mango chocolate cake for hubby's bday !!

Just after we were back from Swiss holiday up next was hubby's bday and I have been wracking my brains thinking what cake to bake for him......

Had to be something special with hubby's favourite flavours too...so after much deliberation I decided to try a combination of mango and chocolate ..and yes it was a hit  !!!

For the chocolate base I decided to keep it safe with my tried and tested recipe of chocolate cake  and a mango mousse to top it with...and to make it  more beautiful I made a heart shaped mango mirror using my cookie cutter.

 Ingredients 

For chocolate cake

My ultimate chocolate cake recipe

For mango mousse
1 cup Mango puree
1 cup Whipping cream
2 sheets Gelatin
3tbsp Sugar(or depending on your taste )
3 tbsp water for dissolving gelatin 

For mango mirror
1/4 cup Mango puree
1 sheet gelatin
1 tbsp sugar
 1 tbsp  Water
1 tbsp water for dissolving gelatin 

Method

Allow the cake to cool completely and then slice it into two.

Whip the cream to stiff peaks along with sugar and then fold the puree in. Soak the gelatin sheets in cold water for five minutes.Squeeze and strain it and then mix and  melt it on a low flame in lukewarm water. Do not boil.You just need to dissolve  the gelatin  in the water completely.Allow it to cool a bit  and then  fold it into the mango mixture.Using a knife apply some mousse on a cake slice and place the second slice on it.Now gently cover the entire cake with the mousse and leave it in fridge for 7-8 hours .

After 8 hours the mousse will be set and then you can decorate it as you want.I used dairymilk chocolate fingers for the sides  and then made a heart shaped  mango mirror .

For mango mirror 

Take Mango puree and mix it with water.Add gelatin  treating it the same way you did earlier for mango mousse.I placed a  greased cutter in the center of the cake and poured this mixture on it(Make the sure the mixture has cooled down).Allow it to sit for one hour and then carefully take out the cookie cutter.

The cake is ready to surprise your loved ones !!!!

Enjoy !!!

 

i 'm back with hot and spicy tofu fry

Well I have been missing in action for quite some time ....it was my  holiday to Switzerland which was keeping me busy !!!A dream vacation to the most beautiful place..truly heaven on earth!!!Everything and everyplace there was picture perfect that we just could not stop clicking pics...so much so that our camera has close to 1000 pictures ....!!!

Here is a one for my blog friends !!!

Coming back to food ...as you know that I have been experimenting with tofu for sometime ...here is another version of  tofu which can be served as an appetizer as well as a side dish .

This dish tastes very similar to Hakka chilli paneer. I lately had this in an Indian restaurant here in London called Roti Chai .If you are looking for authentic Indian street food you must go there..Will be sharing the reviews very soon !!!

But for now here' s the recipe for hot and spicy tofu fry !!!It does takes tofu to a new level and I bet you'll start relishing tofu from now on....as it is not the same bland tofu anymore !!!

Ingredients

150 gm Tofu (cubed)
1/4 cup cubed bell pepper
1 large onion (cubed)
1 small carrot (chopped)
2 spring onions (chopped)
2 tsp ginger garlic and green chilli  paste 
1 tbsp soya sauce
1 tsp tomato paste  ketchup

1/3 tsp sugar

1 tbsp cornflour + 3tbsp water 
Salt to taste
Black pepper 
Oil 

Marinade:
3 tbsp flour
2 tbsp corn flour / corn starch
1 tsp freshly ground pepper
1 tsp minced garlic
A pinch of salt
Water 

Method 

 Make a thick paste with the ingredients for marinade. Marinate  the tofu  pieces for about 10 minutes. 

Add  oil in a pan and shallow fry the tofu pieces, turning them over when the cooked sides are brown.

In the same pan, add chopped onions, green chillies, carrot and capsicum. Cook until the onions turn transparent for 2-3 mins.  Next, turn the flame to high and add soya sauce, green chilli  ginger garlic paste, sugar and tomato sauce. Stir-fry  until well blended and turn the flame to medium-low.  Add the fried tofu cubes and the cornflour-water paste. Taste and adjust salt. Stir and cook for another 3-4 mins until the sauce comes around and thickens due to the cornflour. 

Serve hot with noodles or rice  and say yes to healthy TOFU !!!!

 

baked vegetables with oaty goodness

Baked vegetables has always been our favourite ...but its something which we eat once in a while owing to the amount of fat which goes in the form of white sauce.....the other day  I came across this wonderful  recipe  which has the goodness of oats and tastes great too!!!

Its is also a great way to  finish off leftover veggies..I had some cauliflower lying  but  didn't want to eat gobhi aloo or gobhi paratha... had some broccoli but  didn't want to have stir fry or soup... had some carrots which were off late usually eaten raw as salad... had some corn in the freezer which was untouched for a while ...so just chopped and mixed everything in this oats based white sauce and had a hearty meal.

So here 's how you can try this healthy and delicious dish . !!


Ingredients

1/2 cup oats(powdered)
2 tbsp olive oil
1 cup milk
2 cups mixed vegetables (cauliflower,broccoli,carrots,corn )
1/2 onion chopped
1/2 tsp pepper
1/4 tsp oregano
1/4 tsp dried basil
1/4 tsp chopped garlic
1/4 tsp chilli flakes
Pinch of nutmeg powder
2 tsp grated cheddar cheese
Salt to taste

Method 

Take oil in a pan.Add chopped onions and garlic and cook till they soften.Add chopped veggies.Add salt and pepper and cook till the veggies are tender but firm .
In a pan add olive oil.Add oats and roast till it gives a nutty aroma.Add milk and keep stirring to avoid lumps.Add nutmeg powder,salt ,pepper,oregano and basil.When the sauce thickens add 1 tsp cheese.Add veggies and transfer it to a baking dish .Sprinkle 1 tsp grated cheese and bake it at 180 C for 15-20 minutes.
Serve warm with bread or chapatis .

 The best thing is that you would  not notice any difference in taste due to oats and olive oil...simply yumm!!!

Sending this to
I love baking by Tickling Palates 

orange and chocolate chip muffins

Well you know about my love for muffins.. See here !!!

The best thing about baking muffins is that it requires minimal time and efforts.....seriously these muffins were ready to eat in 30 minutes!!!This refreshing orange muffin was on my to-do-list for quite sometime but my love for oranges could hardly spare one or two  for this recipe :P :P....so this time I managed to save a few for these muffins ... added a  few chocolate chips too...which complimented really well!!!

 Talking about oranges here are some interesting facts :

• After chocolate and vanilla, orange is the world's favorite flavor.
• You will have to eat 7 cups of cornflakes to get the same amount to fiber you would get from one medium orange!
• If you plant a single seed from an orange you will probably get more than one plant growing from it.

So why not include oranges in our daily diet....here's one way to enjoy it !!!

Ingredients

1 3/4 cups  All purpose Flour
1 Orange (quartered and seeds removed)
1/2 cup Orange juice
1tsp Baking soda
1 tsp Baking powder
1/2 cup Butter
1 Egg
3/4 cup Sugar
2 tbsp chocolate chips

Picture taken at Barcelona in 2011

Method

• Preheat oven to 200C.
• Put orange quarters in food processor (or blender) along with orange juice and process or blend until pureed.
• Add egg and butter to food processor and combine,pour into large bowl.
• Combine dry ingredients together in a separate bowl, then add all at once to orange mixture.
• Fill muffin cups and Bake in preheated oven for 20 minutes; remove from oven and let stand in tin for 5 minutes before removing muffins.
  
  So go ahead and try these  refreshing,delicate,soft and moist muffins !!!

Sending it to Kid 's Delight -Fruits by Srivalli hosted by Nupur 

I love Baking by Tickling Palates 

Bake Fest by Zesty Palate hosted by Sumee's Culinary Bites

lunchbox special :corn and bean sandwich

Sometimes some of the most unplanned and quick experiments in kitchen turn out great!!!

The other day I made rajma and kept aside some boiled beans for snacking.

Next morning I cooked up this easy and quick corn and bean sandwich for hubby..an hour later I got an SMS  from hubby that the sandwich was yummm!!!

Wow!!!My experiment was a success again !!!

Ingredients

 2 Bread slices
 1 tbsp Kidney beans (boiled)
1 tsp Corn kernels (cooked or frozen)
1 tsp Cheese
1 Tomato(finely chopped)
1/4 tsp Oregano
1/4 tsp Basil
Salt and pepper  to taste
Pinch of Red chilli
Butter and Oil for cooking

Method

Take olive oil in a pan.Add garlic and cook till it releases flavour.Add chopped tomatoes and cook adding little water.Add salt,basil,oregano,black pepper and red chilli .When the tomatoes are cooked add boiled kidney beans and corn  and mix.Now take bread slice.Top it with this mixture.Sprinkle some grated cheese.Cover it with the second slice and toast it on a pan applying butter on both sides.Cut into two and serve.

These sandwiches are great for breakfast and  perfect for lunchbox and picnics !!!

Notes :

You can even used left over rajma .First cook till the gravy dries and mix with corn and herbs.

Cheese is optional but it does adds taste 

You can  even add other veggies like mushrooms or paneer.

Sending it to the following Blog events


Love Lock Series -Legumes by Zesty Palette 

Lunchbox Ideas by Cuisine Delights 

Lets make sandwiches by Simply food 

Divya's Showcase

SUPER HEALTHY BROCCOLI SOUP

Before I could start enjoying the onset of spring,temperature dropped again...and yes it rained too!!!So it gave me a reason to try out this Broccoli soup which was the best version of broccoli I had so far.Wow..finally I can enjoy broccoli without forcing it on !!!

Broccoli is called the miracle food coz of its innumerable health benefits and nutrition properties... So try this  wonderful soup and say YES to  broccoli !!

Ingredients

1 small Onion
1 small potato
1 Broccoli(225gms)
1 tsp oil
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1 tbsp cheddar cheese
1/4 tsp sugar 
Salt and pepper to taste
3 cups Water

Method

Chop the potato and onion and fry gently in the oil.Add garlic powder.Trim the broccoli and cut the stems into 1/2 inch slices. Add the stems to the onion and potato mixture. Fry for 5 minutes and season.

Reserve half the broccoli florets and add the remainder into the potato mixture, adding the water. Simmer for 15 minutes until the vegetables are soft.Add the remaining broccoli florets and the sugar, cook for one minute.Let it cool down and blend.Add water if needed to reach the desired consistency.Now pour the soup into a pan.Sprinkle on the grated cheddar, stirring and turning with a ladle until the cheese is melted .

Go ahead  and cook  up this deliciously healthy  soup perfect for lunch or evenings !!!

egg parantha -a new version

Egg is something which you will always find in my fridge...Its a magic ingredient... it yields a ready meal in minutes anytime of the day....you want a breakfast break an egg and enjoy an omlette...you want a speedy lunch have scrambled eggs ...you are back after a tiring day and want a quick dinner ...make egg curry or egg bhurji...it has endless options...and here comes one more...EGG PARANTHA..!!

I came across this very unique recipe of egg parantha and it was a real treat !!

Ingredients 

2 cups wholewheat flour
4 eggs
1/2 tsp ajwain
1 tbsp coriander (chopped)
1 green chilli(chopped finely)
Salt to taste
Red chilli pwd

Method 

Take flour in a bowl.Add salt,ajwain,coriander and green chillies.Break one egg and mix it and knead the  dough adding water .Rest it for 15 minutes.In another bowl break the remaining eggs and beat well.

Divide the dough into equal balls.Take a ball and roll in into a round chapati.Cook it on a pan.Now apply the beaten egg on the chapati.Sprinkle coriander ,salt and red chilli.Start folding it from three sides so as to make a triangle.Flip it and add oil.Enjoy hot with ketchup or chutney ...!!

Till we meet next HAPPY COOKING !!!

healthy snacking with lauki muthiya

That piece of lauki sitting  in my fridge was literally staring at me and shouting EAT ME !!!!!

Yes  it was overshadowed by tofu,paneer,chicken and babycorn .

But finally I gave it a look and transformed into a tempting yet healthy snack-lauki muthiya !!!

Muthi” means fist in Hindi, and the dish is named such because the mixture is shaped into cylindrical rolls using the fist.Its a very famous  Gujarati dish and the great thing about this recipe is that you can add just about anything in it. Leftover  spinach, Methi leaves, potatoes, corn..all work well in this recipe.

Ingredients

1 cup Bottle gourd / Lauki (grated)

1/4 cup whole wheat flour

1/2 cup semolina

1/4 cup besan

1 tsp ginger chilli paste

1/4 tsp turmeric

1/4 tsp cumin

1/4 tsp fennel(saunf)

1/2 tsp lemon juice

1/2 tsp sugar

2 tbsp coriander chopped

pinch of soda bicarb

1/4 tsp asafoetida
Salt to taste
1 tsp Oil

For tempering 

1/2 tsp Mustard seeds

1/2 tsp Sesame seeds

6-8 Curry leaves

Method

Squeeze out excess water form the bottle gourd and keep it aside.Combine the bottle gourd,whole wheat flour,besan,semolina ,ginger green chilli paste ,turmeric powder,cumin,saunf,sugar,lemon juice,coriander,soda bicarb,asafoetida,salt and 1 tsp of oil in a bowl.Mix well and knead into a dough.

Apply oil in your hands and shape the dough into little cylindrical rolls.Steam for about 30-35 minutes till they are cooked.Let it cool and cut into slices.Prepare a tempering of mustard seeds,cury leaves and sesame seeds.Add the steamed muthiyas.Saute on a medium flame for 2-3 minutes till they turn light brown and crisp.

Serve hot and enjoy !!!
Till we meet next Happy cooking !!!

Sending this for the following BLOG EVENTS

Hot & Spicy Treats - March (Theme -Festive Food) by FOOD CORNER 

Summer Spirits by Tomato Blues 

Let's Cook Greens by Tickling Palates

Gimme Green by Chef Al Dente

Serve it Stir fried by Krithi's Kitchen