Egyptian Carrot Soup (with Dukkah Spice)

Dukkah is an earthy and deeply flavoured Egyptian spice mix made with nuts and herbs. It is easy to make at home as it requires few ingredients like freshly toasted nuts and seeds. There are many recipes for dukkah, but generally every mixture includes nuts (either pistachios or almonds or hazelnuts etc.either alone or in combination), sesame seeds, cumin and peppercorns or chilli flakes. Mostly, Dukkah spice is used as a crust for Paner and Tofu and also served as a dip (by adding Olive Oil) with bread. It can also be sprinkled on roasted vegetables, pasta, cheese cubes, and even on fresh fruits.

Egyptian Carrot Soup is a nourishing Soup. While roasting the carrots brings out its sweet taste, the Saffron brings in a subtle flavour and adds a lovely colour to the soup. What makes this dish warm and delicious is the crunchiness that comes from the Dukkah spice mix. 

Serving:  2-3 People

Approx. Time:  30 minutes 

Ingredients

For Dukkah Spice (Egyptian spice powder):
2 tbspns Pistachios
1 tspn Sesame seeds (Til)
1 tspn Cumin seeds (Jeera)
1/2 tspn Fennel Seeds (Saunf)
1/2 tspn Black Pepper (Miri)

For Carrot Soup:
2 tspn Butter 
2 roasted Carrots
Oil for brushing
1 cup chopped Onion
3-4 Garlic cloves
1/2 cup soaked Moong Dal (Petite Yellow Lentils)
4-5 cups Vegetable stock
10-15 Saffron strands (soaked in 2-3 tbspns Milk)
1 tbspn Dukkah spice powder
1/4 tspn Pepper Powder 
Salt to taste

For Garnishing:
Hung Curd
Dukkah Spice Powder

To serve with:
Pita Bread with butter and Dukkah Spice

Pre-preparation

1. Soak a little more than 1/4 cup of Moong Dal for minimum 2 hours in a cup of Water. 
2. Take 2-3 tbspns of milk in a cup and add 10-15 Saffron strands. Set it aside for 15-20 minutes. 

Method
To make Dukkah Spice Powder:
Preheat a pan on low flame. Take Pistachios in a pan. Dry roast the Pistachios on low flame for 2 minutes. Transfer it in a bowl and keep it aside for cooling. Then transfer the balance spice mix ingredients in a preheated pan. Toast the ingredients till they start releasing aroma. Keep aside to cool. Once cool, crush it in a mixer to make coarse powder.  

To make Soup Paste:
Grease the Carrots with Vegetable Oil or Butter. Roast it on direct flame till it gets some black patches. Chop the roasted Carrots and set it aside.

Heat a teaspoon of Butter in a pan. Add the Garlic cloves and chopped Onions and saute till the onions are translucent. Thereafter, add the roasted Carrot pieces and soaked Moong dal into it. Saute it for 2-3 minutes. Add a cup of vegetable stock and let the Moong dal cook. Once the dal is cooked, turn off the flame and let it cool for some time. Once cooled down, transfer the mixture into a blender. Blend the mixture into smooth puree. 

Again heat a teaspoon of Butter in a deep sauce-pan. Add Dukkah spice powder and saute. Then add the carrot puree and the remaining Vegetable stock and Salt to taste. Simmer it for few minutes and bring it to a boil. Finish it with Saffron milk. 

While serving, add a dollop of sour Hung Curd to the Soup. Garnish it with Dukkah Spice powder. Serve hot with Pita Bread sauteed in butter and garnished with Dukkah spice. 

Notes

1. You may add Cheese Spread or Cream Cheese to make this soup more creamy.

2. The moong dal may be substituted with 2 bread slices.

3. If the Hung Curd is not sour, you may add few drops of lemon juice, but it may suppress the delicate flavour of Saffron.

Soups

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Lebanese Chickpea Soup (with Baharat Spice)

Every cuisine has its own set of spices that give the dishes of that cuisine a peculiar flavour and aroma. Just like Indian cuisine has its Garam Masala, Lebanese cuisine is famous for its Baharat spice powder. It is the mix of Pepper, Red chillies, Cinnamon, Nutmeg, Cloves and several other spices. A pinch of Baharat adds an intense flavour and irresistible aroma to the Lebanese dishes including soups, sauces and salads.

Lebanese Chickpea Soup is a winter classic that is also an all-in-one meal if served with bread. The beauty of this soup is in its simplicity. It?s a kind of soup that keeps us warm during the winters. The flavor of the Baharat Spice is complemented with fragrant mint. 

Serving:  2-3 People

Approx. Time:  30 minutes 

Ingredients

For Soup Paste:
1 tbspn Olive Oil
6-8 Garlic cloves
1 medium Onion (roughly chopped)
1 medium Tomato (finely chopped)
1 cup Chickpeas (soaked overnight)
2 Red Chillies
Salt to taste
1/4 cup Mint leaves
1 cup Water

For Baharat Powder (Lebanese spice powder)
2 tbspn Coriander seeds (Dhana)
4-5 Red chillies 
1 tspn Black pepper powder (Miri)
1 Cinamon stick (Dalchini)
4-5 Cloves (Laung)
1/8 tspn Nutmeg Powder (Jaiphal)
1/8 tspn Sesame Seeds (Til)
1/8 tspn Fenugreek Seeds (Methi)
1/8 tspn Fennel Seeds (Saunf)

For Final Soup:
1 tspn Butter
1 tspn Baharat Powder
1 tomato (finely chopped)
1 cup Water (or Vegetable Stock)
Salt to taste
1 tbspn lemon juice
1/4 tspn Red chilly powder 

For Garnishing:
Cherry tomatoes
Coriander leaves
Baharat Spice Powder

Pre-preparation

Soak the Chickpeas overnight for minimum 8 hours in water with a pinch of Soda Bi-carb. 

Method
To make Baharat Powder:
Combine all the ingredients of Baharat Powder in a pan.  Dry roast the ingredients on slow flame for 3 to 4 minutes or till they start releasing aroma. Keep aside to cool. Once cool, blend it in a mixer to make coarse powder (or fine powder as per your taste). Store it in an air-tight container.

To make Soup Paste:
Heat Olive Oil in a pressure cooker. Add chopped garlic cloves and chopped Onion. Saute it till the Onion is transculent. Add the Red Chilles and saute. Then add the soaked Chickpeas and tomato. Saute it for 5 minutes. Finally add the Mint leaves, Salt and Water. Pressure cook till 3-4 whistles. Once done, remove the mint leaves from the mixture. Transfer it to a blender and blend it to a smooth paste. 

To make Lebanese Chickpea Soup:
Heat Butter in a deep pan. Add Baharat powder and saute. Then add the tomatoes and saute it for two minutes. Then add the Soup paste (cooked Chickpea paste), water (or Vegetable Stock) and Salt to taste. Simmer it for few minutes till it starts boiling. Adjust the water as per the required consistency. Finish it with lemon juice and red chilly powder. 

Transfer it into a serving bowl. Garnish it with Cherry tomatoes, finely chopped Coriander leaves and Baharat Powder. 

Notes

1. You may keep the Baharat Spice Mix ready well in advance and store it in an air-tight container. It has a long shelf life and can be used in Salads and Soups. 

Stepwise Pictures

Soups

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Laksa Soup

Laksa is a spicy Noodle Soup from Malaysia, Singapore and Indonesia.  It is a part of Peranakan cuisine which is a combination of Chinese and Malay cuisine. The variants of Laksa include Curry Laksa , Asam Laksa, Nyonya Laksa, Thai Laksa, etc.  (Source: Wikipedia) 

The original Laksa being completely non-vegetarian, I have derived this Laksa recipe on my own out of the multiple recipes read on various websites. In this recipe, I have substituted the 'Shrimp Paste' with Black Bean Sauce, 'Candle-nuts' with Cashew Nuts etc. to make an Indian Vegetarian version of Laksa. Also, I have also added few ingredients like Spring Onions, Mushrooms which are not used in the original recipes, but goes well with the Laksa Soup. 

Servings : Approx. 4-6 servings
Approx. Time : 1 hour (including pre-preparation)

Ingredients:
For the Laksa paste:
2 sliced Onions (large)
1 tbspn chopped Garlic 
1 tbspn Galangal paste or Ginger paste
2 tspns lemongrass white stem
10-15 Fresh Coriander Stems
4-5 Basil leaves
4-5 dried red chillies (soaked in water)
10-15 Cashew Nuts (soaked in water)
1/2 tspn Turmeric Powder
1 tspn Black Bean Sauce
Water, if required.

For Laksa Soup:
4 tbspns vegetable oil
spice paste (as prepared) 
4 cups Vegetable stock
7-8 Basil leaves (or Mint leaves)
1 tspn Gram Masala powder (Or Curry Powder)
1 tbspn Sugar
salt to taste

1 tbspn Black Bean Sauce

5-6 Button Mushrooms (chopped)
5-6 Fried Tofu 
2 cups thick coconut milk 
2 tbspns Spring Onion Greens
1 lemon Juice

To Serve with
Boiled noodles 
Parboiled Bean sprouts
Deep fried Tofu

For Garnishing:
Lemon wedges
Finely chopped Spring Onion Greens

Pre-preparation:

Deep frying of Tofu Slices  

Take 200 gms Tofu and slice it into small cubes. Toss the sliced tofu in a mixture of Soy Sauce, Vinegar, and Sesame oil and rest it for few minutes. Then sprinkle some Corn flour over it. Ensure that the Tofu slices are coated with the Corn flour. Deep fry the Tofu slices in hot Oil till it is golden brown in colour. Remove and drain on paper towels.

Cooking of Noodles:

Cook the noodles in salted water as per the instructions given on the packet. Drain and pour a teaspoon of Oil so that the Noodles do not stick to each other. 

Parboiling Bean Sprouts:

To cook the Bean sprouts, add the Bean Sprouts in salted boiling water for about a minute. Then drain it and  immediately pour cold water over it. 

Method:

To make the Laksa paste:

Take all the ingredients for Laksa paste in a grinder and grind it into a coarse paste. Add some water if required for grinding.

To make Laksa:

Take Oil in a pan and saute the ground paste till the raw flavor of the paste goes away. Ensure continuous stirring to avoid burning of the paste. 

Once the paste is cooked, add the Vegetable stock and simmer. Thereafter, add the Basil leaves, Garam Masala or Curry Powder, Sugar, Black Bean Sauce, Salt, Mushrooms, Fried Tofu and cook for 2 more minutes. Add the coconut milk and simmer for 2 more minutes on medium flame. Also add some Spring Onion Greens and turn off the flame.  Finally add the lemon juice to the Laksa. 

To assemble Laksa:

To assemble Laksa, take a Serving Bowl and place the noodles in it. Then arrange some Bean sprouts and Fried Tofu and ladle the Laksa Soup into the bowl. Garnish it with Spring Onion Greens and lemon wedges. Serve hot.

Notes:

1. In the Vegetable Stock, along with the other vegetables you may add Lemon Grass and Basil to enhance the flavor of Laksa.
2. You may also use the raw Bean Sprouts instead of boiling it.
3. Do not overheat the Soup once the Coconut milk is added as the Soup may curdle.
4. Parboiled Baby Corns, Carrots, French Beans etc. may also be added as per the choice.
5. I have used Hakka Noodles, however you may use Rice Noodles in place of Hakka Noodles.
6. The consistency of the Soup may be altered by increasing or reducing the quantity of Vegetable stock.

Soups

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Workshop on European Desserts by Chef Vivek Kadam

Yesterday I attended a Workshop on European Desserts by Chef Vivek Kadam at Grand Hyatt, Mumbai. I am posting the recipes that I learnt during this workshop for you. Even though I could not taste some of them due to egg and alcoholic contents, the recipes were awesome.

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CHOCOLATE CHEESE LOLLIPOPS

Ingredients:

500 gm Baked Cheese Cake

10 gm Orange Zest

30 ml Irish Cream

150 gms Dark Chocolate

200 gms Hazelnut Craoquant or Chocolate Nibs

250 gms  Dark Chocolate

50 gms Cocoa Butter

Method:

Take the ready baked Cheese Cake, beat the cake along with the melted dark chocolate. 

Roll the mixture like pipe and keep in the freeze for around 30 to 45 minutes

Take it out from the Freeze and cut it into small pipes.

Dip the small pipes in ready crystallized chocolate.

Finally coat it with Hazelnut Craoquant. 

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MOHR IM HEMD

Ingredients:

180 gms Cooking Chocolate

200 gms Butter

70 gms Sugar

240 gms Egg Yolks

140 gms Almond Powder

40 gms Flour (All purpose flour)

300 gms Egg White

130 gms Sugar

Method:

Beat the butter and Sugar together in a mixing bowl.

Keep on adding the egg yolks.

Once it turns fluffy enough, add the melted chocolate.

Mix this mixture along with the Almond Powder (Do not over mix)

Whip the egg white and sugar and fold this meringue into chocolate mix.

Pour it into desired baking mould

Bake it at 190 degree for 35 minutes (Water Bath)

Notes:

In the above recipe, as per the Chef, the Egg Yolks and Egg White can be replaced with 160 to 180 gms of Condensed Milk

Water bath is a technique where baking moulds are placed in a tray containing water. (Similar to caramel pudding)

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PATE DE FRUIT

Ingredients:

1 Litre Frozen Fruit Puree

750 gms Castor Sugar

200 gms Glucose

25 gm Pectin + 50 gm Castor Sugar

15 ml Lemon Juice

15 ml Water

Method:

Boil the Fruit Puree along with Sugar and Glucose together.

After one boil, mix in Pectin and Sugar mixture

Once the Pectin,  the mixture should be stirred continuously in order to avoid formation of lumps.

Boil till 107 degrees

Add the lemon Juice and Water

Set it in desired Silicon Mould

Roll in the Castor Sugar and serve.

Notes:

In the above recipe, Fruit Puree can be substituted with Fresh Fruit Pulp

The Glucose is used to give elasticity to the dessert. 

Wet your hands before touching Glucose as it sticks to your hands

Pectin is a Binding agent. It can be substituted with Agar Agar or Gelatin

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STRAWBERRY CONFIT, CHAMPAGNE JELLY VERINNE

Ingredients:

For Strawberry Confit

500 gms Fresh Strawberries 

10 gms Fresh Thyme

200 gms Sugar

5 gms Cinnamon Stick

10 gms Corn Starch

For Champagne Jelly:

750 ml Champagne

16 gms Sugar

Vanilla Pods

15 gms Gelatin Leaves

For Mascarpone Cream:

500 gms Mascarpone Cheese

6 Egg Yolks

200 gms Sugar

25 ml Grand Mariner Liquour

400 gms Whipped Cream

Method:

To make Strawberry confit:

Cut the Strawberries in to 4 slices each. 

In a sauce pan add Sugar, Strawberry, Thyme and Cinnamon & marinate.

Cook the berries until mixture thickens

Remove from the heat the allow it to reach at room temperature.

To make Champagne Jelly

Mix the Champagne with Sugar and seeds in the Vanilla Pods.

Add the soaked Gelatin and set the mixture in small tray

Keep inside the refrigerator to set.

To make Mascarpone Cream

Cook the egg Yolks with Pate de bombe method.

Mix with the Mascarpone Cheese and Grand Mariner

Finely fold the whipped Cream

Serve in a glass

Notes:

Pate de bombe method as explained by the Chef is a method where raw egg yolks are cooked by adding hot Sugar Syrup and mixing it continuously.

The use of Liquor may be avoided

The Thyme can be substituted with Mint also

The Cinnamon sticks can be replaced with Star Anise or Cloves

The Chef has also suggested a substitute for Champagne Jelly which can be made by using 

1 litre of any Fruit Puree, 200 gms Sugar, 10-20 gms Liquid Glucose and 25 gms of Gelatin. 

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Others

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Bok Choy in Lemon Garlic Sauce

This Shanghai Style simple and tasty Bok Choy in Lemon Garlic Sauce serves as a good alternate for a thick soup or stew.  This dish requires minimal ingredients and can be accompanied with rice.

Servings : 2 people

Ingredients:
15-16 Bok Choy leaves

For the Lemon Garlic Sauce:
1 tbspn Butter
1 tspn Garlic paste
3 tbspns Corn flour + Water
1 lemon juice
1 tspn Pepper powder
Salt to taste

For Garnishing: 
Fried Garlic flakes

Method:
Blanch the Bok Choy and set it aside.

Heat butter in a pan. Add garlic paste and saute for a minute. Dilute the Corn flour in water. Pour the mixture in the pan. Ensure to stir it continuously to avoid lumps. Add some water to adjust the consistency. Add some salt and pepper powder to taste. Then add the fresh lemon juice. At the end, add the blanched Bok Choy leaves into the sauce. 

Garnish it with fried Garlic flakes and serve hot.

Notes:
Ensure to stir the corn flour slurry continuously to avoid lumps. 
You may use vegetable stock instead of water. 

Rice dishes

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Thai Red Curry

This is again an Indian version of Thai Red Curry. In this recipe, I used a teaspoon of corn-flour to give a bit thickness. However, it somewhat reduces the taste of the curry. 

Ingredients:

3 tbsps Olive Oil
4 tbspns Thai Red Curry Paste

2 Cups Coconut Milk

Mix Vegetables
1/2 Red Bell-pepper (diced)
1/2 Yellow Bell-pepper (diced)
1/2 Green Bell-pepper (diced)
3-4 Baby Corn (Parboiled and sliced)
1 small Green or Yellow Zucchini (diced)
6-7 Mushrooms (sliced)
1-2 Bok Choy leaves (Chopped)

Seasoning
Salt to taste
1/2 tspn Pepper powder
1 tsp Lemon juice

Method:

Heat Olive oil in a pan. When oil is heated, add the Thai red curry paste and fry well on a high flame. Ensure to stir it constantly for about 2-3 minutes till it releases the aroma. Then add all the vegetables except Mushrooms. Ensure that the vegetables are coated with the paste.  Stir-fry it for about two minutes. Thereafter, add mushrooms and stir fry for one more minute. 

Then add the coconut milk and keep stirring the mixture constantly till it reaches to a boil. Once the curry boils, reduce the flame and simmer for 2 more minutes. Add some salt and pepper powder. Switch off the flame and after some time add lemon juice to it. 

Serve hot with steamed rice.

Notes:

1. For thick consistency, you may take a tbspn of corn-flour mixed with 2-3 tbspns of water and add it along with the coconut milk to the Curry. 
2. You may add vegetables of your choice like carrots, broccoli etc. 
3. Adding basil leaves to the curry also enhances its flavour.

Vegetables

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Thai Red Curry Paste

This paste is another version of the Thai Red Curry paste. It is a bit similar to the authentic Thai Red Curry paste. In this recipe, I have added more red chillies to get a bright red colour. 

Ingredients:

20-25 Dry Red chillies 
2 onions (chopped)
8-9 garlic cloves 
1 inch piece of Galangal (chopped)
10-12 fresh coriander stems
2 lemon grass stalks (Chopped)
4-5 Kaffir lime leaves
1/2 teaspoon pepper powder
1/2 tspn roasted cumin
1/2 tspn roasted coriander seeds
1 teaspoon Soy Sauce

Method:

Soak red chillies in hot water for 3-4 hours. Strain the excess water from the chillies and set it aside to be used later. Take all the ingredients into a blender. Blend it without adding water. Once the mixture is roughly ground, add the chilly water to it. You may need to push down the paste in blender, as many time as necessary, till you get a smooth paste. At the end, add Soy Sauce and mix. You can now store this paste in a container. 

Notes:

1. Fresh lemon grass stalks have knots at their ends. Remove these before finely slicing the stalks crossways and at a slight angle. Start at the bottom end and go upto 15 inches / 6 centimeters. 

2. Lemon grass will not blend thoroughly unless it has been sliced first.

3. Galangal is fairly tough and should be cut in to thin slices (preferably crossways) before grinding. 

Thai Food

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