Chef at Large

Naheed, Kiranjit and I decided to step over to Geoffreys for a quick lunch yesterday. Based on my last experience there [sunday buffet brunch and beer], I was only too happy to recommend the place. I wouldn’t do so readily today.
Lets talk about the environment first. Service was fast, friendly, efficient anf thoughtful. The ambience [...]

The nutmegs Myristica are a genus of evergreen trees indigenous to tropical southeast Asia and Australasia. They are important for two spices derived from the fruit, nutmeg and mace.
Nutmeg is the actual seed of the tree, roughly egg-shaped and about 1 inch (20 - 30 mm) long and 3/4 inch (15 - 18 mm) wide, [...]

What started as a casual cuppa is now showing all the signs of becoming an obsession.
Just for the heck of it, I decided to compare coffees. Number one on the list was a Starbucks Columbian Medium blend, the second was the Cafe Coffee Day Dark Forest blend and the third was an un-named, unmarked anonymous [...]

The Achappam is a traditional snack prevalent in Kerala. Prowling through the inside streets of INA market yesterday, I found this little shop [Kerala Store, Shop #56] run by the Wilson brothers.
A crunchy, mildly sweet and very light snack, the achappam is easy to make too - all it needs is rice powder, milk, eggs, [...]

As onions are sliced, cells are broken, allowing enzymes called alliinases to break down amino acid sulfoxides and generate sulfenic acids. Sulfenic acids are unstable and spontaneously rearrange into a volatile gas called syn-propanethial-S-oxide. The gas diffuses through the air and eventually reaches the eye, where it reacts with the water to form a diluted [...]

Jeera Aloo is a typical North Indian dish, probably made in thousands of homes every day. Easy to make and quick too, it goes equally well with rotis or parathas.
Boil and dice some potatoes. Heat oil, add jeera (cumin seed), put in the potatoes, add salt, red chilli powder, turmeric (haldi), dhania (coriander) powder and [...]

This is a quick recipe for thai green curry. Light, spicy, delicious and easy to make, this curry is ideal for cold winter evenings. This recipe uses Mae Ploy green curry paste. While there are many others on the market, I believe this one has the most authentic flavor. If you like these curries, don’t [...]

This is in continuation to my previous post on Spicy Minced Meat. That was the stuffing.
The Sandwich Omelette can probably be compared to the Chinese stuffed bun, but this one is easier and quicker. It has an outer covering of a thin omelette, inside which is are two slices of fresh white bread, inside which [...]

Chili peppers have been a part of the human diet in the Americas since at least 7500 BC and perhaps earlier. There is archaeological evidence at sites located in southwestern Ecuador that chili peppers were already well domesticated more than 6000 years ago, and is one of the first cultivated crops in the Americas.
The Black [...]

This is a spicy, juicy and tangy dish that can be used to stuff your samosas, filo pastry / puff pastry parcels, sandwiches or simply eaten with hot rotis/naans.
My brother dropped in last night and sleepily expressed a desire this morning, to eat a stuffed omelette. Now, stuffed omelettes are quite passè for me, considering [...]