Contents

VOL.9, THE THIRD QUARTER, 2008

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168 ENTRE 32 Its Shravan! Special faraal food is what devout Hindus and Jains eat during this season of fasting. And religiously go visiting temples. Its as much about the body as soul. A Taste Of London A festival celebrating food and wine where top restaurants of London put out tasing fare at Regents Park. Farzana Contractor takes a walk in the park. Cover Story Almost on the threshold of marriage this happy, young and bubbling-with-joy couple cannot get enough of each other, or the happiness that has come their way. One complements the other, Farhan Azmi the restaurateur and Ayesha Takia, the filmstar foodie. Farzana Contractor got caught up in their infectious company as she shot and interviewed them at their restaurant Basilico, which is like home to them. UPPERCRUST FOOD 112 Hazelnut Its a miracle nut for sure and UpperCrust helps put that point across to its regular subscribers at a cookery demo. 117 Eating Out In Bombay The just opened Olive at the race course comes as a breath of fresh air. The combined magic of Chef Max and A.D. Singh is at work again. Javed Gaya trots through. 150 Eating Out In The World Its an out of body experience says Monika Trivedi who savoured a degustation - tasting menu at Tesuyas in Sydney. 170 Asafoetida, Hing is King Also known as devils dung this spice has an overwhelming, pungent odour, but it works well in the health department. 84 172 Motilal Masalawala Its a time tested establishment, where at least five generations of food lovers especially Parsis, have been going to pick up the best quality masalas and spices. UPPERCRUST DESTINATION 66 to 111 Malta These tiny islands in the sun, hiding from world glare seem to be living in a world of their own. With a turbulent history of 7,000 years, each sea-side town or Medieval city has a tale to tell. The architecture is formidable, stately yet warm and welcoming, the honey coloured limestone casting golden hues everywhere. Valletta and the Republic Street are amazing. With such natural beauty, good hotels and resorts, and super restaurants Malta is the perfect holiday destination for both young and old.
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TRAVEL 158 UpperCrust Getaway: Mauritius The island that has rewritten luxury rules. 170 WINES AND SPIRITS 127 India On A High Its never been better. Whats now available in our liquor shops is mind boggling. Top alcohol brands from around the world are pushing each other off the shelves! Cheers to that, says the happy consumer. UPPERCRUST PEOPLE 57 Hira Sehgal, Chef Gael Etrillard, Sumitraj Gambhir, Abhishek Honawar and Pankil Shah LIFESTYLES 144 Come Into My Kitchen Time nor age can diminish the enthusiasm of our creative cook, 75 year old Jaisinh Mariwala. 168 Book Review A handsome book of the handsome Mario de Miranda illustrations. A real genius of an artist. 174 174 Good Living Whats hot, whats good, whats new. 179 Guest List Who is celebrating what, where, when, how and with who! DEPARTMENTS 18 14 16 20 24 28 176 188 200 Letter From The Editor Contributors Advisory Board Readers Chat RSVP Starters Round And About by Busybee Recipes Feedback Suneeta Rao, the singing bird talks about food for a change. ABOUT THE COVER As relaxed as Ayesha Takia was in front of Farzana Contractors cameras, Farhan Azmi was as uncomfortable and shy. But then one is an actor and the other a behind-the-scenes entrepreneur, trying to hide away when the cameras were trained on him. However the final result of the shoot at Basilico, Bandra - many cappuccinos later - was that a fun time was had by all. Happiness is such a contagious thing.

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CONTRIBUTORS

JAVED GAYA Javed, a passionate foodie, is an international lawyer and a committed food writer. A true gastrognome, he excels at both these crafts.

RAHUL SINGH Rahul Singh has been the editor of Readers Digest, Indian Express, Sunday Observer, Indian Post and Khaleej Times of Dubai. Also an NGO supporter, population and its problems is a subject close to Rahuls heart.

SHERNAAZ ENGINEER A prolific writer who started her career working for Behram Contractor, who she considers her mentor. Her forte is writing on the social landscape of Bombay.

MONIKA TRIVEDI Monika Trivedi's passion for stringing words together was honed at the London School of Journalism. Love of good food and wine takes this bohemian far and wide into the world.

S. SHANKAR MENON S. Shankar Menon has tried his hands at many things, including public service. He is, now, a full time writer and a social activist who also goes teeing off around the world at the drop of a hat.

RUSHINA MUNSHAW GHILDIYAL Rushina Munshaw Ghildiyal, gastronomy columnist is obsessed with all things culinary! She is constantly searching for the foodie underbelly of every gourmet city that she goes discovering.

NUPUR MAHAJAN SINH Nupur Mahajan Sinh is a wordsmith with an unquenched passion for writing. She extends her repertoire of demystifying people, trends and lifestyle to most top-notch magazines and newspapers, and also straddles radio and television.

UpperCrust appreciates Anil Malik, Chef Madhu Krishnan, Chef Liang, Tehreem Ashraf, Mansi Chauhan, Cushrow Randeria, Maharaj Pabu Singh Purohit, Mrs. Lal, Alison and Andrew Lal, Suzie Mirchandani, Beate Mauder, Chef Joy Bhattacharya, Kanan Udeshi, Geetika Taraporewala

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UPPERCRUST

Letter from the Editor

PHOTOGRAPHS BY ZEESHAN KARA, SHOT IN MALTA.

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UPPERCRUST

Human nature is as such that it takes one small smile from a loved one, one act of kindness, one happy memory re-lived or one breath-taking view ahead to lift ones spirit or even unconditionally forgive the world the cruelty it sometimes displays. The picture alongside was that moment for me. Awesome. High up in the Dingli Cliffs in the pretty island of Malta which lies basking in the warm sun with the blue waters of the Mediterranean lapping at its shores. Now here is one perfect holiday destination with super hotels and resorts, fabulous restaurants, nice people and we Indians havent really discovered it. There are people who dont even know where exactly it is situated. Well, let me tell you. South of the Italian island of Sicily, east of Tunisia and north of Libya in Africa. Go visit. India On A High, thats our story of the quarter. The alcobev industry is going great guns. We are spoilt for choice arent we, with the kind of internatonal wines and spirits now available. Unfortunately the government plays spoil sport with the taxes it levies, the policies it adopts. As consumers, we should raise a voice in the right spirit, to help the industry help us. Meaning, why should a bottle of bubbly cost us four or five times the amount it does abroad? Weve swung to the other end of the spectrum with Busybees Round and About. You just have to see what they drank in those days of prohibition. Yuck! (Page 176) Everything is so food-centric in our country. Even fasting. Shravan is a month when most Hindus and Jains fast. As much for the body as for the soul. Its when the devout visit temples and eat food made with only permitted ingredients. Mind you, its all very scientific. Challenging for restaurants to create special menus abiding by the rules. Soam right opposite the Babulnath Temple where people go most religiously every Monday dishes out mouth-watering faraal food. My friend, the owner, Pinky Dixit, has kindly shared with us a whole lot of these recipes. Like Indias popular annual UpperCrust Show, a mecca for foodies, Britain has its Taste of London. I was there this summer and quite enjoyed it. Pretty in its setting at the Regents Park. Get acquainted with it through our pages and go for it next year. Closer home I had the pleasure of going into the forest kitchen of Jaisinh Mariwala. At 75, he becomes the oldest person to have cooked for me. An extempore cook, it was not easy for him to write down the recipes. They are in the last pages, do try them out, they are unusual. I can vouch for that. With champagne on my mind and all things bubbly I come to my new favourite Bollywoodian, Ayesha Takia. What a sweet, happy, fun, young girl she is. I cant decide who is luckier, she or her fianc Abu Farhan Azmi, who is such a gem. Lets say they both are, in equal measure, and wish them laughter and joy together forevermore.

editor@uppercrustindia.com

The Blue Window, Gozo.

Readers Chat
Parsi eat any number of eggs, and that he used to live off street food. A person like him sounds like a simple soul who will always be happy in life. Though I live in Bangalore I had specially come to Bombay for his show at the NCPA, he was really spectacular. I had tears in my eyes when he not acknowledged his mother who was seated in the daughter who is 11 read the entire article, but also cleverly convinced her to make something for the family. She was too nervous to try any of the young boys recipes but she did peel, and cut some potatoes and fry them. They turned out just fine. Thank you for the inspiration Farida Mala Bombay talented, so enterprising, so daring. Kudos. Sonal Mehta Surat

Chetan Bhagat
I am a huge fan of Chetan Bhagat and loved his photograph on the last page, its probably one of the best I have seen. But why not a full fledged interview? Why just a few Q and As?

Good Interview with Shiamak

Your cover story on Shiamak Davar was one of the best pieces of writing I have ever come across. Shernaaz Engineers interview with this energetic dynamo was rather interesting. It was easy writing and easy reading too. Very informative and at the same time very entertaining. For some reason I like this young man more now. He seems a dedicated sort of a human being who works hard at what he does and at the same time has not allowed success to go to his head. Danny Jha Bombay

auditorium, but also ran up the aisle to hug her warmly. There should be more people like him in this world. I am certain his mothers blessings will always be with him. Rekha Sule Bangalore

Kiddys Cooking Classes

I sincerely think UpperCrust should organize classes to teach them young, cooking that is. It was a refreshingly different kind of story that you pursued by getting hold of a little lad to show that children can also cook as well as, if not better than adults. At first I did not believe the story then I thought why not: todays children are so

Anish Haq Bombay

No More Complaints
Until now my only complaint with UpperCrust was there werent enough recipes. I am glad to see that you are now taking more trouble over it. The recipe section has improved. I particularly liked the cucumber ones. I did not think it was possible to do so much with a vegetable that I

Pride of India
Shiamak Davar has come a long way in just a few years. To think he started off merely holding dance classes for young girls and boys. And today he accompanies Bollywood super stars on world tours, choreographs them in movies! Its a tremendous achievement. Keep it up! Manek Shah Ahmednagar

A Child Can Cook!

What a discovery! It was a pleasure to read about Altamashs culinary prowess. Cooking Its Childs Play was indeed my most favourite story in your last issue. I not only made my

Mothers Blessings
It was a very candid cover story you did with Shiamak Davar. I was quite amused to learn that he can, like a good
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Readers Chat

only used in salads until now. Sushma Banerjee Calcutta

else. I really wonder how it must be to go to all those vineyards and drink wine right there. The photographs

have to confess I had never heard of falsa, that a fruit, a berry like that exists. I am certain it does not grow in

China House
Its a good recommendation, but a drain on ones pocket. It might be a good idea to give a rough estimate of the cost per head o eating out (with no alcohol)l at a restaurant you review. Also if it is a child friendly establishment. Sohel Sayyad. Bombay

were so beautiful it made everything so real, so alive. Thank you for taking so much trouble over each issue. I pray you always do well. Rosalyn DSilva Goa

my part of India. But thank you for bringing it to my notice. I hope I can now taste it some day. Any chance if it is canned by some company? F. Sunder Alwaye, Kerala

a food magazine with just recipes - which is why I like it. It is always nice to read about people and you weave that in nicely. In the last one it was about Rakesh Maria that I enjoyed reading as well as Bakul Patel. But I must confess I dont care too much to read about foreigners. A request, can you please do more interviews with film stars. It is always nice to read about the exciting life they lead, the food they eat, their favourite restaurants, etc. Thank you. Siddharth Jain Delhi

Artists Who Cook

Jaideep Mehrotras article was a welcome one. This is not the first time that you have featured artists in their

Fairyland in Loire
Believe me, if I could afford to, I would be on the next flight to France. Paris, then to Saumur and then tour the Loire region like Farzana Contractor and Asit Chandmal and his daughter did. What a lovely job you people have! I envy you people. Living in Goa you will know that I enjoy a good life, but this is something

How do you do it!

How do you guys do it, issue after issue. Amazing touches. At the risk of sounding like a buffoon I

People
I picked your issue again for the third time and am now hung up on it. It is a strange mix. Not completely

kitchens and homes. If I remember right long ago there was Anjolie Ila Menon, then Laxman Shreshta. A delighful cover story on M.F. Hussain where he cooked a nice dish was very unusual. More recently you interviewed Jehangir Sabavala and his family which was also rather insightful. In case you are wondering why my special interest in this subject, well, I plan to be a famous artist some day - and I am also a foodie! Aruna Shankar Bombay

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Favourite Recipes

R.S.V.P.
MASCARPONE IN BOMBAY
Ques: Ive been itching to make tiramisu, but have been at an absolute loss as I have not chanced upon mascarpone cheese in Bombay. Would be grateful if you could suggest where I could get it. Sneha Shenoy, by email. Ans: In Bombay, mascarpone cheese is easily available at Godrej Natures Basket (all stores), Indigo Deli at Apollo Bunder, and Rajat Provision Store at Malabar Hill.

Ghaari
Ques: I would be very grateful if you could send me the recipe for making Ghaari or at least send me the web address or link to websites which have Ghaari recipes. Bipin Chand, by email. Ans: Thakar Moti Harji Mithaiwala in Surat has a monopoly on the famous ghaari with pista, mawa and badam-kesar-pista varieties of the mithai. According to these experts, ghaari takes five hours to make. Milk is boiled and boiled until it becomes mawa, then rolled on the palm to make a laddoo. This mawa laddoo is then rolled out like a roti. And it is fried in pure desi ghee after which it is folded, then cooled again and layered with ghee once more. The sweet is then garnished with chopped badam and pista. When it is cut open, or bitten into, the ghee melts in the mouth and mixes with the flavours of the ghaari. It tastes awesome! UpperCrust sampled this devour-able sweet for its April 2004 issue. Heres the recipe courtesy Yogesh Thakkar of Thakkar Moti Harji Mithaiwala. Believe us, it was not easy to make them part with it! Ingredients: 1 kg crushed pista powder, 5 kg mawa,1 kg sugar 3 kg buru (ground caramel), 1 kg chana dal (chickpea) flour, 1 kg clarified butter (ghee) 4 kg flour, 250 gm cardamom (elaichi) powder Method: Mix chana dal, flour and ghee and cook till the mixture reaches a medium consistency. Make sure it is not too thin. In another pan, mix mawa and sugar. Cook until its mixed properly. Remove from the pan into a tray. Allow to cool. Combine both the above mixtures with pista powder, cardamom and buru properly. Make small laddoos of this mixture. Mix ghee with flour and make a dough using water. Make rotis of this dough. Fold a roti around each laddoo and fry in the ghee. Remove and let cool. Pour ghee over the ghaari the following day and devour!
UPPERCRUST

HUNAN CRAB
Ques: There is a crab dish that is served at the buffet at Barbeque Nation (Bombay), which I absolutely love. Could you please source it for me? Kokil, by email. Ans: Heres your recipe courtesy Chef Roger Yen of Barbeque Nation. Hope you get it right, enjoy! Ingredients: 1 medium sized crab For the Marinade2 tbsp corn flour, 1 1/2 tbsp refined flour, 1 egg For the Hunan Sauce1 capsicum, 1 onion, each cut into 6-8 pieces 50 gm cashew nuts, 2 tsp honey 3 tsp soy sauce, 2 tsp red chilli paste 1 tsp ginger garlic (both chopped), 2 tbsp oil Salt and white pepper to taste Method : Boil the crab for 5 minutes. Cut it into 4 pieces, add corn flour, refined flour and eggs. Fry after a while. For the sauce, saut chopped ginger and garlic in the oil. Add the chilli paste. Then, add the honey, capsicum, onion and cashew nuts. Add the fried crab pieces. Finish with soy sauce, salt and white pepper.

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Saving Wine..
Ques: I find it real hard to store wine once the bottle is open. Is there a way whereby which wine, once opened, doesnt go bad? -Ben Fernandes, Bombay. Ans: Pulling the cork off the wine bottle is a point of no return as oxygen has potential to harm it a great deal. The age of the wine is an important factor to determine how the

wine holds up once it is released from captivity. While young wines may survive the onslaught of oxygen, very old wines, being extremely fragile may rapidly collapse, losing their character in just minutes or hours of opening. While one should not expect old wines to survive long once uncorked though younger wines can be stored for the following day. Try these methods The refrigerator: Chemical reaction like oxidation is less rapid at lower temperatures. Decanting: Decant the wine from the full bottle (say 750 ml capacity) into a spare half bottle (say 375 ml capacity), recork it and then refrigerate. This practice tends to lessen the wines contact with the oxygen. While some wine lovers may argue against this practice, it tends to work for younger wines. Vacuuming: Try to find wine preservation systems that pump the air out of the bottle or protect the wine with inert gas. An exception to these methods is sparkling wine. To try to decant such a wine is not sensible at all as it would result in the loss of fizz, for starters. Many wine lovers use a pressure cap to prevent the fizz from going out. But honestly, doesnt one always find someone to polish off bubbly?!

Marinated Oysters in Salmon

Ques: I love oysters. And I love salmon. Please suggest a recipe wherein I can incorporate both my favourites. Samantha Singh, Mangalore.

Ans: This dish is highly suitable as an hors doeuvre. Use a medium-sized oyster with a firm meat content and is not too salty. Overseas, they use crassostrea gigas or virginica oysters which are ideal if you can source them. Because the salmon is not cooked in this recipe, it is important that it be fresh and from a reputable source. Here you goIngredients: 24 oysters, 500 gm salmon fillet For the Marinade: 300 ml dry white wine 6 tbsp fresh orange juice, 2 tbsp soy sauce, 1 tbsp sugar 12 drained capers, Salt and pepper to taste For the Garnish: 1 kiwi fruit (optional), 3-4 radicchio leaves, shredded Method: Prepare the marinade at least half an hour before you want to serve this dish. Combine all the marinade

ingredients in a saucepan and bring to the boil. Remove from the heat and set aside to cool slightly. Meanwhile, open the oysters and remove them from their shell and place on a flattish dish. Add the wine to the marinade. Trim the salmon and cut it into pieces the same size as the oysters. Arrange the pieces on the dish with the oysters and spoon the warm marinade over both. Leave until cold, the cover and chill in the refrigerator for an hour. Garnish with kiwifruit, if using, and shredded radicchio leaves and serve.

E-mail your queries at recipes@uppercrustindia.com Well do our best to provide the answers, even if they are recipes from your favourite restaurants.
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Starters GASTROANTHROPOLOGY
And education about food takes on yet another level! Indiana University in the USA introduces doctorates in the social science of food. Now what could that be? Students undertaking this course will be the first batch ever, as there is no known similar programme in food anthropology. And there are a variety of courses from the cultural and historical roles of coffee and chocolate to paleopathologythe study of what bones and teeth reveal about ancient diets. The course will be taught by 37 faculties in disciplines from political science to ethnobotany-the relationship between plants and people.

CHOP LIKE THE CHEFS

Are you one of those that watch chefs chop at lightning speed? If so, chances are youve equipped yourself with, at least, a chef s knife. But then, of course, if you still havent laid your hands (and eyes and brains) on Anthony Bourdains Kitchen Confidential: Adventures in the Culinary Underbelly, heres something every cook (wannabe or otherwise) must know. The bestselling author, public speaker, gourmand, punkrock aficionado believes its way smarter to know more about knives than about fancy ingredients. Get your basics right!! Never mind if you chop as fast as a tortoise walks. Get yourself a decent chef s knife. It doesnt have to be Henkel or Wusthof; Bourdain recommends the vanadium steel Global knives, an excellent Japanese product. These work on anything from a shallot to a watermelon, an onion to a sirloin strip. The celebrity chef also suggests that you try these knives on onions to get the hang of it; to see how it feels. He also recommends an offset serrated knife. This indispensable knife comes with an ergonomic handle and looks like an elongated Z. You can use this for slicing bread, thick-skinned tomatoes, vegetables, meat, etc. The book has proven to be the culinary bible for some. And if you still cant get enough of Bourdain, well, then stay tuned to Discovery Travel and Living, Saturdays at 10 p.m. The Emmy Award winning series, Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations, is back in its fifth season. Watch the petulant and sharp-tongued TV host circumnavigate the world. And guess what he has quit smoking! Thats right! Be prepared for surprises as he eats raw eyeballs off a bloody seal carcass on a kitchen floor and hunts for lizards in the desert of Saudi Arabia. Just for starters!

THE MYTH AND THE REALITY

Weve heard, often, that searing meat at the beginning of cooking helps seal in the juices. It turns out that the well known axiom can be completely false. In his book, The Curious Cook, Harold McGee explains how he cooks a series of identical steaks without searing. He measured the moisture loss from each of them and concluded, from comparative studies, that seared steaks lost more juices during cooking. However, its not a bad idea to sear for, thanks to a chemical process called Maillard reaction, searing creates hundreds of new flavour compounds that give the meat a much deeper and a more complex flavour.

ICE, ICE BABY

The worlds best bartenders are as particular about ice as they are about the spirits they use. Which is why they use triple filtered water of varying cube sizes for different drinks for proper dilution. Appears too exacting? Crack open a cube of ice made from an ice machine and take a whiff of the cloudy centre- the sour aroma of chlorine can undermine your best mixological efforts. Here are the mantras to match the perfect drink with the perfect iceScotch on the Rocks- Freeze water in a three-inch metal pan. Allow the ice to melt just a bit. Then, use an ice pick to break it into roughly 3-inch pieces. This actually works well as the scotch does not dilute too fast. Shaken Cocktails- Use ice made with standard filtered or bottled water in standard ice-cube trays. Stirred Cocktails- Freeze filtered or bottled water in a two-inch high metal pan. Use an ice pick to break into rough two-inch cubes eight of which will properly dilute and chill a martini in about 30 stirs.
UPPERCRUST

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Starters

WITH LOVE, FROM PUNE

If youre visiting Pune, do check out The Bowl House Express. Inspired by pre-historic culinary patterns where man would eat out of bowls, this East Asian restaurant serves food in different shaped bowls. Offering a fusion concept, you may mix your meals too. Choose between bases like pasta, noodles, rice or butter parota (the Thai version of the desi parathas), topped with gravy from a selection of styles like Chinese, Thai, Italian, French, Mediterranean and South American. This really is fast fusion food! And what fuses with it well are the assorted beverages on the menu- slushes and sorbets, herbal and fruit teas from international brands like Sweetbird and Islandrose, and Georgia coffees like cappuccino, Americano and iced tea. All this in little Pune!

Try this Egyptian blend of toasted nuts and seeds, traditionally eaten on bread and dipped into olive oil. It tastes wholesome, too, in salads or in yoghurt and adds that extra crunch. In an oven, preheated at 200 degrees (be careful, it could burn at that temperature in some ovens. So you may reduce the heat), toast cup raw pistachios, raw cashews, blanched almonds and blanched hazelnuts for 8 minutes until golden. Coarsely chop the nuts. In a skillet, toast 1/4 cup of coriander seeds over moderate heat until fragrant. Transfer into a food processor and grind it coarsely or if you prefer, finely. Toast 1/4 cup of grated coconut and 1 tablespoons cumin seeds in a skillet, stirring, until golden. Add to the food processor along with the chopped nuts and pulse until ground. Transfer to a bowl. Toast cup sesame seeds in a skillet until golden. Stir into the nut mixture and season with tsp salt and 1 tsp freshly ground pepper.

GREAT SPICE BLEND: MEET DUKKA

After its increasing popularity in Bollywood item numbers and its very popular butter chicken in the UK, Punjab has now brought laurels to the country yet again. At the Know Europe-2008 entrepreneurship programme, Punjabs very own lassi has bagged the title of best beverage. The lassi outscored exotic wines and coffees like lattes and cappuccino for its simplicity, health and flavour. Taman Raj Singh, a 20 year old student from Chandigarh, represented India at this month-long programme organised under the guidance of Normandy Business School of France. Arranged in Brussels, the Netherlands, France and Spain, the competition asked the invitees to give marketing presentations of beverages popular in their own countries. Lassi is a simple mixture of yoghurt and water. A very healthy drink, it can be had sweet, salty, spicy or even plain. Taman prepared the lassi with yoghurt from Verkas tetra packs, winning a grading of 90%. UpperCrust recommends you add tulsi or mint leaves or even some dukka to your lassihmmsmell another victory?

THREE CHEERS FOR LASSI!

GREEN WINES

In contributing to conservation, wineries the world over are catching up. By going green, these wineries have not only switched to sustainable or organic grape growing, but have also included methods like using solar power and recycled blue jeans as winery insulation. Apart from solving the problem of environment conservation, these methods are also economically viable. Sonomas Rodney Strong, that produces 80,000 cases of wine per year, installed 80,000 square feet of solar panels thereby cutting its electricity costs by 40%. Also, Napas Frogs Leap uses geothermal energy from wells that are dug 250 metres deep beneath the winerys parking lot. Water circulates in a closed loop up and down the well, absorbing heat from the earth during the cold winter months and reversing the process in the summer. This helps lowering the cost of cooling, heating the winery buildings and helping the environment.

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Faraal Food

PHOTOGRAPHS BY FARZANA CONTRACTOR

Shravan Fast A Call To

And also to feast, says RUSHINA MUNSHAW GHILDIYAL. It is a month of specific eating which allows only certain foods and ingredients. It is time, also, to slow down, introspect and thank God.

Fasting, in some form or the other, manifests itself in most religions but the month of Shravan brings with it fasting periods for two major communities. Words like Faraal, Upvaas and Paryushan begin to be bandied about amongst Hindus and Jains. There is an air of anticipation; long explanations are given by the veterans to the uninitiated with detailed descriptions of what to expect, down to the last savory morsel! Dishes like sabudana khichdi (chewy sago and potato mixture flavoured with peanuts) and sabudana vada (deep fried sago balls, crisp on the outside and meltingly soft on the inside) appear at the table as wives and mothers warm up their repertoire of legal recipes in anticipation of the coming month of Shravan, for the Gujarati and Maharashtrian communities, and Paryushana, for the Jains. The month of Shravan is the most auspicious month in the Hindu calendar, because it is full of festivals. Naga-Panchami, on the fifth day in the honour of the Nagas or snake gods and Janmashtami, celebrated as the birth of Krishna, lead up to the Shravan Purnima, the full moon day of the month of Shravan. A number of festivals congregate on this day beginning with Narali Purnima when the ocean is paid homage with offerings of coconuts. This is prominent in Maharashtra as fisherfolk resume their trade from this day. Shravani Purnima is the day on which all Brahmins renew their sacred threads. And then, follows the lovely festival of Raksha Bandhan when a rakhi or amulet is tied round the wrist of brothers by their sisters as a charm for protecting them from evil or harm. Brothers, in turn, promise to protect their sisters. The entire month of Shravan is observed as one of fasting, but even for those not fasting, diet dictates that all tamasic or heaty foods be avoided, including non-vegetarian food. This is because digestion is considered sluggish during this season, it being in the middle of the monsoon. The most prevalent method of fasting in the Hindu religion

has been that of phala ahaar. Charaka and Sushruta, two of the major authors of the Ayurvedas, classified edible plants into seperate groups and the phala varga is that of fruit. The word phala when combined with ahaar, meaning food or diet, also connoting a diet of fruit, has over time, grown to encompass all foods not raised with a plough in contrast to anna or other cultivated foods. This was the traditional diet ascribed to ascetics, hermits and householders who were fasting. What is allowed during a fast and what is not is mostly a question of perspective but I thought it would be interesting to see what could be cooked up with the ingredients allowed. The results were interesting, to say the least. The month of Shravan also coincides with the Jain festival of

Paryushana Parva observed by the Jains. Jainism or the Jain religion prides itself on being a non-violent religion. It emphasizes the decree of non-violence to various forms of life, the philosophy of which, as described in a nutshell, is the path of renunciation, atonement for ones wrongs and the prescription of various tapas or austerities, which are practiced at several levels in order to attain liberation from the bondage of karma. While some asceticisms are a part of daily life and not limited to a special period of time, there are different forms of tapas observed for different occasions. And fasting is a kind of tapas observed by a majority of Jains. There are different kinds of fasts that Jains observe, some subject themselves to severe forms of penance by forsaking food for

days together, but the general householders undertake shorter fasts. These may also involve eating only at one sitting, or once a day with prescribed food items consumed after sunrise and before sunset. Periods of fasting include prayer and worship and other grave practices for eight, sixteen, thirty-one days and so on. One of the eight-day observances known generally as athais, which occur three times a year in the months of Chaitra, Shravan-Bhadarva, Aso or Paryushana Parva, the athai which begins in the month of Shravan, is the most observed as it is celebrated by all Jains together, young and old alike as opposed to other observances which are undertaken by different age groups. Fasting, has traditionally been a penance, a process of physical, emotional and mental purification and is accompanied by pursuing good thoughts, good words and good deeds. The essence of fasting is to eat simply; the point is to eat only to sustain Sitla Mata. Lord Ganesha..

oneself for the period of fasting. The original concept of fasting entailed a deviation from ones normal lifestyle and devoting ones day to introspection. The fasting person was supposed to distance himself from the trivia of day-to-day life and think only about God. As any worldly pleasure would distract him from this purpose, he was supposed to follow a simple routine. Hence, rich Hanuman.

food was avoided and a simple diet was taken to sustain the body. The intention was neither to starve the body nor to indulge it but to strike a balance. With ritualism coming to the fore, the concept of fasting has undergone immense change. Where one more emphasis was laid on abstaining from food and eating only to sustain oneself, eventually, over time fasting came to Kali Mata

Shani Maharaj.

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mean stretching the limits of endurance. The belief that torturing ones body earned religious merit and instead of a desire for self-enhancement through retrospection, fasting became a religious diktat. Strict rules were laid down for observing fasts on particular days, on festivals or by women. Certain days came to be associated with certain gods and fasts were observed to incur their favour. While dishes like sabudana khichdi, sabudana vada and sabudana kheer are well known across the country, the Gujarati, Maharashtrian and Jain communities have each developed individual fasting cuisines of their own. In Hinduism, fasting is prompted, mainly, by the seasons, time of day and solar and lunar cycles. In this regard, fasting takes on an aspect of health as well by maintaining the bodys equilibrium with that of the larger forces of the universe. At its simplest, a fast merely entails the avoidance of certain foods for a Shivji. Pindh.

period of time. Meat eating Hindu factions might avoid meat and vegetarians might give up tamasic foods. A more moderate fast might involve imbibing only of liquids. Fasting at its strictest could also be stretched to drinking water, only, for a number of days and requires a cessation of most external activities. As fasting became stricter and began to be applied as a rule more than a choice, people began to innovate and this gave birth to an entire mlange of fasting dishes and menus for fasting periods. It may be characterised as oxymoron to term them fasting dishes

but the Indian culinary repertoire is legendary! Look at what they can do with a simple potato! So when any form of cultivated grain or anna is prohibited on fasting days, consumption of foods derived from fruits and fruit products is allowed. The indomitable spirit of the Indian cook comes to the fore as is obvious in examples like kosher substitutes for everything from flour to rice enlisted and a veritable smorgasbord of dishes are laid for the devout to devour! Alternatives to almost all conventional foods that are prohibited during fasting were designed and well, fasting days came to be regarded as

Hiralal Maharaj at the base of the Babulnath Temple.

FARAALI KADHI DHOKLI.

FARAALI PAKODI CHAAT.

FARAALI SEV PURI.

FARAALI MISAL. FARALI KACHORI. feasting days! The Upvas meal that I recall, was a full thali. There was a kadhi made with yoghurt thickened with shingare ka atta or flour made from water chestnusts. This was accompanied by a spicy potato subzi, puris made with rajgeera flour and instead of rice, one serves samwat ke chaawal or parsai ke chaawal. Khandvi made from shingare ka atta and a potato pattice stuffed with coconut and coriander or crushed peanut are widely loved. Dessert constituted of kheer made from sweet potato, shingare ka atta or sabudana. What is allowed during a fast and what is not is mostly a question of perspective and interpretation. These being vegetarian communities, nonvegetarian food does not feature in the
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FARAALI HANDVO.

KAIRI WALI TURAI.

FARAALI KADHI DHOKLI.

FARAALI THALIPETH.

CHUTNEY.

FARAALI PAANKI.

diet at all but illegal foods proscribed in Shravan include cultivated grains that include rice and wheat in all forms, maize, pulses and lentils, root vegetables such as radish, onion and garlic, salt other than rock salt, spices considered heaty such as asafoetida, red chillies, fenugreek seeds, turmeric, mustard seeds, etc. illegal foods also include other warming ingredients such as jaggery, sesame, betel leaves and vegetable oil. Any leftovers from a prior meal or spoilt food are also forbidden as they are also believed to be tamasic. Legal fare, on the other hand, includes milk, select milk products like yoghurt, buttermilk, butter and ghee though cheese is prohibited. Vegetables that can be consumed include gourds like the doodhi and parval, root vegetables like

potato, suran, ratalu kand, sweet potato, arbi and spices like the green chilli, coriander, ginger, dried ginger (sonth), lemon, fruits, cumin, dried fruits and nuts, sago, (tapica, sabudana), rock salt (sendha namak), sugar, rock sugar (misri), black pepper, cloves, cardomom, rajgeera, coconut, peanut, shingara,
JULY SEPTEMBER 2008

buckwheat, arrowroot among many others. On doing a little research, I found out that a foodgrain called shyamaka, a.k.a. apasthamba, was, in fact, allowed to ascetics. Specials in a Maharashtrian upvas include dishes like upvas thalipeeth (shallow fried pancakes made of bhajani or fasting flour which is a special mix of vari, sabudana and rajgira flours), sabudana thalipeeth (shallow fried sago and potato pancakes), peanut curry or danyachi aamati (curry made of ground peanuts and flavoured with chillies and cumin), batatyacha kees (a spicy Maharashtrian take on hash browns), ratalyache kaap (sweet potato slices and sago chips coated in sugar and the creamy sabudana kheer). Gujarati faraal interpret the
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FARAALI STIR FRY VEGETABLES

Serves 4 Ingredients: 8-10 fresh water chestnuts, peeled and halved, 4 bhavnagri chillies cut into four cup fresh peanuts, cup doodhi, steamed and cubed 4 parval, deseeded and cut into 4 pieces each and steamed tsp cumin(jeera) seeds, 1 tbsp ginger, 1 tbsp green chilli paste 1 tbsp ground roasted peanuts cup chopped coriander 1 tbsp ghee Salt, sugar and lemon juice to taste Method Heat the ghee in a pan and add the cumin seeds and let them crackle. Add the chillies, the doodhi, peanuts and parval. Add some salt and allow them to cook. When they are tender, add the roasted peanuts, sugar and lemon juice. Mix well. Cook for a few more minutes and garnish with coriander. Serve hot with rajgira puris or can also be eaten on its own.

same ingredients into their dishes like kutti na dhokla (dhoklas made of buckwheat flour), faraali handvo (a savoury cake made with potatoes and
38

buckwheat flour) faraali pattice, rajgira puris, dahi bateka kela nu raitu (a raita made with bananas and potatoes), rajgira thepla (a special version of thepla
UPPERCRUST

made with Amaranths flour), kand na bhajia (yam fritters), suran bateka nu shak (yam and potato subzi). And they have an extensive variety in snacks like bateka no chevdo (patato chivda) bateka ni katri (potato wafers), masallawalla makhana (spiced and fried lotus seeds) guvar ni sukavni (fried guvar that has been dried first. For dessert, one has doodhi halwa, shrikhand and kopra pak (coconut halwa) . As aforementioned, Paryushan, the Jain fasting period is one in which the entire family eats a special diet even if it means taking some time off work. Already present diet restrictions like proscription of root vegetables like potatoes, onions and garlic (the eating of which entail killing the plant instead of just taking its fruit since these are roots and tubers), green leafy vegetables (because they might harbour insect life) and sprouted seeds (because they are germinating life) have now become stricter. All vegetables and fruit are set aside for this period and substitutions are made with foods like Sukveni or dried vegetables like dried kairi (mango) skins, guvarfali (clusterbeans), ker, sangri, kumita (dried berries found in the desserts of Rajasthan). Subzis are also improvised from vadis (spicy sun dried dumplings made from lentil pastes), papads and chickpea flour. For those who are fasting, whether for select days, or for the entire period, the end of Paryushana, brings a mini celebration. After due prayers have been offered, those who have fasted for the eight or ten days break their fast with a special meal of liquids. The fast is broken with a selection of flavoured waters eith sweetened with rock sugar to aid digestion in the starved system, or jaggery to alleviate fatigue and anemia. Other variations include the stock from cooking mung beans to revive the system, and the stock from cooked ker or Rajasthani caper berries to balance the system. These are followed by sweetened milk flavoured with saffron to stabilize the system. Those fasting do not touch the food, but are fed by friends and loved ones in the honour of their endurance.

Food Festival
PHOTOGRAPHS BY FARZANA CONTRACTOR

Taste Of London
A Celebration Of Food And Wine
Right in the heart of London in Regents Park, for four full days, there is fun and revelry and some serious tastings, says FARZANA CONTRACTOR.

L
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London is one capital city where the world converges all the year round. Under all kinds of excuses, pretexts, reasons. Work, pleasure, play. Not the least to enjoy the food it offers at its fabulous restaurants. So when there is an annual summer event which celebrates the joy of eating good food you can be sure it will be a huge temptation for the world to land up there. And it does. At the leafy Regents Park, the venue for Taste of London. Its a four day festival, spread over a section of the beautiful park where the finest of food and wine is available as also gourmet products, a range of speciality ingredients and kitchen gadgets. But the activity does not stop at just imbibing. There are cookery

Carol Conway, British Airways Catering Manager.

Chef Shaun Hill. demonstrations by top chefs of the city, workshops on wine and other interactive activities, much like the UpperCrust Show, which is the only one of its kind in India and which takes place in the first weekend of December, every year. The venue at Regents Park is very creatively done up. In tents, pitched at comfortable distances from each
JULY SEPTEMBER 2008

over, some single, some in a cluster. Theres ample space to walk around, get the feel of the whole place, not claustrophobic yet not too wide spread. So there you are walking along purple carpeted walkways, darting into different tents, tasting from menus of posh and well-known restaurants of London which have participated in this years Taste festival. These could be signature dishes from some of the most exclusive restaurants, freshly cooked at mini-kitchens on site and served at a fraction of the price you would pay for the full sized dish at their restaurants. Its an interesting concept. You get to try out the fare from fancy restaurants at unfancy prices. Of course these are really small tasting portions, but thats what you want. To wander around and taste as

much as you can. So which were the restaurants present this year? To name a few: Le Gavroche, Fifteen, Pied A Terre, Angela Hartnett and also our own Indian restaurants like Benaras and Tamarind. A line up of renowned chefs representing these restaurants are also around, meeting with people, answering questions, explaining their creations, generally chatting with those who are keen to talk to them. After walking around a bit going from one fine-dining experience to another I made my way to Atul Kochhars booth. He, of the Benaras fame. Indian cooking requires ample space and yet when I located Atul he was in the tiny make shift kitchen with a whole lot of marinated meat on skewers for a backdrop, looking perfectly

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Gary Rhodes demonstrates.

here is a guy who has the perfect skills as chef and showman. You have to be a good chef to succeed, but in order to be truly successful and popular it helps to have the gift of the gab. And Gary who has an on ongoing TV show, has that in abundance. You could see the crowd eating out of his hands. I found the visitors, who were a mix of Londoners and foreigners, to be a rather discerning lot. They were there to relax, have some fun no doubt, but also to learn, make the most of a good opportunity. They were attending tasting

classes, or undergoing the Wine Experience or a Specialty Beer Masterclass. I saw them in serious discussion with people selling olives (at a Turkish olive booth from where I bought at least five varieties and got them back home to India to savour with my friends), understanding which knives to use, learning how to bake bread and so on. Apparently the Taste Of London is now on every foodies social calendar. It has built quite a reputation for itself. In the past chefs and restaurants that have The enthusiastic compere.

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graced Regents Park include Gordon Ramsay with Boxwood Caf, Alan Yau with Yauatcha, Jamie Oliver with Fifteen, Ken Hom with Imperial City and Anthony Worral Thompson with Notting Grill. The company partnering this event is British Airways. Its a great tie-up. British Airways epitomizes good food on board their flights and I was rather glad to meet with the clutch of chefs, the worlds finest that they are associated with. Shaun Hill, Nicholas Lander, Liam Tomlin, and very own Vineet

Bhatia, whose restaurant Rasoi has earned one Michelin star. UpperCrust has had the pleasure of dining with him and featuring him in the magazine when he was at Zaika. What was nice is the chefs of the airline were at hand to showcase a selection of sumptuous dishes and wines and demonstrate the skills required to serve gourmet quality food at an altitude. For British Airways, the idea behind working with these top chefs is to include some of their signature dishes on board. These are created at innovation workshops with their catering suppliers in London and the world over. The new selection that BA has introduced is quite a mouthful: The British cheeseboard in First, with a

were superb. I also met with Peter, the man who selects all the wines that the airline serves. Jancis Robinson is also one of their wine consultants. I had met Jancis in Delhi many years ago and she had loved the name of this magazine UpperCrust, she wrote in her column in Londons Financial Times, is such a delightful name for a food and wine magazine. Taste of London was a good experience. London in summer is anyway a good experience and if you are staying at Grosvenor House in Park Lane overlooking the Hyde Park, nothing can be better. But more about Grosvenor which has just undergone a multi million pound restoration in one of our future issues. Until then cheers to the good life.

In the BA Tent Lounge.

selection of British cheeses, accompanied by Lincolnshire Plum Loaf, a traditional Myers family recipe dating back to 1901. A full classic English breakfast with Glouster Old Spot Bacon and Cumberland sausage. In Club world, they have Micheal Rouxs seared fillet steak and the old favourite shepherds pie with cheesy potato top made with British minced lamb, fragrant herbs, roasted carrots the ultimate in comfort eating. For their World Traveller, which means Economy class, they have a treat too: the traditional English trifle with fresh raspberries and red currants. All this I gathered hobnobbing with Shaun Hill and Liam Tomlin, as I sat in the elegant tent meant exclusively for British Airways and their guests. The champagne flowed non-stop, the canaps
46

Cheers to the Taste of London.

UPPERCRUST

Cover Story

Lavash for my lady ? Farhan Azmi and Ayesha Takia.

Threshold
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On The

They are brimming with happiness, enjoying each others company, living life to the fullest. Though on the threshold of marriage they are in no hurry to get anywhere. FARZANA CONTRACTOR makes friends with the two foodie love-birds.
UPPERCRUST

Whenever I want peace of mind and a bit of relaxation, I run away to my cottage, in the hills of Panchgani, armed with a whole lot of DVDs. By design I dont have a cable connection, but a fairly decent library of films has over the years taken shape. It was there that I saw Ayesha Takia and she made me cry. The film was Dor. She was so pretty, fragile and vulnerable, so Indian. Therefore when I saw this pesky, sensual, modern, young girl, swaying

PHOTOGRAPHS BY FARZANA CONTRACTOR

Hes mine! Cheers! towards me, with bangs and long straight hair, with the widest smile I have seen in a long while, I was sort of taken aback. Farhan who was already there talking to me at Basilico, his restaurant in Bandra, saw my look, gave a wider smile and said, She brings sexy back, huh! She sure does. It took all of 60 seconds to see the warm vibes the two share. They know each other for five years and have been dating for four. When Farhan first saw her (when she entered Basilico at Colaba), he didnt know she was an
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actress, actor if you prefer, but he was already in business with her dad. Together they had opened Koyla in Hyderabad. She was a very obvious kind of a girl. There were and are no pretensions about her. Overall she is a rather reserved girl says Farhan. But of course he has no reservations about the fact that she is in the big, bad world of films, She is very welcome to continue acting even after we are married, its up to her. Shes far better than a lot of them in the industry, she is not rebellious, she doesnt strip, and her dad is cool about her chosen profession, so there you
50

The food at Basilico is really good, honey. are Good, I like confident and secure men, and Farhan scores brownie points from UpperCrust just for this. Ayesha surprised me when she told me she has already worked in 12 movies. And she is only 23! As a young girl she lived in Chembur where she went to school at St. Anthonys Convent. With disarming candidness she said she was just an average student who loved to draw and paint. Which she still does and is very good at it, informed the proud fiance. However Ayesha has been working since she was kid. As a child model. For companies like Cibaca,
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Godrej and Complan where she and Shahid Kapoor modelled together. At just 14 she hosted a show called, The Disney Show for Disney Channel. It was a lot of fun, she reminisces, because I worked with people my age. I believe even today she has a huge fan-ship among children. At 16 Ayesha signed her first movie, Socha Na Tha, with Abhay Deol. Tarzan followed, and then there were others like, Dil Mange More, Yun Hota To Kya Hota, Shaadi No. 1, Shaadi Se Pehele (she grimaces and says shed like to forget the last two). Dor the only movie that I have seen was I
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Shes mine!

believe the breakthrough one. I can vouch for that, she was really good there. Whats in the pipeline are interesting ventures: Wanted by Boney Kapoor which is going to be Prabhu Devas directorial debut. Tasveer by Naagesh Kukunoor opposite Akshay Kumar, Pathshala by Ahmed Khan with Shahid Kapoor. So is she friends with a lot of her co-stars? No, not really. I pretty much keep to myself. I share a good working rapport with them, but most of my friends are not from the industry. Then adds, most of my friends are Farhans friends And does it all gel? The mixed genes not withstanding? Ayesha comes from a family background which has a Gujarati father, a Punjabi mum, an English grand-dad, a Portuguese grand-mum with an aunt married to a Maharashtrian and she is now marrying a muslim whose family which hails from Azamgarh and can safely trace its roots to the Moghuls who ruled in India! But these are not thoughts that cross the minds of the young. In fact look at the advantage: a cross section of cuisines that the two are exposed to! European,Gujju, Punjabi, muslim. No wonder then that both are absolute foodies. Ayesha says Farhan loves home food: parathas, khakras and dahi, methi ka masala and other Gujju snacks, the man himself adds, And I love dal-chawal with ghee ka bagaar, and my biggest weakness is baigan bharta and bhindi gosht, the way my mom makes it, the sticky-ness from the bhindi, just right! Ask Farhan what are Ayeshas favourite and he is spot on, mutton biryani and anything mutton! But she also loves sushi and sashimi which I hate, cant stand raw stuff! Both look after their diets, but binge every 8 or 10 days. I eat whatever I want and like mad! says Ayesha most exuberantly. And while Farhan, who is the son of politician Abu Azmi, works out at Fitness One, the gym his mum has started, Ayesha works out at home, treadmill, stepper, light stuff, yoga with the help of TV and Ramdev Baba. I cant exercise in front of 50 people in public spaces, she says with great finality.
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Ayesha with sister Natasha and mum Farida. How do you spend time together? Describe one of your dates for me, I asked them. Here is the answer. One day we went from Andheri (Ayesha now lives at at Versova) to Colaba. We stopped at Kareems and ate Sheekh Kebab, then we came here to Basilico and ate a mezze platter, char grilled ravas, the chef s signature mustard grilled beef steak with parsley and caramalised onion, downed by Caffe Latte. After that we stopped at Shivaji Park and ate a frankie from the famous road side stall. Well after that we landed up at Koyla (another of Farhans restaurants at Colaba, near the Radio Club, on a terrace), and sat at our private table and ate a full dinner (awesome butter chicken, the softest naans, the yummiest gulab jamun) with sheesha, complete. And pray, what is this private table thingy? Its a 50 square foot elevated area, right at the far end of the restaurant, screened with foliage and out of bounds for the aam janata, overlooking the Arabian Sea, with just one table and one mashal for glow and warmth! Hmm talk about romance. Which brings us to the all important question, when are the wedding bells going to chime? Who knows! chirps the girl who lovingly wears a huge ruby ring identical to the one her man wears. Its something they bought in Thailand, on their first ever holiday together, four years ago. A pledge to eternal love? We can only hope. Heres wishing the two lots of love, plenty of luck, immense joy and many babies who will come bawling in this world with an exotic cocktail of genes! Welcome in.

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UpperCrust People

PANKIL SHAH, ABHISHEK HONAWAR, SUMITRAJ GAMBHIR NEW KIDS ON THE BISTRO BLOCK

CHEF GAEL ETRILLARD THE CHOCOLATE BOY

HIRA SEHGAL THE GENTLEMAN HOTELIER

PANKIL SHAH, ABHISHEK HONAWAR, SUMITRAJ GAMBHIR INTERVIEWED AND PHOTOGRAPHED BY FARZANA CONTRACTOR AT WOODSIDE INN. CHEF GAEL ETRILLARD INTERVIEWED BY SHERNAAZ ENGINEER AT BARRY CALLEBAUT CHOCOLATE ACADEMY. A FILE PICTURE. HIRA SEHGAL INTERVIEWED BY S. SHANKAR MENON AND PHOTOGRAPHED BY FARZANA CONTRACTOR IN LONDON

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SEPTEMBER 2008

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GemMan Of A
The man who would be barrister still trophy won on a golf safari in had to pay for his lunches at the Inns of Kenya, that sits on the mantelpiece Court. Leaving the heart land of Punjab of the dinning room of the Leonard. after post partition chaos, a hope and The self effacing owner drops by every prayer was not good enough for Hira late morning for a cup of coffee and to Sehgal in a London, where you queued keep his finger on the pulse of the for sweets after a horrendous World immense complexities that it takes to War, with sanity still to return to time run this plush collection of elegant honoured professions. If we meet him suites. Where a new employee, as he now he presides over the Holiday Inn attends to the owner, may not know behind Oxford Street and within who this quiet person is sitting there walking distance the boutique Leonard getting his gear together before taking Hotel which was the Shah of Irans guest off for a daily afternoon round at the house until the days of the splendid Hamstead or Bukinghamshire golf Pehlavi were over. Today Hira Sehgal course. The success story of Hira and walks with kings and in fact has been Barbara Sehgal is based on 48 years of honoured by the Queen for his great immense affection in a competitive land contribution to British Industry. in the demanding hospitality industry of Luckily in the rarest of rare instances of impeccable standards and huge trade the many millionaires of our country in swings. The Sehgal wedding was on London he is yet to loose the common April Fools day in athe Town Hall and touch. A true man of our times, two no one turned up because their few hotels and a million friends thought it was all friends in London and in a joke. The groom had to India, where he spends rush to the toilet to nearly equal time. retreat a gardenia as a Barbara, of course helps. buttonhole from He met this elegant lady someone who had got during the early days with married a little earlier. Air India after a truly For the man who There were diamonds in depressing period in his set off with a hope his pockets but these did life. Following his retreat and a prayer to not belong to Hira. He from ambition in the legal England very long had begun to find his way profession, he humped into that rewarding but as sacks of rubber from time ago. Hira it turned out, vicious and lorries to factory floors. Sehgal has kept venal world. Where the Today when he takes off close to his heart glitter of the stone also in private jets that belong masked the wink of the simple touch to his gilded friends to duplicity. Just when it play golf all over the of rural Punjab, seemed that the precious world he must think amidst all the gem would lead the rather happily at the alien corn. Sehgals to fame and good
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HIRA SEHGAL

fortune and with a name like that, disaster descended. Someone, possibly a goon hired by a competitor, followed Hira home from the train station after one of his business trips. The precious stash kept under his bed on trust vanished during the night and todays man of charm and wit had to start all over again. In his elegant drawing room of his present apartment of his Portland place, there is a photo of young Sehgal, very debonair, almost a twin of the much older actor Dev Anand. With Barbara an exceptionally attractive blonde, the chrysalis of the current head of the Indo-British Womens Association. The lift in Hira Sehegals plush apartment is programmed to stop on their 5th floor. No amount of British ingenuity can make it do anything else for it was in Sehgals apartment that General Einshenhower had his residence when he commanded operation towards the D-day landings. There are period paintings of vanished colonial landcapes at home. At Leonard, a few months ago three suites were taken up with an explosion of the best Indian and Pakistani art brought together for the first time in London. At the wine and cheese, on the opening day, the Sehgals had a guest list that might have been printed by Forbes purely for private circulation. A nod here and a touch there and the Sehgals are ready to take off to Nigeria or to Dubai where their exceedingly attractive daughters are happily married into the corporate purple of their adopted countries. I wait for Hira and Barbara to come to Bombay in our winter months. I know there will be lots of good golf with Hira where he may give you the odd put but fights every inch of the way all the time. And Barbara will host elegant dinners in their large apartment at Napean Sea Road, overlooking the Priyadarshani Park. For the man who set off with a hope and a prayer to England very long time ago. Hira Sehgal has kept close to his heart the simple touch of rural Punjab, amidst all the alien corn. Meet him, like him, stay with him, for he is a very good friend who conjures up excellence at work and at play.

PHOTOGRAPH BY FARZANA CONTRACTOR

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SEPTEMBER 2008

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PHOTOGRAPH BY FARZANA CONTRACTOR

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PANKIL SHAH, ABHISHEK HONAWAR, SUMITRAJ GAMBHIR

Three Cheers Say The Threesome

Neighbourhood Hospitality Management Regal Cinema. The charm is that it is on Services, that's the name of the company the main road and yet off it, sitting pretty the three young partners have just formed. and cosy with an entire residential Very clear about the objective of their new neighbourhood all around in the many enterprise and future endeavours, Sumiraj lanes that lead away and across from it. Gambhir, Abhishek Honawar and Pankil The interiors are very much in keeping Shah cannot stop smiling. And why may with the exterior. Sensibly the boys did that be? Because in the short time that not alter but enhance the old Woodside Inn, has been in their charge, it world charm, with suitable memorabilia has already shown them the fruits of on its walls. their labour, or passion, more Abhishek and Sumitraj both hold appropriately put. degrees from HAFT (Hotel The concept behind their venture is to Administration and Food Technology), give to Bombay, spaces that will provide Sophia Polytechnic in Bombay. While simple and classic hospitality services Sumitraj has industry experience from where the young and the young at heart establishments like Hotel Ambassador and can come, relax over a chilled glass of beer, Taj President, Abhishek has honed his eat food which is not pretentious, but of skills at Hotel Renaissance at Powai and the highest quality and at affordable prices. the Ambassador Flight Kitchen. He was The idea is that the location of these cafs also part of the opening kitchen team of or bistros will be in places that blend in Zenzi, now a hugely popular restaurant in with a friendly neighbourhood. A good Bombay. In addition he left a mark also in plan, one would say given the dearth of Goa where he established and successfully such outlets. It does sound very inviting to ran Kamasutra Kitchen and Bar on the know you have a place just round the sunset strip of Baga. Pankil returned home corner you could drop in at either on your from USA where he completed a BSc way home from work, or after you have degree in Economics and Computer returned home, had a nice hot shower, got Science. A marketing whiz-kid, into your favourite old pair Pankil decided to transform of jeans and walked to the his passion for food Bistro to catch up with your into a career. local friends. Now together as friends If Woodside Inn, the plan to It does sound very and partners they pockets flagship brand of the seamlessly create company is any yardstick, inviting to know where city residents and The Woodside Boys are on you have a place travellers, groups of friends the right track. Here is a just round the can casually walk into nonsmall, warm and friendly environment corner you could intimidating some special bistro housed in Oriental and enjoy Mansion, a beautiful, 120 drop in at, either time. Here's wishing them year old stone building on your way luck. With the kind of zeal situated in the heart of home from work, and enthusiasm they South Bombay at an it won't be or walk to after a display we find many long important junction of before Inns Colaba, right opposite quick shower. beckoning us in.
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PHOTOGRAPH COURTESY BARRY CALLEBAUT

Chocolate Boy!
CHEF GAEL ETRILLARD

Talk about getting lucky. Chef Gael and Singapore. Etrillard, Technical Advisor, Barry He joined Barry Callebaut in 2007 Callebaut, Asia Pacific, has his chocolate as Technical Advisor. Based in cake and eats it too every day at that! Singapore, and in charge of the Barry Callebaut is the worlds leading Singapore academy, he conducts classes manufacturer of high quality cocoa and on a monthly basis and travels to chocolate products. Around the globe, promote the brand and consult with Barry Callebaut Chocolate Academies hotels, cake shops, restaurants and offer practical and theoretical courses for develops recipes for customers. chocolate artisans: pastry chefs, I enjoy developing new recipes with confectioners, bakers and caterers who chocolate, he beams, and it is want to improve their skills in working important to focus on technical aspects with chocolate and learn about new like increasing the shelf life of the trends, techniques and recipes. Chef products, while keeping the texture and Gael was in Bombay to get the academy flavour intact. At what temperature does here going, and to demonstrate all the one store a chocolate product, for amazing things you can create with instance all of this needs to be Callebaut chocolate. worked out. Unfortunately, we could not meet He equally enjoys the art of creation. him at the academy, tucked away as it is There is so much you can do with in suburban Andheri, as the inclement chocolate pralines, show pieces, monsoon, and not South Bombay displays, cakes, and all kinds of things. It snobbery, put the brakes on our long is challenging to meet the differing drive to decadence! He tells us there was needs of our clients. Those who are into quite a turnout of local chefs who came buffets and banquets need chocolate to him for a slice of chocolate heaven, desserts that will not spoil for three to and then some, as he four hours. Smaller crafted desserts, cakes, gourmet restaurants want truffles, and other novelty and freshness. So delicacies with the divine I create as per the clients cocoa of Callebaut. needs. Of course, having He also adds another great raw material with ingredient. Love, he says Callebaut chocolate almost bashfully. It is helps, he explains. quite important to add a Chef Gael Barry Callebaut, as a bit of passion when you Etrillard of Barry company, works with are cooking with Callebaut, the chocolates based on their chocolate. origin (like one might worlds leading Gael did his culinary with wine or coffee). So education in the manufacturer it encourages chocolate champagne area of France. of high quality gourmands to savour the After two years of cocoa and essence of exceptional apprenticeship in pastry, chocolate from chocolate he spent one more year at Ecuador, Ghana, Arriba, school for chocolate products, comes Sao Thome or specialization. Madagascar with their to Bombay and Gael started his career discovers that variety or origin based as a pastry chef in a products. Barry we like our Michelin star restaurant in Callebaut academies the French countryside. chocolates milky teach chocolate fans Since then he has been and sweet, about the difference working in various unlike the between real chocolates Michelin star restaurants and compound, and Europeans who in France and England, how to work with real and at 5 star hotels in prefer them dark chocolate, from recipes China, Japan, Hong Kong and bitter! to techniques.
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The academies are state-of-the-art and world renowned among the F&B industry. An annual competition sees the best pastry chefs globally competing for top honours at the academys annual event. Their first academy in India underlines the importance of the country as an emerging gourmet food market. The academy will cater to professional chefs, artisans and also to entrepreneurs and those really interested in chocolate, and Chef Gael sees himself coming here more often. As it is, he has been on something of a chocolate trail through the world and is happy to share the highlights of his journey. In Belgium, the size of their praline is bigger than it is in France, and far more buttery. Factory made chocolates are also excessively buttery and sweet. If you are in Europe, you must go to the small chocolatiers who make their chocolates in the back of the shop. These are by far more fresh and healthy, he exhorts. Did he say healthy? As if chocolate can ever be! Oh, yes, he asserts, dark chocolate is not fattening and is actually good for you. Look at me I may not be very fit but Im fine for someone who eats up to a kilo of chocolate every day. But my chocolates are made with very little fat. Natural cocoa butter the body can assimilate, he explains. If you think that takes the edge off your indulgence, banish the idea. Most commercially made chocolate, even the dark variety, is loaded with fat, generally butter. Says Gael, Butter kills the taste and fills you up. After the second or third piece you feel very full, and a little sick. But chocolate made with very little fat (not more than 12 per cent) and high quality cocoa wont fill you up and leave your mouth waxy. He rues the fact that milk chocolate reigns supreme in India. However, he hasnt been averse to introducing dark chocolate at his workshops and confesses, People say they like dark chocolate but find it bitter. In China, the reverse is true. The Chinese find milk chocolate pralines too sweet and prefer the dark variety. In India, Ive never heard anyone say somethings too sweet. In fact, the sweeter the better!
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UpperCrust Destination

PHOTOGRAPHS BY FARZANA CONTRACTOR

Malta Little Islands

In The Sun

MALTA

Malta is not very much on the map of the Indian holiday maker, but it is pretty popular with European and American travellers as a Rest and Relaxation destination. And with good reason. For starters, it has wonderful climate almost all year round. It also has nice hotels, fabulous restaurants, super night life, and for the sporting ones, great diving options in crystal clear, turquoise waters, even micro-light plane rides in its azure blue skies. To top it all, it is not as expensive as the rest of Europe. You can drive the length and breadth of the country in hours, it is so small. And you can wander endlessly admiring the ancient architecture in its most important district of Valletta, shop till you go and drop at a charming caf in the famous Republic Street or drink yourself insane in Paceville, where music blares and booze flows more easily than water. You can then totter to your hotel, one of the many that dot the numerous bays of St. Julians or Sliema, both fashionable seafront resorts. The next day you could wake up at noon, and after a small breakfast saunter to the nearby strip of beach, bask in the shade (for we Indians generally keep away from suntanning, brown as we already are), frolic a bit in the water and venture out in search of yet another good restaurant. And then its siesta time, before nocturnal life starts afresh! Thats Malta for you.

UpperCrust Destination

A Grand Harbour

Valletta Street And Its Republic

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MALTA

PHOTOGRAPHS BY FARZANA CONTRACTOR

Maltas most famous harbour is a magnificient sight both by day and night and in all seasons. Always busy with activity you see cruise liners dotting the sheltered creek with a backdrop of formidible bastions made of limestone, radiating a warm, yellowish glow, standing stately in the sun. The architecture of Valletta is a sight to behold and life in its famous Republic Street something that just ought to be experienced. FARZANA CONTRACTOR wanders around in the district.
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More or less the first thing I noticed in Malta was its general pace of life: laid back. No frenzy in speech, action, attitude or mannerisms of the locals that one chances upon and gets the opportunity to make friends with. Its like how the world was about twenty years ago, I reminiscenced. Happy and easy. Not confused and on the go, go, go! The average Maltese is calm, friendly and philosophical. But not if you encounter them at a nice seaside eatery, which I discovered at my very first night out, with friends Alison and Andrew, both as Maltese as possible. Driving to Marsaxlokk 45 minutes away in a stretch limo with great music and a first class bar was a fun experience and interacting with the locals at the restaurant even more so. They laughed loudly, heartily and shouted at each other across tables, gay and abandoned. Guess the Latin streak takes over the subtle British conditioning of over 150 years that Malta was subjected too. Yes, the British were an integral part of Maltese life from 1800 to 1979 and that explains the many English touches prevalent in the current scenario. The red phone booth being one of them. Malta is pretty and at the same time an imposing country, a Republic to be accurate. Sitting as it does bang in the middle of the Mediterranean; its warm and sunny with the bluest of waters and skies, with the best and most hardworking gardeners of the world, judging from works of green art in all the public places. With predominantly limestone buildings glistening and shining with a golden hue, the cityscape makes for beautiful pictures. Out of the six islands that form the Maltese archipelago, the main island after Malta is Gozo and to a lesser extent Comino, which is just one square mile in area. The other three, Cominotto, Filfla and the Island of St. Pauls are just tiny inhabited rocks. As I was being driven from the airport to my hotel in the upbeat area of St. Julians, I learnt with amazement that the island measured just 13 miles
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wide and nine miles deep at its furthest points and some 17 miles from corner to corner. And Gozo was smaller still, nine miles by four miles! For me that became the most wonderful aspect of Malta, its tiny-ness. I guess big city people, always stuck in traffic jams would certainly find driving in such a place, a pleasure. Its not often that I opt to stay at a hotel bang in the middle of its entertainment hub, but I chose to do so in Malta just to experience the buzz. Paceville, the entertainment hub, was just across the road from my hotel and I heard the drubbing of the music till late at night, every night, not just the weekend. Some nights I sat on the verandah and watched all the crazy fun and enjoyed myself from a distance and other nights, drank a glass of cold milk, went to bed, buried my head under four pillows and fell off to sleep, grumbling to The City Gate.

The Barracca Gardens.

myself ! But I guess cest la holiday vie!! It is not difficult to get by in this tiny island. You could take a taxi very easily from anywhere to anywhere, but a bus is much more fun. Just listening to copassengers you learn quite a bit. Remember they speak English around here most of the time, specially the youth. Of course, Maltese is also spoken and even Italian. From St. Julians Bay the bus goes hugging the coast all along past Sliema, to Valletta, where you hop off and walk through huge walled gates to the Republic Street, which is certainly the
JULY SEPTEMBER 2008

heart of Malta. One long pedestrian plaza, it is a spectacular sight. It is the true centre of Malta without any doubt. Busy and always crowded, the street is also the longest, widest and most typical of the city. A fascinating area stretching from the City Gate to Fort Elmo, it has the most prestigious and beautiful shops, the most important offices, numerous monuments, restaurants and famous cafes located on this, what could also be one of the most well-known plazas of Europe. As you enter the street from the City Gate end you find the Auberge de
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The Republic Street.

Provence - a museum and the Grand Masters Palace - the office of the President of Malta, as well as two churches almost facing each other. On one side is the Church of St. Barbara and on the other the Church of St. Francis. In the central section is the National Library of Malta and lastly the 16th century Casa Rocca Piccola, a fine aristrocratic residence that the owners have opened to the public with an exhibition of all the household treasures and rooms furnished in period style. Auberge de Provence is worth a visit. Built between 1571 and 1575 to a

The museum in Valletta.

design by the Maltese architect Gerolamo Cassar, its appearance has remained largely unchanged with Doric columns and Ionic pillars. From 1820 to 1954 it housed the British officers Union Club following a complete restoration carried out recently it now houses the National Museum of Archaeology with a valuable collection of prehistoric artifacts such as pottery, statuettes (including ten headless statues of fertility goddesses), stone implements, ornaments recovered from Maltas prehistoric megalithic temple sites. But Valletta named after its founder, the Grand Master Jean Parisot de la Vallette, is more than the Republic Street, as important as it may be. Lord Byron called Valletta a city built by gentlemen for gentlemen. The gents in question were the Knights of St. John who built this honey coloured stone city some 430 odd years ago. Remarkably it was built in just five years, following
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Fresh eggs, chickens, rabbits.

the Great Siege in 1565, as the Knights hurried to establish a new fortified capital before the next Turkish onslaught. Malta has a history of 7,000 intriguing years. The entire area of this district stretching half a mile along the hilly peninsular is easy to negotiate on foot since it follows an easy grid pattern, but it is best appreciated by taking a harbour cruise. The grandeur of this walled city and its enormous bastion is best seen
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from afar. Sundays are special at Valletta, when the Sunday Market is put up near the Triton Fountain and the Central Bus Depot, just outside the City Gate. It attracts bargain hunters from across the entire island and both buyers and sellers make for a merry atmosphere. Off Republic Street and parallel to it is another market which sells fruits, vegetables, meat, poultry, pork, fish and rabbit which is almost a national dish of
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MALTA

Andrew Lal.

Malta. In the various bylanes you find innumerable little road side shops selling every conceivable goody from watches and bags to liquor and lace. However what is really an outstanding feature of the Valletta is the Barracca Gardens. Just a two minute walk away from the Republic Street, here is a quiet green haven from where you get an awesome view of the golden harbour and the city beneath and across, what is known as Vittoriosa.
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The Cuisine Of The Island

Maltese cuisine is the result of a long relationship between the islanders and the many foreigners who made Malta their home over the centuries. It created a marriage of styles and traditions giving the island an eclectic mix of Mediterrenean cooking. Specialties of Malta include various dishes with rabbit (fenek), the most popular being a stew, Styffat Tal-Fenek. There is also Timpana and Mqarun fil-

forn (baked pasta with macaroni, meat and cheese). Lampuki, a pie made from the local dorado fish and vegetables, it is one of the countrys best loved dishes. Aljotta is a famous fish soup with marjoram, tomatoes, garlic and rice. Then there are the flaky pastries made with cheese and vegetables such as Pastizzi and Imqaret. The national drink is Kinnie, which is a fizzy drink made from bitter oranges, slightly reminiscent of Martini. Maltese bread is something of an

institution in itself. Traditionally the bread is made from sour dough, left over from the previous day and is renowned for being crisp and crunchy on the outside and soft in the middle. One must try and taste the hobz biz-zejt, which is leavened bread, cut into thick chunks, or else baked unleavened and served drenched in olive oil. The bread is then spread with a thick layer of strong tomato paste, and topped or filled with olives, tuna, sun-dried tomatoes, capers, and the optional arjoli (which in simpler

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MALTA

form is called gardiniera) Pastry which is used a lot, both in savoury and sweet forms, as also tarts are eaten on a regular basis by the locals. Sweets are an integral part of Maltese eating. Nougat is popular, as are macaroons and the Italian influenced dessert Kannoli fried pastry rolled up and filled with ricotta and either chocolate chips or fruit. The waters around Malta teem with fish and you find sea bass, stonefish, bream, red mullet, swordfish and

tuna on menus of every restaurant around the island. Lobsters and octopus are also very popular, and seafood forms an integral part of the Maltese diet.

Restaurants In Valletta
Valletta has many restaurants where one can indulge in. If you are walking along Republic Street, and feel like eating some lunch, San Giovanni, just off the main street opposite St. Johns Cathedral is a good choice. They have a fairly decent menu and most of the local food is available here. But Da Pippo, on Melita Street is simply superb. It is a small family owned restaurant frequented predominantly by locals, which is always a good sign. There are just 10 tables and I believe they dont take reservations. If you walk in there and the restaurant is full they will ask you to return in 45 minutes, and they will have saved a table for you. The menu at Da Pippo changes daily and includes a variety of Maltese and Sicilian dishes. Depending upon what is
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freshly available they select five or six main courses. As you arrive, one of the owners will take you to the glass case/ counter and show you what is on offer that day and explain how it will be prepared. It took me just a few seconds to decide I would eat Vongole, clams in pasta, an absolute favourite of mine. In addition to the main courses, there are a variety of breads, local cheeses, salads, olives, cooked potatoes and other hors d oeuvre brought to each

MALTA

table. The wine list is ample and they help you with selecting the appropriate one, if you request them. Da Pippo is decorated like a traditional trattoria with stone floors, checkered table cloths and wine racks covering the lower half of the walls. Paintings of local artists hang on the walls and are for sale. You find no short comings at all on the service front. Everyone is incredibly friendly and you cant tell the difference between owner and staff. The overall atmosphere of the restaurant is delightful and exudes a village
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MALTA

charm. To the extent that you forget you are in the middle of Valletta. From the manner in which the patrons greet each other it is apparent they live in the vicinity and know each other. That really does lend to the charm. Last but not the least, the prices are quite reasonable. Unlike other touristoriented restaurants, where the food is mediocre and the prices sky-high.

But a must visit place on Republic street is Caf Cordina. This is a Maltese institution in the culinary world. It is probably the oldest and the most famous caf of Valletta. Located in a picturesque setting, facing Piazza Regina and the impressive Biblioteca, this caf is the best place on the Republic Street to sit and people watch. There are rows and rows of tables under huge sun umbrellas which are almost always full, particularly in summer. However a visit inside the restaurant is a must. The cafs interior is ancient, with arched ceilings and elegant fittings, frescoes and mirrors. I had an espresso sitting at the coffee bar and got chatting with the chef. I learnt they have more than 40 types of cakes on the menu, in addition to ice cream, pastizzi (which is the most
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ordered item at Cordina), sandwiches, baguettes and salads. So famous are the products of Caf Cordina that a whole range of them are packaged and sold world-wide through their web site. These include Assorted Sweets, Caffe Italiano, Honey Rings, Almond and Chocolate Krustini, Nougat Delights, Pastini, Sugared Almonds and Perlini.
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PHOTOGRAPHS BY FARZANA CONTRACTOR

Hip & Happening Sliema,

MALTA

St Julians and Paceville

Fashionable, elegant, upmarket thats how FARZANA CONTRACTOR describes Sliema. Lovely and charming, thats St Julians, she adds. Noisy and wild, young and alive is how she decribes Paceville, the frenzied entertainment district of Malta.

With 40,000 Maltese living in this district, Sliema (pronounced Sleemur), is the most populated town and the most active centre of the entire archipelago. It is also the most fashionable residential address, on account of its seafront and its proximity to Valletta. It is perhaps also the most important shopping area in town with international shops such as Stefanel and Marks and Spencer attracting the local residents. From around here you hop on to the tourist sight-seeing bus or get on to the many cruises that take you around the harbour. Sliema is where you catch all the local life. At night in summer you will be lucky if you get a table in any of the many restaurants, bars and cafes that face the seafront promenade. Situated on a jagged peninsula, Sliema offers wonderful views. There are two waterfronts to enjoy one facing the Mediterranean while the other is formed by the Marsamxett Harbour, giving picture post card views of Valletta. At night the same view turns even more magical, lit as beautifully as it is. Sliema started to develop only quite recently. In 1833 it was still considered a small residential village for the citizens of Valletta in the summertime. According to a census of 1861, Sliema had only 324 inhabitants in addition to the wealthy Maltese who had chosen this spot, facing the sea and with an unencumbered view, as their holiday

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destination. It is worth exploring the residential area of Sliema to look at some really fine homes and villas. The area has really grown and flourished as an outstanding district for both locals and tourists with super facilities in every way. With a history rich in turbulence, it goes without saying that every nook and cranny or at least every district, town or

village of Malta has a story to tell. Likewise Sliema. It means, Greetings! in Arabic and recalls the traditional salute of the Maltese sailors to the Church of Our Lady as they entered or left port. The church stands near Fort Tigne and was in fact destroyed by Maltese cannon fire when they revolted against the French in the late 18th century. A couple of miles north of Sliema is

St Julians Bay. This old fishing village is where many of the Knights Of St. John built their hunting lodges. Today this is a busy seaside resort, peaceful and elegant and even better equipped than Sliema. Overlooking a narrow bay and with a coastal road, St Julians is really quite lovely. With many fishing boats bobbing on the water, this must be Maltas most photographed place.

Most of the nicer hotels and resorts are situated in this locale. The Westin Dragonara in particular is among the best hotels in town. With Paceville (pronounce Parch-ay-wheel) just around the corner from the Westin, you get the best of both worlds, peace and quiet and five star luxury and pampering by day and a pulsating, exciting time at night. While Paceville attracts the young and the lively crowds, on the fringes you will find more discerning establishments where you can enjoy a drink and eat

some authentic Maltese cooking, without music blaring in your face. But I have to admit Paceville is simply mind-blowing. Its not something I expected to find in Malta, dont ask me why. By day it lies low, slow and hung-over, by night it is throbbing. Shrieking. Blaring. Going wild! Nearby, at the tip of Dragonara Point, is the state-owned casino. Guess for those with a gambling streak, this might be some useful information, huh?

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MALTA

PHOTOGRAPHS BY FARZANA CONTRACTOR

Miracle Of Mosta Dome

The

It was divine intervention, says FARZANA CONTRACTOR who witnessed a glorious sight, right outside Maltas most famous church - The Church of St. Marys in the town of Mosta.

By the Grace of God, as the Maltese often say, I find I am usually at the right place at the right time. And so it was when we were returning from Rabat and Mdina to St. Julians across the city, via Mosta. The plan was to make a quick stopover at the Mosta Dome. I was to jump out and into the monumental church of this town, take in as much of its glory as I could and return to the car where my friends waited and drive on to my hotel. As I darted into what is Maltas most remarkable church, properly called The Church of St. Marys, I sensed something electric in the air, a feeling that something nice was about to

happen. And even as I was kneeling in the church, I heard music wafting in through the doors behind me, from yonder in the streets. A hurried prayer and I was springing to my feet, rushing to the door with impatient excitement and tremendous anticipation. I knew not what was going on, but before I could utter the words, Lo and behold! there came upon me streams and streams of young children clad in satin finery, walking past me, into the church, four and five abreast, in complete solemn innocence. And then there were adults, priests and nuns, there were flowers being showered, and the streets were lined with local people waving flags, smiling, while the priests

MALTA

passing by raised their hands in blessing and live music played all along. It was one of the happiest sights I have witnessed and as a photographer, the most colourful. I was clicking photographs non-stop and the police patrolling and minding the crowds actually let me break the cordon and do what I wanted to. Its called divine intervention. I tried to find out what it was all about, but in the charged ambience as it were, it was difficult to get someone to talk and explain. At first I thought it was a village feast, a famous Malta occurrence, which I was aware most villages have, but it wasnt so. When the last of the procession disappeared

The dome of the church.

into the church, I remembered my friends and started to look for them. They had been whistled off by a cop and they now reappeared gushing about how lucky I was to take in that spectacle, it was the first they had witnessed in their lives. Wow! We figured it was a Holy Communion that had just taken place. About the Church of St. Marys: it is popularly known as the Mosta Dome. It was built between 1833 and 1860. The portico and triangular gable of the church are based on the Pantheon in Rome, but more famous is its dome. It measures 122 feet in internal diameter and gives the church its more familiar name. Claimed to be the third largest church dome in Europe after St. Peters

in Rome and St Sophia in Istanbul, it is bigger than the dome of St. Pauls in London by some 16 feet. It is said that the dome was not built so large as an act of deliberate pomposity, but because the church was built around an existing church which could not be demolished until the new one was complete! The interior, I had noticed in a jiffy, was a marvelous sight. Lavishly decorated, it was trimmed with 18-carat gold leaf, giving it a rich resplendent look. It was only later that I learnt that I missed seeing an important memorabilia kept in a side room of the church. A replica of a bomb! Pray why would such an object be displayed in a church? Well,

here is why During the Blitz of 1942 it is said that at least two bombs bounced off the dome. A third bomb however dropped straight through, while the church was full of some 300 parishioners. By good fortune or bad technology, or as the Maltese often say by the grace of God, it failed to explode thus giving birth to an island miracle.

Beer lovers in India have a reason to celebrate. Tiger Beer after having gladdened the hearts (and pallets) of millions across the globe is now available across key markets in India. Built around Passion for winning, Tiger Beer believes that a time to have fun is not bound by the place, time to celebrate is not bound by occasions and time to drink a Tiger is not bound by the clockLife is always worth celebrating and any time is Tiger Time!

Lager Styles category. As far back as 1954, Tiger Beer became recognized as a gold medal winner for taste & quality. Amongst these awards is the prestigious BIIA 1998/99 (Brewing Industry International Awards) where Tiger received top honours as the worlds best lager beer. In 2004 Tiger Beer once again received top honours when it won the World Beer Cup in New York.

Tiger Time

India, Its

The origin of Tiger Beer:

Asia Pacific Breweries Limited (APBL) is a joint venture between Fraser & Neave (Singapore) & European brewers Heineken N.V. (Amsterdam). Launched by APBL in 1932, Tiger Beer has always worked wonders in the market thanks to its strong brewing expertise and excellent local market knowledge & distribution Tiger APBs flagship brand, is now brewed in eight countries. . Tiger's award winning flavor and consistent excellence of quality has made Tiger one of the largest selling beer brands in the world today and is enjoyed by over a million beer lovers in more than 60 countries across Europe, USA, Latin America, Australia and the Middle East. With its unique blue label and distinctive graphics Tigers look reflects the vigour, youthfulness and freedom that are characteristic of the brand's target consumer and reiterates its contemporary positioning.

Its Tiger Time in India:

Moving forward, Tiger has already established a significant presence for itself in India. It has already been introduced in Mumbai, Pune, Goa, New Delhi, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Bangalore. This move is consistent with the brewers effort to tap the growing Indian beer market. Tiger promises Indian drinkers the same distinctive quality taste that Tiger is famous for. APBAL, like other APB breweries in the region brews Tiger using only the finest ingredients, for this the malt is specially imported from Australia and the choicest hops are got from Europe, and a unique strain of yeast which is cultured in Holland. Brewed under the supervision of Heineken N.V. technical experts, APBAL adheres to the most stringent quality control management and conducts no less than 200 quality checks during the brewing process. Mr. Chetan Gupta, Marketing Manager, India for APBL, Aurangabad elaborated Today, Tiger stands firmly as one of the leading beer brands in Southeast Asia including Singapore, Malaysia and Vietnam and is embraced as a leading premium brew that hails from the Far East in western markets such as the United Kingdom (UK), Europe, United States of America (USA), the Russian Federation and Australia amongst others. In India, Tiger is positioned as a premium beer for discerning young adults. We shall focus on boosting its premium appeal as well as build the brands affinity with the consumers through differentiated lifestyle and experiential platforms, such as Tiger Translate. We are confident, that with the superior quality coupled with differentiated marketing activities, Tiger will resonate well with the consumers

A world acclaimed taste

Brewed under the supervision of Heineken N.V. technical experts, Tiger Beer uses the finest pale malt from Germany, aromatic Hops from U.S. and specially cultivated yeast from Holland. Containing 5% alcohol, it has a smooth, medium bitter larger beer, which is balanced the sweetness of malt, which has been globally acclaimed one of the finest tastes in the world. Tiger Beers renowned quality has fetched it over 40 international awards and accolades. Tiger Beer has just been awarded another gold medal as overall winner in the New Zealand International Beer Awards, International Golden

Rabat &ByMdina Influenced

Both Romans and Arabs
PHOTOGRAPHS BY FARZANA CONTRACTOR

View of Malta from Mdina.

MALTA

It was so stress free to drive across the whole breadth of the city, and in such a jiffy, sighs FARZANA CONTRACTOR as she discovers Rabat and Mdina, the old medieval towns perched on the hill overlooking all of Malta.

Driving across Malta, length or breadth, is an easy task except of course if you are downtown at rush hour. Downtown really means the area just around the Bays of St. Julians and Sliema going towards Valletta. Driving across the breadth of the

island towards Rabat was pleasurable and not time consuming. And stress free. Drivers here are a disciplined and courteous lot. I was in the company of a friend from Bombay, Suzie Mirchandani. I had the good fortune to bump into her and her mother who lives in Malta, so I was at my happiest best. Here was a local guide who was not just a guide but a

In the streets of Mdina.

new friend, what could be better? She knew everything there was to know about Rabat, Mdina and the Dingli Cliffs, including great places to eat. The main objective of our drive was to visit Mdina, the ancient capital of Malta, drink coffee and eat mindblowing cakes at Fontanella situated inside the old city, walk around the precincts of Rabat and then go for a stroll to the Dingli Cliffs, the highest point in Malta which Mrs. Lal, my friends mom, said would stun me. It did. From high up on the cliffs, you get the most spectacular view of the sea, a perfect place for the long walks that the locals go there for. Both Rabat and Mdina are perched on a ridge overlooking the whole expanse of the island and the sea beyond. Rabat actually is the larger area which incorporates the old Roman city. It was changed to its present dimensions by the Arabs. But Rabat is connected with the introduction of Christianity to the islands: in 60 AD, St. Paul the Apostle, under arrest and on his way to Rome, was shipwrecked on the island. He is said to have lived for several months in a cave within the ditch below the walls of the old Roman city. He used this cave, named St. Pauls Grotto as a centre for his activities in establishing a primitive Christian community. The walls of the grotto supposedly have healing powers. Since then the area has been dedicated to St. Paul and is overlooked by St. Pauls Church. Before the Knights of St. John arrived, Rabat had become the centre for various religious orders which preferred to build their houses not far from the capital city but at the same time sufficiently secluded for their monastic retreat. The Knights however were concentrated in Vittoriosa and Valletta and did little to embellish Rabat. Rabat is most famous for its early Christian catacombs (underground
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tunnels with niches for tombs). Below the streets lies a labyrinth of these underground tunnels covering more than a square mile in area. Maltas catacombs, unlike those in Rome, were not hiding places for the persecuted Christians. They were used solely as burial chambers, and pagans and Jews were also interred here. There are various types of tombs: floor graves, canopy tombs and small graves, known as loculi, cut into the wall to hold the body of a child. The most unusual feature of the catacombs is the circular agape tables, which were carved out of the rock so that relatives of the dead could gather underground for ritual funeral and anniversary feasts in the company of their departed loved ones. Two sets of catacombs are open to the public, should you wish to visit. I didnt wish to, but out of academic interest I did discuss the subject with whoever I could. Today, Rabat, which means the suburb in Arabic and lies just outside Mdinas city walls, is a sprawling

Suzie Mirchandani strikes a pose.

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town with about 13,000 inhabitants, a commercial hub for much of central Malta. Its main sights, however, are all located around the central Parish Square, just a 10 minute walk from Mdinas main gate. There is also a fruit and vegetable market on week days which really comes alive on a Sunday morning. The streets are lined with identical one storeyed houses built in the old style with ornate, enclosed balconies, a specialty of Malta. After a good lunch at one of the nice restaurants, car safely parked, we made our way into Mdina. In olden times we
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would have crossed over a drawbridge which was replaced in 1724. The outline of the drawbridge, now walled up, is still faintly visible a few meters to the right of the narrow stone bridge, decorated with shields. These shields mark the new entrance, spanning a dry moat. As soon as you enter the walled city and walk along its main street, Triq Villegaignon, you are taken back in time and a strange, quiet, hush descends. Its almost unreal. As if you are on the sets of a huge movie production, beautifully executed. It is a combination of old architecture in pale limestone with the
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MALTA

most beautiful wrought iron work, on windows and verandahs. What is unbelievable is that people actually live there. Its not a model town. There are houses and offices, restaurants and cafes and an excellent school too, which my friend Suzie excitedly pointed out. Born and brought up in Malta, thats where she studied. Mdina is surely Maltas most well preserved medieval town. Its a world away from noisy, modern-day resort life and even the gentle bustle of Valletta seems like cacophony in comparison. Incidentally, Mdina, derived
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The talented owner of Fontanella.

Mrs. Lal, Suzies mum. from the Arabic medina, means the City and is pronounced Im-deena. It was so named by the Arabs who conquered it in 870 AD and stayed on for two centuries, making Mdina their stronghold and capital. Sadly, there is virtually nothing left from this period and it was the Knights of St John who gave Mdina the shape
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and form which has, give or take the odd earthquake, remained more or less untouched until this day. Today, thanks to tourism, there is life in what came to be known as the Silent City after the Great Seige in 1565 when the demise of Mdina began. Now there are quaint shops and charming restaurants which attract visitors.
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We sat in one such, Fontanella, and enjoyed yummy pizza, yummier cakes and creamy hot chocolate. As we ambled though its narrow streets and alleys we couldnt help but think of the peaceful existence of the 400 or so residents of this walled city. They certainly enjoy what must be the quietest sleep in all of Malta.
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Gozo, Where Time

Stands Still
Rustic, rural, peaceful and content: thats how FARZANA CONTRACTOR describes the Gozitan. She skips and prances through Maltas smaller sister island and comes away charmed.

If you think the pace in Malta is slow and easy, wait till you get to Gozo. Getting off the ferry which took just 25 minutes to cross from Cirkewwa on Malta to Mgarr on Gozo, I was all set to enjoy my day sojourn to this even tinier island, all of nine square miles. The bustle at the port as tourists disembark is misleading. For as soon as all the coaches and cars and jeeps depart for their respective destinations and I start on my own journey, I realize the road ahead is long, narrow and rather lonely. And rather brown. The picture postcard first view of Gozo with the neoGothic Church of Our Lady of

MALTA

PHOTOGRAPHS BY FARZANA CONTRACTOR

Lourdes high on the hill overlooking the port and the Fort Chambray to its left falls behind as you trundle along the dusty road in a fairly ancient bus, with a suitably ancient driver who knows his history sufficiently well to rattle on, speaking as if on auto pilot. Taking a cue from that I turned on the tiny dictaphone I always carry but rarely use and this is how my education on Gozo (how delightful and friendly it sounds) goes. Some years ago it was proposed to connect the islands of Malta and Gozo by a bridge and Japanese engineers were At the Gozo harbour

called in to make a feasibility report. The project was considered technically sound but the expense involved was mammoth, so the plan was shelved. And many people in Malta and many more in Gozo breathed a sigh of relief. It was feared that should the island of Gozo become too accessible, there would be a danger of the island losing the old world charm which it had retained so far, and which Malta too once possessed but began to lose during the mid 20th century. Maltas smaller sister island is different in that it is more fertile and

MALTA

The Blue window

more picturesque but what makes Gozo so markedly different from Malta are the Gozitans, the local inhabitants. These frugal and tough people seem most resistant to any adversity; their character is steel-like, tempered by privations and constant danger and, as a result of the frequent historical ordeals, they and their descendents have emerged strong and resilient. Gozo has had more than its share of misfortunes. Imagine a tiny 9 square mile island in the middle of the sea, largely undefended facing innumerable devastating pirate attacks and on one occasion the entire population being carried into slavery! It is said even if a Gozitan goes out into the world to make his fortune, he returns home to Gozo to build a grand

house for himself as evidence of his success. He loves his homeland with a quiet pride and will never trade places. Its rural and romantic. And some of Maltas best brains come from Gozo! Hmm by the time I pick up all that information, we have finished seeing the ruins of the Ggantija, the prehistoric temples uncovered in 1826, probably the finest of all ancient temples on the island. These 5,000 year old remains are the earths oldest freestanding structures, pre-dating even the Pyramids. At the entrance to the site I spend some time buying organic honey and marmalade, specialties of the island. I sit conversing with the seller, who has all the time in the world, while his friend sitting alongside plays his accordion. After the temple visit we are on our way to one of the many little bays, amidst impressive cliffs and natural pools of salt water. Xlendi Bay is where we eat lunch and take short dips in the salty sea water. Though this one is

Lace making, the traditional craft

touristy there are many genuine fjords etched out over centuries like Mgarr ixXini and Ta Cenc Cliffs, howevet it is the splendid inlet at Dwerja Bay thta takes my breath away. Crystal clear waters with the imposing Blue Window on the edge. I wonder whether Messrs Yash Chopra or Karan Johar have not already discovered it. It would look beautiful in a movie frame and specially with Priyanka Chopra spinning magic with one of her many moves. The Blue Window, also known as The Azure Window, is eroded limestone

and has behind it a saltwater lake, known as the Inland Sea, which can be reached through a tunnel. I hear if you manage to catch a sunset from this point, it will be a highlight of your trip. I cant, I have a ferry to catch before sunset. Tea time sees us at Victoria, the capital of Gozo. It is the only town on this island and though it was named Victoria in 1897 on the occasion of the Diamond Jubilee of Queen Victoria, the Gozitans call it Rabat. It is in the centre of the island and has been the capital of Gozo probably

from Roman times, when defensive walls were built around the town which the Arabs continued to reinforce after conquering it in 870 AD. Due to the many sieges and onslaughts nothing structurally very old has survived, but in the haphazard, twisting lanes and alley-ways, the traditional balconies and grand palaces reveal the local architecture. Independence Square (also known as ItTokk, which means the meeting place), at the base of the Citadel is the action spot where amidst a charming market

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atmosphere locals and tourists sit in open air cafes, enjoy a pizza or a pasta. The Citadel, the original nucleus of Victoria, is built on one of the many flat-topped hills. Its origins can be traced to the late Middle Ages. At one period of time the entire population of the island would take refuge within these walls from sunset to sunrise. From this point one can get the most panoramic view of the entire island. An interesting aspect of Gozo, one that also impressed Queen Victoria, is the lace making cottage industry of

Sannat. This is the home of the famous white and cream coloured laces used to make cushions covers by the expert and speedy hands of the women of the village, a tradition passed over centuries from generation to generation. Gozo has a high quality of crafts production. A visit to Ta Dbiegi crafts village will show you their talent for making interesting items with blown glass. But the best discovery for me was Gbejniet, Gozos sheeps milk cheese. Small, peppery rounds of mouth

watering, wholesome cheese that give life a whole new dimension. It is sold in shops by weight, but since it is also available in jars, I buy one tiny one to bring back home. Occasionally when I catch the incredulous look on my dogs face when she stumbles upon me in front of my open fridge door, surreptitiously nibbling at my precious Gozo Gbejniet, I cant help but burst out laughing, promising myself to Go Gozo once again, if for nothing but its awesome, rustic, rural cheese!

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UpperCrust Promotion

W
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Nutty Event
A
hat a job to work at UpperCrust! Imagine- tasting world cuisine, travelling to pristine destinations, meeting fascinating people, the adventure, the discoveries and the thrills. Clichd as it may sound, we just love it. In fact, nine years ago, when UpperCrust arrived, India was ready to make a culinary breakthrough and UpperCrust helped this by making an international pronouncement with its expansive repertoire. And we continue to do it in grand style, now, dont we? The unique concept of combining food and people works like magic. And who knows that better than us? Which is why when we were
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UpperCrust organised a cooking session at Trident, for regular subscribers of the magazine, using hazelnuts, what are commonly labelled the miracle nuts. Needless to say, it was a hugely successful demo. GAYATRI PESHAWARIA recounts.
hazelnuts contain compounds that have the potential to prevent cancer, arteriosclerosis and diabetes. Apart from being one of the best nutraceuticals crucial for heart health, hazelnuts play a vital role in bone growth, bone health and regulation of blood pressure due to their high mineral and low sodium characteristic. In an attempt to contribute to innovation in healthy cooking, we invited Chef Joy Bhattacharya of Trident Nariman Point, Mumbai, who, while at The Rotisserie, was instrumental in showcasing promotions with over 16 Master Chefs and Michelin Star chefs. Having led the team at The Oberoi that

approached by The Turkish Hazelnut Promotion Group, we, instantaneously, let the magic wand enchant our subscribers. We soon realised, enchant is what they do best in Turkey when they familiarised us with hazelnuts. The miracle nut, as they are rightly termed, can be described as beige packages of health and goodness conspicuously surpassing any reservations you may have about nuts. The second best source of Vitamin E after plant oils, hazelnuts are rich sources of minerals like calcium, magnesium, phosphorus and potassium. Theyre also a 100% recommended daily allowance (RDA); it is widely acknowledged that

BAKED HAZELNUT AND CHOCOLATE SOUFFL

Baking temp- 200 degrees Celsius Baking time-10-12 mins Yields 6-7 cups Ingredients: For the Custard: 250 ml Milk, 3 egg yolks 25 gms castor sugar, 35 gm flour 35 gms butter 10 gm cocoa powder Method: Mix all items together. Continuously whisk the mixture on the flame. Cook for 6 minutes or till it is thick in consistency, like a custard. Take 6 baking cups, grease them with butter. Sprinkle some castor sugar and keep aside. Ingredients: For the Souffl: 300 gm of the above custard 3 egg whites, 50 gm castor sugar 20 gm chocolate chips 80 gm toasted and crushed hazelnuts Method: Whisk the egg whites and the castor sugar together till they form medium peaks and the mixture turns glossy. Now, in a bowl, mix together the custard with the chocolate chips and crushed hazelnuts. Fold in the medium peaked meringue. Spoon this mixture in the greased cups till 3/4th full. Bake as specified. Serve warm with vanilla or chocolate sauce.

created a memorable Indian meal for President Bill Clinton during his visit to Bombay and being the culinary pivot for over 20 Presidential delegations, there couldnt have been another person but him to amplify the hazelnut experience. Chef Bhattacharyas demo was dexterity, knowledge and professionalism, packaged into amiable culinary presentations. He cooked Spiced Hazelnuts, an inimitable blend of the sweet and the salty, discovered rather mysteriously in each crunchy bite. As the evening progressed, the tastes shot up on the food countdown from delectable to devour-able. The Spiced Lamb Houmus followed suit- that first scrumptious bite (as all bites should be) of the dish, teasing and tangy, flirted

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SPICED HAZELNUTS
Ingredients: 2 tbsp olive oil 200 gm whole hazelnuts 80 gm brown sugar 1/2 tsp roasted cumin, crushed 3/4 tsp chilli flakes Salt and milled pepper to taste Method: Heat the oil in a pan and roll the hazelnuts until lightly roasted. Add the sugar and allow the same to melt and evenly coat the nuts. Gently caramelize the sugar along with the nuts. Remove from heat and toss with chilli, cumin and salt. Also add pepper if you like. Serve warm or at room temperature. The nuts will keep for a couple of weeks if they are stored in an airtight container.

Some Facts about Hazelnuts

In the USA, hazelnut butter is being promoted as a more nutritious spread than its peanut butter counterpart, though it has a higher fat content. Vodka-based Hazelnut liqueurs, such as Frangelico, are also increasing in popularity, especially in the U.S. and in Eastern Europe. Hazelnut is popular as a coffee flavouring, especially in the form of Hazelnut latte. Hazelnut-flavoured coffee seems, to many users, to be slightly sweetened and less acidic, even though the nut is low in natural saccharine. Many myths are associated with hazelnuts. While it is advocated that the miracle nut is a symbol of wisdom, they are, also, believed to be signs of a good marriage as they grow in couples. Eating only 25 grams of hazelnuts a day can be a very good protection against many diseases including cancer and heart diseases. According to a research, people who consume hazelnuts or hazelnut oil, have 50% less risk of dying because of hearth attack when compared to those who never consume the miracle nut.

with my palate and the grainy, spiced lamb complimented the smooth texture of the houmus incredibly- a great marriage of ingredients. The dessert comprised of Baked Hazelnut and Chocolate Souffl. Light yet creamy and full, the souffl managed to be pivotal for queries over the almost
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impossible- vegetarian souffls. As the tea commenced after the demo and I interacted with our guests (even admittedly eavesdropped), I couldnt help notice the passion that pervaded the conversations. I guess thats only expected in a room full of foodies exchanging a plethora of ideas and

SPICED LAMB HOUMUS

Yields 10 portions Ingredients: For the Houmus: 400 gm cooked and drained chick peas 4 garlic cloves, crushed 30 ml olive oil Freshly squeezed juice of 3 lemons Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste For the Spiced Lamb: 30 ml sunflower oil 80 gm chopped shallots 30 gm garlic 200 gm minced lamb 80 gm hazelnuts, roasted and crushed 1 tsp roasted cumin, crushed 2 tsp cinnamon, powdered

1 tsp ground chilli 2 tbsp chopped parsley Salt & pepper to taste Method: Combine the chick peas, garlic and olive oil and place in a food processor jar. Process until almost smooth. Then, add the lemon juice, and season. Process until very smooth, adding a little water if you wish a thinner consistency. Pour sunflower oil in a pan and saut the shallots and garlic. Add the minced lamb and stir fry with chilli, cumin and cinnamon. Finish with lamb stock and crushed hazelnuts. Season and sprinkle with parsley. Serve the houmus with a topping of the minced lamb along with freshly leavened pita bread.

sharing experiences over sandwiches and desserts. Its interesting how global Indian foodies are becoming and their intense desire to experiment, the curiosity to learn about and discover world cuisine, and develop their taste buds. Heres what some of them opined:It was interesting. I liked that we got to taste the food, especially the souffle which was great. Its a good idea to have such promotions to see what you can do with just one common ingredient. Adore Sayani Very well organised, beautiful recipes! Time well spent. Have more demos, theyre a great idea. Zenobia Shroff The presentation was good; the high tea was fabulous though Id have preferred if the chef had demonstrated a chocolate and hazelnut cake as well. Kashmira Shah

I quite liked it but I felt the recipes could have been more elaborate. The chef was very professional. People who like food love to see food being demonstrated. Thats what encourages them to use new recipes and ingredients, especially if they are in the food business like myself. Shilpa Bhambri
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Eating Out

PHOTOGRAPHS BY FARZANA CONTRACTOR

A. D. Singh has reasons to be smile

Cheese? Nah, Say Olive!

Say

A.D. Singh has done it again. Given the swish set of Bombay yet another nice eatery. This time in the open, green heart of South Bombay, right at the race course. Check it out, says JAVED GAYA.

The Olive newly opened at Mahalaxmi comes as a refreshing breath of air in the South Bombay restaurant scene. There are few quality stand-alone restaurants which have opened recently, and the Olive carries with it the imprimatur of success; as a brand it is the most financially successful of the stand-alone restaurants in India. This owes much to the enterprise and energy of A.D.Singh; he has successfully launched Olive in Delhi and in Bangalore. In Delhi there has been a setback as they have had to move from the verdant opulence of a Meherauli Villa to the more staid Sardar Patel Marg. When Olive opened in Bombay all those years ago it was truly a ground breaking experience. It was not a matter of just food, the menu sought to introduce the Mediterranean style of eating to Bombay. It was the Olive experience. The place had the look, cool, aspirational and funky. Up to now we had only experienced quality food in the five star context, with the same boring and sterile marble, granite and leather ambience. This was something

different and entrancing. The white alabaster rough plaster gave intimations of Santorini, of a Mediterranean location of ineffable beauty, rustic with distressed furniture. One can hardly think of anything better than dining al fresco in the garden on a warm Sunday afternoon, the secret of their success at brunch. There is also a Moroccan room resplendent with canopies, cushions and carpets. All this was so distracting that it was difficult to focus on the food. Perhaps this was deliberate. I have not in the past been a huge fan of Olive food although I revel in the Olive experience. The Olive at Mahalaxmi is situated in the premises of the Amateur Riders Club at the far end of the race course. The design is not surprisingly, a replica of the Olive in Bandra, although on a smaller scale. However there are two differences. There is a large outside area protected from the rain by plastic sheeting. Unfortunately it doesnt have the same charm as the Olive in Bandra. The area inside is much smaller but the window arches (with a Moorish character) have been beautifully constructed to give a direct view on to the stables and you can see the horses when you are either lunching or dining. This is unusual, but that is what A.D. is all about, the extraordinary.
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Unfortunately, as I have said before the food was almost incidental to the Olive experience. However all that is changed with the advent of Max Ortelli, a truly serious chef, cosmopolitan and gregarious with a sense of adventure and passion that marks him out from the time servers who were his predecessors. Max comes from a family of restaurateurs from Ravena outside Venice. His grandmother started the restaurant and his brother continues to run it. They also had a farm, reared corn, fed chicken and grew whatever they could for the restaurant. This experience has impressed upon him the importance of freshness and quality of ingredients combined with simplicity in preparation. This is what he feels is the great gift of Italian cuisine to world food, and it is something he seeks to encourage and showcase at the Olive. How far has he succeeded in this project? To be fair to Max the menu is classically Mediterranean, it is not just an Italian restaurant although Italian food predominates. There are special parts of the menu which deal with pizzas and pastas. However, Max has a Tunisian wife and this gives a strong North African element to the cooking, so you have the vegetarian couscous
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in the main course the Morrocan lamb shanks and in the appetizers you have hummus. This is perhaps an area where Max can introduce more, particularly in the appetizers as there is a rich tradition of mezze and salads which would add to the variety. The other remarkable feature of the restaurant is the quality of the bread, it is freshly baked and delightful in variety and taste. This is probably necessary as the restaurant intends to serve designer sandwiches and paninis during lunch time to the local business crowd. The appetizers are various, I had the beef carpaccio, made with Argentian beef beautifully presented with the cream of parmesan cheese, basil pesto and the mushroom salad with a lemon vinaigrette. I had a little bit of the three ways foie gras, this was truly an extraordinary dish as he pan sears it

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in balsamico and serves it with a French Cognac Terrine and truffle ice cream. We were discussing the frenchification of much of Italian food, but Max was very clear that he adored foie gras and whether it is French or not it is wholly irrelevant. In any event I surmised that France, at least Provence, is very much part of the Mediterranean. Max coming from the North is familiar with the making of fresh pasta and that distinguishes his pasta from others I have had. There are some supremely exquisite pasta dishes on the menu including the Papadelle Duck. The Gnocchi with smoked salmon is really quite outstanding, he uses Scottish salmon (unfortunately frozen) but with fresh cream and dill. He might have added a little vodka to give it a kick. I did not have any of the pizzas and cannot comment although they appear to be inventive with the toppings and look authentic with a thin crisp base rather than the Italian American version of the deep crust pizza. The main course for non-vegetarians is abundant in choice; it has marvelous beef dishes including a gastrofied version of the classic steak Diana except it is served with potato lyonnese and topped with goose foie gras. He also does a succulent Moroccan lamb shank braised with chick peas and vegetables and served with tabule (Arabic parsley salad). The sea food selection is truly exceptional with local river trout, pan seared John Dory, amongst others including the exotic mai mai fish. My only complaint would be that other than his mixed roasted meat platter he does not introduce much by way of game such as guinea fowl, quail and rabbit.

There are two chicken dishes the traditional Milanese chicken scaloppini, a version of the veal escalope with a lemon sauce and the chicken diavola, a dish having the virtue of being spicy. But chicken is so very boring and may be he could substitute guinea fowl or quail. One of my favourite Italian restaurants in India, Diva run by Ritu Dalmia makes a point of serving as much game as possible and it works. In comparison the vegetarian menu is rather sad. There are attempts to substitute prawn and chicken with vegetarian versions which I am not sure how it would work, being a fully paid up carnivore. The only other two dishes include the vegetable couscous and rice mussarka, which is a vegetarian version of a moussaka, with soya meat Bolognese. I must confess I am not a great fan of these substitute meats and there are marvelous dishes which can be made from vegetables and grains rather than this fettish for substituting animal flesh. The dishes which we did try were the Espadata consisting of Mediterranean skewered meat with special marination. What I particularly enjoyed were the imported lamb ribs as well as the New Zealand lamb and the most succulent pomfret I have ever eaten. The desserts include the usual suspects, including the Tiramisu, a marvelous chocolate semifreddo. The Tiramisu was truly exceptional and Max makes his own mascarpone cheese. I also noted that there was a cheese platter served with Italian chestnuts and honey. In all this was a more than satisfactory experience A.D. Singh probably realizes that the South Bombay crowd would be more discerning

than those who flock to the Bandra Olive and has sought to position the Olive at Mahalaxmi in not just the fine dining category but a restaurant brimming with innovation and ideas. This is necessary to distinguish it at least from two other serious Italian restaurants in South Bombay including Vetro at the Oberoi. There were also some exquisite wine served and predominantly Italian. I started with a Pinot Grigio and ended with a rather sumptuous Barolo. The Olive also boasts a fair selection of pudding wines. The restaurant is not without its

Chef Max Ortelli teething problems. On a previous visit the service I experienced was fairly shambolic, but this is frankly a criticism common to many new restaurants. The staff have to get their act together, and with the booming hospitality sector, it is difficult to get intelligent and presentable staff. This will improve over time. The restaurant is going to face competition at least later this year when Rahul Akerkars restaurant opens in the premises of the Turf Club, a few hundred yards away from the Olive. The more competition the better providing that the chefs do not seek to cater to the lowest common denominator. We wish the Olive well and more power to A.D. and Max.
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Wines And Spirits

India On A

High!

What is available today in our wine shops is baffling. International brands in every category of alcohol: scotch, vodka, rum, gin, wine, sparkling wine, beer. FARZANA CONTRACTOR meets with captains of industry over a leisurely lunch at Pan Asian at the ITC Grand Maratha where they say Cheers!

PHOTOGRAPHS BY FARZANA CONTRACTOR

S
Diageo

Spirit-ly speaking, India has never had it so good. Its bubbling over, its tipsy, flushed and pink in the face. Understandably, for there is so much champagne and wine flowing through the land it is all going to its head. And we are not even taking into account the spirits at this stage, which is making Indians so happy they are delirious! The euphoria is too much to handle. Partying was never harder. Or life, easier. For you can now buy the best of international alcobev brands right here,

right now. If you recall, it was only until recently, that tipplers were trudging back from foreign shores, surreptitiously hand carrying heavy bags through airport customs with liquid goodies which they could not obtain for love or for money even in big cities like Bombay and Delhi. Your friendly local bootlegger could supply you with some unknown wine labels, the table variety sort, but a Sassicaia or a Bordeaux Suprieur, no way! And yes, while a Johnnie Walker,

Our companys future plans are to introduce more luxury brands and give the consumer better choices. The objective is to 'hunt elephants and don't shoot ants. We have identified great opportunity in luxury spirits. Accordingly, we will continue to promote our brands including Johnnie Walker Gold Label, Johnnie Walker Blue Label, Croc, Talisker etc. We have established the Reserve Brands Group consisting of top-class professionals working towards delivering the luxury experience. - Asif Adil
Managing Director, Diageo

Black Label could be obtained officially at a much higher price than what you could get at a duty free (well-heeled Indians have always had a penchant for this one and it was among the few imported brands present in the market), it was usually the cheaper Red Label that was easier got from a bootlegger, or a Grant, or Black Dog, maybe. But then it was and continues to be said, more Scotch was drunk in India than produced in Scotland and the danger of landing up with spurious stuff, a lemon so to say, was always imminent! No doubt a fair amount of the booze one bought 10 or 15 years ago was Indias very own brand, the Made in USA (Ulhasnagar Sindhi Association) kind: bottled near Kalyan, an outskirt of Greater Bombay. It was for this reason,

that the serious whisky drinkers like Busybee, Mario Miranda, Vinod Mehta made sure they broke the empty bottles as soon as the precious content was consumed. They feared the unscrupulous hands of , junk buyers, would get to it and then sold for re-cycling. Incidentally most people buying from the black market would painstakingly study the label most minutely before actually purchasing these bottles. What they did not know is excellent printing facilities in India have been present for a very, very, long time! However, today these issues are problems of yore. You now have to just walk into a friendly liquor shop round the corner, in your very own neighbourhood, to

India is, and will be for quite some time a brown spirits market, dominated by whisky. The top end consumer will progress to scotch. White spirits are growing rapidly, and more recently wines, have made a big entry but off a small base. They are here to stay and will see consumers entering the segments to push higher overall penetration of spirits and wine to a larger consumer set. Beer should similarly grow with the entry and activation of major international players in the past year. - Param Uberoi
CEO, Pernod Ricard India Pvt Ltd

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pick the best of brands that a whole host of companies are now importing into India. You can spend hours in there just studying whats available. Its mindboggling. And all this has happened over just a few years. Foreign whisky, vodka, gin, rum. Innumerable wines, expensive champagne and other sparkling wines, the best of liqueurs, an array of beers.

Fancy Tequila? Pernod? Cognac? Its there. Available just off the shelf. Its only a question of money, honey. And interest. So when did all this change happen? And why? Is it catering to a demand created by an upwardly mobile, new, young India that is emerging in a tearing hurry? Or is it just the fact that drinking

Beam Global

Our main focus is scotch, Teachers is our mainstay. We want to be seen as a company offering an interesting portfolio. Create bourbon as a category. And invest more in our just launched Tequila - Souza - Harish Moolchandani
CEO & Managing Director India & Indian Sub Continent Beam Global Spirits & Wine (India)

which until recently was considered taboo, is now socially accepted? Whatever the reason, it appears the trend is here to stay. inspite of all the ridiculous import duties and excise taxes. That is the common consensus of every top notch executive of most of the major international alcohol companies now based in India. Asif Adil, Managing Director of Diageo, represents a company which trades in over 180 markets around the world and is listed on both the London Stock Exchange (DGE) and the New York Stock Exchange (DEO). It has in its stable among others, some of the

worlds most premium drinks like Johnnie Walker Black, Blue, Red, Gold, Green. In relation to the trend continuing, Mr. Adil is of the opinion that it certainly will Sure, there is a very real boom in the alcohol industry. Particularly in the reserve segment. Consumption has certainly increased, its very evident from the industry figures. Param Uberoi, CEO of Pernod Ricard, a co-leader in the global spirits industry with volumes of 93 million cases, agrees. The current boom is for real, and converts to consumption.

Bacardi rum is sold in 180 countries, and is the number one premium international rum brand in the world. with Bacardi Breezer in 2002 we introduced the category of ready-to-drink alcoholic beverages in India. In the luxury segment we market Grey Goose a vodka made in the Cognac region of France and recognised to be one of the best tasting vodkas. Bacardi plans to launch 43Below, a premium New Zealand vodka, Martini Rosso & Bianco vermouths, and Aberfeldy single malt whisky in the market this year. - Mahesh Madhavan
President & CEO, Bacardi Martini India Limited

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How long it will sustain at this pace can be a matter for discussion, but given the sheer number of people coming into legal drinking age, an easier, liberal societal view, higher disposable income, with a push-up for trading and consumerism, the trends look strong. The same is endorsed by Deepak Roy, Executive Vice - Chairman & CEO of ABD, the company which has just launched Wodka Gorbatschow, Germanys premium vodka which is locally produced under a triple chill filtered process, which makes it the purest vodka available in India. This is what he has to say, The alcohol industry has been growing at a compound growth rate of 12%.

With rising incomes and globalisation, we are expecting the industry to keep growing at this level in the foreseeable future. When Harish Moolchandani, CEO & MD of Beam Global was asked the question- Will the market grow? he replied it in just three little words, Grow, grow, grow. Mr. Moolchandani is the boss of a company which made its foray in the Indian market very many years ago, with Teachers in 1993. But the last word on this subject comes from Vijay Rekhi, President and Managing Director, United Spirits Limited, which has added to its huge domestic portfolio of 140 brands (turnover: INR 4,000 crore or USD 1

United Spirits

With the acquisition of Bouvet Ladubay in 2006, the UB Group has made a strategic entry into the wines category. These products have been already launched in Maharashtra and soon they will be launched in Delhi, Karnataka and Goa. The company will further import wines from all over the world, viz. France, Italy, South Africa and New Zealand. - Vijay. K. Rekhi
President & Managing Director, United Spirits Ltd

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billion), Bouvet Ladubay, wines from the beautiful Loire Valley in France, as well as scotch, Whyte and Mackay. Mr. V. K. Rekhi the doyen of this industry, is termed by many as the Father of Spirits! Considering the number of years he has spent in this trade and the respect he commands, it is probably an apt description. His view: Spirits demand is inelastic. The current boom extends consumption to more premium brands. India is the fastest growing spirits market. Scotches and wines are emerging categories and are the outcome of the increasing disposable incomes, liquor retailing, moving out of the closet and increased exposure to western lifestyles. Wines specifically, which

targets a new consumer base including women. Which brings us to the question of both wine and women, meaning the new woman who is certainly now more unabashed about going out and enjoying her drink, wine or whisky. As well as the fact that there is now the new-age man, particularly the health conscious one, who actually prefers to drink wine. Which is what I think Mr. Rekhi meant when he talked about the new consumer base in the world of wine. The best person to discuss this would be Ashwin Deo, Managing Director of Moet

- Ashwin Deo
Managing Director, India & Indian Sub Continent, Moet Hennessy

Moet Hennessy

I have noticed a significant change in the demographic profiles of the consumer today. While wines have always been a favourite amongst the ladies, there is a growing number of women who appreciate and love their Glenmorangie! We noted at out recent Wine Portfolio Tour, that more and more Indians understand and would rather appreciate a Terrazas Chardonnay than order an ordinary cocktail.

South Asia Breweries

Hennessey, the company that brings more laughter and joy to the world than any other, simply by virtue of the fact that champagne is such a celebratory drink. Mr. Deo not only helps us acquire Dom Perignon right here in our country, he even hosts the best parties in town, as also exclusive sit-down dinners which allows us to drink the stuff in the manner it should: civilized and leisurely, paired with exquisite food. Ashwin Deo represents all the aspirational values that the rich, young and trendy hope to acquire. What with him being the boss-man of such brands

as the already mentioned Dom, Moet and Chandon, Krug and Veuve Clicquot Ponsardin. If that wasnt sufficient, there is Cognac: Hennessy, XO, VSOP, and VS. And vodka: Belvedere. To pick from among others on their list, Id take Glenmorangie, Cloudy Bay, Grand Marnier. A huge cross section and all premium. For sure, I know that the demand for luxury wines and spirits is very much there. I can see the proof in figures that show the rising demand for Moet Hennessys vast portfolio that offers so much choice. But consumption patterns

Carlsberg's first exports to Asia began in 1869. Today, this region includes numerous emerging markets, and we are focusing on establishing positions for future growth. In India, Carlsberg operates through South Asia Breweries Private Limited. The company is a 100% Foreign Direct Investment (FDI), and has state of the art breweries that deliver unsurpassed international quality beer at Poanta Sahib (H.P.), Aurangabad (Maharashtra) Alwar (Rajasthan) and Hoogly (Kolkata) - Pradeep Gidwani
Managing Director, Carlsberg & South Asia Breweries, India

are seeing a shift. The Indian consumer who earlier saw champagne as a celebratory drink is now serving it as an too, as also something that completes a dinner experience. He/she is more particular now than ever before about likes and dislikes. They are also more willing to experiment and discover that extra special taste that suits their palate. They are not just well informed about availability, but also understand the brands they consume the heritage and inherent quality that sets it apart from the rest and so on. Luxury is steadily becoming the way of life, for sure, he concludes how he began, nodding his head in full earnest. It is evident enough and we can all quite easily see that the upper crust

Alcohol industry has been growing at a compounded growth rate of 12%. With rising incomes and globalisation, we are expecting the industry to keep growing at this level in the forseeable future. In the last 5 years, white spirits led by vodka are growing at 30% p.a. Similarly, wines which were virtually in the non-existent category at the turn of the century are now showing remarkable acceptance and growth well over 40% p.a. - Deepak Roy
Executive Vice-Chairman & CEO, Allied Blenders & Distillers Pvt Ltd

Indian is certainly more discerning and coming into his own. Beer which meant London Pilsner or Haywards until recently, now has rich companions. Carlsberg, Cobra, Heineken, Tiger, Fosters & Peroni. We are spoilt for choice. The man making a dent on the beer scene with the recent launch of Carlsberg Pilsner, is Pradeep Gidwani, Managing Director, South Asia Breweries - the Indian arm of Carlsberg. The company is basically producers of beer, ale and wit. And if you have to hazard a guess regarding the turnover of the parent company, I am sure you will fail the test, so I may as well supply you with the figure USD 10 Billion! With its headquarters in Copenhagen, Denmark, the groups broad portfolio of beer brands include the best in the world. And they have a beer for every occasion, lifestyle and palate. It is generally presumed that beer until now was vastly drunk and pretty freely all over India, in big cities as well as small towns. I asked Mr. Gidwani

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if he saw any changes in this trend, for better or for worse. For the better! he shot back. If you notice, across the world the trend is to move from traditional brown spirits to lighter alcoholic beverages products including beer and wine. In India there are many key drivers for the growth of beerdrinking. Younger population is the first one. There is a changing social lifestyle, more people are now eating out in

restaurants, going to pubs, bars, which includes a segment that was miniscule earlier: women, taboo on drinking is disappearing. Beer is a no fuss drink, suitable to our hot climate and spicy cuisine. All these factors are conducive to beer drinking and have helped sales. Apurv Nagpal from SABMiller has the same opinion. The beer industry has been showing consistent double digit growth in the last few years,

Asia Pacific Breweries

Launched by APBL in 1932, Tiger Beer is now brewed in eight countries. Tiger one of the largest selling beer brands in the world today is enjoyed by over a million beer lovers in more than 60 countries across Europe, USA, Latin America, Australia and the Middle East. Moving forward, Tiger has already established a significant presence for itself in India. It has already been introduced in Mumbai, Pune, Goa, New Delhi, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Bangalore. This move is consistent with the brewers effort to tap the growing Indian beer market. - Vivek Chhabra
Regional Director, Asia Pacific Breweries India

because young people (over 21 years) certainly opt for it over hard liquor. They percieve it to be healthier, safer, less harmful, more modern, etc. If the govt were to recognise this as well and amend the excise policy which currently drive people towards hard drinks, this growth would accelerate further. Poonam Chandel, the Managing Director of Cobra Beer India, voices the same. Cobra India has witnessed over 600% growth since its launch in India. It has a market share of 1.5% to 2% ranging from market to market and we are targeting a market share of 4%. Incidentally, UB has the biggest market share of beer at almost 70% and SAB Miller, 20%, but these also include their indigenous beers and are not included in this article which is only about foreign brands. So while the wines and spirits industry is poised to flourish and may be growing at break neck speed, it is not altogether without its share of problems. It is in fact fraught with issues of the government kind. Namely taxes. And policies. Sid Banerji of Kyndal India, the group which has under its umbrella,

brands like Mackay Scotch, Dalmore Single Malt, Jim Beam Burbon opines, The industry requires a rationalization in the tax structures. Now with imports being allowed, a level playing field has to be developed where all players have an equal opportunity. In areas like wine and beer, the policy needs to change and distribution policy should be more liberal so it encourages low alcohol

- Siddharth Banerji
Managing Director, Kyndal India

Kyndal India

The consumer is upgrading to a better quality in terms of blend and packaging. Being younger and with a higher disposable income he/she is willing to experiment with different categories. Since the consumer is also more health conscious today there is a rise in white spirits and wine consumption. The growth of wine is more driven by the hype surrounding the wine story. In real terms the penetration of wine continues to be much smaller. Wine is a part of the changing palate amongst the urbane population. It will take a while, before wine becomes a mainstream beverage.

consumption. Taxes and excise duties should be lowered and brought on par with other non-alcoholic beverages. Dharti Desai of Finewinenmore, which offers a wide bouquet of wines from its 140 labels, in addition to a premium champagne which is Canard Duchene and top quality liquors such as Martinique Rum, Grappa, Limoncello, also laments and rather vehemently at that, at the unfairness of it all, specially for a new entrant like herself. India continues to be

crippled by bureaucratic challenges for the imported segment. The insane import duty structure at 162%, with 200% on assessed value although only in Maharashtra, puts an importer of mid to premium range wines in a tricky spot. The supply chain is unnecessarily complicated and exposes the wines to unhealthy delays in customs, warehousing at the port, etc which in turn effects the wine. Transportation conditions are no where near optimum level and we have to spend additional

Aspri Spirits

The first product we imported was Jose Cuervo Tequila and that was in 2004. There is a current spurt in the industry of imported alcoholic beverages as these tend to also fall in the lifestyle and aspirational segment. As incomes grow and people are exposed to international trends and consumption patterns the effect is also visible here in the country. Wines, Malt whiskies have seen a robust increase and the trend is expected to continue. - Jackie Matai
CEO, Aspri Spirits Pvt Ltd

money to ensure temperature controlled storage and transport. All these costs leave practically no margins for the importer to survive on. All I can hope for is that eventually there will be enough pressure from the consumer and powerful trade bodies like the WTO (World Trade Organisation) and EU (European Union) to help remove all these ridiculous restrictions. Jackie Matai of Aspri Spirits Pvt. Ltd, with 15 years experience in the Indian

wine and spirits scenario, specially in tracking the dynamics of the market place is also of the view that we can do much better should liquor policies improve. Despite the reduction in the customs duties, the procedures have not been simplified and therefore one does face several stumbling blocks. With local excise policies in each state, some states have been keeping a track on consumer demands and have conducive policies which in turn maximize the state exchequer, but at the same time

- Dharti Desai
CEO & Founder, Finewinenmore

Finewinenmore

The outlook is extremely upbeat and positive, and I see a double digit growth year on year though India continues to be crippled by bureaucratic challenges for the imported segment. India has traditionally been a whisky market but there is a big shift, more so in the last 5 years as people are not only becoming aspirational but also extremely health conscious, which in turn has helped the wine industry - since the perception that red wine is healthy is catching on.

other states have been very rigid which is detrimental to their coffers since it does not allow the end consumer to savour the international brands which due to all these taxations becomes very expensive and goes out of their reach. Pradeep Gidwani also rues, Alcohol is governed by the State and therefore selling in India means that one has to deal with laws of over 30 different regions. Moving product interstate involves import taxes, CST, and export taxes.

Further beer is heavily taxed in India. In Europe beer, soft drinks, water sell to the consumer at about the same price. Deepak Roy continues with the general refrain, Duties in India are among the highest in the world and worse, vary from state to state. Given that alcohol is a non-essential commodity, it seems absurd that the government has to resort to price controls. The government should let the market/competition decide prices. Import duties have been going

There is so much potential for the alcobev industry in our land. But government patriotism with regards to taxation on imported wines is misplaced. They should completely open up the market for imported wine; this will allow the established international players in the wine business to come in and develop the market the way only they can, given their knowledge resources and wherewithal. - Sanjay Menon
Sansula

Sansula

downwards over the last few years, but currently at 150% it is still too high! And what do the bosses of the three big players of the country Pernod Ricard, Beam Global and Diageo have to say about the exorbitant duty structures? Param Uberoi: The regulatory environment remains a key bottleneck area and government levies remain high and unpredictable. They can have a sudden and very strong impact on business. Its scary.

Harish Moolchandani: Though duty is high, significant progress in policies seems to be taking place. But sometimes it moves two steps forward, four backwards or one step forward and three back. But I am optimistic. The government also knows that better relaxations will lead to higher consumption and the industry will therefore generate and contribute more to the exchequer. Asif Adil: The two big

Our company was listed in the 1999 Sunday Times Virgin Atlantic Fast Track 100- the definitive list of the fastest growing companies in the UK. Headquartered in London, UK, Cobra Beer has offices throughout the world, including India, South Africa, and the USA, and Cobra is brewed in the UK, Belgium, The Netherlands, Poland and India. - Poonam Chandel
Managing Director Cobra Beer India

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challenges are the high customs duties the highest anywhere in the world, and the varying state excise laws. The industry and the government will benefit from a harmonization of the state excise structure. Supply side economics do lead to more tax revenue and lower prices for the consumers. Its a win-win for all. The country needs a uniform tax structure. This will make it a level playing field for all: Domestic players, international players, distributors and most of all the consumer will benefit from such a move. This kind of move will also reduce cross border illicit transfers and counterfeit products. Sound advise, I hope those who are responsible for these policy making and tax structuring rules will pay heed to Asif Adils words.

Phew! After listening to the tales of woe of both, Big Daddies and aspiring toddlers in the industry, and trying my best to come to grips with all the intricacies and goings on in the trade and understanding the wheels within the wheels scenario, my general state of oh-I-feel-so- good-my-country-is-onthe-upward-move, seems to have got a pin prick. But in spite of all this babuism, I am hopeful about a positive outcome. At 45,000 crores turnover, which is what the powerful alcobev industry is all about, and a young and very aware of their rights, expressive new consumer who is waking up, somebody will have to sit up, take notice and make corrective measures. To that I say, Cheers! And let the good times roll!

SABMiller

SABMiller is the worlds second largest brewer and a very close second in India, in terms of market share, with a turnover of over Rs. 2200 crores. Andhra Pradesh and the South are our biggest markets in terms of volume though we have a national footprint in terms of manufacturing and sales. We want to provide the consumer with a choice of differentiated beers as we have seen quite clearly that the youth prefer beer over hard spirits. - Apurv Nagpal
Marketing Director, SABMiller India Ltd

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UpperCrust International Getaway

Rhapsody
Mauritius turned plum vacation for NUPUR MAHAJAN-SINH thanks to the Taj Exotica Resort and Spa.... In an island celebrated for satiating the worlds most discerning, it has rewritten luxury rules.
Isnt it remarkable when you go into something expecting nothing out of the ordinary but come out in raptures, ecstatic? And it gets you to beam months later with much the same emotion as the boy who gets spared a caning thanks to the dismissal bell. Mauritius for my husband and I turned just that a startling gem. To give you the background, vacation for us means a historic European city. Imposing spires, Romanesque architecture, cobbled pathways and historic references at every road bend. Too much of a Europe buff to get remotely excited about any island
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destination. Golden sunsets over platinum sands, beach shacks frying Marlin and blaring Marley do get me smiling but never my pulse racing. To that leaning is the fact that Ive indulged in the magnificence of the Cote de Azur, enchantment of the Greek islands and the effervescence of the Caribbean. Cant say that I was holding my breath to go to Mauritius, and so when mooted a destination it was with a shrug that I went along. Spirits that werent overly elated were completely doused by Air Mauritius that offered a sham in the name of Business Class. Dismal service and none of the deluxe extras one has come to expect as routine when flying business: Audio visual on demand, office
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software, chefs on board, in-flight bars and well-stocked galleys to peck at will. Here when I picked up a lowly chocolate I was berated by a steward in a tone last encountered in fourth grade. And so it was with a puckered brow that my husband and I set foot in Mauritius. But the not-goods ended right here. Visa on arrival was a breeze, welcome relief from the hours one factors in to Thailand holidays. And walking out to sunshine we encountered the first taste of luxury in the island known to court and indulge the most discerning. Making the 90 minute drive all the way to Flic et Flac on Mauritius south-west coast comfortable was a waiting BMW. Tropical landscape whizzed alongside

PHOTOGRAPHS BY JAIDEEP SINH PARMAR

but ever so often the majestic beamer turned into the bustle of a towns main street with run down corner shops, the odd cinema promising the newest Bollywood release and that stereotypical disarray typical to any Indian town. Honking, chaffing and then emerging from the chaos of a narrow one-lane road to the delusional legroom of vast sugarcane fields on both sides. Finally Flic et Flac. A quiet beach of yellow and red white-washed waterfront shops and bars fringed all along the water-hugging coast by tall trees, in the shade of which were now pitched tents. Smoke billowed from open fires and holidayers ran riot. Its a typical Mauritian vacation, explained the chauffeur, to camp on
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beaches and enjoy the outdoors. Three hotels neck to neck and finally we arrived at our home for the next four nights, Taj Exotica Resort and Spa. This enthralling private retreat is plonked right on the fringe of a coral reef where you walk barefoot on a blanket of powdered sand amidst tropical bush and easily forget that there is anyone but you aboard. Robinson Crusoe style privacy minus the frugality. Here extravagance rules and entry level luxury is a villa with a private plunge pool, outdoor shower and courtyard complete with loungers in cane and board games. Every little detail that Id have factored in to my personal private escape was here In the snug comfort of home we crashed to wake up hours later to growling tummies, and made our way to the all-day diner, Coast to Coast. The resort is a township of villas, tennis courts, kids club, fitness centre, grand spa and restaurants, and walking across we took in the details. Sitting down as we hungrily dug into
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the bread basket came along the Chef s Special a medley of chilled gazpachos. Always one to go local Id opted for a Creole offering as aperitif and Mauritian as main course. Creole which in its simplest form is a blend of African produce and European style cooking emerged in Mauritius due to its long French occupation and proximity to Africa. Mauritian is a smorgasbord of cuisines: French, Indian, Chinese and African emerging from the ethnic diversity of its people, though with 70 per cent populace of Indian origin the Indian flavour clearly overrides. Nevertheless the Mauritian Home Style

Chicken Curry was delightful. So was the Catch of the Day that my husband opted for superior dining matched stride with service. Little wonder then that the hotel draws the most discerning global traveller, from Gordon Brown, Laxmi Mittal to Amitabh Bachchan. Satiated and enthused we walked up to the boat house to be greeted by the vivacious manager who talked us into a host of activities for the days ahead and for now put us in a paddle boat. The water was glorious, the sky scrubbed to the perfect blue and paddling around we got our bearings. Across lay a gently rising mountain with charming
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cottages dotting the shore and some ascending up at varying heights into the thicket. Black River Village is the residence of the islands rich and famous. Largely plantation owners, said the young daredevil, zipping around us on a speed boat. Now that our sugar is not making the cut they are razing sugarcane fields to build top dollar villas. Though not happy about the depleting green zones he added with more than a hint of pride that French megawatt footballer Zinadine Zidane owns one of the deluxe vacation homes. I wasnt impressed in
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the court of celebrity a second home in a tax holiday island is a standard signifier of reaching the upper echelons, and Zidane is the pinnacle of celebrityhood. Back on the beach it was a toss up between lazing on the ink-blue comforters laden on deck chairs and returning to our villa. We washed off the spray and the sun at an alfresco showerstand and lay around for a bit. Taking in the hard-at-work canvas of dark clouds floating in to reduce the spectacle of the setting sun into mere brush strokes reflected in a now there, now not
UPPERCRUST

shimmer across the expanse of water. Finally when we pulled away it took effort. But we were zipping off to Port Louis, the capital. With its early buildings, the impressive Le Caudan waterfront boasting the vibrant Caudan complex and the 1844 est. Port Louis Central Market that remains a must-do for foodies with its promise of herbal tea, fresh vegetables, local crafts and even the famous island delicacy, dholl purris. Emerging after hours at the Crafts Market we found ourselves right in the middle of a Mauritian weekend special.

The Caudan piazza had a local reggae band performing live in the background, at the central landing of the mall a fashion show was in progress and at the Casino the hub little kids stood huddled and giggling eagerly waiting for mum to come out with the booty that theyd lavish on themselves! Gambling is in our

Central Market remains a must-do for foodies with its promise of herbal tea, fresh vegetables, local crafts and even the famous island delicacy, dholl purris
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genes, laughingly informed the waitress as we sat down to tea at La Terrasse, the famed waterfront restaurant overlooking the Caudan piazza. Part of the historic Labourdonnais Waterfront hotel, bang on the Caudan peninsula this is the it spot to rest sore feet and get a ringside view of Mauritian gaiety.
SEPTEMBER 2008

We chose to wake early to participate in the newest activity introduced by Mauritius Tourism, a walk with the lions. It sounded so thrilling, the minute the concierge suggested it we decided to go along. Casela Bird Park is a ten minute drive from the Taj and when we landed at 8.30am it was already packed to the gills. Not surprising as the bird park is a haven of rare birds: 140 species from all five continents and also offers thrilling adventure activities like Quad biking and Nordic walks. Sitting in the olive green bone-rattler we were
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driven across to the wild animals enclosure where Graeme Bristow, the man in charge greeted us. The Walk is Graemes brainchild; he a third generation conservationist and lion handler has brought in lion and cheetah cubs from Africa to rear them here such that tourists have the unique opportunity of a wild encounter in Mauritius. Marvelous said the motley group: us, an Australian family and a group of suited Korean honchos. Walk with the Pride, the concept is so exceptional that you have to but forgive the unpreparedness of the Koreans. In Mauritius the wildest encounter could perhaps be a friendly dolphin escorting your boat, not lions jogging up to accompany you through thick forest and then keeping you enthralled by running amok, chasing each other, climbing trees and occasionally, even hunting. People want to go to Africa but are concerned about their safety, explained Graeme as I tried to keep my breathing pattern unaltered despite the two huge lions walking alongside. Crime and political uneasiness makes tourists wary. So when my wife Julie suggested I bring the wild out of Africa by way of a Lion Walk that exposes my ease in lion handling, conserves and also brings the wild to

ordinary people, I went along without cannot be put in words. Here we were, worrying about the toil it would take. in one of the most celebrated And the effort paid off as Walk with the destinations living in an Indian hotel Pride is fast turning premium tourist chain that was repeatedly wowing not attraction. It was high noon when we only us but each of the distinguished returned ravenous to a delightful meal at guests. A mix of upper crust British, Caselas caf once again looking to German and French nationals who at sample regional cuisine. This time Palm $2500 a room night demanded and heart Salad, Mauritian Sea Food Mix and settled for nothing but exceptionality in Fish in Creole Sauce. Tres bien! every minute detail and were served it Back at the hotel we with the warmth and worked out lunch by a demureness true of round of beach ball in the Indian hospitality. Nay, infinity-edged pool and French arrogance and later dozed off under the Brit detachment. shade of swaying palm All along the Day three was fronds. If theres one waterfront are earmarked indulgence. thing Ill vehemently restaurants, art After a fantastic breakfast recommend you do in galleries, pubs that we headed straight to the Mauritius, it is to spa. In keeping with the do nothing. Unwind, blare music through amorous mood wed rejuvenate, spend quality the day and shops opted for a couples time renewing bonds and that scream discounts. treatment that starts with indulge in an uncluttered The harbour itself an indulgent bath where vacation. The best recipe you are left alone to for a flavourful Mauritius with boats and yachts soak and sip chilled is to check in to a super is spectacular but what champagne and once retreat and stay put. caught my husbands through choose between a Thats what we did, and attention as he went range of massages and came to love it. The pride facials. The natural facial that welled up when click, click, click that I opted for was everything the hotel did were baby sharks visibly good, I glowed. was more than perfect on a stall. And after the pehalwan

maalish Jai said he was born again. The therapists are well-trained and have that genuine desire to heal which makes their touch curative. Service carried well past the treatment as we sipped ginger tea in the Jacuzzi and opted for eats from the special spa dining menu. Nothing here is in half measure, no wonder the spa has already made it to the Leading Spas of the World. Post our light meal and invigorated bodies we went in for an aqua gym session, and it had us even more charged. The vigour refused to ebb and so we hopped in to the beamer and made our way to the islands north. Its the lively, action spot of Mauritius, informed Ali, the chauffeur as he prepared us for the 90min drive ahead. Grand Bay where we were heading is the very first area that experienced the tourist boom and to that end is yet the action Mecca. All along the waterfront are restaurants, art galleries, pubs that blare music through the day and shops that scream discounts. The harbour itself with boats and yachts is spectacular but what caught my husbands attention as he went click, click, click were baby sharks on a stall. While the fisherman cleaned the mama shark, a massive half-sold chunk and put out his red snappers in a neat row, busy housewives with shark soup on dinner menu fussed over the wares with the flourish of connoisseurs. We chose to indulge in retail therapy of a different kind and made our way to the super market, which is your best bet for souvenirs. Way back was not all driving as we made way to Pamplemouses botanical gardens, known to naturalists throughout the world for its large collection of indigenous and exotic plants. The 60-acre garden boasts 500 different species of plants, of which 80 are palms. Of particular interest are the giant water lilies, Victoria Amazonica that go up to a metre in diametre. Theres also a spice garden and the Talipot Palms, said to flower every 60 years after which they die. Walking through the tall palms and the silent greens we came across an old French mansion, Chteau Mon Plaisir, and an old sugar mill that brought to life
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Mauritius rich historical past. Come nightfall and back in our villa we were raring for yet another special the weekly beachside BBQ to the tune of Sega dancers. Sand in our toes, the whiff of fresh catch: lobster, crab, calamari, prawns grilled on a live fire and amidst us the lithest dancers. Swaying to the beat and song of their troupe, an exuberant singer tapping a tambourine backed by an enthusiastic chorus. A little piece of paradise: us, the dancers, the troupe together under a perfectly starlit sky festooned by swaying lanterns and

the distant sound of the waves. Considering there wasnt an empty table it wasnt isolated thinking. That beat and that energy yet resonate in my mind They really have mastered a 1000 ways of doing nothing, said my husband. 1000 delightful ways, I added. Last day and the indulgence started with breakfast. The hotels piece de resistance is tent dining on the beach, reserved only for dinner but being sold out they graciously accommodated us for breakfast. The maroon tents had caught my fancy on day one: temple-

tops with white chiffon curtains falling in a perfect circle below. In keeping with the luxe lexicon we had a butler on call right outside the tent. In easy calling distance and yet far away for any intimacy. Mauritius being honeymooners paradise intimacy is the cornerstone and The Exotica serves it on demand. Creating the most unpretentious yet snug experiences to be cherished and relived a lifetime. It was a day reserved for specials and post breakfast we were going swimming with dolphins. This water sprouting

mammal is found on the west coast of Mauritius, right beyond our reef and all we had to do was load flippers, lather on sun block and hold tight as the speed boat crossed over the reef into the deep waters. Snap happy we started but having spent a dismal hour tracking them were about to turn back when the walkietalkie crackled. Someone

The Walk is Graemes brainchild; a third generation lion handler he has brought in lion and cheetah cubs from Africa so that tourists have the unique opportunity of a wild encounter in Mauritius.

out at sea had spotted the dolphins. There they are, I shrieked. A family of four making way to Tamarind and coming up ever so often to gulp air. And though I did jump in I cant say I swam with them as they were in the middle of daily chores and not in a mood to splash around. Tanned beyond recognition but satiated beyond desire we

drove off to the airport a couple of hours later. Really to be pleasantly surprised is a wonderful feeling. When you go expecting nothing and return with the bar raised many notches. Yes, The Exotica standard is a new benchmark for us. Ditto Mauritius, which I discovered is more than beaches, beach bodies and awkward honeymooners. The idyllic retreat to fall in love all over again and renew bonds mingle with family or even friends, slow down rejuvenate and rediscover yourself.

Book Review

Better Than Mario!

UPPERCRUST

None

Here is everybodys favourite cartoonist, illustrator, artist - call him what you want. Finally we have a book worth adding to our library, complete with a wide range of Mario Mirandas drawings. Reviewed by RAHUL SINGH.

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Just like in every fat man, there is a thin man trying to get out, I believe in every cartoonist, there is an artist trying to get out. This is certainly true of Mario Miranda, whom his friends and admirers know simply as Mario (which is how he has always signed his cartoons and paintings). India's best-known cartoonist is R.K. Laxman. There can be little doubt about that. However, Laxman has few pretensions of being an artist. He is essentially a political cartoonist and social satirist. And the only person who comes closest to matching him in that area is Rajinder Puri, whom one rarely sees nowadays, except in north India's Tribune. Which really leaves Mario in a class of his own. While he was in Bombay, working first with Dosu Karaka's Current, who first discovered his talent, then with the Times of India group and finally with the two eveningers, Mid-day and the Afternoon Despatch and Courier, he was overshadowed by Laxman. But purely as a commentator on current politics. As an illustrator however and a very versatile one at that he was far superior to Laxman. Virtually everything Laxman did appeared in print or was sold. Mario, on the other hand, kept a lot of his work to himself. He was a much more private person, preferring to spend time with his close buddies (the late Behram Contractor better known as Busybee, being one of them), while Laxman mingled with the high and the mighty. Laxman became a national figure, while Mario's fame was mainly restricted to Bombay and his native Goa, which was a big shame. This magnificent book, lovingly put together by the wellknown architect, Gerard da Cunha should help propel Mario to the Indian stage, which is where he truly belongs. No book on such a prolific person as Mario can do justice to the man and his genius. But this one does a magnificent job. It encompasses much of his life, from his upbringing as the son of a senior, aristocratic and prosperous civil servant in Goa, to his schooling and College in Bangalore and Bombay, his courting and marriage to the gamin Habiba Hydari. There are his schoolboy drawings, the illustrated diaries he kept over the years, his sponsored trips to various parts of the world, his years in Bombay and, finally, his life coming full circle, with his return to the place where his heart really belongs, his native Goa. There is an evocative biography of him by Manohar Malgonkar, one of India's finest novelists and close friend of Mario's, two perceptive analysis of his work by the late Nissim Ezekiel and India's best art critic, Ranjit Hoskote, and an affectionate piece by Outlook editor Vinod Mehta, also a good friend of Mario's. Nissim, in particular, gets to the core of Mario's unique appeal: "His cartoons do not denounce or analyse. To his intensely individual vision, life is funny and that is all. In his world, even houses, trees, dogs, cats and crows are funny . Mario is essentially a simple, integrated person, with the

extraordinary strength that comes from simplicity and integration. He has no pretensions to ideology or intellectual attitudes. There is no rage or revulsion against the India scene which is his subject, no hatred of the social game." That's very well put and it captures the essence of Mario. What Nissim fails to mention is that Mario shows himself to be a wonderful writer as well, as the books contains one of the most touching pieces I have ever read, "Death of a Friend", on one of his many pet dogs, a stray that entered his and his family's life and became very much a part of it. I have a small suggestion for Mario. Keep on drawing, but do some more writing as well. MARIO DE MIRANDA Published by Gerard Da Cunha and Architecture Autonomous, Rs.2,700

Flavouring with

Asafoetida Hing Is King!

It may be perceived as malodorous but only until it is added to your food. And its health properties far outnumber its pungent flavour. Add a pinch of it to your meals, it will do you much good, says GAYATRI PESHAWARIA.
Inguva in Telegu, Perungaayam in Tamil, Kaayam in Malayalam and Badhika in Sanskrit, asafoetida is indispensable in any self-respecting Indian kitchen. Popularly known as hing in India, asafoetida gets its name from Persian aza for resin and Latin foetidus for stinking. Pronounced as asa-furtee-da, it is a resin-like gum, which is greyish white when fresh but darkens with age (also, when dried) to yellow, red and, eventually, brown. With greenishyellow flowers produced in large compound umbels, it comes from the sap of the stem and the pulpy roots of the Ferula species. It is sold in blocks or pieces and, more frequently, as a fine yellow powder, crystalline or granulated. Often referred to as devils dung,

asafoetida, when raw, has an overwhelming, pungent odour, like that of rotting onions or sulphur. Used especially as a digestive aid in food, as a condiment and in pickles, it is best stored in airtight containers to avoid affecting other spices kept nearby. However, its aroma becomes a lot milder and sufficiently pleasant when heated in oil or ghee. In cooked dishes, it delivers a smooth flavour reminiscent of leeks. Grown in Kashmir and in some parts of Punjab, asafoetida is largely imported in India from Iran and Afghanistan. It comes in two main varieties- Hing Kabuli Sufaid, milky white in colour, and Hing Lal which is red. It is available in three forms, i.e., tears, mass and paste. Tears, the purest form of resin, is rounded or flattened, is greyish or dull yellow in colour. Mass asafoetida is the common commercial form, uniform in mass. The paste form contains extraneous matter. In India, asafoetida is largely employed to add that strong oniongarlic flavour to vegetarian dishes and used especially by Brahmins and Jains who do not eat onions or garlic. Suited

PHOTOGRAPHS BY CHETAN BHOSLE

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NUTTY RICE WITH MUSHROOMS

Serves 4 Ingredients: 1 cup of long grain brown rice, cooked 8 - 10 mushrooms, sliced A large fistful of chopped fresh parsley A small fistful of pine nuts Juice of half a lemon 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil A pinch of asafoetida Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste Method: Saut the mushrooms in the oil. Pour lemon juice over them after they are nicely brown. Lightly roast the pine nuts for a few minutes in a small, unoiled pan, which should be constantly shaken. Mix all the ingredients into the cooked rice and reheat if necessary. to many pickles, lentils, fish dishes and to season some papadums, asafoetida is also utilised in many South and West Indian dishes. Recognized as the plant that helped Prometheus carry the stolen fire from the Sun to the Earth, asafoetidas reality seems to be a bit different from Greek mythology. Familiar in early Mediterranean having come by land across Iran, it emerged into Europe from a conquering expedition of Alexander The Great. After the Roman Empire fell, until the 16th century, asafoetida was rare in Europe and, if ever encountered, it was viewed as a medicine. Largely popular, at one time, among physicians and cooks in Europe, today, it is largely forgotten in the continent.

PEPPERY TOMATOES WITH MUSHROOMS

Ingredients: 450 gm mushrooms, sliced 5 medium-sized fresh tomatoes, diced 2 fresh jalapeno peppers, diced 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil 1/4 tsp turmeric (haldi) A pinch of ground asafoetida 1/2 tsp ground cumin (jeera) 2 tsp salt 1/4 tsp brown sugar Method: Heat the oil over a medium heat in a deep-sided, lidded frying pan. Add the spices in the order listed allowing a few seconds between additions. Stir in the mushrooms and lightly brown them before adding the tomatoes, salt and sugar. Cook over medium to high heat, uncovered until the liquid from the tomatoes has been reduced to a stew-like consistency. Cover and reduce heat to simmer. Serve after about 10 minutes of simmering or, even better, prepare ahead of time. Allow to cool and then reheat. A few hours of allowing the preparation stay really develops the flavours. This recipe will serve 2-4 as a side dish. Increase ingredients proportionately if serving more or if preparing as main dish.

Used in medicines because of its antibiotic properties, asafoetida is also known to treat impotency, hysteria, mood swings and depression. About 3-6 gm of the gum mixed with 2 tsp of honey, 1/4 tsp of white onion juice and 1 tsp of betel leaf juice, taken thrice daily, helps to keep away from respiratory disorders like whooping cough, asthma and bronchitis. An immensely effective remedy for flatulence, abdominal pains and digestive disorders, asafoetida is effective in kick-starting peristalsis to prevent constipation. It is also powdered and mixed with ghee and rice and served to women after childbirth to prevent the child from getting colic. The dried gum mixed with water relieves headaches, migraines and tension. When mixed with garlic, asafoetida is efficient in preventing snake bites and repelling insects. If given in the same quantity as opium ingested by the patient, asafoetida is known to counteract the effect of the drug. It is used in Europe and the United States in perfumes and for flavouring. Asafoetida is also useful in alleviating toothache. After being pestled in lemon juice, it is slightly heated. A cotton piece soaked in the lotion and placed in the cavity of the tooth, relieves the pain quickly. Quite a mouthful, isnt it? Do incorporate the virtuousness of asafoetida in your meals.

JULY

SEPTEMBER 2008

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UpperCrust Discovery

Motilal Of Bombay
Sitting bright and masala red, along the busy Grant Road stretch, opposite Novelty cinema is the 96 year oldMotilal Masalawala. It is an Indian spice shop with the feel of a grocery mart. The place has been re-vamped three times since 1912 when it was first opened by Mangaldas Motilal. The last renovation has given birth to the shop which is the first air-conditioned, self service store, Jagdish Patel professed as he welcomed UpperCrust into the little store. The Motilal family split in 1966, when Jagdish Patel launched his own independent brand of Mangal spices. I tend to lend my personal touch to the blending of spices, be it curry masalas or pickles, Jagdishbhai explained. According to him the customers seem to be loyal to M.M.M.s prolific tastes and varieties in spite of the stiff competition. He joked how M.M.M. was the place where Parsis celebrated navjotes,

Some places have to be rediscovered. Like Motilal Masalawala, which was established almost a century ago. UpperCrust goes visiting.
weddings and even baby showers. The perfect analogy to describe the store is, Motilal is to Parsis, what Bhuleshwar is to the Gujaratis. The magic of Mangal spices has spread to USA, London, Australia and even South Africa. We have tried to conquer the export market as well, he admitted rather immodestly. We were taken on a journey through the land of spices, curry pastes, pickles, conserves and regional Indian food while we interacted with many clients, and the storekeeper, Mrs. Perin Modi. It was interesting to learn that Motilals third generation owners are settled in California and have even launched a successful brand of Indian curry pastes and mixes called Mr. Kooks. Perins take on the USP of the store was that provisions which were available when they first began still exist and this very consistency in approach suits the

third generation clients very well. Jagdish Patel laid out before us a whole range of ragi chips. We have a lot of ready snacks and home provisions besides spices and pickles, Jagdishbhai explained. He then showed us something called vasanu, a herbal cake eaten by Parsis in winter. It is fortified with dry fruits and tonic. It was enlightening to get a visual tour around the store. There were some niche products from various Indian states like Gujarat and Maharashtra as well as Benares. Motilal Masalawalas famous Dhansak Masala, an eternal Parsi

PHOTOGRAPHS BY CHETAN BHOSLE

delicacy as well as the Goan Vindaloo paste. The Gujarati Dal Masala- a mlange of tamarind, lentil powder and jaggery is also among its famous masalas. The trademark methiyu, an absolute delight for Parsis and Gujaratis alike is sumptuous. The wet form of the garlic and ginger chutney is a favourite amongst the shops thirty year old clientele, mostly Parsi. Though thats changing, as our clients are becoming more cosmopolitan now, Perin reiterates. There was a wide range of attractive Gujarati pickles from choonda, murabba, sweet lemon as well as undhiyu spices.

The store specializes in gourmet products from Nausari as well. The Parsi wedding food speciality, the finger-licking Gajar Mewa (grated carrots and dry fruit pickle), the delicious Sweet Mango chutney gorkeri are all available here. Absolutely fresh. The basic difference between Gujarati gorkeri and its Parsi counterpart is the oil and vinegar marination respectively, Jagdishbhai explained before he left us gourmands to tend to an urgent phone call. As India is abundant in spices, the raw materials at Mangal spices are sourced from diverse regions of South India like Varangal, Cochin, Gunter as well as from Unjha in Gujarat. Amidst the peppery and pungent whiffs of fresh spices we discovered that the store was a treasure chest for gourmets. There was everything from pulses to flours to chikkis to Surti biscuits. Try our nankhatai and batashas, they are very original, Perin urged. There was a kaleidoscopic range of khakras, poppadums and even unique sambhariya green chillies (stuffed with dried coriander powder) and an exotic range of Madras, Kashmiri as well as Boriya chillies. Their philosophy is that each Indian state has a particular style of cooking with specific ingredients and

the store gives them the opportunity to utilize this culinary diversity. Whether its a thirty year old client Nergish Arya or the loyal Mrs. Tavdia, everyone returns each time for the consistency and diversity of the food products. The new line of products that have been introduced, include saffron, rose and vanilla flavours of falooda mixes as well as the dry fruit kheer, phirni and sheer khurma mix eaten at Eid feasts. The bhajiya mix (dry besan batter to mix with water) as well as the Sharad Poornima flavoured rice-flakes seemed interesting buys too. Tempting the shoppers near the cash counter were spongy ghee-laden malpuas as well as dhoklas, bhakras (a Parsi snack) and Karachi biscuits. We havent ever done aggressive marketing or publicity. Our goodwill and participation in exhibitions as well as continental popularity have been the key factors, Perin explained. As Jagdishbhai said, I have multiple ideas for blending spices. My brain is an encyclopedia of masalas. It is spices which flow through our veins and not blood. On that note we decided to leave the store. It was clear how Motilal Masalawala, the Spice King of India had maintained its position for almost a century and continued to rule the roost.

S P
amper those taste buds with the refreshingly healthy Sunraysia Five Star natural fruit juices. Sourced from the finest orchards in Australia, Sunraysia is preservative free and comes in six devour-able flavours. Available exclusively at 5 star hotels in Bombay, Delhi and Bangalore.

GOOD LIVING
Whats hot. Whats new. Whats good.

tylize your moves with Ballerina flats from PUMA. Redefining comfort, the Ballerina collection comes in four diverse types, Espera, Icon, Prance & Sabadella, that are chic, urban and extremely fashionable. Available in materials like leather, suede, etc and in a wide variety of colors and designs, these stylish and comfortable shoes are a must have for every girls collection. Available in all PUMA outlets in India.

arrera Watches introduces its new Spring/Summer collection- the ultra-masculine Athletic Chronograph, and the distinctively feminine Cool Lady Chronograph replete with stones, mother-of-pearl dials and fresh colours- an explosive mix of sportiveness and elegance. Available in all the Watches and More stores (WAM), Shoppers Stop, Lifestyle, Westside .

pruce up your drawing rooms with an extra touch of class and chic. Check out Spazios latest collection of soft furnishings- exclusive bedcovers, quilts, duvets, cushion covers, runners, table linens and curtains- exquisitely designed by hand and employing the industrys highest quality technologies. Vibrant hues, textures and karigiri for those plush, welcoming interiors- a little jazz never hurts, now, does it?

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arilyn Monroe couldnt have been more right when she said, Diamonds are a girls best friend. Dior seems to agree as it launched its latest diamond encrusted watch replete with 213 diamonds beautifully combined with a black satin strap. Hurry if you want to bling with Dior because this luxuriousness comes in a limited edition of 99. It weighs 1.28 carats and is 30 meters water resistant. So give your wrist a little spunk! Make this baby your best friend. Grab it quick, exclusively available at the Dior Boutique.

ravel with styleSamsonite Black Label by Alexander McQueen Goes Silver!! Admired by fashionistas and celebrities worldwide, the silver, limited edition version comes with a distinct imprint of a human form and in a beautiful crocodile effect, guaranteed to turn heads at those airports.

ring waves of excitement to the air around you with Iris's range of in-house fragrances carefully created from essential oils which create aromas to soothe the mind and soul. Their bouquet abounds in the therapeautic scents of apple cinnamon, lavender, melon musk, orange blossom, lemon grass, jasmine neroli enhance the aesthetics of any room. Can also make a party come alive.!

evealing the refined fragrance, from the traditional to the unexpected, with Dunhill London, a charismatic Oriental Fougre fragrance for the modern gentleman. Flirt with spicy cardamom, geranium flourishes to balance out seductive woods, found in the base notes with the deep, richness of patchouli and vanilla to give an unquestionably lasting masculine accord. A man that smells sophisticated?? HmmIRRESISTIBLE!!

JULY

SEPTEMBER 2008

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Busybee Forever

Round And About With Busybee

Take it from a retired expert: most country liquor tastes and smells foul, of cockroaches, rats, gutter water, rubber football bladders and the spray from the old Flit pump. In fact, the most pleasant, or least unpleasant, among all the tastes and smells, is the Flit spray. The rubber taste comes from the football bladders, the inner shell (balloon) of the football in which the air is pumped. Liquor is carried in these bladders, tied to the body, to avoid detection by our sharp and vigilant police force. It is also carried in cycle tubes, wrapped around waists. The gutter water smell comes from the municipal sewage in which the bottles are kept. At Falkland Road, behind a building and over a sewage tank, there was a bar that I used to patronise after night duty, at an hour when all other bars were closed. Hundreds of nip bottles were kept in the gutters. The bartender, or one of his minions, would open a manhole, pull out a bottle and pour the contents in an unwashed glass for me. Not all country liquor I have had has been equally foul. The best I have had has been at the Versova fishing village. It was clean and made mainly for personal consumption. In fact, it had developed such a high reputation, that most places in Bombay where illicit liquor was sold, the seller would claim it had come from Versova. It was a little like our whisky manufactures claiming blended with scotch. I was also once taken, by the late U. G. Rao, to the row of fishermens houses, constructed along the edge of the Mahim creek causeway and abutting into the sea. We were taken through the house to the backyard, where we sat on the rocks, the sea touching our feet, and drank. I remember it was a moonlit night with two moons, one in the sky and one reflected in the sea, but I do not remember the quality of the liquor. We had started drinking at Colaba, then moved on via Chira Bazar, Prabhadevi and Shivaji Park to Mahim, and by that stage I was in no position to judge the liquor. I do remember that after the last round, we returned home by bus. Because it was Mr. Raos contention that a true drinker must, after his full quota and more, travel by bus and not taxi to establish that he can hold his drinks. I could hold my drinks very well, though I never enjoyed my drinks, only the after-effects. I used to douse my country in Coca-Cola to kill to some small extent the taste and smell. Today, when I think of the amount and kind of foul drinks I have consumed, I feel like instantly puking. You may then ask me why I drank them. To answer that, I would have to tell my life story, and I am not going to do that.
Busybee January 2, 1992. www.busybeeforever.com This column first appeared in the Afternoon Despatch & Courier, the newspaper founded by Farzana and Behram Contractor in 1985.

MARIO MIRANDA

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Recipes Pinky Dixit is a completely hands on restaurant owner. Here are the special faraal recipes we sourced from Soam, the pure vegetarian restaurant which she successfully runs. Situated right outside the famous Babulnath Temple in Bombay, you will be lucky to get a table without waiting. So what you should do, specially in the month of Shravan is go to to Soam first, book a table (45 minutes at least), then go to the temple, pray and return to a good meal. God wont mind, if it is Somvar, its got to be Soam! (See pages 32 to 38)
Salt to taste For the Peanut Curry: 1 cup finely ground, roasted peanuts 2 green chillies Lime juice to taste 1 tsp clarified butter 3 cups water 1 tsp roasted cumin seeds (jeera) 2 sticks of cinnamon 2 cloves Jaggery to taste Salt to taste For the Garnish: Green chutney Potato salli Coriander leaves Method: Wash the sago. Drain and soak it in the curd and water mixture for about 2 hours. If necessary drain in a metal strainer to remove any excess liquid. Heat the oil in a pan and add the cumin seeds and green chillies and allow them to crackle. Add the potatoes and saut till they are light brown. Add the soaked sago, crushed peanuts and salt to taste. Mix well. Cover with a lid and allow it to steam for a minute or two. This is a dish in its own. Serve hot garnished with coriander. For the Peanut Curry: Boil water, add ground peanuts and paste of cumin seeds, green chillies, cloves, cinnamon, salt and jaggery. Add lemon juice to it according to taste. Simmer for at least 15 minutes till all the flavours are released. To Assemble: Place the sabudana khichdi into 4 individual bowls and top it with the peanut curry and then the green chutney, potato salli, coriander leaves. Serve immediately.

FARAALI MISAL
Serves 4 Ingredients: For the Sabudana Khichdi 1 cup sago ( sabu dana ) 2 tbsp curd mixed in 1 cup water 1/2 cup roasted peanuts, crushed 2 medium boiled potatoes, peeled and cut into cubes 1/2 tsp cumin seeds (jeera) 2 green chillies, slit, 2 tblsp oil
JULY

FARAALI PAKODI CHAAT

Serves 4 Ingredients: 500 gm grated yam (kand) - cup arrowroot Salt to taste Oil to deep-fry For the Topping: 1 cup whisked curd Green chutney as required Khajur ki chutney Roasted cumin (jeera) powder
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Salt to taste For the Garnish: Fresh coriander leaves (chopped) 2 tbsp potato salli Coriander leaves Pomegranate Method : Combine kand in a bowl, add salt and arrowroot powder. Mix well. Divide into 8 equal portions. Keep aside. Deep fry dropfulls of this mixture in hot oil over a medium flame till they are golden brown. Drain and keep aside. Just before serving, place 6 pakodas on a plate and drizzle with whisked curd. Top with with the chutneys, roasted cumin (jeera) powder and salt. Sprinkle with the potato salli and coriander. Garnish with pomegranate. Handy Hint Apply oil on your hands when you grate yamthis will protect your palms from getting a residue or an itchy rash.

Serves 1 Ingredients: 6 rajgira puris Faraali potato bhaji (boiled potatoes sauted in clarified butter, cumin, curry leaves, salt and green chillies) Green chutney as required Khajur ki chutney Roasted cumin (jeera) powder 2 tbsp fresh coriander leaves (chopped) Rajgira sev (readymade) Coriander leaves, pomegranate Salt to taste Method: Place the puris on a shallow serving plate and top with the potato bhaji, and drizzle the green chutney and khajur ki chutney. Sprinkle with roasted jeera powder and salt. Sprinkle with the rajgira sev, coriander and pomegranate.

FARAALI THALIPETH
Serves 2 Ingredients: 1 cup rajgira flour 1 cup boiled potatoes, mashed. 2 tbsp coriander leaves, chopped 1 tbsp green chilli paste 1 tbsp cumin (jeera) seeds 1 tsp sesame seeds 2 tbsp roasted peanut powder Clarified butter (ghee) Salt to taste Method: Combine all the ingredients and knead it into firm dough. Add a little water if required. Roll the dough into cm thick roti (sprinkle a little dry rajgira flour while rolling if it is sticking to the roll palate). Shallow fry it in ghee over a slow flame till

FARAALI SEV PURI

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golden brown. Serve hot with a green chilli and peanut thecha.

FARAALI HANDVO
Serves 4. Ingredients: 1 cups buckwheat (kutto or kutti no daro) 1 cup curd 2 tsp ginger-chilli paste 1 cup grated bottle gourd (doodhi) 1 tsp Enos fruit salt tsp oil for greasing Salt to taste For the Tempering: 1 tbsp oil 1 tsp cumin (jeera) seeds 1 tbsp sesame seeds Coriander chutney to garnish Method: Combine all the ingredients in a bowl to make a thick batter and allow it to soak for at least 2 hours. Add about 1 cup of water to adjust the consistency as the grated bottle gourd will also contain liquid. Mix well and add Enos fruit salt and

200 gm green chillies cup roasted peanuts Juice of 1 lemon Rock salt to taste Method: Combine all the ingredients in a mortar and pestle and grind to a rough paste adding very little water or peanut oil if required. Water will reduce the shelf life of this chutney and oil will extend it by a few days. Serve at room temperature. Refrigerate so it stays longer.

mix immediately. Pour into a greased baking tray approxiately 8 x 8 Prepare the tempering by heating the oil and adding the cumin seeds. When they crackle, add the sesame seeds and cover so that they do not splatter. Pour this over the handvo mixture in the baking tray and bake in a preheated oven at 180 degrees C for 45 minutes or until a skewer inserted in the pan comes out clean. Garnish with coriander chutney. Serve hot.

FARAALI PANKI
Makes 4 to 6 pankis. Ingredients: 1 cup coarsely ground varagu (sama) 1/4 cup sour curd 1 tsp green chilli-ginger paste 1/4 tsp cumin seed powder (jeera) 2 to 3 tbsp oil Banana leaves Salt to taste Method: Make a thick batter using all the ingredients. Allow it to ferment for 3 to 4 hours. Add a little water if required.
SEPTEMBER 2008

UPVAAS THECHA (CHUTNEY)

Ingredients:
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Place one greased banana leaf over a heated tava and spread 2 tbsp of the batter over it. Cover with another greased banana leaf and cook on both sides till the banana leaves brown slightly and the pancake in between peels off the banana leaf easily. Repeat with the remaining batter to make the remaining pankis. Serve hot with coriander chutney. Tips: Grease the banana leaves on both the sides using little oil.

FARAALI KADHI DHOKLI

Serves 4 Ingredients: For the Kadhi: 2 tbsp arrowroot 2 cups fresh curd 1 tsp chilli-ginger paste 2 curry leaves 2 tbsp sugar

Add the tempering to the kadhi and boil for a few minutes stirring continuously. Simmer for 15 -20 minutes. For the Dhoklis 1 cup rajgira flour, 2 tbsp oil 1/4 tsp carom seeds (ajwain), Salt to taste Method: For the Dhoklis: Knead all the ingredients together with enough water to make a firm dough. Divide into four portions and roll out into thin chapattis. Gently roast on both sides and cool. Cut the chapattis into diamonds or squares and keep aside. Just before serving, boil the kadhi and slowly add in the dhokli pieces and simmer for 15 minutes. Garnish with the coriander and serve hot. Tips: Add the dhoklis one by one into the kadhi as, otherwise, they could form a big lump. Add more water if the kadhi thickens while simmering.

KAIRI WALI TURAI

Serves 4 Ingredients

2 tbsp chopped coriander Salt to taste For the Tempering: 1/2 tsp cumin (jeera) seeds, 2 cinnamon sticks, 2 cloves 2 tsp clarified butter (ghee) Method: To make the kadhi, mix the arrowroot, curd, 3 teacups of water and whisk well. Add the chilli-ginger paste, curry leaves, sugar and salt and put to boil. Boil whilst stirring for a while. Prepare the tempering by heating the ghee and frying the cumin seeds, cinnamon and cloves.
192

4 medium turai, scraped, cut into 2 inch pieces and deseeded For the Filling: tsp cumin (jeera) seeds cup grated raw mango 1 tbsp ginger green chilli paste cup ground roasted peanuts cup chopped coriander 1 tsp clarified butter (ghee) Salt, sugar and lemon juice to taste For the Tempering: 1 tbsp clarified butter (ghee) tsp cumin (jeera) seeds Method Heat the ghee in a pan and add the cumin

UPPERCRUST

seeds and then the grated raw mango and salt and saut for a few minutes till all the liquid has evaporated. Add the remaining ingredients and mix well. Keep aside. Fill the turai with this mixture and saut with ghee and cumin seeds. Cover and cook till the turai is tender and serve hot with rajgira parathas.

To be 75 years old and yet live as passionately, doing what you want to, is a blessing. Here are Jaisinh Mariwalas creative recipes.

KESAR KOPRA PAK

A traditional coconut sweet which is a popular favourite. Makes 20 pieces. Ingredients: 2 cups grated fresh coconut 2 cups sugar, 1 tsp lemon juice 1/4 tsp cardamom powder 1 tsp milk, 1 cup water 2 tsp clarified butter (ghee) A few strands of saffron For the Garnish: Slivered almonds and saffron Method: Warm the milk in a small bowl, add the saffron and stir in until the saffron dissolves. Dissolve the sugar with water and bring to a boil. Add the lemon juice.

ROASTED ONION POTATO SOUP

Ingrediants: 1 large white onion (or 2 medium sized onions) 2 large potatoes 6 black pepper corns 12 cups chopped dill weeds (suva bhaji) 1 chili thinly sliced (optional) 6 thin slices of fresh ginger 1 tsp chopped garlic 3 tbsp lemon juice tbsp sugar cup white wine (optional) Chopped coriander leaves, Salt to taste Method: Pulverize the onion to a smooth paste in the blender. Roast the pulverized onion and garlic in the pot in which you make the soup. Roast the onion well but make sure the paste doesnt turn brown or dark. Grate the potatoes with the skin (medium grate). Soak the same in 8 cups of water. Once the onion paste is well roasted, add the water with potatoes in the pot and allow to boil till the grated potatoes are translucent and well cooked. Add pepper corns, green chilli and ginger slices. Sprinkle chopped dill weed, lemon juice and sugar and boil for some more time. Finally, add the white wine (optional) just before serving.
SEPTEMBER 2008

Remove the floating dirt using a slotted spoon and strain the syrup, if necessary Boil the syrup again to 2 strings of consistency. Keep aside. Saut the grated coconut in ghee for about 2-3 minutes till any liquid dries out. Add the syrup, prepared saffron and cardamom powder. Remove from the fire while stirring continuously. The mixture must leave the sides of the pan. This indicates that the pak is ready. Spread the mixture on a thali (flat metal plate) and allow to cool. Garnish with the sliverd almonds and cut into any desired shape.
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MACHUTAR POTATO SALAD

Ingredients: 1 packet fresh white mushrooms, thinly sliced 8 baby potatoes or 2 medium sized potatoes, boiled and cut into halves with the skin on cup Italian pasta, boiled 6 fresh spring onions, chopped with the leaves 1 red firm tomato, thinly sliced

MIXED VEGETABLE RICE POT

Ingrediants: 1 cup rice soaked in water 2 chopped red tomatoes 2 small brinjals, cut into cubes 1 cup fresh green beans (pawtas or double beans) or cup baked beans 1 cup coconut milk

red & yellow (each) pepper, thinly sliced A few drops of natural vinegar Salt to taste For the Dressing: 6 tbsp olive oil 1 tbsp mayonnaise, tsp sugar 3 tbsp natural or balsamic vinegar tsp oregano or celery seeds A dash of Tabasco & chili sauce tsp roughly ground black pepper 12 small cubes of feta cheese or cottage cheese (paneer) or soft tofu 12 chopped green olives tsp paprika flakes 1 tbsp roasted white sesame seeds Chopped coriander leaves Method: Chill all the vegetables. Put some olive oil, powdered black pepper and natural vinegar and refrigerate. For the Dressing: Add the ingredients for the dressing. Shake so that dressing is blended well. Refrigerate. Before serving, place the chilled vegetables and pasta on the salad platter. Spread the cold salad dressing on the top. Garnish the platter with red paprika flakes, green olives, feta cheese (paneer or tofu), chopped coriander leaves and roasted white sesame seeds.
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1 cup chopped methi bhaji cup chopped mushrooms A few slices of green chilli 2 tsp fresh ginger and garlic cup chopped coriander leaves 6 tbsp olive oil 1 tsp garam masala 1 tsp Worchester sauce 1 tsp soy sauce 1 tsp hot & sweet sauce (optional) A dash of Tabasco Salt to taste Method: Select a suitable cooking pot (preferably non-stick Teflon coated) Heat half the olive oil sufficiently. Add green chilli, garlic and ginger Then put onions, tomatoes, brinjals, mushrooms, methi bhaji in one layer each. Sprinkle the salt, garam masala, all the sauces and the rest of the olive oil. Cover with the beans and pour coconut milk evenly. Finally, pack the pot with rice and sufficient water (put some additional water as the vegetables cooking will also need little extra water). Close the pot and allow it to cook without disturbing or turning the rice. Garnish with coriander leaves and serve.

UPPERCRUST

OMELLETES
Serves 6 Ingredients: 4 eggs, beaten 2 medium sized onions, chopped 2 red tomatoes, chopped cup well cooked (like porridge) rice 1 tbsp chopped coriander leaves

The national dish of Malta is rabbit stew. Here are a few recipes you could try. Ahem, the faint hearted could substitute rabbit with chicken.
BRAISED RABBIT WITH OLIVES
Ingredients: 1 rabbit, cut into 8 pieces 6 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil 1 large red onion, thinly sliced 5-6 white-skinned potatoes, peeled, cut into 1-inch cubes 3 bell peppers, sliced, 2 large tomatoes, chopped 1 1/4 cups sliced pitted brine-cured Sicilian green olives 2 thinly sliced celery stalks 1/3 cup drained capers 3 large garlic cloves, chopped 3 fresh thyme sprigs 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar 1/4 cup (or more) water Fresh Italian parsley sprigs Salt and pepper to taste Method: Rinse the rabbit and pat dry; sprinkle with salt and pepper. Heat 4 tbsp oil in heavy large pot over medium-high heat. Work in batches; add rabbit to pot and brown, turning often, about 8 minutes per batch. Transfer rabbit to a bowl. Reduce heat to medium. Add the remaining oil to the pot. Saut the onion for some 5 minutes. Mix in potatoes, bell peppers, tomatoes, olives, celery, capers, garlic, and thyme; cook for 5 minutes. Mix in vinegar and 1/4 cup water. Add rabbit. Cover and reduce heat to medium-low and simmer 10 minutes. Spoon some of vegetable mixture over rabbit. Cover and simmer until rabbit is tender, stirring occasionally and adding more water by 1/4 cupfuls if mixture is dry, about 30 minutes. Season. Spoon the remaining vegetables into large dish. Top with the rabbit. Garnish with parsley. Serve warm.

1 finely chopped green chilli 12 slices of fresh mushrooms Olive oil or butter For the Garnish: 2 tbsp cheddar cheese, 12 green olives A dash of Tabasco Salt and cracked black pepper to taste Method: Saute the onions a bit. Add the tomatoes and the coriander leaves. Add the porridge like cooked rice and the eggs and whisk the mixture slightly so it blends well. Take 6 small plates which can be put in the oven, otherwise take one flat baking bowl. Put few drops of olive oil or butter for coating the inner surface of the plates. Pour the mixture evenly in all the 6 plates. Sprinkle some cheese, olives, chopped green chillies (optional) cracked pepper. Add the Tabasco and finally, the coriander leaves on the top. Put the plates in preheated oven for 20 minutes. These fluffy light omelletes, with minimum fat, will be ready to be brought on the table. The omelletes should be served in the plates straight from the oven.
JULY

RABBIT & SAGE FRICASSEE

Serves 4 Ingredients: 4 large rabbit joints or 8 smaller ones 40 gm butter 1 medium onion, finely chopped
SEPTEMBER 2008

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285 ml dry white wine 200 ml chicken stock 1/2 leveled tbsp chopped fresh sage or 1/2 tsp dried sage 2 leveled tbsp chopped parsley 1/2 tbsp plain flour 1/2 tbsp butter 3 tbsp single cream 1 egg yolk Salt & freshly ground black pepper Method: Melt the butter in a large pan and fry the onion gently for 4 mins. Add the rabbit joints and brown them evenly on all sides. Add the white wine, stock, chopped sage, parsley and season to taste with salt and pepper. Bring to the boil, cover and simmer for about 30 mins or until the rabbit is just tender. Remove the rabbit joints from the pan and keep warm. Cream the flour and butter together to a smooth paste. Boil the juices in the pan for 3 mins. Beat in the paste a knob at a time until the sauce has thickened slightly and smooth. In a small bowl, beat the cream with the egg yolk then stir it into the sauce. Heat the sauce through, but do not allow to boil. Return rabbit joints to the pan and heat through. Transfer to a warm serving dish and garnish with croutons and sprigs of fresh sage.

1 tsp olive oil 1 stock cube 1 1/4 cups red wine flour Salt and pepper to taste Method: Add salt and pepper to flour. Mix well. Roll rabbit portions in seasoned flour. Cook rabbit in olive oil until slightly brown. Add onions, garlic, tomatoes, carrots and potatoes to the pot. Pour most of the wine over the ingredients. Add tomato paste, stock cube and bay leaves. Add mixed herbs and peas. Bring to a boil and simmer for about an hour and a half. Add more wine if sauce begins to dry up.

FENEK MOQLI (FRIED RABBIT)

STUFFAT TAL-FENEK (RABBIT STEW)

Ingredients: 1 rabbit 2 onions, sliced, 6 garlic cloves, peeled 3 large tomatoes, peeled and chopped 2 tsp tomato paste 3 potatoes, peeled and quartered 6 carrots, peeled and sliced 1 cup peas 2 bay leaves Mixed herbs
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Ingredients: 1 rabbit, 1 tbsp sunflower oil 1 tsp fresh garlic, chopped 1 1/2 cups dry white wine 1 tsp thyme Salt and pepper to taste Method: Cut rabbit in medium sized pieces In a large bowl, place the rabbit and cover with most of the wine save 1/4th of it. Mix in the garlic, thyme, and add some salt and pepper. Cover and refrigerate overnight or for approximately 6 hrs. In a large shallow frying pan heat sunflower oil. Add some garlic to the oil and fry for a few minutes on moderate heat (do not fry till golden brown). Take the rabbit pieces and fry in large frying pan, turning occasionally, till rabbit cooks well. You may add salt, pepper and thyme (or your favourite herb). Sprinkle more white wine occasionally. Rabbit may be served with french fries and a big green salad.

UPPERCRUST

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Feedback

Suneeta Rao

Are you a foodie? Mum feels I have a refined palate! And I have a maid who is a great Andhra cook. She has surpassed my mother and grandmother, both great Andhra cooks themselves, who trained her! Besides, both my sisters are gourmet cooks. One lives in Switzerland and one in Bangalore. The one in Switzerland has access to amazing ingredients! Your food philosophy? Make it good, make it frequent but dont overdo it. Any dietary dos and donts? I dont eat too late at night. And nothing deep fried. But at about 7.30 p.m. I can get puckish and have to try hard not to munch on wafers or Lehar Kurkure! Are you a junk foodie? Im very aware of what I eat. Once in a while, in the US, I may indulge in a big whopper. But when I want a pizza Ill go to proper restaurant and order a thin crust. Your favourite food? Its a tough fight between my Andhra home cuisine and Kerala or Mangalore sea food. Andhra food has incredible variety. You dont miss the lack of meat as there are so many different things you can do with each vegetable. And the pickles and chutneys add zest. You have to be able to handle the spice, though. But my best friend is Gujarati and I love their sweetish food too. Im very versatile and adventurous with food. Till the age of fourteen I was vegetarian and then switched when my aunt introduced me to Kerala cuisine, with its divine sea food. Do you cook? Not regularly. I prefer to cook when Im sharing. I make good pasta and salads. I used to bake a lot in school apple crumble, brownies. But I just dont remember recipes and must always use a reference. What do you enjoy drinking? Im a wine person. Any tips for aspiring gourmands? Its all in the ingredients try not to mix too many things. Indulgence or abstinence which is the better option? You cant make choices between extremes! Dont overdo it. Your sweet treat? Im a confectionery freak, especially when Im in Europe. I dart into every little bakery! Your comfort food? Pasta with pesto. I wish pine nuts werent so expensive in India. But I grow a good basil at home. What nourishes you? Love. How clichd can I get!
SUNEETA RAO INTERVIEWED BY SHERNAAZ ENGINEER & PHOTOGRAPHED BY AKASH MEHTA