Haute Cuisine

I have always been very conscious of my figure, and though I’ve been an out-an-out foodie, I’ve tried to stick to interesting sala...

I have always been very conscious of my figure, and though I’ve been an out-an-out foodie, I’ve tried to stick to interesting salads, and low-fat, light food. Even at our restaurant, Roti, we try out various fillings for our Loaded Paranthas, but we keep it as healthy as possible. For instance, we use wheat flour, instead of maida. I try out
innovative, non-fatty options alternatives with all kinds of dishes.

This is one reason why Shepherd’s Pie is such a favourite. First of all it’s baked, so there’s no excess oil. Moreover, I use margarine instead of butter, and diet cheese instead of the rich variety. So not only can the dish be prepared light, it needs no accompaniments like bread or rice. It’s a dish in itself. As for the Teriyaki Chicken, it is like an indulgence for me. I love spicy, tangy food and this totally fits the bill. It can be made in less oil. But it isn’t very fatty anyway.

TERIYAKI CHICKEN

INGREDIENTS
8 pieces chicken
4 tbsp oil
2 cups half boiled rice
1 cup green onions (chopped)
1 tsp garlic (crushed)
3 green chillies
1/2 cup tomatoes (chopped)
1 cup spinach (chopped)
Marination
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
3 tbsp lemon juice
1 tsp crushed ginger
1tsp chili sauce
1/2 cup cooking wine (pref. red)
2 tbsp soya sauce

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METHOD
Marinate the chicken and let it stand for one hour. In a pan heat 2 tbsp oil. Add the chicken pieces and fry till brown. Then add the marinated chicken and cook till tender. In a pan heat the remaining 2 tbsp oil. Saute onions, garlic, chillies, tomatoes and spinach in the given order. Add the rice and seasoning (pepper) and cook for a few minutes. Make a bed of rice on a serving platter. Place the chicken pieces on top. Then pour the leftover sauce of the chicken on the rice. To garnish place thinly-sliced cucumber and thinly-sliced tomatoes around the rice. Serve hot.

SHEPHERD’S PIE

INGREDIENTS
6 boiled potatoes (mashed)
1/2 kg minced meat (mutton)
2 tomatoes (chopped)
2 onions (chopped)
1 tbsp oil
3-4 cloves
2 bay leaves
1 stick cinnamon
10-12 peppercorns
1/4 tsp turmeric powder
1/2 tsp jeera powder
1/2 tsp coriander powder
Salt to taste

METHOD
Heat 1 tbsp oil in a non-stick pan. Add cloves, cinnamon, bay leaves, and peppercorns until they crackle. Then add onions and fry till brown. Add tomatoes and cook till they are pureed. Add chillies, jeera powder and turmeric powder. Fry the masala well. Add the minced meat and fry well enough till the water it leaves become dry. In case it seems uncooked you could add very little water and then let it dry. In a pre-greased oven dish make a bed of the cooked minced meat.

Top the dish with a layer of mashed potatoes. Add some grated cheese on top (optional). Bake it in a pre-heated oven for 10-15 minutes. Serve with tabasco sauce.

As told to Debanjana Chaudhuri

Sources in the LJP (RV) said the names of the remaining 15 candidates would also be announced very soon.

Bihar polls: Chirag Paswan’s LJP (Ram Vilas) announces first list of 14 candidates

India55 min ago

Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) announced its first list of 14 candidates for the Bihar assembly polls, with its state unit chief Raju Tiwary and leader Hulas Pandey among the nominees. As per the seat-sharing arrangement, LJP (RV) will contest 29 seats, while BJP and JD(U) will contest 101 seats each. The remaining 15 candidates will be announced soon.

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