Bread Pakora

Crispy fresh cold air outside, droplets of rain sitting on windows, the sounds of rain dropping on the rooftop...all makes for a perfect time inside at home feeling warm with something hot to munch on. Winter is here and we all crave those warm foods which are often on the naughty side!

No exception here, we try to stay healthy but just need to give in to temptations every now and then. A cold winter afternoon at home made perfect...hot cup of tea with the very delicious, crispy, hot BREAD PAKORA :)

Here is my version of the popular snack!

Ingredients: Few slices of any type of bread, half a cup besan flour (chickpea flour), quarter cup of rice flour, 1 tablespoon chilli powder, handful of chopped spring onion or onion, handful of chopped coriander, salt to taste, oil for deep frying.

Make: In a bowl mix the chickpea flour and rice flour with a bit of water to make a thick paste. Add in chilli powder, chopped onion, coriander and salt. Mix well to make a smooth batter with no lumps. Cut the bread slices into small sizes as desired. Dip each piece in the batter and drop into hot oil for deep frying. Fry until golden brown on each side. Serve hot with sauce. ENJOY!

Eggplant Potato Fry

Everyone has an all time favourite vegetable that they would include in any possible dish possible..! The humble eggplant (or aubergine or brinjal) is that very favourite of mine. Whether it's Indian, Asian or Italian cuisine that I'm cooking I'll take any chance to add some delicious eggplant :) 

On the health benefits side, it's a winner all round too. Not only low in calories and rich in antioxidants, the skin of eggplant is known to protect brain cells from damage due to free radicals. So with all these extremely great qualities, why not include eggplant as part of your regular diet!?

A regular dish in my kitchen which combines perfectly with rice, breads or roti, is my very simple EGGPLANT POTATO FRY - simple, delicious and super easy to create!

Ingredients: 1 large eggplant, 1 potato, 1 red capsicum (if desired), 1 onion, few strands coriander, for tempering - mustard seeds, cumin seeds, chilli flakes.

Make: Chop eggplant and other veggies into cubes. In a wide pan, temper the mustard seeds, cumin seeds and chilli flakes in a tablespoon of oil. Add chopped onion and saute till golden, add chopped eggplant and other veggies and saute. Add salt to taste. By the time the eggplant is well roasted and soft, all other veggies will also be cooked. Remove from flame and present it with coriander. Enjoy hot with rice, roti or your favourite breads.

Mango Panna Cotta (gelatin free)

Who watches Master Chef on TV and dreams of whipping up something as fancy without all that extreme effort they seem to put in on the show?? Well, I certainly do! 

So being the lover of quick and easy recipes I used one of my all time favourites and simply used presentation to make it look that little bit fancier! 

Here it is, my Mango Panna Cotta (without gelatin)

Ingredients (for two): 1 cup full cream milk, 2 tablespoons corn flour, quarter cup caster sugar, 1 teaspoon mango essence, yellow food colour.

Make: Heat milk and caster sugar with mango essence in a non stick pan. In a separate bowl, add the corn flour to a spoon of milk and mix well until there are no lumps. Add this mixture to your warm milk in the pan, stirring continuously. Keep stirring until the mixture starts to thicken to a custard kind of texture - it should take around 10 minutes. Remove from heat and pour into a mould/small cup. Place in fridge immediately and allow to set for an hour atleast. Once set and jelly like, take out and flip upside down on serving plate. Decorate with chocolate sauce, nuts or fruits as desired. 

It's all about presentation with desserts, so make it pretty! Enjoy :)