This foie gras recipe has an Eastern twist from Vineet Bhatia. Spiced foie gras is quickly seared and placed on a buttered warm naan. The crunchy salad with fennel and mango chutney cuts through the richness for the perfect accompaniment.
First, prepare the wild mushroom and truffle oil naan. Heat the vegetable oil in a pan and add the cumin seeds. As they begin to crackle, add the chopped mushrooms and sauté over a medium heat
Sift the flour into a large bowl, stir in the salt and make a well in the centre. Add the mushroom mixture, water and vegetable oil to the well and knead together to make a rough dough
Cover with cling film and leave to rest for 20 minutes. Gently knead again for 2 minutes, then divide the dough into 10 portions and shape them into smooth balls
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Place them on a lightly floured tray, cover with cling film or a damp cloth and leave to rest for 20 minutes
1000g of self-raising flour
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For the fennel-mango chutney salad, put all the ingredients in a bowl and mix well, then refridgerate while you bake the naans and sear the fois gras
To prepare the spice-seared foie gras, roast all the spices in a dry frying pan, then leave to cool. Place them in a spice mill or coffee grinder and grind to a fine powder. Leave to one side until ready to cook the fois gras
Roll out each naan ball into a circle about 3mm thick. Place on a hot baking sheet and bake in an oven preheated to 200°C/Gas Mark 6 for 4–5 minutes, until golden brown. Baste with the truffle oil and melted butter
2 tsp truffle oil
1 tbsp of unsalted butter
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Season the foie gras with salt, dust with the spice powder and sear in a very hot pan for 30 seconds on each side
To serve, place a warm wild mushroom naan in the centre of 4 long plates and place the seared foie gras on top. Arrange the fennel and mango chutney salad to one side and spoon a little mango chutney on the other side
While Vineet Bhatia has borrowed from European traditions to plate up his food, the manner and matter of his dishes are unmistakably those of India, handled with immense sophistication and personal panache.
