Don't wait for the weekend to binge on these tempting dishes!
All recipes and photographs: Kind courtesy Academy of Pastry and Culinary Arts .
Machboos al dijaj (Lebanese Chicken Pilaf)
Recipe by Chef Jagadish Purushothama
Ingredients
- 1 kg basmati rice
- 1 kg chicken (curry cut)
- 500 gm onions (sliced)
- 300 gm tomatoes (sliced)
- Half bunch parsley
- Half bunch mint leaves
- Half bunch coriander leaves
- 300 ml ghee
- 50 gm almonds
- 50 gm pistachio
- 50 gm cashew nuts
- 100 ml olive oil
- 2 tbsp cinnamon powder
- 2 tbsp roasted cumin powder
- 2 tbsp paprika powder
Method
- Heat some ghee in a heavy bottom pan.
- Add whole spices. Once the aroma is released add sliced onions and cook until translucent.
- Add in all the spice mix and cook for about 2 minutes.
- Add chicken and sear the meat well. Reserve for later process.
- Immediately add rice on top and season with salt and pepper.
- Stir all the ingredients together, and add hot water 1:2 ratio. Bring the water to a boil until the rice is cooked about 80%.
- Reduce the heat to low. Cover the pot and allow the rice to cook 15 minutes at low temperature.
- Once the rice fully cooked, turn the heat off, but don’t uncover the pot. Leave the rice undisturbed for 5 minutes to allow the steam to finish cooking the rice.
- When you uncover the pot, fluff with a fork or a flat spatula.
- Grill the reserved chicken and top it on the cooked rice and serve hot.
Note: The dish can be topped with assorted nuts which are fried in ghee.
Lamb Donne Biryani
Recipe by Chef Jagadish Purushothama
Ingredients
- 1 kg jeera samba rice
- 1.5 kg lamb curry cut
- 500 gm onions sliced
- 300 gm tomatoes sliced
- 200 gm ginger garlic paste
- 150 gm curd
- 1 bunch mint leaves
- 1 bunch coriander leaves
- 200 ml ghee
- 100 ml oil
- 2 gm bay leaf
- 2 gm cloves
- 2 gm mace
- 2 gm cardamom
- 2 gm star anise
- ½ tsp turmeric powder
- 2 tbsp chilli powder
- 1 tbsp garam masala powder
- Salt as required
- Boiled eggs (optional)
Method
- Soak rice for at least 20 minutes.
- Make fine paste of half bunch of mint and coriander. Chop and reserve the remaining.
- In a heavy bottom pan add oil and ghee. When it heats, add all the whole spices.
- Add sliced onions and cook until it turns golden brown.
- Add ginger garlic paste and cook until the raw flavour is gone.
- Add some chopped mint and coriander leaves and fresh green chillies.
- Add lamb curry and cook until the meat is sealed.
- Add turmeric powder, chilli powder, salt and garam masala powder and cook for about 15 to 20 minutes.
- Add sliced tomatoes and cook until the tomatoes are completely mushy.
- Add curd and cook until the oil is released at the corners of the pan.
- Add the reserved mint and coriander paste and cook for another 15 minutes.
- Add lemon juice and check for seasoning.
- Add water and bring it to boil. Check the lamb if cooked or need some time.
- Add in the soaked rice and stir well gently.
- Cook until the rice absorbs about 80% of water.
- Switch off the flame, add ghee and chopped coriander and mint on top and cover it with silver foil.
- Cover it with a lid and place the cooking pot on hot grill under medium heat for about 20 to 30 minutes.
- Once done, portion it in a serving bowl and serve hot.
Lamb Tagine (Lebanese Curry)
Recipe by Chef Jagadish Purushothama
Ingredients
- 1 kg lamb (curry cut)
- 1 tbsp garlic (minced)
- Half bunch mint
- Half bunch coriander leaves
- 1 tsp cinnamon powder
- 2 tsp roasted cumin powder
- 2 tsp paprika powder
- 2 bay leaves
- 5 tomatoes (sliced)
- 1 tbsp tomato paste
- 50 ml oil
- 50 ml ghee
- Parsley for garnish
- Olives black and green for garnish
- Jalapenos for garnish
- Salt and sugar to taste
Method
- Heat up the oil in a large frying pan. Add chopped shallots and fry on a low heat until almost translucent, stirring from time to time.
- Add chopped garlic. Keep on stirring frequently until the onion is translucent and garlic softens completely and releases its beautiful aroma.
- Add all the ground spices to the fried shallots and garlic mixture and stir them around well. Fry them off gently for a minute or two stirring the whole time as they burn easily.
- To prevent burning add water and cook until oil releases at the corner of the pan.
- Add lamb, sear the meat and cook for about 10 minutes.
- Add chopped tomatoes and cook until mushy.
- Add tomato paste to the pan and stir it into the mixture add sweet potato cubes, and salt to the pan.
- Cover the pan with a lid to cook potato for about 10 minutes.
- Add chopped mint and coriander and cook for another 5 minutes.
- After about 5 minutes of simmering, take the lid off and let the sauce thicken by simmering it slowly, without the lid.
- Once the sauce thickens, taste and season with some black pepper, salt and sugar if needed.
- Portion the stew into a serving bowl. Top it with generous amount of olives. Serve over rice or couscous.
Creamy Polenta with Mushroom Ragout
Recipe by Chef Charles Jayakumar
Ingredients
- 250 gm polenta
- 1000 ml water/milk
- 100 ml cream
- 50 gm grated parmesan cheese
- 50 gm butter
- Few sage herb
- 25 ml extra-virgin olive oil
- Salt to taste
Method
- In a medium pot heat oil. Add minced garlic and cook until soft.
- Add 4 cups of water/milk and boil to a high simmer.
- Add roughly chopped sage leaves
- Add butter to the simmering liquid.
- Slowly whisk in the polenta.
- Add 1 more cup of water/milk and simmer for 15 minutes, stirring frequently.
- Add in cream and grated parmesan cheese and mix well until blended well.
- Turn off the heat and whisk in the olive oil and sea salt. Cover and let stand for 5 minutes. Season to taste and keep it aside.
For mushroom ragout
Ingredients
- 500 gm button mushroom
- 100 ml cream
- 50 gm grated parmesan cheese
- 50 gm minced garlic
- 1 onion finely chopped
- 1 tsp parsley finely chopped for garnish
- 60 ml white wine
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 50 ml olive oil
- 50 gm butter
Method
- In a medium pot, heat oil and butter. Add minced garlic and cook until soft.
- Add onions and cook until translucent.
- Add in cut mushrooms and wilt it or cook until soft which is for about 2 to 3 minutes.
- Deglaze the pan with white wine.
- Add in cream and cook for about 2 minutes to a simmer.
- Add grated parmesan cheese and cook until it blends well.
- Check the seasoning after adding salt and pepper.
- Pour the mixture on top of the reserved creamy polenta and serve hot.
Broccoli and Corn Cutlets
Recipe by Chef Charles Jayakumar
Ingredients
- 2 potatoes
- 250 gm broccoli
- 100 gm sweet corns
- 2 tbsp garlic minced
- 1 onion finely chopped
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 10 gm thyme
- 500 gm bread crumbs
- 250 gm flour
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Oil for frying
Method
- Boil the potatoes until cooked and mash it using fork and allow it to cool.
- In a pan or cooking vessel, heat some oil. Add minced garlic.
- Add onions and cook until translucent followed by adding minced broccoli and sweet corn.
- Cook the mixture for about 2 minutes add thyme and seasoning.
- Allow the mixture to cool.
- Once the mixture is cooled mix it with mashed potatoes and check seasoning and add seasoning if required.
- Shape the mixture into cutlets and store in the chiller for half an hour.
- Make slurry using flour and water with a pinch of salt and pepper each.
- Dip the cutlets into slurry and coat them well using bread crumbs all around.
- Fry the cutlets into medium hot oil until the surface of the cutlets turns crispy.
- Remove excess oil if any using paper towels. Serve hot.
Would you like to share an interesting recipe or cooking video?
Please do send your recipe/video to us at getahead@rediff.co.in (Subject: My Recipe) along with your name, location and, of course, the recipe.
