Love and Calories!!

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: Pour the boiling water into the coffee. Stir and keep aside. In a saucepan, heat the double cream with the above made coffee in a medium heat. Add the c

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

"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: Pour in the yoghurt in a bowl with water and stir well till the mixture is smooth. Now put the chopped onion, green chillies, coriander leaves and salt to

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 pepper

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 mediu

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

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 Blend the above ingredients

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: Bring water to boil in a saucepan & add the fusilli

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: Dry roast the red chillies, urad dal and the peppercorns. Let it cool and then powder it coarsely. Do not add water while pounding. 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). Now put the potatoes and salt. Cove

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: Wash and chop all the vegetables, except potatoes. Heat oil in a heavy bottom pan. Add the cumin & whole red chillies and saute. Add all the vegetables, salt, pepper & ginger. Mix well. Cover with lid & cook on slow flame till alm

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: 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). Pour half a cup of milk in a bowl and heat it in your microwave or gas. Don't let the milk boil. Whisk the hot milk with a milk whisker or whip it in a mixer u

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

On a Weekend, when you get up around 10 or 11 in the morning, and your husband takes his favourite couch to watch what's in the idiot box....he humbly asks you....Darling! Whats for breakfast? You just go mad entering to the same old kitchen not deciding what to make? Well...The above situation arises every weekend at my place. And I go for the same old quick toasts and omelette. Now you all must be thinking, whats so special about the ordinary omelette recipe? We all know how to make that!! Friends, I will just add an "Extra Cheesy" to that ordinary recipe. This is a "Souffle Cheese Omellette" recipe. Same old omelette made with a slight variation. "Souffle" in French means "to puff up" and cheese means "Calories"... :) Well, one wouldn't mind adding some C into their diet during weekends. We can carry forward those to Mondays...Can't we?? ;) Its Eggilicious!! Serves: 2 Ingredients: 4 Eggs 1 tbsp Grated Parmesan Cheese (Opt

Mother's recipe it is....Well, all our mothers are great cooks and there's one signature dish every mother has which the kids love and relish to the core. My mother makes the best lamb and vegetable cutlets in the whole wide world. So here I go with my mom's finger licking vegetable cutlets. Its not deep frying, so don't worry about it. We will be using boiled veggies and very little oil for shallow frying. HAPPY??? :0 Ingredients: 2 Big Potatoes (Boiled and peeled) 2 Carrots (finely chopped) 6 -7 Beans (finely chopped) 1 cup peas 1/2 beetroot (finely chopped, optional) 1 Capsicum (finely chopped) 1/2 tsp red chilli powder 1/2 tsp turmeric powder 1 cinnamon stick 3 cloves 1 tsp Garam masala powder 1 onion (finely chopped) 3 green chillies (finely chopped) 1 tbsp ginger-garlic paste 1/2 tsp Amchur (Mango powder)- (optional) Bread Crumbs - for coating 2 Eggs or 1 cup Maida (Maida is for the hard core vegetarians) 1 Cup oil (for shallow fryin