Celebration Chocolate Cake

This light and scrumptious cake is simply a joy to eat. The most amazing thing is it does not have any flour in it. I found the recipe in my Good Housekeeping book

Ingredients
Butter to grease 
200g plain chocolate
5 eggs
125g caster sugar
100g ground almonds
1 tbsp coffee liquueur such as Baileys
fresh raspberries to decorate and some icing sugar to dust

1. Grease a 12.5cm deep round cake tin
2. Melt the chocolate in a heat proof bowl set gently simmering water, making sure he base of bowl does not touch water. Remove the bowl from pan and leave to cool slightly. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 170 degrees C
3. Separate all but one of the eggs, putting the white to one side. Put the yolks, the whole egg and sugar into bowl of a freestanding mixer or handheld whisk. Whisk at high speed for 5min or until mixture is pale and leaves a ribbon of trail when whisk is lifted
4. Set the mixer to a very low speed, add the chocolate and then ground almonds and mix until evenly combined
5.  Put egg whites into a clean and grease proof bowl and whisk until soft peaks form. beat one quarter of the egg whites into the chocolate mixture to loosen, then fold in the rest.
6. Pour the mixture into the prepared tin and bake for 1 hour until a skewer inserted into the centre of the cake for 30 sec comes out hot. Make several holes in the cake and pour the liqueur and let it cool for 30 minutes.
7.Transfer the cake to a plate and spoon raspberries on top. Dust with some icing sugar and you can also tie a ribbon around the cake to get it ready for celebration.

Happy cooking !

Laksa Soup with Sesame Chicken

Jamie Oliver seems to have a spell bounding effect on my cooking and my senses. I find his cooking very therapeutic and also very informative. The ease with with which he connects the dots and one thing seamlessly joins with the other exploring new flavours, textures and yummy meals. This soup is happiness in a bowl and taken from Jamies 15 min meals. It takes good 20-25 min for me to make it but its so worth it. He calls it thai chicken laksa, mildy spiced noodle squash broth. Jamie says that 15 min meals are a mindset so when you want to whip up quick meals you have to keep a kettle ready with boiling water, gridle pan on high heat, large lided pan on high heat and food processor attached with coarse grater for this one.

Ingredients

for chicken
 4 skinless, boneless chicken thighs
1 heaped tsp chinese five spice
1 tbsp runny honey
1 tbsp sesame seeds
1 fresh red chilli

for Soup
1 chicken or vegetable stock cube
1 butternut squash ( just the neck end) or pumpkin
2 cloves of garlic
1 thumb sized ginger
2 green chillies
1 tsp turmeric
half a bunch of spring onions
4 dried kaffir limes leaves
half bunch fresh coriander
1 tbsp sesame oil
1 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp fish sauce
3009 rice noodles
1 tin coconut milk
2 limes

On a large sheet of greaseproof paper, toss the chicken with salt, pepper and the five spice. Fold over the paper, then bash and flatten the chicken with rolling pin. this will help the chicken cook quicker and absorb the flavours. Place the chicken on hot gridle turning after 3-4 mintues until nicely charred and cooked through.
Pour 800 ml of boiling water into large pan and crumble stock cube.
trim the stalk off the squash, roughly chop the neck end dont peel and keep the seed end for some other day. Grate and tip the chopped pieces into boiling stock. Whiz the garlic, ginger, chilli, turmeric, spring onions, lime leaves, coriander stalks, sesame oil, soy and fish sauce and tip the paste in the stock and add noodles.
Add coconut milk and soon as it boils, taste, correct the seasoning with soy sauce and lime juice, then turn off the heat. 
Drizzle some honey  over charred chicken and squeeze over juice of 1 lime and scatter with sesame seeds
Sprinkle everything with coriander and your quick meal is ready !

Happy Cooking   

Khamang Chiwda

Fried Chicken

Batatyachi bhaji

This is comfort food at its best. Batatyachi bhaji just takes me back on a monday morning when my Mom is making hot fulka's smeared with ghee and the ladle is busy cooking this veggie for my lunch box. This was a personal favourite for all of us. It goes so well with Dosa, as a stuffing for sandwich, the leftovers could also be used for aloo paratha or batawada for the adventurous cooks.

Ingredients

3-4 medium sized potatoes boiled & chopped

A bunch of coriander sprigs

1 onion chopped fine

Turmeric 1 tbsp

Green chillies 2 finel chopped

Amchur Powder (Mango powder) 1 tbsp or Lime juice 2 tbsp

3 tbsp Vegetable oil

Few curry leaves

1 tsp Mustard seeds

Salt as per taste

Recipe

Add the oil in a pan and add mustard seeds to see them dance as they crackle.

Fry the onions till they turn soft brown and add the curry leaves, turmeric powder, green chillies and cook it for 1-2 minutes.

Add boiled & chopped potatoes, mix well and add the mango powder/lime juice.

Cover and let it cook for about 5-10 minutes.

Garnish with chopped fresh coriander and serve with hot phulka's

Happy Cooking!


Kadai Chicken

Chicken Tandoori

The chicken is so tender and delicious it simply melts in your mouth. I am not a big fan of spicy food so the measurements for spices should be altered according to you taste.This makes a perfect dish with friends and laughs to share with!

Ingredients -
1 kg chicken legs and breast
3 tbsp ginger garlic paste
red chilly powder (as per taste)
2 tbsp garam masala
Salt per taste
2 tbsp lemon juice
1/2 cup Yoghurt plain
Butter to coat the chicken

Mix the spices, paste, youghurt and juice and rub it on to the chicken evenly.
Make the horizontal incisions on the chicken so the paste get absorbed by the meat.
Put the chicken in a bowl covered with cling film and marinate it for atleast 3 hours.
Coat the marinated chicken with butter and transfer the contents on to a baking tray.
Add this to the preheated oven 200 degrees C for 30 minutes after which the chicken acquires this lovely color and juices run clear without any pink flesh in it.
Garnish with coriander and lemon rings.

Happy Cooking!