Theobroma - Nostalgia Unlimited!

At the onset let me clear one point. As most of you know, I have a massive soft spot for Theobroma because as a former Mumbaikar I have very fond memories of my visits to their Cusrow Baug branch but... I'm gonna pen with honesty. 



Theobroma opened its doors in Pune sometime late January or early February of this year. I waited a few weeks before stepping in as I did not want to encounter the teething troubles a new establishment faces. Having given them a month to settle down, I finally walked into the Koregaon Park outlet a couple of days back. Mum and I popped in for a quick lunch before hopping across for a long snoozy, me-time facial. 🧖‍♀️

We ordered a croissant (yes, i always wanna check the croissants 😏), a Roasted Meat Sandwich, Raw Orange Juice and the Non-veg Quiche. We brought home the Chicken-Cheese Patties, 3+3 (6) Walnut Brownies, 3+3 (6) Millionare Brownies and 1+1 (2) Dense Chocolate Loaves.



A few minutes after having placed the order, the server brought us the croissant. The croissant was hot but limpish-ly soggy. Sigh! It had been reheated in a microwave. Who in their right mind does that? 🤦🏻‍♀️ Croissants are always gently reheated in an OTG to ensure they retain the crisp outer texture. I asked the server if the poor dear (croissant) had been tortured in a microwave and he said yes. I sent it back!! He brought me another one, room temperature, directly from the display shelf where it was stored. Double sigh! I was so upset by what had transpired that I failed to click a photograph of the croissant. I did manage to get a pic of the inner portion as I cut it in half to share it with mum. The croissant was very average. It was definitely not the best I've had. The croissant had a 'commercially made' feel to it, instead of the 'gourmet handmade' feel. Quite a many cafes-boulangeries in Pune serve excellent croissants. Compared to those, this was a let down. Request: Theo's please, please get an OTG and train your staff to use it for croissants, sandwiches, puffs and patties. Pretty please!



Next, the Roast Meat Sandwich (Buff). Frikkin' EXCELLENT! 🤤 The flavours were spicy, tangy with a superb hit of mustard. This one is a MUST TRY! Mum and I were totally fida over this! 🤤 I'd go back for this time and again. 



Lastly, we were served the Non-veg Quiche. While the quiche was truly very nice the filling seemed more 'Bechamel-ly' than an 'Egg-Custard'. I will not fault it taste-wise coz it was absolutely delish! Ample chicken and cheese with a gorgeous peppery hit. This was another winner! 😍



Theo's only had bottles of Raw Juice. An addition of a small variety of drinks would be great!



Getting on to the goodies we brought home, I'm not a big fan of Caramel or Choco Chips which is why the ultra rich Millionaire Brownies did not work for me. Let me add though, this is just a matter of individual taste coz if you are a caramel and choco chip fan, you're gonna love them. The Walnut Brownies, for me, have always been out and out winners. I love 'em! 



The Chicken Cheese Patties were so darn scrumptious. A gorgeous light puff casing with chicken and cheese in thick Bechamel sauce; they hadn't been stingy with the chicken or the cheese. These patties have always been superb! 



The Dense Loaf was just as decadent as the ones I used to bring back to Pune, from their Mumbai Cusrow Baug outlet. Mum, dad and yours truly polished off the loaf in one sitting at 'choi-time'. Truly stellar this!👌🏻



What needs to be looked into at the new Pune branch.

1. The staff needs more training. I asked the server, 'What's the quiche of the day?' He replied, 'Veg and Non-veg?' I repeated my question saying, 'Okay but what kind (as in filling)?' Same reply. So i finally said, 'Bhai, samajh gayi non-veg aur veg, but filling kya hai? Again, 'Ma'am, one is veg and one is non-veg'. If i did not have such scanty hair, I would've torn my hair out at this stage. 😆😆 Finally he got my drift and said, chicken, mushroom, cheese. Finally! It was exasperating and fun at the same time. 😁 
2. Theo-Pune definitely needs an OTG. 
3. Some more drinks on the menu. Even simple ones like Ice Teas (ready from a packet or freshly made), Fresh Lime Soda and a few cans of soft drinks.

Except for the croissant, the food at Theo's was great. I cannot wait to go back and try some more stuff. I know I'm harping 😝 but hopefully they'll get an OTG for the croissants by then. 😉

Damages for the afternoon was INR 2252. Do give Theobroma a try, you won't come away disappointed. I never have!

Address: Shop No 3-4, Ground Floor, Ganga Commerce, North Main Road, Koregaon Park, Pune
Tel: +91 7045784522

I've clicked it at this weird angle because I kinda broke a wee bit of the cake from the other side while trying to get it on a plate. Clumsy me! 

Nariyal Na Doodhwali Chana Ni Dar – Chana Dal with Coconut Milk

I, very recently, saw a post by a friend (Baku) on Facebook mentioning how fabulous Chana Dal tastes when one adds coconut milk to it. I’ve been wanting to try this ever since I got to know of it. Well, this afternoon I finally gave it a try and, Baku was not wrong. The dal turned out to be delicious!

Ingredients:

200 grams Chana Dal (split chick peas), soaked for an hour in warm water

3 green chilies, finely chopped

3 medium sized onions, finely chopped

2 tomatoes, finely chopped or grated

1 teaspoon cumin seeds

1 tablespoon ginger-garlic paste

3 teaspoons red chili powder (I use MDH Deghi Mirch powder)

½ teaspoon turmeric powder

½ teaspoon dhanshak masala

¼ teaspoon garam masala powder

¼ teaspoon black pepper powder

1½ teaspoon Parsi sambhar masala

1 teaspoon dhania-jeera powder (coriander-cumin powder)

Coriander leaves, a handful, chopped very fine

Salt to taste

Oil as needed

75-100 grams Maggi coconut milk powder

½ cup water

Method:

1. Wash the soaked chana dal and keep aside. 
2. Heat oil in a pressure cooker. Add cumin seeds, chopped green chilies and chopped onions.
   
   
3. Sauté till onions turn brown.
   
   
4. Add ginger-garlic paste, chili powder, turmeric powder, dhanshak masala, garam masala powder, black pepper powder, Parsi Sambhar masala, dhania-jeera powder and sauté on medium heat for a few seconds till the masala is cooked.
   
   
5. Add the tomatoes and cook till the raw tomato smell is no longer evident and the tomatoes-dry masala mix comes together. 
6. Add the chopped coriander leaves and cook for a few more seconds. 
7. Add the chana dal and give mix a good stir. 
8. Add 2¾ cups of water.
   
   
9. Add salt to taste. 
10. Pressure cook for two whistles and shut off the stove. Allow the pressure to release gradually by itself.
    
    
11. Empty the contents of the cooker in a vessel and put it back on the stove on very low heat to simmer. 
12. Check seasoning and adjust if needed. 
13. Mix coconut milk powder and ½ cup water. Ensure there are no granules. 
14. In a slow stream add the coconut milk to the dal and continue simmering the dal for 5 more minutes. 
15. Serve with fried fish and chapatis.
    
    

Chef’s Notes:

1. I used 3 teaspoons of red deghi mirch powder. If you are using a spicier or milder version, please adjust the quantity as suited to your palate. 
2. If Parsi Sambhar and Dhanshak masalas are not available to you, feel free to make the dal without these two masalas. It won’t turn out bad, I promise. 😊 
3. I added finely chopped coriander in the masala as mum hates raw coriander leaves and does not allow me to add it as garnish. You may add it as I have or at the end once the dal is ready. 
4. 100 grams of coconut milk powder was perfect, but if you prefer a lighter flavour of coconut milk, decrease the quantity to 75 grams. Alternately, if you aren’t as lazy as I am, make fresh coconut milk. Use the first thick extraction of coconut milk. Add according to taste. 
5. 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.
   
   

Thandai

Please Note:

There are certain recipes in my recipe repertoire that were made 4 to 5 years ago. I did not post them. Reason being, though each recipe taste-wise was an immense success, the photographs taken at the time were/are terrible. Those were also the days when I rarely took photographs of the entire cooking process. I was quite new to the recipe blogging world and the phone I used at the time was not a high end one. A bad carpenter always blames his tools, well, not always. 😝 As for re-clicking the recipes with props and all, as the years advance upon me, I've grown lazy. 😉 Regardless of the crappy photographs taken, I have now made a conscious decision to put out the work done by me at the time; I realize the recipes are very good and should be shared with you all. My request to you is, ignore the photographs, concentrate on the recipe. Rest assured, when you recreate the recipe in your kitchen, it’ll be a success. By the way, this recipe in my computer files is dated March 15, 2014. 😊

I was introduced to Thandai a few years ago. Ever since, in the summer months, it’s one of my favourite drinks to have. With Holi around the corner and with the temperature soaring what better than a light, fragrant and refreshing glass of Thandai. If you haven’t tried it yet, this is one drink that should be on your ‘must-try’ list.

Ingredients:

1 liter full fat milk
½ cup powdered sugar
A few saffron (kesar) strands

2 pistachios, slivered very thin, for garnish

To be ground into a fine powder:

1/4 cup almonds (badam)
2 tbsp poppy seeds (khus-khus)
2 tbsp fennel seeds (saunf)
1/2 tsp cardamom (elaichi) powder
20 white peppercorns

12-15 dry rose petals (or a teaspoon or two of rose water or kewra water after you strain the milk)

Method:

1. Boil the milk. Add the sugar to the milk and ensure that it’s well blended.
2. Allow the milk to cool completely. Keep aside.
3. Add the ground powder and mix well. Refrigerate the mixture for 3 to 4 hours.
4. Strain the mixture through a sieve, add a few strands of saffron and mix well. Refrigerate and serve chilled.
   
   

 Chef Notes:

1. I had made this for Holi and hence the colors all around the table.
2. Please feel free to adjust the sugar quantity as suited to your palate.
3. I used full fat milk but feel free to go with regular milk if your diet warrants it.
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.