Are you still wondering what to cook for Christmas dinner for your loved ones? If yes, then we have curated some easy recipes for you.
Christmas is not just a festival; it’s a feeling of warmth and a celebration of togetherness. And it is surely the time for some get-together with family.
So, what are you waiting for? Check out these exclusive recipes from some of the finest chefs in India.
Eggnog— Anand Rawat, at Noor Mahal, Karnal
Ingredients:
4 cups milk
5 whole cloves
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
12 egg yolks
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 1/2 cups light rum
4 cups light cream
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
Method:
- Combine milk, cloves, 1/2 teaspoon vanilla, and cinnamon in a saucepan, and heat over lowest setting for 5 minutes. Slowly bring milk mixture to a boil.
- In a large bowl, combine egg yolks and sugar. Whisk together until fluffy. Whisk hot milk mixture slowly into the eggs. Pour mixture into saucepan. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly for 3 minutes, or until thick. Do not allow mixture to boil. Strain to remove cloves, and let cool for about an hour.
- Stir in rum, cream, 2 teaspoon vanilla, and nutmeg. Refrigerate overnight before serving.
Classic roast turkey, Bread stuffing, Brussel sprouts, giblet gravy —Chef Pradeep Rao
Ingredients:
1 Whole Turkey
40 gms Carrot
40 gms Onion
3 Orange
10 gms Bay leaves
10 gms Celery
10 gms Leeks
50 gms Brioche bread
2 kg Turkey mince
20 gms Apricot
20 gms Prunes
20 gms Apple
5 gms Thyme
50 ml Butter
10 ml Honey
40 ml Fresh cream
2 Egg
50 gms Brussel sprouts
25 ml Cranberry sauce
50 gms Baby Carrots
Method:
- Clean the turkey and remove the leg part of it. De bone the leg and leave it aside.
- Make a brine solution with Water, celery, leeks, onion, orange juice, bay leaves, salt and leave to cool down. Immerse the Tukey with carcass in it and leave it for more than 24hours.
- Remove it from the brine solution and remove all the excess water from it.
On a pan make a bed of mire pouix with Onion, carrot, celery and leeks and keep the brine infused turkey on top of it. Roast it in the oven at 120 degrees for 90 minutes with aluminium foil. Every 15 mins make sure u baste the turkey with a mix of butter and honey to keep it moist.
- After 90 mins remove the aluminium foil and roast it at 160 degrees for 30 mins.
- For bread stuffing, make amixture with Turkey mince, fresh cream, and egg and bind it well. Mix chopped apricot, prunes, apple and toasted brioche and fold it well.
- Beat the deboned turkey leg and place on a aluminum foil. Put the mince in it and make a roulade out of it. Cook it in the oven for 40 mins at 160 degrees.
Slice the roasted turkey breast and the roulade and serve it with butter tossed Brussel sprouts, cranberry sauce and giblet gravy.
Stolen— Taj Mahal Hotel
Ingredients:
300 gms Flour
80 gms Yeast
230 ml Milk
30 gms Sugar
170 gms Sugar
10 gm Salt
725 gms Flour
50 gms Gluten
5 gms Spices
725 gms Soaked fruit
325 gms Butter
Method:
- Mix 1st four ingredients together till well combined and keeps it at 27C for 2 hours till it becomes double in volume. Then keep in chiller overnight.
- Next day start making the dough with remaining ingredients except for dry fruits.
- Add dry fruits at the end and keep the dough at 27C for 120min.
Knockbackpre-shape 300g each. Let it rest for 30min.
- Next, give the traditional. Shape of stolen bread and insert marzipan inside.
- Let the bread ferment, bake at 180C for 35-40min.
- Soak in melted butter nicely immediately after baking & then coat with icing sugar.
Walnut and Lemon Parsley Spaghetti — Chef Sabyasachi Gorai
Ingredients:
160g spaghetti
3 garlic cloves, minced
3 tbsp olive oil
100g California walnuts, toasted and finely chopped
50g flat leaf parsley, finely chopped
Zest of 1 lemon and juice of half
Salt and pepper
Method:
- Cook the spaghetti as per the packet instructions.
- Using a medium sized non-stick frying pan, saute the garlic in the
olive oil over medium heat for 1-2 mins until fragrant and soft.
- Drain the pasta and add to the pan, then stir in
walnuts, parsley, zest, and lemon juice.
- Season to taste with salt and black pepper to serve.
Sweet Potato Tots with Creamy Ketchup — Chef Shailendra Bhandari, The Metropolitan Hotel & Spa
Ingredients:
1 large sweet potato, peeled
1 egg
30g all-purpose flour
¼ teaspoon sea salt
¼ teaspoon paprika
¼ teaspoon garlic powder
3 cups oil, for deep frying*
58g plain Greek yogurt
60g ketchup
Method:
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add the whole sweet potato and cook for about 15 minutes. You want it to be slightly softened, but not easily mashed – you will need to be able to grate it. Drain and let it sit until cool enough to handle, and then grate with a cheese grater.
- Combine the shredded potato and egg in a medium bowl and use a fork to combine. In another bowl, combine the flour, salt, paprika, and garlic powder. Add the flour mixture to the potato and stir to combine.
- Pour the oil into a deep fryer or into a heavy pot. Heat the oil until it is 375ºF. Place a few sheets of paper towels on a plate to drain the tots when they are done the cooking.
- Form the potato mixture into 1-inch balls** and add to the hot oil, being careful not to overcrowd the pot. (It will take you several batches to cook all of the potato mixtures.) Fry for 3 minutes, then remove with a slotted spoon and drain on the paper-towel-lined plate. Repeat with the remaining batter, allowing the oil to come back to temperature between batches.
- In a small bowl, combine the yogurt and the ketchup. Serve with the hot tots.
Pumpkin & Apple Strudel — Chef Sujeet Singh – Radisson Noida Sector 55
Ingredients:
a small pumpkin
3 apples, sour
a hand full of raisins
a hand full of walnuts
170 gram of brown sugar
1 lemon
1/2 kilo of fillo dough
Method:
- Peel and dice the pumpkin. Bake in the oven at 180 degrees centigrade for 30 minutes.
- Peel and dice the apples and put together with the raisins and the chopped walnuts into a bowl. Add some lemon zest and lemon juice. Add the sugar and mix well.
- Take the pumpkin out of the oven and mix with the apples.
Spread out the filo dough on a floured surface. Put spread the filling like a little wall along the long side of the dough. Keep a bit of space at all sides. Fold over the sides to prevent the filling form falling out. Now roll the dough, wrapping the filling. Bottom to top of the fillo dough.
- Close the dough at both ends. spread some butter on top and bake for 40 minutes at 170 degrees.
- Let it cool down to cut. Cut in the desired size to serve.
Santa Singh — Nitin Tewari, Bar and Beverage Consultant
Ingredients:
60 ml White Rum
15 ml Ginger bread syrup
10 ml Berry Puree
10 ml Lime juice
Crushed Ice
Garnish: Mint Sprig and Caster sugar
Method:
Add all ingredients in a cocktails shaker. Shake it with cube ice, strain it over
crushed ice. Garnish with Mint sprig and sprinkle powder sugar to create snow effect.
Note: Perfect for Christmas brunches.
Gourmet Salami Burger — Chef Shailendra Bhandari, The Metropolitan Hotel & Spa
Ingredients:
2 slices of your favorite bread (here used a crusty loaf)
Avocado
2 slices of salami
Brie Cheese
3-4 slices of tomato
Baby spinach and/or baby rocket shopping list
Mayonnaise
White pepper
Method:
- Toast slices of bread in the toaster or grill them.
- When done, spread the avocado onto 1 slice.
- Add all ingredients to the burger and finish it off with the mayonnaise and pepper.
Smoky Walnut, Parsnip, and Pear Soup — Chef Sabyasachi Gorai
Ingredients:
For the soup
500g parsnip, roughly chopped
1 tbsp olive oil
4 sprigs of thyme
Salt and pepper
1 white onion, finely chopped
1 tbsp butter
2 pears, peeled, cored and roughly chopped
800ml vegetable stock
600ml milk
75g California walnuts, ground in the food processor
For the smoky walnuts
2 tsp maple syrup
1 tsp smoked paprika
2 tsp soy sauce
50g California walnuts
1 tbsp chopped chives and a drizzle of walnut oil to garnish
Method:
- Preheat the oven to 180°C. Place the parsnips onto a baking tray and drizzle with the olive oil. Sprinkle over the thyme, season and toss everything together. Roast in the oven for 25-30 minutes until golden brown.
- Meanwhile, make the smoky California walnuts. Whisk together the maple syrup, paprika and soy sauce and drizzle over the 50g of California walnuts, tossing to coat. Place onto a small baking tray and roast in the oven for 8-10 minutes. Leave to cool before chopping roughly.
- Next, place the onion and butter into a large saucepan over a medium heat and sauté until soft and translucent. Add the pear and continue cooking for a further 8-10 minutes.
- Add the parsnip and vegetable stock to the saucepan and continue cooking for a further 15 minutes with the lid on. Add the milk and blitz until smooth and silky. Stir in the ground California walnuts and adjust the seasoning to taste.
- Ladle the soup into bowls, then sprinkle with the smoky California walnuts and chopped chives, adding a final drizzle of walnut oil to serve.