What happens when a doctor turns a chef? You imagine that healthy food that helps the body digest well, will be served . Dr Izzat Husain does that but with some surprises too. He likes to surprise his diners by avoiding water and curd.
He is showcasing his culinary prowess at Ghiza-e-Awadh, a food fest at Park Hyatt, Hyderabad. He qualifies for that owing to being a member of the royal family of Awadh, a celebrity chef, a culinary mentor and an Unani doctor.
Intrigued that he avoids water and curd? He explains, “Curd is a probiotic that is consumed to help our gut digest food faster and the body to cool itself. When we marinate anything with curd and cook it, we expose curd to more than 40 degrees Celsius. As a result, the lactobacillus bacteria — the most important property of curd — is destroyed. When the curd is cooked, it turns into fat. Some amount of fat is already present in meat or fish, so why no need to add more?”
Recounting his interest in cooking, he says, “I come from a royal family of Lucknow; everyone knows the love that the royalty of Lucknow had for their food. Food was in my genes and as an Unani physician , I realised the mistake was with our food. After all, our body is a place of worship and we are what we eat. Treating patients made me alter the cooking process and over the years, I became a food consultant.” .
Dispelling the notion that Lucknowi food is all non-veg, he says, “I make close to 15 dals which I will showcase at the fest.”
Can one think of cooking rice without water? Izzat explains, “There is a difference between boiling and cooking. Rice is boiled in water. However, water is not the only element to obtain gravies. I cook my dal in milk; cook not boil. To obtain the required consistency of gravy, I use ingredients like tomato, onion, milk, etc.”
To make his point the chef presents a chicken kebab. The kebab was succulent and tender, with a mild flavour of ghee and spices like cardamom and nutmeg. After the first bite, he reveals the ingredients: The chicken was marinated in pineapple juice. Any juice with citric properties can be used as a marinade, he says; he prefers pineapple because he believees pineapple juice has a balanced flavour.
When cooking, Izzat is mindful of the health benefits offered by the spices too. “I was a research associate on spices at many universities. Then I learnt about the benefits of different spices we use .”
He shares a cooking tip — replace mace with nutmeg. “Nutmeg has antibacterial properties, whereas mace doesn’t. We eat food to nourish our body, so we should know how to balance the ingredients and spices.
As a physician-chef, Izzat stresses that diners should know what they are eating. “I don’t believe anyone who claims to have a secret spice/ingredient. Knowing what one is consuming will help them stay alert for allergies.”
Saying so, Izzat offers a roti. “This roti is my speciality; it is made of five different flours including millets. It is kneaded with milk which is why it is soft. I have named it ‘Izzat ki roti’.” Filmy much!
Recipe by Chef Izzat Husain
Chicken champa
Serves 2
Cooking time: 45 minutes
Difficulty level: Intermediate
Cuisine: Lucknowi
Type: Main course
Recipe: Chef
Dietary Preference: Non Vegetarian
Ingredients
250 grams Chicken
½ cup Brown onion
60 miliiliter Desi ghee
3 teaspoons ginger-garlic paste
3 teaspoons green chilli paste
30 millilitre tomato puree
1 teaspoon red chilli powder
1 teaspoon turmeric powder
1/2 teaspoon garam masala
2 pinches kasuri methi
6 teaspoons Bengal gram powder (besan)
150-200 miliiliters Milk
Salt to taste
For garnishing
2 teaspoons fresh coriander leaves
1 inch ginger julienne
1 green chilli
Preparation Method
In a pan add desi ghee, red chilli powder, turmeric powder, kasuri methi, and green chilli. Now turn on the gas and stir on medium flame all the spices for one to two minutes. Add ginger-garlic paste and tomato puree and cook until spices and tomato puree shed the raw aroma. Then add pre-steamed boneless chicken and brown onion and salt, stir well. adjust the flame to low.
Take a bowl, add milk and besan and mix it well using a whisker. Strain this to ensure no lumps. Add this slowly to the pan, stirring continuously to avoid lumps. Cover it and simmer for three minutes on low flame.
Add gram masala, mix well and transfer to a serving bowl. Your chicken champa is ready to serve.
Serve with roti or rice.
