Review of Mamagoto , Gurgaon .

I am a unabashed fan of brand Mamagoto so readily agreed to meet up with a friend for dinner at their Gurgaon restaurant which I hadn't visited earlier . The restaurant  is nice and open , and unlike the other branches there is lots of space and light AND is not noisy at all ( my nightmare at Khan Market ) even though it was choc o block full.

We settled down to have a couple of drinks , and ordered a dish vegetable tempura to munch on. I was a bit skeptical as in a lot of places my vegetable tempura experience hasn't been too great , and often have had to suffer what looks and tastes like pakoras . However these were light , white and crunchy , and came with an assortment of delicious dips. A very good start to a meal.I now view vegetable tempura with new respect !

For dinner we ordered Tangtze River Grilled Fish topped with pickled red and green chillies . Spicy flavors typically Hunanese . The fish is served with a hot ,sweet and sour sauce , a brilliant ensemble of flavors.A must have if you enjoy a spicy dish.

Chicken in Shezwan sauce is a favorite of mine  .This dish stands out as the Shezwan Chilli Paste and the Black Vinegar used in it are genuine Chinese which sets it apart from the run of the mill ones you get .Order a sticky rice with this dish and you have yourself a delicious and complete meal .

The only downer for me was the Papaya Salad. I found it too sour . They don't use carrots in the salad so perhaps the sweetness wasn't balanced out well .

This was a delicious meal , enhanced with great service and a very reasonable tab . I will happily head back and probably order the same once more at lease.

Dashin / Dussera - Nepals most auspecious festival

 

 

Dashin is Nepals longest and most auspicious festival , celebrated for 15 days .People pay homage to the various forms of the Supreme Goddess, Durga during this period which als commemorates the victories of the god and goddesses over the demons and symbolizes the victory of the good over the evil.
The first day is known as "Ghatasthapana " , and jowar/ corn etc is planted in an earthen container and kept in a dar place . Nurtured by sprinkling water people watch with great anticipation to see how tall and light their ' khetri ' will grow - to most it symbolizes a direct link to their anticipated wealth in the coming year ! The ' crop ' is then cut and used as a part of the ' tilak / tikka ' by placing it behind the ear.

Needless to add the grand finale is a huge feast of meat and fat ... did I mention booze ? That's the main ' prasad ' for a large majority !

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Peanut coconut Rabadi / Rabri

2 Liters Full Cream Milk
1/2 Coconut .
Jaggery / Gur to taste.( Substitute with brown sugar )
1 Cup Lightly Roasted Peanuts ( Roughly pounded once )

Grate coconut from the thin side of the grater/shredder.
Boil milk till reduced to half.
Take a heavy bottom pan , add 1 tablespoon ghee , saute the coconut till it's milk conten begins to dry out - about 5 minutes. Now add 1/2 Cup grated gur / jaggery to the coconut and cook another minute . Once it all melts add the milk slowly , stir to ensure a creamy texture. Bring to a rolling boil to blend all flavors . Taste , add more gur if needed . When satisfied with the taste take off heat and add peanuts . Allow the rabri to cool , refrigerate and serve chilled.You get an amazing taste of crunchy peanuts and a heavenly rabri .

Restaurant review - Guppy by ai , New Delhi

 

 

Guppy by AI being caught me by surprise . You cannot but help wear a big smile on your face when you enter the restaurant - playful vibrant colors , lots of light and feeling of space engulf you and the first thought that came to my mind was " what fun " ! This gem of a restaurant serves Japanese food with a subtle twist . I was a vegetarian today and wondered what I would find on the menu - I needn't have worried I was spoilt for choices.Vegetarian food apparently is their USP

We started with a Red Miso Soup served with a crunchy house salad . The soup was outstanding , the seaweed ( Wakame ? ) and spring onions gave a beautiful flavor. A small bowl of steamed and salted Soy Bean Pods kept us busy while we waited for the other courses . I was informed by Executive Chef Vikram Khatri that the soya pods were imported from Japan as only those were guaranteed to be insect free and could be eaten without peering into each pod !

Chili Lime Dressed Agedashi Tofu was nice and tangy  .What I did enjoy was their gluten free Mushroom Goyoza - a steamed dumpling with a crispy fried base - very unusual ! 

 

The star of the meal was the Vegetable Harumaki - crisp baked vegetable rolls , totally exotic and a must have .

Sushi - Lovely Asparagus Tempura along with Japanese Vegetable Rolls topped with a kimchi dressing , could make a meal on them.

For mains we went with a Terikyaki glazed artichoke dish which came with a tofu served on a bed of asparagus - again excellent , as was their sticky fried rice with garlic flakes .I didn't care for their Rayu Noodles as I couldnt understand the flavors or maybe I was simply stuffed .

If you want to eat the ultimate carrot cake head to Guppy - it's not dense like most , it's light , spongy and totally worth every calorie !

Guppy , just as the name sounds is a fun eating place where they serve some seriously delicious food !

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Coconut Laddus / Narkel Naru

Recipe of Tanushri Dan
Ingredients for "Narkel Naru":
For 18-19 pieces
Coconut 1 large (Freshly grated)
Milk 1 litre
Sugar 1 and 1/2 cup + 1 table spoon

Boil the milk till it reduces to about 1 cup , I used full cream milk and reduced it slowly .Then add 1 tablespoon of sugar , stir for 1 minute and take off the fire.
Grate 1 cup coconut from the finer hole, mix 1 cup of sugar into this using your hands. Then heat on a low flame till sugar melts and the mixture thickens - about 10 minutes. Now add the reduced milk and cook another 3-4 minutes.
Allow the mixture to cool down till lukewarm - 20 minutes or so , at this stage ( add nuts , option ) the mixture is pliable and you can shape your loddoos as desired .
This is a brilliant recipe . I Made some adaptions . I used 1 cup of brown sugar not white sugar , reduced sugar to 1 cup not 1.5 , and I added 2 tablespoons nicely crushed almonds just before shaping the laddus . Absolutely divine !
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Mung Dal Tikki

Recipe has no fixed quantities as such , or ingredients ! Tweak to taste using what's available at hand. The stuffing can vary . Use Peas / Dhuli Mung Dal / Paneer , whatever works for you .

Boil Peel & Mash 3-4 Potatoes , season with salt / chilli powder . Keep aside.

The Stuffing:

Soak 1/3d Cup Dal in water for 3-4 hours , add haldi and salt . Boil in abundant water till 80% done . Strain and spread on a cloth . Don't pressure cook . Chop some onion , ginger and garlic . Heat oil , add hing , onions till translucent , add the rest of the ingredients and saute the dal / peas in this masala .Use green chiles / coriander leaves / jeera powder all to taste.Cook the dal in the masala just enough to blend flavors- maybe 2-3 minutes.Add lemon juice for flavor.

Make balls of potato in your greased palms , make a well , add stuffing , seal and slightly flatten .Shallow fry to desired color undisturbed.

Delicious as a snack at any time of the day !

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Murgh Irani

This recipe is from Cooking Delights of The Maharajas , a treasure trove of exotic recipes.You are supposed to cook the chicken till the cream turns to ghee - I prefer it creamy and cook it to that point . I also leave the nuts chopped , gives a good bite.

1 Kg Chicken - Cut into pieces

175 Grams Ghee ( I used 3 tablespoons )

60 Grams Onions Finely Sliced.

1 Teaspoon Cardamon Powder.

115 Grams Curd , Well beaten.

1 Teaspoon Ginger Minced

1 Teaspoon Garlic Minced

60 Grams Onions Blanched and shredded ( chopped )

115 Grams Malai ( I used 100 Grams Cream )

15 Ml Kewra Water ( I avoided )

Juice of 1 Lemon

saffron.

Salt

Chilies

Heat ghee , fry sliced onions till brown , add chicken along with all other ingredients . Mix well , add no water and cook covered over very low heat till tender and only ghee remains.I cooked till tender and when ghee just about began to form.

This was a delicious though heavy dish .

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