The Passionate Sisters

Teeka Chutney/ Dry Red Chutney for Vada Pav

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sat, 08 Oct 2016 12:23:00 +0000

Teeka Chutney - The most delicious part of Vada Pav, spicy dry chutney powder made from roasted peanuts, sesame seeds and garlic.

This dry red chutney is my favorite part of the Vada Pav. I always ask for some extra in chaat shops. It just ties the whole dish. And now having tried this at home, it tastes way more better ( No kidding!! )
If you are already a fan of Vada Pav, then you are going to love it even more with this Teeka Chutney.
Its spicy, its got texture and its so aromatic.

It can even make a simple loaf of bread taste fantastic, just apply some butter over a loaf of bread and sprinkle it (or in my case layer it ..) with this chutney powder. It will taste wonderful. And it pairs excellently with Dosa too!!

Recipe Source: Vahrehvah

Teeka Chutney / Dry Red Garlic Chutney for Vada Pav

Spicy, dry chutney powder!
Prep time: 5 min | Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 20 min |Yield: 1 cup

Ingredients:
Peanuts: 1/4 cup
Sesame seeds ( white ): 1/4 cup
Packed grated Coconut: 1/4 cup
Oil: 1 and 1/2 tsp
Hing: a big pinch
Green Chilli: 3
Garlic, finely chopped: 1 tbsp

Red Chilli Powder: 1 tbsp
Cumin Powder: 1 tsp
Salt: to taste

METHOD:
1) Dry roast peanuts and sesame seeds separately until fragrant. Let it cool to room temperature. Remove the skin from peanuts and transfer to a mixer along with sesame seeds.

2) Pulse ( do not over grind!! ) the contents in the mixer until they are coarsely ground ( like shown in picture below ).
Dry roast the coconut in a very LOW flame until it is dry, tossing often.
Tip: Just roast for few minutes and then remove from the flame and let it cool in the pan itself. This will make the coconut dry without burning them.

3) Transfer to the mixer and pulse until powdered.
Heat oil in a pan and add hing.

4) Add Chopped green chilli and garlic and toss in medium flame for about 1 to 2 minutes. Add the prepared coconut powder and fry until golden. Turn off the flame.

5) Add the red chilli powder and cumin powder. Mix well.
Now add the roasted powders and mix well.

6) Finally add salt and mix until well combined.

Tada... Spicy, aromatic Teeka Chutney is ready to dig in!!!

NOTES:
1) While roasting the nuts and coconut, try not to burn them as it will change the taste of the chutney.
2) While grinding the roasted nuts and coconut, just pulsing a few times is enough to powder them. Over grinding will make them pasty or oily.
3) The colour of the chutney will depend on the colour of your chilli powder. Use a nice red chilli powder to get a bright chutney.

Happy Cooking,
Sindhiya.S

Vanilla Souffle Recipe

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Thu, 22 Sep 2016 08:46:00 +0000

A perfectly risen classic Vanilla Souffle that is so creamy, light but also rich at the same time just like eating a hot mousse which is full of vanilla flavour!!!

Souffles are so fun at make and eat along with kids. You can just see the wonder and excitement in their face seeing these tall souffles. My daughters just love them:)
Its just like eating a vanilla cloud!! Its not too sweet and its not bland either. You can eat the whole ramekin and still feel light and good, you know! One important thing with souffles is not to overcook them. You want the inside to be creamy and soft like a cloud ( just like the picture above ).

Everyone love a perfectly risen souffle. And this souffle doesn't collapse even for a good 5 minutes. So in this post I am going to give you some tips that I learned after trying many souffles until I finalized with this one.

Firstly preparing the ramekins:

Make sure the ramekins are completely clean and dry ( wet ramekins cannot be greased properly ).
With a pastry brush, grease the ramekins using softened butter in upward strokes ( this will help the souffle rise evenly ).
Coat the ramekins in caster sugar and keep the prepared ramekins in fridge to set ( this will help the butter to solidify ) until ready to use.

Next whipping the egg whites:

You definitely need an extra egg white in this recipe. I know, I never have much liked recipes that call for an extra egg yolk or egg white. But you have to trust me on this one, You definitely need that extra egg white to give proper structure for your souffle.
Make sure your bowl and beaters are clean and completely dry so that your egg whites can whip properly.

And lastly FOLDING the final mixture:

While mixing the custard with the whipped egg whites, be very careful. You need the mixture to be homogeneous at the same time you don't want to knock all the air out that.

This is such a fancy dessert with the most basic ingredients. So, what are you waiting for? Come on run to the kitchen and try these at once and let me know how much you liked them:)

Vanilla Souffle

Perfect risen Vanilla Souffle!
Prep time: 15 min | Cook time: 14 min
Total time: 29 min |Yield: 3 ramekins ( 150 ml )

Ingredients:
Egg Yolks: 2
Caster Sugar: 2 tbsp + 2 and 1/2 tbsp + for coating ramekins
All Purpose Flour / Maida: 1 tbsp
Milk: 1/2 cup
Butter: 1 tbsp + for brushing ramekins

Vanilla Essence: 1 tsp
Egg Whites: 3

METHOD:
1)Whisk egg yolks with 2 tbsp sugar until pale in colour. Mix in the flour.

2) Bring the milk and butter to a simmer ( just when it starts bubbling around the edges ) in a sauce pan. Add some hot milk slowly to the egg mixture, while whisking continuously (This is called tempering the eggs. This is done to slowly raise the temperature of eggs without scrambling them ).

3) Now pour the egg mix back to the sauce pan and place it on low heat, stirring all the time.

4) The mixture will thicken like a custard ( as shown below ). Remove it from the heat and add the vanilla essence. Mix well and transfer to a separate bowl to cool completely to room temperature.

5) Meanwhile, preheat the oven at 190 C for 10 minutes.
Now, lets ready the ramekins. Brush the insides of the ramekins with softened butter. Use a pastry brush and do upward strokes which will help the souffle rise evenly. Coat with caster sugar and place it in the refrigerator until ready to use.
Take egg whites in a clean and dry bowl.

6) Whip the egg whites until it is foamy. With mixer running on medium speed, slowly add in the remaining 2 and 1/2 tbsp caster sugar. Increase the speed to high and whip until stiff peaks.
Add about 1/3 rd of the whipped egg whites to the cooled down custard and whisk to loosen it up.

7) Now add the loosened custard to the whipped egg whites and FOLD gently with a spatula until everything is mixed evenly ( remember to fold carefully without knocking out too much air ).

8) Fill the ramekins until they are 3/4 th full. Tap them gently so that they fill out evenly. Then fill them to the rim. Scrape off the excess with an offset spatula / knife. Run a clean cloth / finger around the edges as shown in the picture below.
Bake in a preheated oven at 190 C in the middle rack for 13 to 15 minutes or until fully risen and the top is golden brown.

Serve immediately. Optionally, you can dust the top with powdered sugar just before serving...

There you have it, a classic Vanilla Souffle perfectly done!!

Recipe reference: Eugenie Kitchen and Gordon Ramsay
NOTES:
1) Always serve the souffles immediately, right out of the oven.
2) If you don't have a hand beater, you can definitely use a whisk to make this recipe. It will take a little time longer, but the results will be the same - you will get a perfect souffle, no matter what.
3) Do check out the tips at the beginning of the post.

If you loved this souffle, then most definitely you will also love our Creme Caramel

Happy Cooking,
Sindhiya.S

The BEST Banana Walnut Bread

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 12 Sep 2016 12:29:00 +0000

The Perfect Banana Walnut Bread - Whether you are a banana lover or not, you should definitely try this.

I am a chocolate lover- I love eating them, cooking them for others and then eating them again... You get it? I am a huge fan of chocolate but that didn't stop me from devouring this Banana bread. Its so well balanced, the taste, the texture. I mean you can eat this as a tea time snack, a breakfast or even as a dinner dessert ( all of which I did :) ) and still feel like, maybe I could eat one more slice?! Who knew that banana, vanilla and walnuts can make something sooo good!

Hands down, this is the BEST Banana Bread. I know with so many recipes out there, I simply can't claim one The Best. But wait let me tell you about this loaf,

This bread is so soft, but sturdy enough to hold its shape.
This is not a dry loaf . It is very moist with the banana puree and the yogurt. But is definitely not sticky moist you know, the kind that gets stuck to your teeth.
It makes perfect slices.
The walnut is evenly distributed through out the bread.
And there is the balance. This loaf has the perfect balance of - sweetness, softness and moistness.

I have made this loaf more than 3 times. And every time it has not even lasted 2 days. In a home, where majority of them are not a fan of cakes, this is really a great deal. The only cake that everybody in my family enjoy commonly is the Eggless Dates cake. But I have to say that it has taken the second place now, leaving way for this new favourite.

If you love an eggless version, do check out our Eggless Whole Wheat Banana muffins.

Ok, without further ado lets get on to the recipe...

The BEST Banana Walnut Bread!

Soft, moist, perfectly sweetened Banana Walnut bread!
Prep time: 10 min | Cook time: 50 min
Total time: 60 min |Yield: One 8 1/2 by 4 1/2 loaf bread

Ingredients:
Smashed Banana: 1 cup
All purpose Flour / maida: 1 and 1/2 cups + for dusting
Baking Soda: 1 and 1/4 tsp
Salt: 1/4 tsp
Softened Unsalted Butter: 1/2 cup ( 113 g )
Caster Sugar: 3/4 cup

Eggs: 2
Vanilla Essence: 1 and 1/2 tsp
Yogurt / Curd: 2 and 1/2 tbsp
Toasted Walnuts: 1/2 cup ( roughly chopped )
Oil: for greasing

METHOD:

1) Preheat oven at 180 C for 10 minutes. Take some ripe bananas ( your bananas should definitely have some brown spots ).
Mash the bananas with a fork in a bowl ( you can even use a mixer ).

2) Grease a 8 1/2 by 4 1/2 loaf pan with oil ( I use thispan ). Place a parchment paper at the bottom and grease it as well. Dust the whole pan with flour and keep that aside.
In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda and salt until well combined. Dry mix is now ready.

3) Cream together butter and sugar using a hand beater or a whisk until light and fluffy ( as shown below ). Add in the first egg and mix well until combined.

4) Add the second egg and vanilla and mix until combined.

5) Add half of the dry mix and beat just once or twice ( you definitely don't want to over mix ). Add the mashed banana and beat once more.

6) Now add the remaining dry mix and the yogurt and mix gently on low speed until everything is combined. Fold in the toasted and chopped walnuts.

7) Transfer to the prepared pan. Bake in a preheated oven at 180 C in the middle rack for 45 to 50 minutes or until a toothpick / knife inserted in the center comes out clean.
Let it cool in the pan itself for 5 to 8 minutes. Then gently run a knife around the edges of the pan. Invert the bread and remove the parchment paper. Transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely.

There you have it the BEST Banana Bread!!

Recipe Adapted: Crouton Crackerjacks

NOTES:
1) Make sure your butter is at room temperature to ensure proper creaming.
2) Never mix vigorously after adding the flour as it will cause to develop the gluten in the flour which in turn makes the bread very tough.
3) Keep all your ingredients at room temperature.
4) Your bananas should be ripe for this recipe. You definitely need some brown spots. The more the better as it naturally adds sweetness and flavour to the recipe.
5) You can also add almonds or cashews instead of walnuts. but I do hope you give a try with walnuts beacuse banana and walnut is an unbeatable combo!
6) The number of bananas differ depending on their size. Mine were small, so mashed 6 bananas to get 1 cup.
7) Slice the bread only after it has cooled down completely to room temperature.
8) You can also cover the top of your bread loosely with aluminium foil after about 30 minutes, if you feel your cake is browning too much on the top.

Happy Cooking,
Sinhiya.S

Pav Bhaji Masala Powder Recipe

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Fri, 09 Sep 2016 09:53:00 +0000

Pav Bhaji Masala Powder - Roasted, freshly ground, spicy and aromatic Pav Bhaji masala powder

Now that we have made our super soft Homemade Pav Buns and Pav Bhaji masala totally from scratch, it is only fair that we make our homemade Pav Bhaji masala Powder.
This freshly ground powder just lifts up your Pav bhaji masala flavour, making you wanting more and more. When you temper using this powder for pav bhaji masala ( you can find the recipe here ), your whole kitchen will smell amazing!!
I bet, you just can't stop dipping your pav buns in this masala.

Its a perfect blend of spices that are roasted to perfection.

Homemade Pav Bhaji Masala Powder recipe

Roasted, spicy Pav Bhaji masala powder!
Prep time: 10 min | Cook time: 10 min
Total time: 20 min |

Ingredients:
Coriander seeds: 2 tbsp
Pepper: 1 tbsp
Cumin seeds: 1 tbsp
Fennel seeds: 1/2 tbsp
Dry Chilli: 3
Cinnamon: 2" piece

Clove: 3
Black Cardamom: 1
Green Cardamom: 1
Amchoor Powder: 1 tbsp

METHOD:
1) Dry roast coriander seeds, pepper and cumin seeds separately in a medium flame until fragrant ( Careful, not to burn them ). Transfer them to a plate to cool to room temperature.

2) Roast the fennel seeds. Next roast the dry chilli, cinnamon, clove, green cardamom and black cardamom until fragrant. Turn off the flame and add the amchoor powder. Give it a toss and transfer to the plate to cool down completely.

3) After the roasted items are cool to room temperature, transfer the contents to a mixer and grind to a fine powder. Let it cool and store it in an airtight container.

That's it... Your Pav Bhaji masala powder!!!

Recipe Source: Adapted from IndianHealthyrecipes

NOTES:

1) While dry roasting the spices, be careful not to burn them as burnt spices will yield a bitter taste.

2) If you can't find black cardamom, you can substitute it with green cardamom.

3) Apart from pav bhaji masala, you can also use this powder in many India currys or fillings.

Happy Cooking,

Sindhiya.S

Eggless Soft and Fluffy Ladi Pav Buns / Dinner rolls Recipe

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Fri, 02 Sep 2016 11:19:00 +0000

Soft and fluffy eggless Ladi pav buns / Dinner rolls made easy with step-by-step photos and many tips!!

Yay!!! this is my first post with yeast. Though I have been working with it for quite a few years, I can't believe it has taken me so much time to post a recipe.
There were times when I was so scared of yeast. Any recipe with yeast in it, I will skip it right away. Now I just love working with them. If you are like me, throw out your fears and give it a try. Baking bread / bun is such a wonderful job. Kneading, shaping, seeing it rise and finally taking the perfect golden bread/ bun from the oven....its all so much fun. You will just burst with happiness!!

The first thing you need to make a perfect bread / bun is THE YEAST. Though I have got good results with many active dry yeast, that we get in super markets, they were not consistent. So, I switched to instant yeast and they have not failed me once so far. You can get them in specialty bakery stores or in online too. Also, storing the yeast in freezer keeps them good for a long time.

When working with yeast, there are a few things that you must know, I am sure you would have read in many recipes. Anyway let me just give you a rundown,

Make sure your yeast is not expired.
Warm the milk, slightly warmer than our body temperature. When you place the back of your little finger in the milk, it should be pleasantly warm.
If your milk is too hot, it will kill the yeast and your bread will not rise.
After 10 minutes of proofing time, if your yeast mixture is not frothy, discard that and start a fresh batch.
Remember that yeast loves warm place, so whenever you let them rise, keep in a warm place, so that they can thrive well and make your bread so much fluffy.

Ok, now lets come back to our pav buns. These pav buns are so soft, fluffy, perfectly golden and the best buns you can make or get anywhere. And I am not saying one of the best, no these are the BEST Pav buns. I have made these several times, modified and then tried again until I settled on this final version.
This is a very easy recipe with just basic ingredients. But the result is outstanding.

You can make Pav Bhaji, Vada Pav with these buns or just enjoy them as such. I have already posted my Pav Bhaji recipe. Vada Pav recipe coming soon...
Here is a list of my other chaat / snack recipes
Bhel Puri
Chaat Chutneys
Chilli Cheese Sandwich
Vegetable Sandwich
Vegetable Cutlet

Eggless Pav Buns / Dinner Rolls

Soft and Fluffy Ladi Pav Buns!
Prep time: 2 h and 15 min | Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 2 h and 30 min |Yield: 16 buns

Ingredients:
All Purpose Flour / Maida: 2 and 1/2 cups
Salt: 1 and 1/4 tsp
Milk: 1 cup and 1 tbsp + for brushing on top
Sugar: 1 and 1/4 tbsp
Instant Yeast: 1 and 3/4 tsp
Unsalted Butter: 2 tbsp + for brushing on top

My 1 cup measures 240 ml.
METHOD:
1) Add sugar to warm milk. Stir well and add the yeast.

2) Stir the yeast and let it aside in a warm place for 10 minutes. Meanwhile whisk flour and salt in a bowl.

3) After 10 minutes the yeast mixture will be frothy like the picture below ( If your yeast mixture is not frothy, then either the yeast is expired or the milk temperature is too hot. In which case, you need to start a fresh batch again )
Pour the yeast mixture to the flour mix and bring it together as a dough. The dough will be slightly sticky. If your dough is not sticky, then you can add a tbsp of milk.

4) Add in softened butter and mix until the butter is well incorporated with the dough. Turn the dough to a working surface and start kneading.

5) Knead the dough for 8 to 9 minutes until the dough is nice and elastic ( when poked with a finger lightly, it should spring back ) Shape the dough to a ball and place it in a well oiled bowl ( of course, you can use the same bowl which you used for mixing ) Coat the dough with oil ( so that the dough doesn't dry out while proofing )
Cover with a cling film and let it rise in a warm place for 1 to 1 1/2 hours or until doubled in size.

6) After 1 1/2 hours, the dough will be doubled in size ( see picture below ). Punch down the dough and knead one or two times. Divide the dough into 16 equal parts.
I used a kitchen scale to get same sized buns.

7) Shape them into small balls and place in a greased 8" square pan. Cover it with the cling film and let it rise again for 45 minutes to 1 hour or until doubled in size.
On the last 10 minutes of proofing time, preheat oven to 190 C for 10 minutes.
After 1 hour, the buns will be well risen as shown in the picture. Gently brush the top with milk.

8) Bake in a preheated oven, at 190 C in the center rack of the oven for 15 to 17 minutes. The top will be golden and when you tap the buns, there will be a hollow sound, indicating that the buns are done!!
Take the buns out of the oven and immediately brush the top with melted butter. Run a knife around the sides and carefully transfer the buns to a wire rack to let it cool completely to room temperature.

TaDa... Amazing Pav buns are ready!!!

Look how incredibly soft they are...

Recipe Source:Slightly adapted from CookingShooking
NOTES:
1) The rising time may differ depending on the temperature of your place. So, generally let it rise / proof until doubled in size.
2) Brushing the top with melted butter as soon as it comes out of the oven, yields a soft crust.
3) Store the buns in an airtight container.

Happy Cooking,
Sindhiya.S

Pav Bhaji Recipe ( Mumbai Style )

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Fri, 26 Aug 2016 11:18:00 +0000

Mumbai Style Pav Bhaji - A spicy and aromatic mixed vegetable curry served hot with soft Pav ( buns )

This is one of my top most favorite chats. I have been to Mumbai once and the chaats there are sooo good. Like I still can't get over the pani puri that I ate there. In my short visit I couldn't get a chance to try the famous Juhu beach Pav Bhaji.
Later I came across this video taken at a stall in Juhu beach. I gave it a try and was so surprised that it tasted so much better than any of the pav Bhajis I have tasted so far. And Sankar being a more crazy fan of pav bhaji than me finished 3 plates ( yes 3 plates, with homemade pav!!!) the very first time I made this.

Here I have used potatoes, carrot, peas and capsicum. You can also try adding cauliflower and beans. But try not to skip the capsicum. It is one of the main ingredient that boosts the flavour, apart from the homemade Pav Bhaji Masala ( recipe coming soon! )
UPDATE: You can check out my Pav Bhaji Masala Powder recipe here

Pav Bhaji Recipe

Mumbai style Pav Bhaji!
Prep time: 10 min | Cook time: 35 min
Total time: 45 min |Yield: 7 or 8 plates

INGREDIENTS:
Potatoes: 4
Carrots: 2
Peas: 1/2 cup
Oil: 1 tbsp
Capsicum: 1 ( small )
Tomato: 1 ( medium size )
GingerGarlic Paste: 1 and 1/2 tsp
Turmeric Powder: 1/8 tsp
Chilli Powder: 1 tsp + 1/2 tsp
Pav Bhaji Masala Powder : 1 and 1/2 tsp + 1 tsp
Salt: to taste
Butter: 1 tbsp
Onion: 1/2 ( finely chopped )
Kasoori Methi: 1 tbsp
Hing: 1/8 tsp
Water: as required
Coriander Leaves: 2 tbsp
Lemon: 1/2

METHOD:
1) Peel and chop the potatoes and carrots and place them in a pressure cooker along with peas. Add 1/4 cup water and salt to taste. Give it a mix and cook until soft ( 1 whistle and 5 minutes sim )

2) After the pressure releases, mash the veggies with a mathu ( or a Potato masher). No need to make a fine paste, some chunks are good ( just like in the picture below )

3) Heat oil in a kadai, add the capsicum fry for about 30 seconds then add the tomato and fry for a minute. Next add ginger garlic paste and fry until raw smell leaves ( about a minute ). Add 1/4 cup water and cook until little soft.

4) Add the mashed veggies. Now add turmeric powder, salt, 1 tsp chilli powder and 1 and 1/2 tsp Pav Bhaji masala Powder. Give it a mix.

5) Add 1 and 1/2 cups water. Bring it to a boil and then simmer it and cook unitl the oil separates on top and the raw smell leaves. In a separate pan heat butter.

6) Add the chopped onion and fry for a minute. Now add hing, kasoori methi, 1/2 tsp chilli powder and 1 tsp Pav Bhaji masala powder. Mix and fry for a minute in low flame ( don't let it burn! )

7) Add this tempered mix to the vegetable mix. Mix well and cook for 1 to 2 minutes before turning off. Lastly squeeze in lemon juice and add the chopped coriander leaves.

TO SERVE:
1) Slice the pav buns across the middle, but not all the way through ( as shown in picture )

2) Heat some butter in a tawa and toast the pav buns, cut side down until golden brown and crisp!

Serve the buttery hot Pav buns with the perfectly spicy Bhaji along with finely chopped onions and a lemon slice...

NOTES:

1) When mashing the vegetables, don't make it into a puree. You need some chunks .
2) You can also serve the pav bhaji with a dollop of butter on top, for extra richness.
3) Adjust the water amount, according to the consistency.

Happy Cooking,
Sindhiya.S

Peanut Butter and Chocolate Cookies

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Thu, 11 Aug 2016 13:10:00 +0000

Peanut Butter and Chocolate Cookies - Crispy and melt in your mouth cookies, made even more addictive with chocolate and toasted nuts!!!

Unlike the thick and soft Chocolate Chip Cookies that I made earlier, these cookies are crispy, almost like the Shortbread cookie but with full of peanut butter flavour!!! They just melt in your mouth.

The Chocolate coating and the toasted chopped nuts just complete this cookie goodness. The nuts gives us an extra crunch and the chocolate - it just makes anything better right?
There is just enough chocolate to take things up a notch without overpowering the peanut butter flavour. But don't skip it, its just one additional step but it makes the cookie totally irresistible!!!

My daughters totally enjoyed eating these cookies. And what more? Even SS ( who is not a fan of baked goods! quite my opposite.. ) took it with his lunch!! So guys, give these cookies a try and let me know how it turned out.
And one more important thing - cookies with nuts tend to burn faster at the bottom. So, while baking cookies with nuts in them, make sure you use a heavy cookie sheet like this one . Or stack 2 cookie sheets while baking ( but do keep an eye on them ).

Peanut Butter and Chocolate Cookies

Crispy Peanut butter cookies dipped in chocolate and chopped peanuts!!!
Prep time: 40 min | Cook time: 12 min
Total time: 52 min + decorating time |Yield: 35 to 38 cookies

Ingredients:
Flour: 1 and 2/3 cups
Baking soda: 1 tsp
Salt: 1/4 tsp
Softened Butter : 1/2 cup ( 113 g )
Caster Sugar: 1/2 cup
Brown Sugar ( packed ): 1/3 cup
Egg: 1
Vanilla Essence: 3/4 tsp
Smooth Peanut Butter: 1/2 cup + 2 tbsp ( homemade or store brought )
For Decorating:
Dark Chocolate: 150 g ( I used Morde Dark Compound )
Roasted and chopped peanuts: 1 and 1/4 cup

Recipe Source: leitesculinaria

METHOD:
1) Mix together flour, baking soda and salt.

2) In a separate bowl, beat together butter, caster sugar and brown sugar for about a minute. Add the egg and vanilla essence and beat until combined.

3) Add the peanut butter and mix until incorporated.

4) Add the dry ingredients prepared in step 1 and beat until just combined. Finish mixing with a spatula ( don't over work the dough as it will yield harder cookies ). The dough will be very sticky.

5) Divide the dough into two parts ( this just makes them easier to handle ). Wrap them in a cling film and refrigerate for about an hour or until it is firm enough to roll ( you can also place it in the freezer to speed up the process ).
Take the dough out from the refrigerator and place it on a parchment paper. Place a cling film over it and roll with a rolling pin to a thickness of about 1/4 inch.

6) If your dough becomes soft, put it in the freezer for 5 minutes before cutting with cookie cutter. Remove the cling film and cut the cookies with your favorite cookie cutter ( here I used a 2 inch round cookie cutter ). Re roll the scraps and repeat the same procedure ( just take care not to over work with the scraps ).
Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.

7) Transfer the cookies to the cookie sheet. Leave enough space between cookies as they will spread a little when baking. Place the cookie sheet in the freezer for 5 to 10 minutes before baking.

Meanwhile preheat the oven at 180 C for 10 minutes. Bake the cookies at 180 C for 10 to 12 minutes or until the edges start to brown ( the cookies will be soft when taken out from the oven but will crisp up as they cool down ). Let the cookies cool in the cookie sheet for 2 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely.
Take some chopped dark chocolate in a bowl.

8) Heat the chocolate in a double boiler until it is fully melted ( just place it over a pan of simmering water. You can also refer here for stepwise photos ). Take some roasted and chopped peanuts in a separate bowl.
Ok, now time to decorate! ( the cookies should be cooled completely to room temperature before coating them with chocolate ) First dip the edge of the cookie in the melted chocolate.

9) Then dip the cookie in toasted and chopped peanuts. Place it on a parchment paper until it is set. Repeat with all the cookies ( my daughter helping me in decorating cookies :) )

There you have it, totally irresistible Peanut Butter and Chocolate Cookies!!

Look at the perfect texture...

NOTES:

1) Overworking the cookie dough will yield hard and tough cookies. So, never overwork your cookie dough. Just mix until combined. That's it.

2) Make sure your butter is softened to room temperature, before staring the cookies.

3) Baking time varies from oven to oven, so just keep an eye on them. When the edges start to brown, you can take them out. If you bake them too long they can turn hard. Also, size and thickness of the cookie matters. Thinner cookies bake faster.

4) Here I used dark compound as it sets easier at room temperature.

5) Chilling the cookies before baking ensures that they do not spread much in the oven.

6) Store the cookies in an airtight container for up to 5 days.

If you like Peanut butter and chocolate combo,then you will definitely like my Peanut Butter Chocolate and Banana Sandwich!!

Happy Cooking,

Sindhiya.S

Chocolate Mousse Cake

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Tue, 02 Aug 2016 07:38:00 +0000

Chocolate Mousse Cake - Rich Chocolate layered cake with creamy, fluffy and silky chocolate mousse frosting topped off with a shiny chocolate glaze!

I have always wanted to post a celebration cake. But the thing is, whenever I make cakes for birthdays or get together or any such event, I will be in such a hurry that I could hardly take any pictures. So this time I made this cake especially for you all, totally from scratch with lots of step by step pictures right from the cake to the final glaze.

This cake is a must try for all chocolate lovers. It just sings chocolate in every aspect... ( How strange have I become? A singing chocolate cake?/ ) Well the point is, this cake is so well balanced. The creamy and fluffy Chocolate mousse frosting pairs so well with the rich chocolate cake.

Ok, now lets talk about this Chocolaty goodness in detail...
The Cake - The cake by itself is so chocolaty!! Its rich, moist and perfect for a layer cake. And more importantly very easy to make. Just mix dry ingredients with wet ingredients.
The Chocolate Mousse Frosting - This frosting is beyond everything. Its rich, creamy, fluffy, smooth and more chocolaty as it has two chocolate components - the actual chocolate and the cocoa powder.
The Glaze - The glaze is so shiny and sets perfectly. It too has 2 chocolate components - cocoa powder and chocolate so that you get the wonderful rich colour and taste.

Don't get intimidated by the long post. I just took lots of step by step pictures so that you can all make the cake easily and have fun making and enjoying it:)

Chocolate Mousse Cake

Rich and moist Chocolate Cake layered with a silky, fluffy, creamy Chocolate mousse frosting and finally topped off with a shiny Chocolate glaze!!
Prep time: 45 min | Cook time: 45 min
Total time: 1 hr and 30 min + setting time |Yield: 8 inch Chocolate cake

Ingredients:
For the Cake:
All Purpose Flour: 1 and 3/4 cups
Cocoa Powder: 3/4 cup
Baking Powder: 1 tsp
Baking Soda: 2 tsp
Sugar: 1 and 3/4 cups
Salt: 1 tsp
Curd: 1 cup
Oil: 1/2 cup
Eggs: 2
Vanilla essence: 1 tsp
Hot water: 1 cup
Coffee Powder: 1/4 tsp
For the Chocolate Mousse Frosting:
Milk: 1/2 cup
Egg: 1
Caster Sugar: 1 tbsp
Cocoa Powder: 2 tbsp
Dark Chocolate: 240 g
Heavy Whipping Cream: 2 cups
Powdered Sugar: 4 tbsp
Vanilla essence: 1 tsp
For the Glaze:
Water: 1/4 cup
Sugar: 1/4 cup
Cocoa Powder: 2 tbsp
Milk: 1/4 cup
Corn Flour: 1/2 tbsp
Dark Chocolate: 50 g
Butter: 2 tbsp

My 1 cup measures 240 ml
Recipe Adapted - Sallys Baking Addiction, Full Scoops
METHOD:
For the Cake:
1) Preheat oven to 180 C for 10 minutes. Grease two 8 inch round cake pans with oil. Place a round parchment paper on the bottom of each pan and grease it with oil as well. Dust the pans with flour and remove excess flour.
Sift together flour, cocoa powder, baking powder and baking soda.

2) Transfer to a bowl. Add Sugar and salt and mix well with a whisk.

3) In a separate bowl, beat together oil, eggs and vanilla until combined ( You can also use a whisk ) Now add the curd and beat one more time.

4) Pour the egg mixture into the dry ingredients mix. Slowly beat with the beater. Mix the coffee powder with hot water and add it to the batter. Mix until just combined.

5) The batter will be thin. Pour the batter in the prepared cake pans and bake at 180 C for 25 to 30 minutes or until a toothpick ( or a knife ) inserted in the centre comes out clean.

6) Let the cakes cool in the pan itself for 10 minutes. Run a knife around the edges of the pan and gently turn the pan upside down over a plate. The cake will come out easily. Now gently peel off the parchment paper. Transfer the cakes to a cooling rack to cool completely. Once the cakes are completely cooled to room temperature, wrap them in a cling film and refrigerate until you are ready to do frosting.

For the Chocolate Mousse Frosting:
1) Take the milk in a sauce pan and bring it to a simmer ( no need to boil, just heat until it starts bubbling around the sides of the pan ). In a bowl, mix together egg and caster sugar until combined.

2) Temper the eggs by adding some of the hot milk to the egg mix, all the while whisking the eggs continuously ( This step prevents the egg from scrambling ) Pour the tempered egg back to the sauce pan.

3) Mix in cocoa powder. Over low heat, whisk continuously until the mix gets thickened and coats the back of a spoon.

4) Chocolate cream is now ready. Now pour the hot chocolate cream through a sieve into a bowl of chopped chocolate.

5) Now as you can see, I did not chop my chocolate finely ( sometimes I can be quite lazy! ) So the chocolate did not melt completely, which cost me an additional step. I placed the bowl over a pan simmering water until the chocolate is melted. Let it cool completely.

6) Take the whipping cream in a bowl. Add vanilla and powdered sugar. Whisk until it reaches soft peaks ( as shown in picture ). Now add in the cooled chocolate cream mix and whisk until stiff peaks.( Oops, forgot to take the final mousse picture! I am really sorry! You can see it in the assembling and the final pictures )

For the Glaze:
1) Whisk the water, sugar and cocoa powder in a sauce pan and bring it to a simmer. Meanwhile, mix milk and cornflour together in a bowl so that there are no lumps. Gently pour the cornflour mix into the sauce pan, whisking all the while.

2) In low heat, cook the mixture by stirring all the while, until the mix gets thickened and coats the back of a spoon as shown below ( when you run a finger across the wooden spoon, it should leave a clear path ) Take some grated chocolate in a bowl ( This time, I took time to grate the chocolate so that I don't need to do an extra step by double boiling it :) ) Pour the hot cocoa mix through the sieve into the grated chocolate bowl.

3) Mix until the chocolate is melted. Now add the butter cubes and mix until the glaze in nice and glossy.

Assembling the Cake:
1) Take the cakes out of the refrigerator. Have a cake board ready. Prepare a simple syrup by boiling 3 tbsp water and 3 tbsp sugar in a sauce pan until the sugar dissolves. Transfer to bowl and let it cool to room temperature.

2) Place the cake board in a plate ( if you have a rotating cake stand you can use that ) With the help of a sharp serrated knife, carefully cut one cake horizontally through the centre to make 2 layers. Take the bottom half of the cake and carefully palce that over the cake board. Brush little simple syrup over the cake. Top it with about 3 scoops of chocolate mousse frosting.

3) Spread the frosting evenly across the cake using a spatula. Now start repeating the process. Place the top half of the cake over the frosting and brush it lightly with simple syrup. Top it with frosting.

4) Spread the frosting evenly with a spatula. Now take the second cake and cut it horizontally through the centre to make 2 layers. Take the top layer of the cake and flip it so that that the top is placed over the frosting. Brush with simple syrup and spread the frosting evenly.

5) Now take the last layer and flip that too, so that the bottom of the second cake is on the top now ( this ensures that the top of the cake is nice and even ) Brush lightly with simple syrup and spread the chocolate mousse frosting.
Crumb coat the cake - which is nothing but applying frosting all over the cake covering every holes, sides and corners but very lightly. You don't need to apply a thick frosting now. A light coat will do ( just like the picture below )
After applying the crumb coat, put the cake in the refrigerator for 20 minutes or in the freezer for 5 to 7 minutes to speed up the cooling process.

6) Now put some more frosting on the cake and spread it evenly across the cake. Smooth the top and the sides to give it a more finished look. Now pour the glaze over the cake. No need to spread with spatula, the excess will drip on the sides making it even more pretty :) Stop when the top is fully coated. Put it back in the freezer for 5 to 10 minutes until the glaze sets. Store the cake in refrigerator until ready to serve.

There you go, a wonderful celebration cake just for you...You can make it for birthdays, anniversary, get together or just like that even without any occasion :)

Look at the delicious beauty...

NOTES:

1) Refrigerating the cakes before frosting makes it easy to cut them into layers. You can also make the cake one day earlier and store it in refrigerator.
2)Let the cakes cool completely before applying frosting.

3) I used Tropolite whipping cream which is already sweetened a bit. If you are using any other whipping cream, adjust the sweetness accordingly.

4) Make sure that your whipping cream is completely chilled before whipping.

5) Store the cake in the refrigerator. Take it out half an hour before serving.
6) If your cakes are domed, then level the cakes by cutting the dome off before starting assembling.
7) The coffee powder is completely optional. It just makes the cake little more chocolaty. If you don't want it, you can just omit it.

Happy cooking,
Sindhiya.

Chocolate Chip Cookies with Gooey Chocolate Chunks!

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Wed, 20 Jul 2016 11:53:00 +0000

Chocolate Chip Cookies - Crisp on the bottom, gooey in the middle with loads of oozing chocolate chunks!!!

Chocolate chip cookies is not a classic here in India. I only know about it after I started blogging. I saw it in each and every one of my favorite blogs. The best Chocolate chip cookie, the perfect chocolate chip cookie and all that... I really couldn't understand what the big fuss is about. I have tasted some store bought chocolate chip cookies and for me, it was surely any other cookie with hard chocolate chips in them.

But the cookies that I saw on the blogs all had ooozing, goey and melting chocolate. So I started to hunt for a recipe that promises to satisfy my chocolate craving.

I have tried many chocolate chip cookies and settled on this one. This is a very simple recipe. If you are trying chocolate chip cookies for the first time, then you must definitely try this... as it does not require chilling time, you don't need to soften your butter to the perfect consistency and more importantly it is Delicious! It is perfectly crisp at the bottom with loads of gooey chocolate chunks!! You just can't stop snacking it:)

And look at that gooey chocolate....

Here are some tips for getting a perfect soft chocolate chip cookie with gooey chocolate chips that are worth dying for!!!

The very first and most important tip is use a Chocolate that you like to eat on its own. Really, it makes a HUGE DIFFERENCE. I am not kidding, after all its a chocolate chip cookie, so the chocolate got to be the hero.
When you start creaming the butter and sugar, no need to cream until light and fluffy. Just cream until well combined.
Even after adding eggs, just mix until the egg is well incorporated, no need to beat more than that. This ensures that your cookie doesn't taste cakey.
After adding flour, don't OVERMIX as it will toughen your cookie.
Never overbake your cookies. When they start to turn light brown on the edges, take them out. The cookies will still be soft to touch. But don't worry it will continue to cook on the baking sheet as it cools down. Your instinct will tell you to put them in the oven for a litttle more time. But, just go against your instincts just this one time :)
And finally to make your cookies even more chocolatey, press some chocolate chunks on top, right after they come out of the oven, while they are still hot! The heat from the cookies will melt the chocolate but still hold its shape. And you want to know the best part is? These chocolate chunks remain melted even after the cookie is completely cooled down. You don't need to warm them in the oven to to make it gooey and melting every time...

Does the chocolate chunk look hard to you??

Chocolate Chip Cookies!

Crisp on the bottom, gooey in the middle Chocolate Chip Cookies with oozing chocolate chunks!!!
Prep time: 15 min | Cook time: 11 min
Total time: 26 min |Yield: 12 large cookies

INGREDIENTS:
Dark Chocolate Chunks: 3/4 cup + for pressing on top
Flour: 1 and 1/2 cup + 1 tbsp
Baking Soda: 1/2 tsp
Salt: 1/4 tsp
Butter: 1/2 cup
Sugar: 1/2 cup
Brown Sugar: 1/4 cup ( packed )
Egg: 1
Vanilla Extract: 1 tsp

Recipe Adapted: Pinch Of Yum

METHOD:

1) Preheat the oven at 180 C for 10 minutes. Whisk together flour, salt and baking soda.

2) Chop the chocolate and keep that aside. Melt butter in a sauce pan until it is about half the way melted as shown below in the 3rd picture ( the residual heat will melt the remaining butter )

3) Add the brown sugar and white sugar to the melted butter. With the help of hand beater, beat for about a minute on medium speed ( You can also use a hand whisk for this step )

4) Add the egg and vanilla extract. After adding egg, no need to beat hard. Just beat until well combined. Now add the flour mix and beat once.

5) Add the chocolate chunks and mix together until just combined. DO NOT OVERMIX. Over mixing will develop gluten and will make the cookies tough ( which we definitely don't want. So please please don't overmix!)

6) Hmmm doesn't that dough looks gorgeous! But wait you will definetly enjoy more with warm oozing chocolate in a a moment. Scoop the cookie dough using an ice cream scoop or just with a spoon and place on a baking tray lined with parchment paper.
Bake at 180 C for 10 to 12 minutes until the edges start to brown a little.
As soon as the cookies are out of the oven, press some reserved chocolate chunks on top while they are still hot ( This step is completely optional, but highly recommended if you are a chocolate fan like me ) Let the cookies cool on the baking tray itself for 2 minutes. Then transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely.

There you go some amazing chocolate chip cookies....

NOTES:
1) Don't bake cookies in a hot baking tray.When doing a second batch, always wait for it to cool down or always try to use two baking tray while making cookies as you can continue to bake without having to wait for the baking tray to cool down.
2) You can store the leftover dough in the refrigerator for 3 days and make cookies any time you wish. Just bake them straight from the refrigerator. No need to wait to cool to room temperature.
3) You can use replace the dark chocolate with milk chocolate chunks or even a combination of dark and milk chocolate as per your taste.

Happy Cooking,
Sindhiya.S

Eggless Whole Wheat Lemon Cookies

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Thu, 19 Nov 2015 11:29:00 +0000

Hi guys, I like citrus flavour in all my desserts The tanginess, the freshness from those fruits are jut irresistible.
These cookies are crisp on the outside and soft in the middle with a wonderful freshness from the lemons in every bite...
Now on to the recipe...

Eggless whole Wheat Lemon Cookies

Perfect tea time cookies loaded with lemon flavour!!!
Prep time: 15 min | Cook time: 12 min
Total time: 27 min |Yield: 18 to 20 cookies

Ingredients:
Whole Wheat Flour: 3/4 cup
Powdered Sugar: 1/2 cup + 2 tsp
Baking Powder: 1 tsp
Salt: a pinch
Butter: 70 g ( room temperature )
Milk: 1/4 cup
Lemon juice: 1 tbsp + 1 tsp
Lemon Zest: Zest of 1/2 lemon

Procedure:

Preheat the oven at 180 C for 10 minutes.
Sieve wheat flour, salt,and baking powder twice for even mixing.
Add 1 tsp of lemon juice to the milk and set it aside for 5 minutes.

After 5 minutes you can see that the milk has curdled.
Now whisk the powdered sugar with butter until nice and creamy ( I just used my hand whisk, you can use a beater too )

Now add 1 tbsp of lemon juice and the curdled milk and just mix, no need to beat.
Add in your dry ingredients batch by batch and just fold.

Finally add the lemon zest and give a quick mix. The dough will be little sticky.
Make small sized balls and place them on a baking tray lined with parchment paper. Press down the cookie lightly with a fork and bake for 10-12 minutes.(Optionally before baking, you can sprinkle some powdered sugar on the top)

Cookies are done.Enjoy!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Notes
If the dough is too sticky add a tsp of flour not more than that.
To make the balls little easily, you can keep the dough in the fridge for 1/2 an hour.
Always don't overwork the cookie dough. Overworking develops gluten and will make the cookies tough.

Cheers
Jayanthi B

Classic Butter Chicken

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sat, 14 Nov 2015 10:10:00 +0000

Creamy, rich, flavourful and finger licking Butter Chicken!

Want to impress your family and guests? Then this is all time famous Indian gravy must be on your menu. Serve this with a basket of roti or jeera rice and watch the gravy disappearing just like that!!

I adapted this recipe from my Paneer Butter masala recipe. I just added some extra spices as this is a chicken gravy. I have also added cream in this version. If you don't want to add cream, you can just follow my Paneer Butter masala version for this recipe too.

Today I am also going to share some tips that will improve the flavour and colour of your gravy,

The first and foremost tip - onion! Always take your time to cook them, you want them to be cooked and start to caramelize ( Chop them finely to speed up the cooking process but you need them to brown slightly )
When frying the onion tomato paste, make sure that you fry them until the oil separates. This adds a great depth of flavour.

Classic Butter Chicken

Creamy, rich, flavourful and finger licking Butter Chicken!
Prep time: 10 min | Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 40 min |Yield: 4 or 5 people

INGREDIENTS:
For the Marinade:
Chicken: 300 g
Hung Curd: 2 tbsp
Salt: to taste
Turmeric Powder: 1/8 tsp
Chilli Powder: 1/4 tsp
For the Gravy:
Onion: 4 ( finely chopped )
Tomato: 3 ( finely chopped )
Ginger Garlic paste: 3/4 tbsp
Cashew: 12
Oil: 1 tbsp + 1 tbsp
Butter: 1 and 1/2 tbsp
Cumin Seeds: 1/2 tsp
Cinnamon: 1" piece
Cloves: 1
Red Chilli Powder: 1 and 1/4 tsp
Coriander Powder: 1 tsp
Garam Masala: 3/4 tsp
Kasoori Methi: 2 and 1/2 tsp
Cream: 5 tbsp (and for drizzling on top )
Water: 1 and 3/4 cup ( or as required )
Salt: to taste

METHOD:
1)First marinate the chicken in hung curd ( refer notes for how to make it ), salt, turmeric powder and chilli powder for 1/2 hour.

2) Heat 1 tbsp oil in a kadai. Fry the onions until it starts to caramelize ( it should be turn brown, but don't burn it as that will yield a bitter taste )

3)Add the ginger garlic paste and fry for a minute until the raw smell goes. Add the chopped tomatoes and fry until it turns mushy. Let the mix cool to room temperature.

4) Pulse the cashews in the mixer. Add the cooled onion-tomato mix and grind to a fine paste.

5) Heat oil and butter in a kadai. Add the cumin seeds, cinnamon and cloves. After the cumin seeds splutter and nice aroma comes, add the onion-tomato paste.

6) Add the chilli powder and coriander powder. Fry well till oil separates and the mix doesn't stick to the pan.

7) Now add water and let it come to a boil. Add the marinated chicken pieces.

8) Give it a good mix and wait till it boils again. Close and let it simmer for 13 - 15 minutes. Add the garam masala and kasoori methi leaves ( crushed in between your palms)

9) Finally add the cream and give it a good mix. Turn it off and add the coriander leaves.

There you have it....One of the most delicious Indian gravies of all time - Butter Chicken!!!

Just drizzle some cream on top for extra richness before serving....

NOTES:

1) To make hung curd, just hang your regular curd in a veshti cloth ( or a muslin cloth ) over the sink for 2 hours.

2) I have used medium sized chicken pieces. If you use big chicken pieces for your gravy then increase the cooking time accordingly.

Happy Cooking,
Sindhiya.S

Double Chocolate Cheesecake

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sat, 31 Oct 2015 10:29:00 +0000

Satiny smooth Chocolate Cheesecake with a perfect chocolaty crust!!!

Ever since I made my No Bake Mango Cheesecake, I have been dying to make a cheesecake with the real cream cheese instead of the substitutions. I loved my mango cheesecake that I made with paneer but I wanted to taste, what the real version is...I wanted a classic baked cheesecake made with the famous silver packet:)

I bought just one packet Philadelphia cream cheese ( you wouldn't believe how costly it is, still I wanted to try and bought one :) ) And what better flavour to make than my favorite chocolate!!!

Now here is the result....

The cream cheese is totally worth the money. The cheesecake was soooo smooth, velvety, satiny.... What other words can I use to describe its texture?! You definitely have to try it to experience it. It has a mild salt background that uplifts the flavour of the cheesecake.

Now about the flavour....

The chocolate flavour just burst through in every bite... I now have atleast 2 packets of Amul Dark chocolate in my pantry always. I have literally become addicted to it. I put them in my cookies, bread pudding, sandwiches...I kind of stuff them wherever possible:) And the crust is crisp and it remains so too after refrigeration due to our pre baking ( no soggy stuff and all...)

Everybody loves a crack free cheesecake right? Here I am going to give you some simple tips that will help you all yield one....

Firstly make sure you don't overcook your cheesecake. Overcooking will always lead to cracks. Cheesecake is done when it has a wobble like jelly in the middle when shaken. It will continue to cook while it cools and set perfectly while resting in the refrigerator. So, when you see the wobble, turn off the oven ( don't worry that its under cooked )
The second thing that can cause the crack on top of the cheesecake is sudden temperature changes. So, after the cheesecake is done, let it cool in the oven itself with the oven door slightly open for half an hour before taking out and cooling completely.

Chocolate Cheesecake

Satiny smooth Chocolate Cheesecake with perfect chocolaty crust!!!
Prep time: 20 min | Cook time: 45 min
Total time: 1 hr and 5 min |Yield: 5" cheesecake

Ingredients:
Chocolate Cream Cookies: 12
Melted Butter: 2 tbsp
Cream Cheese: 1 packet ( 225 g )
Condensed Milk: 1/2 cup
Vanilla Extract: 1/2 tsp
Dark Chocolate: 112 g
Butter: 2 tbsp
Egg: 1
Powdered Sugar: 2 tbsp
Boiling water: as required

METHOD:
1) Grease a 5 inch loose bottomed pan with butter. Take the cookies in a mixer and pulse to a fine crumb. Transfer the cookie crumb to a bowl.

2) Add melted ( and cooled to room temperature ) butter to the crumb. Mix well with a spoon or a fork till it comes together. Dump the mix into the prepared pan.

3) Smooth it with the help of a glass and transfer the pan to a cookie sheet. Bake in a preheated oven at 180 C for 8 to 10 minutes. Let it cool to room tempertaure. Wrap it around with aluminium foil and keep that aside.

Melt the chocolate and 2 tbsp butter in a double boiler ( just place the bowl of chocolate over a pan of simmering water) Refer here for step wise photos.

4) Beat the cream cheese until light ( about a minute ). Add the condensed milk and vanilla and beat until smooth.

5) Add the melted and cooled chocolate and mix well.

6) Add the egg and mix until just combined. Don't overbeat after adding the egg as you don't want the cheesecake to rise, it just needs to be set.
I found that the batter was little less sweet to my liking so, I added 2 tbsp powdered sugar. Mix that in. The batter will be very smooth and velvety... Make sure to scrap down the sides to ensure that everything is combined.

7) Transfer the batter to the prepared pan. Gently tap twice and shake in a zig zag motion to remove any air bubbles. Transfer the pan to a larger roasting pan and fill it halfway with boiling water.
Bake in a preheated oven at 160 C for 30 to 35 minutes ( there should be a slight jiggle, when you shake the pan ) Turn off the oven and and let it cool in the oven itself for half an hour with the oven door slightly open.
After half an hour, take it out from the oven.

8) Run a knife around the edge and let it cool to room temperature. Once fully cooled, cover it with a plastic wrap and refrigerate for 4 to 6 hours ( or preferably overnight )
When fully set, remove the foil and gently take it out from the pan.

There you have it, the most extraordinary chocolate dessert one ~~could~~ must have!!!! Dust with cocoa powder just before serving....

NOTES:
1) Make sure your cream cheese and egg are at room temperature.
2) To get clean cuts dip your knife in hot water, wipe it off and then cut ( As you can see my one side has a clean cut than my other side, as I was in a hurry to have a taste of one my dream cakes!!! Please don't be like me...take your time and make neat slices :) )
3) You can also pour ganache instead of dusting with cocoa powder.
4) The total time in the recipe does not include the chilling time.

Happy Cooking,
Sindhiya.S

Aachi style Paruppu Kulambu!

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Tue, 20 Oct 2015 10:35:00 +0000

The Best native style comfy food in our home - Parupu Kulambu!

My father, father-in-law, hubby all of them are a BIG fan of this kulambu. My hubby will be very happy to eat this everyday!
This kulambu has no fancy vegetables or any fancy cooking method or even cream to make it rich. Well, you can ask me, then what is so special about this kulambu, that makes it irresistible?? The simplicity and the extremely light feeling that you get even after third helpings is what makes it soooo special. Its simple and elegant taste makes you want more always....

This is also one of the easiest kulambu to make. You just dump everything in one pot, strain, mash and finally you temper it. That's all. The main things that you need to balance here are the salt, sour and the hot. And finally the texture is very important for this kulambu, it shouldn't be thick as a sambar neither should it be too watery as a rasam.

Before going to the recipe I would like to share a very little background story that my father used to say - During my father's childhood days, scarcity of food was so common so they keep dal for rice very rarely only. There won't be enough dal to make a thick sambar for everyone, so my grandma will take very little dal and add the veggies that she can get easily and dilute it with plenty of water so that there is enough for everyone and that's how this kulambu came into being.
My dad still used to say that the kulambu that my grandma used to make in the village used to be more awesome! ( urula aachi vaikira kolumbu avolo manama irukum! )

Parupu Kulambu

Lite and comforting native style Parupu Kulambu!
Prep time: 10 min | Cook time: 35 min
Total time: 45 min |Yield: serves 4 or 5 people

INGREDIENTS:
Toor Dal: 100g
Turmeric Powder: 1 tsp
Hing: 1/4 tsp
Shallots: 1/2 cup
Garlic: 6 or 7 cloves
Brinjal: 2
Green Chilli: 4
Tomato: 2
Tamarind: 3"piece
Water: 4 cups + 1 and 1/4 cup ( or as required )
Salt: to taste
To Grind:
Coconut: 1/2 tsp (chopped)
Cumin seeds / Jeera: 1/2 tsp
Curry Leaves: a sprig
To Temper:
Oil: 1 tbsp
Mustard: 1/2 tsp
Urad Dal: 1/2 tsp
Dry Chilli: 2
Curry Leaves: a spring
Shallots: 3 ( finely chopped )

METHOD:
1) Wash and drain the toor dal twice to remove any impurities. Add 4 cups of water, turmeric powder and hing bring it to a boil.

2) In the meantime, soak tamarind in 3 tbsp water. Grind coconut, jeera and curry leaves in a mixer ( no need to make a fine paste )

3) When the Dal comes to a boil, add the shallots, garlic, brinjal ( cubed ) and green chilli. Close and let the dal cook.

4) When the dal is cooked but still is firm, add the tomatoes. Here I have used the native variety tomatoes ( see picture below ) as they are more sour compared to the other variety which is what makes this kulambu tastes like olden days ( refer notes for substitution )

5) After adding the tomatoes, let the dal continue to cook. When the tomatoes too are tender like the picture below, turn off the stove. Now close the dal pot with a lid. With the help of a cloth lift it with your 2 hands holding its rim. Now gently tilt the pot and drain the dal water in a separate bowl ( alternatively, you can also use a laddle to separate the dal water )

6) Add sea salt to the drained dal and with the help of mathu or a potato masher, mash the dal.

7) Now add the dal water, tamarind water and the coconut mixture prepared in step 2.

8) Give everything a good mix.

9) Add 1 and 1/4 cup water and check the consistency. It should be thinner than a sambar but thicker than a rasam. Keep it back on stove until it just comes to a boil.

10) For tempering - Heat oil in a kadai and add mustard seeds. When it splutters, add the urad dal. When it starts to turn golden, add the dry chilli ( broken into 2 ), shallots and curry leaves. Fry in a low flame until the shallots are caramelized and golden in colour. This step is crucial in all tempering as it uplifts the flavour and also you can see the tempering floating beautifully on the surface of the kulambu because of this ( but please don't burn the shallots as it will yield a bitter taste )

Add the tempered mix to the parupu kolumbu

There you have it, the most comforting and tasty dal that pairs extraordinarily with rice and dosa!!!

NOTES:
1) Don't mash the dal to a fine paste as it will affect the texture of the kulambu.
2) If you can't find nattu thakali (native tomato), you can use the regular tomato, but just make sure to add 3 of them to balance the sourness for the kulambu.

Happy Cooking,
Sindhiya.S

Chilli Cheese Sandwich Recipe

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Tue, 06 Oct 2015 12:53:00 +0000

Welcome back to my sandwich mania!! I have already ~~spoken~~ written about my love for sandwiches in my Vegetable Sandwich and Peanut Butter Chocolate Banana Sandwich posts. ( One is comfort and the other one is comfort along with decadence, if it makes any sense :) ) And now today I bring to you the very best Chilli Cheese Sandwich!

Chilli Cheese Sandwich is one of my favorite dishes at our nearby chat shop. I love cheese at the same time have an Indian tongue that craves hot and spicy flavours, Chilli cheese sandwich is one of the perfect recipes that satisfies my both cravings...
The standout thing for this Sandwich is- I have made a paste of chillis ( instead of chopping them ) before mixing with cheese as I love to enjoy my chilli - cheese flavour in every bite. I strongly suggest you not to skip this step as it makes a huge difference in the end result.

And finally the butter though used little, is what that ties it up altogether. I mean chilli, cheese and butter is a lovely combo right? So go ahead and make yourselves some wonderful Chilli Cheese Sandwiches!! Let me know how you liked them...

Chilli Cheese Sandwich

Comforting cheesy sandwich with perfect chilli and cheese balance!
Prep time: 10 min | Cook time: 2 min
Total time: 12 min |Yield: 2 Sandwiches

Ingredients:
Bread slices: 4
Butter: 1 tbsp
Cheese: 1/3 cup ( grated )
Green chillis: 3
Sea Salt: 1/2 tsp or to taste
Oil: for greasing

METHOD:
1) Butter the bread slices and keep them aside. Place the grated cheese in a bowl.

2) Grind the chillis along with sea salt to a smooth paste ( Here, I have used our ammi (grinding stone)) Add the chilli paste to the cheese and mix well with a fork.

3) Apply this chilli cheese mixture to 2 of the buttered bread slices and close with the remaining 2 slices.

4) Preheat your sandwich maker as per its instruction manual. Lightly grease the inside with oil and place the prepared bread. Close and toast for 1 to 2 minutes until golden brown on top and the cheese is all melted and hot.

There you have it - The Best Chilli Cheese Sandwich!!!

Here is a little closer look...

NOTES:
1) If you don't have an ammi, you can use a mixer but you need to make a little large batch to make it into a smooth paste ( you can store the leftovers in the refrigerator for 2 days ) If you do have an ammi, now is the right time to use it, because this sandwich is soooo good!
2) While adding salt add carefully as the cheese will also contain salt.
3) You can use any cheese you like. Here I have used mozzarella cheese.

Happy Cooking,
Sindhiya.S

Creme Caramel Recipe

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Thu, 30 Jul 2015 07:35:00 +0000

Creme Caramel - The very classic smooth and velvety custard / pudding full of vanilla flavour with a caramel on top....

Both my daughters are a big fan of these. You could just see their eyes sparkle at the sight of these. Especially my first daughter Neha could hardly wait for them to set in the refrigerator ( Like mother, like daughter :) )

This is a very simple recipe with basic ingredients - milk, egg, sugar and vanilla. But when done correctly, you will have one outstanding velvety smooth custard with a lovely caramel on top!!!

Here are a few tips that will help you yield a perfect Creme Caramel...

You need a deep caramel colour, but be careful not to burn it. So, do watch carefully while making caramel.
We don't want the custards to puff up and rise, we just need to set the custard, so don't aerate the eggs by beating in a lot of air.
And finally, please! please! please!!! DO NOT OVER BAKE. Take it out of the oven when the top is set and centre still jiggles. It will continue to cook as it cools down and set perfectly to a smooth, melt-in-mouth custard!!!

Creme Caramel

Velvety smooth vanilla creme custard with a luscious caramel on top!
Prep time: 15 min | Cook time: 25 min
Total time: 40 min |Yield: 6 ramekins

INGREDIENTS:
For the Caramel:
Sugar: 1/2 cup
Water: 3 tbsp
For the Creme:
Milk: 500 ml
Vanilla Bean: 1
Sugar: 1/4 cup
Eggs: 3

Recipe Source: Home Cooking Adventure

METHOD:

1) Take 1/2 cup sugar in a sauce pan. Add water to it and bring it to a boil. After the sugar melts, reduce to medium flame.

2) After a few minutes, the sugar will start to caramelize around the edges. You can slowly stir the pan for even colouring, but do not stir! When the colour reaches a deep golden brown, remove from the heat and pour the hot caramel on the ramekins.

[ If you need to know more in detail about making caramel, you can check my Caramel Sauce post where I have given all the details about the process and about caramel colour comparison ]

3) Swirl the ramekins to cover the base completely ( Be very careful as they are very very hot ) Holding one end of the vanilla bean, split it in half with the tip of a sharp knife and scrape out the seeds.

4) Add the vanilla seeds and the bean to the milk and heat it gently in low flame till you can see bubbles around the edges( do not let it boil ) Take it off the heat. Close it with a lid and set it aside for 5 minutes to infuse all the vanilla flavour. Take 3 eggs and 1/4 cup sugar in a separate bowl.

5) Mix the sugar and eggs with a whisk ( No need to beat in hard, as you don't want the custard to rise ) remove the vanilla bean from the milk. Now slowly add the milk mixture to the egg mixture, stirring constantly.

6) Strain the mixture and then divide it equally among the prepared ramekins.

7) Place 5 ramekins in a large baking pan. Add enough boiling water ( add it along the corner of the pan so that water doesn't splatter over the ramekins ) till it comes about halfway up the sides of the ramekins. Finally place the 6th ramekin carefully in the pan.

8) Bake in a preheated oven at 160 C for 25 to 30 minutes or until just set on top and jiggles in the middle. Transfer them to wire rack to cool completely. After it comes to room temperature, cover with a cling film and refrigerate for atleast 4 hours

That's it, there you have it - the amazing velvety smooth vanilla creme custard with a luscious caramel on top!!!

NOTES:

1) You can substitute the vanilla bean with 1 and 1/2 tsp vanilla extract. Just add it finally after mixing the milk and egg mixture.
2) For serving the creme caramel, run a knife around the edge of the ramekin and place a plate over it. Carefully invert it over the plate and finally lift the ramekin to feast your eyes....The custard will just slide out with caramel drizzling all over it!!!
3) Burnt caramel will yield a bitter taste so do watch carefully, while making caramel.
4) Total time does not include the cooling time.

Cheers,
Sindhiya.S

Chicken Vembattam Recipe ( Simple and Elegant Chicken Dish )

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Fri, 10 Jul 2015 13:48:00 +0000

Simple, comforting Chicken dish full of flavour with tiny chicken pieces!!

This is my MIL's native dish. And don't ask me, why is it called Vembattam? As long as it tastes wonderful you don't need the name reasoning all right? ( Good! because I don't know :) )
It doesn't require any fancy ingredient nor does it require any fancy equiment, but the taste of it will surely blow you off.
Whenever you want to eat chicken and not in a mood for a heavy dish, then this is the dish for you. Even after two helpings, you feel miraculously light!!! And I promise you, that you will definitely go for more than two helpings :)

The tempered ginger and garlic combined with curry leaves and coconut makes it a very aromatic chicken dish. This Chicken Vembattam tastes wonderful with roti, rice and dosa too..

Chicken Vembattam

Simple and elegant Chicken dish for roti and rice!
Prep time: 10 min | Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 25 min |Yield: 2 to 3 servings

Ingredients:
Chicken: 1/4 kg ( finely chopped )
Oil: 2 tbsp
Mustard: 1/2 tsp
Urad Dal: 3/4 tsp
Finely Chopped Ginger: 1 tbsp
Garlic: 4 cloves ( finely chopped )
Shallots: 5 or 6 ( finely chopped )
Curry leaves: 1 sprig
Turmeric Powder: 1/2 tsp
Dry Chilli: 3 big or 4 small
Salt: To taste
Water: 3/4 cup
To Grind:
Chopped Coconut: 2 and 1/2 tbsp
Cumin Seeds: 1/2 tsp
Curry leaves: 1 sprig

METHOD:
1) Heat oil in a pan. Add mustard seeds. Once it splutters add the urad dal. Then add the finely chopped ginger and garlic and fry for a minute ( no need for colour change ) Now add the shallots, split dry chilli, turmeric, curry leaves and fry until onions are transluscent.

2) Add the chicken pieces and give a very good toss. Add the water and bring it to a boil.

3) Add salt. Close and cook for 10 to 15 minutes in low medium flame. Meanwhile take the items under the title To Grind in a mixer.

4) Grind the contents to a coarse mixture just like scrapped coconut. After 10 minutes, when the chicken is cooked add the coconuts mixture to it and mix well for a minute on high flame. Switch it off.

That's it the very easy and tasty chicken dish is ready!!!

NOTES:

1) For this recipe use a combination of chicken pieces with and without bone as it makes it more flavourful.

2) As the pieces are very small, the chicken gets cooked quickly so make sure not to overcook.

Cheers,

Sindhiya.S

Rava Upma Recipe ( How to make Rava Upma )

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Tue, 23 Jun 2015 03:45:00 +0000

Hi guys!! Very happy to meet all. I am really sorry about my long break. I just thought of taking a small break during holidays but it got stretched this far. But this doesn't mean that I haven't been cooking and clicking, just the opposite....I tried and tested so many recipes for you during these holidays. I just can't wait to share all the recipes that I tried :)

Ok now back to our food,
Today's recipe is our age old default breakfast - Rava Upma!

There is always a fine line between a good dish and perfect dish. In this post I am going to share a few tips and tricks that I learnt from my MIL that makes your upma stand out from others. It will be very soft at the same time very fluffy!!!

The main things that yield a perfect fluffy upma are...

Roasting the rava till nice aroma comes without browning it.
The amount of water added.
Allowing the water to come to a boil before adding the rava.
Cooking the rava by closing it with a lid.
And the very final and important step is to fluff it with the ladle twice!

Now onto the recipe...

Rava Upma

Soft and Fluffy Rava Upma!
Prep time: 5 min | Cook time: 10 min
Total time: 15 min |Yield: 4 to 5 servings

Ingredients:
Rava: 2 cups
Water: 4 cups
Oil: 1 tsp + 1 tbsp
Mustard: 1/2 tsp
Urad Dal: 1 tsp
Shallots: 3 (finely chopped)

Curry Leaves: 1 sprig
Red Chilli: 3
Salt: To taste

METHOD:

1) Heat 1 tsp oil in a pan and roast the rava for 5 minutes in medium high flame.

2) Keep stirring( don't let it burn! ) till nice aroma comes. As they say in tamil, manal madiri varukanum ( roast till it resembles dry sand ) Transfer to a plate. [ This step is very essential in making the upma fluffy ]

3) In the same kadai, heat 1 tbsp oil and temper with mustard seeds and when it splutters add urad dal. When it turns golden colour, add the onions, red chilli and curry leaves and fry for few seconds till onion turns translucent.

4) Now add water and salt and bring the water to a boil.

5) Bring the kadai to simmer and add the roasted rava with one hand, while stirring continuously with the other hand ( this ensures that no big lumps are formed ) Close with a lid and let it simmer for 2 to 3 minutes.

6) Now open the lid. The upma will be like a whole piece of cake. Fluff it with a ladle or a wooden spoon.

7) Close it again and switch off the stove. Let it standby for another 2 minutes. Then again fluff it with the ladle before serving or placing it in a hot box.

There you have it the soft and fluffiest Rava Upma!!!

Serve it with Sugar and Banana ( my daughters' and SS favorite combo!) or any Chutney of your choice....

NOTES:

1) Roasting the rava is very important as it makes the upma soft by absorbing lot of water and at the same time keeps it fluffy.
2) Don't let the rava brown while roasting it.
3) This is the very basic version of rava upma, you can make many variations to this by dding vegetables or flavour it with tomato...

Vanilla Pound Cake - Our First Blog Anniversary!

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Tue, 28 Apr 2015 03:48:00 +0000

OMG!! I can't believe its been a year since we started blogging. In this great day, we want to thank all our readers. Without you all, we wouldn't be here. Thank you all for letting us to be a part of your life. We wish to bring more and more awesome recipes to you all.
I never thought I would go so much deep in this field. Now a days, cooking and blogging are one of the foremost thoughts in my mind. I totally enjoy every aspect in this field starting from looking for a new recipe or developing a new one to taking photos, writing post, making it reach many people, reading many other wonderful posts....And one more thing - buying cute little things for cooking and baking ( I am totally crazy about it!!!)

I also want to say a big thank you to my sister who bears in with all my craziness- be happy with me when I share my happiness ( after making a successful dish!! ) be a patient listener and boosts me up when something goes wrong ( especially when I photo shoot a dish and if it comes out all wrong :( :( ..)

And in this special occasion, I bring to you one of the classical cakes - The Pound Cake!

From my childhood days, I have always loved Wondercake- I love their perfect crumbs and their cute little loaf shape. I made this pound cake in mini loaf pans in memory of them and also because I totally love making bite-sized foods just like my Mini Apple Pies!

This cake is exactly just like I wanted it to be - it is soft and not spongy, it has perfect crumbs and is not too dense and finally it is not dry at all. And about the taste, I should say that it tastes even better than my favorite Wondercakes ( no kidding!) Truly they are amazing and certified so by all of them who have tried it, which includes my little sister and my mom! ( my toughest candidates to satisfy :))

The main thing that stands out in this pound cake recipe is its wonderful texture - the crumbs are perfect and they just melt in your mouth.
Look at the wonderful crumbs and the cute little slice!!

Classic Vanilla Pound Cake

Soft with perfect crumbs that just melts in your mouth!
Prep time: 10 min | Cook time: 25 min
Total time: 35 min |Yield: 3 Mini loaves

Ingredients:
All Purpose Flour: 1 cup and 3 tbsp
Baking Powder: a pinch
Salt: a pinch
Butter: 1/2 cup plus 1 and 1/2 tbsp
Sugar: 1 cup
Eggs: 2
Vanilla Essence: 1/2 tsp
Milk: scant 1/2 cup

Recipe Reference:Add a pinch
METHOD:
1) Preheat oven to 180C for 10 minutes. Mix together flour, baking powder and salt. Take softened butter in a bowl.

2) With a hand beater beat the butter until fluffy ( about 1 minute ) Add the sugar and beat until light and fluffy ( about 3 to 4 minutes )

3) Add eggs one at a time and beat until well incorporated. Mix in vanilla.

4) Now in batches, alternatively add the dry ingredients and milk starting and ending with dry ingredients ( this step ensures that the batter stays creamy without curdling ) First mix 1/3 rd of the dry ingredients ( From this point you can beat lightly with your beater or just use your spatula to mix )

5) Add 1/4 cup milk beat once, followed by the next 1/3 rd of the dry ingredients.

6) Mix in the remaining milk. Finally add the last 1/3 rd batch of dry ingredients and mix until all gets incorporated. Take care not to over mix or over beat the batter.

7) The final batter will be light and fluffy.

8) Transfer the batter to the prepared pans ( greased with butter and dusted with flour ) and bake in a preheated oven at 180 C for 20 to 25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

There you have it, the most perfect Pound cake recipe ever!!

NOTES:
1) Make sure all your ingredients are at room temperature to get the perfect batter and thereby the perfect cake.
2)After adding dry ingredients don't beat the batter too much.
3)Don't let the batter standby, bake immediately.
4) If you use a larger loaf pan, increase the baking time accordingly.

Cheers,
Sindhiya.S

Easy Homemade Churros

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Wed, 22 Apr 2015 06:19:00 +0000

One of the perfect snacks to munch on, that I came across recently are these Churros.
Churros are similar to doughnuts. Strips of dough are fried in oil, rolled in caster sugar and served with warm Chocolate Sauce ( Yummmm, what more can you ask? )

These Churros are crispy on the outside and unbelievably so soft on the inside. The milk and little butter in this dough adds richness and makes the churros extra special!

And now comes another main hero of this dish - The Chocolate Sauce! You can never ( ever! ) say no to warm churros dipped in hot chocolate sauce. You get the crispness, softness and the chocolate heaven all in one bite. And trust me these get over within seconds!!

Churros

Crispy on the outside and so soft on the inside that just melts in your mouth!
Prep time: 5 min | Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 20 min |Yield: 18 or 19 (3 inch churros)

Ingredients:
Milk: 1/2 cup
Water: 1/2 cup
Sugar: 2 and 1/2 tbsp
Salt: 1/2 tsp
Butter: 2 tbsp
Flour ( maida ): 1 cup
Oil: for frying
For Serving:
Chocolate Sauce

METHOD:
1) Take the milk, sugar, salt and butter in a sauce pan and bring it to a boil. Take it off the heat.

2) Immediately add the flour and mix with a wooden spoon till it comes together as a dough ( don't over mix! )

3) Transfer the dough to a piping bag fit with a large star nozzle ( see picture ) Let it rest for 2 minutes.

4) Meanwhile heat oil in a heavy bottom pan. Carefully pipe strips of dough over the hot oil and cut them with a scissor.

5) Fry them until they are golden brown.

6) Drain the churros in a tissue paper and roll them in caster sugar.

There you have it...the most perfect snack to much on! Enjoy them with Hot Chocolate Sauce!!

NOTES:
1) For pillowy soft churros don't over mix the dough. Over mixing will activate the gluten ( which we don't need ) Mix until it comes together as a ball of dough.
2) The oil should be right temperature. If it is too hot the churros will brown quickly and remain raw inside. If it is too cold, the churros will lose its shape and become distorted.
3) To check whether the oil temperature is correct, pinch a small piece of dough and put it in oil. It should rise slowly to the surface and then brown.
4) Don't crowd the oil while frying, as this will reduce the oil temperature too much.
5) You can even flavour your caster sugar with cinnamon.

Recipe Reference: Cooking Classy

Cheers,
Sindhiya.S

Homemade Chocolate Sauce ( without cream! )

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sat, 11 Apr 2015 10:29:00 +0000

This is my favorite Chocolate Sauce. It is rich, smooth, velvety and so chocolatey!!!! It requires quite a few ingredients and is very very easy to prepare.

Just like my Homemade Caramel Sauce this is also prepared without cream and pairs excellent with ice cream. It can also be topped on cakes, muffins, cheesecakes or you could just sandwich it between two bread slices or even better just grab a spoon and enjoy it just like that!!

I personally love this Chocolate Sauce with Homemade Churros... ( recipe coming soon! ) Sugar rolled churros with hot Chocolate Sauce is an excellent match made in heaven!!! ( Chocolate heaven indeed!)

Homemade sauces are always quite handy to have in holiday seasons. Just top it on your favorite desserts, the possibilities are endless... So try it and let me know how you enjoyed it?

Homemade Chocolate Sauce

Rich, smooth, velvety Chocolate Sauce!
Prep time: 2 min | Cook time: 8 min
Total time: 10 min |Yield: about 1 cup

Ingredients:
Milk: 1 cup
Sugar: 2 tbsp
Corn Flour: 2 tsp
Dark Chocolate: 75 g
Vanilla Essence: 1/4 tsp
Butter: 2 tbsp

METHOD:

1) Mix 2 tbsp milk with corn flour till smooth.

2) Take the remaining milk in a sauce pan and add sugar to it. Bring the milk to a boil and add the corn flour mixture.

3) Whisk the milk continuously in medium flame until it becomes thick and coats the back of a spoon ( as shown in picture below, about 2-3 minutes ) Mix in the vanilla essence.

4) Add the chopped chocolate and butter. Let it stand for a minute and then whisk until smooth.

Ta da!!!! There you have it Smooth and glossy Chocolate Sauce....

NOTES:

1) Once cooled down you can store the sauce in refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.
2) You can reheat the sauce just before using it.
3) Always reheat in low flame or else the chocolate can easily get burnt.
4) Just like the Caramel Filled Chocolates, you can use this chocolate sauce as a filling in the place of caramel,

Cheers,
Sindhiya.S

Strawberry Lemonade

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Tue, 07 Apr 2015 11:15:00 +0000

Nothing refreshes us better than lemonade in this very hot summer... But what if the lemonade is strawberry flavoured? Now, it only refreshes your body with its fantastic sweet flavour but also becomes a feast to your eyes by making them pop out with its bright red colour ....( we do eat with our eyes first, right? )

This is SS's favourite drink. He loves strawberry veryyyy much and he always has been a lemonade fan. When you combine both, he will be very happy to reduce ( or even skip!! ) breakfast for this drink :) He actually said that it tastes way better than restaurants!! Now, that's enough to refresh me up..... ( also because he drank the whole lot!!!)
And lastly don't forget the salt. Salt and lemonade always go hand-in-hand. That little bit of salt somehow balances everything- the sweetness, the tartness and makes it a perfect drink.

Strawberry Lemonade

Flavourful Refreshing Drink!!
Prep time: 5 min | Cook time: 0 min
Total time: 5 min | Yield: 2 servings

Ingredients:
Chopped Strawberries: 2/3 cups
Sugar: 3 and 1/2 tbsp
Water: 1 and 1/4 cup
Salt: Scant 1/2 tsp ( or to taste )
Lemon: 1/2
Ice Cubes: as required

METHOD:

1) Wash the strawberries. Remove the green part and chop them. Grind them in a mixer along with sugar till smooth ( Add water if required. I added 1/4 cup water )

2) Strain the juice to remove the seeds. Add the remaining 1 cup water.

3) Add salt, lemon juice and mix well.

Serve immediately with some ice cubes...Enjoy!!

Do check out our other Lemonades - Pomegranate Lemon Soda and Mint Lemonade.

NOTES:

1) You can adjust the sweetness to your taste depending on the sweetness of your strawberries.

2) Just like in my Pomegranate Lemon Soda, you can also add plain soda instead of water.

Cheers,

Sindhiya.S

How to store Cookies ( how to keep cookies crisp and fresh!! )

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sat, 04 Apr 2015 08:55:00 +0000

After baking wonderful Shortbread Cookies, you do need a perfect storing method right?

Have you all come across this scenario- Your freshly baked cookie that tasted awesome the day that was made, didn't taste that good later even after storing them in an airtight container? Well it has been a nagging question in my mind for a long time until I came up with this simple solution.

Do you know that even store brought cookies lose their crispness and freshness when they are removed from their packets and stored in airtight containers!? They will turn little soft and the lose its aroma. But when tied with a rubber band in their respective packets before storing them in the containers, they remain fresher longer with their perfect crispness.
I applied the same principle in storing homemade cookies. Here I used a cling film to wrap the cookies well before putting them in airtight containers. This double packing ensures that your cookies remains fresh just like the day when you made it!!!

One small step and now you don't need to reheat the cookies in the oven to regain their freshness as they are all well packed to retain their wonderful aroma and crispness.... Plus they are quite easy to grab later too :)

How to store Cookie

Best Method to store Cookies to retain their freshness!!
Prep time: 5 min, Cook time: 0 min
Total time: 5 min, Yield: 2 serving

INGREDIENTS:
Baked and Cooled Cookies : 8
Cling Film: 2 square sheets ( or as required )
Ribbons/ Rubber band: 2 ( optional )

METHOD:
1) After baking the cookies allow them to cool completely. Spread the cling film on the table and place the stacked cookies on it ( Stack 4 or 5 cookies as they are easy to handle )

2) Gather the cling film on all sides and twist on top.

3) Now place these cookies in an airtight container.

Voila!!! Perfect cookies now remain perfect too...

Optionally, you can also tie a ribbon or a rubber band on top of the twisted clingfilm.

NOTES:

1) Stacking the cookies in 4 or 5 ensures that the cookies do not break and they are quite handy to grab later too.
2) I used Shortbread cookies here, you can use any other crisp cookie too.
3) You can also use the same method for storing store brought cookies ( when you happen to tear off the entire wrapper, which happens to me many times! )

Cheers.

Sindhiya.S

Shortbread Cookies Recipe

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sat, 14 Mar 2015 12:00:00 +0000

Buttery, crispy, crumbly at the same time soft and melt-in-mouth Shortbread Cookies!!!

If you are looking for healthy cookies without butter, then do check out our Millet Cookies - Eggless and Butterless!! But, if you are in a mood for all the buttery flavour and goodness then you are in the right page :)
These Shortbread cookies are not only perfect for munching but fun to do as well. The very first time I tried these cookies I made them with my daughter Neha. She was thoroughly excited when it was time to cut the cookies ( me too :) ) That day we had lots of fun doing and eating these cookies.

These cookies are not overly sweet and the little salt makes them taste even better ( so, don't skip the salt please! )

They are very easy to make and make an excellent snack for kids' birthday parties! They are perfect travel food too.

Shortbread Cookies

Buttery, Crispy , Crumbly at the same time soft melt-in-mouth Cookies!!
Prep time: 10 min + for chilling| Cook time: 17 min| Total time: 27 min|
Yield: 14 Cookies

Ingredients:
All Purpose Flour: 1 cup + for dusting
Salt: 1/8 tsp
Softened Butter: 1/2 cup
Powdered sugar: 1/4 cup
Vanilla Essence: 1/2 tsp

Recipe Reference: Joy Of Baking

METHOD:
1) Take Flour in a bowl. Add salt to it. Mix well and keep aside.

2) Take softened butter in a bowl and using an electric beater whisk until smooth, about 1 minute. Add powdered sugar and whisk again for 1 minute until smooth.

3) Add the vanilla essence and mix once more.

4) Finally add the flour mixture and mix on low speed until just incorporated. Then with a spatula scrape the sides. The dough will be sticky.

5) Wrap it up in a cling film and refrigerate for 1 to 2 hours. The dough will be quite firm now. Let it rest in the counter for 5 minutes. Dust the work surface and rolling pin with flour. Gently beat the dough with rolling pin and then start rolling ( This prevents the dough from cracking )

6) Flour the surface as necessary and make sure to turn the dough frequently to prevent it from sticking to the surface. Roll it a little less than 1/4 inch thickness. Now comes the fun part ( my favorite part!!! ) With your favorite cookie cutter cut out the cookies.

7) Transfer them to a cookie tray lined with parchment paper. You can re roll the scraps and cut out them as cookies ( chill the dough if it becomes difficult to handle ) Preheat the oven at 180 C for 10 minutes. While the oven is preheating place the cookies in the refrigerator. Bake the cookies for 15 to 17 minutes or until it starts to turn brown lightly on the sides. Let it cool in the tray for 5 minutes. Then transfer to the cooling rack to cool completely

That's it your favorite cookies is ready to munch :)

NOTES:
1) Softened butter means your butter should be soft to beat but not way too soft. If you leave your butter in room temperature ( here in Tamil Nadu, I don't know about other places ) too long it can become way too soft and greasy. It should still be colder than our room temperature. this way it won't need too much flour and the cookies will turn out perfect :)
2) Don't overwork the dough as it will yield tougher cookies.
3) We don't need to beat the butter until fluffy as we don't want the cookies to rise in oven. Here I have used an electric beater. If you don't have that, you can just use a whisk.
4) Here I used round cookie cutter, you can use any shape you like.
5) The cooking time may vary depending on the thickness you roll and the size of your cookie. Thinner cookies will bake faster. So, adjust accordingly.
6) Chilling the cookies before baking ensures that they do not spread in the oven.

Cheers,
Sindhiya.S

Rice Kheer

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 09 Mar 2015 12:10:00 +0000

Rice Kheer - Rich, creamy, aromatic kheer made with milk and rice.

I mostly do this Rice Kheer when SS is at home for lunch. You could see his face brighten up every time I do this kheer. He is a big fan of Milk desserts and this is one of his favorites. Whenever I do this kheer, he will just limit his lunch to enjoy his 1 cup ( sometimes 2 cups :) ) of kheer!!

Nothing can match the smell of freshly ground cardamom in this kheer ...It just fills your home with wonderful aroma, that anybody who enters your home will come straight to the kitchen :) I have used basmati rice as basmati rice combined with cardamom adds a very subtle flavour.

Rice Kheer is perfect for festivals and get together as they can be made ahead and stored in the refrigerator.
Though this rice kheer takes a bit of time to make, it is a very simple recipe and does not demand your undivided attention the whole time. I always put this in a separate stove in simmer and do my rest of other cooking while stirring this occasionally.

Rice Kheer

Creamy, rich and delicious rice Kheer topped with nuts!!
Prep time: 5 min| Cook time: 1 hour 5 min
Total time: 1 hour 10 min| Yield: 4 or 5 servings
Ingredients:
Milk: 1 litre
Basmati Rice: 2 and 1/2 tbsp
White Sugar: 1/2 cup + 1 tsp
Cardamom: 2
Badam: 15
Pistachios: 15

METHOD:
1) Wash the rice with water twice. Drain the water and keep aside. Heat milk in a sauce pan.

2) When the milk is about to boil add the rice and give it a stir to ensure that no rice sticks at the bottom. Now simmer for about 1 hour or till it is reduced to about half its volume and the rice is cooked well ( Make sure to scrape the sides and stir occasionally )

3) The rice should be well cooked and split in the middle as shown in the picture below. Now add sugar and let it dissolve. In the meantime take cardamom with a tsp of sugar in mortar and pestle and make it to a fine powder.

4) Finally add the cardamom powder to the kheer. Give it a mix and switch off.

That's it Creamy and rich rice kheer is ready to serve. I like to serve them hot. You can serve as per your liking

Just before serving, sprinkle some sliced nuts over the top!!!

NOTES:
1) Stir the kheer occasionally and make sure to scrape the sides too.
2) Leftover kheer can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 2 days.
3) This rice kheer can be served hot or cold.
4) Slice the nuts as thinly as possible.
5) Sprinkle the nuts just before serving as this adds a nice contrast to the creamy kheer.

Cheers,
Sindhiya.S

Soft and Juicy Chicken 65

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Tue, 03 Mar 2015 12:04:00 +0000

Soft, juicy and spicy Chicken 65 - The ultimate starter recipe

Have you all come across this thought - Why does chicken 65 in restaurant alone is so soft, juicy and full of flavours?! Well I have had this thought atleast a dozen times. Earlier mostly we buy readymade chicken 65 masala powder. Though it was flavouful and good, it wasn't as soft and juicy as we get in restaurants.

One day my friend Indhu gave me a wonderful tip of marinating the chicken in lemon juice first which eventually led to these ultimate Chicken 65.

There are two main things that I consider important to get a perfect soft and juicy Chicken 65

First marinate the chicken in lemon juice and salt up to 4 hours ( minimum 1 hour )
Fry the chicken in medium high flame until it is just cooked. Cooking for too long can also make the chicken run out of all the moisture.

And one more thing, this is the recipe I use in my Chicken 65 Biryani - one of the popular posts in our space!!!

Chicken 65

Soft, juicy and spicy Chicken 65!!!
Prep time: 4 hour 30 min| Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 4 hour 45 min| Yield: serves 3 to 4

INGREDIENTS:
Bite-sized / cubed Chicken pieces: 3/4 Kg
Big Lemon: 1
Salt: to taste
Red Chilli Powder: 2 and 1/2 tsp
Coriander Powder: 1 and 1/2 tsp
Cumin Powder: 3/4 tsp
Pepper Powder: 3/4 tsp
Turmeric Powder: 1/2 tsp
Ginger Garlic Paste: 1 tbsp
All Purpose Flour: 2 tbsp
Corn Flour: 4 tbsp
Oil: for frying

METHOD:

1) Clean the chicken pieces by washing with water at least twice. Drain all the water and make sure they are dry. Add lemon juice and little salt.

2) Mix well and keep aside for 4 hours. After 4 hours, add ginger garlic paste, red chilli powder, coriander powder, cumin powder, pepper powder, turmeric powder, all purpose flour, cornflour and the remaining salt.

3) Mix well and keep aside for another 1/2 hour. Heat oil in a kadai and drop the chicken pieces one by one ( Do it in batches without crowding too much as it will reduce the oil temperature )

4) Fry the Chicken pieces in medium high flame. After one side of the chicken pieces are cooked flip over and cook on the other side too. Cook till they are evenly browned. Drain the chicken pieces in a tissue paper.
I always do a taste test with a small piece to check if they are done and note the timings for the next batch ( This way I need not test for each and every batch which will eventually lead me to eating the whole lot :) )

That's it soft, juicy and flavourful chicken 65 is ready for grab!!! Serve hot with onions and lemon wedges...

NOTES:

1) Marinate the chicken pieces in lemon juice and salt for a minimum of 1 hour as it will yield the best soft and juicy chicken.

2) Cooking time is very essential in getting perfect chicken 65. It may vary depending on the size of chicken pieces and the heat of your stove. But don't worry, you will definitely get it right. Just do some taste test and see which you like the best.

3) The colour of the chicken mainly depends on the colour of your red chilli powder.

Check out my top favorite Chicken 65 Biryani recipe here !!!

Cheers,
Sindhiya.S