Mumbai food: Chefs, experts whip up a culinary storm from sour treats handcart

For the last 10 years Naginder Gupta has been manning the handcart on Station Road in Vile Parle E He sources the ingredients from the APMC in Navi Mumbai ldquoVendors source them from the interiors of Maharashtra Ber is only available till Marchrdquo he saysDried jujubeThe twist Ber JamSince the tiny maroon bead resembles a date due its crumpled texture the pectoral dried fruit of the jujube tree is also known as Chinese date after its country of origin However the fruit is widely found in India tooThough tangysweet it doesnrsquot have a dominant taste believes chef Himanshu Taneja culinary director at The St Regis Mumbai He uses the dried fruit to make a jam blended with orange juice castor sugar and cinnamon ldquoYou can toss it with sesame and have it as a snackrdquoIngredients500 g fresh Ber Deseeded and Cut into small pieces100ml Orange Juice150 g golden caster sugar1 stick cinnamonMethodPlace all the ingredients in a wide saucepan and add a splash of waterPut the pan on the heat and bring to the boil Simmer gently until the bers are softenedBoil down until the mixture thickens slightly then take off the heat and leave to coolKamrakh star fruitThe twist Star Fruit SaladAlso known as carambola the waxy skinned starshaped fruit is part of most nostalgiatinged conversations revolving around afterschool eats Native to Indonesia China and popular throughout Southeast Asia the fruit is now finding space in Indian cuisine as a flavouring agent due to its khattameetha taste ldquoItrsquos largely used in syrups and cocktails as a garnish I like to grill it with fishrdquo shares Taneja who also thinly slices and tosses it with carrots Belgian endives and fennel bulbs for a salad onthego ldquoPick a star fruit that is not overripe or plump because it loses its sweetness by then Use one with a firm texturerdquoChef Himanshu Taneja PicsDatta KumbharIngredients1 large carrot peeled and trimmed1Star Fruit1 bulb fennel2 number Baby radishes1 head romaine lettuce2 white Belgian endives6 Tablespoons extravirgin olive oilJuice of 1 lemon about 2 tablespoonsSea salt and ground black pepperSmall bunch fresh dill choppedMethodPeel all vegetable like a ribbon carrot fennel including the greens and radishes Hold all vegetables in ice cold water for minutes so they become crispy Drin and pat dry on kitchen towel Roughly chop both the lettuces Make a refreshing dressing by mixing Olive oil lemon juice salt black pepper and chopped dill Thinly slice star fruit and refrigerate itIn a bowl mix all ribbon vegetable lettuce and dressing Place it in center of place Add little dressing on star fruit and arrange it nicely over salad Serve coldJungle Jalebi Pithecellobium dulceThe twist Jungle Jalebi MargaritaPicsSneha KharabeJungle Jalebi derives its name from coils of fuchsiagreen pods encasing white beady fruit with black seeds The tree is native to the tropics and now found in the Indian wilderness It goes by various monikers mdash Camachile Ganga Imli Kodukka Puli Tamil and Manila Tamarind With a mild sweet and sour taste and a paperlike texture its use in food is restricted to meat dishes but Jungle Jalebi lends itself well to drinks as celebrated mixologist Binny Dadwal found out ldquoIt gave a nice dry texture to the margarita I ground the beads into a puree and mixed it with tequila Cointreau and lime juice I will use this ingredient nowrdquo says the managing director of Drinq Bar AcademyIngredients50ml Tequila20ml lime juice20ml Jungle Jalebi puree10ml cointreauDash of chilli powderRim of chat masalaMethod Rim the glass with chat masala take shaker add all ingredients in it shake it hard and strain it in margarita glassImli tamarindThe twist Rare Yellowfin Tuna With Soba Noodles Tamarind Miso GlazeChef Nitin Kulkarni PicsBipin KokateTamarind is used across communities Maharashtrians use it in their dals Itrsquos a staple in seafood gravies of Karnataka and the entire southern belt infuses sambhar and rasam with the souring agent ldquoYou can buy it now and stock it for the whole year Pick the variety with thin skin light brown colour and moderately sour tasterdquo shares chef Nitin Kulkarni of The Clearing House Though it isnrsquot on the Ballard Estate restaurantrsquos menu currently the chef mixes fresh tamarind pulp with honey and miso paste to create a glaze for a yellowfin tuna dish ldquoCombine tamarind with sweet ingredients and a hint of spice The sour ingredient caramelises the sweet This enhances its flavour toordquo he sharesIngredients Yellow fin tuna sushi grade 300 gms Soba noodles 60 gms Dark miso paste 15 gms Light soya 60 ml Tamarind pulp 10 gms Finely chopped ginger 5 gms Deseeded Thai chili frac12 nos Honey 10 gms Olive oil 30 ml Sea salt 15 gms Crushed black pepper 15 gms Pickled ginger 5 gms Red radish 2 nos Straw mushrooms 2 nos Microgreens few sprigsMethod Clean and pat dry the tuna loin Rub it with a mixture of sea salt and crushed black pepper Let it rest for 20 minutes In the meantime soak the tamarind in cold water to remove the pulp Combine the tamarind pulp miso paste finely chopped Thai chili ginger honey and light soya and bring it to one boil Strain the mixture with a fine strainer and cool at room temperature Remove the sea salt and black pepper from the tuna loin using a kitchen towel and marinate evenly with the tamarind miso glaze made in the previous step and refrigerate for at least one hour Boil the soba noodles in salt and boiling water till it turns soft Strain the boiling water and shock the noodles in an ice bath to cool them instantly In a hot sauteacute pan sear the straw mushrooms in olive oil Combine the mushrooms with chilled soba noodles and wedges of red radish and juliennes of pickled ginger Season the noodles and place it on a serving dish Remove the marinated tuna loin from the fridge slice it evenly and place the slices to the side of the soba noodles or as you wish Drizzle a little tamarind miso glaze on the plate and garnish with microgreensAmla gooseberryThe twist Victoria Sandwich With Strawberry Amla And Ginger JamAmla juice may have been part of your grandmotherrsquos nuskas but ever tried the fruit in a cake Twentysixyearold food writer Ankiet Gulabani experiments with it in a jam infused with ginger cloves and strawberry The slightly runny mix is sandwiched in a Victoria sponge cake ldquoItrsquos a simple pound cake Amla has pectin so the jam sets well Buy the fruit thatrsquos greenishyellow in colour and ensure the piece is not damaged You can also make a sabzi out of itrdquoIngredientsFor the cakes Salted Butter 175g softened plus extra for greasing I never bother with unsaltedCaster sugar 175gEggs 3Selfraising flour 175g if you dont have selfraising flour make your own To every cup of maida whisk in 1 12 tsp baking powderBaking powder 1 tsp Salt a pinchMilk 2 tbspFor the filling Nondairy whipping cream 110ml Richs cream or TropoliteStrawberries 1 cup chopped into small pieces Amla 1 cup cut around the seed chopped into small pieces Ginger 2 tsp Sugar 1 and 34th cup Clove 18 tsp toasted then powdered optionalMethodPreheat the oven to 180 degrees celsius regular or 160 degrees celsius fan Grease the insides of two round cake tins and line the bases with baking paperStart by creaming the butter and sugar till light and fluffy Whisk all the eggs together and slowly add them to the butter and sugar mixture beating it in In another mixing bowl add the flour and baking powder and run a whisk through it a few times Add the flour to the buttersugareggs mixture splash in the milk and fold gently to incorporate everything together Divide the batter between the two cake tins and place in the oven to bake for 1820 minutes or until a skewer inserted in the centre comes out clean or when it is springy to touch Let the cakes cool in their tins for 10 minutes before running a knife around the cake to loosen it from the edges of the tin Remove the cakes from the mould and let them cool completely For the jam set a plate with spoons in the freezer Next in a medium sized heavy bottomed pan add the chopped strawberries amla the cloves optional and ginger Let it cook over high heat till it has almost disintegrated Add in the sugar and stir at intervals till the jam starts to foam At this stage you want to spoon a bit out into one of the metal spoons and let it sit in the freezer for five minutes After five minutes youll be able to tell what the final texture will be like For this cake make a slightly runny jam because its like a delicious sauce Keep testing every five minutes till you reach the desired consistency Lower the heat if necessary you dont want any scorching to happen Decant the hot jam in sterilised jars remove any air bubbles that rise to the top as it cools then bottle the cooled jam and use as needed Thaw the whipping cream for ten minutes then empty it into a mixing bowl and using a handmixer whisk the cream to stiff peaks Trim the cakes if necessary and once you have two uniform flat layers lay one of them on a plate and slather on a thick layer of the cream Spoon over about 4 heaped table spoonfuls of the jam on top of the cream and sandwich with the second layer Dust the top of the cake with some icing sugar and finish with strawberriesBer jujubeThe twist Jujube Tea CocktailIf you can get past its cloyingly sweet smell and bite into a ripe ber yoursquoll discover that the fruit is a good sleeping aid Itrsquos even considered a rich source of iron and phosphorous which helps maintain your RBC count So Dadwal decides to create a warm medicinal cocktail out of it He picks the semiripe orangered variety instead of raw green and blush red ripe ones ldquoFully ripe ones are too sour and stickyrdquo he says as he goes on to create a whiskeybased concoction with the muddled fruit pear ginger and cinnamon sticks which mask the fruitrsquos smell tooIngredients50ml ScotchFew jujube fruitCinnamon sticks freshPear GingerSugar for tasteMethod Boil all ingredients without scotch and double strain in cup Serve hot with whiskey on sideKachi kairi raw mangoThe twist Raw Mango CurdWith the onset of summer Vitamin Crich raw mangoes have begun cropping up across the city While pickles and aam pannas are the traditional recipes for enjoying the fruit Ankiet Gulabani above inset suggests an exotic creamy curd using a mediumsized tender raw mango butter sugar and an egg yolk ldquoIt comes together in 15 minutes itrsquos a real game changer You can enjoy this with shortbread biscuits or spread over toastrdquo he saysIngredientsRaw Mango 1 mediumsized finely gratedButter 75gCaster sugar 150gEggs 2Egg Yolk 1Method In a saucepan put the butter sugar raw mango over a low heat till all the butter has melted Stir it a few times Beat together the eggs and the egg yolk vigorously Take the pan off the heat and pour in the beaten eggs stirring all the time to prevent the mixture from scrambling If it does scramble dont worry you can still push it through a sieve Let the mixture thicken till it coats the back of a spoon Once it does remove from the heat and pour it into a sterilised jar and let it cool Enjoy this with shortbread biscuits or spread over toast