EVENT: SUNDAY FUNDAY THEME: ROMANCE FOR VALENTINE’S DAY RECIPE: WATERMELON MOUSSE Watermelon Mousse Watermelon Mousse is a very light, refreshing, fruity, delicious dessert. Easy to make, its a perfect dessert to celebrate Valentine’s Day or to enjoy for a romantic evening. The first time I tried this recipe was sometime in Nov 2013. I prepared Watermelon Mousse for a family Sunday lunch. The best part of preparing this mousse, was that it was easy, had no eggs and different. Generally mousse is prepared with the more familiar fruits like mango, strawberry, raspberry, pineapple, etc. Hardly ever anyone thinks of using watermelon to prepare a dessert. My guests couldn’t believe that the mousse was made with watermelon. I posted the recipe on 12/11/2013 but the one…
-
Continue ReadingEVENT: SUNDAY FUNDAY THEME: ONE POT WONDERS RECIPE: MUJADDARA – LENTIL & RICE PILAF What is Mujaddara? Mujaddara is an inexpensive, gluten free, vegan, healthy, flavorful and filling main dish. The main flavour of this rice dish comes from the caramelized onions. It is usually served with a salad and some yogurt, hummus or tahini sauce. Mujaddara is a lentil and rice preparation or dish that is usually enjoyed as a main meal. Mujaddara in Arabic means “pockmarked” as the pilaf resembles pockmarks. Without meat, it’s considered as a poor man’s meal. Meat was added to the pilaf only during celebrations. Mujaddara is a popular dish all over the Middle East. However, there are variations depending on the area or region. The variations can range…
-
Continue ReadingEVENT: A- Z RECIPE CHALLENGE THEME : AN INGREDIENT BEGINNING WITH THE LETTER T RECIPE: ROASTED TOMATO & RICOTTA TOAST Roasted Tomato & Ricotta Toast is warm toast slathered with ricotta cheese and topped with garlicky roasted tomatoes. Perfectly enjoyable as breakfast, or served with some soup as a light meal option. Roasted Tomato & Ricotta Toast This one one of my favorite ways to enjoy fresh seasonal tomatoes. The first time I tasted roasted tomato & ricotta toast was as a brunch option in Montreal. On the side had poached eggs, some salad greens and roasted potato chunks. That brunch sat happily in my tummy till evening! I’ve tried this recipe with the normal big tomatoes roasted but it doesn’t taste the same. Got…
-
Continue ReadingEVENT: FOODIEMONDAY/BLOGHOP THEME: #279 SESAME SEEDS RECIPE: ITALIAN SESAME SEED COOKIES/BISCOTTI REGINA Italian Sesame Seed Cookies Italian Sesame Seed Cookies/ Biscotti Regina, a classic Italian treat, so crunchy and lemony. These authentic Italian cookies are so easy to make. Originally called Biscotti Regina these cookies from the Sicily region make a good snack option. They can be served as dessert or with coffee. Translated, the name Biscotti Regina means Queen’s Biscuits. Crunchy outer because of the sesame seeds and a slightly soft center, these cookies are best enjoyed dunked in coffee, milk or tea. Biscotti Regina Unlike the more famous biscotti we know which are twice baked, Biscotti Regina are baked only once. How they originated is debatable. In this case, it is believed…
-
Continue ReadingEVENT: SHHH COOKING SECRETLY THEME: HOT POT SPECIAL RECIPE: VEGETARIAN MOUSSAKA Vegetarian Moussaka Vegetarian Moussaka is a flavorful, creamy and delish version of the original meat moussaka. Herb flavored lentil tomato sauce is spread between layers of vegetables, topped with Béchamel Sauce and baked. What is a Moussaka? A Moussaka is a layered casserole dish with minced meat in between layers of vegetables, usually eggplants and potatoes. Mention Moussaka and its generally associated with Greece. But did you know that the dish originates from the Balkan and Middle East. The best known version world wide is the Greek version. Before 1900 Moussaka was simply layers of vegetables and minced meat. Nikolaos Tselementes, a Greek Chef trained in France introduced Béchamel Sauce based Moussaka which…
-
Continue ReadingWhat are Orange Phirni Shots? In brief, Orange Phirni Shots are simply orange flavored phirni served in mini chocolate and pistachio fudge cups. Orange Phirni Shots is a fusion of an Indian Rice Pudding and Middle Eastern flavors. Some years back we had a one night transit stay in Doha and that’s where I had the opportunity to taste Sholeh Zard, a Persian Rice Pudding with an orange twist. As a result, that flavour remained etched in my brains. Generally, the rice pudding whether the Middle East version or the Indian version, is served on its own. So why the twist? Read on to find out. Participating in the International Recipe Contest First Round: This Competition, organized by Indrani Sen, is a different kind of…
-
Continue ReadingEVENT: FOODIEMONDAY/BLOGHOP THEME: #271 ASIAN FOODIE DELIGHTS RECIPE: KUE SERABI – INDONESIAN PANCAKES WITH COCONUT What is Kue Serabi? Kue Serabi is Indonesian Pancakes that are made with coconut milk, sometimes grated coconut is added and rice flour. Usually served with a coconut milk and palm sugar sauce. Traditionally, Kue Serabi are served without any fruit or topping as its sold as street food. However, these days you’ll find kue serabi sold in Warungs (roadside eateries), boutique hotels and at home stay places as a breakfast option with toppings. More About Kue Serabi As I mentioned above generally these Indonesian pancakes are made from rice flour, coconut milk and an optional addition of grated coconut. Also, with that you need yeast, pandan leaves or extract and…
-
Continue ReadingTheme: Halloween Recipe: Witches’ Finger Breadsticks What are Witches’ Finger Breadsticks? Simply put Witches’ Finger Breadsticks are breadsticks that are shaped into witches’ fingers. These make a fun, spooky Halloween party treat, easy to make and healthy too. These breadsticks are not crispy and crunchy like the more famous Italian breadsticks or grissini. They are more like soft bread. Usually enjoyed with a dip. Halloween Theme You may be wondering why amid Navratri Festival I’m talking about witches’ fingers. Well, Swathi Iyer who blogs at Zesty South Indian Kitchen suggested that we make some Halloween treats as a group. I jumped at the idea as till now I don’t have a spooky Halloween treat post on my blog. This event has given me…
-
Continue ReadingEVENT: FOODIEMONDAY/BLOGHOP THEME: #268 TROPICAL COCONUT RECIPE: HAUPIA – HAWAIIAN COCONUT DESSERT What is Haupia? It should be noted that Haupia pronounced as how-pee -ah, is a traditional Hawaiian Coconut Dessert. Basically, this recipe requires only four ingredients, coconut milk, sugar, cornflour (cornstarch) and water. Indeed, that all. On top of that, the dessert gets cooked within 10 minutes. However, patience is required to allow haupia to set and chill. But, take it from me, haupia at room temperature tastes different. Therefore, if you love custard then you’ll definitely love haupia. Haupia Variations Actually, Haupia is enjoyed on its own. However, nowadays there are so many variations to the basic recipe. Its used to make the following: Haupia Pie Chocolate is added to the basic…
-
Continue ReadingEVENT: SHHH COOKING SECRETLY THEME: MEXICAN FOOD RECIPE: MEXICAN MOLLETE What is Mexican Mollete? Before we go into any other details let’s get the explanation of what is a Mexican Mollete out of the way. Basically, we all know that Mexico was colonized by the Spanish. So technically the word Mollete is Spanish word for a type of bread. However, in the Mexican Cuisine its an open faced sandwich. As we all know that the Spanish do not pronounce ‘LL’ as we do in ball. Double LL becomes Y. Therefore Mollete is pronounced as Mo – ya -te. Traditional Mexican Cuisine Authentic Mexican Cuisine followed by the Mayan Indians was healthy and nutritious as they believed in living off the land. Using naturally found ingredients…
