Mini Ribeiro shares some easy recipes for people who don't cook.

Som Tam Thai

Recipe by Chef Tam, The Oberoi, Bengaluru

Ingredients

• 150 gm raw papaya (grated)
• 4 cherry tomatoes
• 10 gm carrot julienned
• 2 tbsp tamarind pulp
• 5 gm birds eye chili (Thai Chilli) chopped
• Light soy sauce to taste
• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• 5 gm palm sugar
• 10 gm roasted peanuts
• 10 gm haricot beans
• 5 gm garlic chopped

Method

• Peel papaya and wash it with cold water and place in a basket to allow the water to drain. This process makes the papaya crispy.
• Take blanched haricot beans, garlic and birds eye chilly and keep aside in a bowl.
• To prepare the dressing, combine the tamarind pulp, light soya, palm sugar, lemon juice, garlic and chillies in a bowl.
• Stir until the palm sugar gets dissolved.
• Add grated papaya and mix it slowly allowing the dressing to coat it gradually.
• Add carrots, roasted peanuts cherry tomato.
• Check for seasoning, place the salad on the plate.
• Add more roasted peanuts on top.
• Serve chilled.

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Mango & Prunes Salad

Recipe by chef Mukul Jha, executive chef, Four Points by Sheraton, Navi Mumbai, Vashi

Ingredients

• 1/3 cup mint leaves
• 10 gm prunes
• 2 tsp balsamic vinegar
• 2 tsp fresh lemon juice
• 1 tsp sugar
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp black pepper
• 3 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 ripe mango, peeled and cut into cubes
• 1 large tomato, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
• 1 small red onion, halved lengthwise and thinly sliced crosswise
• 1/3 cup fresh cilantro leaves

Method

• Beat vinegar, lemon juice, sugar, salt, and pepper together, until sugar is dissolved.
• Add oil and remaining ingredients.
• Toss them well until coated.
• Serve.

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Grilled Chicken with Corn, Olives and Cherry Tomato Salsa

Recipe by chef Sandip Patil, Chef de cuisine-The Café, Hyatt Regency Pune

Ingredients

• 120 gm chicken breast boneless
• 30 gm American corn
• 10 gm olive black
• 30 gm cherry tomato
• 30 gm fresh thyme
• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• Salt to taste
• Pepper to taste

Method

For grilled chicken

• Marinate the chicken with salt, pepper, thyme and olive oil. Keep aside for 10 minutes.
• Put marinated chicken on the grill and cook for 10 minutes on each side until it is well cooked from inside

For salsa

• Blend olive, cherry tomato and corn coarsely in a mixer.
• Add salt, pepper, thyme, olive oil and lemon juice.
• Mix well.

To assemble

• Arrange the chicken on a platter, drizzle with salsa.
• You may garnish with a sprig of thyme before serving.

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Dry Fruit Roulade

Recipe by Manav Koul, Executive Chef, Sofitel Mumbai, BKC

Ingredients

• 300 gm cashew nuts
• 300 gm almonds
• 150 gm pistachios
• 250 gm figs
• Ghee as required

Method

• Soak the cashew nuts in water until they become soft.
• Make a dough out of the soaked cashew nuts and set aside.
• Chop all dry fruits and nuts into small pieces.
• Heat some ghee in a skillet and sauté all chopped ingredients and let it cool.
• Flatten the dough into a thin layer and place the dry fruits mixture on it.
• Roll the dough and shape it into a roulade.
• Plate it with rose petals and garnish with almonds.
• Serve.

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Strawberry Tart

Recipe by Pastry Sous Chef Ankit Saini, Le Meridien Gurgaon

For Mascarpone cream

• 100gm mascarpone cream
• 100gms double cream whipped
• 40gm sugar
• 1 vanila pod (optional)

For sweet dough

• 100 gm butter
• 100 gm icing sugar
• 200 gm flour
• 2 tbsp milk
• 25 fresh strawberries
• Raspberry sauce for plating
• 100 gm raspberry puree
• 1 tbsp breakfast sugar

Method

• Whip together mascarpone cream and double cream with added breakfast sugar and vanilla pod till fluffy. Keep aside.
• Boil raspberry puree with sugar and cool it.
• Mix butter, icing sugar, flour and milk all together in a bowl.
• Beat it for 30 to 40 seconds at medium high speed.
• Roll the sweet dough and cut it into heart shape and bake at 180 degree C.
• On a plate, place the heart shaped baked sweet dough biscuit, put a tbsp of mascarpone cheese mixture, surround it with diced strawberry and cover it again with another heart shaped biscuit.
• Drizzle raspberry puree on plate and serve.

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