Eda Chutney Na Pattice Recipe: An Easy Parsi-Gujarati Dish Exploding With Flavour (with recipe)

 This article was published on 29th March 2021 online on NDTV Food https://food.ndtv.com/food-drinks/eda-chutney-na-pattice-recipe-parsi-gujarati-dish-2400237

Restaurant Review: Jyran at Sofitel Mumbai BKC

 

This review was first published online on 22nd March 2021 in Luxury Lifestyle Magazine, UK https://www.luxurylifestylemag.co.uk/food-and-drink/restaurant-review-jyran-mumbai-in-india/ 

Mile-high feasts

Far from the unappetising, cardboard-like taste of airline food served on board today, flying in the 80s and early 90s initiated a budding gourmand into a world of delicious discoveries amidst the clouds.

By Raul Dias

I was first introduced to Oliver Twist as a 10-year-old up in the air aboard a British Airways flight in the late 1980s. The genial flight attendant (or air hostess as they were called in those politically incorrect days!) with twinkling blue eyes likened me to the Dickensian character as she gently set down a second helping of one of the evening’s main courses on to my tray. “Please ma'am, I want some more,” I had unknowingly said to her a few moments before as I polished off a rather scrumptious portion of Beef Wellington. I had never experienced anything as complexly constructed before. Succulent slabs of moist, pink meat anointed with an earthy-tasting mushroom duxelle, cloaked in a gossamer thin crêpe, then further ensconced in a buttery puff pastry and finally baked to golden perfection. Like some sort of culinary equivalent of a nesting Russian matryoshka doll.

Flights of Fancy

Hard as it may be to comprehend, but the eclectic selection of food served aboard flights in the late 80s and early 90s is what set me on my current path as a food writer. With a great premium placed on the importance of world travel by my parents, my sister and I were taken along for the ride almost everywhere they jetted off to. Be it our annual summer vacations in Europe or Mum’s impromptu business trips to South East Asia, we happily tagged along. Making serendipitous discoveries along the course.

In fact, many epoch-making firsts in the realm of my food oeuvres—like my introduction to smoked salmon aboard Singapore Airlines—took place in tightly-packed economy class cabins. But not always! I remember my first tryst with salty beluga caviar toned down with the creamy unctuousness of grated boiled egg. Served to us as an hors d'oeuvre aboard an Air France business class flight to Bangkok, followed by a divine duck à l'orange for mains. 

Mum had somehow managed to charm the check-in staff, securing us an upgrade to the coveted ‘Le Club' which was what the airline’s business class cabin was then called. All this, as we tried not to asphyxiate on noxious cigarette smoke. Yes, unfortunately we were also privy to an era when smoking on board a flight was very much de rigueur. 

This was also the time when travelling out of a major airline hub like Bombay (desk note: I retain the original name for nostalgic context) meant the opportunity to fly with and enjoy the edible delicacies aboard a mind-bogglingly large number of international airlines. This was way before the Middle East 'usurped' my home city’s position as a mid-way refuelling stop for long-haul flights between the east and the west.

Nutty Bites and Sneaky Sips!

Speaking of the eclectic selection of airlines making pit stops in Bombay, I loved flying with Al Italia. One was almost always guaranteed of chowing down on a nice pasta meal. Plump ricotta cheese-stuffed ravioli, pillow-y soft potato gnocchi and good old spaghetti were the holy trinity that got me hooked onto Italian food.

I clearly remember being coaxed into trying a spinach and egg breakfast frittata by the tiny Italian nonna (grandmother) seated next to me. This, after I had ‘ordered’ a fried egg in lieu from the amused flight attendant who explained to me that they unfortunately didn't have the right equipment on board to meet my à la minute demands. I loved the intensely savoury taste and texture of the fluffy frittata so much that I promptly came back home and tried to replicate it following a recipe in my great-aunt’s old cookbook. Till today, that frittata remains one of my most successfully cooked dishes ever.

As a teenager, on a trip to Kenya aboard the country's flag bearing Kenya Airways, I chanced upon the glorious taste of the macadamia nut. I remember it served alongside a tiny glass of the typically African marula fruit liqueur called Amarula that I sneaked in a sip of whenever mum wasn't paying attention.

Today, as I sit at my desk writing this piece, travel-bereft and rather despondent, it is the vicarious tastes of my childhood spent indulging in exotic mile-high meals, that make me once again feel like Oliver Twist. Wanting...nay, demanding some more, please!

SUNDAY RECIPE

Spinach Frittata

INGREDIENTS:

6 eggs

2 tbsp oil or butter

1/4 cup cream

1 tsp salt (divided)

2 small potatoes, peeled and thinly sliced

1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper

2 cups spinach, roughly chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 tsp dried thyme 

1 cup cheese, grated

METHOD:

• Arrange a rack in the middle of the oven and pre-heat to 200°C.

• Whisk the eggs and cream together with 1/2 tsp salt in a small bowl and set aside.

• In an oven-proof frying pan or skillet sauté the potatoes in oil or butter and sprinkle with the pepper and the remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, until tender and lightly browned, 4 to 6 minutes.

• In the same pan, wilt the spinach with the garlic and thyme stirring for 30 seconds to 1 minute.

• Spread the vegetables into an even layer, flattening with a spatula. Sprinkle the cheese on top and let it just start to melt.

• Pour the egg mixture into the pan and tilt the pan to make sure the eggs settle evenly over all the vegetables. Cook for a minute or two until you see the eggs at the edges of the pan beginning to set.

• Place frying pan into the oven and bake the frittata for 8 to 10 minutes till golden and puffy.

• Cool in the pan for 5 minutes, then slice into wedges and serve.

(This column first appeared in the 14th March issue of The Hindu newspaper's Sunday Magazine section on page 8 https://www.thehindu.com/life-and-style/food/flights-of-fancy/article34050532.ece)

Gavti Bombil (Bombay Duck) Chutney: A Simple, Rustic Preparation From Maharashtrian Konkan Region (with recipe)

 

This article was published on 12th March 2021 online on NDTV Food https://food.ndtv.com/food-drinks/gavti-bombil-bombay-duck-chutney-a-simple-rustic-preparation-from-maharashtrian-konkan-region-2389374

Amdavadi Khatta Meetha Bhaat Recipe - A Sweet-N-Sour Rice Preparation From Gujarat (with recipe)

This article was published on 9th March 2021 online on NDTV Food https://food.ndtv.com/food-drinks/amdavadi-khatta-meetha-bhaat-recipe-how-to-make-amdavadi-khatta-meetha-bhaat-2386288

Samarkand—Central Asia's Jewel

Imbued with that quintessential mix of exotic Central Asian grandeur and unrivalled beauty, along with being important pit stop on the ancient Silk Road, Samarkand is one of Uzbekistan’s greatest cities.

By Raul Dias 

For most travellers to Uzbekistan—that elusive, exotically uncharted, former USSR country nestled in the very core of Central Asia—the historic city of Samarkand is one of the first places they visit. But not me. Saving the grandest city in Uzbekistan on my week-long travel itinerary for last, Samarkand with its world-class monuments and unrivalled hospitality proved to be the proverbial cherry on my Uzbekistan trip’s cake! A city so alluring that I actually came back to it the same day I left it. Confused? More on that a little later...

Taking the evening Afrosiyob bullet train from another Uzbek cultural stronghold, aka. the city of Bukhara, en route to my hotel in the heart of Samarkand, I was rewarded with the sight of the greatest of all the city’s calling cards—Registan—bathed blushing pink in the soft light of the setting sun. But I’d have to wait till the next morning for a proper introduction.

Monumental Brilliance

Named just like the Hindi word for desert, the Registan Square is undoubtedly one of world’s most beautiful squares. No wonder it is called the pearl of Central Asia. The square consists of three buildings that form a part of the beautiful architectural ensemble that it is. The Ulugbek Madrasah, the Sherdor Madrasah and the Tillya-Kari Madrasah attract scores of tourists and newlywed Uzbeks who come here to take their wedding pictures with the gorgeous turquoise tiled backdrop of the madrasahs.

The day I was there, I happened to chance upon five wedding parties jostling for that perfect frame in front of the majestic monument. All caught in a blinding flurry of white tulle with the heady fumes of incense and perfume swirling around. 

A short walk away, the Gur-e-Amir Mausoleum was next. As the family vault of Uzbekistan’s greatest hero, the Turco-Mongol conqueror Amir Temur and his heirs, it was built in 1404. Interestingly, I was soon met by a rather chatty security guard, who, on learning I was from India, told me that it is believed to be a prototype for two well-known Indian monuments: the Humayun Mausoleum in Delhi and the Taj Mahal in Agra. Touché. 

Call me morbid, but I simply had to visit the Shah-i-Zinda necropolis and one of Samarkand’s most mysterious and inimitable architectural gems. This tomb complex is a unique one consisting of eleven dazzling shrines covered in the typically Central Asian turquoise porcelain tiles, each dedicated to a noble man or woman, including Kusam ibn Abbas, a cousin of the Prophet Muhammad. A short walk from the complex, the Bibi-Khanym Mosque is the well-preserved cathedral mosque that according to a legend was named after Amir Temur’s beloved wife.

Flavours Exotic

All that walking about simply had to be rewarded with a meal. And so, off I was to the compact Siyob Bazaar that sits adjacent to the Bibi-Khanym Mosque. The main, covered section of the market is divided into various sections selling meat, pickles, fruits, vegetables, and dairy along with the salty sheep’s milk cheese called kurt. The perimeter of the market is lined with bakers selling round loaves of bread from tiny little prams. Called non, these breads are a Samarkand specialty that both locals and visitors love to munch on as they shop. 

As for me, I kick-started my foodie innings with a juicy lamb and onion somsa—which is similar to an Indian samosa, but with a flaky, puff pastry shell—that I bought from a small hole-in-the-wall shop lining the main market area. This section also houses several souvenir shops selling everything from beautiful ikat printed winter jackets to Russian fur hats called ushankas to beautiful ikat printed platters called a lagan, one of which I am now the proud owner of! 

For mains, I wolfed down a plate of fragrant plov or osh at a nondescript market café. Very similar to a spice-bereft biryani, where cumin-dusted pieces of lamb are stewed with sweetened carrots and rice, the plov is served with boiled chickpeas and slices of horsemeat sausage called kazi that I actually loved the taste of. This was then washed down with a salty lassi-like yogurt drink called ayran. 

Encore Worthy!

There’s a famous proverb in Uzbek that when translated into English says “leave alone one trip, even one lifetime isn’t enough to truly appreciate the beauty of Samarkand”. When I first heard of it, I brushed it aside like one often does of similar sayings with a chuckle. But little did I know that I’d be given a dose of it all too soon.

Scrambling to take the same Afrosiyob bullet train to the Uzbek capital of Tashkent where I was to board my flight back home, I bid Samarkand a hasty adieu at its spotlessly clean train station. Clutching in my arms several packed non breads to give as edible souvenirs to friends and family, I boarded the train and managed to make it to Tashkent in time to catch what was to be my direct, non-stop flight to Mumbai. 

And while Mumbai was ultimately my final destination, a medical emergency on board half an hour into the flight had us make an hour-long stop en route to... yes, guessed right—Samarkand. A city that apparently couldn’t have enough of me, and I, enough of it!

(An edited version of this article first appeared in the March 2021 issue Business Line newspaper's BLink section online https://www.thehindubusinessline.com/blink/takeaway/samarkand-shines-bright/article34004238.ece)