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Chef for many years, also knife hobbyist and collector and prolific gardener
Cooking indian

South Indian Chicken curry/ Kozhi Kari

This is my take on a chicken chettinad or a south indian styled chicken curry. The chicken could be substituted with lamb or beef and then you need to make some adjustments for salt or spices, but more or less will work.What is key though it tasting, chilli in one part of the world might be a bit hotter than the other so its important to taste and experiment a little bit to get to what you will enjoy.

When i was a Chef Tutor, i trained some of my students, Simaranjit Singh and Shamika Ratnayke to make this for a live competiion and they won a gold medal and best in class.Now you go and win a medal from your family /friends.!!

For the marinade

Yoghurt- 2 TB/55 gms approximately

Turmeric – 1/4 tsp , 2 gms

Ginger and Garlic paste- 2 t /10 gms

Salt- 1 t/5 gm

Chicken thigh skinless on the bone is preferred- 500 gms

For the gravy

Oil- 1T /20 gm

Curry leaves- 1 sprig/ 1 gms

green chilli- 2 ea/ 5 gms

Onions brown peeled and chopped-250 gms

Tomato crushed/ Tomato passata – 75 gms

coriander powder- 1 t/ 5gm

cumin powder- 1/2 t / 2 gm

chipotle chilli – 5 gms- yes its unusual to use a mexican smoked chilli but this gives it an amzing flavour profile. Substitute with smoked paprika if not possible to get chipotle

coconut cream- 200 ml

For the dry spice mix

Cardamom green- 3 ea

Cloves- 2

cinnamon stick – 1 small

Bayleaf- 1/2- The indian bayleaf is actually a cassia cinnamon leaf called tej patta, if you dont have that then use bay,

dessicated coconut- 1T/ 15 gms

peppercorns- 8-10

star anise/anasi poo- 1/2

fennel seeds- 1/2 t

Dagadphool/Kalpasi- 1-2 gms this gives it a unique aroma

Toast all in the microwave and then grind to a coarse mix

Method.

Marinate chicken, ideally overnight, if pressed for time then atleaast a few hours.

for the gravy, heat oil add curry leaves , and green chilli and then the chopped onions, sand saute till brown

add the powder spices and tomato and cook till the oil starts to separate from the mix.

Add in the marinated chicken and simmer for about 35 mins or so along with the coconut cream.Towards the end add in the dry spice mix and some chopped coriander.

Enjoy with malabar parathas or thick dosa or rice.

Cooking indian

Lamb biryani / biranj E dum pukth

Ingredients for marination

650 gms lamb (with bone)

50 gm yoghurt /dahi

1/2 tsp turmeric /haldi

2 tsp chili powder (check spice heat )

1 green chilli, slit into 2 pcs

1 tbsp chopped coriander

1 tbsp chopped mint

1/2 tsp garam masala pwd , ( make your own it’s much better)

1 tsp.ginger garlic paste 

50 gm fried onion 

1 tsp salt

Marinate overnight

Wash and keep 300 gm long grain Basmati rice, remove water and keep for about 30 mins. You can do this before you start cooking lamb 

In a small bowl, take 30 ml hot water, put in half gm saffron, 1  teaspoon shahi jeera/royal cumin and 1/2 tsp kewda water.

Method 

  •  In a clean pan, take 2 tbsp oil and 2 tbsp ghee
  • Add 2 pieces cardamom, 1 small cinnamon stick (dalchini), 3-4 cloves(lavang), small piece star anise(chakriphool), small piece mace(javitri), 1 bay leaf(tejpatta), 1 big black cardamom (badi velchi). 
  •  Add in 1 big onion (150 gm), finely chopped and fry till golden brown.
  •  Add 2 tsp ginger garlic paste and 2 finely chopped tomato(150 gm or half a small can of crushed tomatoes )
  •  Add 1 tsp red chilli powder, 1 tsp coriander powder, and fry the onion tomato masala nicely, let oil leave the sides of the pan. Keep on a low flame till done.
  •  Next add marinated lamb and cook in the pressure cooker. don’t fully cook it, depends on your meat quality.. till the pressure builds up .
  •  Once your lamb is done, transfer it into a pan. let it dry little bit.
  • . Boil water in another pot, add salt and cook Basmati Rice till 1/3 to half done.
  •  Drain the rice.
  • . Deep fry potato cubes/pieces. I cut and cook in microwave for 2 mins before deep frying. Add the potato pieces to the lamb masala in the pan.
  • Pour drained rice on top of the mutton. 
  • 14. Pour over shahi jeera and saffron mixture on top.
  • 15. Add on the top 1 tbsp fresh chopped mint, 1tbsp fresh chopped coriander 1 tbsp fried onion and 1 tbsp ghee.
  • 16. Put a tight lid on and then leave on dum for about 10-15 mins max. Keep a heavy flat pan below this pot to prevent it from burning.
  • you can replace the lamb with chicken and it will come out very well too,.
  • You can shower me with mucho dollars/shekels/drachma /and i can make it for you..or teach you how to make it..
Thats one i made at home for us but have made Biryani for upto 300 people.
And another time
Cooking Asian, Cooking international

Bao buns

With basil and thai basil
Filled bao

I first ate a bao while a trainee at the Krishna Oberoi in Hyderabad but it was only when we started transitting through Singapore I saw and tasted so many variations on these and said to myself , why can’t I make it..so I learned and practised till I got it right.

 

These could be stuffed with roast pork to make what’s called Char Siew bao ( pronounced Cha Shao bao).But I like them with meat and vegetables separate

  • Flour – 250 gms
  • active dry yeast- 2 gms
  • baking powder- 2gms
  • sugar- 20 gms
  • milk powder- 25 gms
  • water -150 ml
  • sugar-20 gms
  • salt-5 gms
  • oil 25 ml
  • Sesame oil to brush .
  • Sieve flour.Add in all other dry ingredients.
  • add in flour and lightly mix with a fork and keep aside for 15 minutes covered with plastic wrap.
  • knead lightly and add in oil and knead again till smooth.
  • scale into 8 pieces and shape them into nice rounds and allow to rest again for about 10 mins.
  • Roll out to a 3 inch/ 6-7 cm circle then brush with sesame oil and fold over.
  • Allow to proof, thand then steam for 15 -18 minutes.

These are great even rolled out and pan fried or deep fried and go well with Indian styled Chick peas curry or Trinidadian Doubles, which is another post by itself.

Bao after steaming
  • Bao buns
  • With 5 spice chicken and veggies
Random bits and bobs ..

Spinach and Ricotta fatayer

  • Pastry
  • flour- 200 gms
  • baking powder- 2gms
  • salt- pinch
  • butter- 20 gms
  • eggs-1/2
  • cold water – just enough to form a semi hard dough.
  • Filling
  • olive or other oil- 10-15 ml
  • onion – 1/2 medium white onion roughly 50 gm
  • garlic- 1-2 cloves, crushed and chopped
  • frozen spinach- 100 gms ( subsitute with another green leafy vegetable of your choice if you dont have this./ or use corn kernels
  • seasoning- salt and pepper
  • ricotta – roughly 2 T can subsitute with feta/ or paneer /cream cheese/
  1. crumble flour , baking pdr, salt and butter.
  2. add egg and cold water and combine to make a semi hard dough
  3. rest for 15-20 minutes till filling is ready.
  4. For filling, heat oil, add crushed garlic and onion and saute till translucent, then add spinach and cook till dry. turn off heat
  5. add in ricotta and allow to cool down.
  6. roll out dough ad cut with a cookie cutter roughly 10 cms ./ if you dont have a cookie cutter, use something round and cut around with a sharp knife. the thickness should be roughly as much as a 1$ coin-3-4 mm thick roughly.
  7. put some filling in the centre and using the remainder of the egg , seal the edges to form a triangular shape.
  8. https://youtu.be/gDmwskrsfa0?t=336
  9. click on link above to see how they are making the shape.
  10. its easy with some practise. then either you can deep fry these pastries when they are done or bake at medium temp for 15-18 mins(350F/175 C). If baking brush with some butter or olive oil.
  11. Optional can add pine nuts/ slivered almonds and lemon juice/ sumac to the filling.
Desserts and baking

Tiramisu

Tiramisu is delightful italian dessert made from sponge fingers layered with a kind of mousse/ cream of mascarpone , eggs an cream. This is my evolved version which has baileys or amarula in the cream and kahlua in the sponge fingers. works very well and tastes mind blowing.

So how this works is you have to make a cream mix with eggs, sugar , mascarpone and cool down then whisk in the cream and mix them togther without overworking the cream or it will split. 

Then you dip the sponge fingers in the coffee syrup.(coffeee , hot water and kahlua), but you only dip not make mushy. then in a container or a glass, you carefully arrange them in layers. one layer of sponge, then cream and so on.

I have made this so many times  from 10- to a few hundred portions a work, that these days i dont even have to measure anything, but thats me, Dont be like me, get a proper measuring scale and weigh it. if you want less or more of something go ahead, for things like sugar it can but not for everything. If you are stuck, i can demonstrate via ZOOm or some other medium too

Sponge fingers 400 gms- usually 1 packet
Mascarpone cheese 1 kgs
Eggs 4 nos
sugar  120 gms
bailey irish cream – 30 ml or more if like it boozy
Kahlua or another quality coffee liquer 50 ml

coffee powder-10 gms /2 t
Whipping or thickened cream  250 ml

  • Whisk eggs over double boiler till thick and fluffy.
  • Combine with softened mascarpone.
  • Add in baileys irish cream / amarula.
  • Whisk cream and fold into above mixture .
  • Dissolve coffee powder with hot water and dip sponge fingers inside.
  • Layer sponge fingers and cheese mix. keep in the fridge/ freezer to set 
  • Dust with cocoa powder before service.
Making the sabayon