Happy Cookbook Legacies
Gautam@2022 Chef Renu Dalal is known for her delectable and exciting recipes that are fresh and fulfilling. Inspired by her mother, Late Shrimati Tarla Dalal, Chef Renu has put her most hearty recipes into her third cookbook. And there is more! FOUR Magazines finds out what’s cooking.
FOUR magazines: Congratulations on your third cookbook! Please give us a peek into what this book contains for our readers.
Chef Renu: This book is titled, “Recipes From My Heart“.The lockdown in 2020 had us all looking inwards. I realised that cooking kept me happy and fulfilled. The book contains classic, trending and inventive recipes straight from my heart. Dips and sandwiches have also been added to the content list. A QR code at the back of the book directly takes you to the website with many exciting recipes. Some interesting ones to check are Berry Soda, Asian salad, Chole Tacos, Mushroom and Cheese charcoal- based pizza, Avocado ice cream, and Rasmalai Tres Leche cakes, to name a few.
Your journey as a chef started after your mother passed away, says your bio. Was it a way to be closer to her memories?
My mother and I connected through food. Food was always the topic of conversation in the household while growing up. Serving style, creating menus, and putting something new on the table was a priority. There was a massive vacuum with her passing away, and I had no one to turn to for new recipes. That is when I started creating my latest recipes, which were well-received by family and friends. I do connect with her when I enter the kitchen; she made cooking look so easy. You will find her unconditional love and teachings in every recipe I have written.
What was your comfort food while growing up? And who made it best?
My comfort food is simple Gujarati food. Rice, daal and subzi. Maa ke haath ka khana is always the best! Gujarati food has been my favourite always. We are a Gujarati family and have grown up eating traditional Gujarati food. Undhiya, dhoklas, khandvi, shrikhand and handvo have always been my favourites. My mother made them the best in the whole wide world! I always remember her tips while making them myself. There are Gujarati dishes in all my books.
“Here’s my secret tip; add a tablespoon of love to your recipes, and you will be amazed at the end product! Through my recipes in every cookbook, I intend to provide happiness and nourishment on the table. You will also find my mother’s unconditional love and teachings in every recipe that I have written”.
What ingredients are your favourites?
My favourites are vegetables, olive oil, different cheeses, and various kinds of rice. The options for new ingredients are plenty. They are readily available in local markets; thus, reating a new dish becomes effortless. Having said that, you can create fabulous dishes with fewer ingredients too! Purple yam (kand) is seasonal and available only in winter. Every book I have written has a recipe for this: purple yam rosti, purple yam balls, purple yam rice and purple yam and green pea handvo.
Growing up, what cooking values did your mother, the late Shrimati Tarla Dalal, instil in you that have enriched your culinary journey?
My mother taught me a lot in life. “To work hard, put your best foot forward, and whatever you do, work honestly and sincerely, give it your 100 percent. Be patient, and results will follow.” She would often say this. She made cooking look so simple and easy. Her recipes were easy to follow and delicious to taste. The taste of the dish must satisfy your palate. I also learnt humility from my mother. With all her success and fame, she was very humble. For us at home, she was just a loving mother.
Do You believe a cuisine’s future lies in reinventing it by making fusion dishes suitable for foreign palates?
Reinventing old dishes and fusion dishes are trending these days, and both have their own spaces in the culinary world. Fusion dishes are equally popular with the Indian palate. All across India, traditional Indian food is reinvented into fusion style! Say like schezwan dosa, Mexican locho which are accepted well. Eaters who like traditional dishes to eat also love experimenting with fusion dishes. Fusion dishes have become popular in the quest to bring something new to the table. They get the wow factor but what about the taste? The authentic taste of the dish is of paramount importance. Sometimes in the reinvention, the taste is ignored; the dish’s appropriate and original taste is lost in the process.
Tell us about your new website.
A new website has been launched which is very user-friendly. The YouTube video links are attached to the recipes. It has a tip section and a review section also.
Peruvian Dip
A very tasty dip, it can be served with lavash, sliced cucumber, carrots and chips. You can deep freeze it and use it at your convenience.
preparation time: 5 minutes | cooking time: 5 minutes | serves: 4 to 6.
Ingredients
1⁄2 cup orange juice
1⁄2 cup mango pulp
1⁄2 cup peeled and chopped beetroot 1⁄2 tsp lemon juice
Method:
1. Boil the beetroot in hot water for 5 minutes till it becomes tender.
2. Blend all the items along with the boiled beetroot in a mixer.
3. Refrigerate and serve chilled.
Carrot and Feta Salad
The carrot sauce blends perfectly with the salad. You can use this fantastic dressing for any other salad combination.
Preparation time: 10 minutes | Cooking time: 10 minutes | serves: 4 to 6
Ingredients
For the dressing
2 cups peeled, boiled and chopped carrots 4 tbsp Feta cheese
1 tbsp olive oil
1⁄2 tsp chilli flakes
Salt to taste
For the salad
2 tbsp sliced olives
1 cup thinly sliced onions
3 cups chopped Iceberg lettuce 1 tbsp olive oil
1⁄2 cup chopped yellow capsicum 1⁄2 cup chopped red capsicum
1 tbsp chopped basil
1⁄2 tsp vinegar
Salt to taste
To garnish
4-5 French bread slices (toasted) Feta cheese
Method:
For the dressing
Mix all the ingredients in a blender to a smooth paste.
How to proceed
1. Soak the iceberg lettuce in a bowl of ice water for 1 minute.
2. Mix the red capsicum, yellow capsicum, onions, olives, iceberg lettuce, basil, olive oil, vinegar and salt to taste in a salad bowl.
3. Mix in the prepared carrot and Feta cheese dressing.
4. Garnish with Feta cheese. Place the toasted bread slices around the salad.
5. Serve immediately.
Sourced From: https://issuu.com/sloane-trading-international/docs/four_india_june_-_september_2023?fr=sN2QzMDE1MDA0MQ
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