CHEESY PAPDI

Here is a fusion Snacks for the street food chaat lovers as well as pizza lovers !!!
This CHEEZY PAPDI has best of both the worlds !!!

INGREDIENTS: 

• Papdi
• chopped onions
• chopped capsicum
• boiled and chopped/mashed potato
• pizza sauce
• mozzarella cheese
• sev bhujia (for garnishing)

 

STEP 1 : Pre heat the oven for 2 mins.

STEP 2 : Mix the potato, chopped onion and capsicum for topping.

               Note : * Add no extra salt as the papdi and pizza sauce contain salt 

                          * Oregano seasoning can be added for extra Italian flavour 

STEP 3 : Spread some pizza sauce on the papdi pieces.

STEP 4 : Thin slices of mozzarella cheese are spread on the papdi and are topped with little more                       sauce.

               NOTE : The thin slices of cheese can be cut into circular pieces to cover the papdi                                             completely

STEP 5 : Put the topping prepared earlier in step 2, on the papdis.

STEP 6 : Add some grated cheese onto the prepared cheesy papdi before baking.

STEP 7: Bake the papdi for 5 to 7 minutes ( Until the TOP layer of GRATED CHEESE Melts).

Caution : Do not burn the crust.

STEP 8 : Once out of the oven , Garnish with sev bhujiya and SERVE !!!

TIPS : If you don't have the patience to bake or don't have an oven , DO NOT WORRY !

            Just follow the above mentioned steps, from 2 to 6  and instead of Baking next; just                             MICROWAVE. 

            Cook in the Microwave for just 2 to 3 Mins  until the top layer of grated cheese melts.

            Grnish the cheezy papdi with sev bhujia and they are good to serve.

Enjoy !!! Do leave the comments below.

DIY CRYSTAL TWIN EARRING

Dear Readers,

"CUT and Paste" is the new crafts  section which I have added to my blog.
 Here, I shall post some amazing "artsy crafty" creations with their easy hacks.

DIY "CRYSTAL TWIN" EARRINGS

Things Required : 

STEP 1: JOIN

 

STEP 2: QUILL /ROLL/ SHAPE

STEP 3: PASTE

STEP 4: CUT

STEP 5: PAINT AND DRY

STEP 6: QUILL AND FIX 

               

STEP 7: PAINT

STEP 8: PASTE

STEP 9: READY TO WEAR!! 

DIET SPECIAL 2 - "FAT FAST Scotch Egg"

Fat fast scotch egg

This is the 2nd part of my Diet special posts.

COMING SOON... 

DIET SPECIAL 1 - "DIET DAL"

The SLIMMING POTION my mom made

All my earlier posts have been on dishes which caress and pamper the dessert cravings . From lassi to 1 minute mug cakes, all have proven to fulfil the sweet cravings.

However, before I bring to you, my post on different flavours' basket of  1 minute mug cakes, I thought of doing a DIET special post, inspired by my Mother.

My mother has been insisting on eating healthy and diet food for so long . But I had a notion that Healthy diet food is congruent to tasteless food ; until my mom took up the challenge of preparing a dish (I call it the slimming potion) which would be tasty, easy to prepare But devoid of even a single drop of oil.
She fulfilled her task with brilliance and created a protein rich "diet dal" without oil, yet retaining the flavor and taste.

Here, I share with you, her recipe of The Slimming Potion which would be a delight for diet freaks and would be a vital part of the diet routine followed by people trying to lose weight or struggling to maintain the perfect figure.Now, dieting does not necessarily have to mean traumatizing oneself with bland, tasteless food

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 cup green gram lentils (khada moong dal)
• 1 big onion chopped
• 2 medium tomatoes chopped
• 1/4th teaspoon turmeric powder 
• Salt (To taste)
• 1 green chilly chopped
• 2 cups Water
• Coriander leaves for garnish

RECIPE:

• Soak lentils (dal) for 2 hours at least. 
• Heat the pressure cooker well. (Caution: DO NOT Burn)
• Add onions in the hot pressure cooker and saute until you get the aroma of cooked onions (It won't take much long as the cooker was hot ) Note: Don't wait onions to change color to brown
• Add tomatoes and chilly
• Add soaked dal
• Now, add the spices, turmeric powder and salt to taste.
• Add water 
• Now close the lid of the pressure cooker and let it cook.
• After 1 whistle, cook for 10 to 15 minutes more on simmer
• Once cooked, garnish with coriander leaves and serve hot 

NOTE:

• Protein rich diet helps in losing weight fast and effectively. It is a vital part of many diet plans. Hence, it is very helpful for people on diet . Especially vegetarians

TIPS:

• Use non stick utensils for easier cooking
• Lemon juice can be added to the dal before serving.

Enjoy the diet!!!

INSTANT ,MICROWAVE EGGLESS MUG CAKE

EVERYONE HAS HEARD OF 2-Minutes NOODLES BUT HAVE YOU HEARD ABOUT 2- minutes CAKE!!!

Have you ever had the late night cravings for cakes and felt helpless and sad due to the absence of the dessert !!!

Its time to say goodbye to such gloom, It is here to fulfill all your cravings...

MUG CAKES are here to save us !!! 

It's a miracle; it's a solution to several of our usual problems 

It is EASY TO BAKE; comes together almost instantly . It takes only 2 minutes to cook (I know it is unbelievable that we can bake a CAKE in just 2 minutes!!)

It is baked in the MICROWAVE; No oven required 

It is made just in a MUG; no extra utensils, trays or tools are required

There is NO problem of dealing with the LEFTOVERS  as it is perfect for one!

Also, The recipe I am about to share with you are all EGG LESS ; Now even the people who don't have egg can indulge in the mug cake.  

The idea of Mug Cakes was amazing.. And I have not stopped experimenting with it ,ever since I have heard about them.

Here is a hack for making perfect ,delicious and moist Mug Cakes.  

INGREDIENTS:

• 2 tablespoons of Melted Butter /  1 and 1/2 tablespoons of oil
• 3 tablespoons of Condensed Milk
• 4 tablespoons of Milk
• 3 tablespoons of  All purpose Flour (Maida)
• 1 tablespoon of Cocoa Powder
• 1/8 teaspoon Baking Powder
• A pinch of Baking Soda

Flavor based Extra Ingredients:

CHOCO CHIP MUG CAKE 

• 1 tablespoon of chocolate chips or chocolate chunks (Can add more, according to taste)  

NUTELLA MUG CAKE

• 1 tablespoon of Nutella

RECIPE:

1 VERY LARGE SERVING

CHOCO CHIP MUG CAKE :

• Add the dry ingredients in the microwave proof mug
• Mix the ingredients with a fork
• Now add the melted butter
• Add condensed milk followed by milk
• Now , mix the ingredients all together until they come together 
• Mix the content until the lumps are gone . Caution: Do not overmix
• Add the chocolate chips or chocolate chunks
• Give it a light mix
• Put the Mug in the middle of the microwave 
• Cook for 2 minutes 30 seconds in the microwave at high power settings.( 600 W Microwave)
• If higher power microwave is used, reduce the time of cooking . Caution: Do not over cook , else the cake loses its moisture.
• Check if the cake is cooked with the help of the toothpick
• Serve hot 
• Enjoy with ice cream or chocolate syrup 

A piece of  homemade choco-chip mug cake

NUTELLA MUG CAKE:

• Add Melted butter/oil to the microwave proof mug.
• Add condensed milk followed by milk.
• Mix the ingredients together until they blend together.
• Now add the dry ingredients, that is, flour followed by cocoa powder , baking powder and baking soda.
• Mix the ingredients all together until they come together 
• Mix the content until the lumps are gone . Caution: Do not overmix
• Add 1 tablespoon of Nutella ( More nutella can be added for more dominant nutella flavor, according to taste) 
• Give the mixture a light mix
• Put the Mug in the middle of the microwave 
• Cook for 2 minutes 30 seconds in the microwave at high power settings.( 600 W Microwave)
• If higher power microwave is used, reduce the time of cooking . Caution: Do not over cook , else the cake loses its moisture.
• Check if the cake is cooked with the help of the toothpick
• Serve hot 
• Enjoy with ice cream or chocolate syrup 

NUTELLA MUG CAKE

The Mug Cakes are in fashion nowadays. They are gaining a lot of popularity over cupcakes and muffins, as they are convenient and easy to make without compromising on the taste or texture.

Do try these recipes ! Enjoy and please share you experience in the comments below.

VARIATION:

For all the health freaks out there , These cupcakes can be made healthier !

The All purpose flour can be replaced with the wheat flour (Easily available in every household and is used for making chapatis) 

Just take care of few points:

• Sieve the wheat flour before mixing the ingredients together ,for better results
• Do not over microwave while cooking. It takes lesser time to cook in comparison with the mug cake made from all purpose flour.

Recommended time for microwaving is just 2 Minutes in high power of 600W Microwave.

CHOCO CHIP WHEAT MUG CAKE

TIPS:

• This is perfect for unexpected Company
• Top with Whipped cream or chocolate syrup or have it with ice cream, for breathtaking culinary experience 
• It serves as a perfect evening or late night snack with a cup of coffee.
• If you have to reheat the cake before consumption , DO NOT heat the cake in microwave directly. Sprinkle some milk on the cake (not a lot) and then heat in the microwave to maintain it's softness and moisture.

NOTE:

• Make sure the Mug you are using to cook in is microwave proof
• A lot of people face a problem of getting chewy , spongy or dry cakes. This is due to over cooking of the cake in the microwave or by mixing the ingredients too much.                             Avoid it by not over mixing the ingredients. 
• Solution : Mix them until all the ingredients come together and no lumps are left.                                       Also, Cook the cake for the mentioned time initially. If still not cooked cook in                           intervals of 15 seconds until cooked. (Check the power of your microwave and cook                   accordingly)
• Extra sugar (preferably ground white sugar) can be added for increased sweetness according to taste

MANGO SHRIKHAND

Homemade Mango Shrikhand

SUMMER is my favorite part of the year. It is bright, sunny ,bubbly and full of energy and positive vibes. Also, it is associated with the delicious and scrumptious seasonal fruit .... The tastiest, yummiest, most delicious fruit ever ... Yes it is MANGO!!!

I can be 100% accurate in stating that it wins the "yummiest fruit" competition luxuriantly. 

The summer season has come to its end this year and what's the better way to bid farewell than to celebrate its vigor and vibrancy with a dish made of Mango , and indulge in AamSutra (Mango pleasure).

Hence, I tried my hands on "Mango shrikhand" .

Shrikhand has a unique taste and an amazing texture. It is like a "desi custard"!!! Till I tried it myself, I thought it would be too difficult to make it at home . However on the contrary, it is very easy and can be made easily at home with minimum ingredients.

If you are like me ,who loves shrikhand but is not satisfied by the packaged shrikhand in the market; here is an easy to make recipe for your own Mango Shrikhand 

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 1/2 (1.5) cup hung curd
• 1 Mango - chopped
• 3-4 Cardamom crushed
• 1/4 cup of Sugar or Sugar to taste
• A pinch of saffron

RECIPE:

       Serves 4

• Hang around 500g of curd at home using clean kitchen cloth until most of the water is drained. This would give about one and half cup of hung curd.
• Grind the chopped mango until paste of the mango pulp
• Grind the sugar 
• Soak a pinch of saffron in little bit of milk to get the bright yellow color and for its enhanced fragrance
• crush 3-4 cardamom to powder
• Grind mango pulp, sugar, cardamom powder and soaked saffron together using a mixer.
• Mix the paste with hung curd by hand until completely mixed, to get the perfect texture.
• Finally, garnish with a few strands of saffron and freeze for some time (At least half an hour) before serving.

NOTE :

The taste of Mango shrikhand differs highly on the quality and type of Mango used.

Ripe Alphonso or Langda or Malda variety of Mango if used, gives the shrikhand a great taste.

SUGGESTIONS:

Mango Shrikhand of Hangyo (A company from Mangalore, Karnataka) is delicious , and one should definitely try it.

OREO FLURRY

All of us must have definitely come across this delicious dessert from the famous fast food joint McDonald's , and many would have tried it.

Even I did , after which I decided to try it at home !!!

The daily busy schedule ,laziness to cook at home and cravings for tasty junk food had made me a regular costumer of the famous fast food joint , Mc Donald's as its pocket friendly , compared to the other fast food chains.

It has come to the rescue of  many like me, from the young working group with quick lovable solutions to our hunger problems. 

The "kuch mitha ho jae" problem after tasty burgers was conveniently solved by OREO FLURRY. However , I wondered if the 1 scoop sundae was worth its price (Rs 69 exclusive of taxes)!

But my friends weren't bothered , they loved it's taste . Regular customers as they were, their home delivered meals' menu were fixed, with OREO flurry as dessert on it.

Witnessing this, I resolved to make the flurry on my own...

It was extremely simple yet delicious . And turned out to be very economical   

Here I share with you my experiment.

INGREDIENTS:

• 3 Oreo biscuits - 2 for grinding & 1 for topping

• 4 scoops of Vanilla ice cream

RECIPE:

• Take the ice cream out of the freezer for a while 

• Crush the 3 Oreo biscuits ( Classic or chocolate) into small pieces

• Put aside some crushed mixture, for topping

• Grind the rest , until powder 

• Mix the powder with ice cream until the desired consistency is achieved  

• Freeze the ice cream mixture.

• Top the frozen Oreo flurry with the crushed Oreo pieces and serve

I'm lovin' it !!!! Hope you love it too

TIPS:

This recipe for Oreo flurry is easily scalable. It works very well for parties , as  is tasty, different and is not a strain on the pocket.

NOTE:

• The vanilla ice cream gives the flurry its taste. Hence tastier the ice cream, tastier is the flurry. Thus use good quality Vanilla Ice cream
• Chocolate ice cream mixed with vanilla ice cream can enhance the flurry's taste 

LASSI

Lassi

Original Glass of lassi from the stall at Motihari

For a long time, I was looking for the perfect topic to start this blog when I came across a small Lassi Shop in the buzzing market place of Motihari ; A small town in Bihar , my father's hometown where I went to spend a few days with my grand parents. 

I had had several glasses of lassi before ; Ranging from kesari lassi from Leela Palace Bangalore, Sweet and sour lassi of Hyatt Delhi to authentic lassi in kulhad from Amritsar and many more. 

But none of these had unveiled my hidden ardent love for Lassi.

None proved to be as appealing as the Rs 20 lassi in the plastic takeaway glass from the small stall in the market place of Motihari. The refreshing glass of lassi was a bliss to my taste buds. Initially, I was skeptical about trying it out But only one sip of the sweet delight proved me wrong. It robbed me of all my doubts.

It was like a cool breeze on that hot summer day. The invigorating effect made my day . The thick , fresh malai(cream) at the bottom of the chilled drink along with the bits of peda and special rasgulla were an added bonus. 

I came back home, only to share my experience with my family and to return to the shop next day to buy a dozen of  more glasses of happiness.

I HAD TO share my experience with everyone and was compelled to recreate it.

The recreation was not as perfect as the original (Guess the secret ingredient was missing ) but was close enough. Following is my attempt to recreate the lassi.

Recipe :

Serves : 2 glasses

INGREDIENTS (measuring cup used, 1 cup = 250 ml)

• 2 cups chilled fresh curd/dahi or yogurt(preferably homemade)
• 1.5 to 2 cups chilled water or milk
• 6 to 8 tbsp sugar or add as per taste
• 1 tsp cardamom powder 
• 6 to 8 ice cubes (optional)
• 2 pieces of rasgulla smashed, a piece of peda (sudha ka peda)
• Rose syrup/Roohafza for garnishing
• 2 tsp fresh thick cream/Malai

"Mathana" to be used for perfect consistency

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Crush 8 to 10 cardamom pods. Remove the husk and crush the seeds. crush to a fine powder.
2. In a bowl, take 2 cups fresh chilled yogurt, preferably homemade.
3. With a mathana or blender or wired whisk just mix the curd till it become smooth.
4. The curd should be smooth before you add other ingredients to it.
5. Add 6 to 8 tbsp sugar or as required.
6. Add 2 cups chilled milk or water. The consistency of this lassi is neither thin nor thick. if you want a thick lassi, then add just 1 to 1.5 cups milk/water.
7. Now churn the lassi mixture.
8. Keep on churning till the sugar dissolves and you see a nice frothy layer on top. 
9. Now add 1 tsp of the crushed cardamom powder.
10. Just mix the mixture with mathana again. add ice cubes and mix again.
11. Put one tspn of fresh thick cream/ malai at the bottom of each tall glass.
12. Pour lassi in the glasses and serve. if you want, You can also top the lassi with 1 to 2 tbsp of malai (cream which collect on top of milk) or 1 to 2 tbsp of unsalted white butter/makhan.
13. Top the lassi with crushed rasgulla and peda pieces.
14. Garnish it with rose syrup/roohafza.

Tips: 

Small piece of rasgulla topped with roohafza would do the magic.

Hope , you too get hit by the same cool ,refreshing, sweet breeze of taste!!!

Suggestions  : 

• I had come across another mind blowing lassi at a dhaba on my way to Jim Crobett .The ice cold lassi in the kulhad ,"Malai mar ke" at MamaYadav dhaba, Hapur at NH24 was amazing. Do try it out with their famous aloo - pyaz ke parathe, if you get a chance.

• Best reasonable Punjabi lassi in Bangalore can be relished at Kapoor's Dhaba.