ANAS QURESHI

MOLECULE AND DISTILLERY GURGAON

Born and raised in Bhopal and at 17, Anas Qureshi he decided to become a chef, his passion to become a chef were too big for his city. Anas left home at 18 to follow his dreams and there was no turning back. He was the first one and the only one till now in the entire family who is a chef and it was difficult for him to convince his family that he want to become a cook and the only inspiration was his mum, a few cooking shows, and few friends from school who appreciated whatever he cooked for them. His culinary dream has been a crazy rollercoaster ride - during his college days he was sent to be trained at ITC Group of Hotels, lucky enough to work and train under the Gulam Qureshi and Raees Qureshi, the two legendry chefs when it comes to authentic Indian cuisine at the award winning Dum Pukth restaurant. Here he experienced true Indian cuisine, its nature and the authentic techniques used in cooking. A diploma holder in Food Production from American Hotel And Lodging Educational Institute Florida, Anas is a recipient of the Manjeet Singh Gill best chef of the year award at HCMI Chandigarh and a Gold Medallist in Culinary Arts from Culinary Academy of India. Having trained under some of the best chefs in the India and currently works as a brand chef for a leading restaurant chain Molecule and Distillery in Gurgaon, Lucknow and Chandigarh. His diverse experience, artistic spirit, passion towards food and thirst of learning makes him the crazy food artist as he takes his skills to the whole new level with strong roots in Indian cuisine and has mastered his skills in modern European cuisine. His art is best described as RUSTIC-REFINED.

INGREDIENTS

1 French baguette / 5g jaggery / 30ml ghee, clarified butter / 10 curry leaves curry leaves / 200g button mushrooms, cut into small dice / salt for seasoning

Marinade

60g yoghurt / 2g turmeric powder / 15ml lemon juice

Ghee roast masala

3 dry red chillies / 5g cumin seeds / 10g tamarind paste / 5g black peppercorns 6 garlic cloves / 2g fenugreek seeds / 5g coriander seeds

Method

Marinate the mushrooms in a mixing bowl, combine the mushrooms, along with the yogurt, turmeric powder and lemon juice. Mix well and set aside for a minimum of 30 minutes.

Ghee roast masala

Heat a skillet on medium heat, add the dry red chillies, peppercorns, fenugreek seeds, coriander seeds and cumin seeds. Dry roast for about 4 to 6 minutes, or until you get the aroma of the spices. Turn off the flame and allow the spices to cool down. Into a mixer jar, add the roasted spices, garlic cloves, tamarind paste and grind it to a smooth paste, using some water. Transfer the ghee roast masala into a bowl and set aside.

Mushroom ghee roast

Heat a kadai on medium flame, add the ghee. Once the ghee has melted add the curry leaves. When the curry leaves splutter, add the marinated mushrooms along with the marinade and cook on medium high heat. The mushrooms will release a lot of water, allow it to cook in that water until the water is almost evaporated and the mushrooms are well done. Season with salt, the freshly ground ghee roast masala, jiggery. Continue to cook the mushroom ghee roast masala for about a minute or two longer and turn off the flame. Check the salt and spices and adjust to taste. Now slice and lightly toast the French baguette, spread the mushroom mix on the toasted bread and garnish with fresh coriander. Serve warm. Here is my version of a bruschetta with an Indian twist. It’s always been a part of my evening snack and best part it is so versatile that you can have infinite versions of it.

MUSHROOM GHEE ROAST BRUSCHETTA

by ANAS QURESHI