Fish can be a baking delight!

Fish can be a baking delight!

One of the best ways to enjoy fish is to bake it. Unfortunately, we overdo the fish, either overcooking it in a curry or leaving it swamped in a marinade and then proceeding to fry it.

But when it comes to baking, the fish flesh lends itself wonderfully to the process, retaining moisture in the bite and leaving in the flavours. Here are tips on this healthy alternative way of cooking it...

Choosing the fish: The fish needs to be fresh and often a whole fish is preferred. However, you might bake fillets too, if required.

Baking white fish: The flesh of white fish is very delicate and therefore, the spices and herbs used during baking must also be minimal.

Using a foil: Though this is a slightly lengthy process (the time taken to cook a whole fish in foil is almost twice as long as a single fillet), one of the nicest ways is to bake it in a foil. This not only retains the moisture but also can infuse fish with the ingredients that you are adding. The only things to remember here are to first ensure that the fish is cleaned inside and out and the body cavity is well stuffed with herbs, ginger, garlic etc.

On a bed of vegetables: Here, the flavour of the vegetables gets infused into the fish. To start with, you marinate the fish with your crushed garlic, greens, lime juice, coriander leaves, salt and olive oil (use herbs, too). Line the baking tray with onions, peppers,carrots and potatoes and sprinkle it with lime juice. Place the fish on top of this and drizzle olive oil on it to keep it moist. Add the herbs and spices. Bake uncovered in the oven.

Recipe: Easy baked Mackerel
Ingredients:
Fillets — 2
Olive oil
Salt
Thyme — 1 tsp, chopped
Ginger — one small piece, grated
Lemon slices
Parsley — a little

Method:
- Preheat the oven at 200 degrees.
- Remove the bones from the mackerel fillet and brush olive oil over it.
- Season with salt and pepper.
- Make cuts in the mackerel and push lime, herbs and ginger into them.
- Line baking tray with a baking sheet and place fillets in them, skin-side up.
- Bake the fillets in the oven for 20 minutes or until skin is crisp.
- Serve on a bed of baked baby potatoes with lemon wedges.

Shaan’s Grilled fish in garlic butter sauce

 

Shaan’s Grilled fish in garlic butter sauce

Is being fed Farex and Cerelac in a steel bowl by my mother.

My favourite dish

It has to be grilled fish with garlic butter sauce.

My lunch comprises

I am not a rice person. So I normally stick to light meals — rotis, vegetables, dal. But I need atleast one non-veg dish with my meal.
On a date I love to eat

My wife and I normally love having seafood when we go out. So normally it is either Italian or Chinese, maybe some calamaris or prawns.
My most romantic dinner till date
Was in Istanbul in Turkey. It was a restaurant overlooking the Blue Mosque where my wife and I had gone for a late lunch. The lunch was perfect with some grilled dish and red wine.
The country that serves heavenly food

I think Thailand has the best food to offer. Whenever we've gone to Thailand, I've thoroughly enjoyed the food there.
I am not a great cook

Once I tried making tea for my guruji, but it turned out so bad that he did not even take a sip. He waited for my wife to come back home and make a cup of tea for him!
One thing I miss the most from my mom's kitchen

Ever since my mom stopped entering the kitchen, I miss her 'macher jholbhaat'made with eggplant, potatoes and bori.

Shaan's Grilled fish in garlic butter sauce

INGREDIENTS

Fish fillet: 500 gm, garlic: 1 tsp (chopped), Fresh rosemary: ½ tsp, Fresh parsley: 2 tbsp, Lemon juice: ¼ tsp, Salt and pepper to taste
To prepare garlic butter: Cloves: 9 (roasted, peeled and pureed), Salted butter: 175 gm, Black pepper: a pinch
METHOD

Place a grill pan on medium flame. Sprinkle some olive oil and place the fish fillets on it.
Sprinkle salt and sugar and black pepper and add lemon juice to it. Grill both sides of the fish.

After the fish is grilled well, place it on a plate.

In another pan, take a tablespoon of butter and add to it chopped garlic, salt, sugar and black pepper.

Heat it till the butter melts. Put off the flame and add chopped lemongrass. Pour the sauce over grilled fish. Serve.

Starter Recipe

 

 Honey garlic coated pork/chicken chops

 

Starters are an important part of a dining experience as it sets the mood for the night.

Getting it right and impressing your friends is vital here. Here's an amazing recipe for starters by Priya Kathpal - Nutritionist at Birla Research & Life sciences, Mumbai. Kick off your dinner party with this chic starter recipe which is blended with honey and garlic.

6 servings

Ingredients

3/4 cup honey (in two divisions 1/4 + 1/8 cup)
3 tbsp soya sauce
6 cloves garlic, minced
6 pork loin chops or 6 chicken breasts (boneless and excess fat trimmed)

Method:

1. Whisk together honey garlic and soya sauce.
2. Coat the meat (pork or chicken) in this mixture.
3. Reserve leftover honey mixture for basting.
4. Place meat on greased grill over medium high heat, close lid and cook, bast twice in between.
5. Serve hot and enjoy.

Steamed fish in banana leaves

Healthy dinner: Steamed fish in banana leaves 

A typical Parsi delight, fish in banana leaves is cooked and rejoiced in many Indian households.

Fish is a rich protein source and has a balanced amount of essential amino acids, fatty acids, phospholipids and fatty acids optimum for development and growth. An excellent source of omega 3 fatty acids, this recipe is served along with green pudhina chutney wrapped in steamy hot banana leaves which gives it an extra flavourand texture. An excellent dish for main course, Steamed Fish in Banana Leaves or Patrani Machhi can be cooked in 12 minutes flat.

Ingredients
- Fish of your choice. Divided in large chunks. Pomfret is a popular choice here.
- 3-4 banana leaves
- 4 tablespoons of lemon juice
- 2 tablespoon of shredded coconut
- 4 green chilles
- 1 cup fresh coriander
- 8 cloves of garlic- A pinch of cumin seeds and salt

Method
- For the marinade, take a large bowl and mix together fish chunks and salt. Leave aside for 15 minutes.
- Now, in a grinder mix together coriander leaves, coconut, green chillies, garlic and cumin seeds to a fine paste.
- Spread banana leaves on a flat kitchen slab and lay the marinated fish on it. Now spread the chutney over it.
- Fold the banana leaves neatly and steam them in a steamer with plenty of hot water.
- Serve hot. Bon appetit!

Thai chicken salad recipe

Thai chicken salad recipe

Ingredients

2 pounds boneless chicken breast

3 cups water

1 tablespoon kosher salt

2 stalks lemongrass (chopped)

1 tablespoon chopped garlic

2 teaspoons Thai chilli powder

3 tablespoons canola oil

4 stalks celery, finely chopped

2 red onions, finely chopped

2 tablespoons coarsely chopped fresh mint

1 tablespoon coarsely chopped Thai basil leaves or regular fresh basil

1 tablespoon coarsely chopped cilantro leaves

1 teaspoon honey

2 tablespoons lime juice

1 head romaine lettuce, washed and chopped

Method

Place the chicken breast into a 2 quart saucepan with water (the water should cover the chicken breasts), the kosher salt and half of the lemongrass. Bring to a boil and lower to a simmer for 20 minutes. Remove chicken and cool completely. When cooled chop into 1/2 inch cubes and reserve in refrigerator.

Saute garlic, remaining lemongrass and chilli powder in oil for 3 minutes. Remove from heat and cool completely. Next, toss together the celery, onions, mint, basil and cilantro. Combine chicken with sauteed garlic mixture and the salad components, Add salt, lime juice and honey to taste and place on the lettuce to serve.

IPL party recipe: Baked sweet-potato fries

IPL party recipe: Baked sweet-potato fries 

The season of IPL has started and it's time to have those much awaited house parties with the spotlight on cricket.

But such a gathering ensures unhealthy eating which ultimately does no one any good. But you can make the IPL parties much more fun by being a bit healthier in terms of what you serve as snacks. That's why Priya Kathpal IndependentNutrition Consultant, Mumbai shares with a simple recipe which is not only delicious but alsohealthy.

Serves 4

Ingredients
Foil for pan.
2 medium sweet potatoes peeled.
2 tbsp rice bran oil.
1 tbsp brown sugar.
Salt and pepper to taste.

Method:

1. Preheat oven at 230 degree C.

2. Cut the sweet-potato lengthwise and chop them into thick and long strips.

3. Spread them on the foil with some space around avoiding the piling now mix them with sugar and oil. Bake for 15 mins, turn them around with a help of tongs and bake for 5-7 mins more, until they are lightly browned.

4. Sprinkle salt and pepper.

5. You can either serve them room temperature or cold.

Eggs for breakfast

How to poach eggs for breakfast 

If you love eggs, then this one's for you! Chhavi Sachdev, communications consultant and radio journalist, shares her version of healthy poachedeggs with HealthMeUp. She mentions two methods of preparing poached eggs - in a microwave or over the stove. Let's check them out. Over to Chhavi's healthy poached egg recipes...

Shortcut "poached" eggs - microwave version:

You need: A microwave, a microwave safe small bowl/ramekin, an egg.

-Break the egg into the ramekin and puncture the surface with a fork, swirl it around without breaking the yolk. You need the membrane to be porous or you will have an egg explosion inside your oven, which will stink and is a pain to clean up.

-Nuke for 30 seconds on 50% power. If you can't figure this out, just nuke on full power for 20 seconds.

-Wait 3 seconds. Repeat nuking for 30/20 seconds.

-Wait 3 more seconds. Ignore any noises inside the microwave. Repeat nuking.

-If you like your egg yolk hard, do it one more time.

-Use a wet knife to get the perfectly rounded 'poached' egg out of the ramekin on to your waiting English muffin.

Shortcut "poached" eggs - stovetop version:

You need: A metal bowl, a saucepan with 200 ml of water heating in it (lid preferable), egg.

-Set saucepan with water on stove, on full heat till boils.

-Break egg into the metal bowl. I dab one drop of oil in it to make the egg removal easier

-Put the metal bowl into the saucepan with the water, reduce heat to simmer

-Cover, let the steam do it's job.

-Peek in about 3 minutes in. switch off when yolk is at the colour/hardness you require.

-Use a "pakkad" or tongs to get the metal bowl out, and a wet knife to slide the egg out on to your toast.

And there you have it - a simple, no-fuss, healthy method of poaching eggs with what you have in the kitchen. Try it out and tell us how it went!

Healthy gulab jamun recipe

Healthy gulab jamun recipe

Unarguably the most popular Indian dessert, a regular in every party, family function or marriages, we love Gulab Jamuns! Gulab Jamun is sweet and the frying makes if makes it more heavy on your diet.

So Chef Kunal Kapur, MasterChef India Judge and Executive Sous-Chef, The Leela Kempinski, Gurgaon, gives a simple tweak to the recipe by replacing the hydrogenated vegetable oil to canola oil makes for a great healthy substitute. Try it today!

Ingredients

1 no lemon slice
1 L water
50 g chenna (milk solids left after removing the whey by way of curdling milk)
150 g mava
30 g maida (flour)
10 g corn flour
1 tsp green cardamom powder
¼ tsp baking powder
500 g sugar
canola oil for frying
Method

Mix sugar, lemon slice and water and keep on fire to boil. Remove any scum. Reduce to 3/4th. Remove half of syrup, keep aside and boil the rest until it reaches 2-string consistency. Remove from fire and keep warm.
Take clean marble or wide paraat; mix chenna and khoya together and mash with base of palm to ensure there are no grains. Mix in maida, cardamom powder, corn flour and baking powder.
Make into tight round balls of approximately 30 g each. Heat canola oil to medium-hot and gently slide gulab jamuns in oil.
Make sure you don't put any spoon now as there are chances it may break; wait till the gulab jamun starts to float. Gently increase flame and cook until golden brown.
Remove and drop gently into light sugar syrup. Keep there for 10-12 minutes. Transfer the same into sugar syrup with 2-string consistency. Let rest for half an hour. Before serving, gently heat with syrup.

Yield: 4 servings. Serving size: 2 nos, 30 g each.

Note: When shaping into balls, make sure there are no cracks or the gulab jamun will split on frying.

Nutritional Analysis per Serving

Carbohydrates - 58g
Protein - 7g
Fat - 25g
Saturated fat - 9g
Cholesterol - 64mg
Fiber - 0 g
Sodium - 102mg
Calories - 485

Recipe: Cheesy chicken burger

Recipe: Cheesy chicken burger

A quick chicken sandwich or burger is ideal when you are pressed for time and do not want to compromise on quality and taste

Cheesy chicken burger
Ingredients:
3 boneless skinless chicken breast halves, (thawed and cut in half)
1/3 cup salsa
6 cheese slices
6 hamburger buns
1/3 cup ranch dressing
6 lettuce leaves

Method:
In a vessel, take some oil and heat it. Add chicken and cook for 5 to 7 minutes. Once it's cooked well, remove from heat. Top with salsa and cheese and cover. Let it rest 2 minutes. Meanwhile, spread bottom halves of buns with dressing. Fill buns with lettuce and chicken.

BBQ chicken burger
Ingredients:
4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
Salt and pepper to taste
1 onion (finely chopped)
4 cloves garlic (finely chopped)
1 1/3 cups barbecue sauce
1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
Hot pepper sauce
6 French rolls, split
1-1/2 cups shredded cheese

Method:
Season the chicken with salt and pepper and place in a heavy pot with the onion, garlic and just enough water to cover. Add the barbecue sauce, vinegar and a few drops hot sauce and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer until the chicken is cooked through, about 15 minutes. Remove the chicken from the sauce and shred with two forks. Boil the sauce, skimming occasionally, until reduced by half, about 15 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Add the shredded chicken and heat through. Place the mixture onto the rolls and top with the cheese.