Egg-less Doughnuts

Well after a long time was in the mood of eating some thing yummy...and thought what better than an amazing soft, warm doughnut. So as soon as the idea came to me, the very next minute i was online checking out for some easy recipes. At last came across a few egg-less doughnut recipes, but as usual, needed a little tweaking to get the recipe right.
Since the recipe calls for yeast in the ingredients, we just have to be very patient and accommodating, as this is a 'live' ingredient, and we have to treat the dough very gently, as we treat a living creature. Only then you will get a soft and spongy doughnut.
Here is the recipe, but just keep in mind, you need a warm atmosphere for the dough to rise properly. Hence making doughnut batter during the afternoon would be a good idea.

Ingredients:

Maida               1 cup
Sugar               3 Tbsp
Yeast               2 Tsp [one and half tsp of yeast might be enough. If not the yeast smell gets too strong]
Soft Butter       1 Tbsp
Lukewarm milk       1/2 Cup
Salt                1/2 tsp
Vanilla Essence     1/2 tsp
Water               As required
Powdered Sugar for coating
Chocolate for glazing


Method:

1. Take the flour, sugar and salt in a bowl.
2. Take the yeast in  a glass and mix it in the milk adding a  teaspoon of sugar to it and keep it aside for 10min.
3. Add the risen yeast and vanilla essence to the flour mixture and knead it gently till you get a smooth and very soft dough. Now add the softened butter and knead gently for 3 more min. Now keep it aside for rising for 30min to 1 hr, by covering with a kitchen towel or plastic.
4. Once the dough has risen to double its quantity,knead it lightly again to take out the air. The dough would be little sticky at this stage, so keep extra flour handy as you may need to add some while kneading.
5. Now dust the rolling pin and the rolling surface with flour and roll out the dough till 1 cm thickness.
6. Since i did not have a doughnut cutter, i used a wide round glass for cutting the outer circle and used the lid of a bottle for cutting the inner circle.
7. Keep the cut out doughnuts on a flour dusted plate for rising for another 30min.
8. The remaining cut up pieces of dough can be kneaded lightly and again rolled out for making more doughnuts.
9. These doughnuts need to be covered with plastic or a moist kitchen towel for rising.  But make sure the towel is not in touch with the dough.
10. Once the doughnuts again rise to double its size, it is ready for deep frying.
11. The oil has to be heated in a deep bottomed pan. But once the oil is heated the flame should be reduced, if not the doughnuts may brown on the outside but remain uncooked inside.
12. Test the oil by dropping in bits of dough. If the dough floats immediately after immersing, it means the heat is right.
13. Now gently immerse the doughnuts into the oil one after the other. If the dough has risen enough, they would float immediately in the oil. This acts as an indicator.
14. Fry the doughnuts on a medium flame till it is golden brown by constantly flipping them over.
15. Once the doughnuts are fried, keep them on tissues for getting out the excess oil.
16. These doughnuts now can be rolled on powdered sugar and kept aside for cooling.
17. For chocolate glazed  doughnuts, melt some chocolate in a double boiler or in a microwave on 40 power for 3min, or till melted. Spread this melted chocolate on the cooled doughnut using a spoon. Keep aside for the chocolate to set.
18. For sugar glazed doughnut, take 2 tbsp sugar and dissolve it in 1 tbsp water. Dip the cooled doughnuts in this sugar glaze and keep aside till the glaze sets.
19. Eat them while warm and ENJOY! For doughnuts that are stored in the refrigerator, heat them in a microwave on High for 20 sec. Then they will as soft as ever for consumption.

Social Network - The Facebook Story Revealed.

After a real long time i got to watch a movie on the big screen. Oh..how i missed going to a theater. And even though my condition( recently operated on legs for broken bones) doesn't make it easy for me to go out much, especially without someone for company, this movie "The Social Network" was so worth it!
This is one of those fast paced movies, with an intelligent script and sharp acting with witty dialogues! The casting for all the major characters was perfect. I mean, there are some dialogues that were truly funny, but not because they were meant so, it was just so incredibly timed with the perfect delivery, that it just makes you either laugh out loud, or applaud at their smartness. And being a girl i should say, the guys chosen for the roles were so incredibly cute, that the girls out there can just go in for the eye candy alone. I am so in love with the character "Eduardo Saverin", especially the guy who portrayed him. Andrew Garfield has those chocolate-boy good looks.  And i should say, i was pretty impressed with the portrayal of  "Sean Parker" by Justin Timberlake. It was really believable.
There are times in the movie when you really love a certain character, and times when you simply hate them.
This movie just makes me realize how vulnerable a person can get when he tends to trust someone wholly. Anyway you'll understand what i am saying once you watch the movie. This is a Must-watch movie; maybe not necessarily a big screen movie;you could just buy the DVD and check it out at home. But mind you, it should be the original DVD. I do not like people being pirates and downloading movies from random sites! I am totally against movie piracy!

Anyway, whether you watch the movie in a hall or at home, just make sure that you do get to watch the movie!

Easy 10min Mayonnaise

When it comes to making a yummy snack within minutes, then a mayo sandwich is the best option. Most of us tend to use the store bought mayonnaise, which i feel doesn't even come close to the yum taste of a homemade mayo.
In fact, a homemade mayo is better than a store bought mayo in many ways. First and foremost it tastes spectacular, which should be proof enough that a homemade mayo is the better option. But I'm sure you will not be satisfied with just that, so another important factor is that it costs a fraction to the price of a store bought mayo. And thirdly, most think that making mayo at home is a time taking process, but the recipe that i found in my new favourite show "Master chef - "Australia", i can make a jar full of Mayo in just about 15min. And most important of all, it doesn't contain any chemical preservatives and is made of all organic ingredients.
I'm so thank full for this recipe as i used to make mayo in the age old style, i.e., pouring in the oil drop by drop to help in emulsifying the oil n egg mixture. Anyway no more need to fret over the age old, time taking process that seems to test the patience of the best of us.Here given below is the easy-peasy quick and yummy Mayonnaise recipe.
All you need is a food processor or a mixer with a blender blade or even a hand blender. I prefer using a food processor.


Ingredients:

1 egg
2 tsp Dijon/Yellow mustard sauce
1 tbs white balsamic/synthetic vinegar or lemon juice
1 cup olive/vegetable oil
1 pinch salt
½ tsp sugar

Preparation:

 For the mayonnaise, process eggs, mustard, vinegar, salt and sugar in a small food processor until creamy.
 Add 1/4 of the oil to the egg mixture and process until slightly thicker.
 Add the remaining oil in batches until the mayonnaise is thick and creamy or until you are satisfied with the consistency.
 It can be stored in a jar in the fridge up to a month.

NOTE:
Some think that only the yolk is necessary for making mayonnaise, but adding the egg as a whole just adds to the volume and taste.
The mustard sauce and vinegar/lime juice are essential to making the mayonnaise as these are the emulsifying agents.
Initially the mixture appears to be too thin, but don't fret and just keep adding the oil as mentioned, and at the end of it, you will be sure to find a creamy thick consistency.

Just keep posted, and i will give  you some real simple sandwich recipes that can be whipped up in a jiffy in my following posts.

For now i will share with you a few recipes for dips that can be made using mayonnaise.

Tartare sauce:

To a small cup of mayo, add a teaspoon of finely chopped up gherkins and spring onions.I prefer adding a little grated cheese too for an extra zing.

This dip is best served with fried fish.

Cocktail sauce:

To a small cup of mayo, add a tablespoon of tomato sauce and 1/2 teaspoon of tobasco sauce.Mix well.

This dip is best used for making prawn cocktails

Dip for Chips:

A quarter teaspoon of pepper and paprika powder mixed with a small cup of mayo,makes for a simple dip that is best served with potato wedges.

Garlic Mayo Dip:

Just a teaspoon of grated garlic and a pinch of salt added to a small cup of mayo makes for a great dip for fried chicken.

So all i can say for now is, keep experimenting with various ingredients to make some amazing dips and be the best party host ever...enjoy!!!!!!!! 

I know my sis n her roommates love me for the jars of mayo i make for her to have at her hostel ! And i am sure they can vouch for the "Yum factor" ;-)

"Seven Pounds" - Will Smith

I have just seen a movie titled "Seven Pounds". I didn't know what the movie was about, other than that it was a Drama, but just the fact that Will Smith was starring in it was enough to make me watch it.
For those of you who do not know this fact, Will Smith used to star in a very popular sitcom called "The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air" which was amazingly funny. And i have to say i wouldn't have ever, even in my wildest dreams would have thought that Will Smith would turn out to become such a fine actor. Yeah, comedy was a given, i knew he would excel in it. But serious and sensitive acting? i wouldn't have pegged him down for it.
But i guess i changed my opinion about him after watching glimpses of his serious side to acting in a few of his comedy movies. Then in movies like "I Am Legend" and "Pursuit of Happyness" , his sensitive portrayal of such intense characters made me his fan, Big time!
And i strongly recommend the movie "Seven pounds" to anyone who likes a bitter-sweet ending kind of movies, or for anyone just in the mood of watching a movie that makes them realise exactly how much good there actually is in the world around you; and how much it changes the lives of people who do unto others or who found themselves on the receiving end of a good deed. So never underestimate the value of a good deed; because the joy it gives others is way more than the joy you think you could have ever experienced. And this movie makes us realize just that!
So without letting you in too much on the story line,let me just give you a vague idea of the premise of the movie.
Will Smith stars as Ben Thomas, an IRS agent with a fateful secret, who embarks on an extraordinary journey of redemption by forever changing the lives of seven strangers. Once his plan is set, nothing will be able to stop him. At least that's what he thinks. So to know what was it the prompted Ben to embark on this extraordinary journey towards transforming the lives of seven strangers forever, you have to watch Seven pounds. And i guarantee you, you will not regret it.
This movie has some stellar performances which just gets to you without being overbearing.
I am not one of those who weeps easily, but this movie truly and most rightfully deserved every tear shed.
And for those of you who is wondering why the movie is titled Seven pounds,  well ask me once you are done watching the movie, then i will let you in on it!!!

Whats on tv?

Well thats what i find myself asking most of the time. I wont say that im a couch potato, but yeah, i do love my share of television shows, which is quite a long list.
Firstly let me clear it out straight away that i am not into any of those saas-bahu sagas, nor the present lot of regressive shows that are all supposedly family-centric, but yet show all the brutalities against women packed into one show. Take your pick, you have men dominating over women, forced marriages, child marriages,  prostitution, adultery, etc. And if the so called creative heads feel that the show isn't going anywhere, they come up with lame twists, like marital rape, or any rape of that cause, or introduction of a new love interest to create a love triangle!!! wow...how original!!! What i cannot understand is how can the whole family feel that a rape is a twist to the tale? Its just disgusting to see that the creative heads resort to such cheap thrills or gimmicks to capture their precious TRPs! In these shows, the whole family feels its their birth right to make the life of the so called protagonist a living hell, and later revel and rejoice at the outcome of their evil-doings. One second a person is out to get them for no conceivable reason, and the next second they are the protagonist's main supporters.
And please don't get me wrong, i do not watch these shows. I just happen to know so much about this spate of crappy regressive serials because i watch it, its only because my parents are avid followers of these mind numbing soaps that go on and on straying off from the original course. I have tried quite unsuccessfully at steering them away from these soaps, but they are hooked and i feel its too late for them! It like these creative heads have gotten some kind of weird training in creating cult followers.
Initially mu mom used to watch just one show called "pavitra rishta", which she claimed that she had no interest in watching, but just found the actress quite pretty and that she was just gonna watch a few episodes and then stop. I cant believe i fell for it! Guess what, i happened to go to Bangalore for 2 weeks with my friends and by the time i was back, my parents started religiously following, not one or two, but four different soaps!!! And now i cant do anything but just groan and get as far away from the TV as i can.
These shows get as far away from reality as possible. The so called characters have no character at all; how can they?? when their characters are bound to change to suit the ever changing plot of the show.
My parents also watch a show called "jhansi ki rani". Initially i was happy that that they are now creating a show based on the life of such a strong woman of history. But guess what, our creative directors out there, rewrite history. At the current state of the "jhansi ki rani" show, i am sure the real Rani Lakshmibai is turning in her grave. because they have reduced her to a screaming, over sensitive queen of drama!
So please, those of you out these, don't get suckered into this quagmire of senseless, mind numbing soaps.
And a quick trivia for you. If u ever wondered why Ekta Kapoor's serials show serial-weddings of their protagonists; well the answer is that, she her self is a fan of Bold and the Beautiful. If any of you have ever seen any of its episodes, you'll immediately know that, that is where she gets the inspiration from. So i guess its not just Anu Mallik or Pritam anymore who plagiarize and call it inspiration. Our queen of soaps too gets inspired from foreign soaps.
And if you actually pay attention, you will realize that these is no story going on at all in these daily Indian soaps. Just count the number of times in a week that there is some sort of a party or function or wedding or outing or festival of some sort or the other going on, eating into clearly 15 - 20min of the total of the oh-so precious 30min of the telecast time.
So here you have it, these shows are so mind numbing that you do not even realize that you are actually watching nothing, and these shows are stealing away your precious time. Come rain or sun, nothing seems to be able to pull these people away from their soaps.
Well keep posted and i will let you know about the actual interesting shows out there in clear view and yet out of sight.

The 5min Gooey Coffee Mug Chocolate Cake

Just as i was about to give up on the idea of ever successfully making a cake in a microwave, i found this recipe online and thought of giving it a shot, as i was in really need for a quick chocolate fix, and felt that this would just do the trick, if comes out as promised.
But as i had a previous bad experience of baking a cake in the microwave by following the given recipe in the microwave cookbook to the T, and it turned out to be a disaster, not once, not twice, but a whole 5 times;  i was on my guard; and hence decided to tweak the recipe and not follow the instructions blindly. So based on what i learnt by trial and error from my previous attempts at cake baking in a microwave, i made the necessary corrections to this recipe and hit the bulls-eye this time.
The cake turned out moist with gooey bits here and there, and spongy and in one word, YUM! So here is the recipe with the slight changes made by me. Give it a try, and if you feel it needs any more tweaking or if it has scope for improvement, feel free to let me know.

Ingredients

•    4 tablespoons flour
•    4 tablespoons sugar
•    2 tablespoons cocoa
•    1 egg
•    3 tablespoons milk
•    3 tablespoons oil
•    3 tablespoons chocolate chips/roughly cut up pieces of semi-sweet chocolate
•    1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
•    1 large coffee mug
•    1/4 teaspoon baking powder

Method

1.    Add dry ingredients in a bowl and mix well.
2.    In a separate bowl mix the wet ingredients well.
3.      Now add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix well without lumps.
4.    Add half the chocolate chips/pieces to the batter.
5.    Now pour the batter into the mug and add the rest of the chocolate pieces on the top and slightly immerse it in the batter.
6.      Now pop the mug in your microwave and cook for exactly 2 minutes at 800 watts (high).(My microwave is of 800 watts and 2min worked perfectly for me. If yours is a 1000 watts oven,keep it in for a minute and half. But watch carefully to not over do it! Now remember that a microwave cooks from the inside out, hence if the exterior of the cake appears moist, be assured that its cooked throughout.)
7.    The cake will rise over the top of the mug, but don't be alarmed! Allow to cool for a min of two, and tip out onto a plate if desired.
8.      It is to be eaten warm. My suggestion is to drizzle it with chocolate syrup and top it up with whipped cream or vanilla ice-cream if you want to be just sinfully indulgent.

Hope you try this recipe out and enjoy it as much as i have enjoyed mine. In fact my whole family now expects me to whip this cake up whenever they are in the mood for dessert, and i cant escape it, as its just a 5min recipe. But no complaints here, i love to make this cake and every time i try serving it in different styles. So just let your imagination run wild. I also tried adding a dash of cinnamon powder once to the batter, and it just added to the incredible taste. But as my mom wasn't a fan of it, so i would say to try it and see if its something that would suit your taste buds. As always, trial and error is the key : )
So indulge and enjoy folks!!!

Fit to Drown A Duck

God, i don't know when was the last time it rained so heavily here in Vizag. Its literally pouring cats and dogs. The count has reached up to 4 days of non-stop downpour. And mind you, only the experienced swimmers out there can dare to venture out, as the roads here are flooded!
But from what all i can see out of my window, the sight is beautiful! because i cannot see the poor pedestrians, nor the poor people stranded in their vehicles, unable to wade the flooding roads. All i can see is lush greenery in a cloudy  atmosphere, which is just simply beautiful. Because if there is something i like, its nature in its full splendor. Greenery is something that i simply adore. Its freezing cold out here, which is something i cannot bear, i immediately freeze up into a Popsicle. Hence i am currently all covered up in layers that include,  jerkins, a muffler, socks, etc. You get the picture right?!
So basically i am stuck here at home with nothing to do, or should i say, unable to do anything :-( . And hey don't get me wrong, its not that i cant do anything, its only because i am still recuperating from an accident injury that broke both my legs. Anyway that doesn't exactly stop me, its  my over protective mom who is scared that even if i lift a spatula i may end up hurting myself. Now cant argue with logic like that right?
But i cant help it, its just freezing cold, and in a climate like this, my appetite gets to an all time high, where in i feel like munching on something hot, either sweet or spicy, but hot n tasty, it must be! So i cannot make my usual recipes, as that requires me to stand for long in the kitchen, which is a strict no-no right now. Hence i was browsing for some easy recipes that can be made within 5min , preferably in the microwave.
I did find one such recipe that claims to deliver on a Gooey Chocolate Cake in a coffee mug. I am a bit skeptical, but still i will give it a try. So let me see if it to Rises up to its claims, or falls Flat on my face.
If does turn out good, or even if it doesn't , il be sure to post something about it in my Food section on my blog. Be sure to catch it.