Schezwan Sauce Recipe | How to make Chinese Schezwan Sauce

Schezwan Sauce plays a key role in various Schezwan recipes. I fell in love with the schezwan flavour only after shifting to Mumbai. In Mumbai the street vendors use schezwan sauce for creating various wonders apart from the usual usage of it in Fried rice and Noodles. The Schezwan sauce is spicy,tangy and slightly sweeter in taste. After many trials I must say I have created a Killer recipe for Schezwan sauce and this is my go to recipe for Schezwan sauce. Stay tuned for interesting creations with this Schezwan sauce. Check out Schezwan Dosa recipe , from the streets of Mumbai. I highly recommend you to try it.

If you are interested check out other Indo-Chinese recipes in my blog.

• Chinese Veg Hakka Noodles
• Chinese Vegetable Fried rice
• Chilli Tofu /Chinese Style Tofu Fry
• Chilli Paneer (Dry Version)
• Sprouts Fried Rice | Moong Sprouts Chinese style Fried Rice 
• Schezwan Veg Fried Rice
• Schezwan Dosa - Mumbai Fusion recipes

 

Schezwan Sauce Recipe:

Yields 1.5 cups of sauce

Prep time: 10 mins | Cooking time: 15 mins | Total time: 25 mins

Cuisine: Chinese/Indo-Chinese | Category: Sauces

Ingredients:

10-15 medium sized Garlic pods, peeled

10-12 Red chillies(I used Byadige variety)

3 tbsp. finely chopped Garlic

1 tbsp. finely chopped Ginger

1 tbsp. finely chopped Celery(or thick Coriander stems)

2 large Tomatoes, roughly chopped

1 tbsp. Tomato Sauce(optional)

1 tsp Soya Sauce

1 tbsp. Vinegar

1/2 tsp sugar

1/2 tsp White(or Black) Pepper powder

Salt to taste

2-3 tbsp. Oil

Method:

• Remove the stems of red chillies and soak them in warm water for half an hour. You can even remove the seeds if you cannot bear the heat.
• Grind the soaked red chillies with garlic pods to a fine paste.

• Grind chopped tomatoes to a smooth puree.
• Heat oil in a pan/kadai and add finely chopped garlic and sauté it nicely for a minute. Add finely chopped ginger and celery and sauté nicely until the raw smell of all the ingredients go away.

• Add pureed tomatoes and let it simmer for a while and then add ground red chili- garlic paste and fry nicely until the raw smell of tomatoes and red chili- garlic paste goes away and it leaves the oil in the edges

• Add tomato sauce(if using), vinegar, soya sauce, sugar, white(or black) pepper powder and salt and mix nicely and let it simmer for another 2-3 minutes. The sauces do have certain amount of salt, so add salt accordingly.

• If the sauce is very thick you can add some water and simmer again to get a thick sauce consistency of your requirement. I usually keep it thick so that it can be stored well for sometime.
• Cool the sauce and store it in an air tight container in refrigerator. You can easily keep it for a week in refrigerated when no water is added to it.

Use the sauce according to your requirement in the recipe.

Notes:

1. You can avoid tomatoes in the recipe and increase the tomato sauce to 3-4 tbsp. I usually do not like to add more tomato sauce as it makes the sauce very sweet and hence I prefer adding pureed tomatoes and just a dash of tomato sauce for added taste.
2. Make sure you fry all the ingredients well until their raw smell disappears which makes the sauce taste better.
3. You can use Schezwan sauce in various recipes like Schezwan fried rice, Noodles, Vegetables, Schezwan Tofu, Schezwan Paneer, Dosa and various snack varieties.
4. If you do not have celery in hand use finely chopped thick stems of coriander leaves(only stems, not leaves) instead. It works nice.
5. If you like you can add 1/2 tsp Ajinamoto in the recipe. I usually do not add it for health reasons.
6. Byadige chillies are less spicy and hence I prefer to add it. If you are using regular red chillies reduce the number of red chillies to 5-6 based on the spiciness of chillies. If you are not confident about the spiciness you can even remove the seeds and use, it will reduce the spiciness to a greater extent.

Try out these recipes with the Schezwan Sauce:

• Schezwan Veg Fried Rice
• Schezwan Dosa - Mumbai Fusion recipes

Technorati Tags: how to make schezwan sauce, schezwan sauce recipe, szechuan sauce recipe, Chinese schezwan sauce, sauce recipes, chili garlic sauce recipe

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Meetha Chutney | Sweet Chutney for Chaats | Khajur-Imli Chutney

Chaat is incomplete without Meetha Chutney and Green chutney which play a key role in elevating the taste of the chat. Meetha Chutney is also known as 'Meethi Saunth' and is mainly prepared with dates and tamarind, hence it is called as 'Khajur-Imli Chutney' or 'Date Tamarind chutney'. Most of my weekends, we indulge in at least one chat variety as we both are very fond of them. Golgappe appears quite frequently as a meal rather than as a chat at our place. Many of my friends like the Golgappe I prepare and I always get complements for it and few in fact even carry the Meetha chutney back home. When ever my MIL visits us, she asks me to prepare Golgappe at least once. Of course even if she does not ask, I know her preferences now and I would make it anyways.

The taste of any good chaat completely depends on the two chutneys we use in it - Meeti Saunth and Green Chutney, if these chutneys taste perfect it would make any Chat taste delicious. As I prepare chats quite often I usually make the chutneys in bulk. The process of preparing the Green chutney is simple and I prepare it at least once or twice in a month based on my consumption. Check out my recipe for Green Chutney which is a freezer friendly recipe and maintains its luscious green colour. The process of preparation of Meetha Chutney is a bit laborious so I usually prepare it in large quantities that last for at least a couple of months.

Meetha Chutney | Meethi Saunth | Date-Tamarind Chutney for Chaats:
Shelf life: 6-8 months when refrigerated
Prep time:15  mins | Cooking time:1.5 hrs | Total time:1hr 45mins
Cuisine: Indian | Category: Condiments - Accompaniments

Ingredients:

250 gms Tamarind

250 gms dry Dates(40-45 Kharjur)

500 gms Jaggery or Sugar

2 tsp Red chili powder

1 tbsp roasted Cumin powder 

1 tsp Garam Masala

2 tsp Kala Namak/Black Salt

1 tsp Dry Ginger powder

1 tsp Fennel seeds(Saunf) powder

Method:

• Clean and remove the extra fibres from tamarind and add 1 - 1.5 cups of water to it and pressure cook it for 2 whistles. Once the mixture becomes cool extract the tamarind pulp by discarding any extra fibres and skin. Alternatively you can soak it in warm water for 1/2 hr and extract the pulp. You can follow either ways which ever is comfortable for you.

• Pressure cook dry dates in 1 cup of water for 3-4 whistles.Cool them and remove the seeds from them.
• Grind the dates with the water which is used for pressure cooking them to a very smooth paste.

• In a heavy bottom pan add small pieces of jaagery(or sugar), ground dates paste and let it come to a boil. Add extracted tamarind pulp and keep it on medium flame and cook for 10-12 mins until the jaggery is completely melted.

• Add red chili powder, garam masala, roasted cumin powder, black salt, dry ginger powder and fennel seeds powder and mix well.
• Reduce the flame and cover it with a clean lid (just cover it 3/4th) as the mixture splutters and makes the kitchen counter messy.

• Let it cook for another 25-30 mins until the mixture becomes very thick. Keep stirring it in between once in a while, take care when you open the lid the mixture might splutter on your hands. I personally prefer to taste the mixture in between and if I need to season it a bit I would add according to my preferences.
• If the mixture is not thickened enough, let it cook for some more time until you get the desired consistency. I personally prefer to make the mixture this chutney very thick almost to the consistency of Jam as this way you can store this chutney for long. As I prepare this in big batch, it would easily last for couple of months for me.You can easily store it for more than six months.
• Cool the mixture completely for 3-4 hours. Store it in sterilized Glass bottles or air tight bottles in refrigerator.
• When required, scoop out required portion using a clean spoon and dilute it with water to get the required consistency.

Serve the chutney with any snack/cutlets/pakoras or use it in any Chaats as required.

Notes:

1. Do the process bit careful as we are going to store it for long. Make sure that no water droplets would fall in the chutney.
2. Always cover the kadai just 3/4th as the mixture will keep bubbling after certain stage and makes teh kitchen counter messy and also be careful while stirring it. It might cause blisters if it falls on the skin.
3. This chutney should be prepared bit on a more sweeter side,hence when you taste it would be very sweet but is apt to use it for chaats and snacks.
4. You can use either Jaggery or sugar in the recipe, though personally I prefer to use jaggery.
5. If it is prepared carefully and maintain the consistency of Jam you can easily store it for over an year which makes it quite comfortable to use in chaats when required.

Technorati Tags: how to make meetha chutney, sweet chuntey for chaats, chaat chutneys, imli chutney, meethi saunth, meeta chutney, kharjur imli chutney, easy meeta chutney, quick meeti saunth, date tamarind chutney, how to store sweet chutney, chaats

 

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Mango Salsa Recipe | Easy Mexican Recipes

 

Salsas and Dips always go well with a platter of Chips, Tortillas and cut Vegetables.I serve the dips and salsa even with khakras,a slightly healthier version when compared to chips.Tomato salsa is the most common variety in salsa but you can make various salsa varieties like Watermelon Salsa,Mango Salsa during their respective seasons. My most favorite one is Mango Salsa.It is a perfect burst of flavors with the sweetness of mangoes which is balanced with the acidity from lemon and the heat from the chillies.

I prefer to use the mango variety called 'Banginapally' to prepare salsa as I love the peculiar taste of this mango which makes the salsa taste even better.But if you do not find that variety you can use any other sweet mango varieties like alphonso,kesar etc.The fibrous mango varieties might not suit as it is difficult to cut them into pieces.I feel that the salsa tastes best when it is prepared bit mushy and hence I cut them into very fine pieces.You can prepare the salsa bit ahead so that the flavors mix well.If you have not tried Mango Salsa recipe,try it before the mango season gets over.

Check out other Dip recipes in my blog which can be paired with chips:

• Cashew Aioli Dip
• Cucumber-Mint Yogurt Dip 
• Guacamole
• Hummus
• Olive Basil Dip

Mango Salsa Recipe:

(serves a small group of 2-3 ppl)

Ingredients:

1 ripen Mango( I used Banginapally variety)

1 Tomato,seeded and finely chopped

1 Onion,finely chopped

1/2 Green Capsicum,seeded and finely chopped

2 Green Chillies,finely chopped

1 tbsp Coriander leaves,finely chopped

1 tbsp Mint leaves,finely chopped

juice of 1/2 lemon

Salt to taste

Method:

• Remove the skin of ripen mango and chop it into fine pieces.I like to make my salsa slightly mushy,hence I cut it into fine pieces.You can even cut the mango into big chunks if you want.
• Remove the eye and seeds of tomato and cut it into fine pieces.
• In a bowl mix chopped tomatoes,onions,capsicum,green chillies and add salt and lemon juice to it and mix well.
• Add chopped mangoes,coriander and mint leaves and mix again.
• Now taste the salsa and add more lemon juice if needed.If your mango is not sweet enough,add a pinch of sugar at this stage.
• Leave it in refrigerator for half an hour for the flavors to mingle.

Serve it with Chips/Tortillas/Quesedillas/Tacos etc.You can even use it as a filling in Canapes or with Khakra chips like I did.

Notes:

1. You can use red bell peppers along with green capsicum in the recipe.
2. I like the taste of Banginapally mango for salsa and I prefer to make mostly with it.It is perfectly sweet and makes the salsa more delicious.If you do not get this variety you can use any other variety too.
3. If your mango is not sweet enough you can sprinkle some sugar in the salsa. 
4. Use jalapeno peppers if you can find them instead of green chillies.

Check out various recipes with ripen mangoes and raw mangoes here in my blog.

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Cilantro Lime Rice Recipe | Easy Mexican Recipes

Cilantro lime rice is one of the main components of the famous Chipotle style Mexican Burrito Bowl.It is an easy recipe which can be prepared with minimal ingredients available in the kitchen.You do not need to make the complete Burrito bowl to enjoy this Cilantro-Lime rice.It pairs up beautifully with any spicy dish and I like to pair it with a spicy bell pepper sauce and Cucumber-Sour cream dip or Rajma.

 

Chipotle style Cilantro Lime Rice Recipe:

(Serves 2)

Ingredients:

1 cup Basmati Rice or Long grain Rice

Juice of 1 big Lime

3-4 tbsp chopped fresh Coriander leaves

1 tbsp Olive Oil/Butter

Salt to taste

Method:

• Wash and Soak Basmati rice for 10-15 mins.Drain the water and keep it aside.
• Heat olive oil/butter in a thick bottomed kadai and add rice and fry well until it becomes translucent.
• Add 2 cups of water and add salt and few drops of lime juice and cover it and cook it on low flame for 12-15 mins until it is cooked completely.Once the rice is done keep it covered for 10 mins.
• Fluff up the rice with a fork carefully,do not over do this.Add the rest of lime juice,chopped coriander and mix well and keep it aside for 10-15 mins until the flavors blend well.

Serve it with any spicy side dish or spicy bell pepper sauce(recipe below) and Cucumber-Sour cream dip like I did.I even served Broccoli stir fry as a side.
You can even use it in your burrito bowl.I like to combine this with Indian Kidney beans -Rajma .

Notes:

1. Sometimes the rice turn bitter if lime juice is added to rice while cooking,hence I prefer to add it after the rice is cooked.
2. Adding few drops of lime juice while cooking makes the rice fluffy and would not stick.
3. You can saute 2-3 finely chopped garlic pods and 1 finely chopped onion in the oil before adding the rice.
4. If you have vegetable stock in hand,use it instead of water,it makes the rice even more flavorful.
5. You can use any neutral flavored oil instead of olive oil in the recipe.
6. You can use this rice to stuff in a burrito with sour cream,salsa and veggies to make a wrap.

Spicy Bell Pepper Sauce Recipe:

Ingredients:

1/2 Red bell pepper,finely chopped

1/2 Yellow bell pepper,finely chopped

1 small Onion,finely chopped

2-3 big Garlic pods,finely chopped

1 tsp Corn flour

few drops of Vinegar(or Soya sauce)

few drops of Tabasco sauce or Hot sauce

1 tsp Mixed Herbs or Herbs de Provence

1/2 tsp Red chili flakes

1/2 tsp Pepper powder

1 tbsp Olive oil

Salt to taste

Method:

• Heat olive oil and add chopped garlic and onion and saute it nicely.
• Add finely chopped bell peppers and saute them for a couple of minute.Keep them crunchy and do not let them become soft.
• Add red chili flakes and herbs to it and saute for a minute.
• Add 1 cup of water and let it come to a boil.
• Add salt and pepper powder to it and mix well.
• Meanwhile mix cornflour in 2-3 tbsp of water nicely and add this to the boiling mixture and mix it nicely so that no lumps would be formed.Let it boil for 3-4 mins until the sauce becomes thick.
• Add tabasco sauce, soya sauce or vinegar to it and mix well and switch off the flame immediately.

Serve it with Cilantro lime rice.

Notes:

1. Adjust the seasonings,sauces according to your taste buds.
2. I like the hint of soya sauce in the sauce,it is optional.You can add just vinegar or soya sauce or both.

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Cucumber-Mint Yogurt Dip | Easy Dip Recipes

Chips and Dips are always a hit in any party. Most of the dips can be prepared ahead and hence makes it easy to serve immediately when you have guests at home.I am sharing a simple dip recipe using hung yogurt which goes well with any kind of crackers,chips and cut vegetables.All the ingredients used in this recipe are easily available,try this dip when you have guests over next time.I am sure you would definitely have a nice time while munching those chips with this dip.

Check out dip recipes in my blog:

• Cashew Aioli Dip
• Guacamole
• Hummus
• Olive Basil Dip

Cucumber-Mint Yogurt Dip:

(makes 1 bowl approx)

Ingredients:

1 cup Hung Curd(approx prepared from 1 1/4 cups curd) 

1 tbsp Mayonnaise

1 medium Cucumber,peeled and finely chopped

2 tbsp Mint leaves,chopped

1 tsp Lemon juice

1/4 tsp Black pepper powder,freshly pounded

Salt to taste 

Red chili flakes,to garnish

Method:

to prepare Hung curd:

• Tie the curd in muslin cloth for 1-2 hrs.Keep a vessel below to collect the water from it.

to prepare Dip:

• Peel the cucumber and chop it very finely.
• Add the chopped cucumber and mint leaves along with lemon juice,salt and pepper to hung curd and mix well.
• Garnish it with red chili flakes and serve it immediately.You can prepare this dip ahead and refrigerate it for better taste.

Serve the dip with tortillas/chips/cut vegetables or also as a side dish for an exotic meal.

Notes:

1. You can add finely chopped scallions or onions to the dip.
2. This dip can be prepared ahead and refrigerate it for better taste.
3. You can even replace hung curd with sour cream.In that case you can avoid mayonnaise.
4. Adjust the seasoning according to your wish.

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Hummus & Pita Chips

As I mentioned in this post,even I would post only snacks/chaats and appetizers through out my 'Family Food' series other than few exceptions.Here is my first snack for the series,I promise you that I would post few interesting recipes which are quite unique and uncommon.Watch out my next monday recipe which is a quite unique chaat.

Most of my evening tea parties consist of chips and dips, as I feel they are not only easy to make but also easy to serve and gives us time to chit chat more as we munch on them.All the dips can be made in advance and refrigerated until required. If we rest it for more time, the flavors infuse better in them. Even pita chips can be made in advance and stored in air-tight container.
Hummus is a middle eastern dip which is made up of ground chickpeas blended with mild spices to get a smooth,creamy textured dip which is ideal to be served with chips or as a spread for bread toast.
Pita Chips Recipe:
(Serves 2-3)

Ingredients:
3-4 Pita breads
1 tsp mixed Italian herbs
1 tsp Red chili flakes
2-3 tsp Olive oil
Salt to taste

Method:

• Cut pita bread into 6-8 triangles using a pizza cutter or scissors.
• Whisk olive oil with herbs,salt and red chili flakes.
• Arrange the pita bread triangles on a single layer on the baking sheet and brush them with olive oil mixture.
• Preheat the oven to 160 degrees for 7-8 mins and bake the pita bread for 5-7 mins until they turn red in the edges and crisp.Initially they would be soft when touched immediately it turns crispy after it cools down.Keep an eye on them and take care not to burn them.

Serve them with hummus.

Variations:

1. You can use wheat pita for healthier option.
2. You can sprinkle spices like roasted jeera powder or red chili powder or pepper powder or zatar or sumac on pita chips for different flavors.

Hummus Recipe:
(Serves 2-3)

Ingredients:
1 cup Chickpeas,soaked for 12-14 hrs
2 1/2 tbsp Tahini paste(see notes for alternative)
juice of 1 Lemon
2-3 Garlic pods,crushed
4 tbsp Olive oil
1/2 tsp Red chili powder,to sprinkle
Salt to taste
Method:

• Pressure cook chickpeas with salt for 1 whistles and reduce the flame and cook for 20-25 mins until soft.
• Cool and drain the water from chickpeas and keep it aside.Reserve 8-10 chickpeas for garnishing and use the remaining ones.
• Grind chickpeas with garlic pods,lemon juice,olive oil,tahini paste and salt to a fine and smooth paste.
• Add reserved chickpeas water if necessary while grinding to get the smooth paste but use less water as the lemon juice and oil itself helps in easy grinding.
• Remove the hummus into a serving bowl and spread using a spatula up to the corners as shown in the photos and pour olive oil in the insertion and sprinkle red chili powder all over and garnish with cooked chickpeas in the center.

Serve it with pita chips/tortilla chips/nachos/vegetable sticks.

Notes:

• If you do not have tahini paste,slightly warm 2 tbsp white sesame seeds and powder it and add olive oil while grinding.Your instant tahini paste is ready.
• You can even make hummus to a coarse paste,it is your personal preference to make how you want,I like it smooth.

Variations:

1. You can sprinkle zatar/sumac instead of red chili powder which gives a different flavor to hummus.
2. You can make various flavored hummus like roasted red pepper hummus,olive flavored hummus,coriander flavored hummus and mint flavored hummus.
3. For roasted red pepper hummus,grill the red pepper until charred and remove the skin and seeds and grind the flesh along with hummus until you get a smooth paste.
4. For olive flavored hummus,grind 5-6 olives along with hummus to a smooth paste.You can use any variety of olives here.
5. For coriander flavored hummus, grind 1/3 cup chopped coriander along with hummus to a fine paste.
6. For mint flavored hummus,grind 1/4 cup mint along with hummus to a fine paste.

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Fresh Basil Pesto

At our place pasta means pesto pasta and that too basil pesto is the most common sauce we prefer for pasta.I generally get a small pack of basil which is just enough for the one time preparation of pasta.So I always make it fresh and use it immediately,so never got to photograph it and post it here.Recently I found a store where I can buy bulk quantity of this flavorful basil at really low price,so I got excited and ordered 200gms of basil which was a really huge quantity for me.I decided to make pesto out of it and tried to store it for long and I used it in pastas a couple of times and as a spread for my daily sandwiches and also in salads.It was really handy to use it when required in small or larger proportions.I have taken this photograph after 5-6 days after I prepared pesto,look at it still it looks fresh.You can check another version of my pesto, spinach pesto pasta here.

Ingredients:
200gms,roughly 4-5 cups loosely packed fresh basil
1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil(EVOO) + 3 tbsp EVOO to store the pesto
1/3 cup pine nuts or walnuts
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
4-5 garlic pods
3/4tsp roughly ground pepper
juice of 1/2 lemon
salt to taste

Method:

• Separate the basil leaves from the tiny stems and wash them and let them drain all excess water.Try to spread over a kitchen towel to remove excess moisture.
• In a mixer add basil leaves,pine nuts/walnuts,garlic pods,pepper,add half the quantity of olive oil,lemon juice,parmesan cheese,salt and ground to a medium coarse paste.Add the remaining olive oil in stages in between to ease the process of grinding.Do not add water to grind it,the EVOO and lemon juice them selves are enough to grind into a uniform paste.
• Now check for the taste and adjust the salt for the pesto.
• Take a clean glass jar and pour a tsp of EVOO in the bottom and scoop in two 2tbsp of pesto and again pour a tsp of EVOO over it and scoop in pesto and repeat the process and make sure you pour 2 tsp EVOO over the top.If you layer you pesto with EVOO, you can store the pesto for upto 7-10 days and use it when required.
  

Use it in pastas,salads,spread on toast or sandwiches,gnocchi etc.

Notes:

1. Traditionally pine nuts are used to make pesto,if not available you can substitute with walnuts.
2. I have used more quantity of EVOO which helps it in storing for long and use it when required.Might be the top layer of pesto turn slightly dark,but inside it stays fresh and looks freshly ground.Use a clean spoon all the time and make sure olive oil floats on top of pesto all the time.
   
3. You can reduce the amount of parmesan cheese added and while making pasta you can use bechamel sauce for extra creaminess and richness.
4. For a Vegan version avoid parmesan cheese while making pesto,it tastes even delicious without cheese in it.

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Guacamole...famous Mexican Dip!!

Guacamole is a famous Mexican dip/spread which is generally served with corn chips, Quesedilla's and many more Mexican varieties.Even though I use avocado in many recipes like milkshake,roti's etc,my husband never likes to take it as he does not like the buttery flavor of it and guacamole is the only form of avocado which he thoroughly enjoys without complaining.Guacamole is a versatile dip with tortilla chips/nachos/potato chips/match stick cut vegetables like cucumber,carrot,blanched peppers or you can even spread it on toast/garlic bread/sandwiches.Here comes the recipe.

Ingredients:
1 big ripen avocado
2-3 small shallots,finely chopped
1 medium tomato,seeded and finely chopped
1 pod garlic,grated
2 tbsp freshly chopped coriander
1 green chili or Jalapeno chili,finely chopped
1-2 pickled jalapenos,finely chopped
juice of 1/2 lemon
salt to taste
pepper to taste(optional)


Method:

• Cut the avocado lengthwise and discard the big seed in between and scoop out the flesh using a spoon.Using a fork slightly mash it to get a slight chunky mixture.
• Now add finely chopped shallots,tomato,coriander,green chili,jalapenos and grated garlic to it and mix.You can even blend them in whipper mode or you can leave it chunky.
  
• Add salt,pepper and lemon and mix well.
• Chill it in refrigerator for a couple of hours which helps the flavors to blend well.

Serve it as a dip with tortilla chips/nachos/potato chips/match stick cut vegetables like cucumber,carrot,blanched peppers or you can even spread it on toast/garlic bread/sandwiches.

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Celebrating my 50th post with Chips 'n' Dips and Mango Kulfi...!!!

Ever since my MIL brought me those cute Tupperware Kulfi moulds I wanted to prepare Kulfi and finally I got the enthu to prepare it last friday.With Mumbai weather turning for the worst last week there couldn't have been a better dessert to prepare.Wonder when it starts raining here,otherwise this humidity will force me to prepare this again and again...he he..:)..Of course when the taste is so good one can't expect it to last long as we finished it off in just two days.

Yesterday I had prepared Olive and cashew dips as an accompaniment for the tortilla chips.What else does one want during weekends.. lazily watching tv ..and savoring those lovely chips with a cup of masala tea!!

Cashew Aioli:
This recipe I have scribbled sometime back from a tv show and modified it according to my taste by adding herbs to it.I liked the richness of the dip because of the liberal usage of cashew nuts.
Ingredients:
1 Cup Cashew nuts(soaked in water)
2 tbsp fresh parsley finely chopped
1 tsp Mixed dried herbs
2 jalapenos( I used pickled ones)
2-3 tbsp water from the pickled jalapenos
3 tbsp olive oil
sea salt(according to taste)

Method:

• Blend soaked cashew nuts,jalapenos,salt,olive oil,dried herbs and some water from (pickled)jalapenos to a slightly coarse paste(or even smooth paste).
• Mix in the chopped parsley nicely and slightly chill it.
• Serve it with Tortilla chips/Doritos/Nachos/any chips/matchstick sliced vegetables.

Note: 1.This can be used as a sauce for pasta. 2.This can be even stored in refrigerator up to 2-3 days.

Olive-Basil Dip:
Hubby liked this dip very much more than the above one.I added some finely chopped olives to the dip which made its appearance in each and every bite of the dip.
Ingredients
1/2 cup hung curd or sour cream
1 tbsp mayonnaise
3/4 cup olives(I used green,you can even use black ones)
7-8 basil leaves
1-2 small shallots
2 jalapenos
sea salt(as per taste)
some water from the pickled olives

Method:

• Blend everything into a fine smooth paste.
• Serve it with Tortilla chips/Doritos/Nachos/any chips/matchstick sliced vegetables.

Mango Kulfi(Low cal version):
Who says no to Kulfi.??especially if it is Mango Kulfi I would never deny to eat it.In Mumbai we get Alphonso mangoes in abundance and I am enjoying them during the season.Alphonso mangoes not only gave a nice color but also enhanced the taste of kulfi.Nuts add a special taste to kulfi and I have also used different nuts in different molds for the kulfi which made me to identify the unique taste of each nut in the kulfi.
Kulfi is one of the most richest Indian dessert I have made it bit low-calorie version by not adding whipped cream and I made it with cornflour which gave a creamy texture with less calories.Ingredients:
4 Alphonso Mangoes(or any other Mangoes)
1/2 tin Condensed milk(adjust according to the sweetness of mangoes)
1/4 cup milk(slightly less than that)
1 tbsp cornflour
1 tsp elaichi powder
some saffron strands
2 tbsp finely chopped cashews
2 tbsp finely chopped pistachios
2 tbsp thinly sliced almonds
Method:

1. Mix cornflour in half the milk and stir it into the hot milk(on a low flame) and keep stirring till it forms a thick paste.Cool it down completely.
2. Blend alphonso mangoes into a smooth puree,add condensed milk(add it by adjusting the taste) and cornflour mixture and blend again.
3. Stir in the elaichi powder and saffron strands.
4. Take out some mixture into a small bowl and add any one type of chopped nuts into it and mix.Drop the same nuts at the bottom of the kulfi mold and pour the mixture over it and cover it.(you can mix the nuts and prepare also,but I wanted it with different nuts)
5. Repeat the same process for the other nuts.Refrigerate it for 12 hours(minimum or until set).It will be set properly by the next day.I have poured the left over mixture in the ice cube tray which i have tasted( and actually finished off)just after 2 hrs.
   
6. While removing it,dip the kulfi mold in the normal water for some time to remove it in exact shape.

Serve it cold.

I am sending Cashew Aioli for poornima's Let's go Nuts - Cashew Nuts event started by Aquadaze.

and Olive-Basil dip for priya's event AFAM: Olives started by Maheswari of Beyond The Usual.

and both the dips(olive-basil dip and cashew Aioli ) and kulfi to 15 Minute Cooking hosted by Mahimaa.and finally the Mango Kulfi for the My Favourite Things -FROZEN DESSERT event hosted by Aquadaze and which was originally started by Bindiya.

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