Couscous with a desi twist...

Proving the point once again, hunger creates recipes.Bored of the regular food fare at home, M and me decided to do a twist... Thanks to my shopoholism ( which comes into play only in Gourmet food stores) M's kitchen store is stacked with excessively unrequired grub. Well it is fun at times.

So out came the couscous. Now wats that? Well they say its a kind of a pasta, semolina/ sooji morsels. Wats fabulous about it is that it takes exactly two mins to make. Its quite a staple in the Middle East and a fabulous accompaniment to Curries and Stews.

Ingredients(Serves 2)

200 gms Couscous

1 tbsp Olive oil

20 gms Chopped Onion

1 Clove Garlic Minced

1 Nos Bell Peppers Fine Diced

20 gms Sweet corn

1/2 tsp Chilli Flakes

5-10 Basil Leaves

Salt and Freshly Ground Black Pepper to taste

2 tsp Lemon juice

Parmesan ( only for cheese lovers like me)

Method

• Scatter the couscous onto a flat plain plate or vessel. Just cover with boiling salted water, and allow to soak for 10mins till the granules soak up all the water and double in size. Add more water if required. Once done fluff it up with a fork just as you would do to boiled rice.
• In a shallow pan, saute the minced garlic and the onion till translucent, and then add the diced peppers and corn and saute on high heat.
• Add the couscous and toss with the seasonings and finish with torn pieces of basil.
• Remove from heat and add the lemon juice and toss.
• Grate some Parmesan on top of the hot Couscous to melt and get the desired mmmmmmmmm...

Served best with a slice of toasted bread...

Banoffeeeeeeee...

There are a few things in life that we honestly agree that we've grown up eating... Those who've lived in farms and orchards, remember them as apples from the trees, mangoes from the groves, or fresh fishes from the lake...

But for people like us who've lived in this Godforsaken city most of their life,things are a little different.

Packaged, tinned, canned and frozen food is wat comes to mind first. I agree they aint the best one would want, but i don mind it. Be it the incorrigible Maggi or "lets just eat it as it is" Bournvita. But then when one such thing gets turned into a gourmet delight, life is bliss.

Banoffee=banana+toffee+pie.. Three things worth the glutton.

And the best part being Toffee= Molten Milkmaid.... Mmmmmmmmmmm

Ingredients

1 tin Milkmaid
1 pack Digestive biscuits
100 gms salted butter( just love the salt and sweet combo)
3 large ripe Bananas
Whipped cream and choco nibs for the garnish

Method

» Place the unopened can of milkmaid in a vessel filled with water, enough to cover the tin completely. Simmer covered on a low flame for 2.5 hours (yeah u read it right). Making sure the water level doesnt drop by constantly refilling.

» Meanwhile, line the base of a 20 cm round sprinform tin with aluminium foil. Crush the digestive biscuits with a rolling pin and mix in the melted butter. Combine together well and press this mixture down onto the base of the tin to form the pies base. Refrigerate this for half an hour.
» Once the 2.5 hr long wait is over, remove the tin and run it under cold water and let it rest for atleast 5 mins before u open it. Not listening to my advice may result to a major health hazard like a blast ( excessive pressure u see).

» Now spread the blissful, sinful, molten goodness obtained onto the biscuit base. U might have to use a hot water dipped spatula tp do so.
» Top this up with a nice arrangement of sliced bananas all over.
» And for the ones ready to dare, blob it up with whipped cream and sprinkle a few choco nibs.

Served best with..... Trust me you need nothing with this.. Its pure SIN...

Brown Brown BROWNIEEEE....

Chocoholic... Sweet toothed... Dessert Crazy... Oh so Indulgent.

This brownie will make a sinner Confess.

Perrfect to the description. Hats off Donna Hay. A tempting bite on the outside and oh so gooey and fabulous in the inside this Brownie is to die for. 6 mere ingredients and just a half an hour wait this recipe is just so Fabulous.

A little bit of tweaking to the Donna Hay Standard Brownie recipe, gets this into the Ever So Hungry Cooks "U gotta eat it" Bible.

Ingredients

150 gms Unsalted Butter

275 gms Powdered Sugar

75 gms Dark Cocoa Powder ( I used Hershey's)

1 Tbsp Vanilla Essence

3 Eggs

75 gms Flour

• Preheat the oven to 160 degree Celsius.
• Combine the butter, sugar and the Cocoa in a sauce pan, on low heat to get a super dark gooey chocolaty mess.
• Take it off the heat and transfer into a heat proof glass bowl.
• Break the eggs into a separate bowl and whisk it lightly with the vanilla essence.
• Add the egg mixture to the gooey cocoa mixture and whisk well till combined.
• Sieve the flour onto this and incorporate using the cut and fold technique with a spatula.
• Once combined pour into a greased and flour dusted cake tin( 12"x12") and bake in the preheated oven for 25 mins.
• A knife inserted should NOT come out clean. Its a brownie not a cake. Gooeyness is essential.
• Allow to cool in the tin before you slice it up and dust it with icing sugar.

Its awesome as it is, but served with milk or a dollop of cream will never be refused...

INDULGE!!!!