Decoding the sizzler

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Even a decade back, dining out was an occasion in India rather than an everyday event. Children could count on their fingers the number of times they were taken to restaurants in a year and more often than not, it was to celebrate something. For many, it used to be a matter of showing off to other diners and what better way to make heads turn than ordering a sizzler?

Sizzlers continue to be a favourite and a great feel good factor spreads across the restaurant as the waiter gets the smoking and spluttering platter to the table. It will, however, come as a surprise to many that most of the sizzlers we get at restaurants in India are all show, an eyewash. Almost anything can be turned into a sizzler and all that one needs is a heavy metal plate and a wooden dish to serve it on. One can make a sizzler in one’s own kitchen and the only extra accessory one needs is a cast iron sizzler dish available at most kitchen or restaurant appliance stores.

Chicken breast and bell pepper sizzler

The thing to remember about sizzlers is to proceed as one would cook a normal dish. Make sure to have oven mitts handy as the sizzler tray be will very, very hot.

Ingredients
300 gm chicken breast without skin cut into medium sized pieces
250 gm red and yellow bell peppers cut into rough wedges
1 onion, quartered
½ tsp mixed herbs or kitchen king masala
Juice of 1 lime
Salt and pepper
2 tbsp oil
20 gm butter
Lettuce leaves

Method
Marinate the chicken for half an hour with half of the mixed herbs, lime juice and salt and pepper. Sprinkle the remaining herbs and some salt and pepper on the cut vegetables. Skewer the chicken alternating with the peppers and onion and grill over an open flame or in an oven, basting the skewers occasionally with oil and turning them regularly to avoid burning. Cook till the skins of the peppers blacken and peel off and the chicken is tender.
Heat the sizzler tray on an open flame or oven till it is very hot. Remove carefully and place on the wooden plate that comes with the sizzler tray. Quickly place two lettuce leaves so as to cover most of the sizzler tray (but not all, leave a part exposed) and arrange the chicken and vegetables on the leaves.
Melt the butter in a pan and sprinkle on the exposed part of the sizzler tray as well as on the lettuce. This will produce the sizzle and the aroma most associated with sizzlers. Serve immediately before the sizzle dies out.

Sizzling walnut brownie with ice cream and chocolate sauce

This dessert is a delight as it combines the excitement of a sizzler with the sinfulness of chocolate and ice cream. We will use store bought brownies and ice cream here as we are concentrating on the sizzler rather than the brownie. One needs to remember that the sizzler tray should not be heated as much here as a regular sizzler.

Ingredients
2 walnut brownies
2 scoops vanilla ice cream
Hershey’s chocolate sauce (or any other chocolate sauce)

Method
Heat two sizzler trays over a burner or in the oven taking care that it doesn’t get red hot. Heat the brownies in a microwave for 20 seconds. When the sizzler trays are hot, remove and place on the wooden plates. Pour around 3 tablespoons of chocolate sauce on each sizzler tray (it will start sizzling now), place a brownie and one scoop of vanilla ice cream on each tray and serve immediately.