THE KITCHEN OPTIMIST

Pan Asian Food festival

noreply@blogger.com (Sujith) — Mon, 10 Oct 2011 15:05:00 +0000

It was a great month that passed by at Iris Hotel, it was time to give back to our loyal guests and our frequent clients. We had a pan-asian food festival which was a grand success with all our guests appreciating the food and the concept that we had arranged for their taste buds and also for their eyes. Though it was only on the week ends, we had some great fun and our guests had a gala time too.

Introduced Japanese cuisine

noreply@blogger.com (Sujith) — Fri, 18 Mar 2011 09:48:00 +0000

It has been a long while since, i posted something for my dear friends on the blog. It was quite hectic, the months that passed by. The most interesting part was, we have introduced Japanese cuisine for breakfast for our esteemed guests. It was all about training and practice with chefs flown in from Japan to get authentic touch of the cuisine. Names of dishes that when we called our Japanese guests to try had their eyes open wide and had that beautiful word DOMO ARIGAT O.
I must admit the Japanese have a flair for fresh produce. It was worth every moment that we spent with the Japanese chefs. Our Japanese guests at IRIS HOTEL are privileged to have their home food right in the comfort of their room.

Culinary promotions

noreply@blogger.com (Sujith) — Fri, 08 Oct 2010 14:15:00 +0000

It was a hectic month, that went by. It has many colors for us, bangaloreans with the temperature dipping down and festivities like Ramadan and Ganesh chathurthi it was time to give back to our patrons with a mela of Kebab and curry which went on for the whole month. At IRIS Hotel enjoyed catering to the food lovers and patrons of Bangalore. A vast menu greeted them with with fish as a highlight of the event. Huge success was what it meant for IRIS.

Mango Promotion

noreply@blogger.com (Sujith) — Thu, 03 Jun 2010 14:57:00 +0000

A great way to enjoy mango's this season is to book your table at IRIS Hotel, Bangalore. It is just by enjoying the Mango promotion that is taking place at the hotel. IRIS is a 4 star business hotel in the heart of the city with a great coffee shop aptly named # 70 Brigade, were the buss for the mango season is happening. A well crafted menu for your taste buds is waiting to be relished.

Chocolate Designs

noreply@blogger.com (Sujith) — Tue, 13 Apr 2010 15:39:00 +0000

Here as you see is just a very simple method of decorating your beautiful vanilla tire cake with leaves made from dark chocolate. This is a very easy method which is used by chefs to make a great impression in the way they present their cakes.
The method is by taking any broad leaf from your garden which has varied texture and apply the melted dark chocolate on the surface and arrange it in trays lined with grease paper to let it dry. Once it's dried up you can peel off the leaves and you get a beautiful leafy texture.

Creme brulle

noreply@blogger.com (Sujith) — Sun, 28 Feb 2010 15:12:00 +0000

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

1/3 cup sugar
4 egg yolks
2 cups heavy cream
1 tsp. vanilla extract
powdered sugar for the crusts
Groceries
Baking Pans
Cooking Pan
Mixing Bowls
Ramekins
Wire Whisks
Propane Torches
Mixing bowls

Step 1

To make creme brulee, heat the oven to 135 degrees C.
Step 2

Mix the cream and vanilla extract in a nonreactive pan over low heat until steaming.
Step 3

When the cream is hot, whisk together the egg yolks and sugar until well blended.
Step 4

When cream starts to steam, shut off the heat.
Step 5

Pour some cream (maybe 1/2 cup) into the egg yolks while whisking quickly. This will slowly heat the yolks, reducing the chance of curdling them.
Step 6

Remove the whisk from the eggs, start whisking the cream, and steadily pour the yolks into the cream while whisking quickly.
Step 7

When thoroughly mixed, divide mixture into oven-safe individual ramekins.
Step 8

For best results, an optional step is to chill the filled ramekins overnight before cooking.
Step 9

Place ramekins in a tall-sided baking pan. Pour hot water into the pan about halfway up the sides of the ramekins.
Step 10

Bake for about 35-45 minutes.
Step 11

Cover and chill at least two hours.
Step 12

When ready to serve, sprinkle the top of each serving with a thin, even layer of sugar.
Step 13

If you have a propane kitchen torch, heat the sugar with the flame until it begins to brown. Stop when it reaches a golden color. It should not get too dark.
Step 14

Without a torch, use the oven's broiler setting to caramelize the sugar. Broil for 20 to 30 seconds within at least an inch of the flame or heating element.

Saffron Kheer

noreply@blogger.com (Sujith) — Fri, 29 Jan 2010 17:04:00 +0000

I know looking at this photo must make your mouth water. I am sure you are going to try this out at home and have your friends and relatives enjoy this Indian dessert.

Ingredients:

1 can sweetened condensed milk
3 cups milk
1/2 cup rice flour
10gms of raisins

Strands of saffron (be liberal) just joking

1/2 teaspoon cardamom powder
2 cups cooked rice
pista for garnish
pomegranate seeds for garnish

Heat milk, & rice powder in a heavy pan over medium heat for 15 minutes, stirring constantly. As it starts to thicken, add raisins, cardamom, saffron and rice. Stir rapidly until thick. Eat warm or also chilled as dessert. Can garnish with pista and pomegranate seeds fresh.

Kimchi salad

noreply@blogger.com (Sujith) — Sun, 10 Jan 2010 16:42:00 +0000

When you have to whip up a salad which does not need much of stress and which would satisfy any taste buds. I am sure if served to a European he/she would find it palatable. I designed this simple recipe so that you could work on it and innovate on it.

INGREDIENTS

1 kg cabbage
1 tbsp salt
2 tbsp spring onions-chopped
1 tbsp garlic-chopped
1 tbsp ginger-chopped
1 cup soya sauce
1 1/2 tsp sugar
1 cup white vinegar
1 tbsp chilli flakes
Sesame (til) oil

METHOD

1. Chop cabbage, place in a bowl and sprinkle salt over it, mix well. Leave for 2-3 hours, till the cabbage is wilted. Squeeze it till cabbage has softened.

2. Mix in the rest of the ingredients mix well and transfer into jar/plastic container for storage. Seal and leave for minimum an hour, before using.

Garnish with some sesame oil.

My profession

noreply@blogger.com (Sujith) — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 16:04:00 +0000

It's been a long while since i updated the blog, but today i made sure i spend some time to post this short note for my followers. The hospitality industry is truly a great profession, as we get to meet some great personalities and this profession has bought me great contacts that help in the future to come. Culinary field has many openings and this is not just limited to hotels or restaurants. It is one profession that takes you all over the world and to be specific, being a chef myself has taken me places and got to meet professional chefs. Follow me and my friends at Linkedin were i have got to meet a lot of my peers.

Paremasan Custard display

noreply@blogger.com (Sujith) — Sun, 23 Aug 2009 16:38:00 +0000

My Lunch

noreply@blogger.com (Sujith) — Wed, 19 Aug 2009 17:25:00 +0000

A hard day of work, calls for some great food. I did have some of that this afternoon. I shared it with my friend and mentor Chef Raghunathan. It was a delicious treat of Sechswan chicken fried rice and Chicken lolipop (will be posting the menu's soon), prepared by our chinese chef Nima Lama. Chef Ragu, has trained various chefs under his belt and chef Lama is one among them. This alone shows how an individual with the right training and dedication can bring out great flavors to the table.

Beef Carpaccio

noreply@blogger.com (Sujith) — Sun, 16 Aug 2009 15:49:00 +0000

Beef is considered to be holy in parts of India, being a globalised country there are vast changes that are keeping us in tune with the rest of the world. Here is one of a kind appetizer that is well known in the western countries but has found it's way to our beautiful India. Being a huge fan of beef myself, I would say this is a wonderful treat.

Ingredients:

453 gms Beef, tenderloin or flank steak
250 gms Baby Arugula, large stems removed
120 gms Parmesan Cheese
Balsamic Vinegar, aged

Preparation:

Heat up a small skillet with a tablespoon of oil. Briefly sear the beef on all sides. You want the outside of the beef to brown, but the inside should remain very rare.
Place the beef on a plate and put in the freezer for 15 minutes. This will make it easier to slice. Slice the chilled beef as thin as possible against the grain.
On chilled plates, place the sliced beef, arrange in a round fashion and place a small handful of arugula in the center. Shave some Parmesan over the beef. Drizzle a teaspoon or so of balsamic vinegar over the whole thing and serve.

ENJOY!

Chicken salad

noreply@blogger.com (Sujith) — Wed, 12 Aug 2009 17:27:00 +0000

Having a chicken salad just for dinner or having this great chicken salad stuffed into a sandwich just makes a wonderful treat for the taste buds and it is also filling. I tried it out with some chilly flakes (I am into some spicy food these days) made me want for some more, but i have become more diet conscious.

Ingredients:

½ cup mayonnaise
½ cup salad dressing
½ cup yogurt
½ cup sour cream
1 tablespoon fresh dill
1 tablespoon fresh thyme
1 tablespoon fresh tarragon
1 tablespoon fresh chives
1 cup cook cubed chicken
1 cup cooks Cubed turkey
1 cup celery1 cup carat
¼ cup golden raisins
¼ cup raisins
cup dried cranberries
cup dried cherries
cup apple cubed
½ cup grapes

1. In a lage bowl mix together everything
2. Refrigerate for at least one hour to allow flavors to blend.

Potato salad with chilli dressing

noreply@blogger.com (Sujith) — Mon, 03 Aug 2009 17:52:00 +0000

2 lbs. Boiling potatoes

1 Fresh jalapeno pepper chopped

2 small Garlic cloves chopped

1 Tbs Sugar

1 Tbs White-wine vinegar

1 1/2 Tbs Fresh lime juice

1 Tbs Anchovy paste

1 1/2 tsp oliveoil

1/4 cup packed fresh coriander chopped

1/4 cup packed fresh mint leaves chopped

2 ribs celery; sliced thin
Cut the potatoes lengthwise and then cut crosswise into 3/4-inch pieces. In a steamer set over boiling water steam the potatoes, covered, for 10 to 12 minutes, or until they are just tender, transfer them to a bowl, and let them cool to room temperature. In a small bowl whisk together the jalapeno, the garlic, the sugar, the vinegar, the lime juice and the anchovy paste add the oil, and salt to taste and let the dressing stand at room temperature for 30 minutes. Add the dressing to the potatoes with the coriander, the mint, and the celery and combine the salad well.

Chef sujith and Fish

noreply@blogger.com (Sujith) — Sun, 02 Aug 2009 07:38:00 +0000

Sujith with a beautiful coconut para
Sujith with a silky sear fish

Photos of Salads, more to come

noreply@blogger.com (Sujith) — Fri, 17 Jul 2009 14:10:00 +0000

SICA MEET AT BANGALORE

noreply@blogger.com (Sujith) — Sun, 28 Jun 2009 15:47:00 +0000

Carvings at the forum

Myself (Sujith Gangadharan) and Chef Abhijit Saha

Chef Vijaybhaskar and myself (Sujith Gangadharan)

I am at the back row 2nd from left , it was a great evening with lots of information on the culinary trends and standards. One filled with information.

A dream i never thought would come true

noreply@blogger.com (Sujith) — Fri, 05 Sep 2008 02:40:00 +0000

I had never imagined that i would blog about american politics, but today i have to, because the country called america is being taken over by a neo dectatroship/neo commounist kind of approach. I never realised that i would get so interested in a country that i am just doing my education in. It is rediculous, to say Iran and north korea should stop nuclear enrichment though it is for their energy needs but america can enrich unarium for power, this just shows that this country and its republican politics just targets on its own interests than for its people. I just hope people like Obama come to power and don't kill people in other nations who have nothing to do with america. Comon it gives me goose bumps when you see innocent Iraqis being killed by americans just in the name of oil and want to win the election in November to kill more people so that americans can drive their car and trucks. Comon world lets make a change.

Beef stew with horseradish potato

noreply@blogger.com (Sujith) — Wed, 03 Sep 2008 03:07:00 +0000

Goat/Lamb curry

noreply@blogger.com (Sujith) — Mon, 01 Sep 2008 23:49:00 +0000

The weekend as being a long one due to the labor day, was one enjoyable weekend to remember, and this came as no surprise with new recipes being experimented. There are different meats that are consumed through out the world, but for me having a fresh lamb meat that is not been frozen in some aisle and thawed when needed, does not build up a appetite. This meat was bought from a halal store and was fresh as it can get in america, because this meat has the smell of freshness, and guess what it was tender this meant that it was a young lamb that was slaughtered that morning.

Ingredients:

Lamb 1#

Yoghut 1cup

Ginger garlic paste 1Tbsp

Coriender powder 1Tbsp

Garam masala powder 1/4tsp

Turmeric powder 1/4tsp

Red chilli powder 1tsp

Cumin powder 2tsp

Cardamom 3ea

Cloves 4ea

Cinnamon stick 1ea

Onion 1ea

Green chilli 4ea

Salt tt

Oil 3Tb

Method:

In a bowl place the meat, yoghurt, coriender powder, chilli powder, turmeric powder, garam masala powder, and ginger garlic paste and let rest in the fridge for about 45 minutes.
Heat oil and saute 4 cloves, 1 stick cinnamon and 3 cardomoms until it releases the flavor, add the sliced onion and green chillies split and saute until the onion turns translucent.
Add 1tsp of coriender, 1tsp of cumin powder and 1tsp of chilli powder to the onion and saute for about 1 minute.
Add the marinated lamb to the onion and cover and cook for 35 minutes on medium heat.
Garnish with chopped coriender leaves.

The best combination with this is roti or naan, which is two Indian flat bread. Of course it was a great night with the family freasting on the treat for the labor day weekend.

Eggplant tomato curry

noreply@blogger.com (Sujith) — Sun, 31 Aug 2008 03:11:00 +0000

Eggplant has never been my favourite, but when i found that this vegetable can adapt to various combinations i decided on trying out this great recipe of eggplant tomato curry which i am sure, most of you must have tried this at home. A simple recipe which, is usually prepared by households throughout India. It was a calm day with my brother and my nephews around, and sister-in-law was at work. I took a look into the fridge and found there were excess of eggplant and decided to make this dish for the evening, so that my family could savor it.

Ingredients:

Eggplant dice 1ea

Onion dice 1ea

Tomato 2ea (depending on size)

Whole mustard 1tsp

Dry red chilli 3ea

Cumin seeds 1tsp

Curry leaves 5 leaves

Green chillis 4ea (depending on size)

Cumin powder 1Tbsp

Coriender powder 1Tbsp

Red chilli powder 1Tbsp

Turmeric 1tsp

Oil 2Tbsp and also have oil for frying the eggplant

Water 1/2cup

Salt tt

Method:

Cut the eggplant into large dices of equal size.
In a pan heat oil and deep fry the eggplant until it turns golden brown.
Strain excess oil and reserve.
In a pan pour 1Tbsp oil and add dry red chilli and mustard seeds.
Once the mustards crackle add curry leaves, cumin seeds cumin powder, coridender powder and red chilli powder.
Saute them ( make sure to have some ventilation for the fumes to escape)until it turns dark brown.
Add the onion and saute until it looks translucent and the spices sticks evenly to the onions.
Add turmeric to the mixture.
Add tomato to the mixture and cookuntil the tomatos absorbs the spices, cover and cook for few minutes.
Add water to the mixture.
Add the eggplant and season with salt and let cook for another 4 minutes covered.

You can either add ground cashew, ground peanuts and black or white seasme seeds to give it extra flavor. I perfer to evoperate excess moisture and concentrate the flavors. Hope you enjoy making this great dish.

Marinated Mushroom Amuse Bouche

noreply@blogger.com (Sujith) — Sat, 30 Aug 2008 05:01:00 +0000

Eggplant stir fry

noreply@blogger.com (Sujith) — Fri, 29 Aug 2008 03:45:00 +0000

As i am following the tradition of posting simple but tasty groumet foods that is served throughout the world, this would not come as a surprise for my readers. It is a great side dish that can be had with both roti and also with a rice and can be served during occations when you have surprise guests and relatives that insist on having lunch/dinner with you.

Ingredients:

Eggplant (preferably japanese eggplannt) 1#
Onion dice 10 oz
Garam Masala 1/2tsp
Coriender powder 1tsp
Cumin powder 1tsp
Chilli powder 1tsp
Salt tt
Curry leaves 8 leaves
Oil 2Tbsp

Method:

Add oil to pan on a medium heat.
Add Onion and saute until it reaches golden brown.
Add cumin powder, chilli powder, coriender powder, garam masala and curry leaves let sweat in the pan for another 3 minutes.
Add eggplant that is cut into large dice, and season with salt.
Let cook for another 10 minutes.

Beans poriyal

noreply@blogger.com (Sujith) — Thu, 28 Aug 2008 03:24:00 +0000

There are serveral instances in our daily lives, that we are too tired to prepare eloberate dishes, that carry a Wow! factor to it when you are back from a long day at work. The beans poriyal as it is called towards southern India, is nutritious and healthy by all means. It works great with either roti or even our famous rice. The process invovles simple methods.

Ingredients:

Fresh green beans (french beans) 1.5#

Grated coconut 3Tbsp

Chilli powder 1.5tsp

Tumeric 1tsp

Salt tt

For the tempering:

Oil

Mustard seeds 2tsp

Curry leaves 5ea

Dry red chilli 3ea

Urud dal 1Tbsp

Method:

Clean the beans with fresh water, and slice them.
In a saute pan add oil, once it sarts to shimmer.
Add the mustard seeds and allow time for it break and realease the flavor.
Add the red chilli which is recommeneded to be broken up.
Add the urud dal and let cook until the dal turns a golden brown.
Add chilli powder.
Add the beans and let cook.
Add salt and coconut to the beans and turn to a low heat, mix thoroughly and cover and cook for another 4 minutes.

Fish curry kerala style

noreply@blogger.com (Sujith) — Wed, 27 Aug 2008 03:23:00 +0000

Fish as i had mentioned in my earlier posts is a staple diet among the people of India. This is a recipe that is similar to the dry fish recipe but has a total different approach of preparing the dish.

Ingredients:

Fish 1.5#
Coconut grated 1/2 cup
Chilli powder 3Tsp

Coriender powder 1 Tbsp
Curry leaves 8ea
Salt tt
Onion julliene 1ea
Ginger 2oz
Kodam puli 5ea
Oil 2floz

Method:

1. Cut the fish
2. In a pan add julliene onion and ginger and saute.
3. Add coriander powder and chilli powder
4. Once sauted add oil and saute again.
5. Transfer this mixture to blender with 3floz of water.

6. Add coconut to the blender and blend.
7. Add water according to concistency
8. Tfransfer back to pan bring to a simmer
9. Add the fish and let cook covered with the kodam puli.
10. Finish with curry leaves