Family Diwali lunch @ Suruchi..............By Kirti Pataskar

Its been already a week of Diwali celebrations and sumptuous Diwali snacks.Being  maharashtrian,I believe in making home made Diwali snacks and enjoy preparing them at home.Eventually,It has also remained a practice since last few years in our house,that we treat our close and extended relatives on one the four days of Diwali.We take them in some nearby vegetarian restaurants and have our gastronomic experience fulfilled there.This time we decided to take them to Suruchi,in Thakur complex,Kandivali east(it is where I stay) for two reasons..One  for being one of the closest  venue from our residence and secondly,this tiny restaurant has a not-so-common advantage i.e. u get excellent gehu ki roti (wheat flour Chapati).Ghee laden ,thick,hot wheat flat breads come to your plate and melts in your mouth.It also makes easy for small children in the family to enjoy their meals which otherwise is an arduous task.This restaurant is near from Thakur complex main circle.It has a mediocre space and there two sections air-conditioned and non air conditioned.In non AC section there is also a platform of pavbhaji center where you can watch pav bhaji taking shape live.This is one of the oldest restaurants in thakur complex.They have recently renovated the place with some nice wall papers and other interiors.

We decided  to reserve a table for 15 in advance with the restaurant manager a day earlier but he assured us that he will easily accomodate 15 guests in his AC section and that we need not reserve a day before.The meals were undoubtedly three course meals.so it bagan with tomato soup,mushroom soup and sweet corn soup.All three soups were extra ordinarily good and left no scope for complaints.

Mushroom soup

Tomato soup unlike others had no artificial smell or colour.Mushroon soup was spicy,hot and indian chinese taste wd chopped ginger-garlic in it.It tickled our tongue as well as it triggered our hunger a bit more.Then we ordered chapati,paneer chatpata and veg handi.None of the veg dishes were spicy or oily.Waiters kept juggling between orders and serving us their hot chapatis.Relatives' faces were looking quite happy and contented with food..especially my mom..at this age too,she is a great cook and great foodie.She also belongs to a family of food lovers and all my maasis are terrific cooks.Then came plain rice and day fry.We relished on that too.The rice grain was basmati,properly cooked and longg.Dal was mix lentils with garlic n dry red chillies tadka on it.

ghee laden chapati

Paneer chatpata

Plain rice

lip smacking dal

We all ate so much that our stomachs left no space for any desserts.Even then I made a courtesy and asked everyone along with my dad(who is a terrible sweet  tooth) whether they would like to have any sweet dish but all of them declined.We finally left the restaurant with stuffed stomach and filled hearts..Thanx Suruchi..!

chaat @ shanti fast food..............By Kirti Pataskar

The other day I was watching some lifestyle english channel wherein i came across a Uk citizen selling "jhalmuri" (a Bengali version of Bhel) on the streets of London.Undoubtedly,that made me proud to see that our Indian Chaat has reached the corners of the world.there can be no such person on this earth who doesnt like chaat.Sweet-Sour chutney (Khajur imli ki chutney),chilli chutney,some fried lentils,puris,coriander,finely chopped onion,tomatoes,coriander are all that go into it and makes a wonder.As one cant resist chaat,one cant resist Shanti fast food chaat too.Its run by a man who migrated to mumbai some decade ago from jaipur.There also he would do the same business.After coming to the city of dreams,for few months he worked at wankhede stadium's food outlet.then he shifted to kandivali,thakur complex,hired a place and started his own chaat corner in the name of shanti fast food.

Shanti Fast food @ kandivali  east

The most popular chaat dishes of shanti are Amul Dabeli,Papdi Chaat,Sev puri,Ragada Pattice,Bhelpuri and the list continues.The eatery is flooded after 5 pm.Its working hours are from 3.00pm to 10pm.The best part of this food stall is this man makes his chutnyes everyday and no stale items are kept in his stall.So one can relax without fear of stomach problems and hog onto his dishes.To be very frank when I went to him for my blog,my stomach was royally upset.Even then I had to eat though in small portions.the man himself is very smilling and greets people with smiles and pampers them with sukha masala puri as a complimentary goodies after they finish their eating.He learnt his culinary skills in Jaipur itself from his boss where he was working.This man realized his passion for chaat and chaat making and thereafter decided to turn his passion into business.This is how Shanti fast food came into being.

both busy serving the flooding orders

its an mazing view to see this man making a dish...!

Sunptuous Dabeli 

This is schezwan chtuney

I tasted Amul dabeli.It was very crispy,perfectly spiced with dabeli vegeables,fried peanuts,sev and pomogrnate kernels.Second was Papdi chaat.this dish turned abit more spicy for me.But it was good.Then we ordered my all time favorite with him -Sevpuri.you take pani puri or sevpuri,Puris are always fresh and crispy.Overall all the dishes were value for money and quite tasty.If you are a chaat lover then Shaanti fast food is must-visit for you.

(photo courtsey:Ganesh Dabholkar)Thank You GD .Your pictures speak more than my article.

chicken sukha.........By Kirti Pataskar

Chicken sukha: Chicken sukha is a dry chicken dish and goes well with rice bhakri or chapati.It is one of the most staple dish in Konkan's homes and restaurants.Though cooking method differs we are here giving you the simple,easy to make and tasty version of the same.Hope you love it.

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 Kg Chicken
• 10 Red Chillies
• 2 tbsp Coriander
• 10-12 Pepper Corn
• 1/2 tsp Jeera
• 1/2 tsp Methi
• 2 inches Cinnamon
• 6 Cloves
• 1/4 tsp turmeric
• 5-6 cloves of garlic
• 2 Onions
• 2-3 Tomatoes
• 5-6 Curry leaves
• 1 cup Grated coconut
• 1 Lime(small)
• Salt to taste
• 1 tbsp ghee + 1 tbsp Coconut oil

Cooking Method:

Masala Powder: Dry roast red chillies, coriander, methi, jeera, cinnamon and cloves and powder them.

Masala Paste: Grind 1 onion and garlic into a paste. Add grated coconut and grind for a while.
Cut chicken into small pieces. Wash, drain and marinate with turmeric, salt, and lime juice and keep aside.

Heat ghee and oil and fry the chopped onion till golden brown, add chopped tomatoes and saute till oil separates.
Add curry leaves and fry for a while.

Now add marinated chicken. Mix well and allow to cook for a while.

Now add ground masala paste and masala powder, mix well and allow to dry.

Garnish with coriander leaves and serve hot.

occassion cake shop,kandivali east

As a kid,I was never attracted towards chocolates but all I liked was ice-creams n cakes.That passion  remains with me till today.But as I grew up  the cream cakes and its freshness kept worrying me since my kids n me are being allergic to it.I have experienced renowned cake shops selling a day old cakes guiltfree.But only when I came across Occassion cake shop in Thakur Complex,kandivali east,my notion about stale cakes relieved.Occassion cake shop is owned by maharashtrian young guy,Virendra Sawant.He opened this shop 5 years back and the responsnse is just over-spilling.You can see customers coming to the shop till 10 o'clock at night for buying cakes,pastries,decoration material etc.What makes "Occassion" special and different from other chain of cake shops is their freshness of the cakes and creams.Also,they have customised varieities in cakes and self-invented cakes by Virendra.

various cakes at "occassion"

some best selling cakes-rainbow,chocolate truffle,swiss truffle and black forest

Virendra has opened a second cake shop in Goregaon.When asked Mr.Indrajjit ,the handling person at kandivali shop said,they return their day old cakes and make new ones everyday.One can have their cream cakes with no fear of falling ill...!The shop is open all 07 days a week and its working hours are from 08.00 am to 10.00 pm.This is one of the must-visit cake shop in suburbs.

Mejwani @ kandivali.............By Kirti Pataskar

Well,if you are a kandivali east dweller and pissed off  over the unavailability of authentic maharashtrian sea food or non-veg delicacies, then you no longer need to roll down your tears as there is a fantastic agri restaurant opened in Thakur Complex,kandivali east.This outlet is started around 7-8 months back and as anticipated the response is undoubtedly overwhelming.As a food blogger,I had an urge to go and cover this restaurant with all my tastebuds.I finally decided,took up my photographer friend Amey and went there.You know,if there is anything that makes me happy is when I see any entrepreuner is a woman.That makes me really proud n positively envy..!n Yesss..same is the case with Mejwani.This Restaurant is run by Mrs.Pradnya Patil and her two daughters-Neha and Mrunal.It is in thakur complex,kandivali east and the timings are from 11.00 am.-10.00 pm.(monday closed) . Mejwani serves you the most authentic Agri food.Over the years,among maharashtrian cuisine Agri food has remained "left-out"from public's eye.After tasting it I seriously felt that this food certainly deserves more exploration and publicity.

Mejwani's entrance

        The restaurant's interior is done up with all coastal photographs of Maharashtra forts and their importance written below them.

another wall with historical coastal pictures n its importance

On the second wall,nice pictures of non veg delicacies have been put up.Two ethnic lamps hanging from celing n their yellow light makes one feel warm n familiar to the venue.Those yellow lights also add gloss to the ambience.

one wall with delicacies pictures

The area is relatively small with only two tables and eight chairs.So more n more people opt for "take away"orders.Pradnya tai is very courteous,soft-spoken woman and knows how to handle her guests.She was very busy with her orders,sauteeing,stirring,doughing n frying..!her daughter and one maid were assisting her.There were also delivery boys-Sarvesh n Durvesh.

The elder daughter Neha is great at attending guests.Having a work experience in hotel industry,she is well seeped in this cooking industry too.She precisely confessed that she has tasted the so-called best marathi or konkani  or goan restaurants in the city,but "Maa ke haath ka khana remains unbeatable" for her..

second daughter Mrunal cooking as her mother..!

it was wonderful chatting with Pradnya tai , Neha n a little baby on her lap

We ordered the best selling dish in starter...i.e fried prawns...It had a rice flour coating and the whole prawns were fried.It was served with schezwan chutney.It was crispy ,non-spicy fritters.The prawns inside were properly cooked.We finished off our starter.N there  came Pradnya tai with her hot,puffed up rice flour bhakri with chicken suke (dry chicken n rice flour flat bread).I couldnt believe that the same hands keeping track of money on the counter sometime back had made such beautiful wonders.!! Bhakri was superb..! it just melted on our tongue.Chicken suke was very delicious,not-so-spicy,with prefect mixture of oil,dry coconut n agri masala.I asked Neha that how different Agri food is from malavani food? n she rightly said,that the ground masala is different.The red dry chillies n a couple of more ingredients are different.

fried prawns

rice bhakri n chicken suke

mouthwatering prawns biryani

Nowadays,in most of malavani restaurants,there is no authentic malavani or konkani food.Sometimes,their coconut stinks due to long time storage.Some add coconut cream instead of fresh coconut milk which is again no-no for the best cooking.Mejwani never stores their left-over fish or any sea food.They return it to their vendor or they dispose it off .Finally,its the matter of health,Neha said.We cleaned up two Bhakris n Chicken suke and there came for our joy "prawns biryani"n solkadhi..both the dishes were cherry on the top!heavenly delicious.The fried onions on Prawns Biryani was making a statement..!Solkadhi was wonderful.Unlike,other konkani or kolhapuri food,I was not feeling bloated or burping with the sour taste after food.Again Biryani was made with whole garam masala like cloves, peppercorns,agri masala n whole cooked prawns.I have seen very few places where they cook prawns so meticulously.Sometimes,prawns are left with chewy ,half cooked texture.But here,everything was going above our expectations.The two daughters and Pradnya tai were lovable and affectionate people.I came to know thate ven Pradnya tai's mother is a great cook but unfortunately we couldn't meet her that day.So you see,three generations are cooking and serving you with their love,courtsey n affection in the form of Mejwani..!Please please please go and try this restau...I am sure, like me you too will fall in love with it...!

(L-R)me,Neha with her princess,Pradnya tai n Mrunal

Heritage kitchen

It was mom n dad's anniversary and as usual we kept our minds gruelling about where to go for lunch.All of a sudden i realised that theres a new restaurant open on borivali link road called The Heritage Kitchen.We all went there on a weekday afternoon.Needless to say,since it was weekday,the restaurant was less crowded and we received very good attention n service from all the staff.The restaurant is built with keeping in mind its name "heritage" and has been architectured alike.

We started with the straters first...i.e.dry manchurian.It was our first experience with the outlet n its food.so I was abit more conscious about the palate.The starter cames with a bit more saltiness in it.When we realised we complained it to the staff and staff too showed immediate courtsey to replace the dish but we denied as we had already cleaned it up.Then came main course full of veggies,parathas,rotis,boondi raita nad cherry on the top-kashmiri pulav.Pulav was a hit bacause of its beautiful aroma of desi ghee which reached our nose 3 seconds before the pulav..!it was full of dry fuirts,nuts,veggies..and the main thing was the grain was completely cooked and soft..which was exactly perfect for my parents n children.we relished on it.

Gulkand ice cream

The manager named Allwyn personally came to us to greet and ask about the starter which we complained of.When we got to know that it is my parents' anniversary,he ordered complimentary gulkand flavoured ice cream scoops on which my kids had their hands on..!later,after some time one more plate of ice cream scoops was ordered forcibly by Mr.Allwyn.

Mr.Allwyn In light grey shirt n his prompt staff

we enjoying @ Heritage kitchen

.They also have candle-lit dinners on one day of a week.Next time,I visit there,I am going to taste some Italian dishes there.In all the restau is a good place to visit,dine and relax..

My own version of Maharashtrian chicken rassa

It is true that many years down the lane,maharashtrian food has remained undiscovered n received less publicity compared to the food of other communities.I really don't find out any valid or obnoxious reason for it though at the same time i have not succeeded in getting the real answer behind this mystery.Maharashtrian food is very diversified n complex due to its various regions geographically.But its unique strength is that this food is best mixed with any other food in the world.You can create your own version of fusion food with the use of maharashtrian dishes.

I have tried the same keeping the traditional menu and its condiments in mind.I have changed chicken rassa recipe (kolhapur style) a bit according to my own palate and you wont believe it turned out to be a big hit!so,below is the kolhapur style chicken rassa.Kolahapur is very famous for its two types of chicken rassa(chicken gravy)i.e. tambada rassa(red gravy) and pandhara rassa(white gravy).Also,kolhapuri masala is one of the most important ingredient in thses recipes.Chicken all over maharashtra is prepared in different styles,using different ingredients depending upon that region's production of crops.e.g konkan region has their own way of making chicken or mutton having fresh coconut a main ingredient,kolhapur or vidarbha or khandesh have their own staple using khus-khus or dry coconut or cahsew paste comparatively.I made chicken rassa using regular ingredients that are easily available in any woman's kitchen.

recipe name"Maharashtrian style chicken rassa...

ingredients:chicken half kg
ginger -garlic paste 02 tea spoons
onions (chopped n sliced) 04/05
tomatoes 02 (finely chopped)
khopra (dry coconut) 01 cup
turmeric
lal mirch powder
salt to taste
dhania-jeera powder 02 tea spoons
garam masala powder 01 tea spoon
oil
lime juice
coriander

method:marinate the chicken with turmeric,lal mirch powder n ginger-garlic paste and keep it aside for a couple of hrs.Then,slice 02 onions and chop 02 of them finely.heat oil in a pan.put sliced onions and fry.then add khpra or dry grated coconut and saute for few minutes.turn off the gas once the coconut and onions change their colour to golden.after the mixture cools down,grind it in fine paste in mixer.then take an another kadai,put oil in it.Add  chopped onions and fry till onions turn translucent.then add ginger garlic paste,chopped tomatoes and finally the paste.one the gravy starts leaving oil,you can add dhania-jeera powder,garam masala or kolhapuri masala and saute for sometime .Then add chicken and water and put the lid.Once the chicked is completely cooked,squeeze lime juice on it and sprinkle coriander to garnish.turn off the gas and server.This chicken goes best with chapati or bhakri(Indian flat breads made with wheat flour of jowar /bajra /nachni flour respectively)