Add some delicious romance to your Valentine's Day!
Celebrity chef Rakhee Vaswani tells you how to celebrate love with an exotic meal at home.
Nothing feels better than preparing a sumptuous meal for your significant other on Valentine's day.
"Everyone should use this Valentine's day to show off your presentation and cooking skills to your loved one. A set of candles and a gorgeous bottle of wine will make it classic. So, keep it simple, healthy and tasty," celebrity chef and author of Picky Eaters and Other Meal-Time Battles Rakhee Vaswani said.
So are you ready to cook up a lip-smacking meal?
Cheese and Broccoli Tikki with Spaghetti in Garlic Sauce
Ingredients
For broccoli tikki
- 2 tsp olive oil
- 1/4 cup of onions (finely chopped)
- 1 tsp ginger garlic paste
- 1tsp green chillies (finely chopped)
- 1/2 tsp blanched broccoli (finely chopped)
- 1/2 cup of potatoes (boiled and grated)
- 2 tbsp grated mozzarella cheese
- 1/4 cup of wholewheat breadcrumbs (for coating)
- Salt to taste
For garlic sauce
- 2 tbsp garlic (minced)
- 1/2 cup of tomato (puree)
- 1 blanched carrot (puree)
- 2 to 3 tbsp tomato ketchup
- 3/4 cup vegetable stock
- 1 tsp cornflour paste
- 1 tbsp oil
- White pepper powder
- Salt to taste
Method
For broccoli tikki
- Heat oil in a nonstick pan.
- Add onions, ginger garlic paste and green chillies. Saute for 2 minutes while stirring continuously.
- Add broccoli and salt. Saute on a low flame for another 5 to 7 minutes or till the broccoli is almost cooked. Remove from flame.
- Add potatoes and cheese and mix well. Keep it aside to cool.
- Divide the mixture into 4 equal portions. Shape each portion into flat tikkis.
- Roll each tikki in the breadcrumbs and keep aside.
- Heat a nonstick pan and cook each tikki using minimum oil till it turns golden brown on both sides.
For garlic sauce
- Mix tomato puree and carrot puree and keep aside.
- Heat oil and add minced garlic. Fry for a few seconds.
- Add tomato and carrot puree mix. Cook for 5 minutes.
- Add salt and white pepper powder along with tomato ketchup and stock.
- Add cornflour paste.
- Cook for a minute and it's ready to use.
To assemble
Ingredients
- Broccoli tikki
- 1 cup of spaghetti (boiled)
- 2 to 3 leaves of cabbage
- 1 cup of grated cheese or cheese slices
- 1 cup of garlic sauce
- 1/2 cup of veggies (blanched carrot, baby corn, spinach, sauteed mushroom, onions)
- 1/2 cup of french fries
Method
- Heat pan and place cabbage leaves.
- Place spaghetti in the centre, top it with tikkis.
- Place veggies around the spaghetti.
- Pour the garlic sauce over the top.
- Place the cheese slice over the cutlet and let it sizzle and gratinate.
- Serve.
Grilled Chicken with Paprika Sauce and Brown Rice Pilaf
Ingredients
For grilled chicken
- 250 gm chicken leg (boneless)
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tsp mixed herbs
- 1 tsp garlic paste
- 2 tsp oats
- Few drops of balsamic vinegar
- Pepper powder
- Salt to taste
For paprika sauce
- 1 onion (chopped)
- 1 cup of tomato puree
- 5 tsp chilli Flakes
- 4 tbsp butter
- 75 ml fresh cream
- 1 tbsp tomato paste
- 4 to 6 mushroom
- 1 cup vegetable stock
- 1 tbsp parsley (chopped)
- 2 tbsp flour
- 30 ml red wine (optional)
- Pepper
- Salt to taste
For spinach brown rice pilaf
- 1 cup of boiled brown rice
- 2 tbsp spinach puree
- 1 tbsp garlic (minced)
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- Pepper
- Salt to taste
Method
For grilled chicken
- Marinate the chicken with the ingredients mentioned above for 20 minutes except oats.
- Coat the pieces of chicken with oats.
- Saute or grill the chicken in a pan till done. When it gets a nice glaze, keep aside.
For paprika sauce
- Heat a pan, add some butter and saute the mushrooms. Keep aside.
- Put oil or butter and fry onions. Sprinkle some chilli flakes and add flour. Cook well.
- Add tomato puree and season with salt and pepper.
- Add wine (optional), some vegetable stock and cook for a few minutes.
- Add mushrooms, fresh cream and parsley.
For spinach brown rice pilaf
- Saute garlic in olive oil and add spinach puree.
- Add rice and season with salt and pepper.
To assemble
- Place the spinach brown rice pilaf in a ring mould and pack it tightly with the help of a spoon.
- Demould and make sure that the rice comes out in a uniform mound. Place it on a plate.
- Spoon the paprika sauce around the rice.
- Place the grilled chicken and serve.
Homemaker turned celebrity chef Rakhee Vaswani is a first-generation entrepreneur and started Palate Culinary Studio a first-of-its-kind learning institute set in Santa Cruz in Mumbai, that was inaugurated by one of her students Malaika Arora Khan.
Photographs: Kind Courtesy Rakhee Vaswani
You can send us your favourite recipes too.
Write in to us at getahead@rediff.co.in (subject: V-Day recipes) with your name, hometown and any interesting details about the origin of the recipe, along with a photograph if possible.
We'll publish the best preparations right here on Rediff.com and in India Abroad.
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