A meal at The Square Novotel Kolkata

I had been stuck at the same traffic signal for over 10 minutes now. The traffic had been moving very slowly and the lights had turned green and back to red before I could drive through. Behind me a few cars were honking relentlessly. A throng of people and a few cows were crossing the road, the people seemed to be in great hurry, the cows were more relaxed.  The bus on my left billowed out a black cloud of toxic smoke. I rolled up my window glass. It was quieter inside the car. The parking lot of the mall on my right was full. On a weekday afternoon? 

I thought of a November afternoon 8 years ago. I had taken a drive on these Rajarhat roads to get a feel of the place for my first journalistic assignment, I was still in college then, and returned to write about the vast stretches of green, the marshes and the trees swaying in the breeze, extolling its bucolic beauty and reveling in the fact that the place did not betray its proximity to the city, it seemed far, far away from the madding crowd! 

In these eight years Rajarhat has changed beyond recognition - malls and multiplexes, posh housing projects, modern offices and Five Star hotels stud the landscape. And Novotel Kolkata Hotel and Residences, is one of the newest addition to the Rajarhat landscape and the city's luxury hotel brigade. That's where I was headed. The hotel's marketing and communications manager Aparna Banerjee Paul had invited me over to join her for lunch at the hotels signature all day dinning destination The Square, which came with the promise of food out of the box. 

I walked into The Square to bump into members of the Atletico de Kolkata squad, I had seen their bus parked outside. I do not follow football but I could always go back and make my brother, quite the football fanatic, feel a little jealous I thought. The Square, sprawling and bright, with its posh, contemporary interiors, the huge glass walls through which the autumn sunshine came pouring in, a mammoth mural of innumerable tiny butterflies, red and black and the live kitchen counter on the other end, made for an inviting setting for a lazy lunch.

The menu at The Square is an assortment of European and Asian favourites. A few French numbers on the menu had caught my fancy. I had been musing over the Coq au Vin when the first course arrived, and it was French! Salad Nicòise. A medley of soft colours and contrasting textures the salad turnout to be more than the eye candy it definitely was. Crunchy iceberg lettuce and fresh French beans, tangy bursts of pickled pearl onions, perfectly boiled baby potatoes, the juicy black olives, delicate quail eggs and generous amount of tuna chunks tossed together in a light, lemony vinigarette - the salad was a great way to start a meal I had begun to look forward to.

Next up was yet another French Classic - The French Onion soup. My fondest memory of the French Onion soup goes back to a freezing evening in England when my dear friend Lorna, a Britisher brought up in France, had made a huge bowl of it. The two of us had lapped up the entire bowl while we talked about our lives, so different from each others. There was something about the warm bowl of homemade soup the thought of which still makes me want it. Anyway, this time the soup came in a pretty red chausseur bowl with tiny handles ad a lid.A chunk of bread laced in melting Gruyere and topped with caramelised onions floated in the thick, brown, soup. The soup turned out to be flavourful, aromatic and comforting but not much of a surprise. But I would definitely settle for it on a cold winter evening. 

The soup was followed by a Spinach Mushroom Risotto. I am a big fan of a risotto done well and done right, so I was looking forward to this one. Porcini, parmesan and spinach seemed to me like a good combination. And the promised drizzle of balsamic vinegar should be interesting I thought. But when the risotto arrived I was a little disappointed. To me it appeared over-cooked. I could be wrong, may be I was being too finicky. I scooped up a spoonful and holding on to hope and put it in my mouth. And I was not happy.

It is difficult to forgive a risotto that is gluey or mushy, no matter how flavourful. Yes it should be moist and creamy, but never gluey. Each grain of rice should be able to act as a carrier of the flavours, mushy rice however dissipates the flavour, as was the case with this one. Yes  it was crammed with porcini and button mushrooms, yes the spinach lent a distinct earthy flavour, and the Parmesan shavings on top generously sprinkled, but the risotto was far from al dente. Naturally the flavours were muddled too.

 I thought it was necessary to bring this to the chef's notice. However, according to him, cooking the arborio beyond the al dente stage was hardly an accident. He said it was a conscious decision since most guests want it that way. Well, it is true that most Indians do not subscribe to the al dente club, and I do understand the chef's predicament, I have had guests at home complain my pasta was not properly cooked when I had served them my perfect Spaghetti Bolognese. However, I think it is time to educate the public by introducing them to the nuances of a particular cuisine. They can't continue to have ketchup with their pizza and ask for mushy risotto and pasta forever. It breaks my heart.

Moving on, the next dish on the day's menu was the pave of Salmon with skin. Fresh fish, crunchy vegetables and creamy mashed potatoes - no trimming or complex play of flavours, with each ingredient talking for itself. . Not much could go wrong with this one. I would have liked the fish to more flaky, but that's being a little too fastidious. This one was a hearty dish, simple and fresh.

But the one dish I was looking forward to all afternoon, disappointed me the most - Grilled Buffalo Tenderloins. When the generous chunk of meat accompanied by a medley of veggies and topped with a thyme utter enriched jus, arrived at our table, I was super happy. I couldn't wait to slice into the meat, see the juices ooze out and yes the lovely bright pink centre. But alas there was no pink, only a dreary brown, It was a well done steak.  I had wondered why I had not been asked how I would like my steak. I had assumed it would be the universal medium rare. What I was not expecting was a dry and stiff chunk of meat. The steak was a big let down! The jus was delicious though, and the vegetable nice and crunchy, if that's any consolation! 

The dessert platter inspired mixed feelings! I loved the pistachio flavoured macaron that came with the restaurant's signature Pista Dacquiose with Mango Raspberry Delight, which in turn left me confused.I liked the pista dacquiose. the mango mousse and the raspberry mousse as seperate elements but I didn't care much for the combination. It was unreasonably ambitious and failed to hit the mark 

Overall, the meal had a few highs, but there are things that need to be taken care of and as soon as possible. 

Pop goes Saffron

It is not often that gourmet chefs seek the expertise of obscure housewives in their Five Star kitchens. When they do, they come up with winsome spreads that not only impresses your palette but also beguiles you with their familiar comfort.



I was surprised enough when I heard Saffron, Park Hotel Kolkata's Contemporary Indian restaurant was hosting a specialty Bengali cuisine pop-up. I was a tad skeptical initially. I have reservations against eating Bengali food in restaurants, albeit with exceptions. I eat authentic, and superlative, Bengali food with all the works 365 days a year at home (excuse the hyperbole) and the idea of going to a restaurant to eat the same stuff seems a little weird to me. Eating the same at a Five Star restaurant, outright ridiculous. But what intrigued me about this particular spread is the people behind crafting it. To craft the menu for this special pop-up the Park Hotel Kolkata had roped in two homemakers, Gopa Mitra and Santa Paul, both natives of erstwhile East Bengal and residents of West Bengal for decades. Naturally they are intimately acquainted with the cuisines of both East and West Bengal and they had brought their experience, expertise, heirloom recipes and kitchen secrets to the Saffron kitchen. Along with chefs Sharad Dewan and Arindam Jana, the two women crafted the menu, a pathwork of traditional specialties from both East and West Bengal.

Now the Ghoti (natives of West Bengal)-Bangal, (natives of East Bengal) divide is stuff of legends. And if they have flaunted their rivalry on the football field, there has been a culinary war in progress for the longest time. And here at Saffron the best of both world's was on the menu. And what made the spread as endearing as it was appetizing was the curious nomenclature of some of the dishes. On hand there were West Bengal specialties like Niharbalar Pabdar Jhol and Picimar thor chorchori (Aunt's , on the other were Ghosh Barir Kosha Mangsho (The Ghosh-family recipe for slow cooked spicy mutton curry) and Pabnar chalkumror jhaal, ash gourd curry as done in the Pabna district of erstwhile East Bengal. Even mundane comfort food like ol bhaate (elephant foot yam mash) and peyanj posto (onions and poppy-seed curry) enjoy glory spots on the menu.

If you are wondering what happened to the Ilish and Chingri, of course one cannot conceive Bengali cuisine without Hilsa and Prawns. So there are several preparations of Illish straight from River Padma - paka tentuler ombol (cooked in a runny tamarind sauce), Khulnar kaalo jeere baata (cooked with nigella paste as done in the Khula district of present Bangladesh) and Hilsa cooked in Pabna syle mustard gravy. Prawn lovers can opt for Daab chingri (prawns cooked in tender coconut shells), narkel shorshe chingri (prawns cooked in a coconut-mustard gravy) or the more common malaikari.

For those with a sweet tooth there are desserts like Didimar Dhani Pithe Payesh and Mung Puli. Fancy some ice cream instead? You can take your pick between Daab Malai ice cream and Nolen Gurer ice cream

Though I belong to a Ghoti family, I have a soft spot for Bangal cuisne. So I opted for the East Bengal Thali, a veritable assortment of dishes from Opar Bangla.  The spread included dishes like Bhetki Machher Borishali Jhol, a light home-style fish stew flavoured with cumin and ginger, Kochu Saag narkel diye, taro leaves cooked with coconut, a classic East Bengal delicacy, Narkel diye mocha, which is nothing butter stir fried banana flowers topped with grated coconut and shukto, a slightly bitter stew made with a host of summer vegetables. How my picks from the motley assortment of Bangal delights are - the fragrant but light Bsanti pulao and the Ghosh Barir kosha mangsho. The perfectly done tender chunks of meat laced in slightly caramelised medley of spices was to die for.

I was not particularly impressed with the vegetarian dishes, perhaps because these are dishes I have grown up eating and I subscribe to a particular taste. I cannot help but have a soft spot for the Narkel diye mocha my grandmother makes or the Kochu Saag my aunt doles out of her kitchen, and those are standards hard to meet. But for those seeking an experience and insight into authentic Bengali cuisine the spread at Saffron does justice indeed. This is the closest you can get to enjoying home-style cooking in a five star setting. The pop up is on till the 15th of November on popular demand!

All photographs provided by The Park Hotel Kolkata

Strapatsada: Greek style scrambled eggs in tomato

I must has said this before and I am saying it again. I love Greek food - the fresh flavours, the creamy feta, the earthy notes of the dill and the spicy warmth of oregano, the coquetry between garlic and lemon.  A couple of years ago my brother and I had almost taken a trip to Greece. We had planned for months, chalked out an itinerary, made inquiries, informed our friends in Greece about our imminent trip, made them block dates, and finally when all was done, we decided to go to Italy instead. Why? That is another story. And though the trip to Italy was phenomenal I often wonder how our Greek holiday might have turned out.
It is heartbreaking to think that I was so close to chomping on a fat souvlaki role dripping tahini sauce and meaty juices while navigating the streets of Athens. Soon some day I hope. O

But we live in a world that is shrinking and how. So I do not need to be in Greece to eat Greek food. So this morning, and it was a beautiful morning, sunny and cheerful, I wanted to cook a special breakfast for the family. Sunday after all. But then I also wanted to catch up on some pending work and I didn't want to spend a long time in the kitchen.So, I decided to make eggs, scrambled eggs. But not just any. The other day while reading up on Greek Food. I came across this dish. Strapatsada. It is basically scrambled eggs in pureed tomato. seasoned with salt, pepper and a little oregano.

This was going to be awesome. This is one of the simplest dishes you will make. But the flavours are so fresh this and delicious. With a couple of slices of bread, some fruits and fruit juice, it made for a healthy, sumptuous.

Ingredients 

Large eggs - 2
Tomatoes - 2 (large)
Salt and pepper to taste
Dried Oregano- 1/4 tsp
A pinch of dried parley.
Olive oil - 2 tbsp

Method 

Puree the tomatoes in a food processor. Heat olive oil in a pan and add the puree.

Once the liquids dry up and oil begins to appear around the edges. Add the whisked eggs.

Add salt and pepper followed by the oregano and parsley.

Cook on low heat until done. scrambling the eggs with a spoon or spatula. My touch a dollop of garlic butter on top!

PS. You can also add Feta if you like.

Khichda

The other day my friend Farah mentioned the dish while we were chatting online. I do not remember the context any more but the name of the dish stayed with me. It was something I have never tasted. I also remember her say that the dish is especially cooked during the month of Muharram. Before I could ask for the recipe she said she was stepping out and would catch up later.

I mulled over the idea for a while and then turned to Google. Google is so much like that uncle who knows everything about everything and is always there to help in your hour of need. Anyway, my research told me that Khichda is a richer version of khichdi, rice, lentils and meat cooked together with loads of herbs and spices. The dish is of Hyderabadi origin. Albeit there are regional variations.  But again there were versions which used broken wheat. I was all the more confused when I browsed through recipes, the images only made the confusion worse. Some looked mushy, others looked like a pilaf.

I decided to talk to Rehmaan bhai who is the manager at my cousin's garments factory. A young guy, very polite and a wonderful cook. Now he told me that the Calcutta version of the Khichda had no meat at all. It was like biryani with lentils sans meat. More confusion. I didn't like the sound of no meat, so I went ahead with his skeleton of a recipe (he was just giving me an idea) but decided to add meat anyway. Since, I am off red meat for a while it had to be chicken, though you could always make the dish with mutton (goat meat or lamb, or even beef if you like). Also my version is a a little mushy. But not soggy. And it is delicious. Spicy, meaty, warm - a one pot meal to die for.

I made it for the family yesterday and they polished off the entire pot.

Ingredients

Long Grain Rice: 300 g
Split and skinned Bengal gram (Chana Dal): 100g
Split and skinned pigeon peas (Arhad Dal): 100g
Chicken : 750 g
Finely chopped onions - 1 cup packed
Mince garlic -
Minced ginger -
Finely chopped Coriander/cilantro leaves - 1/2 cup
Finely chopped Mint leaves - 1/4 cup
Curd : 100 g
Juice of 1 lime
Turmeric powder - 1 tbsp
Red chili powder - 1 tbsp
Finely chopped green chilies - 2-3 tbsp
Cumin powder - 1.5 tsp
Coriander powder - 1.5 tbsp
Garam masala powder - 1.5 tsp (see recipe)
A pinch of saffron soaked in a few tablespoons of milk
Salt to taste
Mustard oil - 1/4 cup
Ghee - 1/4 cup
Birista (caramelised onions) and cilantro leaves for garnish

For the garam masala 

Ingredients (makes about 3 tbsp, you'll only need 1 tsp)

Green cardamom seeds- 1 tsp
Black cardamom  - 4 (only seeds)
Cloves - 6
Cinnamon sticks - 2-3 inches
Mace threads - 1 tbsp
Caraway seeds - 1 tsp
Black peppercorns - 1.5 tsp
Nutmeg powder - 1/4 tsp

Method
Dry roast all the spices except nutmeg and grind to a fine powder. Stir in the nutmeg.

Method 

Soak the lentils in water overnight or for at least 3-4 hours .

Soak the rice in water for an hour. Drain the rice and lentils and spread them out to dry out for a while.

Cook the lentils and rice together in about 4 cups of water, until soft but not soggy. The lentils should remain whole.

In a heavy bottomed pan heat the mustard oil and ghee together. Add the onions and fry until deep golden.

Add the minced garlic and ginger and fry for a few more minutes.

Now add the chopped cilantro, mint and green chilies and fry.

Add the powdered spices and fry until oil separates. Add the chicken and fry till oil separates again. Add salt, cover and cook until chicken is almost tender.

Remove cover and cook for another few minutes that is until the liquids reduce.

Whisk the curd and lime juice together and add it to the meat. Also add the saffron soaked in milk. Mix well.

Now add the cooked rice and lentil mix to the meat and mix well. Once the rice and lentil soak up all the liquids, adjust seasoning, add the birista and a drizzle of ghee and remove from heat.

Serve hot with some onion salad and raita.

Rum-spiked Grilled Pomfret with Yemeni spice mix

Today is another special day. It is my Baba's birthday. Like every day, Baba woke up at six in the morning, had his tea, did his yoga, took a bath..by the time I woke up he had finished his bowl of cereals and fruits, He was his usual workaday self, moving about the house with the airs of the busiest man on earth. Between mouthfuls of cereals he checked his phone, time and again. Usually his phone begins to ring at 7 in the morning and rings almost non stop till midnight. He usually grumbles about it, today he was missing it. Finally he brought out his ironed shirt and trouser and then stopped. Thank God" I muttered. He had finally remembered that today was a holiday, he didn't have to go to work. 

Anyway since dad was going to be home, I decided to cook him a good meal for lunch. My Ma is away at her cousin's place. She had promised to be back by yesterday, but couldn't. We are a little angry with her, we missed her. Dad said it was ok, there have been times when he wasn't around on her birthday, not to mention the times he had forgotten to wish her, a hint of mischief in his eyes. Ma is still feeling guilty though, however she is happy the shirt he had bought him and had kept in my custody has fit him fine. Anyway, about the lunch. So, my father loves fish, and this isn't the first time I am mentioning his obsession with fish. I wonder if it's providential that my Mum is a Piscean..errhh.whatever. Anyway, I decided I am going to treat him to fish specialties only. I made him his favourite fish fry, fish marinated with garlic, ginger, onion, coriander, mint and a few spices, coated in breadcrumbs ad fried followed by a spicy prawn curry with a special spice, a recipe I shall share soon, and some grilled pomfret.

 

My father loves pomfret. And I often make him spiced and rilled pomfret. Today I wanted to make something special. Awhile ago I came across this  Yemeni spice mix called Hawayij. I had made some at home and was waiting to use it in a dish, So I decided to use it today. I marinated the fish with some garlic, mint and Hawaij. Then on a whim I spiked the arinade with some rum. And then grilled the fish to perfection. The result was delightful. Here's sharing the recipe with you. 

Ingredients 

Pomfret - 2 whole (washed and cleaned)
Minced garlic - 1 tbsp
Minced mint leaves - 1 tsp
Cumin powder - 1/4 tsp
Hawaij - 1.5 tsp (see recipe)
Vinegar - 3 tbsp
Dark rum - 2 tbsp
Salt to taste
Onion rings and lemon wedges to serve

Method

Take each fish and with a knife make three gashes on either side of the fish.

Sprinkle salt on either side, generously, and rub well.

In a bowl, take vinegar, minced garlic,  hawaij, cumin, mint paste and salt to taste and mix well. Add rum and oil to the mixture and whisk well

Add the fish o the marinade and with your hands lace each fsh with the marinade. Keep aside for an hour.

In a pre heated oven grill the fish for 30 minutes at 200 degree centigrade, basting with marinade a few time, and turning the fish over once mid way.

Serve with onion and mint salad and a squeeze of lemon.