The wings of heaven from God's own country

The coastal cuisines of southern India are replete with the predominance of fragrant coconut, tart tamarind and savory curry leaves. Taking a page out of the carnatic cookbook and fusing its philosophy with dishes that are seen on Western platters, I came up with this recipe. Wings and fries- quintessential American grub- gets a malabar makeover with sticky tamarind glazed chicken wings and coconut dusted potato wedges. It would take some resolve to stay away from this one. 

Tamarind ginger curry leaf chicken wings with coconut potato wedges

Season chicken wings and drizzle with olive oil. Scatter over curry leaves, cover with foil and roast for 25 mins. Splutter mustard seeds in hot oil. Coat potato wedges with it, add (lime zest + salt + pepper + desiccated coconut) and roast until crispy. Add (tamarind pulp + palm sugar + salt), powdered (chilli + ginger + fennel) along with a splash of water to a pot and reduce over heat to make the sauce. Remove foil from chicken, pour over the sauce and cook uncovered for 10 mins until sticky and succulent. Serve chicken wings with potato wedges.

One pretty fish and Mediterranean dreams

I was mulling over Mediterranean seafood recipes and got inspired by a certain dish I had seen on Tonia Buxton's Cypriot Kitchen of sauteed red mullet with rose petals, Going with that Greek note, this particular recipe was dreamt up- crispy red skinned fish and tomatoes on a citrus spiked orzo salad, complemented with the robust flavors of hazelnut and chorizo- this could be a perfect Mediterranean themed dinner party main. Nothing can compare with the beauty of  red mullet but substitute with barramundi (a.k.a bhetki) if you have to.

Crispy skin red mullet on lemon dill orzo with pan roasted tomatoes and hazelnut chorizo crumbs

Cook orzo in boiling salted water. Add (torn stale pita + garlic + hazelnuts + diced chorizo + parsley) into a food processor and pulse into coarse crumbs. Toast in pan with olive oil with (salt + pepper) and remove. Season a fillet of red mullet and pan fry skin side down, turning it after 2 mins. Add in cherry tomatoes and saute, removing fish when cooked. Season tomatoes and deglaze with white wine, simmering until it has evaporated. Blend (dill + lemon zest + olive oil) and dress orzo with it. Spread orzo on plate, top with fish and spoon over tomatoes. Finish with a scattering of chorizo hazelnut crumbs.

Muy Delicioso!

Come summer nights and I can hear Mariachi music in the air, with visions of men in sombreros strumming their guitars on a cacti strewn desert and at the back of all that- a hankering for pizza. A twist on squash blossom quesadillas that I saw on an episode of Planet Food, this recipe fulfills all my pizza cravings with an authentic Mexican flair! Studded with crunchy corn, squash blossoms, red peppers and epazote (the classic Mexican herb), drenched with a spicy ranchero sauce, and finished with Oaxaca cheese...I guarantee that a slice of this pie will leave you feeling like a Big Cajuna. So vamos, and make this now!

Charred corn, squash blossom, red pepper and epazote pizza with ranchero sauce and Oaxaca cheese

Bloom yeast in (warm water + sugar + olive oil). Knead (bread flour + salt) profusely with it, cover and leave to prove. Knock out the air, divide into balls and prove once more for an hour. Saute chopped (onions + garlic) in olive oil. Add in chopped (tomato + capsicum + jalapenos) along with (salt + cumin + chili de arbol + Mexican oregano), and simmer for 20 mins. Roast red pepper on flame, cover with cling film; then peel, deseed and slice. Char corn on the cob and shear the kernels off. Remove stems off of squash blossoms. To assemble pizza roll out the dough, smear ranchero sauce and top with (charred corn + red pepper + epazote + squash blossoms + shredded Oaxaca cheese). Put on a pizza stone dusted with cornmeal, and bake until cooked. Squeeze over lime and serve.

Petite spring brunches for Her and Him

Classic European flavors come together in these light open faced sandwiches that are the perfect go-to for a spring brunch.

For her: Poached bacalao, white bean, roasted garlic and parsley tartine

Soak bacalao (salt cod) in water overnight changing water twice. Wrap whole garlic drizzled with olive oil in foil and roast in oven. Heat up milk with (onions + bay leaf + peppercorns) and poach bacalao in it. Flake cod into large pieces, and add to cooked white beans in a bowl. Whisk in a bowl (chopped parsley + squeezed roasted garlic + black pepper + olive oil) and mix with fish and beans. Grill ciabatta toast and top with the mixture.

For him: Garlic parsley buttered girolles, oozy egg and parmesan tartine

Boil egg in water for 6-7 mins until oozy. Mix together chopped (parsley + garlic + salt + pepper) with butter. Heat the butter in a pan with a drizzle of olive oil, and throw in torn girolle mushrooms. Saute until fragrant and tender, but still retaining texture. Spread over grilled ciabatta toast, top with broken egg and parmesan shavings.

This is going to be your new favourite!

We are all familiar with the plethora of Indo-Chinese grub available in our country- from the ubiquitous chilli chicken to the recently popular crispy chilli babycorn- all incredibly delicious and witness to the beautiful way the two cuisines can amalgamate to create unique flavours. Feeding on such inspiration I crafted this recipe of succulent chicken with the mouth puckering taste of tamarind mellowed by sweet jaggery, in a moody dark gravy owing to a generous dash of soy and fish sauce. Serve with fluffy rice and stuff your mouth with it.

Dark chicken with tamarind and jaggery

Soak tamarind pulp in water for an hour. Strain; add grated jaggery to the paste. Mix together (chopped garlic + sliced onion + sliced scallions + sliced green chilly + tamarind jaggery paste + vegetable oil + star anise + cinnamon) in a bowl. Add skinless on-the-bone chicken pieces to the marinade. Leave for 3 hours. Heat wok; tip in the chicken with the marinade. Cook on a high heat for 10 minutes. Add (dark soy + fish sauce) and simmer covered until chicken is tender. Scatter chopped cilantro over it. Serve with steamed rice.

A flicker of summer in January

This morning I woke up feeling particularly summery and bohemian, despite it being January. All I could think of were the blue waters of the Mediterranean, the sunlight reflecting off of it, fruit groves boasting their full bounty, a sense of freedom in the air. So anyway daydreams as usual led into this recipe, which has squid cooked two ways, grilled like an accordion and crispy panko fried. To make it a delightful summer lunch fennel pineapple and radish come into the play, complementing the freshness of the seafood perfectly.

Grilled concertina squid with fennel pineapple radish salad and crispy tentacles

Clean squid, keeping tentacles whole. Cut the squid concertina style. Marinate with (lemon zest + olive oil + salt + pepper + chopped garlic) and grill. Coat tentacles in buttermilk and crumb with (cayenne + salt + pepper + panko), then deep fry along with sliced red chillies. Toss shaved (fennel + radish + pineapple) with (basil + mint), and drizzle over (honey + lemon juice + olive oil) dressing. Scatter over fried tentacles and chillies, and serve with grilled squid.

Indulge once in a while

The days of steak and prawns are gone. New interpretations of surf and turf range from pork belly and scallops to fried chicken and crab claws. For me surf and turf means total indulgence, which is exactly the idea I had in mind while concocting this recipe. Plump Angus patty blanketed with creamy pancetta aioli atop which rests succulent lobster meat and a shellfish reduction. 

Surf and turf slider with pancetta aioli and shellfish reduction

Chop pancetta and saute in dry pan, until crispy. Remove and whisk the grease along with (egg yolk + pepper + Dijon mustard + oil) and fold in (garlic + pancetta bits) to make aioli. Sweat (carrot + celery + onion) in oil, then add (salt + bay leaf + white wine + water) and cook crayfish in it. Remove shell, reserve the meat. Add shells back to pan, reduce on high, blitz and strain. Season Angus patty and grill to medium rare. Toast slider bun. Spread pancetta aioli on the bottom, top with (patty + crayfish tails + shellfish reduction + sliced tomato) and put on bun lid.