Mumbai Food Bloggers Potluck! Chefs gone wild!

The Wasabi Canapes!

On the 30th by about 2 in the afternoon, some 19 odd people, Mumbai Food bloggers all, scattered over different parts of Mumbai were busy cooking up fantastic food with the united goal of sitting down to dinner with each other over those same dishes that night. It was the 5th Mumbai Food Bloggers meet, and the first ever Mumbai Food bloggers Pot luck! There is pleasure to be had in cooking for people you care about, but that pleasure intensifies multiple times over ,when you cook for food lovers. Things kicked off after most of us got there. We were about 30 mins late but it was ok. For once, the slashing Mumbai rains took a back seat. This was one food bloggers meet nobody was going to miss! 

It being the Monsoon I had chosen a theme of spices. Here is what we ate!

Kurush arrived and the party was in full swing!

APPETISERS

@Arpana  who is not only a food blogger (http://arpana-cooking-itsnotcomplicated.blogspot.com) but also the lady responsible in large part for this evening being part owner of of @Gostana. She kicked things off with some of Gostana's legendary garlic dip, followed by a fabulous Capsicum Chaat - in which batter fried strips of capsicum, were topped with hung yoghurt, chopped veggies and Cumin. Her choice of spice was Cumin. 

Also many, many thanks to Gostana for the awesome fish pickle. Love to Apple Gostana and thank you to Melroy and gang!

While she was bring those out, I was helping Pranav Kacholia of http://foodiegeek.blogspot.com assemble his fabulous FABULOUS Wasabi (his choice of spice) themed Canapes, he had baked the sesame rice crackers from scratch himself and then topped them with a Soy and Wasabi Mascarpone spread, Smoked Salmon slathered with Yuzu chilli paste and garnished it all with Nori. Really delicious (and you know why I was there helping him hehe) But seriously that appetiser or rather Amuse Bouche because calling it just an appetiser is doing it a no justice, really set the tone for the evening!

Helping Pranav spread the Yuzu Chilli paste on the Salmon (yes we were having fun assembling those canapes!)

Then the Smoked salmon was placed on cracker

Et Viola!

Tearing the Nori sheets and sprinkling them over (yes that is a little piece of Nori on that shoulder!) 

Jyotika Purwar and Vinda Dravid stood behind clicking pictures and then warming up with Nikhil Merchant's roasted bell pepper and tomato soup. 
So great of you to do the soup as well Nik, it truly hit the spot when our original soup person bowed out!

And by then Jyotika had taken the pictures she needed for the moment, so she decided to live up to her handle of Curryspice AKA Jyotika Purwar and plate up brilliant typically Agra style Aloo Tikkis stuffed with peas, green chilies, ginger topped with kachumber aromatic with Papas Magic Masala with a side of cilantro chutney and peanut garlic chutney. I was totally blown away, Jo, pls kiss your mums hands from me! Jyotika takes LOVELY pictures and blogs at http://followmyrecipe.blogspot.com. Go see!

Here is a link to Jyhotika' recipe for the Agra ki aloo tikki

Rohan of the blog http://foodnobar.blogspot.com arrived just in time dearing a delicious silky tangy dip. This was Rohan's first meet. I hope you had a good time Rohan! Rohan's blog is called http://foodnobar.blogspot.com. He believes "The best thing about writing about food is that you get to eat with your stomach and write from your heart." Just the way it should be! He does restaurant and bar reviews in and around Bombay.

And then I finally got to taste Sir knife's (Kalyan Karmakar of http://finelychopped-k.blogspot.com) Mediterranean Aubergine Salad. Kalyan's meat dishes are the stuff of dreams, and his Mediterranean salad was really delicious as well. Layers of aubergines, topped with a yoghurt dressing. If you want the recipe its here Mediterannean salad. Kalyan also brought a bring-you-to-your-knees delicious Pork dish with star anise and chilli - the recipe is here Asian Pork

Getting A Perfect Bite of Kalyan Karmakar's Asian Pork!

Jyotika, star photographer!

Gostana's Fish Pickle, This is fabulous stuff and available by order from Gostana!

A closer look at Kalyan's Pork!

I must apologise, my pictures of two starters just did not turn out well but we also had lovely Galuati Kababs from Sahil Jatana AKA @coffeenazi who you will read about later in this post and Sichuam Chicken from Madhumita of http://theinsomniaccook.blogspot.com

MAIN COURSE

We gave everyone a few minutes and then we brought out the Mains.

I started with my Star Anise and Orange scented baked Tofu over a chilled glass noodle salad. And I must confess I was terribly nervous about serving up both my dishes to this company of descerning foodies. The first Tofu dish, because it was Tofu and many people detest Tofu and the second, the lamb because being a Gujju, I have taught myself how to cook meat and I have only just perfected cooking lamb. That was the first time I was serving Lamb to guests who were connesiurs of meat and I was worried I might not have got it right. I had made a Baked Tofu in my signature Starsanise Coriander spice mix (with a Naga Chilli in it that day), orange peel, juice and honey untill it had crisped up at the edges. This I  layered over a chilled kaffir, star anise and garlic scented citrussy glass noodle salad. I also did Lamb that I slow cooked with Australian Pepperberries in my home made garlic chilli paste and vincotto sauce. Expectedly, the Tofu elicited a mixed response although everyone unanimously thought the lamb was good. Both dishes turned out memorably for me, I enjoyed cooking them so much. I will post them on my recipe blog soon for those interested.

Aneesh Bhasin's decadent White wine Risotto came to the table then, redolent of pepperoni, white wine and cheese! MMMM Delish! Aneesh is  a foodie but his first passion is wine. He blogs all things wine and fabulous photos at theconnoisseur.in.

Ankiet is another food blogger who came for the first time bearing some delicious Masoor Biryani. He blogs at  http://bellyovermind.wordpress.com

Then came Kurush F Dalal god of cooking all things meat, and caterer of FABULOUS food's Kid Gosht scented with Fennel seed. Kurush blogs about food and occaissionally archeology at Eats, shoots, digs http://eatsfeedsanddigs.blogspot.com

Sankarson Banerjee served up Hing Potatoes and Calcutta Muslim style Chicken Rezalla. Truly Truly scrumptious! Shanky writes illuminatingly on food at http://lotsafood.blogspot.com. If you love reading about meat, Indian dishes cheack out his erudite posts on Biryanis.

Then came Kurush F Dalal god of cooking all things meat, and caterer of FABULOUS food's Kid Gosht scented with Fennel seed. Kid Ghost is a Parsi dish in which Lamb is cooked in a white gravy untill it is tender and falling off the bone.

Shankys Hing Patatoes

And Nikhil Merchant brought out the dish of the day! Schiaffoni stuffed with whole pimento olives covered in spinach cottage cheese filling and doused with a creamy basil mustard sauce, served with a side of grilled seasonal herbed vegetables. Pasta in a creamy mustartd sauce! If you have not seen this mans blog, I urge you go soon! www.nonchalantgourmand.com it makes you want to cook!

Desserts

By the time we were done with the main caorses we were all groaning from eating. We did not think we could eat ANY more. One lot had already given up an retired to a corner to nurse drinks and smoke! But when Rhea's (of  http://euphorhea.blogspot.com) Paayesh made its appearance, space was made! In tummies and at the table! Suddenly everyone was galvanised and new energy coursed through the table. Her recipe is here! Rhea's Paayesh.

By the time Anisha's Chili Chocolate Molten Lava Cake arrived, everyone was all chrged up and a battle for it ensued between Kurush, Kalyan and Rhea. that turned into a full on brawl when Megha's (ofhttp://i2cook.wordpress.com)
  adorable cheesecakes with a plum sauce layered in jars were served up. They totally had us grabbing for them, with Kalyan actually climbing onto the table to get one! 

Aneesha is heading eatizens in Mumbai, for foodies of all stripes, you will find more information on that at the end of this post.

That turned into a full on brawl when Megha's adorable cheesecakes with a plum sauce layered in jars That had Kalyan actually climbing onto the table to get one!

And then when it was time to leave, Vinda Dravid  of http://www.lettuce-eat.info unvieled her contributions, spice flavoured sugars for all to take home! Here is her post on making them - Vinda's Flavoured Sugars

As she passed them around Sahil Jatana (who also got clove scented Galouti for starters), uncorked his flask of decoction and started pouring some delicious South Indian Filter Coffee. Sahil is the man behind Coffee Coach, Full Fabulous it was I say!

Seven years ago (give or take a bit) blogging was a solitary not really recognised activity, that earned a little interest occaissionally. I blogged because I loved push button publishing. The food scene in Mumbai was also getting along. Today both the Food blogging and Food scenes are just so exciting, Its lovely to be a part of this group. 

Gyaan and Links to some food related businesses of this collective!

Gostana is a Burger/Salad cafe located in Bandra, Mumbai, started with the intention to turn junk food into a healthy option.Its a great place to hang out, with fabulous positive enrgy and the beautiful Apple Gostana and. Fatima Villa, 29th Road, Pali Naka, Bandra (W), Mumbai - 400 050. Phone 022 6453 3359 info@gostana.com. 

Home made Mediterranean ingredients - i2cook run by Megha creates ingredients that inspire you 2 cook. They create their own special ingredients that taste different and also ensure you have all the ingredients you need to cook a dish. Pesto Sauce, Pasta Sauce, Granola Bars, Cheese spread, Cinnamon Spice Salad Dressing, Tahini Salad Dressing, Rosemary Salad Dressing and many more home made products. itoocook@gmail.com, http://i2cook.wordpress.com

Great Coffee and learning how to make it! For those who are into Coffee - Sahil Jatana AKA @thecoffeenazi on twitter is the Coffee Coach, and will guide you, answer your queries and give you all the details you need to make that great cuppa at home or in office with coffee making classes anywhere there is a coffee machine!  The Coffee Coach website (www.thecoffeecoach.in) will grow into  an online store for your coffee needs. Basic equipment, coffee powders (basic and gourmet), crockery, knick-knacks and so on. Better coffee is just one step away! Call Sahil on +91 98206 44926, Email: sj@thecoffeecoach.in

A meeting place for Mumbai Foodies! A lot of people have been writing in to ask about wether they can come to one of our food bloggers gatherings. While you need to be a food blogger that been blogging for a minimum of 6 months to join us I wanted to share news of Eatizens. This is a new platform for finding and creating awesome social food events, such as Home Meals, Cooking Classes and Supper Clubs that has recently launched in Mumbai. They promise to do everything, from theme dinners where you can show off your culinary skills, to pot lucks, where you sample other people's treasured treats.  They are in the process of building a community in Mumbai, so if you are a foodie you might want to go over and join up. It is being spearheaded by Anisha of the Chilli Chocolate cake above and to sign up go to http://eatizens.com and enter the following access code: http://eatizens.com/welcome/X7UR3ee. The access code you need to enter is X7UR3ee. Then look for all of us!

A brunch of mutual inspiration!

 

Its been a while since I have had a weekend like this to slow down, cook and be at home so I was looking forward to this weekend. I had planned to cook dinner for a few friends - a slow cooked lamb in my home made Vincotto, with one of Shekhar's breads and Tiramisu for dessert. But that did not work out. (Harry Potter was more appealing to that friend!) But then brunch worked out with some dear friends we'd been wanting to get together with for a while now. 

So instead of my usual Sunday activity of catching up with favourite TV programs, or a new book, (I like to  do my entertaining on Fridays and Saturdays, and just chill on Sundays)  I decided to cook up a storm!  And soon I was wondering why I had never done brunches before. They are so very convinient to do and offer so much opportunity for creativity. With the lines between breakfast and lunch getting blurred, I could serve eggs and potatoes, but also heavier stuff that would be inappropriate at breakfast. I  also wanted to stick to using things I had at home because I have been collecting a LOT of stuff off late to cook at a later day and it has been piling up!  Eggs were definitely on the menu and at first I thought of doing eggs to order with herbs or a layered Omlette casserole, but I did not have fresh herbs and other stuff I needed. So I homed in on  sn egg dish that was a cross between planned a menu keeping in mind what I already had lyiing around, which is why there is a colorful mix of kafir lime stuffed fish, Mexican Houvos Ransheros, German sausages, etc. Shekhar has been doing some fab breads and I finally got him his yeast as well so he went all out with baking two fabluous breads. It was a lovely morning and when we were done, and things had been cleared away he very neatly tied it up with one of his rare poetic lines, "if I was poetic I would say i hope we continue to inspire one another" Still have a goofy smile on my face!

While we were cooking Aman was setting up a game outside - His version of Age of Empires! (Bilkul baap pe gaya hai!)

Shekhar starts making bread with the dough he started last night.

The cheese is ready.

On it goes!

The Pepper

The Oregano

Then it gets all rolled up!

And sealed at the ends!

And dusted and left to rest!

The Chorizo Cheese Twist

And the Chorizo muscles its way out!

Oiled and glistening and ready to be baked!

The loaf cracks, the chorizo pops out and the oozy cheese follows!

Sliced up and beautiful!

up close and personal!

A thing of beauty should be appreciated from all sides!

Both the breads together!

My Hoevos Rancheros ready to go in the oven! A chunky oregano scented base of zuchini, onion and tomato went first in which I made little wells into which I cracked eggs, A little salt and pepper on sprinkled onto eggs. I then scattersd on cheese and baked the whole thing under foil till the eggs were set. Then I opened it to brown cheese.

Baked Hoevos Rancheros

Easy enough for weeknights and festive enough for weekend specials, make these in indivisual bowls for oomph.

1/3 c extra virgin olive oil

1 tbsp chilli flakes

2 cloves garlic finely chopped

6 sprigs fresh Oregano or 1 tbsp dry

5 onions finely chopped

1 Zuchini finely chopped

5 tomatoes finely chopped

1/3 c tomatoe puree

1/3 c cheese, grated (preferably parmiggiano reggiano)

5-6 eggs

2 tbsp coriander, finely chopped

Method

Heat oil in a pan on a low flame and add the garlic, chilli flakes and oregano. Stir to distribute flavours into oil. Add onions and stir to coat. Add zucchini and and sweat (not fry, just gently sweat). When soft Add tomatoes and allow to cook till any water has dried out and everything is tender, add salt and mix well, Check salt and adjust seasoning.  Once it is bubbling again add meat balls. Add cheese, lower flame and leave to simmer for 10 minutes. When done the sauce should be a beautiful red flecked with green because of the Zucchini and have thickened to a luscious consistency. Transfer to a baking dish and spread out evenly into a thick layer. Using a spoon, gently make 6 wells in the base. Crack 1 egg into each well. Sprinkle a little salt onto each egg, followed by pepper and sprinkle over with cheese. Cover with foil and bake for 10-15 minutes untill eggs are set. Uncover and return to oven for another 5-7 minutes to melt and brown cheese. Serve hot with crusty bread.

The Kafir lime fish ready to be cooked. This is Halwa fish, stuffed with a mix of coriander, dill, kafir lime leaf and garlic. I microwaved it for a bit and then finished it in the pan.

Herb-stuffed Fish
Ingredients
1/3 c EVOO or lemon infused EVOO
2 whole fish slit through the middle for stuffing. (I used Halwa, but Surmai (Kingfish) of Pomfret would also be great)
2 cups fresh herbs of your choice (I used dill and corriander in equal measures, 4 sprigs of kafir leaves)
2 green chillies
1/3 cup garlic
Juice of 1 Lemon
Sea salt
Lemon wedges to serve


Rinse the fish well and remove innards & scale if necessary. Pat dry with paper towels and rub the interior with sea salt and lime juice. Pound or blend herbs with chillies and garlic to make an aromatic paste. Add 1 tbsp olive oil and half the lemon juice to the herb paste and mix well. Stuff the body cavity of each fish with half the paste. Brush both sides of each fish with a generous amount of the EVOO and set aside. After 10 mins place in a glass dish, cover and cook in the microwave on high for 8-10 mins. Remove and finish on the frying pan so you have a nice crisp skin. Serve topped with a little fresh corriancer and lemon wedges.

The fish after cooking, served with a drizzle of EVOO, sea salt and wedges of lime. Was a total hit!

The eggs cooked!

Bread sliced up!

Yoghurt and sesame gratinated Potatoes (Time taken: 30 mins. Serves: 1)

2 pkts baby potatoes, washed and boiled with salt and very little water
1 c Tahina sauce OR 2/3 c yoghurt +1/3 c toasted sesame paste

1-2 green chillies, minced
3-4 cloves garlic

1 tsp oil
Salt 

Combine tahina OR yoghurt and toasted sesame paste, garlic and green chilies in a bowl and mix well until incorporated. (You should end up with a batter the consistency of dosa batter so add a little milk if it is too thick). Set aside. Place a non stick frying pan on a medium flame and brush with oil. Slice the boiled baby potatoes into halves arrange in a single layer in the frying pan as you slice. Spoon the Tahini mix over the potatoes so everything is evenly covered. Raise flame to high and allow cook until the moisture has completely evaporated (about 10 minutes. Alternatively bake it in the oven till the moisture has dried out and potatoes are golden and crusty.  Serve with toothpicks. 

Chicken sausages for the kids!

Though they preferred the Wrustel! (Aaj kal ke bachche!)