SANJAY THAKUR

INDUS BANGKOK

Born to the Himalayan soil or it’s know Shimla Himachal Pradesh, there was no doubt that Sanjay Thakur would be anything but a chef, since his dad is a chef who has always been a influence. After finishing his studies at the Food Craft Institute Chandigarh, Sanjay decided to move to Melbourne, Australia where he managed to get chance to work under some of the best properties and events, starting at the Langham hotel and then moving to the Crown Casino, Nobu, Vue de Monde, Bellucci’s and the opportunity at Australian Open and Melbourne Cup. He then joined Etihad Airways as inflight chef. Having represented India twice at the Culinary Olympics (Bocuse D’ Or) and later also got selected to represent UAE at the San Pellegrino Young Chef for the Middle East and Africa. Since 2013, Sanjay started an initiative Himalayan Soil, to bring foraging to India and explaining young children the importance of adapting sustainable practices in kitchens. This initiative is connected with over 15 universities. Taking this message further afield, he did awareness popups at Triyagyoni, in the Everest region and it was awarded the Guinness world record for the World’s Highest Pop Up experience. A nominee of the Pravasi Bharitya Samaan by the Indian government for sustainability.

AMRITSARI WADIYAN WITH SAAG

by SANJAY THAKUR

INGREDIENTS

½ kg urad dal / 15g ginger / 50gm fresh chopped coriander / black pepper powder / ½ tsp asafoetida powder, hing powder and red chilli flakes / ½ tsp cumin seeds / 1 cinnamon stick / 50g black cardamom / 500ml vegetable stock / 2 tsp cloves 1kg grated bottle gourd, lauki / 1 bunch spinach, washed and finely chopped / 1 bunch mustard greens, washed and finely chopped / 1 to 2 green chili peppers, finely chopped / 2 to 3 tbsp ghee, clarified butter / 1 tsp kosher salt / 1 large onion, grated / 1 tbsp grated ginger or ginger paste / 1 tbsp grated garlic or garlic paste / 1 tsp ground coriander / 1 tsp ground cumin / 1 tsp garam masala / 1 tbsp lime or lemon juice / 1 tbsp bengal gram flour, chickpea flour, or corn flour / unsalted butter

Method Urad dal

Soak the urad dal for 2 to 3 hours. After soaking, grind the dal to form a coarse paste. Remove excess water from grated bottle gourd and add it to the dal paste. Make a fine powder of cumin seeds, cloves, cinnamon stick, black cardamom and add this powder in the paste. Mix the mixture nicely with black pepper powder, fresh coriander, grated ginger and hing powder. Add salt as the last step. Place a parchment sheet on a flat surface and put small portion of mix and let it dry. Put this sheet in direct sunlight. Cover with a net cloth to avoid dust and dirt. Keep these wadiyans in sunlight till these are dried completely. Gently break the wadiyans into all pieces using rolling pin or in mortar and pestle. In a pan heat 1 tablespoon of oil. Add small pieces of wadiyans to the oil and cook for 4 to 5 minutes or until they turns brown. Rehydrate them in warm vegetable stock for 5 minutes. Take them out of the pan and keep aside.

Saag

In a large pot, mix the spinach, mustard greens, green chilies, and salt. Add 1 cup of water, cover, bring to a boil over high heat. Lower the heat to medium and continue to boil, stirring occasionally, until very tender. Mash the greens and mix well to make a coarse paste. Alternatively, pulse several times in a food processor. Melt the ghee and lower the heat to medium, add the garlic and ginger paste, coriander, cumin, garam masala, lime juice and flour. Continue to cook, stirring frequently until the mixture is thick and fragrant for about 3 minutes. Add the Saag and let it cook. Serve with yoghurt.