Chef at Large

Poaching is the process of gently simmering food in liquid, generally water, stock or wine.
Poaching is particularly suitable for fragile food, such as eggs, poultry, fish and fruit, which might easily fall apart or dry out. For this reason, it is important to keep the heat low and to keep the poaching time to a [...]

I have always had a very deep personal attachment to Nirulas. This was where I tasted my first Banana Split and probably had my first taste of Indianised fast food. I say ‘had’, because over the last five years or so, the quality of the chain has been descending to never before depths in just [...]

Double steaming (also called double boiling) is a Chinese cooking technique to prepare delicate food such as bird nests, shark fins etc. The food is covered with water and put in a covered ceramic jar. The jar is then steamed for several hours. This technique ensures there is no loss of liquid or moisture (its [...]

This is a nice and quick recipe for some great tasting paranthas. You’ll need:

500gms Fish [flaky], roughly chopped into small pieces
250gms Onions, chopped fine
1 tsp ginger, chopped fine
3 cloves garlic crushed
Salt to taste
Oil for frying
2 tbsp meat masala

Method:

Put the fish in a shallow pan with a little water. Add the salt, ginger and garlic to [...]

Rotisserie is a style of roasting where meat is skewered on a spit and revolves over a flame or other heat source. The rotation cooks the meat evenly in its own juices and allows easy access for continuous basting if desired.
Historically, rotisseries were turned by hand or by clockwork contrivances. Nowadays, they are usually driven [...]

Here’s a classic recipe, probably left over from the day of the Raj. I remember this to be one of the favorites of the Army Officers Mess cooks, whenever asked to cook ‘continental’. It’s probably still served on ’special’ days.
You’ll need:

3 Minced Mutton
1/2 Cup tomatoes, chopped
1/2 Cup onions, finely chopped
1 tsp ginger paste
1 tsp green [...]

We paid a second visit to Pasto [sector 18, NOIDA] this past Friday. As with the previous visit, this one was worth the time and money spent.
We started with a Minestrone Soup [weak flavor] and a Velvety Prawn Bisque [good flavor, could be a bit thicker, slightly over cooked prawns, lots of prawns]. This was [...]

The Maillard reaction is a chemical reaction between an amino acid and a reducing sugar, usually requiring heat. Like caramelization, it is a form of non-enzymatic browning. The reactive carbonyl group of the sugar interacts with the nucleophilic amino group of the amino acid, and interesting but poorly characterized odor and flavor molecules result. This [...]

Here’s a recipe for a classic comfort food - mashed potatoes. These can be served with virtually any dish (dry or with gravy) from any type of cuisine. They can be had on their own too - with perhaps a piece of toasted garlic bread and a little herb butter.You’ll need:

Boiled and peeled potatoes
Salt and [...]

Blind Baking: The term blind-baking (sometimes called “pre-baking”) refers to the process of baking a pie crust or other pastry without the filling.
Generally, the pie crust is lined with tin foil or parchment paper, then filled with dried peas, lentils, beans or other pulses, so that it will keep its shape when baking. Metal or [...]