About Me

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A food technologist by education, techno- commercial by profession and a foody at heart. Discovering and appreciating good food is my habit and experimenting with various flavors, and cooking techniques my passion! Food styling is my hobby and eating a favourite! Why this blog name? Because I always look for the green dot, because I am a vegetarian - no egg,no gelatin! I believe that you can find good food anywhere, sometimes at the places you least expect!I also believe that food is meant to be shared and its okay when you offer somebody your favourite food and secretly wish that he refuses so that you can have it all by yourself!Good food is omnipresent! You need to have the nose for it :)

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Tuesday, February 19, 2013

The olive bar and kitchen, Mehrauli


We went to The olive bar and kitchen , for our post valentine dinner. For us dining on the 14th was too commercial and hence we decided to do it later when the restaurants are a little more peaceful and much more attentive to your needs.
On way back from work, we decided to dine there. A quick call to the restaurant for table reservation was a put down as we were told they were completely sold out for the evening.
Being stubborn foodies, as we are, we decided to still give it a try. Fervently believing that they will have a table for two for an early dinner we headed straight.
Away from the hustle & bustle of the city the place has a definite charm to it.
It is just the perfect setting for a candle lit relaxed evening.
The ambiance is not too expensive, but simple yet very chic.
Even for an early dinner at 7:30 pm, there was quite a no. of people in the restaurant.
We were being served by a very polite and professionally trained server who neatly took instruction with special care to the details.
We ordered for a minestrone soup, a wood fired pizza with truffle essence, a mocktail avalanche and a pie with red currant sauce.
Our order was taking a little longer, so we were served freshly baked multigrain garlic bread and Pumpkin cappuccino. The pumpkin cappuccino was mediocre while the bread was the show winner.
A pestle & mortar was placed on our table which had some roasted tomatoes, onions, garlic, herbs and loads of olive oil was poured over it.
This was effortlessly accompanying the freshly baked bread.
We were next served the avalanche which had very subtle notes of fresh ginger root and mint. The drink was enough to last our meal.
Later, the soup was served in a fire and water proof paper cup over hot charcoals.


The presentation was enough to warm you up. Especially me being very fussy over the hot quotient, I had no complaints. Next to it were placed two huge soup bowls with some broken pasta, chopped vegetables and parmesan bread over the side.




 We quickly pour the hot soup over it and were lost in the great depth the soup had to offer.
Next came our pizza, which was also very nice except that the toppings were not very generous.
Anyway, we were already 80% full so reviewing anything when you are above 40% full, is a crime!
Although we were more than full after the pizza, we couldn't resist ordering for the freshly baked pie with red currant sauce.


It was simply divine. The presentation was superb and the taste was fantastic! It was a delightful experience and food definitely was outstanding!
PS: You may have to wait for unusually longer times for your orders, but it is worth the wait as you get everything freshly baked and not just reheated crap.


Tuesday, February 12, 2013

Firni

INGREDIENTS

Full Cream Milk : 1.5litres
Rice: 1/2 cup
Green cardamom powder: 1t
Jaggery (Grated) : 1/4 cup
Sugar : 1/2 cup
Almonds( Blanched, peeled & cut) : 1/2cup
Pistachios (Chopped): 1/2 cup
Raisins : 2-3T
Saffron: 8-10 strands
Rose Essence:  few drops (I used a capful of Roohafza)

Directions:

Now to make this, you need to start working a day before! Don't worry, just soaking the rice.
Soak the rice overnight. Grind them the next morning. They have to be a lil coarse and not a fine paste.
Soak saffron strands in cold milk before you start.
Take a heavy bottom pan. Heavy, because the rice now since ground, have a larger surface area and will release starch very quickly. This starch will start thickening the milk and may start burning at the base.
Bring milk to boil.Add cardamom powder. Slowly add the rice paste while constantly stirring. Stirring has to be very carefully and constantly done so as to avoid scorching especially at the base. In around 7-10 minutes, the mixture will thicken to 'coat a spoon' consistency. You will be able to make out the difference.  Quickly add jagggery and sugar, little at a time. You will need to taste it several times before you are able to decide the right sweetness.Remember, since the dessert is served chilled, the sweetness will decrease by almost 5-7%.
Remove from flame and add those few drops of rose essence (or roohafza) and saffron. Add the dried fruits, saving half the amount of pistachios for garnishing.
Pour into a traditional earthen pot and garnish with pistachios and refrigerate for a couple of hours.
Serve chilled!