Big lunch vs small food

As we know different countries have different types of cuisines and so is the difference in culture too. Culture and lifestyle are directly related to the type and quantity of food people would eat there. Talking about India and Indian food people usually have three course meal in lunch and sometimes in dinner too. The staple food there consists of rice, lentils, wheat breads (rotis) vegetables. So, a person in routine course eats a full platter which has roti and vegetables to start with and it's followed by lentil curry and rice. Accompaniments like salads, pickles, papadums and buttermilk are usually served with the main meal too.

There is mostly no change in this even if a person is working there. Working people usually carry a four or five compartment tiffin box with them to work. In fact, it's so vital and common for people to have this big lunch that they hire a man for lunch delivery to their office or school. See it for yourself in this video here. Hence, it was really funny and surprising for me to see people having just a sandwich in lunch here; sometimes all they have is a bowl of salad and soup; though it was a part of the culture shock that I had as a new migrant. I would initially cook the normal Indian food in lunch. But as they time passed by I realised, it just doesn't work in this country.

Now, my lunch is the same as other people here and I never feel like having big lunch that I used to have back in India. That raises a question in my mind, 'Was I eating more than required all these years?' 'Are they all eating more than required or it's just Indians who are devoted food lovers?' Indeed, people there eat this quantity and variety even if they leave home for work at 9 am! Some people have this big lunch (read breakfast) as early as 8 am if they have to leave for work at 9 am and if they prefer not to carry anything with them. And during lunch time, they have light snacks and beverages. The surprise factor is not only about the person having lunch this early, but they even get their wives to wake up at 5 am in the morning and prepare the whole menu!

And it's not something out of the way for the wives to do as well as that's in the culture to go up to that extent when it comes to looking after family. My mother prepares this kind of lunch daily by 9 am as my father leaves after having lunch at around 10 am. And I have always loved to have this big lunch when I used to work there. Even today, when I go back home to visit them, I love to have the same kind of lunch. But when I am here, I would always prefer sandwich, soup and salad for lunch. The idea of having the same thing here just doesn't register in my mind.

I believe that's where the culture, lifestyle and surrounding plays a big role.

How about some street food?

Would you like an idea of hot food readily available on the streets of Australia and you would just drive by and grab a burger or a muffin? Imagine driving past the streets of Newtown or Bondi and pulling over for a while to have a cup of coffee or pizza without leaving your car!

Sounds easy, quick and convenient, isn't it? Indians have been enjoying this luxury and convenience since ages now. Street food is very common in any part of India you go, especially in Ahmedabad (the place where I hail from). There are streets full of vendors selling hot food and these streets are actually for transportation, but vendors capture a huge part of these streets to do their business and make a living.

In India we call it lari (stall) food. This food is usually junk and quick food. But the variety available in food on streets have increased over the time. So much so that, people can easily have a good nice meal or a heavy breakfast on these stalls. Almost all the food items are available on these 4 wheeled, flat, small stall. The arrangement there is to have food standing or sitting on a stool.

It's not that uncommon here either. There is a lane near Chatswood station, where there are people selling hot food on the street. And the whole scenario reminds me of my country. They have different stalls of different cuisines like Mexican, Italian, Indian and Thai. It's like a roadside market in the midst of which one can get fresh, hot food. But, it would be certainly amazing if we can have such type of food available all around Sydney. If you want to know more about it then blog sheds some light on street food. I am sure bachelors out there are nodding there heads!

Chai, Tea or Chai Tea?

The popular tale of how Camellia Sinensis (tea leaf) fell into a Chinese monk's pot of boiling water tells us how tea was discovered when he drank the concoction. According to a Chinese legend that's how tea was born.

Thanks to the discovery that was made five thousand years ago, as that's something that refreshes me, whatever hour of the day it maybe. The caffeine in it relives me of stress and tiredness when I am back from work. Apparently, tea has got more caffeine than coffee. Though it depends, what tea we are talking about as there is a vast variety of tea available these days. Most of them, I had never heard before. Types of tea such as Green tea, Chinese tea, Black Currant tea, Herbal tea, Chocolate tea, Masala tea, Ginger tea, Russian Caravan tea, English Breakfast tea, Irish Breakfast tea, Lemon tea and many more have captured most of the tea market today.

Tea reminds me of those slopy tea gardens in India. The famous ones that I know of are in Assam, Darjeeling, Ooty and in some other parts of north India. Today, India is one of the largest tea producers in the world. There are some places in India after which popular tea brands are named such as Darjeeling or the famous tea of Ooty. I had a chance of visiting the tea gardens of Ooty and Darjeeling both. On my recent trip to Ooty, we visited the tea gardens there. The place had ample tea gardens all around us, wherever we could see and till our sights could reach. But, the most amazing experience was to have tea right outside those gardens in a small stall where they were making freshly brewed tea plucked from those gardens. And the loose tea sold there was had a completely different aroma and taste compared to the ones we get in the shops. The stall there had a number of options to choose from like Masala tea, ginger tea, chocolate tea or simply plain tea, which was all made fresh in front of us. We bought so much tea from there, it can still last us for another two years.

It's not only excuse to call over friends at home, but these days they even have 'tea parties' in top notch social circles.

It has been two years since I live in Australia. For lots of people here it's a new concept of 'Chai tea' but the phrase always sounds funny to my ears. The word chai comes from India and is originally a Hindi word. It literally means tea in India. So when you say 'chai tea', it sounds 'tea tea' to me. I spoke to a few local people about this and they say that when they ask for chai tea, they expect tea with milk (that's how tea is in India, with 3/4th of milk and herbs). So they basically mean tea in Indian style. So it can be simply called called Indian tea. But it's not. Any cafe you go to, on the menu they have chai tea. Also there is a ready made mix available that says 'chai tea' which is added to the chai tea that you order in cafes. I am not quite sure if people know about this or not, but from the sample of people that I picked up to know about this, they had no clue that chai actually means tea.

At the end, a rose by any other name would smell as sweet is what I believe!

Soups

Anyone who thought, that soup is the easiest and the healthiest thing to make, thought it right. My dad thought that too. And hence, one fine day he very proudly announced that he will make a delicious soup within minutes. We were waiting on the dining table, when dad was just throwing all the uncut vegetables, that he could in a big pot of boiling water. He kept stirring and stirring, thinking that it will all gel into water and turn into soup. But it wasn't that easy either! Needless to say, dad gave up and we had pizzas ordered for dinner.

But that's something that gave me inspiration, to roll up my sleeves and learn to cook different variety of soups. Soups are basically made by combining all the vegetables and meat with stock or water and then adding spices or herbs to give it a flavour. It is the best food to have during illness, for weight loss or to simply eat healthy. Apparently it's a good appetizer too. It is best to have soup just before dinner or lunch or have it as a meal when you intend to keep healthy.

There are different types of soups as well. Clear soup, dessert soup, beverage soup, noodle soup and meat and vegetable soup are some of the main soups that we come across in our day- to-day life. Clear soups as the name suggests is as clear as water and thin. Not many people are big fans of clear soups as they can be very blend in taste sometimes. It is usually made by combining fully the vegetables and water and then strained to have it clear of all the vegetables and other solids.

Meat and vegetable soups are the most common type of soups. It is usually made by adding all the vegetables to water and boiling it till everything gels together completely. The consistency of these soups can be thickened by adding cornflour in it. It tastes the best with a pinch of pepper and lemon.

Noodle soup, also known as Laksa in Asia is a very healthy type of soup. It not only has noodles in it, but also has vegetables and meat along with it. It is a heavy meal option and usually served the best in Asian restaurants.

Generally, most of the soups are very nutritive and healthy. Though they are very easy to make, some ready made soups are also available in the markets easily. And if that's not enough, check out this blog here which has a good source of information and recipes about soups.

Banana Chilli

Talk about Mexican food and here I cook it. It was a relaxing weekend when I went out on a sunny afternoon for grocery shopping. Long, fresh, red banana chillies caught my eyes. I instantly flipped through my favourite Mexican recipe book in my mind and bought the remaining ingredients required to cook 'Banana Chilli Mexican style'.

Banana chilli, also known as banana pepper and yellow wax is a South American grown chilli belonging to chilli pepper family. It comes in variety of size and colour. Due to its size (4 to 6 inches) and its curved like banana shape, its known as banana chilli. The beauty of this chilli is that it can be eaten in many ways. It can be fried, stuffed, grilled, pickled and roasted. Originally, banana chilli is yellow in colour but it also comes in orange and red colour. This chilli is mostly served pickled, usually with sandwiches. And not to forget the most important part of it; these chillies are a good source of vitamin C.

For me it was rare to find a recipe like this in Mexican cookbook as I always thought that Mexican is only about salsa sauces, tomatoes, tortillas and enchiladas. But this recipe gave me a broader perspective of Mexican food. I would like to share it with you which I have not had so far in any of the Mexican restaurants.

Cooked in a simple way, this is made by stuffing the filling in the chillies, grilling it and serving it with home made tomato sauce. To make Banana chilli Mexican style prepare its stuffing first. The stuffing is made of potatoes (chopped), green olives and onions cooked in olive oil once the cumin seeds starts to mutter. Once it is cooked add oregano and keep aside. To make tomato sauce, saute onion in olive oil and oregano and add good amount of chopped tomatoes in it. Cook it till the tomatoes boil and add sufficient water. Take a heatproof bowl and pour the sauce in it.

Now slit the chillies from the middle, remove the seeds and the membrane and stuff it with the filling kept aside. Place these chillies on the sauce, cover the lid and cook till it gets grilled and soft. It is then ready to be served.

Its a very healthy, low calorie and quick dish to serve, especially when you are running out of time. This dish is best made when made in red chillies, but yellow is a good alternative too.

Ga ga over this Masterchef

While for some it's Peter Evans, Manu Fieldel or Julie Goodwin as their favourite chef, it's Sanjeev Kapoor from Khana Khazana fame for me. For those of you who might not know about him, he is one of the top notch chefs of India. This most celebrated chef of Indian cuisine was one of the top five celebrated chefs along with Jamie Oliver, Wolf Gang Puck and Gordon Ramsay to be selected by Richard Quest for featuring them in his programme 'Quest' on CNN channel. Not only that, he was also one of the chief speakers/ presenters at the Worlds of Flavour, 2005 International Conference and Festival organised by The Culinary Institute of America.

But it's not his credits and achievements that he has under his belts that makes me so ardently fond of him, but it's his style of cooking and the zest with which he cooks the food that steals my heart and motivates me to constantly aim to cook better and better everyday. Everything from the selection of recipes to the presentation of dish is just delicious all the way. Also, he doesn't only shares recipes, but even shows at a glance, short videos of the places he visits and the speciality in food, food markets or farms there. I must admit, that's one element that sells the show.

Every time I talk about him, I can't be happy enough that the chef, who has a strong profile and a celebrity fame attached to him is fortunately on my list of the people I have interviewed. Yes!!! it was during my tenure with The Times Of India that I got a chance to interview him one on one during his visit to my city. He not only talked about his career and life but humbly shared some good recipes and tips with me.

Even as of today, his cookbooks and website are like Bible for me in the kitchen and I would one day hope to be on his show as a guest. You can visit his website here and check out some really good dishes by this Masterchef.

Mexicano Delicias

I believe there is one common ingredient that we all want in our food, work, and the way we do things. And that's authenticity. Though we everyday adapt and try a new technology, new style of clothing, different food and different thinking too, we still want full marks on authenticity. I cook variety of dishes every now and then and try my best to make it authentic as per the standards of the region to which the dish belongs to. But what defines authenticity? I adapt recipes from internet, from cookery shows and sometimes from what I have tried in restaurants. So, my authenticity depends on how authentic is the recipe that I am adapting. And though, there is a vast variation in a particular dish from author to author, and from cook to cook, we still run after it. How many times do we hear people saying, 'Let's go for an authentic Italian food' or 'I want to have some authentic Indian food'? Most of the time we are satisfied with what a chef might have labelled as 'authentic Indian food' or 'traditional Italian cuisine'. For me, something that gives me satisfaction and joy while eating, is 'authentic'.

I absolutely love Mexican food and hence I always try to make it as authentic as possible. Most of the Mexican dishes that I have learnt come from the presumptions that I make when I eat at Mexican joints. I also follow Mexican cookbooks and cookery shows on TV. My research and experience so far says that true Mexican food has a depth of flavour and can be amended according to different person's taste. It's a common belief that Mexican food is too hot and spicy as an array of chillies is used in it, but with it's combination of savoury and earthy flavours it can be made tasty and delicious.

Authentic Mexican food is vibrant, delicious, spicy and colourful. It varies from region to region. To cook Mexican food at home, there are some 'must haves' in the kitchen. The common ingredients that we know Mexican food has is chillies-fresh and dried, tomatoes, lime, red onion, tortillas, beans and ranchero sauce. But if you are a fan of Mexican food and want to cook authentic Mexican food at home then these are the ingredients you may consider buying and storing if you plan to cook it on and off. Chillies like Ancho, Guajillo, Jalapeno, Habanero and Pasilla chillies are just some types of chillies used in Mexican food. The other key ingredients are Annatto, Avocado, Huitlacoche, Jamaica, Jicama, Nopales, Hominy and Tomatillos.

As far as cooking it at home is considered, Mexican food is the easiest cuisine for dinners. The easy and ready made availability of most of its ingredients like tortillas, salsa sauce, corn chips and tin tomatoes saves time and makes cooking quick. The best authentic Mexican food that I have had so far is at Montezuma's on Church street. And if you are keen on cooking some authentic Mexican food then keep checking this blog that I like. It not only has good recipes but it also sheds some light on authentic food and Mexican cooking.

Multiculturalism triumphs on My Kitchen Rules

From cooking in a conventional home kitchen to winning a cookery show, sounds like a long journey, isn’t it? But Veronica and Shadi Abraham made it last night beating Victorians Noah Rose and Clint Yudelman, with both teams cooking their ultimate three-course meal in the home-cooking contest.

I in particular ws not favouring any one team as I watched the show for my passion of cooking and learning new dishes and cooking skills, but Veronica and Shadi's simple style of cooking and their way to cook has re-invigorated my passion for cooking and sharing food and recipes with people.

'Childhood Sweethearts' as they like to call themselves, Veronica and Shadi were the most humble couple on the show. More than the humbleness, I liked the recipes that they would choose for each episode. The Orange Blossom custard that they made was absolutely delicious by the looks of it. More than cooking it was their presentation every time that made it mouth watering. And sausages? Who makes sausages from the scratch? Well, they did in the last semi finale. Not only that, they even made fresh pasta serving it with a pancetta, silverbeet, ricotta and goats cheese sauce. And this dish,which was though not up to the mark, led them to the finale, beating Mossy and Gabe from NSW who cooked Poisson De Coeur. Poisson De Coeur which means (fish of heart) was thought to be overcooked by the judges as Mossy cooked it on a very high temperature.

But after sweating blood and tears to create that perfect dish for the finale, it was at last the winning which was worth the sweat and tear shed. But Veronica and Shadi said that their toughest challenge was not cooking that perfect dish, as the tougher part was yet to come. It was when they had to keep quiet of their triumph and the prize that they won ($ 100 000) even to their closest family members and friends for three months as the episodes were shot in December. They said, "It was a hard secret to keep but we weren't going to risk getting into trouble over that."

After the delicious looking octopus entree prepared by Veronica and Shadi that only finished as the deadline siren sounded (which has happened with them in the semi finale too) they impressed the judges most with their sword fish main and custard and pastry dessert.

These dishes beat their rival's Carpaccio of tuna, roasted duck breast and tart of hazelnut and raspberry, impressing the guest judges and regulars Peter Evans and Manu Feildel.

Apart from their cooking and dish selection, something that I always liked about the couple was that they would always kiss each other at frequent intervals, which one could see, relieved them of the whole stress of cooking the best dish and cooking in time.

Veronica and Shadi, both 29 from Italian and Lebanese backgrounds respectively, though haven't made much plans on what to do of the prize money, one thing they sure want to do is conduct food tours in Italy and Australia that they both have dreamt to do for long time now.

Way to go Veronica and Shadi, you truly deserved it!

My experiment on Chocolate Mousse (read mouse)

I was talking about experiments on food in my last post and before it was time to post again, I have already done an experiment. Successful or not? Well, read further and find out for yourself.

Chocolate Mousse was catching my eyes everywhere, on the internet, in magazines and finally on a TV show. Even the ingredients were traveling to me by some magic force. A friend of mine who went on holidays for a month gave me a bottle of whipped cream, thinking that it may probably go off by the time she's back. My hubby bought some thickened cream from Woolworths which we never wanted. This was enough for me to conduct an experiment.

Finally after a week or so, on weekend, I went on a much awaited Mission: Chocolate Mousse. In the first steps itself, which was simply melting chocolate, I stuffed up. Instead of melting, I cooked the chocolate in the microwave. So much so that, it couldn't melt after that at all. After 45 mins. of my try to melt the chocolate, with my hubby's suggestion I added some water and beat it with an electric mixer. Remaining procedure was fortunately completed without any errors.

But I had lost the hope of serving a perfect chocolate mousse to my hubby and friends who were coming over in the evening as the mixture looked too skinny. Miraculously, when I checked the refrigerated mixture after an hour, it had nicely transformed into chocolate mousse. It's consistency cheered me up and I then decorated it with whipped cream and grated chocolate.

It's a great idea to serve this dessert to your loved ones on special occasions. I am sure others can make this quick and easy dessert without much goof-ups.

Check out the recipe that I tried from www.taste.com.au

Ingredients: (Serves 6)

• 300g good-quality dark chocolate, roughly chopped
• 3 eggs
• 1/4 cup (55g) caster sugar
• 1 tbs good-quality cocoa powder, sifted
• 300ml thickened cream, plus extra whipped cream to serve
• Grated chocolate, to serve

Method:

1. Place the chocolate in a heatproof bowl over a pan of gently simmering water (don't let the bowl touch the water). Stir until melted. Remove bowl from heat and set aside to cool slightly.
2. Place eggs and sugar in a large bowl and beat with electric beaters for 5 minutes, or until mixture is pale, thick and doubled in volume. Fold in cooled chocolate and cocoa powder until combined.
3. In a separate bowl, whip cream until thickened (be careful not to over-beat). Use a large metal spoon to carefully fold the cream into the chocolate mixture, trying to keep the mixture as light as possible. Spoon into 6 serving glasses and chill in fridge for at least 1 hour. Remove from fridge 15 minutes before serving, then top with extra whipped cream and grated chocolate to serve.

Much said and done about

It's something that's a part of everyone's life every single day. Be it the rich or the poor, the famous or the infamous, a kid or a granny or a labourer or nanny. It's unavoidable, inevitable and an absolute necessity to live on this planet. No points for guessing, yes, I am talking about food. It's something that keeps us going for the major part of our day, something without which the habitat can't survive.

Though there's much written and said about different topics on food, everywhere on the internet, in magazines, in books, on TV and on every other possible place where it could be, I would like to talk and blog about it. So, you would often find me here talking and blogging about food, though in my style, my taste and on different types of food cooked and consumed in different ways.

I already feel like having something right away. But what's it that I can have just right away? Aha! That reminds me of quick and fast food. And that gives me a new topic to write on. Fast food is the taste of this generation. And other things that make to the favourite list of generation Y is fusion food, continental food, quick food, low-cal food and many more. But something that I like out of all this is experimental food. And if you are wondering what's that, then keep checking my blog to know about the experiments that I do in my kitchen.