A New Twist on Mumbai Favorites, Healthy Eating, and Breakfast Recipes

There were two weekday holidays last week, so I had more time to visit restaurants and make breakfast. I had been unsuccessful walking in at 9 pm to SpiceKlub before, so this time Priam and I arrived at this restaurant right when it opened at 6:30 pm (on a side note, booking a table is also an option). SpiceKlub is a vegetarian Indian restaurant that serves food highlighting molecular gastronomy. We ordered three appetizers and one dessert, and afterwards we were comfortably full. The first appetizer served to us was naanza (the menu described naanza as “mini naans stuffed with spice cottage cheese served the Italian way gratinated”):

They looked like little slices of pizza to me, but they did not taste like pizza. The toppings were really delicious, the cottage cheese was very creamy and spicy, and the naan had the perfect soft texture. This naanza was my most favorite dish out of everything we ordered.

After we finished the naanza, the waiter gave us our pav bhaji fondue (tomato-based fondue with cheese, onions, and possibly other vegetables):

A Mumbai street food favorite, this particular pav bhaji was all gussied up complete with fancy fondue forks. This version was creamier than the pav bhaji I have had in the schools. The flavors were good, albeit not mind-blowing.

The third appetizer we ordered was pani puri:

This was the first time I’ve seen the chili liquid in test tubes on dry ice and the sweet liquid in a syringe (click here for my description of pani puri). I had a fun time assembling my pani puri together. While the presentation was unique and eye-catching, in my opinion the taste isn’t any different from the pani puri available on the streets.

For dessert, we had the bubbling kulfi (Indian ice cream traditionally made with condensed milk):

This kulfi came in little pieces on a flask filled with liquid nitrogen. The five sauces (from top left to bottom right counterclockwise) are rose tapioca pearls, malai (Indian sweet cream), caramel, blueberry, and chocolate. They all went really well with the kulfi (I tried them each separately with the kulfi and then combined some), with my favorites being the rose and the caramel. The combination of rose tapioca pearls, malai, and kulfi tasted like a falooda (Indian cold sweet drink traditionally made with rose syrup, basil seeds, jelly pieces, tapioca pearls, vermicelli, and ice cream). Priam was at first wondering why the kulfi was in little pieces, and then he came to the conclusion that the kulfi would be too difficult to break apart if it were in one large piece. This presentation was also unique and fun, with liquid nitrogen smoking out of the spout and flower petals strewn around the sauces.

Overall, I really liked the presentation of the dishes and their flavors, although you can get the same flavors of pani puri for much cheaper on the streets. SpiceKlub is the most innovative restaurant that I’ve ever been to, and I would like to visit again to try their other dishes.

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Yesterday I went to The Yoga House, not to do yoga but rather to eat. I had eaten here over a year ago and liked their food, so when I used Google maps to find this place, I was surprised to see that The Yoga House relocated to a much bigger house than the one it was in before:

The Yoga House had an upgrade, as there are now more rooms and seats available. I really like the ambience of this new house because the colors and decor make it look very serene and peaceful:

The Entrance

The First Flight of Stairs

The Second Flight of Stairs

The Third Flight of Stairs

Where I Eventually Decided to Eat (I painted my bedroom in Boston in this same shade of blue)

My View as I Ate Lunch

I ordered The Yoga House’s signature quinoa burger and signature smoothie (the menu listed the following ingredients: banana, milk, almonds, cashew nuts, raisins, grated coconut, puffed rice, beaten rice, sesame seeds, dates, figs, poppy seeds, ginger powder, and cinnamon):

Both my beverage and food tasted very healthy and organic. There were extra hummus and greens on the side, which I slathered onto my burger. Unlike most restaurants I’ve been to in Mumbai, this quinoa burger tasted like no chili was added. The water was in a copper cup, which I have heard gives health benefits. I really did not like the metallic taste of the cup though, so I avoided the water.

For dessert, I ordered masala chai and three homemade ladoos (ball-shaped Indian sweets):

For some reason I can’t really put my finger on, holding this particular cup of masala chai (top left) felt really soothing to my hands. Initially I did not know what was in the metal bowl in the top right (looked similar to Indian pickled mango to me), so I tried it and found it delicious. I asked the waiter what it was, and he told me that it is organic jaggery to be used as a sugar substitute for the masala chai. According to Wikipedia, jaggery is concentrated date, cane juice, or palm sap.

The ladoos tasted healthy, yummy, and not too sweet. I could see pistachios in the ladoos, and I think the crunchy texture was due to puffed rice, though I’m not sure. I had no problem finishing off these three ladoos.

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Last Tuesday morning, I decided to make breakfast consisting of caramelized onions, spinach, and eggs:

I followed the recipe online (click here for the recipe) with the following modifications:

1. I used ghee (Indian clarified butter) instead of butter. Ghee smells really nice when it is used for cooking, and a small amount is sufficient. I had gone to the supermarket last week and decided for the first time to purchase ghee instead of butter. This was the first time that I had cooked with ghee, and my kitchen smelled great for many hours afterward.

2. I used Spanish cheese that was given by Priam’s brother’s friends from Spain instead of Parmesan cheese. This cheese is hard, so I think it’ll last for a while.

3. I microwaved the dish in the end instead of putting it in an oven because I don’t own an oven.

Overall I thought my dish was good, although the spinach for some reason had a slightly bitter taste. I think that this dish would have tasted better if I had an oven to put it in.

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This morning, I decided to make French toast. I had made French toast several times in the past, and each time I had not been satisfied. This time I decided to do more research (click here and here for tips). These were the changes I made based on the recommendations:

1. In the past I had used multigrain bread, so this time I bought brioche. The brioche was indeed perfect for soaking up the custard. Additionally, the multigrain bread I used before were pre-sliced too thinly, so this time I cut the brioche myself into 1-inch thick slices.

3. One online article advised not to add too much sugar to the custard, while another article advised two tablespoons of sugar per cup of milk. Since my previous French toasts had been very bland, I opted to add two tablespoons of sugar.

4. I added three eggs per cup of milk instead of two (I had previously looked at a different recipe calling for only two eggs).

5. I blended my custard in a blender to avoid egg whites forming on my French toast. The articles above did not specifically mention using blenders, but one recipe did so I decided to try it out.

Generally I followed a recipe I found online (click here for the recipe) with the following modifications:

1. I added three eggs while the recipe didn’t require any.

2. I used slim milk instead of coconut milk because that’s all I had.

3. I omitted the nutmeg and cornstarch because I didn’t have any.

4. I did not serve with maple syrup because I had added two tablespoons of brown sugar to the custard beforehand (I don’t have white sugar).

5. I did not have any bananas that Americans eat (long and big), so I used two Indian bananas instead (short and small but more flavorful).

I think that the articles are great because my French toast tasted much better today than they ever did before. They were sweet enough that no extra syrup was needed. This was the first time that I used coconut oil, and it imparted a very nice flavor and aroma. One improvement I can think of is if I had half-and-half or whole milk instead of slim milk, since skim milk wouldn’t produce as rich a flavor. Still, it was the first time that I felt satisfied with my French toast.

My ingredients:

Some of my French toast after eating several slices:

I cooked six slices and two end pieces, and Priam and I became pretty full after that. Since I still had a fair amount of custard left and I did not want it to go to waste, I decided to add about 1/3 cup of flour to it. This amount was enough to make the resulting batter suitable for making crepes, which I did:

Since the crepes were very thin and light, I was able to eat them despite being relatively full from the French toast. I liked them even more than my French toast because the crepes were less dense. I had pinned quite a few breakfast recipes on Pinterest, so I will be making them on future lazy mornings.

A Continental Cafe, Mughlai Restaurant, and Chapati Recipe

Last Saturday I was in the mood for a quick light meal, so I went to a continental cafe in Bandra called Eat Around the Corner. It was not the first time I’ve been to this cafe; Franav (Priam’s brother) had taken me and Priam there once, and since then I’ve eaten there a few times. I like this place because it has good bread and cold dishes, is reasonably priced, has relatively quick service, and has a nice casual ambience. I had avoided any food that wasn’t piping hot for the few months when I first moved to Mumbai (didn’t want to accidentally get sick); I think Eat Around the Corner may be the place where I ate my first salad in India. The outside seating looks like this:

It was a really hot day, so no one was eating outside. Also it was only 12:45 pm. From my experience eating in restaurants in Mumbai, they are relatively empty at 1 pm when I enter and completely filled by 2 pm when I leave.

At Eat Around the Corner, customers order their food from the counter:

Besides cold dishes and bread, this cafe offers pizzas, continental breakfast, pastas, sandwiches, burgers, and desserts. However, I’ve only ordered their cold dishes and breads so far so I can’t speak for their other items. This was my lunch:

Customers have the option of ordering a small meal (choose two items) or a regular meal (choose three items); I opted for the regular meal. On the bottom left is tomato and mozzarella, and this was good (I’ve always liked tomato and mozzarella, and it tastes like any tomato and mozzarella in the US). On the bottom right is smoked chicken and sun-dried tomatoes. The smoked chicken was very tender and juicy. I think that generally chicken tastes better in India than it does in the US, maybe because the chickens are all-natural and roam around freely. At the top left are soba noodles (Japanese buckwheat noodles), and they were quite good as well. I sat at a table facing the counter:

As you can see, there is not one but two signs asking customers to like this cafe on Facebook.

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Yesterday after an Indian music concert honoring Mahatma Gandhi’s birthday (it also happened to be my sister’s birthday), Priam and I went to a Mughlai/North Indian restaurant in Kala Ghoda (Mumbai’s art district, literally means “Black Horse”). Mughlai cuisine was developed in the imperial kitchens of the Muslim Mughal Empire (the Mughals invaded and ruled India before the British came), and their food is very rich and flavorful. This restaurant called Khyber has really good food, service, and ambience. In my experience going to fancier restaurants in Mumbai, sometimes hosts ask if you’ve made a reservation, act all huffy and say that they’ll need to check for available tables if you haven’t made one (sometimes going inside to check), then finally escort you into an empty restaurant (empty because we usually eat at 7 pm, and hardly anyone eats that early in Mumbai). Khyber’s host did not do any of these things; he was incredibly courteous, which was a nice start. After having a chair pulled out for me, I decided to take a picture of the interior:

I really like the placement of the mirror on the opposite side because it makes the space look twice as big. If you look carefully at the left, you can see me taking a photo and partially blocking Priam (to his disappointment because he was striking a pose). When a waiter saw me taking photos, he told me to come with him to see the other dining areas because they are designed to look like ancient Mughal caves with paintings. These are what the other rooms look like:

The waiter offered to take a picture of me in the empty dining room pictured above, but unfortunately it turned out blurry due to the dim lighting. Still, I thought it was very nice of him to offer to show me around. He also told me that this restaurant has been operating in Mumbai for a very long time (he told me exactly when but unfortunately I do not remember).

We ordered prawns Mughlai (cashew paste and red masala), saag (spinach) chicken, lamb chops, and lachha paratha (layered leavened dough). We also had starters on the table that we didn’t touch.

Everything was very rich, creamy, and delicious. The lachha parathas were not what we were expecting (we thought they would be flakier like the ones in Kerala), but they were very tasty nonetheless with subtle bits of sugar.

While the portions may not look very big in the photo, each item was so dense that we were able to eat the leftovers as a full lunch for two today. We also ordered dessert:

Pictured at the top is phirni, a rice and milk pudding with aromatic spices. It has a very creamy texture and tastes great for the first several bites, then it’s a little too much sweetness for me as it is like eating condensed milk in pudding form. Priam ordered the kulfi (Indian ice cream) with vermicelli (sweet noodles):

BEFORE

AFTER

I preferred Priam’s dessert because it was less sweet. The vermicelli was soaked in rose water, which reminded me of the flavor of paan (edible leaf-wrapped betel nut mouth freshener with a perfume aftertaste). In small quantities, I do not mind the perfume aftertaste because I really like the subtly sweet flavor of rose water. Afterwards both me and Priam felt bloated, but that is to be expected with rich North Indian food. Overall, I really liked Khyber and if I have any visitors from the US in the future, I think I’d like to take them here.

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Since we had eaten all the parathas, I decided to try making chapatis for the first time to scoop the leftover prawns Mughlai and saag chicken curries for today’s lunch. I looked online for a recipe with lots of pictures:

http://indianfood.about.com/od/breadrecipes/ig/How-to-Make-Chapatis/

Making chapatis is really simple and quick because I only used four ingredients (salt, olive oil, milk, and flour):

Since Priam does not eat much, I used only half of the amount called for in the recipe, which resulted in six chapatis. I used white flour because I did not have any wheat flour, and I flattened out the dough balls by hand because I did not have a rolling pin. I therefore couldn’t get my chapatis to be as flat as standard chapatis, but I think they turned out well overall:

Priam told me that he actually liked my chapatis better than the standard chapatis, which I take as a compliment because many times the food I cook do not turn out the way I expected. I think my chapatis tasted better because I followed the online recipe’s instructions, which states that to make chapatis softer, use milk instead of water and also add a little oil.