Chocolate Brownie

Sunday and it's continuously raining out here in NYC.........past 24hrs.......and my urge for having a sizzling brownie has been haunting me dawn to dusk.........so here is the first step to satisfy my urge....BROWNIE....All i needed was

STEP 1

1cup  flour
1 cup  powdered sugar
2Tbsp unsweetened coco powder
1tsp baking powder
Some choco chips - optional

Sift all the ingredients ( except the choco chips)
Add the choco chips to the sifted ingredients and mix

STEP 2

4Tbsp Butter
1bar Chocolate ( I just brought a Hershey's milk with almonds) - but you can select any bar of your choice - dark / milk / unsweetened

Chocolate bits and butter - ready to be melted 

Melted chocolate n butter .....whisk it well

Melt the above ingredients in the microwave and whisk it well to form a smooth mixture



STEP 3

1Tbsp Vanilla essence
1/2 cup milk

Combine Step 1 + 2 = dry ingredients + the melted butter chocolate along with Vanilla essence and milk
Pre heat oven to 355F / 180C
Line a baking tray with parchment paper / grease the tray
Pour in the mixture in the tray and place in the oven and spread it evenly by tapping the dish or with the help of a spatula
Bake for 30 - 35 mins / until the toothpick is out clean

And the final result was

I no longer had patience to sccop out / arrange the platter..............

Raw Banana Kebab

Ingredients

2 raw banana
1/2 cup fresh sweet corn - roughly chopped
1/2 cup grated paneer
4Tbsp grated carrot
1Tbsp chopped raisins
1tsp green chillies - finely chopped
1tsp grated ginger
2Tbsp grated potato
1Tbsp lime juice
Salt to taste
1tsp red chilly powder
1tsp cumin powder
1/2 tsp garam masala
1tsp chat masala

Oil

Boil raw banana / plantain along with the skin, I used a pressure cooker for 2 whistles, alternatively for 20 min Remove from water and let it cool , prolonged exposure to water can result in the plantain being mushy and very soft
Once cooled, remove the skin and grate
Add all the other ingredients except oil and make a firm dough
(In case you feel the dough is soft and sticky add corn flour / maida )

Now you can either opt to

- deep fry the kebab , either in form of round tikkis, or roll in a skewer , press the ends and remove it gently to slide down in hot oil
- Oven bake .... pre heat the oven at 450 and place the kebab in a skewer and apply oil on the surface, after 15mins turn it to BROIL , turn the kebabs at regular intervals until brown on all sides

Garnish with Onion rings and mint springs, with a dash of lemon and sprinkle some chat masala
Serve hot with Chutney / Sauce of your choice

Home Bar - Orange Punch

• 6 cups ginger ale (48 ounces or about 1 1/2 liters), chilled
• 2 1/2 cups orange juice, chilled
• 1 cup pineapple juice, chilled
• 12 scoops orange ice cream 
• 
  
• 
  
• Combine ginger ale, orange juice, and pineapple juice in a punch bowl
• Float scoops of on top and let sit until Ice cream melts slightly, about 2 minutes
• Serve immediately
• 
  
• Tip: 
• Since this drink is not served over ice, make sure your punch bowl and all your ingredients are well chilled. To keep the punch cold for a longer period of time, fill a larger bowl with ice and nestle the punch bowl on top

Home Bar - Mint Lime Fizz

Mint Lime Fizz



Nimbu pani / Lemonade gets a makeover with soda and mint

juice of 6 limes

350 gm sugar

450 ml water

1/4 cup mint leaves - chopped

soda - to dilute ice-cubes
 
METHOD:

Blend the lime juice, sugar and water.

Divide the mixture into four glasses, add some ice cubes and then divide the mint into the glasses too.

Stir to mix and top up the glasses with soda and serve

Mango-Tomato Summer Salsa Recipe

This is one of my fav from ifood and this recipe fits in with many cuisines such as Thai, Mexican, American, Vegetarian, Summer Parties, and is kid friendly. It is a Healthy Choices dish easy to make just dice and mix! It is Weight Watcher  friendly too!!!!!!

The marriage of the flavours is exciting and refreshing. Tomatoes with mangoes and avocado is spiced up with the Thai chiles and lime juice plus plenty of garlic. The cucumber adds a cooling effect and great texture contrast to the smooth sweetness of the mangoes and avocado buttery flavours. This can be chilled and served in individual small soup bowls, or as a salsa-type dip for corn chips or toasted nan or pita wedges. It is also a wonderful side or garnish
The avocado should be just ripe but not too soft, the same for the mango.
Choose tomatoes that are meaty and not with large gel areas. Using fresh lime juice and fresh cilantro is key to a great flavour. Please use fresh garlic not the already crushed preserved type of garlic. Even Spring garlic is nice in this recipe if it is available. Another nice way to serve this is on grilled baguette bread slices on a long diagonal sort of a Thai bruschetta.
This refreshing Summer recipe is perfect if you are watching your calories
I personally omitted Garlic since I am not very fond of raw garlic

1 mangoes - peeled, seeded and diced

1 avocado - peeled, pitted, and diced

5 medium tomatoes, diced and seeded

3 Thai Dragon Chiles (Phrik Chee Fa), minced and seeded, to your taste or You can also use fresh green chillies / Jalpenos

1 medium, diced

1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro (Pak Chee/ coriander leaves)

5 cloves garlic, minced

salt to taste


In a medium bowl, combine the mango, avocado, tomatoes, cucumbers, chiles, cilantro, and garlic. Stir in the salt, lime juice, red onion, and lime juice.

To blend the flavors, refrigerate for about 30 minutes or longer before serving.



Note:

A variation can be made by using green papaya shredded in place of cucumber if you want a firmer contrasting texture. You also can use slivers of mint or Thai basil (bai Horapha) in place of cilantro (Pak Chee), or slivers of Kaffir Lime leaf (bai Magroot).