Day 2 At IFBM

A month later, IFBM still weaves its magic. Read on for events of Day 2.

Even as the realities of navigating the city’s famous weekend rush hour traffic tried to dampen spirits, I refused to get bogged down. I was eagerly waiting for the events of Day 2 to unfold.

Ashish Verma, Digital Strategist for Ogilvy, got down to business with us soon enough. What is SEO?  How to optimise content for SEO? How to use plug-ins to advantage? How does Google Analytics help? What type of title or keyword should be used? Being a newbie to the technical details that runs the web, some of these, well, OK, most of these were unknown to me. Suffice to say, I have resolved to learn more of the workings of the web. Ashish, thank you so much for opening up a new vista of information for me.

 

Good Food Writing, by Rushina Ghildiyal. Boy, was I waiting for this one. Veteran food blogger, successful cook book author, food writer, owner of cooking studio in Mumbai, Rushina wears so many titles with panache. Above all, superlatively helpful, gracious, Rushina is a role model person for all to emulate. How to structure your article, how to write a recipe, how to be your own ‘harsh editor’, how to write reviews, and the list went on. So generous was she in sharing her knowledge and information, that I want to fly right away to Mumbai and sign up for her classes. God, and the Universe, please make this happen soon.

Tea break again was an excuse for the Aloft folks to pamper us silly.

How to self publish your book – Aparna Jain from Patridge Publishing gave us the low down on the lucrative (that is not) aspects of book and e–book publishing. It was very good to get down to the brass tacks of the publishing business. I’ve stored away all information she shared generously to be used when I am ready to publish my book. Wish me luck, folks!

A panel discussion by six great food bloggers followed. This was stimulating. Sanjeeta of Lite Bites shared her experiences of working on food styling assignments, while Harini Of Tongue Ticklers spoke about her photography. Rushina shared candidly her ups and downs of launching her cooking studio. Kalyan Karmakar of Finely Chopped spoke about his famous food walks in Mumbai. Ruchira and Ranjini, the tadka girls spoke about their successful launching of 2 e-books. There was a lively group discussion on how to move beyond blogging. We also discussed how to explore new territory, how to price your work in unchartered domains, how to delineate free content from charged services. All of us benefitted from their collective wisdom.

I have an idea. Why don’t we have online webinars or Google hangout panel discussions similarly instead of waiting for a whole year for another meet?

 

Lunch was again an extravagant affair. Laid out at Nook, Aloft Cessna Park’s 24 hour restaurant, the place is very cosy, cheerful, open and inviting. I love the green chairs as well as the bright cutlery.

Chef Sameer Luthra paid great attention to the choice of menu and quality of food put up. The buffet is vast. A wide selection of salads, starters, and a bit of International as well as regional Indian cuisine in the mains. Vegetarian Phad Thai was very welcome as was Vankaya Igguru. Toning down the oil in the Indian curries would be well appreciated too! After the sumptuous meal, the desserts were fighting for attention and demanded complete justice. Gulab jamun was a heavenly mouthful. The tiramisu and mango mousse were likeable too. I am planning to spend a leisurely Sunday at Aloft Cessna, lunching with my family.

Post lunch, we were eagerly waiting for Chef Sameer Luthra. A product of Le Cordon Bleu, France, he blew us away with his loving treatment of ingredients and whipped up potato rosti and another dish with fish.

I had to leave mid way and missed out on the rest of the evening proceedings. I heard the rest of the folks had a fantastic tea to revive their spirits, set by the poolside.

Did I mention that we were virtually flooded with goodie bags too? It would take an entire blog post to do justice to the goodie bags. For now,

Time to say good bye to IFBM2014. Eagerly waiting for IFBM2015! What do you say, folks?

Which Salad Is Really Good For You?

 

Have we not heard this enough times? Eat your vegetables. Have a big bowl of salad for lunch. Feast only on salads at the buffet table. Eat salads, stay healthy, live long. Have a salad daily, a salad for a meal and so on. But are all salads good? Also, are salads always good for you?

In this article, let me attempt answering the first question for you.

Yes, eating enough vegetables is vital to good health. The Food Pyramids of USDA and NIN amply bring home that for us.

Yes, eating salads are a great way to increase variety in routine meals. Salads are low in calories, add colour, zest, fibre, anti oxidants and every other good thing you may find in diet and nutrition books.

Which salad gives you all of this?

A salad that is made from fresh produce, not old.

A  freshly harvested fruit or vegetable is still living and breathing. If harvested when fully formed, the vegetable has the maximum nutrient content. With each passing day after harvest, fruits and vegetables lose moisture and valuable nutrients through surface. Losses can range from 5% for Vitamin B to even 70% for Vitamin C depending on harvest procedure, type of post harvest handling, effective cold storage (or not). Fat soluble vitamins are lost if the produce is exposed to heat / light.

Fresh vegetables, fresh fruits work best in a salad both in terms of flavour and nutrition. If you have ever dug into a salad which had one rotten tomato, you will understand this easily. The reasons we include salads in a meal are the vitamins, minerals, fibre, phytonutrients and anti oxidants that fresh produce has to offer. The real purpose of a salad is defeated if we use shrivelled, nearly dying vegetables.

A salad that is NOT drenched in sugary, creamy, high fat dressings.

Again, if you are stuffing yourself with a salad slathered in gooey, creamy, cheesy dressings, you have just added a few hundreds of calories from sugar and fat, thousands of mg of sodium and thwarted all attempts to ‘eat healthy’. Choose dressings with good fats such as olive oil, skim milk yoghurt or low fat Greek yoghurt. Include dressings such as those with herbs, lemon juice, honey mustard, balsamic vinaigrette, fresh pesto.  Avoid dressings which have ingredients such as sour cream, any type of cheese, maple syrup, high fructose corn syrup.

A salad that does not have deep fried foods as part of it’s ingredients.

Fried chicken salad, lettuce salad topped with deep fried croutons, crispy noodles, deep fried potatoes, potato straws, fried pork or any other deep fried ingredients to add crunch or taste to salad are harming your health and waistline.

Want crunch in your salad without the guilt of excess fat or sodium or calories? Add grilled vegetables or baked croutons. Add healthy nuts and seeds such as toasted walnuts, almonds, toasted melon seeds or pumpkin seeds to add nutty crunch.*

Also, a salad that is assembled in hygienic conditions and stored safely before consumption.

Every single vegetable or fruit used in a salad, (especially raw salads) has to be thoroughly rinsed before peeling/chopping. Rinsing after peeling or chopping increases chances of contamination and nutrient losses. After rinsing, the ingredients have to be drained clean of the wash water too.

Bagged salad, pre cut greens, are all potential sources of bacterial contamination.

No salad ingredient should come in contact with raw meat.

Use clean cutting boards, knives and utensils while assembling salads.

Take care to store the salad as well as the dressings in a cool dark place, preferably covered in the fridge. If dressing is store bought, store as per instructions. Sniff, taste a wee bit before using each time to make sure it is still usable.

Assembling a simple home made salad is often easier than shopping for necessary ingredients and dressings. Enjoy fresh home made salads any time!

Happy, healthy eating.

*Nuts in salads – People who are allergic to tree nuts or all nuts should avoid them in salads too.

 

Aloe Vera Lemonade

‘World Lemonade Day, it’s very hot today, those bottles beg to be used, or just I am thirsty’ – any of these excuses are good to whip up some special drinks to quench! When I have the added onerous responsibility to shake up a mock tail, for a contest, I’ve got my perfect excuse to make this delightful refresher.
In traditional medicine, Aloe Vera is considered a miracle plant. The gel inside the succulent leaf is said to be able to cure several skin problems from acne, to burns, to psoriasis. It is said to have anti bacterial and anti fungal properties. Used both as a topical application as well as drunk for internal healing, aloe vera is used for ‘cooling’ the body too. However, modern medicine (read allopathy) is still cautious on the miraculous healing properties of aloe vera. A fear of toxicity when ingested in high levels also seem to be implicated.  However, studies by some doctors have found benefits from using aloe vera for healing burns.
I have a pot of aloe vera growing in my balcony garden. I wanted to use those beautiful green leaves in a drink and check for myself. To offset the bitter flavour notes in Aloe vera, I plucked some fresh lemon grass stalks from another pot, and infused the drink with that as well. Here is what I whipped up. This lemonade was so refreshing (did I say that already?). I felt it helped to calm the hyperacidity I was experiencing last evening too. Have I given you enough excuse to try it out?

Here is what you need -
ALLERGY INFORMATION
Does NOT contain gluten, dairy, soya,corn, peanuts, other tree nuts.
Preparation time – 10 minutes, Cooking time – 3 minutes, Serves – 2
You Need
Small saucepan, mixer/blender, scissors, knife, lemon squeezer, 2 glasses/bottles of 200 ml each.
Ingredients

1. 1 good sized succulent aloe vera stalk
2. 2 Lemons
3. 3 fresh stalks of lemon grass
4. 3 tbsp sugar
5. Fresh drinking water – 1/2 cup
6. Himalayan sparkling water – 300 ml
7. Few ice cubes

To Assemble

1. Rinse the aloe vera leaf, cut in half. Trim the green outer part of the leaf, retain the transparent inner gel part. Here is a picture tutorial on how to trim an aloe leaf. Place the gel in a blender and whip to frothy smooth liquid. No need to add water here. Set aside in the blender jar.
2. Rinse the lemon grass stalks, snip it into tiny pieces, place in sauce pan with measured sugar and water and bring to boil. Once it has reached a boil, cover and let infuse for 10 minutes.
3. Slice out a few thin lemon slices for garnish. Keep aside. Squeeze the rest of the lemons into the blender jar. Strain the lemon grass scented sugar syrup into the blender. Add a few cubes of ice. Shake, blend. Anything. Your choice.
4. Divide between two glasses. Top with chilled Himalayan sparkling water. Add the sliced lemon garnish. Serve right away. Perfect for warm weekends.  Do not want to share? Good. Just glug it all down.

Notes –

• I have just squeezed the lemons into the drink instead of muddling them since aloe vera has bitter notes to it. Muddling the lemons will add to the bitterness. We only want the tang from the lemon in this drink.
• The freshness of the Himalayan Sparkling water aided the zingy citrus flavours of the drink. I have often been disappointed with a metallic taste found in several club sodas.  I was glad to note that there was no metallic overtones / unpleasant mouth feel from this water which may have warped the drink’s flavour.

My entry to the Himalayan sparkling water mock tail contest. A twist on Shatbi Basu’s recipe.

I was at IFBM

When the first ever Indian Food Bloggers Meet was announced in June 2014, I was extremely excited. The chance of learning from veterans in the blogging world, the opportunity to meet up with the very talented fellow food bloggers, was too good to be missed. Despite being on bed rest then, nursing four rib fractures, I went ahead and registered for the event! When bloggers from Delhi, Hyderabad, Chennai, Pune,and even abroad were flying in, how could I miss it?

Am I glad that I signed in? You bet! If the rush I got from meeting my old blogger friends was not enough, making several new friends, meeting the faces behind the delicious blogs, attending all those informative sessions were enough to send me into blogger heaven.

I could not believe that the organisers were putting up this, or any event for the first time ever. If they confessed that they had no prior experience in coordinating events at all, I put it down to modesty. Such was the attention to detail. Very meticulous planning. Aparna, Nandita, Arundati, Revatii, Please take a bow! You have created a nation-wide platform for us to interact. You have set a high bench mark for succeeding events. You have instilled renewed confidence and commitment in all attendees, and made those who could not show up, go green! I’m certain the next blogger’s meet will have many more participating.

The first day began with a bang. Famous baker, food styling diva, above all, the most generous of people I have found, Deeba Rajpal led us through the steps of using props intelligently. Her session was liberally sprinkled with tips, stories behind several of her famous pictures and even info on where she purchases and stores her stunning props.

Aparna Balasubramanian led us through the nuances of food photography. One look at the pictures on her blog and portfolio is enough to make everyone sit up and lap in every word she utters. Equable, unpretentious, ever helpful, Aparna shared several tips on how to get lighting right in food pictures, choice of angles to shoot, how to select and use a tripod and several more.

The Kitchen Aid Master class with Chef Surjan Singh Jolly was well, lively and jolly! He demonstrated an unusual ‘Kaer-Saangri’ paratha paired with a tomato kat.

An amazing midday tea was spread out in the lobby waiting patiently for our attention. Boy, were we floored? If the theme of the spread named ‘Honey, I love you’ sounded !!?, the choice of dainty high tea desserts more than made up for it. Have you heard of yoghurt pannacotta sweetened wit honey? Or honey flavoured chocolate mousse cake? Or vanilla cupcakes iced with ‘honey bees’? Or a large tempered - chocolate bee hive? It took me a long time to be convinced that the bee hive was actually edible. And I am talking about only a few delicacies on offer.

Allow me to introduce you to our Venue and F and B Host – Aloft Cessna Business Park.

Aloft Cessna Business Park fulfils the need of business hospitality in the IT Zone of Bangalore. It is fitted with several meeting rooms arrayed with hi-speed Wi Fi and other equipment necessary to make conferences and meetings an effortless, successful event.

A special mention about their very comfortable chairs. I should know. Ahead of the event, I had requested for a full back support chair to enable me sit through the two days of the meet.         (Remember the rib fractures?) The organisers took it upon themselves to ensure this was in place. Aloft Cessna did not disappoint. The chairs were all so comfortable that I breezed through without any discomfort whatsoever. They even had an ergonomic chair with complete back and neck support, just in case. Thank you, organisers and Aloft Cessna! This attention to detail, if sustained, will surely take Team Aloft Cessna a long way.

Lunch was again a theme affair. With food revolving around ‘Aamchi Mumbai’, people could have their fill of murmura in paper cones, pav bhaji, kheema pav, misal pav, vada pav, and ice gola or falooda for dessert!

I would have preferred more sensitivity towards separating vegetarian and non-vegetarian food. The veg bhaji and the non-veg kheema for the pavs were stationed too close to each other for comfort with the same chef handling the service for both as well! Needless to say, I preferred to give it a miss.

Post lunch saw Nandita Iyer, the social media diva, walk us through the steps of harnessing social media to our benefit. Her talk was replete with humour (apt for post – lunch session, it kept us awake) yet bringing home the power and use of social media such as pinterest, twitter, facebook and others for bloggers.

Aneesh Bhasin from Hipcask, took over next. His talk on Rose wines (an under-appreciated category) was very informative. Ably aided with samples of Zampa, a Rose from the Grover stable, he led us through the nuances of wine making, Indian wines, wine labelling in different countries, the correct temperature for drinking various wines. He took queries with great ease and helped food bloggers understand wines much better. Thank you, Aneesh Bhasin!

Before we knew it, folks at Aloft announced tea time. When pampered so much, who are we to complain?  The theme this time was ‘Kolkata Chaats’. Rossogollas, ghugni, puchkas, kathi rolls, kaala jamuns were all drippingly enticing.

It was wonderful to see momos and thupka also part of the menu. The chef had also created different sauces to accompany thupkas. However, the momos again had both vegetarian and non-vegetarian versions in close proximity, nee, in the same steamer (in different compartments). Can we have better discernment with respect to vegetarian / vegan sensitivities please?

Before we knew it, it was time for a session with Husna Rahaman, author of Spice Sorcery. The author shared anecdotes of her childhood, cooking, and how families bonded over food.

This was end of Day 1. A whirlwind of sessions, learning, meeting up with who’s who of the food blogging world, carrying heavy goodie bags back home and excitedly waiting for Day 2.

Day 2 needs another post altogether. So wait for one here.. Till then, eat right, be happy, stay blessed!

Baked Sweet Corn and Raisin Samosa

 

The weather in Bangalore is turning better by the day. I cannot say the same about the traffic though. A great setting for the IFBMeet, 2014. Gosh, none of us can stop talking or gushing about it, can we? A strong cups of masala chai and these baked samosas are just what we crave for in this weather. Welcoming all participants with hot masala chai and these scrumptious, guilt free, absolutely delicious baked sweet corn and raisin samosas.

Last entry to the IFBM and Freedom Tree Baking Contest.

Allergy Information

• Contains wheat, NOT suitable for people with gluten intolerance.
• Does not contain dairy, nuts, soya, peanuts.

Preparation Time – 30 minutes, Cooking Time – 20 minutes+20 minutes baking time, Makes – 16-18 samosas.

Ingredients

1. Samosa Patties – 16-18
2. Sweet  corn kernels – 1 heaped cup
3. Golden Raisins – 1/2 cup
4. Potato – boiled and mashed – 1/2 cup
5. Onion – diced – 1/4 cup
6. Green chillies – 4
7. Coriander leaves – chopped – 3 tbsp
8. Coriander seeds (sabut dhania) – 2 tbsp
9. Fennel seeds (saunf) – 1 tbsp
10. Garam masala powder – 1/2 tsp
11. Salt – 1 tsp
12. Maida (APF) – 3 tbsp
13. Vegetable oil – 3 tsp

Method

1. Microwave the sweet corn for 2 minutes at high power.
2. Finely mince the onions, green chillies, coriander leaves.
3. Boil 1 small potato, mash well and use 1/2 cup of mash.
4. Warm up the dhania and saunf seeds, powder roughly in mixer.
5. Heat 1 tsp oil in a pan, add onions, green chillies. Fry well until turning pink to brown (about 5 minutes.) Tip in microwaved corn and raisins. Add in mashed potato too. Next, add salt, powdered spice, garam masala powder,  minced coriander leaves.
6. Mix well over high flame, remove from flame after 2 minutes. Set aside.
7. Make a thick slurry with maida and 2 tbsp water.
8. Preheat oven to 200 C.
9. Peel a single samosa patti from the bunch, fold into a conical shape from one end. Use this video to learn how to fill a samosa patti.
10. Place 1 heaped tsp of filling inside, fold into triangle and brush maida slurry to seal the edges well.
11. Repeat with rest of patties dividing the filling equally.
12. Use the remaining 2 tsp oil to brush all sides of samosas. Place on a greased baking tray. Bake for 25 minutes or more until they turn golden brown.
13. Serve warm with a hot cup of tea and enjoy!

Sweet Corn and Spring Onion Eggless Muffins

A cup of steaming tea and a favourite book, is how several of us would like to unwind over the weekend. Add to this some warm fragrant home bakes, and the picture is complete. Ask anyone who bakes even sporadically, and their answer would be that baking is a delicious stress buster!  The heavenly aroma that wafts through the house when baking some warm bread or muffins at home is incentive enough, not to mention the other benefits of enjoying fresh bakes whenever the whim takes you. The ability to choose good quality ingredients (whole meal vs refined flour or organic to name a few choices) and omit a multitude of preservatives that are found in commercial bakes are another positive.
Having tried out several sweet bakes over the years, I’ve always looked out for chances to bake something savoury. The availability of sweet corn at this time of the year, coupled with the contest at IFBM co-hosted by Freedom Tree swung the balance in it’s favour. Everyone I know would love to own some of the vibrantly coloured Freedom Tree bakeware. So here is my attempt at winning some of them! This recipe is an entry to the IFBM and Freedom Tree Baking Contest.
These muffins are as much at home with your hot cuppa as in the kids’ snack box. Make extra over the weekend, store covered in the fridge and pack some for the kids too.

Here is how I baked my afternoon’s quota of bliss.
Allergy Information

• Contains wheat, corn, dairy. NOT suitable for people with gluten intolerance.
• Suitable for people with lactose intolerance as milk is not used.
• Does NOT contain nuts.

Preparation Time – 20 minutes, Cooking Time – 30 minutes, Makes – 8 medium muffins.
Ingredients

1. Whole wheat flour – 1 1/2 cups
2. Sweet corn kernels – 1/2 cup
3. Spring onions – 1/2 cup chopped
4. Green chilli – 2-4
5. Vegetable oil – 1/4 cup+1 tbsp
6. Thick curd / yoghurt – 3/4 cup
7. Baking powder – 1 tsp
8. Baking soda – 1 tsp
9. Salt – 1/4 tsp
10. Oregano – few pinches to sprinkle
11. Mozzarella cheese  - 50 gm out of a block

Method

1. Blanch the fresh sweet corn kernels for 2 minutes in boiling water. Or zip in microwave at high power for a minute. Run the corn along with green chilli in the mixer to a coarse paste. A few kernels can remain whole.
2. Clean the spring onions and chop real fine. Measure 1/4 cup packed well. Set aside.
3. Dice the mozzarella cheese into 1 cm cubes, you will need 16 such cubes. Set aside.
4. Whisk the curd /yoghurt along with measured oil in a mixer until homogenous (a few pulses in mixer will do)
5. Preheat oven to 180 C.
6. In a large bowl, measure out the whole wheat flour, add in the baking powder, baking soda and combine well with a dry whisk. Tip in the chopped spring onions and corn mash. Add salt, whisked yoghurt+oil, and use wire whisk to mix all ingredients through.
7. Line an 8 muffin pan with well greased paper liners. If you have a 6 muffin pan, you can bake in 2 batches too. Keep the batter waiting in the fridge for it’s turn.
8. Fill 1/3 of each cavity with batter. Gently place in 2 cubes cheese per muffin. Cover with more batter, sprinkle oregano on top.  
9. Bake at 180 C for 20 minutes, add or reduce baking time as required. Watch out for the last 3 minutes of baking. The muffin is done when the top is golden brown and  a tooth pick inserted through the sides (not centre –it has cheese, remember?) of the muffin come clean.
10. Enjoy warm as is, or with a dab of sour cream.

Tintrinee Panaka

 

Are you inquisitive about what this is? A tin or a tree? Wait, the title also says Panaka. So, a drink? Ok, that part was easier. So what’s with the tongue twister title? Fret no more. This is just  Tamarind Panaka. Whew. Is that all?

Did you know that tamarind has several health benefits?

• The fruit juice has ability to improve glucose transport inside the body. However, people with diabetes need to monitor their intake of sweetened drinks such as this carefully.
• It has substantial amounts of B complex vitamins as well as rich in Iron, Magnesium and fibre.
• Tamarind juice is used in Indian traditional medicine to treat rheumatism, diabetes, and even obesity.
• Leaves of tamarind tree are boiled in water and used as antimicrobial wash.
• Apart from all these, tamarind has high levels of antioxidants such as tartaric acid (the reason for its acidity) and phytochemicals such as limonene and geraniol  which show anti oxidant properties in studies.

To capitalise on it’s health benefits, I’ve attempted this refreshing summer drink. The zest is supplied by the tamarind juice with flavours like lemon grass and kala namak adding to the appeal of this zingy mocktail. We often ignore proper hydration once we cross the summer season. This peppy drink is a great choice of hydration because it is fortified with salts such as Kala namak (Himalayan pink salt) which is rich in minerals too. The use of palm sugar here makes it healthier too.

When Urban Dazzle and IFBM2014 announced the summer/monsoon drink recipe contest, I was sure that I wanted to create a very unique drink. I believe I have. Do try it out and let me know if you liked it. This refreshing drink would look perfect in this Martini glass from Urban Dazzle. The unique stem design captured my interest right away and the volume would be just right for a serving.

Without further ado, here is the recipe.

Preparation time – 15 minutes, Cooking Time – 15 minutes, Serves – 4

You Need

4 martini or highball glasses with rim dressed in coloured sugar and chilled.

Ingredients

1. Ready tamarind pulp – 2 tbsp or Tamarind pods – 2 tbsp tightly packed.
2. Lemon grass – 5 long stalks
3. Water – 2 cups+1/2 cup
4. Palm sugar candy (Panam karkandu) – 1/4 cup
5. Salt – a pinch
6. Kala namak – a tiny pinch
7. Chilled soda – 500 ml

Method

1. Place the tamarind pulp along with 2 cup of water in a sauce pan and boil for 5 minutes. Set aside. If using tamarind pods, soak in 1cup warm water for  5 minutes, extract pulp. Filter through a mesh filter to remove impurities and repeat process to extract pulp completely. Make up total volume to 2 cups and boil for 5 minutes.
2. Rinse and roughly chop the lemon grass into a saucepan with 1/2 cup water. Boil this also for 2 minutes for the flavours to release.
3. To dress the rim of martini glasses, rinse and wipe the glasses well. Carefully and gently rub a lime wedge along the rim of the glass. Invert the mouth of the glass over a plate of coloured sugar. Once the sugar is coated uniformly, place glass in freezer to chill for up to half an hour.
4. Pour  60 ml of tamarind water and 30 ml of lemon grass water in a cocktail shaker. Add a good pinch of salt, tiny pinch of kala namak, and 2 tsp powdered palm sugar. Shake well. Pour into a dressed chilled glass. Top with soda and serve.