I Baked my Baby's First Birthday Cake!

I guess I'm the baking kind of mum. I love it :) I baked my baby girl's first Birthday cake. I knew I wanted a cake that would A) taste delicious and moist B) look elegant, girly and cute C) feed about 40 people. So I decided on a layered cake with classic chocolate and moist vanilla, with a light whipped cream filling. The frosting was something that had me thinking for a while. I wasn't sure if the whipped cream would hold in room temperature and since I was planning on making the cake the night before, I wanted something that would still look and taste as good on the morning of the party. I pondered over fondant, but somehow wasn't very keen on it. And then one morning as I woke up, the idea of a white chocolate ganache came to me, just like that :) Maybe because I always knew that I wanted  something white(ish) with a sprinkling of colour on it, or something. And I ended up making a (pretty) tall cake frosted with decadent white chocolate ganache and topped with Smarties in the colours of the party. I was rather happy with the result, although it did look very homemade, which I think is quite endearing :)

Ganache is not something difficult at all! I can say it quite confidently now. When I started looking for recipes on the Internet, I read a lot about how tricky it is, how it can go horribly wrong, etc. But I must admit, I found it actually very simple and foolproof. Either that or I was very lucky :) Here's how I made it -

I used -

• 1 part heavy whipping cream
• 3 parts white chocolate chips (roughly chopped so they melt quicker)

Method - 

• Place chocolate chips in a large mixing bowl (preferably either stainless steel or a microwave safe one)
• Heat cream in a saucepan on a low flame until you start seeing tiny bubbles around the edge.
• Pour heated cream over the pulsed chocolate chips and let sit for a minute or so.
• Using a spatula, gently stir in everything, until the chocolate and cream turn into a smooth paste. It will be quite runny at this stage. If you feel the cream wasn't hot enough to melt all the chocolate, stick the (microwave safe) bowl into the microwave for about 30 seconds. Be careful not to burn the chocolate.
• Once you're happy with the mixture and there are no lumps, leave it (preferably uncovered) on the counter to cool down completely.
• Now you need to wait for this ganache to 'set' to a nice, soft spreadable consistency. If the room is cool enough, you could leave it out on the counter overnight. If not, simply cover with cling wrap and pop it into the fridge.
• When you're ready to frost your cake next morning, take ganache out of the fridge and reheat in the microwave in short 30-second bursts until the desired spreadable consistency is achieved.
• Frost away!

This mixture holds well and I did not have any problems with it considering the frosted cake was left on the table all day! You could even store remaining ganache in an airtight container to use later.

If you want to make a dark chocolate ganache, it's 1 part heavy cream to 2 parts dark/semi-dark chocolate. The procedure is the same.

Oh another thing I saw on the Internet, if you're using  heavy whipping cream, like I did, you could even whip the ganache just before frosting for an even lighter and creamier texture. I didn't this time, but maybe will try it the next time.

I'm still very much an amateur when it comes to cake decorating and I had quite a hard time trying to get a smooth finish on my cake and getting the sides 'straight'. I tried for a bit, but then decided I was quite happy with my homemade look :) The cake tasted good and that's all that mattered, well, to me!

An exciting medley of flavours!

Baby in bed - check
Movie to watch - check
Yummy dinner with minimum effort - check

That Friday night was a treat for us! 

It all began over coffee 'n' scone late that afternoon. Having just come back from India, husby and I were rambling about all the eating we had done there. Our (at least mine) taste buds hadn't yet accepted that the holiday was over, and the scone wasn't doing anything for me. I needed something tangy, something with that punch, you know? And husby was not willing to drive me all the way to Parramatta, 'just for a plate of chat', in his words. He tried reasoning it out, pointing out that the traffic would be mad that time of the day and most importantly the (tennis) match would begin at 7 something. Pah! Anyway, he did promise to take me there the next day though. But 'tomorrow' wasn't good enough for me, I wanted chat and that was it.
So then of course we stopped by at the Indian store, picked up a couple of things so I could make it all at home and headed back home with a happy and convinced husby. And that's how that Friday night was a treat :) I made bhel puri and papdi chat for dinner and we watched Nanban, while baby slept peacefully, oh bless her!

Not that it is a very elaborate procedure for me to actually blog about it...it's just a simple assembly once you have all the ingredients ready! Everything, you should be able to get easily at an Indian grocery store. Also, there is no set quantity/measurement or anything, just go by what you like. Easy peasy :) Here's what I used -

• store bought papdi
• store bought tamarind chutney (you could make your own)
• store bought green chilly chutney
• ok...so I'll stop saying 'store bought' :-)
• fine sev
• yogurt
• finely chopped onion
• finely chopped tomato
• grated carrot
• finely chopped fresh coriander
• finely chopped cucumber (optional)
• boiled and mashed potato

Method (like there is one, sheesh!)

1. Take out your favourite plate (how big or small is up to you)
2. Arrange (whole, undamaged) papdis in one layer, all over the plate
3. Top with rest of the ingredients, starting with onion, boiled potatoes, carrot, tomato, some tamarind chutney, green chutney and yogurt. 
4. Finally sprinkle chopped coriander and a generous amount of sev.
5. Enjoy!

And the best part is, all the stuff you bought will last for at least a couple of more chat episodes :)

Inspired Italian Cooking: Bruschetta

Back from a holiday in India, I slowly felt the kitchen induced lethargy. All the inevitable cooking, the endless pots 'n' pans - some in the sink, some in the dishwasher, the wilting veggies in my fridge, made me want to scream in frustration! Then, as if a storm was gone, the calm settled in, giving me a renewed sense of enthusiasm. I wanted to make something nice for dinner, really! Both husby & I were bored of the routine and wanted something else. So, I decided to try some Italian cuisine. Nothing fancy, thought I'd start with Bruschetta. Awfully simple to make but one heck of a classy, timeless and highly satisfying appetiser/starter/snack!


Bruschetta for two -


4 thick slices of bread - the classic recipe calls for a baguette, but I think any bread will work for a quick fix. (I cut my square slices in half)


1 firm tomato, finely chopped


1 small red onion, finely chopped


2 tbspns fresh basil, finely chopped


3 tbspns grated parmesan


salt & pepper to taste


some minced garlic in olive oil to brush on the slices of bread

1. Mix finely chopped onion, tomato, basil, cheese and salt & pepper in a bowl.
2. Brush the slices of bread with the garlic and olive oil.
3. Grill/toast the slices until crunchy and light brown.
4. Spread a spoonful of the prepared mixture and serve immediately.
5. Top with more grated cheese just before serving.

Fresh bruschetta, a bottle of good wine and endless conversation...now that's something I needed to calm down!

Spicy whole Moong Fritters

My latest agenda is to utilise all but a few basics from my pantry. The reason for this drastic measure is that I'll be going to India soon (yay!) and I want only the bare essentials in stock till I'm back. That way M will be spared the following dramatic scene: 
(think Indian soap opera background music!)


M opens the kitchen cabinets reluctantly to make some 'simple daal' as I would've coaxed him to. He gasps in exasperation at the twenty something jars of lentils and other condiments. Then, muttering some incomprehensible things under his breath, he reaches for the nearest jar and starts the daal cooking process with what seems like, any, lentil (psst! insider information: it's urad daal!!!). 
Well, I think I can safely leave the rest of the scene to your imagination :)
So, I was saying...I'm looking at cooking with 'whatever-is-in-my-cabinets' at this point. I found a tall Tupperware canister, half full with green whole moong. So, robotically, I washed and soaked it, confident that I would have thought of something by morning. And I did! I made these crispy, spicy vades (deep fried lentil fritters).

 


Heres' what you need - 


2 cups whole green moong (hesarukaalu) soaked overnight
1/4 cup cornflour or rice flour
3 green chillies (increase or decrease according to your taste)
a small chunk of ginger
a handful of fresh coriander
1/2 tspn whole cumin (jeera)
1 small onion, finely chopped
a pinch of hing (asafotieda) and turmeric 
salt to tatse
oil  



Grind soaked moong, chillies, ginger, coriander and cumin to a coarse mixture. (use little or no water)
Transfer into a mixing bowl and add cornflour/rice flour, chopped onion, hing, turmeric and salt and give it a good mix.

Heat oil in a wok. 
Scoop out about a spooonful of the moong mixture with your fingers. Flatten it into a sort of patty using your thumb and forefingers before dropping it into hot oil.

Fry until light brown and crisp. Now, you need to be patient with these. You want them crunchy and crisp on the outside and fluffy and well cooked on the inside, so you need to fry them on medium flame.

If you are the type who'd tch!tch! at the deep frying bit, you could even pan fry them on a skillet with a fraction of the oil :)


So, I'm gonna take off now and continue my jars 'n' bottles scouring mission. Will be back soon with some more 'must-finish-somehow' recipes!

A basket of fresh corn please!

I love warm corn on the cob with a just a hint of salt and lime! And the fact that it is low fat makes it an extra special favourite. So, the creamy, fresh corn is a regular resident of my kitchen.
One Sunday afternoon, M & I had the familiar craving for a chatpata (tangy) snack with tea. My pantry wasn't at it's very best, but I did have plenty of corn. So I went looking for corn recipes and found this one at vahrehvah.com. Quick and easy! Good old corn to the rescue :)

I think it'd be great for parties as an appetiser. I guess the patties can be made ahead of time and refrigerated/frozen and all that's left to do is shallow fry or deep fry them when needed. Maybe it could be put on the BBQ as well for a nice smoky flavour, and something to add to the veggie BBQ menu :)

We had ours with tomato ketchup and mayo, but I'm sure it'll taste great with mint & coriander chutney.

Friends, Food and a perfect Cocktail!

Sangria
It was a phase when M was enthusiastic about learning how to make cocktails. He even bought a book called 'Shaken, classic cocktails-shaken not stirred'! And one fine day, M, along with a friend of ours, decided to make us girls some good homemade cocktails. After a long discussion and everyone suggesting their favourites, they chose to make Sangria (two reasons, we had just had some at a Mexican restaurant and we loved it and it was the simplest in the book!) Anyways, they got out their cocktail kit, shook and stirred and made some really potent Sangria and served it to us with a string of brags and boasts. We thoroughly enjoyed it, the cocktail that is ;-)

Here's the recipe as it appears in the book -

juice of 1 orange
juice of 1 lemon
2 tbsp caster sugar
ice cubes
1 orange, thinly sliced
1 lemon, thinly sliced
1 bottle red wine, chilled
lemonade

Shake the orange and lemon juice with the sugar and transfer to a large bowl or jug.

When the sugar has dissolved, add a few ice cubes, sliced fruit and wine.

Marinate for 1 hour if possible, and then add lemonade to taste and more ice.

I'm sending this to Ria's Let's Celebrate Event.

Triangular icons in the Indian snack scene!

Samosas!
This snack needs no introduction. It is by far the most popular Indian snack and I reckon it will never go out of fashion. Everybody loves the little fried pyramids. Crispy on the outside and tangy goodness inside, served with imli chutney and pudina chutney, it's one tongue tickling creation! It's very versatile too - you can have various fillings (just get creative), you can serve it as a chaat and you can also make the chic petite versions for your next party, cocktail samosas they're called apparently! The perfect accompaniment, according to me, is a nice hot cup of ginger chai. One can't go wrong with the combination. And that's exactly what we did when we had friends over for a little 'b'day tea party' in March this year. Good friends, lots of chatter, samosas and chai, now that's a relaxed evening!

To make the samosas - (this recipe will yield about a dozen samosas)

For the dough (for the outer pockets)

• 2 cups all purpose flour
• 1 cup wholemeal flour (wheat flour/atta)
• 1/2 tspn ajwain (caraway seeds)
• a pinch of cooking soda
• salt to taste
• water

For the filling -

• 4 large potatoes (boiled)
• 2 tbspns oil
• 1/2 tspn jeera (cumin seeds)
• a pinch of turmeric
• 1 tspn each of - red chilli powder, jeera powder and amchur powder
• 1/2 tspn crushed whole dhania (coriander seeds)
• 1 tspn peanuts
• salt to taste
• oil for deep frying

1. Make a fairly stiff dough with all the ingredients mentioned in the first section. While adding the ajwain, lightly rub it between your palms to release the full flavour.
2. To make the filling, lightly mash the boiled potatoes.
3. Heat oil in a pan and add jeera.
   
4. Next add peanuts and crushed dhania and saute for a couple of minutes.
5. Now turn the heat down and add turmeric and all the dry masala powders and saute for about a minute or two.
6. Then add the potatoes and salt and give it a good mix. But be gentle as you don't want the filling to end up like mashed potatoes. (That reminds me, you could even add 1/2 a cup of green peas to the filling.)

Getting the triangles/pyramids!
This can be quite tricky the first few times, but after a lot of trial and error I figured that the best way to make it is as follows -

• Take a ping pong ball sized bit of the dough and roll it into an oblong shape (not round like you would for rotis/chapatis).
  
• It should neither be too flimsy (it will give in and tear when you stuff the filling inside and believe me, you would have to do a lot of dough grafting to hide the holes!) nor too thick (this will make the end product too hard to swallow, gulp!)
• Once you've rolled it out to the right thickness, cut it in the middle and you'll end up with two semi circles.
• Spoon out a little bit of the filling and place it in the centre of the half circle. Lightly run the edges with some water.
• Now lift the corners of the dough and bring them together to form a triangle/pyramid (now this may sound tricky in words and unfortunately I don't have pictures, but you'll figure it out when you do it) Seal the edges well to make sure the filling doesn't get out while frying. If you've done the pyramid construction right, you should be able to sit your samosa up on it's base.
• Make a few in a batch while the oil gets heated up.
• Deep fry the samosas till they turn (the cliched) golden brown :-)
• Serve hot and enjoy!

It may take a few attempts till you get comfy with the whole process, but once there. your options for variations are endless. For me though, the classic potato filling is the all time favourite. Go on, give this a try and have some good friends over for that long session of gossips, laughter and chai!

Friends chat over Fruit Chaat!

Our gang of friends decided to have a potluck one day. There were several yummy things to eat and the men tried their hand at cooking! One of our friends dished up this really easy but really healthy fruit chaat. With all the other sinfully rich dishes,we thought no one would care much for this, but surprise, surprise! The fruit chaat was the star of the evening...





Very simple to make -

1. Dice all fruits - we had apples, watermelon, kiwis, oranges, bananas, peaches and grapes
2. Put into a large bowl and add salt, pepper, chaat masala and some lime juice for flavour (according to taste)
3. All done! Serve and eat loads. No guilt pangs at all!

I remember eating this on our many street-food adventures back in Bangalore...
This goes to Sunday Snacks - Chaats hosted by All Thingz Yummy.

A Winner!

This salad is awesome 'cos it looks colourful and appetising, it smells refreshing, it tastes great and it is oh-so-healthy!! Now that's a sure winner! Plus, it's so easy to make, so go on and try it and I can guarantee that this salad will creep into your meals quite often :-)

It's also a great addition to your starters/appetisers list for your next big lunch/dinner party. Serve it with some corn chips on the side and it will be devoured in no time. Your guests will thank you for a snack they can gorge on guilt free. It adds colour to your table and saves precious time (which you could probably use to dress up a little bit!)

You need -

• 1 cup of corn kernels (you could either buy fresh corn, boil it and slice the kernels off the cob, which is recommended as it is fresh, or you could even use the canned ones)
• 1 cup finely diced carrots
• 1/2 cup finely diced cucumber
• 1 finely diced tomato
• 1/2 an onion chopped
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh coriander/cilantro
• 2 tbspns roasted peanuts (gives it a crunchy punch!)
  
• 2 tbspns mint chutney
• salt, pepper, sugar, lime juice, and chat masala (optional) for flavour

Simply toss everything together in a salad bowl and add salt, pepper, sugar, lime juice and some chat masala (available at Indian stores, a tangy powder) according to taste.
This is great if you're watching your diet, especially for dinner. It's very light on the stomach but very filling too. The perfect combination, I'm sure many of you would agree, if you're like me, fighting with calories, perpetually!

Tea-time Saturday Evening...

Ambode/Aamavadai (deep fried lentil fritters) with Ginger Chai...

A lazy Saturday afternoon, I woke up after a nice nap when M was strumming his guitar. We realised we hadn't had any lunch and it was almost tea-time. I decided to indulge in some sinful deep fried bliss...so the ambodes were made and devoured in no time along with some hot-spicy-sugary ginger tea - a combi that will get your tastebuds floating in ecstasy!

• channadal (split yellow chickpeas) 1 large cup, soaked for about 4-5 hours
• 6-7 dry red chillies
• a small chunk of ginger
• 1 tsp hing (asafoteida)
• 1 large onion, finely chopped
• a handful of curry leaves, chopped
• a small bunch of dill (sabbasige soppu) optional
• salt to taste
• oil for deep frying

1. Grind the soaked channadal, red chillies, ginger and hing coarsely, without adding any water. However, if the mixture is too dry then you could add a spoonful of water.
2. Transfer this to a wide bowl and add chopped onion, chopped curry leaves and salt (and chopped dill, if you wish)
3. Take some lentil mixture, the size of a pingpong ball and flatten into a patty.
4. Deep fry on medium flame until brown and crisp.

Ginger chai -

• 1 cup water
• 1 cup milk
• a large chunk of ginger, about the size of your thumb.
• tea powder/tea bags
• sugar

1. Heat the water in a saucepan and let it simmer.
2. Wash and peel ginger and grate. Add this to the simmering water.
3. Wait until it releases it's flavour and add 1 big spoon of tea leaves or 2-3 tea bags.
4. Bring to a light boil.
5. Next add milk and sugar and continue to boil till all the flavours blend in.
6. Strain into mugs and enjoy!

Sitting in our balcony with hot 'n' crisp ambodes and lovely ginger chai, we were like two people in love all over again :-)

Pudina Chutney/Mint Chutney - a fridge essential if you snack often...

It's a good idea to have a jar of pudina chutney in your fridge. It's very versatile and you can dish up some really nice 'n' tangy snacks with it in no time...

• 1 large bunch mint leaves
• 1/2 bunch fresh coriander/cilantro
• a thumb sized piece of ginger
• 3 green/red fresh chillies (it's really up to you to either make it really hot or go easy on the spice)
• salt

Simply grind all of the above into a smooth paste, with very little water. Store this in an airtight container in your fridge.

• you can use it in sandwiches (see the following two recipes)
• you can use it as a dip for bhajias/pakoras (deep fried fritters)
• you can use it to spice up a salad
• it is used in most chat recipes
• and you can find a million other uses for it, just think, be creative and add some zest to your snacks!

Oily, but what the heck, very yummy!

M & I had this strong desire for Indian street food. I had a big chunk of cauliflower in my fridge for a while and I found the perfect excuse for Gobi Manchurian - cauliflower fritters in a spicy 'n' tangy sauce.

• cauliflower florets 1 cup
• corn flour 3 tbspns
• chickpea flour 1 teaspoon (optional)
• salt, red chilli powder and some cooking soda
• oil for deep frying and for the sauce
• 1 large onion finely chopped
• ginger and garlic paste 2 teaspoons
• 2 finely chopped fresh green chillies (optional)
• vinegar, soy sauce, chilli sauce and tomato sauce - depending on how tangy you want it
• fresh coriander or cilantro and spring onion to garnish

1. Sprinkle the cauliflower florets with some salt and keep aside.
2. Make a thin batter with cornflour, salt, chilli powder and a pinch of cooking soda.
3. Dip the cauliflower florets in this batter and deep fry till they turn crispy and brown and drain on a kitchen towel.
4. In a wok, heat the oil and saute the onions.
5. Add ginger garlic paste and green chillies and saute for a few seconds.
6. Next add all the other sauces and saute for a while.
7. Add salt to taste.
8. Add the fried florets and toss lightly.
9. Garnish with fresh coriander and chopped spring onion.

You can substitute the cauliflower with babycorn for an interesting variation.

Mmmm, a definite tangy teaser this one!