Raspberry and Chocolate Cheesecake

2 packets oreos
150g melted butter
Two tubs (approx 400g) Cream Cheese
150g to 200g icing sugar
2 heaped tbspn Nutella
1 standard tub double cream (300ml)
1 large punnet fresh rasberries
Red food colouring (optional)

1. Seperate the biscuit and the cream of all the oreos
2. Crush the biscuits in a blender and melt the butter.
3. Mix the crushed biscuits and melted butter together then press into a cake tin with a removable base. Cover and place in the fridge for now.
4. Split the raspberries into three. Squash and strain one third to seperate the seeds. Chop the second third roughly and store the final third in the fridge for garnishing later
5. Then place the squashed raspberries, cream cheese, 1 heaped tbspn of nutella, the cream frosting from inside the biscuits and sifted icing sugar into a bowl and whisk till well blended. Then add just over half a tub of double cream and whip some more till thick.
7. Now take out the biscuit base from fridge, then dollop the mixture on top and spread. Then scatter the ‘chopped’ raspberries evenly on top and poke them in with a skewer and smooth over with a spatula.
8. Place in the fridge for atleast four hours. Take out the cheese cake about 15 mins before serving and place on a serving dish.
9. Melt some Nutella till smooth (not too hot) and then splatter on cake and decorate with raspberries. Place in fridge for a few more minutes before serving.

Bombay Biryani (Restaurant Style)

Ingredients (for first step):
2 chickens (cleaned, washed and drained)
2 handfuls of fried onions
1 tspn whole cumin
2 tspn ground cumin powder
2 tspn coriander powder
1/4 tspn of ground black pepper
3 tbspn of natural yoghurt
4-5 tbspn oil
3 tbspn of ghee
Handful fresh mint (chopped)
Fresh coriander
2 boxes of Shaan Bombay Biryani Masala (take the big pieces out)
1 tspn of turmeric powder
8 tspn crushed ginger
2 tspn crushed garlic
1 cup of water
2 tomatoes (chopped)
Few whole green chillies
1/2 tspn chilli powder (to taste)
1/2 tspn salt (to taste)
Note: Add the chillies and salt last once the rest of the ingredients are well incorporated.

Method (for first step):
1. Mix together the ingredients above except for the chicken in the order specified above. Then add to a big pot which you’ll use to make the biryani in.
2. Cook the ingredients until masala is completely cooked when the tomatoes are soft and the oil has separated.
3. Add the chicken and cook for a little while until the masala has incorporated with the chicken, around 5-10 minutes.

Ingredients (for second step):
6 small cups of rice
(boiled with salt and whole cumin)
Fried potatoes
Boiled eggs
Saffron water

Method (for second step):
1. Boil rice and eggs separately and fry potatoes.
2. Mix fried potatoes and eggs with the cooked chicken. Add the boiled rice on top Cover the pot with lid and foil to enclose the steam.
3. Cook on the hob on a high heat until steam comes out.
4. Then put in the oven on gas mark 6/200 degrees for 30 mins then lower the heat to gas mark 4/180 degrees for a further 30 mins and then to gas mark 2/150 degrees for another 30 mins or so.

Enjoy x

Love from foodie Ayesha Kasu

Fruit Tarts

Ingredients (for pastry):
125g plain flour
2-3 tbspn icing sugar
70g butter (cut into tiny pieces)
1 egg yolk
1-2 tbspn water

Method (for pastry):
1. Sift flour and icing sugar in a bowl, add butter and egg yolk. Using your fingertips add enough water to make a soft dough. Wrap in cling film leave in the fridge for 15 minutes.
2. Pre heat oven to gas mark 6. Roll pastry and blind bake for ten minutes using baking beans on baking paper. Remove the baking paper and baking beans. Cook in oven for a further 5-10 minutes until golden brown.

Ingredients (for vanilla filling):
200ml milk
1 tspn vanilla essence
2oz caster sugar
1 tbspn plain flour
1 tbspn cornflour
125ml fresh cream (whipped)

Method (for vanilla filling):
1. In a sauce pan add the milk and vanilla essence. Leave to simmer on low heat for 10 minutes. Keep stirring.
2. In a bowl add the rest of the ingredients and smooth into a paste.
3. Add the paste to the warm milk and bring to a boil for about 2 minutes or until thick. Fold in the whipped cream.
4. Fill tarts with vanilla filling and decorate with fruits of your choice. Brush with jam glaze.

NOTE: To make a jam glaze, bring to boil, 1 tbspn of apricot or pineapple jam and 1 tbspn water.

Enjoy x

Love from foodie Ayesha Kasu

Mango & Lime Fish/Chicken (Nandos Style)

Ingredients:
1/4 bottle Nandos mango and lime sauce
1 tbspn malaysian curry paste (galangal chillies one) or any red chilli/curry paste
1 tbsp Mayonnaise
1 tsp Siracha sauce/powder
Sprinkle of Lime powder
Dried herbs
Sea salt and lemon pepper to taste
Fresh lemon juice
1 tbsp Coconut oil (smoothed)
1/2 tsp Cayenne pepper

Method:
1. Mix together the marinade and slather over the meat.
2. Place on oiled baking dish/tray and garnish with spring onions and coriander.
3. [For the vegetable side dish, par boil potatoes and carrots, slice big green chillies and mango slices. Then make a sauce with butter, ketchup, nandos sauce, a sprinkle of sugar, 1/2 tsp malaysian curry paste, salt and chilli flakes. Toss the veggies in it, being careful not to mush mangoes.]
3. Place the veggies around it or roast potatoes and cook on medium heat for forty five mins. Serve with rice, cous cous or rotis.

Enjoy x

Cornflakes Chicken

Ingredients for Chicken Marinade:
1 / 2 chicken breast – cut into long strips (not too thin and not to small so that the cornflakes comes off when you are frying).
1 tbspn soya sauce
1 tbspn chilli sauce (If you don’t use a garlicky one, then add 1 tspn ginger and garlic paste as well)
1/2 tspn chilli flakes
1/2 tspn white pepper
1/2 tspn black pepper
1 tbspn lemon juice

Add all the marinade ingredients to the chicken and mix – leave in fridge for 2 hours or overnight.

Ingredients for ‘runny’ dipping mixture no1:
3 tbspn plain flour
2 tbspn corn flour
1/2 white pepper
1 tspn paprika
1 tspn garlic powder
1 tspn salt
1 tspn baking powder
Mix above, then add
2 eggs and 1/2 cup milk (mix those two together) then add to the above mixture – use a whisk, make sure it’s runny and no lumps.

Ingredients for ‘dry’ dipping mixture no2:
1 heaped cup of cornflakes (crushed a little, but not like breadcrumbs)
1/2 cup plain flour
You can tweak the flavours to your taste – add what suits you.

Method (when ready to fry):
1. Take the chicken out of the fridge and heat oil for deep frying.
2. Dip the chicken pieces in the runny mixture no1.
3. Then dip into cornflakes mixture no2.
4. Deep fry the chicken until cooked through.

Enjoy in a burger/wrap or with a salad for a healthier option. x

Love from Foodie Homie

Nacho Cupmakes

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Ingredients (makes 24):
6 pack of ready made tortilla wraps
Jar of salsa/tortilla dip
Chicken breast, cut finely
1tsp fajita/chicken spice
1ts coriander powder
Crushed green chillies to taste
Salt to taste
Grated cheese
Chilli doritos/tortilla crisps
Sweetcorn (optional)
Jalapeños (optional)

Method:
1. Cook the chicken in a little oil and all the spices till cooked through.
2. Now use a round pastry cutter to cut out 4 circle shaped bases from each of the tortilla wraps, giving you 24 altogether. You might want to put a little oil in the cupcake holes to allow the tortilla bases to stick down. But do not worry too much as the filling will weigh it down later.
3. Add 1 tsp of the salsa onto each base then two to three pieces of the chicken, the sweetcorn, sprinkle cheese and then crumble some of the tortillas (you can do this after).
4. Put in a preheated oven for about 8 mins till the base forms into a crust that can be seen on the outside rims. Careful not to allow them to go too dark or burn.

Layered Achari Chicken Rice

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Ingredients:
50ml Oil
500g large cubes breast chicken
1 tsp tumeric powder
1 heaped tbsp ginger and garlic paste
1 tsp salt
250-300g pasatta
3 tbsp yogurt
1 tsp mustard seeds
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 tsp chilli flakes
2 tsp coriander powder
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 heaped tbsp achar (pickle)
2 tsp biryani masala (spice factory or box)
2 cups rice (and 1 tsp salt)
Handful of fried onions
Handful of chopped coriander
Handful of chopped mint

Method:
1. Soak the rice in cold water. Heat the oil in a small pot and add the washed and patted chicken with the tumeric, salt and garlic & ginger paste. Let it cook on a high heat till the chicken releases all its water and is mostly cooked.
2. Now add the pasatta, yogurt, mustard, cumin seeds, coriander powder, chilli flakes, lemon juice, biryani masala and achar to the chicken. Mix together and let this cook on a high heat till the mixture is fully cookes and oil bubbles appear at the top, (approx 5-10 minutes). It may still appear a little watery but it’s fine. Set aside.
3. Meanwhile wash the rice and cook it in cold salty water on a medium flame. Remember adding boiling hot water directly into the rice makes for less fluffier rice.
4. Once rice is cooked but not overcooked, layer a medium-sized pot with foil. Put 1/3 of the rice as a layer at the bottom. Now evenly spread half the achari chicken mix (not the soupy bit), then layer on top another 1/3 of the rice and add the rest of the chicken mix and sprinkle half (about 50ml) of the soupy masala evenly over the rice. Lastly add the rest of rice and pour over any leftover soupy masala over the rice evenly. Sprinkle on top the fried onions and freshly chopped herbs. Cover the top of the pot with foil and place over it the lid. If it is a heavy-bottomed pot then put it on a low flame for five minutes. If not then put it on a hot frying pan (tawa) to cook on a low heat for five minutes. Serve with mint raita and poppadoms.

Zesty Lime Cheesecake

Ingredients:
250g digestive biscuits
100g unsalted butter
1 tin carnation condensed milk (405g)
300ml double cream
Juice of 5 lemon/limes
Zest of 5 lemon/limes

Method:
1. Crush the digestive biscuits and melt the butter. Then mix the two together.
2. Press the mixture into a greased tin and let it chill in the fridge for 10 minutes.
3. Now whisk together the condensed milk and cream. Then add the lemon juice and zest. It will immediately thicken itself. After which pour this over the chilled biscuit base and let it set for 1-2 hrs in the fridge.
4. When ready to serve take out of the fridge and decorate the with lemon and lime zest

Jerk Chicken

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Ingredients:
1 medium-sized chicken
1 small white onion
5 sprigs of spring onions
Juice of 1 lime
Zest of 1/2 lime
2 garlic cloves
1 inch piece ginger
1 tsp salt
1 tsp sugar
2 tbs oil
1/2 tsp all spice
1/2 tsp chilli powder
1/2 tsp dried thyme
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
50ml vinegar
50ml soya sauce
2 or 3 scotch bonnet chillies

Method:
1. First roughly chop the onion, ginger and garlic. Then blend together.
2. Now grate half the lime skin to create a zest & squeeze all the limes’ juice into the blender.
3. Finally add the rest of the ingredients and blend into a smooth paste. Marinate the chicken in this blend overnight. Roast in the oven when ready.

Classic Gausht (Meat Curry)

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Serves approx. 15 people.

Ingredients:
2 tins chopped tomatoes
3 tsp cumin seeds & 2 tsp for step 2
3 lb chopped onions
1/3 litre oil & 1 cup for step 2
3 tsp salt & 3 tsp for step 4
3 fresh tomatoes chopped
Handful coriander stems
7-9 cinnamon sticks
9 whole cloves
5 – 7 cardamon pods
9 pepper balls
5lb lamb (leg/shoulder)
5 tbsp blended garlic and ginger paste
2 tbsp crushed garlic
3-5 tsp chilli paste
2 pinches saffron
5 bay leaves
4-5 tsp tumeric powder
7-9 tsp coriander powder
5-7 tsp cumin powder
3-5 tsp crushed red chillies
Whole green chillies & freshly chopped coriander leaves for garnishing

Method:
1. Fry whole cumin in oil. Then add the onions and salt. Let it fry till very onions become very brown. Add the tinned & fresh tomatoes. Simmer till oil bubbles for at the top.
2. In a separate pot fry the cinnamon, cloves and pepper balls in a cup of oil till the smell of the spices becomes prevalent. Then add the cumin and cardamon pods. Lastly add the coriander stems.
3. Now add the meat to the whole spice fry. When the colour of the meat add all the garlic, ginger, saffron and bay leaves. Cook on a low heat, covered for about an hour. Stir occasionally.
4. When the meat is fully cooked and all the powdered spices. Let it cook for a few minutes.
5. Finally add the fried onions from step 1. Let the curry simmer for a little while and then garnish with corriander and chillies. Serve hot with naan bread or rotis.