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I can undoubtedly call paratha as the most popular breakfast dish item from north India. They are toothsome, tasty, delicious, steamy hot and appetizing. Paratha is flat bread usually made with seasoned whole wheat flour dough stuffed with vegetables or minced meat, cooked on a hot plate and brushed with ghee when it is ready to be served. A paratha can fall into three categories, depending on their dough and stuffing. The first is a plain seasoned paratha, where there is no stuffing in the dough and the bread is seasoned with caraway seeds, red chili powder or green chilli and is usually eaten with accompanying potato bhaji or vegetable curry. The second type is the vegetarian variety, where the stuffing can vary from humble boiled potato to luxurious broccoli and cottage cheese or to the uncommon stuffing of cabbage, rice or round gourd. The third type consists of non-vegetarian stuffing, such as egg, minced chicken, lamb, or a combination thereof. The most common stuffing for a paratha, however, is boiled potato, cauliflower, mixed vegetables and cottage cheese. But the list of stuffing that can be used to make paratha is endless and one can combine two or more stuffing items to make their own kind of paratha. My favourite is cauliflower paratha, prepared by my mom. They are not only delicious but easy to prepare and cook also. Once you are done with the initial preparation, cooking them is simple and easy. That’s the reason why this is the most popular north Indian breakfast item. A paratha especially a stuffed one can be eaten simply with a dollop of butter or ghee due to its spice and flavour-rich dough. Traditionally a paratha is served with yoghurt and pickle to make the meal complete. Parathas are thought to have originated in undivided India and have travelled to the length and breadth of the continent in various forms, shapes, sizes and flavours. Now you will also find them in ready-to-eat frozen meals, which are not only tasty but also make paratha-making simpler and faster as ever. They are an integral part of a Punjabi breakfast and are also relished with a glassful of fresh lassi (buttermilk). Lassi is made by churning yoghurt and adding some water and choice of sugar or salt. You can season your salted lassi with roasted cumin powder and fresh coriander leaves and sweet lassi with various sweet concoctions like Rooh Afza or fruit pulp. Hailing from the Indian capital city Delhi and from a Punjabi family, I grew up relishing the varieties and flavours of parathas. There is even a street named after this popular food item in Old Delhi called “Paranthe Wali Gali,” meaning the street of Paratha makers. I never imagined that this simple yet exotic dish would have travelled outside India. But during a culinary exchange programme, in Singapore, I learned that the Indian immigrants introduced this dish there and created roti john and roti canal. Murgh Keema Paratha Ingredients For the dough Wheat flour 2 cups Desi ghee 2 tbsp Salt to taste For the filling Chicken minced 250gm Onion, chopped 1 no Cumin seeds 1 tsp Green chili, chopped 1 no Ginger garlic paste ½ tbsp Red chili powder 1/3 tsp Coriander powder ½ tsp Salt to taste Coriander leaves chopped 1 tbsp Kasoori methi 1 tsp Ghee 2 tbsp (to apply on paratha) Wheat flour ½ cup (to dust) Method Heat oil in a heavy bottom pan and add cumin seeds to fry. Add chopped onion and continue to cook till translucent. Add ginger garlic paste and cook till the raw smell evaporates. Add chicken mince, green chilli chopped, red chilli powder, coriander powder and cook the chicken. Continue to cook over low-medium heat till the chicken is cooked, add some moisture if the mixture sticks to the pan and adjust the seasoning. Remove from flame and add chopped coriander leave, kasoori methi and keep aside. For the Paratha dough, sift wheat flour with salt and add desi ghee to it. Gradually add water to make soft dough, knead well. Once the dough is made, brush with oiled hands and cover with a damp cloth and allow to stand for 15 minutes. Divide the dough into size of tennis ball and flatten it to make a scoop and fill adequate filling of chicken keema, secure the top with the side dough. Dust the dough ball with dry wheat flour and flatten it with a rolling pin. Heat a non-stick tava and cook the paratha evenly from both sides. Once the paratha is cooked, brush ghee on one side and turn over to colour the paratha. Once the side is light brown turn over and serve hot with yoghurt and choice of pickle.

Who does not like the smokey flavour of charcoal in their food — whether it is meat or vegetables, everyone likes the classic rusty flavour. You can smoke almost everything you like to eat. The simplest way to get smokey flavour is to grill your food on charcoal grill, which sometimes becomes cumbersome and can’t be practically done every day everywhere. Today I’ll tell you about a technique with which you can smoke almost everything you like real easily and quickly. This technique has been around for thousands of years and is called dhungar, wherein the food you want to be smoked is exposed to charcoal smoke produced along with herbs and ghee or butter in a closed container. To dhungar a food item, a live charcoal is taken in a steel bowl and ghee or butter is poured on it. When it starts to smoke, the bowl is placed along with the food in a closed container, or the cooking vessel is covered with a lid or aluminium foil. The smoke is thus trapped for about 10-15 minutes and permeates the dish. The flavour can also be enhanced by first sprinkling spices such as cloves or cardamom on live charcoal before pouring the ghee. Oil can’t be used as oil has a high smoking point and a burning charcoal in oil will produce less smoke. This age old method of smoking can be used both during and after the cooking process and can impart a wonderful smokey flavour. You can use this technique for daals, meat, rice, raita, breads and even salads and desserts you fancy smoking. You can accomplish all this without having to need to set up a BBQ grill or even buying the expensive smoke guns available in the market nowadays. Believe me when I say that the technique adds an entire new dimension to even the most simple of dishes. You can also serve the smoked dished with a lid on and remove the lid in front of your guests and delight them with your showmanship and cooking skills. I suggest you only smoke a small portion of your cooked dishes first to try out if it suits your taste buds. It’s important to choose the right charcoal for your dishes— use only natural lump charcoal, do not use any fast lighting processed charcoal as that contains added chemicals and might expose your food-to-be-smoked to dangerous fumes. I came to know about this smoking technique during my days in Udaipur, where this particular recipe was very popular among my guests. Paneer Laung Latta Recipe Ingredients Cottage cheese 500gm Ginger chopped 1 tbsp Garlic chopped 1 tbsp Mint leaves 100 gm Garam masala ½ tsp Green chili 2 no Kasoori methi ½ tsp Tomato 1 kg Clove powder ¼ tsp Curd 2 tbsp Honey 1 tbsp Cream 2 tbsp Butter 50 gm Cloves 3-4 no Ghee 2 tbsp For coating Besan ½ cup Maida ½ cup Red chili powder ¼ tsp Coriander powder ½ tsp Coriander leaves chopped 1 tbsp Salt to taste     For deep frying Oil to fry For smoking Natural charcoal 2 pieces Method Thinly slice the cottage cheese block length wise (approx 2” X 5”) and keep aside. Grind mint to a paste with some moisture and add some grated cottage cheese to it. Apply this paste on the cottage cheese and roll over the slice to make a roll. Secure this roll with cloves and keep aside. Prepare a smooth coating consistency batter by combining besan, maida, red chili powder, coriander powder, coriander leaves and salt. Dip each prepared roll in the besan batter and deep fry over medium heat till the batter is cooked and crispy, place on kitchen towel. To prepare the gravy, boil tomato with ginger, garlic, green chili with 2 tbsp oil till the tomato is cooked. Blend the tomato to a smooth consistency and heat oil in a separate heavy bottom pan and add the tomato puree, bring to boil. Simmer and add red chili powder; adjust the seasoning and cook for 12- 15 minutes. Finish with honey, kasoori methi and curd, remove from flame and keep aside. Heat charcoal and place in a steel bowl, add some cloves on top followed by ghee or butter on top. Place this in the prepared gravy and cover with lid or silver foil. Leave aside for 10-15 minutes till the smoke is infused into the gravy. Remove the charcoal bowl and serve with the cottage cheese roll with choice of breads. Note: If your cottage cheese breaks while rolling, then soak the sliced cheese in hot water for 10 minutes. This will make your cottage cheese more flexible and it won’t break while rolling.

Crisp, green, leafy, curly, crunchy, bright and nutritious — no matter what you call it, we all know the humble lettuce and consume it as a healthy food. Lettuce is also known as the “weight loss food” or the “rabbit food” due to its low calorie count and high fibre content. Whether it is a burger at McDonald’s, the fatoush salad or the Mediterranean Greek salad, they are all incomplete without the crunchy green leafy lettuce. Lettuce leaves release a milk-like sap when cut and that’s how its name is derived from the Latin word lactuca, for milk. Lettuce is the generic name for the green leafy vegetable. It is one of the incredible sources of essential nutrients that are necessary for our wellbeing. This makes it one of the most sought after greens. The recipe below is a very simple and minimalistic example, which uses lettuce leaf as a wrap for the filling, making it a lettuce wrap sandwich. There are mainly two popular lettuce varieties: namely romaine and the iceberg lettuce. When you have an option between the two, choose the romaine lettuce as it has one of the highest nutritional values among lettuces, whereas iceberg has the lowest nutritional value. Romaine lettuce has less sugars and sodium, twice the calcium and protein, three times the iron and vitamin K, and eight times the vitamin C when compared to iceberg lettuce. While choosing the lettuce leaves, pick bright-coloured green and red leaves. Look for clean and fresh looking plants, with compact inner leaves. Avoid lettuce heads that are wilted and have rusty leaves. The wider and open shaped lettuce is healthier as compared to the one’s with closed leaves as the wider leaves absorb and produce more nutrients in the sunlight. You can refrigerate fresh lettuce in a plastic bag for up to a week, although each lettuce variety has its own keeping quality and shelf life. Preparing the lettuce before use is even more important than choosing a fresh lettuce head. An unclean or mishandled lettuce leaf can cause foreign particles in the form of insects and worms to land in your salad bowl. Even pathogens can survive on the leafy green easily as it is a ready to eat product and is rarely exposed to high temperatures before it is served. That’s the reason why you’ll find lettuce to feature on the list of “dirty dozen” foods —foods you should always buy organic. Luckily more and more organic lettuce is available nowadays. Thus, always wash the lettuce leaves individually in cold running water followed by a generic rinse with any ice cold salad wash. Then dry out the leaves in salad spinner to remove excess moisture so that the dressing coats evenly on the salad leaves. There are numerous varieties of lettuce leaves available of the shelf and they are easy to grow in your backyard garden as well. Broadly speaking, the prominent varieties of lettuce are icebergs, romaine, butter head— Boston, butter head— Bibb, green leaf lettuce, red leaf lettuce, and oak leaf lettuce. Some other leaves like fricassee and baby spinach are not real lettuce, but are generally termed as such due to their resemblance to lettuce. Turkey Romaine Wrap Ingredients Romaine lettuce 1 head Turkey breast 1 no Carrot 1 no Cucumber 1 no Radicchio ½ head Bell peppers red and yellow ½ no Beetroot ½ no Olive oil 2 tbsp         Salt to taste Crushed black pepper To taste Dressing Garlic cloves 2-3 no Lemon juice 2 tbsp Mayonnaise 1 cup Dijon mustard 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce 1 tsp Parmesan cheese ½ cup Salt ¼ tsp Grounded black pepper ¼ tsp     Method Marinate the turkey breast with oil, salt and crushed black pepper and refrigerate for one hour. Roast in a pre-heated oven at 180 Degree Celsius for an hour, check by piercing with a knife, if the juices run clear the turkey breast is cooked. Remove from oven and allow to stand for 15 minutes. Thinly slice the turkey breast or pull the meat to get shredded turkey meat. Keep aside. To prepare the dressing, combine finely chopped garlic, lemon juice, mayonnaise, Worcestershire sauce, parmesan cheese, Dijon mustard, salt and pepper. Whisk to get a smooth dressing, adjust the seasoning and keep aside. Thinly shred carrot, cucumber, beetroot, bell peppers. Wash and spin dry the lettuce leaves. Place the shredded vegetables on each leaf followed by turkey meat on top. Drizzle the prepared dressing on top. Wrap the leaves to close the wrap, serve cold.

Wontons as I like to call them are the “gift wrapped food” and are served steaming hot. They can be served steamed, fried or boiled with a soup. They originated in Northern China. The history of wontons dates back to the Tang dynasty. During that period, dumplings were very popular as a snack and were mainly eaten by the royal families due to their delicate shape and their preparation. They were prepared in a variety of shapes and fillings and were also called “hundred flavour wontons” and were considered as a delicacy among the wealthy. The popularity of dumplings also led to the creation of the wontons. Wontons are usually confused with Chinese dumplings but are different from them and only people familiar with both of them can differentiate. Firstly wonton is made with square wrappers whereas dumplings are made with round ones. Secondly wonton wrappers are thinner than the dumpling wrappers and they turn translucent when steamed. In China, it is common to associate and consume some particular food with their festivals and wontons were traditionally consumed on mid-winter day. There are numerous restaurants across China that serves them steaming hot. Wonton is even more popular when it is served in a soup. There was a particular variety of wonton made by a famous doctor with medicinal ingredients used to cure frost bite. Wontons were also considered medicinal even in ancient China as they were always prepared fresh and were made using the local herbs and spices, which in itself had medicinal properties. You can fill wonton wrappers with all kinds of healthy ingredients and medicinal plants, suppressing the bitter flavour of the medicinal plants with herbs and spices used to make the filling, making the medicine taste better and palatable. You can stuff wontons with a variety of ingredients ranging from chicken, shrimp, beef or fish, along with ginger and shallots. There are numerous wonton recipes like the Hong Kong fried wonton, Sanxian wonton filled with shrimps, and the Sichuan pepper flavoured hot and spicy wontons. The wonton wrapper is the most important part of a wonton. Although wonton wrappers are prepared by chefs who specialise in the trade, modern technology has made readymade wonton wrappers a reality, enabling non-specialised cooks to make this delicacy with confidence. Shrimp Wonton Ingredients For wonton Shrimp, shelled, deveined 400gm Ginger, fine chopped 1 tsp Garlic, fine chopped 1 tsp Sesame oil ½ tsp Oyster sauce ½ tsp Salt To taste White pepper 1/3 tsp Castor sugar 1 tsp Rice vinegar 1 tbsp Coriander leaves, chopped 3-4 sprigs Scallions, chopped 1 tbsp Wonton sheets 15-18 nos Egg, whipped 1 no For Onion surprise dipping sauce Ginger, fine chopped 1 tbsp Garlic, fine chopped 1 tbsp Black pepper ½ tsp Salt To taste Cooking oil 3 tbsp Spring onion 4 tbsp Coriander leaves 4 tbsp For chili dipping sauce Ginger, fine chopped 1 tbsp Garlic, fine chopped 1 tbsp Onion, fine chopped 3 tbsp Celery, fine chopped 1 tbsp Green chili chop, fine chopped 1 tbsp Tomato ketchup 5 tbsp Chili paste 2 tbsp Sesame oil 1 tbsp Salt To taste Black Pepper crushed 1/2 tsp Spring onion, chopped 2 tbsp Coriander leaves chopped 2 tbsp Brown garlic 1 tbsp Method Peel, devein and wash the shrimps and pat dry. Coarsely chop into small pieces. Add fine chopped ginger, garlic, sesame oil, oyster sauce, salt, white pepper powder, castor sugar, rice vinegar, coriander leaves, scallions and mix well to make the stuffing. Place the prepared stuffing in the centre of each wonton sheet. Start folding the sheet upwards in circular motion to make a bag shape and keep aside. Repeat until all the filling is used. You can also fold the wonton sheet into half to make a triangle and then again half to make a smaller triangle with the filling inside. Steam in a pre-heated steamer for 10-12 minutes or until the wrapper turns translucent. You can also deep fry the prepared wontons over medium heat if you like them crispy. While the wontons are being steamed, prepare the dipping sauce. For the green onion sauce, fine chop all the ingredients required and place in a steel bowl. Heat cooking oil up to its smoking point and then slowly pour over the ingredients. Allow to cool down. For the chili dipping sauce, heat sesame oil in a wok and add all the mentioned ingredients into the wok and sauté for 2-3 minutes. Remove from flame and allow to cool down. Once the wontons are cooked, serve hot along the prepared sauces.

With continued chill this season, we all love to relish something easy to cook and something warm and tasty. The answer to this season’s chill is the classic crab cake. When I hear this dish, it brings me back to my good old days in the cruise ship. On board, crab cake was one of the hottest selling from the a la carte food menu. As a foodie and a culinary professional, I associate places with the food, like the crab cakes are associated with Maryland, a place in the US East Coast where this delicacy is considered to have originated.   When Native Americans first made crab cakes, who would have thought they would still be served today all over the world in leading restaurants and hotels. There are plenty of restaurants in the New England region which boast for their crab cake recipe to be authentic and most delicious of them all. So let’s read on to know where and how this classic dish was created and became so popular. Long ago, crabs were only available along the coast but were not as popular due to logistical issues, short shelf life and non-availability across the US. Thus many people did not know about them. Crabs were considered difficult to eat. However, with the passage of time and advent of modern technology for storage and better methods to extract crab meat out of their shells, they became a favourite ingredient. One such dish that particularly became famous is the crab cake which is made by lump crab meat. While many chefs have been using crab in their recipes, combining meat with spices and breadcrumbs, the term ‘crab cake’ was first coined by a book titled The New York’s Fair Cook Book. Since then, crab cakes have been a staple for the state of Maryland for its taste and benefit to economy of the region. Freshly caught blue crabs are best for this delicious recipe as they are found in abundance in the region. To start, first boil a large crab, let it cool down and take out the meat from claws, you can fry them and serve them whole as garnish on top of crab cakes too or use them in making the cakes. Then remove the meat from the body and add seasoning, binding and bread, and mix well, shape into patty and shallow fry in butter. Serve with choice of salad and sauce. You can also get the fresh or frozen packed crab meat to avoid the hassle of removing the meat out of a crab yourself. Crab cake Ingredients Crab meat 400g Egg 1no Mayonnaise 3tbsp Panko bread crumbs 5 tbsp White pepper powder to taste Nutmeg powder ¼ tsp Chives few sprigs Green onion 2-3 sprigs Green apple 1 no Crushed black pepper to sprinkle Butter 4 tbsp Baby spinach 50g Lime juice 1tsp For Remoulade sauce Red bell pepper 2no Mayonnaise 6tbsp Worcestershire sauce 1 tsp Lemon juice 1tsp Capers 5-6 no Dijon mustard    1 tsp Salt to taste Method In a clean and dry bowl whisk egg, mayonnaise, lemon juice. Add crab meat, fine chopped chives, green onion, nutmeg powder, bread crumbs and seasoning. Combine with a fork breaking the crab meat to smaller chunks. Divide the crab meat into equal portions for cakes. Shape them on a butter paper as round circular flat cakes and freeze them for an hour. Thin julienne green apple and soak in ice cold water with lemon juice. Meanwhile for the red pepper Remoulade sauce, roast the bell pepper in oven for 5-7 minutes. Once the skin is soft keep it covered in a bowl to make the skin peel off easily. Remove the skin and seeds and blend to a smooth consistency. Add lemon juice, Worcestershire sauce, chopped capers, Dijon mustard and salt. Whisk together to combine into a smooth sauce. Heat butter on a hot plate or nonstick pan and shallow fry the crab cakes over medium heat from both sides. Once the cakes are cooked remove from flame and keep aside. In the same pan, add baby spinach and sauté to just remove the raw flavour from it. Sprinkle lime juice and remove immediately. Drizzle the prepared red pepper remoulade sauce on the plate and place the spinach on it. Place the crab cakes on spinach and top with prepared green apple slaw and chive sprig on the side.

If I was asked to name my favourite fish I will undoubtedly spell Salmon as my favourite to cook and relish. Salmon, as we all know, is the fish which distinguishes itself apart from the rest of the fish varieties and is most easily to distinguish because of its light pink colour. Salmon easily secures a space in every chef’s heart and can be spotted in almost every fine dining restaurant’s menu with chef vouching for their own signature recipes for them and how fresh is their fish. Salmon is the generic name given to the fish in the specie salmoniformes. They live in the Northern Pacific and Atlantic Oceans. One significant fact of salmon fish is the way they are born somewhere else and then live somewhere else and return back to their place of birth for breeding. To elaborate, salmons are born in fresh water and then migrate to sea as they grow and then return back to their place of birth to reproduce or spawn. Scientists have found out that salmon may travel distances of thousands of miles to spawn. You will be surprised to know that they do not eat while they are migrating or moving up the stream and they gain energies stored in their body fat while they travel. Till the time salmon is in fresh water they do not change their colour, as they migrate to the sea they change their colour and distinguish themselves from others. Ever wondered what makes the salmon pink? Well as they migrate to the sea and feed more on the krill and shrimp their flesh changes from white to pink/ orange. These crustaceans are filled with compounds called carotenoids which are orange in colour. These are the compounds which give the colour to the carrots as suggested in their name.   The more they feed on them the deeper will be the colour. That’s the reason why the wild caught salmon is deep pink/ orange than the farm raised fish. The farm raised fish is even given colours in their diet to turn them pink. We have a misconception that the deeper is the pink colour the better is the salmon variety, well that is true in one context that the fish is wild caught and not farm raised. You will also experience that the deep hued fish is sold at a marginally higher rate as compared to the light coloured ones. My advice is not to judge a salmon by its colour but by its freshness and also look for the wild caught varieties. Well now the question is how to distinguish the wild caught or farm raise. Firstly check the label or ask the seller/ retailer for the origin. Then check if it is Atlantic or Pacific salmon. If it is Atlantic then probably it is farm raised as opposed the Pacific which is generally wild caught. That’s also one of the reasons why the Atlantic salmon is lighter than the pacific one. Talking about the health aspect of salmon — the carotenoid in salmon is a particularly potent antioxidant known as astaxanthin, which has been shown to protect against cardiovascular disease, cancer, inflammation, eye diseases, general ageing and many other conditions. Salmon is a good source of omega 3 fatty acid which is good for brain development. Thyme Scented Salmon Steak Serves    2 Ingredients Salmon fillet 500 gm Olive oil 4 tbsp Sea salt to taste Thyme fresh few sprigs Crushed black pepper to taste Asparagus spears 6-8 no Cherry tomato 8-10 no Olives10-12 no Lemon 1 no Cucumber1 no Cheese cracker 6-8 pcs Fresh micro herbsto garnish For citrus butter Lemon juice 3 tbsp Butter 3 tbsp Parsley, chop 1 tbsp Method Cut the salmon fillet in the required size and marinate with some olive oil, seas salt and crushed pepper and fresh thyme sprigs and refrigerate for 30 minutes. Wash, peel and cut the asparagus and blanch them and keep aside. Heat olive oil in a heavy bottom pan and place the skin side first and cook. Marinate the blanched asparagus with olive oil and salt and place them also along the salmon in the pan. Turn the steak to cook evenly from both sides. Prepare a citrus butter by heating clarified butter and lemon juice and chopped parsley, keep aside. Once the steak is cooked and the vegetables have nice grilled marks serve on a plate. Drizzle the remaining citrus butter sauce on top and garnish with asparagus, spears, cherry tomato, olives, lemon slices and cucumber curls.

A decade back, people associated south Indian cuisine with food dishes like Idli, Dosa, Wada and Sambhar. But south Indian cuisine is much more than that and is versatile too. Like the humble idli and its variants and how many more new dishes can be made with it. I always make chili idli, which many of my vegetarian guests admire. This is a simple dish inspired from the popular dish called chili chicken, but chicken is replaced with idli and the rest of the recipe remains the same. Idli is the steamed rice cake made by combining two parts of uncooked rice to one part urad lentil. The dal and rice is soaked separately for at least four hours and then grounded to a fine paste in special stone grinder and left to ferment overnight during which the volume will become more than double. After fermentation, the batter is seasoned and then steamed in idli steamer for 10-12 minutes to get steamy hot rice cakes that are traditionally served with sambhar and coconut chutney. Mixtures of crushed dry roasted spice known as milagai podi are the preferred dry condiment for idlis eaten on the go or as a lunch box idea for the kids. I remember from my school days when one of my south Indian friends from Kerala used to bring his cotton soft idlis and we always exchanged our lunch boxes. The origin of idli is still unclear, but there are mainly two stories associated with its origin. The first story states that the idli came from Indonesia, where they have a long history of using food products especially rice that are fermented and steamed either in banana leaf or plain steamed. The second theory states that Arab travellers used to travel to south India for trade and carried steamed rice cakes because of their ignorance on Indian food and being the safest option considering the halal food requirements they follow. So they consumed these steamed rice cakes with coconut paste and thus introduced this dish to the southern part of India. In addition, idlis have been considered one of the top ten healthiest foods in the world due to the ingredients and the process it is made from. Only overnight fermentation will result in a soft and fluffy idli. Chefs working abroad have tried adding yeast for a faster fermentation but have failed and the end product is a rock solid inedible idli. The process of idli fermentation is different as compared to bread fermentation. Rice has little gluten so something else is needed to ensure air bubbles that make the idli fluffy. The bacteria similar to the one that is present in yoghurt is required to make soft idlis and this action of releasing the gas is slower as compared to the yeast, where it acts too fast and produces bubbles that would escape the batter before it gets thick enough. One convenient option of making soft idlis is to get readymade grounded dry idli podi and soak it with water. Leave it overnight to get the same soft batter to make your idlis. I even came across an online article about a B Tech graduate entrepreneur who made a fortune by supplying idli podi batter and powders in South India. Chili Idli Ingredients Steamed Idlis 12 no Onion 1 no Bell pepper 1 no Garlic 1 tbsp Ginger 1 tbsp Star anise 1 no Oil 1 tbsp Green chili 2 no Soy sauce 1 tsp Tomato ketchup 4 tbsp Red chili paste 1 tbsp Corn flour 2 tbsp Curry leaves 2 sprigs Coriander leaves 5-6 sprigs Spring onion 2-3 stalks Salt to taste Oil to fry Method Cut each idli diagonally twice to get 4 pieces from an idli, keep aside. Cut the onion and bell peppers into 1 inch dices. Heat oil in a heavy bottom pan to medium heat and deep fry the idli cubes until they turn light golden and crispy. You can also shallow fry from both sides to reduce the oil absorption in idli. Drain off the excess oil and allow to stand on paper towel. Heat oil in a wok and sauté garlic, ginger, green chili followed by onion cubes and star anise. Cook till the onion is translucent then add bell pepper dices followed by soya sauce, tomato ketchup, chili paste and curry leaves and stir. Add the crispy fried idli and toss into wok to mix the ingredients and coat the idli. Add little moisture if required and dissolve the corn flour in water and pour slowly into the wok, stirring continuously. Add chopped coriander leaves and adjust the seasoning. Serve hot sprinkled with chopped spring onion.

Diabetes is a group of metabolic diseases in which a person has high blood sugar level because the body does not produce enough insulin, or because cells do not respond to the insulin that is produced. This high blood sugar produces the classical symptoms of diabetes. Diabetes prevention is as basic as eating more healthfully, becoming more physically active and losing a few extra pounds — and it’s never too late to start. Making a few simple changes in your lifestyle now may help you avoid the serious health complications of diabetes down the road, such as nerve, kidney and heart damage. Classification of diabetes mellitus Type 1 diabetes: Pancreas’ failure to produce enough insulin, so required to inject insulin – also called insulin depended diabetes mellitus (IDDM). Type 2 diabetes: Cells fail to utilise insulin properly, resulting in insulin resistance, also called non-insulin dependent diabetes mellitus (NIDDM). Gestational diabetes: When pregnant women without a previous history of diabetes develop a high blood sugar level. Signs & Symptoms l Increased thirst l Frequent urination l Increased hunger l Sudden weight loss l Dryness of mouth l Numbness in the feet l Itching skin l Increased fatigue l Irritability l Blurred vision l Frequent infections Causes and risk factors l Unknown reasons l Hereditary l Obesity and physical inactivity l High blood pressure (hypertension) l High cholesterol levels (dyslipidemia) l Gestational diabetes l Polycystic Ovary Syndrome Complications Diabetes skin infection Diabetic retinopathy (increased blood sugar affecting the retina). Diabetic nephropathy (increase blood sugar affecting the kidneys). l Heart diseases l Emotional stress l Diabetic ulcers l Diabetic ketoacidosis /hypoglycemic coma l Diabetic neuropathy l Hearing impairment l Cataract   Basic knowledge for diabetes patients l The nature of the drugs he or she takes should be known to him or her. l Nutritional requirements and diet planning. l Type and extent of exercise and physical activity. l Interaction of food intake and physical activity with oral hypoglycemic drugs or insulin. l Improvements in lifestyle – quit smoking and alcohol. l Should not be obese under any circumstances. Many a time, diabetes tend to exist with conditions like hypertensions and high cholesterol levels in the blood (dyslipidemia), it should be noted that the acceptable upper limit of blood pressure/cholesterol differ in a diabetic patient compared to a non-diabetic. Dietary guidelines Dietary fat should provide 25% to 35% of total intake of calories, but saturated fat intake should not exceed 10% of the total energy. Protein intake should be at the rate 0.8 to 1.0 gram per kg body weight. Protein should be from animal and vegetable sources. Carbohydrate intake should be highly restricted to the extent that it provides just 50% to 55% of the total caloric content of the diet. Excessive salt intake is to be avoided especially in hypertensive patients and patients with existing kidney failure. Artificial sweeteners should not be used much. Alcohol intake must be stopped completely. Alcohol increases the risk of low blood sugar in people taking anti diabetic drugs. It should be completely avoided in people with high cholesterol levels in the blood. Meals should be evenly distributed throughout the day. Consistency of food timing and energy intake should be the priority for those taking insulin shots. Regular physical activity promotes weight reduction and improves insulin sensitivity, but there is always an associated risk of hypoglycemia and people should be trained on how to avoid it. Monitoring blood sugar Self-monitoring is the best. Urine sugar testing and blood sugar testing can be done at home. Blood sugar testing using glucometers is inaccurate. Ideally it should be done in the lab. But due to ease of use, glucometers are preferred by many. Fasting blood sugar can be tested after 10 hours overnight fasting and post-prandial blood sugar (PPBS) can be tested 90 minutes after breakfast. In case you find a highly abnormal value with glucometre, please rush to the lab to repeat the test. HbA1C and urine ketone tests should be done on a regular basis in a recognised laboratory. Low blood sugar (hypoglycemia) It is a common complication in people taking insulin or anti-diabetic drugs. It is a fatal condition if left unattended. It is caused due to: l Omission of meals or inadequate food intake. l Unaccustomed physical exercise. l Over treatment with insulin or the anti-diabetic drugs (usually self-administration of either of these). l Consuming alcohol without taking proper food. l Impaired renal function. It’s medical emergency. Blood glucose should be immediately measured. If hypoglycemia is detected, immediately give the victim some chocolates or anything that is sweet and immediately transport the victim to the hospital. Frequent blood glucose monitoring is very much essential in diabetic patients on drugs, to avoid the occurrence of hypoglycemia. - Dr Mariambi Hassan Ayub Khan is a General Physician, Internal Medicine at Aster Medical Centre, Old Al Ghanim

There is nothing like the start of a new year to make an inspirational healthy resolution. I always make a health resolution every year. But how much I follow it is still questionable, taking into consideration the nature of my job, which is to taste multiple food dishes prepared in my hotel kitchens. We all make New Year’s resolutions and most of them are related to what we are going to eat and how to become fitter than last year. Believe me, it’s hard to keep up the enthusiasm months after we blow up the confetti on the New Year’s countdown, but it’s not impossible. We always vow to eat less sugar, eat more whole grains, include healthy fats in our diet, include more fish in the diet, eat more fruits, opt for a la carte instead of buffets, to not go for second helpings, eat more vegetables or to even turn vegan. The problem is that we vow too much, which then becomes too much to handle or follow. Start by taking baby steps and set smaller goals and then gradually raise the standard. As per my experience, cutting down on the food that you eat does not really help with fitness. What really makes you fit is eating regular small portions of food and regular exercise. With numerous health apps available to us on our smartphones, you can easily count the amount of calories you consume and can be aware of what you are eating and what dishes to avoid.   You can start off with eating healthy small portions of food to start with and as you feel confident you can start a physical activity and take your resolution to a next level. My advice is to try one new fruit or vegetable every week to 10 days. Go for grocery shopping to a different hypermarket than your usual one as the change in place will ensure you look carefully to find your usual items. And in that pursuit you will definitely will come across a humble and healthy food item that you constantly missed during your visits to your regular store. Experiment with what you have and try to mix and match to make your own signature healthy recipes. While referring to online recipes, one golden rule that I always suggest to all my readers is to go through at least 2 or 3 different websites for a similar recipe. Doing this will give you a better idea about what you are going to cook and also will give you ideas on how to play around and come up with a better recipe to suit your taste, while still being easy on the calorie count. The below recipe is one such example, where I have combined a fruit and a vegetable into a new simple yet healthy recipe. Hope you will try it and will start your new year with a healthy meal. Baby Spinach and Strawberry Salad Ingredients Baby spinach leaves 150gm Fresh strawberries 150gm Pistachio 50gm Chicken breast 2 no (Remove chicken from recipe for the vegetarian version) Olive oil 1 tbsp Salt To taste Ginger juice ½ tsp Dressing Olive oil 2 tbsp Lemon juice 1 tbsp Honey 1 tbsp Mint leaves Few sprigs Salt To taste Method Wash and spin the baby spinach leaves to remove excess moisture. Slice the strawberries and keep them with the spinach leaves. Toast the pistachio and allow to cool down, and crush them coarsely and keep aside. Pat dry the chicken breast and using the back of a knife beat it gently to tenderise the meat. Marinate the chicken breast with olive oil, salt and ginger juice and keep refrigerated for 30 minutes. Cook on a hot plate or non stick pan from both sides to cook evenly from both sides (or you can poach the chicken to make it healthier). Once cooked, place the chicken on a paper towel to remove excess oil. Cut the chicken breast into 1 inch thick fingers and place at the base of a salad bowl. In a mixing bowl, combine olive oil, lemon juice, honey, finely chopped mint leaves, salt and sugar and whisk well to combine into a smooth dressing. Drizzle the prepared dressing on top of the salad mixture and toss the bowl to combine the ingredients and to coat the dressing evenly. Place the prepared salad greens on top of the chicken fingers and sprinkle with crushed pistachio and serve immediately.

- Tarun Kapoor is executive chef at Doha’s Horizon Manor Hotel. Send your feedback to: [email protected] the festive season, I would like to wish all of my readers’ happiness and prosperity in their lives in the coming year. The best way to enjoy these chilly winters is to celebrate with a warm, moist and freshly baked plum cake. There are certain dishes that have maintained their place in the old customs and traditions and are prepared every year, or the celebration will be left incomplete. Every year I prepare a dozen of cakes myself to be distributed among friends and families.The Plum Cake is prepared in various shapes, sizes, forms, leavened or unleavened, light or dark in colour, heavy or fluffy, served with icing, frosting or simply served plain. The Plum Cake started as an English tradition that began as plum porridge or plum pudding, which was eaten a day after fasting to line the stomach of the fasting people. Gradually Plum Cake developed itself into a flour cake rather than oatmeal; also dried fruit, spices and honey were added to the porridge mixture, and eventually it turned into a winter pudding. The evolution of the recipe took place in the 16th century and oatmeal was removed from the original recipe, and butter, wheat flour and eggs were added. These ingredients helped hold the mixture together to make what resulted in a boiled Plum Cake. Richer families that had ovens began making fruit cakes with marzipan, an almond sugar paste, for Easter. For winters, they made a similar cake using seasonal dried fruit and spices. The spices represented the exotic eastern spices brought by the sailors. This cake became known as Plum Cake.Plum Cake is the most popular among all the dishes prepared during the festive season. It may sound very simple and easy to prepare but it requires preparation to be done weeks in advance. The mixture of all ingredients are mixed with spices and kept in air tight container in a warm place for the taste to develop and mature. The mixture is made with chopped candied fruits, dry fruits, nuts and spices soaked in choice of fruit juice. In western countries spirits are used to soak the fruit mixture. You can always use fruit juices to soak if you want to avoid spirits. The cake mixing ceremony has become a hospitality industry ritual where the ingredients are mixed ceremoniously. Hotel staff and guests happily toss heaps of dry fruits, nuts and candied fruit peels to mark the start of the festive season. After baking the cakes are heavily garnished and decorated using a variety of icing like ginger cookies, candy cane, sugar balls and other such edible garnishes. Plum CakeIngredientsButter unsalted 150 gmSugar 120 gmEgg 4 noFlour 120 gmFruit mix 500 gm (recipe as mentioned below)Baking powder ½ tspIcing sugar To garnishFor fruit mixAlmond 100 gmPistachio100 gmCashew nut 100 gmWalnuts 100 gmBlack currant 100 gmDry red cherry 100 gmDry papaya 100 gmDates 100 gmRaisin 100 gmFigs 100 gmLemon peel 50 gmGinger peel 50 gmOrange peel 50 gmRed chili powder 1 tsp (optional)Nutmeg powder 1 tspCinnamon powder 1 tspGinger powder 1 tspFruit juice 1 ltMethodIn a large, clean and dry bowl combine all the dry fruits, nuts and spices and mix well. Pour fruit juice over it and mix again to so that the juice is absorbed.Keep it covered in an airtight container for a week to allow the fruits to completely soak juice and become soft.For the cake — sift flour and baking powder together and keep aside; pre-heat the oven at 180 Degree Celsius.Cream together butter and sugar till the sugar is dissolved and the mixture is light and fluffy.Add eggs one by one and continue to whisk.Add the prepared fruit mixture and flour and gently mix using cut and fold, avoid over mixing.Once the mixture is ready, grease a cake mould with butter and pour the prepared mixture in it.Bake for 30-35 minutes or until a knife dipped in cake comes out clear.Remove from mould and allow to cool. Decorate with desired garnish of ginger cookies, cadies, chocolates or simply sprinkle with icing sugar.Note: you can keep this cake in air tight container for a week and can microwave for 10-15 seconds before serving to enjoy it more like a freshly baked cake straight from oven.

- Tarun Kapoor is executive chef at Doha’s Horizon Manor Hotel. Send your feedback to: [email protected] can be a better day to learn and cook traditional Qatari cuisine than the National Day itself?Yes today, as we all celebrate the National Day across Qatar, let’s celebrate Qatar in our kitchen as well by preparing one of the most loved Qatari dishes — the chicken machboos. This is a staple Qatari dish prepared and served across almost all Qatari households all year round. As with most of the traditional dishes there are numerous variants to this dish. Qatar is a peninsula in the Persian Gulf with desserts spanning across the length and breadth of the country, due to which the availability of raw materials was always limited. The travellers from Iran and the Indian subcontinent always carried aromatic spices and nuts to sell in Qatar. Due to this reason there is a resemblance in the spices used in the Qatari cuisine and the surrounding countries. Being surrounded by sea from three sides, the population has a well-developed taste and liking for seafood along with poultry. Camel is also occasionally eaten as a delicacy during feasts and lavish weddings. There are restaurants that specialise in cooking whole camels with the stuffing of rice. Oozie is another popular dish, made of baby lamb filled with rice served whole. Talking about vegetarian options, date is the prime produce and the region is known to produce one of the finest date varieties in the world. Date in itself is a complete meal with its high calorie and filling nature, it gives your body the essential nutrients required. Dates are served in the first course of Iftar to break the fast in the holy month of Ramadan. I must say that the locals have a love for their desserts. A sweet is a must after a meal to call it complete — Esh Asaraya, Umali, Kunafeh, and Baklava are some of the options. Coffee is an integral and important aspect of Qatari food culture. Arabian coffee is made with lightly roasted coffee bean that is sweetened and spiced with cardamom and is served in small portions in thimble shaped cups to the guests. There are certain etiquettes to be observed while drinking with a local, like the coffee server will continue to pour more coffee after you finish unless you hold the empty cup in front of him and shake it two or three times to express that you don’t need more. Chicken MachboosIngredientsBasmati rice 1 kgChicken with skin 1 ½ kgOnion, sliced 2 noTomato 3 noEggplant 2 noPotato 1 noChana dal ½ cupDried lemon 2 noBig peppers 3-4 noGinger    1 inch cubeGarlic 6-8 clovesCardamom powder 4-6 podsCinnamon powder 1 pieceCloves powder     3-5 noLemon juice ¼ cupSalt To tasteCurry powder 1 tbspCooking oil ½ cupWater    5-6 cupsFor garnishCoriander leaves Few sprigsDill leaves Few sprigsRaisin To garnishBoiled eggs 2 no (optional)    MethodWash and soak the rice and chana dal for 20 minutes, wash and cut the chicken into half lengthwise. Mix ginger chopped, garlic chopped, cardamom, cinnamon, clove, curry powder, lemon juice, turmeric powder and curry powder, salt and 2 tbsp of oil in a bowl.Rub half of this mixture to the chicken inside out and refrigerate for 1 hour.In a large heavy bottom pan heat 3 tbsp oil and add sliced onions and remaining spices and sauté for 5 minutes or until the onions turn translucent.Add the chicken pieces, followed by tomatoes, and potato and continue to sauté on low heat. Add water and pierced dried lemons to it and bring to boil; once the chicken and potato is cooked remove along with tomato and keep aside.Cut the brinjal lengthwise and deep fry till cooked, also deep fry the peppers to just cook them and keep aside.On a hot plate, grill the chicken pieces on each side to give a golden brown colour.Bring the stock to boil again and add the chana dal and simmer for 5 minutes, followed by rice.Cover and cook till the stock is absorbed and the rice and chana dal is cooked.To serve, spread the prepared rice in a platter and arrange the grilled chicken piece on top along with the tomatoes, potato, fried egg plant and pepper.Serve hot, garnished with coriander leaves and boiled egg (optional).

Festive season is just round the corner and it is the best excuse to relish your favourite food.  I have a soft corner in my heart for cookies and chocolates. One such dish that comes with the goodness of both is the chocolate crinkle. This is a classic cookie that comes with real chocolaty taste and the goodness of cookie. This cookie looks like it came straight out of a snowfall to you. This particular cookie is a treat to the eyes and a real delight for taste buds. The chilly weather and festive spirit just makes me crave for this cookie every year. These chocolate crinkles are a holiday staple in winter but are great at any time of the year. Dark chocolate dough is dusted with icing sugar; on baking, the dough rises and the chocolate dough is exposed in the forms of cracks or crinkles which appear all over the cookies giving them their unique and distinguishing look. They are definitely fancy and will not satisfy your chocolate cravings, instead increasing them to the next level. There are few variants of this cookie like the Mint Kiss Crinkle, where a minted chocolate cone is placed in the centre of the dough and then baked. Then there is a variant where chocolate fudge is placed in the centre and is called the Fudge Crinkle. Another variant is the Candy Cane Crinkle, where in a crushed candy cane is added to the dough and then baked, giving it a combination of dark brown and colourful colours of candy cane. You can also add a variety of nuts to the dough and make a Nutty Crinkle, I prefer mine with hazelnuts as they are healthy to consume in winters. You can pop in your favourite seeds like sesame seeds or sunflower seeds to your crinkles to make a Sesame Crinkle or so on. So, in essence, you can make your own signature style and recipe of crinkles to suit your taste buds and show your culinary skills to your friends and family. There is a tip while baking the cookies —  before you roll the dough in icing sugar, roll the dough ball in the castor sugar followed by icing sugar so that the cracks are more prominent and the icing sugar does not disappear after baking due to the moisture of the dough. To make mocha crinkle increase the quantity of espresso powder in the recipe to get a more dominant coffee flavour. And to add another simple twist to your regular crinkle cookie, add few drops of mint oil instead of vanilla extracts to make a Mint Crinkle Cookie. I always try and feature simple yet exotic recipes so that the common reader is motivated and can try these recipes at home. Chocolate CrinklesIngredientsCocoa powder 1 cupCastor sugar 1 ½ cupOil ½ cupEggs 4 noVanilla extract few dropsAll-purpose flour 2 cupsBaking powder 2 tspSalt ½ tspIcing sugar 1 cupEspresso coffee powder 1 tsp (optional)MethodSift the cocoa powder and combine in a bowl with castor sugar and oil.Whisk until the mixture is smooth without any lumps, you can use an electric mixer also to do it as it takes a while to mix it. In the mixture add one egg at a time and continue to mix, add the vanilla extract and mix till smooth.In a separate bowl sift flour, baking powder, espresso coffee and salt together and add gradually into the chocolate mixture.You will get soft dough— do not over mix it, cover the dough and refrigerate for 4 hours or overnight. Place the icing sugar in a bowl and keep aside.Using a spoon scoop out the prepared mixture and roll them into balls.Roll these balls in the icing sugar and flatten them using the palms of you hands; place them in a baking tray lined with baking paper.Bake in a preheated oven at 160 degree Celsius for 10- 12 minutes.You will notice the cracks appear on the cookie, remove from oven and allow to cool down.Serve along with your choice of beverage or store them in an air tight container for later use.Note: you can replace the castor sugar with brown sugar to get better tasting cookies. You can also use espresso coffee if you are a coffee lover.

- Tarun Kapoor is executive chef at Doha’s Horizon Manor Hotel. Send your feedback to: [email protected] teahouses as they are called are not only a place for tea lovers. A teahouse is a small roadside eatery that serves bottomless Chinese flavoured tea with some dim sums for the common people. I can compare the concept of dim sums and tea with that of Spanish tapas served with beverages.Dim sums originated in the canton region of China and were particularly popular among the masses due to their ease of preparation, taste, and their flavourful fillings, service style and of course the cost involved. You can call it a nice overall economical meal for the common man. Eventually as the tea houses grew in numbers and became popular, they turned into a hangout place for friends, and people of all age groups and economic status started to spend their time in those places. Now it’s like a family ritual to spend time at least once a week at tea houses. The food comes in small steam table trolleys stacked with bamboo steamer baskets and are moved from one table to another in the eatery. It is difficult to notice in the hustle and bustle of a Chinese tea house but there is an order on how dim sums are served — lighter steamed dishes come first followed by exotic and expensive items and then deep fried items and desserts in the last. The service is fast and easy and you are billed when you leave. Dim sum, the star of a Chinese tea house, would ideally contain a filling wrapped in a flour wrap steamed or fried and served hot with tangy spicy dip. The fillings may vary depending on the region and preference. The name of the dim sum comes from its unique shape. You will be amazed by the number of shapes dim sums can be made in. A dim sum maker is a specialised job that requires delicate fingers and a lot of practice and patience to mould and shape each dim sum into attractive shapes. The next step is to steam or fry the dim sum which is easy. I love to experiment with the food that I prepare and always try to mix and match ingredients from one cuisine with another. The below mentioned recipe is one such example where I have combined the dim sum with tandoori cuisine and have created a dish with the goodness of a dim sum with flavourful tandoori taste.  Tandoori Dim SumsIngredientsServes    4For doughFlour 250 gmSalt to tasteHot water ¾ cupFor fillingChicken mince 2 cupsOnion    2 noGarlic    3-4 clovesOil 1 tbspSesame oil 3-5 dropsOyster sauce 1 tspCoriander leaves few sprigsSalt to tasteFor the tandoori marinadeGinger paste 2 tbspGarlic paste 2 tbspLemon juice 1 tbspMustard oil 3 tbspYellow chili 1 tbspHung yoghurt 1 cupCoriander powder 1 tspCumin powder ½ tspSalt to tasteMint powder ½ tspChat masala 1 tspFor spicy tomato sauceRipe tomato 2 noRed chili fresh 3 noGarlic    4 noCumin powder ½ tspCoriander leaves ½ bunchesLime juice 2 tspSalt to tasteMethodMake stiff dough with flour, salt and water and keep aside covered with damp cloth for an hour.Sauté onions and garlic in a pan and add the remaining ingredients. Continue cooking till the chicken is cooked and keep this filling aside.For the sauce blanch the tomato, peel and deseed.Chop finely and mix with chopped red chili, garlic, cumin and coriander leaves.Add lime juice and blend to a smooth paste and adjust the seasoning.For the tandoori marinade, combine ginger, garlic paste, lemon juice, mustard oil, hung yoghurt, coriander powder, cumin powder, salt to a smooth thick paste and keep aside. Divide the prepared dough into 24 equal parts and roll each part into flat, thin circular discs. Place adequate filling in the centre and shape the dim sum in the desired shape.You can also use readymade wonton sheets for this to make things easier for yourself.Steam in a steamer for 10 minutes and allow to stand for five minutes outside to cool down.Marinate the dim sums in the prepared marinade and arrange on skewer and roast in tandoor for 5- 8 minutes.Once the marinade is dry and turns a little brown, remove from skewers and serve hot with the prepared sauce.a

- Tarun Kapoor is executive chef at Doha’s Horizon Manor Hotel. Send your feedback to: [email protected] is one word that needs no introduction or explanation. Have you ever wondered that simple bread also has a long and vast history? I will elaborate on how the bread evolved and travelled through ages to the bread we all eat today.Evidence from the historic time indicates that bread in its various forms, shapes and sizes has been around for thousands of years. As humans progressed they devised ways to stone ground the grains, they developed grinding mechanisms so that the outer inedible layer of the grain can be removed to make it edible and further ground it to get flour – the main ingredient in bread. Eventually the four thus obtained was mixed with water to get a whole lot of varieties of foods like porridge, or flour pudding. The early experiments with bread were particularly successful when the yeast in the air fermented the dough, which raised the volume of the bread and enhanced the taste of the bread. The initial breads were uncertain in their outcome as the knowhow about the yeast and various grain and their properties was not there. But with the passage of time and with more hands on experiments with bread making the techniques involved and the ingredients were improved, which resulted in better quality of breads. Egyptians as one of the oldest civilisations of the world have an influence on the bread making as well. They wanted to exclude yeast from their breads and thus started using the over fermented leftover dough for the next day’s production which gave the bread its peculiar sourdough taste and raised the bread better than making a fresh batch of dough. I would say that this technique definitely revolutionised the bread making industry and took the overall bread making to a new horizon. This technique or process of using the left over dough for next day’s production is followed by most of the specialty bread makers today and bread lovers are always look out for bakeries that specialise in such bread making. Even I experienced this technique when I went to Europe and visited a bakery which was following this process from the last 30 years. Their breads were simply a treat for bread lovers, the bakery owner explained me the significance of the starter dough they use to make their breads and mentioned to me that their bread dough has matured over a period of 30 years and is still improving. Also the next big thing that influenced the bread production was the baking ovens; initially clay or iron enclosures/boxes fired with wood or charcoal were used where the temperature was difficult to control. Technology gradually progressed to the gas or electric ovens with precise temperature controls that are safe for the bakers and give consistent bread production. As a baker now there are plenty of options related to the ovens like rotary ovens where the product to be baked is rotated automatically to bake evenly or the deck oven with option of steam to raise the bread and give a nice chewy crust. Ciabatta is one of the popular examples of sourdough bread. This is my favourite too as this bread has a rich inside texture and is sour to taste due to the fact that the dough is prepared a day in advance and the bread is prepared the next day. Smoked Chicken and Ciabatta Sandwich(Classic Italian sourdough bread sandwich with smoked chicken breast)Ingredients(Serves 2)Ciabatta bread 2 noGarlic mayonnaise to spreadButter    2 tbspIce berg lettuce 2-3 leavesChicken breast  2 nosBasil leaves 5-6 noOnion rings ½ noBocconcini cheese 80 gmPotato fries 2 portionsWhite pepper to tasteSalt to tasteSauce            Raspberry coulis ¼ cupSugar 1 tbspMethodCut Ciabatta bread horizontally and keep aside.Spread garlic mayonnaise on both sides. Tear lettuce leaves with hand and place on bread.Slice the smoked chicken breast and arrange on the bread, basil leaves, onion rings and Bocconcini cheese slices.Sprinkle pepper and salt to season.Close with the other half and spread butter on the outside of the bread and grill on a hot griller to have grilled marks.Serve hot with crisp fried potato and raspberry coulis on the side.For raspberry coulis take some raspberry and blend with some water and sugar to a smooth consistency.Note: Instead of using chicken as your filling of the sandwich you can use grilled cottage cheese, bell peppers, zucchini, tomato, asparagus, and mushrooms to make your own vegetarian sandwich.

Skyler Burt’s winning picture in Food from Farm category.By Anand HollaWhile rank amateurs to seasoned experts took a shot at the GCC Food Photography Awards 2015, the search for the region’s finest in the art of photographing food came to a glorious finish, last week.Based on the theme Celebrating Good Food, participants were invited to enter their original photographs depicting various forms, styles, preparations and occasions of food. “Our vision is to raise awareness on healthy eating habits, as well as traditional and organic farming, through photography,” the organisers said.Coinciding with the International Food Photography Day, Photo Award ME held the gala event in Bahrain. The photography competition leading up to GCC Food Photography Awards 2015 is part of Photo Award ME’s “mission to continue raising awareness” on “the importance of a healthy lifestyle through responsible food habits, evident in the rise in traditional and organic farming.”Qatar is among the six GCC states that the contest reached out to, along with Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Oman, Kuwait and the UAE.Participants from GCC countries, judges and invited guests along with Chief Guest Andy Harris, MD and Editor of Jamie Magazine, enjoyed the evening that saw the crowning of GCC’s First Food Photographer of the year. The competition consisted of three categories – Food from the Farms (features food shots from their natural settings – the farmlands), Market Scenes (invites shots from the bustling environment of a local market), and Food Portraits (comprises a dish or a delicious spread of treats set up with or without the use of props and styling).Oman-based Skyler Burt bagged the overall title closely followed by runner-up Krishnakumar, also from Oman. Sushil S (Bahrain) won the Food Portrait category followed by Saji Anthony (Bahrain) for Market scene and Skyler Burt (Oman) for Food from Farm. Various social media winners were also awarded for their effort in taking part in and promoting the message “Celebrating Good Food.”Organised by Bahrain-based advertising agency MACADAM, in partnership with Creative Eye and The Butterfly Effect, the event was driven by an interesting competition that welcomed both locals and expats of the six countries to participate.Apart from being feted as the GCC Food Photographer of the Year 2015, the top prize winner also received a cash award of USD1,000 and sponsored gifts. The first place winner in each category received USD333 and gifts.As for the judges of the competition, each of them was an eminent name in the field of food and photography – food photographer Amelia Johnson, Lonely Planet photographer Phil Weymouth, Creative Director for FACT and Ohlala! magazines Paula Leal, and renowned chef and cookbook writer Aaron Maree. The judges assessed the entries based on three criteria – creativity, photographic quality and genuineness/authenticity of the content.“The contest is open for both professionals and amateurs and hopes to provide young and aspiring photographers a platform to get noticed, appreciated, and be known,” the organisers had said about the event, when the competition kicked off. Given the feedback to the event, the contest being a platform for cool talents to get exposure certainly seems to be true.

Fennel Risotto with Chicken and Saffron Sauce./ Photo by the authorRice is undoubtedly the most consumed staple food of the world. Rice is the seed of a grass and requires plenty of water during its irrigation. Rice varieties are numerous and it is practically impossible for even chefs to be aware of many varieties and their detailed aspects. Some of the most popular rice varieties are basmati, risotto, sona, organic brown, wild rice, and black rice.  The culinary requirements, the demographic conditions, the financial status of consumers, the traditions all have their impact on the variety of rice being used in particular cuisine or region or a category of the population.Out of my few favourite varieties of rice, Arborio rice forms the base of an Italian dish called risotto. Arborio rice has the property to absorb moisture in its short round grain and release starch, thus resulting in a sticky, creamy dish. This rice variety tends to look smaller than the other common rice varieties and the white grain is round and hard to crack. There are some other varieties of rice used to make risotto like Carnaroli, Vialone Nano, Padano, Baldo, Roma but the choice depends on the user and his personal preference towards a particular variety. Risotto is the common word used to denote the Italian rice dishes simmered in stock or liquid. During my hotel management college days, I heard about risotto rice but never encountered it personally. It was however during my industrial training at Taj Hotels that I came across the authentic Italian staple and got my hands on the classic risotto dish. The risotto involves a technique that is the opposite of the general rice cooking technique. You need to slowly pour in the stock to the simmering risotto instead of adding all the moisture/stock at once, this will result in extracting the starch out of the rice making the dish sticky (the way it should be). You can adjust the consistency of risotto to be like a thick soup or porridge. It can be as simple and humble by combining butter, garlic, rice, stock and parmesan cheese in the end, all stirred up together or it can be as luxurious as tossing in some of the most exotic ingredients like scallops, shrimps, asparagus, calamari or prime meats, to name a few. I am sure that once you get your hands on with this dish you won’t stop preparing it again and again with your choice of ingredients. With winters just round the corner I share this exotic yet simple recipe for you all to be enjoyed with friends and family. Fennel Risotto with Chicken and Saffron SauceIngredients        Serves 2Chicken breast 2 noArborio rice 11/2 cupsFennel root ½ bulbChicken stock 1.5 litCelery 1 stalkButter 3 tbspOlive oil 1 tbspParmesan cheese, grated 4 tbspParsley    Few sprigsSalt To tasteCrushed pepper To tasteOlives 6-7 noCream 3 tbspOregano herb Few sprigSaffron SauceShallots, chopped 3 tbspBay leaf 1 noCooking cream 4 tbspSaffron Few strandsApple cider vinegar 1 tbspWater 2 cupButter unsalted     ½ cupWhite pepper powder To tasteSalt To tasteMethodMarinate the chicken breast with salt pepper olive oil and oregano and keep refrigerated for 30 minutes. Heat oil and butter in a sauce pan and sauté chopped celery and Arborio rice.  Cook for 2 minutes but don’t let the rice brown, add chicken stock just to cover the rice and lower the flame.Once the stock evaporates add more and repeat until the rice is just cooked and sticky.Adjust the seasoning and add grated parmesan cheese and finish with cream. Grill the chicken breast over hot plate, turn to cook evenly from both sides.Prepare saffron beurre blanc by combining, chopped shallots, bay leaf, vinegar, saffron, water and reduce to half.Blend the sauce to get smooth consistency and add cream and bring to boil.Add diced cold butter and whisk to thicken the sauce, adjust the consistency and serve warm with chicken and risotto.Cooking tip: an ideal risotto dish should be sticky, creamy and cheesy. The rice should be cooked “al dente” which means just cooked with firm centre. Also it is important to add little stock at a time to extract the starch and let it evaporate so that the risotto gets its right sticky texture and is cooked to right texture.

HEALTHY AND DELICIOUS: Potato and Chickpea Salad.    Photo by the authorSalad is an integral part of our diet which is often ignored or eliminated while we plan our everyday meals. Salad is derived from the word ‘sal’ which means salt and holds the same status as that of salt in our food.  Adding a salad to your routine will definitely payoff with its health benefits and is one of the healthiest habits to adopt immediately.  Not only the salads are healthy but they are cool, crunchy, colorful and fun to eat. You can add fresh fruits as well in your salad bowl to customise it to your taste buds.  I usually come up with different salad while planning or cooking my meal so that I never feel bored of eating the same greens every time. I combine a variety of beans, vegetables, fruits, green leaves, herbs and dressings to make it more interesting and appealing. There is plenty of health benefits associated with salad eating— the following are the important four of them:Salad a rich source of fibre Salads are a rich source of dietary fibre, which helps regulate cholesterol and prevents constipation. Consuming salad makes you feel full and actually consume less food and thus helps you to reduce weight as well.No nutrients lost due to cooking The nutrients of fruits and vegetables are completely transferred when you consume them as salad, which is very beneficial for our overall well-being. Consuming fruits and vegetables also ensures that our body is safeguarded because of the antioxidants they provide us.Good fatSalad dressings containing mono saturated fats like olive oil, avocado and nuts provide us with good fat which is essential for our body.Eat more, lose weight When your target is to lose weight, dieticians recommend one common food – the “great green salad” with lemon juice as dressing. Salad actually fills up your stomach and gives you the satisfaction of having a complete meal and at the same times does not burdens your body with tons of calories as compared to other foods.  Potato and Chickpea Tossed SaladIngredientsServes 2Chickpea, boiled 1 cupPotato 2 noOnion 1 noTomato 1 noGreen chilli 1 noCoriander leaves Few sprigsLemon juice 1 tbspSalt To tasteChat masala ½ tspYoghurt 4 tbspFor tamarind chutneyTamarindSeedless tamarind ½ cupWater 2 cupCumin seeds ½ tspGinger powder ½ tspRed chilli powder ¼ tspJiggery    80 gmCooking oil 1 tspBlack salt To tasteFor mint chutney    Mint leaves 50gmCoriander leaves 50gmShallot 2 noGinger    ½ inch cubeTomato 1 noLemon juice 1 tbspChat masala ¼ tspBlack salt To tasteCumin powder 1/3 tspDry mango powder ¼ tspYoghurt 2 tbspMethodFor the mint chutney, wash coriander and mint leaves thoroughly.Combine chopped shallot, ginger, tomato, lemon juice, chat masala, lemon juice, black salt and dry mango powder and few ice cubes and blend to a smooth paste.Add whipped yoghurt to the paste to adjust the sauce consistency and keep refrigerated. For the tamarind chutney soak the tamarind in Luke warm water for 2- 3 hours.Squeeze the tamarind pulp to extract the tamarind juice and strain in a bowl.Heat oil in a pan and add cumin seeds, add ginger powder, red chilli powder and tamarind pulp.Stir continuously and simmer for 4-5 minutes, add the dissolved jiggery in water and adjust the seasoning and cook for another 5 minutes.Once the mixture thickens remove from flame and allow to cool down. For the salad, rinse and drain the boiled chickpea in a bowl.Boil the potato until soft and tender, drain the hot water and allow to cool down.Cut the potato in big dices and deep fry to make them crispy from outside.In a bowl combine potato dices, chickpeas, chopped onion, tomato, green chilli, coriander leaves, lemon juice, chat masala, salt and toss gently. Place the prepared salad in a salad bowl and drizzle with the mint chutney, tamarind chutney and whipped yoghurt and serve cold.Note: you can prepare the tamarind chutney before hand and store in air tight container in refrigerator for later use as a condiment for salads, starters, samosa or crisp fried fritters. The method of salad preparation sounds a bit lengthy but once you prepare the two sauces- mint and tamarind the salad can be prepared very easily and quickly without much effort.

By Susan SelaskySo how do you keep chocolate chips from sinking in a cake batter?Like many ingredients we fold into cake and cupcake batters, chocolate chips can sink to the bottom.This happens when the batter is too delicate or not thick enough to support the chocolate chips. A chiffon cake batter typically has stiffly beaten egg whites folded in, so it will be lighter and not a good option for add-ins. A batter that’s like a quick bread is heavier and add-ins should hold up.First, be sure to use mini chocolate chips, which are lighter, giving them a better chance of not sinking to the bottom.Second, you can add the chocolate chips to the dry ingredients before you mix them with the wet ingredients. When you do mix the dry and wet ingredients together, do so quickly but gently, using a spatula. Once they are combined, immediately pour the batter into the prepared pan and place it in the preheated oven.Another option is to toss the chips with a bit of flour before folding them into the batter. Place the chocolate chips in a bowl and sprinkle with enough flour (about 1 to 2 tablespoons for 1 cup chips) so that they’re covered with flour. Some of the flour will remain in the bowl. This flour method is a good one to keep in mind when you’re adding fruit like blueberries, raspberries and strawberries to cakes and cupcakes.I made a cake with the following recipe twice and found that pouring the batter into the pan first and then sprinkling the chips on top helped to keep them from totally sinking to the bottom. Sprinkle the flour-dusted chips on top and use a butter knife to gently swirl them into the batter just so they are covered, but you still see them.With this recipe from Nancy Thomas, be sure to toss the chocolate chips with a bit of flour or add them to the dry ingredients first. The original version of this cake called for 1 tablespoon orange zest. Use more if you like.When melting the chocolate for this recipe, be sure to place it in a microwave-safe bowl and cook it in increments of 30 seconds, stirring in between. Chocolate chips will hold their shape even if they’re melted so you can easily burn them. If they burn, you need to start over.Chocolate Chip Orange CakeMakes: 1 Bundt cake (12 servings) / Preparation time: 15 minutes / Total time: 1 hour, 15 minutes1 box (15.25 ounces) yellow cake mix1 package (3 ounces) orange flavour gelatine1/2 cup orange juice1 teaspoon orange extract6 tablespoons vegetable oil1 heaping tablespoon orange zest or more if you like4 eggs1 cup semi-sweet mini chocolate morsels1 to 2 tablespoons all-purpose flourGlaze2 tablespoons butter1 cup chocolate chips1 tablespoon orange extract2 tablespoons orange juicePreheat the oven to 350 degrees.Grease a 12-cup Bundt pan or spray with floured nonstick baking spray.In a large bowl, combine the cake mix and orange gelatin powder. Whisk in the orange juice, orange extract, vegetable oil and orange zest; mix until well blended. Add the eggs one at the time, beating well after each addition.Place the mini chocolate morsels in a bowl and sprinkle with the all-purpose flour. Toss so the chips get coated with the flour — you won’t use all the flour. Gently fold the chips into the batter and then immediately pour batter into Bundt pan.Bake for 45 to 50 minutes or until done and a wooden pick or cake tester inserted in the cake comes out clean.Remove from oven and cool about 10 minutes before inverting onto a cake plate.Meanwhile, in a microwave-safe dish combine the butter and chocolate chips. Microwave in increments of 30 seconds, stirring in between, until chips are melted. Remove from microwave and stir in the orange extract and orange juice. Pour over the cake, allowing the glaze to drip down the sides. Refrigerate to set the glaze before serving.Adapted from a recipe submitted by Nancy Thomas, Royal Oak. Tested by Susan Selasky for the Free Press Test Kitchen. Nutrition information not available.  —Detroit Free Press/TNS

- Tarun Kapoor is executive chef at Doha’s Horizon Manor Hotel. Send your feedback to: [email protected] chicken and pasta are two dishes that do not require any introduction. Butter chicken is a delectable combination of charcoal roasted chicken simmered in mild tomato gravy, a dish which hails from Northern India and has been acclaimed by a number of chefs in the past as their unique creation. Pasta, the staple food of traditional Italian cuisine, secures its place in everyone’s heart as an easy to make and tasty food with the goodness of cheese, cream, fresh herbs and variety of sauces to accompany. I am a diehard lover of both these popular dish and often combine these two to get a dish that I call butter chicken pasta. Butter chicken is undoubtedly one of the most popular Indian dishes and is a favourite among people of all age groups and places. Its preparation mainly comprises of two steps first is to make tandoori chicken and then to make gravy. Tandoori chicken is a spring chicken marinated with yoghurt and aromatic Indian herbs and spices roasted in a charcoal fired clay oven called tandoor. The gravy or the accompanying sauce is prepared by simmering tomatoes with ginger, garlic, cashew nuts and herbs and enriched with dollops of butter and cream. Then they are combined and allowed to simmer to combine and enhance their taste. This dish has a nice sweet and smoky flavour and is mildly spiced. Pasta is generally a simple dish, but comes in large varieties because it is a versatile food item. The pasta is always named after its particular shape. Some pasta dishes are served as a first course in Italy because the portion sizes are small and the recipes simple. The servings are usually accompanied by a side of meat. Pasta is also prepared in light lunches, such as salads or large portion sizes for dinner. It can be prepared by hand or food processor and served hot or cold. Pasta sauces vary in taste, colour and texture. When choosing which type of pasta and sauce to serve together, there is a general rule that must be observed. Simple sauces like pesto are ideal for long and thin strands of pasta while tomato sauce combines well with thicker pastas. A sauce should be served in proportion to the quantity of the pasta — it is important that the sauce does not overflow the pasta or the extra sauce will be left on the plate after all of the pasta is eaten.Butter Chicken PastaIngredientsServes 4Chicken 800gm (1 no)Penne pasta 500gmChicken marinadeGinger garlic paste 1tbspKashmiri chili powder 1tspHung curd ¾ cupGaram masala ½ tspSalt To tasteLemon juice 1tspCumin powder ½tspCoriander powder 1/3tspCardamom powder ¼tspMustard oil 1 tbspFor butter chicken gravy/sauceTomato 1kgGinger     1 inch cubeGarlic 4-5 clovesGreen chili 2 noCashew nut 1/3 cupRed chili powder ½tbspSalt To tasteGaram masala powder ½tspHoney 2tbspCream 1 cupButter 50gmGarnishParmesan cheese 50gmBasil leaves Few no.MethodWash and clean the chicken, divide into 4 pieces and keep aside.Combine all the ingredients for the marinade in a bowl using a whisk to smoothen the mixture.Rub the marinade onto chicken pieces and refrigerate for 2- 3 hours or preferable overnight.Skewer the chicken pieces and cook over charcoal fire in tandoor or cook in a greased baking tray till the chicken is almost cooked.Remove from skewer/oven and cut into desired pieces and keep aside.Take tomato, ginger, garlic, green chili, cashew nuts, red chili powder, salt and boil in water till the tomatoes are completely mashed.Remove from flame and allow it to cool, blend and strain the mixture to get a smooth tomato puree.Boil the pasta in water with some salt.Cook till the pasta is al dente (where the centre of pasta is slightly raw to bite).Drain and add 1 tbsp of oil to prevent the pasta from sticking and keep aside.Melt 2 tbsp butter in a heavy bottom container and return the prepared tomato puree and cook over slow flame till the oil comes on top and the gravy becomes shiny.Debone the chicken and shred with finger and it to the prepared gravy and simmer for 12- 15 minutes to cook the chicken pieces and allow the chicken to impart flavour to the gravy.Toss in the boiled pasta and add remaining butter, cream and honey.Serve hot in the pasta bowl garnished with grated parmesan cheese and basil leaves.

- Tarun Kapoor is executive chef at Doha’s Horizon Manor Hotel. Send your feedback to: [email protected] is a term which is derived from the latin word ‘sal’ which means salt and thus the word ‘salata’ meaning ‘salted things’ came into a wide term used for salad. The role of a salad in our diet can’t be ignored as they provide us with the vital nutrients, antioxidants and mineral and help us maintain our shape and health. There are numerous studies and plenty of reasons to gulp more of salads in our diet — the first being their fibre content. The salads are rich source of fibre which is very necessary and essential for a healthy individual. It is hard to believe that something like fibre which our body can’t digest is still beneficial for us. Including fibre in our diet helps to maintain lower cholesterol levels and prevents constipation. Secondly when we include salad in our diet in the form of greens, fruits and vegetables all their nutritional benefits and antioxidants are straightaway transferred to us without experiencing any nutrient loss as in the case of consuming cooked vegetables. Antioxidants protect us from the harmful radicals. Doctors all over the world always emphasise on including more greens, fruits and vegetables in our diets to make more blood and also having higher antioxidants in our body. Thirdly losing weight is only a dream for many people. Studies have proven that eating simple green salad can help you overcome the hunger and makes you feel fuller while you consume lesser calories. However, one twist to the salad being health is the dressings which are consumed with salads. Most of the readymade dressings available of the selves are not actually healthy but also increase the calorie intake. So one needs to be careful regarding the dressing on the salad, avoid mayonnaise, cream and unhealthy oil based dressings. Instead go for healthy options like lemon juice, orange juice, or flavoured vinegars combined with fresh herbs and seasonings to make a healthy dressing. A salad typically consists of four parts namely base, body, dressing and garnish. Base: You can choose from a variety of lettuce to make the base of salad, you can also use cabbage or any other flat leaf to serve as a base for it. Base of the salad is optional and you can also make a salad without it if you wish to do so. Body: The body of the salad can be comprised of anything ranging from fresh fruits, vegetables, chicken, fish, or any other meat or also a combination of these. One needs to be careful as not to make the pieces of ingredients used to make the body too big as they will be difficult to consume. Also, all the ingredients used to make the body of the salad should be cut alike like a capsicum and pineapple julienne salad should have juliennes of both capsicum and pineapple to make them blend together easily and better eye appeal.Dressing: The dressing is one of the most integral; part of a salad as it enhances the taste of the salad and binds the body of the salad. Dressings can be classical like Caesar dressing, Italian dressing, and French dressing or can be chef’s choice. Garnish: This completes the salad and is also important in overall salad preparation and make it more eye appealing. There is a saying “you eat with the eyes first and then with the tongue.” Rocket and dates saladServes 4IngredientsRocket lettuce 200gmDates, pitted 50gmStrawberry 50gmWalnut 50gmLemon wedge4 – 6 noFor dressingOlive oil 50 mlLemon juice 15mlOrange juice 15mlHoney15mlSalt ½ tspWhite sesame seeds ½ tspMethodWash and remove excess moisture from the rocket lettuce and keep them in a salad mixing bowl.Combine pitted dates, sliced strawberry, walnut with rocket lettuce.In a separate bowl, combine the ingredients for the dressing and whisk together to combine.Pour the prepared dressing on top of the salad leaves and toss the lettuce to combine well.Place the prepared salad on a salad bowl and arrange the prepared salad on a bed of iceberg lettuce.Place lemon wedge on the side and drizzle the remaining dressing on top serve colsHealthy salad dressingsDill lemon dressing: Lemon juice 30ml + dill cleaves chopped ½ tsp + sea salt (a pinch) + white pepper powder.Balsamic vinaigrette: Balsamic vinegar 15ml + olive oil 30ml+ honey 15 ml+ sea salt (a pinch).Orange honey: Orange juice 30ml + honey 15ml + black pepper crushed (to taste) + sea salt (a pinch).Lemon vinaigrette: Lemon juice 30ml+ olive oil 30ml + seas salt (a pinch) + crushed pepper (to taste).