Gourmet Tour - The Streets of Istanbul

My 'tasting-notes' now take you on an enchanting and gastronomic journey of the imperial city of Istanbul which features a cuisine with wide variety of ingredients and cooking styles which include dishes and ideas from the cuisine of Jews, Greeks and Armenians.

The Southeast and the East are known for dishes based on cracked wheat and meat with hot spices while the Aegean for their olive oil delicacies enhanced with local herbs.

The narrow and cobbled streets of Istanbul are abuzz with exotic foods like gyros, grills, fried meats, kebaps, stews, meat cooked in a crock or pan, simit; a bread like a bagel and börek.

Turkish cuisine is believed to be one of the three richest and oldest cooking traditions of the world together with French and Chinese cooking.

A gourmet tour can be exotic. You can savour a long list of Turkish delicacies. It is like biting into a large slice of history ;

Doner Kebab

homemade chicken gyros, thinly sliced and served with bulgur salad, mezze and freshly baked lebanese breads

Schwarma

homemade lamb schwarma, thinly sliced and served with bulgur salad, mezze and freshly baked lebanese breads

Mevsim Salata

lettuce, sliced tomatoes, cucumbers and feta cheese served with olive oil, lemon juice and a drizzle of vinegar
Coban Salata

diced tomatoes, cucumbers, green peppers, roast aubergine, dill and onion dressed with olive oil, lemon juice and vinegar

Kisir (Tabuleh)

cracked wheat lightly flavored with tomato paste, parsley and onions

Izgara Kofte ( Turkish Style Meatballs )

ground lamb kofte served with salad and hummus

Chicken Sheesh Touk

turkish sheeh kebab served with mezze and freshly baked lebanese breads

Lamb Samboussek

deep fried lebanese pastry filled with minced lamb and pine nut

Fatiyer bil – Sabanegh

spinach and haloumi cheese filled pies paired with mezze

Falafel

chick pea and parsley crispies with mezze and pita breads

Breads

Taze Gevrek

delicious crispy simit (turkish bagel)

Ispanikli Börek

traditional spinach and cheese baked filled pastries made of a thin flakes

Dessert

Baklava

sultans homemade buttery dough filled with nuts and served with honey syrup

Mohallabiah with Almond

delectable signature dessert from mediterranean region

By :

Devraj Halder

Tajik Cuisine - The beginning of the spice trail

Tajikistan means the ‘Land of the Tajiks’. In medieval Persian literature, Tajik appears as a synonym of ‘Persian’. This mountaneous land locked country with Persian speaking Tajik ethnic group, the territory of which is now the Republic of Tajikistan has been inhabited continuously since 4000 BC. It has been under the rule of various empires throughout history, for the longest period being part of the Persian Empire.

Arabs brought Islam in the 7th century, more or less forcing the people to convert. The predominantly ethnic Tajik cities of Samarkand and Bukhara remained in the Uzbek SSR. The proportion of Russian among Tajikistan's population meanwhile also grew. Post the political turbulence and the civil war Tajikistan is officially a republic and holds elections for the presidency and parliament. The government of India rebuilt the Ayni air base, a military airport southwest of capital Dushanbe, It is now the main base of the Tajikistan air force.

The long and eventful history of the Tajiks have given rise to a varied and enigmatic cuisine.

The Persian lineage and the muslim community has given the cuisine of the Tajiks its own personality with characteristic influence like the usage of abundant dried fruits, local fresh fruits and vegetables, goat milk yoghurt, robust home made breads like rye, wheat and non, hearty soups like the solyanka, great varieties in unique sheesh kekobs, aromatic and rich pilau, sambusa, lemon cake and much more. The Tajiks believe in festivity and their culture is equally glamorous. The food is hearty and delicious. 

A typical meal starts with Halva ( essentially made of wheat ). Appetizers include Shashlyk Lipioshka ( tender lamb shashlik served with flat bread and sliced onion) , Seekh Kebob ( minced vegetarian and meat on skewers), Sambusa (minced turkey filled fritters), Vatushiki (spinach and cheese filled deep fried crispies). Popular soups are Shorpur Laghman (meat and vegetable soup with noodles), Kaurmo Shurbo (vegetable soup ), Mastoba ( rice soup ).

Choykhana is local green tea which accompanies a hearty meal. Other beverages include Kefir ( fermented milk beverage ).

Some typical salads are Hissar (traditional tajik salad), Stuffed Aubergine Salad. Fresh whole fruits, fresh whole vegetables and a variety dried fruits and nuts are a regular part of a balanced meal. Several dips and dressings are also prepared to lend variety and compliment a meal.

The main meal includes Mantu or Tushbera (similar to ravioli with vegetable/ meat and spices), Shakhlet, Kaurdak kaimak (roast meat servedwith fried onion and sour cream), Golubtsi (Stuffed cabbage rolls with tomato broth), Qurutob (baked vegetable with salted yogurt and flaxseed oil).

Oshi Pluv ( traditional tajik pulao) and Domlama (mutton with assorted tajik vegetables) are delicious rice preparations, provide great insight on the Biryani that we eat today how it evolved from Persia !

Breads include Non, Sambusa Baraki( tajik bread), Katlama (puff flat cakes).Typical desserts are Shirbhirinj (milk pudding) and Halvaitar (liquid flour halva).

It is mystical to think and realise that it all started here the beginning of the spice trail from the Turkish coasts all the way to China and also to Afghanistan and further to India. Tajikistan played such a pivotal role and the thoroughfare helped cultures change hands along with the passage of bounty that the trail witnessed for centuries !

By : Devraj Halder

Menu Trends 2012

Multi cuisine is more or less out and multi specialty is in. Discerning customers of today want to savor specialized world cuisine/s seated on the same table. Hence the need for restaurants to hire multi cultural chefs to keep the cuisine/s alive.  The trends are also going the ingredient way; menus which boast of customized ingredients from across the globe stand an edge.

As far as presentation goes, the trend which started sometime back of beauty in simplicity is going great guns. The concept has evolved extremely well and is all set to change the very essence of food presentations. All kinds of tacky, cluttered, multicolored mish-mash is definitely out. As far as food is concerned the ingredients are suddenly visible and not under layers of marinations, accompaniments, sauces and gravies. The visible ingredients are fresh, natural, subtle, appetizing and bold !

 

The great news is that Indian ethnic food is getting a quick make over in Indian restaurants. New-age Indian food is in and we’ve got to make it stay. It gives a whole new dimension to how Indian food was always perceived and now that the sophistication is creeping in steadily it opens up new challenges to the Indian chefs to put on his creative caps and also keep the heritage and culinary depth of the cuisine alive.  Indian food is also set to find new alliances getting married to global wines as the trend is picking up big way.

Health Café, Health Bar, Haute Cuisine, Tuscan, Albanian, Iberian, Tahitian; the new-age customers have developed insatiable palette for more and the versatile. So bring it all on, there will be hardly any eye-brows raised !

In todays scenario it is also very important to be aware. Ponder on the following :

I.  Healthy and fresh ingredients are not so healthy any more most of them are laden with harmful chemicals so the most basic thing is to wash them really well, again and again. Look out for any signs of discoloration, bitterness or even allergic reactions .

II. Brush up your knowledge on Genetically Modified foods( GM Foods). They always look the most attractive and healthy in the supermarket but look for valid accreditions. 

III. Always buy food which can be traced back. Like branded rice, flour, grains, cereals, milk even sweets are still better than to buy them from the open market. Food adulteration is so rampant you will never know what is the real thing !

The mantra for 2012 would be to rededicate oneself to provide culinary surprises, exemplary cuisines and out-of-the-box concepts and experiences.

By : Devraj Halder

Refreshing Recipe - Pommery mustard vietnamese basa

Pommery mustard vietnamese basa  with sichimi tossed asparagus and nimbu- chlorophyll oil ( Serves Two )

Vietnamese Basa Fish                                                   300 gms

Lemon Juice                                                                   01 tsp

Garlic Juice                                                                     01 tsp

Galangal Juice                                                                 01 tsp

Cooking Cream                                                              02 tbsp

Lemon Grass , chopped                                                  a pinch

Pommery Mustard                                                          01 tbsp

Seasoning ( salt and white pepper pwd )                         to taste

Chlorophyll Oil                                                               01 tbsp

Green Asparagus                                                            80 gms

Sichimi Powder                                                              a pinch

Salad ( Sprouted peas, alfa alfa, beans )                          to accompany

Preparation

Marinate the fish in the following order; the seasoning, lemon, garlic, galangal, lemon grass. Let it stand for 20 mins and then add the cream, mustard and the oil to complete the marination. Cook in the tandoor and serve with grilled asparagus sprinkled with sichimi powder and the side salad.

By : Devraj Halder

My Interview @ www.thewineclub.in/interview/list

My Interview @ www.thewineclub.in/interview/list

Food becomes transformed at his magical touch. Taste buds get tickled at the wave of his wand. Meet Chef Devraj Halder, EAM, Food & Beverage, The Suryaa, New Delhi, in a candid chat with Poonam Thapa.

The Wine Club: How did you get involved with the world of food?

Devraj Halder: Interestingly, my family consisted of doctors and engineers and hence I was guided toward the same. However, I was not convinced. Fortunately, there was this opportunity for a hotel management which I took it up as I wanted to do something else. Right from the beginning, I found the kitchen area to be the most interesting in terms of creativity and lucrativeness. Food seemed to tickle my senses and today the world of food fuels my passion and helps me stay connected to myself. There is always something more to learn, something new to try out.

The Wine Club: Tell us something about your background.

Devraj Halder: I was born in Bengal and brought up in Dhanbad. I have spent close to 14 yrs in 5 kitchens before taking over at the helm of food and beverage.

The Wine Club: What are the most important restaurants you've worked?

Devraj Halder: Al Fresco in Mumbai. Carnival, Polynesian in Goa. Chef & I, Bonitos, Sampan in New Delhi.

The Wine Club: Do you have any mentors?

Devraj Halder: There are many not just in my profession but from various strata of life who made the difference to how I think and how I've grown.

The Wine Club: What is your philosophy on food and wine?

Devraj Halder: Like in Italy they say 'non impegnativo' which means non intrusive; food and wine are heavenly creations in their very own right and should not supersede each other under any circumstances. They have some kind of nuptial sensuality about them and should naturally bond or rather fuse to an orgasmic harmony on the palette of the diner.

The Wine Club: How do you compile the wine list at The Suryaa?

Devraj Halder: The wine list is a window to the terroir. We have the list broadly divided into sparklings, reds and whites which is further divided into countries; the old world first followed by the new world. Within the countries we have selection of regions and grapes.

The Wine Club: What is the concept behind The Suryaa and its wine program?

Devraj Halder: We try to strike a balance between the preferences of the guests; Regular wine drinkers have a developed palette and enjoy slightly oakier, drier and older wines. While the youngsters like it fruity, rounder and younger, and 'drink now style' wines. Wine suggestions are vital to ensure a perfect dining experience.

The Wine Club: How do you go about pairing wine with courses?

Devraj Halder: The basic and intrinsic flavours of food are the key which help decide the kind of wine. We also try to keep it simple and uncomplicated for the guests to actually enjoy without inhibitions.

The Wine Club: Do you always consult with your sommelier while pairing up the dishes with wine, or do you decide on your own?

Devraj Halder: The Suryaa, New Delhi enjoys continuous patronage of repeat clientele. We know our guests well enough to look for outside help.

The Wine Club: What wine trends are you seeing in Delhi and also in India?

Devraj Halder: Wines from Australia, Chile, Argentina and South Africa are doing extremely well. In Delhi what I like is Delhites speak their mind. I do hear comments like 'I don't like French wines' or 'Pass the wine keep the jargon'! The wine communities promote or write highly about imported wines while the expats ask for Indian wines which show that there is a divide in perceptions. Guests also ask for their favorite grapes.

The Wine Club: What is your favorite wine?

Devraj Halder: My personal favorite is the Riesling. This superlative grape makes aromatic, fruity, acidic and refreshing wines.

The Wine Club: What is your favorite food with this wine?

Devraj Halder: As Rieslings can stand up to spiced food and I am an avid fan of Indian cuisines; a good fish lightly marinated with turmeric, staranise, garlic, ginger, lemon-mint, cream and cooked over charcoal fire would be an amazing pair.

The Wine Club: Do you lean more towards Old World or New World wines?

Devraj Halder: Well, both are important and both kinds have their avid lovers. Personally my leaning is towards the younger wines as it is more casual and hence popular among the youth. Old world wines make you think a lot and I feel today the youth has no time to think. Another issue why old world wines take a backseat is the price factor. As they are imported, they become more expensive as compared to the new world wines.

The Wine Club: Tell us about a perfect wine and food match that you have discovered.

Devraj Halder: Well, let me touch upon an interesting situation which I recently countered requiring a chocolate and wine pairing! Now there are two routes; one is the similar pairing approach while the other is the contrasting pairing approach. The former is less challenging; start with milk chocolates with a lighter wine and then proceed on to the stronger and bitter ones with wines with stout tannin levels to match up. But my risk taking instincts as a chef prompted me to take the contrasting approach and gave much satisfying results. A top quality dark chocolate will go brilliantly with an intense Napa Valley Zinfandel. The tannins are actually softened by the fat content of the chocolate to give a cider-vanilla finish!

The Wine Club: What types of wines are most popular with your clientele?

Devraj Halder: We get a good mix of wine lovers so any particular kind of wine is not a factor.

The Wine Club: What in your opinion does it take to become a good chef or a good sommelier?

Devraj Halder: Food and wine alike, it is most important to follow your senses, it always lead to great satisfaction.

The Wine Club: What is the best part of being a chef?

Devraj Halder: That I never have to go hungry! Actually life as a chef is highly interesting and varied. The package includes action packed days, tense moments, great ups and equally great lows, a lot of different people to meet and also a lot of riddles to solve. Overall, it is not as monotonous and routine as so many other professions.

The Wine Club: What happens at home? Do you insist on cooking your meal yourself, or do you let your wife/mother cook for you?

Devraj Halder: Cooking my own meals in a family would be quite rude. Humility describes me better.

The Wine Club: What would be your advice to aspiring young Chefs?

Devraj Halder: Career as a chef, is quite an experience. Go for it, if the words which describe you are, passionate, tenacious, creative, physically fit and you wish to do something meaningful. In the true sense, it is a profession for the brave yet warm-hearted.

The Great Indian Wedding !

Wedding business for the food & beverage industry has emerged as a vibrant segment with exponential potential. The great Indian ‘shaadis’ are now known the world over for its exuberance, fan fare, cuisine and heritage. The movies, the media has played a major role in promoting the awareness and glorification of the Indian wedding.

The needs also have changed and everyone wants to do something different for their ‘shaadi’. All desire their wedding to be the talk of the town, remembered and talked about.

The detailing on hospitality, arrangements and cuisine require a lot of planning to make the entire event a thumping success. The wedding arrangements portray the image of the families and no one wants to compromise, to show the works; whether it is their social standing, love for their child, warm hospitality or grandeur.

On the choice of cuisine, the regional fare still stands as the most important component in the selection of a menu. Regional cuisine has its own distinct place and is the essence of the family. It is also the back bone or the foundation of Indian cuisine as it also signifies ‘ khandan’ or family heritage. It is an experience in itself, it takes one down the memory lane towards evolution, touching upon factors, which has resulted in the particular cuisine. It is this nostalgia that make the food all the more interesting. 

Mouth watering ‘chaat’ which can include varities of ‘golgappas’, ‘aloo tikki;, ‘bhalla papdi’, ‘chila’, ‘ pav bhaji’, ‘bhel puri’, ‘palak pakoda chaat’ ; the list is endless.

Hearty Indian short eats like ‘chole bhature’, ‘bedwin poori’, ‘samosa’, ‘kachori’ are some ‘must-includes’. The cocktail snacks can be equally or even more varied; ‘hara bhara kebab’, ‘akhrot ki tikki’, ‘kathal kebab’ a wide varieties of seekh kebabs. Non vegetarian selection are equally amazing.

Kebabs prepared live is a definite hit and the first preference for the guests. Live cooking is something which has caught a lot of attention as the food is hot and fresh and comes on to your plate with more assurance.

The main course gives a selection of myriad ethnic cuisines , it is like a treasure trove of variety of food that is available and becomes a daunting task to choose from.   Mughlai, Awadhi, Punjabi, Gujarati, South Indian, Parsi, Bengali, Rajasthani, Hyderabadi all have delicacies that are traditional as well as exotic. Also cooking styles like ‘handi’, ‘dum’, ‘tawa’, ‘sigri’ bring more exclusiveness to the cuisines. ‘ Biryanis’, ‘Quormas’, Indian Breads need no introduction. Indian sweets also have a fabulous variety; ‘jalebi’, ‘rabdi’ , ‘kulfi’, ‘gulab jamun’, ‘rasmalai’, ‘rasgulla’, ‘halwa’, ‘kheer’ : what to choose and what to leave , they are all ‘un-put-downable’ proposition.

Indian folks are also now a widely traveled bunch, hence there is a need for global cuisines as well. You also find a large segment, getting married to foreigners or NRI’s, hence the need for global cuisine becomes a necessity Food is also quite synonymous to fashion. Trends change and some thing new comes up. .  Cooking methods and live cooking stations of international cuisine are considered fashionable. Pastas , live carvings stations, grills and barbecues, Lebanese schwarma, salads, crepes& fondue, noodle & dimsum , pizzas or teppanyaki, wok fry’s or Mongolian are some hot selling counters.

Guests particularly ask for, Italian, Greek, Spanish, Mexican, South East Asian, Chinese, Caribbean and Mediterranean cuisines. Cooking styles like teppanyaki, roasts, flambé have lots of takers.

International desserts selection have become far and wide. Availability is easy and presentations are exotic, all this makes the desserts a competitive and demanding gamut to select from.

Overall anything and everything is available, available at a price. You can get chefs flown in from anywhere in India or abroad , you can have the choice and extent of cuisine or ingredient you prefer. Limitations are less limited.  Nowadays these are all available on a platter. You have to decide as to what you want and it can be customised and personalized for you at a ‘not-so-convincing’ price tag. But it sure does take the burden off your shoulders.

By : Devraj Halder

The Palette Makeover

They say that it takes three complete months of continued exposure to acquire a new taste.  I believed it at first and in the past, but now I think quite otherwise. There are actually two dissimilar ways to look at it.

Firstly, there are palettes, which hate to change their acquired tastes and seem to go back to what they desire more frequently than they want to. This is quite linked to comfort food, old habits, traditional outlook and apprehension to change.

It is like living in a more familiar world, which give solace in what you see on your plate and feel on your palette.

Lets talk of the other kind, were I see palettes, which are permanently on a world tour. Frequently, one finds himself eating, Indian, Italian, Japanese and even more on a single day and craves for more and even more variety. This insatiable quest to constantly seek for variety has caught today’s generation with a vice like grip. People switch cuisines as frequently as they change clothes. It is the present generation, which has actually broken the mind frame and thought process, which Indians per se has had over the years. Talk about movies, travel, sports; we see a paradigm shift in every sphere.  Food is a front-runner too, which in turn has prompted this amazing palette makeover.

A few years back, most of the meals would be consumed at home or would be home-cooked. Eating out would be a festive change mostly once a week for the average Indian. Now look at the transition were home cooked food is more enviable and sought after as all we do is constantly and incessantly eat out. Walk into a food court and you see a family of four eat four different cuisines on the same table. Talk of cuisines, children of today know more cuisines than their elder counterparts could even dream of at the same age.

So, how to make the most of the palette makeover? Let us attach this makeover thing to other kinds, which we have seen and encountered, like home, personality, office etc., all of which is for the better. That is the key phrase, for the better and a makeover is essentially for the better. So when we do have this plethora of variety of food available at a hop and call then why not make the most of it. Choose the healthy from the junk, the natural from the artificial, the fresh from the preserved, the lean from the fatty, the light from the heavy and the best from the rest ! .. Now it makes more sense doesn’t it?

The palette make over would be made over continuously and the ball is on the roll. So let your palette roll, but be on the drivers seat !

By : Devraj Halder