r2 turns one!

i feel like i'm soon going to be organising kiddie birthday parties at home on autopilot. i've done three already in less than two years and before i've had a chance to breathe, the next one feels like just around the corner. who ever recommended having babies so close apart?!

the "at home" bit is critical because, in my humble opinion, "out of home" birthdays in bombay are a bit extravagant and quite a drain on time and resources. feedback from friends thus far has been that they like the non-professional touch of birthday parties at home. takes them back to their childhood when chutney sandwiches, wafers and orange juice was served along with a nice homemade chocolate cake.

i wish i had the time to make it all from scratch myself but i do take a few shortcuts. theobroma is my dependable source for fab fruit cakes, quiches and sandwiches. mallika khan's mini cupcakes are always a super hit. and if i know there will be quite a few dads and a few grand-fathers as well then i usually order in some samosa chole from kailash parbhat as well. everything else is provided by my neighbourhood kiranawala. with every one of these suppliers just a phone call away, birthday parties for my girls are now a total breeze. at least just until r1 and r2 start demanding all sorts of themed events to out-do their friends!

bangalore diary: citrus at the leela

if you find yourself in bangalore and want to enjoy a nice meal out at which you want to be seduced by banaglore's air conditioned weather and greenery, your best bet is the leela's coffee shop called citrus. the patio overlooks the sprawling gardens which have waterfalls, palm trees and a myriad other trees, plants and flowers.

it was particularly pleasant, lush and very romantic yesterday afternoon after it had rained in the morning. h and i popped in for a quick buffet lunch in between patient duties at manipal hospital which is located right opposite the leela palace kempinski on the old airport road. there was a nice buffet spread of assorted cold salads and hot soups and main course selections which were a mix of indian and continental fare. i loved my tandoori roties with lauki channa daal, turai in onion and tomato gravy and paneer in coriander sauce. dessert was chocolate ice cream shared with baby r1!!

my father in law recommends citrus and says it is the best buffet meal in bangalore given the terrific ambience and excellent food.

slow roasting tomatoes

i miss those beefy tomatoes that you get in the united states. browsing through my photo archives reminded me of this super easy recipe for roasted tomatoes.

get the freshest and fattest tomatoes you can lay your hands on. wash well and pat dry. cut each in two halves. lay them all out in a baking tray on parchment paper. give them all a nice olive oil rub and then dress up with freshly chopped garlic and thyme. a drizzle of balsamic and freshly ground sea salt and pepper would be great as well. leave to roast in a 350 degree f oven for several hours depending on how chunky your tomatoes are to begin with. those beefsteak tomatoes can be roasted upto four hours.

drink some wine, listen to music and putter around the house while your tomatoes roast. what you'll be left with at the end is a tray of intensely flavoured tomatoes that can be used in a multitude of ways. place on a bed of rocket for a light salad. blend and add a little bit of vegetable stock to make roasted tomato soup. chop up and toss with cooked fettucine for a pasta dinner. the possibilities are endless...

what would you do with slow roasted tomatoes?

grilled veggies recipe

the easiest one dish meal to whip up is grilled veggies. wash a bunch of vegetables like carrots, mushroom, broccoli, zucchini and asparagus. add a few onions and tomatoes as well. chop all veggies except tomatoes (keep them whole) into one inch pieces. toss with olive oil, chopped garlic, balsamic vinegar, sea salt and crushed pepper. marinate for thirty minutes. grill on stove top till well done on both sides. serve with a dollop of sour cream.

khow suey dinner party

i know that i've posted on khow suey (burmese noodles and curry dish) before but i have two additional things to share:

the first is that khow suey has suddenly become all the rage for late night dinner parties in south bombay. i've been to at least five parties in the past month alone when it has been served past midnight after guests have had a lot to drink and a few rounds of asian themed appetisers. not too many though so that you save your appetite for main course! adventurous hosts can prepare at home themselves, it's really easy. if you shy away from cooking or simple don't want the hassle, there are always caterers who can do the job for you. fountain caterers are the hot favourite these days.

the second is that east restaurant in tardeo serves the best vegetarian khow suey that i have tasted - a rich, thick curry with intense flavour and lots of chunky vegetables to be dressed up with a variety of condiments including chopped spring onion, fried garlic, fried onions, chilli flakes, crushed peanuts and squeezed lemon.

do you have any secrets to make your khow suey even more delicious?

baba ganoush recipe

are you looking for an easy way to use up that brinjal in your fridge? look no further than lebanese cooking which has a variety of ways to use this vegetable which must surely be the king of vegetables in lebanon judging by its popularity in the national cuisine.

my favourite lebanese dish is baba ganoush, a smoky and velvety and tangy dip made from smoked brinjal that is mashed and mixed with olive oil, tahini paste, chopped garlic, cumin seeds, lemon juice and chopped coriander.

the easiest method is to oil several dark skinned brinjals and bake in the oven at 400f till the skin is charred and the brinjal is tender which should take about fifteen to twenty minutes. after cooling, get rid of the seeds, mash the brinjal pulp and then add all the ingredients above in proportions that delight your taste buds. there is no precision required here. garinish with fresh coriander and serve with lavash or carrot sticks.



i found this recipe in a lebanese cookbook by tarla dalal that i picked up at crossword this weekend. i'm going to attempt the lebanese sizzler next!

do you like lebanese? what are you favourites from this cuisine?

del italia for wood-fired pizzas

have you craved the distinct rusticness and smoky flavour of wood-fired pizzas after returning from that fabulous food holiday in italy? head over to del italia in juhu and relax with friends in a homely ambience over a bottle of nice red wine while you bite into thin crust pizza straight out of an authentic wood-fired oven. for crowd watching, choose the outer hall with tall glass windows that overlook the busy juhu beach across the road. for a cosy and romantic dinner with your beau, find a corner tucked away in the inner hall. my choice of pizza is margherita when i'm not very hungry and mixed veggies with sun-dried tomatoes and black olives when i'm ravenous. the red wine sangria is excellent and would make a meal in itself along with a bread basket. del italia also does fresh salads and interesting mains like aubergine and pesto lasagne. my only suggestion is to avoid the sunday brunch as the selection is very average and you don't get to select from the best of what del italia has to offfer.