3 Easy Canapé Ideas

Summer time means lots of parties and friends over. While having fun is the key agenda, so is good food. As we wait for the meat to grill, we start off with some very simple canapés. So we have some sweet & some savoury to munch on while we laugh and chit-chat around the table.

GOAT CHEESE & FIG PRESERVE

On rice crackers place a little goat cheese & fig preserve on top

SMOKED SALMON, CUCUMBER & DILL YOGHURT 

On a rice cracker, place 2 small pieces of smoked salmon & a slice of cucumber. In a separate bowl mix yoghurt, salt, garlic powder & some dill. Top up your canape with the mix.

DEVILED EGGS WITH OLIVE

Boil eggs, peel, cut in halves (vertically) and take the yellow out in a separate bowl. Now place the white on your serving dish. Crush the yellows fine, and add some salt & pepper, olive oil, mayonnaise and some spicy mustard sauce and mix well. once mixed add chopped, pitted olives and mix lightly. Spoon the mixture into the egg whites.

Creamy Milk Cooler (Thandai) Recipe

Its a very popular Indian recipe and its usually drank during the festival of colors (Holi) which is held during the warm month of March. Its usually quite hot in March, to step out, play with colors and splash color dissolved water on each other. People are out in the heat all afternoon, and a chilled milk drink is usually very satisfying. Its not any ordinary chilled milk, but cooked for some time with nuts, saffron and sugar. Here is the full recipe.

Ingredients

Milk - 300ml

Cardamom - 3

Sugar - 3 Tbsp

Slivered Almonds - 2 Tbsp

Soaked & Peeled Almond - 10

Saffron - 5 - 6 Strands

Fennel Seeds - 1 Tbsp

Poppy Seeds - 1 Tbsp

Rose Essence - 2 drops

Recipe

| In a Vessel heat milk on medium flame for  about an hour |

| While heating add Cardamom | 

| In a grinder, grind the soaked & peeled almond along with fennel & poppy seeds into a paste. And then add the paste to the milk |

| Now take out couple of teaspoons on milk in a bowl and soak the saffron for few minutes |

| After an hour of boiling the milk add the sugar and stir for a few minutes, then turn off the heat. Once its turned off, add the saffron, & rose essence |

| Let the milk cool down, and put it in the refrigerator to cool it further |

| Once the milk is cooling, grind the sprinkle mix and sprinkle a little while serving |

| You can make everything in advance and keep it in the refrigerator. And when guests arrive, just serve |

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Lentil & Turkey Soup

Yellow lentil soups are an integral part of the Persian cuisine as well as Indian. Its a part of their main diet. I am not sure who has influenced whom but they exist quite prominently in both the cultures. The one that I like the most the Persian version of it, but then with an Indian twist.

Ingredients

Onion - 1 big

Yellow Lentil - 1 cup 
Minced Turmeric - 1lbs

Turmeric - 1tsp apprx.

Salt - As per taste

Garlic - 4-5 cloves

Nigella Seeds - 2tsp

Cumin Seeds - 1tsp

Cumin Powder - 1tsp

Olive Oil

Recipe

| Soak the lentil for couple of hours. Then add salt and turmeric and boil the lentil till soft. I usually add a lot of water so that the lentil doesn't burn if left unattended for sometime |

| Chop onions and garlic |

| Heat oil in a pan and add onion & garlic. Then add cumin/nigella seeds and let it heat till there's aroma |

| Add the minced turkey in the pan and cook well |

| Now mash the lentil with your hand or a hand grinder a little and add the lentil in the pan and cook for sometime. Then let it cool |

| In a separate baking dish, slice lemon into thin slices and bake it till brown |

| Now let everything cook together till thick and serve with Naan. You can also serve it with Ciabatta |

| Garnish with lime & cayenne |

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Saffron Caramel Pudding - Recipe

It all started when I couldn't find the vanilla essence in my kitchen. I looked and looked and looked and finally concluded that my pantry is out of vanilla. But then I had a bowl full of pudding batter and a pre-heated oven. SO the only option I had was to find an alternative that would over-power the egg! So I soon reached out for saffron, wasn't sure about ginger this time, and voila. We loved it. Saffron has the power to give a rich twist to milk. And there it was a beautiful dessert. 

For the Caramel

| Sugar - 2 Tbsp |

| Water - 1 Tbsp |

For the Pudding (Makes 2)

| Milk - 1/2 Cup |

| Egg - 1 Nos |

| Sugar - 2-3 Tbsp |

| Saffron - 1 Pinch |

Recipe

| Mix the Pudding ingredients except Saffron in a bowl or ideally a Pyrex jar |

| In a small bowl take about 2 tbsp milk and heat it for 10 secs in your microwave then drop the saffron and let it cool |

| Beat the batter in the jar |

| Now in a sauce pan add the caramel ingredients. Put it on high heat |

| Let it be on heat till it turns golden in color |

| Then take it off heat and pour it in 2 small ramekins | 

| Now add the saffron milk to the batter, mix well and pour it the ramekins |

| Pre-heat the oven at 350degrees |

| Now take a baking pan and fill enough water for the ramekins to sink in half way |

| Place the ramekins in the baking pan and put it in the oven |

| After about 45mins take it out and let it cool |

| Once cooled down, loosen the edge lightly with a sharp object like knife and let the liquid flow out cover the ramekin with a plate and flip it |

| The pudding should be out |

Now, just enjoy!

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Raw Mango Mimosa

As we step towards spring I smell freshness in the air. Beautiful crisp freshness. And along with that barbecues and easy to make barbecue drinks. Aam Panna is my favorite drinks ever since growing up so giving it the cocktail twist is a sort of an obvious. Here is how I do it!

Firstly place the Mangos in a baking dish and put it in the the oven at 400 degrees and bake it till the skin cracks open. If you got charcoal grill, then even better!

Once its done then let it cool for as long as it can.

Then peel and take the flesh out. Now in a blender add the mango pulp, 1tbsp roasted cumin powder, black salt (as per taste), sugar (as per taste), mint and blend. Once everything is blended, add water and blend again. Once its done, pour it in a bottle and store in your refrigerator.

You can of course drink it as is. But for a bit more fun you can spike it too. Here is how to do it!

Ingredients

2.5 ounces of the above drink

2.5 ounces of your favorite chilled Chardonnay

................................................................................

Recipe

                                                                           In a shaker add everything & shake well.
                                                                                                   Serve chilled

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Beef Bourguignon With Pistachios

Ingredients

Olive Oil - 2tbsp

Onion (chopped) - 1nos

Garlic (chopped) - 1tbsp

Cloves - 5-6

Bay Leaf - 3

Beef Cubes- 1.5lbs

Brandy - 1/4 cup

Red Wine - 1 cup

Thyme - 1 sprig

Rosemary - 1 sprig

Carrot - 1bunch

Mushroom - 1 cup

Pistachio - 1/2 cup

Cornstarch - 1/8 cup

Beef or Chicken broth - 600ml

----------------------------------------------

Recipe

In a bowl take the meat, cornstarch, salt & pepper and mix well

In a vessel heat oil and toss the meat. Stir for sometime till its brown and bring it back to the bowl.

Now in the same vessel add clove, bay leaves and the pistachio and stir for a bit. Now add the onion & the garlic and cook on medium flame for 10 mins.

Add the thyme, rosemary and the veggies in the vessel. Cook for 20 mins.

In this you add the brandy and the wine along with the meat. And then the broth. Let the alcohol evaporate and them cover and cook on low heat for a couple of hours. You can add some water depending on the consistency that you want.

Once its close to how you like it, taste and add salt.

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Orange Almond Cake With Coffee Cream

Once I entered 2016, I decided to bake more. I remember once I got married, I had taken up baking and I loved it. I collected baking pans and baking goods and try to make new things every day. But eventually I lost touch. So, my thoughts were why not bring back something I loved so much and then share them here. And to know what you thought of it. 

Ingredients

For the cake:

Eggs - 4

Flour - 1 cup

Orange Juice - 3/4 cup

Sugar - 3/4 cup

Butter - 226 gms

Baking Powder - 1tsp

Baking Soda - 1 tsp

Slivered almonds - 1/2 cup (toasted)

For candied Orange

Orange - 1 sliced

Sugar - 1 cup

Water - 1 cup

Almonds - Handful (slivered)

For the filling:

Heavy Cream - 500ml

Recipe

The Cake

| In a bowl cream the butter, then add sugar and cream them together. Now add eggs one by one. Beat them and add Orange juice and mix well. Now add Flour, Baking powder & Baking soda to the mix. Mix everything together and add a little more orange juice to get the right dropping texture. It won't be liquid but rather thick |

| Now mix in the almonds, that were kept aside |

| Pre-heat oven at 350F and use that time to line your baking pan. Once done spray some cooking spray in it and then pour in the cake batter | 

| Place it in the oven and let it bake for 30-45 mins depending on your oven |

Candied Oranges 

| Once the cake is in the oven, slice up your orange as thinly as possible |

| Now take an open pan to boil the water & the sugar and boil till sugar dissolves. Once it starts to boil, place the oranges in it and keep boiling and turning the slices till the outer white starts turning transparent. Then take it out and place it on a flat porous platform |

| Now take a plate and line it up with a cling wrap. Pour the remaining syrup on it and sprinkle some more almonds on top. Once dried break it up |

Assembling

| Once your cake is ready let it cool down. Longer you keep, the better it would be. I suggest a few hours at least. Then cut through the middle and separate the top layer from the bottom |

| In a separate bowl add the coffee to the cream and start beating. Do it till its really thick. Now start putting big dollops on the lower layer till its a massive and sprinkle the brittles made with the left overs of the candied orange syrup. Then gently put the top lid on and lightly press it down |

| Now put the remaining cream and spread it all over the cake. and put the candied orange slices on top. Sprinkle the remaining brittles and you are done |

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Holiday Recipe : Moroccan Slow Cooked Lamb With Prune

This is by far my favorite dish and its so beautifully aromatic, exotic texture and tastes nothing short of a king's meal! Its something I make on special nights as not only is this exotic & rich but also time-consuming. But then all good things do need patience. This recipe is not mine, but a bit of a combination of several recipes online and a few trial and errors, but do love the outcome. Also ideally it should be cooked in a tajine. However, I don't have one, so I just use an usual pot. It works very well. Though I feel serving in a tajine does add a bit of drama.

So heres how to make it

• Lamb Rack - 1.5 lbs
• Medium White Onion - 1 nos. Sliced
• Cinnamon - 3 Sticks
• Cinnamon Powder - 1 tbsp
• Saffron - 1 pinch
• Ginger - 1tbsp
• Turmeric - 1tsp
• Prunes - 1 1/4 cup
• Honey - 3tbsp
• Sesame - 1tbsp
• Salt

Recipe

~ Heat some olive oil in a big pot.

~ Add the onion, cinnamon sticks, cinnamon powder, ginger, turmeric & salt and toss till light brown.

~ In a separate small hot pan toast the saffron for about a minute and then drop in into about a tablespoon of water. Keep it aside.

~ Add the lamb rack to the pot. Flip it around for a bit. And continue to cook for about 20 minutes.

~ Once the rack is coated with the onion & other spices add water, just enough to cover the meat.

~ Cook for 1 and half hours on medium heat.

~ Then add about a cup and a quarter of prunes & the saffron kept aside.

~ After 10 minutes of cooking take the rack out and separate the pieces with a knife. Make sure the lamb has cooled down before you start cooking. Continue to cook the broth while doing so.

~ Add the meat back into the soup and cook for hand an hour more.

~ Serve with green vegetables & couscous

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Stir Fried Noodles - It Can't Get Easier Than This

 This is as easy and quick as it gets. So I am gonna keep it simple too. You need 7 ingredients and a wok or pan.

Ingredients

• Chicken thigh cut into cubes
• Spaghetti - Boiled
• A green. I chose spinach. Broccoli / Brussel sprouts / Asparagus or any or all the vegetables you like.
• Soy sauce
• Olive oil
• Sesame seeds (optional)
• Garlic - chopped

Recipe

~ First roast some sesame seeds and keep it aside.

~ In the same pan heat some oil

~ Add garlic to hot oil, stir lightly for few seconds and add chicken, stir again and add veggies.

~ Cook in an open pan for 5-7 minutes and keep turning

~ Now add some soy sauce, turn and cover.

~ Once chicken is thoroughly cooked add the noodles and stir fry everything together while tossing them for few minutes.

~ Serve once its ready.

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Baked Potatos With Skin

This is one of the easiest and extremely crowd pleasing appetizer. The ingredients are simple and readily available. Only word of caution : 'Might get over before the guests arrive'

So lets get started...

You'll need

| Potatoes |

| Salt & Pepper |

| Olive Oil |

| Chives |

| Sour Cream or Greek Yoghurt |

| Bacon |

Recipe

| Make thick slices of the potatoes then, sprinkle olive oil, salt & pepper |

| Bake the slices for 20 - 30 mins at 400 degrees till its thoroughly cooked and browns a little |

| Once done, cool it and top up with a dollop of either Sour cream or yoghurt, Chives & Bacon bits |

| Serve |

Share if you like

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New Careers : 29. Private Kitchen by Shuchi Mittal

I came across Shuchi through a common friend & was intrigued by her passion for food. Her ability to give twist to Indian cuisine and transform it to a Global dish. Its phenomenal right? What I found more intriguing was her passion to do so. She was trained to be an engineer and worked in finance, and left it all to pursue her love for food. Lets hear more about her exciting life!

For how long have you wanted to be a chef and been into The Private Kitchen? 

I always wanted to do something professionally with food, but it wasn't up until 2012 (when we moved to New York) that I got the opportunity to try my hands at making a career from it. My private kitchen is around 1.5 years old. 

What was your childhood like? 

I spent my childhood in a boarding school so, even though our school had it's 'specials', rather tasteless to say the least. I craved the holidays for simple home food, street treats, family dinners and mom bear hugs. 

Your cuisine is so unique, so, where do you draw your inspiration from? 

From the lack of understanding about Indian cuisine globally! People only know the side of Indian dishes that are made popular by restaurants. However, the food we eat at is a vastly different genre, and also diverse across homes in India. I try to use simple, traditional recipes as the foundation for my tasting menus, while incorporating seasonal, locally available and creative ingredients to create an experience that is playful, colorful, unique and yet [hopefully] delicious!

Tell us about 29 calories & why the name? 

A medium sized red onion has 29 calories in it. The very same onion that is a basic ingredient in most Indian curries. 

29. Calories was conceived as a food blog back in 2009, to chronicle my culinary experiments. It's business arm, 29. Private Kitchen, is a social dining concept creating prix-fixe tasting menus for supper clubs, popup dining experiences and private events. Centred around small plates & tapas inspired by the unexposed genre of home-style Indian cuisine, I am trying to give ‘curry’ a pretty significant facelift. The idea is to use creative food as a medium to connect, inspire & collaborate with individuals & businesses alike, and create meals that are more than just dinner. They are a dining table adventure. 

Were you always a chef? How did the transition take place?

No, I am an engineer and an MBA, and worked in finance prior to becoming a [self taught] chef. New York was the turning point. I realised people had a one dimensional view about Indian cuisine - that it's heavy, greasy, only 'curry' and a cheap take-out not to be repeated more than once in 3 months. That is when I decided to swap finance for a frying pan, and set out to change that perception. I wanted to showcase how Indian dishes can be sophisticated, healthier, and just as gourmet as some others out there. 

You are doing some awesome work, so how big is your team? 

It's just me. I am the chef, website developer, partnership co-ordinator, idea generator, event organizer, recipe consultant, menu curator, PR & social media manager, host, story teller & less glamorously, a dish washer!

West Elm & 29. are partnering on July 29th. So, if you are as intrigued as I am, then be a part of the selected 12 people by booking your spot here.

Photo Courtesy : Gayatri Nair Photography

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