<p>I was born and brought up in Hubballi but most of my childhood was spent in Bengaluru. That is how I developed a special bond with the city. <br /> <br />While I was growing up, I used to help my dad in cooking. This helped me develop an interest in cooking later on in life. My dad used to work with the Indian Railways as a driver and used to tell me stories about how he and his friends cooked food in the steam engine. These stories have always inspired me. <br /><br /> I completed my hotel management from MMA College of Catering Technology and Hotel Management, Chennai. I kickstarted my career at Le Meridien Bangalore about 20 years ago. Now I serve as a chef at ‘Three Dots and a Dash’.<br /><br />I have always been passionate about food and loved experimenting with different cuisines by giving them a twist. In fact, I have learnt a lot about the culinary world from my seniors at school who by then had already joined the hotel industry. <br /><br />French cuisine is what I specialise in. Though the preparation is complicated, I like to challenge myself. ‘Chicken cordon bleu stuffed with ham and Swiss cheese’ is what I love to cook the best. However, the goodness of olive oil and the mystic aroma of herbs and spices always makes me fall in love with Italian cuisine. <br /><br />Moreover, it is also easy to make. I have a special connection with seafood and I am never tired of cooking ‘grilled fish’. ‘Salmon Wellington’ is another dish I absolutely love preparing at any time of the day. The three must-haves in my kitchen are cheese, a well-sharpened knife and fresh vegetables. Herbs like thyme and rosemary are two ingredients that I can’t do without. They are like the cherries on the cake for me.<br /><br />Cooking is an art that must be done from the heart. One can’t just make food to cook tasty food, they should have a passion towards it. <br /><br />The recipe that I share today is that of ‘Grilled Chicken Eschalots’. It is pan-seared chicken which is highly nutritious — rich in protein and iron with zero percent cholesterol. </p>.<p>Recipe: Grilled Chicken Eschalots</p>.<p><em>Ingredients </em></p>.<ul><li>Chicken breast, 200 gm</li><li>Fresh mushroom, 30 gm</li><li>Demi-glace, 50 gm</li><li>Fresh thyme, 1 strip</li><li>Potato flakes, 30 gm</li><li>Butter, 10 gm</li><li>Refined oil, 20 ml</li><li>Carrot, 20 gm</li><li>Garlic, 10 gm</li><li>Whole peppercorn, 10 gm</li><li>Baby corn, 10 gm</li><li>Broccoli, 10 gm</li><li>A pinch of nutmeg.</li><li>Lemon juice, 1 tbsp</li><li>Shallots, 50 gm</li><li>Celery, 10 gm</li><li>Leeks, 10 gm</li><li>A pinch of star anise</li><li>Chicken stock, 200 ml</li><li>Red wine, 20 ml</li><li>Salt, 1 tsp</li></ul>.<p><br /><em>Method</em></p>.<ul><li>Mix together oil, lemon juice and a dash of salt.</li><li>Pound the chicken breasts, then marinate them for about 24 hours in the fridge.</li><li>Grill them for eight to 10 minutes until it is golden brown and cooked evenly on both sides. Set them aside. </li><li>Place the shallots and garlic in a pan with chicken stock and demi-glace, butter, a pinch of nutmeg, celery, leeks, star anise, mushroom, crushed peppercorn and a teaspoon of salt. Bring to a simmer over medium heat, then cook, covered, for 15 minutes.</li><li>Remove the lid, add red wine and cook for another minute until the liquid evaporates and shallots are well glazed. </li><li>Add the grilled chicken and cook it to perfection. </li><li>Serve along with pan-seared vegetables complemented with mash potatoes garnished with fresh thyme.</li></ul>.<p><br />Tips: Demi-glaze can be replaced by plum tomato sauce and fresh basil drizzled with olive oil.<br />Chicken can be oven roasted instead of grilled.<br /> </p>.<p><em>(Executive chef, Three Dots and a Dash)</em><br /><em>(As told to Surupasree Sarmmah)</em></p>
<p>I was born and brought up in Hubballi but most of my childhood was spent in Bengaluru. That is how I developed a special bond with the city. <br /> <br />While I was growing up, I used to help my dad in cooking. This helped me develop an interest in cooking later on in life. My dad used to work with the Indian Railways as a driver and used to tell me stories about how he and his friends cooked food in the steam engine. These stories have always inspired me. <br /><br /> I completed my hotel management from MMA College of Catering Technology and Hotel Management, Chennai. I kickstarted my career at Le Meridien Bangalore about 20 years ago. Now I serve as a chef at ‘Three Dots and a Dash’.<br /><br />I have always been passionate about food and loved experimenting with different cuisines by giving them a twist. In fact, I have learnt a lot about the culinary world from my seniors at school who by then had already joined the hotel industry. <br /><br />French cuisine is what I specialise in. Though the preparation is complicated, I like to challenge myself. ‘Chicken cordon bleu stuffed with ham and Swiss cheese’ is what I love to cook the best. However, the goodness of olive oil and the mystic aroma of herbs and spices always makes me fall in love with Italian cuisine. <br /><br />Moreover, it is also easy to make. I have a special connection with seafood and I am never tired of cooking ‘grilled fish’. ‘Salmon Wellington’ is another dish I absolutely love preparing at any time of the day. The three must-haves in my kitchen are cheese, a well-sharpened knife and fresh vegetables. Herbs like thyme and rosemary are two ingredients that I can’t do without. They are like the cherries on the cake for me.<br /><br />Cooking is an art that must be done from the heart. One can’t just make food to cook tasty food, they should have a passion towards it. <br /><br />The recipe that I share today is that of ‘Grilled Chicken Eschalots’. It is pan-seared chicken which is highly nutritious — rich in protein and iron with zero percent cholesterol. </p>.<p>Recipe: Grilled Chicken Eschalots</p>.<p><em>Ingredients </em></p>.<ul><li>Chicken breast, 200 gm</li><li>Fresh mushroom, 30 gm</li><li>Demi-glace, 50 gm</li><li>Fresh thyme, 1 strip</li><li>Potato flakes, 30 gm</li><li>Butter, 10 gm</li><li>Refined oil, 20 ml</li><li>Carrot, 20 gm</li><li>Garlic, 10 gm</li><li>Whole peppercorn, 10 gm</li><li>Baby corn, 10 gm</li><li>Broccoli, 10 gm</li><li>A pinch of nutmeg.</li><li>Lemon juice, 1 tbsp</li><li>Shallots, 50 gm</li><li>Celery, 10 gm</li><li>Leeks, 10 gm</li><li>A pinch of star anise</li><li>Chicken stock, 200 ml</li><li>Red wine, 20 ml</li><li>Salt, 1 tsp</li></ul>.<p><br /><em>Method</em></p>.<ul><li>Mix together oil, lemon juice and a dash of salt.</li><li>Pound the chicken breasts, then marinate them for about 24 hours in the fridge.</li><li>Grill them for eight to 10 minutes until it is golden brown and cooked evenly on both sides. Set them aside. </li><li>Place the shallots and garlic in a pan with chicken stock and demi-glace, butter, a pinch of nutmeg, celery, leeks, star anise, mushroom, crushed peppercorn and a teaspoon of salt. Bring to a simmer over medium heat, then cook, covered, for 15 minutes.</li><li>Remove the lid, add red wine and cook for another minute until the liquid evaporates and shallots are well glazed. </li><li>Add the grilled chicken and cook it to perfection. </li><li>Serve along with pan-seared vegetables complemented with mash potatoes garnished with fresh thyme.</li></ul>.<p><br />Tips: Demi-glaze can be replaced by plum tomato sauce and fresh basil drizzled with olive oil.<br />Chicken can be oven roasted instead of grilled.<br /> </p>.<p><em>(Executive chef, Three Dots and a Dash)</em><br /><em>(As told to Surupasree Sarmmah)</em></p>