Innovation

I have selected a great PROCESS which is known as a great innovation in the Indian culinary world. The respective innovation is a process of cooking named as DUM PUKHT cooking. Dum means to ‘breath in’ and pukht means ‘cook’. Dum pukht cooking uses a round, heavy bottom pan, preferably a handi (clay oven pot), in which food is sealed and cooked over a slow flame. The two basic concepts of this type of cooking method are ‘bhunao’ and ‘dum’, which is quite similar to braising plus steaming. As a chef from India, this process of cooking is very close to my heart.

Dum cooking has ancient origins. Also called Larhmeen (means slow cooking) in Persian, the cooking may have started among the nomadic tribes around modern Iran or Afghanistan who roamed from place to place and wanted a meal that was filling and yet did not need too many accompaniments or care while cooking.

. During the 18^th century, a north Indian princely state called Awadh (the current north Indian state of Uttar Pradesh) was hit by a famine. The Nawab (may be translated as Prince or King) realized that starving population needed to be fed and initiated a food-for-work programme. Thousands volunteered for work. The cooks manning the kitchens soon saw that it was impossible to cook 2-3 dishes for everyone, and the only possible option to feed the hungry workers and give them the nourishment they needed was to adopt the ancient technique of Dum cooking.

They mixed all meat, vegetables, rice, and spices in large pots and cooked them over a slow fire over a few hours. The prepared food was then distributed among the workers as an all-in-one meal.

Imtiaz Qureshi, A legendary chef who introduced Dum cooking to India, currently chef of ITC hotel Maurya, New Delhi, India. He is famous for his dal Bhukara i.e a lentil curry slow cooked for 48 hours on burning coal. He also got the padhmabhushan award from the president of India. A quality I love about him is that today as the chef of the 5-star hotel of India, he takes off his shoes before entering the kitchen to show respect. He has taught legendary chef Gordon Ramsay how to make his World famous biriyani, with a symbol of giving birth, which includes, quail eggs, Whole chicken, whole goat, and Gordon Ramsay actually considered him as his teacher.

Today, Dum cooking is an essential part of Indian cuisine and you will find it everywhere, especially in North India. The rich yet subtle aroma and taste make it, unlike anything you will have ever tasted. It is one of those dishes where all ingredients complement each other to create a perfectly harmonious fusion.

This cooking has not only affected my way of thinking for cooking but of thousands of chefs across the globe. This method was some of the major methods of cooking that was originated in India rather than France or elsewhere, which actually helps to keep the nutrients intact and flavorful.

Thank you

Hope you enjoyed the blog!

Diets and dietary restrictions

DIET CHOICE FOR A WEEK

The diet I always wanted to try once in life was a vegan diet, which I experimented doing for the first time in my life for a week.

A vegan diet is basically a diet in which, all animal products including dairy are restricted and only plant-based foods can be consumed.

A seven-day menu that I planned for my experimental diet was as follows:

Day1. BREAKFAST: 1Apple, 1 banana, Potato paratha( Whole wheat flatbread stuffed with potato mixture with mango pickle. LUNCH: Quinoa pasta with tomato basil sauce. DINNER: Roti( whole wheat flatbread), lentil curry(dal).

Day2. BREAKFAST: 1 Pear, Onion stuffed paratha (whole wheat flatbread stuffed with caramelized onion). LUNCH: Lentil and kidney bean veg patty with eggless bread. DINNER: Spinach, arugula, and kale salad with watermelon cubes.

Day3. BREAKFAST: 500g strawberries, oats with curry spice and vegetables. LUNCH: Lentil fritters with salsa. DINNER: Brown rice with cauliflower potato curry.

Day4. BREAKFAST: Oats cooked in water with fresh berries. LUNCH: at Harvest kitchen, Spadina( promotes veganism),  arugula kale spinach salad, french fries, and vegan garlic aioli. DINNER: Thai green curry with brown rice.

Day5. BREAKFAST: 1 banana, almonds, dairyless bread toasted with applied margarine. LUNCH: 2 Roti with spinach and lentil curry. DINNER: Tomato and mushroom soup.

Day 6. BREAKFAST: 1apple, 1orange, Sprouts with cucumber and tomato. LUNCH: Ratatouille. DINNER: Roti with lentil curry (dal).

Day 7. BREAKFAST: Hashbrown potatoes with vermicelli with vegetables and curry spice. LUNCH: Vegan bread with mashed potatoes, sauteed broccoli. DINNER: Red rice with black bean stir-fried vegetables.

RECIPE THAT I CREATED DURING MY VEGAN DIET:

MIX VEGETABLE CURRY IN A DIFFERENT WAY:

1/2 cup pigeon peas, 100g small aubergine, 150g baby potato, 100g sweet potatoes, 100g unripe banana, 150g purple yam.

Ingredients for gravy: 1/2 cup grated coconut, 2 tsp sesame seeds, 1 tsp chilly powder, 1 tsp turmeric powder, 1 cumin seeds, 1 coriander powder, chopped coriander 1 bunch.

Method:

Cook all the ingredients for gravy in coconut oil and make it a paste out of it. Take a pan, cook the paste, then add all the ingredients except potatoes and sweet potatoes, and cook it in the paste. Boil the potatoes separately and add it to the gravy. Finish it off with freshly grated coconut and chopped coriander leaves.

I assumed that I have allergy with soy and I omitted soy products from the daily menu of my weekly experimental diet.

My experience with this diet was kind of weird, as I have survived without meat earlier also, but I never imagined my life without dairy products, I always used to think that without milk, eggs, cheese, butter, ghee, what will be the fun of having food. But sometimes for intoxication, this type is a good diet. I would not prefer this type of diet for the rest of my life as there will be a lot of deficiencies like iron, B12 etc.

As a chef, I would recommend people following a vegan diet, that don’t be confused in terms of deciding what to eat in meals, as if they explore the cuisines from India or vegan diets on the internet, they would many amazing tasty recipes that do not even need any dairy product or meat product. I would love to find recipes for people who go through my blog and ask for it on my mail.

I personally do not want to continue with this diet, but for weight loss or intoxication, this diet will be really good for people.

Thank you

I hope you enjoyed reading my blog!

 

 

 

Farms!!

Riverdale farm is a working farm is located in Toronto’s downtown near Cabbagetown. 7.5-acre property of this beautiful farm raises livestock ( cows, pigs, sheep, goats, and pigs). This farm also flowers, vegetables, herb gardens, and ponds connected to the city’s rich ravine system. This farm is open 365 days including public holidays. Riverdale farm is located at 201 Winchester Street, Toronto, ON M4X 1B8.

There is a proper map given to the people who come to visit the farm, there is a 3 km of a trail to walk through and observe the farm. There are 17 components of the farm: The Simpsons (which is a Victorian style farmhouse), Francey barn, cow paddock, horse paddock, Necropolis cemetery, wood oven, drive shed, pig and poultry barn, pig pen, Donnybrook, south paddocks, goat paddocks, sheep paddocks, duck pond, the residence, meeting house, island house.

The Riverdale farm stewardship group was formed in February 2013 following a city council directive to create a strong, single voice to sustainability funding.

Riverdale farm was originally owned by John Scadding, an early settler of the town of York, who served as a clerk for Canada’s first lieutenant governor. The farm actually sits on the site of Toronto’s first zoo which was closed in 1974. Visitors can still see the remittance of the zoo, such as zookeeper’s residence known as Donnybrook.

The farm takes care of the sustainability by on feed animal by grass. Vegetables, herbs are also a part of the farm with animals which are taken care of by the experts.

Purchasing meat and game

I chose lamb as my animal to purchase. In my opinion, buying lamb shanks would be an appropriate choice as it is a cheap cut of meat which contains most of the flavour, which will help me make a delicious and flavorful recipe which can be sold for a great price.

A meat shank or shin is the portion of meat around the leg bone beneath the knee. Some dishes made using shank include Ossobuco Alla Milanese, an Italian veal shank dish, Persian Biryani, with different shanks, Nihari a spicy national dish of Pakistan and a popular dish in North India with origin in Delhi, India.

Lamb shank is a super-simple, cheaper cut that goes a long way. Taken from the lower part of the back legs, there is a lot of collagen in the shank, which, when cooked slowly, gives the meat a lovely soft, melting texture, making this another cut that’s perfect for stews and slow-cooking.

I bought lamb shanks of 410g for $8.10. I chose a delicious Hungarian recipe called lamb goulash, which I thought would be a flavourful outcome if made with the shanks. 400g of lamb shanks can be made to a goulash, which would give a yield of approximately 600g including potatoes and the ingredients. This 600g would give 3 portions of 200g, which can be easily sold for $12-$15 per portion. The advantages of using the shanks would be selling a delicious and flavorful dish with help of one of the cheapest cut of meat available.

Lamb shank is a part which has tough meat as it is the most exercised part of the lamb. So the appropriate methods to cook lamb shanks can be braising, stewing, confit, and roasting because this part of lamb has an equal ratio of bone and meat, so the bone will help the meat to be tender even if it is slowly cooked for a longer time on low temperature. And the only way to cook this type of meat can be slow cooking, otherwise, it becomes hard as leather because of the presence of excessive tissues.

I selected braising as a method of cooking for my lamb shanks.

LAMB GOULASH:

Onion: 50g, Potato: 30g, Concussed tomato: 20g, Garlic: 5g, Ginger: 5g, Lamb Shanks: 410g, Salt: 10g, Black pepper: 10g, Turmeric powder: 2g, Coriander and cumin powder: 2g each.

Method:

1. Make tomato concasse. Roughly chop onions, garlic and ginger. 2. Heat oil in a pan put lamb shanks into it and cover it with a lid with a slow flame for 40 minutes approx for braising. 3. After 40 minutes the shanks will leave its juices, when juices dry out, then add onion, garlic, ginger and fry them till golden brown in the lamb’s fat. 4. Add tomato concasse and cook for 20 minutes till the meat almost leaves the bone. Serve hot with some olives or coriander leaves.

the dish came out amazingly well.

Hope you enjoyed!

Thank you

 

Preserving green chilly

Introduction:

I decided to make Green chilly pickle for my blog project, which is a traditional pickle from India. People in India love to have pickles with their food. Some famous pickles made in different regions of India are Raw mango, green chilly, mix pickle of radish carrot and cauliflower, prawn, chicken, lotus stem, mango with asafetida. Back in my home, Raw mango and green chilly pickles were made by grandmother, which used to be enjoyed by all family members a lot. That is the reason, I wanted to share the recipe with every reader of my blog. Green chilly is pickled in the recipe with the help of mustard oil, which acts as an acid and help to ferment chilly.

Recipe of Green chilly pickle

ingredients:

Green chilly x 350g, Smashed garlic x 3 cloves, Mustard oil x 500ml, Mustard seeds x 20g, Lemon juice x 10ml, Coriander, cumin, red chilly, turmeric, pomegranate, black pepper powder x 10g ea., Salt x 20g.

Method:

Mix all the ingredients except mustard oil in a mason jar. Heat mustard oil up to 200F and add to the same mason jar. Keep the jar in an isolated cool place for at least 2 weeks.

The same recipe can be used for raw mango pickle, which comes out to be delicious. The only difference is that raw mango pickle has to be preserved at least for 6 months before opening the jar.

These pickles go best with a meal containing whole wheat flatbread (chapati), any curry like lentil, kidney beans, chicken, mix vegetable, potato and peas, cottage cheese sweet pepper, etc., and sliced red onion.

Thank you for reading my blog!

Akshat modi

 

Sensor Evaluation

The sensor evaluation blog that I have created is a taste of vermicelli pudding with candied ginger and melon bittered with coffee decoction and garnished with a sugar net on the rim to give a caramel fragrance to it. I toasted the vermicelli in clarified butter (ghee), for little saltiness. Then added milk and sugar, simmer it till the milk becomes thick and vermicelli gets cooked properly. With some candied ginger and melon and drizzled coffee decoction for some bitterness to a sweet dish.

This dish is unique for me because the pudding has an amazing toasted salty flavour, with the mild sweetness from milk and sugar. the coffee decoction drizzle is giving an aroma of coffee with little bitter taste to the dish, which goes well with the sweetness of the pudding and pungency of candied ginger. Sugar net is just an edible garnish which gives a caramel aroma to the dish. another thing that could be done was to smoke the class with toffee flavour to get an amazing experience. This dish is made to experience an amazing balance of all your taste buds and different textures in a single dish.

I learned a lot about my palette after trying this dish, which has changed my perspective about desserts, and I would love to have this dish after my lunch or dinner. Certain flours of coffee could have been replaced with bitter chocolate, which can give a better experience to have.

Here is a breakdown of steps to prepare this dish.

List of ingredients

preparation of the dish

The pudding was poured in the glass piping hot. Candied ginger and melon has been rubbed on the rim to give the flavor and left it there with a sugar net and then the coffee has been drizzled over the top.

 

 

Nutrition from the Culinary perspective

Eating well (RAINBOW)

The topic which interests me the most and I would love to learn more about eating well according to the RAINBOW formula.

Culinary Nutrition essentials

Culinary and nutrition have always been a combination to the last forever. Nutrition always played a crucial role in culinary. As at the birth of every recipe from the very beginning, the first thing that is accomplished is to calculate the nutritional value of each ingredient and the combined recipe. In my opinion, the bond of nutrition and culinary has to be strong down the line as most of the population is heading towards fitness and a healthy lifestyle. For which, a chef should have his perspective towards nutrition while preparation of food to run his business. Moreover, nutritional values are written on every product nowadays to make awareness about the contents of a dish, so people having special diets get acknowledged about the same.

Credible nutrition websites

n.d.). Retrieved October 28, 2018, from https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/articles/15050-vitamin-d–vitamin-d-deficiency

1. Credible website as the website has references of National Institutes of Health Office of Dietary Supplements, Institute of Medicine. DRIs for Calcium and Vitamin D Accessed 11/16/2015 and American Academy of Dermatologists.
2. All information is provided by a credible source, that is Cleveland clinic.

A website which is not credible

(n.d.). Retrieved October 28, 2018, from https://nutritionasiknowit.com/blog/2016/1/13/nutrition-sources-you-should-avoid

1. No credible source is given.
2. There is no information about the qualification of the author and the organization he belongs to.

Ways to check the credibility

1. The website that we are referring to gain information should have an author who belongs to a credible organization.
2. Qualification of the author
3. the website should be in the credible site list, like of any university or we can check it on websites which check the credibility.

VITAMINS AND MINERALS

Being a part of North America, it is very difficult to have enough vitamins and minerals that are required in a diet of a healthy human being.

Vitamins and minerals that are tough to find in diets of a person living in North America: Consistent with these findings, the most recent Dietary Guidelines for Americans, released January 6, 2016 by the U.S. Departments of Health and Human Services and of Agriculture, identified potassium, dietary fiber, choline, magnesium, calcium, and vitamins A, D, E, and C as nutrients, “consumed by many individuals in amounts below the Estimated Average Requirement or Adequate Intake levels.(http://www.medicaleconomics.com/editors-choice-me/american-nutrient-gap-and-how-vitamin-and-mineral-supplements-can-help-fill-it).

We can incorporate a lot of vitamins and minerals by amending the recipes, which are a part of our day to day life by adding some ingredients which fulfill the deficiency of vitamins and minerals in the same and making it a wholesome meal with all types of nutrients required.

How cooking affects the nutrient content of foods

Vegetables are generally a great source of vitamin C, but a large amount of it is lost when cooked in water. In fact, boiling reduces vitamin C more than any other cooking method. Broccoli, spinach, and lettuce may lose up to 50% or more of their vitamin C when boiled, because vitamin C is water-soluble and sensitive to heat, it can leach out of vegetables when they’re immersed in hot water. B vitamins are similarly heated sensitive. Up to 60% of thiamin, niacin and other B vitamins may be lost when meat is simmered and its juices run off. However, when the liquid containing these juices is consumed, 100% of the minerals and 70–90% of B vitamins are retained. On the other hand, boiling fish was shown to preserve omega-3 fatty acid content significantly more than frying or microwaving. (https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/cooking-nutrient-content#section2).

Similarly, vitamins and minerals can be saved while grilling if dripping are removed and the smoke is minimized. Concluding, the best way to save the nutrients in vegetable while cooking is microwaving. Short cooking times and reduced exposure to heat preserve the nutrients in microwaved food. ( https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/cooking-nutrient-content#section2).

Cooking of a vegetable in different ways

I have taken broccoli as a vegetable, which I will be cooking in 3 different ways (sauteeing, roasting, and blanching) and analyze, which is the best way of cooking broccoli. in which minimal loss of nutrients takes place.

In my opinion, blanching helps to retain the nutrients as well as the colour of broccoli.

Dish with vitamin D and iron

I prepared a simple dish with three ingredients that are broccoli (high in iron{we can get 0.7mg from 100g} and many more nutrients like protein, dietary fibers, a lot of vitamin C, A, and B6), egg (egg contains 21% of vitamin D with some amount of vitamin A, B12, B6 and it is a good source of iron and protein too.) and bread which contains iron.

sautéed broccoli

toasted bread

sunny side up

and the final dish looked something like this which can be easily made and included in the meal to add vitamin D and iron to your diet.

Some ingredients can be incorporated into this dish

example: Salmon ( which has high iron content).

Hope you gained some information from this blog.

Thank you!

Akshat Modi

Soup Blog

chicken lentil soup with jaggery

chicken lentil and jaggery soup is a delicious soup, usually made in Indian homes during winters. I add turmeric powder and black cardamom because of the health aspect as these are antiseptic. Jaggery is added to give the mild sweetness and a soothing flavour which is preferred in South Asia in winters as it gives warmth to the body.

Recipe:

Chicken stock – 250ml

Boiled Lentils- 50g

Carrot- 10g

Onion- 20g

Turmeric powder-2g

salt and black pepper-5g each

Garlic cloves- 2

Black cardamom- 1

Coriander powder- 2g

Butter-10g

refined flour-10g

Jaggery- 10g

Garnishes:

Roasted lentils- 5g

Roasted chicken thigh (pulled meat)- 100g

Chilli flavoured oil- few drops

mise en place:

Method:

First prepare a chicken stock with chicken bones, black cardamom, turmeric powder, carrots, onion, garlic, coriander powder. Strain it.

Melt Jaggery and butter in a pan and add refined flour to make a sweet flavourful roux.

Add beautiful roux to the chicken stock. Add boiled lentils to it and let it come to a boil until the soup gets thicken. Once it gets cooled down, blend the soup in a blender, season it well and strain it through a muslin cloth to get a smooth texture.

In a soup bowl place cooked pulled chicken thigh pieces in the centre and sprinkle roasted lentils on top. Pour the soup into the bowl, and drizzle Chilli flavoured oil on top as shown in the picture above.

Sensor Evaluation:

Adding lentils give a texture to the chicken soup with toasted and nutty flavour. Jaggery makes the roasted flavoured mildly sweet and gives a smooth finish product. Overall it becomes a deliciously smooth, little sweet soup with some nuttiness in it. Perfect for winters.

Other people tasting the soup:

I had my friend taste the soup, he found it extremely delicious because of the little sweetness of jaggery and nutty flavour of lentils with the crunchiness of roasted lentils on top.

Challenges of this soup:

Make sure you don’t burn the lentils while roasting.

Jaggery, salt and pepper should be added in the correct proportion in order to get the balanced sweetness, saltiness and hotness in the soup.

Before blending, soup should be thickened properly and muslin cloth has to be used in order to get a smooth texture.

The recipe can be modified according to different taste palettes.

Perfect soup for winters. Must be enjoyed with family and friends to give everyone a cosy and comfortable environment.

Hope everyone enjoys the soup.

Goodluck!

 

 

 

 

 

Stories of my life!

Why I became a chef?

At the age of 12, I had a subject called Meal planning in my school when I was in my 7th grade. There we were used to learn about the basic cooking of food as it is a necessary skill which everyone should have a knowledge of in their lives. At that stage of my life, I started gaining an interest in learning the art of cooking. Gradually, when I was in my high school, I realized that cooking food for my family and friends is leading me towards a passion for cooking.

As when I used to see that smile on everyone’s face after eating the food I used to make for them, I got inspired to choose cooking food as my career and passion that I can follow throughout my life as there can not be anything better than making people happy and satisfied by feeding them with food made by you.

Working in the industry and experience in the culinary field

I completed my graduation of B.sc in hotel and hotel administration from Institute of Hotel Management Catering, Technology, and Applied Nutrition, Mumbai, India. After graduating I was selected as a Kitchen Management associate with The park hotel, Connaught Place, Delhi, India. I used to manage the Europian hot section as well as the pantry and pizza section of the Main kitchen. I worked for two years in the same hotel and currently pursuing my post graduation from George Brown College, Toronto, Canada.

The personal philosophy of cooking

My philosophy of cooking is to cook with your heart, love, and passion. Learn to respect each and every ingredient as each one of them is very important to build up a delicious dish on a plate. Respect humans, who are responsible for producing food that you eat, who gave you birth, your friends, your love and people you work with as it will help to maintain the positive vibes forever in your life.

Cook food with love, so people enjoy your food and remember it for the rest of their lives. Three most important rules for cooking according to my rules are: Perfect seasoning, make your food with love in order to make the person happy and satisfied, be honest to yourself and to the person who is eating your food.

Blog Experience

This is my first blog. There are more to come as it helps to share my experiences and knowledge with people, so it helps them to gain knowledge and get new ideas to achieve success in life.

Culinary Quote

My favorite chef is Chef Marco Pierre White as he has the authentic knowledge of cooking in all cuisines. He always is honest to himself and to his customers by standing up with the standards of cooking. Chef Marco has the best philosophies for cooking food as well as how to live your life proudly and honestly.

Chef Quotes Of Inspiration Marco Pierre White Quotes Masterchef – Sök På Google | Inspiration – QUOTES HOPE

“Salt is the difference between eating in technicolor and eating in black and white”.

Always cook with love. Respect food and your family as these are the two things that keep you going in life.

Thank you for taking the time reading my blog!

Akshat Modi