Mezze, the new Mediterranean cafe in Chennai.

3days old this place is buzzing with people and fresh food.

What I liked about this place is everything is made Fresh. They make their own pita bread too.

What we had :

Lamb meat balls with salad

Shish taouk ( slow cooked marinated chicken, with pickled vegetables fries and Lebanese garlic dip with pita)

Lamb lahmajoum ( Turkish thin crust pizza with minced lamb and tomatoes).

Zatar garlic and mint yogurt with garlic -parsley-chilli pita.

Fresh brewed lemon mint ice tea and lychee cooler.

Food was the freshest and the best.

They could probably improve the portions, the portions were very small.

Must visit place!

This is the fish fry I use for my fish and chips recipe. I skipped the chips this time.

Ingredients:

1) 1/2 kg skinless boneless fish fillet

2) 2tbsp cornflour

3) 2tbdp plain flour

4) 1 egg

5) 1tsp milk or cream

6) 1 cup bread crumbs

7) 1tsp dry mixed herbs

8) oil for deep frying

Method:

1) Cut and clean the fish fillet

2) whip the egg and milk/ cream with a pinch of salt.

3) mix the cornflour and plain flour

4) mix the bread crumbs and dry mixed herbs

5) Heat oil in a pan, when the oil is hot, take a piece of fish, dust with the mixed dry flour, dip in egg, roll in the bread crumbs and deep fry.

Do not over fry, fish cooks very fast.

Enjoy with chips or just a yummy dip!

Pesto Paratha Inspired by my recent visit to Prithvi cafe at Mumbai. Ingredients: 2 cups wheat flour 1/2 TSP salt Water to mix the dough 1tsp oil For the filling: 5 medium size potatoes boiled 3 -4 tbsp pesto sauce Salt to taste if required Method: Mix the flour, salt, water and oil and make the dough, cover and leave aside. Mash the boiled potatoes with pesto sauce and salt if required. Make into tennis size balls. Divide the dough into tennis ball size portions. Take one portion of the dough roll into small Puri size portion, apply olive oil and place one portion of the potato on the Puri and close it. Roll the stuffed paratha with a rolling pin or hands (I rolled the paratha with my hands) Place the paratha on a hot pan and fry till cooked. You may apply olive oil or butter on the paratha. Serve with cheese dip and salsa.

Steam fish coated in Rice. Ingredients: 1) 250 gms of boneless fish cubes 2) 1-2 TSP chilli powder 3) 1tsp turmeric powder 4) salt to taste 5) pinch of garam masala 6) 1tsp oil 7) 1/2 TSP lemon juice or vinegar 8) 1/4 cup basmati rice soaked in water for minimum 1/2 hour. Method: 1)) Drain rice from water and keep aside. 2) Apply all masala, salt, vinegar/ lime juice and oil to the fish cubes. Let it marinate for 10-15mins. 3) Coat the marinated fish cubes with the rice and steam. I used a bamboo steamer with banana leaf in the base for more flavour. You may use a regular steamer. You can serve this a appetizer or snack.

Baked prawns with cheese and fresh herbs.

Ingredients:

1) Fresh medium size prawns. I use Tiger prawns and white sea prawns.

2) mozzarella cheese

3) Fresh rosemary

4) Fresh parsley

5) Butter to grease the baking tray

Method:

1) Wash the prawns. With the help of a scissors or sharp knife split open the prawn vertically from top and split it flat open. Do not remove the skin.

2) Crumble the cheese, chop the herbs and mix them together.

3) preheat the oven, place the cheese and herb mixture in between the split prawn.

4) Grease the baking tray with butter and place the prawn on the baking tray.

5) Bake the prawn at 180 degrees for 10mins.

Serve hot.

Madlouaha, A Lebanese Dessert made in my kitchen in India.

When I think of a Lebanese lunch my mind also goes to think if I could make a dessert from the same cuisine.

That’s when I came across this easy to make dessert from that part of the world.

Madlouaha is a simple recipe with basic ingredients, most of them available in our kitchen.

Ingredients:

1) 2 Cups milk
2) 1/4 Cup shredded coconut
3) 1/3 cup Rava/Semolina
4) 2 tsp sugar
5) 200gms whipped cream/ fresh cream
6) Sugar syrup (made with 1/4 cup water and 1/4 cup sugar, boiled for 5mins, for flavour add rose water or any extract or essence, I used strawberry extract)
7) Nuts for garnish, usually pistachios are used (You may use your choice of nuts too)

Method:

1) Mix the milk, rava/semolina, sugar, shredded coconut in a pan and bring it to boil. Stir constantly till the mixture thickens (around 5-10 mins)

2) Grease a bowl with oil and pour the mixture in the bowl. Cool and refrigerate for 2hours.

3) Whip the cream. The mixture that is cooling in the refrigerator would have taken shape and set, this can now be transferred to a serving plate.

4) Apply the fresh/whipped cream on the pudding, garnish with nuts/pistachio and drizzle the sugar syrup before you serve.

It is a very delicate flavoured dessert.

Lowell’s at pike market place, Seattle.
Long pending post which I thought I should write. Since the pike market was my dream destination  after I read the book “FISH” by Stephen C Lundin.
Pike market place was just as I imagined it to be. Lots of colour, noise aroma and life!
Lowell’s is inside the market and it is buzzing with people walking in and out through the day.

The Creamy clam chowder was something that I loved and off course was the best, it was served in soft from inside and crispy from our side sour dough bun.

The mixed seafood louie truly showcased the freshness of the seafood and blended well with the subtle favours.

House cured wild king salmon lox was the king of the menu. I enjoyed every bite of the fish. And also went the next day again for lunch for a repeat menu. such was my indulgence.

Grilled vegetable panzanella, though a vegetarian dish, had some appetising flavours and I liked the taste.

In all it is a place that every seafood crazy tourist must visit. I would say a trip to Seattle is incomplete if you do not dine at Lowell’s.

This dish has been in my to do list for a while.

Ingredients:

1) 400 gms fresh crab meat

2) 1tbsp finely chopped celery

3) salt to taste

4) 1/2 cup bread crumbs

5) mixed herbs

6) 1 egg

7) 1 tsp mayonnaise

Method:

Mix the fresh crab meat, chopped celery, salt, mixed herbs and bread crumbs.

Beat the egg and mayonnaise. Add to the crab meet.

In a pan take some oil and shallow fry the crab cake.

Note- you could add Corriander or chives instead of celery.

Recipe for baked Jalapeno.

Ingredients:

1) 3 Jalapenos / bajji chillies in India.

2) 1 corn steamed

3) mixed herbs

4) 2 slice of cheese

5) oil to spray

Method:

slit the chilli length wise, remove the seeds.

Take half slice of cheese place it inside the chilli.

Stuff some steamed sweet corn kernels on the cheese inside the chilli.

Sprinkle mixed herbs and place some more little pieces of cheese on top of the corn.Spray some oil.

Bake in preheated oven at 200 degree for 15-20 mins.

Note-you could also stuff the Jalapeno with cooked chicken mince, meat mince or prawns. Adding your desired flavour, masala or spice.

Fusion food at its best!

We visited this place on a rainy evening. When we entered the place, we were extremely impressed with the décor. Funky fusion interiors i must say.

This made us even more curious to taste the food.

We started offcourse with the soup. Mutton barely shorba and ladhaki thupka soup. I personally liked the thukpa.

In the starter’s the achari chicken and bharwani paneer kebab stole the show.

The beef steak cutlet bao was yummy and juicy.

Kheema and pav bhaji fondue was a perfect fusion and had a awesome blend. The cheese chilly pakoda made my veggie friends happy.

Prawn balchao stuffed calamari on bed of lapsi was the star dish of the day.

Haldi prawn with sabudana papad was a subtle flavour.

Red hibiscus ice tea was served in a beaker. Apparently the hibiscus is plucked fresh from the garden and added to the tea, impressive isn’t it?

With our tummy full we had place only for one dessert. Gajar Ka halwa samosa with candy floss. Yum, yummy, yummiest.

Overall, good food, amazing ambience, warm service, awesome rainy evening with the most exciting fusion food!