HYDERABAD : Gourmet food is relished by many, but to cook fancy gourmet at home scares many. Ginee Shah, home chef and founder, The Evolved Palate, a gourmet catering service that delivers 100 per cent authentic vegetarian meals says it need not be so.
To cook premium food at home, Ginee says: “To understand gourmet, get familiar with the ingredients involved in the process of cooking that dish or cuisine. Gourmet dishes can be made simpler by innovating and finding the right taste and flavour of the food item.” Ginee only uses organic ingredients from her kitchen garden for her pre-plated, ready-to-serve-on-the-table dishes.
She shares some of her secret recipes that are packed with flavour and zest, simplified into a few ingredients and steps. Give way traditional dishes. Give these international recipes a try this weekend.
Pad Thai (Serves 4)
Ingredients
Noodles: 3mm or 5mm rice sticks ½ packet Vegetables:1 carrot, 4 stems spring onion, 2 cups bean sprouts Condiments: 3 tbsp castor sugar,1 tsp bird chilly, 1 tsp chilli flakes, 2 tbsp lime juice, salt to taste, 2 tbsp pounded garlic Garnish:1 cup pounded roasted peanuts, 2 cups basil
Method
Step 1: Boil water in a pan on high flame with salt. Turn off the gas once it boils. Put the rice sticks in the water for about 10 to 12 minutes and strain. Pour cold water onto the noodles and let it rest.
Step 2: Take oil in a pan and saute the garlic. Add bean sprouts, carrot and spring onions and let it saute for 2 minutes. Then add to it the noodles, castor sugar, bird chilly, chilly flakes, ¾ th pounded roasted peanuts, chilly flakes, lime juice and basil leaves and toss well, gently. Make sure noodles don’t break. Garnish with remaining peanuts and basil leaves and serve piping hot.
Quick tip: Best to toss the noodles just before serving, it stays fresh and aromatic.
Artichoke & Spinach Pizza with Truffle Oil (Serves 4)
Ingredients
Vegetables:1 can of artichoke, 1 finely chopped onion,1 tbsp pounded garlic, 1 cup finely chopped spinach Essentials: 2 cups milk, 1 tsp oil, 2 tbsp corn flour, salt to taste Toppings: 2 tbsp truffle oil (white or black), 2 cups grated cheese Base: Pizza bread
Method
Take oil in a pan and saute the onion and garlic on medium flame for about 2 minutes. Add spinach and saute for another 2/3 minutes till the spinach leaves water and dries up. Add milk to the mix in the pan and bring to a boil. Add the cornflour dilute to the milk till it becomes thick. Cut artichoke into small pieces. Mix the artichoke to the puree in the pan and add salt according to taste.
Step 1: For the pizza Take a flat pizza bread of your choice (wholewheat / plain flour or multigrain pizza bread)
Step 2: Take a dollop of the puree and spread on the pizza and top with grated cheese
Step 3: Bake the pizza at 180 degrees pre-heated oven for about 7/8 minutes.
Step 4: Once it’s well-done remove from the oven and drizzle ½ tbsp truffle oil over it and serve piping hot.
— Tamanna S Mehdi tamanna@newindianexpress.com @tamannamehdi