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)