Review: American Donut Shoppe, Atria Mall, Worli

Today was my first encounter with one of the several new doughnut places blossoming all over the city (it’s a growth spurt, believe me!) Till recently, doughnuts were picked up at bakeries and cafes where they were among the plainer offerings nestled against the more alluring pastries, cakes and puddings.

I was thrilled to see these ‘doughnuts-only’ shops, thinking that now perhaps I could re-experience the bliss of biting into a hot, fresh original glazed (first had at Doha) And so with great enthusiasm (and expectations), I visited the stall of American Donuts at Atria in Worli (Opposite Poonam Chambers)

I sincerely hope that the saying “A bad beginning makes a good ending” is true because this first exposure to a doughnut chain product was revolting. I steered clear of the decorated doughnuts in the display case (blueberry-topped, chocolate-covered, dark-and-white-chocolate laced, spread-with-jam etc) and asked for a takeaway of an original glazed (which was not displayed). While I waited for the doughnut to be packed, I saw a video (being shown on a TV near the cashier) about how these doughnuts are made at their factory and drooled at the sight of rows and rows of golden doughnuts getting drenched with pearly white shimmering glaze. I just couldn’t wait to get home and introduce my parents to this culinary delight!

But………………..

Upon getting home and opening the box (in a tearing hurry, pun fully intended) what I saw was a dull, uninspiring, non-shiny lump-with-a-hole. I took a bite, just to make sure – and yes, there was hardly any glaze.



I didn’t expect a warm doughnut (I have realistic expectations) but a stone-cold, hardly-glazed doughnut is difficult thing to swallow (again, pun intended!) And here’s the worst thing (yes, there’s more!) – the texture was nowhere near the light ethereal whisper that I’d relished at Doha – this one was dry, mealy and BREAD-like.




Priced at Rs. 35 (the lowest priced; the chocolate, jam etc ones are Rs. 45), this was a rip-off on a massive scale. I mean, why pay so much for something which is eerily akin to the sweet buns the daily paav-waala gets (5 Rs!)?

Agreed, I tasted only one doughnut and that too only once – but if you cant get the basics right (the original glazed is the foundation of all doughnuts) and if you aren’t consistent, the battle’s lost before it even begins.

I only hope the other doughnut shops have better doughnuts on offer. Else doughnut shops will die out like several expensive food fads Mumbai has already witnessed.(Thai dosa, anyone?)

Kitchen Experiments: Stuffed Soya Paratha

Today saw a successful invention take form in my kitchen – with necessity as its mother, of course. :)

Stuffed Soya Parathas
These are healthy and nutritious (the soya granules do the trick!), apart from being yummy!
Here are the ingredients: (for 4 parathas)

Stuffing:
2 handfuls (1 wati/katori) soya granules
1 medium boiled potato, mashed
1 small onion, chopped fine
½ teaspoon garlic paste or 2 cloves garlic, minced
¼ teaspoon jeera (cumin) seeds
1 handful coriander leaves, chopped fine
1 green chilli (or to taste), chopped finely
1 teaspoon Rajwadi garam masala (any garam masala will do)
1 teaspoon chaat masala
1 teaspoon red chilli powder (adjust to taste according to the heat of the fresh green chilli)
1 teaspoon oil
½ teaspoon sugar
Juice of a quarter lemon
Salt, to taste

For the covering of the paratha, use normal kneaded dough, the same dough you use for chapattis.
(For the uninitiated: Combine wheat flour, a touch of oil, a pinch of salt and water and knead to form a soft dough, enough to form 4 plum-sized balls. Keep aside, covered, for at least half an hour)

Here’s how you make the parathas:

Stuffing:
Boil a cup of water, pour over the soya granules. Cover and set aside for 15 minutes. Drain excess water (if any) and cool.
Take 1 teaspoon oil in a kadhai/frying pan/ wok and heat it.
Add the cumin seeds. Once they splutter, add the chopped onion, chilli and garlic. Saute for a minute.
Add the soya granules and mashed potato. Mix well.
Add the garam masala, half the coriander leaves, red chilli powder, sugar and salt and mix well for 5 minutes.
Once the mixture has combined well and piping hot throughout, take it off the stove.
Add the chaat masala, lemon juice and the rest of the chopped coriander leaves and mash well. Spread out the mix (in the kadhai itself) to cool. This is how the stuffing looks like, when it’s done:




Assembly:
Take a lemon-sized or plum-sized ball of the kneaded dough and roll it out thinly (like a chapatti). Put a tablespoon of the cooled stuffing in the centre and spread it out slightly. Fold the four sides of the chapatti over the stuffing to make a square envelope.

Cook a hot tawa (griddle) till both sides are flecked with golden-brown spots. Use of oil/ghee while roasting the parathas is optional!

Serve piping hot off the tawa with tomato ketchup or a sweet-and-tangy mint-coriander-jaggery chutney

The last of this season

For all you people who are in far-off lands, who miss Alphonso mangoes....
Here are a few pics of the season's finest - and last. :(

The Foodie's Guide to Pune

I know I have not been updating this blog lately-was busy with examinations (the last exam of my LIFE! Yippeee!!) and then was away on a much-enjoyed vacation. As a result, this blog has suffered.
But not any more!
I just got back from Pune and it is a foodie’s HEAVEN. Unlike Mumbai, where restaurants are really crowded only on weekends, in Pune, every single restaurant is overflowing with people every single day. Plus there are shops selling snacks like wafers and the like which ALSO sell fresh-from-the-fryer goodies like matarchya karanjya (green pea dumplings), batate wade (spiced potato croquettes), sabudanyachi khichadi (a Maharashtrian delicacy, just cant translate into English) and more….. I wonder if Puneites bother to cook at home at all!
In recent years Pune has undergone a metamorphosis – from being an academic centre with small-town charm, with green, leafy lanes, old bungalows and an unabashedly Marathi feel it has gone to being a sprawling metropolis with all the traps of a modern city – flyovers, thousands of smoke-spewing cars, international chain stores, malls – you name it.
Of course, there are advantages of this – you can now scarf down some fried chicken a la KFC or some pizza (Pizza Hut, Dominoes), buy your Nikes/Reeboks/designer wear without a trip to Mumbai. But gone is the ‘Puneri’ feel of small stores often tended to by gruff and rude store owners, the (in)famous ‘Puneri Patya’ (signboards) outside/inside shops which had nitpicking, mean instructions to pedestrians/shoppers, and the Marathi feel of the whole place.
In all fairness, some parts of Pune do retain their original culture – the old city across the river, for instance, and some parts of the (now-) hip shopping-and-eating-out-area of Deccan Gymkhana. But new districts like Aundha, Baner, Koregaon Park are all a tribute to metropolism.
Coming back to food, luckily, the influx of international (read US) fast food hasn’t diluted the stronghold of Marathi food in Pune. You can get amazing Maharashtrian food in Pune – way better than any other city in the state. And the variety is to die for! I can go on and on about the epicurean delights that Pune offers, but to keep things concise, I have compiled a list of must-eat and must-shop delicacies when in Pune. I haven’t bothered to include all the Greek/Thai/Chinese/American (is there such a cuisine at all?) joints in the city – I believe that when in Pune, one must sample the USP of the city, which is authentic and yummy Maharashtrain food (With a few notable exceptions). After all, all your international stuff is readily available in Mumbai (or any other metro). But Marathi food sure isn’t found everywhere.

Must-Eat:
1. The thali at Krishna Dining Hall (there are several ‘dining halls’ of repute in Pune, but this is my favourite).
This place on Law College Road serves a set meal of piping-hot and tasty Maharashtrian food – but is not afraid to experiment with the cuisine, with delicious results.



2. Appachi khichadi
Fabulous sabudanyachi khichadi (a savoury dish made of sago and patotao), served with a sweet yoghurt-and-cucumber koshimbir (salad). I don’t know who ‘Appa’ is, but his shack (yes it is that) serves up an amazing sabudanyachi khichadi thrice a week – Mondays, Thusdays and Saturdays. The kind that Ajji made.

3. Joshi Misal (Tulshi Baag)
Misal is a jumble of spiced lentils, crunchy fried chivda and poatatoes and onions.
This place sevres not the eye-wateringly spicy Kolhapuri version, but a milder one suited to the palate of Puneri Brahmins. :P

4. Kolhapuri dishes at PurePur Kolhapur
This restaurant has 2 outlets, one at Kothrud and the other at Peru Gate. Authentic, spicy Kolhapuri curries.

5. The Gavraan thali at Mathura (J. M. Road)
A set meal of ‘gavraan’ (village/country cuisine) dishes

6. Jhunka Bhakar at Shabri (F.C. Road)
Traditional Marathi-heartland fare comprising bhakari (thick roti-like bread made of jowar/bajra) and jhunka (tasty, toasted chickpea flour paste)

7. Parathas at Chaitanya Parathas (F. C. Road)
Authentic and delicious Punjabi parathas at extremely affordable prices (Rs 45-55 per HUGE paratha). Served with a generous dollop of butter and refreshing mint chutney. Also on offer – other Punjabi dishes like daal makhani, bharta, rajma etc and soothing lassis.

8. SPDP at Wadeshwar
SPDP stands for Shev Puri-Dahi Puri. This chaat dish is better known as Dahi Batata Puri, but Puneites like to call it SPDP, for some reason. Wadeshwar also serves nice appe, mini idlis and Set Dosas which you wont get easily at other South Indian restaurants

9. Chicken Roll at Marz-o-rin (M.G. Road, Pune Camp)

10. Chana Bhatura at Mona Foods (M.G. Road, Pune Camp)
Too yummy for words, botht eh above dishes, and consistently good, over the decades!

I know several Puneites will gnash their teeth when (rather, if) they read this post – since I have skipped their beloved restaurant-duo of Vaishali/Rupali and the famous Puneri Mastani.
But face it guys- Vaishali is more hype than good food and Mastani is just milkshake with icecream.

Must-shop:
1. Bakarwadi at Chitales
Chitale is a Pune institution with several branches (and stockists) around the city. The bakarwadi (a fried savoury snack) is their signature product. Also yummy are their chivdas, the malai barfi and their fresh snacks like matar karanji. They also stock melt-on-the tongue, sweet, crisp chirote (made elsewhere)

2. Shrewsbury biscuits and plain/Mawa cakes at Kayani Bakery (East Street, Pune Camp)
This family-owned bakery used to be notorious for their stubbornly limited production of biscuits and cakes (which would be sold out by noon) They have bowed to public pressure, though, and now churn out consistently delicious cakes and melt-in-the-mouth Shrewsbury biscuits all day long.

3. Potato Wafers/Potato Sali (sticks) at Budhani Wafers (M.G. Road, Pune Camp)

4. Chirote from Bedekar Misal (Sadashiv Peth)
A chirota (pl: Chirote) is a million-layered puff of fried dough (creamy white, despite the frying) dusted with snow-like castor sugar. Heaven in a bite.

There are MANY more eateries and shops which boast of delights I havent even started sampling yet, so the list is definitely NOT exhaustive! But it certainly is a good palce to start. J