STEP BY STEP RECIPE - CHURROS WITH RASPBERRY JAM

Our Notes

I had a great time at the KitchenAid Gourmet Summit in the week of 1-5 April at Enderun College, Manila in the Philippines. The Summit was a whole lot of fun, competitions, hands on cooking classes, eating out at some of the best restaurants, gala dinners, bonding with chefs and like minded foodies, classes on food styling, food photography and the latest food trends.

The class before we tried our hand at the Churros

Amongst the hand on classes my favorite was the Churros making class, so here's my step by step to making this yummy snack and trust me it gets easy if you have the KitchenAid stand mixer with you. Least but not the least my cooking partners Daniel Menezes from Hongkong and James Chen from Taiwan were absolutely delightful to work with.

Firstly what is a Churro?

A churro, sometimes referred to as a Spanish doughnut, is a fried-dough pastry—predominantly choux—based snack. Churros are popular in Spain, France, the Philippines, Portugal, Latin America and the United States.

Recipe Hand out

Combine the milk, butter, sugar and salt and bring to a boil

Add the flour, remove from heat and mix well

Mix well, return to heat until dry and cool 

shift mixture into your KitchenAid stand mixer

Add the eggs slowly

Chill as the KitchenAid stand mixer does all the hard work

Transfer the mixture in a piping bag

Pipe out the mixture ( in straight lines) on a lined tray  and keep it to cool

Heat the raspberry puree and freeze dried pieces together

When the temperature reaches 40 c add sugar mixed with pectin NH, bring to a boil , cook for a minute and add lemon juice

Taste your sauce

Heat the oil for frying

Take out your chilled churros

Cut them into finger size

Fry one to see if oil is hot enough

Fry them all

Roll them in powdered sugar mixed with a hint of cinnamon

Look yummy don't they?

Serve with the raspberry jam , we left some without rolling in the sugar and some rolled...both tasted beautiful

Feel like treating yourself to a True-Blue North Indian rustic highway cuisine? You’re in great company

The ambience at Dhaba is wonderful with rustic Indian setting complete with rustic furniture and other interesting paraphernalia that one would associate with a Dhaba on a highway. What caught my fancy was the local ‘tharra’ like bar replete with coloured glass bottles et al and yes the Bollywood dance that the staff does in between the meal sets you in the right mood.

Coming to the food, we ordered a few dishes from the blackboard hung on the wall which listed the specialities of the day! The beauty of the blackboard concept also lies in the fact that the menu is changed on a daily basis. 

That said, the a la carte menu also offers an exciting selection of delectable kebabs, delicately flavoured curries, aromatic Biryanis, robust meats and irresistible desserts making this the perfect choice for a gastronomic indulgence. The good old tradition of serving Chatpata Onion lachha, chutneys and pickles is present, with a touch of royalty. The ‘Veg Galouti’ flavoured with cinnamon and cardamom, ‘Tandoor roasted potatoes’ finished with spices, onions and Chaat masala and the ‘Dhaba Murgh Gosht’ were absolutely succulent and I can easily say that here, highway flavours reign supreme lovingly teased by charcoal embers. The ‘Tiffin chicken’ is gleaming fresh, and a pleasure to eat with Ajwaini parantha.

However the piece de resistance is the ‘Balti Meat’, a succulent lamb specialty. For the main course if you are a vegetarian opt for the ‘Dal Dhaba’ simmered to perfection in the most exotic spices or signatures like ‘Baingan ka bhartha’, and ‘Amritsari wadi aloo ’. The bar is replete with the finest selection of alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages; most interesting being the ‘tharra’ (read cocktail section). I simply loved ‘Toofan’ a delicious mix of vodka, guava juice, coriander and spices. Your meal remains incomplete without a heavenly helping of the dessert offering. To end on a sweet note go for the ‘Phirnee’ or the ‘Kulfi’. The restaurant had most of the tables occupied and it was a good mix of domestic and foreign customers. The place is raucous most of the time as it is well patronized. Chef Ravi Saxena, Corporate Chef, The Claridges group personally overlooks the brand and researches continuously for traditional recipes to add to the already amazing highway Dhaba repertoire. So people, go desi at Dhaba for it is true refinement for the appreciative Palette. All in all thumbs up! 

FAST FACTS

Dhaba by Claridges is at First Floor, Cyber Hub, DLF Cyber City, Gurgaon.

For Reservations: 0124 4900155

Timings: 11 Am to 11 pm

Meal for two: Approx. 1,000

Published in Statesman

INTERNATIONAL HOME & HOUSEWARES SHOW CHICAGO

Industry Equivalent to the Fashion week where Companies both large and small showcased their products in three huge halls at McCormick Place in Chicago, was absolutely stunning and I felt like a kid in a candy store with no cash…

FOODIES PARADISE

The trade show was filled with colour and so many gorgeous new products that made me want to experiment more in the kitchen. Sample this, the Aero Garden available in multiple sizes lets you start and grow your own herbs and spices right inside your home, no matter what the weather is outside. The Sous Vide (pronounced ‘suu-veed’) technique involves cooking food in vacuum-sealed pouches submerged in a water bath held at a precisely-controlled temperature. This fool proof method eliminates guesswork and lets anyone cook foods with incomparable taste and texture. I was equally mesmerised by the popcorn and Hot Dog machines for home use.

95 YEAR LEGACY

The star of the show for me was the KitchenAid booth. Since the introduction of its legendary stand mixer in 1919 and first dishwasher in 1949, KitchenAid has built on the legacy of these icons to create a complete line of products designed for cooks. Today, the KitchenAid brand offers virtually every essential for the well-equipped kitchen with a collection that includes everything from countertop appliances to cookware, ranges to refrigerators, and whisks to wine cellars. To mark its 95-year legacy of making high performance kitchen essentials beloved by both home and professional cooks, the iconic brand’s debut was an interactive digital culinary timeline at the show. It was a first for me to experience the timeline on a 55-inch LED commercial touch screen.

THE ICONIC STAND MIXER

I also happened to bump into Dave Elliott, General Manger KitchenAid Appliances at Whirlpool Corporation who took me through the various colours of the stand mixer. And I finally convinced myself I must save up my money for my dream kitchen accessory – a KitchenAid stand mixer. I always thought it was a lazy person’s tool, but now I’m obsessed with them. I keep on checking online for vintage ones, while the new Bordeaux, Sea Glass and Ice colours keep trying to reign me in. ‘As kitchen designs are evolving, so are the colour options for accompanying countertop appliances,’ says Beth Robinson, senior manager of brand experience for KitchenAid. ‘Appliances can help enrich a kitchen space by adding a pop of contrasting colour or enhancing an existing colour palette.’ she further added.

FAST FACTS

The International Home + Housewares Show offers you the opportunity to see first-hand consumer lifestyle and product trends for all areas of the home, both inside and out, under one roof every year in March.

Published in Statesman

JUST OUT- ZAMBAR @ DLF CYBER HUB, GURGAON

The true spectrum of south Indian cuisine and the neighbouring coast at Zambar goes far wider than the generic Idly, Dosa and Uppittu one runs into in everyday life

No other restaurant in the capital can be credited with creating mass appeal for South Indian Coastal fare as Zambar has which seems to hold true for their brand new outlet at the hot and happening Cyber hub. The interiors influenced from the Chettiyar houses in Tamil Nadu are carefully unbiased, attempting to convey the essence of the traditional South yet with modern essentials without getting too hung up on specific cultures. Simple, ornate and colourful with movie posters and lamps, this Cyber hub outlet is sensibly comfortable without being superbly posh or unnervingly opulent. 

The food, in keeping with the décor, is delicious and thankfully they are being quite obsessive about ingredients, every dish has a distinctive flavour, which is quite a treat in these days of ‘one spice fits all.’ Although they serve intimidatingly large thalis too, I would recommend the variety to be sampled slowly and go the a la carte route and would suggest approaching the food like a tourist, slow and steady through all the four states since every cuisine is so defiantly individual. The highlights are the Kerela tenderloin fry, teamed with appam or even steamed rice is decadent to the core. Also the spicy stuffed Coastal Andhra Mirchi Salan redolent with peanuts, cumin and sesame flavours. Then there is the Konkan fish curry, designed to go beautifully with steaming rice. There is also a Kerela chai kada (tea shop) chilli chicken, though with all the spice and frying it is overly satiating given the fact that it is rather heavy to begin with. If you are feeling more indulgent try the scalding chettinad chicken that teams superbly well with their signature Malabar Parottas, which are simultaneous crisp, flaky and fluffy. To end on a sweet note I would suggest their gorgeous Malabar pancakes laced with cardamom, with fudgy, flamboyant flavours. And yes the Coconut jaggery pudding which is soufflé inspired is out of this world. All in the restaurant is a celebration of South India’s varied cuisine with some dishes like the Goan Cafreal, Parsi Mutton with Mumbai bread and Bengali Kosha Mangsho from the neighboring coast. The service is friendly and quick. 

Chef Arun Kumar

Chef Arun Kumar’s master stroke is his ability to take well-loved traditions and recipes from the coast, and present them with flair. For epicureans this is a restaurant not to be missed and for those new to this cuisine, there is no better introduction with a nice ambience to match.

FAST FACTS

Zambar, Ground Floor, DLF Cyber city, CyberHub Gurgaon

Average cost for a meal for two: Rs. 1000/-

Timings: 12:00pm (noon) to 11:30pm

Credit Cards accepted: Mastercard, Visa, and Amex

Liquor License: Applied for

Take away / Home delivery: Yes

published in Statesman

BEBINCA ...STEP BY STEP RECIPE BY CHEF SAMANTHA NUNES AT THE GOA MARRIOTT RESORT & SPA

'A traditional rich Goan dessert, Bebinca is a must have at any celebration . Making Bebinca requires tons of patience - a layer can only be added when the one below it is cooked - but it is so much easier if you have a KitchenAid stand mixer to work with for all the pre-prep' says Chef Samantha Nunes as she makes this delightful and yummy Goan Delight.

Water: 250 ML; Sugar: 500 Gms; Egg Yolks: 10 nos; Refined flour: 150 Gms;  Nutmeg Powder: 2 Gms; Coconut milk: 500 Ml; Pure Ghee: as desired.

In the KitchenAid stand mixer bowl pour coconut milk

Adjust the whisk

Add the Egg yolks

Add the Sugar syrup

Turn it on the KitchenAid Stand mixer to whisk

Add the flour ( nutmeg powder is added to the flour)

remove bowl from stand and strain for any lumps

In a pan over heat pour ghee

when the ghee melts pour a cup of the batter and spread evenly

when it looks like this take it under the grill or salamander

Under the grill

 Bake till golden brown, spread another spoonful of ghee and pour another cup of batter and spread evenly

keep baking and layering for lots of layers

This is what your bebinca will come out as

Bebinca by the beautiful backdrop of the Goa Marriott & Spa Hotel

Chef Samantha Nunes stands proudly with the Bebinca....with the stunning Goa Marriott Resort & Spa in the Background

And I dine proudly with my childhood hero and star of India...Goan Rock star Remo Fernandes at the Goa Marriott Resort & Spa