Chef Nilesh, who gained culinary experience at the Taj Mahal Hotel, Orchid Hotel and Flight Kitchen, manages his own entrepreneurial venture `All `Bout Cooking` where he provides F&B solutions to new entrants, entrepreneurs and existing restaurateurs.

Nilesh has also hosted a popular TV show `Aamhi Saare Khavvaiye` on Zee Marathi.

Zikomo and Trikaya in Pune, Gypsy Chinese in Dubai, Tenzo Temple in Thane and Trikaya in Mumbai are among the various restaurant brands that he is associated with.

Nilesh is well versed in Pan Asian and Western cuisines.

He believes in using fresh, seasonal ingredients in all his restaurants where no food colour or taste enhancer is used.

The expert took time off his busy schedule to answer Sify readers` cookery questions and shared some useful cooking tips. Read the chat transcript here.

pls give the mughlai chicken biriyani recipi
The difference in Mughlai chicken biryani and regular biryani is that mughlai chicken gravy is made with brown onion and yoghurt paste..add the masalas..semi cook the chicken ... layer it with rice and top it up with lots of dry fruits, fresh coriander and fresh mint...

how to cook chicken breast or any other part of chicken tender ? whenever i make it become hard
Just sear it or saute it on a high flame in hot oil for a couple of mins...once the chicken is brown it will leave its own juices...let this liquid evaporate..add hot stalk and ccok it for 5-6 mins..dont overcook the chicken to make it very hard...

chef, how much kasoori methi shd we use for 1/4 kg of sabzi?
1-2 tsps..always roast kasoori methi and crush it with your hands before adding it to the recepie...

Koya (mava) recepies
Look at Pedha or barfi recepies.. try making the way I make Mango malai barfi... make paneer at home... then cook it with sugar syrup and mango pulp..add one tsp ghee.. and set it in a refrigerator... its beautiful in the season...

what is the best way to make aamras
Steal the mangoes from your neighbours garden, collect them and soak it in water..if you can resist try squeezing it into a container or just enjoy them directly into your palate and let your neighbour know that you have enjoyed all the juicy mangoes!!

sir please share some easy bachelor recipes
I use to make chappattis and eat it with potato sabzi or a dal... Try doing a moist masala pulav and finish of with a cold coffee. For Breakfast I love making sheera or suzi halwa with farsan.. its very filling...

mehtod to prepare green tea
Boil 4 cups of water, add 2 tsps of green tea leaves and immediately strain...

is there any way to bake a pizza base without oven?
Pizza base can be cooked on tawa but the cheese melting to give that cheesy pizza needs oven..

any quick mushroom recipe please
For a cream of mushroom saute the mushrooms well in butter with little chopped onions and garlic..puree the mixture in a blender..use this paste in the veg stock, add cream and just add seasonings and serve hot...

how to get the deep red colour of restaurant style paneer makhani without adding food colour?
The best way to use is dry red bedgi chillies...Deseed the chillies, blanch in hot water, cool it and blend it in the mixer and use the paste...

what marinade to use for chicken normally?
Depends which cuisine you are trying... for a basic marination I use chopped garlic, oil, salt and mustard paste..its good for using the chicken as a sandwich filling or in soups, etc.

we love naan, but when we try to make at home, it becomes slightly hard. how to make it soft
You have to make a soft dough with yoghurt , baking powder, salt, butter and water... rest the dough for sometime..make naan roundles and keep it again covered ...then flatten it with dry maida and cook it in tandoor or in a heated oven...

hello nilesh, can u tell some good culinary school in maharashtra?
Plenty ... MSIHMCT Pune..IHM Dadar..Taj School at Aurangabad

pl share a sherbat recipe for summer
I like to use Kalakhatta crush muddled with fresh pineapple or watermelon topped with crushed ice and sprinkled with black salt and serve it...

sir, we love coconut rice but dont know how to make grated coconut, living without too many gadgets, pl help
Are you joking? Try doing it with your teeth as a scraper... ) Or just forget about it!!

what are the sauces to use to get perfect hakka noodles
No sauces but what you need is a good chilli garlic paste .. boiled noodles, some veggies like cabbage, spring onions, french beans and capsicum..stir fry all this in a wok over a high flame...

how to make thai red masala?
Use fresh red chillies, dry red chillies, garlic, onion, lemongrass, galangal..make a paste in a blender and cook your thai curry with cocnut milk, jaggery, tamarind, lime leaf. If you are non-veggie then you may add a tsp of dry shrimp paste and fish sauce...

hello nilesh. whats ur fav asian recipe?
I love steamed Dimsums, jasmine fried rice and stir fried vegetables or balinese curry..)..Thanks for reminding me Lalitha!

bharli vangi is my hubby fav dish but when i do it comes out bit squashed. how to make it correctly?
Use baby brinjals... slit it in a cross incision.. and semi deep fry. Cook this brinjals with the masala covered with lid for the final dum effect...

any way to make pakoras crisp without soda?
We add small quantity of hot oil to the besan and then add water..make a thick batter..rest it for sometime..then it becomes thin and use this batter...you can also add small quantity of rice flour...

what is the consistency for sugar syrup in gulab jamun
It should be thick sugar syrup and need not have that string conssistency...

can you suggest some salad dressing without oil
Make a yoghurt dressing or honey vinegar dressing...

please explain how to make crisp chaklis at home
You have to add hot oil while making the dough and the dough has to be prepared using hot oil..thats the best way to make it...

how to make kadhi - when i try to make the curd breaks
Always blend the curd with 2 tsps of besan and then temper it with a tadka, give it a boil..the kadhi will never split...

Chef can you give us certain suggestions on important points on opening a new venture. there legalities, costing, rules & regulations etc.
You can contact me on my office website..www,nileshlimaye.com...in brief I can tell you that you need to have a passion for the hotel industry and everything else will follow..!!

i am getting bore to daily roti suggest me new unique recipe but i easily get ingredient..
Us rice flour batter and cook it over slow flame on a griddle..these are rice pancakes and you can eat them with sabzi or curry..they are a good and easy substitute to a roti and does not need any fermentation..you can also use buttermilk to make the batter and make it more nutritious and tangy!

sir, do u believe that eating healthy means veg food?
Not really ...depends on what kind of work life you have.. eating helathy means eating at the right time in not too heavy quantities, avoiding too much of oily or greasy foods and balancing your daily dietary needs wiith some fresh fruits, vegetables, a meat piece, curds, oil or ghee and pulses. Frankly a home made meal is any time better than eating out everyday!

hi, can u suggest a recipe to use greens with meat
Palak Ghosht, methi murg, in this use your regular mutton or chicken recepie and enhance with spinach for the mutton and chopped fresh methi with little curd..to cook it with chicken masala...

how to make tandoori chicken in stove
Tandoori chicken needs a barbecue or a tandoor...you can marinate the chicken with your tandoori masalas and at the most grill it in a OTG.. You will not get the best results if you do it on a gas range...

for indian type bruschetta, what are suggested toppings
Chicken tikka, paneer tikka, masala tossed mixed vegetables, humble potato sabzi or any other left over sabzi can be glamorized on the bruschetta...

how can we make masala papad at home?
Roast or fry the udad pappad.make a masala of chopped onions, chopped tomatoes and chopped coriander. Sprinkle the same on the papad..add a little chilly powder and squeeze dash of lemon juice or chat masala...

khandvo recipe
Mixed pulses, soak them and make a paste with little curd and keep it overnight to ferment, optionally you can flavour it garlic and fresh coriander, vegetables. Temper it with mustard seeds ,curry leaves and put it in a well oiled pan or tray...bake it for 15 mins. We even cook it on a frying pan with covered lid for 10-15 mins on a slow flame...

how to get tangy taste without using tamarind/tomato in indian curries
Use malt or brown vinegar..

can u suggest tips to get good smelling coffee
It all depends on the quality of coffee beans...Freshly grounded coffee beans can really incite your surroundings...