Quick Egg Curry – Week night Dinner Idea

 

Hello My Dear Wonderful Readers,

How have the holidays been? I haven’t had time to make a decent meal for the past few days. Cleaning up the house, in turn falling sick and managing the little one has been the only thing I can find time for. So this recipe is my easy egg curry recipe and yes I cheated, I bought the Wheat Malabar Paratha from the store cause I couldn’t find time to make that as well too. So here is my recipe for the simple and easy boiled egg curry for weeknight dinners!

Ingredients –

1. Eggs – 5
2. Onions – 3 medium size – julienned
3. Tomatoes – 3 small – chopped fine
4. Curry Leaves – 8 – 10
5. Ginger Garlic Paste – 1 tbsp
6. Chilli Powder – 1 tbsp
7. Turmeric Powder – 1/2 tsp
8. Green Chilli – 3 slit into half
9. Mustard Seeds – 1 tsp
10. Cumin Seeds – 1/tsp
11. Oil – 1 tsp
12. Water – to boil the eggs + 1/2 cup

Instructions :-

1. Boil water in a pot and add one tsp of salt. When the water begins to boil, slowly immerse the eggs with the help of a spoon. Boil for 10 mins till nice and hard boiled
2. Then drain the water out and set aside to cool. Once cooled, de shell the eggs. The eggs are ready
3. Heat oil in a kadai and add mustard seeds
4. When the seeds begins to splutter add cumins seeds
5. Then add onions and fry till translucent. Add ginger garlic paste to the onions and fry for 3 mins
6. Then add chilli powder, turmeric powder, curry leaves and tomatoes
7. Once you see that the tomatoes are nice and soft, add the chillies and fry for 10 mins on medium heat
8. Add half a cup of water at this stage
9. When you see the mixture start to turn light brown, add the boiled eggs. Stir well to coat the eggs with the masala and cover and cook for another 5 mins
10. After 5 mins season with salt and pepper ( optional) and serve right away

 

 

 

 

 

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Tandoori Tangdi Kebab – Chicken Legs Roasted in Tandoori Spices

 

Hello and A Merry Christmas to all my Dear Wonderful Readers!

Christmas is everywhere! It’s such a wonderful time to go into the city and look at the lights and the pretty christmas decorations. I do not meant the hideous blue and yellow lights in front of malls. I mean the soft twinkling of stars hanging by the windows, the blinking lights on christmas trees in our neighbourhood, the smell of cookies and plum cake wafting in the evening breeze, children running around with guitars for last minute carol practise.. that sort of thing. It’s  just amazing how the smallest children know how to sing “jingle bells” and how really thin men dress up like Santa Claus, dance and make merry with old and young just the same.

When i was a child, my folks would ask the gardener to cut down a little branch of the pine tree that grew in our garden. It would be set into an old pot and placed in the corner of our large living room. There, I would spend hours dressing and decorating it with everything I could find. From left over birthday decorations, to making chinese lanterns with paper cut out from note books, to raiding the medicine cabin for cotton ( to look like snow on the tree).. Christmas was fun even though I have never been to church. As I grew up, it became the prefect excuse to dress up well and go  visit  friends. There would wine, cake and chicken roast and appam and stew! Everything lovely about December begins and ends with food. Apart from the chicken roast we would also have a tandoor outside, where the “Uncles” would drink and roast chicken in the tandoor. This chicken reminds me of how Christmas smelt like wine, cake and tandoori chicken 🙂

Ingredients :-

1. Chicken – 7 legs + thigh pieces
2. Lime Juice – juice of 2 limes
3. Ginger + Garlic Paste – 2 tbsp
4. Kashmiri Chilli Powder – 2 tbsp ( adjust according to taste)
5. Turmeric – 1 tsp
6. Coriander Powder – 1 + 1/2 tsp
7. Cumin Powder – 1 tsp
8. Garam Masala Powder – 1 tsp
9. Salt – according to taste
10. Kasuri Methi – 2 tbsp
11. Curd / Yogurt (non flavoured) – 300 gms

 

Instructions :-

1. Wash and clean chicken pieces. Then make slashes on both sides of the pieces. This is ensure that the marinade gets deep into the meat
2. In a large bowl combine all ingredients apart from the chicken. Mix well to form a nice thick paste
3. Dunk the pieces of chicken one by one into the marinade and rub the paste into the meat
4. Place the coated chicken pieces on a baking tray and arrange in such a way as to not over lap each other
5. Once you are done with all the pieces, if you will find a little extra marinade, drizzle the rest over the top of the chicken. Cling wrap the top of the tray
6. Now place the baking tray into your fridge and let the chicken marinate for 3 hrs
7. Once you are ready to make your chicken, pre heat your oven to 180 C- (Switch the setting to Roast mode)
8. Remove the cling wrap from the tray and pop the tray into the pre heated oven and set the timer for 30 mins
9. After 30 mins, take out the tray from the oven, flip the chicken pieces around and roast again from another 30 mins
10. By this time you will see the juices running out of the meat, at this point, increase the temperature to 220 C and roast till you see the meat nice and caramelised. Mine took around 10 mins ( Dont wait for it to burn)
11. Pull the tray out of the oven and serve hot right way with nice hot garlic kulcha or naan or flavoured rice and fresh chopped onions, lime and coriander leaves 🙂

Enjoy!!

Chocolate Dipped Chocolate and Almond Biscotti

 

Seasons Greetings My Dear Wonderful Readers!!

We have been very busy baking this week but this time its for gifting and sharing. So I made a bunch of these biscotti for our Christmas party last week. Have you guys played secret santa? Well it was really fun when we played it in my office. Seven days of gifting and not knowing who or when and how they know what you like and yet the gifts that come are really cute! These biscotti’s were made for a dear friend as his secret santa gift from me 🙂 It was so much fun and for some  strange reason he thought my husband baked them.. haha . Anyway it was fun.. I am leaving you with the recipe and I hope you have fun making them!!

Ingredients :-

1. Flour – 2 cups
2. Coco Powder – 1/2 cup
3. Sugar – 1 cup
4. Baking Soda  –  1 tsp
5. Almonds – 200 gms
6. Salt – 1/4 tsp
7. Vanilla Extract –  1 tbsp
8. Eggs – 3
9. Chocolate – 200 gms
10. Sprinkles – as much as your like 🙂

Instructions :-

1. Preheat your oven to 180 and line your baking tray with baking paper
2. In the bowl of your stand mixer with the paddle attachment beat eggs and butter
3. Then add sugar and vanilla extract
4. While the eggs butter mixture are whipping, mix flour. coco powder, baking soda and salt
5. Now add the dry ingredients into the bowl in three batches
6. The dough will be very sticky. But it will come together to form a sticky ball
7. Flour your counter and empty the dough onto the floured counter
8. Kneed the dough for 4 – 5 mins and add more flour if required so that the dough does not stick to the counter
9. Finally roll into a long log and cut into the legal halves
10. Then roll each log to look like baguettes
11. Pop the rolled out logs into the oven and bake for 20 mins. The crust should be hard and almost like a biscuit
12. Then take the logs out of the oven and let them cool for 10 mins
13. Using a seated knife, cut the logs into long thin strips. I cut mine at an angle but you can do it anyway you like
14. Then arrange the strips back onto the tray and bake for another 10 – 15 mins depending on how brown or dark you like the biscuit
15. Once they are done set them on a cooling rack and bring to room temperature
16. Meanwhile melt your chocolate in the microwave at 30 sec intervals. Stir every 30 seconds to make sure you do not burn them
17.  Finally dip the cooled biscotti into the melted chocolate and sprinkle any kind of sprinkles you like
18. Enjoy!

Kerala Style Plum Cake – Christmas Cake!

Hello My Dear Wonderful readers!

As I made this wonderful cake, I cannot believe how fast this year went by. It’s close to a year since I started the blog, my son is almost a year an a half old and everyday there is so much happening! Some times I cannot believe that so much happened in a year and on the other hand I cannot wait for the new year to begin. My little peach takes all my time and for some strange reason I am ok with that. Maybe thats what motherhood feels like! Even as I am typing this post out, my son is sitting on my lap and every now and then I have to hit the delete button cause there are random taps on the keyboard. But all I can see is a little boy, who can look at me and melt my heart just by a little smile. That being said, being a mother also has its hard days. Like when he gets up on the wrong side of the bed and he throws a tantrum and turns the whole house upside down. Yes, I am sure you know what I am talking about if you are a mum too.

Now while I was making this cake I was reminded of my childhood days in a small temple town in Kerala. My grandfather was an advocate and a man of great importance. No not just for his skills at advocacy but for his knowledge in  science, maths and astrology. You know how in those days everybody knew everybody in villages and towns? Just like that everybody knew him and everybody loved the food my grandmother makes. So people would flock to my ancestral home for lunches and late dinners. But during this time of the year, my house would sing another tune. This was the time when every morning we would wake up to a delivery boy standing with a cake box in his hand and a note that wished all of us a “Merry Christmas and A Happy New Year”. The boxes would be left on the bigger dining table in the main room and we would wait for my granny to open it! Oh the excitement to see Kerala Plum Cake, dressed in hard royal icing, with leaves of a florescent green and roses of electric pink and dark red! And a little thin cardboard piece that spelled “Merry X’mas”. That was the best! My granny would bring a nice thin knife from the kitchen and we all would fight for the biggest piece and we would save the “roses and leaves” for the end. Finally we would be happy with cake in in our bellies, red colour tongues and little hard icing all over our face. Yes, Christmas was only about the food.

I almost forgot. The little delivery boy would also have two amber bottles in his hand. Wrapped in the local news paper and then tied with a string, these bottles housed the greatest wines I have ever tasted!  No they were not just grape wine. They ranged from passion fruit, to holy basil wine! Yes, Christmas was that time of the year when cake and wine was an every day affair in Kerala.

PS – we never ever got to taste the wine apart from the sweet grape “wine” which was served in plastic glasses to the children so they don’t break the glass 🙂

This recipe was one shared by a close friend of mine and they make them in Kilograms! They make them in trays and bake for almost an army! and believe me nothing ever goes to waste!

Soaking Dry Fruits and Nuts :-

1. Raisins – 50 gms
2. Pistachio – 50 gms (de shelled and plain)
3. Sultanas – 50 gms
4. Cashew Nuts -50 gms
5. Walnuts – 50 gms
6. Apricots – 7 -8
7. Candied Ginger -4 – 5 (long)
8. Candied Oranger Peel – 5 peels
9. Dates – 100 gms
10. Almonds – 50 gms
11. Prunes – 4
12. Candied Cherries – 12
13. Rum –  180 ml

Instructions :-

1. Open a zip lock bag and add all nuts. Close the bag making sure to push out all the air within the bag
2. Now after closing the bag, using a rolling pin, roughly smash the nuts to bring to coarse mixture. Drop the nuts into a  clean glass bottle
3. Now place the rest of the fruits on a chopping board ( except the rum :p) and roughly chop to small bits
4. Add the chopped fruit into the bottle with the nuts
5. Now add the rum over the fruits and close the lid tightly
6. Give the bottle a nice shake and set aside to soak away!
7. Let the bottle at least 2 days to rest by the end of day two you will see that all the rum has been absorbed by the fruits and nuts!

Now when you are ready to bake this beauty, the first thing you need to make is the golden syrup. This is what gives the cake its colour and that dark intense flavour. This part is a little tricky cause you want the liquid to resemble honey. Also at all times use a long spoon/ ladle and watch out cause you are playing with hot hot sugar!

Ingredients:-

1. Sugar – 1 cup
2. Water – 1/2 cup ( make sure you have a table spoon in hand)

Instructions :-

1. In a sauce pan, over low flame add the sugar and let the sugar begin to melt. Do not stir till you see the sugar begin to caramelise from the sides
2. Slowly when you see it begin to bubble just slowly use a ladle and give it one stir and add one table spoon of water
3. The sugar will slowly turn from white, to yellow to brown to a dark brown, that is when you will see the sugar begin to bubble, take the pan off the heat and slowly add rest of the water one spoon at a time and stir well
4. Finally you will have a nice thick, dark brown syrup! That is the heart of this recipe

Baking the Cake

Ingredients :-

1. Maida/ Cake Flour – 250 gms
2. Powdered Sugar – 1 + 1/2 cup
3. Baking Powder – 1 + 1/4 tsp
4. Baking Soda – 1/2
5. Butter – 250 gms
6. Salt – 1/4 tsp
7. Soaked Fruits
8. Prepared Golden Syrup
9. Eggs – 4
10. Vanilla Extract – 2 tsp
11. Cloves – 5  –
12. Cardamom – 5
13. Cinnamon Powder – 1/2 tsp
14. Nutmeg – half a nutmeg
15. Dry Ginger Powder – 1 tsp

Instructions :-

1. Pre heat your oven to 180C and line a 9 inch pan with baking paper. Make sure to line the sides of the pan with paper a few cms above the height of the pan
2. Drain out any excess rum from the soaked fruits and receive for later use
3. In a bowl, combine flour , baking powder, baking soda and salt. Sieve the mixture twice to make sure the ingredients have combined well. Take a table spoon for the dry mixture and mix into the drained nuts. This stops the nuts from sinking to the bottom of the pan while baking
4. Powder all the whole spices with the powders and set aside
5. Separate the egg whites and set aside. Beat the egg whites to form soft peaks
6. In the bowl of your stand mixer combine sugar and butter and mix together for a nice paste
7. Then add the egg yolk, vanilla extract and spices
8. Then add your golden syrup that was made earlier
9. Now divide your flour mixture into 3 parts and slowly combine with the spices egg butter mixture within the bowl
10. After the flour, add the egg whites also into 3 parts
11. Finally add the soaked fruits and nuts. If you have any liquid left from the soaked mixture then add only 3 – 4 tbsps of the liquid to the batter
12. Pour the batter into the greased and lined cake pan
13. Bake for 50 – 55 mins or until a tooth pick inserted comes out clean
14. Once done take the cake pan out of the oven and set to cool for 10 mins, then run a knife alone the side of the cake pan to release the cake
15. Invert the cake over a cooling rack and allow to cool to room temperature
16. Make sure to cut only after it has cooled completely!
17. Enjoy

Ginger Bread White Chocolate Cheesecake

Hello my Dear Wonderful Readers!

Some times I wish there were more hours in a day! I cannot believe how fast this week has gone by. In the back of my mind I think I have done so much but when I look around I figure there is so much more to do. Like this post which has been pending for over a week now. Time is a luxury for a mother of a 1 year old and as a person who loves to cook and bake, some times it feels like nothing is getting done.

3 days were spent trying to develop a biscotti recipe and after 3 failed attempts I nailed it. I will post that recipe soon. Needless to say “soon” could mean tomorrow or two weeks from now. For now this is the recipe for my Ginger Bread Cheese Cake. Have fun!

Ingredients  :-

1. Ginger Bread Cookies – 12 – 13
2. Butter – 100 gms
3. Cream Cheese – 400 gms
4. Eggs – 3
5. Vanilla Extract – 2 tbsp
6. White Chocolate – 250 gms
7. Icing Sugar – 1/2 cup + 1 tbsp
8. Diary Cream – 3 tbsp

 

Instructions :-

1. Melt butter in a microwave and then cook to room temperature
2. Powder the Ginger bread cookies in a blender to fine
3. Now mix the butter with the powdered cookies
4. Grease your spring foam pan with butter and then tip in the butter + cookie mixture
5. Press down firmly into the pan evenly to create a nice even layer. Set the pan aside
6. Pre- heat your oven to 160 C
7. Heat water in a pan. Then in another bowl add the white chocolate and set over the boiling water
8. Make sure the bowl does not touch the water in the pan below
9. Slowly melt the white chocolate. Once the chocolate has melted, set aside to cool completely
10. In the bowl of your stand mixture, with the paddle attachment, mix the sugar and cream cheese to form a nice smooth paste
11. Then add the vanilla extract. Once the extract has combined start adding the eggs once at a time
12. Finally add the white chocolate (at room temp) followed by the cream
13. Stop the mixer and crap down the sides of the bowl and give it one nice mix again
14. Slowly pour your white chocolate cream mixture into the prepare tin over the ginger bread layer
15. Pop it into the oven and bake for 50 – 55 mins
16. Now the only way you will know if the cheesecake is done is when the time is up, shake the pan a little bit the centre might be a little wobbly but the sides should stand firm
17. Now leave the pan inside the oven ( the oven turned off) and let it rest in the oven for 4 – 5 hours
18. You wil see that the little rise in the cheese cake, falls down. Too much rise and fall indicates that is has over cooked
19. After letting the cake rest, serve with a warm drizzle for caramel over the cheese cake and some ginger bread cookies:)

Mushroom and Egg Bake – Breakfast Bake

 

 

December is finally here, the wrong month to start a healthy diet and the right month to develop a sweet tooth. We love breakfast loaded with eggs and vegetables. This Mushroom and Egg Bake Recipe is ideal for a lazy Sunday brunch with family. If you love the aroma of baked potato, mushroom and cheese then Mushroom and Egg Bake Recipe is a must try for you. Mushroom and Egg Breakfast Bake is no complicated dish. All you need is eggs, vegetables and cheese to make this breakfast bake.

We have used a medley of button and oyster mushrooms in the recipe. The subtle nuttiness in the flavour of the oyster mushroom and the light crunchiness of the button mushroom that make this breakfast bake a perfect dish from the weekend brunch. A variety of seasonal vegetables and fresh herbs can also be used in this recipe if you not too keen on using mushrooms. An addition of bacon or ham can take Mushroom and Egg Bake to another level of decadence. The combination of cheddar and mozzarella cheese is used to make this dish. But any other permutation of hard cheese can be used in this recipe.

Ingredients:-

1. Potato – 3 medium size ( skin peeled and cubed)

2. Button Mushrooms – 200 gms( cleaned and slit into 2)

3. Oyster Mushrooms – 200 gms ( cleaned and stem removed)

4. Eggs – 3 – 4

5. Olive Oil – 1 tbsp + 1 tbsp

6. Dry Parsley – 1 tsp

7. Dry Thyme – 1tsp

8. Pepper – 2 tsp

9. Garlic Powder – 1 tsp

10. Salt  – according to taste

11. Cheese – 1/2 cup grated (mix of mozzarella and cheddar)

12. Mint Leaves – 5 – 6 ( optional)

Instructions 

1. Pre heat your oven to 200C

2. In a large bowl combine, 1 tbsp of olive oil, parsley , garlic powder, thyme, 1 tsp pepper and 1 tsp salt. Mix well to form a nice paste

3. Then add the potatoes and mix well. Make sure all the pieces of potatoes are coated well with the spice mix

4. Now transfer the potatoes from the bowl to your baking dish

5. Arrange them into a single layer and pat down. Pop the dish into the oven and let it bake for 15 – 20 min or till you see the potatoes start to leave water

6. Mean while in a pan add one table spoon of oil and fry the mushrooms for 5 mins

7. If you see water coming out of the mushroom, spoon it out and reserve ( this makes great stock for a soup)

8. After the mushrooms have fried, take them off the heat

9. Now pull out the baking pan from the oven and spoon another layer of fried mushrooms over the potatoes

10. Crack 3 eggs over the mushroom layer ( make sure you do not get any shell in there)

11. Now add a pinch of salt and the left over pepper, over the eggs and pop it right back into the oven and bake for another 10 mins. After 10 mins, top the eggs with grated cheese and bake for another 5 mins till you can hear the cheese bubble and sizzle

12. You will know that the eggs are ready when they look like sunny side up eggs 🙂

13. Garnish with fresh mint leaves and serve with buttered bread

 

Chemmeen Theeyal – Prawns cooked in roasted spices and coconut gravy!

Hello my Dear Wonderful Readers!!

This time around I am taking you back to my roots. This recipe has been on my ‘to do’ list for quite sometime now but I honestly haven’t had the time to make it. Simply put, this one is a little tough and time consuming to make and for me this recipe is complex.

But just because I said that, please do not be dissuaded from trying this one out. If you have never tasted authentic Prawn Theeyal from Alapuzha, Kerala then trust me, you have missed out on something really unique. This dish does not use a single drop of oil. All its colour, taste, texture, flavour and aroma is derived from the roasted fresh coconuts. The prawns may also be substituted for fish, vegetables or just potatoes and cashew nuts (with certain minor changes to the recipe)

We Malayalee’s have a way of adding coconuts to everything! It’s actually quiet interesting to note that there is not a single part of the coconut tree that gets wasted! Every part finds a very unique use in our culture. The coconut itself is used in almost every Malayalee recipe, the leaves of the coconut tree are used for thatched roofs and chicken huts, the flowers are used in every Hindu Malayalee wedding, the branches are used for cooking fuel, the list is endless! So when I say, I am going to share a Malayalee dish, 99.9% chances are that there is a coconut or two used in the recipe! LOL

Now another thing with this recipe is that, this dish tastes better the day after it is made. Yes! Somehow the flavour just enhances overnight and by the next day the dish has so much more flavour and tastes divine. The recipe is divided into two, first is the roasted spice coconut and then the main dish. The roasted spiced coconut mixture (Araap) can be made in large batches and stored in the freezer. But remember you have to bring the mixture back to room temperature and then heat it a little bit in order to be used again for the recipe. Also fresh coconuts have to be used throughout the recipe an not the dry dehydrated kinds.

Ingredients for the Araap / the roasted spiced coconut mix

1. Coconut – 1  large (grated fine)
2. Dry Red Chilli – 4- 5
3. Fenugreek Seeds – 4 – 5 seeds
4. Coriander Seeds – 1 tbsp
5. Curry leaves – 10 leaves ( fresh)
6. Shallots – 10 ( cut into three)

Instructions :-

1. In a large kadai, add the coconut and start to fry on low heat. Make sure to stir constantly and on low so that you do not burn the coconut. Roast the coconut evenly till light brown
2. Then add the rest of the ingredients and fry till the coconut is golden brown to a little dark brown
3. At this time you will be able to smell the coconut roast and the spice also emit a wonderful pungent aroma (it takes around 15 – 20 mins, be patient and ensure the heat is on low)
4. At this stage turn off the flame and let the mixture cool down
5. When the mixture is just a little about room temperate, empty into a mix jar and blitz on medium
6. Do not add water to the mixture
7. Open the lid at every one min interval and give contents of the jar a nice stir
8. Finally you will see the mixture begin to become wet! that is because of the oil that comes out of the roasted coconut. This is key to the recipe. Make sure to blitz till you achieve a nice paste-like consistency
9. Your Araap is ready!

Now to assemble the main dish

Ingredients :-

1. Prawns – 1 kg – de shelled, de veined
2. Coconut Pieces – 1 from one coconut ( cut to small rectangles)
3. Green Chilli – 3
4. Tamarind Paste – 3 tbsp
5. Turmeric Powder – 1 tsp
6. Water – 1 cup ( divided into 3)

Instructions :- 

1. Place a khadai / Mann Chatti on medium flame.
2. Then add the turmeric and 1/3rd of the water
3. Once the water is hot add the coconut, green chilli and tamarind paste and bring to a boil
4. Then add the prawns and cook for 5 mins
5. Finally add the Araap to the mixture in the Mann Chatti and add a little more water
6. Cover the pot and let it cook for another 5 mins
7. Now if you see that you do not have enough gravy, add rest of the water and cook for 2 mins
8. You will see the gravy thicken and turn from light yellow to golden dark brown
9. Your Theeyal is ready!
10. Serve with hot rice or crisp dosa 🙂

Rosemary & Strawberry Madeleines with White Chocolate

 

Hello Dear Wonderful Readers!

How are you all doing today? Is the Christmas season turning out to be wonderful for you as well? It’s been a month of many changes for us, starting with potty training my son (Phew!!) and introducing cows milk into his diet and making him learning to say ” Boww boww” when you see a doggy. My son has also started learning to eat on his own and when I mean eat I mean spill half of what’s on his plate and the other half may find it’s way to his mouth but first it has to be on a place on the table/floor (other than his plate) and then into his mouth! (Lol!!).  Its a long process but at the end I am so proud of him for every piece of fruit that he eats on his own. We have officially said “No” to keeping a nanny too, that means lesser number of posts (but more time with my son).

So I wanted to start my Christmas inspired baking with simple, sweet, light and airy madeleines and they are unbelievably yum! This one has rosemary infused with the sweetness of strawberries giving it a wonderful twist and the sweet and spicy aroma of strawberries, rosemary and vanilla is just delightful! The basic madeleine is just the right kind of sweet with a cup of hot coffee right? This one infuses fruit and herb to give  a delicious twist to the French Madeleine. Personally I think they are miniature versions of cupcakes which look like cookies! What do you say? Not really sure why they are classified as cookies! Yes I know some cookies are soft and gooey as opposite to crunchy and chewy but Madeleines are light and airy, soft and spongy like cake! Yup I am going to say they are like butterfly kisses sent from a cupcake 🙂 Ok so here is how I made them!

Ingredients :-

1. Butter – 120gms
2. Rose Mary – 2 tbsp (chopped)
3. Strawberry – 1 +1/2 cup
4. Flour- 250 gms
5. Sugar -150 gms
6. Baking Powder – 1 tsp
7. Eggs – 3 at room temp
8. Red colour – 5 – 6 tbsp
9. White Chocolate –  200 gms

Instructions :-

1. In a clean sauce pan, add the butter and melt. Then add the chopped RoseMary to the butter and let the butter simmer for a few mins ( Make sure not burn the butter). After 2 – 3 mins turn off the flame and leave the butter mixture to rest for 15 to 20 mins
2. Clean and de-stem fresh strawberries and chop them up into small pieces
3. Then using a stick blender, blend them into a nice thick puree. Your puree should measure to one cup
4. In the bowl of your stand mixer, add the eggs and sugar. Using the paddle attachment, blend on medium till the eggs are nice and foamy
5. In another bowl add flour, baking powder and salt
6. Once the egg mixture is foamy add the strawberry puree and mix for combine
7. Then add the flour mixture to the wet mixture and mix only to combine ( do not over work the batter)
8. Now using a strainer, pour the melted butter into the mixer bowl making sure not to drop any chopped rosemary into the batter
9. Add as much food colour as required
10. Now butter and dust your madeleine trays with butter and flour and scoop out the strawberry batter into the moulds
11. Set the madeleine tray into the fridge for 20 mins
12. During that time pre heat your oven to 180 c
13. After 20 mins pop the tray into the oven and bake for 6- 8 mins
14. You will know when the madeleines are done when they become slightly golden from the sides
15. Once they are done, take them out of the oven and set to cool for 5 mins. Then take them out of the tray and place on a wire rack to cool
16. While they cool, melt your white chocolate in the microwave at 20 sec intervals (strict in between)
17. Once the madeleines have cooled completely, dip them into the white chocolate and place on the cooling rack to dry
18. Serve along with a hot cup of coco/coffee, as you like 🙂

 

 

 

 

 

 

Tofu Tikka Tacos – For Taco Tuesdays

Hello my wonderful readers!!

How art thou! Don’t we all love tacos? Mexican food is my favourite, maybe only second to Malayali food, but then again I love all kinds of food. We do not do tacos often cause I like to make my own taco shells and some times it needs a little more time than I have. The crisp hard kinds are a little more work so I like the soft tortillas. Also they are a little more filling :p

Tofu is my favourite alternative to meat. For the longest time I was hooked onto Paneer and I still like it once in a while but not with all the cream and butter and ghee. It just makes you feel like the white cartoon from the Michelin tyre logo. Oh, but that doesn’t mean I do not make it at all!! We do have a few recipes in the family and I will share them as we go along.  So this is what we had on Tuesday – Taco Tuesday! ha! Tacos are not really considered healthy but with less oil, no cheese and no meat I think this one qualifies as healthy right? What do you say?

Ingredients for the Tortillas 

1. Plain Flour – 1 cup
2. Water – 1 cup
3. Oil – 3 tbsp
4. Baking Powder – 1 pinch
5. Salt – 1/4th tsp

Instructions :-

1. I used the stand mixer with the dough hook but you can do it with in a bowl and knead it with you hand too
2. Combine all the ingredients except the water and mix roughly
3. Then pour little water at a time and knead to form a nice sticky dough. The dough should hold together as a ball but should be sticky too. Knead for a good 5 mins ( mixer on medium for 3 – 4 mins)
4. Then cover the bowl and set aside to rest ( 1 hour)
5. When you are ready to make your tortillas, divide the dough evenly and roll them out to small circles
6. Heat a pan and place the rolled out dough over it. Fry one side for 1 -2 mins and then flip it over to cook the other side

 Tofu Tikka Masala

Ingredients :-

1. Tofu – 1 pack ( I use silken extra firm)
2. Turmeric Powder – 1/4 tsp
3. Cumin Powder – 1/4 tsp
4. Cinnamon Powder – a pinch
5. Chilli Powder – 1 tsp
6. Coriander Powder – 1/2 tsp
7. Lime Juice – juice of 3 lime
8. Curd – 1 cup
9. Salt – 1 tsp
10. Ginger Garlic Paste – 1 tsp
11. Pepper Powder – 1 tsp
12. Corn flour – 1 tsp

Instructions :-

1. Cut open the tofu pack and drain out the water. Slowly remove the tofu and drain water completely. Now lay out a square cotton cloth on your kitchen counter and place the tofu brick in the centre
2. Then fold the sides of the square to cover the tofu completely. Set a heavy plate over the covered tofu. This will help drain the tofu and also make it a little more firm. Leave the Tofu to rest for an hour
3. Now in a separate bowl combine all the ingredients above. Mix well to form a nice thick paste
4. Once the tofu is ready, cut into small cubes and gently add to the bowl with the spice marinade mix
5. Make sure to coat all the tofu pieces evenly . Set aside to marinate for an hour ( I left it in the fridge for 3 hours)
6. When they are ready, heat a pan and add 1 tsp of oil and fry them till golden brown on all sides. Divide the tofu into  two batches so you do not over crowd the pan
7. Once the tofu is brown on all sides set  to rest on kitchen paper towels ( helps drains the excess oil)

Red Cabbage and Carrot Slaw

Ingredients :-

1. Olive Oil – 1/2 cup
2. Apple Cider Vinegar – 4 – 5 tbsp
3. Salt – 1/2 tsp
4. Pepper – 1 tsp
5. Chilli Powder – 1 tsp
6. Coconut Sugar – 1 tbsp

Instructions :-

1. In a small bottle with a tight lid combine all the ingredients  except the cabbage, carrot and cilantro leaves
2. Close the cap tightly and shake well for one min!
3. In another bowl add the shredded cabbage, sliced carrot and chopped cilantro leaves
4. Then pour the contents of the bottle ( vinaigrette) over the cabbage mix
5. Give it a nice mix with a fork and it is ready!

To Assemble the Taco!

1. First place the tortillas over a fat surface
2. Then add the cabbage and carrot slaw
3. Add the fried Tofu Tikkas and drizzle with some vegan mayo

Chiku Banana Oat Smoothie

Hello Dear Wonderful Readers!!

We love healthy breakfast’s at home. So I try my level best to bring out variations to our table every morning so that we are not bored of eating healthy everyday.  I have always known about the health benefits of oats, but it was only very recently that I decided to incorporate oats as a ‘first choice’ element in my everyday breakfast ideas. Since you are limited to just one grain, it is quite hard to achieve the goal of bringing about variations in breakfast as there is only so much you can do with just oats.

The goal, my dear friends, is to not use oil, sugar, processed cheese and sometimes omit dairy products all together. It’s a fallacy to believe that you need to drink cow’s milk in order to gain the required amount of calcium for your body. There are many other kinds of milk that can be easily made at home and yes it’s not as easy as buying milk from the store. Almond milk, soya milk, coconut milk, rice milk etc. The most largely used alternate to normal Cow’s milk is either Soya or Almond milk and the latter option is what  I have used in my smoothie today.

During winters, we love making Chikku/ Chikoo milkshake but I make sure the milk is at room temperature. Chikku is a wonderfully sweet fruit with various health benefits ranging from boosting your immunity to promoting weight loss and preventing anemia. It is really easy to know if they are ripe. Just press the skin of the fruit with a finger and if it is nice and soft, then it is ready to be consumed. Many people like to eat it with the skin on, but I prefer it without the skin simply cause it has a very “Mud” like texture. But the sweet soft pulp inside is a wonderful delight! Remember to remove the big black seeds from within before you add them in the blender.

Ingredients  :-

1. Instant Oats – 5 tbsp
2. Banana – 3 – 4 large (peeled, cut to coins and frozen)
3. Chikku – 5
4. Almond Milk – 2 cups
5. Vanilla Extract – 2 tbsp
6. Chocolate Sauce – just for the drizzle ( optional)
7. Almonds – for garnish ( optional)

Instructions :-

• Wash the chikku well and cut into two halves. Then spoon out the pulp from within. Press the pulp between your fingers to remove the seeds
• Once you have all the chikkus deseeded and pulp removed, add the pulp into a blender bowl
• Add the frozen bananas, oats and half the almond milk into the bowl and turn your blender on to low
• Slowly add rest of the almond milk into the running mixer followed by the vanilla extract. Blitz for 5 whole minutes
• Then pour into your smoothie mugs or glasses, drizzle a little chocolate over the top and garnish with almonds

 

Note :-

• I have not added sugar because the chikku and banana where sweet enough, but you may add sugar according to taste
• I used room temperature milk cause the banana was cold enough
• Increase or decrease the amount of almond milk depending on how thick/light you like your smoothie