Travels for Taste - Tales of travel and food with a touch of spice

Tea time treats – September 2016

September 2, 2016 by manjirichitnis 2 Comments

Hello everyone and welcome to the September 2016 linky for Tea Time treats. Last month Karen, the host of ‘Tea Time treats’ at her lovey blog ‘Lavender and Lovage’ bid adieu to her co-host, the very cool Janie who blogs at The Hedgecombers. Jane has decided to step down for now and has passed on the baton now to Jo from Jo’s Kitchen and me.

Of course, Jo and me are very excited to part of this monthly linky which brings out so many creative and wonderful recipes from all over the blogosphere!

The theme for this month is ‘Savoury Treats’. I do have a sweet tooth but my taste buds are partial to savoury flavours. I think of all the varied of wonderful savoury fare that is served with steaming hot cups of masala tea and it sends me straight to my days back in India. From the famous ‘Chitale Bakarwadi’ from Pune to the crumbly and delicious ‘Mathri’ from the North of India, there is no limit to the amazing treats that are available to please every palate.

I, for one cannot wait to see what savoury treats you plan to make and share with us! I am hoping to see a lot of variety from ALL over the world.

Please have a look at the rules and guidelines below and feel free to contact us if you need to know more about this event and how to participate. Grab those aprons then and get cooking!

Tea Time Treats Rules and Guidelines:

Tea Time Treats is a monthly blogging event that showcases treats from our favourite meal of the day: teatime! Hosted alternate months by Karen from Lavender and Lovage, Jo from Jo’s Kitchen and me; each challenge involves a style of bake or popular teatime ingredient. All teatime treats, whether sweet or savoury, breads, pies, pasties, cakes, tarts, desserts, conserves or biscuits (plus many, many more!) will be featured over the coming months.

Rules:

Post your recipe on your blog with a link to Lavender and Lovage, Travels for Taste and Jo’s Kitchen and mention the relevant month’s host and attach the Tea Time Treats logo as shown on the event page.
Add Tea Time Treats in your blog post as a label/tag.
The recipe can be one of your own or one you’ve seen elsewhere. You are welcome to republish old recipes/posts but please add the information about this challenge.
Please be as creative with the theme as you like.
If you put your post on twitter please mention @KarenBurnsBooth, @travelsfortaste, @Jos_Kitchen and #teatimetreats in your message and we will re-tweet all those we see.
You do not need to enter every month to join in with the challenge.
Your post can be submitted for other blogging challenges, just make sure this complies with the rules of the other challenge.
VIP: Add your recipe link to the live linky posted at the bottom of every challenge post.
If using a recipe from another person, book, website, chef or blog, you must link back to the original recipe and not reproduce the recipe in full in your post. You must also use your OWN images for the recipe and not the original images, unless you have permission to do so, with appropriate links and any other information requested by the photo’s owner added to the image.

PLEASE join in the baking fun!

(Copy and paste the code below into your Text editor to embed the logo into your blog post)

<div align="center"><a href="http://www.lavenderandlovage.com/tea-time-treats" title="Tea Time Treats"><img src="http://www.lavenderandlovage.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/lavenderandlovage_teatime.png" alt="Tea Time Treats" style="border:none;" /></a></div>

Please add you Afternoon Tea and Tea Time Treats recipe links below!
THANK YOU and have a FAB September filled with brilliant savoury treats!
Karen, Manjiri and Jo

An InLinkz Link-up

Celebrate Caribbean Food Week with Grace Foods

August 26, 2016 by manjirichitnis 6 Comments

When it comes to Caribbean flavours in the U.K, Grace Foods have bagged the top stop as the numero uno foodand drinks company. They have a wide range of sauces, dips, marinades seasonings and tropical drinks to satisfy all palates.

Grace Foods are celebrating their 5th annual Caribbean Food week – Aug 22nd to Aug 29th’ 2016. To spread word of their celebrations Grace Foods, sent me a cracking hamper stuffed with an assortment of goodies.

I wanted to try all the sauces but I was cooking for two so choose the following products:

Dunns River Ackee
Dunns River beans
Dunns River Tropical seasoning
Dunns River all purpose seasoning

I had never heard of Ackee before and was very curious to try working with this ingredient. Ackee, the national fruit of Jamaica, is consumed in a traditional dish with salt fish. AK is not fond of salt fish though I decided to create a side with vegetables and Dunns River Tropical seasoning. I am so pleased with the results, the dish is truly sunshine in a plate.

It is always fun to try out new and exotic flavours but mind you this one comes with a warning. The unripe fruit can prove fatal and causes Jamaican vomiting sickness. But the ripe fruit has many nutritional benefits including being a digestive aid, helping to lower blood pressure and is high in unsaturated fats which help to maintain heart health.

5.0 from 1 reviews

Celebrate Caribbean Food Week with Grace Foods

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Prep time

10 mins

Cook time

15 mins

Total time

25 mins

This dish is truly summer in a plate

Author: Ackee and vegetable side

Recipe type: Side

Cuisine: Caribbean

Serves: 4 portions

Ingredients

Dunn Rivers can of ackee
6 tsp Dunn Rivers Tropical seasoning
½ a red onion chopped lenghthwise
2 cloves of garlic finely chopped
3-4 small sweet peepers
2 tbsp rapeseed oil

Instructions

Heat oil in a wok
Saute' the chopped garlic until they brown
Add the Tropical seasoning and mix well
Add the chopped onions and saute' them until they go soft
Then add the green beans and stir fry for about 2 minutes
Then add the peppers and saute for about a minute
Drain and wash the ackee under running water
Add the ackee and cook on low heat for atleast 4 minutes
Ensure the ackee mixes well with the vegetables and spices and serve hot

As the ackee cooks it breaks down like soft gooey scrambled eggs and takes up the flavours in the seasoning very well. Mix the ackee very gently or it will turn into a lump.

I paired this dish with a hearty brown rice mixed with peas and beans.

5.0 from 1 reviews

Caribbean rice with peas and beans

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Prep time

2 mins

Cook time

25 mins

Total time

27 mins

Delightful mixture of spices add a different dimension of flavour to this simple dish, make it healthier by using brown rice

Author: Manjiri

Recipe type: Main

Cuisine: Caribbean

Serves: 4 serves

Ingredients

1½ cup brown rice
1 can of Dunns River peas and Beans
1 small red onion
4 cloves of garlic
2 tsp olive oil
1 bay leaf

Instructions

Chop the onion lengthwise
Rinse and soak the rice in a big vessel
Heat the olive in a medium sized vessel
Add the bay leaf and then saute' the chopped garlic until it browns
Add 2 heaped tbsp of all purpose seasoning and mix well and saute for under 30 second stirring continuously so that the seasoning does not bu4n
Drain the water used to wash the rice
Then add the washed rice and saute it for a under a minute stirring continuously
Drain the water from the canned peas and beans and transfer them to a sieve and wash them under running water, to get rid of the salt
Add the peas and beans and add exactly twice the amount of water as the rice and cook on a medium flame with lid on
Granish with some chopped spring onion
Serve hot

Caribbean brown rice with peas and beans

Ideally I would cook up a fiery chicken curry to go with this rice but I had some white fish in my freezer and decided to grill them with some jerk seasoning.

5.0 from 1 reviews

Grilled jerk fish

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Prep time

2 mins

Cook time

8 mins

Total time

10 mins

Spicy grilled fish is great paired with the brown rice with peas and the ackee and vegetable side

Author: Manjiri

Recipe type: Main

Cuisine: Caribbean

Ingredients

2 fillets of white fish
3 heaped tbsp of Dunns River Jamaicanjerk seasoning mariande
2 tsp of olive oil
¼th of a lime

Instructions

Wash the fish fillets and coat thoroughly with the marinade
Heat a grill pan and pour the oil
Grill the fish until done
Ensure you do not overcook as the white fish is generally very delicate and will break easily. Overcooking will render it dry and not much fun to eat!
Squeeze the lime and don't be shy with it, the lime will cut through the spice and elevate flavours

Get creative in your kitchen or just go with the recipe suggestions on the packs, if you need more recipe inspiration head over the Grace Foods recipe section.

If you are in London join the festivities at Caribbean Food Week Festival at Windrush Square in Brixton.

Disclaimer: With thanks to Grace Foods for sending me a selection of products to experiment with. As always, all opinions expressed are my own. I was not required to write a positive review and was not compensated monetarily for this post.

Tasty Easy Lamb recipe by Chef Cyrus Toddywala

August 20, 2016 by manjirichitnis Leave a Comment

September first week will ring in the second year for British Lamb Week. A campaign that has been launched to popularise the versatile and tasty meat, especially to make it appealing to a younger audience.

Last year I was invited to the launch of this campaign whch was hosted at Chef Cyrus Todiwala’s restaurant Cafe’ Spice Namaste’. As the new Lambassador for ‘ Tasty Easy Lamb‘ Cyrus very passionately demonstrated some quick and delicious ways to cook lamb. Lamb is perfect for the summer season as it can be barbecued or grilled and enjoyed al-fresco. Amongst other dishes we tried a fabulously juicy Blue cheese stuffed lamb burger. The recipe for this by Chef Cyrus is too good not to share with all of you.

As expected the incredible spice man has incorporated the use of many wonderful spices in this recipe.

Blue cheese stuffed lamb burger recipe by Chef Cyrus Todiwala

Eat more Lamb says Lambassador Cyrus Toddywala

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A great way to enjoy succulent lamb British lamb mince with fragrant spices

Author: Cyrus Todiwala

Cuisine: Fusion

Serves: 6

Ingredients

675g lamb mince
1 finely chopped medium onion
2-3 cloves minced garlic
1 x 2inch piece minced fresh ginger
1 slender type minced green chilli (seeds included)
1 tbsp ground cumin powder
1½ tbsp ground coriander powder
2 tbsp tomato purée
3 heaped tbsp finely chopped fresh coriander
1 tsp Garam Masala powder
1-2 tsp salt
1 tsp crushed black pepper
For the Stuffing:
150g Blue cheese, crumbled
2 finely chopped green chillies
1 tbsp finely chopped fresh coriander
2 finely chopped cloves of garlic
Rolls or bread, to serve

Instructions

In a large bowl gently mix all the burger ingredients together. Divide into 6 evenly–sized burgers.
In a small bowl blend the stuffing ingredients together and shape into equal-sized balls to stuff the burgers.
Make an indentation in the centre of each burger with your thumb and fill with a ball of the cheese. Make sure the cheese is completely encased when you form the burger.
Cook on a prepared grill or barbecue for 6-8 minutes on each side or until any meat juices run clear.
Serve with your favourite bread or rolls with some sliced tomatoes, onion and lettuce and some relish.

We must appreciate that the demand for meat consumption is ever increasing in spite of the many pressures on limited resources of our planet. But as a meat lover myself, I must say, that it is great to know that it is possible to love your planet while continuing to consume meat. One of the ways to do that is to choose to add locally produced lamb to your diet. It is not only easy to cook but also, lamb raised in the English countryside is among the most sustainable in the world.

Sheep and lambs graze on naturally occurring grass which is good for the environment. It helps permanent grasslands to pull in carbon from the atmosphere and store it in the soil. In addition, it preserves water quality and overall helps farms reduce their energy consumption. Along with being sustainable, sheep farming aids employment thereby building communities and supporting the economy.

Here is an easy kitchen cheat sheet to get you started with which cuts of lamb are best for what you want to cook, with handy tips on freezer storage and cooking techniques.

So won’t you be doing to your bit to help protect the lambscape? The results of your kitchen experiments are bound to be lambtastic! Excuse the puns, I couldn’t resist 😉

Disclaimer: With thanks to AHDB Beef & Lamb and Cyrus Todiwala for having me as a guest. As always, all opinions expressed are my own. I was not required to write a positive review and was not compensated monetarily for this post. Kitchen cheat sheet chart provided by AHDB Beef & Lamb.

Behind the scenes at a free range Happy Eggs Co farm

August 19, 2016 by manjirichitnis 12 Comments

Scrambled, hard-boiled, soft-boiled, poached, in an omelette, in a frittata – whichever way you like your eggs, they are an unbeatable source of protein and unsurprisingly, a much-loved way to kick start the day with a power packed breakfast. I have always loved eggs especially runny scrambled ones like the ones my Baba makes for breakfast. It was hard for me then, to say no to a tempting invitation by Happy Eggs to come visit their farm up in Tring.

Having read so much, about how Happy Eggs Co like to have their girls roam around freely, this was a chance for me to experience things firsthand. So on a perfectly fine summer afternoon, I set out from London to the Hertfordshire. Arriving from London on the day would have been a nightmare, so I decided to stay one night in the village nearby the farm.

After a rather nightmarish re-routing of my otherwise straightforward journey to Luton, I finally managed to get there only about two hours late, thanks to cancelled and delayed trains. Thankfully, after that bit, it was a just quick drive from Luton station into the picturesque countryside.

No better way to recharge my batteries than a quick getaway out of London city limits. After I checked into the Five Bells Vintage Inn, I met lovely Jane who writes at The Hedgecombers for a quick drink and dinner. It was absolutely fabulous catching up with her after months. Jane is just one of the many amazing bloggers I have met at FBC and over the years we all have become really good friends. While Jane went back to her cute camper van for the night, I settled in early to ensure I got to the farm on time.

120 acres of space at the Bulborne Happy Eggs Co. Farm

Breakfast at the B&B with Jane was a quick affair and I even got to ride with her to the farm in that camper van – Woohoo!!! – quite a treat for a city like me! We lost our way a bit and after driving around in circles for a bit we finally made our way to Bulborne farm. We were greeted by a big bunch of bloggers and the Happy Egg co team.

It was a good that we had an early breakfast then, as we missed the morning treats laid out for us. After a quick introduction we all donned fresh blue overalls and sipped into wellies – I have NEVER walked for so many hours in wellies before but it was not as bad as I thought it would be.

Farmer JP of Bulborne farm is one of the many farmers who work with Noble Foods, the company that owns the Happy Egg brand. Bulborne Farm houses 14,000 girls as the hens are known or VIBS – very important birds in a space spread across 120 acres. This farm is a fully organic farm which means it is audited by bodies such as Organic Food Federation or Organic Farmers & Growers. This is in addition, to being certified and audited by the BEIC Lion Code.

All the Free Range, Barn and Organic farms that Noble Foods works with are also certified and audited by the RSPCA Freedom Food Scheme – a scheme to ensure hen welfare giving them not just wide open spaces to roam around freely but also to ensuring that they have access to dush baths and specially designed activity kits.

The focus on hen welfare and production of free-range eggs is given so much importance that they even sponsor research into work that how to create and maintain a stress free environment for the girls and keep them happy. After all Happy Hens produce Happy eggs!

At the hen house we walked to we saw the hens run outside to enjoy the sunshine and all the while they clucked away sounding very happy. As we stood and took in what Farmer JP told us about a typical day in the life of an egg farmer, the hens roamed around freely around our group, not in the least perturbed by our presence.

While one part of our group went inside the hen house to look at how it is designed and what facilities are provided to ensure the hens are healthy and happy and feel safe while laying eggs, we took turns holding these handsome birds. The naughty hen I held tried to peck at my hand and escaped from my hands before I could pose for a decent picture – naughty girl!

Did you know that a hen lays an egg every 26 hours? Or that hens need dust to keep themselves clean and well groomed? Hens are very intelligent beings and quite inquisitive by nature. To ensure that they get to satisfy their natural curiosity, each farm ensures that at least 20% of every range must have trees planted on it.

Farmer JP explained that he understands the difference between a happy clucking and would know of his girls were unhappy instantly. One of the indicators as I already mentioned is that the hens are fearless around humans, also the hens at his farm have a very healthy and shiny set of feathers.

Now that we have established that these eggs truly are free-range, how do we differentiate them in taste. Farmer JP told us that the happier state of mind and healthy living conditions of his Happy hens results in tastier eggs and lesser eggs with defects like a thin shell or wrinkled egg shell – which indicate that the hens are under stress.

As I walked into the hen house, I steeled myself for an assault on my olfactory senses – what with all the pee and poo of hens, but honestly I was quite pleasantly surprised. There was dust flying around as a bunch of excited hens were jumping around in their dust bath and cackling loudly as if exchanging some juicy gossip.JP explained that the feeders, waste management system and egg collection areas are designed to ensure that hens are well-fed, their living space clean and privacy to lay eggs when ready is provided.

On being quizzed about an article in the Daily Mail about hens being caged, we were informed that those hens were being treated for an illness and the article was factually incorrect. A claim that was backed by RSPCA. Sadly, as the article was not fact based, it was followed by an apology later. Unfortunately, bad news spreads like a virus and this affects all the farmers who strive to maintain high standards. I speak from my personal experience of my visit to Bulborne farm which I can assure you are clean and work hard towards hen welfare, contribute to research and perform better than expected during all their audits, yes, even the ones that happen unannounced and when least expected.

We then picked some of the freshly laid eggs and had a look at the area where the eggs are stored before being shipped out. The stamping of the eggs is a manual process and the unique codes help identify exactly which farm they originate from. The eggs are graded by size and packed into the trademark cheery yellow cartons that are so easily recognisable on supermarket shelves.

Famished after all that hard work we headed back to the base where a freshly prepared four course meal awaited. Chefs from Jackson & Rye restaurants in London cooked us a feast of smoked devilled eggs as canapes’ sprinkled with chives and a taste of delicious mayo, creamy avocados and spinach in Eggs Florentine.

This was followed by a massive portion of the classic Mexican treat – Huevos Rancheros – loved the perfectly poached eggs on top oozing golden yolk and the fresh tomatoes and guacamole. Dessert was a Pecan tart which I wolfed down at lightening speed.

To truly understand the meaning of free range and how gold standards are achieved and maintained one must experience at close quarters how a Happy Egg farm is managed. By no means an easy task, the passion that the whole team here has towards hen welfare is evident from the love they have for these birds.

Why not have a look at some of what the other bloggers who came along for this farm visit have to say? They made egg-cellent company and we were so egg-cited to meet each other!

A day in the life of an egg farmer by – Alex Ryder of The Gingey Bites

Happy Hens make Happy Eggs by Heidi Roberts who blogs at Heidi Roberts Kitchen Talk

Disclaimer: With thanks to the Happy Eggs co for having me as a guest at Tring and Bulborne Free Range Happy Egg Co Farm. Many Thanks to Farmer JP and his team for a fabulous day out. As always, all opinions expressed are my own. I was not required to write a positive review and was not compensated monetarily for this post.

Hoppers, SOHO – a review

August 18, 2016 by manjirichitnis 13 Comments

To anyone familiar with Sri Lankan cuisine, appams are no stranger. Re-christened as Hoppers in the colonial times, these light dosa like crepe’s also come in a fluffy stringy avatar much like idli in a ‘ramen burger’ form, are traditionally known as ‘idiyappam’ To try the Hoppers and more, served at the much talked about restaurant in SOHO, by the same name, I decided it was finally time to brave the queue’s. Accompanied by Asma, we managed to get there just in time before the crazy lunch hour rush started. We wanted to have a catch up and conversation always flows better when the ambience is right and the food is good.

Hoppers, SOHO, is another successful venture, conceptualised by the Sethi siblings, who are the minds behind Trishna, Gymkhana, Lyles’s, Bubbledogs and Bao.

While queuing up, I took a peek inside – the wicker thatched roof, wooden furniture, intricately patterned tiles on the floor and tables, yellow lighting – everything reminded me of an old Gymkhana back in India, oozing old world charm and character. Once seated inside you will notice the brightly painted Kathakali masks on a sunny yellow wall facing the bar.

The menu features what is known as short eats – basically, smaller portions like the ones served as snacks from road side food shanties. Similar to the greasy but very satisfyingly delicious spicy fried dal fritters served wrapped in newspaper cones or placed on pages torn out of old note-books and dolloped with scoops of spicy green coconut chutney.

My lunch companion Asma ( she who runs the fab Darjeeling Express) and I decided on hot buttered devilled prawns, bone marrow varuval and brinjal moju.

The rich, smooth and deliciously spiced gravy in which the bone marrow is served is finger licking good. The generously scattered fresh green curry leaves add that curry flavour to the sauce – we mopped it up with the string hoppers later. One bite into that luscious bone marrow and there is no turning back. In contrast, the prawns are fiery hot and smothered in butter, though not scathing, they are not for the faint-hearted. Asma’s Bengali palate approves of the succulent prawns so I would say give it a go – just have the cooling masala buttermilk at hand to wash down all the spice and grease.

Mains at Hoppers, SOHO

Onto the mains we picked the egg hoppers with fish kari and lamb kari. The Hoppers come with pol sambol, seeni sambol and a coriander chutney.

Pol sambol is delightful relish made with Maldive fish and coconut. I am a great fan of seafood in general and love pickled seafood a lot. The seeni sambol is a Sri Lankan version of caramelised onion chutney. Together these little sides provide a fun adventure for your taste buds as you dip your cripsy hoppers into the kari and mop up the sauces.

The crispy edges of the hopper and the fluffy centre are both satisfying and filling and the fried egg in the center for me was just perfect. Dip the crunchy edges of the hopper or dunk large chunks of string hoppers into the oozing egg yolk and then scoop up some of the lamb kari – you won’t regret it.

I love how the hopper is both like a crispy plain dosa and fluffy like a steamed idli and filling like a neer dosa all in one. The egg on top just makes it so much better.

We also tried the Lamb kothu roti and although the lamb is hidden under a majority of veggies and roti it is quite a good dish as a filler. I am not a fan of kothu though, so I won’t miss it too much next time around and would really like to see more lamb in the dish.

The masala dosa comes with a very homely sambar and a fabulous sweet potato curry, I only wish there was more of that curry as it is simply amazing. The crisp dosa has a spicy dry chutney called podi scattered inside and a generous amount of perfectly done potato sabzi inside – you cannot fault this dish in any way which.

The Brinjal moju side is very tangy and the strong taste of vinegar is balanced by the spices used with the aubergine. Again this is something I could not get enough of.

The string hoppers come with pol sambol and Kiri hodi which is aSri Lankan coconut milk gravy with Maldive fish and fenugreek. I have mixed feelings about the Kiri hodi but they seem to be leaning towards love rather than hate. Perhaps more trips to Hoppers are required for me to make up my mind. Asma and me hungrily wiped down the remaining sauce from the bone marrow varuval with the string hopper – oh that sauce!

I would have loved to try the duck heart chukka and durian flavoured ice cream and then probably wash it all down with some string Tamil Nadu Kaapi. Unfortunately, there was no way I couldn’t eat anymore and had to take away a lot of the food. And the head Chef Suresh Pillai spoilt us by sending us generous portions of dishes to sample, that in addition to what we had ordered was more than we could possibly consume.

Over the past few years, AK and I have been to many Sri-Lankan restaurants around London. As expected they are to be found in the suburbs, notably in Tooting and East Ham. Our all – time favourite has got to Jaffna House – a no-fuss cheap and cheerful place where you can eat till you are ready to explode at the seams but still not draw up a bill of more than £20. So to be standing in a queue in SOHO for Sri-Lankan food was not something I was expecting. But am so glad I did and that too with a fab companion like Asma. For once, I didn’t have to apologise for taking photos from all possible weird angels with not just my camera but my phone too – of course – for all those social media channels that need feeding 😉

One of the many reasons that puts Hoppers in a class by itself in comparison to the other Sri Lankan restaurants is the entire ambience that they have so thoughtfully managed to create – the wood panelled interiors, framed posters, the gorgeous rustic hammered copper plates, those tiled tables, the efficient service and of course the food!

I most certainly plan to be back, to brave that queue, this time with hubs AK in tow, and no there won’t be any camera in sight. Just us and – the food.

Average bill person with one starer and one side to share, one main and one non-alcholic drink – £25 approx (without alcholol and dessert)

Don’t miss out on – Bone Marrow Varuval, Crab Kari on the specials menu if available – it is absolutely divine!

Disclaimer: Unless mentioned that I was invited to review, I foot my own bill when eating out and have written this review purely out of a passion of sharing my love of good food. I was not required to write a positive review and was not compensated monetarily for this post. Thanks to Chef Suresh Pillai for treating Asma and me to some complimentary dishes.

River Cottage – memories of Blog Camp 2015

August 2, 2016 by manjirichitnis 8 Comments

Farm visits are a great way to spend a sunny day outdoors exploring, learning and eating al fresco. In preparation for my press trip to Happy Eggs farm at Tring, which I leave for today, I decided it was time to re-live some happy memories of last year’s blog camp at River Cottage HQ. It was by far the best day out and short break of 2015 – A mini staycation in Axminster with some friends and a packed day full of great sessions at blog camp in a farm in the picturesque countryside.

Summer this year has been good so far with the weather really holding up. I do hope the weather is just as glorious for the next two days at least, like it was last year when I went and spent a whole day at River Cottage. I am ignoring the fact that we have had a really gloomy start today with big scary grey clouds looking over London and a rather wet and chilly evening last night – Gaaaahhh!

Visiting River Cottage HQ for a day out, is an excellent idea, especially for fans of Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall’s famous TV cookery show. My blogger friends Heidi, Nayna and Tina decided to make the most of this opportunity Blog Camp by Foodies 100 and booked ourselves into B&B called Millwater House in Axminster. (Sylvia who blogs at Happiness is homemade was busy and couldn’t join in the fun but we missed her dearly!) With plans to not just experience a day out in the gorgeous River Cottage we also made plans to visit the Lyme Regis and drink in the sights and sounds of Devon.

To kickstart our day packed with a kitchen tour, cooking workshop and photography and blogging workshops all of us made our way to the farm in a large tractor. Yes, the said tractor ferried us in groups from the massive car park area which has sweeping views of the countryside, up the hill to the beautiful grounds. They house a charming 17th-century farmhouse, cookery school and a massive kitchen garden ,a yurt and sprawling few acres of grounds housing all manner of farm animals.

Inside the yurt a log – fire welcomed us while we were divided into groups. Settling onto bales of hay we got a chance to mingle while the day’s plan was explained. But before all the ‘hard work’ began we were treated to some freshly made canape’s, pastries and piping hot cups of tea and coffee- after all what use is a hungry soldier ?

Group Cookery Demo at River Cottage

My group started with the cookery demonstration and demo with Chef, Gill Mellor. We made butter and used fresh herbs to flavour and garnish. I used the butter at home for many weeks and it was always great fun because it brought back memories of my mum making ghee at home and sneakily using the by-product into various dishes later.

The process of making butter from cream was fairly simple and I choose not to use any fancy equipment. It does take some effort but its well worth it. The buttermilk which is produced during this process went into the soda bread dough. I went a bit mad with the soda bread and added all sorts of delicious things like honey and berries and herbs into the dough. We left the butter to set in the fridge and the soda bread to cool by the huge windows.

Doesn’t that vase look lovely? The pretty flowers used in vases come from the grounds and you them in vases of all shapes and size, all over the farm – adds a very homely and welcoming touch.

Photography session with Lucy

After the cooking session, it was off to practise our food photography skills with Lucy. Lucy’s blog Capture by Lucy is a visual treat and she shared a wealth of knowledge with us all the while patiently answering our many queries. We practised styling fresh produce with flowers and cutlery and various light settings.

By then we were famished and I was relieved that as we trooped in the large dining hall, we all needed a rest and those gorgeous aromas wafting around had us salivating. So when the mains were served everything went quiet for a while as we hungrily wolfed down our food. It was a great opportunity to catch up with other bloggers between courses and I was glad to see so many familiar faces. It was nice to be finally able to put faces to names of all the bloggers I ‘meet’ almost daily in cyberspace.

Lunch at River Cottage

The beef ravioli was melt in your mouth delicious and was served with summer vegetables. I think we first ate with our eyes – what a pretty plate and the aromas floating around were thanks to the 36-hour slow cooking treatment given to the beef. Naturally, all the produce used came from the farm. Without a doubt, this is the best ever ravioli I have ever eaten – can’t get a better farm to fork plateful, I guess! For sides, we devoured slices of freshly baked bread and generous portions of chilli-garlic corn on the cob slathered with swirls of golden butter dripping off the sides, as it melted over the warm corn. Ummm utterly delightful.

If that didn’t send me into a food induced coma of absolute happiness then maybe it was the gorgeous dessert that followed. Again brilliant plating, for the coffee flavoured ice cream (my absolute fav flavour – yay!) with crunchy salted caramel, served with meringue infused with delicate fennel, topped with juicy and moreish roasted damsons, crumble and finally slathered with runny honey. Passport to food heaven I say!

River Cottage Kitchen Garden Tour

Tummies full, soul satisfied, we walked out, our batteries’s recharged, ready to take on the kitchen garden and grounds tour.

Head Gardener, Will Livingstone explained how the farm is a self-sustaining eco-system in itself . A living model of sustainability and growing and consuming local produce the variety of vegetables and fruits produced here is mind boggling. During this guided tour he gave great tips on growing organic. The best tip he gave which is ingrained into my brain is to plant other plants next to the vegetables so that the bugs can munch on them for example – garlic.

The produce from the farm feeds a mind boggling number of people every year at the various events and cookery classes that are held regularly. Whatever the farm cannot provide is sourced from neighbouring Trill farm and other local producers. No wonder then that they are organic certified as accredited by the Soil Association and are managed under Countryside and Environmental Stewardship; schemes run by Natural England. And this 1.5-acre farmland and the team managing it are also proud to be ambassadors of the East Devon Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

After the kitchen garden tour, we met the pigs and the hens who became overnight Instagram celebrities thanks to us trigger happy bloggers.

It was then time to say our goodbyes and head back to our quaint B&B but not before a bumpy but fun ride in the massive tractor – an unforgettable experience.

The team at Foodies 100 and the one at River Cottage cannot be faulted on their organisation skills, their generosity and of course their wealth of knowledge. To find out what’s happening now at the River Cottage check out their events calendar. I cannot think of a better day out especially as a corporate team building exercise than going to River Cottage HQ.

Do have a look at how my blogger friends enjoyed the day by visiting their blogs :

Heidi Roberts Kitchen talk by Heidi
Simply Food by Nayna
Tin and Thyme by Choclette
Foodie Quine by Claire Jessiman
The Hedgecombers by Jane Sarchet
Supper in the suburbs by Emma Walton
Jo’s Kitchen by Jo
Rough Measures by Sus Davy
Annes Kitchen by Anne Szadorska
Munchies and munchkins by Rebecca Ann
Veggie Desserts by Kate Hackworthy
Taming Twins by Sarah
Penelope’s pantry by Penelope

*With thanks to Foodies100 for organising such a fabulous blog camp event and the talented team at River Cottage for an unforgettable experience. As always all opinions expressed are as always my own. No incentive was provided for a positive review.

Experience modern Indian cuisine at The Painted Heron, Chelsea

June 21, 2016 by manjirichitnis 4 Comments

Experience modern Indian cuisine at The Painted Heron, Chelsea – a review

Friday evenings are everyone’s favourite day to well just let their hair down, to relax and let the pressure of deadlines from the week gone by settle down for a bit. That is reason enough to want to celebrate with a great meal.

If you can manage to get a date night on a Friday then it’s an even bigger bonus in my diary.

After what seems like a lifetime, we finally managed to find time for a quite dinner out for two last Friday evening. And we couldn’t have picked a better place to spend it at than the Fine dining restaurant – The Painted Heron. Situated in South Chelsea it is nestled at the exit of a quiet residential lane.

Quitely understated this riverside restaurant is perfect for when you are looking to indulge in modern Indian cuisine and enjoy a good wine list. After all, it is amongst the top 20 secret London restaurants that foodies love and is headed by acclaimed award-winning Chef patron Yogesh Datta.

We choose to sit at a cosy table facing the Heron Terrace. In spite, of the rain it was quite warm and a Champagne Cocktail was in order. It set the mood for our fabulous starters. Wild soft-shell chilli crabs on a skewer were plated so beautifully on a vintage plate and served with tree unusual chutneys. The crunchy batter was a mixture of sesame, chilli and lager, very moreish.

The orange chutney gets its distinct flavour from crumbly goats cheese and the maroon chutney has plum and berry flavours – just one example of how traditional dishes have been interpreted to create a distinctive and unique menu.

The chicken tikka three ways, was everything you would expect from tandoor grilled chicken on skewers – deep smoky and juicy flavours lending themselves to succulent melt in your mouth chicken. The modern twist to this dish is the kala chana and potato side it is served which sits on a bed of freshly ground coconut chutney – delightful and a revelation of how unexpected flavours and ingredients come together to create this tasty combination!

Minced Wagyu beef was an unexpected but fantastic choice for the chapali kebab starter, traditionally made with lamb. Served with tangy tamarind chutney the kebabs are paired with rice served in a small coconut shell.

If these starters have amazed you, the creative dishes on main course will leave you spellbound. Dishes like peasant supreme sit alongside wild boar curry and venison haunch steak. Much as we would have liked to let our taste buds continue their journey into these wildly fantastic sounding dishes, we decided to keep it simple for the main course.

The vegetarian and meat thali’s come with there different curries, naan, plain rice, salad and curd raita. Served in rustic plates with the finish of old silver, the plating looks fit for royalty.

The fried okra in batter on the veg thali is brilliant and chicken curry from the meat thali is great with plain rice.

Thalis are a great way to sample several dishes in one mini meal.

Chilean Casabalanca Pinot Noir was a good accompaniment to our meal, balancing all those complex spices with the deep fruity notes.

Many of the other patrons were regulars and knew the staff well, many took their wine glasses along and sat outside at the Heron Terrace. We followed suit…

A perfectly cosy little spot to enjoy the late evening light and the warm summer air.

There is also a Heron Al Fresco menu to explore if you so choose.

It’s amazing how after a heavy meal we manage to crave for a little sweet something and the sorbet trio was perfect to share for two. It was a close call between the coconut and the mango sorbet but we both agreed that the coconut sorbet was the best.

This gem of a restaurant really does deserve every bit of praise it gets and then some more, with top marks for creative combinations that work well and traditional Indian food that you cannot fault.

After your meal, do not miss out on the opportunity gaze at the beautifully lit Chelsea Bridge. Such a pleasing sight especially on a rainy night it really is rather romantic. Also, a great spot to wait while you call an uber or if you get lucky with the weather simply walk along the A320 for sweeping views of the Chelsea bridge.

*With thanks to Humayun Hussain and The Painted Heron for an invite. All opinions expressed are as always my own. No monetary compensation was provided for a positive review.

Barbecued lobster tails and haddock fillets

June 16, 2016 by manjirichitnis 13 Comments

Although the past few days have been quite rainy and grey, we did manage to catch some sun on Sunday afternoon. It was a great opportunity to get the BBQ out and enjoy some grilled seafood.

Our back garden has a little area at the back which is perfect to fire up the grills, it has the benefit of being sheltered from the wind thanks to a massive pine cone tree.

I have been eyeing the frozen Luxury Canadian lobster tails in the freezer at Iceland for many weeks now and Sunday presented just the right opportunity to get them out from the freezer and onto te grill. Though I have cheated and used a ready to use tandoori masala mix for my recipe, it is dead easy to create the masala on your own. But when faced with only a 2-3 hour window when the sun is shining down on us, I had to act fast!

We are big fans of seafood in our family and last week I had worked on creating a very easy spice rub for grilled fish. You can use this spice rub for prawns on skewers or for dusting onto whole fish like those frozen sardines that you get at Iceland too.

Now let me warn you that though it may appear that we had the perfect BBQ , it was right after a heavy downpour, which can catch you unawares, so it’s best to not wait for the sun to appear but stock up your freezer with your favourites from the frozen range that Iceland has to offer. I always have frozen kale, green peas and some fish in our freezer. But the sheer variety of vegetables, fish, meat and meat all ready to go on the BBQ will leave you spoilt for choice. From juicy prawns to succulent kebabs there is something for everyone to choose from. And if the weather does play spoil-sport then my recipe will give great results even when made using a pan indoors.

5.0 from 4 reviews

Juicy tandoori lobster tails

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Prep time

15 mins

Cook time

5 mins

Total time

20 mins

Savour a taste of India with my easy to make juicy tandoori lobster tails, buttery and spicy all at once.

Author: Manjiri

Recipe type: BBQ grilled seafood

Cuisine: Indian

Serves: 2

Ingredients

Frozen lobster tails - one pack from Iceland
Melted Butter - two largetablespoons
Ready tandoori masala mix - 1 large heaped tablespoon
Onion - one small to garnish
Lime - ½ to garnish

Instructions

Ideally, allow the lobster tails to defrost overnight in the refrigerator, but with our unpredictable weather try my easy method for an instant defrost - hold the lobster tails under running tap water to remove any ice clinging to the tails.
Then place them into a zip-lock pouch and hold it under running water. Allow to rest for about 10 minutes and then repeat the process twice.
Use a sharp kitchen knife or scissors and cut a u-shaped piece of the hard shell from the back of the lobster shell to reveal the vein. Ensure you remove the entire vein. Alternatively, after the BBQ , the shell comes off more easily and the vein is visible more clearly as it is dark black in colour and comes off very easily. Either way, just ensure you remove the vein before tucking in.
Melt the butter in the microwave and add the tandoori masala powder into it.
Use a brush to apply the spice mix generously to the fleshy bit of the lobster tail.
Allow the marinade to work its magic while the BBQ gets going
Place the lobster tails fleshly bit down first
The tails begin to turn a bright orange colour when turned over, just ensure that you do not overcook as the fleshy bit will taste very dry
Hot off the BBQ pour some melted butter and squeeze half a lime over the tails
Serve with thin rings of sliced red onion and corn on the cob smothered in chilli butter

I would recommend serving grilled seafood like fish, lobster tails or prawns on skewers along with grilled corn on the cob. Iceland freshly frozen mini corn cobs – 625gm for £1 are such a budget friendly delight to have in the freezer.

The Power of Frozen gives you quality and value that is not expected for luxury seafood especially lobster tails. All the natural flavours are sealed in and when you bite into a juicy lobster tail you can rest assured that the nutritional goodness is intact.

To complete our seafood BBQ feast, I choose Iceland’s 4 haddock frozen fillets. It was tough choice compared to the 4 boneless Atlantic salmon steaks but personally, I love haddock and how it takes up Indian spice rub flavours over other fish.

Find the recipe for my spice mix here

5.0 from 4 reviews

BBQ haddock steaks with homemade spice rub

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Prep time

10 mins

Cook time

6 mins

Total time

16 mins

With results similar to tandoori fish kebabs, this flaky fish lends itself well to hot and fragrant Indian spices.

Author: Manjiri

Recipe type: BBQ

Cuisine: Indian

Serves: 4

Ingredients

Iceland 4 haddock fillets frozen - one pack
3 large heaped tbsps olive oil
2 level tbsp spice rub
Juice of 1 large lemon or 2 small limes
1 heaped tbsp chopped fresh coriander leaves to garnish

Instructions

Remove the fish fillets from the freezer and hold under running tap water to get any ice clinging to them off
Pat dry with paper towels
Mix the homemade spice rub with olive oil in a small bowl
Slater on the marinade onto the fish generously and place two fillets at a time gently inside a fish grilling wire basket.
Place onto the BBQ and cook on each side fro few minutes.
The fish is cooked when it appears flakey and opaque.
Because these fillets are thin and on direct heat they cook through very quickly, take care not to overcook to avoid dry fillets.
Squeeze a lime generously over the grilled fish and top with finely chopped fresh coriander leaves for truly fresh flavour that compliments the spices in the homemade spice rub.

This post was commissioned by Iceland. As always all opinions are my own.

Homemade Spice Rub

June 16, 2016 by manjirichitnis Leave a Comment

Grilled, BBQ’ed, fried, steamed or baked – we love fish in our house and I have created my own recipe for an Indian spice rub. I used this on haddock fillets on the BBQ this Sunday and the result was very satisfying. Even with frozen fish fillets straight out of the freezer onto the hot grill the spice mix hit all the right notes.

It was incredibly to create this spice rub at home using my Optimum G.21 Platinum blender, the panel has six pre-programmed functions which are a real no brainer and one of those functions is ‘Grind’. I try and use my Froothie blender as much as possible and not just for my morning smoothies, it has just made my life that much simpler!

Homemade spice rub for fish steaks and prawns

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Prep time

2 mins

Total time

2 mins

Author: Manjiri

Recipe type: Freshly ground spice rub

Ingredients

¼ tsp peppercorns
2 cloves
1 dry Kashmirired chilli
1 badi elaichi or black cardamom
Green cardamom - 3 - without the outer green pod
2 cloves of garlic peeled
Cinnamon stick - roughly the length of the tip of your thumb
½ tsp turmeric powder
2 tsp cumin/ jeera
1 tsp amchoor powder / dried mango powder
1 tbsp kasoori methi
1 heaped tbsp fried onion
1 tbsp coriander seeds lightly roasted on a pan
1 whole round red chilli
½ tsp Himalayan pink salt
a tiny pinch of Asafoetida

Instructions

Add all ingredients into a grinder and blend till you get a grainy consistency.
Don't grind to a very smooth paste because the texture this consistency will lend to the fish, will hit the right spot on your palate. A finer texture I think would work better for meat.
Though this spice rub is suitable for freezing, since it contains garlic and fried onion I would not advise to keep in the freezer for over 10-15 days.
If you make a small batch and very little remains try adding into your curry for a lift in flavour.
If you do not deal well with spicy red chilli flavours then rule out the whole round red chilli completely and instead add a small pinch of paprika just for a hint of flavour.

These quantities yield enough spice mix for 2 medium sized fillets with a little leftover. If you want to use it for 4 or 6 fillets simply double the quantities.

Why not try my recipes for BBQ/ grilled lobster tails and Haddock fillets with this spice rub?

*This post has affiliate links.

Bangalore Express – new A la Carte Menu reviewed

June 8, 2016 by manjirichitnis Leave a Comment

Set in the heart of the City, Bangalore Express owned by acclaimed Chef-Patron Yogesh Datta, has a versatile menu offering loads of options to cater to every palate. On a pleasantly warm spring evening a large group of journalists and freelancers like me were invited to enjoy the launch of new A la carte menu.

Greeting familiar faces, as everyone arrived was a great way to settle in. The ‘Bindass bar’ is located on the ground floor and the stainless ‘dabbas’ that adorn the back wall reminded me of Mumbai’s efficient dabbawallas, ferrying impossible looking tiffins expertly balanced on their head snaking through busy and crowded railway stations. No wonder that the one of the cocktail’s is called Shantaram ( a very common name, also reminded of the book Shantaram by Gregory David Roberts) – which has amongst other flavours – mango and vodka.

I would highly recommend the new cocktail aptly titled ‘Bangalore Summer’. Strong flavours spicy green chilli and fragrant coriander delicately balanced with gin to create a refreshing summer drink – a pleasant reminder of cuisine typical to the southern states in India. Punchy and refreshing this cocktail seemed to be the popular drink of choice that evening.

The menu has all the usual classic dishes one would expect in any casual dining Indian restaurant, but the reason this place is such a firm favourite with not just the huge expat population that works in the city, but also with corporate clientele is the sheer variety of dishes they offer.

We ordered a selection of dishes from the starters and small platters, also the grilled sharing platter to really get the table buzzing.

The lollipop chicken from the Indo-Chinese small plates does not disappoint and is exactly what I was expecting – sweet and sticky chicken drumsticks with a crunch and a kick of red chilli with a hint of sesame flavour. The chilli squid is a fusion of flavours and a great accompaniment to summer cocktails.

The Nepalese momos – both the steamed chicken and tandoor grilled vegetable dumplings seemed to be popular with the other guests. I had to resist because compared to tandoori prawns they didn’t stand a chance;)

Without doubt, the star dish from the grilled sharing platters is the deluxe prawn platter which I shamelessly pretended to share with the two ‘foodies’ seated next to us. I could have asked for another platter if it had not been for the absolutely fabulous crispy okra chips. Very moreish these chips are coated with a light batter that is deep fried to a give it a deep golden colour. Devoured it dipped in tangy raw mango chutney and I guarantee you will greedily ask for more, just like we did.

Other gems like from the grilled sharing platter like the long chicken tikka skewer and mixed mini has some enthusiastic takers 😉

For mains, while I choose the rustic Marathi chicken curry on the bone, my friend ordered a crispy dosa – masala mash. The curry was very homely and is best paired with chapatis rather than rice. A surprise winner for me that evening though was a Punjabi boiled egg curry, It was so comforting and delightful that I would go back just for that one dish ( oh and the okra chips too!)

There is also a Deluxe dish section in the new menu with tempting offerings like the Asian seabass Nilgiri curry and culinary inspiration from around the world finds a place too in the big plates section. With offerings such as the Anglo-Indian fish and spicy chips, Dhaka Biryani to South African bunny chow all vying for attention. If that does not interest you then the popular ”Curry Plate Matrix” which lets you customise and build your own dish with a protein added to a curry base of varying degrees of heat, a choice of sides and also a choice of different types of rice – this matrix is a very creative option.

Express thali’s and old favourites sit nicely alongside vegetarian delights Paneer Lababadar and Bagare Baingan – an ode to the humble aubergine.

What makes this new menu so good is the fact that it reminds me of the way menu’s have evolved at my favourite casual dining restaurants back in Mumbai. All the usual suspects like Chicken sweet corn soup – an Ind0-Chinese favourite, to fish Koliwada for starters, are dishes I identify with. What delighted me most, was a Maharashtrian Chicken curry on the bone – a very homely treat best mopped up with several chapatis hot off the tawa with just the right amount of ghee trickling off the sides.

Mango ras malai topped with pistachios seemed like an appropriate way to appease my sweeth tooth, creamy and satisfying this dessert is apt for the summer months.

This gem of a restaurant nestled in Gracehurch Street opposite the iconic Leadenhall Market is a fail-safe choice for popular Indian curries, crispy dosas, cracking cocktails and popular Indo- Chinese favourites amongst other food. For the more homesick crowd – the breakfast menu with its masala chai and the homely curries will definitely hit the right spot.

*With thanks to Humayun Hussain, Chef-Patron Yogesh Datta of Bangalore Express for the invite. No monetary compensation was offered for a positive review. All opinions expressed here are entirely my own.