In my list of soul foods, Maggi would be in the top 5. And I use the word Maggi not as the Nestlé brand but as that descriptor (like Xerox is synonymous with photocopy) it has become for those soft soupy noodles you can slurp. Then I remember that June debacle that makes me snatch my hand back and deprive myself of a food I enjoyed. The whole lead issue didn’t just put me off Maggi but also all other noodles in that category.

And today’s meet up was all about that. Well, not exactly. The meet up today was all about Yippee, it’s fight to stay in the market and taking the number one position held for so long by Maggi. When I turned up at ITC Gardenia today I didn’t know what to expect. As I caught up with blogger friends I looked around and figured the meet would be about all the various packaged foods ITC makes.

That’s Sid, Vidya and Bhawna with me there. I’ve linked them so, check out their blogs folks!

The Cutting Chai Stall

Rajesh V L, the CEO of ITC Foods took the stage and gave an introduction to ITC Foods, how it started, their ethic and beliefs, the various products and brands, and some up-coming products. And I was impressed, the company seems to be quite transparent, they seem to be giving importance to sustainability and also seem to be doing work in the causes space. (I’ve used ‘seem’ a lot, but after all I didn’t really see it, just heard it. 😀 )

One thing in his talk that really stood out for me was their work on e-Choupals. This program really gives back to the farmers (who are our lifeline) by giving them access to the internet and bringing information to their fingertips. An example Rajesh gave was that a farmer now has access to check the rates of his vegetables even before he sets out for the mandi. So now, he can avoid having to make a distress sale after landing up there. A program that provides farmers with up-to-date marketing and agricultural information sounds empowering.

Rajesh was followed by Kavita Chaturvedi who is the Head of Marketing. She has been a part of the Yippee noodles journey since day 1 and that was the story she shared. She talked about how research started on the noodles. In line with Rajesh’s earlier talk, Kavitha talked about the search for that quality thing with a difference.

She recounted stories of how they came about their top three USP’s. The round block of noodles, their non-stickyness and the masala with veggies. Frankly, this won me over. For years with Maggi I have hated breaking the block, it shortens the tendrils of noodles and reduces the slurpyness. It’ll be nice not to have to break the block. And have cold noodles still flowing and not just become one gooey mess like Maggi does.

I’ve been a Maggi loyalist until now but after today, I’m ready to give Yippee noodles a chance and their Yippee 4 in 1 pack in the hamper will helping this I think. 🙂

Kavita also talked about other aspects of Yippee, their vigorous testing in their Japanese technology factories (over 800 tests are done everyday and 66 on water alone), their hygiene standards and their approach to the Maggi debacle. She talked about their approach of transparency and being up front, and shared Sunfeast’s You Ask We Answer website and videos that were ITC’s answer to the Maggi fiasco.

Q&A came after, moderated by Archana Doshi founder of www.archanaskitchen.com. Rajesh V L came back to stage to patiently answer the many questions that were raised on quality of ingredients, safest and freshest sourcing, the various types of fats, etc. The answering had me impressed with how he stuck to facts and called things as they were. But then again, never judge a book by its cover. 😀

After all this Yippee talk, Master Chef Kamlesh Joshi took stage and demonstrated the making of Khow Suey using Yippee noodles. The recipe was an interesting one and since I tasted it at lunch, I’d definitely like to try it sometime.

There was a cook-off that followed that required that each team make a dish with Yippee noodles using the array of ingredients provided. I felt like I was at one of those Australian Masterchef episodes where people went about making something with the ingredients provided. Our team came up with a Chatpata Yippee Pasta and came third. The first prize was won by the Team that made Yippee Gol-Gappas. I missed tasting them, but the three Chef-Judges couldn’t seem to stop eating them! 😛

The Ingredients

The Sunfeast Smashers (one of the first things we did was break a bowl 😀 )

Chatpata Yippee Pasta

The Three Chef Judges – Prashant Joseph, Yogesh Dutta, Kamlesh Joshi

Finally after all that food talk and cooking lunch was served and it was quite a spread. I enjoyed the Khow Suey, gosht and Chicken in Wine sauce. Didn’t have place for anything else as there was a big spread for dessert. And I ate one of each. 😀

Dessert Spread

Khow Suey

The ITC Foods Display

I even brought a bottle of tiramisu back for Che along with a hamper. 🙂

Tiramisu in a Jar

The ITC Hamper

It was a fun day – meeting friends, getting to know more about ITC Foods and having some yummy food. Thanks are due to the guys over at ITC Foods for it all and the guys at ITC Gardenia who made it all possible.

I consider myself a foodie even though I am quite a fussy eater. Well, you know like haggis, there’s going to be a lot of fuss before I eat that. 😀

But seriously, I do love trying out new food and exploring flavours so when I am offered an option to go to a new restaurant, I’m not one to say no.

We’d heard of Afghani Qabuli & Biryani from friends who recommended it highly and so one afternoon we headed out to check it out.

Situated on Nehru Main Road in Kammanahalli, this little Afghan place is hidden away and yet easy to find. The layout on the inside is simple with a comfortable seating arrangement that can accommodate a couple or even a large group. The walls are covered with paintings and pictures of Afghanistan.

We settled in and ordered what we had been told was the best dish in the house. The Afghani Traditional Mutton Gravy with Qubus and Chakni. It comes with a mug of Afghani Traditional Dogh so we asked for that to be made two.

The mutton gravy was served in a large dish what facilitated the tradition form of community eating. We broke bread and dug in, breaking off only to sip on our dogh’s. The gravy was lovely and yum with about 7-8 pieces of boneless meat. The dogh is something else, refreshing and quite close in taste to our raitha and yet so very different.

Service is fast with minimal waiting time. Service is also done with courtesy and a smile. We enjoyed lunch but that wasn’t all we ate. We were also served a complimentary plate of firni, boy you should have see the smiles on Che and my face. 😀

We enjoyed our experience so much, we’ve been there again, and this time along with the mutton gravy we also tried the Afghani Traditional Biryani. This was also great in taste but maybe not my favourite since I don’t like sweetish food too much.

Over all this is a must visit place if you like Arabian/Afghani food. A nice ambience, well lit, simple and clean. Not noisy music, delectable food, impressive service and light on the pocket pricing (Our bill was about Rs.500 for 2 people). This place has it all!

My Rating –
Ambiance – ✷ ✷ ✷ ✷ ✷
Music –        ✷ ✷ ✷ ✷
Food –          ✷ ✷ ✷ ✷ ✷
Service –     ✷ ✷ ✷ ✷ ✷
Price –         ✷ ✷ ✷ ✷ ✷

Afghani Qabuli & Biryani – Zomato

Phone – +91 9008735522

Location – Shop 21, Nehru Main Road, Kammanahalli, Bangalore 560084

***Disclaimer – I & Monkey is owned by a friend but the following review has no bias because of it. What I say is what I got and what I felt. 😉

Che and I have not done a lunch together is a long time now. Let me explain that. Considering that I don’t like cooking so much and Che is too busy to cook usually, we eat out a fair bit, however our eating out is more about getting the meal done (and at a cheap price) rather than eating a meal.

So, last Saturday when we headed out and contemplated a meal we would sit down and enjoy, I was all excited. A sit down meal together outside is like a date, filled with good food and quality time together. A time to unwind and rewind.

Cruising around Indiranagar we were trying to make up our minds on where to eat, when I saw I & Monkey and the decision was made. I’ve known Sathish who owns the place for years now and have lost count of the number of times I’ve have been to his first place Windsor Pub. But somehow even though I & Monkey has now been around for over a year I hadn’t made it here yet. It was time to correct the grave wrong and check out Sathish’s now not so new place. 😉

I walked in tentatively, not knowing what to expect and looking around to absorb it all. There were three seating areas to choose from, a tent type roofed room with warm light, a room with pub-ish decor and a bar and this little small space that was well lit with a dash of green. The host stepped up asking us where we would like to sit and I just looked at him unsure of my choice. He smiled and led us to the little white and green space that seemed perfect, I thought as I sat down, for a couple to have some together time.

It didn’t take us long to make up our minds about the thirst quenching drink. 😀 Please note we were spoiled for choice in the liquor menu but the cocktail section beckoned and before long Che and I had settled down with a Mohito and a Black Magic. I’d never had a Black Magic before but the description listed about 5 types of alcohol and blackcurrant juice as ingredients, and I was feeling adventurous. 😀

To go along with the drinks we choose Chilli Sambal Fish as a starter (after much discussion over the variety on offer). I’m not much of a fishy person but lately I’ve been experimenting and enjoying myself with fish. This one didn’t disappoint either, and it was so good Che and I almost came to blows over the last piece and were saved just in time by the flambe cart arriving.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Chenthil Mohan (@chenthilmohan)

Yep, you guessed right, I was going to have a flambe. 😛 While Che ordered a T-bone steak, I chose Flambeed Beef Medallions as the main course. Watching the flambe was fun, as you can see in the video. 😀 But eating the resultant dish was way more fun. I enjoyed it immensely and polished off every bit.

To round off and complete the meal we decided to culminate it with dessert and coffee. Che had Tiramisu and an Americano while I had an Absolute Nirvana with a Cappuccino. Gawd that dessert really was Absolute Nirvana. I oohhed and aahhed my way through it, too full to eat it all and yet unable to stop until I had finished it all.

It was a lot, and I mean a lot coz Che and I sat there for a while before we managed to get up and move again. 😛 It was a meal I enjoyed in all the aspects, ambiance, service, flavour,… The food was so good we couldn’t rush through it and that meant some amazing time and conversation together. The bill was about 3,500 bucks but it was worth every penny.

I’m looking forward to another trip to I & Monkey, after all there is so much to sample yet on that menu. 😉 If you are looking for a place to unwind, catch up and eat some awesome food, I & Monkey is the place to go to, especially for lunch. 🙂

My Rating –
Ambiance – ✷ ✷ ✷ ✷ ✷
Music –        ✷ ✷ ✷ ✷
Food –          ✷ ✷ ✷ ✷ ✷
Service –     ✷ ✷ ✷ ✷ ✷
Price –         ✷ ✷ ✷ ✷

I & Monkey – Website & Facebook

Phone – +91 80 40923656 / +91-80-40923657

Location – Indira Nagar, 12th Main

I am almost at the end of my A to Z Challenge with just ‘Y’ and ‘Z’ left now. And Y and Z fall into the ‘difficult to find words, wait for divine inspiration’ category. So I duly waited for that stroke of enlightenment, that spotlight of sunshine.

The hunt for words with Y brought up some interesting finds –

yaff – to bark like a snarling dog
yager – nineteenth-century rifle
yashmak – double Muslim veil leaving only eyes uncovered
yegg – a burglar of safes
yerk – to draw tight; to bind
yappy – talkative, loquacious
yodel – sing with abrupt alternating changes between the normal voice and falsetto
yeuk – to itch
yex – to hiccup, belch or spit

And then, as I ate lunch yesterday, in marched the word ‘Yummy’ into my mind, and got reinforced with dinner.

This whole gassy situation has cramped my eating style. Gone are the days of eating irregularly and mindlessly. I now have to make sure my stomach doesn’t stay empty for long and that I eat healthy.

Considering my culinary skills and enthusiasm in the kitchen this was an uphill task. Something that boggled my mind so much that if asked ‘What shall we eat?’, my standard reply was curd rice (not that I’m a taair-sadam fan).

And that’s where the hero makes entry, he swaggers in and sweeps the damsel off her feet. 😀 Che did just that, he took it on and found the infamous khichidi, which in the last couple of weeks he has perfected. If it wasn’t as good as it is, I would have gotten bored of it much earlier.

But yeah, I’ve been getting bored, slowly and steadily my perkiness to the word ‘lunch’ has waned and my beeline to the kitchen has become a crawl.

So what does the hero do? He flicks his wand and finds new dishes I can eat. Yeah, you could say Che must have been bored too, but I like seeing him as hero. 😛

Photo Credit: Chenthil

Yesterday he made avial for lunch and adai for dinner. Ohh and did I enjoy it. They were both yum. Avial is one of my favourite veggie dishes, it not only has coconut milk but also tons of veggies. I could eat a bowlful just like that!

Adai, I don’t think I have ever eaten this before but I really liked it. Simple to make once the batter was given to me, it was a wholesome filling meal. And with the amount of ghee I was instructed to put, fattening too!

This post isn’t about me really, it’s about this man I married who does such an awesome job in the kitchen that I sometimes think I should just keep him there, if only he cleaned up as well as he cooked I might have. 😀 Che is so the opposite of me; I find cooking stressful and a chore but to him it’s therapeutic and fun.

Tasty is an important word to me, when it comes to food. I love eating different types of food but making it all, just isn’t my thing. Left to myself I’ll crib, curse, mop and then eat dal rice or curd rice rather then make something elaborate.

So, here’s my official thank you to Che for making my year ‘yummy’. 😛

Chenthil’s been away this week in Alleppey leading a Photography On The Move workshop and of course that meant a lot of quick simple food (simple = roti, curd & pickle) for me. Since he’s returning tomorrow I thought I’d try something special for him. Try it and tell what you think of it… or just ask him (@ChenthilMohan) 😀

Spicy Meaty Cheesy Cutlets

Ingredients –

5 potatoes
3 onions
2 green chillies
4 garlic cloves
1 inch ginger piece
1 tsp jeera powder (cumin)
½ tsp red chilly powder
½ tsp ginger garlic paste (optional)
1 cup powdered poha (beaten rice)
Salt to taste
½ cup boiled mince meat
Cheese slices
Wheat flour

Preparation –

Boil potatoes with a little salt. Peel and mash after cooling.

Grind onions, garlic, green chillies and ginger to fine paste.

Mix mashed potatoes and onion paste in a bowl with jeera power, red chilly powder, ginger garlic paste and mince meat. Once mixed well add the powdered poha to thicken the mixture. Add salt to taste.

Make four pieces out of each cheese slice and make big lemon size balls of the potato mixture.

Flatten each ball; add the cheese slice and fold sides in until cheese is covered uniformly. Flip the cutlet in flour and keep aside. Repeat for all balls. 😀

Shallow fry the cutlets in oil until golden brown.

Serve hot with mint sauce or tomato sauce.

Update: – Potatoes don’t always work well for holding in molten cheese. Using eggs or maida as a wrap will keep the cutlet well together. Beat eggs and flip the cutlets in it before frying or make a thin maida batter and dip cutlets in this before frying.

I hate cooking! Well, not really… I hate cooking regular food. My favourite dish in the world is Dal and Chaval (rice) but I hate cooking it and its varieties every day. I haven’t cooked in a while and have started to miss the kitchen now, so I decided to give the hubby a break and cook once a week (magnanimous isn’t it :D)

The challenge is to enjoy cooking in the true sense – feel the textures, savour the aromas and get all excited to see the outcome. To hold me down to my resolution, I’m posting it up here. As we go along I will share my experience and recipes too! 🙂

I’ve had a bad sensitive tooth this whole week and haven’t eaten much. I just kept getting tired of chewing in only one side of the mouth. I really did get tired! So this week’s recipe is…

Sweet & Spicy Carrot Soup with Bread Sticks

Ingredients –

5 Peeled Carrots
1 Tomato
10 Almonds
1 dry red chilly (or chilly flakes would do)
3 cloves Garlic
½ tsp. Ginger Garlic paste
1 tbsp. Butter
1 pinch Jeera
1 Maggie Magic soup cube
Pepper (corns and powder)
1 cup Milk
1 pinch Rock salt
Salt to taste
1 Bread loaf

Preparation –

Boil carrots and tomato in three cups of water with ginger garlic paste and a little salt. (two whistles should do it)

After the veggies cool, remove skin of tomato and blend the carrots & tomato to a puree. (save stock)

Grind almonds to a fine powder, add the chilly and grind again. Finally add garlic and grind again, it should form a paste. Do not add water while grinding.

Heat the butter (adding a few drops of oil before you add the butter will prevent it from burning), put in a pinch of jeera and a few pepper corns. Add the almond paste to the butter and sort well.

When you get the aroma of roasted almonds with a twinge of chilly, add the carrot-tomato puree.

Mix it well and sort for a bit. Add the remaining stock and the soup cube. Let the mixture cook for 5 minutes. The colour will lighten a bit.

Add pepper powder to taste with a pinch of rock salt. Add 1 cup milk and salt to taste. Let the soup simmer for 10 minutes.

Serve hot and garnish with celery or coriander.

For bread sticks – cut strips from bread slices. (I find it easier and cleaner to cut the slices before roasting.) Roast the slices in an open pan on slow flame. This takes a while but gives a great crispy texture.