The Gourmet Diary @ TWO ONE TWO

                            

" A perfect summer afternoon it was. The sun was at his best. Scorching heat I must say! It was already 3:00 pm and I was festinating on the streets of South Bombay..oops..South Mumbai* to locate this place TWO ONE TWO. I desperately wanted a seat in the first row for the masterclass arranged by GOURMET IT UP; so that I get a clear view of whats happening in Chef's wok. But I was disheartened when I reached the venue, to see that there was just one seat left in the LAST row. But the good thing was that the class had not started yet!
The Chef was apologizing for the delay and I was like, "Hey, its cool! So am I.". And then there was
some issue with the arrangement made and we were asked to turn around our chairs AND after turning around, I WAS THE IN THE FIRST ROW! HELL YEAH! I was glad that I was late. Had I been on time, I would have been the one to sit in the last row. Someone has quoted it correctly "Everything happens for good."


So the master class started finally. Usually, desserts are served as a last course of the meal. But the class started with two scrumptious desserts: Tiramisu and Panacotta.
Chef Kiran is the pastry chef at TWO ONE TWO. Young and peppy Kiran wore a beautiful smile throughout the session which added to the sweetness of the desserts. A graduate from Le Cordon Bleu, UK, Chef Kiran presented absolutely simple recipes of these two desserts.

Chef Kiran whips cream for Tiramisu

Tiramisu is something I always wanted to learn and considered it to be infeasible due to unavailability of some of the ingredients. But miss Kiran managed to change my outlook towards it. Simple ingredients, simple steps and skillful techniques together make abso delish Tiramisu. Panacotta was another dessert she demonstrated which was very very very simple to make. Hardly three major ingredients when blended with few other minor ingredients, produce a mindblowing dessert. This dessert was topped with caramel sauce. The sauce is just a simple combination of barely three ingredients but is a skillful task. These desserts, if served at a house-party, will surely bag you loads of compliments and it will be something your guests wont forget for quite-a-while.

Chef Kiran then handed over the control to Chef Mohammed Bhol, a BA in Culinary Arts from TVU. He took the session further by demonstrating five absolutely amazing recipes.

The first one he demonstrated was Panzenella Salad. While demonstrating the recipes, he happened to ask if one of us wished to assist him in salad making and an excited Ankita (that's me) jumped off her seat. Though I did not do much, I managed to prepare a dressing for the salad. The chef tossed other ingredients in the dressing that was 'almost' prepared by me, and presented a colourful and stunning salad before us.

The next recipe he took up was Ricotta cheese and Spinach ravioli. A creamy spinach filling inside the ravioli pasta was piquant and felt like heaven-on-my-tongue.

 Here Chef Mohammed demonstrates how he got his mushrooms look like fine threads

Then was the turn of Mushroom Baklava (pronounced as: Buck-laa-va).  Baklava is traditionally a dessert which belongs to Central Asian cuisine. It is basically is 'a rich, sweet pastry made of layers of phyllo pastry filled with chopped nuts and sweetened with syrup or honey.'  (Yes, I copy-pasted it from Wikipedia :P ). Chef Mohammed showed us a savoury-version of this dessert. Wrapped in phyllo sheets with layers and layers of butter inside, the cute little Baklavas where like mini flavour-bombs in my mouth. They truly deserve the tag line: No one can eat just one!

        

Olive oil for Baklava

Barley beetroot pilaf is a healthy option to all those who cant eat rice or starch in general.  Yes! Its the same barley using which your beer is made. This recipe was something different and unusual and yet very tasty. The pilaf was served with Grilled Chicken Breast. The chicken breast was marinated in few locally available ingredients and grilled on a pan with little olive oil. It was unbelievably sumptuous! You know, it's just hard to believe that how few basic, usual ingredients can be blended so well to create magic on your tongue!

Chef Kiran prepares caramel sauce while Chef Mohammed patiently looks around

The session was concluded by serving the above mentioned preparations for tasting. Each one of those was truly tasteful. Three hour long session with Chef Mohammed and Chef Kiran was stupendous. Had a wonderful Saturday afternoon. Thanks to GOURMET IT UP
Looking forward for more such events.

That's panacotta, tiramisu and ricotta spinach ravioli

And that is Barely pilaf, grilled chicken and baklava

Chicken 65/Panner 65/Mushoom 65

Ingredients:


For chicken/Paneer/Mushroom:
500g boneless chicken/ 8 cubes of paneer/ 8-10 medium sized button mushrooms
1 tsp white pepper powder
1 egg
4 tbsp corn  starch+ 4 tbsp maida+ 1 cup water
Oil for deep frying

For sauce:
2 tbsp garlic chopped
1 tbsp chopped ginger
2 stalks of lemon grass
1 teaspoon mustard seeds
10-12 curry leaves- medium sized
1 cup onion diced
1 cup capsicum diced
2 tbsp tomato ketchup
1/2 tbsp kashmiri red chili powder
1 tbsp sweet chili sauce
1 tbsp cornflour paste
1 tbsp vinegar
Sugar
Salt
Oil

Preparation:

1. Heat oil in wok. Add mustard seeds. Once they start sputtering, add chopped garlic and ginger to it. Do not let the garlic turn brown.
2. Add diced onion and curry leaves. Saute for 2 min.
3. Add red chili powder, tomato ketchup, sweet chili sauce and vinegar.
4. Stir it well. Add diced capsicum and let it cook for couple of minutes.
5. Add cornflour paste to this and little water. Let the sauce thicken.
6. After that, add salt and sugar as per taste.
7. Your 65 gravy is ready.
8. Marinate the chicken pieces using white pepper powder, salt and egg and keep aside for half an hour. No marination is needed for mushrooms or paneer. 
9. Dip each marinated chicken piece/ paneer/ button mushroom in the cornflour+maida mixture so that the piece is evenly coated with the mixture from all sides. Deep fry these pieces in hot oil.
10. Fry all the chicken pieces/ paneer cubes/ button mushrooms and add then to the sauce that we have prepared initially.
11. Serve hot

P.S: If you are using Paneer or Mushrooms, add little salt and white pepper powder to the cornflour+maida mixture.

Chicken chili/ Paneer Chili/ Mushroom Chili

Ingredients:


For chicken/Paneer/Mushroom:
500g boneless chicken/ 8 cubes of paneer/ 8-10 medium sized button mushrooms

1 tsp white pepper powder
1 egg
4 tbsp corn  starch+ 4 tbsp maida+ 1 cup water
Oil for deep frying

For sauce:
2 tbsp chopped garlic
1 tbsp chopped ginger
3-4 green chilies cut in half length-wise
1 cup capsicum juliennes
1 cup onion cut into thick slices
1 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp vinegar
1 tbsp cornflour paste
1 tsp white pepper powder
Salt
Sugar
Oil

Preparation:

1. Marinate the chicken pieces using white pepper powder, salt and egg and keep aside for half an hour.
2. Heat oil in a wok.
3. Add chopped garlic, ginger and green chilies. Saute for one minute.
4. Add onion slices and white pepper powder.
5. Add vinegar and soy sauce.
6. Add capsicum followed by cornflour paste and half cup water. Let the sauce thicken.
7. Add salt and sugar as per taste. The sauce is now ready for chili chicken. 
8. Dip each marinated chicken piece in the cornflour+maida mixture so that the chicken piece is evenly coated with the mixture from all sides. Deep fry these pieces of chicken in hot oil.
9. Fry all the chicken pieces and add then to the sauce that we have prepared initially.
10. Serve hot.

Sweet Corn Soup (Veg/ Chicken/ Crab meat/ Prawns)

Ingredients:

1/2 can of Cream Style Corn
3 cups Chicken stock/Vegetable stock
2 tbsp Corn starch
1 tbsp White pepper powder
2 Egg whites
1 cup Boiled American Corn/ Boiled chicken pieces- shredded/ Boiled crab meat/ Boiled prawns- shredded
Salt
Sugar
Finely chopped spring onion of garnishing

Preparation:

1. Boil chicken stock in a pan.
2. Add half a can of Cream style corn after it boils.
3. Mix corn starch with water.
4. In a separate bowl, mix salt, sugar & white pepper.
5. Add the above mixture to chicken stock/ veg stock.
6. Heat butter in another vessel. Add above chicken stock/veg stock mixture to this butter.
7. After it boils, add corn starch paste and keep stirring till the soup thickens.
8. Whisk in egg whites and then add boiled corn/chicken pieces/crab meat/prawns.
9. Finish it off with chopped spring onion.

Oyster Chili Chicken

Ingredients:

500 gm boneless chicken cut into medium pieces
2 tbsp chopped garlic
2-3 green chilies chopped lengthwise
2-3 cayenne peppers chopped lengthwise
Half cup onions diced
Half cup red bell peppers diced
Half cup juliennes of green capsicum
1 tbsp black pepper powder
1 tsp white pepper powder
Half cup oyster sauce
1/2 tbsp soy sauce
1/2 tbsp vinegar
1 tbsp fish sauce(optional)
1 tbsp Cornflour+half cup water
Oil
Salt
Sugar

Preparation:

1. Wash the chicken pieces and marinate them in fish sauce, soy sauce and salt for 1 hr.
2. Heat a wok and add oil to it.
3. Add chopped garlic followed by onions. Do not let the garlic turn brown.
4. Add the chilies and peppers and saute.

1. Add black and white pepper powder. 
2. Add marinated chicken and saute for 5 min. Let the chicken turn soft and tender.
3. Add the sauces and mix well.
4. Add the cornflour paste and adjust the consistency as per wish. 
5. Add salt and sugar if necessary.
6. Serve hot as a starter or as a gravy with fried rice.

Lehsuni Rawas Tikka

Recipe Source: Sanjeev Kapoor

Ingredients:

500 gms of Indian Salmon fillets

1/4 cup hung curd

1/2 cup fresh cream

1 tbsp garlic paste

1 tsp roasted carom seeds

1 tbsp besan/ roasted gram flour

1 tbsp crushed black pepper

A pinch of garam masala

1 tbsp lemon juice

Salt
Chopped coriander for garnishing
Butter for basting

Preparation:

1. Clean, wash and cut the fish into one and half inch pieces.
2. Marinate the pieces in hung curd, garlic paste, fresh cream, carom seeds, black pepper powder, besan, garam masala, salt and lemon juice. 
3. Place this mixture in refrigerator for 2 hrs at least. 
4. Preheat microwave over at 220^o C. Place the marinated pieces in the oven and grill them for 10-12 min. Use butter for basting.
5. Alternatively, you may grill the fish pieces on a grilling pan by drizzling some oil over it.
6. Garnish with chopped coriander and serve hot with green roasted garlic chutney.

Baba Ganoush with pickled vegetables

Ingredients:

Baba Ganoush
1 Egg plant roasted
3-4 garlic pods
1/2 cup Sesame seeds roasted
1 cup olive oil
Salt
Black pepper powder
Paprika

Pickled Vegetables
1 cup chopped carrots lengthwise/finger-sized
1 cup chopped beetroot lengthwise/finger-sized
1/2 cup green chilies cut in half lengthwise
1/2 cup vinegar
Salt
1 cup water

Preparation:

• Pickled Vegetables:Soak the chopped vegetables in half cup vinegar, 1 cup water and salt overnight. Next morning, drain off the water and what you are left with are the Pickled Vegetables!

• Baba Ganoush:

1. Peel off the skin of roasted egg plant and remove the seeds.
2. In a mixer, add roasted sesame seeds and grind them. Add 2-3 tbsp olive oil to this while grinding and grind it into a smooth paste.
3. Remove this paste in a dry bowl. It is called TAHINI.
4. Now add the garlic pods and egg plant to the mixer and blend it together for few minutes. Add olive oil while blending so that we get a nice smooth texture. 
5. Add the Tahini paste to this and blend again. 
6. Add salt and black pepper powder and your Baba Ganoush is ready.

• Spread Baba Ganoush on a Roti, Nan, Brown bread or Qaboos. 
• Sprinkle some paprika and black pepper powder. Drizzle some olive oil. You may top it with black olive rings.
• Add the pickled vegetables.
• Roll and serve!