And when you want something, all the universe conspires in helping you to achieve it” – The Alchemist
A chartered accountant by profession, I spent the first three years of my career working for KPMG in mergers and acquisitions. I would wake up every morning seemingly lost – lost in the world of numbers, asking myself what is it that I can do every single day for the rest of my life? One day in 2018 when I had the calling to choose the path of curiosity over that of fear.
Cooking was second nature to me and everything else seemed unnatural. The whole idea of mixing a few ingredients and creating something unique excited me. At a very young age I had developed a sense of curiosity about food. The inquisitive side of me would also leave me immensely dissatisfied if I could not recreate the same flavor while cooking.
Finally, inquisitiveness turned into self-belief. It was time to leave the corporate setup and dive deep into the world of gastronomy, where turning something ordinary into something magical would be the order of the day. Thus began my culinary journey towards Isha’s Kitchen.
Completing a professional culinary course from Palate Culinary Academy allowed me to enhance my skill set. But the turning point in my career came when I got the opportunity to intern at Food Hall Cooking Studio, and at one of Mumbai’s top restaurants, Sorrentina.
The experience of impacting lives by creating satisfaction through food is what drives me now. None of this would have been possible without my mentors and other support I got along the way.
I am yet to figure it all out. But for now, I spend most of my time learning and growing with my YouTube cooking channel – Isha’s Kitchen – which I started 10 months ago. My Youtube/Insta Family keep this amazing journey going. I am hoping to inspire someone else to follow their own calling. After all, creativity involves making something more beautiful than it needs to be.
The Dish
It is not hard to love the squishy, mochi-like texture of sabudana – aka tapioca pearls. But most people i talk to in the West are only used to seeing them in bubble tea or pudding. I have two words for you: “savory” and “tapioca.”
In this recipe, I have paired up crispy fried tapioca pearls with some wholesome veggies like carrots, peas and zucchini. This burger is a pure Indian take on other burger recipes. A lot of the flavor comes from peanuts, carrots, zucchini and the simple combination of salt, sugar and lemon juice, believe it or not. This may not be the traditional sabudana patty but the twist with veggies like zucchini, carrots etc., make this an unmissable affair.
The Recipe
INGREDIENTS
For the Burger Patty:
- 1 cup sabudana, rinsed and soaked in 1 cup water overnight
- 3 medium potatoes, boiled (you can use raw boiled bananas too)
- 1 small zucchini, grated
- 1 small carrot, grated
- 1/4 cup peas, parboiled
- 3/4 cup peanuts, roasted, skin remove and then crushed
- 7-8 curry leaves, chopped
- 1/2 cup cilantro, chopped
- 3-4 tbsp all-purpose flour/ cornstarch/buckwheat flour
- 1 tbsp green chiliy paste, adjust to taste
- 2 tbsp ginger garlic paste
- 1 tsp salt, adjust to taste
- Juice of one medium lemon
- 2 tsp sugar
- 1 tsp cinnamon clove powder (optional)
- Oil to fry the patty. I used canola oil
INSTRUCTIONS:
- Rinse sabudana well until water turns clear. Soak it in 1 cup water overnight (or 4 to 6 hours depending on the quality of sabudana). Drain excess water before cooking.
- Transfer the sabudana to a large bowl along with all ingredients mentioned above. Don’t forget to add the all-purpose flour to bind them.
- Taste and adjust seasoning for lemon juice, sugar and salt as necessary. The flavors should be a balance of sweet, spicy and salty.
- Divide the mixture into 15 equal parts, flatten each a bit and make them round.
- Heat oil to medium-heat in a wok. Add the patty to the oil one by one. Don’t overcrowd the pan. Maintain the oil temperature at medium heat.
- Fry the patty on medium heat until it is golden-brown and crispy on both sides. Drain on paper towel.
- Stuff the burger with Thousand Island sauce, coriander mint chutney, lettuce, cheese, pickles, onions, tomatoes and cheese.
For more details, visit Thakkar on instagram @ishathak, or on YouTube at https://youtu.be/7We_5EwXOn8
