Author: Reeta Skeeter

There is difference between ‘being merrily high’ and ‘being drunk’

And I insist, I am nt drunk… NO!! I am nt.. M just merrily merrily high! Anyway…went to Q’Ba, Connaught Place, E block with P… The ambience was ok, the service was very nice, the food was pathetic… Not worth one penny we spent there.The vegetable seekh kebabs were hopeless, the blue breeze tasted like a long lost cousin of Pina Colada…It was neither Pina Colada nor Blue curacao.. but sumthing else only… sumthing that I could nt figure out… Dal Makhani was good… The bread was cold and funny. I say that if u go there… U must try this… U must try visiting the loos. They r gr8… really!!! They r!!! Plants in each loo. Wow!!! Had they just thought about the food a bit more…Ufffffff!!!!!

Switch to evening… Had thoda sa neat whisky… got merrily high… insisted that Chicken Little takes me to a particualr shop frm where I had banta (Lemon) and desi patte wala Paan (betel leaf)… And CL thinks m drunk.. m nt!! m only merrily high!!!

Nawabi fare

Hyderabadi, Lucknawi, Kashmiri, Pakistani, Karachi-an, Bombay…. These are not the names of different places; these, are the names of special places. Places, from where the Nawabi fare, as I like to call it, has come into being. I am talking about the ever delightful, the delectable, the sumptuous – BIRYANI.

One visit to the India International Trade Fair (IITF 2006) made me buy sixteen, yes, sixteen packets of biryani masalas from the stall of my favourite brand Shan. They are available at IITF-2006, Pragati Maidan, Hall number 12, Pakistan pavillion area. Those who are in Delhi or would be visiting Delhi, anyday till 27th November, must try, Shan Biryani masalas. I bought enough supply to last a year. I am going back tomorrow to buy some more stuff from there…maybe the pickles this time… Coming back from the fair I heard two aunties calling me… beta… beta … Shan ka stall kahan pe hai... they were desperate to know the exact location… I obliged to tell them the directions till they were happy and satisfied.

Back to the Biryani…. I prefer the one dat is cooked in the traditional cauldron with the atta (wheat-dough) sealed onto its ends… And yes I love onions… loads and loads and loads of them in my Biryani… The Hyderabadi Biryani is the best I have tasted so far and if voted, I think, it will be the national Biryani of India.. Wotsay??
Ah yes, I love only Veg Biryanis!!!

Skeeter’s shopping!! Whoa!

Potato feast: The Punjabi way!

Punjabis love their potatoes. Potatoes or aloos as they are called, form an important part of any punjabi household’s kitchen. Be it the Aloo Paranthas for breakfast or the vegetable served in the main course (dry/curried) or the fried aloo chaat served as a snack, aloos are an indispensable part of the daily menu.
The other day Skeeter discovered that the humble potato is the most used vegetable in Skeeter’s kitchen as well! Here are some pics….


The Chaiwali loves her Cardamom Spice


Recently mom fulfilled the deepest desire of Skeeter’s heart…Ever since Skeeter has started making tea, she wanted to use the pestel to crush cardamoms by placing them on the black granite shelf of the kitchen. But mom insisted Skeeter uses the mortar and the pestel to crush them.
Skeeter has seen people just tearing away the upper covering (green bit) of the cardamom spice and throwing it into the boiling tea. That, Skeeter thinks, is JUST NOT DONE!!! It is just so unfair to the cardamom – the most aromatic spice. Skeeter humbly requests all tea lovers to crush the cardamom spice and release the aroma trapped in the seeds to unleash the mystic flavour that lies within. Not only will it make your tea taste much more flavourful, it would also do justice to the spice.
The mortar and the pestel have a different story altogether. They are Skeeter’s most loved tools in the kitchen. No modern day pepper-crushers beat the traditional mortar and pestel. Even chefs like Kylie Kwong swear by them. Skeeter just loves the way in which Kylie seasons the dishes with basic ingredients such as Sichuan pepper and salt (of course ground using the traditional chinese mortar and pestel). Skeeter’s personal favourites are those made of wood and marble. If you happen to visit Forest Essentials@ Khan market or Greater Kailash M-block market, you are likely to chance upon the most beautiful mortar and pestel set, Skeeter has ever come across. Ofcourse, it is not for sale. Else, Skeeter would’ve definitely picked it.
And now a confession: Skeeter want to become a chaiwali. Pouring endless number of frothy cuppas to those who pass by my shack under a tree @ a road in Manali, Leh, Dharamsala and many more places up there in the Himalayas. Ofcourse Skeeter would serve Cardamom tea and only that!!! And yes…This is one business that even the rains or the chilly weather cannot dare to dampen. 😛

Wait – ing

Some WAIT to earn money and some, because they cannot find a better way to earn. There are others who WAIT bcoz they earn well while WAIT- ing and they do not mind this profession. They like to WAIT upon people, they like to serve… They like to take orders, and they love to remember the largest o’ orders by heart. The other day, I chanced upon a lady WAITER… She was gud at her job. She WAIT- ED with perfection… She remembered our order by heart and she served her guests (read us) well…
Also, Skeets remembers having been to a cafe at Khan market in the month of March…We were two… PeaNUT and Skeeter… We entered hungry… All tables were taken up… We turned to move out. The lady (who was the owner of the place) stopped us, handed us the menu and very politely asked a guest to leave the table as she (the guest) was done with her food….We sat. She explained to us what exactly would we get if we ordered what we were contemplating t0 order… We ordered a sandwich, drinks. The food was good..perhaps because we were very hungry…. and the best part was that when we were leaving, she (the owner) was WAIT-ING upon other guests…STILL she had a SHARP eye on the door… She managed to shout bubbye–hope you njoyed the food…. THIS, is exactly what the subtle art of WAIT-ING is all about.
I would love to WAIT upon people sumday… at one of Reeta’s Restros.

Dream on…

(The name of the cafe is not mentioned here because of the nature of the post)

Dilli gol hai!!!

Yes dilli gol hai!!! Mere liye to gol hai… Wherever Skeeter goes she reaches CP…haha!!

The other day, the weather took a turn for good and the heavy downpour lifted everybody’s spirits. Skeeter was working late… And was damn hungry…


Wenger’s had been on the mind since days… So she headed there. Got herself 1 Blueberry Mousse, 1 Tiramisu and 1 Hazlenut Swiss roll.

The Tiramisu won the taste buds for its perfectly blended ingredients.

The day ended in a superb way… The drive from CP to North Delhi (windows rolled down) for which Skeeter passed through one of her fave stretches of road shall keep Skeeter in a good mood for many days to come…

Happy Blogging!!!

Buds taste…

Always, there is this reaction which you are required to give, when someone makes you taste something… Never say YIKES at the first go.
Wait!
Taste again…
It is not always that we can judge the taste of a particular food, at just one go.
If you sit back and think, you will be able to recollect many such foods that you did not like at all the first time you tasted them… Skeets doesn’t know the logic behind this… All she can guess is… your taste buds are adjusted to like what you love to eat. The rest of the stuff, i.e. what your taste buds reject at one go…well.. you never know you might just develop a taste for just about anything. Skeets did… for a few new flavours of wafers, for bitter gourd, for yellow lentils (though Skeets still likes to tell herself she doesn’t like them) and for loadza stuff that she can’t remember.. not right now..
This also stands true in case of cuisines different from one’s own culture. The key to developing a new taste is the art of appreciation.

An Ode!
….to the Master Chefs.

Forks and Knives
Are your wives
Pans and Cauldrons
You call them your sons
Plates and Bowls
You play with them
Chopper the lopper
Your own daughter…
Serve, you do that pretty well
The smile on those satiated faces makes your heart sing ‘Jingle bells’…


Have had this obssession for perfectly hand chopped food stuff…The other day chopped some veggies for mama…Was wondering where that obssession came from…Then came the answer… TV shows… Have seen chefs chop away the most difficult to chop veggies with such an ease…. Whew!!!
This post is an ode to the Master Chefs of the world…R, Kylie Kwong, Tarla Dalal, Chef Sultan…. hmmm all of them… Mama… the greatest of them all!!!