Creamy Noodles in Orange Squash

Friends were coming over for lunch, and I had fully planned Chinese meal on my mind. But, what should I serve as dessert?

Should I order natural ice cream? or should I make custard, should I set jelly or should I make fragrant cream? When I have friends over for lunch, I want to make the best of cuisine. It gives me great pleasure to cook for people who love eating my prepared food.

I decided to be creative. I decided to make a dessert of what ever ingredients I could find at home.

I had a packet of rice noodles, some yogurt and a bottle of orange squash.

And this is what I made.

“What’s the name of the dessert?” they asked

I didn’t know. This was my experiment; I had not yet given it a name. I was not even sure if it would turn out good.

Friends loved it.

Since it did not disappoint, I can share the recipe now.

But first the name…. I shall call it ‘Creamy Noodles in Orange Squash’

Ingredients:

1 cup orange squash

50gms rice noodles

500gms yogurt

2tbsp sugar

4-5 strands of saffron threads

2 crushed cardamoms

1tsp of cinnamon powder

100 grams of mixed nuts (almonds, cashew nuts, walnuts)

1tbsp of chocolate sauce

Method:

1.    Boil the rice noodles and keep it aside.

2.    Tie the yogurt in the muslin cloth and hang it on the tap for 2 hours.

3.   In a mixer add sugar, saffron, cardamoms and hung yogurt.

4.    Chop the mixed nuts

5.   In a glass rectangular bowl, put the layer of boiled rice-noodles

6.   Spread the layer of orange squash

7.    Spread the layer of hung yogurt mixer

8.   Sprinkle the layer of cinnamon powder

9.   Spread the layer of chopped mixed nuts.

Cool it in the fridge for 24 hours

Garnish with chocolate sauce before serving.

A Refreshing Drink by 'Paper Boat'

Mangoes are best enjoyed during summer when markets are flooded with variety of this seasonal fruit. We have milkshakes, sherbets and even just plain juices during the season when this fruit makes it appearance.

But to have this fruit-juice off-season is a boon.

I was pleasantly surprised when I relished this flavor off-season in a drink called ‘aamras’ by ‘Paper boat’.

Packed in attractive, colorful, aluminum-lined paper pouches, this drink has no color, no preservatives and no artificial flavors.

The sweetest sour taste of the mango pulp is enhanced by addition of sugar, citric acid, cardamom and saffron. It has very refreshing taste when chilled.

My friends and I had enjoyable afternoon, tasting the different flavors of this ‘Paper Boat’

We tasted Jamun Kala khatta, Jaljeera, Aamras and aam Panna.

Aam Panna was more sweet than sour. It would taste better if it were a bit more sour.

The Jaljira flavor is too sweet. The taste is a bit different from the original fresh Jaljira that we have at Pani Puri stalls. The taste of spices used in the drink are over powered by the sweetness of the drink.

Jamun Kala khatta was enjoyed by all and reminded us of our trip to Juhu beach when we had iced sherbet and soft drinks at the drink stalls.

Verdict:

Highly satisfied with the taste of Jamun Kala khatta and aamras flavors.

Jaljira and Aam panna are too sweet and they need improvement.

The 250ml soft, attractive pouches are easy to carry in purse or in the pocket and occupy very little space.

Rating: 3 stars (good)

Cross posted this review at Masala Minds

Pre-Valentine Celebration at Le Mangii at Parel

The invitation was to spend a pre-valentine evening at ‘Le Mangii’. An evening of entertainment and fine dining was promised. 

Who could refuse? I am glad I went. 

Tucked away in the ‘C’ block of Kamala Mills compound at Parel, the restaurant has an imposing front. It is the fourth of its’ kind, having already made its presence in the neighborhood of Bandra, Juhu and Andheri.

I was guided to the upper level into a large dinning room with impressive ambience. There is high ceiling with variable lighting fixtures at different sections of the restaurant. A big open island bar cuts through the center of the room dividing the room with cozy seating arrangement on the left and wooden formal setting on the right. There are high-table-chair arrangements for more casual diners. Far back of the room is the open fireplace where one can see the signature handcrafted Napolitana wood-fired oven pizzas being churned out every minute.

Exotic paper-thin crusted pizzas are amazing.

The starters arrived as soon as I was seated. In the most innovative presentation, the finger foods were presented that included the delicious plateful of assorted bruschetta’s, spoonful of baked mushrooms soaked in sauces, basket of deep fried squids, cupful of grilled chicken and many more.  

The meat was succulent and perfectly cooked; the sauces that complimented the snacks were delicious although I had to add tobacco and red chili flakes to suit my taste. I would strongly advise that in-house  prepared chili sauce be included, because Indian palate is used to spicy cuisine and many of my friends found the food bland.

I need to make a special mention to this deep fried chicken on sticks that had me asking for more.

There was a loud music in the room that made conversation impossible. In my opinion, loud music is acceptable if there is a dance floor, but if one has to enjoy a meal, soft music in the background will be more suitable.

Le Mangii draws its inspiration from the popular Italian diner, “Café Mangii.” I had a glance at menu card and it boasted of reasonably priced selection of exotic pastas and risottos, aromatic soups, delectable grills and sinful desserts.

For main course, I ordered Chicken Roulade with salad and rice. I drooled the minute it appeared and the taste did the justice to its presentation. The grilled chicken was tender and perfectly cooked.  

A business meeting during daytime, or an entertaining night out, if you like Italian cuisine, ‘Le Mangii’ is the place to be.

Phone : 02266375050

Book Launch ‘A Chef In Every Home’ by Kunal Kapur.

‘A Chef In Every Home’  - a complete family cookbook was launched this week by celebrity Chef Kunal Kapur

Published by Random House India, Kunal Kapur’s book explores an extensive variety of cultural delicacies.

“Inspiration to write this book has been from Masterchef” says Kunal Kapur, who has been an integral part of all three seasons of TV show Masterchef India till date. During his tour of selecting the contestants for the show, he discovered that there is chef in every home and that it does not matter who you are, you do not need to be a chef to cook.

“This cookbook is for all those who are compassionate about cooking.” He adds

At the glittering ceremony at ‘The Leela’ in Mumbai, the book was revealed by panel of esteemed foodies like Ms. Rushina Munshaw Ghidyal, Mr Mayank Shekhar and Mr Aman Sehrawat.

This was followed by live demonstration of two recipes from the book.

Tomato bruschetta, the recipe appears on page 69

Prawns Moilee, the recipe appears of page99

The book has interesting recipes from around the world with impressive photographs that pulls you to the kitchen to try out the recipes.

All the recipes have a brief description of the dish, followed by ingredients that are easily available and a step-by-step method that can be understood even by a novice.

It is a must-have-book for adding it to the kitchen book shelf.