Monday 25 February 2013

Some interesting facts about Indian cooking recipes


A majority of people are fond of trying out different cuisines. Most of the countries in the world differ in the kind of food they eat. For instance, the Chinese cuisine of China is famous all over the world. Pizza and pasta the preparation of Italian origin are also savored by people all over the world. The cuisine that an individual prefers depends on the one that suits their palette. If you’re the one who prefers spicy preparations, than the Indian cuisine is something that you must try. Indian food preparations are famous all over the world for the spices used. It is high on taste for the ones who prefer spicy food.

Similar to the diverse culture and traditions in India, the food preparation across all the regions differs to a great extent. Every region or state is famous for a different kind of preparation. Broadly the preparations are classified as north Indian dishes and south Indian dishes. The north Indians are usually meat eaters and prepare various kinds of spicy dishes. The south Indians are usually rice eaters. Rice is a major ingredient of most of their food preparations. The staple food of the people living in the coastal regions is rice and fish. Coconut is the key ingredient in most of their food preparation.

The major ingredient of an Indian meal is roti or chapatti (flat bread made of wheat) and rice. These are usually eaten along with a curry or some vegetable preparation. Every preparation is unique in its taste as it involves different ingredients. A huge variety of other snacks are also prepared. One can make variations in the amount of spices depending upon the taste preferred. The key ingredients included in most of the preparations are turmeric and red chili powder. Other spices like pepper, cloves, cardamom, and coriander powder etc are also used. Most preparations are usually seasoned with chopped coriander leaves. It enhances the taste of the dishes.

The authenticity of the cuisine that you eat is the one that really makes a difference. So if you’re in a different part of the world and wish to savor the Indian cuisine, then there are a lot of options available. The first such option is a restaurant. Indians are usually settled in most parts of the world. Thus one can easily find an Indian restaurant to grab an authentic Indian meal. However, before placing the order it is advisable to know the ingredients. This is because you need to know whether the preparation would suit your palette or not. If you’re the one who does not prefer eating out than the other option would definitely come handy. The internet would be your savior in this case. You can find easy to cook Indian recipes on the internet. An exhaustive amount of recipes from various regions in India are available over the internet. Most of their ingredients are also very easy to find. Thus you can enjoy Indian food cooked at home.

Thursday 21 February 2013

Indian Recipes and Cooking Tips: About Indian Food


Asian food tastes better when it is eaten using chopsticks. Similarly, the flavors of Indian food are better experienced when it is eaten using your fingers. Most often flat hard breads or rice is served with different spicy curries and other side dishes. While a spoon and fork can be used to eat the rice, the only way to eat the flat bread is to tear it with your fingers and use the pieces to scoop up the flavorful curries. However, purists say both rice and flat bread tastes better when you use your fingers.

When it comes to Indian food, one can only think about delicious and spicy food items served in the Indian homes. These Indian Recipes are incomplete without their spices. Spicy food is the best characteristic of the Indian food culture. They are made with such passion that the taste just melts in your mouth and lets you enjoy the collective taste of the dish without hampering the individual taste of each ingredient employed in the dish. Indian dishes are known for their authentic and different tastes. They are simple but the festive taste they provide you with is simply amazing. Indian recipes revolve around spices and colour. The texture of Indian food is very subtle yet very catchy. The food appeals to the individual who wants to eat. The combination of taste and flavour which one can find in authentic Indian food is just out of the world. It brings all the flavour and textures in one dish which seems just astonishing to see and amazing to eat. However, despite the complex description of the Indian food, it is very simple and convenient to make. They just require you to be passionate about spices and cooking.

The secret about Indian Recipes
You can learn how to cook Indian recipes if you can master the art of using spices. Indian food is all about spices and texture. Indian food is all about knowing your ingredients and blending them with a perfect mixture of your spices. Indian spices are nothing special. The food is made with common spices, but the taste is not common. The perfect combination of spices is the key to success in making a delicious Indian recipe. Indian vegetarian recipes as well as Indian non vegetarian recipes are similar when it comes to the quality of the spices employed. The secret of Indian food culture lies in their spices. They way you put the spices in your food determines the level of taste of your dish. So, the level of taste of your dish is directly proportional to the quality of spices used.

Preciseness is required
However, despite the fact that Indian food is very spicy as compared to the western food, the spices are never used in excessive quality. They are just added to bring the perfect taste and colour. The use of spices requires preciseness and a mastered art. Even a pinch more of a particular spice, and your dish has lost its value. However, Indian food has one unique quality. Indian Chefs know how to improvise and balance their dish. They know how to use a different spice in order to neutralise the effect of the earlier spice which was used in excessive quantity. The Indian recipes are unique in every sense- the taste, the colour and texture, the ingredients and the level of passion. India recipes are a sign of festival foods. Making Indian recipes is like enjoying a festival of taste. Spices are the core of this festival and you shall master the art of using spices in order to develop a perfect Indian recipe.

Monday 18 February 2013

PING DIGITAL NETWORK IS THE OFFICIAL INTERNET BROADCAST PARTNER FOR NASSCOM -ANNUAL LEADERSHIP FORUM 2013


Mumbai, February 13, 2013: Ping Digital Broadcast Pvt. Ltd. India’s first Internet HD Broadcasting Network is the official internet broadcast partner for NASSCOM’s annual leadership forum 2013, being held at the Grand Hyatt Mumbai from February 13-15, 2013.

The coveted forum will be attended by the headhonchos from the IT industry, making for a formidable platform for companies like Nokia, CISCO, IBM and Wal-Mart Stores, amongst others, who show excellence in leadership in the IT space.

PING Digital Broadcast is a Google/YouTube partner in India and produces and distributes original content through a network of channels hosted on YouTube. These channels span the knowledge, utility & lifestyle genres. Ping Digital is a multi-layered 360-degree brand focused on reaching anyone, anywhere, connecting and building communities.

NASSCOM is the industry association for the IT-BPO sector in India, aiming at building a growth led and sustainable technology and business service sector in the country. NASSCOM’s mission is to deepen the IT-BPO industry’s footprint in its core markets and expand beyond, building a strategic partnership with its customers. It seeks to establish India as a hub for innovation and professional services. “Transform Business, Transform India” is the overall objective of NASSCOM and its members.

After the successful launch of India Food Network and India Music Network, Ping Network is running a dedicated ‘channel’ from the India Leadership Forum for the three days generating fresh content, which is almost like a TV station except its non-linear. This feed can be taken by anyone who wants to, particularly a TV channel.The videos are shot in full HD 1920 X 1080.

More importantly this content will not only pick off the panel discussions and ‘replicate’ them; but also create additional tracks of thoughts, conversations and themes. 

Sunday 10 February 2013

This Valentine’s Day Big Boss 6 finalist Niketan Madhok plays “Food Cupid” only on India Food Network


The countdown to Valentines Day gets even more exciting as India Food Network- India’s first full HD television food network spices up the day of love by offering viewers a chance to hangout with the Bigg Boss 6 finalist Niketan Madhok on Google Hangout!

Catch the very suave and dapper Niketan only on India Food Network where he will be fielding questions on food, love, relationships and life, (http://www.youtube.com/indiafoodnetwork) from Wednesday, 6thFebruary till Sunday 10th February... Get struck by the "Food Cupid’s" arrow as Niketan will pick the best questions from among the contestants and the lucky winners get a chance to chill with him on a G+ hangout on Valentine’s Day- 14th February 2013

Commenting on his association with the India Food Network, Niketan said, “ I’m really excited at this opportunity to play “Food Cupid”. Valentines Day is all about sharing love, and I’m going to be on this digital platform sharing the love of food with the teeming digital audience, reaching out to the lovestruck and the gourmand making it a very special Valentine's Day"

Send in your questions to facebook.com/ indiafoodnetwork or Tweet on @indiafoodnetwork and get wooed by the dashing Niketan Madhok as this "food cupid"helps you put at bay all your doubts about food, love and life and ofcourse a unique opportunity to meet him on G+ Hangout on 14th February 2013!!

This Valentine’s Day, win a chance to Wine and Dine with your loved one at Otto Infinito


~ Watch out for special Valentine’s Day recipes and a contest by India Food Network on Facebook and Twitter on Tuesday, 12thFebruary


Mumbai, February 2013:  Love is in the air and India Food Network, India’s first full HD television food network and a complete guide to simple and delicious home cooking in association with Otto Infinito is all set to sweep you off your feet with a delectable romantic meal for two on 14th February at Otto Infinito, Bandra Kurla Complex, Mumbai

Raising a toast to the occasion, chefs at Otto Infinito have created some heavenly delights exclusively for the India Food Network including all time favorites- a sumptuous Chocolate Fondue, melt in the mouth Red Velvet Cake and a rich and creamy Belgian Chocolate Pudding. The recipe videos will be aired from Tuesday, 5th February onwards and will be available India Food Network on http://www.youtube.com/indiafoodnetwork

In addition to these decadent sweet indulgences, the India Food Network will give a couple a chance to spend a memorable evening at Otto Infinito on Valentine’s Daythrough a contest on Twitter and Facebook, on Tuesday, 12th February. The contest will involve simple questions on the 3 recipes ( Chocolate Fondue/ Red Velvet Cake/ Belgian Chocolate Pudding) created by the chefs of Otto Infinito for India Food Network. The contestant who answers the maximum questions correctly and quickly will win a dinner for two from a customized menu crafted specially for Valentine’s Day by the Chefs at Otto Infinito.

So log on to http://www.youtube.com/indiafoodnetwork for a double whammy this Valentine’s Day-‘ watch and learn’and surprise your beloved with a warm red velvet cake or a gooey Belgian chocolate pudding and answer simple questions based on these recipes to win yourself an evening at Otto Infinito that you will cherish forever!

About India Food Network
India Food Network is India’s first full HD television food network & a step by step guide to simple and delicious home cooking. From regional Indian cuisine to popular dishes from around the globe, the focus is on make cooking simple and accessible to all including beginners  IFN videos have loads of quick tips and easy tricks & the recipes are shot and produced in natural home environments. So you too can cook the perfect dish right at home. Log on to www.indiafoodnetwork.in

For further information please contact:
Manika Dhalla/ Tamara Abreu
BrandTalk PR
9819244001/ 9619360947

Ping for entertainment - after launching food and music channels on YouTube, this digital content startup is planning 10 new online channels


When “Bruce Springsteen sang 57 channels and nothing on”, the Internet was in its infancy. He would have had to rewrite his song if he were to sing it these days with the massive profusion of the Internet, especially in the entertainment segment. However, few startups in India have started to eye this area. Ping Digital Broadcast, one such startup for digital audiences, builds content across knowledge, utility and talent genres.

The concept
Currently, it runs India Food Network (http://www.youtube.com/indiafoodnetwork), India’s first full HD food network for home cooking. It counts over180 videos and the addition of 2-3 every day and claims that it is the first of its kind in the food genre. Apart from food, it runs India Music Network. Both these channels are on YouTube. Ping Digital is founded by Govindraj Ethiraj, a former media personality and Prashanto Das, who was the Network Head for Creative Services for UTV and is banking on the experience with them to kickstart this genre in India. Today after Google, YouTube is the next largest search engine and with others like Microsoft with Bing and Facebook and Twitter building their own search capabilities, there is a need for increased interactivity and a more personal way of consuming media. The internet also provides you with a huge advantage of global audiences and content - anytime, anywhere – whether on your desktop, laptop, iPhone, iPad to even your 42” smart TV .

This prompted Google, in December 2011, to announce the launch of 100 premium (professional) channels, each of which would carry original content. “This ratified our belief that we are in the right place at the right time,” says Ethiraj. With an initial investment of $100 million, the internet giant had tied up with original content developers to create new and experimental programs, in an effort to make the service more TV-like and also compete against video-on-demand (VoD) services while increasing viewership and getting more advertisers on board. “This is the era of re-imagining everything,” says Das. Technology is changing everything and broadcasters will need to re-align themselves to this reality, says Das. In other words, the whole ecosystem is undergoing a change of sorts and with the FDI in broadcasting increased up to 74 per cent, the dynamics are changing. “We felt that there were huge content opportunities which were not being addressed or could be addressed in newer formats for audiences which are increasingly consuming via the digital pipe. We spent some time studying the market closely, mostly in the United States and concluded that there was a clear opportunity to build an enterprise here,” explains Das.

Challenges
However, to make this sort of a difference, the company needs scale, which its founders admit is a challenge . To get another idea on the kind of scale issues that the company faces, take a look at these statistics.
According to the latest Mary Meeker report on Internet Trends, the advent of the asset light generation, the rise of the sharing economy has begun. For the first time in Q4 of 2012 Mobile Internet in India overtook desktop Internet and this when smartphones form only 4 per cent of the subscriber base. Coupled with the Internet’s global nature, it is turning out to be a huge market as compared with the traditional broadcasting media, which has geographical and access constraints.

“The biggest indicator of the need for our business is the simple fact that over 200 billion videos were consumed every month covering an audience of over 1. 2 billion users back in Oct 2011, according to comScore. That number has grown and in India, 3.4 billion videos are watched in a month,” says Das.

Initial Challenges
Das says that the key challenge remains the need to build a business that is scalable, continue to use the best of learning that broadcast has to offer all while delivering world class content at costs which are relatively competitive.

Ping Digital Broadcast has procured angel investments from two investors, Ashwin Damera, former founder of Travelguru and Ankur Daga, CEO of Angara.com, a New York based precious stones e-commerce venture.

Learning’s
Like all startups one of its key learnings was to figure out ways of overcoming initial hurdles without losing sight of the bigger picture.

Another lesson has been the benefits of good partnerships like the one we share with Google, says Das. This philosophy of partnerships has also been extended into its business model.

A recent example is India Music Network’s partnership with OKListen, a leading E commerce venture for indie artists. All these have resulted in users flocking to the website and it is averaging about 280,000 views.
In the next two to three months focus is on building the brand and increasing our viewership base. Further, we will introduce genres such as technology, auto etc. By the end of this year, Ping Network should have about 10 channels spanning entertainment and infotainment genres up and running, concludes Das.

Monday 4 February 2013

Celebrate the season of love with sweet delights whipped up on IndiaFoodNetwork


Special Valentines' Day Breakfast by Arina Suchde and Shakti Salgaokar on India Food Network

Mumbai, January 2013: The India Food Network- India's first HD Food Network on YouTube invites you to commemorate the month of love and togetherness with a generous dose of culinary delights crafted specially by the expert home chef- Arina Suchde and Shakti Salgaokar at India Food Network.

Surprise and pamper your beloved by with some simple magical tricks in the kitchen starting with an easy to make yet decadent breakfast of Herbed Mushrooms on Melba toast by Arina Suchde Added to your love sprinkle some parsley on the toast for some extra flavor.  Indulge your sweet tooth with some fluffy simple to make pancakes- watch and learn as Shakti Salgaokar creates this popular breakfast item that you can wow your loved one with- dont forget to add dollops of love before you serve! Serve hot, with chopped fresh fruits and your favorite dressing of either blueberry or maple syrup or even nutella. Savour this delicious breakfast with a hot cup of coffee for that perfect romantic start to your day!!

The heady aroma of freshly baked cookies fills your soul and warms up your heart- try the melt in your mouth Chocolate cookies by Shakti, with an added zing of orange!! Enjoy them with a cup of light tea as you whisper sweet nothings to each other!

Come evening, let your spirits soar as you raise a toast to the wonderful thing called love with a "Love Potion"- a heady concoction of sweet strawberries mixed with white rum, as you enjoy a romantic candle lit dinner at home! Fall in love all over again with your beloved and a gooey Chocolate pie- the piece de resistance for the evening- as the smooth creamy texture of the pie envelopes you while the crunchy biscuit base makes you crave for more!  A perfect ending to a perfectly romantic day!

Love Potion by Arina Succhde

Ingredients:
·         4 Strawberries, chopped
·         1 tbsp powdered sugar (can be adjusted according to sweetness of strawberries)
·         4-5 Basil Leaves
·         30 ml White Rum
·         Soda to top
·         Ice cubes as required.
·         Glass: Old Fashioned/Whisky Glass

Method:
Muddle the strawberries and powdered sugar in the glass, add roughly torn basil leaves and muddle further till the sugar dissolves and the strawberries are mashed. Add the white rum and ice cubes. Top up with soda. Stir well before serving.

Herbed Mushrooms on Melba Toast by Arina Suchde

Ingredients:
·         12 pieces melba toast
·         7-8 Mushrooms, thinly sliced
·         1/4 Onion, finely chopped
·         2 Garlic cloves, finely chopped
·         Freshly chopped parsley
·         Salt & Pepper to taste
·         2 tsp Olive oil.

Method:
In a pan, heat olive oil and add the onions and garlic. Saute till translucent and add mushrooms. Saute for a couple of minutes and add salt and pepper. Lastly add the parsley and stir well. To serve: please a small spoonful of the mushrooms on the toasts and sprinkle some parsley as garnish.

Easy Chocolate Pie by Arina Suchde

Ingredients:
·         6 Bourbon biscuits, coarsely crushed
·         1 Tbsp Melted Butter
·         1/4 Cup whipped cream
·         1/4 Cup melted dark chocolate, cooled to room temperature.

·         Strawberry or grated white chocolate for garnish.

Method:
Mix the melted butter with the crushed biscuits. Take 2 mini pie tins with detachable base or bowls. Make a layer of the biscuit mixture and press well. Let it set for 5-10 minutes in the freezer. Meanwhile mix the melted chocolate and whipped cream. Once the biscuit base is set spread a layer of the chocolate cream and garnish with a strawberry fan or grated chocolate. Put it in the refrigerator for another 10-15 minutes to set or till required.

Pancakes by Shakti Salgaokar.

Ingredients:
·         1 cup powdered rolled oats (just blend regular quick cook oats to a powder)
·         1 tsp baking powder
·         1-1.5 tbsp honey
·         1 cup milk
·         1 egg
·         1/2 tsp cinnamon
·         A pinch if salt
·         1 tsp butter melted or 1 tsp ghee

Method
Mix the eggs, milk, butter and honey. In this add the oats, baking soda, cinnamon and salt. Mix well. Place a midsize nonstick pan on medium flame. Ladle the batter onto it, spreading it evenly to make a 1/4 inch of a layer. Cover and reduce the flame to a low. In about two to five minutes, open the lid and flip the pancake over. Give the other side about a minute and take it off. Repeat with the rest of the batter.
Stack up, and serve hot with some chopped fruits or jam or fruit conserves or maple syrup or nutella. Or even all of it! Don't forget to wash it down with a hot cup of coffee. It’s a guilt free treat

Cookies by Shakti Salgaokar

Ingredients: 
·         3 cups Maida
·         200gms butter
·         1.25 cups of castor sugar
·         1 orange
·         1 tsp baking soda
·         200 Gms cooking chocolate
·         2 tbsp icing sugar
·         1/2 cup milk.

Preheat the oven to 175 degrees c. Cream the butter and sugar together until it comes together. Add the zest of an orange and whip more. Add flour and baking soda and mix together. Add milk to bring the dough together. Pat the dough out in a baking tray and using a mould cut out the cookies. Remove the edges of the dough and save for later.

Put the biscuits in the oven to bake for about 15 minutes or until brown around edges. Once out of the oven, take the biscuits out of the tray immediately to avoid them from sticking. Leave aside to cool.
In the microwave, melt the cooking chocolate to a thick sauce. This takes about 30 seconds. Mix the juice of half an orange with icing sugar.

Once cooled, dip cookies in the molten chocolate and leave to cool on butter paper. Once cooled, drizzle some orange juice and icing sugar solution on top.

Your chocolate orange cookies are ready. They go best with a cup of light tea