With any joyous occasion comes a feast! And the kitchen gets busy with festive menus and opulent dishes are brought out to the fore! The typical home sees Granny getting out her secret recipe of the Biryani… the Lord of the enhanced Basmati rice dish that is fit only for the most revered guests!

Entertaining at home, on gets away with boiled rice for casual friends, over the week.

When you are trying to impress someone, you graduate to a pulao rice dish, which has added ingredients to the basic Basmati rice.

Then the in-laws arrive…. SOS messages ring out to grandma, and she goes out and get the best 1-2 year old basmati and starts to prepare a biryani, the richest rice dish there is in the Indian repertoire….

The in-laws are impressed by the extra long grain basmati and enquire how this rice has a full aroma, a specialty of Basmati Rice…. The deal is sealed! The biryani did the trick! She is now engaged to be married…..

My Granny had the most awesome recipe for the Biryani and I got this from her in the Punjab

‘Use the best ingredients you can find puttar’, (son), and she insisted in preparing ahead of time, hence the frying of the onions ….

Get the best long grain basmati, the freshest of the leg of lamb from your local butcher, and fresh spices that will transport your guests to gastro heaven!

To get to seal the cooking vessel , put a naan or roti dough seal over the top and cook on slow heat. The ‘dum’ or steam will finish the dish perfectly….. sprinkle with Kalonji (onion or nigella seeds, and fresh coriander. Bake in the oven until a colour forms on the dough lid, and baste with butter to glaze the top…

Happy Cooking…

Handi Gosht Biryani - By Andy Varma

Ingredients	Quantity
Basmati rice	1 kg
Diced lamb leg	1 kg
Ginger paste	30 gm
Garlic paste	20 gm
Salt	To taste
Red chili powder	10 gm
Black & Green cardamoms	4 each
Chopped cloves	4
Bay Leaves	2
Cinnamon sticks	2
Green chili	2
Yogurt (Thick)	100 gm
Ghee (clarified butter)	150 gm
Fresh Mint	10 gm
Chopped coriander	20 gm
Fried onion	50gm
Garam Masala	pinch
Saffron	.5 gm
Nan dough	60 gm
	Yield: 10 portions

Method

1. Marinate the diced lamb with ginger, garlic, salt, chili powder, yogurt, fried onion and garam masala.
2. Add the cardamom, cloves, cinnamon& bay leaves, saffron in hot ghee and sauté
3. In a handi, add marinated meat and cook on a slow fire for 5 minutes, gently braise the meat to get colour
4. Separately boil the basmati rice until half cooked in salted water. Drain and keep aside. Arrange boiled rice over the lamb.
5. Sprinkle melted butter, coriander, mint, chili and a pinch of garam masala and soaked saffron.
6. Cover and seal the handi with the dough and cook on a slow fire for 45 minutes.
7. Serve with pomegranate & cucumber raita & mango pickle

Tandoori chicken, the Indian national bird (the one that we are allowed to eat…) is one of my favourite dishes! It reeks of rusticity, and pure goodness… is so simple to prepare, and has this taste, that transports you to gourmet heaven, as soon as you get a whiff of it coming out of the tandoor (Clay Oven) or your BBQ… Ahhaaa… its pure bliss….

This is a typical dish from the north of India, and has it’s roots from the Moghul times, and was perfected by a fellow named Kundan Lal Gujral , who revealed his recipe and version in his restaurant in Peshawar. After Partition, he fled to Delhi, India and opened up shop in Old Delhi, Daryagunj, and become extremely famous. His recipe of cooking a chicken in the tandoor was unique, as until then, the tandoor was mainly used to bake breads…

So here goes my recipe for this delicious chicken preparation

Tandoori Chicken – Andy’s Recipe

Ingredients	Quantity
Skinned Chicken	1 full chicken 750 –900 gm bird
First Marinade
Ginger paste	25gm
Garlic paste	25gm
Oil	15gm
Red chili powder	2 gm
Salt	Pinch
Garam Masala	2 gm
Lemon juice	2 tsp.
Final Marinade
Drained yoghurt	50gm
Salt	Pinch
Red chili powder	Pinch
Garam masala	Pinch
Lemon juice	20 ml
Kashmiri Deghi Mirch	A pinch
Oil	10gm
Kasuri Methi	Pinch
Chaat Masala	Pinch
Yield: 2 portions

Method

1. Clean and skin the chicken. Wash thoroughly. Cut Incisions on the breast and thigh and keep ready for marinating
2. Prepare the first marinade by mixing the ingredients until smooth. Apply to cut chicken pieces. Leave for 30 minutes. This gives the chicken the ‘North Indian Punjab di murgi’ character… Punjab’s stamp on the chicken….
3. Prepare the second marinade in the same manner. Apply the marinade. Leave for 2 hours … This reinforces the character of this bird… Strictly from the north of India and Pakistan
4. Cook the chicken Tandoori on a skewer in the tandoor or Oven (250º for 12 minutes) until half cooked.
5. Pull out of the oven and let the chicken stand for 5 minutes. Baste with butter, and cook for a further 8-10 minutes
6. Squeeze 1 tsp of lemon juice, and sprinkle the chaat masala and serve hot with naan bread…
7. Go to heaven… as you have achieved food Nirvana….

No go and try it out for yourself and if you have problems, write to me and Ill solve them for you!!

Also please blog me with your feedback if you like or dislike this recipe…

Happy Bird cooking & eating….

It’s was so good to relax and chill with good friends that you really can forget where you are, as one goes down memory lane, and mesmerises on the good old days where we all had so much fun!

Ron, Nikul and I did just that, and we all met up in the great city of New York after a long time and we forgot our stress and tension, which was released by laughter jokes and school boy banter! One passion was common! We love good food! Brought up with the best Khansamas (old world cooks) in our parents’ kitchens in Calcutta, we were spoilt!

With good food in mind we thought we’d try contemporary as well as classical traditional Indian in New York. Ijaz our buddy from Philly, was now in NYC, so we met up and went to Vermillion, 480 Lexington Avenue, which is owned by Rohini Dey anjd her chef is Maneet Chauhan. The space is huge, and minimal but nicely decorated. I went upstairs to the dining room floor and it was extremely spacious and well appointed. I bit daunting to have such a huge space, and with 3 tables occupied in the whole area, it looked and felt empty. We decided to have drinks and tried the Pani Puri margarita which was superb! They have a branch in Chicago, so well entrenched in the Windy City and NYC!! Where do we eat then!

Nikul opted for the Bukhara Grill, a restaurant named after the famous Bukhara in Delhi which is an Icon for great Indain kebabs. We arrived and were greeted and taken to our table where we orders beers and decided to get down and dirty on Kebabs , daal and breads! Our ‘Captain’ was a seasoned pro and tried to stick us with loads of dishes, but we had none of it! We opted for the white fish Tikka, malai kebabs, Kali daal, paneer tandoori and naan breads which we felt were good bets to judge the food against the actual Bukhara in Delhi!

Our man Friday came back with Tandoori Salmon and He didn’t know what hit him! Nikul started off with the ‘Do you know who I Am?’ bit and the ‘How dare you’ bit….. Did ‘Friday’ Know that Nikul’s dad started the concept of Bukhara for the ITC group in India? ‘Friday’ then looked me straight in me eyes and said, ‘Sir, the fish is white cod, only the red tikka marinade has seeped in….This is Nu Jaark, (New York) and we marinade specially for you….’

My lips quivering, I noticed Nikul trying to get Friday’s attention and klick klicking his lips to say no, ‘Man Friday, he’s the wrong man to say this to….’

We amicably sorted out the situation with me serving a few choice ‘Galis’ (Swear words) and him back tracking with the typical ‘Galti ho gye, maaf karna’ (I’m sorry I made a huge mistake, please forgive me….)The ambience, food and service was well below average, and we are talking about a restaurant that is extremely famous… Not a patch on UK’s offer where the level is on a much higher scale….

Vivek Khanna took us to Rosa Mexacano where the food was incredible and the fresh guacamole station was a treat! The pomegranate Margaritas were incredible …..

The Kati Roll Company was another target of mine where I went with Ron and tried the rolls (Wraps) the address was 99 MacDougal Street, between bleeker St. & West 3rd Street. We ordered Egg & chicken rolls and they were not the best, as I was used to the Nizam’s kati Rolls in Calcutta opposite the elite cinema. These were non- greasy and the chicken was a bit under salted and had too much garam masala in it…..

I went to see Ron’s son play football and tennis… and I can say that the lad’s talented!

Ron and Mrs B invited Nikul and I to Degustation, Owned by a smooth gastro operator Jack Lamb. The chef Wesley Genovart, serves up his elegant ‘Franco-Spanish’ inspired small plates with finesse and guile, right in front of sixteen wide-mouthed guests who are in awe of his agility, who fusses over his beautifully created ‘small plates’ of elegant food

I finished off the trip with cooking for my gracious hosts Ron and Mrs B and his guests. I went with Mrs B to Whole Foods and we bought tiger prawns, organic okra, coconut milk, and cauliflower and tinda, (a gourd or Indian baby pumpkin like vegetable) which I made with paneer cheese….

NYC was great!! I’ll be back pretty soon to write some more on one of my favourite cities….

NYC is a place where you walk in Manhattan, get a whiff of fresh coffee brewing, so you pick up a newspaper, go in and enjoy a really good cup of ‘cuawfeee’…. or sit on a bench at Central Park and people watch!!

I clocked in almost 10 miles of walking a day…. a great way to get colour on your cheeks when its crisp and cold outside!!

Mrs B decided to give me a tour of the great Manhattan areas of SOHO, NOHO, NYU area, and the Village, so bright and early we left Battery Park City, and hopped on a tube and plonked ourselves in the NYU area which was fascinating….

We then walked over to a small 300 sq ft counter shop where Mrs B introduced me to Melissa’s Miniature Stuffed cupcakes! They were such a cute concept, little mini cupcakes, bursting with flavour and wanting to be eaten! So for $3.00 we got 3 minis, and I loved the cookies & cream cupcake….

After that, we walked into a great local Japanese deli & store where there was fresh sushi being rolled, and loads of Japanese eating in a mini cafe area… Most were devouring chips with Wasabi Mayo…. so we ordered one to try…. Delicious was the verdict, a little Japanese red chili sprinkle on the Chips, accompanied with a dollop of fresh wasabi flavoured Mayo! Cleared the sinus in seconds, and give the mind a jolt, so that we could continue our walk around the Village and Soho…

Walking along Bleeker’s Street, you stumble upon the great icons of Rock ‘n Roll like Kenny’s Castaways where you can Experience the heart of Rock and Roll in the legendary heart of Greenwich Village. SInce 1967, Kenny’s Castaways has been the house that Rock built. Bruce Springsteen played his very first NYC gig here!!

Next to it are more NYC bars that are iconic but a bit dated…. such as the Back Fence & the Bitter End which epitomizes the Greenwich Village’s Music scene for over 6 decades!

More to come….

Wow! What a city… the pace is fast and the city bustles with life! Starting with my cab ride from JFK, the Serdie who picked me up had the NYC twang… ‘Wouheey you fwooom?!’ which I thought was so funny, as he then got a call on his hands free and broke into rustic village ‘Pind’ Punjabi…

I shacked up with my good friends, Ron and Mrs B in the Financial District which is extremely lively and full of hustle bustle… The first night, a nervous Mrs B cooked an incredible Indian meal for me. She made tarka daal, and a nigella seed tempered green bean vegetable that was just so simple but packed a huge punch! The delicate flavour of the turmeric and red chilli powder blended so well with the nigella seeds that I attacked this with a vengeance. The chicken curry was simply divine as were the potatoes, as I mopped it up with yoghurt and whole wheat bread!! Mrs B you are an awesome cook, so don’t even think of being nervous again!! I love, simple, home cooked styled meals, as they are so refreshing and wholesome, and done well. They are the tastiest meals around!!

Jet lag got the better of me, and I plonked straight into bed, and got up nice and early to walk around the financial district!

The boys rolled up the next day from Bangalore, London and Maryland, and we all grabbed lunch at a local Chinese which was recommended by Kapil Sarin, my old school chum…. The food was delicious!! The fish was succulent and finished in a brothy Szechwan styled sauce, very spicy but very delicious!! Ron Joined us for lunch and we had a blast!!

By now some of you may have already heard that my beloved Vama is to close its doors for good at its longstanding Chelsea site this weekend.

But before anyone starts to lament its loss, let me tell you the good news too which is that Vama will be back later in the year at a brand new location in London’s West End. Besides, it’s not negative news anyway because one of our other bright and shiny restaurant brands – Bombay Bicycle – will be launching at the same Chelsea site in the second week of February with both a restaurant and an adjoining delivery kitchen.

Both my brother Arjun and I who launched Vama over 10 years ago have particularly fond memories of the restaurant. What we have learnt, the people we have met, the friends we have made and the experiences we have had because of Vama, have been priceless. We have have had lots of fun, yes moments of suspense and agony too – what business doesn’t? But it has been a tremendously exciting experience.

We remained as one of the top-ranking upmarket Indian restaurants in London consistently and always had very good reviews from the media. But more than anything, I want to thank everyone who has walked through Vama’s doors and given us their custom and walked away as a satisfied customer. That gives me so much pleasure.

It has never mattered whether we were serving royalty, stars of the silver screen, gentry or just someone who wanted well-made authentic Indian cooking presented with finesse – for me they were all first-class clientele and will always remain so. And I hope to see all our followers back at the new site when its launched.

I also want to extend my thanks to all the staff that made Vama one of the finest Indian restaurants in London, without whom the place would not have functioned the way it did.

So all that remains for me is to bid a temporary farewell to what has been my heart and soul and say to you all watch this space because Vama will be back better than ever!

Now that we’ve got all that snow out of the way and the year is in full swing proper as it were, I am so looking forward to the various exciting restaurant and foodie events my restaurants brands and I want to be part of.

You know, its one thing being cooped up in a kitchen and slaving away in front of a hot stove for endless hours or even sitting behind a desk and dealing with all the admin issues. But it’s quite another when you are doing live cooking in front of an audience.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m not complaining after all, being in the kitchen and cooking for satisfied customers is what I’ve done all my life and doing all the paperwork when you own a large company like ours is also part and parcel of the work. But when you have a chance to prepare food with so many people in front there’s a level of interaction that like no other.

You get instant feedback and people are always so inquisitive and complimentary about my cooking. They want to know about the various methods of cooking I use, the spices and the marination, and also about the different regions of the subcontinent.

Which brings me back to what I was saying earlier about the various events and so on this year – i.e. that I hope to be at such events as Taste of London, the Restaurant Show and some of the other venues and places where my team and I plan to come and offer you the chance of tasting our delicious cooking.

Of course, you can also do that at our lovely restaurants such as Bombay Bicycle and Tiffinbites whenever you like, but watch this space and various our websites, etc, and see where I’ll be to cook live and let you sample my finger licking dishes!

Bon Appétit

Imax is it! We mere mortals cannot do with the new generation 3D as one needs to watch it on optimum resolution in 3D!! Yes I’m talking about the latest movie sensation Avatar!!

Wow!! What a movie… simply blown away to such an extent that I saw it twice in a span of a cool week! Haven’t seen it?! Don’t know what I’m blabbering about on a cooking blog?! Well, Google Avatar the movie, find your nearest Imax theatre and watch it on 3D!! What will happen to 2D? Like film, it will disappear en mass, but the arty director shall stick to it like a chewing gum that has been sucked dry of flavour…

The cold snap is making history and freezing temperatures have forced all to stay home. Sky reported that the UK was almost as cold as the Arctic!! Brrrrr… ! I lived in Toronto, Canada for many winters and was used to -20 with a wind chill of another -10, taking the temp hitting your face to -30!! But one was prepared, the local councils were prepared and your cars would change mode to winter mode and swap tyres so you could get to ‘grips’ with the roads…

Not Here though….My daughter’s school was shut so I scurried back and picked her up and managed to slip slide my way home, literally…no grit on the slip roads, made our local streets treacherous… I could not take my rear wheel driven vehicle car up a small incline up the road, gave up and came back home…no sense in getting whacked by granny hurtling down the road like a Finnish rally driver on hard ice!

I was cold and hungry so I decided to make something for the two of us…I got a bagel out, slit it in two, smothered it with a dollop of butter and bunged it in the oven to brown.

I got my egg pan out and made 2 fried eggs, broke & spread the yolk over the whole egg, and flipped it over… I got the crispy bagels out, spread some smooth Boursin black pepper soft cheese on them, cut slices buffalo tomatoes on the cheese, sprinkled some crushed black pepper, and flipped the egg on the other bagel half… I served it with Kettle cheese & Onion crisps and Heinz ketchup….. mmmm

It was scrumptious….

Bon Appétit