Men can cook and SHOULD...! And a contest... share a story to win!

Ever since I announced my beginners cooking classes for men, I am being asked but why cooking classes for Men?

Well imagine waking up to this for breakfast...

...or this...

Or a suprise birthday cake....

Cooking together to make healthy treats for happy babies...

waking up to freshly baked bread

collaborating to cook up feasts for friends and family

 

Having a man that cooks is definitely an advantage, as you can see above.

Somewhere last year, thanks to Masterchef Australia, my husband began to cook. He had always been fascinated by bread making and experimented off and on, but now he bakes bread, cakes, cookies, muffins, pizza bases. He also makes pancakes and has pretty much taken over tiffing making and breakfast for the kids.

And no, I claim no credit whatsoever for this beyond perhaps my obsession with food rubbing off on him. In fact I think I was quite condescending in the early days. I can get a bit snippy when pressed with too many basic questions. But I have come to admire him for his persistence and patience. We still have our issues, like I still can’t understand why he won’t look at a recipes (but then its the same on the road, they will get lost but not ask for directions...)

Men were kept out of the kitchen in my fathers time. I remember the rare occasions when my dad cooked, they were such special times because we saw a different father to the authoritarian we knew. But having Shekhar divvy up kitchen chores, today, is quite frankly a boon. I love it when we work together to make something. And through his experiences, I have come to appreciate many things I had grown jaded about. The world is changing around us, relationship dynamics are changing. Women are matching men step for step in every field. Nut its vice versa as well, my father and older brothers never even knew how to hold babies, but fathers today match women in child rearing step for step. So why not in the kitchen too?

Previous generations might have done things differently but today, as women, we need to realise we are doing our men a disservice by keeping them out of the kitchen. Because empowering men with cooking skills will equip them to look after their health so much better. Cooking means one clues into what one is eating, but it also means that men need not rely on unhealthy options when they have to fend for themselves. And perhaps this will also mean they will make healthier choices with food in the long run. Of course men who cook also make great partners and fathers!


And so I decided to do a mens cooking class, to teach guys a few basic recipes that will result in easy healthy meals that can be snazzed up for their women and simplified for their children but mostly will help them eat a little healthier and look after themselves better! 

“Men Can COOK !”Contest

So here is a contest. Share a story about a meal you've eaten that has been cooked by a guy in your life (who is not a chef or professional), good, bad, funny sad, in the comments section of this post by 10^th Sept. The winning entry will win a 50% discount to my beginners cooking class for men on the 18^th of September, which can be redeemed by guys or gifted to the man in their lives by women! (Coupon is usable in Mumbai only of course...) So get writing and spread the word!

Info on class 
The class will teach a selection of delicious dishes to mix and match into balanced meals for everyday cooking or snazzy fancy dinners to impress friends, family or other halves. On the menu are - Potatoes 2 ways: Aromatic Parsley potatoes, Spicy Sausage Potato fry, Chicken 2 ways – Pan fried with exotic spices, Pan fried with Creamy wine sauce, Pasta 2 ways – Pasta Alio olio e Pepperoncino, Smoky Chorizo cheese sauce, Basic dressed Salad and Garlicky Buttered vegetables to round off plates. The class costs 2500 per head, there are 10 openings and is scheduled for Date Sunday 18 August, Time – 2-6, Le 15 central Kitchen, lower Parel. To enrol e-mail le15classes@gmail.com or call 9769286544. FOR MORE INFO ON CLASSES

The lingering aroma... of Cinnamon Stays a B&B in Gurgaon

 

True Cinnamon

What comes to your mind when I say Cinnamon? 

Sweetly pungent, the aroma of cinnamon is unmistakable, a culinary legerdemain that draws out the sweetness of not just apples but all sorts of fruit and vegetables, converting them to ambrosia. Spicing everything from Mexican moles to Moroccan tagines and Indian curries it tempers the richness of nuts and seeds and transforms ordinary dishes to sensuousness.

I associate Cinnamon with happy things, messy baby meals of cinnamon scented applesauce that got onto every part of my babies except into their tummies! Slow mornings of Cinnamon sugared doughnuts washed down with aromatic coffee and that bowl of nutty oatmeal comfort fragrant with Cinnamon that I start my days with.

As of four days ago Cinnamon Stays will top that list.

Untill this trip, I disliked travelling to Delhi, which was painfull when one considered that one had to do it almost monthly. Not because I do not like the city itself, I actually love it, but it’s a tough city for independent women travelers especially when it comes to accomodation. Initially I stayed at hotels, but found that they do not offer facilities like room service. And coming in late at night, I didn’t fancy dining in their restaurants alone. And I never ever slept well because I never really felt completely safe. Not to mention that the guilt of leaving kids often caught up on me at days end when there was no work to keep it at bay. Subsequently I stayed with friends and family a lot and enjoyed it but hated messing up their daily routine.

So when my friend Shilpa Sharma of Breakaway – a really promising new holiday company that’s launched recently suggested a B&B property in Gurgaon that was ideal for women travelers, I thought, Why not?

According to their website Cinnamon Stays is a boutique bed & breakfast tucked away amongst a colony of red-brick villas just off the bustling Sohna road in Sec 48 of Gurgaon. This little bed & breakfast spread over two villas with a total of 8 rooms to let out, they offer well maintained rooms, personalised service, simple home-made food and WIFI. It sounded great so I booked.

The day I arrived into Delhi was quite long. I was upset having left my daughter, Natasha, who had a cold and had been on the brink of tears ever since. The airline lost my bag and I had to wait 2 hours at the airport for it. Thanks to that I didn’t get enough time to prepare myself for my first cooking demonstration and the preperations for it were not complete so we were delayed by 20 minutes. I detest delays. So by the time I left Delhi and headed towards Cinnamon Stays and Gurgaon I was homesick and heartsick.   

I arrived to find Manish Sinha waiting outside for me. He had been guidine us to the place via smses. A warm light beckoned me in from behind him. I walked into a warm and cosy home space. An open kitchen spilled into the dining room, where Manish’s wife Shilpi was bustling around and Mohommed a guest from Kazakistan sat working at the Dining table. Within minutes Shilpi had me cosily ensconced on the sofa with a big cup of coffee warming my hands… and my heart.

I did not feel awkward for even a moment, I felt right at home. I was introduced to the Sinha’s son, who was playing a video game and had a moment to look around as they got the dinner organized. The sitting room was a cheerful room of organized clutter all around, bright colors, piles of books, beautiful paintings, artifacts and pop art that grabbed attention made by the Jugaad studio.

Yep that had me intrigued too. It turned out that Manish had a little side business going in the Jugaad studio - an idea, design, concept and merchandising studio in which he and some partnering artists played with popular culture - Bollywood, cricket, the arts and music on any surface they got their hands on, shoes, helmets, lamps, bottles, canvas and even the walls and doors when Shilpi is not looking!

Shilpi and Manish are from the HR and media world and Cinnamon is their maiden adventure into hospitality. Shilpi is a very hands on mother juggling a career as a life coach with her own company Purple Tree trying to make a difference in people’s lives. Manish is dreamer, an advertising planner, closet copy writer and social media enthusiast with a yen to build a business around jugaad concepts and conversations. 8 year old Neo, their son is a gadget guru and foodie with a thousand questions! The cast at Cinnamon also includes, Suri, the manager who wants to be a pilot, Yogi the cook who wants to drive fast cars and Rashmi the wonder woman and crisis manager from Mangalore who is efficiency personified.

By the time I assimilated all of this information, dinner was ready. A special meal Shilpi had cooked in my honour. I was so touched as I sat down to the meal with Manish and little Neo as Shilpi bustled from kitchen to table, making fresh Sattu Parathas. Yes, that was the other high point of my stay there, I got to taste Bihari food. Because it is not glamorous, Bihari food is little know outside the state. Which is sad because this hearty trencherman’s food, simply made and filling is not only delicious, but also extremely nutritious.

I loved the Sattu Parathas. Sattu is a very versatile ingredients in Bihari food. Essentially a grainy flour made of roasted, skinned gram that is pounded it is a dish in itself when mixed with milk and salt or sugar but it also makes the base of many quick fix recipes. As a paratha stuffing like it was being served today or to make Litti, another staple bread eaten by the Biharis. That night along with the Sattu parathas we had a simple Aloo Saag (spicy gravied potato dish) Khatt Mithth (a tomato chutney) Baigan Bharta and assorted pickles and chutneys. It was a comforting meal followed by ice cream and by the time we were done, I found I had unwound and the stresses of the day were gone!

Dinner was pleasant, and little Neo grilling me about food, made me miss my kids less. Once we were done, and I had promised Neo we would cook together the next day, Shilpi showed me to my room. The Green room (there are also the Puraani Jeans room, the Grand room and the Doodle toom). But I fell in love with mine completely. A cosy little space, all done in green, with a hankerchief lawn out of the other door, the piece de resistance was the central wall painted with a tree on which a gilded cage hung open as birds flew away free. A little green stuffie welcomed me in and kept me company under the lovely tree.

I slept beautifully safe that night and woke up to a lovely breakfast the next morning, with the sunshine pouring onto the dining table. I started with a great cup of filter coffee (the coffee at Cinnamon is consistently fab) followed by the full complement of juice, fruit, cereal, poha, cold cuts, toast, and eggs cooked to order, much of the food locally sourced like the Bhuira Jams from Himachal.

That afternoon, Neo and his parents attended my Mexican cooking demonstration at the new Nature’s Basket store at Gurgaon, and I made him a special Quesadilla to order (for which Sir New conferred me with the compliment of Hot and Spicy aunty – hes going to be a ldy killer that one!) We shopped for ingredients and that night he and I cooked a candle light dinner for his parents; Pasta Alio Olio scattered with Parmiggiano Reggiano and Fruit tarts filled with Strawberry Cream Cheese and Dragon fruit and red grapes mascerated in lime and honey.

Just like the spice, my stay at Cinnamon stays was a heartwarming, uplifting experience, a home-away-from-home, populated by what became a surrogate family, filled with varied conversations, and inspiring stories of fellow guests, creative chaos and SO SO much inspiration...

Shilpi’s Sattu parathas

For filling

1 bowl of Sattu

2-3 tbl spoon mustard oil

3-4 finely chopped green chillies

1/4^th bowl finely chopped garlic

1/4^th bowl finely chopped onion

2- 3 tbsp lemon juice

Salt to taste

Ajwain optional

Prepared Dough for Chapattis.

Method

Put Sattu in a bowl and combine with all the other ingredients except chapatti dough. Stuff the resultant filling in the dough and roll out parathas. Griddle roast them with pure ghee or vegetable and serve hot. 

Shilpi’s Tamatar ka Khatta Meetha Chatni

5- 6 ripe tomatoes

2 red chillies

I tejpatta (Bay Leaf)

1 tsp cumin seed

1 tbsp mustard oil

50-60 g Jaggery

Sugar- 1 tbsp

Salt

Heat the mustard oil to smoking point and add the chillies, Bay leaf and cumin seed. When Cumin splutters and the spices are aromatic (30 seconds) add the tomatoes. Allow to cook for around 5- 7 mins untill soft. Add jaggery, sugar and salt. Pressure cook for 1 whistle. Garnish with chopped coriander leaves and serve.

Jugaad shoes

Beautiful paintings.

Organised Chaos!

Jugaad studios

Cute foodie corner!

Home cooked Dinner!

My Green room - haven of R&R

A warm welcome!

Breakfast!

At the demo!

Chef Neo stirs in the honey!

This is how you cook Pasta.

Chef Neo AKA Mister Shifu!

The Chef approves!

Chef Neo's Pasta Alio Olio with Parmiggiano Reggiano

and fruit tart, filled with Strawberry cheese and fruit mascerated in lime juice and honey..

The Grand room with its ornate four poster bed and luxurious touch of decadence.

The Purani jeans room where you can reconnect with your younger self!

GYAN and Links

Breakaway - http://www.break-away.in  and   www.facebook.com/breakaway.in

Cinnamon Stays Gurgaon, www.cinnamonstays.in, On facebook -http://www.facebook.com/CinnamonStays and Tripadvisor - http://bit.ly/gP02r5 OR email to cinnamonstays@gmail.com for bookings and queries! Jugaad Studios make hand painted Juboks – their signature our hand-painted customised canvas shoes, Thematic Tees, Quirky accessories, Logos and more including getting your walls  painted!

Email	jugaadstudio@gmail.com,
Phone	9650400466

Dakshin at the ITC Maratha, Mumbai adds an extensive Seafood selection to its Menu

A Traditional Urli at the door.

Golu Dolls

I finally got around to visiting Dakshin restaurant at the ITC Grand Maratha. Considering that Dakshin is in my neighbourhood, it is ironic that I have not been able to go dine there so far! But with the amount of things I have to juggle, often the choice of restaurants is decided by stories to file or places that allow children. That said I have been wanting to dine at Dakshin for a long, long time! And with Nariyal Purnima last week, (the festival after which the Koli fishermen begin fishing again) I though it appropriate that A Perfect bite get some Seafood. So I accepted the hotel's long standing invitation to come in for a tasting session of the extensive Seafood menu from the Karavali coast that they have added to their repertoire.

In keeping with the ITC tradition, Dakshin which showcases South Indian cuisine from the four states of Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh. This restaurant is inspired by the temples of southern India and the ambience is reflective of the influence, with temple door elements all over, ceiling lights in the shape of temple bells. Traditional woodcarving adorning the walls embelished with south Indian artifacts. And I was delighted by the traditional brass lamp (Velaku) and the Urli (traditional bell metal vessel) graced with a luxurious layer of Marigolds floating on its surface (the presence of a water body in temples is a must in south India) that greeted me on arrival at the restaurant. Little figurines representative of the dolls that are used to celebrate the Golu (doll) festival in SOuth India welcoming guests in. We arrived at a table set with gleaming silver thalis lined with banana leaves and rimmed with silver kattories waiting to be filled. Brass Cruet sets holding Podis (spice powders) suggested the subtle oppulence of a bygone era.

Food is served from traditional ‘Urlis’ and the ‘Addukus’ by traditionally dressed friendly and extremely knowledgeble restaurant staff. The menu is a result of years of research and trials by the team of chefs and culinary experts that are behind the restaurant. This team travels the region and sources information and ingredients from noted and celebrated cooks. With each item on the menu is cooked in its own distinct spices and style. It is laudable that the ITC has undertaken to invest in the propogation and preservation of culinary traditions such as this in their restaurants. Just like it is in the power of large hotel chains to create new cuisines, it is also in their power to celebrate Indian regional cuisines. As a food lover I loved the restaurant and its food.

But as a proponent of the preservation of traditional Indian food culture, I was especially honored to meet the charming Chef Manu Nair who stood by my table, giving me his special attention and sharing the stories and annecdotes behind the discovery for each dish; outlining. For me food is about the stories behind it and Chef Manu is an adept story teller, weaving special nuances into every dish he served with obvious pride, of the spices used, the origins of the dish and his personal discoveries and creations. He makes an apt ambassador for the cuisine and has an eternal foodie fan in me (He is the first Chef I have photographed for a blogpost). You see, South Indian cuisine goes much, much further than just idlis and dosas, typically associated with South Indian cuisine all over India. These in actuality are just a selection of dishes that are traditionally consumed for breakfast in the Udipi region of South India. From subtly spiced vegetarian offerings to beautifully flavoured meat and fish dishes, South Indian cuisine offers a phenomenal range of dishes, flavours and textures seldom sampled outside the home.

I know I am inviting trouble, with my next statement but I do not personally like the Marathas other Indian restaurants, the Peshawari and the Dum Pukht. I find the food too heavy. However, I loved Dakshin for lightness of the food and the attention to detail to everything from the decor to the food.My only grouse was that I did not fancy the desserts. I was looking forward to a Payasam or similarly tempting offering.

Without further ado, I will take you through each bite of my meal in the subsequent images but I would like to say that a meal at Dakshin is an education in the vastness of South Indian Cuisines and a must do on the menu of anyone who loves food or Indian culture.I have every intention of going back because there is SO much I still want to try. (Including the Harissa and the Pandi Curry they do on request!)  

Spice box on display

Nataraja with a traditional rangoli of flowers.

Chef Manu Nair - charming ambassador of South Indian Cuisine

My thali - within its rim lie the vastness of Indian cuisine.

A selection of papads to start us off.

Traditional buttermilk soaked sun dried chillies to nibble on.

Flowers for the ladies - a traditional gajra - string of jasmine flowers that South Indian women adorn their hair with.

We start with a selection of chutneys.

Chutneys - clockwise from left - Bottle gourd, Curry leaf, Coconut and I forget the last. 

All lined up in a row!

And then came the best Rassam I have EVER tasted. Yep even better than the one my favourite South Indian friend who is a fabulous cook makes! I kept sipping this through the meal, it made a very good palate cleanser between dishes.

Bharleli Bombil :- A speciality of the Belgaum region of Karnataka. The dish has influence of Malvani cuisine because Belgaum was earlier part of Maharashtra. Bombil are split open, deboned, stuffed with a shrimp mixture, closed and crumb fried in semolia.

The filling was delicious! Offering textural contrast to the soft crispy crumbed Bombil flsh.

Lobster Melagu Perrattal:- A dry fresh Lobster dish in which succulent cunks of Lobster came tossed in a fiery pepper masala. A speciality dish from the Syrian Christians of Cochin.

Kara Sighadi:- Prawns tossed in a blend of ethnic Masala, a specialty of Dharwad’s Shivaji community.

Meen Porichattu:- Boneless fillet of white Pomfret, marinated in a spicy tangy red Masala and shallow fried to perfection. A specialty during the annual church festivals of Kerala and my favourite of the day. So tender and flavour.

I love how they cut that lemon for the garnish!

Patchakari Stew A Syrian Christian speciality.in which vegetables are gently simmered in creamy coconut milk. Perct with accompanying Appams.

Meen Gassi:-A typical Mangalorean dish made with Bedgi chilies and coconut. A fisherman speciality. Normally cooked by fisherman’s on their Boats. They carry the masala with them and cook fresh catch in it.

Appams!

Mokkacholam Keerai Kasiyal:-Tender corn kernels and fresh greens cooked with spices and lentils.

Appam up close!

Deliciously crisp edges and a spongy centre!

Nandu Puttu:- Crab meat tossed with onions, ginger, garlic and grated coconut tempered with fennel and mustard. A speciality from the Malabar coasts of Kerala.

Cheemen Manga Charu:-Prawns delicately cooked with raw mango in shallot and fresh coconut milk gravy, tempered with mustard and cumin. A speciality from Local fishermen of Kerala. My other favourite of the meal!

Urlai Roast.:-Roasted baby potatoes spicy finished with garlic, cumin and aniseed. An Iyengar specialty.

Pomfret Koshambri:- Delicate cubes of Pomfret fish cooked in a spicy coriander and chilly Masala. A dish influenced by the Konkani settlements in Karnataka.

All served up !

The meal was rounded off with Rice eaten 4 ways.

a spoonfull of rice was placed before me and Chef asked me to divide it into 4 portions.

And the cruet set was brought forward.

The Cruet set is a signature offering at Dakshin, containing a selection of podis or spice powders and pure ghee.

Each section of rice was topped with a podi - this is the Curry leaf one, and my favourite.

The garlic one

Some ghee on top of each mound.

A beutiful sight and delicious ritual!

The last moung should have had papad but I got lost in the Curry leaf Podi!

And then came Curd Rice - one of my favourite dishes!

With spicy Avakkai pikle...

Kadal pacchee:- A delicate pudding made from milk and Pistachio nuts, flavoured with rose water and seaweed. A moplah specialty. (yes I forgot to take a picture before digging in!)

Vattal Appam:- Steamed coconut custard sweetened with Jaggery and cardamom. A dish that originated in Sri Lanka which became famous in Tamil Nadu.