BANANA LEAF

I was browsing through some folders of pictures taken few months back and see what i found..pictures of our Onam celebration!!!

Onam is a festival celebrated in Kerala by everyone regardess of any religion or caste.We manage to celebrate it every year no matter where we are.A meal like this is a main part of the celebration,and everyone takes part in cooking the meal.The dessert is not there in this picture.

South Indian cuisine is one of my favorites and i feel most healthy when i have a typical south Indian vegetarian meal ..On a normal daily basis the diet of a south indian consists one or more of these components.

Sambar curry(the gravy on the rice) is one of the dishes i like and know to cook well.To give an idea of the procedure involved in cooking it -

It is made by
-boiling red lentils(masoor dal),
-onion+vegetables like carrot,potatoes,cauliflower, ladies finger infact any combination of vegetables can be used.
-tomatoes
-Sambar powder(available ready made)
-salt till cooked properly.

-fry some mustard seeds and red dried chilli's in coconut oil or vegetable oil and mix in to complete the dish.

Here are pictures of some recent cooking...from bottom

1) Cherries with cream and jelly-

Its my adaptation of the peach and cream recipe.

Instead of small pots ive used large bowl and also used the cherry liquid to color the jelly.The cream can be made with fresh cream ,milk,sugar and gelatin but i prefer to make it by boiling condensed milk and milk and gelatin.The rest of the procedure is similar to making the peach and cream recipe.
Looks pretty Christmas-ssyyy..huh ;) 

2)Stuffed Quails -

I stuffed each quail with a mixture of white bread+an egg+chicken stock+Chives+pepper and salt,after roasting it in the oven with butter, ive poured over a sauce made with flour,butter ,wine and chicken stock.The potatoes,carrots and corn were cooked along with it.

3)Braised pork rib with carrots and beets served along with mashed potato,topped with beans and tomato salsa.-

Sounds like hard work,but its very easy and worth all the effort.3 stages

a)Cook the pork ribs-

Brown some onions+add in carrots,beets and celery, a whole garlic crushed+wine+veg stock+pork ribs(coated with all purpose flour and browned on both sides) and ofcourse salt and pepper.the ribs should be immersed completely in the broth and cooked covered.I did not use the oven and braised it on the stove till the sauce reduced and the meat cooked to perfection.the unique brown color is due to the beets and wine.

b)Mashed potatoes-

I boiled the potatoes with skin on in salted water.Removed the skin and mashed it with roasted garlic in olive oil.add butter or cheese if required.

c)The beans and tomato salsa-

Blanch and stir fry the beans with salt,pepper and garlic.I like it with a lil bit of crunch,

boil the chopped tomatoes in oregano and thyme infused olive oil for 2 minutes only.

plate it up..Done:)

4)Almond macaroons.-

These are heavenly and my all time favorite.Whenever i make it its never enough.The most appealing part is its one of the easiest and tastiest recipes ive come across and i am grateful to Nigella Lawson for it. It is sure to bring a smile on anyone who eats it.

Just ground almond+white sugar+egg white and cardamom.mix,roll out into desired shape and bake it like cookies.too good to be true!

Some more pics... more later...:)

1)The bottom most is a family favorite..everybody literally attacks it..its my version of the chocolate cake with a gooey middle tht's available in Cilli's.Thts ice cream on top ,drizzed with my favorite homemade butterscotch sauce.Warm molten gooey cake+cold icecream and warm butter scotch syrup....killer combination...!!

2)Next is a simple mouth watering chocolate dessert which tastes alot like nutella.:)

3)Look carefully..and u can see a heart shaped cake...ive dusted with icing sugar to make the outline prominent..Its just a normal chocolate cake cut out in that shape with chocolate shavings.

Culinary creations

These are few pictures of my culinary creations...check it out...from bottom its.

1)Honey nut chicken.
Stir fry in oil until cooked
-one stalk spring onion
-one spoon grated ginger
-half a cup round cut-carrot
-half a cup celery
-two cups skinless chicken breast,cut into one inch strips
-1/4th cup cashew nuts
-one teaspoon salt and pepper.
Into that pour a mixture of
-half cup orange juice
-one spoon honey
-one spoon soy-sauce
-one spoon cornflour
Stir fry all together and adjust the seasoning as required.


2)Squid crisps with mayo and garlic dip.
Make a mixture of
-half a cup cornflour
-1/4th cup all purpose flour
-one teaspoon onion powder
-one teaspoon garlic powder
-one teaspoon kashmiri chilly powder(optional)
-one teaspoon salt and pepper.
Dip-1-2 cups of-squid cut into rings, in the mixture and deep fry in batches..until golden brown.Drain in paper towel and serve with mayo-garlic dip
-one cup mayonnaise
-2-3cloves of garlic-minced
-one spoon lemon juice( if u like it tangy)
-half a teaspoon salt(optional)
Mix altogether and serve! It's really good with just garlic too!

3)Beef in oyster sauce.
Cut one pound boneless beef (2 cups) into thin strips across the grain and marinate for 15-20 minutes, in a mixture of
-one spoon soy sauce
-one spoon Chinese rice wine.
-one spoon oil
-two spoons of cornflour.
-half a teaspoon salt and pepper
Deep fry the beef in batches and set aside.( you can also stir fry until cooked )
Stir fry together
-one stalk of spring onion
-one spoon grated ginger and garlic
-one red capsicum cut into strips.(u can add any vegetable like mushroom,carrot,cabbage or a mixture)
Add in the fried beef with a mixture of
-1/2 cup chicken broth(add in more stock if u need more sauce )
-1/4th cup oyster sauce.
-one teaspoon cornflour
-stir together and break in one egg(optional)
Once the sauce thickens,adjust seasoning and Serve!

4)Pumpkin cake.
Sift together the dry ingredients and keep aside.
-one cup flour
-one and a half teaspoon baking powder
-half a teaspoon salt
-one teaspoon cinnamon powder
In another bowl,beat together
-half a cup of butter or half a cup of vegetable oil
-two drops of vanilla essence
-2 cups of pureed pumkin
-2 eggs
-half a cup of condensed milk or half cup of sugar.
Add in the dry ingredients into this mixture with
-half a cup of cashew nut and mix all together.
Bake in 350 Degree F or 180 degree C for 20-30 minutes.

5)Chicken pattie (extra big) made into a b'day cake.
Stir fry together
-half a cup of chopped bacon
-half a cup of minced carrot
-half a cup of minced cabbage
-half a cup of minced spinach leaves
-one teaspoon onion power or one onion minced.
-half a teaspoon garlic powder or two garlic cloves minced.
-half a teaspoon salt and pepper.
In a separate bowl
-Sift in one cup of all purpose flour and one teaspoon baking powder
-One and a half cup minced chicken or shreded left over chicken
-One piece of bread soaked in two spoons of milk
-two eggs
-one spoon tomato ketchup.
-one spoon of grated Parmesan cheese..
-half a teaspoon salt and pepper.
Mix all together,Mould it into desired shape and bake in preheated 375 degree F or 190 degree C oven for 20 to 30 minutes.After cooling i pipped in Mayonnaise and to decorate the Chicken pattie.


6)Cabbage roll with minced chicken filling.
First step is to
- pull out the cabbage leaves without damaging them and
-Blanch it for 2-3 minutes in salted.boiling water.Keep aside.
Next is the filling.Saute
-One minced onion with one cube butter
-One cup diced mushrooms
-two cloves of grated garlic
-half a cup diced tomatoes
In a bowl combine
-One cup of minced Chicken
-One egg
-1/2 cup cooked white rice
-One spoon tomato ketchup
-One spoon Worcestershire sauce
-One teaspoon salt and pepper.
Mix all together.
Fill each cabbage leaf with the mixture,roll it and secure each roll with a wooden tooth pick and
bake in a preheated 350 degree F or 180 degree C for 30-40  minutes.

7)Fruit custard made with indian flavors.
Making custard with custard powder is an easy and tasty way..this recipe is egg fee and tasty.
Boil together
-2 and a half cups of milk (half a litre of milk)
-One cup of condensed milk(condensed milk sweetens the custard.if needed add more sugar)
- 3-4 cardamom pods crushed and skin removed.
keep stirring until it is reduced a bit
-add in -two spoons of cornflour.
Once it is thick enough,keep aside.
Prepare the fruit mixture-
-Half a cup of pomegranate
-Half a cup of apple
-half a cup of pear
-half a cup of banana.
-Mix all together.Layer the custard and fruit in a tall glass ,
-Garnish with crushed almonds and SERVE CHILLED!!

8)A pudding-cake version of bread pudding with crispy corn flakes covering.
This recipie is so easy that you can just mix all togther with your hands and bake it.
-Discard the crust of one loaf of bread and soak the bread in milk
-Add half a cup of butter to the bread
Add in
- half a cup of all purpose flour
-1/2 cup of sugar
-one egg
-One teaspoon baking power
-half teaspoon salt
-one teaspoon cinnamon powder
-2-3 drops of vanilla essence
-half cup raisins soaked in rum
Mix all together and bake in preheated a 350 degree F or 180 degree C oven for 30-40 minutes.
Sprinkle with crushed cornflakes on top to get that extra crunch!(optional)

Yummmm....;)

EGG ROLLS

Crispy golden rolls with delicious filling...dipped in spicy-sweet thai sauce...ahh! Even the thought of it is definitely mouth watering..!!!! I din't miss out to take a pic, since i was very proud with the EGG-ROLLS i made.Looks good doesn't it?:)

It does require some patience to make it...but the end result makes you feel like a celebrity chef(or at least near ;-))

To give an idea about it.."EGG ROLLS" doesn't mean it has only egg and some vegetables as the filling(that's what i always thought until i tried making it).It is an interesting blend of many ingredients that make it quite appetizing.

Egg rolls are the heftier cousins of Spring rolls.The only difficulty as such ,would be the process of rolling it and frying it to perfection without burning it or under cooking it.

There are many versions with ingredients like bean sprouts,rice noodles,mushrooms,beef,pork.eggs etc..

In my version i have used just some common ingredients.ill explain the procedure..keeping it as short as possible.

1)first make the filling-

- Stir fry some minced chicken with some onion,oyster sauce, soy sauce.keep aside.

-next stir fry some diced onions,crushed garlic or garlic powder,then add in some shredded cabbage,carrot add some pepper,salt, soy sauce,some vegetable vinegar if you don't have rice wine.

-Mix in the meat mixture and check for seasoning.

2)Once the mixture has cooled down a bit,start filling it inside the egg roll dough.

Buy some ready made egg roll wrappers(its a wheat based dough which is heavier than the rice based used for spring rolls).It would be square or rectangle sheets of dough,which are available in packets.

One very important tip is once you open the packet keep the dough sheet covered with a towel so that it doesn't dry out.

4)To form the rolls.

-make some egg wash with an egg and some milk or water.apply it on all the four sides.You can also use some cornflour and water if you don't have eggs at home.

-place the sheet with a pointed side towards you, place some filling near the bottom corner and fold it off like an envelop,the bottom fold first, then the side folds.

Roll it and seal it off at the last edge with some more egg wash.

5)Deep fry the egg rolls till golden brown and drain it into a paper towel.

6) I served it with some sweet and spicy Thai sauce...cream cheese with some spring onion works well too..

Tempting, Delicious, gorgeously presentable and worth all the effort....

I present to you...Egg Rolls!

Layerd Icecream cake with butterscotch sauce.

Tastes like icecream ,but in the form of a cake with layers..guess what?

yup..ICECREAM CAKE!:)

Who doesn't like ice-cream...and who doesn't like cake?If you can get both as ur birthday cake or as part of a celebration? yum! right.

Well...the best part about this cake is, you can customize the layers according to the person's or family's liking and no baking involved.. obviously,its icecream!

It is definitely worth all the effort..specially coz it looks and tastes like the way you want :)

Just make sure you get all the ingredients before hand.There are many celebrities in this recipe

my favorite would be the Butter scotch sauce;-)...I like calling it my dessert queen!

The butterscotch sauce tastes simply beyond words and almost everyone would like its flavor.It has become one of my trade marks coz i use it with anything and everything.

It can be used as a fondue dip,with fruits as dipping, with plain cakes, mashmellows, biscuits, icecream , even drizzle it over a milk shake, custard or even on plain bread..the options are endless....

To make it,

1)Just heat some butter,golden syrup,white sugar and brown sugar

2)When its all melted and mixed together add in the fresh cream.

3)Once its merged and bubbling away,add some vanilla essence.

4)Transfer it to another bowl and let it cool down.

Golden syrup and brown sugar is available in most of the supermarkets..once i made it without the golden syrup.Its was not bad though. i guess its the brown sugar and vanilla essence that makes all the difference.

To make the icecream cake,its important to get a SPRINGFORM PAN. It comes in small,medium and large sizes.It is like a cake tin which has a separate-able base,which can be removed by loosening the clutch it has on the sides.It can be very useful in baking cakes or even puddings.

So to make the cake,

1)Get a sponge cake base or you can even used crushed cookies mixed with butter and press to the base of the spring-form pan to make the base of the cake.

2)add a layer of your favorite icecream..plain vanilla will do fine.I used praline and cream.

3)next layer would be some oreo cookies or nuts or fruits or even another layer of sponge cake or chocolate cake.

4)Another layer of icecream, a diffrent flavor or the same one.

5)I topped it up with some cut peaches and a pine apple ring in the middle.(u can top it up with crushed oreo cookies or chocolate shavings.)

6)Its important to work fast since we are dealing with icecream and keep it to set in the fridge.

7)Loosen the clamp and transfer the cake to a cake stand with or without the cake tin base.

An important tip is to line the cake tin with some cling film,so that it doesn't stick to the sides and you can detach it out without much difficulty.

Lastly i drizzled it with some warmed butter scotch syrup just before cutting the cake(u can substitute with chocolate syrup too).

PURE BLISS INDEED!!!!!!

Pear in spicy wine bath....

Have you been in a situation where u had to cook up a dessert almost instantly and impress a guest who turned up unannounced? Well,...i like similar situations coz..it puts me under pressure,which is good sometimes;) and i end up making something from the ingredients present at home.

PEAR IN SPICY WINE BATH..was a revelation..and a savior in a situation like that.I got the idea from the internet of-course..along with my special touch;) it was a huge hit.

The simplicity of this dessert is surprising yet has an exotic complexity.

Its low fat,no butter,milk or eggs,..

just fruity, spicy-sweet and lil intoxicating may be;)

I do not know the exact measurements...an idea with my cooking instincts is usually a success.

So,to give you an idea...

1)make the spicy wine bath,by boiling some good quality red wine

2) some sugar(i prefer the brown one),

3)some spices like clove,star anise,pepper,cinnamon stick or cinnamon powder.

4)add the pear halves in to the boiling spicy wine bath

5)boil till the wine thickens and becomes like syrup.

6) The pears will become soft and brown.

Serve it hot with the wine syrup.I missed out to take a pic in the serving dish but i have the picture which i took in the boiling stage.It shows how the pears turned golden and heavenly....

Peach and cream...

I was very impressed when i came across the recipe for this dessert and tried out instantly.Its lovely to look at as well as simple compared to the end result.Its all about the right technique, and temperature.

a)All that is needed is,

-canned peach halves,
-the sugar water in the can,
-gelatin,
-milk and fresh cream(i used condensed milk instead),
-clig film.

b)-Just add dissolved gelatin to the water mixture by boiling it together(1) and also

to the heated condensed milk and milk mixture(2).

c)-Place a peach half in a bowl which is wraped in clig film,
-pour the (1) mixture and then the (2)mixture.

d)keep in the fridge to set and pull it out to the serving plate...

Healthy,yummy and cool....isnt it?

Tiramisu..the simple version....

That's Tiramisu..yea..i know it makes u think..high calorie!!! but my version is a low fat one and not at all the authentic way,yet it tastes reasonably good.

when i decide to cook something new,i always do a lot of research and collect various versions and combine ideas together and end up creating something in my comfort zone.So the good thing about it is,it makes you aware how the dish is supposed to be and how differently you can go about making it.

Of-course its not possible to change some very basic ingredients but some can be substituted,which might help to reduce the calories,use the ingredients that you already have or even cut down the cost.

In this case,to make it less complicated and of-course healthier,
1)- i used low fat cream cheese rather than mascopone cheese ,
2)-condensed milk instead of heavy cream and eggs.

3) The most important tip is to assemble the sponge fingers dipped in the coffee and coffee liqueur mixture and the custard(cheese+condensed milk+vanilla extract),in layers and keep it for at least few hours so that the flavors can intermingle.

4) To get that finished look just add some coca powder on top..but in my version i had some dark cooking chocolate,so i grated it on top.

My major flaw was that i couldn't get coffee liqueur,and used normal liqueur.So the intensity of coffee flavor was not good enough.Sounds pretty simple right...i am sure this can be pulled off by anyone..so..do give it a try and enjoy!!!!

Food is something, most of us take for granted..I sometimes wonder if there would be anyone who would have tasted all the available varieties of food in the world.It might sound like an Herculean task,but its one of the wishes in my wish list to taste all the different food possible in my life time.

For now, I am satisfied with the recent revelation i had on creating food and the blissfulness that comes with it.The artistic skills involved in the process of creating food is something to be experienced.

I am not a chef nor a food writer..anything related to food is like a hobby to me.I like trying out new recepies and its important that i cook from my heart and that would mean taking my own sweet time,space and enjoying every bit of the planning,execution and of course the self corrections.

Decently healthy,interesting, tasty cooking is what i enjoy and want to inculcate the most. 

My initial inclination was to cook desserts...i noticed that desserts bring an instant smile to anyone's face,and i felt proud to be able to do that.This was my drive to cook more and more desserts and spread sweetness to my family and friends.Later i found a liking towards appetisers..and followed by some main dishes from Indian, Thai ,Italian cuisines.

I started collecting recipes from anywhere possible....the internet,TV,Cookery books,friends and the best part was, i enjoyed collecting them and always added my own twist to it,either because all the ingredients were not available or i was keen to try substitutions and luckily the end result was always good enough.

Initially it never came across to me that i could take pictures of my creations.So, by the time i started taking pictures i left out many of my favorite experiments.Now too, i miss out some of them but still try to capture the precious moments.

It feels good to share my culinary creations...and i am glad i have decided to see if blogging works well with me..who knows..i might be of some help to someone :))