Restaurant Review - Shanghai Club

During the time, when I first started teaching Special Children, I used to travel from Bandra to Byculla by 4ltd bus everyday, I passed through the mill areas of Parel that had mainly small community homes and chawls, there were some traditional small food joints that served delicious authentic food to the cotton mill workers. It used to be buzzing center of activity and prior to that, during my grand parents times, it used to be a posh colonial residential settlement where governor of Bombay-Sir William Hornby lived.

A lot has changed in Parel over the years and it has a different skyline now, the beautiful ITC Grand Central Hotel with its majestic Indian touch adds an ethnic charm of this place.

This week I had an opportunity to visit Shanghai Club that is located inside this hotel in the celebration zone, the wing separated from the peace zone by a long corridor, lined with designer stores and an open lounge with water fountain in the center..

I was invited for Sagria and Seafood dinner by FBAI. There were four types of Sangria, fruity and sweet, (my favorite being the Berry flavor although the other three, the cherry and plum, watermelon were equally good) they were very refreshing after a long walk from peace zone to celebration zone.

In between my sips, I took in the beautiful ambience of this place, the charming parasol lanterns against the polished Burma teak rafters, the porcelain pots and other art work all around the room.

There was a set of 5course meal prepared specially for us. We had fan-shaped menu card,, which in a way was a good idea, that we could ration our serving to be able to enjoy all that restaurant had to offer.

The appetizers arrived as soon we were settled. Master chef Yuanzhing Jia had crafted a new Seafood Menu and was eager for us to start the party. We took a little time to click pictures before we began to eat (food bloggers are weird that way, before the aroma touches the senses, the cameras captures its visual impact) the lighting was low, hence I was not able to get very good shots, I decided to concentrate on food instead.

Main course was to die for. The Singapore chili crabs in egg white were perfectly cooked, tender meat under shells so brittle and juicy that there was no need for nutcrackers. I got my hands dirty, just relishing its flavors of marinated meat infused with sauces. I was happy when they gave me wet towel to wipe off my hands before I went on to continue with my next dish. But this is one dish I enjoyed thoroughly and will be the good reason for me to return once again.

This was followed by Wok fried Lobster with chili black bean sauce cooked from freshly made lobster stock. This tasted delicious when mixed in the bowl of brown garlic fried rice dish.

The attractive dessert plate of jasmine flavored Tiramisu, star anise torte and vanilla ice cream and mixed fruit bowl marked the end of the meal. It was very satisfying meal.

The service was very good and the staff was quick to refilled glasses with sangria as soon as possible, they made sure that food was satisfying, and even offered to custom cook for us to suit our palate.

I would highly recommend Crabs and lobsters in this restaurant. They are truly amazing, waiting for my next guest to visit me, this is on my to-do-list for sure……

American Chop Suey

I had learnt the technique of Chinese cooking many years ago, when there used to be column on ‘Chinese cooking’ in ‘MID DAY’ , the afternoon paper. There used to be a small chat and there would be two recipes per week, every Wednesday. Since I was interested in cooking, I tried two recipes every week dutifully and shared the food with my family. They loved it and encouraged me. The column went on for one year, and I had learnt all the basics of Chinese cooking.

Over the years, I have improved my skill and have even shared the tips with whom-so-ever-who-is-willing-to-learn.

Friendship means cooking specials meals for your favorite ones. This week I invited some of my friends for lunch. My friends also bring dishes whenever we meet over lunch at home  so that there is less pressure on hostess. I had made Thai curry and rice. But then I decided to make a snack that was simple, easy to make and cooked in just 5 minutes. I had fried noodles saved in the fridge, plus some exotic vegetables like red and green vegetables, Bakchoi and mushrooms so all I needed to do was stir fry veggies and pour sauce on it. ...

The romance started as soon as my friends saw the sweet n sour sauce simmering on the stove. I poured that sauce over the bed of fried noodles n crunchy veggies and as soon as the dish touched the dinning table, it disappeared, all I heard was the lip smacking sighs in the room full of food loving friends... such happiness in churning out a perfect meal

My friend liked it so much that she sent back her feedback the next day. She says: “It was a delicious meal. The crunchy veggies & crispy noodles with a delectable sauce with a subtle flavour of kaffir Leaves and the right amount of sweet & sour flavour, the " bang on " consistency of the sauce was simply a gastronomical delight! ! ! ! Thank you. YEH DIL, DIMAAG AUR TONGUE MAANGE MORE.”

I am not sure if I will be able to reproduce the same taste, but my friends want it again…..

Method

Arrange the deep-fried noodles in the plate * Stir fry exotic vegetables like broccoli  red and yellow capsicum, mushrooms, carrots, bakchoi, etc * cover the noodles with stir fried noodles

For sauce

Take 2cups water, add 1tbsp vinegar, 1tbsp tomato sauce, 1tbsp tomato ketchup, soya sauce, kafir leaves, basil leaves, vegetarian cube and 1tbsp corn flour. Mix and heat till it becomes thick

Pour over vegetables.

Root Vegetables and Yam Kofta Curry

I love root vegetables. Plenty of vegetables fall under this group, like sweet potato, carrots, beets, to name the few. They are very nutritious and so very tasty.

Carrots are the part of my daily diet. The minute my maid step into my house she rushes to make fresh vegetables juice with carrots, bottle gourd, apples and cucumber. I love carrots raw too, just chomp them while chopping veggies. Sometimes I pickle them, and eat it with roti. It is handy on my lazy-to-cook-days.

Colocasia is another root vegetable that I love for its nutty taste. Boiled and soaked in tamarind sauce tastes great but I like to deep fry the boiled colocasia and then garnish it with dry spices, it pairs well with dhal and rice.

Ginger is another root vegetable that I relish it and use it regularly to spice up my curries. I pickle thin slices of ginger with lime juice and green chilies and this becomes important accessory to pair with bland meals.

Potato is another favorite that is grown underground, although technically they are tubers, not roots. Sweet potato is the root but I am not too fond of it.

Since many foods are grown underground in manure, dirt, compost, I prefer to peel them, and throw away the skin. But if you like the skin, then it would be better to invest in a proper scrubbing brush to clean the dirt off the veggies.

Another root vegetable that I particularly like is Jimikand or Yam. Suran is what we call in Hindi. I normally cook this on meatless day and follow meat recipes to cook it.

This week I cooked Yam kofta curry and took it to my sister’s house to enjoy it with her family. I was happy when they side stepped the mutton dish and preferred my spicy vegetarian fare instead. 

I had used Shaan masala (instead of garam masala) in this recipe and it turned out good. Roasted this powder and then used it.

I tend to forget my own recipes so this is actually a note to self, in case I decide to make it once more.

Yam Kofta Curry

Ingredients:

For Koftas:

200gms Yam

2medium size potatoes

1cup gram dhal

5-6 garlic pods

1 inch ginger

½ onion

2 green chilies

1 tsp garam masala

½ lime

2tbsp crushed almonds

2tbsp crushed cashew nuts

salt to taste

For the gravy:

2 medium size onions

2 medium size tomatoes

1pkt Nihari Masala

1tsp crushed garlic

1tsp grated ginger

5-6 green chilies

1tsp Kashmiri red chili powder

For garnishing

2tbsp lime juice

2tbsp chopped coriander leaves.

Method

Soak Gram dhal for 2-3 hours. Make a paste with gram dhal, onion, garlic, ginger, green chilies.

Boil, peel and mash the yam and potatoes.

Add gram paste, salt, coriander powder, gram masala, coriander leaves and lime juice to the mashed yam and potatoes. Add chopped almonds and cashew nuts. Make golf size balls

In another pan, heat oil and add finely chopped onions, cook till light brown. Add one cup water and cook onions are tender. Place the kofta balls on top of onions, cover the pan and cook for ten minutes.

Remove the ball after they are steamed and keep it aside.

To the remaining onions, add grated ginger, crushed garlic, green chilies, Kashmiri chilies and tomatoes.

In another pan, roast Shaan Nihari Masala and add one cup water. Cook and then add it to the gravy.

Cook the gravy on slow fire till oil floats on the top.

Before serving, heat the gravy, add the steamed balls, cover and cook for five minutes. Transfer carefully in the serving dish and garnish with lime juice and coriander leaves.

Serve with onion-cucumber salad and freshly baked Parathas.