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Tomato and Coconut Chutney

April 27, 2016 by manjirichitnis 18 Comments

Tomato and Coconut Chutney recipe, a perfect little treat to scoop up with your soft idlis and crispy dosas

A freshly made coconut chutney served with steaming hot idlis or a crisp dosa hot off the pan is a thing of delight.

There are many varieties of this coconut chutney, but I prefer the one with tomatoes. It just adds that much more depth of flavour and dimension.

This easy recipe becomes even more fun to create when using a powerful blender like my new Optimum G.21 Platinum blender. Why? Because the speed and convenience of having a pre-set function to grind means the job is done at the press of a button.

Besides the consistency and texture of the chutney is perfect.

Ingredients for tomato coconut chutney

If you are using frozen grated coconut as I do, it will look like this

Frozen ready grated coconut

Tomato and Coconut Chutney

Manjiri Chitnis
Fresh and delicious this tomato and grated coconut chutney adds a pop of colour and vibrancy to your dishes
5 from 3 votes
Print Recipe
Prep Time 2 minutes mins
Cook Time 2 minutes mins
Course Side Dish
Cuisine Indian
Servings 6 servings

Equipment

  • Blender/Mixer-Grinder

Ingredients
  

For grinding the chutney

  • 55 gm Grated coconut – 1/4 cup
  • 1/2 large Tomato or 1 small
  • 3 Kashmiri red chillies dried
  • ½ Green Chilli
  • 1 tsp Chana dal or yellow Bengal gram split and without skin
  • Ginger – a small knob about the size of your thumbnail
  • 2 Small cloves Garlic – without skin
  • Salt as per taste
  • Water – add according to consistency

For the tadka or tempering

  • 1 tbsp Oil
  • 5 Curry Leaves
  • 1 tsp Mustard seeds
  • 1/2 tsp Urad dal (split black lentil without skin)

Instructions
 

  • Heat a pan on a medium flame and pan roast the chana dal till it turns a dark brown colour, do not allow it to burn, gently keep moving it on the pan with a wooden spatula. Set aside to cool
  • Halve the tomato and add into the blender
  • Add the freshly grated coconut, I buy a frozen packet from my local Indian store, have a look at the photograph in my post
  • Remove the skin of the ginger – this is best done using the back of a spoon if the ginger is fresh – it will come off easily, of not use a knife
  • Now add the garlic cloves, Kashmiri red chillies, and salt. You can increase or decrease the number of Red Chillies depending on how hot you want the chutney to be
  • Add the roasted chana dal which should have cooled down by now
  • Add about one and a half tbsp water and grind to a thick coarse paste-like consistency.
  • The water level depends on how you would like the consistency to be. I generally add a little more water after the first grind and give it one more pulse in my Froothie to get a better pouring consistency
  • Decant the chutney into a bowl
  • Heat the oil in a kadhai or saucepan and add the mustard seeds in the hot oil
  • Once the seeds begin to pop add the urad dal and let it brown, then throw in the fresh curry leaves
  • Pour this hot tadka mixture onto the chutney and serve fresh with steaming hot idlis or dosas
Keyword Chutney

A peek inside the blender ..

Ingredients for tomato coconut chutney

If you are not using the Froothie power blender, then chop the chillies roughly into small pieces, repeat with the ginger and garlic too.

This is because the sharp blades of the Optimum G2.1 Platinum blender will be able to easily grind the whole ingredients, a task that a regular mixie will struggle with.

I add the dried red Kashmiri chilli for its colour as well as flavour. In many of my curries I just these chillies whole to add a hint of flavour. But remember once made into a paste these chillies release their hidden potency – it’s a very different beast then and the heat can be really intense. So if you don’t deal with heaty – spicy chillies well then use only a half of a Kashmiri chilli in this chutney. It will still add a dash of colour and flavour without scathing your palate

And the green chilli gives it necessary flavour which I find very distinctly pungent and traceable when I eat this chutney, if it was missing I would know instantly and would miss it.

Tomato coconut chutney

The fresh taste of the chutney and the crunch of the curry leaves is simply irresistible, the tomatoes add just the right amount of tang to this beautiful chutney.Ā Typical to the South of India this recipe is something that most families make with variations of their own. Some even prefer to add some onion or roast the coconut before adding to the blender. whichever recipe you use this chutney will never go out of fashion.

Tomato coconut chutney

Need an easy recipe for steam idlis, check out my recipe here

*I am an ambassador for Froothie and was sent aĀ Froothie Optimum G2.1 Platinum blender for review. This post has affiliate links.

Filed Under: Chutneys, Food, Indian, Recipe Index Tagged With: chana dal, curry leaves, dosa chutney, freshly grated coconut, garlic, ginger, grinding with Froothie optimum G2.1, idli chutney, Ingredients for tomato coconut chutney, south indian recipe, tomatoes

Save money on these 5 essential ingredients + #CreditCrunchMunch for March 2016

March 1, 2016 by manjirichitnis 8 Comments

I cannot believe we are already into March 2016 – time truly does fly past at lightening speed. Of all the firm resolutions and changes for 2016 I am glad I have managed to stay true to my money saving ideas if not the ‘I shall blog 3 times a week’ or ‘ I will exercise at least 3 days every week’ type of resolutions.

One of the many things I have changed about how we manage our monthly budget on a single income is by doing batch cooking and also being mindful of where I buy my groceries from. Apart from the many sensible tips one can find for WHEN and WHERE to shop and how to make good with various supermarket offers, I also have some rules for my top 5 fresh ingredients for Indian cooking. Here they are:

  • Always buy fresh coriander bunches and curry leaves from your local Indian shop or Pakistani/Bangladeshi butcher shop – they sell larger bunches and you can buy two big fresh bunches for Ā£1
  • Ginger – I make fresh ginger tea very often – the famous Indian masala tea or as we call it in Marathi – ‘chaha’ – again I buy a huge chunk of fresh ginger for much less from my Indian grocery and vegetable shop
  • Garlic – most of my Indian curry and vegetable recipes use a lot of ginger, garlic and red onion and this is another item I bulk buy from my local LIDL – they sell cute mini baskets with at least 5-6 big bulbs of garlic – deal!
  • Red onions – most Indian shops or Pakistani/Bangladeshi butcher shops stock sacks of red onion – 5 or 10 kilos at rates much lower than your local supermarket – I generally stock up and though that means having to sort these out and process them quickly, it’s totally worth it. I chop the best ones and store them in my fridge in an air-tight container. The not so fresh ones quickly become puree’ for curries and stews and go into my freezer.
  • Dried lentil packets, Rice – especially Basmati , Chapati Atta – flour to make rotis and chapatis – I hunt for deals on various supermarket websites and at my local stores and only buy the ones that give the best deal. I prefer to go in the afternoon just after noon so I can concentrate on checking out the offers minus having the store flooded with school going kids.

I truly envy those skilled enough to grow their own herbs and that is one of my top TO-DO’s this year – a container garden!  More on this sometime later though and I hope these tips prove useful to all you thrifty shoppers out there. Now, I am guest hosting #CreditCrunchMunch for March 2016

Credit-Crunch-Munch-Just-Pic

For those of you have not heard about  #CreditCrunchMunch (and for the regulars – a re-cap) , here are some cool ideas that you can consider when linking up:

  • Dishes using cheaper ingredients – cheap cuts of meat or vegetarian
  • Meals using leftovers
  • Meals using up the ends of packets
  • Substitutions of cheaper ingredients
  • Packed lunches
  • Meals that use less energy to cook
  • Pressure cooking
  • Slow cooking
  • Faster cooking – less oven time for example
  • Batch cooking for the freezer
  • Sustainable foods
  • Food you have grown yourself
  • Meals from reduced food in the supermarket

How to take part in CREDIT CRUNCH MUNCH:

Simply blog about any money saving idea or recipe that is vaguely food related. We do a full round up so I will be mentioning all the recipes that are submitted.

There are a few very simple rules:

  • Please link to this post, and the Credit Crunch Munch pages on Fab Food 4 All Fuss Free Flavours
  • Please use the Credit Crunch Munch Badge
  • Tweet using #CreditCrunchMunch and tag me @manjirichitnis @FabFood4All & @FussFreeHelen
  • Closing date – last day of the month – 31st March 2016
  • You are welcome to link up one or two old posts, but please republish them
  • By entering you are agreeing to let us use an image from your entry on this site, and to pin to Pinterest
  • If blogging a recipe from elsewhere on the internet or a book please be mindful of copyright
  • But feel free to send to as many other events as you like, let’s help everyone save money!
  • Please visit a few other blogs who take part plus comment and share
  • This is a blog hop so please grab the code and share the linky on your site too.We look forward to seeing your entries!

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Filed Under: Food Tagged With: #CreditCrunchMunch for March 2016, basmati, Batch cooking for the freezer, Chapati Atta, curry leaves, Dishes using cheaper ingredients – cheap cuts of meat or vegetarian, Dried lentil packets, Faster cooking – less oven time for example, Food you have grown yourself, fresh coriander, garlic, ginger, grow your own vegetables, how to save money while buying ingredients for Indian recipes in London, Meals from reduced food in the supermarket, Meals that use less energy to cook, Meals using leftovers, Meals using up the ends of packets, Packed lunches, Pressure cooking, red onions, rice, Save money on these 5 essential ingredients, shop smart, Slow cooking, Substitutions of cheaper ingredients, Sustainable foods

Kale, Spinach and fruity superfood smoothie

March 15, 2015 by manjirichitnis 2 Comments

Am back with another smoothie post, this one was even better than my previous green one in that, that hubster really enjoyed it and was blissfully unaware about how much Kale he had unknowingly added into his system šŸ™‚

Also, Chia seeds are now a permanent feature of our smoothies and I add them into our porridge too, they are quite bland on their own and go with almost anything. They are a superfood and antioxidant boosting. Besides starting your day with a green smoothie keeps you going for longer, with a healthier fuller feeling which does not spike your blood sugar levels as some other sugar-laden juices can do , which then suddenly lead to a crash and thus result in hunger pangs.

What’s fab about this smoothie?

  • Chia seeds are 100% natural whole grains that are rich in omega-3, antioxidants, fibre, vitamins, and minerals. Great for those who have Type 2 diabetes as chia seeds can significantly lower blood pressure and a marker for inflammation.
  • Kale is rich in Vitamins K and C and is calcium, also it contains a chemical called sulforaphane which has anti-cancer properties.
  • Spinach helps boost iron levels and is a rich source of various Vitamins like B2, K, C & A.
Kale, Spinach and fruity superfood smoothie

Kale, Spinach and fruity super food smoothie

Manjiri Chinis
Delicious smoothie packed with the green goodness of spinach and kale
Print Recipe
Prep Time 2 minutes mins
Cook Time 2 minutes mins
Course Breakfast
Cuisine Fusion
Servings 2

Equipment

  • Blender

Ingredients
  

  • 250 gm Large handful of baby spinach leaves per person
  • 250 gm Large handful of KaleĀ leaves per person
  • 2 avocadoes
  • 1 pear
  • Coconut water
  • a small knob of ginger
  • Chia seeds and fresh berries to garnish

Instructions
 

  • Chop the ginger into small bits after roughly removing the skin, if the ginger is super fresh you can use the back of a spoon to easily peel of the fine layer of skin.
  • Roughlychop the pear
  • Half the avocados, remove the seed and roughly make large chunks
  • Washthe spinach and kale under running water in a colander
  • Simplychuuk all the above ingredients into a food processor with the coconut waterand add very little water just to give the smoothie some more movement while itmixesĀ in the food processor
  • Adjust the quantitiesaccording to how many servings you want to make
  • Sprinkle with some chia seeds and a raspberry or two and drink up for a delicious and filling smoothie that will do wonders for your body and mind!
Keyword smoothie

* With information gleaned off Wiki and some other useful sites and articles. Having said that am not a nutrition expert and am trying hard to get onto a balanced diet and exercise regime and educating myself to understand superfoods, how to eat cleaner, healthier and incorporate more raw foods, how to eat the right food at the right time to reduce blood sugar and how to fight off diabetes and other obesity led disorders.

Kale, Spinach and fruity superfood smoothie
Kale, Spinach and fruity superfood smoothie

I use my powerful and efficient Froothie U.K Optimum G2.1 Platinum blender to make my smoothies. I cannot imagine a single day in my kitchen where I go without using the blender. Why not have a look at my other recipes where I have made a quick job of the prep using my Froothie UK blender:

  • Steamed idlis
  • Tomato and coconut chutney
  • Homemade spice rub
  • Creamy celeriac and smoked red pepper soup

Filed Under: Food, Healthy, Recipe Index, Smoothies Tagged With: avocado, breakfast smoothie, chia, chia seeds, eat with a spoon smoothie, food blog, food writer, foodie goes green, foodie in London, ginger, green smoothie, Healthy recipes, how to stay healthy and positive, kale, lifestyle blogger, live healthy, Manjiri Chitnis, Manjiri Kulkarni, pear, recipe developer, reviews from travelsfortaste blog, slice of my life, sliceoffme, sliceoffme recipes, small changes for a better life, spinach, start small, thick smoothie, think healthy, travel blogger, travel writer, travelsfortaste

Avocado,Spinach and fruity Green Smoothie

February 18, 2015 by manjirichitnis 23 Comments

It’s a relatively bright and sunny but chilly February morning and the bright sunlight streaming through my kitchen window is not letting me sit down work due to the blinding light getting into my eyes. I have now moved to a cozy spot on the couch but it’s making me drowsy…

While I was away in India and eating all the wonderful local food, I also started reading up on a lot of things related to food, what we eat and how it affects us and how our body reacts to it all.

Now let me share some facts about myself – I am lazy – very lazy and not the type who will ever go the gym even twice a week – I have ended up wasting money in 2 currencies and 3 cities so I should know that however fabulous the gym it simply does NOT work for me.

Nor does dieting – I feel deprived and end up stuffing my face even more.

So what’s the way out when I have finally made a decision to eat sensibly and loose as much weight as I can without going mad. Well, past 2 weeks I have broken down my meals to smaller portions, trying to eat 5 small meals instead of 3 every day and have drastically cut down on sugar consumption. By sugar I don’t mean granulated sugar but sugar hidden in various food.

I have procured a chart about which foods are high in carbs and thus break down into sugar while they are being digested. Am consciously trying to read up more and steer clear of obviously sugar laden foods and any sugary foods are out. Thankfully I quit sugar in my tea years ago so that is not a problem but yes saying no to alcohol and other foods is not going to be easy. But then nothing good come by too easy does it?

Avocado, Spinach and Fruity Green Smoothie - Bursting with the goodness your body NEEDS every day!
Avocado, Spinach and Fruity Green Smoothie – Bursting with the goodness your body NEEDS every day!

So here goes, my morning smoothie recipe – an attempt to start the day on a healthy note :

Avocado,Spinach and fruity Green Smoothie

5 from 4 votes
Print Recipe
Prep Time 5 minutes mins
Cook Time 5 minutes mins
Course Drinks
Cuisine Fusion
Servings 2

Equipment

  • 1 Blender

Ingredients
  

  • 1/2 Banana
  • 1/2 Pear
  • 1/2 Big Avocado
  • 1 Apple
  • 8 tbsp Baby Spinach Leaves
  • 2 tsp Ginger

Instructions
 

  • Chop the ginger into small bits after roughly removing the skin, if the ginger is super fresh you can use the back of a spoon to easily peel of the fine layer of skin
  • Roughly chop all the fruitsinto chunks. Break the banana half by hand
  • Simply chuck all the aboveingredients into a food processor and add very little water just to give the smoothie some movement and consistency

I prefer a thick consistency the type you can scoop out using a spoon as it is simply more satisfying and increases the feeling of being full.

This made 2 small glasses and I had both of them , simply double up the quantity for 2 people and so on and so forth.

Avocado, Spinach and Fruity Green Smoothie - Bursting with the goodness your body NEEDS every day!
Avocado, Spinach and Fruity Green Smoothie – Bursting with the goodness your body NEEDS every day!

Leafy, green, tasty, bursting with fruity goodness and taste, this smoothie is an immune system booster and full of all things good for your body. It will definitely boost sagging energy levels and induce a feel-good factor. The smooth creamy taste added by the avocado is a bonus!

I have linked up my recipe with Credit Crunch Munch which is a frugal food recipe sharing challenge developed by Helen over at Fuss Free Flavours and Camilla over at Fab Food 4 All and guest hosted by the lovely Elizabeth who blogs at Elizabeth’s Diary,  linked up for Feb 2015 on her blog post too.

Filed Under: Food, Healthy, Recipe Index, Smoothies Tagged With: apple, avocado, banana, breakfast smoothie, eat raw, eat with a spoon smoothie, fdbloggers, foodblogger, foodie goes green, ginger, green smoothie, Healthy recipes, how to stay healthy and positive, live healthy, Manjiri, Manjiri Chitnis, Manjiri Chitnis Kulkarni, Manjiri Kulkarni, pear, raw foods, recipe developer, recipedeveloper, sliceoffme, small changes for a better life, smoothie a day keeps the doctor away, spinach, start small, the goodness of raw, thick smoothie, think healthy, travelsfortaste

Vin Chaud – Hot French Mulled Wine with Red Wine

November 25, 2014 by manjirichitnis 14 Comments

Last week Sunday was mostly grey and rainy , but I wasn’t feeling blue about the weather, I spent the day mostly curled up with a good book watching Netflix with the hubster around. We also decided that since it was the day the lights went on at Regent’s street it was the perfect day to get out the ladder and reach for the large brown carton which contains amongst other odds and ends our plastic Christmas tree neatly folded and wrapped, all our precious baubles and ….the neatly wrapped bundle of lights…..

As the crowds gathered around to watch the lights go on at Regents Street around 3pm, as hubster was gently snoring away after a rather delicious (if I may say so myself) meal of fried king fish, red lentil curry and rice, I decided that it was perfect time to take stock of what was in my store cupboard and check on my dried fruits which are now steeping in a rather rich alcohol base – ready for the day I will make the Christmas pudding. It was then that I found a beautiful tin with 2 packets of gorgeous spices to make Mulled wine, which was part of my goody bag given during July at the Christmas Show by waitrose.

There is something absolutely magical and heartwarming about opening a packet of spices , it is like flipping through an old album, happy memories of holidays spent with family , turkey carved, gifts unwrapped on Christmas morning….. all seem to come tumbling out of my blue tin spice jar which has a picture of Santa pulling his sleigh along the snow. The light brown tightly curled cinnamon sticks and hard dried orange sitting amongst deep red dried berries and fragrant cardamom… like a bouquet of aromas…

Waitrose Cellar had sent me a case of carefully picked red wines to let me experiment and come up with a recipe for mulled wine, from a country of my choice and taking inspiration from their Mulled wine page .They have a beautiful collection of recipes for mulled wines from around the world.  They also sent as part of the case a bottle of wine that was mulled by their team of wine experts.

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I remembered reading a recipe for Vin Chaud  or Hot French Mulled Wine on  David Lebovitz’s blog long ago and I knew I wanted to pick this French version of mulled wine and create it using the red wine – MarquĆ©s de Calatrava Organic SelecciĀ“on Reservada Tempranillo from my wine case sent by Waitrose. Priced at Ā£8.99 it is described as having notes of juicy strawberry with subtle spices and vanilla. This  fruity red made from Tempranillo grapes grown in the La Mancha region. It is a medium to full-bodied wine with a rich palate. It sounded apt for making Vin Chaud as it would marry well with the ginger and pepper required in the recipe used by David Lebovitz, which was inspired by a recipe Food52 cookbook. He has very rightly mentioned that adding cinnamon into the Vin Chaud which is actually made with white wine, overpowers the taste of the other warming spices in the hot French mulled wine.

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I also found another recipe for Vin Chaud by Rebecca Franklin a French food expert on about.com and it recommends the addition of cinnamon and cognac –  now Cognac –  I am a huge fan of. Friends who know me well, tire of my boring old way of almost always ordering a large peg of cognac with hot water when we go out during winter season. It’s just something to do with the rich, strong ,smooth and warm drink sipped slowly that warms my blood ,like a mini warm toasty log-fire inside my body, an internal thermostat of sorts…  šŸ™‚

So I decided to use combine both the recipes and both hubster and me are really satisfied with the end result. So much so that we ended up greedily pouring ourselves a more than generous portion of the Vin Chaud to perilous after effects which involved both us falling fast asleep while the tv played a few episodes of Breaking Bad to no one in particular – humm

Note to self – do not guzzle wine on an empty stomach especially Vin Chaud made with a large ‘splash’ of Cognac added in….

This warm festive mulled wine infused with hot spices and spiked with Cognac, honey and pepper is a great choice for serving at Christmas Parties and for sipping on co during cold, winter evenings – imagine drinking this fab French mulled wine in the dead of winter when you have just stepped in after braving the wretched winter winds , as the heating and warm socks work their effect on the outside, the hot wine induces a sense of warmth and festivity within – no one will judge you if you do go a bit overboard…

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Vin Chaud – Hot French Mulled Wine

Vin Chaud – Hot French Mulled Wine with Red Wine

Manjiri Chitnis
Print Recipe
Course Drinks
Cuisine French
Servings 6 servings

Ingredients
  

  • 1 Bottle Red Wine – I used MarquĆ©s de CalatravaOrganic SelecciĀ“on Reservada Tempranillo
  • 3 Pods Cardamom
  • 3 Cloves
  • 2 slices Ginger
  • 1 Star Anise
  • 60 ml Cognac ie. 1/4 cup
  • 1 Dried orange slice
  • A generous sprinkling of freshly ground black pepper

Instructions
 

  • Pour the red wine into a saucepan add in all the ingredients and simmer over the lowest setting on your hob
  • Keep stirring and do not allow the wine to boil
  • Heat until the wine begins to bring up steam
  • Strain using a sieve or a cheesecloth-lined funnel
  • Pour into glasses and enjoy the warm, spicy mulled wine

Serves:6

Ingredients:

  • Ā 1 bottle of MarquĆ©s de Calatrava Organic SelecciĀ“on Reservada Tempranillo
  • 3Ā cardamom pods
  • 3Ā cloves
  • 2 slices ginger
  • 1 whole star anise
  • 1/4 cup i.e 60ml Cognac
  • 1 dried orange slice
  • a generous sprinkling of freshly ground black pepper
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I do hope this festive Hot French mulled wine warms the cockles of your heart this winter. Cheers!

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Inspired to try your hand at some fun cocktails at home? Why not have a look at my other recipes below:

  • Spiced Pink Gin Cocktail
  • Festive Hot Chocolate Vodka Martini
  • Spiced Pomegranate Cocktail

*With thanks to Waitrose Cellar . No monetary compensation was offered for a positive review. As always all opinionsĀ expressed here are entirely my own. Thanks to David Lebovitz for his inspiringĀ post on Vin Chaud.

Filed Under: Food, Product Reviews Tagged With: aromatic, cardamom pods, christmas, cloves, Cognac, easy mulled wine recipe, Food52 cookbook, France, French recipe, freshly ground black pepper, fruity red, ginger, honey, juicy strawberry, La Mancha region, magic of christmas, Marqués de Calatrava Organic Selecci“on Reservada Tempranillo, medium to full-bodied wine, rich palate, Santa Claus, spices, subtle spices, vanilla, Vin Chaud - Hot French Mulled Wine with Red Wine from Waitrose Cellar, Vin Chaud easy recipe, Vin Chaud recipe, winter recipes, winter warmer

Lunch at Le Porte des Indes, Marylebone, London – Review (Permanently closed)

May 6, 2014 by manjirichitnis 7 Comments

Influence of the British Raj on India,its culture and their indelible influence on the railways , architecture and the many places of tourist interest is common knowledge but India was also ruled by Mughals,the Portuguese,the French and the Dutch. Each of these colonies bear distinct stamps of a deep-rooted influence especially on the food with some beautiful foods that have become a part of the local community and recipes developed by such confluence of are not only brilliant in taste but also a mixture of flavours that otherwise would not have been combined.

I had heard so much aboutĀ Le Porte des Indes and Chef Mehernosh Mody who has been awarded Ethnic Chef of the Year 2012 at the Craft Guilds of Chefs Awards forĀ people who pay attention to things like that. So when Fiona who blogs at London Unattached asked me to accompany her for a lunch atĀ Le Porte des IndesĀ it was an offer too tempting to pass up!

Le Porte des Indes literally means Gateway to India. The decor is warm and welcoming and I felt was in some old, Indian palace with intricate wood carvings, huge artefacts, paintings especially replicas of Raja Ravi Verma’s magnificent originals and stone statutes which reminded of the ones at Khajuraho. Indoor plants are similar to ones I would see probably at The TajĀ Hotel in Mumbai, India lots of wooden statues of Lord Ganesha too.

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We started by ordering some drinks I ordered for a Tamarind Martini while Fiona ordered some  white wine.My gin,tamarind and limoncello martini came adorned with a slice of Star Fruit on the side .The sight of the star fruit took me back to my college days when my friends and me , about ten of us would get off the train and trade  the crowded bus journey on way back from school and walk home instead on the dusty footpath – our treat for walking, a tangy snack packed in an old newspaper sold by a haath – gaadi or hand cart street food vendor which included roasted peanuts in shells, tamarind -imli and star fruit slices sprinkled with chilli powder and topped with a squeeze of lime – very ,very tangy but totally fun. On a good day when we had some extra change between us we would follow this up with a fizzy drink from a small shanty opposite the gates of the IIT,Mumbai campus mummm – simple pleasures. Seems so far away now and I only ever see my friends on Facebook and comment on old scanned photographs šŸ™‚

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I fell in love with the beautiful cutlery and the copper plate sighh…

Our starter was Demoiselles de Pondiche’ry – seared king scallops with a hint of garlic in a delicious saffron sauce –  succulent and morish…

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The cuisine is a mix of  French,Tamil and Creole influences and lots of fusion recipes using the chefs imagination.

Next up was a platter of starters with kebabs and a fish called ”Patra ni Machi” or Parsee fish (Patra – leaf , Macchi – fish) this divine fish was made using fillets of sole encased in a mint and coriander chutney steamed in a banana leaf.I remember eating this fish at a Parsee friends wedding feat in Bombay 5 years ago and it had green chillies in a generous amount in the green chutney.There was a mild hint of chilli in our fish ,just perfect, excellent in fact and I could have made more,no wonder this is Chef Mehernosh Mody’s speciality. The other starters on our platter  were Kathi kebabs – spiced lamb kebabs rolled in an egg served with a dark fruity chutney. Murgh Malai Kebabs – tandoori grilled chicken tikkas marinated in a creamy cheese sauce with spices.A twist on the usual onion and potato pakoras we ate Chard Pakoras – red and green chard rolled in gram flour, green chillies,coriander, turmeric and caraway seeds and  fried crisp – very tasty!All this served with  Garlic and Coriander Naan.

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In the picture about L-R :Murgh Malai Kebabs,Parsee fish,Chard Pakoras and in the middle Kathi kebabs.Peaking on the right side corner is a rice cracker with a roughly ground green chilli chutney with a cooling  yoghurt and saffron dip.

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In the picture above is the Pomegranate Raita -Natural yoghurt with pomegranate, a touch of cumin and paprika.We then ate this most perfectly cooked white fish in a rich tamarind sauce steamed in a banana leaf – pure pleasure.

Resized Images Le porte de Indes

For our mains we got a large assortment of dishes served Basmati Saffron Pillav Rice, Seed Naan and Red Rice– Steamed organic red rice.

L -R in the photo of our mains platter below:

Tandoori Barra Chops: British Lamb Chops Char-grilled with cinnamon, cardamom and cloves finished with caramelised onions -everything you expect from a tandoori lamb really  – smoky,soft,packed with flavour and juicy ,falling off the bone.Prawn Assadh curry as it is made in Pondicherry with turmeric,ginger, green chillies,coconut, mustard seeds and green mangoes – so creamy and delicious we couldn’t get enough of it scooping it off our plate with our  naan stuffed with spiced lamb.Poulet Rouge, spĆ©cialitĆ© de notre maison  is a gallic inspired dish – Chicken Slices marinated in yoghurt and red spices, grilled and served in a creamy sauce. Rougail d’ Aubergine: Smoked aubergine crushed with red chilli, ginger and green lime also called  Baingan ka bharta in Hindi.I was most delighted to find we had a portion of  mutton – it is not easy to get goat’s meat locally and this Mutton Braised home style as in Pondicherry with robust spices and laced with coconut milk was a delicious curry with the mutton having soaked up all the flavours of the spices .With the Saffron rice it was very good.Chef Mehernosh Mody also let us in who his regular suppliers who he told us are all local British producers.

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We also had a  selection of chutneys to go with the naan.Though I was stuffed I was hoping I could manage to have some dessert. After all a grand meal like this is not complete without some Indian sweets!;)

Fiona had to leave in a hurry and only managed to taste some the many treats on our mixed dessert platters.

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L-R : Frozen dessert – Rose flavoured kulfi -the indian home-made ice cream with no artificial flavourings or stabilizers, made using  Jersey & Guernsey Milk with pistachios ,followed by a mini chocolate filled samosa – thin pastry stuffed with chocolate and deep-fried ,Belgian Dark Chocolate Mousse(55% Cocoa Solids)  served in traditional leaf cup – in India its is common practice to serve desserts in a dried leaf folded into the shape of a cup especially at large public gatherings like the Sarvjanik Ganpati Festival and during Navratris – these are bio-degradable and much better option over plastic or foam cups, a fruit tart and a slice of mango carved artistically.

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Chef Mehernosh Mody then took me on a tour of the premises .There is so much room for big parties in the Maharajah room which is very tastefully done up antique Indian artifacts, the Shamiana perfect for weddings and a lovely,a fully private big dining room with French colonial decor  for corporate lunches too.If that is not enough there’s a Jungle Bar complete with cane furniture ,palm trees and tiger skin rugs so while you sip on a tropical signature cocktail called Karma which has – oh yes coconut juice and vodka, you can pretend your on the beautiful shores of Pondicherry ne Puducherry with pristine beaches of blue water and warm silky sand and are about to set  off  for a hunting expedition in a while with your buddies! Did you know that Puducherry meaning New Town is also referred to as ”The French Riviera of the East”? 

That’s not the talented Chef  Mody also conducts live cooking classes in the restaurant where the chef and his team unravel the mysteries of Indian cooking , explain the intricacies of the spices and how to cook a great Indian Meal – fab idea for team building exercise I say where you actually eat the fruits of your labour!

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The Beautiful dome of the former Edwardian ballroom this adds to the grandeur of the place.

LaPorte_private_room2 (Copy)

One of the private dining rooms, notice the beautiful statues at the back? šŸ™‚

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At the Jungle Bar it was common practise for patrons to throw peanut shells across the floor and then walk all over them on crunching shells!Fun I say.

For the images of the dome, the private dinning room and Jungle bar – Image Courtesy -Le Porte des Indes

Disclaimer: With many thanks to Chef Mehernosh Mody,Ā the attentive team at Le Porte des Indes andĀ Fiona. IĀ was not required to write a positive reviewĀ and was not compensated monetarily for this post. Like all my previous posts about events and reviews, ALL opinions expressed here are entirely my own.

Filed Under: Lifestyle, Restaurant Reviews Tagged With: a touch of cumin and paprika, antique Indian artifacts, Baingan ka Bharta, Basmati Saffron Pillav Rice, Belgian Dark Chocolate Mousse, British Lamb Chops Char-grilled with cinnamon, British Raj on India, cardamom and cloves finished with caramelised onions, Chard Pakoras, Chef Mehernosh Mody, Chicken Slices marinated in yoghurt and red spices, coconut, coconut juice and vodka, Craft Guilds of Chefs Awards, delicious saffron sauce, Demoiselles de Pondiche'ry, dome, Ethnic Chef of Year 2012, facebook, falling off the bone, faux tiger skin rugs, food and travel blogger, food writer, foodie in London, former Edwardian ballroom, French, French colonial decor, gallic inspired dish, Garlic and Coriander Naan, Gateway to India, gin, ginger, ginger and green lime, goat's meat, grandeur of the place, green chillies, grilled and served in a creamy sauce, haath - gaadi, hand cart street food vendor, Hindi, hunting expedition, IIT, imli and star fruit slices sprinkled with chilli powder, India, Jersey & Guernsey Milk with pistachios, Jungle Bar, Kathi kebabs, kulfi - the indian home made ice cream with no artificial flavourings or stabilizers, Le Porte Des Indes, London Unattached, Lord Ganesha, Maharajah room, Manjiri Chitnis, Manjiri Kulkarni, mini chocolate filled samosa, Mumbai campus, Murgh Malai Kebabs, mustard seeds and green mangoes, Mutton Braised home style as in Pondicherry with robust spices and laced with coconut milk, New Town, packed with flavour and juicy, Parsee fish, Patra ni Machi, Pomegranate Raita -Natural yoghurt with pomegranate, Pondicherry, Poulet Rouge, Prawn Assadh curry as in Pondicherry with turmeric, Puducherry, Raja Ravi Verma, roasted peanuts in shells, Rose flavoured kulfi, Rougail d' Aubergine, Sarvjanik Ganpati Festival, seared king scallops, Seed Naan and Red Rice- Steamed organic red rice, Shamiana, slice of mango, slice of my life, sliceoffme, Smoked aubergine crushed with red chilli, smoky, soft, spƩcialitƩ de notre maison, Star Fruit, succulent and morish, tamarind, tamarind and limoncello martini, Tamarind Martini, Tamil and Creole influences, Tandoori Barra Chops, tandoori grilled chicken tikkas marinated in a creamy cheese sauce with spices, The French Riviera of the East, The Taj Hotel, thin pastry stuffed with chocolate, topped with a squeeze of lime, travel writer, travelsfortaste, tropical signature cocktail called Karma, walking on peanut shells, white fish in a rich tamarind sauce steamed in a banana leaf, yoghurt and saffron dip

Egg Curry/Anda Curry/ą¤…ą¤£ą„ą¤”ą¤¾ ą¤•ą¤¾ą¤°ą„€ from my college days

October 13, 2013 by manjirichitnis 2 Comments

Egg curry and soft paav or square buns are the most common hostel food that one can make with a saucepan, some eggs and a few basic ingredients. It is hugely popular as a filling, tasty curry and there are as many variations as the imagination, one’s budget and availability of ingredients on a particular day will allow šŸ™‚

This version is what I always make and is sort of derivative of what would be made in the North of India. I sometimes like to make it into a coastal flavoured one by adding freshly grated coconut but that’s only if I want to make it posh but that’s very, very rare. After all, this is a quick, save the evening sort of curry!

It’s National Curry Week and it’s wonderful to see how Britain has embraced an Indian food habit and made it, its own over the years, spinning off British Indian versions of popular Indian home-cooked curries.

I wanted to start off my posts for National Curry Week, with this one because of how easy it is to make and a great recipe for students everywhere šŸ™‚

Indian Egg Curry

Manjiri Chitnis
Street food style Indian Egg curry, reminiscent of the delicious street food I enjoyed during my student days in Mumbai, India
Print Recipe
Prep Time 5 minutes mins
Cook Time 20 minutes mins
Course Main Course
Cuisine Indian
Servings 2 People

Equipment

  • 1 Saucepan with Lid
  • 1 Wooden Spoon/ Spatula
  • 1 Knife
  • 1 Chopping Board

Ingredients
  

  • 4 Medium-sized Eggs
  • 2 Medium-sized Red Onions/ Mumbai Onions
  • 2 Medium-sized Ripe Tomatoes
  • 2 tsp Red Chilli Powder
  • 2 tsp Turmeric
  • 1 tsp Garam Masala
  • 1 tsp Cumin Powder
  • 1 tsp Coriander Powder
  • 2 Green Chillies
  • 1 tsp Ginger Paste
  • 1 Clove Garlic finely chopped
  • 2 tbsp Olive Oil
  • A pinch Asafoetida (Heeng)
  • Salt to taste
  • Fresh coriander to Garnish

Instructions
 

  • Boil the eggs in an open saucepan and leave aside to cool
  • Roast the chopped red onion in a saucepan and spritz it in the mixer with the chopped tomatoes and green chillies. (If you want a coastal touch add 2 tbsp of freshly grated coconut in this mixture and puree it together, ensure to use at least 3 finely chopped garlic in the pan as they set off the taste of fresh coconut beautifully)
  • In a saucepan heat the oil and add a pinch of asafoetida, then add the chopped garlic and roast till it turns light brown, then add the ginger paste, turmeric, red chilli powder,garam masala, coriander and cumin powders
  • Stir in theĀ onion and tomato puree
  • Cook on a low flame for 2 minutes
  • Then add some water to make a gravy-like consistency and add the boiled, peeled eggs after cutting them in half, add salt and cook for a further 5 – 6 minutes
  • Serve with hot chapatis/naan bread,paav, soft fresh wholemeal bread or with steaming hot boiled white rice –to make the rice taste heavenly drop a blob of butter, and the steam trapped in the grains of rice will melt the butter into a golden pool of gooey goodness – pour the egg curry into this and enjoy the best and simple pleasures of curry!
Anda Curry

Looking for a Curry Recipe? You might also like:

  • Masoorachi Aamti or Red Lentil Curry
  • Field Beans curry – VALACHE BIRDHE (ą¤µą¤¾ą¤²ą¤¾ą¤šą„‡ ą¤¬ą¤æą¤°ą¤”ą„‡) – MADE IN A TYPICAL C.K.P WAY
  • Pomfret Fish Curry
  • Pomegranate Chicken Curry
  • Punjabi Kadhi

While we are talking things curry, do also check out this interesting Mapo Tofu curry from one of my favourite blogs šŸ™‚

Why not try my other recipes with Eggs as the star ingredient?

  • Sausage-loaded omelette – Basic Omelette recipe
  • Soft-boiled eggs and asparagus soldiers
  • Smoky chorizo and chives with eggs oven-baked in pots
  • Turkish Poached eggs
  • Indian Masala egg omelette
  • Egg based Team-Time Treats – compilation of recipes
I VISISTED A BUSY EGG FARM WHERE HENS ROAM IN RURAL ENGLAND, HAVE A READ AND BROWSE THROUGH SOME PICTURES FOR A VIRTUAL TOUR

Behind the scenes at an Egg Farm

Filed Under: Food, Indian, Recipe Index Tagged With: Anda Curry, anda curry recipe, asafoetida, boiled, Britain, British Indian recipes, butter, cheap eats, cloves, coconut, coriander, crushed, cumin, curry, easy recipe, easy student recipes, Egg Curry, finely chopped, fresh, garam masala, garlic, garnish, ghee, ginger, grated, green chillies, hostel foods, mixer, naan bread, National Curry Week, north indian anda curry, olive oil, paav, paste, puree, quick and easy egg curry recipe, ready in 20 minutes, red onion, rice, spicy, tomato, wholemeal bread, ą¤…ą¤£ą„ą¤”ą¤¾ ą¤•ą¤¾ą¤°ą„€

Cauliflower ani vatanyachi bhaji, Gobi Vatana Sabzi, Cauliflower side dish with green peas

September 5, 2012 by manjirichitnis 8 Comments

Cauliflower green peas Sabzi

I love cauliflower as a vegetable for its taste and sheer possibilities in the kitchen, my fav everyday vegetable to be eaten with chapatis is a mix of cauliflower and green peas in a spicy, semi-dry sabzi form. I used biryani masala to add a twang to my usual taste and the result was worth sharing:)

ą¤«ą„ą¤²ą„‰ą¤µą¤° वाटाणा मसाला ą¤­ą¤¾ą¤œą„€

Skill level beginner, basic

Serves :2 with rotis and curd to make a light meal

Cauliflower and Green peas Masala Sabzi

Manjiri Chitnis
Easy, delicious vegetarian sabzi, an everday dish in a Maharashtrian home
5 from 2 votes
Print Recipe
Prep Time 5 minutes mins
Cook Time 10 minutes mins
Course Main Course
Cuisine Indian
Servings 2 people

Equipment

  • Kadhai or Work or saucepan
  • Chopping Board
  • Sharp Knife
  • Spatula

Ingredients
  

  • 1 medium-sized Cauliflower
  • 4 tbsp Green peas
  • 1 pinch Asafoetida/hing
  • 1-2 Red Onions very finely sliced
  • 3 – 4 Curry leaves
  • 2 Green chillies
  • 2 tbsp Biryani masala
  • 1/2 Red juicy tomato
  • 1 tsp Ginger paste
  • 2 cloves Garlic very finely sliced
  • 2 tsp Oil for tadka
  • 1/4 tsp Mustard seeds
  • 1/4 Cumin seeds
  • Salt to taste
  • 1/2 tsp each of Turmeric n Red Chilli powders
  • 1 tsp Coriander powder
  • 1 tsp Jeera Powder
  • Few Sprigs Fresh Coriander leaves finely chopped to garnish
  • 1 tsp Lime Juice

Instructions
 

  • Heat cooking oil in a Kadhai/wok/ saucepan
  • When the oil is hot, add the asafoetida and mustard seed, when the seeds start to pop add cumin seeds and the finely chopped garlic bits
  • Ensure the cumin seeds turn a toasty brown and then swiftly move on to the next ingredients
  • Next, go in with the fresh green curry leaves and green chillies followed by the finely chopped onion
  • Add the coriander powder, ginger and garlic pastes and stir well and allow it to become a sticky sort of paste
  • Then add the biryani masala and feel the explosion in the aroma as it marries well with the onion and spice paste
  • Then go in with the cauliflower florets and the green peas
  • Turn off the heat for a bit, sprinkle turmeric powder, red chilli powder, cumin powder
  • Season with salt as per taste
  • Turn the heat back on, ideally a low flame on the hob and a really low setting on the electric cooker
  • Sprinkle some water enough to wet the veggies and allow for some steam to form, this will allow the cauliflower to cook
  • Stirring occasionally, cook with a lid for about under 5 minutes
  • Check after first 3 minutes to ensure the cauliflower does not overcook
  • To serve, garnish with fresh coriander leaves, chopped fine and a tiny squeeze of lime juice to add an extra twang
  • Best enjoyed served with hot puffy Polya (Marathi for Chapatis or Rotis ) off the hob!
Keyword cauliflower

Gobi Vatana Sabzi

I am linking my recipe, which happens to be my favourite fusion-Maharashtrian vegetarian recipe for Cauliflower and Green Peas Sabzi with In My Veg Box for May 2014 hosted by me for Nayna who Blogs at Simply. Food and Citrus Spice.

In my veg box cauliflower

Filed Under: Food, Indian, Recipe Index, Sides Tagged With: asafoetida, biryani, chilly, coriander, cumin, curry, easy, food, garlic, ginger, green, green peas, Indian, lime, masala, oil, original, recipe, red onion, sabzee, saji, salt, squeeze, tadka, tumeric, twsit, veg

Food,travel and lifestyle writer. Photographer.

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