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!! 

Strawberry Crumble

With loads of strawberries packed in the freezer and not really keen to indulge in high calorie desserts, this extremely easy Strawberry Crumble recipe was such a delight. The best part about this recipe is its low calorie count and equally delicious output. I adapted the recipe from Nigella Lawson's website with very minimal changes in the sugar content. Prepare this dessert just ahead of your guests and be ready to enjoy the compliments. 

Ingredients 

500 gms strawberries quartered (I used frozen and a little less than 500 gms)

50 gms fine sugar (my strawberries were already quite sweet when bought and so I added around 30 gms or 2 tbsp)

3 tbsp ground almonds

5 ml vanila extract

Topping

110 gms plain flour

1 tsp bsking powder

60 gms chilled butter (original recipe called for 75 gms)

50 gms brown sugar

60-70 gms finely chopped almonds (increase or decrease or skip as per choice)

Whipped cream for topping (optional)

Direction

Pre-heat the oven at 200 degree celcius. Place the strawberries, sugar, ground almonds and vanilla in a medium baking dish and mix well to coat. Make sure the baking dish is deep enough not to let the strawberry juices to seep off the edges. 

In a separate bowl, rub the flour, sifted with baking powder, with the chilled butter till the mixture resembles bread crumbs. To this add the sugar, chopped almonds and mix well. Gently place the flour mixture on top of the strawberries in the baking pan and cover all edges and spread well to cover evenly. 

Bake in the pre-heated oven for 30 minutes or until the strawberry juices start seeping up from the edges reaching on to the top of the crumble and the top is golden and crunchy to touch. 

Remove from oven and serve warm with a dollop of ice cream, whipped cream or just like that! 

Shakshouka--An Irresistible Arabic Breakfast

Shakshouka! The dish is as simple to make as complicated as it sounds. I have been hearing and seeing this dish popping up on my FB timeline almost every weekend and while the dish didn't entice me first as I don't quite enjoy poached eggs, the curiosity around this dish kept on increasing with every passing post. Recently, a very dear friend and his wife came to visit us. Serving breakfast is a bit challenging for me and that was when Shakshouka came to my rescue. It is the same Bread and Eggs breakfast but with a delicious makeover. You must try this for your next weekend breakfast and let me know how addictive it is!!

Ingredients 

3-4 eggs as per your requirement 

2 large tomatoes chopped 

1 medium onion chopped 

3-4 fat cloves of garlic finely chopped 

1/2 red bell pepper cut into strips

1-2 chillies chopped (optional)

2 tsp fresh parsley chopped 

2 tsp lebanese 7 spices (you can substitute this with 1 tsp freshly ground cumin powder, 1 tsp coriander powder)

1/2 tsp garam masala powder (you can skip this if using lebanese 7 spices)

1 tsp cayenne pepper 

Salt and pepper to taste 

2 tsp oil

Direction 

Heat oil in a frying pan and add the onions. Fry till soft and then add the chopped garlic. Keep stirring until the raw smell disappears. Now add the bell pepper and fry just until little soft. Next add the tomatoes and the spices and keep stirring till the tomatoes are mushy and soft and start leaving their juices. Check for seasoning as you won't be able to stir once you add the eggs. Now gently break the eggs on top of the tomato base and reduce the flame to minimum. Let the eggs cook till no clear liquid remains. Sprinkle fresh parsley on top with a dash of freshly ground pepper.   Enjoy with your favourite bread. Goes especially well with challah bread. 

Aam Sondesh

A big apology to all my readers for the long hiatus in posting a recipe and while it was always on my mind to post something here, my schedule had become so hectic that I hardly found any time to cook at home leave aside cooking something new and interesting. Today however I made up my mind that I will definitely post a recipe, whatever it takes! I tried this delicious Aam Sondesh today in preparation for a Sondesh Cake order this week and while I have tried making Sondesh many times in the past, it was never this perfect. With today's success I now know where I had been going wrong all this while and hence this post. 

Ingredients 

1 litre full cream milk

1 tbsp vinegar 

2-3 tbsp powdered sugar

4 tbsp mango purée 

Direction 

Bring the milk to a boil and churn it with the vinegar. Drain the whey and collect the chenna in a muslin cloth. Wash it well with drinking water to remove the taste of vinegar. Squeeze out the excess liquid   and let it hang for 5-10 minutes. Now  knead the chenna till smooth, about 5-7 minutes. Add the powdered sugar and mix  again till the sugar dissolves. Now add the mango purée and mix till well combined. Now transfer this mixture to a pan and stir constantly on a low flame for exact 4 minutes. Switch off the flame and transfer to a greased plate with ghee. While the mixture cools to a little bearable temperature, you can quickly grease the Sondesh moulds (if using) with a little ghee. Then take little portions out of the mixture and press against the moulds. Then remove gently and place on another greased plate and cool completely before serving. You can also chill them until served. If you do not have the moulds,you  can just shape them with your hands. 

Langar Waali Daal

I have never had this daal at the Gurudwara (been only once or twice till now) and had never heard of it obviously until I saw Jaspreet Nirula Ji's post some time back on my regular food group. I had forgotten all about it until this last weekend when I didn't have anything special to offer my family for a nice lunch. Quickly searched for the recipe (couldn't find his and then googled and then found his), did some changes here and there and I served the most amazing daal I had made in recent times!! If this daal made by a person who has never tasted it can be so yummy, I wonder how that daal would taste which is made with so much love and positivity and that too in such a huge quantity. Can't wait to make it again!! 

Ingredients 

1 cup whole black urad daal (you can use split black urad daal as well)

1/4 cup plus 2 tbsp chana daal

6 big cloves garlic

1 tsp turmeric powder 

1 tbsp ghee

Salt to taste

For masala

1 1/2 large tomatoes chopped 

1 tsp ginger grated

2 green chillies chopped 

1 tsp Kashmiri Chilli powder 

1 tsp cumin seeds

2 tsp cumin powder

2 tbsp + 1 tbsp ghee

1/2 tsp sugar

1/2 tsp garam masala

Salt to taste

Chopped onions to serve (optional) 

Fresh chopped coriander to garnish 

Direction 

Wash and soak the lentils overnight. If you forget this step or decide to makr it at the nth hour, put the urad daal in the pressure cooker and after 1 whistle, switch off the flame and let it soak in the water for 2-3 hours. Otherwise, a soaking time of 5-6 hours is good enough if you have time but overnight soaking is best. For the channa daal, either soak it overnight or if you forget, one hour soak is good enough. 

Pressure cook the lentils with all the ingredients except for the masala for 5-6 whistles till the lentils are mushy. You can also slow cook the lentils in an earthen pot or deep bottom vessel on a medium flame and covered. 

Now, heat 2 tbsp ghee and crackle the cumin seeds. Add the grated ginger and the chopped chillies followed by the tomatoes. Add the dry spices and stir constantly till the tomatoes are mushy and oil droplets appear along the sides. Now pour the boiled and slightly mashed daal (with a potato masher) and mix well. Add salt as required, garam masala, and sugar. Add a bit of the chopped coriander and stir. Reserve the rest for final garnish. Just before switching off the flame add the remaining ghee and stir. Need not dissolve it completely. Remove from heat, add the remaining chopped coriander and the chopped onions (if using). Serve hot!!

Hara Bhara Kabab

Probably the most popular vegetarian kababs, these are packed with nutrition and yet so easy to make. These are great served hot from the pan to enjoy the crunchy crust and soft inside. Serve these with a sprinkle of chaat masala and a fierry green chutney or sliced onions with a squeeze of lemon. Just yumm!!

Ingredients 

200 gms spinach, stems removed 

1/2 cup green peas

2 large potatoes boiled

1 tbsp ginger garlic paste

2 tbsp gram flour or besan

1 tsp red Chilli powder 

1 tsp cumin powder 

1/2 tsp chat masala or more to taste

Salt to taste 

Oil to fry

Direction

Boil the peas and potatoes till soft. Drain and keep aside. 

Blanch the spinach and squeeze excess water and finely chop. 

In a bowl, mash the potatoes and peas with a potato masher as fine as you can and add the chopped spinach. Add all the dry spices, ginger garlic paste, and besan and mix well. If your spinach wasn't squeezed well and there is still excess moisture, you can add 1 tbsp more besan and mix. Now pinch out small quantity and make a small smooth ball and flatten it with your palm. Arrange on a plate and repeat for the rest of the mixture. 

Now heat a grill pan and fry the kababs, with a little drizzle of oil, till golden on both the sides. Serve hot!!

Wholewheat Bread

Conducting bread baking classes at home are proving quite beneficial to me in a way that my breads are getting better and more perfect than what they used to be. Since I am the instructor, it is extremely important for me to practice all my demo recipes before the class and thus perfection sets in. I am in love with my breads now more than ever before and hate to buy a loaf from the store even if it means taking a sweat shower in the kitchen in the unbearable Singapore heat!!

Ingredients 

2 cups wholewheat flour sifted (I have found Sharbati Atta of any brand gives you the best results; here, I have used Pilsbury Gold but Peshwai or Ashirwaad Sharbati will work equally well)

1 cup bread flour or all purpose flour 

3 tsp or 1 tbsp instant yeast 

1 tbsp sugar

2 tsp salt

1/4 cup milk powder 

250 ml warm water not exceeding 41 degree celcius or comfortable enough to hold a drop on the back of your wrist 

2 tbsp butter room temperature (I use low fat margarine)

Olive oil for greasing 

Direction 

Proof the yeast first. Dissolve the sugar into 150 ml warm water and mix in the yeast. Let it stand for 10 minutes till frothy and increased in volume. 

In another bowl, mix the flour, salt, and milk powder. Now make a well in the center and pour in the yeast and start mixing the flour and the yeast liquid. Once all the liquid is covered by the flour, start adding in water little atva time until all the water is used up (remaining 100 ml). With wholewheat breads we have to ensure that the dough is not dry but smooth and soft to the touch with slight traces of stickiness. A dry dough will result in a dry crumbly bread. 

Now transfer the sticky dough to a clean and floured work surface and using both your hands, start kneading with all your might till all the stickiness is gone. This will take 5-7 minutes. Now spread out the dough and splash 1 tbsp butter/margarine and fold in. Continue kneading till the butter is absorbed. Do not be tempted to add extra flour. Just keep kneading and in mo time the stickiness will be gone. Now add the remaining 1 tbsp butter and knead again till you have an incredibly soft and elastic dough. Congratulations! You are 70% done!!

Niw oil a big enough bowl to hold the doubled up risen dough and also oil the dough. Gently place it into the oiled bowl and keep covered in a warm place for 1- 11/2 hour till doubled in volume. 

Once doubled, punch down the dough and knead for 3-5 minutes to bring the dough into a uniformly shaped loaf. Grease a loaf tin and place the shaped loaf in it. Cover again and leave to rise for another 1 hour. 

Towards the end of the second rise, start preheating the oven at 180 degree celcius and also keep a small tray of water to build up steam. 

Brush the top of the loaf gently with milk (room temperature) taking care not to deflate the dough. Bake in the preheated oven for 20-25 minutes till you get a dark brown top and the bottom sounds hollow when tapped. 

Remove from the pan immediately and brush the top with butter. Cool completely on a wire rack before slicing. 

Golden Baked Coconut Macaroons

Coconut is a very versatile fruit and it adapts itself to any dish very skilfully. Be it sweet or savory, a dip or a complete maincourse dish, the coconut always lends a lingering flavor to the recipe and makes it distinct and memorable. These macaroons are no less. Not only they are a weight watcher's delight with no flour or butter in its making, they are also easy to make and require just three main ingredients and are incredibly light and delicious to eat that you won't even realize when you emptied an entire batch. 

P.S.: Recipe adapted from Once Upon A Chef with some changes

                                   

Ingredients

390 gms grated coconut (I used fresh coconut but you can use dried coconut as well available in the bakery section of grocery stores)

Scant 1 cup low fat condensed milk (or regular is fine too)

1 tsp vanila extract

2 large egg whites

1/2 tsp salt

Direction

Start by dry roasting the coconut on the stove top in a pan. You may skip this step if you are using dried grated/dessicated coconut. Freshly grated coconut has a lot of moisture and hence needs to be lightly roasted to avoid a liquid batter. Dry roast the coconut till the moisture has evaporated and the coconut feels dry to the touch. Take care not to burn the coconut. Remove from stove and let it cool completely before proceeding to the next step. 

                                     

Preheat the oven at 175 degree celsius and keep a baking tray ready lined with parchment paper. 

Now, mix the condensed milk (make sure you use a little less than 1 cup) and the cooled and roasted coconut. Add the vanilla and mix and keep aside.

Now whip the egg whites with the salt till stiff peaks form. Fold in this into the coconut mixture and mix. Ensure that you only do gentle folding without flattening out the foam. 

                                      

Now take heaped tablespoons of the batter and drop them into the prepared baking tray. You might notice some liquid releasing from the batter. Try and avoid adding the liquid as you might have a burnt base if you add that, like I have in my first batch. You do not have to squeeze out the liquid, but instead just avoid scooping it into the tablespoon. Scoop more solids than liquid! Place the scoops one inch apart.

                                     

Bake in the preheated oven for 20 minutes till the base and top are deep and slightly golden respectively. I like mine to be nicely golden on the top and so kept a few minutes longer. You can bake as you like yours to be. The cookies will be soft and chewy from inside and while baking they will still be soft to the touch. That's the way they are supposed to be and so do not worry about uncooked cookies.

                                       

Once done, remove from the oven and let them cool in the tray for a minute before transferring them to a wire rack for cooling completely.

                                     

I baked in three batches and got a total of around 36 cookies or maybe more as I could not count properly due to my constant munching. :D You can also dip these cookies halfway through into melted chocolate and then chill them for a few minutes or drizzle melted chocolate on the entire batch for a more indulgent bite!

 

Eggless Butterless Chai Cupcakes

My new bake book that I recently bought at the Bali Airport is quite an interesting read. This is the third recipe that I have tried and has amazed me once again. The best part about this book is that there are ample recipes which are eggless and butterless for regular baking as well as exotic recipes for those special days. I will keep posting my experiments here and you can try them as well in your kitchens!!

P.S.: Recipe inspired from Bake Happy by Judith Fertig

Ingredients 

1/2 cup boiling water 

1 tea bag or 1 tbsp good quality tea leaves

1 3/4 cup all purpose flour 

2 drops chai masala drops or 1 tsp ground cinnamon, 1/2 tsp ground ginger, 1/2 tsp ground green cardamom, 1:4 tsp ground nutmeg 

1 tsp baking powder 

1/2 tsp baking soda 

1/2 tsp fine salt 

1/2 cup milk (can be replaced with almond milk/soy milk for vegan options)

1 tbsp cider vinegar or balsamic vinegar 

1/2 cup brown sugar 

1/3 cup extra light olive oil or similar 

2 tsp vanila extract 

Direction 

Preheat the oven to 180 degree celcius. Line a muffin tray with cupcake liners and keep aside. In a small saucepan, brew the tea bag/tea leaves in hot water and keep covered for 15 minutes. Do not leave the stove on while brewing. Else, the tea will get bitter.  Let it cool. 

In a medium bowl,sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, sugar, salt, and the spices (if not using the spice drop). In a separate large mixing bowl, stir together the milk, brewed and cooled tea, and vinegar. Allow the mixture to sit for 1 minute and then mix in the oil and vinegar and the spice drop (if not using the ground spices). 

Now whisk the flour mixture into the milk mixture, one-third at a time. Keep whisking until the batter becomes smooth and starts to thicken. 

Pour the batter upto 1/3 of the liners and bake in the preheated oven for 15-20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Remove the cupcakes from the oven and set the pans on wire racks to cool completely. 

Red Velvet Crinkle Top Cookies--No Butter Added

Let me be honest with you. This is messiest cookie recipe I have ever handled. I almost thought of binning it at one point as I was getting quite irritated with the mess. However, the cookies are undoubtedly the best Crinkle Top Red Velvet Cookies you would have ever made. What attracted me to this recipe when there were so many available on the net and quite fuss free too? Well, this recipe uses just 3 tbsp oil and this means you can enjoy them more guilt free than the regular buttered ones and without any compromise on taste too. So if you do not mind a little messy kitchen counter and sticky hands for a while then you have come to the right place and you are guaranteed to enjoy your effort at the end of it all. 

Ingredients 

60 gms chocolate melted (the original recipe used white chocolate but I used regular dark baking chocolate)

1 1/4 cup flour

2 tbsp cocoa powder 

1 tsp baking powder 

1/4 tsp salt

2 large eggs 

3 tbsp oil

1 tsp vanila extract

2 tsp red food coloring (preferably use gel colour, either strawberry red or cherry red)

3/4 cup granulated sugar 

Confectioners sugar/icing sugar for rolling 

Direction 

Take the chocolate in a microwave safe bowl and melt it in the microwave at a 30 second interval until melted and shiny. 

In another bowl, mix the flour, baking powder, cocoa, and salt and keep aside. 

In the same bowl where you melted the chocolate, add the eggs and whip till smooth. Now add the oil, Vanila, and food coloring and whip again. Add the sugar and mix. Now add the flour mixture and mix well with a spoon till everything is well combined. The mixture will seem quite liquidy for a cookie dough but just go ahead. 

Now cover the bowl with a cling wrap with the plastic touching down on the top of the dough. I had transferred the dough entirely into the plastic wrap and that turned out quite messy while making balls out of the dough. So keep the dough in the bowl and just put the cling wrap tightly touching down on the dough. Put in the refrigerator and chill for a minimum of 2 hrs and upto overnight.

Now grease and line a baking tray and pre-heat the oven at 180 degree celcius. 

Take the icing sugar in a plate and with a tablespoon/ice cream scoop, scoop out small balls and drop on the icing sugar. Roll it on the sugar with your hands and then flatten slightly and roll again in the sugar and place on the prepared tray. Sorry no pictures to share here as my hands were all doughy. Put the cookies 2" apart as they spread out a little while cooking and so keep some space to avoid sticking to each other. Bake in the pre-heated oven for 12-15 minutes or till the edges slightly firm up while the top is still a little soft to touch. 

Cool in the tray for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack for cooling completely. Store in air tight containers. 

Easy Chicken Kabab

Starters are an important part of any meal and they get even more important when you host a dinner/lunch event at your place. Having said that, when you have no helping hand in the kitchen it becomes imperative that you present something quick and easy yet beautifully presented and delicious to eat. These Kababs are just that. Extremely easy to prepare, you can keep these ready one day in advance in the refrigerator and shallow fry just before serving. Serve it with some green chutney and be ready to amaze your guests!!

Ingredients 

500 gms minced chicken 

1 medium onion chopped finely 

1 tbsp ginger garlic paste 

2 tbsp fresh coriander finely chopped 

2 tbsp besan

1 tsp red chilli powder 

1 tsp garam masala powder 

2 tsp coriander powder 

Finely chopped green chillies (optional)

Salt to taste

Oil as required 

Direction 

Wash and drain the chicken mince. Ensure that there is no excess water. Now mix in all the other ingredients except the oil. Make a smooth mixture ensuring that everything is mixed well. You can now either go ahead and make patties out of this mixture or keep it in an airtight container in the refrigerator until ready to use. 

When ready to fry, heat oil in a frying pan or grill pan and make small patties out of the mixture and fry till golden on both sides in a medium heat. I covered the pan on a medium heat for the first five minutes to ensure that the chicken is cooked through. After 5 minutes, remove the cover and fry on a medium high heat till golden on both the sides. Drain the excess oil on a kitchen towel. Sprinkle some chaat masala if you like and serve hot with your favourite chutney. 

Wholewheat Eggless Butterless One Bowl Chocolate Cake

It has been the most terrible week for me so far as parenting is concerned. Baby down with a terrible toddler illness and while she was just recovering, I caught the flu and now can hardly eat and drink. Two days I spent pitying myself. Today morning I pulled myself up, put in all my will power at work and started telling myself "I feel better so much better now!" I decided to let go that sickly feeling and instead do something constructive. Asked my baby if she is craving for some chocolate cake and she jumped with joy. Doing the dishes is a pain now and so came up with this amazing one bowl Wholewheat Eggless Butterless Chocolate cake I saw on pinterest yesterday with some changes of my own. The cake is soft, moist and spongy and super delicious!! Best part is you can eat it guilt-free.... I hope I can enjoy eating it soon (have a very very very painful throat)!!!!

Ingredients 

1 1/2 cup whole wheat flour 

3 tbsp cocoa powder (I used extra dark)

1 tsp baking soda 

1/2 tsp salt

1 cup brown sugar (can be substituted with white sugar)

5 tbsp oil (I used rice bran oil but you can use extra light olive oil or any other unflavoured oil)

1 tsp Vanila extract 

1 cup water (I used room temperature but you can use lukewarm too)

1 tsp white vinegar 

Direction 

Pre-heat the oven at 180 degree celcius and grease a 8" square tin. 

In a bowl, mix the flour, cocoa, sugar, baking soda, and salt. Mix well and then add the oil followed by the Vanila extract and water. Use a balloon whisk for easy and proper mixing. You can add a handful of chocolate chips if you like for a more chocolatey flavor.  Lastly, add the vinegar and simply fold it in without much mixing. Pour the batter into the greased pan and bake in the pre-heated oven for 20-25 minutes until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack and enjoy this guilt free delight. For the frosting, I melted some ferrero rocher chocolates (about 8) and added some warm cream (about 2-3 tbsp) till desired consistency. Frost the cake when completely cooled. The cake will keep good at room temperature in air tight container for 2-3 days. 

Wholewheat Chocolate Banana Cake

The other day during my trip to the super market, my baby insisted on buying bananas and though I knew she wouldn't eat it, I couldn't refuse her. She ate just 1 out of three with much pain as she knew it was her mistake in buying them in the first place. She however could not show her goody self for the rest of the two and refused them as yucky!! With school starting today after holidays and snack boxes needed to be filled, I planned to hide the bananas behind a flavor she truly loves and combined it with the goodness of whole wheat flour. Result was an amazing soft and moist cake with a beautiful combination of flavors and topped with a humble ganache!!! Snack time just got more delicious!! 

Ingredients 

1 1/2 cup sugar (I used a mix of brown sugar and white sugar; You can increase the sugar by another 1/4 cup if you like it more sweet)

1 3/4 cup wholewheat flour

1/2 cup cocoa powder

1 1/2 tsp baking powder 

1 1/2 tsp baking soda 

1/2 tsp salt 

1 cup mashed banana (about 2 medium ripe bananas; the more ripe the better)

2 eggs

1 cup (240 ml) warm/lukewarm water

1/2 cup (120 ml) milk room temperature 

1/2 cup (120 ml) unflavoured oil (I used extra light olive oil)

1 1/2 tsp Vanila extract 

Direction 

Pre-heat the oven at 180 degree celcius and line a 9" square pan with parchment paper. 

Mix the sugars, flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. 

In another bowl, mash/puree the bananas. 

To this, add the eggs, milk, oil, vanilla extract and warm water. Take absolute care that the water is "not" hot, but just warm. Whip together till mixed well. Now, add the flour mix to the wet ingredients little at a time till everything is mixed well. Take care that no lumps remain. The batter will be quite thin. Don't worry as that is how it is supposed to be. Pour the batter in the prepared pan. 

 Tap the bottom of the pan on the kitchen counter for a couple of times and bake in the pre-heated oven for 30-35 minutes till  a toothpick inserted comes out clean. 

Cool on a wire rack completely before slicing. 

For frosting, I used ferrero rocher chocolates along with a few other chocolates lying in the fridge (about 1 cup) and added 1/4 cup hot cream (warmed till just about boiling point). Mix well and spread. If you want a more flowing consistency, add more hot cream. Apply the frosting and let it set for 1/2 hour before slicing. 

Citrus Biscotti

I am in love with citrusy flavors and this biscotti reinstates my love. It is bursting with an addictive citrus flavor right from the time you put it in the oven to when you take it out and take an irresistible bite into this crispy crunchy breakfast delight. It turned out more crumbly than I expected but nevertheless, I am not complaining. I love the crumbs as much as the biscotti. Twice baked, these are easy to assemble and handle and are a great breakfast with a hot cup of coffee and some muffins!! If you are watching your calories and yet craving for some baked delight, then this is what you should bake. With just 1 tbsp oil, a breakfast or any snack time cannot get any yummier than this!! 

Ingredients 

1 3/4 cup plain flour plus more for dusting

1/2 cup fine sugar

1 tsp baking powder 

2 eggs

1 tbsp oil (I used extra light olive oil)

1 1/2 tbsp citrus zest (I used a mix of lemon and orange zest; you can use whatever you have at hand)

1 tbsp lemon juice ( orange juice will work equally well)

1 tsp lemon/orange essence (if using orange juice, use orange essence and likewise for lemon essence)

Sliced pistachios for topping (optional)

Direction 

Mix the flour, sugar, and baking powder in a bowl. In another bowl, mix the eggs, zest, essence, oil and lemon/orange juice. Now add the flour little at a time and mix with every addition. When it gets difficult to move the spoon, transfer the dough to a floured surface and with your hands lightly knead the dough for a few minutes and form a log. If the dough gets too sticky, add some flour 1 tbsp at a time till it is smooth and non sticky. 

Grease a baking tray and line it with parchment paper and grease again. Place the log on the greased plate and top it with sliced pistachios (or almonds). The taste of toasted nuts is too good to resist. 

Bake in a pre-heated oven at 175 degree celcius for 20-25 minutes till browned on top. 

Cool on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Now with a serrated knife, slice the loaf. Place it on the baking tray sliced side up and put it back into the oven for 10 minutes. Now, take it out and flip sides and put it back again for another 5 minutes. Your yummy crunchy biscottis are ready to be devoured. If they become soft the next day, you can pop them back into the oven for a few minutes till they are crunchy again!! Enjoy!!

Spicy Tuna Fish in Vietnamese Rice Paper Wraps

I bought this packet of Rice paper wraps quite some time back but making it got delayed for some reason or the other. Yesterday when I invited my friend's Mom, who is visiting her these days, for high tea, I was quite confused whether to make some puffs (which are also lying in my freezer waiting to be used) or some fritters or simply buy something from the market. Just then I recalled that I have something new and interesting to serve. New ideas always excite me and I jumped on the idea. In no time, I quickly prepared the filling and started preparing the wraps. The best part is you can prepare these wraps quite ahead of time and they are absolutely stunning to present as a starter or a snack. I have used tuna fish as the filling here. You can use whatever your taste buds guide you to!! My guests loved it and I was a happy host. 

Ingredients 

For the filling 

1 can tuna fish flakes in light oil drained 

1 medium onion

1 large tomato 

1 tbsp chopped garlic 

1/2 carrot finely grated 

1/2 tsp dried basil 

1/2 tsp parsley

1 tsp cajun spice

Salt and pepper to taste 

2 tbsp spring onion greens plus more for garnish 

2 tbsp fresh coriander or parsley 

1 tbsp oil

For the wraps

4-5 vietnamese rice paper sheets

Water kept in a wide bowl or plate

Direction 

Heat oil in a pan. Add the garlic and sauté till light brown. Add the chopped onion and fry till translucent. Next tip in the tomatoes and grated carrots and stir. Fry till the tomatoes are mushy and the carrots soften. Now add the drained tuna fish flakes and stir well. Add all the spices and salt and stir till well combined. Add the spring onions and fresh coriander and stir. When oil starts separating from the sides, stir and remove from heat. Let it cool completely before you start making the wraps. 

For assembling the wraps, take a wide plate with raised edges and fill it with water. Wipe and clean the work table or kitchen counter. Take a rice paper and gently dip into the plate of water and swirl on all sides until the rice paper is soft enough to handle but not too wet. 

Place the softened rice sheet on the slab and place a spoonful of the filling on one side of the rice sheet. 

Now start wrapping it as shown in the pictures below. 

Fold in both the edges from the top and then roll the remaining edge. 

Place the wraps on a plate and repeat with the rest of the filling. Garnish with fresh spring onions and serve with your favourite dip.