Best coffee places in melbourne

... and this comes from a very reliable source, Filip :-)


Standouts (in no particular order)


- Sensory Lab (297, Little Collins Street)
- Auction Rooms (103-107 Errol Street, North Melb)
- Seven Seeds (106 - 114 Berkeley Street, Carlton)


* the guys at Brother Baba Budan are now at seven seeds


and the following are recommended as well


- St Ali (12-18 Yarra Place, South Melb)
- Little Mule Cafe (19, Somerset Place, Melb)
- Proud Mary (172 Oxford Street, Collingwood)
- Market Lane (13/13/163 Commercial Rd)
- Mailing Room  (206 Canterbury Rd)
- DeadMan Espresso (35, Market Street, South Melb)


Enjoy :)

The Ten Curry Commandments

A good curry (AGC) is -

1. is well-planned
2. never burnt .... at any stage
3. is not spicy but aromatic
4. demands good meat
5. needs ginger (garlic ... maybe, but ginger is a must)
6. takes time to cook (at least 2 hours)
7. customized for the guest(s)
8. does not leave a messy kitchen
9. the one where the guests stay away from accompaniments (pickles, chutneys, etc)
10. to be served to good company only

Have your say, what's your favorite commandment (or a different one!)

lauki gilki turai (long melon/ sponge gourd/ ridge gourd) recipe

gilki/ sponge melon/ sponge gourd

lauki / long melon / long gourd

turai/ ridge melon/ gourd

The above three vegetables have exactly identical recipes except the cooking times.

These veggies are classified under "Saatvik" food in Indian culture which means "pure/ sin-less".
The other category (which i admit, it more popular in our household contains) meat, dairy, onions, garlic, and pretty much anything which is tasty.

But still these "Saatvik" veggies are brilliant and very satiating by themselves!

Ingredients (to serve 4 when it's the only dish being served with chapaati/ rice):

1.5 kgs of either Long Gourd (LG)/ Sponge Gourd (SG)/ Ridge Gourd (RG)
20 ml oil
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
1/2 teaspoon mustard seeds
1/6 tea spoon of asafoetida powder (like a couple of pinches, that's all)
1 teaspoon of chilli powder
1/2 teaspoon of turmeric powder
salt to taste

Skin the veggies and cut into small pieces, heat oil in a heavy base pot and add mustard seeds followed by cumin seeds after 10 seconds. let them pop for another 15 seconds and add asafoetida. after 5 more seconds, add the diced veggies, cook on high stirring occasionally for 2 mins, reduce heat to low-medium, cover and cook for 5 mins. add the chilli, turmeric and salt, cover back and cook for another 15 mins. Easy and yummy-as :p

Alu Baingan Recipe (Potatoes and Eggplant)

Hey all,

This is a recipe given by Khushboo and we absolutely love this one! The speciality is the crushed peanuts added to the spices to give it a crunchy texture. Of course, you can leave peanuts out or substitute for another nut if someone is allergic to these!

Ingredients

1. Eggplants – 500 grams, diced
2. Potatoes – 300 grams, peeled and diced
3. Onion – 1 medium size, finely chopped
4. Tomato – 1 big size, finely chopped
5. Ginger – 1 inch piece, peeled and crushed
6. Garlic – 5-6 cloves, peeled and crushed
7. Chilli – 3-4, chopped fine
8. Oil – 1-2 tablespoon
9. Bay leaves - 1-2
10. Dry Coriander seeds - 6-7
11. Whole black paper - 4-5
12. Mustard seeds – 1/2 teaspoon
13. Cumin – 1 teaspoon
14. Chilli powder – 1 teaspoon
15. Turmeric powder – 1/2 tea spoon
16. Coriander powder - 1 big spoon
17. Salt – as desired
18. Optional -
19. Peanuts - 100 grams crushed fine
20. Sesame seeds - 1 spoon (roasted and powered)

Recipe

1. Take a kadhai or a heavy base pot
2. Heat oil on medium
3. Add bay leaves, dry coriander seeds, whole black paper , mustard seeds, cumin & cook for about 30 seconds or so.
4. Add ginger, garlic & chilli. Saute for a minute.
5. Add in the chopped onion stir till golden brown.
6. Add chopped tomatoes & saute till the mixture leaves oil or around 5-6 min. on high flame.
7. Add crushed peanuts & optionally sesame seeds.
8. Add all dry powders (chilli, coriander & turmeric)
9. Stir for a minute and add potatoes & eggplant.
10. Add salt, stir and cover the pot on low heat.
11. Cook for 20 - 25 minutes, stirring every 7-8 minutes, till it turns dark brown. Make sure it doesn't stick to the base (sprinkle some water if needed)

Season with some chopped coriander leaves & dash of lemon :)