Classic Chicken Stew

I adore chicken stew! Deliciously unctuous, this much loved breakfast dish is a table staple in Christian households on all special days in . I love mopping up that luscious stew with chunks of soft bakery bread and gobbling up melt in the mouth potatoes and carrots! I always look forward to celebrations! Thank you jaya aunty for this fantastic recipe!

Ingredients:

Chicken: 1 kg
Onion: 2 large
Green chilli: 4 nos
Ginger: 1 tsp
Garlic: 1 tsp
Water: 1 small cup
Coconut: 1 (1st milk 1 mug, 2nd milk 1.5 cups)
Elaichi: 3 nos
Cloves: 5 nos
Cinnamon: 2 inch
Peppercorn: 1 tsp
(crush the above 4 ingredients to release essential oils)
Coriander: 1/4th tsp
Cornflour: 2 tbsp
Fresh ghee: 1 tbsp
Cashewnuts: 8 nos
Sultanas: 8-10 nos
Curry leaves: 2 stalks
Coriander leaves: a bunch

Preparation:

- Put the chicken, ginger, garlic, chilli and the water into a pressure cooker until one whistle sounds.

(Tip: to decrease your cooking time, keep some chicken, chilli, onion and ginger garlic mix boiled, frozen and ready to use. When required, defrost, add onion potato, chilli, 2nd milk of the coconut and pressure cook for 1 whistle)

- In a kadai , saute the crushed elaichi, cinnamon, clove and peppercorns in oil

- Add 1/4th coriander powder

- Add the 2nd milk of the coconut and when boil well

- Add the boiled cooker ingredients into the kadai

- Once the gravy reduces, mix the  cornflour in 1st milk of the coconut and add into the gravy to thicken

- In a saucepan, add the hee and fry some onions and garlic till caramalized.

- Add cashew and sultanas (Tip: add the cashew first and then the sultanas, else the sultanas will burn)

- Saute curry leaves in the ghee mix and pour onto the gravy.

- Add fresh curry leaves and coriander leaves and serve hot with your favorite breads! Enjoy!

Fish Moilee

Ah! The decadent Fish Moilee! Every Christian household has its own signature touch added to this delicate dish. I love the fact that albeit standing strong in flavours independently, the moist fish and the rich, coconutty gravy work in a beautiful tandem to give your taste buds a right treat!

Ingredients:

Onions: 3 large (sliced)
Green chilli: 5 nos (sliced)
Ginger: 1 tbsp (crushed)
Garlic: 1 tbsp (crushed)
Turmeric: a pinch

Black pepper
Elaichi
Cinammon
Clove
(a fine masala mix needs to processed from the above 4 ingredient. 1/2 tbsp of mix)

Fish: 1 kg. (Tip: it is best to use pearl spot or sear fish as apart from absorbing the gravy well, they lend quite a flavour burst to the dish themselves)

Cashew nut: 10 nos
Raisin: 1 tbsp
(process the cashew and raisins into a paste and mix it with a little water)

Coconut milk: 1st ans 2nd milk of 1 coconut
Curry leaves: 2stalks
Coriander leaves: a handful
Cornflour: 1 tsp
Tomato: 3 large
Lime juice: to taste
Salt
Oil

Preparation:

- In a wok, pour in the oil, add the onions and saute until half caramalized.
- Add the chilli, ginger and garlic and saute
- Add the freshly prepared masala mix and stir well to combine
- Add curry leaves and coriander leaves
- Add the 2nd milk of coconut and squeeze in some lime (Tip: do not add the lime juice after this step as it will split the gravy)
- Mix the cornflour in well with the 1st milk and add to the bubbling mixture (Tip: keep stirring to avoid lumps)
- Once the mix has come to a good boil, add the fish
- Add in freshly sliced tomato
- Pour in the cashew and raisin mix
- Add salt and taste

Serve hot with just about any accompaniment from rice and appams to chapathies and dosas and enjoy!

AMERICA in the heart of Cochin!

“I am an Engineer by profession but a foodie by passion” says SHAMNAZ T THODIYIL, OWNER, LIL AMERICA. Tucked into a cozy corner at Panampilly Nagar, this prettily lit eatery much resembles a New York City diner. Done up neatly in white with a blue detailed pennant canopy, it pretty much says “walk right in and chill!” and that’s just what we did.

We caught up with Shamnaz who forms part of the new management team under whom Lil America has raised its flag anew. I’ve always noticed that several times, entrepreneurs who get into the food mix, do not come from that particular background. Sure, profession does play an important role but I guess passion always does win out in the end. It’s the same in the case of Shamnaz as well; though an established engineer, working in a reputed firm in Dubai, his mind was always attuned to the food industry and very soon, his dream turned to reality.

“I’ve always been passionate about food” says Shamnaz “I love trying out new foods whenever I can. I’ve always wanted to get into the food industry. I wanted to settle down in Cochin and start a business of my own and what better industry than that of food?” Lil America was started in 2014 by a Bengali business family who promoted it as the ultimate hot dog destination. “We have loyal customers coming in even today for our speciality hot dogs.”

 The interiors are done tastefully without any compromise on comfort. The beautifully done mural of all things American, a quaint juke box playing some foot tapping numbers and interesting little wall hangings representing various American states completes the picturesque appearance. “We want to make Lil America go beyond being just a famous hot dog destination. We want to introduce a whole array of tastes and flavours that give us a full rounded appeal.”

The revamped menu boasts of a plethora of deliciousness! From yummy burgers to excellent cuts of steak, brought in from Bangalore, a selection of fresh salads and not to mention, fluffy waffles decorated with a myriad of toppings. “We believe in our motto of serving the customer only fresh food that is of the best quality. We have a lot of students coming in during day time to enjoy our juices and mocktails. During evenings, we see a mixed crowd. Families, bikers, musicians…they find it a good place to relax.”

According to Shamnaz, Panampilly Nagar is the ideal place to start a speciality restaurant. Research was done for about two to three years. Several cafes were visited, their ambience studied and most importantly, the likes, dislikes and requirements of consumers everywhere needed to be unearthed. “People have a much higher level of awareness when it comes to food. There is a large NRI community in Panampilly Nagar and most of them are out and out steak lovers. We have people coming in from as far as Thrissur to try out our steaks. With increasing knowledge levels, we have to ensure that our food stays on par all the time.”

And this is where Chef Arun comes in. An effervescent individual with a wealth of food experience, he quickly comes over with a good natured smile and proceeds to list out a variety of dishes he wanted us to sample. He tells us that all the raw materials used for cooking are procured in person. Fish markets are visited early in the morning to get the best catch of the day. Shrimp that still have a jump in them to the freshest fish right off the boats. It’s no different when it comes to the vegetables and fruits either. Only the freshest of both would do. Their cuts of tenderloin and T-bone, sourced from Gourmet House are brought down from Bangalore. All of their burger patties use beef that’s minced and grilled in house. The sauces and spreads are all prepared in house as well. The intent for all this being the satisfied customer.

Chef Arun brings over a beautiful plate of their best-selling DYNAMITE SHRIMP. First off, I loved the presentation! The crunchy prawns coated with their creamy dynamite sauce (a secret recipe we tried to decode many a time) was offset perfectly by the colourful side salad in hues of reds and oranges. The dish has been aptly named that’s for certain! One bite and my taste buds are reeling with a burst of flavours and textures! The prawn was an absolute delight. It was soft and tasted fresh nothing like the fried rubber that’s served in many restaurants. The crunch of the batter, the creaminess of that exquisite sauce all balanced with a hum of spice and a dash of sweetness. The salad was another amazing story! So fresh and flavourful! The artfully julienned cabbage, red bell pepper and carrot married so well with the flavours of that lush sauce! This dish is a must try!

Each time, Chef Arun appeared with yet another delightful plate of food, he would patiently explain each item to us. A rainbow razzle dazzle of a salad, the sweet berry dressing of which we could smell a mile away! The BERRY HERB SALAD came a-calling! It was hearty mix of perfectly cubed zucchini, carrots, cucumber, tossed with fragrant Rosemary and dill (which I learnt was the Chef’s favourite herb) on a bed of crunchy lettuce. The sauce was the best part! A sweet strawberry vinaigrette was lent a rose tinted shade to the vegetables. I was a little sceptical but the first forkful made me a convert! It was such a refreshing plate of food, an absolute palette cleanser with a great balance of flavours.

A freshly prepared burger graced our table. We were served the SOUTHWEST BURGER. Two grilled buns, one of which was topped with lettuce, tomatoes, onions, a house made beef patty, beef bacon (yes, you read right!) a decadent cheese sauce and grated parmesan. You need to bite down on all the layers at once to get a proper punch of flavours. You can seriously taste the fresh mince of the patty paired with the smokiness of the beef bacon all mellowed down with that cheesy sauce! It washes down real well with a tall, cold glass of LIME MINT JUICE.

The piece de resistance was an enormous T-BONE STEAK! “We had some foreigners visit Lil America. They have been travelling the world for 15 years and missed American food. They came in and ordered our T-Bone steaks. They said it was the best they have had!” shares Shamnaz. The steak was a monster! It had grilled vegetables and mash on the side. Chef Arun said that the jus was always served separately. If the steak if brought in soaked in jus, one would not be able to enjoy its meaty flavours of the cut well enough. The meat grilled with perfumed rosemary was absolutely flavourful! Best to dip each piece of meat into the jus rather than pour the whole lot onto the steak. Add a smidgen of mash on the piece, maybe a spear of grilled veg, put it into your mouth, close your eyes and enjoy! The only suggestion would be to order the steak medium rare rather than the murderous well done that we’d ordered (against the advice of the chef!)! It turned the meat a little tough and chewy. Not making that mistake again!

Shamnaz tells us he has expansion plans for the future. First on his agenda however, is to expand the seating capacity of the restaurant and also work on the seating style. “I want Lil America to be known as more than just a hot dog spot. I want people to see it as a place to sit, chill and enjoy some delicious food.”

Well, you are definitely on your way to achieving that goal Shamnaz! All the very best from Letstalkfood!  

Follow Lil America on Facebook: https://m.facebook.com/LilAmerica.in/

Sun Dried Prawn Chammanthi

This dish has it's roots right back to my mum's childhood! Back then, this delicious chammanthi had everyone begging for triple of helpings of rice gruel! Come to think of it, the scene is no different even now! Made in advance and kept at the ready in an airtight container, it is the perfect "tide-me-over" for days when the kitchen seems like a mountain impossible to conquer!

Ingredients:

- Small sun dried prawns: 500gms  (Tip: it is best to dry the prawns on your own terrace for the sake of hygiene. Buy tiny prawns from the market, wash them well and dry them fully intact on a straw mat, under a boiling sun until completely dried)
- Dessicated coconut (Tip: give the dessicated coconut a spin in the processor to attain an even consistency): 1 small
- Shallots: 1 handful
- Garlic: 1 bulb
- Curry Leaves: 3-4 stalks
- Ginger (shaved into ribbons): 1.5 inches
- Chilli Powder: 1 tbsp
- Seedless tamarind: as per preference
- Coconut oil: to sautee
- Salt: as per taste

Preparation:

- In a wok, add the dried prawns and dry fry. Remove and keep aside

- Add the dessicated coconut, garlic, shallots, curry leaves and ginger into wok and dry fry until it reaches a light brown colour.

- Add some coconut oil and fry again until dry brown

- Switch off the stove and add chilli powder and mix well to combine.

- Remove the mix from the wok and keep aside

- Pour in a little more oil and add the prawns. Fry until the prawns take on a reddish pink hue. (Tip: Do not fry for longer as the taste turns bitter)

- Add the coconut mix into the prawns

- Add salt as per taste

- Put this final mix into a processor in batches and blitz away.
(Tip: Lesser time in the processor means you get a texture with enough bite, in case you want a powdery texture, blitz it for an extra few minutes)

- Serve fresh with some rice gruel/ rice and pappadam. Enjoy! 

CRAZY about KARACHI!

“It is not about placement but about repeat orders” says ANKITH TOLASARIA, ENTREPRENUER and the man who introduced the famous KARACHI BISCUITS brand into the Kerala market.

For those of you who need a little tutorial about Karachi Biscuits and the Karachi bakery that bakes them, here we go! Located in Hyderabad, Karachi Bakery has over six decades of delighting customers with their baked goodies. With a loyal customer following, they have emerged as a “True Icon of Hyderabad baking”. Their secret lies in the good mix of traditions and trends that they incorporate into all their baked good with immense care and detailing. They have a wide array of products, ranging from biscuits, cakes, macrons, rusks, snacks and others. Of the lot, the product that has customers flocking at Karachi bakery are their biscuits. Karachi biscuits are a household speciality, easily their largest selling product. The variety of biscuit flavours is staggering! It includes everything from Cashew, fruit and coconut to chocolate, almond and oatmeal.

My association with Karachi goes back a long way. As a child I remember a brightly coloured box handed over to me by a visiting uncle. Opening the box, I found it lined neatly with thick white squares prettied up with tutti frutti. One bite and I was in adore mode! I still remember gnawing off the crumbly biscuit first from all sides, keeping the tutti frutti as the final treat! Meeting Ankith was an enjoyable blast from the past!  

Ankith tells me he hails from Rajasthan and then adds that he was born and brought up in Cochin, which of course was the answer to my shocked face when I heard his perfect Malayalam! He was always a business and despite having a good enough job as Assistant Manager, Sales, in a reputed company, he always had the urge to start something on his own. A little down the road, he quit his corporate job and started his own business at the age of 24.

Karachi as a company was based in Hyderabad and in order to maintain exclusivity, they haven’t opened chain stores anywhere else save for Mubai and Dubai. They do have wholesale exports and a good retail store presence and this is what Ankith wanted introduced into the Kerala market. “People want new products. Imported products are in much demand and with the vastly growing hyper and supermarket culture, people flock to such places to buy new and unique products” says Ankith.

As of now, Cochin has had a taste of 7 flavours of biscuits amidst the plethora of flavours available. Fruit, cashew and chocolate are some of their best-selling flavours here with of course their fruit biscuits being the star! These eggless biscuits have a major monopoly in the market, bringing in 50%-60% of total sales and they taste so very different from the variants available in other bakeries. 

“We have three new flavours coming up in a couple of months” shares Ankith. Ankith himself is a big fan of the Karachi biscuit range and with the thorough knowledge that the product is worth its salt when it comes to taste and quality, Karachi and Kerala met and a wonderful relationship ensued.

“The product is pushed mostly through word of mouth. It all boils down to the store display. Karachi as a brand, has a loud enough presence and the important thing now is to position the product well in supermarkets.” Say Ankith. As an entrepreneur, pushing new products is a tough task. 

Though customers welcome new products, sustainability depends on quality of the product and the service that you provide. “There were times when I used to deliver orders to customers myself! And I don’t mind because at the end of the day all the effort goes into bringing you and your brand success.” He only reminds new and upcoming entrepreneurs that business is tough and one needs to stick it out to attain success and of course to learn the art of convincing!

Karachi biscuits have a strong presence in all major supermarkets namely Lulu, Bismi, Farmgold and others. The best part is that they have an online sales and delivery option, where your order reaches your doorstep on time and without any damage. Each biscuit is handmade with a shelf life of 3-6 months. Apart from single flavour options, gift boxes in two and more flavours are also available. Ankith recalls the time he received huge scepticism when he introduced the product at a famous super market. “They did not want to stock the product saying that they were sure it would not sell. I however, kept urging them to at least try it once before they take the final decision. They finally gave in and tasted the biscuit. Their expression said it all and before I knew it, I was getting repeat orders from them! Like I said, repeat orders really matter. It shows that your footing is right.”

Ankith had brough two large sized boxes for trail. One was filled with their famous fruit biscuits and the other was a double flavoured gift set of Fruit and Cashew biscuits. I bite through the fruit biscuits and they just crumble in my mouth! Instantly I turn into that little girl saving the tutti fruttis till the very end. This time I ate the tutti fruttis along with the biscuit and it was a right treat! The biscuit was sweet without being overpoweringly so with small grains of saltiness that gave a good balance. The tutti frutti was chewy and added another texture dimension to the biscuit. The taste hadn’t changed one bit! I tried the cashew next. The burst of nuttiness was superb and I loved the sugar crystals sprinkled atop the biscuit! All I needed was a hot cuppa and I was sorted!

Ankith has big plans to introduce more unique products into the Cochin market. I ask him if starting his own brand is in his long term plans. “Not really” he answers with utmost honesty “I prefer promoting brands. I like the challenge it brings!”

Good luck to you Ankith and happy biscuit munching to me!

Simple Mutta (egg) Curry

Eggs are such an integral part of breakfast. I love it scrambled, made into an omelette or just par boiled. But made into a luscious egg curry and served hot with fresh appams or puttu, it is pure heaven! This is a simple breakfast dish which can be eaten for lunch or dinner as well!

Ingredients:

Egg- 4 (boiled and halved)
Onion- 1 large (chopped)
Tomato- 1 large (chopped)
Ginger- 1/2 tsp (chopped)
Garlic- 1/2 tsp (chopped)
Green chillies- 2 (sliced lengthwise)
Coconut 1st and 2nd milks- of half coconut
Curry leaves- 1 stalk
Coriander leaves- 3 stalks
Coriander powder- 1/2 tsp
Chilli powder- 1 tsp
Turmeric powder- 1/4th tsp
Garam masala- 1/4th tsp
Pepper powder- a pinch
Salt- to taste

Directions:

- Sauté the onions, chillies, ginger, garlic and curry leaves (Tip: as much as possible avoid using ginger garlic paste as this gives an artificial flavor. Freshly chopped ginger and garlic is the way to go to give this curry some zing and zip!)

- Once the onions soften, add all the masalas.
- Cook the masalas well; then add in the tomato
- When tomato melts, add in the 2nd coconut milk
- When the mixture thickens and oil appears on the surface, add the 1st coconut milk
- Bring it to the boil, add the sliced boiled egg and coriander leaves and let it boil for another 2 minutes
- Serve hot with your favorite accompaniment be it puttu, chapaties, appams or rice. Enjoy!

All things GOURMET

“I have never been a businessman” says Mr.CHEERAN VERGHESE with a candid smile. I had the absolute pleasure of meeting this gentleman last Friday at the FARMER’S MARKET he’d organized at his gourmet food, grocery and provisions outlet, GOURMET HOUSE. Surely enough I got lost trying to explain the route to the driver when he promptly turns around and asks me “Oh! Are you talking about gourmet house? I know where it is! I take lots of foreigners there for grocery shopping!”

Such is the popularity of this outlet that has attracted many an elite customer intent on purchasing branded and imported goods from the finest range available. “My wife and I have always been big foodies” says Mr.Cheeran. Before retirement, he was a financial consultant in Kuala Lampur and his work took him on a lot of travels. In fact, he has travelled and worked across more than 16 countries! “Whichever country we go to, we always try the local cuisine and end up quite liking the local flavours”

 Incidentally, Mr.Cheeran retirement plans were set for the age on 50. 49 years and 9 months saw him back in India with his wife and that was when boredom started to gnaw at him. For such a highly enthusiastic and active person, retirement did not bode well. Within a span of 2 months, rock solid monotony set in. “I felt that time just did not move! I did everything I could to keep myself busy; from mowing the garden to cleaning cobwebs in the house!” he laughs “To anyone who plans on retiring, I would ask them to keep working and not to retire too early!”

Along the line, a friend from Delhi suggested that they get into the food industry. With much passion for food, this was but a stellar decision. And thus began Gourmet House. Gourmet House has its roots in Cochin, with its store in Thevara along with supply presence to major gourmet outlets in Bangalore and Chennai. Despite having his own supply and distribution chains that supply to stores across Kerala, Mr.Cheeran spends most time at the Gourmet House. I had noticed the way he made an effort to talk to every customer who attended the Farmer’s Market and visited his store. He believes 100% in customer interaction. Speaking to customers lends a personal touch to the entire process of shopping at Gourmet House and this has done well for him.

“We live in a brand driven market. Nowadays a 7 year old child would come up to the store and ask for a particular product by brand name. They have ten times the knowledge about brands than I did at their age, thanks to media, travel and availability.” Says Mr.Cheeran. Keeping up with the brand centric requirements, Gourmet House comes fully stocked with the best of the best brands. What sets them apart from other branded outlets would be their amazing collection cheeses, fine quality and range of steaks and cold cuts and a selection of delicate natural vinegars than run circles around their synthetic counterparts! Such is their selection that he has customers coming down all the way from Calicut to Trivandrum, Pala and Kanjirapalli. 

“I lived in a generation that did not waste too much money on food. We were happy with the basics. But the current generation is extremely different. Keeping that in mind, the products I have stocked in Gourmet House are a calculated choice. I know what I am talking about.”

The Farmer’s Market is an idea that came into his mind 3 months ago. This is a venue for companies to brand, showcase and sample their products. Customers can try out the varieties of products on display and then buy them at Gourmet House. Only products with a presence in the store would be set up for display. The companies that set up stalls would be rotated every month, which means that in a span of 6 months, one can experience a plethora of products from different brands. Gourment House bears the advertising and set up cost for the whole affair. The 2^nd Friday of every month is dedicated to Farmer’s Markets. The one coming up next month concentrates on Diabetes. All products on display would relate to Diabetes and Diabetics. “Doctors say that one in three Keralites are prone to Diabetes. Most people are on the verge of being Diabetic and many don’t even know that they are!” They have even tied up with a Hospital for Diabetes, an Insurance company with specific plans for diabetics and also a health and fitness centre with exclusive packages for diabetics.

I explore the Farmer’s market, intrigued by the variety of products on display. A display of brightly coloured jars on my left caught my eye. An old brand name from my childhood popped up. MR.BUTLERS! I don’t think I have ever forgotten their catchy jingle “The fizz you can never miss”. Mr.Butler’s has a wide range of fruit based products now; from james, squashes and sauces to crushes, sharbats and canned pulp. The product range on display was their CLASSIC RANGE OF JAMS: Banana jam, guava jelly, pineapple jam and orange marmalade. With no added preservatives, flavour or colour, their best seller is their banana jam. It is tedious, the preparation, but the end result is all worth it. I loved their orange marmalade the best! It tasted fantastic and reminded me so much of my craze biscuit days!

On display were a range of gift packs and individual shakers of NICE:NATURAL SPICES. Precious and fragrant, they are also available for sale on their website. With the major intent of giving the world a taste of Kerala, the spices are available in attractive screw pin and wooden boxes. The owner turned out to be a friend from school and a happy reunion took place!

I noticed a familiar set up next to the spices table. Good ol’ LISO CHOCOLATES! I was happy to meet Mr.Royson once again and he started his hello by handing me samples of their delectable variety of confectionary! “Let me start with your favourite” he said and handed me the milk chocolate coated coffee beans. Anyone who visits their store in Centre Square Mall, simply has to try this out! Mind blowing! This was followed up with an Dark chocolate and Orange. I can’t tell you how big a fan I am of this combination and this one totally hit the spot! The final tasting was for the almond enrobed in milk chocolate. Such a perfect balance of sweet and nuttiness!

In thorough contrast, the next counter held a selection of LINGHAM SAUCES. A rainbow of reds in a kaleidoscope of tastes lay on paper plates before me. Fries were grabbed and each sauce tasted. Right from original, ginger, garlic to their signature hot sauce, ginger-garlic and sweet chilli; each sauce had such a unique personality, I could almost give names to each one of them! My favourite of the lot was their Ginger-Garlic sauce or GG as I affectionately like to call him! Definitely a staple in your condiment cabinet!

To cool down my searing tongue, right at the next counter was the set up for CAVIN’S FRUIT MILKSHAKES in Mango and Guava. The USP here being that the shakes were made using milk, fruit and honey with no added sugar or preservatives. I tried the mango milkshake and I must say that it did not have the saccharine numbness most packaged “milkshakes” have. It tasted mild and would have been even tastier chilled.

I see a beautifully set up EASTERN stall displaying their READY TO EAT range of products. Butter chicken and Shahi Paneer Masala were the two products up for grabs. The Butter chicken was soft and had a thick gravy though it did ring a little too much of star anise and clove. It kind of over powered the chicken and the rest of the spices in the gravy. But that paneer! Oh my god! It was delicious! The paneer was unbelievably soft and that gravy was all kinds of yum! I just wished I had some chapathi to mop it all up!

I was given a bar of PEACE CHOCS to try. This is a brand extension by TOHFAA GIFTING, a corporate gifting company. A rich cocoa bar that has the cutest messages printed on the cover. With 7 different wishes and emoticons, this bar comes in at Rs.100 for 80 gms and Rs.20 for 15 gms. I really liked the packaging. It was brightly coloured and eye catching! I preferred the taste of the chocolate after it was refrigerated for a bit. But on the whole it made a cute gifting item.

There were two frozen food brands set up. REPUBLIC OF CHICKEN and BUFFET. I tried the chicken cheese balls from Republic of Chicken and I was lucky to have my pick from the fresh batch they had made. It was crunchy and delicious with a promising ooze of cheese. I would definitely buy this for a cocktail party at home! I had some freshly prepared Chicken Malai Tikka from Buffet. This was a ready to eat product that just needs a few minutes in the oven after thawing. Expecting rock hard chicken, I bit into the tikka only to be pleasantly surprised by how soft it was! Masala was also spread on in generous portions but it just needed a couple more minutes in the oven just to completely remove the raw flavour from the masala.

A large table had a three product set up of B-NATURAL, ASHIRVAAD: SUGAR RELEASE CONTROL atta and SUNFEAST: FARMLITE DIGESTIVE BISCUITS. I was offered a taste of the APPLE AWE juice from B natural and it tasted fantastic with no horrid aftertaste! It was just the right amount of sweet and hit all the checks in my book! The Ashirvaad sugar release control atta is aimed at diabetics. Their star ingredient is the humble “uluva” or Fenugreek/ methi seeds. Recent studies have shown that uluva helps lower blood cholesterol levels and may be an effective treatment for both Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes. Sticking with health as the main agenda, Farmlite digestive biscuits contain no added sugars or maida and are made from pure wheat. As the samples were on display for a few hours, they did become soft but still tasted great!

My final stop was the LIL AMERICA cook out spot. A range of drinks, burgers , steaks and fish items were available. I ordered a STEAK SUPREME and a ROSEMARY BARBECUE CHICKEN. The chef put on quite a show indeed with searing pans filled with fillets of the best beef, vegetable skewers and choicest chicken breasts, juggling from making herby mashed potatoes to toasting garlic bread. The rosemary chicken breast was quite moist and cooked to perfection.

Despite me travelling all the way home, the breast had not dried up! I loved the herb flavour on the accompanying skewer of veges. It went perfectly with the mashed potatoes. The mash was almost there. It just needed the tiniest bit more smoothing out. The beef was done rare. Seared beautifully to lock in the juices, the meat was soft, tender (all their cuts are sourced from Gourmet House) and delicious!

With my tummy and heart full, I went over to convey my thanks for Mr.Cheeran with a parting question of what lies in store for him in the future. “Retire again!” he says laughing!

Prawn Fried Rice

So you're hungry huh? And lazy too? No problem! Here is the perfect recipe for the lazy hungry types. Just few minutes of chopping and flash frying and et voilà you're done! Then it's all a matter of just gnawing away and you know you're not lazy to do that! This fried rice is packed with loads of veges (the perfect excuse!) And a special ingredient that makes the overall flavor totally boombastic!

Ingredients:

Oil- 1 tbsp
Long grained rice (cooked)- 250 gms
Onion (chopped)- 2 large
Prawns (medium) 6-8
Seafood stock - 1/2 cup
Eggs (scrambled)- 2
Cabbage (par boiled, chopped)- a handful
Capsicum (chopped)- 1/2 cup
Carrots (par boiled, chopped)- 1/2 cup
Green peas (boiled)- 1/2 cup
Celery (chopped)- 1/2 cup
Spring onions (chopped)- 1/4 cup
Garlic (diced)- 3-4  cloves
Ginger (diced)- 1 tsp
Tomato sauce - 1 tbsp
Chilli sauce- 1 tbsp
Soy sauce- 1 tbsp
Salt- to taste
Pepper- to taste

METHOD

- In a wok, add oil, onions,ginger, garlic and sauté.
- Add in the prawns and lightly sauté. Remove just the prawns and keep it aside. (Tip: this helps prevent overcooking and making the prawns totally rubbery)
- Add in all the veges and sauté till the veges wilt but still have a crunch to them.
- Add in the sauces, salt and pepper
(Tip: always, always, always taste every step of the way. Adjust the sauces, salt and pepper accordingly)

- Add in the seafood stock
(Tip: this is the special ingredient I was talking about. It makes the rice so fragrant and delicious! You're welcome!)

- Add the cooked rice, allowing the rice to soak in the saucy stock.

- Once the stock is absorbed fully, add in the egg and prawn and mix well.

- Turn of the heat and cover the wok.

- Open after a few minutes and serve hot, garnished with a few pieces of chopped spring onions and not to mention your fav chinese side dish! Enjoy!

Unakka Chemeen or Sun dried shrimp

This side dish has travelled with me all the way from my childhood. "Unnaka Chemeen" or "Sun dried Prawns" is a much loved dish across Kerala. Crunchy, spicy prawns, spicy red chilli and deliciously sweet caramelized onions! Yum! This dish is best served alongside rice or rice gruel. I however like to eat mine like a snack whilst reading a book! It is delicious any way you eat it! It takes a little work but the end product is so worth it!

Ingredients:

Sun Dried Prawns: 250 gms (cleaned)
Shallots: 20 nos
Chilli powder: As per individual spice meter
Curry leaves: a small bunch
Oil:  enough to sautee the prawns and shallots

Preparation:

- Pour the sun dried prawns into a sieve and wash in a drizzle under the pipe . (Tip: Do not keep it immersed in water as it becomes soggy)

- Dry fry the prawns in a wok until the prawns turn pinkish red

- Crush the shallots using a motar and pestle

- Mix salt into the shallots using your fingers

- Into the wok, add the oil and fry the prawns again and keep aside

- Into the same prawn oil, add the crushed, salted shallots and curry leaves and fry until caramelized to almost crisp

- Add in the prawns and chilli powder.

- Stir until the chilli powder is coated evenly and take it off the heat immediately

- Store in an air tight container and enjoy whenever the craving hits you! (preferably a tighlty sealed steel container)

For the love of BURGERS!

"I've always wanted a business of my own. I've always wanted to work for myself" MANJU MATHEW, co-owner, THE BURGER JUNCTION gives me a big smile. 

I sit in a rustic American styled (with a lean toward the Texan look) food joint dedicated exclusively to the best burgers in town! Will exclusivity run in Cochin you ask? Well one outlet in Edapally in 2014 was given a warm welcome by burger lovers in Kochin, a second outlet in Panampilly Nagar soon followed in 2015. Both joint are almost always packed. So putting two and two together, yes! Exclusivity sells!

They were not kidding when they said "Necessity is the mother of invention" because The burger junction was born out of pure need. The need for the perfect beef burger! 
Manju Mathew, an Ex Corporate Banker with an MBA from Leicester handles all the day to day operations of TBJ which includes staffing, customer service, marketing and finance. 
She works in tandem with her brother JOE MATHEW, a pilot by profession but TBJ's chief burger chef and recipe mastermind by passion! He has travelled from country to country hot on the trail of the perfect burger which ends up research material for TBJ. The day I had visited Manju, Joe had finished visiting his 100th burger place! What a feat! Some serious love for burgers I can see!
 

The Double TBJ

After several years abroad, Manju and her family settled in Cochin and were in for a rude shock when they could not find a good burger joint anywhere! And click! The idea fell into place as soon as Manju noticed the gap for the perfect burger to occupy! With the objective to provide diners with delicious burgers with an authentic American style both ingredient wise and in taste, Manju and Joe set to work. The style also extended to the decor of the store and the type of music it plays.

With a solid plan in mind, their first modest outlet was set up in Edapally on October 2014. This was a "testing the waters" phase and boy did they come out with flying colours! The customers LOVED the burgers! Soon, people from all over Cochin started flocking towards Edapally in droves for one bite of deliciousness! With a steady growth in customers and confidence, a second and bigger outlet in Panampilly Nagar soon followed in October 2015.

The first thing I told Manju was how proud I felt to see a woman entrepreneur doing so well in the food industry. Incidentally, the food industry wasn't her first choice. "I did look at every possible option initially. The food industry seemed to be the best choice. There is a lot of potential in Cochin. It is a developing market and we wanted to stake our claim on putting great burgers on the map." And put it on the map she did!
TBJ is about to complete 2 successful years and they are rapidly coming to be known as the burger innovators! Joe is the product development manager and with him steering the product wheel, a wide variety of stunning burgers have left the kicthen to create customer delight. 

"Our biggest challege was to educate people on what a proper burger should taste like. Everyone has become hooked on the masala taste of the patty rather than the taste of meat. We urge customers to taste the meat and not the masala!"  says Manju

With the kind of love and innovation put into each of their burgers, it is no wonder that even with a minimal venture into social media, word has been spreading like wild fire about the stuff burger dreams are made of at TBJ!
"Offer the customer a good product and you don't need much advertising "asserts Manju. "We run the show differently here when it comes to the end product. Our burgers taste very different. The quality of the food served is exceptional. We constantly innovate and we are dedicated to burgers!"

L to R: The Samurai, The Dark Knight and The Mushroom Swiss

So dedicated in fact that TBJ has achieved the "FIRST TO" status for many a reason. They were the first to introduce foil wrapped burgers. Through first-hand experience I can say that foil retains the heat in the burger till the very end. Manju suggests I keep the burger wrapped in the foil to maintain the texture of the buns, for even adsorption of the house made sauces and to hold the buns in place while enjoying the burger.
Their best and most exciting "first to" offering are their coloured buns! Red buns served as "TBJ SAMURAI BURGER" and Black Buns, served as "THE DARK KNIGHT” burger. They are also first on the scene with potato buns and brioche buns. And for those who like a challenge, boy do they have one for you! “The Hell boy”. It is one of the hottest burgers available in the country. It is served on a spicy potato bun with five kinds of chillies and a sauce made with the hottest chilli in India; the Ghost pepper or affectionately known as Bhut Jolokia Monster!

The Halo

And of course their signature dish that is causing quite a stir all across the city, The Bacon Shake. Yes, you read right, BACON. SHAKE. Joe, TBJ’s master mixologist is the evil scientist behind this salty sweet pairing. A shake chock full of bacon bits! What’s there not to love? I will be raving about it pretty soon so just wait for it!

The Bacon Shake

“We originally started with a limited menu largely centred around beef burgers. Customers initially kept asking for chicken burgers since that was most served in outlets in Cochin. Nevertheless, with time, we were successful in educating diners about the authenticity of beef burgers and now, more than 85% of our customers ask for beef burgers!” says Manju.

But all is not peachy in business. When asked about entering into the food industry, Manju had this to say “If you are really passionate, go for it. It is not a bed of roses for sure. There will come days of extreme stress and regret but I love challenges so I don’t mind the stress. There are opportunities aplenty. But one has to be committed and not take this up as a hobby. Make it your profession.”

Chicken Wings Platter

As I soak in strength behind this words, Manju plays the perfect hostess and orders a buffet table full of yum! We start with the CHICKEN WINGS PLATTER which had a mix of two types of wings: Barbecue and Buffalo (for those in doubt, Buffalo the name given to the sauce that coats the wings). They were served with a blue cheese dip. The wings were soft and succulent and really, really dug the authentic taste of the buffalo sauce; perfectly complimented by the blue cheese dip. 

Ginger Ale

We washed this down with a GINGER ALE which was real good on the tummy! After all the heavy goodness, it was a must! I was also served the MINT AND WHITE CHOCOLATE SHAKE which tasted very classy! I could almost imagine it served in a martini glass! The milky shake had delicious bits of white chocolate and chopped up mint. In fact, I have mint only with dark chocolate and I was pleasantly surprised by the delicious paring of the milk chocolate and mint! And of course I simply had to try THE BACON SHAKE. Let me make this clear once and for all…if there is heaven in Cochin, it has to be in this mason jar! Omg I cannot even describe how good the shake tasted but I shall try. Imagine the best brownie milk shake you can find, sweet with chunks of gooey brownie. Now pair that with squares of chewy sweet and salty bacon bits! Every mouthful was a sensation! I highly recommend this shake!

The Baconator

 I was given a choice of three burgers, each

Mint and white chocolate shake

a continent on its own! The first burger I tried was THE BACONATOR. True to the name, this decadent monster comprised two layers of tender beef patties, salty, crunchy bacon in between and jalapenos supporting the second patty. It’s a treat for the ardent meat lover! The twang of the jalapenos was the highlight of each bite. It tied all those meaty flavours together perfectly!

And then came the much talked about HALO burger. I mean the moment I saw the cheese ring on their advert, all I wanted to do was smoosh my face into it! I was a bad customer and made the Halo rest too long, Manju insisted on getting a new one made immediately. Such is the dedication to a good food experience. Now the Halo takes some explaining. You have a branded sweet brioche bun (TBJ was the first to bring out the branded bun), a perfectly cooked beef patty, a generous helping of bacon jam, ooey gooey melty cheese plus a Saturn like crispy cheddar ring outside. You are also given a side of Belgian Frites sauce, a bed of vegetables and a bowl with a wet tissue to mop off all the meaty juices dripping off your grinning face!

The Halo

Such an interactive dish! You could play it the way you liked it! You can break of wedges of the cheese ring, dip it in the sauce and chomp away or you could fold up the cheese ring into the bun. You could stuff some veges into the bun, or you could eat it as a salad. You could use the frites sauce as a dipping sauce or pour it onto your patty! So many options! I really enjoyed the Halo! But, but, but…let me tell you about my favourite burger baby! 

Mushroom and swiss burger

THE MUSHROOM AND SWISS CHEESE burger. I almost cried when I bit into this burger. It was the most perfect burger I had ever eaten! The brioche was sweet and pillowy soft and oh the beef patty was the juiciest patty I had ever sunk my teeth into. And the mushrooms! Such a lovely umami flavour that had a perfect marriage with the beef and the bun! Cravings hit me right as I type this very minute!

Manju joins me again and laughs at the goofy happy grin on my face! We discuss future plans. TBJ believes in a cautious expansion. Expansion plans are first outside of Cochin and then Kerala with the main target markets being Chennai and Bangalore. I ask her how it feels to be a woman in a business dominated by men. “People are often surprised when I mention what I do. And I feel privileged. I think as a woman, I am able to add a personal touch to everything I do.”

Score for womankind!