CHEF’S CORNER

Tell us three ingredients that make any preparation tasty?
Be it Indian or Chinese — salt,sugar,pepper — add taste to any food. Pepper can pep up the most bland food and right combination of salt and sugar or may be either of it as well enhance the taste of any food. At the same time,any mistake in their proportion might also mar the taste. It’s about right ingredients in right proportion.

The three preparations,which according to you would be perfect combination of taste and health?
Hot Garlic Chicken
Chicken Steam Wonton
Roast Chicken Chilly

All the three dishes use less oil and spice because either they are steamed or roasted. And with ingredients like garlic,health is obviously associated.

What is that one ingredient you cannot do without?
After serving to many Indian and foreign guests I have realized that they might not agree with the amount of salt to be used,but garlic is a flavour that they all love. I make garlic the chief component in my food. Even a small amount of garlic in any food is a good idea.

Are Puneites open to trying out new things?
They are certainly but the degree is less. For example,they don’t want to change the dish,but they want alterations in that particular dish.

Honey Roast Chicken
(Serves two)
Ingredients
Chicken – ½ kg
Garlic – 10 -12 cloves
Ginger – Two 1-inch-pieces.
Onion – two to three big ones chopped
Star anise – two
Oil – three big table spoon
Honey – 50 gms
Soya sauce – ½ tea spoon
Corn flour – 1 tea spoon ( if gravy needed)
Water – half cup ( if gravy needed)
Method:
Heat (two table spoon) oil and fry star anise,ginger,garlic,onion. After the onion turns pink add chicken,and fry it for 10 minutes. Then pour water and bring it to a boil. Cool it and take out ginger,garlic and star anise. In separate bowl heat oil,add honey and soya sauce then add the cooked chicken and sauté for sometime. Add water if gravy needed and also add corn flour to increase the consistency of the gravy. Garnish with salad leaves,cucumber and carrot and serve hot. Can be eaten as both starter or main course.