Sheraton Hotels and Resorts Celebrates 80 Years of Going Beyond

We were a select group of bloggers invited to celebrate "Go Beyond 80 Years"  and Christmas Carnival, followed by Master Class in Ginger Bread House Making/Baking - Property Tour showcasing the various festive decorations and inclusions, ending with sunday brunch at FEAST.

Go Beyond was inspired by Sheraton’s associates and the heart they bring to their service, which is why they were the subjects in the new creative. 

The Go Beyond campaign showcases actual Sheraton associates interacting with guests in small but meaningful ways that have great impact on a traveller’s experience. In one such execution, a Sheraton associate eagerly dives to the bottom of the hotel pool to retrieve a child’s precious stuffed bunny. 

In another situation at the Sheraton Grand Bangalore a Guest lost valuable bike spare which was very light the room service must have mistaken as garbage and cleaned the room as usual. Once the team got notice of the lost packet, security team took efforts to trace the garbage van near to Mysore and retrieved the lost packet.
   
“Sheraton’s Go Beyond will resonate with guests and associates especially in Asia Pacific where service excellence is an intrinsic part of the Asian hospitality mindset. With a strong portfolio of more than 120 Sheraton hotels and resorts in this region, They look forward to the brand’s continual growth, cementing Sheraton as the global hotel brand of choice.”

Tour started at life size ginger bread house...

 Inside the edible ginger bread house was a store filled with baked goodies where the customer can choose a single cake or put togeather a basket along with choice of wine, chocolates, cookies and cakes as per choice. 

 20 Feet Christmas Tree at the entrance

After a brief tour we enjoyed some sparkling wine

We got a special entrance to the heart of the kitchen bakery section, where the masterclass was held they featured how the famous rich plum or fruit cake is prepared at sheraton bakery...

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Recipe for Rich Fruit Cake:

2 Kg Mixed Dried Fruits and Nuts in Alcohol 
(Rasins, Black Currants, Cherries, Almonds, Cashews, Apricots, Orange Peel, Dried Plums, Nutmeg, Cinnamon, Cloves, Rum and Whiskey mixed and soaked for a month)
200 ML Rum
36 Eggs
400 ML Caramel
400 Grams Mixed Fruit Jam
1 1/2 KG Butter
1 KG All Purpose Flour
1 KG Castor Sugar
2 Tbsp Baking Powder

Method:
In a large mixer the butter and castor sugar was creamed first till light and fluffy.The eggs were added one at a time till well incorporated in the butter.

All purpose flour and baking powder was sifted thrice and added in small batches to the egg mixture.Once the batter was smooth mixed fruit jam was whipped till well combined.The mixed fruits were added followed by caramel and rum all the ingredients were mixed well.

The cake batter was transferred to cake moulds and baked at 200 degree for 20 minutes this temp depends oven to oven I would suggest to check the cake at 10 minutes if your preparing at home. Once the cakes were baked it was allowed to cooled then packed and gifted to us 😉

After the Master Class we had Brunch at Feast

Star Attraction: Oven Baked Turkey and Crackling Pork 

First Round: Chicken Pizza, Veg Pizza, Fish Tikka, Pesto Grilled Pineapple and chicken, Chicken tikka and Chilly Chicken...

Second Round: Smoked Salmon, Assorted Cheese, and Grilled tomato

Third Round Chaats: Samosa Chaat and Pani Poori

 

Mango Cranberry Mojito

Fourth Round Grills: Chicken Tangdi, Chicken Tenders, Mint Basa Fish, Pork Sausage and Masala Chicken Sausage.


Fifth Round: Chicken Rolls and Dumplings

Finally the mains: Nalli Nihari, Crackling Pork, Grilled Turkey, Chicken Biryani, Dum aloo, Nei Dosa and Curd Rice. By the by this entire meal was shared between me and dad I cannot eat all of it at once 😋

For Desserts: I chose Gulab Jamun, Burfi, Kaju Katli and Coconut cake. Since I enjoyed the chocolate icecream here I had to finish my meal with a Ice cream.

I felt very lucky to celebrate and be apart of history. The food and service was epic, me and dad had a blast. Must thank Sheraton and Team for this wonderful experience.

Cheesy Malai Mushroom Tikka

This mushroom malai tikka is a no fuss easy to prepare starter recipe. I thoroughly enjoy murgh malai tikka and always wanted to experiment the same using mushrooms this dish turned out beyond my expectations its truly a wonderful starter can be served with crispy slices of baguettes.

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Tips for purchasing and cleaning mushrooms:
Mushrooms are truly a delicacy but the art of purchasing and cleaning mushroom is something I have learnt over the years. When purchasing button mushrooms make sure the bulb or the bud of the mushroom is tightly closed to the steam.

Since super markets store it in large cold air coolers the mushroom turn brown in color. Make sure majority of the mushrooms are white and are not discoloured. I dont prefer to just wipe the mushroom with damp cloth and then cook it, I always wipe the excess dirt and wash twice before cooking.

After washing away majority of dirt I tend to leave the mushrooms in a colander and allow excess water to drain. Once the water has drained I line a plate with cotton cloth then spread the mushrooms on the cloth and allow to drain further. Please make sure you start this cleaning process 2 hours ahead of time before preparing your dish.

Ingredients:
250 Grams Button Mushrooms
1/4 Cup Yogurt 
1/4 Cup Fresh Cream
1/4 Cup Grated Cheese
4 Green Chillies
1/2 Inch Ginger
5 Sprigs Coriander leaves
1/4 Tsp Black Pepper Powder
1/4 Tsp Garam Masala
Salt as per taste
1 Tbsp Butter 

Prep:
Peel, wash and grate the ginger.
Finely chop the chillies.
Discard the coriander roots wash the stems and leaves properly pat dry and finely chop.
Chop the mushrooms in half.
Whip the yogurt well and reserve.

Marinate:
In a mixing bowl add the yogurt, fresh cream, grated ginger, chopped chillies, coriander, pepper powder and garam masala mix all the ingredients till well combined.

Add salt as per taste to the marination mix well. Add the mushrooms to the marination mix to coat well cover and allow the mushrooms to marinate for half hour.

Start Cooking:
Mix the marinated mushrooms once before place in the pan. Heat a pan on medium flame add butter before the butter melts completely start to place the mushrooms one at a time. Make sure the mushrooms are in one layer and are not overlapped. 

Gently flip the mushrooms to the other side after every minute. Cook the mushrooms for 5 minutes on each side. Once the mushrooms have grilled marks spread 2 tbsp fresh cream sprinkle grated cheese allow the cheese to melt. 

Once the cheese has melted serve hot with crusty bread and some white wine...Enjoy 😊. A perfect no fuss New Year's Eve dinner party starter recipe . 

Restaurant Review: Burp @New Bel Road, Bengaluru

Burp is easy to locate on new bel road. I visited here on a weekday evening and still found many students and couples relaxing after work or college. People visit this no frills, decent restaurant for amazing 12 inch thin crust wood fire pizzas on a budget. 

They are surely not skimpy on toppings and cheese the pizza base itself is a multigrain base. The open kitchen speaks for itself very well maintained space, comfy seating and excellent service. Make sure to visit this place along with friends and family portion size of every order is generous can be shared among four. 

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Since I am a zomato foodies club  member on whatsapp i got this invite for a tasting session. We were a group of 8 people, meeting new faces out of blogging arena was a good experience. 

There is two level seating, first level has open kitchen with semi indoor and outdoor seating. second level is purely a 30 seater. Very colourful metal chairs and tables with minimal decor. Walls have graffiti and mural art, the owner was inspired to decorate the space similar to Newyork since he worked for few years there. 

  What I got to taste?

 Blue berry milk shake (must try)

Fish Fingers 

Pizzas:

4 non veg pizza(Must Try)

Paneer pizza (Must Try)

Mixed vegetable pizza

Pasta:

Penne pasta in arrabita sauce

Penne pasta in alfredo sauce

Spaghetti carbonara (must try)

Mexican Rice and Chicken (Must try)

They also have chocolate brownies and cakes if you like to indulge in desserts. I was to full to try all the bakes after wonderful pizzas it is a must visit for sure. I am planning to attack the sunday brunch heard a lot about it from the staff. My three picks from the entire menu I tasted was the pizzas for sure, mexican rice with chicken and blue berry milk shake.

Mixed Vegetables Tawa Zunka Recipe

I was inspired to create this recipe after a popular instagram post. This mixed vegetable zunka can be served with pulkas or bakri rotis, we can also serve this dish as a starter or for biryani and pulao.

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Ingredients:
Mixed Vegetables: 2 Carrots, 6 Okra, Fist full Cluster beans, 4 Banana Chillies, 100 Grams Mushrooms, 5 Baby Corn and 1 Onion
100 Grams Tofu or Paneer Optional
2 Tbsp Tomato Ketchup
1 Onion
2 Tbsp Roasted Bengal Gram
1 Tbsp Ginger and Garlic Paste
1 Tbsp Chilly Powder
1 Tbsp Coriander Powder
1 Tsp Chaat Masala
1 Tbsp Garam Masala
Salt as per taste
Oil for frying
1 Tbsp Butter
Finely Chopped Green Chillies, Coriander, Mint and Lime juice for garnish...

Prep Up: 
Make sure to peel and wash all the veggies thrice before chopping. Chop all the veggies and cottage cheese into long yet bite size pieces.

Chop the button mushrooms in halfs and reserve. Peel and finely chop 1 onion. Chop the other onion into quarters. Finely chop mint, coriander and 2 chillies.

Method:
Heat 2 cups oil in a wok on low to medium flame.
Fry all the veggies in small batches. 

Using small amount of oil for frying is recommended as the oil might turn dark while frying these veggies, we can always replace with fresh batch of oil and start frying the veggies.

People who dont prefer deep frying please spread the veggies on a oven tray spray with cooking oil and bake at 250 for 30 minutes or until the veggies have grilled.

Once all the veggies have fried line a large tray or plate with tissue spread the veggies on the plate allowing excess oil to drain.

Heat a tawa on low flame allow to reach temperature. spread the veggies on the tawa creating a cavity in the middle.

As we prepare the masala the veggies will grill on the tawa and warm up. Add butter in the cavity fry the onion along with ginger and garlic paste on low to medium flame till onion turns transparent.

In a mixer jar add the roasted bengal gram, garam masala, coriander powder, chaat masala and chilly powder grind to form a smooth powder format...reserve.

Once the onions have softened add tomato ketchup and fry till butter separates. Combine all the veggies in the onion and tomato masala. Adjust salt if needed, sprinkle the bengal gram masala little at a time combine all the veggies...garnish with chopped green chillies, coriander, mint and lime juice just before serving sprinkle chaat masala. Serve hot with pulka rotis...Enjoy 😉

Pristine Organics Product Review + Mixed Millet's Aloo Tehri Recipe

Hi Friends, I was recently contacted by the company PR of Pristine Organics to review their products. The company sells a variety of certified organic food products right from baby food, cereals, biscuits, porridge, cold pressed edible oils, flour, rock salt, coffee to baby massage oil, nutritional supplements and health mix. 

The brand also creates personalised month supply Health Basket which are tailored diets specific health condition which consists of exotic combination of diverse organic foods range such as such Weight Reduction Diet, Sugar Control Diet, Heart Health Diet, Pregnancy & Lactation Diet and Inborn Errors of Metabolism (IEM) Diet.

IEM Diet: A special medical foods and dietary supplements used for treating children with rare inborn errors of metabolism (IEM).

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About:
Pristine Organics

Pristine Organics is a pioneering company in R&D and manufacturing of organic and nutritional FMCG and IEM products. The Bangalore-based company, which was founded in 1992 as a nutrition science-based firm, is the only Indian company that manufactures critical Inborn Errors of Metabolism (IEM) diet for babies. 

The company’s products range includes organic daily food, nutraceuticals, functional foods, medical and metabolic diets, and paediatric supplements. With over two decades of experience in research and development, the company is focused on tackling nutritional problems that is prevalent in our society.

Pristine’s path-breaking R&D in field of IEM Diet has earned it recognition by the Indian Government’s body FSSAI (Food Safety and Standards Authority of India) for their contribution. Pristine has partnered with leading hospitals, paediatricians and geneticist to supply and serve nutrition products for various inborn errors of metabolism.

Pristine Organic believes that “True health is responsible, intelligent food choices and meaningful organic products that have a positive impact on our health and the Planet.” 

Website: pristineorganics.com 
E-commerce website:https://pristineorganics.com/shop/

Products I got to use

Product Name: Millet Organica

Multi Millet Mix

Description: Helps in better glycemic control, Rich in dietary fiber and complex carbohydrates Natural source of antioxidants

Pristine Organics Mixed Millets

Foxtail millet, finger millet, little millet, kodo millet, Porso millet, Barnyard millet and organic Amaranth

Created a recipe using @Pristine_Organics Multi Millet Mix Helps in better glycemic control, Rich in dietary fiber and complex carbohydrates Natural source of antioxidants #Foxtailmillet, #fingermillet, #littlemillet, #kodomi let, #Porsomillet, #Barnyardmillet and #organic #Amaranth #vidyascooking #mixedmillets #pristineorigins #millets #Bengaluru

A post shared by Vidya Lakshmi (@vidyascooking) on Nov 28, 2017 at 6:50pm PST

Product Name: Deccan Gold

Filter Coffee

Description: Slow Processed Artisan Coffee Perfectly processed to retain the Richness and Aroma

The Premium Artisan Coffee is from Chikamagalur-Karnataka. Every 200 Gram Pack Contains 80% Coffee 20% Chicory.

Deccan Gold Filter Coffee Slow Processed Artisan Coffee Perfectly processed to retain the Richness and Aroma @pristine_organics The Premium Artisan Coffee is from Chikamagalur-Karnataka. Every 200 Gram Pack Contains 80% Coffee 20% Chicory. #deccangold #deccangoldcoffee #Filtacoffee #coffeelover #pristineorigins #vidyascooking #Bengaluru

A post shared by Vidya Lakshmi (@vidyascooking) on Nov 28, 2017 at 6:56pm PST

Product Name: Oven Organica – Regular

Organic Mixed Millet Cookies

Description: High Fiber Biscuits Nutritious snack for all age groups Rich in Omega-3 Fatty Acids Low Glycemic Index Transfat Free

Pristine Oven Organica Mixed Millets Cookies

Foxtail millet, finger millet, little millet, kodo millet, Whole Wheat Flour, Flax seeds, Salt, Green chillies, Curry leaves, Cumin, Black Pepper, Milk Solids and organic Amaranth.

Product Name: Oven Organica – Diet

Organic Mixed Millet Cookies

Description: High Fiber biscuits Rich in Omega-3 Fatty Acids

Rich in Dietary Fiber (15g vs 9g in Other Digestive Biscuit) Transfat Free

Pristine Oven Organica Mixed Millets Cookies

Foxtail millet, finger millet, little millet, kodo millet, Whole Wheat Flour, Flax seeds, Organic Sugar, Butter, Cashew nuts, Milk Solids and organic Amaranth.

Mixed Millet's Aloo Tehri Recipe

This was my first attempt cooking mixed millets. Few millets I am familiar with are finger millet and kodo millet other than these two millets used in porridge and few traditional dishes at home we never use millets regularly. 

This review has motivated me to start using millets on a regular basis. All of us enjoyed the tehri it was not at all heavy or we did not feel overly full after a meal, wonderful diet meal. 

Tehri was very tasty as well. Next time if I cook mixed millets I would like to add additional chillies and salt, also cook it for 4 whistles in pressure cooker.

Ingredients:
1 1/2 Cups Pristine Organics Mixed Millets
1 Large Onion (finely chopped)
3 Green Chillies (finely chopped)
1 Tsp Cumin seeds
3 Cloves
2 Pods Cardamom
2 Inch Stick Cinnamon
11/2 Tbsp Ginger and Garlic Paste
1/2 Tbsp Garam Masala
1 Large Potato (Peeled, Washed and Cubed)
1/4 Cup Frozen or Fresh Green Peas
3 Tbsp Oil
Salt as per taste
Water 3 1/2 Cups
Coriander and lime juice for garnish.

Method:
Wash the millets thrice and soak for 10 minutes before use. Heat a pressure pan on medium flame with oil. Once the oil reaches smoking point add whole spices, ginger and garlic paste fry for a minute.

Add chopped onion, chillies and garam masala fry till onion turns transparent.Add the garam masala, potato and peas stir and fry for 2 minutes on low flame.

Drain the soaked millets add to masala stir well fry for a minute.
Add salt and measured water stir well cover and place a whistle cook for 3 whistles.

After 3 whistles allow the pressure to reduce on its own do not force open. Once the pressure has released garnish with lime juice and chopped coriander mix well and serve hot...Enjoy...😉