A quickie in the kitchen

FOODIE

For someone who was never interested in cooking, cookbook writer Karen Anand has certainly managed to whip up many a culinary delight. So comfortable now is the idea of cooking to her that she offers to even prepare the dish by the poolside for us, though we finally decide upon the kitchen. Inside, nothing is prepared. But it takes all of seven minutes for Anand to prepare this dish. This swiftness is what her recipes are famous for.

As she settles down on the bar-stool with a glass of red wine to discuss what has gradually become a part of her persona "" food "" she reveals that her tryst with cooking started with travel. But it was only when she came across her own treasure of culinary knowledge that she had acquired during her traverses that she decided to share it with people around her.

"I used to visit a lot of European countries like France and the UK and found that they had developed a lifestyle around food, which was very interesting. I think subconsciously this started having an effect on me," she recalls. On her return to India, Anand, armed with a little knowledge and a lot of exposure, decided to write about food. The idea of creating an entire story around food and not merely eating to satiate, charmed her so much that Anand began travelling more, studying food and expanding her repertoire.

In the year 1991, Anand decided it was time for her to spread her wings, and so she started her very first restaurant, The Salad Bar, in Mumbai, the first of its kind in the city. "I did very basic bistro food and that is still my forte. I like to use fewer, lighter ingredients and often this is more difficult than cooking what we call grandma's recipes." Anand discovered that the fewer ingredients she used, the more careful she had to be with them "" every ingredient had to flourish in the dish"" such that it would leave a definite taste in the mouth. "Recently, I cooked this dish," she says laughing, "which was so rich and so full of cashews and ghee that I couldn't eat more than a few spoons."

On her plate at the moment is a series of 12 books called Simple Cooking "" ideal for a contemporary fast-paced, health conscious lifestyle. Interestingly, some books from this range will hone the culinary talent of children that have even been tried and tested with kids in the kitchen.

When asked to share one of her delectable recipes with us, she chooses the Hawaiian Chicken, which is an "ingredient based dish that is quick, tasty and healthy because cooking need not take hours." The dish is pan-fried though all of the fat has been extracted from the chicken and is flavoured with pineapple, soya and lime. For herself though, it's a craving for a new Vietnemese dish the chef has prepared, "I want to taste some of that," she smiles through the glint in her eyes.

FAVOURITE RECIPE

Hawaiian Chicken (Serves 4)

1 tin pineapple slices or 2 cups fresh pineapple, cubed 1 tbsp flour 1/2 tsp salt 4 skinless, boneless chicken breasts 1 tsp olive oil 1 tsp honey 2 tsp soya sauce 2 tsp spring onions 1/4 tsp pepper 1/2 cup thin spring onions for garnish