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May 23, 2013

Some of you might have tried the winning salad that I published last week. Here’s the recipe of another salad that won in the contest. This was made by Kirthika Nallan Chakravathy.

CUBE CADO

Ingredients:
Avocado (ripe) – 1
Fresh cream – 1/4 cup
Milk – 1/4 cup
Onion – 1
Tomato (chopped) – 1
Garlic – 1
Lemon juice –  quarter cup
Cilantro – 2 to 3 stalks
Groundnuts (boiled) – 5 to 6
Green chili – 1
Salt to taste
Sugar – a pinch
Pepper – a pinch

For Presentation:
Carrot (boiled)
Cottage Cheese
Potato (boiled)
Beetroot (boiled)
Lettuce

Method of preparation:
Chop onion and mix it with boiled groundnuts.  Scoop the pulp of the avocado and mash it until it forms a paste. To it add the cream, milk, garlic, green chili, cilantro, sugar and salt and blend them together in a mixer.  Take 3/4 of the paste and add it to the onion-groundnut mixture.  Add a pinch of pepper to it.  Leave the bowl in the refrigerator or on top of ice for about 15 to 30 minutes for it to chill. At the end of 20 minutes, add chopped tomato.

For the “cube” part of the salad, boil carrot, potato, beetroot in separate containers, so that their colors don’t mix.  Cut the carrot, beetroot, cottage cheese and potato to even sized cubes and arrange them to resemble a Rubik’s cube.  Use the remaining 1/4 avocado paste to glue the cubes together, sprinkle some salt and lemon juice on the cube.  Make another Rubik’s cube of the same kind.  Place the cubes on either side of the chilled salad.  Use lettuce leaves for presentation.

Fresh and chilled “cube cado” is ready to be served.

 

0 Comments | Posted by admin at 1:31 pm.
May 17, 2013

Last week, I was one of the judges for a salad contest held in Manhattan Associates.  The participants proved that techies are not only good with computers but also make great chefs.  3 persons emerged winners in the contest that was judged by Arzooman Irani, Executive Chef, Vivanta by Taj, Whitefield, Subramaniam, Senior Director of the company, and yours truly.

Here’s the recipe of one of the winners, Arunava Deshamukhya –

THE TRIO

This salad represents 3 moods – Fresh, Energetic and Playful; which makes a great start for the day. Idea is to offer a choice of mood enhancing breakfast. There are three parts of this salad as detailed below – together they constitute the dish.

Part 1: Fresh
Fresh mango with Basil Salad

Ingredients:
2 ripe alphonso mangoes
1 small bunch basil
1 bunch baby spinach
1 medium ripe avocado
1 handful of roasted nuts
White vinegar dressing

Method of preparation:
Cut mango and avocado into small chunks. Mix all ingredients, add salt and sugar to taste. Add vinegar dressing.

Part 2: Energetic
Egg Salad

Ingredients:
4 hard boiled eggs
1 cup boiled kidney beans
1 cup boiled pasta
1 cup mayonnaise
2 spoons lemon juice
1 bunch parsley
2 large lettuce leaves

Method of preparation:
Cut egg into small pieces. Chop parsley. Mix above ingredients. Add salt and pepper to taste. Serve on a bed of lettuce.

Part 3:Playful
Egg Plant and Mushroom Salad

Ingredients:
2 large eggplant
20 button mushrooms
2 large slices of bread cut into cubes and deep fried in olive oil
1 red bell pepper
10 cherry tomatoes
1 cup assorted salad leaves

Method of preparation:
Slice and fry egg plant. Cut in half and sauté mushroom. Slice bell pepper and sauté. Cut cherry tomatoes in half. Mix all ingredients with assorted salad leaves, add salt to taste. Add salad seasoning.

0 Comments | Posted by admin at 4:39 am.
May 16, 2013

A United Nations report talks about the health benefits from eating insects.  Insect-eating has been a practice in Africa and Asia for a long time.  In Europe, restaurants are beginning to serve them.

If this news doesn’t disgust you, read more on the link given here –
Eating Insects Could Help Fight Obesity, U.N. Says
http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/05/13/us-food-insects-idUSBRE94C0J420130513?feedType=RSS&feedName=healthNews

0 Comments | Posted by admin at 4:18 am.
May 13, 2013

There are some varieties of Dosa that can be made without using urad dal, and here’s one more to add to the list.  The recipe was given by my friend from Delhi –

Mix brown rice and whole moong (green gram) in 2:1 proportion.  Add a fistful each of methi seeds and channa dal to this mix.  Soak the entire mix in water for a couple of hours.  Grind well to a dosa batter consistency, and make dosa on a pan instantly.  The dosa can be eaten with either chutney or dry chutney powder.

1 Comments | Posted by admin at 5:53 am.
May 9, 2013

A study done last year says that coconut water can be used as a sports drink.  The lead researcher of the study said that coconut water is a natural drink that has everything that an average sports drink has and more.  It has 5 times more potassium than some of the popular sports drinks, and potassium helps in getting rid of muscle cramps during training or a game.  Coconut water also replaces the lost fluids during exercise or a game.  It gives small amounts of energy and gives a refreshing feeling.

Coconut water, in my opinion, can be a useful addition to water or a sports drink in a sportsperson’s kit.

2 Comments | Posted by admin at 6:01 am.