Mushroom Risotto

This dish is a vegetarian delight. Coming from India where there are ever so many choices for the vegetarian palate, this is a veggie must have! The risotto rice has a unique creamy consistency once cooked and also has a wonderful ability to soak up liquids.

Serves 4

850 ml vegetable stock

3 tbsp olive oil

2 large garlic cloves, crushed

400g mushrooms, sliced

40 g butter

4 shallots chopped

250 Risotto rice

2 tbsp white wine

1 tbsp lemon juice

finely grated rind of 1/2 lemon

1 tbsp chopped fresh parsely

1 tbsp chopped fresh coriander

salt and pepper

1. Pour the stock into saucepan and bring to boil. Reduce the heat and simmer. Meanwhile, heat the oil in a large frying pan over a low heat, add garlic and mushrooms and cook, stirring, for 3 minutes. Remove from heat and reserve.
2. Heat the butter in a large saucepan over a medium heat. Add shallots and cook, stirring for 3 minutes. Add rice and cook stirring constantly, for 2 minutes, then pour in wine and lemon juice and stir until liquid is almost absorbed. Add ladeful of the simmering stock and cook, stirring until its absorbed. Keep adding stock ladleful to be absorbed before adding next.
3. When all liquid has been almost absorbed, stir in the mushrooms, lemon rind and salt and pepper to taste. Continue cooking until liquid has been absorbed , then remove from heat and stir in parsley and coriander. Serve immediately.

Happy Cooking!

Carrot Cake

This is a  knock-out winner with everybody and its simply irresistible. It makes most of the natural sweetness of carrots and looks so tempting with a simple icing and walnut decoration. Its a perfect mood lifter for the dull Sunday evening and a must have dish for those midnight kitchen raids :)

This recipe serves 6

Ingredients

Butter for greasing

100 gms self raising flour

Pinch of salt

1 tsp mixed spice

1/2 tsp ground nutmeg

125g soft brown sugar

2 eggs beaten

5 tbsp sunflower oil

125 g carrots grated

1 banana chopped

25 gms chopped and toasted walnuts and almonds

Icing

40 g butter softened

3 tbsp soft cheese

175g icing sugar, sifted

1 tsp orange

grated rind of 1/2 orange

walnut pieces to decorate

1. Preheat the oven to 190 degrees C or 375 degrees F. Grease a 7 inch square or a medium cake tin and line it with baking paper
2. Sift the flour, salt, mixed spice and nutmeg in a bowl.Stir in brown sugar, then eggs and oil.Add the carrots, banana and chopped nuts and mix all of them well.
3. Spoon the mixture into prepared cake tin and level the surface. Transfer the tin to preheated oven and bake for 55 min or until golden & firm to touch. )The cake might feel tender but firms up as it cools down) Remove from oven and let it cool, when cool enough to handle turn the cake onto wire rack and leave to cool completely
4. To make icing, place the butter, cream cheese, icing sugar and orange juice along with the rind and beat it all together until creamy. Spread icing on top of the cold cake and scatter the walnut pieces.

Your cake is ready to be devoured.

Happy cooking!!

Devils food cake

This is Chocolate nemesis. Absolutely sinful and a forget me not cake which you would end up dreaming about in the middle of the night as well. Easy to make but I find for baking using the exact mentioned quantity and bake ware really the essence of a great baked product. This is Nigella's recipe and here is where i found it Devils cake

Ingredients

• 50g/2oz best-quality cocoa powder, sifted
• 100g/4oz dark muscovado sugar
• 250ml/8fl oz boiling water
• 125g/4½oz soft unsalted butter, plus some for greasing
• 150g/5oz caster sugar
• 225g/8oz plain flour
• ½ tsp baking powder
• ½ tsp bicarbonate of soda
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 free-range eggs

For the frosting

• 125ml/4fl oz water
• 30g/1oz dark muscovado sugar
• 175g/6oz unsalted butter, cubed
• 300g/10oz best-quality dark chocolate, finely chopped ( any sweet dark chocolate you prefer)

Recipe

Preheat the oven to 180C/350F/Gas 4. Line the bottoms of two 20cm/8in sandwich tins with baking parchment and butter the sides.

Technique: Greasing and lining cake tins

Put the cocoa and the dark muscovado sugar into a large bowl and pour in the boiling water. Whisk to mix, then set aside.

Cream the butter and caster sugar together in a separate bowl, beating well until pale and fluffy; I find this easiest with a freestanding mixer, but by hand wouldn’t kill you.

Stir the flour, baking powder and bicarbonate of soda together in another bowl and set aside for a moment.

Dribble the vanilla extract into the creamed butter and sugar – mixing all the while – then crack in one egg, quickly followed by a scoop of the flour mixture, then the second egg. Keep mixing after each addition.

Incorporate the rest of the flour mixture little by little, then finally mix and fold in the cocoa mixture, scraping the bowl well with a spatula.

Divide this fabulously chocolatey batter between the two prepared tins and put in the oven for about 30 minutes, or until a cake tester comes out clean. Take the tins out and leave them on a wire rack for 5-10 minutes, then turn the cakes out and set aside to cool. ( The cakes do not come out fluffy as you might expect them)

Technique: Testing to see if a cake is cooked

As soon as the cakes are in the oven, get started on your frosting. Put the water, muscovado sugar and butter into a pan over a low heat until melted.

When this mixture begins to bubble, take the pan off the heat and add the chopped chocolate, swirling the pan so that all the chocolate is hit with heat, then leave for a minute to melt. Once melted, whisk until  smooth and glossy.

Set the frosting aside for about one hour, whisking now and again – when you’re passing the pan – by which time the cakes will be cooled, and ready for the frosting.

Set one of the cooled cakes, with its top side facing downwards, onto a cake stand or plate, and spread with about one-third of the frosting. Top that with the second cake, regular way up, and spread the remaining frosting over the top and sides, swirling away with your spatula. You can go for a smooth look, but I never do and probably couldn’t.

Happy Cooking !

Chocolate Mousse

Delicious, magical, Fabulous, Bodacious!! There's no language in the word to describe this dessert to die for. What a divine bliss to dig into those individual scrumptious mousses. My motivation for this wonderful dessert was the cute ramekin pots I got at a great bargain and have been itching to use them ever since.

Prep time for this recipe 20 min
Cooking time 5 mins
Chilling time 2-4 hours


Ingredients
300 ml Single cream
200gms good quality dark chocolate
2 eggs lightly beaten
2 tbsp sherry/whiskey (optional)


Recipe

1. Heat the cream in a saucepan for about 3-4 minutes until almost boiling
2. Break/chop the chocolate pieces and place in a blender
3. Pour hot cream into the blender and blend together till smooth
4. Pour eggs and blend again till mixed well. Add sherry and give it a final blend
5. Pour into 4 big or 6 small ramekin dished and chill in refrigerator for 2 hours minimum.

Voilà here's your dessert

Happy cooking !

Chilli Con Carne

Yum Yum Yum is the only way to describe this Tex-Mex favourite. It can be served with Tacos, Rice, Salad or even slices of toast.

Ingredients

3 tbsp olive oil

2 Large onions

700gms beef mince or lamb mince 

5 cloves garlic crushed

800g chopped can of tomtoes

2 green peppers sliced

4-5 green chillies

2 tsp ground cumin

1 tinned red kidney beans, 400 gms

1 tsp brown sugar

To serve

125 ml soured cream

4 tbsp cheddar cheese grated (optional)

Recipe

Heat the oil in a casserole or saucepan and fry the meat till it changes color (about 5-7 minutes)

Add onions, garlic and stir for a minute or so before tipping the tomatoes, chopped chillies, peppers and salt.

Cover the pan and simmer for about 25 min, until meat is cooked an liquid is reduced to a thick sauce. If it gets too dry add little water.

Add the cumin, kidney beans ( little bean liquid if you like) and brown sugar. Simmer for further 10 min before serving with rice, a spoonful of sour cream,cheese and coriander leaves as garnish.

Happy Cooking !

Egg fried rice

My mom always says we eat with our Nose, our eyes and then with our tongue. 

This a no fuss gorgeous recipe is a meal in itself and you will definitely engage your nose, eyes and tongue to devour it up.

I don’t have to worry about including greens separately in my meals as this dish makes it up for my 5 five-a-day.

Ingredients

1 Egg

2 Tbsp Vegetable oil

1 garlic clove finely chopped

1 to 1.5 cups long grain rice cooked and left to go cold

100gms Green peas

2 Spring onions chopped

1 tbsp soy sauce

200 gms cooked shredded chicken (Optional)

Pepper and Salt

Recipe

Beat the egg and keep it aside.
In a wok or no stick pan heat the oil, add garlic and let it cook for a minute. Add the beaten egg, mix it lightly till it cooks and add chicken to the wok.
I prefer adding Soy sauce at this stage so all the ingredients are well coated with it. Add the spring onions, green peas & rice to the mix and cook it till they look glazed which should take no more than 10minutes.
Season well with salt and pepper and Voila!!

Happy cooking!

Stuffed Tortillas

A Mexican wrap  like this propels to the top of the list. They are great as snack or a light lunch, fab party food and perfect solution  when you have unexpected guests :)


I discovered this wonderful recipe book "Britain's Favourite Food" which is a compilation of various recipes which are handed down from generations.


Ingredients
2 Red peppers
4 good quality pork or vegetarian sausages or 250 gms cooked shredded chicken
300 gms canned red beans drained, rinsed and drained again
4 large tomato chopped
1 large onion chopped
2 garlic cloves, chopped
1 tbsp lime juice
1 tbsp basil
4 large wheat tortillas or corn tortillas
salt and pepper


To serve
Slices of tomato
Soured cream


Method
1. Preheat pan to a medium. Place the red peppers on the pan and cook for 10 minutes, turning frequently untill blackened and blistered all over. Transfer to a polythene bag and leave for 10 minutes untill cool enough to handle.
2. Brown the sausages/chicken on the pan for 10-12 minutes untill cooked right through. While sausages/chicken are cooking, place kidney beans, tomatoes, onion, garlic, lime juice and basil in a large bowl. Season to taste with salt and pepper and mix well untill combined.

3. When peppers are cool enough to handle, peel off their skins with your fingers. Halve and de-seed, then cut the flesh to small pieces. Add the pepper to kidney bean mixture. About 1 minute before the meat is ready warm the tortillas in a lightly greased non stick frying pan or microwave according to instructions.
4. Remove the sausages from pan and cut to slices. Fill tortillas with sausage slices/chicken pieces, the kidney bean salsa and serve with sour cream


Happy Cooking!