Facebook Pixel Code

No onion no cry: Five recipes to tide you over the onion crisis

As the onion becomes politically pricey we ask culinary cognoscenti to compose their recipes of protest.

Onions are an Indian cook?s best friend. Legacies of kitchens (as well as governments) rise and fall with the price and supply of the dusty red beauties. Homes are redolent with the scent of the Mallard reaction, the foundation stone of desi khana pakana. Small wonder that woe and misery take root across the country when onions fail to, leading to a ruinous rate of exchange. Housewives weep over their chopping boards and television serials while khansamas manfully blink away tears over their degchis. But fret not. As the onion becomes politically pricey we ask culinary cognoscenti to compose their recipes of protest.

Pumpkin Pistachio Tawa Kebabs

Ingredients

Red pumpkin 150 gm

Blanched and mashed

pistachios, blanched 15

Grated cottage cheese 40 gm

Chopped ginger 5 gm

Chopped green chillies 2

Chopped fresh coriander 3 gm

Chopped raisins 5

Turmeric 3 gm

Garam masala 3 gm

Corn flour to dust

Desi ghee or oil for grilling

Salt to taste

METHOD

* Saute ginger, chillies and powdered masala in a teaspoon of oil. Wait till it sweats. Switch off the stove and let it cool down.

* Blend pumpkin, cottage cheese, pistachios and fresh coriander with this mixture. Season and shape into small round kebabs. Use cornflour to dust as the mixture might stick.

* Grill the kebabs on a medium hot skillet using ghee/ oil. Serve hot accompanied with chutney of your choice. Coriander and kiwi chutney works well with the kebabs.

(Courtesy: Sarita Khurana, Food Writer)

Honey glazed vegetables

Ingredients

Mushrooms 120 gms

Zucchini 120 gms

Asparagus 120 gms

Beans 120 gms

Carrot 120 gms

Cornflour 100 gms

Chilli oil 80 ml

Salt 6 gms

Ingredients for Sauce

Tomatoes 100gms

Garlic 10 gms

Honey 80 gms

Soya 5 ml

Cornstarch 20 gms

Oil 50 ml

Method

* Clean and cut vegetables into 3 inch-long stick and mushroom into discs. Add salt followed by chilli oil.

* Now dust with corn flour and deep fry to a crispy outer.

For the sauce

* Heat oil in a wok. Add garlic and saut? for a minute. Add blanched chopped tomato, soya and honey.

* Thicken with cornstarch.

Check seasoning.

* Toss vegetables with the sauce and

serve hot

(Courtesy: Executive Chef Sandeep Pawar of the Metropolitan Hotel & Spa)

TAMATAR CHAAMAN

Ingredients

Paneer 1 kg

Mustard oil 120 ml

Black cardamom 5 gms

Green cardamom 4 gms

Tej patta 3 gms

Heeng 5 gms

Kashmiri red chili powder 25 gms

Tomato puree (Canned) 500 gms

Saunf powder 40 gms

Saunth powder 15 gms

Salt 15 gms

Fresh tomato puree 500 gms

Jeera powder 20 gms

Haldi 5 gms

Refined Oil (For Frying) 500 ml

Garam masala 5 gms

Method

* Cut paneer pieces into 2 inch squares and deep fry them.

* In a degchi, heat mustard oil and add whole spices.

* Add heeng water followed by red chili powder.

* Now add tomato puree, salt and cook.

* Add saunf and saunth powder and continue cooking.

* Add jeera powder and water, bring it to boil and then add fried paneer pieces.

* Simmer till gravy is thick. Finish with garam masala and serve hot.

HAAQ (kashmiri saag)

INGREDIENTS

Raw Haaq leaves* 2 kg

Heeng 5 gms

Salt 20 gms

Mustard Oil (Burnt) 75 ml

Sweet Soda 5 gms

Whole Red Chilly 5 gms

Refined Oil 50 ml

METHOD

* Clean the Haaq by removing the stems from the leaves.

* Wash the leaves properly.

* Boil water in a sauce pan & add salt, whole red chilies, heeng & refined oil.

* When water comes to boil, add the sweet soda followed by washed haaq leaves.

* Let the boil appear once again and allow it to boil for 30 seconds.

* Put Haaq in a dish and pour burnt mustard oil over it.

* Serve with steam rice.

(Courtesy: Rajiv Malhotra, Executive Chef, Chor Bizarre)

* Can be sourced from INA market

Gol Morich Murgi

Ingredients

Boneless chicken 250 gm

(thigh pieces cut up)

For the marinade

Ginger garlic paste 1 tbsp

Black pepper powder 1/2 tbsp

Lime juice 1 tsp

Oil/ghee 1/2 tsp

Salt to taste

For frying

Ginger garlic paste 1 & 1/2 tsp

Black pepper powder

Whole black

peppercorns 20

Cinnamon stick 2-inch

Vegetable oil 2 tsp

Ghee 2 tsp

Salt to taste

Method

* Marinate the chicken pieces with all ?marinade? ingredients and leave overnight, or at least a couple of hours.

* Heat oil and ghee in a frying pan. temper the hot oil with peppercorns and the cinnamon stick. Add pepper powder and ginger-garlic paste. Fry for two minutes at low-medium heat.

* Add chicken pieces and toss with spices. Fry for four-five minutes till they lose the raw colour. Add salt, cover pan and let the chicken cook for 15 minutes or till it turns brown, occasionally removing the cover to stir.

Sprinkle a little water in case the chicken sticks to the pan.

* Remove from heat and squeeze lime juice on top. Serve hot.

(Courtesy: The Bong Mom?s Cookbook by Sandeepa Mukherjee Datta)

Get live Share Market updates, Stock Market Quotes, and the latest India News and business news on Financial Express. Download the Financial Express App for the latest finance news.

First published on: 26-10-2013 at 09:02 IST
Market Data
Market Data
Today’s Most Popular Stories ×