Glorious food.
I eat when I’m happy. I eat when I’m not. Food is my panacea. Hence the immediate need to join a gymnasium.
I’ve experienced a lot of interesting cuisines this year. Here’s the roundup!
- Hummus. The original version. Essentially a Middle Eastern food dip made from cooked, mashed chickpeas blended with tahini, olive oil, lemon juice, salt and garlic. Absolutely must-have accompaniment with fresh shawarma. Slurrrp.
- Panna cotta. First sampled on board British Airway’s Club World. An Italian pudding -like dessert to die for. Especially if has a berry topping.
- Eating out at events in Oman and making local friends, I’ve taken quite a liking for the Levantine cuisine. Fattoush is a bread salad made from toasted or fried pieces of pita bread combined with mixed greens and other seasonal vegetables. It is light, easy to make and absolutely scrumptious.
- No Bake Cheesecake. We’ve all overdosed on the regular cheesecakes. Strawberry, blueberry and the other delectable flavours. Did you know you could make one at home, without an oven? I did and it was absolute heaven. Recipe on request.
- Vino. Scarlet. With a delicate bouquet. 2012 has revolutionised my preferences for alcoholic beverages. Thanks to Milan and a lot of delicious Sangrias at Jolly Rogers, I am now an official wine addict.
- I had always heard of it, but never before had the opportunity to taste Feta cheese. When I was miraculously upgraded on my Qatar Airways flight from Calcutta to Muscat, I saw it on the menu card and was quite excited to savour. I have been a fan ever since and heartily recommend a dash of Feta with green salads or with watermelon!
- Moong Daal Halwa. Was introduced to this Indian, extremely fattening yet irresistible dessert at a couple of Delhi weddings, then coaxed Ankita’s mum to make us some, while in Gurgaon this year. Figured the recipe from Tarla Dalal and got Ma to make some this Diwali as well. It is love.
- Not a great fan of Thai food, but the Pad Thai was a lovely change. It is a dish of stir-fried flat noodles with eggs, tamarind juice, red chili pepper, in addition to a combination of bean sprouts, shrimp, chicken, garnished with crushed peanuts, coriander and lime. Delicio!
- Steak burger. The orginial, greasy American one. With coleslaw and fries! Sampled at D’arcy’s Kitchen, Al Shatti.
- My love for Italian food saw another dimension at a client event in The Imperial, Delhi. I was introduced to the Ciabatta, a flat chewy, crusty Italian bread. Anyone in Delhi with clients paying their bills should definitely try the smoked chicken/fresh vegetable Panini in Ciabatta.
- The original Belgian waffle with maple syrup at Baker Street, London. The street food in the UK was surprisingly amazing. Hot cakes, waffles, hot chocolate, cappuccino and hot dogs. Sigh.
- Sugared crepes, first tasted at Mrs. Kaur’s at Khan Market, Delhi. Then a more ornate version with strawberries and cream at the Crowne Plaza, Muscat. Yum!
Tomorrow’s twelve: 12 favourite blog posts from the year.