Bombay Foodie

Edamame, the steamed green soybeans coated with salt, are my standard order at a Japanese restaurant. Even more than the flavour, I like the lingering, casual atmosphere this dish creates as you and your friends dig into the pile of green beans. Then yesterday, I spotted the green chana at the vegetable market. As childhood memories of stalks of green chana roasting over open fire came rushing back, it stuck me that India has always had its own version of the edmame - the roasted green chana. You only spot these beans for a few weeks, so I promptly bought these back home with me to make the most of the short lived season. Open fire seemed unlikely as an option so for my Sunday afternoon snack, I present the oven roasted green chana. First off, wash the green chana pods. Drain and wipe with paper towels. Spread in a single layer on a baking tray and pop in the oven heated to 230C. Ten minutes later, bring out the tray and give the pods a stir so they cook evenly. Bake ...

Over the years, I have created several desserts that play on the combination of strawberries and cream. Because these berries show up in India towards the end of the winter rather than summer, these desserts also have a tendency to crop up on the blog around Valentine's Day. Totally appropriate you will say, and this year, with the addition of some other of my favourite ingredients, the best version as well. The base of the dessert is basil white chocolate cream. Pour 200 ml of heavy cream in a small saucepan. Now that Amul is finally selling whipping cream in India, that's the one I have used. Heat gently until the cream is warm, then add 4-5 basil leaves. Cover and leave to infuse for half an hour. Remove the basil leaves and put the cream back on heat. Add 200 grams of chopped white chocolate - use the best you can find - and stir until the cream and chocolate combine into a smooth ganache. Remove from the heat and pour into small bowls or ramekins. Let cool a littl...

If you draw up a list of Bombay's most iconic dishes, you will surely have Britannia's Berry Pulao on it. Coming in various versions - mutton, chicken, vegetarian - the distinctive feature of this pulao is the Iranian burberries strewn on top. I've tried the original version a couple of times and loved it, but it's not easy eating at this Parsi joint. For one, they are a long way from home. But more importantly, they show their Parsi eccentrity by opening the restaurant only for lunch and shutting down entirely on Sundays. In fact, it's far easier to make berry pulao at home than go to Britannia and that's exactly what I did once I got my hands on some barberries recently. This is also a great make ahead recipe that comes together in minutes when you want to eat the pulao. So here's all you need: 1. One cup cooked basmati rice. Take 1/2 cup uncooked rice, soak it and cook it as per package directions. 2. One small potato, boiled, peeled and cubed 3....

Well, 489 stories to be exact. Seven long years bring loads of memories with them. And to celebrate those memories and to wish this dear blog a happy birthday, here are seven more stories about Bombay Foodie. 1. This isn't my first blog. I first started blogging way back in 2005. The blog was called Bombay Musings. I'd just moved to the city then and Bombay Musings was my diary, a chronicle of my discovery of the city. 2. It isn't just a quote. A lot of people ask me about the quote on the blog header. The reason I picked this one is because it pretty much describes my approach to food. I am a carb junkie and I can eat a baguette with cheese pretty much every day. As for tea, it isn't a good day if I don't get 2-3 cups of strong, sweet, milky brew. Tea makes me happy. 3. I don't cook a lot. I can obviously cook a lot of things and I have cooked 400+ of them for this blog but I don't cook everyday. I have a fabulous cook who does that. Me, I mostly ...