Edible Art - Craving Fruits and Vegetables!!

A well-presented meal lifts your spirits and increases your appetite. Here we are showing how to crave fruits and vegetables into art pieces to add that extra zing to your table.

White radish candles, papaya boats, cucumber love birds, watermelon peacocks and tomato roses… Sounds funny but you will be stunned to see how, with just a sharp knife, even the most ordinary fruit or vegetable can be transformed into a miniature work of art.

                Basic carving is actually very simple and can be done without any specialised tools or equipment. However, creating masterpieces requires patience, good tools, great skills and years of practice. Try your hand at some of the simpler creations, following the instructions below:

Watermelon Basket

Suitable Garnish For: Salads and fruit plates.

Ingredients and tools: Watermelon, sharp pencil and knife.

ü  Select a firm watermelon and cut a thin slice from the bottom to provide a stable base.

ü  Draw outlines of a basket with a handle. Using a sharp pencil.

ü  Halve the watermelon length wise from both ends, towards the centre leaving a portion in the middle untouched. The uncut portion will then resemble a handle.

ü  Scoop out the fruit.

ü  Use a knife to cut out the edges from the inside of the handle.

ü  Trim the flesh from the inside of the handle.

ü  Fill with fruit salad or corn, peas and diced tomatoes.

Carrot Daisies

Suitable Garnish For: Soups, tikkis, biryanis and stir-fried vegetables.

Ingredients and tools: Carrots, sharp knife and cookie cutter.

ü  Cut large carrots into ¼ cm thick disks.

ü  Shape each disc into a flower using a cookie cutter.

ü  From the centre of the disc, scoop out some flesh to make a circle of about 1 cm in diameter and ½ cm in depth. Note: It should not be a hole.

ü  In the centre of that circle, cut five shallow grooves crisscrossing to form stamens.

ü  Cut grooves from the outer edge of the circle, towards the end of the disk, so that it resembles petals.

Chilly Flowers

Suitable Garnish For: Tikkis, biryanis, sabjis and platters.

Ingredients and tools: Red chilli and a sharp knife.

ü  Hold a large red chilli by its stem end and make several cuts from the base to the apex using the tip of a sharp knife.

ü  Toss the chilli into iced water and watch it open into a flower.

ü  Remove the seeds before serving.

Tomato Rose

Suitable Garnish For: Salad, tikkis, biryanis, sabjis and platters.

Ingredients and tools: Tomatoes and a sharp knife.

ü  Slice off the top of the tomato.

ü  With a sharp knife peel the tomato with a little flesh in a circular motion, from top to bottom to get one long spiral of peel.

ü  Roll this strip up to form a rose.