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The undoubted leader of Indian snacks, the samosa is probably not so Indian in its origin. Yes you read it right: the common man’s snack originated from Middle East.  A samosa is a triangular crispy pastry, filled with hot and flavourful filling to make it a complete meal in itself. Whenever I write about any food, I make sure that I research more about that food item and then come up with my thesis on that topic and share my conclusions with my readers.  Many of you will be having a presumption in mind that the samosa was indigenous to India, but it dates back to as early as 10th century in central Asia, or the land of pyramids where they were referred as “samsa” due to their unique triangular shapes.  Muslims then travelled to India and introduced these wonderful snacks to the Indian subcontinent.  On its introduction to the Indian subcontinent, the samosa was widely appreciated and adapted as a common food item among the masses. Arabic cooks referred to these pastries as “sanbusag” or “sambusak,” which originates from the Persian word “sanbosag”.  Samosa was popular due to the fact that it can be easily prepared beforehand and consumed later. Small mince-filled triangles were easy to make around the campfire during night halts, to be packed into saddlebags as snacks for the next day’s journey. I have tasted samosas with a variety of fillings – like the regular potato, vegetable, chicken, lamb keema, dry fruits, to the unusual noodles, macaroni, pasta and others. The samosa has been very popular in South Asian cuisine for the last eight centuries. The taste of the samosa transcends class and status. It has been enjoyed in the courts of Sultans and Emperors, as well as in the ‘gullies’ and streets of towns and cities across India and Pakistan. Also the samosa was not always vegetarian-friendly, as it is in its present form – filled with potato filling. The vegetarian version of the samosa came into existence after the samosa arrived in India, due to the large vegetarian population. Centuries later, the samosa is one of the most popular vegetarian snacks in India. In North India, the pastry is prepared from maida flour and houses fillings such as a mixture of mashed boiled potato, green peas, onion, green chill, seasoning and spices. Meat samosas are also common in North India and Pakistan, with minced lamb, and chicken being the most popular fillings. Paneer is another popular filling in northern India and is priced higher than the regular filling.  Samosas are served hot and usually eaten with fresh chutney such as mint, or tamarind. In Punjabi households, dhabas (cheap roadside restaurants), and street stalls, samosa is served with a chick pea curry called ‘channa’. In Bombay another version is popular called the samosa chaat – in which samosa is deep fried and then mashed on a bed of chickpea curry and is drizzled with tamarind, mint, chopped onion, tomato and yoghurt sauce and seasoned with tangy chat masala and fresh coriander leaves.  Street food destinations, particularly in Mumbai, are popular with the Samosa Pav. This is a samosa served in a fresh bun, and it is like an Indian samosa burger. A sweet samosa, known as a Mawa or Gujiya Samosa, is also eaten in some parts of India, particularly to celebrate Diwali. In parts of Northern India, varieties of sweet samosas include dried fruit. Inspired from the sweet samosa, today I’ll tell you about the chocolate samosa which is like a blend of east and west cuisine.  As you travel around India you will come across different versions of the samosas, like in Hyderabad they are called “lukhmi” which has a thicker pastry crust and is usually filled with mincemeat. During my stay in Kolkata, I came to know about samosas that are denominated as “singharas” and are smaller and sweeter than the regular samosas.  In Arab countries close to the Mediterranean, the semi-circular ‘sambusak’ contains minced chicken or meat with onion, feta cheese, and spinach.  Samosa making seems to be simple but the toughest part is to shape it in its unique shape. The samosa has become so mainstream that it is now sold in the big chain supermarkets. It is available as ready meal, as a ready-to-eat snack in the deli section, and as a frozen food item. The samosa is a truly international food, which is enjoyed by millions around the globe. So why would you want to be the one missing out. Chocolate Samosa Ingredients Samosa sheets 1 pkt Chocolate chips 250 gm Mint leaves few sprigs Flour 2 tbsp Water 2 tbsp Oil to deep fry Garnish Rose sauce to garnish Chocolate sauce to garnish Method Chop the mint leaves and mix with chocolate chips. Make a flour and water mixture and keep aside in a bowl. Flatten the samosa sheet and fold one end to make a cone. Place the chocolate chip mixture in the cone and fold completely to get a triangle shape. Secure the end using the flour and water mixture. Heat oil in a heavy bottom pan and deep fry the prepared samosas till the outer shell is crispy Serve hot, garnished with rose syrup and chocolate syrup.  Note: The reason I recommend samosa sheet for the above recipe is to ensure the uniformity of the outer shell and also to make easy the samosa making process. You can replace also chocolate with any other filling of your choice. * Chef Tarun Kapoor,  Culinary Mastermind,  USA. He may be contacted at [email protected]

With the advent of winter, all that I think in the evenings now is how to make evening foods more appropriate for winters. Fried fish is liked by masses and is always special to me too.  So here I present one of my personal favourite dishes, the Koliwada Fish. Many of you might think that the Maharashtrian and Konkan cuisines are similar, but you are wrong. The cuisine of Konkan region is called Malvani cuisine and overlaps between Maharashtrian and Goan cuisine – thus the confusion.  Despite being a coastal region, the Malvani cuisine is distinct in itself. It predominantly uses coconut in all its glory – grated, milk, dry roasted or powdered form.  Let’s come back to today’s topic of Koliwada. One of the oldest places near the historic fort of Worli – built by British around 1675 – is this 600 years old Worli village that is famous for fishing. The Koli community, who were the early inhabitants of then the seven-island city, gave the place its famous name of ‘Worli Koliwada’ in Mumbai.  These Koli families are still in the fishing business – they go to sea early in the morning and sometimes late at night via the connected Mahim Creek and the beach. The famous and huge Bandra Worli Sea Link can be seen from inside the village.  Entering the village, one is greeted by the smell of fishes being dried in the open hot air near the little sandy beach, mainly used by the villagers themselves. It is easy to spot the orange-coloured (Bhagwa coloured in Hindi) traditional boats, painted white with blue and orange edges.  Going deeper into the village, one can see small yet colourful shanties and chawls, old duplexes with those iron stairs used to climb from the outside, a view of clothes kept out in the open under the bright sun to dry, and also a glimpse of colourful pots containing Tulsi plant and flowers. People choose different colours to paint their houses, so it is all a mishmash of technicolour. The zig-zag lanes though, called ‘gullies’ in Mumbai, may confuse you a bit about where you entered from.  The villagers pray to and ask for blessing from the wide Arabian sea, asking for enough fish and for the safety of themselves and their families. Occasionally they also put ‘tika’ on their boats (a small red-coloured dot).  The big wooden fish baskets are sturdy enough to carry fishes to the market in a vehicle and also remove excess water, keeping the fishes fresh for longer. The baskets are individually marked, usually in green colour, so that they can be identified when leaded together and taken to the market.  In short, this fishing village is a perfect place to see the lives of fishermen. What’s more? Ask for help and the people here will spring to your help. This is not just true for this village though. Go to any corner of this city, and the village people are equally helpful in anything that you ask of them.  Koliwada Fish  Ingredients Seabass fillet 500gm Lemon juice 1 tbsp Coriander leaves, chopped ½ cup Ginger, paste 1 tsp Garlic, paste 1 tsp Red chilli powder 1 tsp Turmeric powder ½ tsp Garam masala 1 tsp Caraway powder 1 tsp Fennel powder 1 tsp Rice flour 3 tbsp Salt to taste Curry leaves chopped 3 tbsp Oil to fry Garnish Potato crispies to garnish Curry leaves few sprigs Method Pat dry fish fillet and cut into 1½ inch cubes and apply salt and turmeric to it and refrigerate for half an hour. In a separate clean bowl combine ginger, garlic, red chilli powder, garam masala, caraway, fennel powder, and rice powder to make a smooth masala mixture.  Add chopped curry leaves to the above mixture and apply this prepared marinade to the fish. Keep for 30 minutes in the refrigerator.  Heat oil in a heavy bottom pan and fry the fish cubes over medium heat. Fry till the crust is crispy and the fish is cooked from inside.  Serve hot, garnished with potato crispies and curry leaves on the side.  Note: you can replace sea bass with any other fish, depending on availability and personal preference. * Chef Tarun Kapoor,   Culinary Mastermind,  USA. He may be contacted at [email protected]

Good food is the way to winning people’s heart. And Italians are masters at winning hearts with their globally popular cuisine so much so that the authorities in Italy believe food can also be a powerful tool for diplomacy. Organising an Italian Cuisine Week in around 120 countries including Doha simultaneously, the Italian authorities aim to lighten up people’s mood with good food. “It works. It almost always works because if you have good food, you have a good mood and if you are at a diplomatic table where you have to say something very important, it is better to have a good mood and good food,” Ambassador of Italy to Qatar, Guido De Sanctis tells Community while speaking at the official opening of the Italian Cuisine Week here. The festival of food is fully supported and promoted by the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation through all the Italian embassies worldwide.   “If I try to look at Italy from outside it is difficult for me because I am from inside. However, I hear from many friends that Italy is very famous for food besides other things and it is hearting to hear that,” says Sanctis. The Italian Embassy in Qatar in cooperation with the Italian Chamber of Commerce and The Luxury Network has scheduled a rich programme for this special week. Prime Italian companies such as Lavazza, Ferrero-Merch, Fashion Food Luxury, Salini Impregilo, Intesa San Paolo, Westin Hotel and Spa, CKGS and JADU are sponsoring the Italian week. The ambassador said that last year in Milan they held Expo 2015 from May to November and the topic of the expo was ‘Feeding the Planet.” One of the most successful pavilions at the expo was the pavilion of Qatar. “After one year we have decided to organise a week of Italian cuisine worldwide which is taking places in all the countries that we have embassies in; roughly 120 countries. It has been an effort by our authorities in Italy, our local companies and sponsors,” said ambassador Sanctis. “We are organising the week in Doha together with Italian restaurants because the number of Italian restaurants is growing and some of them have accepted to make a show for us tonight. And I was very happy to see a lot of people coming to attend it. I could see that it was a success,” he added, referring to the opening party. The ambassador’s favourite Italian recipes are from his youth which he says have gone on to become globally popular. “My story is that of a young man raised in Rome in Central Italy having a special cuisine and my mother is from North of Italy. I grew up eating my mother’s cuisine and just to mention one of the cuisines that she used to make was risotto Milanese, it is rice with saffron,” recalls the Italian ambassador. “And the other thing was ‘osso buco’ which is now common everywhere but it is not easy to find the ingredients because you need a special cut of meat,” he says. Osso buco is an Italian braise that uses one of the top braising cuts from a veal or beef carcass, either the shank or shin, which is cut into thick slices through the bone. “These are the dishes of my young age and whenever I can have them, I always have them. Yes, I find them here because Risotto Milanese is popular all over the world now; though not all the risotto is my mother’s risotto,” he smiles. For osso buco, he says, you have to sometime go to the supermarket. The restaurants also sometimes have it, he added. The rarity is good, the ambassador says, because this means it is fresh. “I hope that my Qatari friends and all of my friends living here in Qatar will visit one of the five restaurants that are offering the special Italian menu,” he refers to the cuisine week. The ambassador says they are still experimenting with such festivals. “Our embassy is not so big. If I take the importance of Italy in the Qatar market, and I am not talking about just food, and the number of Qataris that visit Italy every year and the number of visas we issue, our embassy [needs to be bigger],” says the Italian ambassador. “And this not the moment for our government to spend too much money abroad because we have some budget constraints; but organizing festivals like this [is good]. I hope that we would be able to organise even bigger things in future,” he adds. Two air tickets were awarded to two of the attendees of the exclusive opening party, sponsored by Qatar Airways through a raffle announced by the ambassador himself. Palma Libotte, chairperson of the Italian Chamber, said the number of people who came to the opening party was much more than they were expecting. On social media, she said, they have reached 45,000 people and engaged 2,000 followers in just 20 days.  Until November 27, five prime Italian restaurants, Mercato Antico, La Veranda, Nonna Zanon, Antica Pesa and Italia Mia will offer exclusive menu at very accessible prices. As Grand Finale of the week, Italian One Star Michelin Chef Gianfranco Pascucci will perform a live cooking lesson to selected guests in Westin Hotel Doha.

When I think about the places I have worked and lived, I think about their food and eating culture. At the same time I try and understand the evolution of food and its relation with its place of origin. This week, with the American politics drawing attention of everyone, let’s talk about American food. The mere mention of American food brings to the mind images of hot dogs, burgers and shakes. While these do form a big part of American cuisine, there is a lot more to it. Today though, I will talk about the history and evolution of hot dogs. Hot dogs are among America’s favourite foods and are also called frankfurters, frank, weenie, weiner and red hot. Americans consume on average 60 hot dogs per person annually. They are considered a fun, summertime food, and mostly eaten on Labor Day and Memorial Day. A hot dog is a cooked sausage that consists of a combination of meat that is cured, smoked and cooked. The seasoned force is filled into casings and cooked on grill. Seasonings may include garlic, ginger, coriander, mustard, salt, pepper, sugar and white pepper. To further enhance the taste, herbs like parsley, oregano, thyme, and basil etc are added. They are then served in a hot dog soft bun along with drizzle of yellow mustard and ketchup. They are fully cooked and are served hot. The length of sausage depends on the manufacturer or the customer preference and varies from large frankfurters to mini cocktail sausages. According to legend, the term wiener is the birthplace of hot dog. The story states that the master sausage maker who first made the weiner got his early training in Frankfurt, Germany and thus called his sausage as Weiner-Frankfurter or weinerwurst. “Weiner” comes from the German name for Vienna and “wurst” means sausage in Germany. So you may be wondering how the name “hot dog” came to be. Wieners and Frankfurters do not become hot dogs until they are placed in the bun or the bread roll. The German cuisine relies heavily on sausages of all shapes and sizes with variety of fillings, it stands to reason that the German immigrants brought these sausages with them to America and sold them on milk rolls and sauerkraut from carts on New York’s streets during the 1860s. Initially the sausages were served on their own, drizzled with mustard and ketchup but that became a messy affair to eat and also the hot dog being hot was difficult to eat while on the go and the sales were not that promising. Also, people did not want to get their hands messy. So one of the hot dog sellers asked his baker friend to devise a solution to the problem. The baker then made a long milk-bread in the shape of a hot dog for the sausage to be placed in, eliminating the need to dirty one’s hands. This quickly rose in popularity. In 1987, the city of Frankfurt celebrated the 500th birthday of the hot dog in that city. It is said that the frankfurter was developed there in 1487, five years before Christopher Columbus set sail for the new world. Chicken Khurchan Hot Dog Ingredients Chicken Breast 450 gm Ginger, chopped 1 tsp Olive oil 2 tbsp Salt to taste Degi mirch powder ½ tsp Coriander powder 1 tsp Lemon juice ½ tbsp Chat masala ½ tsp Coriander leaves, chopped 2 tbsp Ice berg lettuce few leaves Garnish Mint sprig to garnish Mint sauce to accompany Bread Hot Dog bread 4 no Method Heat oil in a skillet or a heavy bottom pan. Add ginger and sauté. Add chicken juliennes and toss to stir fry, till lightly browned. Add degi mirch powder, coriander powder, lemon juice and salt and cook over slow flame till the chicken is cooked. If the mixture is too dry or starts to stick to pan, add some moisture. Adjust the seasoning and sprinkle chopped coriander leaves and chat masala. Keep the mixture aside. Slit the hot dog bun lengthwise and warm both sides. Place shredded lettuce on the hot dog bun and the prepared chicken mixture on top. Drizzle some mint sauce and dust some chat masala dust on top and serve hot.

Apart from the hearty heaps of authentic food and a delightful dose of culture that the ongoing Vietnamese Culture and Cuisine Festival has put on offer at Sridan restaurant at Shangri-La Hotel Doha, there’s also a fascinating glimpse into Vietnam tourism through vivid photographs and detailed summaries of must-visit Vietnamese heritage sites, put together by the Vietnamese embassy. Nguyen Hoang, the ambassador of Vietnam to Qatar, told Community, “This is the first time that we have organised such an event in Doha, focussing on our culture and cuisine. These photographs and summaries of world heritage sites in Vietnam help familiarise the wide range of tourism options to the visitors of this festival.” Here’s a quick run through five of these heritage sites with details sourced via Vietnam Tourism. Ha Long Bay This natural heritage site is situated in the north-east region of Vietnam. Ha Long Bay is a part of Bac Bo Gulf and comprises the sea area of Ha Long city, Cam Pha city and a part of Van Don island district, Quang Ninh province. It borders Cat Ba Island to the south-west, the mainland to the west with a 120km-long coastline. Ha Long Bay covers a total area of 1,553 sq km, including 1,969 islands of various sizes, 989 of which have been given names. There are two kinds, limestone and schist, which are concentrated in two main zones: the south-east (belonging to Bai Tu Long Bay) and the south-west (belonging to Ha Long Bay). The average geological age of the islands is between 250 and 280 million years old. Ha Long Bay has been called by the great national poet Nguyen Trai: “A marvel of the earth erected towards the high skies.” While exploring the bay, tourists will feel lost in a legendary world of stone islands which shapes change depending on the angle and the light. Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park  This natural heritage lies in Quang Binh province – the central Vietnam. Covering an area of more than 343,000 hectares, Phong Nha-Ke Bang situated in Quang Ninh, Bo Trach and Minh Hoa districts, is 50 km northwest of Dong Hoi city. Phong Nha-Ke Bang can be compared to a huge geological museum thanks to its complicated geological structure with different categories of stone including sandstone, quartz, schist, siliceous limestone, granite, granodiorite, diorite, applet, pegmatite, etc. Phong Nha-Ke Bang is the oldest and largest tropical karst formed 400 million years during the main geological periods of the Earth, bearing the original topographic and geologic characteristics. Experiencing major tectonic phases, high mountain ranges and the depressed sedimentary basins were formed. These fluctuations have also contributed to the diversity of geology, topography, geomorphology. Phong Nha-Ke Bang karst mountains can provide a lot of valuable information about the Earth’s prolonged geological process through various periods, from the Ordovician Age and Silurian Age (about 463.9 - 430 million years ago) to the Quaternary Age (1.75 million years ago). Citadel of the Ho Dynasty This world cultural heritage site was the capital of Vietnam from 1398 to 1407. The citadel of the Ho Dynasty was built in 1397 by Ho Quy Ly who was the highest-ranking mandarin of the Tran Dynasty at the time. After the citadel was completed, Ho Quy Ly forced King Tran Thuan Tong to move the capital from the citadel of Thang Long (Ha Noi) to Thanh Hoa. In the second month of the year of Dragon (1400), after coming to the crown to replace the King Tran, Ho Quy Ly renamed the country Dai Ngu (1400-1407), the citadel of the Ho Dynasty officially became the capital citadel. The citadel of the Ho Dynasty is also known by the names of An Ton, Tay Do, Tay Kinh, Tay Nhai,Tay Giai. The citadel of the Ho Dynasty is considered as the only stone citadel remaining in Southeast Asia and is one of the few remains in the world. Complex of Hue Monuments Complex of Hue Monuments lies along the Perfume River in Hue city and some adjacent areas of Thua Thien Hue province. Hue city constitutes the cultural, political and economic centre of the province, and was the old imperial city of Viet Nam under the Nguyen Dynasty from 1802 to 1945.  My Son Sanctuary  My Son Sanctuary is set in a small valley belonging to Duy Phu Commune, Duy Xuyen district, Quang Nam province, about 70km southwest of Danang city and 40km from Hoi An city. Of the 225 Cham vestiges that are founded in Viet Nam, My Son possesses 71 monuments and 32 epitaphs, the content of which is still being studied.

As we move into November we all are delighted to welcome winters and today I’ll tell you about a humble yet special food item that can be easily prepared beforehand and is an ideal energy food item to start the day.  I always keep some of these handy for a quick petite breakfast, especially during the winters. You can also feed this to your kids along with a glass of milk for a nutritious start to the day.  The food item is ladoo – yes I would call ladoo as Indian national sweet dish owing to its popularity and the versatile ways in which it can be prepared. Ladoo is an omnipresent sweet and it secures its place in every Indian festival and its mention is enough to bring a smile to one’s face.  You can easily spot a different variety in each Indian state with its own recipe depending on the raw materials present in that region, weather conditions and local taste preferences. For example, you will easily spot coconut ladoos in south Indian sweet shops, besan ladoos in North Indian sweet shops, atta ladoos in Rajasthan and channa ladoos in Kolkata.  It is noteworthy to know that ladoos were originally created for their medicinal properties, but later on other varieties were made that are now so popular that sweet shops rely on them for their sales and profits. One of the main reasons for their popularity is their long shelf life due to which they could be prepared beforehand and stored for long durations and transported long distances. Their evolution has been a sweet journey, with sesame ladoos, jaggery ladoos, fig ladoos, almond ladoos, dates ladoos, boondi ladoos and besan ladoos to name but a few.  A fable from Eastern India claims that ladoos came into being when a vaid (an ancient doctor) poured more clarified butter than the medicine needed. The vaid ended up creating small, round balls and giving them to patients. This became popular, as the method of medicine delivery was convenient both for patients and the vaids.  One famous ladoo from Kanpur is called thaggu ke ladoo. This delicate sweet got its name from the white sugar used in it to sweeten it. The white sugar was initially known as white poison in India and thus the name thaggu ke ladoo meaning ladoo for the cheat became synonymous. Unable to remove the sugar from the ladoo, the creator named it “thaggu ke ladoo”.   My favourite, the besan ladoo, is quite popular and is common during celebrations, festivals and weddings. In India it is common to present this with the wedding card to mark the celebrations and share happiness with friends and family.  There are usually four main parts of ladoo recipe. The first is the main ingredient, which gives the ladoo its name, such as besan (gram flour), atta, and coconut etc. The second ingredient is the sweetener, which could be sugar, jaggery, or cane sugar etc. The third ingredient is the fat, which is usually added in the form of desi ghee or clarified butter. The last ingredient is the flavouring, which can be cardamom, cashew nuts, pistachio or almonds, or a combination of some of these. The fact that besan ladoo uses more gram flour than clarified butter makes it a healthier than many, and makes it an idea food item to start your cold winter mornings or curb your late night snack carvings.  Atta Ladoo Ingredients Whole wheat flour 1 cup Semolina 1 tbsp Clarified butter 1 cup Sugar, coarse ¾ cup Almonds, crushed 1/3 cup Cardamom powder ¼ tsp Salt a pinch Cinnamon powder a pinch Method Sieve the flour and semolina and dry roast over medium heat until the colour changes to brown (approx. 8 minutes). Add crushed almonds and roast for 3 more minutes, keep stirring to avoid burning the flour. Add clarified butter and continue to stir, the flour will turn brown and the raw smell will disappear (approx. 5-8 minutes). Remove from heat and allow the mixture to cool down for 10 minutes. Add sugar and cardamom powder and mix well until the sugar is dissolved well in the mixture. Allow the mixture to cool down a bit so that you can hold the mixture in your hands.  Take about 2tbsp of the prepared mixture and gently press between your palms to form a smooth, round ball. Repeat until the entire mixture has been shaped into ladoos.  You can heat up the ladoo just before consuming in microwave for about 10 seconds to enjoy a warm and delicious ladoo. Note: the size of the ladoos should be smaller than the golf ball. You can also add more dry fruit according to your preference. Adding semolina makes your ladoos crunchier and delicious. * Chef Tarun Kapoor,   Culinary Mastermind,  USA. He may be contacted at [email protected]

The Arabic cuisine is rich and has a deep inherited value attached to it. When it comes to selection of dishes, they always follow traditional rich dishes that have been carried forward through generations.  The Arabic cuisine has a combination of various cuisines from the region and at times it becomes difficult to state or trace the roots of one particular dish to one region. The Arab cuisine can be mainly classified into Levant, Maghreb and Khaleej, and all have similarities yet are distinct from each other. The raw ingredients and main dishes remain the same with little deviation in their style of preparation and in the way they are offered to the guests.  Middle Eastern cuisine is a bundle of tradition that is bonded together, the region spans from Northern Africa to Persian Gulf. The food in the region has been shared and replicated across the world. The credit for making any cuisine international and spreading the awareness about it goes to the travellers who travel for trade between continents and not only carry the goods to be traded but also the culture and traditions from one place to another. Hummus, Shawarma, Tagine, Arabic coffee are some good example to prove that.  Let’s now talk about the first meal of the day — the breakfast. Breakfast is an integral part of Arabic culture and is a lavish affair. The breakfast is heavy and includes an array of dishes. Processed foods are avoided and they prefer fresh ingredients like vegetable, local cheese, dairy produce, fruits, and herbs.  Some common items popular for the breakfast are olives, yoghurt, tomato, hummus, foul mudammas, shakshuka, warak enab, cheese, tea or coffee, harees, jareesh and others. These dishes are simple and are served along with each other to make it a lavish spread. During my stay in Qatar, I often used to go to Arabic restaurants to enjoy this delicious spread of Arabic hospitality and explore more about the cuisine.  Making your own Arabic breakfast spread is easier than it sounds, just read about it and take the various options available and mix and match depending on the availability of the ingredients and personal preference — and your own customised Arabic breakfast is ready. The flavours that are preferred in the region are cardamom, saffron, tahini, cumin, and yoghurt.  Talking about the importance of breakfast, nutritionists around the world have a common statement about breakfast, that it is the “most important meal of the day” and has been directly linked to the overall wellbeing of an individual. But due to their busy lifestyles, many people tend to ignore the fact that it is very important to have breakfast for a good day’s start. There are a few reasons people don’t eat breakfast in the morning, such as not feeling hungry, trying to limit calories, or simply not having enough time. However skipping breakfast can lead to a number of problems and can be detrimental in one’s quest to losing weight and keeping it off.  If you are trying to achieve or maintain a healthy weight, consider the following reasons. Eating breakfast regularly revs up your metabolism after fasting for the whole night. It also keeps you in a good mood as feeding yourself in the morning will keep your spirits up throughout the day.  One particular dish that I personally like is shakshuka and I am delighted to share its recipe below with my readers. It is a simple yet wholesome dish which requires less preparation and cooking time. Shakshuka Ingredients Serves 2 Eggs 6 no Olive oil 1 tbsp Onion, chopped ½ cup Garlic, chopped 2-3 cloves Bell pepper, chopped ½ cup Tomato, chopped 1 cup Tomato paste ½ cup Chili powder ½ tsp Cumin 1tsp Paprika 1 tsp Salt to taste Sugar ½ tsp Pepper to taste Parsley, chopped 3 tbsp Mint, chopped 1 tbsp (optional) Method Heat olive oil in a deep, heavy bottom skillet on medium heat. Add chopped onions and sauté for few minutes, till they turn translucent. Add chopped garlic and continue to sauté until the smell of garlic disappears. Add chopped bell peppers and continue to sauté over medium heat. Once combined, add tomato and tomato paste and stir to combine all the ingredients. Adjust the seasoning using salt, sugar, pepper, chili powder, cumin and paprika, according to your preference. Crack the eggs, one at a time, directly over the tomato mixture, space them evenly over the sauce. I usually place the sauce in small individual serve-ware and place 2-3 eggs in each serving bowl for individual portions. Cover the pan and allow the mixture to simmer for 10-15 minutes or until the eggs are cooked and the sauce has slightly thickened. As the sauce is thick, keep an eye on the skillet or pan to avoid the mixture burning.  Sprinkle with generous amount of chopped parsley, mint and olive oil drizzle.  Note: Some people prefer to keep the eggs runny, but I like my eggs to be well done, the consistency of the shakshuka can be as per one’s preference. You can enjoy this delicious Arabic breakfast dish anytime of the day and enjoy it with pita bread. * Chef Tarun Kapoor,   Culinary Mastermind,  USA. He may be contacted at [email protected]

Curry leaves are a natural flavouring wonder food with a number of important health benefits. Popularly known as Kadi Patta, they make your food tasty and healthy too.  They are a rich source of anti-oxidants and help regulate many other body functions. You can easily spot them in almost all south Indian and coastal regional cuisines of India.  Their health benefit is commonly overlooks but they are a rich source of iron and folic acid. These leaves increase the ability of the body to absorb iron and use it. There is a popular home remedy for anaemia patients to consume one date with two curry leaves on empty stomach everyday morning.  Another benefit is the leaf’s ability to protect the liver from damage by oxidative stress from eating a lot of junk foods. The most common application for curry leaves is to use it as a tempering for curries and stews.  The fibrous nature of the curry leaves also helps in maintaining the blood sugar levels. Also, consuming curry leaves helps to keep the heart healthy by controlling the cholesterol level. They help and promote the HDL (good cholesterol) and in turn keep the heart healthy. Apart from the above benefits, curry leaves also help in digestion as they have a laxative property and fibrous nature. One very important health benefit of curry leaves, which I have commonly heard, is their role in making skin and hair healthier. They help in maintaining healthy skin by keeping skin infections at bay. They are also effective in treating damaged hair, adding bounce to limp hair, strengthening the shaft of the hair. These leaves also treat dandruff due to their anti-fungal and anti-bacterial properties.  Note: to strengthen your hair and fight dandruff, add the juice of Kadi Patta to 100ml of coconut oil and heat this oil till it turns black and apply it to your scalp regularly. So the next time you come across these tiny leaves do not move them aside in your plate, instead consume them to get all the health benefits. I always try and associate my food and ingredients with their healthy aspect and try and make people know about them so that they can benefit the most out of the food they commonly avoid eating.  Curry Leaf Shrimps Ingredients Shrimps 500g Curry leaves, chop 3-4 sprigs Ginger, chopped 1 tbsp Garlic, chopped 1 tbsp Kashmiri chili powder ½ tsp Lemon juice 1 tbsp Red chili whole 2-3 no Black pepper powder to taste (optional) Salt to taste Oil 2 tbsp Mustard seeds ½ tsp Garnish Curry leaves 2-3 sprigs Method Wash, peel and devein the shrimps and keep aside. Marinate the shrimps with chopped curry leaves, ginger and garlic, lemon juice and salt, pepper, red chili. Refrigerate the shrimps so that the marinade seeps well into the shrimps. Heat coconut oil in a heavy bottom pan and add mustard seeds, followed by some curry leaves. The curry leaves will turn bright green immediately, then add the marinated shrimps and stir fry over medium heat. Add moisture if the shrimps stick to the pan. Toss the shrimps into the pan and cook them evenly. Once the shrimps are almost cooked adjust the consistency and sprinkle some lemon juice. Garnish with fried curry leaf sprig and serve hot with choice of bread or rice. * Chef Tarun Kapoor,  Culinary Mastermind, USA. He may be contacted at [email protected]

With changing food trends we also come across changing diet trends, like the vegan diet. What exactly is vegan? What do people eat in this diet? Is it healthy? Is it safe to practice and follow such a diet?  I’ll be more than happy to answer all your questions about this food trend. Recently I met a person during a catering event and he mentioned to me that he is a vegan and we had a conversation about this diet and how dedicated you need to be to follow this diet religiously.  We were standing next to the chocolate fountain and he mentioned that he loved chocolates and asked me what chocolate was it. When I answered that it is milk chocolate, he immediately paused his hand holding the skewered fruit to be dipped in the chocolate. That moment I realised how important and difficult it is to start this diet and follow it.  Vegan diet or veganism is a practice of consuming only plant derived foods. Vegans do not consume any animals or their products including milk, eggs, meat, fish, poultry and honey. As with any other diet it is very important that you plan ahead before you jump into this food trend. However once properly planned, vegan or vegetarian diet can be considerably healthier as compared to the other diets.  According to American Dietetic Association, vegan and vegetarian diets can significantly reduce the risk of contracting heart disease, cancer, diabetes, kidney disease, hypertension, obesity and a number of other debilitating conditions. Vegan diet argues that cow’s milk contains ideal amount of fats for the calf but far too much for the humans.  The cholesterol content in eggs is also higher than most other foods, which leads to cardiovascular diseases. Vegan foods such as grains, vegetables, and fruits on the other hand are low in fats, contain no cholesterol and are rich sources of fibre.  Vegan diet has come a long way and is at all time high with more and more people coming on board to support this movement. Celebrities like Jay Z, Bill Clinton, and Alicia Silverstone are leading ambassadors of this food revolution.  Before you get inspired and jump onto this, there are a few things that you need to keep in mind — the first and most important thing is to get proteins and vitamin B12 which are naturally occurring in animal foods. You can replace the protein through a variety of beans, tofu, quinoa, peanuts and whole grains.  For B12 you need to depend on fortified foods or supplements. For calcium, you can consume plants like pok choy, kale, and almonds. With proper planning and know how about vegan diet, one can balance the diet and can include all nutrients required for our overall well-being.  The next thing you’ll notice is the questions that your friends and family will throw at you in large numbers. The best way to tackle those is to emphasise that you are going vegan for your own reasons and that it seems to work for you and makes you happier while no animal products are being used.  Then most of the vegans just hop onto the delight of soy foods as promoters exaggerate its benefits and make you consume it more. Keep one thing in mind that processed foods are always worse than consuming animal products. They are often loaded with high sodium contents, so read the food labels properly and make this as a standard practice to read the label before you buy any new food item.  Then the next thing is to keep it healthy and sensible, do not replace the animal foods with junk foods like pasta, white bread and other processed foods which have less nutritional value and are high in calories.  The vegan diet is here to stay and is attracting more people on board. You may not even have to ditch your favourite restaurant to follow this, just announce your dietary requirements and most of them happily accommodate such requests and also have vegan options on their menu. Avocado and Mango Sushi Ingredients For rice Brown rice 1 cup Vegan vinegar 2 tbsp Water 2 cup Sugar 1 tbsp Sea salt 1 tsp For the rolls Avocado, sliced 1 no Mango, sliced 1 no Cucumber 1 no Sesame seeds 2 tbsp Vegan tortilla 2 no Serve with Kikkoman soy sauce 2 tbsp Method In a rice cooker combine rice and water and cook on brown rice setting. In a separate bowl combine vinegar, sugar and salt, heat it in microwave for few seconds to allow sugar to dissolve. Prep the filling ingredients and cut them into long thin slices to be used in the roll. Transfer the rice to a large bowl and pour in the vinegar mixture. Use a spatula to fold the rice and combine the prepared seasoning to it. The rice looks glossy after this step. Heat the tortilla sheets on hot plate to cook them and to make them flexible. Allow to cool down. Keep a water bowl and kitchen towel near you. Place one tortilla sheet and place a handful of rice onto the lower two thirds of the sheet and flatten it with wet hands. At the bottom of the rice place the toppings — do not overfill otherwise the roll will break. Use a bamboo mat or butter paper to help you roll the tortilla evenly. Cut using a sharp knife and clean the knife with damp cloth between he cuts. Serve immediately sprinkled with sesame seeds on top along with Kikkoman soy sauce. * Chef Tarun Kapoor,  Culinary Mastermind, USA. He may be contacted at [email protected]

Soon after World War II, Stanford-educated teacher Maximo Gimenez happened to befriend the American occupation troops stationed at Quezon City in the Philippines. The year was 1945. As Maximo’s bonding with the soldiers thickened, they began visiting his home to chug down a refreshing beverage or two. It was when this became a regular affair and the troops began insisting that they pay for their beverages that Maximo thought of opening a cafe, where the troops could have food and drinks to their fill.   Back in the day, the quaint little cafe rolled out delicious heaps of chicken and steak as Maximo’s niece, Ruby, who managed the kitchen, devised a special recipe for chicken that became an instant favourite with the troops. In no time, the scrumptious tender, crispy and juicy chicken captured the imagination and the appetite of the Filipino crowd as well, signalling the birth of Max’s Restaurant, as we know it today. “For 71 years, Max’s, the brand, has endured and grown phenomenally,” Sinu Joy, Operation Manager, Max’s, GCC, tells Community. “Today, it is a billion dollar company that’s also listed in the stock exchange. In the Philippines, there are nearly 150 Max’s outlets. In the GCC, we have nine and we are planning to open two more in the UAE, where we already have six. We have one in Kuwait and two here in Qatar. Soon, we will be expanding to Saudi Arabia and Bahrain as well.” In Qatar, the first outlet at Al Sadd, near Royal Plaza Mall, has completed one year, while the second outlet on the B-Ring Road has completed six months. “It has been such an incredible journey for Max’s here in Doha. We are doing much more business here than what we had expected. If you ask any Filipino about Max’s, he or she would tell you this is like the premium restaurant for them. When they come to Max’s, they know what they can expect,” Joy says. Clearly, both the Doha outlets have been screaming successes. Joy elaborates, “As some sort of a trend, you will see a lot of Filipinos who have had their weddings, christenings, birthday parties, in Max’s. If you go to the B-Ring Road branch of Max’s on a Friday, you are likely to find 300 to 400 people gathered for some party. We do almost 1,000 covers between the two outlets on a weekend. Sometimes, it’s even more. This Eid, in seven days, we must have done nearly 12,000 covers.” While the top brand is best known for its Max’s fried chicken, which takes around one and a half hours to prepare, it has now introduced the lip-smacking seafood promotion to offset a possible “menu fatigue”. Joy explained, “Since we are the number one Filipino restaurant and the first choice for Filipinos who opt for a fine dining place, we thought, here in the GCC, we wanted to give them something new. It was a survey that we did last February that made the path clear for us – seafood was the first choice that people had opted for when asked what more they would like to see in the menu. Hence, we have come out now with the special seafood menu. As soon as this finishes, we will come up with the regional cuisines, which, too, have been requested for by our customers.” Executive Chef Henry Suarez, a Filipino, has dabbled in all sorts of cuisines before putting his heart and soul into the Max’s menu. Armed with a more international approach that sees him throw in more Asian flavours such as sweet and sour notes, Suarez has come up with a winner in the five popular seafood delicacies “prepared in true Filipino style with an international touch”. “From the juicy sugpo (tiger prawns) to meaty alimasag (black pepper blue sea crab), our flavours are sure to thrill all seafood lovers,” Suarez says. “With this seafood promotion, we are targeting other nationalities apart from the Filipinos, of course. For us Filipinos, crabs and prawns are an integral part of our meal. To make it different, we have added a spin like the fresh blue sea crab is tossed in homemade black pepper sauce, and wok-fried prawns have been prepared in sweet chilli, garlic and oyster sauce. I must mention that all of our sauces are made by us; they are homemade, not readymade.” Great care has been taken to ensure that the catch is fresh. “We order our mussels, for instance, twice a week from the Netherlands. It’s fresh, not frozen,” Suarez says. The lapu-lapu or deep-fried hamour, he predicts, will be a hit with Qataris as they love hamour, which here gets topped with homemade sweet and sour sauce, mango, pineapple and mixed peppers. The tahong or sautéed mussels come with lemongrass, ginger, cherry tomatoes, green chilli, and Thai sweet basil leaves. “We wanted other communities to also frequent the restaurant,” says Joy. “This new menu additions have given us that entry point. Qatar is still doing very well despite the recession in the region. We are quite happy being here. For instance, we launched this seafood promotion only last month here in Doha, as in the region, and it’s been a hit here already. In UAE, we have six outlets, and we sell around 120 seafood portions. In Qatar, we sell that many in just two outlets. Our friend chicken has never changed, and nor has our kare kare or bulalo. The Filipinos love these mainstays but they are also ordering these new dishes, too, and are liking it.” The biggest hit of the five new seafood stars has to be pusit or grilled squid. “Of the 120 portions that we sell in a day, around 50 are usually of pusit,” Joy points out. Stuffed with chopped prawn, onion and tomato, the grilled squid is served with chilli and lemon soy dip. To illustrate the massive power of the brand Max’s, Joy cites an instance. “In Kuwait, when we opened our biggest store, a sprawling 10,000 sq ft space accommodating 400 seats, the first 10 or 12 days, we served more than 1,000 people a day. We had to actually send back people at night as they just wouldn’t stop queuing.” However, quality remains key despite the overwhelming demand, Joy maintains. “We have this once-in-a-year promotion titled Chicken All You Can, in which you pay us a fixed price and you get to have as much chicken as you want. But still, we don’t dilute the brand at all. We serve quality food. In UAE, last month, I remember the queue started at 6.30pm and ended at 11.30pm. As many as 2,500 guests had come by in those five hours. Now that’s the power of the brand.”

When we think of South Indian food, the first few dishes that come to our mind are dosa, idli or wada with sambhar and coconut chutney. But there is a lot more to the cuisine than these common dishes.  When you travel to the south Indian states, you realise that every state has its own speciality and traditional recipes and their methods to make those recipes — for example the hot curries of Madras, the fish curries of Kerala and spicy treats of Andhra.  One such recipe that I came across when I moved to Middle East was puttu — this dish was quite popular in the region owing to the large south Indian population, mainly from Kerala.  Puttu is a traditional and most popular breakfast dish of Kerala prepared with rice flour and coconut. Puttu is usually served with black peas curry and is called kadla curry in Malayalam language. Other accompaniments are small yellow Kerala banana, sugar and crispy poppadum. When I first came across this delicious dish I was a pure idli lover and could eat idli every day for breakfast without hesitation, but after having puttu I was ready to share that spot with another south Indian dish — puttu and kadla curry.  Puttu requires a special vessel for its preparation — the puttu kutti, which is made of stainless steel or aluminium and consists of a water container at the bottom and a cylindrical steaming chamber on top.  The water container is filled half with water and is heated on gas or electric stove to make steam, the rice mixture is prepared and placed in the steaming cylindrical chamber. The perforated lids between the water container and steaming cylinder allow the steam to pass and cook the puttu. The mixture is layered with grated coconut to separate the portion and to make it easier to take out the steamed rice cylinders once they are steamed and ready to eat.  In old times, savoury puttu was steamed in bamboo tubes with pierced disc at the bottom, fixed tightly over a wide mouthed pot in which water was boiled. The sweet version was steam cooked by tying the ingredients in a thin wet cloth or wicker basket and placing it over a wide-mouthed vessel in which water was boiled.  In Tamil Nadu, the sweet version was made with jaggery as a food offering during the nine-day Navarathri festival. It’s no secret that mixing puttu podi is either a hit or miss, especially if you are a beginner; the mixing part is the most difficult, you need to wet rice flour with water and salt correctly to get soft puttu and the trick is to add rice with water slowly with your finger tips and to know the correct texture. It should hold its shape when pressed between your fist but should crumble if pressed harder.  For a perfect soft puttu it is always advised that you get the correct texture of the mixture and it depends on how you moisten the flour. You will eventually figure out a way and will be able to make perfect mixture after making it once or twice following the recipe correctly.  So the next question that naturally comes up, is puttu healthy? And the answer is yes, one plate of steamed puttu contains approximately 300 calories, which is sufficient to satiate your senses and keep you full for a long time. A puttu is a perfect and healthy way to start your day apart from the regular south Indian fare that you are aware about. Puttu  Ingredients Puttu flour 2 cups Warm water 1/2 cup Grated coconut ½ cup Salt ½ tsp Method Mix the rice flour and salt together in a bowl. Add water a little at a time and mix with your fingertips. We are looking for a crumbly and moist flour consistency. The mixture should hold its shape when pressed between your fist but easily crumble when you press it harder. You need a puttu steamer to make puttu, but if you don’t have one and don’t intend to buy one soon, you can use an idli steamer. Add about 1 tsp grated coconut to the bottom of the mould. Spoon in puttu flour until the mould is halfway filled. Then another layer of coconut to separate and fill up with rest of the flour. Steam for about 8-12 minutes depending on the size of your mould. When cooked, unmould by pressing through the mould using the stem of spatula gently.  Allow to cool down a bit and serve hot with black chickpeas curry. Note: Puttu is meant to be crumbly even after cooking, if you don’t have the time to make kadla curry, you can also have it with warm clarified butter. There is a variety of puttu flour available like the wheat, ragi or corn.

Broccoli, the great healthy green food, as we all know is an edible green plant in the cabbage family, which also includes, kale, bok choy, collard green, turnips and brussels sprouts.  It comes with tons of health benefits, which we should all be aware about and include this super vegetable in our dietary intake. Broccoli’s large flowering head is eaten as a vegetable. The word “broccoli” comes from the Italian word “broccoli,” meaning the “flowering crest of cabbage.” Broccoli is classified in the Italica cultivar group of brassica oleracea. Broccoli can be eaten raw, steamed or boiled. The most common cooking method for broccoli is to boil it in water and then consume it.  Broccoli has large flowering heads, usually green in colour, arranged in a tree like structure branching out from a thick edible stalk. The broccoli flower is surrounded by leaves and has a close physical resemblance to cauliflower apart from its colour. The origin of broccoli is thought to be in the Mediterranean Sea, as a result of careful breeding of cultivated brassica crops. Broccoli is considered an important part of Italian diet and from there it travelled to England. Broccoli became very popular in the USA in the 1920s and was brought in by Italian travellers and businessmen. Now California — the broccoli state — produces about 90% of the total production in the US.  There are very few food items and dishes that provide essential nutrients and still look good — broccoli is one such item. Broccoli not only helps lower cholesterol but taste great as well. Broccoli is a natural detoxifier and helps neutralise toxins in the body. It has an adequate amount of Vitamin D, and can help offset the vitamin’s deficiency. Broccoli also contains flavonoids, which reduce the impact of allergens on our bodies. This helps to explain its unique anti-inflammatory benefits.  How to boil broccoli Always soak the broccoli florets in salted cold water to remove insects and then blanch it in salted boiling water till soft. Ensure that you do not over boil it and the florets should retain their shape. Studies have shown that generally kids like broccoli and my elder son himself likes to eat broccoli. Avoid overcooking the broccoli as it reduces its nutrient value. Overcooked broccoli becomes soft and mushy, an indication that it has lost both nutrients and flavour.  How to choose a good broccoli flower Always choose fresh broccoli over frozen variety. Look for any blemishes or spoilage marks; bright green colour indicates freshness; the florets should be closely packed to each other and there should not be any gaps between the florets; and the stem should look fresh and should be firm to touch.  My personal favourite dish when I want to eat something healthy is soya garlic tossed broccoli flowers — substantial and healthy.  Malai Broccoli Serves 2 Ingredients Broccoli florets 500 gm Cheddar cheese white 80 gm Mozzarella cheese 50 gm Cooking cream 100 ml Green Cardamom pods 8-10 Black pepper to taste Salt to taste Garlic paste 1 tbsp Ginger paste 1 tbsp Green chilli 1 no Garnish Coriander sprig few no’s Method Cut the broccoli florets into small pieces and keep them soaked in salted water to remove any insects. In a separate pot bring salted water to boil and add to it the broccoli florets.  Blanch the broccoli florets into boiling water for about 30 seconds and then refresh them in ice cold water to stop carry over cooking. Once cooled, drain the water and keep the florets aside. In a separate bowl combine cheese, ginger and garlic pastes, the green chilli, cardamom pods, black pepper powder, salt and work them into a fine paste. Marinate the broccoli florets into the prepared marinade and refrigerate for at least an hour. Pre-heat the oven to 200 Celsius and place the florets on a butter paper-lined baking tray; Bake for 10-12 minutes or until light brown from outside. Serve hot garnished with coriander sprig. Note: You can also skewer the broccoli florets and place them in oven or clay oven called tandoor to make the dish more authentic and retain their shape.

Weekend breakfast in an Indian household can be an elaborate affair and usually comprises of poori, paratha, idli, and dosa. Whenever I go for a vacation back home, I am always treated by my mother with my favourite dishes and bedmi poori is one such dish that I love to savour on a lazy weekend morning as my brunch.  Bedmi poori is a traditional dish hailing from Agra, Uttar Pradesh and is very different yet identical to the poori that we all are aware about. There are some shops that sell this delicacy in Delhi and are always flocked by food lovers from the area. One such shop was a little away from my place but almost every alternate weekend I used to go there to get our dose of bedmi poori along with the spicy and tangy potato bhaji and pickles that came along. I was guided to this shop by one of my general managers who was a regular at that shop too.  Bedmi poori, pronounced as Bay-duh-me poori, is not just any ordinary poori and requires special preparation and cooking techniques. These pooris are similar to the kachoris due to the urad dal stuffing in them and are healthier than kachoris as it uses whole wheat instead of refined flour. The dough is then filled with a filling prepared with urad lentil and spice blend. Whenever I used to go to the bedmi poori shop I used to observe the minute details about the dish and how the cook used to prepare in front of all the waiting customers.  The first thing that I noticed was about the dough and it was not a regular dough and the guy used to pinch off a small portion and would stuff with the prepared filling and then roll with a thin rolling pin and would slide them into hot oil to fry over medium heat.  Another guy will just scoop out the pooris out of oil into a strainer to drain excess oil, the poori does not look appetising at this point as they are only half cooked and are soft to touch, he then would increase the fame and would make the oil hotter and used to slide all the half cooked pooris into the hot oil to make them crispier and this is what makes them swell like a ball.  The best thing I like about bedmi poori is that it stays crispy even when it is cold. So you can prepare this poori beforehand and can sit down with your friends and family to enjoy them. The sight of pooris being fried fresh used to make the waiting customers mouths water. Then come the turn to pack the accompaniments, spicy potato and pumpkin bhaji and spicy mango pickle.  Bedmi Poori Serves 8-10 Ingredients Urad dal ¼ cup Coarse whole wheat flour 1 cup Fennel seed powder 1 tbsp Coriander powder 1 tbsp Asafoetida 1/8 tsp Dry ginger powder ¼ tsp Red chilli flakes ½ tsp Salt to taste Oil 2 tbsp Oil to fry Method Wash and soak urad dal for four hours or overnight. Drain the water and blend coarsely in a blender to a thick paste, using as little water as possible. In a separate bowl, sift flour and combine fennel seed powder, coriander powder, asafoetida powder, dry ginger powder. Add the dal paste to the flour mixture and form into soft dough using lukewarm water. You can grease your palms with oil as the dough will be sticky, once the dough is ready coat with oil and keep the dough covered with damp cloth. Divide the dough into eight equal parts and roll them into balls. Roll the balls using rolling pin to a flat disc shape and deep fry at medium heat. Fry one poori at a time in medium heat and turn with skimmer and remove the poori when half cooked, repeat the same for all the poori. Increase the flame and heat the oil and then carefully add 3-4 poori and flash fry them. The pooris will puff up and will turn crispy and golden brown in colour. Take the pooris out and place them on paper towels to absorb the excess oil. Repeat the process for the remaining pooris and serve hot. Note: you can serve this freshly prepared pooris with aloo bhaji, mint chutney, pickle or spicy subji.

A macaron is a traditional French cookie made primarily with almond powder, egg and sugar. People call this traditional cookie with different names like macaroon, macaron, makroon — the origin of this word comes from the Italian word maccherone, which means fine dough. Macaronage is the term used to denote mixing of almond powder with egg whites.  The origin story of macaron is still not clear, some call it French in origin and some argue it comes from Italy. Two very common stories as per my favourite reference book Larousse gastronomique states that macaron was created in the year 1791 in a convent near in France, and also mentions that Italian Chefs of Catherine de Medici took the recipe from Italy to France when she got married to the duke of Orleans, France in 1533.  However like many other good things, macaroons did not become instantly popular and it wasn’t until 1900s that Chef Pierre of Café Laduree decided to take two macaron cookies and filled ganache between them, sticking them to teach other to be served as a pair. Even today, Laduree continues to be one of my preferred spot for traditional macarons and other such classical items. In recent times, I would say macarons were popularised by a New York Restaurant where the macaron were sold in gift boxes of different sizes and many flavours. Later on it was found that no one else was selling it on their own and French restaurants used macarons as ornaments to decorate their cakes and desserts or serve them as petit fours.  In the last couple of years I have observed a multi fold increase in the popularity of this humble dessert and people have developed a taste for this dish. You can undoubtedly call macarons as the new cupcakes, in vogue and very much trending now days. You can get an idea about the popularity of this dish considering that it has already made it to a McDonald’s menu. You can also spot macarons in most dessert buffets, which are quite popular among locals and expats. Raspberry Macaron Ingredients For cookies Icing sugar 1 cup Almond powder ½ cup Egg whites 2 no Kosher salt a pinch Granulated sugar 2 tbsp Almond extracts ¼ tsp Neon food colour 3-5 drops For ganache Milk chocolate 50 gm Unsalted butter 1 tbsp Cooking cream 1 tbsp Vanilla extracts few drops Method  For the cookies, preheat the oven at 160 degree Celsius and line a baking tray with butter paper. Sift icing sugar and almond powder and keep aside. Whisk egg white and salt until frothy and light, gradually add the granulated sugar and continue to whisk until the sugar is dissolved. Add the almond extract and the food colour to the mixture. Gradually add 1/3rd of the sugar and almond mixture to the above mixture and blend until combined. Add the remaining mixture also, the batter needs to be fluid and not too runny. When you lift the batter with spatula and let it fall in the mixture the batter should form a dollop for few seconds and then mix with the batter. Transfer the batter to the piping bag; squeeze until the batter forms a circle on the butter paper lined tray. Gently flatten using damp fingertip if the cookie is not flat. Bake in the oven until the macarons are crisp on top and the bottom leaves the butter paper; remove from tray and allow them to cool down. For the ganache, combine chopped chocolate and butter in a bowl and keep it on boiling water to melt. Once the chocolate and butter are combined well, stir in cream and then remove from heat. Set aside to cool down and stir occasionally. To assemble the cookies, spread a thin layer of prepared chocolate ganache and top with second cookie, press gently to spread the ganache till the rim of cookie. Allow the cookie filling to set, store them in air tight containers and use as required. Note: Following the recipe accurately is very crucial in making a perfect macaron, as adding too much almond powder will make the mixture thick and the mixture won’t rise and making the mixture thin will result in flat macaroons. l Chef Tarun Kapoor,  Culinary Mastermind, USA. He may be contacted at [email protected]

Traditional cooking styles have always been the focal point of cuisines around the world and they play vital roles in shaping up the culinary trend of a region or civilisations. One important aspect to be a successful food connoisseur or food critic is to understand how the particular cooking style evolved and reached its current form. One such cooking style that I will discuss in this article is the evolution of oven cooking.  Oven has been significant in cooking, and has evolved from the nomadic clay or sand pit ovens in the beginning to modern day rotary or automatic combi ovens, which are self-capable of sensing the food being cooked inside and make necessary adjustments.  Cooking of food items started when a piece of food accidentally fell into an open fire and tasted much better than raw. Greeks are believed to be the inventors of oven, which they used to cook their breads. The cooking fires were placed on the ground and were enclosed to retain the heat inside and cook the food faster and in a more controlled way. The oven then travelled across Europe and was mainly used in the bread making and brick making. The smoke produced in the oven due to burning wood was a major challenge to maintain the temperature inside and to keep the oven fired for longer time, thus the chimney was invented to extract the smoke out of the oven.  Inventors began making improvements to the existing ovens and one significant change was the oven build in Alsace, France which was entirely made of brick and tiles and was much more efficient. After that inventors started exploring other efficient fuel options like kerosene, gas, diesel and the recent electric ovens.  One significant achievement was the patent of gas oven by British inventor James Sharp in 1826. Gas ovens were found in most households by the 1920 and had top burners and oven underneath it. The evolution of gas oven was delayed a bit because of gas lines, which were not that common.  Electricity became the popular choice for both commercial and household ovens. The biggest advantage of electric ovens was its convenient operation and accurate temperature control. Electric ovens also improved manifolds and have come a long way since then. The new rotary ovens and the latest combitherm ovens are perfect example of latest technology being introduced in ovens. These ovens are fully programmable and self-capable of baking, roasting, frying, steaming and grilling.  Going back to where we started from, the clay oven is still unique and has its own charm and imparts earthy flavour to the food cooked inside. It also requires a special skill to work with clay oven as the temperature in the oven is way above 400 Degrees Celsius and bred and kebabs are cooked at the same time. The below recipe is a delight for the vegetarian readers and is simple to cook.  Yellow Chilli  Tandoori Subji Ingredients (serves 4) Potato 2 no Cottage cheese 150 gm Bell pepper 2 no Broccoli 1 head Onion 1no Mushrooms 10-12 pcs Green chilli big 4 no Yoghurt, hung ½ cup Ginger garlic paste 2 tbsp Coriander powder 1 tsp Yellow chilli powder ½ tsp Turmeric powder ½ tsp Lemon juice 1 tbsp Mustard oil 2 tbsp Salt to taste Chat masala ½ tsp Coriander leaves, chop 2 tbsp Kasoori methi 1 tsp Butter 2 tbsp Garnish Lemon wedge 4-5 no Coriander sprig few nos Tamarind sauce to accompany Method Hand the yoghurt in a muslin cloth overnight to remove moisture and make it thick. Wash and cut the potato into 1.5 inch cubes and parboil them and keep aside. Dice the capsicum and onion, boil the broccoli florets, and wash and stem the mushrooms. Cut the cottage cheese into cubes and keep aside. In a separate bowl, take the hung yoghurt and add ginger garlic paste, coriander powder, yellow chilli powder, turmeric powder, salt, lemon juice and mustard oil, chat masala, and kasoori methi.  Whisk well till the mixture is smooth and creamy. Add the prepared vegetables into the marinade and rub them with the prepared marinade. Place the prepared vegetables on the skewer and place in a clay oven tandoor. Roast till the vegetables are cooked and the marinade is crispy from outside. Baste with melted butter to add flavour, remove from the skewer and place in the serving plate. Sprinkle chat masala on top and serve hot garnished with lemon wedge, coriander sprig and tamarind sauce. Note: You can use your electric oven in the absence of clay oven.

It is very hard to ignore the presence of the crunchy, colourful, tangy and sweet capsicum or bell peppers in our daily diet. Some people call it capsicum, others call it bell peppers or just peppers — whatever you may prefer to say, it remains one of the most favourite vegetables in the world.  One very common question that people often ask me is the difference between capsicum and bell peppers. Actually there is not much difference apart from the capsaicin content. Bell peppers don’t have any significant capsaicin content as compared to capsicum. Christopher Columbus is credited with coining the name “pepper”. The name “pepper” was mainly used in Europe for all species of plants that were hot and later it was extended to the new capsicum family.  Capsicum belongs to the flowering plant family named Solanaceae. It is native to America where it has been cultivated for many years. In countries like India, Australia, New Zealand it is known as capsicum, In United Kingdom and Europe it is called red pepper, green pepper or chilli pepper. In USA and Canada the large sized capsicum is called bell pepper. Technically it is fruit, but is widely categorised as vegetable.  Available in vivid colours of green, red, yellow, orange, purple, brown and black, this beautiful vegetable is an eye candy and is attractive with its vibrant colours. It is a member of the nightshade family, which includes potatoes, tomatoes and eggplant. The primary substance that controls the “hotness” in peppers is called capsaicin and it is found in small quantities in capsicum or bell peppers and that’s the reason they are not hot as compared to chilli, which is rich in capsaicin.  The name bell peppers also relates to its bell shape, featuring either three or four lobes. The green and purple peppers have a slightly bitter flavour, while the red, orange and yellow are sweeter and almost fruity. Green peppers are less sweet and slightly bitterer than yellow or orange peppers, with red bell peppers being the sweetest. The taste of ripe peppers can also vary with growing conditions and post-harvest storage treatment; the sweetest fruits are allowed to ripen fully on the plant in full sunshine, while fruit harvested green and after-ripened in storage is less sweet.  Paprika is one popular spice prepared from capsicum. The fruit of chilli pepper family of capsicum annum is air dried and powdered to get paprika. Paprika as a spice is more associated with Hungarian cuisine. Bell peppers are available throughout the year but taste delicious during summer.  Although bell peppers are very popular and widely consumed, they have not always been considered or associated with health, maybe due to their minimal capsaicin content. Once active in the body, capsaicin can bind to nerve cell receptors and change pain sensation and it may also have important anti-cancer and blood sugar balancing properties. However the lack of a significant amount of capsaicin in bell peppers does not mean that this popular vegetable should be anyway ignored in our diet.  Bell peppers lack capsaicin because of this recessive gene that washes out this chemical — that’s why pepper don’t give the burning sensation experienced from capsicum. Capsicum and peppers also used for their medicinal properties, in analgesics and circulatory stimulants. Another recent use of this vegetable is in aerosol called pepper spray or capsicum spray used to incapacitating people in a non-lethal way and also as a means of self-defence. Another impressive nutritional property of the bell pepper is its low fat. There is less than 1 gram of fat in a cup of diced bell peppers — which makes it an ideal diet ingredient and low fat ingredient for your calorie-specific recipes. Bell peppers are also a good source of Vitamin E and also contain carotenoids and these have anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidants health benefits.  Capsicum and Indian Cuisine Capsicum is an active ingredient in Indian cuisine and blends well with the exotic aromatic spices and adds it’s crunchy and colourful character to the dish. The below recipes is for a Indian chaat prepared using the capsicum and other related ingredients.  Capsicum Chana Chaat Ingredients (serves 2) Capsicum 2 no Olive oil 1 tbsp Chickpeas 100 gm Potato 100 gm Cucumber 1 no Tomato 1 no Pomegranate 50 gm Potato straw 50 gm Coriander leaves 3 tbsp Man leaves, chopped 3 tbsp Chat Masala ½ tsp Salt to taste Yoghurt 4 tbsp Method Cut the capsicums into half and remove their heads and bottoms to get four hollow capsicum cylinders. Rub the bell pepper cylinders with olive oil and grill them on hot plate to give grill marks but still keeping the capsicum crunchy, remove and keep aside. Boil the potato till 3/4th cooked and cut into ½ inch dices and deep fry to make them crispy and golden brown in colour; keep aside.  Also boil the chick peas till they are soft, keep aside. Cut the cucumber and tomato into small dices and place in a salad bowl. Add the fried potato and boiled chickpeas and sprinkle chat masala, salt and coriander and mint leaves. Toss all the ingredients to combine well, adjust the seasoning. Place the grilled capsicum cylinders in a serving plate and fill with the prepared salad. Drizzle with whisked yoghurt, sprinkle fried potato straw and pomegranate seeds on top, serve warm. * Chef Tarun Kapoor,  Culinary Mastermind, USA. He may be contacted at [email protected]

Tofu as a food has been always special to me as this was one of the first exotic food items that I came across when I started my culinary career at a speciality restaurant at Taj Palace, New Delhi.  I still remember that day the master chef of that renowned Chinese restaurant introduced me to tofu and gave me a brief about it. Tofu was considered a speciality item those days as it was not easily available and we relied on selected importers for its supply. Nowadays you can easily buy it off the shelf in various packaging sizes everywhere and there are plenty of locally produced options as well.  Tofu is made from soybeans, water and a coagulant or curdling agent. It is an excellent source of protein for vegetarians and has an ability to blend well and adapt itself with various spices and marinades. The next question people aware about tofu ask me is the difference between silken tofu and regular tofu. While shopping for tofu you may spot varieties like pre-cooked, frozen, marinated, fermented or flavoured tofu. There are, however, two main variants of tofu namely Silken and Regular tofu.  Silken tofu or soft tofu or Japanese-style tofu as it is usually called is a softer consistency tofu than the regular one and is very brittle to handle and breaks very easily if not handled properly.  Regular on the other hand is more firm and is easy to handle and can be cut easily into desired shape. Regular tofu is also called Chinese tofu or bean curd and is more popular and is found more easily in produce section in hypermarkets or supermarkets. Silken tofu is tightly packed in tetra packets and has a long shelf life of approximately a year as compared to the regular one which comes packed in plastic containers dipped in water to keep it moist and fresh.  Both silken and regular tofu come in different firmness like soft, medium, firm and extra firm consistencies and both the varieties are made using the same ingredients but are processed differently. The silken and regular tofu are not interchangeable in recipes but their firmness can vary and you can use any consistency of each for their respective recipes.  Salad dressings, sauces, and desserts usually use silken tofu for a thick and creamy texture. Once you open any type of tofu, keep it refrigerated in plastic container submerged in water. Changing the water everyday will prolong the shelf life upto a week. Firm or extra firm tofu is best suited for stir fries, baking dishes or other such dishes which requires the tofu to retain its shape. You can freeze tofu for upto 5 months and this will make it yellowish and spongier in texture and this change in texture has a positive effect on some recipes.  Firmer tofu has more fat content and softer tofu has less fat content. Soft silken tofu is a very good option for people on calorie controlled diets. Another common myth about tofu is that it is made with milk — it does not contain any dairy product and is made with coagulating soya bean milk, and pressing the resulting curd into soft white blocks to get soya bean. Tofu and special diet: Tofu has always been a favourite for people with various dietary restrictions, its nutritional value, affordability and chameleon-like quality to blend with other ingredients. It is a popular ingredient for vegans and is used extensively in western cooking as well. Tofu and salmon roe salad Ingredients Silken tofu 100 gm Salmon roe 2 tsp Asparagus spears 100 gm Romaine lettuce 100 gm Fricassee lettuce 50 gm Cherry tomato 50 gm Red Radish 50 gm Baby corn 50 gm Beet root 1 no For dressing Olive oil 2 tbsp Lemon juice 1 tbsp Salt to taste Crushed pepper to taste Garnish Parsley leaves to garnish Method Cut firm silken tofu into 1 inch cubes and keep it covered with water in a bowl and keep it refrigerated. Wash and cut the baby corn and asparagus spear into two and boil it to sift consistency and refresh in cold water, keep aside.  Boil beetroot separately and refresh in ice cold water. Cut radish and beetroot into thin slices and keep aside. Wash and spin dry the salad leaves and place in a salad bowl.  Combine the baby corn, asparagus, beetroot and radish slices.  In a separate bowl combine olive oil, lemon juice, salt and pepper to make salad dressing. Pour the dressing on the ingredients and toss to combine. Place the salad into the salad plate and place tofu on top followed by the remaining salad drizzle on top. Place salmon roe as required and garnish with parsley leaves and serve cold.   NOTE: You can always substitute chicken in almost all your favourite recipes with regular firm tofu to make your choice of protein dish and healthy vegetarian dish for a balanced diet. Tofu is a healthy alternate for cottage cheese in Indian cottage cheese preparations also for people with dairy allergy. *  Chef Tarun Kapoor, Culinary Mastermind, USA. He may be contacted at [email protected]

A Sole fish is a type of flat fish that lives half buried in the muddy bottom of the ocean. These fishes are highly prized for their flesh and “Common Sole” or “Dover Sole” is the one most sought after.  There is one very interesting fact about the sole fish, it is born as a typical flat fish with eyes on each side of the head but as it matures, one of its eye migrates to the right side of head. This helps the fish prey on nearby prey while it is half buried in ground. The sole fish feeds on sea worms and shrimps. There are mainly two varieties of sole fish namely Dover Sole and Lemon Sole. Lemon Soles have rounder bodies and lighter colouration on the side without eye. They both have clean tasting, slightly sweet flesh. You can replace one with the other in almost all the recipes. Flounders is one close variety of fish that resembles Sole but is definitely less regarded as the Sole fish.  The most popular recipe of Sole is Sole a la Meuniere, which translates as “in the style of miller’s wife” and denotes to the fish being dusted with flour before cooking. The fish is sautéed in clarified butter until its golden brown and crispy and then it is finished with a bit of brown butter, lemon and parsley. Many other recipes also call for rolling the sole fillet with a filling and then cooking it covered either baked or steamed.  Dover Sole is also known as Slime or Slippery Sole because they excrete mucous that makes it difficult to hold them. You can select fresh or frozen Sole fillet for your favourite fish recipe. Chefs prefer to cook with Sole as it is a delicate fish with mild flavour which is easy to blend with other ingredients and the flesh holds its scales even without the bones and skin.  Sole is my personal favourite when it comes to fish tikka, roasting it in oven marinated with Indian spices makes a superb dish. This fish holds its flakes even when cooked and tastes so well compared to other fishes. During my days at cruise liners and working for one of the best restaurants in sea, one of our signature dishes was pan seared Dover Sole, which was always in demand and was widely appreciated. I used to cook the whole Dover Sole and debone it after cooking it to further exceed the guest expectations.  Sole has always been considered as a mainstay for European cuisine and have also had the honour to be filleted on the table side in fine dining establishments. They are even considered as a replacement for roast turkey for celebrations. Dover Sole is also called the king of Soles as it has a crisp, firm flesh with an almost sweet taste. It is too soft to cook immediately after being caught so cooks prefer to use it after a day, once the texture matures and the flavours improve. Dovers range from 350 grams to 1.4 kg in size. Although smaller sizes are also caught and are economical than the bigger ones.  Pan Seared Sole Fish Fillet Ingredients Sole fish fillets 1 kg Refined flour ½ cup Olive oil 2 tbsp Butter 4 tbsp Lemon juice 1/3 cup Sea salt to taste Black pepper to taste Capers 2 tbsp Garnish Lemon wedges to garnish Parsley sprigs to garnish Method Wash and pat dry the sole fish fillets and cut them into serving size diamond shape. Season the fish with salt and black pepper and rub all over to evenly coat the seasoning. Heat a skillet over medium heat and melt butter along with some olive oil. Now gently place the presentation side of the fish first in the skillet and cook till golden brown. Turn to cook from other side till the fish is cooked. Now add lemon juice and capers to the skillet and let the butter and oil sizzle. Rotate the pan to spread the sauce evenly all over the fish, turn to season from other side also. Remove the fillet and place on the serving plate, heat the sauce again and reduce to make it thick, add soft butter if required. Add chopped parsley and pour over the prepared fish fillets, serve hot with choice of steamed vegetables on the side. Note: One thing that you need to keep in mind while cooking the Sole is never to overcook it as it will become dry, and curl up. Also the flavour of the fish matures in a day or two so let your fish fillet rest for better tasting dish. * Chef Tarun Kapoor, Culinary Mastermind, USA. He may be contacted at [email protected]

This classic French pastry is a perfect example of a dessert that is buttery smooth, creamy and flaky at the same time. Translating the word “mille feuille” means one thousand layers, sheets or leaves. The flavours of mille feuille are simple, but the textures are harmonious and define a perfect blend of craftsmanship.  A freshly made mille feuille is flaky and light but one has to be careful with its preparation and serving time, as it turns soggy very quickly — within a few hours of its preparation and this is the worst thing to happen to mille feuille.  Mille feuille is a traditional dessert and may sound simple, but requires patience, practice and dedication to be mastered. Modern chefs, being extra creative or sometimes out of ignorance about a classic dessert, have turned it into something even more appreciable and delicious.  This has also been the case with many desserts in the past, which were made out of sheer mistake of the baker — the Cake Rusk, for example. Recently I came across a mille feuille nestled with fresh berries and cream, which was a perfect blend of creamy, flaky and chunky textures. Some chefs also add caramel, cocoa, white chocolate to make it their own signature style of mille feuille-inspired dessert.  There is a savoury version too, which has been gaining popularity especially with smoked salmon and salmon roe. Many Michelin star chefs have this as a standard item on their menus.  One cook book — or should I say my reference book for cooking, the Larousse Gastronomique, which is the oxford dictionary for cooking — mentions about this dessert as a Napolitain cake, which is not so common these days. The very first recipe for a mille feuille appeared in a French cook book in 1651 and states that gateaux mille feuille is constructed of three layers of puff pastry and stabilised pastry cream (mixed with a little gelatin for a tighter cream that’s not too runny) decorated with fondant and garnished with a signature chocolate spider web design on top. It is usually confused with Napoleon, an Italian dessert where almond paste, similar to frangipane is sandwiched between its many layers.  Speaking about unaltered variant of mille feuille: It is made up of three layers of puff pastry, alternating with two layers of pastry cream, but sometimes whipped cream or jam is also layered. The top of this dessert is dusted with icing sugar or crumbs or almonds.  The below recipe is an exotic recipe for a simple to prepare mille feuille and is a must try for people who love fresh berries.  Berrylicious Mille Feuille Ingredients Puff pastry 1 packet (250 gm) Egg 1 no Strawberries 100 gm Blueberry 50 gm Raspberry 50 gm Black berry 50 gm Lemon juice 1 tbsp Castor sugar 1 tbsp Whipping cream 250 ml Vanilla extracts ½ tsp Icing sugar to dust Garnish Mint leaves to garnish Chocolate to garnish Method Allow the frozen puff pastry dough  to thaw for 10-15 minutes and dust a table top with some flour. Roll the puff pastry dough into 1.4 inch thickness and cut in half lengthwise and transfer the triangles to a butter paper lined baking tray. Prick the dough all over with a fork and brush with the beaten egg. Bake in a pre-heated oven for 20-25 minutes or till the dough puffs up and is golden brown and crispy. Once baked, remove from oven and allow to cool.  In the meanwhile wash and pat dry all the berries and keep aside in a bowl tossed with some lemon juice and sugar. In a separate bowl, whisk the chilled whipping cream with vanilla extract until soft peak consistency and keep aside. Using a perforated knife slice horizontally to create two layers, use the uncut triangle as the base, top with half of the whipped cream and one third of assorted berries. Repeat the remaining ingredients to create two more layers, keep some berries for garnish. Garnish with remaining berries on top, dust with icing sugar and mint leaves on the side, serve immediately. Note: The puff pastry is easily available in hypermarkets in frozen section. You can also instead choose to use your choice of fruits for the filling.

Until recently, Indian food had always been associated with rich curries hailing from the kitchens of kings and nawabs of wealthy states or with the “fiery hot” fare run by the mill restaurants. But Indian food has its roots deep in the cuisine calendar of yesteryears. It has its own unique cooking techniques, method of cooking and each preparation has its own history and significance. Indian cuisine has passed through a refinement in the last century and its association with just these rich curries and chili hot fare is no longer justified. I am sure about two things: Indian cuisine can be vastly elaborate, and that Indian hospitality is overwhelming. The most commonly used utensils in Indian cuisine are kadhai, handi and tawa. Kadhai is a deep, spherical, circular cooking pot with two handles used in India, Pakistan and Bangladesh, handi is deep straight walled cooking utensil used for slow simmering dishes, and tawa is a large, flat concave or convex shaped hot plate used mainly for cooking the variety of breads. In this article I will be elaborating the evolution and significance of Kadhai Cuisine. Originally there were two main dishes associated with kadhai cooking, namely Kadhai Gosht (lamb) and Kadhai Murgh (chicken). These dishes were particularly popular in undivided India in the areas of Peshawar and Punjab, now in Pakistan. Kadhai is traditionally made out of cast iron although copper and brass versions were also available. Stainless steel kadhai is the latest addition to the choice of metal used to make kadhai and non-stick and induction variants are also available nowadays. The local restaurants in these provinces featured kadhai shops that had an attached butchery and customers would order the dish according to their preference. The dish was prepared in the kadhai and was presented on the table, served with naan bread. Based on the original dish of chicken and mutton, an entire arrays of vegetable dishes are also prepared now by using the same cooking method and spices to please vegetarians. Kadhai cooking is very similar to wok cooking in the Chinese cuisine, and is considered a fast method of cooking except for mutton, which has to be 3/4th pre-cooked before being cooked in the kadhai. In kadhai cooking, the main ingredient is continuously stirred and tossed with thick onion and tomato masala and finished with garam masala. There is hardly any water used in Kadhai Cuisine and the meat is cooked with onion tomato and its own juices. While cooking, the sides of the kadhai are continuously scrapped and added to the dish for better flavour. This is very important as the masala or the gravy that dries up in the sides has a nice smokey and robust flavour, which helps enhance the overall taste of the dish. Also I would say cast iron is the best option for Kadhai Cuisine, as iron also enhances the taste of the ingredients cooked in it. This classic yet simple dish is one of my favourites. It is traditionally cooked and even served in a kadhai. Serve Kadhai Gosht with hot chapati (Indian flatbread) or naan (tandoor baked Indian flatbread) and sliced onion on side as a salad for a perfect meal. Mutton Kadhai Ingredients (serves 2) Mutton 600gm Tomato, chopped 4 no Onion paste 1 cup Garlic paste 1 tbsp Ginger 1 tbsp Bay leaves 2 no Coriander seeds ½ tsp Cumin seeds    ½ tsp Green chili 2 no Yoghurt 1/3 cup Coriander powder ½ tbsp Red chili powder 1 tsp Turmeric powder 1 tsp Oil 3 tbsp Salt to taste Garam masala ¼ tsp For Garnish Coriander leaves few sprigs Ginger julienne to garnish Red chili whole 2 nos Method Heat oil in a kadhai and let it reach its smoking point; reduce the heat to bring down the temperature. Add slit green chili, fry them lightly and remove them from oil and keep aside. Add the washed and drained cubes of mutton with bone in the oil and fry them from all the sides to seal the juices and cook them in oil. Remove the fried mutton pieces and keep aside. In the remaining oil splutter cumin seeds and coriander seeds, followed by bay leaf, ginger garlic paste and onion paste. Saute till the raw flavour of garlic evaporates; add tomatoes and the remaining spices like turmeric, red chili powder, coriander powder and salt. Add the pre-cooked mutton pieces and continue to cook over low flame, cover with lid. Scrap the sides of kadhai and add to the dish to enhance the flavour. When the mutton is cooked add yoghurt and cook till you see the oil float on surface. Cook till the mutton is coated with thick masala and is fully cooked. Remove from flame, garnish with ginger juliennes, coriander sprig and fried reed chili, and serve hot with choice of tandoori bread. Note: Instead of frying the mutton in oil you can also boil it with whole hot spices to remove excess fat from the dish and make it with less oil content. And vegetarians can replace mutton with cottage cheese and capsicum.