Rice and Shine

Practically every culture has a quintessential rice dish staple to the area, one that is a complete meal in itself satiating every aspect of the palate and offering a certain sense of roundedness that perhaps few other starch-based dishes provide.

There's paella from Spain, risotto from Italy, nasi goreng  from Indonesia, bibimbaap from Korea, and jambalaya from Louisiana in the United States to name a few. But most of these are quite region specific. Perhaps the most widely consumed rice preparation in the world with maybe a few subtle variations across borders is the biriyani (pronounced be-ree-a-nee) - a dish made with rice and a kurma (mixture of meat, seafood, or vegetables cooked with spices and yogurt in a thick sauce) arranged in layers, mixed together, or sometimes even cooked together.

The exact origins of biriyani in Persia several centuries ago are shrouded in myths and masala. Perhaps the nomads dug  pits in the ground and placed covered pots with rice, meat, and spices in the morning only to find delicious aromas seeping out by evening. The dish was later brought to other parts of south Asia by travelling Iranian merchants. It found its way to Northern India via Afghanistan  and has since spread all over the country and evolved into distinct recipes in every nook and cranny. As one could expect, each region swears by the superiority of their version. But seriously, mine's pretty darn good!

Critiquing the Food Critic

Now that I've resolved to writing restaurant reviews during the little time I have away from working in the kitchen, it is quite fitting that I dedicate a post explaining how professional food critics formulate them.  I've also outlined my own reviewing style here so that readers can decide how to judge my own assessments of restaurants I decide to write about.

First Time's a Charm

Most professional critics visit restaurants several times before compiling their reviews, and they are able to do so because the publication they work for takes care of the bill. Unfortunately for me, I work solo. So I literally cannot afford multiple visits especially when it's an expensive restaurant I decide to review. This may work for or against the restaurant's favor based on which dishes I choose to order. 

Me Me Me

Reviews are written so that readers can make better choices in selecting which restaurants to spend their hard earned money at. Yet, the irony in this is that the articles will always be rooted in the reviewer’s own opinion and based on his specific experiences only. It is impossible to separate the element of subjectivity from a review or the critic from the critique. You have to simply trust him based on his authority and the quality of his previous work.

The Salty Paradox

If you're someone who actively endeavors to scope out the best of eats wherever you go like I do, you would often come across near perfect plates of food that transform your existing notions of gastronomic grandeur. Whether it’s an amazing burger or a slurpy good bowl of Ramen, what makes a dish great is usually a delicate balance of flavors, textures, and tastes that work in synergy to produce a wonderful end result.

Every once in a while, there also happens to be a certain secret ingredient that makes a noticeable difference in the way a dish tastes--one that is hard to identify unless revealed.

Whether it is jaggery in a wholesome sambar, nutmeg in creamed spinach, or even cayenne pepper in a smoky delicious brownie, secret ingredients offer completeness to dishes that would otherwise be mediocre in comparison. Most such ingredients today are in fact not very obscured in secrecy. I believe the internet, mass media, and globalization are to blame.

Restaurant Review: Nando's

How many ways can you cook, flavor, and serve chicken? It seems that at Nando's, there might be just one: flame-grilled (or so they claim) in various forms and doused in subtle variations of their signature Peri-Peri sauce.

Armed with an intent to try out new restaurants in Bangalore, a friend and I ventured to the newly opened Nando's restaurant on Church street.

Anyone  who has spent more than a few days in Bangalore would agree that Church Street and the adjacent Brigade Road are probably the hardest places in the city to get space to park your car. Thanks to my excellent American-style reverse parallel parking skills, I managed to squeeze into a tight spot quite a distance from Nando's.

My Food Resolutions for 2011

Mostly everyone thinks and talks about the food they are or are not eating but as a professional cook, food pretty much rules most of my life. So I've decided to make some food resolutions for the new year.

1. Save Money

I've been spending way too much money on irrelevant things like cell phone bills, toileteries, clothes, and gadgets. I should really save a significant amount of money from my little paycheck every month and spend it on eating out at good restaurants and pampering myself with new kitchen tools. I must.

2. Quit Smoking
I know I've been saying this for quite some time but I swear I'm going to quit smoking all my foods this year. Of course, if there's an occasional barbecue party, I will passively have to oblige. It is only natural.

Why the Tomato Turned Red

In the past few decades, salads have gained increasing notoriety thanks to the regained focus on well-balanced eating and a healthy lifestyle. However, the same trends have also led some to label it a tree-hugger's food, claiming it to be tasteless and having too many veggies. They are of course very mistaken.

After all, what's not to like about salads? It's strongest point is its versatility. A salad can be made out of anything, can be flavored with anything, and can be eaten any time of the day. It is also usually quite inexpensive to make. Consider the health factor just an added bonus.

While planning out my cooking class on salads, I realized that I first needed to define it. To do this, I had to strip it off all its flairs and get down to the grassroots; a definition must hold true at least 99% of the time.

A salad cannot be referred to as cold, since there are warm salads. It doesn't have to be just greens or vegetables either; you can make some amazing salads with just meat. It doesn't even have to have more than one main ingredient. So what essentially is a salad?

The Sixth Sense

It is widely acknowledged that every time we eat, we employ the five basic senses of sight, hearing, taste, smell, and touch. We do this either consciously or subconsciously, and a combination of inputs from these five senses is what ultimately affects our perception of the food.

A good chef uses this knowledge to his advantage. Flaming dishes and sizzling platters have been accepted to be great merchandising tools in a restaurant. While a delicate balance of flavors is critical to the success of a dish, a variety of textures and temperatures also make a difference.

We may eat first with our eyes, but the nose is a close second. Our tongue can perceive only five basic tastes (sweet, sour, salty, bitter, and umami), so the multitudes of flavor that make up the profile of a certain ingredient are sensed by the olfactory nerves in the nose. Yes, we smell flavors; we don't taste them.

My Quest for the 'Best Burger'

Put in simple terms, a hamburger is a hot sandwich of cooked ground beef patty placed inside a bread roll. It could have various fillings including, but not limited to, lettuce, tomato, onions, pickle, mustard, ketchup, cheese, and bacon. But that's put in simple terms. A really good burger would have a soft but toasted bun, a juicy and well seasoned beef patty, and just the right amount of condiments and toppings that ultimately provides the right combination of flavors in every bite. It is just a really clever and delicious sandwich.

In my three short years in New York, I've spent many a day looking for the 'best burger.' Searching for great places to eat in New York during my time there was more than just a past time hobby for me. It was more of a sport. I was determined to scope out the best joints and find exemplary food that I felt couldn't be found anywhere else. I even wrote about it in my blog, Diving into NYC.

Let's face it. With the internet being spammed with food bloggers from all over, it's not hard to find great food in the city. I could tell you without blinking an eyelid that the best doughnuts are at Doughnut Plant and the best seafood at Le Bernardin. You would think that there would be a consensus as to where you could find the best burger in New York City as well. But no!