Interview with Chef BB (Founder FBAB)

Ever smiling, bubbling over with infectious energy and highly motivated !! That is how I would like to introduce Chef BB to my audience. Born Bibhuti Bhushan Panigrahy, he is one wonderful human being and a foodie to the core. He is the kind of guy who talks, eats, drinks and even sleeps with food on his mind. A fact that is corroborated by the huge fan following he commands of FB.

Having met him of a couple of occasions, I got the opportunity to know him better as an individual. Some excerpts about FBAB and the guy himself -

Q. When was FBAB founded and what is its objective ?

A. 06th JAN 2015.... It is a platform for anyyone who is directly or indirectly related with food. He or she can be a food blogger, home chef, restaurant owner, hospitality personnel, food journalist, foodie & food reviewer, etc......

Q. What is FBAB's social footprint (FB , twitter, other sites)? 

 A. FB Page 1200 +

     Twitter 150 + (in 3 weeks)

     Instagram 105

Q. Tell us something about the initiatives that you have undertaken.  Mention a few brands that are associated with FBAB.

A. FBAB is an NPO (Non-Profit Organization). It is a platform for each and every individual related with food. We are here to help each other and create a happier environment for everyone. For now we have started working on these things…

• Sharing the profiles of chef, food bloggers and reviewers on FB.
• History of food – in this column apart from the recipes we are publish how a particular food was introduced to the world.
• Untold Stories of food joint – We are publishing the hard work and winning story of food joint/venture entrepreneurs. 
• Helping Hand – We are trying to help every food bloggers by giving them a sharing platform as our Facebook group where they can share there blog links directly to get more traffic.
• For home chefs who are taking cooking/mixing classes they can promote their classes with us without any fees. (They have to offer a nominal offer for members only)

In further day we are planning some food photography, professional blogging, blog designing workshops with the industries best ones.

 Q. How frequently do you guys meet and what's on the agenda apart from the lip-smacking food?

 A. Anything and everything that is even remotely related to food. 

Q. Share something about yourself.

A. I started my career as a pastry chef in one of finest hotels of India, the Leela palace, Bangalore. I have a degree in hospitality management from Indo American School of tourism, Vizag, AP. Cooking is in my blood as we have been a part of the food industry from the last 3 generations. From a very young age of 8, I started professional cooking with my father. I am from a typical Brahmin family. In my hometown in Odisha, it is a custom to employ Brahmin cooks during ceremonies. My grandfather started the trend and we have continued that. Now I am working in the industry as a professional trainer for Chefs and waiters from last 3 years.

Q. Who is your inspiration? 

A.There are so many inspirations in every one’s life. So I have to name them. I really inspired by some of them

• My Father Shri Pravat Kumar panigrahy – 1st teacher for the trade
• Shri Suresh Hinduja – one of the finest man on earth
• Shri Issac Sudhakar – Principal, Indo American school of tourism
• Shri Narayan Choudhary – Team leader while I am in Sales & Marketing 

Q. What is in the pipeline in the coming months? Can FBAB make blogging more lucrative for aspiring bloggers?

A. Yes we are planning all new website. The next stage is an e magazine (not Printed magazines for now). We will also start tutorials for how to start a food blog and how to attract more traffic to your blog.

Since it is NPO, we have in mind that we will not enter into business or commercial things at any point of time. Because wherever the money involved you can’t hear your heart. That is what I have been missing badly for the last 8 years. For now, it’s time to listen your heart and show your love for food.

Relishing Springtime with Pasta Primavera Reloaded !!!

1977 - A famous restaurant in New York. And an almost famous chef. A customer, who also happens to be an eminent citizen and loyal patron, walks in a few minutes before the closing time. He wants something light and fresh. The chef is in a fix. He casts a look at the almost empty pantry and sighs. He walks over to a window for some inspiration and is stuck by the colors of the spring .

He rushes back to the work station and looks through the fresh veggies that came in the morning. The emerald tones of the Zucchini and the broccoli, the ruby red of the cherry tomatoes and the yellow of the squash cheer him up. Why not put these beautiful colors on a plate along with some pasta and a light sauce? And voila !! Pasta Primavera was born .

2015 - Lady Multi-tasker is on a break. The man of the house is off to an offsite for the next two days and troublesome five year old has been packed off to spend a fortnight with his grandparents. Yesterday's presentation went off spectacularly and hence she is entitled to a few extra hours of sleep.

But she is up by 7 am. After her daily dose of detox, aka a glass of warm water with honey and lemon juice, she is ready for some power yoga. She had been skipping this ritual for almost a week and hence her limbs protested as she twisted herself into a particularly difficult posture.

After accomplishing the yoga and spending sometime on reading a few pages of 'Go Set a Watchman', she saunters into the kitchen. The domestic help has been given a holiday as Lady wants to do the cooking and cleaning herself. It is a part of her "De-stressing" ritual as she puts it. The fridge is not exactly stocked. She then takes a look at the cupboard and her favorite Delmonte pasta arrests her attention. She cannot help but smile as her thoughts travel back in time. In those first few blissful months after her marriage they would not wake up before 11 am on the weekends and then they would take turns to cook some pasta for brunch. She drew in a deep breath to shoo away the cobweb of nostalgia that had begun to engulf her. It had been a long time since she had stepped into the kitchen except for when she had needed some caffeine while working late.

Picking up the right pasta was a tough choice. Spaghetti happened to be her favorite as she was a sucker for simple sauces. And she instinctively reached for it. But instead on a whim, she picked up the unopened packet of Chifferi Rigati sitting next to it. The grooves would do a better job of holding the sauces. Thank God Del Monte has a pasta for every sauce and every occasion.

Something light yet delicious and with loads of fiber (read veggies). Her requirement was rather vague but as she stepped out into the tiny vegetable garden, the broccoli heads caught her attention. Her husband was addicted to organic farming and while she would have berated him another day, today she was plainly grateful. There was some parsley growing along the sides and a few bunches of cherry tomatoes hung from the overhead pots. And there was the zucchini that had been inching towards an edible size. Plucking a few of the tomatoes, a head of broccoli, a zucchini and a few curls of the parsley, she returned to the kitchen.

There was some red pepper sitting in the fridge and she decided to throw it in along with the fresh veggies.

As she put a saucepan on the stove to reduce some Balsamic vinegar, another larger pot was filled with lots of water and put to a boil. Keeping an eye on the vinegar, she chopped up the veggies. The water was coming to a boil.The broccoli was thrown in, scooped up a minute later and rinsed under cold water to retain their verdant glory. By then the reduction was also ready.

After throwing in a handful of salt, the pasta was also dropped into the same pot. After 5 mins, a wok was put on the other burner. A generous amount of a good quality EVOO was her weakness. The chopped garlic was thrown in into the cold oil itself to extract maximum flavor. The veggies meekly followed suit.

She scooped up a bit of the pasta and popped it into her mouth. Umm. It was cooked perfectly. Al-dente. With just the right amount of bite left to it. Saving some of the pasta water, she promptly drained the pot into a colander. Giving it a quick shake, she tossed the pasta over the veggies and sprinkled some of the pasta water into the wok to infuse the pasta with the vegetable juices. A quick stir was followed by the balsamic reduction, a wee bit of Demerara sugar, salt and the zucchini strips. Finishing it off with some chillis flakes, freshly ground pepper and dried oregano to add that extra zing, she tossed the pasta onto a plate. Garnishing it with some chopped parsley and pouring out a glass of chilled wine to go with it, she sauntered onto the terrace to enjoy the labor of her love aka 'Pasta Primavera Reloaded'.

Pasta Primavera Reloaded

Preparation Time - 20 mins
Serves - 1

Ingredients -

• 100 gms Chifferi Rigati
• 1 cup broccoli florets
• 1/3 cup red bell pepper (cut into 1 1/2" long strips)
• 7-8 cherry tomatoes (halved)
• 1 small zucchini (peeled and cut into thin strips)
• 2 chopped garlic cloves
• 1 tsp chili flakes
• 1/3 tsp freshly ground pepper
• 1/4 tsp dried oregano
• 1 tbsp + 1 tsp EVOO 
• salt (about 1 1/2 tsp)
• 1/2 tsp Demerara sugar 
• 1/2 cup Balsamic vinegar ( to be reduced to about 3-4 tsp)
• parsley for the garnishing

Preparation -

Preparing the Balsamic Vinegar reduction - Take 1/2 cup Balsamic vinegar in a thick bottomed saucepan. Let it simmer on low heat. Keep stirring constantly till it thickens and just about 3-4 tsp of the liquid remains. Remove from heat and keep aside.

Cooking the Pasta -  Take about 5 liters of water in a saucepan. Wait till the bubbles begin to rise. Then add quite a bit of salt so that the water tastes almost like sea-water. Once the water gets to a rolling boil, throw in the pasta.

Give it a stir every 3 mins to prevent from sticking to the bottom of the pan. Cook the pasta till it is al-dente.

Scoop up a cup of the pasta water and keep it aside for later use. Transfer the pasta to a colander and give it a shake.

Blanching the Broccoli - Immerse the Broccoli florets in boiling water for a minute or two. Strain and wash under/put into cold water for another 2 mins.

Getting it all togather -  Put a wok on the burner. Pour the olive oil into it and throw in the chopped garlic. Once the garlic turns fragrant, add the blanched broccoli and stir fry for 2 mins before adding the other veggies.

After a minute, add the pasta and 2-3 tsp of pasta water. Stir fry for 2 mins or till the water disappears. Then add the reduction, Demerara sugar, a pinch of salt and zucchini strips. Up the heat for a few seconds while giving the pasta and the veggies a quick shake.

Season with freshly ground pepper, chilli flakes, dried oregano (rub it between fingers before adding) and switch off the flame.

Finally garnish with some chopped parsley and serve hot !!

A quick pictorial recap is shown below -

Trivia - Did you know that zucchini flowers are perfectly edible ?? Next time you have some on hand, do not hesitate to throw them into your pasta.

A special thanks to Del Monte India .

August Style Spotting !!!

Every now and then I get bored with writing all that stuff. Hence decided to do a post where images do all the talking ...the text just serves as a punctuation but nothing else !!

What's hot right now ??
Co-ords and the double bagging trends are making a splash !!

Try Co-ords with an ethnic twist !!

Colors that are HOT right now ??
ORANGE without a doubt..it is being touted as the new black !!!!


My fav orange look at the moment -

Not a fan of the Orange look ?? Just carry a bag or wear a statement neckpiece in the shade .

Buy these looks at Limeroad.com !!!

Big Basket: A whole new concept renouncing the offline market (Guest Post)

An online grocery store is a savior for all those people who hate shopping for groceries. A lot of
people hate going traveling to the supermarket or the local market just to get fresh vegetables and fruits or buy some kitchen essentials. Most people dislike the stinking smell of the poultry and fish market and dread shopping at such places. BigBasket.com is the largest online grocery store in India, which has come to the rescue of those people, who dislike grocery shopping offline. Online shopping for clothes, accessories, medicines, jewelry are all very popular as more and more people buy these stuffs online. However, grocery shopping of fresh fruits and vegetables online is an innovation, in the field of online shopping.

Image source - snowhq.co.uk

People residing in cities like Chennai, Mumbai, Pune, Hyderabad and Bangalore can shop for their groceries online on BigBasket.com. It is an online forum which has more than 10000 products with a variety of brands. Big brands like Amul, Kelloggs, Britannia, Colgate, Horlicks, Haldirams and other popular brands are all available here. One can shop from the popular categories like Fruits and Vegetables, Basmati Rice, Dry Fruits, Bread, Diary and Eggs and so on. Shopping for groceries is not just easy but convenient as all the brands and products are available in one place and you do not need to go from shop to shop looking for the items in your grocery item list.

Shopping from an Online grocery Mysore, Bangalore, Mumbai, Chennai, Delhi and Pune store is far more convenient than hopping to the multiple offline shops and store. Online shopping will save your time and energy and your traveling expenses. The traveling expenses can also be utilized in shopping for your essentials and necessary grocery items. You can definitely save at least one or two items worth money otherwise spent on traveling to supermarkets and local grocery stores. The most favorable advantage of online shopping is that you can order the products right from the comfort of your house or office without forgetting any item on your list. Another advantage is that these products are priced reasonable and some are even sold at discounted rates which helps you acquire them at cheaper rates and save money.

Image source - deliciousfood4u.com

Online grocery shopping is very easy and convenient and can easily save your time and money, which is the most sought after things, in contemporary times. People, today, are extremely busy with the work and do not even have time for themselves at times. Online shopping makes life easier for such people. A busy housewife who is extremely busy with kids and household chores can save a lot of time and energy, by ordering groceries online and getting it delivered right at the doorstep. Therefore, it not just saves time but also the hassles related to grocery shopping.

Time slot options for delivery timings, nominal charge for delivery of cart value below thousand
rupees and free for above thousand rupees, prompt and quick delivery and easy cash on delivery and credit or debit card option for payment makes it all the more convenient for shoppers online to shop. To top it all, all the products are easily available and are of the best quality. The fresh fruits and vegetables, meats and other raw items have all their freshness intact and are well packed. The flexibility of returning the products and getting the credit value in your account is a life saver. Environment lovers would love to shop online as online supermarket in Mysore, Delhi, Chennai, Bangalore, Hyderabad, Mumbai, Pune or any other city do not consume a lot of energy in the form of lights, refrigerators, air conditioners and freezers like offline markets and also cuts down on carbon emissions, by getting it directly from wholesalers and bringing it to your doorstep.

Hotel review - Fortune Jp Palace (Mysore)

Sometimes even the best laid plans get laid. Hence this time we made some impromptu plans for the weekend. A trip made to the lap of wilderness (Bandipur Forest Reserve) that finally ended up in the lap of luxury when we were lucky to find a room in Fortune Jp Palace. Bless these guys who were happy to make a reservation for us even though I had called just half a hour before landing at the hotel.


A beautiful white structure that goes rather well with its royal name, it is located very near to the iconic St Philomena's Church. It is also located within jogging proximity (if you are health freak types) to the Mysore Palace and the zoo. By the way, I must mention that Mysore itself is a small town and everything that is worth seeing is actually within a radius of 5 km. Before I get carried away on a tangent, the hotel is most beautifully and tastefully done up. Hardly surprising given that it is part of the illustrious ITC group.

We had to pay the room rent in advance and then we were promptly led into our room. Everything about it was nice and welcoming. The furniture is dark wooden and very well maintained. Even the bathroom was very neat and fitted with a host of useful stuff that we girls cannot live without (facial tissues, hair dryer, make up mirror , etc).

The 8 hour long trip had left us starving and we ordered for a Biryani, Noodles and a Khichdi (quite a eclectic mix but we our motley group had failed to reach a consensus). Too tired to ventured out, we opted to have it in our room. The food was spectacular. While I could not identify the genre of the Biryani, it was too delicious as if everything that they had thrown in had worked together in perfect harmony.

High on the food and low on energy, we promptly took a siesta. It was evening by the time we woke up and ordered some tea. Unfortunately the tea did not make the cut. Venturing out of our room, we ambled along the poolside area and shopped for some knick-knacks in their in-house souvenir shop. After spending some time inside the hotel, we went shopping for Mysore Silk sarees in the city and ended up taking a buggy ride around the Mysore palace and even having an early dinner.

We were back at the hotel by 10 pm. And since we had a light dinner, we felt a little hungry by 11. We ordered for a Chicken pizza which was swiftly delivered within the next 20 mins. And what a pizza it was !! Guys if you are willing to deliver it to Bangalore, I will only be too happy to switch my loyalties from a certain D which has been monopolizing my home-delivered meals.

If the pizza was the harbinger of the good things that were to come, it sure lived up to its reputation. The breakfast that followed was something worth dying for. Croissants, Brioche, Danish pastry, Muffins, Frankfurts, Salami, Cornflakes, Museli, Pancake with maple syrup, French toast, assorted fresh fruits, Medu vada, Idli, Alu puri, Upma, Dosa, Omelette, and every possible breakfast favorite was on the menu.

We checked out from the hotel around 10:00 am. And it was a speedy process without any hiccups. After filling up the feedback form and promising to be back, I happily hopped into the car and moved on towards a new destination.

Restaurant Review - Cafe Aramane (Mysuru)

A heritage building with oodles of old world charm is how I can define this place !! Everything from the royal paintings to the stained glass windows to the lovely white chairs that adorn this place lend credence to its name 'Aramane' which means Palace in English. A hot favorite among the Mysore locals, it serves everything from breakfast and snacks to full fledged meals.

We dropped there by 8:30 pm and they were still serving tea and snacks. But the meals were also available at the same time as informed the waiter, a friendly souk who promptly switched to Hindi when his initial queries in Kannada were met with blank stares. We ordered a dosa and then went for a simple meal consisting of Butter Naan, Dal Tadka and Kadhai Paneer. The service was real quick. Everything turned out to be delicious. But the buttermilk and Lassi that they served was sour and seemed to have been made from curd that was turning bad.

The waiter was very helpful and took good care of us. He informed us that the place was popular with office goers and that they had a special dosa variety every day. Finally when the bill came, it made us smile as everything was so decently priced.

While the food is definitely on the good side, one needs to visit this place just to get a feel of the old time ambiance !!

Game for 4G ??

We bloggers are always trending. That is what I am told wherever I go. Not only are we up to date with latest trends, but we also drive them and set new ones. So, when Airtel launched their 4G network, I just had to get it. It really helps that I already have a device that is 4G compatible ( I actually looked for 4G compatibility when I last upgraded my phone which I do pretty regularly).

And how does it work ?? Just visit www.airtel.in/4G and login with your phone number (Airtel ones only). It identifies if your phone supports 4G and then you can go ahead and register for a free 4G SIM which gets delivered at your doorstep free of cost. Simple, isn't it ?? But don't get disheartened if your phone fails to make the cut. You can buy a 4G compatible device from the Airtel website at prices starting from as low as Rs 5999. Even if you have no plans to buy a phone, do check the new website which is pretty awesome.

Worried about the price of 4G pinching your pockets ? Naah !! It comes at the same price as the 3G data pack that you are currently using. With plans starting at Rs 999 per month, pick one from the website itself depending on your requirements. They even have a 4G Home WiFi for folks who prefer to log in from home (this is especially handy for folks who prefer to work from home during the monsoons as opposed to braving the traffic snarls). Sounds wow ? Check out this amazing TVC -





Now that is something. Cannot wait to try out the awesome speed....I wish they could deliver the 4G SIM at the speed that is shown in this TVC ! I am looking forward to a tweet fest with my friends (the poor souls are still on 3G) once I am on. It will be fun to watch their stupendous expressions when they experience the sheer force of 4G speed.

Ready to be blown away ?? Check it out on Airtel !!