POST PANDEMIC AND HYDROPONIC GARDENS: By Khatibah Rehmat.

GREAT CHEFS, GOOD FOOD with Executive Chef TARIQUE AZIZ_4.

REFT Today‘s interview conversation of Khatibah Rehmat and Executive Chef Tarique Aziz from Noku Resorts, Male—Maldives, in it’s Exclusive Talk Show—GREAT CHEFS, GOOD FOOD, and the topic is: POST PANDEMIC AND HYDROPONIC GARDENS.

1. World wide maximum places are opened today, despite of this pandemic situation, so my question to you is: How is Maldives government dealing with their given standard operating procedure to their citizens, commonly known as SOPs?

CHEF TARIQUE AZIZ: Listen to the advice of health authorities at all times. Wash your hands regularly with soap and water or use hand sanitizer. If you have fever and cough, please stay at home and use a face mask.

While coughing and sneezing cover your mouth and nose with flexed elbow or tissue. Throw tissue immediately in the bin and wash your hands once again.

Temporary suspension of check-in, in guest houses and city hotels in Maldives are effective since March 14, 2020.

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2) What are hydroponic gardens?

CHEF TARIQUE AZIZ: Hydroponic systems utilises mineral nutrients solution in water – rather than more traditional option of soil – to grow plants. Instead of drawing nutrients needed from the soil, the plants root are suspended in, flooded or misted with a nutrients solution so they can grow.

3) What is the difference between hydroponic gardens and organic gardening?

CHEF TARIQUE AZIZ: Hydroponics is described as the process of growing plants or crops in water without the use of soil.

While organic farming involves choosing not to use inorganic fertilizer in the growing process.

4) How is Maldives’ government looking after it’s travel and tourism?

CHEF TARIQUE AZIZ: Maldives will welcome travelers from all countries to its shores from July, 2020, tourism ministry confirmed. Guests will be given visas on arrival and will not be charged with any additional fees upon entry. The ministry further revealed that, there will not be any mandatory quarantine for travelers and won’t be charged with any additional costs.

5) Are local borders open or still closed as the international gateways? How are the local bodies helping their government?

CHEF TARIQUE AZIZ: Local borders are opened if the need to travel is on urgent basis that too with the permission of HPA.

6) What measures are taken by the government to safeguard their international tourists?

CHEF TARIQUE AZIZ: Tourists will be granted a visa on arrival and there will be no mandatory quarantine, nor the visitors will be asked to undergo any additional testing for Covid—19 at the airport. Instead of presenting a negative result through a PCR (polymerase chain reaction) test before the trip, travelers will have to show proof of positive antibody taste conducted within 2 weeks before arrival. The measure is not yet set in stone.

7) State something about yourself: starting from your name, birthplace, family and education.

CHEF TARIQUE AZIZ: Myself, Tarique Aziz, my birth place is Kolkata in India and I did my hotel management from Kolkata itself.

To know the detailed story about him, kindly go through the below given link: https://bit.ly/2ZZeKV2

A MUST TRY CHEF’S RECIPE OF:

FRESH CANNELLONI PASTA STUFFED WITH MIX VEGETABLES AND RICOTTA CHEESE:

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INGREDIENT: FOR FRESH PASTA

300 gm flour
6 pcs egg yolk
1 pcs whole egg
Salt
Olive oil

FOR STUFFING

250 gm baby spinach
100 gm zucchini (yellow and green)
50 gm eggplant
100 gm ricotta cheese
50 gm Ricotta Cheese
10 gm chopped white onion
Olive oil
Salt as a taste

FOR BECHAMEL

200 ml fresh milk
20 gm flour
20 butter
Nutmeg

FOR TOMATO SAUCE

1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
3 crushed garlic cloves
400 gm can chop tomatoes
40 gm chopped white onion
Fresh basil leaves
3 tbsp sugar

METHOD:

STEP 1. Drizzle some oil in a pan and saute chopped white onion and add blanch drain chopped spinach and other vegetables. Saute mix vegetables for few minutes and then transfer them into a bowl with ricotta cheese, nutmeg, parmesan cheese, and salt. Mix well. 

STEP 2. Form a well in the middle of the flour and drop egg yolk and break whole egg inside it with a pinch of salt. Add little olive oil. Begin to knead this mixture into a dough. Work the dough for quite a while until it has a smooth and homogeneous texture. Form a ball, cover it with a sheet of plastic wrap and let it rest in the refrigerator for about an hour.  

STEP 3. Melt butter in a pot and add flour. Once butter and flour are mixed together, add milk a little at a time. Cook over low heat until the cream thickens, stirring constantly to avoid any lumps. Add nutmeg and salt and then set aside. 

STEP 4. Addolive oil in a pot, saute onion till golden brown and add basil leaves. Add can tomato and cook for 25 minutes, then add salt as per taste and set aside.

STEP 5. Roll out the dough for a thin 2mm thick sheet that will be cut into 8 cm long rectangles. Boil the pasta in a pot filled with water and then spread onto a cloth. Fill pasta with ricotta and mix vegetable mixture, and then roll them. 

STEP 6. Before Platting add agar agar in tomato sauce cook and blend well.
In a plate put tomato sauce in the middle. Place warm cannelloni top with bechamel sauce and sprinkle with parmesan cheese then gratin. Before serving drizzle homemade vegetable demi glaze.

INTERVIEWED: Executive Chef Tarique Aziz.
INTERVIEW TAKEN BY: Khatibah Rehmat.
PICTURE COURTESY: Executive Chef Tarique Aziz.