Product Review: iDFresh

There are many South Indian super stores in Mumbai where freshly ground Idly and Dosa batter is sold in plastic bag with a string tied around it, but the problem is that it should be used within two days or the batter might get sour.

Last week iDFresh send me their read-to-cook packets of idly Dosa Batter, chappatis and Malbar Parotas.

I normally don’t like to eat packed food but iDFresh company claims that it uses no preservatives, that it is 100% natural and authentic tasting Indian meal.

The chapatis are “Life savers”. One afternoon my maid forgot to roll rotis for me and I was too lazy, this was the day I decided to try these chapatis.

Good thing about these chapatis is that it can be roasted directly from fridge on to the hot plate, it fluffs like a balloon and tastes good with pure ghee. The only difference is that it becomes hard and stiff if kept for too long.

I took the frozen packets of Malabar and Wheat paratas to my sister’s house to share with her family

The parotas are fluffy and tasty. I would recommend these if you have too many guests at home, when you don’t have helper, when making a bulk is a tedious task. Just heat and serve is the best option.

The idly and Dosa batter was lying in my fridge for more than a week, till I convinced my friends to join me for a dosa party.The packets once opened should be used immediately, but I couldn’t possibly eat all that alone…needed a company to help me finish all.

Since we were a big group, my friend made home-made batter too, while I took the packet of iDfresh batter to her house.

This was a good opportunity to compare the packets with the home-made ones. My friend made delicious coconut chutney and sambar to pair it with idly and dosa.

Home made idlis were softer and also it was easier to get thin crispy dosa from home-made batter. With the packet batter, it tends to get lumpy and sticks to the hot plate. (if you are not expert in spreading the batter on the hot plate) Nevertheless, the iDfresh are equally good and the best thing is that it can be stored in the fridge till you are ready to eat. The taste is good, since there are no preservatives used, it can pass off as an instant meal.

“We are very clear about our brand philosophy and we will continue to add products to our portfolio which is fresh, natural, preservative-free, authentic, Indian home-style food.The future of ready-to-cook/ ready-to-eat industry in India is expected to grow exponentially with changing lifestyles, higher disposable income and increase in working population who are time crunched.” Says Musthafa, the CEO of iD Fresh Food, who started this company with just Rs25000  and now is the proud owner of 100 crore company.

You can read his story here

https://yourstory.com/2016/05/pc-mustafa/

I would recommend these packets for working people who have no time to cook and still want to try the home style recipes. Go on, save these iDFresh packets in your fridge for those lazy days.

Best International Street Food - part 1

I am participating in selecting the best street food that I have tasted during my travels.

There are Eight eastern dishes on displayed here http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/09/10/international-street-food_n_1870623.html

I have not tasted all unfortunately, okay I shall make that in y wish-list.

But the street food that I have tasted are

Arepera...a street food from Mexico, which is a crusty bread made of corn flour and milk and is deep fried, then slit and stuffed with lettuce, tomatoes, onions, cheese and assorted meat or veg patties.

Falafel... , a street food from middle east, on Cairo streets, a sandwich of pita bread stuffed with lettuce, tomatoes, Tahini and deep fried Chickpea and Fava beans balls and served with salad and pickle.

Hotdogs... a street food of America, bread sandwich stuff with sausages, mustard sauce, tomato sauce, fried onions, grated cheese and crispy potato chips

Dosa.. street food of India, wafer thin crape made of rice and lentil and stuffed with cooked vegetable of potato and onion and served with coconut chutney.

I do like all of these but on round one I vote for Arepera.

The Restaurant Review - Govinda

When I call up my aunt announcing my visit to her, she complains that her maid has gone to her village for her holiday and since she has no helper at home, she would like to take me out for lunch.

No issues.

We drive down the Altamount road, pass through Pedder road, drive behind  Bharatiys Vidya Bhaavan and enter a tiny lane  just next to Mehta House  is the restaurant called Govinda

First impression

The first thing that impressed me was the fast food stall outside the restaurant that had Samosas, Pani Puri, sweets and vegetarian cakes and pastries,  a perfect place to have an evening snack. Inside the restaurant, there were the pictures of Lord Krishna Leela on every wall, it was small restaurant with dull lighting and most of the tables were occupied by lunch diners, some of them sharing one dish between the two persons.

We sat down next to the window which overlooked HareRamaHareKrishna temple which had a beautiful  intricately carved architecture. 

The food

The menu-card had large list of dishes, all vegetarian and mainly fusion food. It promised delightful experience that would harmonize body, mind and soul. Since we were just three of us, ordering too much variety was out of question. We ordered 2 plates of Chole batoorey, vegetarian Pizza and stir fried vegetable Dosa

The verdict

The food was awesome, and the quantity was good but the waiter did not warn us about the quantity and one plate of Cholebatoore was left untouched. Service was good and spontaneous. We didn't have to wait for too long.

Chlole Bature had serving bucket for serving chana, and I was so impressed that I am planning to buy this bucket for my collection of utensils.

Yummicious Pizza, I was really floored by melt-in-the-mouth Pizza which had exotic vegetables with olives and parsley as toppings. 

The stir fried vegetables of chopped carrots, onions, cabbage and sprouts with a crisp dosa covering gave the feeling of eating spring rolls, only the Sambar and the chutney was deceiving, but then I wouldn't touch that.

The bill

At Rs350 per head for heavy lunch, I found this restaurant quite reasonable.

There were no finger bowls at the end of the meals, which is quite disappointing.

I would surely love to come back again and also would recommend it to my vegetarian friends.