Molten Gold

From times immemorial, honey has been termed
'nectar'. PALLAVI BHATTACHARYA reviews a book
loaded with recipes

Of the four primary tastes of sweet, bitter, sour and salty; if one was asked to choose one taste, most people would choose `sweet’ because it appeals the most to the taste buds. And if asked the source of sweet, most people would reply that it’s derived from sugar. Sugar however isn’t a healthy option for adding a sweet flavour to your dishes as it causes diabetes, cholesterol, obesity, tooth decay and a variety of other diseases. Sugar substitutes aren’t safe either as side-effects like headaches, insomnia, neurological problems, memory loss and even cancer have been associated with it. The one and only natural source of sweetness is from honey. Honey is the only sweetening agent that has medicinal and therapeutic values and no side-effects.

Big Bee’s Secret Honey Recipes provides a diverse array of 89 honey based recipes penned by Master Chef Komal Taneja.

Launched by Amitabh Bachchan who says he loves these recipes, it provides a healthy alternative to sugar to sweeten your dishes. Indeed honey is sweeter than sugar but doesn’t add to your body mass like sugar does. Especially for diabetic and heart patients, honey is a safer alternative to sugar any day. Honey is regarded as a super food as it is an anti-oxidant, is rich on Vitamin B and calcium, provides energy, is sodium free, lowers bad cholesterol, builds haemoglobin and is very good for the digestive and circulatory system.

Honey, termed as `the nectar of the Gods’ has been found in the tombs of Egyptian Pharaohs. However in the contemporary times, honey as an ingredient has been grossly neglected which is why Big Bee’s Secret Honey Recipes is a boon for those with a sweet tooth but want to avoid the adverse health impacts of sugar.

The layman may think that honey can only be an ingredient for sweet dishes, desserts and beverages. Chef Komal Taneja however has been innovative enough to come up with 89 multi-cuisine recipes with honey which range from appetisers, main course meals to desserts and energy drinks. The appetisers and main course dishes with honey don’t taste saccharine sweet but just sweetly tantalise your taste buds. The health benefit of every dish is mentioned and a yet healthier or different way of preparing each and every dish is stated.

The book is beautifully illustrated. Viscid, saccharine, yellowish-brown semi-translucent flowing honey catches your eye. Each recipe is accompanied by an A4 sized glossy photograph.

The honeylicious recipes in the Indian Cuisine include: Kashmiri, Punjabi, Mughlai, Rajasthani, Maharashtrian, Goan and Bengali recipes. South Indian and North East Indian dishes with honey are sadly missing. The international honey recipes include Chinese, Mexican, Italian and Thai. Maybe an exotic honey recipe from the continents of Africa or South America would have given a uniquely offbeat touch to the book.

The 89 dishes are however easy to make and the ingredients are easy to find. If you can use fresh and pure honey directly extracted from the bee hives, the dishes may have an even better flavour. Also if the book had more interesting anecdotal references to honey and its historic usage, the book would be more interesting to read. Nevertheless it does provide unique recipes, each of which is worth trying out!

HONEY GOBI ALOO MASALA

Preparation Time: 20 mins

Cooking Time: 35 mins

Serves: 4

Ingredients:
500 gm cauliflower florets, blanched
300 gm small potatoes, par boiled, peeled
oil to shallow-fry, 1 tbsp honey
1 tbsp lemon juice

For Masala:
2-3 tbsp ground nut oil or butter
¾ tsp cumin seeds (jeera)
2 green chillies, sliced
1” ginger, grated
1 ½ cups tomatoes, grated

Seasoning:
¼ tsp turmeric powder
¼ tsp red chilli powder
½ tsp coriander powder
½ tsp cumin powder
½ tsp garam masala
salt to taste

Garnish:
tomato juliennes

To serve:
stuffed naan or pudina paranthas

Method:
Heat oil in a kadhai, shallow-fry the cauliflower florets and small potatoes in batches; drain on kitchen paper and keep aside. Heat 2 tbsp of butter/oil in a wok/kadhai; add cumin seeds, green chillies and ginger; stir-fry till ginger changes colour; add the tomatoes and the seasoning.
Mix well and then add the cauliflower and potatoes. Toss and stir gently so that the masala coats them properly, and then add the honey and lemon juice. Cover with a lid and cook on simmer for 2 minutes; remove from heat, arrange on a serving platter; garnish with tomatoes juliennes and serve hot with stuffed naan or pudina paranthas.

HONEY GLAZED MUTTON CHOPS

Preparation Time: 15mins.

Cooking Time: 30mins.

Serve: 4

Ingredients:
750 gm mutton chops (2 ribs each)

Marinade:
4 tbsp or 1/2 cup hung curd
2" piece of raw papaya, grated
2 tsp garlic, grated
1/2 tsp peppercorns
1/2 inch cinnamon stick
(Grind all of them to make a paste)
1 tsp garam masala
1 tsp biryani masala
1 tbsp honey
1/2 tsp red chilli powder
salt to taste
3-4 tbsp sunflower oil
1 tbsp vinegar

Garnish:
shredded onions and lemon wedges

To serve:
coriander chutney

Method:
Marinate the mutton chops with the marinade and all the seasoning properly for 30 minutes.
Heat oil in a big non-stick pan, place the mutton chops in the pan & cook on slow flame with covered lid for 15 minutes.
Increase the flame, remove the lid and cook till the mutton is tender and all the water dries up.
Add the honey and vinegar together, toss well so that the mutton chops are glazed with honey, remove from heat and transfer to a serving plate.
Garnish with shredded onions and lemon wedges; serve hot with coriander chutney.