Invite your friends over this Sunday for a long, elaborate luncheon.Chef Manindra J Singh helps you put out the perfect spread

Mushroom And Beancurd Soup

Serves: Four
Time required: 15 minutes

15 g button mushrooms, sliced
20 g bean curd (tofu), cubed
a few drops cooking oil
10 g garlic
5 g green chillies, finely chopped
2 cups vegetable stock (see box)
salt to taste
sugar to taste
20 g corn flour
5 g coriander leaves, finely chopped

Heat some oil in a wok and add the garlic and green chillies and sauté for two minutes. Add the vegetable stock, mushrooms and bean curd, and bring to a boil. Check seasoning and remove the scum. Thicken the broth with the corn flour.
Garnish with the chopped coriander. Serve hot.
You can also add broccoli and baby corn if you want more vegetables in the soup.

What is Chicken Stock?
Heat a litre of water in a thick bottomed pan, and add half kg chicken bones, one carrot cut into rough dices, one chopped onion, one celery, chopped, one spring onion, chopped, a small piece of ginger, three to four cloves of garlic, one bay leaf and a few peppercorns. Allow to boil till the water quantity reduces to half. Cool and strain through a muslin cloth or a very fine sieve. Check the seasoning and the stock is ready for use.


Mustard Chicken

Serves: Four
Time required: 15 minutes plus soaking and marinating time

200 g chicken breast, cut into small pieces
25 g mustard seeds
Chinese wine vinegar or plain vinegar as required
salt and sugar as required
20 g corn flour
oil for frying
10 g garlic
10 g fresh red chillies
20 g red and yellow peppers, diced
10 ml Dijon mustard oil
a few drops chilli oil
5 ml Worcestershire sauce
a pinch of white pepper

In a bowl, soak the mustard seeds in the wine vinegar for eight to 10 hours. Grind to make a paste and set aside.
Marinate the chicken pieces in the mustard paste, mixed with the salt, sugar, corn flour and a little water, for half an hour.
Heat some oil in a pan and deep-fry the marinated pieces. Remove and set aside.
Heat some oil in a separate pan, preferably a wok, add the garlic, fresh red chillies, red and yellow pepper, some more salt and sugar, chicken pieces, Dijon mustard, chilli oil and Worcestershire sauce. Sauté for a few seconds and add the white pepper.Toss well. Serve hot.