CAKE WITH WHITE CHOCOLATE SAUCE

Posted on June 13, 2012 by nituchugani

Thank you for all the lovely comments on facebook about this cake. I was not too happy about the chocolate sauce because i wanted to make a ganache. Sometimes things do not turn out as planned! Tastewise it was very nice, moist and tasted even better the next day: The orangy color complimented the white chocolate . This is a versatile recipe as you can flavor it the way you want. I love vanilla… but you can use the essence of your choice and even the food color of your choice if you are planning a theme party! These are just my ideas. The recipe is very basic and you cant go wrong!
So shall we start? First we preheat the oven to 180 degrees.
INGREDIENTS:
Using the same cup for measurement, which is around 150 grams…
1 cup of milk, can be whole, skimmed, half and half, soya or lactose free milk
1 cup of cooking oil
2 cups of sugar ( i used a little less)
3 cups of sieved white flour (you can also use whole wheat flour)
1 envelope or 2.5 teaspoons of baking powder
3 lovely freshly laid farm eggs
4 tablespoons of honey
4 tablespoons of flaked almonds
1 tablespoon of good vanilla essence or essence of your choice
1 teaspoon or more of your choice food color
1/4 teaspoon of salt
1 teaspoon of lemon juice
FOR THE WHITE CHOCOLATE SAUCE:
200 grams of white chocolate chopped
200 grams of cream
METHOD:
Beat the eggs with the sugar till light and fluffy. Add the cooking oil and milk and mix well. Add the sieved white flour with the baking powder slowly and mix. Add the salt and lemon juice. Add the vanilla, honey and almonds with the food color. Grease a baking pan with oil and dust a little flour on it. Pour the batter into the pan. Put into the oven and bake till its done, Should not take more than 40 minutes. Cool completely before adding the white chocolate sauce.
FOR THE WHITE CHOCOLATE SAUCE:
Melt the white chocolate over a double boiler with the cream. Cool completely. Pour over the cake
TIP: I was just told today that if the chocolate sauce is put into the freezer for about 30 minutes and then beaten with the beater it gets a fluffier texture,. Will try this next time. If any of you do make this cake and beat the sauce please do comment and take a pic.
You can also sandwich the cake with nutella, jam of your choice etc…This is your creative cake… so just make it the way you like!!
This is an easy no fuss cake…If i can make it so can you !!
Happy feasting away!!

Posted in A Piece of Cake???, Crack an egg???, Floury Matter | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments

PAKORAS

Posted on June 12, 2012 by nituchugani

Lovely vegetables dipped in gram flour and deep fried till crispy

Pakoras are the indianised tempura or friters made with gram flour. Now what is gram flour?
It is often stated that chana dal is chickpea flour, this is only true of inferior flours which are not true gram flour. True chana dal is made from ground chana dal – a kind of yellow split pea which is smaller and sweeter than chick peas. Chana Dal is often called “Bengal gram flour” which is a generic term for lentil flours given by the British who first imported lentil flours during the Raj. This is also a confusing term as the original lentil flours called Bengal gram were actually made from Black Gram but made and imported from Bengal. In some quarters the name has stuck, and Gram Flour is even today sometimes called Bengal Flour.
If you cannot find gram flour you can also use ground chick pea flour (so i was told by a friend on facebook) to coat your vegetables , fish or chicken… I dont know about the result…but i dont think it should be too bad.
Pakoras are a hot favorite in India specially during the monsoons. I cant understand why…but it is…its also a snack food and road side food too!
This recipe comes with a video tutorial so you can see exactly how the batter is like and how to fry to perfection.
I have not added any chilli powder or much spices to this recipe as i feel the gram flour is flavorful enough…just a slight spinkle of salt, tandoori spice powder and lemon juice is enough but you can always add all your favorite spices too!
INGREDIENTS:
vegetables cut into rounds or squares of your choice such as : courgette, onions, green peppers, eggplant, potatoes, spinach leaves, etc etc…
Sliced chicken or fish or prawns
salt to taste
lemon juice and tandoori spice powder and other spices such as cumin, coriander and some garam masala if you like
FOR THE BATTER:
Gram flour
salt
a good pinch of oregano o carom seeds (ajwain) and a little chopped coriander leaves
and soda water (carbonated sparkling water)
oil for frying
METHOD:
Sprinkle the cut vegetables, fish or chicken with the salt, lemon juice and spices.
Heat the oil.
Mix the gram flour with salt, oregano/carom seeds and then add the sparkling water to make a semi thick batter.
Dip the veggies or chicken/fish into the batter and deep fry
Please watch video tutorial for the exact method to lovely crispy oil free pakoras!!
Happy snacking!!
These are the chicken pakoras!! Dont they look awesome???

Here is the way to fry them..:)

Posted in Everything Vegetarian, Fusion, Gluten Free, Indian Restaurant Dishes, Recipes with videos, Veg Starters | Tagged , , | 2 Comments

MOCHA FRAPPE

Posted on June 11, 2012 by nituchugani

Cool , creamy and frothy frappes are welcome in the summer. You can make it with soo many add ons its incredible… using icecream , normal milk, soya or almond milk.
You can even use yogurt or tofu if you wish!!
I just made it the good old fashioned way with instant coffee, ice cream milk and ice cubes…
Here is my simple recipe and i will also list the stuff you can make it with
Ofcourse i used my Magic Bullet to make it. I can swear by this kitchen appliance that does soo many things in no time and takes up soo little space in the kitchen,
Anyways back to the recipe… this makes 2 large glasses
INGREDIENTS:
3 tablespoons of instant coffee, normal or decaf
1 cup of chilled milk
a handful of ice cubes
2 scoops of chocolate icecream or vanilla
2 tablespoons of brown sugar or honey
whipped cream and chocolate shavings for garnish ( i did not have chocolate shavings)
METHOD:
In a blender ( i used my Bravo Magic Bullet) put all the ingredients and pulse for a few seconds…
Pour into a glass and garnish with whipped cream and chocolate sprinkles or shavings
Additional flavorings: nutella, peanut butter, caramel sauce, chocolate chips etc etc
Enjoy this delicious cool drink!!

Posted in Eggless Sweet Temptations, Everything Vegetarian | Tagged , | Leave a comment

VANILLA ICECREAM DELIGHT

Posted on June 9, 2012 by nituchugani

f you are throwing a party and and have no time for dessert or want to make a dessert in advance …well i have the perfect solution for you !!! This vanilla ice cream delight will delight each and every of your guests. Who doesnt love icecream???? One can even make their own icecream with out without an icecream maker…but right now we are talking about an easy dessert. Creamy vanilla icecream with chunks…mmmm…chunks of whatever youd love to bite your teeth into! This is a very versatile recipe and i am sure you are just going to love it when you read how easy it is.
INGREDIENTS:
1 tub of your favorite brand vanilla icecream, slightly thawed
4-5 chocolate chip cookies, broken
1/2 cup of caramalised nuts of your choice, (to make caramlised nuts please watch my cooking video on youtube)
a good sprinkle of chocolate chips
2-3 kitkat bars chopped
METHOD:
Put the thawed icecream into a big bowl and add all the ingredients. Mix well. Pack into a covered container and refreeze.
Serve in a bowl and decorate as you wish.

Posted in Eggless Sweet Temptations, Everything Vegetarian | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

HOME MADE BREAD WITH OLIVE OIL AND OLIVES

Posted on June 6, 2012 by nituchugani

Make your own bread? And why not? Some people dont have access to a bakery or a supermarket while others just love experimenting in the kitchen.
If you have the time and patience and like aroma of bread baking in your home then do try this out. Its easy if you follow the instructions. I made my bread with olive oil and black olives but you can make it plain, whole wheat, grain flour, add nuts, raisins, chocolate chips, dried fruit (cranberries, strawberries etc) you can flavour it with herbs, top it with poppy seeds, pumpkin seeds or cheese…. you can do wonders with a basic bread dough which is what i am going to teach you today!!
FOR A BASIC WHITE BREAD DOUGH
500 grams of white flour
1 sachet (7 grams) of dry yeast
1 teaspoon of sugar
warm water for the dough
1 heaped teaspoon of salt
4 tablespoons of extra virgin pure spanish  olive oil and more for brushing
black olives chopped if making the olive oil bread
METHOD:
Put the yeast in a bowl with the sugar and add some warm water to it. Do not add hot water as that kills the yeast. Leave it to become frothy ( about 10 minutes) and then add the salt and the white flour and the 4 tablespoons of olive oil make a dough with some more warm water. Knead the dough well for about 2-3 minutes.
Cover the dough well and leave it in the sun or in a wam place (the kitchen is warm enough, or inside an oven which is not turned on ofcourse) for about 2-3 hours or till it doubles in size.
Once it has doubled punch it down and knead it again well. It should be soft and pliable. Add chopped olives or whatever you wish to flavor the bread with.
Brush a baking tray with olive oil.
Divide the dough into two and shape into loaves. Place in the baking tray and brush the top with olive oil.
Leave the loaves in the oven without switching it on for an hour till it rises again.
Heat the oven to 180 and bake the loaves till they r browned for about 25-30 minutes taking care not to burn.
Cut into slices when hot or cold and eat with your favourite jam, or cheese spread.
This quantity bakes two good sized loaves.
This bread keeps well for a few days if kept in an airtight container.
Here is the link to a video tutorial for you to have an idea…..

This video is just a guideline for you to see the steps on making bread dough,..

Do enjoy ur lovely home made bread !!!

Posted in Everything Vegetarian, Floury Matter, Healthy Options, Recipes with videos | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

SWEET DESI MANGO PICKLE (MANGO MURABA)

Posted on June 5, 2012 by nituchugani

This recipe of sweet mango pickle (murbo as its known in sindhi) was sent to me by my dear friend Dipa Motwani from Malaga.
Mango murbo or muraba is a favourite and eaten with most desi meals. With parathas for breakfast or lunch, with your favourite rice dish this excellent spiced sweet and sour jam kind of pickle goes well with everything!
Try it as a sandwich spread tooo! Combine it with cheese or peanut butter sandwiches… too many combinations for this excellent pickle.
Dipa thank you soo much for the recipe and the pic
INGREDIENTS:

One kilo raw mangoes
250 mil of sugar
500 ml of water
1 teaspoon crushed red chillies
1 teaspoon nigella seeds (kalonji)
10-15 black pepper corns
10-15 cloves
1/2 teaspoon of asafoetida (hing)
100 ml of vegetable oli
1 teaspoon of salt
1/2 teaspoon of cardamom powder
3-4 bay leaves
METHOD:

Slice the raw mangoes.
In a large pot put the water and 250 ml of sugar with the cardamom powder and boil till thick till it reaches one string consistency.  Lower the flame and add the mangoes with salt.Add all the spices and leave it to boil stirring all the time or else it will burn. When you see its reduced into half and the mangoes are pulpy take it off the fire and leave it to cool. Put it into a clean sterilised bottle . This will keep for a long time if made well. Its tasty with samosas, pakoras and papad too.
To sterlise a bottle: put a pan of water to boil and add the glass bottle into the boiling water slowly and boil for 5 minutes. Cool and now the bottle is sterilised and ready to be used.
Thank you soo much Dipa!!
Posted in Everything Vegetarian, Gluten Free, Jams and Marmalades, Pickles, Spices, Vegan | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

STRAWBERRY GIN FIZZ COURTESY BEEFEATER SPAIN

Posted on June 4, 2012 by nituchugani

I had the amazing oportunity to attend a workshop held by Beefeater Spain to learn about gin…how its distilled…how its flavoured, all that goes into the making of a good gin and finally…how to create a cocktail using Beefeater Gin.
The workshop was a real eyeopener and lots of fun!! I was served a real cooling gin tonic ( i only wish i had chosen a later slot…not 11 am!!) which i sipped during the whole course.
The best part was creating a cocktail…I had a whole array of ingredients before my eyes and for me it was a real treat!!! No need to chop, no need to squeeze lemon juice…all i had to do was use my imagination and go with my creativity…and thats just what i did!!
Yes you can make it alcohol free for all of you who dont drink..how can i ever forget you?????
You can also make it with the flavor of your choice if you dont like strawberries…i was given the option of strawberries, peach, plum or orange…i chose strawberries!
Do enjoy this lovely drink…and just have one ok???
Cheers!!!
INGREDIENTS:
1 teaspoon of sugar
6 teaspoons of lemon juice
2 teaspoons of strawberry jam, or any jam of your choice
50 ml of Beefeater Gin
a good splash of soda water (sparkling water)
6-8 ice cubes
sliced strawberries, lime and orange
Mint leaves (not in the pic…but i am sure it would be amazing with it)
METHOD:
in a cocktail shaker (or a jar with a tight fitting lid) add all the ingredients and shake shake shake!!!
Serve with more ice cubes and broken mint leaves…i say broken mint leaves so that they emit all their lovely fragrance…
Taste and adjust acording to choice… you can add more jam to make it sweeter
Pour into a fancy glass
NON ALCOHOLIC VERSION:
just omit the gin… and maybe you may have to add more sparkling water
Cheers!! Please do not drink and drive…. and dont have too many… ok?????
Thank you soo much Beefeater Spain for a wonderful morning and very informative workshop

Such an array of ingredients…and ofcourse Beefeater gin!!

I graduated!!!

My diploma!!!

 

Posted in Cocktails | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

NON SPICY CHICKEN 65

Posted on June 2, 2012 by nituchugani

Chicken 65…a real popular dish in the south India…how did it get its name???? Well the video tutorial tells  the story…
A chef created this dish and did not know what to name it.. it was a real fiery spicy dish and he just couldnt think of an appropriate name…
Since it was the 65th item on the menu card… he just called it “chicken 65”!!!!!
I know many of my followers cannot take a lot of spice in their food so i decided to create a non spicy version of this
I also took this a notch further and made it with turmeric powder instead of red food coloring as the original recipe states.
If you like spicy food then all you need to do is add some red chilli sauce and green chillies to this. You can also add red chilli powder in the marinade.
My bilingual video tutorial will guide you to make this wonderful dish in a jiffy!
INGREDIENTS:
250 grams of boneless chicken breast cut into cubes
1 tablespoon of ginger garlic paste, or more if you like
1/2 teaspoon of salt
juice of half a lime
1/2 teaspoon of red chilli powder if you want it spicy
200 grams of white natural yogurt at room temperature
2 heaped tablespoons of white flour
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon of turmeric powder or red food coloring
1-2 tablespoons of chilli sauce
1/2 teaspoon of salt (or to taste)
5-6 curry leaves
1/4 cup of green capsicum, cut into cubes like the chicken
oil for deep frying and tempering

METHOD:
Marinate the chicken preferably overnight in the ginger garlic paste salt and lime. Add an egg to it and the flour and mix. Heat the oil for deep frying and deep fry each pieve of chicken till pale golden. Meanwhile mix the yogurt with the turmeric or red chilli powder, and chilli paste if you want it spicy and some salt. Put the fried chicken pieces into the yogurt and mix well. Heat another two tablespoons of oil in a frying pan and add the yogurt-chicken mixture with the curry leaves and capsicum and cook till its dried up. Serve hot wtih additional chopped green chillies if you like it even spicier!!
Here is my version of chicken 65…and i am sharing the link to the video and a pic of how it looks with red food coloring tooo!

This is the pic with the red food coloring

Posted in Chicken, Crack an egg???, Indian Restaurant Dishes, Nitu´s Spicy Delights, Recipes with videos | Tagged | Leave a comment

CAULIFLOWER AND EGG PULLAO

Posted on June 1, 2012 by nituchugani

I simply love cauliflower in any way…be it just steamed, cooked indian style or in rice…yes in rice..in valencia theres a famous rice dish called “arroz con coliflor y bacalao” …its rice with cauliflower and codfish… well thats not what i am going to teach you today.
I created this dish because one of my students wanted to eat a desi style egg fried rice! I still remember how i spent hours trying to think how to go about making it.
In the end i thought of a nice strategy. The cauliflower i put in for flavor, crunch and vitamins…
The result??? Quite quite nice i must say…….
So…if you are tired of the regular pullao recipes you have do give this one a try…
INGREDIENTS:
1 small cup of basmati rice, soaked for half an hour, rinsed and boiled in salted water till 70% done
2 tablespoons of cooking oil
2 eggs , slightly beaten
1 small onon chopped fine
1 small cup of caulflower, chopped fine
salt to taste
1 teaspoon of chopped ginger
green chillies and coriander leaves chopped
4 cloves
1 bay leaf
METHOD:
While the rice is boiling you can start sauteeing the other ingredients. This saves time.
Heat the oil in a pan and add the cloves and bay leaf for a few seconds then add the chopped onion, ginger and salt. Sautee for half a minute and add the chopped cauliflower.
Stir till cauliflower softens but is not over cooked. Add the rice and toss. Add the green chillies and the eggs. Cook till the eggs get cooked. Remove from heat and sprinkle with chopped fresh coriander. Serve hot,
This is good with any vegetable, lentil or meat dish

NITU DIDI TIP: If you dont like cauliflower you can substitute it… options : zuchini, carrots, cabbage, peas, green beans, mushrooms etc…

Posted in Crack an egg???, Fusion, Gluten Free, Rice is Nice | Tagged , | 2 Comments

CABBAGE SALAD WITH ORANGY SAFFRONY DRESSING

Posted on May 31, 2012 by nituchugani

Living in Spain for soo long i am lucky to enjoy the lovely fresh vegetables and fruits grown here. Valencia is the land of orange groves and i wonder why i havent created more recipes using orange.
Anyways i have been in a real creative mood lately creating all kinds of recipes in my tiny humble kitchen using the simplest of ingredients available.
You can add different ingredients to this salad but i personally love raw cabbage. Its soo good for health also. Imagine the vitamin C content in cabbage, orange juice, and lemon juice!
If presented properly it can be served in a party also. Watch your guests amaze at the combination of saffron with oranges ! Theme party??? An excellent dish to represent Spain! Havent i given you a lot of ideas??? Well this is what you need to do to make this lovely salad 🙂
INGREDIENTS:
250grams of chopped tender cabbage
1 white onion chopped fine
a little chopped parsley
salt to taste
1 small cup of orange juice
juice of half a lime
a good splash of extra virgin spanish olive oil
4-5 strands of Nitu Didi pure spanish saffron
1 orange , cut into rounds for presentation
1 kiwi cut , optional , its for presentation

METHOD:
for the dressing, heat the orange juice, lemon juice and the saffron for about 5 minutes till slightly thickened. The sugar content in the orange juice thickens it a bit. Keep aside to cool while you chop everything else.
Mix the cabbage with the onion and parsley.
Mix the dressing into the salad and splash with olive oil. Serve on a platter garnished with orange and kiwi slices.
A power packed vitamin filled salad which is delicious also

NITU DIDI TIP: if the oranges arent sweet enough please add some honey 🙂
To buy my saffron do visit my online store
www.nitudidisaffron.com

Posted in Everything Vegetarian, Fusion, Gluten Free, Healthy Options, Saffron, Salads, Veg Starters, Vegan | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment