Chocolate and Almond Torte

A big hello to all my dear readers and a big apology for being out of touch for so long. My weekend Culinary School Baking courses have been really keeping me busy and the baking practice thereafter which leaves me with no time and energy for blogging. To top it all, the blogger app on my phone mysteriously disappeared and I could not find it again on the Apple Store again. Finally, I got my husband to buy a iPhone to laptop connector so that I can access my phone pictures and start blogging again. With this small glitch taken care of, I hope to get back to active blogging now and beginning it with a Superhit Dessert recipe which has got me rave reviews every time I have made it. A simple recipe that it is, the only hard part is baking the meringue and while I am still struggling to bake a clean base meringue, the final dessert does not actually change whether or not you have a perfectly baked meringue.
So go ahead and make this dessert and enjoy the superb compliments that come your way!
Recipe Source: From one of my sessions at the ICCS cook off

Ingredients

6 egg whites

1.5 tbsp cocoa powder, sifted

250 gms fine sugar (can bring it down to 200 gms if you like less sweet)

90 gms ground almonds (almond meal, almond flour)

For the filling and topping

300 ml whipping cream

100 gms dark chocolate, melted

Direction

Pre-heat the oven at 140 degree celcius and keep two oven safe 7" baking plates (I used oven safe ceramic dinner side plates for baking) ready. The plates do not need to be greased or lined. The size is actually not so important. The meringue discs just need to be baked big enough to fit into your final serving dish.

Take the egg whites in the bowl of your stand mixer or hand mixer and add the sugar. Beat the whites to stiff peaks such that when you hold the whisk up the peak should hold its shape and the bowl inverted upside down doesn't drip down. Now fold in the sifted cocoa powder and the ground almonds and take care not to over mix. A few specks of unmixed cocoa powder here and there is fine. You must take care not to deflate the meringue.

Scoop out equal portions of the meringue into the plates and bake at 140 degree Celsius for 40-50 minutes until the top is dry to touch. Now slightly open the oven door and let the meringue discs cool inside the oven until completely cooled.

While the meringue cools in the oven, prepare the cream. Whisk the cream to soft peaks using your hand mixer or stand mixer. Now slowly pour in the chocolate and whip to stiff peaks. Keep aside in the fridge covered until ready to use.

Now, take your preferred serving dish (preferably of the same size as the meringue discs) and place one of the discs carefully on it. It is possible that the discs may break as you try to lift it or it may just stick at the bottom. That is completely fine. The shape of the meringue does not really alter the dish as it will be covered in cream. Scoop out the meringue keeping most of the crunchy part equally spread across the dish. Top it with a generous amount of cream and spread it out evenly. Layer it with the other layer of meringue disc following the same procedure as the previous one. Top it with the remaining cream and smooth out the top. Cover the dish with clingwrap and let it set in the fridge for 2-3 hours.

Garnish with fresh Strawberries or chocolate shards and serve chilled!!

Vietnamese Fresh Rice Spring Rolls

These rolls are as fresh as fresh can be. Prepared in a jiffy and so refreshing to eat, these rolls are a perfect starter on a hot summer day. I have recently joined a cooking group which meets fortnightly and consists of members from across the globe. There are over 300 members from across 73 countries divided into 26-27 groups of 10-12 members each. The members of each group meet fortnightly or weekly or monthly and one of them hosts the session each time with a cooking demo and followed by a lunch thereafter. Not only do you get to learn and taste different cuisines free of cost, you also meet wonderful people from across the globe and get to know different cultures and eating habits. Isn't that a wonderful group to be in? I am completely loving being a part of it and this recipe is just the beginning of many such sessions (read recipes) that I shall be attending (tasting and trying) in the future. So stay tightly tuned!! 

Ingredients 

Fot the rolls

Rice paper sheets preferably 8" (else it gets too small and fat to roll)

1/2 cup Rice flour vermicelli 

Few leaves of lettuce and cilantro 

Few slices of mango cut lengthwise 

Few slices of baby cucumber cut lengthwise 

Handful of shrimps 

1/4 cup boiled and shredded chicken 

Few pieces of an omelette cut lengthwise (optional, I skipped)

For the sauce 

3 cloves of garlic finely chopped 

1" piece of ginger finely chopped 

2 tsp brown sugar

5 tsp sesame oil

5 tsp extra virgin olive oil 

6 tsp light soya sauce 

2 tsp lime juice (or 3/4 tsp vinegar)

2 extra hot chillies chopped 

Direction

Prepare the sauce first. One thing to note about this sauce is that it can and is better prepared little ahead so that the flavors are well blended and infused for maximum taste. The left over sauce can be enjoyed with boiled noodles (or the vermicelli if left over) or even with steamed rice. It is simply delicious! Just mix all ingredients under sauce and keep it aside until used. If storing for the next day, keep it in the refrigerator. The vinegar/lemon juice helps keep it fresh for longer. 

Next get the vermicelli ready. Soak the rice vermicelli in tap water for 10-15 minutes till slightly soft. Now take a bowl of boiling water (off the stove) and dip the soaked and drained vermicelli in the hot water and keep it soaked for a maximum of 10 minutes or until just soft. Take care as too much soaking in the hot water will make them soggy. This is how they should look. 

Now time to prepare the rolls. Take a huge bowl of room temperature drinking water and set your station with the filling well arranged in one plate and the dry sheets and the bowl of water on one side. 

Dip a rice sheet in the big bowl of water and quickly take it out and place it in your kitchen counter or plate. Fill it up with all the ingredients starting with the lettuce, cilantro, mango, cucumber, shrimps, chicken, omelette strips, and the vermicelli. Now roll it up carefully from one end and tucking the filling in as you proceed. When you reach the end, just fold in the two edges from both ends. They will stick to the surface. Place the roll on a plate and proceed to make the next one. It is possible that the sheets tear in the process of rolling. That is when you soak them too long or the sheets are not too fresh. Don't worry, just procced and a few torn edges do not really matter. 

Serve with the sauce and enjoy this popular Vietnamese delicacy!! 

Garlic Knots

Bread baking is a superb stress buster and very satisfying too. When you see your ball of dough puff up like a mountain in the first rise, your chest also doubles up equally with joy in anticipation of eating something awesomely yummy fresh and hot from the oven. I had hosted an all Italian dinner at my place this weekend and to make it even more enticing, I decided to bake my bread at home to compliment my Lasagna. The bread superseded my expectations in every way right from the first rise, the oven spring to the cottony soft texture!! My happiness knew no bounds and even more so when my guests couldn't stop praising my efforts and the food. 

Ingredients 

3 cups all purpose flour (I used bread flour but APF works equally well)

2 1/4 tsp active dry yeast 

1 tbsp sugar

1 tsp salt 

3/4 cup warm water plus 1/2 cup for kneading 

2 tbsp butter softened 

For the garlic wash

1 tbsp butter

2 tbsp olive oil

1-2 tbsp garlic finely chopped (depending in how garlicky you want your knots)

2 tbsp parsley finely chopped 

Direction 

Dissolve the yeast in 3/4 cup warm water (43.3 degree celcius to be precise or till you are able to bear a drop of water on the back of your wrist) and sugar and let it stand till frothy and doubled in volume. 

Mix the flour and salt and add the frothy yeasty liquid to it. Mix with your hands or a spoon until the flour just comes together. It is not required that it forms a dough at this point. Cover and let the dough hydrate for 15 minutes. 

Now add the remaining water little at a time and start kneading the dough. Once the dough starts coming together, transfer to a clean kitchen counter or silicon mat and knead with the heels of your hands till the stickiness of the dough is almost gone. Now flatten the dough slightly with your hands and put 1 tbsp butter on the flattened base and fold in. Bang, fold, and knead the dough with all force till the butter is all absorbed and the dough is smooth with no stickiness. Again roll out the dough with the hands and apply the remaining butter and fold, bang, fold and knead like before till the dough is smooth to touch and and soft and elastic. Oil a bowl and transfer the dough to the bowl and grease it too. Cover and let it rest either in one corner of the kitchen counter or inside the microwave (basically a warm and humid place) until doubled in volume. 

Now deflate the dough and punch down the dough for 2-3 minutes. Line a baking tray with parchment paper and divide the dough into two. Keep one part of the dough in the bowl covered while working on the other. Using a rolling pin, roll out the dough into a circle of 1/3" thickness. With the help of a knife cut long strips. 

Pick one strip and make a knot (bring both ends together and then push one end into the circle making a knot). Place it on the prepared baking tray. 

Repeat with the rest of the strips and the dough. Place the knots 1" apart as you keep them covered in a warm place for their second rise, about 1 hour or until doubled in size. Singapore is quite hot and humid these days and so it took me just 45 minutes in both the proofings for the dough to rise. 

Pre-heat the oven 20 minutes before the end of the second rise at 225 degree celcius. Now make the garlic wash. Melt the butter and oil together on the stove top and add the garlic. Stir for a minute and then remove from heat and add the parsley. Stir and cool it to room temperature. Now brush the cooled garlic wash generously (but gently) on the puffed up knots. Take care not to deflate the risen knots by hard brushing or hot garlic wash. 

Bake in the pre-heated oven at 200 degree celcius for 15 minutes or until golden on top and sounds hollow when tapped. Remove from the oven and brush again with the remaining garlic wash. Transfer to a wire rack and cool completely!

Hainanese Chicken Rice

Now staying in Singapore the one dish which you cannot miss, apart from the dumplings, is Chicken Rice. While the dumplings are quite a task to make at home, the same cannot be said about this dish. As easy as it sounds, it is equally easy to make. In Singapore, every food court in every nook and corner of this island has this dish in their menu and the price varies from $2 to somewhere around $6 depending upon the condiments they serve with it. While it is quite convenient to grab this dish anytime of the day when you are not in a mood to cook at home, eating outside is not a very healthy option especially when your kid relishes this dish just like you. So when my kind neighbor's maid told me the recipe the other day while walking back our babies from school, I was all so excited to try it the next day. I did a bit of marination to infuse some flavor into the chicken but if you are running short of time, you can skip that. So whether you stay in Singapore or not, you can now relish this Singaporean speciality from the comfort of your home and that too quite easily!!

Ingredients

4 chicken thigh pieces, skin and fat removed (the shops here sell the cooked chicken skin on and if you like it that way, you can keep it too)

2 tbsp dark soya sauce

2 tbsp sesame oil (I used 100% pure sesame oil which you can find alongside any chilli garlic oil or where the regular ketchups are stacked in the supermarkets)

4 fat cloves of garlic finely crushed

1 1/2" ginger finely crushed

Salt to taste

2 1/2 cups Thai Mali Hom Rice (long grain fragrant rice)

4 cups of water

1 cup mushroom sliced

1 cup rooted sprouts

Direction

As I said earlier, if you have time, you csn wash and marinate the chicken with the soya sauce, sesame oil, crushed ginger garlic, and salt and keep aside for 2-3 hours. If running out of time, you can directly take a wide vessel and fill it with 4 cups of water and bring it to a boil. Add the chicken, preferably without any overlapping, and all the other ingredients of marination and cover and cook on a medium low flame till done. If marinating, do add the juices and all the ingredients left in the marination bowl into the boiling vessel to ensure maximum flavor. 

Once the chicken is done (which takes about 10-15 minutes), take the chicken out with the help of a slotted spoon and put the flame to low while you quickly wash and rinse the rice. Thai Mali Hom rice usually requires just a single rinse and is not advisable to soak it in advance as it gets cooked very quickly and soaking will make the rice soggy. Now add the washed and drained rice into the hot chicken broth and stir. Cover and cook till the rice absorbs all the water. Make sure you keep stirring the rice in between while being cooked so that it does not stick to the bottom. Once done, switch  off the flame and keep covered till served. Thai Rice is recommended to br cooked till 90% done and the rest gets cooked while it rests being covered. 

For the condiments, add a little oil in a pan and stir fry the mushrooms and rooted sprouts with salt and pepper till just done. You can use any vegetable or greens of your choice. You can also lightly pan roast the boiled chicken pieces to get a crispy outer cover, just like I did. With more time at hand, you can even serve it with some freshly prepared clear chicken broth and chilli garlic sauce for enhanced taste!! 

Spicy Tangy Tom Yum Soup

Mondays mean the start of another week of healthy eating and restrain. While my Father-in-Law was happily gorging on some Fish Head curry with rice and daal, I made myself this super quick and super nutritious Thai Tom Yum soup for my dinner. In fact, this soup is currently under study as a dish for boosting your immunity and to help you recover from cold and flu. I have made a semi-vegetarian version but you can make endless variations once you get the basic ingredients ready. With winters approaching and the weather changing, a spicy tangy Thai Tom Yum Soup is all you need to keep your body warm inside out! Have it as an appetizer or as a complete nutritious meal in itself!

Ingredients

750 ml chicken/veg stock (a good tasting stock makes all the difference)

2 stalks lemongrass minced

1 thumb sized galangal (Thai ginger) or regular ginger (if you do not have galangal) cut into juliennes

4-5 kaffir lime leaves

2 shallots roughly chopped

1 tbsp lime juice (juice of 1 lime approximately)

1/2 cup broccoli florets (you can use bell peppers, carrots, bok choy, spinach leaves or any veggie that you have at hand)

3-4 big cloves of garlic minced

1 cup sliced mushroom

1/2 cup cherry tomatoes halved (I used quartered regular tomatoes)

Tofu cubes (optional; I did not add any)

1/2 cup coconut milk (I used thin one)

3-4 tbsp fish sauce (optional)

2-3 tbsp soy sauce (increase to 3-4 tbsp if not using fish sauce)

1 tsp brown sugar

3-4 fresh green/red chilli cut diagonally

Salt to taste (remember the sauce and the store bought stock, if using, will already have salt)

Few coriander and basil leaves for garnishing and flavor

Direction

Put the stock in a soup pot and add the minced lemongrass, julienned galangal, lime leaves, garlic, chillies, and shallots and bring it to a boil for 3-5 minutes till a wonderful aroma arises. Now simmer and add the mushrooms. Cover and cook till tender. Now add the tomatoes and broccoli (or any other veggie) and cook till the broccoli is still a bit crunchy but done. Now remove from heat and add the coconut milk, lime juice, fish sauce, soy sauce, and sugar and put it back on flame. Keep it on a low flame and stir until well combined. Check the seasoning and adjust accirdingly for a spicy tangy flavor. Remove from heat and garnish with fresh coriander and basil and serve hot!! 

Cambodian Fish Amok

On my recent trip to Cambodia, the one thing that really made my trip memorable, apart from the awesome Spa and the wonderful hospitality of the local people, was this Cambodian speciality called the Fish Amok. Simple delicate flavors of Coconut, Lemon Grass, Lime leaves, and Galangal to name a few, made into a paste and marinated with the fish and then carefully wrapped in Banana leaves takes this dish to a different level altogether. What I like best about this dish is that it is completely oil free and yet so yummy to taste. I did not have banana leaves at hand today and so had to manage with small portion-sized oven-safe bakeware to make this. While I had got the readymade spice mix for this preparation from the resort, the same is equally easy to make at home. The resort's Head Chef was kind enough to share the recipe with me. If you are not sure whether you will be getting a chance to visit Cambodia, I highly recommend to make this dish and enjoy their local cuisine from the comforts of your home!

Ingredients

400 gms boneless fish

5 kaffir lime leaves (I love the flavor and so added extra although it is already present in the spice paste)

1/2 cup coconut freshly grated

1/2 cup coconut milk plus a little extra while serving

4-5 whole red chillies

1 tbsp oyster sauce or fish sauce

1 tsp sugar

Salt to taste

4 tsp Amok Spice paste

2 lemongrass stems (inner core only) grated

4 lime leaves finely shredded

1/2 tsp turmeric powder

1 tbsp grated galangal (Thai ginger root)

3 garlic cloves chopped

1 medium onion chopped

2-3 whole dry red chillies

Direction

Clean and wash the fish fillet and cut into small 1/2" chunks. Keep it in a bowl. 

Now add all the ingredients listed under the spice paste and make a smooth paste, adding little water as required. Do not add a lot of water but just enough to make a fine but not watery paste. Keep aside. 

Now make a paste with the grated coconut, whole red chillies, and lime leaves adding just a dash of water as required. 

Mix the fish with the coconut paste, 4 tsp spice paste (you may finish it off if only a little is left behind or store in a air-tight jar in the refrigetator for later use), salt, sugar, coconut milk, oyster sauce, and coat all the fish chunks evenly. 

Pre-heat the oven at 200 degree celsius. Take portion-sized ovensafe bakeware or any bakeware of your choice and transfer the fish mixture to the dish. 

Take an aluminium foil and cover the dish completely.

Bake in the pre-heated oven for 25-30 minutes until the fish is cooked through. Top it with some more coconut milk and serve hot with steamed rice.

Please note that this dish is best baked in banana leaves. However, I did not have any at hand and so prepared it this way. 

 

Lamingtons - An Australian Delight

Honestly, I have never tasted these before but I can guarantee mine do not taste any less than those in the bakeries! Buttery soft, melt-in-the-mouth, these are the most sinful delights I have had in recent times after those Gulab Jamuns. Soaked in a silky rich chocolate sauce and dredged in a sea of dessicated coconut, these are the one of the best frosted cakes I have had and, for a change, husband also ate them happily without making a fuss about the calories. The best thing about these are that you can store them in the refrigerator in an airtight container for as long as about 2 weeks (maybe even more) and keep nibbling on them little at a time, to soothe your sweet tooth. I have selected this post to be sent as a Guest Post for my dear friend and fellow blogger, Swayampurna Mishra Singh's awesome blog LaPetit Chef. She has a beautiful blog with some of the most delicious recipes presented in the most amazing way you can ever imagine. I wanted my post to be befitting her beautiful blog and I hope she likes it.

Ingredients

For the Lamingtons

1 1/2 cup all purpose flour (maida)

2 eggs at room temperature

1 cup fine granulated sugar (I used 3/4 cup brown sugar as I don't like it too sweet)

1/2 cup butter at room temperature

1/4 tsp salt

1 tsp vanila essence

120 ml milk at room temperature

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

For the chocolate sauce

4 cups icing sugar 

1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

3 tbsp butter (preferably unsalted) cut into squares

120 ml milk at room temperature

For the coating

3/4 cup grated dry coconut or dessicated coconut unsweetened

Direction

For the Lamingtons

Pre heat the oven at 175 degree celsius and grease a 23 cm or 9" square cake pan. Line the bottom with parchment paper and keep aside. It is important to grease and then line your baking tin so that the paper stays in place when you pour the batter and hence avoid a disfigured cake. 

In a bowl, beat the softened butter till soft and creamy. Make sure you do not use melted butter. Now add the sugar and beat further till fluffy and smooth. Add the eggs one at a time and beat well till incorporated. Add the vanila extract and whip. Sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt. In three batches, add the flour to the egg and butter mixture with two batches of the milk in between. That is, first add the flour, mix, then the milk, and then again the flour, followed by milk and the last batch of flour. Make sure you fold in the flour and milk completely at each addition before putting in the next batch. 

Spread the batter into the prepared cake pan and level the top with the help of a spoon or spatula. Tap the bottom on the kitchen counter to avoid any air bubbles in the batter. Bake in the pre heated oven for 20-25 minutes till a toothpick inserted comes out clean. 

Remove the pan from the oven and let the cake cool in the pan, kept on a wire rack, for 10 minutes. Now with the help of another wire rack, turn the cake over and remove the pan as well as the parchment paper and immediately turn it over again, right side up. Take extreme care while handling the cake as it is extremely soft and prone to break. Now let the cake cool completely on the rack. 

Once cooled, cut the cake into 16 even squares. 

For the chocolate sauce

Place the powdered sugar, cocoa powder, butter, and milk in a bowl, preferably with a long handle, placed over a bigger saucepan of simmering water. Stir the mixture until it becomes smooth and of pouring consistency.

Assembling the Lamingtons

Put the dessicated coconut on a plate. Keep the chocolate sauce in a bowl near the cake squares and a third plate to keep the square once coated. Now pick a square, gently coat it in the chocolate sauce on all sides except the one without the crust and immediately roll on the dry coconut and keep it on the plate. Repeat with the rest of the squares. If the frosting becomes too thick, put it back on the simmering water till it is back to pouring consistency again. You may also add a tsp of milk if required. 

Once the lamingtons have set, put them in an air tight container in the refrigerator for as long as you want. Enjoy!

Chicken Escalopes in Lemon Butter Sauce

Liking some celebrity chef's page comes handy in a long way. First, you get to hear names of some dishes you have never heard of or eaten and second, when you google out the recipes or they provide it to you, you are simply amazed at how simple it is to make. Same is the case with this recipe. The name "Escalope" sounds so heavy and difficult that any newbie home chef would escape from making it. However, it is nothing but a close cousin of our very own chicken nuggets, with a few changes here and there. So never judge anything by its name and keep enjoying what you like to do best!

                                   

Ingredients

2 chicken breast pieces, washed and cleaned, skin removed

10-15 sage leaves finely chopped (in the absence of sage you can substitute with any fresh herb)

1 tbsp freshly ground coarse black pepper

5-6 tbsp plain flour

1 large egg

1/4 cup milk

6-7 tbsp breadcrumbs or as required (I used wheatgerm as the healthier option and it has the same texture as breadcrumbs)

Salt to taste

1 tbsp butter

1/2 a lemon juice

1 tbsp olive oil for shallow frying or as required

Direction

Place the chicken breasts, one piece at a time, sandwiches between two pieces of aluminium foil and beat it flat with a rolling pin till widened and thinned a little. However, take care not to beat it so hard as to mash it. It should be flattened to form a disc like shape but thick enough to hold its shape. This is called an Escalope, and hence the name!

                                

                                

Season the escalopes with the herbs, salt, and black pepper and let it sit for 5-10 minutes while you get the rest of the things ready. Tip the flour onto a plate, beat the eggs and milk together in a bowl, and keep the breadcrumbs or wheatgerm ready in another plate.

                               

Now heat oil in a pan. Dredge the escalopes, one at a time, in the flour. Shake off the excess and then dip in the egg bowl and finally roll in the crumbs generously and fry in the pan on medium  flame till golden on both sides and chicken cooked through, about 5-7 minutes. Chicken breasts tend to dry out quickly and hence take care while cooking. Do not overcook. Repeat for the rest of the pieces and arrange on a plate.

Now heat the butter in a smaller pan and let it brown. Squeeze the lemon juice and add it to the butter and remove from heat. Drizzle this sauce over the chicken and serve hot!

                                     

Middle Eastern Lemon Yogurt Grilled Chicken

Sometimes it is best to go by the recipes which have given you satisfactory results in the past rather than venturing out to try new recipes for the same. The same happened with me last evening when I set out to try a new recipe for Pita Bread instead of following my own which I had done in the past with quite satisfactory results. Neither of my Pita puffed up this time and was quite a disappointment. I would not say that the recipe was wrong since the same one was tried by my friend with wonderful results. May be it was just not my day. The bread was yummy and soft, nevertheless, but minus the pockets. To go with it, I had marinated some chicken in Middle Eastern Style and the way it turned out once grilled totally compensated for all the Pita disappointment. Juicy, flavorsome, soft, and succulent, this grilled chicken was one of the yummiest grilled chicken I have had in recent times!

Ingredients

500 gms chicken boneless breast (I used with bones)

3 tbsp thick yogurt

Juice of 1 lemon

1 tsp red chilli flakes

1 tsp cumin powder

1 tsp coriander powder

3 cloves garlic, minced or grated

Salt and pepper to taste

Oil to grease the baking dish

Direction

In a bowl, mix all the ingredients for the marinade and add the chicken, washed and cut. Coat the chicken properly and prick with a fork all over. Marinate for a minimum of 2 hours and upto overnight. 

Pre-heat the oven at 220 degree celsius. Line a baking tray with aluminium foil and grease it with oil. Arrange the chicken pieces in a single layer and discard the marinade. Grill in the pre heated oven for 15 minutes while flipping once in 10 minutes. You can also pan sear the chicken in a shallow frying pan.

                                       

Baked Falafel with Tahini Yogurt Dip

Cooking for family and for special invitees is never the same. While for the former you can always experiment and afford to go wrong, the same cannot be said for the latter and especially when they are your husband's foreign colleagues. This Saturday I have a mammoth task of hosting some multi-national guests ranging from Australians, Deutche, Chinese, and some Indians too. While initially the plan was to avoid any Indian food considering the low tolerance to Indian spices of my guests, but on special request the menu has been altered to accomodate the same. Cooking for 10 people with no help is completely out of my range. So I decided to keep some heavy starters/appetisers for the guests to have with drinks and by the time dinner is served, they will be already half full, saving me the effort of cooking in huge quantity! 

I wanted to do a trial run before the actual dinner and rectify any mistake or improvements that I may need. So here is the first recipe for the starters that I intend to serve, Baked Falafels with Tahini Yogurt Dip. It is a popular Middle Eastern dish served with Pita bread, Grilled Meat, and Salads. Hummus is also one of the popular condiments but I have kept it for some other day. The falafels are traditionally deep fried but I decided to go a little off beat and baked them which not only is good for health but also saves you from the effort of standing and frying all the balls. The baked falafels were however equally crunchy and beautifully browned like their fried counterparts and were quite soft and juicy from the inside too. So no compromise with taste while still high on health.

                                     

Ingredients

For the Falafel

1 cup chickpeas soaked overnight and half a day and changing the water once in a while

1 stalk of spring onions, white included

4 fat cloves of garlic

2-3 stalks of coriander leaves

Half a fistful of mint leaves

2-3 stalks of parsley

2 tbsp olive oil

1 tsp cumin powder

1 tsp coriander powder

Juice of half a big lemon

Salt and pepper to taste

For the Tahini Yogurt Dip

1/2 cup thick hung curd ( I used greek yogurt)

1 tbsp sesame seeds lightly toasted

1 tsp minced mint leaves

1 tsp minced parsley

1 tbsp red chilli flakes

1 tsp black pepper powder

Juice of half a big lemon

Salt to taste

1 tbsp olive oil

Direction

Making the Dip

In a coffee grinder, grind the toasted sesame seeds to a fine powder till oil separates and then add the olive oil to make a smooth paste. The consistency should be thick but pouring. 

In a bowl, beat the hung curd/greek yogurt till smooth and add all the ingredients. Add 1 tsp of the tahini (Sesame paste) while reserving the rest in a airtight bowl in the refrigerator and use within a week. Mix everything well and keep in the refrigerator until used.

        

Making the Falafels

Wash and drain the soaked chickpeas. In a mixie or food processor, grind the chickpeas till smooth without adding any water. Now add the parsley and mint and pulse till blended. Next add the coriander and spring onions and pulse till well blended again. Add the garlic, spices, salt, and olive oil and continue blending till light and fluffy. Pulsing the ingredients one at a time is the key to a fine lump free paste. 

Now generously grease a mini muffin tray with olive oil while pre-heating the oven at 200 degree celsius. Take plum sized balls from the mixture and gently give it the shape of a ball and place it in the greased mini muffin holes. Continue with the rest of the mixture. You may need to make it in two batches as I had a 12 hole muffin pan and this mixture yields about 22-23 balls. The rest of the mixture you can shape it into balls and arrange on a plate and refrigerate till half hour before baking time. 

                                    

Bake in the pre heated oven for 15 minutes on one side and then flipping the sides and bake for another 10 minutes on the other side. Be careful not to over brown the falafels which will result in a dry inside. Monitor the temperature as well as the time as per your oven conditions.

                                   

Serve the falafel with the yogurt dip and enjoy Middle Eastern Cuisine from the comforts of your home!

Sweet and Spicy Iranian Carrot Pickle

I saw this recipe almost 3 months back and ever since, it was on my mind. In fact, I had bought my first pack of dried apricots just for this recipe and while I still kept fiddling with the thought of making it, the apricots managed to score highest on my favorite dry fruit list and now a regular in my pantry. Some more months would have still passed by before I could make this pickle when finally yesterday I did some jar shopping and I knew now is the time. Not that the recipe is difficult to make, in fact it is one of the simplest ones to make. I was just occupied with a few more important things and today when I finally made it, I realize what I had been missing all this while. The recipe was shared by a very talented fellow food blogger Amrita Gill which was passed on to her by her Iranian friend in her college days. A must try recipe, especially if you love your pickles and chutneys!

                                

Ingredients

2 cups carrot grated

1 1/2 cups fine grain sugar

1/4 cup balsamic vinegar (can be replaced with sugarcane vinegar or apple cider vinegar or any sweet vinegar)

1/3 cup dried apricots sliced

1/3 cup raisins

1/3 cup dates (I did not add as I do not like)

3 cloves garlic finely chopped

1/4 tsp garam masala powder

1/2 tsp turmeric powder

1 tbsp heaped red chilli powder

Salt to taste

Direction

Soak the apricots and raisins in the vinegar overnight in the refrigerator, preferably in a glass bowl. 

Heat a pan and add the carrots followed by the sugar. Strain the soaked apricots and raisins and add the soaked vinegar from the bowl. Let the mixture come to a boil while stirring continuously on a medium flame. Now add the chopped garlic, soaked and strained fruits followed by the spices. Mix everything well and let the mixture reduce while stirring in between. When all the liquid evaporates, remove from heat and transfer to glass jar or bowl and keep the lid open.  Refrigerate once completely cool. Enjoy with a wide range of Indian breads, fritters, samosas, or anything that you fancy!

                                     

Bangladeshi Chittagong Chicken Curry

By now, all my friends across the globe know me well by my blog and also made many new friends through this common platform. How amazing technology is! People, whom I haven't met in ages and some whom I have never met as well, get connected through a common interest. Today's recipe is one such result of this amazing connection. A friend in Bangladesh, whom I have never met, shared this awesome chicken recipe with me which is famously called the Chittagong Chicken Curry, named after a place in Bangladesh. The curry is different in taste from other bengali curries and even though mildly spiced, it has a strong coriander flavor and is quite a refreshing change. Serve it with some Indian flatbreads and enjoy this wonderful delicacy shared by our neighbours.

Ingredients

750 gms chicken, washed and cut

4 tbsp + 1 tsp coriander seeds

6-8 whole dry red chillies (as per your heat tolerance, I added 6 and was easily had by my baby with plain rice)

1 tsp kashmiri chilli powder

6 medium onions (3/4 made into a paste and rest finely sliced)

1 tbsp garlic paste

2 tbsp cashew paste (soak about 12-14 cashews and grind)

2 tbsp Mustard oil, divided

Salt to taste

Fresh coriander leaves for garnishing

Direction

Dry roast the 4 tbsp coriander seeds and whole red chillies until fragrant. Cool and make a fine powder. 

Marinate the chiceken with this powder, garlic paste, little salt, 1 tbsp mustard oil, and red chilli powder for at least 1-2 hours or overnight. 

In a pan, heat the remaining mustard oil and add the 1 tsp coriander seeds. Let it brown and then add the sliced onions. Fry till pink and then add the onion paste.  Continue frying till the onion changes color to golden. Now add the chicken along with the marinade and stir. Mix the spices and the fried onions well. Continue frying till the chicken is slightly browned and oil starts appearing from the sides. Now add about 1/2 cup water and stir. Cover and cook on a medium flame till chicken is cooked thoroughly and oil again appears on top. Remove the cover and adjust seasoning. Add the cashew paste and fresh coriander leaves and let the gravy simmer on a medium flame till reduced to desired consistency. This dish is best eaten with parathas, naan, roti, or pooris. So the lesser gravy the better. Serve hot!

                                         

Thai Basil Chicken

Me and my husband are travel freaks and out of all the holidays we have been to so far, we love Thailand the best. It is best in every aspect, be it food, hospitality, beaches, safety, shopping, and anything and everything about it. While we are true fans of Thai cuisine, we particularly love the Thai Basil Chicken and the Thai Green Curry and can continue eating them day in and day out. However with the political unrest going on in Thailand, we do not know when we can visit it next and so decided to recreate some old memories with this extremely easy and quick Thai Basil Chicken. It is so simple to make that by the time your Jasmine rice gets cooked (in about 20 mins), your chicken is also ready to be served hot from the pan, which is ideal way to do it. Thai Basil Chicken is best served straight from the pan and with a bowl of fragrant steamed Jasmine rice and a fried egg. A typical Thai Street Food getting served right from your kitchen!

                                      

Ingredients

300 gms boneless chicken (I used thigh boneless)

5 fat cloves of garlic

3-4 thai red chilli (regular fresh red chilli will do)

A generous handful of fresh Basil leaves stem removed

2 tsp oyster sauce (if not available, can be substituted with fish sauce)

1 tsp dark soy sauce

1/2 tsp sugar

Salt to taste

1 tbsp oil

Direction

Wash and cut the chicken into bite sized chunks. Mince or finely cut the garlic and chillies. Heat oil in a pan and add the garlic and chillies. Fry till slightly browned and fragrant. Now add the chicken and fry till tender, about 7-10 minutes. Do not overcook, else your chicken will turn dry. You can cover the pan to speed up the process. Now add the sauces and the sugar. Stir and cook till the chicken is coated well. Now add the basil leaves and check for seasoning as the sauces already contain salt. Simmer for 2-3 minutes until the basil leaves are just wilted. The leaves will continue to cook even after removing from heat. So do not overcook. Serve inmediately with hot Jasmine Rice and a fried egg.

                                      

  

Egyptian Dessert with Couscous

I know you must be wondering what is wrong with me to keep posting recipes with couscous. The fact is, there are a few new ingredients I have recently come across and I really want to experiment with those. However, knowing myself, I know that once I buy those set of ingredients, I am sure to ignore this jar of couscous for another couple of months until maybe it gets spoilt. That would definitely not make me a good homemaker! Besides, I have no space in my pantry for any new jar and so I want to get done with the couscous and happily refill the jar with something equally interesting. After yesterday's superhit Couscous Pizza, I spent some time in the night looking for more variations and was quite happy to fish this super easy recipe popular in Egypt. I reduced the recipe to 1/4th as I wasn't too sure about the taste, which was pleasantly different and refreshing. Also, it is low on calories and so even more reason to eat and be happy!

                                         

Ingredients

1/4 cup couscous

1/2 cup fruit juice (I used orange juice)

2 tsp butter

2 tbsp almond pistachio meal (take a handful of almonds and pistachios and grind them. You can either remove the skin of the almonds or keep it)

2-3 tbsp crushed candied/roasted almonds

1 tbsp brown sugar

1 tsp cinammon sugar for sprinkling

Direction

Bring the fruit juice to a boil and switch off the gas. Now add the couscous and mix. Let it stand for 10 minutes. Now fork the couscous and stir in the melted butter. Mix well. Add the almond pistachio meal and mix again. Lastly add the brown sugar and mix. Transfer to a serving bowl and sprinkle the cinnamon sugar. Top it with the crushed almonds and chill until served.

                                       

Flourless Healthy Pizza

First of all, a big sorry to my friends from India who may not find the key ingredient of this recipe in their nearby stores. People living in metros, however, do stand a chance of finding it in speciality stores or in the international section of big supermarkets. Today's experiment in the kitchen, after all the high calorie cooking in the recent weeks, is with a form of wheat called  "couscous" which is derived from Durum Wheat and is quite similar to Semolina in texture. You can call it an intermediate between rice and pasta. Couscous is a powerhouse of essential nutrients, the most important being lean protein and dietary fiber and a host of vitamins including vitamin B. It is a very good source of protein for my vegetarian friends and also a healthy diet option for the weight watchers. To know more about the health benefits of couscous, you can ask our trusted friend google for more advanced information.

Coming back to the recipe, I basically had a big jar of couscous lying in the pantry and since I am not a big fan of it I wasn 't giving it much importance as well. However, now my pantry is almost out of stock with every legumes and lentils and so this neglected jar of couscous finally found its place in my menu. I wasn't too sure how it will be accepted by my family, but I was pleasantly surprised to see that they enjoyed the new taste and variety in the regular pizza. It not only tasted yummy, but also offered a unique variation coupled with the regular pizza toppings. All in all, it was a very satisfying meal and feeling happy and relaxed by presenting something healthy for the family to eat. 

                                        

Ingredients

For the couscous

1 cup couscous

1/2 cup hot water

1 tbsp olive oil

Other ingredients

1/3 cup assorted veggies (I used diced carrots, peas, and corn)

2 eggs

Herbs of your choice (I used oregano and basil)

A handful of fresh parsley

1 tbsp olive oil, divided

Salt and pepper to taste

For the topping

2-3 tbsp pizza sauce

1/3 cup sliced mushrooms lightly sauteed in olive oil till the water content dries up

Sliced olives (use as per liking)

Grated cheese

Direction

In a bowl, place the boiling water and add the dry couscous. Nicely mix and keep covered for 10 minutes. Fork well and add 1 tbsp olive oil. 

Blanch the assorted veggies till soft. In a bowl, beat the eggs and half of the olive oil and whip till smooth. Add the couscous, salt, herbs, pepper powder, parsley, and the blanched veggies and mix well. At this point, I transferred the contents into a blender and pulsed a few times to get the mixture together and mash the big chunks. You can also do this with a potato masher. 

Pre-heat the oven at 180 degree celsius. Line a pizza tray or pie dish with parchment paper and transfer the couscous base onto it. Press it down with a spatula and spread it evenly on all sides. Drizzle the remaining olive oil on top and sprinkle some additional pepper powder. 

                                         

Bake in the pre heated oven for 20-25 minutes until the top starts slightly browning and feels little firm. Remove from oven and spread the pizza sauce and arrange the toppings. Garnish with cheese as per your choice and liking and bake it again for 10 minutes until the cheese starts melting and the toppings brown. Serve hot!