Spicy Eggplant Curry

Who loves eggplant/aubergine/brinjal??? I would say most do, especially with some spice to tickle the taste-buds! Although it is low in nutritional benefits, it is also low in fat :) When you really love something you always find the positives in it...!

Eggplant dishes are a regular in our household and our favourite is my Spicy Eggplant Curry. Main ingredient is lots of fresh eggplant and you can use any other vegetables you choose to add to this deliciously spicy curry. Serve with hot rice or rotis and it's definitely a winner on any dinner table!

Here it is, my Spicy Eggplant Curry.

Ingredients for two serves: 1 large eggplant or couple of smaller sized, a few different vegetables (I used 1 capsicum, 1 tomato, 2 carrots), 1 onion chopped, 1 teaspoon crushed garlic, chilli flakes, cumin seeds, mustard seeds, garam masala (can be bought from Indian stores), 2 tablespoons tomato paste, 1 tablespoon oil and salt.

Make: In a wide non stick pan, heat the oil and throw in the chilli flakes, cumin seeds, mustard seeds, garlic and onion. Saute on medium flame until onion is clear and there is a lovely aroma. Add in the chopped eggplant and pan fry on high flame for 5 to 8 minutes until it is looking golden brown. Now add the remaining chopped vegetables and the garam masala and tomato paste. Pan fry together, occasionally stirring. Add salt to taste. If you like more spice, add extra chilli powder or fresh chopped chillies. Cover with a lid and let it cook for 5 to 8 minutes. You will know it is done when the vegetables are fully cooked. 

Serve with hot rice or rotis and enjoy!!

Doodh Peda (Milk Fudge)

Back to blog after a very long break! Family and travel has seen the little spare time I have being completely taken up, and rightly so :) Unpack and settle back into routines and here it is....festive season is upon us again. Time for more fun and social gatherings, but also time to think of which festive sweets to whip up at home without spending too much time and effort.

Having a little one at home, this sweet treat is one enjoyed in our house not just at festive times - Doodh Peda, my quick version! Here it is :)

Ingredients (for about 15 peda): 1 can sweetened condensed milk, 3 to 4 cups of milk powder, few tablespoons clarified butter/ghee, 1 teaspoon cardamom powder, nuts or sultanas for decoration.

Make: Empty the can of condensed milk into a thick bottom pan and warm on low flame. Gradually mix in the milk powder and continue to mix. Add in the cardamom powder and ghee. Keep stirring on low flame and if too watery, add a little more milk powder. 

After about 15 minutes, the mixture should be at the right consistency and will leave the sides of the pan easily. Take off the flame and let cool slightly. Take small amounts into your hands and roll into balls then press to form this shape shown in the picture. Use butter/ghee on your hands if needed. Decorate as desired. Serve after fully cooled.

Enjoy! Happy festivities!

Eggless Savoury Muffins

As a mum of a little one, I am always trying to create new ways to put in varieties of vegetables into foods that she enjoys eating. Savoury muffins are nothing new and I used this treat that she loves, to pack in some veggie goodness! Bonus is that it's a great healthy snack for adults too (and yummy too!)

Here are my eggless savoury muffins packed with veggies :) 

Ingredients for about 10 muffins: 

1.5 cups self raising flour (or if using plain flour, add 1 teaspoon baking powder), 2 tablespoons soft butter, 1 tablespoon Organ egg replacer powder (optional), 1 tablespoon olive oil, half glass milk, half glass water, your choice of two or three veggies grated (I used carrot, spinach, onion, corriander), dry coconut, salt to taste, chilli powder if you choose.

Make: In a bowl, mix all dry ingredients together then add the grated vegetables, oil and butter. Add milk and water and mix vigorously to make a paste like cake dough. Add salt and chilli powder if you choose to add some spice! 

Spoon into a greased muffin tray, sprinkle coconut on top and bake in a preheated oven at 160 degrees for 25 to 30 minutes.

Enjoy your fresh warm savoury muffins and sneak in some veggie goodness in your little one's snack :)

                                                                                    

Gobi Manchurian - The healthy version!

Those of you that know even a bit about Indian snacks will have heard of or enjoyed Gobi Manchurian. It's a very popular Indo-Chinese fried cauliflower spicy snack, best enjoyed fresh and hot. 

In our household it's always been a favourite but I often hestitated to make it due to the deep frying involved....well only until now! Having discovered that I can create the very same Gobi Manchurian magic without deep frying has made us very happy fans of this delicious savoury delicacy!

Here is my non-deep fried Gobi Manchurian - healthier than the traditional method and a much quicker time taken to create the same amazing taste!

Ingredients: 1 cauliflower (washed and florets separated), handful of curry leaves, 1 tablespoon corn flour, fresh chillies chopped (as many as suits), 1 onion chopped small, small cup of chopped spring onions, 1 tablespoon chopped fresh ginger, 1 teaspoon garlic paste, half a cup of tomato sauce or ketchup, few tablespoons of soy sauce, handful of fresh corriander, salt.

Make: After separating cauliflower into florets, sprinkle the corn flour and toss in a bowl so it is mildly coated. In a wide pan, use just a tablespoon of oil and pan fry the cauliflower florets, turning delicately for about 10 to 15 minutes. The florets should look crisp and be golden brown in colour. Keep aside in a bowl. 

Now using the same wide pan, use another tablespoon of oil and put in the chillies, garlic paste, chopped onion and chopped ginger. Lightly fry then add in the tomato sauce and soy sauce. You may add extra chilly powder and salt at this stage too. When the mixture starts to bubble, add the previously pan friend cauliflower florets, chopped spring onions and toss well. Finally sprinkle the chopped fresh corriander.

Your delicious HEALTHY VERSION OF GOBI MANCHURIAN is ready to enjoy!

Corn Chaat (Spicy Corn Salsa)

We all love a quick, yummy snack that takes minimal time to put together and this little dish fits the bill perfectly for that! Spicy, tick. Healthy, tick. Super quick, tick. Yummy, tick!

Being a popular Indian Chaat/street food snack, it's sure to have your tasters asking for more too! Here's my quick version of CORN CHAAT :)

Ingredients (for a few bowls): 1 cup cooked corn kernels, you can use fresh kernels or frozen, steamed well to be soft. Half a cup boondi, few tablespoons sev, 1 tomato chopped small, 1 onion chopped, optional grated carrot, few teaspoons chaat powder and chilli powder, fresh corrainder.

Make: Mix the cooked corn kernels, chopped tomato, onion and if using, carrot together in a bowl. Add in chaat powder and chilli powder. When ready to serve, toss in crisp boondi (to keep it crisp). After putting in serving bowls, top with a sprinkle of sev and corrainder. Enjoy!

Perfect for an afternoon snack or as an entree dish. Easy to create and even easier to enjoy the spicy tangy taste :)
 

Badam Puri (Almond pastry soaked in sugar syrup)

Sometimes nostalgic tastes from your childhood are so strong that you feel the need to re-live those tasteful memories! With the benefits of blogs and super talented master chefs that share their recipes, it's now so great to learn and try creating these yummies yourself! 

So here it is, my attempt at creating my own version of BADAM PURI, thanks to a wonderful recipe posted on Udupi Recipes. How to describe this delicious, crispy yet soft, sweet and salty, juicy sweet treat?? I just cannot...try this quick version for yourself to find out :)

Ingredients for about 12 Badam Puris: 1 cup fine semolina (chiroti rava), 1/2 cup plain flour (maida), pinch of salt, milk to mix the dough, 1/2 cup almond powder  few, tablespoons melted butter/ghee. Oil for deep frying puris. 1 cup sugar and 1 cup water for sugar syrup.

Make: In a bowl combine semolina, plain flour, almond powder, salt and mix into a soft dough with milk and butter as needed. Keep aside for about an hour. In a separate dish bring the sugar and water to boil to make your sugar syrup. Make small golf ball sized balls with the dough then using a rolling pin, roll out flat, around the size of your palm. Fold into triangles as shown in the photo, put in a clove to keep the shape during deep frying. 

Once ready to fry, drop in 3 or 4 triangles at each time and fry on low flame until golden in colour. If you fry too fast the inside will not cook. Remove and drain excess oil. Then drop into the sugar syrup to soak for about 5 minutes. Place on a serving plate and dust powdered sugar for a lovely presentation. 

Enjoy!!

Coconut Vanilla Panna Cotta - egg & gelatin free!

Summer desserts are a favourite in our house, as I'm sure they are in yours! What's even better is creating a dessert that takes little effort and can be enjoyed at any time of the day. We recently enjoyed our egg & gelatin free (can also be made dairy free) COCONUT VANILLA PANNA COTTA :)

Here is my version of this delicious sweet treat!

Ingredients (for four serves): 1 cup full cream milk, 2 tablespoons coconut powder, quarter cup caster sugar, 2 tablespoons corn flour, drop of vanilla essence, crushed biscuits & butter for a base, fruits for topping.

If making dairy free, replace the full cream milk and coconut powder with just coconut milk.

Make: Make the base by mixing crushed biscuits and melted butter. Prepare serving dishes as shown in photo. In a small bowl, use a few tablespoons of milk/coconut milk and mix in the cornflour - this is to ensure the mixture has no lumps before adding to the heated milk.

Heat the milk on stove top but not boiling, stir in caster sugar then stir in the cornflour and milk mixture. Add vanilla essence and coconut powder (obviously if using coconut milk this is not required). Keep stirring continuously until you feel a thickening consistency. Turn off heat and pour onto the biscuit base. Refrigerate for atleast 1.5 hours to allow the Panna Cotta to set. Top with fruits or nuts and serve chilled :)

Enjoy your egg & gelatin free Coconut Vanilla Panna Cotta!

 

Valentine's Loveheart Pizza!

Love is in the air, here there and everywhere! One of our favourite fun days of the year...why not it's all about flowers, sweets and smiles :)

We started the day with some cute Loveheart Breakfast Pizzas! My version of simple homemade pizzas with homemade bread base. The best part is these are quick, easy and fun to make with kids too. Made in 30 mins, gobbled up in 3 mins!

Here they are :)

Ingredients for bread base: 1.5 cups self raising flour, half cup plain yoghurt, few teaspoons oil, salt to taste.

Ingredients for topping: tomato paste, chilli flakes, fresh chopped tomato, chopped onions, cheese, any other chopped veggies.

Make: To make the bread base, combine flour, yoghurt and oil and make a firm dough. Leave to sit for 5 mins (the longer you can leave it, the softer the bread will bake).

Once ready, use a heart shaped cookie cutter to make your heart pizza bases. Spray lightly with oil, then spread tomato paste and top with your toppings. Bake in a pre-heated oven at 160 degrees for 20 minutes. You'll smell the devine scent and know it's ready! 

Enjoy with your favourite people - what a great way to start a fun day, who says Pizza is not for breakfast!? 

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY :)

 

Watermelon Pizza Slice - No bake dessert

Happy New Year to you all!
Well it has been quite a break from blogging for me, as you would all agree it is always crazy busy times at end of year with holidays, festivites, socialising and probably way too much eating!!

With many gatherings with friends to prepare for, like every year I am always trying to create quick short-cut sweet treats that take minimal time, are as healthy as possible yet look and taste amazing. Sharing here with you, this very quick and tempting NO BAKE dessert perfect for those summer nights relaxing with good company :) 
My Watermelon Pizza Slice - No Bake Dessert.

Ingredients (per slice): Cut watermelon slice or any other melon, a scoop of your favourite ice cream, two or three other fruits, cake or cookie crumbles.

Make: Simply arrange your fruit slice as the base with scoop of ice cream on top. Decorate with your choice of fruits and top off with crumbles of cake or cookie of your choice!

This took literally four minutes to put together and every spoonful enjoyed with its refreshing burst of flavours with rich creaminess :)

Here is a full Watermelon Pizza fruit salad version - tried and tested to be a hit at any party! 

 

Char-grilled Mixed Veg Salad

Lazy lunchtime but you feel like enjoying a tasty, warm, healthy, tongue tickling kind of meal? Sounds almost impossible to achieve when the mood is lazy right? Wrong. Here's a salad sure to bring a smile as it's possibly one of the easiest cooked meals you can make!

Open the fridge and grab a few easy to chop veggies, some bread and you're ready to create! This yummy salad is one we enjoy on lazy Sundays and is especially great in Summer when you want to keep cooking to minimal.

Ingredients: two or three veggies of your choice (I like pumpkin, carrot, zucchini) chopped into large pieces, few rolls/slices of bread chopped up, chilli flakes, salt, olive oil.

Make: In a wide base pan, start with olive oil and chilli flakes. When chilli flakes heat up add the veggies, bread pieces and salt to taste and cook in high flame for 4-5 minutes until they look char-grilled. Sprinkle pepper on top if desired. Decorate with fresh and healthy spinach leaves/parsley/corriander. 
Enjoy your delicious lazy day healthy veggie salad! 

Coconut Badam Ladoo

Back to blog after a little break...and after the Diwali festive season amongst very busy times, I have some new quick treats to share! 

This sweet treat is sure to be a winner not just for the tasters but also with the makers :) It's my version of the very popular microwave recipe - Coconut Badam Ladoo (Coconut almond balls).

Best part of this is that it takes no more than 15 minutes to make and can be enjoyed for upto a week. Here they are :)

Ingredients: 1 can sweetened condensed milk, 2 cups desiccated coconut, 2 tablespoons almond meal (powdered roast almonds), 1 teaspoon caradom powder, 2 spoons "Badam milk powder" and butter/ghee to roll ladoos.

Make: In a microwave dish pour in the condensed milk, 1 and 3/4 cups coconut and cardamon powder. Mix well and cook in microwave on high for 2 minutes. Remove and mix well again. This time add the almond powder and "badam milk powder". Again cook in the microwave for 2 minutes. Remove and mix - you should see it forming a clump and easily leave the sides of the dish. Cook again for 1 minute and repeat process until you have a firm clump. Let cool for a few minutes then with butter/ghee on your hands, roll into balls. Roll these in a plate of dessicated coconut to coat it as shown in photo. 

After about an hour it should be cool and ready to enjoy!   

Aloo Channa Chaat - Potato Chickpea Spicy Salad

An all time favourite at our house is this popular Indian snack, which is not only tasty but also nutritious as the main ingredient is Chickpeas. If you have pre-cooked or canned chickpeas its a super quick dish to prepare!

You know one of those nice afternoons when you feel like munching on something a little tangy and savoury but don't want to go for the unhealthy options, well this is perfect for a filling afternoon snack. It is also great as a light dinner dish and with its low in fat and high protein quality it'll keep that waistline in check too :)

So here it is, my version of Aloo Channa Chaat or Potato Chickpea Spicy Salad.

Ingredients for two servings: 400 grams soaked and cooked chickpeas (or if using canned chickpeas, one can), 1 potato, 1 onion, 1 tomato, handful of chopped corriander, 1 teaspoon chilli flakes, 1 spoon chaat masala, fresh lemon juice, handful of crispy corn chips or "papdi".

Make: In a pan, saute chilli flakes with chopped onion then add cubed potato and cooked chickpeas. Add salt to taste and fry until potato is thoroughly cooked. Leave aside and let cool. In a serving dish, crush the corn chips/papdi, put in chopped tomato and if desired chopped raw onion. Then add to this the fried chickpeas and potato. Toss all together and add chaat masala/chilli powder as desired (more for spicier taste). Finally squeeze some fresh lemon juice. Decorate with sprinkles of fresh corrainder and crispy boondi or sev. Enjoy!!

Eggless Mango Custard

Being a serious mango lover I often miss the taste and unique flavour when they are not in season. However why should this stop us from enjoying mango desserts all year round!? In an attempt to make something mango flavoured which feels just like the real thing, here is my very simple and quick Mango dessert - Mango Custard.

My two tasters at home and our friends that have tasted it have all given it the thumbs up and as for me the mango lover, I'm thrilled to be able to enjoy mango whenever we feel like it :)

One simple recipe, many delicious desserts! 

Ingredients: 1 cup full cream milk, half cup caster sugar, 2 tablespoons corn flour, 1 teaspoon mango essence or flavouring.
 

Make: Heat up the milk on stove until it is hot but not boiling and add the caster sugar and mix well. Keep flame to minimum. 

In a small bowl mix the corn flour with just a tablespoon of cold milk and mango essence, stir to remove any lumps. Add this mixture bit by bit into the hot milk on low flame. Stir continuously and you will see the whole mixture start to thicken. It should be at the right consistency after about 5 to 8 minutes of stirring. 

Remove from flame and pour into desired serving glasses. Immediately place in fridge and leave to set for atleast 1 hour before decorating as you wish and serving!

Enjoy your delicious mango custard topped with your favourite fruits, cream and toppings!

Quick Boondi Ladoo

It's the joyous and jolly Indian festive season and most households are busy making sweet and savoury special treats to enjoy with family and friends. Our house is no different - this year it's double the joy with my little girl who wants to "help" with everything making it not only messy fun, but also a little more time consuming! 

So with time in mind, here is a "shortcut" Boondi Laadoo which you can make in less than half the time taken to traditionally prepare from scratch. Not only did it save me time, my food tester Hubby even said they were simply delicious :)

Ingredients:  Fresh boondi bought from bakery or plain boondi packet from Indian stores (this is the time saving factor - no making your own boondi). For sugar syrup, 1 cup sugar and 1 cup water. Broken cashewes, sultanas and 1 spoon cardamon powder.

Make: Make sugar syrup by boiling sugar and water till it forms a stringy syrup. Let it cool a little then drop in boondi, cardamon powder and dry fruits. Mix and let the boondi soak in the syrup before rolling the mixture into Laadoos. The syrup will ooze out as you roll into balls, allowing your to shape them nicely.

A hit with my little helper too, as she decided to gate-crash my Boondi Laadoo photo-shoot to grab one for herself!!

Boondi Chaat - Quick Spicy Snack

"Chaats" is the word used to describe very popular Indian street food, bursting with delicious flavours. Tangy, spicy, sweet and crunchy - it's a perfect combination to get your taste buds asking for more! 

We often miss these amazing taste tantilisers but the best thing about them is they are so easy to make and enjoy fresh at home! Add to that, the fun of actually creating your own chaat dish and this is a great activity to bring the family together.

Here is my version of Boondi Chaat (Boondi is small balls of fried chickpea flour readily available at all Indian stores). Made in 5 minutes and every spoonful enjoyed thoroughly!

Ingredients: 1 cup of Boondi, 1 carrot grated, 1 tomato chopped, half onion chopped, 1 spoon chaat masala, chopped corrainder and lemon juice.

Make: Combine all wet ingredients together in a bowl then mix in the spoon of chaat masala. Add the cup of boondi to this mix and slightly toss (still keeping the boondi crunchy not soggy). Sprinkle the corrainder and squeeze some lemon juice on top before serving.