Dining at Nandos

It was Chef’s day last week Wednesday and my husband thought to give a day off to his chef (me ;-) and show his appreciation by treating me to Nando’s. My first taste of Nandos chicken was in India where I was introduced to the ‘peri peri world’. I have from then always enjoyed my trips to Nando’s.

 It was an extra hot day in Edinburgh in all essence with the sun out and people bustling in Fountain Park Nando’s (courtesy Cineworld in fountain park) after a hot Batman movie.

I had a look at the menu even though I knew I would order a hot peri peri chicken (need to specify without skin), portion of chips with peri peri salt (my weakness) and I see that Nando’s have their menu revamped! The menu has African artwork on it, mine had art created by Dion Cupido. There are a number of African art pieces displayed in the restaurant also. It was great to read more of it on the menu till I waited for my food.

I collected my peri peri herb sauce and had a sneak peek at my chicken being flame grilled. There were flare ups as the fat melted and dripped away. A good way to get rid of the fat and seals in taste and moisture without additional fat.

 I have the chicken platter served out. Looks tempting!

Am I going to eat all of this?? No! We are 4 people sharing a whole chicken.

I enjoyed every bite of my sahre of chicken, dipping it in my favourite wild herb peri peri sauce as if the heat of the peri peri chicken was not enough.

Soon my eyes went to the fat free frozen yoghurt express machine and this tempted my latest fascination with different frozen yoghurts. It was the caramel one that I had. I wish it was less watery and firm, none the less...kept my sweet tooth satisfied.

I was soo fascinated with the buzz about the new loyalty card and the revamped website http://www.nandos.co.uk/  that I went and had a look at it.

It is a very fun and involving website with the quick guide that tells you how to place an order at Nando’s for those who are new to Nando’s as it is a fusion of fast food setting and fine dining setting.

It was of keen interest to see that there are dedicated pages for the nutrition facts and information of the foods.

Good to know that Nando’s foods contain

×No preservatives

×No added MSG

×No artificial flavourants

×No colourants

üFresh chicken and not frozen

üMarinated 24 hours in secret peri peri sauce made from hot African Bird’s eye chilli (Swahili word is peri-peri)

üFlame grilled – Never fried

üHigh in protein and low in fat with a number of options available in salads as fillers, contributing towards your 5 a day.

The calorie cost of the Nando’s meal:

1 leg piece of quarter pounder chicken (without skin) - 217 Kcal

½ of the Regular chips with peri peri salt - 180 Kcal

100 ml caramel frozen yoghurt – 90 Kcal

A good 487 Kcal!!

If I would have got carried away and had a full portion of regular chips my meal would have been a whopping 667 Kcal!

I could have done better only if I would have swapped my chips for a side salad of 9 Kcal it would have been 316 Kcal with the dessert!

Thus as a rule of thumb, all Nando's meals made with white meat are good options for dieters. As side-dishes salad can be used to replace chips or just control the portion as I did (half of the regular portion).

Calorie Swap of 667 Kcal for 316 kcal.

It was an awazing evening of good food. I wonder what will be my next dine out.

Culinarian's Day

Today is Culinarian's Day aka Chef's Day.  The spirit of this day can be celebrated by anyone who cooks, they don't have to be a formally trained Chef.

 So 'HAPPY CULINARIAN DAY to my Grandma & Mom (My lovely aunts who have been a Mom to me) whom I have seen all my childhood stirring great family meals. Also wishing my MIL who has shared lovely cooking secrets and my hubby's favourites with me. xxx'

Show your appreciation for all those people who prepared those wonderful meals for you.

Yay for the sunshine over the weekend! It was lovely to walk under the sun with a natural dose of Vitamin D.

As decided I made Kheema matar curry and enjoyed it to the last bite of my share. I had mine with toasted whole meal bread slices as it adds crunchiness to the curry, but some prefer it with naan (Indian bread) or steamed rice.  My husband and me like our curries hot so had chopped green chillies added to it. But if you like it mild then avoid the green chillies in the recipe. Either way this dish is yummy hot or mild.

It takes under an hour to make and uses just one pot. Don’t be put off by the list of ingredients – I bet you have half the stuff in your cupboard anyway and if you don’t then buying them will be a good investment for future Indian-food-cooking. Here comes the Kheema curry recipe that I followed:

Ingredients

Serves 3

1 tablespoon cooking oil

1 medium onion, chopped

1 tablespoon ginger garlic paste

500g minced chicken

 As many or as few green chillies as you like

2 teaspoons ground cumin

175g peas (frozen are fine)

A generous handful of fresh coriander (cilantro), chopped

1 1/2 teaspoon of red chilly powder

About 1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon of gharam masala ( magic spice, mixes of Indian spices, easily available, if not pound 1/8th of the 3 inch cinnamon stick, 1 cardamom , 1 black pepper, 3 cumin seeds )

1 1/2 tablespoons lemon juice

Cooking Method

Heat the oil in a wide pot over a medium flame. When hot, add the onions and cook for 5-7 minutes or so until they’re starting to turn brown. Don’t worry about under or over cooking them too much, this dish is quite forgiving.

Add the ginger- garlic paste and fry for one more minute.

Now add the minced meat, peas and chillies. Fry for about 5 minutes or so on a fairly high heat, breaking up any lumps as you go. Don’t stir it too much, it’s nice when it catches on the pan a little and adds a bit of texture.

When it’s nice and brown, add water for the meat to cook and more if you like a little gravy. Bring to the boil, then turn down the heat and leave it to simmer for 30 minutes.

Now add the gharam masala and lemon juice. Mix it all in and bring it back to a simmer. Garnish with fresh coriander and that is you done! I had also added boiled egg as I like the combination of egg and mince since childhood.

Enjoy moderate portions and Eat healthy and live healthy!

Just to let you know:

 Kheema,  a flavorful minced meat (beef or lamb) dish has said to have originated in Persia but extremely popular in the Indian sub-continent.

Other meats like chicken (like we have used in our recipe) or turkey can be used too.

Hot & Spicy Curry Facts

With the weekend drawing closer....it is time for stirring up a good traditional Indian meal at home. I am planning mince and peas (Kheema matar) curry.

Kheema matar is a very popular Indian dish. It is a simple and easy recipe and will keep you'll posted on the recipe as well as a few clicks.

While this makes me think that for me curry with meat or veggies accompanied by chapati (Indian flat bread) is daily staple food as I come from India....but I was fascinated to see that so many people in UK not only know all about curries and naans but  enjoy their bit of bite! There are curries in all forms available....dine in, take aways, ready to eat curry based meals in super markets, curry sauces to cook from, curry powders and I can go on.

 I went on to read more about how these spices from East made their way through West and came across some amazing Curry Facts.
Thought to put up some these Hot and spicy Curry Facts for you to pause on:

• The origin of the word 'curry' can be traced back to the Tamil word 'kari' meaning spiced sauce.
• Chicken tikka masala remains the most popular Indian dish in British restaurants and it has been called "a true British national dish. It's thought to originate in Britain after an enterprising Indian chef had the idea of adding a tomato and onion paste to the grilled chicken – to satisfy the British preference for food that isn't dry.
• The word 'balti' means bucket.

·   Chilli is the most popular spice in the world and can help combat heart attacks and strokes and extends blood coagulation times, preventing harmful blood clots.

·   Indian food is the UK's favourite cuisine.

• Indian food now surpasses Chinese food in popularity, with Indian restaurants outnumbering Chinese restaurants by two to one.
• Indian restaurants in Britain serve about 2.5 million customers every week.
• The latest keynote survey reported that curry fans spent £480 per minute in supermarkets and a leading supermarket sells 1.1 million packets of chicken tikka masala each year.
• One in seven curries sold in the UK is chicken tikka masala.

Will keep you posted on my kitchen endeavours and please feel free to drop a comment about your favourite curry or curry experience and I would love to read about different palates or just drop by to say Hi!

Getting Frisky over Frozen Yoghurt

I am on my way back from North Berwick and eager to lay my hands on my first frisky frozen yogurt. There is sunshine today after a long week of rains. A perfect day for a cooling dessert!

In the midst of busy streets of Edinburgh there is a vibrant shop serving fat free frozen yoghurts in different flavours. Here the Frisky Team are offering passer by a taste of FroYo (Frozen Yogurt). This is their way of telling people 'We are confident of our products...and see you soon at Frisky'.

I was welcomed by warm smiles, a passionate part of the frisky experience.

 Matt gives me a quick guide of the flavours and suggests that I should try mango and green tea flavours. I am in two minds about the green tea flavour in yogurt but agree as I have heard a lot of this speciality.

Ohh ...I can see my FroYo  being topped with delicious fresh fruit toppings, 1 towards my 5 a day.

 Matt tells me that the mango FroYo is made with Alphonso mango puree, no artificial flavours and topped with freshly sliced mango pieces. My green tea FroYo made with matcha green tea powder in the purest form without being subjected to much of processing.

These frisky FroYo are made of 100% pure fat free yogurt unlike others who use milk powder and this comes from Matt and Simon who have gone far and wide in search of a perfect FroYo which is a blend of taste and healthiness. The result of all this research is here for me to taste.

Digging in for my first bite into the mango and it is so light, fresh and yummmmm. I can surely have this instead of my favourite mango ice cream without the huge dent into my daily calories and getting the health benefits of probiotics.

The green tea much to my surprise was interesting and delicious without being too strong for my liking. Frozen yogurt are not necessarily healthy but this one is fat free but with cane sugar added. So you are better off eating moderate portions of FroYo and having fresh fruit toppings to make it a lasting and healthy experience. 100 ml of the natural flavour Frisky FroYo is 54 calories.

 I enjoyed my cup of FroYo...guiltless dessert with comparatively less sugar and calories.

 

Here you can get creative with delicious toppings. You can choose from flavours like Natural, Alphonso Mango and Chocolate, Matcha Green Tea and seasonal special. Matt also tells me that they are coming with new sinful toppings of Oreo biscuits and chocolate.

For those who are lactose intolerant and are tempted, knowing that lactose in yogurt is more digestible and well tolerated by many with lactose intolerance without symptoms but don't want to take chances, may not have to wait for long as the Frisky Team are already planning soy based frozen yogurt.

The flavors taste so natural, so fresh, so real. Thank you Frisky for getting frozen yogurt to my neighbourhood!

Hello Friends

I am soon going to come up with my first review on frozen yogurts at 'FRISKY' in Edinburgh .....Will Keep you'll updated whether the fresh flavours tantalised my taste buds.....I am excited are you?


Just for your eyes

My Visit to Glenkinchie Scotch Whisky Distillery

As they say No visit to Scotland is complete without a visit to a Whisky Distillery and what better way to capture the true taste of Scotland?

Visited Glenkinchie (Pronounced: glen KIN-chee), Diageo’s only lowland distillery on a beautiful sunny morning. On my way to the distillery, beautiful memories of my university field trip in India to the United Breweries owned by Vijay Mallya came to my mind. Later I came to know about how United breweries has been acquiring a number of noted whisky brands in Scotland like Dalmore, Isle of Jura and Whyte and Mackay.

The beautiful fresh weather and the peaceful farmland of East Lothian, 20 minutes from the bustle of Edinburgh city centre welcomed us.

A lovely guide led us through the production area of the distillery illustrating the details and skill behind producing the best whisky and the right blend.

 

To finish the tour we were welcomed into the bar for a dram of Glenkinchie 12 Year Old Single Malt Whisky called as their ‘Expressions’.

Expressions

On the nose it was aromatic and floral. No peat was used in the malting process, thus the whisky was without the smokiness derived from peat.  

Stimulating whisky facts:

Whisky can be called ‘Scotch’ only if it is distilled and matured in Scotland. Attempts have been made to copy the unique flavour of Scotch Whiskies in many parts of the world, but with no success whatsoever.

The name 'Angel's Share' was given to the whisky which each year evaporates from the barrels stored in warehouses.

'Scotch has fewer calories than wine or beer', However the key to enjoying the health benefits of scotch is to drink the right amounts.

Really enjoyed the day. It was a exciting experience to take my first step into the world of the ‘Classic Malts’.

My Tip

At the end of your visit to the Glenkinchie distillery fill the form to be a 'friend of the classic malts' so that you can enjoy free guided tour at any of the twelve distilleries that are able to welcome visitors in Scotland. For more information you can visit www.malts.com



Traffic Light Nutritional Labelling making healthier food choices easier - Green to Go, Amber to Caution and Red to Stop!

If you are the one who cares what food choices you make for yourself and your family then Traffic Light Labelling can be a helpful tool for you.

The traffic light labelling provides 'at a glance' nutritional information of foods through the use of traffic light colours.

What would the lights indicate?

It tells you the levels of each of four core ingredients Sugars, Fat, Saturated Fat and Salt. In addition it could also give information on Guideline Daily Amounts (GDAs) and calories.

It could also tell you about beneficial nutrients in food like fibre in accordance to the legislative requirements

What foods do they appear on?

Waitrose, Sainsbury, Asda, Boots, Co-op, McCain, Marks and Spencer have adopted on voluntary basis the traffic light scheme.

Traffic light colours are likely to be used on the following foods: ready meals, pizzas, sandwiches, breakfast cereals, sausages, burgers, pies and coated food products such as chicken nuggets and fish fingers. This is because the nutritional content of these foods that are most difficult to understand and most likely to have big variations in the amount of fat, sugar and salt between the different brands.

Traffic Light Scheme versus Guideline Daily Allowance (GDAs)

Some of the biggest players like Tesco, Morrisons, Cadbury,Nestle, Kellogg’s and Kraft  promote the more complex numerical schemes showing percentage Guideline Daily Amounts or % GDAs as the main form of labelling on their products. GDAs stands for Guideline Daily Allowance and are a guide to how much energy and key nutrients the average healthy person needs in order to have a balanced diet. 

So what do you find clear and easy to interpret?

 (Courtesy: http://www.netmums.com/family-food/healthy-eating/making-sense-of-food-labels/traffic-light-labels)

Find your Traffic Light Labels on your food items next time you go for your shopping!

The Traffic Light Scheme is a more simplier and easier form of food labelling, and also believe it is much more helpful compared to GDA labelling.

 We expect retailers and manufacturers to take up the recommendations of the Food Standards Agency to make Traffic Light scheme available on their food packs as soon as possible, to provide greater clarity for consumers.


If you wish to know more about the traffic light scheme of labeling then you could visit Food Standard Agency’s website at http://tna.europarchive.org/20100910172942/http://www.food.gov.uk/foodlabelling/