Bacon-tastic Food!

A friend of ours recently redefined bacon for us as ‘Bacon is the candy of meats’, and we couldn’t agree more! Bacon is clearly a favourite among Team Zoink! and a big hit around the world as well. Lately, bacon has become a trend and almost used as something to rebel against the health conscious and dieters. Hence, we are finding bacon everywhere – in apple pies, in vodka, in fondue and now, even, ice creams!

So here is a list of our top 5 unconventional bacon dishes that we love (we’re sorry, but that bacon ice-cream was simply too weird for us too!). Also, you wouldn’t find your traditional B.L.T. in this list.

1.       Bacon Cups: 

This is your traditional BLT decomposed, and served without bread. Strips of bacon are folded and weaved together so as to make a firm cup structure to be able to hold vegetables in them. With the baked bacon cups, you can fill them with cherry tomatoes and lettuce, even top them with a poached egg and a drizzle of mayo. This is officially the best way to have a salad. Guaranteed to leave your plates (or cups) clean. With the cup missing, of course. You can find a step-by-step guide on how to make it here – Martha’s awesome and extremely innovative food blog.

2.       French Toast and Bacon Cupcake:

This is breakfast served in a cupcake. Really. Eggs, butter, bacon and well, something baked to compensate for the missing bread. The idea of this dish came to a passionate baker (behind the awesome food blog www.liefewithcake.com) when she heard about a unique Maple Cream Stick and Bacon Crisp Doughnut served at Voodoo Dougnuts. She decided to create some magic herself and decided to make little cupcakes of heaven out of those big slices of French Toast. The buttercream frosting gives it a really nice flavour and is finally topped with that gorgeous and delicious piece of bacon! Find this innovative recipe here.

3.       Breakfast Pancake with Bacon:

You will stop caring about boring flipped pancakes once you get a bite of this pancake tower. It gets a whole lot of flavours together under one roof, literally; and once you bite into this, the party in your mouth starts and you wouldn’t want it to stop. Layered with roasted potatoes, scrambled eggs, bacon, whipped cream and strawberries, this is quite a hearty dish, and best served to at least 3 people. The strawberries add a nice sweetness to the entire pancake tower, without being overpowering – the crunch of that bacon screams through alright! Learn to make this pancake layer by layer here.  This blogger Alice Currah likes experimenting with sweet and savoury flavours, and we love her for that!

4.       Bacon Bread:

What tastes better than a bacon sandwich? A bacon sandwich with bacon bread and more bacon. Yes, you can make a fresh batch of bacon bread right at home. Infused with all the awesomeness of bacon and just a hint of maple, this escalates the deliciousness of bread altogether. The bacon filled bread baking aroma out of your oven is to die for! You must try this at home! Every sandwich you make with this bread is going to make you a local hero. Find this amazing recipe here. This blogger loves to bake and we thank her for this kick-ass recipe!

5.       Bacon and Cheese Pie:

This pie is what dreams are made of! Your favourite fatty bacon and yummy cheeses come together for the pie of the decade. The recipe requires you to weave strips of bacon together, cook them, add cheese and more bacon bits and cook them again, before putting them in the oven. Maybe even finish off with an egg on top, if you thought it didn’t have enough carbs. Find the step by step guide to make this here, where you can also notice that bacon grease is poured into a cup, to be used for greasing up all other dishes and making dinners bacon-tastic with that grease! The author Chris Kelly is a passionate photographer who has some surreal photos on his blog. He also shares a love for good things in life, like bacon.

“Money can’t buy you happiness. But it can buy you bacon. Which is the same thing.”

Spread the bacon love, Zoinkers!

The Kitchen Fairy Godmother!

You are lounging in your favorite torn shirt( Don’t worry, we all have that one guilty secret we can’t part with!) ; your hair’s a mess and your face is even worse, but you just don’t care because it’s your lazy weekend. Your phone rings and OH-MY-GAWD, it’s the cutie from the office that you had prayed would ask you out. YES, it’s a date. You are busy hopping and squealing when you catch yourself in the mirror. You look like you been in a cyclone and a tsunami – a disaster of mega-scale proportions. You don’t have time to go to the spa and turn yourself in to the diva you know you can be.

The secret was in Cinderella’s kitchen!

This is where you repeat to yourself the Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Universe mantra ( DON’T PANIC! ) and head to the kitchen! No, not to grab a comfort bite but to unleash powers of the domestic fairy godmother to turn you into Cinderella! And no, you don’t need to have the kitchen supplies of Nigella to do it either. Here are some simple yet ridiculous effective home remedies which are fail proof!

Let’s start with the exfoliating scrub. A spoonful of sugar is all you need. If you have sensitive skin, brown sugar works best. It will get the blood circulation going and give you a rosy glow to your cheeks. Also use it on your lips leaving behind a soft, rosy texture.

Now for that face mask. You have so many choices here that you can pick according to your skin type and your grocery list!

• Quick fix for your skin in 15 minutes

1. Rice flour mixed with milk or curd : leave it till it’s semi dry if you have dry skin and fully dry if you have oily skin  and then wash it off while gently scrubbing in circles. We don’t know the science behind it but we do know it gives you an instant glow.
2. Multhani Mitti or Fuller’s earth mixed with rose-water is a great astringent for oily to normal skin. Wait for the mix to dry and then wash it off.
3. Besan or Gram flour with milk or curd : Leave it to semi dry and wash it off. Improves the tone and clarity of the skin.
4. Lemon Juice : Just rub a squeezed lemon half  on your face and wait for 5 minutes and wash it off. Warning though, for some it may create a burning sensation but it leaves your skin fairer and clearer in minutes.
5. Honey : This one is a cleanser+scrub. Gives your skin a beautiful sheen. Add a little lemon juice and leave it for 5 minutes and you’ll be radiating a fresh glow. Honey can be used as a minor acne treatment.
6. Banana : Mash 1/2 of a ripe banana until creamy. Apply on face and leave for 15 minutes. Rinse with warm water and cold water to close pores. Perfect for oily skin!

The real beauty of these ingredients is that they can be mixed and match to create the mask that’s perfect for your skin.

Well, you are half way there. Your skin is brimming with natural goodness and a soft rosy blush which would make your cutie check you out.. twice! Now we need to tame those wild tresses. Beer and egg are the most popular conditioners that everyone knows of ( but who wants to pour alcohol down the drain!). So we’ll be invoking the powers of mayo, coffee and honey!

• Quick fixes for your stressed tresses
  

  For Shiny Hair!

1. Mayonnaise : This is for all you people with dry frizzes. Smear generously from your mayo jar on to your dry hair (and not to your scalp)  and cover it with a towel or a shower cap. Keep it for about an hour or so before washing your hair with your normal shampoo and conditioner. You’ll be the owner of some marvelously deep conditioned hair and who would not want that!
2. Coffee : Take some warm coffee and pour it through your dry hair. Keep it for about 20 minutes before shampooing it off. It’ll give your hair a rich, dark sheen.
3. Lemon: Yes, this little bucket of citrus is turning out to be a beauty powerhouse. Lemon juice mixed with water used for the last rinse will give your hair the shine and bounce you see in shampoo ads! You can also use them to give yourself some blonde highlights. Just brush some lime juice to the parts you want to lighten. Sit in the sun until your hair dries. The lemon juice activates in the sunlight, causing your hair to lighten, so a hot and sunny day is best for this activity. Lemon juice highlights are usually temporary, lasting a few weeks.
4. Honey : This is another natural highlighter. Mix honey into the water and use it on your for both lightening your hair ( again sunshine’s the key!) or adding shine to your hair.
5. Baking soda: Mix in a little to your shampoo and not only will you remove dirt and grime from you hair it’ll also give your hair a shiny look.

Here’s another tip – always wash your conditioner or your last rinse with cold water.

Strawberry a day keeps the dentist away!?

Your hair’s fixed and your skin’s aglow. Now all that you need is to fix up your dazzling smile.  If you have some ripe strawberries,  mash it up with some baking soda and use this to brush your teeth. It’ll immediately clean up all the stains and you are all set to flash your pearly whites! ( ps: Catherine Zeta Jones swears by this!)

Now put on your little black dress and oodles of charm and you are all set, Cinderella! And You din’t even need a fairy godmother (which means no midnight curfew! )

Desi Ishtyle Quenchers!

Yes, we know, we’ve taken quite a hiatus from our blog posting, and we apologize (we do welcome brickbats in our inbox just in case you feel like, er, venting). Anyway, we’re back and we promise you the blog posts will remain just as awesome as they used to be

Summer is officially here and the sun is not being friendly to Bangalore at all this summer. The scorching heat, bad heat waves and humid weather is tiring us out way too quickly and making us uber thirsty. While we never run out of a stash of our chilled beers, we decided to put together a list of some great thirst quenchers for the season desi style.

Lassi:

You couldn’t have been living in India without being familiar with this wonderful drink. Traditional Lassi is a savoury drink sometimes flavoured with ground roasted cumin while sweet Lassi on the other hand is blended with sugar or fruits instead of spices. Enter any Punjabi household and watch how the refills of your Lassi never stop as you wolf down the Makki di rotis. (for the summer, we suggest a refreshing Mango Lassi, a recipe of which could be found here)

 

Kokum Sherbet: 

Kokum Sherbet is synonymous with Indian coastal cuisine and is an extremely popular drink in Mangalore and Konkan regions of Maharashtra and Goa as well. This drink is made from Kokum extract, sugar, and a hint of Indian spices and is extremely refreshing. Kokum Sherbet is an immediate acidity reliever, and is also popularly used in cocktails in Goa to give your drink that kick. Click here for a refreshingly easy recipe of Kokum Sherbet.

 

Aam Ka Panna:

A sip of this fresh, tangy drink really marks the beginning of summer. This sweet, sour and spicy drink is largely consumed in Northern parts of India and renowned for its heat resistant properties. It’s a simple drink made from raw, green mangoes, blended with peppercorns, sugar and a dash of spices to bring that zing into this drink. Beat the heat this summer by storing up the Panna in jugs in your refrigerator. Find an easy recipe here.

 

Nannari: 

This lesser known yet delicious drink comes from the herb ‘Sarasaparilla’, a wonder herb, otherwise known as Nannari. The root of Nannari helps in curing many infections and regular intake of it keeps the body cool, especially during summers. The Nannari syrup is simply made of ground Nannari root, water, sugar and lime juice. This syrup is then used for making that cool Nannari Sherbet recipe. Find the recipe here.

 

Jigarthanda:

Jil jil Jigarthanda is an extremely popular summer drink having originated in Madurai. Jigarthanda literally means cooling the heat, and the ‘Jil Jil’ means ‘Cool Cool’ denoting that the drink cools your body. This is an extremely rich drink and comprises of cold milk, malai, ice cream,  Nannari syrup and Agar Agar (China grass) or Badam pisin (now used in most shops). It is extremely popular in Madurai as it is vastly available in road-side pull ins and small shops. Get a fun recipe here.

 

So those are our favourite desi coolers for the summers. How are you beating the heat? Leave your comments below, and keep Zoinking!

Ginger for a ‘Ale and Hearty Summer! :)

Cold glass of Ginger beer!

Summer’s slowly making itself felt and accompanying the summer heat, is summer nostalgia. It is the time of the year we start wishing (more than usual!) we were back to being kids and had three longggg months to fill with things to our hearts’ content! It’s also the time when we start reminiscing about childhood treats we have had. And nothing like a tall, cool glass filled with ice and ginger beer to get you started.

Ginger beer goes back a long way into childhood for all the people who have ever grown up on Enid Blyton.  All the perfect picnics that was ever packed by either Aunt Fanny or perhaps by Mrs.Hilton, Pip’s mom were incomplete till they found the bottle/s of ginger beer. Nothing was ever as perfect as a glass of ginger beer to quench either a disappointing hot day without clues or to celebrate the end of a mystery. There was something about a ginger beer that made it seem so ‘Grown Up’.. most likely the word ‘beer’

So a sip of Ginger Ale/Beer was a childhood dream. It was as English as ham and bacon sandwiches ( remember that we are talking about early 90′s in India ) and seemingly impossible to get your hand on unless you traveled all the way to the seaside village of Kirrin.

Ginger is a tricky little spice. It’s an unassuming little fella who packs a power punch when it comes to the ways and benefits of it’s uses. Apart from being a prominent ingredient in Indian, Chinese, Korean and Japanese cooking, it’s also been a major power player in traditional medicines from all these cultures. Why? We did some research and found out that it can be used to cure stomach aches/upsets, to reduce pain of osteoarthritis, and may even be used in heart disease or cancer. Check out this site to see the amazing things this spice can do for your health!
Other Ginger trivia – Did you know that original word root of this spice roots actually owes itself to Tamil ‘Inji Ver’? Ginger is native to Asia where it has been used as a cooking spice for at least 4,400 years. Now that’s what we here at Zoink call ‘Old Spice’!

And another thing we love about ginger is how versatile it is. It can be powered, pickled, boiled,sliced,diced, candied and best of all, made into Ginger Beer! There are so many versions out there but this one is our absolute favorite coz it’s the quickest one to make! Makes about 4 serving!

Ingredients:

• 1 cup peeled, thinly sliced ginger
• 3 cups water
• 1 cup sugar
• 2 cups club soda
• 1 teaspoon lime juice

In a covered saucepan, bring the water to a boil. Add the ginger pieces and sugar and cover. Reduce the heat and allow it to simmer for five minutes. Remove from heat and allow it to sit for 20 minutes.  Strain the mixture and set aside the liquid. Once it has reached room temperature, cool it in the fridge. Although you don’t need the ginger pieces any more, you can keep them to make crystallized ginger.

Mix the ginger sugar water with two cups of cold club soda. Add the lime juice. Stir and serve.  So here’s your recipe for making your own home made ginger beer

Well, all that remains is for you is to kick off your shoes and sit back with a tall glass filled with ice and ginger beer and continue reminiscing about your childhood summers!

Happy Chocolate Day!

It’s World Chocolate Day and we’re uber excited (not that we need a reason to have chocolate, but if you’re looking for some, then click here).  We’ve been shopping for all things chocolate and whipping up a storm in the kitchen. And we thought maybe you’d like to chocolate up your meals tonight too. Here are some Zoinkalicious! Recipes you’d love to make at home :

1. Tall, Dark and Handsome: 

Start off your meal with a chocolate liqueur drink which pairs very well with pretty much anything. Who doesn’t love a chocolate drink anyway?

Ingredients:

• 1 packet cocoa mix, for glass rim
• 2 shots vanilla vodka
• 1/2 shot coffee liqueur
• 1/2 shot chocolate liqueur

Method:

1. Wet rim of martini glass on a damp paper towel and dip into cocoa mix; set aside.
2. Add remaining ingredients to a cocktail shaker filled with ice. Stir and strain into martini glass.

2. Spinach Salad with Chocolate Vinaigrette:

Ingredients:

For vinaigrette:

• 1 tablespoon cocoa powder
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 1/2 cup balsamic vinaigrette

For salad:

• 8 cups bagged baby spinach, washed
• 1 1/3 cups freshly diced mango
• 1/3 cup dried cranberries
• 1/4 cup chopped walnuts

Method:

1. In a large bowl whisk together cocoa powder, sugar and vinaigrette. Add spinach and toss to coat.

2. Add mango, cranberries and walnuts. Toss together and transfer to a serving dish.

 

3. Chocolate Crostini with Sea Salt:

The biggest challenge with presenting this chocolate sea salt crostini recipe is getting people to stop thinking, “dessert,” and start thinking, “great special occasion savory snack.” For this to work as a savory bite, the chocolate must be very dark, bittersweet, and world-class.  Also, use only extra virgin oil to give it that perfect taste.

 

Ingredients:

• 3 ounces dark chocolate
• 1/4 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil
• 12 thin baguette slices, toasted
• medium-coarse sea salt

Method:

1. Melt the chocolate with the orange zest and olive oil in a small, heavy-bottom pot over ultra-low heat (if you’re a double boiler-lover, feel free to use one here), swirling it around occasionally.
2. Give it all a good stir once it’s super soft but not completely melted and take it off the heat.
3. Spread chocolate mixture on baguette slices and sprinkle with a generous pinch of sea salt.

 

4. Chicken in Chocolate Sauce: 

No, don’t wrinkle that face. Unsweetened cocoa powder with the sherry, spices and garlic glaze the chicken beautifully leaving you with an unforgettable taste in your mouth. The silkiness of the chocolate  combined with the  tenderness of the chicken is absolutely orgasmic.

 

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 pound boneless, skinless chicken pieces, cut in strips
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 clove garlic, chopped
• 6 ounces dry sherry
• Salt and pepper
• Bay leaf
• Cloves, to taste
• Cinnamon, to taste
• Thyme, to taste
• 2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder

Method:

1. Sprinkle chicken strips with spices. Add garlic and sherry and let marinate.
2. Heat oil in a saucepan and brown chicken pieces. Add onion and continue cooking over low heat.
3. Add marinade. Cook 20 minutes. Stir in cocoa. Cook 10 minutes. Remove chicken with slotted spoon. Reduce sauce, serve over chicken.

 

5. Super Gooey Chocolate Brownies:

Nobody can resist chocolate brownies, especially super gooey ones. The crispy choco base over the brownie and the gooey moist centre makes this for the perfect comfort dish.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup unsalted butter
• 120 gms. unsweetened chocolate
• 2 cups sugar
• 4 eggs
• 1 cup flour, or pancake mix
• 1/2 to 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

 

Method:

1. In a saucepan melt butter and chocolate over low heat, stirring occasionally. Add the sugar, stirring until dissolved. Remove from heat. Allow the mixture to cool 15-20 minutes. Beat in the eggs one at a time. Stir in the flour and chocolate chips. Pour mixture into a well greased 9 x 12 inch pan.
2. Bake 20-25 minutes at 350 degrees. Cool and cut into squares.
3. The brownies will solidify over time, to re-moisten, microwave for a few seconds and sprinkle over some icing sugar to serve

 

So these are our Chocolate based recipes this Chocolate Day. Try them and let us know how it goes!

Recipes Courtesy:

http://www.cooks.com
http://www.foodnetwork.com
http://www.cdkitchen.com
http://www.nourishnetwork.com

Secret Ingredient X

Hey Zoinkers!

This Valentine's, try Zoink's Secrets instead of Victoria's!

January is long gone and finally the month long awaited by valentines is finally here. And we here at Zoink believe it’s not just the way to a man’s heart; a tummy full of good things can make anyone fall in love. Here are some ingredients right out of your kitchen which will work some extraordinary magic into your cooking and leave your valentine guessing.. and wanting more!

You know that plain jane jar of peanut butter you have in your kitchen? Make it you secret ingredient X by adding a couple of spoons into the brothy soup to add body. Or try adding it to your meatballs instead of egg as the binder.  It’ll add a Thai twist to your dishes without giving away the secret.

For your salads, we have quite a few ingredients to make it special. You can mix in 1/4 teaspoon of ground cinnamon into your favorite chicken salad to add a subtle second flavor. Or try one of these salad dressings -

Dressing it up for your valentine!

• Whisk together equal parts low-sodium soy sauce, dark brown sugar, balsamic vinegar, and mustard oil for a delicious, full-bodied salad dressing.
• Mix mayo with lemon juice, minced garlic, and parsley to add to your salad, You can even use this as a dip for your starters. Or try Mayo with Madras curry powder and minced shallots for the very Indian flavor that we love!

Mayo also works wonders with your grilled and deep fried meats. Next time you are thinking of deep frying, coat fish fillets or skinless, boneless chicken breast halves with an even layer of mayonnaise before coating it with breadcrumbs. This will lock the moisture inside the meat. Then pan fry in oil as usual!

Talking of wonders, try adding cinnamon powder to your duck or pork’s spice rub for an enticing yet subtle sweetness.

Sometimes sweet, sometimes spicy..like you!

And if you did read ‘Like water for Chocolate‘, you’ll know that no hot chocolate is complete without a few pinches of powdered red chilli. Yep, Red chilli in your desserts like fruit salad or bread pudding can add a wonderful complexity to the taste. Another surprising candidate is your low sodium soy sauce you use in your Chinese dishes. Create a sweet-salty dessert by stirring 1 to 2 tablespoons soy sauce into homemade caramel sauce to pour over ice cream, apple pie, or cake. The end result is an amazing play on your senses.

 

Now here’s something that special for making the ladies veryyyy happy on valentine’s!

Love your melons!

Next time, don’t throw away your watermelon rinds, especially if you feeling frisky! Cut the melon rinds into small parts and get the juice out of them with the help of a mixer, or a juicer. What you hold in your hand right now would be some home made, au-naturale viagra! Add some honey and serve it to your honey and watch him get into your mood! (Giggle!)

Well now that we have given away our secret love portion as well, all that remains is for you tell us how well these worked!

 

Ps: do you have a secret ingredient with which you add dazzle to everyday dishes? We would love it if you’d share it with us!

What's your secret Ingredient?

Know Your Lentils!

Being based in India, lentils are quite the staple for us. And not just that, it’s also a great comfort food bringing back fond memories for us where our Mums used to chase us to feed us Daal-Chawal. So once we did move away from the comfort of our homes, we all crave for that yummy Dal, but for the life of us can’t figure out what Daal is even used in the first place. We had one of our team members in the supermarket once calling her mother and asking, “Ma, what Dal do you use to make that Dal at home?” Yeah, true story.

Hence, this is a simple guide for the few kinds of Dals you have and will come across your life, and what you should do with them.

Moong Dal

1. Moong Dal: 

India’s signature vegetarian dish, the Dal Fry, ordered fondly by North Indians while living in South India and the ‘perfect’ vegetarian gravy is made by this beautiful yellow Dal. These are actually mung beans that have been skinned and split, so that they’re flat, yellow, and quick-cooking. They can also be fried and make for unhealthy yet delicious snacks that finish quickly in the house. Yes, this is the dal you use to make that dal at home.

Toor Dal

2. Toor Dal:

This is the dal which most South Indians would you be familiar with, as it is the main ingredient that goes into the much loved Sambhar. Whole toor lentils are yellow with tan jackets, but they’re usually sold skinned and split.  They have a mild, nutty flavor, and they’re often cooked as a side dish or ground into flour.  They’re sometimes sold with an oily coating, which you should rinse off.  They are also known as Pigeon Peas to the rest of the world.

3. Urad Dal: 

Urad Dal

Black Dal/Kali Dal, again very popular in both North and South India, and absolutely delicious when cooked right. These lentil-like beans have black skins covering creamy white interiors.  Whole urad dal derive their strong, earthy flavor from the black skins and are often used in curries.  Split urad dal retain the skins and also have a strong flavor.  You would use this dal to make your favourite Dal Makhani. This dal also goes into making those yummy Idlis and Dosas.

Channa Dal

4. Channa Dal:

Another variation of the Dal curries, the Channa Dal often has a nuttier flavour to it. With their sweet and nutty flavor, these are the most popular dal in India.  They’re made from splitting a small relative of the chickpea in half.  They’re a dull yellow and are renowned for causing flatulence (erm…), which Indians try to counter by adding asafoetida to the dish (yay!).

 

5. Rajma: 

Rajma

Ok, so this is not considered a lentil per se and are known to the world as red kidney beans, but this staple is considered Rajma dal in India. The red bean is not of Indian origin and was brought to the Indian subcontinent from Mexico. They are a good source of cholesterol-lowering fiber, and also slow the rise in blood sugar after a meal, help memory, provide antioxidant effects, give you energy, and provide fat-free high quality protein. See? Tasty is good for your health too!

Before we sign off, we wanted to share the recipe of an awesome Dal Makhani dish that will make you lick your plates clean!

Dal Makhani

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup whole black lentils and a handful of dried red kidney beans, soaked overnight
  

  Zoinkalicious! Dal Makhani

• 1 large onion, finely chopped
• 1 medium-sized tomato, finely chopped
• 2-3 cloves of garlic
• 1 tbsp ginger-garlic paste
• 1 tbsp tomato paste
• 2 tbsp milk
• 1/2 tsp red chili powder
• 1 tbsp butter
• 2 tbsp cooking oil
• Fresh coriander leaves, chopped for garnish
• Water, as needed
• Salt, to taste

Method:

1. Heat oil in a pressure cooker and saute onions till lightly browned. Stir in salt, chilli powder, ginger-garlic paste, and tomato paste and fry for a few seconds.

2. Add in the chopped tomatoes and cook for a few minutes to combine well. Add lentils and beans, and enough water to cover them. Pressure cook for 15-20 minutes till lentils are soft and done. Stir in milk and let it come to a boil.

3. In a separate pan, make a tempering by heating butter and whole garlic cloves slit in the middle. Stir the tempering into the lentils and garnish with fresh coriander leaves.

4. Serve warm with soft, fluffy Naans.

 

5 Salads You’d Hate to Love! :)

“Me? Salad? No way!” – Yeah, we hear the same voice in our heads more than often too. But there are some salads that have somehow, appealed to our palates in more than one way. The crunchy textures, the tangy taste, the fatty dressings on the vegetables and crispy bacon in the salads – make us hate to love these salads. We’re sure you’d agree too

1. Cobb Salad 

This is a “composed” salad, meaning the ingredients are arranged on the salad as opposed to all being tossed together. Originally it was a way for the restaurant to simply use up leftovers, but it soon became the Brown Derby‘s most popular dish. 

Ingredients:

• 3 hard-boiled eggs, peeled, chopped
• 8 slices bacon
• 1 head romaine lettuce, torn into bite-size pieces
• 4 cups diced cooked chicken
• 2 avocados, peeled and diced
• 2 tomatoes, chopped
• 4 ounces Roquefort cheese, crumbled
• 1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
• 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
• 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1 clove garlic, crushed
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
• 1/3 cup olive oil

Method:

1. Fry the bacon until crisp, drain on paper towels, and when cool enough to handle, crumble and set aside.
2. Arrange a bed of lettuce on the serving plates. Arrange the eggs, bacon, chicken, avocados, tomatoes, and Roquefort cheese in straight rows on top of the lettuce, covering the surface completely.
3. In a bowl, whisk together the mustard, vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, garlic, salt, and pepper. Slowly drizzle in the olive oil whisking constantly to form the dressing. Drizzle the dressing evenly over the salad, and serve immediately.

2. Thai Beef Salad 

This gourmet version of Thai beef salad is full of the authentic flavours of Asia. It has the succulence of the beef, the crunchiness of the peanuts, the heat from the chillies and the sweet tang from the sugar. Not to be missed!

Ingredients:

• 1 bunch coriander 3cm piece ginger, finely grated
• 2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
• 4 long red chillies, seeded, thinly sliced on the diagonal
• 2 lemons, zested, juiced
• 2 tbs fish sauce
• 55g (1/4 cup firmly packed) brown sugar
• 700g beef sirloin, cut into 1cm x 4cm strips
• 80ml (1/3 cup) vegetable oil quick
• 1 red onion, halved, thinly sliced
• 1 Lebanese cucumber, halved, seeded, thinly sliced
• 1 cup mint leaves
• Chopped roasted peanuts and cooked rice stick noodles (optional), to serve

Method:

1. To make nam jim, trim roots from coriander and rinse well. Pick leaves and reserve. Process coriander roots, ginger, garlic, half the chillies, lemon zest and juice, fish sauce and brown sugar in a food processor until well combined and finely chopped.
2. Combine half the nam jim with beef in a large bowl, cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes to marinate.
3. Heat 2 tbs oil in a large wok over high heat. Add half the beef mixture and stir-fry for 3 minutes or until beef is browned and just cooked through. Remove from wok and repeat with the remaining 2 tbs oil and beef mixture.
4. Place onion, cucumber, reserved coriander leaves, mint, remaining chillies, beef mixture and remaining nam jim in a large bowl and toss to combine. Season with salt and pepper, scatter with peanuts and serve with rice stick noodles, if using.

Note:

• Nam jim is a chilli-based Thai dressing with a balance of spicy, salty, sweet and sour flavours. Allow 30 minutes

Tip: Allow 50g dried rice stick noodles per person. To cook the noodles, place in a heatproof bowl, cover with hot water and stand for 10 minutes. Drain, then toss with 1 tbs sesame oil.

3. Potato and Asparagus Salad 

Potatoes are always a crowd favourite, no matter where you go. This salad has our favourite vegetable tossed in with creamy mayonnaise and herbs that are a delightful play on your tastebuds. With the goodness of asparagus, and spikes of herbs, this salad is an easy way for you to impress your friends too!

Ingredients:

• 1kg potatoes, peeled, halved
• 2 bunches asparagus, woody ends trimmed
• 1/2 cup (150g) whole egg mayonnaise
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• 2 green onions, finely chopped
• salt and cracked black pepper
• 1/3 cup roughly chopped flat-leaf parsley

Method:

1. Cover the potatoes with cold water and boil for 15 minutes over high heat or until just tender when tested with a skewer. Set aside to cool slightly.
2. Meanwhile, blanch the asparagus spears in boiling water then plunge into iced water. Drain and set aside.
3. To make the dressing, combine the mayonnaise, lemon juice, green onions and salt and pepper in a small bowl.
4. To serve, arrange the potato and asparagus on a serving platter and sprinkle with parsley. Serve with the mayonnaise dressing. Serves 6.

4. Cha-cha Chicken Salad

This chicken salad is so full of surprises and tang that it really is a Cha-Cha Chicken salad. You’ll love this salad if you love the delicious sweet-savoury combination in salads. The flavour of the cooked chicken in enhanced with the sweetness of the pineapple and cranberries. While the cranberries won’t be available in local markets, you can pick them up from the gourmet supermarkets like Nature’s Basket, Gourmet, Sorbet and sometimes Namdhari’s Fresh.

Ingredients:

• 1 (8-oz.) package cream cheese, softened
• 1 cup mayonnaise
• 2 teaspoons curry powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 6 cups chopped cooked chicken
• 1 (8-oz.) can crushed pineapple
• 2/3 cup orange-flavored sweetened dried cranberries
• 1 cup chopped roasted, salted almonds
• Garnishes: fresh herbs, blackberries, raspberries, sliced peaches

Method:

1. Whisk together cream cheese and mayonnaise, curry powder and salt in a large bowl; stir in chicken, pineapple, and cranberries just until blended.

2. If desired, spoon mixture into a plastic wrap-lined 8-inch round cake pan; cover and chill at least 8 hours or up to 24 hours. Invert chicken salad onto a cake stand, and remove plastic wrap. Gently press chopped almonds onto sides of chicken salad. Garnish with berries.

5. Grilled Peach and Mozzarella Salad

A cumin-lime vinaigrette spiked with a tiny amount of tequila adds a little something extra to this gorgeous grilled salad of peaches and fresh mozzarella cheese. As the seasons change, consider substituting heirloom tomatoes, plums, and other soft fruits for the peaches (traditional peaches work better in this dish than white peaches, which have more sugar and water and don’t hold up as well on the grill).

Ingredients:

• 5 peaches (not white)
• 3 green onions, sliced
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
• 3 tablespoons honey
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon lime zest
• 1/2 cup fresh lime juice
• 3/4 teaspoon ground cumin
• 3/4 teaspoon chili powder
• 1 1/2 tablespoons tequila (optional)
• 1/3 cup olive oil
• 1 (6-oz.) package watercress or baby arugula, thoroughly washed (or any other salad leaves)
• 3/4 pound fresh mozzarella, cut into 16 (1/4-inch) slices
• Garnish: fresh cilantro sprigs

Method:

1. Peel and chop 1 peach. Cut remaining 4 peaches into 28 (1/4-inch-thick) rounds, cutting through stem and bottom ends. (Cut peaches inward from sides, cutting each side just until you reach the pit. Discard pits.)

2. Process chopped peach, green onions, cilantro, honey, lime zest, lime juice, cumin, chilli powder, and, if desired, tequila in a food processor 10 to 15 seconds or until smooth. Add oil, and pulse 3 to 4 times or until thoroughly combined.

3. Coat cold cooking grate of grill with some oil, and place on grill. Preheat grill to 350° to 400° (medium-high). Brush both sides of peach rounds with 1/3 cup peach dressing.

4. Grill peach rounds, covered with grill lid, over 350° to 400° (medium-high) heat 3 to 5 minutes on each side or until grill marks appear.

5. Arrange watercress evenly on 4 plates. Alternately layer 4 grilled peach rounds and 4 cheese slices over watercress on each plate. Top each with 3 more peach rounds. Drizzle with remaining peach dressing. Garnish, if desired.

And, those are top 5 Zoink! salads you’d hate to love. We’re sure you have many more on your list. Do share them with us, and leave your comments below!

Recipes Courtesy:

http://www.myrecipes.com

http://www.taste.com

http://www.americanfood.com

Donna Hay here to stay! :)

We love food, and everything to do with food. Which also means we love watching our food and cookery shows (you can find our post on food shows here). Having seen pretty much all the reruns of Nigella Lawson’s specials and Jamie Oliver’s oomph, we just found our new favourite food show on TLC – Donna Hay – Fast, Fresh and Simple. Her show lives up to the title – the beautiful Australian chef does indeed make food that is fast, fresh and simple.

Donna Hay

Donna’s first television series reveals what makes her recipes, books and magazine so well-loved and admired. The show showcases the natural charm and passion Donna brings to the world of cooking. A relaxed and composed cook, Donna shares her tricks and tips of combining fresh and pantry ingredients to create fast and simple dishes, presented in her signature style.

What we love about the show is that Donna uses simple, and easily available ingredients while cooking, and tends to use incredibly easy cooking techniques too (we hate those shows that ask us to ‘fold’ and cut ‘juliennes’ perfectly). And she doesn’t just wow us with the easy to cook food, she presents it beautifully and the food is really delicious too (we’ve tried it).

Many say that Donna Hay is the new Nigella Lawson; mainly so Nigella’s show finally came to an end a year back, and TLC decided to stop airing the reruns. Hence the new and ‘fresh’ show from Donna Hay. #DonnaHay also became one of the most trending topics on Twitter, once the show began to be aired on TLC.

Before we finish, we’d like to share this wonderful Cheat’s Chocolate Fondant recipe of Donna Hay. We tried it at home, and we were actually able to make it this beautiful!

Cheat’s Chocolate Fondant: (Serves 4*)

The uber dee-lishious Chocolate Fondant!

Ingredients:

50g plain flour, sifted
55g icing sugar, sifted
90g ground almonds
2 egg whites
100g butter, melted
160g dark chocolate, melted
4 small squares dark chocolate

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 150°C (300°F).
2. Place the flour, sugar, almond meal, eggwhites, butter and melted chocolate in a bowl and mix well to combine.
3. Spoon half the mixture into 4 x ½-cup capacity (125ml) lightly greased dariole moulds. Divide the extra chocolate squares between the moulds and top with the remaining mixture.
4. Bake for 20–25 minutes or until cooked but soft in the middle. Stand in tins for 5–7 minutes before turning out.

That truly is a delicious recipe. We hope you enjoy it! Are there any Donna Hay (or any other cool Chef) recipes that you’ve tried and liked? Do share them with us!

*That’s if 4 people eat one fondant each – 4 fondants in total. So if you have a guest like someone who works at Zoink!, be rest assured that it would ‘serve’ only one

Bite Sized Joys- Cupcakes!

We been reading ‘Like water for chocolate’ ( More on that later!) and consequently Chocolate is at the top of our minds. Chocolate and cooking. So all the more reason why we should be doing some ourselves! And cupcakes ( or fairy cakes, as they are called in Britain.. isn’t that the cutest and most apt description!?) seem just right for the moment.

So here are out some of our favorite fairy cake recipes:

Nigella’s Easy Peasy Cupcakes

Easy Peasy Bite-sized joys!

We love Nigella anything, but when she makes things easy peasy for us we just roll over like a happy dog with it’s tummy rubbed!

• 125g butter, softened
• 125g sugar
• 125g plain flour
• 1/2 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 2 eggs
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 2-3 tablespoons of milk

Preheat oven to 200C, or 180C if using fan-forced.

Place all the ingredients except the milk into a food processor. Blitz in short bursts until the mixture is well combined and smooth.

Whilst pulsing the mixture, gradually pour in the two tablespoons of milk through the food processor funnel. Blitz until the milk has been incoporated. The mixture should look smooth. Add another tablespoon of milk if necessary.

Divide the mixture across a patty-lined 12-muffin tin. A generous tablespoon should be sufficient, as the mixture should triple in size when baked.

Bake for 15-20min or until well-risen and the tops are a pale gold in colour. Ice when cool.

Variations: 
Lemon cupcakes: Add two teaspoons of finely grated lemon rind.
Chocolate cupcakes: Add two tablespoons of cocoa.

All good things come in cup sizes! ( Giggle!)

Brownie Cupcakes

• 90g unsalted butter
• 130g caster sugar
• 90g dark chocolate
• 50g choc chips, any type of chocolate
• 40g plain flour
• 20g cocoa powder
• 2 medium eggs
• 1 teaspoon baking powder

Melt butter and dark chocolate in bain-marie and leave to cool once melted.

Sieve flour, baking powder and cocoa powder into mixing bowl.

Add chocolate chips,  eggs and sugar.

Add the butter and chocolate mixture.  Beat this chocolate mixture with a wooden spoon til combined.

Pour the mixture into a paper cupcake cases in a cupcake tin. Bake for 15 mins on 180 degrees or until done.They will sink slightly but dont worry. It’s all part of the plan!

 

Now for the icing! What cupcake is perfect with out the absolute indulgence of the soft creamy topping!

Buttercream icing: Beat 125g softened unsalted butter with 250g pure icing sugar using an electric mixer. Beat in 1 teaspoon vanilla essence and 2 teaspoons of milk. Beat until smooth (a wooden spoon can be easier at this point), adding either more milk or icing sugar if necessary. Use a piping bag to decorate swirls onto cooled cupcakes.

Chocolate icing: Melt 90g of dark chocolate (broken in pieces) and 30g butter in a bowl sitting over a pot of gently simmering water. Stir until melted, then add 1 cup icing sugar and about 2 tablespoons of hot water. Mix well and add either more hot water or icing sugar until you reach your desired consistency. Using a spatula to slather generously over cooled cupcakes.

 

Well, now you are all set to make yourself very very happy! Share the joy.. Share the post!