Homemade Caramel Sauce

Hot chocolate fudge, rainbow sprinkles, chocolate syrup, strawberry syrup, peanut butter, nuts,  fruit and the like - Please step aside. Welcome the queen of all dessert toppings - Caramel syrup. Golden and royal from head to toe, need she do anything to woo you? Svelte like velvet and sweet as sugar, you'd be lying if you said you were not in love with her - Again!

I'd be lying if I said this was my own concoction. But, yes, I did mix up two recipes to make this wonderful sauce. One from one of my favorite Food Network Chefs, Ina Garten (Recipe here) and another from yet another Food Network Chef, Anne Burrell (Recipe video here). 

I know you're wondering what the waffles are doing with the syrup. Shouldn't it be ice cream there? Boy oh boy, you're right. But, I could not wait to eat the syrup and paired them with whatever I had on hand.

Chef Garten has not added butter in her recipe, but I opted to have it in for extra creamy texture. Chef Burrell added lemon juice and corn syrup both of which I opted not to add. The end result was good. So, its up here for grabs!

Now, before you come to a conclusion that this recipe is made by chefs and it's something not in your capacity. Think twice. Or even thrice! I mean, you're going to have a whole jar of caramel sauce at your disposal, and here's the best part - ONLY FOUR INGREDIENTS!! Just as Chef Anne Burrell says in all her shows "You certainly don't have to be a restaurant chef to cook like one".

Rava Dosa with Pudina Chutney | Savory Semolina Pancakes with Mint Chutney

Let's talk about the best days of the week. Yes, you guessed it right! Weekends are always about relaxing. And, heralding every weekend is a hearty breakfast that follows a late night of Friday fun with friends and family or all by yourself watching a flick - Your pick! But, wait a minute! Did I just hear you say - "What do I make for breakfast?". And, you dare not answer yourself with something as mundane as cereal with milk, or worse a store-bought slice of bread or a bagel thrown under a dollop of self-proclaimed low-fat, imitation butter. 

Of course, all these are quick fix breakfast solutions for on-the-run weekdays. In fact, I  myself gorge these down as if the world is coming to a close every morning. But, what if one day the cereal and bread aisles in the supermarket vanished. Zap!

Ok, let's not make it sound that bad. But here's what - I always make sure I make something elaborate for breakfast on weekends imagining there's no bread. Oh and yes, no frozen breakfasts, too! That way you are not only satisfying your taste-buds with some fresh, home-made food but can also go light on lunch and dinner. Isn't that just what more researchers say? See, I wasn't wrong anyway. Ok, ok. So much for my justification. But, here's my point - Make Rava dosa with pudina chutney. I can see you salivating. Go grab the ingredients. Even if its not the weekend, just go!

Kiddie Fruit and Veggie Raita

They say parenting is all about being selfless and getting priceless rewards. In the process of being an incarnation of all these qualities, we end up emptying gallon after gallon of patience. I might sound like a horrible mother saying so, but I would say you must be blessed and lucky if your toddler gobbles down everything you stash on her plate - Veggies and fruit, included!

My sonny boy S is not a fussy eater really (knock on wood!), but just like all you mom's out there I like to go an extra step to make sure he gets his daily dose of fruit and veggies. So, to balance out the patience and nutrition equation I decided why not throw in almost everything I had on hand into his snack bowl with some whole milk yogurt and some chaat masala? Makes for a great side at lunch/dinner time or wonderful simply as a snack! (Talk about getting in that much needed calcium)The crispy texture of the fruit and veggies combined with the smooth notes rendered by the yogurt can tickle even the picky-est of tastebuds for sure.

Make this once and do NOT lie to me about the number of spoons you shoved down your throat before you passed the bowl over to your little one!

Chunky Mango Salsa

There is almost nothing as seductive as the aroma of mangoes ripening on your kitchen counter-top. So inviting, that I could never complete my cooking without my arms involuntarily reaching out to one, to gorge it down as I worked. This year since my little one ate it for the first time, and took a liking for it (tell me one person on earth who does not like mangoes, anyway!) we ended buying them more often than before. And, with temperatures soaring sky high, we almost never have a meal without something to cool us down - a salad, raita or just a simple fruit at the end of a hot day. Now, who would think of any other fruit when you have mangoes on hand, eh? But, how about mangoes and cucumbers? One sweet, one cool and crunchy...And, how about some onions in the mix? And a couple of spices may be? My imagination was running wild and my salivary glads were working over-time just at the thought of it all. Call it a salad, salsa or a dip this chunky fella is going to stay on your summer to-do lists for a long time!

I know this is probably the worst click I've ever shot (not like my others are too good or anything!), but this what what was left-over after the entire dish was devoured by my family. So, churn this one up real quick and save some up for yourself in a place where no one else would ever find it!

Ingredients
1 Mango - Washed and diced
1/2 Cucumber - Washed and diced (Peel them if you do not like the skin. We like ours with it on.)
1/2 Medium Red Onion - Chopped
1/2 Green Bell Pepper/Capsicum - Washed and Diced (Feel free to add any other colour peppers too, like what Pallavi has suggested [see comments])
1/2 tsp Red chillie powder (Add more if you desire!)
1 tbsp Lemon juice
And, of course, some salt to taste! (Dont add too much here)

Method
- In a large bowl, mix together the lemon juice, red chillie powder and salt
- Add the cucumber, mango and red onion and stir
- Serve chilled

If you want to make it ahead of time, save adding the salt and chillie powder for the last minute.

SERVES 3

Sour Cream And Veggie Dip

The last time I had friends over, I wanted to have a simple dish as a starter because I had some planned up some really heavy items for the main course. I had just about 15 minutes left before my guests would arrive...and that seemed more than enough to put together this refreshing dip. It paired perfectly well with the White Zin we had on hand. The sweet taste of the blush wine complimented the sour dip... and what more can I say, we had a fabulous time devouring it!

I know the pictures do not do much justice...but I was on the run as I mentioned earlier.

Ingredients
1.5 Cups Sour Cream
2 tbsp each - Finely chopped red onions, bell peppers (red/green), tomatoes and parsley/coriander
2 tbsp Lemon zest
1/2 tsp Ground pepper
1 tsp Chilie powder (adjust to suit your need)
And, of course, some salt to taste!

Method
- In a large bowl toss in all the ingredients and blend
- Serve with baked pita chips

TIP - If you are planning on making the dip ahead of time, then add salt and stir just before serving

SERVES 8-10 people, depending on how deep you dip your chip ;)

Toor Dal Chutney

For those of you totally bored with the good old coriander chutney, here is a refreshing new way to look at the traditional Indian dip. You fry up some lentils until they are smokey, grind them with some spices and voila - You are all set to gorge it down.

Ingredients
1/2 Cup Toor Dal
2 tbsp Coconut (I've used frozen slices)
3 cloves of Garlic
2 Red Chillies (adjust according to your desired heat quotient!)
1/4 Cup Onions - Cubed/Sliced
2 tsp Tamarind Pulp
A sprig of Coriander
And, of course, some salt to taste!

Method
- Place a wok on your burner under a low-medium flame.
- Once it warm, toss in the toor dal and fry until fragrant
- Now add garlic and fry
- Add the coconut, red chillies and onions and fry until they all give out a warm smokey aroma (You can increase a flame a tad bit, but keep an eye so that you don't end up burning it since each ingredient roasts at a different temperature)
- Once roasted, set aside to cool
- Toss the roasted ingredients in a mixer/blender and add the tamarind pulp, coriander and salt
- Use minimum water and grind into a fine paste.
- Serve with freshly prepared idlies.

SERVES 2

Quick and Easy Sweet Tamarind Chutney

Ingredients
3 fl. oz Thick tamarind paste
3/4th cup Jaggery (Panela), finely crushed
Water

Method
- In a vessel, pour the tamarind paste and dilute to make it about 5 fl. oz.
- Turn on the flame and add the jaggery and continuously stir
- Reduce to about half the quantity
- Turn off the flame

Noteworthy Notes
The above mentioned quantities makes about 2.5 fl. oz. of sweet tamarind chutney that can be used in chaats to provide a sweet and tangy flavour. This is a quick and easy version that I use when I dont have store bought chutney.