My first 'master class'

Decided to go for my first cooking class in HK, and the first in many years. Must say I loved it.

Grassroots Pantry's 'First Date Recipes' three-course menu was so compelling that the class had to be signed up for. On the menu were grilled figs and panko crusted halloumi salad, orzo pasta and raw banana banoffee pie (my old love from the days of Big Chill Cafe).

The restaurant itself is tucked away in a little corner and was as cute as button. Couldn't get as many pictures as I would have liked but I'm pretty sure I'm going back there soon-ish!

Was great to see so many people there at 10am on a Saturday and the class was led by Peggy, the Executive Chef and founder of Grassroots Pantry.

She started with making the grilled figs and OMG, who would have thought it would have been so easy to make?! Although I was little disappointed that we didn't get to cook along, it was great to be able to watch her cook and ask her as many questions as we wanted. And many of those simple tips and tricks are hard to be found anywhere besides a live demo session.

We got a chance to taste each dish, made with fresh organic ingredients, after the cook. And WOW!

Grilled figs and panko crusted halloumi salad with Middle-Eastern dukkah dressing

Tip - For a good dukkah, always roast your nuts and spices before pulsing them in the food processor. This helps to release their natural oils.

And, if you are a vegetarian and can't use eggs for the wash, whisk flax seed with water and use that instead!

Roasted eggplant, cherry tomatoes and morel mushroom orzo pasta 

If there was some way I could capture the fragrance of that searing morel mushroom, I won't be writing a blog post right now. I couldn't help but wonder that if this is what one tiny pan in a tiny kitchen smelled like, wonder what the Masterchef Kitchen feels like?

Tip - While making pasta, make the sauce and blanche the pasta simultaneously. And just before you think it's the right kind of al dente, take it off the heat, strain and cook it in the sauce. That way the pasta will really pick up the flavours. That's how the Italians do it, Penny said. And always, always, salt the water used for blanching the pasta.

Raw banana banoffee pie with salted almond and pine nut caramel

Saving the best of the last, the session ended on a sweet note. This pie was so spectacular that there were squeals of excitement when Peggy sprinkled the choco-chips on top. And because it was so simple, so elegant and so HEALTHY, it deserves more than one picture!

 

Tip - If not using butter, coconut oil works as a stabiliser and can be used instead.

Peggy made vegetarian cooking and flavours look so good that it was difficult to miss the meats.

All in all, a morning well spent, lots of notes scribbled, new techniques learnt and a sprouting of new ideas to execute in the kitchen. Definitely keeping an eye out for the next class coming up. Thanks Peggy!

The sister starts to cook: Making tea

There are two things that the four members of this Raisurana family have in common - love for beautiful things and love for good, interesting food.

And my sister, Anisha, has a special talent for foraging through the heaps of things in the house to come up with forgotten treasures. Last time she went home, she dug out mummy's 40 year old brooch collection. This time she found this gem of a tea-set. Both of which, I had never before seen in my life so of course, I lack in super powers.

While Anisha loves good food, she loathes dislikes cooking. So this time, we decided to share her cooking experiences on the blog and thus keep her motivated to learn this delectable art. All good lessons start with the basics and she chose to start with a 'tea party' of two on a rain-soaked evening.

By the looks of the tea, the first encounter with the kitchen was a success. What do you think?

Tea, anyone?

Lazy cook goes to cooking class

While last Saturday it was time for this lazy cook's 'lazy breakfast', this Saturday it's time for a cooking class!

Can't wait to go and learn new techniques, new recipes, meet some new people, have some conversations around the thing that binds us all - food! First cooking class in HK - yay! Hope to take some pictures and share soon :D

Cooking with secret ingredients

"How can you order from there? It's against everything you stand for!"
That's my sister's (slightly) over-exaggerated reaction on hearing I was excited about a Secret Ingredient (SI) recipe.

What's SI you ask? It's this super cool service in HK which allows you to choose your meal and then sends across all the ingredients, chopped and ready to cook with the recipe and their 'secret ingredient'. What better way to cook than without the trinity of hassles, washing-cleaning-cutting?

After hearing about them last year (and unwittingly benefiting from their SEO), I finally decided to try their recipes. Tried the oregano chicken ratatouille last week

 ... and loved it so much that ordered the Chennai Fish and Prawn Curry early this week. This is such a boon on days I get home at 8pm only to have an evening of work and multi-country calls to look forward to!

Since their recipes keep changing every week, I'm looking forward to a whole lot of 'secrets' floating around in my kitchen! :)

Just to re-emphasise, this blog and SI might have similar names but the only thing we have in common is no 'secret ingredient'.

Recipe: Spaghetti in pink yogurt sauce

I really do enjoy my pasta. And if it's spaghetti, I'm trying it. What I don't like is the whole 'unhealthy' aspect of eating pasta. But I do think whole wheat spaghetti and a thick yogurt based sauce go a long way in making it less unhealthy!

Here's how I made a rich and hearty bowl of pasta with 'pink' sauce. No cream, no cheese!

Ingredients
Broccoli florets
2 big tomatoes, cubed
1 zucchini
1 large bellpepper
Garlic slivers
1 big sliced onions
Salt
Pepper
Italian herbs - dried parsley, dried basil, dried oregano
Chilli flakes and paprika
1/2 packet of whole wheat spaghetti
Olive oil
4 tablespoons of yogurt - thicker the better. I used Nestle's Greek Yogurt

Prep
Fill the saucepan you would use to boil your pasta with water and bring to a boil
Once on a rolling boil, add the broccoli florets to blanche them
After about 3-4 minutes, take out the broccoli using a ladle
Add in the pasta to the boiling water and make as per instructions on the packet. Make sure to cook pasta al dente
While straining the pasta, reserve the water and keep separately

In a separate wok, heat the olive oil and add in the garlic slivers and sliced onion. On medium heat, let the onions and garlic cook till they start changing colour. Stir frequently so it doesn't burn.
Add in the bell pepper once the onions are soft and golden in colour.
On medium heat, let the bell pepper cook till it's slightly soft
Add zucchini, stir frequently till it changes colour and cooks through on low heat
Add in the tomatoes along with their juice
Add salt, pepper and the herbs, mix well and cover for 3-4 minutes on medium heat
Once the tomatoes cook down, add 4 tablespoons of yogurt and mix well
Adjust the consistency as per your liking - just make sure you use the reserved pasta water to adjust the sauce. It will add flavour to the sauce. 
Your 'pink' sauce for the pasta is ready!
Stir in chilli flakes and paprika

Add in the pasta and mix well so that the sauce coats every single spaghetti string

Your pasta's ready for you to dig in!

You can add in any other vegetables or meat as you like to this super flavorful sauce. I added in sausages since they were lying around in the fridge. For an extra touch of richness, you can add 1/2 tablespoon of butter and sprinkle with grated parmesan before serving.

Hope you enjoy your bowl of spicy and guilt-free pasta! :)

Recipe: Colourful salad

When you have a call with the US (exactly 12 hours away) looming large over your evening and a few 1000 errors to run before the said call, a cheerful face is all you need to see. And when the one face you want to really see is working the night away at his office desk, this colourful, fresh and healthy 20-min salad is maybe the next best thing!


Ingredients

1. 2 corn ears
2. 1 big bell pepper
3. 1 small boiled potato
4. Salad leaves
5. Hung curd
6. Balsamic vinegar
7. Dried parsley and basil herbs
8. Olive oil
9. Salt and pepper

Prep

Hull corn ears and steam
Cut bell peppers in half and roast in oven till they start charring
Cut the bell pepper in bite sized slices
Once cooled, remove kernels from corn
In a zip lock bag, place corn kernels and bellpeppers
Add a dash of olive oil, salt, pepper and balsamic vinegar. Shake well but gently and let sit for atleast 15 mins.
In the meantime, cut the potato into cubes, add salt and pepper, dried parsley, dash of olive oil and mix well. Let sit for minimum 5 mins.
Wash and place all the salad greens in a salad bowl, tip the corn bag on it and top with the potatoes

 

Serve with a few tea spoons of hung curd on top and enjoy the freshness!

Yum, yum, dinner done!

Salad and mushrooms for dinner? Excellent idea!

Loved every single mouthful of the roasted bell peppers + steamed corn + boiled potato + fresh Italian greens + balsamic + hung curd + salt n pepper salad...

... accompanied with herbed mushroom bruschetta and sauteed mushrooms.

Yum, yum, dinner done!

Recipe: Carrot purée mashed potatoes

What do you do when you are hungry on a Sunday (=grocery re-stocking day) morning and raid the fridge only to find bunny carrots, 1 small potato, cheese slice, chillies, garlic and bread? As you stand and stare, dimaag ki batti goes on, what you find seems to be enough to get something on the table.

But what if your diet doesn't allow you aloo? You substitute - make a spicy carrot puree and use the one chota sa aloo to add bulk and volume. And what if your husband doesn't want a teekha start to the day? Bland aloo and cheese helps balance the fiery punch of the carrot puree.

This is what I came up with and maybe this is something you can do with #whatwasleftinthefridge.

Carrot purée -
Chopped carrots
Sliced chillies
1/2 garlic pod
Pinch of mustard seeds
Pinch of cumin seeds
Salt
2 spoons water
1 teaspoon olive oil
Blend in mixie

Mashed potatoes -
Mash 3/4 medium boiled potato
Add 1/2 teaspoon butter
1/2 teaspoon salt
Pepper
Parsley herb
Oregano
Add 3/4 carrot purée and mix well

Capsicum -
Slice 1 capsicum
Slivered garlic
Put in oven till cooked and slightly crunchy

Cut bread slice in half
Place 1/2 cheese slice
Top with carrot mashed potatoes
Top with capsicum and slivered garlic
Bake till cheese melts
Serve with remaining carrot purée as a punchy sauce on the side

If you try it and like it or if you try it and don't like it or if you try it and improve it, please do let me know! 

Recipe: Fiery yogurt dip

Saturdays are for recovering from the excesses of Friday. And for testing your 'healthy resolve' by watching the latest season of Masterchef all day while snacking on carrots and olives! So, in keeping with the 'challenge accepted' mood, here's a recipe for a yummilicious dip worthy of accompanying mouth-watering Masterchef episodes. In the words of Matt Preston, this spicy dip left my 'mouth awash'. ;)

Ingredients -

• Dahi/ yogurt
• Garlic slivers
• Finely sliced red chillies
• Salt
• Coarsely ground pepper 
• Dash of mustard
• Olives 
• Onion powder (or finely chopped slices of onion)
• Feta cheese (purely optional)

Mix dahi well till fluffy and smooth

Add salt, most of the garlic, mustard sauce, half of the red chillies and feta. Mix well. 

Top with remaining sliced red chillies, remaining garlic pepper and olive

Serve with carrots, olives on the side, cucumbers sticks, celery stalks, nachos, whatever you please!

If you try it, do let me know!

Recipe: Mushroom subzi

Made mushroom sabzi yesterday. Liked it enough to want to share the recipe. So here goes!

Ingredients -

• 2 packets mushrooms, chopped into chunks
• 1 tomato, chopped
• 1 big onion, cubed
• Sliced garlic
• Thinly sliced ginger
• Salt and pepper
• Finely chopped green chillies
• Red chilli powder
• Oil
• 1/2 teaspoon butter 
• 2 teaspoons cumin powder
• 1 teaspoon coriander powder

Preparation
In a skillet, heat the oil and once hot, add ginger, garlic and green chillies

Once the ginger-garlic become soft, add the onions and saute till golden

To this, add tomatoes and cumin powder, coriander powder, chilli powder, salt and pepper. Mix well and allow tomato to cook through and become soft and juicy. Add water if required.

Once ready, add the mushrooms, mix well and let cook. And your sabzi is ready!

Hope you liked the recipe and will try making it! It's quick, it's easy and it's yum with hot hot rotis!!

What's been cooking?

After a long spell of no cooking (thanks to a travel packed June), I was in cooking overdrive over the weekend. It helped that Vishal was out of town and inspiration came from wanting to cook up a meal for him on his return :)

So Saturday had a smooth start with a smoothie of milk, yogurt, apples and berries.

Followed by mushroom sabzi (recipe here) cooked ahead of time for Sunday lunch

 And then on to angel hair pasta with mushrooms and onions for my lunch+dinner

And then finally, in the evening a salad for dinner accompanied by said pasta!

Sunday saw a lazy brunch of shakshouka (recipe here) and sangria.

The weekend closed with some fabulous white asparagus cream bruschetta from La Piola :)

Signing off as the pressure cooker is whistling away - time to make dinner!

Have a great week and keep cooking!!