Photo: Rakesh Rocky
By: Saira Malhotra
We have seen the paintings that create an optical illusion over and over, and each time we are dumbfounded. The mind enjoys playing momentary tricks on us and if we could see its face, we know its smile would be wry. When the mind games are obvious, we are able to call them out, but what about when they aren’t so obvious?
This week, NPR looked at the Delboeuf illusion, understanding how two dots of the same size, appear different when outlined by different-sized circles and the relationship this has with food consumption. Based on this understanding, Professor of Marketing at Georgia Tech, Koert Van Ittersum and Director of the Food and Brand Lab at Cornell, Brian Wansink, conducted a study to understand the impact of illusions and serving size.
When participants were asked to estimate volumes of soup in smaller bowls versus the same volume in larger bowls, their estimates confirmed the Delboeuf illusion. [click to continue…]
Photo: su-lin
By: Saira Malhotra
Since we are in the spirit of livening up our football spread with atypical options – rather than having fries, be it sweet potato or Idaho, how about a vegetable fritter with a savory coating. A ‘pakora’, similar to tempura, is most appropriate for the occasion. Pakoras are Indian snacks and consist of an assortment of vegetables that have been dipped in a spicy batter of chick pea flour and fried to form a crisp outer crust.
Let your imagination run free and fry up a medley of chopped vegetables from potato wedges to cauliflower florets serving alongside ketchup spiked with Sriracha. [click to continue…]
Photo: ELPhotographia
By: Saira Malhotra
Delhi, India: brutally hot in the summer and brutally cold in the winter. A city where meal, snack and dessert options adjust to reflect changes in a climatic backdrop, yet there remained one consistency- chai. An integral part of the day, chai represents not just the hot beverage steeped with tea leaves and spices, but also a homely setting with company allowing for moments to regroup and share happiness and sorrow.
Today, the fundamental elements of getting recharged and exchanging notes continue to be a required part of the day. However, the beverage and venue have changed. In just under a couple of decades, India has witnessed the rise of coffee houses, a trend off set by coffee lounge company ‘Café Coffee Day’. There are now thousands of inviting coffee shops all over the country with their own signature look and feel, offering Western snacks of biscotti and donuts as well as traditional Indian high tea snacks of pakoras and samosas. [click to continue…]
Photo: Clyde Robinson
By: Saira Malhotra
This week, Monica Bhide, Indian food contributor and cook book author, reminded us of the power of spices. Like a palate of colors, spices can change the mood and tone of dishes entirely, even if the rest of the ingredients are exactly the same. Imagine dry rubbing a chicken with Chinese 5 Spice, Garam Masala or Cajun spice mix. The experience would be different and it would beg for an entirely different set of condiments, side dishes and beverages to compliment.
We are always tired of eating the same thing-different day but the solution isn’t far either. Purchasing different cuts of meats or vegetables that we have barely heard of let alone know what to do with, can lead to a discouraging experience if things don’t quite work out. But imagine what just a few different spice blends could do.
Throw in a little Ras-el Hanout and then allow your mind to drift to Morocco [click to continue…]
Photo: Hellebardius
By: Saira Malhotra
While we have become accustomed to a perfectly filleted piece of fish with neither bone nor scale, it has come with compromise of ‘flavor’ and quite frankly ‘fun’ too. The skin adds wonderful texture to the fish, which contrasts perfectly against its flaky flesh, while the bones, typically used for fish stock, reinforce its natural flavor during the cooking process. During these cold winter months, whole baked or steamed fish will begin to pop up on menus everywhere.
Today’s dish is inspired by ‘wholesome’, using every part of the fish and a few simple ingredients to maximize flavors. The term ‘en papillote’ is a French cooking technique where the fish is wrapped in a paper pouch. The fish cooks in its own steam in the oven with a few sliced vegetables and a splash of white wine. [click to continue…]
Photo: FrenchDuck
By: Saira Malhotra
Fish has been a hot topic for many food activists, environmentalists, restaurateurs and even many households in recent years. With an increase in fish consumption, no longer just being reserved to a restaurant experience, the question of sustainability is thrown in to light.
We wanted fish and we were able to buy it as expensively or inexpensively as we wanted. There was little understanding of where it came from; unless of course we associated quality with a buzz word location that prefaced it – Is this sea bass Chilean? Did this Salmon swim the crisp fresh waters of Norway? Then something changed. The integrity by which the fish was raised came into question. We became aware of varying harvesting techniques and we understood that it was not ‘all the same’. We were told that certain fish were becoming endangered and then that conversation led to an entire list of them. [click to continue…]
Photo: Juli
By: Saira Malhotra
NPR’s The Salt recently brought up a very timely topic for those with New Year resolutions: How To Eat Out Without Putting On The Pounds. At a time when search engines deliver results relentlessly on miracle diets, fad diets, cookies with a promise of that perfect body and colonic cleansing to make you drop a size in less than a week, The Salt demonstrates a different perspective.
When we throw in the towel on radical diets, cleansing programs and other self- imposed restrictions, one could ask whether we are looking in the right places to achieve and sustain our goals. In a recent study performed by researchers at the University of Texas, published in the Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior, there is another way – mindful eating.
Women that joined in on a 6 week mindful eating program were able to eat substantially less even when they were around tempting environments. According to Gayle Timmerman, author of the study, post program, women were eating 297 calories fewer than before they did the program and many lost around 2 pounds of weight. [click to continue…]
Photo: Daniel Hoherd
By: Saira Malhotra
It is 2012 and there is an influx of predictions all around. Pundits and people seem to have answers to: what’s in store for the economy? Which celebrity couple will split? Will black be the new black? Organic or commercially grown?
Some goals (the basis for many predictions) for the New Year, dissipate without a trace, others are followed through with rigor, and then of course there is always the presence of a curve ball that sets us on a new track altogether.
This week, Standard.net highlighted some of the trends we could expect to see in the food world for 2012. [click to continue…]
Photo: seriouslygood1
By: Saira Malhotra
Everyone has a soft corner for that New England clam chowder – those creamy mouthfuls of pearls from the ocean that are so gentle and smooth. Delicate bites of soft clams and vegetables; really, how could you go wrong?
However, with the cold weather comes an increased desire for spicy food and it is not without reason. Spices do the trick and warm the body as effectively as a hot toddy, not to mention its contribution to the layering of flavors.
We took this New England classic and gave it a Spanish-Iberian flair that will flamenco in your mouth. [click to continue…]
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