Strawberry Cheese Cake

I love cheese cake.. Or rather I love anything that is creamy and yummy :) I like it even after knowing how much of a damage it would cause to my waist line!! I always hear my food shouting out to me as "Now or never". Yup! Eat them all when you are healthy and young. Never postpone or keep yourself away from your cravings. Life is short and enjoy it everyday with a dessert of your choice :) 

Ingredients:
Biscuits (Digestive Marie) - 6
Melted butter - 3 tsp
Strawberry crush - 1/2 cup + 1/4 cup for top layer
Hung curd - 1/2 cup
Fresh cream - 1/2 cup
Sugar - 2 tblsp
Gelatin - 3 tsp + 1 tsp
Water - 4 tsp

Method:
Grind the biscuits and mix in the melted butter with it, until it forms crumbs. Line the base of the serving dish with the biscuit mixture and press gently. Put in the fridge to set for an hour. Prepare hung curd using a muslin cloth. Beat whipping cream until it forms stiff peaks. Fold the cream, hung curd and 1/2 cup of strawberry crush together until it blends well to make a smooth mixture. Add 4 tsp of water in 3 tsp gelatin and microwave at high for 30 seconds or until completely dissolved. Then pour the gelatin slowly into the strawberry mixture. Keep stirring continuously.Now pour the strawberry mixture onto the set biscuit base.Cover and put in the fridge to set overnight. Take a bowl with 1 tsp of gelatin and pour 2 tsp of water and microwave for 30 seconds. Mix in 1/4 cup of strawberry crush and pour on top of the cheese cake layer and refrigerate for 3 hours. Serve chill with some whipped cream topping.

Note:

I dint have a spring form pan(Pan with removable base) so I used glass tumblers for my cheese cake. This is an interesting way to make individual portions of cheese cake :)

Written by: Nithya
Send in your queries by clicking here.

Fusilli Pasta In White Sauce

Pasta is my favorite Italian dish after Pizza. I enjoy every variation of pasta and especially the creamy white sauce base is damn yummy :) I don't mind licking my plate and finger after a delicious pasta :)

If you have a similar taste, just go ahead and try this out :)

Ingredients:

Fusilli pasta - 2 cups
Beans - 50 gms
Carrot - 2
Spinach - 1/2 bunch
White sauce
Oregano - 1 tsp
Pepper - for taste
Salt - for taste
Mozzarella Cheese – 3/4 cup

For white sauce -

All purpose flour (Maida) – 4 tbsp
Butter – 4 tbsp
Milk – 3 cups
Salt

Method:

Add pasta to boiling water and cook for 5 mins. Strain and wash with cold water and keep it aside.

Dice beans and carrots into long pieces and cook them in microwave. Clean, chop and cook spinach.

To make white sauce - Dilute the maida in milk and mix it thoroughly without lumps. Melt the butter in a pan. Simmer the stove, pour in the diluted milk mixture and stir continuously until the sauce thickens. Finally add salt and mix well.

Now take a pan and add the cooked vegetables, spinach and pasta. Pour in the prepared white sauce and cook for five mins. Add oregano, salt and pepper to it mix well.

Transfer this to a baking dish and sprinkle the grated cheese on top and grill in an oven till the cheese melts down.

Serve hot and enjoy eating :)

Written by: Nithya
Send in your queries by clicking here.

Cucumber Olive Salad

A salad a day keeps the doctor away. This can be a new generation saying ;)

A salad diet can easily fill your tummy but still make you feel so light and fresh. Salad is the mantra for a fit body. Ooops guess its a lot of gyan which I really don't follow everyday but then its true I say!! ;)

Here is a simple yet delicious salad for you all..

Ingredients:

Cucumber - 1
Cabbage - 1/2 cup grated
Sweet corn - 1/2 cup
Olives - 10
Capsicum - 1
Mint leaves - few
Curd - 1 cup
Salad dressing (Knorr - Light french salad dressing)
Mixed herbs - 1 tsp
Chilly flakes - for taste
Pepper - for taste
Salt - for taste

Method:

Dice cabbage, cucumber, capsicum and olives into small cubes. Chop mint leaves. Add them all in a large bowl and toss to mix it up. Add thick curd, salad dressing, mixed herbs, salt, pepper and chilly flakes and mix well.

Serve and enjoy eating :)

Written by: Nithya
Send in your queries by clicking here.

Dry Pitala

A million thanks to all my friends and relatives who have wished me by calls, mails and sent me gifts :) I am so overwhelmed and feeling really blessed :)

I need to extend my thanks to my sweetest neighbor Suman Mundra aunty who made a feast just for me :) She cooked a lot of dishes and presented to me in a beautiful way. It was an amazing spread with delicious dishes. Hugs aunty :)

I'm posting her recipes in my blog since I really fell for them and she was sweet enough to share the method with me.

Dry pitala is a Maharashtrian dish which goes as a great accompaniment for toast, poori or even ghee rice. Its simple to make and delicious to eat :)

Ingredients:

Besan (Chickpea flour) - 1 cup
Turmeric powder - 1 tsp
Chilly powder - 2 tsp
Asafoetida - a pinch
Jeera - 1 tsp
Curry leaves
Coriander leaves
Salt

Method:

Add three tsp of oil in a kadai and add jeera, asafoetida, turmeric powder, salt and curry leaves. Fry for a min and add chilly powder. Immediately pour in 1/2 cup of water. When it starts to boil, sieve in the besan and keep stirring until it gets cooked well and dries up to from crumbles. Add chopped coriander leaves.

Serve with poori, toast or eat with just ghee rice.

Variation:

Make a gravy of the same kind by adding more water and also chopped onion, capsicum, grated raw mangoes etc to make it flavorful.

Written by: Nithya
Send in your queries by clicking here.

Masala Kaapi - Indian Energy Drink

I have been physically and mentally busy for the past few weeks and henceforth blogging has taken a back seat :(

Today I could hear my blog cry for some quick post and so did my energy crave for some boost. Went to the kitchen and quickly brewed a masala kaapi to rejuvenate myself and my blog :)

I enjoyed this version of typical Indian kaapi(Coffee) irrespective of my liking for coffee and tea. Hope you guys enjoy it too :)

Ingredients:

Milk - 1 cup
Coffee Decoction - 2 tblsp
Cardamom - 1
Cinnamon - 1/4 inch piece
Cloves - 2
Ginger - 1/4 inch grated
Pepper - 3
Sugar - 2 tsp

Method:

Grind cardamom, cinnamon, cloves and ginger in the mixie.

Boil milk, add the ground masala and sugar to it and stir. Remove from flame and add freshly made coffee decoction and pour from one tumbler to the other until it foams ;)

Serve hot.

I tried the chill version of the same as well and liked it too :)

Written by: Nithya
Send in your queries by clicking here.