Italian Homemade Quick Sundae

I was in a good mood today as my country had entered the World Cup Cricket Finals!! So that called for some sweet treat for the taste buds. So I quickly hopped into the kitchen and got the ice-cream out of the freezer. And then I thought...no...wait...let me make it more luxurious and rich but how?? And then I remembered about this great homemade quick Sundae.

This is an Italian Homemade Quick Sundae, which is super duper easy to make, when someone's coming home to dine at your place. You can surprise them with this sumptuous dessert which you can boast of making it all by yourself. Pure Indulgence!!

Ingredients:

• any store bought ice-cream (preferably vanilla)
• 150 ml double cream
• 2 tsp instant coffee (nescafe/kenco)
• 80 ml boiling water
• 350 gm dark/milk chocolate chips
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 200 ml whipping cream
• 2 tsp sugar

Method:

1. Pour the boiling water into the coffee. Stir and keep aside.
2. In a saucepan, heat the double cream with the above made coffee in a medium heat.
3. Add the chocolate chips to the saucepan and let it melt fully. Stir till the sauce is smooth. Switch off the heat. Keep aside.
4. In a bowl, beat the whipping cream, sugar and vanilla extract with hand or with an electric whisker till soft peaks form.

At the time of your dessert, take an ice-cream bowl and put 3 scoops of your choice of ice-cream. Pour the chocolate sauce over it and then put 2 scoops of the whipped cream over it. Drizzle the chocolate sauce over it again. And there you go.....A LUXURIOUS TREAT is ready to be served!!

PS: The chocolate sauce can be preserved in the refrigerator for 1-2 weeks for future use.

Kashmiri Dam Oluv (Dum Aloo)

As I was planning on my Indian menus, I suddenly thought, why not compile some of the most famous delicacies of all the 28 states of India. Another reason to do this is, I want to showcase the different cuisine's of India to the outside world. When I go to any Indian restaurant here in the UK, I just feel sad that half of the menu is not even Indian and all the gravy tastes the same. It just makes a false impression on our great Indian cuisines. Just a small effort to change the world's view towards Indian dining!!

Today's recipe comes straight from the "Paradise" on Earth. Kashmir, is the northern most state of India & the most beautiful amoung all the 28 states. Kashmiri cuisine is equally the most celebrated cuisine of India. "Dum Aloo" is one of the many rich dishes of Kashmiri cuisine. The Baby potatoes are first deep fried in mustard oil, then cooked slowly at a low flame in a yoghurt based gravy with Indian spices. Check it out!!

Ingredients:

• 15 Baby Potatoes
• 1 Medium Onion (sliced)
• 1/4 tbsp Red Chilli Powder
• 1/2 tbsp and 1/2 tsp Ginger-Garlic Paste
• 200 gm Thick set Natural Curd
• 1/2 tbsp Coriander Seeds
• 1/2 tbsp Cumin Seeds
• 1/2 tbsp Poppy Seeds (Khus Khus)
• 3 Cloves
• 3 Cardomoms
• 1 cup Mustard Oil
• Food Colouring (Red, Optional)

Method:

1. Pour some water in a saucepan and boil the potatoes. Take out the potatoes when its just done and doesn't go mashy. Peel the potatoes and prick them here and there with a fork.
2. Heat the mustard oil in a kadai and wait till smoking hot, so that the pungent nature of the oil is reduced and the taste is improved. Put the pricked potatoes in the oil and saute till the potatoes turn golden on all sides. You can always deep fry the potatoes fully immersed in oil but it will be all the more fatty. Remove them when done. Retain the oil.
3. In a bowl, mix 100 gm curd, red chilli powder, 1/2 tbsp ginger-garlic paste, salt and keep aside.
4. In a small pan, heat 1 tsp of the retained mustard oil and roast the coriander seeds, cumin seeds, poppy seeds, cloves and cardamoms. Cool it.
5. Meanwhile, in a kadai, heat 1 tsp of mustard oil and fry the onions until they turn light brown. Add 1/2 tsp ginger-garlic paste to it and fry the onions for another minute. Blend the onions with the roasted spices into a fine paste.
6. In the same kadai, heat the left over mustard oil and put the onion paste on low flame and stir it frequently. After a minute, pour in the previously kept curd mixture to it and cook on a slow fire for 4-5 minutes. Now put the golden potatoes into the gravy, cover with a tight lid and cook for 5-6 minutes.
7. If the gravy has lessened while cooking, you can add the remaining 100 gm curd with 2 tbsp of water into the gravy. Cook for another 10 min uncovered. Add the food colouring if you want as there is no tomato used for that natural redness.
8. Time to serve the Dum aloo with some phulkas.

PS: The gravy in the above pictures looks dark in colour because of the red food colouring. If you don't have or want to use the colouring, its OK!!

- Dum aloo's real taste comes only when cooked in mustard oil so try using the same.

- Authentic recipe suggests deep frying without first boiling the potatoes. I however boiled it first so that the potatoes absorb less oil while frying.

Raita

"Raita" is a Hindi word, meaning a condiment to go with any main dish. Its very popular amoung the North Indians as it is a part of their daily meal. Raita is also popular in South India but mainly served with spiced variety rice like a Biriyani. Raita is a yoghurt based dish, which includes various combinations of fresh herbs, salad vegetables and mild spices to top it. Raita helps to reduce the extra hotness from the spicy Indian dishes and mellows the effect down.

This recipe is the most simplest form of Raita. You can modify it by adding cucumber, carrots and tomatoes to it. But I like it having the simple way. :)

Ingredients:

• 500 ml thick set natural yoghurt
• 50 ml water
• 1 medium onion (finely chopped)
• 3 green chillies (finely chopped)
• 1/2 cup coriander leaves (finely chopped)
• salt to taste
• 1/2 tsp cumin powder

Method:

1. Pour in the yoghurt in a bowl with water and stir well till the mixture is smooth.
2. Now put the chopped onion, green chillies, coriander leaves and salt to your taste. Mix well.
3. Sprinkle the cumin powder on top of the Raitha. Serve cold with any type of Biriyani or variety rice.

Prawn Biriyani

We all know that "BIRIYANI" is a gastronomical delight and is the most relished rice variety of India. Biriyani, is usually cooked with a choice of meat, vegetables or seafood where the rice is flavoured with a blend of aromatic Indian spices and is accompanied with a yoghurt relish or the Indian popular salad called the "Raitha".

The recipe of a seafood/Prawn Biriyani is slightly different from the other usual meat or vegetable Biriyani. I have tried many ways of making a Biriyani but this one just stands alone from the rest.So if you are in a mood to try out a delicious mouth watering Biriyani this season, try this one for sure. Trust me, you will love it!! :)

Ingredients:

• 2 cups basmati rice (or long grained rice, washed)
• 500 gm small prawns (shells peeled, cleaned, deveined)
• 1 medium potato (cubed, optional)
• 1 medium onion (chopped)
• 1 big tomato (chopped)
• 1 & 1/2 tbsp ginger-garlic paste
• 2 cinnamon sticks
• 8 cloves
• 2 bay leaves
• 5 cardamoms
• 10 black peppercorns
• 1/2 cup coconut milk
• 2 tbsp oil

Dry Spices:

• 1 tsp turmeric powder
• 2 tsp red chilli powder
• 1 tbsp cumin powder
• 1 tbsp coriander powder
• 2 tsp garam masala

Wet Paste:

• 1/2 cup coriander leaves
• 1/2 cup mint leaves
• 2 green chillies
• 2 tbsp poppy seeds (khus khus)

Garnishing:

• 1 cup fried onions
• 2 tbsp coriander leaves
• 2 tbsp milk
• a pinch of saffron

Method:

1. Boil water, filled more than half in a saucepan and add little salt to it.Add the washed rice along with 1 cinnamon stick, 4 cloves, 1 bay leaf and 2 cardamoms to the boiling water and cook exactly for 8 min. The rice will be half cooked at this stage. Strain the rice and spread it on a large flat plate so that the rice won't stick together. Keep aside.
2. Heat oil in a large, heavy bottomed vessel and put the remaining bay leaf, cardamoms, cloves and cinnamon stick in it. Now put in the chopped onions and stir for a minute. Now add the ginger-garlic paste and stir again till the raw smell goes.
3. Add in the chopped tomatoes and stir for 3-4 min on low flame. Now add all the dry spices, peppercorns and mix well. Add salt to taste. Add the potatoes at this point and cover the vessel with a lid and let the potatoes cook on a medium heat for 5-6 min. You can add 2 tbsp of water to help the potatoes to cook fast.
4. When the potatoes are half cooked, add the prawns to it and cook for 2 min. Then add the wet mint-coriander paste to the gravy and saute everything for 3 more minutes.
5. Finally pour the coconut milk into the gravy and let everything cook in low heat until the gravy is in the process of thickening.
6. Take out 2 tbsp of the coconut milk gravy from the vessel and keep aside. Keeping the heat low, add in the half cooked rice over the gravy and close it with a tight lid. The bottom layer of the vessel will have the thickened prawn gravy and the top layer will have the rice.Let the rice cook fully cook in its steam for 6-7 minutes. Do not stir the rice and gravy at this stage. A non stick vessel will help u avoid the gravy sticking to the bottom.
7. While the rice and the gravy is cooking, warm the milk in a microwave and put the saffron in it. Open the lid of the vessel and pour the saffron milk, over the rice.
8. Now sprinkle some fried onions over the rice. With a tea spoon, gently spread the reserved gravy over the rice. Switch off the gas.
9. When you are ready for your meal, gently mix the rice with the gravy without spoiling the rice. Each rice should be seen separately. Your Prawn Biriyani is now ready to serve hot with a classic Indian Raitha.

PS:- One can use jumbo tiger prawns in their biriyani instead of small ones. I use the small ones because, they once mixed in rice, you get at least 2 prawns every mouthful. :)

- Cooking the "rice" is the most crucial part in making any biriyani. Always, put the rice in boiling water and strain it as soon as u feel its 50% cooked (approx 8-10 min). You will feel like keeping the rice for little more while but DON'T DO IT. If you keep a little more longer, the rice will be sticky and it will no longer look like a biriyani.

- You can use biriyani masala instead of the dry spices.

- Garnishing is up to you. I usually avoid dry fruits in a prawn biriyani, unlike vegetable or chicken biriyani.

Cretan Potato and Egg Salad (Greek)

Love and Calories present to you some healthy eating options as well. I thought of including some quick to make dishes, which anybody can prepare, in no time and will be a "less oil, no fry" task too. My first recipe will be a "Cretan Potato & Egg Salad". Sounds posh isn't it?? :) Well, I believe that more complicated or sophisticated the name of a recipe, the more easier it is to be prepared. You will know why.....:)

The two main ingredients of this Greek Summer salad are the Cretan potatoes and hard boiled eggs. Potatoes grown in Crete (a sunny coastal region in Greece) has a warmer flavour to it, which makes this salad more flavourful. Now we can't go to Greece to get those potatoes but we definitely can use the normal ones for this salad. Because potatoes will be always delicious, wherever it is grown..Right?? ;)

Ingredients:

• 4 medium sized potatoes (cut to medium cubes, do not peel the skin)
• 3 eggs (hard boiled)
• 1 big red onion (chopped)
• 2 medium tomatoes (sliced)
• 10-12 olives
• olive oil (for drizzling)
• red wine vinegar (you can substitute with ordinary vinegar or lime juice)
• salt and pepper

Method:

1. Boil the cubed potatoes (without peeling the skin) in a saucepan immersed in salty water. Hard boil the eggs for 20 minutes simultaneously in another burner.
2. Let the potatoes and eggs cool down and then peel the potato skin and egg shells. Slice the eggs.
3. Season both eggs and potatoes with salt and pepper and then sprinkle them with vinegar.
4. Add chopped tomatoes and sliced onions to it and season again with salt and pepper accordingly. Make sure its not too salty.
5. Drizzle generously some olive oil to the salad. Now put the olives at the end to the salad.
6. Perfect Greek Salad is ready to serve. This is quite a filling meal for those who are on a diet. :)

Bread and Butter Pudding

I have decided to slowly come out of my comfort zone and try out some dessert recipes (A fear comes when it comes to making desserts, specially the International ones), as desserts are the most delicate treat that rounds off your meal in a great way. But I thought, without trying, one can never expertise in any field. So here goes my first dessert recipe, which I thought was the easiest yet delicate. To boost me up, my husband (Arun) helped me in my preparations and he did almost half the job. You will know why if you see the simple steps of this recipe. ;) So there's a little spread of love too in this recipe! :)

"Bread and Butter Pudding" is an age old traditional dessert of England, where layers of buttered bread are arranged in a pie dish and raisins/sultanas & nutmeg powder are sprinkled over it, finally poured with an egg & milk mixture and then baked in oven. This pudding can be served with a separate bowl of custard or can be eaten as it is as it will be anyway moist.

Ingredients:

• 8 slices of bread
• butter (For generously spreading on the bread & greasing your baking dish)
• 2 tsp cinnamon powder
• 1 tsp nutmeg Powder
• 2 Eggs
• 350 ml Milk
• 3/4 cup of caster sugar
• 50 ml double cream
• 50 gm Sultanas (or raisins)

Method:

1. Slice off the crusts of the bread and spread each slice with on one side butter. (Like how we normally spread for our sandwiches). Now cut each slice into triangles.
2. Grease your baking tray with some butter and arrange the triangular slices (buttered side up) into a layer, in the tray.
3. Now sprinkle on some cinnamon powder, some sugar and sultanas onto the arranged bread and if you want, layer it with more slices, sprinkle more cinnamon and sultanas until you have finished with all your bread.
4. In a saucepan, warm the milk and cream together on a low heat. Do not let it boil. In a separate bowl, break the eggs, add the sugar and whisk lightly.
5. Add the milk into the whisked eggs and stir gently. Now strain this custard to remove all lumps and granules and gently pour it over the arranged layers of bread.
6. Sprinkle some nutmeg on top of the custard and 1 tsp of sugar and leave it to stand for 30 min.
7. Preheat your oven to 180° Celsius/gas 4. Place your Baking dish in oven and bake the pudding for 30 min or until the pudding is set and the top is golden.

• 
  

• Tip:- One of my aunt (Usha) suggested that, in case one has not got any oven at home, they can toast the bread slightly with butter and then pour some hot milk (sugar dissolved in it) and microwave it for 10 min.

• - Few of us won' like these kind of puddings, cos its just bread, butter, milk and its gooey inside

• - In this recipe, you will see I have put only one layer of bread slices, you can increase it to 2 or 3 layers if you like. Also can add more custard for that gooey texture.

• - Its up to you as how much sugar you want to add to your each & every dessert as its "your" tooth which has to be sweetly satisfied. :)

Punjabi Palak Kadhi

As a South Indian, its very natural to have an extra liking towards North Indian food. I specially like the punjabi ghar ka khana (the punjabi daily diet), be it dal chawal, rajma chawal, choley poori or Kadhi chawal!! yummy yum!! So today, I will be sharing the recipe of "Palak Kadhi"!! This recipe is given by my dear friend Chetna Kalra who was here with me in the UK and we both had an amazing time together.

"Kadhi" is a spicy yoghurt based gravy blended with gram flour (chick pea flour) and small vegetable fritters (pakoras) dipped in it. Kadhi is made in both western Indian as well as north Indian cuisine. This recipe is a Punjabi version and it includes spinach. Spinach, in a kadhi is completely optional, but its just so yum if you add it. Just try it out! :)

Ingredients:

• 500 ml thick set natural yoghurt - (not sour)
• 500 ml water
• 1 & 1/2 tbsp gram flour (Besan)
• 1 tsp turmeric powder
• 250 gm or a bunch of spinach (washed and finely chopped)
• 10 fenugreek seeds
• 1 medium onion (finely sliced)
• 1 inch ginger (finely chopped)
• 2 cloves of garlic (finely chopped)
• 1 tsp chopped onion
• 1 tbsp oil
• Salt to taste

Tempering:-

• a pinch of heeng (asafoetida)
• 1 tsp kasuri methi (dried fenugreek leaves)
• 1/2 tsp red chilli flakes (crush the dried red chilli)

Method:

1. Pour the yoghurt in a big bowl and mix well till no lumps exist. Now add water into the curd and continue stirring till smooth. The water should be of equal measure to that of the yoghurt.
2. Now mix the gram flour into the yoghurt and stir well with a spoon and make sure all the lumps are removed and the flour has fully blended into the yoghurt. Keep aside.
3. Heat the oil in a thick deep bottomed vessel & put the finely sliced onions. Add in the fenugreek seeds and after a min, throw in the chopped spinach into it. Stir well. Add salt and turmeric at this stage. The spinach will shrink automatically after 3-4 minutes.
4. When you think that the spinach is more than half cooked, pour in the Yoghurt-Gram flour mixture into it and cook on medium flame until the raw smell of the curd goes. The gravy will start boiling, then when you know its cooked.
5. While the gravy cooks, you crush the chopped ginger, garlic and the chopped onion with a pestle and put it into the gravy for that extra flavour. Stir continuously and can switch the heat off when you think its done.

Pakoda Ingredients:

• 3/4 cup of Gram flour
• 3 green chillies (finely chopped)
• 1 tsp coriander seeds
• Handful of chopped coriander leaves
• a pinch of Baking powder (optional)
• Oil for deep frying
• salt to taste

Method:

1. In a bowl put the above ingredients (except oil) and mix everything together with the help of little water until it becomes a thick paste.
2. Heat the oil in a kadai for deep frying the pakodas.
3. Take a spoon and drop in the mixture into the oil. Take the pakoras out of the oil when it becomes golden brown on all sides.

• Put the pakoras into the kadhi just half an hour before your meal, cos if the pakodas remain in the gravy for a long time, it will soak up all the liquid.
• Temper the kadhi with a pinch of heeng, kasuri methi and red chilli flakes in the end.
• Serve the kadhi with jeera rice and a green chilli to bite on....ssssssss.....DELICIOUS!!

No Oil Pudina (Mint) Chicken

Come weekend, and there's non vegetarian cooking in my kitchen. And if it is a sunny day, daffodils blossoming in the lawn, a cricket match on the television and hubby dear relaxing with a beer or two, then there's definitely some non vegetarian cooking in my kitchen. :) :). So I have brought to you this weekend, another mother's signature dish ...PUDINA CHICKEN!!

Pudina (Mint) Chicken is very special in many ways. It is a dry dish with absolutely no gravy, no onions, no OIL, no water whatsoever. That's right....Love and Calories does sometimes bring you a calorie less meal too. ;) This dish is great to serve with chapathis and rice and also served as an appetizer!! So bring on your plate and let me serve you Pudina Chicken. :)

Marinade:

• A bunch of Mint leaves (approx 40 gm chopped)
• 1 tbsp ginger - garlic paste
• 1 big cinnamon stick
• 5-6 cloves
• 3-4 cardamoms
• 10 black peppercorns
• 4 green chillies
• 1 tsp cumin seeds
• 2 tbsp vinegar
• salt to taste

1. Blend the above ingredients into a fine paste. Do not add water to it. If u need more liquid to make a paste, then add more vinegar.
2. Rub the paste onto a 1/2 kg diced boneless chicken (can opt "with bone" too). Marinade it for a minimum of 1 hour.
3. Heat a heavy bottom non stick kadai and topple your marinaded chicken in it and cover with a lid. Let it cook in medium heat. Do not pour water or oil in the kadai during the cooking process. Taste the chicken at this point and add salt accordingly.
4. Stir the chicken every 10 min so that it doesn't stick to the bottom. It won't happen if you are using a non stick vessel. The juices in the chicken will make it cook by itself.
5. Wait till all the water in the chicken evaporates and the chicken has cooked fully. Stir constantly if you want your chicken to be light golden on the outside. Switch off the heat.
6. Serve on as your starters or as a side course meal. :)

PS:- Indian poultry meat are quite tender and if cooked for long (especially like these dry dishes), the chicken pieces shreds automatically. Its all the more tasty then. Whenever I make Pudina Chicken in India, it resembles the Kerala Jackfruit dish (idichakka poduthuval) :)

Fusilli with Garlic, Mint and Cream

I was home alone yesterday & I did not know what to cook for dinner just for me. So I went to the kitchen, opened the fridge & found double cream (whose expiry was about to get over & I had to use it before that), few herbs & few other vegetables (which I did not want to touch). Then I went to my pasta cupboard (Yes...I keep all kinds of Pasta just to prove myself, how much I love Italian ;).

So I picked up "Fusilli", which is a long, thick, corkscrew shaped pasta & ended up making a quicky 15 min Italian dinner and relished alone....:)

Ingredients:

• 300 gm Fusilli (or any other pasta you like)
• 2-3 cloves of Garlic (finely chopped)
• 150 ml of double cream
• 1 tbsp fresh mint (finely chopped)
• 2 tsp of parmesan cheese (grated)
• 1 tsp of extra virgin olive oil
• salt and pepper for seasoning

Optional:-

• 1 carrot (julienne slices/thin strips)
• handful of beans (tips chopped)

Method:

1. Bring water to boil in a saucepan & add the fusilli & let it cook for 8-10 min. Add some salt and a bit of oil into the water. If you want, put the carrots & beans too in the boiling water with the pasta.
2. Drain the cooked pasta. If you have put the carrots & beans, pick alone the boiled beans and keep it separately.
3. In a saucepan, pour the EV oil & roast the chopped garlic for a minute. Then tip the pasta into it & pour the cream, mint leaves & toss everything together.
4. Season the pasta with salt & pepper and sprinkle on some parmesan cheese. Serve hot & with the boiled beans on the side.

Alternative Method:

• 140 gm of Ricotta cheese

1. Beat the ricotta, roasted garlic, cream & chopped mint together in a bowl until smooth. Then pour the cheese mixture to the cooked pasta and toss together.

Urulai Chettinad

For all the potato lovers, here's another lovely aaloo dish. "Urulai Chettinad" is a great south Indian side dish which compliments well with rotis and rice. "Urulai" means potato and "Chettinad" is a district in Tamilnadu. Chettinad cuisine is very famous for its use of varied ground spices in its dishes. Both vegetarian and non-vegetarian dishes in this cuisine are very hot, pungent and super delicious.

Ingredients:

• 500 gms baby potatoes (peeled and halved)
• 20 shallots (pearl onions, peeled)
• 4 dried chillies
• 2 tbsp urad dal (split black gram)
• 10 black peppercorns
• 4 tbsp oil
• 1 tsp mustard seeds
• 15-20 curry leaves
• salt to taste

Method:

1. Dry roast the red chillies, urad dal and the peppercorns. Let it cool and then powder it coarsely. Do not add water while pounding.
2. Heat oil in a kadai and add the mustard seeds. When it splutters, add the curry leaves, shallots and saute till browned. (The shallots must be put whole).
3. Now put the potatoes and salt. Cover and cook till the potatoes are almost done. Do not add water at any stage.
4. Now add the ground powder to the potatoes and mix well. Cook again for 3 minutes till the potatoes are fully cooked and coated well with the powder.
5. Thats it.....your quicky side dish is done. :) Better to serve hot.

PS: - Some baby potatoes are too big to cut into half, in that case cut it into 3 or 4 cubes.

- Do not go by the measurements shown in the picture of the ingredients...it is only a pictorial representation of the ingredients used.

- You can substitute the baby potatoes and shallots with the big potatoes and onions, but authentic recipe suggests you use the former ones.

Vegetable Jalfrezi

I often feel that my vegetarian friends have much lesser options than the non-vegetarians, when comes to having exotic, different and delicious recipes. So I thought of another quick veggie option which is very popular in most of the restaurants and i.e "Vegetable Jalfrezi". It is an easy to make, delightfully quick vegetable mix in a tomato gravy.

Ingredients:

• 120 gm beans
• 120 gm cabbage
• 120 gm capsicum
• 120 gm carrots
• 1/2 of the whole cauliflower
• 4 tbsp cooking oil
• 1 tsp cumin seeds
• 2 tsp chopped ginger
• 1/2 tsp pepper powder
• 120 gm potato (cut into thick strips like french fries)
• 2 whole red chillies
• 4 tbsp tomato puree (I use the tomato ketchup for tanginess)
• 1 tbsp Vinegar
• 1 tbsp coriander leaves (for garnishing)
• salt to taste

Method:

1. Wash and chop all the vegetables, except potatoes.
2. Heat oil in a heavy bottom pan. Add the cumin & whole red chillies and saute.
3. Add all the vegetables, salt, pepper & ginger. Mix well. Cover with lid & cook on slow flame till almost tender. Do not add water and let it cook within its steam. Stir often
4. Add tomato puree & the vinegar. Cook till done. Garnish it with coriander leaves and serve with rotis or any fried rice.

PS:- Add the tomato puree & vinegar only after the vegetables are fully tender. If you put it before hand then the vegetables won't cook and will be half done. I use only 4 tbsp of tomato puree as I don't like more of tomato gravy in my plate. If you want more gravy, add more puree and vinegar accordingly. :)

Cafe Latte

Am a great fan of coffee and my daily diet includes an evening cup of coffee for sure. I like to experiment with my coffee by making it differently to get that "cafe joint" coffee experience.One of my favourite pick at the cafe joints is the Cafe latte. "Latte" in Italian means "Milk". And I love my coffee with milk. So the method to prepare that "Costa equivalent" Cafe Latte goes like this:

Serves 1

Ingredients:

• 2 tsp strong coffee
• 1/2 cup milk
• milk whisker / mixer
• 1 & 1/2 tsp Sugar (its up to you, how much you usually take)

Method:

1. Brew the coffee (if you have a coffee maker, nothing like it to make an espresso). Fill less than a half of your large cup with the espresso. (I don' t have one so I dissolve the instant coffee powder in less than half cup of boiling water).
2. Pour half a cup of milk in a bowl and heat it in your microwave or gas. Don't let the milk boil.
3. Whisk the hot milk with a milk whisker or whip it in a mixer until frothy.
4. Add the frothy milk into your espresso coffee (already made) without ruining the foam.Stir your latte under the foam with milk whisker (if you have) or with spoon. Add sugar according to your need.
5. It's done, now drink it. :) :)

Chinese Chilli Chicken with Noodles

Ninhao!! Now who doesn't love Chinese cuisine! Its the all time favourite and the most popular oriental cuisine in the world. And its so easy to cook too. A few sauces handy and there you go! Relatives / friends popping up at your place all of a sudden???.....Just cook them some chinese....They will just admire your cooking all the way! Try on the this chilli chicken recipe, which I got from a dear friend of mine, Amritha Roy! Thank you Amritha! :)

Chilli Chicken

For Marinade

• 1/2 Kilo Boneless Chicken
• 1 tbsp Tomato Ketchup
• 1 tbsp Soy Sauce
• 1 tbsp Chilli Sauce
• 1 tbsp Ginger-Garlic paste
• 1 tsp Black pepper
• 1/2 cup Cornflour (For coating) & 1 tsp for gravy thickening
• 1 Egg
• Oil for shallow fry
• Salt to taste

1) Marinade the chicken with the above ingredients except for cornflour,egg and the oil. Marinade it for at least an hour. Heat a shallow non stick fry pan and pour little oil.

2) While the oil is getting hot, beat the egg with 1 tsp of water in a bowl. Put the cornflour in another bowl. Dip each of the marinaded chicken pieces into the egg first and then the cornflour and then shallow fry it in the oil. 4 min each side. Keep aside the fried chicken while you make the gravy.

For the Gravy:

Ingredients:

• 1 Big Onion (slice lengthwise)
• 1 Capsicum (slice lengthwise)
• 3 Spring onions (chopped with the leaves. optional)
• 4 Green chillies (slice lengthwise)
• 1 tbsp Tomato ketchup
• 1 tbsp Soy Sauce
• 1 tbsp Chilli Sauce
• 2 cloves of Garlic (finely chopped)
• 1 tbsp Sesame Oil (can use any other oil but if you are cooking chinese..nothing like Sesame oil)
• 1 tbsp Cornflour
• a pinch of ajinomoto (MSG) optional

1) Heat a wok, add sesame oil. Then put the onion, capsicum, spring onions, green chillies and garlic. Stir well for 5 min.

2) Now add the tomato ketchup, chilli sauce and soy sauce. Stir well for 2 min.

3) In a small bowl, mix the cornflour with 1 tbsp of warm water. Pour the cornflour into the wok and stir for another 2-3 min. Now keep aside few pieces of chicken for the noodles and put the rest to the gravy. Mix well and add a pinch of ajinomoto if you have at home. Let the chicken simmer away for 5 more minutes. Switch it off.

Noodles

Ingredients:

• 2 blocks of Fine Egg Noodles (cooked as per instructions in the packet)
• 3 Spring onions (finely chopped)
• fried chicken pieces from the above chilli chicken (shredded by hand)
• 1 tbsp Sesame Oil (you can use olive oil or any other oil if you like)

1. In a wok, pour the sesame oil and put the spring onions and the shredded chicken and toss for 2 min.
2. Now put the cooked noodles into the wok and toss nicely. If you want can drizzle generously some Extra Virgin Olive oil.

And your Noodles and Chilli Chicken Chinese Ishtyle is ready!