Search This Blog

About Me

My photo
Am a contradiction of sorts. i love going out and having a good time with friends, and i can also stay home chill out over a book or a movie.. Am very passionate about writing, so give me a topic and watch me float away into wonderland... I Am crazy about music,books,friends and my doggie... :)

Thursday, October 5, 2017

Lets millet..

If you’re into healthy eating, chances are you have heard of millets like Thinai, saamai, ragi and others.. But then the one word that many seem to be chanting these days is "quinoa". Well, for those who are clueless what we are talking about, it is "Millets".. 

They are coarse grains and a repository of protein, fibre, vitamins and minerals. They include jowar (sorghum), ragi (finger millet), foxtail millet, kodo millet, saamai (little millet), bajra (pearl millet), proso millet and barnyard millet. While the practice of consuming millets as part of the daily diet is not new to India, it had gone missing for a few decades and has now made a re-entry. So much so that every other person you meet is talking about how they have stopped eating rice and shifted to millets. For some it is about healthy, but there are a few who are doing this just to stay in "trend" .. 

Few days ago, I got a call inviting me to an event at Prems Grama Bhojanam, Adyar where Sri Krishna Byre Gowda- Minister of Agriculture, Karnataka would be coming .. He was here in his endeavour to promote millets and for the upcoming Organic & millet trade fair [Jan, in Bangalore]

The meeting with the Minister and few others from the group was very interesting and insightful. I learnt about how millets have always ruled over rice in some parts of Karnataka and how they are so different from rice, in every aspect. 

1. Require lesser water for cultivation
2. Don't require any/little pesticides and so is good for the environment as well
3. They grow in any climatic condition [worked in times of drought ]

The restaurant where the meet was happening - Prems Grama Bhojanam is one I have been to few times earlier and love their food. Infact I know of quite a few who went on my reference and enjoyed their menu.  The menu is mainly millets and offbeat items like Neer dosai which we dont get too much here in Chennai. One other dish that stands out from here is their Black rice puttu.. It is divine!! you need to try it to believe me... 

The Minister also told us that many farmers would rather not cultivate anything during drought season rather than switching to millets. He said it would involve changing mindsets of not only the people but also the farmers. 

When questioned about the high price of millets, his response was again to do with the yield being low and in only in some pockets. 

Just like everything else, it requires effort from people to be open to trying new ingredients, understand their value+health benefits and start making the shift. [While millets take longer to cook than rice, they hold off hunger longer because they are low in GI. ]

Different kinds of millets..

[Image courtesy- https://www.pinterest.com/pin/327566572876033801/]


Minister Sri Krishna Byre Gowda

 Mr Krishnamoorthy of Prems Grama Bhojanam




The food served at Prems Grama Bhojanam that day was phenomenal, as always. Started with Mudakathan keerai vadai and a cup of Mushroom+banana stem soup. They were both sinful and we went for a 2nd helping of the soup. 

Following this came the thali 
Sambar rice, rasam rice, curd rice, lemon rice, [except there was no rice, they were all made with different kinds of millets- saamai, thinai, guthirai vaali and one other] moong daal halwa [with palm jaggery], kara kozhambu with ragi & red rice balls. And along this was Beetroot kari. 

The next time you are looking for something different to try, do head over to Prems Grama Bhojanam.. It is a small non descript place, tucked away behind a bunch of stores, but well worth a visit~~  Do meet Mr Krishnamoorthy if he is there, he is such a treasure chest of information..

Address:
Prems Grama Bhojanam
#19/90, Sardar Patel Road, 
Beside GRT store/Jalpaan, 
Gandhi Nagar, Adyar, Chennai - 600020

Interesting articles

Monday, October 2, 2017

Celebrations galore at Flying Elephant, Park Hyatt, Chennai


Bring on the Anniversary Celebrations... 
Bring on the party for the "Alcohol is back" news.. Yayy!! 

At Flying Elephant, they do it in style, with a difference.. They have gone all out and introduced a new menu, almost 75% of the dishes in the old one have been replaced with some amazing new dishes, many of which would be like a live station, except right at your table...

Chef Balaji and Chef Teku have come together and whipped up some interesting dishes on this new menu.. Here is a sneak peek to what lies in store,


Singapore Slow- A crispy crunchy salad that the chef put together at our table had all the flavours I love... 

Tandoori Tarbooza [Watermelon] - Oh this was all sorts of wow.. You would not know its watermelon till you bite into it. Even then the head is trying to wrap itself around this dish. The outside masala is a lot like the one used for Paneer tikka/chicken tikka but the inside is sweet and juicy... It is brought to the table sizzling on a small tandoor and served with the traditional green chutney. We were more than wowed by this, the biggest surprise being there was no water leaking from the fruit, even though it sat on the grill a good few minutes.. Chef Balaji has quite a few tricks up his sleeve is what we gathered based on the discussion we had on this dish :)

Tofu in a sauce- I loved this- it had tofu bok choy, broccoli and few other veggies, with a sauce that was simple yet yumm

Mushroom Risotto.. While the non veg got Ossobucco [lamb on saffron risotto]this was mine.. All mine. The mushrooms were beautiful, the risotto still had a bite to it and it was one bowl that I could happily dig into anytime of the day

 Ginger flower- Not a dish, but chef showed this to tell us about the ingredient and how it added flavour to a few of the dishes. It was beautiful, we did have a tough time trying to place the aroma/taste, but soon I kinda figured it was like a torn betel leaf..

 The new decor is quite neat.. There are black boards with stylish typography on them across the restaurant, the new pizza place looks swanky and the lights,well I loved them..

 Black forest- with a twist.. It had berry compote, sorbet and crunchy crumble beneath it while the black forest was light airy and delicious . I personally loved the tart of the berry with the richness of the chocolate, perfect combination!


Soft baked brownie served with peanut ice cream. Well, if you are allergic to peanuts, stay away.. more the merrier for the others.. The brownie was fudgy, gooey and hot while the ice cream was singing with peanut flavours.. 

To experience more from the new menu, head over to Flying Elephant, order a pint or a glass of wine and enjoy the evening!! 

Address:
Park Hyatt
#39, Velachery Main Rd, 

Velachery, Chennai - 600032
Phone:044 7177 1234


Disclaimer: The reviews posted on this blog are based on my personal experience. Also remember these were just my views!! Remember, no two palates are the same. Bon Appétit :-)
badge