Snacking in Sydney

 

(This article first appeared in the 9th July 2023 issue of The New Indian Express newspaper's Sunday Magazine section on page 8 and online here https://www.newindianexpress.com/lifestyle/food/2023/jul/09/snacking-in-sydney-2592080.html)

Around The World in Fried Dough

 

(This article first appeared online on 21st June 2023 and in print on 22nd June in Mint Lounge, India https://lifestyle.livemint.com/food/discover/best-fried-breads-around-the-world-111687313794053.html)

Book Review: A Sip In Time by Pallavi Nigam Sahay

 

This book review first appeared in the BLink section of The Hindu Business Line newspaper on 4th March 2022 https://www.thehindubusinessline.com/books/a-sip-in-time-indias-finest-teas-and-tea-time-treats/article65189948.ece

Fried and Tested

 

(This article appeared in the 13th July 2021 issue of the Mid-Day newspaper, India on page 18 https://www.mid-day.com/mumbai-guide/mumbai-food/article/fried-and-tested-23182572)

Healthy Chinese bhel (with recipe)

 

This article was published on 26th February 2021 online on NDTV Foodt //food.ndtv.com/how-to/this-healthy-chinese-bhel-makes-for-a-yummy-high-protein-snack-recipe-inside-2379422

Idli do good

With a menu full of yummy, highly affordable idli iterations and other South Indian snacks, this new, vegetarian takeaway joint makes for a fun ‘tiffin’ time!     

 

By Raul Dias

If there is one quotidian tradition we sorely miss about our earlier work stint in Chennai, then that would have to be the yummy, twice-daily repast called ‘tiffin’ in the local parlance. A short, mid-morning and teatime snack that is punctuated by strong filter coffee (but, of course!) and a smorgasbord of scrumptious treats. Often highlighted by a mindboggling variety of our favourite South Indian snack—the idli. 

While there is no dearth of Udupi restaurants in Mumbai that try their best to satiate those basic idli cravings, it is the sheer lack of more local and regional idli iterations like the Kanchipuram and thatte idli that gets to us. The newly opened, all-veg Idli Didli Doo seeks to remedy that. And it does so with aplomb, offering over a dozen versions of the steamed rice cake—some traditional and a few that cheekily defy convention.

The menu here is so extensive that we feel the need to try it out on two separate occasions. We pick up the first order ourselves from the tiny Shivaji Park outlet. While the other, we call in a few days later via a food delivery service provider. 

We start off with the thatte idli (Rs 65) that is a fluffy, quarter plate sized single idli that, just like all the other idli varieties on offer, is accompanied by a delicious, drumstick- and brinjal-redolent sambar and two fresh-tasting chutneys (coconut and tomato-chilly). The mustard seed and curry leaf-speckled Kanchipuram idli and the red-tinted ragi idli (both, Rs 65 for two), are equally scrumptious. 

The bite sized mini rasam idli (Rs 65 for five), with the thin, lemony rasam, putting an interesting spin on the dish is perfect for a particularly rainy day along with a steaming shot of filter coffee (Rs 15 for a half cup). Seeing the rarely-found-in-Mumbai paniyaram (Rs 80 for six) on the menu, we could not help ordering a portion of the ball-shaped dumplings, that are also known as paddu in Karnataka, and made from idli batter in a specially indented griddle pan. The neer moru (Rs 40) is a refreshing, South Indian take on traditional chaas and a cooling antidote to the fiery tomato-chilly chutney that we dunk our crisp medu vada (Rs 55) into.

Wanting to go a little ‘off-piste’, we try the rather wacky Italian idli fry (Rs 105) that sees chopped up bits of regular idli tossed in a hot pan with a squirt of olive oil and served with a sprinkling of herbs like oregano and shavings of cheese. Carrying the experimental leitmotif a bit further, we try the chocolate idli waffle (Rs 155) that almost tastes like a sour buttermilk waffle, thanks to the tangy idli batter it is made with.

We end our eating marathon with a ghee-enriched bowl of the utterly satisfying kesari (Rs 55) also known as sheera to us Mumbaikars. This one is all good things a sweet send-off should be—memorable and more-ish. Just like our twin ‘tiffin’ sessions have been.             

AT: Idli Didli Doo, Devkunj Bldg., Shivaji Park, Dadar (W).

TIME: 8am to 9pm

CALL: 9372463949         

 (An edited version of this review appeared in the 14th August 2020 issue of the Mid-Day newspaper, India on page 17 https://m.mid-day.com/articles/time-for-tiffin/22934215)                                           

Short and Sweet

Exuding an easy, laid-back vibe with a menu featuring a few simple, yet delicious offerings, this tiny new Juhu café has a lot going for it.

By Raul Dias

We’ve always been firm believers that serendipitous discoveries are the best of their kind. And My Cafe, Juhu with its non-descript façade—further exacerbated by bare minimal signage—is just that kind of place. With no proper address or location available online, all we had to guide us to this brand-new café was a couple of pics taken by a colleague who’d chanced upon this charming, if a tad tiny, space a few days ago.
Cosily perched atop a dance studio and sitting cheek-by-jowl to a beauty salon in a bylane dominated by the iconic Prithvi Theatre and its equally famous and eponymous café, there’s a lot about this diminutive, three-table first-floor space that made us smile. Surrounded by potted plants and fairy lights, with comfortable bench-style seating, the almost-by-the-sea café is perfect for grabbing a late afternoon tea and snack.
Speaking of which, the menu here is a modest-sized one featuring a variety of short eats and mini meals along with a number of hot and cold beverages, including a range of teas and tisanes. Though they take a good half-an-hour post ordering to make an appearance at our table, our iced mocha (Rs 220) and fresh watermelon blossom mocktail (Rs 250) hit that sweet spot. While the former is imbued with the aroma and taste of freshly ground Arabica coffee beans with a swirl of chocolate sauce giving it some additional heft, the watermelon drink has a hint of tart cranberry that cuts through the melon’s sweetness perfectly.
Served with a small bowl of fried potato salli sticks, the duo of tomato-basil crostini (Rs 150) is generously portioned with meaty chunks of tomato and torn basil leaves. They taste scrumptious with the unexpected schmear of cream cheese applied to the toasted sourdough base in lieu of olive oil. Another open-faced preparation, i.e. the BBQ chicken subway sandwich (Rs 200) is the perfect blend of juicy morsels of roast chicken and onions, all enrobed in a tangy barbeque sauce sitting atop a huge focaccia bread slab.
Still peckish and craving something more substantial, we call for the recommended warm chicken burrito bowl (Rs 350). This turns out to be one of the best iterations of the Tex-Mex staple we’ve tried out in a very long time. With a toothsome base of plump red rice which is topped with loads of chicken, perfectly al dente kidney beans, yellow corn kernels and sweet bell peppers, all drizzled with a creamy cheese sauce, we know this one’s a winner with our very first bite.
Sadly, the over-spiced herbed baby potatoes with a yogurt dip (Rs 180) disappoint with the punishing, almost searing heat of fresh red chillies dominating every mouthful. Even the cooling hung curd dip does very little to calm things down. With just a single dessert of an outsourced (our server herself volunteered this information) chocolate brownie on the menu, coupled with the fact that it wasn’t even available that day, we decide to end things here a wee bit differently…with a spot of tea! 
While we wish that we’d been served the milk on the side instead of it being premixed into the hot beverage, our final order of the fragrant and soothing lemongrass chai (Rs 120) is the perfect curtain call to an afternoon (and money!) well-spent.             

AT: My Cafe, Jankidas House, 1st floor Janki Kutir, near Prithvi Theatre, Juhu.
TIME: 12 pm to 9 pm
CALL: 66756622/23

(An edited version of this review appeared in the 17th December 2019 issue of the Mid-Day newspaper, India on page 22 https://m.mid-day.com/articles/short-and-sweet/22281162)

A-N-A-T-O-M-I-Z-E: Nitro Dahi Bhalla

By Raul Dias

“Should I tackle it as a savoury snack, or simply think of it as one of the most unusual desserts I’ve ever tried?” I do my best to rationalize my order of the wacky-sounding Nitro Dahi Bhalla to no one in particular. Now, if there are two things that challenge me, culinarily speaking that is, then they would have to be the twinning of sweet with savoury in a single dish and molecular gastronomy. Call me a Philistine, but I just don’t get the appeal of either.
While the latter may be on the wane worldwide, try telling that to the guys at Prankster in Gurugram! This restobar, that prides itself on ‘pranking the palates’ of its diners, is enjoying one last little dalliance with molecular gastronomy thanks to this dish. A misnomer of sorts, the making of the Nitro Dahi Bhalla has nothing to do with nitrogen, I soon learn. It only comes to the table shrouded in an icy fog generated by the chemical.     
Created by Chef Harangad Singh, Prankster’s executive chef, the multi-layered dish is composed of a creamy, parfait-like ice cream made from one of North India’s all-time favourite chaats—dahi bhalla. Where the bhalla component is a deep-fried fritter ball made from lentil batter. Liquidized along with tangy yoghurt and churned in an ice cream maker, two scoops of this zany, savoury ice cream sit atop a bed of crispy roomali rotis. Slathered in a sweet-spicy dehydrated tamarind chutney powder and crunchy sev, it is topped off with a sprinkling of fresh pomegranate seeds, mint leaves and shards of papdi.
Interestingly, this dish reveals its two distinct flavour profiles when eaten in parts. If you’re to simply go for the ice cream, then yes, it’s got all the indicators of a well-made dahi bhalla, fresh ginger taste et al. But if you take the trouble to get every single component into one bite, you’re in for a surprise, as your Nitro Dahi Bhalla instantly transforms into an icy rendition of another ‘chaat’-buster—papdi chaat!   


(This column first appeared in the 6th May 2018 issue of The Hindu newspaper's Sunday Magazine section on page 8 http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-features/tp-sundaymagazine/nitro-dahi-bhalla/article23789436.ece/amp/)

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