Vegetarian BBQ - Litti Chokha

Back then, eating fried food was an indulgence one had while entertaining friends and relatives. People were more healthy eating food cooked over open fire. Pure ghee was the preferable for making chapattis, sweets or snacks. Women spent hours in the kitchen over chula and food had that peculiar taste of smoke.

Now, we can enjoy such traditional food during food festivals, or if we go to villages or create such atmosphere at home.

I had this opportunity of having a traditional Litti Chokha when I went for 2-days out-of-Mumbai trip with my friends.

The cooks were arranged, a fireplace was organised in the open veranda, surrounded by greenery and cool breeze and sound of droplets of heavy rains.

I didn’t understand what was all this excitement about, because I had never before tasted this dish except once in a restaurant, and I had not liked it at all.

Like it is always said, most of the food is enjoyed when you are in good mood, good company and good ambience. 

So the formula was perfect. 

Mood bhi, Mehfil bhi

So, here I was, in the smoke filled portico, watching people fan flames by adding dried manure and twigs. Everybody eagerly waited to eat Litti Chokha

Litti is the traditional Bihari dish made of flour dough, stuffed with spicy sattu (roasted gram flour) and Chokha is the side dish made of roasted ingredients that include brinjals, potatoes, sweet potatoes, tomatoes, garlic, pickle and spices.

Recipe:

1. Make the stiff flour dough by taking 1Cup of wheat flour, add 2tbsp ghee and salt as required.

2. Spicy Sattu is prepared by mixing crushed 1tsp cumin seeds and 1tsp fennel seeds to the roasted gram flour. 

3. 1tsp Ajwain and 1tsp nigella seeds are then added. 

4. Grate 7/8 garlic pods and 2inch ginger  and add to it. 

5.Add 4 finely chopped green chillies, 1tsp of red chilli powder and finely chopped coriander leaves.

6. Squeeze 2tbsp of lemon juice. 

7. Finally add 2tbsp of mustard oil. 

8. Mix it well. Sattu filling is ready.

9. Flour dough is stuffed with this spicy sattu, rounded up as small patties to seal from all sides 

10. Litti is roasted in an open fire till charred.

11. Charred roasted Litti is slit and generous amount of pure ghee is poured on it. 

12. It is allowed to soak in ghee for 5 minutes. 

13. This is served with Chokha.

Chokha is the side dish made of all the roasted veggies like brinjals, potatoes, garlic, chillies, tomatoes, pickle and mustard oil. The mixture is mashed together and served.

While they roasted vegetables for chokha, some roasted veggies were served to us, as we sat by the fireplace. We feasted on roasted sweet potatoes, roasted tomatoes, roasted garlic, roasted potatoes that were served to us. It tasted delicious with salt, red pepper and thecha (a garlic-chilli chutney)

It was a memorable evening, having Litti Chokha over glass of wine, with conversations and laughter.

Check my recipe at my #Vlog at papadchai

#IndianCuisine #liverecipe #food #recipe #Litti #Chokha #littichokha #BihariCuisine #Uttranchalcuisine #BBQRecipe #BBQ #Vegetarian #Vlog #Vegetarian

Home Chefs Of Mumbai – Part 41- Vinika Lakhiani

Dinning at a restaurant is preferable than to order on phone. Unless you are a food critic, or a known personality in the food industry, the food that arrives at your table at home from a restaurant may not meet its standards. Because, a special attention is paid on presentation and packing only when sending it with some purpose of good review, but for the common person, the service is completely different and mediocre.

In restaurants, different types of gravies are already pre-prepared, so all they do is to just stir fry the meat/veggies, add the prepared gravy and pack. Different kinds of sauces, such as chilly sauce, sweet sauce, vinegar, pickle etc are packed and you just have to adjust the taste as per your choice. Depending on courier service, (ranging from 35-45 minutes,) the food that arrives is lukewarm, has lost its crispiness, the veggies are completely soaked into gravy and it has no visual delight. The containers are filled upto brim, tightly packed, so very messy sometimes. Reheating is not a good option and the family is impatient and hungry.

Of course, the pandemic has been the biggest blow to their business but then ordering food from home-chef is the better option. There are been high rise in home-chefs and many of them have upgraded themselves to a professional level. Some of them have adhered to their traditional cuisine, some for cultural,  some for vegan, some for only salads,  and some as per preferential cuisine, if you order one day in advance, that is. But one thing you are sure, that the food you ordered was cooked specially for you.

Vinika Lakiani of ‘Vini’s Soul Food’ started her home-food business in July 2021

Vinika specialises in multi-cuisine food. She has items from different cuisines on her menu, such as Korean, Indonesian, Thai, Italian, Mexican, Sindhi and of course Indian. She is very passionate about desserts and recently, she has expanded into making Indian mithais as well. Especially since the pandemic started, she hoped to prepare everything that she used to crave for at home.

Growing up, her mother would cook delicious homemade meals for the family. 

“I was very lucky that my mother was an excellent cook. She taught me the basics and I also ended up learning how to cook well. My mother and my mother in law have been my biggest role models when it comes to cooking” she says. 

“I then got married to my husband, who was a huge foodie. He pushed me to try out new dishes and that is when I began to enjoy learning new recipes. We used to travel frequently; hence, I ended up exploring various cuisines and trying out new food that I had never even heard of before. Food became my passion!” she beams

She remembers of the time, many years ago when she had travelled to Seoul in South Korea for the first time. Her husband took her to a small restaurant for lunch in one of the markets over there. There was a huge wok kept above a flame on the centre of the table. She had never seen anything like that before. An extremely delicious meal was being prepared right in front of them. 

"It ended up tasting just as amazing as the entire process and experience! Cooking food on the table itself in a restaurant was a totally new concept to me! The dish was called Jjigae. It is a Korean curry with noodles and vegetables in it. It is served with rice and side dishes like kimchi" she brightens up

 After her trip to Korea, she fell in love with Korean food. “I am proud that I learned how to cook many Korean dishes and now it is a part of our regular meals at home.” She says

Vinika is happy to share the recipe of Sail Pav that is normally enjoyed in every Sindhi homes during breakfast.

1. In a mixer, take 3cups of coriander leaves, 9-10 cloves of garlic, 4-5 chopped green chillies, one sliced onion, 1tbsp turmeric powder, 1tbsp coriander powder and salt. 

2. Add very little water and grind it to a paste. 

3. Next take a pan or kadai and put 2 tbsp oil. 

4. Add the masala paste and saute for few minutes. 

5. Add about 3 cups of water and give it a boil. 

6. Add 1tbsp tamarind pulp and mix. 

7. Taste the gravy and adjust with salt and red chilli powder if want more spicy. 

8. Once its boils, break the bread (Pav) in half and add in the pan and let it soak well. 

9. Lower the flame, cover, let cook for 5 - 7 minutes and if need more water then add little. 

10. Serve hot.

You can follow her on her instagram handle  @vinissoulfood

Send a direct message on her watsapp at 9967446231

Papad Rolls With Fried Potatoes And Capsicum

 VSSS..Vishwa Seva Sindhi Sangam are celebrating 'International Papad Day' on 27th August by bonding our culture on common platform.

I am happy to share a bit of my memories and recipe of Papad Rolls with Fried Potatoes and Capsicum.

I have a very fond memories of my childhood when I lived with my Amma (my maternal grandmom) she would regularly invite her friends at her home in the afternoons and have papad making activity. She would give me too a small dough and ask me to roll out the papad. She would always instruct me to roll on the sides to make a perfect circle. I would help in spreading the papads on a sheet for drying in the sun. The papads would be stored in huge steel containers. There are normally two methods of serving papads..deep fried or roasted. It was practical solution of serving papad and chai to the guests, specially when there were no biscuits or toast at home..

Papads got more common when they started serving in restaurants as 'Masala Papad' that was simply deep fried papad topped with onions tomatoes and masalas. Later people made innovative snacks and now they even cook it.

I have one recipe on papad in my book called #SindhiCuisine. I decided to make something different this time, something that I have never made before. So I went into my kitchen, deep fried long strips of potatoes, cut strips of capsicum and stuffed them into papad rolls. This was secured with a string and deep fried. A gravy was made of garlic, ginger, chillies, curds and dry masalas and papad rolls were cooked in this gravy and the result was a very tasty papad rolls gravy. Do watch my recipe and do try it..you will love it...surely...

Dip Dip Drippin

In good ole days..pre-pandemic, food bloggers met regularly in close knit groups. There were many groups, large and small, identified by their interest in particular field such as food meetings for discussions of spices and recipes,  for baking techniques, for cook and share pot lucks.  Wild Asparagus Table was one such group that worked around the theme of studying the culture and food of the places around the world. It was more like visiting the city virtually and this was something that I have missed a lot.  

But our Watsapp group is active and this week I was able to engage a small group of home-chefs inside my 3BHK flat.  The theme was dips and there was a great variety of dips prepared by all that included humus, Caramel chili dip. Two dips, red pepper dip and low fat dip was made on the spot by Faiziya and Rhea.   

The table was loaded with Roasted Masaledar #grilledChicken  and #LabeneseFalafel and Tahini  by @BimbaNayak 

#PavbhajjiFodue by @Anjali Bhargava

#homebakedBread and #Humus by Binal Valand  

To add little fun to the party, we arrange a fruit salad making competition. @Rabia Patel had brought big variety of fruits such as apples, pears, bananas, berries, grapes. The idea was have a relay by each member to cut and arrange fruit on a plate within a specific time, it worked differently but the end results were good.  And the salad tasted good with caramel dip. 

Desserts were served with  #kesari kheer- saffron rice kheer made by Anjali #ThaiRedRubies of chestnuts in coconut milk by @Reetha Balsavar  

Was very happy with the surprise entry by @Ananya Banerjee, one of the co-founders of #WildAsparagusTable towards the second half of the party. 

Had a tea ceremony with flower blooming in the vase, a drama on the table, with more adrakwali chai and more dips and pita bread and Spicy and savoury #VermecelliinCheese by @Aruna Shetty.  

Our parties are never complete without food gifts. And gifts there were..some masalas and rakhee(friendship band) made by #specialchildren of my SPBschool.  and also...

Quaker energy bars by @quaker_India,  Dorito salsa and dips by @doritosindia and naturally powered energy drink by @O'Natural Mixers that are actually crafted from natural ingredients, ensuring excellent quality, superior taste for naturally enhanced drinking experience. The natural ration is 3:1 that is three parts of O'natural mixers and one part of spirit/juice/flavors&garnishing. These products are available at @Foodhall  

A small gathering but great fun with food knowledge sharing and laughter of course  

There was live demo of Pepper dip by @Faziya Soomar 

Roast 1red bell pepper. De-seed and peel, and chop roughly.

Toast 1 tbsp of walnuts. 

Blend bell pepper, walnuts, 2cloves of garlic, 1/4of a small onion, with olive oil, pink salt and pepper powder. 

You can avoid adding onion if you want the dip consistency to be thick. 

You may sometimes like to add 1tbsp of cream cheese to enhance the taste.   

Also there was live demo of Fat-Free Yogurt  by @Rhea Motwani 

1 box of Nestle slim dahi hung for 1 hour 

1tsp finely chopped green chillies 2 tsp finely chopped garlic 2 tsp finely chopped mint 2 tsp finely chopped coriander 1 sachet splenda or any sugar substitute 1/2 tsp salt 1/2 onion chopped finely 1/4 capsicum chopped finely 

Mix all these ingredients in the hung curd and enjoy with lavash or carrot cucumber sticks  

Thanks to my food community TheFBAI, and to Sam and Saloni Malkani, that I have got in touch with so many foodies. Hope this pandemic ends soon and we go back to living a normal life like we used to.. 

Desi Dal Trail

 During Pandemic, schools were shut down but the learning did not stop.

The virtual classrooms continued and children of Swami Brahmanand Prathisthan, along with their parents became active members online.

Many events were conducted on social media during the year and were appreciated immensely.

One such event was on theme- 'Ahaar' and dal was selected as the prime ingredient. Parents showed great interest in cooking dishes that involved their children in this activity.

Competition was held on Watsapp group and a great variety of dal were prepared by the parents of Special children. The event was a success and everybody wanted to know the recipes of the dal made on that day.

We are happy to share the recipes of Dals made by the parents of Special children of SBP, Centre for PWID, Belapur, and also includes recipes shared by committee members, staff and the jury members. 

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Raw Papaya Salad

 Papaya is very nutritious fruit . it contain an enzyme Papain that helps break proteins and aids digestion. Do avoid water after eating papaya, it is not good for health.

Salad made of raw papaya is very tasty because it is sweet, sour, spicy and full of flavours. It pairs well with rice and fried chicken but vegetarians can have it with cutlets.

The ingredients used are 200 gms Papaya 50 gms peanuts 3/4green chilies, 1/2cup tamarind juice 1tbsp of lime juice few kaffir lime leaves 1 chopped tomato 4/5 garlic cloves fish sauce or salt 5/6 french beans 2/3tbsp sugar.

all the ingredients are pounded and mixed.

For demo..hop on to my Utube channel. Do subscribe too Thank you

Guar Ji Bhaji (Cluster Beans)

This is a very simple recipe with no frills and easy to follow and is quick

Cluster bean (we call it Guar in Sindhi) is full of nutrients and it helps control bloodpressure and lower the Cholesterol. 

It is bitter but when boiled and the bitter water discarded, it has sweet taste and makes a very tasty veggie to eat. To get the real taste, minimum  of masalas are used. I have used only 1tsp of Turmeric, 2tsp of Coriander powder and 2tbsp of Pomegranate seeds besides using garlic, chillies and salt. 

Love this veggie so much with just chappatis and a glass of buttermilk and this makes the most satisfying lunch

Method:

1. Wash and chop 250gms cluster beans to bite size and boil it for 15 minutes. 

2. Strain and discard the bitter water. 

3. In pan, add 2tbsp oil. 

4. Add garlic and chilies. 

5. Cook till garlic turn golden brown. 

6. Add the boiled cluster beans. 

7. Mix it lightly. 

8. Add 1tsp salt, 1tsp turmeric powder, 2tsp coriander powder and 2tbsp crushed pomegranate. 

9. Mix and let it cook for ten minutes. 

10. Garnish with coriander leaves. 

11. Serve with chappatis and buttermilk. 

12. Serves 2persons.

Visit my youtube and please do subscribe for more recipes.

Mithee Ambree (Sweet&Sour Mango Pickle)

 Miracles of Nature is everywhere. 

While all the world is in Partial lockdown, and life is literally come to a pause, the flowers and fruits continue to bloom and in this season, I have tasted some amazing mangoes that were sent to me directly from the farms of Devgarh. When they arrived they were raw, I spread them to mature in my spare room and watched them everyday as they changed their colour to yellow and red. Of course, I couldn't eat all, but sharing is caring and with who-so-ever I shared, I earned their blessing. 

It is depressing time really, the lockdown has sucked the life off me. I am really exhausted of the monotonous life of same routine everyday.  Birds sing less, the siren of ambulance shrills more. If it wasn't for my interest in cooking and art, my work on online communication with special school staff and the occasional chat on Watsapp, the days would have stretched endlessly. But thank God for that.

Last week, I made a visit to my sister's house and saw one kilo of chopped mangoes in her kitchen. She had salted the sliced mangoes and was keeping in the sun for drying. I was excited. Here was the chance to record the recipe, while she makes. 

Sweet & Sour Mango pickle is made in every Sindhi house. Enough stock is made that can last for more than a year. It tastes best with Koki or Puri but can be relished even with meals.

She had kept all the ingredients ready on her kitchen platform.

There was one kilo of sugar in one bowl.

50gms of dates were in other bowl

One litre bottle of water.

and there was one orange tray with all the dry masalas such as

1tsp Kalonji seeds

1tsp Cumin seeds

2tbsp red chilies

2tbsp Kashmiri chilies

3pc Dalchini

4-5 Cloves

1tbsp black pepper corns

3-4 Bay leaves

Salt to taste.

Method

First a syrup o is made by boiling sugar and water. Mangoes and all the masalas are added including dates and it is kept for cooking for one hour at medium heat.

2tbsps of Vinegar is added when the cooked pickle cools down.

This is stored in glass jars

You may watch the procedure on my youtube channel here

Spinach With Dried Lentil Dumplings

I remember very faintly my grandmother and my mom in the courtyard of my house in Jaipur, drying Vadis. 

I remember living in a house in Jaipur, was it 3 or 4 rooms, I am not sure, but all the rooms faced a big courtyard in centre. Kitchen and bathroom were on the other side of the courtyard. There would few cots spread across the open space, and there was a small washing area in one corner. A narrow stairway spiralled up to the terrace. The cots were used for sleeping under stars at night, but during the day, it was covered with thin bed sheets to dry various food stuff made in the kitchen.  The elders of the family would always be busy making Papads, pickles and wadis and would dry them in sun on those cots. After I moved to Mumbai, I never went back, but the memory lingers.

 I loved to help in which ever way I could. Rolling out papads was a fun activity for me although the shape was not perfect. 

My Mom used to love Vadis. Even when we lived in Spain, mom would make it at home, by grinding soaked lentils and adding spices and keeping it for drying but the sun was never too strong, so the vadis were never made to perfection.

I think (in our childhood) because our parents used to pamper us therefore we made lot of fuss during meals and had missed out on so many delicious and healthy food. I didn't care much for Vadis for example and always wrinkled my nose when it appeared on the table.

Was it in its name or was it the look, I am not sure, but I would never taste it (because I had choice, there was always more variety to choose from) 

But now, I love it..its spicy, tasty and so full of flavours

Were my mom alive today, she would be happy that now I share her taste.

I have developed the taste for it..and I love it.. tried my mom's recipe

1. Heat 2tbsp oil in a pan and fry 2 cardamoms, 1 inch finely chopped ginger and 1tsp black pepper powder.

2. Add 100gms Vadis and 2 chopped potatoes. 

3. Mix it well. 

4. Add 1tsp turmeric powder, 1tsp spice powder and 1tsp salt. 

5. Add 2 chopped tomatoes. 

6. Cook for 2 minutes till tomatoes soften, mix it well. 

7. Add 1small bunch of spinach and coriander leaves. 

8. Lower the flames and cook for 20 minutes till the potatoes are tender. 

9. Serve with chappatis.

I had made quite a lot for lunch, there was some left overs, that was used to make pulao and that was for my dinner...

If you are following my You-tube channel, you can see the recipe too of Vadis made in Spinach.

Authentic Thoovar Ji Dal Cooked in Sindhi Homes.

Thoovar ji Dal is regularly cooked in Sindhi homes and is very delicious. Thoovar ji dal is a meal by itself. We don’t have just one small bowl placed as accompaniment like in Thali combo of different regions to be relished with other vegetables, curd, pickles. Nah! We need bigger bowl to relish it, savour each sip, it is spicy, sour, sweet with strong flavours of spices.

It pairs well with boiled rice, spicy fried potatoes and fried brinjals. Dal is nutritious but still, to make it even more healthy we add drum sticks. It tastes so good.

We don't just make a small pot, it is always made in large quantity so, even after all family is fed, there is always leftovers that we normally add to the flour and make flavourful masala Puris for breakfast the next day..which is truly relished with curds and Papad. Nothing is wasted in Sindhi cuisine.

It is very easy to cook.

1. 2 cups of Toor dal is soaked for thirty minutes before cooking and then pressure cook it with 1tsp turmeric upto 3 whistles.

2. The boiled dal is churned and strained it. 

3. Add 1tsp salt, 1tsp sugar, 5-6 Kokum rind and 1tbsp tamarind paste, keep this flavoured dal aside.

4. In the separate pan, heat 2tbsp oil, add 1tsp cumin seeds, 1tsp fenugreek seeds, small pinch of Hing and 1tbsp of ginger.  

5. Fry for few seconds then add 2 chopped tomatoes. 

6. Add 100 grams drumsticks and mix it. 

7. Add chilies and Curry leaves. 

8. Add 1tsp turmeric powder and 1tsp red chili powder.

9. Let it cook on medium flame, stirring it regularly till the drumsticks are tender.

10. Add the flavoured dal. (as prepared in step 3).

11. Mix it well and add water if it is too thick.

12. Let it cook for 30 minutes on low flame.

13. Finally garnish with coriander leaves and lime.

For video recipe you can watch here

British Picnic At Wild Asparagus Table

Okay, let me tell you the truth. Parties are fun only when we actually meet our friends, eat the food together and click memories of our friends and the food. 

The last memorable potluck we had was on upper deck of AB Celestial in January 2020. We had loved that Episode 6 of our Wild Asparagus Table on Albanian Cuisine. The open space, the breeze and the sunset, how much more exotic can it get?

Our next plan was to have a meeting in some resort, out of Mumbai. We had begun to love our monthly meets where we explored international cuisine. Wild Asparagus Table was initiated by Saloni Malkani and Ananya Banerjee and we really enjoyed our monthly meets of exploring food culture of international cuisine. 

And Boom! Pandemic happened and we were locked behind closed doors. We didn’t lose touch, seriously! In fact we have got closer, we were in touch with each other on social media (thank God for that)  and as the Corona virus weakened its tentacles, we met. 

This time with a theme of #BritishPicnic.

So, we were back on our research trail understanding the custom, culture and the food.

Shilpa Seth Bhambri graciously offered to host the potluck at her beautiful cozy home at Wadala and even bent backward to create an appropriate set-up of London ambience with post cards, books and colourful bicycle decked with full bloom flowers. Although there are more than eighty members in our Watsapp group, but due to Pandemic only ten members could attend.

Exotic menu was planned that wouldn't be available in any restaurant in Mumbai

And, the food that appeared on the table was mind blowing. Every dish was home-cooked with love and interest, every bite was soul satisfying.

Me, I prepared Summer Potato Salad

After a long time, with shopping bag tucked under my elbow and a mask covering my face, I ventured out to shop for ingredients at the food mall. I was excited and I wanted it to be perfect.

I loved my own creation and my friends enjoyed it too. Here is the recipe, if you wish to make:

1. Boil 6 eggs for 20 minutes. Cool and slice them.

2. Place ½ kg red potatoes in a pressure cooker with enough water to cover upto 2 inches and pressure cook upto 3 whistles. Cool, peel and chop the boiled potatoes into bite size squares.

3. Blanch Green Peas, chopped carrots and chopped beans separately.

4. Add the potatoes to a large bowl and add the blanched Peas, carrots and beans. Add salt, black pepper, honey and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

5. In a medium bowl, combine regular Mayonnaise, BBQ Mayonnaise, Cream Cheese, dijon Mustard. Add refrigerated potatoes and vegetables prepared earlier and mix it gently.

6. Transfer the mixture to Salad bowl, in layers, alternating with sliced boiled eggs.

7. Carefully place Cranberries, boiled Eggs and Chives to style an outdoor picnic theme.

8. Garnish with black pepper, mixed herbs and finely chopped chives.

Summer Potato Salad Recipe is also cross- posted on Vikhroli Cuisine website

It truly felt like we were out there, in some picnic spot in London. I am so eagerly waiting for this pandemic to end so that we can freely enjoy the parties again.

Enjoy the flavours of the afternoon on my youtube

Home Chefs Of Mumbai- Part 40- Smita Verma and Alpana Varma

Pandemic has opened many doors behind the closed doors. 

Social network helped every one to walk virtually in all directions, and so many different avenues have opened up. We have done virtual harvest tour and cook_along with Nancy Silverton sailing through 40 acres of Bledsoc farms watching pistachio harvest, (the tour organised by @foodbloggerai) We walked with @pikturenama and attended the Indonesian food carnival. We have travelled with @rushinamg and explored her stories on spice chronicles. We have visited ethnic kitchens with @historywali to far off rural areas and watched locals cook. We have received deeper knowledge on ingredients from Dr @Kurushdalal, heard food-stories from @thefinelychopped, and many more. The food knowledge during pandemic has been more than we can hold in one plate.

With restaurants receding into dark shadows, home chefs came to rescue, specially for those who had no help at home. The good thing is that the regional cuisines of India have come into focus. Our diet of Pizzas, Hamburgers, French Fries have got replaced with much healthier diet of home-cooked food, more nutritious and tastier. We have finally learnt to appreciate the food that we ate at grandma’s house during our trips in summer holidays. And Gosh! What a variety we have in our country! Same vegetables, same spices, but the cooking methods differ from city to city, region to region, creating plethora of food, tingling our taste buds, craving for more.

Thanks to home chefs, we now have variety of food in Mumbai from all over India, many of them specialising in their own family cuisine. Alpana Verma and Smita are friends who specialise in Bihari Cuisine

After a college reunion in 2016 , Smita and Alpana instantly struck upon the idea of bringing the richness of Bihari food to Mumbai. Both friends have long years of executive grade corporate exposure from HR to Banking and beyond . In 2017 they donned the mantle of 'Self Appointed Ambassadors of Bihar' and have not looked back.

 “By Eureka you mean self discovery. On that note Smita always knew she is a good cook . The pop up cafe initially was my idea and we served 5 course meals from our homes . What set us on this road was the confidence in our Ahuna Mutton Vegetable estews and Rohu Rassedar recipes . They are organic and Bihari in essence.” Says Alpana

Pop up cafes and online delivery have worked like a beauty for them. People from all over Mumbai & Thane have eaten their 50+ types of authentic Behari cuisine . 

“We thank them from the  heart. People from Peddar Road to Bandra, BKC to Thane , Mahim to Powai have eaten our food and every time it’s appreciated” says Smita

 Alpana and Smita specialise in Bihari cuisine and ‘Litti Chokha’ is their signature dish.

Art is another thing they are passionate about, specially Madhubani art from Bihar and now they offer free gifts on order above Rs1000 to all their clients, to make it as popular as Warli art. 

 “The breakfasts from our childhood were fit for kings and remain a cherished memory which we often recreate . We are doing the same for others now. Puri/parautha , Gobi bhujiya , bhuna kaleji, kheer, baingan ka saun maun is there on our menu.” Says Smita

They are happy to share the recipe of Pharul Masala

Pharui masala is a very common evening snack  in Bihar. Its also called Jhal Muri in some parts of Bihar bordering Bengal . It is very easy to make and tasty to eat.

Method

1. Take 2 cups of Pharuhi (also known as Murhi or Kurmure). 

2. Add one medium size finely chopped onions, 2-3 green chillies and half spoon Mirchi achar masala. 

3. Mix all the ingredients. 

4. Add 2tsp Mustard oil and 2-3 spoons of soaked Channa. 

5. Serve crunchy, crispy Pharuhi masala as evening snack

They can be reached on authenticcook.com or on Mytree.com, also on Zomato

Watsapp them at 75440 06053

Follow them at @tbis_thebiharistudio

Home Chefs Of Mumbai – Part 39 – Sneha Senapati

Believe it or not, street food is always delicious.

 Everybody is aware that the food cart parked at the street corner is covered with dust, there may not be clean water to use,  its not even hygienic on many levels, but the taste is really unique that cannot be replicated at the food court in any fancy malls.

And if you thought that this trend of street food is new, then let me tell you that it has been there since 79AD and it has been proven by archeologist, who have made extraordinary find of frescoed hot drink and food shop that served the equivalent of street food (like salty fish, baked cheese, lentils, spicy wine) to poor residents who had no proper cooking facilities in their homes in the ancient Roman city of Pompeii.

So what makes street food so tasty?? Very clearly,  it is authentic, cooked according to the local taste of the city and moreover, the food is made by the owner of the stall or food truck. It is readily available, easy on the pockets, and you can have it anytime on a go. 

During the pandemic, street-food was missed the most. Specially during those first three months, when nobody dared leave their security net to venture out, but many women got busy in their kitchen trying out various dishes to please their family. 

There were many home chefs who excelled in street food, and Sneha Senapati is one of them.

 Sneha Senapati's journey began in 2006 when she came from Bhubaneswar, Odisha to study in TISS in Mumbai. Since then, Mumbai has been home to her. Like anyone living away from home, there were times she would miss home food immensely, but there wasn’t a single restaurant in Mumbai that served food from her hometown. So, as we say, necessity is the mother of all inventions that’s when she started cooking on her own (under the guidance of her mom). She became a chef by passion while managing a full time corporate job. 

Sneha Snehapati specialises in Odiya cuisine. While her aim is to make Odia food popular she has a free style of cooking where she likes to create stuff using less oil.

She has hosted brunches by partnering with restaurants in Andheri West (Versova) under the name of ‘Odiya Bhoji’. So far, She has done about  five pop-ups in the past 2yrs  serving only Oriya Food to a crowd of 120-150 people. She is also empaneled with Authenticook.com where she does home meals.

 "During the lockdown I was doing home deliveries across Mumbai which have been published by CNtraveler, Midday and Mumbai Mirror." she informs.

"Odia Bhoji’ Creates Buzz In Mumbai!  @MyCityLinks - is the link to one of the brunches I did." she continues to talk about the excitement she felt when she read about the mention of her cuisine

Sneha Senapati is fond of good food and likes to explore the local food of the city that she visits. She clearly remembers her visit to Hell’s Kitchen by Gordon Ramsay at Las Vegas, where she enjoyed the set meal, "I specially loved chicken wings." she says.  But of course she still misses her mom’s food the most, whose memories lives with her through her recipes.

Sneha Senapati is happy to share Bhubaneswar style Chaat

Method 

1. Soak 150gms (clean and washed) Chana dal (white peas) in water for 4-5 hours. 

2. Boil the soaked white Peas in Salt and 2 small tsps Garam Masala powder in a pressure cooker 

3. Cook uptil 3-4 whistles on medium flame 

4. Once done keep the pressure cooker on the side turn off the gas and wait till the pressure cooker cools down 

5. Meanwhile, take a pan, heat it on low flame, once heated add 4tbsp oil to the same

6. When oil is heated add 2 chopped Onion and cook till it turns transulent. 

7. Add  2 chopped tomatoes, 7-8 chopped green Chillies, 4tbsp ginger garlc paste and stir well 

8. Add Salt and 3tsp Turmeric powder, 1tsp Garam Masala powder and keep stirring till the mixture starts leaving oil 

9. Add 2tsp red Chilli powder and further mix well. 

10. Remove the boiled white peas and drain them separate from the stock. 

11. Save the stock for later use 

12. Add the boiled white peas, 

13. Add 1 boiled potato to the masala mixture and mix well 

14. Once the white peas and the masala mixture have blended well. add the stock and let it boil on medium flame with covered lid. 

15. Keep cooking for 10-15mins. checking occasionally on the consistency. 

16. The same should be thick gravy and not too runny. 

17. Now garnish with 2tsps roasted cumin powder, coriander leaves 

18. Take some in a serving bowl top it up with chopped onions, tomatoes, green chillies, bhujia sev and julienne ginger, some chaat masala, tamarind pulp, hot n sweet tomato sauce – 

19. The chaat is ready 

Sneha Senapati can be reached on her Watsapp no 75066 43020

Follow her on her insta at @snehasenapati

First Pop Up at Wild Asparagus Table from Peru

Pandemic has really tested our patience and our tolerance. I am beginning to forget what a normal life used to be. In good ole days, my Foodie friends and I would meet month after month at our Wild Asparagus Table to enjoy the international cuisine of the world. It was a potluck affair, Each person studied the food, the culture and then demographics of the place,  tried one dish of that particular country and we would create a large buffet table on the big day. It was a party nobody wanted to miss.

Things have changed. Not that we have lost touch with each other. Nah! We meet online and have enjoyed the virtual feast and festivals, some live talk shows and specially where food is concerned, we are wiser now. Lot of food knowledge has flooded our homes through Insta-lives and Zoom sessions, nevertheless, we still craved for physical presence.

In July2020, all members of WAT had cooked Peruvian cuisine and shared it virtually, I had even blogged about it Here , we all cooked but ate in our own house sharing it with our family members. It was Pandemic, remember, so we had no choice. But testing the patience of a foodie is a tricky affair.

So, finally WAT happened, potluck changed to pop-up. We braved the virus, followed the Covid 9 norms, lips sealed, hidden behind the mask, private transport arranged, hygiene and social distance in place, and we met at the Ananya’s cook-studio at Wadala to enjoy the deliciousness of Peru Cuisine specially prepared by Ananya Banerjee.

As we entered the studio, it seemed like we had checked into a 5star restaurant, the ambience was vibrant with state-of-art table deco, the cutlery, the flowers, the lamps, it was the most romantic set up. And what a joy of meeting everybody after what seemed like ages. It brought back the memories of our first French WAT meeting on that heavy rainy day. (remember our dripping wet meeting). After the initial formal chat of eye expressions and inaudible voice chats, it was time to peel off the masks and settle down to have sit-down meals. 

Wine glasses clashed, with red/white smiles and cheers touched every corner of the rooms, the twinkle in the eyes glowed as the first course of Empanadas made its appearance on our table.

“Empanadas are like samosas, stuffed with minced meat, but they are baked instead of frying” explained Ananya, as we chomped on small bites. This was served with cabbage salad sprinkled with white and black sesame seeds. It was exceptionally good.

Plates was cleared after the first course, making room for next course ‘Caviche’ Technically, Ceviche is not raw, but it’s not cooked either. Cooking requires heat, and ceviche never touches a skillet. The acid from the lime “cooks” the fish in a chemical process called denaturation. Tuna fish was marinated in lime juice and citric juices and and served on a bed of salad leaves and veggies. Each chunk of fish had amazing buttery flavours.

This was followed by Polo a la Bresa, a roasted chicken served with an authentic creamy dipping sauce along with the cup full of fried rice (Arroz Chaufa) and potatoes stuffed with pepper, smoked paprikas and olives.  

Food was authentic and was aptly paired with California Born West Chardonney, (refreshing n full of flavours), and Born West Cabernet Sauvignon, that had aromas of red current and Raspberries, (combine with vanilla and pepper.) Sincere thanks to Shweta Mohanti from #Astraspirits @bornwestwines for the compliments of wines.

I had my fill (actually a bit more than what I could eat) but then who can refuse a dessert? Specially Tres Leches that was topped with fresh fruits. Tres Leches cake is light and soft sponge cake soaked in sweet three milk mixtures and topped with whipped cream. The translation of Tres Leches from Spanish is three milks. 

Evening was spent with lively conversations and laughter and time ticked on till it was time to say our good byes with the promise to meet once again with yet another cuisine from other country, at another venue by other creative home chef. 

With a great support of @Salonim2 and @chefananyabanerjee of #FBAI, the same theme of cooking international food will continue. There will be regular pop-ups by home chefs of Mumbai at different venues, the food will be hosted and invitees can enjoy the food for a fee. Saloni Malkani and Ananya Banerjee will help the home chefs in organising these pop ups, share their culinary expertise, surrounded by complete ambience of restaurant type set-up, and these delicious dinners can be arranged for private/corporate parties too. 

But till then, I plan to take a bigger bite....