Categories
Food Lite Blogs Recipes

It’s a Kerala Twist, Come on Biriyani Lovers…!

Kerala Biryani is always a popular dish for its unique taste and aroma. Unlike other biryanis where basmati rice is used, Kerala Biryani is made using jeerakasala rice or kaima rice. At home we all love rice-based dishes and biryani top the list. This biryani can be made with chicken, mutton and beef.

Nowadays making biryani is no more a challenging task, the preparation style varies from person to person. It’s liked by all young and old. Do enjoy my version of the lip-smacking Kerala biryani.
Ingredients for masala
Chicken- 1 kg
Onion-5 (medium size)
Ginger- 2 tbsp
Garlic- 2 ½ tbsp
Green chilli- 12 (according to your spice level)
Tomato- 2
Curd- ½ cup
Turmeric powder- ½ tsp
Garam masala- ½ tsp
Powdered Fennell seeds- ½ tsp
Cinnamon sticks- 2 (small)
Cloves- 3
Cardamom-3
Coriander and mint leaves- ½ cup (roughly chopped)
Refined oil- ¾ cup

For rice
Rice- 4 cup
Hot water- 7 ½ cup
Ghee- 3 tbsp
Cinnamon- 1 stick (small)
Cardamom-3
Cloves-3

For garnishing
Onion- 2 big (thinly sliced)
Cashews-1/4 cup
Raisins- ¼ cup
Coriander and mint leaves- handful
Ghee-2 tbsp

Method
• Grind ginger garlic and green chillies into a paste and keep them aside.
• Now heat 3 tbsp of ghee in a biryani pot.
• For Garnishing fry the onions evenly in medium flame until it turns to a nice golden brown and keeps aside.
• Fry cashews and raisins in the same pot and keep aside.
• In the same biryani pot add ¾ cup of oil along with the ghee. add finely sliced onions, sauté until light golden colour.
• Add the ginger garlic and green chilli paste to it, sauté until the raw smell has gone (there’s no red chilli powder used in this recipe, the heat comes from green chillies alone. So do add accordingly to your spice level)
• Meanwhile in a mixer jar, add the tomatoes and coriander leaves, mint leaves, cinnamon, cardamom, cloves and curd. Grind this into a smooth paste.
• Add this paste to the onion mix and saute the masala till the oil separate
• Do remember to do all these procedures in medium flame.
• Add turmeric, Fennell seeds powder, garam masala powder. mix everything together.
• To this, add the washed chicken pieces, mix everything with the masala, adjust the salt accordingly. Cover and cook till the chicken is almost done. Keep stirring occasionally.
• Chicken when cooked on low heat releases moistures which are good enough to cook it completely.
• While the chicken is cooking, we can make the biryani rice, it’s almost similar to the ghee rice.


• Wash the rice and soak it for 15 minutes, drain and set aside.
• Heat a pot with 3 tbsp of ghee, sauté the spices (cardamom, cinnamon and cloves)
• Add the drained rice and sautè for 3 minutes.
• Add hot water to it and salt accordingly.
• Cook on a medium flame until the entire water is absorbed. At this stage, the rice is cooked to about 90 percent. If the rice is still not cooked, you can sprinkle some warm water and continue to cook.
• By then the chicken would’ve completely been cooked. Level the chicken properly.
• Layer the cooked rice on the chicken masala, now sprinkle some garam masala on top of the rice, some fried onions, coriander and mint leaves, cashews and raisins.
• Pour a spoonful of ghee on top of the rice, cover it with a tight lid.
• Heat the Tawa, when it turns hot, place the biryani pot over the Tawa and keep it for dum for 15-20 minutes. Make sure the flame is in low-medium.
• After 20 minutes, switch off the flame and allow the biryani to rest for a while.
• Next while serving mix the masala and the rice well.
• Enjoy this delicious biryani with onion raita.

ALSO READ-Dragon Chicken: It’s made of chicken and not dragons!

Categories
Food Lite Blogs Recipes

Dragon Chicken: It’s made of chicken and not dragons!

When it comes to fusion Indo Chinese dishes are simply delectable and Dragon Chicken tops the list. This is a dry dish in which chicken is cut in thin strips and coated in a batter and fried till crispy and then mixed with sauces which is made with chillies, soya sauce, ginger and garlic. It is a very easy dish which can be prepared with few sauces and fresh ingredients. This dish can be served as a starter or side dish. It’s a real family favourite!

INGREDIENTS

MARINATION:

  1. Boneless chicken (cut in strips)- 500gms
  2. Corn flour- 3tsp
  3. All-purpose flour-2tsp
  4. Egg-2
  5. Soyasauce-2tsp
  6. Pepper-1tsp
  7. Salt-as per your taste

For Sauce:

1. Cashews-1/4cup

2. Chopped ginger-3tsp

3. Chopped garlic-3tsp

4. Chilli flakes-1tsp

5. Onion-1(finely chopped)

6. White sesame seeds-1tbso

7. Soya sauce-1tbsp

8. Chilli sauce-3tbsp

9. Tomato ketchup- 4tbsp

10. Sugar-1tsp

11. Capsicum- 1 cut in Julian’s

12. Spring onions- 3tbsp

13. Oil-3tbsp

14. water-1/2cup (dissolved corn flour 2tsp in it)

Salt- as per taste

METHOD

  1. In a bowl add the chicken strips.
  2. Add corn flour, all-purpose flour/ Maida, egg, soya sauce, salt and pepper. Mix everything well and let it rest for one hour.
  3. Deep fry the chicken in batches until golden brown and keep aside.
  4. In a pan add 3tsp of oil (you can use the same oil that is used to fry the chicken).
  5. Sauté the cashews until light brown.
  6. Add chopped ginger and garlic. Sauté till the raw smell goes, on low medium flame.
  7. Add chopped onions. Sauté for 5 minutes.
  8. Add crushed chillies, sesame seeds and sauté for a minute or two.
  9. Add soya sauce, chilli sauce, tomato ketchup, sugar and salt as needed.

10. Add 2 tbsp of hot water and add the cornflour slurry and bring it to boil.

      11. Add chicken and capsicum sauté well in medium-low flame and let the chicken cook in sauces for three minutes.

     12. Finally garnish this with green spring onion.

 The Dragon Chicken is totally winning!!

ALSO READ-Delicious and healthy breakfast options for kids

Categories
Food Lite Blogs Recipes

Try this authentic Kerala dessert with tender coconut

It is easier than you think to make your own homemade Coconut Pudding from scratch! With just a few basic ingredients and less than 20 minutes of cooking time.

Tender coconut pudding is always a hit at get together & parties. Its rich, silky smooth and delicious to taste. Tender coconut has several health benefits too. It’s a great energy booster.

INGREDIENTS

  1. China grass-10gms
  2. Milk- 1/2litre
  3. Tender coconut water – 1cup
  4. Tender cocnut pulp-(scooped from one coconut)-1cup
  5. Condensed milk -300gms (as per your taste)
  6. Tender coconut slices -chopped thinly for garnishing

METHOD

  1. Collect one cup of tender coconut water.
  2. Next break the tender coconut into half and scoop out the pulp an keep aside.
  3. Finely chop the China grass into small flakes and soak it into the tender coconut water for 10 minutes
  4. In a blender add the tender coconut pulp and grind it to a smooth puree
  5. In a sauce pan gently heat China grass along with the tender coconut water and keep stirring until the flakes dissolve completely.
  6. Simultaneously in another sauce pan boil milk on low medium heat. Add condensed milk and mix nicely.
  7. Add the tender coconut puree to the milk. Mix everything nicely.
  8. Lastly add the dissolved China grass to the milk and mix everything again until well combined. Switch off the flame.
  9. Sieve the pudding mix into a serving bowl

After pouring the pudding to the bowl use a toothpick to burst out all the air bubbles. (Or take out everything with a spoon). So that you get smooth pudding

 10.Keep it in the fridge to set. When the pudding is half set garnish it with thinly sliced tender coconut an keep it again to set for 2 to 4hours.

ALSO READ-Start off this Diwali with homemade delicacy of Naan Khatai

Categories
Food Lite Blogs Recipes

Special Recipes for Christmas

Chef Himanshu Taneja, Culinary Director, South Asia, Marriott International has shared special Christmas recipes of Plum Pudding and Panettone that you can easily create at home for guests or relish with the family:

PLUM PUDDING

Ingredients:

Fresh breadcrumbs – 4500 Gms

Refine wheat flour – 1125 Gms

Black current – 4500 Gms

Raisins – 9000 Gms

Dates – 2225 Gms

Nutmeg powder – 5 Gms

Orange zest – 10 Nos

Cinnamon powder – 5 Gms

Baking powder – 50 Gms

Mix spices – 5 Gms

Brown sugar – 4500 Gms

Butter – 4000 Gms

Vanilla essence – 40 Ml

Whole eggs – 2000 Gms

Method:

Cream the butter and brown sugar until became creamy and fluffy.

Add eggs a little at a time, keep creaming the mixture until smooth and fluffy.

Add flour, spice powders and baking powder, fold nicely.

Add all the fruits mix them well, followed by adding breadcrumbs mix them.

Place it in the pudding mold bake it in Bain Marie in deck oven at 150*c for four hours, for 400gm mixture.

PANETTONE

Ingredients:

Milk – 470 Gms

Sugar – 200 Gms

Honey – 25 Gms

Yeast – 50 Gms

Egg yolks – 300 Gms

T55 flour – 1000 Gms

Vanilla essence – 10 Ml

Salt – 20 Gms

Butter – 650 Gms

Raisins – 300 Gms

Mixed candied peals – 200 Gms

Topping:

Butter – 240 Gms

Sugar – 180 Gms

T55 flour – 240 Gms

Whole eggs – 100 gms

Water 120 Ml

Almond flakes – 50 Gms

Pearl sugar – 50 Gms

PANETTONE (Wikipedia)

Method:

1. Dilute the yeast in milk, add honey and egg yolk, vanilla essence and make dough out of it by adding T55 flour and sugar on speed 1 for 5 minutes and speed 2 for 7 minutes.

2. Add the butter to the dough keep kneading the dough for 2 minutes, followed by that add salt continue kneading for 2 more minutes.

3. Add Raisins and candied fruits fold it well, keep it resting for 40 minutes, fold the dough twice, scale and keep in it the baking mold for final proving.

4. Meanwhile make the topping by mixing all the ingredients together as mentioned in the recipe.

top it on the proved dough, bake at 180 in convection oven for 20 mins for 400 grams of dough.

5. Hang it upside down until the Panettone will come down to room temperature.

ALSO READ-Start off this Diwali with homemade delicacy of Naan Khatai

Categories
Food Lite Blogs Recipes

Chocolate Fudge: Best ever sugar candy

To satisfy your chocolate cravings Chocolate Fudge is the best option. This is very easy and a simple recipe. The fudge is creamy, crunchy, thick and extra chocolaty. You can add nuts and dry fruits to suit your taste. So here is a mouth-watering quick and easy fudge recipe that can be customized in a snap.

INGREDIENTS

Dark Chocolate- 400 gms

Condensed milk- ½ cup

Butter- 2 tbsp

Vanilla essence- 2tsp

Almonds- 1/4th cup (chopped)

Walnuts-  1/4th cup(chopped)

METHOD

  1. Line a square tin of 9-inch pan with parchment paper and butter it.
  2. Toast the chopped nuts until light golden brown and fragment.
  3. Heat a non-stick pan on a low flame add the chopped dark chocolate and melt the chocolate stirring frequently making sure the mixture doesn’t get too hot.
  4. Add butter and condensed milk and combine it well with the chocolate. Stir until smooth.
  5. Add the vanilla essence and chopped nuts (keep some nuts aside for garnishing). Mix everything now & remove from the heat.
  6. Spread the chocolate mix into the prepared pan. Spread it evenly with a spatula. Decorate the top with some nuts.
  7. Refrigerate it for 2 hours to set. Then carefully remove the fudge from the pan lifting the edge of the butter paper. With a sharp knife cut the fudge into square pieces.

How to Store Homemade Chocolate Fudge:

Wrap the cut pieces in parchment paper and store in an airtight container or sealable plastic bag. Fudged stored at room temperature can last from 7 – 14 days.

Fudge can also be stored in the refrigerator wrapped and in an airtight container. In the fridge fudge will last 2 – 3 weeks.

This is probably being the best homemade fudge, a great treat that melts in your mouth and will be a great hit at a family get together or as a quick snack for a kids with a glass of warm milk.

READ MORE-Start off this Diwali with homemade delicacy of Naan Khatai

Categories
Food Lite Blogs Recipes

Start off this Diwali with homemade delicacy of Naan Khatai

Naan Khatai is popular tea time cookie. It is easily available in most bakery shops in India. These yummy biscuits are my mother’s all-time favorite & it makes her quite nostalgic. My grandfather made sure he brought some fresh & crispy Naan Kathai every time he visited Bombay back in those days. Wrapped in butter paper, these shortbreads were a big hit amongst them as children. During those days’ ovens were a rare, huge tray of these melt in the mouth biscuits would be baked in the local bakery.

My kids love these biscuits too & I make sure these are always available at home during tea time. I make them in bulk and store in an airtight container to enjoy them for later.

I have made these Naan Khatai’s in a simple way by mixing all the dry ingredients and combining it with ghee. Then gently bringing the whole mixture into a dough. Roll in to balls and flatten them. Bake the cookies until their edges are golden in colour.

Now let me share with you my simple & easy version of Naan Katai

INGREDIENTS

All-purpose flour (Maida)-11/2 cup

Gram flour(besan)-1/2 cup

Powdered sugar- 3/4th to 1cup

Baking powder-1tsp

Baking soda-1/4tsp

Cardamom powder-1tsp

Nutmeg powder-1/2 tsp

Almonds (chopped)-3/4 cup

Ghee-3/4th to 1 cup

METHOD

Dry roast the chopped almond in 1/4th tsp of ghee for 2 minutes and keep it aside. This gives crunchiness to the Naan Khatai.

Add Maida, gram flour, powdered sugar, baking powder, baking soda, cardamom powder, nutmeg powder in a mixing bowl, combine all the ingredients with a whisk or sieve it once.

Now add ghee to the mixture in small quantity and bring the mixture into a smooth dough. If the mixture is dry or crumbly you need to add a tsp of ghee to the dough to make it smooth.

Lastly add the roasted almonds a mix the dough.

Pinch medium size balls from the dough. Roll them and flatten it.

Place them in a baking tray with butter paper lined. keep some space between each Naan Khatai, as they expand while baking.

Whisk one egg yolk and brush it over each Naanakhatai. (if you don’t want to use egg yolk you can replace it with milk) as it gives a lovely colour to the Naaan Khatai.

Preheat your oven for 10 minutes at 160 degrees Celsius. And bake the Naan Khatai for 25 to 30 minutes until the edges turn golden brown. Take it from the oven and cool them completely.

Delicious NaanKhatai’s are ready! You can store these delectable biscuits for at least 3 weeks in an airtight container.

ALSO READ-Mutton with a twist of Pepper

Categories
Food Lite Blogs Recipes

Relish your family with homemade Grilled Chicken Pasta

Grilled chicken pasta salad is a quick, simple and healthy salad. It is packed with flavour, protein and veggies. It is typically served as appetizer, side dish or main course. It is a well-balanced meal. You can add variety of veggies and meat to the pasta as per your choice.

Packed with flavour, protein and veggies! If you’re looking for a nutritious salad for lunch or recipes ideas for a potluck, this chunky chicken salad will be one of the best options. Do give it a try.

INGREDIENTS FOR MARINATION OF CHICKEN

  1. Boneless chicken -250gms
  2. Ginger garlic paste-1tbsp
  3. Lemon juice-1tbsp
  4. Soya sauce- 1tbsp
  5. Honey-1tsp
  6. Pepper-1tsp
  7. Red chilli powder-1/2tsp
  8. Mixed spices-1/2tsp
  9. Salt- accordingly

   10.Butter -2tsp(melted)

FOR SALAD

  1. Pasta-2cups(boiled)
  2. Garlic-1tsp(chopped)
  3. Soya sauce-2tsp
  4. Oil-2tsp
  5. Pepper powder-1/2tsp
  6. Onion-1(sliced)
  7. Green bell pepper- 1/4cup (thinly sliced)
  8. Yellow bell pepper-1/4cup
  9. Red bell pepper-1/4cup

10. Carrot-1/2cup (thinly sliced)

 11. Olives-1/2cup

12.Cherry tomatoes-1/4cup

13.Corn-1/4cup

    14.Lettuce leaves (for garnish)

METHOD

  1. Marinate the chicken breast with ginger garlic paste, lime juice, soya sauce, honey, pepper, red chilli powder, mixed herbs, salt and melted butter. Mix everything together and marinate the chicken for half an hour.
  2. In a large grill pan or skillet heat 2tsp of butter and cook the chicken until golden and cooked thorough. 7 to 8minutes each sides. Cut the chicken into long thin strips
  3. In a large pot of boiling salted water cook the pasta according to the instructions. Drain the pasta and rinse it with cold water and keep it aside.
  4. Heat a non-stick pan on a medium flame. Add 2tsp of oil. Add garlic & sauté till light golden colour. Add onion, bell pepper and corn to this. Toss for a minute. Add the cooked pasta, Sauté and add Soya sauce. Mix everything along with cherry tomatoes, carrot, olives. Adjust salt and pepper accordingly. Turn off the flame.
  5. Tear some bunch of lettuce in bite size & place it on a plate.
  6. Now put the cooked pasta and veggies on top of the lettuce.
  7. Arrange the chicken slices on top of the pasta and lastly drizzle some mayonnaise on top of the chicken.

Enjoy your chicken grilled pasta salad.

ALSO READ- Healthy Diet To Reduce Cancer Risk

Categories
Food Lite Blogs Recipes

Satiate your sweet cravings with folksy Coffee Bun

Have you tried the Coffee Buns yet? These are yummy light buns with coffee flavoured toppings and a buttery twist inside. The scent of the buns while baking is simply divine. These buns are also called Papparoti or Kopi roti.

Best served warm with a drink this irresistibly delicious cake comes in many flavours. We can make the same coffee buns in our home with only a few basic ingredients which are mostly already present in our pantry. Papparoti is best eaten freshly baked while still warm or the coffee caramel crust will lose its crunch after some time.

INGREDIENTS

  1. Warm Milk-3/4cup
  2. Egg-1
  3. Sugar-3tbps
  4. Yeast-2tsp
  5. Flour-2cups
  6. Salt-1tsp
  7. Butter-50gms

FILLING

Butter blocks-6(1.5tsp each)

Coffee topping

1.Butter-50gms

2. Icing sugar-3/4cup

3.Egg-1

4. Vanilla Essence-1/2tsp

5. Flour-1/2cup

6. Coffee powder-2tsp

7. Hot water-2 tbps

METHOD

  1. In a large bowl mix together warm milk, instant yeast, sugar, salt, egg.
  2. Add the flour mix for a minute until a sticky dough is formed.
  3. Add the softened butter and fold it into a dough until well combined. It will be greasy in the beginning as you need it will become less sticky. You can sprinkle some flour on the dough if it is much sticky.
  4. Knead the dough for about 10minuts until the dough becomes smooth and elastic.
  5.  Cover the bowl with a plastic wrap and let the dough rise for an hour or doubles in size.
  6. After an hour gently punch down the dough.
  7. Sprinkle some flour on the surface spread the dough and cut it into 6 equal parts.
  8. Take one piece of the dough and shape it into a small ball. place a cube of frozen butter in the middle of the dough and close it by pulling the ends of the dough over and around it.
  9.  Shape it into a small ball and place it on a baking sheet lined with a parchment paper. (leave atleast 2inch space around each buns as they will expand during the proofing).
  10. Cover the shaped buns with kitchen towel and let them rise until they are almost double in size.

Coffee Buttercream Frosting

  1. Mix the instant coffee with hot water and set aside.
    1.  In a bowl add the softened butter and smoothen it   using a whisk. Add the icing sugar & whisk both nicely.
    1. Add egg, whisk until smooth.
    1. Sift the flour into it and fold it.
    1.  Add coffee and mix it again.
    1.  Then add vanilla essence and fold it again. It should be soft and creamy.
    1. Preheat your oven at 180 degrees for 10minutes.
    1. Now add coffee mixture into a pipping bag and cut the tip.
    1. Pipe a layer of coffee topping on each bun in a coil like pattern until the top half is covered.
    1. Bake the buns at 180 degrees for 18mnts to 20mnts.

Enjoy your delicious coffee buns!

ALSO READ-Start off this Diwali with homemade delicacy of Naan Khatai

Categories
Food Lite Blogs Recipes

Elevate your emotions with this yummy Eid recipe, Sheer Khorma

I was wondering of what to try next and since all my recipes were a selection of savouries, I decided to switch to something sweet. So I chose this favourite dessert of ours –Sheer Khorma.

Sheer khorma is a milk based vermicelli pudding made with dry fruits and “Seviya”. It’s a thin vermicelli pasta used to cook mainly sweets. It is a traditional preparation usually made during Eid & every household has its own recipe of this rich preparation.

Here is a version of it that I have been making unchangingly for every Eid. There is no Eid without Sheer Khorma.

INGREDIENTS:

  • Milk-1 litre
  • Ghee-2 tbsp
  • Cardamom Powder-2tsp
  • Almond-1tsp (finely chopped)
  • Cashew Nuts -1tsp (chopped)
  • Pista-1tsp (chopped)
  • Dates-1tsp (chopped)
  • Raisins-2tsp
  • Nylon Vermicelli-1cup
  • Condensed milk-1/2 cup

METHOD:

Heat ghee in a non-stick pan on medium low flame. Add chopped nuts and dates and sauté it for two minutes until the nuts turn light golden in colour. Be very careful while frying the nuts. It’s best to keep it on low flame or you may end up burning it.

Add the nylon vermicelli to the nuts and stir it for a minute. Switch off the flame & transfer this vermicelli-nuts mix to another plate.

Heat the same non-stick pan on medium flame, add milk and let it come to boil. When the milk comes to boil slow down the flame and let the milk simmer for five minutes and in the meantime add cardamom powder to it. Keep stirring the milk in intervals.

You can notice the milk will thicken slightly. Now add the roasted vermicelli and nuts into the milk. Mix it well. The vermicelli will cook in no time and now add condensed milk into it. Make sure you add the condensed milk only after the vermicelli is cooked.  I have added half a tin of condensed milk but you can add according to your sweet tooth. Mix everything well and let it cook for five minutes. The consistency of Sheer Khorma should not be very thick. Switch of the flame. Sheer Khorma is ready to be served and you can garnish it with some rose petals. You can devour this warm or let it cool in the refrigerator and have it chilled.

ALSO READ-Find comfort in food choices

Categories
Food Lite Blogs Recipes

Khanna: ‘Keep the sanctity of the cuisine as it is’

As I travelled I realised that the cuisine is changing. Dishes even ‘sambhar’ and ‘rasam change. Andhra-style ‘sambhar’ is very spicy in some places and a little sweet-ish in others…Chef Khanna speaks with Siddhi Jain.

Food is transcultural that has evolved and changed enough over these years. It is important to respect the sanctity of any cuisine, as it is deeply rooted in culture, says Chef Anurudh Khanna, Multi Property Executive Chef at Westin Gurgaon, New Delhi. Having curated a food festival that brings to town culinary treasures from the Tamil city of Tiruchirapalli, Chef Khanna highlights that there are many misconceptions relating to cuisine from Southern Indian states, which make for a rich culinary bouquet in themselves. Chef Khanna speaks on the side-lines of ‘Treasures of Trichy’ food festival which is going on at Westin Gurgaon, New Delhi till September 15. Excerpts:

Could you tell me about the inspiration behind ‘Treasures of Trichy’?

Khanna: While planning a food festival, we were just thinking which cuisine and Indian state to tap into. We looked at the resources in our culinary team at Westin – here someone is from Uttarakhand, from Nepal, southern states, Rajasthan, Bengal – so it’s quite varied. Our resident South Indian chef, Chef Vijaykumar is from Tiruchirapalli, who is with us from 2019. That’s where we thought of putting this cuisine in the front, and making him the main chef for food festival.

There are many variations in what is singularly thought of as ‘South Indian cuisine’. As a chef, what do you have to say about this?


Khanna: I also discovered this, during my last assignment in Bangalore where I traveled to Mangalore, Kerala, and to Andhra. As I travelled I realised that the cuisine is changing. Dishes even ‘sambhar’ and ‘rasam change. Andhra-style ‘sambhar’ is very spicy in some places and a little sweet-ish in others. Not just the palate changes from state to state, but breakfast ‘sambhar’ is different from all-day ‘sambhar’. The Spice level matters a lot. For example, Kannada cuisine is not that spicy, Mangalore cuisine is rich with spices, Andhra cuisine is heavy on chillies but Kerala cuisine is very fragrant.

About the stereotype, yes there are a lot of misconceptions about food among people who are not native to south Indian states or who haven’t travelled much. They think South Indian cuisine is mostly just ‘idli, sambhar, dosa, vada’, and there are a lot of varieties of dosa. But in reality, South Indian cuisine is immense.

Chefs are experimenting with fusion styles, for instance, something like a dosa-flavoured burger. Any opinions?


Khanna: As a chef, I’d say it should not be done. A little twist to the recipe is acceptable but changing the recipe upside-down is not. Food is an element very rooted in culture. You can be just a little bit around culture, adapt but complete 180-degree changes and fusions, are not my food philosophy. Let’s keep the sanctity of the cuisine as it is. It is different from doing multi-grain dosa or ragi dosa, even variations in stuffing is possible.

What’s next, when it comes to food festivals at the Westin?

Khanna: Next would be regional as well. I’d discover some more regional talent from my team first. Maybe I could do a travel flow within Uttar Pradesh, and bring out regional variations among UP dishes.”

ALSO READ-Find comfort in food choices

READ MORE-‘Food preferences and concerns give chance to be more creative’