Amrtisari cuisine as Dilli 32

Dilli 32 presents Amritsar on a platter  

As the first pit stop for the Grand Trunk Culinary Journey

at

The Leela Ambience Convention Hotel

Date: till 4^th March, 2016

Restaurant: Dilli 32, The Leela Ambience Convention Hotel 

Timings: 7:30 pm to 11:30 pm

Menu:  A la carte 

Indulge in the richness of authentic Amrtisari cuisine as Dilli 32, the Indian Cuisine restaurant at Leela Ambience Convention Hotel takes you on an on delightful culinary journey through the Grand Trunk Road. 

With the first stop as Amritsar, Dilli 32 has created a special menu and ambience that celebrates the traditional flavours of the city. Starting from February 19^th, 2016 the fun and indulgent festival will offer authentic Amritsari cuisine with delicacies like Fish Amritsari, Palak Paneer, Sarson da Saag and Makki di Roti, Mutton Chaap, Tandoori Kulcha and Chholeand many more dishes to choose from. End your meal on a decadent note with desserts like Gur kaHalwa, Balushahi, Pinni and more. 

Recreating the magic of Punjabi food and culture, their Chef de Cuisine, Ashwani Kumar Singh at Dilli 32 personally travelled to Amritsar to bring back the authentic flavours using the local spices and recipes to create this lip smacking menu. The food can also be paired perfectly with the finest range of spirits available at Dilli 32.

A celebration of authentic Amritsari cuisine, the fun and indulgent menu offered delicacies like Bhutteyan da Kebab, Multani Paneer Tikka, Tandoori Mahi Tikka, Lawrence Road de Taway de Tikke, Saag Ghosh, Mutton Chaap, Tandoori Kulcha and desserts like Gur ka Halwa, Balushahi, Pinni and more. 

The ambiance was based on punjabi dhaba theme with truck structure on one side. Punjabi aura was all over the place. The chef himself went to amritsar to bring the rich and aromatic flavours from royal kitchen of punjab to delhi. The food was very tasteful and we felt royal in terms of its ambiance and it's superior decorated service level.

There was so much to eat and to please our taste buds. Our favourite was sarso ka saag, makki ki roti , amritsari kulcha ,amritsari daal and their barf ka gola spiked with some tequila. We ended the day on a sweet note by having the best firni , gulab jamun , gur ka halwa and the delicious gajar ka halwa.

 

All we can say is don't eat anythjng for the whole day and save your appetite if you're going to Dilli 32 . the festival is going on here till 4th March so do not miss it.

 Eagerly waiting for their next festival.

- TAVISHI ARORA

LAUNCH OF CHATTER HOUSE, KHAN MARKET

Khan Market is a hub for people who loves food and fashion. A new addition in this gorgeous place is The Chatter House. It is also located in Nehru Place and their new restaurant is bigger and better. Below is our experience on the preview meetup of this place. 

Chatter House, Khan market is a place that stands on its own in a hub where there are so many bars and restaurants. A nice irish theme pub and has a classy ambience. The brick decor gives a British vibe, with ample seating area. As the name suggests the place is ideal for chit chatting. The walls have newspaper clippings with lyrics of Irish folk songs. 

The semi open terrace is the best spot to sit in because it is half covered with thick glass so we can sit there in summers too...

WHAT ALL WE HAD

In drinks we ordered Red Sangria which had right amount of alcohol in it .

 Watermelon Mojito and Amaretto sour were very refreshing and perfect for the weather. 

DETAILS ABOUT THE FOOD WE HAD

.In starters we had 'Garden in a bowl' , unique name isn't it? A fresh baby vegetable salad over smoked yoghurt , though the quantity was less but it is worth giving a try. Dahi Ke kababs were delectable and were soft enough that they melted in our mouths.

 Balls on fire, small meat balls simmered in tomato chipotle gravy , feta and smoked chilly tasted like heaven!

 Med prawns were cooked in orange gravy  finished with aged parmesan which was lip smacking. 

Chicken parmiggina , baked crumbled chicken , topped with Ham and mozarella served with fries and side salad was a yummy treat for our stomach. 

Chicken Chorizo Croquets , panko crumbed cheesy chicken chorizo served with paprika aioli is a must try!

 In the main course we had Blue cheese naan with pineapple on top was served with dal makhni shots , full marks to the presentation , also it had an amazing taste.

 And oh! how could i forget their burgers , the chicken steak burgers and fish steak burgers are to die for!

 The veg burger was equally delicious. Definitely they're serving the best burgers in town.

 The veg pizza had a thin crust and it will certainly please your taste buds. 

Mac and cheese was a heavenly dish and who doesn't love cheese?

 It's available in both with bacon and without , still drooling over it! 

 On the whole dining at chatter house, it was a marvellous experience and impeccable service made it better , definitely visiting it again .

- TAVISHI ARORA

The Art of Chocolate Making at Foodhall.

The Art of Chocolate Making with 

Chef Olivier Vincenot Corporate Chef Foodhall 

at Foodhall @ DLF Saket

New Delhi:  The ultimate gourmands paradise, Foodhall @ DLF Saket hosted a special chocolate making workshop with Chef Olivier Vincenot , Corporate Chef at Foodhall, who transported the attendees to the wonderland of fruit and nut chocolates. Chef Olivier, displayed his culinary skills and ensured a chocolatier out of everyone who attended this live demonstration.  

Chef Olivier, rustled some of the most delicious flavors of chocolates,Truffles Mocha: (Ganache), Fruits & nuts Mandian, Chocolate mousse and Chocolate almonds, to name a few of the sinful indulgence.

The event witnessed Chef Olivier Vincenot sharing his secrets and techniques of making perfect chocolate through various applications like tempering, moulding and decorating chocolates. The guests enjoyed themselves as they spent a fun afternoon honing the chocolatier in them. .

CHOCOLATE RECIPES:

Truffles Mocha: (Ganache)

Whipping cream 35%                      150 gr or 1/3 cup + 1 table spoon

Glucose syrup                                      12 gr or little less than 1 tea spoon

Dark chocolate 54%                         245 gr or 3/4 cup

Nescafe powder                                  9 gr or 1 tea spoon

Butter unsalted                                                  30 gr or 1 table spoon

Cocoa powder OR icing sugar to roll the truffles in.

Method:

Keep the butter at room temperature as well as being cut into small pieces.

Place the chocolate into a bowl.

In a sauce pan, place both the liquid cream and glucose and bring to the boil over medium heat; then pour over the chocolate.

Stir until the chocolate has fully melted and then add the butter, stir again until the butter has fully melted. The Ganache should have a shiny finish. Place in the fridge to set.

Using the finger roll in your hand a quantity of ganache to make a ball, usually marble size, and then roll the balls into either cocoa powder or icing sugar.

Chocolate mousse:

Caster sugar                       100 gr or 1/2 cup

Water                                     30 gr or Table spoon

Whole eggs                          90 gr or 3 No’s

Egg yolks                                60 gr or 2 No’s

Dark chocolate 70%         240 gr or 1 cup + 1 table spoon (Couverture chocolate)

Whipped cream 35%      320 gr or 1 cup + 1/4 cup (Elle&Vire)

Method:

Melt the chocolate over a bain-marie and keep warm aside. (36C to 40C degrees)

In a mixing bowl, whisk both whole eggs and yolks till slightly fluffy; while doing that also have the caster sugar and water come to 118C into a sauce pan over medium heat and pour over the whisked eggs; carry on whisking until the mix has cooled down. (Sabayon)

Whisk the whipping cream to a soft pick, and pour a fifth into the warm melted chocolate which at this stage should be removed from the bain-marie, mix together nicely.

Then fold in the sabayon into the chocolate until nicely mixed, do not beat, and fold in the whipped cream.

Pour the mousse into glasses, cup, and bowls and set in the fridge.

Can be decorated with fresh strawberries or any other fruits, or just cocoa powder, icing sugar, or even small heart made of icing.

LUCKNOWI FOOD FESTIVAL AT ZAFFRAN

Awadhi cuisine (Hindi: अवधी भोजन, Urdu: اودھی کھانا‎) is a cuisine native to the city of Lucknow, which is the capital of the state of Uttar Pradesh in Northern India. The cooking patterns of Lucknow are similar to those of Central Asia, the Middle East, and Northern India with the cuisine comprising both vegetarian and non-vegetarian dishes. The Awadh region has been greatly influenced by Mughal cooking techniques, and the cuisine of Lucknow bears similarities to those of Central Asia, Kashmir, Punjab and Hyderabad. The city is also known for its Nawabi foods.

- WIKIPEDIA

There is an ongoing Lucknowi Food Festival spanning over 45 days and it started on the 14th of February, a one of a kind festival to be held at Zaffran, Kasbah-N-2 

Greater Kailash-1.

This Lucknowi Food Festival brings out the authenticity and beauty of awadhi food and showcases the best delicacies of this cuisine. 

Had gone there to cover the festival few days back and here is my entire experience. 

First of all, Zaffran is a beautiful looking restaurant which serves some brilliant food. For the best dine in experience, one should surely visit this place. They have a wide range of dishes in their regular menu and most of those dishes are worth trying. 

We started off with some drinks, some cocktails and mocktails which were fresh and delicious. 

THE LUCKNOWI FOOD FESTIVAL

1. DUM AWADH BOTI

Mutton marinated in yoghurt and then cooked on tawa till its soft and just on point. The moment you dig in you realise how soft this is and then once it goes in your mouth, it melts. This dish provides justice to the festival because this is how dum awadh boti is supposed to be. Still drooling. 

2. VEG SHAMMI

The only kebab for the vegetarians were the shammi kebabs. They were so tender and soft that you had to be very careful while picking it up or else you'll break them. Vegetarian kebabs are not my thing but this one surely was delicious and worth a second try. 

Along with these, we also got Peshawari Roti which just completed the entire process of eating these two heavenly kebabs.

3. MUTTON AWADHI SEEKHS

Steward mutton seekh grilled with Qureshi Masala on the sikdi. 

These kebabs were so juicy and tender and were so delicious that I finished them all. I've had kebabs several times but this one surely won me over after the first bite itself. I am still wondering, how can something be so good? A question that can only be answered once you try them. Full Marks. 

4. KOI AWADH

This was chicken with bone cooked in a smooth saffron gravy and was a really delectable dish. The gravy was so good and the chicken pieces were really tender. The gravy was a little on the sweeter side but it was droolworthy for sure. 

For dessert, they had this cute little Nawabi Halwa which was milk and mawa halwa which had eggs in it and is a speciality of the awadh cuisine. It might not be very healthy but by taking one bite into this you will travel to some other world only. What a magical dessert it was. A must try.

We also tried some of the dishes from their regular menu...

Their vegetable Biryani and their Dum Gobhi was droolworthy. Also, their vegetarian kebab platter is worth trying.

WHAT MY PLATE LOOKED LIKE

Zaffran is one of the best fine dining restaurants i have ever been. 

Dont miss their lucknowi food festival. 

GOOD BYE ON A SWEET NOTE