This specific different sort of cooking was previously purely available with regard to professional companies to make use of. however, once a patent ended around the technological innovation, barbq providers did start to develop the infrared barbeque grill designed for consumer use. Currently you can actually grill those same diner style steaks yourself inside your own front yard.

Modern-day infrared bbqs have only not too long ago come on to the actual household scene. Numerous gurus reckon that this is because of their particular serious price. a good infrared grill as well as bbq may cost up to several thousand bucks if not more, based on the measurements of the device. Larger sized grills may be far more high priced as opposed to average buyer can afford with regard to their summertime back garden bbqs.

While infrared barbeques are usually overpriced, they are really really worth your time and money and that’s one of many explanations why it is common to observe them popping up within more expensive sections of various neighborhoods throughout the country. the infra-red cooking engineering performs in another way to compared to some sort of charcoal as well as propane gas grill. Along with the traditional type grills, the oxygen is usually heated up in order to cook the actual food stuff. Basically the actual cooking is performed through an oblique heat source. together with an infrared gas grill, porcelain tile or perhaps a metal burner is heated and also this is used straight to your beef or any other food. the food is cooked simply by a primary heating system resource rather than an oblique one utilized on old fashioned barbecue gas grills.

Definitely one selling point of any infra-red barbq is the temperature is much more even when it really is used directly from the actual steel burner or perhaps tile than it is via heating the surrounding atmosphere. This makes it much simpler to manipulate the particular temperatures and also to cook your food a lot more smoothly and also thoroughly!

Infra-red grills additionally allow for very easy getting ready in addition to clean up. they can be warmed utilizing possibly propane gas as well as gas. the cooking food time period will probably be a lot less than using a standard approach to cooking food simply because you are employing heat straight to the food items alone. these grills include drip dishes that makes tidy up easy. in addition on the trickle pan there is normally a setting on the barbecue grill which can be used in order to burn up the particular mess from the actual burners or even they’re able to also always be easily cleaned using common household cleansing agents.

To get a great deal more knowledge relating to deciding upon a patio bistro grill as well as natural gas grills simply just head to http://infraredgrillreviews.com

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Everyone Will Certainly Be Pleased By Having An Infrared Barbeque Grill

12 to 14 ounces medium or medium-firm tofu

1 tablespoon canola oil

1 small yellow onion, thinly sliced

12 ounces ripe tomatoes, cored and coarsely chopped

3/4 teaspoon salt

1 1/2 tablespoons fish sauce

4 cups water

2 tablespoons dill, chopped, OR cilantro, leafy tops only

Black pepper

Cut the tofu into bite-size cubes and set aside on a plate.

In a 3-quart saucepan, heat the oil over medium heat. Add onion and cook gently, stirring for 4-5 minutes, until fragrant and soft. Add the tomatoes and salt, cover and cook for 4-6 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the tomato has collapsed into a thick mixture. Lower the heat to prevent the tomato from sticking or scorching.

Uncover and add the fish sauce and water. Raise heat to bring to a boil and skim off and discard any scum on the surface.

Pour off any water that has drained off of the tofu and add tofu to the soup. Simmer and cook uncovered for about 5 minutes. Stir in dill or cilantro. Garnish with sprinkle of pepper.

Source: Andrea Nguyen’s “Asian Tofu.”

Cooking is a journey. you might visit a country where you’ve never been, incorporate a method or equipment you’ve never tried, concoct a dish from decades ago and, probably more often, get carried away with a flavoring, an herb, a spice or a foodstuff that you’ve just discovered.

Andrea Nguyen, born in Vietnam and raised in the United States, takes us on a tofu trip in her latest cookbook, “Asian Tofu” (Ten Speed Press, $30). If the only thing that springs to mind is bite-size, white blocks of softness in the soup at a Japanese restaurant, Nguyen’s book will enlighten you, starting with the book’s cover. Who knew tofu comes in brown?

The author describes the types of tofu – the ones you most often see in blocks at your market – firm, extra-firm and super-firm, medium and medium-firm and silken (aka soft). Then there are fermented, fried, pressed (both brown and white) varieties, tofu noodles, tofu pudding, tofu skin and tofu sticks.

Just three ingredients – dried soybeans (not the green edamame beans), a coagulant (the means to thicken a liquid such as magnesium chloride) and water – create many ways to obtain an inexpensive source of protein.

Nguyen doesn’t focus on the nutrition or “start of the food chain” political correctness aspects of eating tofu. this is not a vegetarian cookbook either. Her emphasis, as she says, is on “a flexible food that is open to endless possibilities.”

With a section on tofu cooking tips, Nguyen roams the continent to offer dishes from appetizers to desserts. you need to overcome a fear of deep-frying and get out your wok for these recipes.

Try little bites of “Fried Tofu with Chile Peanut Sauce” or “Spiced Tofu and Vegetable Fritters.” Check out a Malaysian dish, “Tofu and Vegetables in Coconut Milk,” an Indonesian “Spiced Tofu and Coconut in Banana Leaf,” a Korean “Tofu with Kimchi and Pork Belly” and “Tofu Chicken Meatballs in Lemongrass Broth,” a Hmong-American dish.

The dessert section is short but includes interesting dishes including the Chinese “Sweet Tofu Pudding with Ginger Syrup,” “Cashew and Cardamom Fudge” from India, and tofu ice cream.

And, if you want to jump down the rabbit hole of adventure, Nguyen explains how to make homemade tofu. It’s step-by-step but would have been more reassuring (inspiring?) if there were photos accompanying each step, like some food bloggers use.

Holly Andres

818-713-3708

holly.andres@dailynews.com

Experience Asian culinary adventure with tofu

Ravioli, famous Italian pasta, are small squares of pasta filled with a savoury mixture of meat, cheese, etc. the word ravioli derives from the Italian verb ravvolgere (to wrap).

Since raviolis are typical product of italian cuisine, almost every Italian region has its own varieties of ravioli with different forms and stuffings. Both cities of Cremona and Genoa claim to have created ravioli. Legend has it that the raviolis were invented in 1200 by a family who ran an inn on the road that led from Genoa to the Po Valley.

But the earliest written mentions of ravioli appear in 14th century manuscripts by Francesco di Marco Datini, a merchant of Prato, Tuscany. even cuisines of Babylon, Egypt, Greece and Rome already had similar dishes.

Ingredients:

2 1/2 cups of flour (American bread flour or grade 00 Italian flour)

3 tablespoons of cold water

Preparation:

1. Put the flour on a work surface (countertop or a bread-board) and form a mound. Make a well in the middle of it, and pour the eggs into it.

2. Add the salt and the water, and mix all together until you have a smooth paste which you can roll out. Knead the dough for about ten to fifteen minutes.

3. Flour your countertop, use a rolling-pin and roll the dough out very thin, flouring it as necessary, about the thickness of a dime. let it stay spread out like this until it dries a little.

Ingredients:

cooked meat (turkey, chicken, veal); you can also use left-over meat

1 tablespoon grated Parmesan cheese

a pinch of grated lemon zest

1 tablespoon of butter

Preparation:

1. Finely chop the meat and put in a bowl. Add egg, grated Parmesan cheese, a pinch of nutmeg, a pinch of grated lemon zest, and a tablespoon of cold butter. Mix all ingredients.

2. take about a teaspoon of the filling and put it into the paste sheet, out two inches from the margin of the sheet. take another spoonful of filling and put it about two inches away from the first scoop. Continue doing like this until you have a row of scoops across the paste. Carefully fold the pasta over the spoonfuls of filling.

3. then start cutting the ravioli out by slicing between the filling pillows to get individual pockets. Edges should be well pressed together so that the meat filling cannot fall out when the ravioli are cooked.

4. Cook the meat ravioli in a large quantity of boiling salted water and boil for ten minutes. Serve with tomato sauce, or with butter and grated Parmesan cheese.

Ravioli With Meat Filling – Recipe for Homemade Pasta

The other day I was talking to my friend and she recommended I try her grandmother’s recipe. There is only a few ingredients and you won’t be slaving by the stove all day ( my kind of recipe , it is very simple to make and it’s wont spoil your healthy eating. The only hard time I was having is taking the skin off the pumpkin and then shredding it, which made a mess, but end result was totally worth it.

The ingredients:

• Pie Pumpkin
• Organic Honey
• Organic Dried Raisins
• Organic Dried Apricots
• Cinnamon ( I forgot to add cinnamon to the ingredients picture )

Preparation:

Take the skin off the pumpkin, then shred it and place it into the container in which you are planning to bake it.  Like this:

Then add the raisins and dried apricots and mix it all together.  Pour honey on top, depending on your taste, but since the raisins and apricots are already sweet you won’t bee needing that much honey, unless you are a honey addict ( like me ).  When you are done mixing it, sprinkle some cinnamon on top.  Like this:

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.

Before placing the dessert into the oven make sure you cover it with foil, this way it won’t dry up while baking.  This step is very important!

Bake it for 1 hour.

Healthy, nutritious and delicious enjoy and have a happy Sunday!

Russian Recipe Pumpkin Dessert

 J.L. asked for a recipe for Pizelles (also spelled with two Zs) from page 93 of the Sunset Italian Cook Book. she needed it for St. Joseph Day baking and lost her copy of the cookbook in Katrina.

Thank you to Jay, M.W. and J.R. for whipping their books open to page 93 and sending. Note, also, the once-common spelling of “cookie.” This cookbook was printed in the early 1980s.

1 teaspoon grated lemon peel

1 cup all-purpose flour

In a bowl, beat together eggs, sugar, oil, vanilla, lemon peel, and flour until smoothly blended. Place fluted 5-inch-diameter pizelle cooky iron over moderate heat until iron is hot enough (turn over occasionally to heat evenly) to make a drop of water sizzle and dance when it hits the open iron. Do not brush iron with oil. put 1 rounded tablespoon batter in center of iron, close and cook, turning frequently until cooky is golden.

Carefully lift pizelle from iron at once and place flat on a wire rack to cool. Repeat to make each cooky. Store airtight.

Pizelles

There’s something about a cold Guinness on a cool Fall or Spring afternoon that is just so perfect. It’s the way the beer settles slowly, like a lover slowly stripping off their clothes, the beer’s silky head gathering at your lips as you tilt the glass towards you to sip on it’s distinct burnt flavor.

The Irish stout was first brewed in 1750 by Arthur Guinness at the St. James’s Gate Brewery, Dublin. More than 200 years, Guinness stands as one of the most popular stouts in the world, particularly on St. Patrick’s Day.

This Saturday, March 17, there are plenty of St. Patty’s Day events here in ATL where you can drink yourself green, but if crowded bars aren’t you thing or you and your friends plan to pre-game, here are some mouthwatering recipes that call for the malty bitterness of Guinness.

Recipe: Guinness Chocolate Cake

Description: The two ingredients have a lot of dark, husky flavor notes in common and combined with a bit of flour, sugar, and sour cream they blend into a rich as old money dessert that’s perfect for any St. Patrick’s day party. A simple cream cheese frosting blends perfectly with the slightly bitter crumb and makes it all the better. This cake is best served with a pint of stout or porter beer, such as Guinness, so be sure to buy a six pack so you have enough to drink with your slice of cake

Source: SimplyRecipes.com

Recipe: Guinness Burger

Description: [We] found them to be a great and tasty departure from a run-of-the-mill burger. They offer a compelling and complex taste profile, smokey-sweet, and dark, just like their namesake, with a soft, melt in your mouth texture of a veal meatloaf. The rosemary compound butter that is served on top of each patty will beg you not to reach for the ketchup bottle. I enjoyed mine on a brioche bun (I told you we wouldn’t be in spa-land for long), with just a touch dijon mustard, lettuce and tomato for garnish……what a treat!

Source: Oui Chef Network

Recipe: Guinness Milk Shake

Description: Malty Guinness and rich vanilla ice cream: a dreamy, frothy, creamy combination. This milk shake would be perfect for a St. Patrick’s Day celebration or equally delicious sipped poolside in August. For virgin shakes, try our Chocolate Malted Milk Shake or Purple Cow Milk Shake.

Source: Chow.com

Recipe: Guinness Corned Beef

Description: This year, [we] decided to elevate the common way of boiling the corned beef, potatoes and cabbage in a single pot and braised the corned beef instead in a bath of Guinness with roasted potatoes and separately sauteed some delicious Brussels sprouts. Braising the corned beef in Guinness fills your house with a sweet scent aroma. three hours later, the corned beef came out so beautifully, with the Guinness adding a nice herbal flavor and a bitter end note. The sweet glaze made from the braising liquid was a perfect compliment to offset the bitterness. Instead of cabbage, Brussels sprouts were used to add some crunch to the dish.

Source: Eat A Duck I Must

Recipe: Guinness stout Marinade

Description: Celebrate St. Patrick’s Day with a juicy cut of meat, or use this marinade for grilling when the warm weather calls. It flavors tri-tip, or any cut of meat, with herbaceous notes, and the tart lime juice and zest help mellow the bitterness of the Guinness. Serve your steak with Sour Cream Mashed Potatoes or Rosemary and Garlic Roasted Potatoes and some Sautéed Brussels Sprouts.

Source: Chow.com

Recipe: Guinness—Milk Chocolate Ice Cream

Description: Stir the mixture constantly over medium heat with a heatproof spatula, scraping the bottom as you stir, until the mixture thickens and coats the spatula. Pour the custard through the strainer over the milk chocolate, then stir until the chocolate is melted. Once the mixture is smooth, whisk in the cream, then the Guinness and vanilla. Stir until cool over an ice bath.

Source: Chow.comChow.com

Recipe: Guinness Beef Stew

Description: I like to put together a special Irish menu every St. Patrick’s Day, and a couple of years ago I was inspired to try to re-create the amazing bowl of Guinness Beef Stew that I enjoyed one night in a pub in Dingle, on the west coast of Ireland, when I was studying abroad there. Now it’s become one of my favorite slow-cooker recipes!

Source: Vintage Victuals

Get your Irish Drink on with these Guinness Recipes

During one of my travels to China, I had the pleasure of introducing my taste buds to a deservedly popular pork dish in Chinese cuisine—the delicate and delectable Braised Pork Belly, Dongpo Pork (东坡肉). as I have mentioned before, many Chinese dish names tell interesting stories, like Beggar’s Chicken (叫化鸡) or Goubuli Baozi (狗不理包子). Dongpo Pork is an iconic feature of Hangzhou (杭州) cuisine and can be attributed to Su Shi (苏轼) a.k.a Su Dongpo (苏东坡), a scholar and court official during the Song Dynasty (宋朝), renowned today for his brilliance in poetry, calligraphy, and writings in Chinese literary history.

There was a time when Su Dongpo was demoted for criticizing the emperor and sent to Huangzhou (黄州) in exile. one day, he was so engrossed in a game of Chinese chess (象棋) with an old friend that he forgot all about the Red-Cooked Pork Belly (红烧肉) braising on his stove. The fragrant aroma from the lengthy braising drifting in from the kitchen suddenly reminded him. as he took a bite of the pork, he was pleasantly surprised to find that the dish he thought had been ruined turned out to be even more tender and tastier than expected. Dongpo Pork was thus born.

When he was later stationed in Hangzhou (杭州) and was overseeing a reconstruction project on the West Lake (西湖), he cooked the same dish with the pork cut up into cubes and distributed them to the workers as a sign of gratitude. The dish was thoroughly enjoyed by all and Dongpo Pork rapidly gained popularity then and there right up to the present day, where it has become a notable signature dish in Hangzhou cuisine and famous all around the world.

The key discerning factor between Red-Cooked Pork and Dongpo Pork is undoubtedly the lengthier braising process, which increases the caramelization of the sugar to enhance the flavor, infuses the cooking wine into the meat longer for an even richer fragrance, and last but definitely not least, breaks down the fat further to give the pork that tender “melt-in-your-mouth” texture minus the greasiness.

In other words, this is one dish that is definitely worth the wait. and as a bonus for your patience, you can always “forget” to set your kitchen timer and wait for the tantalizing aroma to remind you of the mouth-watering concoction simmering on your stovetop. Who knows? You might just get a dish named after you!

(Click Page 2 for the Braised Pork Belly/Dongpo Rou Recipe)

More Delicious Recipes:

Braised Pork Belly (Dong Po Rou/东坡肉)

The Latin word for ‘calf’ was vitulus (it appears originally to have denoted ‘yearling’, for it is probably related to Greek étos ‘year’). its diminutive form vitellus passed into English via Anglo-Norman veel, in the sense ‘calf-meat’. its old French cousin, veel, formed the basis of a derivative velin ‘calfskin for writing on’, which English adopted and adapted into vellum (15th c.).

The Romans taste for young calves reached the point where the Emperor Alexander Severus (222-235AD) had to issue a decree forbidding their slaughter, since the breeding stock was being deprived.

A question exists as to who really created Wiener Schnitzel. while the Viennese (from Austria) are credited with this classic veal dish, the Milanese (from Italy) claim that as far back as 1134, when a banquet was given for the canon of Milan’s ancient Church of Sant’ Ambrogio, the menu included “lombolos cum panitio,” breaded veal scallops.

The Italians are also sometimes reported to have introduced veal into France via Catherine de’ Medici, the Italian-born Queen of France who reined from 1533 to 1589. It appears that Catherine did like veal, which was natural for anyone who came from Florence where veal was considered so luxurious that it was decreed if veal was served at a wedding dinner, no other meat could appear on the same menu. while Catherine did bring many Italian artists, poets, musicians, and dancing masters to France, historians counter that several veal recipes were located in France at least a century and a half (late 1300′a) prior to Catherine ascending to the French throne.

First Veal Cook books

In England, two fifteenth-century cookbooks offer recipes for veal dishes; and one for a veal pasty appeared in The Forme of Cury, the date is 1378.

During the mid-1700′s, veal was immortalized by the Jean-Baptiste Oudry, in his still life oil on canvas painting entitled Veal depicted a Quarter of Veal along with wine and fruit.

The famous French writer and philosopher, Voltaire, used an offer of veal stock instead of traditional fatty sauces, called gravy, to entice his friend to come and visit him, during the mid-1700′s. Voltaire wrote to his friend Saint-Lambert, “come to Ciety [where Voltaire was living] where Madame du Chatelet [his cook] will not let you be poisoned. There is not a spoonful of gravy in her cooking: everything is made with blond de veau [obtained by boiling veal shanks in water with carrots, onions, celery and a chicken carcass. We will live one hundred years and you will never die." [Voltaire did live to be 84.]

Go to www.vealrecipes.com to see more Veal Recipest

Tags: alexander severus, emperor alexander, forme of cury, jean baptiste oudry, sant ambrogio, veal dish, veal dishes, veal recipes, veal scallops, wiener schnitzel

Veal in History

I admit it. I love take-out Chinese food, in all its greasy, salty, sticky, deep fried glory.

I love the white boxes with the little metal handles. I love the chopsticks that you snap apart then rub together to get rid of all the splinters. I love those fried ribbons of crunch that they give you free with your order, even though they don’t taste very good.

When I started down this plant-based, whole grain road, I thought I could keep the take-out, but just stick to the vegetarian side of the menu. my favorite Chinese place does a fine job with its Green Beans and Broccoli with Garlic Sauce. but soon I realized those beans are undeniably greasy and salty and, when ordering, I often succumb to the call of the fried dumpling and the lure of the “meat candy,” as my husband calls it.

But one day, I found a middle ground when I was reading “The Pink Ribbon Diet” by Mary Flynn and Nancy Verde Barr, which primarily talks about the link between post-treatment weight gain and the recurrence of breast cancer, but also offers a weight loss plan based on the Mediterranean diet, stressing fresh vegetables, whole grains and olive oil.

I was browsing the recipes when I came upon the section on roasting vegetables, in particular, a recipe for roasting green beans. here it is:

Roasted Green Beans

1 cup green beans (about half a pound), washed and trimmed

2 medium garlic cloves, smashed and peeled

1 sprig of fresh thyme (optional)

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

Salt and black pepper

2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.

Combine the beans, garlic and thyme in a roasting pan that can go on top of the stove. Drizzle with olive oil, season with salt and pepper, and toss together until well-coated with oil. Spread out in one layer and roast for 12 to 15 minutes until tender and slightly browned.

Remove pan from the oven and place on the stove over high heat. Add the vinegar and cook, scraping the pan, until the vinegar is almost completely evaporated. Toss and serve.

The first time I made this recipe, I made some changes. I increased the amount of beans, garlic, vinegar and thyme but I kept the proportions the same. I also roughly chopped the garlic until it sort of looked like slivered almonds. And that part at the end of the recipe seemed way to fussy to me, so after I added the vinegar, instead of finishing it on the stove top, I just popped the pan back in the oven for another 10 or 15 minutes.

The authors say in their introduction to this recipe that when roasted, the beans “become a whole different vegetable.” they are so right. these beans are pleasantly chewy, succulent, almost meaty, not unlike my Chinese take-out beans. And the balsamic vinegar becomes syrupy and sweet, not unlike my sticky take-out sauce. these beans are delicious.

But also in her introduction, the author suggests that instead of vinegar, you could substitute 2 tablespoons of reduced sodium soy sauce.

When I read that, I think a flashing neon Chinese take-out sign appeared briefly above my head.

Here’s the result:

Roasted Green Beans and Broccoli

1¼ to 1½ pounds green beans, washed and trimmed

1¼ to 1½ pounds broccoli, washed, trimmed and cut into generous bite-size chunks

6 medium or 4 large garlic cloves, sliced then roughly chopped

1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil

Black pepper

2-3 tablespoons reduced-sodium soy sauce, to taste (use less if using full sodium soy sauce)

1 tablespoon sesame oil

A handful of white sesame seeds

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

Combine the beans, broccoli, olive oil and black pepper in a large roasting pan. Drizzle with some of the olive oil and stir the vegetables around. Keep adding and tossing until it looks good. You don’t want the vegetables to be floating in oil, but you do want them to be coated, with not a lot of excess oil in the bottom of the pan. Season with lots of black pepper and toss again. Spread out in an even layer and roast for 15 minutes.

Remove pan from the oven and add garlic, soy sauce, sesame oil and sesame seeds. Toss together and cook for another 5 minutes. Check for tenderness and keep tossing and cooking and checking until they’re just right. The vegetables and garlic will brown, the soy sauce and sesame oil will thicken and cling to the beans and broccoli.

I serve it over brown rice that I have cooked in low sodium chicken stock. It’s especially good leftover, reheated in the microwave at work and eaten at your desk.

Jill Blanchette is the night editor at The Day. her column appears in The Times every other week. her blog, also called Spilling the Beans, is updated frequently on theday.com and posted on The Day’s Facebook page. if you have any comments or recipes to share, send them to Jill at j.blanchette@theday.com.

It’s not take-out Chinese, but Roasted Green Beans and Broccoli satisfy the craving

Tomorrow will see the return of Taste of Dubai, the yearly food festival held in the amphitheatre area of Dubai’s Media City. With 26 different restaurants serving up sample-size portions of signature dishes, a theatre boasting a tightly packed schedule of Michelin-starred chef appearances and an interactive cookery school, where participants can cook alongside their favourite chefs, food lovers are certainly going to be well catered for.

While the live music and dedicated Kids Zone (complete with bouncy castle and tropical rainforest) mean that the event promises to be a fun day out for all ages, the festival also offers a great opportunity to truly size up Dubai’s ever increasing food landscape.

After all, when else can you enjoy a starter from Rhodes Mezzanine, try a main course from Nobu and eat dessert courtesy of Rivington Grill all in one sitting, while also scoping out some of the city’s newest restaurants – the Ivy, Gaucho and Toro Toro – without spending vast sums of money?

Although the likes of Gary Rhodes, Vineet Bhatia and Richard Sandoval are firmly established as festival favourites, this year there will also be a number of new faces on stage.

Aarti Sequeira won Food Network’s popular reality television show the Next Food Network Star in 2010 and went on to host Aarti Party, a cookery programme that showcases her take on Indian and American dishes.

Being part of Taste of Dubai is particularly important to the Indian-born Sequeira, whose family moved to Dubai when she was two months old and remained there for the following 18 years.

“I remember the markets: the fish market, the fruit and vegetable market, Karama, the gold souq – they were authentic, real, rough around the edges. I loved them all so much and I really miss them,” she says. “Even now, I think I’m drawn to farmers’ markets in the States because I’m trying to recapture that feeling of walking around Dubai’s many markets.”

Sequeira, who trained at the New School of Cooking in Los Angeles and worked as a CNN news producer before entering the Food Network competition, attributes her love of cooking to her family.

“I grew up with a mother who believes that if you want something to eat, you should make it,” she says. “We love eating out, but to be able to make something delicious, with your bare hands? It’s a point of pride in our family.”

Asked to describe her cooking style, Sequeira says, “A real reflection of who I am: an Indian girl, who grew up eating everything from shawarma to beef rendang in Dubai, then moved to the States where she learnt the joys of Sloppy Joes, sushi and tacos. Ultimately, I’m interpreting all of that food through my Indian soul, so while my food is by no means traditional Indian food, it does have that overarching influence.”

The Michelin-starred chef Atul Kochhar has visited the region on numerous occasions and will be opening a restaurant in the JW Marriott Marquis on Sheikh Zayed Road later this year. like Sequeira, he is no stranger to putting a unique stamp on traditional Indian dishes; in fact, along with Vineet Bhatia (a festival regular), Kochhar is credited with reinventing, refining and modernising Indian cooking.

Kochhar will be cooking at the Philips Chefs’ Theatre at 3pm on Saturday and is hoping to shatter a few preconceptions about the cuisine.

“Despite what people think, it is neither hot nor unhealthy. Eating hot food is people’s personal preference and not a national obsession. It is also healthy – it just depends on how you perceive and follow the cooking – there are zillions of salads and millions of steamed recipes across India’s cuisine,” he says.

Also making his Taste of Dubai debut is the Italian restaurateur and celebrity chef Aldo Zilli, who says he is thrilled to be in town.

“Taste has been my favourite food festival since the start and Dubai is one of my favourite places in the world, so put the two together and it is a marriage made in heaven,” he says.

After taking part in the UK reality television series Celebrity Fit Club in 2005, Zilli lost a substantial amount of weight and was forced to reassess his approach towards cooking and eating. “The show was a big learning experience with my relationship with food and drink. It meant that I was inspired to shed weight and become an inspiration for others,” Zilli says.

As a result, his next two cookery books, Zilli Light and Fresh and Green, were written with a healthy-eating theme in mind. the dishes he will prepare at Taste of Dubai will reflect this attitude, featuring fresh, homemade pasta and plenty of fish. his top tip for cooking and eating healthy? Use plenty of herbs and spices.

Zilli will be cooking live in the Philips Chefs’ Theatre at 6pm tomorrow, at 3pm and 6.20pm on Friday, and at 4.40pm and 8pm on Saturday.

Sweetcorn and chicken soup

Difficulty: EasyPrep time: 20 minutesCook time: 1 hourCook’s tools: CheeseclothServes 4-6

For the soup

1 leek, green parts too, if you have them, sliced in half, thoroughly washed1 carrot, chopped in half7cm piece fresh ginger1 tsp whole coriander seeds1 tsp whole black peppercorns2 chicken breasts on the bone, with skin3 (400g) tins creamed corn2 chicken stock cubes, crumbled3 tbsp finely chopped ginger4 spring onions, chopped finely, white and green parts (reserve some green for final garnish)1 tsp sesame oil56g corn flour60ml cold water2 egg whites1 tsp unseasoned rice vinegarSalt and freshly ground black pepperSoy sauce, for serving

Pour 2.25L water into a big stock pot and bring to a boil over high heat. While it’s rising to temperature, throw in the leek, carrot and piece of ginger. place the coriander and peppercorns into a small square of cheesecloth. Tie with kitchen string and add to the pot.

Skin the chicken breasts, remove any excess fat and throw the chicken breasts into the pot. allow the whole lot to come to a boil, and then turn it down and simmer, covered, until the chicken is cooked and tender, 20-30 minutes.

Remove the chicken and allow to cool. Strain the stock and discard the leeks, carrots, ginger and cheesecloth sachet.

Return the stock to medium heat. Add the creamed corn, bouillon cubes, ginger-garlic paste, spring onions and sesame oil. Keep the soup at a gentle simmer while you remove the chicken from the bone and shred finely using a fork (or you can just slice it really thinly).

Turn up the heat to high and bring the soup to a boil. in a small bowl or measuring cup, mix the corn flour with the water until smooth. Add half to the soup while stirring. allow to boil until it’s thickened to the soup consistency of your liking (if it doesn’t thicken, add the remaining slurry).

Turn the heat back down to medium. in another small bowl, beat the egg whites with a little water. Stir the soup in circles as you add the egg whites in a steady stream; it should form pretty white wisps on the surface of the soup.

Thai red curry mac ‘n’ cheese

Difficulty: EasyPrep time: 20 minutesCook time: 15 minutesServes 6-8

For the mac ‘n’ cheese

450g elbow macaroni70g butter5 tbsp plain flour1 (115g) jar Thai red curry paste470ml whole milk470ml single cream (alternatively, use 1.1L whole milk instead of both milk and cream)225g Monterey jack cheese, grated225g Cheddar cheese, grated

For the crumb topping

3/4 cup panko breadcrumbs30g butter, meltedSalt and freshly ground black pepper

For the mac ‘n’ cheese, bring 4.5L of water to a boil in a large pot. Salt generously and then add the pasta and cook to box instructions, usually six to seven minutes. Drain.

Meanwhile, in another large pot, melt the butter over medium-to-high heat. Whisk in the flour and continue whisking until it deepens in colour and releases a light toasted aroma, about one minute.

Whisk in the Thai red curry paste and when fully combined, pour in the milk and cream (or all milk, if using). Bring to a boil, whisking constantly, and then turn down to a simmer. Simmer until the mixture thickens, whisking occasionally, about five minutes.

Off the heat, whisk in the cheeses and stir until melted. Add the pasta and toss to combine.

Turn your grill on.

For the crumb topping, toss the panko with the melted butter and season with salt and pepper.

To assemble, pour the mac ‘n’ cheese into an oven-proof casserole dish, sprinkle with the breadcrumb mixture and put under the oven grill until browned, about one minute.

• Recipes from Aarti Sequeira’s Aarti Party, courtesy Food Network

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eshardlow@thenational.ae

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