Cake House

Muttabal.. is a Middle eastern Dip made with eggplant. The eggplant is cooked on fire to give it a smoky flavor and it is then blended with other ingredients and spices to make Muttabal. Enjoy this delicious dip with Pita bread, crackers or as a sandwich spread. Here is how to make Muttabal All you need is Eggplant - 1 Onion - 1\4 cup ( finely chopped ) Tomato - 1\4 cup ( finely chopped ) Tahini - 2 tbsp Lemon juice - 2 tbsp Garlic - 6-8 Hung curd - 2 tbsp Salt to taste Olive oil - 2 tbsp Chili flakes - 1 tsp Fresh coriander - 1 tsp ( chopped ) Recipe of Muttabal Wash the eggplant and pat dry. Make a few incisions on the eggplant and roast directly on a gas stove or in an oven till the skin turns black and the flesh is softened. Remove the blackened skin of the eggplant. Add the flesh and remaining ingredients in a blender and just blend once or twice to make a coarse dip. Serve with pita or any other crackers.

Hummus is a Middle Eastern dip made with chickpeas as the main ingredient.  I was introduced to this delicious dip a few years back by one of my husband's aunt who had spent many years in middle east. I instantly fell in love with this versatile dip. Serve it with crackers or slather it over your bread slice to make sandwiches, it tastes lovely in all it's avatars. Although the ingredients are very basic to make Hummus, a few tips and tricks takes it to another level. After making it innumerable times, I have come up with a recipe which tastes delicious each time. Here is the recipe to make the best Hummus. All you need is Chickpea - 1 cup Garlic cloves - 12-14 Tahini - 4 tbsp ( mix 4 tbsp sesame seeds with 2 tbsp olive oil and little water and blend in a blender to make a smooth paste ) Extra virgin olive oil - 8 tbsp Lemon juice - 5 tbsp Salt to taste Roasted cumin powder - 1\2 tsp Chili flakes - 1 tsp Warm water from boiled chickpeas - 3-4 tbsp Method of preparation Wash and...

Laccha paratha...These flaky, multi layered flat bread is one of my favorite Indian bread to go along with the rich and creamy curries that are served in the restaurants or are made for special occasions at home. Although these parathas are easily available these days at the local superstores, making them at home just makes sure we are using good quality ingredients and no preservatives. I tried making them at home a few days back and the result was very encouraging. Although these uses a lot of oil and refined flour, but then you don't have these everyday. So here is how to make laccha Paratha at home. All you need is All purpose flour \ Maida - 3 cups Sugar - 1 tbsp Salt - 1 tsp Oil - 1 tbsp and more for applying and frying Laccha Paratha Recipe Mix flour, sugar, salt and 1 tbsp oil in a bowl. Make a soft dough using water. Knead the dough for 5-6 minutes until it becomes soft. Cover and keep the dough for 20 minutes. Knead gain for 3-4 minutes. Cover and keep for another 20 minu...

There are a few things which are always there in my refrigerator, handy to be used when there are sudden hunger pangs and the kiddo wants something delicious too. This Pizza sauce is one of those things. Just a good slather on either a whole wheat pizza base or on a whole wheat bread slice, topped with a generous dose of Mozzarella, a pop in the oven for a few minutes and a delicious snack is ready in no time. While coming up to this recipe, I have tried a lot of combinations and proportions in the past and finally have settled down on this one. Here is how to make a delicious Pizza sauce at home from scratch. All you need is Olive oil - 2 tbsp Unsalted butter - 1 tbsp Garlic - 2 tbsp ( chopped ) Dried oregano - 1 tsp Fresh tomato - 1 kg ( cut into small pieces ) Tomato puree - 1\4 cup Salt to taste Black pepper powder - 1\2 tsp Fresh basil leaves - a handful ( roughly torn ) Method of preparation Heat olive oil and butter in a pan. Add garlic and fry for a few seconds. Add dried orega...

Mexican food is not complete without variety of Salsas. Tomato salsa is the most common one and there are many ways to make this simple yet flavorful dish. I too have tried different versions in the past, but have settled for this recipe now. Blending the ingredient coarsely in a food processor make all the difference. You can also use your hand blender if you don't have a food processor. Here is the recipe. All you need is Tomato - 1 cup ( chopped ) Onion - 1\2 cup ( chopped ) Coriander - 2 tbsp ( chopped ) Garlic - 2 cloves ( chopped ) Jalapeno peppers - 1 ( chopped ) Olive oil - 1 tsp Salt to taste Black pepper - 1\4 tsp Lemon juice - 2 tbsp Method of preparation Mix tomato, onion, coriander, garlic and jalapeno peppers in the bowl of your food processor. Use the chopping blade and blend till the mixture is coarsely chopped. Add olive oil, salt, black pepper and lemon juice. Mix well. Chill for an hour before serving.

Sour cream is made by fermenting regular cream with some bacteria. Due to the bacterial culture, the cream becomes thick and sour. I always missed Sour cream when ever I made Mexican dishes and this is what prompted to make my own at home. It's very easy to make at home and with just 3 ingredients, you can get amazing sour cream at home. Here is the simple recipe. All you need is Heavy cream - 1 cup ( room temperature ) Full cream milk - 1\4 cup lemon juice - 1 tsp Method of preparation Transfer the heavy cream in a clean glass jar. Add lemon juice in milk and keep aside for 5 minutes. Add the mixture in the jar with the cream Mix well. Cover the jar and keep aside for 24 hours at room temperature. Refrigerate the jar for 6-8 hours. Your sour cream is ready to be used. It can be refrigerated for up to 3-4 days.

Cream fraiche is a soured cream which has a slight tang,  nutty flavor and a rich and velvety texture. It's used in making variety of dishes like soups, pasta sauces and desserts. Although it's available in some gourmet food stores, but is very expensive. It's very very easy to make at home with just two ingredients and the result is awesome. Here is the simple recipe. All you need is Fresh cream - 500 ml Cultured buttermilk or cultured yogurt - 3 tsp Method of preparation Heat the fresh cream on medium heat till lukewarm. Stir in the buttermilk or yogurt. Transfer the mixture in a glass jar. Cover the jar with a kitchen towel and secure the towel with a rubber band. Keep the jar undisturbed in a warm place for 12-15 hours. Your home made cream fraiche is ready. Remove the kitchen towel and put the lid on the jar. Store the jar in refrigerator for up to a week.

The weather has become cold and I love to snuggle inside a blanket sipping on a hot bowl of soup. It's the time when I keep experimenting with different flavors of soup and try to incorporate fresh and healthy ingredients in them. This peas and corn soup is creamy, filling and very healthy. Serve it with a loaf of bread and your dinner is taken care of. Here is the recipe. All you need is Butter - 1 tbsp Onion - 2 tbsp ( chopped ) Garlic - 5-6 cloves ( chopped ) Bay leaves - 2 Black peppercorns - 10-12 Peas - 2 cup Corn - 1 cup Olive oil - 1 tsp Salt to taste Black pepper powder - 1\2 tsp Fresh cream - 2 tbsp Bread croutons, fresh coriander and cream for garnishing. Method of preparation Heat butter in a pan. Add onion, garlic, bay leaf and black peppercorns. Cook for 2 minutes. Add peas, corn and a cup of water. Cover and cook till pea and corn are softened. ( Approx 5-6 minutes ) Remove from heat and cool. Discard the bay leaf. Blend in a blender to make a smooth paste. Add olive...

Achar or pickle has been an Indian tradition and most households have a family recipe for different varieties of pickles. The blend of different spices that is used to pickle is called the achari masala. Apart from using this masala in the pickle, we can use it to enhance the flavor of curries, pulses and make a variety of starters. It gives a typical Achari taste to the dish. Here is the simple recipe to make this masala. All you need is Dry red chilies- 16-18 Coriander seeds - 1 tbsp Onion seeds \ kalonji - 3 tsp Fennel seeds \ saunf - 6 tbsp Mustard seeds \ rai - 6 tbsp Fenugreek \ methi seeds - 2 tsp Cumin seeds - 6 tsp Salt - 6 tbsp Turmeric powder - 3 tbsp Asafoetida \ heeng - 1\2 tsp Dry mango powder\  amchoor - 3 tsp Method of preparation Dry roast dry red chilies, coriander seeds, onion seeds, fennel seeds, mustard seeds and cumin till slightly browned and fragrant. Cool for 5 minutes. Blend in a blender with rest of the ingredients to make a coarse powder. Store in an air...

Rasmalai is an Indian sweet made with Milk. The milk is curdled and the cheese is collected and drained of any whey. It is then made into small balls and cooked. These balls are then soaked in reduced milk flavored with cardamom and saffron. You will definitely fall in love with this sweet in first bite. It is also very easy to make at home and the result is wonderful. Do give it a try. Here is the recipe. All you need is Full cream milk - 3 lt ( preferably cow's milk ) Lemon juice - 3 tsp Arrowroot powder - 4 tsp Baking soda - a pinch Sugar - 1 and 1\2 cups and 1\4 cup Water - 4 cups Cardamom - 2-3  ( crushed ) Cashew nut - 2 tbsp Cardamom powder - 1 tsp Saffron - a good pinch Rose water - 1\2 tsp Yellow food color - a small pinch Dry fruits slivers for garnishing Method of preparation Heat 2 lt milk in a pan. Switch off the heat when it comes to a boil. Add lemon juice. The milk will curdle immediately. Let it rest for 5 minutes. Drain the curdled milk in a cheese cloth. Wash the...