Easy Brinjal Sabzi

This post is in continuation of the series of posts exploring the delights of Oriya cuisine. Baigana bhaja or spicy eggplant sabzi is a usual accompaniment to most dishes on meatless Monday or Satvik Tuesday. These are the days when meat/egg/fish is an absolute no-no in an oriya household. On those days, my mother and aunts will bring out their creative guns to make boring vegetables taste delicious to fussy young children who wanted omelets or chicken pakodas. Oh, those memories seem so funny right now when the author has more or less embraced the vegetarian culture[except for karela]. This is a simple dish which can write itself into any lunch or dinner on any day of the week. Also, the leftovers make for nice sandwiches with slices of cheese. So, go ahead, make the dish for a nice vegetarian addition to the usual fare.

Ingredients:
1 eggplant
1 small onion sliced
1 chili chopped
3 cloves of garlic minced or sliced
1tbsp red chili powder
1tsp turmeric
1tsp coriander powder
1tsp garam masala
salt to taste
Method:
Heat oil. Fry onions and chillies. Add the minced garlic.
When the garlic turns brown, add your spice powders and stir.
Fold in the eggplant. Add a little water and then steam the whole thing for fifteen minutes.
You need to cook this dish until the flesh loses all its firmness.Adjust salt and seasonings.
Serve this along with your curry and rice.

An Oriya Dinner

The craving stuck - as it always does - in the late hours of the night. Food from home - my mom's awesome cooking. The words of hermeneutics and subject were starting to blur and form flakes of rice and spots of curry in front of me. I closed the book, had a cup of chai and then went to sleep. But, that feeling of course will not just say goodbye.
So, found some frozen grated coconut at the supermarket. And, a nice ripe eggplant[brinjal]. Came back and got to work. The curry of this blog post is called Nadiya bara tarkari or fried coconut balls in spicy gravy. I served this curry is served with a baigana bhaja[brinjal sabzi] and steamed rice. Oh, yumm and joy has come back to the world.

 My mother of course makes this curry best. That was discovered after having this meal. I mean, the author is good but not that good - yet. This curry is authentic and luxurious - something you can make for a nice Sunday lunch or an Indian dinner to surprise and impress. For me personally, I think Oriya cuisine is very underrated. I mean, you have your butter chicken, your dosa even your vada pav - but, where are the dahibara aludum, kasa mansa or nadiya bara tarkari. So this post will be the start of a series of posts highlighting and promoting this cuisine so close to my heart.
I have taken some shortcuts with this meal simply because you usually do not have time to grate coconut and then blend your spice paste. So, I have studded this post with nice little cheats for a express treatment of this homely classic.The main work over here would be the boiling the potatoes, slicing the onion and chopping the chili. Once that is done, it is ready-set-go.

Make your baras or the coconut balls
1 packet frozen grated coconut
1tbsp turmeric
1tbsp red chili powder
1tsp coriander powder
1tsp cumin powder
salt to taste
flour for coating
Oil for frying
 In a bowl add 80 percent of grated coconut. Add the spice powders and salt according to your taste. Mix everything together and then make nice round balls.
As the oil heats to a smoking point, dust the balls with flour. Fry till golden brown. Remove.
Make your curry:
1 medium onion sliced
1 chili chopped
1 and half tbsp ginger-garlic paste
2 tbsp tomato puree
1tbsp red chili powder
1tsp haldi
1tsp coriander powder
1tsp cumin powder
1tbsp garam masala
1 large potato cubed and boiled
salt
water
Heat oil. Add the onion and chili and fry.
While the onions are frying, add the ginger-garlic paste, tomato puree, red chili, turmeric, coriander and cumin powder and make a paste to 2 tbsp of water. This is a major cheat that saves you time and concentrates your flavor.
Add the spice paste and stir. Add some water to the spice bowl, clean and then add the water to the gravy. Adjust salt and spice and cook. It will take some five minutes.
Add the potatoes and fold in. Add a cup of water and simmer for a few minutes till all the curry comes together. Add the coconut balls and fold in the curry. Be careful so as not to break them.
Sprinkle some garam masala and simmer for two more minutes. Your curry is done.

Pepperoncino

This post will be long. Probably because of the long journey to the concerned place. And an increased use of paeans that this will entail.
The impulse to visiting this place came on a sunny afternoon. A few minutes out on the road led the author and her friend to discover that the day was the first day of the auto strike. So, no autos for miles on end and trust me the author traveled miles before a kindly cab driver took pity on them. Usually, the author is prone to crazy impulses, but this was a lot crazy even for her. I mean, you walk down five miles for an hour till the Secunderabad railway station in order to find a taxi. But, by then, it had become a matter of pride. So, all the way to Road no. 12, hoping that the food did not disappoint.
And, tell you what, it really did not.

When you step out of the elevator, the sight of its promotional board welcomes you. Slightly quirky, it sets a happy tone. The alfresco venue adds to it. The greenery around you is charming and when the wind turns, you can smell the mint planted around the edges of the terrace. A few minutes into sitting down, you realize that the music is low, lilting Italian. That makes a lot of difference.

The distance traversed equaled a very hungry stomach. So, the orders flied out fast. Picante pizza, Passionfruit Iced tea followed by Calabrese pasta for the vegetarian and the Pollo parmigiana for the carnivorous. Desserts - it was decided - would be ordered, if the appetizers or main course was not enough.
The best part of the meal, was the authentic tag attached to the place, is really true. The pizza is baked in a wood oven is soft yet crispy. The sauce is fresh as are the vegetables. Say goodbye to Dominos.

While the iced tea is slightly acidic, the main course more than enough makes up for it. The calabrese is spicy and fragrant. The parmigiana is well-cooked with a crispy crust. While the lettuce is slightly wilted, the roast potatoes served with it is just right - with a slight bite. You dig in and for a long time there is silence on the table - except, of course, the clinking of cutlery.

Perhaps because of the slight disappointment with the iced tea, I ordered a cappuccino. After all isn't that the traditional end to the meal. Oh wait, that is espresso. Still good enough. So, cappuccino, and after some deliberation, the panna cotta. And, oh my, oh my, that is the best ending to the meal. In fact, one of the best desserts I have tasted in a long while. The panna cotta is served with a coulis which provides the tart to the sweet, creaminess that the panna cotta represents.
The review has not indulged in paeans - yay - but it is heading there. And so I will stop. But, I will end with this - for a nice, fun brunch, lunch or dinner to fulfill your Italian cravings - do head there. And, if you have done so, please head over there again.

Location: Road no 10, Banjara Hills, opposite Ratnadeep Supermarket.
What to try: The pizzas, pasta calabrese, pollo parmigiana, pasta alfredo
Review: 3.9/5

Spicyness

There are some dishes - that no matter how cliche or redundant - never lose their delicious tastes. I mean look at Gobi manchurian - humble, unassuming and yet still serving strong in food establishments all over India. And not surprising, this dish is tasty and forms the appropriate appetizer for any form of Indian meal. In terms of home cooking, this forms the ideal appetizer, party nibbles, side-dish to any Chinese meal or just a bowl full of it to eat while you watch The Big Bang Theory.
The procedure to making this dish is simple with a little bit of chopping involved. But, it is quick once the steps are fulfilled in their order. And, in no time, this will become your signature recipe. The trick to making the cauliflower nice and juicy is to do what my grandmother does - boil the cauliflower for a few minutes. This gets rid of the raw, crunchiness of the vegetable and soften it later deliciousness.So, go get the ingredients and prepare yourself for some Monday night spicy-ness.

Ingredients:
2 cauliflowers
2tsp soy sauce
1tsp oyster sauce
2tsp vinegar
1tbsp red chili sauce
4tbsp cornflour
1inch ginger
4 cloves garlic
5 spring onions
1 capsicum
3 chillies
salt
pepper
1/4 cup water
Oil for frying

Method:
Chop the cauliflower into small florets. Boil the cauliflower for 5 to 6 minutes.

Remove. Add soy, oyster, vinegar, red chili sauce, salt and pepper. Marinade for a few minutes.
Heat oil. Toss the cauliflower with 3 tbsp of cornflour. Fry in batches.

Remove most of the oil and reserve. Add the ginger, garlic, spring onion, chillies, capsicum. Cook for five minutes. Add soy, red chili sauce and vinegar.
This is the tricky part. You need to adjust the seasonings so that the hot, sweet, salty and sour are correctly balanced. Usually the soy and vinegar should be put in equal quantities. But, the taste is subjective. Whatever suits your palate, go with it.

Sprinkle salt and pepper. Add the cauliflower and fold everything in. Do a final check on seasoning and serve hot. 

Of Spice and Jasmine

There have been plans and a few fantasies run around the place. And when we finally alighted at Mainland China, there was a slight buzz of anticipation. It did not disappoint. A golden lion welcomed us as we walked out the elevator. The music was a pleasant surprise. Unlike the usual cloying sound that gets on your nerves a minute after you take your seats, this music is a welcome compliment. And that is all the description I can justify myself spending on the ambience because once the first drink hits the table, it is all about the food.
We went for the buffet this particular afternoon. The server comes over and your water glass is filled and plates are placed in front of you. The drink menu is served along with the glasses. We ordered an Iced Alaska and a Mojito. Also, along with that, the option was given for jasmine tea. The drinks, all good, but the prize of the show is the jasmine tea. Light, fragrant and refreshing, it forms the perfect backdrop for the meal to come.

Too many adjectives.
The phrase from Becoming Jane  comes to mind, especially for the soup and platter of appetizers that followed the drinks. The soup option was veg and chicken hot and sour soup. The broth is delicately spiced with threads of chicken or vegetables running through it. While the soup is served, the waiter brings over the pickled cucumbers and black bean sauce for the appetizers. As the soup levels are slowly lowered, the appetizers are brought to the table. Spicy sticky chicken, Crispy chilli vegetables, Schezwan potatoes, vegetables dimsum and chicken dimsum. The appetizers are actually the highlight of the meal. Whatever comes later and before, you will remember these little delicious bites.

As your plate clears, you are immediately flooded with requests for refill. Go for the crispy vegetables. They are the best of the lot. Then, of course you realize that the main course deserves your attention as well and start saying no to the next request. But, the tea is fine. You can keep drinking that all the time.

The main course is not as good as the appetizers. The fried rice is nice and so is the shredded chicken in chilli sauce. The chilli eggplant is good as well. But, the rest of main course though with cool names like lobster and shrimp, is all right. Especially, after the high of the appetizers. But still as far as Chinese food goes, it beats most of the places by a mile.

The desserts are different from the usual Chinese cuisine - no fried ice-cream or tapioca pudding. There was fried wantons though with chocolate sauce along with bread pudding, creme caramel and abundance of tropical fruits. The desserts are cut into nice bite-size pieces for convenience and a very light end to the meal.
The word light has been used very liberally in this post. And, rightly so. There are a lot of options for the buffet and plenty of refills. Even with the additions, you do not feel stuffed at the end of the meal. In fact, you feel nicely full and come away with a smile of satisfaction that involves having good food. This place is ideal for nice brunches on sunny afternoons and the conversation that it inspires.

Location: Near SPAR building, Somajiguda
What to try: Go for the buffet lunch and definitely the jasmine tea
Rating: 3.8/5