November sets the ball rolling

The long weekend is gone! But there are so many good memories. We were in a celebratory mood as it is…our daughter Kriti won her first ever Gold Medal in the National Athletics Meet at Jamshedpur. Of course, we were ecstatic! She trains hard and sincerely and Alyona is giving full time support to her. The fruits of hard labour are always sweet.

Coming to sweets, have had a fantastic response to the contest on leftover mithais and it is so enlightening to be a part of all your creativity, dear readers. We too had an innovation station contest last week in our office and I have already written all about it. Diwali has come and gone but, there are sparklers of joy still lingering. And in no time now, will the year start its fast ascent into 2011! Really, time has wings and I have already been flooded with queries for Christmas festive delights.

So as we set out toward some more festivities, go through the exciting articles this month on www.sanjeevkapoor.com! Tips about refreshing the look of your kitchen, tips on how to become healthier in nine easy steps, and also we reveal the real truths of why fast foods are tasty but unhealthy!

As the month progresses, time for me to launch the food channel becomes excitingly closer. I am refreshed and raring to go as we spent the last two days of the holiday weekend in cool Pune with whole of Alyona’s family….yes, lots of pampering, lots of food and cooking sessions and relaxation.

For you, some new tasty tidbits.

Vegetable Nizami Seekh

Seyal Dabal

Sandwich Dhokla

Till I write again.

Sanjeev Kapoor.

Amazing maize

Today these lines are dedicated to one of my favourite foods: golden cobs of maize or corn, call it makai…or call it bhutta….or in typical Punjabi – challi. Corn when properly roasted on live coals and served sprinkled lavishly with lemon juice and salt is a fulfilling mini meal by itself! These days, watching a movie in a multiplex can also be enhanced with a serving of chilli corn served hot. (Gone are the days of only samosas and popcorn being available at cinemas!)

Maize is an important cereal after rice and wheat. The tender ones are chiefly liked for the high sugar content. So the maize is also known as sweet corn. It would also interest you to know that the favourite popcorn, made by heating the small grains, is a wholesome cereal food and is easily digested. It has everything in the original grains of corn content. It is not fattening and practically starch free as in the process of popping, its starch is converted into dextrine and intermediate carbohydrates, a digestive product, which is easily assimilable.

Maize is prepared and consumed in various ways. It is usually ground and pounded and made into flour. Who can deny that sarson-da-saag and makke-di-roti (made from maize flour) is an international best seller!

Maize flour can also be used to add texture and nutritive qualities to bread. It can also be used as a thickening agent in soups and that it adds delicious flavour is an added bonus. One soup, of particular interest to me, is made of cauliflower stock with a bit of onion and thickened with makai flour paste. Throw in a few glowing gems of boiled green peas and the soup is a one-dish meal!

The refined cornflour should also be mentioned. It is used in cakes, biscuits and as a thickening agent in soups in gravies. Made by processing makai flour, cornflour is a lightweight ingredient in many kingly dishes. Another product of corn is the flattened corn grains known as makai poha. Deep fried and mixed with raisins, dried coconut bits, fried peanuts and seasoned with salt, red chilli and sugar, makai chiwda is an instant hit with guests.

To round off, here are some exciting maize recipes which amaze me with their simplicity.
Try them out this weekend…

Boondi aur Makai ki Bhel
Makai Palak
Corn Sevpuri

Till Monday then….happy cooking !

Sanjeev Kapoor.

Havan @ Wedding Ann; to Doha

After a long time we had a havan at home yesterday. Alyona and I celebrated our wedding anniversary in a quiet traditional way with the whole family spending the day with us. It was nice and memorable. Today am going to be busy after a short while shooting for Times Now Foodie with Kunal Vijaykar. I am going to be cooking up some Diwali specials along side some strong references to my new book Tandoori Cooking @ Home.

For most of us tandoori has always been equated to restaurant food, isn’t that true? My new book with recipes like Bhutta Seekh Kabab and Kasoori Jhinga not only remove the need for a hot tandoor/ bhatti at home but also show, step by step, how to duplicate the exact restaurant style at home, using the electric oven and the everyday tawa! Some fiery peppercorns can spice up paneer tikka and all you need are some skewers and a hot grill. Keep some onion rings and Mint chutney ready. Similarly, the layered Amritsari Aloo Kulcha which would traditionally be cooked – patted and stuck to the inside of a mitti tandoor, can be easily done using the inner walls of a pressure cooker! What I have attempted to do is to open new vistas for the enthusiastic cook who had always held restaurant food in awe and always wondered if the same results can be possible in the home kitchen. Well, yes, they are! With the personalised touch of cooking with love and affection…

The latter half of this week will be in Doha, Qatar to promote my restaurant Sanjeev Kapoor’s Khazana. It is fast becoming a destination point for expats and locals alike. I am attending the Seafood festival and knowing the quality of the seafood in Doha I am sure it would be a visually appealing see food festival too!