Category Archives: Uncategorized

Pear and Ginger Cake

Posted on December 20, 2016 by arundati

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A few years ago, a blogger friend Finla posted a picture of a beautiful pear cake. I asked for the recipe and meant to make it soon. It has taken me almost 2 years. Every time I would buy pears, I’d imagine that beautiful cake, then life would take over and they would languish in the fruit bowl, or perish in the fridge and no cake would be made.

Last week, I had a day to myself and the choice was between making gulab jamoon from a packet mix I got for free with something else or baking a cake. I was on a roll that day, I had to make a cake for my driver’s daughter and decided it was the right muhurtham to make the pear cake.

The batter is pretty straight forward and comes together quite easily with standard baking ingredients. It was similar to the strawberry cake that took the blogging and instagramming world by storm a couple of years ago. It was one of the most beautiful batters I have made. One can make out that it is going to be a lovely cake just by looking at the batter after a few years of baking.

Finla’s recipe calls for fresh ginger, I didn’t have any so I used dried ginger. Fresh would have tasted way better, but this cake would have never gotten baked if I had waited to go get some! Her recipe was in weight measures, but I always use cups, so everything has been converted for cup measures.

The hint of citrus from the orange juice and the ginger gives this cake beautiful undertones. The combination of a buttery batter, pear, orange and ginger is a really good one. In her recipe, Finla topped it with a chocolate ganache, I skipped that because I loved the cake on its own, plus I am not the world’s biggest chocolate fan! Try this cake for when you want a light snack for tea time, or to pack into your child’s lunch box. Am sure you will love it!

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Pear and Ginger cake

2 tsp fresh ginger grated (I used powdered dried ginger)

2 ripe pears

2/3 cup soft butter + extra for the pan

1 tablespoon lemon zest (I used orange zest)

1/4 cup Orange juice (I added this the original recipe did not have this)

2/3 cup Sugar (can use light brown, I used white)

2 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla essence/ extract

1/2 cup milk

1 cup flour + extra for dusting the pan

1.5 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

5 tablespoon Almond meal (I did not add this)

Preheat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius and butter and line a baking pan with baking paper. I used a 7×7 inch square pan.

Peel and slice the pears, sprinkle with a few teaspoons of the lemon/orange juice and set aside.

Whisk the butter and sugar till pale, fluffy and doubled in volume. Don’t skip this step because it ensures that your cake rises well and is fluffy.

Add the eggs one at a time, beating well in between. Add the vanilla, orange / lemon zest and ginger, whisk well.

Mix the orange juice with the milk and set aside. In a bowl, sift the flour with the baking powder and salt, mix in the almond meal if using. Add the flour mix and milk alternatively into the butter and eggs mixture and gently fold using a spatula. Make sure not to over-mix the batter.

Pour the batter into the prepared baking pan, arrange the pear slices on top and bake for 40-45 minutes at 180 C till done or a skewer inserted into the middle comes out clean.

Cool completely, dust with icing sugar or chocolate sauce and serve.

This cake stays fresh at room temperature for 2 days. Because of the fresh pears, it is best to refrigerate it if keeping for any longer.
Gently reheat in the microwave for 30 seconds before serving.

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{Eating Out} Coast to Coast – Amara, Trident

Posted on November 29, 2016 by arundati

After a really long hiatus from all things blogging and specifically all things food review, I found myself seated at Amara, at Trident Hyderabad. This is one of my favourite hotels, I have dined here multiple times at all of their restaurants. Trident has always been experimental about bringing new food experiences to the city and has done so admirably.

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Chef Manik welcomed me at the entrance and we chatted a bit, him telling me he hadn’t seen me in ‘forever’ and I telling him of my woes with Sage. The restaurant was buzzing, it being Thanksgiving day and I was pleasantly surprised to know that the festival was celebrating food from the world over. I must say that I didn’t expect that, I expected the food from the Indian coast, this was taking it to another level altogether. While the promotion widely showcases the Indian coastline, there are dishes from the Japan and Phuket in the far east to the Marseilles coast, Palermo in Italy), Sicily, the West Coast of America and the celebrated food from the Caribbean Islands.

At buffets (the promotion is on for their regular dinner buffet at Amara till the 30th of Nov. 2016) I usually skip the stock dishes and check out what is new. Buffets are easy to get lost at, the spread is huge and usually not as enticing as ordering A la carte.

Interspersed with the familiar, were some kick ass specialties from the coasts of the world in all the courses.

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Starting with the huge display of sea produce at the sea food bar, there were oysters and humongous crabs. I skipped the soup section altogether and headed for the appetizers and salad.

Among the appetizers, I enjoyed the Hawaiian Salmon Tartare, it was served up in cute little glasses, fresh flavours and very light. Kerala fried fish was the next dish that stood out. They also had sea food ceviche and a shrimp cocktail which my fellow dinner guests loved but I did not try since I am allergic to shrimp. They also had a non coastal spread, the koshumbari from the salads and beetroot chaap, salt and pepper vegetables stood out. There is a live chaat counter and a grilling station. I tried some grill fish which was so fresh and bursting with flavour.

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For the main course, they had a diverse array of dishes. The Gulf coast seafood stew was my absolute favourite. The light stew with the assorted sea food was delicious, allowing the flavours of the ingredients to shine through without overpowering spices or seasoning. Those familiar with Indian style of preparing seafood will know that we usually douse it in masala, so this was very palette pleasing, I went back for seconds.

The Phuket Massaman curry with chicken was the other dish I truly enjoyed, subtle Thai flavours in a creamy coconut gravy. There was also the Islanders Goat curry, which was flavourful but the meat a little chewy and a couple of other dishes I didn’t try. I also confess that this buffet may not be suited to vegetarians (there is plenty of regular food on the buffet tho) because of the seafood galore! From the Indian dishes I really enjoyed the Bengali Doi Mach and Goan Lamb Xacuti. All of these paired well with plain steamed rice, there was also an assortment of both Indian and other breads.

For the vegetarians there was Pad thai and a Sicilian port caponate which looked good.

There is also a live pasta counter if you are so inclined, like I mentioned, the array is huge, tipped in favour of the seafood lover tho.

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The dessert assortment, which is my first love at a buffet was huge.

They had an extremely well made Creme brulee, pastries and a lot of Indian sweets, including my favourite kaddu ka kheer, the lemony passion fruit mousse and banana foster which was outstanding!

The promotional is on till the 30th of Nov 2016. Do not miss this!

Coast to Coast at Amara, Trident, Hyderabad

Recommendations: Hawaiian Salmon Tartare Salad, Goan Xacuti, Gulf coast seafood stew and Phuket massaman curry (main course), Banana foster and passion fruit mousse (dessert)

Timing: 7.30 pm to midnight.
Location: Hitech City, Hyderabad
Credit Card Accepted: Yes
Valet Parking: Available
Telephone: 91 40 6623 2323

Coffee Choco Chip Muffins

Posted on September 19, 2016 by arundati

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I maintain that I am not fully awake and ready to function each morning unless I have my cup of coffee. I am also a tiny bit particular that the milk should be freshly boiled and the decoction freshly brewed. I didn’t realise how important this was to me until a few years ago, on a trip to Bangalore, I stayed with my cousin. She offered to make my coffee. What followed is a tale I cannot forget. I watched her take milk from the fridge, heat it, add decoction that was sitting on the counter top, it wasn’t strong enough, so in went some instant coffee, mixed in some sugar and handed it to me. I tried my best to drink it. Telling myself it was just coffee. I failed and the coffee met the kitchen sink after a few laboured sips. She now laughs and asks me to make my own coffee when I visit!

It is my daily ritual, my start of the day and is kind of sacred. I set the filter with two scoops of coffee powder, add the hot water, soak Sage’s food and go for a walk with him. By the time we come back 20-30 minutes later, he is ready for his first meal of the day and I look forward to my coffee and morning peace.

Some days the coffee doesn’t turn out right. For no fathomable reason. I am decidedly irritated for the first hour on such days. I call them the ‘curse of coffee’ or ‘Kaapi shraabam’ days. You don’t want to meet me early in the morning on such days!

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I recently introduced a 6 day baking course at my studio. I get several requests for longer than my current one day basic class and decided to try it out. We tackle a different kind of bake in more detail than my one day class. One day is cookies, one day cupcakes and so on. Since a lot of my students come back for classes, I try not to repeat the items being taught. They appreciate the variety and I don’t get bored.

In last month’s class we made these beautiful Coffee Choco Chip Muffins. I am not big on chocolate, I have said it numerous times. Yet anything well made with chocolate is always welcome. This blog itself has a tonne of chocolate recipes. This one is a sure keeper. Best for when you have guests over for chai/ coffee or to add to a picnic / travel bag. These are easy to make and are very moist. I like to keep them for a day before eating them so that the flavours are nicely infused.
Try them and do let me know how you liked these muffins.

Coffee Chocolate chip muffins (Makes 8)

1.5 cups Maida / All purpose flour

1/2 cup Choco chips

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda 1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 cup vegetable oil

1 medium egg or ¼ cup yogurt

1/2 cup milk

2/3 cup sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla essence

1 tablespoon Instant coffee powder (reduce if you prefer it milder)

Sift the flour with the baking powder, soda and salt. Add the choco chips and set aside.
Preheat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius
Whisk together the milk, egg or yogurt, vanilla, oil and sugar till the sugar has completely dissolves.
Add the flour in two parts, mix gently till the batter is formed. It will be a thick batter.
Spoon into the muffin liners, fill ⅔ of the liner only.
Bake for 25-27 minutes, until a skewer inserted comes out clean.
Cool for 10 minutes before serving. Can store upto 7 days if refrigerated, cool completely before storing.
Instead of choco chips, use any chopped chocolate, or nuts

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Eating Out ~ High on Highway, Spice Junxion, Taj Deccan

Posted on April 19, 2016 by arundati

Highway food has always been something I looked forward to on road trips even as a child.

There is something quite adventurous in finding a spot on a rustic Charpai (rope woven cot) and ordering basic (the menu’s in my childhood consisted of 8-10 items only) but lip smacking fare.

Highway dhabas catered mostly to truck drivers on the go and therefore the food needed to be robust, fresh and quick. Today there are a lot of ‘permanent’ Dhaba style restaurants across the country which serve up dhaba food. This is a testament to how popular this genre of food is.

High on Highway ~ Food festival at Spice Junxion, Taj Deccan

The Spice Junxion at the Taj Deccan is hosting a 10 day food festival that is showcasing this food. They’ve chosen dishes served up in eateries along the National Highway 1 which according to Wikipedia, runs between Punjab, starting from the town of Attari, through Haryana and ends at Delhi. This is a part of the Grand Trunk Road which extended from Bengal to Kabul. Read more about it here.

I was invited for the preview of this festival and the food is available off a special A la Carte menu.

This is the first time I was dining at this restaurant of the Taj and the ambience was delightful with dhaba-esque souvenirs, brass and copper crockery and lots of flowers dotting the place.

Executive chef Rishi Manucha explained that a considerable amount of research had gone into capturing the authentic flavours of the dishes being presented. I think this was important because north Indian food and particularly Punjabi food has become common place at restaurants. I was curious to see what twist they would present.

Bhuni Shakarkandi

Chatpati Dahi Arbi

For starters, the vegetarian fare included Chatpati Dahi Arbi – yogurt marinated colacasia, deep fried. There was also Bhuni Shakarkandi – Sweet potato, chargrilled and served with a mango chutney. I loved this, one because I like sweet potatoes, two the flavours were subtle.

Ambarasari Macchi

Tandoori Chicken

The non vegetarian starters had the ever popular Tandoori Chicken – I loved that they used really tender chicken and the extra cumin in the marinade really gave it a nice heft.

Ambarasari Machi – batter fried fish which was succulent on the outside and had a very lightly crisp and spicy exterior was my favourite. This could be because I am partial to fish!

We were served three kinds of drinks. The Shikanji (lemon juice), Aam panna (raw mango juice flavoured with cumin and black salt) and my absolute favourite Sweet lassi with a generous dollop of cream. I wished I had a bucket full of this, but exercised restraint!

Gosht aur Shalgam ki Tari

Penda ~ Chicken and Potato Korma

For the main course, we had Gosht aur Shalgam ki Tari, a nice home style mutton and turnip dish. This had a gravy which was not loaded with cream and other stuff, just nice clean flavours, melt in the mouth meat that was cooked to perfection. Paired well with the crunchy Khamiri Roti.

The Penda, which is a chicken korma cooked with potato and garam masala was also good. I was beginning to love that the dishes were mostly home style. What a dichotomy it is, to crave home style food in a commercial restaurant! And yet, more and more people are seeking this out.

There was a Pudiney ki tari wali macchli which had all the right flavours, but the fish pieces sort of didn’t hold their shape in the gravy. I usually like my fish curries in the south indian style with lots of tang, so I enjoyed the flavour of mint for a change. Although the fish was supposed to be barbecued, the flavours didn’t come through at all.

Aloo Methi ka saag on the left and Amchoor wale Kareley in the middle, above that is rajma masala

Aloo methi ka saag was a clear favourite even with my fellow diner, it was a wet gravy dish (again homestyle) instead of the usual dry aloo methi one is familiar with.The sharpness of the fenugreek leaves a nice contrast with the bland creamy potato.

Amchoorwaley Kareley – bittergourd stuffed with green pea and dried mango powder, I spotted a few raisins in it too. While the stuffing was very good, I felt the bittergourd itself was rather tough and uncooked. It either needed more cooking or using very tender gourds would be good. I’m impressed that the chef chose this dish because bitter gourd is automatically one of those most hated vegetables!

The Rajma masala was everything it should be. Cooked to soft creamy perfection, not too many spices and yet, deep flavours coming through. I’ve eaten a lot of rajma masala to be tired of it, but this was very comforting and spot on, even though a tad too familiar. There was another lentil preparation – Maash ki dal (red lentils) which looked good, but I didn’t taste it.

We were served a pillow soft Aloo Kulcha which was terrific. I had second servings of this.

There is a choice of Pudina (mint) rice and Jeera (cumin) rice to go with the main course.

There was a refreshingly different raita made with aubergine, baigan ka raita, which had me going for second helpings.

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The desserts served were Malai Ghevar (I didn’t like this, never have been a fan of ghevar, so don’t take my word), Gajrella (carrot kheer) which was nice, because it wasn’t sickeningly sweet unlike how its cousin the gajar ka halwa is made. And the piece de resistance – Pan ka mitha – Rose flavoured icecream, sandwiched in a betel (pan) leaf with a nice dollop of rose petal preserve (gulkand) which is used to sweeten pan. The whole thing was frozen and totally hit all the right spots for me. I am a big big fan of gulkand, known to eat it out of the bottle like jam, so for me, pan flavoured anything is a must have. A lot of restaurants now do pan flavoured ice cream or kulfi. The pan ‘masala’ including fresh betel leaves are ground and added to an ice cream mix. But this was brilliant because it hits the palate at different times, just as you are savouring the icecream, you get a hit from the gulkand! As you can see, for me this was the show stopper of the whole meal.

The festival is on till 26th April and is available for both lunch and dinner.

Check it out if you would like a deviation from the highly commercial dhaba food, and want to sample some really well made north Indian fare.

The options are served A la Carte. Prices for the Starters are Rs. 345 – 450 (excluding taxes). Main course dishes are priced between Rs. 445 – Rs. 595 (excluding taxes)

Recommended Dishes: Bhuni Shakarkandi, Ambarasari Macchi, Tandoori Chicken, Gosht aur shalgam ki tari, Rajma masala, Aloo methi ka saag, baingan ka raita, sweet lassi and Pan ka Mitha

Hours: Lunch and Dinner

Location: The Spice Junxion, Taj Deccan, Banjara Hills

Valet Parking: Available

Telephone :66663939

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Multi Millet Thepla with Methi and Palak

Posted on March 2, 2016 by arundati

methi thepla

That’s a mouthful, to say and to eat. I posted a picture of this on my instagram feed and I had a lot of friends asking for the recipe. To my mind, that was odd, because this was more of a ‘throw everything you have in the fridge together’ type of preparation. I’ve had this long standing habit of making a roti / flatbread mixed with fresh vegetables (grated carrot or bottlegourd) or leafy vegetables such as spinach or even pureed leftover dal and curries. Its an effective way to get some flavour into a plain roti and cleans up your fridge, what’s not to love?

I have been using a multi millet mix for rotis off and on and used the same to make these theplas. Millets grow in abundance in the Telangana region, of which Hyderabad is the capital city. The area is land locked, dry and arid and millets which do not need much water, are suitable for these semi drought conditions. Millets are also extensively eaten in Maharashtra and Karnataka. All this changed over the last few decades with everyone shifting both cultivation and consumption to rice. However, the last few years have brought a surge in the interest and consumption of millets, much to the delight of farmers. This is due to the fact that millets are gluten free and low in glycemic index, making it suitable for those on a gluten free diet or people who need slow release foods, like diabetics. Millets are very ‘filling’ that’s what a lay person would call a low GI food. It makes one feel less hungry and delays the next meal. Farmers would make a gruel from millets such as ragi and consume it early in the morning before they head out to the fields. This would keep them full till their next meal.

Due to the nature of the grain, millet rotis tend to become dry and are best eaten hot, smeared with a little butter or ghee. It is also a little difficult to roll out as a roti, again because it doesn’t contain gluten, the roti breaks and tears and doesn’t hold shape. The traditional way to combat this, is to knead the dough with warm water, and pat out the rotis instead of rolling them. It is a treat to watch ladies do this, ofcourse this is a dying skill.

To make my life easy, I simply add a little bit of wheat flour to act as a binder and help roll out the rotis. Wheat also ensures the theplas remain soft for a few hours after making them. Millet flours are coarse, they also have a strong nutty taste which takes a little getting used to. Adding spices, grated or pureed vegetables or even a dab of ghee or butter, makes it easier to eat. It is definitely an acquired taste. So start with small quantities.

There is a pseudo grain amongst millets, looks and tastes like cooked broken rice, this is my favourite, because it can be cooked and eaten in place of rice. Do check out Foxtail millet. I have a few recipes for it on this blog such as patties and pulav. Jowar/ pearl millet can effectively be used in many non Indian dishes too, I have a recipe for a tabbouleh salad that uses jowar instead of Bulgar wheat!

For a recipe that I didn’t think was blogging worthy, that’s a lot of story!

I make my own multi grain flour mix but you can also use a premix. I add equal quantities of Ragi, Jowar, Bajra to a container and mix it. The wheat flour is added when I knead the dough and in as much quantity as desired. For this thepla, I used equal quantities of ragi, jowar, bajra and wheat flours.

1/2 cup each of ragi, jowar, bajra and wheat flours (2 cups flour in all)

Salt to taste

1 teaspoon whole cumin seeds

1 teaspoon red chilli powder (adjust according to taste)

1-1.5 cups finely chopped spinach and fenugreek leaves

1/2 – 3/4 cup warm water to knead the dough

3-4 teaspoons of oil / ghee

Mix together all of the ingredients except the water, add water slowly and knead into a slightly stiff dough. Let it rest for 10 minutes.

Heat a tava / griddle on medium high heat, divide the dough into 8 portions and make balls out of them.

Using a little dry wheat flour and a rolling pin, roll out the dough balls into thin discs, about 5 inches in diameter. Repeat with all of the dough balls.

When the griddle is hot, cook the theplas on the first side for 20 seconds, flip over when small bubbles/ brown spots form. Cook the other side for 30-45 seconds, press down gently with a clean kitchen towel, to ensure all the edges are cooked, drizzle some oil/ ghee and repeat the pressing down on the other side. This is to ensure that the edges get a few crispy bits.

Take it off the flame and keep it in layers of a kitchen towel or serve immediately. Repeat with all the dough. Serve them hot with lots of white butter (:D), yogurt and pickle on the side.

If you liked this recipe, or tried it out, do let me know how it turned out. You can also write about how you use millets in your kitchen, or what your favourite recipe for thepla is.

Eating Out ~ The Himalayan Pop-up, Bidri, Marriott Hotel and Convention Centre

Posted on February 26, 2016 by arundati

North Indian cuisine is limited to mostly Punjabi or the occasional Rajasthani or Gujarati cuisine for the city of Hyderabad. So it was interesting to hear of a Himachali pop-up being curated to show case dishes of the Himalayan land. Hosted by Bidri at the Marriott in Hyderabad, curated by home chef Sherry Malhotra, the festival brings under the spotlight a very refreshing set of dishes.

Chef Sherry Malhotra

The interaction with Chef Sherry included an interesting conversation about Himachali food. Much of the cuisine, especially in the winter months when fresh vegetables are scarce, relies on dried legumes, lentils and other such. The chef learnt many of the dishes from her grandmother which reflected in the home style taste and flavours that were retained in the dishes which renders so much more authenticity to each one.

I was invited for a preview of this pop up along with a few other bloggers and it began with a wonderfully interactive cook off session between two groups. The dish we had to recreate was the Chana Madra, a light yet fragrant yogurt based gravy of boiled chickpeas and cottage cheese. I fulfilled my childhood fantasy of cooking in an actual hotel kitchen with this!What is remarkable of this cuisine tho, is that despite not having too much fresh vegetables, especially in the winter months, the range of dishes is a vegetarian’s delight. The preparations are simple, using basic spices from an Indian kitchen which are easily available and uses lots of dairy particularly yogurt in a lot of dishes, also tamarind to flavour gravies. This ensures that the flavour of the ingredients shine through and are not overpowered by spices.

Channe ki Tikki

The vegetarian starters included the Channe ki tikki (Pan fried tikkis stuffed with a tangy tomato chutney/ relish) for me this was the stand out offering from the vegetarian starters.

Arbi aur Moongphalli ke Seekh

There was also the Moong dal ki pakodi and Arbi aur moongphalli ki seekh (Colocassia and peanut skewers cooked in the tandoor) I had this seekh at the preview of their set menu as well.

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For the non vegetarian starters we had Dahi ki chaap (Lamb chops braised in buttermilk with fennel seed) The yogurt renders the meat succulent and the spices are very subtle. We also had the Macchi fry usually prepared with trout, but this was seer fish marinated with fresh ground spices and pan-fried. The spices are marinated with mustard oil and the flavour of the mustard oil stands out remarkably. I enjoyed this preparation. We also had the Methi aur saunf ki murgh chaap (Chicken leg marinated with fennel and green chilli marinade and cooked in a tandoor)

The line up of the main course dishes

For the main course, we had the Channa Madra (Chickpeas cooked with yoghurt and lotus seeds) which I liked a lot for its simplicity.

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Naashpati ki subzi

There was the delightful Naashpati ki subzi (Sweet crunchy pears cooked with whole red chillies and fennel) this was the stand out dish and the opinion was unanimous at the table! I also loved the Sepu Wadi (Urad dal dumplings, steamed and then cooked in a spinach puree). The grainy texture of the urad dumplings giving the creamy spinach gravy a nice contrast.

There was also Bhey (Lotus stem cooked with yoghurt) which retained the crunchy and chewy texture of the lotus stem. Maash dal (a home style urad dal dish cooked with yoghurt) and Kaale channe ki maani (Black chickpeas cooked with tamarind and onion spinach fritters) This was delicious, not just because of the spinach fritters, but the tamarind gravy was light and yet flavourful.

We enjoyed this with Babru, which is a deep fried bread, made out of fermented dough and stuffed with a coarse paste of urad / black lentils. Something like a bhatura with more personality. An assortment of other flatbread including makki ki roti is also available.

For the non vegetarians, there are dishes such as the Chaa Gosht which is Lamb braised in a yoghurt and gramflour gravy, tasted very similar to a yakhni gravy. There was also the Methi Macchi (Fish cooked with fresh fenugreek and tomatoes) which for me was one of the best fish preparations I’ve tasted, the flavour of the methi a sharp contrast to the mild flavour of the fresh water fish.

There was also a very fragrant Tudkiya Bhaat (Basmati rice, tempered with spices and tossed with assorted vegetables and yogurt) what I loved about this rice preparation was that even though it uses cooked rice, the flavours are like a pulao.

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Khus khus aur makhane ki kheer

To end the meal on a sweet note, we had Meetha Bhaath a very mild rice dessert, flavoured with fennel and saffron. The knockout though, was Khus khus aur makhane ki kheer (Poppy seeds and lotus seeds cooked in milk with cashewnuts, raisins and dates) the flavours were so beautifully blended, the texture of the poppy seeds, offsetting the almost velvetty-ness of the lotus seeds, it was a terrific end to the very interesting meal.

Chef Yogender Pal has given this city a very beautiful insight into the cuisine which would otherwise remain unknown, he deserves all compliments for conceptualising and bringing to life this pop-up. If you are in Hyderabad over the weekend, don’t miss this one. It is on till the 28th of this month.

The options are served as a set menu where one gets to sample a wide range of starters, main course and dessert. Vegetarian (Rs. 1200 + Tax), Non Vegetarian (Rs. 1400 + Tax)

The menu changes every day, so it would be a good idea to call and check what’s on offer.

Recommended Dishes: Channe ki tikki, Arbi aur moongphalli ke seekh, Dahi ki chaap, Machi fry, Methi Machi, Channa madra, Sepu wadi, Naashpati ki sabzi, Tudkiya bhaath, khus khus aur makhaane ki kheer.

Hours: 7.30 pm to midnight.

Location: Hyderabad Marriott Hotel & Convention Centre & Courtyard by Marriott Hyderabad, Opposite Hussain Sagar Lake, Hyderabad – 500080

Credit Card Accepted: Yes

Valet Parking: Available

Telephone: 91 4027522999

Make in your sleep Banana Bread

Posted on February 12, 2016 by arundati

I posted a picture of this loaf on Instagram and said how ironic it was for someone who teaches baking, I barely bake for home. And when I do it is always the simplest of recipes that I end up making. Give me a fancy six layered cake with colours and sprinkles and a slice of rustic banana bread and guess which one I’ll choose!

Not that I don’t enjoy fancy baking. I love it as much as the next sweet toothed person, but when I want something comforting or need to bake for home or guests in a hurry, I reach out for this recipe.

If you’re the kind that always has bananas on hand then great! Else use any firm fruit like apple, pear or even puréed yellow pumpkin or carrot if you have it on hand to make this.

This loaf pretty much bakes itself. Just stir together dry ingredients, whisk together all the wet stuff like a milkshake, mix and pour into a baking tin or muffin cups. Add those nuts and bits and bobs of choco chips languishing in your fridge. Done!

Banana Loaf Cake

2 cups flour (I used half whole wheat atta and half Maida)

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg (optional but substitute with cinnamon powder if you prefer)

2/3 cup sugar ( adjust according to your sweet preference or sweetness of the fruit, I used minimal sugar)

2 medium eggs at room temperature

2 medium ripe bananas (1 cup of purée)

1/2 cup milk

1/4 cup vegetable oil or melted butter (I used oil)

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/4 cup chocolate chips/ nuts

Preheat the oven to 180 degrees C, line a 7 inch loaf Pan or a 7 inch round/ square cake pan and brush with oil or melted butter and set aside.

In a bowl add the flours, baking powder, baking soda, salt, whisk to mix well and set aside.

In a blender jar (or another bowl, whisk by hand), add the eggs, milk, sugar, vanilla, oil and banana puree and pulse till it resembles a thick milkshake. Make sure the sugar has dissolved.

Mix the wet ingredients into the dry and gently whisk till there are no lumps. Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan/ muffin tins, sprinkle the top with choco chips or nuts if using, place on the middle rack of the oven and bake at 180 degrees C for 35-45 minutes, depending on the oven, or until a cake tester inserted comes out clean. For regular sized muffins, the baking time will be 16-18 minutes.

When done, leave in the pan to cool for 15 minutes, remove from the pan and peel off the paper lining, slice and serve.

Keeps well in an airtight box for 2-3 days at room temperature or in the fridge for upto a week.

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