Tuesday, January 12, 2010

Molten lava cake

As the name sounds....This is all you need to achieve heavenly bliss!!!!!!!
One can picture this cake, inverted and broken just to let the melted centre ooze out.
My littlest cousin is very fond of pastries and I could only think of him as I was making this. Here's for u Sandy!

The pics will be posted here soon!


Ingredients:

1/2 C Nestle semi-sweet chocolate chips
4 tbs butter
1 egg + 1 yolk
1/4 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 C confectioner's sugar, sifted
3 tbsp all-purpose flour, sifted


Preheat oven to 425 F and microwave butter and chocolate chips in a microwave-safe bowl for 45 seconds on high, then whisk until smooth.Add egg, egg yolk, sifted flour,powdered sugar and vanilla and whisk until smooth.Don't beat.

Grease individual tins with butter and flour the surface. Tap to remove any excess flour. Fill the molds/tins halfway and set in the oven for 13 to 15 mins. Remove while the centre is stil jiggly but the tops look done.

Let sit for 2 minutes then run a knife along the edges. Put a small plate upside down on top of the bowl and flip over. If you do it right, you should have a perfect looking upside chocolate cake that oozes chocolate when you crack it open.

Singapore Noodles

I have noodles on my mind ....just about any kind.....konkani style shevai, Chinese style lo-mien, Malay Pad Thai...and have been day dreaming about all the varieties of noodles and this cross-cultural dish came across my mind. I was on a mission for to make all the kinds, one at a time and this came first.
Shevai will be the highlight of this weekend...cant wait to get to that too. Eagerly waiting to borrow the 'danthe' from the Kini's. Go Kini's! whohoo!

My first taste of Singapore noodles was a few years ago and I was floored... and why not....a desi has to love this mildly curry flavoured and Asian inspired noodles. So, here's the recipe I followed and the variation( see the 'note') below.

Ingredients
1 (7-oz.) box rice stick noodles
2 quarts boiling water
1/3 cup soy sauce
1/2 teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper
1 pound large shrimp, peeled and deveined
3 tbs vegetable oil
1 tbsp minced chopped garlic
1 tbsp minced ginger
2 tbs mild curry powder ( I used kitchen king masala)
2 cups onions
2 cups red bell peppers
2 cups green bell peppers
1 cup carrots
1 cabbage
2 tbsp rice wine
2 cups bean sprouts

Directions:
Cover noodles with boiling water. Let sit for 30 minutes. Drain.
Combine salt, 1 tbsp soy sauce and pepper in a small bowl, add shrimp and toss with the sauce. Marinate for 30 minutes.

Heat 1 tbsp oil in a wok add shrimp and stir-fry for about 3 minutes, or until shrimp are pink. Transfer to a plate and set aside.
Heat 2 tbsp of oil in the wok until it begins to smoke. Remove from heat; add garlic, ginger and curry powder to wok and stir until fragrant, about 1 minute. Return wok to high heat; add onions and stir-fry until limp. Add pepper, red and green, carrots, cabbage and wine. Stir-fry until vegetables are tender, about 5 minutes.

Add shrimp, noodles, beansprouts and soy sauce to wok; This is best done in stages: sprinkle-toss-sprinkle-toss. Finish with a light drizzle with sesame oil.
cook until most of the liquid has been absorbed.

Note:
1.You will notice the noodles are not as greasy as the other noodles available in Asian restaurants.
2.I also added chopped jalapenos and pineapple pieces ( added along with the vegetables). This addition is done due to my love for hot and sweetness in my noodles and this is how it's served in my fav Vietnamese restaurant in Canton..."Basil Leaf".

Kaarathe thalasani


Another favourite dish of mine which is a passed down recipe from Mom. Although, I don't get the awesomeness of this dish when I cook it, I try my best to mimic the recipe and ingredients to achieve the lost taste...

The dishes pictured here are karathe thalasani,thendle thalasani, cabbage upkari and dalithoy, rice.
Ingredients
2 medium sized bitter gourd /kaarathe
4 cloves garlic, crushed
2 onions,thinly sliced
2 green chilies, finely chopped
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
1 tsp red chilli powder
1 tsp tamarind paste
Salt to taste

a few curry leaves
1/4 tsp mustard seeds
2 tbsp oil

Method
Cut the bitter gourd into half length wise. Slice along the width of the pieces as thin as you can.

Heat oil in a kadai and season with mustard seeds,, garlic,curry leaves, green chillies, gourd pieces and onions and saute till the bitter gourd and onions softens. Add 1 cup of water. Cover the kadai with the lid and cook this dish is completely cooked and evaporate most of the liquid.

Egg Biryani

Egg is my family's all-time favorite. Although, according to my husband, biryani is not Biryani until it has meat in it...but, everytime I make this, I don't need to endorse my cooking to bring him to the table.....biryani does the trick!

Ingredients
6 eggs

2 large onion
6 green chilies
1 tsp ginger garlic paste
1 tsp garam masala
1/2 tsp chilli powder
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
1/2 tsp dhaniya jeera powder

coriander leaves and mint leaves, finely chopped
few strands of saffron, soaked in 1/4 cup of warm milk

3 tbsp oil
Salt to taste

Basmati rice 2 cups
water to cook rice 3 cups
ghee 3 tbsp
bay leaves 2
cinnamon 1" pc
elaichi 2
cloves 2
salt

cashew nuts and raisins

Method
. cook eggs for exact 6 mins from boiling point. This ensures that the yolks are cooked but are still bright yellow.
.Cook rice with 3 cups of water,ghee, bay leaf, cinnamon, alaichi, clove and salt. This should cook the rice halfway through which is perfect for biryani.
.In a kadai, heat oil and fry the onions to golden brown, remove half of the onions and reserve for garnishing.In the same kadai, add cashew nuts, raisins,ginger-garlic paste, green chillies and masala powders and saute till the rawness of masala is cooked. Add salt, . Remove half of the mixture and set aside.
. Now layer half of the cooked rice , then layer the reserved masala mixture on top of the rice, chopped cilantro and mint leaves and sliced eggs. Do the same order for the remaining rice and sliced eggs. Garnish the top with the reserved fried onions and pour saffron milk by the spoonful in different corners and cover with aluminium foil and place it in a 300F oven for 25-30 mins.

After the biryani has been layered and set in the oven, it is best if left undisturbed until it is time to be served since the rice and eggs are cooked to perfection and overturning the dish may ruin its effect...take it from a foodie...u cant go wrong here!

tendle thalasani


Every amchigele knows what a thalasani is - garlic seasoned vegetable. My choice of vegetable today is thendle/thindora/thonde kai/gherkin.
Ingredients
2 lb of gherkins, crushed
3-5 red chillies, broken
5-6 cloves of garlic, lightly crushed
3 tbsp cooking oil
Salt to taste

Method
Crush each gherkins which a pestle,
Heat oil in a khadai, add garlic and red chillies
When garlic turns light brown add gherkins and saute. cover with the lid and cook the gherkin in medium heat.Occasionally, keep stirring the gherkin for even browning of the vegetable and add salt and stir-fry till completely cooked.