LLWT- 3 with Whole-Wheat Home-made Bread

Let’s Lose Weight Together Part 3 (LLWT-3)

I accept, that I couldn’t give my 100% to the diet at first. It took me sometime to adjust, but after following the diet just for a couple of weeks, I am visibly thinner and 2.5 kgs lighter now. Since the start of ‘let’s lose weight together’, I knew that I would have to go for a carbohydrate free week soon, but surely it can’t be during the festive season which is upon us right now. Hence, I am thinking of continuing my week one diet for the next 2 weeks, wherein there would be many many cheat meals. This week our most favouriteDurga Pujo will start and it would get with itself once in a year opportunity to gorge on some traditional sweets and snacks. And choosing to keep myself from the gorging spree is not only difficult but insanely impossible. But, I promise to cheat smartly, and write about every tip or trick that helped me religiously. The goal is to meet you back here on the week starting 17^th, in the same weight as I am right now. I need to lose the next 4 kgs which would be much more difficult than this, but that would be after the festive season, and not before it.

For the past week, I noticed I had the urge of indulging in carbohydrates a lot. At the restaurant, I would reach for that Tawa Phulka or a smaller egg or vegetable filled paratha made without oil, all the time. At home, I had my parents-in-law visiting, so it was much easier to just reach up to that ladle full of Daliya (desi bulgur wheat) or white rice with my fish curry or indulge in an array of sweets displayed in my dining area, every-time they came back from CP. And with Pujo starting, I don’t think I can survive the season without indulging in Mughlai Porotha (Deep fried square parcel made with white flour, filled with spicy fish/chicken mince) or a Lobongo Latika (a similar kind of dish, but sweet). Caterers from Kolkata come in to make these scrumptious snacks and meals, and I can’t muster enough courage to steer clear of tasting it. Yet, it’s the portion control that I will exercise. I will cheat a lot during these days, but the idea is to come back to right eating after that.

For example, last week a good friend invited me over to his place for a garden tour. He is a foodie like me, and wanted me to try Samosa and Jalebi from his favourite Nukkad shop. He follows me here, and he thot it was just a matter of tempting me to stray away from the path. I had a samosa with him at 6, preceded by 2 hot and crisp jalebies. But then, I came back to have a cup of soup in the night for dinner and nothing else. This is how I managed to steer clear of any additional weight by following restraint in the next meal. Even with drinks, I opted to munch on Cream cracker biscuits and roasted chana, rather than crispy fried potato chips etc. The week one diet is a framework for me, wherein I devised a new meal plan for me each and every day. From today, I will start following a modified Week 1 diet, and by the next week I will decide if I am strong enough to go to a week 2 diet or not.

This is what I would be eating for the week starting today.

Early morning starts with a flavored nutritious coriander and lime water. I will boil a bunch of coriander for 10 mins strain, and keep the concentrate in the fridge. Early in the morning, I will mix the coriander water concentrate in warm water with a squeeze of lime and drink it. I will follow it up with 3 soaked almonds.

Exercise or an intense Activity

For breakfast, I will have protein with carbohydrates like a good piece of homemade whole wheat bread with fresh cottage cheese, salt and pepper or a dry Daal bhara paratha and curd, or an egg roll.  

At 11.30 am, 1 small bowl papaya followed by a cup of green tea.

The lunch would be healthy Carbohydrate (roti) with protein and fibres, like- raajma, salad and grilled veggies. Or Matar paneer, salad and grilled veggies.

At 5 pm, 1 katori dahi+ 1 tsp ground flaxseed will increase my metabolism.

At 7 pm, I would have tea with roasted chana or a small bowl of sprout salad.

For dinner strictly no carbohydrate but a light protein and fiber based meal.

And if hungry during bedtime, I will finish it up with 1 cup toned milk.

This week, I will concentrate mostly on eating healthy protein and try to detox myself in the time I eat in my house. I will keep adapting the diet each day, depending on my circumstances. As you have noticed since the start of Lets lose weight together, I have never really stressed myself out to eat something that is far away from my reach. I have stayed on the good eating path, yet enjoying a foodie’s life. And the festive would be nothing else than that.

For the recipe today, I am showing you the way I make my daily dose of home-made bread, each time, every time and it works perfectly all the time. This way, I know I will eat a good carbohydrate in the morning, which would get me ready for all the cheats that would come my way during the day.  

Ingredients:

2 cups whole wheat flour (WWF)

1/2 cup all-purpose flour (you need the gluten)

2 tsp Active dry yeast

2 Tbsp honey

1 teaspoon salt

1 cup milk, lukewarm

2 Tablespoons olive oil, or any vegetable oil

1 egg

1/4 cup additional WWF for kneading

Instructions:

For a detailed Youtube Tutorial, Click here!!

In a large measuring jug, stir in lukewarm milk with 2 tbsp honey and yeast. Put it in a draft free place for it to proof, while you get the rest of the ingredients in place.

Put both the flours and salt in a large mixing bowl, with a dough hook. Beat it to combine well.

Once the yeast blooms, add in a room temperature egg, and dump it all in the mixer. Beat it on low to combine. Now slowly pour in the 2 tbsp of oil, while the mixer is running and combine it well in the dough. Then put the speed on high for 2 minutes to form the gluten well.

After the 2 minutes are over, on a low speed add about 1/4 cup more flour until dough forms a mass. I make my bread in a kitchen aid mixer. However all this can be easily achieved by hand too. Kneading the dough well makes sure you have a soft and pillowy interior that we all love in a store bought bread. 

Knead the dough well to achieve a non-sticky appearance, cover and let rise for an hour, till double in size.

Shape dough into a loaf and place in a greased loaf pan. Cover and let rise in a warm spot until it is one inch taller than the pan, about 35 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 200 degrees Celsius, and bake the bread for 30 minutes. Once browned, and sounds hollow on knocking it, place it on a wire rack to cool. Slice and enjoy as and when needed!

Bread recipes are a bit scary to follow if you are new to it. I have been baking my bread pretty regularly, and that’s why I invested on a brand new kitchen aid last year. If you need a Youtube video about baking this whole-wheat bread to ease your nerve, then write to me. I would be more than happy to oblige! Cheers!!

LLWT- 2 with Skinny Chicken Parmesan

Let’s Lose Weight Together Part 2 (LLWT-2)

Now for a quick update on my diet, I did follow it religiously from Monday through Saturday. Obviously the hostess that I am, I couldn't say no to entertaining guests on Friday, and hence made an easy healthy meal of homemade chicken parmesan, served on boiled daliya/bulgur wheat, and the banana chocolate cake from the below post for dessert. Luckily for me, the guests were health conscious too, and they loved the idea. By Friday, I have lost 1 kg on the scale, and the 2 hour eating habit has kicked in majorly. Saturday however kind of disturbed me off the path. I had a team lunch where in I had 2 slices of pizza and 1 cucumber. Dinner was late and almost after a big party, which didnt really go very well with me. I got sick and hardly ate anything on Sunday or Monday. Basically it was a stomach bug and thankfully due to timely medical intervention, I am back to eating normal since today. 

So for now I am gonna stick to week 1 and let my body adjust back to its routine. In the meanwhile, here is the recipe of Chicken Parmesan. It is a wonderfully easy recipe involving very few ingredients. I Indianised this Italian classic and read all about my experimentation here. Also, I am extremely sorry for not clicking a pic for it. I am borrowing a picture which resembles mine from the net, and thus I declare no interest or ownership on the same. But yes, it did look a lot like this, just a bit less of cheese on top. This recipe is so simple, that even after having a busy friday at work, I could put it together in no time. I had made the Marinara Sauce a night before, and that really sped the process manifolds. However, you can easily make this dish with a store bought jar of Marinara Sauce, and I bet it would still taste this awesome! 



Ingredients

4 chicken breasts cut in equal portions
Bread Crumbs
Fresh Garlic crushed
Salt and Pepper to taste
Homemade or store bought Marinara sauce (I followed a recipe from the internet, but instead of canned tomatoes, used fresh tomatoes and cooked a bit longer)
Parmesan Cheese
Gruyere Cheese

Method

Marinade the chicken breasts with salt, pepper and crushed garlic; and set it aside for 10 minutes. 

Now coat the chicken breasts thoroughly with bread crumbs and pan fry it in a little oil, but on a high flame. The idea is to not cook the chicken fully, but to get a crispy coating on it. 

In an oven proof pan, smear on a few dollops of marinara sauce. Place the crispy chicken breasts on top of it, in a neat row. 

Cover the chicken with more sauce and garnish on top with grated cheeses of your choice. Dunk it in a preheated oven for 20 minutes until the cheese is melted and the chicken is fully cooked through. Let it rest in the pan for a few minutes and then serve it with the carbs of your choice. 

I served mine on a bed of boiled daliya, along with a fresh cut salad on the side. Cheers!!

P.S. - In case you need the recipe of indianized Marinara sauce, comment below!

LLWT- 1 with Healthy Sugar Free Muffins!!

Let’s Lose Weight Together Part 1 (LLWT-1)

Sawan ka mahina – the rainy season is here. I don’t like it at all. This is the season my restaurants suffer the most in terms of business. This is the time when water seeps inside electrical equipment, leaving my base kitchen fridge less. The microbes are everywhere, everyone is either sneezing or coughing, or throwing food that was made in the morning, but gave way till the afternoon reached. So, my point being; I hate the season. There is absolutely nothing to like in the muddy water logged city that I live in, while it rains. The incessant traffic jams on the road doesn’t help either. After each shower, there is an addition of a pot hole on every road I travel. And not to mention, the abrupt waterfall and extreme panic of coming home to a flooded living room, just because the rain was too steep, and the drain pipe couldn’t handle the pressure. Sigh… I can continue complaining for another 2 pages.

But I assume, you aren’t reading to hear my rants about the Gaon I live in!! I guess you are reading to know the secret behind why I started abusing India’s most loved season, under the title ‘Let’s lose weight together.’ If you ever get the connection, let me know too... It might help me to understand why I am so erratic these days. But if you don’t, just continue reading as I am getting to the weight loss journey, starting now.

Thanks to my work, it’s becoming increasingly difficult to lose the extra kilograms that I gained since last year. My biggest problem is that I stress eat a lot, which makes it tremendously difficult to lose the weight. Obviously treading the weight loss path alone is rather difficult. So I had a genius idea to involve each one of you reading this article today, facing similar situations in life to come together, read and get inspired; and inspire me in the process.

A typical day for me starts with an action packed morning, leading to a stressful office day; lounging on to a traffic led evening- where I leave office to pick up my son and head back home. The night time sees me a bit relaxed, with family; either cooking a treat, or drinking a storm. My biggest challenges are these two aforementioned situations. It’s rather easy to reach up for a bottle of wine to unwind from the stressful day. And maybe, I did manage to gain all these extra kgs thanks to this one weakness in me. After consumption of alcohol, our bodies start experiencing a great depth of hunger. To satiate that hunger, we start off on the munching path which just piles on calories after calories in our body, unwanted and unreal. I can’t control my family’s urge to stack up deep fried farsaan in the cupboards. What I need to control is my urge into reaching out on to those snacks every now and then. So before, the issue mounts up to become a problem, let’s snip it in the bud. I am guilty of following this easy rather comforting lifestyle since a few months now. But better late than never. So here is my goal that I want to fix for me today, for the coming week.

Firstly, I am gonna restrict drinking high calorie drinks like wine completely. My voice has been soar for sometime now, and I need to get it back to sing my little guy lullaby. So for the next two weeks, if I drink, it’s either gonna be brandy with hot water, or just water. No wine shall pass through these lips, till my voice is back to normal.

Secondly, no deep fried food for the next two months consciously.

Thirdly, I need to get back into healthy 2 hour eating habit. 3 litres of water each day is not a problem for me at all, but if any of you are skimpy water-drinkers, please note that as well.

Obviously, these are difficult to follow in my life as I have too many distractions around me all the time. But the idea is to start amending any cheat I do with the next meal. So the amends for each chaet on the each goals would be-

Only twice in the week would I drink. And if I consume wine, then just once. Also, 2 glasses of water for each drink. Which would definitely cancel out the negative with a lot of positive.

Deep fried food should be accompanied with a lot of salad, before and after.

If ever I miss eating in the 2 hour mark, I will try not to eat 2 meals at the same time, substituting that meal with a lot of water.

So an ideal meal chart for me for the week would be-

Early morning – 500 ml lukewarm water followed with a bowl full of fresh fruits.

Intense activity                 (exercise)

Breakfast- a healthy combination of whole carbs with vegetables/egg. Eg-1 whole wheat veg sandwich or a roti-egg roll or oats upma with a lot of veggies and curd.

Mid-morning- Green tea with a healthy snack. Eg- 1 cream cracker biscuit or rasted chana or 5 pcs of soaked almond or this low calorie muffin.  

Lunch- would be a good mix of vegetables (cooked and/or raw) with whole carbohydrates. Eg- salad with ‘1 or 2 roti or boiled daliya’ and 1 - 2 bowl veg with 1/2 bowl curd/dal. If I choose to eat non veg, then I will cancel the carb and take 100 gms chicken/fish with 1-2 katori veg and salad.

Evening- green tea with 2 cream cracker biscuits or green tea with a small bowl roasted channa

Dinner- same as lunch just that I will try to go skimpy on the carbs. Eg-1 wheat chapatti with 1 or 2 bowl veg and Salad; or 50gms chicken/ fish with 1 or 2 bowl veg and salad.

Bedtime if hungry- 1 cup toned milk.

So I am aiming at following this diet for the next two weeks. It’s doable, in fact very easy too. But 1 of the weekends, I would like a treat of something sweetish that doesn’t harm my body so much. I will try to eat it more as a meal in itself as the mid-morning/evening snack, rather than an after meal dessert. Plus the sweet craving family of mine can’t be deprived of sweets for a whole 2 months, just because I am attempting to eat healthy. I know their urge in indulging into some sweets would lead them to a sweet shop, and that would be a nightmare for me. So here is a simple muffin recipe, which is refined flour free, butter free and most definitely sugar free in the most un-chemical way possible.

Ingredients

 ¾ cup whole wheat Flour

1 egg

½ cup Milk (any kind of Milk would work- coconut, almond, soya etc.)

2 tbsps. Maple Syrup or Honey

1 tbsp. Veg Oil

½ tsp. Vanilla Extract

¼ tsp. Baking Soda

Pinch of salt

2 Medium Bananas, roughly mashed

A handful of Dark Chocolate Chips

Method

It’s a rather easy way to make these super healthy muffins. All you do is combine all dry ingredients together in a bowl- flour, salt and baking soda in a bowl. Add the chocolate chips and coat it well.

In a measuring jug, dump in all the rest of the ingredients- egg, milk, honey, vanilla, oil and crushed banana. Mix well.

Now just combine the wet to the dry, and the batter is ready to be baked in a preheated oven of 180-200 degrees Celsius, for 15 minutes, or as long as it takes for a wooden toothpick inserted in the centre to come out clean. Cool and enjoy this treat for a day.

Basically the idea is to not starve you of your craving. If you crave something sweet, eat this. This batter will make only 6 muffins so it’s perfectly portion controlled.

So a best of luck to me and to you if you are with me in this ride. I starting today, and I have goal of losing 6 kgs within the next 2 months. Cheers!!

Pure Malt & Pure Meat!!

Frugal vs expensive… Where do u fall in the debate? As an individual, do u like spending a lot? I for sure do at things that matter to me. Food is the most important thing in my life, and I can’t imagine my life without this one thing. I don’t care about the clothes I wear, or the non-existent art in me for make-up. Though I enjoy breaking into an occasional hymn, but don’t particularly care if it is woofer sound or not. For me, indulgence in the luxury of food is all that matters. I care very deeply about my lunches, breakfasts, dinners and snacks, eating out or in and have many different options in a meal. I meticulously plan what I will eat each day. Many times I have the tug of war where ‘want’ triumphs over ‘should’; which unmistakably results in the gain of these stubborn pounds.

So I spend pretty much all my hard earned money on good luxurious eats and drinks. Sri Lanka visit meant for me Lankan sweet cinnamon and delicate nori take pots and cups. The expensive Switzerland was made special by the cheaper than water, wine and freshly cured and flavorful cold cuts. And don’t assume that I am just a high flying traveler spending money only in other’s economy. A trip to the mountains up over Delhi meant I travelled back with Burance ka ras and Dehraduni saunf wale rusk. A trip of my friend’s to far north east meant jars of lip smackingly hot bhut jhalokia pickle. And the list just goes on…

But till date one of my most awesome buys has been this little bottle of Japanese pure malt. The smoothness of its taste with that background of fruity flowery note is just awesome. I bought a couple more different types of nikka whiskies but undoubtedly this one takes my heart. Such a pure perfect drink, needed something ground breakingly awesome to eat along. But cooking while drinking this beauty meant I needed something simpler to make and my dry rubbed pork tenderloin was the perfect choice. Minimum cooking but timed to perfection is the secret behind cooking pork perfectly. Tenderloin is a healthy cut of pork, belonging to the thigh section of the animal. It has minimum fats and yet the meat doesn’t get dry too easily. Overcooking it is difficult, but not entirely impossible so I prefer using meat thermometers to gauge the temperature of the meat correctly.

This is less of a recipe, but more of a technique that I have mastered in. It’s easy, and really simple to follow. It includes very few ingredients and is still one of the best dinners you can ever make. For the tenderloin, you would need to follow these steps-  

Step 1- Defrosting the meat correctly.

Allow the pork tenderloin to come up to the room temperature slowly and steadily. Don’t involve the easy methods of defrosting through the microwave oven. If you forgot to put the meat out for the adequate time, then keep on the microwave defrosting option to the lowest settings, and keep turning the meat at an interval of 30 seconds. Separate the pieces out in each interval to make sure 1 or more spots are not getting heated up.

Step 2- Cooking

Preheat your oven to 190 degrees c. Season the pork on all sides with salt and pepper, and bring a large frying up to high temperature on the stove top.

Coat the pan with olive oil, and lay the tenderloin down in the pan. Allow it to sear on that side for 2 - 3 minutes or until browned, without moving or touching the meat. Turn it 180 degrees to sear on the other side, again until browned and again not touching the meat much. Rotate the pork again, to sear the other two sides, following the same technique.

Move the whole pork tenderloin into the oven, and allow it to roast until you read an internal temperature of 60 to 70 degree c. That should take between 5 - 10 minutes.

Step 3 – Cutting and Serving it!

Remove the pork from the oven, and place it on a cutting board to rest for 5 - 6 minutes, untouched. Now you can slice into it, and you’ll find the center, perfectly cooked, just slightly pink, and full of the natural juices. Resting the meat ensures these natural juices are in abundance, which helps keep the meat moist and flavourful.

A simple gravy can be made to accompany the meat, during the resting time.

Step 4 – Gravy

Put a sliced onion in the pan that had the tenderloin, and while stirring constantly; wait till the onion slices turn translucent.

Now deglaze the pan with a bit of red wine. If you fancy chilly, add it now! If you fancy roasted garlic, add it now.

Once the alcohol from the wine evaporates, add in a splash of water and bring it to an enthusiastic simmer.

Switch off the gas and put in a couple of nobs of butter to get a glazy flavourful sauce. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.

Super fast, super festive and super delicious. Cheers!! 

Swiss & Britannia Chunkies Ice cream Sandwich!!

When back in the sweltering heat, I started missing the cool climate of Switzerland the most. Even

with its incessant rain and cloudy overshadows, the climate was better than the furnace Gurgaon 

has become for sure. So yes, this summer, we spent a week in Switzerland, and it was one of the

most beautiful places to be. I was fortunate enough that my first trip to the Europe actually made

me see life in Europe inside out. We met real people, living real life; unlike the fantasy one that

Bollywood movies want us to believe. We weren’t taking a conducted tour, and instead we hopped

on the train to visit places many Indian touring companies wouldn’t know of. We looked at hidden

gems of Switzerland, which was green rather than white; and had such a merry time too. But that

one trip to mount Titlis opened my eyes. Opened my eyes to what Indians are capable of doing when

they are away from their home. 5 bare chested hairy men stood in a line on the snow-capped Titlis,

screaming INDIAAAA INDIAAAA, while their wives and sisters threw snowballs at them. I mean, let’s look at it this way- that group did have a lot of fun, but it came at the cost of fellow tourists who

were not included in that group. The quiet Europeans do look down upon these things, because even 

I, being a loud Indian can’t look up at it. Were they right or wrong, is a decision I leave upto you to

decide. But coming back to my point, yup I saw the real life, lived it for a few days and now I am

missing it with a bitter sweet tang.

One thing that I most certainly do before I embark on a flight back home, is a visit to a local

supermarket. And the priced possession I am back with is a set of 3 Swiss knives that comes with a

lifetime warranty on the sharpness. Today I plan to use it to make a sumptuous dessert. A hack that

is so awesome that all you lovely people are going to be so enthused to use it this summer. Let’s

make ‘Britannia Good Day Chunkies ice-cream sandwich.’

Britannia’s Chunkies was an obvious choice considering that these crumbly cookies are overloaded

with melt in mouth chocolate chips; and their perfectly crisp outside would go very well with the

chill of the ice cream in the centre. This is hardly a recipe, but more of a skill to master. But the

outcome is so satisfying, and divine that another 1000 words won’t be able to justify it.

Ingredients

1 packet of Britannia good day chunky cookies

1 small tub of vanilla ice-cream

Sharp knife

Sprinklers or chocolate chips to garnish

Method

Tear open the cookies packet to reveal 5 perfectly imperfect chocolate chip chunkies. Snack on one while you assemble the rest of the recipe together.

Take a solid tub of ice-cream out of your freezer and place it on your cutting board.

Now with a swift jig saw motion, cut an inch of the bottom off from the ice-cream tub. Place a cookie on the cut side and invert. Carefully remove the packaging material and gingerly place a beautiful cookie on top.

Transfer the cookie sandwich in the Britannia’s cookie tray and put it in the freezer to set firm. If you plan to serve it in a party, keep it covered in the freezer, until you are ready to use.

Just before serving, carefully lift the delectable sandwiches from the plastic tray, and roll it, ice-

cream side down on a platter full of sprinklers/chocolate chips. Serve fast, in the utmost casual setup

possible. These little parcels are best shared for a private dinner date, as it is the right combination

of messy sensuality to trickle in.

Cheers!!

P.S.- Apart from being super delicious cookies, Britannia Good Day Chunkies is also giving you a great chance to meet the amazing hosts of Master Chef Australia!

Here's what you need to do:

Step 1: Make an amazing dish with Chunkies, nothing like the dish above mind you!

Step 2: Upload a picture of the dish with a Chunkies pack on your FB/Twitter/Instagram account with #ChefsWithChunkies. Also, put up your recipe as a note on FB or on your blog and share the link in your entry.

10 lucky winners stand a chance to meet the Masterchef Australia hosts in person on the 4th of June, 2016!

For contest terms & conditions, visit - https://www.facebook.com/BritanniaGoodDay/?fref=ts

Have You Heard of Anaaj??

Have you heard of Anaaj? I am guessing the answer would be a simple yes! Anyone who understands, Hindi- India's national language would know that it simply translates into 'grains.' A lesser number of people would be able to join the dots to know that it is something I am concerned with, for now. A few would know of what it means and what it doesn't for me. But only a select handful would know what triggered and got the concept started. Today's agenda is to let those hands open up so that I have a little more than handful of people who should become a part of my journey through the neat kiosks of Anaaj.

Daliya Aur Daal ki Bhuni Khichri!!

It all started with a walk down the famed Park Street. It was a rainy day in Kolkata, and I saw an array of stalls on the street selling food of unimaginable variety. There was Biryani, noodles, Chaat, tandoori and what not, but in every lane I turned; I saw a couple of humble carts carrying big aluminium vessels, full of 'Khichri' a dish made with rice, lentils and vegetables. At first, I did think why anyone would want to buy khichri and eat it on the streets, but in came the lunch crowd; and sure as hell there were many who stood by the stall devouring this simple dish. I asked one of them- jhola bearing, bespectacled gentleman- eating the dish as to why does he feel the need of buying a simple dish like khichri, which can easily be ignored. His answer was real, ‘it’s cheap, fills me up and is wonderful for my tummy; then why shouldn’t I?’And he is right. If you look closely, you will know that it is a very balanced meal full of nutrition to fuel your day with energy. It’s light on stomach and takes care of tummy conscious bongs in a way that compares to the gentle caress of our favourite thammi (granny). Cut to North India, where the revered Bhaskor Banerjee of the Piku fame created unimaginable jokes on everything digestion related. And here I stand today, as the madhatter who dared to sell khichri in her corporate based QSR concept- Anaaj- Pulses & Grains.

The First Customers!!!

Anaaj- Pulses & Grains is a concept based quick serving restaurant (QSR) that I intend to build as a chain. Launched on December 4^th, we are 2 kiosks strong; and we intend to soar up and high with many more concepts and kiosks in the coming months. The ‘Pulses & Grains’ concept is conceptualised keeping in mind the needs of a corporate world, where we sell food for the need, as opposed to food for the want. Now you can and should ask what is this want and need? Well, for that I made this poster-

It’s simply the fact that you might indulge in everything sinful and calorific for days, but at the end of the third day, your body and mind will seek the comfort of a home-styled light Indian meal. After all, it’s human to go back to the comfort of the food you have grown up eating, over anything else. So I am the mad-hatter who sells khichri in North India. And it’s no simple feat. Starting from teaching my hard core north Indian Chefs to cook the perfect Bhuni khichri to letting the cynical customers know the value of a light Indian meal; it wasn’t an easy path. But well, who exactly wants their lives to be a bed of roses. A few challenges here or there is what makes life colourful.

Balancing the dieting!!

I took the challenge heads on. In my first kiosk, I stood selling food for a month, interacting with customers, understanding their need to get it incorporated in my menu. I discussed each and every interaction with my staff to understand all that they can do over the wishes of our patrons. We started with a few things, and then with valuable inputs from everyone connected to the name of Anaaj, expanded it to an expansive menu of over 50 items. Today, each and every dish is something I am proud of. All dishes are carefully recipe developed, keeping in mind the articulation of my kitchen staff. Today Anaaj family is 12 members strong. And all of these 12 members are finally proud of the fact that we are the only Indian Restaurant which serves curries with a layer of love instead, of a layer of artery clogging, demonic oil. We recently launched #AnaajCurries, and trust me if you had our Chicken Angara, you would know how a gravy can be made magical with minimal use of oil, but maximum use of flavour. I have things like Palak Khichri in my menu, directly inspired by my stay in Mumbai. I have Dum cooked Biryani in my menu, with a taste of Hyderabad in it. And I also experiment with the North Indian staple- parantha (flat Indian bread, stuffed and roasted) filling it up with unusual things like Sattu or Chicken or a mix of roasted veggies which I call- Sub Subz ka parantha. I have experimented with things like Dalia- broken wheat on the menu. I intend to get out many more such forgotten grains or recipes which are extremely healthy, but forgotten completely in the mad rush of this generational life.

Chicken Chawala without a layer of floating oil!!

I am developing another concept now. All I want to say is wait for it to hit the market as it would also be super interesting, and very healthy. This time, it would be a bit more celebratory and a little less mundane. At this stage all I want to say is that we are here, and we are here to stay!  Cheers!!  

Alu Angara!!

Borosil Prima 19 L Oven Toaster Griller

It’s not a very unnatural thing that today again I set to write about borosil. I have mentioned it far beyond and always that I have loved every single piece of their product range, since I was in college. Let’s see, so here I was writing a beautiful note for borosil, to my unborn child. Then here was I talking about all of my greatest memories of borosil; sometimes in my house, and sometimes in others'. And today here I am, writing about their newer products that I have tested and enjoyed using very bery much. Yes, I am being very truthful here. In fact I have always been brutally truthful here on my blog when I say, I like something, to something I don’t like. And borosil is beyond my likes or dislikes. It has a history of provoking me to be a better earner than anything else in the world.

Curios? Nope, doesn’t mean that I am being paid truckloads of insane money to write this on a beautiful sunny winter afternoon. In fact this article comes with no remuneration attached. It means that it had inspired me since the start to earn enough so that I can afford the luxury of owning a set of borosil bake and serve.

I am a simple girl! I grew up in a house which was like any others in a small town. But I had dreams. A bit sultry, a bit naïve, a bit ambitious; but these were my dreams. I fought my way out of my parent’s to stay in a hostel of Delhi University. This was the biggest, and by far the most adventurous decision of my life. A lot conspired, this side and that. But finally I was here, in Delhi, in a city that stank of wealth and power like nothing else. Here I met people staying in quaint green lined lanes of South Delhi, beautiful big houses; but boasting of dreams so shallow. Here I saw the finer things in life, the more beautiful, and the more glass like. And when I met borosil over here, I just knew I wanted the relation to last a lifetime. It wasn’t glass like, and yet so like glass. This is what I inspired to be. Don’t know if I was able to achieve what I inspired for, but I did strike up a beautiful relationship with borosil, for life.

That is precisely why, when Food Bloggers Association of India got in touch with me over a review of a new product launched by borosil, I readily accepted. Yes, the company which has been dealing with borosilicate glassware for decades now, has ventured into kitchen appliances as well. Their new product range which is about to hit the market pretty soon consists of rice cookers, juicers and convectional ovens for the domestic market. I chose to review the oven over the others, and dutifully a package arrived at my doorstep, much in time. I checked the oven by toasting some bread slices. This is the best way to understand a new oven and find spots of more heat. The panel was easy to use. The description was enough for even a person with minimal education to figure out and toast the slices well. The heat is consistent inside the oven, and is perfect for baking cakes to get an even fluff on top. I had used a 19 liter oven, smaller than my usual 60 liters, and that’s why I found it really quick to heat up and toast. So all in all, I loved my shiny silver addition to the kitchen. It proved easy to use, and very effective to heat up this winter.  

If you are looking to buy an easy oven soon, then do check out myborosil.com for offers and prices. After using it, I can assure you its of great quality and make. Additionally, it also comes with a 2 year guarantee.

Cheers!