Best places to indulge with Pizza in Guwahati

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June 24, 2018

With a vast variety of eateries and cuisines, Guwahati has surfaced as one of the fastest growing and diverse cities in India. Whether the ethnic flavors, aroma brewing cafes, region specials, continental or oriental exclusives, each restaurant carry its own set of flair to appease its admirers. Besides, one can not just indulge in flavor but can also relish a quality stretch with live music, football or cricket.

However, amid the lavish cuisines, pizza found its way to every person’s heart. Be it someone’s birthday treat, increment party, 4 pm lunch, or football snack, pizza has remained as a forever favorite.

Here are some of the most admired pizza stops of Guwahati one must visit:

1. Pizza hut:

pizza hut guwahati- pizza in guwahati — Source: Trip Advisor

Ever since the Carney brothers opened its door in 1958, Pizza Hut became every countries’ favorite guest. The two outlets located in Ganeshguri and Dona Planet (Christian Basti) are the best takeout places. One can cool one’s heels over a Tangy Mary or a frothy glass of Hazelnut Cold Coffee without spending a tidy sum. Besides those aroma-floating magical hand-tossed pizzas, the Spicy Baked Chicken Wings are worth preying for.

2. 11th Avenue:

Both the cafes (of Rajgarh and Dighalipukhuri) rejoices to serve its guests a trail of pan-healthy tempting pizzas. This is one of the bustling cafés of Guwahati that offers an assortment of better alternatives on food as well as beverages. Porkizza and Smoky Chicken Pizza are the unsurpassed lust that will arouse your pizza tooth with excitement.

I know I must not praise Burger in this context but it will be selfish to not edify people about a juicy and luscious view. Their Classic Burger is one of the most beautiful things to indulge in, trust me.

3. Foodie’s world:

Located in Rehabari, this pizza paradise offers a pizza fanatic, a range of veg and non-veg options to delve into. The menu reflects a kind of comforting percept. As the spices, veggies, and meat infuse in cheese, ahhh…haa… (pick some assured notes from me), they burst in the aroma. Just succulent.

4. Kalita Café:

Even a hip-hop fan, a Bollywood follower, a metal head, or an electronic devotee will romance with pizza in this K-pop styled café. Big Bang’s Feast and Monster Margherita are likely to console a cheese-starving soul with great comfort. Also, don’t forget to smooch their tantalizing smoothies. My God, Cheery Bomb was indeed a BOMB.

5. The Boho Roots café:

Just like their every wall that narrates a unique tale, this artistically designed café has abundant of exclusive pizzas to tempt a visitor. Whether you take a plunge into their Roasted Pork Pizza or Sicilian Pizza or Roasted Bell Pepper Pizza, you are certainly going to take home a bouquet of flavors to cherish, until your next visit.

6. Chicago pizza:

Ever since I started to grow dissatisfaction for Dominos’ pizza, Chicago Pizza stood as a rescue, to rejuvenate my dying taste for cheese pizza. Located in Central Mall (G.S. Road) and Bharalumukh, their pizzas are sure to release great levels of dopamine in you.

Sharing is caring. But sharing pizza is a pain that no medicine could heal. So, eat pizza, be happy.

What is your city’s best pizza stop? Drop your answers in the comment below.

Easy way to make watermelon halwa

By

Madhuri Saikia

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May 16, 2020

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The arrival of Bihu always fascinates me. Likely because I love seeing my mother prepare 100s of til pitha (a kind of traditional rice cake made with sesame and sugar), tel pitha (a traditional rice cake), and narikol laru (coconut balls). I would wait for her until late midnight, watch her prepare the delicacies wholeheartedly. I was always attracted to her way of preparing the coconut balls. She teaches me how delicately I must handle the preparation, a slight mistake and the balls would not take its desired shape. I would listen and watch her patiently, as she molds the balls. And apparently, I have applied a similar method while making this pudding. This is easy to make dessert recipe and consumes less time to prepare.

watermelon halwa, dessert recipe, watermelon pudding recipe, food photography, beautiful food photography

While I use to throw away the rind of watermelon every time, I choose to prepare something out of the inutile pieces (these were supposed to go right into the bin). After grinding to a good paste, I had decided to cook it the way my mother used to prepare the coconut balls, i.e., pour the mush directly to the pan and stir until the water dries up. After that, you can gradually add the other ingredients.

Here, I have also used some leftover red mesh of the watermelon that I had used for juice. You can skip that completely. Subsequently, I also made a few watermelon rind balls the next day. For making that, I applied a similar method of evaporating the excess water and adding a cup of roasted semolina. The rest of the steps remains the same apart from adding the liquid milk.

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Watermelon Halwa Recipe

This is an easy to make watermelon halwa that is filled with nutrition and goodness of mik and nuts.

Prep Time10

Active Time25

Total Time35

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: Indian

Keyword: dessert recipe, watermelon halwa, Watermelon recipe

Author: Madhuri Saikia

Equipment

Saucepan
Food Processor/ Grinder

Materials

2 tbsp Vegetable oil, ghee, or butter
1/2 piece Cubes of watermelon shell the inside green shell
1 cup Nuts, raisin, berries of your choice
1 piece Cardamom
3 tbsp Powdered Milk
1 cup Milk
1/2 cup Sugar
1 pinch Salt

Instructions

Peel off the outer green layer of the watermelon (You can use the inside red part for juices or other purposes)
Cut it into small cubes and add the pieces in a grinder.
Heat a pan and put the grinded paste to the pan and keep stiring.
Make sure to stir frequently, until the water dries up.
Now add the powdered milk and crushed cardamom.
Mix thoroughly so that no lumps are formed.
Now add the sugar and salt and blend it until the water evaporates.
Add the milk and crushed nuts and stir evenly.
Add the ghee or butter
Voila! Your watermelon halwa is ready. Serve hot with sprinkled nuts or seeds.

Make sure you cook the recipe in medium to low flame

Will you make this recipe?

Let me know how it turned out in the comments below. Or share a picture on your Instagram or Facebook and tag us.

Delectable cuisines from Assam that will tickle your taste buds

By

Madhuri Saikia

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January 8, 2018

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Assam, the gateway to the northeast, is a valley of luscious vegetation, fascinating wildlife, and a delectable ground that provides some of irresistibly tempting delicacies. While culture and traditions reflect the essence of a region, Assam holds in its core, a spectacularly huge list, along with a confluence of delectable cuisines that reflect its richness and distinctive style from the rest of the world.

Every time you visit their kitchen, you will be enthralled by the aroma of wild herbs and spices whirling up to your senses. The Assamese meal thali or plate usually comprises of different herbs and leafy vegetables, chutney, pitika, fries, pickles, and sweets.

Let us take you on a trip to some of the relishing delicacies that would allure your gluttonous senses to commit another flavoursome sin as you scroll down:

> Starters aka Jolpan: The day starts with poita bhaat (Cooked rice soaked overnight) served with onion, lemon, salt and chilli. Followed by jolpan of different choices such as Cheera (flattened rice), muri or akhoi (puffed rice), pitha Guri (pound rice), handoh guri (fried pound rice), kumol chaul (rice boiled and dried) and bora chaul (sticky rice) is usually served with yogurt, milk and sugar or juggery.

> Fish curry: Fish serves as an important dish of the Assamese cuisine. Masor tenga (sour fish curry), fish cooked with a sourness taste, often with outenga (elephant apple) or patot diya maas (steamed or baked fish), wrapped in banana leaves and baked, is often served with mustard paste for a meal.

> Khar: Khar khua axomiya, holding the literal meaning for the signature dish of the Assamese community, is a detoxifying appetizer. The khar or soda is prepared by burning stem of a banana tree or by roasting and soaking banana peels. The khar is also mixed with mustard paste to prepare Kharoli, a kind of chutney.

> Pitika: The easiest and convenient way to cover up a meal when you are not in the mood to cook. Of course, this is one of the most accepted preparations that is seldom rejected by people when offered. Pitika is a mash of various ingredients like potato, tomato, brinjal or other vegetables grilled or boiled and mixed with mustard oil, onion, chili, coriander, ginger or garlic.

> Khorisa: Khorisa is a pickle prepared from grated bamboo shoots preserved with mustard oil, salt, and chili. Khorisa is also used as a flavoring agent in preparing meat or fish curry.

> Herbs and leafy vegetables: The Assamese meal plate is never complete without the mention of herbs and leafy vegetables, boiled or fried alongside. If you visit an Assamese house, don’t forget to grab the exotic taste of leafy vegetables like dhekiya, laai xaak (spinach), moricha, khutura xaak, or of wild herbs like bhedai lota, changmora, bet gaz, and more.

> Sunga chaul: It is a traditional method mostly circulated in the villages during winters. Rice placed on bamboo stems is roasted in a bonfire. The cooked rice is brought out of the bamboo stem and served hot with meat or fish. Sunga chaul is generally a special catch during the “feast of new rice”.

> Duck or pigeon curry: Duck or pigeon curry is considered as authentic cuisines of the Assamese tradition. The dish is generally cooked with a meagre amount of oil and spices including cumin seeds, bay leaves, coriander, cardamom, ginger, garlic, etc. Duck curry, which is a signature dish of the Assamese culture, is often cooked with kumura (white gourd).

> Sewa diya bhaat: Bora chaul (sticky rice) soaked in water is steamed. The cooked rice is then served with yogurt or chicken curry.

> Polu leta: Polu Leta (silk cocoon) is first boiled and removed from its shell. The boiled cocoon is then fried and served with the meal.

Besides these scrumptious delicacies, other succulent sweets and desserts include, narikal laru (coconut laddoo), til pitha, ghila pitha, etc. Also don’t forget to wrap up your day with a rich taste of Haaz or Rohi or take that winey taste of Judima.

A summer time madness at 11th Avenue

By

Madhuri Saikia

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July 3, 2018

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I skip my breakfast and settled for a tall ice-cold glass of watermelon juice. Summers have become awful in Guwahati. I cannot even devour my favorite cappuccino or an awakening masala tea. Sigh!

Smoothies and juices have made my buds bland, sunscreens don’t work, damn! Why can’t winters stay forever?

“You hate winters as well, remember?” Prasanta poked.

As he gets ready for his office, I decide to switch off all my communicating devices and lie flat on the floor. I crashed, mulling over where to sabotage my fatigue; only to wake up at the scream from my tummy.

But sadly, the gloomy fridge has only butter and mayonnaise to chomp. And going to the kitchen means shoving myself into an oven. Instead of getting baked, dining out seems a better idea, and 11^th Avenue, an intelligent one. Not just because they cook wonderfully flaky crust pizza but also serves the purpose of brimming one’s gut with contentment.

A heavenly delight awaits in the new menu

My tummy is screaming louder than the honking horns. I don’t know if Guwahati’s rise in temperature is directly proportional to its congested traffic. As I scroll my Instagram feed, I stumble up a post that describes how succulent their tortillas were. Tortillas, oh! I can die for a good bite.

The traffic blink green. I park my scooter and raced inside the café. Something is different. I gawk, watching the menu parade with its new makeover in every table, proudly. And I watch her flaunting and getting hold of people’s interest.

It is now my turn to appraise her.

Whoa!

TORTILLA.

My thrill jumps in joy. While I wished for Thai Green Curry Pasta, my Tortilla tooth was seeking Roast Chicken Tortilla. Hence, a nod for both.

Laughter is brightest where food is best

Waiting for food to arrive is probably one of the world’s difficult tasks. Phew! I could barely wait for my order to walk from the kitchen.

About 20 minutes later, my order walked in. The Thai Green Curry Pasta, escorted by two pieces of garlic bread, rests elegantly on the white plate. My pasta plate looks gorgeous.

It boasts a blend of mellow yet a robust smack of its varied spices. The recipe embraces an assortment of ingredients like coconut paste, vegetables, spaghetti, chicken, and Thai sauce.

The Tortilla, on the other hand, recounts a superior touch of taste and texture. Besides, the chicken bites were ladened with crispy and soft chicken sautéed in aromatic spices. Crumble of tomatoes garnished with chives and cheese added a refined feeling to the crunchy corn base. The sour cream and salsa dips, on the other hand, were goodness added to the glory.

Contentment contained and restored

While the service is friendly, they seem to have sauteed their food a bit “more” gently. I thought my order lost its way. 😀 But it was worth the wait. I was literally lost, amid the lush Thai Green Curry Pasta and Chicken Tortilla.

Post Script: The new menu has a number of tongue-teasing cuisines to munch on. Until I hit here for some Lamb Bolognese and Ramen Noodles next time, keep supporting for my next review.

Stories from the Kalita Spectrum Kitchen

By

Madhuri Saikia

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August 2, 2018

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A rainy evening subsided the rising humidity of the day. Looks like fresh sheets of carpet have been flopped across streets and lanes. The old-tiring trees stretched and fluttered once again with the gentle breeze. Aha! A perfect evening to chomp some fries and coffee.

As I scanned for a parking space, the distinctly lit branding of “Kalita Café” grasp my attention. I indicated toward the left to park my scooter. Lucky are those who find a space in G.S. Road (Guwahati) to park their vehicle. I was one, for the evening.

I walked up the staircase, only to divert my attention to the exquisite looking glass doors of Kalita Spectrum, located in the same building. It was around 7 O’ clock. The restaurant was crowded and most of the tables were booked for dinner. As I scan for an empty seat, one from the staff guided me to a vacant table near the AC. Before slipping me the menu, a glass of aam panna followed by a plate of panipuri rested on my table.

My previous craving for coffee and fries dwindled after a good scrutiny at the menu. Resisting Italian bite seemed painful. Hence, I settled with Chicken Bruschetta, Chicken Enchiladas, and Crispy Mexican Tacos. The waiter suggested cocktails or mocktails blend great with Italian, not merely coffee.

Phew! I had to ditch coffee for a Malibu Beach. Oh, I didn’t regret at all. The tall glass sparked an impression of a smoothie bursting with flavors. A decent blend of pineapple, cream, and berries gladly embraced my sweet buds.

Crammed with creamy chicken, olives, onions, tomatoes, bell pepper, basil and other herbs, Chicken Bruschetta was charming. The firm base of the toast quite handsomely complimented the soft and cheesy concoction.

Tortilla and Tacos here are one of the finest I have tasted in Guwahati. The creamy and sour salsa dip balanced the cheesy zest quite delicately.

While there were few hits and misses in the service corner, a thumbs up for an exquisite essence-filled evening and friendly indulgence with Italian flavors.

Glamor of the hills- Meghalaya

By

Madhuri Saikia

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January 28, 2018

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The morning beams that penetrated through the gauzy curtains interrupted my dreams. It was late morning when I woke up. Although I was never a morning person, hectic job schedule and demand to maintain punctuality in office compelled me to dispose off my late-night routine.

And thus, weekends became my savior. I would sleep my heart out, keeping myself aloof from all the earthly pleasures. I would always ward-off the plans for joining someone for coffee, hanging out for parties or shopping, or mingling for a weekend getaway with friends with my lame excuses.

Likewise, it was another weekend of my life. I made a cup of hot chocolate, and augmented the tempo of my newly bought JBL Bluetooth speakers. Life would have been such a comfortable bed without any responsibilities, I wondered, trying to warble the Spanish lyrics of Despacito.

The phone’s beep depressed the sound of the song.

“Pack your bags; we are leaving at 6 pm,” Prasanta texted.

And before could I write my excuse text, he interrupted with another one.

“Don’t take it as a request. Because I am not going to listen to any of your post- menstrual mood flicks. Get ready; I am coming to pick you in an hour. Biswajit and Sarvanu will join us too.”

It was around 6.30 in the evening when we headed to, well, we did not have a map to Cherrapunjee or Dawki, so Meghalaya would be precise.

Meghalaya, as they say, is all about floating in abode of clouds. As we waved goodbye to Guwahati, a dark night, stirred with a blanket of mist and grey glimpses enveloped us in no time. Although I had been to this peppy paradise before, the experiences are vastly different on each call. Remarkably, every time I pick a trip to this paradise, I grab a story along with me.

It was late November. The roads were inundated with fog. Visibility of the surrounding dimmed with each rotation of the car’s tires. A little later we realized how terribly the clouds had convoluted us.

Prasanta uttered, “When confusion strikes, go left!” Unable to decide which way to take, we decided to pick the road less traveled.

It was late midnight, around 2 o’ clock. Subsequently, we got the picture of a grey blanket of fog that had covered us, completely. Even the white divider line that we were following, became indiscernible.

The fog became denser with each passing moment. After much contemplation, we grasped that there was no way to surpass the thick mantle as one could barely see the other person or object standing near them.

Biswajit stopped the car. Everyone got down. It was a No Human Land where the hills came alive with its giant spells.

The sight of an indistinct light at a distant, landed us to an eerie-looking house at the cliff of a majestic hill. Being an ardent fan of horror movies, stroked me to envisage how the house carried every trait of an eerie scene. Dimmed lights, indistinct chirps of birds, drops of water tripping at a vessel from the roof, four torn-out couches at the veranda, a dog loitering around and sniffing, reminded me of psycho killers of the Wrong Turn movies.

Anxiety started knocking us, brutally. Before long could we wait for any of us to get hit with a panic attack, we rushed to our car. Although it was difficult and risky to drive with such hazy visuals, nevertheless, Biswajit decided to take the risk as it was a better option than getting our heads chopped and bodies minced.

After driving for nearly three hours, we saw some lodges, lights, and heard voices of people working. That was a huge heave of sigh for all. Biswajit halted the car and we decided to rest our weary eyes for some time.

I woke up at Sarvanu’s boisterous voice, “Yaay! We are finally in Dawki.”

It was an absolute respite for all. While Biswajit and Prasanta yearned for few minutes of rest, Sarvanu decided to get tea for us.

The latter part of the day followed with a series of amusing adventures, capturing breathtaking views, gobbling with traditional delicacies and street food, and more. This was one of my wildest adventurous trip that snarled in my memoir cozily, until date.

Below are some of the snaps from the rest of our journey.

Editor’s call: Do you have an adventurous story to tell? Write to us at [email protected].

Creamy fruit tart recipe- Beetroot, mango, chocolate, and cream cheese tart recipe

By

Madhuri Saikia

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May 30, 2020

4

The luxuriance of pastry cream is heavenly. The amazing blend of egg yolks, corn starch, milk, cream, and sweetness is just the right snack for your craves. While there lies a number of tricks and tips to make a really succulent tart, the path doesn’t seem too crammed with sweat. Just the right amount of ingredients are important to rule the recipe. Nevertheless, to make this beetroot, mango, chocolate, and cream cheese tart recipe, it was one incredible experience.

At one moment, I would plan to mix the mango and cream cheese, while on the other, I would wonder how a combination of chocolate and mango would taste like.

But you will gladly love this creamy fruit tart recipe- whether for munching or to round up as a dinner dessert.

Jump to Recipe

Making an authentic French Tart Recipe

A tart is usually a baked recipe, consisting of a crumbly firm pastry shell with a sweet, savory, or fruity base. Nonetheless, for a French fruit tart recipe, the 4 essential ingredients include:

A sweet pastry crust
The vanilla pastry cream filling
Fresh fruits
A tart glaze

Seemingly, most French tart recipes call for berries and fruits on top. I preferred to play the fruit inside.

Drawing everything from scratch is arduous and time-consuming, but it is worth the results. However, for an impatient person like me, things can often spill over. Luckily, I rescued the dessert from falling apart.

I was literally out of my mind (and body) when all at once, I decided to bake this tart. Not out of a great mood but out of frustration.

I set the gelatin to bloom and began curdling the milk. It was the creamiest of cream cheese that I had ever tasted. Even my chocolate ganache was ready. Sigh!

I was almost ready with my fillings when I realized I hadn’t even set the pastry dough.

I opened the cupboard to reach for the Marie biscuit packet. And wow! My biscuit tart shell turned out as an absolute complement to the incredible layers of sweetness.

Making of the crust and filling

This tart cake is the summary of a rich, creamy, chocolaty, and nutty taste at one bite. Like a classic French chocolate tart, it has the lusciousness of chocolate, graced by the tanginess of mango, and at the same time, the sublime flavor and silkiness of cream cheese. Just the right recipe to appease all moods.

For the tart base (or shortcrust), I used a packet of Marie biscuits. You can use any biscuits.

For the filling, I used three layers of cream cheese, mango, and beetroot and white chocolate base. This fresh fruit tart is the ultimate beauty you will ever make.

Follow the tart crust recipe here:

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