• Sula swirls into 15th year with ?Brut Tropicale?

    Submitted by ITV Production on Oct 30

    Sula sold Sauvignon Blanc, its first bottle in 2000 and since then, it has placed India on the global wine map. Celebrating 15 years of operations, Sula recently released its limited edition festive season bottle at Asilo, Mumbai.

    Brut Tropicale, a limited edition Blanc de Noirs, is a methode champenoise sparkler made from premium black grapes including Pinot Noir. This beautiful bottle is covered in paisley symbolising life and eternity, and has been interpreted and adopted as a quintessential part of the various cultures of India, spanning Kashmir to Kanyakumari. Today, the motif prevails in special occasions, ranging from henna patterns, ethnic fabrics, jewelry and such, emphasizing that most celebrations begin and end with paisley.

    To mark the occasion, Sula Vineyards founder and CEO Rajeev Samant said, We wanted to do something exceptional to celebrate Sula 15 fabulous years. The result of two years of hard work is this beautiful Blanc de Noirs, a special wine. The limited edition Brut Tropicale is classy yet fun perfect for celebrations and gifting this festive season.

    In the last 15 years, Sula Vineyards has also been a pioneer in India wine tourism opening the country first winery Tasting Room in 2005 and first vineyard resort, Beyond by Sula, in 2007. With 200,000 visitors in 2014, Sula is a poplar winery. Sula award-winning wines are available nationwide at the finest hotels and restaurants, and are also exported worldwide. The company is also a wine and spirits importer, with a portfolio of brands like Remy Cointreau, Cono Sur, Hardys, Ruffino and Asahi.

    Firmly committed to remaining at the forefront of Indian wines, Sula continues to experiment with new varietals, engage in sustainable agriculture and support the local rural economy. The launch of the bottles is a commemoration of Sula success and its progress in global wine market.

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    indiantelevision.com Team
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  • Chicken Shawarma

    Submitted by ITV Production on Oct 23

    Here is a treat for your taste-buds. Why not try something "Lebanese" this weekend?

    Ingredients:

      . Chicken Thigh (Boneless) - 500gms

      . Yogurt - 250 gms

      . Potatoes - 250 gms 

      . Lettuce - 1 Bunch

      . Garlic Cloves - 10 to 12

      . Black Pepper - 2 Tablespoons

      . Olive Oil - 1 Tablespoon

      . Vinegar - 1 Tablespoon

      . Cardamom powder - ? Teaspoon

      . Lebanese White Bread - 4 nos.

    Hummus:

       . White Chickpeas - 250gms

       . Tahini Paste - 1 Tablespoon

       . Lemon Juice - 1 Tablespoon

       . Chickpea Water - 3 Teaspoons

       . Salt - 2 Teaspoons

       . Olive Oil - 3 Tablespoons

    Yogurt Tahini Sauce:

       . Yogurt - 250gms

       . Tahini Paste - 1 Tablespoon

       . Lemon Juice - 1 Teaspoon

       . Salt - 1 Teaspoons

       . Olive Oil - 1 Tablespoon

       . Black pepper Powder - ? Teaspoon

    Method:

        . Marination: In a bowl mix 250gms of yogurt, minced garlic cloves, seven spices, vinegar, black pepper, olive oil, cardamom powder. Then, add the chicken thigh boneless pieces to the yogurt mixture and let it marinate overnight so that all the flavors soak in.

        . Hummus: Soak the chickpeas overnight. Boil them the next day and save the chickpea water. In a food processor combine boiled chickpeas, tahini pasta and a garlic clove. When the machine is running slowly pour the olive oil till the mixture smoothens. Add salt, lemon juice in the end and mix again to combine all ingredients.  

       . Yogurt Tahini Sauce: In a bowl mix 250gms of yogurt, 1 tablespoon of tahini sauce, olive oil, lemon juice, black pepper powder, salt to taste and minced garlic. Mix all the ingredients and let it sit in the refrigerator for 30 minutes so that the yogurt thickens.

       . Now, grill the chicken till it is char grilled and cooked completely.

       . For assembling the Shawarma roll, cut the grilled chicken into thin strips, thinly chop the lettuce leaves, deep fry the thinly slice potatoes till golden brown. Take the Lebanese white bread spread hummus over it, spread the lettuce leaves, potato fries, chicken strips and top it with yogurt tahini sauce and serve it immediately.

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    indiantelevision.com Team
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  • ?Masterchef? transformed my life: Chef Ripu Daman Handa

    Submitted by ITV Production on Oct 09

    By Jigar Ganatra

    The journey of a next door boy to renowned chef to now a restaurateur?

    Excerpts of the conversation:

    How did Masterchef India happen to you?

    Firstly, while I am not from the food industry, I was always interested in cooking. I believe it was my hidden passion. I hail from a family of doctors who are well settled and sorted with their careers. They always wanted me to be serious about my life and soon my father asked me to leave for Canada for further studies. That is when I came across Masterchef auditions. I gave it a shot and to my surprise, my journey there began with a bang.

    How has life changed after the show?

    Masterchef has taught me seriousness. Cooking, which was once just a hidden passion, has now become a career. After the success from Masterchef, my family now believes in my passion. Earlier they did not believe in cooking as a profession, but they do now. So, I owe a lot to the show, my well wishers and my followers.

    How is it to be a mentor and a TV presenter?

    I was never a TV buff, as I was never allowed to watch TV regularly as a kid. Hence I was never confident about facing the camera, But with time I learnt the skill. Working with kids is an amazing experience, as I was always surrounded by their love, respect and innocence.

    What do you have to say about International food formats on TV?

    TV shows have changed with time. The audience isn?t aware about the cuisines, but they are keen to learn more. There are regions in India where people aren?t aware of international cuisines. Hence the formats are changing to teach the audience. The change that is being adapted today is the need of the hour. The techniques and awareness about the diversity of food is what we believe interests the audience.

    What change do you foresee in the food business?

    Food and cuisines have seen a transformation over the years. The audience expects creativity and an interesting platter, which has now become available to them. As a chef and a restaurateur, I see majority of the audience keen to try and experiment with new, international cuisines than taste the wide range of delicacies we have in our country.

    Tell us more about your entrepreneurial venture.

    I am happy to be a part on the board of directors in Venezia Enterprises. We have recently opened the first restaurant ?Macchiato? - a fine casual dining caf? that will serve true Italian food and wine. We look forward to more such restaurants in the future.

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  • CouponDunia takes food fest online

    Submitted by ITV Production on Sep 25

    By Papri Das

    Recent years have seen a drastic change in not only our food habits, but also in how we consume food. While processed foods are becoming increasingly acknowledged by families, ordering food from outside has slowly become a part of our lifestyle, especially in the metros.

    It isn?t just about occasionally ordering from outside for a change; some of us depend on ordered food for everyday meals as well.

    The numerous food ordering and restaurant curating apps that have emerged in the last two years is evidence of this new food revolution. Every restaurant, caf? and even a road side shack today has a FoodPanda or Zomato label on its doors. It is as if the entire food and beverage industry is slowly shifting online.

    CouponDunia, one place where regular online shoppers turn to for coupons and discounts, understand this growing market and in order to foster in further, the company has organized The Great Online Food Festival (GOFF) this festive season.

    This first of its kind five-day food extravaganza in the online sphere, which started on 23 September, promises a different theme every day -- biryani, desserts, Chinese and more. The idea is to offer exclusive discounts and limited edition offers through popular food delivery and food tech services like FoodPanda, Faasos, Swiggy, Box 8 etc.

    Exec Life spoke to CouponDunia CEO Sameer Parwaani to throw some more light on this innovative food festival.

    Excerpts:

    What is the idea behind an online food festival?

    We have witnessed an unprecedented growth in the usage of coupons among people across metros. As the industry is growing at a great rate, we are always looking at innovative ways to leverage couponing among new users. Keeping the current festive mood in mind, this is the first time an initiative like this has happened in India.
    The objective was to introduce GOFF as an online event, which provides merchants with an opportunity to display their best offers and ensure exciting food experiences at the most affordable prices.

    What do food lovers get from GOFF?

    The Great Online Food Fest will let them enjoy mostly exclusive and limited offers. The offers will be available on CouponDunia?s website across seven cities of Mumbai, Delhi, Bangalore, Pune, Chennai, Ahmedabad, and Kolkata. 

    Subscribers and app users will be alerted via emails and notifications respectively about various offers for the particular day. Also, CouponDunia?s website will be updated with the latest developments that will be happening over the course of these five days.

    What is the target audience of GOFF?

    The fest is for all the food lovers who like to experiment with various cuisines at extremely affordable prices. Along with that, we are also enabling the merchants to reach out to their audience in a larger manner. It is a pioneering initiative in the online food ordering space, offering a win-win situation for both the customers and the brands.
    The first three days, i.e. Wednesday to Friday focus on online food ordering in offices, whereas we want to provide respite to household kitchens on the weekends, and give people a reason to treat themselves.

    Which brands have you associated with in the food fest and how are they performing?

    CouponDunia has partnering with food-tech brands like Faasos, Foodpanda, Swiggy, Box8 etc. to present the food lovers with a huge variety of cuisines at unbelievable prices. As the fest has just begun, it is too early to ascertain performance.

    What has been the general response from the consumers so far? 

    We?ve seen a healthy response and hope that the consumers keep coming back, as we will be hosting new offers everyday as well.

    Have you noticed any new online ordering trends?

    As the fest has just begun today, we don?t have the adequate data to mark trends. Also, as this is the first of its kind, it is difficult to compare order behaviour. We will definitely gain insights through the course of, and after the fest is over.

    What do you think is the future of food and beverage industry on the digital sphere?

    The online food ordering space is emerging as a next battlefield in e-commerce with millions of dollars pumping into the segment. While a lot of companies are operating in the space, there has to be enough differentiation for them to succeed. So the future seems a tough competition between the food start-ups and single brand eateries. With the dining scene evolving by the day, customer convenience is becoming a priority and consumers are responding positively. We see this space to soon go beyond the metros and enter Tier II cities.

    indiantelevision.com Team
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  • Korea, Austria shine at Mumbai's World of Food India

    Submitted by ITV Production on Sep 16

    By Papri Das

    The 10th year of Annapoorna aptly called ?World Of Food India? saw participation from 18 different countries with Korea and Austria leading the pack when it came to innovation.

    Organised by Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) and international trade fair giant Koelnmesse, this international exhibition for food and beverage trade, catering and retail market aims to present a plethora of international options for the Indian consumers -- from Korean rice beer (Makkoli) to Singaporean fish cakes - all processed and ready to be indulged in!

    ?With increasing demand for variety and orders opening up for trade, India is cultivating a global palate, not just in cuisine but in edible consumer products as well,? says Koelnmesse representative Sandeep Kumar. ?I feel that people are being more accepting of canned and processed foods than a few years back. This gives the international producers a great opportunity to bring their products to India. On the other hand, it always poses a great opportunity for Indian traders to cash in on the opportunity and at the same time take the valuable role of catering to India's changing palate. The expo aims to bring in international finished food products from different parts of the world and find a market for them in India,? he adds.

    The three day event, which first started in 2003, is a subsidiary of a grander food festival that Koelnmesse organises in Germany, and has been brought to the Indian landscape by FICCI.

    This year?s expo started on 14 September and hosted over 16 booths from 18 different countries that attracted hoteliers, restaurateurs, food traders as well as food connoisseurs for a global experience. It also featured a number of live events like cheese making workshop, wine tasting for Italian and Austrian brands and seminars on the changing paradigm of food consumption across the globe

    When it comes to what the guest countries had to offer, Kumar informs, ?This year?s highlight are the Korean booths, Singaporean Pavilion, and Austria.? His special recommendation was to try the different types of alcoholic and nonalcoholic beverages that Korea has to offer.

    Korea?s rice fermented beer was the popular choice, followed by the Austrian wines. In terms of processed snacks, Singapore won the race with their booth on favoured buns and fish cakes, while Korea came close with their fried duck jerkies and seaweed crunchies. While the crowd remained moderate, Japan saw its tasting samples disappear in no time showing how well Indian palate has accepted Sushis, especially since they had a vegetarian variant.

    The expo also gave way for international food makers and embassies to interact with each other and chalk out collaborated business plans. ?Through the expo we have created a culture of food in its last ten years,? says FICCI research associate Ravi Verma. ?We have successfully managed to bring in the key players in the country?s food and beverage industry and give them a taste of global varieties. Next year is going to be even bigger and better as we collaborate with numerous other organisations from the Horeca sector, and plan to organise a chef competition as well,? he adds.

    indiantelevision.com Team
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