Swedish food mafia

Inside the Sweden diplomatic compound in Mumbai a young and passionate intern is cooking up a storm during the lockdown What started as an experiment on May 2 has now evolved into a fun cooking series that celebrates Swedish food culture and historyThe Swedish Cooking series was initiated by the Consulate offices cultural affairs officer Renisa Dsouza We were looking for new ways to exhibit and promote Swedish culture as it is one of our core missions Online channels have now become essential for engaging with our connections so we decided to start a social media series to feature Swedens food culture and history says Anna Lekvall Consul General Consulate General of Sweden MumbaiJohan RudhagSwedish cuisine hinges on healthy local produce while certain preparation methods trace their origins to the Viking era The countrys best culinary treasures have always come from the forest and the sea The idea is to share all these culinary secrets with Indian followers via Instagram and Facebook Swedish food culture is constantly evolving with sustainability and innovation as the key focus For example the popular New Nordic Cuisine promotes the traditional Scandinavian recipes for fish and meat building on the use of local products while reviving and adapting some of the older techniques like marinating smoking and salting Lekvall addsJohan Rudhag 24 who joined the office as an intern in January this year seemed to be the perfect choice to host the online series Rudhag who is currently pursuing a Bachelors in Business amp Economics at the Lund University in South Sweden says I remember helping my parents cook weekend dinners when I was six Since then my interest has only peaked During this pandemic I think the best thing to do is cheer up people in any way you canAnna LekvallUnfortunately the pandemic cut short Rudhags India stint and he returned home in March But he continues to create cooking videos from Sweden which are released every week in India Swedes love food We have public holidays even to celebrate specific dishes So certain bits of the series have been planned around those days while the rest cover popular and traditional dishes Rudhag addsHe says all his recipes can be easily executed by any Indian chef in lockdown Swedish food in general is easy to make The procedures are straightforward and do not involve too many steps The ingredients are also available in Mumbai otherwise you can always use substitutesThe ongoing series will conclude on June 27Swedish Cinnamon Buns KanelbullarHistory Kanelbullar are an integral part of the Swedish culture enjoyed at parties and Fikasmdashthe traditional Swedish coffee breaks The buns are so popular that October 4 is celebrated as Cinnamon Bun Day in SwedenYield Approx 20 cinnamon bunsDuration 2 hrIngredientsDough 25g yeast 50g butter 300ml milk 45g granulated sugar frac12 tsp salt frac12 tbsp ground cardamom 500g wheat flourFilling 50 g butter 2 tsp ground cinnamon 45g granulated sugarCoating 12 eggs and pearl sugarMethodDough Crumble the yeast into a bowl Melt the butter in a pot add the milk and warm it up on a low heat until lukewarm 37degC Add a bit of the liquid from the pot onto the yeast and stir until the yeast has dissolved Add the rest of the liquid cardamom sugar salt and almost all the wheat flour save a little bit for kneading the dough Knead the dough by hand until smooth and flexible or by using an electronic dough mixer until the dough does not stick to the bowl anymore Cover the bowl with a cloth and leave to raise for 30 minutesFilling Mix the sugar and cinnamon into the butter until fully incorporatedKnead the dough on a floured surface Using a rolling pin shape the dough into a rectangle shape approximately 30 x 40 cm in size Use a butter knife to spread the filling onto the dough Roll the dough up tightly from the long end of the rectangle Cut the roll into 2 cm wide pieces Put a piece of parchment paper on a baking tray Place the pieces cut side up on the parchment paper Cover with cloth and let buns raise for another 20 minutesCoating Whisk the egg in a bowl and then brush the buns with the egg Sprinkle some pearl sugar on top of the buns Bake in the oven at 250degC around 8 minutes until nicely golden brown When the cinnamon buns are done place them on an oven rack to cool slightly before eating or storingSwedish meatballs KoIgravettbullarHistory KoIgravettbullar is the most popular dish based on an 18th century recipe from Turkey introduced by the Swedish King Charles XII The dish is traditionally made with one or two grounded meat varieties tightly rolled with local herbs and served with lingonberry jam mashed potatoes and pickled veggies such as cucumbersYield 4 portionsDuration 130 hrIngredientsMeatballs 700g minced meat 1 onion 1 tbsp Dijon mustard 38g bread crumbs 1 egg 200ml heavy cream salt and pepper to taste and butter for fryingMashed potatoes 700g of potatoes 75g butter 100ml heavy cream finely ground white pepper pickled cucumber 1 cucumber frac12 teaspoon salt 2 tbsp white vinegar 750ml water 3 tbsp granulated sugar 25g fresh flat leaf parsleySweetened lingonberries 300g lingonberries can be substituted for cranberries or red currant 85g granulated sugarCream sauce 200ml stock and 200ml heavy creamMethodPickled cucumber Mix salt vinegar water sugar and chopped parsley in a bowl until the sugar dissolves Slice the using a mandolin or a knife Put the slices in a bowl and pour the pickling liquid over it Cover with plastic wrap and leave to soak for a few hours before servingSweetened lingonberries Mix berries and sugar in a bowl until sugar is dissolved Cover and leave until ready to serveMeatballs Mix the bread crumbs salt and pepper in a bowl Pour the heavy cream over the bread crumbs and mix Leave to soak for a few minutes until most of the liquid has been absorbed by the bread crumbs Peel the onion and grate finely on a grater Mix the grated onion with bread crumbs mixture minced meat dijon mustard and egg Fill a bowl with water and put a piece of parchment paper on an oven tray Dip your hands in the water and shape the minced meat mixture into balls and transfer to the oven tray Whenever you feel like the mince starts to stick to your hands dip hands in the water againMashed potatoes Peel potatoes and cook until soft in lightly salted water When soft pour out the cooking water and mash with a potato masher or fork Gradually mix in butter and heavy cream To finish add salt and white pepper to tasteMelt some butter in a frying pan When the butter stops sizzling add the meatballs to the pan in batches Let fry on one side until the meatballs have a nice golden brown surface then flip and fry on the opposite side as wellCream sauce Once you have fried all the meatballs pour the stock and heavy cream into the pan and scrape the bottom of the pan to incorporate the flavours from the meatballs into the sauce Bring to the boil and then lower to a medium heat Let the sauce simmer until it has thickened slightly stirring occasionallyServe the meatballs with the mashed potatoes pour some sauce on top and put some pickled cucumber and sweetened lingonberries on the sideCatch up on all the latest Mumbai news crime news current affairs and a complete guide from food to things to do and events across Mumbai Also download the new midday Android and iOS apps to get latest updates MidDay is now on Telegram Click here to join our channel middayinfomedialtd and stay updated with the latest news