Veggies Gone Fancy

1. COCONUT RICE WITH SAMBAL AND OKRA

Chef Manoj Pandey, Partner at Dirty Apron, The Piano Man Jazz Club

For the sambal:
5 fresh red chillies (deseeded)
5 dried red chillies (deseeded)
20 red baby shallots
1 clove garlic
½ teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon caster sugar
1 tablespoon tamarind water
600gm lady fingers
2 tablespoon crispy, fried onions
2 limes, halved
1 cup chopped coriander leaves
For the rice:
325gms Basmati rice
½ teaspoon salt
175ml coconut milk
350ml water
6 thinly slices ginger
6 kaffir lime leaves (optional)

Start with the sambal. Put the chillies, shallots, garlic and salt in a food processor. Add two tablespoons each of oil and water and blend it for a minute, until you have a paste. Heat up a wok and add the remaining oil. When hot, add the paste and stir. Reduce the heat and simmer, stirring frequently for 10 to 15 minutes or until it’s dark, red and oily. Switch off the heat, stir in the sugar and tamarind water, and set aside.

For the rice, wash the rice in cold water, drain and heat it a little in a pan. Then add salt, coconut milk, water, lime leaves, and ginger. Stir them together and bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to a minimum. Simmer for 12 minutes, then turn off the heat and leave it covered for another 10 minutes. Meanwhile, boil a medium pan of water. Add the lady fingers and cook for two to three minutes. Drain and wash them under cold water and leave to dry. Reheat the sambal and stir in the lady fingers. Serve and garnish with fried shallots, coriander and a lime wedge.

2. SOUP E JADOOI

Chef Anaida Parvaneh, Partner at SodaBottleOpenerWala

30gms baby onions
10gms chopped garlic
150gms chopped coriander
100gms mushrooms, chopped in
four chunky pieces
1 carrot, diced in long, thin pieces
50gms pearl barley
40gms mixed sprouts
20gms roasted vermicelli
3 spoons ghee
35gms American corn
100gms turnip
2 cubes vegetable stock

Skin the onions and fry in a spoonful of ghee, along with garlic. Once golden, add all the vegetables. Feel free to add spices (Anaida likes to use cinnamon, star anise, cloves, cardamom, pepper, and cumin). Toss them slightly and add stock cubes with water. Once cooked, garnish with coriander, mushrooms and roasted
vermicelli.

3. TEQUILA-INFUSED SRIRACHA TOFU AND SWEET POTATO

Chef Noah Barnes, Head Chef at Tabula Beach Cafe, Arriba, and The Hungry Monkey

200gms silken tofu
100gms zucchini
100gms yellow squash
200gms sweet potato
100gms asparagus
60gms garlic
30gms sriracha chilli
30gms thyme
20gms rosemary
10gms cumin powder
60ml tequila
60ml olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste

Cut the tofu into one-inch cubes and marinate them in a mixture of olive oil, sriracha chilli, tequila, chopped garlic, thyme and rosemary for 30 minutes. Meanwhile, pre-heat the oven to 180 degrees celsius. Roast the sweet potato for 30 minutes with the skin on. Cut zucchini into thin ribbons and marinate with olive oil, cumin powder and chopped rosemary. Once the sweet potato is cooked, allow it to cool and then cut into one and a half-inch cubes. Then, wrap the zucchini ribbons around the potatoes. Take a frying pan and sauté the chopped garlic and asparagus in butter, until the butter turns brown in colour.

To assemble, sear the tofu and sweet potato gently until golden-brown. Then, add the remaining marination from the tofu and cook until it has reduced by 50
percent. Serve with sautéed asparagus and a drizzle of the sauce.

4. WOK-TOSSED ASPARAGUS AND PORCINI

Chef Ivan Chieregatti, Executive Chef at Hyatt Regency, Delhi

20gms porcini
mushrooms
200gms asparagus
10gms garlic
5gms fried onion
½ teaspoon sugar
50ml oil
10gms potato starch
20ml vegetarian
stock
Salt to taste

Blanch asparagus and porcini in boiling water. Meanwhile, add chopped garlic to hot oil, along with all the vegetables and the stock. Adjust seasoning, add
potato starch to thicken the sauce. Serve and garnish with fried onions.

YOUR DIY SMOOTHIE

A hipster smoothie-in-a-mason-jar drink at a quirky café may be great for your body but not so much for your wallet. Try this easy recipe for a quick, healthy snack.

VERY BERRY BREAKFAST SMOOTHIE

30ml fresh raspberry juice
4 pieces unsweetened almonds
20ml honey
5ml lemon juice
2gms flax seeds
100gms yoghurt
100ml milk

Blend all ingredients until smooth.

-By Nitya Kanoria