Yeh cheez kaisa diya? Cheesy monsoon treats

Here’s my question of the week for you. What is ‘Repetunitis’? Think… I am sure you’ll get it. No? Here’s a hint, it’s also called ‘Melodymania’.
Hmmm, you aren’t impressing me with those answers of yours. Okay, so here’s another hint — it’s caused by ‘Earworms’. What? Are you giving up that easy? Thought as much. But despair not, I will help you through these little hurdles of life.

College life was colourful. The cookery curriculum was no less and I was gifted with not only great instructors but also a bunch of bozos who were my colleagues. One such pal was an early riser and he had a ritual. He had to bathe in hot water which was available only at five in the morning, and bathing had to be accompanied with music. Needless to say, none of us invested in alarm clocks. At five sharp, the entire hostel would be awake to Tu cheez badi hai mast mast blaring from his room. There was no boy who didn’t get up visualising Raveena’s unimaginable contortionistic moves and Akshay’s very own brain-numbing pelvic thrusts. Heck, half the hostel even had Raveena’s posters on their walls.

So that’s how we woke up — the managers of the world’s leading hotels and restaurants today!

I can’t say what it did to the others but for me, the song played over and over in my head through the day. Whether we learnt classic sauces, French, Law Principles of Management or Accomodation Operations. And that, my friends, is what a Repetunitis or Melodymania is.

Twenty one years on, I can still go crazy if a tune gets stuck in my head, but my definition of a ‘Mast Cheese’ is deliciously different. Bring on the Camemberts, Bries, Gorgonzolas and the Parmesans now and I will show you some great moves of my own. For the posters though — Raveena still rules.

This one is a wonderful recipe and one that lends itself to a zillion combinations. Play with the flavours, change the vegetables and cheese and try out with other combinations including fish and seafood as well.

Chicken or corn quesadilla

Ingredients

1. Oil: 4 tsp
2. Flour tortillas or chapatis: 4
3. Grated cheese, cheddar/ processed cheese/mozzarella/monterey jack: 1 cup
4. Ready to eat corn (warmed in hot water and drained): 1 cup
5. Shredded roast chicken or any style of chicken: 1 cup
6. Tomato, onion, coriander salsa (chopped, mixed together and seasoned): ½ cup
7. Guacamole and sour cream to serve alongside: A bowl each

Method

• Heat a frying pan, swirl a tsp of oil and place a tortilla on it.
• Top it with a layer of cheese, followed by the corn or chicken and the salsa.
• Finish with a sprinkle of cheese again.
• Top off with another tortilla.
• Cook for a few minutes, peek at the underside using a spatula, if the tortilla has begun to colour, flip it over and cook the other side till done.
• Remove onto a board and cut out slices like you would in a pizza.
• Repeat with the remaining ingredients.
• Serve with guacamole and sour cream.

Pear, bacon & gruyere toast

Ingredients  

1. Fresh pear: 1
2. Whole grain bread slices: 4
3. Butter to spread
4. Streaky bacon: 4 slices
5. Gruyere: 4 slices

Method

• Apply a little butter on each slice of bread, top with the pear, a slice of bacon and a slice of gruyere.
• Toast in a warm oven, or place under a grill till the cheese melts and gets all glossy.
• This is wonderful on a rainy day or when it’s a bit nippy outside. You can also use a crunchy apple in place of the pear and of course do away with the bacon altogether if you are vegetarian. But what would be nice would be a few flakes of sea salt instead to mimic the saltiness of the bacon.