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Last year, Japanese cuisine was recognised as one of the top three cuisines by the United Nation’s cultural organisation as a traditional cuisine next to French and Mexican cuisines. Japanese cuisine is dear to me as well, I love to savour this cuisine and also like to cook it. To me Japanese cuisine is all about the simplicity. Courses include a few small items, often fresh and with simple flavours. Japanese chefs work with top quality ingredients and do as little to the food as possible to bring out the colour and flavour. Japanese food is much about the preparation and presentation as it is the food itself. A great deal of thought goes into every item served. While we all think of only four main seasons, Japanese chefs consider dozens of seasons and carefully select ingredients that are in their prime flavours that represent that specific period. Tasting these flavours, connects Japanese eaters with past years. January 7 is also celebrated as National Tempura Day.  Once prepared, the food is carefully plated and the finished dish often looks like a work of art. The highest number of international awards are bagged by a Japanese restaurants around the world, firstly because it looks beautiful and secondly it tastes fresh. The origin of Tempura, batter frying, in Japan dates back to the 16th century. Portuguese travellers brought the concept of batter frying. The word ‘Tempura’ is derived from the Latin word ‘Tempora’ which refers to ‘The Ember Days’ when Catholics refrained from eating meat. The first Tempura-dish was beans tempura. The shrimp Tempura was prepared and gained popularity. Shrimp Tempura is one of my all time favourite Japanese dish. Shrimp Tempura is often served as an appetiser but can also be paired with a cold noodle dish like Zaru Soba.  The trick to make a perfect Tempura is to get the Tempura batter right. A slight deviation in the batter recipe will end up in a soggy batter. Shrimp Tempura is a three step method. Fist step is to prepare the shrimp, second is to prepare the batter and the last step is to crisp fry the Tempura. Vegetable oil or canola oil is commonly used to prepare tempura, but traditionally sesame oil was used earlier.  How to prepare the shrimps The shrimps need to be prepared in a certain way to keep them straight during the cooking process. First remove the shell but leave the tail intact. Tail on shrimp looks better and is easy to handle while batter coating it and frying it. To prevent the shrimps from curing up, place them on a cutting board belly side up. Make four to five vertical incisions all along the belly. Do not slice all the way, just about half way will do the job. These incisions will also make the shrimp much longer than their actual size. After the incisions flip the shrimp on the sides while pressing down. Start from the tail and work your way up to the top. Be careful not to squeeze too hard, but it should be firm enough where you will hear a slight snap. Arrange in a separate tray to batter coat later on. Make sure there is no excess moisture in the shrimp, especially in the tails, as water gets trapped in the tail and then causes the hot oil to spatter. I always pat the shrimps with paper towel to remove any moisture from them. Heat up cooking oil to medium high heat. Make sure it is hot enough before you start deep frying the Shrimp Tempura. The oil should smoke just a little – that is how you know it is ready for frying. The batter needs to be made with flour and eggs. I will share the recipe below. You can also coat some pinko breadcrumb after batter coating to make it even more crispy after frying. The most common way to eat Shrimp Tempura is to serve it along the Ten-Tsuyu dipping sauce. The sauce is usually made with fish-stock and soya sauce. Grated daikon radish or ginger may be served with it to add some zing to the sauce. Some also prefer to eat Tempura with just dipping salt, plain sea salt or mixed with other spices such as matcha. Shrimp Tempura Ingredients Shrimp (16-21) 1 lb Corn starch ¼ cup All purpose flour 1 cup Water 200 ml Eggs 1 no. Vegetable oil to fry Soy sauce 1 tsp Method First step is to prepare the shrimps and give them small slits to avoid them to curl while cooking Use the above mentioned method to prepare the shrimps for cooking, to test how you’ve cut the shrimps, you should be able to lay them flat on their belly without the shrimp curving or rolling over Pat dry the shrimps to remove excess moisture using kitchen paper towel Arrange in a separate tray/ bowl and keep aside Fill the deep fat fryer or heavy bottom pot with vegetable/ canola oil to about 350 degree Fahrenheit To check the oil temperature stick a wooden chop stick in oil, If it boils around the wood, the oil is ready for frying While the oil heats up, prepare the batter, in a bowl combine egg with 200 ml water and whisk to combine  Ad flour in a separate bowl and pour the egg water mixture and slowly mix until the flour is combined, few lumps are ok in the batter Do not over mix the batter and preferable use a wooden chop stick to combine it, place the batter bowl on ice bath Dust the prepared shrimps in corn starch and then dip in the batter to cover the shrimp flesh Remove excess batter with the side of the bowl and drop the shrimps in heated oil Do not crowd the fryer by adding too many shrimps Fry till light golden brown and crispy, serve hot with soy sauce on the side Note: To make a vegetarian version of this dish replace the shrimp with long cuts of vegetables like baby carrots, baby corn, green beans and remove the egg from the recipe. * Chef Tarun Kapoor,   Culinary Mastermind,  USA. He may be contacted at [email protected]

These tasty cake creations are the work of baker Miriam Milord, a Germany-born artist who creates her unusual sweetmeats in her adopted New York neighbourhood of Brooklyn. And pretty much anything goes. “We once baked a cake in the shape of a backside for a party,” recalls the 35-year-old. As she stood with the cake at the airport, on her way to personally deliver it to a client in Los Angeles.  It’s not the only strange thing she’s taken with her on a plane to bring to a client: She also once took 50 kilograms of buttercream. From a life-sized sofa to a roadkill armadillo, her BCakeNY store has created the wackiest custom-made items throughout the past decade. “Sometimes I dissuade customers from an idea, for example a red velvet cake in the shape of a baby. If you cut it, it looks like a massacre on the table,” Milord says. And she draws a line at certain requests, like gun-shaped cakes. Her cakes cost anywhere from $75 to a whopping $7,500 for very time-consuming and particularly unusual pieces. Milord also sells cupcakes for 2 dollars and other low-price items, since unconventional orders alone won’t sustain the growing business. “Some people think we can bake a cake and then live off it, but there is a lot of work behind it,” Milord stresses. Even Hollywood has taken notice of her unusual pieces. Milord has baked a Ferrari for Justin Bieber, a giant lipstick for Rihanna, a five-storey-tall homage to Jay-Z, and a raccoon for Kevin Hart. “Celebrities are always looking for the newest, craziest things that will make their Instagram explode. That’s how it all started with social media,” says the entrepreneur who set up her company in 2008. After moving from Germany to study graphic design in Connecticut, Milord moved to New York in 2000. “After graduation, I actually wanted to move back to Dusseldorf, but then I fell in love with New York,” she says. “The city sucks you in and then you can’t get away.” Her cake company was created by chance, while she was planning a friend’s baby shower. Milord could not afford a cake and decided to bake it herself, finding some inspiration on YouTube. The cake found an enthusiastic audience, and soon she was getting a few orders each week from friends and acquaintances. She baked cakes at night for a few months before quitting her job at an art gallery and taking the plunge as a full-time entrepreneur. One of her first and most famous customers was Kourtney Kardashian, sister of TV star Kim Kardashian. The It girl ordered a sky-blue train for her baby shower in 2009. “The cake was absolutely stunning, and guests were thrilled when they saw it,” the Kardashian clan gushed on Milord’s website. “The cake not only tasted delicious, it also took the breath away from anyone who saw it.” Today, Milord runs a company with 18 employees. The team produces 20 to 35 cakes a week, but even they are not immune to production disasters: “A colleague carrying a cake once fell down the stairs, and one cake completely melted away on a yacht in the heat.” Social media has been a particular boon for attracting customers: BCakeNY has more than a quarter of a million followers on Instagram. But despite the success of the business so far, it’s still much more about hard graft and pressure than hobnobbing with the stars. And while she has to be all smiles and grace for her star-studded clientele, Milord freely admits: “Sometimes I wake up at 3 in the morning and think ‘Oh God, how am I going to manage everything?’” – DPA

Colocasia (Arbi) is a tropical plant grown primarily for its edible corms, the root vegetable is also known as taro. The Hindi name arvi/arbi may suggest a lay person connection with the Arab world. However colocasia is one of the oldest vegetables grown in the in Indian sub-continent. As a child, I always used to believe the origin of one of my favourite vegetables is Arab world due to its name. . It is believed to be one of the earliest cultivated plants. Taro commonly refers to the widely cultivated species of several plants which are used as vegetables for their corms, leaves and stalks.  Even before potato was widely used in the sub-continent’s kitchens, colocasia was the preferred tuber. Both its leaves and tuber/corm were used in cooking not just in north India but all over the country. I particularly like the corm and my mother used to make it in dry subzi and in curry style with turmeric. In north east regions, the leaves are chopped up and made into a curry. In western India, the leaves are coated with gram flour and crisp fried as a snack and in south India the tuber is fried and curried and then served with rice. Colocasia is not only exclusive to India but is popular in South East Asia too. In Philippines, it is known as “abi” and is a popular veggie. The favoured way to cook the tuber is to fry it. Since colocasia is also a monsoon ingredient and the Indian kitchens were based on Ayurveda, which emphasised a switch to heat inducing foods gradually as the monsoon cooled the sub-continent and to fry foods to keep the diseases at bay. That is also perhaps why arbi and ajwain (caraway seeds) make or such a perfect marriage. Ajwain is known for its digestive properties. It makes perfect sense and a perfect recipe to use the monsoon spice warding off stomach infections common this time of the year is to batter fried Colocasia. Even the leaves are crisp-fried as pakora in Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and Gujarat by sprinkling gram flour and ajwain. Pakora is a perfect recipe for monsoon. Colocasia leaves are cleaned and washed and then coated with a thin layer of besan (gram four). The leaves can be layered, folded and then rolled. They are then cut into rounds and deep fried for a teatime snack. You may not find more exotic pakora anywhere else.  The vegetable is an invaluable source of dietary fibre. The corms have more calories than potato and these come primarily from complex carbs, which are slow digesting, will thus help you fill up more and also help elevate blood sugar levels gradually with easy to break down carbs. The leaves on the other hand have antioxidants, beta carotene and a significant amount of vitamin A that is good for your eyesight amongst other things. And the corm has some essential minerals as well- Zinc, magnesium and potassium that helps regulate heart rate and blood pressure. So what you thought was an empty tuber is actually quite a superfood in its own right. In the last few years I have also seen and experienced the resurgence of tubers, other than potatoes as a favourite ingredient in Kitchens. Even though staples like colocasia, tapioca and yams have been staples, almost regarded as everyman’s source for dietary fiber and nutrition, chef’s experimenting with local ingredients and veggies have resulted in these tubes being highlighted in chic menus like never before. Cassava chips, as you may have noticed are quite popular and trendy on the menus at bars and cafés. What began as a South American craze, seems to have permeated into pop food culture and the chips have been replacing those mighty potato wedges and the chips on the strength of their unquestionable nutritional superiority. Fascinatingly, it seems as though every culture uses this veggie in a slightly different way, depending on how it is prepared and the variety of the crop that is grown. It is also one of the few crops that can grow in the flooded areas, due to its petioles, which can transfer materials even while underwater. It is a staple food in African, Indian, and oceanic cuisine, but it can be found everywhere from Japan, Egypt, Fiji and Spain.  In Punjabi influenced cooking, arbi may of course be cooked in a generic onion, tomato masala. But its charm can be better appreciated if you use the spices selectively. Dried fenugreek is another ingredient that blends well with colocasia. Pan roast the veggie and then coat it with a masala that includes some kasoori methi and I am sure the flavor will mesmerise you. Today I will share an uncommon recipe of kebabs made with colocasia. I came across this recipe almost 15 years back in New Delhi and I still rember the taste and tender texture of the kebab. Arbi Oatmeal Kebab Ingredients Colocasia 750 gm Caraway seeds ½ tsp Cumin seeds ½ tsp Ginger, chopped ½ tbsp Fresh mint leaves few sprigs Salt to taste Roasted Chana dal powder 4 tbsp Potato, boiled 1 no Chat masala 1 tsp Coriander leaves, chopped 1 tbsp White oats 2 cup Oil to shallow fry Garnish  Onion rings to garnish Bell pepper, juliennes to garnish Accompaniments Lemon wedge Mint chutney Method Heat water in a heavy bottom pan and add colocasia and boil till soft Cool, peel and mash the Colocasia with a wok and keep aside in a bowl Dry roast cumin and caraway seeds till fragrant and add to the mashed colocasia Add chopped ginger, green chili, salt, coriander leaves, boiled mashed potato, roasted chana dal powder and mix well to combine With oil greased hands make into small patties and keep them aside Pat the patties into white oats and repeat for all the other patties, refrigerate for 30 minutes  Heat 4 tbsp oil in a non stick pan and shallow fry the prepared patties from both sides until golden brown and crispy Remove on a kitchen paper towel to remove excess oil Serve hot sprinkled with chat masala and onion rings, bell pepper and lemon wedge on side. * Chef Tarun Kapoor,   Culinary Mastermind,  USA. He may be contacted at [email protected]

Weekend winter mornings are a great way to spend quality time with friends and family. Then comes the breakfast or the brunch which again unites the family. Growing up in Delhi, India, in a Punjabi family, I have always enjoyed steaming hot parathas with dollops of butter on them. Whether it is cauliflower, potato, lentil, spinach, fenugreek or the most exotic broccoli or rice parathas, I love them all. The paratha that I liked the most is the cauliflower. This is a vegetable which is easily available fresh and is in season. I am sure that you all agree with me that seasonal vegetables taste better when they are in season as compared to the cold-storage ones which are available all year round. Talking about cauliflower – it is a vegetable native to the Mediterranean region, especially the northeastern portion of this region in what is now Turkey. Its history dates back to 2,000 years and the cauliflower can be either loose curd (head) or the curd (head). Many countries focus on the loose curd which lacks the large compact head and features long stem and leaves. Cauliflower is a member of the cruciferous vegetable family along with broccoli, cabbage, kale, Brussels sprouts and some other less common varieties. Recent studies suggest that cruciferous vegetables are an excellent source of natural anti-oxidants due to their high levels of various phytochemical, as well as good source of essential vitamins, carotenoids, fibre, soluble sugar, minerals and other essential compounds. As a matter of fact brassica vegetables are the largest source of phenolic compounds in the human diet. The most commonly consumed variety of cauliflower is the white and many people consider cauliflower not as healthy as its green counterpart – broccoli which is not really true in all aspects. White variety of cauliflower is just as rich in nutrients as the green cruciferous vegetables. There are four main classification of cauliflower based on its colour – white, green, purple and orange. The floret part of cauliflower is what most of the people eat, however the stem and leaves are also edible and are especially good while making a soup or stock. Due to its closed structure, it is important that you prepare the cauliflower properly before you cook it so that no foreign particles are present. First remove the outer leaves and then separate the florets into smaller floret at the base where they meet the stalks. Trim any brown colourations that may exist on the edges. Dip the florets in warm salt water to remove any insects or foreign particles. Blanch them in salted waiter again to cook the florets and retain the white colour and then dip them in ice bath to stop the carry over cooking and retain the crunchy texture of cauliflower. Always remove cauliflower contains phytonutrients that release sulphur compounds especially when heated. These odours become stronger with increased cooking time, so to minimise the odour and retain the vegetables crisp texture, cook the cauliflower for only short time. You can choose the cooking method you like for cauliflower but the one I prefer the most is healthy sauté after a quick blanch in salt water. I always keep three things in mind while cooking my vegetables first is the minimal heat exposure, second is least possible cooking time and the last is minimal necessary seasonings required to enjoy the real taste of vegetable rather than the seasoning. India and China are the largest producer of cauliflower in the world which accounts to ¾th of the total production in the world. While selecting cauliflower, choose a clean, creamy white, compact curd in which the bud clusters are not separated. Spotted or dull coloured cauliflower should be avoided, as well as those in which small flowers appear. Cauliflower heads protected by many think green leaves are better protected and will be fresher. The size is not related to its quality, so choose the one that best suits your requirements. Cooking tip: Add few drops of lemon juice or vinegar while blanching the cauliflower to enhance and protect its colour. Cauliflower  and Turkey soup Ingredients Cauliflower florets 200gm Turkey breast 100gm Olive oil 30ml Garlic clove 2-3 no Celery stalk 1 no Noodles 50gm Carrots 30gm Green peas 30gm Salt to taste Black pepper to taste Garnish Cilantro leaves to garnish Method Trim and soak cauliflower florets in salted water and keep aside Heat oil in a heavy bottom stock pot and sauté chopped garlic cloves Once the garlic is light brown add chopped celery and sauté till celery is translucent Add cauliflower florets, diced carrot, green peas and diced turkey breast and sauté till the florets are browned Add water and simmer the ingredients over slow flame for 5- 8 minutes Add noodles and simmer again for 5 minutes and adjust the seasoning with salt and black pepper Serve hot in a soup plate garnished with cilantro leaves and choice of bread on the side. * Chef Tarun Kapoor,   Culinary Mastermind,  USA. He may be contacted at [email protected]

The delightful, dynamic and delicious ninth edition of Qatar International Food Festival (QIFF) organised and delivered by Qatar Tourism Authority, began recently  for what promises to an exhilarating ride at the Hotel Park. In the ongoing festival, the number of participants has increased considerably — by 37%, with a whopping  177 stalls — the event has now become the largest food festival of Qatar. Thousands of attendees, food enthusiasts and participants are making a beeline.

The sheer numbers at the 9th edition is one thing, but what takes the cake  is the eclectic mix of expertise and diversity. By Muhammad Asad Ullah The layer of smoke wafting from Sheraton Grand Doha’s park wasn’t dry this time; the all-pervasive aroma of food taking over the capital’s skyline — as if intent on making a statement — was palpable.  The eagerly awaited 9th Qatar International Food Festival, organised and delivered by Qatar Tourism Authority, began on Thursday for what promises to an exhilarating ride at the Hotel Park. Where the number of participants has increased considerably — by 37%, with a whopping 177 stalls — the event has now become the largest food festival of Qatar, with thousands of attendees, food enthusiasts and participants making a beeline. It’s that time of the year again where one needs to snub the weight gain game, stop griping and perhaps, even acquit the whining foodie.  The festival opened with its signature QIFF Cooking Theatre — ushering in one of Hollywood’s favourite celebrity chefs and culinary arts maestro, Wolfgang Puck, along with celebrated Middle Eastern chef, Qatar’s very own Aisha al-Tamimi, extending their experience for learners to prepare, cook, handle and — most crucial of all — present food. It reinforced the corollary about how visual appeal is just as essential as the tasting experience.  Chef Wolfgang shared his exquisite recipe of Italian classic Seafood Risotto and Chinois Lamb Chops — the highlight remained his shared secrets; the presence of prawns, paired with al dente rice and parmesan — which appeared to be on-point with its taste to indulge one’s Italian food cravings. Not for nothing has he been the in-charge of the feast at the Governor’s Ball — the Academy Awards after-party — for so long.  The sheer diversity of cuisine on offer should bring in hordes to savour the flavours of the East and West in the days to come. This year, QIFF however, is not only saving its best for food lovers but also giving generous leeway to locally owned coffee shops; the aroma and rich flavour of the beans will, in all likelihood, keep the visitors hooked. The ‘first day, first show’ provided ample evidence.  Kuwaiti-singer-turned chef Sulaiman al-Qassar was at hand to deliver his customised recipe for traditional Rice and Chicken, the Chicken Kabsa and Potato Kebbah. It seemed luscious with rice, but if one is not really a rice person, a fresh pita bread can work out extremely well, giving a well-balanced flavour with dried lime. American chef and TV host Christine Ha, the first visually impaired contestant of MasterChef and winner of its third season (2012), played safe with her Mexican Beef Steak Fajita and Grilled Corn, but it was spicy enough to hit the taste goalpost.  There’s some good news for people, who want to have some time to themselves, with no kids around! There’s a set-up for mini zoo where, many people did leave their young ones following the opening ceremony. Then, there’s another escapade that has nothing to do with food: art therapy. One got to see some extraordinary presentations. The pistacolate chocolate presentation and puffytaffyqatar’s cute candy floss floating in the park in Pikachu and Angry Birds formation made one think twice: to eat it or keep it!  And if you’re not into art, you can always just chill out, listening to some live music by Doha bigwigs based hip hop dance troupe, beats, Doha String Quartet & Friends, Doha Jazz and an American music band, playing throughout the festival. Foodies will be able to treat themselves to more than ten different cuisines — all under one roof. It sounds as promising as the festival in contributing to the development and promotion of Qatar’s food and tourism industry.

Whenever I travel, it is my prime goal to learn more about newer cuisines, latest food trends and ingredients in the culinary world. During my recent trip to New York and other surrounding states I came across a very interesting variation of a leafy green-Kale. The dish that I came across was a crispy kale chaat – a dish comprising crispy fried kale leaves drizzled with Indian sauce and condiments. I really appreciated the taste of the dish and decided to write about kale and its health benefits and share my knowledge with my readers. It won’t be wrong to state kale as one of the healthiest foods around. If you have not tried kale yet, now is the time. It is not only packed with nutrients and essential vitamins but is even healthier than the common leafy green spinach. It also helps improve blood glucose control in diabetes, lowers the risk of cancer, reduces blood pressure and helps in the development of asthma. The potassium content in kale also helps reduce the risk of heart disease. Kale is a leafy, winter green vegetable that is high in fibre. It is a delicious and nutritious side dish or a beautiful addition to smoothies and salads. The nutrients in kale can help boost the overall well-being and prevent a range of health problems. Rich in fibre, anti-oxidants, calcium and vitamin K, among others, kale is also a good source of vitamin C and iron too. One cup of chopped fresh kale weighing about 16 grams provide almost 1 gram of fibre and one serving of cooked kale about 130 grams provides 3 grams of fibre. Dietary underlines suggest a fibre intake of about 25 grams for adults. Kale has high water retention which makes it helpful to prevent constipation. The presence of vitamin B and vitamin C promotes iron absorption. These are essential for the release of energy from food. Kale’s origin dates back to over 200 years and was in fact one of the most widely eaten green vegetable in the Middle Ages. Aside from its origins, kale has always been an important staple in people’s diets during difficult times. This is mainly because it is easy to grow and is resistant to cold temperatures so if things are bad, you kind of know that kale will most likely be around. The kale leaves colours can vary from light to dark, to violet and green and also differences can be seen in height with varying stem lengths. Kale, cabbage, cauliflower, broccoli, and Brussels sprouts are all the same species of plant and belong to the same family. It is said that red Russian kale was introduced across the Atlantic into the US and Canada by traders in the 19th century. Kale’s cultivation was encouraged in UK during World War II because it provided vital nutrients and was available to supplement rationing. I am confident that this recipe is nothing like you have never tasted before. An utterly unique and delicious snack, the crispy Kale Bhajia features a batter fried kale leaves served with a sprinkling of aromatic cumin seeds and spicy chili powder along with some other condiments. Remember to dry the leaves completely before deep frying to get a really crisp outcome. Serve it immediately with a cup of hot tea and I am sure this will be a memorable snack that will linger in your memory and taste buds. Crispy Kale Chaat Ingredients Kale leaves 400 gm Gram flour 1 cup Turmeric powder 1 tsp Chili powder ½ tsp Salt to taste Oil to deep fry Asafoetida a pinch Onion, chopped 2 tbsp Tomato, chopped 2 tbsp Cilantro chopped 4 tbsp Green chili 2nos. Tamarind sauce 4 tbsp Mint sauce 4 tbsp Yoghurt 4 tbsp Chaat masala to sprinkle Cottage cheese, grated 4 tbsp Cumin seeds 1 tsp Chili powder 1 tsp Method Wash and pat dry the kale leaves and let it air dry In a separate bowl combine gram flour, chili powder, turmeric powder, salt and ¾ cup water, mix well and make a smooth batter, keep aside Fine chop onion, tomato, cilantro, green chili and keep aside Heat oil in a heavy bottom pan over medium heat Dip the kale leaves in the bean batter and drop a few leaves at a time into the hot oil Fry until light golden brown, repeat for the remaining kale leaves Place the crispy kale on a serving plate Sprinkle chopped onion, tomato, cilantro, green chili Drizzle tamarind sauce, mint sauce and yoghurt Dust chat masala, roasted cumin seeds and chili powder on top and serve immediately *Chef Tarun Kapoor,   Culinary Mastermind,  USA. He may be contacted at [email protected]

Do you love nuts but steer clear of them because you are afraid of binge eating too many of them? The good news is that you don’t have to avoid them anymore. If you want to snack on nuts mindfully, your best bet is to eat pistachios. Well technically pistachios are not nut. They are actually a seed. Yes you read it right they are actually seeds of red or yellow plum like fruits whose flesh is removed during processing. However everyone calls them nuts as they resemble nuts and are classified as cashew family. Other such items classified under cashew family are sumac, mangoes and poison ivy. So this also makes pistachios a distant relative of mangoes! Pistachios as compared to any other nuts have lower calories and have a unique flavour profile of their own. You can easily consume about 45 pistachios for 99 calorie snack and that is a deal breaker. It makes a great snack in the afternoon along with fruit too. The fat in the seeds and nuts keep you feeling fuller for longer too. February 26 is celebrated as National Pistachio Day and 98% of the pistachios produced in the United States are from California and are also exported all over the world and chances are that your favourite pack of pistachio in your grocery store has travelled all the way from California. Pistachios are one of the oldest flowering trees in the world and have been mentioned in ancient books for their taste and health aspect. Very few food items find their space in royal legends, one such legend states that the queen of Sheba made an official declaration hat pistachios were an exclusive royal food. In fact she even went so far as to forbid commoners from growing the nut for their own consumption. The ancient king of Babylon also had pistachio trees planted in his garden. The Mogul emperor, Akbar the great hosted lavish banquets befitting his royal status. He often served chicken at those feasts and even ordered the chickens to be fed pistachio for weeks in advance to give chicken a unique and delicious flavour. Also there were many other pistachio related items in the feast. Pistachios are also referred as smiling pistachio in Iran and happy nut in China. In Middle East, pistachio is consumed in large quantities and is a common snack during get together and celebrations. Pistachios are also known as green almond. There is a saying that if you are sitting under a pistachio tree and you hear the shells snapping open, it is a sign of good luck. Pistachios come in many colours. Many years ago pistachios were dyed red to make them more eye-catching and to hide the imperfections in the shells and to make the nuts stand out in vending machines and grocery shelf displays. Pistachios are sold in their shells and out of their shells. If you love the taste of pistachio but hate having to remove the shell apart, shelled pistachios are the best but you’ll end up paying almost double the price of pistachio and also consume more. Studies have shown that removing pistachio from their shells slows your consumption. While purchasing the nuts in their shells, look for blemish free, ivory coloured shells that are split open at end. Avoid pistachios that are cracked beyond the natural opening. Unopened shells besides being almost impossible to peel open are an indicator of immaturity. The kernel or nutmeat should be yellow to dark green in colour. The greener the nutmeg is, the better the flavour will be. Also do not buy pistachios which are not from reliable source as improper processed or harvested pistachios are not suitable for human consumption. After you eat pistachio you are left with the shells? Turkey is the first country to have thought about this and is working on a project to turn those shells into a fuel and run a city. Pistachio Strawberry Cheese Cake Ingredients For the crust Biscuit crumble 1 cup Castor sugar 1/4 cup Unsalted butter 1/2 cup Vanilla extracts 1/4 tsp For the filling Cream cheese 250 gm Condensed milk 300 gm Pistachio pudding powder 100 gm Eggs 5 nos. Strawberry 4 nos. Garnish Macaroon  4 nos (optional) Pistachio powder 2 tbsp whipped cream to garnish Method For the crust, combine biscuit crumble, sugar, unsalted butter and vanilla extract in a bowl  Combine well to a crumbly mixture and place in a 9 inch ring pan  Press to make an even layer and refrigerate for 30 minutes For the filling whisk cream cheese, milk and pistachio pudding mix until smooth Add eggs and whisk on low speed until combined Pour the filling over the prepared crust and add sliced strawberries  Place the pan in a baking sheet, Bake for 50-60 minutes, water bath in a preheated oven at 350 Degree Fahrenheit Cool on a wire rack for 10-15 minutes, refrigerate for 2-3 hours Carefully run a knife around the sides to loosen up, remove the ring  Serve cold garnished with macaron or pistachio powder or whipped cream. Note: Water bath- when you place water in the baking tray surrounding the baking and it is called water bath, it allows even baking. *Chef Tarun Kapoor,   Culinary Mastermind,  USA. He may be contacted at [email protected]

The diversity of people living in Middle East always inspires me to learn and write more about the varied cuisine around. Today, I will share my knowledge about figs, a delicate fruit and one of my favourites. They grow on ficus tree which is a member of the mulberry family. They are unique in that they have an opening called ostiole or “eye” which is not connected to the tree but helps in the development of the fruit. Figs range dramatically in colour and subtly in texture depending upon the variety, there are almost hundred different varieties of figs. Some of the most popular ones are; black mission, blackish purple skin and pink coloured flesh. The most common one are; kadota, green skin and purplish flesh, calimyrna, greenish yellow skin and amber flesh, brown turkey- purple skin and red flesh and Adriatic. This variety is most commonly used to make fig bars, which has a light green skin and pink tan flesh. Figs are not suitable to make energy fig bars but are a culinary delicacy par excellence. Part of the wonder of the fig comes from its unique taste and texture. Figs are lusciously sweet and feature a complex texture that combines well with the chewiness of their flesh, the smoothness of their skin and the crunchiness of their seeds. In addition, since figs are delicate and perishable, some of their mystique comes from their relative rarity. Because of this the majority of dates are either sun dried or artificial dried creating a sweet and nutritious dried fruit that can be enjoyed throughout the year. As a kid, my mother used to give me a fig with warm milk in winters to keep me healthy and nourished. Since fresh figs are perishable fruits, they should be purchased only a day or two in advance of when you are planning to eat them. Look for figs that have a rich, deep colour and are plump and tender and not mushy. The stems should be firm and should be free of bruises. Smelling a fig can also give you clues into its freshness and should not smell sour, which indicates that it might be spoiled. One very interesting fact about figs is that they are not technically a fruit but an inverted flower. Fig trees don’t flower like apples and other common fruits. Their flowers bloom inside the pear shaped pod, which later matures into the fruit we eat. Each flower the produces a single , one seeded hard shelled fruit called achene, that is what gives the fig the crunch we all know and admire. So when you eat a fig you are consuming multiple fruits. Figs are now a days available all the year round but there is nothing like the unique taste and texture of fresh figs. They are uniquely sweet with a hint of tartness. This tastes best combined with the crunchy texture of their seeds. California figs are available from June through September and some European varieties are available in autumn too. Figs not only taste good but are a rich source of potassium, a mineral that helps control blood pressure. They are also found beneficial to fight against breast cancer, avoid cardiovascular disease and is helpful for overall well-being. Figs and Coconut Gujia Ingredients For the crust All purposed flour 4 cups Clarified butter 8 tbsp Salt 1 tsp Baking soda 1/2 tsp For Filling Coconut grated 500 gm Figs, chopped 200 gm Pistachio, chopped 2 tbsp Cashew nuts, chopped 2 tbsp Almonds, chopped 2 tbsp Raisins, chopped 4 tbsp Green cardamom powder 1/2 tsp Castor sugar 250 gm Condensed milk 100 ml Method To prepare the crush, sieve the refined flour and run in the ghee and salt Add cold water and knead into a stiff dough, cover with damp cloth and set aside In a heavy bottom pan add grated coconut and sauce over slow flame to remove the raw smell and lightly brown it Remove from flame and keep aside in a bowl Combine chopped figs, pistachio, cashew-nuts, raisins, almonds, green cardamom powder and condensed milk and sugar Combine well with coconut to make a crumbly texture filling, keep aside With oiled hands divide the dough not small balls Roll the dough balls flat using a rolling pin into a 4 inch dia circular disk Place 2 tbsp of prepared filling in it and fold into half and fold in the ends to secure the filling You can also use a gujia mold to shape them or use a fork to seal the ends of the gujia Keep them covered with damp cloth to avoid them drying Place the gujia in a baking tray and bake in a preheated oven at 180 degrees Celsius / 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 20-22 minutes You can also fry these gujia and dip them in sugar syrup and keep aside, serve cold garnished with some chopped pistachio * Chef Tarun Kapoor, Culinary Mastermind,  USA. He may be contacted at [email protected]

Thai cuisine has given us so many treasures in terms of delicious dishes which we can all savour and enjoy with friends and family. One such treasure is the Thai papaya salad which is amongst Thai cuisines best exports. This salad is addictively hot, refreshingly crunchy, intensely savoury and insanely sour – in short the flavours of south east Asia in a plate. No doubt this landed the delectable salad into the list of “50 most delicious foods” a few years ago. Thai green salad is locally known as “Som Tam”. Especially in the fast approaching summer days Som Tam’s remarkable cooling properties are always appreciated. Also the name denotes a salad made in mortar from an old dialect for sour and to pound. So, the green papaya is the most popular main ingredient along with other seasonings and additives. However, you can use carrots, cucumber and horse-radishes to make your own speciality version. Talking about green papaya – The papaya is the fruit of the Carica papaya tree, it is native to southern Mexico and Central America and is now cultivated in many tropical regions. The fruit sometimes is used to be referred to as a “tree melon.” In Australia it is called Paw Paw. Today there are mainly two varieties of papaya, Hawaiian and Mexican. The Mexican papaya can weigh as much as ten pounds while the Hawaiian usually weighs about a pound. It is smaller. Another local variety popular in India is Disco Papaya, which I guess may be related to the dancing feeling after you eat this tender and bright red papaya variety. Som Tam as the name suggests, is a dish that requires a pestle and mortar or similar. In Thailand, they would use a clay version but a stone one is fine, as long as you are careful not to pound the ingredients too hard – the vegetables should be bruised, rather than crushed. The traditional way of preparing the papaya is to hold it in one hand while it is cut and shredded vigorously with a sharp knife. I personally prefer and recommend the grater method as the shavings are thin and consistent and more enjoyable to eat. The basis of making a perfect green papaya salad is to make a balance of four taste – sweet, sour, hot and salty. To achieve these aspects almost all the recipes call for addition of garlic, chilli, fish sauce, lime juice and dried shrimps. Green papaya salad is the most popular salad in Thailand and is especially loved by Thai women – perhaps because it’s low in calories and fat, but very high in taste and eating satisfaction, helping you stay slim. This salad recipe is crunchy-delicious, whether served as a side dish or an appetiser, or as the entree. Cooked shrimp or crab meat can be added or cashews if vegetarian, or try eating it as they do in Thailand – with a bowl of sticky rice. Som Tam Salad Ingredients Green papaya 1/2 no Beans sprouts 1 cup Cucumber 1/2 no Tomato 1 no Green onions 3 stalk Coriander leaves 1/2 cup Basil leaves 1/3 cup Peanut, roasted 1/4 cup Dried shrimp 1 cup Tofu, fried 1 cup (optional for vegetarians) For dressing Garlic, minced 3-4 cloves Lime juice 2 tbsp Soy sauce 3 tbsp Brown sugar 2 tbsp Honey 2 tbsp Shrimp Paste 1 tsp Thai red chilli 1-2 nos. Method Cut the papaya lengthwise and open it, scrape out the seeds and discard Peel the skin and hand shred the papaya or grate in a food processor Bash the green papaya with mortar or a knife handle to bring out the juice and make it a bit soft, keep aside For the dressing in a separate bowl combine minced garlic, lime juice, soy sauce, brown sugar, honey, shrimp paste and chopped Thai red chilli Blend all the ingredients together to make a dressing, keep aside Combine the shredded papaya with beans sprouts, shredded tomato, shredded cucumber, green onions, coriander leaves and combine well Add the prepared dressing and toss to coat the papaya Add the peanuts and basil leaves  Taste the salad if you like more saltier add fish sauce and soy sauce, if you prefer it sweet add more honey Serve the salad cold in a salad bowl and pour the remaining dressing over it You can also serve it along sticky rice or coconut rice Note: Look for the raw papaya and not for the regular papaya. You can also substitute green papaya with cucumber. You can also add your choice of shredded protein like chicken to make a non-vegetarian version. * Chef Tarun Kapoor,  Culinary Mastermind,  USA. He may be contacted at [email protected]

Whenever I carve for classic dish spaghetti and meat-balls is one of the top dishes in my list. This is a simple yet exotic dish with its old school charm. Almost everyone has at one point in their life got to experience this culinary masterpiece. This is considered a family staple when it comes to dinner time. The comfort of a heaping plate of pasta soaked in marinara sauce and delectable meatballs is simply great. Contrary to a popular belief, if you travel to Italy, you won’t likely find a dish called spaghetti and meatballs on the menu. While it is largely known as an Italian dish, spaghetti and meatballs actually didn’t originate there. Sure, Italy has their own version of meatballs, but they are different from what you’ve likely had in the past. They are called “polpettes” and are primarily eaten without spaghetti. They are also made with any meat from turkey to fish, instead of primarily ground beef and are made no bigger than golf balls. Spaghetti and meatballs in Italy is largely to satisfy the carvings of the typical American or international travellers. The origin of spaghetti and meatballs started with Italian immigrants coming to America in early 1900’s. The majority of immigrants were extremely impoverished and had been spending majority of their income on food in Italy compared to US. Meat quickly became staple and families were putting meatballs more frequently on the table. Then came the sauce, for American cooks “Sailor Sauce” dominated Italian American cuisine because canned tomatoes were among the only items available at local grocers. The marinara sauce originated from Naples and comes from the Italian word “Marinaro”, meaning sailor. Spaghetti also became instant hit in United States as it was easily available and had long shelf life and was economic and easily affordable by the masses. Soon chefs started combining the spaghetti, marinara sauce and the meatballs together and thus the dish spaghetti and meatballs was made. Even seasonings like garlic, hot pepper flakes and oregano became more and more prominent that immigrants used as they were assimilated into American culture. Spaghetti and meatballs Ingredients Serves 2 For tomato sauce Peeled tomato 500 gm Olive oil 1/4 cup Garlic cloves 10-12 cloves Red pepper flakes 1/2 tsp Oregano 1 tsp Bay leaves 2 leaves Kosher salt to taste Black pepper to taste Basil leaves 1/2 cup For  meatballs Ground beef 300 gm Stale bread, torn 1 cup Milk 1 cup Eggs 2 Garlic, chopped 4-5 cloves Parmesan cheese, grated 1 cup Parsley, chopped 1/2 cup Oregano 1 tsp Fennel seeds 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes 1/2 tsp Salt to taste Black pepper, crushed to taste Olive oil 1/4 cup Spaghetti pasta 300 gm Method For the tomato sauce, heat oil in a heavy bottom pot over medium heat and add garlic Blanch and peel the tomato and cut them in rough dices and add to the pot Add red pepper flakes, bayleaf, salt, oregano, crushed black pepper, salt and stir well Break the tomato with the spatula and simmer until the sauce thickens and the sauce reduces to almost half  For the meatballs place bread in a bowl and add milk and soak for 5 minutes Squeeze the bread and remove excess milk and tear the bread into small pieces using a fork Combine the ground beef, egg, garlic, parmesan cheese, parsley, salt, oregano, pepper, fennel and red pepper flakes in a large bowl Mix well to combine all the ingredients until they are evenly distributed Fill a small bowl with cold water, moisten your hands and roll the meat mixture between palms into golf sized balls, occasionally moistening hands as needed Place meetballs on a sheet tray, refrigerate the  meatballs  Once the sauce thickens remove from flame and allow to cool down at room temperature Remove the bayleaf and bland in a for processor to a smooth consistency In a large skillet eat oil over medium heat add the meatballs to skillet and brown the meatballs, turning them carefully, return the meatballs to sheet tray Once all the meatballs are browned add them to a pot with tomato sauce and simmer them on slow flame Simmer for 10-15 minutes or until the meatballs are cooked  Meanwhile boil spaghetti pasta in a pot with salt till al dente  Drain the liquid, reserving 1 cup pasta cooking liquid  Take the pasta in a sauce pan and add tomato sauce and meatball Also add some pasta cooking liquid to loosen the pasta and toss to combine well Serve the pasta in pasta bowl and sprinkle remaining parmesan cheese on top. * Chef Tarun Kapoor, Culinary Mastermind, USA. He may be contacted at [email protected]

The origin of this scrumptious delicacy is quite controversial and undocumented with several ethnic groups claims it. Greek, Turkish and Middle Easterners claim baklava as their own and prepare it in their own ways. Assyrians had been preparing this sweet pastry as early as 8th century BC by layering unleavened flat bread with chopped nuts in between, drenching it in honey and then baking it in primitive wood burning ovens. The modern day baklava went through a number of transitions as the history of the area kept on changing. Middle East, East Mediterranean, Balkans, Turks, Arabs, Jews, Greeks, Armenians, Bulgarians of today who introduce baklava as their national dessert were all part of the Ottoman empire once. Just like there is difference of opinion over baklava origins, the source of the word baklava is also disputed. The word baklava entered the English language in 1650, a borrowing from Ottoman Turkish. Turkish historians claim of its Turkish origin whereas some say “baklava” may come from the Mongolian word “bayla” meaning to tie or wrap up. According to another source “The Armenians even insist that the word itself–baklava—reveals its Armenian origins as the word appears to be related to the Armenian word for bakh (Lent) and halvah (sweet).” The name baklava is used in many languages with minor phonetic and spelling variations. In the Arab world Baqlawa/ baklawa is used, whereas, the Greeks call it baklava. There is no denying the fact that the dessert that we delectably consume today was perfected during the Ottoman Empire in the 15th century after invading Constantinople (present day Istanbul). And for over five hundred years the kitchens of the Imperial Ottoman Palace in Constantinople became the ultimate culinary hub of the empire. The oldest reports about baklava are present in Topkapi Palace kitchen notebooks from that period. According to this report baklava was baked in the Palace in 1473. Baklava elaborated from a simple pastry into a dessert which needed skill in order to please the dignitaries and the rich people. Till the 19th century baklava was thought-of as a luxury; which only the very wealthy could afford. To this day, it is a very common expression in Turkey that “I am not rich enough to eat baklava every day”. People would bake baklava only on special occasions, and religious events or wedding. However, the times have changed so much now that giving a baklava gift basket or baklava business gifting is just a click away and you can buy baklava online anytime. Although the exact baklava origins remain uncertain it is an undeniable certainty that baklava was enhanced every time there was wind of change in The Middle East or Near East. The region has seen many of the world’s oldest cultures and civilisations come and go, with each of them modifying the baklava to their preference. Whenever food crosses boundaries it is modified and the recipe is changed according to the people’s food preference and eating habits. The same thing happened with baklava when it started to get popular and crossed boundaries different cultures influenced its preparation and modified the recipe. The Greek seamen and merchants travelling to Mesopotamia soon discovered the delights of baklava. It mesmerised their taste buds. They brought the recipe to Athens. The Greeks’ major contribution to the development of this pastry is the creation of a dough technique that made it possible to roll it as thin as a leaf, compared to the rough, bread-like texture of the Assyrian dough. In fact, the name “Phyllo” was coined by Greeks, which means “leaf” in the Greek language. The Armenian Influence – When the baklava was discovered by the Armenian merchants on the eastern border of the Ottoman Empire located on spice and silk routes they integrated cinnamon and cloves into the texture of baklava. Further east the Arabs introduced the rose-water and orange blossom water. The taste changed in subtle nuances as the recipe started crossing borders. Of all the countries in the Middle East, Lebanon is notably credited with contributing the most to baklava. In Persia, the renowned pastry is cooked since antiquity, invented the diamond-shaped baklava which contained a nut stuffing perfumed with jasmine. As the Ottomans invaded Constantinople to the west, they also expanded their eastern territories to cover most of ancient Assyrian lands and the entire Armenian kingdom. Cooks and pastry chefs who worked in the Ottoman palaces contributed enormously to the interaction and to the refinement of the art of cooking and pastry-making of an empire that covered a vast region. Towards the end of 19th century, small pastry-shops started to appear in Constantinople and in major provincial capitals to cater for the middle class. Baklava Ingredients Phyllo pastry 1 pkt Unsalted butter 1 1/4 cup Walnuts, chopped 400 gm Cinnamon powder 1 tsp Castor sugar 1 cup Lemon juice 2 tbsp Water 3/4 cup Honey 1/2 cup To garnish Chocolate chips to garnish Walnuts, chopped to garnish Method Thaw phyllo pastry overnight in refrigerator and then leave it at room temperature for about an hour  Trim phyllo pastry to fit your baking dish, keep covered with damp towel prevent it from drying Butter the bottom and sides of the baking dish  In a medium sauce pan, combine 1 cup sugar, 1/2 cup honey, 2 tbsp lemon juice and 3/4 cup water Bring to boil over medium heat, stirring until sugar is dissolved Remove from heat and let syrup cool down while you prepare baklava Chop walnuts in a mixer until coarsely chopped In a medium bowl combine chopped walnuts and cinnamon powder Place 10 phyllo sheets into baking pan one at a time, brush each sheet with clarified butter once it is in pan Spread 1/5 of nut mixture over phyllo dough Add 5 buttered sheets of phyllo then another later of walnuts Repeat it 4 times and finish off with 10 layers of butter phyla sheets Brush the top with butter, cut pastry into 1 1/2 wide strips then cut diagonally to form diamond ships Bake in a preheated oven at 325 Degree Fahrenheit for 1 hour and 15 minute, until tops are golden brown Remove from oven and immediately spoon cooled syrup evenly over the hot baklava Let baklava cool completely uncovered at room temperature for 4-5 hours so that the sugar syrup penetrates the baklava and sweetens it. * Chef Tarun Kapoor, Culinary Mastermind, USA. He may be contacted at [email protected]

If anyone asks me about a melting pot in Indian Subcontinent, Mumbai will be my answer to it. Mumbai is the cosmopolitan city known for its many lip smacking dishes. The food is highly influenced by Maharashtra and konkan region and culture. Be it vegetarian or non-vegetarian, Mumbai has a lot to offer to everyone. The varied assortment of dishes ranging from Pav Bhaji, Vada Pao, Bhel, Sev Pao, Bombay Duck, Pani Poori, Fish curry, Bheja fry, Kebabs, Masala Bhaat, Cutting chai and much more. The Mumbai cuisine is influenced by varied cultures which have settled down over hundreds of years from different regions and have influenced and diversified its culture and cuisine. The staple food consumed is rice along with aromatic fish curries, vegetable curries and desserts. Coconut, cashew nut and peanut are some of the major ingredients in Mumbai food.  Street food is popular due to the large number of people who have moved from other Indian states for their livelihood. Thus street food becomes an easy and convenient place for them to dine and move ahead in the busy metropolitan city. The food available through-out is not only convenient but affordable for the masses to consume on a daily basis. On the other hand, Mumbai houses some of the best restaurants in the country with gourmet cuisine with star chefs churning our delicacies. Mumbai has something for everyone.  Being a coastal town with a long history of fish trade the city’s natives were “kolis” and “fisherman”. Seafood is an essential culinary must have that forms an important part of Mumbai cuisine. There are plenty of seafood restaurants in Mumbai that serve a large range of delicious seafood delicacies. You can savour amazingly fresh fish appetizers, grilled fish dishes, baked seafood, fish pickles and a lot more in the city of dreams. Some of the popular seafood dishes include but are not limited to Fish Koliwada, Surmai fish curry, Bombil fish fry, Prawn Tikki, Fish Thali and many more. Talking about the chaat or street food selection, every nook and corner in Mumbai has food stalls and eateries offering hot, spicy, crunchy and fresh chaats. A favourite with the locals, chaats are tasty crispy, snack items that are comprised of ingredients like chaat masala, yoghurt, onions, coriander, sev, mango powder, ginger tamarind chutney, also chaat, dahi vada and so on. Talking about the sweets in Mumbai, one of the most popular sweet dish is modak. Other sweet dishes include gulab jamun, laddoo, aamras, sheera, puran poli, shrikhand and many more. The dish I will write today is a Mumbai local favourite and is called Bombay Dak/Duck. It is not really duck at all, but it is a type of local lizard fish. The fish is seasoned and coated in a layer of semolina, then deep fried. The result is a crispy outer edge but the fish remains creamy and oily on the inside. Bombay duck is a fantastic dish to eat in Mumbai and it goes particularly well with a full thali meal that includes rice, chapati and a variety of curries to enhance everything. I recently made this dish in my kitchen and it turned out to be an instant hit in the “dish of the day” at my restaurant. Bombil fish is silver-white, slimy lizardfish found in abundance between Mumbai and the Kutch area, in the Arabian Sea. It is also found in the Bay of Bengal and parts of South China Sea. It gets its name from Bombay because it is found here in abundance and from ‘dak’ meaning mail. The story behind this name is uncertain but it has to do with the stinky smell the Bombay Mail train carried during the monsoon. Bombay Duck/Dak Ingredients Bombil fish fillet 6- 8 nos. Oil 2 tbsp Red chili powder 1 tsp Turmeric powder 1/2 tsp Chili paste 1/2 tsp Ginger garlic paste 1/2 tsp Coriander powder 1/2 tsp Cumin powder 1/2 tsp Lemon juice 1 tsp Salt to taste Semolina/ suji 1/2 stp Oil for frying Garnish Lemon wedge Accompaniment Rice as required Salad as required Method Wash clean and fillet the bombil fish and keep aside Rub salt and lemon juice and keep refrigerated for 15-20 minutes In separate bowl combine red chili powder, turmeric powder, chili paste, ginger garlic paste, coriander powder, cumin powder, salt and combine well Put the prepared marinade to the fish fillet and keep refrigerated for another 30 minutes Take semolina in a flat dish and coat the fish fillet  from both sides evenly, pat the fish Repeat for the remaining fish and keep aside Have oil in a heavy bottom shall pan on slow flame Slide in the fish fillet and fry till the colour changes to golden brown Cook till the fish is cooked, remove the fish on absorbent paper to remove excess oil Serve hot with choice of rice and salad and lemon edge on the side Note: You can choose your choice of fresh water or sea water fish instead of Bombil. Any oily fish would taste great with this recipe. The next best alternate is the king fish. * Chef Tarun Kapoor, Culinary Mastermind,  USA. He may be contacted at [email protected]

You know you’ve got a favourite one, the one that makes your stomach growl by just looking at it, and the one that you’ll sink your teeth into. The one you always carve when you are hungry and want something quick and convenient. Maybe it is a hot pastrami on rye with spicy mustard, or a grilled cheese is more your style, or you cannot resist a frank dip with tender, juicy meat on a fresh roll, or you are a shawarma guy or like the Indian kathi roll. Sandwich is everyone’s favourite food and has its own charm to it. Sandwich in its basic form is - slices of meat, cheese or other food placed between two slices of bread. Although this mode of consumption must be as old as meat and bread, the name was adopted and popularised only in the 18th century for John Montagu, 4th Earl of Sandwich, whose cook sliced meat and bread brought to him at the gaming table so that he could continue to play as he ate. His meal caught the attention of the fellow players and they also wanted the same to be served to them and soon it was fashionable to serve sandwiches on the European continent and the word “sandwich” was also incorporated into the French language. Since that time the sandwich has been incorporated into virtually every cuisine of the west by virtue of its simplicity of preparation, portability and endless variety. I am totally in love with my favourite Arabic sandwich shawarma which is a local delicacy and is commonly available across the city and everyone has their personal favourites. The best part of preparing, serving and consuming a sandwich is that almost any type of food can be conveniently served into a sandwich, hot or cold. British tea sandwiches are made with thin cut bread filled with fish, foie grass, cucumber, sweet bread, watercress, and tomato. Sandwiches can also be classified as open faced and closed faced ones. There are integral parts of sandwich – bread dressing and filling. In France hollowed out breads are a popular base. The United States contributed elaborate sandwich formulas to two of the most important sandwich recipes. One being the club sandwich of sliced chicken or turkey and the Reuben of corned beef, Swiss cheese, sauerkraut and Russian dressing served grilled on black bread. Hot sandwiches are notably the hamburger and are a staple of a majority of the western population. Peanut butter and jelly sandwich is a mainstay of western kids’ diet. Sandwiches first appeared in mainstream cookbooks in 1816. The fillings were no longer limited to cold meat, as recipes called for a variety of things, including cheese, fruit, shellfish, nuts and mushrooms. After the civil war, there was multiple increase in sandwich consumption and they could be found anywhere from high profile luncheons to the taverns of the working class. The portability and easy off sandwich caught on with family and the sandwich became a luncheon staple.  Sandwiches are now popular all over the world, and it seems like every region has their own take on the concept. In Cuba, restaurants serve ham and cheese on Cuban bread. In the Middle East, falafel or shawarma in a pita pocket is the fast food of choice. In France, a Croque Monsieur or Croque Madame can be found in most cafés. In Italy, simple and rustic panino sandwiches are the norm. In New York, pastrami on rye is king, though the Reuben takes a close second. In Philadelphia, it’s all about the cheesesteak. Sandwiches come in endless varieties, making them one of the most popular foods worldwide. Turkey Reuben Sandwich Ingredient Serves 2 Turkey breast thick sliced 150 gm Butter, softened 2 tbsp White vinegar 1 tbsp Black pepper 1/4 tsp Marble rye bread 4 slices Thousand island salad dressing 2 tbsp Angel hair coleslaw 250 gm Swiss cheese 4 slices Salt a pinch Sugar 1/2 tsp Potato chips 60 gm Ketchup to accompany Method Preheat a non stick pan or skillet over medium heat and melt 2 tbsp butter Add coleslaw, vinegar, salt, sugar and pepper Cook until the coleslaw is wilted, stir to avoid burning it, cook for about 5-8 minutes Spread each slice of marble rye bread with thousand island dressing Layer the turkey evenly over half of the bread slices, top each with 1 slice of swiss cheese Spoon the coleslaw mixture evenly over the cheese Cover with the remaining bread slices, dressing down Spread softened butter over the bottom and top slices of each sandwich Grill the sandwiches until golden brown 4 to 5 minutes per side Serve immediately with choice of potato chips and ketchup on the side. Note: You can make a vegetarian or vegan version of this sandwich by replacing the turkey with a sliced grilled vegetables or vegan meat and choosing the vegetarian dressing. * Chef Tarun Kapoor,  Culinary Mastermind,  USA. He may be contacted at [email protected]

With the recent developments in the Space X and Tesla car manufacturing and the company’s frequent mentions in leading newspapers, I was reading about their infamous CEO Elon Musk and then started researching on South African food owing to his country of origin. Bunny Chow as a dish became of interest to me and I decided to share some insights about this humble dish with the readers. The best way to describe it is “an Indian dish you’re unlikely to find in India.”  Bunny Chow is deliciously tasty South African street food which is made with aromatic spices, meat, chickpeas and potatoes and is served in hollow bread. It is one kind of sandwich. Bunny Chow is essentially a kind of bread bowl. You take a loaf of white bread, scoop out the middle portion of the bread and fill it with your choice of curry. The curry can be vegetarian beans or meat. You may wonder where the word “Bunny” comes from. This word comes from the corruption of an Indian term referring to merchants. This dish is not so known by Indian community outside South Africa and has its origin from Durbin, the third largest city in South Africa. Bunny Chow is one of the best examples of a classic fusion cuisine which remains best known in its hometown. Like with all popular foods their story or origin varies, in a similar way there are few stories about the origin of this dish. The most popular story explaining how Bunny Chow originated describes it as a totally portable dish served to black people under apartheid, South Africa’s 20th century system of racial separation. Black people weren’t allowed to eat in certain restaurants and the bread was used as a holder, or a plate, so that nothing needed to be returned after eating. Indians started coming to South Africa in 19th century as labourers and later as passengers and travellers. In those days they could not find all the ingredients they used back home, then they created spice mixes in Durban curries which are distinctively different from their original counterparts found in Delhi or other Indian cities.  Another story relates the origin of Bunny Chow with the Indian trading community known as Bania. The tern Bania came from Sanskrit word for merchant. From the Bania man shop comes the bunny man shop and from bunny man shop came the Bunny Chow. Another story relates that the restaurant owners gave bread filled with leftover curry to beggars so that they do not use the serving dishes back again. Bunnies are generally ordered and served by size, such as a quarter of a loaf or half of a loaf. You would say “quarter mutton” to order loaf of bread filled with lamb.  Bunnies are generally ordered by size, such as a quarter loaf or half loaf. You would say “quarter mutton” to order a quarter loaf of bread filled with lamb. Eating Bunny Chow is also like “an exotic eating adventure,” “If you’re respectable, you definitely don’t eat with your hands”. Theoretically, it’s possible to eat a Bunny Chow with a knife and fork, but that’s like a New Yorker eating a slice of pizza using utensils. Eating a bunny, with the sides of white bread growing increasingly soggy, can quickly turn messy, the fate you finish your Bunny Chow the less messy it will be. Don’t let the ingredients list scare, it’s simple and straight food and is no more complicated than making any stew. The only hard press decision is what to what meat to use. Or you can leave the meat for the carnivores and make it totally vegetarian or vegan if that’s your thing. Be sure to grab some bread from your neighbourhood bakery and you are good to go. Or you can serve it a non-traditional way with rice and some vegetables. Chicken Bunny Chow Ingredients Serves 2 Chicken thigh meat 1 lb Cooking oil 2 tbsp Curry leaves 2 sprig Ginger, chopped 1 tsp Garlic, chopped 2 tsp Curry powder 1 tbsp Onion, diced 1 nos. Tomato, diced 1 nos.  Cinnamon stick 1 nos.  Paprika powder 1 1/2 tsp Cardamom pods 2-3 nos. Potato, diced 1 nos. Chickpeas, boiled 50 gm Red chilli powder 1/2 tsp Salt to taste White pepper powder to taste Chicken broth 2 cups Olive oil 1 tbsp Method Heat a heavy bottom sauce pan with oil and sauce onion, garlic, ginger, cinnamon stick, curry leaves, cardamom soda and curry powder and stir Cook for 2-3 minutes or until onions are translucent Add diced tomato followed by chicken , stir and saute for about 2-3 more minutes Add chicken stock/ water if required to avoid burning the curry Add boiled chickpeas, potato and remaining chicken broth Bring to boil and reduce the flame or simmer over slow flame Cook till the chicken is cooked and the sauce thickens, approx. 20-25 minutes Adjust the salt and pepper and drizzle some olive oil on top Scoop out a bread loaf and fill the prepared curry in it and cover back with the bread lid, serve hot. * Chef Tarun Kapoor, Culinary Mastermind,  USA. He may be contacted at [email protected]

With the recent developments in the Space X and Tesla car manufacturing and the company’s frequent mentions in leading newspapers, I was reading about their infamous CEO Elon Musk and then started researching on South African food owing to his country of origin. Bunny Chow as a dish became of interest to me and I decided to share some insights about this humble dish with the readers. The best way to describe it is “an Indian dish you’re unlikely to find in India.”  Bunny Chow is deliciously tasty South African street food which is made with aromatic spices, meat, chickpeas and potatoes and is served in hollow bread. It is one kind of sandwich. Bunny Chow is essentially a kind of bread bowl. You take a loaf of white bread, scoop out the middle portion of the bread and fill it with your choice of curry. The curry can be vegetarian beans or meat. You may wonder where the word “Bunny” comes from. This word comes from the corruption of an Indian term referring to merchants. This dish is not so known by Indian community outside South Africa and has its origin from Durbin, the third largest city in South Africa. Bunny Chow is one of the best examples of a classic fusion cuisine which remains best known in its hometown. Like with all popular foods their story or origin varies, in a similar way there are few stories about the origin of this dish. The most popular story explaining how Bunny Chow originated describes it as a totally portable dish served to black people under apartheid, South Africa’s 20th century system of racial separation. Black people weren’t allowed to eat in certain restaurants and the bread was used as a holder, or a plate, so that nothing needed to be returned after eating. Indians started coming to South Africa in 19th century as labourers and later as passengers and travellers. In those days they could not find all the ingredients they used back home, then they created spice mixes in Durban curries which are distinctively different from their original counterparts found in Delhi or other Indian cities.  Another story relates the origin of Bunny Chow with the Indian trading community known as Bania. The tern Bania came from Sanskrit word for merchant. From the Bania man shop comes the bunny man shop and from bunny man shop came the Bunny Chow. Another story relates that the restaurant owners gave bread filled with leftover curry to beggars so that they do not use the serving dishes back again. Bunnies are generally ordered and served by size, such as a quarter of a loaf or half of a loaf. You would say “quarter mutton” to order loaf of bread filled with lamb.  Bunnies are generally ordered by size, such as a quarter loaf or half loaf. You would say “quarter mutton” to order a quarter loaf of bread filled with lamb. Eating Bunny Chow is also like “an exotic eating adventure,” “If you’re respectable, you definitely don’t eat with your hands”. Theoretically, it’s possible to eat a Bunny Chow with a knife and fork, but that’s like a New Yorker eating a slice of pizza using utensils. Eating a bunny, with the sides of white bread growing increasingly soggy, can quickly turn messy, the fate you finish your Bunny Chow the less messy it will be. Don’t let the ingredients list scare, it’s simple and straight food and is no more complicated than making any stew. The only hard press decision is what to what meat to use. Or you can leave the meat for the carnivores and make it totally vegetarian or vegan if that’s your thing. Be sure to grab some bread from your neighbourhood bakery and you are good to go. Or you can serve it a non-traditional way with rice and some vegetables. Chicken Bunny Chow Ingredients Serves 2 Chicken thigh meat 1 lb Cooking oil 2 tbsp Curry leaves 2 sprig Ginger, chopped 1 tsp Garlic, chopped 2 tsp Curry powder 1 tbsp Onion, diced 1 nos. Tomato, diced 1 nos.  Cinnamon stick 1 nos.  Paprika powder 1 1/2 tsp Cardamom pods 2-3 nos. Potato, diced 1 nos. Chickpeas, boiled 50 gm Red chilli powder 1/2 tsp Salt to taste White pepper powder to taste Chicken broth 2 cups Olive oil 1 tbsp Method Heat a heavy bottom sauce pan with oil and sauce onion, garlic, ginger, cinnamon stick, curry leaves, cardamom soda and curry powder and stir Cook for 2-3 minutes or until onions are translucent Add diced tomato followed by chicken , stir and saute for about 2-3 more minutes Add chicken stock/ water if required to avoid burning the curry Add boiled chickpeas, potato and remaining chicken broth Bring to boil and reduce the flame or simmer over slow flame Cook till the chicken is cooked and the sauce thickens, approx. 20-25 minutes Adjust the salt and pepper and drizzle some olive oil on top Scoop out a bread loaf and fill the prepared curry in it and cover back with the bread lid, serve hot. * Chef Tarun Kapoor, Culinary Mastermind,  USA. He may be contacted at [email protected]

Flames are shooting a metre high from the wok. A normal kitchen would catch fire. But at Ann Guay Tiew Kua Gai in the Chinatown area of Bangkok, the cooking is done under an open sky, in a shabby back alley. A visitor’s stomach might turn at the site of creeping animals and food leftovers lying on the ground. But equally, their mouth might water at the tantalising scent of soya sauce, garlic and chilli filling the humid air. “Anyone who is squeamish shouldn’t look too closely,” chuckles Naiyana, a Thai who is leading a group of tourists on a culinary tour of Bangkok. Her work has been made easier by the fact that the Michelin Guide series has recently produced its first dedicated restaurant guide for Bangkok. “For authentic street food, you sometimes have to overlook a few things,” she adds.  Driving her three-wheeled tuk tuk, Naiyana whizzes through the evening traffic from one eatery to the next. She stops at some places that a Western visitor probably wouldn’t dare to enter alone. Locals sit tightly packed together on plastic chairs at bare tables. Glaring neon light floods the bare walls. The cooking is usually done in back alleys – or, in the case of Toom Jim Joom, on the sidewalk, using huge vats made from lava stone. Cooking grids rest on glowing charcoal, holding steaming pots of soup and rice. Chunks of meat are hanging from hooks, along with offal and chicken feet. These so-called “cook shops” right on the street are a thorn in the side of the government, and for a while there has been talk of banning them. However, a recent campaign calling for more order and cleanliness stirred up a lot of opposition from ordinary Thais. They mounted protests, and the government backed down. As simple as a cook shop is, the food is superbly tasty. At Toom Jim Joom, it includes such classics as green papaya salad and tom-yung-gang soup. Thai dishes can be pure heaven – as long as one does not fall into the chilli trap. Even asking for “less spicy” will still prove, to the non-Thai palate, to be hellishly hot. “Naturally, in the hotel restaurants, we cook correspondingly milder,” says Ning. She is a cook in the Peninsula Hotel, directly on the Chao Phraya. The hotel restaurant Thiptara is one of the best in the city. Along with the hotel’s outstanding Chinese restaurant, Mei Jiang, it is recommended in the Michelin Guide. Thiptara has the look and feel of a Thai village, with teakwood huts built around a banyan tree. Thai cooking classes are also held there. Each morning, Ning – naturally driving a tuk tuk – takes her guests to the Tha Din Daeng market, located close to the hotel. “Thai dishes are simple, so good ingredients are the beginning and end,” she stresses. In the market are stacks of vegetables, mushrooms, pulses and spices. The most important herbs in Thai cuisine are basil, coriander, lime, peppermint and pandan. All of these are grown in the Peninsula Hotel’s own garden. In her tours, Ning always includes an introduction to the classic dish Pad Thai. During the Second World War, this was declared a national dish in order to curb rice consumption (it is served with noodles). For Pad Thai, ingredients such as fish sauce, tamarind paste, garlic, chili and bean sprouts are used. Dried crab meat is used to add flavour, while coriander, green onions and lime give the dish its freshness. “You’ll find Pad Thai everywhere, but nowhere so good as at Thipsamai,” insists Naiyana during her tour. This restaurant was established in 1966 near the flower market, and is open round the clock. Each evening, people line up on the street in front of the woks. Thipsamai is listed in virtually every tour guide. A portion of Pad Thai costs only 60 baht (1.80 dollars). At Jay Fai, a crab-meat omelette called Khai Jeaw Poo costs 1,000 baht – pretty steep for a cook shop, but worth every single baht, for a master cook is at the wok. Around 70 years old, with thin arms, she wears protective goggles to shield her eyes from the sputtering hot oil. For 40 years now, Jay Fai has been cooking in her eponymous eatery. Long a legend in Bangkok, she is now known throughout the gourmet world – because, sensationally, the latest Michelin Guide has awarded her cook shop a single star. Jay Fai is one of 14 restaurants awarded a star in the new guide – an accolade akin to a knighthood in the culinary world. Michelin has also honoured three restaurants in the city with two stars. None were given the top three-star ranking. One of the two-star restaurants is the “Mezzaluna,” on the 65th floor of the Lebua Hotel. What makes the Thailand Tourism Association happy about the Michelin Guide honours, besides the fact that the prestigious restaurant guide has given a big boost to Bangkok’s gourmet scene, is that seven of the 14 places given single-star rankings are restaurants specialising in Thai cuisine. And not just the splendid Sra Bua by Kiin Kiin, but also the simple, legendary cook shop of Jay Fai.  – DPA

In the beginning of this year lets start with a recipe which is very special to vegetarians - The Paneer Tikka. Paneer tikka is an Indian dish made from cubes of paneer marinated in spiced yoghurt based marinade and is roasted in tandoor (clay oven). This dish serves like an all-in-one alternate for all the meat dishes like chicken tikka and other meat tikka. Paneer tikka is a very popular dish in the Indian subcontinent and in countries with Indian diaspora. Home-made paneer is the best. It is easy and quick to prepare and you really will taste the difference between the one you purchase and the one you make a home. But if you have no other option but to buy it, then soak it in warm water for 15-20 minutes to soften it up.Paneer is literally a two ingredient convenient cheese which you can easily make at home, you just need some full fat milk and souring agent. Paneer is made without rennet, by curdling hot milk with souring agent like lemon, lime juice, vinegar or citric acid. After the milk is curdled it is strained in butter muslin or cheese cloth  and the curd is collected and then pressed to form a mass and the whey is collected for other uses. It is an unsalted cheese with a very mild and bland taste, historically made from buffalo milk, though a blend of buffalo and cow milk is also common now a days. Paneer is also called chenna in Orissa and Bengal. This cheese is widely consumed in North India, Afghanistan, Nepal and Bangladesh and its mildness is a perfect for stronger flavours which it absorbs easily. Paneer is not always cubed and fried before use. It can be eaten fresh without cooking, or crumbled, shaped, moulded and often seasoned and flavoured with cumin and mint. A good quality paneer should be firm yet soft and should not crumble when cubed. The quality of paneer is determined by its smooth and soft texture and the amount of fats in it. There are some versions like malai paneer which are softer and creamier than the regular ones.  One common mistake that people make while they cook with paneer as an ingredient is that they overcook it and make it chewy. Paneer just needs to be simmered or cooked for a short duration only. I am also amazed by the popularity of paneer not only in India but all over the world, especially among the vegetarian population. You get paneer in almost all the international hypermarkets and grocery stores. Even international fast food chains like Pizza hut, Dominos, Subway, Mc Donald’s have incorporated this ingredient as a part of their vegetarian menu offerings. You can make paneer tikka masala by using the below recipe to make paneer tikka and then served it in chunky tomato, onion sauce to make an entree dish. There are several other variations of paneer tikka like Kashmiri paneer tikka which is stuffed with chopped almonds, Yellow chili paneer tikka, Ajwain paneer tikka (caraway spiced tikka), Hariyali paneer tikka (spinach and cilantro marinated). Yellow chilli paneer tikka Ingredients Serves 2 Paneer 400gm Bell peppers 1 nos. Red onion 1 nos.  Tomato nos. For marinade Mustard oil 2tbsp Ginger garlic paste 1tbsp Hung yoghurt 1/2 cup Yellow chilli powder 2tsp  Turmeric 1/2tsp Coriander powder 1tbsp Kasoori methi 1tbsp Salt to taste Unsalted butter 2tbsp Garnish Fresh cilantro to garnish Chat masala to season Method Add yoghurt to a fine sieve and leave it overnight in refrigerator to remove excess water Cut the paneer into 1 inch cube and 1 cm thick and keep aside Cut bell pepper, onion ad tomato into 1 inch dices and keep aside In a separate bowl combine hung thick yoghurt, and add yellow chilli, ginger garlic paste, coriander powder, kasoori methi, turmeric powder, salt  Whisk well to combine all the ingredients an make a smooth marinade Marinate the cut paneer and other vegetables and leave in refrigerator for 30 minutes Skewer the cottage cheese and vegetables on a skewer and keep aside Preheat the oven at 400 degree Fahrenheit and place the skewers with a drip tray in oven Roast till you have light brown colour on paneer and vegetables When almost done remove and baste with clarified unsalted butter and return to oven for 2-4 minutes Remove from skewer and serve hot garnished with cilantro sprig and dust with chat masala, drizzle remaining clarified butter on top. Note: Make sure the paneer is not crumbly otherwise it will fall apart. You can substitute yellow chilli powder with Kashmiri chilli powder to make spicy paneer tikka. To make hung curd instantly add yoghurt to muslin cloth and hang for 30 minutes to remove excess water. You can also use greek yoghurt or sour cream to substitute yoghurt. * Chef Tarun Kapoor,  Culinary Mastermind,  USA. He may be contacted at [email protected]

Especially in winter, there’s nothing better than dunking crusty sourdough bread into a big bowl of creamy pumpkin soup. The below recipe is one of my favourite which I tasted some years ago while working aboard a cruise ship and ever since I have been a fan of this winter delicacy. The coconut milk adds charm to this soup. Butternut squash is one of the most popular winter squash vegetables, and are available in the produce shelves of all the hypermarkets, and what a tasty way to help usher and be healthy in winter. Butternut squash is not found all over the world, but it has made its way into the culinary creations of certain countries, including South Africa, Europe, and Australia, but it is primarily found in the United States. Aside from the ease of preparing butternut squash as a delicious meal, people also seek out this squash for its rich concentration of nutrients, about the nutritional aspects of this squash let me tell you that it has more vitamin A than that of a pumpkin, that makes it great for healthy skin and healthy eye sight. Butternut squash is composed of many vital poly phenolic anti oxidants and vitamins. It is low in calories, one serving contains only 50 calories. Butternut squash seeds can be eaten as a nitrites snack food just like pumpkin seeds. Its unique flavour can be used in both sweet and savour dishes. It can be used in a variety of delicious recipes as baked, stewed, fried, mashed and roasted. Use it in soups, stews, casseroles, pies, sauce vegetables, mash or any number of yummy, comfort food style dishes for a healthy and pure winter-flavoured dish. This squash is native to North America and is believed to have been specifically cultivated in Massachusetts. Butternut squash grows on a vine and has the peculiar shape of an elongated bell. Scientifically known as Cucurbita moschata, it was made by cross-breeding Gooseneck squash and Hubbard squash a member of pumpkin family, butternut squash has a pleasant nutty flavour and mildly sweet taste. It’s one of the signature flavours that usher in the changing of the seasons. While shopping for butternut squash at the market, look for mature product that features a fine woody note on tapping, and feels heavy in hand. Its stem should be stout and firmly attached to the fruit. Avoid those with wrinkled surface, abnormal spots, cuts, and bruises. Whenever possible, buy long neck butternut fruit, as it contains more meat and fewer hollow cavities and seeds. (Unless, of course, you intend to eat the seeds, then shorter neck squash is your best bet) To store it at home, well-ripened squash can be stored for many weeks (even months) in a cool, humid-free, well-ventilated place at room temperature. However, cut sections should be placed inside the refrigerator where they keep well for 3-4 days. Well, to summarise there are many fancied up versions of pumpkin soup with gourmet ingredients, spices, herbs, exotic spins. But winter evenings always call for comfort food rather than complex recipes and long list of ingredients. But you don’t need all those frills to make a truly great classic appetising pumpkin soup. And that’s what my recipe is – a great and easy pumpkin soup recipe, a classic version that has everything it needs and nothing it doesn’t to be simply delicious. Squash and coconut soup Ingredients Butternut squash 2.5 lb Yellow onion 1 nos Garlic cloves 2 nos Vegetable broth 3 cups Water 2 cups Salt to taste Black pepper to taste Curry powder 1 tsp Coconut milk 1/2 cup Cooking cream 1/2 cup (optional) Garnish Parsley to garnish Pine nuts to garnish Method Peel the pumpkin and deseed it, cut into chunks and keep aside. In a heavy bottom pan heat butter over slow flame and add garlic, onion and pumpkin dices and curry powder. Sauce the mixture over medium heat for 4-6 minutes. Add vegetable broth and water and bring to boil reduce heat and simmer over slow flame until pumpkin is tender. Remove from heat and blend to make the mixture smooth.  Season with salt and pepper and add coconut cream and cooking cream. Ladle the soup into bowls, drizzle over some cream, sprinkle with pepper, garnish with parsley and pine nuts along with bread sticks. Note: Do not over boil the soup after adding the cream. To make a vegan version of this soup use olive oil to sauce the vegetable sea finish with coconut cream in the end. * Chef Tarun Kapoor,  Culinary Mastermind,  USA. He may be contacted at [email protected]

Gingerbread is a baked sweet containing ginger and some cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, cardamom, and anise, and sweetened with any combination of brown sugar, molasses, light or dark corn syrup, or honey. With the festive season and new year celebrations round the corner everyone wants to enjoy with friends and family. Homemade gingerbread cookie is a perfect gift which you can prepare and show your love and affection to your near and dear ones. This time of the year it always brings fond memories to my mind about gingerbread house. During my days in a luxury hotel in Delhi every year I used to build up a giant-sized gingerbread house in German school for their annual festival. The giant sized gingerbread hot served as a pastry shop and we used to sell our festival themed sweets and savouries from the gingerbread house pastry shop. William Shakespeare once said, “If I had one penny in the world, thou should have it to buy gingerbread” . The origin of gingerbread can be traced to the ancient Greeks and Egyptians who used it for ceremonial purposes. Gingerbread made an appearance in Europe when 11th century crusaders brought the spice back on the Middle East for the rich folks to cook and experiment. As ginger and other spices became more affordable to the masses, gingerbread caught on. An early European recipe consisted of growing almonds, breadcrumbs, sugar and ginger. The resultant paste was pressed into moulds. These carved works of art served as a sort of story board that told the news of the day, bearing the lifelines of new kings, emperors,  and queens or religious symbols. The finished cookie might be decorated with edible old paint or flat white icing to bring out the details. Later in the 16th century, the English replaced the breadcrumbs with flour and added eggs and sweetness, resulting in a lighter product. The first gingerbread man is credited to Queen Elizabeth I who knocked the socks off the visiting dignitaries by presenting them with ginger bread cookie. Gingerbread tied with a ribbon was popular at fairs and when exchanged became a token of love.  Over time some of these festivals came to be known as Gingerbread Fairs, and the gingerbread cookies served there were known as Fairings. The shapes of the gingerbread changed with the season, including flowers in the spring and birds in the fall. Elaborately decorated gingerbread became synonymous with all things fancy and elegant in England. The gold leaf that was often used to decorate gingerbread cookies led to the popular expression “To take the gilt off of gingerbread”. The carved, white architectural details found on many colonial American seaside homes are sometimes referred to as Gingerbread Work. Another story based on a practical note states that before refrigeration was common in every household, aromatic crumbled gingerbread was added to the recipes to mask the odour of decaying meat. The gingerbread house became popular in Germany after the Grimm Brothers published their fairy tale collection which included Hansel and Gretel in the 19th century. Early German settlers brought this gingerbread house as a ration to America. Gingerbread houses never caught on in Britain as they did in North America, where some extraordinary examples can be found. But they do exist in other parts of Europe. Recently the record for world’s largest gingerbread house was broken. The previous record was set by the Mall of America in 2006. The new winning gingerbread house, spanning nearly 40,000 cubic feet, was erected at Traditions Golf Club in Bryan, Texas. The house required a building permit and was built much like a traditional house. 4,000 gingerbread bricks were used during its construction. To put that in perspective, a recipe for a house this size would include 1,800 pounds of butter and 1,080 ounces of ground ginger. Sounds more like a gingerbread resort! Ginger snaps Ingredients All purposed flour 2 1/2 cup Brown sugar 1 cup Oil 3/4 cup Molasses 1/4 cup Eggs 1 Baking soda 1 tsp Cinnamon powder 1 tsp Ginger powder 1 tsp Cloves powder 1/3 tsp Salt 1/4 tsp Castor sugar 1 tbsp Method Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit, lightly grease the cookie sheet with butter and line with butter paper and keep aside. In a large bowl combine sugar, oil, molasses, eggs  and combine well. Stir in  the remaining ingredients except the sugar. Shape the prepared dough by rounded spoons into balls. Dip tops into granulated sugar. Place the balls on the prepared cookie sheet, sugared sides up, aprons 3 inches apart. Bake in the preheated oven for 10-12 minutes or just until set. Remove on a cooking rack to cool down the cookies, store in an air tight container and serve with tea or coffee. Note: You can also decorate and use various cookie cutters to make them in different shapes and delight your kids. * Chef Tarun Kapoor,  Culinary Mastermind,  USA. He may be contacted at [email protected]