Hatam Iranian Restaurant, Marina Mall, Abu Dhabi

Marina Mall is one place in Abu Dhabi that never has lived up to my expectations food-wise. One would expect that being so far away from the city (making it completely impractical to leave the mall to grab a bite), this mall would be completely self-sufficient, boasting the best not only in shopping but also entertainment and dining. It does alright in the first two categories, but somehow lacks in the third.

The food court is one of the worst among the malls in this city, and so I've been very happy to notice a number of new restaurants popping up in different corners of the mall. Not having all the food options in one place makes for a lot of walking though - and that's not what you need after a day of shopping, when you're hungry and all you want to do is find a quiet spot to sit, relax and enjoy a good meal!

After past experiences, we've learnt to always make lunch plans outside the mall, so it was a rare opportunity we had this weekend when we found ourselves plan-less and hungry in the mall at lunch-time.

After a good few circles around the mall, and some research at the information counter, we decided on Iranian and made our way to Hatam.

The restaurant itself looks quite inviting, and so does the menu, so after a quick peruse we decided to stop the torture on our growling tummies and go in.

I should have been suspicious when the restaurant looked oddly empty compared to the others we had been to, but I dismissed it as being due to the fact that Hatam is on the top floor - maybe no hungry person wanted to go all the way here in the search for a meal - but maybe I was about to discover a little-known gem.

The gem lost a little of its shine when we asked for a non-smoking table, and were told that the beautifully furnished interior rooms (yep each table in a private little room, hidden by a curtain) were all smoking tables and the non-smoking area was outside in a balcony-like area at the back of the restaurant. So much for Marina Mall being a "non-smoking" mall.

The gem looked even more dull when the 'outside' area seemed to lack air-conditioning and smelt like a damp rag. Since when does not smoking come with a punishment? My over-sensitive nose took issue over it, but my growling stomach and tired feet overpowered my better sense and we decided to stay.

We ordered a lentil soup, mixed grill and a roast-lamb-on-rice dish (baghalah polo-ba-machicheh) to share.

Even before we ordered however, our complimentary sides (or starters, I wouldn't know) arrived. Decidedly odd, I thought as I chomped on the hot bread (which I have to admit was pretty good, though lacking a companion) and the salad (chunks of feta that didn't go well with anything, walnuts(?!?), some mixed greens, and pickles (sweet and sour - not what I expected!))

As the rest of the meal arrived, the potential gem turned into charcoal.

The lentil soup tasted less of lentils and more of corn starch. 'Nuff said.

The rice was about the only thing that was pretty good. Flavourful with dill and saffron, neither over or under cooked and mildly spiced it really was the perfect accompaniment. The lamb that accompanied it was quite another story. Most of it was bone and fat, the little meat that was there was chewy and dry and little broken bits of bone clearly showed a bad butcher. Not pleasant.

Finally, the mixed grill. Iranians are supposed to be the kebab experts so we did come expecting a really good kebab here in a restaurant that boasts of being purely Iranian. It would be an understatement to say that the meal disappointed.

Every meat in the mixed grill platter tasted like it was marinated in salt, pepper and lemon. Everything tasted the same. Which still would have been fine, if they had at the very least marinated with the right quantities of salt, pepper and lemon. Too salty, too sour and completely forgettable. The soggy fries finished before the meat, which really said something about the quality of the grill.

Not a pleasant experience, never going back. So, although my blog does contain primarily good food experiences, and restaurant suggestions, I decided to write about this one as it stood out for its sheer mediocrity...well actually worse. As a self-proclaimed food writer, I figure I should warn my faithful readers.

If anyone else has had a different experience, I would be glad to hear of it :)

Till Next Time Folks!

Being Jekyll and Hyde

Yep, that's what I feel like today. A sense of eeriness surrounds me, like my mind and body's been taken over by some evil, junk-food-loving crazy person.

Self-proclaimed foodie by day, renegade junkie by night - that's what I've become.

Serious fried food cravings overcame me yesterday after work, when I caved in and got the worst possible meal from the fast food joint across our house. The icing on the cake was that I didn't even walk there to get it, I got it delivered and paid extra for delivery! Oh the horror of it all. I waited for nearly 45 mins when it would've taken me just 5 to walk there and back! All this for a box of greasy fried chicken, and the cravings were so strong I actually polished the entire thing off single-handedly. How low I've sunk!

And then instead of my usually (comparatively) healthy manaeesh breakfast, the office orders a Burger King brunch, and I give in....again!!! An angry whopper and fries and a coca-cola. The burger did taste pretty good to start with - the jalapenos, spicy oinon rings, cheese and whatever is quite a taste explosion actually, but halfway through the fries my better sense kicked in. I didn't finish them.

But soon I felt the grease down my throat and a rising sense of overpowering guilt, and guess what I use to wash it all down? Coca-cola. Not my usual choice of clean, refreshing, pure liquid - water. But sugary-sweet fizzing with carbon dioxide Coca-cola.

Hmpf....I don't even like coca-cola. I'm known for my hatred of coca-cola. I'm known for lecturing others about the health risks of sugary fizzy drinks like it. How much lower can I sink?

I feel so terrible and so guilty all I want to do is go home and run for an hour on the treadmill, have cleansing fruits for dinner and vow off fast food forever. What is it about this stuff, that makes you feel so sick after eating it, yet a few months later, all you can remember is how it tasted and you want it all over again...need it even?

Material for a thesis perhaps.

This post is a rant, and I haven't had a rant-y post in a while now, so I figured I would put it in anyway. Isn't that what a blog is for? You don't really have to worry about being politically correct do you? Does it diminish the educational/informative value of the blog in anyway - these random rants?

I don't know. I did need to rant, and I do feel better now and empowered to embark on another healthy eating stint :)

Till next time folks! (and we hope it's a better report then!)

Beef Roast - The Family Secret

Yep, that's right - 'Beef Roast', not 'Roast Beef'. We Indians tend to have this habit of arranging word couples in odd ways sometimes. Like the way we would say John uncle instead of uncle John, for example. I've been thinking about why this is and it might have something to do with literal translation from hindi. Makes sense - mystery solved....but then again I wonder where the oddity in the term 'beef roast' arose...this one doesn't seem to have as simple an explanation as the 'uncle' problem.

In the words of Shakespeare however - 'What's in a name?'

Beef roast by any other name would taste just as scrumptous. Well in any case it would if my mum lent her magical touch to it. Like I said before, my mother is a master of sorts in her cooking niche and if only I wasn't such a stubborn, impatient mule, I could learn much from her.

I did suffer a sense of deep regret at not watching and learning while she was in the kitchen the other evening, when the tantalising aroma of her beef roast came wafting down to the corridor in front of my room. Sigh...the first whiff was accidental, but it stopped me dead in my tracks - I leaned towards the wall for support as my knees started weakening, my eyes closed involuntarily and I stood there helpless for a few seconds breathing deeply, taking in every molecule of flavour that came floating through the air. When I recovered, I slowly made my way to the kitchen, uncontrollably drawn to the source of the aroma. The closer I came to the source, the weaker I became. My whole body felt hollow, as if it were begging for nourishment. By the time I reached the kitchen, every sensation was overpowering, and through a haze, I hear my mum's voice say 'Could you taste it and see if it's alright?' - the words that I look forward to more than anything else in the world. That one taste tossed my tastebuds into a frenzy and my senses danced together once more in harmony with that single essential element of taste creating the perfect finale to the performance.

That night we had a meal that was exquisite in its simplicity - hummous, muttabal, khubous and thick slices of the beef roast - lightly shallow-fried to give a slightly crisp exterior and contrast the melt-in-your-mouth softness of the interior. Ahh...my mouth still waters at the very thought of it...

There is something incredibly unique about the way my mum makes it - a family recipe I think as I have an aunt who specialises in this recipe as well. While it is basically a huge chunk of beef, it's not roasted as the name seems to imply. It's mostly boiled, sometimes cooked under pressure with a whole lot of spices, fresh ginger, fresh garlic, dried red chillies and some other ingredients I probably don't know about till almost all the water evaporates away, leaving behind a thick gravy that can do magic to any boring vegetable, or even just plain rice or bread.

Beef roast at our house is seldom eaten on its own. For the next couple of days mum mixed and matched thin long slices of the beef along with its 'masala' (the concentrated,thick gravy-like substance packed with taste) with different vegetables to give us a whole week of beef roast - flavour induced meals. I didn't complain - this is one flavour I could enjoy every day for a year if I had to!

Our favourite mix-n-match is called chilli-fry (and no, it's not fried chillis). It doesn't really have chillis actually, unless you consider green capsicum/green peppers to be chilli. Makes me wonder where that name came up from too...

Chilli fry is long slices of beef, long slices of potato, long slices of capsicum, slices of onion and slices of tomato cooked together - it tastes amazing, believe me. It's a recipe too good not to be shared, so I plan to ask my mum permission to let out the family secret and I hope to post the recipe on the blog soon - no promises, but I will try!

The next evening, we found a huge head of cabbage in the fridge that needed to be finished, so mum made two batches - one plain and one with her magic ingredient - the beef roast. I found it intriguing and absolutely incredible how the beef roast could make magic even with the lowly cabbage.

The past few days have truly been memorable taste-wise and I've finally been inspired by food after a bit of a break. :)

Till next time folks!

Shan's Shahi Haleem Mix - Magic in a Box!

I have a confession - the reason I've not been churning out any new posts for a while now, I am ashamed to admit is because I've been taking shortcuts - ready spice mixes and the like and although the results have been great, the guilt holds me back from taking credit for it.

Now that that's out in the open, I should probably share with all of you who aren't morally opposed to ready spice mixes a little secret I discovered recently - Shaan's Shahi Haleem Mix (the big box, not the little one - it comes with the mixed grains bag too in addition to the spices!) All you need is some time to spare, for Haleem cannot be rushed, I estimate 4-6 hours. Relax, most of it is spent leaving the pot on a very slow fire to cook slowly, so get a good book to read in the kitchen! The results are well worth the wait!

Exploring Salads Again - Greek Potato

On my hunt for the avial vegetables, I found something that although not on my shopping list, was nevertheless very interesting and I picked it up anyway. What was it? Tiny tiny baby potatoes reminiscent of dum aloo (Indian potato curry made with whole baby potatoes). When I picked them up I honestly had no idea what I would make of them, but the adorable little things were just crying out to me from their corner at the vegetable section saying 'Take me, Take me, Don't leave me behind!'. How could I resist the cute little potatoes - I was convinced I could make something out of them.

The opportunity came a few days later when I was in the mood of trying another salad and stumbled across a most interesting recipe for a greek style potato salad and on the ingredient list - there it was - baby potatoes! My little ones had found their calling!

So off I went gathering the remaining ingredients for the salad - red, green and yellow capsicum, tomatoes, a red onion, sliced black olives and feta - all fairly easy to find.

The recipe called for a unnecessarily (I thought!) long process with the capsicum, what with quartering and roasting till the skin blackens and wrapping in plastic or paper and peeling off the skin. Wouldn't that simply kill most of their nutritional value? I decided to go my own rebellious way and simply lightly grill the capsicum till the skin blistered a little, cool and toss into the salad. That didn't turn out too badly actually - the capsicum had a most deliciously sweet, strong taste to them which totally contrasted and complimented the spicy red onion, the fresh, juicy tomatoes and the salty feta. And of course, how could I forget my baby potatoes simply steamed and cut into halves that lent their substance to the salad while absorbing the dressing to take their taste to new heights. Ahh but the crown that day indisputably belonged to the dressing. Olive oil, crushed garlic, freshly chopped dill and thyme...mmm... I can still remember how the herbs and garlic and olive oil all blew this most amazing flavor into every single bite of salad. The dill reigned supreme that night with its fresh, aromatic crispness that nothing else could replace. This was the first time I ever used dill raw and I have to say, was pleasantly surprised at the result.

Whoever said salads were meant as a starter was mistaken...

Till next time folks!

South Indian Cuisine Trial # 1 - Avial

My mum hails from multiple cities in the south of India, and my dad from the north. This led to a pretty varied set of offerings when it came to meals at home. I reckon this variety in ancestry as well as the fact that I was born and raised in a totally different environment - Abu Dhabi, U.A.E to be specific - is the cause of my highly flexible taste buds. Genes probably have a part to play in it as well - there's precious little my parents would fuss about when it comes to food. I wonder if it might also have something to do with mum force-feeding me foods I disliked as a child till I grew a taste for them and learnt to appreciate different tastes. I digress....

In spite of all the variety at home, we tend to lean towards some standard Indian fare for our daily meals - leading me to take them for granted very often and abandoning Indian cooking as 'Mum's department'. I'd much rather be exploring new cuisines, trying new recipes - things that my mother isn't already a master in (probably because I don't enjoy her looking over my shoulder tut-tutting at every little detail and offering suggestions at every step of the way). No offense mum - I love you to bits, and I know you have valuable pearls of wisdom to offer - but I enjoy some sense of adventure - to go where no-one (at least no-one in my family) has gone before...at least when it comes to cooking and food.

In spite of my aversion to Indian cooking in general, every once in a while my Indian genes kick up and I suffer cravings for some authentic food. This happened about a week ago, when I had some strong desires to cook something authentically Indian, yet something that isn't one of Mum's signature dishes.

My partner in crime and cooking/dining buddy came to the rescue, suggesting a signature dish of her mum, Avial - a very popular mixed-vegetable dish hailing from the very south of India - Kerala.

First lesson I learnt in our attempt to create this masterpiece in my kitchen is that the most important ingredient here is preparation.

Avial is a blend of so many vegetables that you need to set aside an evening just to shop around for the lot. Unless of course, you have an Indian vegetable store close to home, and a friendly Indian vegetable seller - something that's not too hard to find in Abu Dhabi!

Once we found all our carrots, beans, drumsticks, raw bananas, yam, white pumpkin, curry leaves, grated coconut and the like, we had to sit down to the task of cleaning and cutting every vegetable into roughly evenly-sized long, thin slices. I set upon this as a group project which in hindsight was a very wise thing to do - if I had to attempt it on my own, I would either have very small portions or a whole day of chopping!

The actual preparation was surprisingly simple, a little oil, add the vegetables with some spices, when they're cooked, mix in the yogurt and the coconut. Finally, at the very end add baby onions (also called sambar onions, sambar being another lentil and vegetable curry where these onions are used), crushed with ginger, green chillis and curry leaves to coconut oil and mix in with the veggies and voila! You're done :)

Garnish with fresh curry leaves.

It definitely passed the taste test that night as packages made their way to everyone's household where each mum tasted and passed the final judgement - great job!

It really is quite unique and I have to say I haven't tasted anything quite like it. Each individual veggie somehow holds it own although mixed into a near-mush with coconut and yoghurt - the former providing a welcome sweetness, the latter providing a tang - both a very welcome contrast to the the 3-something green chillies and teaspoon or so of chilli powder that went in (I was very reluctant at the sheer quantity of chilli, but it turned out fairly mild at the end, believe it or not!)

Accompaniments? Rice, definitely. We made a tangy yoghurt curry to go with it, but it really wasn't necessary - the avial easily carried the weight of a plate of rice quite well on its own!

All in all, a successful first trial and hopefully the first of many more to come!

Till next time folks!

The King of Desserts

A while ago I had written about cheesecake and how it held the honor of being the queen of desserts in my opinion. I also mentioned that there was one single dessert that rated higher and this is the topic of my post today. I delayed this a while, as I've been on a quest to make the dessert at home; from scratch; and as good as my memory of it. After scouring the web for recipes, and having a disaster on my first try (I whipped the mascarpone with so much gusto, it broke and I was left staring at the end product- which resembled scrambled eggs - immensely baffled, and scratching my head as to what had gone wrong - I followed the recipe didn't I?)

A bit of research the very next day gave me the answer - Don't whip mascarpone - just beat it very slightly - just enough to make it smooth and creamy and STOP as soon as you get there! Eating the scrambled egg-like end product for the next few days drilled a lesson deep down into my brain - a lesson I shall not forget till my dying day - Don't whip mascarpone!

With all this talk of mascarpone, I'm sure most of you might have guessed I'm talking about the invention of the Italians that the world is most grateful for - the dessert that makes cares and worries fade away, the dessert that makes you feel like you're riding a soft, fluffy, cloud while bathing in dark chocolate and strong coffee - the loved-by-all Tiramisu.

A lovely friend of mine kindly gave me a tried and tested tiramisu recipe (saved me a good 6 months in googling and trying countless variations of recipes - the web isn't kind to newbies) and thanks to it, I was able to enjoy my first tiramisu-making success. The major difference with this recipe is that it used cream instead of egg whites to build the fluffy softness that we all associate with tiramisu. Moral - Always use cream instead of egg whites - it's worth the extra calories!

The first thing the recipe called for was beating egg yolks and sugar over a double broiler. That seemingly simple step went wrong in so many ways, I started losing hope over this attempt too. First up, I was either overly tired or brain-dead as I was separating the egg whites from the yolks - 3 out of 5 whites went into the wrong bowl and we spent a good amount of time separating the 'separated' whites and yolks...sigh! The last two were saved only because I gave up and handed the eggs to my non-brain-dead friend who so kindly saved me from myself and took over! Phew! Finally we had the required 5 egg yolks and we got to setting up a makeshift double broiler with a saucepan and a glass bowl. All was well, till I managed to make the bowl slip and got about a tablespoon of water into the mix. All our efforts to separate the water went in vain and we had to concede defeat and hope that a tablespoon of water wouldn't do too much harm.

On to the next step - whipping cream!

I'm usually a believer in hand-whipping, but it was a late night after work and grocery shopping and my arms weren't in a very forgiving mood, so out came the old electric beater from its box in the corner. All went well, push of a button and off went the cream slowly thickening in its bowl when suddenly the possessed beater decided it wanted to stop working! The very thought of picking up my faithful whip shot pain through my arms as I looked on (and hit and shook and pushed) at the old beater...

There came super-mum to the rescue and she whispered away in her beater's ears till he decided he would forgive me (for whatever I had done to hurt his feelings) and start working again. There was the day saved by mum again!

Voila - cream whipped into submission, eggs and sugar mixed in with the creamy mascarpone - that didn't break this time! Folded the cheese and eggs into the cream, layered the mix with sponge biscuits soaked with coffee and brandy and showered cocoa powder on top and we were done!

It went off into the fridge to sit overnight and the cooks went off to bed dreaming of all the possible disasters this could turn into.

Next evening, out came the experiment, cut and placed delicately on dessert saucers and finally we got a chance to put a spoon of it in our mouths. Smooth and creamy with the sponge biscuits soaking up the wonderfully intensely strong coffee and brandy mixture and finally the cocoa on top just adding the perfect amount of chocolate to the taste mix left everyone sitting back in their chairs with their eyes closed, savoring every beautiful second. When we recovered, we breathed a sigh of relief (and a sigh of contentment too) as we thought back to the disasters of the night before and realized that disasters in the kitchen aren't all that bad after all!

At least we have a story to tell :)

The pictures don't do it justice really - the lighting wasn't great, I was working with a camera phone and I had to rush the photos a little - but I'm putting them up anyway!

Till next time folks!