Cooking with Leftovers - Part II

I recently tried out something new with leftovers; which I wanted to share here. As is the case usually, I had some leftover vegetables - Paneer and Gobi sabzi along with a couple of rotis from morning. As evening dawned I felt like munching something light. I considered it for a few moments. Here is what I did:

I chopped some onion and tomato and stir fried it. Added the leftover vegetables, lightly frying it along. Added a helping of the paneer sabzi masala from the what was leftover and mixed it all together.

Then I took my rotis, applied ghee on both sides and heated them on the tava till they turned a warm brown and slightly crispy.

I then spread out the sabzi mix onto the rotis and rolled it up into a nice looking kathi roll look-alike. I cut it into equal halves and ... 

... A great snack materialized in just about 15 mins.

If you have ideas on leftover food preparation, I’d definitely like to hear from you. Feel free to type out in the comments section below!

Also check out my earlier post on cooking with leftovers here.

La Mesa at Koramangala

Location: Koramangala (Bangalore)

I wanted to try Mexican last night. The only caveat … I didn’t want to spend too much on places like Habanero; which are good but come at a high price.

I filtered for Mexican restaurants in Bangalore on Zomato and Burrp and this placed called ‘La Mesa’ in Kormangala, popped up. I had not heard of this place before. What made me curious about this place was that burrp suggested only Rs. 250 for an average meal for two here. I quickly read through the reviews. Although there were only a few reviews  people were raving about the food. I settled on giving it a try.

The place is small and non-ac, QSR. Doesn't offer an ambiance  They have a decent Leb-Mex menu along with dine-in and home-delivery options. They don’t have a drinks menu but serve soft-drinks at mrp. The food is they serve is good! Some things are great while others are ‘not bad’. Here is what we tried:

Burrito Bowl with with Beans and Vegetables

 This was the best thing I tried there. As i started to dig in, the flavors gradually sinked in. The sour cream and cheese topping made it even more flavorful.

Pita with Hummus and Falafel

This was just okay! A mish-mash of too many flavors and I couldn't get the distinct taste of hummus I was looking for.

Quesadillas with Cheese Beans and Vegetables

Again this was a good preparation! The filling was nice and a great sour cream served alongside added so much to the taste.

All this in just Rs. 255/-. The pricing and reviews were correct! Great mexican taste and value for money sums up this small, relatively unknown joint.

People not looking for a fancy place but in search for great taste ... do give it a try!

Pind Balluchi

Location: Bangalore, MG Road (Garuda Mall)

Pind Balluchi was my favorite punjabi food spot in Noida. I used to frequent it often with my buddies and was never once disappointed with this joint.
Today while strolling around in Garuda Mall, I just happened to pass by it. The familiar big red neon sign with the sardar ji sitting under it with his lathi, activated my dormant taste buds.
Seeing one of my fav joints right in front of me made me crave for its food. I stood there reading its menu at the door. Just then a set of customers walked out of the restaurant ... I caught a glimpse inside; of the familiar sights, smells. Just then, at that moment the deal was sealed! I went right in and asked for a 'table for two'!

Here's a splash of the splendid meal we had:

A warm welcome! 

Confusion written across face. Kya order karen? Everything looks splendid!

Rubbing hands together with glee. Eager to get started!

Getting started with 'Dahi ke Kebab'. Really Really gooood

A closer look. Great preparation ... what an amazing invention this is

Kadai Paneer with Roomali Roti

Aam Panna concocted to perfection

A dash of colors to celebrate the food!

Hummus with Lavash

Not so long ago, I developed this liking for the good old middle-eastern Hummus and now I simply adore it. Initially, I picked Hummus from retailers (Nature’s Basket, Istanbul Doner (B'lore) etc.) but, now I sometimes prepare it at home as well.

Besides, I recently discovered this great side that goes very well with Hummus. It’s called Lavash. Lavash is a thin flatbread popular in Iran, Iraq, Turkey etc. I generally pick it up from Nature’s Basket again.

Here are a few clicks of my dinner-dates with Hummus ;-):

Hummus with Lavash

Lavash

Hummus with Falafel in Naan & Lavash

Istanbul Doner: Turkish Delight

Location: Indiranagar, Bangalore

It’s a great place for trying out something different yet scrumptious! I have a short video (1.5 mins) of this joint below. If you have trouble viewing goto this link on YT: 

If you happen to visit, do let me know your experience. Happy Eating fellow foodies :-D

Eggless Pancakes :-)

You Need (4-5 pancakes):

• Maida (Flour) – 1 cup
• Milk – 1 cup
• Sugar – 1 tablespoon
• Salt – ½ tablespoon
• Vegetable Oil/Olive Oil – 1 tablespoon
• Baking Powder – 1 tablespoon
• Butter
• Honey/Maple Syrup

Preparation:

Batter up: Whisk together the maida (flour), baking powder, salt and sugar. Add milk and oil and mix slowly and gently. Set aside for a few mins. After about 10 minutes, give it a mix again and set aside.

Heat-on: Heat a non-stick pan until it gets hot. Switch off the stove and leave it for 2-3 minutes. Again switch it on and put on medium flame. Grease with butter and pour one ladle-full of batter gently such that it doesn't spread

Flisyde: Wait until bubbles appear over the pancakes. Then flip over. Cook the other side for a minute and transfer to serving plate.

Serve hot topped with a liberal amount of butter, honey or maple syrup.

Enjoy the warm, fluffy and super soft … eggless pancakes!!!

The video below will give you a good idea of the preparation:

You can even try out pancakes in different flavors e.g. blueberry, strawberry. All you need to do is, add blueberry/strawberry paste/syrup to your batter and follow the steps above.

Matteo Coffea ... Now at CMH Road!

Location: CMH Road, Indira Nagar, Bangalore

YeaY!!! Some great news for folks in this part of Bangalore. Matteo has opened up a new gargantuan sized cafe at CMH road. The place is great and the coffee too! \m/. My favourite pick ... Cafe Mocha Grande!

@the CMH outlet