Chef Workshop with Shazia Khan

Shazia Khan rose to fame when she became the 2nd runner up of the Master Chef India Season 2. 

I was invited to Shazia Khan's Celebrity Chef Workshop at Phoenix Market City, Bangalore. Here's a photo tour and recipes... 

Venue was the very elegant Copper Chimney restaurant at Phoenix Market City...

Shazia's first dish was Grilled Cottage cheese, peppers with pineapple, cherry tomato relish...

Pineapple and cherry tomato relish...

Here's the recipe for pineapple and cherry tomato relish

Ingredients
4 pineapple slices (grilled and diced)
12-15 cherry tomatoes (cut into halves)
2 tbsp vegetable oil
3 dried red chilies (broken into halves)
1 tsp Cumin Seed
2 stick of cinnamon
2 tbsp brown sugar
1/2 tsp salt

Method

1. Heat the oil in a saucepan and when it is hot put in the chili, Cumin and cinnamon and fry for 30 seconds.

2. Add pineapple, sugar and salt and cook for about 5 minutes, now add the cherry tomatoes and cook for a minute till they are soft.

Grilling Paneer and Peppers...

Here's the recipe for the grilling and marinating part...

Ingredients
500 gms Cottage cheese/ paneer (Cut into round shape)

1 each Red, green, yellow peppers ( diced)

1 tbsp butter

Marinade

1 tsp garlic paste
1 tsp coriander powder
1 tsp yellow chilly powder
1 tsp kasoori methi powder
 2 tsp chat masala
11/2 tsp cumin powder
2 tsp honey
15 ml mustard oil
15 ml oil
Salt

Method

1. In a large bowl combine the ingredients for the marinade.

2. Add the paneer and peppers. Allow to marinate for 1/2 hour.

3. Heat butter in a grill pan, and grill the paneer and peppers.

Garnish with Green chutney, micro greens...

Up next is Smoked Subz Kabab(veg) with Lavash. Let's start with Lavash...

Here's the recipe for Lavash (Crispy pita bread)

Ingredients

1 tsp sugar

7 gms yeast(dry instant yeast)

1/2 cup warm water

3 cups flour (maida)

1 tsp salt

1 tbsp olive oil

1 cup warm Water

3 tbsp sesame seeds (mix of black and white)

Method

1. In a bowl add yeast, sugar, warm water, mix and keep aside for 10 minutes.

2. In a bowl combine flour and salt, make a well in the centre add the yeast mixture, start mixing, adding some warm water till the dough comes together.

3. Knead till you get smooth dough.

4. Apply olive oil to the dough, cover and keep in a warm place till it doubles in size.

5. Press the dough lightly to remove air and knead again

6. Divide the dough into small portions, roll into small circles. With the help of a fork make holes, sprinkle some sesame seeds. Place them on a greased baking tray.

7. Preheat the oven at 220C, bake the pita till crisp. (halfway through, remove from oven cut into triangles and bake again till crisp)

8.    Remove from the Oven.

9.    Place the subz kabab on lavash and serve.

Sabz Kabab is made of vegetables like raw banana, yam etc...

Here's the recipe for Sabz Kabab...

Ingredients

300 gms Yam
1 raw banana
75 gms Split Bengal gram/channa dal
2 Cinnamon Sticks
3 pods cardamom
3 green chilies
25gms onion (deep fried)
25 gms Cashewnuts (fried till golden brown)
 2 tbsp Gram flour/ besan
 Salt
3 tbsp oil
4 Cloves
1 tsp ghee/clarified butter

Method

1. Pressure Cook yam, banana with skin, channa dal, cinnamon, cardamom, green chilies with enough water until it's done. (There should be no water present after it's cooked, if present reduce it

2. Allow it to Cool down, remove the banana skin and mash into a smooth mixture

3. Blend the onion and cashew nuts into a smooth paste, add it to the yam and banana mixture
Add salt and give it a good mix.

4. Place the mixture in a large bowl, make a well in the centre, place a live coal

5. Put the cloves on the coal, spoon the ghee over it and immediately cover, set aside for 15 minutes

6. Add the besan, mix well, make small patties and shallow fry till done.

Garnish with pickled radish, micro greens and cucumber strips

 Up next is Lebanese Chicken Skewers...

Here's the recipe...

Ingredients

600 gms chicken (boneless thigh pieces Cut into cubes)

15 bamboo skewers

2 tbsp oil for frying

Marinade

2 tbsp hung curd

4 Kashmiri dry red chilies (boiled in a little water)

1 tsp ginger paste

1 tsp garlic paste

1 tbsp tomato paste

1 lemon juice

1 tsp Spice mix

1 tbsp olive oil

Salt

Method

1. Blend hung curd and chilies in a mixer.

2. Remove in bowl and add all the remaining marinade ingredients

3. Add the chicken pieces cover and refrigerate for 4-5 hours

4. Thread the pieces marinated Chicken on the skewers.

5. Heat 2 tbsp oil in a grill pan and fry the chicken on both sides, till done

6. Serve hot with yogurt garlic dip.

For yogurt garlic dip

Ingredients

1/2 cup hung curds

3 tbsp mayonnaise

1/2 tsp garlic paste

1/2 tsp lemon juice

Salt

Method

Whisk all the ingredients in a bowl until smooth.

For spice mix

Ingredients

2tbsp black pepper

2tbsp chili flakes

2 tbsp cumin

1 tbsp coriander seeds

1 tbsp cardamom

1 tbsp cloves

4-5 cinnamon sticks

½ tbsp all spice(kabab chini)

1/2 tsp nutmeg

Method

1.    Dry roast all the ingredients, keep aside to Cool.

2.    Blend in a mixer to a fine powder and store in a air tight container, and use as required.

Garnish with, cucumber strips, purple cabbage, micro greens, pomegranate seeds. Labanese Chicken Skewers is also known as Shish Tawook. It is the marinating with the spice mix that makes the chicken soft and juicy...

The audience...

Some interactions with food bloggers...

Let's move on to dessert. We have Molten Lava Cake Almond Crumble with Strawberry Basil Coulis...

Strawberry basil coulis is easy to make. Here's the recipe...

Ingredients

2 Cup strawberries (chopped)

50 ml mixed fruit juice

2 tbsp Sugar

4-5 basil leaves

Method

1. In a pan put chopped strawberries, fruit juice and sugar and cook till you get a thick jam add the basil leaves, blend and keep aside.

2. To Serve - Vanilla ice cream, cocoa powder, strawberries, basil leaves.

And here's the recipe for Chocolate Lava and Almond Crumble...

Ingredients

120gms semi-sweet dark chocolate

120 gms Butter

2 Whole eggs

70 gms sugar

70 gms all purpose flour/maida ( sieved)

Butter - for greasing ramekins

Method

1. Melt chocolate on a double boiler or in a microwave

2. In a separate bowl, whisk eggs and sugar until light and fluffy

3. Once chocolate is melted, remove from heat and add in butter. Mix until the butter melts.

4. Add chocolate butter mixture into the eggs, slowly and mix.

5. Add flour and fold until well incorporated.

6. Butter bottom and sides of ramekins, and pour in mixture about 3/4 way full 5- Place ramekins on a baking tray in pre-heated oven 180 C for 15 minutes.

7. De-mould and serve immediately with ice cream.

Almond Crumble

Ingredients

100 gms butter(cold cut into cubes)

100 gms sugar

100 gms flour

120 gms almond powder

100 gms chopped almond

Salt a pinch

Method

1. In a large bowl mix all the dry ingredients.

2. Add the butter and mix till you get a crumble.

3. Add the chopped almonds.

4. Place the mixture on a baking tray lined with butter paper, and bake in pre-heated oven at 160 C till light golden brown.

There was a minor set back here. The chocolate lava cake didn't come out gooey...

Shazia baked another one and this time, to everyone's joy there was the gooey molten center...

A happy ending...

Leaving you with my picture with Shazia...