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Entertain in style

This is what fine dining is all about. Try out these recipes

SUMPTUOUS SPREAD A complete meal

Serve a stylish dinner for your guests using these recipes.

American style

barbeque chicken

Ingredients

Chicken pieces (cut into big pieces) - 4
Oil - 1 tbsp
Pepper powder - 1 to 2 tsp
Salt - to taste
For the sauce
Vinegar - 2 tbsp
Soya sauce - 2 tbsp
Corn flour - 1 tbsp
Worcestershire sauce - 1 tbsp
Castor sugar - 2 tsp Tomato ketchup - 4 tbsp
Water - 4 tbsp
Garlic crushed - 2 cloves

Method

Heat the oven to 180°C. Season the chicken pieces with salt and pepper. Heat the oil and fry the chicken pieces to brown. Place in a shallow heatproof dish. Drain any oil from the pan. Blend together all the sauce ingredients and add to the pan. Bring to boil, stirring until thickened. Spoon the sauce over the chicken. Cover with foil and bake for 45 minutes.

Remove the foil and bake for another 15 minutes or until the chicken is tender. Serve from the dish with plain boiled rice, or buttered noodles and a tossed green salad.

Nut pulao

Versions of this rice dish are cooked throughout Asia but always with the best quality long grain rice. Basmati rice is the best choice. Serve this pulao with a raita.

Ingredients

Basmati rice- 1 cup
Vegetable oil- 2 tbsp
Chopped onion- 1
Crushed garlic- 2 cloves
Grated carrot- 2
Cumin seeds- 1 tsp
Coriander powder- 2 tsp
Cardamom- 3
Vegetable stock/Water- 2 cups
Bay leaf- 1
Walnuts and cashew nuts- 1 cup
Salt and pepper powder- to taste
Coriander leaves chopped- 2 tbsp

Method

Heat oil in a pan and fry the onions, garlic and carrots for five minutes. Drain the soaked rice and add to the spices. Cook for two minutes, stirring to coat the grains in oil. Pour the vegetable stock or water, stirring. Add the bay leaf and seasonings. Bring to boil then lower the heat and cook covered for 10 minutes without stirring. Remove the pan from heat without lifting the lid. Leave to stand for five minutes. There will be small steam holes on the surface of the rice. Discard the bay leaf. Stir the nuts and check the seasoning. Spoon on to a warmed plate garnished with coriander leaves.

Fresh fruit salad

Ingredients

Sugar- 6 tbsp
Water- 1 and a quarter
Ginger juice- 2 tbsp
Cinnamon - 1 stick
Bananas- 2
Strawberries rinsed, hulled and sliced- Half cup
Papaya skinned and chopped- Half cup
Pineapple- 1 medium
For decoration
Strawberries- few

Method

Put the sugar, water, ginger juice, cinnamon, lemon juice into a pan. Bring to the boil, and then simmer for three minutes. Strain into a bowl and set to cool.

Add the chopped fruits into the syrup. Mix in well. Cut the pineapple in half by slicing down the centre, using a sharp knife. Loosen the flesh with a smaller, serrated knife, and remove the flesh by cutting around the rim and scooping it out. The pineapple halves will look like two boat shapes. Cut the pineapple flesh into chunks and add to the syrup

Spoon some of the fruit salad into the pineapple halves and serve on a large dish.

LILY BABU JOSE

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