A dream-come-true for those who've been looking for no-fuss, healthy meals, Chinai's Kitchen's marinated meats take just minutes to go from pink to perfect. Anjana Vaswani tells you why it's time to say goodbye to that boring, old Tandoori Masala

Someone wise pointed out that things are always in the last place you look for them. Someone even wiser realised that it's because once you find them, you stop looking. Well, if what you've been looking for are healthy and novel meal ideas, your search ends with this story.

Amish Chinai garnishes the marinated meats with fresh herbs while he's
closely watched by his French bulldog Brewski. Pics/Vikas Munipalle

Forty one year-old Peddar Road resident and ad-man Amish Chinai attributes his passion for cooking to the fact that so many men in his family are proficient cooks. Pausing to reminisce about the lip-smacking German Goulash and Beef-Rolls that a Germany-based uncle prepares each time he drops into the city, Chinai traces his passion for food to his college. "I'd be the guy cooking on all our college trips too," says the H R College of Commerce alumnus, who says even his interest in the advertising industry -- Chinai has his own ad and design agency, Native Ink -- was sparked off by the incessant urge to be creative.

Chinai's eyes are positively aglow with enthusiasm as he slips on a pair of gloves and pours the contents of a zip-lock bag on to a plate. Instinctively, he lifts the serving of marinated beef closer to our face, offering us a whiff of the divine aroma. But he needn't have -- the enticing bouquet of mixed herbs has already filled the room by then.

"These meats can be frozen and kept for quite a while," he says, although he recommends that you consume them right away "because I take a whole lot of effort to source the freshest ingredients possible". Two to three days is what he calls the ideal time within which to enjoy them.

The freshness-factor impacts taste. Chinai sources Sweet Marjoram, Rosemary and other herbs directly from farms that lie on the outskirts of Mumbai, while his seafood arrives from a Mumbai-based exporter, who is also a friend and hence, "doesn't mind sending me small quantities." This is also why Chinai requires a three-day notice for most orders. But if you are in a tearing hurry, he'll just pluck some basil from his mother's terrace garden.

u00a0While Chinai's continental recipes are a product of extensive experimentation, "my Rechad Marinade is prepared by a traditional Goan family." We took a bag of the Goan prawns home to sample, and they had barely started simmering when the aroma drew a relative to the kitchen. The scent, he said, took him back down memory lane to when he dropped by for lunch at his St Sebastian classmate's home. The piquant Rechad prawn recipe is as authentic as it gets (Rs 750 per kg for white prawns). The lemony Herbed Fish Steak (Rs 500 per kg for the Rawas) is light as air and aromatic.

Aside from meat and seafood steaks, the Chinai Kitchen menu boasts of Pepperoni infused beef hamburgers (Rs 325 each, minimum order: five patties), Smoky BBQ Chicken (Rs 275 per kg) and Herbed Butter Lobster" (Rs 1,200 per kg). The only hitch: the order must be picked up from his Peddar Road residence. But a delivery service may be on its way soon.

Amish Chinai can be reached at 9820267008 or 2386565. Orders must be picked up fromu00a0 1B, Chandan, 62 Peddar Road, behind Parsi General Hospital.

How to tell a common shrimp from a tiger prawn

Common prawns
It's also known as the pink shrimp. It is translucent, pinkish and turns a glorious red when cooked. These shrimps have a distinct flavour and are often prized for it.u00a0

Mediterranean Prawns
These are far larger than the common shrimps, and can go up to 8 inches in size. The heads can be anything from blood red to deep coral, but once cooked they turn a brilliant red. The bodies are translucent and pinkish, the shell is soft. In Spain, they are popular at tapas bars.

Common Shrimps
These are also called brown shrimp, and have translucent grey bodies that measure no more than 2 inches. Their small sizes make it a bit of a struggle to peel them, but their flavour makes it all worth it.

Tiger Prawns
These are also known as king prawns, and they are usually the warm water variety. They can grow as large as 13" in length and are best suited for barbecueing or grilling. When raw, they are translucent greenish grey in colour. They don't taste as great as the smaller ones, but offer a sizeable bite.

Cooking
The thumb rule while cooking prawns is -- never overcook them, since that leaves them rubbery. Raw prawns can be boiled briefly in salt water and can be grilled, batter-fried or cooked in a curry. Chopped and mixed with garlic and coriander, they make a yummy filling for steamed wontons.u00a0

Peeling, deveining
It's better to leave the tail section on. Makes for a prettier display. Hold the prawn and pull off the head and legs. Peel off the shell. Make a shallow incision down the center of the back of the prawn. Pick out the black vein and discard.