I had great food to sample, got to visit the Burgundy kitchen and the final treat to my eyes was the infinity pool at Somerset Greenways. A big thank you to Vipin and Somna Sachdev for taking time out from their busy schedule and spending quality time with us. Thank you CFG another lovely opportunity to learn so much about food. The Sunday brunch costs Rs 1,250, the lunch buffet costs Rs 750 and dinner costs 975.They are open from 6.30 a.m till midnight and if its on the menu its available any time at Burgundy. Tune into Burgundy you will become a friend very soon. 

Rating
Food-8
Ambience-8
Kitchen Hygiene-9
Service-8

Monday, October 10, 2011

Media feature and Navratri Sundal recipe.


First up, I would like to share that I was featured in NDTV Hindu where there was an interview of mine regarding blogging and how regional blogs have been gaining momentum. I do not know how to get hold of the video. But it was a different feeling seeing myself on TV.

Secondly I was featured in Indian Express. Please check the link Vegetarian Food options for a change

Thirdly my blog was featured in Prismma, an online digital decor magazine.Shalini@Sanctified Spaces.

This festive season has been so kind to me. Thank you to the azure blue! 

The goddess beautifully adorned

I did make Sundal during Navratri. Do check the recipe here.

Ingredients
Sprouted Green Gram-1/4 kg
Grated Coconut-2 or 3 tablespoons
Turmeric a pinch 
Salt to taste

For tempering
Oil-1 tsp
Mustard-1 tsp
Urad Dal-1/2 a tsp
Hing-a pinch
Red Chilly-2 or 3
Curry Leaves-a sprig

Method- Boil green gram with enough water, salt and turmeric. Cook well till done. But this should not turn too mushy. Now temper the ingredients given above and add it to the green gram. Take this mixture off the pot and add grated coconut. The content of folic acid increases when green gram is germinated and this is a good source of protein too. This is nutritious and simple to make. One can incorporate this sundal in their meal everyday. This tastes great too.

 








 


 


I simply love this havan spoon. Gorgeous right. Sending this to a bit of India in every home  @The key bunch; Liven things up and Colours Dekor

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