Most men these days will be able to name at least a couple of impressive sounding dishes when asked what they can cook. Prod further on the last time they rustled them up, though, and chances are they won’t remember. Men are lazy, but they also want to eat well. You know that when a guy offers to cook for you, it’s going to be an elaborate, delicious meal, but that you’re only going to get it on a special occasion, or a Saturday. “Men will cite various reasons such as time constraints, hectic work schedules, family responsibilities or other chores as a reason to cook simple meals, when they actually prefer exotic, exciting flavours,” says Neeraj Tyagi, Executive Chef at Shangri-La’s — Eros Hotel, New Delhi. But what if we told you that ‘simple’ meals can also be exciting? Here are some of the easiest, quickest recipes to combat daily dal-sabzi fatigue.

Welcome Back Maggi

Fable, Mumbai

Ingredients

1 packet Maggi

100 gm minced lamb

150 gm tomato concasse

3 gm salt

3 gm pepper

2 gm chilli flakes

15 gm parmesan

10 gm onions

5 gm garlic

Method

# Cook the lamb mince and add sautéed onions, garlic, tomato concasse, parmesan and seasoning to make a bolognaise.

# Cook Maggi as per your liking.

# Add bolognaise and top with a fried egg.

# Top with Parmesan

Soft-Shell Crab with Salad

Olive, Mumbai

Ingredients

2 fresh soft shell crabs

30 gm spring garlic

Chillies as per taste

1 lemon

20 gm butter

Mixed salad leaves

1 sprig oregano

1 sprig thyme

Olive oil, sea salt, black pepper

Method

# Coarsely chop the garlic, chillies and herbs.

# Add olive oil and lemon zest to form a paste. Give the crab a nice rub-down with the paste.

# Heat a pan till it’s piping hot. Lay the crab in the pan for 2 minutes for a nice sear. Turn the crab over and sear again for 2 minutes.

# In the same pan, add a dollop of butter. Turn the gas off, and squeeze some lemon into the butter. Gently spoon the creamy mixture on to the crab till it’s completely covered.

# For the salad, prepare leaves and herbs together in a bowl. Take the juices and residue from the pan and toss in with the salad. Lay the crab gently on top.

Seafood Satay Bhel

Pa Pa Ya, Mumbai

Ingredients

60 gms prawns

60 gms fish

30 gms sweet chilli sauce

20 gms mint chutney

40 gms sweetened curd

40 gms sev

10 gms chopped coriander

30 gms chopped onions

10 gms peanut sauce/butter

Method

Marinate the seafood with peanut sauce/ butter, garlic, toss it with the remaining ingredients and serve chilled.

Chicken Fettuccine Pot Pie

Francesco’s Pizzeria, Mumbai

Ingredients

1 chicken breast

1 chopped onion

1 chopped carrot

3 garlic cloves

1/3 tbsp olive oil

1/3 cup milk

4 cups chicken broth

2 tbsp parsley

160 gm fettuccine

500 gm mashed potatoes

1 tbsp celery

1 egg

Salt and pepper to taste

Method

# Add olive oil in a casserole pot and heat it.

# Add chicken, carrot, onion, celery, garlic and sauté till tender.

# Once the chicken is cooked, add broth and milk into the pot. You can also add flour for a thicker consistency.

# Add fettuccine and parsley in the pot and cook.

# Once the fettuccine is cooked, turn the stove of and add mashed potatoes with a piping bag.

# Put the pot in the oven and bake until brown for 12-15 minutes at 250-280 degrees celsius.

Chinese Greens Tossed Soba Noodles

Radio Bar, Mumbai

Ingredients

600 gm soba noodles

200 gm Chinese cabbage

200 gm pok choy

100 gm boiled chickpeas

50 gm chopped garlic

50 gm chopped celery

1 fresh red chilly

2 spring onions

50 ml light soy sauce

100 ml Sriracha sauce

120 ml sweet chilli sauce

50 ml oyster sauce

Salt, pepper to taste

Method

# In boiling water, add seasoning and boil the soba noodles. Once boiled, drain them and sprinkle some oil to prevent the noodles from sticking.

# Heat oil at a high temperature in a wok, add chopped garlic, celery, red chillies and sauté.

# Add Chinese cabbage, pokchoy, chickpeas and stir fry.

# Add the sauces followed by the boiled soba noodles and stir fry. Adjust the seasoning.

Instant Noodle Thukpa

Shangri-La’s – Eros Hotel, New Delhi

Ingredients

50 ml oil

3 gms garlic

100 gms chopped onions

5 gms chopped ginger

100 gms chopped tomatoes

5 gms green chillies

10 gms chopped coriander

40 gms frozen green peas

50 gms diced boneless chicken

50 gms cauliflower florets

2 eggs

50 gms chopped cabbage

20 baby spinach leaves

5 ml lemon juice

2 packets instant noodles

Salt to taste

500 ml chicken stock

Method

# Take a sauce pan, put on a slow flame. Once the oil is heated, add onions, garlic and ginger. Cook until golden brown.

# Add chicken and cook until it becomes tender.

# Add tomatoes, green chilies, cabbage, mushroom, cauliflower, green peas. Sauté for a while and then add stock.

# Give it a boil then add noodles along with the seasoning mix/powder.

# Add noodles to the boiling stock and cook for 5 minutes.

# Quickly mix the whole egg into the boiling noodles.

# Add spinach leaves and adjust the seasoning by adding salt. Finish with lemon juice.

Meal in a Bowl

The Pantry, Mumbai

Ingredients

150 gm red rice

90 gm pan seared kale leaves, broccoli and lima beans

60 gm sauerkraut

60 gm butter sauteed mushroom

120 gm pan-seared cottage cheese

40 gm Nasik oranges

1 tsp salted caramel cauliflower remoulade

60 gm cauliflower

20 gm salted butter

10 ml white vinegar

5 gm brown sugar

Method

# Dice cauliflower and blanch in water with white vinegar.

# Sauté the cauliflower along with a pinch of brown sugar caramelisation.

# Grind the mix for the puree of the remoulade.

# Soak red rice for half an hour. While the pan is hot, add chopped bay leaf, onion and garlic. Add the soaked rice and cook for 12-15 minutes.

# Put aside.

# In a hot pan, add olive oil, chopped onions and garlic and cook until light brown. Add the lima beans, kale and broccoli. Sauté until tender, add salt and pepper to taste.

# Add all the finishing ingredients into the bowl alongside each other.

# Add oranges sliced from top to bottom to get a spiral shape and salted caramel cauliflower butter remoulade to serve.

Chicken Stew

The Good Wife, Mumbai

Ingredients

10 ml olive oil

Crushed garlic

1 onion, cubed

1 carrot, cut into roundels

A handful of green peas

1 celery stick, cubed Bay leaves

250 gm chicken cubes with bones

100 gm tomato cubes

Method

# Add all the ingredients to a large pot and simmer for 15-20 minutes in 500 ml water.

# Add salt and pepper to taste.

# Garnish with fresh thyme and serve with baguette or brown rice.