Chutney Chang!

The first time i heard the name on the radio, i laughed out loud. But the place is quite welcoming. We( office gang of 6) went on a friday for lunch. Had to make a prior reservation , coz being friday we expected it to be crowded, and we thank ourselves for doing the booking.

First things first, the place is not a new one. It existed before as " Ada Hind Ki". Walkable from my office, and the various remarks about this place, made us to try this place.

As per their marketing strategy, they do have a huge buffet spread. They have everything, from soups to desserts.The menu is an amalgamation of Indian and Chinese. Usually a choice of 2 soups. Me being a vegetarian, i tried the sweet corn and veg soup and it was tasty.

They have a huge salad spread as well, and i must confess, it is not possible to even taste all of the salads. I tried the Corn & Babycorn salad and was a bit disappointed. As with all salads prepared early, the dressing was almost drained.And i had to help myself with a sprinkle of salt. The other salad was Pickled cucumber , which was average. There is a counter that makes live chat, we tried the Dahi Puri and the Masala Puri. Both were on the sweeter side.

Coming to starters, i started with Babycorn and onion cheese fries, which was good. Also on the menu was Fried Veg Wonton - which was quite crispy, but cold. Then there was a dry dish, named Two Flower Medley ( Cauliflower & Broccoli in a spicy sauce) which somehow dis not please me. I had a similar combination in Jalpaan and that was actually commendable. There was another starter with Broccoli, Zucchini & chinese cabbage, which was not that great.There was a Paneer Tikka with flavor of i forgot.......coz i did not like even a bit of it. Though the paneer was soft, it was lacking the masala.

Main course: The sabzis were very good , especially the Dal Makhni and Paneer Lajawab.Also on the table was Vegetables in spicy gravy, ( worked well with bland noodles). Roti and Naan are bought to the table and were soft. Ricec spread had a very interesting combination - Imli til ki pulav, which was actually tasty. Veg Fried Rice and Veg Hakka Noodles were average, but tasted good with gravy.

Desserts had a huge array, and i was perplexed seeing the table. There is a choice of diffrent Fruit servings. Traditional Sweets included Kamola Bhog, Jalebi, Rice Payas. Along with a choice of 4 different flavors of ice cream. You can actually top it up with Honeyed Noodles on the spread. There was also Orange Gateaux, Pineapple cheese cake. Marshmallows .... and yes of course Chocolate Fountain. There was also an Indian version of custard..in between a custard and halwa. Overall the experience is good, if you can enjoy the food with your group of people.
Verdict : Try this place once.
Atmosphere / Ambience: Warm, Welcoming, Contemporary
Food - Quality & Hygiene: Food is tasty, But since this is a buffet, menu keeps changing everyday. Quality is Good, hygiene factor is also Good.
Economy: At 450 per person, its worth the money, if you have the appetite :)
Must haves: Desserts ( Chocolate Wonton & Marshmallow with Choc sauce)

Amruth Veg

I am starting with one of the hotels that is just a Hop away, and invariably this is the place I have visited the most number of times: Amruth Veg
Firstly, the hotel is a landmark sort of a thing on St.Marks Road. Secondly, it is frequented by most office goers, including UB City. I have had many a times, breakfast or lunch or sometimes both from here. There is a separate area for Service, and also the hotel has an option of Self Service – if you really want to have a quick bite, the service is commendable. Serviced area, on the other hand, is air-conditioned and for a limited crowd of 50 people.
Breakfast is a routine affair; it has all the regular South Indian items present. You may try the Masala dosa and the Rava Dosa – they have maintained the quality of the food over the years. Idlies are soft and the vada is also good. Check if t is made fresh before ordering though.
Lunch items are limited, but it has some basic choices- Rotis are comparatively big. Subzis again are kept to the basic – Paneer Butter Masala, Dal Fry, Aloo Fry etc. They also serve Jeera rice and Veg Fried rice only during lunch hours, but I’d prefer to stay away from them. There are very few starters (excepting of course the very Indian Masala Papad), you can order for any dry item to be your starter! We had once ordered Paneer Gucchi, which was as bland as the roti itself. Other side dishes are not worthy of mentioning.
Verdict : Try this place if you are in a hurry, and not really bothered about relishing food.
Atmosphere / Ambience: Warm, Cozy
Food - Quality & Hygiene: Food is tasty, if you know what you are ordering for. Quality is ok, hygiene factor is also ok.
Economy: Easy on the pocket, and then, they accept Coupons :)
Must haves: Masala Dosa, Amruth Special Veg Curry, and Rose Milkshake.

Restaurant Reviews!

Restaurant Reviews!
Since I anyways have a blog for trying out my recipes, I thought it’d be a nice idea to also include Restaurant Reviews in the blog, so that , if you are in Bangalore, you know exactly the places where you can get awesome food, and also about my taste.
I am starting off with the Hotels/ Eateries / Restaurants , near to my work place , coz that’s where and when I hang out the most.
The review is based on :
Atmosphere / Ambience:
Food , Quality & Hygiene:
Economy:
Must haves:
I may post pictures, if the owner agrees for me to photograph 

Chilly Cheese Toast

Ingredients :

Bread Slices : as required
Gourmet Cheese wedges : 4
Green Chillies : 3
Garlic Paste : 1tsp
Pepper Powder : a pinch
Salt : as per taste

This is one of the easiest, quickest and tastiest snack. I always am fond of chilly cheese toast, just a small experiment.

Steps:
1. Mix all the ingredients except the bread slices.
2. Take a bread slice, spread this mixture evenly.
3. Heat a tawa, toast the bread on the empty side first
4. Turn the bread and lightly toast the bread on the cheese side ( pref to have a non-stick tawa)
5. Cut into triangles, serve !

Roasted Babycorns

I am always seeking ways of cooking up snacks without too much oil /fat
The idea for this recipe is from the food street in VV Puram. If you haven’t been there, being in Bangalore, you are definitely missing something. Well to brief , this street has the most innovative and traditional snacks available on cart wheels. Chats, Dosas, sweets, Pakodas…
One eatable that I am never tired of, is Baby Corn & sweet corn. There are usually carts with a variety of snacks related to babycorn. The babycorn as a whole, is roasted over hot charcoal. The covering is then peeled, the babycorn cut into pieces, and given with your choice of seasoning. Hot and spicy!

Now how do you make this at home? When you have an urge to eat this and there is no hot charcoal / grill microwave?
Simple, I used a normal Tawa 

Here is the recipe : And some photos

Babycorn : 4-5 ( or as much as you want )
For seasoning : Salt and pepper.

Steps :
1.Heat the tawa, and put the whole babycorns.
2.Roast the babycorns evenly.
3. This is how it should be looking.

4. Remove the outer layers, cut the babycorns into small pieces.
5. Season with your choice, Salt & pepper or Green chilli paste.
6. Enjoy!

Hosa Tarah

Literally meaning - New Type
This word is inspired by one of my aunt, who always used to say this - Typically when i would frown upon eating something!
As a kid ( even now! ) i am a very picky eater. It was the toughest time for my mom, when she had to make me eat anything.

During vacations, when i used to visit this aunt of mine, she also had a tough time making me eat anything.So , she always used to tell " Hosa Tarah maadidini , tindu nodu " - ( I have made it in a new way, eat it)
the cuisine used to be the normal stuff only, possibly with one ingredient more / less. But yeah, i used to eat.
Over time, when i started taking interest in cooking, i realised cooking is one big experiment..you can do in as many ways or few ways..
So when i thought of sharing my recipes, i thought this would be a nice name to christen my blog with. :)

Fusilli Pasta in White Sauce with Capsicum and Corn

Fusilli Pasta in White Sauce with Capsicum and Corn

How many times do we go to buy grocery , and unknowingly pick up something that you don’t really know how to make? It happens with me all the time. Though this time it was not me, but what my mom picked up. The one thing she knows is that I like pasta….but not which one :) If I am buying, its usually Penne. But this time it was Fusilli…sadly I saw this packet only after I came home. And fortunately or unfortunately, there are totally 2 packets, as it was buy one get one free. So I had t use them at any cost. Unluckily for me, I couldn’t find much of pasta recipes for Fusilli. Surprised ! So I came up with my own.
Unlike penne, fusilli is very decorative to look at, and absorbs sauces very quickly. This recipe serves 2.


Ingredients:
For the pasta:
Fusilli Pasta : 300 gms
White Onion : 1 large, cut into slices
Green Capsicum : 1, cut into cubes
Sweet Corn : 3/4 th cup
Garlic : 6 cloves, chopped finely
Olive oil : 5 tbsp
Oregano : 1/4th tsp
Cheese : 3 tbsp, Grated ( I used a pizza cheese left over)
Cheese spread : 2 tbsp ( used in Mexican chilli flavor)
Salt : to taste
Green Chilli Paste: 1tsp
White sauce : 2 1/2 cups

For White sauce :
Salted Butter : 2tbsp
Maida : 1 ½ tbsp
Milk : 2 cups
Salt, Pepper, Oregano & Nutmeg for flavor

Method :

White sauce:
1. Heat a saucepan, and put the butter. Melt it , till it starts bubbling
2. Add the maida, and stir continuously for approx 2-3 mins, till the raw smell disappears.
3. Start adding the milk and keep stirring, so that the sauce doesn’t have any lumps.
4. Add salt to taste. Grated nutmeg & crushed Oregano ( a pinch) and powdered black pepper to taste.
5. Bring to a boil.
6. White Sauce is ready.
PS: Ensure the milk you add is at room temperature, else the sauce will be very lumpy.

Pasta:
1. Cook the fusilli pasta as per the instructions on the packet. Mine said to cook in 3 litres of boiling salted water for 9-11 mins. Drain and keep it aside.
2. Heat a wok, and add olive oil. Once the oil is hot add the chopped garlic, sauté for a minute. Take care not to brown the garlic.
3. Add the onion , sauté for 3-5 mins, till it becomes translucent.
4. Next put in the capsicum and corn, add a pinch of salt and fry till all the veggies are done.
5. Fry in the green chilli paste, once the oil starts to separate, add the cooked paste and mix well.
6. Now here is the interesting part, add cheese and the cheese spread to the prepared white sauce. The remaining heat in the sauce will melt the cheese.
7. Pour in the prepared white sauce, add salt and mix well into the pasta.
8. Just before serving, sprinkle some crushed oregano on top, garnish with chopped Coriander and serve hot.

Now, don’t we Indians try to indianise everything? And since this pasta happens to be a little bland, you can spice it up with Kitchen King Masala. Tastes awesome.