Xpressions

Tried something different for Hubby's birthday today. Pavlova. Well the name and snaps suggests some really complicated, delicate desert. But it's pretty simple and more like assembling off-shelf products. Probably the original dish is indeed a complicated, delicate desert created in the honor of a Russian dancer during her Australia/New Zealand tours in the 1920s. The pavlova shells or nests are available off the shelf in any groceries stores. These are shaped like cream nests with a crest and are crispy and sweet. The filling is any simple flavored yogurt. And the toppings can be any fruit of the season. I've used the following ingredients here: Off-shelf Pavlova nests   Blueberry flavored yogurt Cherries, Strawberries and Kiwi fruit - local and in season Assembling this desert hardly takes a few minutes. Also it tastes best when the outer nests are still crispy, hence it should be made just before consuming so that the nests don't turn soggy with too ...

Don't ask me why it is called Jalfrezi .. I'm myself confused with the name .. :) But the recipe is super simple so here it .. Paneer cubed Capsicum chopped Onions chopped Tomatoes - pureed Ginger and garlic - finely chopped Green Peas - good if they are boiled. Malai - optional, but that's where the taste comes from .. :) Garam masala - easily available.  coriander - finely chopped for garnishing Take some oil in a kadhai. I always skip the step of frying the paneer pieces and use them directly instead.  Add copped ginger and garlic followed by chopped onions and chopped capsicums and let it cook till tender Add salt to taste, garam masala, chilli powder and turmeric powder and let it cook for a few mins Add tomato puree and more water for consistency. Again let it cook for few mins Now add some malai. It gives a great consistency to the gravy and amazing taste.Specially to counter balance the sour taste from tomato puree.  Fin...

Subz Dum Biryani - I agree it's just a fancier name to a relatively simple recipe .. :) Cut vegetables like cauliflower, beans, carrots. Boil the cut vegetables along with peas and corn until they are soft and tender Separately, cook the Basmati Rice Make 2 portions of the cooked rice - for one portion use some food color to make it a little colorful Saute some onions, green chilies, coriander, Pudina leaves, ginger-garlic along with some 'biryani masala'. You could also add some tomatoes to this. If 'Biryani masala' is not available use spices like - pepper, clove, Tej patta and cardamom Grind the above sauteed mixture in a grinder to make a fine paste Add the boiled vegetables to this masala paste. Now layer the masala paste and the colorful rice successively in a large kadai. Close it with a firm lid. Place some heavy object on top of the lid - this is our home made 'Dum' .. :) Alternatively, some people also seal the l...

Dudhi halwa - one of my favorite since it's easy to make and healthier as well.  Below is my simple recipe: Grate the dudhi by peeling it with slicer and making small manageable pieces. Heat some home made ghee in a 'kadhai' and add the grated dudhi into it Saute the Dudhi till it changes the color slightly Add some 'malai' and a little bit of milk and sugar as per taste Let it cook for about 10mins on low flame Finally add some shavings of almonds/cashews/pistachios as per requirement And for some fun ... :) Take a little amount of 'kesar' and mix it well in the milk. Add this to a small amount of 'halwa' to give it an orange hue Alternatively, you could also use orange food color to give it a better color. Arrange the 'Halwa' in 2 layers to represent the Indian flag - Orange and Green In the center sprinkle some coconut to give it a white color look. Using food color, these colors and decoration can be changed as per the ...

Tried a couple of new dishes this weekend. Wanted something which is tasty but healthy .. a tough combination. So decided on this menu for a lazy Saturday brunch - A simple Salad and Aubergine Kebabs. It turned out to be quite a surprise because it was actually very tasty - never thought salads could really taste so good ... :) Here's the simple recipe. For Salad: 1. Nicely cut salad vegetables like lettuce, cucumbers, carrots, tomatoes and capsicum. 2. Mix them together in a salad bowl and add some salt and herbs to taste .. and you'r done ... :D Tip: Add cubed cheese pieces (cheddar or regular cheese with chili flakes) For Kebabs: Take a large Aubergine and cut it into slices - not too thin. Place this in water so that they do not start turning black.  Mix together mixed dal flour (available in markets - known as 'bhajani' here in Maharashtra) with salt and chili powder as per taste.  Place a flat pan on the gas and put little oil into it. Let it hea...

Had a great weekend with the family ... Even though it's summers weather has not been too bad this year. Evenings are really pleasant and nights are cool these days. Been hosting family and guests entire weekend and made a couple of awesome summer coolers .. :) Cant stop sharing this - Tender Coconut - Strawberry Falooda Ingredients : Vermicelli-Seviyan Tender Coconut ice-cream - Naturals has this awesome flavor Strawberry crush Tender Coconut water and mallai (tender coconut) Soaked subja seeds (soaked for atleast 30 mins) Recipe : Cook some vermicelli-seviyan in boiling water. Let the water drain and allow it to cool down completely. In a blender, mix the coconut water and mallai and add some strawberry crush to give it that cute pink color.  Falooda is basically layering of seviyan, crush, milkshake/juice and ice-cream.  So in a tall glass, start with cooked seviyan, top it with some strawberry crush, add some subja seeds, pour some blended coconut straw...