Mehta - Sizzlers Cookbook

When the sauce is poured over the hot iron plate of the sizzler, it gives off that noise, smoke and flavour that make sizzlers so dramatic. Keep the sauce a little extra and pour some just before serving again. Some other ways of making the food smoke and sizzle on the sizzler plate are:

• Brush the iron plate with oil on both sides before heating.
• Place a few tiny cubes of butter on the hot iron plate just before serving.
• Put a mixture of oil and water (1 tbsp of each) in the wooden base on which the hot iron plate is placed.
• Sprinkle some alcohol on the hot plate at the time of serving.
• Sprinkle some vinegar on the hot plate at serving time.
• To enhance the sizzling noise, tuck a small cube of ice under the cabbage leaf just before serving.

Sequence of Assembling a Sizzler Plate

1. Brush the iron plate with oil on both sides.
2. Heat the iron plate on direct fire till red hot for about 7-8 minutes.
3. While the plate is on fire, put a mixture of oil and water on the wooden base.
4. Place 2 cabbage leaves on iron plate which is still on fire. You can also make a bed of onion rings.
5. Reduce heat. Place the main food on the cabbage leaves. Arrange the accompaniments on the sides.
6. Heat the sauce on the other burner.
7. After the sauce comes to a boil and is read to be poured, pick up the really hot iron plate with a sansi/pakad or a pair of tongs and place on the wooden base.
8. Now pour the hot sauce on the main food and some sauce on the hot plate. Put a few chilled butter cubes on the hot plate. Serve food sizzling hot.

Accompaniments are always put on either side of the main dish on the sizzler plate.

Accompaniments to Indian Sizzlers

• paranthas/nan/roomali roti
• pulaos/biryani/plain jeera rice
• achaar
• mini papads - fried or roasted

Accompaniments to Chinese Sizzlers

• kimchi salad
• spring rolls
• hakka noodles
• fried rice

Accompaniments to Continental Sizzlers

• glazed veggies, boiled peas
• salad
• garlic bread
• buttered toasts

Accompaniments to Mexican Sizzlers

• nachos with salsa
• tortillas
• cheese balls

Accompaniments to Italian Sizzlers

• garlic bread
• corn on the cob
• buttered rice
• buttered pasta

Accompaniments to any sizzler

• french fries
• onion rings
• boiled vegetables

• The secret of sizzlers is to serve them piping hot, so heat the iron plate for at least 5 minutes on the flame to get really hot. This keeps the food really hot.
• Another secret of their success is to prepare the marinade well and it is on this marinade that the final flavour of the dish depends. Also, the vegetables, etc. should be marinated long enough to give them the proper tenderness and flavour, but too long would make the veggies soggy.
• Very hard veggies like potatoes, carrots, etc. should be boiled to almost done, so that the total moisture is not lost on barbequing to make it rubbery.
• Serve plenty of sauces, chaat masalas, crushed pepper, etc. as accessories to the dishes, and let guests help themselves with individual choices.
• Any leftover veggies, etc. can be refrigerated, and a masala gravy vegetable or a biryani can be prepared the next day. Dont throw out the leftovers !!
• You can add sandwiches, tossed salads, and a rice dish to fill in the gaps of the sizzler plate. These dishes can be prepared well ahead.
• Cabbage leaves are always used at the base of the sizzler dish but we can use a banana leaf also. Onion rings can also be used.

Serves 4

The careful choice of spices creates a classic dish of chicken in tomato-cream sauce, elegantly flavoured with hot smoke. Serve with flaky