Cooking Corner

Dark Chocolate Cupcakes

Ingredients
1            cup butter
4            eggs
3/4         cup sugar
1/4         cup brown sugar
1 tsp       vanilla essence
1 tsp       baking powder
1/2          tsp bi-carbonate soda
1 1/2       cup flour
1/4          cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2          cup chocolate chip


Method
Preheat oven at 220 C. Line cupcake tray with paper cups. Beat butter, sugar and brown sugar till creamy and fluffy. Add one egg at a time, beating well to combine after every addition. Add vanilla essence and mix well. In a bowl, sieve the cocoa, bi carbonate soda, baking powder and flour, and gradually fold in the egg mixture until well combined. Dust chocolate chip with 1 tbsp of flour. Fold into batter. Pour spoonfuls of the batter into the prepared baking tray and bake for 15 minutes or until an inserted skewer comes out clean.

Chilled Strawberry Yogurt

Ingredients
500      gm yogurt
1/2       cup Strawberry(crushed)
1/4       cup milk
2          Tbsp Honey
1          Tbsp Custard powder
2          Tbsp Sugar
            Fresh Strawberries for garnishing

Method
Mix milk, custard powder and sugar in a pan. Cook over medium flame while stirring continuously. When the mixture gets thickens and turns creamy, put off the flame. Cool it for some time. Combine the above mixture, honey, yogurt and strawberry crush into a blender. Blend it into a fine paste, chill. Garnish with fresh strawberries and serve.

Cooking Corner

Banana Custard

Ingredients:

2 Bananas
 1 Egg (lightly beaten)
2 Tbsp custard powder
2 Tbsp sugar
1 Cup milk
½ Cup think cream
2 Tbsp coconut (desiccated)
½ Tsp ground cinnamon (optional)

Method:

Slices banana diagonally. Combine had beaten egg, custard powder, sugar, milk and cream in medium bowl and whisk until mixture is smooth. Place the over pan of simmering water. Stir mixture constantly for 5 minutes or until custard thickens slightly and coats the back of a spoon. Remove bowl from heat and gently stir in the sliced banana. Serve sprinkled with coconut and cinnamon if desired.

Baked Custard

Ingredients:

425 ml milk
3 large eggs, lightly beaten
60g sugar
5 ml vanilla essence
pinch ground nutmeg

Method:

Place milk in a 1-litre glass jug. Cook on HIGH for 2 minutes. Add eggs, sugar and vanilla essence to milk; whisking all the time. Strain mixture into a 20 cm round dish and sprinkle with nutmeg. Cook on MEDIUM – LOW for 14 to 16 minutes. Allow to stand covered for 5 minutes before serving.

Cooking Corner

Kheer

Ingredients:
Milk                  2 liters
Sugar                4 tbsp
Rice                  3-4 tbsp
Few raisins
Sliced almonds
Chopped cashew nuts

Method:Heat milk in a large pan. Simmer until it is reduced to 3 quarters its original volume.  Add sugar and continue cooking until milk is reduced to half and thickens. Add the raisins, almonds and chopped cashew nuts. Remove from heat. Cool and serve.

Gulab Jaman

Ingredients:
Cottage Cheese           1 kg
Sugar                           1 liter
Water                          1.5 liter
Ghee                            4 tbsp
Semolina                      2 tsp
Standard flour              2 tsp
Rose Water                  few drops
Cardamom powder      1/2 tsp

Method: 
Sugar Syrup

• In a pan add the water and the sugar and boil them together for 20 to 30 minutes and let them thicken.
Gulab Jaman Balls

• In a big bowl add the cottage cheese, ghee, semolina, cardamom powder, and standard flour. Add all the mixtures together until it forms a dough. Knead the dough evenly until and unless your palms become oily. Now make small balls of 1 1/2 inch diameter. Add these balls in the boiling sugar syrup and let them get cooked in the boiling sugar syrup for 25 minutes. This will make them spongy. Remove the pan from heat and after 10 minutes add the rose water essence.

 

Cooking Corner

Chocolate Fudge Brownies
Ingredients:
3                    Eggs
100gm           Sugar
100ml            Walnuts
200gm           Semi sweet cooking chocolate
50gm             Butter
75gm             Plain flour
1/2tsp            Baking powder
1/2tsp            Vanilla essence
                      Pinch of salt

Method:
Preheat the oven for 15 minutes at 180oC. Melt the butter, chocolate and cream in pan. Add a pinch of salt and put the eggs in the mixture one by one and continue mixing. Now add sugar and flour and mix thoroughly. Mix essence, baking powder and walnuts into the mixture one by one and continue mixing. Pour all the mixture in a baking tray. Put the tray in the oven and bake for 20 minutes. Take out the baking tray and let it cool. Cut in squares and serve.

Vanilla Ice-cream

Ingredients:
2         Tbsp sugar
1/4      Tsp vanilla extract
1/2      Cup heavy cream
1/2      Cup milk
           Crushed ice
8         Tbsp ice cream salt (rock salt)
1/2      Tbsp peanut butter (optional)
           Chocolate syrup and wafers for garnishing

Method:
Mix cream, milk, vanilla, and sugar and blend thoroughly. Now add crushed ice and blend again. Add peanut butter and blend well. Now add ice-cream salt and again blend well. Pour this mixture in an ice-cream container and keep it in refrigerator. After one hour take out the ice-cream and beat well and again keep in refrigerator. Keep repeating the same process after every hour till the ice-cream sets. Garnish with wafers and chocolate syrup.

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CHOCOLATE CHIP ICE CREAM & COFFEE SHAKE

INDREDIENTS:
1/2    GLASS OF MILK
1       SCOOP VANILLA ICE CREAM
1/2    TSP COFFEE 
1       TSP SUGAR
1       SCOOP CHOCOLATE-CHIP ICE-CREAM
         CHOCOLATE SYRUP ( OPTIONAL )

METHOD:
TAKE ALL THESE INGREDIENTS AND SIMPLY BLEND THEM TOGETHER IN A BLENDER. WHEN YOUR MILK- SHAKE  IS PREPARED, POUR IT IN A GLASS AND ADD CHOCOLATE CHIP ICE-CREAM ON TOP OF THE MILK-SHAKE FOR FLAVOUR. PUT CHOCOLATE SYRUP ON TOP OF THE ICE-CREAM FOR EFFECT. YOUR DELICIOUS MILKSHAKE IS READY!  YOU CAN DECORATE THE SHAKE AS YOU DESIRE.



HOT CHOCOLATE MINT 


INGREDIENTS:
1/2   CUP WATER
2      OZ. SEMISWEET CHOCOLATE
3      CUP WHOLE MILK
3      TBSP MINT LEAVES ( CRUSHED )
3       TBSP CREAM



METHOD: TO MAKE HOT CHOCOLATE, COMBINE THE WATER AND SEMISWEET CHOCOLATE IN A MEDIUM-SIZE SAUCEPAN. COOK OVER MEDIUM HEAT, STIRRING CONSTANTLY, UNTIL THE CHOCOLATE IS MELTED. BRING THE MIXTURE TO A BOIL FOR 2 MINUTES, AND THEN REDUCE THE HEAT TO LOW. STIR IN 3 CUPS OF MILK AND MINT LEAVES. WARM THE MIXTURE FOR 5 TO 7 MINUTES OR UNTIL IT IS HEATED THROUGH. SERVE HOT WITH CREAM, CHOCOLATE CHIP AND MINT LEAVES ON TOP.

Cooking Corner

CHOCOLATE CREPES


 INGREDIENTS:
 2/3     CUPS FLOUR
 1/3     CUP SUGAR
  1       EGG
  1       EGG WHITE
 1/4     CUP VEGETABLE
 1/4     CUP SKIM MILK
  1       TSP UNSWEETENED CHOCOLATE POWDER
  

METHOD:
    
Mix all dry ingredients together in a mixing bowl. Add all liquid ingredients and stir until batter is smooth and creamy. Let batter rest in the refrigerator until the air is settled, for about 2 hour. When ready to prepare crepes, heat crepe pan over medium heat and pour 1/3 to 1/4 cup of the batter into hot pan. rotate pan until batter is cooked through and then turn to cook the other side. When done remove from pan and let cool on a rack. Store until ready to serve.




STRAWBERRY BANANA SMOOTHIE

INGREDIENTS:

1     CUP 2% MILK OR SOY OR RICE MILK
1     CUP LOW FAT VANILLA YOGURT
1/2  CUP FRESH FROZEN STRAWBERRY
1     PRE-FROZEN BANANA

METHOD:

Blend all ingredients in a blender until it is smooth and consistent. Serve chilled.