Tasting Chinese Menu @Mahjong Room - ITC WelcomHotels, Bangalore

Mahjong is a hidden gem, located in Richmond Road. I was hosted for lunch the entire experience was amazing food, ambience and service. The name Mahjong is a tile-based game that was developed in China during the Qing dynasty. 

Ambience decorated in classic reds and hints of gold is a perfect place to celebrate any occasion. The quality, freshness and delicately prepared dishes were bursting with flavors and every dish was plated so elegantly. I rarely get to taste authentic Chinese food and thoroughly enjoyed everything they served.

Chefs from Mahjong Room at WelcomHotel have curated a menu inspired by the intricacies of the game; Mahjong which requires lot of skill, strategy and calculation similarly the menu features dishes from China’s Sichuan, Hunan and Cantonese province every dish should be prepared in a precise manner.  

Signature dishes from the menu include appetizers such as Crisp Lotus Stem with Sesame, Crystal Dimsums stuffed with water chestnuts or mushrooms, from main course, experience signatures like Mapo Tofu with Black Bean and Chili Flakes and; Cantonese Lamb, Hot and Spicy Hunan Prawns, Gong Bao Chicken Dry Chili, Lotus Leaf Wrapped Jasmine Rice. 

Must try desserts are Passion Coconut Lime Shortcake and The Real Orient Mahjong are the signature Desserts.

Signature concoctions from our bartender include Sakura Cosmos, The Battle of Chibi, The Monkey King, The Chinese Emperor Iced Tea amongst others.

Pricing
A la carte and Set Menu
Prices available on request
Approx 2000 ++

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Dishes we got to taste:

Butterfly Pea Flower Tea 

Butterfly pea flower tea is spiked with lime juice which changes the color from rich cobalt blue to purple. Very mild flavor from lime the tea enhances the appetite. 

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Butterfly pea flower tea and Jasmine tea perfect start and finish at #chefstable #MahjongRoom #welcomhotelsITCBengaluru #Nammabengaluru #bengaluru #butterflypeaflower #butterflypeaflowertea #jasminetea

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Mahjong Nuts are the best very addictive sweet with hint of chilly.

My Order from Cocktail Menu: Gone to Hong Kong

Crunchy Corn Kernels 

Crispy Lotus Stem with Sesame

Sichuan Chilly Pepper Chicken

Golden Fried Prawns

Vegetable Crystal Dumpling

Chicken Sui Mai

Shrimp Har Gao

Sichuan Hot and Sour Soup

Chilly Garlic Noodles

Ma Po Tofu with Black bean and chillies (Must Try)

Double Fried Beans with Minced Mushrooms and Pickles Chilies

Gong Bao Chicken Dry Chili, Cashew Nuts, Sugar and Vinegar

Cantonese Lamb

Lotus Leaf Wrapped Jasmine Rice

Hot and Spicy Hunan Prawns

Hot Chocolate Cookie Over Fudge

Passion Coconut Lime Shortcake

Overall experience from the entire tasting and three must try dishes were Ma Po Tofu, Hunan Prawns with Jasmine rice. I loved everything served to me, shamelessly had second serving and enjoyed every bite. I binge eat only when food is good, and was really impressed with the drink menu every cocktail we ordered paired well with all the dishes.

Bangalore Style Egg Rice Recipe (Motte Fried Rice)

Egg rice is a very popular street food sold across Bangalore from 12 pm noon to 12 pm midnight. The use of local spices and ingredients sets this rice dish apart from regular chinese version. This fried rice is a mashup of tomato rice, lime rice and pulao. We can serve it as it is or with onion and lime wedges. Also pairs well with gobi manchurian, potato 65, chilly chicken ,  cabbage fritters or egg chilly. 

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Ingredients:
2 Cups Cooked Basmati Rice
5 Eggs 
1/2 Cup Finely Chopped Beans
1/2 Cup Finely Chopped Cabbage
1/2 Bunch Spring Onions
3 Medium Onions Finely Chopped 
2 Medium Carrots Grated (Use the large eye in the grater)
1/2 Cup Cooked Peas
2 Capsicum Finely Chopped
4 Green Chilies Finely Chopped
1 1/2 Tsp Chilly Powder
1 Tsp White Pepper Powder 
1 Tsp Kitchen King Masala or Garam Masala
1 Tsp Ajinomoto
1 Tbsp Ginger and Garlic Paste
2 Tbsp Tomato Ketchup
1 Tbsp Soya Sauce
1 Tsp Red Chilly Sauce
1 Tsp Vinegar
Salt as per taste
1 Tbsp Butter
1 Tbsp Ghee 
Oil as required 
Finely Chopped Coriander, Finely Chopped Spring onions, Lime Juice for Garnish

Method:
Use finely chopped veggies as it will cook faster.

Cook rice ahead of time, night before. I used 2 cups basmati rice washed twice and soaked for 10 minutes before adding to a pressure cooker. Added 1 tbsp oil and 3 cups water and cooked the rice for two whistles. 

Once the rice is cooked fluff it with a fork, allow to reach room temperature and store in a airtight container refrigerated till use...

Heat a wok or heavy bottom pot on medium flame with 1 tbsp butter, 1 tbsp ghee and 1 tbsp oil.

Add all the finely chopped veggies and fry for few minutes on low flame. Add ginger and garlic paste and fry for 30 seconds. Sprinkle 1/4 cup water cover and cook the veggies till well done.

Make a well in the cooked veggies and add 2 tbsp oil. Gently add egg and start to scramble. Add salt for the veggies and eggs stir to mix well.

Once the egg starts to cook, add tomato ketchup, soya sauce, chilly powder, kitchen king masala, white pepper powder, ajinomoto, chopped coriander, spring onion and fry till oil surfaces on sides.

Add cooked rice and mix well, place on low flame and add vinegar, 1 tbsp red chilly sauce for flavor mix well. Allow the rice to fry all the way through, garnish with lime juice, finely chopped coriander, spring onion and serve hot with onion and lime wedges...Enjoy 😉

More Fried Rice Recipes from My Collection

Gobi Fried Rice Recipe

Burnt Garlic Chicken Fried Rice

Mushroom Fried Rice Recipe

Chicken Fried Rice Recipe

Mutton Fried Rice Recipe

Sichuan Fried Rice Recipe

Cilantro and Walnut Fried Rice Recipe

South Indian Style: Potato, Drumsticks and Brinjal Wok Roasted Recipe

Wok roasted vegetables are part of a side dish prepared everyday for rice or roti. These type of side dishes are also prepared during festivals and large family gathering. Best part about such recipes we can combine the leftovers, add cooked dhal and tomatoes and prepare a large batch of sambar. These recipes are traditional, from family to family it might vary. This dish in particular is prepared for Mahalaya-amavasaya or Ganesh Chaturthi at my house every year. 

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Ingredients:
250 Grams Brinjal (Eggplant) 3 to 4 Whole Brinjals 
250 Grams Potato 3 to 4 Whole Potatoes 
250 Grams Drumsticks 3 to 4 Pieces 
1 Tbsp Tamarind Pulp
1 Large Onion Chopped
1 Large Tomato Chopped 
3 Green Chilies
1 Tsp Mustard Seeds
1 Tsp Split Black Gram Dhal
1 Tsp Cumin Seeds
3 Dried Red Chilies 
1/4 Tsp Asafoetida
1 Tbsp Chilly Powder
1/2 Tbsp Turmeric Powder 
1 Tbsp Coriander Powder
3 Sprigs Curry Leaves 
Salt as per taste
Coriander or Fresh Grated Coconut for Garnish.
Coconut oil or Sunflower Oil as required.

Method:
Wash all the veggies twice. Peel and chop the drumsticks into 1 inch pieces. 

Clean the stem and chop the brinjal into quarters.

Scrub the potatoes well chop the potatoes into quarter with skin.

Peel, wash and chop the onion, tomato and chillies roughly.

Heat a wok with oil and temper with mustard, split black grams dhal, cumin and red chilies allow to splutter.

Add the curry leaves, onion, chilies and tomato fry all the ingredients till onion turns transparent.

Add asafoetida and fry well. Add the chopped veggies along with chilly powder, turmeric powder and coriander powder stir to coat.

Add 1 1/2 Cups water and salt as per taste stir well and cover allow the veggies to cook till well done.

Once the veggies have cooked add tamarind pulp and place on high flame roast till the masala or gravy coats the veggies well. Check for salt and add if needed.

Garnish with coriander or fresh coconut and serve as hot as possible with rice and sambar...Enjoy😉 

Product Review: Nothing But Chicken - Koramangala, Bangalore (Double Chicken Pizza Recipe)

NBC or Nothing but Chicken is a newly launched store located at, Koramangala -Bengaluru. NBC has multiple stores across Mumbai. Whats special about NBC?  The hens/chicken are all from self owned farms from Maharashtra. The special feed and antibiotic free meat is what the sell. Customers can pick and choose from different cuts of meats, to signature dishes, marinates, grilled chicken to processed sausages and salamis at an affordable price.

I was contacted by the PR team and sent samples from the brand which included peri peri marinated chicken, herb grilled chicken and sausages. I liked the herb grilled chicken and used the peri peri marinated chicken and sausages in pizza. Out of my interest I have created a recipe this post nor the video is sponsored by the Brand or PR. 

Review and Recipe Video 😊 Subscribe to me on Youtube English and Tamil Channels for regular updates 😉

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Samples

Double Chicken Pizza Recipe

When I say double chicken its two completely different varieties of chicken used to create a pizza. Marinated Peri Peri Chicken and Sausages were excellent we enjoyed the taste. For 250 grams it's priced at 170/- 

Ingredients:
250 Grams Peri Peri Marinated NBC Chicken
250 Grams Chicken Sausages NBC Chicken
5 Ready to Use Pizza Base or Kulcha
1 Large Onion Chopped into Cubes 
1 Large Tomato Chopped into Cubes
1 Large Capsicum Chopped into Cubes
1 Tbsp Pizza Seasoning 
1 Tbsp Chilly Flakes
1 Cup Pizza Sauce click here for recipe
1 Cup Cheddar Cheese
1/2 Cup Pizza Cheese
Oil as required.

Pizza Sauce Recipe Video

Method:
Cook the chicken breast with 1 cup water in a wok. we can also grill or bake. I prefer to cook it this way.

Chop the sausages into bite size pieces. Add to the chicken and cook till chicken is tender.

Remove the chicken from flame and chop into bite size pieces and add to the sausages dry roast until no moisture.

Heat a tawa on medium flame, add 2 tbsp oil and start to fry the kulcha base on very slow flame.

Top the pizza base with sauce spread evenly and add a layer of cheese.

Top with roasted chicken and sausages along with veggies. Sprinkle oregano and chilly flakes cover and cook on very low flame until the base is crispy and the cheese has melted.

Serve as hot as possible and enjoy 😉

Sunday Brunch Recipes: Hyacinth Beans Uthappam with Tomato Gravy Recipe

South Indian style sunday brunches are mostly vegetarian and vegan dishes it's truly satisfying and very filling. Hulled hyacinth beans on uthappam style dosa is a famous street food style dish. Normally the beans are ground to prepare many dishes but here the beans adds to the flavor and taste when its topped with loads of onions on dosa.

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Normally this avarekalu dosa is served with coconut chutney and a tomato gravy without onions and garlic. The spicy gravy can be stored upto a weeks time refrigerated. This type of gravy is famous in Bangalore and other parts of SouthIndia.

Ingredients for Tomato Gravy:
2 Large Ripe Tomatoes 
1 Tsp Tamarind 
1/2 Inch Ginger
1/4 Cup Fresh Coconut
1/4 + 1/4 Tsp Cumin 
1/4 + 1/4 Tsp Peppercorns
1/2 Tbsp Coriander Powder
1 Tbsp Chilly Powder
1/4 Tsp Turmeric Powder 
1 Tsp Mustard Seeds
1/4 Tsp Asafoetida
2 Sprigs Curry Leaves
3 Tbsp Oil
Salt as per taste...

Method:
Boil the tamarind and tomato in two cups water till tomato has completely softened.

Grind coconut, 1/4 tsp cumin, 1/4 tsp peppercorns and 1/2 inch ginger to form a coarse paste.

Once the tomato has cooked, strain and reserve the broth and add the pulp to the coconut grind to form a smooth paste.

Transfer the ground masala to a bowl add the broth followed by chilly powder, turmeric powder and coriander powder, dilute the gravy and reserve.

Heat a wok to boil the gravy. Add 3 tbsp oil, add mustard seeds, 1/4 tsp cumin, 1/4 tsp peppercorns and asafoetida allow to splutter.

Add curry leaves and the gravy bring to rapid boil. Adjust salt as per taste.

Gravy should reduced and oil should surface remove from flame and serve it for idly, dosa, or even bread toast and enjoy...😉

We can use a left over dosa batter or even ready to use dosa batter from store for this recipe. Since everything is conveniently available I have to suggest options for readers. 

We always have a large batch of dosa batter ready to prepare at home, when it is all home made the taste is excellent. Normally my mom would stretch the leftover dosa batter by adding maida(all purpose flour) or sooji (semolina) for uthappam we can follow that method or just use dosa batter. 

Recipe video how to prepare Idli and Dosa Batter.

Recipe Video How We Prepare Uthappam.

Ingredients for Hidukkida Avarekalu Dosa:
1 1/2 Cups Hulled and Cooked Hyacinth Beans
5 Large Onions Finely Chopped
1 Kilo Idly or Dosa Batter
1 Tbsp Cumin
1/2 Tsp Asafoetida
2 Carrots Grated
1 Bunch Dill Leaves Finely Chopped
1/2 Bunch Coriander Leaves Finely Chopped
10 Chilies Finely Chopped
5 Sprigs Curry Leaves Finely Chopped
Oil as required 
Butter and Ghee Optional

How to Hull Hyacinth Beans Video

Method: 
Clean, wash and finely chop all the ingredients from chillies to dill leaves. Peel and grate the carrots and reserve.

Heat a wok on medium flame add 3 tbsp oil. Add cumin and asafoetida allow to splutter. Add 1 large onion and finely chopped curry leaves, fry for 30 seconds. 

Add dill leaves, half the amount of finely chopped chilies and fry till onion turns transparent the dill leaves should cook till well done. Remove the onion masala from flame.

Add half the amount of onion masala to the dosa batter and reserve the other half for topping. Mix the masala in the batter till well incorporated. Check for salt add if needed.

Make sure there is no moisture in the cooked hulled beans strain and add to the other half of onion masala. Add the other half of chilies, coriander, grated carrots, and salt as per taste mix the topping and reserve.

Heat a tawa on high flame season the tawa with half onion few drops of oil and water to create fragrant dosas.

Start to ladle two full scoops of dosa batter on the tawa. Take handful of  prepared topping gently spread and create uthappam.

Add two to three tsp full of ghee, butter or oil and fry the dosa to both sides on medium flame. Serve hot with tomato gravy and coconut chutney Enjoy😉

Coconut Chutney Recipe is already posted on my Masala dosa video. 

Bangalore Style: Spinach, Mango and Hyacinth Beans Curry (Palak, Mango, Avarekaalu Saaru)

Reviving Bengaluru's Tamil Communities long lost and forgotten recipes has been my aim to cover on this blog since 2012. Hyacinth beans in local dialect is referred as Mochakottai/Avarekalu, grown in abundance throughout the year. 

We can also find these beans shelled, hulled and readily available in malleshwaram market, vvpuram and also in cantonment. Best season to purchase these beans are from November to March. 

The curry or kuzhambu has a very nice flavor profile from the beans. Combination of raw mango, spinach and beans, is a odd combination, but all ingredients come together creating a fantastic curry. 

Ingredients:
2 Bundles Spinach or 500 Grams Spinach
1 Cup Hulled Hyacinth Beans
1/2 Bundle Coriander or 250 Grams Coriander Leaves
1 Large Onion
2 Medium Tomatoes
1/4 Cup Raw Mango
5 Green Chilies
5 Pods Garlic
4 to 5 Sprigs Curry Leaves
1/2 Tsp Turmeric Powder
1 Tbsp Coriander Powder
1 1/2 Tbsp Chilly Powder
1 Tsp Mustard Seeds
1/2 Tsp Split Black Gram Dhal
1 Tsp Cumin
3 Dried Red Chilies 
1/4 Tsp Asafoetida
Salt as per taste
2 Tbsp Oil

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Prep Up:
To prepare this curry we need to chop all ingredients fine as possible. 

Separate the spinach leaves from hard stems, wash thrice.

Drain the spinach leaves in a colander and bunch the leaves finely chop and reserve.

Finely chop onions, chilies, curry leaves and tomatoes and reserve.

Hull the hyacinth beans boil and reserve.

Peel and wash garlic and reserve.

Peel, wash and chop raw mango and reserve.

How to Hull Hyacinth Beans Detail Blog and Video 😊

Method:
I'm using a pressure cooker to prepare the curry, we can use a wok or a pot if your not comfortable using a pressure cooker.

In a pressure cooker add 1 cup water, trivet and place a pot which fits snug in the pressure cooker. Start adding the first batch of ingredients that have to cook well. 

Add the hyacinth beans, tomato, coriander leaves, onion, raw mango,  chopped curry leaves, garlic, chilly powder, turmeric powder and coriander powder. 

Add 1/2 cup water cover the lid and place a whistle. place the cooker on medium flame and allow to cook for 3 whistles. 

After the first set of ingredients have cooked and softened add the spinach and salt cover and place the cooker back on medium flame cook for 2 more whistles. 

Once the spinach has cooked allow to release and add only the cooked contents to the mixer and pulse once or twice to form a coarse curry. 

Transfer the curry to a pot and add the cooked broth back we can dilute as required by adding water. Adjust the salt and start tempering.

Heat a fry pan with two tbsp oil. Add mustard seeds, split urad dhal, cumin and asafoetida allow to splutter and add curry leaves followed by dried red chilies fry a but and temper the curry.

We can bring the curry to a rapid boil before serving. This curry is normally enjoyed with steam cooked rice, dosa, ragi muddle and wheat muddle is my tamil community...Try this recipe...Enjoy 😊 

Traditional Mochakottai, Muttai, Karuvadu Kuzhambu Recipe Video.