Most men these days will be able to name at least a couple of impressive sounding dishes when asked what they can cook. Prod further on the last time they rustled them up, though, and chances are they won’t remember. Men are lazy, but they also want to eat well. You know that when a guy offers to cook for you, it’s going to be an elaborate, delicious meal, but that you’re only going to get it on a special occasion, or a Saturday. “Men will cite various reasons such as time constraints, hectic work schedules, family responsibilities or other chores as a reason to cook simple meals, when they actually prefer exotic, exciting flavours,” says Neeraj Tyagi, Executive Chef at Shangri-La’s — Eros Hotel, New Delhi. But what if we told you that ‘simple’ meals can also be exciting? Here are some of the easiest, quickest recipes to combat daily dal-sabzi fatigue.
Welcome Back Maggi
Fable, Mumbai
Ingredients
1 packet Maggi
100 gm minced lamb
150 gm tomato concasse
3 gm salt
3 gm pepper
2 gm chilli flakes
15 gm parmesan
10 gm onions
5 gm garlic
Method
# Cook the lamb mince and add sautéed onions, garlic, tomato concasse, parmesan and seasoning to make a bolognaise.
# Cook Maggi as per your liking.
# Add bolognaise and top with a fried egg.
# Top with Parmesan
Soft-Shell Crab with Salad
Olive, Mumbai
Ingredients
2 fresh soft shell crabs
30 gm spring garlic
Chillies as per taste
1 lemon
20 gm butter
Mixed salad leaves
1 sprig oregano
1 sprig thyme
Olive oil, sea salt, black pepper
Method
# Coarsely chop the garlic, chillies and herbs.
# Add olive oil and lemon zest to form a paste. Give the crab a nice rub-down with the paste.
# Heat a pan till it’s piping hot. Lay the crab in the pan for 2 minutes for a nice sear. Turn the crab over and sear again for 2 minutes.
# In the same pan, add a dollop of butter. Turn the gas off, and squeeze some lemon into the butter. Gently spoon the creamy mixture on to the crab till it’s completely covered.
# For the salad, prepare leaves and herbs together in a bowl. Take the juices and residue from the pan and toss in with the salad. Lay the crab gently on top.
Seafood Satay Bhel
Pa Pa Ya, Mumbai
Ingredients
60 gms prawns
60 gms fish
30 gms sweet chilli sauce
20 gms mint chutney
40 gms sweetened curd
40 gms sev
10 gms chopped coriander
30 gms chopped onions
10 gms peanut sauce/butter
Method
Marinate the seafood with peanut sauce/ butter, garlic, toss it with the remaining ingredients and serve chilled.
Chicken Fettuccine Pot Pie
Francesco’s Pizzeria, Mumbai
Ingredients
1 chicken breast
1 chopped onion
1 chopped carrot
3 garlic cloves
1/3 tbsp olive oil
1/3 cup milk
4 cups chicken broth
2 tbsp parsley
160 gm fettuccine
500 gm mashed potatoes
1 tbsp celery
1 egg
Salt and pepper to taste
Method
# Add olive oil in a casserole pot and heat it.
# Add chicken, carrot, onion, celery, garlic and sauté till tender.
# Once the chicken is cooked, add broth and milk into the pot. You can also add flour for a thicker consistency.
# Add fettuccine and parsley in the pot and cook.
# Once the fettuccine is cooked, turn the stove of and add mashed potatoes with a piping bag.
# Put the pot in the oven and bake until brown for 12-15 minutes at 250-280 degrees celsius.
Chinese Greens Tossed Soba Noodles
Radio Bar, Mumbai
Ingredients
600 gm soba noodles
200 gm Chinese cabbage
200 gm pok choy
100 gm boiled chickpeas
50 gm chopped garlic
50 gm chopped celery
1 fresh red chilly
2 spring onions
50 ml light soy sauce
100 ml Sriracha sauce
120 ml sweet chilli sauce
50 ml oyster sauce
Salt, pepper to taste
Method
# In boiling water, add seasoning and boil the soba noodles. Once boiled, drain them and sprinkle some oil to prevent the noodles from sticking.
# Heat oil at a high temperature in a wok, add chopped garlic, celery, red chillies and sauté.
# Add Chinese cabbage, pokchoy, chickpeas and stir fry.
# Add the sauces followed by the boiled soba noodles and stir fry. Adjust the seasoning.
Instant Noodle Thukpa
Shangri-La’s – Eros Hotel, New Delhi
Ingredients
50 ml oil
3 gms garlic
100 gms chopped onions
5 gms chopped ginger
100 gms chopped tomatoes
5 gms green chillies
10 gms chopped coriander
40 gms frozen green peas
50 gms diced boneless chicken
50 gms cauliflower florets
2 eggs
50 gms chopped cabbage
20 baby spinach leaves
5 ml lemon juice
2 packets instant noodles
Salt to taste
500 ml chicken stock
Method
# Take a sauce pan, put on a slow flame. Once the oil is heated, add onions, garlic and ginger. Cook until golden brown.
# Add chicken and cook until it becomes tender.
# Add tomatoes, green chilies, cabbage, mushroom, cauliflower, green peas. Sauté for a while and then add stock.
# Give it a boil then add noodles along with the seasoning mix/powder.
# Add noodles to the boiling stock and cook for 5 minutes.
# Quickly mix the whole egg into the boiling noodles.
# Add spinach leaves and adjust the seasoning by adding salt. Finish with lemon juice.
Meal in a Bowl
The Pantry, Mumbai
Ingredients
150 gm red rice
90 gm pan seared kale leaves, broccoli and lima beans
60 gm sauerkraut
60 gm butter sauteed mushroom
120 gm pan-seared cottage cheese
40 gm Nasik oranges
1 tsp salted caramel cauliflower remoulade
60 gm cauliflower
20 gm salted butter
10 ml white vinegar
5 gm brown sugar
Method
# Dice cauliflower and blanch in water with white vinegar.
# Sauté the cauliflower along with a pinch of brown sugar caramelisation.
# Grind the mix for the puree of the remoulade.
# Soak red rice for half an hour. While the pan is hot, add chopped bay leaf, onion and garlic. Add the soaked rice and cook for 12-15 minutes.
# Put aside.
# In a hot pan, add olive oil, chopped onions and garlic and cook until light brown. Add the lima beans, kale and broccoli. Sauté until tender, add salt and pepper to taste.
# Add all the finishing ingredients into the bowl alongside each other.
# Add oranges sliced from top to bottom to get a spiral shape and salted caramel cauliflower butter remoulade to serve.
Chicken Stew
The Good Wife, Mumbai
Ingredients
10 ml olive oil
Crushed garlic
1 onion, cubed
1 carrot, cut into roundels
A handful of green peas
1 celery stick, cubed Bay leaves
250 gm chicken cubes with bones
100 gm tomato cubes
Method
# Add all the ingredients to a large pot and simmer for 15-20 minutes in 500 ml water.
# Add salt and pepper to taste.
# Garnish with fresh thyme and serve with baguette or brown rice.
