Home Chefs Of Mumbai- Part 10 – Meeta Kataria

 We have developed a sweet tooth for offshore sweets. We enjoy the tender slices of Italian Tiramisu or sniff out the creamy scent of Hong Kong’s Dan Tats. We love Cendols of Singapore and Tub Tim Krob of Thailand, although they may remind us of taste of Falooda in India (minus Coconut milk and Panda leaves.) We relish Chocolate Chip cookies of USA that taste like Nankatai (without chocolate). We enjoy Baklava of Turkey and Borma from Middle East, although you can find a similar taste in Badam Puri, a typical sweet in Sindhi cuisine

Many have stopped eating Indian sweets, complaining of dripping fat and Desi ghee. Everybody prefers the pastries, cakes and Ice creams instead. In India, the first offering to Gods is always sweets, its never cakes or desserts. Or are they? The sugary treats are always pedas, or Sheera. The sweet fragrance of pure, warm ghee is soothing to the nerves. During all the festivals, we have exchanged Indian sweets and we have a large variety, there are many unique sweet gems that still remain unknown to most.

Sadly, Mithaiwallahs are over shadowed by the Patisserie and Confectionery. But we do have some home chefs who cook excellent Indian sweets in India. 

Meeta Kataria (of Chiselledmealsbymeeta) has a lot of respect for Indian cuisine and firmly believes that one can never get bored of eating a simple meal because there’s variety and diversity of food in India and much to try.  The same spice and vegetables are used in so many different ways across every states of India. 

Meeta worked for a cosmetic dentist ( 2009 ) who was very passionate about travelling , eating and cooking good food. Since she was the only married employee working there at that time, there would be discussions and sharing of food ideas during lunch hours. It was during that time that she learnt about various cuisines and realised there was lot more beyond than the regular food that one cooked at home. She felt that one does not need to always eat at a fancy restaurant, when it can be created at home.

She started the series of experiments in her kitchen to try out different dishes, at least twice a week.

She firmly believes in

1.Healthy food & lifestyle

2.In Yoga as the ultimate form of exercise …

3.Pranayams & Meditation

4.Karma

Meeta remembers going out with her dad to Khao Galli of Zaveri Bazaar and devouring unhygienic but delicious street foods. She also has fond memories of aromas emerging from her Mom’s kitchen. The authentic Sindhi Sweets recipes like ‘Gajaran ji Seero’ and ‘Khaskhas jo Seero have been passed down to her by her mom.

Her first trip to Vaishnodevi temple is still fresh on her mind 

“This happened way back in 1998.  I ate Rajma Chawal from a roadside Dhaba on our climb up to the temple. I was amazed as to how something could taste so good in spite of absence of onion & garlic ?  Those ingredients are not eaten by certain communities due to religious reasons.”

She specialises in Sindhi Cuisine, but she also cooks other foods such as South Indian, Maharashtrian and Gujarati cuisine. She excels in Indian snacks and street food (majorly missed by everyone during this lockdown). As a home chef, she firmly believes in cooking dishes that define Comfort Food , so yes , that is her forte.

 

“Anyone eating my food should experience SATISFACTION !” she says.

She is happy to share her recipe of Rose Kalakand 

1. Reduce 1 litre full fat milk to ½ litre on a slow flame. Stir continuously in a thick-bottomed pan. 

2. Add 300 grams of crumbled Malai Paneer (cottage Cheese) to the milk.

3. Add 180-200 grams of sugar. 

4. Stir continuously. 

5. Continue till all the milk dries up & the mixture has a smooth & soft consistency ( like soft dough ). 

6. Switch off the flame. 

7. Add just 1-2 drops each of rose essence & rose color . 

8. Mix gently. 

9. Transfer it on to a tray greased with ghee. 

10. Let it set at room temperature. 

11. Leave it to cool. 

12. Garnish with finely sliced Almond & Pistachio flakes. 

13. Cut into squares and serve.

Meeta is vegetarian convert since 21 years, nevertheless she does cook non-vegetarian for her family and does take orders for the same

She uploads the fresh menu mainly on Mondays and receives pre-orders for Wednesdays and Saturdays. Dishes that are not listed in the menu can be customised (up to ten persons) with two-days prior notice.

You can place your order on her WatsApp contact no at 9892054520

Follow her Instagram handle : @Chiselledmealsbymeeta

Home Chefs Of Mumbai – Part 9 - Roopa Nabar

Let us face it, everybody gets special thrills when they go to a restaurant that are infested with celebrities. Even if the celebrities may know nothing about food, the restaurants boast about them to increase their clientage and some of them may even become high browed in selecting who enters their premises.  

 You don't have to be rich or poor to know and appreciate the taste in food. A street corner Vada Pav guy will be equally popular as high-end Hyatt for that matter. If they have celebrity tag, their business blooms. Or so they believe.

 

So where are they now? Those celebrities? All those food lovers who puffed away the party hues every night??  Now during this lockdown, all of them have learnt to appreciate the real flavours of food, and have finally realised that the real quality of food is anchored on its nutritional value, the spices used and importance of local products cooked most hygienically. The new mantra is..Locals go Vocals

 

And why not? We will always have some authentic home chefs to bank on.

 

Roopa Nabar (of Kitchen Diva fame) belongs to the Gowda Saraswat Brahmin (GSB) community, who live across the Konkan coast of India. That means that they are Brahmins blessed by Gods and are allowed to eat fish, known as fruit of the sea (Samudra phal)

 

Beside being a good cook, she also is a life of a party, with a wonderful sense of humour, very vibrant and cheerful. If you hear a hearty laughter in a crowd, be sure that Roopa is there. Her cordiality reflects in the food that she serves.

 

When asked about her speciality, she says “Throw a fish to me and I can create wonders.”

 

Which I am sure she does.  She uses lots of coconut in her kitchen which are flavoured with very little spices, just chilies, pepper, kokum, ginger, garlic, coriander, she call them kalvan hooman. She uses lots of backyard vegetable like all the gourds and roots in her vegetarian preparation. She is very good at international cuisine too. When she travels, food is on the top of the list on the itinerary, she returns back with all that countries spices and ingredients and tries to replicate the same in her kitchen.

 

Her OMG Eureka moment was when she visited her Son Gaurang in London where he is a practising architect and is a food enthusiast.

 

“Mind you, when it comes to food we keep the religion aside and eat everything, so went to this place called L’Entrecote at Soho, this is a Restaurant run by a family that serves typical French bistro style steak frites, means steak and fries unlimited with a mind blowing butter sauce. It was the best French dish I had.” She said, talking fondly about those memories.

 

“It’s said that the family has their own secret recipe of the sauce and some say it’s made from chicken liver, fresh thyme, thyme flowers, full cream, Dijon mustard and butter ofcourse. It was a melt in mouth meat experience.” She added.

 
 She is a host in a food channel on u-tube called Coastal Kitchen , she does videos for Sanjeev Kapoor’s  Khana Khazana

 

She willingly shares her spicy, tasty recipe on Mutton Chops Rawa Fry.

 

 

 

1.    Roughly chop 1 cup Coriander Leaves

2.     Add in a grinder jar along with roughly chopped 4-5 green chillies, ½ cup fresh Mint Leaves, ½ inch Ginger and 6-7 Garlic.

3.    Grind into a fine chutney using little water.

4.    Take ½ kg Mutton chops in a bowl.

5.    Add ground Chutney (prepared in step 3).

6.    Mix well.

7.    Add salt, 2tbsp Kolhapuri chutney, 1tsp Turmeric powder and 1 1/2tsp Red Chilli powder.

8.    Mix well and set aside to marinate for 5-10 minutes.

9.    Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a pressure cooker.

10. Add chops along with marinate and sauté for 1 minute.

11. Add 1 cup water and stir to mix.

12. Cover and pressure cook for 8-10 minutes.

13. Remove from heat and set aside.

14. Heat sufficient oil in a kadai.

15. Break 2 eggs in a bowl and whisk.

16. Spread 1 cup semolina on a plate.

17. Dip chops one by one in eggs and coat well in the semolina. Dust off excess.

18. Deep fry in hot oil till golden and crisp.

19. Drain on absorbent paper. Serve hot.

 Roopa has her fixed clients who regularly place orders if they want to enjoy a good  thikhad Maharashtrian food.

 

She takes corporate orders too but you can always contact her

WatsApp no 98330 67008.

 

She has made several U-tube videos as she loves to teach. You can find her Coastal Kitchen under Indian Food Network.

 

Find her on Facebook page Kitchen Diva

 

Follow her Instagram handle at roopanabar