I think people who love food and cooking are constantly reading up and trying to create new recipes and the answer to - "Aaj khane mein kya banaun?" comes very naturally to them. Fortunately, I am one of them. But I love reading up new recipes, food stories, blogs, recipe books and that gives me a lot of inspiration. Sometimes it is just an ingredient, sometimes it is a dish or sometimes it is the just the way it is presented. One of these days, I was swiping through my stories and I came across a beautiful picture by a really old friend & classmate Rhea Tibrewala. It was a sticky pineapple chicken served with rice in a pineapple shell. I instantly knew what I my weekend cook was going to be.

Whatever the dish would be, it had to hero Pineapple, had to be served in the pineapple shell and had to be Thai. Il tell you why? The pineapple shell also reminded me of my trip to Thailand and the most amazing pineapple fried rice we had there. Our Thailand trip was a very special one, it was to celebrate the pre wedding madness of one of my closest friends Harshad and his fiance Apoorva. Harshad has always been the master at picking restaurants and then the dishes. Of course, he ordered the best looking & tasting dish on the table and we all hijacked it. What memories!

Well, with the inspiration and some wonderful memories, I started curating this recipe. I always see a ton of videos before I make something. This time and every time I make Asian food it has to be Marion Grasby and also Sanjyot Keer from Your Food Lab. Find my rendition of the pineapple rice and chicken satay -

All you need ~
Pineapple - 1

Chicken Satay
Chicken - 500g (cut into thin strips)
Soy sauce - 1 tbsp
Red chilli sauce - 1 tbsp
1 inch piece ginger finely chopped
6-7 garlic cloves finely chopped
2 green chillies finely chopped
Cornflour - 1 tbsp
Vinegar - 1 tsp
White pepper powder - 1 tsp
Salt to taste

Pineapple Fried Rice
Oil - 2 tbsps
3-4 cloves of finely chopped garlic
3 spring onion bulbs finely chopped
Cashews - a handful
1 carrot finely chopped
2 baby corn cut into thin roundels
a handful of french beans finely chopped
bell peppers finely chopped
1 egg beaten
2 cups of cooked rice
Thai curry powder - 1 tbsp
Fish sauce - 1 tbsp
Soy Sauce - 1 tbsp
Fresh coriander - a handful

Thai curry powder 
Turmeric powder - 1 tbsp
Bay leaves - 3
Coriander seeds - 3 tbsps
Cumin seeds - 3 tbsps
Dry ginger - 2 tsps
White pepper - 1 tsp
Dry bedki chillies - 3
Cloves - 2

Roast all the whole spices in a hot pan. Let it cool down. Blend it till you get a semi-fine powder. Store it in a jar for future use.

Method ~
1. Cut the whole pineapple into half vertically. Scoop out the pulp while making sure it is intact.
2. Use one half of the pineapple to make a pulp for the chicken and cut the other half of the pineapple into small chunks
3. Marinate the chicken using the pineapple pulp and all the other ingredients mentioned above and refrigerate it for 1/2 hour
4. For the rice, heat a wok or a kadhai with oil
5. Add the garlic and onion and saute till they turn fragrant
6. Now add the cashews and saute till they start turning golden brown
7. Add all the vegetables and stir fry for 1 minute
8. Move all the contents in the wok to one side and add a little more oil to the pan, and add the beaten egg. Let it form a nice crust at the bottom and then combine it with the other ingredients in the wok
9. Now add in the rice and the curry powder. Mix well till everything is well combined
10. Add in the fish sauce & soy sauce and mix well
11. Add a generous handful of finely chopped coriander and turn off the gas

Serve it hot in the pineapple shell with some schezwan sauce/sambal oelek, fresh cucumber & a wedge of lime.

Pro Tip - If you don't have the authentic jasmine rice which is used in Thai cuisine. All you need to do is add 1 star anise in your rice colander while cooking. You could use Mmbe Mohr, Kolam or Basmati rice using this trick.

Do try this recipe out and don't forget to tag us on your pictures on Instagram.

Hi Guys,

I am back!

Yeah when I logged into my account after ages, I heard Saumil say, what do I see? Flavourism is back!

I have been putting all my golden in the open these days through my instagram account, but then why only put it up for the instagramers right, so here goes my first of many posts after ages.

I am the kind of person who can live on rice all day, everyday and so I absolutely loooove biryani. I have had the privilege to try different kinds of biryanis, be it the world famous Hyderabadi biryani or the Lucknowi biryani. But the tastiest biryani I have ever eaten is what my talented cook, Sana makes. And then there is the biryani I have grown up eating and seen being made, mom's. But here is a recipe I call my own.

Serves - 4

Ingredients -
Curry cut chicken - 1kg

For the marinade
Mustard Oil - 2 tbsps
Curd - 1/4 cup
Juice of 1 lemon
Red chilli powder - 1 tsp
Kashmiri chilli powder - 1/2 tsp
Turmeric - 1/4 tsp
Coriander powder - 2 tsps
Cumin powder - 1/4 tsp
Bafat Masala - 1 tsp
Shahi biryani masala - 1 tsp
Chicken/Meat masala - 1 tsp
Ginger-garlic paste - 1 tbsp
(You could replace the bafat, shahi biryani and meat masala with homemade garam masala as well, i used it because i had it)
Salt to taste

Basmati Rice - 3 cups (90% cooked)

For the masala -
Ghee - 2 tbsps
Whole spices
Whole black peppercorns - 4
Cinnamon stick - 1 small
Black cardamom - 1
Green cardamom - 3
Cloves - 4
Mace - 1
Bay leaf - 1 large or 2 small
Sliced onions - 2 medium
Ginger-garlic paste - 2 tbsp
Onion paste - paste of 2 medium onions
Spices
Red chilli powder - 1 tsp
Kashmiri chilli powder - 1/2 tsp
Turmeric - 1/4 tsp
Coriander powder - 2 tsps
Cumin powder - 1/4 tsp
Fennel powder - 1/2 tsp
A pinch of freshly grated nutmeg
Bafat Masala - 1 tsp
Shahi biryani masala - 1 tsp
Chicken/Meat masala - 1 tsp
Chopped tomatoes - 2 large
Pureed tomatoes - 3
Salt to taste

For layering -
A handful of chopped coriander
A hanful of torn mint
Fried onions or birista
Saffron soaked in warm milk
Rose water - 1 tsp

Method -
1. Mix all the ingredients of the marinade and refrigerate the chicken for an hour
2. Meanwhile, heat a pan on high with ghee
3. Add all the whole spices, once they release some aroma, throw in the sliced onions and saute until they start turning golden brown
4. Add the ginger-garlic paste and fry for 5-6 minutes, then add add the onion paste
5. Fry the masala till it turns nice & brown, add some water to deglaze
6. Now add in all the spices and cook well
7. Add the chopped tomatoes and saute till they get combined with the masala
8. Add the tomato puree, season, mix well and leave it on a low flames with a lid on for 5-7 minutes till it turns into a luscious gravy
9. Once the chicken has spent an hour in the refrigerator, fry it in a pan till all the masala from the marinade gets reduced to a beautiful coating on all the chicken
10. Mix that amazing chicken into the gravy and let it cook for another 5 minutes
11. Use an aluminium top to layer the biryani (Sana forced me to get it - she calls it German ka bartan)

Layering -
1st layer - chicken with the gravy
2nd layer - rice
3rd layer - fried onions
4th layer - coriander & mint followed by the saffron infused milk and rose water

Sana tip - she fries the chicken with tonnes of oil and drains the oil out once done, this wonderful masala infused oil is what she uses instead of the milk

Cover the top and cook it for 7-10 minutes max on a very low heat. When you serve it, dig nice and deep and serve it hot with chilled raita of your choice.

If you try it, do let me know how it was and dont forget to share a picture on instagram and tag me @flavourism_

Bon appetite!

So if you are wondering as to why is this post’s title, you must gear up for some serious Golmaal. This recipe is extremely close to my heart because, this is my first recipe in 2015 and I shared the love of my food and cooking with my beautiful family with this dish as New Year showered its light on us.

This dish is inspired by a beautiful Argentinean dish called Chimi Churi which is eaten like a dip (chutney), used as a marinade for meat, cottage cheese and is among the most popular dishes in Argentina. I saw Chef Vicky Ratnani make grilled paneer with the chimi churi and i instantly knew what my next dish was. But here comes the GOLMAAL, I follow this really pretty lady on facebook called Maria Goretti who is so passionate about cooking, you can see it in her food, there i saw a video of Chef Ajay Saxena making Chicken Cafreal, a beautiful Goan dish and i could see the similarity between the two dishes. The chicken cafreal has more dimensions to it because of the variety of spices that go into it and the chimi churi is a fresh and simple dish. I decided to add my own twist to this, keeping the main ingredients intact that is coriander and parsley and playing around with the other dimensions.

My family loved this dish; I hope you enjoy it too.

(Help me with a name guys)

Ingredients:-

·         Chicken(boneless)- 500 gms

·         Salt and pepper to taste

·         Baby potatoes-5-6

·         Baby tomatoes-2

·         Onion-1

·         Capsicum-1

·         Lettuce to garnish

·         Spring onion greens to garnish

For the marinade

·         Peppercorns- 10-12

·         Cinnamon- 1/4  inch stick

·         Cloves-4

·         Cumin seeds-2 tsps

·         Green Chillies-3

·         Dry Red Chilly-1

·         Ginger- ½ inch

·         Garlic-10-12 cloves

·         Onion-1

·         Dry Parsley-1 tbsp

·         Fresh Coriander- handful

·         Tomato-1

·         Poppy Seeds-1 tbsp

·         Capers-1 tsp

·         Juice of half a lime

·         Balsamic Vinegar- 1 tbsp

·         Olive Oil- 1 tbsp

·         Salt to taste

Equipments:-

·         Griddle pan

·         Satay sticks

Method:-

1.       Wash and marinate the chicken in some salt and pepper and set aside.

2.       Dry roast the spices in a pan, let it cool down and then transfer it into the blender. Add the other ingredients of the marinade to the blender and blend it into a fine paste.

3.       Gently massage the chicken with marinade and set it aside for about 30-45 minutes.

4.       Half the baby potatoes and marinate in the mixture for 5 minutes.

5.       Grease the griddle pan with some olive oil and add the potatoes to the pan while is chicken is marinating.

6.       Put the chicken into the satay sticks and on the griddle pan until they are cooked. Keep checking it and turning the sticks so that the chicken is cooked well.

7.       Sauté the onion florets, quartered tomatoes and capsicum in olive oil, season with some salt and pepper.

8.       Plate the dish with some lettuce and garnish with spring onion greens.

Special notes:-

·         Put the satay sticks in some cold water before putting the chicken into them.

·         Marinate the chicken for a good amount of time; it helps in the infusion of flavours.

·         Always dry roast your spices before using them, the flavours get enhanced in the dish.

·         Always use the griddle pan on a low to medium heat otherwise, the marinade will burn and the charred particles will spoil the dish.

I am sure you all are wondering why I chose to use this title...well I m not going to be talking about how wonderful the movie was or how awesome Sushant Singh Rajput is, we all know that. This line was used in the movie Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam and remembers Salman Khan udaoing the patang over enthusiastically well that lead a lot of people to incorporate it into a very famous and kickass dance step.

Ever thought a dance step could get you to connect with someone...well I connected and instantly with none other than the fabulous Nidhi Kashyap. This lady is dynamite; if you are a dandia-garba fan you have to dance in her company and if you are not a fan you still need to dance in her company cause you’ll start falling in love with the season. A friend who personifies fun, strength, who’s beautiful, a person who’s courageous for she has embarked on a journey to pursue her passion, photography.

My food tastes and her photography speaks...

The last post was clicked by her and a few pictures to come will have been clicked by her, tell me she’s wonderful. The joy of cooking becomes tenfold when you do it for a person you love, you admire, you connect to. And through this post I want to thank Kashyap...for being a friend, for being such a sweetheart.

Out of a couple of dishes I cooked up for the shoot...I chose this one.

Chicken/Paneer Satay with a peanut dip

Ingredients:-

·         Paneer/chicken(boneless)- 8 pieces

·         Cherry Tomatoes-4

·         Bell pepper- 1

·         Onion-1

·         Ginger paste-1 tbsp

·         Garlic paste-1tbsp

·         Soy sauce-1 tsp

·         Brown sugar-1tsp

·         Honey-1 tsp

·         Juice of half a lemon

·         Paprika-1 tsp

·         Salt and pepper to taste

For the peanut dip

·         Peanuts- ½  a cup

·         Garlic finely chopped- 1 tsp

·         Onion finely chopped- 1tsp

·         Butter- one small cube

·         Soy sauce-1 tsp

·         Sugar- a pinch

·         Juice of half a lemon

·         Fresh red chillies or chilli flakes to taste

·         Salt and pepper to taste

Method:-

1.       Marinate the chicken or paneer in the ingredients mentioned above and refrigerate it for half an hour.

2.       Cut the onions and bell peppers in a triangular shape or anything chunky.

3.       Preheat the oven at 180 degree C.

4.       Put the pieces of chicken, tomatoes, bell peppers and onions into the satay sticks.

5.       Brush a little bit of oil. Put them in the oven for about 10 minutes.

6.       For the peanut dip, roast the peanuts in a pan.

7.       Now get them off the burner and let them cool down.

8.       Puree the peanuts into a fine paste.

9.       Take a pan, add the butter, garlic once u get the aroma, add the onions and let them turn golden brown.

10.   Now add the peanut puree and let it cook.

11.   Add the other ingredients and some water and let it cook for some time.

Special Notes:-

·          The longer you marinate your meat the better.

·         Before you insert your ingredients in the satay sticks, soak them in some hot water. This helps in easy insertion of the food and also the sticks don’t burn while frying or when in the oven.

·         You can use any vegetable of your choice for the satay.

·         If must always check your food in the oven and use your own discretion with the time and temperatures.

·         If you don’t have an oven, you can also fry these satays on a griddle pan.

·         Roasting the peanuts give an added flavour to your dish.

·         Keep adding water to the peanut sauce, it tends to thicken. You can also add some coconut milk for added flavour.

·         Feel free to improvise and incorporate your ideas.

I hope you enjoy this dish.

Cheers!

Well the todenge dum agar part is thoda extra and of course Filmy…but how can "I" ever do anything NON-FILMY!!

This post is for a very special friend, my Punjabi dynamite, every parent’s favourite, the Haanji queen and most importantly a friend with whom I share a bond beyond the norms of conventional friendship. She is a food enthusiast, loves Chicken in every guise…hell yeah! Shez a Punjabi! :P She has a beautiful mother, the most loving aunty ever, Leena Aunty jinse in madam ne haath ka jaado paya hai. She bakes heavenly cakes and so here comes my challenging story.

These few months of 2013 have been hectic and grueling. Anisha and I had been on a lets study for CMAT spree and our mom’s were on a lets add some calories onto our daughters spree. So every time we went to each other’s houses a feast awaited us. But this one day I decided to make something for my lovely friend…but what do you make for a person who is a brilliant cook herself, a dessert lover, an excellent baker.  This question was soon answered, thanks to Joey Mathews and her show Love Bites with Joey! :P

I had seen Joey make panacottas with a strawberry coulis, but my friend here loves-likes-adores chocolate. I knew what had to be served. So here is a recipe that has been highly appreciated by my family and friends!

Chocolate flavoured Panacottas!

INGREDIENTS

·         Milk-1/4 cup

·         Cream-3/4 cup

·         Chocolate-1/4 cup grated

·         Sugar- 3 tbsps

·         Gelatin- 1 tsp

·         Chocolate shavings

·         Chocolate sticks

·         Chocolate syrup

METHOD

1.      Melt the chocolate on a double boiler.

2.      Gently mix in the milk and keep stirring.

3.      Take a saucepan and put it on medium heat. Add the chocolate and milk mixture. Slowly mix in the cream.

4.      Now add the sugar and let it simmer.

5.      Add the gelatin, mix well and get it off the heat.

6.      Now pour this mixture into moulds of your choice and let it cool down.

7.      Once it has cooled down, let it set in the refrigerator for 3 hours.

8.      Demould it and serve it with some beautiful garnish using the chocolate syrup, the chocolate shavings and the sticks.

SPECIAL NOTES-

1.      Be very precise with the measurements. A little increase in the quantity of milk will destroy the dish.

2.      Whenever you are handling chocolate, do not let it come in contact with water.

3.      Always use a double boiler to melt chocolate to prevent it from burning.

4.      Gelatin should be added carefully because less gelatin will not let the panacottas set and more gelatin will make it taste rubbery.

5.      Use lovely moulds; they make the panacottas look delicious.

6.      Use a dash of creativity to add an edge to your dish.

BON APPETIT!

Amir Khan’s cute smile and charm and of course “pehla nasha” is what comes to all our minds when we think of this phrase but let’s face it this phrase has more to it than just our evergreen teen flick. I’ll tell you what comes to my mind when I hear this phrase, it reminds me of competition. I participated in a competition a few days back and its called Masterchef India Season 3.

After hours of waiting in a huge queue with more than 2000 people, it wasn’t about how talented a cook you are, at that point it was about patience and enthusiasm. I was enthusiastic about meeting the man who rules every homemaker’s heart and kitchen, Chef Sanjeev Kapoor. I was honored and privileged to meet a man who is truly God sent, a person who serves goodness not food, the one and only Chef Vikas Khanna and the person who lends inspiration to a lot of people like me who’ve been inspired by family cooking, Chef Kunal Kapoor. I guess a lot of ladies and gents were star struck but a lot of them also came with a passion and I spent my valuable time interacting with my co-contestants. It comprised of a humble dadi ma who had a lovely Bengali accent and had made “kasundi chingdi” and “mishti doi”, a gorgeous Physiotherapist, full of life and charismatic, a beautiful Sindhi mother, who introduced me to “Dhingri”, a traditional Sindhi dish. By the end of level 1, my fellow contestants were uber confident id reach level 2 and what a cracker I did get through to level 2 with a loud cheer with Eshita, the physiotherapist and Jyotiji, the lovely mother of two. After a long and tiring day it was my mom’s comforting hug that came to my rescue and it was finally Home Sweet Home. Sunday evening was spent in anxiety and I was sure there was no level 3 happening for me. Next I woke up to Jyotiji’s cheerful voice and she congratulated me saying, “Oh! You got selected for level 3” when I hadn’t received any calls from the Masterchef crew. I was humbled to see her confidence in me.

Well I said to myself, life goes on and Monday was taking its own mundane course when my landline and cell phone rang at once. The landline had my dad on the line and the cell phone had the Masterchef organizers…well it was a level 3 shortlist call…can you take a guess what happened next…I was jumping and hooting with tears in my eyes. Level 3 at ITM IHM was a wonderful wonderful experience, I met some of the most passionate and beautiful people of this country; the bold and beautiful Minahil aka Yogita, our chemistry was a house on fire within seconds, the gorgeous Leena aunty, she’s going to teach me how to ace cheesecakes, the charismatic Aditya, a musician, a freaking machine…he made a prawn curry in 20 minutes, a lip smacking one mind you, and a travel and food junkie Veni, she has a Bong Connection! And last but not the least, the experience of facing a panel of 8 judges with Rajeev Lakshman being one of them and getting that feeling ki boss Todi Nakhio post the interview. FANTASTIC is the word!

All I’d like to say is it’s not about winning or losing, it’s about the experience. How amazing it is to meet people who are like minded, who have that drive and passion, people who are simple and who serve their goodness on a plate. I feel humbled and privileged to have met a few of the most genuine and talented amateur cooks of the country.

So guys I’d like to share with you my celebrity recipe Chicken Zaikedaar! It is something I tried to put together for the big daddy auditions.

Ingredients

(5 portions)

·         Chicken- 750gms

·         Khus khus- 1 tbsp

·         Cashew nuts-handful

·         Sesame-1 tbsp

·         Green chillies-3

·         Oil-2-3 tbsps

·         Cumin seeds-1/2 tsp

·         Mustard seeds-1/2 tsp

·         Onions, thinly sliced- 2 medium

·         Ginger paste-1 tbsp

·         Garlic paste- 1 tbsp

·         Turmeric powder- 1 tsp

·         Red chili powder- 1 tsp

·         Dried red chillies- 2-3

·         Curry leaves-8-10

·         Coriander powder-1tsp

·         Cumin powder-1tsp

·         Tomato, finally chopped- 1 medium

·         Curd-3-4 tbsp

·         Tandoori chicken masala- 2 tsps

·         Golden fried onions and fresh coriander, to garnish

Marinade

·         Ginger-garlic paste- 1 tbsp

·         Turmeric powder- 1tsp

·         Red chili powder- 1tsp

·         Oil- 2tsp

·         Salt, to taste

Method

1.       Marinate the chicken with the ingredients for the marinade, massage well and refrigerate for at least an hour.

2.       Dry roast the khus khus and sesame and soak in some warm water for 2-3 minutes.

3.       Grind the khus khus and sesame soaked in water, the cashew nuts and the green chilies to a fine paste.

4.       Heat some oil in a pan. Add the cumin and the mustard seeds, once they begin to crackle, add the curry leaves and the dried red chilies.

5.       Add the onions and sauté till slightly brown.

6.       Add the ginger-garlic paste and fry for some time.

7.       Now add all the dry spices and fry till the fat starts separating.

8.       Add the tomatoes and sauté the masala.

9.       Meanwhile, sear the chicken in some oil and transfer it to the masala and see that the masala gets coated on the chicken nicely. Cover and cook for 5 minutes.

10.   Add the khus khus, sesame and cashew nut paste, some water. Cover and cook for 10 minutes.

11.   Now season the curry with some salt, add the curd, and stir well. Also add the tandoori chicken masala and cover and cook for 10 minutes.

12.   Serve it hot, garnished with the fried onions and fresh coriander.

Special notes

·         Roasting your whole spices or ingredients that you want to grind into a fine paste, always adds a distinct flavor to your dish.

·         The tandoori chicken masala can be replaced with some homemade aromatic garam masala.

·         Keep adding water as per your taste because the curry eventually reduces down to a thick masaledaar one.

·         The cooking time can be reduced to half if you want to serve it quickly, the long simmering only adds more flavor.

·         Keep an eye on your onions when you are frying them, you don’t want to burn them.

·         The golden fried onions are popularly known as birista in most muslim households.

Cheers to Masterchef India 3 and every person who was or is a part of it!

P.S- the organizers were so wonderful, they did a commendable job! J