Gajar Halwa

Ingredients:

• Red carrots (scraped and grated finely) – ½ kilo
• Mixed nuts of your choice – 50 gms
• Cardamom seeds – 1 tsp
• Milk – ½ liter
• Sugar – ½ cup
• Ghee or purified butter – 4 tbsp
• Rose essence – a few drops

Method:

In the beginning you have to pound the nuts as well as the cardamom to a very fine powder. Then you need to put the milk and the carrots together into a pan and you need to cook this till you see that the mixture is thick and has become completely dry. Then you need to add the sugar in. keep stirring this till you see that the entire moisture has gotten absorbed. Then you put the ghee in. after this you will have to fry the entire thing till you see that it has become golden. You need to keep stirring through the entire process. Finally you have to put the nut meg powder and you have to sprinkle the essence. This can be served either hot or cold.

Sabot Gobi

• Large onion – 1
• Ginger – 1
• Garlic flakes – 6
• Mince meat – 250 gms
• Ghee – 10 tbsp
• Garam masala – 1 tsp
• Cumin seeds (ground) – 1 tsp
• Turmeric powder – 1 tsp
• Cashew nuts – 25 gms
• Medium sized cauliflower – 1
• Medium sized tomatoes – 5
• Coriander leaves – a handful

Method:

Grind the ginger, garlic and the onion to a paste, after this, heat up 4 tbsp of ghee and keep frying half of the paste till you see that it has started to change color. then you put he minced meat, cumin and the garam masala into it. along with this you also need to put in half of the turmeric powder which you have. Keep frying this till you see that the minced meat has become dry and quite crumbly. Then you have to put 2 cups of water into this and you need to cook this till it becomes tender and absolutely dry.

After this you remove the entire pan from the fire and let it cool. In the mean time you will have to grind the cashew nuts to a paste. Then you wash off the cauliflower and you cut off the stalk but very closely. Stuff the minced meat between the leaves. Again heat the rest of the ghee, fry the onions and put all the ingredients in. in a baking dish put the cauliflower in and bake till it is tender.

Are you a big fan of After Eight chocolates? If so, then chances are that a combination of chocolate and mint is irresistible to you! Can’t blame you, I love them myself! But, the question is, how can you make a chocolate and mint recipe at home? One can’t keep buying After Eight right? Plus, they’re not getting any cheaper!

Before you read further, let me warn you, this is not for those of you who are following a diet, this is for those of us who like to live life, in the best way possible – by treating and indulging ourselves! So those who’re on Atkins or South Beach or some other fad diet, please don’t read on, this will lead to your downfall!

For the others, here’s my grandma’s recipe for the best chocolate and mint cookies in the world! Have a go at it and taste a bit of heaven!

Ingredients:

Chocolate mint wafer – 36 candies
Butter – ¾ cup
Chocolate chips, semi sweet – 2 cups
Baking Soda – 1 and ¼ tsp
All purpose flour – 2 and ½ cups
Salt – ½ tsp
Brown sugar – 1 and ½ cups, packed tight
Water – 2 tbsp
Eggs -2

Method:

• Put the butter and sugar into an appropriately sized saucepan and cook at low or medium heat.
• Then, put in the chocolate chips and stir the mixture until it becomes soft and partially melted, take it off the heat and keep stirring, do this until the chocolate melts completely; then transfer to a large bowl and let it cool for about ten minutes.
• Use a hand blender on the chocolate mixture and adjust it so that its speed is close to maximum and add the eggs one by one.
• Then reduce the speed so that it becomes low and then proceed to put in all the dry ingredients, blend thoroughly. This is the cookie dough, let it then chill in the freezer for about an hour.
• Preheat your oven to 175 degrees centigrade, then shape the dough and place on a cookie sheet (ungreased), keeping a gap of two inches between successive cookies.
• Bake this for half an hour. In the meanwhile, unwrap the mint and cut each piece in half.
• When the baking is done, put half a piece of the mint on the cookies, while still warm, let it melt for about five minutes and then spread it over the chocolate! MMM!

Interested in doing experiments with your dishes? Kitchen indeed is the place of experiment with our taste buds. Explore the art form of cooking and delve deeper into the secrets of divine taste. Find below the recipe of vadouvan spiced pan seared John Dory with Robuchon potatoes.

Ingredients (Serves 5):

For Robuchon’s potatoes:

1 kg potato
1 cup milk
250g butter
Salt to taste

For the fish:

4 John Dory fillets (about 650g)
Vadouvan spice mixture as required

For the citrus-ginger sauce:

4 sliced onions
2 tablespoon sesame oil
¼ tablespoon grated fresh ginger
¼ cup fresh orange juice
2 tablespoon lemon juice
2 tablespoon light soya sauce
¼ tablespoons crushed red peppers
½ tablespoon corn-starch
1 tablespoon water
Salt to taste

Method:

The first thing you will need to do is to prepare the Robunchon’s potatoes. First of all boil the milk and then keep it aside. Then take off the potatoes and boil them. Use salted water for this procedure and drain it immediately once boiled. Grab hold of a potato ricer and pass the potatoes through it.

You must use the finest settings to get fine chops. Now transfer this potato in heavy bottomed saucepan and cook it on low flame. Use a spatula to stir the potatoes. Keep stirring it for around five minutes so that the moisture is removed. Now add the butter to it and mix it well with the dry mixture. Season it and run the potatoes and the gravy through a fine mesh.

Now step up for preparing the citrus-ginger sauce. For preparing this sauce firstly take some sesame oil in a frying pan and heat it. Add sliced onions to the frying pan and then cook it till its colour changes to golden brown. Now add the orange juice, lemon juice, ginger, soya sauce, red pepper and salt. Boil it and then shimmer. Your sauce is almost complete. Now the only thing left to be done is to mix the corn starch and the water and stir it into a sauce. Season it and yes it is ready for use.

Now for the final step; take the fillets and rub them with the vadouvan spices. Sear them on a non-sticky frying pan on a high flame. Place the potato topped with the fillet in the plate while serving and pour the sauce in it. Garnish the dish with shaven truffles.

Here’s a spicy, flavorful dish, all the way from the distant shores of Morocco. When we think of Morroccan food, all sorts of exotic images come to mind, because the Moroccans loved rich cuisine.

But here is a healthy Fish Tagine recipe for you! An interesting fact about Tagine, is that it is actually a vessel in which the Moroccans cooked this soup, thus the name, now, of course, we use saucepans.

Ingredients:

• Peeled, Seeded and diced tomatoes – 2

• Chopped yellow onion – 1

• Vegetable or chicken stock – 4 cups

• Thinly sliced mushrooms – 1 cup

• Minced clove of garlic – 1

• Sea bass fillets or red snapper – 1 and ¼ pounds.

• Ground cumin – 1 and ½ tsp.

• Seeded, diced yellow bell pepper – 1

• Paprika – ½ tsp.

• Tahini – 2 tbsp

• Fresh coriander, finely chopped – 1 tbsp.

• Finely chopped, flat leaf parsley (Italian) – 1 tbsp

• Grated zest of lemon – 1 tbsp

• Salt – ½ tsp.

• Olive oil – 1 tbsp

Method:

1. Prepare the fish by thoroughly washing it and cutting it into ¾ inch cubes.

2. Put the olive oil into an appropriately sized saucepan and heat it at medium temperatures. Add the onions and bell pepper and cook until they are soft, but not brown. This takes eight minutes.

3. Thereafter add the garlic and tomatoes and sauté until tender (this takes about three minutes). Follow this up by stirring in the paprika and cumin and let it simmer for a minute.

4. Pour in the stock gradually and at the same time, raise the temperature until it becomes high and finally bring the mixture to boil. Add fish and mushrooms. After the mixture has been brought to a boil, reduce the heat and let it simmer (for about three minutes). A good indicator is the color of the fish. One should simmer until the fish becomes thoroughly opaque.

5. Then, finally, stir in the tahini, lemon zest, coriander, parsley and salt. Ladle this mixture into individual bowls and serve up!

This exotic Moroccan soup has a fine blend of flavors which is bound to appeal to your palate. Moreover, it is a really healthy dish, as is quite obvious. Two cups of this is enough for a meal, and it has just two hundred and eighty nine calories! Have you ever had a meal that low in calories? Or, one can combine this with steamed coucous or boulgar for a healthy serving of carbs along with the protein.

Who doesn’t like polenta? The combination of cream cheese and buttered mushroom sauce is simply irresistible. In fact, just thinking about it makes my mouth water and I want to go and get some for myself! But, unfortunately, polenta’s not any good if you’re planning to fit into that size eight dress for your birthday in two months! Polenta is in fact, on your list of forbidden foods, and its right up there with chocolates!

Or is it? Ever tried a healthy polenta? I quite accidentally came across this recipe, when I had leftovers and wanted to whip up something tasty on a lazy weekend. And guess what? I can indulge myself quite often and without any guilt too! Plus, I’m well on the way to becoming a size eight! Here’s my take on polenta!

Ingredients:

• Fresh mushrooms, sliced – 1 cup

• Polenta, coarsely ground – 1 cup

• Broccoli florets – 1 cup

• Parmesan cheese, grated – 2 tbsp.

• Zucchini , sliced – 1 cup

• Chopped garlic – 1 tsp.

• Onions, sliced – 1 cup

• Chopped oregano, rosemary or basil – according to taste preferences.

• Water – 4 cups

Method:

Preheat your oven to 350F. Coat an ovenproof dish, of appropriate size, with cooking spray. Make it a light coating.

Put the cornmeal (polenta) into the prepared dish, along with garlic and water. Bake for about forty minutes, keeping it uncovered, till the polenta moves away from the side of the cooking dish, do ensure that it is still moist at the end of the baking process.

In the meanwhile, put cooking spray into a frying pan (preferably non stick); put in mushrooms and onions and sauté them at medium temperature until they become tender. This generally takes about five minutes.

Put water (1 inch deep), into a pot, which is fitted with a steamer basket) and bring to a boil. Then add the leafy vegetables – zucchini and broccoli. Cover them and proceed to steam them until they become crispy and tender. This generally takes two to three minutes.

After the polenta is done baking, add all the vegetables, then sprinkle the parmesan cheese on it and add the herbs to taste. Serve immediately, while it is still hot.
It’s a simple variation of polenta, where instead of the mushroom butter sauce, vegetables are used. You can use any combination of leafy vegetables, whatever you like, but the good news is, you can still have your polenta AND lose weight!