Saturday, April 19, 2014

Honey Chicken

What you need
Boneless and skinless chicken cut into bite-size pieces: Net 500 gms
¼ cup flour
2 tbsp corn flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 egg
1 tbsp ginger-garlic paste (optional)
3 cloves garlic finely chopped
1/3 cup honey
1 tsp vinegar
¼ cup water
1 tsp spring onion
½ tsp sesame seeds
½ tsp chili flakes
Salt and pepper to taste

How to prepare
Marinate chicken with salt and a good amount of pepper for 20 mins. Prepare batter with the flour, corn flour, baking powder, egg, ginger-garlic paste and salt. Mix all the ingredients to make a smooth paste. Add water if required to adjust consistency of the batter so that it can be well coated on the chicken pieces. Add the chicken pieces to the batter so that they are completely coated. Let it sit for 30 mins. Deep fry chicken pieces in white oil till they attain a golden-brown color.

To prepare honey garlic sauce, keep about 3 tbsp oil in the pan after frying the chicken. Add 3 cloves of garlic and stir-fry till the oil is fragrant and then discard the garlic. Mix together honey, vinegar, ½ tsp salt and water to prepare honey-garlic sauce mixture. Add the sauce to the heated oil. Add 1 tsp corn flour in ½ cup water and add to the honey-garlic sauce mixture. Simmer till the sauce thickens. Toss the fried chicken pieces till they are nicely coated with the sauce. Garnish with spring onion, sesame seeds and chili flakes.
Honey chicken

Sunday, March 9, 2014

Chicken in creamy mushroom and beer sauce with herb rice, mashed potato and egg poach

Yesterday I tried my hands on a simple continental fare for dinner and it turned out pretty yummy! I made Chicken in Mushroom and Beer Sauce with Herbed Rice topped with a poached egg and Mashed Potato. I first saw the chicken dish cooked by a friend and since I was not having any alcoholic drink for the time being, this seemed like a perfect substitute! Beer lovers are going to love this dish savoring the beer flavor with each bite as you dig in to the chicken or mushroom chunks. But all you weight-watchers, a caution for you since it has all the fattening and sinful ingredients which gives it the perfect taste. Herb rice goes perfectly with this dish topped with an egg poach and complemented by mashed potato.

Here are the recipes: Serves 5

Chicken in Mushroom and Beer Sauce

What you need
Boneless and skinless chicken cut into small pieces: Net 500 gms
5 tbsp butter
2 medium sized onions, finely chopped
2 tbsp garlic, finely chopped
150 gms mushroom, chopped
1 cup beer
½ cup fresh cream
1/3 cup cheese (preferably parmesan, though I used normal cheese spread due to unavailability)
Salt and pepper to taste

How to prepare
Marinate chicken with salt and a good amount of pepper for 2-3 hours. Heat butter in a pan till it melts. Fry the chicken in butter on low heat till it turns light brown on all sides. Remove the chicken from pan. Add the onion in the same butter and cook till it turns translucent. Add garlic and mushroom and cook till the mushrooms have darkened. Add the beer and stir lightly. Now add the fresh cream slowly and keep stirring. Add the chicken. Allow it to cook till the sauce thickens. You can add water depending on the consistency that you want.

Chicken in creamy mushroom and beer sauce















Herb Rice

What you need
2.5 cups Basmati Rice
5 cups water
2 tsp salt
4 tbsp unsalted butter
2 tbsp milk
5 tbsp parsley leaves, chopped
5 tbsp dill leaves, chopped
Freshly ground pepper powder to taste

How to prepare
Combine the rice, water, salt and 2 tbsp butter and cook in pressure cooker, rice cooker or microwave. I cooked in rice cooker and turned it off 5 minutes before the cooking is over (when steam is coming out fully but rice cooker is still in ‘cook’ state). Keep the cooker covered for 2-3 minutes, then remove lid and add the chopped leaves, 2 tbsp butter, milk and a generous dose of pepper and mix well. Turn on the rice cooker and cook till the rice is done.

Mashed Potato

What you need
3 large potatoes cut into four pieces each
4 tbsp fresh cream
2 tbsp butter
1 tbsp milk, optional
Salt and pepper to taste

How to prepare
Place the potatoes in a pressure cooker or any utensil of your choice, add water till the potatoes are covered and 1 tsp salt. Cook till potatoes are completely boiled. Add the fresh cream and butter in a container and heat lightly till melted and mix. Mash the potatoes and add the cream and butter mixture. Add milk if you want to get a lighter consistency. Add salt and pepper to taste. Keep mixing to make the mashed potato light and fluffy.

Egg poach

Melt butter in a frying pan. break the eggs one at a time keeping the yolk intact. Sprinkle salt, pepper and chili flakes to taste and cook on low flame.

Herb rice topped with an egg poach and complemented by mashed potato














There you go.. Enjoy a classic continental dinner with some wine. Do up the table with some candles for a dinner date or play some groovy numbers to chill out with friends over a dinner party!

Wednesday, February 26, 2014

Restaurant Review - Leaping Windows Cafe, Indiranagar

Comic book reading room
I had neither heard of this place before nor had any plans of going out for dinner on that particular evening. Suddenly a friend dropped by and coaxed us out for dinner on a Monday evening. He did a good job at drawing our attention to the place with his description of its comic book theme and a calm atmosphere. We got ready within minutes and headed to this restaurant.

Leaping Windows Cafe is situated in a posh residential area, on a by lane next to Indiranagar Club. Unlike most of the times when we expect too highly of a place and are disappointed when we reach there, we took a fancy of the place the moment we reached the exterior of the restaurant. On the ground floor we were welcomed by courteous staff and noticed a tastefully designed reading room with all its walls populated with comic books. You can sit here reading books and drift into the comic world at a price of Rs. 30 per hour or lower in case of a subscription. We chose to sit on the warmly-lit balcony on the floor above, its walls adorned by paintings of iconic comic characters.


Seatings with comic character printed cushions
Walls adorned with comic character paintings

South Indian filter coffee, Coffee Frappe and Rosemary Lemonade and French Fry with Bacon for starterThe atmosphere is cozy-lazy and we were given the menu cards once our table was arranged. We were four friends and ordered a yummy French Fry with bacon for starter accompanied by a cappuccino, South Indian filter coffee, coffee frappe and rosemary lemonade. The rosemary lemonade had a distinct flavour and a refreshing taste. All the different varieties of coffee tasted great. For main course we ordered a Beef Steak, Tempura Fettuccini Prawn, two Chicken Roasts and one Chicken Escallop. All the dishes were delicious and filling. Tempura Fettuccini Prawn was a starter, as had been mentioned by the steward. The portion was small, consisting of six prawns, coated and golden fried. Chicken Escallop had a typical white sauce taste and the herbed rice blended perfectly. The Roast Chicken and Beef Steak were typical but tasty nonetheless.


Tempura Fettuccini Prawn
Beef Steak




Chicken Escallop


We were completely full and did not opt for any desserts. Our total bill came to around Rs. 2250, which was a deal looking at the great ambiance, food quality and location.

Ambience - 8/10
Staff - 8/10
Food Quality - 8/10
VFM - 8/10
Overall - 8/10

P.S. - I would definitely thank my friend for introducing me to this nice new restaurant which serves as an eating joint as well as a library.

Monday, August 26, 2013

Restaurant Review - Bow Barracks, Indiranagar

Neatly tucked on 2nd Main in Indiranagar is this restaurant which derives its name from an Anglo-Indian locality of Kolkata. Needless to say, the cuisine on offer is Anglo-Indian and Park Street (the age old restaurant street of Kolkata)-style Continental. Anglo-Indian fare is all about fusion and with the interesting names, will appeal to the taste buds of the experimental and the fun-loving. The red brick building also does justice to the name since that is the typical kind of houses you find in Bow Barracks. The interiors are also done up with red brick and painted plates as wall hangings which give the place a warm and homely feel.
Fish Cutlet


Once we entered, we were greeted warmly and given a table of our choice. There are different floors for smoking and non-smoking area, and we had chosen the former. For starters, we ordered Pork Lasooni Kebab and Fish Cutlet accompanied with three Gingerade and one Virgin Mojito. We did not have to wait too long before the food was served. Pork Lasooni Kebab tastes like heaven with the right taste and texture and Pudina Chutney to go with it. It is a must-have here and we order it everytime. Fish Cutlet had three crispy cutlets with a filling of fish and cut into halves, accompanied with a sweet chilly sauce. Both the drinks were good but I preferred Virgin Mojito because of its strong refreshing mint flavor.

Say Cheers on a Gingerarde !

Pork Lasooni Kebab and Virgin Mojito
  
Rack of Lamb
For main course, we ordered a Rack of Lamb, Rib Eye Steak and two Fish with Peas Bon Femme. Rack of Lamb is a dish of tender lamb chops with the right amount of spiciness balanced out with mashed potato and boiled vegetables. However this might be a little inconvenient to have in public because of the large number and size of bones in it. Rib Eye Steak is made of beef meat taken from the rib, flavored with garlic and served with mashed potato and boiled vegetables. Fish with Peas Bon Femme is a grilled Bhekti dish spiced up with a lime and herb garlic butter sauce on top served with boiled green peas. All the dishes were finger-licking good and the quantity was perfect to leave just enough space in our tummies for some sweet endings. 


Rib Eye Steak

Fish with Peas Bon Femme


Waiting to take a plunge at the desserts
We ordered a Lime and Honey Pannacotta and a Captain Morgan's Rich Fruit Cake for desserts and the steward suggested a White Chocolate and Orange Creme Brulee, which was the day's specialty. All the dishes were beautifully served and delicious. The Pannacotta with a hint of lemon had a fresh taste and the fruit cake just blew us away! 

Lime and Honey Pannacotta and Captain Morgan's Rich Fruit Cake

Don't forget to read the origin of Bow Barracks
With the wholesome meal, our total bill came to around Rs. 3,700 (for four), after a 15% discount on Amex card. I have been to Bow Barracks several times and have always come out content and wanting to go back again. So to sum it up, this is a must visit place if you want to feel HAPPY after a good meal.

Ambience - 8/10
Staff - 9/10
Food Quality - 9/10
VFM - 7/10
Overall - 8.25/10

P.S. - Even though they have a bar, there is only wine on offer.

Monday, August 19, 2013

Whiskey Sour - Cocktail Recipe

Last Saturday night in a drunken frenzy, we decided to make Whiskey Sour at home and it turned out pretty good. The frothy, golden colored cocktail gave us an instant visual high and I thought of sharing the recipe.

What you need:

Whiskey, preferably Bourbon
Lemon juice
Sugar syrup
Egg white
Cocktail mixer
Honey, optional

How to prepare:

We had taken 180 ml whiskey for 3 people (60 ml each), preferably Bourbon, though we had just used VAT 69 which was there at home with us. Added lemon juice from two lemons. 

Preparing sugar syrupLemon juice

Then we added sugar syrup, made by heating water and adding four tea spoons of sugar to it and then cooling it under the fan. Finally we added two egg whites and mixed all the ingredients well in the cocktail mixer. 
Egg whitesPour all the ingredients in a cocktail mixer n shake well




Add a dash of honey to remove the taste of VAT 69Whiskey sour is ready.. tan-tan-a :D
The whiskey glasses were filled with ice cubes and the frothy, golden-colored liquid was added from top, cooling itself as it trickled down the ice cubes. At the end, we topped the cocktail with a hint of honey to compensate for using VAT 69 instead of Bourbon Whiskey. However this is optional. It dilutes the taste and smell of whiskey completely and may not be liked by whiskey-lovers.


Cheers !!



Thursday, August 8, 2013

Iftar Street Food Fiesta - Mosque Road

The quest for innovative and tasty food is never complete without some street food and what better place in Bangalore to try that than the Iftar food on Mosque Road in Fraser Town during Ramzan. The Muslim holy month of Ramadan is known for its fasting as well as feasting! Mosque Road becomes the food street of Bangalore with tens of stalls offering non-veg delicacies and desserts and thousands of people thronging the place. It has on offer a plethora of dishes ranging from not just chicken and lamb but also beef, seafood and even camel. It also serves various cuisines spanning pan India including Hyderabad, Bhatkal, Bombay and Malabar to name some.
Don't miss the "Indian SALMAN" :D


A picture is worth a thousand words !!

I went to Mosque Road with a group of friends last Saturday, exactly a week before Ramadan Eid. Just as we were approaching the place, torrential rains started washing all our hopes of enjoying some road side delicacies. But when we reached, I was pleasantly surprised to see that, unlike last year, most of the famous stalls were setup in a covered area. A huge crowd swarmed the place making it difficult for us to even enter leave alone trying some of the delectable dishes.
We were finally victorious at making our way to the stalls in the enclosed area and started off savouring some of the colorful fare. We started with some Mughlai Paratha which is a paratha stuffed with minced meat.
Mughlai Paratha.. on the Tawa
 Then we went on to try the oh-so-popular Patthar ka Gosht, which is a Hyderabadi delicacy and it literally means meat cooked on stone. It is a perfect barbeque dish made of lamb and is a must try at Mosque Road. Next we had some Mutton Sheekh Kebab and Chicken with Mayonnaise both of which tasted yum. At this time, we decided to try some camel meat sheekh kebab but the seller at the Bismillah Kabab Corner informed us that we would have to wait a little longer. So we went on to wash down all that we had consumed with some cool Pink Sherbet and some sweet curd. We also tried some Khubani Chutney on the way. It was quite sweet but a welcome change with all the meat and kebab that we had gobbled down. Finally we tried our hands at the Camel Meat Sheekh Kebab and contrary to our expectation, the meat was very soft and sumptuous. We finished our food frenzy with a particular Bombay Sherbet which was a refreshing drink with diced pieces of watermelon in it.
Chicken with Mayonnaise sauce.. on the tawa

Chicken with Mayonnaise sauce.. on the plate

Mutton Sheekh Kabab
I realized that Mosque Road is not just a foodie’s paradise but a photographer’s too. This place is like a fair with people of all age groups, communities and interests frequenting the venue. By this time the crowd had started to increase further and kept multiplying by the minute. A stall boy greeted them with his loud cries, “Allah ka karam hai, Biriyani garam hai”. With our tummies full, we decided to head homeward. Enjoying Iftar food on Mosque Road has become an annual event now and the year-long wait starts once again..
P.S. - It is a very bad idea to drive down to this place so try availing some public transport. Trust me, the experience will be worth the ordeal!

Some random clicks:

Mughlai Parath and Pink Sherbet


Iftar fried food

When there was a power cut

The colorful fare

Niya.. trying to find a face in the crowd

Wednesday, July 31, 2013

Restaurant Review - Indijoe, Old Madras Road

I have frequented this place several times owing to it's proximity to my house as well as my first office in Bagmane Tech Park. I had promised my young relatives a yummy beef steak dinner and decided to visit Indijoe in RMZ Infinity. Our past experiences taught us that it is almost impossible to finish one full steak if we have starters and soup before that. So with a lot of effort I checked myself from ordering any of the highly-enticing starters. We just ordered some beers, whiskey and mojito and plunged straight into the main course. 

Chicken SatelliteSteak Shaslik.. steaming hottt

Jack Daniel's Double Barrel.. steaming hot!!
We were four of us and ordered three steaks (all beef), Pepper Steak (with cheese), Jack Daniel's Double Barrel (which also has chicken) and Steak Shaslik and one Chicken Satellite. All the steaks were served as sizzlers with a good quantity of boiled vegetables. Double Barrel had mashed potato while the others had french fries. Pepper Steak and Chicken Satellite were topped with a generous helping of cheese. The waiter had mentioned Chicken Satellite to be a little bland but that is how I like my sizzlers and I found it perfect. All the dishes were lip-smacking and fork-licking good! We struggled to finish our respective dishes but succeeded nevertheless.

Retro ambiance
Sorry for going straight to the food, it's so good I just had to! The ambiance is very retro with movie posters and pictures on the walls and the table mat, a collage of Hollywood movies from 1940s to 1980s and there was accompanying music to go with the theme. Service was good and the waiters were courteous and shared the required information and suggestion. The total bill came up to around Rs. 3600, which is close to Rs. 900 per person. It is a great place to come with friends, family or colleagues, for lunch, dinner or just a couple of drinks.

Satisfied n full after a sumptuous steak dinner
Ambiance - 8/10
Staff - 8/10
Food quality - 8/10
VFM - 6/10
Overall - 7.5/10

P.S. - They have a nice VFM weekday lunch buffet which is perfect for a team lunch.