Guacomole-To pea or not to Pea?!!

Avocado and all things good for the classic guacamole

While the world and it's cousins are going bonkers over the 'guacamole gate' thanks to President Obama refusing to entertain any 'peas' in his guacamole, I thought its a good time to taste avocados in all their glory with a few recipes including my version of the 'classic guacamole'.
Avacados are still quite a novelty in India considering its foreign origins. They are expensive, almost 2 dollars for a 100gms but still I pick them up from the fancy super markets coz I think they are absolutely delicious.
Nutritionally speaking, it is rich in healthy fats, most of which is made up of oleic acid. This monounsaturated fatty acid is also found in olive oil and is believed to help reduce inflammation in the body and lower your risk for certain cancers.

So here we go with my recipe of

Classic Guacomole

I agree with President Obama on saying NO to peas to this supremely delicious dip which is served with Nachos and other crisps.

Ingredients:

the classic Guacomole

• 1 medium ripe avocado
• 1 crushed jalapeno or
• 1 tbsp of red bell pepper
• 1 tomato 
• 1/2 a white onion
• ½ cup fresh coriander (roughly chopped)
• ¼ tablespoon of freshly squeezed lemon or lime juice
• seasoning

How to make it?
Scoop out the avacado and add to the bowl full of the other nicely diced fresh ingredients. Add the lemon juice and adjust salt as per taste. voila!!! I love this Guacomole with Nachos. U can choose some healthier options as well.

Avocado Sandwich spread

the Avocado spread on toasted multi grain bread

This is the simplest and the healthiest one can get.  Simply scoop out a ripe avocado and add ingredients of your choice. May be some chives, cilantro, mint, a dash of lemon or balsamic vinegar and salt & pepper for seasoning. mix everything together until it all turns into a smooth spread. now Spread over a good quality multi grain wheat bread and your healthy breakfast or pre-work out snack is ready :-)

Hot tip:
You can add bacon and some sour cream and spread the same on a toasted bagel as well. Salmon is a great option too. I also enjoy this green gooey spread in wheat wraps with grilled chicken and fresh veggies :-)

So Peas or not, I recommend you add some avocado to your life! Hail! 'Guacamole gate'
Luv, Anu

Holi Khao!!

Holi kab hai? Kab hai holi?  Gabbar may keep asking this question for centuries to come but we know that this festival of colors and sparkle is just round the corner. While much deliberation is happening on the clothes one is going to wear to the society holi party, some effort should be made to have fun at home with food that is specially made during this festival that adds more color and joy to life.

Take a look at the Holi ki daawat menu:

THANDAI

This festive drink is a balanced yet amazing combination of various aromas coming from its ingredients of rose petals, melon seeds, nuts and of course the saffron. Famous for its taste and fragrance in North and Central India, Thandai, when served chilled, has a magical impact on you. Rose and saffron calm the senses while the nuts and spices keep you full so you have enough energy to play Holi all day long. Here’s how you make it.

Ingredients:

Blanched and peeled almonds- half a cup

Blanched and peeled and finely chopped Pistachios- 30

Cashews- half a cup

Black peppercorns (kaali miri)-10

Dried rose petals- Half a cup or Rose syrup-1.5 tbsp

Fennel seeds (saunf)- 1.5 tbsp

Poppy seeds (khuskhus)- half a cup

Melon seeds (magaj)- ¾ cup

Green cardamom seeds-3 tsp

Sugar- 1 cup

A few strands of saffron

A litre and a half of milk.

Drinking water to make paste

Method:

Grind all the ingredients other than milk, sugar and saffron in a food processor with some drinking water. Store this paste in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Combine the milk and sugar and bring to a boil. Cool and put in the refrigerator for 2 hours. To serve, put 2-3 tbsp of the thandai paste in a glass and top with chilled milk garnished with pistachios and saffron strands.

Hot tip: you can always add the popular intoxicant bhang to this drink to have some more fun on Holi!

GUJIYA

While many of us make the traditional puran poli on Holi, there is one more mithayi stuffed with the goodness of mawa and nuts that everyone looks forward to on this colourful day and that is Gujiya. You can make tonnes in advance and store them to relish on holi and days later. It tastes best when you make it in ghee.

Ingredients:

½ kg maida

5-6 tbsp of melted ghee

For the filling:

500gms mawa/ khoya (evaporated milk)

A pinch of cardamom powder

25gms each of chopped almonds, raisins, desiccated coconut

400gms of sugar

Method:

Sieve the flour and add ghee to it. Now with light finger strokes rub the maida and ghee together so that the mixture looks like breadcrumbs. Now add some water to it and knead very lightly till such time that you get a soft yet tight dough. Cover and keep aside.

Now mash the mawa and fry it in a saucepan until it changes color to light brown. Now add sugar, almonds, cashews, coconut, raisins and cardamom powder to it and mix well. Fry for a couple of minutes and let the mixture cool until it reaches room temperature.

Divide the dough into small balls and roll in about 5 inches diameter. Fill half the circle with the stuffing and cover with the other half. You have to now twist the edges inwards or seal the gujiya with a few strong pinches on the edges. Prepare all the gujiyas like this.

Heat up the ghee and fry them until golden brown.

Hot tip: you can also use gujiya moulds in order to make the perfect shape. I use them for convenience and of course the uniformity. Just brush the moulds with oil before anything else.

 

BHANG KE PAKORE

Holi per Bhang ki baat na ho? Not possible. When everyone enjoys Bhang on this festival why shy away from making a special snack out it that everyone enjoys? Vegetable fritters made out of chickpea flour (besan) and a really small amount of Bhang that can be a lot of fun J

Ingredients:

250gms each of Besan, potatoes, cauliflower, onions, spinach and aubergine

10gms of bhang seed powder

A pinch of Soda bicarb

5gms of ajwain (carom seeds)

5 gms of amchoor (dry mango powder)

Salt to taste

Oil for deep frying

Method:

Mix together all the dry ingredients and add enough water to make a medium consistency batter. Now dip all the veggies in this batter and coat them completely. Deep fry them until golden brown. Serve hot with khajoor aur imli ki chutney

With that I hope you have many friends and family over to your house on this special festival that adds a lot more warmth and color to your life. Holi Mubarak!!!

Cook thy love story- Valentine's day cook up for HER

Women loooove cheese and chocolate! Imagine how nice it would be if you present her great food with a compliment like, 'sweetheart you always ask me if you're looking fat and I have always said no! That is the reason why I am asking you to indulge only for a day'! trust me, She would be glowing with all that love! and then comes the grand cheese entree!

Grilled cheese with honey and walnut

Menu for your Lady: 


Grilled Camembert cheese with honey, walnuts and rosemary

This one is fairly simple. Buy good quality camembert cheese in a box. Now preheat the oven to 200 degree C.  Get rid of any plastic cover and put the cheese back in its box but dont put the lid on. poke the cheese on top at several places with a knife and insert pieces of rosemary and thyme into the slits. Drizzle on some olive oil and bake for about 8-10 minutes until such time that the cheese has melted at the centre.
Now in a saucepan heat up some honey and break some walnuts and sunflower seeds in it. heat until the mixture starts thickening more. drizzle on the melted Camembert and serve on wood platter. She would simply love it with a fruity white wine. bring it on!

Chocolate fondue fruit dip

Chocolate Fruit dip


Now this one is a sure shot aphrodisiac! with all the chocolate, strawberries and raspberries life's gonna get more lovey dovey and exotic. Here is all that you need:

A cup of heavy cream that needs to be whipped until peaks are formed. In another bowl whip up a packet or 8oz of cream cheese, 1/4th cup powdered sugar and a spoon of vanilla extract (not essence) until the mixture is shiny and smooth. Now gently fold in the whipped cream and adjust the sugar as per taste. Chill in the refrigerator for about 15 minutes. Cut some juicy strawberries, bananas and kiwi fruit and enjoy the aphrodisiac fruit with the heavenly chocolate dip.

With that, I hope you have a wonderful day full of exciting, colorful, sparkling love and joy! After all food's love..! Happy Valentine's Day.  

Cook thy love story- Valentine's day cook up for HIM

Love is in the air! While the world and its cousins..err partners is going to be at various party and food haunts, you may choose to make your partner feel really special by cooking something romantically wonderful for him & her.

Menu for your man:
Men love junk..absolutely...truly..madly! And what do you do the whole year? stop him from eating it. So, this valentine's day show some love. Make him some lovely belgian fries doused with cheese sauce for starters and a bacon wrapped chicken for the mains and let the magic unveil.

Fat Potato Fries
Aloo kisse nahi pasand! but when fried its lethal in calories and of course in TASTE. Here's how you are going to make it.

Thick potato fries with cheesy dip

Take the best quality potatoes and cut them into a centimeter thick pieces.  now simply take a ziplock pouch and shove the potatoes along with a spoonful of all purpose flour, salt, pepper and dried herbs. now shuffle the fries around so that they get coated nice and good. you can throw in a bit of garlic powder & chilli flakes as well.
Now deep fry the fries in vegetable oil for 3-4 minutes until they become golden brown.

Cheesy dip
Now there are n number of cheeses you can choose from to make the cheese sauce. if you like it sharp then use a sharp cheddar and then you can use a soft brie to make a more silky sauce.
In a saucepan put together 1/4 cup milk and 4 tsp of flour; bring it to a boil on medium heat while stirring constantly with a whisk. Now let it simmer for a couple of minutes until it thickens. Remove the saucepan from heat and stir in 1/3rd cup of grated cheddar. At this point removing from heat bit is very important otherwise the sauce may curdle. Lastly, season with pepper.

For the action!!
Make the dip before hand so u can drizzle it all over the fries when they come fresh out of the oil. serve in a basket lined with colorful hearts printed paper tissues!!! ooooo... cheesy!

Bacon wrapped chicken
Now what better love pairing than that of bacon and chicken. Imagine the look on his face when you loveingly present it on a plate...err..or.. get imaginative!! hahah!

Bacon wrapped chicken!

Take 4 chicken breasts and flatten them with a rolling pin to 1/2 inch thickness. To a 250 gms tub of cream cheese add chives or any seasoning of your choice and spread the same on each of the chicken breasts. Dot with a bit of butter and seasoning and roll up. now wrap each of the chicken roll with bacon strips. 
Now on a medium heat skillet put the chicken rolls seam side down and shallow fry until the bacon is crisp and the chicken is cooked. It should not take more than 2-3 minutes one side.

Serve with mustard mayo- to a jar of mayo add 3 tbsps of english mustard and a pinch of sugar and pepper. it serves as a brilliant combo with bacon and chicken!!

Now, for the boys there is another edition of the menu specially designed for the ladies. After all a good impression always lasts much more than just a day or a NIGHT :-))

Have a rocking Valentine's day!

Beetroot and goat's cheese salad

Two years ago when I visited France, especially the reviera, there was goat's cheese galore! Everywhere us three gals went 'chèvre chaud' (hot goat's cheese) followed :)
Honestly, at the end of our ten days I was quite sick of it. However now the sight of this unique smelling cheese and we all go crazy pouncing on it. Here I am sharing one of my most cherished and fun to make salad recipe that would see u through many a continental dinners.
Beetroot and chèvre salad
Ingredients

pic courtesy: http://www.taste.com.au

1 bunch of arugula leaves
2 peeled and cut beetroot
Fistful brown sugar
250gms of goat's cheese
150gms of boiled black lentils
100gms of baby tomatoes halved
A few basil leaves
For the dressing:
3tbsp of extra virgin olive oil
1 and a 1/2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
Salt and pepper to taste

Method:
Boil the beetroot along with a cinnamon stick, star anise and a fistful brown sugar until the beetroot becomes soft and fragrant. Now on the bed of fresh arugula leaves, put the beetroot, halved tomatoes And boiled lentils. Lastly crumble the goats's cheese on top and then throw in some basil leaves. For the dressing, mix together olive oil and balsamic vinegar and seasoning. Drizzle on the salad. Let it seep in for 10 mins until the leaves soften a bit and then bit into this heavenly salad. Enjoy a piece of France on your plate :) Bon appetit!!

The invaluable Golden syrup

pic source: bbc.co.uk; golden syrup

There are a few ingredients in most of the dessert recipes that are simply gorgeous! Golden syrup is one such ingredient. You can use it on top of pancakes, as the special ingredient to cakes and puddings or just to dunk donuts in. While I truly believe its not worth the effort to make it at home, it certainly is a lot cheaper and a whole lot better when you take the effort to cook up this liquid gold. One of the patrons, Pinky Mistry happened to ask me for the same on mail, so I thought might as well share the good deed with everyone.. hahaha!

I took my recipe from Tod's kitchen, and although I buy one usually, this recipe worked brilliantly as an at home experiment for golden syrup. Here goes:

In a saucepan put in a 100gms of sugar and add 2 tbsp of water to it. put on heat. now keep stirring so that the sugar dissolves well and then start caramelising slowly and steadily. once the mixture reaches a dark golden color add 300 ml of BOILING water to it. Now stir around to loosen up the caramel so it takes to the boling water well. Now add 1/2 kilo of sugar to the pan and stir. that's it, now all that you need to do is to let this simmer for about 35-40 min. once done, the consistency of this mixture would still be liquidy. seive it into a sterilised bottle. let it cool for an hour or so. After an hour, this liquid should have turned into a honey like consistency. Which is when your golden syrup is ready :). You can store it for months at end in a cool dry place.

Will soon share the recipes in which it is the core ingredient. For now, as I said, enjoy the liquid gold'. 

Happy Foodie year to you- part 1

Baked mushrooms with ricotta & pesto

Something Stylish is in order for the new year bash you are throwing tonight. All you need to do is to NOT slave over the stove but bring a few shop bought ingredients together and impress your guests with this yummy starter!

You need to buy:
2 packets of button mushrooms
1 bottle extra virgin olive oil
250g tub of ricotta cheese (or any other crumbly cheese of your choice)
1 bottle of green basil pesto

pic courtesy-italianfoodforever.com

Ingredients:
5 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
2 packets of button mushrooms
250g tub of ricotta cheese (or any other crumbly cheese of your choice)
2 tbsp green basil pesto
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
2 tbsp freshly grated Parmesan
2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley or coriander to serve

 

 

Method:

Now preheat the oven at 180 degree Celsius. Take a large ovenproof dish in which u can fit in all the mushrooms (minus the stems) in one layer. grease it with a spoonful of oil.
Core the mushrooms from the stems.
Mix the ricotta, pesto and garlic and fill the mushrooms till they are more than full up.
Just sprinkle over some parmesan and thrown in a bit of extra virgin oilve oil.
bake for about 20 minutes until the cheese is golden in color and mushrooms have cooked through. Serve with sprinkling of parsley leaves on top. Hot or at room temperature is just fine!

love, Anu