Food Tasting @Chin Chin by The Biere Club, Bengaluru

I was recently invited for a tasting session at the newly launched Chin Chin by The 153 Biere club. Being a huge oriental cuisine fan I was thrilled to taste the new offering. 

Ambience is simple one can choose semi open seating or private dining. The decor is vibrant, with chintz upholstered comfy chairs, open kitchen...aromas of stir fries are surely inviting. 

The menu offers classic Pan Asian cuisine, choose from dim sums, gyoza, stir fries or bao all of this and more at affordable price. Pair you food with perfect cocktail or freshly brewed craft beers. When at Biere club I personally enjoy crisp lager its freshly brewed and perfectly pairs with any cuisine. 

Subscribe to me on Youtube English and Tamil Channels for regular updates 😉

Display at the entrance

Set Menu for Tasting Session 

Cocktail of Choice I picked...Chin Chin Thai

(white rum+spiced rum+ lemongrass+galangal+kafferleaves+lime+sugar+soda)

Condiment trio

Chicken and Spring Onion Gyoza

Green Peas Filled Dimsums with Truffle Oil

Har Gaw (shrimp dimsums)

Char Sui Pork bao (Chinese Steam Buns)

Grilled Chicken Satay with Spicy Peanut Sauce

Som Tam Raw papaya Spicy Salad

Kung Pao Chicken

(Diced chicken stir fried with cashews/sweet and spicy sauce)

Roasted Pork with Sticky Honey BBQ Glaze 

Thai Grilled Mushrooms

Roasted Duck Spring roll with Chilly Plum Sauce

Broccoli and Cheese Buns

Nasi Goreng 

(Indonesian fried rice with mixed meat and seafood topped with sunny side egg)

Wood Ear Mushrooms with Crispy Tofu Salad

Thai Red Curry with Chicken

Simple Vegetable Fried Rice

Stir Fried Lotus roots and Broccoli in Black Bean Sauce

Crispy Pan Fried Chicken in Garlic Sauce

Water Chestnut Rubies in Coconut Milk

Lemon Grass Pannacotta  topped with Litchis

Classic Chinese Mango Pudding 

Food was excellent my three picks from the entire tasting has to be the roasted pork with honey bbq glaze, Chicken Satay with peanut sauce and Litchi Pannacotta. 

Product Review: Popular Essentials Basmati Rice + Peas Pulao Recipe

This product review is in collaboration with mom bloggers group on whatsapp. I agreed to do this review because I can vouch for popular essentials since we are a regular consumer and have purchased many pantry essentials from this brand. 

Popular essentials as a brand has never failed in terms of quality. Popular essentials currently sell sona masouri, kollam, basmati, bullet and ponni variety on Amazon.in.

As a consumer its very difficult for me to choose a wide vairety of brands offering basmati rice as they claim its best quality, long grain and so on, by the end of the day being a consumer what I expect is quality and consistency. 

Subscribe on Youtube English and Tamil Channels for regular updates 😊

The 5 Kg Basmati rice comes in a poly woven and stiched durable bag which ensures the grains are aerated and water resistant. Priced at 575/- for 5kgs is a mid range quality rice for daily needs. This rice bag comes with an easy access zip and handle which can be reused. 

I normally store the rice with the bag in a airtight container to avoid moisture and bugs. What caught my attention is detail printed instructions on the bags how to cook rice in open pot and pressure cooker which makes things easy for a new cook.

Peas Pulao Recipe

Using Poplular essentials premium quality basmati rice I prepared a simple one pot peas pulao. I am always fascinated with basmati rice, distinct aroma and nutty taste truly enhances the flavor and taste when used in a biryani or pulao. 

This fragrant one pot peas pulao is a perfect dish to prepare for a large crowd and can be served with many sides and curries. I have also followed the printed instrutions how to cook the rice and was suprised with the end results.

Ingredients:

1 Cup Popular Essentials Basmati Rice

1/4 Cup Frozen Green Peas

1/2 Tbsp Ginger and Garlic Paste

1/2 Large Onion (roughly chopped) 

1 Bay leaf, 1/2 Tbsp Cumin Seeds, 3 Pods Cardamom, 2 Inch Sticks Cinnamon, 4 Cloves

3 Green Chillies

1 Tbsp Salt

1/4 Tbsp Sugar

2 Tsp Ghee

1 Tbsp Oil

Mint leaves, Coriander and Lime Juice for garnish...

Method:

Rinse the rice thrice or until the water while rinsing is clear.

Soak the rice for 30 minutes before cooking.I used a pressure cooker to cook my peas pulao. Heat a pressure pan or cooker on medium flame with oil and ghee.

Add the whole spices...1 Bay leaf, 1/2 Tbsp Cumin Seeds, 3 Pods Cardamom, 2 Inch Sticks Cinnamon, 4 Cloves once the oil  reaches temp.

Allow the spices to splutter but make sure the cumin doesn't burn or turn dark brown it might tend to release a bitter after taste. Add ginger and garlic paste fry for 30 seconds or until the raw flavor reduces.

Add chopped onions followed by slit green chillies fry for a minute. If the onion is to large it might not cook easily add 2 tbsp water to cook the onion till transparent. I did add 2 tbsp water to cook the onion and cooked it for a minute on  medium flame.

Once the onion softens add the peas and fry for a minute. Drain the water in the rice add to the onion masala along with salt and sugar stir well and fry for a minute. For every one cup rice add two cups water mix well.

Place on high flame cover the pressure cooker with whistle. Cook for three whistles. After three whistles remove from flame allow the pressure to reduce before opening. Uncover the lid mix well, garnish with mint, coriander and lime juice...serve this fragrant peas pulao with mutton curry or fried chicken...Enjoy!


Follow Popular Essentials on:
Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/popularessentials/
Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/popularessentials/

Unboxing Maggi Gift Box for Diwali 2017

We were a select team of foodbloggers invited to visit the Nestle R&D Center at Delhi. Please visit my culinary adventure blog series to Nestle Part 1 and 2. At the end of our visit all of us received this maggi gift box which is going to launch for Diwali.

Diwali is celebrated with all grandure throughout India. The festivities begins with decorating the house in a very colourful way, preparing varitey of goodies and sharing all the goodies with cousins, friends and neighbours. In return for all goodies, friends and family exchange gifts this is when the confusion for gifting starts and many of us want to splurge on gifts which will be cherished and appriciated. 

Subscribe to me on Youtube English and Tamil for regular updates😃

Every year Nestle puts togeather gifting options at an affordable price point which can be gifted for all ages. This maggi gift is a very neat idea. We can ourselfs assemble all maggi products and create a personalized gift basket or box if this box is not available on online stores or local grocers.

90% of all maggi noodles are whole wheat or Oats. There are only few flavors with rifined flour used in noodles. The balance between Protein, Carbohydrate and Fat in MAGGI noodles is very similar to the recommendations made by Indian Council of Medical Research. This includes even the newly launched MAGGI comes with Oat noodles which  provides energy in recommended ratio –Energy from carbohydrates (56%), protein (10%) and fats (33%). According to ICMR recommendation on Dietary Guidelines for Indians, the total fat in the diet should provide between 20-30% of total calories. 

The total fat intake in the diets can go up to 50g per person per day based on the level of physical activity and physiological status.The fat content per serve (per pack) in the various MAGGI noodles is 11-13g and is well within the recommended proportions. It is about 1/5th of the total fat requirement for a person’s daily diet. Even if we compare the fat content in some commonly consumed food items – one bowl of MAGGI Noodles had lesser fat than common food items like a vegetable cheese sandwich, veg biryani, a dosa, or an aloo parantha.

View image on Twitter

 Follow

Vidyalakhsmi @vidyascooking

Shedding some light on the 6 stages of Maggi noodles how it's prepared and packaged #MaggieMatters #magginoodles@MaggiIndia

5:18 PM - Sep 28, 2017 · Bengaluru, India

•  Replies
 
•  Retweets
 
•  22 likes

Twitter Ads info and privacy

We got to see MAGGI Noodles cake go through 6 step cooking process before they are packed. At first they are steamed - very similar to the process of making Idli. Then they are baked. The 3rd step involves quick air frying of about a minute and a half which reduces the moisture in the noodle & cooks the noodles cakes enough for them to remain stable for several months before they reach consumers.

This also ensures that you can cook your MAGGI noodles in boiling water in just 2 minutes. Finally after drying & cooling the noodles are packed. A special poly cover ensures the noodles remains fresh for several months.  

After visiting the research and development plant. I realized the efforts and strict quality measures ensured to produce a healthy snack for todays consumer. 

This maggi gift box has a thankyou note card in every box.
Contents: 6X70 grams 2 Minute Masala Noodles
2X65 grams Penne Pasta 
1X90 gram Pack Tomato Chilli Sauce
2X73 grams Amritsari Achaari Masala Noodles
1X71 grams Hotheads BBQ Pepper Noodles
Total 12 Units is priced at 200/-. 

Culinary Adventure Part-2 Preparing Pizzas and Maggi Lasagne at Nestle R&D Kitchen, Delhi

Culinary Adventure Part-1 to Nestle R&D is all about Travel and a glimpse of Delhi do visit my blog and soical media links for more details.  A small recap we were a select team of only foodbloggers invited to visit the Nestle R&D center and Delhi.

We were welcomed by the research and marketing team at Nestle. A small intro was given at the conference room on rules and regulations. In some sensitive research areas we were not allowed to take photos but everyone were really patient and happy to answer all our questions.

A frothy masala chai and almond cookies were served as refreshments during our intro session. All of us enjoyed those almond cookies and masala chai.

A quick tour around the research center and lab was truly an eye opener many of our questions were answered. Majority of us wanted to know more about maggi. When we talk about maggi there is a lot of myth and misconception of maggi labeled as being not a very healthy food option but there is no single food item  which is healthy or unhealthy. 

What I would like to add is a well balanced diet with moderation and an active lifestyle is the only way to ensure good health. A balanced diet should provide approximate 50-60% of total calories in a day from carbohydrates, about 10-15% from proteins and 20-30% from fat.

The team at the nestle research center was very busy collecting samples and taste testing the new oats and atta noodles. I am very happy to say the most loved and cherished MAGGI Noodles has been researched over and over again to ensure a healthy noodle snack is created by the end of the day. 

One may ask its packed with carbs? Protien is not good for an elderly person? The balance between Protein, Carbohydrate and Fat in MAGGI noodles is very similar to the recommendations made by Indian Council of Medical Research which includes newly launched MAGGI with Oats and whole-wheat noodles which  provides energy in recommended ratio –Energy from carbohydrates (56%), protein (10%) and fats (33%). According to ICMR recommendation on Dietary Guidelines for Indians, the total fat in the diet should provide between 20-30% of total calories. 

The total fat intake in the diets can go up to 50g per person per day based on the level of physical activity and physiological status.The fat content per serve (per pack) in the various MAGGI noodles is 11-13g and is well within the recommended proportions. It is about 1/5th of the total fat requirement for a person’s daily diet. Even if we compare the fat content in some commonly consumed food items – one bowl of MAGGI Noodles had lesser fat than common food items like a vegetable cheese sandwich, veg biryani, a dosa, or an aloo parantha.

Shedding some light on the 6 stages of Maggi noodles how it's prepared and packaged #MaggieMatters #magginoodles @MaggiIndia pic.twitter.com/kfKPMf87YL

— Vidyalakhsmi (@vidyascooking) September 28, 2017

We got to see MAGGI Noodles cake go through 6 step cooking process before they are packed. At first they are steamed - very similar to the process of making Idli. Then they are baked. The 3rd step involves quick air frying of about a minute and a half which reduces the moisture in the noodle & cooks the noodles cakes enough for them to remain stable for several months before they reach consumers.

This also ensures that you can cook your MAGGI noodles in boiling water in just 2 minutes. Finally after drying & cooling the noodles are packed. A special poly cover ensures the noodles remains fresh for several months.  

After all the gyaan at the lab we got to the heart of nestle research center (Kitchen). At the state of the art kitchen is where chefs constantly check for the quality of spices and scale it up for a new and upcoming flavor. 

Chefs at the maggi research center asked us to share some of our fond memories as a kid with maggi. My fond memory or a tradition started when I was in third standard, my granny used to treat me to maggi noodles every weekend.

Coming from a very conservative strict tamilian family instant food was a new concept for us. My granny used to purchase these noodle packs from her military canteen, slurping up a bowl full of soup and noodles was the best moment of my life...I follow this tradition till date and every saturday is masala maggi time.

Master Chef Zaheerkhan and his team treated us to delicious pizzas and maggi lasagne. Whats not to love about maggi? It’s delicious, it's flavorful, healthy. Maggi is one dish you're bound to find across the length and breadth of the country.

I love lasagna loaded with spinach, sweetcorn, and meat. when it comes to maggi and cheese, I'm willing to try anything once, cheese is practically the epitome of my existence, and I’m never going to say "no".

Subscribe to me on Youtube English and Tamil Channels for regular updates😊

If you’re a die-hard maggi and cheese fan and can swear by it (like me!), then you’re in luck. With parmasan cheese as an additional ingredient, this lasagna tasted even more epic than it already does. chef zaheer suggested to use BBQ Maggi and PeriPeri Maggi Noodles for this recipe the smoky flavors transforms this simple lasagna into something even better.

Next up was Pizzas. A simple naan base smeared with pizza sauce, layered with chicken ham, smoked cheese and chicken topped with veggies of choice was pretty perfect. 

Subscribe to me on Youtube English and Tamil Channels for regular updates😊

Our visit at Nestle R&D was slowly coming to an end. It was scrumptious maggi and pizza party. All of us were in a hurry to head to the airport after the lunch since our flight was scheduled at 6.pm considering the traffic we had to say bye to the marketing team and chefs who were so courteous. 

I am concluding culinary adventure part-2 cookout and tasting session at Nestle R&D was a huge accomplishment. I throughly enjoyed every minute of time spent interacting with everyone. Part-1 is all about travel and fun moments captured during my travel.

#Upabovetheworld #flyingovertheclouds #delhi #indigoairlines #vidyastravel #vidyascooking for a collab with #maggiindia

A post shared by Vidya Lakshmi (@vidyascooking) on Sep 29, 2017 at 9:46pm PDT

Flying back from Delhi I captured this small clip of the city at 7p.m., against the night’s dark background, the lit city blossoms into a new life portraying a unique scene full of splendour. 

Culinary Adventure Part-1 with Maggi Noodles at Nestle R&D Center, Delhi

I was one among selected foodbloggers team to visit the nestle R&D center at Delhi where we got a sneak peak into maggi and nestle products. My day started at 2.30 am getting ready and heading out for a flight at 6.30 am.

Follow me on FB and Insta for regular updates...

Southindian tiffin @tiffinexpress now on my way to Delhi. More Maggi on my way #magginoodles #vidyastravel #Vidyascooking #Bengaluru

A post shared by Vidya Lakshmi (@vidyascooking) on Sep 26, 2017 at 5:23pm PDT

I chose to eat a simple breakfast before flying ended up ordering some pongal, vada and coffee from Tiffinexpress at the kempegowda international airport. Follow me on Insta for regular updates...

Flight was on time dispite rains. We reached Delhi in three hours and headed to Pullman Cafe located at the aerocity Delhi. All bloggers from other states were also assembled at the cafe. 

Hearty breakfast was served before heading to Nestle R&D Center. Surprisingly I was slightly hungry and wanted something which could fill me up until lunch, I chose Omelette, Bread toast, Crispy Ham, Sausages and Coffee...

After a fulfilling breakfast we boarded our cabs and headed to the R&D Center. At the research center we got to meet entire team from nestle who work day and night researching and developing products for todays demanding consumers.

Follow me on Youtube English and Tamil for regular updates😀

I'm concluding Part-1 Culinary Adventure at Nestle R&D Center, Delhi. In Part-2 I will be posting different products we tasted, more about maggi and cookout at the nestle kitchen.

Special Tasting Menu @Maia-Bellandur, Bangalore

You might have seen me eating delicious continental dishes from fancy restaurants every other day, but at the end of the day, there is nothing that beats mom ke haath ka khaana. I was recently hosted for a special tasting menu at newly launched Maia restaurant located at Bellandur, Bengaluru. 

Maia is a movement for the mothers, by the mother. The brainchild of Sejal Shah and her nephew Ishan Shah, Maia promises to give every women an opportunity to showcase their talent and creations via their recipes. It has a restaurant, bakery, banquet and a mothers cook studio. 

Subscribe to me on Youtube English and Tamil Channels for regular updates 😀

Invitation 

About MAIA:

The 5000+ sq ft restaurant has over 130 covers across three levels, which are spread over an alfresco dining area by a water body and open-to-air decks on the levels above.

Besides the Café and Patisserie, Maia houses a Mother’s Cook Studio, a Recipe Repository, a Banquet space to accommodate between 60 to 80 people, A Shop-in-Shop retail space, a Baby Feeding & Care station and a Cheese making den amongst others.

Mother's Cook Studio- This is the place cooking workshops by mothers could be conducted

Recipe Repository- They’re going to collect the recipes shared by mothers from across the country . Guests could take down the recipes for them to try at home, but mobiles are not allowed , they need to note down the recipes.  

Retail Space- This will store the home made spices, pickles, jams etc by the mothers which the guests could purchase

Cheese Making Den- Cheese would be made in house. Occasionally cheese making sessions would be conducted by Sejal.

Email id for sending the recipes is: info@maia.mom

Heres what I got to taste...

Mixed Vegetable Subz Kabab

Mixed vegetable kabab infused with sandalwood and edible camphor  served with mint and coriander chutney.

Faralli Patties 

Batela ni chatini

A classic Gujrati style stuffed potato fritters served with a sweet potato chutney.

Fattoush Salad

Classic bell pepper, cherry tomato salad and pomegranete topped with feta cheese...

Roasted Pumpkin Soup

Akki Roti

Kannadiga home style rice flour rotis served with onion and coconut chutney.

Koki Roti

Onion infused fluffy whole wheat bread...

Sindhi Kadhi

Subz Dum Biryani

Gajar Halwa, Kheer...

Overall enjoyed the pure veg food, wonderful concept even though its a commercial space the entire vibe has a homely feel. Pirce for Two: 800 - 1000/-

Maia-Plot # 253, Green Glen layout, Bellandur, Bangalore: 560 102
Opp Siri Pristine Building,  Near Little Elly School

WEB: www.maia.moms
FB: www.facebook.com/maiabangalore
Insta: @maiabangalore
Tweet: @maiabangalore

Street Food Style: Gobi Fried Rice Recipe (Cauliflower Fried Rice Recipe)

Street food hawkers in Bangalore are known for their fried rice and noodles variety. If you plan to experiment some street food in Bangalore, must try is gobi fried rice, its very cheap and wholesome meal. 

Subscribe to me on Youtube English and Tamil Channels for more recipes and review videos 😊

Ingredients for Gobi:
250 Grams Cauliflower
1/4 Cup Corn Flour
1/4 Cup Maida (All Purpose Flour)
1/4 Tsp Orange Food Color
1 1/2 Tbsp Ginger and Garlic Paste
1 Tbsp Garam Masala
1 Tbsp Chilly Powder
Salt as per taste
Oil for frying

Ingredients for Rice:
2 1/2 Cups Cooked Basmati Rice or Short Grain Rice
2 Carrots (Finely Chopped)
1/4 Cup Green Beans (Finely Chopped)
1/2 Cup Cabbage (Finely Chopped)
1/4 Cup Frozen Peas
1/4 Cup Capsicum/Bell Peppers (Finely Chopped)
1 Large Onion (Finely Chopped)
4 Green Chillies (Finely Chopped)
1/2 Tbsp Garam Masala
1/4 Tbsp Chilly Powder or Paprika 
1 Tbsp Tomato Soup Powder or Tomato Ketchup
1 Tbsp Soya Sauce
1 Tbsp Chilly Sauce
1 Tbsp Chinese Tasting Salt (MSG)
1 1/2 Tbsp Ginger and Garlic Paste
1 Star Anise
2 Inch Cinnamon
4 Cloves
Salt as per taste
1/2 Lime Juice, 3 Sprigs Spring Onions(Finely Chopped) for garnish
Salt as per taste
2 Tbsp Sesame Oil  
2 Tbsp Sunflower Oil
Salt and Pepper powder as per taste...

Prep Up:
Cleaning cauliflower is important Follow my blogpost on how to clean cauliflower Please Click Here, the step by step process on blog with video how to clean cauliflower is a helpful post which will ensure to eliminate pesticides or any insects from the cauliflower...

Method:
Wash cauliflower florets as per directios allow to drain in a colander and reserve. Once the moisture from cauliflower has drained add the corn flour and maida along with ginger and garlic paste, chilly powder, food color and salt as per taste mix well do not add water reserve.

Heat a wok on medium flame with sesame oil and sunflower oil
Add finely chopped onion, chillies, capsicum, frozen peas, carrots, cabbage and beans, along with the veggies add spices, cinnamon, cloves and star anise and 1 1/2 Tbsp ginger and garlic paste fry until all ingredients are well combined cover and cook on low flame.

Once the veggies have cooked on low flame add chilly powder, garam masala, soup powder, chinese salt, soya sauce and chilly sauce stir and fry for a minute remove from flame and reserve.

Heat oil in a wok for frying on medium flame. Sprinkle water little at a time on the cauliflower mix well till batter coats the vegetable.

Gently drop the florets one at a time in hot oil and fry on medium flame. Fry the cauliflower for 2 minutes on each side on medium flame or until the batter turns crisp.

Drain the cauliflower from oil and reserve on a paper towel. I fried the cauliflower in two batches.

Place the veggies back on flame add the cauliflower and toss well add salt and pepper as per taste. Add the cooked rice to the veggies toss to coat well.

Allow the rice to cook on low flame for a minute. Garnish with lime juice, spring onions and coriander mix well check for salt add if needed serve hot right away...Enjoy!