Slurrp Exclusive- Chef Shamsul Shares Two Of His Favourite Recipes
Image Credit: Pepper Roast Momos from Smoke House Deli

Chef Shamsul Wahid, who joined Impresario Handmade Restaurants as a Sous Chef, is today Group Executive Chef- Impresario Handmade Restaurants.  He loves to follow a holistic approach to cooking with the aim of adding a twist to his dishes when it comes to the menu at Social and Smoke House Deli. Under his culinary vision, the menus have evolved over the past few years with a constant endeavour to push the bar with the latest food trends. Apart from his skills, it’s his ability to comprehend these food trends and behaviours that help him stay a step ahead.

Roast Pepper Momos

Chef Shamsul says “The idea came across when all of us Chefs were checking out the local cuisines in Bangalore when we were about to open one of the outlets here. The lovely masalas of the pepper roast were almost addictive to the extent that we were ordering it every day. Parallelly, our momo section was doing really well across all regions and we wanted to put something really different in the momo section of our menu. We thought Pepper Roasted Momos would be a really fun addition to the menu. So, we tried it out a number of times in our trials in Delhi, but things did not fit as something always felt amiss. The masalas were there but the slight tang and the way the tang balanced the rest of masalas was just missing. So we asked a couple of veterans and some of our South Indian Chefs in Bangalore and discovered the difference really was in the pepper. Saurabh, our Head Chef for South India, finally helped us with the last piece of the puzzle :  The vinegar which takes the whole dish to a different level altogether!

Ingredients

    50gms Kashmiri Chilli        

    30gms Coriander Seeds        

    10gms JEERA SEEDS        

    10gms Black Pepper Seeds        

    5gms Cloves    

    5 gms Cinamon Stick    

    5 gms Green Cadamon        

    50 gms Staff Rice        

    5 gms Turmeric Powder        

    1 gms Rose Petal    

    5 gms Stone Flower    

    5 gms Marati Moggu    

Method:

    Steam the momos till almost done

    In a heavy base pan, add coconut oil

    Put in the momos and sear on all sides

    Add in curry leaves and mustard seeds and toss along with the momos

    Add powdered spices and continue to toss with momos

    Add Kachampuli Vinegar to deglaze the pan

    Then, add butter to finish off and glaze the momos

    Serve Hot

Chilli Crusted Cobbler

This has been on the menu at Smoke House Deli for almost 12 years and will probably be there forever. A simple dish to execute, in which we had fun with flavours and textures. There is a  lovely yin-yang we get in the sauce along with the crispness of the crust set up with creaminess of the risotto. Everything comes together to complement a well-flavoured fish. This recipe is flexible and works well with all kinds of white fish like Tilapia, Grouper, Sole and John Dory!

For marinating the fish Ingredients:

    Basa - 1 fillet

    Smoked Reshampatty Chilli Paste - 1 tbsp

    Chopped garlic - 2 cloves

    Parsley chopped - a few sprigs

    Oil for shallow frying

    Lemon juice - of one lemon

    Salt n pepper - as required

Method:

-    Marinate the fish and set aside for  15 mins

For the Crust: Ingredients :

    Fried Panko Crumb - 100 gm

    Parsley chopped - a few sprigs

    Parmesan - 50 gas

    Chilli flakes - 1 tsp

Method: 

    Combine all the ingredients except parmesan and mix well

To finish the fish

Method:

    In a hot pan sear, the fish on both sides 

    Put on to a baking plate and top with the crumb and sprinkle the parmesan on top

    Bake in a oven for 10 mins at 180 degrees or till the fish is cooked 

For the sauce : Ingredients:

    Orange juice - 200ml

    Capers - 2

    Jalapeños - 2 

    Coriander seeds- 20gms

    Reshampatty Chilli- 1 whole

    Tobasco - a few drops

    Lemon juice - of one lemon

    Coriander chopped - a few sprigs

Method: 

-    In a heavy base pan reduce together all the ingredients except the lemon juice coriander and tobasco 

-    Reduce till you get a syrupy consistency constantly skimming the froth from the top

-    Once reduced Strain the sauce

-    Chill the reduction and add the tobasco , lemon juice and chopped coriander 

-    Adjust seasoning and set aside

Turmeric risotto - Ingredients:

Par cooked risotto rice - 80 gms

Onion chopped - I tbsp

Garlic chopped - 1 tbsp

Turmeric - 1/2 tsp

Butter - 30 gms

Parmesan - 30 gms

Fish stock - 100ml

Salt n pepper

Method:

-    Saute’ onion and garlic add the turmeric and cook a little 

-    Deglaze with white wine

-    Add stock and risotto rice

-    Cook till the desired consistency is achieved

-    Finish with butter and parmesan

Arugula Salad- Ingredients:

Arugula 60 gms

Cherry Tomato - 2 halves 

Black Olives - 3 to 4

Method:

-    Combine all the ingredients and serve on the side

To assemble :

-    On the base of the plate put the turmeric risotto

-    Place the fish on top of the risotto

-    Place the side salad on the side and drizzle the sauce on top 

-    Garnish with Lemon wedge and Coriander

-    Serve immediately