From my kitchen to yours

From my kitchen to yours

Tuesday, August 14, 2012

DAY 83 - THE CALL OF THE WILD



And so today on the eve of the release of "Ek Tha Tiger" I am going to share with you a trip ,we all took together a few years ago to Ramgarh..

I have muffins baked for the kids and I'm really excited to go watch Kabir's labour of love...

"Ek tha Tiger" muffins..

Well in a way it is Mini's too , because I know how much of sweat and blood goes into making a film...And I know its going to be worth all the time and effort ..
And I wish them all the success and happiness...

And now , ready to tell you about a holiday we took with Mini's side of the family,with the score of "Ek tha Tiger" playing in the back ground...
Now "Ramgarh" is  a name, that I had only heard in Sholay ...
And for most of my life, what it looked like in the film was what it was for me ..

So when Mini invited us all over to "SOULITUDE IN THE HIMALAYAS"in Ramgarh,  to bring in the New Year...

We were all really excited
Now the task of co-ordinating dates and holidays of all the kids , the work schedule of Arshad , Kabir, Mini and Sandhya and Amit,  was quite a task, but when there is a will there is a way...
And so, we all had our queries about the place that we addressed to Manish, Mini's elder brother and proud owner of both these fantastic properties...
Walking in Solitude...


I remember the chaos in the middle ,as we were leaving for the airport..
Getting all the woollies packed, getting the kids ready, amidst calling Amito , to be on time, and then I forgot Zene's pram, and also which terminal we were to go too...
So we were late ,did not have Zene's pram and were at the wrong terminal...
Wow what a start...

But all this chaos we forgot once we touched "Soulitude in the Himalayas"...

Well we  finally reached Delhi and like really good girls ..
We went shopping en route to Mini's home...
We then changed and refreshed all the kids, got them pottied , powdered , woolened up and ready to get on the night train...

Some where in the mountain...


But we all had to go to Kareem's..
So we put Arshad into a monkey cap...
Thank God for the cold...
And slipped into one of the busiest streets in Delhi,Jama Masjid...
Where we ordered barra kebab's , sheermal and a whole lot of other stuff...
And when the barra kebabs , came , all of us including the kids , pounced on them and for the first time after many hours there was silence ...
Since every one's mouth was full...
And then we heard little Vivian say, " can I have some more"
Well we ate in a frenzy ...
Like you see a shark feeding frenzy...
And in no time, the plates were swiped clean and there were extremely satisfied faces all around...
Arshad meanwhile was recognized and took photos with the entire staff...
Now was time to catch the night train to "Ramgarh"...


Well happy and full, we passed out in our berths ...
When we woke up in the morning ...
We were greeted by the fresh fragrance of green and nippy fantastic weather.....
And two and a half hours later ..we reached "Soulitude in the Himalayas "...

But as the barra kebabs have not yet been erased from the memory of my taste buds...
...
I'm going to give you a dish today made with Lamb Rib's ...

No they are nothing like the barra kebabs...
That was sacred and I just cannot make that, as reverence to its royalty and also because I do not have the recipe.... ha ha ha 

But these rib's are really good so here goes...

INGREDIENTS

Lamb Ribs - 2 kg
A handful of garlic with the cover
Onion - 1 , cut in four pieces
Tomato -1 cut in half
Carrot - 1 cut in half
Bay leaf - 2
Thyme - 3 sprigs
Parsley stalks- about 5
Salt and pepper to taste...

In a large thick bottomed pot, add all the above ingredients....
Add enough water to cover all the ingredients..and bring to boil, then let it simmer on the gas for about an hour...
Please spoon off all the scum that rises to the surface...
After about an hour and a little more , turn off the gas, and transfer the ribs to another plate for storage...
You can then sieve the liquid and use it as stock ...
You cam keep these ribs in the fridge over night ...

ROASTING....

Garlic- a handful
Olives- black and green a handful
Kashmiri chili's - 8 de-seeded 
Olive oil
Rock salt

Pre heat the oven to 175 degrees..
In a roasting tin , arrange the lamb ribs...
Scatter the olives and the garlic and the roughly chopped Kashmiri chillies , seeds removed ...
Throw some rock salt over the lamb and drizzle with a generous amount of olive oil...
Roast it in the oven for an hour...


The call of the wild lamb ribs...






So while the chops are in the oven let me tell you about "Soulitude in the Himalayas" where we spent a good many days in bliss..


Manish , was just awesome...
"Manish the awesome"

He looked after us like you would family...
He took us on long treks into mountains..
And we came back to hot delectable food from the "Soulitude in the Himalayas" kitchen...
And we ate like we had never seen food...
It was so yummy , with vegetables and produced grown on his "River-side property" ...
We also met a "Mountain Baba" , who told us how a tiger once slept in his cave on a cold winter night ...
Tiger- baba...

Manish took us on long walks , down paths filled with green ..
Took us into the market, and fed us goodies ..
we went on drives , had barbeque's...
The best "maggie" dhaba ever....

And I will never forget a break-fast we had one morning ..
It was so nice and yummy and we devoured it with a nip in the air..
And we must have had break-fast for at least an hour and a half...
Chatting, smearing our warm toast with Amul butter and jam made in the mountains...
While all our collective kids ran around...


At the end of it ..
I remember we girls just lay down right there in the grass and basked in the warm sun with our full tummies..
As Ratna, Manish's uber talented wife, kept our kids busy, with artistic activities...
She is the most soft spoken person I have met in my life..
And she has done the interiors of "Soulitude in the Himalayas " so aesthetically, nothing is over bearing . or shouts "look at me" and yet you cannot stop gaping ,at the beautiful comfortable aura this place has , filled with pretty corners and interesting nooks...
Well Ratna,  is just awesome with interiors and has a very keen eye for all things fine and beautiful...
And Manish and Ratna's daughter Anahat , is just the sweetest girl and an awesome baker....

There are some times in life that you never forget...
This was one of them...
Simple , filled with great company. fantastic food , from a kitchen that was over-flowing with warmth just like the owners of Soulitude...
And paths that talk to your soul...

 Manish also took us to his place ,on the banks of a lovely water body...

Pristine and inviting..
Think if we were not freezing as it was December, we would all have jumped into its inviting coolness...

I have not yet been able to go back...
But really want to...
Now more than ever...
Because it was peaceful , quaint and nestled in the arms of the beautiful Himalayan mountain ranges...

Secluded and filled with wonderment...
With stories of a tiger that lurks in the night ...


And the nights were black and silent ..
With the stars calling out to you ...
I have never seen a sky so filled with stars like I saw in Ramgarh...
The most mesmerizing sight ...

And then to sit shrouded under the  blanket of an inviting sparkling sky ...
And indulge in some sparkling wine...
can it really get better...
You definitely work up an enormous appetite..

So now, I'm sitting on my terrace , with the Lamb ribs I have made , sizzling out of the oven..
I have just broken some feta and thrown it over the ribs..
And bits of it has started melting ...
Its just the kind of food you want to dig into on a night filled with stars, ...
So with some home- made bread straight out of the oven and this lamb whose aroma transports me to the mountains ...

I dig in...
Hmmmm...
It is succulent meat that just falls off the bone..
And has such a basic rustic , flavour to it ...
With each bite...
You can feel the lamb melt inside your mouth and  I can feel myself walking up into a mountain ...
And the sweet fragrance of the pine in the air ...


So here's presenting..."The call of the wild" ...
Lamb ribs cooked to perfection..
With a memory of one of the nicest holidays , spent in a place that should frankly be kept a secret forever, with friends


that I would travel anywhere with...
Earthy "Call of the Wild- Lamb Ribs" sizzling hot , rustic and simply succulent only from 'Maria's Kitchen"....
 


30 comments:

  1. i couldn't get my eyes off the muffins!!

    http://sushmita-smile.blogspot.in/

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    Replies
    1. Ha ha ha ... The muffins are always the fun part ..

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  2. Love reading your blog! Even going to try a couple of your recipes this week hopefully. Still can't decide which ones :) on a side note, in the picture 'walking in solitude..' where's the lil kiddo hanging off of? Im so confused! Haha

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    Replies
    1. Well Zeke is sitting on Arshad's palm that is supporting him ...
      He loved hanging like that ....

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    2. Ha ha! That's amazing!!

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  3. This comment has been removed by the author.

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  4. i love d concept of muffins....n i loveeeee 1 pic d most in which ARSHAD Sir was holding ZEKE by 1 hand....(but howww..??) it luks damn sacry.....but still d pic came damn cute...:) ^_^ n it was nice reading ur words....:) thnx 4 sharing ur wonderful moments with us.....keep smiling always....love u Mam...:)

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  5. Maria the millionaire,

    Yes! That is what you are. owner of all thses wonderful memories. \And nice enough to share them with everyone. Sending you bowls of freshly cooked homemade clam chowder and lobsters smeared in butter from cape cod. with a touch of lime. I am off to a long long walk on the beach so that i can go and eat some delectable mint choc chip icecream later. ciao. Also loads of wishes to your friend and their movie. records ko todi nakho, bhangi nakho ane bhukka kari nakho


    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Dear Sneha,
      Yummy yummy .... I want all that you are sending....
      As for "Ek tha Tiger" go watch it ....it's super .....

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  6. Ramgarh is beautiful for me too and because of Manish sir's Solitude ... very peaceful place and the house is done beautifully. We had an office offsite and they are great hosts.. specially Ratna ma'am singing :) very nice read .. publishing a book anytime soon?

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    Replies
    1. So you have been there....
      Not heard Ratna sing yet..
      So will wait till we meet her next ...
      And no book yet ...

      Delete
  7. Can you give me a nice recipe of bun,cake or any nice yummy desert pleaseee on saimee19@yahoo.co.uk thank youu

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  8. Please do check my index for recipes...
    Or then google...
    You will definitely find what you are looking for ....

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    Replies
    1. Maria Im looking for an intersting bun cake recipe can u help? By the way your blog words writing is amazing I love reading it when I get tyme. Also do u have any healthy pasta recipes could you please email me them at saimee19@yahoo.co.uk im looking for healthy foood n struggling at the moment can you provide some please?:)

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    2. Im looking for healthy food recipes n struggling too find can u provide me sum healthy diet recipes? Wud be great if u can help

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  9. Hey Maria,just tried the lamb ribs..they were super fantastic..n the feta cheese was magic touch..yummmm...

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    Replies
    1. Oh my God...
      Reallly...
      Wow...this feels so good...
      Thanks for the feed back...

      Delete
  10. loved the warp & weft of words that weave a tapestry of richly colored hues in your introduction about "me"... simple words eloquently stated

    Yes Soulitude in the Himalayas is magical...one day i'll get there too..

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  11. just chanced upon your blog! thanks to the magic of www :)
    nothing beats a trip to the mountains for me and right now, you make me yearn for what you experienced!
    its words from your soul that transports one there!
    i can almost smell the chai, the smoke from the fire and the lamb! uff! will be trying your recipe sooner than later!
    cheers to love n life :)
    thank YOU for sharing this....

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  12. Oh Maria, how much I wish you had posted the pics of the interiors of solitude of himalayas.. you guys must have had a memorable trip.

    And when I first read the title.. I thought you are talking abt the famous book by jack london.. its titled 'the call of the wild' :D

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  13. And Maria.. I have a few small questions regardinf baking. Is there an email id where I can email you my doubts?

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    Replies
    1. Dear Surabhi ,
      you can address it here,
      As for your yeast query , you may have to use dried yeast,
      For the pizza dough...

      Delete
  14. In my oven, I have 3 settings - Convection, microwave+convection and microwave. Which one is best for baking a cake?

    Thanks a lot for answering. :) I lovvvveeee ur blog.

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  15. Jusst back from Soulitude. Read your blog 2 yrs later but with the same warm feeling you described.

    The recipes are being tried out and I now follow the instagram account for the awesome photos!:)

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  16. We recently celebrated our anniversary at Soulitude and that's how i came across your blog! The muffins look lovely... i shall try some of your recipes soon :)

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