[Recipe] Tawa pulao

Last evening while out walking, suddenly it hit me.. I knew what I was going to make for lunch today [monday]. I quickly walked across towards More supermarket and bought what I needed. I had seen and tasted this dish at Spoonbill when Kamalika made it, so there was no confusion on the process. What was I making? Tawa Pulao ofcourse :D

Here is what you need:-
1 cup Rice 1 tbsp – Oil 1/2 tsp – Cumin seeds 1/4 Onion chopped 1 Garlic pod 1 cup Mixed vegetables - Yellow capsicum, red capsicum, baby corn - all chopped into chunks 2 tsp – Pav bhaji masala 1/2tsp - curry powder Salt- to taste Mint leaves/coriander leaves Water to cook the rice and boil baby corn
Other Options for vegetables: Peas, cauliflower, paneer, and just about anything you can think of.

The process:
1. Take a pressure cooker and cook the rice [1cup rice =3 cups water- 4 whistles]- turn off stove and set aside I placed the baby corn in a plate along with the rice and cooked it. 2. In a pan, add oil, jeera, garlic and onion. Once sauted, add remaining vegetables and the masala powder & curry powder. Let it cook till the raw smell of masala goes away. Add required amount of salt and let it cook. 3. Add the cooked baby corn to this and saute for a minute. Now add the rice and spread it amidst the veg mix and cook for 2-3 minutes till it evenly mixes.
Voila.. Serve with curd, pappad or onion raita. I had it with boiled beetroot and curd.

PS: Am using pictures taken at Spoonbill because today I forgot to take pictures as hunger had taken over my brain.. :-)

Preparation Time: 10 mins
Cooking time: 25 mins
Serves: 2

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Spoonbill, Chennai

Strolling along a well laid out sidewalk, there are guys selling Mexican burritos, Lebanese Falafel alongside French Crepe oozing with nutella or fresh fruits & cream is the feel you get as you look at the menu in Spoonbill.  

This was my 2nd or 3rd visit to Spoonbill and I quite enjoy the food here. The concept is Street food, European to start with but now they have incorporated a few Indian dishes owing to demand. They also have a Sunday Morning breakfast and Daily Happy hours [ 1 for 1 offer]. 

There we were, a few hungry souls, most of whom had been there before, sorry, 2 of them say it was their 1st visit. Charlie came over, explained the concept, the menu, the items, and thus began the food trail in Europe. 

Piadina

 Falafel Salad

The evening began with us piling around the fridge to pick out a drink of our choice. I chose the watermelon juice, which was just perfect- no sugar, no ice[though i would not have minded some ice], many others dint like it cos it was sugar less. There was also Iced tea, Melon juice and a Mango-yoghurt smoothie of sorts. Moving on to food, we were greeted by Piadina, what looked like Quesedilla, probably a distance relative of the same, except these were made with different type of flour. We then tasted the Mushroom Crepe [ the saltiness of the mushroom went well against the bland crepe], then came the 2 different kinds of kebabs - Hara bhara and Paneer, the 1st one won hands down, infact even the non veggies silently sneaked towards the Veg corner of the table and dug their teeth into these kebabs. 

 Burrito & nachos

Kebabs- Hara Bara Kebab & Paneer kebab

They were served alongside fresh Mint chutney and a paratha of sorts. Along came the doner kebab salads, the vegetarians had falafel salad, which was yumm, and the portions were also good decent size, any more and it would be too much. We also sampled the Veg Burrito [filled with salad, salsa, refried beans], though we felt this could do with some tanginess/extra salsa maybe. There was also a plate of nachos that we dug into while we waited for the other dishes. 

Empanada

Wait, i know i forgot something. Ah yes, the empanada- these resembled the samosa/somas, and the filling is jalepenos and cheese- that is it. Sinful treat, am already wondering what variation could be made in this... Oh, i must mention the yumm taste of the Madras masala spice sauce that was used in the Currywurst [sausages based dish]- it was filled with flavour[ the masala, d'oh]. The bread served along with this was Grochen[hope i got the name right] and it was WOW, i lost count of how many i asked for and that were stolen by others.. grrr.. 

Grochen

As conversation flew, so did the food. Some of us wandered about curious to see the making process, while others were happy yapping away in their seats. The place was filled with people of all ages, I could spot a table with what looked like school kids, another with a family [ incidentally the man came over, introduced himself , saying he was a CFG member and that he recognised a few of us :-) looks like we are a popular/notorious lot].. We also tried two different sandwiches/subs of sorts- one had mint&chilli, other had garlic&chilli seasoing and both were lip smacking.

And then came the treats, the delicious desserts.. Different kinds of crepes- there was the good ol nutella filled crepe, following suit was the strawberry brownie custard and finally the ice cream crepe. We dug into them like we havent seen food before. Some spilling onto their shoes, while others just ripped the crepes like they were dosas.. lol.. such an unruly happy bunch we are, especially when it comes to food. I chit chatted with Charlie while he made the crepes and learnt about the batter, the process, how they plan the food, what happens to leftovers etc.. He also made a few small pancakes, which were for the kiddie meal they have.  

Ooh ooh, wait, there is one thing I need to mention- the cutlery. It is all made of wood and absolutely adorable. The spoons, forks, and even the mini fork like thingys that was given for the currywurst. adorable.  

Cooking  is an art indeed. 

Address:

Spoonbill is located above Cafe coffee day on TTK Road

#239, TTK Road,  [Above Cafe Coffee day]

Alwarpet, 

Chennai 600018

Disclaimer:

The reviews posted on this blog are based on my personal experience. Also remember that restaurants and eat outs sometimes change with time, so does their food and service. So, kindly consider these factors while visiting the places. Remember, no two palates are the same. Bon Appétit  :-) 

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Spoonbill, Chennai

It was my Birthday, and as promised i was going to have dinner with my bestie [love the Amy refers to Penny as her Bestie in TBBT -uff, The Big Bang Theory for all those who are staring at the acronym wonderinng what it is.. :D] and her little bunny boy... We went to and fro on sms "Jacobs or Spoonbill" we were both ok with either, she'd been to Spoonbill but was willing to go again... After much dilly dallying, rather "am ok with this, unless..." kinda chats, we settled for Spoonbill..

I had seen the restaurant couple of times while going down TTK road, but yet to explore further. It is situated right above CCD [hopefully you are not wondering what that is.. in case you are... Cafe Coffee Day], yes one more outlet has sprung up in town. You walk up the narrow flight of stairs to Spoonbill [ i dint see an elevator, is there one anywhere? - wondering in case i want to take grandparents there]...

You cant help but smile as you enter the restaurant. the bright orange colour Spoonbill on the wall is what caught my eye. The entire wall was empty but for that bird, and it stood out. I have seen a few real spoonbills, the bird during a trip down the Coromandel coast, but am sure they were white and not orange.. :-)

A wall near the entrance has a few large images, of coffee cups with spoonbill logo and name on it, some of food, and people grinning ear to ear. After a brief stroll down the open kitchen, we found a table near the window. The menu card was big and interesting, so many items i had only heard off and seen on TV.

We chose to go with the combo meals, a veg burrito and a non veg burrito accompanied with french fries[ for the munchkin], water and a drink. Friend also suggested picking up a few Pav buns as the little one will like them.  They had Mexican, Indian, Chinese, European, and the whole menu was around popular street foods...

It is a cool concept- these combos. I was told i could order a drink or water or juice and could pick out whatever i wanted from the refrigerator across the bill counter. I was given a small device, which i was told will light up when our order was ready. How cool is that!

Spent the next few mins running around the place, well, ok, strolling around with junior, while he was fascinated with the drinks in the refrigerator and the unit that was a pest killer, err mosquitoes and flies that is. He saw a fly hit the blue tubelight, and fall with a buzz sound and wanted to see more.. well, looks like all the bugs took the cue and disappeared as the next show dint happen for a while.. lol...

Got back to the table, chit chatting with friend about our birthdays, when suddenly the pager started coming alive. I spotted one of the men behind the counter beckon.. Our order was ready.. Yipee!! And the food was divine... I enjoyed the Burrito- the tortilla, vegetables, refried beans and the gaucamole sauce... The french fries were crisp and perfectly seasoned. I tried the grape juice while friend stuck to Diet coke. We then decided to share a plate of Pandina [did i get the name right? it resembled quesedilla], the filling was Pesto and cheese- sinful, and i wish i could have finished it up, but was stuffed..

And then came the lovely surprise.... Charlie singh, the owner of the place came over to our table [no, he wasnt the surprise..d'oh!], holding a plate with a chocolate cupcake and a candle on it... The little munckin on my lap promptly blew it out... haha... and we dug into it.. The cupcake was warm, moist and  not over the top sweet or chocolatey....

What a fun evening that had been... Actually, time out with these 2 [and the hubby] is always fun & memorable!   Happy birthday to me once again :D

Ambiance: 9/10

Service: Self service :)

Price: 8/10 [ The entire meal was close to Rs600, which i felt was quite reasonable] 

Address:

#239, TTK Road,  [Above Cafe Coffee day]

Alwarpet, 

Chennai 600018

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