Dhruv Nijhawan - Unapologetically Vegetarian

Dhruv NijhawanDhruv Nijhawan 2022All rights reserved All rights reserved by author. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior permission of the author. Although every precaution has been taken to verify the accuracy of the information contained herein, the author and publisher assume no responsibility for any errors or omissions. No liability is assumed for damages that may result from the use of information contained within. First Published in August 2022 ISBN: 978-93-93899-91-0BLUEROSE PUBLISHERS
www.bluerosepublishers.com
+91 8882 898 898 Cover Design:
Muskan Sachdeva Typographic Design:
Pooja Sharma Distributed by: BlueRose, Amazon, Flipkart I dedicate this book to my parents, who have been my mentors and best friends ever since I started this journey. Love you Mom & Dad At the tender age of 12, a young kid was fortunate enough to apprentice at a dining setup nestled in the picturesque landscape of Manali, under his ever-loving grandmother and that's when he realized that cooking and serving people is what brings him pleasure, that's the moment he realized that this is something he is really passionate about and wants to pursue. Love you Mom & Dad At the tender age of 12, a young kid was fortunate enough to apprentice at a dining setup nestled in the picturesque landscape of Manali, under his ever-loving grandmother and that's when he realized that cooking and serving people is what brings him pleasure, that's the moment he realized that this is something he is really passionate about and wants to pursue.

After which he decided to join a culinary college (Le Cordon Bleu India Center at GD Goenka University), furthermore to work under great chefs and then run in his own kitchen as well as finally write a cookbook. Yes, that boy was me. I have always been an appreciative vegetarian at heart, who never really liked meat or seafood. I used to have it on account of fitting in with societal norms and stereotypes but never really savored it. Moreover, once I entered the industry, I had to taste meat because that's what I do, that's what my profession calls for, I mean no brainer but the statement, Hi I am a chef, pretty much sums up my situation. One of the many days when I was fidgeting my way around in the kitchen, I made this really mean chicken liver pate at a restaurant in Delhi, I made my head chef taste it and he was astonished at how well it tasted, just to confirm I took a bite as well and that's the moment I caught myself off guard.

However, no matter how good it was, it wasn't a true representation of me as a chef. After a certain point the saturation point cracked, I decided I will make my own niche and become a plant-based chef. I haven't looked back ever since that day and here we are.

SERVES 2 | GLUTEN-FREE | NUT-FREE Ingredients For the Potato Salad 200g baby potato (parboiled) 10g or a quarter bunch of fresh dill 2 tablespoon EVOO* Salt to taste Pinch of black pepper powder Juice of 1 lime teaspoon brown sugar 1 teaspoon dijon mustard For the Corn Mousse 80g fresh corn/ 100g frozen corn 3 tablespoon olive oil medium sized onion 2 garlic cloves 220ml milk 25g butter (cubed) Salt to taste Pinch of white pepper powder teaspoon smoked paprika 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar For the Herb Oil (refer to pg- 124)
For Final Plating bunch of baby cress leaves 25g crumbled feta (Optional) Pickled onions (refer to pg- 125) DIRECTIONS

1. Finely chop onion and garlic then heat some oil in a shallow fry pan, add your finely chopped garlic and onion to the pan and saute until the mixture turns translucent, turn the flame on high, add corn and smoked paprika.
2. Toss for 2 mins then add in the milk and let it reduce down by half. Once reduced to half, season it with salt and pepper and let it cool down on the countertop.
   CARROT AND PIGEON PEA CURRY SALAD
   SERVES 4 | GLUTEN-FREE | DAIRY-FREE INGREDIENTS For the Salad 3 carrots (cut into wedges) 1 cup boiled pigeon pea 3 cloves garlic finely chopped 1 medium onion (sliced and lightly sautd) bunch small radish - sliced (red radish) bunch chopped coriander 100g salad mix of your choice - preferably light salads cup pine nuts - roasted For the Dressing teaspoon cumin powder teaspoon fennel powder teaspoon turmeric 3 teaspoon curry powder cup EVOO* Juice of 2 lemons teaspoon salt 1 tablespoon tahini 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar directions Add all of the ingredients for the dressing in a bowl and mix well, once mixed strain the dressing to have a lump free and velvety vinaigrette.
   CARROT AND PIGEON PEA CURRY SALAD
   SERVES 4 | GLUTEN-FREE | DAIRY-FREE INGREDIENTS For the Salad 3 carrots (cut into wedges) 1 cup boiled pigeon pea 3 cloves garlic finely chopped 1 medium onion (sliced and lightly sautd) bunch small radish - sliced (red radish) bunch chopped coriander 100g salad mix of your choice - preferably light salads cup pine nuts - roasted For the Dressing teaspoon cumin powder teaspoon fennel powder teaspoon turmeric 3 teaspoon curry powder cup EVOO* Juice of 2 lemons teaspoon salt 1 tablespoon tahini 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar directions Add all of the ingredients for the dressing in a bowl and mix well, once mixed strain the dressing to have a lump free and velvety vinaigrette.