Around the world in 25 plates

We all talk about how the foodscape of Mumbai is slowly changing. With Spanish, French, Italian and Mexican eateries mushrooming around the city, one wonders what’s next? At a recent event held at the Oberoi Hotel at Nariman Point we stumbled upon some cuisines that don’t have their presence felt in the city as yet. Since you missed the event, we brought home some easy-to-do recipes for you.

Argentina

 
Chicken Empanadas

 
 

Ingredients for the dough: 1 ½ cups maida, 1 pinch salt, 30 gms butter, 1 egg, 2 tablespoon water

 
Method: In a bowl mix all the ingredients together and knead it into a tight dough. Refrigerate for about 30 minutes and use when require. 

Ingredients for the empanada: 1 recipe dough, 2-3 cups chicken breasts, 1 bay leaf, 2 tsp vegetable oil, 2 onions (chopped), 1 cup vegetable stock, 1 tablespoon chilli flakes, 1 teaspoon cumin, 1 tablespoon chilli powder, 1 tablespoon sugar, 1 egg yolk, salt and pepper to taste
 

Method: Poach the chicken and place it in a heavy-bottomed pan along with the vegetable stock and bay leaf. Bring it to a boil and simmer further for 20 minutes. Let the chicken and broth cool for a while. Now remove the chicken from the pot and shred it into small pieces and keep aside. In a pan heat the oil and add onions, chilli flakes, cumin, chilli powder, sugar, sald and pepper and add the chicken pieces. Now make 8-10 balls of the empanada dough and flatten it with your palm into a small circle. Fill the chicken mixture and fold the circle into half and pinch it tightly. Give it an egg wash and bake it for about 15 minutes at 150 degree. Serve hot.

Austraila
 

Prawns with mango salsa
 

Ingredients: 16 fresh king prawns (peeled and de-veined), 2 lettuce leaves, 2 mangoes (diced), 1 onion (chopped), 1 red chilli (chopped), 2 cloves garlic (chopped), 30 ml vinegar, 30 ml olive oil, coriander (chopped), salt as per taste
 

Method: Mix together all the ingredients (except the lettuce and prawns) in a bowl and keep aside. In a pan, heat some oil and cook the prawns gently. Remove it from the stove and serve it along with the lettuce leaf and mango salsa.

Turkey
 

Turkish Circassian Chicken
 

Ingredients : 3 lb boneless chicken breast, 2 medium onions (chopped), 1 medium carrots, (chopped), 4 cups water, 2 teaspoons salt, 1 bay leaf,1 teaspoon thyme, dried, 4 cloves, 5 garlic cloves, minced, 3 teaspoons paprika, 3 cups walnuts (finely chopped), 4 slices white bread (crusts removed), 1 tablespoon lemon juice, salt and pepper as per taste, 3 tablespoons olive oil, 2 tablespoons paprika, 2 tablespoons fresh parsley  (minced)

 
Method: In a bowl soak the bread in water and squeeze dry them. Put the chicken, vegetables, bayleaf, thyme and 2 teaspoons of salt in a pot, add water. Bring this to a boil and further simmer for 15 minutes. Remove this mixture and strain the chicken.  Save the stock in a bowl along with one onion. Now take the chicken and shred it into two inch strips. In a pot heat the leftover stock and reduce it to half and keep it aside. Now mix together the bread, left over 1 onion, garlic, lemon juice, paprika and season this mixture. Give this mixture a grind in the blender. You can add stock to smoothen the paste. Now remove from the blender and add the shredded chicken and half of the walnuts to this. In a pan heat some olive oil and paprika over medium heat and let it sizzle. Place the chicken on a plate with the leftover walnuts and drizzle the oil on it. Serve hot with parsley.

Russia
 

Bortsch (beetroot soup)
 

Ingredients: 2 lb meat with bone, 1 carrot, 1 onion, 2 potatoes, 1 celery, 1 bay leaf, 700gms beetroot, 1 tablespoon butter, 1 tablespoon vinegar, 1 tsp sugar, 1 cup sour cream, 1 tablespoon mixed herbs (thyme and parsley), salt and pepper as per taste

 
Method: Place the water and meat in a large saucepan and bring to a boil. Add all the vegetables and let the mixture simmer for two hours. Strain the stock and remove the meat. Remove the whole vegetables and peel them one by one. Once they are de-skinned, chop them finely. In a pot, melt the butter and add the vegetables. Add the stock to glaze the vegetables and let it cook for a few more minutes. Add vinegar, salt and pepper to this mixture. Grind this mixture in a blender and run it through a sieve. Pour it in a soup bowl with some sour cream.

 

Posted in: AROUND THE WORLD