Chef’s Kitchen
 Each month we bring a guest chef into our Chef’s Kitchen column to give
us a tip that elevates their cooking (and hopefully ours). They also
provide a recipe that showcases their tip. Our guest chef this month is
Head Chef Qureshi of Bombay Grill.
After training and working in many countries, Chef
Qureshi is very happy to be in an area of the world that offers such an
amazing array of fresh ingredients. His new tenure at Bombay Grill, an
Indian restaurant in the University District that specializes in fresh
seafood, is an exciting opportunity to re-ignite his creative juices.
Photo: Chef Quershi at Taste Washington 2007
Getting best results with spices, oil and heat,
by Chef Qureshi
When cooking with whole spices, always roast them first to release their
flavor. Roast the spices in a skillet over medium heat until they begin
to color; some may even jump. The skillet may be sprayed with one or two
squirts of oil if desired. Do not scorch the spices as the flavor of the
sauce will be ruined. Some recipes require the spices to be ground
before use, others such as our Halibut Masala use some of them whole.
The ground spices used in this recipe may be roasted whole then ground
for a more intense flavor than using the store-bought ground versions.
I always use olive oil in my preparations. I like
the way the flavor blends so well with the Indian spices and its healthy
properties.
When a customer signifies that he or she would like
a dish with a hotter flavor than most customers would be served, I don't
just shake red pepper flakes over the dish. This is not the Indian way.
Red pepper flakes are used as part of the seasoning blend to achieve
balance, but not to make it hotter on request. This is done by adding
fresh green jalapeno paste, prepared in a food processor or food mill,
and blended with or without the seeds. This item is always kept on hand
in my kitchen.
Bombay Grill
4737 Roosevelt Way NE
Seattle, WA 98105
206-548-9999
www.bombaygrillofseattle.com
Click here to see Chef Qureshi's recipe
May 2007 |
