Brunch With Royal Prestige Cookware

The invite was to a fun cook-along Sunday healthy brunch with The FBAI at Palate culinary boutique studio. How could I refuse?  I love cooking and I love eating. As soon as I enter the food boutique, I am attracted to the pretty looking pots sitting in the room.

The cooking pots are sturdy made of 5 ply metals – three layers of aluminum sandwiched between two layers of stainless steel.  . On closer examination I find that it is backed by extraordinary 50-year international warranty against any staining, chipping, melting, breaking or cracking. The pots have versatile covers that can seal the moisture, reduce the cooking time and can also be used as trivets to prevent the delicate table from hot saucepans. What is interesting is that handles are detachable and heat resistant, so these pots can be used for baking too after removing the handles. There is a Silichromatic ring that seals the steam inside the cookware to retain moisture and flavor of meals so it can be used as pressure cooker too, to speed the cooking process.

I am eager to learn more about this cookware. I need to compare with traditional cooking that we do on everyday basis in our homes with pans like aluminium pots, non-stick pans, steel pans, pressure cookers, etc.  Rakhee Vaswani, the owner of the culinary studio, endorse these pans confirming their quality after having used these pans for several months in different cooking techniques (sometimes cooking with zero oil). I am amused when she says that she steams potatoes, carrots and beetroot in same pot and still other vegetables are not stained with beet’s bright colour and that each ingredient retains its own nutrition values and its natural flavours.

To get that first hand experience on using this cookware, we form two teams, posted on different cooking stations, one group cook in the ordinary traditional pots and other group cook on Royal Prestige cookware. Recipe sheet is distributed for everyone to follow the same recipe of Barley Risotto, Moroccan Chermoula Chicken, and Mushroom sauce. We begin to marinate the chicken.

While the traditional cooking is carried out at one cooking station, the other group (at Royal Prestige cooking station) preheat the cookware on low flame for about 3 minutes. The temperature is correct when a few drops of water are sprinkled on the utensil and they move around the surface without evaporating. (if they disappear immediately, we must wait) There was really no need to put oil at all.  

Chicken and barley risotto are cooked following the same recipe on both cooking stations, but since there is prompt and even distribution of heat at Royal Prestige cookware, it induced cooking process faster. In addition, the Redi-Temp valve signals when the optimum cooking temperature is attained – a signal to lower the cooking temperature. As a result, the cooking time decreased thus saving energy.

"The sole authorised distributor of Royal Prestige^® cookware in India – a brand owned and managed by HyCite Corporation, USA. Our goal is to empower and encourage families to cook, eatand live a healthy and happy life. The cookware range from Royal Prestige^® – namely “5-Ply” and “Innove^TM” – are made from one of the highest and safest grade of surgical stainless steel; and provide a unique and proven waterless and oil-free cooking method, that maximises the nutritional value and flavour of your meal".....source- Seeba International

You can visit their site at http://seebainternational.com/ to learn more about this product.

Quite an enjoyable afternoon, cooking and learning about this new product and enjoying the great variety of healthy brunch after the cook off. The delicious lunch made the afternoon very fulfilling and satisfying treat.

Sharing the recipe of Morocan Charmoula Chicken (by Palate Culinary Studio)

chicken that we made during the cook-off

Ingredients

2 Chicken breast

Few florets of broccoli

½ raw carrots

chicken stock as required

1tsp Garlic paste

1’4 tsp mustard

½ tsp seasoning

Few drops of lime juice

Salt and pepper to taste.

1tsp Chermoula powder (Cumin, paprika, onion, turmeric, garlic, parsley, salt, pepper, coriander leaves)

Method

• Marinate the chicken and veggies with all the above ingredients
• Heat the skillet pan, place the chicken with the veggies
• Cover the lid and cook till it whistles with the valve open
• After 2-3 minutes close the valve and simmer
• Cook for 2-3 more minutes
• Switch off the gas and let it rest

This was prepared with no oil and the flavour was retained from the juices of the fat within the meat.

I am going to buy one of those cookwares…are you???

Restaurant Review – Urban Street Café

Not that we were hungry at that hour, we had cappuccino and garlic bread just an hour ago at a coffee shop, but we needed some other place to sit and chat. Friend called up and informed us about a new eating joint at Khar station road just opposite the main market. She said that it was launched just fifteen days ago. We decided to try it out.

A small cozy café, you could miss it if you were just passing by but it had a great flashy letter board to attract us.

There was a cart of street food at the entrance with variety of different chaat (like Golgappas, Dahi Puri, Sev Puri, Papri Chaat, etc.) that one would enjoy snacking on Deli streets.

picture courtesy, a friend who went back the next day

Try the ‘PalakChaat’ the boy at the counter suggested. It was the spinach fritters that would be doused with curd, and topped with chutney and garnish. If it wasn’t for the sweet curd, we would have ordered it immediately. But sweetness is the the flavour I don’t normally relish. We asked for menu to understand what other options café had to offer.

There were few metal tables spread out in the open. The exterior ambience was good with colorful bamboo rods, bamboo curtains and some colorful metal artifacts everywhere. Through the glass dividing wall, I could see the air-conditioned interiors artistically done with large graphics dominating one walls and colorful stairs leading up to the private office, upstairs

We ordered just two dishes and we were not disappointed. I loved this perfectly cooked dish that was spicy and tasty, just the way I like it.

Soyabean Kheema Pav

Chhole Puri

This is a great place for vegetarian people. They have a large selection of international dishes. Indian, Indonesian, Arabic, Italian, a little of each, the favorite one...they have all desi and pardesi cuisine.

Pasta is the dish one must try, (although I am not a pasta fan - an Italian with Indian touch) the management insisted that we try their speciality. We were too full but promised to try on our next visit. However, my friend went back the next day to try their pasta and palak fritters and she says its ‘too good!’ so I must try that on my next visit.

The owner, Abhishek Gupta, personally came to our table for our feedback and discussed his great plans for making this café a success. He plans to have a live cooking station of hot jalebis at the entrance. He was open to new ideas and his face lit up when my friend suggested that they serve dhal Pakwan during breakfast hours.

He offered us a complimentary mocktail that he made specially for us, mixing beet root with sprite and adding some Indian spices and herbs. It tasted good.

A great dining experience, I would definitely recommend a second visit, specially for my vegetarian guests.

Cooking Afternoon With 50Young.

50young is the group of people above the age of 50 years. Initiated by Anita Gurnani, Anand Gurnani and Kamal Raheja, the group has grown within one year to more than thousand members, all from different sect of society, all with common goal- to enjoy the life to its fullest as they pass through rocky path of seniority. Many of its members are talented lot, who meet regularly and inspire each other with their success stories. Their focus topics include beauty, fashion, art, culture, money, finance, health, wellness, technology, travel, etc, Workshops and forum are held regularly, you may see them in groups, enjoying a walk down the sea shore, savouring street food by the beach, or encouraging each other in some or the other workshop.

The most popular workshop that they enjoy the most is indoor creative activities like dancing,cooking, gift wrapping, decoupage, pottery, etc. Last week I had the privilege to attend their cooking workshop ‘Dessert in the Jar’ by  Rashmi Ahuja and ‘low Calorie Buggers’ by Sheela Sagar.

Sheela Sagar and Rashmi Ahuja are sisters who have passion for cooking. Sheela Sagar is the costume designer by proffession having won the ITA awards 2008 for best costume for ‘Jai Shri Krishna’ and ITA awards 2007 for best costume for ‘Dharti Ka Veer Yodha Pritviraj Chauvan’. “I wanted to teach cooking when I was young but life took over and my interest was kept on back burner” says Sheela.

Now at the most relaxed age of 50 plus, Sheela and her sister Rashmi have joined hands in pursuing their culinary passion and have started their cooking workshops for 50 young group. Mrs Anita Gurnani is the most gracious hostess, who allows the use of her private home in Bandra to full-house, jam-packed cooking workshops.

Rashmi Ahuja demonstrated the preparation of Eggless Tiramasu in a jar. Eggless blueberry mousse in a jar and Eggless Pineapple cheese cake in a jar

Sharing the recipe of the dessert with kind permission from Rashmi Ahuja

Eggless Pineapple Cheese Cake In a Jar

Ingredients

8-10 digestive biscuits (powdered)

2tsp melted butter

50 grms hung yogurd

50gms condensed milk

50gms cream cheese

50gms whipped cream

few drops of lemon yellow color

few drops of pinapple essence

1cup chopped pinapples (tin)

1packet pinapple jelly

Mint leaves for decorations

Method

Set jelly as instructed

Crush biscuits. Add melted butter, put this mixture at the base of the jar. Press lightly and keep in fridge for 5 minutes

In a bowl, blend together yogurd, condensed milk and cream cheese to a smooth texture. Fold in whipped cream. Keep in fridge for 10 minutes. Remove and put this cream mixture in the piping bag

Assembel the dessert in the jar. On the top of the biscuit mixture, put layer of pinapple pieces. Pipe out the cream mixture. Decorate with jelly and mint leaves.

Sheela Sagar demonstrated the preparation of ‘low calorie Veggie burger’ and ‘Cole Slaw Salad’.

Sharing the recipe of Salad with kind permission from Sheela Sagar.

Cole Slaw Salad

Ingredients

2tbsp hung curd

2tbsp eggles diet mayonaise

1cup grated carrot

1cup shredded cabbage

4-5 finely chopped salad leaves

½ tsp black pepper

pinch of salt

Method

Mix all the above ingredients.

The workshop was a great success. Besides learning a new skill, there is interaction between members over tea and the food.

And then the tasting of the food. For just Rs200, it was quite a feast!!

A perfect afternoon full of smiles…..