Saturday 11 April 2015

Labneh korat


Its no secret that I adore Middle Eastern food , I love the generous use of fresh produce , olive oil and simple clean flavours .

I specially enjoy mezze ....which is a term to describe little plates of food that are brought in before the actual meal . I love my hummus , muhmarra , pickled beetroots , baba gnaoush and tabouleh salad . But most of all I love my Labneh .


Labneh is just full fat yogurt thats strained to let all the whey (liquid) drain out for a few hours so that you end up with a creamy , tangy yogurt cheese .

labneh korat recipe


Labneh Korat are simply savory little balls of yogurt cheese that are coated in dried herbs and drowned in olive oil . They taste FANTASTIC on toast , by themselves and as part of a mezze platter with hummus , pita and kebabs.

I often joke that my death row meal would look something like this !

labneh korat recipe



LABNEH KORAT 

Start with 400g of full fat yogurt . Add 2 crushed cloves of garlic and 1/4 tsp salt and mix well into the yogurt .

labneh korat recipe


Place a  piece of doubled cheesecloth or soft cotton fabric (preferably undyed and  clean)  over a deep bowl.

Spoon the yogurt in the center of a piece of the cheesecloth. You can also pull the corners  of the cheese cloth up and tie them tightly and then suspend from a stationary object over a bowl (to collect the whey) .

labneh korat recipe

Leave to drain for 24  hours in the refrigerator .

Remove from the cloth and roll into balls using your palms. Roll into dried herbs I used red chilli flakes and dried Italian herbs .

Now place the yogurt balls in a sterile, air tight jar, cover with olive oil.

labneh korat recipe


Store in the refrigerator preferably use after 6-7 hours so that flavor get a chance to infuse . Stays well in the refrigerator for 5-7 days as long as the yogurt balls are always covered with olive oil and no water enters the jar .

Serving suggestions :

As a spread on toast , by itself , with kebabs , with pita bread and hummus!

labneh korat recipe

Friday 10 April 2015

Baisakhi Menu - Kangan , Westin

Baisahki - Punjabi New Year and the harvest festival celebrated in the land of 5 rivers is on April 14th, 2015 and the celebrations have already begun.

All over Punjab there are Melas (fairs) to bring in this joyous occasion .

No celebration in Punjab or in a Punjabi household where ever it may be on the globe is complete without food , drink and the generous spirit of sharing joy and love.



Kangan - the restaurant at Westin , Pune that serves delectable cuisine from the legendary North West Frontier province and Hyderabad , has put together a wonderful selection of authentic Punjabi favorites to celebrate Baisakhi.

I was absolutely delighted with the spread and here are a few pictures of what we enjoyed.

The Baisahki menu has wonderful Punjabi staples like Langar Walli Daal , Aloo Wadi , Dhabewalli Kukkad , pindi chole , slow cooked sarso ka saag , Fish Amritsari with a wonderful flavor of Ajwain that will take you back to little bylanes of Amritsar where this snack originated and other wonderful dishes


 Wonderful beverages to accompany your meal , we enjoyed some Lassi and Jal Jeera !

Ofcourse the desserts are wonderfully executed , we had crisp jalebi with rabri ....it was just right not overpoweringly sweet and the signature dessert at Kangan - Gulab ke patte ki kheer is something you should not miss!

Do checkout the Baisakhi special menu.


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Monday 6 April 2015

Easter Sunday!

I had a wonderful Easter Sunday....the lovely people at JW Marriott , Senapati Bapat Road,  Pune hosted a wonderful afternoon full of Easter Joy.



With a fun little baking workshop for children (to which I took my niece) , an Easter Bunny and a wonderful magic show!



We made a basketful of Easter goodies -  cupcakes , chocolate Easter eggs and wonderful white chocolate cookies....A lovely time was had by all and it was fantastic being surrounded by budding young , enthusiastic chefs!




Chef Ajmal Salim , Director , F&B, JW Marriott Hotel patiently took the excited bunch of young cooks through an enjoyable afternoon of making Easter goodies.




Hope you all had a wonderful , blessed Easter!