Curry Leaf--A chance discovery

Got up in the morning, a little early for the weekend at 7 am, and went to the ATM to draw some money. A side-ways glance showed me a small board showing ‘Morning Tiffins.’ Had been eyeing this board for some time and curiosity drew me to the place. As I walked in , thinking of the traditional dosa-idli-uttapam, I came across this!

I almost let out a cry of joy at seeing this. My kid just LOVES Kerala food and I went back home, restlessly waiting for him to wake up.
Finally, we went there at around 9.30 am and ordered the puttu with kadla curry. We ordered for the full one and divided among the three of us. We could have a choice between a puttu made with white rice or the one made with brown rice (the Chemba). We ordered the white one and a Kadla curry. They have a half-portion or full portion available for almost every item.

Pic courtesy: Curry Leaf

Th puttu was deliciously made with a steamed combination of coconut and rice flour and went beautifully with the accompanying Kadla curry (black chana cooked in coconut oil with the sharpness of ginger-garlic and masalas). Just loved this combination of bland and spicy.
The next were the appams. The appams disappointed us slightly as they tasted almost like the regular dosas. We were told that the batter hadn’t been allowed to rest for a while as it ought to be and hence didn’t taste right.

Appam with kadla curry and vegetable stew

The vegetable stew that accompanied it didn’t look all that appetizing but taste-wise it was great! A recipe of mixed vegetables cooked in the creaminess of coconut milk rendered a special taste to the stew and went very well with the appam.

Vegetable Stew

Wanting to not leave out anything from the vegetarian menu, we next ordered for the kappa. Kappa is tapioca and tasted like the sweet potato without its sweetness. The texture was also very similar. It was garnished with a tadka and served with tamarind-red chilli chutney. This combination was fabulous!

Kappa with chutney

The icing on the cake was when we were able to conclude the meal with a coconut pudding. The pudding was jelly-like but in a very different way to a panna cotta. It had a wiff of coconut flavor from the tender coconut, but not enough to render an authetic flavor.  The sweetness (from condensed milk?) was overpowering.

Coconut pudding

In every dish I find that the bland is compensated with a spicy accompaniment.  I also found that there is hardly any use of oil. This breakfast doesn’t sit heavy on the stomach.
The only drawback for me was they cooked in regular oil instead of the famed coconut oil in the Kerala cuisine. The owner told us that it was because coconut oil may not be palatable for everyone. Had we known, we would have insisted that he does.Our total bill for three for breakfast came to 280/-
Never knew that this place which advertises tiffins more than its name, Curry Leaf, had this gem of Kerala food hidden within. The timings are 11 am to 11 pm everyday and from morning on Saturdays and Sundays. It is a tiny place (15-20 people capacity) and runs more on a small but faithful clientele of Kerala food lovers. In fact, they had opened it that day in the morning just because some of them had planned to gather there before they left Hyderabad
They will re-start, after a short break, from May 10th.This place is next to the ICICI ATM to the left of AXIS bank on the Secunderabad-Tarnaka road.

I am no authority on Kerala food and therefore cannot say if they serve an authentic one. But what my experience doesn't tell me, my taste buds do...and what they tell me is that Curry Leaf is worth many more visits.
Recently had their Parota which was quite nice:

Parota with Kadla curry

Ok Bangaram

Ok Bangaram, the name doesnt lure you into watching it...i:e until you know it has Nithya Menen, a dynamic actor.
Mani Ratnam is back with the genre in which he has proved himself over and over again.
Casting Dulquer Salmaan and Nithya Menen as the lead pair, Mani Ratnam’s magic works again in this dubbed version of the Tamil film, O Kadhal Kanmani. The movie speaks about live-in relationships and the fear of commitment in the young these days.
What can be truly appreciated is the sensitivity of Mani Ratnam vis-a-vis the young generations’ perception of life. He is able to capture the freshness and energy of the young and transfer it to the movie. He shows that despite a reluctance to commit, the young, when given a freedom of choice, are equally vulnerable and care for deep and meaningful relationships.
There is a very thin story line… it is just about how people like living without committing or having to handle responsibilities. The lead pair lives with Prakash Raj and, his wife in the movie, Leela Samson. Despite a complete change in body language by Prakash Raj to portray an older person, the chasm in age between the two shows (16 years) on screen. The first few interactions had me thinking if he was addressing his older sister, mother or wife. Prakash Raj as a supporting and caring husband of a wife in stage 2 of Alzheimer’s forces the young, carefree couple to rethink on their relationship.
Though a lot of thought and brisk editing has led to a rivetting  first half, the second half looked like the director himself was in as much a quandary as the couple as to where to take the relationship. The dragging story with its clichéd end was definitely a yawn.
The pluses are the absence of the so-called humor prevalent in all Tamil/Telugu movies, no group dances, and no dishum-dishums. There is just a blink-and-miss, half-baked idea of a guy following Nithya in the beginning. The character unexplainably vanishes as quickly too.
All-in-all, watch the movie for its fresh and energetic execution, the brilliant acting by Dulquer Salmaan and Nithya Menen; the chemistry between the two and yet another brilliant Ratnam-Rehman collaboration .
A 3/5 for me.

Yevade Subramanyam

Having heard positive reviews of this movie, I wanted to watch it but was rather caught up with lots of stuff and had to postpone doing it.
Starring Nani and new comer Malavika Nair, this movie urges you to look into yourself and ask who you are without your lineage, your job, money, educational qualification and all other superfluity. It tells that life is about the several moments you live everyday...and not just a few episodes that you can just count on your fingers. It is about peeping into yourself and find what actually gives you happiness and not what you think will make you successful in life and whether at the end of your life all these matter.
Based on this premises, we have the character of Nani  who has a childhood friend,  Vijay Deverakonda, who has never conformed to social expectations. An expensive pencil box when coveted by Nani is simply given away. The commercial values have never mattered to him.
Just when Nani who has worked hard though an IIM degree and is onto his next plan of life, of marrying the Boss's daughter, Vijay comes back into his life. He urges him to fulfill his childhood dream of going to Doodh Kashi, an abode in Mt. Everest, inspired by his teacher (Srinivas Avasarala in a cameo) who abandons his profession in pursuit of peace in the lap of Himalayas.
Nani ridicules and dismisses his aspiration as a silly childhood dream and pays no attention to it. Nani and Vijay find Malavika Nair in a pub and then on all three are friends. Malavika's and Rishi's thinking is alike in sharp contrast to Nani's materialistic one.
Circumstances make Nani go to Doodh Kashi. The obvious happens when he visits Doodh Kashi and returns a changed man...valuing things which really mean something and not just a materialistic pursuit of life.
Nani is a natural and glides through effortlessly. Malavika needs to make an effort.and unfortunately she looks like Kashmeera Shah. In places, she goes overboard. In a few places the director does it too. For example, when Nani is lost playing with the kids in Himalayas, there was no need of that approving glance from Malavika. Wish the director could just let the moment flow and take the audience with it.
The strength of the movie is a thankfully different story and the two main men leads, Krishnam Raju's brief yet impactful presence and the absence of Brahmandam and (group)dances.
Enjoy the breath-taking cinematography in lap of the Himalayas.
It does slacken in a few places but overall it succeeds in bringing a smile and an occasional tear to the eye.
This movie is targeted more at the youngsters who are just beginning to taste money and are in the process of losing themselves in hollow excessiveness.

I would rate it a 3/5. 

Bombay Duck (Lila)

Bombay Duck (Lila) had re-launched its Indian menu and I was invited to their tasting session. Situated in a lane opposite to peddamma gudi in Jubilee Hills, it is housed in a 3-floored building, each floor having its own cuisine. Tall ceilings and glass walls render the ambiance very impressive. 

We were a group of 12 and this is a vegetarian's perspective of the experience. 

After the welcome drink, we had the Makai ka Shorba. This was superbly balanced in all its flavors: the right spiciness, thickness from the corn starch and the texture. An excellent start to the meal!

Makai kali mirch ka Shorba

The next were the starters. We had Paneer Mirch and Hara masala ka Bhoona Aloo. Paneer was marinated and grilled. Bhoona Aloo consisted of baby potatoes coated with spiced spinach paste and either baked or grilled. What goes in favor of the two were the spices surrounding the paneer and the aloo...the superbly soft paneer augmenting the experience. The drawback was that neither of the dishes absorbed the spices and after the first bite, they were rather bland. Perhaps, they weren't marinated long enough. 

Paneer kutti mirch & Hara masala ka Bhoona Aloo

The Dal Leela was one of the tastiest dals I have eaten. Superbly smooth and all right flavors...neither too spicy nor bland. My co-foodies expressed that it was not as creamy as the Dal Makhni that we experience in other restaurants. Perhaps, it wasn't slow-cooked and all, but for me, an amazing taste. Will blindly opt for it again.

Dal Leela

We had a couple of sabzis, one of them being the Ralli Milli Sabzi shown below. But really, it was difficult to distinguish one from the other. Both tasted similar and needed sharpening of flavors.

Ralli Milli sabzi

Vegetable Tawa Biryani had nice, long grains and just about ok in taste. The rice was flavorful, yet the right amount of gravy in its midst and some vegetables would have enhanced the experience.

Vegetable Tawa Biryani

The desserts were a big draw. Shahi Tukda, crisply fried bread, dipped in a sugar syrup and topped with rabri and Fruit Kheer made of various diced fruits in rabri were the favorites of the group. Can vouch for both. 

Shahi Tukda

Fruit Kheer

All in all, a decent experience. None of the dishes were bad; yet, Lila fails to impress you with a signature dish that beckons you.
Cannot comment on VFM for a tasting session.

Habanero

Most of the foodies look forward to a new cuisine getting launched in Hyderabad, what with a dearth of internationally exciting and happening scene here. In such circumstances, an announcement of a Tex-Mex cuisine was much looked forward to.
I was pretty excited to be invited to the launch of Habanero, an upscale Tex-Mex restaurant opening in Hi-Tech city.
At 8 pm, on the very day of launch, the restaurant had drawn a decent crowd. As the evening progressed, it was teeming with diners, a sure sign of people hungry to taste at Habanero. The ambiance was rustic Mexican and had the waiters dressed traditionally  in the wide-brimmed Mexican Sombrero and a Serape, a large cape-like garment around their neck.
A percussionist complemented the experience perfectly.
The menu consisted of both veg and non- veg options and had all the Mexican regulars like Burritos, Enchiladas, Tacos, Nachos...
We foodies started the meal with Nachos and a dip made of beans, tomatoes and peppers. The nachos were very crisp and I felt we could have them forever. The accompanying dip seemed reflective of Indian flavors and went well with the Nachos.

Nachos with beans dip

Another dip to accompany the nachos was the Queso dip. This seemed to be made of cheese, mayonnaise and spiced with finely chopped green chillies. The chillies did add some hotness to the dish but in its absence, the dish could use more spices.

Queso dip

Another starter that we found to be quite different and tasty were the Zucchini fritters. These were made of cheese and grated Zucchini bound with bread, and shallow fried. The fritters were topped with chopped onions, tomatoes and ranch, served on a bed of tangy sauce.

Zucchini fritters

We foodies had the privilege of not only being introduction to the Tex-Mex cuisine by Chef Dan Durkin, but also happened to watch a live demo of making a simple salsa with chopped onions, tomatoes and green chillies. Medium spicy was what the foodies had asked for and the spiciness level matched exactly.

Chef Dan Durkin

The stand-out dish was the Tostada salad which had the beans, tomatoes, pineapple, cheese, lettuce spread on a very crisp, thin and crunchy corm tortilla base served with honey mustard vinaigrette.
Another noteworthy dish was the Chilli Cheese Fries. A nice spread of the potato fries topped with melted cheese, onions, tomatoes and appropriate seasoning.

Chilli Cheese fries

In the mains, we got to taste Soft Shell Tacos. Among the three options for filling, I chose the traditional re-fried beans and grilled vegetables. The filling inside two crisp corn taco shells was very much in proportion to its shells. This was accompanied with sour cream (great), salsa ( good) and chopped jalapenos. Guacamole was supposed to be served but they didn't have a stock of it. The tacos were quite good but the accompanying rice turned out to be blandish and could hold some more flavors.

Soft shell tacos 

Desserts brought Churros, doughnut sticks rolled in cinnamon sugar, served with dark chocolate sauce for dipping. The Churros were delightfully crisp and the sauce too was thick and tasty but then the Churros  were rolled in too much sugar. Asking the restaurant to go light on sugar would  help strike the right balance between salt and sweet.

Churros con Chocolate

The second dessert we got to taste was the Snickers Chimichanga served in strawberry sauce and accompanied with ice cream. We had the Snickers Chimichanga cut into two so we could share. The Chimichanga was perfectly baked and had a delightful filling of gooey melted Snickers candy but was again too sweet for me to handle. The melting ice-cream too didn't help enhance the flavors.

Snickers Chimichanga

Most of the dishes we got to taste were quite good. You need to specify your spice requirements to the chef to get the flavors right.
The few misses we had can be contributed to the undue rush on the day of launch. The service was pretty delayed too.
Overall, worth going back to.

The hero of Mahabharat: Karna

Among all the Amar Chitra Katha comics read in my childhood, my favorite one was that on Karna, perhaps because of his being an under-dog, his honesty and selflessness. Came across this story of his generosity and wanted to save it for a greater audience. Here it is:

Once Krishna and Arjuna were having a chat while walking towards a village. Arjuna wanted to know from Krishna why he thought Karna was a role model for all Danas (donations) and not Arjuna himself.
Krishna didn’t answer him straight away and thought a little demonstration would be the apt way to make him understand. Wanting to teach him an important lesson, Krishna snapped his fingers and came up with an idea.

Krishna came up with a challenge for both!

The mountains beside the path they were walking on turned into gold. Krishna said “Arjuna, distribute these two mountains of gold among the villagers, but you must donate every last bit of gold”.

Arjuna went into the village, and proclaimed he was going to donate gold to every villager, and asked them to gather near the mountain. The villagers sang his praises and Arjuna walked towards the mountain with a huffed up chest. For two days and two continuous nights Arjuna shoveled gold from the mountain and donated to each villager. The mountains did not diminish in their slightest.
Most villagers came back and stood in queue within minutes. After a while, Arjuna, started feeling exhausted, but not ready to let go of his ego just yet, told Krishna he couldn’t go on any longer without rest.

Krishna then called Karna. “You must donate every last bit of this mountain, Karna” he told him. Karna called two villagers. “You see those two mountains?” Karna asked, “those two mountains of gold are yours to do with as you please” he said, and walked away.

Arjuna sat dumbfounded and wondered ‘Why hadn’t this thought occurred to him?’.

And here’s the answer (and a great lesson)!
Krishna smiled mischievously and told him “Arjuna, subconsciously, you yourself were attracted to the gold, you regretfully gave it away to each villager, giving them what you thought was a generous amount. Thus the size of your donation to each villager depended only on your imagination. Karna holds no such reservations. Look at him walking away after giving away a fortune, he doesn’t expect people to sing his praises, he doesn’t even care if people talk good or bad about him behind his back.

That is the sign of a man already on the path of enlightenment.”.

Dum Laga Ke Haisha

I was getting quite bored and wanted to watch any movie. Happened to read some reviews and found that this movie had some good feedback.
I went with not much expectation about this two hour Yash-Raj movie set in a very small town (Haridwar) with Ayushmann Khurana and Bhumi Pednekar (debut) as leads. Bhumi acts well with no apparent display of reticence.
The backdrop of a dusty amber tinge is persistent throughout the movie set in a very small town. The narrow alleys reminded me of Jaisalmer  where every home was once upon a time a palace/ part of a palace or the soldier/common man/servant quarters. Set in the 90s, Ayushmann  runs his father's cassette shop and is a big Kumar Sanu fan. He has the ear phones plugged in at all times.
The movie starts with Ayushmann going to see a girl and when he finds out that the girl is obese, he refuses to marry her. The movies speaks about a middle class household, where beating up a 25 year old to coerce him into a marriage he is against, is ok.
Of course, Ayushmann gets married to the girl in a mass marriage ceremony but rebels by refusing to consummate the marriage. At one point of time he insults her by speaking about her to his friends. Aghast at what he thinks of her, she leave his home and files for a divorce. How, they as a couple, overcome all these hurdles and come together forms the rest of the story. The climax which shows the hero winning in a competition is a big heart-warming moment in the movie.
Watching the movie was like watching a Sanjeev Kumar-Jaya Bhaduri pairing of old times. A nice narration of two human beings who are basically good people but some trivial misunderstandings separate the two.
Many matters incidental to middle class living are dealt with. That they do not have big villainous characters in their midst; that issues aren't really very complicated; that it is ok to lie to get your child married; that some sort of hypocrisy is common in our lives. It also speaks of how unprepared are the bride and the groom in middle class homes  about marriage and its responsibilities. All these small things make up the movie.
No where does one find melodrama or any over-the-top acting. Superbly sharp dialogs are the main strength of the movie. There are moments of comedy, very subtle and sweet.
Ayushmann (and his costumes) does great justice to his character by adapting his body language to exactly suit the demeanor of a middle class family guy.
The message is that marriage is a responsibility that works when two people make an honest effort to want to keep it together. The 'bua' or the aunt's character is also used to portray that sometimes it is too late to make up...especially after all is lost.
The movie ends with a firm tongue-in-the-cheek group song of the 90s with the hero and heroine changing clothes every ten seconds with a tune suspiciously close to 'dekha hain pehli baar' song. Kumar Sanu does have a blink and miss cameo.
The movie transports you to Amol Palekar's times and will find you slip into that placatory mood, as though there is nothing to hurry back to.
Smile and peace is what you leave the theater with.
I rate it a 3.5/5.