semolina - Travels for Taste

Go Goa with Indian Zing’s Goan Inspired Christmas Menu – a Review

December 21, 2014 by manjirichitnis 4 Comments

A short walk from Ravenscourt Park Tube station, this Indian restaurant is at the end of a high street with far too many restaurants n close proximity to each other. But clearly Indian Zing seems to be favoured over the others as a few minutes after we strolled in there late on Monday evening it was heaving with hungry customers.

I was invited to review the Christmas Menu and seeing Pork sorpotel, Pork Vindaloo and a Turkey Jalfrezi on their Goan Christmas Menu, I couldn’t turn down a week day trip to a part of London that is not quite on my way back home from work.

We were greeted warmly by the maître d’ Rahul who got us a ‘welcome drink’ shortly after we were seated. This warming soupy broth of tomatoes, coriander and some other secret ingredients was just what we needed on a chilly evening.

While we selected our wine and starters, we were pleasantly surprised to have the owner-Chef Manoj Vasaikar stroll in for a chat. Like us he is a Maharashtrian from Mumbai and I guess one the reasons we immediately warmed up to him. Of course it is Chef Manoj’s down to earth demeanour that puts one at ease from the word go. The love for food and his passion to serve fresh food cooked using quality ingredients carefully sourced becomes evident as he shares the inspiration behind the new Goan Inspired menu and as we chatted away a small part of me seemed to drift away from the conversation to a pristine white sands beach in Goa.

The fact that we were seated in a restaurant which has beautiful Indian artefacts and carved wooden pillars (an extension of the influence of the Chef’s Indian background and love for things Indian) may also have had something to do giving me the feeling that I was in India not London on a cold, rainy winter evening.

First up came the starters :

Goan vegetable cutlets (Almomdegas) – Exotic vegetable with Goan herbs and spices, pan seared. Served with red Goan chutney and baby cress
Pork Sorpotel – A pork pickle mellowed with a distinct flavour of dried red Goan paste marinated in Palm vinegar. Served with sanna (a steamed rice cake).
Sun Dried Shrimps and Fish Cutlets – Small shrimps, seasonal fish with fresh herbs and spices, root vegetable with semolina seared on hot pan. Served with roasted coconut chutney.

One bite into the shrimp and fish cutlet had me oohing and aahing and of course greedily craving for more 😉 While for hubster the Sorpotel hit the spot. The tangy pickle flavour combined with the fiery Goan paste is cleverly balanced by the palm vinegar while the steamed rice cake – Goa’s answer to bread, manages to cut through the spice really quite nicely.

I could happily have had lots more of the shrimp and fish cutlets and continued sipping on aromatic red which the maître d’ kindly picked out for me. Cabernet Sauvignon, Les Templiers, Vinde Pays a red wine from France with blackcurrant and blackberry flavours with ripe balanced tannins – perfect match with our starters.

While Chef Manoj left to go check on his guests at his other rrestaurant Rahul continued to fuss over us and we left it to him to bring us his favourite picks from Indian Zing’s Goan themed Christmas Menu.

By now the festive spirit had us in it’s grips and hubster and me happily reminisced about all things Mumbai, when was the last time we visited Goa and other such happy memories. I was in Std 5 when my parents took my sister and me to Goa for a long vacation and I still can never forget the meal of steamed rice and the fresh catch of the day we all shared at a cute little beach shanty. Of course time has a way of erasing bits and pieces from your memories, something like old photographs in family albums that begin to fade and fray at the edges but the essence of the moment always stays captured somewhere in that picture. That is why food like what we were about to eat brings with a rush of memories, familiar sights and sounds tumble out of old hidden chests in your memory bank…

When Rahul arrived with a huge tray with 4 mains, plain naan, steamed rice and brown rice pulav we couldn’t wait to get started.

I had to taste the Zing’s Turkey Jalfrezi with Caramelised Cranberry first though and it is a fabulous marriage of east meets west with perfectly cooked diced turkey which has been marinated in a rich spice mixture served in a thick gorgeous onion, pepper and tomato gravy sauce topped with scrumptious caramelised cranberries.

Hubster on the other hand dug into the Pork Vindaloo, a traditional Goan delicacy, heavily spiced and usually fiery, this dish to me is Goa on a Plate. A hand me down from the Portuguese influence on Goan food , Indian Zing’s interpretation results in a dish of melt in your mouth soft pork dish in a rich sauce of slow cooked spices which penetrate through the meat giving it an intense depth of flavour, almost like eating a juicy meat pickle. Mop this up with plain naan – makes a superb combination I say.

Seafood lovers that we both are, we were happy that Goan fish Ambottik was part of the selection of dishes we were sampling. Best consumed with plain boiled rice this fish gravy is seasoned with kokum which gives it fabulously tangy almost sour flavour and the spices give it that familiar coastal curry flavour but with a dash of Goan red chillies. Not for the faint hearted though this is a fiery one but a true Goan dish , do not hesitate to order this. I highly recommend washing this down with several glasses of Gamay, Duboeuf Vin de Pays a Red wine from France, a lively red with a full aromatic character of crushed fresh berries, which is slightly chilled to balance spicy food. ( I noticed that the wine menu had a Sauvignon Blanc from Sula Vineyards in Nashik from Maharashtra state in India and I almost immediately wanted to order us a bottle to take home but have decided to go back and savour this wine on a relaxed afternoon some day soon over a meal of fish curry and rice – ummm)

We ate spoonfuls of Caldinho de legumes in between greedy mouthfulls of the Ambottik and rice. A green herb curry with a gorgeous combination of vegetables and mushrooms smothered in cashew nut gravy this is flavoured with a virgin extract of coconut milk and topped with wafer thin roasted almonds. Absolutely delightful this is a fabulous accompaniment to most of the mains especially the Turkey Jalfrezi. Frankly we couldn’t get enough of this green veggie coconut goodness.

While we sat down quietly trying to get all that food down into our tummies, I was reminded of how every year my father used to bring a rich plum cake which we would hungrily devour after our big Christmas day dinner of home made biryani and lots of snacks and special fizzy drinks for all the kids in the family. And if we were lucky Baba would also give us Bebinca – a sweet flour multi-layered cake, which he always got back from his frequent trips to Goa (Indian Zings menu has Goan Bebinca though I was more inclined to sample the spiced pudding so we gave it a miss)

No Christmas menu is complete without a showstopping dessert and Indian Zing’s spiced exotic Christmas pudding with spicy brandy custard is the perfect ending to a festive feast. All we needed now was a warm bed and the day off work the next day … 😉

I only wish I was going back for more of Indian Zings Goan themed food especially would love some on Christmas day but I guess my friends and me will just have to make do with what hubster and I manage to make.

If you haven’t already called Indian Zing to book a table, then grab that phone and let Rahul book you in for a feast you won’t forget.

*With thanks to Humayun Hussain and Indian Zing for the invite. No monetary compensation was offered for a positive review .All opinions expressed here are entirely my own.

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Masemari – The Fishing – Seafood heaven in Pune City

March 4, 2014 by manjirichitnis 26 Comments

Masemari is owned by Lalan Sarang, a well known Maharashtrian Big Screen and Theatre actress and is situated in the heart of Pune city and is a fine example of Malvani, Konkani and Goan cuisine with a comprehensive menu. An ode to the finest that coastal cuisine from Konkan and Goa has to offer!

Western Indian Coastal cuisine and the way our family cooks seafood, involves the use of freshly grated coconut in abundance. We also don’t shy from using chillies lots of them red and green and freshly ground coriander chilli, ginger and garlic are used as a marinade for fish before frying. So if discerning foodies like us who know our coastal cuisine go out to eat similar food, the place better know what they are serving us! Especially if it involves travelling from one end of the city on a crisp winter morning and when we could easily have waltzed into Nisarg our all-time seafood speciality fav restaurant.

So are you ready to go on a visually stimulating coastal adventure where tall coconut palms sway in the tropical sun, the stunning western coast of India, home to the beautiful waters of Konkan? Join me on a virtual tour and an absolute treat for your senses, a tantalising deluge of spices …well then Strap on that seat belt for a ride on this fishing powerboat …no no … what the heck…just Dive right in 😉

We start the meal with Sol Kadhi (pronounced Soul Kadhee) made from freshly squeezed coconut milk and kokum (Mangosteen), said to have digestive properties and consumed as a palate cleanser between courses.

A prawn platter which is a mix of Rawa, Tawa, Koliwada and crispy prawns. (Rawa = semolina, Tawa =pan, Koli = fisherman, Wada= literally meaning a huge old-style Indian house like a bungalow, but Koliwada refers to a colony of Kolis or fishermen folk in India)

Bangda (Mackerel) Fry…I love anything served anything on a keli-paan (kela = banana ,paan = leaf)

Fish Pickle as a side

For mains, we ordered Tandool Bhakari or Indian bread made with rice flour (the white roti in the picture) , Wade – made from a mixture of 3-4 different flours and deep fried (the brown puffy puri), and Pomfret curry.

I loved the clean fresh white washed walls and huge artefacts that scream fish, fishing and fishing boats. The service is polite and quick and the fish is as fresh as the catch of the day, we went in hope of getting crabs – lots of them, alas… I live in the hope of a ”next time”

After this fine meal, I still dared to consume a gulab jamun and some more sol kadhi! I literally crawled to where Baba had parked the car and that afternoon oh boy ! Did I have a fab nap or what 🙂

*Paid for in full by me. All opinions expressed and photographs used are, as always, my own. No monetary compensation was offered or provided for a positive review.

Goda Sheera (Sooji Halwa in Hindi, Prasadacha Sheera for Satyanarayan Pooja)

April 4, 2012 by manjirichitnis 6 Comments

I have been planning for ages to make some Goda sheera (goda =sweet in Marathi , my mother tongue and sheera stands for a sweet preparation made using Semolina as the primary ingredient ). I wanted to prepare this for Holi but was too lazy to do it but on Gudi Padwa, which is the Maharashtrian New year, I decided to be a good girl and prepare this sweet dish and offer it to my favourite god Ganpati Bappa:)

I love using milk and mashed bananas as it reminds me of the way my elder Sister prepares it and also of the many Satyanarayan Pooja Prasad (Prasad = offering made to god in the form of food etc) that I have greedily gobbled up all my life back home in India. My mother though prefers to prepare this dish using a mixture of sugar dissolved in water to add a sweet taste. Any way you choose to prepare it, I assure you it is a hugely satisfying experience preparing it and gobbling it afterwards 🙂

It would be unfair to throw Indian terms at my non Indian readers so , Gudi Padwa is a festival wherein we Maharashtrians celebrate the end of the harvest season and welcome a brand new year with the Hindu Calender. Satanarayan Pooja is a Hindu ritual of worship performed to celebrate new beginnings like a wedding, a housewarming or during the annual Ganesh Festival. It requires the Man and the Lady of the house to perform an elaborate offering to god and the beautiful part of the pooja or the ritual is the Katha (Katha simply means story in Marathi) as it takes the listener on a journey through tales that define our religion. The ultimate offering of love for god at the end of this ritual is called a Prasad and is almost always Sheera. Please click on the hyperlinks to enjoy reading in detail about the terms used. I thank all contributors to Wikipedia for providing such useful and beautifully written information. Oh yes, and the most fun part of Gudi Padwa is the Gudi, it is basically a long stick covered in shiny wrapping paper and a decorative piece of cloth is placed on the top and an inverted ”gadoo” or a stainless glass of a particular shape is placed over it or a brass container which is used for poojas and is again a very auspicious piece of the ritual. The swastika symbol is made on it using bright red kumkum, then this is wrapped with a garland of fresh marigolds and bright green leaves of the mango tree and also a garland made from ” Batashe” which is a white leaf-like thing made from concentrated sugar syrup and strung onto a string and made into a garland. This is then perched on the balcony and worshipped and kept on display for all to see, it is quite a sight to see colourful ”gudi’s” swaying outside everyone’s windows and balconies.

I had to make mine this year using an unused shower curtain rod, golden wrapping paper recycled from Christmas, a steel bowl instead of the traditional glass and a bright red stole instead of the usual auspicious colours of green or gold! Anyway, this is what it looked like :), am quite proud of it really!

Below I have chosen 2 images from google that I feel are really good and stunningly clear images and really capture the spirit of the festival, the first of a couple dressed all traditionally and with the beautiful Gudi being worshipped using a well-decorated thali (plate containing several items for performing the ritual) and the second image is of the sexy Ms Isha Koppikar looking like a million bucks and the Gudi looks lovely as well!

Pic 1: Image courtesy iDiva dot com

Pic 2: Image Courtesy Click here

86127-isha-koppikar-celebrates-gudipadwa-at-big-fm-studios-andheri.jpg

Ok ! so now, let me try to put down here the recipe in a simple and easy-peasy manner.

Preparation time: Approx 45 minutes Serves:4

Ingredients :

Semolina /Rava/Suji – I use fine rava as it is what I find is best for this recipe. approximately 2 small watis or ramekins.
Ghee – plenty!
Raisins – a handful
Badam/Almonds – again a handful
Saffron/Kesar/Zafran – a small pinch just to add colour and pomp!
Cashewneuts/Kaju/Kajoo – if you like them, not necessary) – a generous handful without the peel and unsalted.
Milk about 200 ml
One ripe Banana
Elaichi/ Green Cardamom – about 6-8 – open them and crush the brown seeds to make a powder using a mortar pestle we will also use the green outer cover to add a distinctive aroma to the recipe :), sounds so romantic doesn’t it ( err well …)
Sugar – I use granulated white sugar, and take 2 – 2.5 measures of a small bowl, actually, the proportion is always 2:1 for the Semolina: Sugar for this dish so choose the quantity accordingly.

Method :

Boil some water and add into a small bowl, add the almonds, this will make it easy to peel off the skin. Soak some raisins in lukewarm water so that they absorb water and can be dunked into the semolina at a later stage.

Add the Saffron strands ever so carefully to a small bowl of water so as to allow the beautiful golden orange colour to disperse into the water.

Take 2 bowl fulls of Semolina and add to a pan and constantly stir it until it turns a light brown colour, if you do not keep stirring or put the pan on a very high flame it might burn and we don’t want that do we? Also, I use a rather heavy bottom pan to ensure that the heat spreads evenly and that the Semolina browns well.

This is how it looks before we brown it :

This is how it will look after stirring for a while :

This is how it will look when it is done and ready for the next stage,i.e to be added to the ghee:

Remove the pan from the flame and keep the Semolina aside .Now take 2-4 large tablespoons of ghee (Clarified Butter) in a vessel and warm it on a low flame, be very carefull when frying with ghee as GHEE heats up very fast and anything unattended inside the hot ghee can char easily. When the ghee is warming up add the cashew nuts first and wait for them to start browning, then add the remaining raisins – not the ones which are kept soaking in water ! The strong aroma of the warm Semolina , the beautiful smell of desi ghee and the in-your-face tasty aroma of the fried cashews will assault your senses in the most pleasant way and fill up your kitchen with an almost auspicious atmosphere, it’s when this happens that one truly feels festive from within and it is also at such moments I have massive nostalgia attacks and realise how deeply coded our childhood memories are and how much a part of our memories are made up of familiar sights and sounds. I oftentimes find life in the western world paler, less colourful and too quite compared to the pomp , blast of colours and festivity that make up India …sighhhh !

The cashew nuts and raisins turn a golden hue as seen in the picture above and the raisins puff up quite a bit due to the heat of the ghee,be careful not to overdo the raisins as they are akin to tiny missiles filled with boiling hot oil and if they burst , you can get serious burns …booooo! The kitchen is quite a dangerous place for the uninitiated isn’t it ?!
Ok, while the cashew nuts are being processed , take a small vessel and add the 200 to 250 ml milk on a low flame, add the sugar and dissolve, stirring till it completely dissolves, do not allow the milk to boil but reduce it on a low flame, add the crushed green cardamom powder and the outer green cover. Add some of the saffron and the water in which it was soaked as well, keep some for adding into the mixture later. When this mixture is on the flame , it gives out an unmistakable aroma of sweet sugary milk and I can almost feel my teeth sink into the soft sheera and mentally I am biting into the fried cashews and the yummee soft Banana bits that play hide and seek with my tongue as I devour the sheera – AAHHH , anyway , don’t allow that to happen as it is considered wrong to savor the ”Prasad” before the Almighty is offered some for ”bhog” or in simple words god has been offered the sweet dish and it is assumed that he has symbolically consumed our offering and blessed us with all that we wish and desire for 🙂

When the cashew nuts and the raisins have been fried, add the semolina slowly in the hot ghee mixture, stirring continuously to prevent any lumps from forming and also to ensure that the semolina soaks up the ghee properly.

Once all the Semolina is mixed well into the ghee and fried dry fruit mix it will look like the picture above, then add the remaining saffron and water in which it was soaked to the mixture.

Then add the roughly mashed banana pieces to the semolina mixture.

When the sugar has completely dissolved and the milk has reduced a little, it is ready to be added to the semolina mixture. Add it stirring slowly, it will look like the picture below immediately after adding the milk and sugar into it.

Stir a bit more and here is what it will look like now:

For the smallest possible time , cover the mixture above on the lowest possible flame , it is then ready to be served, now add the almonds to season over the top , peel off the skin , thanks to the warm water they will come off very easily and then just halve the almonds or if you want to be very artistic and have some time cut the almonds into longish thin strips ,anyway which they add a definite crunch to the sweet dish and I love that ,you dish will now look like this :

Take some of this beautiful dish and serve into a small bowl to offer to the Ganpati Bappa – who has been made to shine and sparkle for the day and place it in front of him , hands folded ask for his blessings and wait for sometime till you are convinced he’s had some of the offering or ”Prasad”.