Very Berry Strawberry Trifle....

If you have a few guest coming over and you wish to serve a fancy dessert then this one surely is an easy take. This dessert is more to do with compilation. It has different flavors, colors, textures to give that complete feel. It can have as many layers as desired. Cakes, Biscuits, Macaroons, Cookies, etc along with custard fresh fruits, fruit sauces, Whipped cream. The sky is the limit to your imagination. Yoghurt, cream sheese, sour cream, Mascarpone cheese can be used as well. So its time you whip up some creativity.

INGREDIENTS


Cake / Cookie / Biscuits - I used Cakes cup into 1 inch squares - 200 g
Cut fruits - Strawberry - 1 cup
Custard (made by following the instructions on the pack) - 2 cups
Whipped cream - 1 cup
Fruit juice - for soaking the cake
Glasses / Trifle bowl 


METHOD


1) Take a glass / bowl and place the cake pieces at the bottom and soak them with juice.
2) spoon some custard on it and top some fruit and then fruit sauce and then place some cake pieces and repeat the layers.
3) Pipe out some whipped cream and top some fresh fruits and desired toppings.

Oooh La Laaaa.. :D :D

Sinful Mac 'n' Cheese

Often I wonder how some people don't like cheese. It has such a smooth, melt in the mouth, complete flavour. It is just so tempting. I cant resist. I love cheese with practically everything. (I am actually closing my eyes and imagining the experience). Food is all about experience and indulgence. If I had to spend a guilt - free 'EAT' day. I would dig into my all time favourite Mac 'n' Cheese. So buttery, so smooth, so yummmm... This is a very popular american dish. It can be a casserole dish for a large gathering. Kids love it as it is ful of cheesy moments. It should have nice rich Cheddar.Guess what ?? U.S. of America has a National Macaroni and Cheese day - 14th july :D :D :D It is extremely simple to prepare and barely takes minutes.

INGREDIENTS

Macaroni - 100 g
Oil - 1 tsp
Butter - 2 tsp
Refined flour- 2 tsp
Milk - 1 and a half cup
Processed / Cheddar Cheese - 1 and a half cup
Salt - if needed (cheese already has salt)
Pepper - Optional

METHOD

1) Boil water in a vessel, add the macaroni along with salt and oil. Both salt and oil are important as oil prevents them from sticking and salt to balance the taste as macaroni will not absorb salt later.
2) Prepare mornay sauce with other ingredients http://therecipebay.blogspot.com/2011/10/sauces-heart-of-recipe.html
3) Mix the sauce and the macaroni together and either put in a baking dish or plate as desired. Grate some cheese on the top. Bake them for about 20 minutes at about 150 degrees C. Let stand for 5 minutes before serving. Dig into this fun -tastic casserole.

 Howz that ???

Hara Bhara Kebab ..

I would generally go to a restaurant and order a Paneer Tikka or a Hara Bhara Kebab for my appetizer. I simply love them both. I can not resist and keep popping them. This recipe is a simple, extremely yummy one and you definately cant go wrong with this one. Its really going to be worth it making this appetizer. Makes a perfect blend of flavours. This can be made and frozen and stored over a period of about 3 months.

INGREDIENTS


Potatoes (Boiled) - 3 medium
Onion - 1 medium
Garlic - 3 to 4 cloves
Ginger - 1/2 inch piece
Green chillies - 2 medium
Cottage cheese / Paneer - 100 g
Spinach (Blanched) - 100 g pureed
Green peas (Boiled) - 1 cup
Cornflour - For binding only
Bread (Ground in the grinder) - 4 slices
Salt - As per Taste
Oil - for frying


METHOD


Pre-preparation - Boil the potatoes and peas, Grind the Onion, ginger, garlic, green chillies together, Grind the bread slices, blanch the spinach and puree it.


1) Mash the potatoes and add the ginger - garlic - onion - chilli paste, Add the peas, bread powder, spinach puree, salt , crumbled cottage cheese and mix everything together.
2) Add the corn flour if you feel it is required (i.e. if the mixture is too wet)
3) Keep the mixture aside for about 10 minutes and in the meanwhile heat the oil for frying.
4) Make small ball and flatten them and fry in hot oil till they get a brown coating on the top.

5) Serve hot with green chutney, ketchup, etc

I hope you all like it :) :) Enjoy.

** Fantastic Burritos **

Burritos are again a popular ON - THE - GO snack in the Mexican cuisine. It is generally made of a Redined flour tortilla and has numerous fillings made as per choice. The most common and popular vegetarian fillings are Refried beans & Cheddar Cheese. There can be a lot of add ons to it which include Guacamole, Sour cream, Salsa, Stir fry vegetables, etc. Oh I missed Jalapenos, Tastes super. :) I completely enjoy making and eating Burritos and I am sure you are going to love it too.


Tortillas, Refried beans and salsa can be made and frozen in advance and used over 3 months.

INGREDIENTS


Flour Tortilla
Refined flour - 2 cups
Oil - 2 tsp
Salt - To taste
Luke warm water - To knead the dough


Refried Beans
Red Kidney Beans / Pinto beans - 2.5 cup soaked and pressure cooked.
Onion - 1 medium chopped and 1 medium Pureed
Garlic - 4 to 5 cloves chopped
Tomato - 3 to 4 tomatoes pureed
Salt - To taste
Oil - 2 tsp
Chilli powder - As per taste


( Authentically there is no Tomato in Refried beans but i like the tang tomato add to the recipe. It doesnt make the filling taste dry.)


Toppings
Guacamole
Mexican cheese sauce
Shredded cheese
Salsa
Sour cream


METHOD


Tortilla
1) Knead a dough with all the above mentioned ingredients.
2) Make chapatis / flat breads not very thin but not very thick as well.
3) Cook them on the griddle very lightly to make them more pliable.


Refried Beans
1) Cook the onion and garlic paste in oil, add the tomato paste and cook till completely cooked.
2) Add the beans and salt and chilli and mash partially. Keep aside.

Assemble the Burrito and serve as per your wish. :)

Hope this tastes good and u enjoy making it :)

Salsa Time ;)

What comes to your mind when you think about Mexico ? 


The first thing I think is Salsa. I love mexican food. It is all about spicy stuff... There are over 100 types of chillies in mexico alone. There is a lot of use of 'Masa' - This is corn flour (not starch ), Makki atta. I am sharing a basic recipe of Salsa , Cheese Sauce and Tortilla for nachos and tacos.

INGREDIENTS


Tortilla
Corn flour - 1 cup
Refined flour - 1 cup
Warm water - 3/4 cup (in accordance for kneading a dough)
Oil - 2 tsp
Salt - To taste


Salsa
( Generally the salsa has uncooked veggies but I dont like the paste of raw onions in salsa and hence I prefer cooking my onions a little bit)
Tomatoes - 3 medium
Onion - 1 medium
Garlic - 3 to 4 cloves (optional)
Jalapenos - 1/2 cup (Green bell peppers can be used instead if Jalapenos ain't available)
Tomato puree / Paste / Ketchup - 1 cup
Chopped corriander - 2 tsp
Oil - 2 tsp
Salt - To taste
Vinegar / Lemon juice - As per taste (1 tsp is generally enough)


Mexican cheese sauce
Processed cheese - 100 g ( I use britannia, It makes a difference)
Milk - 3 to 4 tbsp ( Adjust the milk according to the consistency and thickness desired. Milk is only added to facilitate melting of cheese)
Turmeric - as per colour desired
Salt - If needed ( cheese already has salt)


METHOD


Tortilla
1) Make a soft dough of the corn flour and refined flour. Let it rest for about 30 minutes. (This is very important as it helps in the gluten development and improves the workability of the dough)
2) Roll the dough into flat thin chapatis. (Do prick them with a fork) Cook on the griddle only to reduce the moisture. They will just become drier.
3) Cut these into triangles and deep fry in hot oil.


Salsa
1) Take oil in the frying pan, sweat the onions (only till pink). Add the garlic and cook for about a minute.
2) Add the tomatoes and cook for about 5 minutes till tomatoes are partially cooked.
3) Add all the other ingredients and keep aside. This can be stored upto a week.


Cheese Sauce
1) Grate the cheese. In a heavy botton pan. Heat the milk and add the cheese. Cook till the cheese melts and add turmeric. Add milk as per the desired consistency. Remember the sauce thinkens as it cools.

You're done !! Have fun :)

Muffinful Day :D :D

These are a favourite to a lot of people I know. I would like to dedicate this recipe to all my friends. You can never go wrong in this recipe if you follow it just the way it is written. It is fool proof. Tried & tested. Just go ahead and dig out reasons to treat people around you. They will fall in love with these yummy little treats. Have fun. ( Kids are going to love this one ).

INGREDIENTS


Condensed Milk - 1 tin ( Milkmaid / mithai mate ) - I prefer mithai mate
Butter - 8 tbsp
Vanilla extract - 2 tsp
Refined flour / Self raising flour / Maida - 2 cups
Baking powder - 2 tsp
Soda bicarbonate (meetha soda) - 1 pinch
Milk - 1/4th - 1/2 cup
Cranberry - 50 g + for garnish ( depends on the flavour you are making. Note - Choco chips can also be used )


METHOD

1) Preheat the oven at 250 degrees.
2) Melt the butter and take it in a mixing bowl. Add the condensed milk and the vanilla extract and keep aside.
3) Seive the flour , Baking powder and soda together in a separate bowl.
4) Add the flour mixture spoon by spoon and mix either with a double beater or mix with a wooden spoon.
5) Add 1/4th to 1/2 cup milk of you think the batter is too thick.
6)Add some cranberries in the batter and keep aside some for the top
7) Spoon this cake batter in muffin moulds or direct making muffin liners or silicon moulds, top with cranberries and bake at 180 degrees for about 20 - 25 minutes. ( Note - Do not open the oven once the muffins have been put in.)
8) Check with a wooden tooth pick. If the tooth pick comes out clean, then the muffins are done.
9) Voila !! Beautiful muffins.

 

Do let me know how you like it :) 

Hearty Doughnuts :)

Most of us have seen ring shaped doughnuts and so had I. I was bored of eating round and ring shaped one at M.O.D. Every day I see a lot of kids coming and eating doughnuts. It is a delight to watch them eat doughnuts. They generally tend to mess up their hands (ofc thy wanna eat them by themselves). I thought why not put them on a stick. Its trendy and less messy. There a lot of toppings that can go on them. Sky is the limit to your imagination.

INGREDIENTS

Refined flour / Maida - 200g

Fresh yeast (Try using fresh, It makes all the difference) - 5g

Sugar - 10g

Oil - 10g

Salt - 5g

Warm water (It should not be very hot, It can deactivate your yeast) - For kneading the dough

Oil - For frying

Pulverized sugar + Cinnamon powder - For dusting

METHOD

1) Make the dough on the cooking station. (directly on the platform). It help you work the dough better. Making a good dough is the most important of the steps.

2) Take the flour on the platform and form a heap. Make a well in the centre and add the yeast and sugar. add some water and mix well. Add the oil and salt.

3) Slowly add more water and knead the dough. Work the dough very well. It needs a lot of stretching and pulling. Atleast 5 - 7 minutes of vigorous kneading.

4) Let the dough rest for fermentation (1st fermentation) for about 20 minutes. By this time you dough would have doubled in side.

5) Now punch your dough to again flatten it and remove all the carbon dioxide from it. ( Punch it hard, Remove all the anger you have in you :P)

6) Now use some dusting flour (Maida) and roll the dough to about 1/4th thickness. Use a heart shaped cookie cutter to cut out your doughnuts. ( Tip - once having made the cut outs, Dust them with flour on one side. This side should be down during proofing (2nd fermentation). When you are letting the doughnuts for proofing place them on a greased surface or place. They are easier to handle)

7) Leave your doughnuts for proofing for about 35 minutes. They will double in size. Remember they are extremely delicate so handle them with care.

8) Fry them in oil. (The oil should be preheated in advance) Fry them till golden in colour. Your doughnuts are ready. All you have to do is sprinkle with some cinna - sugar mixture or drizzle some chocolate on them with some edible decorations and you are done. 

Trust me, This is going to be fun :) :) Please let me know how you like it.

Creamed Spinach Stuffed Cannelloni

Italian cuisine is my favourite :) I love making fresh pasta over dry pasta. I feel that fresh pasta adds a very personal touch to the dish. It is not as difficult as it sounds. I have already mentioned the recipe for making the fresh pasta dough in my previous posts. Here is the the link - http://therecipebay.blogspot.com/2011/10/fresh-eggless-pasta-dough.html 

   
INGREDIENTS 

Pasta Sheets
Fresh eggless Pasta dough - 200g 

Creamed Spinach
Oil - 2 tsp
Chopped garlic - 2 tsp
Chopped onion - 1 medium
Chopped spinach - 250g
Processed Cheese - 1 cube / 2 slices
Salt, Pepper - To taste
 
Mornay Sauce ( Bechamel + Cheese.. lot of cheese ) 
Butter - 1 tbsp
Maida - 2 tbsp
Milk - 1 cup
Cheese - 100g
Italian Seasoning ( I use 'Urban Flavors' - Cheese Italian Herb seasoning ) - 2 tsp
Salt - To taste


METHOD
  
Pasta Sheet for Cannelloni
1) Knead the dough as per the recipe and roll out sheets as shown in the picture.
2) Boil the sheets in boiling water which has salt and oil for about 5 - 6 minutes. 

 

Creamed Spinach

1) Take some oil in a pan and saute the onion and garlic.

2) Add the Spinach and cook till the spinach wilts and tastes cooked.

3) Add the cheese slices and let them melt.

4) Place a spoon of creamed spinach on the pasta sheets and roll as in the picture.

 

 MORNAY SAUCE

1) Take butter in the pan and add the maida and stir till mixed well

2) Add the milk to this and keep stirring vigorously so that there are no lumps and eventually the sauce will thicken. 

3) Add the cheese and keep stirring till the cheese melts

4) Add the seasoning and mix well and top this sauce on the cannelloni. 

Garnish with some Basil leaves :) Voilaaaaa 

  

I am sure you're going to love this one. Spinach + Garlic = Perfect Flavours. Superrr Yum !! Have Fun 

Jelly Boats.. Joy Ride :D :D

It is a Delight to serve these to kids and see their faces light up with a sparkling smile :D (Even my eyes twinkle). This is a very simple recipe and Bet, kids are going to love it. Hope you enjoy this one.

INGREDIENTS

3 Oranges

1 Pkt Raspberry / Strawberry Jelly

Flags (For Decoration)

METHOD

1) Cut the oranges into half and scoop out all the flesh and fruit from inside.

2) Make the Jelly as per the pkt instructions.

3) Line the halved oranges in the muffin tray so that they are not wobbly.

4) Pour the Jelly into the Orange cups and set for about 1 hours (or until set) in the refrigerator.

5) Remove the orange cups and cut into half and just add one flag to each. You're done !!!!

Do let me know how you like it. :) Happy Sailing :D

Cookie n Cream Cheesecake

I generally am very fond of cheese cakes :P Its very simple to make them and they look superrrrrly Trendy. They are generally a 'HIT' whatever be the occasion. BTW this an Eggless and No - Bake one. (cheat cheese cake) :P

INGREDIENTS

CRUST (This Crust has 3 different layers - Cracker, Praline, Crumbled Chocolate)

1st Layer

Finely Ground Graham Cracker / Digestive Biscuit - 10 biscuits

Melted Butter - 1/2 Cup

2nd Layer

Ground Praline - 1 Cup

Melted Butter - 1/4th Cup

3rd Layer

Melted Chocolate - 100 g

2 string Sugar syrup / Glucose syrup - 2 tbsp

COOKIE AND CREAM CHEESE CAKE LAYER

Your Favourite Cookie - I used Oreo because I love them, Ground - 10 No.

Cream Cheese (Philadelphia)  - 1 cup

Non Dairy Cream / Fresh Heavy Cream - 1/2 Cup

Sugar - As desired

TOPPING

Whipping Cream - 1/2 Cup

Oreo - To Garnish

Method

You can start off doing this recipe either in the Pie dish or small glasses. The way you like to present.

CRUST

1) Start of making all the three crusts by mixing the respective ingredients.

2) Layer all the three mixtures and press them hard so that they set. Freeze them for about 20 minutes

CHEESE CAKE LAYER

1) Whip the cream with a double beater and add cream cheese and sugar to it. ( Please be cautious as non dairy cream already has sugar so add accordingly)

2) Add the cookies or biscuits.

3) Spoon this mixture on to the crust and set it in the refrigerator for about 2 hours

TOPPING

Top the cream cheese layer with some whipped cream and garnish with Some Biscuit / Cookie Pieces and you are ready to go :) :)

I hope you enjoy making this :D :D 

Sauces - The heart of a recipe

Sauces are the heart of every dish for every cuisine of the world. Getting the sauce right is half way through to getting the perfect recipe. There are 5 basic ‘Mother’ sauces out of which many other variations have been derived all over the world. Sauces are responsible to finish and compliment a dish. The 5 ‘Mother’ sauces are Béchamel (white sauce), Tomato sauce, Espagnole, Hollandaise (similar to mayonnaise) and Velouté.

Béchamel Sauce

Béchamel Sauce is the classic white sauce which is used as the base to make hundreds of other variations. This sauce is liked by all specially kids.

1 tbsp Butter

1 tbsp Maida
1 cup Milk
1 tbsp chopped garlic (optional)

1 bay leaf (optional)

Very small piece Nutmeg (optional, only for flavouring)

Salt & Pepper (for taste)

Melt the butter in a saucepan, sauté the garlic and add the maida and stir until the mixture is well blended. Slowly add the milk and stir continuously until there are no lumps. Now add the bayleaf, nutmeg and keep stirring till the sauce starts to boil and thickens. Add the salt and pepper and remove from the flame. Remove the bay leaf from the sauce. This recipe makes about 1 cup béchamel sauce.

Variation – Cheese can be added to this sauce to make mornay sauce (cheese sauce)

Basic Italian Tomato Sauce

Commonly called as the Red sauce and the spicier version called The Arrabbiata sauce literally meaning the angry sauce :P. This sauce tastes absolutely sinful with the perfect blend of flavourful basil and juicy saucy tomatoes. This simple sauce is a perfect hit for any preparation

1 Kg blanched and peeled tomatoes, Diced (chunky sauce) / Pureed (smooth sauce)

2 medium onions, chopped or pureed

5 – 6 cloves garlic, chopped

6 – 10 fresh / dried basil leaves, chopped

1 tsp dried oregano

2 tbsp olive oil

¼ tsp black pepper, ground

1 – 2 tsp chilli flakes

Salt and Sugar (to taste)

Take oil in the kadhai / skillet, Add the onion and sauté it till golden and not dark brown. Add the garlic and keep sautéing. Add the tomatoes and keep cooking till soft.

If you want an absolute smooth sauce, cool the about mixture and puree it in a blender and strain it. Take this again in a  skillet and add the remain ingredients and keep cooking on a low flame till thick or the desired consistency.

Note - Whenever making a tomato based sauce / gravy, cook the tomatoes in oil till soft and then puree them. This prevent the water separation from a sauce and gives it a better texture.



Marinara Sauce


Marinara sauce is just an 'American' modified version of the Italian red sauce. Originally Marinara sauce (as the name suggests contains marine ingredients) contained seafood.


Fresh Basil Pesto

The word ‘Pesto’ has been derived from the word ‘Pestle’ which is Sil – batta in hindi. Pesto means to be ground. This preparation tastes heavenly on pasta, mashed potatoes or as a spread on bread (with some butter creamed along with it).

3 cups fresh Basil leaves

2 tbsp roasted pine nuts / pistachio

2 – 3 cloves Garlic

2 tbsp Olive oil

½ cup Parmesan cheese

Salt & Pepper (to taste)

In a food processor, add nuts, basil leaves and garlic. Now slowly add  the oil and keep scraping the sides of the food processor and add the parmesan cheese and blend well. Add the salt and pepper and the pesto is ready to use. This can be frozen upto 2 months.


Sun - dried Tomato Pesto

If you love Sun - dried tomatoes, you will love this one in your pasta or on your bread. Sky is the limit for innovation and experimentation with this one. You are going to love it :D.


1 cup Sun - dried tomatoes (oil drained)
1/4th cup roasted pinenuts / Pistachio / Almond
3 - 4 cloves garlic
2 tbsp chopped parsley
2 tsp dried basil leaves
1 tsp red chilli flakes
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
Salt and Pepper (To taste)


In a food processor, add nuts, sun - dried tomatoes along with the other ingredient leaving oil and cheese. Now slowly add  the oil and keep scraping the sides of the food processor and add the parmesan cheese and blend well. Add the salt and pepper and the pesto is ready to use. This can be frozen upto 2 months.


Aglio e Olio


This recipe is totally meant for garlic indulgers. It is simple and very flavorful. I love this recipe and hope you love it too. (This aint really a sauce but it is a popular dish and with this recipe just toss your favorite pasta and have a good time). 

1/2 Cup Garlic
1/4th Cup finely chopped Parsley
4 - 6 tbsp Olive oil
1 - 2 tsp Red paprika
1/4th to 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese / cheese of your choice ( as per taste preferance )
Salt (To taste)

The first step is to keep the boiled pasta ready aside before you start making the aglio e olio. Take the Olive oil in a wok or a Kadhai and add the garlic. Saute it till cooked but not brown (low flame). Add the paprika and parsley and salt. Add the pasta and just top with parmesan / cheese and just enjoy this delicacy.


Rosa Sauce


This is a very easy sauce. It is a sauce liked by most people as it has a touch of creaminess, cheesyness, and the tangy touch of tomato. Writing this I can actually roll the flavors on my tongue. :P :P Enjoy this one. 

1 Cup Bechamel Sauce with cheese (Mornay Sauce)
1 Cup Italian Red Sauce

Just mix these sauces and toss ur pasta. You are ready to go. :D



Basil Cream Sauce


This sauce has a punch of basil and the smoothness of the cream. It is a blend of Basil Pesto and Bechamel sauce (with or without cheese)

1 1/2 Cup Bechamel Sauce
1/4th Cup Basil Pesto

Just Blend the two and top it on any of your favorite pasta.


Vodka Sauce


1/2 Cup Vodka
1 tsp red paprika
2 tbsp Olive oil
1 large clove Garlic
1 tsp chopped Parsley
2 tsp chopped Basil
4 - 5 Red Tomatoes (1/2 diced and 1/2 pureed)
1/2 cup processed cheese (prefer britannia)
Salt and Pepper (To Taste)

Keep the Red paprika in vodka for about an hour before starting. Heat Olive oil in a wok, add garlic, Parsley, Basil and add the vodka mixture and simmer for about 5 minutes. and add the tomatoes and simmer till the tomatoes are cooked.Your Sauce is ready. :D Have a high time.


 








 

Fresh Eggless Pasta Dough

Whenever we think of Italian food, the first thing that comes to most minds in ‘PASTA’ and ‘PIZZA’. Italian food is not only about the two. It is much beyond pizzas and pastas. Only amongst pasta, there are about 500 different shapes of pastas. The most commonly used dry pasta amongst us are Penne, Fusilli, Spaghetti, Spiral, Bow, Fettuccine, Lasagne (Sheet). There is a variant called fresh pasta which is healthier. These are the pasta which is made with a dough and freshly boiled and used. The common recipes are Ravioli, Cannelloni, Lasagne, Gnocchi.  They taste really nice and better than the dry pastas and trust me once you try this, you family and friends are going to love it.

Fresh Pasta Dough
This pasta dough can be used for making different types of pastas - Ravioli , cannelloni, Lasagne sheets, Tortellini etc. I will describe its usage and different shapes as we proceed.

Ingredients

1 cup All purpose flour ( Maida )

1 cup Semolina ( Rava / Sooji )

2 tbsp Olive oil / Refined oil

1 cup Warm water

Salt – To taste

Method

Take maida and rava on the working surface (you can take it directly on the platform). Make a well in the centre of the heap. Add salt and oil in the well. Knead the dough with warm water and wrap the dough in a cling film and let it rest for 15 minutes

Note – The dough has to be tight and not very lose.

The Italian beginning....

 We Indians have this great talent to make everything ‘OURS’. We can Indianize every cuisine and give it a touch of Indianness and I completely love this. As Indians we love to EAT, from street foods of various states to the small udipi restaurants in the streets of Mumbai ( I so love shiv sagar.. :D I am feeling superrrrr hungry ) to the theme restaurants to the famous fine dining restaurants. I can eat anywhere and everywhere and I bet nothing tastes better than the chaat outside Kala Niketan (Juhu). I completely forget who I have come with and get hooked on to eating each and everything that he makes. When I was a kid, I never liked roti sabzi and dal chawal. I always wanted mom to make something different. There was something I completely loved to eat and that was ‘ Pasta’. I so loved the way my mom made pasta. It was a favourite amongst all my friends, my neighbours and just everyone. I so loved it. It was a not an exact Italian style pasta but a simple pasta with a lot of veggies in a mix of Béchamel ( its a term for white sauce, chefs hate to call it ‘white sauce’ ) and Arrabbiata sauce ( a spicy red sauce, ‘Arrabbiata’ literally means Angry). I have my best memories with Italian food and so i have decided that I will first write a complete guide to Italian food. Please await my next post. It will be here very soon. :D

About me...

Hello! My name is Neha Deepak Shah and I would like to welcome one and all to my blog. I have finally taken the first step towards a year long desire of writing a blog. This is the first time ever that I am attempting to write something like this (trying to do on a regular). I belong to the jazzling city of Mumbai. I am 21 years old (as of today, 04/10/11) and I am currently working in Dabur ltd as a Food Scientist (amazed?? I know this sounds quite geeky but I a’int that geeky). Please don’t picture me as an old person with long white hair and an insanely geeky brain in a white lab coat holding a test tube amidst a lab disaster. I am anything but that. I am a completely normal person with a normal IQ but with an extreme love for cooking. I love changes and most of the time I hate routines. BTW I am a food technologist and there is a reason why I am a ‘HAPPY’ one. Most of the people I ever knew around me were not happy with their jobs. I knew one thing from the very beginning that I would professionally chose to be someone I would love being all my life and not someone who I would not be the best at. (and I knew I LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE food).

Ever since I was a child, food was something that always fascinated me. I loved to watch my mom make cakes (About 15 yrs ago not many people knew how to makes cakes at home). I used to love to try my hands on making chocolates and messing the entire place and sitting under my mom’s work table with little sister to just lick the bowl of melted chocolate. I always have been a fast learner and I learnt my basics by observing mom and learning from her. I always have had a habit of extended study. If I saw mom make chocolate, I would go and gather all the information possible on the numerous ways to make chocolate and make it a point to try them out. I have had a lot of failure attemts as well L. I was in Class 8 and we had to opt for our hobbies out of computers, Pottery and Cookery. I opted for Cookery. We were only 15 people out of the batch of 250 who opted for cookery and most of the people opted for computers. I loved my hobby and started taking it more seriously. When I was in class 11, I had this wierd ‘Chaska’ for a long time. I started making a dish each day and Trishla and Kartu mama were my Guinea pigs. They actually ate whatever I made however bad it was. :D . Very soon I realised I did not want to be an Engineer or a Biotechnologist nd tht I only wanted to be a FOOD TECHNOLOGIST (I wanted to be a chef actually but ppl around said you would waste ur potential and that girls can’t be chefs which I completely deny). I have dedicated all my life to food.. It destresses me.. It makes me feel good... After a long day at work cooking makes me feel very relaxed.. I only realised this since I have been staying away from home. I only realised I could cook well when I started cooking food on a regular and that prompted me to give MASTERCHEF INDIA SEASON 2 a shot. I used to cook food for a couple of my friends and they thought I should go. I registered myself for the show and actually started sharpening my skills on various cuisines. Masterchef India was a very amazing experience. I completely loved every moment. I met 49 different people with different professions..different skills and completely different personalities.. I have learnt a lot from each person. Most of the people there were quite experienced and older to me. Somewhere in my heart I wish that experience didn’t end. I wanted to go far in the show and really win it. J Its OK and I know Masterchef India provoked me to write this blog.

I wanted people to know that Cooking is EASY and FUN. This blog is dedicated to all those who have even the smallest amount of passion for cooking. I want to share the enormous experience and knowledge that I possess regarding different cuisines with my dear readers by posting the recipes of all kinds of cuisines from the most common to the most unorthodox. It will be my heartiest and unremitting endeavour to make this blog as vibrant, unique and interactive as possible.

 I would like to share all my fav recipes and cuisines on this blog. Please do write to me on nehadeepakshah@yahoo.com for any suggestions or changes that have to be implemented for the better. I would love to hear from you. I hope you enjoy this page. Thank you. J