Treats from Uttarakhand

So, it was my b’day this month and as a birthday gift, my parents whisked me away for a weekend holiday to Mussoorie this time. Now, I have been to Mussoorie before and I spent the time shopping with friends. This time, it was different. I was going with the aim of discovering some treats that Mussoorie had to offer (and it does have some hidden in the crazy Kurli Bazaar on The Mall Road).

First off, we had to have my b’day celebration meal, as customary in my family, and we did a little research on recommended restaurants and went to The Tavern. The entrance is not very noticeable and hence we almost went crazy looking for it; however, since it’s a well-known restaurant, as we discovered, it’s simpler asking for directions from just about anybody on the street.

The Tavern, Kurli Bazaar, Mussoorie

Once there, we found the place warm, welcoming, and with decent décor. My hunger (plus the beautiful cold and wet weather) made me make a rare decision of ordering soup. The roasted garlic and chicken soup was perfectly flavored, which made me look forward to the rest of the order from their very limited menu. We decided on Chinese cuisine. The Crispy Sesame Prawns in Sweet and Sour Sauce was too sweet, just like the American Chopsuey, both of which were dampeners, Chengdu Chicken Schezwan with Pepper Sauce was nice with subtle flavor of peppercorn and went well with the Mixed Sea Food Fried Rice. The overall experience was, well, quite vague. I left with mixed feelings. I guess this was one of the places where good- and bad-food cancel eachother out.

The more interesting parts of this food trip were to hunt down two particular shops in Kurli Bazaar: Chick Chocolate and Casa Mia. Both these shops are located very close to eachother and so if you find one, look around for the other. I found Chick Chocolate first and I went in with the determination of walking out with their homemade chocolate. Just in case you are wondering why I had to “force” myself to buy chocolates, it’s because I do not particularly like chocolate (surprise!). I might willingly eat some only once in a while. Second, most homemade chocolates have a greasy feel to it that tends to stick to the tongue and throat for a long time and it’s an uncomfortable sensation for me. Anyway, moving on, it’s a fairly big shop, when you compare it with other shops in the Bazaar, with visual treats all around. I found Chilli Chocolates the most interesting in the entire list and took 100 g (minimum order) for Rs. 110. I couldn’t resist a bite and was surprised to note that the chocolate looked great and tasted non-greasy, I was happy. And then I choked a little when the flavor of chilli bit my mouth and hit the back of my throat. This I found very interesting. I immediately thought of how well it would go with some plain vanilla ice-cream. I saved some to try it back at home.

Chick Chocolate - Yup, that's an actual chocolate on the packet it came in

 

Casa Mia is a tiny shop with their display counter of baked goodies good enough to catch your attention in case you don’t notice their well-displayed board. They are famous for their rolls and pastries, by the way. With a sample of chocolate walnut brownie, chocolate brownie, strawberry roll, and blueberry cheesecake, I left the shop, a happy soul. Every item I bought was fresh and good. I liked that nothing was too sweet and the chocolate brownies did not have an overpowering flavor of chocolate, which, well, on hindsight, may not please chocoholics. I would definitely recommend a visit to both shops and hope to hear from others on how they found other items that they might have tried.

Landour

We managed to squeeze in a trip to Landour, which is mere 4 kms further up from Mussoorie. I was quite surprised to see my father easily guiding our driver through the roads till I learnt that he was there for 2 months for an army course in 1989 and, apparently, nothing much has changed since then! This is also where Ruskin Bond, the writer, lives and I could understand why. I wanted to quit my job right that moment and live in this untouched corner of India as well.

Our time constraint (we were headed back to Delhi soon after) meant that visiting the churches, cemetery and Landour Language School, etc. had to wait for equally interesting stops that I insisted we had to make---yes, throwing a small tantrum did help. Thus, we headed for Sister’s Bazaar. The interesting name comes from its history. Sisters Bazaar is named after the Nuns who served as nurses in the British dormitory present in this area. Contrary to the term “bazaar," this area is a residential colony with old cottages and a few shops spread across. This place is also famous for the famous personalities who live(d) here are, more prominently, Dev Anand, Tom Alter and Victor Banerjee. I, however, went there looking for Prakash Brothers Store, a quaint-looking store that sells delicious confectionery. Once inside, it’s like a treasure cove. From imported kitchen utilities, to homemade jams, bottles of spice and imported cheese and chocolates…and all goods barely managing to stay put in their place. The store owner recommended that we pick some preserves and so we did---1 bottle strawberry preserve and 1 apricot preserve. I thought I was done shopping till I spotted freshly baked loaves of bread and picked up a loaf of cinnamon bread. The bread had a mild flavor of cinnamon and I had to resist the urge to dress it up like they do at Cinnabon stores but I opted for toasting the bread with a light dab of butter. Yum!

Cinnamon Bread from Prakash Brothers Store, Landour

About 0.5 kms away from Sister’s Bazaar, and on the way back to Mussoorie, lies Char Dukaan (literal translation, Four Shops) that are basically 4-5 tea stalls together. It was a good thing that it was close of lunch time and my parents equally enthusiastic about trying the waffles and pancakes that a friend told I “must not leave” without trying. Thus, our lunch comprised freshly made tea, cinnamon waffles, banana waffles and apple pancake served with a bottle each of chocolate and maple syrup at our table. While the cinnamon waffle was a tad doughy and flavorless, the other two items did not disappoint at all. I wouldn’t have minded stopping at Char Dukaan for a hearty breakfast of huge and thick pancake or the warm waffles every now and then like Ruskin Bond has been doing for few decades.

One of the "Char Dukaan" at Char Dukaan, Landour

Cinnamon Waffles at Char Dukaan, Landour

All the best trying to resist feeding these cutie patooties

With belly full and happy heart, I headed back to Delhi. I am already looking forward to going back to the Landour and the idealistic life it represents. Hopefully, I return the next time during the season and go walking through the lonely gorgeous roads that smell of pine and stop every now and then for a quick bite and garam chai in shops like those in Char Dukaan.

Nagarjuna, Residency Road, Bangalore

I was dragged into yet another South Indian Restaurant by my friends when I was in Bangalore. Guided by a friend who had stayed in Bangalore for 2 months years ago, we landed up at Nagarjuna at Residency Road, Bangalore. The looks of the place didn’t do much to whet my appetite but in the spirit of trying new places, I went in with a prayer.

In the dreary settings of the restaurant, the 4 of us ended up ordering the following:

Chicken biryani

Mutton biryani

Prawns pepper fry

Chicken chilli

Chicken ghee roast

Prawns curry

Appams

The 5^th friend stuck to his Punjabi tastes and ordered half-plate tandoori chicken, which, as expected from a south-based south Indian restaurant , was quite average.

The girls (2 of us) decided to share 1 small plate of chicken biryani in order to taste a bit of everything else and we could not even finish it together! This is despite of it being fairly nice. When I taste biryani, I am biased...I do tend to compare biryanis with the one I had at Shadab at Charminaar, Hyderabad, which to date is the best-est biryani I have ever eaten. The mutton biryani here, was a tad better than the chicken biryani, according to me. The Chicken chilli was unlike anything I’ve had before (and I am not saying it in a good way). The chicken seemed to be simply boiled and served with a dollop of spicy green curry. The chilli does hit the back of the throat but other than trying it once, I would not want to have it again. Chicken ghee roast was even worse. The chicken comes swimming in oil (I suspect that there was no ghee in the dish) and coated in a strange red curry that was determined to not impart its flavor to the chicken. We chose not to finish the dish. The prawns pepper fry, however, was out of the world! We ordered and re-ordered the dish till they ran out of Tiger prawns. I guessed that it was their most popular dish on the menu. Still greedy for more, we ordered their prawns curry and appams, which was offered nothing memorable. The best part of the restaurant (apart from the prawn pepper fry) is the bill. After stuffing ourselves with enough food that made us want to walk nearly 2 kms just to feel a little comfortable, we shelled out Rs. 375 per person.

Note: From other online reviews, I learnt that the branch Residency Road is the best. I shudder to think what is being served to those who unwittingly choose to go to another branch.

Sarvana Bhavan, Janpath, CP, New Delhi

This comes as shock to most people that despite being a malayalee, I am not a fan of south Indian cuisine. Since my mother had spent a good part of her growing up years abroad and my father growing up in Haryana, we always had a wide variety of cuisine at our dining table. Rogan Ghosht one day, lasagna the next and aviyal and olan the day after; so, no, my dislike for south Indian food had nothing to do with ennui of eating the same/similar things day-in and day-out. And it does quite put off my mood when my north Indian friends decide that they all want to have south Indian (south Indian food is limited to idli and dosa for most North Indians). There is one place that I go occasionally and willingly and that is Sarvana Bhavan, Janpath, Connaught Place, Delhi. The proximity of this place to my office always makes it a good option for a quick bite and food is almost always really good. Like most south Indian restaurants, this place is NOT meant for dining leisurely. Sure, nobody is going to fling you out if you are waiting for your meal or for the bill but there is always an undercurrent of hurried business. It’s a place you eat and leave and if you want pretty décor, go eat elsewhere.

It may be that the Tamilian cooking appeals to my senses a bit more than Malayalee, but one can order almost anything from the menu sans fear. My favorite, however, is the Onion Rawa Masala Dosa *slurp* that teams up very well with the dhaniya, tomato and coconut chutneys they serve along with sambhar. The only item that appalled me was the dahi vada. The dahi vada they serve is sweet and not salty like it is in other parts of the country. I initially thought they got the wrong order but the “replaced” order tasted exactly the same :(

A tradition that most people who stop for a meal here follow is to end their meal with a nice cup of filter coffee…served in a small metal tumbler on a small metal bowl. For those who are not aware of why it is being served so, one is supposed to pour a bit of the sugar-less, piping hot coffee into the bowl, add sugar and then pour it into the glass and back to the bowl and then back again to the cup till the sugar dissolves. It’s an experience that most of my colleagues from other countries find fascinating and happily practice on their second trip to Sarvana Bhavan (see proof below).

Ok, I’ll admit. I agree to eat there just so that I get to play with my yummy coffee later. Judging by the behaviour of those around me and by the fact that I don't really mind the food there, I suppose others would love to eat there for some south India "fast" food. For approx. INR 200 for a  nice filling meal for 2, it is a deal you don't want to miss.

Spicy Andhra Mutton Curry

Now that my mom is more confident about my cooking skills (Yay!), I was "volunteered" to cook mutton last night. For some reason, against my natural inclination, I found myself craving for some spicy curry...and so was my dad. The result was some Andhra Mutton Curry, which was inspired by Sanjeev Kapoor's recipe but altered a little to make it a little more spicier. And though the curry was really good, I think it lacked the punch of chillies that is so typical of Andhra food. However, those who are not very comfortable with chillies and are yet feeling a little brave, this dish would serve them beautifully. Here is how it goes:

Cooking Time: 15-20 minutes
Servings: 4

Preparation Time: 20-30 minutes

1.    Mutton,1/2 cm cubes      - 500 gram

2.    Salt - to taste

3.    Turmeric powder - 1/4 teaspoon

4.    Poppy seeds (khuskhus/posto) - 1 teaspoon

5.    Fennel seeds (saunf) - 1/2 teaspoon

6.    Peppercorns - 6

7.    Coriander seeds - 1 teaspoon

8.    Cumin seeds  - 1 teaspoon

9.    Cinnamon - 1 inch piece

10.    Clove  -    5

11.    Green cardamom - 3

12.    Vegetable oil - 4 tablespoon

13.    Curry leaves  -10

14.    Onion ,chopped  - 3 medium

15.    Ginger-garlic paste – 1 and 1/2 teaspoon

16.    Red chilli powder - 1/2 teaspoon

17.    Black pepper powder  - 2 teaspoon

18.    Tomato,chopped  - 1 large

19.    Fresh coriander leaves, chopped  - 1/2 tablespoon (for garnish)

Method

I had pre-marinated the mutton in vinegar the previous night to cut down the cooking time. Pressure cook mutton pieces with two cups of water, salt and turmeric powder for 1 whistle and let it simmer for 5 more minutes. (If your mutton is not pre-marinated, Sanjeev suggests that you cook it for 6 whistles.) Open the lid when the pressure reduces, drain and reserve the cooking liquor. Dry roast poppy seeds, fennel seeds, black peppercorns, coriander seeds, cumin seeds, cinnamon, cloves and green cardamoms. Cool and grind to a fine powder. Heat oil in kadai (wok). Add curry leaves and onions. Sauté till the onions are brown. Add ginger-garlic paste, red chilli powder and half the black pepper powder and sauté for a minute. Add tomato and mutton pieces, cook on high heat till the tomato is soft. Add salt and the spice powder and simmer for five minutes. Add the reserved cooking liquor and bring to a boil. Simmer till all the mutton pieces get well coated with thick gravy. Add the remaining black pepper powder and stir well. Garnish with coriander leaves and serve hot.