Bhubaneshwar - Driven by Design to Connect with Success!!

Little known fact about Bhubaneshwar ? It was designed by Otto Konigsberger in 1948. Otto Konigsberger ? Who ? He is the same dude who built what is supposed to be one of the best planned cities of modern India. In case you still do not know your history or rather geography, I am referring to Chandigarh. That itself speaks volumes about the planning and design that went into Odisha's capital city.

Well managed traffic in BBSR . Image courtesy - orissapost.com

the city at night . Image courtesy - indiamike.com

Don't get me wrong. I am just referring to the modern city that stands today. The erstwhile princely state of Kalinga on which the city stands today has paralleled historical significance and is well documented in the annals of history. But let us just focus on the thriving and bustling city has been ranked as the best place to do business by the World Bank in 2014 and now is on its way to become one of the first smart cities of India. Another feather in it's cap is that it is also being talked about as the education hub of eastern India what with a plethora engineering colleges,  an IIT, a top notch B-school like XIMB and recently, even AIIMS making this city their base. How is that for some credibility ?

AIIMS Bhubaneshwar . Image courtesy - orissapost.com

As one enters the city via the Biju Pattanaik International Airport, well planned wide roads flanked on both sides by walls that are beautifully decorated with murals give the impression of a city that holds progress close to its heart. But it's culture, even closer. Something about Bhubaneshwar tingles your senses whether it be your first visit to the city or the 100th one. And no, it is not only the aroma of its glorious but unsung cuisine. A whiff of history, a touch of devotion, glimpses of globalization, impeccable infrastructure, the right backing of technology and the willingness to embrace change are some of the factors that define this city.  And it is the amalgamation of everything that makes this city so special.

Blessed by the reigning deity, Lord Jagannaath, this is one city that has immense potential and is one of the next growth hubs. Apart from the thriving education industry, it can launch the next tourism and IT growth waves. TCS recently announced its expansion plan in BBSR with 3000 seats being added to its existing IT workforce. Already a couple of multinationals brands have set up their wares in the city over the last few years and new ones are in the pipeline.

This is one city that offers a great work life balance. The roads are wide and well maintained which ensures minimum traffic woes and since the city is well planned with a centrally located IT hub, it offers one of the shortest commutes among the Indian cities. Weekends are equally refreshing with a couple of great weekend destinations near the city. Puri, Chilika, Konark, Chandrabhaga beach and Deras dam are refreshing options and all of them can be reached in a few hours. And the great roads flanked by a stunning landscape make the drive a truly pleasant experience. I cannot do without mentioning the Puri Konark Marine drive which has been featured among the best drives in India.

Marine Drive . Image courtesy - mayfairhotels.com

For those with a love for history, this 'Temple city' as it popularly known, offers enormous options. The Udaygiri-Khandgiri caves, Dhauligiri, Mukteshwar temple, Lingaraj temple, Rajarani temple, the ruins of Sisupalgarh and the lesser known Yogini temples at Hirapur are example of splendid architecture and the immense historical significance of Kalinga. The government has taken an active interest in maintaining and preserving these sites.

Mukteshwara Temple . Image courtesy - dhrupadetcetera.blogspot.in

The city also offers some great eats and especially famous are the various Chenna sweets which are hard to find in other parts of the country.With so such at one's disposal, it is little wonder that an increasing number of young people are willing to settle in this fast developing city. For now, Bhubaneshwar may lack the glamour of a few other cities but it more than makes up for it by offering a great living environment.


This post is written for Tata Motors's #madeofgreat campaign which focuses on the core values of the brand - Drive, Design and Connect.

Anar - The latest variant from Paper Boat Drinks (Product Review)

Just before Diwali, a parcel arrived one afternoon. As I eagerly unwrapped it, a cute pink box stared back at me. Now I don't have to go on and on about the connection between the female of the species and the color called pink. A smile had already lit up my face even without having a peek at the contents. A package from Paper Boat has that uncanny knack of unleashing a deluge of memories.

I could have continued in that idyllic state of mind for hours had it not been my hyper kid who wanted to have a go at the contents. "Open Mama, open the box". As I lifted the lid, two pouches embossed with the familiar paper boat logo and a yet unfamiliar image stared back at me. "Anar". I said it aloud only to have my son scurrying into the kitchen for his favorite tumbler. And he was back in a fraction of a second with another request. "Open, I drink juice". Now I have been drinking this brand for the last three years and that confidence led me to pour out a glass for him even without going though the ingredient list. Yay. They are all natural and filled with goodness.

The kid had finished one pouch even before I could click some decent pics. But I have no complaints since he loved it so much. I would blindly trade the colas that he dotes on for a eco-friendly pouch of all natural goodness.

Coming back to the pink box. It also contained 'besan ka laddoo', a cutey fridge magnet, a couple of picture postcards and a personalized note. Even more cuteness packed into an cute box which is already gracing my dresser as a handy container for all the junk jewelry that I adore. Thank you Paper Boat Drinks. It was one of the best Diwali gifts I got.

Verdict on the 'Anar' variant -

Yaay's -
1. Low on sugar ( just 4.5 g/100ml)
2. Fruit flavour which will be a big hit with kids.
3. Low on calories ( 47.2 kcal/100 mL)
4. No preservatives
5. No added colors
6. All natural ingredients (as listed on package) - water, pomegranate juice concentrate, sugar, iodized salt, spices and condiments, and black salt.
7. Priced at Rupees 35/250 ml.
8. Gluten free.

Naay's -

None.


Rating - I would rate it a 4.75/5 based on taste/calorie content/pricing and health perspective.

[ Though product samples sent by the company, my opinion is unbiased and strictly personal.]

Find more reviews of the Paper Boat drinks -

Link 1 - here ( Aamras, Jaljeera, Kokum and jamun kala khatta )
Link 2 - here (Ginger Lemon tea and Tulsi Tea )
Link 3 - here (chilled rasam and sattu )

Home made Frozen Yogurt

Frozen yogurt is the new ice-cream ! Sounds cliched but is true. However what I cannot understand is the fact that people are ready to shell out big bucks for a tiny tub of what is essentially some Greek yogurt dunked in a whole lot of chemicals (???).

Simply going by the definition, frozen yogurt is super cooled yogurt with fruit in it ! And it is super easy to make some at home too. Without resorting to artificial flavors, gelatin and even a ice cream maker. You will just need a regular blender or super fit biceps. Yeah, you need the latter in case you have to beat the yogurt in a big bowl with a heavy metal/wooden spoon to get that creamy consistency.

But rest assured that you will be suitably rewarded for you efforts and patience. Read on for recipe -

Preparation Time - 4-5 hours ( dont worry a lot off it is just standby time)

Ingredients -

• 2 cups hung yogurt or Greek yogurt
• 3 tsp milk
• 4-5 tsp sugar (as per taste)
• 1 cup frozen fruit of your choice

Preparation - Beat the yogurt, milk and sugar till the sugar dissolves. Pop it into the freezer in a freezer-safe bowl.

After 30 mins take it out and churn it in a blender to break the formation of crystals. Put it back into the freezer. This process needs to be repeated 6-7 times to get that creamy texture.

Just before serving, take out the frozen yogurt from the freezer and give it a good buzz with the frozen fruit.

Serve immediately or atleast within an hour ( keep refrigerated till you serve it ).

Note - Vary the sugar as per taste. Sugar free can be used as a substitute if you are ok with using gelatin. The cooled gelatin liquid needs to be stirred into the beaten yogurt.

Baghara Baingan ( An opulent Hyderabadi curry )

During my years in Hyderabad, one of the curries that remained my favorite was the 'baghara baingan'. It was one of those curries that was regularly served by at the office canteen and also in the PG. Rich and spicy, it is a great side dish with some flavored rice. While I personally prefer it with some Pudina rice, many folks find it great with some Vegetable pulao or even vegetable biryani ! It can even be served as a substitute for 'mirchi ka salan'.

While the original version invariably uses peanuts, I substituted it with cashews. The resulting curry was equally rich but somewhat different in flavour and equally tasty. Since quite a few adults and especially kids are prone to peanut allergy, I can vouch that you can make this delicious curry without using peanuts in it.

Read on for the recipe -

Preparation Time - 30 mins

Ingredients -

• 7-8 small eggplants
• 1 large onion
• 1 tsp GG paste
• 1 sprig curry leaves
• 1/2 tsp chili powder
• 1/4 tsp coriander powder
• a pinch of garam masala
• a pinch of turmeric
• 1/2 tsp mustard seeds
• 1/4 tsp cumin seeds
• a lemon sized ball of tamarind
• salt to taste
• oil for shallow frying

For the paste -

• 2 tsp poppy seeds
• 6-7 cashews
• 2 tsp sesame seeds
• 1/2 cup freshly grated coconut
• 1 inch cinnamon
• 2-3 cloves
• 1 bay leaf
• 2 dry red chilis

Preparation - Put 3-4 slits along the length of the eggplants. Make sure that the cut is only till 3/4 of the length and not more.

Chop the onion into small pieces.

Heat 1 tsp oil in a pan. Add the cinnamon, cloves, broken red chili and bay leaf. Once it gets fragrant, add cashews and poppy seeds. Once the cashew turns golden, add the sesame seeds. Fry for 1 min.

Add the coconut to the same pan. Fry for 30 seconds and switch off.

Allow it to cool down and then grind into a coarse paste.

Soak the tamarind in 1/4 cup hot water, Squeeze the juice and discard the pulp.

Cooking - Heat sufficient oil in a pan for shallow frying.

Add the aubergines and fry on medium flame till the outer skin is completely brown. Remove from pan and keep aside.

Drain off the excess oil from the pan.

Add the mustard and cumin seeds. Let it splutter before adding the chopped onion and curry leaves.

Once onion is translucent, add GG paste. Fry for 2-3 mins before adding the paste along with 1 cup water.

Once it gets to a boil, add the turmeric, chilli powder, coriander powder and garam masala. Add salt to taste. Gently put the fried eggplants into the gravy.

Let it simmer for 5-6 mins before adding the tamarind pulp. Bring to a boil and then let it simmer for another 5-6 mins before removing from the flame.

Serve with any kind of pulav or even biryani !!

Note - This curry tastes best when warm or at room temperature.

Chuda Crumble with Frozen Yogurt

Dahi Chuda. A mass of beaten rice dunked in yogurt and sweetened with some sugar or jaggery. Like most Odia dishes it is nectar for the tongue, knosh for the stomach and nirvana for the soul. And it comes with the promise of an afterglow. Yep, just like good sex, good food is supposed to give one an afterglow. Nah, I am not referring to that halo kind of thing around your head but the deliciously luminous feeling that lights up within oneself. Medically it has got something to do with release of endorphins. Go google it up if you want to find out more on this stuff!!!

While technically the dish is just supposed to be beaten rice mixed with some curd and sugar, it gets magically metamorphosed in my MIL's hands. Freshly grated coconut, some crumbled ricotta, mashed banana and even some sweetened boondi adds enough character to this dish to give the Bollywood actors a run for their money. But sadly, it lacks the kind of visual appeal that would send one's salivary glands into an overdrive. A common malady when it comes to Odia cuisine.

Hence, I picked on this yummy breakfast favorite for my next makeover. Taking inspiration from a no-bake crumble, I deconstructed the original recipe and served it as a layered treat. The bottom layer is sliced bananas and honey with a hint of cinnamon. The middle layer is beaten rice, ricotta, freshly grated coconut and sugar blended together to give it the appearance of a crumble. And the final icing on the cake or the top layer is frozen yogurt with cardamom.

While I had intended to make it like one of those 'dessert in a jar' kind of presentation, I realized at the last moment that I has already used the jar to store some pickle that I had prepared. Had to settle for a tall glass instead.

Read on for the recipe -

Preparation Time - 10 mins ( plus 10 mins standby assuming that the frozen yogurt is readily available )

Ingredients -

• 1/2 of a ripe banana
• 1 tsp honey
• 1/2 cup beaten rice/chuda/chivda
• 2 tbsp oats
• 2 tbsp ricotta/chenna
• 2 tbsp freshly grated coconut
• 1 tsp sugar
• 1/2 cup frozen yogurt ( cardamom flavour )

Preparation - Slice the banana and layer it at the bottom of the glass/jar. Drizzle with honey and a pinch of cinnamon.

Take the beaten rice, ricotta, grated coconut and sugar in a blender. Buzz to get a mixture that has the appearance of breadcrumbs. Pour into the glass/jar over the banana slices. Pop into the fridge for about 10 -15 mins.

Finally top it up with the frozen yogurt. Serve immediately.

Note - Frozen yogurt is quite easy to prepare at home if you have access to good quality yogurt or Greek yogurt and some amount of patience. And best part is that you get it at almost 1/8th the price that you would have to pay outside. Will the sharing my gelatin free frozen yogurt recipe in a day or two.

Green Papaya Laddoos (SugarFree recipe)

Mom is undoubtedly the dessert specialist at home. God forbid, if she takes to blogging, she could give a lot of folks a run for their money and have me running out of ideas which I generously borrow from her. At times it seems to me that she manages to concoct sweets out of thin air. And since she is hale and hearty (touch wood), she is least bothered with controlling her sugar intake and other such low priority things like counting calories and weight management that are always on top of my list. "For the current generation, everything is just about numbers ", she exclaims while dismissing my worries.

Anyways when she told me about these green papaya laddoos, I could not resist pulling her leg. "Mummy, why can't you go for cheaper options like besan and suji ? Veggies have become so costly these days !! If I start using them in desserts, what will I cook for the main course ?", I told her in jest. And pat comes the reply "But they taste so good. Why cook sabzi ? Have them with parathas or puris". Another oil/calorie guzzler is the last thing on earth that I would want to rendezvous with. So, I decided to keep my mouth shut and think of ways in which I could replicate the same but without copious amount of sugar. Will the laddoos bind correctly if I skip the sugar? I decided to increase the milk content and replace the sugar with Sugarfree Nature pellets which I always keep at hand as my MIL is a diabetic.

The recipe turned out to be just fine and the laddoos tasted delicious. Read on for this yummy recipe that will have you eating your laddoos without actually turning into one ( excuse the bad PJ ) -

Preparation Time - 45 mins

Ingredients -

• 1/2 kg green papaya
• 2 cups milk
• 1 tbsp ghee
• 15-16 sugarfree pellets
• 2 pinch saffron
• 2 pinch powdered cardamom
• 10 cashews

Preparation - Peel and grate the green papaya.

Soak the saffron in 2-3 tsp warm milk.

Cooking - Heat the ghee in a thick bottomed wok. Add the cashews and fry till they turn golden. remove from the wok and keep aside.

Add the grated papaya and fry for 8-9 mins on medium flame or till the moisture is almost gone.

Add the milk along with the sugarfree pellets. Rub the soaked saffron strands with your fingers and add it to the same wok. Cook on medium to low flame till all the moisture evaporates and the mixture starts to leaves the sides of the wok.

Add the cardamom powder and mix in.

Allow it to cool down till it is bearable to touch.

Divide into 10-12 portions. Rub ghee on palms and shape each one portion into a laddoo. Press one cashew into each one.

Allow to cool down completely before serving.

Godrej Interior Bloggers Meet @ Bengaluru (Cuisine Regale )

PRESS NOTE 

            Chef Ranveer Brar showcases food art at the launch of Cuisine Regale

A lifestyle modular kitchen gallery brand by Godrej

Melange

Bangalore, Tuesday, November 24th: Leading celebrity Chef, Ranveer Brar, was in Bangalore for
the launch of Cuisine Regale, a lifestyle modular kitchen gallery brand introduced by Godrej.
The celebrated evening, hosted by Mr. Anil Mathur, COO, Godrej Interio, witnessed architects,
interiors, food bloggers in the city come together for a confluence of food, art and interiors.

In line with the brand’s promise to create experiences that go beyond the boundaries of the
traditional kitchen space, Chef Ranveer Brar created spectacular food art that blended with the
interior themes of each kitchen configuration in this brand new gallery. A unique proposition
that stands apart from all other international and local brands in this space, Cuisine Regale is
built on anthropometric, ergonomics and our consumers cooking styles. From creating
interesting consumer touchpoints in the galleries, to expert guidance by designers to building
solutions for kitchens including appliances & accessories, as well as complete turnkey kitchen
solutions, Cuisine Regale is the destination for all who aspire to create spaces that treat family
and friends, have finer tastes, seeks products which serve multiple needs and loves to build
memories.

Spread over 2,000 sq.ft, the newly launched store in Indira Nagar will currently showcase three
range of kitchen furnishing namely, Christened Glacier, Neue and Melange — all of which will
cater to the distinct requirements of consumers making cooking more enjoyable

Celebrating this confluence of food, art and interiors, Chef Ranveer Brar said, “Feeling good is
very important in creating good food and kitchen spaces that make us feel good add to the
process of creativity and engages everyone in the home. Cuisine Regale provides the kind of
kitchen spaces that are ergonomically designed and help bring out interactivity and allows us to
de-stress in the kitchen”

NOTE - The press note and images are provided by the brand PR.