Sliced Chili Pork

This recipe is a twist from the version shown by Kylie Kwong, and as your go through various recipes, you know what suits you best! So this is my version of the Chili Pork!

Ingredients:
Pork Slices - 500gms
Brown Sugar - 2 teaspoons (or white if you don't have any)
Chinese Cooking Wine - 4 tablespoons
Ginger - 2tbs, julienned
Garlic - 1 tbs, sliced
Dry Red Chili - 6-7 pieces, roughly chopped
Shallots - 4tbs, sliced
Black Pepper Power - 1tsp
Lime Juice - 2 tbs, freshly squeezed
Dark Soy Sauce - 2 tbs
Water - 1 scant cup

Wash and clean the pork thoroughly. Into a large heavy based pan, add 2 tablespoons of oil just enough to coat the base of the pan. Add in the shallots and saute them till fragrant for about 2 minutes. Then add in the ginger and garlic and saute them for a minute. Throw in the dry red chillies and then place the pork slices onto the pan. Add in the soya sauce, sugar, pepper and lime juice and mix in well. Add in the water and allow the pork to cook through stirring occasionally. The pork should get coated well in the sauce and the meat should be tender! Serve hot with some steamed rice!

Hazelnut Ricotta Cake with Apricot Glaze

 

Not that it's valentines, but my husband has been wanting something cake like, with a ricotta as an ingredient. Ever since the Lemon Ricotta Cake, anything with ricotta is a pleaser for Him! So my the next recipe lies in the below creation. Another creamy textured nutty flavored cake! Anyway for all those out there Happy Valentines Day!!!

Ingredients:

Whole dry-roasted hazelnuts - 1cup (250 mL)

Sugar - 2⁄3cup (160 mL)

Vegetable Oil - 1⁄3cup (80 mL)

Ricotta Cheese - 1/2cup (125 mL)

Eggs - 2

Vanilla Extract - 1 tsp (5 mL)

Finely Grated Lemon or Orange Zest - 2 tsp

All Purpose Flour - 3/4 cup (180mL)

Baking Powder - 1tsp (5 mL)

Salt - 1/4tsp (1 mL)

For the glaze:

Apricot Jam – 4 tablespoons

Water – 1 teaspoon

Grated Bitter Unsweetened Chocolate

Preheat the oven to 350°f (175°c) and grease an 8-inch (20 cm) cake pan.  Using a food processor, pulse the hazelnuts and sugar until the hazelnuts are finely ground.  Add the oil, ricotta, eggs, vanilla, and orange zest, and pulse to blend.  Add the flour, baking powder, and salt, and pulse just until combined. Scrape the batter into the prepared pan. Bake the cake for about 35 minutes, until a tester inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean. Allow the cake to cool for 30 minutes before turning out to cool completely.

To make the glaze, place the jam with the water in a small pan over a gentle heat to dilute until you get a smooth, fairly runny consistency. Brush over the top of the cake and sprinkle with the grated chocolate.

Nutella Bread Pudding for World Nutella Day

World Nutella Day is celebrated on 5 February, not that I remembered it specifically, but I called it sheer coincidence and pure luck! Thought I make a bread pudding for the awfully sweet craving lot of US with NUTELLA the last Sunday!!

Ingredients:
Croissants  - 3 or 10 slices of bread (atleast a day or two old)
Nutella - 3/4cup
Almonds - 1/4cup chopped
Eggs - 2
Milk - 1cup
Vanilla Extract - 1tsp
Powdered Sugar - 1/2cup
Salt - a generous pinch

Onto each slice of bread, spread a generous amount of Nutella. Make them into sandwiches and then cut into little cubes. Into a large bowl, whisk the milk, eggs, vanilla, sugar and salt. Keep aside the mixture for about 10minutes. Into a greased glass dish, casserole or baking dish, place the bread cubes and then pour the custard over. Scatter atop some chopped almonds and allow the bread to soak up the milk mixture before baking for atleast 1/2hour. Bake for about 30 minutes till the liquid is all absorbed. Powder the pudding with some snowy effects of the sugar and voila, have your pudding warm out of the oven with some more Nutella flicked over! (Yumminess all the way :):))

Cadbury Silk ~ Kiss of Orange

Sunday,  the best day of the week! We are just up from a light snooze in the afternoon when the security rings the door bell to hand over a package delivered in my name! And out come out from the brown paper package, two bars of the Cadbury Silk - Orange Peel!! The delight on all our faces are expressionless and that's when it struck me at how Chocolate is a serious thing - it's a pleasure, its indulgent, its comforting, its sinful and therapeutic all at the same time!!!

Cadbury Silk India bring to you the the classic delicious smooth and creamy SILK now available with a Kiss of Orange.The sweetness of a premium chocolate with the fruity punch of orange and the nuttiness from roasted almonds - life does not get much better.....

And these we devoured without a moment to spare. A new variant of the Classic Silk are definitely moments of pleasure in every bite!

Enjoy the these little surprises because "Chocolate Here Today is Gone Today"!!!

Tuna, Egg & Sweet Corn Wrap~ Smart Lunch

Midday meal is it a problem for you?? Forget the lunch box blues and put a quick fix on this idea for healthy options for a light snack or meal!

Ingredients:
Natural Yogurt - 1 tbsp ( I used the set curd)
Olive Oil - 1 tsp
White Vinegar - 1/2 tsp
Dijon Mustard - 1/2 tsp
Pepper to taste
Hard Boiled Egg - 1 large
Canned Tuna - 200gms, drained
Canned Sweet Corn Kernels - 200gm drained ( I did'nt use them as my family is not fond of sweet corn)
Flour Tortillas - 4
Cucumber Sticks
Tomato - 1, finely chopped
Onion - 1 large, finely chopped

Whisk the yogurt, oil, vinegar, mustard and pepper in a little bowl and keep aside. Then mash the egg and keep aside.In a frying pan, saute the onion in a little vegetable oil till just transparent, then tip in the chopped tomatoes. Saute till the tomatoes are soft. Add in the drained tuna and fry for about 10minutes. Once the mixture is cooled, add in the mashed egg and dressing. Onto each tortilla, spread the mixture and place 2 cucumber sticks and wrap them up! Grill them over a skillet or sandwich maker and your packed lunch is ready!

WIN A HAMPER~ Enter the contest with ADF Souls

Enter the Foodilicious Recipe Contest with traditional and authentic recipe that you have amongst your treasured collections an attractive hamper! (It could be of Gujarati, Marathi or any North Indian cuisine). 

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What’s Cooking Today!! is proud to be hosting this Foodilicious Recipe Contest on behalf of ADF Soul. A company which started as humble venture in 1932 in a small retail selling dry fruits and nuts, soon diversified into a Major Food Processing Company manufacturing Ethnic Indian pickles, chutneys, canned foods frozen foods and spices under various Brand Names which are today leaders in their segments and categories.

The Indian Food is not about clinical recipes or perfect measurements. It is all about impulse and feeling. With rich dollops of culture and tradition thrown in, each region has its own style, its own spice and its own distinct taste. At ADF Foods, they have captured all that magical taste in a packet with countless hours of research and our very own special ingredients.

Foods market, especially, the Indian Ethnic Foods market, is growing very rapidly. ADF’s international brands like Ashoka, Camel, Aeroplane, Khansaama and Truly Indian have reached many parts of the world international food markets to make a good day feel even better. Food reaches beyond your stomach. It reaches your Soul.

 With this insight in mind, the name, seems like it's made for a food brand. Add that to the fact that all their products will have that touch of health. When their products beautifully marry the flavors and goodness , so should the same

Soul, subtly cueing soul food also seems like it would belong to a brand of substance . Soul has the potential to be more like than a brand name. It is a brand philosophy

Win the hamper and enter the contest here!!!!

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Banoffee Pie~ A Sweet Punch

This pie was devoured by my cousins, the minute they entered through my door. I did look for that opportunity to make this provided someone were to come over so that me and my husband didn't have to finish it all up(wink)! I barely finished making this pie and started taking the pics, when the door just opened and the entire party of boys just arrived. What's this chechi?!! Can we eat this now?? Well I wanted this to sit in the refrigerator for the biscuit base to set, but then you can't have em waiting can you? Served them without waiting! Better still, it tastes better the next day, and the base just sets perfectly for that extra crunch effect!

Ingredients:

Dulce De Leche (Condensed Milk) - 1 can (400gm)
Bananas-3, large
Heavy Cream -2 cups, whipped
Digestive biscuits or Marie biscuit- 200gms
Butter- 100gms
Grated chocolate/ Cocoa powder or Chocolate Sprinkles/ Chocolate Sauce to decorate

To make the Dulche De Leche
Place the can of condensed milk, unopened, in a large pot of water. Bring to boiling point and boil for 3 hours, topping up with boiling water from a kettle as needed. Ensure that the can remains covered in water, as otherwise there is a risk of the can bursting open. Remove and leave to cool completely. You can make this ahead of time or even boil several tins at one go and store the unopened cans in the fridge for several months. There are other ways of making the dulche which could either be David's way or Divya Kudua's pressure cooker way!
I wasn't sure which method to choose, but made my mind to resort to the safer method of placing it in a pot of water. No harm that way!

Now to get to making of this pie. Process the biscuits in the food processor and mix in the melted butter biscuit. Line a 10 inch pie pan with the biscuit mixture and place in the fridge for about an hour or else bake in the oven for 10 minutes at 160C. Open the of dulche de leche and spread this over the layer of biscuit.
Peel and thinly slice the bananas, and arrange in a layer over the toffee.Whip the cream until thick and stiff and spread over the bananas. And finally, decorate with grated chocolate or dust the cocoa powder on top using a sieve or with chocolate sprinkles. Drizzle with chocolate sauce if you desire too.