Three delightful recipes to make your Republic Day celebrations special. 

Gnocchi

Ingredients:

For the gnocchi:

• 2 potatoes
• 100 gm refined flour
• 2 egg
• Salt as per taste

For the saffron cream sauce:

• 100 ml milk
• 1 gm saffron
• 30 ml cream
• 20 gm Parmesan cheese
• 10 gm butter
• 10 gm refined flour

Method: 

• Take a mixing bowl and add refined flour, mash potatoes and eggs. Kneed well until smooth and soft. Prepare soft dumplings
• Bring a large pot of salted water to boil. Add the dumplings to cook for 3 to 5 mins until the gnocchi has risen to the top. Drain and serve.

For the saffron cream sauce:

• Take a sauce pan, warm some olive oil and add butter. After melting butter, add refined flour and cook until light brown. Add milk and heat well. Add some Parmesan cheese and saffron.

For serving:

• Plate boiled gnocchi on a plate add add saffron cream sauce on top.

Chicken Dim Sum

Ingredients: 

• 250 gm chicken mince
• 100 gm ginger
• 20 gm onion
• 10 gm shitake mushroom
• 20 ml sesame oil
• 100 gm refined flour
• Water
• Salt as per taste

Method:

For the dough:

• Take refined flour in a mixing bowl, add sesame oil followed by salt and water. Kneed mixture well to ensure that no lumps are formed.

For the stuffing: 

• Take chicken mince in a mixing bowl. Marinate chicken with sesame oil, ginger, chopped onions, chopped shitake mushroom and seasoning.
• With the use of rolling pin flatten the roll into a round shape. Add stuffing inside and start bringing the edges closer and seal to make momos.

Tricolour Cheesecake

Ingredients:

• 800 gm cream cheese
• 500 gm icing sugar
• 8 egg yolks
• 15 gm corn flour
• 15 gm refined flour
• 200 gm Amul fresh cream
• Few drops of vanilla essence
• 150 gm cookie crumb
• 75 gm butter

Method: 

• Preheat the oven to 130°C. Grease and line the base of a cake tin. Place the biscuits in a plastic bag and crush with a rolling pin to fine crumbs. Melt the butter and add the biscuit crumbs, stir to combine. Place in the base of the cake tin and spread in an even layer, then flatten it. Bake in the oven for 10 minutes until it turns golden. Remove and leave to cool while you prepare the filling.
• In a large bowl, beat together the cream cheese and sugar until smooth then add the sour cream, vanilla essence and flour.
• Gradually add the eggs and vanilla essence, beating well between each addition.
• Pour the cream cheese mix on the biscuit base then bake in the oven for 45 mins to 130°C. The cheesecake should be just set with a slight wobble and should still be cream on top with just a slight golden hint around the edges. Once the cheesecake is cooked, turn off the oven and prop open the door and leave the cheesecake to cool in the oven -- this prevents the top from cracking. Once the oven is cool you can remove the cheesecake to cool completely before removing from the tin. 

Suresh Thampy is the executive chef, Holiday Inn Mumbai International Airport. He can be contacted on ga@rediff-inc.com.