Chef Arun Vijayan shares four New Year special recipes

Chef Arun Vijayan has been the latest social media sensation, garnering more than 120k followers on Instagram in just five months. While adding the ingredients in the right proportion into the pan using his right hand, chef Arun balances an iPhone in his left hand, trying to capture the footage. He wants perfection in the colour, frame composition and even the sound quality of the video as much as he insists on preparing delicious dishes.

Chef Arun's videos are under a minute and this is one of the main factors that has attracted viewers. The swift videos instantly capture your attention while making you appreciate the wide variety of dishes that he cooks. A native of Kolencherry in Ernakulam, Arun studied at the Food Craft Institute in Thodupuzha. He started his career as a professional chef at the renowned Le Meridian in Kochi. In a career spanning 7 years, chef Arun has headed the kitchens of many leading restaurants. It was during the lockdown period that he began filming cooking videos. Now, he works as the head chef of a noted seafood restaurant in Qatar. Chef Arun shares four amazing New Year special recipes for our readers.

Beef chilli roast in coconut milk
Ingredients
Onion
Ginger - garlic paste
Turmeric powder
Coriander powder
Garam masala
Pepper powder
Tomato
Beef chunks
Coconut milk
Shallots
Curry leaves
Green chillies

Preparation
Cook the beef with salt, pepper and turmeric powder
Set it aside to be used later
Heat coconut oil in a pan
Sauté onions and ginger - garlic paste until they turn golden in colour
Into it add turmeric powder, coriander powder, garam masala and pepper powder
Sauté until the raw smell of the powders are gone
Now add the finely chopped tomato
Cook until the tomato is nice and mushy
Add the cooked beef
Add the coconut milk too
Allow the beef chunks to soak in the goodness of the coconut milk
Finally, add crushed shallots, curry leaves and green chillies
Give everything a good mix
Cook for some more time and turn off the flame.

Pomfret dry lemon rice
Ingredients
Pomfret
Olive oil
Onion
Cumin powder
Ripe tomato
Red and green bell peppers
Chilli powder
Dry lemon
Basmati rice (boiled with salt)
Fried cashews and raisins
Fried onions
Tamarind water
Coriander leaves
White sesame seeds

Preparation
Fry the marinated pomfret in olive oil
Meanwhile, heat olive oil in another pan
Sauté onions, cumin powder, tomato, bell peppers and some chilli powder
Set this masala aside to be used later
Heat olive oil in a pan
Sauté some bell peppers, onion and dry lemon flesh
Add the boiled basmati rice
Add the fried cashews, raisins, onions and tamarind water too
Mix well
Serve the fragrant dry lemon rice on a plate
Place the grilled pomfret on top
Cover the fish with the masala
Garnish with chopped coriander leaves and white sesame seeds.

Pomfret grilled in roasted shallots
Ingredients
Shallots
Dried chillies
Garlic
Salt
Turmeric powder
Tamarind water
Curry leaves

Preparation
Roast the shallots, dried chillies and garlic cloves on a traditional stove
Transfer these into a bowl
Into it add turmeric powder, salt and tamarind water
Crush them well
Now mix this fragrant mixture in some coconut oil
Marinate the cleaned and scored pomfrets in this marinade paste
Keep them aside for at least half an hour
Place a sprig of curry leaves on plantain leaf
Place the marinated fish
Wrap the fish in plantain leaf
Place this packet on a tawa and grill
Sprinkle some water on the grill to reduce the excess heat
Cook the fish by flipping.

Tender coconut-carrot payasam
Ingredients
1 litre milk
1 litre water
Grated carrot
Sugar as required
Finely chopped tender coconut flesh
Tender coconut water
Cashews and raisins fried in ghee
Cardamom powder
Almonds
Mint leaves

Preparation
Boil 1 litre milk in 1 litre water
Add the grated carrot when the milk starts to boil
The milk would now turn into an attractive orange colour
Add sugar as required
Allow the milk-carrot mix to cool down
Cook the tender coconut flesh in tender coconut water until the water reduces
Add these into the cooled milk
Add cashews and raisins fried in ghee
Add some cardamom powder too
Serve the tender coconut-carrot payasam in tender coconut shell
Garnish with almond slivers and mint leaves for freshness.