Friday, 28 September 2012

Chicken Pulao



Ingredients:-

700 gms of chicken
Salt to taste
3 small onions
1/2 inch of ginger
7-8 pods of garlic
2 tbspn plain yogurt
1 tspn green chili paste
6-7 tbspn oil
1/2 tspn sugar
2 cups rice
10 cashews
1/4th cup pistachio slices
2 bay leaves
3/4 inch cinnamon stick
6 cloves
4 green cardamom
1/2 tspn garam masala powder

Method:-

Cut chicken into small pieces. Wash well, salt and set aside. Make a paste of onion, ginger and garlic. Mix with the chicken. Add plain yogurt and chili paste. Marinate over night.

Now heat oil in a oak. Add chicken. Keep covered and chicken will cook itself in its own juices released by heat. When the juices dry up, add salt and sugar and keep stirring the chicken. Set it aside.

In another pan mix, rice for pulao with sugar salt, cashews and pistachios slices. Heat oil in a oak, add bay leaves, cinnamon stick, cloves and green cardamom. Add rice stir fry for a minute till the rice is white and opaque. Add water. Cover and cook.

After rice is fully cooked add chicken pieces, garam masala powder. Adjust salt. Cover and put it on very low flame. Keep it for a few minutes. Stir well. Turn the heat off.
Serve hot with raita.


Tuesday, 30 August 2011

Chicken Tikka Fajita


Ingredients:
For marinade:
4 boneless chicken breasts, skinned and cut into thin strips
2 tsp salt
1 tsp garam masala
1/2 tsp coriander powder
1/4 tsp cardamom powder
1/4 tsp tandoori powder
1/2 tsp dried fenugreek leaves
1 tsp turmeric powder
1 tsp paprika powder
Pinch of citric acid (Or a squeeze of lemon juice)
Handful of fresh coriander
2 tbsp milk
2 tbsp olive oil
For Masala:
3 tbsp olive oil
2 tsp cumin seeds
1 tsp mustard seeds
1 tsp black peppercorns
1 onion
3 cloves garlic
2″ ginger
1 green chili (optional)
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp garam masala
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
1/2 tsp paprika powder
Handful coriander
2 tomatoes
2 tbsp tomato puree
Handful cashews
2 tbsp yoghurt

Also:
1 green pepper, sliced
1 yellow pepper, sliced
1 red onion, sliced
8 tortillas

Mint Sauce:
1 cup Greek yoghurt
1/4 fresh mint leaves
Salt to taste


Method:
In a bowl, add the chicken, oil, milk  and all of the dry masalas together. Add the coriander and mix well. Place in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour.Preheat oven to maximum temperature. Once hot, cook the chicken for 5 minutes. Then the chicken over and cook for a further 5 minutes.In a food processor, grind together the onion, garlic, ginger, chilli and coriander.Heat the oil in a pan. Add the cumin seeds, mustard seeds and peppercorns.Once they begin to sizzle, add the grinded paste and cook until golden brown, stirring continuously.Add in the dry spices and 2 tbsp tomato puree and mix.Grind together the tomatoes and cashews. Add this paste to the pan and cook for 3-5 minutes.When the oil begins to separate from the masala, add the chicken and mix. Add 1/4 cup of water and cover with lid for 5 minutes.Add 2 tbsp yoghurt and reduce the heat. Cook for a further 5 minutes and turn off the heat. Cover with lid.Now heat 1 tsp oil in a frying pan. Add the peppers and cook for 2-3 minutes. Now add the onion and cook for 2-3 minutes. Sprinkle over some salt and pepper.To prepare the mint sauce, grind or finely chop the mint. Mix with the yogurt and add a pinch of salt to taste.To assemble the fajitas, heat a tortilla on a non stick pan. Once warm, remove from heat and place the chicken tikka  masala on the middle of it. Now add some peppers and onions and finish with some yoghurt sauce. Fold the tortilla over to form a fajita. Repeat this process for each of the tortillas.

Regards

Chef Tirthankar Sengupta


Monday, 29 August 2011

Mutton Biryani (Home Made)



Ingredients: 


1.  Meat                                                        ½ kg
2.  Basmati rice                                              3 cup
3.  Ghee                                                          5 tsp
4.  Onion big                                                   1 sliced
5.  Tomato medium                                       1 finely chopped
6.  Green chillies                                            5
7.  Ginger                                                       2 inch
8.  Garlic                                                        4 pods
9.  Cashew nuts                                             10
10. Saffron                                                    a pinch
11. Coconut milk                                          1 cup
12. Coriander leaves                                    ½ cup(chopped)
13. Mint leaves                                            ½ cup (chopped)
14. Water                                                      5 cups
15. Cardamom                                              2
16. Cinnamon                                               1 inch stick
17. Jaji flower                                              1
18. Anasi flower                                           1
19. Cloves                                                    3


Method


First clean and wash the mutton pieces.
Drain all the water and keep it aside.
Next make a paste with green chilies, ginger and garlic.
Now add half of the portion of the paste with mutton pieces.
Now pressure cook the mutton for 3 to 4 whistles with out adding too much of water.
Then switch off the stove and keep aside. Take a pressure cooker and heat with 5 tsp of ghee.
Then add cardamom, cloves, anasi flower, jaji flower, cashew nuts and cinnamon.
Fry for few seconds.
Then add onions and saute for 2 mins.
Now add tomato pieces and remaining paste.
  Saute until the raw smell disappears.
Now add washed basmati rice and cooked mutton pieces.
Combine well.
Then add coconut milk, water, coriander leaves and pudhina leaves.
Again combine well and close the pressure cooker.
Now pressure cook for 2 whistles and switch off the stove.
Mutton biryani is ready.
Serve with onion raitha.

Regards
Chef Tirthankar Sengupta

Saturday, 20 August 2011

Mangsher Gota moshla (Mutton with whole spices)



Ingredients

Mutton (Breast Piece)          : 500 gm
Curd                                    : 200 gm
Ghee                                    : 200 gm
Kashmiri Dry Red Chillies     :  4 to 5
Cloves                                  : 4 to 5
 Peppercorns                        : 6 to 10
Onion                                   : 600 gm Finely sliced 
Ginger                                  : 100 gm Finely sliced
Garlic                                   : 100 gm Finely Sliced
Saffron                                 : 1 Tea spoon
Milk                                     :  1 Table spoon
Water                                  :  Half Cup
Besan                                  :  2 Tea spoon
Coriander                            :  A bunch
Charcoal                              :  2 medium pieces
Nutmeg                                : 1 
Wheat Flour                        : To Seal The lead of the dekchi.
Mace                                  : A pinch
Salt                                     : To taste.


Method
Cut The mutton into large pieces. Add sliced onions, garlic and ginger, curd and ghee. Mix thoroughly. Add the whole spices and Kashmiri Chillies, mix again and marinate for an hour. Put the marinated mixture in pressure cooker and add 2 teaspoon of besan mix well. Cook under pressure for half an hour. Shift the mutton along with the curry in a dekchi, add saffron with milk and mix it with the gravy. With dungar process cover the lid with some flour paste. Place over a very slow fire. Garnish with chopped Coriander leaves.
This preparation goes best with Ghee Rice, or Paratha.      

Regards
Chef Tirthankar Sengupta 

Wednesday, 17 August 2011

The history behind the chefs uniform (By Chef Uday Nayak)

The traditional chef's uniform, including  toque (traditional chefs hat), white double breasted jacket, and checked pants are instantly recognized by most members of the Western world, especially in this day of television's celebrity chefs. What isn't obvious is the origins, generally for practical reasons, of each item.
Chef Hat - The History & Origin
The chef hat isn't for style but sheer practical use. They are for preventing every food eater's nightmare of finding hair in their food, purely and simply. They also denote how accomplished the chef is. If you've ever noticed the pleats on a chef's hat and thought they were simply for sheer fanciness then guess again - they are the equivalent of stripes on the arm of a military person. The number of pleats goes up to one hundred, which would be the most accomplished a chef could be and is also said to denote the no of ways in which the chef can cook a egg .
There is no single known origin of the toque, the French name for the chef hat, and it is shrouded in historical guesswork and nothing is conclusive. One widely accepted origin of the chef hat is it originated in the Henry VIII era, when much to the King's horror he found a hair in his food. He then beheaded the person whose head it fell from, and thereafter ordered all of his kitchen staff to wear chef hats.
However other countries lay claim to been the first inventors of chef hats. The simple fact is it wouldn't be too outrageous to assume some sort of hygienic head wear was adopted by the many refined cultures of the world, in some shape or form.
The double breasted jacket can be reversed to hide stains. Its thick cotton cloth protects from the heat of stove and oven and protects from splattering of boiling liquids. Traditionally knotted cloth buttons were used because they could stand up to the frequent washing and survive contact with hot items without melting.
The hound's tooth checked pattern frequent on trousers serves to camouflage minor stains. The use of white for other pieces of clothing, especially by highly visible head chefs, is intended to denote cleanliness.
An apron is an obviously useful piece of equipment used to shield the rest of the wearer's garments from food splatters and stains.
Some modern chefs have put their own distinct spin on the traditional uniform. Color, pattern and design changes all contribute to the unique personality of these chefs. But the traditional, practical, clothing of the chef still remains a standard in the food industry.
this article has been sourced from the net and is purely for educational purpose .

Thanks Chef Uday for your information.

Friday, 12 August 2011

Malpua (Bengali)


 Malpua: Malpua is a dish originated in Bihar they call it Ras Pua specially prepared for the occasion of Holi. We adopted this Ras Pua and named it as Malpua.

Ingredients:

Maida           : 250 gm
Curd             : 180 gm
Cardamoms  : 3 to 4 (Large)
Ghee             : For Deep Frying
Sugar            : 250 gm
Water           : 500 ml
Water           : As Required (For Batter)

Method
Whisk together the maida and curd adding enough water to make it thick batter. Stir in the cardamom seeds. Let it stand for an hour.
Heat Ghee in a small kadhai or a frypan for deep frying. Droop one tablespoon batter at a time into mildly simmering ghee. The Batter Spreads tp make malpoas of five inch diameter. Fry till brown and crisp at the edges. Remove from ghee with slotted spoon, draining off as much ghee as possible. Soak the malpoas in syrup. serve hot.

Syrup:
Boil Sugar along with water to form a medium thick two thread syrup.


Regards
Chef Tirthankar Sengupta

Jibe Goja (Bengali)







Ingredients:

Maida                : 250 gm
Ghee                  : 2 table spoon (For the dough)
Baking Powder  : A Good Pinch
Ghee                  : For deep frying
Sugar                 :  1 full cup
Water                : Half cup

Method:

Sift together the flour and the baking powder. Mix in the ghee and knead to a pliable dough with little water. Divide into 12 or 14 portions. On a floured pastry board, using a rolling pin, roll out into ovals about 1/8-inch thick. Make several small slashes on the ovals of the dough with the tip of knife or prick with a fork. Heat ghee in a pan and deep fry Goja until lightly browned and crisp. Remove from ghee with slotted spoon, drain off excess oil on absorbent paper. Then coat lightly by dipping in in the prepared syrup, leaving the goja to soak for one minute. Put on a flat dish and allow the syrup to set on Goja.

Syrup:
mix one full cup of sugar with half cup of water, put it on flame and make a thick syrup.


Regards
Chef Tirthankar Sengupta