A life well lived...

Punjab Grill: A Vegetarian's Perspective

2011-11-06T22:27:00.000-08:00

When one thinks of Punjabi food, one thinks of Sabzis and Dals drowning in Cream and Butter and of course the ubiquitous Paneer. Please don't get me wrong, I LOVE Punjabi food and I do a lot of experimentation at home to recreate the tastes of a dish that I had at an eatery. The taste of a Punjabi dish is pretty standardized across the city of Bombay. If you ask for a Paneer Makhni you know you're going to get a Bright Orange dish with chunks of Paneer with a ketchupy tang to it(Tasty!!). Ask for a Maa ki Dal and you know that you don't have to really stretch your imagination to know what will be put in front of you. Until a few years ago, before the food revolution invaded Bombay, your choice for a night out with family or friends were limited to the slightly upmarket eatery that served Punju/Chinese fare with Brian Silas playing in the background or your average .... Sagar which served not only the aforementioned cuisine but also Pav Bhaji, South Indian and Pizzas loaded with enough Amul Cheese to guarantee that you will survive the winter should you decide to go into Hibernation.

And then the economy opened up. People made money and travelled across the world. And when they came back they wanted a taste of the food they had abroad. Some of them decided to take matters into their own hands and start their own eateries, others waited until some benevolent soul decided to open an eatery and satiate their culinary cravings. With this, Punju food took a back seat since there was very little R&D being done in this area(and why would you when you know that people were perfectly happy consuming your fare). In 2007/8 Hemant Oberoi came up with Masala Kraft at the Taj group and finally broke new ground. The food that he served was a far cry from what you got to eat in your average Punjabi restaurant. And in 2010 Jiggs Kalra was bit by the entreprenural bug(hope people remember him) and he started Punjab Grill. It was great hopes and expectations that me and my family went to Punjab Grill, since my friends were very Happy with their experience there.

I went to the Juhu eatery and was impressed with the facade. Gone was the 60s, 70s Piano music and in place of that was good Techno blaring out of JBL's at a volume that wasn't jarring. It was evident that a lot of money was spent in doing this place up. The waiting area had a bar which was done up tastefully so that you could sip your aperitif(AND increase your bill) while you waited for your table. What I also liked about the place was that the staff was young, good looking and confident instead of an impoverished waiter that wore an ill fitting black suit and looked like he was living in a hovel with 10 other people eagerly waiting for his salary so that he could send the money to his village so that his family wouldn't starve. We had a reservation at 10:15 and were seated at our table by 10:30.

The menus were put in front of us and the waiter left us to decide what we would like to order. Though the menu is in English the description of the dishes is in Punjabi. In the Aperitifs menu I saw Perha Lassi and a smile came on my face. Perha or Pedha lassi is a drink made of Sweetened Yoghurt and Pedhas with some Dry fruits like Almonds and pistachios. This is a drink that was widely available in Punjab until the late 90s and has now gone out of favor due to the 'health' revolution. On a hot day in Amritsar the lassi shops would crush 3-4 Pedhas and add decadently thick lassi to the Pedhas and churn it. The resulting concoction would be served in HUGE glasses and partaking of one of those would ensure that the drinker would be knocked off for a couple of hrs at least. Since I was nursing a NASTY cold that week I ordered good ol' Tamatar Shorba(Tomato soup)(Rs 175) which would help my Sinuses and my Parents ordered a Subz Shahi Shorba(Rs 175). As soon as the orders were placed, a waiter came by and place two huge bowls of chopped onions with Chat Masala and cut lemons and Yoghurty Pudina Chutney. The soups arrived and we dug in. The taste of the Soup was different. It wasn't your average Tomato soup since it was not cream based. Was it Tasty? It was. Did it transport me to another dimension? No. What was also interesting was that the croutons were not bread based but something Indianish with hints of Cumin.

While we were eating our soup we decided to order some appetizers. We ordered a Veggie Galouti Kabab(Rs 375) and Bharwan Aloo Pothohari(Rs 325). The Galouti Kabab came first and as promised it was amazingly soft! It came on a mini Paratha of sorts with an Onion ring on top. Taste wise it was good. The Bharwan Aloo was a Roll with Potato stuffed in it with sesame seeds covering the Roll and served with a sweet Murabba Chutney. It tasted good. The service wasn't rushed and wasn't intrusive. Whenever we required our waiter to come over he was on call. And two out of three times our glass of water was filled without us prompting him. Our stomachs was nearing half full point when we decided to order the main course. What I did notice about the main course was that the choice of dishes wasn't very imaginative. It stuck to the same stuff that we get at other restaurants i.e Palak Paneer, Chana Masala, Baigan Bharta et al. That was a big letdown. I was hoping to see stuff on the menu that I hadn't heard about and tasted either. We chose two dishes. The Pakorhe Te Aloowali Kadhi(Rs 325) and Paneer Tikka Lababdar(Rs 350). For Breads we ordered a Missi roti(Rs 90) and a Butter Naan(Rs 85). We decided to order more Roti until the waiter advised us not to since he said the Breads are big enough.

In the interim period between the Appetizers and the main course I noticed that the crockery was white and looked really nice! They didn't take the Dhabaish route and use Copper/Aluminium vessels. The Food arrived about 15 minutes after the order and the breads were as promised. Humongous!! You could wrap the naan and use it as a pillow if you so wanted. It was that big. The Kadhi was served first and was really delicious! The Paneer Tikka Lababdar was a letdown. It was full of Cream, Butter and loads of chunks of very good quality Paneer. Although it tasted good it wasn't exceptional. The other thing that I noticed was that the servings were massive! The two curries could easily serve 4-5 people with a decent metabolism. I was pleased that they give bang for the buck atleast in terms of quantity and weren't stingy. We got the rest of the food packed up and asked for the bill. The total damage was Rs 2416 for three people inclusive of 10% service charge(I'll write more on this later). After the food we were served 'Paan Shots' which were a mix of Vanilla Ice Cream with something Paanish. It was Fantastic! What a brilliant Palette cleanser! Overall verdict: The experience was a mixed bag. You can see that a lot of thought has gone into the place and the ambience is fantastic. I believe it can do much better if it got creative with the main courses. This is about the vegetarian food at Punjab Grill, I am sure my friends who eat meat might have a different story to tell.

Ambience: 9.5/10

Food:6.5/10

Will I be back? Yes, for the Pedha Lassi and the Kadhi and Naan.

Abhilash Vithlani

Cheesecake!

2011-11-06T04:56:00.000-08:00

Last week I managed to bake a Turtle Cheesecake which turned out quite well. In Bombay people are beginning to appreciate what an American Cheesecake tastes like. The Indian version of the Cheesecake atleast 6 years ago was rather sad. It was made of whey from Yoghurt and had a slightly sour tang to it... quite unpalatable :( .

Then I managed to stumble upon this really fascinating restaurant called Sunny's in Bangalore which served the real thing. Then in 2005 Moshe's launched the Philly Cheesecake in Bombay and that's when people got a taste of what good American Cheesecake tastes like.

Cheesecake comes in various forms depending on where you eat it. It can be made from Philly Cream Cheese, Ricotta Cheese, Cottage cheese, Whey and the list goes on. Traditionally the Cheesecake consists of eggs which help leaven the Cheese and help the cake rise when it is baked.Desirous of eating Cheesecake and still stay true to my Vegetarian beliefs seemed quite impossible until I managed to get my hands on egg substitutes. The substitutes are utterly vegetarian and do the same job that the egg does. The recipe that follows is for a Cheesecake that is completely Vegetarian(not Vegan) and tastes just as good. The Turtle Cheesecake if made properly tastes absolutely incredible and is very very rich. It is a mix of Philly Cream Cheese(very expensive in Bombay unless bought from a Baniya who sells it at 60% of the price found at major retail outlets), melted Chocolate, Caramel Sauce, Pecans, Oreo cookies, Sugar and everything your doctor told you not to have. Statutory Warning: Reading the recipe might trigger sudden cravings for something sugary and creamy. Please do add a few minutes of Yoga or some intense jogging if you do decide to bake and consume this dessert

Happy Baking!

Ingredients (for the Cake):

a) 2 cups Oreo Cookie crumbs(for the crust)

b) 1 1/2 cups Caramel sauce(recipe follows)

c) 3 Bricks of Philly Cheese(approx 600 gms)

d) 200 gms of sour cream( can be purchased from some of the bigger retail stores, the imported versions are quite expensive while the Indian ones are pretty good)

e) 1 cup Sugar(powdered)

f) 1 cup Toasted and Chopped Pecans or Walnuts

g) 2 Teaspoons of Egg substitute+ 4 Tbsp Water(Available in upmarket grocery stores like Natures Basket)

h)150 gms of good dark melted Chocolate(Don't use Cadburys, though I think Bourneville should do just fine)

i)5-6 Tbsp of Butter(Melted)

j) 1.5 tsp Vanilla Extract

Directions:

1) Preheat oven to 200 degrees Centigrade. Butter a 9 inch Springform pan

2) Crush the Oreo cookies and add all the butter to it. Bake the crust in the oven at 175-200 degrees and leave it to set in the refrigerator.

3) Whip the Cream cheese, add Sugar, Vanilla, Sour Cream and add the egg replacers with the required amount of water(1 egg requires 2 Tablespoons of Water and 1 tsp of the egg replacer). Split the cream cheese mixture and add the melted Chocolate(melt in a double boiler) in one half of the mix.

4) Take the crust out of the refrigerator and alternately layer the Cream Cheese mix in the Springform pan.

5)Bake at 175 degrees in the oven for 40 minutes. How does one know the cake is done? Take a knife and pass it thru the mix. If the batter doesn't stick, well you're doing well :) If it DOES stick refrigerate it anyways. I promise you it will taste Damn good either ways.

6)Leave in the refrigerator overnight.

7)Take the cake out of the fridge and practice humongous self discipline and DON'T take a bite out of the cake...just yet.

8)Pour the Caramel sauce on top and add the Toasted, Chopped Pecans/Walnuts on top.

8)Again let it set in the fridge for 3 hours.

9) Enough of waiting...get it out and dig in. Bon Appetit!

P.S Caramel Sauce recipe:

Ingredients:

1) 6 Tbsp Powdered Sugar

2)6 Tbsp Butter

3)60% of a Cup full of cream(Amul does just fine)

Directions:

A) Heat the Sugar till it caramelizes. This is a QUICK process so make sure to keep all the ingredients together and whisking the sugar or IT WILL Burn(if done without a double boiler).

B) Once the sugar is Amber in colour add butter and mix.Take it off the heat and within 3 seconds add the cream. When you add the cream the whole mixture will start bubbling(preferably use a big vessel so it doesn't spill over).

C) Let the cream cool down for an hour in the refrigerator before you pour it on the cake.

2010-12-04T08:35:00.000-08:00

It's been a long long time since I have visited my blog but I shall attempt to make a little noise in my space on the web. People on FB have been asking me to post recipes of the stuff that I bake, and I shall attempt to do so whenever I break out of my laziness.

And the fight started...

2009-05-07T01:53:00.001-07:00

This was sent to me by a very dear friend of mine.....it's Hilarious! Enjoy.....

My wife sat down on the couch next to me as I was flipping channels.

She asked, 'What's on TV?'

I said, 'Dust.'

And then the fight started...

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My wife was hinting about what she wanted for our upcoming anniversary.

She said, 'I want something shiny that goes from 0 to 100 in about 3 seconds.'

I bought her a weighing scale.

And then the fight started...

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When I got home last night, my wife demanded that I take her someplace expensive...

So, I took her to a gas station..

And then the fight started...

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My wife and I were sitting at a table at her high school reunion, and my wife kept staring at a drunken man swigging his drink as he sat alone at a nearby table.

I asked my wife, 'Do you know him?'

'Yes,' She sighed, 'He's my old boyfriend.

I understand he took to drinking right after we split up those many years ago, and I hear he hasn't been sober since.'

'My God!' I said to my wife, 'who would think a person could go on celebrating that long?'

And then the fight started...

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I took my wife to a restaurant. The waiter, for some reason, took my order first.

"I'll have the strip steak, medium rare, please."

He said, "Aren't you worried about the mad cow?"

"Naaah, she can order for herself."

And then the fight started...

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10 Reasons.....

2009-05-04T10:25:00.000-07:00

9 Reasons why I love Bombay

1) People smile at each other, and no matter how stressed they are, Bombayites are among the most helpful and generous people I've met
2)Bombay reminds me of my Guru, no mater what you are, you're accepted..... and you get just as good a chance as any to reach to the top of your field
3) There's prosperity to be seen, people are doing something with their life!
4) The sea, oh the beautiful sea!
5) Only in Bombay you will have a Gujju, Maadu, Madrasi, Bangaali, Bihari and more staying in the same building...minus the xenophobia
6) Food!!! Some of the best food that can be had in India is available in Bombay, from 50 to 10000 bucks for a meal. But somehow the next day it all smells the same(colours and textures can be different)....
7) Bombay is a LOT more greener than some of the other cities I've been to in India
8) Traffic is a lot more organized here, if you don't believe me, please make a trip to Daalhi, Bengaluru, Chyennai and Kolkatta
9) One of the safest cities in India.

10 reasons why I love my Family
1) I am truly blessed to have a family with such a variety of personalities, with tempers ranging from 10000-200000 on the Scoville scale
2) Parents who have not only accepted but have encouraged me on my path, even though it is SO far off the beaten track
3)God only knows how many times my brother has helped me out (just in time), even though he never really needed to. Many many Thanks!!
4) My sister for giving me such a lovely Niece and Nephew.
5) My dynamism and sense of entrepreurship comes from my father and mother.
6) The love for nature and wildlife was inculcated into me by my uncles and cousins from Raipur. I am eternally grateful to them for that.
7) My Cousins for nuturing and developing a love for good ol' Classic Rock and Country.
8) Good ol Ma for her wonderful cooking. Methi nu lot waalu shaak, Bhaakri, Batata nu rassa walu shaak.....AND for standing up for me at times when your help was sorely needed
9)Dad, with whom I can go check out new Restaurants with Gusto!
10)Finally my Bro in Law,who is a genuinely warm person and more Gujju than most Gujjus I know AND my Sis in Law who routinely writes to us in the ol' fashioned way(Love it!) for her creativity and being a genuinely nice person. You don't get such a good family this easy....must've done something good in me past births :)

Did you vote?? I did..see the middle finger :D

2009-05-01T03:52:00.000-07:00

April 30th, the day has arrived

2009-04-29T13:40:00.000-07:00

The day has finally arrived, when Bombay will go and vote. Whether it is on foot or by boat, please go vote! Realize that you will have to suffer a joker for the next 5 years so atleast make sure that you are Maximizing your chances that your chosen one, your golden boy ascends the throne :)