Spicy Chenna/Paneer Akuri on Toast
Ingredients
250g chenna or soft paneer
2tbsp finely chopped onions
2tbsp finely chopped tomato
2tbsp finely chopped coriander leaves
1tsp finely chopped green chilli
½tsp turmeric
2tbsp olive oil
2tbsp cream cheese or Amul cheese spread
3tbsp milk
Salt to taste
2 dozen melba toast or crostini bread
Method
- Heat oil in a pan or kadai and lightly saute the onions, tomato and chilli for a few minutes.
- Reduce the heat of the pan to a medium flame, crumble in the chenna along with the turmeric and half the coriander.
- Mix everything well and saute for a few more minutes until the chenna is cooked through.
- Take the pan off the heat and stir in the milk and cream cheese until the mixture comes to a creamy consistency.
- Season with salt to taste.
- Lightly toast or warm the pieces of bread and place generous scoops of the chenna mixture on top as you would on a crostini. Garnish with the remaining coriander before serving.
Chef Auroni Mookerjee, The Salt House, Calcutta
Spicy Edamame Steamed with Sea Salt and Crispy Garlic
Ingredients
200g edamame
10g garlic
2g sea salt
10ml oil
15g red chilli paste
5ml sesame oil
10g oyster sauce
5ml lemon juice
3g fresh red chilli chopped
1 lime wedge
Method
- Cook frozen edamame in boiling water for about 4 minutes till it is tender and then drain.
- In a pan, heat oil, add garlic, chilli paste, sesame oil and fresh red chilli.
- Add the edamame and toss it until it is coated well.
- Squeeze lime juice at the end.
- Serve edamame with a sprinkle of sea salt and a lime wedge.
Chicken in Hot Basil Sauce
Ingredients
200g boiled and sliced chicken breast
20g chopped garlic
20g chopped ginger
20g chopped onion
20-30 fresh basil leaves
15-20g Thai herbs (kaffir leaves, galangal and lemongrass)
30g chilli garlic sauce
20g Sriracha sauce
10g honey
10ml vinegar
Salt to taste
Method
- Poach the chicken breast with fresh Thai herbs.
- Take a non-stick pan, put a dollop of butter and little oil, then put onion, garlic, ginger and saute until it turns brownish in colour.
- Put all the sauces along with honey, vinegar and salt.
- Add the poached chicken breast and cook with the mixture for around 10-12 minutes on medium heat.
- Finish it with some fresh basil.
Chef Bishwojyoti Shrestha, Ping’s Cafe Orient, Calcutta
Grilled Veggies, Beet Hummus, Microgreens & Pita Tacos
Ingredients
A dozen medium-sized pita flatbreads
For beet hummus
250g roasted or boiled beetroot, peeled and roughly chopped
1 clove of garlic
1tbsp lime juice
2tbsp tahini
2tbsp olive oil
A pinch or two of toasted cumin powder to taste
Salt and pepper to taste
For grilled vegetables and microgreens
1tbsp sliced and toasted almonds
2tbsp feta or goat cheese
1 red pepper
1 yellow pepper
1 small yellow zucchini
1 small green zucchini
1 small head of broccoli
2-3tbsp basil pesto
25g assorted microgreens
2-3tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste
Method
- Roughly chop all the vegetables and roast them in an oven or pan on high heat, with some olive oil and seasoning. It’s essential to not crowd the pan/baking tray in order to get some char on the veggies.
- Puree all the ingredients for the hummus in a food processor until it turns into a smooth paste. You want the consistency to be similar to hung curd or cream cheese.
- In a mixing bowl, toss the roasted veggies with the pesto.
- Lightly dress the greens with olive oil in another mixing bowl.
- To construct the tacos, lightly warm through each flatbread. Spread a spoonful of the hummus on top of each flatbread like you would sauce a pizza. Then scoop on a spoon of the grilled veggies and a small bunch of the microgreens.
- Sprinkle over the almonds and cheese, and serve immediately.
Chef Auroni Mookerjee, The Salt House, Calcutta
Brie Tempura With Plum Sauce, Pickled Beetroot, Toasted Almonds and Shichimi Togarashi
Ingredients
400g Brie
100g flour
1 egg
1 beetroot
12-14 orange segments
1tbsp plum sauce
20g toasted almond flakes
Shichimi Togarashi to sprinkle
200ml cold water
50g rock salt
Method
- To make the tempura batter, mix flour, egg and cold water.
- Wash the beetroot and wrap it in a silver foil along with rock salt and bake for an hour at 150°C. Take it out of the oven and allow it to cool. Peel the skin and cut into small dices.
- Cut the Brie into 14-16 small triangles.
- Heat oil in a fryer at moderate temperature, dip the brie into the tempura batter, remove the excess batter and fry until light brown.
- Assemble the Brie along with the roasted beetroot, orange segment and plum sauce. Sprinkle with almonds and Shichimi.
Assorted Non-vegetarian Starter Platter
Onion rings
Ingredients
1 big onion cut into rings
50g corn flour
60g refined flour
20ml beer
½tsp baking powder
Seasoning
Method
- First make the beer batter by mixing corn flour, refined flour, beer, baking powder and seasoning.
- Now dip the onion rings in the batter and deep-fry till golden.
Asparagus Chicken Cigar
Ingredients
60g boneless chicken
20g asparagus
1 wanton sheet cut into four pieces
10g cheese
1 pinch chilli flakes
Seasoning
2-3 fresh basil leaves
20g chopped onion
1 clove garlic chopped
Method
- Saute the chopped onions and garlic and add chicken cubes, asparagus and the other ingredients except wanton sheet and cheese for 5 minutes.
- Take the wanton sheet and place the filling inside it and roll it like a cigar.
- Deep-fry until golden brown.
Golden Fried Prawns
Ingredients
3 prawns
Salt to taste
1tsp lemon juice
1tsp ginger and garlic juice
½tsp chilli paste
50g corn flour
60g refined flour
½tsp baking powder
20ml beer
Method
- De-vein and clean the prawns and then marinate it with salt, lemon juice, ginger-garlic juice and chilli paste.
- Dip it into a smooth batter made with corn flour, refined flour, baking powder and seasoning and fry it on medium heat till golden brown.
Potato Stuffed Fish
Ingredients
4 potatoes
10g coriander leaves
1tsp tabasco sauce
2 green chillies chopped
10g cheese
Seasoning
60g bekti
20ml refined oil
Method
- Dice the potato into half and scoop it. Blanch the potatoes in water and fry them for 2 minutes.
- Heat oil in a pan and add onion, garlic and green chillies, saute for sometime and add the diced fish.
- Once the fish is soft, add seasoning of salt, lemon juice, Tabasco and pepper. Add the cheese and mashed potatoes and keep it aside.
- Stuff the scooped and fried potatoes with this filling and top it with grated cheese and bake at 250°C for 2 minutes.
- Take it out and serve it with salsa on top.
Chef Jayanta Saha, The Grid, Calcutta
Brie Tempura With Plum Sauce, Pickled Beetroot, Toasted Almonds and Shichimi Togarashi Picture: B. Halder
Honey caramel chilli baby potato Picture: B. Halder
Chicken in Hot Basil Sauce Picture: B. Halder
Honey caramel chilli baby potato
Ingredients
300g fried baby potato
30g chopped garlic
30g ginger
4 dry red chillies
20g roasted peanuts
50g Sriracha sauce
40g sweet chilli sauce
10ml vinegar
10g desi mirch powder
20g honey
10ml dark soya
Salt to taste
Method
- Add some salt to water and half-boil the potatoes.
- Fry the half-boiled potatoes with corn flour and salt to taste.
- Brown the ginger, garlic and add all the sauces and then caramelise the mix.
- Add the potatoes and toss with the mixture to coat the potatoes with it.
- Garnish with finely chopped parsley or coriander.
Chef Bishwojyoti Shrestha, Ping’s Cafe Orient, Calcutta
Spicy Edamame Steamed with Sea Salt and Crispy Garlic Picture: B. Halder
Spicy Chenna/Paneer Akuri on Toast Picture: Rashbehari Das
Assorted Non-vegetarian Starter Platter Picture: Rashbehari Das
Amritsari Bhatti Ki Aloo Picture: Rashbehari Das
Amritsari Bhatti Ki Aloo
Ingredients
300g potatoes (5 medium sized)
100g powdered sugar
10g cheese
2-3g fresh coriander leaves
2 green chillies
2 lime wedges
50g hung curd
1tbsp red chilli powder
1tbsp tandoori spices
100g mashed potatoes
20g cashews
10ml mustard oil
1tbsp ginger-garlic paste
Method
- Peel the potatoes and scoop out from the centre. Blanch the de-skinned potato shaped like barrels in water and then deep-fry.
- Stuff the potato holes with spicy Indian-flavoured mashed potato mixed with nuts, cheese and fresh coriander leaves.
- Marinate the potato barells with hung curd, red chilli powder, tandoori spices, mustard oil and cook them in tandoor for 10 minutes.
- Take it out and serve with raw mango-dhania chutney and sprinkle with spice mix on top.
Chef Jayanta Saha, The Grid, Calcutta