Tarun Kapoor is executive chef at Doha’s Horizon Manor Hotel. Send your feedback to:
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The combination of unique texture and sweet, tart flavour has made grapes a refreshing addition to both fruit and vegetable salads. Some contain edible seeds while others are seedless. Grapes are a type of fruit that grow in clusters and can have crimson, black, dark blue, yellow, green, orange and pink colour.
A majority of the world production of grapes is used in wine production and the remaining is eaten as a fresh fruit and a smaller chunk is used to make dry fruit. With the exception of Antarctica, grapes are cultivated in all the continents. Grapes are popularly known as angoor in the Indian subcontinent.
Angoori tikka
Ingredients
Cottage cheese 500g
Green grapes 100g
Black grapes 100g
Red grapes 100g
Hung yoghurt 50g
Ginger paste ½tbsp
Garlic paste ½tbsp
Gram flour 2tbsp
Butter 2tbsp
Turmeric powder ¼tsp
Yellow chilli powder ¼tsp
Coriander powder ¼tsp
Cream 2tbsp
Salt to taste
Method
Hang yoghurt in muslin cloth overnight to remove excess water.
Heat butter in a pan and roast gram flour in it till light brown.
Add roasted gram flour in hung yoghurt and add all the remaining spices and cream together making a smooth mixture.
Cut the cottage cheese in cylindrical shape and put slits in it.
Fill the slits with prepared grape chutney (see below) and marinate in the prepared marinade.
Place the tikka on a skewer and roast in tandoor or an oven till light brown from outside.
Serve hot with grape chutney and crunchy green salad on the side.
Grape chutney
Ingredients
Grapes — green, black, red — 200g each
Ghee ½tbsp
Onion seeds ¼tsp
Lemon juice 10ml
Chat masala to taste
Method
Heat oil in a pan, add onion seeds and saute.
Add diced grapes and cook till consistency is thick.
Remove from flame, add lemon juice and chat masala.
Insalata caprese
Insalata caprese means in the style of caprice. It is a simple salad of mozzarella and tomato flavoured with fresh basil and drizzled with extra virgin olive oil. It is a perfect summer time dish for all those who want to spend less time in kitchen and yet enjoy a tasty food item. This dish comprises two main ingredients — mozzarella and tomato — so it’s advised to use the best possible quality to make a good dish.
Fresh mozzarella is generally white, but may vary seasonally to slightly yellow depending on the animal’s diet. It is either served fresh or kept in brine and can be used up to a week. Mozzarella of various types is used to make pizza and pasta dishes.
Bocconcini is a fresh small mozzarella ball used in a variety of Italian dishes. Mozzarella is also known as string cheese because of its production style. This cheese is not aged like most cheeses and is actually best when eaten within hours of its making. The process of making mozzarella is called pasta filata, which means the curds are heated in water or whey until they form strings (hence the term “string cheese”) and become elastic in texture. The curds are stretched, kneaded until smooth, and then formed into round balls to make fresh mozzarella cheese.
Insalata caprese
Ingredients
Tomato 250g
Fresh mozzarella cheese 300g
Sun dried tomato 50g
Basil leaves ¼ cup
Oregano ¼ tsp
Extra virgin olive oil 2-3 tbsp
Salt to taste
Black pepper to taste
Olives 8-10 no
Basil pesto 2 tbsp (optional)
Method
Slice tomato and mozzarella into equal thick slices.
Arrange tomato and mozzarella in a platter placing one after other.
Sprinkle dried oregano leaves, salt and crushed black pepper.
Add chopped basil leaves on top.
Drizzle with extra virgin olive oil, balsamic vinegar and place olive on top.
You can additionally flavour with basil pesto also.
Serve cold as an appetiser or salad.
