Barbecuing experience :)

From: Tina
Sent: Friday, June 27, 2008 5:38 PM
Subject: Barbecuing experience :)

Last weekend a few friends met up impromptu for dinner. We were meeting after a long spell of time. V suggested a new place called ‘Barbeque Nation’ …
Thought why not, as had heard good reviews about the place.. Considering Hyderabad traffic, we took almost half an hour to reach the place. Lucky for us that traffic was moving and not jammed.
For most part I felt that we were destined to go thereJ..It had been in the pipeline for a long time :)
As usual the place was full and we gave our names for the next seating which would be available only about half an hour later…
Forgot to make reservations earlier..Neways by then friends arrived and as if on cue, seating was available in next 5 mins…
Considering that how restaurants are usually late in providing seating this was a welcome change..

Barbeque or Barbecue ‘s wiki reference is here.
“Barbecue or barbeque[1] (abbreviated BBQ, Bar-B-Q or Bar-B-Que or diminuted, chiefly in Australia, New Zealand and the United Kingdom to barbie, and Braai in South Africa) is a method and apparatus for cooking food, often meat, with the heat and hot gases of a fire, smoking wood, or hot coals of charcoal and may include application of a marinade, spice rub, or basting sauce to the meat. The term as a noun can refer to foods cooked by this method, to the cooker itself, or to a party that includes such food. The term is also used as a verb for the act of cooking food in this manner. Barbecue is usually cooked in an outdoor environment heated by the smoke of wood or charcoal. Restaurant barbecue may be cooked in large brick or metal ovens specially designed for that purpose.”
Barbeque-Nation is a part of a chain of restaurants specializing in live barbeque as mentioned on their site here.

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Though barbequing is generally thought of in terms of being non-vegetarian i.e. generally consisting of meat, this place provides a variety in vegetarian selection also.
Based on the restaurant description, the barbeque technique there is influenced by Turkish cuisine.
But I guess, the application of marinade and different spices to flavor the meat while cooking has more Mediterranean influence or Indian cuisine which in itself is notable for the “dum” style cooking.
The US style of barbecuing has barbecuing with a lot of sauces but they impart a slightly sweetish touch and we are used to Meat with spicy flavors. So much for extra info :)

On each table is a mobile barbeque. When you are seated then a fresh charcoal barbeque is placed and they get 5 different types of veggie options and 5 servings of non- veggie options to try out as appetizers. These could be kebabs like hara bhara kebab (Veg) , Mushroom kebabs or shammi kabab (Non Veg). Chicken or Fish fried in simplistic sauces or marinades with pepper.

This unlimited serving also includes live barbeque of either veggie options or non veggie options placed on skewers (picture below) and then placed on the table barbeque to give you a feel of actually barbequing.

Non veggie options being typical like most-safe-bet chicken and prawns. Also includes veggie options like paneer or mixed veg grilled on skewer.

Along with these are placed various sauces like lemon, ginger which can be brushed upon the subject as a spice rub and allow to barbeque on your table barbeque.

These in turn could be had with 3 other sauces…

With these we were all on “Mission Toot Pado” especially me..Initially exploring and then asking for more of the specified starters one liked.

By the time we had starters, I guess we were full. But main course and dessert still await us ..

Main course was laid in typical buffet fashion. But it did have good balance of veggie and non veggie foods and Desserts though I guess Starters is what they and we concentrate on. Main course included Dum biryani, Pasta in tomato sauce, Curd rice (default in AP) :) , simple dal makhani, crab preparation, Salads and soups.

Of course of all the stuff above we could do justice to hardly few. No capacity you see after all those starters :) and I was keeping place for desserts.

Desserts also had a few but typical options like pastry, gulab jamuns, vanilla ice cream.
But the main star of the evening were the barbeques starters :)

Barbeque – Nation restaurant was good in terms of service, food and cuisine uniqueness.
The servers being with a usual mix of good service and attentive customer care …which is very difficult to see in Hyderabadi restaurants.. Though the price in itself could be a bit steep in terms of rising inflation and all, but if you can do justice to their buffet system then there is nothing like it. (We could only manage a few servings and then jumped directly to the dessert)

Usually restaurants associated with kebabs or barbeques are mostly non vegetarian specific. Of course they are not wholly centric around non- veggies but the vegetarians’ are thought of almost as an afterthought from food perspective. This is especially noticeable in certain restaurants famous for non-vegetarian dishes where vegetarian dishes are kept only for name sake, the main forte being non-vegetarian dishes.

But good to see a welcome change in this restaurant where we non veggies were curious to try out vegetarian options too :)

So in case your locations also have their outlets…I would definitely recommend you to try it and especially so if you are a non vegetarian … Check whether you location is there in Barbeque Nation locations. Though on the site, Pune as a location was not to be seen. Their pamphlet at the restaurant had reference to their outlet being present Pune.

Additional review : http://mumbai.burrp.com/establishment/view/1753989

Gud luck trying and do let me know in case you do.
C you all till next time.

Warm Regards,
Tina :)

Morning Musings :)

From: Tina
Sent: Monday, May 19, 2008 5:00 PM
Subject: Morning Musings :)

For the life of me, I cannot understand how people can travel in bus especially Volvo where all windows are closed and jam packed.….
I prefer trains..especially the part where the wind drives all over you and fails to leave your hair in single piece..
The icing of the cake is if you get window seat…then you can allow your thoughts to run wild while also looking at the scenery.

Today fortunately at least after half an hour was able to rest on a window seat and let my thoughts run lose.
That’s one of the reasons I prefer going by local trains… You can be in autopilot :D

You really appreciate the amount of rocks hi-tech has…and they are really big big boulders :)
And in the midst of all that barrenness you find civilization taking roots …with new buildings complexes …Especially since IT is a buzzword…

But you find the trees and gardens reducing so much so that while walking outside you have a distinct impression that you are traversing via dessert..

So it was really surprising that in all that barrenness I saw a pond or rather some slush water..It all happened in split second …
In all that barrenness what really caught my eye was the presence of white/creamy lotus flowers….
Unexpected to actually see them there… Reminded me of the days long gone in our childhood when trip to grandparents allowed us such visuals..

But they use lotus as a metaphor saying that it’s roots grows in slush or marshy areas but the flower the soul or essence goes above all the slush to reach the skies where it remains pure and untouched (they did not know about air pollution then )…

It was surprising how a chance single second scene can really make a difference in your day :D

Ciao

Hope you can use this metaphor to rise to the occasion :)

Have a gr8 week ahead.

Warm Regards,
Tina :)

Cooking -Male or Female Streak :)

From: Tina
Sent: Monday, March 17, 2008 7:27 PM
Subject: Cooking -Male or Female Streak :)

One of my friends sent out an email detailing a recipe he made over the weekend.
It was a well detailed account of how the subji had to be made….Some of the tadka rules which even I had missed out were listed there…

That set me thinking about when guys cook :) Strange about why it set me thinking…

But some of the guys I know cook real well :) somehow have the patience that lacks in general female.

One of the first male characters whom I saw cooking was not Sanjeev Kapoor (Khana Khazana fame) or Yan (From Yan Can Cook fame)
Though TV did popularize the two :)

It was Dad, who used to enter the kitchen to whip up something exceptional (generally deep fried ) when us kids and he had a holiday…
Basically when Mom was in office so that you get the whole day to cook and clean :)
But woe to us sisters who had to clean up after that…
Generally rules which coincided with the fact that it could be one of the lucky days when dad was cooking.
1) The kitchen was spotlessly clean.
2) Backup food was generally :) just in case of a disaster ( which generally did not happen)
Generally I guess men who have stayed as bachelors or with friends atleast some of them have a tendency to cook :)
One of the more ways to show off the creative side.
Most females (read moms) have generally come up with their own styles and fast forward tricks for the dishes they seem to dish out day in and day out.
Generally they are whipping up stuff daily just before the other household chores and before rest of the family gathers for dinner or an unexpected guest comes up.
Yet they are ready to dish out something from ordinary to something really exceptional.
Of course dad would also make something exceptional once in a while with us sisters as helpers and also audience.
Generally it used to be onion bhajji and by the time mom used to be back from office the spotless kitchen which she had left looked like Hurricane had just run through…:)
Then friends developed an interest to cooking…Guys generally I knew of some of them exceptional cooks some how things used to turn out good when they cooked.
Of course in guys generally they have thousands of ‘nakhras’ when they are at home and mommy cooks but when they cook no such thing :)
When ppl who enter kitchen once in a while cook they really dish out sumthing nice.. coz generally they take the own sweet time and patience required and the dish turns out voila ‘Nice’.
The carrot will be chopped at distinctly one inch piece…as though geometrically shaped. That onion and potato look like they have come out of geometry book instead of under knives..
So with lot of time and patience the time which probably likes of mom take to cook three dishes , our friends (read guys ) take to cook one :)
But seriously they have been better cooks though some of the stuff even beats them in terms of patience and notable in that is the desserts especially the ones involving Rice :)
This is not to start a post as to who is good and who is not…But generally cooking is what I consider one of the outlets to show creative outlets..
Guys or gals are good at it but the variation and cooking style differ in terms of who is cooking , how often and in combination with what all other things you are cooking…

Like in my case hopping from before the TV and kitchen :)
So long keep mailing and cooking or best eating :)

Warm Regards,
Tina :)

Disasters with cooking :)

From: Tina
Sent: Friday, March 07, 2008 7:36 PM
Subject: Disasters with cooking :)

They say ‘The way to a man’s heart goes through his stomach’ but if that’s the case then I guess I will never reach my hubby’s heart…
The type and edibility of the food I prepare is something which is highly debatable.

And ‘Amche Aaho’ comments that I cook in auto pilot…
Yea which is true I guess when Television is on but otherwise I do not think so...

Well missing putting sugar in coffee or putting too much sugar in tea is by default I guess…
But some curries turn out in such a way that he is forced to ask…exactly what this was before you demolished it.

Once it happened that I went ahead to cook cabbage by the time I turned on the gas and went ahead with putting all ingredients I realized I had missed out something and that ingredient was not available at home too. So went ahead with cooking just put some pepper. Got distracted while cooking and ended up with semi burnt sabji. :) That day at dinner convinced ‘Amche Aaho’ that I put extra pepper and that’s the reason for cabbage looking black…

Another day thought of making some dessert so tried Gulab Jamun. The ad in the ready to mix pack and the actual product were two different stuff.
If you know how rock is then you should have some idea as to how the Gulab Jamun was ….
Though putting it in sugar syrup did have some what better effect at least you could break the small rocks :)

Of course how difficult will making rice be…
Well I can make a mess of that too..
With putting in more water that I guess we had rice soup one day :)

The icing on all this cake is Cake itself.
Thought of whipping up a cake as a surprise.
Got all ingredients, mixed it and put it to bake …
Set the timer and went ahead to kitchen to cook sum other stuff.
After a while thought will check it out , but could not make out how the cake baking dish size reduced so much.
Quickly opened the oven and cake is crisp and burnt and cake dish is partially melted…
I by mistake se set it on conventional bake time instead of normal bake time.
That month our electricity bill was also a packet: D

Of course ‘Aamche aaho’ had a good time clicking photos of the cake in Top view, Side view, on plate, with white background (to emphasize on the burnt color and texture ) etc.
He just wanted that ppl back home should not miss the wonderful top part like vanilla(i.e white) and bottom part like chocolate (i.e burnt black)

For the life of him, he cannot understand what I do so much in the kitchen with the final product sometimes questionable.
So best and healthy suggestion is just cut all veggies and brings it to the table so we can have a healthy non –burnt food…
Yea got to try that too :D

Well these are some of the disasters I could remember while penning this …will update more if I remember..

Till then will inflict such a pain to ‘Amche Aaho’ only
In case any one wants to try at your own risk, you are always welcome :D

Warm Regards,
Tina :)

Njoiiiing Pootharekulu

From: Tina
Sent: Wednesday, January 23, 2008 6:28 PM
Subject: Njoiiiing Pootharekulu

Office just seemed to return back to normalcy with people coming in after a long weekend after Pongal. One of my team mates had just returned from Rajahmundry. So once most of the team mates were present he started distributing sweets. I was outside, away from my desk and had just landed when the distribution as well as consumption of the sweet was done.
So when he saw me my team mate came and distributed to me a plastic wrapper with tissue.
This is specialty of our place, Happy Pongal.
Wishing him Happy Pongal and taking the plastic wrapper went back to my place.
Checked a few mails and thought of tasting the sweet.
But it seemed such a delicate wrapper, and was planning of opening up the wrapper i.e thin plastic foil. But something was not right.
I looked up to see couple of my team mates njoiiing my predicament …

I : Hey how do u eat this?
Collegue1: I was just waiting to see what you are going to do?
I : I am trying to open the wrapper but it seems so delicate.
Collegue1: (Burst out laughing --- It was only good 2 mins ke baad she responded by calling a few more colleagues) Hey Tina is asking how to eat this :) She is trying to open the wrapper.
I : Yea .. :) what is it made up of.
Collegue2: It is made of rice , sugar and ghee.
Colleague 1 : That is not a plastic wrapper but the sweet. The outer thin layer is thin layer of Rice inside which has sugar powder with slight ghee…It is called pothareku..
I : So are we supposed to eat directly or open the outer cover.
Colleague 1: Directly :) (called the colleague who was distributing and mentioned mine predicament and then had a hearty laugh)

And so with some doubt as to whether my teeth will sustain the plastic exposure bit into the sweet directly and lo it melts into you mouth and no tooth broken…
So this was my exposure to pootareku….
Very soon collegue1 went around trying to see how others especially those who never had exposure to pootareku having it..
Most of the colleagues, especially those from north, who have never had seen pootareku faced the same predicament as me.
So in case if you get a chance to bite into pootareku go ahead njoii it and yea it is not plastic foil :)
Just to give u an idea please find additional info ………

Rough Picture :
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/1/18/Pootharekulu.JPG/200px-Pootharekulu.JPG

Additional Info :
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pootharekulu

Warm Regards,
Tina :)