Alfred NY- the quaintest little town I have ever been to. I think its the contrast from Mumbai that I love so much. The absolute opposite in every sense. Nestled in the mountains of the northern Appalachian, it is the home of the famous Alfred University. I have family up in Alfred. Hence, I have spent many a summers walking up the hilly country roads, along the farms and lakes, or the trees turn shades or yellow, orange and red in the fall and thanksgiving and Christmas meals staying warm eating wonderful goodness my aunt cooks while the world turns while outside.
This blog started in Alfred a few years ago when I nursing broken ankle. The first few recipes are from my aunt's kitchen.
I took a summer course of 3 months in 1998 to learn glass blowing at Alfred University. Now summers in Alfred are wonderful, it never gets very hot. It rains every couple of days and everything is lush green. On the weekends there are wonderful trails to discover, lovely little caves and waterfalls - Stonybrook and Watkins Glen. Niagara is a two hour drive and Corning (glass lovers) is an hour drive. Everytime I go to Alfred, its a home away from home. Its my safe haven in a country that was my home for 9 years.
Nana's Japanese Cafe was my go to lunch place while I was blowing glass in Alfred. It is a unique little cafe run by a Japanese lady called Nana. On a street of typical college restaurants and bars that serve sandwiches and pizzas, I found Nana's fascinating, healthy and not very expensive. Nana's was my first encounter with Japanese food. Here, I cried out in pain as wasabi burnt a hole in my nose like I had no idea what struck me. I was in love and totally fascinated by Sushi rolls, makis, inoris, the flavor of miso, udon noodles, ramen. Imagine - in this little Village of Alfred, I learnt to love the flavors of homestyle Japanese food. The cafe is simple and homey, with an eclectic mix of wooden tables and chairs, ceramic pots for decor.
So on my dad's birthday I decided to treat him and mom to one of my favourite places. It was such a sweet surprise to see Nana's smiling face behind the counter. I told her I used to come to her cafe 16 years ago. She gave me her biggest and warmest smile, came over to our table and chatted with my parents. We ordered her famous bento boxes that come piled high with salad slaw in a ginger soy sauce, teriyaki- chicken or tofu. Her tofu is perfectly crispy on the outside and soft inside. Rice in a sweet vinegar, beans in sesame, a California roll and slice of watermelon. I ordered my favourite miso with tofu soup, a mixed plate of sushi, an inori roll and steamed edemame. The food was wonderful, light and flavourful. It was mixture of color and texture plated on beautiful raku ceramics.
Sitting in Nana's on a rainy afternoon reminds me of the book Kafka on the Shore when the protagonist runs away to this little town to live in a library. Nana's is such a gem in the middle of nowhere Alfred.
I thought the song Runaway by Yeah Yeah Yeahs goes perfectly well with this meal.
Massive pine trees
The houses on Main Street
A little stream and a wooden heron
Quaint little Nana's Japanese Cafe
Blueberry soy smoothis & the deadly wasabi
Tofu and udon in a miso broth
Lovely to see Nana after all these years
Bento boxes- tofu and chicken
Noodle soup and 3 kinds of sushi
Our lovely meal
Dad's birthday lunch
Completely wiped out
The backyard
My wonderful uncle & aunt, mom & dad
The age old Japanese Maple tree- almost 27 years old
Such a fun and easy 15 min recipe. A perfect break from store bought cereal, toasts and eggs. I love a nutty, grainy, fruity, crunchy breakfast treat all packed with energy for the morning. Its so mind boggling simple that you would want to make it everyday.
Ingredients:
2 cups instant oats
1 tbsp brown sugar
2 spoons of oil
1 tbsp honey
Course chopped nuts such as almonds, walnuts, cashews, peanuts
Course chopped dry fruits such as dates, figs, strawberry, cranberry, raisin, apricot
Yogurt
Milk
Course chop nuts and dried fruits and keep aside
In a pan, heat the oil and add the instant oats and stir. Add the brown sugar and honey and keep stirring till the oats start to brown and fall easily from the spoon
The granola should look crispy
Add the chopped nuts and dried fruits and stir on a low heat. Turn off in a few minutes.
Chop apples, bananas, strawberries (any fruit to your liking)
Add yogurt and milk. Stir and eat.
A bowl of scrumptious, crunchy, slightly sweet, slightly sour, wholesome and delicious bowl of homemade breakfast granola. You can also lay the granola after stirring it in oil, honey and sugar on a foil tray in the oven 190degrees for 15 minutes. This will dehydrate the instant granola and it can be stored longer than the stove top granola.
Also fantastic is this recipe on smitten kitchen. Definitely going to try making some pumpkin butter.
Yup! Last night I stepped into the kitchen of the West View Bar & Grill at the ITC Grand Maratha. I was followed by an enthusiastic bunch of fellow food bloggers who took many fun photos of me along with the chefs in the kitchen grilling up some lamb and pork chops and some Indian Pomfret. I carried with me Papa's Magic Masala and sprinkled it generously on the various assortments of meats and fish and vegetables and one by one placed them on the grill to cook them to slightly charred perfection. It was fun. In the kitchen with chefs- in a white skirt and yellow heals and the funny chefs hat. Not the most practical thing to wear in a professional kitchen but none the less fun.
This was our almost bi- monthly Mumbai Food Bloggers meet. Now a very boisterous and raucous bunch of folks who diligently bring forth beautiful food stories, restaurant reviews, recipes, travel adventures. Each one has his or her take on the food but constantly pushing pixels, little superstars in their own rights with a global fan following. These meets are organized by food blogger and consultant Rushina Munshaw Ghildiyal who calls herself the mother hen of the peck. Rushina writes the blog A Perfect Bite and now has column in the Hindustan Times called the Spice Route. This group by far is the most enthusiastic, well organized, most interested in all things food that I have been a part of.
So what was the West View Bar & Grill like? Well as a concept you pick your raw vegetables and meats and fish on a plate and hand it over to the kitchen and they will prepare it for you either in a lemon butter sauce or a red wine reduction on the flame. Chef Padmaja experiments with spices and sauces and innovates each night. She was one of the most delightful, cheerful chefs I have ever met. Enthusiastically letting me into her kitchen with my own spice mix- Papa's Magic masala, and then setting up a hot stone grill showdown for the rest of the bloggers.
It was a fun and spirited evening. Here is to many more such wonderful evenings with my Merry Band of Mumbai Food Blogger friends. Cheers!
Vegetarians beware- raw meat pictures follow:
Big Thanks to Rushina and the folks at ITC for the lovely evening.
