indian food

‘Live Like a Maharaja’: Brand New Menu at Asha’s Middle East

Asha Bhosle, Bollywood’s very own nightingale who has captured the imagination of generations, needs no introduction. Asha’s, her self-named culinary debut, celebrates the kitchen experiments of this Bollywood legend. The beauty of Asha’s has always been its simplicity. The true essence of Indian fine-dining is never lost here to overly suave modernist ways, and this month, the restaurant pays tribute to the royal cuisines of the North.

The limited edition menu entitled ‘Live Like a Maharaja’ is brimming with a whole array of royal treats that has something for vegetarians and non-vegetarians alike. Here is a look at some of my favorites: 

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Valentine’s Day at Nassima Royal Hotel

14th Feb is just 4 days away! Where are you heading this Valentine’s? If its variety you seek, Nassima Royal Hotel is an ideal dining destination to consider. We were invited for the Valentine’s Day preview at their all-day buffet dining restaurant Celsius, yet the wonderful team had more in store for us than a lavish spread.

In true V-Day spirit, we were teamed together with our better halves to have a go at cake icing. Heart-shaped Red Velvet cakes were placed on every work station, and the Chef helped us slice it horizontally, and pipe in the icing. We tried our hand at rosette swirls, and I think our cake had more cream than cake!

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SpiceKlub: Indian Molecular Gastronomy Made Affordable

Over the last year or so, Indian molecular gastronomy has taken the Dubai dining scene by storm. It was initially reserved for exuberantly priced fine-dining restaurants like Tresind, and soon seeped into the high-end cafe and bar scenes with the introduction of Farzi Cafe and Carnival by Tresind. Going a few steps further down the affordability scale, we can now rejoice with the opening of Mumbai’s very popular vegetarian joint, SpiceKlub.

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(Image taken from TimeOut Dubai)

Just a month into its opening, and it is already a challenge getting a table booking at this brand new joint. Located in the hub of busy, traffic-congested Mankool where parking can be a nightmare, we booked ourselves a table at SpiceKlub midweek for dinner. Despite not having a valet service, the place was absolutely packed… and this was a Tuesday evening!

My Hubby does not prefer Indian when dining out, and least of all a vegetarian joint. To make matters worse, it took us a good 20 minutes to find a parking spot, so by the time we settled into our table I was praying the food would be to his liking. Miracle of miracles, he walked out very content raving about the dishes and the immaculate service! 

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Birbal Ki Kichdi: An Indian Folktale Brought to Life by Tresind

The tales of Emperor Akbar and his wittiest minister Birbal are an integral part of Indian folklore. Their stories often end with a moral teaching, and have been passed down to generations of fascinated young children.birbal-ki-kichdi-story-akbar-birbal-folktales-indian-tresind-dubai-indian-fine-dining-review-by-the-tezzy-files-dubai-food-blogger-best-blog-ahlan-masala-awards-2016

Interestingly, Birbal was the only Hindu in Emperor Akbar’s court. Born Mahesh Das, stories of his timely wit and moral standing won him over as Akbar’s dearest adviser, much to the chagrin of his counterparts.

One of the most popular Akbar Birbal stories is entitled ‘Birbal Ki Kichdi‘ (Birbal’s Kichdi). What is Kichdi you ask? An Indian risotto would be the best way to describe it to a global audience. However, the Indian counterpart is not as starchy as the one eaten by Italians. Indian kichdi is made up of near-equal proportions of rice and lentils, cooked together along with a mix of spices, and enriched with ghee (Indian clarified butter). Here is how the story goes:

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The Yellow Chili by Sanjeev Kapoor

A young boy, on a visit to his mother’s ancestral home in Meerut (North Western India), is left fascinated by a bright yellow find. So contrastingly different from the usual fiery reds and deep greens, this prized yellow chili happened to fall in the hands of a boy destined to be arguably India’s most celebrated chefs, Sanjeev Kapoor himself.

So cherished was this find that many decades later, Sanjeev Kapoor opened up a whole chain of restaurants called Yellow Chili. Where Signature and Options are the chef’s ode to Indian fine-dining, Yellow Chili aims to be your cushy neighbourhood retreat for some seriously good, home-style Indian dishes.

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WIN a Diwali Dinner for Two at Antique Bazaar (Four Points by Sheraton, Bur Dubai)

I had the pleasure of trying out Antique Bazaar’s delicious lineup of treats for Diwali this week, and I want to give you, my dear reader, the chance to win a Diwali Dinner for 2!

Antique Bazaar 4 points by Sheraton Bur Dubai review of the Punjabi food festival by The Tezzy Files UAE food and lifestyle blogger (47)

Antique Bazaar’s special Diwali menu is going to be available to the public from 29th through to the 31st of October. Indulge in a traditional feast, complete with live Bollywood-style entertainment and a stunning ‘antique-style’ ambience to boot.

To win this special treat, all you have to do is:

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Diwali at Antique Bazaar (Four Points by Sheraton, Bur Dubai)

Diwali, the auspicious Indian ‘Festival of Lights’ celebrated by Hindus the world over, is scheduled for the 30th of this month. This festival signifies the victory of light over darkness, good over evil, knowledge over ignorance, and hope over despair (Wikipedia). It is by far, one of the grandest celebrations on India’s social calendar.

However, you don’t have to book a ticket to India to celebrate… From 29th through to 31st October, Antique Bazaar (at Four Points by Sheraton – Bur Dubai) has created a tantalizing lineup of traditional Diwali treats, complete with live Bollywood entertainment to boot!

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An Amicable Chat With Asha Bhosle: Bollywood Legend, Restaurateur, Chef

You don’t have to be Indian to know Asha Bhosle. With a career in Bollywood spanning over six decades, generations have grown up humming her melodious tunes. Her contribution to Indian music is legendary, but what many people may not be aware of is her flare for the kitchen.

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Despite a very busy career, Asha Bhosle finds respite in creating new dishes for her family and her elite circle of friends in the Bollywood fraternity.

Seeing how much her dishes were being appreciated, Asha Bhosle decided it was time the world got a taste of her cooking too and this is how Asha’s, her chain of Indian fine-dining restaurants have spread across the globe.

Today I have the immense pleasure of sharing an excerpt of my interview with the legend herself; Asha Bhosle! She has even been kind enough to share her recipe for Muscat Gosht with us. Read on for more.

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Zafran Reloaded

I was invited to do a review on Zafran at Mirdiff City Center over a year ago, and have been raving about them ever since. This week, I had the pleasure of attending yet another bloggers’ meet-up organised by the lovely Monica Kapila from doindubai.com

Zafran is ‘saffron’ on an Arabesque tongue. Saffron, the most prized of spices, the sacred color of sadhus, and a shade that takes up a third of the Indian flag, is the inspiration behind this trendy contemporary Indian restaurant. The last time I was at Zafran, the interiors were a vibrantly bright shade of saffron, and the ambiance was made to look all the more exotic with carved elephants and ethnic prints.

The Zafran chain has now had a major facelift. The colour scheme has shifted to more somber hues of greys,off-white and hints of peacock blue. This new look is more in tune with the ‘contemporary bistro’ concept that the restaurant claims to be.

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Playing Judge at the Grandma’s Recipe Contest at Arabian Courtyard (My Master Chef Moment)

In our household, we are pretty addicted to Master Chef Australia. Hubby and I take great pleasure in putting bets on contestant rankings, and I’ve always been in awe with the judging skills and straight-up informative feed back Chefs Gary, George and Matt seem to be able to give at the drop of a hat.

We are foodies. I blog about food, yet actually being a judge at a cooking contest perturbs me. And then I had the honor of being invited onto the judging panel of the annual Grandma’s Recipe Contest in Arabian Courtyard & Spa this month! Absolutely honored, I decided to give it a go and put on my Master Chef hat 🙂

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