Lakeland lures Punekars... In wonderful way!

My write-up for Lakeland comes to you a bit delayed, but for a store as impressive as Lakeland, better late than never. I’m a home cook who loves to try new recipes. The more complex the recipe, the happier I am to try it. Knowing my passion for kitchen knives and all things culinary, a friend at a food forum on Facebook asked me if I had visited the newly opened Lakeland. I told him I hadn’t, and forgot all about the incident. A week later, on a visit to Phoenix Market City, I happened to pass the very store and I couldn’t resist the urge to peek in and check out the shelves. I ended up buying some lovely silicon basting brushes which had been on my ‘to-buy’ list for ever so long. Little did I know that a month later I would be invited by Roxanne Bamboat (The Tiny Taster) to the official launch of this very store. 

Roxanne hosting the event

Lakeland is a U.K based company that specializes in premium quality bake ware and cooking equipment. The store is a treasure trove of gadgets that make working in the kitchen that much more pleasurable. Egg poachers, salt, pepper and spice mills, chopping boards, glass jars, baking and roasting trays, recipe books, colorful tagines, chocolate molds, deco spoons, kitchen thermometers, waffle makers, sandwich makers, mixers, pasta makers, grinders, whisks and much more, are all available here. 

They stock both, small and big kitchen items, which are of utmost help in the kitchen and makes your time in the kitchen easy, and an absolute pleasure. They have electric cake pop and cupcake makers which enable you make the items without the use of an oven. The mini candy floss machine was an absolute delight and most of us tried our hand at making candy floss. Parents, your kids are going to love having this at their next birthday party. Take my word for it!

 Also at the launch was Chef Shahzad Variava (Dessert King) of Master Chef India, Season 2. He is patience and humility personified. He gave us a demo for icing and decorating cupcakes and cake pops. We all happily tried our hand at it and munched on the goodies we decorated.

Chef Shahzad Variava

Lakeland also carries a superb collection of kitchen knives and knife sets. It is a well known brand name which is why their products aren’t cheap but they aren’t unaffordable either. If cooking and baking is something that piques your interest then this is the store for you. It’s a store where there’s something for everyone. As a home cook and a hardcore food blogger I plan to return to this place time and time again for their goodies.

My beautiful new baby - Robert Welch Signature - Chef's Knife

Heartfelt thanks to Roxy (my tiny taster) and to Lakeland for hosting such a fun event for foodies and food bloggers.

Address: Ground floor, Phoenix Market City, Viman Nagar, Pune.
Tel no: 020-66890364 / 020-66890365

The foodie trio

Rupika prettily poses with a cupcake decorated by her

Aditi smiles that gorgeous smile for the camera

MoroccanTagines

Drool-worthy kitchenware

Spicy Chicken in Mixed Greens

Spicy Chicken in Mixed Greens

Friends who really, really know me are going to balk at the fact that I'm posting yet another recipe that contains green leafy vegetables. They know I’m a hardcore carnivore but this is one recipe where I couldn't get enough of the leafy vegetables. For once, chicken took second place. I have to admit though, the chicken did infuse superb flavor to the leafy vegetables. The soft leafy vegetables with melted butter does not make for very good photographs but, as for flavor, take it from a carnivore (moi), it was classic!! The final combination and taste was absolutely mind blowing! Go for it!!

Ingredients:

900 grams chicken, cut into pieces
Juice of 1 lime
1 bunch fenugreek leaves, coarsely chopped
1 bunches spinach leaves, coarsely chopped
1 bunch Indian Green Sorrel leaves, coarsely chopped
1 bunch fresh coriander, coarsely chopped
8 spring onions, chopped
2 onions, finely sliced
5 green chilies, finely chopped
2 fresh red chilies, finely chopped
4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
2 tomatoes, halve and grate, discard skin
½ inch cinnamon
1 tablespoon ginger/garlic paste
9 black pepper corns
1 bay leaf
a pinch of turmeric powder
1 teaspoon red deghi mirch chili powder
3 tablespoons oil
Salt, to taste
2 tablespoons melted butter

Method:

1. Marinate the chicken in salt, ginger garlic paste and lime juice for 1 hour. 
2. Heat oil in the pressure cooker. Add the bay leaves, peppercorns, cinnamon, green chilies, red chilies, garlic and sliced onions, fry until brown. 
   
   
3. Add the grated tomato puree and fry until the oil separates. 
4. Add the turmeric powder, red deghi mirch chili powder and sauté for a few seconds. 
   
   
   
   
5. Add the chicken and sauté it till it gets a bit of color on it. 
6. Add the fenugreek leaves, spring onion leaves, spinach leaves, coriander leaves. 
   
   
   
   
7. Mix well, cover lightly with a lid and cook till the vegetables wilt. (Do NOT add any water as the leafy veggies and chicken will cook in the water they release.) Lock on the lid of the pressure cook and cook for one whistle. Then turn down the stove to low and cook for 5 more minutes and take the pressure cooker off the hob. 
8. When the cooker cools down, open it and dry up the extra water if any. 
9. Remove the chicken to a serving dish and pour the melted butter over it. Serve hot with rotis, paratha or naan.
   

Chef Notes:

1. The base recipe belongs to my friend Zarina Cama Clowsley.
2. Indian Green Sorrel leaves are also known as khatti palak or ambat chukka. 
3. The original recipe had dill leaves but when I think of dill the word that comes to mind is ‘urghh’. You get my drift, right? That’s why I replaced the ‘urghh’ ingredient with a ‘yumm’ ingredient and opted for Indian Green Sorrel leaves. 
4. I've also changed proportions of most ingredients from the original recipe and built it up to suit my tastes. 
5. The yellowish gravy you see on the sides of the serving dish in the pictures is not gravy, it is melted butter. Added at the end of the recipe it takes the dish to a new high so I would definitely advise you to add it. 
6. Adjust the consistency of the dish so that the leafy vegetables coat the chicken. Do not over dry it though.
7. You may share the direct blog-link of the recipe/s but do NOT publish my recipes and my photographs on any blog-site or website without my explicit consent or attempt to pass off my recipe/s as your own. You will be held accountable for plagiarism.
   
   

Methi ni Bhaji – Spicy Fenugreek leaves

Methi ni Bhaji – Spicy Fenugreek leaves

Does anyone remember the movie, ‘Herbie goes Bananas’?? Well at my residence the story goes like this… Anu goes anemic, because of which we have to eat more greens and resultantly, Kenzy goes bananas. :P As if I wasn't crazy enough just being a Bawi, I'm now going bat-shit crazy because I have to eat green leafy vegetables nearly every day. Jeez! Luckily, of all the green leafy stuff Fenugreek and Spinach happen to be my favorite. Here’s the recipe to how we cook Fenugreek leaves at home for a regular simple menu. No fuss, no special ingredients. We just let the vegetable do all the talking… on the plate. :-)

Ingredients:

3 bunches fenugreek leaves, pick them off the stem and wash in a colander

12-14 green chilies, cut into 1 inch pieces

4 onions, chopped

Salt to taste

6 tablespoons oil

Method:

1. Heat oil in a wok. Add green chilies and onions. Sauté till onions turn translucent.
   
   
   
   
2. Press the chilies with the spoon to infuse the spiciness into the onions and cook for 30 seconds.
3. Add salt and give it a stir.
4. Add the fenugreek leaves and immediately cover the wok without stirring.
   
   
   
   
5. Allow the fenugreek leaves to wilt and when they wilt and settle to the bottom stir the fenugreek with the onions and chilies simmering at the bottom.
   
   
   
   
6. Lower heat, cover once again and cook till the fenugreek leaves are cooked. If there is any excess water in the vegetable after it is cooked, increase heat and dry the excess water. (The vegetable should be dry but not bone dry.) Serve with dal and roti of your choice.
   
   

Chef Notes: 

1. I love that wee taste of bitterness in fenugreek leaves but if you're someone who doesn't enjoy that tinge of bitterness then sprinkle a bit of salt over the leaves. Leave it aside for 20 minutes. After 20 minutes, beat the fenugreek leaves with a wooden spoon and squeeze out the water and continue to cook as directed.
2. Increase or decrease the green chilies to suit your taste but for 3 bunches of fenugreek, this amount was spot on.
3. The end product of this recipe is on the dry side. It’s not a gravy dish so please be mindful of that when you cook it, but, as mentioned above, do not cook it bone dry.
4. You may share the direct blog-link of the recipe/s but do NOT publish my recipes and my photographs on any blog-site or website without my explicit consent or attempt to pass off my recipe/s as your own. You will be held accountable for plagiarism.