Saturday 28 January 2012

Refreshing Recipe - Rojak Buah

Rojak Buah ( Malay salad; Serves one )

Local fresh fruits and rambuttan 100 gms

Water chestnut 15 gms

Greens 40 gms

Glass noodles soaked 15 gms

Roasted peanuts 15 gms

Staranise 05 gms

Thai tamarind paste 20 gms

Lemon juice 10 ml

Palm sugar 10 gms

Shrimp paste a pinch

Salt to taste

Red chilli 01 no.

White sesame seed a pinch

Light soy sauce 05 ml

Preparation :

Pound red chilli and roasted shrimp paste. In low heat, mix in one cup water with palm sugar. Add staranise.
Let it cook until palm sugar melts. Once the syrup thicken slightly, close fire, add tamarind, sieve and cool. Add soy sauce, lemon juice, salt, stir and finally add in sesame seeds.
In a bowl take fruits, noodles and greens add in the dressing and toss so that the sauce is well combined with all the ingredients. Garnish with a generous amount of coarsely pounded peanuts or roasted groundnuts.

Recipe By : Devraj Halder

Refreshing Recipe - Warm Chocolate Pudding

Hearty Soft Centered Warm Chocolate Pudding ( Serves Four )

Eggs 10 nos

Sugar 200 gms

Fresh Cream 225 gms

Dark Chocolate 450 gms

Milk 01 litre

Bread Crumbs 500 gms

Chocolate Chips 100 gms

Preparation :

Heat the double cream with the sugar and milk. Once it comes to boil add in the chopped dark chocolate. Mix it well with wooden ladle.

Add in the bread crumbs, chocolate chips, eggs and fold the mixture gently

Pour in individual moulds dusted with flour and bake at 225 degree C till done.

Recipe By : Devraj Halder

Friday 27 January 2012

Refreshing Recipe - Philadelphia-Blue Berry Cheese Cake

Philadelphia-Blue Berry Cheese Cake ( Serves Twenty )

Blueberry filling 600 gms

Philadelphia cream cheese 800 gms

Whipped cream 1500 gms

Gelatin 60 gms

Superfine sugar 150 gms

Preparation :

Warm the filling with the sugar and then remove from flame

Add in the cheese and let it cool.

Add in the melted gelatin and whipped cream

Pour the mixture in foil-lined moulds set on oat-cookie crumble

Recipe By : Devraj Halder

Thursday 26 January 2012

Refreshing Recipe - Spicy Tomato, Ginger Fried Rice - Chinese New Year !

Spicy Tomato Basil and Ginger Fried Rice ( Serves one )

Ingredients

Long grained rice, cooked 100 gms

Pilati tomato, diced 02 tbsp

Canola oil 01 tbsp

Ginger, chopped 01 tsp

Thai holy basil 01 tsp

Dry red chilli 01 tsp

Salt to taste

Preparation

Boil the long grained rice and keep aside.

Take oil in a deep-pan.

Add chilli followed by ginger, tomato, basil and sauté lightly.

Add salt and toss the rice well.

You can serve this with any oriental or pan-asian preparations.

Recipe By : Devraj Halder

Refreshing Recipe - Chinese New Year !

Celebration Grouper ( Serves Four )

Grouper Fish Whole ( Cleaned ) 01 kg

Lemon Juice 30 ml

Garlic Juice 30 ml

Ginger Juice 40 ml

Salt to taste

Lemon Leaves 06 nos

Scallions ( sliced ) 60 gms

Refined Oil for sauce & to bast

Chopped Garlic 20 gms

Exotic Seaweed( soaked ) 100 gms

Mushroom 100 gms

Colored Peppers( cut small) 80 gms

Minari ( Parsley, chopped ) 20 gms

Paprika powder 10 gms

Oyster Sauce 140 ml

Seafood Stock 80 ml

Chinese Wine 30 ml

Preparation :

Marinate the fish with lemon, ginger and garlic juices, salt, little oil, scallions and lemon leaves for 30/40 mins.
In a medium to hot oven roast the fish basting frequently with oil for 35/ 45 mins. and till crusty from the top.
Prepare a sauce by sautéing the garlic in oil till golden followed by the peppers wine and oyster sauce. Adjust seasoning and thickness with stock.
Arrange the freshly roasted fish on a large platter. Pour the sauce generously over the fish.
Sprinkle paprika, minari and garnish with lightly sautéed seaweed and mushrooms.

Recipe By : Devraj Halder

Refreshing Recipe - Chinese New Year !

Shan Dong Style Prawns Stir Fried With Spring Onion and Ginger ( Serves One )

Prawns 04/06 pcs

Young Spring Onions 20 gms

Ginger 15 gms

Dry Red Chillies 05 gms

Chinese Wine 30 ml

Stock 90 ml

Chinese Vinegar 15 ml

Chopped Cilantro 15 gms

Seasoning as per taste

Refined Oil to stir fry

Corn Starch for thickening

Preparation :

Steep the prawns in good quality Chinese table wine and dust it lightly with pre seasoned cornflour
Flash fry the prawn to retain its succulence
Stir fry with sliced ginger and rest of other ingredients
Serve fresh out of the wok a recipe which is exotic yet light a great begining to the 'Year of the Dragon'

Recipe By : Devraj Halder

Refreshing Recipe - Pumpkin and Yoghurt Cheese Cake

Pumpkin and Yoghurt Cheese Cake ( Serves Four )

Yoghurt 250 gms

Kwark Cheese 30 gms

Cottage Cheese grated 40 gms

Blanched Pumpkin 250 gms

Pumpkin Puree 200 gms

Gelatin 25 gms

Water 50 ml

Orange Juice 50 ml

Castor Sugar 20 gms

Whipped Cream 200 gms

Sponge 100 gms

Preparation :

Melt the gelatin with the warm water
Heat the pumpkin puree with the orange juice slightly to incorporate the gelatin
Cool the above
Add the whipped yoghurt, cheese, sugar and cream
Fold this with the pumpkin mixture mixture
Layer the above with sponge, chill till set.
Garnish with the blanched pumpkin and serve.

Recipe By : Devraj Halder

Monday 23 January 2012

Spotlight : Degustation

Degustation menus in India gained popularity post the boom in live-kitchen concepts which took the culinary industry by storm. In other words degustation is succeeded by live cooking or interactive cooking.

Once the chefs started getting visible in restaurants it bettered the trust levels among diners. As chefs started communicating and interacting and were more at ease in front of diners they in turn found confidence to leave the hassles about deciding their meals to the elegant white caps. The clients understood that the success ratio of their meal experience was greater when they left their menus to the chefs to decide than to the restaurant staffer. It was a much safer proposition.

The French had certain rules laid down about tasting menus which we should look at first ;

The sequence of courses in a degustation menu should be such that earlier dishes do not overpower those that follow.
Courses should compliment and flatter each other.
Every course should be generous enough in size that diners do not feel frustrated, but no course should be so heavy or filling that it does not leave appetite for those to follow.
Every dish offered should be so good that guests marvel over its virtuosity.
Despite the number of courses served, at the end of the meal no guest should feel they have eaten too much.

Degustation menus pose a serious challenge to a chef, as he needs to deliver greater number of dishes each with its own individuality intact in the same given time. The menus are acid test for a chefs versatility, organisational capabilities and his artistry.

The concept offers an exquisite advantage to diners, for they give an opportunity in a single meal to sample a broad range of preparations offered instead of those huge portions which just fill you up and makes you feel uncomfortable.

We associate eating a number of exclusive dishes to festivities and grandeur. In that sense degustation menus are a feast. It also shows the efforts which has gone behind every handcrafted preparation which comes to you during the meal. It does give a sense of being pampered.

In real terms, degustation is a chefs forte, it is a chefs endorsement to your meal. The menus have actually evolved with time. They are a result of concerted efforts put in by chefs over the period of time to analyse diner needs, behaviour, preferences and tastes. The menus also take into account life style changes, social standings, exclusivity, texture, presentability, balance and all the parameters which govern a impeccable dining experience.

At some point of time chefs marketed their creations with tasting menus. The menus used to be used as samplers for the menu for the coming season, so that clients could taste the food and reserve their tables well in advance. Some chefs use their tasting menus like a trailer to the movie block-buster. Now chefs use the menus as their signature creations and to stamp their authority.

Menu de Degustation , which was rarely known in India, say about five to six years back have come as a great refresher and as a complete new dining-out proposition.

The menu comprises of small and unforgettable courses. You would have eaten as many as ten or twelve different preparations in a single meal. No one wants to eat till their neck but all wants to taste the best and yet miss nothing. The small quantities of the tasting menus spell exclusivity in every bite and are explosions of flavour in your palette.

By : Devraj Halder

Fat is Fit !

How often have you indulged in fatty foods or have succumbed to the desire of your taste buds leading to guilty pangs, I am sure more than often.

To put fat in good light might sound like a criminal offence today, but we have all heard that overindulgence in anything is bad and mind you, the same applies to fat.

Recently I heard a French Chef say, “ To me French food is cream, butter and wine, and that is what is my job” . If people are banishing fat from their food and eating habits are becoming healthier then why still the ever increasing number of heart disease and obesity related problems all over the world.

Chefs would know that the French used to eat a 11 course meal and the Chinese noble men 24 dishes in a single meal; can we even think of eating that quantity of a meal today. Can you match the quantity of food which your forefathers ate. We have also heard our elders say, that robust eaters are healthy human beings.

So I am sure it is not just fat which is a menace. It is more of a lifestyle problem. Blame it on to your sedentary life, modern comforts, gadgets and utilities which is hardly burning even the basic intake of fat in your diet.

Most of you who have been advised by a fitness instructor might have told you at some point of time that “ Eat what you want but also burn it”

Fat has always had a reputation for being bad for health ..true but also, not entirely true.

It is saturated fat which needs to be avoided. Non saturated fats like polyunsaturated and monounsaturated are what to look for and include in your diet.

Fat is a natural product , so how can it be entirely bad. The problem is ‘fat is bad’ has been perceived as ‘all fat is bad’.

Let me tell you why nature has created fat :

Fat protects most of the vital organs in our body from shock and also is an insulation.
Essential vitamins like A,D, K and E can only be dissolved or absorbed by fat
Essential fatty acids are necessary for a healthy heart, immune system and metabolism
Fat is a vital source of energy and complexion
Some essential fatty acids are required for structural, hormonal and electrical functional in the body

Fat also gives the taste and texture to your foods. So don’t just trash the fat, avoid the saturated ones like in red meats, butter, cheese etc enjoy the rest in olive oil, rapeseed oil, hazelnut, almonds, avocado etc.

Balanced diet is the key, exercise regularly, eat whatever you crave for but in moderation. Plan your meals, make them creative and please don’t spank the poor fat !

By : Devraj Halder

Wednesday 18 January 2012

Refreshing Recipe - Cupids Treasure Chest

Cupids Treasure Chest ( Serves Ten )

Ingredients

Eggs 10 nos

Sugar 200 gms

Double Cream 225 gms

Dark Chocolate 450 gms

Milk 01 litre

Bread Crumbs 500 gms

Chocolate Chips 100 gms

Method

Heat the double cream with the sugar and milk. Once it comes to boil add in the chopped dark chocolate. Mix it well with wooden ladle.

Add in the bread crumbs, chocolate chips, eggs and fold the mixture gently

Pour in individual moulds dusted with flour and bake at 225 degree C till done

Top up with patisserie strawberry cream and decorate with sugared hearts and sugar candies.

Recipe By : Devraj Halder

Refreshing Recipe - Phuket style barbecued chicken

Phuket style barbecued chicken ( Serves one )

Chicken legs boneless on the skin 250 gms

Garlic juice 02 tsp

Galangal/Ginger juice 01 tsp

Lemon juice 01 tsp

Fresh red chilli pounded 02 tsp

Brown sugar half tsp

Lemon leaves crushed 01 no.

Ketchup 01 tbsp

Soy sauce light 01 tbsp

Star anise 01 no.

Hot basil few

Refined oil For the marinade & grilling

Adjust seasoning

Preparation :

Marinate the chicken with the juices and seasoning first and then with the rest of the ingredients after 1 hr. Rest for another couple of hrs.

Grill on charcoal fire and serve with sambal of your choice.

Recipe By : Devraj Halder

Refreshing Recipe - Organic Black Soybean Shami

Organic Black Soybean Ki Shami ( Serves Two )

120 gms Black Soybean

05 gms Cardamom

15 gms Green Coriander

08 gms Ginger

05 gms Garlic

05 gms Green Chilli

20 ml Pure ghee

01 no Juice of Lemon

02 gms Garam Masala

Adjust seasoning

Preparation :

Soak the soybean for 4 hrs. and cook over a medium heat for 20 minutes until the bean is cooked and the moisture has dried up.Remove from heat, let it cool and thereafter grind to a coarse mixture.

Saute the chopped chilli, ginger, garlic in 5 ml ghee. Add to Soy bean mixture. Now add the spices, herbs and seasonings. Mix well. Make round discs with palms and.shallow fry these healthy kababs until golden brown in a frying pan or under a grill.

Serve with a chutney of your choice.

Recipe By : Devraj Halder

Delicious Uttar Pradesh

India’s most populous state is a heaven for trekkers, wildlifers, hill station enthusiasts, history lovers and foodies. It showcases a variety of cuisines including pure Hindu vegetarian, majestic Nawabi Muslim and rugged and simple hill fare. In Hindu homes, food is treated with ritual sanctity and the person who cooks must be higher up on the caste ladder. However the ordinary street food of Varanasi, Agra , Lucknow and Allahabad is finger-licking-delicious. Breakfast bought from a pushcart or a thela where you get hot kachories with delicious potatoes in a dal gravy and nukti ka raita which is a raita with droplets of fried gram flour. You can also find hot jalebis that you can crunch on to complete your meal. If you are in Varanasi, you can start your day by watching the sunrise over the Ganges and follow it up with a meal of the delectable vegetarian fare and its is sure to be a revelation as to how the simple food can be so tasty without even onion or garlic. For special dishes a touch of khoya, malai or dried fruit is added. The humble potato is a perennial and a versatile favourite. Other vegetables include pumpkin, cauliflower, okra, brinjal, spinach and a variety of gourds.

A standard meal comprises of phulkas, dal, chawal, and a subzi made with seasonal vegetables. A wedding lunch would be more elaborate and would be served on a pattal, which is a leaf plate and would include two or three varieties of poori, three to four rasedaar subzi ( a potato-pumpkin subzi is a must) and a few dry subzis, and a paneer, pulao and raita, Fried papad, is followed up by several sweets and finally the meal ends with paan.

The people of this massive state have a soft spot for sweets and an abundance of milk and sugar caters to their cravings. The basic ingredient for sweets is khoya. There are myriad varieties of pedas and burfis. If Varanasi is the center of the Hindu culture then Lucknow is its Muslim counterpart. Kormas, kalias and the kebabs are known far and wide . Overall Uttar Pradesh offers a good selection and variety of gastronomic fare and along with its history and heritage the state serves as a great representation as to how the country eats !

Delicious Recipe : Bhatti Ka Aloo

Ingredients

Potato 500 gms

Cumin Seeds 05 gms

Cloves 05 nos

Ground Green Cardamom` a tsp

Cinnamon Sticks 02 nos. small

Bayleaves 02 nos

Asafoetida ( hing ) a pinch

Tomatoes 100 gms chopped

Ginger paste 01 tbsp

Turmeric powder 01 tsp

Cumin powder 01 tsp

Salt to taste

Garam Masala powder 01 tsp

Amchur powder 02 tsp

Green chillies slit 06 nos

Coriander leaves chopped 30 gms

Onion seeds ( kalonji) a pinch

Desi Ghee 50 gms

Preparation :

Boil and peel the potatoes. Heat the ghee in a kadhai, add cumin, cloves, caradamom, cinnamon, bayleaves and asafoetida. When the spices release the aroma add the tomatoes and cook until they dissolve. Now add all the powdered masalas. Add the potatoes add little water and the salt. Add the green chillies, kalonji, a little desi ghee and the fresh coriander and serve hot.

By : Devraj Halder

Refreshing Recipe - Baked Yoghurt

Baked Yoghurt ( Serves Four )

Hung Yoghurt 225 gms

Condensed Milk 100 gms

Caster Sugar 100 gms

Cornflour 30 gms

Eggs 02 nos

Lemon Zest 01 no

Fresh Cream 400 gms

Preparation :

Mix the cornflour with the sugar, condensed milk followed by the cream.

Add the eggs, zest followed by the yoghurt. Mix gently till smooth.

In the baking glasses, pour the above mixture and bake on a double boiler gently till 160 degrees for 20 mins. Serve with crispies or fresh fruits.

Recipe By : Devraj Halder

Tuesday 17 January 2012

Refreshing Recipe - Macha Misu

Macha Misu ( Serves Four )

Egg yolk                                                    04 nos
Egg white                                                04 nos
Gelatine dissolved                                     30 gms
Bakery cream                                        400gms
Fine sugar                                                 60 gms
Mascarpone cheese( creamed)                100 gms
White truffle( given below)                       200 gms
Macha( Green tea ) powder dissolved       20 gms

For white chocolate truffle;
White chocolate 800 gms
Bakery cream 350 gms

Directions :

1. Beat egg yolk, add mascarpone, gelatine and macha. Mix and set aside.
2. Separately whisk the bakery cream with sugar. Combine the two mixtures.
3. Add the truffle to the mixture and mix.
4. Beat egg whites and fold into the mixture. Pour into moulds and refrigerate.

Recipe By : Devraj Halder