A Foodie Can Cook Too!!!

Kaju Katli /Kaju Roll /Cashew Barfi

2015-01-04T22:01:00.002-08:00

Needless to say that Kaju Katli is one of the favorite sweets of India (probably after Gulab Jamun). I don't think I have met anyone who doesn't like Kaju Katli.

It is very commonly found in Indian sweet mart. Similar to Kaju Katli, they carry Kaju roll, Pista roll, Kesar (Saffron) roll, etc. and I love all of them equally :). The basic difference between Kaju Katli and Kaju Roll is the way it is shaped. Kaju Katli is diamond shaped thinly sliced while Kaju Roll is just rolled like a log.

Until I came across Kaju Katli recipe on one of the Facebook pages I follow, I thought it was very tedious to make and so they never made it at home in India. So I decided to give it a try and Voila! it was amazingly yummy! I followed a few recipes and came up with this...

Ingredients:
Cashew nuts at room temp - 1 cup
Sugar - 1/2 cup
Water - 1/4 cup
Cardamom - 2 pinches
Rose Essence - 1/4 tspn

Procedure:

Boil water and sugar together till one string consistency
In the meantime, grind cashew nuts to a fine powder (make sure it is at room temperature otherwise it may turn into cashew butter :D)
Now check for one string consistency and if it has reached that consistency, then add powdered cashew nuts, cardamom and rose essence to it and mix well
Turn off the gas when the mixture is a little difficult to mix in
Let it cool a little bit (2-4 mins of cooling time) then grease your hand with ghee or butter and knead the mixture and roll it out and cut it in diamond shape or make it like log

Variations:
You can add saffron or silver foil on top to make it look good.

Conclusion:
It is super easy to make and comes out much better than you get in stores here. I have no idea why we don't get this good kaju katli in stores in USA.

Chicken Seekh Kabab

2014-10-20T23:05:00.000-07:00

Seekh kababs are the most popular type of kababs (atleast to my knowledge). I have tasted mutton seekh kababs before in some Indian restaurants but where I live, we get minced chicken very easily and so I thought I will try making seekh kababs using minced chicken.

One can surely try making lamb/mutton seekh kabab but the cooking time may vary as mutton/lamb take long time to cook. The chicken kababs were very juicy and tender and we finished all of it in few minutes. Let me know if you like the taste of it!

Ingredients:

Minced Chkn - 1LB

Onion - 1/2, finely chopped and sauteed

Cilantro - handful, finely chopped

Green Chillies - 1 small, finey chopped

Dhania Powder - 2 1/2 tspn

Garam Masala - 2 tspn

Red Chilli Powder - 1 tspn

Ginger - Garlic Paste - 1 tspn

Mint Leaves - 1 - 2 tspns, finely chopped

Bread Crumbs - 2 - 3 tbspns

Salt- as per taste

Oil for frying (if not baking/broiling)

Procedure:

1. Mix all ingredients given above, other than oil. Check to see if the mixture is thick enough and can hold up a sheek kabab shape (Cylindrical). If it doesn't, then add some more bread crumbs to it till it becomes easy to shape.

2. Now make cylindrical shaped kababs by either rolling them around the skewers (make sure wooden skewers are soaked in water for atleast 30mins before using them) and bake/shallow fry in a pan for 10-12mins or until done (or broil for 5mins on each side).

3. I did not use any skewers but just shaped them in cylindrical shape and shallow fried them in a pan with 1 tspn oil. I also BBQed these kababs and they turned out awesome!

4. Serve/Eat this with mint chutney mixed in greek yogurt and some sliced onions with lemon squeezed on top. YUMMMM!!!!

Conclusion:

I made these for my hubby's Bday BBQ and I got rave reviews for them. It got over in no time!

Baked Asparagus Fries

2014-05-14T23:49:00.001-07:00

My 2nd post for Earth Day... I am excited to write and publish this!

I went to Costco few days ago and bought a big bag of Asparagus and then I came across these baked Asparagus Fries pic on Pinterest. I knew immediately what I am going to do with my big bag of Asparagus. I didn't have breadcrumbs on me so I made it myself. But they turned out nice and crunchy! I didn't expect it to be so simple to make and so yummy to taste.

I served it with Spicy Sriracha Dip!

Ingredients:
Asparagus Spears - 15-18
Bread Crumbs - 1 cup
Egg, beaten - 1
All Purpose Flour - 1/2 cup
Red Chilli Powder - 1 tspns
Salt

Procedure:
1. Preheat oven on 350 F
2. Mix salt and red chilli powder in breadcrumbs
3. Dip Asparagus spears in flour, then in egg wash and then in breadcrumbs. Repeat this process for all the spears and bake on a cookie sheet for 12-15mins

Variations:
You can make this recipe with some variations like adding spices to the crumbs

Conclusion:
Crunchy Asparagus Fries dipped in Spicy Sriracha sauce tastes really great. This simple recipe goes with all kind of food.

Green Goddess Salad

2014-05-14T22:58:00.002-07:00

I keep taking long breaks from updating my blog. This time I blame myself as I was too busy cooking and so did not find (or spare) time to update the blog. I feel really bad about it.

Anyways, now that I am back I have decided to post 3 entries which I experimented for the Earth Day! April 22nd is celebrated as Earth Day and it is very important for us to realize the value of Mother Earth. I recently read about why and how it started on this website. It's history is very interesting.

Lately, I have been on Pinterest a lot. I always thought it would be another social networking site (So dumb of me) but my friend introduced me to it and now I am ADDICTED! This recipe came from one of the Pins I found on Pinterest. The picture looked sooo pretty that I had to make it (and it tasted even better). I made major modifications to the recipe as I did not have a lot of things on hand but I used the similar idea.

Ingredients:
Quinoa, cooked - 1 cup
Mint Coriander Chutney - 2 tbspns
Pistachio, coarsely chopped - 2 tbspns
Boiled/Cooked Peas - 2 tbspns
Asparagus, chopped - 2 tbspns
Olive Oil - 1 tbspn
Onion - Half cup
Avocado, cubed - 1/2
Salt

Procedure:
1. Heat Oil in a pan and saute onions on medium flame
2. Once onions are browned, add mint coriander chutney and saute for 2mins. Then add all ingredients other than avocado and pistachio to it and mix well
3. Once cooled, add pistachios and avocado and mix well and serve

Variations:
The original recipe had called for Basil Pesto instead of Mint Coriander Chutney and I am sure it would taste really yummy with that too.

Conclusion:
Enjoyed the salad a lot as it had variety of textures in it. This Green Goddess Salad was something I would make again and next time I will try when I have Basil Pesto on hand.

Takku/Raw Mango Pickle

2014-03-13T16:55:00.001-07:00

I went to Indian store recently and found raw mango in the veggies section. I bought just one thinking of making onion chutney out of it but then I ended up making 'Takku' - Marathi word . My Maternal Grandma used to make Takku during summer on a large scale as she had to send to all her daughters (3) and daughter-in-laws (6) and other close relatives. I still remember the taste of her takku and this recipe came close to what she used to make.

Let's hope you all try and like it too!

Ingredients:
Raw Mango, grated - 1 (grate with peel on)
Red Chilli Powder - 3 tspn (depending on how hot the chilli powder is)
Turmeric - 1/4 tspn
Salt
Sugar - 1/2 tspn

Tampering
Oil - 2 tspn
Mustard Seeds - 1/2 tspn
Cumin Seeds - 1/2 tspn
Garlic - 1/2 tspn

Procedure:
Mix all ingredients given above other than the one for tempering. Heat oil in a small pan and add mustard seeds, cumin seeds and let it crackle. Then add garlic and fry till it is golden brown in color.

Add the tempering to the mixture of raw mango and spices and mix it well and adjust salt/sugar as per your taste.

Variations:
You can use any other vegetable like carrot, amla, etc. instead of raw mango but trust me raw mango tastes the best.

Conclusion:
Relish the yummiest takku you just made with curd rice or roti sabzi!

Chocolate Nutella Mug Cake... Prep, Cook & Devour in just 5 mins!!!

2014-03-09T23:35:00.000-07:00

It was a rainy evening and I was craving for Nutella Hot Chocolate but instead I made this really yummy, decadent and super easy cake in a mug which can be made in microwave. It takes only 5 minutes to prep, cook and devour!

My husband and I have sweet tooth and crave for dessert every night. If he doesn't find anything, he eats a chocolate or spoonfull of Nutella. One day I came across this recipe which has both Nutella and chocolate and I have been a big fan of this recipe since then. So I decided to share it with you guys so that you can make this whenever you crave for dessert :). Absolutely decadent and sooo easy to make!

Makes one mug full which can be easily finished between 4 but I would say just share with your loved one ;)

Ingredients:
All Purpose/Self rising Flour - 4 tbspn
Sugar - 4 tbspn
Unsweetened powder - 2 tbspn
Nutella - 3 tbspn
Egg - 1
Milk - 2 tbspn
Oil - 3 tbspn
Baking Powder - 1/4 tspn (if you are using All Purpose Flour)

Procedure:
Make sure you have a big coffee mug. Combine all ingredients and mix well. Microwave for 1.5 mins on high power (It varies based on microwave) and that's it!! Serve warm with whipped cream or ice cream.

Note: Make sure you watch it closely while it is cooking in microwave and stop it when it is nicely risen (approximately 1.5mins).

Variations:
You can distribute it in 3-4 ramekins and cook it for 30-40 secs each. It will serve up as individual dessert cups.

Conclusion:
Really decadent chocolate cake made within minutes and devoured in seconds ;)

Sweet Potato Pudding / Ratalyacha Halwa

2014-03-04T23:03:00.000-08:00

I fast once a year which is for Mahashivratri. We are followers of Shiva and hence we have big celebrations back home on Mahashivratri. Mom used to make Sabudana khichdi (Savory Sagoo) and Bhagar (varai). Sweet potato was one of my favorite items during fasting. I used to eat it with milk and sugar.

Sweet potato in India are not orange in color, they are yellowish. They are not as sweet as the ones you get here but they are really yummy.

On Mahashivratri, I had invited a friend of mine for dinner and I wanted to make something else other than usual things. So I decided to make 'Ratalyacha Halwa'/ 'Sweet Potato Pudding' and trust me it turned out yummmmy! You must give it a try too even if it is not Mahashivratri.

Ingredients:
Raw Sweet Potato, grated - 1.5 cup
Sweetened Condensed Milk - 4 tbspns
Ghee - 2 tbspns
Elaichi Powder - 1/4 tspn
Nuts (Pistachios, Cashewnuts, Almonds), crushed - 1 tbspn

Procedure:
Heat a pan and add ghee to it and when ghee is heated, add the grated sweet potato to it. Sauté it well until its nicely cooked (10mins maybe). Then add rest of the ingredients and cook for another 5-10mins. or till it is soft and mushy.

Variations:
I would not want to make any variations to this dish. It turned out to be so awesome that I am going to make it again soon.

Conclusion:
It was over in one go. A super hit I must say!

Cajun Shrimp Quesadilla

2014-02-05T22:32:00.000-08:00

These days I prefer to try some quick entrees as it will be useful for my blog readers to try them out and also for me when my baby is cranky and doesn't let me cook ;). Although he is a calm baby with very little sleep, he gets bored easily if there is no one to entertain him.
Shrimp quesadilla is one of the quick and easy entrees to try out. You can experiment a lot with the ingredients and try to make as per your palate.

Ingredients:
Medium Soft Tacos - 4
Peeled and deveined Shrimp - 12-15 medium sized
Red/Yellow/Green Bell Pepper - 1
Onion -1 medium
Sour Cream - 2 tbspn
Store bought salsa - 3 tbspn
Mexican Blend Cheese - 1 pack
Cajun Spice - 2 tspn
Salt & Pepper as per taste
Oil

Procedure:

Cut the shrimp into small pieces and marinate it with the cajun spice and some salt.
In the meantime, sautee the onions and bell peppers till they are soft and add salt and pepper as per taste.
Now sautee the shrimp till just cooked (make sure it's not chewy)
Mix sour cream and salsa and mix it well and keep aside
Heat a pan and put a soft taco on it and keep the heat to low. Now sprinkle some cheese on one half of the taco and add the sauteed onions, peppers, shrimp, sour cream and salsa mixture on the same half side of the taco. Now sprinkle some more cheese on top and cover the taco with the other half and heat the other side till cheese melts.
Serve the hot and spicy quesadilla with homemade Guacamole.

Variations:
You can add any other meat instead of the shrimp or go veggie by completely omitting the meat. I liked the veggie creation as well which I made for my mom.

Conclusion:
Happy tummies and in future baby will be happy too.

Pesto Cream Cheese Filled Chicken Roll Ups

2014-02-05T22:29:00.000-08:00

After a long long time, I am back to blogging. These days it is so difficult to find time to do anything due to the adorable little darling who is 1 year old already!

We also visited our family and friends in India in Dec 2013. This was Neil's first trip to India and he did pretty well. Everyone enjoyed his company a lot especially Neil's cousins and grand parents.

We had bought a house in India and we got the possession of it, so we did a small Housewarming Ceremony.

All in all, it was a great month long vacation!

Alright, coming to the point - I found the pictures of this dish on Pinterest and just decided I will wing it as per my taste. So I added some cream cheese and pesto and rolled up the chicken. Next I am going to try it with mushrooms stuffed inside and some sauce on top of the chicken. For now, let's enjoy what we have :)

Ingredients:
Chicken Breast, Pounded - 2
Basil Pesto - 4 tbspns
Cream Cheese - 2 tbspns
Salt
Pepper
Bread Crumbs - 1/2 cup
Toothpicks

Procedure:

Preheat the oven to 350F
In the mean time, take the pounded chicken breasts and cut each piece into 3 parts lengthwise
Now spread the cheese and then the basil pesto on it. Sprinkle some salt and pepper on top of the pesto and roll the chicken breast like a swiss roll
Now tuck some toothpicks inside the roll to keep it rolled and cover it in breadcrumbs and bake for 35-40 mins (or till chicken is cooked)
Last but not the least, relish every bite of the juicy chicken roll ups with some cajun spiced asparagus and squash.

Variations:
There are plenty of variations to this recipe. I also added some sauteed asparagus with tomato paste, basil pesto, and mozzarella cheese and rolled it up. It tasted really delicious too!

Conclusion:
Add whatever filling you want, roll it up and roll it into your mouth....yummm!! My mouth is watering now. I better go and have a bite of the leftover chicken roll ups.

French Toast

2013-02-04T19:46:00.002-08:00

Brunch time special french toast can be easily made at home. I realized a little late that I can make it at home the way I like it and earn some brownie points from the hubby and others too. With this in mind, I decided to give it a try. I recently made Scrumptious Chocolate Pecan Bread Pudding and thought that French toast can be made with similar ingredients.

To suffice my craving for brunch time food that I usually order at any restaurant, I decided to make it at home (cost efficient and also because of my newborn baby I couldn't go out very often).

Ingredients:
Thick Bread slices - 4
Eggs - 2
Milk/Fresh Cream - 1/2 cup
Ground Cinnamon - 1/8 tspn
Ground Nutmeg - 1 pinch
Sugar - 1 tbspn
Vanilla extract - 1/2 tspn
Powdered Sugar - 1/2 tbspn

Procedure:

Beat eggs, milk, sugar, vanilla extract, ground cinnamon and nutmeg till well mixed.
Heat a griddle on medium heat and spray oil on it
Now dip the bread slices in the egg mixture on both sides and place it on the griddle. Cook on both sides till it becomes golden brown.
Sprinkle some powdered sugar and drizzle some chocolate syrup on top and serve it with your choice of fruits and maple syrup (if desired).

Variations:
Sugar can be adjusted as per your taste. Also, spices can be added or removed to suite your taste buds.

Conclusion:
No need to go to the restaurants for french toast anymore :). I can try new things at brunch now.

Scrumptious Chocolate Pecan Bread Pudding

2013-02-04T19:22:00.004-08:00

Bread pudding is one of the yummiest and not-so-fattening desserts. I love the fact that you can modify a lot in this recipe and make it as per your taste. I referred to the recipe from Epicurious and made my own changes to it. I made it thrice trying out different permutation combination and now I am posting the one I liked the best.

This one is my new favorite as it is easy to make and has a lot of protein (I cannot hog on food as much as I did during my pregnancy, so being super conscious).

Ingredients (Serves 6-8):
Bread Slices - 8
Eggs - 3
Milk - 2 cups
White Sugar - 3/4 cup
Brown Sugar - 2 tbspns
Butter - 2 tbspns
Vanilla Extract - 1 tspn
Ground Cinnamon - 1/2 tspn
Milk/Semi Sweet Chocolate Chips - 1 cup
Pecan - 1/2 cup

Procedure:

Preheat the oven at 350 degrees F and after 5 mins place the breads in the oven for 5 mins
In the mean time, beat the eggs, white sugar, milk, vanilla extract, ground cinnamon together for 2-4 mins.
Now break 4 slices of the bread into small pieces and place them in an 8 inch baking pan. Sprinkle half the melted butter on the bread and add half the eggs mixture to it. Throw some chocolate chips and pecans on top and some brown sugar.
Repeat step # 3 for the rest of the ingredients and bake it for 40-45 mins. The pudding will rise.
Serve it warm with vanilla ice cream.

Variations:
I once added banana to it but my family is not a great fan of it so didn't prefer that one. If you plan to add any sweet fruit to the pudding like banana, make sure you adjust the sugar accordingly.

Conclusion:
My mom has recently joined the people on whom I experiment my food and she loved it.

Lemon Mushroom Risotto with Scallops

2012-07-15T19:20:00.001-07:00

It's been a record now! I have not contributed towards my blog for the past 4 months and I feel sorry about it. I do not have enough excuse for this blunder but yeah I was busy giving exams (Yes, I cleared my PMP certification - deserve a pat on the back), roaming with parents and in-laws and getting pampered :). But yes, how could I forget about my baby (my blog) just because I am going to have a baby!?! So here is my latest creation :)
My husband and I are fans of Hell's Kitchen and inspired by Gordon Ramsay's Risotto I wanted to make Risotto too. I had tried once before and loved it. I didn't blog about it then and so I thought why not try it once again so that I can give correct measurements.

Although I would like to warn you about couple of things before making risotto:
1. It takes a lot of time and patience to make Risotto. Even though many websites and cook books say 25-30 minutes as cooking time, it takes at least 45 minutes (stirring constantly)
2. It is fattening - so if you are a health freak like me, just workout 1-2 hours more in the week but please do not try to reduce the amount of butter from the recipe (as I have already done so. Any less than this wouldn't taste good - tried that too)

I found this recipe behind the rice packet that I bought and I added my own taste to it to make it lime n lemony.

Ingredients:
Arborio rice - 1.5 cups
Vegetable/chicken broth - 6 cups
White wine - 1/4 cup (optional)
Mushrooms, sliced - 2 cups
Onions, chopped - 1 medium
Garlic, minced - 3 cloves
Parsley, chopped - 2 tspn
Parmesan Cheese - 3 tbspn
Butter - 4 tbspn
Lemon Juice - 3 tbspn

Procedure:

Keep the broth on the stove on medium heat till it boils.
In the mean time, saute mushrooms in 1 tbspn till soft and keep it aside to cool.
Now saute the onions and garlic in the rest of the butter till translucent. Then add the rice to the onion-garlic mixture. Mix it well for a minute or so.
On medium heat, add the white wine and stir it till the wine is absorbed by the rice. In similar fashion, start adding 1/2 cup broth at a time and cook till all the broth is absorbed by the rice, stirring occasionally so that the rice doesn't stick.to the bottom.
Repeat the above step till the rice is cooked al dente. Personally, I like it cooked a little more than al dente.
Now, add the mushroom, Parmesan cheese, lemon juice and parsley, mix well and serve with scallops.

Variations:
You can modify this recipe in many ways - get rid of lemon, add herbs etc.

Conclusion:
The Mushroom Lemon Risotto with Cajun scallops turned out really yummy. Even the baby was dancing with happiness :)

Kuchh Meetha Ho Jaye - The Announcement Time!!!

2012-07-15T19:12:00.000-07:00

It was a ’Kuchh Meetha Ho Jaaye’ (‘Let’s have Dessert’) night and I invited a few of our close friends over. I had made Bread pudding, Rice kheer/pudding and Banana Walnut Cake Pops. We had also planned to play Taboo in which we had added a wild card which read ‘Yummy Yummy, Baby in SU’s Tummy’ (In case you don’t know, Su is my nick name and yes, I am expecting!!!) and the person who gets the card will enact it and the rest (of course excluding myself and my husband) will guess it.

No one had an idea that we were gonna break the big news to them as I was just two and half months through. They all came and enjoyed the bread pudding (In the meantime, I was decorating the cake pops with something related to the news) and then we started playing taboo. I wanted one of the girls to get the wild card so that it is easy for them to enact. But to my surprise, she did not get the message. First of all, she couldn’t digest the fact that there is a wild card in Taboo and secondly, she went to Syracuse University (SU) and hence read the ‘SU’ part as Syracuse University (even she knows it didn’t make sense but she was in the mood to win the game). So she tried to enact it and everyone could guess everything other than my name. Finally, it clicked to one of my friends and she hugged me screaming "She is pregnant, guys!" It was then clear to everyone that we are expecting and they connected the dots like I am not drinking any more, I didn't go to play paintball, etc. Everyone was shocked to hear the news (I think they never thought we would want to have kids :)). Then everyone wished us and I introduced the cake pops with Jr. Su / Jr. Ram written on them. All the girls were asking me questions and a friend's mom had come as well and she was very impressed with the way we broke the news. It was a night to remember!!! (for us and for the friend who thought SU was Syracuse University and not SUJATA)

Chocolate Walnut Torte

2012-03-14T19:18:00.000-07:00

In mood for something healthy and yummy for dessert?? How perfect would the world be, if fried chicken became healthy and eating salad would count as the most unhealthy food. In search of that health+deliciousness, I thought of something similar to Almond Torte but used chocolate and walnuts instead. The Chocolate Walnut Torte is deliciously yummy and healthy. It tastes very much like Brownie but just that there is no butter and flour in it. This was made to suffice my husband's post dinner dessert cravings. I tried to follow the recipe from Elana's Pantry with the modifications as per my taste. I hope you enjoy this!!

Ingredients:
Walnuts, coarsely ground - 1 cup
Sugar - 6 tbspns
Eggs, separated - 3
Salt - 1/2 pinch
Semi Sweet Chocolate Chips - 1/2 cup

Procedure:

Grease an 8 inch pan (I used a spring form pan) and preheat oven to 300 degrees.
In microwave safe bowl, melt the chocolate chips stirring every 1 min (It will take only 2 minutes for the chocolate to melt). Mix it well and keep it aside.
Now whisk the egg yolks and 4 tbspns sugar for 2mins (till it is pale yellow in color).
In a clean bowl, beat the egg whites with salt till soft peaks form. Now add remaining sugar (1/2 tbspn at a time) and beat till stiff peaks form.
Now mix the chocolate and walnuts in the egg yolks and then fold 1/3rd of the egg whites and mix well. Then again add another 1/3rd of the egg whites and mix well. Repeat it once again and mix the batter till it is just combined and white streaks are not seen.
Pour the batter in the greased pan and bake it for 20-25mins (or until the cake springs back when pressed gently).
Sprinkle some white powdered sugar to garnish and serve warm with some vanilla ice cream (come on, you can have one small bite of that ice cream once in a while) and / or chocolate syrup!!!

Variations:
You can try different sauces with it. I am planning to make a raspberry sauce which go perfectly with it.

Conclusion:
Super delicious Chocolate Walnut Torte is done in less than an hour!

Tiramisu - afoodiecancooktoo's First Anniversary Special

2012-02-25T22:46:00.000-08:00

It was a foodie can cook too's first anniversary and I totally forgot about it - Yes, it was my biggest blunder ever! I posted my first blogpost on Jan 19th 2011 and I was super excited about it. I remember the first few days when I used to just think about the different things I could try and post on my blog, how I could enhance my photography skills so that the pics look more professional and so on. I even bought some nice plates and bowls and some other decorative stuff.
To make it up for the forgotten first anniversary of my blog, ,I decided to make Tiramisu and so I go and get all the ingredients and decide to make one and write the blogpost as well. But then I found some time to finally write the post and post it. Phew! It has been a very busy month.
Anyway, this Tiramisu was made sipping on some Chianti (2005) and definitely gave better results ;-). Try that some time.

Ingredients:
Soft Lady Fingers - 24
Mascarpone Cheese - 8 oz
Whipped Cream - 1/3 cup
Vanilla essence - 1/4 tspn
Eggs, separated - 3
Sugar - 1/2 cup
Salt - a pinch
Chocolate Liquor - 2 tbspns (Optional)
Instant Coffee - 2 tbspns
Hot Water - 1.5 cups
Cocoa Powder/chocolate shavings - 2-3 tbspns
Marsala Wine - 3 tbspns (Optional)

Procedure:

In a big bowl, beat sugar, vanilla essence and egg yolks together for 2-3 mins or till it is pale yellow in color. Add mascarpone cheese to it and beat till it is well blended and fluffy (a min or so).
Mix the coffee powder in hot water till it dissolves and let it cool. You can use espresso instead.
Then, beat the egg whites with a pinch of salt in a clean bowl with a clean beater (not even a drop of water) till stiff white peaks form. Also, in another big mixing bowl, beat the whipped cream till peaks form.
Now mix the mascarpone-egg yellow mixture in whipped cream and then add 1/3rd of the beaten whites and mix well. Now fold in all the whites and just mix well.
Now mix the chocolate liquor and marsala wine in the coffee mixture and keep it aside,
In a martini glass or a bowl, place the lady fingers as a layer and sprinkle/brush the coffee+Marsala+liquor mixture and then spread an even layer of the whites+mascarpone+yellows mixture. Sprinkle cocoa powder or chocolate shavings. Repeat this once or twice more.
Store it in the refrigerator for at least 24hours and then DIG IN and RELISH!!!

Variations:
Feel free to make changes to this recipe and experiment with your Tiramisu. I am sure you would love the end result ;-)

Conclusion:
I invited a bunch of friends over to celebrate this occasion and Oh Boy, it got over in a few minutes ;-). It was the best Tiramisu I ever made (I have tried once before but wasn't the best attempt)

Butter Chicken/Murgh Makhani

2012-02-07T10:07:00.000-08:00

I have been away from my blog for more than 3 months and here I am back to blogging again. I tried to find some time from the Diwali Celebrations, shopping for India, packing - unpacking from the visit to India and 3 not-so-long weeks in India and finally managed to write a post today!
So the visit to India was just 3 weeks long and I was going to my home country after 2 years. I really missed my family and friends in those 2 years and most of all, I missed my 2 year old nephew - Arnav! He is the cutest thing on earth and I had a grrrrreat time with him. I felt like I was back in my childhood where I played all day and there were no worries in life. Although Arnav has a big worry - his Dad's car. He loves cars and is very possessive about his Dad's car. His possession goes to the extent that he sleeps with the car keys in hand so that no one else can take it. I can go on and on about him. I love him and miss him a lot!

Anyways, I had butter chicken a couple of times in India and I desperately wanted to make it. I tried making butter chicken before but it never turned like the usual butter chicken because I didn't have fresh cream on hand or I had the cluster tomatoes which are a little sour in taste. This time I made sure I bought all the ingredients to make butter chicken and guess what, it was a success!!

Ingredients:
Chicken Breasts, cut into pieces - 3
Onions paste/finely chopped - 1 medium
Tomatoes, pureed - 4 medium
Red Chilli Powder - 1 tspn
Fresh Cream/Whip cream - 1/2 cup
Ginger - Garlic Paste - 1+1/2 Tbspn
Cashew nut Paste/Powder - 2 tbspn
Butter - 1.5 Tbspn

Garam Masala:
Cloves - 3
Cardamom - 2-3
Cinnamon stick - 1/2 inch
Coriander Seeds - 1 Tbspn
Cumin Seeds - 1/2 tspn
Methi Seeds - 1/4 tspn

Procedure:

Marinate chicken with 1/2 Tbspn ginger-garlic paste and keep aside.
Roast the items listed under garam masala and grind it and keep it aside.
Sautee onion paste and remaining ginger-garlic paste in the butter till the paste becomes golden. Add tomato puree to it and cook it till oil starts to separate and it turns a little darker and thicker. Now add the garam masala (I made it fresh but you can use ready made), red chilli powder and cashew nut powder and cook for another 5 mins.
Now add the chicken and keep the gas on medium till the chicken is cooked.
Once the chicken is cooked, add fresh cream to it and mix well. Serve with Naan or Jeera rice.

Variations:
You can use half & half if you don't have fresh cream at home. Also, you can use yogurt to marinate the chicken and while cooking to make it tender.

Conclusion:
The third attempt at Butter Chicken turned really good. Fresh cream makes a difference for sure!

Sausage Stuffed Mushroom

2011-10-18T10:15:00.000-07:00

I wanted to use the sausages I had at home and so I thought of making stuffed mushrooms as I was really bored of eating hot dogs Hollywood and Highland style. However stuffed you are, you cannot miss the hot dog stand at Hollywood and Highland. The lady sells them on the streets for $4 with some grilled onions and peppers. I am a big fan of that and so I tried replicating it at home, it was good but it was missing the "grease" :-)
So when it's my husband's turn to cook (which comes once in 2 months), he takes the easy route and makes the HH Hot Dog (or Pasta). He really puts loads of efforts in making it (even if he can cook in half the time and effort :-P). Coming back to the topic of stuffed mushrooms, I really wanted to try them as I had seen a very similar recipe on foodnetwork.com (by Rachael Ray). I had seen the ingredients in it but when I really wanted to make it, I never found the recipe :(. So I just winged it and it turned out really yummy.

Ingredients:
Mushrooms (normal sized) - 1 pack
Herb Flavor Sausage - 1
Onions, finely chopped - 1 (medium)
Bell Peppers, finely chopped - 1/2
Garlic, minced - 2 pods
Cream Cheese - 3tbspn
Basil - 7-8 leaves
Cheese for Garnish - 2tbspn
Egg yolk - 1

Procedure:

Wash and clean the mushrooms and remove the stem and chop them fine.
Sautee the mushrooms (not the stems) with their heads up so that the water is drained out. Switch off the heat and let them be in the pan for 3-6 mins so that all water from mushrooms is drained.
Now sautee the finely chopped onions, mushroom stems, garlic and bell peppers till they are cooked (8-10mins)
In the mean time, pre-heat the oven at 325 degrees. Remove the casing off the sausage and separate the meat. Cook this meat with the onions for another 3-4 mins.
Let this mixture cool.
Now mix egg yolk and cream cheese and then add the cooked mixture and mix well.
Fill the mushrooms with the mixture and bake for 12-15mins on 325 degrees.

Variations:
For vegetarians, it can be converted into a vegetarian dish by adding paneer/cottage cheese with some Parmesan cheese instead of the sausage.

Conclusion:

I served this with Alfred-Pesto Pasta. Every single bite of it was delicious. It is very heavy and filling so this recipe would hold 3-4 servings as a side dish. This is a very good appetizer for potlucks and game nights.

Butter Paneer Naanizza / Indian Style Pizza

2011-10-18T09:50:00.000-07:00

I usually try to make things out of what I have in the inventory and/or what is perishable. So I had half of store-bought Paneer Packet left and some Naans. I remembered the Butter Paneer Pizza I had in San Jose when I went for a very good friend's Birthday Party. We had surprised her by visiting her all the way from Los Angeles.
Her Fiancee had organized the Birthday Party for her and had ordered Butter Paneer Pizza. It was sooo good that it got over in a few minutes.
So I thought I would try to make something similar with the ingredients I had.

Ingredients (for 4 people):
Paneer, pea sized cubes - 2 cups
Green Bell Peppers, 2" sliced - 1
Onions, sliced - 1
Ginger-Garlic Paste - 1tspn (Optional)
Tandoori masala - 2Tbspn
Chicken Curry Powder - 1Tbspn
Red Chilli Powder - 1 tspn
Kasuri Methi - 1tspn (Optional)
Butter - 2Tbspn
Ketchup - 6-7 tbspn
Naan - 6
Mozzarella Cheese, shredded - 3 cups

Procedure:

Pre-heat oven on 350 degrees.
Add Butter to pan and saute onions, bell peppers and ginger garlic paste for 2mins (Do not cook it). Then add Paneer and other ingredients and sautee for another 2mins.
Spread ketchup on the Naan and distribute the mixture on the Naan evenly and sprinkle cheese on top
Now place the Naans in the oven for 8-12mins or till cheese has melted.

Variations:
You can add chicken instead of Paneer. In that case, use cooked chicken breasts for best results.

Conclusion:

I was astonished with the results. They were yummy and were made in 20mins only.

Almond Torte

2011-09-30T18:02:00.000-07:00

Almond torte is what I tasted at the Farmer's market in LA and loved it. So the baker in me wanted to bake it but was not sure how. So I referred to this site which had detailed instructions as well. So I tried making it twice and was kind of successful the third time (but I still need practice). Now you must be wondering what went wrong twice before!!!

First time, I ground the blanched almonds with sugar and then ground the sugar in the same container(1st mistake, no grease must be added to egg whites). Then I started beating the egg whites with an immersion blender (2nd mistake) and then added the ground sugar to it. So the egg whites never formed peaks. Experiment #1 failed terribly :-(
To improvise my mistake #2, I used an Indian style blender (3rd mistake) with a whip attachment and it failed again :-(. Thank god the eggs are not expensive :-) So my experiment failed twice and I was wondering what I did wrong.
I did it right the third time and whipped the eggs perfectly fine. I realized my mistake as I spoke to my sister-in-law who lives in North Carolina. We always discuss food and recipes as our husbands are total foodies. She pointed out that egg can beaten well with a stand mixer. Then I went to Target to buy a stand mixer for just $7 :-)

Ingredients:
Room temperature Egg Whites - 3
Blanched Almonds - 1 cup + 1tbspn
Sugar - 1/3 cup + 1tspn
Lemon Juice - 2-3 drops
Salt - 1 pinch
Stand Mixer

Procedure:

Preheat oven to 325 degrees and spray a smaller than 8" pan with cooking spray and line it with parchment paper. Now sprinkle 1tbspn sliced almonds on it.
Separate the egg whites from the egg yolks when cold and keep them out of refrigerator for at least 30mins.
Now grind the blanched almonds with 1/3 cup sugar (I ground them in 2 batches for fineness) and keep it aside. Make sure you don't over grind the mixture else you will end up getting almond butter.
Now add lemon juice and salt to the egg whites and beat them with a hand mixer (do not use immersion blender. I made that mistake)
It will take few minutes for the soft peaks to form. Then add 1tspn sugar and beat for another 30secs or till stiff peaks form.
Fold the almond sugar mixture in the egg whites and pour it in the baking pan. Bake it for 45mins or till a knife comes out clean when inserted.

Variations:
Like the others, you can add almond flavor but I didn't have it handy and also because I like natural flavors, I didn't add it. You can use 3/4tspn for strong almond flavor.

Conclusion:
Full of protein and 'Good' fats dessert is ready! It really tastes yummy although it could have been much better in texture (risen a little more).
It is good for health freaks (like my Hubby), foodie (again like my Hubby) and wannabe brainy (It's Me this time) ;-)

Shrimp Jambalaya

2011-09-18T22:15:00.000-07:00

I am writing this as I am making the shrimp Jambalaya. This dish came to my mind thinking of the leftovers I had at home and I had marinated Cajun Chicken which was lying in the fridge for tonight's dinner. So to accompany the Cajun Chicken, I thought of making Shrimp Jambalaya (as I had shrimp in the freezer and no sausage or boneless chicken).
We eat this dish very often at The Farmer's Market. The name of the stall is The Gumbo Pot. First of all, I never knew what the difference in Jambalaya and Gumbo was. So I googled and found out that both the dishes belong to New Orleans (Southern Amrica) and both are spicy. The difference is with rice and without. Jambalaya has rice (lot of it!) and Gumbo doesn't! Jambalaya is a little thick, but Gumbo is soup-like with Oakra in it to give it a nice texture (although I do not like slimy Oakra).

Ingredients:
Onion, chopped - 1/2
Tomato, chopped - 1/2
Bell Pepper, chopped - 1/2
Garlic - 2pods
Cayenne - 1/2tspn
Cajun Spice - 2 tspn
Oregano - 1/2tspn
Parsley Flakes - 1/4 tspn
Rice - 1/3 cup
Chicken Broth - 2 cups
Shrimp, peeled and deveined - 2 cups
Oil
Salt to taste

Procedure:

Heat some oil in a pot and saute onions, bell peppers and garlic for 4-5mins.
Now add all other ingredients except for chicken broth and shrimp.
Saute for another 2mins and add chicken broth to it and cook it (with lid on) for 35-40mins or till rice is cooked and desired consistency is achieved, on low heat.
Now add some salt and shrimp and cook it for 2 mins more. South American flavors are lingering in my kitchen!

Variations:
You can vary Jambalaya as you want. Add some chicken pieces to it, throw in some sausages and other veggies. It will still taste GREAT!

Conclusion:
I cooked it but had it the day after. The flavors had soaked in well. We relished it with Grilled Cajun Chicken....yummy!

Indian Cupcakes / Sheera / Sooji ka Halwa

2011-08-27T12:57:00.000-07:00

We were planning to visit my husband's cousin in San Diego, CA and wanted to make something for her. I had prepared Masala Dosa Batter and chutney and was going to make the sabzi (potato curry) at her place. To make it a complete meal, I wanted to take some sweet dish and I could think of 2 types of sheera: One is Ravyacha Sheera/ Sooji ka Halwa (Sapat - that's what the konkanis call it) and second was Pithacha Sheera/Aatte ka Halwa, which my mother used to make with loads of love and ghee. I ended up making Ravyacha Sheera/Sooji Ka Halwa as I wanted to use the banana I had and Pithacha sheera would have been an experiment ( I have never made it before but I have seen my mother make it) on her and her family which comprises of herself, her husband and a cute lil dog (Sammy).

The best part of our short visit to San Diego was the Gourmet Food Truck Festival at Del Mar. It had 30-35 gourmet food trucks - Right from Naan-Stop to 'Cupcake Wars' Winner Corner Cupcakes. There were huge lines for every food truck but we still managed to get some awesome food without a loooong wait. We had some attractive Potato Tornadoes which made people stop and ask us what exactly it was(that is what even I did). We also did some crazy photo session as if I was drowning in beer glass.

Potato Tornadoes (Cajun Style held by Ram and I am holding the Sweet Potato Style) were the

head-turners

HEEEEELP!!! I am drowning (read enjoying) in a glass full of beer!

Ingredients:
Rava/Sooji/Semolina - 1 cup
Ghee/Indian Butter - 5tbspn
Milk - 1 cup
Water - 1cup
Sugar - 3/4cups
Cardamom/Elaichi, Powdered- 4 pods
Cashews, chopped - 1/3 cup
Raisins - 1 Tbspn
Ripe Banana - 1

Procedure:

In a pan, roast the rava/sooji, cashews and raisins for 3-5mins on medium heat, stirring constantly. Make sure you don't over-roast it and make it brown.
At the same time, boil the water and milk together on med heat.
Now slowly pour the boiling water+milk mixture over the roasted rava stirring it simultaneously. Make sure no lumps are formed.
Now add the sugar, mashed ripe banana and the ghee and mix it well and shut it with the lid. Let it cook for 4-5mins on med-low heat.
Lastly, add the elaichi powder and mix it and serve warm or cold.

Variations:
Remember that the Rava : (Milk+Water) proportion has to be 1:2. So you can vary it to make more water less milk or vice versa (I prefer it more milk and less water).
Also, you can roast cashews and raisins separately in butter and then add it to sheera after step # 3.

Conclusion:

It was very yummy, low in sugar (as everyone prefers less sugar now a days) and super moist Sheera. Even Sammy enjoyed a small morsel :).

Cajun Style Grilled Salmon/Blackened Salmon with Seasoned Grilled Vegetables

2011-08-16T23:48:00.000-07:00

I love it when the grocery store near my house has some discounts/sale going on on herbs and spices. On one of such occasions, I bought Cajun Spice to try out Cajun Shrimp.
Now a days Husband dearest has become 'Carb Conscious' and so wants to eat less of Carbs and more of the proteins. Salmon has zero carbs and higher levels of Omega-3 fats (considered as good fat). So we eat a lot of seafood or meat with less carbs and starch & nuts like walnut, almond, hazelnut etc.

Ingredients:
Salmon - 4 fillets

For Marinade
Cajun Spice - 3Tbspn
Red Chilli Powder - 1 tspn
Garlic, minced - 3 cloves
Olive Oil - 1 Tbspn
Water - 2Tbspn
Salt

Grilled Vegetable with Stir Fry Sauce
Broccoli florets - 2 cups
Bell Peppers, 1" cubes - 2 cups
Mushroom - 1cup
Garlic, minced - 1tspn
Ginger, finely chopped - 1tspn
Ketchup - 1Tbspn
Marsala Wine (Optional) - 2Tbspn
Soy - 1Tbspn
Red Chilli Flakes - 2Tbspn
Salt & Pepper

Procedure:
Mix all the ingredients for marinade and coat the salmon fillet with it and keep aside. Now mix all the ingredients for Vegetable stir fry and put it on the grill. Once they are grilled, put the salmon fillets on the grill and grill for 8-10 mins on each side or till the salmon is cooked.
Serve the salmon with the grilled vegetables stir fry and / or rice.

Variations:
This dish can be varied as per the taste else it is just too good! Try the Shrimp Jambalaya with it, if you think this is not enough!

Conclusion:
Low Carb diet was devoured in minutes.

Serves: 2 - 3
Total Time - 30 mins

Paneer Tikka Panini

2011-08-16T16:30:00.000-07:00

Cafe Coffee Day was the all time hang out place for me and my friends. I loved the Tropical Iceberg there. I remember having this Paneer Tikka Panini there and OMG, it was very yummy. But I did not have enough motivation and a kitchen to try it out (I used to live in a hostel in Navi Mumbai where I had an electric hot plate to warm milk and make khichdi). I still remember the taste of that panini and I had everything handy, so I decided to try it out on a Tuesday morning (7am) for my lunch box.

Ingredients:
For Stuffing
Paneer/Cottage Cheese, small cubes - 1 cup
Bell Peppers, 1" cubed - 1 cup
Onions, 1" cubed - 1 cup
Tandoori Masala - 2 Tbspn
Red Chilli Powder - 1tspn
Ginger-Garlic Paste - 1/3 tspn
Coriander Powder - 1 tspn
Yogurt - 1 Tbspn
Salt

For Panini
Bread Slices - 4
Mint Chutney (optional)
Butter to spread on the bread
Cheese, grated - 1 cup (I used 4 cheese blend as it was handy)

Procedure:
Mix all the ingredients for stuffing and keep aside. Now spread some mint chutney on the bread slices on one side and butter on the other. Heat a pan and add the stuffing mixture to it. Cook it for 5-8mins or till paneer is tender and onions and bell peppers are crisp. Evenly distribute this stuffing to the bread slices with butter side being out and mint chutney on the inside. Now sprinkle some cheese on the stuffing and grill the sandwich till the bread turns golden brown.
Serve this with some ketchup or mint chutney.

Serves - 1 person

Variations:
Make it a kids favorite by using less masalas and adding more cheese to it. They would definitely love it!

Conclusion:
It tasted just like the Cafe Coffee Day's Paneer Tikka Panini. How I wish I could pay a visit to India to see my Family and friends and hang out at CCD :)

Intense Chocolate Truffle Cake (Gluten Free)

2011-08-07T23:25:00.000-07:00

It's been a while I have tried my hand at baking as I don't get many opportunities and time to bake. This weekend I had some time on hand and it was a friend's birthday who has twin babies (4 months old). So I thought of celebrating her birthday at (her) home by taking some food and baking a cake for her. I had to make a decadent chocolate truffle cake knowing that she would like Sugarless cake.
I always try to substitute things I have at home instead of buying something just for the recipe as it saves me time and $$. So I decided to use 4 types of chocolates (which I had at home) - semi-sweet, 60% dark, milk and white chocolate - and it turned out yummilicious! This cake/truffle was a good contender for restaurant style dessert for which I pay $$$. I hope you try making it and love it just like my friend and her family did (couldn't feed the twins as they are very young :( ).

Note: Please use a good quality chocolate for a great experience and restaurant style taste. Enjoy!!!

Ingredients (for 6-8 servings):
For Truffle
Butter - 1/2 cup
Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips - 1cup
60% Dark Chocolate Chips - 2/3cup
Large Eggs, chilled - 4

For Ganache
Heavy Cream - 1/4cup
Any Chocolate Chips - 1/2 cup (I used Dark and Milk)
Corn Syrup - 1Tbspn (This is used for getting a glaze to the ganache, so it is optional)

Garnish:
Milk Chocolate Bar, for curls - 1
White Chocolate Bar, for shaves - 1

Procedure:

Melt the chocolate chips and butter (Truffle ingredients) on a double boiler till they are smooth. Let it sit aside and cool.
In the mean time, pre-heat the oven on 350 degrees and then whip the eggs on medium speed for 5-7mins.
Now fold the whipped egg (1/4th portion at a time) in the chocolate mixture and mix till it just assimilates.
Now grease a cake pan and line it with parchment paper (optional). Pour the batter in the greased pan
Prepare a water bath for the cake by filling a large pan (larger than the one used for cake) with hot water (hot tap water can be used) and then placing the cake pan in the water bath. Make sure the water is half way up the sides of the pan.
Bake it for 50mins or till the cake is done. When it is done, cool it on a rack (do not remove it from the pan) and then wrap it with plastic wrap and refrigerate it overnight. The next day (or after 7-8 hour) remove the cake from the pan, dip the pan in warm water halfway up the sides and then run a knife around the inside of the pan and then invert it on a plate.
Prepare the ganache the next day. Boil the heavy cream and then melt the chocolate chips in it (heat it if need be) till they are smooth. Add the corn syrup and mix well. When the ganache is slightly warm, pour it over the cake to make it look like it is oozing out or you can use an offset spatula to make it look nice and clean.
Now use a peeler to make some curls out of the chilled chocolate bar and grate some white chocolate bar over the cake. Play around with the decoration and have fun!

Ganache Poured Over the Chocolate Truffle

The end result. Just Love the glaze over the ganache!

Variations:
You can use sugar free chocolate bars to make sugar free truffle.
Also, if you don't find chocolate chips, don't get disappointed, you can use chocolate bars and chop them or use a peeler to make curls and use them instead.

Conclusion:
A very decadent and rich chocolate truffle is ready to be devoured :). Dark chocolate contains a large number of anti-oxidants which protects from aging. Also, the eggs are a good supplement of protein. So enjoy the dessert you just made.

Orange Chicken Salad - Revealing Secrets

2011-07-27T10:09:00.000-07:00

An Irish proverb says "A good laugh and a long sleep are the best cures in the doctor's book" but I would correct it to "A good laugh, a healthy diet, a long walk and a long sleep are the best cures in the doctor's book." We need not keep on worrying about our health all the time because that is more dangerous than eating unhealthy food. One must enjoy the good health they have rather than worrying about it.

Eating right and eating at the right time is the trick.
You need not eat salad everyday to be healthy, you need not starve to reduce your weight, you need not eat bad tasting food to be on diet! All you need to do is, eat right and eat at the right time.

Know what you eat.
To eat right, you must know what you are eating. So wear your apron and get started in the kitchen. You can start with small things at a time. Even if you eat out, make sure you know the ingredients and opt for healthy choices like wheat bread instead of white, grilled chicken instead of fried chicken etc.

Refresh your mind and body.
Exercise refreshes your mind and body. Just 30-60mins of exercise/day is enough for a healthy mind and body. It doesn't matter if you walk to the grocery store or you run on a treadmill in the gym. The important thing is to exercise and be happy.

Don't Be a Couch Potato.
Go out, make some friends, eat out, drink some beer, go for a comedy show but remember to exercise and stay worry-free.

Ingredients (1 serving):
Raw Items:
Spring Mix - 1/8 LB
Red and Orange Bell Pepper - 1/2 cup
Garbanzo Beans, canned/cooked - 1/2 cup
Mandarines - 1/2 cup
Toasted Sesame - 1/2 tspn
Chicken Tenders - 1/2LB

Dressing:
Soy Sauce - 3Tbspn
Lime Juice - 2Tbspn
Extra Virgin Olive Oil - 2Tbspn
Brown Sugar - 2tbspn
Black Pepper Powder - 1/4 tspn
Salt - a pinch full
Garlic, minced - 1tspn
Oil/Butter for frying garlic
Orange Juice - 1/8 cup

Procedure:

Mix all the ingredients for dressing other than garlic and oil for frying.
Now, heat a small pan and add oil to it. Fry garlic till they are golden and add to the above mentioned dressing mixture.
Now grill/broil/cook the chicken tender with some salt and pepper
Add 1/2 of the prepared dressing to the chicken and let it sit aside.
Add orange juice to the remaining 1/2 of the dressing and mix it well.
Now mix all the raw ingredients and put the orange dressing on top of it. Add the chicken on top and garnish with some toasted sesame.

Variations:
It can be made veg by taking off the chicken and adding Tofu/Soy chunks.

Conclusion:
Today I got up early so that I can pack this for lunch and blog about it in the spare time. I am going for Dodger's baseball game tonight (just to hog on the garlic fries and chug some beer as I do not understand the game :) ). So I am compensating for all the junk food I will be eating tonight with the salad.