Author Archives for Swati Raje

The Biryani Challenge

A few weeks ago I was challenged by a friend, who is a self proclaimed biryani connoisseur, to make an authentic biryani because I made the mistake of saying that I make a pretty good one.  You see he’s from Hyderabad, the land where biryani originated.  It was argued that more than likely I make a pulao rather than a biryani.  I countered that while I don’t make mine exactly in the traditional style, I use the same technique with a recipe I have developed on my own over the years.  And this is where it all started……I took on the challenge and d-day was yesterday. 
For those of you who don’t know what a biryani is – it is an Indian dish made with layers of rice, meat (usually lamb or chicken), sautéed onions, eggs with lots of flavors and spices in between.  You may think you’ve had this in Indian restaurants because so many have it on their menu.  But what most restaurants call a biryani is not the real thing.  It is indeed a pulao which most certainly is not layered or as complex to make and nowhere nearly as delicious.
I started prepping early Saturday.  Ideally I should have marinated the chicken on Friday but Happy Hour in NYC with friends took precedence over this task.  As I went through my day marinating the chicken, slicing and sautéing the onions, etc. I began to worry.  After all I had something to prove, but I had no idea what I was being pitted against since the comparison was going to be made against something I had never tasted; a very personal taste that belonged to someone else.  I thought how in the world do I get myself into these situations and why?  But I calmed down and went about the task at hand.
I finished the final touches on the biryani yesterday while my friend watched me slave away and sipped on a glass of wine.  I must say he was very respectful and no comments were passed on my technique from the peanut gallery.  The house smelled amazing as I pulled it out of the oven and I knew that I had been successful.  But of course that did not mean I was successful in the challenge.  And so we sat down to dinner and I watched anxiously for the reaction.  It was the one I had hoped for.  I was given 10 out of 10 for effort and food, but I downgraded myself to a 9 because of a slight negative comment on something I do with my biryani that I will not change.  You see I call mine a “refined”  biryani which means that I debone the chicken and remove the peppercorns, cardamom pods, cinnamon, cloves, etc. out of the rice after cooking because I don’t like to necessarily bite down on them while I’m enjoying my food.  I don’t like the intense flavor that they bring to an otherwise balanced bite.  Apparently not everyone feels this way because my friend likes to have all of that left in – can’t please all the people all the time.  But in an effort to make amends, I had saved everything I pulled out in a bowl and just had him add it all to his plate.  And voila! He had the best of both worlds.  I was happy with my rating since the highest rating for what he calls the “best biryani around here” is 7 out of 10 at Paradise Biryani in Edison, NJ.  And I had proven that what I make is definitely not a pulao.
If anyone would like to attempt to make this recipe, I did make notes this time on the ingredients and measurements (sort of) and will put the recipe in my next post.  I must warn you that it takes a lot of time, patience and TLC.  But the result is quite rewarding and delicious and you will not be disappointed.
Final note to self:  Next time just give in and admit that you make a pulao!

A Whole New Perspective on Albany, NY

This past week I had to travel for work to a small NY town called Gloversville.  It is about 40 minutes Northwest of Albany.  I do like to get out of the office once in a while, and be out there in front of my clients in the trenches so in that sense I welcomed the opportunity.  What I don’t like about business travel is the thought of eating meals alone.  Breakfast is not so bad since I can read the newspaper while I sip my tea and eat my yogurt.  But dinner is the meal I dread.  I just don’t do well eating alone which is strange because I do quite a lot of traveling on my own for business and pleasure.  Strangely, I also dread the options of eating at the hotel restaurant or worse – ordering room service.  But despite grueling work demands, my three days in Albany were fun, memorable, and I came back with new friends.
I opted not to stay too close to Gloversville.  For one, there is only one hotel within 20 minutes, and two there is nothing going on up there in the month of February.  Instead I stayed in the state capital of Albany just off the I-90 East so access to the highway was easy for my daily commute.  I arrived on Tuesday evening and after a workout and shower I was hungry.  After the long drive I decided that it would be easier to eat at the café downstairs and proceeded to take a seat at a table.  The woman at the front desk assured me the food was good.  I waited 15 minutes and no one had paid any attention to me because there was not a server or host in sight.  I went to the front desk woman and asked her to call someone.  5 more minutes and nothing!  Having little tolerance for incompetence which is only exacerbated when I’m hungry, I went back to the front desk and asked for local restaurant recommendations.  She cheerfully told me to head toward Wolf Rd, which I know from my past travels, has mostly chain restaurants.  So I asked her if she knew of any restaurants that were not chains.  She looked me squarely in the eye and with big smile said “You should go to PF Changs, it’s really good.”  To which I replied, but that’s a chain…….5 more minutes and she finally understood what I was looking for and directed me to a restaurant just a few miles away called Grappa ’72.
I entered Grappa ’72 and headed toward the bar.  There is absolutely no way I will sit and eat at a table alone.  Yes, I know that sounds weird – especially if you know me.  I much prefer the bar because at least some of the other people also are there alone.  As I walked up I was greeted with a great big hello from Tom , the bartender, who proceeded to ask my name and then introduced me to everyone around the bar.  I’m thinking what a friendly place!  I ordered a glass of wine that he recommended – Luiano Sangiovese – which was delicious.  Their wine list by the glass is quite impressive with an unusually large selection of Italian wines, and they have the proper stemware for different wines – a place after my own heart. 
For my dinner I chose a mixed green salad and lemon rosemary roasted chicken with asparagus and roasted potatoes.  Conversation continued and before my dinner came, I felt like I had known these people for years.  They were from all walks of life and had come to Albany by way of many different places like Washington DC, NYC, San Francisco, etc.  I was having fun!  My dinner arrived and it looked amazing.  I had switched to a Morande Pioneri Sauvignon Blanc from Chile which was definitely a better pairing with the chicken than the Sangiovese.  It was grassy on the nose and palate with a hint of lime zest.  My chicken was delicious!  I never ever eat the skin on chicken but this was so flavorful and crispy that I broke my rule and enjoyed every bite and made sure I thanked the chef later.  I was so happy that the café had not paid attention to me.  I ended my evening chatting with my new friends and exchanging information.  And before leaving I was invited to join a few of them at a different restaurant called Barcelona the next day.
My next evening at Barcelona was quite nice too.  Vincent and Laurel were there and we chatted like old friends.  I was introduced to an 84 year gentleman who served in WWII in the French Legion and to this day jumps out of airplanes for kicks.  Can this story get any better?  The menu at Barcelona is Mediterranean style tapas and Tony behind the bar is a riot to listen to with his rough attitude with all the patrons who he obviously knows.  I ordered some grilled artichokes with goat cheese and roasted peppers along with some spicy baby back ribs.  I had worked late that day and skipped the wine and ended my day.
For my last evening, I decided I was going to go back to Grappa ’72 as I had honestly preferred the ambiance and food better.  This time I had some very good veal with my same Sangiovese plus a special treat of a live jazz band and Tom singing some Sinatra once in a while.  I met Armand the owner whose wife incidentally makes all the desserts on their menu, and Gregory who is originally from the Bronx.  I had more work to complete for the day so I kept my last meal in town brief, said goodbye to my new found friends and went back to my hotel feeling like I had a home to go to the next time I go up that way.  I didn’t care that I still had 3 hours of work to do.  It just wasn’t a big deal.
The next time you go to the Albany area, be sure to stop in at Grappa ’72 or Barcelona and be sure to say hello to everyone for me.  Who knows, you may come back with some new friends too.  Not a bad week after all that dread. 
Happy travels!!!
Swati

A Brief Escape from Reality

This weekend I treated myself to an escape in New York City.  I had plans with a friend late Saturday night and I decided to get a hotel room instead of trekking back home late at night. This would allow me to go in in the afternoon and just use some time to relax.  It has been a bit stressful for the past few months and I needed to get away.  I love NYC in the winter on cool, crisp, sunny days and mild evenings.  There’s no place like it with all the aromas of roasting nuts, hot dogs and the halal food trucks.  There are no tourists and the streets are relatively empty; especially on Sunday morning.

I spent my Saturday afternoon and evening doing things I never get to do: a relaxing afternoon tea, painted my nails (fingers and toes), read a book, browsed through Bloomingdales, etc. I stayed in a Art Deco styled boutique hotel and the adventure of the evening was figuring out how to turn on the shower.  Yup, had to call in an engineer to show me – quite embarrassed when he turned it on within 2 seconds.  I proceeded to meet my friends at Time Hotel Lounge/Club on 49th St.  It was great to not have to worry about how much I was drinking since my bed was only a cab ride away.  Drink of the evening was something called a Cucumber Smash.  I am not much into sweet drinks, and I never make the mistake of ordering a glass of wine at a club (you never know what kind of swill you’ll get) so this was perfect – Cucumber infused vodka, mint, St Germain, lime juice & some muddled cucumber.  Delicious!!  Had a fantastic and fun evening before crashing at around 2:30am.

Slept in till 9:30am – something else I almost never get to do.  I had my eggs benedict for breakfast sans spinach (they were out) and sans the Bloody Mary (had enough vodka & gin the night before).  I requested a late checkout and decided to go for a walk in Central Park.  It was a beautiful Sunday morning.  A little breezy but quite pleasant with a coat and scarf.  The park was fairly empty with only the locals out for runs and walks with their kids.  After walking for about an hour, the smell of the hot dogs got to me and I had to have one.  Yes, I know they’re not healthy, but how can you go to Central Park and NOT eat a hot dog from a street vendor?  I ate mine with sauerkraut and spicy mustard as I always do and kept on walking.  I wound up somewhere around the Met and made my way over to Madison Ave.  This is one of my favorite avenues in Manhattan.  Especially up that North.  It is rarely crowded.  In fact for many blocks I was alone with my thoughts.  At this point I was as relaxed as I could ever be and started heading South back toward my hotel.

As I got close to 864 Madison Avenue, I picked up a heavenly aroma.  When I got there I peeked inside and saw one of my favorite things – Macarons.  The name of the place is Maison Laduree and it specializes in macarons.  Please don’t mix these up with macaroons which are coconut cookies.  Macarons are a French pastry that looks like a round sandwich.  It is light and airy and spread with various delicious fillings. 

I got two macaron with salted caramel and they were absolutely devine.  I nibbled at them slowly the whole walk back to my hotel, and as I left to return home the lingering taste made me feel like my brief escape from reality was truly complete.  I thought about bringing a few home but decided to hold on to this experience to myself for now.  I’ll share another day!
There is absolutely no other city in the world quite like New York!!!  No one will ever convince me otherwise.

Brunch – Indian Style!!

My favorite brunch is Eggs Benedict Florentine with cantaloupe & strawberries and a really good Bloody Mary.  If I could eat this every Sunday I would be a happy woman – a relatively small wish I think.  But I didn’t grow up eating anything even close to this.  Indians don’t typically eat eggs, pancakes, waffles and such for brunch.  Instead we eat some unique dishes that one would never see on a restaurant menu.  One dish my mother made often is what I made this morning.  I’ve put my own spin on it over the years and made it more healthy & nutritious.  Don’t be fooled, it is a delicious start to any Sunday, and my son eats two or three bowlfuls anytime I make it. 

I’m not quite sure what to call this dish.  I make it to use up the end of loaves of bread used for sandwiches during the week.  Let’s face it, we all have these ends and never know what to do with them. Well now you have an option other than croutons or bread crumbs or worse – throwing them out.  Traditionally this was made with plain old white bread (that’s pretty much all you can buy in India even today), but I usually buy the Arnold’s Flax & Fiber or Oat Nut bread.  We go through about a loaf a week so after 5 weeks I have enough ends stored in the refrigerator to make this recipe.

10 slices of bread ends cut into 1 inch cubes
1 medium onion chopped
1 large clove garlic sliced
2 thai green chilis chopped finely (remove seeds or use only one for less heat)
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 Cup shelled soy beans (I buy the frozen kind)
1/4 cup canola oil
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp turmeric
2 tsps cumin/coriander powder
One half fresh lime
1/4 Cup chopped cilantro

In a large pan heat the oil on medium high heat.  Add cumin seeds and allow to turn dark.  Add garlic & chilies and fry until garlic starts to turn golden brown.  Add onion, salt, turmeric, cumin/coriander powder.  Saute about 2 minutes until onion is soft and translucent.  Add the soy beans.  Saute for 1 minute then cover the pan to cook the soy beans on low heat for 5 minutes or till tender.  Remove cover and return to medium high heat.  Add bread cubes and stir to coat all the bread with the oil in the pan.  Saute for 2 minutes stirring constantly but gently so as not to break the bread too much.  Sprinkle about 2 – 4 Tbsp water  over the bread distributing it around the entire pan – you will hear the pan sizzle as the water hits the hot bottom.  Turn heat to medium low, cover pan and let steam for about 5 minutes.  Do not turn heat too low as keeping it slightly higher will allow the bottom layer of bread to turn crispy and also prevent upper layers from getting soggy.  Remove from heat.  Sprinkle with juice of lime,  stir, and serve garnished with cilantro.

Notes

  • Cumin/Coriander powder can be found in Indian markets
  • I added soy beans to this because they are yummy but also because they are a great source of protein
  • Sometimes I substitute the soy beans with frozen “Soycatash” from Trader Joe’s.  It is a mix of soy beans, corn & red bell pepper.
  • If you absolutely have to have your meat, try browning some hot Italian sausage and add it with the bread cubes. 

So, the next time you have bread ends leftover and don’t know what to do with them try making this dish and let me know what you think.  If you have had some version of it, help me come up with a good name for it.  For now I’ll call it an Indian Bread Hash.

And don’t forget the Bloody Mary!!!!!!

4th Grade Homework – Bake Bread!!

Two days ago my son came home from school with a fairly heavy, plastic grocery bag in his hand.  When I asked what was in it he informed me that it was his homework for Thursday.  Ok, this was interesting.  He then proceeded to hand me a sheet of paper that explained what this was all about.  The King Arthur Flour company was at their school for an assembly to promote their Life Skills Bread Baking Program.  The objective was for the kids to learn that with a little science, a little baking instruction and some good flour, they can bake delicious bread.  They had provided the flour, yeast, rubber scraper & a plastic bag to hold the loaves.

Ok, great concept!  But my initial reaction was “I don’t have three hours to spare on a Thursday night to bake bread”.  His response “Oh don’t worry, the principal asked the teachers not to give us any homework that night”.  Awesome! But who was going to tell my boss or my clients not to schedule any conference calls or bug me with emails that evening?  I suggested perhaps going to the Whole Foods and buying a couple of loaves to donate.  Told him to tell the teacher that his mother is a professional baker and that’s why they look so perfect.  Needless to say he didn’t think much of the idea.  Seriously, couldn’t they have them do this on a Sunday?  But I saw how excited the little man was and gave in………after all the school was going to donate the loaves to a local food pantry.

I haven’t baked bread in over ten years.  I have to admit it was fun!  I didn’t do a lot.  My job was to read and knead and provide a little guidance.  Oh yes, and clean up.  He did all the measuring and mixing and followed the instructions impeccably right down to the shaping and scoring of the loaves.  I had forgotten how therapeutic baking bread can be.  Just kneading the dough worked some of my week’s stress away, and believe me there was a lot of it.  Smelling it baking in the oven as I type this is melting away the rest.  The glass of wine next to me doesn’t hurt.

Best part of all…….we get to keep one loaf!!  So the next time you have the urge to go to the local market and pick up a fresh loaf of bread, consider baking some at home.  We had a blast bonding over bread!

Final thought:  Don’t do it on a Thursday, save it for the weekend!  I’m exhausted!

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