Chocolate Fudge...

I picked this recipe from Nestle's fb page... & yaaaayyy!! Its a winner! I did make a few changes though & herez how i went about it...

You need:
Butter - 100g - i used salted
AP flour(maida) - 1 tbsp heaped
Powdered sugar - 1tbsp
Sweetened condensed milk 1tin(400g) - i used Nestle's milkmaid
Cocoa powder - 4tsp heaped or more
A handful or two of chopped nuts - i used walnuts, cashews & almonds

How to:
Melt the butter in a non-stick pan and add the AP flour when it starts to bubble. Lower the flame so that it doesn't burn. Keep stirring, ensuring that no lumps are formed. Follow with the sugar and stir. Add in the condensed milk and mix well. Add the cocoa powder and keep stirring till the mixture thickens & comes together to form a soft ball. Add the chopped nuts and mix well.
Transfer this onto a greased tray and smoothen the surface. Cool & let it rest in the refrigerator. Cut into squares or as desired & EnJoY!!! YummiLiciousss!! ;)

Pointers:
- You could skip the sugar if you are using unsalted butter.
- Transfer the fudge from the tray as soon as it holds shape & cut as desired. The fudge tends to stick to the tray when fully set. You could also line the tray with cling film before transferring the fudge to set.

Banana muffins... :)

Crunchy Chickpea Munchies...

From a well stacked cupboard of ready-eats, we have now successfully moved on to an almost bare one! Yaaaaaaay!!... - a part of trying to get rid of meaningless chomping while glued to the idiot box.. which thankfully, is not more than an hour everyday ;) But that one hour did contribute to the most calorie build up esp. with the oreos, bourbons & the dark fantasy.. ummmm!!
Was browsing through Good Housekeeping when i came across a recipe for some baked munchies... tried them & we did finish them off in one go.. ;) was waaaay healthier than any packaged goody & addictive too!! :)

You need:
Chickpeas - 400gm 
Oil - 2tbsp (any vegetable oil will do)
AP flour (maida) - 1tbsp
Corriander powder - 1tsp
salt & chilly powder to taste


How to:
Preheat the oven to 220deg C. Mix the peas with all the other ingredients except the flour. Now toss the seasoned peas with flour to coat and transfer onto a slightly greased baking tray ensuring that you have a single layer of peas (not piled on one another). Roast till golden & crisp(about 30-40min) stirring occasionally to avoid burning. Makes about a cup of guilt-free munch. ;)
Pointers:
While boiling the peas, add in two whole green chillies & season with enough salt - the munchies taste better. 

Crispy Parval(pointed gourd) with potatoes...

The parval or pointed gourd is something that i would not have picked up on my own... I ended up having this at Sonali's place a couple of times(of the innumerable lunches that i'v had there!) and thought i'd give it a try. Read more about this veggie here!

You need:

parval / pointed gourd thinly sliced - 2 cups
potatoes thinly sliced - 1 cup
onion sliced - 1 medium
dried red chillies - 2
cumin seeds - 1 tsp
a pinch of turmeic
salt to taste
oil for shallow frying
How to:
Heat about 3-4 tbsp oil in a wok. Add in the cumin seeds followed by the chillies when they start to sizzle. Add the onions and turmeric. Fry till lightly browned. Now add in the potatoes, parval, salt to taste and continue to fry them till they are done. The gourds tend to curl and turn crispy when done. Drain the excess oil and serve along with chapatis or rice.


Pointers:
- Use only tender gourds for this dish.The ripe ones are rubbery, orangish inside and have hard seeds.
- You could boil the potatoes in the microwave for about 5minutes before adding them to the wok, saving on cook time.

Oatmeal Cookies...

Been wishing for a satisfying oatmeal cookie ever since i got back on Indian soil... & the fact that we are holed up in Vizag does not help! So when i came across Joy of Baking's recipe, the cookie on my wishlist looked up at me, begging to be cut off! I did make a few changes though and skipped the cinnamon.
Herez the result! :) 

You need:
brown sugar, tightly packed - 1 cup
butter at room temperature 3/4 cup - i used salted
all purpose flour(maida)- 3/4 cup
oats - 3cups - i used Quaker
1 egg
Vanilla extract - 1 tsp
baking soda - 1/2 tsp
raisins - 1/2 cup
walnuts toasted and chopped - 1 cup 
chocolate chips (optional) - 1/2 cup


How to:

Preheat the oven to 200 degree C.

Beat the butter and sugar until creamy and smooth - i used an electric beater. Add the egg and vanilla extract and beat to combine well. 

Combine the flour and baking soda and add this to the creamed mixture. Mix well and stir in the nuts, raisins and chocolate chips. Add in the oats & mix well. 

Grease a baking tray and transfer the dough with enough spacing between the cookies- I used a scoop spoon for uniform cookies. Flatten the cookies lightly with the back of the spoon. You need to spoon out your portions keeping in mind that the cookies will flatten out and get bigger. Bake the cookies for about 12 - 15 minutes or till done. Remove from oven and transfer to a wire rack to cool. 

Yaaaayyyy!!! I now have my own batch of oatmeal cookies!! :) Another strike off from my wishlist - which by the way is growing forever! ;)

Papad Vadas!

Poppadom or Papad is typically served as an accompaniment to a meal in India. I did serve it as a starter with some salsa variants but never as a vada!! My scouting for quick fix eats got me here & glad that i tried out this ridiculously easy  snack! 

You need:

Any papad - i used Haldiram's Bikaneri papad which is seasoned with pepper & asafoetida
rice flour - 1/2 cup
gram flour(besan) - 2 tbsp
black sesame seeds - 2tsp or more
chilly powder to taste
salt to taste
How to:
Since i used large papads, i broke them diagonally till i ended up with 6 triangular segments. 

Mix all the ingredients listed above, excluding the papad with enough water to make a thick batter. The batter should not be runny. 

Heat enough oil in a wok to deep fry the papads. Once the oil is ready, dip the papad in the batter ensuring that it is well coated & drop it in the oil. Drain on paper towels when done.

Served with a steaming cup of tea... mmmmmnnn!!! :)

Watermelon sorbet... :)

The searing heat always drives me to the fridge.. On one such 'trips' i glanced at a box of watermelon chunks & set about making a sorbet - inspired by a picture posted by Nestle on facebook. 

Whizzed up the pulp of one medium watermelon with about half a tin of sweetened condensed milk (used milkmaid), passed it through a sieve and set it in an ice tray. The rest was set in a bowl & scraped to serve, topped with fresh mint leaves. Needless to say, the fridge was raided more often! ;) 

Grape mousse... :)

Been wanting to try this mousse for about an year now & so rushed into making them when the first batch of black grapes hit the market. Been sitting in my drafts since.. posting this before the grapes go back to being scarce! :)
This recipe has two parts - the base & a glaze. Best served in a glass dish to show off the vibrant colors! :) * * * For the base * * *
You need:
250 gm black grapes - seedless
200 gm cream - i used Amul
1/2 tin sweetened condensed milk (taste & add more if desired)
4 tsp gelatin
1.5 cup water + more to dissolve the gelatin

Boil the grapes in 1.5 cups water & let it cool. Blend this into a smooth paste and run it through a sieve. Reserve 1/2 cup grape extract for the glaze.
To the rest of the grape juice extracted, add in the lightly beaten cream, condensed milk and mix well. To this, add the gelatin dissolved completely in 1/2 a cup of warm water. I used an electric beater to combine all this. Now pour this into a serving dish - i used shot glasses. Leave enough place to top the mousse with the glaze.
Let this rest in the refrigerator for about an hour or two. Prepare the glaze once the mousse has set.

* * * For the glaze * * *
You need:
1 tsp gelatin
1/2 cup grape juice (reserved initially)
sugar - according to taste

To the warmed up grape juice, add in the gelatin and mix well till it dissolves completely. Add in the sugar according to taste, let the mixture cool & then, top the mousse. The mousse would have been set by now & so you will end up with two distinct layers. Return it to the fridge till the glaze sets - about an hour should do.
ScOoP n EnJoY!!!! :)

Adapted from a recipe here & the lazy-me made quite a few changes, using it as a guideline. :)

Snack Time ~ Rice crispies...

Since we planned to put a hold on munching bags of store-bought goodies, made these as a substitute! ;) You need:
2 cups rice flour
1 tsp carom seeds (ajwain)
3-4 tbsp butter/ghee(clarified butter)
salt to taste
chilly powder to taste (skip this & you'll get white crispies)
water to mix in all the above
oil for frying
How to:
Mix all the dry ingredients. Add in the butter & mix. Now add enough water for the ingredients to come together and form a soft dough.
Heat oil in a deep vessel. Pass the dough through a string-hopper maker and drop them directly into the oil. Fry them till golden, turning over to make sure they are cooked evenly. Drain on a paper towel. Crunch-munch & save the rest in air-tight containers. :) Owing to the additional butter added here, sans chana dal, this snack is a little brittle when compared to a similar one made with chana dal and rice flour. You need to be gentler when you fry these.
Recipe source: Sonali.. :)

Coconut Brittle... Chikki - with dessicated coconut...

I gobbled up doughnuts that a friend had bought for us from a local store.. though not from MOD, i still ended up devouring the whole lot without saving them for T (which NeVeR happens!)..
Once i was done, i HAD to make something that T liked to brush away the guilt - what else but chikki? Made them with something that T had actually asked for - dessicated coconut. I now have a stack that i can munch on & go hmmmmmnnn.... trying hard not to finish them too! ;) :D
You need:
dessicated coconut 1 cup, tightly packed - i used store-bought ones
sugar 3/4 cup - you don't really need brown sugar - normal works just fine
clarified butter(ghee) 1 tsp + extra for greasing the plates

How to:
In a wok, heat the sugar with about 2tbsp water till all the crystals dissolve. In a few seconds, it will take on a brownish hue & start to caramelize. Stir, making sure that it does not burn. Add in the coconut & stir well. To this, stir in 1tsp of ghee.
Mix well & transfer onto a well greased plate, marking lines halfway through - as in chocolate bars. Now let them cool - the brittle hardens during cooling. Pop them out of the plate once cooled & break along the indent. Store in air tight containers.
Pointers:
>> I toasted the coconut till it browned a bit and gave off a nutty aroma.
>> Found it easier to work with granulated sugar rather than powdered sugar while making these.
>> Ensure that you don't skip greasing the plates.
>> Caramelize a wee bit more for a different taste & darker shade.
EnJoY!! :)

Thai rice noodles in a soupy mushroom sauce... :)

Another experiment that we LoVeD!! :)

Chicken MisCuzi!! ;)

Yeah - a totally made up name & dish! Herez how the dish was named...
R came over for dinner - a really sweet person who sings, plays the guitar, paints & is sooo much fun to have around! T & R have this sudden bursts of 'Yo' n 'MisCuzi' when they greet each other. Was serving up some starters when R asked me what i'd just served - i didn't really know 'coz i'd just put in a few things together. So now, they had to name the dish - what else but Chicken Miscuzi? ;) :D
Herez what i put in...
Served a dollop of cheesy-chicken topped on spiced crackers. I used cheese & chilli crackers, which by itself had some intense seasoning - 'coz of which i didn't really need to spice up the chicken.
For the chicken topping...
Boil the chicken in water with a big pinch of salt for about 20min. Drain the water, let it cool & separate the bones. In a blender, pulse the chicken(just 2 or 3 whirls will do) with a tablespoon of cheese spread to hold it together. You could use any flavored cheese spread - i used plain. Now transfer this into a piping bag and refrigerate.
To serve:
On each cracker, pipe out a dollop of the chilled prepared topping & serve. A light & easy starter.. :)

Pointers:
>> Just so you have an idea of the amount of chicken required - for about 50gm of crackers(check your pack) you need just one chicken drumstick.
>> Feel free to add more spices(crushed pepper/ chilly flakes etc) to the chicken if you are using some bland crackers.
>> Sonali suggested this topping as a sandwich filler & it tastes YuMmmmm!!! :)

Scotch eggs... with a noodle-y twist...

A Scotch egg consists of a hard-boiled egg wrapped in sausage meat, coated in breadcrumbs and deep-fried. Read more here!
Been wanting try out Scotch eggs since some time - though i wasn't really keen on handling meat in the morning. Was going through some recipes at the Nestle site yesterday and found one using maggi. Maggi & eggs are T's all time favorites.. so, if i can make something more with them, why not? ;)
The potatoes, instant noodles & eggs can be cooked simultaneously while you get to finish other chores & all you have to do is - put them together in the end & fry them. Gets done in no time & is a fun breakfast / picnic option.

I made them using soft boiled eggs only coz T likes them runny. Harder to work with since you need to be really realllllyyy careful. Will stick to hard-boiled eggs from now on! ;) You need:
For 2 hard boiled eggs -
1 small pack instant noodles cooked - i used Maggi
1 big potato - boiled
salt & chilly powder for seasoning
Breadcrumbs - 2 tbsp for mixing & extra for coating
Oil for deep frying

How to:
Once your potatoes, eggs & instant noodles are ready...
Mash the potatoes, season them (i used only salt & chilly powder) and add the noodles. Add 2tbsp bread crumbs & mix well. This will now come together to form a dough. Shell the eggs, grease your palm with a little oil and divide the dough into two portions. Wrap it around the egg so as to get an even coating (refer pointers below for easy steps).
Now roll the coated eggs in bread crumbs & deep fry them. Gently spoon out the Scotch eggs when they turn golden brown & crispy. Drain on a paper towel, cut into halves(length-wise) & serve with ketchup.
If you still plan on going with soft boiled eggs, you could serve some toast to dip into the runny yolks. :)

Pointers:
>> Figured that the easiest way to wrap the egg evenly is to pat out a thick rectangular sheet length about 3/4th the size of your palm, breadth about an inch more than the height of the egg. Start by rolling the wrap around the egg from one end - covering the egg when you reach the other end. Pinch the top & bottom & pat slightly to ensure an even coat.
>> Oil you hands when you work with the dough - makes it a lot easier!
>> Add onions,left-over veggies, additional seasoning - anything that catches your fancy.
>> Guessing that leftover cooked rice (plain/flavored) could replace the noodles. Will try it out & post the results.

A yummy treat from banana fritter batter! :)

I had quite a bit of batter to finish up when i was making Banana fritters. Since i'd already fried up enough, all i wanted to do was dispose all the remaining batter! I couldn't really throw it away, right? So then.. the easiest way to finish them up? Pancakes of course! ;)

Herez some fun stuff to do with the batter used for Banana fritters How to:
Pour a ladle of the batter on a lightly greased hot griddle or frying pan. Don't bother spreading it out - just stand back & let gravity take it's course :). Lower the flame & cook covered for a few minutes till the top looks done(the bottom would have a golden brown shade). Now flip it over & cook for about a minute or two.

Transfer to a serving dish, scoop out a generous serving of vanilla ice-cream, a drizzle of maple syrup, top with fresh fruits - maybe bananas? I used some fresh strawberries that were in season. :)

Pointers:
You could make these pancakes & store them in the refrigerator (need not be frozen). Heat it up in the microwave for a minute before you plate up.

An experiment with Chicken gone right! :)

We usually marinate all the meat or fish over the weekend & freeze them in single serve packs & then, we are set for the week. Ideally that would mean 3 fillets of fish or 2 chicken drumsticks and so on in each pack.
Saves us a lot of marinate-&-wait time during hectic week days & the trouble of defrosting the whole lot just to chip out a few pieces.
Marinade used:
curd , a pinch of turmeric, salt & chilly powder

We were already done with dinner & since T was home a little early yesterday we experimented with some stuff in the kitchen. Yaaayy! :)
We already had a few chicken drumsticks marinated over the weekend & sitting in the freezer. Herez what we ended up with.. You need:
marinated chicken - i used 2 drumsticks
**To be ground into a paste:**
corriander(cilantro) leaves - a finely chopped handful
mint leaves - half the quantity of corriander leaves
green chilly 1 large - (lesser if you don't prefer the heat)
juice of half a lemon/lime
1 tbsp Olive oil
salt to taste

How to:
Heat about 3-4 tbsp of oil in a pan & sear the chicken on both sides enough to get a caramelized crust. Coat the chicken completely with the ground paste mentioned above & wrap firmly using cling film. Secure with string to ensure that the wrap doesn't open up.
Boil water in a saucepan & drop the wrapped chicken into the same, letting it cook covered for about 15 to 20minutes. Spoon out the cooked wraps onto a plate, remove the film & serve garnished with lemon wedges & cilantro.
T did have something to lament about - "we should have made some more!!" ;)

Pointers:
>> Using curd in the marinade makes poultry succulent.
>> You could skip the resting time for the marinated chicken (minimum 30min) if you are short of time.

A slice of my B'de cake baked by T... :)

About a month back, T had this bizarre thought of baking me a cake for my B'day... this coming from a guy who'd once asked me if he had to make noodles in a tawa or kadai!! :O He was being adorable by wanting to bake a cake.. but then, i HAD 2 supervise - else he had planned on using rice powder & was going by 'a little of this' & so on!!
He made the Choco Mocha cake, but used brown sugar instead of white & since the batter was sitting outside the oven for about 45min(thanks to the once-in-a-bluemoon power failure which chose this day!), when the cake was half-way done, we poured in about half a cup of soda(carbonated water) over it. The result - a deliciously yummmmy goooooey cake! :)
Since T came home real late & still insisted on baking the cake, i ended up cutting into a warm cake - first time ever on my B'de!!! :) He was so ecstatic about 'his' cake & the grin still remains! :)
Cakez over, though! :D

Kalakand... :)

I was oooohhh soooooo happy with the way this turned out & the recipe is a sure-shot one & EASY too! We like to munch on stuff that is not overly sweet...& now that we make it at home, we get to decide the sweetness of the Kalakand.. :D
You need:
milk 2 litres
citric acid crystals 1/2 tsp, dissolved in 3 tbsp of warm water
sugar 1/2 cup - i used a little lesser
sweetened condensed milk 3 tbsp - i used milkmaid **see pointers
ghee(clarified butter) 2 tsp + 1 tsp for greasing the plate
Optional, but would be a great add...
Finely chopped nuts - i used a handful each of almonds & cashew nuts pounded with a mortar & pestle
good quality silver sheets (vark) for garnishing

How to:
Boil 1 litre milk and add the citric acid solution, simmering and stirring lightly till the milk curdles(forms paneer). Sieve this and let it rest for about 15min in the sieve till all the water drains out.
Meanwhile, boil the remaining 1 litre milk in a wide-mouthed wok and stir lightly occasionally till it reduces by half. Now add the drained paneer and stir continuously till the mixture thickens. Add the finely chopped nuts and the sugar, followed by the condensed milk. Allow it to cook and reduce further ensuring you stir to avoid burning.
You will know that it is ready when the mixture comes together to form a mound. Now add 2tsp of ghee and stir well, cooking for about 2 to 5 min. Transfer this into a well greased plate and allow it to cool. Garnish with silver sheets and cut into squares of oodles of goodness!!... :)
Pointers:
>> Feel free to add more sugar in this recipe if you so desire.
>> Adding sweetened condensed milk is optional. I like adding them since they lend a cream-ish color & taste. You might as well replace the same with sugar.
>> You could use 2tsp vinegar or juice of half a lime if you don't have citric acid crystals.
Source: Adapted from my stack of newspaper-cut-recipes Deccan Chronicle.

Peanut Brittle... Chikki - with crushed peanuts...

T LUUUUUUvvvs chikkis in any form... since he was working this Sunday & we couldn't go out to buy some, i planned on making a few to replenish the dwindling stack.. Had made some chikkis(peanut brittle) earlier, so this time, thought i'd use coarsely pound peanuts. T was reeling off chikki ideas & totally veto-ed buying them.. ;) More with sesame seeds & dessicated coconut will follow... :)
You need:
peanuts 1 cup - coarsely ground
sugar 3/4 cup - i used white
clarified butter(ghee) 2 tsp + extra for greasing the plates

How to:
In a wok, heat the sugar with about 2tbsp water till all the crystals dissolve. In a few seconds, it will take on a brownish hue & start to caramelize. Stir, making sure that it does not burn. Add in the crushed peanuts & stir well. To this, stir in 2tsp of ghee.
Transfer this onto a well greased plate and mark lines halfway through - as in chocolate bars. Now let them cool - the brittle hardens during cooling. Pop them out of the plate once cooled & break along the indent. Store in air tight containers.
Pointers:
>> I toasted the peanuts & used a mixer to pulse through them.
>> Found it easier to work with granulated sugar rather than powdered sugar while making these.
>> Ensure that you don't skip greasing the plates.
>> Caramelize a wee bit more for a different taste & darker shade.
EnJoY!! :)

Pork - Coorg style! :)

Usually served with kadumbutt or otti, this is a favorite dish among Coorgs! :)

Spinach (Palak) Parathas...

While making the dough, I used sautéed spinach. The spinach had been sautéed with cumin seeds, a pinch of turmeric powder, finely chopped onions & green chillies with salt to taste. If you are in a hurry, you could just chop the spinach finely & add it to the dough with seasoning.