Breakfast Notes -- Sevai Usli

Plan to provide details of my breakfast experiments in this note.

Sevai Usli / Rice Vermicelli Upma


Made an excellent Sevai usli (rice vermicelli) with green peas, sambhar powder and tomato ketchup for breakfast. Last time, I had messed up the vermicelli. This time I got it right. Wish there was a faster way to cook it!

I tweak most of the Indian breakfast recipes and typically add mushrooms, green peas, brocolli and other vegetables to make them more nutritious.

The tomato ketchup is added for the lycopene content! Many times, I simply add tomato paste also.

As you will notice, most of the stuff for this recipe are available in a packet. So now you know why I call myself an experimental packet chef!

Pizzas in Cones! Italian Cuisine

Café de Cono has opened a branch in Oshiwara according to a report by Naomi Canton in Hindustan Times. This company is offering pizzas within a cone (a hard baked one, like in an ice cream cone!). They are priced between Rs.69 to Rs.99!

My first reaction to such reports is to normally rush to such spots and try it out! However, good sense prevailed and I have decided against it. Everyday, in Mumbai some 3 restaurants must be opening and 3 must be shutting down -- or is it 6? Of course, this is just a manner of speaking.

I think it is an absolutely horrid idea -- imagine eating a hard ice cream cone and you get pizza stuff within it! Imagine they are going to open some 15-20 such joints soon all over the city, in the top malls and the like!

I know for the jaded Mumbai taste buds anything new is worth a try. I am sure many will try it for the first time. But will they keep having it again and again. I doubt it.

They have other Italian stuff too -- which seem more sensible. Hopefully, at least that would catch on.

I am not a fan of Italian cuisine at all. The Pizza, risotto, most Italian dishes are over-rated. I think it is a convenience food. Eggplant parmesan is the only dish which I sort of like -- made at a cousin's house in USA and not in a restaurant. In most restaurants it is average -- which means it is edible. If you are hungry, you can eat it. Not something which you will relish, savour and remember days and years after you have eaten it!

Eggplant parmesan is a dish which Prof M. V. Kamath, the renowned journalist, taught us in our journalism class! Next time I catch up with classmate Mohan Sule, I will try and exchange notes on this dish.

Millions of Food Blogs -- Roti

I frequently do research on the Internet about food. Today, I did so on roti after reading Pushpesh Pant's article in Times today.

Wikipedia was a great help in telling me the difference between chapati, phulka, roti, naan, kulcha, paratha, etc. The French pride themselves in having some 365 (?) different cheeses! I have a feeling that we should be having at least that many number of rotis. Just imagine the variations we have in parathas. The plain paratha itself can come in three shapes, round, square and triangular! Stuffed parathas --well, there are as many as there are fillings!

There are millions of food blogs and each one more delicious than the other. It is amazing how you can now practically find any recipe you want in any of these blogs.

I salute all these bloggers -- specially, all these ladies abroad -- who are keeping our traditions flying abroad. They are preserving our culture.

There are a large number of GSB or amchigele or konkani (not to be mistaken for those from the konkan region) bloggers too. Many are active in the Konkani Amchi Food group on Facebook and every day someone is posting wonderful pictures of konkani, Indian and world cuisine and their recipes. Good discussions also take place.

Thanks to all these bloggers and those who maintain various sites on food. We are never short of information on food.

Copper Chimney - OMG - Rs.299

Copper Chimney, Oberoi Mall, Goregaon East has a lunch buffer for Rs.299 (did not check whether there was an * and taxes/VAT are to be added -- most probably not). Ops, not even sure about the period when this offer is on. Er, just wanted to alert you, just in case you are in OM and want to have a bite or more!

Did not check what they have in the buffet -- but I am sure it would be a worthwhile deal. I think for the Non-veg, it would be a steal!

Weekends -- OM is so crowded. All the restaurants, food court, just about everything.

Vaishali Garden, Chembur

Food: 2.25
Service: 2.5
Ambience: 2.25

Location: Opp Rly Stn

Lasooni Mushroom was a very red, coloured, concoction of mushrooms strewn with bits of garlic and also a few whole garlic. I think there must have been a bit of flour as binding agent. More on the spicy side. Not at all appetizing.

I should remember never to order this dish anywhere. The names are always so tempting.

Chaas/Butter Milk strictly OK.

Tandoori Roti strictly OK -- more of maida in it, than wheat flour.

I think this is an old restaurant which requires some refurbishing. The rates I felt were a bit exorbitant.

Good point -- they gave a cabbage salad in a quarter plate, and some diced onions. A thin, wet towel was also offered on entry.

Meal cost: Rs.400

Will I go there again? Not, if I can help it!

Konkani Food Glossary

Going through the pictures and discussions on the Konkani Amchi Food Group on Facebook is amazing. Saw a picture of Karaonda (karvand) nonche/pickle and gointa (padwal) upkari and was wondering what are the English names of them.

So I am planning to start maintaining a glossary of Konkani Food terms. If you wish to contribute or provide me links, you are welcome.

Most probably, I will have to include Hindi, Marathi and Kannada terms too.

Alas, there are many terms which do not have English names!

BTW, the web is full of confusions or at least in some parts there is confusion. Or maybe the confusion is in my mind.

Hopefully, the glossary will be a valuable addition to knowledge.

When will we Change?

Yesterday, at Subway, Oberoi Mall, I ordered an Aloo Patty at the bargain price of Rs.50. I was wondering whether I should pay by Rs.500 or remove the Rs.100 emergency note that I had hidden. I decided on the Rs.100. Guess what -- the guy at the counter almost barked at me -- Give me Rs.50? I was shocked -- the hyper sensitive soul that I am! I did give him a Rs.50 note that I had.

I have seen people give Rs.500 to pay for Bus tickets! For share taxi fare of Rs.20! Someone I know even gives these to pay autorickshaw fares! None of these people felt guilty. Here, I was, made to feel awful just because I paid Rs.100 when the amount payable was Rs.50.

In many malls, theatres I have had this horrid experience of no change. So invariably I ask if they have change upfront and only then carry out the transaction. I walk away proudly when they say they have no change!

Honestly, it is beyond me to understand how these people do business? How can you do business without change? The question is -- when will people change? When will businesses have enough change so that we don't have to ask whether they have change before we do a transaction?

PVR is a multi-plex which I love to hate! I like it in many respects but hate it for a few reasons -- the rates are never displayed, very exorbitant prices for evenings and weekends. One more reason -- sometimes even they say they do not have change! Yesterday, he could not give me change for Rs.500 and I paid Rs.130 by credit card! (or was that on some other day!)

In USA, in any mall, any retail outlet, I have never faced the change problem. This was a long time ago. I remember how the malls keep the 25 cents (which they get in nice round cylinders from the banks or wherever). Not sure now, whether it was 25 cents. But basically they would give back the complete change. NEVER, NEVER would they ever ask for change irrespective of the amount you gave them. At D'Mart/Reliance I am always frightened at how they will demand change! Even from a very thoughtful customer like me -- who always offers whatever change is asked for!

I loved the Hong Kong Taxi guys. They too had plenty of 10 cents coins (again not sure of the denomination). So if the fare was 9.90 -- they would insist on happily (with a broad smile) returning you the 10 cents. Yes, positively insist! Here taxi and autorikshaw wallahs will happily filch Rs10 or Rs20 claiming that they have no change!

Business -- can you please understand that you are doing business! You need change to do business.

While businesses must change, people should also change! Imagine 10 customers all paying with Rs.500 or Rs.1000 notes at the start of the day!

How do you manage change? Do you also have change problems? Do share them with me?