CaLDRON February 2014 - Valentine's Day Special | Page 80

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ASK THE EXPERTS

ASK THE

EXPERTS

Stumped about a dish that did not turn out right? Let our expert chefs
guide you through all your cooking dilemmas so that you can create the
dish of your dreams.

I want to get a tried and tested
recipe for Kaya paste. This is a
green pandan bread spread that
is very famous in Singapore and I
would love to cook it.
Rahul Arora
Kolkata

Chef Ranveer Brar: To make
Kaya paste, you need 10 eggs, 450g
sugar, 20g freshly pressed pandan
juice or leaves and 500 ml coconut
milk. Whisk the eggs and sugar
together, mix in the coconut milk
and add in the pandan juice or
leaves. Next, fill the base unit of a
double boiler with water and bring
to a boil. Add the mixture you
have prepared into the top unit of
the double boiler, stirring every 10
minutes until the mixture reaches
a smooth consistency. After a hour,
take the pandan leaves out from
the mixture. Your Kaya paste is
ready! Cool it and refrigerate, and
use for up to two months.
I need ideas on dinner for a party
that will have the participation
of a bunch of 16-year olds. Last
time, for a similar occasion, I
cooked pizza, which was a hit
and was very easily adaptable to
everyone's tastes and dietary restrictions. This time, I would like
to make something that they can
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help prepare or eat communally.
I had thought of tacos, fondue or
Sloppy Joes. This won't be for a
party but more like a bonding or
hangout session so the food has
to be relaxed too.

casia leaves, for instance, or make
Tangra Sui Mai. You can find the
recipes for these on www.chefatlarge.in.

I realized that I have lot of black
grapes at home. Please give me
some ideas on what I can do with
them, other than making wine.
Chef Ranveer Brar: Why not have Can I add sugar and reduce it
your own Mac’N’Cheese party?
and then use the mixture for cake
Alternately, you can serve baked
frosting?
pasta with different toppings, for Liz Alice
instance, lobster, clams, smoked
Mumbai
chicken, crisp bacon, etc. You can
also prepare a couple of sauces on Chef Ranveer Brar: I suggest you
the side, like peppered cheese and make either a black grape chutney
classic sauce, which will go with
or a compote, and you can even
the baked dishes. The youngsters use the compote as a topping for
can pick and mix in their meal and cakes. The recipe for both is almost
it will give them a chance to catch similar – boil the sugar, drop the
on school gossip as well.
chopped grapes and cook. You can
add some spices as well as vinegar.
I would like to make some guilt- To make a chutney, simply purée
free snacks that can be munched the mixture.
on, without worrying about
piling on weight. Can I get some I keep reading about whipped
easy recipes for tasty munchies? cream frosting and whipped
Heena Kausar
topping cream in the recipes for
Bangalore
cakes. I am confused. What exactly is the difference between the
Chef Ranveer Brar: As a general two? And which one should I buy
rule, avoid fried and high carbohy- for icing cake? Better still, how
drates food. Instead, try steaming do I make both of them at home?
or poaching the food. Try making Priti Gupta
dhokla stuffed with patra or colo- Charlotte
Maria Charles
Boston

CaLDRON February 2014