Fish Curry Rice

I like  love sea -food . I could eat fish curry for breakfast , crabs for lunch and prawn pulao for dinner! You get the picture Im sure :)

 And all the research in recent years only furthers my love for all things fishy!

 "Seafood is likely the single most important food one can consume for good health " read about the entire research done at   Harvard School of Public Health  here 

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2006/10/061018094758.htm

Omega 3 fatty acids found in sea food cuts down your risk of heart disease, helps in early brain development ,Okay ,thats only for infants not for me...... Gives you great skin , hair and nails so its still a good thing for me also!

There have been times when I have been tempted to drive to Goa just so I could get fresh crabs and tisrya masala.

Somehow I just never liked the sort of sea food served at restaurants in Pune and I have eaten at them all trust you me!

So , the other day this friend of mine from Bombay , yes for me it will always be Bombay , suggested this little place in Narayan Peth!I had my doubts , I was a little nervous , Abhishek is a little picky about where he eats and I have taken him to some real wierd places where they serve real wierd food and then he goes on about it for the next million years......anyway so I had my fingers crossed!

And is this place awsome or what??

For all sea food lovers in Pune ...this is IT!Now we wont need to drive to Bombay or Goa just to eat !Its a simple sort of place with awesome sort of food .........

The man behind it all Sandesh Bhat , by far hes the friendliest restraunteur  I have met in all my years ! He is always around ....always smiling , always ready to chat and always ready to tell you about the specials of the day !Sandesh has put in time at the kitchens in Taj and Oberoi in Bombay and started this restaurant in Poona 2 years ago......

No surprise then that he has huge bunch of very loyal customers , people from bombay and far and wide drop in because this place serves some seriously good food!So this is what we ate ....... 

Surmai Fry

The yummist ever Coconut Garlic Chutney 

Solkadi 

Prawn Curry Masala with "Tandudchi Bhakri " - Roti made out of rice flour :))

This place is amazing because it has 20 odd curries so every fish has its own very distinct very flavorful curry ...apart from prawn /surmai/pomfret/bangda fish curry even chicken sukha masala is amazing so is the mutton on offer here ........

The various curries at this place 

And vegetarians need not feel left out this place makes some great palak corn and other sabzis .....they have a cyclic vegetarian menu so its different food everyday of the week!

Some of the Konkani vegetarian dishes on offer......

On special days theres also prawn pulao thats to die for!

So  I hope you like this place as much as I do :))

Fish Curry Rice
Next to Kanya Pathshala
Narayan Peth
Pune
# 9011010102
Its a good idea to call before you go because they are closed on mondays and also on Sankashti which is on a different day every month!

Delhi Kitchen

The air heavy with fragrant spices mixing with smoke emanating from the tandoor its easy to follow the aromas all the way to Delhi Kitchen as it stands tucked away behind over grown bamboo trees.Delhi Kitchen is everything it claims to be – your best bet for Delhi style food in Pune.

It’s a place a lot of people discover in their student days when pockets are light but appetites are huge and they continue to come back even after their student days are over. Its a small little joint not very old but very popular .
Basic plastic chairs and tables , but the food is great comes to your table fast and hot and the staff has a smile on their faces – I guess that’s what one needs every once in a while.
Clearly the food is the winner at this place . What is strongly recommended are the succulent , perfectly spiced Pahadi kebabs( Rs 100) served with a generous sprinkling of chaat masala , just a crack of pepper and near perfect sliced onions.

For the main course there are phulkas that come to your table steaming hot ready to mop up flavourful curries I recommend everything on the menu right from Palak Paneer (Rs 60) to Chicken Adraki (Rs 90) .

Desserts on offer range from hot and soft gulabjamuns (Rs 30) that are just like those nanima made at home and chilled creamy kheer (Rs 30). Desserts run out pretty soon so you may not be lucky always.
Delhi kitchen is an honest place with honest prices and generous portion sizes with a great offering for both vegetarians and non-vegetarians. People who mind eating in modest settings have the option of taking away.
All in all it’s a must try for anyone who appreciates home style North –Indian fare.
Delhi Kitchen
Kotbagi Hospital Lane
Aundh , Pune

Cutting Chai - My way

 

Remember when you were young and you really wanted to grow up and do grown up things ....I remember that feeling and also remember throwing a tantrum every time mom said I couldnt have tea because tea was for grown ups and not for 7 year olds like me.

So after repeated performances of throwing my head back falling on the floor and kicking my legs all round I guess my mother got sick of me and decided to fix this once and for all !

She did give me tea but as you will discover in a bit there are no tea leaves in this recipe ...its more like a herbal infusion and boy did it make me feel good and grown up and responsible and prim and proper all at once :))



Growing up in Dehradoon this herbal infusion had many benefits .....ofcourse it prevented me from embarrassing my mother in front of her friends - all she had to do when tea was served was to tell me that I could go home and have my very own cup of grown up "tea", so I dint need to do my very special performance:)) !Winters were cold in Doon and while growing up cough and cold were dear friends of mine......so this herbal "tea" helped soothe sore throats as well!

To this day I dont drink tea or coffee ....I think my "tea" tastes better than the real deal .....

So today I thought I'd steal a little time for myself and stop and do something I havent done in a long time...call an old school friend I havent spoken to in 10 years and make me a cup of tea my way!




Hearbal "Tea"


Basil leaves
Mint
1" piece of cinnamom
2 cloves
2 whole pepper corns
1 green cardamom
Lemon grass leaves/ stalks
Honey


Combine all of the above with water . Boil for 5- 7 minutes . Strain. Sweeten with honey.

Did I mention brewing this will make your kitchen smell like lemon grassy- cinammony heaven! 

A big Warm Welcome!