Mayonnaise

I hate strong vinegary smell some mayonnaise has and decided to try my own. I got this recipe from a small cookery booklet of Filippo Berio Olive oil. I mainly use mayonnaise for making Caesar Salad dressing or simply as a dip for sausages or for sandwiches as a light spread. Since I like it less tangy I used only ½ tbs of lemon juice. The original recipe states 1 tbs. It’s so easy to make, but I never knew mayonnaise used so much of oil.

Let me ask you guys something now.
Do you know how to check the freshness of an egg? Yes/No?
I think this was one of the most valuable tip that I read somewhere long ago and has been using it ever since. Just take a small bowlful of water. Slowly submerge the egg in the water. There should be enough water for the egg to submerge in completely. If the egg stays at the bottom of the saucepan, the egg is fresh and is really good. Crack it and make an omelette if you wish. If you see the egg in the middle of water, the egg is getting old. you still can use it,but see if it is good. And if the egg floats on water, it is stale and rotten. Don’t even think of cracking it as it smells awful and unless you really want to faint.

Ingredients:
1 large egg yolk
1 tsp mustard paste
½ tbs - 1 tbs lemon/lime juice or vinegar
¼ tsp pepper powder
a pinch of sugar to taste
1/8 tsp salt
150 mls vegetable oil/Light olive oil

Preparation:
1. Put 1 egg yolk, mustard paste, ½ tbs lemon juice, salt and pepper and whisk thoroughly using a balloon whisk until everything is fully blended and is homogenous.
2. Very slowly add in olive oil drop by drop at a time or ¼ - ½ tsp at a time and whisk at high speed until you get a creamy texture. Do it until all the oil is used up. You can easily do it in the food-processor which is easier to handle.
3. Add more seasonings and lemon juice if needed.
Notes&Tips:
1. It’s common that if you add in too much oil at a time the mixture doesn’t mix well and it looks curdled. You can see the oil is separated from the rest of the mixture. If at all it happens, take another egg yolk in another bowl and whisk it until it completely breaks up. Add the curdled mayonnaise to this beaten egg yolk little by little and whisk well until combined.

Dates & Walnut Bars

I couldn’t wait to share this Recipe with you all. When I was a little child I used to participate in drawing and painting competitions. I also happened to participate in one of the drawing competitions conducted by Nestle group of companies. Even though I dint win any prize, after the participation they have been sending me so many little little stuff and few recipe books using the nestle products like the Nestle condensed milk and nestle cream. Those books contain few recipes but all are scrumptious with even more appealing pictures. Among those recipes was this Walnut and Date bar with a lip-smacking picture which made me drool every time I see them. But when I took the picture, first think that struck my mind was that it looked like a piece of granite that resembled one in our kitchen back home in Kerala. I was disappointed with the picture, but very pleased with the taste. I loved them so much that I just couldn’t wait to post.
Ingredients:
1½ cup Chopped Dates
½ tin x 397 sweetened condensed milk
2 tbs butter
(I used 1 tbs of sugar and 1 tbs of water instead)
½ cup chopped walnuts
½ cup grated coconut
3 cups biscuit crumbs (I used 18 pieces digestive biscuits crushed it in the processor)
50 g dark chocolate.

Preparation:
1. Heat a sauce pan on medium flame. Add in condensed milk, sugar, water, chopped dates, butter and stir well continuously until dates just turn soft. (About 7 minutes)
2. At this stage, remove the pan from heat and add in chopped walnuts, coconut and biscuit crumbs to make a firm mixture. Mix well thoroughly.
3. Press the mixture into a lightly greased medium size sponge tin.
4. Melt the chocolate in a medium bowl over a medium saucepan of containing a quarter of simmering watering, stirring it.
5. Drizzle the chocolate over the bars and refrigerate until set. Cut into 16-20 bars.

Notes:
1. The original recipe calls for 2 tbs of golden syrup or sugar syrup. I just added sugar and water. I never used golden syrup in my recipes and so don’t really know how it tastes.

Beetroot and Couscous Salad

Ingredients:
½ cup Dry Couscous
¾ cup boiling water
3 spring onions
1 1/2 tbsp olive oil
1 large beetroot diced (2 cups)
1 – 1½ tsp lime juice
Salt and pepper to taste

Preparation:
1. Soak couscous in ¾ cup boiling water and leave it covered for 15 minutes to cook. Drain off any excess water.
2. Cook beets along with ½ cup of water and salt until tender; covered. Drain of any excess water. You can also pressure cook them.
3. Chop the spring onions.
4. In a serving bowl, tip in the couscous, cooked beets and spring onions.
5. Mix olive oil with the lime juice and pour it in the couscous and beetroot.
6. Season well with salt and a pinch of pepper.
Notes:
1. You can add more lime juce if preferred. i personnaly dont it too tangy, so tend to use less lime.

Stir-Fried Potatoes (Urulakkizhangu Thoran)

I got this recipe from a small book that I bought from India long before I started my cooking. I dint have a passion for potatoes and so something like a Urulakkizhangu thoran never even struck my mind. Thoran (vegetable Stir-fries) is regular accompaniment on lunch menu and some or the other thoran is a must. Long back, while preparing the lunch, I couldn’t find anything in my refrigerator shelf for making thoran other than few potatoes. So I was forced to make thoran out of it and surprisingly it was a hit. Since then, Potato thoran is added to my thoran’s list and has become one of the regular thorans at home.


Ingredients:
2 medium size potatoes diced (2 cups)
½ cup onion chopped
¼ cup grated coconut
2 green chillies slit lengthwise
½ tsp mustard seeds
2 twigs curry leaves
3-4 tsp coconut oil/vegetable oil
Salt per taste

Preparation:
1. Peel and slice the potatoes into ½ cm thickness. Then dice them.
2. Heat a small sauce pan, add oil. When hot, crackle mustard seeds.
3. Gradually add in green chillies and curry leaves and sauté for few seconds.
4. Add in Chopped onions and sauté for a minute.
5. Add the potatoes and salt and mix well with a spoon and cook it covered until the potatoes are soft.
6. Serve as side dish with plain boiled rice

Pepper Chicken in Cashew Nut Gravy

This is one of the favourite chicken curries made at home for dinner. It is simple and quite mild. If you need it to be a bit more spicy, a couple of green chillies can be added.

Ingredients:
750 grams chicken, cut into medium size pieces
3 tbs Vegetable oil
2 cups onion chopped
1 tbs freshly grated ginger
4-5 large cloves of garlic, grated
¾ cup (1 large) tomato chopped
1½ rounded tbs crushed Black pepper
2 rounded tbs coriander powder
½ tsp turmeric powder
¾ tsp Dry Kasury methy leaves
¾ tsp Garam masala powder
18 medium size Cashew nuts

Preparation:
1. Soak cashew in ½ cup of water for half an hour and grind it to smooth paste.
2. Heat a Kadhai/kadai or a sauce pan, add oil.
3. Add in chopped onions and salt and sauté until it starts turning golden brown in colour. Add in the grated ginger and garlic and sauté until the raw smell goes off. Add in the crushed pepper, coriander powder and turmeric powder and sauté for a minute or two.
4. Add in the chopped tomatoes and let it cook until the tomatoes go mushy.
5. Add in the chicken, stir well and let it cook on medium flame until it is almost cooked. Add ½ - ¾ cup water if it is dry.
6. Add in the grated cashews, methy leaves and let it boil for 2-4 minutes until the chicken is well cooked.
7. Sprinkle the garam masala, close the lid and turn off the flame.
8. Serve warm with naan, parotta, chappathi or poori.

Kiddie Pizza

This is not the real pizza made with pizza dough and tomato sauce and then baking it. No. This is a simple and quick dish that I make for my little one for breakfast. It is hard to feed the fussy eating kids and can’t believe how fussy they can get at times. I can’t start my day properly if my toddler hasn’t had proper breakfast. Almost every time, I have to try many breakfasts before he eats something. Kiddie pizza is one of his favourites that he readily eats without any fuss. You can use different vegetables including courgettes or tomatoes. But i normally use carrots and Bell pepper and my kid is happy with that.

Ingredients:
4 tbs Carrot sliced very thinly and chopped fine. (or grated)
2½ tbs Onion sliced very thinly and chopped fine.
4 tbs Capsicum sliced very thinly and chopped fine.
5-7 tbsful Yoghurt
2 tbs grated cheddar cheese (optional)
A pinch of Salt
A pinch of Pepper powder
4 pieces white bread
A knob of butter

Preparation:
1. For making the topping, mix all the chopped vegetables with the yoghurt and cheese and add salt and pepper to season.

2. Toast the bread slightly just enough to make it crisp. Doesnt have to change colour. This way it makes this snack slightly crispy than soaky.
3. Heat a pan, add a knob of butter.
4. Spread the topping mixture thickly on one side of the bread and fry on both sides until golden.

5. Serve warm.