Mexican Haystack

Meal In A Dish


We all love food and this is a recipe I tried solely because of it's name. It sounded so appealing and intrigueing that it went on my list of must make recipes. Since it is a one pot meal, it's a great time saver, looks good and is economical to boot. Mexican Haystack is as delicious as it sounds and has become a hot favourite for spur of the moment parties.
The Recipe
3/4 cups crushed salt biscuits; 2 cups cooked rice; 500gms mince
1 large onion; chopped ½ cup tomato puree;1/4 cup water; seasoning to taste (chilli powder, chilli flakes, cayenne pepper, oregano, crushed garlic, jeera- powder, pepper powder); salt and pepper to taste; 1 cup shredded lettuce; 1 large tomato, diced; 1tbsp butter;1/8 cup maida; 1 cup milk; 1 soup cube.
50gms Amul Cheese; olives and corn chips.
Crush the salt biscuits and place at bottom of an oiled casserole dish. Spread rice on top. Cook mince,onion, tomato puree, seasoning with water until thick, simmering for 15-20 minutes. Spoon over rice. Sprinkle with lettuce and tomatoes.
Melt butter. Stir in flour until smooth. Gradually add milk and soup cube. Bring to a boil; cook until thick.. Reduce heat; stir in cheese until melted.
Pour over the tomatoes. Top with crushed corn chips, grated Amul cheese and olives. Serve as a one pot meal.

Tiramisu Happiness

18th Birthday Special

My baby girl has grown up. Gone are the days when she coaxed me to bake dinosaurs, horses, cats and other such animal delectables. Nowadays it is Black forest, designer shoes, pocket money and the like. Her 18th birthday demanded something very special for a very special girl, so Serita & I went through many recipes before deciding on the one and only 18th birthday cake. Since all of us detest raw eggs it had to be an eggless Tiramisu and we finally found the Queen of all recipes. Serita is an adept cook and so I left it all to her. For once all I had to do was help finish the cake. Viva la Ranita. May you grow in grace & beauty and may you be a shining name.

The Recipe

1 tbsp Nescafe Classic
1/2 cup hot water
1/4 cup white Jamaican rum (optional)
1/4 cup whipped cream
2 Tbsp icing sugar
500 gms Mascarpone cheese
20 sponge finger biscuits
2 tbsp chocolate chips
cocoa powder, for garnish(Optional)


Dissolve instant coffee powder in hot water. Let cool. Stir in half of the rum and chill in fridge.
Beat cream and icing sugar mixture in a large bowl with an electric mixer until soft peaks form. Fold in mascarpone and remaining rum.
Dip 10 of the sponge finger biscuits, one at a time, into the coffee mixture and arrange as a single layer on a 8 cm deep serving dish.
Spread half the cream mixture on top of the first layer of biscuits.
Dip remaining biscuits in coffee mixture, arrange over cream layer.
Spread remaining cream mixture on top of the second layer of biscuits.
Sprinkle with chocolate chips. Cover and refrigerate for about 6 hours. Garnish with cocoa powder if desired.
(I did not). Used grated pink chocolate instead.

Irresistible Chinese New Year Cookies

Green Peas Cookies


This Chinese New Year my attention was drawn to the pretty green cookies that resemble jade and as I have tasted them before decided to put up the recipe on my blog. They are absolutely irresistible and seldom last more than two days. Try it and see for yourself.

The Recipe:

250 gms wheat flour
250 gms green peas (buy the fried green peas used for snacks). Remove skin and grind to a powder in the mixer adding salt if needed only);150 gms icing sugar
150 ml corn oil
In a big mixing bowl, add the flour, ground green peas and icing sugar. Mix well with hands, to ensure a smooth dough without lumps. Add oil and knead well to combine the ingredients properly. Dough should not break or crumble easily. Add more oil if it does. Break off marble sized balls and shape into rounds. Beat an egg yolk and brush lightly on top (I omitted this as I do not like the smell when baked).
Bake at 150 C for 20 to 25 minutes.
Cookies are crunchy and melt in the mouth and absolutely irresistible.
Gong Xi Fa Chai & may The Year of the Rabbit bring prosperity, happiness, health and wealth to one and all.