Basil chingri malai curry with pesto

When I was young, Cliff Richard’s father had something to say to an entire generation of long-haired boys. “Son, you be a bachelor boy, until your dyin’ day,” he said. Cliff Richard sang Bachelor Boy and all of us got moony-eyed. And though not many took him seriously, the song did come back to me some days ago when chef Sharad Dewan started talking about bachelors.

The chef, who is the director of food production, The Park, Calcutta, (and a happily married man, I believe), has been thinking about his bachelor days. And since the way to a man’s heart is through his stomach, he has reached the conclusion that the route is not very different to the woman’s heart either. Feed her well, and before you know it, you’ll be tying the knot.

Curd rice arancini

So with this in mind, he has conceptualised a genre called bachelor food. The food — such as a dish called curd rice arancini — is easy to cook, but exotic to eat.

Arancini, for instance, are fried rice balls that are believed to have originated in Sicily. So to tart up your curd rice, chef Dewan suggests that you deep fry your coconut rice after turning a rice ball into a flat tikki, and then serve it with coconut chutney. Use good flatware to present your food, says the chef. “It makes even simple food look exotic.”

Simple? But that’s the key, the chef says. Bachelors have to impress their would-be partners, and they can’t take risks with elaborate dishes. “Do not eat more than what you can chew. That translates into — cook just as many dishes as you can handle. Do not be over-ambitious,” he warns. “Keep it simple but tasty. Tastes matter more than looks, most of the time.”

Here I would like to put in a disclaimer. The chef has bachelors in mind, but I see no reason why women can’t follow the same advice that he has for single men.

Knowing how to cook a few good dishes will help everybody — irrespective of their sex.

The chef has another suggestion to make. “Know your audience well,” he says, and cook according to their tastes.

So don’t forget the likes and dislikes of the one you’re seeking to impress. If they like their prawns, you can go for a holy basil chingri malai curry, which you cook the way the prawn dish is cooked (in coconut milk), but with an added pinch of pesto. Put the pesto in the gravy and let it simmer gently. And then serve the prawn with thin potato fritters and steamed rice. If, on the other hand, they are allergic to prawns, serve them something like a beer batter fried topse, which is easy to cook, and great to eat.

For this, de-bone the topse (250g) keeping the head and the tail intact. Marinate it in lemon juice, kasundi, salt and coriander. Now make the batter by mixing 75ml beer with 150g refined flour, water, salt, sugar, nutmeg, 2 egg whites and one egg yolk. And then dip the fish in it and deep fry.

You never know when you may have to rustle up a meal to impress someone, so the chef suggests you keep your fridge well stocked with frozen foods. But do not, he stresses, serve packaged food (“It is not impressive”). If you have to, he says, add something to it to make the dish a little different.

These are good tips for those hoping to get hitched this year. The New Year has just begun, and there’s no time like the present. I would suggest that you get your act together if you wish to hear wedding bells ring. And if the food hits the target, don’t forget to send a card to chef Dewan.

Pesto-scented grilled chicken finger wrap with balsamic onion and rocket (serves 2)

Ingredients:

• 80g basil • 2 cloves garlic • 30g pine nuts/walnuts • 40g Parmesan cheese • 40ml olive oil • salt to taste • 40g finely sliced onions • 30g rocket or lettuce leaves • 8 chicken breasts • 4 tortilla wraps or fresh rotis la pinch of sugar • 5ml balsamic vinegar (optional)

Method:

Make a paste of the basil, garlic, nuts, Parmesan, olive oil and salt for the pesto. The pesto should be slightly grainy in texture. Marinate the chicken in the pesto and keep aside for 30 minutes. In a non-stick pan, heat oil. Sauté the onions. Add a pinch of sugar and few drops of balsamic vinegar. Cook till the onions caramelise. Grill the chicken in a pan. To assemble, take a tortilla wrap. Warm it and place two chicken pieces on in it. Top with caramelised onion and a few rocket/lettuce leaves. Roll the wrap and serve immediately.