Puds!

Hello there! Its my favorite time of the day. The time for puds! Today we have a very special pudding. Its special because its addictively delicious yet mind-numbingly easy to make. No, marijuana is not an ingredient. But something just as good- drinking chocolate! Chocolate Balls!

Now, take a packet of butter biscuits. Suit your budget- Tiger, Marie, some other expensive ones and dunk them into the grinder. Remember to take off the wrapper. Now grind it into a powder. Chunky or fine, either will do.

Add a few tablespoons of drinking chocolate. Approximately, the biscuit powder should be thrice the chocolate. Remember to use great quality drinking chocolate because this will make or break your dessert (I used Cadbury). And run the grinder for a few seconds to have an even mixture.

Put the powder mixture into a mixing bowl. Taste at this time to see if it is chocolaty enough. Add more drinking chocolate if required.

Add some (more like lots) melted butter. And make balls. Roll the balls in sprinkles if you like.

Voila!

Mash and Cheese Pie

Serves 4

This is a lovely recipe which I learnt in England. It uses leftover mashed potatoes with some fresh ingredients to create this delight. Its fairly simple and you can modify it per your own taste. This is my version of it.

6 largish potatoes

a fat chunk of butter :)

4-5 tablespoons milk

salt to taste

2 cups of mixed veggies ( carrots, French beans, mushrooms, peas, corns...whatever takes your fancy)

1/2- 1 cup grated cheddar cheese (can use mozzarella if in dire straits)

a tablespoon of seasoning- use whatever is handy- basil/oregano/thyme/parsley or a mix

• Preheat the oven at 180 degrees.
• Boil and peel the potatoes.
• Simultaneously boil the veggies. Make sure they're not too soft. Crunchy is good.
• Mash the potatoes. Add softened butter, milk and salt.
• Mix, mix and mix. Mash is done
• Add the seasoning to boiled veggies.
• Take a baking tin. Put the mash in and level it.
• Layer veggies on top of the mash.
• And finally put the cheese on top.
• Bake till cheese melts.

The pie is great when served with toasted bread and baked beans.

You can make some alterations to it. Here is a list of things you can try

• Mix the veggies in the mash instead of creating separate layers.
• Omit the veggies. It tastes great but may not be the last word on health.
• Use paneer with or instead of the veggies.
• Add a bit of chili, either in the mash or the cheese.
• Make the seasonings indian- try cumin powder or a pinch of garam masala.
• Cook the veggies in red sauce before you add them
• Add a layer of bread crumbs somewhere.
• The possibilities are endless. Experiment!

Satvic Burritos

Hello everybody! Today was my last day of Ayurveda Cooking Course. And we had a cooking competition. We had to make any dish prepared with ayurvedic methods and keep it satvic. So I made these burritos with red beans and Pico de Gallo. Guess who won the competition! :) So here is the prize winning recipe for all of you.

You will need:

For Pico de Gallo

½ cup fresh coriander

2 large tomatoes, chopped

1 tsp garlic, minced

1 green chili

Juice of ½ a lemon

Salt

For the Beans

I cup red beans, soaked overnight

1 cup tomato puree, made by steamed tomatoes

Oregano

Salt

For the tortillas

1 cup Whole wheat flour

½ tsp Chili flakes

½ tsp Oregano

Water

You will have to:

1. Take all the ingredients of Pico de Gallo and put them in a mixer. Mix till it becomes thick, chunky paste. Check the taste. If it is too sour you can add a bit of crushed jaggery.

2. Take your soaked beans and add salt. Steam till cooked. Add tomato puree, salt and oregano and run in the mixer for a few seconds, just to have the beans and puree mixed well.

3. Take the flour. Add chili flakes and oregano. Add water and make dough. Now, make balls of the dough the size of balls of chappatis. Roll out the balls as thin as possible and prick it with a fork to prevent inflation while heating. Cook them like chapatti.

4. To serve,take the tortilla. Put a layer of Pico de Gallo. Add the beans. Roll the tortilla. Put a toothpick to secure it into place.

The recipe ensures satva as it is steamed and not pressure cooked or fried. Also you may have noticed we have used NO oil at all.

Ayurvedic Cooking

Today is my Day 4 at the Ayurvedic Cooking Course. The name being a misnomer, for cooking is only the tip of the iceberg. The workshop is about cooking, eating, thinking – basically living the Ayurveda way.

But, for me this course was actually about being amazed. Firstly, at the recklessness and disregard we show for our bodies. Next, at our absolute ignorance or neglect of fundamental principles of healthy living and eating. Then I was amazed in a good way when I witnessed the most hideous (my personal prejudice against pumpkin, okra etc) being transformed into the most delectable of dishes. The wafting concoction of flavors and aromas has never been so sensuous before. And yes, at the most unconventional, the most healthy and by the mysterious ways of God the most easy methods of preparation and cooking.

At the level of learning, the course illuminates the basic principles of Ayurveda so as to enable out of (good) shape people like me to become healthy.

Hung Curd Sandwiches

One of my favorite fillings for a sandwich is hung curd. I always feel I don’t use it frequently enough. So here are a few ideas for using hung curd as a sandwich spread.

Ground Work
The basic thing to do in any of these recipes is to hang some curd. So, take a muslin cloth (a handkerchief, mom’s dupatta all work just fine) and put the curd into it. Now tie up your cloth and hand it up. Please put a bowl beneath the hanging curd so you can collect the whey and use it later on. Ideally, the curd should hang about for 12 hours but anything after 4 hours suffices. In very hot summers, the curd may become a little sour as well due to not being refrigerated, so you may need to add little bit of powdered sugar to suit your taste. Click here to see Bawa’s photo by photo version of hanging curds.

The Hungarian Sandwich
This one I have altered from Nigella Lawson’s recipe. Take your hung curd. Add equal amounts of cream (malai does the job) and grated paneer. Take a slice of some nice whole grain bread. Put a thick layer of the spread. Now spread a layer of any flavored jam you like. Try cherry, strawberry and blueberry. Put another slice of the bread, cut in half and enjoy!

Easy Teasy Sandwich
Divide your hung curd into two parts. In one part add mint chutney. In the other add tomato ketchup and jeera powder. Layer the two spreads on two slices of bread. Add a third slice to complete the sandwich. You can try interesting shapes like the pinwheel with this.

The Veggie Filler
Mix some grated carrot into your hung curd. Spread this on one slice of nice sandwich bread. Put a leaf of lettuce. Add slices of tomatoes and cucumbers. Add some slices of olives (for that matter any other veggie) if you like. Sprinkle some salt and pepper. Add the second slice of bread.

Honey Chunks Sandwich
Take the hung curd. Add a little honey, chopped walnuts, grated orange rind and salt and pepper. Spread on a slice of bread and munch. You can use this one as a dip as well.

NACHOS AND SALSA

Hello, everyone. I took a Mexican cooking class a few weeks back and the lady taught us very nice nachos and salsa, besides other things. So, I tried the recipe a few days back. It came out very well. The nachos which could last for 10 days in an air-tight jar were gone within two. So, I am sharing this recipe with all of you. Hopefully, my teacher will never read this, she might just dies of shock to see that I have posted her prized recipes on the net for free.

YOU WILL NEED
For the nachos
1 ½ cup Maize Flour ( Makki ka Atta)

1 cup wheat flour (Atta)

3 tsp oil

¾ tsp salt

1 tsp chilly flakes

1 tsp oregano



For the Salsa
3 tomatoes chopped finely

1 freshly chopped green chili

1 spring onion chopped finely

2-3 tbsp fresh coriander

2 tbsp tomato ketchup

1 tbsp chili sauce

Juice of 1-2 lemons

Salt and pepper



YOU WILL HAVE TO
1. Make the dough for the nachos using all the ingredients and water.

Make small balls of the dough (approximately the size of the ball for a chappati). Roll out the balls into thin circles (the size of chappatis) and prick with a fork.
2. Cook on both sides on a non stick pan. Don’t cook it properly. Make sure it is a little raw.
3. Cut these circles into halves. Cut the halves further into halves. And now cut these quarters into 3 pieces. They should be all triangles like pizza slices.
4. Deep fry them and spread on paper napkins. Store in air tight containers.
5. For the salsa, mix everything together. Adjust ingredients according to your taste.


TIPS
1. For a low fat version, brush the triangles with olive oil and bake them instead of frying.
2. If using red onions, soak them in water for 10 minutes and squeeze them to take out the pungent flavor.
3. Add capsicum to the salsa for a slightly different flavor
4. Replace mangoes with tomatoes for an entirely different flavor

PIZZA FOR ONE

May 12

A healthy, yummy treat for one person.

You will need:
1 whole wheat pizza base

4 tablespoons melted butter/ olive oil

4 tablespoons tomato pizza sauce, heaped

1 tomato, seeds removed and chopped

1/2 capsicum, chopped

1/4 cup paneer, diced

2 tablespoons corn

1/2 cup grated mozzrella cheese




You will have to:

1. Butter the whole base with 3 spoons of butter/ oil.

2. Spread the pizza sauce over the base leave a thin margin along the circumfrence.

3. Heap cheese on the pizza sauce.

4. Arrange your veggies on the cheese.

5. Sprinkle a little butter and some more cheese.


6. Put it in the oven/ grill/ microwave and bake till the the cheese melts and becomes golden brown. I think it takes about 15 mins in the last 2.

7. Take it out (Be careful! Its hot) . Add oregano/chili flakes or nothing. Cut into slices if you like.

COMMENTS

JiviteshMay 17 1:24 AM
(http://lookinfordeath.spaces.live.com/)
Yummy...
and the pizza tastes very good too



(no name)May 12 11:55 PM
(http://cid-86f9e47e2a1607ca.spaces.live.com/)
I have eaten that pizza and it reaaaaaaly is very tasty , dont know if its the recipe or the cook, i like to think its the cook though