Creating balanced taste

Dubai - In the final round, contestants had to present street food from five different continents.

Dubai-resident, Varsha Mathur is the latest winner of Season 10 of Foodshala, which is considered the biggest reality food show in the Middle East. The winning trophy was awarded by celebrity chef Sanjeev Kapoor.

“I would say that my interest in cooking and learning new dishes all the time keeps me constantly motivated. My family’s likes and dislikes along with my children’s preferences in their eating habits used to make me try new dishes all the time,” said Mathur.

Mathur shared that constant mentoring from her mother right from childhood ensured that she learned to balance tastes which she used to her advantage during the competition resulting in the victory.

During the Foodshala competition, Mathur made eleven dishes in total covering different themes such as Italian, a dessert theme covering pre desserts, main dessert, and petit fours. In the final round, contestants had to present street food from five different continents.

“I would say that I enjoy cooking all types of dishes and experimenting with different cuisines,” she added.

“The Foodshala competition has been an amazing journey. I got to know some more technicalities in cooking and understood what it could be like working in a professional kitchen. The pressure to perform in front of several cameras watching your every move and yet deliver every dish in record time is tremendous. However the team during the shoot was very good as they made every contestant feel comfortable on the sets which used to boost our confidence,” concluded Mathur.

Mathur here shares the recipe of her much-lauded dish, Coxinha.

Ingredients

> Large chicken breast 1

> Garlic cloves 2

> Small onion 1/2

> Water to cook chicken

> Cup of flour 2

> Cream cheese 120g

Breadcrumbs 3/4 cup

Eggs 2

Salt n pepper to taste.

Directions

> Cook the chicken until no longer pink. Chop onion and garlic

> Drain the chicken and keep the liquid. Add enough water to make 2 cups of broth. Bring the broth to boil. Turn the heat to low and add the flour. Keep mixing until it becomes a dough. Set aside to let it rest.

> Shred the chicken. Cook the chopped garlic and onion in a pan for 2-3 minutes. Add seasoning. Cook and mix until ingredients are well combined. Remove from flame and add cream cheese into the chicken mixture.

> Take out some dough and roll into golf ball sizes.

> Flatten it with your fingers. Add some filing inside and fold so that the chicken is completely enveloped in the dough.

> Shape it into a point at the top.

> Whisk egg in a small bowl. Dip the Coxinha into the egg followed by the breadcrumbs.

> Fry in hot oil until golden brown. Eat as is or with some salsa or ketchup. — sandhya@khaleejtimes.com