Tuesday, October 4, 2016

Karnataka Food Festival @Movenpick-Bengaluru

I was invited for the prelaunch Kannada/karnataka food festival at Movenpick Hotel, Bengaluru. Food Culture in Bengaluru has just multiplied and grown over the years but among the numerous, andhra, biryani and pub culture Bengaluru has very few authentic places who serve few dishes from Karnataka. 

Chef Gaurav Bathla has put together an extensive menu of traditional dishes packed with flavors. The wide spread buffet offers a range of mouth-watering delicacies, from all over karnataka. The hotel will also have decorations according to the theme. The entire team will dress up in traditional Karnataka attire to let you experience the true spirit of the state. 

On menu will be options like Maddur Vada, Mangalore Rawa Fry, Mutton Sukkha, Baleki Palya, Mangaloreon Prawn Curry, Nool Puttu, Obbatina Saaru, Kori Roti, Ragi Mudde, Obattu, Mysore Pak, to name a few. Starting from live counter, salads to desserts every section will feature a range of options to choose from.


The Festival will also feature local artisans from karnataka. One can purchase paintings, jewelry, sarees and fancy decor at the venue.


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The Kannada Cuisine is one of the oldest surviving cuisines and traces its origin to Iron Age - ragi and is mentioned in the historical works by Pampa Maha Kavi, sushrutha, etc. The varieties of the karnataka cuisine has influenced the neighbouring states like Tamil Nadu, Andhra pradesh, Kerala and Maharashtra. 

The cuisine also reflects influences from the food habits of many regions and communities from the three neighbouring South Indian states, as well as the state of Maharashtra to its north. 

Some typical dishes include Bisi bele bath, Jolada rotti, Chapati, Ragi rotti, Akki rotti, Saaru, Idli-vada Sambar, Vangi Bath, Khara Bath, Kesari Bath, Benne dose, Ragi mudde, Paddu/ Gundponglu, koli saaru (chicken curry- Kannada Style), Maamsa Saaru (Mutton Curry - Kannada style), and Uppittu. 

Movenpick has stepped up a notch and has also decorated the entrance to dinning area with chapra, flower rangoli and lamps to greet the guest in traditional Karnataka style .

The famous Masala Dose traces its origin to Udupi cuisine. Plain and Rave Idli, Mysore Masala Dosa and Maddur Vade are popular in South Karnataka. Kodagu (Coorg) district is famous for spicy varieties of pork curries while coastal Karnataka boasts of many tasty seafood specialities. Among sweets, Mysore Pak, Holige, or, Obbattu, Dharwad pedha, Chiroti, Sajjige, Kadabu/ Karjikaayi are well known.

Although the ingredients differ from one region to another, a typical Kannadiga Oota (Kannadiga meal) includes the following dishes in the order specified and is served on a banana leaf: Uppu (salt), Kosambari, Pickle, Palya, Gojju, Raita, dessert, Thovve, Chitranna, rice and ghee.

After serving ghee to everyone, one may start the meal. This is done to ensure that everyone seated has been served all the dishes completely.
What follows next is a series of soup like dishes such as Saaru, Muddipalya, Majjige Huli or Kootu which is eaten with hot rice. Gojju or raita is served next; two or three desserts are served; fried dishes such as Aambode or Bonda are served next. The meal ends with a serving of curd rice.

There is some diversity in core food habits of North and South Karnataka. While northern-style dishes have jola and rice as the primary cereals the south uses ragi and rice.

The North Karnataka cuisine can be primarily found in the northern districts of Karnataka which include Dharwad, Bijapur, Gulbarga, Belgaum, Bidar, Yadgir, Bagalkot, Raichur, Davangere, Gadag, Haveri, Koppal and western and northern areas of Bellary. The cuisine is also considered a specialty in the cities of Southern Karnataka like Bengaluru, Tumakuru and Mysuru, with several restaurants offering this cuisine to meet the growing demand.
Flower Rangoli (Poo Kolam)

The South Karnataka or old Mysuru region also known as Bayaluseeme or the plains including the present-day Kolara, Bengalooru, Mysooru, Tumakuru, Mandya, Haasana, Chamarajanagara. Ragi and Rice are the most important staple grains, Jowar and bajra are also cultivated and consumed in the drier parts of the region. 

The first meal of the day is the breakfast which is quite substantial. Regular meals consists of Ragi mudde or steamed dumpling made from ragi flour, a curry to roll bits of the dumpling often called Saaru, Rice and Yogurt. Optional accompaniments include a salad called Kosambari, various Palyas (fried, boiled or sauteed spicy vegetables) and assorted pickles.
Formal vegetarian meals are usually served in a particular order and required to be consumed in a particular order as well. These meals are served on Plantain leaves or Mutuka leaves, dry Tendu-like leaves staples together into big circular discs. 

First accompaniments are served which includes variety of Palya, Kosambari, sweet-savory gojju, hot spicy chutney Pickles, bajji, bonda, vade, Papads. The first course alternated between sweets and rice preparation. The second course is a set of curries to be consumed with rice. It generally starts with Tovve, a mild lentil dish laced with ghee, Majjige Huli, vegetables simmered in a mild yogurt sauce, followed by Huli, lentils and vegetables spiced and tempered with ghee, mustard, asafoetida and curry leaves. This is followed by tili Saaru which is a thin lentil stock spiced and laced with ghee and curry leaves. 

The final course of the meal is rice and curd with pickles. Buttermilk is also served to be consumed at the end of the meal. Mysuru is also famous for its sweet "MysurPak", made of milk, sugar,ghee and gram flour.

The Hilly district of Kodagu (Coorg) also has its own unique cuisine which includes spicy meat (Pandi (Pork) Curry, Chicken, Mutton), Kadumbutt(Round balls made up of rice), Paputt, Thaliyaputt. The spicy meat curries derives a tangy taste from Kokum Kachampuli.

The Malenadu of Karnataka can be culturally divided (on basis of food culture) as South Malnad comprising Northern Somawarpete in North Kodagu, Sakaleshapura, Mudigere, southern part of Chickamagaluru taluk and western part of Belur and Alur taluks in Hassan. Central malnad consisting of chickamagalur, Koppa, Malnad region of Shivmoga, and western ghat regions of Uttara Kannada. 

Even though Western ghat regions of Uttara knnada and Belagavi can be considered as Northern malnad the food culture of these regions is unaware to the rest of Malnad, which may be due to inadequate communication with the other parts of Malnad and Karnataka. Although many[who?] refer to the malenadu cuisine as an amalgam of Coorgi and Mangalorean cuisine, it has its own distinct style. 

The Kodava (Coorg) and the Bunt (coastal Mangalorean) regions are distinct from the rest of the Malnad (hilly Karnataka) region hence the cuisines are also different. The word Malenaadu means "land of mountain ranges". The cuisine is heavily influenced by the variety of fruits and vegetables available in the rich forests of western ghats. 

The ingredients like tender bamboo shoots, colocassia leaves, turmeric leaves, raw jackfruit are easily found in the Sahyadri ranges. Steaming is the favored method of cooking in Malenaadu. More often than not, there is little use of oils in malenaadu cuisine.

Our dinner service started...

Kokum Juice welcome drink...

Different Gojju, Chutneys, Pickles and podis arrive at our table. Prawn Pickle, Ambatekai Pickle, Mango Pickle, Tomato Gojju, Shenga chutney,  Coconut Chutney, Heerekai chutney,
Red Chili Chutney (Ranjaka), Green Tomato Chutney...

Chicken Ghee Roast 

Kubbe (Clams Masala)

Nippattu Masala

Bajji: Plaintain and Banana Peppers Fritters

Congress Masala: Spicy fried peanuts tossed with finely chopped cucumber, onion and tomato...

Pandi Curry (Pork Simmered in authentic coorgi spices)

Sabsige soppu palya

Mangalorean Prawn Curry

Southe Sambar

Mysore Rasam

Thatte Idly

Ragi Mudde

Jolla Rotti

Akki Rotti

Neer Dosa

Bele Obbattu

Dharwad Peda

My Picks from the entire spread was Nippattu Masala, Bajji, Prawn Pickle, Sothe Sambar Rice, Pork Fry and obbattu. 
Enjoy wholesome authentic home style food featured for the first time in Bengaluru. Taste all of this and more at Movenpick Hotel and Spa Bangalore , North Bangalore for Rs 1200++ Lunch and Dinner...till October-13th 2016.

Address: 115, Gokula Extension, HMT Road, Near BEL Circle, Mathikere Extension, Mathikere, Bengaluru, KA 560054
Phone: 080 4300 1000

Sunday, October 2, 2016

Mohanthal (Mohanlal) Halwa Recipe



Festive Celebrations are never complete without a homemade traditional dessert. Mohanlal or mohanthal halwa is a simple 5 ingredient halwa recipe. 

The recipe and name of this dessert may vary as per region and culture. North India people refer this dessert as mohanthal and southindia we call it as mohanlal. 
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Ingredients:
200 Grams of Gram Flour/Besan/Kadalai Maavu
200 Grams Sugar
200 Grams Khova/Milk solids
150 Grams Ghee
2 Tbsp Cardamom Powder
10 Almonds

Prep up:

  • Boil 2 Cup of water reserve
  • Add cardamom powder and sugar to a mixer jar grind and reserve.
  • Sift the gram flour twice and reserve


Method:

  • Heat a wok with ghee on medium flame.
  • Add sifted gram flour to the ghee place the flame on low and keep stirring.
  • Fry the gram flour until the color changes.
  • In 10 minutes the gram flour will turn light pink in color. 
  • Crumble and add khova to the gram flour keep stirring the mixture will foam.
  • Add powdered sugar and stir. Eventually all the ingredients will get combined.
  • Add 2 cups water and stir. The halwa will separate from the wok and ghee will surface to the sides of the pan remove from flame garnish with chopped almonds serve hot...Enjoy :)


Tips: Use a nonstick wok to prepare this halwa. Dry roasting the gram flour without ghee first this will enhance the flavor and taste of this halwa. Serve this halwa with hot badam milk.

Thursday, September 29, 2016

Review: Kent Cold Pressed Juicing (Cucumber & Apple Juice Benefits)

I'm Happy to be associated with Kent for this review. Being a food blogger I like to detox from time to time and enjoy juicing, I was already in search of a good juicer timing was perfect when kent contacted me. 

Cold-pressed juices contain many beneficial nutrients. In recent times I've seen many Indians opt for cold pressed juice.
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About Kent: KENT RO Systems Limited is a 21st century healthcare products company. KENT started its operations from Noida, India in 1999.

Over the years, it has evolved as a market leader providing technologically advanced healthcare products ranging from Water Purifiers, Air Purifiers, Vegetable and Fruit Purifiers to Water Softeners. It has become synonymous with offering purity and is known for its robustness in technological performance and innovative designs enhancing quality of everyday living.

KENT is ISO 9001:2008 certified and has been at the forefront of innovation. It has grown to be a strong organization with offices across India and most importantly, millions of satisfied customers to its credit worldwide.


MODEL NUMBER: KC-SJ502
NET WEIGHT: 7.20 kg

INPUT POWER SUPPLY
Single Phase 220 V, AC 50 Hz.

MOTOR SPEED: 65+- 5 RPM
MAXIMUM POWER: 250 W

Kent Juicer comes with 10 components. 2 Filters, fine mesh and large mesh, squeezer blade, feeding tray, jars and motor body. 

Easy to handle and assemble the juicer like a regular mixer. The squeezer chops the fruits and vegetables into tiny pieces and extracts more juice compared to a regular juicer. 

Customer can enjoy juicing with low noise motor, eliminates constant pressing of ingredients. If the Customer feels to press the pulp again he/she can re-feed the pulp and extract juice second time if needed.


What is cold pressed juice??
Cold-pressed juice refers to juice that uses a hydraulic press to extract juice from fruit and vegetables. The juice extraction technique works on a low RPM (Revolutions per Minute) speed which is less than 100. Since it does not produce as much heat as produced by conventional juicers, the nutrients do not get oxidized, and the freshness of the ingredients' along with its nutrients and fibers are retained in far higher quantity. This technique also allows the juicer to extract more juice. 

Cold-pressed juices can be stored for 3 to 5 days. This type of juice has existed for decades, but gained popularity in the late 2000s as a way to support juice cleanses. Celebrities such as Gwyneth Paltrow and Kim Kardashian bolstered its popularity. 

The initial use of cold-pressed juices for juice cleanses evolved into mainstream use, and the industry rapidly expanded in the early to mid 2010s In general, these juices are noted to be more expensive than other types of juices. Rather then purchasing cold pressed juices from market one can enjoy the cold pressed juice prepared in a hygienic environment at home. 

Using one cucumber and two apples I was able to extract 500 ML juice. Cucumbers are enriched with B vitamins, which make them ideal as an energy drink. A glass of cucumber juice will give you more nutrients than any artificial energy drink and help you stay active during the day.

Apples are packed with polyphenol and flavonoids, which are popular antioxidants for heart health.Cucumber juice has anti-inflammatory properties as well, so it has a cooling effect on your body.

A glass of cucumber juice after a heated workout, or after a long hot day, will cool your core temperature and also cure any form of acidity or stomach inflammation that you may be suffering from.

Apple juice gets to the root of various cardiovascular diseases by attacking the culprit cholesterol directly. 

By consuming juiced apples regularly, you can reduce your bad cholesterol levels and thus reduce the chances of various heart diseases. Combination of these 2 ingredients is truly a wonder drug gifted by nature. 

One must consume 300 ML of this juice everyday. Replenish your body with nutrients and fibers stay healthy and fit with fresh juices from Kent Cold Pressed Juicer which is priced at 12,499/- on Flipkart.com

More info visit:
https://www.kent.co.in/Kent-Juicer/

Tuesday, September 27, 2016

The Essence of Chettinad @Feast, Sheraton Grand-Bengaluru

I was hosted by Sheraton Grand for their ongoing Chettinad food festival, which started 21st September and will end 30th September 2016. One must be lucky to eat like a chettiar its common saying across southindia "Chettiar vrinundhu" or the buffet spread consisted of both non-vegetarian and vegetarian dishes. 

Chef Sabari and Chef Marty who travelled across chettinad region in 2015 collected authentic recipes and put togeather a fitting feast in 2015 the popularity of this festival was most talked in town. 

Chef Sabari says, chettinad cuisine is one of the spiciest and the most aromatic in India. Our younger generation and many visitors are unaware of the various thuvayals, podis, and aromatic curries that chettinad has to offer. Chicken chettinad and biryani have become so popular but authentic recipes or dishes are vanished among the few popular dishes. Our team at sheraton decided to relaunch the festival we wanted our guests to indulge in most authentic and forgotten dishes of chettinad. 

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What are all the spices used in chettinad cuisine?  Chef Sabri says The most essential spices used in Chettinad cuisine are , Anasipoo (Star Anise), Maratti Mokku (Dried Caper Flower Pods) and Kalpasi (A Lichen Known as the “Black Stone Flower). 

We have used all the spices in moderation keeping in mind that our international clients would also like to indulge in our traditional cuisine my team makes sure to inform our clients about the spices levels before serving. 

We have also set up live counters like appam and paniyaram counter, kadai/quail and mutton fry counter, panakkam, moor counter and dessert counters where guest can see the dishes cooked in-front of them which again creates an experience for a curious foodie. 

Ambiance: The entry was decorated with pookolam (designs made with flowers), traditional lamps (villaku) and tanjavoor bommais inviting guests to a feast they will never forget. 

About Sheraton Grand:
The Sheraton group of hotels has their outlet called the Sheraton Bangalore hotel at Brigade Gateway. It aims at providing fine hospitality services to the city’s residents. Located at 26/1, Dr.Rajkumar Road, Malleswaram, Rajijinagar it stands beside the biggest shopping mall, Metro Cash and Carry of the city and is connected to it through the sky walks. Also placed near the IT center of the city it is easily reachable for all the techy geeks of the city.

Feast, the buffet restaurant at sheraton, serves various buffets one after the other.  The extraordinary interiors show you richness in the atmosphere and the environment. 


Traditional Indian Salads: Kosambari, Pavakai Salad, Brinjal and Paintain salad, Pinapple Salad...
Various Chutneys, Pickles , Thuvayals and Podis on display...

Our Chettinad Feast started with Neer, Moore and Pannakam, which is a traditional offering across southindia. 

Pannakam is a drink made with jaggery (raw cane sugar) dried ginger powder, lime juice, tulsi, cardamom and water this drink is not only refreshing but also filled with iron. Moore is nothing but lassi/buttermilk with cumin powder which helps in digestion.

Nei Paniyaram: is prepared using fermented rice batter which is tempered with mustard, ginger and coconut the batter is fried in a paniyaram contraption using ghee was served with 3 different chutneys coconut, coriander and chilly chutney was very rich and tasty.
Chutneys, Pickles and Podis served at our table...


Kadai (Quail) Perattal: The quail used for this feast was free range chefs had to search for a farmer who could give them free range birds for this dish since free range birds are more authentic and have a authentic game taste. The quail was fried in ghee with few spices like stone flower cardamom and chillies this dish was spicy and tasty went well with roti.


Karuvepillai Eral Fry: Crispy fried prawns in pepper, curry leaves and ginger masala. 

Kari Varuval: Mutton chops cooked with an assortment of spices like cloves, cardamom, fennel and star anise then tawa fried with onion ginger and chillies. Meat was juicy and the masala paste was spicy this dish was a excellent combo with naan roti.
 My Plate...

After tasting lip smacking starters we started to  taste the main course from buffet. First item I ordered was the appam and Karikai avial.

Any southindian cuisine first dish in the main course you will spot the rice different types of biryani and podi sadam was on the menu

Next were the side dishes like curries and stir fries. The spread catered to various tastebuds. Some dishes like white pumpkin curry, mushroom, chinna vengayam (shallots in tamarind curry) and panner curry were prepared using coconut oil and spices, the peppery masalas dominated in all dishes.
Section for nonveg lovers consisted seer fish  fry, goat curry and prawn soup... 

This was my order from the live counter Appam and Aviyal. The aviyal is not regular kerela type aviyal this curry was prepared using a strong ginger masala and coconut milk very unique packed with strong flavors.

From the extensive buffet I chose goat curry, Fish fry, prawn soup crackers, naan and biryani. Briyani and fish fry could have been spicy other than that all dishes were perfect enjoyed a lovely wholesome meal.

Dessert counter consisted of ashoka halwa, pal paniyaram, vella appam and sago payasam.

I chose to stick with just one dessert sago payasam it was perfectly made with coconut milk nuts and jaggery.


We finally ended our meal with a classic maghai paan.

Enjoy the essence of chettinad, the buffet is priced at Lunch: INR 1445++ Dinner: INR 1595++ per person till 30th September 2016.

Feast - Sheraton Grand Bangalore Hotel at Brigade Gateway Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato

More info visit: