Kuch Acha Khana Hai: Rolls in Bangalore

Location: Indiranagar, Bangalore

Sometimes you just feel like having something good … you go like “kuch acha khaane ka mann kar raha hai!” You don’t want something very light, you don’t want anything too heavy … and you exactly can’t place what is it that you want to have? Who is with me???

In such a situation what works well for me is having a roll … yes a roll … a.k.a kathi roll, wrap.

Two of my favorite roll joints in Indiranagar are Chakum Chukum and Istanbul Doner.

Chakum Chukum offers a wide variety of rolls both veg. and non-veg. One roll is a decent size which easily gives you a tummy full. What’s more … for the health conscious wheat roll is available in place of maida. Add a dash of the three varieties of chutneys waiting at the tables and you get a great snacker. They also offer something called stuffed mughlai paratha … all non-veg. so I can’t really comment on that.

A relatively less known place (in my opinion) is the Istanbul Doner. The menu, as the name suggests is slightly inspired from the turkish part of the world. They offer wraps of in a soft bread (something akin to pita bread) which sort of has a different taste and texture to it. Besides that, there are salads, cheese nuggets, hummus, falafel etc. Limited choice for vegetarians again but good for at least a couple of tries.

Whenever you feel like having ‘kuch acha’ these are a few suggestions to experiment with!

Some other top of the mind roll options: Khathi Zone, Calcutta Roll Club (Jeevan Beema Nagar)

Garma Garam Chai: The Tea Culture in Bangalore

With the cool of winter gradually settling in Bangalore, I’m sure everyone one would want to curl their hands around a hot cuppa and cozily slurp up the contents. Yes South India has the coffee culture and nothing beats the good old filter coffee.  However, in the past few years, tea culture has really picked up in the city. It’s matured from serving the classic plain tea, to serving it up with added indigenous ingredients like tulsi, ginger, cardamom and masala to specialty teas such as jasmine, peach, white tea etc. etc. For the health conscious there is a whole range of green teas and herbal teas being served. Besides there are people like me, who would pick tea over coffee anyday.

In this post I’m going to be talking about a few good tea bar/cafe options for Bangaloreans.

Infinitea: This is a premium tea bar located at Cunningham Road. It attracts a lot of foreigners besides the uber chic crowd of Bangalore.  Serves a lot of tea types – blacks, greens, oolongs, fruits, herbals and exquisites.  Also has good spread of snacks to go with. Ambience is great too! I rate it as excellent and strongly recommend to all tea connoisseurs. Read Reviews here.

Chai Patty: small tea shacks located at three locations in Bangalore – Indirangar, Kormangala, Whitefield. I’ve tried the one at 100 Ft. Indiranagar. The joints are rustic in feel … similar to roadside shacks with modas, floor seating and chai served in kullads (earthen ones). The teas are okay and snacks (pakodas, maggie, pasta etc.) are good in taste. But, with the amount they charge and the quantity they serve and considering they are not premium/specialty, it’s not worth my loyalty. I would still recommend tea lovers to give it one try. Some of you might like it. Read Reviews here.

Socie-Tea: located at Indirangar 13^th Main, I happened to visit their Facebook page and decided to give it a try. The experience wasn’t bad at all. Again, this place has a rustic feel to it … floor seating, wooden furniture, chai and pakodas on the menu. I went for the good old masala chai … the quantity was good for the amount they charged. My only criticism is that the tea was a little too watery for my liking. Overall a decent place for some garam chai without leaving a hole in your wallets.

Tea O’Clock: I happen to know this one because it’s located at the back gate of Baghmane Tech Park (where I work). I think all office goers and sutta people know how important a good glass of chai is; during one of those mid-day breaks or post lunch breaks when we are literally snoring away in front of our computers. TOC offers what all office people need …  really really good chai which refreshes you and keeps you going @ work. You can choose from plain, tulsi, ginger, illaichi, masala, lemon and black. I think they should open more outlets in office cafeterias, in food courts and behind many more tech parks. This one is always thronging with ID badge wearing folks!

That was my Tea round up. Having one right now … sooor … sooor. Having tea is not fun without soooring it from a cup! :-)

Tex-Mex Tacos

Ingredients:

For Guacamole:

•  2 avocados, peeled and deseeded
• ½ bunch coriander, washed and chopped
• 1 tomato, diced
• ¼ red onion, diced
• Salt to taste
• Juice of 1 ½ limes

For Filling:

• 1-2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1 onion, diced
• 3 button mushrooms, diced
• 2 zucchini, small diced
• ½ cup sweet corn kernels
• 1 cup purple cabbage
• Salt and black pepper 

For Tacos :

• 2 Cups Flour
• 1 Cup Corn Flour
• Salt
• Water
• Vegetable/Olive oil

Preparation:

Tacos: Mix the flour and corn flour, add some salt and make a soft dough adding water as required. Leave the dough aside

Filling: Heat oil in a large frying pan. Cook onions over a medium to high heat until transparent. Add mushrooms and cook for 5 minutes or until reduced in volume. Add remaining ingredients zucchini, corn, purple cabbage and cook until mixture becomes semi dry. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Glaucomole: Scrape avocado and place in a bowl. Add the chopped coriander, onion, tomato, green chilli, lime juice & salt. Grind in mixer and keep aside.  

To serve:

Divide dough into equal parts and roll it. Then cook on hot tawa, applying oil on the both the sides. Cook till its light brown on both the sides.

Apply a layer of glaucomole on half side of taco and then add filling on  top of it. Turn the other half on top of the filled one and make it a half circle (as seen in the pic)

Serve with small slice of lemon on top of it Mexicana ishstyleeee…..

Enjoy…  J

Cottage Cheese & Veggie Sandwich with Mayo & Yogurt Sauce

You Need:

• Cottage Cheese (Paneer) – 200 gm sliced in thin long rectangles
• Seasoning – Black Pepper, Salt – ½ tsp or as per taste
• Olive Oil – 2 tsp
• Paprika/Red Chilli Flakes – ½ tsp
• Red Onion Rings – ½ cup
• Lemon Juice – 6 tsp
• Handful Lettuce Leaves
• Round cut tomatoes (finely sliced)
• Multigrain/Brown/White Bread
• Mayonnaise – 6 tsp
• Milk – 2 tsp
• Yogurt – 3 tsp

Preparation:

Marinade Preparation: Take 4 tsp lemon juice and add a pinch of chilli flakes, salt and pepper and mix well. Marinate the paneer slices in the mix and then shallow fry them on a non-stick tawa/pan till they are light brown and keep aside.

Sauce Preparation: Mix the mayo, milk, yogurt, 2 tsp lemon juice, a pinch of salt, pepper. Add any seasoning of your choice (e.g. garlic bread/Italian). Mix well and keep aside.

Sandwich Preparation: Lightly toast the bread slices on a non-stick tawa or you can choose to take them as is. Take one bread slice and apply the sauce on one side. Place one lettuce leaf over it followed by two pieces of paneer. Put 1-2 tomato slices and 2-3 onion rings over it. Take another bread slice and apply a layer of sauce on one side and place it over. Slice it in half and dig in!

Tip: They key in this sandwich is the sauce. It adds a whole lot of flavor to the sandwich.

Stuffed Veg. Buns

For the bread - You Need:

• 2.5 cups flour (maida)
• 2 tsp dry yeast
• 2 tsp sugar
• 1 tsp salt
• ¼ cup of milk
• 4 tsp melted butter

For the filling – You Need:

• 1 cup chopped bell peppers
• ½ cup chopped onion
• ¼ cup chopped zucchini
• 50 gm Paneer (cut into small pieces)
• 2 tsp Mayonnaise
• 1 tsp chilli sauce
• 1 tsp garlic bread seasoning  

Bread Preparation:

Take ¼ cup warm water and add salt, sugar and yeast. Wisk to dissolve it well to get a solution.

Slowly add the flour to make a crumbly mix. Then add the butter and milk and start kneading into dough. Add water as required and continue to knead to form a thick and firm dough.

Leave the dough in a dry and warm place for about 1.5 hours.

Filling Preparation:

Meanwhile, sautee all the chopped vegetables in olive oil on high flame. Take them off the pan and add salt and seasoning. Add the mayo and chilli sauce and mix well. Keep the mix aside.

Buns Preparation:

The dough should have risen by this time. Knead the dough again for a few minutes and divide into small equal parts. Roll the parts into balls and leave aside for 10 mins to rise. Flatten out the balls with your hands. Place the filling on one and place another on top and pinch it from the sides to seal it close.

Pre heat the oven to 350F. Grease the baking tray with butter and place the buns on it. Bake for about 10-15 mins till they are crispy brown.

Let them cool down for 1-2 mins. Serve hot with some ketchup! They make a fantastic evening snack!

You can try this with several types of fillings. Best bet would be to try with potato+onion stuffing.

Tofu Scramble and Crispy Corn Fritters

Here is another one of my healthy food posts. Best part is the simple and quick preparation.

For the Scrambled Tofu - You Need (Serves 2):

• Tofu – 200 gm
• Chopped Vegetables:
• Onion – one (medium sized)
• Spring Onion – two
• Capsicum – one
• Garlic – two cloves
• Coriander
• Green Chilies – two
• Salt, Black Pepper, Chilli Flakes
• Olive Oil/Vegetable Oil

Preparation:

Keep the tofu in lukewarm water for 3-5 mins and drain out excess water. Mash up the Tofu to form crumbles.

Heat two tsp oil in a pan and fry the garlic. Add onions, capsicum, chillies and stir fry till they are partially cooked (this is to retain the crunchiness of the vegetables). Add the crumbled tofu and fry for 3-5 mins on medium flame. Add salt, pepper, chilli flakes and coriander and mix well.

Tada! You are ready to serve!

For The Corn Fritters - You Need (serves two):

• 2 cups sweet corn
• 1/4 cup finely chopped spring onions
• 2 tsp minced garlic
• 1 Chopped Green Chilli
• 1/4 cup coriander leaves, finely chopped
• 1/2 cup rice flour
• 1/2 cup corn flour
• 1/2 cup water (can add more/less according to need)
• 1 tsp black pepper
• Olive oil/Vegetable Oil
• Salt to taste
• Any other seasoning (optional)

Preparation:

Mix rice flour and corn flour and add the water to make a batter that is slightly thick but not runny. You should be able to scoop up and drop it on the pan.

Add the vegetables, salt and seasoning and mix well.

Heat a non-stick tawa with some oil spread across the surface.

Put the batter on the tawa in small thin lumps (similar to how to put for a uttapam, see image below) and let it cook till crispy and brown. Flip it over and let the other side turn crisp and brown as well,

Tastes best when served hot with a dip of your choice.

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For the Love of Food

Looking for stores to buy stuff you need for trying out different cuisines but don’t know where to look?

This post is to share two of my favorite stores for gourmet shopping. These are one of the very good places for people wanting to experiment with global cuisine. Great for picking up exotic vegetables and fruits, sauces, pastas of all kinds, cheeses of all varieties, seasonings, breads, bagels … the whole deal basically.

Nature’s Basket – it’s a concept store by Godrej and has stores in several cities across India. Mainly big cities like Mumbai, Delhi, Pune etc. In Bangalore itself, they have set up four stores. Clickhere to locate a store near you. They basically promote healthy eating. You can also buy online from them.

Foodhall – this is a premium lifestyle food destination by Future Group. A great place for food enthusiasts! They have also set up shop in several large cities in India. The one in Bangalore is at 1MG, Mall at MG Road. Apart from all the exotic food shopping, you can also pamper your taste buds at the salad, sandwich and bakery live counters. There is also a whole section for crockery, utensils and kitchen related stuff. However, shopping here will definitely leave a hole in your wallet.

These two are the ones I have explored as yet. Will be visiting more such concept stores mushrooming all over town. In a subsequent post, I’ll also be sharing some great online food shopping destinations will you all.

Looking forward to hearing more from you on your favorite food shopping destinations.