Thursday, September 30, 2010

Chocolate Fudge ~ Delighting Sanaa and Arshia


Sana and Arshia...... My neighbour's kids.... Aren't they adorable little dolls.... We can all see how much they loved the chocolate fudge.... :)

You can find the recipe of the Chocolate Fudge here.

Wednesday, September 29, 2010

Chocolate Fudge at Mehta's


Chocolate.... say it again slowly C-H-O-C-O-L-A-T-E...hhhhmmmmmm...... aren't you already drooling :)

Was going to visit my cousins for dinner n of course the kids would be there and the adult kids would be there so Dessert was pinned as my responsibility..... Do you hear me complaining.... absolutely not.... it's a total pleasure cooking up something for the kids n watch them relish it.....

This little one is Kanav... He ate my chocolate cake just day day before he was born.... :) Doesn't he look adorable.... He's quite a naughty imp.

That's Esha, Rohit[Kanav's dad] and my mom....
That's Nivritti, Rohit n Shruti[Kanav's mom].....

There goes Shruti..... Once we start laughing... just can't stop... guess it's in the genes.......

Guess who??????
Aunty n Shruit had put together some yummy snack n make-ure-own-pizza-with-topping that noone waited for pictures.... was devoured the second they reached the table... so sorry guys no pictures of the dinner..... next time for sure....

Now comes what everyone was waiting for.......
Chocolate Fudge.... divine... simply superb...... had seen this post on Suma's n at Nags..... I just had too... also my cousins just gave me 2 hours flat to whip up the dessert, get ready n reach there.... so what chocolate dessert can I whip up in under an hour?
CHOCOLATE FUDGE...... Here I come.....
Good god... recipe calls for pista... not there at home..... So I simply substitute and make my own fudge additives.... Rum Soaked Raisins, chopped Walnuts, chopped Almonds and some crumbled Biscuits. n as Suma says.... 'Don't forget the 2 tablespoons of Butter'....

This non dessert eating person turned into a chocolate monster......

You've just gotta have this fudge.... totally amazing..... so simple to put together n DIVINE to taste....

Monday, September 27, 2010

Daring Bakers Challenge - Decorated Sugar Cookies - Kids All The Way


Yes you got it..... It's a fun challenge so we've spend loads of time monkeying around.....
Cookies weren't a mental block like most of the other Daring Baker Challenges, cause I've done them before for Easter Bunnies, Gunjan and Vibha(with a different recipe though). How can a Daring Bakers Challenge be kept easy????? So I go n complicate my life by adding various Cookies Shapes, various Icing Colours, new Recipe and Quantity(some 100 or so cookies in 2 days)... n Daks baking with me........(which halves my speed cause she wants to do everything I'm doing.)


The September 2010 Daring Bakers’ challenge was hosted by Mandy of “What the Fruitcake?!” Mandy challenged everyone to make Decorated Sugar Cookies based on recipes from Peggy Porschen and The Joy of Baking.

Cookies galore it is.... 1st September is Daksayani's birthday and so the month of kids...... all the kids [actually kids n childish adults.... after all there's a child in all of us :) ] around me got their share of cookies.....

That's new born baby Aadya, her delighted parents Bhawna n Vibhore along with Ranbeer n Meetu. Aadya gave me a drooly smile when she saw the cookies[Her mommy ate the cookies] n Ranbeer called me to say the cookies were 'Yummy'..... Am On-Top-Of-The-World.......

That's Aarushi n Lily.... the lovely daughter's of Anuraag n Rimjhim had loads of fun posing for pictures.....

Basic Sugar Cookies
[I made 2 batches, 1 with Lemon Zest(Daks can't eat chocolate) and 1 with chocolate]

Makes Approximately 36x 10cm / 4" Cookies
Ingredients:
200g / 7oz / ½ cup + 6 Tbsp Unsalted Butter, at room temperature
400g / 14oz / 3 cups + 3 Tbsp All Purpose / Plain Flour
200g / 7oz / 1 cup Caster Sugar / Superfine Sugar
1 Large Egg, lightly beaten
5ml / 1 tsp Vanilla Extract / Or seeds from 1 vanilla bean

Directions
• Cream together the butter, sugar and any flavourings you’re using. Beat until just becoming
creamy in texture.
• Tip: Don’t over mix otherwise you’ll incorporate too much air and the cookies will spread during
baking, losing their shape.
• Beat in the egg until well combined, make sure to scrape down the sides of the bowl.
Add the sifted flour and mix on low until a non sticky dough forms.
• Tip: I don’t have a stand mixer so I find it easier to switch to dough hooks at this stage to avoid
flour flying everywhere.
• Knead into a ball and divide into 2 or 3 pieces.
• Roll out each portion between parchment paper to a thickness of about 5mm/1/5 inch (0.2 inch)
• Refrigerate for a minimum of 30mins.
• Tip: Recipes commonly just wrap the whole ball of dough in clingwrap and then refrigerate it for an
hour or overnight, but by rolling the dough between parchment, this shortens the chilling time and
then it’s also been rolled out while still soft making it easier and quicker.
• Once chilled, peel off parchment and place dough on a lightly floured surface.
• Cut out shapes with cookie cutters or a sharp knife.
• Arrange shapes on parchment lined baking sheets and refrigerate for another 30mins to an hour.
• Tip: It’s very important you chill them again otherwise they’ll spread while baking.
• Re-roll scraps and follow the above process until all scraps are used up.
• Preheat oven to 180°C (160°C Fan Assisted) / 350°F / Gas Mark 4.
• Bake until golden around the edges, about 8-15mins depending on the size of the cookies.
• Tip: Bake same sized cookies together otherwise mixing smaller with larger cookies could result in
some cookies being baked before others are done.
• Tip: Rotate baking sheets half way through baking if your oven bakes unevenly.
• Leave to cool on cooling racks.
• Once completely cooled, decorate as desired.
• Tip: If wrapped in tinfoil/cling wrap or kept in airtight containers in a cool place, un-decorated
cookies can last up to a month.


Daksayani had a great time making the cookies with me. She rolled her own dough, stamped the cookies n lay them on the lined baking tray, oven bit I handled. This kid wants to do everything on her own n just won't let me help....... "Nachi didi, I know na how to do... You can teach me 1 time..... rest I will do... On my own... See See.... My lovely looking flower... I'll colour it pink n yellow..... When will we bake them? Can I colour them now?" Gosh the impatience.....

We spent the whole day stamping out the cookies and put the cookie trays back in the fridge to chill the butter before we baked them so they won't spread. She returned the next day in this hanumanji costume n pranced around the whole house while the oven preheated itself for baking her cookies which she wanted to give her friends...... She posed with the cookies I had baked the previous night after she left.

Royal Icing: [For my number of cookies, I halved this quantity]
Ingredients:
315g – 375g / 11oz – 13oz / 2½ - 3 cups Icing / Confectioner’s / Powdered Sugar, unsifted
2 Large Egg Whites
10ml / 2 tsp Lemon Juice
5ml / 1 tsp Almond Extract, optional

Directions
• Beat egg whites with lemon juice until combined.
• Tip: It’s important that the bowls/spoons/spatulas and beaters you use are thoroughly cleaned and grease free.
• Sift the icing sugar to remove lumps and add it to the egg whites.
• Tip: I’ve listed 2 amounts of icing sugar, the lesser amount is good for a flooding consistency, and the larger amount is for outlining, but you can add even more for a much thicker consistency good for writing. If you add too much icing sugar or would like to make a thinner consistency, add very small amounts of water, a few drops at a time, until you reach the consistency you need.
• Beat on low until combined and smooth.
• Use immediately or keep in an airtight container.Decorating Your Cookies: Royal Icing
The most important thing when it comes to decorating with Royal Icing is the consistency.
There are two ways of flooding your cookies. Some like to do the outline with a thicker icing and then flood with a thinner icing. Some like to use the same icing to do both which saves time and you don’t have to have two different piping bags for each colour you’re using.

The Same Consistency Method
Consistency:
• Mix your royal icing according to the recipe/instructions
• Drag a knife through the surface of the Royal Icing and count to 10
• If the surface becomes smooth between 5 & 10 seconds, the icing is at the correct consistency
• Tip: If your icing is too thick, thin it by adding a few drops of water. Mix, do the 10 second test, then if it’s still too thick, add a few more drops of water, repeat, etc.
• Tip: To thicken your icing, add small amounts of icing sugar until thick enough for the 10 second test

Two Different Consistencies Method
- Consistency:
• Mix your royal icing according to the recipe/instructions.
• Separate into 2 different bowls, one lot of icing for outlining, the other for flooding.
• For the outlining icing, drag a knife through the surface of the Royal Icing.
• If the surface becomes smooth at around 10 seconds, the icing is at the correct consistency.
• Tip: If your icing is too thick, thin it by adding a few drops of water. Mix, count to 10 seconds, then if it’s still too thick, add a few more drops of water, repeat, etc.
• Tip: To thicken your icing, add small amounts of icing sugar until thick enough for the 10 second test.
• For the flooding/filling icing, drag a knife through the surface of the Royal Icing.
• If the surface becomes smooth at around 3-4 seconds, the icing is at the correct consistency.
• Tip: If your icing is too thick, thin it by adding a few drops of water. Mix, count to 3-4 seconds, then if it’s still too thick, add a few more drops of water, repeat, etc.
• Tip: To thicken your icing, add small amounts of icing sugar until thick enough for the 3-4 second test.

Colouring
• Separate Royal Icing into separate bowls for each colour you plan on using.
• Tip: Make sure to cover the bowls with cling film or a damp cloth to prevent the top from setting and then making lumps
• Using a toothpick, add gel or paste colouring to each bowl and mix thoroughly until desired colour is reached
• Tip: You can use liquid food colouring but you might not be able to get the desired strength of colour, liquid colouring will also thin out the icing so you’ll need to add more icing sugar to thicken it again.

Decorating: Outlining
• Fit the piping bag with a size 2 or 3 tip.
• Tip: Or snip a very small bit of the corner off of a parchment cone or Ziploc bag
• Hold the piping bag at a 45 degree angle above the cookie where you want to start the outline.
• Gently squeeze the piping bag and start moving in the direction you want to outline the cookie.
• Start lifting the piping bag away from the cookie so that the flow of icing falls onto the cookie, making it an even and neater outline.
• As you start to reach the beginning of the outline, bring the piping tip closer to the surface of the cookie to meet the start of the icing outline.
• Tip: If you’re doing an intricate cookie, like a snow flake, you won’t be able to lift the tip as far away from the cookie.
• If you’re doing a different colour border, eg a black border, let the outline dry before flooding. If using the same colour for the outline as you’re flooding with, begin flooding after doing the outline.


Decorating: Flooding
• Fit the piping bag with a size 2-5 tip, the bigger the area being filled, the bigger the tip.
• Tip: Or cut slightly more off the corner of a Ziploc bag to create a slightly larger opening.
• Quickly zigzag back and forth over the area you want to fill.
• Tip: You need to be quick when flooding the cookie so don’t worry too much if it’s not filled in neatly.
• Using a toothpick or clean paintbrush, push the icing around into the gaps that are still remaining.
• Either pick up the cookie and tip it from side to side to even out the filling, or lightly bang the cookie down on your kitchen counter.
• Tip: Royal Icing starts to harden as soon as it’s in contact with air so make sure to cover containers with plastic wrap while not in use.

Sudha Bua made this clown with us..... You should have seen Daks dancing up n down... doing the monkey jig out of excitement of making this clown..... Gunjan ate this riot of colour :)

The chocolate cookies were soft moist n intensely Chocolateyyyyy.... :)

Packaging and Storing
• Once fully decorated, allow cookies to dry for 24 hours in a cool and dry area.
• Stack cookies in an airtight container, from largest cookies at the bottom, to smallest and more intricate at the top, with parchment or wax free paper in between the layers.
• Store in a cool and dry area with the container’s lid firmly sealed.
• Will last for about a month if stored this way.


These margarita glasses are my absolute fav.... No prizes for guessing why? cause my fav drink is a Margarita.... the lemon wedges got a bit big for the glasses as they spread while baking(I wasn't careful to use a cold cookie tray)... but nevertheless..... this is my fav shot in the entire post..... Snigdha, Partha and I enjoyed them :)

Verdict:

It's a very buttery cookie recipe which bakes yummy cookies without expanding if, you make sure the oven is at the right temp, don’t use hot cookie pans, make sure the dough n stamped cookie is chilled, try not to re-roll the cookie dough more than 3/4 times. The lesser contact with your hands, the lesser chances of the butter melting n flour the work surface liberally.

We had a Stampful of Colourful F-U-N.....

Thanks Mandy...

Friday, September 3, 2010

Celebrations ~ By My Guest Pushpanjali

This is my celebrations for reaching 200 blog posts.... A lot of you will wonder, why am I not making something fancy to celebrate it. Getting to the 200th post has been a journey full of wonderful people who walked with me in life and some joined me thru the blog world.

So I thought of having an event called 'Celebrations' where I would open out my blog to some of my friends who would share some parts of their journey with me as Guest Posts......

My guest today is Pushpanjali. She is such a sweet n unassuming person, she's a delight to be around. I got to know her as she's Vivek's wife. Vivek is one of my first mentors at Infoedge[my office].
She loves animals and the doggy-love of her life is 'Princess' and she's rightly called that.

Had made Banoffee Pie for her last birthday and Pineapple Upside down cake for Vivek's birthday. Made Banana Chocolate Upside Down Cake for their house warming party, also planned were some Orange Cookies and made one for Princess too but alas, they burnt to cinders while I was on the phone making the evening program..... just didn't have the time to make another batch. It just has to be the cake then....

We are such foodies.... We had a blast eating from 11am to 5pm at Chandni Chowk.... Our gleeful smiles say it all.....

A small something for the Indian readers of Pushpanjali.... She will select 1 lucky commenter to win complimentary vouchers of Lazeez Affaire in Malcha Marg, New Delhi. So be sure to leave a note at the end of this post with your location. Readers in other countries can share the same with anyone in proximity of the restaurant.

Pushpanjali Writes.....
www.crazyoverdesserts.com

I have known Nachi since past several years & the first thing that people associate with her is her super cool baking abilities but there is something else that really stands out to me is her sense of style.

Nachiketa Chandra,from the many parties I have attended with her,have realized is a very stylish lady who picks & chooses her clothes meticulously. Her style compliments her personality-bright, vivacious,ultra chic... She is one of those rare persons who remains in our minds long after the party is over. I remember my housewarming party... hundreds of guests...but the only one who remains in our mind is Ms N...with her Monroe cut hair & her absolutely ravishing dress. Another party with a theme of 'Red-n-White' stands out is Ms N's red shoes perfectly matched with her dress for her birthday!!!


There is no set formula for style... either u have it or u dont & Nachi for sure has a great great sense of style.Her well matched accessories & shoes add to the glam & believe me...she has an amazing collection of shoes!!! WHERE DO U GET THEM FROM???

Nachi, we have spent a lot of time together...love yr desserts,love going on trips together,admire yr spirit but one thing that I would steal from you are your dresses & your bag of shoes!!!

Thursday, September 2, 2010

Fun, Food, Friends at Food Bloggers Meet for 'Olive Oil in Mediterranean and Indian Cuisine'

August has been an eventful month with 'Celebrations' on my blog and 1st September was quite an eventful day being Daksayani's birthday and Delhi food bloggers and critics meeting for "Olive Oil in Mediterranean and Indian Cuisine", an event hosted by Borges Olive Oil at 19, Oriental Avenue, Shangri-La's Eros Hotel, New Delhi.

The event was attended by Sid of Chef at Large, Deeba of Passionate about Baking, Pamela of Eat and Dust, Anoothi of Indian Food and Travel Guide, Apeksha of Veggigewiz, Rahul Verma of Delhi Street Food and me. The other guest were food critics Marryam Reshii(of TOI n Upper Crust fame), Ritika Samaddar(Nutritionist), Darren Conole(Executive Chef of Shangri-la), and Rajneesh Bhasin(Borges MD ).

I missed the beginning of the session as I was at work and had to miss the serving of Bagna Cauda {also known as hot oil fondue} stirred together by Chef Darren Conole.

The Aioli put together by Darren and Sid was delicious.... have been trying to be a good girl and avoiding cheese but this was just yummy... couldn't stop at one..... The delectable garlicy flavour made it addictive.

Chef Darren showed us how to poach some Chilean sea bass fillets in a flavored olive oil [Warning: doing this in a home kitchen isn't the most cost-effective ;)] However it was the most delectable and flavorful when we had it for lunch served with Catalan vegetable stew..... who knew pumpkins can taste so good and I'd be gobbling down vegetables with equal delight as the fish. His easy flowing banter at the table has us in peals of laughter. He belongs to Melbourne and has spent time working in most South Asian Countries and knew their cuisines His little poppet just won't eat the veggies and lives on yogurt.... Would recommend Little-Food-Junction to everyone whose kids don't eat their veggies.... She's a delight.

The afternoon was spent in the open kitchen with Deeba, Anoothi and Sid rustling up yummies with Olive Oil.

Lunch began with a Panazella, a day old brown bread salad, followed by the Chilean Sea Bass. It's flavors were exquisite and what made it even more yummy was the lovely company. Dessert was scrumptious Olive Oil brownies served with icecream. Recipes are available here.

My experience with Olive Oil was limited to Pastas and Salads as of now[not for long though :) ]. Had made a fresh garden salad with Mangoes, Cucumber, Cheery Tomatoes, Olives and Lettuce. Dressed it with Olive Oil, Honey, Sea Salt, Parsley, Garlic and Pepper.

Since I missed the discussion session, I looked up stuff on the net and thought I'd share a few basics with my readers to clarify some of the jargon around Olive Oil.
Retail grades in IOOC member nations [Source:Wikipedia]
In countries that adhere to the standards of the IOOC the labels in stores show an oil's grade.
  • Extra-virgin olive oil comes from virgin oil production only, contains no more than 0.8% acidity, and is judged to have a superior taste. Extra Virgin olive oil accounts for less than 10% of oil in many producing countries. It is used on salads, added at the table to soups and stews and for dipping.
  • Virgin olive oil comes from virgin oil production only, has an acidity less than 2%, and is judged to have a good taste.
  • Pure olive oil. Oils labeled as Pure olive oil or Olive oil are usually a blend of refined and virgin production oil.
  • Olive oil is a blend of virgin and refined production oil, of no more than 1.5% acidity. It commonly lacks a strong flavor.
  • Olive pomace oil is refined pomace olive oil often blended with some virgin oil. It is fit for consumption, but may not be described simply as olive oil. It has a more neutral flavor than pure or virgin olive oil, making it unfashionable among connoisseurs; however, it has the same fat composition as regular olive oil, rendering it the same health benefits. It also has a high smoke point, and thus is widely used in restauraunts as well as home cooking in some countries.
  • Lampante oil is olive oil not suitable as food; lampante comes from olive oil's long-standing use in oil-burning lamps. Lampante oil is mostly used in the industrial market.
  • Refined olive oil is the olive oil obtained from virgin olive oils by refining methods that do not lead to alterations in the initial glyceridic structure. It has a free acidity, expressed as oleic acid, of not more than 0.3 grams per 100 grams (0.3%) and its other characteristics correspond to those fixed for this category in this standard. This is obtained by refining virgin olive oils with a high acidity level and/or organoleptic defects that are eliminated after refining. Over 50% of the oil produced in the Mediterranean area is of such poor quality that it must be refined to produce an edible product. Note that no solvents have been used to extract the oil, but it has been refined with the use of charcoal and other chemical and physical filters. An obsolete equivalent is "pure olive oil".
Label wordings

The following may be found in olive oil labels:

  • "100% Pure Olive Oil" is often the lowest quality available in a retail store: better grades would have "virgin" on the label.
  • "Made from refined olive oils" means that the taste and acidity were chemically controlled.
  • "From hand-picked olives" implies that the oil is of better quality, since producers harvesting olives by mechanical methods are inclined to leave olives to over-ripen to increase yield.
  • Cold pressed means "that the oil was not heated over a certain temperature (usually 80 degrees Fahrenheit) during processing, thus retaining more nutrients and undergoing less degradation."
  • First cold pressed means "that the fruit of the olive was crushed exactly one time-i.e., the first press. The cold refers to the temperature range of the fruit at the time it is crushed." In Calabria (Italy) the olives are collected in October. In regions like Tuscany or Liguria, the olives collected in November and ground often at night are too cold to be processed efficiently without heating. The paste is regularly heated above the environmental temperatures, which may be as low as 10-15 °C, to extract the oil efficiently with only physical means. Olives pressed in warm regions like Southern Italy or Northern Africa may be pressed at significantly higher temperatures although not heated. While it is important that the pressing temperatures be as low as possible (generally below 35 °C) there is no international reliable definition of "cold pressed".
    Furthermore, there is no "second" press of virgin oil, so the term "first press" means only that the oil was produced in a press vs. other possible methods.
  • The label may indicate that the oil was bottled or packed in a stated country. This does not necessarily mean that the oil was produced there. The origin of the oil may sometimes be marked elsewhere on the label; it may be a mixture of oils from more than one country
What was particularly nice about the event was the frank conversation and knowledge sharing about olive Oil and other culinary delights. Looking forward to such events where learning and fun go hand in hand. Where else do you get a Chef who shares his recipes with joy and reads the quantities from a sheet to be absolutely precise :)

Didn't get to know when the afternoon went by chatting with Chef Darren and all the other guests. It was indeed lovely time spent with friends new and old.

Healthy Mushroom Pasta ~ By my Guest Gauri

This is my celebrations for reaching 200 blog posts.... A lot of you will wonder, why am I not making something fancy to celebrate it. Getting to the 200th post has been a journey full of wonderful people who walked with me in life and some joined me thru the blog world.

So I thought of having an event called 'Celebrations' where I would open out my blog to some of my friends who would share some parts of their journey with me as Guest Posts......

My guest today is Gauri, a friend from office who can get any client to do anything she wants with a huge smile and amazing persuasion skills.


She's a huge foodie at heart.... We both love chocolates, sweets and momos..... We'd eat loads of them every evening in office... and loads of foodie conversations shared over more food.... :)

She's a person of varied moods and facets.... Her bright smile is enough to light up an entire room.... We had such a blast on our Bhimtal trip....

A small something for the Indian readers of Gauri.... She will select 1 lucky commenter to win complimentary vouchers of Moksha, a cozy lounge in New Friends Colony, New Delhi. So be sure to leave a note at the end of this post with your location. Readers in other countries can share the same with anyone in proximity of the restaurant.

Gauri Writes.....
www.crazyoverdesserts.com
Nachiketa or Nachi as we all call her, is a fun-loving and always on the top of the world. She is the one you can look up to for any kind of professional or personal help. She will help you if you are right but in case she feels that you are wrong, she will make you run, center right and left. I know her now for almost 4 yrs. We are both working for 99acres, She is creative and always on her toes to make some innovation in Product team, and I am the one who sells her ideas being in the sales team of 99acres.

At this Platform, I want to congratulate you on your 200th Blog Post as well as igniting my passion for cooking. As they say, The Way to a man's heart is through his stomach, so is working for me too ;-) lol...

It has been 1.5yrs since I got married. My Husband is a big foodie and loves variety when it comes to food. Am always trying to find easy recipes that don't have a million ingredients yet taste like you spent hours and hours preparing in the kitchen. Passion for cooking was always latent in me but couldn’t take out much time for it. It all started at Nachiketa’s Birthday party this year. She was a gracious host and had done a lot of preparation for the party. We had an awesome lunch at her place. The time we said our goodbyes, I was so sure that my husband will tell me to learn a few recipes from he, and here it was…… as soon as we sat in the car, even before he started the car engine the demands for Pasta, cheese cake and other Dips served by Nachiketa started pouring in.

So I tried first with her no-bake strawberry cheesecake. It came out really yummy so next I tried white sauce Pasta, which is my weakness too :) and to be very honest was the quickest and easiest of all.

I took a rough idea from her as in how to go about it, what all ingredients would be required for the same. I had done some alterations in the same, I tried making the Pasta with No Cheese and NO Cream at all…….Absolute Diet conscious but yet tasty Pasta.
At first the sauce tastes sort of yucky when you are heating it, but after it is cooked and completely done, the sauce is absolutely 'to-die -for!!

A super easy, ultra tasty recipe that calls for a packet of herbs[Basil/Oregano/Sage/Thyme], Wheat Pasta, Mushrooms and Milk for the Sauce.

Mushroom Pasta

Ingredients:
2 spoons olive oil
4 Packets Mushrooms
2 Glasses Milk[luke warm]
2 cloves garlic
2 teaspoon of herbs[You may vary as per taste]
250 Grams Wheat Pasta
Salt to taste

To start with boil water with a pinch of salt and 1 table spoon cooking oil, when it comes to boil, put all the Pasta in it and let it cook for 20 minutes. When it is done, drain the extra water and wash the Pasta in cold Water and keep it aside to be used later.

For the sauce, Put 1 teaspoon olive oil in a pan and cook for about 15 – 20 minutes finely chopped mushrooms, add a pinch of salt it will be done faster, don’t add water since Mushrooms will leave water and will be cooked in the same itself.

Once done keep it aside to cool, and make a fine thick puree of the same without adding water in the Grinder. You can keep a few slices of cooked mushrooms aside to be used like that.

In another Pan, Put 1 teaspoon in the Pan and add 2 teaspoons of the herbs along with lots of finely chopped garlic, sauté for 5 minutes till it is cooked, remember we don’t have to turn it golden brown like we do for North Indian Dishes as we don’t want to loose its essence.

Now its time to add puree of the cooked mushrooms, add finely chopped and cooked mushrooms 1 small portion along with the puree in the Pan.

Let it cook for 5 minutes now add 1-1.5 glass of luke warm Milk in the Pan, add salt to taste and cook for 15 – 20 minutes.

Once the sauce is cooked, you can add the cooked pasta in the same and serve Hot along with Garlic Bread.