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Cuisine: Bengali dessert

Type: Vegetarian

Preparation time: 10 minutes

Ingredients:

• 100 gms chenna (cottage cheese) 
• 2 tbsp milk
• 4 tsp powdered sugar
• Few drops of rose/ kewra essence
• Edible silver foil (for presentation)

Method:

• Blend all ingredients in a pan gently.
• Cook on low flame, stirring continuously till the mixture becomes not too dry and not too soft.
• Turn off the flame and spread the mixture on a plate to cool.
• Once cool, cut into pieces and decorate with silver foil.

Health quotient: It’s a milk product and low in fat.

Cuisine: North Indian

Type: Vegetarian

Preparation time: 20 minutes

Ingredients:

• 250 gms soya (mini chunks)
• 2 small tomatoes (finely sliced)
• 1/2 an onion (finely chopped)
• 1 tbsp oil
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp turmeric
• 1/2 tsp pepper
• 1/2 tsp chilly powder
• 1 tsp dhaniya (coriander powder)
• 1/2 tsp Sombu (saunf)
• 1 tsp masala (preferably meat masala powder)
• 1 tbsp ginger garlic paste
• Coriander leaves for garnishing

Method:

• Pour the oil in a cooker and let it heat well. Put in the saunf and let it splutter.
• Next, add the chopped onions and saute for 1-2 minutes, then add the ginger garlic paste. Saute for 3-4 minutes until you can smell the aroma.
• Add turmeric, chilly and pepper powders in that same order.
• Add dhaniya (coriander) powder and then meat masala. Saute for another 2 minutes until you smell the aroma of the spices.
• Add diced tomatoes, pour 2 cups of water and add the soya chunks. Mix well and let it simmer on a medium flame for 5 minutes.
• Close the pressure cooker. Wait for 3-4 whistles.
• Turn off the flame. Garnish with coriander leaves and serve with hot chapati or any Indian bread.
• If the gravy is too watery, let it simmer on a low flame for 5-7 minutes after the lid has been taken off.

Health quotient: The recipe uses very little oil and soya chunks are a healthy food option for vegetarians.

Cuisine: Indian/ Hyderabadi

Type: Vegetarian

Preparation time: 30-45 minutes

Ingredients:

• 500 gms corn (boiled)
• 3-4 onions (adequate for the masala)
• Garam masala [ Images ] (cinnamon sticks, badi elaichi, 1-2 laung, shahzeera, bay leaf (tejpatta))
• Red chillie powder or green chilly paste (subject to availability and taste)
• 1 tsp turmeric
• 2 tsps coriander powder
• 300 gms curd
• Salt to taste
• 4-5 tbsps oil
• Coriander leaves
• 1000 kgs rice (not over-cooked)

Method:

• In a heavy-bottomed pan, heat oil and add garam masala (as mentioned in ingredients) till it crackles, then add onions. Fry till the onions are golden brown.
• Add coriander leaves and fry a bit, as they enhance the taste.
• Add corn — please make a note that it should be properly boiled beforehand.
• Add haldi, red chilly powder or green chilly paste, followed by coriander powder and salt.
• Cover the pan for about 15 minutes and simmer.
• Remove the pan and add beaten curd — always remember never to add curd when the pan is on the flame, as it starts breaking and the gravy becomes watery.
• Mix all the contents and cover the pan, cooking till the gravy thickens a bit and remove it from the flame.
• Grease a separate heavy-bottomed vessel with melted ghee, add a layer of rice followed by a layer of the corn masala and alternate till the last layer is that of rice on top. Add coriander leaves, deep-fried onions and ghee, cover the vessel and put on a medium flame to cook till you see steam coming out of the vessel from under the lid.
• Garnish with onions and coriander leaves.

Health quotient:

Corn provides carbohydrates, curd is a source of Vitamin A and ghee gives the body its quota of 5 mgs of fat per day.

Cuisine: Indian

Type: Vegetarian

Preparation time: 30 minutes

Ingredients:

Ingredients (to serve four)

• 1 leg of baby lamb (about 2.5 kg).
• 2 cups yoghurt.
• 4tbs ginger paste.
• 4tbs garlic paste.
• 4tbs onion paste.
• 2tbs red chilli powder.
• Salt and pepper, to taste.
• 2tsp cumin powder.
• ½ cup cream.
• 1 tsp garam masala powder.
• 4tbs mustard oil.

      For the gravy —— 1. 1kg chopped tomatoes. 2. 2cups yoghurt. 3. 500gm chopped onion. 4. 100gm ginger paste. 5. 200ml oil. 6. 1tbs red chilli powder. 7. ½ tsp turmeric powder. 8. 2tbs coriander powder. 9. 1tsp cumin powder. 10. 4 bay leaves. 11. 1tsp garam masala. 12. Water, as required.

Method —–

For the lamb —   Wash and clean the lamb. Remove the extra fat and keep aside. Take all the ingredients and half the oil and mix well. Marinate the lamb in this for at least 12 hours. Then cook it in a tandoor by basting it occasionally with the remaining oil.

For the gravy —- Heat the oil. Add onion, ginger and cook till brown. Add tomatoes and all the spices and cook till the oil floats on the surface. Check the seasoning and top with garam masala.

For serving —- Take a platter and place the cooked leg of lamb on it. Spread the gravy all around it and serve with luchi.

Ingredients ( to serve four ) —-

1. 1 hilsa fish ( whole, of 1.5kg ). 2. 1tbs chopped ginger. 3. 1tbs chopped coriander leaves. 4. Salt and pepper, to taste. 5. 1 onion, sliced. 6. 3 deseeded green chilli. 7. 1tbs lime juice.

Method —- Clean the fish and put it on a platter. Mix it with ginger, coriander leaves, lime juice, onion, green chilli and seasoning. Place the platter along with the fish in a steamer and steam for 20 minutes. Serve hot with steamed rice, and raw mango chutney and cucumber salad on the side.

Ingredients —

1. 250gm salmon fillet, without skin. 2. 20ml extra virgin olive oil. 3. 10ml lemon juice. 4. 5gm chopped chives. 5. 30gm finely chopped shallots. 6. salt and pepper to taste. 7. Rocket leaves for garnishing.

Method —

Finely mince the Salmon fillet. In a stainless steel missing bowl, put minced Salmon, Olive oil, lemon juice, chives, shallots, salt and pepper. Chill the mixture for 30 minutes. Arrange the rocket leaves on a serving plate and spoon 30gm of Salmon tartar on each rocket leaf. Serve chilled.

Ingredients —- (to serve 10)

• A whole fillet of Salmon, skin on.
• 2 bunches, dill, finely chopped.
• 2 oranges, sliced.

For the cure—-

• 1. 1tbs roughly ground Schezwan pepper.
  2. 1tbs roughly crushed star anise.
  3. 800gm sea salt.
  4. 1200gm sugar.

Method —

Scale and wash the salmon fillet. Mix together all the curing ingredients in a mixing bowl. Make a bed of half the curing mixture in a tray. Arrange the salmon fillet with the skin side down on the bed.

Sprinkle the chopped dill over the fillet and arrange the orange slices over the fillet. Cover the salmon evenly with the remaining curing mixture. Refrigerate the fillet with some weight on top for a minimum of 48 hours. Serve it thinly sliced accompanied with a mustard, dill and honey dressing.