Currying flavour with the East with Gauhar Khan

Actor Gauhar Khan has an Oriental fetish when it comes to food. Chef Dinakiran Khaling rustles up some Far Eastern delights for her. By Anupa Shah

Burmese Kaukse
A thick coconut milk-based curry with the crunchiness of vegetables and the touch of Far Eastern spices.

Prep time: 15 minutes
Cooking time: 20 minutes
Serves: Two

Ingredients
. 1 tbsp ginger, chopped
. 10 flakes garlic
. 1 tbsp onions, chopped
. 1 tbsp vegetable oil
. ½ tsp turmeric powder
. 1 tsp mixed spice powder
. 800 ml coconut milk
. 30 g button mushroom, sliced
. 30 g broccoli florets
. 20 g carrot, sliced
. 20 g bell peppers, sliced
. 20 g zucchini, diced
. 30 g baby corn, cubed
. 2 tsp sugar
. salt, to taste
. 1 tsp lime juice
. 180 g rice noodles

Condiments
. 1 tbsp fresh red chilli, chopped
. 100 g fried onions
. 1 tbsp celery, chopped
. 1 tbsp fried garlic flakes
. 30 g fresh cilantro
. 3 lemon wedges

Method
1. Grind the ginger, garlic, and onion to a paste.
2. Heat the oil in a saucepan, add the paste, and stir for a few seconds. Add the turmeric powder, mixed spice powder, coconut milk, and then all the vegetables.
3. Simmer over low heat till it comes to a boil. Add the sugar, salt, and lime juice. Let it simmer for a few more minutes.
4. Bring 500 ml water to boil in a medium-sized saucepan. Stir in the noodles and cook for two minutes. Drain and place in a serving bowl with the curry and condiments.

Chili basil chicken
A chicken dish with eastern spices, a dash of basil, and mushrooms. Goes well as a starter or main course.

Prep time: 10 minutes
Cooking time: 15 minutes
Serves: Two

Ingredients
. 2 tbsp oil
. 250 g chicken breast, thinly sliced
. 1 tsp minced garlic
. 1 bunch fresh basil + 1 tsp, to garnish
. salt, to taste
. 1 tbsp fish sauce
. 1 tbsp oyster sauce
. ½ tsp sugar
. pinch of white pepper powder
. 1 tsp red chillies
. 3 pcs ginger, sliced
. 1 bell pepper, sliced
. 2 button mushrooms
. juice of ½ lemon

Method
1. Heat the oil in a wok. Add the chicken, garlic, and basil leaves and cook on low heat for 10 minutes.
2. Add the remaining ingredients and stir-fry for three minutes. Transfer to a serving dish and garnish with the remaining fresh basil.

Tempura vegetables
A crispy, batter-fried appetiser, spiked with the pungency of ginger and wasabi as accompaniments. Soy sauce pairs well as a sauce too.

Prep time: 10 minutes
Cooking time: 7 minutes
Serves: Two

Ingredients
. ½ egg
. 200 ml ice cold water
. 300 g tempura flour (ready available or use 100g flour, 100 g potato flour, 100 g rice flour and a pinch of baking powder)
. 300 ml vegetable oil, for deep frying
. 100 g flour
. 1 zucchini, cut into 6 mm batons
. 1 onion, finely sliced
. 1 carrot, finely sliced
. 1 aubergine, sliced crosswise
. 1 bell pepper (capsicum), cut into thin strips
. 20 g green beans (french beans), chopped
. 4 asparagus, cut into medium-sized batons
. 1 daikon, grated (use raddish if unavailable)
. 1 tsp ginger, grated
. soy sauce and wasabi

Method
1. In a bowl, beat the egg lightly, add water, stir in tempura flour, and continue to beat lightly till the batter is slightly lumpy. Set aside.
2. Heat oil in a deep frying pan for a few minutes.
3. Put flour on a plate. Roll all the vegetables in flour, shaking off all the excess, then dip into the tempura batter.
4. Fry the vegetables in the hot oil. Cook till golden brown on both sides. Then remove from oil and drain on paper towels.
5. Serve with a grated daikon topped with grated ginger and soy sauce or wasabi sauce.

Steamed fish Thai style
A delicious steamed fish bursting with flavours and spices with an Asian touch. It is healthy too, with less oil, and works well for a complete meal with steamed rice.

Prep time: 10 minutes
Cooking time: 20 minutes
Serves: Two

Ingredients
. 350 g whole pomfret
. 2 tbsp rice wine
. ½ tsp salt
. ½ tsp white pepper powder
. 3 tbsp fish sauce
. 50 ml lime juice
. 1 stalk lemon grass, crushed
. 50 g onions, sliced
. 5 flakes garlic, crushed
. 2 scallions
. 4 bird eye chillies, chopped
. 50 g basil leaves, torn
. 20 g Thai ginger (galangal), chopped

Method
1. Slice the fish. Place the sliced pieces on a steaming plate.
2. Spread the remaining ingredients evenly over it.
3. Steam for 25 minutes. Serve with lime wedges and a chilli sauce.

Banana crepes
Wraps filled with a smooth sauce, bananas, and cream.

Prep time: 10 minutes
Cooking time: 5 minutes
Serves: Four

Ingredients
. 200 g flour
. 50 g icing sugar
. 2 eggs
. 200 ml milk
. 3 tbsp butter, melted + 50 g butter
. 1 tsp vanilla essence
. ¼ tsp salt
. 50 g brown sugar
. ¼ tsp cinnamon powder
. ¼ tsp ground nutmeg
. 50 ml cream
. 6 bananas, sliced
. 200 ml whipped cream

Method
1. Sift flour and sugar in a bowl. Add eggs, milk, melted butter, essence, and salt; beat until smooth.
2. Heat a greased six-inch skillet. Add three teaspoons of the batter in a way that it spreads evenly on the skillet. Cook until lightly browned on both sides. Repeat with the remaining batter, greasing the skillet.
3. Melt 50 g butter in a saucepan. Stir in brown sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg powder. Add the cream and cook until the sauce is thick. Add half the bananas to the saucepan; cook for five minutes, spooning the sauce over them.
4. Roll a crépe around each banana half and place on a serving platter.
5. Spoon sauce over the crépes. Serve topped with cream.

Photographs by manpreet singh (gauhar khan), Prateeksh Mehra (food); Location; Zaffiro @ zaza (gauhar), Oriental Palate, Mumbai (food); Styling by Anupa Shah (food)

Chef Dinakiran Khaling is the head chef at Oriental Palate, Mumbai: “I usually like to have complete knowledge of every dish I prepare; from the ingredients, to the recipe, to its origin and history. This helps me improvise my culinary skills. Variations in customers’ tastes are a great educator as well.”

In the middle of the night you want to bite into…
Banana crepes or any banana dessert is irresistible. I have a sweet tooth. Anything that’s sweet works for me in the middle of the night.

A place you’d visit for the food?
When I was in Phuket, Thailand, I savoured fruits at the local stalls and sampled the most exquisite pineapples.

What’s the most vivid food memory you have?
My mother’s heavenly khichda, yakhni and aloo parathas. Like most people, I love my mother’s culinary creations.

Have you goofed up with food or had a disaster?
I am a fairly decent cook. When I was young I used to cook this potato dish which my brother enjoyed, but he always cribbed about it falling short.

One idiot-proof recipe you swear by?
You marinate chicken breasts in garlic, ginger, basil, and oil and set aside for an hour. Put the chicken breasts in a pan and add tomato sauce to make some gravy. Add seasoning and let it cook over low heat.