Diwali mela night

Diwali

 Diwali, the festival of lights is on 13th November this year. Here at chai lounge we had an early celebration. Planning the menu is great fun and each time I have so many things that I want to make but cooking in a domestic kitchen does not allow it. We wont be doing another supperclub this year, but will see you in the new year. Please email us on info(at)chai-lounge(dot)co(dot)uk if you 'd like to added to the mailing list. Thanks to all the lovely guests that visited us and hopefully see you in the new year.

Happy Diwali to all celebrating and wishing all Gujarati's Sal Mubarak (happy new year)

Some of the dishes that were served on the night, unfortunately I never get a chance to take photos but here are a few.

Starters were a selection of farsans (Gujrati snacks) dhokla, dahi vada with crisp gram noodles, tamarind sauce and spicy tangy bhel puri in lettuce leaves

rose & pistachio barfi

coconut ice

ghoogra filled with almond, coconut, crystalised ginger & cinnamon

kumquat pickle tempered with kaloonji seeds

mitha box for guests

quince,cardamom & almond halva

sweet paan-gulkand,coconut,sweet fennel closed with a clove

Diwali mela menu - 27 October 2012

sutherfeni mithai

Diwali at home always has great memories, baking and making mithai to cooking an elaborate vegetarian affair was always the heart of it. On the auspicious day we’ll do our pooja (prayer) and then set plates with different farsans and mithai to distribute them to the neighbours. After a great feast we would visit family and friends and end the evening with a magnificent array of fireworks. At chai lounge we’ll be catering for our meat eaters. Here is our menu

welcome mithai(indian sweet)

 pear juice infused with cardamon topped with prosecco

--o--

selection of gujarati farsans

farsan is Gujarati snacks usually fried, salty and crunchy.

--o--

seasonal lamb pilau served with papad

delicately flavored lamb seasoned with mace and nutmeg cooked in a fragrant rose and saffron rice finished with cashews and raisins

cucumber and rose chaas

cucumber and yoghurt seasoned with rose water and black pepper

grilled munchkins

char grilled pumpkin seasoned with clove and cinnamon

paneer kofta in creamy sauce

lightly spiced paneer koftas in a rich sweet cashew & almond sauce

kumquat pickle

sweet and sour kumquats pickled with kaloonji seeds

rotli

hot wholewheat rotli’s to scoop up the lightly spiced paneer koftas

--o--

selection of mithai

mithai are Indian sweets served during auspicious occasions. 

sweet masala chai & paan

betel leaf filled with gulkhand, sweet fennel, cardamom and sealed with a clove

--o--

one for the road

mithai box

diwali mela at chai lounge - SOLD OUT

mithai - coconut ice shaped in watermelon

Diwali is usually a vegetarian affair in our home but at chai lounge we will cater for the carnivores. Come and try our spread of Diwali dishes, in a selection of veggie and locally sourced meats. 

Date : 27th October 2012
Time : 19:45
Edinburgh location

To secure a ticket book online here.
Once you've booked your tickets to confirm your space please email us on 
info(at)chai-lounge(dot)co(dot)uk

Breakfast for dinner

Who would have thought deciding on a breakfast menu would take so long to plan. I finally decided to add just some of my favorites with an intention of having another breakfast themed evening again in the future.

I tried to source most of my ingredients locally and managed to get some great vegetables and edible flowers from the Granton Community Gardens, thanks Tom. The meat was bought from George Bower in Stockbridge and fish from Welch's in Newhaven.

Unfortunately on the night I never get a chance to take any photos. Thanks to the lovely guests that came and we look forward to having you in our home again.

Look out for another date in October where we will be having an early Diwali banquet. More details soon

Turnip from the community garden

espresso martini shaken with cardamon & topped with nutmeg

parsnip & cumin parath with pineapple pickle & yogurt. Potato & powa with sev

puttu to go with lamb stew

Breakfast for dinner menu - 22 September 2012

masala egg

Our breakfast for dinner menu showcases a mix of Gujarati and South Indian dishes which we frequently eat at home. Please note that some dishes may vary depending on availability of ingredients.

Espresso martini shaken with cardamom & sprinkled with nutmeg

--o--

potato powa

lightly spiced potato cubes and flat rice tempered with cumin, fennel and curry leaves. Served with fine sev, coriander crest & lime

parsnip & cumin stuffed paratha

parsnip & cumin paratha laced with radish yoghurt & spicy pickle

--o--

lamb stew

Autumn lamb on the bone & squash in coconut milk seasoned with black pepper, cardamom & cinnamon 

masala egg

Sunny side up eggs cooked in red peppers, tomato and onion chutney

Sri Lankan dal

creamy dal tempered with curry leaves & mustard seeds

Plantain

Lightly fried sweet plantains

Puttu

Saffron steamed rice cakes to soak up the lamb stew

Puri

Light and fluffy puris to scoop up the dal and egg masala

--o--

Leith mess

srikhand with crushed cardamom & raspberry meringues

--o--

sweet masala chai

Breakfast for Dinner - 22 September 2012

potatoe and powa for breakfast

Come and try our spread of South Indian and Gujerati breakfast dishes, in a selection of veggie and locally sourced meats. 

Date : 22nd September 2012
Time : 19:45
Edinburgh location

To secure a ticket book online here.
Once you've booked your tickets to confirm your space please email us on info@chai-lounge.co.uk

3rd prize for Gujerati Girls at the Nomnomnom2012 challenge

When I got an email from Urvashi AKA Gujertai Girl asking me to join her in the nomnomnom challenge, a master chef competition for food bloggers, I was excited and nervous at the same time. I never had my food judged by professional chefs but I said yes straight away. We never met each other but we knew that each other's passion for Gujerati food will be the winning formulae.

We designed the menu over the phone and relied on each other to deliver the final product. Since Magimix was one of the sponsors we had to use the machine in the preparation of the dishes, we used it to blitz the peanut filling for the stuffed baby aubergines and the green coriander chutney that was served with the seasonal chaat.

Nothing could have prepared me for the day and once it started,time flew by and before we knew it,it was time to dish up and serve the food. Thanks to Cookery School for their help whilst cooking the dishes, you guys were fantastic on the day.

On our way to get ingredients

Baby aubergines and capsicum

Peanut stuffed aubergines

Season chaat

Vegetarian thali

Trio of rose desserts

Thanks to all the sponsors for the goody bag

Gujerati Girls took third prize and won a La Cloche, thanks to the sponsors for the great prize. Well done to all the finalists and the winners. There is an online raffle with some fantastic prizes, all donations go to
Action Against Hunger so please do donate.

And there is more, you can vote for us and we could be the viewers choice winners, read the post on Gujerati Girls and then click here to vote for Gujerati Girls

For some great photos of the day click on the flickr links below:

Photos by Tiki Chris

Photos by Annie Mole

Photos by Monica Shaw

Indian street food night

Apologies for the unfilled pani puri picture, on the night there is never enough time to take photos of the finished product

Falooda jelly, vermicelli and tukmuria seeds with rose syrup

Our last supper club was another fantastic night with lovely guests. We can always tell that the guests are enjoying themselves when there is laughter coming from the lounge.  I enjoy cooking street food but did not think it would be so time consuming. Each dish had to be assembled just before being sent out which meant a chaotic kitchen on the night. But thanks to my friend Amy, all the dishes went out on time. I decided to make hot dosas in front of the guests who did not mind waiting for their dosas. As always there are no great photos of mine of the night but my fellow guests have written a review which you can read.

My one guest Emma is starting her own business of home made cakes, her review can be read here. Another review by Laura Piper from stv can be found here 

I wont be supper clubbing in July, the next supper club date will be late August or September due to cooking commitments. I'll be working with the World Kitchen in Leith catering at the Big Tent festival for volunteers and artists. We will be feeding over 150 people at one seating. I have also been accepted to to take part in the Nomnomnom competition. This is a fun competition for food bloggers and I have teamed up with Urvashi from The Botanical Baker. I'm excited and nervous at the same time but I'm going to have fun anyway. 

Street Food menu - 23rd June

The menu for the India street food night, please note that some dishes may vary depending on availability of ingredients.

rose & cardamom prosecco

Rose petals, cardamom and lime topped with prosecco

--o--

pani puri

Indian street snack of crisp puris stuffed with chickpea, spiced potatoes, onions, spicy & tangy chutneys, coriander & sev. Savoured with pani - mint and coriander flavoured water and a touch of black salt

dahi vada

Urad dal pakoras soaked in cumin and chillie flavoured yoghurt laced with sweet tamarind chutney, sev and fresh coriander

potato bonda

Mashed spiced potatoes with onions and sesame seeds encased in a light crispy gram flour batter

--o--

chilli, lime and ginger mango ice sticks

--o--

masala dosa, sambhar & chutney

Crispy dosa filled with potato tossed in mustard seeds & curry leaves served with spiced vegetable sambar, accompanied by coconut chutney

chicken kati rolls

Spicy chicken rolled up in egg paratha with fresh mint chutney, chilli sauce, onions and peppers

keema pav

Minced lamb with mushrooms & tomatoes served on toasted bread rolls with sprinkling of chilli and onions

corn on cob

Corn spiced with chilli flakes, lime and salt

pineapple bites

Sweet and spicy pineapple sprinkled with paprika and salt

--o--

falooda

Rose jelly with vermicelli, tukmaria seeds & almonds

--o--

Masala chai with rose & cardamon nankhati

Indian vegetarian banquet - what wine should we have?

People often ask, what wine matches with spicy Indian food? I can only suggest Gewurztraminer, but lovely Nikki from Convivium wine has provided more information on what wine to pair with our menu. Nikki runs wine tasting on Thursday. Her tasting is based on a tube map which is a fun way to explore wines, I've been to one event and can say I thoroughly enjoyed it and have found that I know like white wines instead of red! 


This is what Nikki has suggested:

Meena’s menu is all about subtle blends of spices and textures, each element carefully complementing or contrasting with the next.  The wine needs to do the same thing and gently just sing along beside all of these fabulous dishes.  Some people steer away from wine with spicy foods, there is no need, butthere are a few watch outs; the chilli can make a wine feel more alcoholic, sweet and sour can make a wine taste bitter and strong flavours can make a wine taste thin.

The trick is to find a wine that isn’t too acidic, nor too tannic and has just a hint of sweetness to offset the spices.

If that sounds like an impossible task don’t despair, there are some great options…

My go to wine would be Viña Esmerelda, a Spanish wine which has just the right balance of sweetness and acidity. It’s a bit like having a slightly grapey chutney to wash down all of these lovely dishes. 

£7.74 Waitrose

If you prefer a red wine I’d go for a soft red like Brown Brothers Tarrango. It’s an almost unknown grape but this Aussie local has the perfect blend of soft and fruity, it works especially well on the cooler side so pop it in the fridge for an hour before you head down.

£5.99 Waitrose (down from £7.99)

Or… and this is possibly my favourite, pink fizz is a great wine to showcase these kinds of food.  You have to be careful because the fizz can be a bit much with very spicy food but with the subtlety of Meena’s dishes it will be great. You do need that tiny bit of sweetness so I would be buying a new world fizz or pink Italian wine rather than dry champagne.  I like this Villa Doral Prosecco Rosé, it’s called a frizzante wine because the fizz is not quite as strong as a traditional sparkler so it’s perfect!

£9.79 Vino

Our menu

pear and cardamom infused prosecco

starters

mattar vada 
bhel puri

mains

channa chole

sweet and sour aloo shaak

stir fried mogo, capsicum & onion
cabbage & carrot sambhar
lentil khichdi

radish & carrot raitu flavored with cumin

mango pickle tempered with methi masala

rotli

dessert

gulkand & pistachio kulfi

Indian street food - 23rd June 2012 - SOLD OUT

If Indian street food tantalizes your taste buds, come and try home made street food. Flavours of India, in a selection of veggie and locally sourced meat dishes

Date : 23rd June 2012
Time : 19:45
Edinburgh location

To secure a ticket book online here.

Indian Vegetarian Banquet - 26th May 2012

This time I have a friend helping me prepare a few dishes. I met Bindiya(@bindi00) at Out of the Blue drill hall when she volunteered to cook with us at the World Kitchen in Leith Bindiya is interested in starting a vegetarian supperclub and has been teaching cookery classes for some time. I'm glad to have Bindiya cooking with me. 

This is the menu for the Vegetarian banquet evening at chai lounge. Dishes may vary depending on availability of ingredients. Please email me if you have any dietary requirements at info@chai-lounge.co.uk Our meals are served family style so you'll get to taste as little or as much of every dish. Don't forget to bring along your favourite drink and bring plenty since I don't have a license. Nikki from Convivium wines have some great spice friendly wines on her WineTubeMap which you might want to try.

pear and cardamom infused prosecco

starters

mattar vada 
bhel puri

mains

channa chole

sweet and sour aloo shaak

stir fried mogo, capsicum & onion
cabbage & carrot sambhar
lentil khichdi

radish & carrot raitu flavored with cumin

mango pickle tempered with methi masala

rotli

dessert

gulkand & pistachio kulfi

masala tea or masala coffee

Indian vegetarian banquet 26 May 2012 - SOLD OUT

To secure your place at our table book here £10 secures you a place, it is suggested that an additional donation of £15(cash) per person is paid on the night, tips most welcome.

Want to book?

1. You can book online. Email info@chai-lounge.co.uk if you want to be added to the reserve list. 

2. I cannot serve alcohol so please bring your own, and bring plenty of it. Water will be served throughout the evening. If things get a bit too much I may ask for some help in bringing out the dishes to the lounge.

3. If you wish to cancel please let me know 48hrs in advance. There could be someone on the waiting list which can fill the space.

Flavors of Gujarat take 2

Last weekend we hosted our second Flavors of Gujarat evening. On Friday I decided to give the dessert a twist and renamed it Leith mess which consisted of strawberries, crushed cardamon & pistachio meringues mixed in with srikhand.

Alison has a lovely write up on her blog which can be found here http://willtravelforcake.wordpress.com/2012/04/01/chai-lounge-supper-club/

stuffed okra

stuffed capsicum

more capsicum

sev puri

sev puri & pathudi

Leith mess

Flavors of Gujarat menu - 31 March 2012

Gujarati's make the best vegetarian food so expect a few classics on the night. I'll be serving butter chicken to go with the veggie dishes.

This is the menu for the flavors of Gujarat evening at chai lounge. Dishes may vary depending on availability of ingredients. Please email me if you have any dietary requirements at info at chai-lounge dot co dot uk. Our meals are served family style so you'll get to taste as little or as much of every dish. Don't forget to bring along your favourite drink and bring plenty since I don't have a license. Nikki from Convivium wines have some great spice friendly wines on her WineTubeMap which you might want to try.

pear and cardamom infused prosecco

starters

pathudi tempered with mustard seeds  
peas & coconut kachori
sev puri

mains

butter chicken

stuffed baby aubergine and potato in a peanut masala

sweet spicy moong dal
stuffed okra and capsicum

chaas flavored with cumin

carrot & green bean pickle tempered with mustard seeds

yellow cumin rice

mithi(sweet) roti

dessert

shrikand with crushed cardamom & pistachio meringues

sweet masala chai with thin halwa

Supper clubbing the Gujarati way

  I never got round to posting our Flavors of Kerala event, to be honest I was deflated after the event and had to rethink whether I would do another supper club. But having read the review by Rachel on her blog and receiving a hand written card by Fiona, my spirits were uplifted and started looking forward to the next event.

Lovely words on a card, thanks Fiona

These are just a few pics of the food, as you all know getting pictures on the night always prove difficult.

stuffed mussels getting steamed

marinated fish & stuffed mussels

Malabar fish biryani

Saffaron & caramon gin

carrot and pistachio kheer

I'll definitely be having another Keralan themed night in the future. Last weekend we had our Flavors of Gujarat cuisine. Having grown up with Gujarati food, I found my comfort zone and enjoyed cooking every dish. To start the night we served pear and cardamon infused prosecco. A drink that was enjoyed by all. Followed by an array of Gujarati dishes. 

another recipe book purchased for inspiration

Trio of starters - lamb samoosa, pea kachori and dhokla

Vangar ravaya(small aubergines) & potatoes

Laapsi with fennel, raisins & cashews 

puri's being fried

Guests enjoyed the food and was happy to try something different. Many of the them are not registered on twitter or social media websites but did send an email the following morning. This is what they had to say:

'Thank you so much to both you and Parvez for hosting such a fun and enjoyable evening last night. The dinner was absolutely wonderful and has totally opened my eyes to how Indian cooking "should" taste! It was fresh, plentiful and delicious'  - a happy guest

'Hi Meena – I have been raving about the food all morning – I had such a lovely evening with good company and great chat and really enjoyed the dinner – thank you and congratulations on doing it all so well and so calmly!! Hope you are having a very quiet and peaceful day today!  I’d love to know how to make the green coconut chutney you served with the starter – I could have eaten a bowl of it – if you can pass on the recipe I’d love it!' - Sarah Young

'Thank you so much for the wonderful feast on Saturday night.  You truly are a fantastic cook, and what with a beautiful setting, I had a great time.  Thank you for being such a competent hostess.
A thoroughly enjoyable time had by all' - Fiona