# 42: Mango Milk Shake

Mangoes...Mangoes.. Mangoes...

This Summer was totally refreshing!!! :P


Ingredients: (Serves 2 ;) )

1. Mango pieces - 1 cup
2. Milk - 1 glass
3. Sugar - 4-6 Tsp (or as per taste)
4. Chopped mango pieces for garnishing :P
5. Ice cubes - 8

Preparation:

Add the mango pieces, milk, sugar, & ice cubes together in a mixer and beat it. Whooooooooooosh! .. and the mango milk shake is ready!

Add the chopped mango pieces to njoi the milk shake with some fresh mango tooo.. :)

 

It couldn't have got better.....

# 41: Mango Mousse

This year.. it was certainly " Raining Mangoes".. and my indulgence was just obvious. :)

Decided to buy some mangoes, and tempt the diabetics to indulge with me.. :P I know its so nasty of me to do something like this.. But hello!!! think on the brighter side.. you still get to savour the mangoes.. ;) covering up for the guilt of eating whole mangoes i guess.. :P

Did the Mango mousse.. an attempt to try out how i could use fresh fruits to the prepare mousse..After all,  its my first time!

So I followed the same recipe, "instant mousse"- the Nigella way. God bless Nigella to have come up with some yummy tricks.. :)

Ingredients:

1. Mango Pulp - 2 cups or 250 gms
2. Marshmellows - 150 gms
3. Unsalted Butter - 50 gms
4. Cream - 200 ml
5. Vanilla Essence - 4-5 drops
6. Water- 4 TBsp

Preparation:

Heat the Butter and melt the Marshmellows. Add the mango pulp & water to it. As we know, the marshmellows will take a while to melt. Just be patient and wait for it to melt and then cool the mixture.

Whisk the cream till its firm and add the essence!

Fold the mango-marshmellow mix into the cream. Pour into the bowls and garnish with some chopped mango pieces!

 

Refrigerate for a maximum 2 hours and its ready to be served...

 

Hola!!!

Treat your taste buds to some fresh mango desrie... ;)

# 37: Cold Coffee

All these summer cooking adventures makes me feel like "Macaulay Culkin" in " Home Alone" :P


It was annoyingly hot and occassionaly sultry with the random rains! consumed all the fresh fruit tetra packs and had been hell lazy to replenish the stocks! what do i do.. thought will prepare something and have.


I am not very fond of milk.. although i do support those who insist on the importance of drinking milk.. Bt trust me.. i would prefer having it either as a milkshake or may be as cold coffee!


So with tons of milk in my fridge.. and my love for coffee bean.. decided to have Cold coffee.


Ingredients:

1. Milk - 3/4 glass
2. Coffee- 2 tsp
3. Ice cubes 
4. Sugar - 2 Tsp

Preparation:

To the milk, add the coffee, sugar, and ice. Mix all in a mixer.  Ta da! cold coffee is all ready.

Put some ice cubes in a glass and pour in the cold coffee. Sprinkle a little coffee powder!

# 24: Creamy Pasta

Pasta!?!?

I am not very crazy about pastas but yes.. I do like some preparations. Normally, I would prefer a red gravy over a white. But there's always an exception. And the exception is PASTA! :)

Like Pizza, Pasta is something I have always had at a restaurant only. Apart from Macaroni which mom used to prepare for us at home.

There was cream & cheese already in the fridge. Could not think of any thing better and quicker than PASTA..and so my experiments with cooking Pasta began. :)

Ingredients:

(Serves 7)

1. Penne - 1 packet
2. Cream - 500 ml
3. Cheese - 3 cubes
4. Red Chilies - 3 (cut in circular rings)
5. Black Olives - 1 cup ( i just love black olives.. )
6. Baby Corn - 8 pcs ( circularly cut)
7. Oil/Olive oil - 2 Tbsp
8. Pepper - 1 tsp
9. Salt to taste
10. Oregano ( if you like to add else peper is best!)

Procedure:

Boil some water with 1 tsp of salt and add the penne. Leave the penne to cook. Strain the Penne and wash lightly with cold water and strain. Dab some oil in the boiled penne. Mix and leave. (The oil will ensure the penne do not stick to each other or get soggy.)

Heat oil in a pan and add the red chilies to it. Stir a li'l. Add the baby corn and olives as well. Let the 3 cook for a minute or two. Now, add the cheese cubes to it and let it melt into the pan. Later add the cream and leave it to cook.

Add the Penne to the cream mixture. Mix well. Add salt as per taste as well as sprinkle pepper. Mix well.

The Creamy pasta is all done!

Yummy!!!!   :)

Bon Appetite!

# 23: The Pizza Mania ( Completely Homemade!)

Ummmmm...I love Pizzas! :)

Somehow, ordering for one is a lot more easier and that's probably why i never ventured out to even try making a Pizza at home. The max i can think was to get the pizza base from the market and just chop a few veggies and bake it!

But what if i could not find the pizza base, and i do not have an oven to do the baking for me.. Sigh!

No worries.. i figured out that i can still have the yummy pizza i am longing for despite all the restrictions. Moreover, it was absolutely amazing to be trying to make the base (for which i had no clue of any recipe and was wholly depending on my instinct and taste buds and the zillion pizzas i have had so far.. ), garnishing with available veggies, and last but not the least pan frying the pizzas as i did not have my oven with me... :)

And all the 4 pan pizzas were ready in just 30 mins. :D

My family & friends loved it as much as i did. Do try it out!

Ingredients:

Base-

1. All purpose flour (Maida) - 4 cups
2. Curd/yogurt - 2-3 Tbsp
3. Cumin seeds - 2 tsp
4. Salt - 1tsp

Toppings/Garnishing-

1. Parsley - a bunch (chopped)
2. Onions - 1 (sliced into rings)
3. Tomatoes - 1 (-do-)
4. Red Pepper - 1
5. Yellow pepper- 1
6. Green Pepper-1
7. Black Olives - 1 cup ( sliced into rings) 
8. Red Chilies - 2 (sliced into rings)
9. Base sauce : Peri peri sauce & Parmesan Cheese Spaghetti sauce
10. Mixed herbs
11. Oregano
12. Salt to taste
13. Cheese (grated)
14. Sesame seeds (white)
15. Olive oil

  

Procedure:

Base: Roast the cumin seeds. Add the cumin seeds to the flour. Kneed the maida+cumin seeds+salt using curd. Leave for a while.

Now, roll out the maida dough. While rolling out sprinkle little flour and sesame seeds under the rolled out bread so that when you flatten the bread further the sesame seeds stick to the surface below adding to the crunchiness while pan frying it on the pan.

Garnishing the base:

Step 1: Spread the sauce on the base as shown. Either use peri-peri or the spaghetti sauce or even mix both and spread evenly.

Step 2: Add the toppings starting with parsley, onions, tomatoes, peppers, olives, red chilies, and sprinkle mixed herbs and oregano. Also sprinkle a pinch of salt over it. Grate the cheese and sprinkle some olive oil on it.

Step 3: Place the pizza on the pan and cover it with a lid so it can self cook. Later spread a li'l olive oil around the base. It will ideally take 5-7 minutes to cook and base becomes amazingly crunchy.



Ta da! :)

Take a bite!!!  :P

(P.S: you can create different garnishings on all 4 pan pizzas bases and grub on some yummy home made Pizzas .. Have Fun!) 

# 19 : Honey Ice Cream

A few months back, I was watching the show "Chew" by Nigella.. i guess i am a complete fan of hers now..  And this recipe is one of her easy creations which i did try out the other day..and to my surprise..i now know to make ice-creams... ;)

Hurray!
So here it goes...

Ingredients:

1. Double cream - 340 ml
2. Sugar - 2 Tbsp
3. Honey - 100 gms
4. Egg - 1
5. Egg yokes - 4
6. Nuts

Procedure:

Beat up 340 ml of cream with sugar. Be careful while you do so.. too much might turn the cream into ghee!
Take a Hot water vessel, on top of which keep another bowl containing the honey, 1 full egg, along with 4 yokes. Beat the mixture well.

Now, add the honey egg mix into the cream sugar mix and using a spatula.. Mix the two well.
Take a bowl and line it with a thin transparent paper or butter paper. Pour the final mixture into the bowl. Cover it with a thin wrap and freeze.
Once its frozen, turn over and remove the butter paper. Before serving, decorate with Honey streaks and nuts sprinkled over!

Ta da!

Njoi! :D

# 18: Mexican Fish Curry

Hmmm... Mexican Fish Curry!!! What is it that would strike your mind? A dish with probably lot of spices.. spicy! a bit complicated.. a zillion thoughts ain't it?

Well, i have developed a fetish for cooking apart from just eating.. ;) And considering this, i mostly end up browsing TV channels a lot more than i used to. Let me tell you..i am equally an idiot box fan! 

While i was doing my regular browsing, I happened to find the channel and show that just glues me to it.. "afc"- Asian food channel. & the show " Forever summer with Nigella"

Nigella is a wonderful chef! I have been following her culinary shows even on travel & living..& i remember the show as "Chew"

Last week, Nigella had some of the easiest & loveliest recipes to show case.. one of them being " The Mexican Fish Curry"...and i tried it out..and trust me..it was simply WOW!  and i would love to share the same with you.

Thanks Nigella! :)

Ingredients:

1. Oil - 1 Tbsp
2. Onions - 2 medium sized
3. Salt - 1.5 tsp
4. Turmeric - 1 tsp
5. Cumin - 1 tsp
6. Red chili  - 2 ( cut in circular rings)... although i have used green chilies.. :)
7. Ginger  - chopped
8. Coconut milk - 2 cups
9. Tamarind water/ paste - 1 cup
10. Water - 250 ml
11. Fish

Procedure:

1. Marinate the fish using 1 tsp turmeric & salt.
2. Now, prepare the sauce. Which includes, coconut milk, tamarind water/paste, & 250 ml water. If you have concentrated fish stock. Do add it in.

Take a pan, add the onions into the hot pan of oil. Let it turn golden brown. Now add the ginger, salt, turmeric, cumin, red/green chili. Mix well. Add the sauce, and leave it to cook on low flame. (I love cooking fish in the earthen pot.. )

Once the curry boils, add the fish.

5 Mins & the Mexican Fish Curry is ready to be served with a bowl of steamed rice...

Bon Appetite!

:)

# 11 : Simple Bacon Grubs!

Last nite, i was browsing through some channels when i stumbled upon a channel called "afc" -Asian food channel.  Everyone in my family quiet enjoy watching this channel. Not like anyone has ever prepared any of the recipes shown... But its nice to just sit back, relax, & watch asia's yummy foods.. I guess its not always important to prepare every single recipe you see..but its just a lot more fun at times to just watch and enjoi. :)

I was watching a show called " Chuck's Day Off"..It was simply amazing... u can take a look at the site too...

http://www.asianfoodchannel.com/
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I6Vrk5p51Sc

Straight after the show, i can't seem to recollect  the name of  a 5 min show that came up...telling how well bacon could be used and prepared with ease.. I am just penning down the same.. "verbatim!"

Recipe# 1: Bacon with Asparagus

Procedure: Wrap the bacon strip around the asparagus stem and sprinkle salt & pepper. Place in a hot oil pan and shallow fry. Roll over gently. Ready to Serve!

Recipe # 2: Bacon wrapped over stuffed prunes

Procedure: Slit the Prune, and stuff the prune with a piece of cheese (of your choice). Now take a bacon strip and wrap over the prune. Sprinkle a li'l salt. Shallow fry the prunes. Toss over gently. and ready to be served!

Recipe# 3: Bacon wrapped over Chicken Breast

Procedure: Take the Bacon and stretch it out using the knife in order to increase the length. Now take a chicken breast and wrap the bacon over it. Sprinkle salt & pepper. Shallow fry it & it all ready!!!


Honestly, I do not eat Red meat. I am more of a fish & chicken eating person. But i cant be biased! I liked the simplicity with which Bacon was cooked and the variety it could possibly offer. Its the first time i have even watched a TV show showing bacon preparations.. Its nice!


For those of you, who are not choosy on the type of meat you would grab on to.. I would definitely suggest you try these out too. While i would try the same out with chicken.. ;) Also, i love a lot more spices.. may be you can add more to the dish by sprinkling some oregano, chili flakes, or so. rather than just salt & pepper..

Bon Appetite! :)

P.S: Images Courtesy Google images... God bless Internet!

#1 : Caramel Custard

Baked custard! “Creme Caramel. A light egg custard that is baked in caramel-lined mould in a water bath. After the custard is baked, it is chilled and then turned out of the mould.. In Spain, it is called flan and in Italy, crème caramella.” ~ The international dictionary of desserts, pastries, & confections, Carole Bloom [Hearst books: new York] 1995 (P.84)

My early memories of caramel custard, was of someting like flubber when touched. An off white base with a dark top. While sweet to taste the bitterness of the burnt sugar taking over the palate..not something i quiet relished as a kid.  Over the years, I have begun to like this dessert. And thus it happens to be the first recipe I have cooked.

(Burn the sugar a li'l longer for a dark caramel!

Else have a lighter version to it... both give amazing flavors...)

The Recipe is as follows:

Ingredients:

1. Milk- 350 ml
2. Sugar - 3 TBsp
3. Eggs - 2
4. Vanilla Essence 

Procedure:

Beat up 2 Tbsp of sugar and eggs together. Add the milk to the sugar-egg mix and beat up the mixture. Now add the essence and mix well. ( The essence apart from adding flavor to the custard will also remove the smell of egg.) An improvisation to the custard can be done by adding grated orange/lemon peels. Mix the batter well.

Take an aluminium vessel or  a preferred bowl of your choice and add the balance 1 Tbsp of sugar to it. Heat the sugar to prepare the caramel. Once the caramel is ready, keep it aside till it cools down.

Now, add the beaten mixture into the caramel bowl. Cover the bowl with butter paper. Place the bowl in a cooker containing appropriate amount of water (prefereably 2 glasses).  Leave to steam for 15 mins.

Once the caramel custard cools down, turn the custard over into a plate. Refridgerate for a while. 

Delicious Caramel Custard is ready to be served!!! 

Njoi!