Website wonders!

Just in with some steaming facts about http://www.sanjeevkapoor.com, before the release of the new, improved and user friendly version of the website! Check them out…

• The website finally crossed a 10 lakh visits landmark, with 12 lakh visits in just the last 30 days! I think this is a great achievement with whatever we had initially begun with. Kudos to my team for raising the bar to this level.
• According to the statistics, most of the users has usually come in during the festivals to check out special features and recipes. This is pretty prominent from the fact that on August 12, 2011 alone about 50,000 users logged onto the site as the next day was a major Hindu festival – Rakshabandhan. Indians sure love food, and more, when its some festival or special occasion!
• As far as the data related to the division of users on the basis of region is concerned – I just learnt that while the cream of the lot remains Indians with a 60% visitors, many visitors came in from the United States (14% visitors) and the United Kingdom (5% visitors).

Here’s hoping that our relationship continues to grow and flourish in all time to come. I am humbled by the love, affection and gratitude shown by the food lovers from different parts of the world. I also take this opportunity to thank all food lovers for their feedback, contributions and suggestions in making http://www.sanjeevkapoor.com a primary source for Indian recipes.

And what better could be done, than to celebrate this joy with some real scrumptious recipes…aptly some Parsi recipes…for Pateti.

Tamatar ni Gravy ma Cutlet

Patrani Machchi

Lagan nu Custard

Till I write again.

Sanjeev Kapoor

Donate to support the cause of increasing awareness on Autism

We are trying to raise funds for the Forum for Autism that helps in creating awareness on Autism and children affected with it. It is also a parent support group, a registered Charitable Trust, formed to help out parents of Autistic children in our society.

We at Khana Khazana have started a contribution drive for this initiative and the feedback on the very first day is highly promising. Charity begins at home – keeping this adage on mind, the first contribution is from us; a token amount of Rs. 20,000. The list as of now goes like this,

1. Sanjeev Kapoor, Mumbai Rs. 10,000

2. Alyona Kapoor, Mumbai Rs. 10,000

3. Anonymous, Mumbai Rs. 4,000

4. Anonymous, Gurgaon Rs. 4,000

I am happy thatthis sums upto Rs. 28,000.

For donations you can send a cheque payable to: “United Way of Mumbai” and courier it to the following address:

Chef Sanjeev Kapoor

Khana Khazana India Private Limited

C-18, Dalia Estate, Near Fun Republic,

Off New Link Road, Andheri (W),

Mumbai – 400 053, India

All donations for the Marathon are exempt under Sec 80G of the income Tax Act. You will get the receipt and tax deduction certificate for this donation

We look forward to your donations that will surely help in spreading awareness on Autism. We will keep updating the collection details through our website / blog / twitter/ facebook pages.

Regards

Alyona & Sanjeev Kapoor

www.sanjeevkapoor.com

Come September

A wow month awaits! There are festivals and feasts that bring so much good cheer…the rains continue to bless Mumbai and I think we have a reason to smile.

So on www.sanjeevkapoor.com, come September, we not only make you smile but also tell you some reasons why Laughter is the best medicine. As the monsoon continues, look out for Food Poisoning (we have some tips). Those who think their kitchen is small, learn some exciting storage tips and also many many festive recipes that will load your table with glee.

I have noticed that the potato is one thing that is an extremely versatile….it is not only meant for chips and crisps plus it is not the tuber that is fattening, it is the treatment we give it that makes it so. In days gone, the potato was blamed for those extra inches around the waist because of its starch content. But now the blame has shifted onto bread which has three times the calories! Potato has a high starch content but it is energy-giving and is also valuable source of vitamin C. It also has considerable amount of protein of high biological value and also alkaline salts. In addition it is rich in soda, potash and vitamins A and B.

As technology makes it presence felt on many foods, so has the potato been washed and pre-packed mechanically, canned, turned into crisp, frozen chips and instant mash. There are innumerable ways and recipes for using the potato… according to some tidbit I came across in a book 500 or so ways… and the most exciting is of course, chips! Crisp on the outside and juicy inside, chips are winners all the way. But there are some not so exciting facts connected to the consumption of chips. Take a look: a 100 gms of raw potato produces 85 gms of baked potato (which provide 87 calories). The same amount of raw potato makes 50 gms of chips (210 calories) or 44 gms of potato crisps (245 calories). Now which version of the humble potato would you go for?

Whatever may be the case, the fact remains that potatoes are a versatile sort that can
do wonders to any meal. But it is recommended that potatoes are more nutritious with the peel on. Upto a quarter of a potato’s protein is lost by peeling because the protein is most highly concentrated just below the skin. And if a peeled potato is boiled, up to half of its vitamin C content is dissolved. So to retain as much goodness as possible, bake or boil unpeeled potatoes. Green skin however should preferably be removed – it contains a detrimental alkaloid.

So you can have a potato soup, or jacket potatoes, chips and crisps, add them to pies or other vegetables, casseroles, you name it. I love the Caldo Verde soup in which mashed potatoes form the basic ingredient. It is a perfect beginning to a sumptuous meal, is easy to prepare and above all is simply delicious and wholesome. As potato can be stored in your kitchen, especially during the rainy days, I have a variety of potato goodies lined up for you.

Broccoli, Aloo aur Tofu ki sabzi
Sukhe Aloo
Aloo Tikki Chaat

Till I write again
Sanjeev Kapoor