Good things come in small packages

There is something very revitalising about eating microgreens. Alfalfa, radish, broccoli nasturtium are some of the popular microgreens. Not only are these bestowed with innately penetrating flavours, adding texture and colour to the dishes, their nutritional value is off the charts too.

In size, microgreens are much smaller than baby greens with edible leaves and stems sans the seeds. So also, they need minimal growing space as well as sunlight and it is easy to grow them even at home. While the seeds germinate in four to seven days, the first leaves of these microgreens shoot out in about seven to fourteen days post that.

Less is more
Emphasising upon the goodness of the microgreens, Chef Dhruv Oberoi, Head Chef Olive Qutub, says, “Microgreens are not your typical garnish.These are delicate leaves filled with flavour, so it is not advisable to go all out with the microgreens as it may lead to changing the flavour profile of your dish.”

These wonder greens also look beautiful in Vietnamese summer rolls. Essentially, microgreens are capable of becoming the concluding squish of colour on an epicurean dish, or an addition to a salad, a sandwich or even into an effortless homemade green smoothie. Overall, these tiny greens pack quite the nutritive punch-over 40-50% more than a fully grown plant.

SALMON WITH CRÈME FRAICHE
Ingredients:

• Salt-cured salmon: 50 gm
• Horseradish sour cream: 30 gm
• Pickled radish: 10 gm
• Crispy potato: 30 gm
• Salmon belly: 40 gm
• Jalapenos: 05 gm
• Cocktail onions: 5 gm
• Gherkins: 10gm
• Chives: 2 gm
• Lemon juice    : 30 ml
• Dark soya sauce: 6 gm
• Capers: 5 gm
• Worcestershire sauce: 5 gm
• Mustard cress: 3 gm
• Sour cream: 60 gm

Method:

• Cook salmon belly and add finely chopped cocktail onion, gherkins, jalapenos, chives, capers.
• Now, add lemon juice and both the sauces and mix it. Check seasoning. Your salmon tarter is ready.
• Add sour cream to grated horseradish and leave it for 10 minutes before straining it.
• Make spaghetti of potato. Blanch them and add potato starch. Now give it a round shape and deep fried it.
• Cut some radish in baton shape and compress it in brine.
• Place radish on plate and pour some horseradish sour cream. Now put your crispy potatoes in it and add salmon tarter and salt-cured salmon.
• Garnish it with mustard cress. Add a drizzle of olive oil.

Burrata and Strawberry
Ingredients:

• Pickled strawberry: 2 nos.
• Burrata cheese: 80 gm
• Fennel jam: 20 gm
• Fennel leaves Pesto: 5 gm
• Pickled tomatoes: 1 no
• Heirloom tomatoes: 2 nos.
• Basil cress: 4 gm
• Rocket leaves: 2 to 3 leaves
• Pine nuts: 20 gm
• Parmesan cheese: 10 gm
• Olive oil: 20 ml
• White balsamic cream: 10 ml
• Black balsamic cream: 10ml

Method

• Take strawberry and compress them in brine to make pickle.
• Make a jam of fennel by cooking it with sugar and little bit of vinegar.
• Make a pesto of fennel leaves adding basil, nuts cheese and oil. Now blend them in cold temperature.
• Peel tomatoes; make brine with white and black balsamic cream, and compress peeled tomatoes in it.
• Cut heirloom tomatoes in different shapes and marinate them in salt, black pepper and extra virgin olive oil.
• Mix all the above ingredients and serve it with burrata cheese.
• Garnish it with basil cress and rocket leaves.

FOXTAIL MILLET AND AVACADO
Ingredients:

• Foxtail millet: 50 gm
• Barnyard millet: 30 gm
• Finger millet: 20 gm
• Avocado: 1no.
• Coriander: 20 gm
• Onions: 3 nos.
• Tomatoes: 2 nos.
• Lemon juice: 30 ml
• Dressing: 20 ml
• Chukawakeme (seaweed): 30 gm
• Palm heart: 20 gm
• Green apple: 1 no.
• Jalapenos: 10 gm
• Celery: 100 gm
• Garlic: 20 gm
• Millet cracker: 3nos.

Method

• Boil all the millets and add all the fine chopped green apple, jalapenos, palm heart.
• Now take the above mixture and add guacamole made using crushed avocado, finely chopped onions, tomatoes, coriander leaves and lemon juice.
• Make a dressing of roughly cut celery, onion, jalapenos, coriander and garlic. Blend and strain it. Now add it to the above mixture according to taste.
• Now add chukawakame (seaweed) and mix it properly while seasoning it.
• Serve it with coriander cress and millet cracker for garnishing.

SCALLOP AND FENNEL
Ingredients:

• Scallop: 3 nos.
• Fennel bacon jam: 40 gm
• Pumpkin sauce: 50 ml
• Crispy pharma ham: 3 nos.
• Pumpkin salsa: 30 gm
• Rock chives cress: 4 gm

Method

• Make jam with fennel bulb and bacons using sugar and a little vinegar.
• Roast the pumpkin and blend it; now make the sauce by adding buttermilk and butter into it.
• Take the grated pumpkin and add mayonnaise, lemon juice, parsley along with some seasoning.
• Now, pan-sear the scallop and baste it with butter and a little lemon juice.
• Plate all the scallops along with the other prepared items.
• Garnish it with rock chives and a drizzle of olive oil.

GREEN ASPARAGUS AND BRUSSELS
Ingredients:

• Green asparagus: 100 gm
• Brussels sprouts: 70 gm
• Green pea: 10 gm
• Polenta: 100 gm
• Parmesan: 60 gm
• Goat cheese: 20 gm
• Cream: 100 gm
• Milk: 200 gm
•  Butter    : 100 gm
• Bay leaf: 2 nos.
• Garlic: 20 gm
• Thyme: 4 sprigs
• Hazelnut: 10 gm
• Pea shoot: 5 gm
• Flour: 50 gm

Method

• For making polenta, first roast the polenta in pan over slow heat. Once it is cooked, add butter in it and add milk infused with the herbs and spices mentioned above as well as vegetable stock.
• Whisk properly so that lumps form over medium high heat.
• Make a parmesan and goat cheese puree using sautéd garlic and thyme along with it parmesan stock and thick it with roux.
• For pea puree, boil pea and blend it with cream and butter.Then, season it.
• Blanch asparagus and toss it with garlic and parsley along with Brussels.Season it.
• Now, plate all the prepared items.For garnish,use pea shoot and hazelnut with a drizzle of olive oil.
• Green asparagus: 100 gm
• Brussels sprouts: 70 gm
• Green pea: 10 gm
• Polenta: 100 gm
• Parmesan: 60 gm
• Goat cheese: 20 gm
• Cream: 100 gm
• Milk: 200 gm
• Butter    : 100 gm
• Bay leaf: 2 nos.
• Garlic: 20 gm
• Thyme: 4 sprigs
• Hazelnut: 10 gm
• Pea shoot: 5 gm
• Flour: 50 gm

Method

• For making polenta, first roast the polenta in pan over slow heat. Once it is cooked, add butter in it and add milk infused with the herbs and spices mentioned above as well as vegetable stock.
• Whisk properly so that lumps form over medium high heat.
• Make a parmesan and goat cheese puree using sautéd garlic and thyme along with it parmesan stock and thick it with roux.
• For pea puree, boil pea and blend it with cream and butter.Then, season it.
• Blanch asparagus and toss it with garlic and parsley along with Brussels.Season it.
• Now, plate all the prepared items.For garnish,use pea shoot and hazelnut with a drizzle of olive oil.

MORINGA MATCHA MILLEFUILLE
Ingredients:

• Butter: 450 gm
• Sugar: 220 gm
• Egg yolk: 200 gm
• Yuzu puree: 1l
• Moringa (drumstick leaves) powder: 150 gm
• Amul fresh cream: 50 gm
• White chocolate (40%): 200 gm
• Ice-cream stabilizer: 15 gm
• Glucose: 100 gm
• Flour: 200 gm
• Water: 90 gm
• Edible flower (nasturtium flower): To garnish

Method:

• Melt sugar in butter. Then add egg yolk and whisk it until it reaches thick consistency.
• Now add yuzu puree in it and whisk it until it gets into a piping consistency. Your yuzu curd is ready.
• For making moringa ganache, cook cream and sugar and add white chocolate. Let it melt.
• After butter add moringa powder, and mix it properly.Then add butter into it and mix.
• Churn yuzu puree, sugar, glucose and ice cream stabilizer to make a sorbet.
• With the help of water, butter and flour, make rough puff pastries and cut them in circles.
• Plate the rough puff and pipe the yuzu curd along with moringa ganache.
• Now add the yuzu sorbet to it.
• Garnish it with nasturtium flower and serve it cold.

(All recipes by Chef Dhruv Oberoi, Head Chef, Olive Qutub)