International Women's Day: The Special Person In Your Life Deserves A Meal To Remember

Mother, sister daughter, wife - our lives are incomplete without powerful women in our lives.

On International Women's Day, plan a delicious meal for the special woman in your life. These recipes are easy to make and will impress your guest of honour beyond words.

Ingregients:
Lamb Shanks 4 large or 8 small, cleaned and at room temperature
Cooking oil 2 Tbsp
Onions 4 large, halved and thinly sliced
Garlic 8 cloves, chopped
Ginger paste 2 Tbsp
Lemongrass 2 pcs, chopped
Red chillies 2 nos, finely chopped
Galangal 1 inch, sliced
Tomatoes 4, roughly chopped
Lamb Stock 500 ml
Star Anise 4 whole
Thai Basil stalks 20 gms
Mint Stalks 20 gms
Coriander stems 20 gms
Soy sauce 25 ml
Salt & pepper to taste
For Finishing (to taste)
Lemon juice
Palm sugar 2 Tbsp

Method:
- Heat the oil in Cast iron pot or your preferred cooking vessel, then brown the lamb shanks on all sides, remove and set aside
- Add the onion, ginger, garlic, lemon grass, chilli. Fry until soft
- Add the tomatoes and cook for another 5-7 mins
- Add all the other ingredients.
- Return the lamb shank in the pot, cover & cook in the oven at 150 deg C for 1.5 hours or on low flame till the lamb is cooked and is tender
- Finish with the finishing ingredients

Pro Tip:
- If the gravy is thin, remove the shanks and let the gravy cook and reduce on flame without lid. Re-introduce the lamb when the gravy reaches the desired consistency
- It's a rustic preparation and is eaten as is, but if you want to make it a finer dish then tie all herb stalks with a thread before putting it in the pot and remove that bunch before serving.
- Similarly, some people find it bothersome to chew on chopped lemon grass
- To avoid that, instead of chopping lemongrass grass you may want to keep lemon grass in large pieces, smash the with back of a knife before putting it in the pot and remove it before serving
- Traditionally served with rice, but is also great with couscous
- Traditionally, in Madagascar, they would use 2 tbsp palm sugar, but you may want to use less sweetness in a lamb main course

(The recipe has been shared by Executive Chef Anuj Kapoor in collaboration with Chef Kartikey from Radisson Blu Hotel Greater Noida's pop-up experience Farage - sponsored by The Nandastone at Jilling)

Ingredients:
Oil 5 tbsp
Sumac powder 3 tbsp
Chicken (Boneless) 500 gms
Garlic (sliced) 10 cloves
Garlic (paste) 4 tbsp
Rosemary 5 sprigs
Green chillies (slit) 5 pcs
Whole red chillies 5 pcs
Green olives 20 pcs
Cherry tomatoes 20 pcs
Salt to taste
Basil sprigs handful
Red Wine vinegar 5 tsp

Method:
- The first step is to marinate the chicken with sumac powder (1 tbsp), garlic paste and salt, and set aside
- Next up, heat oil in a pan and add the sliced garlic
- When the garlic is almost cooked add the rosemary, green chillies, whole red chillies, stir
- To this add the chicken pieces and sear for about 30 secs on each side
- In the same pan, add rosemary, green chillies, whole red chillies and sliced garlic, sauté for about 1-2 minutes
- Deglaze the pan using the red wine vinegar
- Add cherry tomatoes, olives and salt to taste
- Once the chicken is cooked through, add the basil leaves

(The recipe has been shared by Chef Megha Kohli, Mademoiselle, Goa)

Ingredients:
Thandai syrup 10 gm
Agar agar or chaina grass 5 gm
White chocolate 20gm
Milk 50 gm
Sugar 10 gm
Whipping cream 150gm
Lemon juice 5gm

For garnish:
Blue Berry 5g.
Strawberry 10gm
Plum 5gm
Few mint leaves.
Granola 40 gm
Cookie Crum 10 gm

Method:
- Using the wire whisk attachment of your stand mixer (or using your stand mixer), whip the heavy cream until stiff peaks form
- Transfer the whipped cream to another bowl and set aside
- Now melt the white chocolate using a microwave. To the same bowl in which you had beaten the heavy cream, now add thandai powder and powdered sugar
- Beat using the paddle attachment of your stand mixer (or using your hand mixer/whisk) until it is all combined and creamy
- Add in the melted (and slightly cooled) white chocolate into the mixer
- Mix until combined. Scrape down the sides and bottom as needed
- Start folding the whipped cream into the cream cheese and thandai mixture. Add the whipped cream in 3 parts
- After each addition, mix the cream using the cut and fold method, moving your spatula in one direction
- Transfer the mousse into a piping bag. Mine was also fitted with a round nozzle
- Pipe the mousse into serving plate using the piping bag. Chill in the fridge for 2 hours before serving

(The recipe has been by chef Anirudh Deshpande at Westin Goa)

Ingredients:
1 - green zucchini -thinly sliced - not peeled
1- yellow zucchini - thinly sliced not peeled
4- potato - thinly sliced - not peeled
1 cup chopped basil
1 tsp oregano
1/2 tsp black pepper
Salt to taste
4 garlic clove minced
1 cup red pumpkin steamed and puréed
1 cup cashew paste
Chilly flakes to taste
1 cup Parmesan cheese
( 1 cup cashew powdered, rock salt and black salt to taste 1/2 tsp onion powder - 1/2 tsp garlic powder - 2 tbsp nutritional yeast)

Method:
- In a bowl take cashew paste add pumpkin puree 1/2 cup basil, garlic, oregano, Salt, pepper, 2 tbsp of Parmesan cheese
- Now in another bowl add potatoes and zucchini add salt pepper and oregano
- Take a baking dish Layer the potatoes and zucchini slices and arrange them in the dish
- Pour the sauce mixture on the baking dish and add the remaining Parmesan cheese
- Bake the gratin for 40 min or more till the potatoes and soft ar 200 degree
- Garnish with rest of the basil leaves and chillie flakes if you want it spicy
- Serve it with love

(The recipe has been shared by Nidhi Nahata, founder of Justbe Resto Cafe)

Ingredients:
1 cup Roasted Peanuts (optional with skin or without).
2 cups Frozen Banana.
1/2 cup Dates Soaked.
1 tbsp Jaggery.
Water As Needed.
Pinch of Salt

For garnish:
Crushed Roasted Peanuts
Peanut Butter

Method:
- Blend peanuts in a blender
- It will first turn into a powder - have patience and keep blending till it releases its oil and turns creamy
- Set aside
- Take a blender and all the other ingredients and then add the peanut butter to it
- Freeze it in a glass container for 10 hours
- Keep 1 tbsp of peanut butter and peanuts aside for garnishing
- Serve it with love

(The recipe has been shared by Nidhi Nahata, founder of Justbe Resto Cafe)