Mock Cheese Cake

Sometimes in the spur of the moment I tend to make something out of the ordinary.When I  create a new recipe ,I usually eyeball the ingredients and the dish emerges as the best I could have ever made.Lately   I have been playing around with custard powder inventing  new desserts which at the beginning became a total disaster but then with a lot of trial and error ,I learnt to use and balance the correct amount of ingredients  to make something  interesting.

I made custard pudding using fresh mangoes and apples , instead of the usual  pudding dish i used a  springform tray to set the pudding in .And what a transformation the springform tray did to my pudding.It had the typical  look of a cheese cake and anyone looking at it would think I had made cheesecake .At least a mock cheese cake to devour on a breezy afternoon.

For a thick  custard pudding ( my mock cheese cake)

1 litre milk

1 cup custard powder

1/2 tin condensed milk

1 small apple grated

1 tablespoon lemon zest

1 cup sugar or to taste

1 tsp vanilla essense

A little less than a cup of water

For the pudding base

Tea biscuits to fill a springform baking tray ( single layer)

Hot coffee to dip biscuits ( not to soak)

1 tablespoon sugar

For the topping

2 big juicy mangoes

1 tablespoon sugar

Preparation

Step 1- Dip the tea biscuits in hot coffee and in a single layer fill the springform tray.keep aside .

Step 2 -Make a thick paste of the custard powder using water.set aside.In a heavy bottom pan,add the milk,condensed milk,sugar and the custard paste and cook till it thickens.Then add the grated apple,lemon zest and the vanilla essense and stir it continuously till the the custard is very thick (the custard should not be creamy but very thick consistency) . Pour the custard into the springform tray and evenly level  it with the help of a spatula .Keep it aside to cool and then refrigerate  to chill.

Step 3 - With your  handy manual  kitchen grater ,grate the mangoes.It will have a kind of pureed consistency . Mix into it 1 tablespoon of sugar.

Remove chilled custard pudding from refrigerator and top it with the fresh  mango puree and refrigerate again for a couple of hours.

To serve, carefully remove the  top part of springform tray  ,place the pudding  on a serving platter with the bottom of the tray still intact.Cut into wedges ( how big the slice is according to your preference).

Beef Macaroni

A scrumptious pasta dish that will wow your family and friends.

Ingredients

A packet of macaroni (500 gm packet)
1 1/2 lbs beef
2 large onions chopped
4-5 green chilies (remove seeds if you prefer less spicy)
1 medium carrot cubed
A pod of garlic
1 inch ginger
1-2 teaspoons of Cummin seed
2 teaspoons of curry powder or more according to your taste
1-2 teaspoons pepper
Salt to taste
 1 beef stock  cube ( chicken stock cube tastes good too)
Ghee/butter
1 cup thick Coconut Milk
A few curry leaves

Direction
Boil the macaroni according to instructions in the packet with a little salt (drain it and set aside). Wash & cut the beef  into medium sized pieces. Boil the beef  with 2-3 cups of water- with a little pepper  and salt. Once done   set aside (don’t throw the excess liquid).
Pound the ginger, garlic, green chilies  and the cummin seeds (set aside).

In a large pan, heat 2-3 tablespoon of ghee/butter, stir in the chopped onions and the carrot and when it begins to soften , put in the rest of the pounded ingredients (garlic, ginger, green chilies, cummin seeds). Keep on stirring it you get  a nice  aroma (don’t let it brown).

Put in the curry powder ,curry leaves and the pepper and give it a good stir. Add the boiled beef  with the excess liquid into this sautéed mixture and cover the pan with a lid & cook in  moderate heat for 15 minutes. Next add the boiled macaroni. Mix in the beef stock  cube. Cover and cook for further 10-15 minutes. Pour in  the cup of coconut milk and add salt.  Let it simmer for a while .

Serves 6-8 persons

Coconut Almond Bars

Recently when my eldest visited us from Dubai, I made her a sweet made from scratch to take back home. Since the ingredients were available in my pantry there was no need to rush to the store.  This is my very own creation and I am glad it turned out well.

Ingredients
2 cups freshly grated coconut
1 cup almond powder
1 cup sugar
4 tablespoon water
1/4 cup sweetened condensed milk
2 tablespoon sliced almond
A drop each of almond essense, vanilla essense and rose water
1/2 teaspoon cardomom powder
A drop of food colouring (according to your preferences)

Method
Lightly butter a cookie tray and set aside
In a pan, add the water and sugar and let it boil slowly till it turns into a syrup.
Add the coconut, cardomom powder, almond essense and vanilla essense and cook for a few minutes
Next add the almond powder and keep stirring
Add a drop  of food coloring for colour and mix well
Add the condensed milk and almond slices
Continue stirring until the mixture leaves the sides of the pan.
Pour the mixture into the greased tray
Cover with cling film and smoothen it with a rolling pin
Allow to cool
Cut into squares and refrigerate until firm.          

How to make cake made from cake mix taste like home made

One thing I am sure to find in my pantry is a box of cake mix. The reason I buy extras is whenever my children get hungry for home made cake, I just have to grab a box from the pantry, add or switch ingredients and make my own twist to it and la voila, my children are happy to eat an almost homemade cake. All I do to tranform the store purchased mix  into home made one is to play with the cake mix and try to enhance the look and flavour so that it gives a more home-baked taste. Here are some things I add to replace the ingredients to be used as per instructions  in the box; I substitute milk or orange juice for water. I add half a cup of mashed bananas to a vanilla or yellow cake mix to get  a taste of banana cake. Sometimes,just before placing the cake mix batter into the oven I  add chocolate chips to get a shiny finish and throw in some crushed walnuts or pecans to bite into.once it's done,the aroma fills the whole house inviting everyone into the kitchen.

Here I have made a pineapple upside down cake with a pound cake micx

My son helping me with the batter

To this strawberry cake mix I added choco chips.It tasted great

Mushroom Soup

I love mushroom soup but I have never taken the trouble of making it from scratch.When the need arises to indulge in a delicious soup,I immediately go for the  ready mix packet that I keep stored in my shelf  for quick a  preparation.However I add a little bit of extra ingredients into it  to make it  scrumptious and have a home made effect.

I open a can  of mushrooms and  drain off  the liquid in it.Then heat  some butter in  pan and saute  sliced onions and garlic and ginger.Once it is cooked,a  little  pepper is added and kept aside till I prepare the broth.In another pan I stir the ready mix packet with water, the amount of water to be used is given in the packet instructions.When it is boiling,I throw the cooked mushroom mixture into it.Then I keep stirring  constantly and lastly  season it with salt.That’s my version of home made mushroom soup with the help of the ready mix packet.

The other day when we went to a restaurant for dinner I ordered mushroom soup.It was outrageously delicious.

Creamy Leeks

Uncooked leek is  crunchy and firm and has the taste of onions.Leeks can be used in a variety of dishes and it makes a delectable side dish.One of the most popular uses is for adding flavor to stock.The dark green portion is usually used for stir fries and stocks.This scrumptious stems can be used or cooked on it’s own or blended with  many other ingredients to bring out the extra flavours.In my home country we eat leeks cooked with   variety of ingredients. My children love it when its prepared with sliced onions and tomatoes. However the rest of my family members  love  to eat  leeks cooked with a few tablespoons of  coconut milk which  makes the leeks tastier and gives a more delicate and creamier flavor.We eat this with steaming rice and a meat dish on the side.Raw leeks is ideal to bring the extra crunch to the salad and also used as a  garnish.Leeks also  bring a distinct flavor  to stews and  soups.So today,let me show you how leeks is prepared in my kitchen.

saute the leeks with other ingredients

Ingredients

A salad bowl of washed and chopped leeks

An onion sliced

2-3 cloves of garlic crushed

One tomato chopped

½ teaspoon mustard seeds

 ½ teaspoon turmeric powder

½ teaspoon curry powder

1-2 tablespoons  oil

½ cup water

2-3 tablespoon coconut milk powder

A sprig of curry leaves ( optional)

Salt to taste

Adjusting a little more or less of the ingredients won’t make a difference..

Method

Heat the oil in the pan.Saute the onions,mustard seeds and the crushed garlic. Add the,turmeric powder and the curry powder and the curry leaves ( optional).At this stage a wonderful aroma will waft through the kitchen and will start tantalizing your senses.Mix in the chopped tomatoesand the leeks and cook in high heat for 2-3 minutes. Reduce  heat add the  salt and water.Let it simmer for another 2-3 minutes.Finally stir  in the powdered coconut milk. ( this has to be mixed in quickly so that no lumps form).Enjoy with rice and  any other curry.

 

Final touch - with coconut milk

 

Colourful Combo

I was feeling a little dull this evening and was not in a mood to cook dinner.Then my Hubby suggested he would bring some take aways. I am forever thinking of reducing too much of fried food and all the rich sauces off my diet.But when my hubby brought this for dinner ,I couldn't take my hungry eyes off it.Who would resist a colourful sandwich combo as delicious as this!

While heartily indulging in the scrumptiousness of this sandwich,I realized what a great picture it would make for my scrapbook or my blog.Hence I took this picture even though a portion had already been eaten.But still it looked good..