Tarun Kapoor is executive chef at Doha’s Horizon Manor Hotel.  Send your feedback to:
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Stir-frying is a cooking technique that was first developed in China. It worked efficiently on simple brick stoves. The typical stovetop had a hole over the fire chamber. A round-bottomed wok fit over the lipped hole, capturing the heat efficiently. All it took was a small fire to make the wok very hot. Oil and chopped food were stirred and tossed in the pan, cooking in minutes and making efficient use of precious fuel.
Now this technique is recommended in healthy cooking as the use of oil is less and the items are not overcooked and retain their nutrients. The high temperature required for stir-frying sears food quickly and preserves the natural juices. It takes only few minutes so vegetables stay bright and crisp, meat browned and succulent.

Wok fried fish

Serves 2

Ingredients
Fish (hammour) 600g
Olive oil 3 tbsp
Sesame oil 1 tsp
Black pepper to taste
Coriander leaves, chop 2 tbsp
Garlic, chop 3-4 cloves
Ginger, chop 1tbsp
Soy sauce ½ tsp
Salt to taste
Lemon juice 1 tbsp
Fish sauce 1 tsp
Lemon slice to garnish
Spring onion 4-5 bulbs

Method
Wash and pat dry the fish and cut into thin slices.
Marinate with sesame oil, salt, crushed black pepper, garlic and ginger chop, half of coriander leaves and refrigerate for an hour.
Heat olive oil in a wok and turn it to season it nicely so that the fish does not stick.
Remove from heat and allow the wok to get cold, then arrange the fish slices in the wok close to each other and return the wok to flame.
Turn the wok to slide the fish in the wok without overturning or scattering them.
Once the fish is crispy from one side carefully flip the fish to turn them upside down.
Cook the fish from other side, also till the fish slices are cooked and crispy drizzle with fish sauce and soy sauce.
Once the fish is cooked place it over a lettuce and salad bed.
Serve hot garnished with spring onion and lemon wedge on side.
Note: You can also place a plate on top of fish and overturn it and then slide it again to the wok if you are not confident of flipping the fish at one time. Also you can use different fish for this recipe such as salmon, cod, monkfish or herring.

Halawet el jibn

It is cannelloni like Middle Eastern (mainly Lebanon) dessert which is a combination of sweetened cheese and filled with milk custard called ashta. Although bland on its own, it resembles a lighter cheesecake once you douse it with sugar syrup. It is specially made for the holy month of Ramadan but is available in sweet shops all around the year. It is up to you to ask. So when you visit a baklava store next time, make sure you point to the fridge and ask the lads to bring the angels out. It is served like a cheese roll filled with milk custard and cut into squares and garnished with pistachio on top.

Ingredients
(yield 500g)
Akawi cheese 400g
Semolina 3 tbsp
Sugar syrup 1 cup
Filling
Milk powder 200g
Corn flour 3tbsp
Water 500ml
Rose water few drops
Sugar syrup
Sugar 250g
Water 250ml
Lemon salt a pinch
Garnish
Pistachio to garnish
Cherry to garnish

Method
Cut the akawi cheese into small cubes and place in water to remove excess salt.
Repeat this 4 times for 10 minutes each and then pat dry and keep aside.
For the filling dissolve the milk powder in the water and bring to boil in a heavy bottom pan.
Dissolve corn flour separately in water and pour slowly in the boiling milk and whisk continuously to avoid lumps.
Prepare a sugar syrup by boiling sugar and water till the sugar is dissolved and clarify by adding a pinch of lemon salt, keep aside.
Melt the cheese in a heavy bottom pan and add half of the prepared sugar syrup and mix well.
Add semolina and the rose water and continue to mix, the consistency will be like a sticky dough.
Spread the remaining sugar syrup on the table and flatten the sticky dough using rolling pin while the mixture is still hot.
Cut the cheese into 2 inch broad strips and pipe the prepared filling on one side.
Roll over the cheese strip to get a roll, cut into desired length or bite size.
Serve cold garnished with chopped pistachio and red cherry.