Layers of pure heaven

There are those balmy evenings when all you want to do is tuck into layers of pure sin and sit around with family or friends. Here's a quick fix dessert that tastes yum. All you have to do is raid your fridge or pantry drawers.

Take a nice rectangular glass bowl. 

Layer it with crushed Bourbon biscuits mixed with cold butter (it should be like a base).

Next, layer the biscuit crushed Rasogullas (drained completely) and broken into small pieces.

Crush some muffins from the supermarket (any flavour, but I use blueberry) 

Over this drizzle a nice thick layer of double cream and chocolate chips. 

The final layer - add fresh fruits and custard. Smoothen the surface. Allow to set in the fridge for an hour. 


I know it sounds sinful, but a dollop of pure sin is essential, every once in a while.

(PIC COMING SOON)

I'm hot as is, don't bake me! - Mango Cheesecake (Eggless)

There is nothing more important to me in a meal than the dessert. I always have believed that the way you end a meal is as important as who you are having it with. So, naturally the sinfully rich desserts have always appealed to me. This is one dessert that you will keep making every once in a while. It's sunshine yellow, gorgeously silken textured and that crunchy biscuit base is simply a treat.

I LOVE THE MANGO VERSION, but if you are not comfortable with tinned puree, use Pears. Puree them with a touch of white wine. But keep it thick.

Take 1 packet of Digestive biscuits and powder them. Just put them all into a ziplock bag so you can see them and trash them on any surface/wall. Trust me it's fun. Once the gorgeous brown delights are powdered, mix in 2 tbsp of cold butter and use your hands to marry them.


Spread this biscuit base into a four-walled glass bowl. Make sure you coat the sides too. It should be good enough to hold the cheesecake. Leave it in the fridge for half an hour to cool and set.


In a bowl, add 500 gms of mango pulp, I use any mango. Add 2 whole cups of sugar, 1/4 cup of cream cheese, 1/4 cup double cream.  and mix well. Also add 2 tsp of gelatin dissolved in hot water (it solidifies the mango mixture when mixed into it).


Pour the mango mixture onto the biscuit base. Allow to set in the fridge for an hour.


Before serving, garnish with fresh mango slices and a small portion of whipped cream drizzled with milkmaid.

PIC COMING SOON

Herb and Citrus Rice with Butter Chicken

I got back from a boring dinner party. The food too was uninspiring with loads of cold salads, mezze platters and rice paper rolls. Not my idea of a warm meal on a night, when Chennai decided to be breezy and chill. So, when I got home at 1am! I whipped up this meal in 45 mins.

Herb & Citrus Rice

Take two cups of Basmati rice, pour in 4 cups of water, add a dollop of Amul butter and microwave it for 18 mins.


As it's cooking, in a wok pour some olive oil and fry mint leaves, coriander and thyme. Add 1 grated onion, 1 finely chopped red chilli. two tablespoons of curd and grated orange zest (caramalized). I always keep it handy in the fridge, because it works well with desserts too.


By now the rice would have cooked. Add the spongy and fragrant Basmati rice to the wok and mix all the herbs.

Butter Chicken

There is a better way of making this with proper marinated meat, but this is at 1 am mind you, so I go for the instant Butter Chicken recipe of mine.

Soak 1/2 kg boneless chicken pieces in 7up/Sprite (Yes it works wonders to tenderize the meat) for 10 mins. Also add in a tub of Nestle curd, 1 tsp turmeric, 1 tsp chill powder and 1 tsp salt.


While the chicken is coating in the spices and tenderizing, in a wok add olive oil and fry some onions, capsicum and sliced baby corn.


To this, add half a cup of ground cashew paste (always keep ready-made paste in the fridge). It lasts a couple of days, so if you don't use it, please make fresh every 2 days.


After 5 mins of letting the spices and the cashew paste cook, I add the chicken pieces. And a few spoons of the marinate sauces.


Add 1/2 cup of vegetable or chicken stock (any supermarket variety is fine)


Allow it to cook for 15 mins on high. Then add 2 tsp of fresh cream and 2 tbsp of Heinz tomato ketchup (It adds the perfect tangy flavour). Cook for further 10 mins.  Keep stirring while it's cooking.

Garnish and plate up.

Your's truly, Couch Potato!

After a hard day's work there are those solitary nights when you get home and want to cuddle up in bed, watching your favourite telly. No fancy dinner table setting and no elaborate culinary experiments. It's just you, the calm and a delicious dish. The perfect cuddle-up-in-bed and tuck-in meal.

Cheesy potatoes with garlic toast

Peel 5 medium sized potatoes, boil them and cut them into small pieces.

In a sauce pan fry 2 onions sliced finely, 1 tbsp paprika powder and 1 tsp turmeric powder. Use 2 tbsp olive oil to fry.

Add the potatoes and 2 finely chopped green chilies.

Now, add 2tbsp of grated feta cheese or even ricotta cheese.

Add a sprinkling of home-made spicy peanut powder and roasted cashewnuts.

After 5 mins, it's ready to plate up and tuck-in.

It goes well with Garlic toast, for this I mix 1 grated garlic with 4 tbsp butter and a small sprinkling of asafoetida  powder. Coat the bread well and put into a toaster/griller or even on the pan.