Cheese Cake Pudding

Puddings for dessert are one of the classic choices among most people. The cheese cake pudding is delicious and light for your health as well.

Serving 4 people

Preparation time needed- 1hour 30 minutes

Ingredients:

For the cups:

�         Biscuit powder- 1 cup

�         Melted butter- 3 table spoon

For the filling:

�         Homemade cottage cheese- 1 � cup

�         Powdered sugar- 1 � cup

�         Lemon juice- � cup

�         Fresh cream- 1 cup

�         Pineapple juice- fresh or canned- 1 cup

�         Pineapple pieces- cored and cut into circular pieces- 1 piece

�         Gelatine- 1 table spoon

�         For garnishing- use glazed cherries, fresh mint leaves, butter and biscuit powder mixed together- as per your need.

Directions for preparation:

�         Take an aluminium pie dish and on it spread the biscuit powder mashed together with butter forming a thin layer on the dish. Put aside a portion of the same biscuit and butter mixture to be used for garnishing later on. Put the pie dish coated with the biscuit mixture in the deep freezer for half an hour.

�         To make the filler, take the 1 � cup of homemade cottage cheese and mix it with � cup of lime juice thoroughly. Blend them together in the blender until the puree is smooth enough. Add the 1 � up of sugar to this blend and then whisk it once again in the blender.

�         In the pineapple juice, add one table spoon of gelatine and let it soak. Leave them aside for a while to get soaked.

�         On another dish, add two table spoon of pineapple juice and boil it while adding the gelatine soaked portion of the pineapple juice to it as well. Boil the water in a large pot until the water starts steaming and over it, place the gelatine solution so that it melts down completely. Meanwhile cool a cup of fresh cream in the freezer. In a separate mixing bowl add the cottage cheese mixture, gelatine, vanilla essence and cream and stir it vigorously and continuously until it is creamy enough.

�         Grate the pineapple piece and squeeze the juice on this mixture. Add the grates pieces to the mixture as well and keep stirring it well.

�         Pour this mixture into the pie dish which you have refrigerated earlier cover with biscuit and butter mixture. The mixture should be thick, cold and creamy enough for being of ideal consistency.

�         The pudding would cool down and harden in a few minutes after this step easily. Once it has hardened properly enough, you will have to spread the excess biscuit mixture over the top of the pudding and deep freeze it again once you have spread the mixture on it properly. Once the entire thing is cold and hardened well, you can simply take it out and cut it into square pieces. Add a slice of the glazed cherry and mint leaves on top of each piece to garnish it. Once the preparation is done, you can store in in the normal freezer as well.

Apple Tart

The apple has always been a favourite among children even and one of those fruits that they easily agree to have. the tarts made from apple are filling enough for a perfect tea party snack.

Number of serving- 4

Time taken for the preparation- 1 hour

Ingredients:

1. �         Flour- 2 cups
2. �         Sugar- 3 1/2   cups
3. �         Milk- 1 cup
4. �         Butter- 200 grams
5. �         Baking powder- 2 tea spoon
6. �         Apple- 4 large
7. �         Water- 2cups

Direction for preparation:

�         Make the dough from the flour. Add the sugar and milk to this dough and knead it well. Make sure that the dough ball is not too soft but should not be too hard at the same time. To maintain the consistency, increase the amount of milk or flour as per need.

�         Divide the dough into two parts. Spread one part of the dough over the baking tray and bake it until it is hard enough.

�         Cut the apples into small pieces and boil them until they are soft to the core. Mash the apple with sugar until it is completely smooth. Spread the rest of the dough on the shallow baking dish and bake this part as well till it is hard enough.

�         Cut the douches into smaller pieces and put the apple filling in between the dough pieces. Serve it hot or cold as per your taste. The tart can also be garnished with the apple peels as well on the top.

Classic Homemade Chocolate Pudding

Chocolates are perfect for needing a sumptuous dinner with grace. The pudding made from chocolate is an all-time favourite among most sweet teeth.

Serving for 4 people

Time taken to make- 30 minutes

Ingredients:

1. �         1 cup of sugar granules
2. �         � cup of baking cocoa powder
3. �         Corn starch- � cup
4. �         � table spoon of salt
5. �         Butter- 2 table spoon

�         Vanilla essence- 2 tea spoon

1. �         4 cups of milk
2. �         Gems- a handful

Direction for preparation:

�         Take a saucepan which have a heavy base and make sure that the pan is in good condition. This is a preparation where you will have to heat the pan to a large extent and hence it is important that the pan is heavy enough.

�         Combine sugar, milk, cocoa, corn starch and salt on the pan which you have already pre heated for a while. Continuously stir the preparation vigorously and do so for two minutes. Remove it from the heat.

�         Stir in butter and the vanilla essence to the hot preparation. Spoon out the dish into ice-cream cups and refrigerate them in the deep freezer.

�         Once the preparation is thoroughly chilled and has hardened to some extent, add the gems on top for garnishing the pudding.

�         The chocolate powder to be used should be unsweetened but not bitter.

�         The pudding must be served cold and this is supposed to be saucy as it melts and not solid like the usual classic bread pudding or caramel puddings.

Classic Beef curry

The beef meat is one of the most filling red meat which can help to prepare fabulous dishes. The curry is particularly a filling meal for all and one can easily have it alongside any other staple.

Serving four people

Preparation time needed- 50 minutes

Ingredients:

�         Lean ground beef- 1 lb.

�         1 cup of chopped onion

�         2 table spoons of flour

�         2 table spoon of curry powder

�         1 table spoon of cooking oil

�         2 minced garlic cloves

�         1 � cup of beef broth

�         � tea spoon salt

�         � cup of light yoghurt- plain yoghurt

�         � to 1 tea spoon of chilli paste

�         1 cup of peas- fresh

�         1 � cup of fresh tomatoes diced or chopped

�         1 cup of tomato puree

�         2 tablespoon of flour

�         Fresh parsley chopped- for garnishing

Direction for preparation:

�         In a pan, heat 2 table spoon of cooking oil and to it, add the ground beef, pepper and onions. Turn the flame down to medium and stir fry the ingredients for about 10 minutes. Make sure the beef no longer appears reddish or pink. Once you are doe, drain the beef off the excess oil and put it aside.

�         Add the garlic to this frying pan and stir for another 1 or 2 minutes until the garlic fragrance starts giving out.

�         Add little bit of water to this preparation and then add flour and the curry powder and also salt to taste to the preparation. Stir them thoroughly so that the flour does not form any lump. Do so for about 1 minute.

�         Add the broth while you stir the previous curry constantly and also the tomato puree and the peas. Keep stirring the broth until it comes to boil. This would take about 5 minutes approximately. The broth should thicken into curry form by the end of the 15 minutes.

�         Add the diced tomatoes to this curry and chilli paste to it as well. Add the yoghurt and keep stirring for 5 more minutes. Add the beef pieces that you have fried earlier to this curry. Put the lid on and let it cook in the steam for 10 more minutes or until the met have absorbed the juice from the curry.

�         Once the meat is soft enough and thoroughly coated with the juices from the curry, remove it from the heat and pour it on a serving plate

�         Garnish the preparation with freshly chopped parsleys from the top. The entire preparation is rather rich and heavy but you can still have it with a staple like rice or noodles preparations.

�         Serve the dish hot and ensure that the smell of beef has been completely eradicated through the cooking process. Also ensure the beef is thoroughly cooked and tender enough.

�         One can tweak the amount of gravy they would like but balancing the amount of water that is being added to the recipe. The recipe is rather juicy and tastes perfect when the gravy is more.

Grilled Chicken With Mayonnaise

Chicken is a classic favourite for all particularly because it is comparative light and healthy than any red meat. The combination of mayonnaise with chicken is feeling and healthy at the same time.

Serving for 4 people

Time taken to prepare- 1 hour 30 minutes

Ingredients:

For grilling the chicken

�         Eight chicken legs

�         Butter- 100 grams

�         Pepper powder- 1 tablespoon

�         Salt to taste

The general ingredients:

�         Onions- 1 large chopped into rings

�         Garlic- � tea spoon

�         Baked potatoes cut into circles and one egg sliced into quarter for garnishing

For mayonnaise:

�         Ground nut oil- 1 cup

�         Egg yolk- 2

�         Sugar- 2 tea spoon

�         Mustard powder- 1 tea spoon

�         Vinegar- 2 tablespoon

�         Salt to taste( use less than what you would like to)

�         Black pepper to taste

Direction for preparation:

For the grilled chicken:

�         Wash the chicken thoroughly and then rub the chicken legs with salt, pepper and half of the butter and marinade it for half an hour. After that time, take up a baking tray and rub the inside of the tray with the rest of the butter. Put it inside the oven in grill mode in moderate heat and bake it for 40 minutes. Turn the paces over after 20 minutes in the oven so that each side cooks thoroughly.

For the mayonnaise:

�         In the blender, add the egg yolk and the vinegar and whisk it until they are blended. Then drip the ground nut oil while continuously whisking them in the blender. The consistency would thicken. Once you have used about 1/3^rd of the oil and the emulsion have thickened moderately, add the sugar, mustard powder, salt and pepper and whisk it while drizzling the oil once more. It should be thick and yield around a cup of mayonnaise.

The main preparation:

�         In a frying pan, add little bit of ground nut oil and add the onions, garlic and the baked potatoes to it. Add salt to taste and then stir them together until the onions are golden.

�         Add the chicken which was grilled previously to this and cook for 5 minutes. Make sure it does not burn.

�         Add half of the mayonnaise  and stir it in. the mayonnaise should get absorbed by the chicken legs and once you have coated them well with the mayonnaise, turn off the flame and pour the preparation on a shallow dish.

�         Arrange the legs over the dish properly and also the cooked onions and potatoes uniformly around the legs. Pour the rest of the mayonnaise from the top on the preparation such that the mayonnaise coats them entirely.

�         Do make sure that you do not over do the salt as every time you separately prepare the components of the dish, you need to add salt. It would be better to skip using salt for mayonnaise and add the salt while you grill the chicken and a little bit while you stir the grilled chicken in mayonnaise.

Mushroom and Vegetable Hot and Sour Soup

Nothing can be more filling than the mushrooms cooked in vegetable with variety of flavours added to it. The soup is particularly delicious and the different vegetables together with mushroom make it very healthy indeed.

Serving for 4 people

Time taken to prepare- 20 minutes

Ingredients:

1. �         Button mushrooms- quartered and cleaned thoroughly- 2 cups
2. �         Onions- 2 large minced
3. �         Beans- 8-9 chopped
4. �         Carrots- 1 medium sized chopped into small pieces
5. �         spring onions- 2 finely chopped
6. �         parsley leaves- fresh and finely chopped- � cup
7. �         garlic and ginger paste- 1 tablespoon- the portion of the garlic should be dominant
8. �         a pinch of sugar
9. �         salt to taste
10. �         oregano- 1 tablespoon
11. �         lemon juice- half a lemon
12. �         salt to taste
13. �         black pepper to taste
14. �         chilli vinegar- or chop 3 chillies and marinade it overnight in a cup of vinegar
15. �         water- 1.5 litres
16. �         corn flour- 1 tablespoon dissolved thoroughly in a cup of water
17. �         butter- 3 tablespoon

Direction for preparation

�         In a frying pan, add the butter and the onions. Add the pepper and oregano as well to the pan. Once the onions start getting golden brown in colour, add the pinch of sugar to it. This will help the onions get even more colour and also add colour to the c=soup in turn.

�         Add the beans. Carrots and spring onion to the pan as well. Cook it until the vegetables are soft but firm to bite.

�         After this, add the mushroom to the pan and the salt to taste. Add the ginger garlic paste as well in this step. Keep in mind the amount of salt you would like for the entire preparation while adding the salt in this step. Add salt such that you do not have to add it again.

�         The mushrooms should be cooked half way when you add the water to the preparation. Put the lid on and bring it to boil. After that take off the lid and let it boils so that the water evaporated and the broth is reduced to a significant extent but not half of the amount you had used initially.

�         Add the lemon juice to the preparation and also the dissolved baking soda while stirring the soup continuously. The consistency of the soup would thicken to some extent on using the baking soda solution with it. However you can tweak the consistency of the soup as per your liking.

�         Before serving the soup add the chilli vinegar to it as per your taste. 2 tablespoon of the chilli vinegar per serving would give it an average jest which can suit the liking of every individual without tasting too overpowering.

�         One can also use the white of an egg to thicken the consistency of the soup further and also add flavours to it. Simply break an egg, separate the white portion and pour it while the soup is boiling while continuously stirring the soup and fine films of egg white would be formed.

Creamy Chicken Soup

Flavoured with onions, this chicken soup itself is very filling on its own. With croutons or crisp garlic bread it can become a complete meal to snack on in the cold afternoons.

Serving for 4 people

Time needed- 30 minutes

Ingredients:

1. �         Onions, chopped finely- l large onion
2. �         Chicken breast meat- should be boneless-200gram
3. �         Salt to taste
4. �         Tomatoes chopped- 2 large tomatoes
5. �         Red chilli powder or paprika powder- as per your taste
6. �         Fresh basil leaves- 4-8 for garnishing
7. �         A pinch of soda bicarbonate
8. �         Black pepper powder- as per your taste
9. �         Fresh cream- 6 tablespoon
10. �         Chicken stock- 1 litre
11. �         Butter- 4 tablespoon
12. �         Seasoning- oregano and rosemary powder

Direction for preparation:

�         Prepare the chicken stock in 2 litres of water with the bones, chopped carrots and onions. Boil till the water in educed to half. You can also use stock cubes or chicken stock that has been prepared earlier however, the soup tastes at its best when prepared with freshly prepared stock of chicken.

�         In a pan, heat the butter and once it is hot enough, add the chopped onions to the pan. Saut� the oions for a while until the onions starts to turn golden in colour.

�         Cut the chicken in small pieces such that they would be easy to thoroughly cook and add them to the pan while continuing to saut� the onions. Add the amount of salt that you would prefer for the preparation in this step and also the peppers. Add red chilli or paprika to the mixture and stir continuously. Make sure that they do not start sticking to the pan or get burned.

�         Add the chicken stock over this mixture and also a pich of soda bicarbonate in this particular step. Cook it for 10-15 minutes until the chicken pieces are thoroughly cooked and very tender to touch.

�         Take it off the heat and let it cool to room temperature. Once it is cold enough, put the preparation in the blender and blend it thoroughly unless it is smooth and thick enough.

�         Pour the puree into the frying pan which is larger or has more depth. If required add a little more of the chicken stock to it or water to adjust the consistency as per your liking. Bring it to boil on the heat.

�         Add the seasoning to the soup in this step and use them amply but make sure that the scent of the onions and chicken is not completely covered up by the scent of the seasoning.

�         Add half of the fresh cream to the preparation while it is still boiling. Once you have served the soup in individual bowls, add the rest of the fresh cream to the individual bowls. Garnish the soup with the basil leaves and serve it along with croutons or freshly prepared ginger bread.

�         Do ensure that the soup is kept on the heat for at least two minutes after you have added the seasoning and fresh cream for the flavours to get absorbed.

Pasta With Grilled Chicken, and Honey

Combining chicken with pasta is a filling meal which is enough for your dinner as well as for your lunch. The sweetness of honey when blends with this classic, gives rise to a heavenly taste, enticing the taste buds.

Serves four people

The preparation time needed- 45 minutes

Ingredients:

1. �         Bow tie pasta- 400 gram
2. �         1/ 2 cup olive oil
3. �         � cup sesame seeds
4. �         4 table spoon honey
5. �         � tea spoon ground ginger
6. �         � table spoon black pepper ground
7. �         � cup chopped cilantro
8. �         1 cup green onions chopped
9. �         1/3 cup light soy sauce
10. �         3 cups of chicken breast meat- cubed and grilled
11. �         Capsicum or green bell pepper- � cup chopped
12. �         Salt to taste

Directions for preparation:

�         Boil the pasta in a large pot of salted water to which add sufficient amount of olive oil. Let the pasta boil for 10 minutes. Remove the large pot of boiled pasta from heat and drain the water. Hold the boiled pasta under cold water so that it does not stick to each other and form a lump when it cools down.

�         In a skillet, add the olive oil and let half of the sesame seeds roast. As the black pepper to this skillet as well after the sesame are cooked halfway. Add chopped onions, capsicum and cilantro to the skillet. Stir them continuously until and unless they are thoroughly cooked. Add the salt as per your taste. Do note that you should add the amount of salt you would like in the dish in this step itself and do not opt for adding salt by parts through the course of preparation or after you have added the pasta since it would be difficult to stir and spread the salt uniformly at that stage. Once cooked remove the vegetables and the sesame seeds and leave them aside.

�         Add a little bit of oil and ginger to it once the oil is hot enough. The chicken cubes should be added to the pan next and stir them well. Add the soy sauce to the preparation and stir continuously and make sure that the sauce is completely absorbed by the chicken pieces. Add 2 tablespoon of honey in this step and then the vegetables which you have left aside before. Stir fry them well and then add the pasta to the pan. Mix them all well together. Once you have done so and all the ingredients are thoroughly cooked remove it from the heat and serve it hot.

�         This is a dry preparation of pasta and particularly is suitable as a wholesome meal and even for snacks. You can garnish the preparation with a few sprigs of the spring onion leaves and also add grated cheese as per your taste. Once you have served the pasta on individual plates, top it with additional honey and a few drops of lemon juice- about a tea spoon per bowl of the pasta.

Pasta With Prawn Paste and Caesar Dressing

Prawn is classic favourites among foodies of all age and gender. An unlikely combination of Caesar dressing, fresh herbs and veggies along with cooked prawn paste, this pasta is unique from every aspect.

Serving for four people

Time taken for preparation- 30 minutes

Ingredients:

1. �         Elbow pasta boiled- 300 gram
2. �         Tiger prawns- 12 medium sized- remove the head and the scales, marinade it for at least � an hour in vinegar and lime juice.
3. �         Chilli chopped finely- 2 chillies
4. �         Shallots minced- 1 medium sized
5. �         Mint leaves minced- 1/2 cup
6. �         Olive oil- 4 table spoons
7. �         Salt to taste
8. �         Light Caesar dressing- 1 cup
9. �         Baby tomatoes, halved- 1 cup
10. �         Pepper, freshly grated- 1 table spoon
11. �         Grated parmesan cheese- � cup
12. �         Rosemary and thyme dried- 2 tea spoon
13. �         Spring onions- 2 healthy leaves chopped finely till the root

Direction for preparation

�         First boil the pasta in a pot of water along with a pinch of salt and little bit of olive oil added to the water. This would make the boiled pasta slippery and prevent it from sticking to each other when the pasta cools down. Drain the water from the pasta after 10 minutes or less. The pasta should be firm to bite and should not stick to each other.

�         In another pot, bring the water to boil and add little salt to it. Put the prawns in the water and boil them well. They should be very soft such that it can be easily mashed or blended in a blender. This process can give out a foul smell but the end result is very delicious.

�         In a frying pan add the spring onions, pepper, rosemary and thyme and saut� them for a couple of minutes. Blend the prawns, mint leaves, shallots, and chilli pieces, salt in a blender until smooth. Add this sauce to the frying pan where the spring onion is cooking and stir them together until cooked thoroughly. The consistency of the curry would be thick and much like a dressing. Add the pasta in this sauce and let it cook for 10 minutes while the lid of the pan is put down.

�         Once the excess water of the dish has been eliminated, turn off the fire. Place the pasta on a large flat dish. Over the pasta add a layer of grated cheese and on top of it add the baby tomatoes. Now cover the entire pasta with the Caesar dressing o the top. Refrigerate the dish and serve it cold.

�         You can opt for readymade Caesar dressing or make your own. To make the dressing at home, simply blend 1 cup mayonnaise, � cup milk, 1 table spoon American mustard, 2 table spoon lemon juice, � tea spoon garlic mince together in the blender till smooth and creamy. One can also opt for adding parmesan cheese to the dressing but since we already use it separately here, we skip using it in the dressing as well.