Sholay

Short of taking the Hyderabad-Nizamuddin Durounto or Rajdhani to the capital and nagging my friend's very talented mother to cook, there is little else I could do to have authentic Makki di roti and Sarson ka saag. Now, I am very embarrassed to say that I only got to taste this very popular dish only last year. But, now that I have, there is no going back. Last January was a revelation. In the cold, foggy evening of true Delhi winter, it was comfort for the soul. Even more so was watching the preparation of this classic dish. Aunty very competently put the saag in the pressure cooker while simultaneously kneading the flour. Then she showed us the perfect way to roll the rotis - putting the little ball of dough between two sheets of tracing paper and then rolling it. That prevents sticking and makes the dough come out into lace thin flat breads. She served the rotis and saag with jaggery. It was amazing - more so when it comes out of one's home kitchen.

From that moment of tasting, I have been on the lookout for the next best thing. When a couple of my friends went to this place and notified me of it I thought - let's go try it. And Sholay did not disappoint. First of all, a note on the name. Any kid growing up in the nineties, has grown up with the mythology of this iconic Bollywood movie. And this restaurant has themed itself around this movie. Sholay  is spacious and is painted with scenes from the movie. Also, watch out the tank in the middle of the room while the recording plays dialogues from the film. I mean - mausi chakipising and pissing, anyone?

But I digress. You open the menu to quirky item names - 'ab tera kya hoga, kaliya' - kali murgh tikki, 'hum angrez ke zamane ke soup hain' and of course the chef and house special - 'lag gaya nishana' or makki di roti and sarson ka saag. The verdict - it is tasty to eat and priced reasonably. The roti is slightly more oily than usual but does nothing to detract from the taste. It is flaky and breaks easily in your hands. You add a little bit a gud  and then dip it into the saag and fill your taste buds with spicy delights. The roti is so different from what you are used to. The normal roti made with whole wheat flour or the paranthas made with white flour have very different taste from this made with type of flour. It is light and filling at the same time. And the sarson ka saag rolls around your tongue in all its creamy goodness. You know that the chef has taken time to prepare this delicacy - you feel it in every bite that you take. What can I say it is like a slice of North India in the heartland of Nizami city.  And for that reason alone I would go back to the restaurant again. So, if you have some time in the afternoon and a nice healthy appetite, take a walk down to this place and have your fill of this popular. It is not as good as Aunty's but if you judge it just by itself - it is pretty good.

Location: Chikoti Gardens, Begumpet
What to try: Malai sheekh kebab, makki di roti and sarson ka saag
Rating: 3.8/5

The best filter coffee yet

Last week Mysore happened. For a total of three days but it did happen. And during the tight schedule of the conference me and my friend managed to walk down the streets of this quaint little town. And while checking out the old world Victorian houses, figuring out lonely planet recommendations on the personal smartphone and taking snapshots we decided to get some food. So, we hailed an auto and tried to spell out the place's name. Vinayaka Mylari? Mylari tiffins? When the auto guy figured the name, he smiled and then spelled it out correctly. We got in and the auto sped off into the evening. The place is small and by small, I mean tiny. In fact, if we didn't see a family having generous proportions of dosa or glasses of filter coffee we would probably have not even entered.  And thank god, we did. The dosa was good - I mean when you see a thick dosa and served with chutney you assume thick batter and some effort. Instead, the dosa is crisp and perfect with an onion masala filling. The chutney is a little too coconut-y for my tastes. But, the dosa more than made up for it. And the coffee that followed just knocked it out of the park.

However, this post is about the coffee that we had. But, the stage had to be set. After the crispy crepe and spicy filling, the coffee is served in a steel glass. It is as big as my index finger and filled to the brim with coffee goodness. When you take a sip, it hits you. I know it is a cliche but really it does. The filter decoction is mixed with milk and just enough sugar so as to present a treat for the senses. You sip it slowly, savor it. And forget chocolate, this is the coffee that is my personal ambrosia. And the highlight of the gastronomic tour of Mysore. So, if you are around town, ask the guy to take you to Vinayak Mylari. Order their dosa and coffee and enjoy a slice of heaven.

Location: Vinayaks Mylari, Street 769-Nazarbad Main Road
What to try: Dosa and the filter coffee
Rating: 4/5

Thursday Pulao

When you are running errands, picking up groceries and finishing up the final stages of your presentations you have three options for dinner on a Thursday - order takeout, re-heat leftovers[probably the takeout from Wednesday night] or throw something together for a tasty dinner for family or friends. Some days you go with the first two options - I mean life is so demanding these days - but on other days you need a home cooked meal to soothe away all those frustrations of the day. And, on those days, only a lightly spiced pulao will do.
Okay, I have to be honest here. This recipe was a spur of the moment throwing together of ingredients. There was no method or template involved. And it was good [at least that was the general consensus]. And so I felt like sharing this recipe in this post. The pulao is the ultimate making lemonade out of leftover lemons. All you need to do is to chop some carrots and thaw frozen peas. While the peas are thawing, slit a chilly and assemble your spices. This recipe is made in a rice cooker so as to cut down on cooking and cleaning time.

Ingredients:
1 cup basmati rice[soaked]
1 green chilly slitted
2 medium carrots chopped
1/2 cup peas
1tsp cumin seeds
2 dried red chillies broken
1 cinnamon
2tsp nigella seeds
2tbsp oil
Water for boiling

Method:
Press the cook option of the rice cooker. Heat oil. In a couple of minutes, the oil should be ready to temper the spices. Add in the dried red chilles, cinnamon and cumin seeds. Put in the green chilly as well. Fry for a minute.
Add the carrots and saute everything. Add the soaked rice, kalonji and fold in with everything. Pour in twice the amount of water and cover. Let the rice cooker do its work. If you need water, add 1/4 cup of water into the cooker and cook for ten more minutes.
I served this rice with channa masala made from canned chickpeas. It is quick and easy and perfect for the weekday dinner. Enjoy.

Onion Pakoras in Five Steps

The author loves her fried food. Fry mostly anything[except fish or seafood] and she will happily consume it with some chai or coke. And be grateful to you. Because this love began early, her interest in cooking also began early. The whole drama of whisking a batter, coating all the manner of food in it and then watching it sizzle in hot oil - how could she resist! The years have long gone but this almost childish anticipation has not yet left her. And so yet again I go on the road of pakoras. Back home, pakoris would be sourced from this local place near High court which caters to people from the whole expanse of the town. And when it is brought home, its heady scents would invariably be accompanied by hot, freshly brewed ginger tea. This post is my attempt to recreate those times - complete with picture albums and all.

The pakoras of this recipe is made of onions, chillies and coriander leaves. And a particular favorite of mine on certain cold days with too much rain and not enough sunshine. You can slice or chop the onions and the chillies and finely mince the coriander leaves. A little more assembly of ingredients and you are good to go. Trust me, when you have a bite of this, it will soon become a tradition. So, here I go - onion pakoras in five simple steps.

Ingredients:
6 small onions
2 green chillies chopped
1 bunch of coriander leaves, minced
2 tsp red chili powder
1tsp garam masala
salt to taste
baking soda a pinch
2/3rd cup of besan or gram flour
1/2 cup of water
Oil for frying

Step one:
Slice onions, chop chillies and mince coriander leaves. Mix all of them together.

Step two:
Mix the besan with 1 tsp of oil. Add the spice powders, salt and baking soda. Mix. Pour the water in a steady stream until a thick-ish batter is formed.

Step three:
Heat oil.

Step four:
Add the onion mix and fold everything together. If you think the batter is too thin, add besan. If it is too thick, then add a tablespoon of water.

Step five:
Drop a little batter into the oil. If it starts to sizzle, then start adding spoonfuls of batter into the oil. Fry till golden brown.

Though technically it is five steps, there is a sixth step. That would be to brew some tea, add red chili sauce to the side and serve the pakoras hot alongside it. And life will be good.

Loveofmylife: Spot #11

Chicken ham and grilled cheese sandwiches