New Year's Eve: Follow these easy recipes to make unique dishes for your party

Throwing a last-minute New Year’s Eve party? Two city home chefs suggest fun, easy-to-whip-up recipes, minus the stress

Fiery ghee garlic prawns

INGREDIENTS
For the marinade
>> 20 medium sized deveined prawns
>> 1tsp chilli powder
>> 1/4th tsp turmeric powder
>> 1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
>> Lemon juice
>> Salt to taste

For the tempering
>> Ghee for frying
>> 1 tsp chopped ginger
>> 1 tbsp chopped garlic
>> 1 to 2 chopped green chillies
>> 2 sprigs of curry leaves
>> Chopped coriander leaves

METHOD
Begin by seasoning the prawns with salt, pepper, chilli powder, turmeric, and lemon juice; let them marinate for 15 minutes. Shallow fry the marinated prawns in ghee and set aside. Heat one tablespoon ghee and add ginger, garlic, green chilli and curry leaves to temper the prawns. Add them back in the pan and toss until well combined. Garnish with chopped coriander leaves, and serve hot.

COOL TIP: Limit cooking time of prawns to three minutes per side to prevent overcooking (for large prawns, extend to four minutes). The prawns are cooked when they turn pink and opaque. Garnish with additional fried garlic and a squeeze of lime for an extra bit of crunch.

Recipe courtesy: Jemima Joseph, home chef

Rustic veggie tartlets

INGREDIENTS
For the crust
>> 150 gm maida
>> 75 gm cold butter cubes 
>> 1/2 tbsp sugar
>> 1/2 tbsp salt
>> Few drops of lemon juice

For the filling
>> 1/4 cup boiled sweet corn 
>> 1/4 cup onion
>> 2 tbsp garlic
>> 1/4 cup green capsicum
>> 1/4 cup red capsicum
>> 1/4 cup tomato
>> 2 tbsp black olives
>> 1/2 tsp roasted cumin powder 
>> 1/2 tsp black pepper 
>> 1 tsp mixed herbs 
>> 1/4 tsp red chili flakes 
>> Salt 
>> Cheese (regular cheese or mozzarella, or a mix of both)
>> Tomato ketchup

METHOD
Combine the crust ingredients in a mixing bowl. Use a fork or a spoon to mix well till it turns into a sandy texture. Add three tablespoons of water to bind the dough (do not knead). Cover and refrigerate the dough for 30 minutes. Sprinkle dry flour on the work surface, roll out the dough to medium thickness, and cut into round shapes — ensuring that they’re neither too thick nor too thin. Use a tartlet mould to gently shape the dough, trimming off any excess on the outside. Create 12 to 15 shells and use a fork to prick tiny holes in the bottom. Now, they are ready to bake. Pre-heat the oven and bake at 180 degree Celsius for 12 minutes.

For the filling, heat the butter in a pan and sauté the onion and garlic for a minute. Add vegetables and roast for five to six minutes until just softened. Add herbs of your choice, salt, cumin powder, pepper and mix well. Add two to three spoonfuls of the roasted vegetables into the tartlets, top it with shredded cheese and bake for about 15 minutes or till the filling sets. Garnish with olives and chilli flakes and serve alongside a glass of wine. Enjoy the tartlets best when warm from the oven.

COOL TIP: To give the tartlets a unique flavour you can consider swapping regular cheese with goat’s cheese. You can also vary the vegetables to include. Additionally, consider using a variety of garnishes such as cherry tomatoes or even basil leaves to make it drool-worthy. 

Recipe courtesy: Ayesha Vachhani, home chef

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