Delhi Belly: My foodie adventures and misadventures in the capital

I came home late from work today and it was too late to cook something, But I couldn't bare the thought of not posting something for you guys to feast on. So I thought of sharing this with you. I was in Delhi last December and my trip which was primarily planned so I could catch up with friends, old and new, had soon turned into a gastronomical journey. Now, I have been to Delhi numerous times and I know all about  Moolchand's anda paratha, and paneer bhatura and parathein wali galli and mutton burra kababs, but I wanted to try out some of Delhi's fine dining destinations. The fine dining scene in Delhi has undergone a sea change in the last few years and I had to check it out, or begin to do so. I am heading to Delhi again, in a week's time and this is also an exercise of sort - revisiting the old before embarking on the new. I will be back from Delhi with new culinary tales perhaps, for now check these out.

I had been to the Indian Habitat Centre on Lodhi Road but never to eat. My friend Priyanka, a childhood buddy now settled in Delhi with her Financial analyst husband, insisted we have breakfast at the All American Diner there. Once there, I went straight for the All American Breakfast and I was happy. I could have a little of many things. The best part were the pancakes with a choice strawberry and maple syrup. I had both. The sausages with juicy but I have had better ones. The bacon however, were a fried a little too much and was somewhat stringy...at least that day. The scrambled eggs melted in my mouth though I could have done with some more cheese and a little more seasoning. But that's just me. Nonetheless in the end I was a happy diner...woman..diner.

A closer look at the melt-in-the mouth scrambled egg. And that juicy tomato with that lip-smacking herbed cheese on top...absolutely cracker. And yes the pancakes, just how I like them.

I had tasted a bagel for the first time in Brighton, during my stint at the university of Sussex. My friend Leonine, she is half Greek and half Swedish, and she is now a rock-star, she always was actually, took me and Duna, a really headstrong girl from Palestine who had a way of speaking her mind, to this place en route Churchill Square (the most happening mall in Brighton) and she swore they served the best bagels. I do not remember the name of the shop though. Perhaps it was called The Bagel Shop. I had a tuna and avocado sesame bagel and I fell in love with this delightful thing, irrevocably. I hadn't eaten a bagel since my return from England and the sight of Bagel's Cafe at the Hauz Khas Village, was enough to make me stop in my tracks. I wanted a bagel and that was that. I went for a bacon and cream cheese and though I wouldn't say it is one of the best bagels I have had, this was good enough to refresh those memories.

We had a pancake too, with nutella and bananas...classic, can't go wrong. Only I love my pancakes smaller, thicker and fluffier.

At Out of the Box (Hauz Khas Village)  I ordered for a Jamaican Jerk Chicken served with a side each of fries, rice with beans and veggies tossed in butter. You don;t get to see a Jerk Chicken on the menu in too many restaurants, none in Calcutta I think. I was super excited. Many a times I have imagined devouring this  awesomeness off the streets of Jamaica. Wishful thinking. One bite and I was disappointed. this was just crumbed chicken. This was supposed to be an explosion of flavours. But what it was was a disappointment.

 

I liked the rice better than the chicken. The vegetables were nicely done too. And the fries were great.

These butter flied prawns on a bed spaghetti served with a lemon butter sauce looked pretty but I am not too sure if it tasted as good, because I didn't taste it. I am allergic to prawns. My eyes turn red and pop out dangerously every time I pop a prawn. A cruel trick of the culinary gods for there was a time when I ate prawns with a vengeance. Once I had gone to Puri with my uncle and his family and I ate so much of prawns and so much rice that it has become a family joke. Every one gets to hear that story when everyone's eyes popped out at how much I could eat it. Prawns. But here I am now, even the smell makes me feel ill. Prawn lover don't hate me, or hate me.

The classic Greek Salad was good, but you can't go wrong with fresh vegetables and a lot of feta, can you?

I am a sucker for Italian food. I like how it is inherently rustic, casual and simple. I have tasted the real thing, from the the Margherita in Naples to the Florentine steak and crostini in a street cafe in Rome. And I can say that to me Italians are the best cooks in the world. Italy's Nonnas and mamas can give the best chefs a run for their money. (I am sure none of the best chefs will ever read this blog, especially the French, oh they won't). So when my friends told me that Big Chill was the place top go in Delhi for Italian grub, I had to go. Thanks to Priyanka and her husband Pranay, I didn't even have to ask. So we started what was going to be a long meal, with baked jacket-potatoes filled with chicken and topped with a generous amount of cheese and it was delicious. Though it reminded me of nothing I had had Italy but my favourite baked potatoes place in Brighton.

And while they ordered for a grilled chicken with a sauce of some kind, I went for a Carbonara. I always end up ordering a Carbonara. And I hate myself for that. Most of the time, I walk into an Italian place and after meticulously studying the menu end up ordering a Carbonara with extra bacon. The few times I will myself to order something else, I walk out with a sense of dissatisfaction, the taste of the dish notwithstanding, that lingers till the next day at least. And then I go back to the same place and order a Carbonara. This one was good. I think they used cream in the sauce, and though a purist would frown, it tasted great, though a little heavy. We had no room for dessert. I 'll make up for it this time in Delhi.

But the surprise culinary experience of my entire trip was the meal at Potbelly Rooftop restaurant in Shahpur Jaat. A specialty Bihari restaurant. When Chetna told me about this place that served Bihari food, I insisted we go. She said it was brilliant. I took her word for it and was ready for some good litti chokha. But what I was not ready for was not just the steep, oh-so-steep climb to the ROOFTOP, I was also and definitely not ready for what I saw on the menu there and what I tasted there.  I have often wondered about Bihari cuisine, and how it lacks a presence on the country's culinary map. But I didn't know what we were missing out on until I tasted Potbelly's food. I had gone there hoping for a cracker litti ( wheat balls stuffed with spiced sattu and doused in Desi ghee) chokha (usually a brinjal or potato mash flavoured with spices) but that I could have one of the best chicken dishes I have ever tasted and that litti could be paired with spicy meat  was not what I had on mind. So we ordered for Golmirch chicken, boneless chicken cubes in a creamy peppery sauce served with lacchaa paratha, tawa bhaji and sabudana pakoras which, by the way, were insane. Next came litti with a spicy chicken that set your mouth on fire but was delicious nonetheless. The customary chokha, a spicy brinjal mash and salad came as accompaniments. The best  part was that the humble accompaniements were as good as the main dish. I also ordered for Maher, Bihari-style curd rice which came with a bhaji and a pickle the very though of which still gets me drooling. This time though I have to  try the Aloo McLaloo Chop considering the timeliness of it, especially.

The result 

A happier and heavier me.

Fish Manjula aunty way

         Ask an archetypal Bangali porjotok (Bengali tourist) how his trip down South went and I could bet the ensuing conversation would center around how difficult it is to survive on idli-dosa. They say it like it was one dish and the only dish you got down south. And there are the others who would crinkle their nose and rattle on about how everything has tamarind and is cooked in coconut oil. Classic: I lost so many kilos on the trip…couldn’t at a thing. Go die, I say (in my mind mostly or I whisper inaudibly.)

      Now, I am not saying they are all like that just like not all Bengalis are sluggish or green-eyed… Anyway I do not take very kindly to this breed. I love the flavours from down South, such a relief from the ubiquitous Chicken Tikka Butter Masala and the kind. I have nothing against a Chicken Tikka Butter Masala though.

           OK I might just be alienating a lot of people with this post. Well the crux of the matter is that I love Southern flavours and I pursued a certain neighbour, Manjula aunty, three weeks straight to get this recipe. That was years ago, I was only 17, more insistent and I had a crush on her son (I still do). And when I made it for the first time I had had a huge fight with my father because he had given the dish that look. That look which I do not take kindly too. Nowadays it is one of his favourite preparations, he says so, at least when I am around. This is nothing fancy and it is a very simple, but it's one of my favourites. I made it last evening and I thought I should share.

Ingredients: 

Fish (Bekti) – 12-15 pieces cut in 1-in cubes

Onion paste – 1 cup

Garlic paste – 1 tsp

Ginger paste – 1 tbsp

Coconut milk – 100 ml

Curry leave – 10­-12 + two stems

Mustard seeds – 1 tsp

Fenugreek seeds – ½ tsp

Whole green chillies – 5-7

Kashmiri (Lol) chilli powder – 1 tbsp

Turmeric Powder – 1 tsp

Coriander powder - 1tbsp

Tamarind paste – 2 – 3 tbsp (or according to taste)

Salt to taste

Sugar – ½ tsp

Oil – 4-5 tbsp 

Method

1.       Salt the fish and keep aside.

2.       Heat oil to smoking point, take off heat and add the mustard seeds, followed by the fenugreek seeds and finally the loose curry leaves. Put it back on heat and once they flutter and the aroma makes you salivate already add the onion paste.

3.       Fry the onions. Keep the heat to a low. Add a little salt at this point. Now add the garlic and ginger and cook till oil separates. 

4.       Add the whole green chillies and fry. 

5.       Now make a paste of Kashmiri red chilli powder, coriander powder and turmeric powder, with a little water. Add it to the onion-ginger-garlic and keep stirring until oil separates.

6.       Add coconut milk and a cup of water. Also add the curry leaves on the stem and the sugar. Bring it to a boil and turn down the heat. Let it simmer for about 5 minutes.

7.       Add the fish. Cover and cook for another 6 - 8 minutes. The fish should be done by now. Cook on low heat for a couple of minutes more.  

8.       Finally add the tamarind pulp and adjust seasoning. Serve hot with steamed rice.

Chocolate rubble

It was my birthday yesterday! Turning 27 wasn't bad at all. Though I wish I was turning 18 instead or 21...at least 25..but alas. I mean, the sound of 27 doesn't have that ring to it, but well...aargh.

Anyway, it was my birthday and I celebrated alright. And I ushered in my birthday with a sinful chocolate dessert — I call it Chocolate rubble. Too be honest, I had set out to make rum balls and it was on a sudden whim (and slight technical glitches - power cut) that I came up with the chocolate rubble. It is no instance of culinary ingenuity, but it makes for a heck of a comfort dessert/ indulgence currency.

Ingredients

Butter - 100 gms
Sugar - 180 gms
Plain flour - 100 gms
Cocoa powder - 50 gms
Baking powder: 1/4 tsp
Eggs - 2
Vanilla - 1 tsp
Pinch of salt
Raisins - 50 gms (soaked in 1/2 cup rum overnight)
Rum - 50 ml
Slivered glazed cherries - 20 gms

Method

 STEP 1: Flour and grease your cake tin and keep (I used a 2 lb tin). Preheat oven at 175 degree centigrade.

 STEP 2: Heat and melt the butter in a bowl. Remove from heat and stir in the sugar.  Add the eggs one by one and combine well. Stir in the vanilla extract.

 STEP 3: Now stir in the cocoa powder, flour, baking powder and salt. That's how the batter should be — thick, gooey, sticky....in one word YUM

STEP 4: Spread the batter in the cake tin.

Now those who have read my post on brownies inspired by Angie's recipe from allrecipes.com would know that the first 4 steps are the same as the brownies. Now comes the twist in the tale. 

Step 5: Bake it in the oven at 175 degree centigrade for 18 minutes. Bring it out and let is rest for about 10 minutes. 

Step 6: With fork break up the gooey cake batter, turning in into a rough mash
(not a paste). Add the rum-soaked raisins, the glazed cherries and the 50 ml rum and mix. Cool and refrigerate. Or have it warm.


What you'll have is a moist, gooey chocolate rubble that'll melt in the mouth and stick to your palate and the rum will warm the cockles of your heart. A decadent treat indeed. 


Now if you want, you can turn them into balls ones it has been in the fridge for half and hour and  roll it in unsweetened cocoa powder. And Voila you have rum balls (minus the frosting but I personally do not like frosting on rum balls). 


As clock struck twelve I put the first spoonful and with such a start to the day, it couldn't have gone wrong. And predictably I had one of the best birthdays in a long time.  Midnight surprises#early morning drive# breakfast off the streets # gifts# food#crab for the first time# family# friends# the friend# — overall, awesomeness. 

Cheers

My Five Spice Chicken

I love momo. Steamed ones, of course. I love that moment when you bite into a soft, fluffy momo and juices squirt out and then the flavours of the filling spread through your mouth.  So, there I was for my plate of steaming momos with that fiery sauce at Hamro Momo, my favourite among the three iconic momo places on the Suburban Hospital Road in Calcutta. However, my friend who was with me is not a huge fan of momos…blasphemy? Yes I know….but he is a dear friend. So he wanted something else. I have never had anything other than momos there so I didn’t really know what to order. So we sought help. The guy who had come to take our orders said that he could whip up something special for us, something which was not on the menu supposedly…a roast chicken.

I was a little apprehensive at first but what the guy brought us was delicious, divine. Boneless chicken pieces in a hot, sweet and sticky sauce. It was finger-licking good. I have gone back a few times after that, not for the momos but for that roast chicken, I don’t know though why he called that so. But then the availability of that dish depends on the availability of that guy so I decided I will have to try and replicate that dish or at least trump up something close, and I did.

Here it is though this time around I have used chicken on the bone. 

My five spice chicken

Ingredients:

 Chicken – 1 kg

Garlic Paste – 2 tbsp

Onion Paste – I cup

Vinegar – 2 tbsp

Soy Sauce – ¼ cup

Chopped parsley – ½ cup

Chopped dry red chillies – according to taste

Five spice powder – 1 tbsp and  a pinch

Salt to taste

Sugar – 1 tsp

Honey – 1tbsp   (or according to taste)

Corn flour – ½ tbsp

Oil

Method

Marinate the chicken with vinegar, onion paste, garlic paste, soy sauce, salt, a little sugar, chopped red chillies and five spice powder. Keep for 2 hours, at least.

Heat oil in a pan. Toss in the chicken along with the marinade and cook until chicken is tender. Turn up the heat and the sauce reduces and caramelizes a little. Add a little corn flour diluted in water and the honey at the end. All this while keep the heat high. The sauce has to caramelize well. 

Take it off the heat and dig into it. Goes well with steamed rice too.