Who knew hot chocolate could be made even better ? Not that it needs anything , it's literally winter in a mug. It's so festive and so Christmassy !

Even though Christmas is not a very big event in our country , I love to curl up and watch movies with this boozy hot chocolate and I'm sure a lot you will too.

It's perfect if you celebrate as well ,for a drink to serve to your guests which is yummy and equally festive. Enjoy!

INGREDIENTS

Serves 3

1 cup milk

50 gms dark chocolate

1-2 tsp instant coffee powder

Pinch of salt

30ml whiskey or rum ( or more )

Made these myself ! pinterest actually works!

METHOD

In a sauce pan heat the milk and chocolate while constantly whisking.

Once the chocolate starts to melt add in the coffee and salt and whisk till fully combined.

Now turn off the heat and add in the whiskey.

Serve warm and enjoy!

03:15:00

The last month and a half has been super hectic because I had my exams and that's partly the reason why I haven't posted anything in such a long time. Not being able to give time to cooking as much as you want to is so difficult ! I never realised how used to i have gotten to making something every other day ,even if it is the same thing . 

Its always fun to bake or cook something and do a photo shoot and that is exactly what i plan to do for the next month. i have some interesting recipes in mind , till then enjoy this delicious eggless chocolate cake adapted from Deeba Rajpal's blog. i have made half the recipe and I served it with a scoop vanilla ice cream and some warm salted caramel ! it was absolutely delicious. Enjoy ! 

INGREDIENTS 

11/2 cups flour 

1 cup sugar 

1/4 cup cocoa powder 

1 tsp baking soda 

1/4 tsp salt 

1 cup hot water 

1 tsp instant coffee powder 

1/2 cup + 1 tablespoon vegetable oil 

1 tablespoon vinegar 

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

METHOD 

• Heat your oven to 180c and spray a 9*2inch circular baking tin with some cooking spray.
• Whisk together the flour , sugar , cocoa powder , baking soda and the salt.
• Combine the water , oil , vinegar , coffee and vanilla together and add this to your flour mixture.
• Transfer to your baking pan and bake for 30 minutes or till a skewer inserted in the centre of the cake comes out clean.

09:26:00

It's safe to say that dark chocolate is almost everyone' guilty pleasure. It's such a beautiful ingredient which, although divine in itself, pairs gorgeously with caramel. And I personally love this combination. The silkiness of the caramel paired with the ganache makes the mousse rich and gives the texture a lush lift. 

INGREDIENTS

SERVES 4

For the Caramel 

1/4th cup granulated sugar 

20gms butter (cubed)

1/4th cup cream 

For the mousse

100gms dark chocolate (chopped)

200gms cream

METHOD 

For the caramel

Add your sugar to a heavy bottomed sauce pan and let it melt. do not stir it.
 Once it starts to turn golden on the edges give the pan a swirl and keep doing this till the sugar is completely melted.
Once the colour becomes amber , turn the heat down and whisk in the butter till it is fully incorporated.
Take it off the heat and stir in the cream. Set aside.

For the mousse base

Heat the cream till it just starts simmering and then turn the heat off.
Add you chopped chocolate to this and stir till it has fully melted.
Let this come to room temperature and then whisk it till soft peaks form.
Fold your caramel in and refrigerate for 2 hours before serving!
Enjoy! 

01:46:00

Another Ice Cream recipe ! I thinks it's safe to say that I'm totally obsessed with them.  Making Ice Cream Is so easy and so fun that you won't be able to stop yourself from making batches frequently. 

This one came to my Mind while I was in school and yes, I usually daydream about what I want to make during most of my classes. Well I don't mind it cause some of my best ideas have come like that only. The combination of cheesecake and ice cream is absolutely phenomenal and why wouldn't it be ? You're combining two of the best desserts ever ! I hope you enjoy this one :) 

INGREDIENTS                        Makes 700ml

For the ice cream base 

300 ml cream 

100 ml condensed milk 

1/2 tsp vanilla essence 

For the ganache 

200 gms dark chocolate 

200 ml cream 

For the crumb 

10-12 digestive biscuits 

2 tbsp melted butter (salted)

For the cheesecake 

100 gms cream cheese ( at room temperature ) 

50 ml cream 

2-3 tbsp castor sugar 

Method 

First you need to make your chocolate ganache. Chop your chocolate into small pieces. And heat your cream till it simmers 

Pour your cream over the chocolate and let it sit for 5 mins. 

Then stir this mixture till you get a smooth ganache. Set aside to cool in the refrigerator. 

Next , whip all the ingredients for your cream cheese filling till combined and let it set in the refrigerator. 

For the base , 

Whip your cream till soft peaks form and then fold in the condensed milk and the vanilla essence. 

Take out your ganache and whip till soft peaks form. 

Now fold the base mixture in the ganache till combined. 

Crush your biscuits and mix them with the butter. Then fold this through your base. 

Put this mixture in your tin and then drop spoonfuls of the cheesecake filling over it and use a toothpick to swirl it around and freeze for 4-6 hours ! 

PS~ I would suggest that you double this recipe cause you'll run out of it very fast ! 

06:46:00

People tend to make ice cream with double cream and I usually do too but this time I decided to make it with some fresh cream that I had lying around. It's from a local brand and I never thought I would be able to whip it to peaks as I've tried it before and it has never worked out. 

So this is the second time that I've made this ice cream , the first time I made it at my grandmothers place. It's eggless and that was important as she doesn't eat eggs which are usually used in ice creams that have a crème anglaise base. So I started whipping my cream and ten minutes just went by and my cream didn't have any visible change. My heart sank, Maybe i can't always do what I feel like doing. But then I decided to go at it again for another ten minutes before ditching it and it worked ! I was elated , the texture was gorgeous and it was the first time I'd made eggless ice cream. 

It's so easy and I'm going to use a lot of variations with this recipe for sure ! And the best part is that you don't need an ice cream maker for this.Enjoy!

Ingredients 

Makes about 1.5 quarts 

40-50 Oreo biscuits ( slightly crushed) 

5 tbsp granulated coffee

1 ltr cream ( fresh or double ) 

1 can of condensed milk ( 14 ounces ) 

2 tsp vanilla essence 

2 tsp coffee liqueur ( optional ) 

Method 

First place a large bowl and your whisk attachment in the freezer 15 minutes before you start making the ice cream ( I use a hand mixer but you can use a stand mixer too ) 

Then whip your cream to soft peaks. Once this is done , whip in your condensed milk ,  coffee and vanilla. 

Gently fold in the Oreos and pour the mixture in a tin pan.

Cover with plastic wrap and make sure that the wrap touched your mixture  Freeze this for about 6 hours. 

11:11:00

Hummus is a Lebanese dip made out of chickpeas. It's so versatile in flavour options  and goes perfectly with and kind of Bread. It makes for a beautiful chips and dip platter for an impromptu dinner or lunch.

The colour of the beetroot hummus is so vibrant that it has definitely attracted everyone who has ever tasted it at my home.

And the chilli one is perfect for those who can take a hit of spice!

 It's refreshing and so easy to make. Enjoy!

INGREDIENTS

Beetroot Hummus

1 cup boiled chickpeas

1/2tsp chopped garlic

1/2 a beetroot (chopped into 1/2inch cubes )

1tbsp extra virgin olive oil

Salt to taste ( about 1/2 tsp )

1-2 tbsp lemon juice
2 tsp tahini

Spicy hummus

1 cup boiled chickpeas

1/2tsp chopped garlic

1 tsp paprika

1tbsp extra virgin olive oil

Salt to taste ( about 1/2 tsp )

1-2 tbsp lemon juice

2 tsp tahini

METHOD

Beetroot Hummus

In a saucepan , boil the chopped beetroot in a cup of water till it is soft.

Then transfer the beetroot along with 2 tbsp of the boiling water to a processor and purée it till you have a fine paste.

Add all the other ingredients and purée till everything is fully combined.

Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

Chilli Hummus

Add all the ingredients to a food processor and purée till combined.

Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

Serve with some toasted pita bread or lavaash.

03:50:00

Pad Thai is one dish that only a few restaurants can get right. Most of the ones that I've had it from just serve it tasteless and dry. This is a big problem for me as I absolutely love Pad Thai and I can find no restaurant in my vicinity which serves it the way I like it. So I decided to make it at home and it tasted divine!  It was juicy and tangy and I think that the main ingredient which brings flavour to any Pad Thai is the tamarind purée so make sure to use that and I guarantee that you will make this again and again.

This is a perfect meal for any day and it's vegetarian too. So keep that chicken aside for a day and make this instead. Enjoy!

 

INGREDIENTS

3tbsp tamarind puree

1 cup carrot (cut into juliennes)

1/2 cup bean sprouts

2 tbsp palm sugar

2tsps soy sauce 

1tbsp Thai sweet chilli sauce

2 Thai red chillies thinly sliced (use 1 if you don't like spicy food )

juice of 2 limes

250gms flat rice noodles

1/2 clove garlic (chopped) - optional

1/2 cup salted peanuts

                                       

                                                              

METHOD

  

In a bowl, combine all the ingredients except the peanuts and the pad thai together . Give this a mix and use a mortar and pestle to fully combine these together.    

Prepare your rice noodles according to the instructions on the pack

Then transfer the sauce in the mortar and pestle to a pan and heat till the sugar dissolves and the liquid becomes thick enough to coat the noodles.

Toss the noodles in this sauce and make sure that they don't become dry.

                                 Top with crushed or whole peanuts and serve immediately.                                        

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02:09:00