Organic!! Healthy and non veg thali!!!

Organic bites, is a wholesome first and the only complete organic restaurant and one of its kind in Hyderabad. Previously it was located in Road.no.5 and it was relocated to road no . 3 one year ago. With the organic stores in the compound it self they also sell the products which are used for cooking. They also sell the earthen pots also which are used for cooking in different sizes. some of the locally sourced spices and the healthy ingredients are readily available all the time at the store named" Hyderabad goes green". 


The ambiance is very peaceful and the environment is mostly covered. They also do serve the veg and non veg thali. The only difference is the chicken curry which they serve along with veg thali. It is a natu kodi koora. Most of their cooking is done with the organic veggies and they contain almost no pesticides. The non veg is free range chicken and the quality is also very good. The natu kodi which i was served along with the thali was undoubtedly amazing and i liked the taste and flavors also. Almost home cooked and the usage of masala or other synthetic colors are not allowed. Thus making food, more flavorful and appetizing.                                                                                      
I have ordered for a non veg thali which had 

Tomato dal 

Dondakaya masala gravy

ridge gourd moong dal curry

Fish tail millet rice

Sambar

cucumber salad

millet kesari

Chicken curry

Mix veg grounded chutney

Roti

plain rice and curd

The veg items were more likely home made and the presence of low amount of masala for gravy also made it even more flavorful. The millet kesari is one of its kind and it was very tasty. The whole thali, excluding chicken curry, kersari and curd...everything was unlimited including the roti. Their native chicken biryani is one of the important dish i need to try in my next visit. 

The service was dull, as there are only 2 boys moving around and most of the orders are for the healthy stuff like salads and millet based rice or kebab. so the minimal amount of delay for anything to serve. 

They also serve the breakfast from 10 to 12. Egg rolls, millet rice, and some other stuff is included in the breakfast menu. The timings are from 10 am to 10pm.

I would like to recommend this place for those who love to feast on the healthy food with non veg as well.

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Iranian Food workshop!! By chef Hoda khaligi

Food is something which brings everyone under one roof. When if a cuisine is a typical new to any one who would like to taste it for the first time, i know the feeling of goosebumps. But, when all the food lovers who gather under one roof for a typical Iranian food trials, that's getting food mad better off late.

The management of LAMAKAAN, located in banjara hills has organized an event --The Iranian food tasting and lessons, By chef Hoda khaligi. An enthusiast chef who is studying an MBA from OU, Lamakaan has hosted her event with some of the famous Iranian dishes. This was advertised on their events page and got a good attention from food lovers across the city. 

The event was about the introduction and vast explanation of Iranian cuisine and its major differences with other cuisines as well. 

The event started with introducing few items which are displayed for trial and the chef herself explained the process of making each and every item. The step by step process makes you know the basic differences in cooking from home food to commercial purposes. 

The dishes were:

                                                                      Ghasem

                                                                      Ghieme

                                                                      Zereshk Pulao

                                        Mixed salad with Iranian herbs ( dried mint and thyme)

Ghasem, is a vegetarian dish which is made out of the egg plant and scrambled eggs which are ground to paste and mixed up with the herbs which give the dish an immense flavor which makes the ground paste to acquire the required flavor while cooking. The slow flame will give the flavors to squeeze in easily. The out put was good and the spice levels are normally less and flavors are good. But when had with the green lemon, i am able to enjoy the distinctive flavors. This dish can be had along with roti. 

Ghieme, is a dish which is close to dalcha with mutton cooked in it. The difference is the chana dal will be fried and cooked with the ingredients. One more important ingredient in this dish is the dried brown lemon, which will make the dish attain the bitter flavor from it. And the remaining dish is cooked the same way the dalcha is made. The final output is very different from the anticipation and leave you with more distinctive flavors, with the addition of Saffron rice to the noraml rice which is used to have the Ghieme. The perfectly cooked mutton will be butterly smooth along with the dal, will make you go droll over the dish. 

Zereshk pulao, is a chicken dish with the veg stock boiled along with the veggies and the stock is made well before with onion, carrot and cinnamon stick to remove the raw flavor of chicken.After removing the raw flavor of chicken, the remaining veggies along with chicken are cooked in veg stock and the roasted potatoes and the tangy sauce, with some of the fresh bell peppers. The flavor of chicken is very much flat and the taste is good. This is had with the rice and the flavored saffron rice and chips. 

Flavored saffron rice: The normal white rice is cooked in a paste which is developed with the zereshk berries ( Dried red barberries), which are red in color and the saffron soaked in water, which are mixed in a  pan with some water to dilute. After the thorough simmer, the paste then is set on low flame and then the required quantity of sugar is added for taste. The texture is simply amazing and the taste is just awesome, The saffron flavor will blow in your mouth when you have the first bite. The taste will develop when had with the Zereshk pollo, with the veg stock. Thoroughly enjoyed it. 

Along with the food, there was a salad and the potato chips were accompanied with the rice. The salad was made with cucumber, sprouts, corn, cucumber, tomato spring onion which are seasoned with lemon, dry mint leaves and thyme. These made the salad, very much appealing for presentation and the taste was excellent. This is one of those salads, which i had never though would be much appetizing with the dry mint. One of the must have. 

 The work shop lasted for one hour and the dishes which are made for the workshop were also made available for the lunch session for which they costed us item wise, from which they asked us to choose from the menu to order. The prices are as follows:

Rice+zereshk pulao--Rs.180/-

Rice+Ghieme--Rs.230/-

Rice+ Mirza Ghasem--Rs.90/-

Salad--Rs.20/-

The saffron rice was garnished on the top of the rice. 

Very soon the chef is also trying to arrange one more cooking and learning session for the enthusiasts. 

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ANANDA!! Home food guaranteed!!!

The word Ananda describes moments of bliss and happiness in life. A perfect feast with delicious food is also bliss. Ananda is the name of a newly opened south Indian restaurant in Film Nagar. It’s all about the experience and joy of feasting and relishing the flavors of Andhra.

The restaurant is tucked inside a lane beside Sony showroom near MLA colony, Jubilee hills. The first impression it gives you is that of a home of wealthy rural gentry. The stunning traditional ambience of the house is perfect for a restaurant and provides a unique backdrop for an Andhra meal.

The interiors are done with teak wood, paintings, carvings and handmade stuff and the art work on the furniture is simply brilliant. There are separate dining areas according to the preference and a special place on the first floor for group dining. Comfortable seating arrangements along with a soothing background score make the dining experience a memorable one.  

The food emphasizes more on Andhra cuisine, but North Indian cuisine is also available. They have already become well known for their regular thali. Both the veg and non veg thalis are on offer here. The non veg thali has options of two non veg dishes (limited portions) which vary from day to day. This is in addition to all the items served as part of veg thali.

Though the local preference in Hyderabad is for very spicy food, the spice level of the items of this thali have been quite low, providing people from other parts of the country a comfortable way to taste local cuisine. However, many ardent Andhra food lovers may argue that what is Andhra food without the spices, and they should ask for enhanced spice levels while ordering.

The items served in the thali were sumptuous. It had the following items—Vankaya (brinjal) Koora, Tomato Rasam, Bendakaya (ladies finger) Pachdi, Dosakaya Pappu, Aloo Fry, Kothimeera (coriander) Rice, Sambar, Papadam and Curd. And along with these the non-vegetarian dishes were Kodi Iguru, Pudina Chicken and Andhra chicken curry as the sides. My Bengali friend opted for Chapala Pulusu.

Among the vegetarian items the green Kothimeera Rice was flavorful and it’s tadka was perfect, which was made with ghee and lot of spices in it. Dosakaya pappu (dal) was good and it made a good combo with ghee and the fried papadam. The Vankaya Koora was a bit sweet as the spice level of green chili was moderate and the gravy was made even sweeter with fried onions. I didn’t find it to my liking.

The Tomato Rasam served as the soup to us and it was perfect and the taste was more traditional. The tempered lentils were also very good. The Chana masala was just ok, but it was not appealing with the rotis. The rotis were dry and were not soft at all.

My favorite of the non-veg items was the Pudina (mint) Chicken which I ordered for the main course. It was very well prepared with enough moisture. The chicken was soft and the aroma and taste of the dish was exceptional. Combining the dish with rice or roti was equally satisfying. I recommend to try this dish.

Kodi Iguru was more of North Indian curry. Though I liked it because of the flavor, it was definitely not Andhra. The chicken is not as tender as in Pudina Chicken. The spice levels are moderate and it can just be called as the normal chicken gravy.

The Andhra chicken curry was a bit spicy and the gravy was made with a hint of green chili and dry chili powder. The chicken was good and tender and the thickness of gravy was near about perfect. 

The dessert served was Semiya Payasam. The sweet levels are prominent and the sabudana was pleasing. 

The vegetarian thali is Rs 165 and the non vegetarian version is Rs 240 (inclusive of taxes).

The service was also very prompt and the attention to detail was perfect.

For a long lasting memorable personal dining experience with family and friends with a very nice ambience and good food – do visit Ananda.

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