Latest news with #Farha
New Indian Express
03-05-2025
- Entertainment
- New Indian Express
Mamazaki Magic in Hyderabad
For this special pop-up at Raen, Chef Farha brought along an impressive 77 kg of ingredients from the North East, including rare and distinctive items. 'I wanted people here to experience authentic flavours. I brought Kazi lemon, an aromatic citrus from Assam; smoked and fresh king chillies; condiments made from regional ingredients; Burmese coriander oil; Joha rice — a GI-tagged aromatic rice; sticky rice from Assam; hot honey infused with king chilli; and wild citrus often used in Mizo cuisine,' she shares. The menu she's curated is both elaborate and deeply personal. Speaking about her favourite dishes, Chef Farha says, 'Every item on this menu is close to my heart. I remember curating it during a train journey from my hometown to Guwahati — no network, just music, and a head full of ideas. The Dachi Dumplings are inspired by my time working with WWF in Arunachal Pradesh, where juicy momos are popular. I combined these with Datshi sauce — a Bhutanese cheese sauce usually eaten with rice — to create a unique fusion. The Joha Arancini Ball is another standout. It's based on the subtly spiced Joha rice pulao from Assam, transformed into an arancini with green chilies for a kick. Among desserts, the Hando Guri with Saah is special. It's inspired by an Assamese breakfast of chai and roasted rice flour, which I turned into a dessert with chai reduction, mascarpone cream, candied ginger, and sesame brittle. Another nostalgic dish is the Bihu Jolpan Dessert, inspired by traditional Bihu morning fare — yoghurt, cream, flattened rice, and black sesame. I re-imagined it with baked yoghurt, mango-jaggery syrup, black sesame oil, toasted coconut, and puffed rice crackers. Finally, the Omita Khar Soup is a take on the Assamese dish made with an alkaline solution from banana stem ash. Traditionally eaten with rice, I've converted it into a warm, comforting soup.' Speaking about her experience in Hyderabad, Chef Farha adds, 'This is my fourth time in the city, and I've been consulting chef for two upcoming restaurants that are focused on North Eastern cuisine since last July. I absolutely love dosa, chutneys, sambar, and of course, Hyderabadi Biryani. The food culture here is vibrant, and it's always fulfilling when people enjoy and appreciate the food I create.'
Business Journals
25-04-2025
- Business
- Business Journals
Los Compadres building in northeast Wichita listed for $1.16M
By submitting your information you are agreeing to our Privacy Policy and User Agreement . The future of a popular Mexican restaurant hangs in the balance as its building hits the market, but there may be hope for loyal patrons if new owners are open to negotiation. Story Highlights Los Compadres Mexican Grill building in Wichita listed for $1.16 million. Restaurant currently operates on month-to-month lease in the 6,648 square-foot building. Property marketed as restaurant space or medical office by broker Troy Farha. The building that hosts a local Mexican restaurant is up for sale in northeast Wichita. The Los Compadres Mexican Grill building at 3213 N. Toben St. along K-96 and next to MainStay Suites, was listed for sale April 1. The 6,648 square-foot building has been listed on the market for $1.16 million. GET TO KNOW YOUR CITY Find Local Events Near You Connect with a community of local professionals. Explore All Events Troy Farha, vice president of retail and investments at NAI Martens, is the broker for the listing. While the property has been listed for sale as a vacant building, Farha said Los Compadres is actively operating and a renegotiation deal with potential new owners is possible. "If a buyer wanted to buy it with Los Compadres in there and they wanted to negotiate a new deal with them, that's a possibility as well," Farha said. "We are not advertising it as an income-producing investment type property, it would be for an owner, occupant, or even somebody who just wants to buy it and renegotiate a deal with Los Compadres." Los Compadres, which Farha said is on a month-to-month lease, has been operating in the building west of Webb Road since 2018, as it took over from former tenant Jerseys Grill and Bar. Farha represented the building's owner, Mitch Lyon, at the time. The restaurant's owner, Juan Carlos Renteria, and as many as 11 Hispanic-led restaurants, participated in a day-long protest that took place across the country called "A Day Without Immigrants." The protest was driven by a social media movement in response to President Donald Trump's immigration policies and aimed to highlight the contributions and significance of immigrants in the country. Multiple attempts to reach Renteria were unsuccessful. The east-side property is the remaining location for the Mexican restaurant, which closed its west location at 3827 W. 13th St. in 2020, according to its Facebook page. Farha said the property is being marketed as a restaurant space or a medical office because of similar property types growing in the area.
The Hindu
23-04-2025
- Entertainment
- The Hindu
From Assam to Arunachal: Flavours of the Northeast arrive in Hyderabad
Kaji nemu with komola roxh sherbet (Assamese lemon with orange juice), wheels of orange, pickled radish on a bed of hung curd, finished with a drizzle of bhut jolokia honey, a scattering of nuts, and crackling dry-roasted black rice. Then comes the famous Assamese khar, but reimagined as a soup. Raen, the chef's studio at The Leela Hyderabad, is offering a vibrant bouquet of flavours from the Northeast through a pop-up titled Mamazaki, curated by Farha Naaz, an independent chef from Guwahati. Farha, a self-taught chef and top 20 participant in MasterChef India Season 8, brings together contrasting textures and ingredients to create what she calls a 'flavour bomb.' But do not expect the usual suspects — no smoked pork, akhuni, or bamboo shoot preparations here. And no, not even the beloved alu pitika. 'These dishes and ingredients are close to my heart,' she confirms. 'However, I'm here to show what else the region offers —how we can use our ingredients to explore new pairings and presentations. This is Northeast food with a fresh twist.' And why the shift from the expected? 'Food from the Northeast has a bold taste and aroma, which can be overwhelming for some. I'm a chef by choice, but an agricultural engineer by training, with a specialisation in food preservation,' she explains. 'My approach is to start mild, start slow — like a flirtatious meeting. Once the flavours settle in, people are hooked. That's when their curiosity kicks in.' Farha's signature orange blossom salad was followed by a prawn and pear salad. Then came the omita khar — a traditional Assamese papaya khar — served as a soup. As an Assamese myself, I was both curious and ready to pass a mildly judgemental remark. As the team plated the soup, I noticed all the classic elements were there, including the distinctive hint of ginger, which is usually reserved as a garnish. When the bowl finally arrived, I took a spoonful and it tasted exactly like the omita khar my mother makes at home. A comforting flavour. The sautéed masur dal sprinkled on top added the right bite to balance the runny consistency. My only gripe was the temperature. It could have done with a few more degrees of warmth to truly hit the spot. When she is not curating pop-ups across cities, Farha keeps busy with menu development, recipe consultation, and culinary collaborations for restaurants around the country. Farha's culinary research has also led her to explore the cuisine of the Monpa community in Arunachal Pradesh. 'It was a WWF project where I trained a group of women in traditional Monpa cooking. The cuisine relies heavily on foraged herbs, local greens, and fruits. It was a challenge, given the limited reference material available,' she explains. What makes Farha's food stand out is not just the play of ingredients, but the thoughtful attention to how people in the Northeast consume staples like rice, meat, and fish. Think pani pitha (rice crepes) with a choice of chicken or duck, or a warming datsi soup with dumplings — both must-tries on her menu. A particularly clever touch is her use of slow-roasted black rice (korai bhaja) as a garnish, which introduced Hyderabad diners to the Northeast's version of a homemade breakfast cereal. 'The surprise on everyone's faces when they learned it was roasted crispy rice was worth the effort,' she smiles. The fiery bhut jolokia makes frequent appearances, both as honey and a sriracha-style sauce. 'It was fun watching people fight the heat but not give up. The honey really acts as the catalyst,' she adds. Another standout condiment was the saw tooth coriander oil. While bhut jolokia is often reduced to its title as one of the world's hottest peppers, Farha believes it deserves better. 'That's old news,' she says. 'I see it as a hero ingredient for sauces, oils, and dips — it's far more approachable that way.' Since it's Bohag (spring) in Assam, she has rounded off the pop-up with a traditional Bihu jolpan (breakfast) reimagined as dessert. It includes all the classics: doi (curd), muri (puffed rice), along with elements from Bihu pithas like narikolor laru (coconut laddoo) and til pitha (a rice flour roll filled with sesame and jaggery). No Assamese menu is complete without a nod to tea. The second dessert is a tribute to the state's most common cereal pairing — xandoh guri and saah (roasted rice powder with tea). Reimagined in a modern avatar, the dish invites diners to engage with Assam's everyday ingredients in new ways. The fest is on till May 2 at Raen test kitchen, The Leela Hyderabad.
South China Morning Post
20-04-2025
- General
- South China Morning Post
Asian elephant calf is born at Zurich Zoo – and his name will start with the letter Z
A 19-year-old Asian elephant at the Zurich Zoo gave birth this weekend to a male calf whose name, starting with the letter Z, will be announced this week. Advertisement A light-sensitive monitoring camera picked up the birth before dawn Saturday and the baby's earliest, wobbly steps inside the zoo's Kaeng Krachan Elephant Park. It is now home to six of the pachyderms: four females including mother Farha; bull elephant and father Thai; and the new calf. Zoo Director Severin Dressen said staff were happy but 'still cautious' about the birth. 'The first weeks of a calf's life are always the most delicate – even if the calf currently appears healthy and fit,' he said in a statement. The Asian elephant, or Elephas maximus, is a critically endangered species with about 50,000 estimated in the wild, and their numbers are declining, the zoo said. The zoo breeds the elephants as part of conservation efforts under the European Endangered Species Programme, Dressen said. Advertisement Zoo staff made sure to keep Farha – already a mother of three – away from another female named Panang, who has had little previous experience with young animals, and the separation will continue for the coming days.
Yahoo
20-04-2025
- General
- Yahoo
An Asian elephant calf was born at Zurich Zoo and its name will start with the letter Z
ZURICH (AP) — A 19-year-old Asian elephant at the Zurich Zoo gave birth this weekend to a male calf whose name, starting with the letter Z, will be announced this week. A light-sensitive monitoring camera picked up the birth before dawn Saturday and the baby's earliest, wobbly steps inside the zoo's Kaeng Krachan Elephant Park. It's now home to six of the pachyderms: four females including mother Farha; bull elephant and father Thai; and the new calf. Zoo Director Severin Dressen said staff were happy but 'still cautious' about the birth. 'The first weeks of a calf's life are always the most delicate — even if the calf currently appears healthy and fit,' he said in a statement. The Asian elephant, or Elephas maximus, is a critically endangered species with about 50,000 estimated in the wild, and their numbers are declining, the zoo said. The zoo breeds the elephants as part of conservation efforts under the European Endangered Species Program, Dressen said. Zoo staffers made sure to keep Farha — already a mother of three — away from another female named Panang, who has had little previous experience with young animals, and the separation will continue for the coming days. Such births are relatively rare in zoos compared to those of other species because of the elephant's nearly two-year gestation period, zoo officials said. A zoo spokesman said the name of the new calf will be announced after a staff meeting on Wednesday, but 2025 is a 'Z' year so the moniker will automatically start with that letter.
