Blogging Marathon has always been
close to my heart. For the members of our team, its probably true that most of
our blogs have got richer with the experiences and posts we do for this event.
Every April and September we run a
mega marathon in which we blog on one or many themes during the whole month. A whole lot of preps, discussions,recipes tried and tasted – all of these come alive these
two months. So far, we have done 4 mega themes : ABC, Indian Food Odyssey, Alphabetical(Countries from around the world), Baking theme(April 2015). This September we present the BM Buffet.
As the name goes, Buffet denotes
several themes : we have combo meals, Indian States, Condiments & Breakfast
– from India and across the world. We kick off with Combo Meals this week, and
you would see 5 different combos from 5 different countries. Stay tuned to
catch the action.
I begin the series with Mexican Veg Sizzler with Roasted veggies, garlic pepper rice and
quinoa patties. Rice can be replaced by
noodles, pasta or any other carbs. The patties (basically proteins) can be
replaced by meat or paneer or fried eggs and the veggies can be of your choice.
I have also seen sizzler portions with just rice and curry and some veggies and
that makes it interesting too. Sauces
can range from barbeque sauce to hot chilli sauce to hoisin to black bean sauce
The process is laborious but its
worth it, when it steams and sizzles like a steam engine and arrives at the
Dining Table. I remember dad ordering this once at a restaurant about two decades ago in Bangalore (Hotel Chalukya – near Race Course Road), and
everyone’s eyes was just glued to the hissing sound and the sizzle before it
reached our table at the end of a rather enormous dining room 🙂
So basically, the technique
remains the same, but the portions served – carbs + veg + proteins – differs
from country to country or even region to region, You can have an American /Italian
/Indian / Indo-chinese theme – the list
just goes on.
So, if you still wonder what a
sizzler is and where it originated, read on…
“Sizzler” is a open-roasted, grilled or shallow fried piece
of meat, chicken, fish or vegetable patty, served with french fries, shredded
cabbage, tomatoes, carrots, french beans etc., served on a metal or stone hot
plate, kept on a wooden base. The word “sizzler” comes from the
sizzle that one hears when, after heating the dish under a grill (the meat is usually
cooked separately to conserve time), the Worcestershire Sauce based gravy is
poured on, which dribbles on the hot plate and heats up.The dish started in US (Culver City, CA) in 1958 when the restaurant of the
same name, started serving steak and veggies together on a hot plate with gravy
poured on. This would keep the meat and vegetables hot for a longer time than
the traditional method of serving on a china plate. No, the dish was NOT
invented in Pune or Bangalore or Mumbai or Delhi, as it is variously made out
to be
The dish started in US (Culver City, CA) in 1958 when the restaurant of the
same name, started serving steak and veggies together on a hot plate with gravy
poured on. This would keep the meat and vegetables hot for a longer time than
the traditional method of serving on a china plate. No, the dish was NOT
invented in Pune or Bangalore or Mumbai or Delhi, as it is variously made out
to be.” (source : here)
Blogging Marathon # 56 – BM Buffet Day
1 : Mexican
Prep time : 1 hour | Cook time : 30
mins | Serves :4
Spice level : Medium , Cuisine type :
Mexican
Course: Main Course / Combo meal
Ingredients:
(A) Garlic Pepper
Rice:
Cooked rice – 1 cup
Bell peppers – ½ cup
Black pepper – crushed
Garlic – 2 tsp (finely minced)
Carrots , broccoli and french beans –
blanched with a pinch of salt– ¼ cup (optional)
(B) Quinoa Patties:
Red Quinoa – ½ cup
Onions – 1 large
Minced green chillies & garlic – 1
TBSP
(C) Roasted Veggies:
Mixed veggies – bell peppers, broccoli,
baby corn, onions, tomatoes – cut into chunks and separated
Also, the following:
Cold Butter – 2 TBSP (divided use)
Salt – to taste
Oil – 6 TBSP (divided use)
Worcestershire Sauce
Tomato Sauce – 1 TBSP
Paprika – 2 tsp (or to taste)
Cabbage leaves – torn but medium sized
(optional) – washed and pat dry
Method:
(A) Garlic Pepper Rice :
In a pan, heat 1 TBSP butter and 1 TBSP
oil, sauté the garlic well, now add peppers & blanched veggies and give it
a mix. Add black pepper, salt and let the bell peppers get a little crispy. Now
add the rice and mix once more. Check for salt and spice. Keep aside.
(B) Quinoa Patties:
Wash and soak quinoa in warm water for
30 mins (I felt red quinoa took a little more time to cook). Drain and cook as
per packet instructions. Let it cool a bit. Now add in the boiled potato
(mashed), onions, spices and seasonings and make a dough kind of mass. Pinch
out small roundels and flatten it on greased / wet palms to a thick disc. Roll
in cornmeal / roasted suji and clingwrap and refrigerate for 15 mins. Shallow
fry in 5 TBSP oil till they are golden brown
(Tip : As the patties turn soggy, cook
this last before assembling the sizzler)
(C) Roasted Vegetables :
Blanch all veggies except peppers and
onions. In a skillet, heat the remaining oil , add the chilly – garlic,peppers
and onions and sauté it well. Now add 1 TBSP of each of the sauces, veggies,
salt, paprika and sauté well. Check for salt and seasoning
To assemble:
- During the last phase of your cooking,
place the cast iron sizzling pan directly on the flame. Let it become red hot. - Now place the cast iron pan on the wooden
casing, arrange the patties, roasted veggies and rice, drop a blob of cold
butter when it would sizzle (alternately, you can place the butter directly on
the iron plate and then start assembling the cabbage leaves and on top place
the three components of the dish)
Check out the Blogging Marathon page for the other Blogging Marathoners doing BM# 56
Oh wow what a beautiful start to the marathon ! That's an awesome combo Kalyani , loved the quinoa pattice, Looking forward to all healthy recipes from you !
Delicious start Kalyani.. Looks awesome.. Yummy combo…
The platter looks delicious and nice way to kick start the mega BM
U definitely started with a bang. What a spread!
U definitely started with a bang. What a spread!
Wow what a spread Kal. I have a sizzler tava that I brought ages ago and the amount of work it will involve has been putting me off making sizzlers. Love the combo and will hope to push myself off the edge with this sizzler.
That sizzler plate looks so invited Kalyani good start. specially that patties sounds interesting..
wow….what a lovely written post…i love sizzlers and make it at home all the time, but never managed to capture it well on camera..loved your plating….great start looking forward
Such a beautiful dish Kalyani! Nice way to start the BM. And I too love the sight and smell of sizzlers when they are being served….
You have assembled my kind of a platter, Kalyani! Sizzling…
A fantastic start to the BM Kalyani. Love your sizzler platter and I am feeling hungry now..
I am drooling over this sizzler platter.
Sizzling platter Kalyani..Looks delicious & lovely combo.
Love this fajita plate.. its indeed sizzling hot 😉
Awesome platter kalyani. We normally order noodles sizzler here in the restaurant! ! As u say all eyes would be on the sizling plate and burnt aroma of the sizzler!! Love everything on that plate.
I can have this irresistible sizzler without any fuss, love the burnt aroma of the sizzler anytime, well done Kalyani.
Great start to BM, Kalyani. Love the healthy platter.
What a delicious combo Kalyani. I remember ordering this in restaurant years ago and the sound of the sizzle is definitely a highlight of this dish.
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