Microwave 'Sattu' Tarts... & ATOM

Cooking is like love. It should be entered into with abandon or not at all. ~Harriet van Horne

I am a staunch believer of the above adage. So when I got into cooking for my love, after wedlock; I made sure that I didn't restrict myself to only Indian cooking , which incidentally is one of the largest and widely varied cuisine type, afterall 'she' is the oldest and the biggest republic known to the world !

I am always on the look out for new dishes/recipes... constantly stretching my boundaries....challenging myself...and the kitchen provides me with limitless oppurtunities. My haven, and as some dear readers rightly observed that I spend a lot of time in the kitchen..isn't it inevitable with all the infinite possibilities that entyce me.

I want to share here what chiselled my adventurous soul.

My father is a man well-travelled...knowledgeable about people and their ways. I remember the first time I went to a gourmet restuarant (that is the first time I can remember/was aware); my dad handed me the menu and told me to place my own order; while my mum vehemently told my dad otherwise, that he should not let a five year old kid decide what she wanted to eat. In any case I placed my order and ate it all (more so beacuse I wanted to show that I am a grown-up well-mannered girl finishing her plate..;p).

I have always strived to be like my dad, ..perfect...to be an all rounder...be able to strike up a conversation with anyone...on any topic...to be giving and kind....to laugh and be brave. Come to think of it I have been influenced more by the men in life ...can't ignore that I have grown amongst boys, my cousins(mostly brothers), uncles, grand pas'....though my dad being the vital influence.

He is a worldly wise man and unconciously has influenced me in slightly more ways than my mom. My whole character has been shaped on his ideals. I was never the cliched daddy's princess , infact I was constantly questioning with him...arguing...debating...(yes! I wasn't an easy child). He had taught me to think for myself...decide, and then stick by my decisions...hence all the questions and I wouldn't rest till I had the answers convince me. (chuckle)

My mum still says that I was a dare devil born within a body of a girl..a rebel of sorts, all her life she has kept telling me "behave like a girl"..."be a little fearing/coy"...lol..., however she is my grounding-factor.

So taking on my dad, I also have a streak for explorations.....even in the field of cooking/eating. I am blessed that my darling hub shares my passion. We both love having fun...taking pot shots at each other....living on the edge...adventurous...yeah.. we were meant to be..lol. (Touch wood!)

I have dabbled in Indian, Chinese, Japanese, Thai, Italian, French, Greek, African, European cuisines and everything in between! Well that obviously doesn't mean I have made every dish of every cuisine...but hey I have walked the Earth only for twenty-five years yet. :)

We will keep to French cuisine today as this post was inspired by ATOM (A Taste Of Mediterranean)'s current region- France. The event is brainchild of Tony. You can read more about it at Fanny's blog too.

Tony and his Mediterranean blogger friends are on a globe-trotting spree. Every month they will travel to a different region of the Mediterranean by recreating traditional dishes using their own individual styles...ofcourse having fun along the way. They have some gorgeous stamps of each region...which is a collector's item...and I intend to collect all the stamps.

"The French... have surrounded food with so much commentary, learning and connoisseurship as to clothe it in the vestments of civilization itself... Cooking is viewed as a major art form: innovations are celebrated and talked about as though they were phrases in the development of a style of painting or poetry... A meal at a truly great restaurant is a sort of theatre you can eat."
--Richard Bernstein, The Fragile Glory

Indisputably, one of modern France's greatest treasures is its rich cuisine. The French have an ongoing love affair with food, and their reverence for time spent eating is evident in any culinary establishment nationwide. It is also manifested in the traditional family gatherings around the home dinner table, particularly the Sunday mid-day feast which is prepared lovingly over many hours and consumed leisurely through a bevy of appetizers and main courses, usually accompanied by a number of wines and often lively discussion which tends to center on political topics.

It is interesting to note-

What is perhaps less widely recognized is that France's reputation for fine food is not so much based on long-held traditions but on constant change.

In fact, the general expectation of good eating is a relatively new experience for the French. At the time the Bastille was stormed in 1789, at least 80% of the French population were subsistence farmers, with bread and cereals as the basis of their diet, essentially unchanged since the time of the ancient Gauls nearly two millenia before.
The era of the French Revolution, however, saw a move toward fewer spices and more liberal usage of herbs and refined techniques, beginning with François Pierre La Varenne and further developing with Napoleon Bonaparte and other dignitaries, Marie-Antoine Carême.

When it comes to French cuisine, I am yet to try home-made puff pastry....yes I know store -bought do well too...but its my deepest desire to learn the process. Secondly I want to make tarts more often. I do not have any ramekins here, nor muffin trays...yet I made my first tart here in Hong Kong and that too in a basic microwave(not the convection one)....I just couldn't beat the urge to break from tradition. (I can't change me...lol.) Tarts...err..life made easy and quick. ;p

I made my tart savoury, for if you have been regularly reading my blog you would know that sweets rule here...its no wonder I am a dessert-first type of a person. So to balance the yin-yang of this blog I had to make my tarts savoury. :)


This is a twist from the classical pâte brisée, in that that I have used 'sattu' in addition to the regular pastry/all purpose flour and added minced chives to the pastry dough.

'Sattu' is a coarse flour made from various dry roasted grains like roasted barley and dry roasted Bengal gram or 'kala chana' which are actually black chickpeas, not the commonly seen, beige coloured chickpeas most people are familiar with in the West. It has a distinct nutty flavour and is high in proteins, fibre and betaglucan.


It is difficult to assign it an English name that makes sense, so I will just call it sattu.





The fact that the tart turned out right on my first attempt has already raised my spirits by quite a number of notches. I’m not sure what your experience with making tart dough has been like, but mine involved apprehension and nervous excitement. I stopped short of consulting the stars before I embarked on this microwave tart-related endeavour. So, after working my way through a significant number of recipes, I finally arrived at what I call the perfect MW tart dough. The one I made isn’t a classic pâte brisée, but I do adore the richness of this thin crust. It is crisp and flavourful and ofcourse highly nutritous.








Microwave 'Sattu' Tarts


Ingredients-


For Tart Shell (makes four tarts)--
1 egg,cold
1/2 cup butter, chilled
3/4 cup all purpose flour
1/2 cup 'sattu'
a pinch of salt
2 tbsp chopped chives
cold water (for sprinkling)



For Filling--
1 1/2 cup baked beans (either store bought or home-made**)
1/2 cup mozarella, chilled and cubed
2-3 cherry tomatoes, sliced--for garnishing
1 tsp garlic
2 shallots, finely chopped
salt and pepper to taste
1 tbsp butter





Method-


Tart Shell
In the bowl combine flour, sattu, chives and salt. Add in chunks of butter and pulse (in a food processor) or cut through with wooden spoon/butter knife carefully until the mixture resembles very coarse sand.

Note: Do not use too much of your hands, for too long as the heat from the hand will soften the butter fast.


Next,make a well in the center of the flour/meal and crack open an egg in it. Now incorporate the flour slowly to form a soft pliable dough, but not too wet/sticky nor too stiff.
(Use chilled water, if at all required to form the tart dough.)


Wrap the dough tightly in cling foil and refrigerate for 1.5-2 hours.
Roll out the chilled dough to about 0.5 cm in thickness. Using a glass rim cut circles of approximately 8 cm in diameter (pic above) / into a circle large enough to fit your tart pan.


I used the base of my ceramic mugs after inverting them, to make these tarts as I did not have a tart pan.


Press the dough to the base of the inverted mug, without stretching it and pinch any excess off along the edge.
Prick the the dough with a fork several times and bake in the microwave for 5 minutes on medium high.
(In case of using a tart pan, 'bake blind'.)


Cool completely before filling.




Filling
In a saucepan, heat the butter. Add the shallots and garlic. Stir.
Add the baked beans. Season with salt and pepper. Mix well and simmer for a minute. Cool.

Add the filling to the individual tarts. Garnish with cherry tomatoes and top with the cheese.
Bake in MW for 30 seconds on high.


Serve.
I served mine with a dash of coriander viniagrette.







We had these tarts in breakfast and for lunch. Filling and oh so good...I just can't get enough! :D

I also send this over to My Legume Love Affair hosted by Srivalli, the brainchild of Susan.

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**Home made baked beans are easy to make. Here is one way I make them.

Step 1-Soak 1 cup of red beans/rajma overnight.

Step 2-The next day, place beans in a large pot and add enough water to cover the beans. Add a pinch of bi-carb/baking soda + 1 tsp of salt and place on medium high heat to boil.

Once the water comes to a rolling boil turn off the heat and remove the beans from the stove. Allow to sit for one hour. This is called a “quick soak” and will soften up your beans and allow them to cook faster.

Step 3-After letting the beans soak for one hour place them on the stove once again and bring water to a boil again. Once the water boils turn the heat down so that the water is still boiling but won’t boil over the top. Boil the beans this way for 1½ hours or until they “pop” (skin breaks open).

Step 4-Once the beans are cooked/done. Remove from heat and drain the water. Place the beans in a crock-pot. Add 2 cups of ketchup with 1 tsp of dried oregano flakes and 1 tbsp of butter. Cook covered, on low heat for half an hour or so.

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Update: On Vibaas prompt I also send the first picture over to Bee's Jan Click Event @ Jugalbandi.

Countdown 2009....& My Cheesy Herb Challah

"The proper behavior all through the holiday season is to be drunk. This drunkenness culminates on New Year's Eve, when you get so drunk you kiss the person you're married to."

So much so for a laugh...! Ok I am not a sceptic, its just that I couldn't resist adding humour to my last post while I bid adieu to 2008. Its been a year well lived! Have nurtured some great friendships..both in the real and the virtual world. Hope I have touched a few lives on the way.

As I look forward to the year 2009...I can't help but anticipate what it holds for me...for us! However one things for sure...I am going to welcome it with all my heart !!

My experimentations with food knows no bounds. Mum didn't tell me that I couldn't play with my food..so here I am, playing with what I have at hand.Had seen pictures of challahs and wreath breads in so many T.V. shows and cook books. Had wanted to make them for sometime and I am glad I did it today, with obviously my 'savoury' twist in this overtly 'sweet' season. Trying something new is always so gratifying!

I made this Cheesy Herb Challah in the evening to go with my Masala Cola. (will post that later)

Challah is a special braided bread eaten by some groups of Sephardic Jews on the Sabbath and holidays.
According to Jewish tradition, Sabbath and holiday meals begin with a blessing over four loaves of bread (two Friday night and two Saturday afternoon). This "double loaf" commemorates the manna that fell from the heavens when the Israelites wandered in the desert for forty years after the Exodus from Egypt. The manna did not fall on the Sabbath or holidays; instead, a double portion fell before the Sabbath and holidays.It is these chunks of bread, recognizable by their traditional braided style, that are commonly referred to as challah.

Cheesy Herb Challah

Ingredients-

1 cup all purpose flour
1 tsp active dry yeast
2 tbsp melted butter
1 tbsp sugar
a pinch of salt
½ cup warm milk
1 egg , beaten
Extra flour for dusting


1 cup cream cheese
2 tbsp minced garlic
2 tbsp dried oregano flakes

Method-

In a small bowl of warm milk, add the sugar, salt, yeast and butter. Mix well and rest for 5 mins.
Tip: If the yeast is good, you will see bubbles.

In a large bowl, sieve the flour and make a well in the center. Add the beaten egg and the yeast-mix liquid. Slowly incorporate the flour into the liquid with your hands and knead well to form a soft pliable dough. Put the dough in a greased bowl covered with cling wrap.Let rest for 30 minutes till double in size.
Tip: Take care to place the bowl in a warm place, preferably near the gas stove/oven.

When the dough has risen, punch down and knead again. Let rest covered.

After the second rise, punch down the dough and knead well again.
Roll out the dough into approximately a 6x7 inch rectangle.

For the filling- mix the cream cheese, garlic and oregano together.

On the rolled out dough, spread the filling, leaving about a cm. on each side.
Now, gently yet firmly roll the rectangle dough with the spread, (away from you) to form a long cylinder.

Using a very sharp knife carefully cut the cylinder lengthways in half.
Working with the cut sides facing upwards, twist the halves together to form a braid/plait.
Put on a baking tray and shape the twists into a neat ring, twisting ad pinching the ends of the strands together to close the ring.

(I made a small wreath/challah as I was experimenting. Double the quantity if you want a bigger one.)

Bake for 20-25 minutes until the ring is firm and golden. (or MW for 10 minutes on medium high setting).

Since this is the last post of 2008, I send it over to a lot of friends..that I made this year. :)

I send this over to Lynn (of CookieBakerLynn) for the baking event she is hosting this month.

And to SriLekha(of Me and My kitchen) for her EFM-Savouries for December'08.
Also I share this with Lore for her monthly event-Culinarty Original Recipe.
Heres' for you too Trupti (of Recipe Center) for her Winter Treat event.

And since the cream cheese is white in color, the dish is sent over to Lubna (of Yummy Food) for FIC- White. An original creation of Harini a.k.a. Sunshinemom (of Tounge Ticklers).

The goodness of cheese is good for a pregnant woman, hence this also goes to Sangeeth (of Art of cooking Indian Food) for her Eat Healthy-Pregnancy event.

It was a recipe inspired from a cookery show I had seen long back on Discovery, so this goes to Ruth (of Ruth's Kitchen) for her Bookmarked Recipes event.

I hereby send this over to Susan (of Wild Yeast) for her weekly event Yeast Spotting.

In the nick of time, I rush this over to Annarasa for her Bread Baking Day #15 event-Festive Breads.

SEE YOU NEXT YEAR!! My heartiest wishes for a great year ahead. :)

My style Dundee/Mixed Fruit Cake....indulgence without guilt!

"Probably the reason we all go so haywire at Christmas time with the endless unrestrained and often silly buying of gifts is that we don't quite know how to put our love into words."

And for us cooks/bakers, when even buying gifts isn't enough..we put our love into our cooking/baking. The joy in my heart and the love for my beloved is poured with care, into this Dundee cake of mine...and his loving reciprocation in the mm..hmm...yum...sounds he makes after devouring it, allows me to have the satisfaction of a job well done. Loves' labours' not lost..but won!!


Although I do not like to clip/chip off the authentic traditional recipes...I am all for healthy eating, so will cut corners (if I can) on the fats and sugars used in the original without giving up much on the flavour or texture of the final product. And oh yes, did I mention I am bought by the simplicity and ease of a recipe. Hence, most of the recipes you find here, will be simple and relatively easy and are prepared in far less time than their original counterparts. (wink wink)

The origins of Dundee Cake are thought to date back to a time when fruit cake was popular during the 19th century and Keiller's of Dundee sold a version of the cake but with almonds on top. This gave the fruit cake a new distinctive look and flavour and was named Dundee Cake.

This is a really good fruit cake for those who don't like the heavy, rich sort. It does have an excellent flavour and crumbly texture. It's said a large cake should be stored for a week before eating to improve the flavour...well patience in not one of my virtues!

At an unknown date towards the end of the 17th century, Janet Keiller bought going cheap a load of oranges from a ship forced to dock in Dundee harbour due to bad weather. With sugar from her husband'’s grocery business she cannily turned the fruit into marmalade, which she then sold through Mr. Keiller's store. Mrs. Keiller's marmalade proved to be a great success, and in Dundee in 1797 a full-time business was established producing marmalade, and also eventually producing jams, confectionery and Dundee cakes. Keiller's quickly evolved into large-scale food producer, with the work-force and equipment to produce other goods alongside the marmalade.
Dundee cake was first made by Keiller's at some point in the 19th century. They cannot take the credit for the recipe, as similar fruit cakes were made across Scotland, but they were able to produce cakes commercially which then sold across the globe as 'Dundee cake'. The use of almonds on top, to decorate the cake in a distinctive way, was probably just a marketing ploy to ensure product individuality. For Keiller's cake making was also a clever way of ensuring the factory workers were kept busy when oranges were out of season, and to use up any left-over peel.


My style Dundee/Mixed Fruit Cake
Ingredients-
2 over ripe bananas, mashed ( in place of butter)
1 cup + 2 tbsp honey ( in place of sugar; you can use molasses too if desired)
3 large eggs, beaten ( u can add two more mashed bananas + one extra pinch of baking powder & one pinch of baking soda instead)
1 cup all purpose flour + extra flour for dusting
1 cup whole wheat bread/pastry flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp ground mixed spice
2 tbsp ground almonds
1/2 cup chopped blanced almonds
1/2 cup currants
1/2 cup sultanas
1/4 cup chopped glace cherries
1/2 cup chopped mixed fruit peel
2 tsp finely grated zest of lemon and orange (one tsp each)
1 tsp of lemon juice/orange juice
3-4 tbsp whisky/rum/brandy

(my extra additions, optional)-
1/4 cup chopped strawberries/cranberries
1/4 cup chopped fresh/preserved mangoes
1/2 cup semi sweet chocolate chips, chopped
1/2 cup golden raisins
1/4 cashew nuts, chopped



Method-

Sift both the whole wheat and all purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda and spice into a bowl, set aside.
Put all the fruit, including the grated lemon and orange zest(except the bananas), into another bowl. Dust with enough flour to coat all the fruits and peels.
Tip: This prevents the fruits from sticking to one another and forming lumps.


Now in a big bowl, whisk the eggs, honey, orange/lemon juice and your choice of alcohol together.
Add the mashed bananas.
Fold in the dry ingredients to the above (whisked) mixture.
Spoon the batter out in your cake mould and bake in microwave for 8-10 minutes.
Note: The batter would be a little liquidy, thus will take a little longer to cook. And if you are not using eggs...it will take even longer,so be patient and keep checking. :)


(If you want the temperature settings/timings for a conventional oven, please do get in touch.)

Once done, check with toothpick in the centre of the cake,if it comes out clean, its done.
Cool. Decorate or simply cut and store them in air tight containers..or better still...EAT! :)

There is a legend connected to Dundee cake which talks about Mary Queen of Scotland.

The story goes that Mary didn'’t like cherries in her fruit cake, and so a Scottish baker came up with a special recipe which didn't include them. This a 'genuine' Dundee cake should therefore not include cherries.
However almost all the recipes that I have seen include them..its all about flavour and your choices...'coz its your cake!

So you will not find the decoration of blanched almonds in my version, instead tiny dollops of whipped cream and to add to the richness, a whole lot of fruits (and ofcourse chocolate) go in, making this cake healthier ( and yummier) than it already is !

Wising all a Merry Christmas and joys untold for this Yuletide season !! Live, Love, Laugh... !

I share this with -

A dear friend, Sangeeth for her Eat Healthy-during Pregnancy event, as this dish is filled with health,(with all the fruits n sans fat). :)

Cooking with Alicia & Annie--Chocolate Chip Fudge (Brownie)

Fudge brownies are my favourite dessert....(although I don't want to rule out the other options of ice-cream, chocolate, cakes, panna cottas,puddings et al), if possible I would dig in ..and keep digging in my 'huge' plate of fudge brownie with vanilla ice-cream...a match made in heaven!!

I had one this weekend (when my sugar craving had hit again). Its Thursday today and I wanted to taste the chewiness and warm fudginess, all over again. So I made one, this time in my microwave.

Ooey, gooey & chewy Chocolate Chip Fudge Brownies were calling my name!
Everyone loves a good old-fashioned brownie with a tall glass of cold milk. I am no different (except I can skip the milk) ;p. Chocolate Chip Fudge Brownies are so moist and chewy it is hard to resist just one...thats why I made a whole bowl...all for myself !

Here is my variation to the original recipe that I found at Annie's recipes.

Chocolate Chip Fudge Brownie

Ingredients-
1 cup broken squares of unsweetened chocolate
1 cup margarine
2 1/2 cups sugar
4 eggs
1 tbsp vanilla
1/8 tsp salt
1 cup unbleached white flour
1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips


Method-

Melt the broken unsweetened chocolate and butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Do not burn. Remove from heat.
Using a wooden spoon or spatula, stir in sugar until well mixed.
Add eggs, vanilla and salt and beat well with a fork.
Fold in flour and mix just until smooth. Add the semi sweet chocolate chips to the batter.
Pour into a microwave safe bowl.
Bake at medium high setting for 5 minutes.

Top with vanilla ice-cream and serve while still warm.

I offer this to Cooking with Alicia and Annie's Dec. blog event.

This also goes to JZ (of Tasty Treat) who is hosting her very first event-Santa's Holiday Challenge.

If you are a beginner in terms of baking, this is an easy one-bowl recipe that will surely fetch you appreciation. I send this to Vandana (Cooking Up Something Nice)'s Baking For Beginners' event.

Also, this goes out to Susan (of Food Blogga) for her Eat Christmas Cookies event. You can see a variety of other christmas goodies here.

On my friend, Purva's request I send this to her Christmas Feast Event...its here for you Purva!

"Don't wreck a sublime chocolate experience by feeling guilty."

Quick and Easy French (Eggless) Dinner Rolls (MICROWAVE)

“There are people in the world so hungry, that God cannot appear to them except in the form of bread.”--Mahatma Gandhi

Bread baking is something new to me. Although I have made several Indian breads (leavened & unleavened) I have never really baked a loaf of regular white bread. It is a little ambitious, when it comes to yeast, patience and me…not quite a winning combination.


However, Usha (of VegInspirations) tagged me on baking for a noble cause. Two very good reasons to go ahead with my “Project Bread”.
One, it was my very first “tag”.
Second, it is for a great cause….to feed the multitudes in Africa who cannot afford the luxury of a piece of bread.



I have been doing social service for as long as I can remember..and I still do. Teaching poor children, co-ordinating with NGOs to re-build schools for children of sex workers’ and drug addicts, teaching dance to orphans and organizing charity shows etc. I was an active member of the Corporate Social Responsibility Committee in HSBC. God’s work still continues...
But never have I done something in the virtual world that will in turn,help in the real world. It amazes how my one act here can touch a life , miles away from me.


Breadline Africa is a registered charity in South Africa that is seeking to put an end to poverty in South Africa and further afield in Africa. Their aim is to break the cycle of poverty and help communities to achieve long term self-sustainability. Breadline Africa was founded in 1993 by social workers and communities in South Africa with minded colleagues in Europe, (who were well placed to source out donations). They are geared to help fund small ground level projects in Africa which are most likely to succeed with financial help.


It launched the Worldwide Blogger Baker Bake-Off Challenge aiming at raising $ 1 M in funds. This bake-off gives us baking bloggers the power to make a difference in this world. What do we do? Bake bread. Give Dough. Feed Africa. Vals says, "You can sign up for the campaign, make a donation, upload your bread recipes and document your culinary adventures in the media center to spread the word. You don't have to donate money but simply just mention the campaign and create awareness."


The following is quoted from the Breadline Africa Bake-Off site:

On 15 October, we launched The Breadline Africa Worldwide Blogger Bake Off.The Blogger Bake Off is an online campaign that challenges bloggers to get involved by baking bread, and then acting by donating to end poverty. And then, challenge their readers and five other bloggers to do the same.

With the money raised, we will be supporting grass roots community projects aimed at ending poverty and hunger in Africa. We’ll be placing container kitchens, vegetable gardens and more in poor communities, sending emergency food relief where needed and helping these poor communities to help themselves.

Quick and Easy French (Eggless) Dinner Rolls (MICROWAVE)

Ingredients-
1 cup all purpose flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
2 tbsp sugar
1 tsp salt
1 tbsp active dry yeast
2 tbsp oil
1 cup warm water (not hot)

Method-
In a large bowl, seive together the whole wheat and all purpose flour.
In a separate bowl take warm water, add the yeast, sugar and salt and oil.

Tip:The yeast should release bubbles when warm water is added. This is a sign of good yeast.The water should not be too hot, as it will kill the yeast instead.

Now, make a well in the centre of the heap of flour, and add the warm mixture slowly.
Knead it well to form a soft pliable dough.Cover the dough in a slightly greased bowl with a cling wrap or moist kitchen towel, for about 2 hrs./ till it doubles in volume.
Then punch the dough back and knead it for another 10 mins. Rest covered again, for an hour.
Punch again after an hour and knead well.

Now, divide the dough into equal sized balls. Using your hands roll each ball of dough to form a long cylindrical (almost snake like) rope.Then, from one end of the long dough rope, keep rolling towards the other end. Twist and seal the loose end to look like rolled buns.

Arrange on baking tray, close to each other. Let rest (covered) for 30 mins.Bake on medium high setting in the microwave for 8 minutes.

Serve with jam, butter, cheese or your favourite dip or curry.

Note: The microwave doesn't brown the tops, like a conventional oven. However they look pretty and have a great texture. Soft and tasty!

The rules for bloggers are outlined below:
1.If you are tagged, copy and paste the rules into your post.
2.Bake bread, do something you wouldn’t normally do, and blog about it. Upload your picture and recipe.
3.Give dough, donate to Breadline Africa and help us end poverty.
4.Tag five bloggers, and ping us so we know you’ve done so.
5.The person who raises the most funds will get to name a Breadline Africa community kitchen and win $500 Amazon Vouchers. There are also three minor prizes of $250 Amazon vouchers for people who receive the most votes in the following categories:
Most Unusual Recipe; Most Nutritious Recipe and Most Traditional Recipe.

I in turn tag Sudeshna, Maria, Arundhuti, Anudivya and Sangeeth.

I send this recipie to Lore.

I send this to Vandana (Cooking Up Something Nice)'s Baking For Beginners' event, beacuse some of us out there also want to use the MW for quick baking. :)

Ode to my paint brushes, easel and palette...et al.

“In the childhood memories of every good cook, there's a large kitchen, a warm stove, a simmering pot and a mom.”

My blog is still in its infancy....it is still amazed at everything it sees on fellow blogs...! One such thing was Chitra Amma's Kitchen with her Kitchen Treasure Hunt event. A wonderful blog with all mom's cooking. Dibs is now hosting the Kitchen Treasure Hunt event.

After reading her post I jumped up to check out all my true kitchen mates that help me whip up delicious morsels for both my hubby and me...but remain oh so silent and dilligent. They allow me to use them to satisfy my cravings...sometimes they burn, sometimes they sizzle, but remain so faithful always. My paint brushes, easel and palette that help me paint the canvas of food, if I may say.

Although all my beautiful crockery, silver-ware, crystal glassware (wedding gift from my dearest friend), shiny cutlery, my exotic marble mortar and pestle that I bought on our honeymoon (imagine...I don't fail to pick up for my kitchen..ever..lol), expensive china, not-so-cheap teracotta cups, my griller (wedding gift again, have been married for just about a year :)), my 36 pcs. dinner set (my parents brought among other things,when they visited me for the first time)...et al, I am comparitively a pauper here in Hong Kong, and all because some airline would not allow me more than 20 kgs or so. My kitchen paraphernalia is quite limited here. (sigh!)

It was all about absolute necessity...luxury was a far fetched idea. Now I have travelled to places several times...but never as a wife,( who has to think about cooking for her dear hubby)..so I picked up items/utensils that I thought would be needed.

This article is all about them...and more.

My wonderful pressure cooker. I like this one specially as it helps me cook large quantities quickly. I am all about feeding people well...and my idea of "well" is forcing food in the mouth every time they open their mouth to talk...lol. I am working on that. :D




These are a some of the things that I brought with us here, and that I use extensively..(a few are still there lying uselessly in my kitchen drawer). As I said earlier, I packed stuff (utensils) that I thought would be needed...

My belan (rolling pin), light and wooden (just like I prefer). Used it to make all the flat Indian breads and also to grind dry roasted spices at times i.e. till we bought our food processor here. It served as my pestle too. Necessity is the mother of invention!

The tongs (chimti) save my poor fingers...I still can't use bare fingers to flip rotis/chapatis, like my mom-in-law does.

The dal-ghotni --this was my mom's idea and it served its purpose. I also used it to mash the veggies in my pav-bhaji's bhaji. Again innovation is my middle name...lol.

My favourite sadsi (tongs), that I had specially requested my dad to get for me from Kolkata. Unlike regular tongs, its grip is strong and firm, so no question of slipping pots from my hands. It can hold utensils that are ten times its own weight. Its a must for me.

My good sense had forewarned me that I may not get a mixer/grinder immediately here, so I needed something to make tomato and onion pulps for my curries. Hence, my grater, which I have used religiously to grate onions,tomatoes, cucumber, carrots, ginger, lemon orange and cheese. Its recent use was to shredd carrots for my famous Gajar ka Halwa (will post that soon). The small bowl is just the right size for setting enough home made curd for the two of us. The larger bowl is for kneading dough...couldn't bring my brass paraath. (sob sob)

This is the chalni (seive) that I brought with me, not for seiving stuff...but for Karwa Chauth, just in case. Sneaked it in ...and yes I used it too. Read all about my Karwa Chauth episode here.

After much debate, we finally agreed to bring this tiffin box along. This is my husband's lunch box, something he had stopped carrying ever since he left school. This was one of the first few items that I had shopped for (ofcourse with my hubby) just after our wedding. My darling husband, has stayed in hostels and then with friends in shared bungalows when he was working (hopping around the globe..lol)...so no dabba scene here...that is till I show up! lol....


Well this is all that I had brought with us here.

Now there are a few nick-nacks that I picked from HK. Wouldn't want to ignore them, as they help me too...in the same way as the above, if not more.







This is the micro-wave rice cooker that a dear colleauge graciously gifted me with. It has been in use for the past 7 months and still looks as good as new (I maintain it well...uff...talk about humility)..lol.




This is the steamer plate that I bought from a near by market, to make dim sums. And I made it the day I bought this..couldn't wait. I love dim sums...especially shrimp dim sum (as you would have known from this). I was initially looking for a bamboo one, but couldn't control my urge to have dim sums for long. I cannot have it at restos/eateries here, 'cause they mix it with minced pork, which I personally don't like.




These are the tit-bits I bought as and when my eyes caught them in whatever store.
Cookie cutters are my favourites, have made poha pakodas using them too. (will post it I promise). I have used them extensively for various dishes, including but not limited to cookies.

Then there is the little decorative butter knife I bought while trekking...(yeah roll your eyes).

I also bought this tong kind of instrument that helps to pick bowls from a fitted casserole. I'll try to explain, the groove on this kitchen ware fits snugly on the rim of the bowl, which is placed inside another bowl, whose diameter is just a cm. more than the smaller bowl it contains. It then helps to pull out that smaller bowl. Something you can't use your fingers for, if the bowls are hot.

Lastly , there is the barbeque tong and fish scale scrapper, which are the latest additions.

No matter how much I wanted to, I couldn't buy fish from the local farmers' market here as they don't really clean out all the scales...I cannot cook with the scales still on the fish and had nothing to clean the scales myself..well now I do. :-)




This microwave egg poacher was bought just day before yesterday and I have baked Bishops' Bread using the round lid already (after sealing the two holes with cookie sheets), and ofcourse breakfast today was poached eggs in MW.






The chinese wok is my kadai here. Multipurpose with all the deep frying, steaming, mixing, shallow frying, tempering it does for me. I love the glass lid that allows me to see the alchemy of the flavours its cooking.

Last but not the least, my chopping board that has doubled up as my chauka for rolling out parathas and puris, apart from all the chopping it does.

My dangerous looking helpful knives. I tend to use the serrated knife more often as its sharper. I will remember it always. This happened in the first few weeks of our stay here, I was cutting brinjals, when the knife slipped from my hand and fell point-side down on my right foot to etch a little spring of blood. I didn't faint, but I was stuck to bed for weeks with my leg raised on pillows, as I had to stop the blood from going down and oozing out of the cut in my foot. It was painful and horrible as I don't like staying in bed doing nothing..infact I get very irritable. Glad its over, my foot has healed (without the need of dreadful stitches which leave a scar). It was a half inch wide slash, but it sealed itself together with all the care my hubby took of it. I was out of the kitchen, lived on take-outs and ready-to-eats for a few weeks. Urgh!

I tell my story so that all my friends out there can learn and take caution..the kitchen can be unforgiving if we are careless!

Having said that I still love my kitchen and enjoy each moment that I am in there. I am happy when I am in the kitchen close to my kitchen-aids.Its Kitchen therapy for me!!

Cooking with Alicia & Annie--Low-Fat Baked Vanilla Custard

“Chopsticks are one of the reasons the Chinese never invented custard”

Its' cooking with Alicia and Annie, again. The November blog event '08. This time the recipe is from Alicia's recipes.
Holiday season alongwith the warmth and good cheer brings with it oodles of weight, when we throw caution to the winds. So this time I decided to take preventive measures and make desserts that could be dug into without the guilt.
As we both love custard and puddings. I decided to give this custard a shot...and I must say it tasted so sweet, may be because I made it from scratch. ;-)

Its the Low Fat dessert recipe for Vanilla Custard.

Low -Fat Baked Vanilla Custard

Ingredients-
1/2 quart 2% milk (low fat milk)
3 eggs
3/4 cup Equal sweetener/any sugar substitue
2 teaspoons vanilla
a pinch of salt

Method-
On medium flame, heat the milk in deep pan till boiling.
Let cool for 5 mins.
In a separate bowl beat the eggs, sugar substitute,salt and vanilla essence untill smooth.
Now pour this mixture in the still warm milk, slowly. Mixing it all the while.
Pour this custard in a mould/casserole.
Place this casserole in microwave-safe bowl with a little hot water.
Also, place a cup of water in the microwave. Bake for 15 minutes on medium setting.

Check if sharp knife inserted halfway between center and edge of custard comes out clean. Remove custard mould or casserole from the bowl of hot water. Cool to room temperature. Refrigerate several hours or until well chilled.
Serve garnished with sliced fresh fruits or as desired.I used cookies and raisins.
YUM YUM YUM....

Cooking with Alicia & Annie--Chocolate-chip Cookies

" A balanced diet is a cookie in each hand".

Its been a busy day for me...but very gratifying as I was able to finish quite a few chores-laundry, picking up groceries, finishing my umpteenth Sydney Sheldon and returning to the library, etc....phew!

As I mentioned earlier ...I am addicted to blogging and cooking...(I can see you nodding your head in agreement my friend!)...blogging was the one thing I had to do , even if it meant 2 a.m. in the night or should I say morning.

Now before I sat at my laptop for hours doing my fav thing, I had to bribe my husband. It was just last night that I was blogging and he waited for me till I was done , so that we could go to bed. He isn't exactly pleased with my new found favourite. And again today I was to repeat history.. ;-) (can't help it!!)...so I baked him his favourite choco-chip cookies.

I followed the recipe from Annie's recipe that I had found on the net/blogosphere; with a few adaptations.

Needless to say hubby loved it and couldn't wait for the cookies to cool or for me to take the pictures. lol...

I had done it again. His mouth was filled with the cookies and I was blabbering away that it was because of blogging that I could find the recipe etc etc....after all blogging ain't so bad at all. (wink wink).

Choco-Chip Cookies

Ingredients-
4 cups Bisquick

2/3 cup packed brown sugar

2/3 cup cold milk
2 eggs
2 tsp vanilla extract
3 tbsp vegetable oil
1 packet chocolate chips (feel free to use more if you want..chocolate never hurts!)

Tip:Use eggs straight from the freezer. A tip I read somewhere.Cookies bake great.

Method-
In a bowl mix all the ingredients (except the chocolate chips) and mix well.
Add the choco-chips at the end.
Drop cookie dough with the help of an ice-cream scoop (as its easier) on the baking sheet.
Take care to keep them 2 inch apart.
Bake at 375 degrees F for 10 minutes.
Cool on rack.

EAT! :-)

I have never really baked cookies before.

Cakes,muffins,bread,..yes...but no cookies.

This was my first time and it came out pretty decent.

I made them in the microwave, as thats all I have here.

When using microwave for baking these cookies--
1. do not put any cookie on the center of the turn-table, keep them on the sides of the baking plate.

2. freeze the cookie dough for a few minutes before putting them in the microwave

3. bake for just 4-5 minutes on medium-high setting.
4. use brown sugar in the recipe,as microwave doesn't browns like a conventional oven, the brown sugar does the trick

Do let me know for more tips on microwave baking/use.

I had stumbled upon this blog while searching for the perfect choco-chip cookie recipe. Its got loads of other wonderful recipes that I intend to try sometime.
I am sending this as an entry to the November 2008 Blog event at Alicia-Annie blogspot.

I send this to Vandana (Cooking Up Something Nice)'s Baking for Beginners' event.
Also, this goes out to Susan (of Food Blogga) for her Eat Christmas Cookies event. You can see a variety of other christmas goodies here.

N.B. The picture on which the cookies are placed are another of my creative streaks at work...my doodling with colours. :-)

Nostalgia...La Quinta Moments!

Today, after a l-o-n-g time, I found one dear colleague, on my orkut profile. (Thanks to Orkut/Google, I am able to keep in touch with my friends and colleagues.)

It was a pleasant surprise. Talking to him brought back memories of my two years with HSBC. I had a wonderful time...infact had it not been for marriage (read relocation) and my love I would not have quit.

Not that I am sad about it, just that I miss ( a teeny-weeny bit) working at times. All who know me, family and friends inclusive, are like...."Don't you get bored at home?"...."You are such an active person...how can you sit at home?"....."What do you do?"...."Don't you want to work?"...."Life must be so lonely when hubby leaves for work!"....etc etc.

NO, I do not feel lonely, or sad, or bored....I'm making good use of my time. Being at home doesn't mean idle (don't believe me..ask all home makers/home engineers) ! I am reading all that I wanted to but couldn't because of my work, painting, dancing, doing my bit for the society in the form of social service, catching up with old friends, spending time with my husband ( I just can't get enough of him...lol...you have to give it to me..its just been a little over a year of our marriage), giving myself an adrenalin rush with all the adventure sports like bungee jumping, sky diving etc (fyi-a couple of months back both of us did the world's highest bungee in Macau) , cooking (my passion) & photography and ofcourse blogging (my new found love) and my blogger friends across the globe. 24 hrs just aren't enough! ;-)

The 2006 thanksgiving and christmas I was in Florida. The place has fond memories, I met my love here, for the first time. (blush blush) ...lol

Anyways, I was staying at a hotel (La Quinta) with my group. There were five of us. Me being the youngest and the only girl in the group. It was fun. At times we wanted to have the yummy chaats etc. (you can't deny an Indian his/her chaat-pakodas)

It was one such evening, when we bought potatoes and sev to make papri chaat....and (ahem) champagne to innundate the spiciness and celebrate our efforts...lol.

I had microwaved the potatoes ( remember we were in a hotel...not much cooking appliances in the room) and used the papri mom had given me while leaving India. The chutney was brought by another colleague( Indians never leave home without food..lol). Onions by another...a pot-luck kinda thing.

The chaat was lip smackingly delicious. The result of all the effort was awesome, especially as we had little or no utensils/appliances.( I had used a swiss knife to chop the potatoes) :-)

Heres' the simple recipe-

PAAPRI-CHAAT

Ingredients-

2 medium sized boiled potatoes chopped in cubes, or ( cut the potatoes in half and microwave them in a bowl with some water for 3-4 mins)

1 medium red onion, chopped finely

1 medium sized tomato, diced

6-7 sprigs of coriander (half a bunch), finely chopped

salt to taste

3 tsp chaat masala

2 tsp fresh lemon juice

1 tsp oil (I used mustard, any cooking oil would do)

a pinch of red chilli powder or 1 green chilli minced

1 cup puffed rice ( called as 'moori' in bengali, 'murmure' in marathi, 'laai' in northern india)

10-15 papris (flattened crisp disc shaped flour fritters, mildly salty)

3 tbsp beaten curd mixed with 1 tsp of sugar

3 tsp imli chutney (tamarind sauce/dip)

sev (bhujia) for garnish ( a common indian tea-time snack)

Method-
In a bowl, mix well the potatoes, tomato, onion, coriander, a little salt, lemon juice,oil,minced green chilli/red chilli powder and chaat masala. Now add the puffed rice and mix well again.
Tip: We add the puffed rice at the end or else it will become soggy.
In a serving plate, layer the papris.
Spread the mixture we just made with puffed rice, on top of the papris.
Then, the next layer will be of the beaten curd with sugar.
Top it all with the imli chutney.
Garnish with sev.
Serve....yum yum...(my mouths' watering again.)

N.B. The papris, sev and imli chutney can be bought at Indian grocery stores.

Double Bonanza- Tea meets Coffee

Picture this-- its 2.10 am in the morning here. After various failed attempts of telling me to sleep, my husband went off to the bedroom. I have been on my laptop for the past six hours. Updating my posts, commenting on fellow bloggers' blogs, understanding the html stuff (pardon me I am a lesser mortal not a techie).....and I had promised on my Diwali blog that I would talk about my other dessert-- Jasmine Matcha and Coffee Chiffon Marble Cake. So here I am!!

Thanks to Meeta's Blog ("Whats' for lunch honey")- The Monthly Mingle of Tea and Coffee,which really instigated me to be edgier and venture where I never have before.
(especially as I don't drink either Tea or Coffee.) The result was great, this I say because of the overwhelming positive response I got, even from unexpected quarters.

This ones's for you Meeta.

When we first arrived in Hong Kong, we initially stayed at The Empire Hotel here. We couldn't have asked for a better place. It was wonderful. It was here that I picked up some jasmine and green tea sachets. Ok thats' silly I know. Nevertheless I picked them up as they seemed exotic. On hindsight I am glad I did. :-)

So a couple of weeks after I started my blog, while browsing through the web, quite serendipitiously I stumbled upon Meeta's blog and found this event of the month with the deadline still on. The decision was made...... I was sending in my entry. But what do I make?

First I thought of Matcha(Green Tea) Crepes', but they were too simple.Then I thought of Biscotti, but then again both of us don't drink tea/coffee and are not great biscuit fans.Added to that, all I have here is a microwave, no conventional oven so couldn't do much. Idea cancelled.

I wanted to make something complex yet simple. Something that incorporates both tea and coffee and yet be in harmony.Something that challenges me creatively. And so I came up with Jasmine Matcha and Coffee Chiffon Marble cake, that too made in a microwave....in a heat-safe plastic box, not a cake tin! (I don't have one and I couldn't wait to buy one as I was dying to try my creation) So it was quite a challenge!

Jasmine Matcha and Coffee Chiffon Marble cake
Ingredients-

For the Green tea batter-
1 tea bag of jasmine tea (brewed with 2 tbsp warm water)
1 tea bag of green tea/matcha (brewed with 2 tbsp warm water)
1/2 cup self raising flour
3 heaped tbsp white sugar
1 egg
a small pinch of dried ginger powder
2 tbsp cooking oil
1/2 tsp lemon juice
2 tbsp milk

For the Coffee batter-
2 tbsp any coffee brew (just instant coffee mixed with a little warm water and strained)
1/2 cup self raising flour
a small pinch of nutmeg
a small pinch of cinnamon
3 heaped tbsp brown sugar
1 egg
2 tbsp cooking oil
2 tbsp milk (as required)

Method-

The Green Tea Batter-

Once both the jasmine and green tea have been brewed with warm water for sometime. Squeeze the bags dry. Keep this brew.
In a bowl beat the egg till fluffy, now add the sugar, beat till it dissolves. Add the oil, milk and lemon. Beat again. Now add the brew.
Finally add the flour, ginger powder and mix. Do not over stir or else the cake will turn out hard.

The Coffee Batter-

In a bowl, beat the egg till fluffy, now add the sugar till it dissolves. Add the oil, milk and the coffee brew. Beat well.
Finally add the flour, nutmeg and cinnamon. Mix well , again do not over stir.

Note :Check if the consistency of the Green tea batter and the Coffee batter are same. Add a little more milk to the coffee batter if required.

Now, using a ladle spoon pour the coffee batter in the baking tray/tin. On top of that, pour the same quantity ladle of the green tea batter. Again ladle the coffee batter followed by the green tea batter.Keep alternating till all the batter is finished. Do not shake the tin. Sprinkle some brown sugar on top.Carefully bake it in the microwave at medium high heat for 10 minutes. Check with the toothpick if it comes out clean. Its done. Cool on rack.
Slice. Serve with either whipped cream or plain.

The cake just melts in the mouth, giving off a burst of myraid flavours. The subtle taste of matcha and jasmine with ginger, combined with the spiced up coffee. Each bite is heavenly (even for people who don't drink tea/coffee). A must try!

N.B. The brown sugar sprinkle at the end browns the cake and gives it a nice glaze, as the microwave does not brown it like a conventional oven would.
I made a small cake as I was experimenting with matcha, double the amount/quantity of the ingredients if you need a bigger cake.

Just to mention- The cutlery stand was made by me with cut outs from a magazine and A4 size blank sheets. :-)

NOTE: Since I made this dessert for Diwali,I also send this as entry to Sudeshna (of Here I Cook)'s monthly event "Satisfy your sweet tooth" (on my dear friend's request).