My first experience of French Cuisine

In France, the cuisine is an art rather than being just food. Why else would the UNESCO declare French cuisine in its cultural heritage list?? Yes UNESCO declared French cuisine as ‘World Intangible Heritage’ in 2010 celebrating the French multi-course gastronomical meal.

The French love their food and it is quite evident when you see the cafes and arty restaurants filled with Parisians cherishing every bit of their food.

Parisians celebrating their food

We went to France last week, unfortunately we did only Paris, but I did experience a little bit of the French cuisine and a peek at their food culture. There are about 5000 restaurants in Paris alone..too many choices ..too little time :)

A street full of restaurants in Paris

Breakfast:

The French have a small breakfast which usually consists of freshly made croissants and coffee. We had a breakfast buffet at our hotel ‘L Atlier Montparnesse’ which had a wide selection of items to choose from. (Considering the tastes of their European guests)

Our breakfast was a cup of coffee/ orange juice with a selection of croissants – Croissants,  Pain au Chocolat (chocolate croissants), Pain Raisin (raisin croissants) oeufs brouilles (scrambled eggs) ,butter and Toast,, marmalades, fromage (cheese) Jambon (Ham), Bacon, sausages. There was also fresh and fruit yogurts.

Breakfast at the hotel
(Pic Courtesy- the hotel website)

The Breakfast Buffet at the hotel
(Pic Courtesy- the hotel website)

Lunch:

After such a heavy breakfast and the limited time to explore Paris, we usually skipped our lunch or had a quick small meal – a Baguette sandwich mostly and a dessert (the desserts in Paris are to die for- they are light, rich, subtle yet sublime in taste.

Baguette Sandwich from Paul's

Chocolate Pastry at Paul's

Ham and cheese on Toast

Snacks:

After wandering about on the streets of Paris, astonished by at the rich heritage of arts and architecture of the city and standing in awe gazing at the different tourists sites, a quick snack was much needed.
For the snacks, we had Crepes, Waffles, Ice creams , a quick bite of a dessert. Anything which was easy to carry around and eat.

Chocolate Croissant 

Savory Chicken Crepe 

Crepe filling: Chicken,Cheese,Tomato

Amaretto and Hazelnut flavor Gelato

Dinner:

We decided to go for a 3 course meal-
We had a choice between salad and a soup- We decided to go for the traditional French Onion Soup.

French Onion Soup

This soup is quite popular in France and is made of a meat broth with onions and then gratinated under the grill with croutons and Gruyere cheese. It was served in a ramekin with slices of baguette in the side. It had the most delicate flavor of onion with lightly seasoned broth with melt in your mouth cheese. The baguette slices added the crunch to the soup.  A truly mild yet flavorful soup.

Next for the entres we decided to try Escargots- a French delicacy.

Escargots  (Snails)

This was my first time of eating a snail and yes I was quite apprehensive. But when it was served I could smell the garlic butter and the herbs (nothing obnoxious about it) After trying it I can say – I loved it!!!

Escargots served in their original shell

Tiny bits of chewy meat masked with a strong flavor of garlic butter and herbs.

For the mains we had Chicken in Paprika sauce with fries.

Chicken in Paprika sauce with Fries

The chicken was cooked to perfection and the béchamel sauce had a slight hint of paprika. The fries had nothing french about it just an accompaniment to the dish. Overall the dish was quite average- I wish there was more sauce in it and yes more paprika of course :P

The Quintessential French Wine

No French food is complete without its wine.We tried the red wine from Burgundy. I am not too much into wines (though I plan to do a small course on wines soon) but I can say it was a good wine.Gentle on the palette, it was light and had a fruity bouquet.

For the dessert we had Chocolate mousse.Again quite an averge dish- simple presentation, light ,spongy texture, perfect on sweetness.

Chocolat Mousse

Overall experience was very nice.The restaurant itself was quite a peice of art with black and white images and wine bottles displayed on their walls.

So whats my take on the food??

The artistic Decor

The great presentations

Food Culture- A way of Life in Paris!!

The French cuisine is an experience rather than just food- it is the culmination of the decor, food presentations, the language on the menu card, bringing together all your senses to experience and celebrate good food!!!

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Meza - A journey into the Culinary wonders of Lebanon

Meze - Lebanese Kitchen
(Pic Courtesy- Yelp)

If I had to describe this restaurant in one sentence it would be ‘A hidden Gem full of authentic dishes.’After staying in London for 3 months now I am all up for experimenting with food and teasing my palette with the assault of flavours that this city has to offer me.

Lebanese cuisine in India is still in its nascent stage and is limited to hummus, falafel and tabouleh. In fact I am not sure if there is any ‘Lebanese Only’ restaurant, as it is collectively grouped with the Greek, Mediterranean and Middle East cuisines.

So technically this was my first experience of the rich Lebanese cuisine and boy I was excited.

Meza is a small restaurant started 3 years back with its owner and his mother dishing out some authentic Lebanese delicacies. The recipes are perhaps passed down from generations in the family.

No wonder the taste of the food is so original and homely.

The Experience:

I left my house with great zeal and eagerness only to reach Meza and find out that all their tables were booked. It was Friday and this tiny little restaurant was packed with people. So please ensure you book a table in advance.

I could see fresh food, Lebanese wines, lovely people and great dinnertime conversations. It is a shame we could not get to experience a sit down meal in its full glory.

We ordered a take away  :(

The owner suggested we order four mezzes and a main course among two people. But we decided to go for 2 Mezzes and a main course. (Which in my opinion was enough for us two- as we are small eaters- So thumbs up on the quantity of food served)

We ordered Mosaka’a Bantenjen Sautéed Prawns, and Kafta Djaj. The food smelled heavenly almost as if enticing us to take a dip in its rich flavors. 

A Lebanese Fare

The Prawns were sauteed in a light tomato gravy served on a bed of delicately flavored rice with vegetables. The description of the dish did say on a bed of saffron rice but I could not smell any saffron in their rice. But never the less it was a good prawns dish- mild in flavor and delicate in aromatic.

Sauteed Prawns

Mosaka Bantenjen is a tangy preparation of eggplant chick peas and tomato gravy. Onions and spices were thrown in to add on to its texture and flavor. Honestly it was a bit too tangy for my taste (I am not sure if I would eat it on its own) but my husband Mitesh absolutely loved it to an extent that he declared, that it was the best mussaka he has ever eaten. 

Mosaka Bantenjen

The Kafta Djaj was my favorite Minced meat chicken meat grilled on skewers and seasoned with some exotic spices. It was served Khobez  which is a Mediterranean flat bread which is traditionally baked in stone clay oven. A garlic dip and a fresh salad was served alongside the Khobez. It made for a perfect wrap.

Kafta Djaj

Pros- Homely food, good service,good on the pocket.

Cons- Small space,need a prior booking on weekends.

Recommendations- Mosaka Bantenjen.

Meza
(Pic Courtesy- Time Out London)

Verdict- The meal was heartily enjoyed and finished in no time. And thus my journey into the exotic world full of rich flavors was complete with promises of a lot more to come soon.

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Ek Godd Suruvat- Its new year!!!

Yes, unlike New year in the west which is always on 1st January,our New year falls on a different date every year- It is usually mid March- April.
 In India we follow the Hindu calendar, and Gudhi Padva (Marathi New Year) falls on the first day of the Chaitra month.It is also known and celebrated as Ugadi by telegus ,Yugadi by Kokanis,Navreh in Kashmiri Pandits and Cheti Chand by Sindhis.

The names might be different but the idea still remains the same-to celebrate creation,to celebrate life to celebrate new season of spring.

A little Trivia-

In Maharashtra,people raise a Gudhi in their window or balcony to symbolize victory.
*A gudhi is a long stick adorned with a bright yellow-orange colored cloth with a kalash (copper pot)inverted over it and neem leaves and flowers tied around it.
Here is a pic of gudhi i got from the internet: (Pic Courtesy- Google)

Gudhi

Ideally we eat Shrikhand Puri on this day at home,but to get that here in London, i would have to travel an hour. So we had Mango flavored yogurt instead :P
But i decided to make something sweet in my  kitchen. Now while everyone of you reading will know what a Puran Poli is I am going to make its variant called Tel Poli.

Ingredients-

Plain Flour (Maida)- 1 cup

Oil- 2-3 tsp for adding and about 6-7 tsp for rolling

Sugar- 1/2 cup

Chana dal (Split Bengal Gram) - 1/2 cup

Cardamom - 1/2 tsp (optional)

Procedure-

1. Take 1 cup of maida and add 2 tsp of hot oil to it (we call this as mohan and it gives crispiness to the poli) add water and knead.

Plain flour,oil and water.

2. Knead it to a soft dough. Add oil on it and keep aside.

Soft dough covered with Oil

3. Wash and soak the 1/2 cup chana dal for 2-3 hours and then pressure cook it in a cooker with 1 cup of water (chana dal becomes double in volume after soaking).Drain the excess water after dal is cooked.

Drain additional water from the cooked dal

4. Now add 1/2 cup of sugar (or more if you have an extra sweet tooth-just as salt the sweetness of sugar varies from place to place)

Cook the dal and sugar

5. Cook it on a medium flame, stir from time to time.

6. Cook it until all the water has evaporated and it is dry enough.

Keep stirring occasionally

Water has evaporated

7. Now pass this dal mixture through a sieve to make it smooth  (you can use a blender-if you are in a rush) but i highly recommend manual straining.

It should look something like this:

8. Now we are ready with the dough,the filling and rolling pin and board.

9. Rub a little oil on your palm before rolling (Well it is called Tel-poli meaning oil for a reason)

10. Make a small disc with the dough.

11. Place a small portion of filling and make it into a ball.

12. Roll it thin (Apply oil to the rolling pin and board as well- believe me this helps) Turn the rolling board while rolling and not the dough. As we do not use any flour while rolling we roll it on an oily surface.

13. Lift it on the rolling pin like this:

14. And place it on the tava or a flat griddle.

15. Roast on a medium flame on both sides. (Apply ghee if you wish- i love adding ghee while serving)

16. Enjoy the crispy and crunchy Tel Poli.

My tip-

The tel poli should be rolled,lifted and roasted immediately or else it tends to stick on the rolling pin. 

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Masala Zone - Homely Indian cuisine in the heart of London

After our Friday evening Zumba class and our shopping spree on Oxford Street, we opted to head through Carnaby Street to Masala Zone. Overcome with the urge to have homely Indian dishes, we selected Masala Zone as our dinner venue.

I’ve been a regular to this place, but it was the first time for Prachi. We arrived pretty late (after 10pm), but being Friday night they were well into service, and were quickly escorted to our table upon arrival. Being the foodies that we are, we brushed aside the drinks menu and started scanning through the food menu.

Masala Zone offer a range of starters, spanning contemporary and street food Indian dishes. I’ve tried the Alu Tikki Chaat, Samosas and Sev Puri in previous visits, all have been simple but well presented, and excellent to the taste. We opted to try something different and went for the Gosht Dabalroti.

Gosht Dabalroti

The dish comprised of chunks of seasoned, spiced lamb, chunks of white bread, garden vegetables (tomatoes, cucumber and onions) and a spinkling of sev on top to add that crunch. The lamb was well cooked and seasoned, having a strong flavor which reminded me of a British Indian classic – the ‘Rogan Josh’. The chunks of bread added that contrast in texture alongside the firmer lamb. The bread could have been a littler better though, the sweetness of the bread played a rather significant part in the overall taste combination. The sev and garden vegetables added the perfect crunch to create a wholesome and interesting mouthful when combining the constituents together. For those faithful to the modern adaption of Indian cuisine in the UK, I’d recommend this dish.

Given we were two hungry pups, for the mains we decided to have the Chicken  Grand Thali with Kerelan Malabar Chicken. The thali was a well balanced meal, providing a healthy mix of meat, carbohydrates and those all essential veggies. The Grand Thali comprised of the following:

• 1 x Doodhi mutter sabzi
• 1 x alu sabzi
• 1 x daal
• 1 x Kerelan Malabar Chicken
• 1 x poppadum
• 1 x rice with methi seeds
• 1 x roti
• 1 x raita
• 1 x salad

Chicken Malabar Grand Thali

The vegetarian options were simple, wholesome and honest in preparation. The doodhi and vegetable dish was a refreshing reminder of home style Indian veg food, a start reminder of dishes I ate in India. For those unfamiliar to doodhi, here’s a few quick facts:

Doodhi / Lauki (calabash)

• Lauki, otherwise known as calabash is a vine grown for it’s fruit, and can either used as a vegetable or dried and matured to be used as a bottle, utensil or pipe.
• Lauki was one of the first cultivated plants in the world, grown not for food but as a water container.
• Lauki had been cultivated in Asia, Europe and the Americas for thousands of years before Columbus’ discovery of America.
• Lauki is used frequently in North Indian and South Indian cuisine. A popular dish in Mumbai is Lauki Channa (channa daal and diced lauki)
• Lauki is also popular in chinese cuisine as eitry a stir-fry or in soup.
• Lauki has an alternate use. Lauki has been used in many indian string instruments as a resonator. The sitar, surbahar and tanpura all have a lauki resonator at the end of the strings, called a toomba.

Thought I’d mention some fast facts for you. The dish was really nice, a simple flavor, adequately spiced and soft in texture.. This was a delight to eat and went well the the chappati that came with the thali.

The two other vegetable dishes were one potato and spinach dish and one yellow daal. The potato dish was a little dry and had an artificial flavor about it. It had to be eaten alongside the lauki and peas dish. The yellow daal had a grounded flavor, supplied as an accompaniment to the rice. As much as it forms an essential part of the thali, it was on the simpler side compared to what I’ve eaten in India.

Right, now for the highlight of my review, and what you’ve no doubt been waiting for – the Kerelan Malabar chicken. The chicken had a strong flavor of the curry leaf, very traditional in South Indian cooking, and providing an exotic flavor to the dish. The dish had a hint of coconut, giving it that resounding South Indian touch. This was the clear headline dish in the thali, providing a tangy tomatoey taste, a perfect gravy housing the tender chicken. The chappati went well with the vegetarian dishes, and the Malabar chicken was the perfect dish for the rice.

All in all, a well balanced thali, London’s version of India’s famous offering. A healthy, tasty and filling meal for our post workout evening. I’m split on whether I would recommend this dish again, but I would opt for some of Masala Zone’s Indian street food options, which have been brilliant in previous visits…

Staring down the gauntlet of the Grand Thali...

Masala Zone - Soho

Stay tuned for more of our London restaurant reviews….

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