Parminder and Harpreet’s Special
Pakoras are a very common indian appetizer. This recipes is attributed to the Castellain chain of restaurants. Serve with a fresh chutney.
Ingredients:
1 Carrot
1 Egg, beaten
2 Spring Onion
2 tbsp Cornflour
1 Red Capsicum
1 tbsp Dry Sherry
1 Green Capsicum
1 tbsp Soya sauce
Salt according to taste
75 gms Pineapple Chunks
3 Boneless Chicken Breasts
Vegetable oil for deep frying
For the Sauce
1 tbsp Sugar
1 tsp Cornflour
1 tbsp Soya sauce
5 tsp Cider Vinegar
1 tbsp Tomato Paste
180 ml Chicken stock
Salt according to taste
Method:
1. Skin the chicken and cut the flesh into cubes. Place in a large bowl together with the dry sherry and soya sauce.
2. Meanwhile, cut the peppers into squares. Peel and cut the carrots and spring onions into chunks.
3. Bring a pan of water to the boil add the carrots and blanche for 4-5 minutes. Drain and set aside.
4. Mix the egg and cornflour together in a bowl until it forms a batter.
5. Remove the chicken from the marinade with a slotted spoon, place them into the batter and mix to coat each piece well.
6. Heat the oil until very hot and almost smoking. Remove the chicken pieces from the batter with a slotted spoon and deep-fry until browned. Drain the chicken cubes on paper towels.
7. For the sauce combine the chicken stock, soya sauce, salt, vinegar, sugar and tomato paste in a large saucepan. Bring to boil then add the vegetables. Stir until well blended.
8. To serve - add the pineapple and chicken cubes to the sauce, mix well, then turn the mixture into a warmed serving dish.
Tip: Grill chicken to remove excess fat and add flavour. Instead of sauteing in stews and braised dishes, grill to remove fat and save on clean-up.
Ingredients:
1 tbsp Ghee
2 tsp Cumin seeds
8 Curry leaves, torn
250 ml Boiling Water
1 tbsp Ginger, grated
1 tsp ground Turmeric
2 tsps Coriander seeds
½ tsp Fenugreek seeds
1.25 litres Chicken stock
2 pods of Garlic, crushed
300 gms Onions, chopped
2 tsp Black Mustard seeds
400 gms Potatoes, chopped
2 tbsp Tamarind concentrate
2 dried Red Chillies, chopped
Tiny pinch Asafoetida powder
1 kg Spinach, rougly chopped
100 gms Coconut Milk powder
200 gms Masoor daal (Red Lentils), rinsed, drained
Method:
1. Cook cumin and coriander seeds, stirring, in dry frying pan until fragrant. Blend to process, untill crushed.
2. Heat ghee in a large pan, cook onions, ginger, chillies, leaves, mustard and fenugreek, stirring, until onions are browned lightly.
3. Add crushed spices, turmeric and asafoetida, cook stirring, 1 minute.
4. Add that potatoes and stock to pan; bring to boil then simmer, covered, about 15 minutes or untill potatoes are tender. Stir in spinach, cook 2 minutes.
5. Using a handheld mixer, blend soup mixture until pureed.
6. Add tamarind and blended coconut milk powder and water, stir until soup is thoroughly heated through.
Tip: Freeze chicken bones to use in soups or stocks.
Ingredients:
2 tbsp Ghee
1kg Pumpkin
300 ml Cream
1 tsp grated Ginger
1 tsp ground Cumin
3 Curry leaves, torn
½ tsp ground Turmeric
1 tsp ground Coriander
300 gms Onions, sliced
2 pods of Garlic, crushed
1 tsp Black Mustard seeds
1 tbsp Flaked Almonds, toasted
2 small Green Chillies, thinly sliced
2 tbsp Coriander leaves, chopped
250 gms Spinach, roughly chopped
Method:
1. Peel pumpkin, cut into 3cm pieces.
2. Heat ghee in large pan; cook onions, stirring, until browned lightly.
3. Add garlic, ginger, chillies and spices, cook, stirring, until fragrant.
4. Add pumpkin and cream, simmer covered, about 20 minutes or until pumpkin is just tender.
5. Add the spinach and both leaves; simmer until spinach is just wilted.
6. Just before serving, sprinkle with nuts.
Tip: To de-skin tomatoes, roast them over a gas flame with the help of a fork. The skin will come off easily.
Ingredients:
2 tbsp Ghee
60 ml Cream
500 gms Tomatoes
1 tsps Chilli powder
2 tsps grated Ginger
1 tbsp Tomato paste
2 tsps ground Cumin
2 tsps sweet Paprika
500 ml Chicken stock
300 gms Onions, sliced
2 tsps ground Coriander
1 kg Chicken thigh fillets
4 pods of Garlic, crushed
Red food colouring, optional
1 tbsp Tamarind concentrate
200 gms Red Capsicum, chopped
Method:
1. Heat ghee in large pan.
2. Add onion, capsicum, garlic, ginger and ground spice; cook, stirring, until onions are browned lightly.
3. Add tomato paste, crushed tomatoes, chicken fillets and chicken stock; simmer covered until chicken is cooked through.
4. Stir in cream, tamarind and food colouring, if using. Simmer; uncovered about 15 minutes or until mixture has thickened slightly.
Tip: Do not roast poultry in a oven temperature lower than 325 degrees. Poultry should be roasted at 325 degrees or higher to avoid potential food safety problems
Ingredients:
½ tsp Lemon juice
¼ cup Castor Sugar
900 gms Mango pulp
¼ cup Double cream
½ cup Confectioners’ Sugar
1 Grated rind of Orange and lemon
4 Egg Whites, whisked until peaks form
Method:
1. In a large, chilled bowl, mix half of the mango pulp, with the lemon juice and the grated rind.
2. Gently fold in the egg whites and caster sugar. Cover with cling film (plastic wrap) and place in the freezer for at least 1 hour.
3. Remove and heat again. Transfer to an ice cream container, and freeze until fully set.
4. Whip the double cream with the confectioners’ sugar and the remaining mango pulp. Chill the sauce for 24 hours.
5. Remove the sorbet 10 minutes before serving. Scoop out individual servings and cover with a generous helping of mango sauce. Serve immediately.
Tip: To keep sweets especially Burfis as fresh as ever: Store then in a stainless Steel airtight container and put a wet muslin cloth over them.
Ingredients:
2 Oranges
4 tbsp Butter
2 cups Sugar
20-25 Almonds
½ cup Orange juice
2 cups Basmati riceFor the caramel:
½ cup Sugar
Method:
1. Wash and soak rice for 30 minutes. Drain and then put to boil in 2 cups of water, to have it half cooked.
2. Boil sugar in 1½ cups of water for 5 minutes. Add rice followed by orange juice and mix gently. Cover and cook until rice becomes tender.
3. Peel oranges and cut the rind into thin strips. Sauté these slightly in butter and mix into the rice.
4. Peel the thin skin off the orange segments and mix the segments into the rice, reserving a few for decoration.
5. Caramelise sugar over medium flame and add almonds. Pour onto a greased steel plate to allow to set. Once set, crush it coarsely.
6. Serve the orange rice hot, decorated with the orange segments and caramelised almonds.
Tip: To keep each grain of rice separate, spread a wet cloth over the cooked rice vessel and cover it with a plate for 10 minutes.
Ingredients:
1 part Banana
1 part Peach juice
1 part liquid Yoghurt
Method:
Blend equal quantities of yoghurt, peach juice and banana.
Pour in wine glasses with cocktail sticks of orange and banana.
Serve chilled.
Serve: 1
Tip: To keep coconut kernels fresh rub a little salt over them, or sprinkle a little salt water on them
Chicken In Lemon Sauce
Ingredients
500 gm chicken-boneless cubes, cooked
2 tsp garlic-chopped fine
oil
1 cup lemon slices and greens for garnish
Mix together
2 tbsp cornflour
1 tsp salt or to taste
2 tsp soya sauce
1 tsp chilli sauce
1 tsp sugar
1 cup lemon juice
2 tbsp red bell pepper (red capsicum)-chopped fine
1 ½ cups water
Directions:
Heat the oil in a wok and add garlic. Stir-fry till a light brown and add the chicken and sauté till well coated with the oil.
Add the sauce ingredients and bring to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer for a minute or so.
Serve hot garnished with the lemon and greens.
Bluberry Cheese Cake
Ingredients:
2 cups cream cheese
6 cups whip cream
2 tsp gelatin
3/4 cup fresh milk
4 egg yolks
1 cup sugar
2 tsp Vanilla essence
2 tsp lime juice
1 cup digestive biscuits - crushed
3 tbsp melted butter
For The Topping
1/2 cup blueberry filling
1 tbsp gelatin
2 cups water
Directions:
In a bowl, mix the crushed biscuits with the butter. Spread it at the bottom of a dish and smoothen with a spoon. Now, freeze it till it becomes hard.
In a separate bowl, mix the cream cheese with the vanilla essence and the limejuice. Mix it well. Dissolve the gelatine with 1 1/2 cups of cold water and keep aside. Boil milk in a pan.
In another bowl, mix the egg yolks and sugar. Add 2 tbs of the boiling milk. Now add this entire mixture to the pan with the milk. Cook on slow fire to pasteurize the eggs and thicken the mixture. Keep stirring constantly.
Remove from the fire and mix in the gelatine, cool to room temperature. Add the mixture to the cheese and fold well until all lumps are smoothened out.
Finally fold in the whipped cream. Now add this mixture on top of the frozen biscuits. Freeze it again till it becomes hard.
For The Topping:
dissolve the gelatine with cold water and mix it with the blueberry filling. Boil the mixture and then let it cool. Now, pour it over the top of the hardened cheesecake. Set again in the fridge and serve.
