I have to begin by thanking God to present me with the most wonderful opportunity to be a part of this amazing show called “Master Chef- Season 3” on Fox. It was such an honor to cook for great chefs like Gordon Ramsay, Joe Bastianich and Graham Elliot who are so encouraging. They are my mentors and I derive so much inspiration from them.
It has been so much fun to have met the most amazing group of 100 people who are talented and have such passion for food. I enjoyed every second of being on Master Chef- Season 3 and please read my blog for more updates as you watch the show.
Master Chef – Season 3 comes back with a two-night season premiere event on Monday, June 4(9:00-10:00 PM ET/PT) and Tuesday, June 5 (9:00-10:00 PM ET/PT) on FOX.
I was blessed to be chosen from the 30,000 hopefuls who auditioned at MASTERCHEF’s open casting calls all over the country, as one of the Top 100 amateur chefs to be given an opportunity to cook my signature dish for the one and only Gordon Ramsay!!
Here goes the first press release/ announcement by Master chef where the top 100 contestants are revealed. You can spot me on Page 4 under New Jersey:)
Join me on this culinary journey where I share my experiences, some clicks with my friends and to see if this New Jersey mom of 2 little girls made it to the top 36?????
Tune in to my blog to look up my new posts filled with experiences from the sets of Master Chef once the show airs!
Mango Coconut Soup, yes you heard it right. I loveeeeeeee mangoes and my husband just got me a bagful the other day. Perfect excuse to tell him that the mangoes are going to go bad and have to be used in a “wise” manner so that they don’t get rotten over time 🙂
I learnt to make this recipe from my mom and for some reason she said the perfect combination of a vegetable is spicy eggplant! I have added my twist to the recipe. I also love bulgur wheat because it’s so much better and healthier than rice. To be completely honest, I developed or acquired the taste for bulgur wheat but once you eat it a couple times, it gives you the same satisfaction as rice! I think you must definitely consider substituting bulgur wheat for rice and you will thank me one day:)
Ok I hope I am doing a good job writing this because at the moment my second daughter is playing drums on my head and my older one s sleeping on me. I am stuck either ways so decided to share this recipe with you !
1/4tsp fenugreek seeds(if you have it, this gives such flavor! else u can skip this)
1 Red Chilli 🙂 as per individual spice level(you can take off the seeds if you like less spice)
Nandini’s tip: 1 tbsp Sour cream (my twist to make it creamy and a tablespoon doesn’t hurt-Moderation people:) that’s the key)
1/4 cup low fat or fat free yogurt (you can use greek yogurt for richness/ creamy consistency)
Canola Oil
Salt to taste
Preparation
Take a pan, add 3 teaspoon of canola oil and to it add cumin seeds, red chilli, salt, fenugreek seeds and grated coconut(fresh or frozen). Saute till coconut starts turning brown. You will definitely know since the flavors will fill up your kitchen:) I promise!
Blend this coconut cumin fenugreek mixture in a blender to a smooth consistency.
Cut your mangoes and take the pulp and puree it. You can also use the store bought mango puree’.
Now transfer the mango puree’ onto a crock pot and start cooking on a low flame till it starts simmering, stirring intermittently.
Whisk up some yoghurt and sour cream in a bowl or put it in a blender and blend it!
Now transfer the blended mixture of coconut paste and the yogurt-sour cream mixture onto the simmering mango pulp.
Check if you have added enough salt at this point. Add more if required and wait till it starts boiling. Your Mango Coconut Soup is almost ready…..
Most importantly, cook this on a low flame so the yogurt sour cream mixture does not curdle so be very patient !
Take a small pan add some oil and add mustard seeds till it sputters. Use this to garnish the final Mango Coconut Soup.
Tranfer to a bowl and enjoy my currylicious Mango Coconut Soup.
Now if you cannot get hold of grated coconut, just use coconut milk instead and works perfect!
For the spicy baked Egg plant:
Ingredients
1/4 Large Eggplant
1 tsp cayenne powder
1 tsp lemon pepper powder
Salt to taste
1/4 tsp Garam Masala
Canola Oil
Preparation:
Chop the eggplant into approximately equal cubes so they cook evenly.
Transfer the eggplant cubes to a baking pan with some oil in it. Add all the spices/ powders on top of the eggplant and mix well so they are evenly coated. Place in an oven at 350 degrees for about 10-15 minutes.
I received so much great feedback from my “Absolutely healthy Cauliflower dish” that it inspired me to make another one- this even better because of the coriander yogurt sauce.
The recipe is very similar but this time with a slight variation. I place the cauli florets in a baking pan along with Pecans and then sprinkle some salt, 2 tsp of turmeric, 1 tsp of chilli powder and 1 tsp cumin – coriander powder. Bake at 400 degrees for 15 minutes. Heat a pan with oil, add chopped onions and 4-5 cloves garlic with salt and sauté till they caramelize. Transfer the toasted pecans and the florets on to the pan with Caramelized onions and garlic.
For the sauce, chop a bunch of coriander leaves/ cilantro and put it in a blender with yogurt. Blend to a smooth consistency and add salt to taste. Now transfer the green sauce to pan with cauliflower, onions and pecans. Plate and Enjoy!!!!! Absolutely healthy yet delicioussssss:)
