Chefs go down childhood culinary lane

Chefs talk about their mothers as their source of inspiration. Here they go down memory lane and share their stories of love in the form of interesting recipes. Enjoy their memorabilia with some delicious home-style dishes.

 

Nolen gur payesh

Suvaranjan Banerjee
Executive chef, Grand Mercure Bengaluru at Gopalan Mall

Growing up, Nolen gur payesh was my favourite dessert. Watching my mother cook the payesh is one of the fondest cooking memories that I have. Even when only available in the winters, my mother ensures that a small jar is saved for my birthday which falls in August. She taught me the importance of going that extra mile for someone’s happiness and when I began my culinary journey, I knew that was exactly what I wanted to do for my guests.

 

Ingredients

• 1 ltr full fat milk
•  50 gm gobindobhog rice
•  ½ cup nolen gur/dark palm jaggery
•  1–2 pods cardamom
•  One bay leaf
•  10–12 cashew nuts and raisins
•  ½ tsp ghee

 

Method

1. Wash and soak the rice in water. After 30 minutes strain and spread it to dry.
2. Heat a pan with 1/2 tsp ghee add dry rice and sauté for 1 min and keep it aside.
3. Take a heavy bottom pot and boil the milk. Once it boils add cardamom and bay leaf and boil it for 5 minutes on low flame.
4. Add rice to the milk and keep cooking on low flame until the rice is fully cooked. Stir occasionally so that the milk does not stick to the bottom.
5. Once the rice is fully cooked and soft then add cashew nuts, raisins and Nolen gur to it. Mix well and cook for another 5-10 minutes till it thickens to desired consistency. Switch off the flame.
6. Allow the kheer to cool down completely and serve at room temperature or cold.

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Sattu Ka Paratha

Neelabh Sahay
Executive chef, Novotel Kolkata Hotel and Residences

My mother has this knack of adding her own twist to traditional Indian dishes. Here I share one of the most famous dishes for which she is well known in the family — Sattu ke parathe and aloo tamatar ki subzi.

 

Ingredients

For the dough

• 100 gm wheat flour
• 100 gm all-purpose flour
• ½ teaspoon of salt
• ½ teaspoon of carom seeds
• 2 tablespoon oil
• Warm water, as required to
  knead the dough

 

For the stuffing

• ½ cup roasted brown chickpeas flour
• 1 small onion, finely chopped
• 1 inch ginger, grated
• 1 teaspoon garlic, finely chopped
• 2 green chillies, finely chopped
• ½ tablespoon mango pickle, heaped
• 1 teaspoon mustard oil
• Salt to taste
• 1 tablespoon water
• Oil to fry the parathas

 

Method

1. To prepare the dough, measure all the dry ingredients and put them in a large mixing bowl. Mix all the ingredients well. Add oil into the mixing bowl followed by water to make a soft dough. Cover the dough with a kitchen towel or muslin cloth and let it rest for half an hour.
2. To prepare the stuffing, take roasted chickpea flour in a bowl, add chopped onions, garlic, grated ginger and green chilies. Mix well. Add salt, chopped coriander, mango pickle and mustard oil into the mixture.
3. To prepare the paratha knead the dough for a minute and divide them into equal portions. Now roll the portions lightly in between the palm of and put pressure on the top to make flat rounds. Divide the stuffing into four portions. Put the stuffing at the centre of the extended round disc of the dough. Now seal the stuffing by gathering all the sides. Sprinkle some wheat flour on the rolling board. Roll the stuffed dough carefully into a thick paratha.
4. Once the pan is hot put the rolled paratha on it and dry roast it from both the sides. Drizzle some oil and spread on the top too. Shallow fry the parathas from both sides. Cook the paratha On medium flame until it gets cooked perfectly and golden spots appear on both the sides.
5. Enjoy the paratha with aloo ki subzi.

 

Aloo ki subzi

Ingredients

• 500 gm potato
• 1 tsp of cumin
• 1 tbsp of chopped ginger
• 1 tsp turmeric
• 2 tsp red chili powder
• 1 tsp dhania powder
• 100 gm chopped tomato
• Salt to taste
• 2 tbsp chopped coriander
• 50 ml mustard oil

 

Method

1. Dice the potatoes into pieces, wash and keep aside.
2. Heat oil in a pan and add whole cumin. Let them crackle. Now add chopped ginger and sauté it for a while. When the ginger turns golden add tomatoes, salt and all the powdered spices. Cook the masala till the oil floats on the surface.
3. Now add potatoes and stir it for 5 min. Add required amount of water and cover the pan.
4. Cook the subzi till potatoes are soft and tend to break. Add chopped coriander leaves.

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Lasooni palak paneer

Gaurav Lavnia
Executive chef, Sheraton New Delhi Hotel

My culinary love story finds its roots in my mother’s den. I have always noticed her passion for the food she cooked, starting from grinding masalas to buying fresh seasonal vegetables. She always prepares Lasooni palak paneer on my birthday. It’s fragrant, full of home ground spices. I love to have it with tawa parathas.

 

Ingredients

• 30 gms ghee
• 2 gms cumin seed
• 2 gms whole red chilli
• 40 gms paneer, diced
• 1 gm asafoetida
• 30 gms chopped garlic
• 30 gms chopped onion
• 3 gms black pepper powder
• 2 gms cumin powder
• 3 gms salt
• 450 gms washed and shredded spinach
• 100 gms spinach puree
• 2 gms slit green chilly
• 10 gms brown garlic
• 2 gms ginger julliene
• 8 gms butter

 

Method

1. Blanch the spinach and keep it aside. Heat ghee in a frying pan and add hing and red chilli. When it crackles, add chopped garlic and let it brown. Add onions and saute till transluscent. Then add cumin powder, black pepper and salt. Add the diced paneer and blanched spinach and saute. Next add the spinach puree and simmer for 2 minutes. Add the slit green chillies and ginger juliennes.
2.  Stir well and serve. Garnish with butter and browned garlic.

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Chainsoo (Uttarakhand style black gram)

Sudershan Bhandari
Executive chef, Eros Hotel New Delhi Nehru Place

My mother has been an inspiration and a motivator throughout my life. Her recipes are very close to my heart. Chainsoo is one dish that my mother used to cook for me during my small and big triumphs. This recipe brings sweet memories of her which I will cherish forever.

 

Ingredients

• ½ cup urad dal (whole)
• ½ teaspoon coriander powder
• ½ teaspoon cumin powder
• ½ teaspoon red chilli powder
• ¼ teaspoon turmeric powder
• ¼ teaspoon whole black peppercorns
• 2 teaspoon vegetable oil
• 1¼ cup water
• 2 dry red chillies
• Salt to taste

 

Cooking Method

1. Heat a pan and dry roast black gram for a few minutes until you can smell the aroma. Set aside. Once it cools down, grind it to a fine dry mixture.
2. Take a heavy base pan. Heat vegetable oil and temper it with dry red chillies and pepper corns. Add coriander powder, cumin powder, red chilli powder, turmeric powder, salt with 2 tablespoons of water and fry for a minute. Add the ground black gram, mix it up and then add water. Cook on a medium to low flame for 20–30 minutes, stir occasionally until it thickens. Once it is done, switch off the gas and serve hot with steamed rice.

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Patta gobhi kheer

Gaurav Mathur
Executive chef, WelcomHotel Dwarka

Born and raised in a Kayastha Mathur family, we had a tradition to fast once a week, preferably on Tuesdays. During our fasts, my grandmother used to put together a wholesome kheer rich in iron and nutrients. It was made of patta gobhi (green cabbage). The dish is very close to my heart as I recollect my childhood memories while making it.

Ingredients

• 500 gms shredded green cabbage
• 1½ ltr full cream milk
• 200 gms sugar
• 20 gms puffed lotus seed
• 20 gms raisins
• 10 gms charoli seeds (chironji)
• 5 ml saffron water
• 15 ml ghee

 

Method

1. Blanch cabbage and squeeze water. Keep aside.
2. Boil milk. Let it simmer for 25–30 minutes. Add cabbage and sugar. Let it simmer for another 10–12 minutes.
3. Finish with sautéed dry fruits in ghee.
4. Garnish with saffron water and serve warm.