Magnum Ice Creams-Royal Experience

this pic and food styling c/o Anupriya DGs

Belgium chocolate covered Magnum ice creams are a favourite of millions across the globe. 1st March onwards Magnum is officially hitting the stores of Calcutta! This will be a really grand summer for Calcuttans. These ice creams are made with at least 35% cocoa, making them rich in flavour. The Truffle flavour is for the dark chocolate lovers. But, you can pick any of their flavours for a rich royal experience. There is a delicious crackle in every bite, there is no fear of it melting all over your hand as the chocolate coating is ever so generous and there is never a risk of sweetness overload since the inner creamy filling is almost like a palate cleanser.

 I was at the launch event where chef Kunal Kapoor hosted a master class. Soha Ali Khan, a self professed Magnum lover since she was a child was there for the launch as well. Many stories were shared about their memories of chocolates and Calcutta. And hence Kunal Kapoor decided to make a dessert with Magnum inspired by Calcutta. He made a Patishapta, which is essentially a crepe that is traditionally filled with kheer, jaggery and coconut. He filled the Magnum Patishapta with crushed chunks of Magnum Classic, berries, nuts and topped it with some sprinkling of khoya kheer, almonds and pistachio. If you follow me on instagram(click to follow if you don't already), you must have seen the delicious dessert in a jar that I was gifted at the event. It was made with Magnum ice cream and once they are officially available at the stores I will try to grab one and recreate the recipe to share it with you guys on the blog.

The 3 flavours of Magnum you can get in stores - Classic, Almond and Chocolate Truffle

Soha Ali Khan and Kunal Kapoor at the photo op

Soha trying her best to help out the chef

The delicious Magnum filled Patishapta

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FlySongbird

How To Survive: Valentine's Day

This Valentine's day you must be wondering where you can go out to have a lovely lunch or dinner without blowing a giant hole in your pocket. I have a couple of very delicious suggestions for both the romantic and the anti-mush brigade. And both these restaurants are located in the New Market area of Kolkata beside each other. Scoop will be decked up to welcome all the V-day celebrators. They even have a special menu for the lovers which includes items like 100% LOB(a crunchy juicy prawn wrap) and Phata Phati Love(mango juice topped with ice cream and pineapple slices). You can even pick up a goodie basket to surprise your other half with. You get choco chip cookies, strawberry cupcakes, heart shaped candle and a rose in the basket for only INR200. Isn't that a sweet deal?

Now for the anti-mush brigade, I suggest you walk a couple of doors down from Scoop and enter into Spice. It is a new restaurant with the edgiest décor ever. It looks like the insides of a factory that was turned into the hippest eat out zone in town. It is the perfect place to hide from coochie cooing lovers all over the city tomorrow. You can go down with a bunch of buddies as well to enjoy some of the most delicious Thai food with a few giant mugs of beer. You must try their chicken satay that comes with a peanut butter sauce that would leave you craving for more.

Nearest landmark - New Empire

Show some love on V-day. Hit the like button.

FlySongbird

Happy New Year!

And 2015 arrives!

FlySongbird

How Are You Detoxing?

Okay, the festivities are finally over! We have almost 2 months till the Christmas/New Year binge has to begin again. But, for us Indians the period between Durga Puja till Bhai Dooj is the time when we gorge like monsters. Almost on a daily basis there is an array of ghee laden, sugar syrup injected sweet dishes lying around, lunch and dinner includes fish fries, dal, special sabjis, spicy mutton/chicken and pulavs and biryanis! Phew! I am sure half of you are already on a cleanse. I tried after Durga Puja was over with no success. Here are a few ways you can detox for 1-2 days before easing back to your normal daily dose of calorific intake:

This is the divine honey-lemon-ginger-tea I had while I was in Gangtok at Baker's Cafe

1. Start the day with green tea. I usually have green tea at least twice a day, sometimes when I feel sleepy after dinner and have to stay up to work I will knock down another cup. I try to veer away from milk and sugar in tea, and also I have stayed away from coffee for almost a year now.
2. Go on a 2 day juice/smoothie cleanse. Smoothies are much more filling because they still have the fibre from the fruits in it. I do not like chunky smoothies, I like them well blended. I make a whole batch for a day and keep sipping one glass at a time.If I get hungry towards the evening I usually make a salad with blanched spinach, mushrooms and any other light vegetables I have in the fridge at that point. My favourite smoothie making fruits-bananas, apples, any kind of citrus, grapes, mango. I also add a pinch of cinnamon powder, honey and a squirt of lime juice for flavour.
3. Have roti and sabji twice a day. I cut out on rice, potato, bread and butter on such days and avoid too much oil in my food. I am a meat lover so I need some protein(otherwise I get midnight bacon cravings). I stick with a small piece or two of chicken. Also there is a bowl of yogurt on my plate. If I get hungry between meals I will usually scramble an egg. This keeps me full and is what you need if you need to work and run around. No one does running around on juice, right? Except crazies.

 So, this is what I do. Some people just swear by lemon juice and honey in warm water every morning. What are your ways of detoxing?

 FlySongbird

 

Durga Puja 2014 - Trends Spotted

I saw a good deal of Normcore fashion this year while pandal hopping. But, I am not really sure how many of them consciously dressed up that way. Normcore fashion is where people dress up in a normal way to look same rather than stand out. Read this *article* to get an idea of what is Normcore as documented by artist Hans Eijkelboom.

But I did not capture the denim on denim and other Normcore craziness during Durga Puja for you! Here are 3 of the biggest trends I spotted this year. All my fashionable friends wore gorgeous sarees every day. Well, of course I didn't. I did wear an ethnic kurta with a beautiful printed vest on Ashtami. And I gorged on a sumptuous Italian fare at Spaghetti Kitchen that day. Also watched Haider on the first day of release and loved every bit of it.I wrapped up that awesome day by promptly falling down wearing flat shoes and tearing my beautiful red leggings on the way back.

Printed leggings were everywhere, they were mostly paired with bum covering long tops and flats

the Anarkali salwar kameez was everywhere! It was a bit weird how many of these I spotted this time.

No one wore the saree better or more fashionably than city bloggers Soumi and Anupriya DG. Soumi draped her saree over leggings! It doesn't get more trendsetting than that. Love Anu's necklace and clutch. Learn how to put a twist on your traditionals from these 2 ladies.

People really do forget all about calories during these 5 days

And with this I wish you a Subho Bijaya and Happy Dussehra!

In association with Lifestyle International I will be highlighting the food, fashion and atmosphere of Durga Puja here on the blog.

FlySongbird

The Perfect Chocolate Cake - Microwave Edition

I am always looking for easy ways to satisfy my chocolate cake cravings, which surprisingly happens way too often. I have followed every microwave chocolate cake recipe that claims to give moist chocolate cakes out there, they always come out spongy and airy. I have tried making fudgy versions, I have tried eggless, flourless, extra cream versions even! Nothing satisfied me like this one did. 

This recipe is inspired by Nigella's choco-hoto-pots recipe and also an idea I got from this show I was watching on Fox Life which was showing how Cypriots make this cake and then add a sugar syrup on top after it comes out of the oven (completely forgot the name, I had switched off my brain after all the delicious food I had been gawking at, knowing I won't get to taste any of them).

Ingredients - 2 eggs, 3 1/2 tablespoons flour, 3/4 cup of fine sugar, 2 tablespoon sweet chocolate powder(I used this because I didn't have chocolate), 4 tablespoon cocoa powder, 2 heaped tablespoons of unsalted butter(I used low fat variety, simply because it was lying in front of me), 1 tablespoon olive oil.1/2 cup milk and 2 tablespoons of fine sugar for the syrup.

Method - Melt the butter in microwave and mix the chocolate powder and cocoa powder and keep aside for it to cool. Mix the flour, sugar and eggs in a separate bowl then add to the butter mixture when done. Microwave for 2:30 minutes on highest your microwave can go (mine goes up to 700W), then for 1 more minute and then for 15 seconds(adjust the time according to your microwave). While the cake is baking start boiling the milk and sugar mixture. Bring the cake out and pour this syrup on top and let it soak it all up. Once the cake has absorbed the syrup completely, you can take it out and dust some powder sugar on top.

Carve out slices while its still warm and enjoy the soft cake with tea. Keep the rest aside for later.

FlySongbird

Royal Repast at Dum Pukht, ITC Sonar

Dum Pukht at ITC Sonar has introduced Royal Repast from 22nd June onwards and I was there last Saturday to taste and write to you about the Nawabi delicacies they have on offer. The legendary Master Chef Imtiaz Qureshi has crafted a regal Royal Repast Experience beautifully graced with a fine spirit Royal Salute 21YO (21 year old matured whisky with complex notes), paired by whisky expert Sandeep Arora. Royal Repast is a set menu of five courses(see the pictures for the non-veg selection on offer).
'Dum' means to 'breathe in' and 'Pukht' to 'cook'. Imtiaz Qureshi has been with Dum Pukht since its inception, fans of his food include people like the Clintons and Queen Elizabeth (no big deal, right?). The man speaks impeccable Lucknavi Urdu and regaled us with stories behind each dish that is on offer in the menu. Keeping in mind the recent trends he has incorporated sea food in the menu, which is traditionally not a part of Awadhi cuisine. He also told us these complex dishes are made keeping in mind the health conscious. The hero dish of the menu, the Dudhiya Biryani, which consist of a layer of fragrant, pearly white rice on top of the spice infused layer mixed with soft morsels of lamb, is made with olive oil. Each and every dish had its unique flavours. My other favourites from the menu - Raan-e-huzoor, jhinga qureshi, koh-e-avadh, desi murgh ishtew and lab-e-mashooq.
INR 6500/- plus applicable taxes per guest.

(see what I wore to the event *here*)

FlySongbird

Chinese Style Noodles With Leftover Vegetables

Late last night suddenly I got a craving for Chinese food. It was too late for takeout, and there was a bunch of half chopped vegetables I saw lying around in the fridge. So, I made this on a whim. I am not a very chef-y person, I just like throwing in whatever I feel tastes good together.

Ingredients (3-4 servings) - 3 chopped garlic cloves, 1 tsp chopped ginger, 1 red onion sliced (there were 2 halves lying around for some reason so, I used it all up), 1 broccoli stalk chopped (the heads had gone yellow), 1/2 green bell pepper thinly sliced(julienne), red chilli flakes, dried parsley, black pepper,1 tbspn dark soy sauce, 2 eggs beaten, 50 gm boneless chicken cubes, Olive oil for frying. (You can add mushrooms too if you have any available).

Method - Scramble the eggs and set aside. Heat oil in a pan, add garlic, ginger, black pepper. Add the onion, fry till translucent. Add the broccoli stalk(soft inner part only, peel away the skin), bell pepper. After a minute or two add the chicken, salt and more pepper(ya I love pepper). Stir in the boiled noodles when the chicken is cooked. Add chilli flakes (I added lots of it), parsley, soy sauce. Add a cup of the starchy water water in which you boiled the noodles to give it a more gravy like consistency, skip this if you like hakka style noodles. Mix it well with the fried egg.

Eat. Repeat.

FlySongbird

Spring/Summer Cranberry Cocktails

I am a big fan of cocktails that pack a punch. I rarely ever will order something that doesn't have enough alcohol in it, I find it a waste of money to drink fruit punch with a teaspoon of booze in it. If you have ever seen a person demanding, "What's the strongest that you have?" at the bar, then you know who I am. I have failed in creating the perfect drink at home, resorting to hard liquor or wine when friends come over. But, this weekend/week I was on a roll, creating new dishes and also cooking old recipes without much glitch and of course creating this perfect spring/summer cocktail that I know I will be making again and again. Have I ever mentioned I find chopping and grinding in the kitchen very therapeutic, ala Nigella Lawson? On certain days only, of course. We had it with the Bournville Rich Cocoa chocolate which is 50% dark and went very well with it actually.

Ingredients - 1 tablespoon ginger chopped, 4 teaspoon sugar, 1/2 cup water. 2 cups cranberry juice, 2 cups cranberry juice, 2&1/2 cups whisky, 2 cups soda. Handful of chopped mint leaves and ice cubes.
Mix it - Add the ginger and sugar to the water and bring to boil, then let it simmer for about 5-10 minutes. Let it cool. Then mix everything in a serving jar and refrigerate. Much like a sangria the longer you let it sit the better the flavours meld together. The first day was good, but the next day when we had the leftover we could taste the sweet ginger throughout the drink much more prominently.
Serves : 7-8 glasses.

Microwave Nutella Cheesecake

I took the leap of faith and finally made a cheesecake. And it is delicious. I took the photos before the whole thing had properly set. Didn't affect the taste. It took a few hours to set in the fridge and the slices came out quite nicely.

Ingredients used - For base ~ 10-12 ginger biscuits, 2 tablespoons melted butter. For filling ~ 4 heaped tablespoons unsweetened cream cheese, 3 tablespoons nutella, 4-5 tablespoons low fat fresh cream, 2-3 tablespoon caster sugar.
Method - Blend biscuits in a blender/food processor, add and mix the melted butter. Press at the bottom of the microwave proof container and put away in the fridge to set. Mix the rest of the ingredients in a bowl till smooth. Take the biscuit base out when done (10-15mins) and pour the mixture on top. Place butter paper on top and microwave for 1 minute, then another, then for 20-30 seconds on high(700W in my case). It will be wobbly, let it cool under a fan and then refrigerate for 2-3 hours, longer the better.

P.S. - Not really a gifted food stylist.

The China-Japan Debate On A Plate

Last night I had the opportunity to attend "The China-Japan Debate On A Plate" at Pan Asian, ITC Sonar, Kolkata, the "Greenest Luxury Hotel Chain in the World".

Even you can attend this dinner full of oriental delights from 7th-10th November, 2013 and decide which way the debate sways for yourself. Put in your words here to get a chance to win signature culinary experiences - http://wcom.in/chinajapandebate

Look at the photos to salivate and then get dressed and head over to ITC Sonar. These are the things I had. There are other options as well (even for vegetarians). The menu is crafted carefully so that each dish whether from China or Japan, sits in perfect harmony with each other. Each dish is paired with a blend from Johnnie Walker.
Master chefs at play - Contemporary Japanese Expert Chef Vikramjit Roy offers modern Japanese contemplations on the menu while Corporate Chinese Chef Liang Xiao Qing has traditional Chinese classics on the menu.
The experience is enhanced by Johnnie Walker XR21's rich flavors which has been aged for at least 21 years. And I must add for all whiskey haters that this is the best blend I have ever tasted. So, you must give it a try.
Raveen Misra, Regional Brand Ambassador, Diageo India was our host for the evening, full of hearty conversations and a passion for whiskey and food :).

P.S. - Thank you to Poorna for thinking of me.

And here's a little something for those who have fantasised about Begbie a.k.a Mr. Rumplestiltskin a.k.a Robert Carlyle to give them a little history lesson .. It's about Mr. John Walker and his legacy.

Keep Walking
video unearthed by R

Thoughts On Food - Talking of Foodpanda And Zaranj

Non-Indian readers may find this post hard to understand as I am talking about regional food and not giving much backstory to make it any easier for you to understand it unless you are already familiar with these. I apologise, but you can always ogle the food on display and leave behind your thoughts on how your life has become easier thanks to takeout/home delivery services.
~

In my last post I mentioned how my friend and I merrily stuffed ourselves with kebabs and biriyani when we went out for lunch a few days back. The restaurant was Zaranj, it has been in this city for quite a few years and I have never been there, even though I knew I had to after hearing my best friend (who is very particular about what she eats and the places she likes to eat out at) rave about their biriyani so often. I love biriyani and kebabs. We had talked of going there for quite some time, but for some reason or the other it didn't happen till recently. The food was delicious. The lamb was tender and falling apart from the bone, the curry in the rogan josh was too good. There are very few who can make lachcha paratha perfectly, and here they did it just the way I love it. I am usually very picky about my kebabs (my palette does not match with a lot of people and I am fine with that, we all get our kicks from different things), by far I have had the worst, kakori kebab in Marco Polo, and the best, murgh malai kebab in Sarson (they revamped their menu, removed some of our favourites and I am not sure they still have this on the menu). The jugalbandi kebab in Zaranj was pretty nice, but it was a bit dry and we were not crazy about the malai kulfi either (I am not a fan of malai kulfi to begin with). But, we were there for the biriyani and rogan josh and that was heavenly. I am definitely going back there as soon as I can.

The thing is, some days when going out to eat is out of the question, you might crave different cuisines, and the only nearby home delivery places here offer Chinese mostly and average Mughlai cuisine. Recently Foodpanda has been advertising a lot on TV. They are an online home delivery portal with the goal to combat this very problem. Now I live in a place where I have to order even pizza online, pre-paid and all, otherwise they do not deliver it here. Foodpanda is very new in India and are still expanding. Till a few days back Calcutta was not even on their list of cities where the services are offered. They are finally here and I am waiting desperately for them to increase the number of restaurants one can order from. All you have to do is enter your city's and area's name and they will list the places and their menus from where you can order from. The best thing is there is a cash on delivery option which is what makes it so beautiful. I have forever wanted a service like this one. I am glad it is here finally and hope it grows fast. Here is a post by Ashrita of Caramel Wings who used the site successfully.

This is a Foodpanda sponsored post. Content created by me.

Four Seasons Wines - Gourmet Indulgence

The thing about wine is that you can drink it with food. You don't have to drink it before eating, you don't have to stuff your face with oily, unhealthy junk food either. When I go out to eat and I see the wine selection is very slim or too expensive I will either order a cocktail or vodka on the rocks. But whenever I am home and have company I will serve up wine. My best friend prefers reds and says that one of the rare stereotypically feminine traits I have is that I prefer white wines or even rosé occasionally. India is slowly heading toward globalisation, I say this because the process is not complete, it is ongoing. As much as pundits would love to believe doing certain things is not "Indian" the change is happening, it is not as bad as conservatives would love to convince everyone. No one is forgetting our culture, modernity is not the complete murder of the past, in fact it would do some people good to let go of somethings they do just because it has been going on for centuries(yes I am talking about all kinds of female oppression). Anyway more on that later. Here I am talking on the consumption of wine. Kolkata is the 4th biggest consumer of wine in India and India itself is not far behind in the global arena. The growth has been steady over the years. And we have Indian wines like Four Seasons Wines to provide the growing market an array of reds, whites and even rosé.

As a blogger (not just someone who happens to have a blog) I feel truly delighted every time I get to attend events and go places I earlier wouldn't have the agency to, and I go there as a digital influencer not just a random guest. If I can convince even 10 of you to try out wine and pair it with your Indian fare next time you have company I will feel like I have made a difference, because people will learn that from you in turn and the process will go on. Wine is all about your personal preference. It is about what makes your taste buds dance. Such a unique experience cannot be brought on by any other drink. You might perceive of different notes while you taste and smell the same wine than your friend. 

Yours truly with Soumi, Shreya and Poorna. Pic c/o - Shreya

Hats off to the Four Season Wines for taking this initiative where they are helping in the propagation of wine culture in India. They are taking this very seriously. Last Wednesday I attended the inaugural dinner of the "Four Seasons Gourmet Indulgence" they have launched in partnership with PoshVine that kicked off at Saffron, The Park. Abhay Kewadkar, Business Head (Wines) and Chief Wine Maker, United Spirits Limited was there, he spoke briefly about the winery in Baramati, the importance of choosing the wine most suitable to you and the food you pair it with and he also said that they have tied up with ninety restaurants over 7 cities to host the Gourmet Indulgence events. Thanks to Mr. Peter Mitter, Regional Manager -Trade & Marketing of UB Group, I know quite a lot about wines now, not to mention his presence at these events puts us all at such ease.

Abhay Kewadkar

Generous servings of Barrique Reserve Cabernet Savignon and Viognier along with delicious starters like Wasabi Green Peas Sate, Katori Mauj Ki Galauti, Macchi Khagina and Malai Pesto Murgh Shatoosh were served up to all present. Trying the food with the different wines helps you in understanding the flavours and gives you a better grasp about what goes with what. Chef Dewan was responsible for a delicious spread that included salads, corn pulao, tandoori roti, chicken curry, mutton curry and a couple of vegetarian curries and dal. I should give special mention to the raita that I loved. Imagine having this with wine. It is delicious I tell you. The sensory journey ended with repeated raidings of the flourless chocolate cake area. They were simply put, heavenly.

Even if you are not Indian but are fond of curries, do tell me if you have ever thought of pairing wine with Indian food? Have you done it? Let me know what you think of it in the comments section.