Flavors of Gujarat - 31 March 2012 SOLD OUT

The theme again this time is Gujarati, bringing the unique sweet and sour flavors of western India, in a selection of  locally sourced veggie and meat dishes

Date : 31st March 2012
Time : 19h45
Edinburgh location

To secure a ticket book online here

Flavors of Gujarat - 25th February 2012 SOLD OUT

The theme this time is Gujarati, bringing the unique sweet and sour flavours of western India, in a selection of veggie and locally sourced meat dishes

Date : 25th February 2012
Time : 19:45
Edinburgh location

To secure a ticket book online here.

Flavors of Kerala menu

Legend has it that Kerala derives its name from kera, a Malayalam word for coconut palm. The coconut tree is an integral part of life in Kerala and nowhere is this more visible than in their cuisine. Malabar is the coastal stretch along the western coast from just below Goa to the southern tip. Malabar cuisine is influenced by the long history of trade with the Arabs,Chinese and more recently Europeans. Kerala boasts vast plantations of cardamom,pepper,nutmeg,tea and coffee and a huge collection of tropical fruits like jackfruit,mango,pineapple and cashew. With all these grown in Gods own country,its no wonder that Keralan cuisine has landed on the worlds' table and is going to be served at chai lounge supperclub.


This is the menu for the flavors of Kerala evening at chai lounge. Dishes may vary depending on availability of ingredients. Please email me if you have any dietary requirements at chailounge77@gmail.com. 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 since I don't have a licence. Nikki from Convivium wines have some great spice friendly wines on her WineTubeMap which you might want to try.

welcome drink

starters

malabar stuffed mussels (arikadukka)

urad dal vada served with warm tamarind rasam

mains

malabar fish biryani

pineapple pickle 

carrot raita flavored with cumin

egg curry cooked in a spicy coconut milk 

kala channa sambal tossed with fresh coconut and curry leaves
rice pathiri (keralan flat bread)

dessert

carrot kheer with pistachios

sweet cardamom & cinnamon chai

Naan Khataay

These lovely biscuits have a shortbread texture and I've been told by my colleagues at work that its an Indian shortbread,which describes this lovely melt in the mouth biscuit just perfectly. I remember making these biscuits only once a year during Diwali,my mum would not allow me to make it more often because of the ghee content. I totally agree with her


Naan Khataay 
(makes approx 30)


125ml thick ghee or unsalted butter
100ml castor sugar
3ml ground cardmom
3ml ground nutmeg
5ml baking powder
15ml semolina
almonds cut in half to decorate
250ml plain flour


Method
1. Cream ghee and castor sugar. 
2. Add all the ingredients besides the flour and beat till light and creamy.
3. Add the sifted flour gradually to form a biscuit dough. Make round balls and      press flat until approximately
1cm thick.
4. Make a cross in the centre and press half a almond in the centre.
5. Bake at 180degress for 10minutes. 

Channa Dal with butternut squash

This lovely sweet and nutty dal together with butternut or sweet potato makes a great hearty dal. It can be eaten as a soup or with hot rotis.

Channa Dal with butternut squash

serves 2

Ingredients

100g channa dal

100g chopped butternut squash or sweet potato

1 tablespoon olive oil

½ onion chopped

1 green chilli or more according to taste

1 teaspoon crushed ginger

pinch of asafoetida

½ teaspoon tumeric

½ teaspoon salt or to taste

1 tablespoon lemon

½ teaspoon cumin seeds

½ teaspoon mustard seeds

Method

1. Wash channa dal a few times until the water runs clear. 
2. Boil dal till soft but still whole. Heat oil in a pan, when hot add mustard    seeds and cumin seeds, wait till they pop. 
3. Add asafoetida, green chillies, ginger and tumeric. Cook this for a minute then add the onions, cook for 5min. 
4. Add butternut squash and cook till soft. If its too dry add a splash of water.
5. Add channa dal, salt and lemon, cook till required consistency. Add more hot water if it needs to be thinned out. Garnish with freshly chopped coriander.