Delicacies to start your New Year on a healthy note

Chennai

Steamed fish with orange, ginger scallion sauce, herb millets

Ingredients 

Fillet of fresh sea bass or grouper: 1

Kosher salt, black pepper, mustard: As per taste

Fresh ginger, peeled and julienned: As per taste

Scallion julienned: 1

Cilantro sprigs: 4

Orange juice: 100 ml

Olive oil: 50 ml

For herb millets Millets: 100 gm

Water or stock: 200 ml

Olive oil: 20 gm

Garlic: 4 cloves

Lemon: one half

Parsley: 20 gm chopped

Method:

• Marinate the fish with salt, pepper and mustard.
• Steam the fish in steamer for 8 minutes.
• Saute scallions, ginger, in olive oil and then add orange juice and reduce the sauce. And pour over the steamed fish garnish with cilantro sprigs. 
• To cook millets, soak them overnight and boil in water or stock. 
• In a pan temper garlic and herbs in olive oil and add the tempering to the cooked millets and season with salt, pepper and add lemon juice. Mix well.  Serve with the steamed fish.

Steamed Sandesh

Ingredients

Milk: 2 litres

Lemon: 4

Sugar-free sugar: 50 gm

Green cardamom: 4

Saffron strands: 20

Method

• Take 2 litres of milk in a vessel and boil it. In the meantime, extract the juice of 4 lemons and make the powder of green cardamoms. After boiling the milk, switch off the flame and add milk to it in the intervals. Stir and mix it well within each round. 
• Stir and mix until milk solids separate. Remove it from the vessel and spread a cotton cloth over the strainer. Filter it using a strainer to separate the solids from water. Add the separated chenna to the water and wash it.
• Later on, add it in a grinder jar and whisk it into a smooth paste. Add a ¼ cup of milk, 50 gm of sugar-free sugar to it and whisk it more for a while. Add cardamom powder to it and mix well. Take a container and apply some clarified butter over it.
• Add the paste in it, spread it evenly and tap it. Spread 15 to 20 saffron strands over it. Take a vessel, add 2 to 3 cups of water in it. Cover and boil it until the steam starts forming in it. After the steam starts forming in it, turn the flame to low and place the container in it. 
• Cover it and steam it for half an hour on low to medium flame. Remove it from the vessel after 30 minutes and let it cool down. After cooling it, place it in the refrigerator for 30 minutes to set it.

Chocolate and almond rum balls

Ingredients

Chocolate sponge eggless: 250 gm

Dark chocolate (55% -70%):100 gm

Single cream (20-25%fat): 150 ml

Almonds: 100 gm

Castor sugar: 100 gm

Instant coffee powder: 10 gm

Dark rum: 15 ml

Method:

• Heat cream in a pan, give it a boil and remove from heat. Add the chocolate and keep aside till slightly cool and then mix well.
• Toast the almonds in the oven at 180 degrees Celsius for 8-10 minutes. Roughly chop the almonds.
• Heat castor sugar in a pan and caramelise, add the roughly chopped almonds and remove the nougat on to a parchment paper. Crush the nougat with a rolling pin till slightly coarse.
• In a mixing bowl crumb the chocolate sponge till breadcrumb consistency, add half the chocolate ganache, instant coffee powder dissolved in a teaspoon of water, rum, and mix with hands till the mixture is even in consistency.
• Now add 2/3 of the crushed almond nougat into the mix and form in to small round balls (35-40 gm) and refrigerate.
• Once slightly set, coat the rum balls with the remaining chocolate ganache.
• Garnish with almond nougat and serve.

Create gourmet meals right at home for house parties

Thinking of hosting a house party for New Year’s Eve? You can create restaurant-style meals, which are also healthy, right at home with little to no effort, notes Nikhil Moturi of Crimson Chakra. Nikhil, who caters food to a lot of house parties, suggests preparing skewers and putting a slow-cooker to use for some of the healthiest, and the most delicious dishes. Here are a few recipes he recommends for your house party:

• Create layered nachos using store-bought/baked nachos. Take a deep dish, layer it with nachos at the bottom, topping it with avocado, sour cream, and a salsa of tomato, onion and pineapple/watermelon for freshness. Layer it with more nachos on top. You can also add cooked chicken or rajma. This is a simple dish that’s sure to be a hit. 
• Make skewers using cubed paneer or chicken and brush it with a simple mix of peanut butter, chilli powder/paprika. Cook the skewers on a pan, sprinkle herbs on top and serve in a tall glass with puffed rice at the bottom. This is an easy Asian-style fusion dish. You can also try cooking the skewers on a barbecue if you’re opting for an outdoor party. 
• In a slow-cooker, put in chicken that’s been browned lightly on a pan, along with spices needed (south Indian, north Indian or continental) and let it cook for a few hours for the juiciest chicken. Serve it with cooked rice, cheesy broccoli or vegetables.

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