Let me just start by saying....
"The most important things in life are not things"......
I'm transported back to the day I met Ritambhara for the very first time outside the airport in Sri Lanka, where we were both hired by Sony for the ICC World Cup, she said yes to it because she loved the game and I said yes to it because I knew nothing, this was uncharted territory and I was in for the adventure.. (and what an adventure it turned out to be )
Remember thinking that she must be some foreign tourist going to the same hotel..
Well as the journey proceeded , many little things happened in the van that were genuinely funny…
Well I realized that she was part of the team , we reached the hotel went our separate ways, and that was the start of a wonderful, warm , loving, supporting , laughing, mad, shopaholic, perennially hungry, movie-watching, talkathon worthy, deep diving 9 year old friendship…..
And with her I was enveloped by her lovely warm family …
Aunty Usha, Col.Kapoor , Kichie Poo and Akshay…..
And as someone who completely loves the city of Delhi..
Today I dedicate my food to the lovely city of Delhi and all the wonderful people from there who have touched my life …..
I first came to Delhi when I was a teenager on a summer camp..
Went shopping … and then got completely lost and scared and the rickshaw just went around in circles and I had imagined the very worst before I reached the train station after 45 minutes….
After that I visited Delhi many times, travelling with theatre and for photo shoots etc
And then after I joined MTV, remember going in winter,Siri Fort was my first gig and I just fell in love with Delhi….
The wide roads, the amazing food, the fantastic high octane concerts , ice-cream at India gate in freezing winter...
Shopping at good earth (Bombay did not have one then ), picking up tiles from Noida, and buying fabric from Fab India, even though we had it here, it always felt more special lugging it from Delhi…
Santushti ..a place I never leave Delhi without visiting…..
Even Sarojini nagar….a walk through was a must…For the PUCHKAS…
Diva..at least twice on any given trip, it has the best food and music in the world….And now that i know the person behind Diva , Ritu Dalmia...I fully understand why her food and music is without a doubt impeccable....
The Kebab factory….That’s one place I hung out a lot ..
Khan market, never left Delhi without spending time there, it’s the place that I can spend hours just walking and eating kebabs from that guy at the end…
So you get the drift, this is one city I feel like home in, also because all my dearest friends are from Delhi ,Mini and Kabir, Sandy, Jaya and Sanju,Ritambhara, Roshan and Shaheen, Sahu, well most of them stay in Mumbai
Spent three amazing days here in Delhi,laughed, giggled, ran in the rain, shopped, got stuck in traffic...and just soaked in the Delhi I love with the people that are the family I have chosen...
Col.Kapoor who is turning 80 today and is still one of the most charming men I have met...
I miss Aunty Usha, who made me feel like she has always known me, I can still see her , bright smile in place, beautiful bright sari and walking into the room with a huge pastry box from the Taj , saying, “you’re hungry , got you some nice things”, she always looked at me like she knew what was going on inside me, well, I know she did, she had a smile that reached her eyes, and exuded a warmth that was comforting….
And so today s a celebration of the wonderful people I know from Delhi…
It’s like a karmic connection that I do not question…..
So thought that today I will make something simple and easy, so thought of Basa and a mango chutney with it , with grilled vegetables on the side…
This is something that is inspired by a meal I ate in Toronto sitting in the back yard of a friends home, drinking wine ha ha ha ....and then jumped on the trampoline and fell ha ha ha
Here goes
BAKED BASA FILLET WITH VEGETABLES
Basa fillets -as much as you want, put some olive oil on them and a little squeeze of lemon juice and a little salt
Cut and chop the vegetables you like, I like carrots, broccoli, asparagus, squash, baby potatoes, small onions, red/yellow peppers, courgettes...
I sprinkled the vegetables with olive oil and a little paprika and some Mixed herbs..
But frankly please feel free to use any seasoning of your choice, only see that no matter what you use, let the seasoning not be over powering, let the lovely taste of every vegetable come through..
Pre-heat the oven to 170 degrees..
I half cooked the potatoes and then put them in the oven to bake...
Baked all the vegetables for about 40 minutes..
But kept checking because the asparagus gets done very quickly..
and the squash or orange pumpkin takes the longest ...
The trick is to use the best quality olive oil, and rock salt, and it all works like magic...
Then I could not resist , so made some
PESTO
Have to share this with you , its Aunty Bhajan's recipe and I devoured it spoon spoon like a little glutty person, its totally yummy and works like magic with the Basa...
1 ripe Mango
1 raw Mango
Green chili
I also added a little squeeze of lime and some cayanne pepper and a little sprinkle of olive oil....
Start cooking the Basa when you are absolutely ready to eat ..
In a hot pan add some olive oil and then lightly burn garlic , more the better, pan fry the Basa just enough on both sides to seal in the juices and then transfer them into a baking tray , pour some chicken stock on it and bake for a maximum 10 minutes...
I also threw in some bread to toast , just for the pesto ...
All the flavours are really subtle and fresh , and its a perfect afternoon meal...
Pop a bottle of bubbly and enjoy this with a lot of laughs and spicy conversation....
And as I'm sitting here with friends and my ZZ'S ..
I'm happy to be here in Delhi after ages, and having a lovely time..
To me Delhi is a city of Life-Long Friendships...
This simple dish that I cooked is full of its own flavour, nothing too over powering and just perfect for an afternoon with friends over a glass of wine and a whole lot of bonding....
My ZZ'S and me spending are spending our last few hours in Tivoli Gardens, celebrating Uncle Raj's birthday...
I look at this wonderful family that I have spent so much time with over the years and feel happy that I'm part of their family ...
Uncle Kapoor, "HAPPY 80th BIRTHDAY TO YOU" , and may you spend this year in the best of health and an exuberance for life that is completely your trade mark...and thanks for making me a part of your interesting life..actually I barged in and did not give you a choice ha ha ha ....
Delhi I love you for all the good times and for all the wonderful friends you have given me...
And the new friends I keep making..
Arun and Poonam, thanks for the awesome dinner at your home and for the scintillating and fun company of your rock star HT Brunch team , Tavishi, Yashika, Pranav and Venu...
And Arjun...all the best for your studies and have a great "Spring-Break" ha ha
And for all my readers who are part of my culinary obsessions and kitchen sessions, here's presenting, "Baked Basa with Vegetable Amore", fresh , simple and full of memories and moments of Delhi, only from 'Maria's Kitchen".....
And as I'm spending my last and final day in Delhi today with a family that I love and having a lovely brunch with Col.Raj Kapoor , the man who introduced us to Shah Rukh Khan through Fauji
And celebrating his 80th Birthday with his wonderful family and friends…I'm transported back to the day I met Ritambhara for the very first time outside the airport in Sri Lanka, where we were both hired by Sony for the ICC World Cup, she said yes to it because she loved the game and I said yes to it because I knew nothing, this was uncharted territory and I was in for the adventure.. (and what an adventure it turned out to be )
Remember thinking that she must be some foreign tourist going to the same hotel..
Well as the journey proceeded , many little things happened in the van that were genuinely funny…
Well I realized that she was part of the team , we reached the hotel went our separate ways, and that was the start of a wonderful, warm , loving, supporting , laughing, mad, shopaholic, perennially hungry, movie-watching, talkathon worthy, deep diving 9 year old friendship…..
And with her I was enveloped by her lovely warm family …
Aunty Usha, Col.Kapoor , Kichie Poo and Akshay…..
And as someone who completely loves the city of Delhi..
Today I dedicate my food to the lovely city of Delhi and all the wonderful people from there who have touched my life …..
I first came to Delhi when I was a teenager on a summer camp..
Went shopping … and then got completely lost and scared and the rickshaw just went around in circles and I had imagined the very worst before I reached the train station after 45 minutes….
After that I visited Delhi many times, travelling with theatre and for photo shoots etc
And then after I joined MTV, remember going in winter,Siri Fort was my first gig and I just fell in love with Delhi….
The wide roads, the amazing food, the fantastic high octane concerts , ice-cream at India gate in freezing winter...
Shopping at good earth (Bombay did not have one then ), picking up tiles from Noida, and buying fabric from Fab India, even though we had it here, it always felt more special lugging it from Delhi…
Santushti ..a place I never leave Delhi without visiting…..
Even Sarojini nagar….a walk through was a must…For the PUCHKAS…
Diva..at least twice on any given trip, it has the best food and music in the world….And now that i know the person behind Diva , Ritu Dalmia...I fully understand why her food and music is without a doubt impeccable....
The Kebab factory….That’s one place I hung out a lot ..
Khan market, never left Delhi without spending time there, it’s the place that I can spend hours just walking and eating kebabs from that guy at the end…
yesterday i got drenched in the rain running through Khan Market to the kebabwala, who was shut....thought my taste buds went into shock ha ha ha
Saundha, that Mini introduced me to, bought tons of pots and ask everyone who is going to Delhi to get more…
So you get the drift, this is one city I feel like home in, also because all my dearest friends are from Delhi ,Mini and Kabir, Sandy, Jaya and Sanju,Ritambhara, Roshan and Shaheen, Sahu, well most of them stay in Mumbai
and a few in Delhi..
That’s how it is, my soul connection to this city and it’s people…Spent three amazing days here in Delhi,laughed, giggled, ran in the rain, shopped, got stuck in traffic...and just soaked in the Delhi I love with the people that are the family I have chosen...
Col.Kapoor who is turning 80 today and is still one of the most charming men I have met...
He just says the most amazing stuff, quotes Shakespear like it's his language, and is really funny and deep simultaneously...
Kichie poo- the most complicated , uncomplicated girl I know and
Akshay..who is the calm in her storm and the magic in her life..
I miss Aunty Usha, who made me feel like she has always known me, I can still see her , bright smile in place, beautiful bright sari and walking into the room with a huge pastry box from the Taj , saying, “you’re hungry , got you some nice things”, she always looked at me like she knew what was going on inside me, well, I know she did, she had a smile that reached her eyes, and exuded a warmth that was comforting….
And so today s a celebration of the wonderful people I know from Delhi…
It’s like a karmic connection that I do not question…..
So thought that today I will make something simple and easy, so thought of Basa and a mango chutney with it , with grilled vegetables on the side…
This is something that is inspired by a meal I ate in Toronto sitting in the back yard of a friends home, drinking wine ha ha ha ....and then jumped on the trampoline and fell ha ha ha
Here goes
BAKED BASA FILLET WITH VEGETABLES
Basa fillets -as much as you want, put some olive oil on them and a little squeeze of lemon juice and a little salt
Cut and chop the vegetables you like, I like carrots, broccoli, asparagus, squash, baby potatoes, small onions, red/yellow peppers, courgettes...
I sprinkled the vegetables with olive oil and a little paprika and some Mixed herbs..
But frankly please feel free to use any seasoning of your choice, only see that no matter what you use, let the seasoning not be over powering, let the lovely taste of every vegetable come through..
Pre-heat the oven to 170 degrees..
I half cooked the potatoes and then put them in the oven to bake...
Baked all the vegetables for about 40 minutes..
But kept checking because the asparagus gets done very quickly..
and the squash or orange pumpkin takes the longest ...
The trick is to use the best quality olive oil, and rock salt, and it all works like magic...
Then I could not resist , so made some
PESTO
Ground 2 garlic, salt, pine-nuts about a handful, and a hand full of freshly picked basil along with some olive oil and ...yes...this felt good...
Have to share this with you , its Aunty Bhajan's recipe and I devoured it spoon spoon like a little glutty person, its totally yummy and works like magic with the Basa...
1 ripe Mango
1 raw Mango
Green chili
I also added a little squeeze of lime and some cayanne pepper and a little sprinkle of olive oil....
Start cooking the Basa when you are absolutely ready to eat ..
In a hot pan add some olive oil and then lightly burn garlic , more the better, pan fry the Basa just enough on both sides to seal in the juices and then transfer them into a baking tray , pour some chicken stock on it and bake for a maximum 10 minutes...
I also threw in some bread to toast , just for the pesto ...
All the flavours are really subtle and fresh , and its a perfect afternoon meal...
Pop a bottle of bubbly and enjoy this with a lot of laughs and spicy conversation....
And as I'm sitting here with friends and my ZZ'S ..
I'm happy to be here in Delhi after ages, and having a lovely time..
To me Delhi is a city of Life-Long Friendships...
This simple dish that I cooked is full of its own flavour, nothing too over powering and just perfect for an afternoon with friends over a glass of wine and a whole lot of bonding....
My ZZ'S and me spending are spending our last few hours in Tivoli Gardens, celebrating Uncle Raj's birthday...
I look at this wonderful family that I have spent so much time with over the years and feel happy that I'm part of their family ...
Uncle Kapoor, "HAPPY 80th BIRTHDAY TO YOU" , and may you spend this year in the best of health and an exuberance for life that is completely your trade mark...and thanks for making me a part of your interesting life..actually I barged in and did not give you a choice ha ha ha ....
Delhi I love you for all the good times and for all the wonderful friends you have given me...
And the new friends I keep making..
Arun and Poonam, thanks for the awesome dinner at your home and for the scintillating and fun company of your rock star HT Brunch team , Tavishi, Yashika, Pranav and Venu...
And Arjun...all the best for your studies and have a great "Spring-Break" ha ha
And for all my readers who are part of my culinary obsessions and kitchen sessions, here's presenting, "Baked Basa with Vegetable Amore", fresh , simple and full of memories and moments of Delhi, only from 'Maria's Kitchen".....
