With the increasing awareness on the significance of consuming slow food or home-grown food, many people are turning to organic eating. Keeping up with this trend, The Imperial hotel in New Delhi recently curated a special 'green' Hi-Tea spread under the guidance of the hotel's Executive Sous Chef, Alok Verma.

However, if you missed your chance to sample the delectable spread, we got Chef Verma to spill his secrets to creating a wholesome meal.

From a spinach, avocado and aloe vera smoothie to a caramelized apple cake with ragi and cinnamon, there's something for everyone.

Alok Verma, Executive Sous Chef, The Imperial, New Delhi.

Cauliflower and orange mousse, balsamic caviar

Ingredients Makes: 5 portions

Cauliflower: 250gms Milk (skimmed): 350ml Cooking cream: 100ml Leeks: 20gm Butter: 50gm Orange: 1 Salt: To taste White pepper: To taste

For caviar Olive oil: 1 cup Balsamic vinegar: 100ml Agar agar: 10gm

Method

- Melt butter in a saucepan over medium heat and add leeks. Saut until they start to sweat. - Add cauliflower florets and saut further for 3-5 minutes. - Pour the milk in the pan and cook until the cauliflower is thoroughly cooked. - Remove from heat and puree in a high speed blender, pass through a sieve. - Add the mixture to a heavy saucepan, stirring over medium heat for 2-3 minutes to dry out. - Place in a bowl and cover surface with plastic wrap. Chill thoroughly. - Whip the heavy cream until firm. Gently fold whipped cream into the cold cauliflower mixture. - Spoon into serving dishes. Cover with plastic wrap and chill until ready to serve. - When serving, top each dish with a chilled portion of caviar and a slice of orange.

For caviar - Keep the oil in the freezer about 30 minutes. - Bring balsamic vinegar to boil in a pan over medium heat. - Add agar agar to the pan and mix well to combine. - Pour the balsamic mixture into a small bowl and fill your syringe - Working fairly quickly, drop tiny droplets of the balsamic into the oil.

Sorghum Dhokla with scraped coconut

Ingredients Makes: 5 portions

Jowar ka atta: 200gm Semolina: 120gm Ginger (paste): 15gm Green chilies (paste): 5gm ENO fruit salt: 2 pkts Curd: 250gm Water: 150ml Lemon juice: 1

For tempering Oil refined: 2 tsp Mustard seed: 2gms Cumin seeds: 2gms Curry leaf: 1gm Sugar: 100gm Water: 200ml Fresh coriander: 25gms Crated coconut: 50gms

Method

- Mix semolina with curd and water for 10-15 minutes - Add all the ingredients except ENO salt, mix well to combine - Now add ENO, and immediately pour the mixture in to a greased plate - Steam for 25 minutes over low flame, remove from heat and set aside for 15 minutes - Heat up the oil for tempering. And add all the ingredients except sugar and water - When it starts to crackle, add water and sugar bring it to boil and pour that mixture over the Dhokla - Garnish with fresh coriander and scraped fresh coconut.

Purple quinoa, parsley and millet salad with pomegranate

Ingredients Makes: 5 portions

Purple quinoa: 1/2cup Millet: 1/2cup Italian parsley chopped: 100gm Cucumber chopped: 150gm Mint chopped: 25gms Pomegranate seeds: 150gms EV olive oil: 120ml Lemon: 2 Salt: To taste Pepper: To taste

Method

- Pressure cook the millets and quinoa for 20-25 minutes or until fluffy. - Drain the water and allow it to cool. - In a large bowl add all the ingredients and mix well. - Check for seasoning, garnish with reserved pomegranate seeds and serve cold.

Spinach, avocado and aloe vera smoothie

Ingredients Makes: 5 portions

Fresh spinach leaves: 200gm Ripe avocado: 350gm Aloe Vera juice: 100ml Water: 300ml Honey: 45gms Lemon juice: 2

Method

- Combine the aloe vera juice, spinach, avocado and honey in a blender and puree for about 1 minute until smooth. - Add water to reach the desired consistency. - Serve chilled.

Sandwich style buckwheat and blackcurrant scones

Ingredients Makes: 5 portions

Buckwheat flour: 150 gm Refined flour: 60 gm Baking powder: 5 gm Salt: 1 gm Butter (chopped & chilled): 35 gm Breakfast sugar: 50 gm Egg (whole): 100 gm Milk: 165 ml Black currant: 40gm

Method

- Mix all the dry ingredients and add chilled butter to get a crumbly texture. - Add eggs slowly at regular intervals. - Pour milk into it and mix it to get a dough. - Add black currant into half the dough to make fruit scones. - Roll and cut into rounds. - Egg wash and bake at 172 C for 9 minutes and then at 160 C for 5 minutes.

Serve Cut scones into half and garnish with clotted cream and strawberry jam.

Caramelized apple cake with ragi and cinnamon

Ingredients Makes: 5 portions

Butter: 200 gm Chopped apples: 500gm Ragi flour: 1100 gm Corn flour: 40 gm Baking powder: 8 gm Salt: 10 gm Egg (whole): 4 Egg (yolk): 2 Vanilla Bean: 3 Honey: 120 gm Maple syrup: 90 gm Lemon zest: 3

Method

- Mix all dry ingredients together. - Cream butter and sugar in an electric mixer. - Mix the whole eggs & yolks, and pour in the mixture at regular intervals. - Add honey and maple syrup. - Saute apples in butter with vanilla and lemon zest. - Fold dry ingredients in the above mixture along with sautd apples. - Pour the batter into lined rings and bake it at 200 C for 30 minutes.

Read the rest here:

Six recipes for organic-food lovers to drool over - Economic Times