Friday, September 30, 2011

KULFI -- Traditional Indian Ice Cream



Kulfi is the Indian version of Ice Cream, traditionally eaten on a stick like a lolly!

Kulfi is flavoured ice cream made with condensed milk and various flavours. At guglee we have our “special” flavours of Kulfi. They are Malai,  Pistachio, Almond, Mango, and Rose and Honey which is our most popular flavour. These days on the streets of Mumbai you can find all of these flavours including others such as Chocolate, Orange, Cardamom or Saffron.

Kulfi is very dense and rich tasting. Compared to ice cream kulfi is very different. Kulfi is not whipped, resulting in a solid, dense frozen dessert. Due to its density, kulfi takes a longer time to melt than normal ice creams which are soft and fluffy.

In India you can find kulfi carts on every street sold by different vendors. They are called kulfiwallahs who keep the kulfi frozen by placing the moulds inside a large earthenware pot called a "matkas" in Hindi. 


Indian summers can be really hot, so Kulfi turns out to a real refresher that can be enjoyed at anytime of the day.

Tuesday, September 13, 2011

Why curry is good for you!

Curry is GOOD for you
And know what? It’s all in the spices!

According to Ayurveda - an ancient tradition that is said to bring balance & happiness to mind, body & spirit. Humans have three life energies or doshas: vata dosha, pitta dosha & kapa dosha which  must be balanced for well-being. This is achieved through a diet that feeds each doshas with meals in each of the 6 taste classifications. 

A meal, replete with a blend of spices, is complete when all tastes are present to balance the 3 doshas.

Modern science has confirmed the health claims of this ancient wisdom especially with regard to medicinal properties of key ingredients in a curry.

Turmeric- to cure and help prevent chronic ailments ranging from indigestion and cold sores to diabetes.

Garlic- It promotes the well-being of the heart and immune systems with antioxidant properties and helps maintain healthy blood circulation.

CURRYS ARE BAD IF COOKED IN LOTS OF OIL, BUTTER OR CREAM

THE 6 TASTES OF AYURVEDA

Sweet: soothing, nourishing,energising & satisfying 
Salty: helps skin glow, increases water intake & maintains –exibilty 
Sour: increases appetite, aids digestion & stimulates salivation 
Pungent: boosts circulation & cleans the blood 
Bitter: purfies the blood & firms the skin 
Astringent: aids digestion & blood puri fcation

Sunday, August 7, 2011

Happy Birthday Guglee!

Guglee Restaurant will be completing one year in five weeks.  We are excited to celebrate our one year anniversary.  Opening a restaurant wasn’t easy, and a lot of work needed to be done in order to get to this point.  It all started with an idea three years ago.  My cousin Vikrant and I decided to start a restaurant.  After two years of hard work, research, and many meals at a variety of Indian restaurants we realized our dream could become a reality.  Learning how the property business works in the United Kingdom and what needed to be done to obtain a restaurant license were next. 

One of our major goals was to not be like every other curry place and serve sweet or greasy curries.  We wanted to make quality curry, that tasted good and make people want to continue enjoying it. 

Finally everything was ready.  We were ready to open Guglee.  On June 24th 2010, we opened Guglee for trials, where we invited close friends and neighbors.  On the 27th of August 2010 at 5:30 p.m. the time had come.  Guglee was officially open to everyone. 

In the start there were really rough days, where we had very few customers.  Overtime, as more and more of our guests tried our food we became busier and our name spread.

I still remember this day like it was yesterday.  It was the beginning of a new chapter in my life and is something I will never forget. 

Our customers tell us about their five favorite dishes – there is the Great British Chicken Tikka Masala, the Lamb Curry – Indian Railway Special, the Masala Pomfret, the Kadhai Paneer, the Aloo Chaat, the Veggie Grill Platter, the Rose Malai Kulfi,  - - but wait that is more than five. I just don’t know which one to drop.

Come try them for yourself!