HOW I MADE MY OWN PLATTERS

Few days i back i had to make an exciting meal for two people. Exciting? What do you mean, i make a good food and known for that so how do i make it exciting and that too an Indian food. Well in past i have done few 6-7 course menus with great presentations and seriously after doing them on and on i got bored, looking for my inventory for service ware, platters etc and trust me i could not find which pleased me.

So, i decided why not try and make or produce my own platters, generally chefs do look for platters online, through suppliers and on.I thought this time let me serve food in my own created platters.So my job got just doubled first make a menu and then look or make something where it looks stunning.

I have a pleasure of working in new property where i have been a part of pre-opening therefore i worked a lot with projects capturing the ideas and objects such has stone, glass, wood and many more.

So lets take something from around and make it interesting. Its a winter time so we had lot of wood to be burnt which was lying around, so i hand picked some with their barks and took them to my hotel carpenter and asked him to make two different plane surfaces, one with the bark on back side and the other with plane smooth bark in front.
I took a wood which was smooth from front and start to burn them from the surface holding them with the tong just enough to give them carbon color, please don't make a coal out of it.
While i was doing this my staff was thinking i have gone mad. Hahaha

Once the base or the platter is made just play around with the element so i picked up Hawkins pressure cooker, some flowers and leaf from the trees around.

Instead of toothpicks or satay sticks i decided to use baby bamboo stems which i plucked.

Another platter whose bark side was made smooth, i decided to use some leaf, flowers from around and placed toughened glass platter on top making it bright, colorful and close to the nature.

Look at that how beautiful and natural these platters look.

Now be creative and plate your food, i have done my bit for you.

RAJASTHANI FOOD FOR HIS HOLINESS DALAI LAMA

WHAT DALAI LAMA EATS

A feast for Dalai Lama

Richa Shukla, TNN, Feb 12, 2011, 12.00am IST

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Being a perfect host is bit difficult and if the guest is someone like spiritual guru Dalai Lama, one has to be extra careful. And that is why this 5-star hotel in Jaipur, which is playing host for the special guest, is going all out to ensure that the Dalai Lama has a delightful stay, while on his 4-day visit to Jaipur.
"It's wonderful that he is visiting our land. We are trying to provide something authentic as it's all about Rajasthan," says Sunil Gupta, general manager of the hotel. The Buddhist leader is here in Jaipur to deliver lectures on spirituality. He's staying in the Rajputana Suite, the most luxurious suite of the hotel, done up in Rajasthani d?cor, symbolising the royalty of the state. "We got to know is that he is very fond of trying new cuisines. And Rajasthani cuisine is nothing less than a treat for food lovers. That is why we decided to provide him with a remarkable gastronomic experience. A team of 12 people from the hotel's kitchen are making a variety of special dishes just for the Lama," adds Gupta.

"We have drawn out balanced recipes to ensure that the spiritual guru keeps fit and also relishes our dishes. We are delving into the reciepes from our royal kitchens for authentic Rajasthani fares. And we were also prepared to provide dishes other than Rajasthani, were the Dalai Lama to express his wish to have something else," says chef Akshraj Jodha, who is taking care of all the arrangements, adding, "But so far, he's loved what we served him." The menu has a wide variety of mouthwatering delicacies like Laal Maans, Safed Maans, Machhi Jodhpuri, Murg Shekhawati and vegetarian dishes like Aloo Pyaaz Ki Sabzi, Chakki and Papad Ki Sabzi. Traditional sweet dishes Malai Ghevar, Mishri-Mawa and Malai Maalpua were served as desserts.