AUGUST 2014: Mumbai Style Sandwich

The name might not describe much, but the sandwich in this style, is an experience extraordinaire.

This is one of a kind Mumbai street food.  Not at number one, as it would be unfair on Vada Pav (potato dumpling with chick pea flour coating, deep fried and served with Dinner Roll).

For me, it’s a delicate slice of soft white bread with layers of goodies sandwiched between the slices.

The process of watching the street vendor making those sandwiches is a very delightful sight. These vendors making those sandwiches versus me making them… a world of difference. 

They win hands down.

How is it made?

• Two Slices of Bread
• Mint Cilantro Chutney (I use a cup of cilantro to half a cup of mint, 3-4 green chillies, a little piece of ginger and salt, grind them into a smooth paste, and use it within 2-3 days.)
• Butter, softened
• Cucumber, sliced              
• Tomato, sliced
• Onion, sliced
• Potato, boiled and sliced
• Beetroot (optional)
• Some chat masala powder (you get it in Indian stores)
• A little salt
• And a slice of cheddar cheese or grated cheddar.

photoed by A. Rajan

The process is way too simple just like any other sandwich.

First, apply butter on the bread slices and slather some chutney on top, and then layer your veggies.

photoed by A. Rajan

Sprinkle it with salt and pepper, and a slice of cheese or grated cheese (I used grated Marble cheese).

photoed by A. Rajan

And then, toast the sandwich on the grill... 

Serve it with some Cilantro Mint Chutney and a little bit of Tomato Ketchup …some potato chips on the side will be awesome, and will make it complete.

This Sandwich tastes super good… you can make it without cheese, and without toasting it on the grill. The result will be very delicious still. For I am from Mumbai, any other sandwich in the world can’t compete with this one. With a hot cup of tea, the experience is complete. 

photoed by A. Rajan

Comfort food par excellence. No pretence, nothing gourmet, yet delicious simple flavors. 

Try it, you won’t regret it. :-)

--A.R.

JULY 2014: Afternoon Tea @ Zarraffa's

A lovely afternoon at Zarraffa's Coffee. I had a chilled mini mud cake served with a scoop of vanilla ice cream and a cup of hot camomile tea.

Have a good look at the art form of this coffee shop treat...

photoed by D. Liongson

If I started to please my eyes first before eating this, I wouldn't have forked my way through this yummy cake. As you can see, the fork seems excited to go for it before the photo shoot. 

If eating this spongy cake, it is oh so delightful to fork it with a morsel of the chocolate piece at the top and some ice cream together. Mmm-mm! If you prefer to eat the cake warm, the shop would be happy to heat the cake for you. Since the ice cream is optional, the cake can also do without it if you'd like to cut down the sweet side.

photoed by D. Liongson

Some people have the habit of putting sugar in most cups of tea. With sweeties like cake and ice cream, a sip of unsweetened camomile tea is divine. Zero additional sugar indeedy! The camomile tea has a blend of the camomile flower we love with hints of citrus. (TRIVIA: According to the dictionary, camomile is an aromatic European plant of the daisy family, with white and yellow daisy-like flowers.) 

I love the colors and textures produced by the teabag contents. As for enjoying the hot tea in a cutie cup, sipping it at warm level (which is minutes past hot level) is best. It wouldn't burn nor would it be as bummer as tea with zero warmth.  But if you're a fan of iced tea, you might want to throw in some ice cubes in the cooled (formerly hot) tea. Hmm... where can we get ice?  When there's a will, there's a way...

photoed by D. Liongson

Have a little feast at Zarraffa's Coffee! I had my cake and ate it too... with vanilla ice cream and hot camomile tea. ;-)
--D.L.



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D' HAIKU
Mud cake with ice cream
and some hot camomile tea:
cools temper; warms heart.
--D.L.

JUNE 2014: Linguini with Citrus Spice Infused Salmon

Summer heat is here (in Canada). I don’t want to complain as we crave for this season of lots of sunshine, greenery with lots of flowers, and lots of veggies growing in the garden... 

So, I decided to tackle the weeds in my garden by putting in 6 hours of labour intensive efforts to pull out the pretty little devils. And then, I got so hungry that I craved for a meal-- which is going to make me feel pampered and relaxed.

To regain the lost strength, I wanted healthy protein of fish such as Wild Atlantic Salmon. I prepped my darling salmon fillets with precision. 

I marinated them with freshly ground black pepper, sea salt, lemon juice, red chilli flakes, and some lemon zest (to ensure that I coated all sides of the fish). And, there they went in the fridge for an hour to soak up all the goodness that I showered them with.

photoed by A. Rajan

Next step was to put each fillet on parchment paper separately (just enough paper to parcel the individual fillet later), drizzled them with clarified butter, and put thinly cut pieces of lemon on top. 

photoed by A. Rajan

I parcelled each fillet with its individual paper, and put them in the pre-heated oven at 375 or 400 degrees for about 10-15 minutes. 

photoed by A. Rajan

I took out the parcel paper, and put the salmon on a plate after making it rest for 5 minutes (just as you make your steak rest for making it juicy and succulent).

photoed by A. Rajan

This needed to be paired with some good pasta. So, I cooked Linguini with little lemon zest and salt. In a pan, I put some olive oil with butter. And then, I sautéed garlic, spring onions, and bell pepper. I spiced it up a little bit with red chilli flakes, dried oregano, dried basil, and a little bit of salt. And then, I tossed the Linguini in this mixture. And, I added some lemon zest and cilantro (coriander) leaves in it. I am not a fan of cilantro (as I am partial to my Asian heritage after all). But, I love the citrusy taste of it.

photoed by A. Rajan

Next thing was to plate it all up on the bed of Linguini with generous sprinkle of three kinds of shredded cheese (Parmesan, Romano, and Asiago). You simply put the prepared salmon fillet on top of the prepared Linguini. And, enjoy it with a glass of wine. 

Bon appétit! :-D

photoed by A. Rajan

Love, love, love this dish! It's a staple in my diet once a month for now.
--A.R.

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D' HAIKU

Pasta and salmon:

Seasoned, baked, pasta'd and served;

Love to eat it too!

--D.L.

MAY 2014: Spinach and Ricotta Cannelloni

This is what I look forward to on my trip to the Fasta Pasta resto:

courtesy of www.fastapasta.com.au

Since the print is too fine to read, I will repeat the description: 

"fresh pasta tubes filled with ricotta and spinach, oven-baked in a napoli sauce and served with a basil, garlic and cream sauce"

This is how the serving looks before I ate it:

photoed by D. Liongson

This is how it looks after I ate it:

photoed by D. Liongson

This mm-mmm order was served oven-hot to my little space on the dining table next to my comfy seat. The tubular pasta was fresh and al dente to the bite.  The stuffing of shredded spinach and melted ricotta cheese had a pleasant flavor and texture in the mouth.  The smooth blend of napoli sauce (tomato base) and cream sauce with basil and garlic added extra flavor to the stuffed pasta giving it some moisture and delish to the whole dish.

If you want to give this resto a go, there is no need to make reservations (as I know of for now).  Simply show up and check if there is a table available.  I recommend you to dine there with one or more someones; so that there will be one placing an order at the cashier while the other waits by the preferred table.  Otherwise, it will be-- now you see an empty table, now you see it grabbed and taken.  But if you insist on eating alone, either you will be lucky to have a table for yourself with the given cheerful ambience or better to order at take-out mode and provide your own ambience.

Drinks may go well with this pasta dish.  Some prefer wine or juice or soda drink while I prefer water.  One thing good about water is it helps one appreciate the original flavor of the food.  But then, that is in my humble opinion and personal choice.  The choice of drink is usually based on one's acquired taste.

BUON APPETITO!

--D.L.

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D' HAIKU

Cannelloni dish:

Pasta, greens, cheese and sauces

It's simply delish.

--D.L.

APRIL 2014: Bhakri with Thecha -- the food contemporary of the dancing shoes ;-)

photoed by A. Rajan

This is one delicious comfort food.  You will dance with joy and pain. It is tear jerking with powerful sinus cleanse. 

The comfort food that we would like to feature is simple “Bhakri” – Indian roti bread made with a grain called Jowar (Indian name of Sorghum). Nutrition profile of this grain is top notch, with its vitamin and mineral contents with an undertone of delicious sweetness.

Making this roti was a work of art in itself.  First, the grain Sorghum is Gluten free, so when you try to knead the dough, you got to use hot water instead of cold water.  I tried to use cold water to work the dough with no good results.  Then I used hot water to the flour and kept kneading the dough to its required softness. This method worked the best for me.

This roti is supposed to be made on floured surface by using palm and fingers and not the rolling pin. Very arty you might think. It is, as it requires a lot of skill and it comes with time. I remember a friend mentioning, how at the age of 13 she started making these rotis at home and now she makes it every day.  

I almost fainted questioning my abilities by doing stupid comparison. If she can, why can’t I?

I commended that skill of making these rotis and finally after few failed tries succeeded in becoming a little skillful in not breaking the roti. Once it goes on the pan, you got to brush some water on the surface of the roti, to keep it in shape and not break it. That’s what I figured; there can be other reason behind it too. Fortunately, it was a success. The roti didn’t break when I changed its sides on the pan and was cooked through retaining its shape and flavor.

Traditionally, People eat this with Green Chilli and Garlic Chutney known as Thecha in Marathi.

If you take ten green chillies, then the ratio of garlic cloves would be half of that. Take little oil. I used Olive Oil. I then sautéed green chillies and garlic in oil till they browned a little bit on the surface. This gives it a smoky and sweet taste. Once done use mortar and pestle or grind it in the grinder with little bit of salt. It’s that simple really.

Take roti, add dollop of butter on it and eat with Thecha. Enjoy! :-)

This is one delicious comfort food.  You will dance with joy and pain. It is tear jerking with powerful sinus cleanse. Blame it on one skinny chilli which can make you dance on its tunes. It’s delicious no doubt but not for faint hearted.  

Bhakri gets thumbs up all the way. It keeps you full for long time as well. I am hooked for life on Bhakri for good.

--A.R.

MARCH 2014: Sandwich Day

illustrated by D. Liongson

According to Wikipedia, March 1 is Sandwich Day!  It may be listed in the American calendar of food feasts, but why not use it as the theme for this blog entry?  Hard for me to find a calendar that glorifies food by the day or week or month internationally.  So why not play along with Sandwich Day?

Ah… a good excuse to glorify sandwiches!  The glorious food you can pick up with your hands with the lesser mess on them (compared to eating this food breadless).  Some people eat them with a fork and knife.  I think there is some sensuality with eating with clean bare hands.  (Eating sandwiches is included.)

There is a charming classic resto (restaurant) in Manila called  "Pancake House". 

photoed by D. Liongson

When I had afternoon tea, I ordered their Grilled Cheese Sandwich. 

photoed by D. Liongson

For a drink, chilled water is fine.  Water had its way of not stealing the thunder of the sandwich which I ate.  (But then if I want a flavorful drink, I will order it after my meal.)  It is a joy to savour the flavors the food already has.  The best times to drink water is before and after eating.  (Drinking while eating wet blankets the fun of exploring the flavors the food we eat slowly.)

The meal consists of light toasted bread with melted cheddar cheese in between with a moderate helping of potato salad and with tidbits of pineapple and sweet cuke (cucumber) pickles.  I know anyone can make this at home.  But since I like to order this at a resto when the purpose is to eat while meeting a friend in a cozy resto ambiance.  (And not to forget, to free myself from tidying and dishwashing after the meetup.)

Here is some trivia about the humble sandwich: 

--This word "sandwich" is eponymous* to 4th Earl of Sandwich  (John Mantagu)  from south-east England

--This earl usually asks his servants to bring him slices of meat in between two pieces of bread so he can eat this food while he gambles at the card table

--This was his habit witnessed by his gambling friends, that they also ordered their food "the same as Sandwich's"

If you want to read more about the 4th Earl of Sandwich, click THIS.

So much for trivia, it is time to look forward for your chance to grab two pieces of bread and fill it with the filling of your choice!  If mess is less, try one piece of bread for an open sandwich.  Combinations are endless…

*Eponymous may mean the word is based on a real or fictional character.  Some sources state that the exact circumstances of its invention (4th Earl of Sandwich and the food we call "sandwich") and original use are still debatable.
--D.L.

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D' HAIKU
Between bread slices
And any filling you love
Then grab and eat it.
--D.L.

… and D' JOKE
Q: What do dentists serve you for lunch?
A: A sandwich with your choice of filling.
--D.L.

FEBRUARY 2014: Thoughts on Strawberries with Chocolate Ganache

illustrated by D. Liongson

Wow, I am in mood for some nice uplifting food…. what can be more interesting than chocolates and strawberries.  Bearing in mind, it’s romantic February and Valentine's Day energy is all around us.  I am dreamy, and I like all the jazz about treating myself, and spoiling everyone around me.

Its - 34 degrees and I dare not venture out; I am bored and craving comfort food which is sweet, creamy and gooey.

I dare and go to the grocery store and pick the choicest of plump deliciously red organic strawberries.  

photoed by A. Rajan

Heading to the Chocolate isle… drool…. and pick the 70 percent cocoa chocolate by Lindt. 

photoed by A. Rajan

Then its 35 per cent  M.F. (Milk Fat) whipping cream... sorry , I don’t believe in low fat versions… I rather feel, have healthy full fat stuff and then starve myself for few days  and eat lot of greens to offset the effect of all the fat that I eat. 

So here it is… My craving for all the deliciousness personified chocolate covered strawberry, is so heightened that I started melting the Chocolate with a little bit of whipping cream in the microwave …stirring it a little bit every now & then till its melted. I added pinch of chili flakes and few flakes of sea salt therein, just for an experiment.

Later, I just folded Strawberries with glossy Chocolate Ganache, and let them rest a while.

photoed by A. Rajan

Now, I can either enjoy them on their own or have a little whipped cream on the side. So I whipped some cream with a little bit of sugar and voila, 

photoed by A. Rajan

I am ready to indulge… how about you? 

Would you like to share your Valentine's Day Comfort food idea with us?

--A.R.

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D' HAIKU:

Harvest and concoct;

Make yummy sauce… and voila!

Strawberries with Choc.

--D.L.

...and D' JOKE:

Q: Why did the chef plant disco lights?

A: Because he wants to harvest strobe-berries.

--D.L.