The lingering flavour of Sweden Monish Gujral Last Updated : 02 Dec 2011 02:15:28 PM IST On a recent trip to Sweden, I was touched by the Swedish warm hospitality and it reinforced my belief that people living in cold countries are generally warm-hearted. I also found them very sweet. Perhaps, that is the reason why Punjabis pronounce sweet dish as ‘swedish’. This was also one of the culinary expeditions to understand...

Epicurean magic of the Nordic manifesto Monish Gujral Last Updated : 18 Nov 2011 12:16:06 PM IST In 2004, a few introspective Danish chefs put away their knives and gathered around a meeting table in Copenhagen for an 18-hour brainstorming session with an ambitious plan. The plan to create an indigenous Scandinavian cuisine to rival that of Italy and France. The result was a unique agreement called “New Nordic Cuisine...

One question and one answer! Which is your favourite festival? On most occasions, it’s a one-word answer—‘Diwali’, the Festival of Lights. I have renamed it as festival of sweets since the crackers are on the low these days owing to our conscious effort to improve our environment. Exchanging sweets has become a part of the tradition. Different sweets are also offered as ‘prasads’ in Laxmi Ganesh Puja on...

Dum Maro Dum is the title of the famous song in the popular Dev Anand movie Hare Rama Hare Krishna; it evokes the image of a bunch of hippies puffing smoke rings. In the art of cooking, however, the word dum is an important term. While dum means steam, dum pukht literally means to choke off the steam. The food is placed in a pot, usually made of clay, and dough is used to create a tight seal to prevent the steam from...

Goa: Gastronomically yours Monish Gujral Last Updated : 02 Sep 2011 02:53:17 PM IST Goa is not only my perfect hideout to relax and swim in the rough sea waters of the Arabian Sea but also a haven for foodies. Whenever I am choked by the city life’s over-demanding maladies, I run to my quiet and quaint cottage surrounded by small hills, overpowering green trees and a beautiful tributary of the Baga river. Goa, the...

CHEF IS AN ARTIST “FOOD BYTES BY MONISH GUJRAL SUNDAY EXPRESS Posted on 03. May, 2011 by motimahal in Uncategorized The artist’s palate! GOOD FOOD As good as it looks A universal truth that continues to hold good is the appeal that good looking food has. It proves the old saying, “We feast from our eyes and not from our mouth.” Interestingly, my doctor recently said, “The mantra to remain fit is to take a single...

Food bytes “Dessert storm in New York” in Sunday Standard by Monish Gujral Posted on 07. Jul, 2011 by motimahal in Uncategorized class=”alignnone size-full wp-image-765″ /> Dessert storm in New York Monish Gujral Last Updated : 01 Jul 2011 12:28:37 PM IST One of the main reasons I go to New York year after year is my undying love for its cheesecake, besides accompanying my wife for her shopping spree...

Churn the chutney charm Monish Gujral Last Updated : 23 Jul 2011 08:26:07 AM IST Since my first samosa with the sweet and sour Tamarind chutney in my childhood, I have been addicted to the chutneys as a part of my meal. In my opinion, no meal is complete without a tangy and savoury but a little sweet chutney. Be it tomato sauce, tomato chutney, Jalepeno dip… you name it and I would have tried it somewhere and somehow....