½ tsp mild chilli powder (mild paprika or kashmiri chilli powder)
1 tsp cumin powder
¼ tsp coarsely ground white pepper powder
1 tsp chick pea flour
1 tbsp fresh coriander finely chopped
1 tsp vegetable oil
Salt to taste
Method of making fish Tikka
Add the monkish to a mixing bowl along with the lemon juice and salt. Mix well and set aside.
2. In a blender add the garlic and ginger along with a splash of water to make a thick smooth paste.
3. Soak the wooden skewers in warm water until you make the marinade.
4. In a separate bowl add the blended garlic and ginger paste along with the rest of the marinade ingredients. Mix well and add the monkfish cubes to the marinade. Leave to marinate for 15-20minutes.
5. Preheat the grill to a medium to high setting. Skewer the fish onto the wooden skewers. Pat the extra marinade over the pieces and place under the grill. Grill for 10-12 mins or until just done. Baste with butter half way through cooking.
6. Serve the Tandoori fish tikka with a sprinkle of lemon juice, onions rings, chaat masala & serve with chutney and salad of your choice.
Ingredients for making the Cod with peas and asparagus risotto
Cod loin
4 cod, fillet thick, skin-on
2 tbsp of olive oil
30g of unsalted butter
salt to taste
freshly ground black pepper
Pea and asparagus risotto
150g of asparagus, spears fine
1l vegetable stock, fresh
2 chopped shallots
1 crushed garlic clove
25g of unsalted butter, diced
250g of carnaroli risotto rice
250ml of dry white wine
50g of frozen peas & Americans corn kernels
30g of finely grated Parmesan cheese
1 tbsp of olive oil
Salt to taste for risotto
crushed milled black pepper
To serve
100 gms of corn and peas shoots
Method of making the cod fillet
1. Place the vegetable stock in a small pan, bring to the boil then keep warm over a low heat.
2. Prepare the asparagus by snapping of the woody ends (add the woody ends to the pan with vegetable stock). Cut an inch off the tips of the spears and finely slice the remaining middle section into discs, setting both aside.
3. Make the risotto by adding the olive oil to a wide, heavy-based frying pan over a low heat. Sweat the shallot and crushed garlic until soft and translucent, this will take around 8–10 minutes. Season lightly with salt and pepper.
4. Add the diced butter to the pan along with the rice and stir for a couple of minutes until the rice becomes hot and sticky. Turn up the heat and add the white wine, stirring until the wine has evaporated.
5. Remove the woody asparagus ends from the stock with a slotted spoon and discard them. Lower the heat to moderate and start adding the stock to the rice, one ladleful at a time. Stir and allow the rice to absorb the liquid before adding another ladleful. After 10 minutes, add the asparagus tips and sliced middles along with the peas. Continue adding the stock until the rice is cooked with a slight bite, approximately another 5–8 minutes.
6. While the risotto is cooking, prepare the cod, seasoning it with salt and pepper. Heat a large non stick frying pan over a medium heat and add the olive oil. Add the fish to the pan, skin-side down. Turn the heat down and cook for 5 minutes. Add the butter to the pan and turn the fish over, cook for a further 4–6 minutes depending on the thickness of the fish, basting occasionally with butter.
7. Finish the risotto by stirring in the Parmesan and seasoning to taste.
for plating arrange the risotto as per your choice and arrange the cod fillet beside it, its up to you how you want to arrange your dish, enjoy the recipes, above plating will help you to do the selection of your plating.
8 large egg whites (reserving the yolks for the béchamel)
2 cups plain breadcrumbs
For the Meat Filling
1 1/2 pounds ground beef (or lamb)
2 large onions (finely diced)
2 cloves garlic (minced)
1/2 cup dry red wine
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
1/4 cup chopped parsley
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 cup crushed tomatoes
1 teaspoon sugar
Salt (to taste)
Freshly ground pepper (to taste)
For the Béchamel Sauce
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter
1 cup all-purpose flour
4 cups milk (warmed)
8 large egg yolks (lightly beaten)
Pinch of ground nutmeg
For the Assembly
Breadcrumbs (for the bottom of the pan)
1 cup cheese (grated, or freshly grated Parmesan cheese)
Method of making the Eggplant Moussaka
Spread the eggplant slices in one layer and sprinkle with salt. Let set for 30 minutes to “sweat out” its bitterness.
Pat the eggplant slices dry and assemble in one layer on a lightly oiled baking sheet. Drizzle generously with olive oil. Place the baking sheet on the top oven rack and broil briefly, turning over so that both sides of the eggplant are softened and golden brown (do not worry if parts of the eggplant are slightly charred, but watch carefully so it doesn’t burn). Remove from the oven and set aside.
Heat 2 tbsp olive oil in a skillet. Cook the onions on medium heat until they turn slightly golden brown, stirring regularly (about 5 minutes). Now add the ground lamb. Cook the lamb until fully browned, tossing regularly. Drain the lamb from any excess fat and return back to the skillet. Now add the dried oregano, ground cinnamon, pepper, nutmeg, and hot paprika. Stir to coat the meat with the spices. Add the wine and boil for 1 minute to reduce. Stir in the canned tomatoes, sugar and broth. Simmer on medium-low heat for 30 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
In the meantime, boil the sliced potatoes in plenty of water until they are completely soft and easily breakable (about 5-7 minutes). Drain the water and set the potatoes aside briefly.
To prepare the cheese topping, whisk the Greek yogurt with the eggs and flour. Add the ricotta and feta cheese and whisk again to combine.
When ready, lightly oil a tray Layer the eggplant slices on the bottom. Add the meat sauce and spread to cover the eggplant. Layer the potato slices to cover the meat sauce and sprinkle with the bread crumbs. Finally spread the cheese topping to thinly cover the potatoes.
Bake in the 350 F degree-heated oven for 45 minutes. If you need to, transfer the baking pan to the top rack and broil briefly so that the top of the moussaka gains a nice golden brown color (watch carefully).
Remove from the heat and let sit 5-7 minutes before cutting through into squares to serve.
Please Note:
Above presentation is for a plating purpose only, you can arrange your own dish like presented in the photograph.
1 ½ pounds yellow-fleshed potatoes, such as Yukon Gold, boiled, peeled and cubed
½ cup roughly chopped cilantro, leaves and tender stems
Preparation of Dosai
Make the dosa batter: Put rice in a bowl, rinse well and cover with 4 cups cold water. Put urad dal and fenugreek seeds in a small bowl, rinse well and add cold water to cover. Leave both to soak for 4 to 6 hours.
Drain rice and dal fenugreek mixture in separate colanders. Put rice in a food processor, blender or wet-dry grinder. Add 1 cup cold water and grind to a smooth paste. It will take about 10 minutes, and it may be necessary to work in batches. Repeat the process with the dal fenugreek mixture.
Combine the two pastes in a medium mixing bowl. Whisk together, adding enough water to obtain a medium-thick batter. You should have about 6 cups. Cover bowl with a kitchen towel and set in a warm place. Let ferment until the surface is bubbly, about 8 hours. Stir in the salt. Use the batter straight away or refrigerate for later use. (Batter will keep for up to a week, refrigerated. Thin with water if necessary before proceeding.)
Make the potato filling: Put ghee in a wide skillet over medium heat. When oil is wavy, add mustard seeds and cumin seeds. Wait for seeds to pop, about 1 minute, then add red peppers and onion. Cook, stirring until onions have softened, about 5 minutes. Season lightly with salt. Add turmeric, asafetida, ginger, curry leaves, garlic and green chili. Stir to coat and let sizzle for 1 minute.
Add potatoes and 1/2 cup water. Cook, stirring well to combine, until liquid has evaporated, about 5 minutes. Mash potatoes a bit with the back of a wooden spoon. Season well with salt, add cilantro, then set aside at room temperature. (Potato filling may be prepared up to a day in advance.)
To make dosas, set a griddle or cast-iron skillet over medium heat. Brush with about 1 teaspoon vegetable oil. Ladle 1/4 cup batter in the center of griddle. Using bottom of ladle, quickly spread batter outward in a circular motion to a diameter of about 7 inches. Drizzle 1/2 teaspoon oil over the top. Leave dosa batter to brown gradually until outer edges begin to look dry, about 2 minutes, cooking on one side only. With a spatula, carefully loosen dosa from griddle. Bottom should be crisp and beautifully browned. Spoon 1/2 cup potato filling onto top of dosa, centering it as a strip in the middle of the round dosa. Flatten the potato mixture slightly. Using the spatula, fold the sides of the dosa around the filling to make a cylindrical shape. Serve immediately. Continue making dosa one at a time.
Above presentation is just for eye appealing you enjoy the recipe.
1 large yellow onion (about 1 2/3 cups finely diced)1 small – medium carrot (about 1/2 cup finely diced)8 oz shrimp (peeled and de veined)1 cup crab meat2 tablespoons finely diced shallot5 tablespoons finely sliced scallion6 tablespoons mayonnaise1/2 teaspoon fish sauce black pepper16-18 spring roll wrappers
olive oil
Spicy mayo dip
1/4 cup mayonnaise1 teaspoon sriracha (or more to taste)3/4 teaspoon lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon sesame oil
Other ingredients (for serving)
green lettuce
fresh mint
Instructions
Prep all the veggies: dice carrot, onion, shallot and thinly slice scallion.
Cut shrimp into small pieces.
Place a pan over medium high heat. When the pan is hot, add oil and add onion. Stir and cook for 2 minutes until fragrant, then add carrot. Continue to stir and cook for another 2 minutes. Transfer to a plate lined with paper towel to cool.
Add some more oil to the pan if needed and then add shrimp. Stir and cook over medium high heat for about 1 minute until shrimp is about 80-90% cooked. Set aside on a plate lined with paper towel to cool.
Add oil if needed and then add crab meat. Stir and cook over medium high heat for about 1 minute. Set aside on a plate lined with paper towel to cool.
When onion, carrot, shrimp and crab have cooled down, add them to a mixing bowl. Add mayonnaise, shallot, scallion, fish sauce and a generous amount of black pepper to the bowl and mix well.
Place one spring roll wrapper on a clean cutting board or working surface. Put 1 1/2 to 2 tablespoons of filling on it, shape into a log. Fold the top corner of the wrapper near you over the filling, fold left and right corners over the filling, and then roll it up away from you. Place on a tray or plate, seam side down. Repeat with the remaining filling and wrappers.
Heat at least an inch of oil in a frying pan. When the oil reaches 350F, add the spring rolls and fry over medium-medium high heat until golden brown and crispy (just 3 minutes or so). Only fry 4-6 spring rolls at once. Transfer fried spring rolls to a colander lined with paper towel, place them in an upright position to drain excess oil.
Whisk together all ingredients for the spicy mayo dip.
Serve spring rolls with spicy mayo dip, you can add any salad or dip of your own choice.
Whip the whipping cream on low speed until it forms stiff peaks. Make sure cream is cold. Set aside.
In a sauce pan add the mango puree, sugar and lemon juice, rosemary sprig and bring it to boil over medium heat. Boil for about one minutes, until sugar is dissolve.
Dissolve agar-agar in 1/4 cup of water, add agar-agar to the mango pulp, bring it boil mixing continuously. Turn off the heat, and whisk for few minutes, making sure there are no lumps.
Pour the mango puree in a mold and keep it in a refrigerator for at least two hours before serving.
De mold the mango mousse in the dessert plate and garnish it with raspberries & mango slices
In a heavy saucepan, cook mushrooms in the broth with onion and thyme until tender, about 10 to 15 minutes.
In blender or food processor, puree the mixture , leaving some chunks of vegetable in it. Set aside.
In the saucepan, melt the butter, whisk in the flour until smooth. Add the salt, pepper, half and half and vegetable puree. Stirring constantly, bring soup to a boil and cook until thickened.add cream to it at last, Adjust seasonings to taste, and add sherry. serve hot garnish with cream and cheesy garlic bread.
Important notes while making the cream of mushroom soup
Always choose good quality of mushroom, cream and other aromatic herbs for better taste and quality of soup.
200 gms bitter sweet chocolate, finely grated with the help of grater
50 gms refined flour for making the batter
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
6pcs 5-inch square spring roll wrappers
Canola, vegetable, or other neutral oil for deep-frying
Preparation of Chocolate Spring Rolls
Mixed the scrapped chocolate with butter and nuts, you can make a bar out of it and keep it in the refrigerator to get in shape.
Take spring roll wrappers on by one and fill it with prepared mixture and seal the wrapper with batter to give the cylindrical shape of almost six inches each.
Once the rolls are ready you can further dip it in the flour batter to seal the corners.
Heat oil in the heavy bottomed pan and deep fried the rolls till golden brown.
Take out the chocolate rolls from the oil and let it be rest for 5 minutes on the kitchen paper so that the excess oil would be drained off.
Arrange the fried rolls on the platter served hot with vanilla ice cream or the any other fruit sauce.
4 chicken cutlets, pounded thin, seasoned and coated with refined flour
5 tablespoons olive oil
3 tablespoons salted butter
1 cup chicken broth
1 cup of french white wine
2 tablespoons french coarse ground mustard, (a good quality Dijon)
2 tablespoons capers, rinsed and drained
1 tablespoon unbleached all-purpose flour
Salt & pepper for taste
Extra capers for garnishing, if desired
Method of making the chicken Piccata
In a large skillet over medium heat, add oil and 2 tablespoons of butter;
Add lightly floured chicken and cook until golden brown on both sides, 4-5 minutes. Remove chicken and set aside;
Pan will be hot, lower flame and carefully (so as to not create a splatter) add broth, wine, dijon and capers, stir well to combine, bring to a simmer. Add 1 tablespoon of flour and whisk to combine well and to elmulsify the sauce.
Bring to a slow boil and arrange the droplets of the sauce on golden fried chicken breast, in serving dish you can arrange the chicken with a salad of your choice, or you can add any healthy side.
Serve hot garnish with parsley, lemon wedges on the side.
Chefs Nectar 