Khajur Barfi

The Khajur Barfi was the only item I made myself this Diwali. It was an off-the-phone recipe. It's also probably the easiest kind of barfi you've ever made; if you like dates, that is.

Ingredients:
1/2 lb Dates
1/2 cup-full almonds
1/2 cup-full pistachios
5 Tbs Ghee

Serves: 20 pieces

Method: Finely cut the dates, finer the better. Chop the nuts and roast them lightly in the ghee. You can add any kind of nuts, not just pistas and almonds. After roasting them for about 2 minutes, add the entire portion of chopped dates in the pan. Mix continuously for five minutes or so. You will notice that the dates begin to congeal and form a big blob in the center. I was unaware of this property of dates - that they begin to melt when heated. The trick though is to cut the dates as fine as possible. After about 15 minutes, remove this 'blob' from the pan and set it in a tray. Spread it evenly and set aside to cool. Once cooled and slightly hardened, make squares and your barfi is ready.


Cooking Time: 15 minutes, though the preliminaries - cutting the dates and nuts is a little time-consuming.

Mine turned out okay, the pieces weren't as firm as I would have liked them to be. I didn't heat it long enough. It tasted great though. Good Luck with yours.

Tamarind Seed

Tamarind Seed sits daintily at the intersection of Peachtree and 14th Street. It’s definitely the best Thai restaurant I’ve been to. Period. The fact that it was my birthday added to the unique charm that this restaurant has to offer. Everything including the décor, the music playing in the background, the orchids, the servers in traditional garb and the dinnerware was authentically and stylishly Thai.

The food was truly a gastronomic delight. I would definitely suggest the Pad-Thai, clichéd but delicious. This restaurant, I think, also scores a perfect ten in presentation; not just a mouthful but an eyeful as well! All the dishes were creatively styled with purple orchids. We finished off with a bowl of ice-cream with Thai condiments and nuts. The service was perfect too, understated but efficient. Tamarind Seed, earns a G-Star and more importantly, a Zagat rating!

Happy Diwali

What's on my plate this Diwali ? Kaju barfi, jalebi, gulab jamun, chikki and badams; all store-brought; such a far cry from the home-made sweets of India. I never thought I'd say this but I actually miss cutting nuts and making laddus with Mom. Even the store bought mithai isn't as good as the ones back home, they seem to lack a certain richness. I did make one mithai though. It isn't ready as yet, wonder how it's going to turn out. Anyway, Happy Diwali to everyone.

Shout

Shout is a chic lounge located in the heart of midtown, on 14th street to be precise. It’s probably one of the hippest places that Atlanta has to offer. There’s always a Hummer or two idling right outside, people milling around waiting for tables, a steady hum of hip-hop and fluorescent lighting that boldly states ‘Shout’.

I don’t think that Shout caters just the one cuisine. They have tapas that range from sushi platters to noodle bowls to samosas. The samosas are actually pretty good; just for kicks ask your server what a ‘samosa’ is. It’s entertaining when he describes it as an Indian pâté stuffed with vegetables.

The dining area is pretty huge and the mirrored walls give it an illusion of being even bigger than it really is. The seating is intimate; there are cozy booths that are big enough for a group of friends and tables for two that allow for close conversation. The kitchen is in full view of the tables and you can see the chefs and the sous chefs in action. Shout also serves a type of ‘Roomali Roti’ which the chef will make in front of you; roti twisted and thrown up in the air with a whole lot of pizzazz! More than the food however, I think this place is infamous for its bar.

They also have a roof-top that is usually reserved for private functions. When not in use, they have a live band and the dance floor is open for all. Their tagline states - Food Fun Flirt. I think it's all that and more.

Ali Baba

This is actually an Indo-Pak grocery store. It's on Alpharetta Hwy, right opposite the Honda dealership. They primarily sell Halal meat. It's not one of those stores where they throw in bones and fat to increase weight. You can buy some honest to goodness 'mutton' from this store. But it's what they sell on Friday's that's worth writing home about.


Friday's is Biryani Day at Ali Baba. It's the perfect place to get a take-out from if you really want to eat something mouth-watering but aren't in a mood to dress up and go to town. It's $6 for a box of chicken biryani and $7 for mutton. Apart from biryani, they also sell Chicken 65, patties and kebabs. They also cater for parties and events. It's Pakistani food, it has to be good!

ECCO

Ecco is yet another mid-town find. According to me, it falls under the category of ‘sinful’; or thereabout. I have a quick way of sizing up restaurants; when the size of the portion on your plate is inversely proportionate to the dollar value it has on the menu, then that place is most certainly ‘sinful’!


That’s not to say that the price is not justified or that the food is not delectable. It was, both. I would recommend their house, wood-fired pizzas. The crusts are wafer thin and served on a wooden platter. The bruschetta was also very delicious.


This is an Italian restaurant with French accents, it is not a dress-down place, so make sure you’re looking spiffy!

Simple Pasta

I’ve never been a big pasta enthusiast but ever since G junior’s move to Italy, she’s been raving about the types of pastas and pizzas she’s been eating. That probably explains my sudden interest in pasta. This one here is the simplest of recipes but very flavorful.

Ingredients:
¾ lb penne pasta
2 Tbs olive oil (or EVOO as Rachel Ray would say it!)
7-8 garlic flakes
Oregano
Cup full of mushroom (portabella – they’re meatier)
Cup full of green peppers
3 Tbs sun dried tomatoes *
3 Tbs black olives *
Pepper – as per preference

* The black olives are usually canned and the sun dried tomatoes come pickled in bottles.

Method:
Boil the pasta and keep aside. Peel and finely mince the garlic flakes. The mushroom and peppers can be cut in thin vertical strips. In a pan sauté the chopped garlic in the EVOO. Add the green peppers and the mushroom along with pepper, salt and oregano flakes. After they cook a little, add the sundried tomatoes and the black olives. Cook together for another 5 minutes. The sun dried tomatoes have their own oil so you needn’t add too much of olive oil right in the beginning.

You can also boil some chicken, shred it and add it to this mixture. Cook together for another 5 minutes and then mix in the boiled pasta. You’re done.

In the picture, doing what she does best, is my Pasta Queen.