Happy Recipes Old

Don’t we all love Chinese food simply because of its unique mouthwatering flavours and the most uncomplicated techniques of making them? It’s just a matter of chopping all and dropping all into a pan and give a quick toss and a turn, pour in sauces and, voila! job done! It is that easy and the taste is supreme too. The generous amount of vegetables used in this recipe make it much healthier and versatile. While stirfrying the veggies I tried my best to keep their original colours intact which in turn made this dish look absolutely delightful with such an exotic assortment of colours blended together! I bet, you will stop buying this dish from take-a-ways once you start making it at home because the homemade chicken in black bean sauce with all the colourful and crunchy veggies will become an instant favourite of your family and friends. There are many brands of black bean sauce available in supermarkets but I have always been loyal to the Blue Dragon brand which has th...

   You will need the following items: Self Raising flour 250 g Margarine or butter softened 250 g Caster sugar 250 g Eggs 4 Milk 1/4 cup Lemon juice and Vanilla essence 1  tsp each Salt 3 pinches Baking powder 1 tsp Let’s make them: Set the oven to 180 C . Cream the batter Beat butter and sugar together until creamy, using an electric hand mixer (3 mins) Add eggs, one at a time. Make sure you beat well after each addition Add vanilla essence,  lemon juice, salt and beat for two rounds Sieve flour Mix baking powder to flour and sieve onto the cake batter, holding the sieve well above it, allowing the air to escape Do not use the electric mixer at this point.  Fold the flour gently with a wooden spoon until everything turns into a creamy batter Add milk and mix well Fill the cupcake cases Fill the paper cupcake cases 3/4  with the batter, leaving space for cakes to rise Place the cases in the cupcake tray Bake in the oven Pop the tray in to t...

These super spongy chocolate cupcakes, topped with creamy chocolate butter icing are a pure delight to serve around for a bunch of lively kids! With lots of oohs and aahs, they will gobble them up with such joy! Happy baking friends! Get ready with the following ingredients : Self-raising flour 300 g Stork spread/Butter/ Magerine 300 g Caster sugar 300 g Eggs 5 medium Lemon juice 1 tsp Salt 3 pinches ( a must) Baking powder 1 tsp Cocoa powder 4 tbsp heaps  Milk  1/4 cup Let’s make it: Set the oven to 180 C Cream the batter  Beat butter and sugar together until creamy,  using an electric hand mixer (3 mins beating is sufficient) Add eggs, one at a time. Beat well after each addition Add vanilla essence,  lemon juice, salt and beat for two rounds Sieve Flour Mix baking powder,  flour and cocoa powder and sieve onto the batter, holding the sieve well above it, allowing the air to escape Fold the flour gently with a wooden spoon until everything turns i...

Even a beginner can try this silky chicken curry without messing it up. I must confess that the smooth and rich texture in the gravy is all due to a couple of tablespoons of yoghurts and coconut milk added in the cooking process. Give a try and you will come to love it! You will need the following ingredients to make this dish: Chicken thighs or legs cut into medium size pieces 300 g Tomato puree 3 tbsp Onion (medium) 2 Ginger garlic paste 2 tbsp Green chilli 2 slit Garam masala 1/4 tsp Turmeric ,Cumin powder, Chilli powder and salt 1/4 tsp each  Plain yoghurt 2 tbsp  Maggie coconut milk powder 2 tbsp Lemon juice of 1/2 a lemon How to make : Shallow fry Grate onions Heat 2 – 3 tbsp of oil in a wide pan and fry the grated onions until golden brown Add ginger-garlic paste. (grate both for more flavour and aroma) Add slit green chillies and salt. Add chicken pieces and stir fry gathering everything together. Toss and turn Now, squeeze half the lemon on chick...

It is interesting to know that South Indians’ have a variety of light dishes for breakfast but their most loved choice is Upma. Upma is light, silky and healthy as it is mainly made out of semolina. This could be made plain, omitting the vegetables, but by adding any veggies of your choice could make it healthy and very appealing too.   Ingredients you will need: Semolina / Rulang / Sooji 1 cup Hot water 2 cups Yellow split lentils – chana dhal 1 tbsp 1 Carrot – cut into tiny cubes   4 Green beans – cut into tiny pieces   Curry leaves   Green chilli – split in the middle 1 Mustard seeds  1/4 tsp Onion – chopped 1  Olive oil  1 tbsp Let’s make : To get the soft and silky texture,  stick to the following proportions: 2 cups of water to 1 cup of Semolina.  A little more water could turn it into a lumpy mess. First, dry roast semolina for a min or two being careful not to change its colour and keep aside Heat oil in a ...

This glorious treat is usually reserved for a special occasion considering its extraordinary richness and exotic taste. Traditionally,  this pudding is steamed in an aluminium pudding basin, dipped into a large pan half-filled with water. However, you can also bake it in a Pyrex dish in the oven which is easier and less time-consuming.   If you fancy the original taste, do not hesitate to steam it. Either way, you will come to love it!! I made this pudding using Maggi coconut milk powder which I found the best choice in the absence of fresh coconut milk and also, the texture of the pudding comes out much firmer allowing you to cut into dainty squares. So, give it a try today !! What you will need:  Maggie Coconut Milk Powder 6 full tablespoons Palm jaggery (Brown) 1 round Brown sugar 2 tbsp Nutmeg -grated (essential item for this pudding) 1 full tsp Salt pinch Eggs (large) 5 Water 1/2 cup Let’s make it : Place the jaggery round in a bag and knock it with a rolling pin until p...

It is amazing that this simple, light and fluffy buttery cake, turns into a gorgeous teatime treat when it is glazed with butter and sugar crystal syrup.  It gives such a  sweet crunchiness to the top layer making every bite absoloutely pleasurable. Make this delightful treat for your friends and enjoy relaxing in the garden with a steaming pot of tea. Let’s make it:  Self Raising flour 250 g Margarine or butter 250 g Caster sugar 250 g Eggs 4 Milk 1/4 cup Lemon juice and Vanilla essence 1  tsp each Salt 2 pinches Baking powder 1 tsp Let’s make it: Set the oven to 180 C . (Temperature conversion is given under Tips) Cream the batter Beat butter and sugar together until creamy,  using an electric hand mixer Add eggs, one at a time. Make sure you beat well after each addition. Add vanilla essence,  lemon juice, salt and beat for two rounds. Mix Four Mix baking powder to flour and sieve onto the cake batter, holding the sieve well ...

Cannelloni means “large tubes” in Italian and is actually the familiar pasta made to look like tubes, which is more or less similar to lasagna in the preparation process.  Yet, the appearance of this dish and the digging into the juicy meaty filling which is oozing out of the tubes is an absolute delight. You can fill these tubes in with any of your favourite vegetarian or non-veg stuffing and bake with lots of cheese tossed on the top.  In this recipe, I stuffed the tubes with a mixture of lean ground beef and a large assortment of vegetables to make it healthier. Make this absolutely mouthwatering dish to make your gloomy winter months much cosier and a bit warmer. What you will need: Ground lean beef 500g Cannelloni tubes 1 & 1/2 pkt Mayonnaise  3 tbsp Any pasta sauce (I used Grossman brand) 1 bottle Tomato Ketchup 4 tbsp  Soy sauce (dark)  1 tbsp Carrots 4 large sliced thinly Spinach 4 handfuls Bell peppers (large) – yellow, r...

These fish fillets with golden crispy coating and soft inner flakes taste delicious when served straight out of the frying pan.  A perfectly healthy dinner choice with an assortment of steamed veggies tossed on a dollop of butter. Fresh or frozen King fish  is the best choice for this recipe for its soft flaky texture. Let’s make the fish fillets: Season Wash and pat dry and scrape the skin off from the fish fillets Season with lemon juice, salt and pepper Keep aside Make the batter Mix 1/4 cup of plain flour with water to make a thick batter Add a few pinches of turmeric to give colour little salt In a flat plate, spread a cup of golden breadcrumbs Dip it / Wrap it Now, dip fish fillets in the batter wrap in the breadcrumbs Fry Deep fry both sides until they turn into golden brown colour Let them rest on a kitchen paper Serve with a wedge of a lemon on the side Best served with steamed veggies to make a hearty and healthy meal Now prepare the veggies: Take any choi...

Make these crisp, golden-brown hash browns for your supper tonight !! Serve them on a heap of a green salad, plain couscous or noodles to make it a perfectly healthy and satisfying meal. Bon appetit !! What you will need;  Potatoes (preferably waxy) 3 Onion and a large green chili chopped   Salt, chili or paprika powder to taste   Pepper powder 1 tsp Plain flour 4 tbsp egg 1 Olive oil or any other oil to shallow fry Let’s make it; Grate Peel and coarsely grate the potatoes and chop the onion very thinly. Squeez e it Place the grated potatoes and onion in the middle of a tea towel and squeeze dry.  This will let all the excess liquids to drain out Mix it Place the potatoes, egg, salt, pepper and plain flour in a bowl and mix thoroughly using your hands. Add green chili, chili powder and  adjust the taste at this point Shape it Place a boll of the mixture on your palm and make a thick, round pattie. Dust both sides with plain flour Make a few more ...