Eggless cake
September 1, 2009
Ingredients: ½ cup margarine, ½ cup flour, ½ cup condensed milk, ½ teaspoon baking powder, vanilla essence.
Method: Sift maida (flour) and baking powder. Rub in margarine for 2 minutes. Blend condensed milk and vanilla with the maida mixture till the mixture is soft and fluffy. Pour in a greased dish and bake for 25-30 minutes at moderate temperature.
Tomato pasta
September 1, 2009
Ingredients: 2 cups tomatoes, 2 cups cooked pasta, 1 cups white sauce, ½ cup cheese (grated), salt, ½ cup chilli sauce, breadcrumbs
Method: Blanch tomatoes, peel and chop. Boil a pan of water. Add pasta, salt and a few drops of oil. Boil and cook till it is half done. Drain and keep aside. Mix cooked pasta, tomatoes, white sauce, salt and chilli sauce. Sprinkle breadcrumbs and grated cheese. Bake in a preheated oven till top is golden in colour.
The Chinese Wada pav
August 31, 2009
Ingredients; 2 boiled potatoes, 2 unsweetened buns (pav), 3- 4 tablespoon besan flour, salt to taste, 1 teaspoon chilli powder, oil for frying, 1 cup thin rice noodles(boiled and drained) , 2 lemon leaves, 1 tablespoon red chilli paste.
Method: peel and mash the potatoes. Mix in the salt and the masalas, and mix will. Shape into chops, dip in the besan batter and deep fry the wadas. Heat 2 tablespoons of oil and fry the lemon leaves for a minute. Mix in the noodles and the chilli paste and keep aside.
To serve; slice the pav into halves. On one half spread the spicy noodles, place the wada and cover with the other half of the pav. Serve with tomato ketchup.
Fish fingers
August 31, 2009
Ingredients: 500 gm boneless fish (cut into fingers , 1 tablespoon turmeric powder, 1 tablespoon ginger garlic paste, 1 tablespoon cornflour, ½ cup breadcrumbs, oil for frying the fingers , salt to taste.
Method: Rub salt, turmeric powder and ginger-garlic paste on the fish fingers and keep aside for 10 minutes. Mix the cornflour in half cup of water to obtain a thin paste. Dip each the fish fingers in the cornflour batter and lightly roll in the bread-crumbs and fry in oil till golden brown and crispy. Serve with the salad of your choice.
CALIFORNIA PRUNE CAKE
August 31, 2009
Ingredients: 200 gm California prunes , 250 gm butter, 250 gm sugar, 4 eggs, 250 gm flour, 3 gm baking powder, 1 lemon rind(grated) , 50 gm icing sugar.
Method: Soften and whisk the butter until it is creamy. Add sugar and whisk again for a few minutes. Add eggs one at a time beating well after each addition. Add chopped California prune. Mix sifted flour with baking powder and grated rinds of lemon into the mixture.
Line a cake tin with non-sticky greaseproof paper. Pour the mixture into the tin with care so that the tin is filled above two thirds of its height. Bake in a preheated oven at 180 C for 90 minutes and then leave it to cool in the tin for 10 minutes. Turn out the tin onto a wire rack to cool completely.
To decorate the California prune cake, dust icing sugar on top.
Vegetarian canapés:
August 29, 2009
Ingredients: 6-7 rusk biscuits, 6-7 cheese slices, 50 gm mushroom, 1 large capsicum, 1 tablespoon flour, ½ cup milk, 1 teaspoon pepper (freshly ground) 1 tablespoon butter , 1 tablespoon oil, salt to taste.
For garnishing ; chopped parsley or mint leaves(optional)
Method: Chop the mushrooms and the capsicums into very tiny pieces. Mix the flour in the milk to form a smooth paste. Heat the butter and the oil in a pan and sauté the mushrooms and capsicums for 2 minutes. Add the pepper and keep aside. Place a slice of cheese on each rusk biscuit and trim the cheese slice to the size of a biscuit. Top with a little of the prepared mushroom mixture and garnish with chopped parsley or mint leaves.
Chinese bread circles
August 29, 2009
Ingredients; 7 – 8 slices bread, 1 cup noodles (cooked) , 3-4 potatoes (boiled), 1 teaspoon sesame seeds (roasted) , ½ teaspoon ajino moto , 1 teaspoon soya sauce, ½ teaspoon vinegar, 2 tablespoon oil , oil for frying.
Method: Discard the sides of the bread and cut one circle from each bread slice with the help of a small bow. Keep the circles aside. Heat 2 tablespoon oil and mix the boiled, peeled and mashed potatoes, cooked noodles, soya sauce, vinegar and ajino moto. Mix well and cook over a medium flame for 2-3 minutes.
Remove and cool. On each bread circle place a portion of the prepared mixture. Top with some sesame seeds, Prepare all the circles in this way. Heat oil sufficient to deep-fry the bread circles. When the oil is hot, put in each bread circle, and fry for only a minute. Drain the excess oil on a kitchen towel and serve hot.
Italian twisters
August 27, 2009
Ingredients: 1¼ cups flour, 1 tablespoon butter, ½ teaspoon sugar, ½ teaspoon salt,
1½ teaspoon dry yeast (instant), ¼ cup warm milk, 1 teaspoon dried mixed herbs, 1 tablespoon grated cheese.
Method: Mix the flour, butter, sugar, salt , yeast, mixed herbs and cheese. Add the warm milk and prepare a soft dough. Take small portions and roll them. Take two rolls and on a lightly floured surface, twist them together. Place these bread sticks on prepared baking sheets. Press down edges slightly to prevent twists from unravelling. Bake until golden brown. Serve warm.
Sweet canapés
August 27, 2009
Ingredients: 100 gm of flour, 2 pinches of salt, 2 teaspoon of sugar powder, 1 tablespoon of ghee
For the filling: 1 cup of cooked rice, ½ cup of sugar syrup, 3-4 saffron strands soaked in 1 tablespoon of lukewarm milk, cherries for garnishing.
Method: Sift together the flour, salt and sugar powder. Mix in the ghee and a little water and knead into a dough. Divide the dough into 7-8 portions. Roll out each dough into a small circle. Place each of these circles into a canapé or cooking mould. The size of your circle should be slightly bigger than the size of your mould. Bake the moulds in a preheated oven at 150 degree for 12 minutes or until light golden brown.
Alternatively you could buy ready-made canapé moulds.
For the filling – heat the sugar syrup and add the rice and saffron. Cook on low fire till the sugar syrup is fully absorbed into the rice. Fill the canapés with this rice and garnish with cherries and serve as a sweet dish.
Grilled oranges
August 24, 2009
Ingredients : 2 oranges, 2 tablespoon butterscotch sauce or plum sauce or any sauce of your choice.
For garnishing: nuts(chopped)
Method: Peel the oranges and remove the pith from the segments. Separate each segment. With the tip of a sharp knife, cut a slit in the segment so as to open out each segment. Remove the seeds. Spread the sauce over the segments.
Heat an oven or a grill to 180 C. Place the oranges on a non-stick plate and place it in the oven. Put off the oven, once the oranges are place in the preheated oven. Allow the oranges to remain in the hot oven for 5-6 minutes. Remove and garnish with chopped nuts and serve with ice-cream or custard.
