Chocolate Brownies

Felt like having some brownies so this is what I came up with.

Take 1/4 cup of melter butter and add in 6 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder and mix.

To this, add
2 eggs
3/4 cup of muscavado sugar
1/3 cup flour
Few drops of vanilla essence
Pinch of salt
3 tbsp chocolate sauce/syrup
Handful of chopped walnuts

Mix well and place it in a greased baking tray.
Preheat oven to 175 dec C and bake for 30 min approximately.

Chicken / Mutton Biryani

This was made by Husband all by himself. It takes a while to get things together and prepare but the result is delicious. We usually order biryani from a restaurant we like, but it is usually too oily or too spicy for our liking. Making it at home lets us tweak it to our preference.

Chicken/Mutton Marinade:
750 gms Chicken or Mutton (either boneless or whole if you prefer. We used a mix of boneless and leg pieces)
Marinate it in:
Ginger Paste 1tsp
Garlic Paste 1tsp
Salt 1/2tsp
Chilli powder 2tbsp
Tumeric powder 1tsp
Garam Masala 2 tbsp
Few sprigs of mint and coriander leaves
1 onion
Yogurt 3/4cup (go up to a full cup to ensure that the chicken is fully coated and is not dry)
Juice of 1 lemon
Oil 1/4 cup

Mix it all in and let it rest overnight or if you dont have the time then for an hour in the fridge.

Rice:

Use 2 cups Basmati (long grain) rice and wash it 2-3 times in cold water to remove starch. Then soak it for about 30 minutes. Cook this in a wide bottom vessel and do not stir it. Let it rest.

In a small bowl, put a few strands of Saffron in 4 tbsps of water and let it soak.

Take another saucepan on a high flame and bring 10 cups of water to boil. Then put in the following and cook for a minute:

4 Whole cardamom  

3 cloves

1/2 tsp black cumin seeds

2 bay leaves

4 black peppercorns

4 tbsp salt

1tbsp oil/ghee

Now gently add the cooked rice to this spiced water and cook for another 5 minutes. Drain the water and set aside the rice and spice mix.

Putting it all together:

• Take a large wide-bottom vessel and put it on a high flame so it gets hot.
• Put in the entire marinaded chicken. Then add the rice on top. DO NOT mix. This will cook in layers.
• Top it up with 2 tbsp oil/ghee and the saffron water
• Seal the vessel with aluminium foil. Or if you have a lid, seal the edges with dough.
• Then take a flat plan and put that on a high flame burner. Once it is hot, reduce the heat to a minimum and place the vessel with the food on this.
• Cook for approximately 30-40 minutes, then turn off the heat and let it sit for 10 minutes.
• Open the container just before serving and mix the layers so that all the rice is covered with the chicken mixture.
• Top it up with some fried onions and coriander.
• Serve with raita.

Raita:

In 2 cups yogurt add finely chopped

1 onion

1 tomato

1 green chilli

Few sprigs of mint/coriander leaves

Salt to taste

Grilled fish with Baked Potatoes and Red Cabbage Salad

A great dinner option is something light but filling. It is also quite easy to make.

For the potatoes:
Potatoes sliced. Toss it in some olive oil, salt, pepper, and chilli flakes. Bake for about 40 minutes at 200 deg C. Around the half way mark, flip it around for an even texture.

While that is getting ready you can prepare the other two items.

For the salad:
1 small red cabbage
2 onions
A splash of vinegar
1 tbsp honey
Some oilive oil
(Boiled corn kernels optional)

Heat up the oil and add the onions. Stir till they start to get a little color, then add the cabbage. Cook till soft...about 5 minutes. Then add the vinegar and honey and cook till the liquid evaporates. Set aside to cool.

For the fish:
Fish fillet
Olive oil to coat
Salt / pepper to taste
Breadcrumbs
Cornflour to coat (only if required to soak up moisture)

You can marinate the fish in oil, salt & pepper for an hour or so but if you haven't had the time, it doesn't matter. Just coat the fillets with oil and seasoning, and dip it in a plate of breadcrumbs and press it so that it is evenly covered on both sides. If you feel that there is excess water, then coat the fillet with some cornflour before the breadcrumb layer. I didn't need to use any extra oil to grill it.

The whole process took me less than an hour!

Jelly-filled Cinnamon Cake/Muffin

This was actually a muffin recipe that I made into a cake for Husband's birthday surprise at midnight.
Simple to make with no flashy ingredients. You'll need:


1 3/4 cups flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
Pinch of ground nutmeg and cinnamon
1/2 cup sugar
1/3 cup butter
1 egg, lightly beaten
3/4 cup milk (room temperature)
Jam (any flavor)


Sieve the dry ingredients in a mixing bowl. Mix the wet ingredients (except the jam) separately in another bowl, then stir in the wet mixture into the dry one and mix properly.
Put half the batter in a tray (muffin or cake), add a layer of jam, then pour in the rest of the mixture on top.
Bake for about 25-30 minutes at 250 deg C.

For the Topping:
1/4 cup butter, melted
1/3 cup sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Keep the melted butter in a small small, and on a plate mix the sugar and cinnamon. As soon as the cake is done, dip the top first in the butter then the sugar.
Additionally, you could top it with some chocolate sauce. 

No Bake Yogurt Cheesecake

I love cheesecakes...in fact I love most things that have cheese.
Here's a really easy recipe to make one at home.

For the base you'll need...
1 large packet of biscuit (I use Digestive or Parle G)
1/2 cup butter (room temperature)

Put the biscuits in a plastic bag and crush them with a rolling pin, or ground them into a processor. Mix in the butter evenly and spoon it in a pan, pressing it so that the base is even. Keep in freezer to set till you make the filling.

Strain 1 cup yogurt so that all the whey drains out, and you are left with thick yogurt.

For the filling, mix

• 1 small sachet of gelatin (I used Orange flavoured) dissolved in 1/4 cup boiling water and set aside.
• 200gms cream cheese at room temperature with 1/2 cup sugar. Blend till smooth.

 Add the yogurt to the cream and mix well. Finally add the gelatin and mix well to remove lumps. Pour this onto the crust and put it in the fridge for 3-4 hours to set.

Top it with fresh fruits, preserves, chocolate sauce, or just enjoy it as it is!

Fish in Coconut Curry

I love simple curries with rice. It's a no nonsense meal that is easy to make and tastes great on its own without diluting the taste with accompaniments which is so common with Indian meals.

Here's what you need:
1 tsp mustard seeds
5-10 curry leaves
2-3 green chillies, slit
Some ginger & garlic (I prefer using them fresh instead of the packaged pastes) 
2 finely chopped onions
2 large tomatoes chopped (or pureed if you are fussy like me about bits of tomato in curries)
1 tsp turmeric
1 tsp tamarind paste or juice of 1 lemon
Chilli powder according to tolerance
Approx 300ml coconut milk
1/2 kg fish, sliced (I use Rawas - Indian Salmon or Surmai - King fish)
Salt/pepper to taste


Garnish
Chopped coriander 

Heat adequate oil in a pan and fry the mustard seeds with the curry leaves till they pop. Add the green chillies, onion and ginger/garlic. Cook till the onions are translucent. Add the turmeric and chilli powder and stir for about a minute. Add the rest of the ingredients all together and simmer for about 15-20 minutes till the fish is cooked

Serve with plain rice or naan

Apple-Pineapple Oatmeal Pie

I'm fond of an oatmeal pie crust great for 2 reasons - they're healthy, and you don't need finesse to bake one...just mix it all up and put it in a pan.

For the Pie Crust
Mix 2 cups of oatmeal, 3 tbsps brown sugar, and half a cup of whole wheat flour with 1/4 cup melted butter.
Mix it all up nicely and put it in a baking dish. Press it down well so that the entire mixture is condensed onto the tray and bake it at 180 deg C for 10 minutes. Set aside and allow to cool.

For the Filling
2 apples cored, peeled and sliced
Some chunks of pineapple...mashed or sliced (if you are using canned fruits then remember to drain them)
2 tbsps flour
1/4 tsp salt
3 tbsps brown sugar
some ground cinnamon
1 tbsp lemon juice
2 tbsps cream

Combine everything in a bowl and mix well. Put this on the prepared pie crust and bake at 220 deg C for 8-10 minutes. Then reduce the temperature to 175 deg C and bake for 30 minutes.

Enjoy a healthy dessert!