Ice-Cream cake

I watch Nigella Lawson's show regularly. The other day she made quick ice-cream cake on her show. Very simple and easy to make and your kids will love it. Here is my own version of the ice-cream cake. The basic concept is to mix vanilla ice-cream with biscuits and chocolates. In the original recipe, the cake is served with chocolate and butterscotch sauce but I did not opt for the sauces as I felt the cake was already too rich and sweet.

Ice-cream cake
(Select some chocolates with nuts in them for that extra crunchiness)

400 gms vanilla ice-cream
6 bourbon biscuits
Assorted cadbury chocolates (or any chocolates of your choice)

Keep the ice-cream in the fridge or outside so it softens. Keep ready a springform pan with the bottom and sides lined with clingwrap. Next, crush the biscuits and the chocolates coarsely in a zip lock bag. Keep 2-3 tbsps aside and put the rest in a bowl. Add ice-cream to this and mix well. Pour this into the springform pan and sprinkle the remaining biscuit-chocolate mixture on top. Cover the pan with clingwrap so no air gets inside. Freeze. When you are ready to serve, keep the cake out for 2-3 minutes before cutting.

Paneer in red gravy

I have attempted to make red gravy for curries many times but it has never come out well. It will either be too watery or not red enough. Came across this recipe in one of Nita Mehta's cookery books and the picture looked so good that I had to make it. I am so glad that I did as the dish was scrumptious! The gravy was flavorful with just the right consistency. I followed the recipe closely and modified only couple of steps.

Paneer in Red Gravy

250 gm paneer - cut into 1" cubes
1/2 tsp cumin seeds
1 1/2 tsp ginger-garlic paste
6 tomatoes
1 tbsp dry fenugreek leaves
2 tsp tomato ketchup
2 tsp coriander powder
1/2 tsp garam masala
salt to taste
1/2 tsp red chilli powder
1/2 cup water, 1/2 cup milk
1 tbsp oil



Boil tomatoes in water. Cover and cook till tomatoes are soft. Remove skin and cool. Grind the tomatoes to a smooth puree using some of the water if necessary.

Heat oil in a kadhai and add jeera. When it splutters, add ginger-garlic paste. Add the tomato puree and cook till puree turns semi-dry. Add kasoori methi and tomato ketchup. Add coriander powder, garam masala, salt and red chilli powder. Mix well for a few seconds. Cook till the masala turns dry. Add water. Boil. Simmer on low heat for 4-5 minutes. Remove from fire and cool.

Add milk to the cold masala to get a thick curry, mix gently. Heat curry on low flame. Add paneer cubes and keep stirring gently on low flame till just about to boil. Turn off gas.
Serve hot. Just before serving, swirl a tsp of curd or cream over the gravy.

Alternately, you can use tofu instead of paneer.

Spinach Cucumber Peanuts Salad

Sprouts Salad

Crazy about salads

I love salads. Earlier, I used to have a salad and soup day every week and I made it a point to make something new every week. These days my salad just consists of sliced or diced cucumber! It's just that the vegetables we get here are really bad in summer and you don't feel like making salads with it. But no more excuses! I have decided to make salads more frequently with what is available.

Spinach Cucumber Peanuts Salad

Today, I made spinach cucumber peanuts salad. Mom buys lot of Tamil magazines and the special issues usually come with a recipe booklet. She collects them all and I got the salad recipe from one of the booklets. We should actually use boiled peanuts (raw peanuts boiled in salted water) for this salad but since I did not have raw peanuts at home, I used roasted peanuts. The salad was excellent but I am sure it will taste even better with boiled peanuts.


2 cups of spinach, finely chopped
1 cucumber, chopped
1 tomato, deseeded and chopped
2 tbsps roasted peanuts
For the dressing - juice of 1/2 lime, salt, pepper, 1/4 tsp jeera powder, 1/4 tsp amchur powder

Blanch spinach. Drain and cool. Meanwhile, cut cucumber and tomato into small pieces and mix in a bowl. Add the roasted peanuts and spinach. Add all the ingredients for the dressing to this and mix well. Serve chilled.

Sprouts Salad

Another salad I make frequently is the sprouts salad. The main ingredient is the sprout (duh!) and I change the other ingredients depending on what is available at home. The last time I made it, I used the below ingredients-
1 cup Green sprouts
1/2 cup Frozen Green peas
1/2 cup Frozen Corn
1 Green apple, chopped
1 Cucumber, chopped
For the dressing - juice of 1 lime, olive oil, salt and pepper


Blanch sprouts in hot water for 2 minutes. Blanch peas and corn in hot water for 3-4 minutes. Drain and cool. Add chopped green apple and cucumber to this. Add the ingredients of the dressing and mix well. Serve chilled. Whenever I feel like snacking, I eat this salad and thus try to control my diet.
Variations: 1) Indulge yourself once in a way by tossing in some sev/bhujia.
2) Add pomegranate seeds.

Quick vegetable bhat

Vacation over. After a month, I am back in my kitchen wondering what to make for lunch for K. It is Fri morning and I am feeling a little lazy. Wanted to cook something simple. Made this vegetable bhat; very easy to make and tastes quite good. I served the rice with cucumber raita.















2 cups cooked rice
1 cup chopped vegetables ( I used potato, cabbage, peas, carrot)
1 onion
2 tsps sambar powder
1/4 tsp turmeric powder
1 tbsp oil
salt
coriander leaves

Heat oil. Fry onions. Add vegetables and cook till done. Can add a little water if necessary. Add sambar powder, turmeric powder and salt. Mix well. Add the cooked rice and mix all ingredients together. Garnish with corinader leaves.
( Can add roasted peanuts also to the rice)

Curry leaves kuzhambu

We hardly get any curry leaves in the area we live in. I never gave these aromatic leaves its proper due and I am being punished for it now.....
I am visiting my parents and curry leaves are in abundance at their place. I add a sprig to every dish mom makes, even if it does not require it! Today, mom made curry leaves kuzhambu. It was delicious and I could not stop eating it.

Curry leaves kuzhambu

For the paste - 2 red chillies, 1 tsp whole black pepper, 1 tsp hing, 2 tsp urad dal, 1 1/2 tsp raw rice, 30 curry leaves (approx. 5 sprigs), 1 1/2 tsp tamarind
For tempering - 2 tbsp gingely oil, 1/4 tsp mustard seeds, 1/4 tsp fenugreek seeds

Roast dry all the ingredients for the paste except tamarind and curry leaves. Add curry leaves & tamarind and turn off gas immediately. Grind to a fine paste. Add very little water.
Dissolve the ground paste in 2 cups water. Add salt. Keep aside.
Heat oil. Add the ingredients for tempering. When the mustard seeds splutter, add dissolved paste and simmer till the kuzhambu thickens.

Ridge gourd masiyal

I love ridge gourd but k does not like it. So I do not get to eat it that often. Whenever I go to my parent's place, I ask my mom to make ridge gourd for me. One of my favorite dishes with ridge gourd is the masiyal. My MIL introduced me to this dish. It is easy to make and very tasty.

Ridge gourd masiyal (serves 4)

4 medium- size ridge gourd, peeled & diced
urad dal, 2 tsp
hing, 1/4 tsp
salt
oil
curry leaves, 1 sprig

Heat oil in a kadai. Add urad dal. When it turns brown, add curry leaves and hing.
Add ridge gourd and salt and cook for 6-8 minutes.

Chutneys

Cabbage chutney

Cabbage ¼ kg, chopped
Oil 4 Tbsp
Tamarind juice ½ cup
Onions 2 big
Fenugreek seeds 1 Tbsp
Mustard seeds 1 Tbsp
Asafoetida
Turmeric powder
Garlic
Salt to taste
Coriander leaves

Heat oil. Add chopped cabbage and stir every 2-3 minutes.
After it gets softened keep aside.
Fry all the spices.
Grind spices first, and then add cabbage and tamarind juice. Add salt.
Garnish with coriander leaves.

I have about 10-15 recipes for tomato chutney alone. Amazing how many chutneys one can make with tomato and how different each tastes. Made the instant tomato chutney yesterday after a long time. This chutney goes very well with dosai.

Instant tomato chutney

3 big tomatoes
2 red chillies
1 tsp methi seeds
1 tsp tamarind paste
4 cloves garlic
2 tbsp Oil
Mustard seeds
Hing
Salt

Roast chilli, methi seeds and garlic in oil.
Steam tomatoes and remove skin.
Add all ingredients together and blend in mixer for about ½ minute.
Heat 2 tbsp oil in a kadai.
Add mustard seeds. When they splutter, add hing and the blended tomato mix.
Mix over low fire for 15 minutes, till it thickens and the oil rises to top.




















Tomato chutney

½ kg tomatoes
200 gms sugar
50 gms onion
Ginger
Garlic
Mustard seeds
Red chilli powder
Garam masala powder
Oil
Salt

Grind the onions, ginger & garlic.
Wash & boil tomatoes. Peel & chop them.
Heat oil in a pan & put mustard seeds in it.
When they splutter, put the onion paste and let it fry, stirring all the time.
Now add the tomatoes and cook for 10 minutes.
Add sugar, chilli powder, garam masala and salt.
Remove from fire and allow to cool.
Add acetic acid to preserve for a few days.