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Hindustan Times
4 days ago
- General
- Hindustan Times
Spectator by Seema Goswami: Take these baby steps
I have always been a fan of Jamie Oliver's, having enjoyed his many TV cooking shows. I became even more of a devotee when Oliver dedicated himself to improving school dinners in the UK. But it was his recent initiative, 10 Cooking Skills for Life, rolled out for schoolkids to help them learn how to cook, that set me thinking: How could we best introduce our kids to the joys of Indian cooking? It must be done in a way that doesn't scare them off the process. Yet, it needs to be challenging enough so that they learn the requisite skills to put an Indian meal together. The easiest recipes to teach your kids are scrambled eggs and masala omelette. (ADOBE STOCK) So, how do we reconcile these two objectives, while keeping things fun and wholesome in the kitchen? Well, here are just some tips I thought of in case you have children around the ages of 10-12, whom you would like to introduce to the art of cooking their own cuisine. · The easiest route to learning how to cook for a child is through the humble egg; and the easiest recipe to master is the akuri, the spiced scrambled eggs that make an appearance at most Indian breakfasts. Just chop up garlic, onions, tomatoes and green chillis, sauté them quickly, then add the whisked eggs with your choice of spices like cumin and coriander, and you are good to go. Once your child has mastered this art, you can move on to the other Indian breakfast staple: The masala omelette. · All parents struggle to get their children to eat their vegetables, so cooking with them may present a challenge. But not if you start with something every kid loves: The potato. Teach them how to peel and cut the potato into thin strips to make aloo bhaja; to boil potatoes and sauté with masalas to make a tasty aloo dum; or mash it up with onions, chillies, spices and a dash of mustard oil to make a chokha. Once they have mastered these arts, you can incorporate other vegetables into their recipes: Maybe add some aubergine to the bhaja; slip in some peas or even a few florets of gobhi into the aloo dum. Kids love potatoes. Show them how to make aloo bhaja or a tasty aloo dum. · If you're starting with the basics of Indian cooking, then you can't really ignore the yellow dal. Thankfully, making this is not difficult and long-winded. All you need is a pressure cooker to boil the dal and some ingredients for the tarka. This can be as simple or as complicated as you wish. You can go the whole onion-garlic-tomatoes route or you could just teach your child to heat some ghee, toss some jeera or mustard seeds in, add a dash of red chilli for colour. Splash over your dal and enjoy. · While making a chicken curry or even mutton kebabs may be beyond your child's burgeoning skill set, there are simpler ways to incorporate fish and meat in your meal. Fish may be messy to handle, but prawns are easy to peel and stir fry with your masala of choice. A finely chopped keema is easy to put together with some beans for texture. And once you've taught them how to boil rice, they are ready to feed themselves for the rest of their lives. Bon Appetit, everyone! From HT Brunch, July 26, 2025 Follow us on
Hindustan Times
11-07-2025
- Health
- Hindustan Times
Spectator by Seema Goswami: Revise your portion
The thought struck me first a couple of weeks ago as I sat down for lunch at a traditional thali restaurant. This, I said to my fellow diners, is the best way to practice portion control. A thali is a great way to practise portion control. You get to eat a variety of small servings. So, no overeating. (ADOBE STOCK) You get a thali with small katoris containing tiny quantities of every dish you are going to sample, with a small portion of rice or roti in the middle. If you don't want to eat something you just ask for that katori to be removed. And then after you have had a taste of it all, you decide which dish you want seconds of and it is served to you. So, you eat a variety of dishes in small portions, choosing which one to have more of and ask for an extra roti or rice as required. Zero wastage. No overeating. What better example of portion control could there be? But as I got thinking, I realised that many modern dietary practices and principles have their roots in traditional ways of eating in India. Let me count the ways. An Indian meal is an exercise in balance. It includes protein such as meat, dal and paneer, (ADOBE STOCK) Combining proteins and carbs: In a traditional Indian meal, we always include a protein like fish or meat in small quantities (paneer and dal if you are vegetarian), a subzi of some kind, all to be eaten with a roti or rice. But on the whole, the roti is made of whole wheat, which makes it a much healthier option. And the entire meal itself is an exercise in balance. Using a healthy fat like ghee. The ancients knew a thing or two when it came to using gut-healthy fats. And ghee is right up there with them. So, whether you use it for cooking, tempering, or just slathering on your chapati, your digestive system will thank you for it. Including a probiotic in the meal. They are all the rage now, but Indians have been including natural probiotics in their meals for centuries in the form of a bowl of dahi (or its fancier variant, raita) or even a glass of buttermilk. This doesn't just act as a cooling counterpart to all the spices in the food, it is actually beneficial to your gut health. Indians have been including natural probiotics in their meals in the form of dahi or buttermilk. (ADOBE STOCK) Raw food. We are told by nutritionists that we should begin our meal with raw vegetables in the form of salads to aid digestion and ensure that the release of blood sugar is regulated when we eat. But we have been doing this intuitively all this time, adding a bowl of sprouts, slices of onions, cucumber, carrots and the like to our table every time we sit down to eat. Fermentation and pickling. Yes, that's the latest dietary fad that we are all supposed to follow. But we are way ahead on this with the array of achars that live on our dining tables, waiting patiently for meal times. And a good mango, chilli or garlic pickle beats kimchi every time. So, I guess if you want to follow modern dietary advice, you really can't go wrong by adhering to ancient Indian rules of eating. You will eat well; you'll eat the right stuff; and you won't eat too much. And you really can't ask for much more than that. From HT Brunch, July 12, 2025 Follow us on
Hindustan Times
04-07-2025
- General
- Hindustan Times
Spectator by Seema Goswami: Let the cracks show
Last week, for the first time, I tried my hand at the Japanese art of kintsugi. To save you the trouble of Googling, this is the process by which the Japanese join together things that have been broken with a lacquer dusted with gold or silver. The joints are covered with this veneer so that the repaired object looks even more beautiful than it did in its original state (it's all part of a Japanese concept called wabi sabi – you can look that one up yourself!). Kintsugi is the Japanese art of joining broken pieces with a lacquer dusted with gold or silver. (ADOBE STOCK) It so happened that one of the saucers of my favourite tea set was broken into three while washing up. But the breaks were clean and the edges such that they could be glued together. So, once I had got over my disappointment at ruining a perfect set, I decided that kintsugi was the answer. So, I used some glue to stick the pieces together and then using a golden metallic paint that I bought online, I painted over the cracks in as delicate a line as I could manage. And even though I am no expert, I have to say the end result looked splendid. In fact, the saucer looked even more amazing than it had before. Truly luxurious objects are the ones that you fix, so that they live to give you joy for years to come. (ADOBE STOCK) I guess you could draw the usual lessons from this episode: that we should not become a disposable culture; that we need to learn to mend and make do; and that sometimes repairing something can provide an added patina of beauty. But the lesson that I took from it was this: That truly luxurious objects are the ones that you don't throw away when they get damaged, but fix lovingly so that they live to give you joy for many more years to come. In my case, it was a part of a tea set that I am particularly attached to, but it could be anything from clothes to shoes to bags, or even objects that we use for home decor. It is a lesson that the English aristocracy have learnt well over the many centuries they have been around. They revel in a look dubbed shabby-chic in their country homes, with curtains and carpets that are well-worn but carry the weight of decades very well. They take pride in using the furniture they inherited; in fact, buying your own furniture marks you out as nouveau riche. They never throw out their suits or shoes when they get a tear; instead they send it off to be repaired by experts and get a few more years out of them. British royals are often seen in public wearing suits with a darning patch over the pocket or lapel. (SHUTTERSTOCK) Prince Philip, famously, never bought any new clothes for the last few decades of his life, just fixing the suits he had bought in younger days. His son, King Charles, has often been seen in public wearing suits with a darning patch over his pocket or lapel. And his shoes often sport patches where some discreet repair work has been done. Well, if something is good enough for the King of England, then surely it should be good enough for the rest of us as well. So, even if you draw the line at doing a spot of kintsugi on a humble saucer, perhaps you would consider mending and making do when it comes to home décor or your wardrobe? Believe me, it sparks a joy entirely unlike any other. From HT Brunch, July 05, 2025 Follow us on
Hindustan Times
04-07-2025
- Business
- Hindustan Times
Rude Food by Vir Sanghvi: K-drama on our plate
It was Viraj Bahl who put it best: The two big rages in India right now, he told me, are wellness and chilli. Chilli crisp is a pantry staple in Korea. (ADOBE STOCK) {{^userSubscribed}} {{^usCountry}} {{/usCountry}} {{#usCountry}} {{/usCountry}} {{/userSubscribed}} {{^userSubscribed}} {{^usCountry}} {{/usCountry}} {{#usCountry}} {{/usCountry}} {{/userSubscribed}} I am sure Viraj is right about wellness, though I don't know much about the subject. But he is certainly bang on when it comes to the chilli craze. And he has put his money where his mouth is. Veeba, the condiment company he founded, has invested heavily in a new range of hot sauces and they are flying off the shelves. {{^usCountry}} {{/usCountry}} {{^usCountry}} {{/usCountry}} It's a trend that has spread. Maggi, a well-respected brand with no distinctive record of risky innovation in India, is also launching new products, most of which seem to include the word 'spicy' in the name: Spicy Garlic Noodles and Spicy Pepper Noodles are just two examples. Viraj, who also runs a noodle brand, says that the formula for success in today's market is to make it spicy. 'India has fallen in love with chilli all over again,' he explains. 'There is a new generation that just wants spice and chilli.' {{^userSubscribed}} {{^usCountry}} {{/usCountry}} {{#usCountry}} {{/usCountry}} {{/userSubscribed}} {{^userSubscribed}} {{^usCountry}} {{/usCountry}} {{#usCountry}} {{/usCountry}} {{/userSubscribed}} Gochujang is used in many Korean dishes, but less so for Korean food in India. (ADOBE STOCK) {{^usCountry}} The trend is not restricted to India. In the UK, some supermarkets report that sales of hot sauces are up by 20%. At the Tesco chain, Sriracha is selling so well that sales are up by 65% over last year. Ocado, the online UK retailer, says that sales of chilli sauces have increased by 10% and searches for Korean hot sauce are up by an astonishing 850%. The US is experiencing a similar boom with new hotter sauces being launched each year. {{/usCountry}} {{#usCountry}} The trend is not restricted to India. In the UK, some supermarkets report that sales of hot sauces are up by 20%. At the Tesco chain, Sriracha is selling so well that sales are up by 65% over last year. Ocado, the online UK retailer, says that sales of chilli sauces have increased by 10% and searches for Korean hot sauce are up by an astonishing 850%. The US is experiencing a similar boom with new hotter sauces being launched each year. {{/usCountry}} Read More {{^userSubscribed}} {{^usCountry}} {{/usCountry}} {{#usCountry}} {{/usCountry}} {{/userSubscribed}} {{^userSubscribed}} {{^usCountry}} {{/usCountry}} {{#usCountry}} {{/usCountry}} {{/userSubscribed}} You can tell when a market is red hot (in this case, literally) when celebrities want a piece of the action. Ed Sheeran had the UK press excited when he launched his Tingly Ted's hot sauce in 2023, and now the trend has reached such a level that even Brooklyn Beckham has launched his own sauce. Oprah Winfrey has a sauce that combines spiciness with synthetic truffle flavour, a combination that sounds so disgusting that you can see why Kim Kardashian has invested in the product. The vintage rocker Alice Cooper has a whole range of hot sauces named after his greatest hits, though it is not clear whether these sauces are best enjoyed when you are biting the head off a live chicken as Cooper was once rumoured to have done onstage during a concert. (He now denies the story.) {{^userSubscribed}} {{^usCountry}} {{/usCountry}} {{#usCountry}} {{/usCountry}} {{/userSubscribed}} {{^userSubscribed}} {{^usCountry}} {{/usCountry}} {{#usCountry}} {{/usCountry}} {{/userSubscribed}} Because of K-pop and K-dramas, dishes such as tteokbokki have became all the rage. (ADOBE STOCK) While the global boom has many different origins Viraj is clear where the current Indian craze for spice has come from. 'It's because of the younger generation's fascination with Korea,' he says. 'Because of K-Pop, K-Drama and the rest, young people love anything that tastes like Korean food. And that means lots of spice. That's how this boom took off.' {{^userSubscribed}} {{^usCountry}} {{/usCountry}} {{#usCountry}} {{/usCountry}} {{/userSubscribed}} {{^userSubscribed}} {{^usCountry}} {{/usCountry}} {{#usCountry}} {{/usCountry}} {{/userSubscribed}} He has a point. McDonald's India has introduced a range of Make It Korean burgers and products with a Korean Spice Mix that you can add to all products. (I have no idea what they would make of the Korean McSpicy Paneer Burger in Seoul, though.) Burger King has its Korean Spicy Fest featuring Korean burgers, and Domino's has a new Cheese Burst range featuring Korean flavours. I would call it a Korean food boom, except that despite the names, none of the flavours is particularly Korean. Hardly anyone uses Korean chillis or gochugaru, the distinctive Korean chilli powder, or gochujang, the fermented red chilli paste that is characteristic of many Korean dishes. This is Korean food for people who have never eaten Korean food but have seen it on TV or the internet, and are in love with the idea of Korean food rather than the cuisine itself. For Indian food companies, that translates as adding lots more mirchi, and it doesn't matter if you use our local chillis for the tang. {{^userSubscribed}} {{^usCountry}} {{/usCountry}} {{#usCountry}} {{/usCountry}} {{/userSubscribed}} {{^userSubscribed}} {{^usCountry}} {{/usCountry}} {{#usCountry}} {{/usCountry}} {{/userSubscribed}} Corn Yuzu Hot Sauce is made with roasted corn and yuzu. (ADOBE STOCK) We have been here before. This is exactly how the Sichuan boom took off 40 years ago. Indians never really took to Mala, the mix of Sichuan pepper and chilli that epitomises Sichuan flavours, or even to Sichuan pepper itself, because it puckered the mouth and made it tingle. {{^userSubscribed}} {{^usCountry}} {{/usCountry}} {{#usCountry}} {{/usCountry}} {{/userSubscribed}} {{^userSubscribed}} {{^usCountry}} {{/usCountry}} {{#usCountry}} {{/usCountry}} {{/userSubscribed}} Even so, we created a make-believe Sichuan flavour of our own with chilli and masala, and it has become a staple of Indian-Chinese restaurants and kiosks. Viraj's Veeba makes Sichuan sauces and stir-fry seasonings, which sell well. But my own sense is that younger consumers see them as flavours that belong to their parents' generation and have no particular affection for so called Sichuan. The truth is that in today's world, flavour trends move swiftly. Take the example of Huy Fong's Sriracha, the American take on the Thai sauce, which became a global rage over a decade ago. It was hailed as the beginning of a new era of hot sauces that would transform the American palate. It is still around and still sells very well, but it has lost its trendy cachet and is now routinely described as being very mild compared to today's hot sauces. {{^userSubscribed}} {{^usCountry}} {{/usCountry}} {{#usCountry}} {{/usCountry}} {{/userSubscribed}} {{^userSubscribed}} {{^usCountry}} {{/usCountry}} {{#usCountry}} {{/usCountry}} {{/userSubscribed}} Brands such as Maggi have launched new products with the word 'spicy' in the name. (ADOBE STOCK) Sriracha damaged the market for Tabasco (a far superior sauce with a great heritage ) that had to survive by launching product variants and even making its own Sriracha. (The name is generic; it's not a brand, so anyone can make Sriracha.) And something similar is now happening to Sriracha itself as newer sauces take over. At the top end of the market, there are excellent small-production sauces that put the industrial hot sauces to shame. The one I use at home is the Corn Yuzu Hot Sauce, a blend of habanero chillis with roasted corn and yuzu, made by Noma Projects (available on the net) that demonstrates how good a hot sauce can be if you put care and precision into its making. Even in India there are small production condiments that are outstanding. Varun Tuli of Yum Yum Cha makes an excellent chilli crisp and I have written before about the Pickle Shickle brand whose chilli products have been a staple of my kitchen for three years now. But regardless of which hot sauce you use, the chilli trend is here to stay. And ironically enough the impetus to add more chilli and call everything 'spicy' comes not from our own gastronomic heritage as the home of spice but from Korean popular culture. From HT Brunch, July 05, 2025 Follow us on SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON
Hindustan Times
27-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Hindustan Times
Get to know… Saransh Goila
Currently I am: Working on launching Goila Butter Chicken in a soccer club in London. Saransh Goila's high point in life was feeding his butter chicken to David Beckham. High point in life: A pop-up in Melbourne, where I served 1,500 people in 15 days, and being invited to MasterChef Australia S10 as a guest judge. Low point in life: When my brand almost shut down in the pandemic. On my playlist: Life without Fantasies, by Neon Dreams; Little Light, by Gabrielle Aplin; Birds of A Feather, by Billie Eilish. Today I'm craving: Sindhi kadhi and matar pulao. Last thing I ordered online: Kolkata-style chicken biryani. Sprawling mansions don't float Goila's boat. (ADOBE STOCK) One thing I would never buy: A big home. App I check before bed: WhatsApp. Advice I'd give my 18-year-old self: Have more fun, Saransh! My favourite subject in school: Theatre and arts. I have always been passionate about theatre and trained under director Barry John. I'd swipe right on: My girlfriend, and if it's food, then gulab jamun. My secret skill: I write good film reviews. A superpower I wish I had: To be able to make someone happy with the snap of my fingers. My favourite Sunday memory: Cooking with grandpa, who was a passionate cook. In Delhi winter, he would make pahadi dum aloo, grinding masalas and adding lots of ghee! It's a special dish that reminds me of him. My plans for next Sunday: Attending an engagement party. My most star-struck moment: Meeting David Beckham, and feeding him Goila Butter Chicken. My favourite bad habit: Ordering a late-night chocolate cake or tiramisu from The Pastry Journal in Andheri, Mumbai, and enjoying the leftovers the next day. If I could travel back or forward in time: I'd rewind and pursue the acting role that I refused. The best thing about fame: You get fed well no matter where you go, and you can change people's perceptions. My own mission is to make people around the world understand the depth and diversity of Indian cuisine. The worst thing about fame: People expect you to be perfect at all times. That's a lot of responsibility, and the leeway for making mistakes is very slim. From HT Brunch, June 28, 2025 Follow us on
