Oye Brinner with Sweet Potato Hash and Nestled Eggs!

Brinner- I love this concept! Pancakes and maple syrup is awesome at any time of the day and so is my recipe for fried egg and chunky hash. And throw in a fresh loaf of homemade bread, and it’s a meal made in heaven. Pair it with a glass of white chilled wine; and that would be a brinner to not forget.

Let me give you some reasons as to why I love brinner so much. Now, in the morning to get up and make hash is really painful. It takes a lot of time to prepare. So that’s never an easy fix when you want express breakfast, as you actually have been fasting for that long. For a brunch though it seems ideal. Plus a glass of wine that goes so well with this dish; is not an ideal breakfast drink. And a fresh loaf of bread is so difficult in the mornings. Can we even imagine baking fresh bread that early, for domestic eating! It’s an out of the world thought. So, the classic breakfast to be had on dinner time is such a wonderful idea to me.

Ingredients:

2-3 big sweet potatoes cut in small chunks

2 potatoes cut in small chunks

Dried thyme

Dried oregano

Salt

Pepper

Oil/butter

Red pepper flakes

Fresh Garlic crushed

1 big Onion chopped

4 eggs

To serve along with fresh loaf of bread and some tomato based marinara sauce or any other gravy.

Method:

In a skillet, heat some oil/butter with crushed garlic and pepper flakes. Till it reaches the desired temperature, get the 2 potatoes in a microwave-safe bowl, add some salt and a 1 inch of water; and microwave on high for 2 minutes. Give it a stir and microwave for a minute again.

After the garlic is lightly browned, add the onions and fry till golden.

Add dried herbs and fry for a few seconds. An important tip, always crush the dried herbs between your palms before adding it to your dish. This releases the flavour and helps the herbs break down!

Now tip in the cooked soft potatoes and on a high flame, get a bit of colour on them. Let them sit prettily on the hot skillet for at least 2 minutes before turning them. That way you will get that beautiful crisp and caramelised side.

Once the potatoes are cooked to your liking, it should be soft and easily crushed between fingers; make a bit of space in the skillet and crack open 4 eggs. Salt and pepper the eggs and put on a tight lid to finish cooking the eggs in steam.

It shouldn’t take more than 4 minutes for the whites to set, while yolk remains runny. Keep the flame of your stove at medium low and cook it on a steady heat.

Enjoy with a fresh loaf of bread and some tomato based curry/sauce! Cheers!!

Paper Boat- A review in the Nostalgic lanes of Childhood Favorites!!

‘Paper Boat’- what an awesome name...  and the young vibe behind the company is very visible! They are striving to get some nostalgic memories out, but for me, it made some new memories, that were sweet, sour and spicy!

So a mailman came with an orange pack of 8 paper boat drinks at my doorstep, for me to taste and review. Not a paid review, but something that I call a freebie review. So here tumbles down my take on these drinks, from the bottom of my heart...

Jamun Kala khatta- one of the loved, classic flavours of gola! For people who are new to India, gola is a blob of snow, which is flavoured and coloured fresh to make us swoon and suck on a stick! (uhhh.. this is a food blog, and I am serious about it.. no wayward thinking allowed!!) A kind of desi sorbet on a stick; available in every nook and corner of India. So... this flavour is very close to my heart. And paper-boat has exploited this nostalgic memory of mine well. I loved this flavour. It was just the right amount of sweet, spicy and fruity. Beautiful, and definitely my favourite flavour of it all!

Not a fan of jal-jeera, (a spicy cooler made with cumin) and; this one didn’t make me fall in love with it as well. A bit too spicy, it definitely needs a tone down in the spicy levels. The burning sensation that it left me in my throat, umm.. wasn’t pleasant at all.

Aam Panna- Loved it! Perfectly refreshing, spicy and sour at the same time! But Aamras- well, quite sweet and pulpy, but not too sure if I want to shell out 30 bucks to buy a pulpy Frooti.

Over all, the products were very appealing. The packaging was one of my favourite features of this drink. It was perfect to sip and play. Really innovative, I had never seen something like this. The natural ingredients in the drinks really shone through. But I am not too sure about this that I read on the label- ‘nature-identical flavouring substances’. It mischievously sounds a bit like chemicals disguised naturally, but again chemicals are derived naturally too! Can u imagine onions without H2So4??

I do hope they look at their price a bit. 30 INR for 250 ml of a nostalgic drink, seemed a bit too steep. I do know, the nostalgia of paying 50 paisa for a kala khatta gola would not be possible anymore, thanks to the rapidly rising inflation. But if something could be done; the A team should look at it soon!

Cheers!!

Weekend was fun!! :)

Weekend was fun!! :)

Saturday we met with the uber energetic team behind Jiwa Healthy Ataa. Everything in that little experience centre of theirs was pretty to look at! Starting from the vertical garden, to their really innovative idea to open up a Roti Bar, it was an experience yes! A third generation of wheat millers, bound to get to these amazing heights! More on the review of the lunch we had, and a recipe using their flours coming up soon!

The whole of weekend, I had been sipping on these pretty little sippy packet of very refreshing Indian drinks. One of the best flavours of Paper-Boat Drinks according to me- Jamun Kala Khatta! Lovely and refreshing!!! Cant wait to write down the full review on these products!

And yesterday, well the colours and the heavy thandai! It was truly a magical little Holi! Cheers!!

Nutella Mugsy!!!

The new fad of 1 minute mug cakes has hit us since long! But I delayed this post as much as I could. It’s not really my kind of thing to make mug cake for myself and eat. It’s so highly addictive!! And there is nothing stopping you from making these if you have the required ingredients at hand. But now with Ansh, work and full time cooking, my outlook to see these amazing marvels of science changed. If someone came to meet Ansh, I know I can whip up a dessert for them to have in a minute. And the texture of this little mug delicacy was very close to a cake pudding that I absolutely love!

While making this cake, I didn’t really care so much for the amounts of the ingredients used. It’s entirely up to you! If you want it fudgy, add more nutella. If you want it cakey, add a bit of flour. If you want it pudding-y, then follow the recipe I am giving out here. I love my mug cake to be more like a pudding. The smooth texture keeps it very nice and enjoyably edible even after it cools down, unlike other microwave cakes. 

Ingredients:

3 spoonfuls of Nutella

1 spoonful milk

1 egg

A big pinch of coffee

Method:

Combine the nutella and milk in a microwavable ceramic cup, and microwave the 2 on high for 15 secs.

Once the nutella melts, whisk the milk and nutella vigorously to cool it down, while fluffing the mix up.

Then add the egg, again stir it off nicely to make a nice chocolaty mix. Add the coffee and mix well.

Now microwave on high (900 watt) for a minute and 10 seconds! The cake would rise up madly and then flop down after cooling, quite like a soufle. It will remain gooey and chocolaty inside, while the top of the cake sets well. It’s almost like a wonderful mix of molten lava cake and a brownie.

Cheers!


The same post could also be found here. 

Masala Nuts on a Plate!

I am venturing into videos, for the very first time! After making a few of them, I am really excited and am trying different combinations and styles of video making. Bear with me for a few months, till I figure out my style. But it won’t be too long, I promise.

This is one of the first easy videos I made after Web-chef ones. I am embarrassed to even tell you how easy this recipe is. Completely adaptable to what u want or like! I keep doing so many different combinations of masalas, but this is the most classic and the first type I made. It’s another of my non-baked, easy veggie delight, and a staple at my place. Perfect easy snack on the go and a wonderful appetizer served with drinks. Hope you try it and make it into another success, just like our Pinwheel Kachoris!

Ingredients:

1/2 cup of Almonds

1/4 cup of Cashew nuts

1/4 cup Walnuts

1/8 cup dry Pumpkin Seeds

1/2 cup dried Cranberries

1/2 tsp Red Chilly Powder

1/2 tsp of Cinnamon Powder

1 tsp Cumin Powder

1.5 tsp Coriander Powder

Fine Table Salt to taste

Rock salt to taste

Dry Mango Powder to taste