RECIPES

Imli ki Kulfi

Chef Gautam Mehrishi, a well-known celebrity chef, is a proponent of Indian food. He has over 18 years of experience in the industry and has worked with several big names in the business.

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup tamarind • 1 cup dates, de-seeded • 1/2 cup jaggery • 1/2 tsp black salt • 1/4 tsp roasted cumin powder • 1/4 tsp red chili powder • Pinch of asafetida • Salt to taste

Preparation

• Wash and soak tamarind in lukewarm water. Wash the dates, pressure cook them for two to three whistles, and then simmer for 10 minutes.

• Remove the pulp of the tamarind, sieve and remove all extras. Add to the dates. Add jaggery and cook until the jaggery melts and the chutney is thick. • Add all the spices and cook for fi ve to seven minutes. Th is is the concentrate for the kulfi .

• To make the imli kulfi , dilute the chutney with water. Check the spices and the fl avors, they should blend well. Pour into kulfi molds and freeze.

• Serve with a sprig of mint. You could also serve this with some chaat masala.

MEET THE CHEF EXTRAORDINAIRE

Chef Gautam Mehrishi, a well-known celebrity chef, is a proponent of Indian food. He has over 18 years of experience in the industry and has worked with several big names in the business. He established the fi rst chocolateria chain, San Churros, in India – an Australian chain having a pan Indian presence. He is the culinary curator of Vortex Th e Fusion Restaurant and Bar and of the fi rst Awadhi restaurant in Bangalore.

Chef Mehrisihi has become a household name with his various cooking shows on the television. In his most trending show, Kitchen Magic, he brings professional and innovative global cooking techniques to the home kitchen. 100% Veg hosted by Chef Mehrishi brings to viewers the bold side of vegetarian cuisine, with all the oomph and visual appeal of world-famous classic dishes.

In Food Ka Mood, he demonstrates new cooking techniques and brings out new fl avours in traditional Indian recipes. Bake Do Teen features him demonstrating recipes that do not need sophisticated equipment. He employs simple methods using normal cookware found in every kitchen. Other shows include Chef on Wheels, How Se Wow Tak, and Jain Jalsa - the fi rst ever allJain food show.

Chef Mehrishi is the celebrity chef judge of the popular cookery reality show called Kitchen Champion aired on Colors. Among his awards, he received the prestigious Iconic Chef Of Th e Year Award in 2017.

Photo Credit: Courtesy of Gautam Mehrishi, Akkil Suvarna, Chinoy Mishra

Kokum Moilee

BY CHEF GAUTAM MEHRISHI

Chef Mehrishi has become a household name with his various cooking shows on the television. In his most trending show, Kitchen Magic, he brings professional and innovative global cooking techniques to the home kitchen.

Ingredients

• 1/4- 1/3 cup coconut milk • 2 pounds of any fi rm fi sh fi llets (salmon/ rawas) • 1/4 tsp ground turmeric • 1/2 tsp salt, or to taste • 4 coarsely chopped kokum halves • 1/4 cup hot water • 1-3 fresh green chili pepper, such as serrano, stemmed • 4 slices (quarter-size) peeled fresh ginger • 3-4 cloves fresh garlic (large), peeled • 1 tsp ground black mustard seeds • 2 tbsps coconut oil • 1 tsp black mustard seeds • 1 large onion, fi nely chopped • 11/2-2 cups water • 7 to 8 fresh green curry leaves, lightly crumpled • Cherry tomato, red and yellow • South Indian papad

Preparation

• Place the fi sh in a bowl, add turmeric and salt, and mix well, making sure all the fi sh pieces are well-coated. Cover and marinate in the refrigerator for about an hour. Meanwhile, soak the chopped kokum in the hot water for about 30 minutes.

• In a blender or food processor, process together the kokum along with the water it was soaking in, the green and red chili peppers, ginger, garlic, and ground mustard seeds to make a smooth paste. • Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat and add the whole mustard seeds; they should splatter on contact with the hot oil. Cover the pan until the splattering subsides. Quickly add the onion, reduce heat to mediumlow and cover the pan. Cook until the onion is soft but not golden, 7 to 10 minutes.

• Add the kokum-ginger-garlic paste and cook over medium heat, stirring, for three to fi ve minutes. Add the fi sh and about one and half cups of water, and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to low, cover the pan, and cook for about fi ve minutes.

• Add the coconut milk and curry leaves, and simmer until the sauce is thick and the fi sh is tender, just fl aky and opaque inside, for about fi ve minutes, adding more water if you want a thinner sauce. Do not stir the fi sh at all. To mix, swirl the pan a little on the burner. Transfer to a serving dish and serve hot.