Tag: cheap food

Instant Noodles at rescue!
This one’s on an inspiration from a friend who, much to his gastronomic tragedy, is leading an independent life with zero cooking skills in Bangalore. To worsen things for him, he has a staunch dislike for Kannada cuisine. Eating out is obviously an option, and my earlier article which was on the best eating-out places in Bangalore, did seem to help him lot, but that on a regular basis is not a healthy option I suppose.

So, this friend of mine who, prior to his relocation, was a gluttonic persona, when it came to gulping in plethoric amounts of food, beyond the realms of simplicity and home. Expecting his mother to impersonate a chef, this man now broods at the thought of eating out, after having been seriously down with food poisoning for almost a week.

Therefore, the dilemmic situation where nor his pocket or his health allowed regular meals from restaurants or fast-food centres, he had to take to take it upon himself to start cooking. Instant noodles the only prospective saviour, but that too would be extremely monotonous for every day. So, to start off with we found out a few recipes (some that I had invented out of my love for noodles) that are super easy, simple and divinely delicious. So treat yourself these quick tasty ventures as soon as possible!

Maggi (Veg or Non-veg) Omelette

INGREDIENTS
- Maggi Noodles (of course!) – 1 small packet
- Semolina (rava) – 1 cup
- Green chillies – 2-3
- Onion (medium) – 2
- Besan (Bengal gram flour) – 1 cup
- Dhania or Coriander leaves
- Sprouted moong (whole green gram )- ½ cup
- Grated coconut- ¼ cup
- Grated carrot- ¼ cup
- Olive oil- ½ cup
- Ginger-garlic paste- 1 teaspoon
- Egg (optional) – 1
- Grated Cheese
- Pinch of salt
METHOD
- Boil the maggi in 2 cups of water. Drain and set aside. Drizzle a few drops of olive oil to prevent the noodles from sticking to one another.
- In a bowl, mix besan, rava, and ginger-garlic paste, salt and keep aside.
- Beat the egg,and put in the noodles,maggi masala, chopped onions,grated carrot and coconut,coriander leaves, green chillies, and mix it with the basen mixture,thouroughly,to make a batter with some water.
- Take a non-stick dosa pan, and brush some oil onto it and heat it.
- Pour and spread out the batter, on the pan, to make an omelette.
- Sprinkle some moong sprouts over the omelette
- Cover the lid and let it simmer on low heat.
- Remove after 2 minutes,and garnish with cheese and coriander leaves! Voila!
Noodles Upma

INGREDIENTS
- Maggi Noodles- 1 packet
- Finely chopped veggies (carrots, capsicum, beans, etc.)- 1 cup
- Chopped onions – ¼ cup
- Chopped green chillies- ½ cup
- Chopped coriander for garnishing
- Mustard seeds (rai/sarson) – ¼ teaspoon
- Olive oil or vegetable oil- 1 tablespoon
- Curry leaves (Kadi patta) – 5-6
- Asafoetida (hing) – ¼ teaspoon
- Salt to taste
METHOD
- Put 2-3 drops of oil in a small vessel of water and bring it to boil.
- Add in the noodles into it and allow it to cook for 2 minutes
- Remove from heat and drain the excess water
- In a pan, heat oil and add the mustard seeds, curry leaves and asafoetida.
- Once the seeds crackle, pop in the onions, and sauté for a minute
- Add in the green chillies and the veggies. Mix well and sprinkle salt and let it cook for some 5 minutes, till the vegetables have softened.
- Add the cooked noodles into it and mix.
- Sprinkle the coriander leaves and serve with cheese (optional)
Maggi Masala Tikka

Now, so much of Maggi, might result in some plates of leftovers. For that too, we have a solution. The sticky heap of noodles can be transformed into a quirky evening snack in just 10 minutes.

INGREDIENTS
- Maggi noodles – leftover, of almost 1 packet amount
- Boiled potatoes -2
- Boiled carrot- 1
- Chopped onions- 2
- Chopped coriander leaves
- Ginger-garlic paste- 3 tsp.
- Olive oil or vegetable oil- 5 tbsps.
- Chat masala- 1 tsp.
- Bread crumbs (optional)
- Biscuit(powdered)
- Salt to taste
METHOD
- Boil a packet of Maggi in 2 cups of water, or simply use the leftover Maggi
- Take a medium bowl and grate in boiled potatoes and carrots and bread crumbs into the boiled noodles and mix well. Don’t worry about breaking the noodles, that doesn’t really matter.
- Add into it, the ginger-garlic paste, chat masala, Maggi masala (optional), salt and coriander, and mix.
- Once the mixture is done properly, shape them into small flat balls, like tikkas.
- Dip the tikkas in the biscuit powder for a crispy texture and deep fry or shallow fry them. Soak them in tissue paper to get rid of the excess oil ,sprinkle some more chat masala or Maggi masala and serve with tamarind or dhania chutney. I suggest garlic sauce or tarator sauce(recipe given in my another article)
Baked Corn and Cheese Maggi

An inspired version of classic baked Macaroni and cheese, this is one of my favourites. Planning to dip into a silky, gooey and smooth delicacy while flipping through the pages of your favourite book, or while enjoying a film, this is the perfect Friday-evening companion!

INGREDIENTS
- Maggi Noodles- 2 packets
- Shredded mozzarella cheese- 2 ½ cup
- Water- 1 ½ cup
- Butter- 2 tbsps.
- Semi boiled corns- ½ cup
- Salt to taste
METHOD
- In a vessel, pour 2 ½ cups of water and bring it to boil.
- Add the Maggi noodles into it along with the masala.
- Pop in the corns and sprinkle the Maggi masala and let it cook. Don’t overcook the noodles, or even leave it too watery.
- Take a flat baking tray and grease it with few stokes of butter
- As you see the noodles half cooked, pour it all into the baking tray
- Level it all and cover the top surface with shredded cheese
- Sprinkle some fresh herbs (coriander, rosemary or parsley) onto it.
- Now, slide in the baking tray in a preheated oven and let it bake for some 4- 5 minutes.
- Once the cheese starts melting, and you can glimpse a light brown crust on top, it’s time to take the take tray out. Serve and dig!
Bon appetite!
July 27, 2014
Food Walk – Part I

Photo Walk.

Sure.

But how many of you have heard of “FOOD WALK”?

Food Walk (definition):

You walk. You go places. You try out different delicacies. You eat, eat and eat.

Your knowledge of food increases tenfold. Your waist-line – not so much, since you are literally walking the whole way and that makes up for all the calories you intake.

Going around the city with my friends from college, I have learnt a great deal about my Kolkata and its food culture. We, more often, hit the old cabins of the yesteryears than the posh Park Street restaurants – because, well, we are students at the end of the day with just enough cash for our endeavors.

One of the very first places we went to was Das Cabin, situated in Gariahat. We googled it’s speciality : Moghlai , Kosha Mangsho( Spiced Chicken/Mutton) with Roti and Kobiraji. And the foodies that we are, we ordered all three. The prices were quite reasonable and the food was impeccable. The Moghlai was small and soft with a considerable amount of filling. I would have to say I have had better – in South Pole, to be precise, which is also in Gariahat(Note: South Pole serves Moghlai only after 3 p.m.). The Kosha Mangsho was delicious and can give good competition to the one in the famous Golabari in Shyambazar. And the Kabiraji – o the kabiraji! – was crisp, made with the right amount of spice in the patty and with each bite, you could literally hear the angels sing.

A try-at-home recipe –

Fish Kobiraji

Ingredients: 10 bhetki fillets, ½ tsp mustard powder, ½ tsp black pepper powder, 1 tsp red chili powder, 1 tsp coriander and mint leaves (chopped), 10 Eggs, 2 tbsp cornflour, 2 tsp Breadcrumbs (optional), Juice of one lemon, Salt

Direction: Wash the bekti fillet under running water, pat them dry and soak in salt and lemon juice for 20 minutes. Mix the mustard powder, red chili powder, black pepper powder, coriander and mint leaves together and apply on the each side of the fillets evenly and refrigerate it for another 20 minutes. Beat the eggs and mix the cornflour, breadcrumbs with salt. Heat some oil in a pan and add two tablespoons of egg mixture. As soon as it becomes fluffy add the marinated fish fillet and quickly cover it with the egg mixture. Fry on low to Medium heat till done. Serve hot with kasundi (Bengali mustard sauce) and salad.

Another day, we decided to walk from Presidency University to New Market, from there to Sudder Street and thereby, in the end, landing up in Park Street. If you walk to the right of Presidency University, a little near College Square, you will find a tiny old cabin reminiscing its old world charms. Favourite Cabin is a cabin which has tales etched in all its nooks and corners; oft frequented by the older generation, it felt amazing to sit there, the only people below 55, sipping 3-rupees-milk-tea, biting into crunchy Cream Roll and observing the theatric conversations buzzing around us.

Sudder Street, however shady it may be, has quite a few good food places – Blue Sky Café and Spanish Café being the most popular ones. I’m yet to visit Blue Sky Café but having chanced upon Spanish Café, I got to say it serves reasonably priced and yummilicious food. Their Café Bombon is a must-have! The Chocolate Pancake is simply a piece of ambrosia. The Mint Tea is refreshing – the way you feel when you hear Richard Stoltzman’s The Maid With Flaxen Hair. In short, you absolutely must try them!

Here are the home-made alternatives –

Chocolate Pancake

Ingredients: 1 cup refined flour (maida), 3 tbsp chocolate grated, 1/3 cup cocoa powder, ½ tsp soda, 1 cup Milk, 2 tbsp butter melted, 1 egg, ¼ cup sugar, ½ tsp salt, Castor sugar (to sprinkle)

Direction: Sieve together flour, baking soda, cocoa powder into a bowl. Add milk, melted butter, egg, sugar, salt and mix well. Heat the skillet and pour a ladleful of batter on the skillet and cook on both sides until brown. Serve hot sprinkled with caster sugar and grated chocolate on top.

Mint Tea

Ingredients: 2 tbsp fresh mint leaves (pudina), 2 tea bags or 2 tsp tea leaves, 2 and half cups of water (each cup being equal to 250 ml), milk, sugar (as per taste)

Direction: Wash the mint leaves in water. In a tea pan or tea maker, add water. Add the mint leaves. Boil the water for 3-4 minutes till the flavors and aroma of the mint starts infusing in the water. The water will start becoming green. Let the quantity of green color in the water increase considerably. Add the tea leaves. Add sugar. Add milk and let the tea come to a boil. Serve the mint tea with light tea-time biscuits. If using tea bags, then put off the burner. In the hot water, dip the tea bags for 2-3 mins. Add sugar and hot milk. Stir and serve.

(To be continued)

July 7, 2014
Street Food

In simple terms, street food can be defined as the food available in the streets. It’s basically ready-to-eat food which is prepared by local venders and then sold to the consumers. The business is carried out in a food truck or a cart where the food is prepared. Mostly regional in nature however there are a lot many venders who venture out into different cuisines in order to expand their market. Since the investment to start this business is comparatively less, the price of the food items is also cheap however we have no guarantee regarding the quality of the food. Many venders believe that quality matters a lot because if the food is tasty but not hygienic then the business might not run well and so in some cases special care is taken regarding safety and hygiene. Earlier street food was not so popular due to quality reasons and secondly people did not have the facility of bringing the kitchen out in the streets or having a mobile kitchen which can both cook and travel to different locations. However over the years lifestyle has changed and people are finding ways to do things in a quick and smart way. This formula was applied to food as well. Due to long working hours and busy schedules, people rely on street food and other fast food joints which relieve them from preparing food at home after work. Moreover with quality standards being established, faith in street food has improved over the years. Today people demand food for a number of reasons such as delicious food at cheap price or for many it’s a way of knowing what other cuisines have to offer while for others it’s an excuse to get holiday from the kitchen. People who look for convenience at cheap prices may not be concerned much about hygiene or sanitation. According to a study done in 2007 by the Food and Agricultural Organization, about 2.5 billion people consume street food every day.

There is no proper evidence which tells us who or how the idea of street food was introduced however it’s found that street food was basically concentrated for the poor who did not have the proper facilities for cooking for example in Rome. In china, street food was for the servants and the lower strata of the society. Wealthy households used to send their servants to buy street food for themselves while they ate rich home cooked food. Many of the African settlers made a living by selling street food in America. The products they sold ranged from cakes and biscuits to coffee, tea, soups and other light foods such as snacks. Venders when found a base in the society expanded their business and started offering food items such as grilled and fried beef, oysters and other meat items which attracted more people. French fries which had been introduced as a street food became very famous among the public and also started being offered in very well established hotels and restaurants. In Thailand Street food had not found its popularity until the 1960s when urbanization occurred rapidly and home cooked food was displaced with street food.

The contribution done by these street venders was neglected or unnoticed by the government for a long time. However when a study was done it was found that in Indonesia about US$67 million was generated in the economy through street food sales alone while in Malaysia it was found to be about US$2.2 million per annum. Since all these revenues are earned by the vendors itself, it’s in a way helping the economy to be self sufficient. Being a part of the informal sector can be one reason why it was never given much importance because it was always viewed that the formal sector was the engine of growth of the economy however over the years planners have seen that with limited employment opportunities available in the formal sector along with high level of competition, the importance of informal sector is coming into the picture. There are many people who due to various economical or social backwardness, fail to get in the formal sector however find work easily in this industry. The International Labour Organization reveals that about 29 percent of the labour force is employed in street food industry where the vendors earn three to ten times more than the minimum wage rate. In many countries the monthly wages earned by these vendors is almost equal to the wages earned by people involved in the formal sector. Women participation has also increased in this business over the years with 90 percent increase in Philippines and 40 percent increase in Indonesia.

With advantages such as delicious food at cheap rates, better employment opportunities, self- sufficiency, women participation etc, there are some disadvantages as well that follows. Contamination of food followed by the use of additives and colouring agents are some of the biggest issues associated with it. However study reveals that it is not the ingredients which go inside rather it is the quantity of these chemicals which we consume that matters. Moreover the water used in preparation of food also affects its quality. Therefore it is suggested that snacks which are fried and food which is hot is safe as they are consumed immediately and since it’s hot, kills most of the microorganisms. There are many other incidents which question the quality of food provided by these vendors for example in 2011, a Pani Puri seller in thane was filmed urinating into the container which was used to serve the consumers. Secondly there are many hawkers who sell without proper permit from the municipality. As a result of which in 2007 the Supreme Court ordered the municipality to demolish and remove all hawkers and food joints which did not have the required permit or did not approve to the quality standards.

With increasing globalization and tourism, the safety of street food has become an important concern for government. There are many ways such as training programs or rewarding programs for vendors which can help in improving the quality as well as build up confidence in street food resulting in the growth of both the industry and the economy.

June 13, 2014