Banoffee Pie......for A Sweet Punch

This months Sweet Punch challenge was ...Banoffee Pie......this pie is filled with amazing goodness and yet so simple...I always wanted to make Dulce de Leche.....once you have made that.....then you have a super simple dessert ready in minutes.....you gotta try this one.......

Recipe source : Swapna's Cuisine
Ingredients
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• 150 g Digestive Biscuits
• 30 g  Butter (melted)
• 200 gms Dulce de Leche
• 2 tsp Instant coffee powder
• 1 Banana (sliced)
• 200 ml Cream
• 2 tbsp Icing powder
• 1 tsp Vanilla essence
• 2 tsp Cocoa powder for dusting

Method

1. Powder digestive biscuits in a blender to fine powder, now add the melted butter and pulse till well blended.
2. Preheat the oven at 180 degree C for 10 minutes.

3.Transfer the powdered biscuits into a  6 inch pie dish or tart pan with removable base. Press the powdered biscuits firmly with your hand and spread evenly,cover the sides of the pan too.

4.Place on a baking tray and put it into the hot oven and bake for 10 minutes (till the biscuit base looks little brown).Let this base cool completely.

5.Once the biscuit base is cooled, spread the dulce de leche on the base . Dip a spoon into hot water and using the back of the spoon spread the dulce (this makes it easier to spread the dulce).

6.Using a small sieve dust coffee powder on the dulce.

7.Now place the sliced the banana on the coffee powder.

8.Whip fresh cream with icing sugar and vanilla essence till soft peaks are formed. Transfer to a piping bag and pipe on top of the sliced bananas.

9. Dust cocoa powder on the cream.

Dulce de Leche

This is pure magic, when I opened this tin of condensed milk......I closed my eyes and prayed it would look exactly like how I had hoped it would...........and .......you get to see this amazing color....its just beautiful caramel ....its pure magic.

I wanted to make Dulce de Leche long back and came to know that its usually prepared by immersing the condensed milk tin in water and cooked for 3 hours.......I know ......3 hours....I was like.....forget it.....my mom would just set my head on fire....with all the gas prices shooting up....then I came across Divya's Easycooking blog...where she had used the pressure cooker method....I would not be surprised if it was an Indian who actually came up with this idea.....its just so amazing and time saving....though I did tell everyone to vacate the kitchen......just in case......(just kidding)

Recipe Source:Easycooking

Ingredients

• 1 tin Condensed Milk
• Water

Method

1. Place the condensed milk tin inside a pressure cooker, fill enough water to cover the tin.
2. Cover with lid and place the cooker on high flame, when the steam comes place the weight.After the first whistle reduced the heat to low and cook on simmer for 30 minutes.
3. Take the cooker off the flame and let it cool down to room temperature.
4. Remove the tin from the cooker and store in the fridge till further use.

Nungel Meen Ghassi - Dry Fish Curry

According to mom, this is what she would call 'Comfort Food'....if its raining and cold outside....I know what exactly my mom would say.....'This is the right time to have nungel meen ghassi  or chutney with piping hot ganji'....I have to confess that dry fish was not my favorite(I used to hate it)....but I also believe that with age,taste buds mature....mine did.....but my sister's did not....she refuses to even sit next to this dish... The easiest way to flush my sister outside the house.... just make nungel meen(dry fish) ghassi or chutney.

This is definitely one of those dishes that falls into the 'Acquired taste' category.......you can either hate it or just love it .

Ingredients
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• 350 grams Dry fish (I have used thate/shark)
• 1 cup Coconut
• 7 to 8 roasted Red chilllies 
• 2 tsp roasted Coriander seeds
• 1/4tsp roasted Cumin seeds
• 15 roasted Peppercorns
• 1/4 tsp roasted Fenugreek seeds (methi)
• 5 cloves of Garlic (with peel)
• 1/2 tsp Turmeric powder
• lemon size Tamarind
• 1 medium Onion- chopped
• 1 small Tomato - chopped(optional)
• 2 tbsp oil
• salt to taste

Method

1. Soak the dry fish in hot water for 30 minutes to remove excess salt. Remove and cut to desired size.
2. Grind coconut,red chillies, coriander seeds, cumin seeds, peppercorns, fenugreek seeds, garlic. tamarind and turmeric powder to a fine paste using water.
3. Place a pan on medium heat,add oil when hot add chopped onion and fry till it turns dark brown. now add tomato which is optional and fry for 2 minutes. Add the ground paste and fry for few minutes till the raw smell disappears and oil leaves the sides of the masala. Now add the fish and enough water to get desired consistency (I used 1 cup). Add salt and bring the curry to a boil. take off the flame.
4. Serve with rice ,preferably with brown rice (roasematta)

Chocolate Chip Cookies for Devs

This one is for Devina ....my sister.....who got married last week.....she is my inspiration to cook good food .I can say a lot of things about her...but I won't ...I will settle with.....

                                                              Girl...........I miss you crazzzzzzzzyyy

Recipe Source:-Williams and Sonoma
Ingredients
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• 1 1/3cups (220g) All purpose flour
• 1/2 tsp Baking Powder
• 1/2 tsp Baking Soda
• 1/2 tsp Salt
• 1/2 cup (125g) Butter (softened)
• 1/2cup (125g) Castor sugar or granulated sugar
• 1/2cup (105g) Firmly packed light brown sugar
• 1 large Egg
• 1 tsp Vanilla Essence
• 1cup (185g) Semi sweet chocolate chips

Method

1. Preheat oven at 180 degree C. Grease baking sheet or line with baking paper or silicon sheet.Keep aside.
2. Sift flour,baking powder, baking soda and salt together on a paper and set aside.
3. In a bowl using an electric whisk cream butter on high speed till fluffy and pale yellow.Add sugar and brown sugar and beat again till the mixture is no longer gritty.
4. Add egg and beat on low speed till well blended.
5. Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture and beat on low speed till well blended or use a wooden spoon to mix.Add chocolate chips and mix well.
6. Take a tablespoon of cookie dough and roll to a ball with damp hands and place 2 inches apart on the prepared baking sheet.(you can also place few choco chips on the cookie dough before transferring into the oven)
7. Place the baking sheet on the middle rack and bake for 12 to 15minutes or till the golden brown around the edges..
8. Let the cookies cool in the baking sheet for few minutes before transferring onto a wire rack and let cool completely.Place the cooled cookies in an airtight container.

Simple Chocolate Cake for my Girl

I am always looking out for a diary free......tasty...... Chocolate Cake recipe for my daughter.My girl is not a fussy eater....but I have to be careful...thanks to her diary allergy. Though she is just 3 years old she has understood the fact that milk,cheese and yogurt are no good for her. She voluntarily refuses to eat ice cream,cheese and cream biscuits.....but one thing I just cannot keep her away from are ....CAKES....she just refuses to accept the fact that there is milk in cakes and cream in the frosting.....My heart sinks when we go to birthday parties and she just stares at that cream filled Black Forest cake.....

I am so glad I found this very simple ...yet tasty chocolate cake recipe...and what more its diary free.You won't believe me ...my daughter had more than half of this cake...she could not believe the fact that I let her eat the cake...I think she was scared I will change my mind....she ate all she could. My granny asked her if she can have a small piece and my daughter told her politely... "Ajji ,this cake is only for kids,you go and eat your chakuli"


Recipe from :- Testado,provado and aprovado
Ingredients
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• 1 1/2 cup All purpose flour
• 1 cup Sugar (I used castor sugar)
• 1/2 cup Cocoa powder
• 1/2tsp Baking powder
• 1/2 tsp Baking soda
• 1/4 cup Vegetable oil
• 1 egg lightly beaten
• 1 cup Boiling water

For Glaze

• 1/3 cup Icing sugar, sifted
• 2 tbsp Cocoa powder,sifted
• 1 tsp Butter
• 1/2 cup water

Method

1. Preheat oven to 200 degree C
2. Grease and line with parchment paper an 8 inch round baking pan.Keep aside. 
3. Sift flour,baking powder, baking soda and cocoa powder into a bowl. Add sugar and using a hand whisk mix well.
4. Now add oil and lightly beaten egg and whisk little. Add boiling water and whisk till well blended.
5. Pour the batter into the baking pan and bake for 25 minutes or when inserted with a toothpick it comes out clean.
6. Prepare the glaze:-Combine all the ingredients in a saucepan and bring to boil.Cook on medium heat for few minutes till the sauce thickens.
7. Remove the cake from its pan when its still warm. Pour the hot glaze on the cake and spread it around.

Thai Chicken Satay

After the success of my Chicken in Red Thai Curry....I went into 'Thai Mode' :)

Recipe Source:-Nita Mehta's Thai cooking
Ingredients
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• 400 g Chicken ,boneless bite size pieces 
• 8 Bamboo Skewers,soaked in water

Marinade

• 1 tsp Red chilli powder
• 1 1/2 tsp Brown Sugar
• 3 Fresh red chillies,seeded and thinly sliced
• 1 tsp Lemon Grass ,finely chopped
• 1 tsp Lemon leaves , finely chopped
• 2 tsp oil
• 3 tbsp Coconut powder mixed in 1 tbsp milk
• 1tsp Soy Sauce
• 1 inch piece Ginger/galangal, grated
• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• 2 tsp Cornflour
• 10 flakes Garlic, crushed
• 1 1/2 tsp Cumin powder
• 1 1/2 tsp Coriander powder

Method

1. Mix all marinade ingredients in a bowl.
2. Add the chicken pieces and mix well.Refrigerate for 2 hours.
3. Oil the bamboo skewer and thread the marinated chicken.Do not leave any space between the chicken while threading. Reserve the marinade in the bowl.
4. Grill the chicken in a preheated oven/grill at 220 degree C for 15 minutes, turning the chicken once in between and basting with the marinade.
5. Or heat a non stick pan, grease with little oil and place the chicken on the pan and fry on high heat till the chicken cooked.
6. Serve with Thai Peanut Sauce.