Brunches have been on the foodie landscape for quite a while now but recently they have come up on everyone’s radar. We caught up with Shiv Karan Singh, who runs Smoke House Grill. He doles out gyaan on whipping up a good brunch. “I think it’s partly because brunches are a perfect weekend activity that they are so popular. Whether with family or friends, you get to sit down and have a relaxed experience — dining leisurely, sipping on chilled sangria or beer and just being comfortable. You can be back at home by five, sleep early and wake up refreshed the next morning. More and more people are taking to it as opposed to a late night of binging.”
He informs that the portions must not to be big either so that guests can nibble on goodies for longer without filling themselves. “Make sure that the dish is wholesome. It must be light yet fulfilling so that guests will get to sample more than one item. This is why portion sizes are controlled in brunch spreads. The dishes should be those that make for great comfort food — a good sausage or creamy pasta, that can soothe frayed weekday nerves. One must include a spread ranging from simple salads to complex roasts, from simple boiled eggs to something more layered like a frittata or a really fancy omelette. And there should always be something for the kids. The intention is to give the guests plenty of options so that they find whatever they feel like consuming, depending on their palate and preferences.”

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Soya and curried vegetables burger
(makes 4 portions)

Ingredients
1 cup carrots (chopped)
1 cup French beans (chopped)
1 cup cauliflower (grated)
100 gm asparagus (peeled and chopped)
2 tbsp garlic (chopped)
1 onion (chopped)
60 ml olive oil
300 gm mashed potato
50 gm curry powder
250 gm soya protein (powdered)
2 tbsp oregano
1 burger bun
For the dressing
1 tbsp low fat mayo
1 tbsp curry powder
A dash of lemon juice
For the cucumber pickle
1 cucumber
300 ml vinegar
2 tbsp sugar
A few leaves of iceberg lettuce
1 tomato (sliced)
1 white onion (cut into roundels)

Method
For the burger patty
In a heavy based pan, sauté onion and garlic until transparent. Then add curry powder and cook for some time. Add all the chopped vegetables and sauté till the vegetables are cooked. Add soya protein powder. Adjust seasoning, add oregano and mix well. Allow the mixture to cool. Then add the mashed potatoes. Mix well and adjust seasoning again. Divide the mixture into four equal parts and form patties and refrigerate for about an hour till they are firm. Heat some oil in a non-stick pan. Sear the patty and cook for 15 minutes.
For cucumber pickle
In a pan, heat vinegar till reduced to half and dissolve the sugar. While still warm, add the cucumber slices and leave to cool.
For the dressing
Dry roast the curry powder in the pan. Add this curry powder to the low fat mayo. Adjust seasoning, add a dash of lemon juice and keep chilled.
To assemble
Cut into half and toast the burger bun in the pan. Smear the curry-mayo dressing on the bun. Make a bed of lettuce on one half. Place your veg patty on top of the lettuce. Smear some more dressing on top (optional). Put a few slices of pickled cucumber. Add tomatoes and white onions on top and then place the other half of the bun on top. Serve along with soya chips or saltines.