Presepolis ...For a little taste of Persia

I have recently become obsessed with Middle Eastern & Persian food ......Lebanese, Turkish( ok I know Turkey is not a middle eastern but a European country ), Morrocan food!

 They all seem to have a common focus ......exotic and fresh ingredients ....lots of dry fruits, nuts , spices , sea food , colorful dips , honey .....the best olives and olive oil and just about everything pickled .....

Juicy kebabs moist and tender served on beds of aromatic rice with fragrant mint and cool slices of cucumber and tomatoes ....

And let me not even start about the dessert and pastries they are a work of art! Flaky Baklava drenched in sugar syrup dates stuffed with almonds .....fragrant cakes soaked in orange blossom water.....so many cookies all gently dusted with magical green pistachio powder!

So to learn more about the food and ways of Persia I decided to visit a corner shop in London called Presipolis ...it was voted as one of Londons best shops by Time Out!

Its not just any corner shop it has so much character and makes u feel like u went on a little holiday to Iran ....you can find just about everything you need here from cooking ingredients to cooking equipment to Backgammon boards ( a sort of board game )....to drums and fancy Iranian crystal ware and Hookas , evil eyes....hell even a Persian Broom...dont ask me how its different from any other regular broom :))

So let me take you with me and show you everything I saw .....

Tins filled with Iranian sweets

Gaz - Persian Nougat

Persian Broom - Jahroo ....thats what its called :))

                                     

Falooda 

Books section

Dry Fruits 

And some more dry fruits ....they really love their dries fruit in Iran 

Backgammon Boards to while away afternoons while sipping on sickeningly sweet mint tea

Tea ...a huge variety of Gun powder tea used to make traditional  Mint Tea

Umm......cookies!

More cookies....

Fillo Pastry dessert

Gaz and Tulip bulbs 

Assorted Persian Sweets 

Individual serve Baby Stock Pots ....

Fantastic selection of Olive Oil

Odds & Ends 

Safed Mahie - Mahi Mahi fish cured and dried enjoyed as a delicacy after its scaled and steamed on special occasions like weddings etc

Bread- Lavaash & Taftoon 

The treats I came home with for the husband ...okay not really.......... all for me he dosent like anything sweet! Good for me I dont like sharing my food anyway!!

Pistachio Baklava ....layer after layer of perfect flaky pastry stuffed till it bursts with pistachios and then soaked in sugar syrup.....pure genius whoever came up with this!

:))
Stay Tuned for more!!






                                                                                                                                                                                                                                     

Vegetable Crisps!

I love snacking between meals and an evening snack is absolutely essential ....else im cranky all the way up until dinner :)

So I got thinking and decided to try something healthy and I was AMAZED by the results .....none of this looks very appetizing.....but it tastes sooooooo goood!

WARNING : both the brinjal and the spinach crisps are addictive ....

Fix yourself a LARGE batch and enjoy guilt-free!! Hurray for  healthy AND finger- licking good food!

Spinach Leaves ...ready to go into the oven

Spinach Crisps

Handful of baby/regular spinach leaves washed and dried well with a kitchen tissue

Salt , pepper , Italian seasoning 

2-3 drops of olive oil

Line your baking tray with parchment paper ...this makes it easier to take out the crisps when done. I dint have any so skipped it!

Place spinach leaves in the tray ....add 2-4 drops of olive oil and toss to cover every leaf somewhat with a little oil.

Dont overdo the oil else leaves will get soggy and not crisp up!

Season to your taste!

Place in oven at 180 degree Celsius for about 8-12 minutes.....this really depends on your oven so after 8 minutes keep an eye on your tray.

And they are ready to eat! :)

Remove from oven and enjoy!!  

Brinjal Crisps

Medium size Brinjal - wash dry and then cut into rounds

Salt, pepper , Italian seasoning

2-5 drops of olive oil

Parmesan cheese grated to make it sinful

Garlic - 2-3 cloves cut or made into a paste

In a baking tray mix everything together apart from the cheese.

Add that in the last on top.

Leave to bake in an oven at 180 deg. Celsius for about 15 odd minutes or more till brinjal is crisp n wilted....really depends on your oven keep an eye on your tray after 10 minutes !

Remove from oven and enjoy right away

Perfect accompaniment /started to an Italian home cooked meal or just as a snack by itself!

London

Sushiandcuttingchai is in London! That also explains why I have been missing in action ........

I love experimenting with my food....and what city in the world is better than London......its a true melting pot
with a bustling food scene....  

So I have been eating , shopping and wandering around this beautiful city....going to

food markets with an astounding variety of global foods....sampling cheese and brilliant olive oil....

truffles and lovely fresh baked breads.....

I leave you with a few pictures at the moment of where Iv been and what Iv seen...in the
meanwhile ill get used to the cold and working in my tiny London apartment kitchen  

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Malwani Naka Pune

Malwani Naka is a small little restaurant in Sadashiv Peth  where you get authentic Malwani food at very pocket friendly prices. 

Fresh sea food ...prepared the authntic Malvani way with friendly staff thats always willing to help! 

This is my new most favourite place to eat sea food ...the other place being Fish Curry Rice that I have written about before.

 Malwan is a coastal  town in the Sindhudurg district  of Maharashtra.

Malvan  has its own distinct way of cooking food. Malwani cuisine uses coconut liberally in various forms . 

Many dishes also use kokum, dried kokam (amsul), tamarind, and raw mango (kairi).

 At Malwani Naka you will be served with dishes which are identity of Malwan like Bangda Curry, Fish Fry (shallow fried) in rice flour, Kombdi Wade, Kalya watanyachi Ussal etc.

Rice Flour Roti & Regular Chapati 

Kolambi Bhat ( Prawns Rice Rs 160/) Malvani chicken Masala (Rs70 ) Malvani Mutton Masala (Rs 90)

What I have featured above are some of my most favourite things to order at Malvani Naka . You can also try their Fish frys and basically anything off the menu. Everything is great and reasonably priced

Malvani Naka 

020-65293970

767, Kumthekar Road, Near New Sweet Home, Sadashiv Peth, Pune

Near Sharmili Chowk

Sagar Methi/ Bombay methi

For years Iv walked past vegetable vendors selling this queer looking vegetable and wondered what it could be!

Finally this year I stopped and asked the gentleman what he was selling and how its cooked! He told me its called sagar methi and that it grows inside the samundar ...under the sea ( I highly doubt that) ....and that its very popular all along coastal Maharashtra & Goa specially during the winter months ...and that it tastes amazing...and has several health benefits

So ofcourse the adventurous eater that I am I bought some and was I glad I did!!! This is like a mini power packed version of methi.....its sprouted baby methi and it has a very strong bitter methi taste which is amazing it goes so well with the fresh coconut and lemon juice that this recipe calls for......

Heres what you need to do:


Its not really a recipe you just need to trust your instincts....

Wash the bundles really well....

This is what you need for the recipe

Fresh grated coconut
Sagar methi
Garlic chives along with greens or regular garlic
Green Chillies
Lemon juice
Salt
Oil

Make a paste of the garlic and green chilies.

Heat oil ....add the above paste along with the greens of the garlic chives and one chopped onion

When everything is a little brown and cooked add the washed and cut sagar methi.

Add salt. Let it cook for 5-10 minutes .

Then add fresh grated coconut. Let it cook for another 5-7 minutes.


In the end add a generous squeeze of lemon juice ....this cuts out the bitterness of the methi.

Serve hot!

Chocolate Walnut Fudge Happy New Year 2013

I love all desserts that have chocolate as an ingredient ....hell.... I think I just like all desserts with or without chocolate  **giggles**

But chocolate fudge holds a very special place in my heart.....it always reminds me of Lonavla ....I remember so many drives to Lonavla where my only motivation to go was the box of chocolate fudge Id get back from Lonavla....

I remember buying only one box since in my head im always on a diet and thinking okay ill eat one piece the rest ill share with my sister , parents and friends back home ....and I have ALWAYS finished everything on the drive back and thrown the empty box out of the car window .....

So I decided Id rather make this at home and that way atleast everyone around will get to sample some!

This was my first attempt at making any sort of fudge! I was very pleased with the results and this took just 5 minutes to put together .....

Thats fabulous and also very dangerous for a sugar-addict like me!

Anyway to the recipe now

Walnut Chocolate Fudge 

Server 4 

Condensed Milk - 100 g ( I used Nestle sweetened condensed milk)

Chocolate - 120-125 g chopped roughly

Butter - 25 g ( I used salted Amul)

Walnuts - a fistful chopped

Add everything except the walnuts to a microwave safe bowl . Put inside the microwave for 2-3 minutes .....bring out the bowl after every minute and stir ...this ensures uniform melting and temperature rise!

At the end of 2-3 minutes you should have a homogeneous chocolate like mixture ....

Stir in the walnuts. 

Line a tray with butter paper . Pour fudge into the tray. Leave at room temperature for 20 minutes .

Then refrigerate for 2 hours . 

Bring out slice ...stuff your face with fudgey goodness ....Dont forget to share :)))

Murg Sabz Bahar

When I get bored of my normal run of the mill chicken curry ....this is what I turn to.

Good way to get in a lot of greens for someone like me who normally would never eat palak, methi as vegetables by themselves ....

Murg Sabz Bahar 

Serves 3

Chicken - 500 g (with bone)
3 tbsp oil
2 tbsp ginger garlic paste
3 medium onions ground

Marinade 

1 cup thick curd
1 cup chopped fresh coriander leaves
0.5 cups chopped spinach leaves
3 tablespoons chopped fresh fenugreek leaves 
2 tablespoons mint leaves chopped
6 green chillies chopped
1 teaspoon garam masala powder
1/2 teaspoon red chilli powder
1/4 teaspoon turmeric powder 
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon dhaniya powder (coriander powder)


Blend all ingredients listed under marinade till smooth.

Marinate chicken for 2-6 hours in the refrigerator.

Heat oil , add ginger garlic and ground onions ....cook till lightly browned .

Now add chicken with all the marinade.

Cover and cook on low heat till chicken is tender and the oil appears on top. Around 25-30 minutes

Garnish with white butter. Lots of it :)