An evening tasting a special menu created by MasterChef Australia contestant, Sarah Todd.

“Leave the remote alone”, I yelled. A long commercial break had interrupted the battle of the chicken roulades. Finally, the judges of Masterchef Australia, uttered the words I was longing to hear "Sarah the combination of that apple stuffing and the complexity of your gravy really lifted your dish to another level and that’s why you are back in the competition." Yippee.

Sarah Todd, the famous Masterchef Australia contestant who stole a million hearts was in India for a special tasting event. She was to create a delectable cocktail and entree-pairing menu at China House Lounge, Grand Hyatt Mumbai and we were invited to taste. Aha, how could we say no?

We reached the venue and had a quick word with Sarah about her maiden trip to India and guess what? She had already picked her favorites eats- Goan Curry, Biryani at Karim’s and Dosa for breakfast. She loved the variety of spices in India and would like to take back some cardamom pods home. 

Sarah Todd demonstrates her special menu 

We started with Zucchini and Pea Pakora served with pickled radish (innovative) moved on to Salmon ceviche with crispy poppadum and mint chutney   (easy to make) and Slow roast lamb, beetroot chutney on crisp bread (requires medium skilled effort). 

Wicked Spoon Confessions got the recipes from Sarah, so that we can relish the delectable dishes at the comfort of our homes too.

Zucchini & Pea Pakora

Ingredients:

5 large zucchini, grated and set in a colander with salt

500g peas

5 cup besan

1 ¼ cup rice flour

6 tsp chilli powder

4 tsp garam masala

2 ½ tsp carom seeds

salt to state

oil for deep frying

Method:

Squeeze out moisture from zucchini and combine all ingredients

Make batter using besan, rice flour, chilli, ajwain and water

Heat oil

Fry till crisp

One can add fresh crabmeat on top, if desired. 

Serve with some pickled raddish

Salmon Ceviche with Mint Chutney (Serves 2-4)

Ingredients:

2 fillets of salmon

2 lemons, juiced

1 orange, juiced

2 tsp light soy sauce

½ red chili, seeds removed

Finely sliced red onion

For Chutney

2 green mangoes

½ bunch mint

1 green chilli- deseeded and sliced

½ red onion

a pinch of salt and sugar as per taste

Method:

Place all chutney ingredients in a small food processor/ mixer and blend till smooth.

Add salt and sugar till balanced

Cube salmon into 1 cm dice

Place all marinade ingredients into a bowl along with sliced onions and diced salmon. Mix well and serve with some fried poppadums. 

Sarah moved behind the bar to make three cocktails- Pink Lady, Bellamy Scotch Sour and Rosemary Cooler. 

Rosemary Cooler, Pink Lady & Bellamy Scotch Sour.

Here is the recipe of my favorite:

Rosemary Cooler

Muddle rosemary sprig, add 40 ml Grey Goose Vodka, 10 ml mango syrup, 30 ml orange juice and 15 ml lime juice.

Serve it shaken and stirred over crushed ice in a highball glass. Garnish with a fresh rosemary sprig.

The dishes created are perfect for intimate conversations over cocktails and celebrate Indian techniques with new age ingredients. The Sarah Todd for China House Lounge menu will be served from 15th October -31st October, 2014 at Grand Hyatt. Bon Appetite! 

While leaving, Sarah happily posed for a Selfie. An evening well spent. 

Selfie with Sarah