Give this recipe a go for an interesting use for Basmati rice, adapted from a recipe by Shilpi Gupta found in the cookbook Basmati, Fragrance, Flavour & Finery, edited by Shilpi Gupta. Grinding the uncooked grains of Basmati rice into a powder is one use for this versatile ingredient.

Chawal-E-Zohara

Preparation – 15 minutes
Cooking – 5 minutes
Serves 1 (5 pieces)

Ingredients
100g Basmati Rice
200g Mashed Potato
5g Fresh Green Chilli
10g Chopped Ginger
2g Turmeric Powder
2g Chilli Powder
5g Caraway Seeds
15g Cream Cheese and 10g Sour Cream mixed together
2 tbs Butter
Oil for shallow frying

Method
1. Powder Basmati rice using a mortar and pestle
2. Heat butter in pan and add caraway seeds and allow them to crackle
3. Add chopped green chilli and ginger and sauté
4. Add mashed potato, turmeric and chilli powder and mix well for 5 minutes
5. Remove pan and let mixture cool to room temperature
6. Add Basmati rice powder and mix well
7. Divide mixture into equal portions.
8. Take each portion, make a whole in the centre to stuff with the sour cream and cream cheese mix and seal together
9. Reshape into circular ‘tikki’ and shallow fry until crisp
10. Serve with mint chutney and Lacha onion salad

Shilpi Gupta is the Executive Chef at The Grand, New Delhi

So Christmas was boozy. Champers with breakfast, vino with lunch, digestifs after and then cradling favourite tipples through games, films and snoozes by the fire.

New Year’s celebrations were the big booze blow-out for cutting down in January and maybe beyond. We are now in February and like us you may not have managed sobriety.

Ex-alcoholic Peter Spanton who knows a thing or two about drinking saw the gap in the market for non-alcoholic drinks ‘that don’t make you feel like an underage teenager’. His new range of beverages are interesting, surprising and powerful on the tastebuds when you are used to the kick of booze.

Give these drinks a try and going soft might not be so …. difficult.

Taste No3
Delicate flavours of cardamom and extracts of cucumber.
Taste No4
An exotic blend of fresh garden mint and aromatic bitter chocolate
Taste No5
A bright taste of lemongrass with a hint of ginger
Taste No7
55% Acai and no added sugar

Buy from Selfridges or online here.

Hot Brands Cool Places have just published their latest magazine which includes a Breast Cancer Awareness supplement.

Give the charities involved some love and support this important cause by sharing this magazine with friends.

The Tower Of London has teamed up with London Drawing for The Big Draw.

Once all the tourists go home budding artists will be locked in the Tower and it’s grounds where they can explore and draw from stories inspired by history in the eerie atmosphere of the Tower at night.

This workshop will uses a combination of performers, sound, lighting, props, visual effects, drawing techniques and materials to create an unforgettable visual drawing experience in dramatic spaces.

Quick scribblers could catch one of the resident ravens. Charles II, according to the stories, first insisted that the ravens of the Tower should be protected and legend says that the kingdom and the Tower will fall if the six resident ravens ever leave the fortress.

The Great London Drawing Lock In!
Creative workshop
Date: 7th October
Time: 6.30-9.00pm
Tickets here: £20/£18 HRP members
Includes light refreshments, entry to the Tower of London and attendance to the 700 year traditional lock up of the Tower; The Ceremony of the Keys.

This boy with a moustache on his finger was photographed by Alisa Connan whose work has been featured in Vogue, Vanity Fair, Interview Magazine, Dazed and Confused and Esquire.

It is one image taken from Shoreditch Unbound, a book creating a permanent snapshot of the the art, fashion, design, location and lifestyle of London’s Shoreditch. Presented in a unique ‘unbound’ format each copy will become a bespoke snapshot of Shoreditch in September 2011 as owners find and add content to their book.

Visitors to the Shoreditch Unbound website are invited to download as well as upload new and unique content from the evolving website which can be added to the book. Added content will include limited edition images and the world’s first ever digitally downloaded foreword with further content available throughout September.

The 2011 Inkie Urban Art Auction is taking place on Thursday 15th September in aid of Great Ormond Street Hospital at Paradise in Kensal Green.

Check out the catalogue of art donated by Banksy, Inkie, Goldie, 3D of Massive Attack, Eine and more.

Places are limited and tickets are available at £50 per person which includes drinks, meal and participation in the auction. All bids must be made by ticketholders and the auction will be conducted by leading auction house Sotheby’s.

For more information see the facebook event.

Look out for free DVD’s from Stella Artois this summer.

As well as their on-going sponsorship of the Cannes film festival Stella Artois have long been associated with film and this year they have launched “A DVD with every pack” which offers a free choice of 40 films to those who purchase a case of Stella Artois. This offer is valid on 4% or 5% beer until the 31st August 2011.

James Watson, European Marketing Director at Stella Artois, said: “Stella Artois has a history steeped in film and we know that the people who love our brand also love great movies. We wanted to find a way to reward people this summer by bringing the best of cinema into their homes and our “DVD with every pack” promotion is our way of doing exactly that.”

Neon think this is a nice incentive to all those planning summer drinks and stocking up for barbecues. Drink while the sun is out and save the films for when it rains.

Ruinart has collaborated with Japanese design house Nendo and artist Oki Sato to create this amazing gift box to be launched in the UK by Oki Sato at the design, contemporary art and antiques fair Masterpiece 2011, running from 30th June to 5th July.

A multi-functional box, Nendo has “drawn inspiration from nature and the skies”, with Kotoli’s literal translation being “small bird”. As well as a bottle of Blanc de Blancs champagne in the box, Nendo has designed two beautiful champagne flutes and a delicate bottle stopper which doubles up as champagne flute holder.

£120 at selected stores.

Home James is a new service that will drive you and your car home if good intentions give way to a few drinks.

Similar to Scooterman you give them a call and they turn up when you are ready, fully insured, to take your wheel. Without a scooter to dismantle and restrictions on boot size Home James is much more flexible and quicker. They are also much cheaper, the £20 minimum fare covers the first 4 miles with each additional mile costing £4.

They operate from 6pm to 12.30am Monday-Friday and Sunday and 6pm – 3.30am on Saturday.
07790 900 600

Jean-Christophe Novelli is fronting a campaign to help raise money for Cancer Research.

The chef is asking people to donate any unwanted good quality homeware goods to any Cancer Research shop in the UK. Novelli says: “Cancer Research UK’s homeware campaign is a great reason for people to clear out those forgotten items from around the house that they don’t need, whilst helping raise money for a great cause. I am delighted to have the opportunity to support this campaign.”

Simon Ledsham, Cancer Research UK’s trading director, said: “Cancer survival rates have doubled in the past 40 years and Cancer Research UK has been at the heart of that progress. Our work is entirely funded by the public, we receive no government funding for our research, and without items to sell, our shops can’t raise any money. So please – spring clean your home this April and donate to your local shop.”