Bowlful of taste: ten bowl recipes from chefs

Aesthetically placed coloured ingredients with compatible flavours in a bowl is a sight to behold. Create your own artsy bowl with some help from these chefs.

Mexican rice bowl

Ingredients

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• Basmati rice, steamed: 1 cup
• Butter: 1 teaspoon
• Onion, chopped: 2 tablespoons
• Garlic, chopped: 1 teaspoon
• Tomato, blanched and chopped: 2 tablespoons
• Cajun spice mix: 1 tablespoons
• Salt: ½ a teaspoon
• Jalapeno, chopped: 1 tablespoon
• Black pepper, crushed: 1/4 teaspoon
• Coriander, chopped: 2 tablespoons

Method

Boil rice, drain and keep aside. Heat oil and sauté chopped onion and garlic. Add tomato salsa, chopped jalapenos, chopped coriander, salt and black pepper. Toss well with Cajun spice mix and adjust seasoning. Add freshly chopped coriander and toss well. Keep aside.

– By Swasti Aggarwal, Food Strategist, Foodhall

Porridge Buddha bowl

Ingredients

• Porridge: 3/4 cup
• Garlic: 3 medium cloves
• Pineapple slices: 4 to 5 (preferably fresh, not canned. In case you are using canned pineapple, be sure to use as little sugar syrup as possible)
• Tomatoes, medium: 2
• Egg: 1
• Salt: to taste
• Balsamic vinegar: 1 tablespoon
• Olive oil: 1 teaspoon

Method

Soak the porridge in water for half an hour. In a pressure cooker, add the soaked porridge and just enough water to cover the porridge. Cook for five minutes and turn off after one whistle. Let the steam off, and let it cool down for five minutes. This will ensure your porridge is slightly crunchy and yet cooked. Meanwhile, wash and chop the tomatoes into big chunks. Heat a pan and dry char the tomatoes for two minutes. Remove and put aside. Wash and chop the pineapple slices. Add to the pan, warm and char for three-four minutes and remove from the heat. Peel and finely chop the garlic.

Add ½ a teaspoon olive oil in the pan, add the chopped garlic and cook till brown and fragrant. Add the cooked porridge, stir and cook for two minutes. Add salt, if required. Transfer to the bowl. Add the remaining ½ teaspoon olive oil to the pan. Break the egg and cook till it is crispy. Add to the bowl and drizzle some balsamic vinegar on top.

– By Isha Saxena, Food Blogger, Chompslurrpburp

Vegetarian poke bowl

Ingredients

• Sushi rice: 150 gm
• Teriyaki tofu: 100 gm
• Soy sauce & wasabi dressing: 30 gm
• Avocado: 1-2
• Pickled ginger: 10 gm
• Cucumber chunks: 30 gm

Garnishing: Spring onion, chopped; Shichimi Togarashi; Sesame seeds, mixed

Method

To assemble, first place the rice into your serving bowls. Arrange the remaining ingredients on top – tofu, cucumber, ginger pickle, avocado slices. Garnish with scallions, Arqa Shichimi Togarashi and toasted sesame seeds. When ready to eat, pour the sauce in and toss to mix well. Serve immediately.

– By Swasti Aggarwal, Food Strategist, Foodhall

Vegetable Fujian rice bowl

Ingredients

• Jasmine rice, cooked: 150 gm
• Sweet corn: 25 gm
• Carrot: 25 gm
• Green peas: 20 gm
• Water chestnut: 20 gm
• Shitake mushrooms: 10 gm
• Oyster sauce: 1 tablespoon
• Sesame oil: 1 teaspoon
• Stock: 100 ml
• Shaoshing wine: 1 teaspoon
• Dark soy sauce: 1 teaspoon
• Light soy sauce: 1 tablespoon
• Kikkoman soy sauce: 1 teaspoon
• Spring onion, chopped: for garnish
• Salt, pepper and sugar: to taste
• Potato starch: 1 tablespoon
• Burnt garlic: 25 gm
• Garlic: 10 gm
• Ginger: 10 gm

Method

Firstly, season the wok with oil and make fried rice with jasmine rice, burnt garlic, oyster sauce, light soy sauce, Kikkoman soy sauce, dark soy sauce, and seasoning (salt, pepper and sugar). Now put it in a portion bowl and de mould in the plate. Heat oil a wok and sauté ginger and garlic. Toss blanched carrot, green peas, sweet corn, water chestnut, shitake mushroom and add stock. Let it get cooked at a high flame, and add oyster sauce, dark and light soy sauce, sesame oil, shaoshing wine, Kikkoman soy sauce. Season it with salt, pepper, sugar and thicken it with potato starch.

Now finally pour it over the de moulded rice in the plate and serve it hot garnished with spring onion.

– By Chef Vikas Rane, Hotel Sahara Star, Mumbai

Hot pot udon noodle chicken soup

Ingredients

• Udon noodles: 100 gm
• Chicken breast, sliced: 50 gm
• Broccoli: 25 gm
• Carrot: 25 gm
• Chinese cabbage: 20 gm
• Pokchoy: 20 gm
• Shitake mushroom: 10 gm
• Oyster sauce: 1 tablespoon
• Seasame oil: 1 teaspoon
• Snow peas: 20 gm
• Stock: 150 ml
• Shaoshing wine: 1 teaspoon
• Enoki mushroom: 25 gm
• Light soy sauce: 1 tablespoon
• Kikkoman soy sauce: 1 teaspoon
• Spring onion, chopped: for garnish
• Salt, pepper and sugar, to taste
• Potato starch: 1 tablespoon, to thicken
• Burnt garlic: 25 gm
• Garlic: 10 gm
• Ginger: 10 gm
• Celery: 10 gm
• Celery leaves: for garnish

Method

Sauté ginger, garlic and celery with all the given vegetables and mushroom. Now add the stock and let it simmer for a while. Add the thin slices of chicken breast and let it get cooked. Meanwhile season it with light and dark soy sauce, oyster sauce, Kikkoman soy sauce, sesame oil and shaoshing wine. Thicken it slightly with potato starch and check for the seasoning. Now boil the blanched udon noodle separately and put it on a serving bowl, and pour in the above made soup over it. Finally serve it garnished with celery leaf, spring onion and burnt garlic.

– By Chef Vikas Rane, Hotel Sahara Star, Mumbai

Fattoush salad

Ingredients

• Cucumber, diced: 30 gm
• Yellow peppers, diced: 30 gm
• Onions, diced: 30gm
• Tomatoes or cherry tomatoes, diced: 30gm
• Iceberg lettuce: 30gm
• Romaine lettuce: 30 gm
• Sesame seeds: 2 gm (roast it lightly)
• Chilli flakes: 2 gm
• Olive oil: 15 ml
• Lemon juice: 1 ml
• Date vinegar: 10 ml
• Brown sugar: 2 gm
• Feta: 30 gm
• Crispy lavache: 30 gm
• Salt, to taste

Method

Mix all the ingredients in a bowl. Add lavache to the salad before serving. Garnish with chopped parsley.

– By Sejal Shah, Co-owner and head chef at MAIA-Bangalore

Roast pumpkin soup

Ingredients

• Yellow Pumpkin: 1.25 kg
• Garlic: 15 gm
• Ginger: 15 gm
• Sage: 05 gm
• Onion: 200 gm
• Leeks: 100 gm
• Celery: 100 gm
• Carrots: 100 gm
• Thyme: 2.5 gm
• Pumpkin seeds: 20 gm
• Butter: 50 gm
• Cream: 125 ml
• Oil: 100 ml
• Black Pepper: 10 gm
• Mustard Paste: 15 gm

Method

Peel the pumpkin. Marinate the peeled pumpkin with chopped garlic, ginger, oil, salt, thyme, sage, onion and carrots. Prepare 250 ml vegetable stock with vegetable trimmings, black pepper and bay leaf. Slow roast the mixture at 130°C for an hour. In a pan, melt half the butter and add the sliced leeks and celery. Add the roasted pumpkin mixture and sauté for a couple of minutes. Season with salt and black pepper (powdered). Cool the entire mixture and blend to a fine puree. Strain and heat with 500 ml of vegetable stock. Season with salt and black pepper. Finish with remaining butter and cream. Add in the Mustard Paste and serve hot with micro greens and toasted pumpkin seeds.

– by Sejal Shah, Co-owner and head chef at MAIA-Bangalore

Chilli-garlic tofu noodle bowls with crispy okra

For chilli paste

• Red chilli: 1
• Garlic, peeled: 3 cloves
• Ginger, peeled: 1- inch piece
• Spring Onions, trimmed and quartered: 3
• Sriracha: 3 tablespoons
• Brown sugar: 2 tablespoons
• Lime zest and juice: 1 lime

For stir fry

• Oil: 1 tablespoon
• Star anise: 1
• Broccoli florets: 100 gm
• Mushrooms, sliced: handful
• Mange tout/ snow peas: 40 gm
• Beansprouts: 50 gm
• Red chilli:1
• Light soy sauce: 4 tablespoons
• Golden tofu puffs: 200 gm
• Sriracha: 3 tablespoons
• Cooked noodles: 200 gm
• Salt: to taste

For crispy okra

• Okra, sliced into long thin strips: 100 gm
• Corn flour: 1 teaspoon

For garnish: Thai basil leaves: 50 gm

Method

Cut the okra into long, thin strips, place onto a plate and dust over the corn flour. Stir to combine and set aside for 5 minutes. Heat the oil in a pan.

Once hot, turn the heat down and very carefully add in the Thai basil. It will crackle and split in the first 30 seconds, so stand right back. Be super careful even once it stops crackling. Fry until deep green and crispy.

Remove from the oil with a slotted spoon and place onto a place lined with kitchen paper. Next, turn the heat up on the oil again and add in the okra. Don’t move them around in the first minute in order to let the corn flour set. Cook for 3-4 minutes, then remove and place onto the kitchen paper with the Thai basil. Set aside. Blend together all the ingredients for the chilli paste. Heat the oil in the wok, add the chilli paste and star anise. Cook on a medium heat for 5 minutes, stirring all the time. Add in the broccoli, soy sauce and extra Sriracha. Next, add the rest of the vegetables except the beansprouts and chilli. Stir fry for 3-4 minutes on a high heat. Add the tofu puffs and sauté for another few minutes, adding a little water if it seems dry. Add the cooked noodles, beansprouts and chilli, stirring to combine. Stir fry for 3-4 minutes and remove from the heat. Serve immediately, topped with crispy okra and Thai basil.

– by Sanjana Modha, Food blogger at Korasoi.com

Power smoothie bowl

For smoothie

• Frozen blueberries: 1 and a ½ cup
• Frozen raspberries: ½ a cup
• Ripe bananas, sliced: 2
• Almond milk: 1 cup

For toppings

• Chopped mangoes, kiwis and strawberries
• Toasted almonds
• Chia seeds

Method

Add all ingredients for smoothie and blend until smooth and creamy. Add more milk to thin it down or vice versa. Taste test and make adjustments to the consistency if needed. Put the smoothie in the bowl and serve it with the toppings. You can customise the toppings according to your preference.

– by Khushboo Kothari, Blogger at carveyourcraving.com

Roasted beetroot and burrata salad

Ingredients

• Roasted beetroot, cut in cubes: 90 gm
• Burrata Cheese: 60 gm
• Ruccola leaves: 45 gm

Garnishing

• Orange juice: 1 cup
• Cumin powder: a pinch
• Coriander powder: 2 gm
• Balsamic vinegar: 1 teaspoon
• Orange zest: 1 gm
• Olive oil: 10ml
• Sugar: ¼ teaspoon

Method

Boil Orange juice and balsamic vinegar and let it reduce to half. Add cumin, coriander powder and sugar. Let it cool down and then add oil and whisk it. Now pour this on the roasted beetroot cubes, with Ruccola leaves and burrata cheese and serve.

– by Sejal Shah, Co-owner and head chef at MAIA-Bangalore

From the August–September 2018 issue of FHM India.