WE HAVE MOVED TO ANOTHER ADRESS

Dear Readers,
You all must be wondering about the inaction in My Food My Life. This post was long due and my apologies for the same.
Well, the good news is that we have moved to our dedicated domain My Food My Life and its bigger and better.
So hop on to My Food My Life and continue to be a part of my culinary journey. Hopw to see you all there.
Love and Luck
A

Baghare Baingan - Eggplants in a nutty gravy

I am a self confessed brinjal lover. I am always on the lookout for new ideas. I regularly eat the bharta,the bhaja,the pora(chargrilled),the baked - just about everything. One fine morning I just googled to know of more brinjal recipes and that's how I discovered Baghare Baingan. I am kicking myself for not making it earlier. Its like giving a super royal treatment to the the aubergines and turning them into this delicious dish without much sweat. Typically (and me too) used baby brinjals but one could easily use the big variety, just cut them into thick roundels.

 

Ingredients :

Brinjals - 8-10 the small sized ones

Turmeric powder - a pinch

Salt - to taste

Onion - 1 medium sized - roughly chopped

Garlic - 2 pods - crushed

Ginger - a small piece - crushed

Green chillies - 2-3 - adjust as per taste

Peanuts - a handful

Dessicated coconut - 1 tbsp. You could also use fresh coconut pieces

Poppy seeds - 1 tsp

Coriander seeds - 1 tsp

Cumin seeds - 1 tsp

Tamarind paste - 1 tsp

Vegetable oil - 1 tbsp + 1 tbsp for frying the brinjals

For tempering -

Mustard seeds - 1 tsp

Red chillies - 2-3

Fresh coriander - for garnish

Method:

Wash the brinjals. Pat dry and make deep slits in it keeping them joined at the stem. Smear a pinch of turmeric and salt and keep aside.

In a pan , heat 1 tbsp oil and sauté the brinjals. Drain and keep aside for further use.

In the same pan , add the chopped onion , garlic and ginger. Fry till fragrant. Add the chillies, peanuts, coconut,poppy seeds,coriander seeds and cumin seeds and sauté till slightly browned. Season with salt.

Remove from heat and set this mixture aside to cool. Once cooled, grind this mixture into a smooth paste .

In another pan, add a little oil and splutter the mustard seeds and dried red chillies. Next tip in the brinjals and the masala paste. Give it a good stir and add some warm water to adjust the consistency of the gravy.

Give it a gentle simmer and garnish with some fresh coriander.

Enjoy the nutty gravy with soft brinjals along with some steamed rice.




 

Paranthewali Gali - The Paratha Festival @ Swissotel, Kolkata

Parathewali Gali - the name itself packs in so much memories when taking those rickshaw rides from  D school to the lanes of Chandni Chowk was just a matter of few minutes and we would be there to gorge on sinful yumminess - oil drenched ofcourse! But that seems like eons ago. So when KFB received an invite to preview the Parthewali Gali festival at the fine dining Indian restaurant "Durbari" at Swissotel, I jumped at the idea. I mean what could be better than reliving those memories sitting right here in Kolkata. The special menu developed here has an array of parathas - your staple aloo and gobhi to the more creative chicken tikka and cheese! Not to mention the Malabari Paratha - that was a show stealer for me! Crispy and absolutely oil free served with the flavourful , little sweet Vegetable stew. I would definitely go back for this one.

Then came the Warqi Paratha - a lucknow speciality - with flaky layers and served with a simple aloo ki sabzi , raita and an array of home made pickles.

A steady stream of pararthas followed from here on - there was the Soya Parantha - filled with soya granules. It was nice but I would have loved a more spicier version of the same as soya granules does tend to get bland at times. The Chicken Tikka and Cheese Parantha deserves a special mention - as was rightly pointed out by Aashish - the F & B Manager at Durbari would go extremely well with a pint of chilled beer. We ended our calorie laden( well you have to pay a price for such sin) meal with the quintessential - Bengal's favourite - Moglai Parantha - stuffed with minced chicken and deep fried with an egg wash.

The Paranthewali Gali festival is on at the Durbari at Swissotel Kolkata till 28th June.The menu is extensive and very reasonably priced with good portions. All paranthas are served with a side of aloo bhaji,pickle , curd and laccha onion. For reservations call - 033-66266666
 
Monsoons have come calling to Kolkata and this seems to be the best time to indulge in some Parantha goodness.

Keema Bruschetta - A DIY Party Snack

So you have a party coming up and you want to rustle up some easy snack/ starter. Worry not, this DIY (do-it-yourself silly!) Keema Bruschetta is the perfect party item. The keema can be made a day in advance( or few days in advance and frozen ), all that needs to be done after that is assembling. I had some leftover keema and this is the outcome! You can use your usual keema recipe or use this one here.

Roasted Vegetable Salad with Quinoa

For over 2 weeks now I am doing this Project #saladeveryday on my Fb page. I feel salads are a way of life and the easiest and fun way to include fresh veggies and fruits in your diet. With a fussy 7 yr old and an equally fussy husband when it comes to eating greens, I have been pretty much successful in this effort of mine.

This week its the the Salad Week at KFB and I made an easy  - Roasted Vegetable Salad with Quinoa. Now I am very new to quinoa, this is probably the first time I am using this grain as I have heard such nice things about it, it being sort of a wonder grain - gluten free and all that. My friend Sarani of Cocoawind uses it in many innovative ways! I found the texture nice and it went well with the vegetables alomost making it a complete meal.

 

Ingredients:


Carrots - 1 medium - cubed

Cucumber - 1 medium - cubed with skin on

Mushroom - a cup - halved

Tomato - 1 large - cubed

Beans - a few - stringed and cut

Onion - 1 large - cubed

Oilve oil - 2 tbsp.

Honey - 1 tbsp.

Salt - to taste

Pepper - to taste

Balsamic vinegar - 1 tsp

Quinoa - cooked  - 1 cup - Follow instruction on packet. The quinoa to water ratio is 1:2.

Method :


In a baking tray toss together the cut vegetables with olive oil , honey, salt pepper and balsamic.

Heat oven to 180 degree C and grill the vegetables for 15 to 20 mins.

Serve warm along with the cooked quinoa.

                                          I am sending this recipe to the ongoing KFB event

 

The Kabab and Biryani Festival at Swissotel , Kolkata

Durbari - the Indian fine dining restaurant at the Swissotel is hosting a Kabab and Biryani Festival starting today. I was lucky enough to get invited for a preview of the same and I totally loved it. The menu is very innovative with very different and not run of the mill kababs and grilled items. They have introduced the concept of a set menu where diners get to taste a wide array of dishes at a fixed cost. The servings are unlimited and has three courses - almost 7 to 8 types of kababs , biryani and a dessert along with a glass of wine.

I had a chat with Asish - the F&B manager and also Chef Shubrodip Ghosh who has designed the menu. Each and every item included in the menu is new and will surely impress you. Set menus let the diners enjoy the courses well without getting overwhelmed when too many items are served at one go. There is a choice of Veg and Non veg - you choose what you want!The vegetarian selection has kababs like Aam aur chana ka kabab, Noril Makai ki seekh and Dahi potli to name a few while the non veg lovers can gorge on Lahsooni Tawa Jheenga , Saloni Machi Tikka , Murgh Chandi Kali , Shirka Pyaz Boti and so on!

The famous dips at Durbari

The yummy kababs

Noa sahi tangri - Tandoor roasted drumstick filled with spicy minced chicken

Dum Murgh Biriyani

The Gosht Dum Biryani was very flavourful doused with generous amount of desi ghee and succulent pieces of mutton served with a side of raita.
 

Gulam Jamun with Paan icecream

Finished the meal with Gulab Jamun and some homemade paan icecream which was a perfect end to the scrumptious meal. Dining at the Swissotel is always a pleasure and their top notch hospitality just make it even more special. I am off on a holiday tomorrow and there couldn't have been a better way to start my vacation.

If you are around this side of town or now with the summer hoilidays on, want to indulge in some good food, try out the Kabab and Biryani Festival here.

The set menus are priced @ 1700 INR for Vegetarian and @ 2000 INR for the Non - Vegetarian option. Servings are unlimited. It is on at Durbari for both lunch and dinner from today onwards.

 

Amritsari Pedewali Lassi - Your favourite summer drink made even better

I have been hearing and seeing so many pictures of Amritsari food on various food groups that I had to do some research. The Kulchas, the choley, the mithais, o my god the list is endless. I am not even thinking of the awesome non vegetarian spread you get there. But one such item that caught my fancy is the Pedewali lassi. Google didn't have extensive information on it but I chanced upon some recipes. Its super easy to make ( assuming this is an authentic recipe ) and its delicious. So when KFB announced their Summer Cooler event I jumped in to make some Amritsari Pedewali Lassi.God willing I will make a trip to Amritsar soon, till then I am treating myself to this yummy goodness.

 

Ingredients:

 

Curd/yogurt - 2 cups

 

Malai peda / Khoya - 5-6 nos

 

Vanilla icecream - 1 scoop - my own addition as I thought it would add to the taste.

 

Sugar - 1 tbsp. - optional

 

Ice cubes - a few - optional

 

Crushed pistachios- a handful for garnish

 

Saffron strands - a few - optional

 

Method:

 

Just put everything in a blender except the pista and churn till frothy.

 

Serve chilled garnished with some crushed pistachios.

 

 

 

                               I am sending this recipe to the KFB Summer Cooler Event