Cooking Is Easy

Eggless chocolate tart; yes this tart is eggless... It is my never-fail-tart way back from the 90s. I have lost count of the number of times I have made it. The crust is oh-so-melt-in-the-mouth-kinda-one, you have a bite and it's lost and then you feel like whoa, what was the taste....I need to have a bite again....and again.... The crust is so flaky, so melt in kind that, you just can stop at one piece......and the chocolate filling has lots of chopped cashewnuts.....cashewnuts and chocolate= HEAVEN. I have also shown how to make this   melty , crunchy , soft,  flaky crust in the food processor....the crust can be baked ahead  for later use. No excuse, you have to make it.....since I am making this easy for you.... Notes: Since I used salted butter I did not use extra salt for the crust or chocolate filling. Ingredients: Flour: 3/4 cup. Cornflour: 1/4 cup. Salted Butter: 1 stick, cold. Baking Powder: 1/2 tsp. Powdered Sugar: 1 tsp. Vanilla essence: 1

Homemade breadcrumbs are ridiculously easy and the best way to save money since commercial breadcrumbs are expensive, loaded with preservatives, and maybe unhealthy. Any type of bread can be used to make breadcrumbs; like wheat bread, white bread etc, it is best to use 2 day old bread than fresh ones and if you intend to use fresh ones then, I would suggest you to toast it for a few minutes in the oven to make it dry. I always have a packet of bread in the refrigerator, you wont know when bread becomes the savior. How to make Breadcrumbs: Bread: 3 or 4 slices, preferably 2 day old bread. Simply crumble it and put it in your dry grinder or food processor (I used my dry grinder).   And pulse for a minute or two. That's it fresh homemade instant breadcrumbs are ready. You can use any type of bread. If you like to season your crumbs just add your favorite seasonings and pulse again. So easy and healthy breadcrumbs. No toasting needed, so simple and quick.

Everyday peas curry or nadan peas curry is something which I cook atleast once a week to have with puttu , roti ,  or idiyappam etc. Dried peas is soaked overnight and cooked with spices....nothing fancy, just an everyday curry popular in most Indian homes....a simple curry...so very homely....and comforting.

Today, I am sharing the famous Hyderabad shrimp/prawns biriyani. I love biriyani so much that I am always developing them to perfection. Last Christmas we went to Hyderabad and I was lucky to get some real Hyderabadi recipes, this shrimp biriyani is from a friend who is also a great cook; he also shared the famous Hyderabadi chicken biriyani ; ofcourse that is another post. Talking of Hyd biriyani; "shah jeera" is the special ingredient which gives out an authentic nawabi touch to Hyderabadi biriyani. "Shah jeera", is added in the water for cooking the rice along with the other spices. I have always believed and used jeera and saunf in biriyanis, but this awesome cook introduced me to this new spice and the flavors are just mind blowing. Lets start cooking this awesome nawabi special......right from the land of nawabs, Hyderabad.

10 minutes chocolate fudge or should I call it my favorite homemade chocolates.....I have been making this way back from the early 90s. This chocolate fudge holds a special place in my heart because the success of this, over and again, gave me the confidence to venture into the world of cooking.  I have lost count of the number of times I have made this fudge, which my kids call it as homemade chocolates. Initially when I started blogging, I had posted this  because this fudge is so special to me.  I have tried all sorts of variations with this fudge; like rolling into small balls, covering it with colored foil papers, mixing it with rum soaked raisins (rum and raisin chocolates), mixed with chopped cashewnuts, topped with sprinkles......so many variations; which you can also try. The best part is there is no expensive chocolates to be melted, just every day stuff which you can find in your pantry and so easy. Kids will love this super-quick, super-healthy fudge and be

Salad wraps are lifesavers for me, stuffed with lots of vegetables....wrapped in whole wheat roti/flat bread ....I call it a distant cousin of Shawarma roll.