“Food in Bengal is both deeply hedonistic and spiritual. We offer it to our guests and our gods with undivided devotion. And, in turn, we let the flavors feed our soul and our emotions in equal measure“. In his latest book, Cooking Up Culinary Adventures, well-known film director and novelist, Jayabrato Chatterjee writes about the various myths and stories behind Bengal’s diverse culinary styles. Presented by Harshavardhan Neotia, Chairman of Ambuja Neotia Group, Cooking up Culinary Adventures is the crystallization of more than a year’s research by Jayabrato Chatterjee. “The book traces the genesis of Bengal’s traditional food influences and rekindles the nostalgia of grandma’s recipes through a rigorously researched time travel into the kitchens of its varied communities and foreign settlers.” says Neotia.
Cocktail Masterclass with USL-Diageo + Recipes
Last week, I attended a fun event at Shisha Bar Stock Exchange. Shantanu Sengupta, United Spirits Brand Ambassador took an exciting cocktail making masterclass for us bloggers and the theme was cricket. We learned how to make cocktails such as ‘Smirnoff PowerPlay’ and ‘Summer Cricket’ and also got to play the role of a mixologist! I created Smirnoff Cool Off, a refreshing drink made with Smirnoff 21, lychee juice, cranberry juice, lime water and rose water. And if I may add, did a pretty good job 🙂
Shantanu was a very good teacher explaining to us the nuances of making and serving cocktails – sharing tips and tricks on how to pour a drink, how to stir properly and how to taste a drink before serving to someone else. The best part about the session was that he chose cocktails which don’t require too many ingredients, are very easy to make and apt for summer.
Here are a few recipes if you want to try your hand at making some delicious cocktails at home.
Cooking With Beer – Five Easy Recipes
Hiya everyone! I had asked on my Facebook page if you would be interested to know about recipes and you guys said yes, so here is the post. These recipes are very interesting because they all have a common ingredient – beer and they are very easy to make! Beer contains barley and hops so it imparts a subtle sweetness that accentuates the flavor of meat, vegetables, fish and even desserts. If you have never used beer in your food before, do experiment and let me know how they turn out 🙂
Thank you Molson Coors Cobra India for sharing the recipes.
Beer Batter for Onion Rings
- ¼ Cup. flour
- ¼ Cup. cornstarch
- ¼ Cup. beer
- ¼ tsp. pepper
- ½ tsp. seasoning salt
- ¼ tsp. paprika
- 2 egg whites, beaten
- Onions, sliced as rings
Combine first six ingredients in a small bowl. Fold in beaten egg whites into batter. Dip onion rings into batter and then deep fry until golden.
Beer Battered Fish
- ¾ Cup. beer
- 2 eggs, separated
- ¾ Cup. flour
- ¾ tsp. salt
- 1 ½ tsp. vegetable oil
- ¼ tsp. garlic powder
- Shortening
- 25 to 30 pan fish
Let beer stand at room temperature until it goes flat (approximately 45 minutes). Beat egg whites until stiff. In a separate bowl, beat the beer, flour, salt, oil and egg yolks together until smooth. Fold in egg whites. Dip each fillet in the batter separately and then fry in melted shortening, about 5 to 7 minutes until brown. Turn and brown other side.
- Beer Battered Fried Vegetables
Beer Battered Fried Vegetables
- 2 Cup. all-purpose flour
- 1 ½ Cup. beer
- 2 eggs
- 1 Cup. milk
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 2 Cup. vegetable oil for frying
- 1 carrot, cut into thick strips
- 1 onion, sliced into rings
- 6 fresh mushrooms, stems removed
- 1 green bell pepper, sliced in rings
In a medium bowl, mix together 1 ½ cups flour and beer with a wooden spoon; let stand for at least 3 hours at room temperature. Mix eggs and milk in a small bowl. In a separate bowl, mix together ½ cup flour, salt and pepper. Heat oil to 375°. Dip each vegetable in the egg and milk mixture. Next, dip the vegetable into the flour and seasoning mixture; finally dip the vegetable in the beer and flour mixture. Place the vegetables into the oil and fry until golden brown.
Deep Fried Beer Chicken
- 1 ½ Cup. flour
- 1 T. margarine, melted
- 1 egg, beaten
- 1 Cup. flat beer, room temp.
- 2 lbs. chicken, cut, washed and patted dry
- Oil for deep frying
At least 4 hours before cooking (can be done night before), mix flour, margarine, egg and sufficient beer to make a thick paste. Spread over chicken parts; cover and refrigerate. Heat 2” to 3” oil in deep fryer to 365°. Fry chicken pieces, a few at a time, for 15-20 minutes or until golden brown. Be sure to move the pieces around in the oil so they do not stick, but turn them carefully so the coating does not break off. Drain on paper towel before serving.
Easy Beer and Ketchup Meatballs
- 1-28 oz. bottle ketchup
- 24 oz. beer
- 1 ½ lbs. ground beef
- 2 tsp. garlic powder
- 1 onion, chopped
Preheat oven to 400°. Place the beer and ketchup in a slow cooker on high setting and allow to simmer. Meanwhile, in a large bowl, combine the ground beef, garlic powder and onion, mixing well. Form mixture into meatballs about ¾” in diameter. Place meatballs in a 9 x 13” baking dish. Bake at 400° for 20 minutes. Transfer meatballs to the slow cooker with the beer and ketchup and simmer for 3 hours; sauce will thicken.