Millet & Organic for Lunch - products from Inner Being Wellness!

~ByInvite

#ladlefulofspices

It has been a year since I had been away from any kind of activity related to active blogging, restaurant food etc etc. So when Vishal Fernandez (https://thefernandist.com/) called me for an organic lunch, I said yes. Partly because I had never ever set foot on the venue before - Ruci & Idoni. Don't get mad at me!(for people in Hyderabad).

Inner Being Wellness Private Limited (http://www.innerbeing.in) is a startup that is working hard to bring quality and organic food to our dining table, and they do it by forming an alliance with farmers and crop producers where both sides focus on quality product through stringent checks. The Company's co-founder Mr. Jadhav, who was with us that afternoon, walked us through their processes and products.

And if I was speculating on how the millets will be cooked and presented, Chef Amey Marathe's team actually put an end to my speculations. They came up with some really amazing conventional dishes (yes, if you were expecting me to write "brand-new, unheard of, or out of world" then you are wrong!) . A soup that has barley as the main ingredient, a salad that stars quinoa, a fish cake that is covered with Jowar flakes for that healthy addition - yes, all regular dishes but with ingredients replaced by millets or other traditional cereal grains.

I am not much a soup eater, but I liked the taste of barley and mushroom. Both had subtle flavors, none overpowering each other and it felt like a full meal by itself. The barley grains were soft, just about a couple of minutes away from porridge consistency but still retaining their shape.

Mushroom with Barley Soup

Mushroom with Barley Soup

The quinoa salad was a head-turner on the table and the vegetarians and non-vegetarians enjoyed it - as it would look to me. A cold salad, it surely did pack a lot of greens and the quinoa blended well with them. In the next few minutes that I spent enjoying the salad, I discovered that it tasted even better if I sprinkled a wee little bit of oregano and few drops of Tabasco on it. Lip-smacking! But yeah, a warning for you - don't try to be adventurous and drizzle mustard sauce on it. You will be left with a pungent taste and no quinoa....no salad...no other taste...

Quinoa Spinach Power Salad

The fish patty which came up next had this feeling of being very ordinary, and that is the most extra-ordinary thing about it, when you realize that jowar flakes are the significant ingredients. A nice crispy texture on the outside does the trick. In essence, if we replace many of the common ingredients in our daily diet by a millet or a cereal like oats or barley, we actually are not losing anything in terms of taste or flavor.

Fish & Jowar Flakes Patty

Fish & Jowar Flakes Patty

The barley risotto was a bit of let down. May be because barley had a much sticky consistency than anticipated. May be some other cereal(part from rice ofcourse) would suit a risotto...just what I think...

Barley Risotto

The Jowar cake was quite interesting! It was so well done! There was almost no difference in taste and texture from a regular flour cake and I am sure all of us at the table enjoyed it. Note:- It had egg in it.

Jowar Cake

A few products from Inner Being Wellness

Once again, thank you Chef Amey, Mr, Jadhav from Inner Being and the staff of Ruci & Idoni for hosting us and treating us to a well curated millet and organic lunch!