The Chocolate and Pomegranate Tart!

Let us end the year on a sweet note. Introducing another of my mom's many classic recipes. Who would think that pomegranates taste so wonderful with chocolate? The grainy tartness from the pomegranate seeds against the silky smooth texture of bittersweet chocolate ends up a divine combination.  

Ingredients 

For the Tart base 

1) 1 cup Flour
2) 1/2 cup cold Butter
3) 3 tbsp cocoa powder
4) 1 egg

For the Tart filling

1) 150 gm chocolate (100 milk+50 dark)
2) 150 gm fresh cream
3) 150 gm butter
4) 1 Pomegranate

Recipe
1)  Sift the Flour and cocoa powder together. Incorporate cold butter and combine together with both hands until the texture resembles biscuit crumbs.
2) Add the egg and knead the dough. Refrigerate for half an hour in a clingfilm. Take it out and lay it in a tart tin. Blind bake for 30 minutes in a preheated oven(180 C).
3) Meanwhile, melt the chocolate in a double boiler. Add the cream and butter to the chocolate in order to make the filling. Add pomegranate seeds to the ganache. Pour into the baked chocolate tart base. Add a few more pomegranate seeds on top. Refrigerate for 2 or more hours and let the filling set. Serve!

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Pasta with Baked Mushroom, Parsley and Parmesan.

At a professor's house for brunch, a few weekends ago, I had tried out some fantastic dry pasta with baked Shiitake mushrooms. I have been itching to cook something remotely similar, over the holidays. The woody flavor from the baked mushroom and the fresh parsley makes this a killer winter dish. 

Ingredients 

1) 300 gm Pasta
2) Parsley finely chopped
3) Parmesan

For the Dressing 

1) 1 tbsp Olive oil
2) 1 tbsp Butter
3) 2-4 cloves of garlic
4) Finely chopped Parsley stems

For the Baked Mushroom 

1) 200 gm Mushroom
2) 1 tbsp Olive oil
3) Zest from 1 lemon
4) 1 tbsp lemon juice
5) 1 tsp black pepper
6) 3 cloves of bruised garlic
7) Salt

Recipe 

1) Cook the pasta al dente.
2) For the dressing, heat the olive oil, butter, garlic and parsley stem for a minute. Keep aside.
3) Meanwhile, coat the mushroom in olive oil, lemon zest, lemon juice, salt, pepper and garlic. Bake in a preheated oven (180 C) for 15-20 minutes or until the mushroom browns.
4) Add the dressing to the pasta and serve with baked mushroom, finely chopped parsley leaves and a generous sprinkle of Parmesan.

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Pork Stew in Red Wine and Pepper Sauce.

I am back with some oishii bites. This time I will try out some simple holiday recipes that go perfectly well with the winter chill. And nothing beats hot pork in a spicy red wine sauce. The overwhelming heat from peppercorns and the zing from your favorite choice of red, makes this an all time easy-breezy-go-to-recipe! Serve with hot mulled wine. 

Ingredients 

1) 400 gram Pork meat
2) 1 onion diced
3) 5 cloves of garlic chopped
4) 5 blanched tomatoes
5) 1 cup red wine
6) 2 tsp oregano
7) 1 tsp nutmeg powder
8) 1 tsp crushed black pepper corns
9) 2 bay leaves

Recipe

1) Coat the pork in salt, pepper and a little bit of turmeric powder. Fry on medium heat. Keep fried pork aside.
2) Saute diced onion and garlic in the pork grease until the onion is translucent.
3) Add the red wine and bring it to a boil. Simmer for about 1 minute.
4) Blitz the tomatoes in a mixer grinder and add the paste to the pan, along with the oregano, nutmeg, pepper corns and bay leaves.
5) Add the friend pork and stir to combine. Put the lid back on the pan and bring the mixture to a boil again. Cook for a few more minutes. Serve with rice and a glass of good red/rose mulled wine.

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Mocha Cupcakes.

Let your favorite flavors of coffee and chocolate seep into one delicious mess. These Mocha cupcakes make for the perfect after hours indulgence. With every perfectly baked batch of goodness, the refrigerate finds itself raided at all ungodly hours. :D 

Ingredients(12 cupcakes)

For the cupcake

1) 1 1/2 cup flour
2) 1 cup castor sugar
3) 1 tsp baking soda
4) 1/2 cup cocoa powder
5) 1 cup milk
6) 1 egg
7) 1/4 cup vegetable oil
8) 1/4 cup butter
9) 1 tsp vinegar
10) 1/2 tsp vanilla essence

For the frosting 

1) 4 tbsp instant coffee powder
2) 1 cup water
3) 1/2 cup condensed milk
4) 1/4 cup cream
5) 4 tbsp butter
6) 1 tsp cocoa powder
7) 1 tsp corn flour
8) 2 tbsp milk

Recipe

1) Mix all the ingredients of the cupcake, together. Bake for 15-17 minutes(Preheated to 180 C).
2) Roast the instant coffee powder in a pan, over low flame. This only takes 30 secs. Introduce the rest of the ingredients(except the milk and cornflour) to the pan, immediately. Mix well by whisking continuously. The frosting can burn if you stop whisking. Let the mixture boil.
3) Mix the milk and cornflour together and add to the mixture, in the pan. Remove from heat when the mixture thickens. Bring to room temperature and refrigerate. One can use the frosting in 2-3 hours. Serve the cupcakes with chocolate shavings.

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Chicken Satay

Lets make some skewered meat on rainy days, shall we? And read some poetry on the veranda with a steaming cuppa. The sky rumbles, meanwhile. 

Ingredients

1) 1 chicken breast piece
2) 1 medium sized onion
3) 4 cloves of garlic
4) 1/2 an inch of ginger
5) 1/2 tsp turmeric
6) 1 tsp lemon rind
7) 2 dried chilies
8) 2 red/green chilies
9) 1 tbsp tamarind pulp
10) 1/2 tsp salt
11) 1 tsp oil

Recipe 

1) Slice the chicken breast into 1/2 cm thick strips.
2) Blend the rest of the ingredients into a paste. Slather the chicken strips with the paste and marinade for half an hour.
3) String the strips onto wooden sticks(in the pic) and fry in a frying pan for a few minutes. Serve hot with a sprinkle of lemon juice.

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Mango ginger Kulfi.

Oh, what fun to be back home in the summers! Mom will read out to me from a nice book of poetry she has recently come across and we will be gorging on home made Mango kulfis. This one is a mom's classic! 

Ingredients 

1) 1/2 liter milk
2) 1/4 cup cream
3) 1 cup mango pulp
4) 1/2 cup condensed milk
5) 1/2 inch ginger chopped
6) 4 tbsp mango conserve/aam satta/aam papad pulp (optional)

Recipe 

1) Reduce the milk to half its quantity, over heat. Stir continuously while the reduction is taking place. Bring down to room temperature.
2) Boil the ginger and squeeze out the juice to reduce its heat intensity. Add the extracted ginger juice along with the rest of the ingredients to the milk and pour the liquid into moulds. Refrigerate over night and serve cold!

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Baked eggs and Toast.

We hardly find time between waking up and getting out of the house, for work. Baked eggs are nutritious and super quick to make. This breakfast option is full on protein which makes it a good post workout meal. 

Ingredients 

1) 2 eggs
2) 3 tomatoes
3) 2 cloves of garlic
4) 2 tbsp milk
5) 1 tbsp cheese shavings. (Cheddar and Parmesan was used in this recipe)

Recipe

1) Blitz the tomatoes and garlic in a blender on medium speed. Empty this into a hot pan and cook for 5 minutes. Divide this among two ramekins, equally. You can also use marinara sauce as the base.
2) Crack open the eggs over the tomato sauce. One egg goes into one ramekin, obviously! Simply pour 1 tbsp milk on top, followed by cheese, salt and pepper. Do not mix!
3) Bake in a preheated oven(220 C) for 10 minutes or until the egg white is evenly cooked. Serve hot with slightly browned toasts.

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Grilled Fish with Lime Coriander Butter and Cucumber Mint Relish

This will become your favorite go to brunch recipe, as it takes very little time to make the individual components and can be easily prepared and kept aside, the night before. All that would be required on the day is a hot grill plate and good plating skills. And it tastes Oishii! 

Ingredients 

1) Fish fillets

For the Lime and Coriander butter 
2) 8 tbsp butter
3) 3 tbsp finely chopped coriander
4) 2 tsp lemon juice
5) 1 tsp roasted and coarsely ground coriander seed
6) 3/4 tsp lime zest
7) 1 tsp red chili flakes
8) 1 tsp minced garlic

For the Cucumber and Mint Relish
9) 1 cucumber diced
10) 2 tbsp lemon juice
11) 1/2 tsp sugar
12) 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
13) 2 tsp fresh mint chopped up
14) 1 tbsp chopped shallot
15) Salt and Pepper to taste

Recipe

1) Mix all the ingredients for the butter, together. Wrap in a cling film and refrigerate overnight or until the butter solidifies.
2) Mix all the ingredients for the relish and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
3) Grill the fish fillets. Remove the frozen lime and coriander butter from the refrigerate and apply a few dollops to the hot grilled fish fillets. Serve with the relish and some fries on the side.

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Litchi and Coconut pudding.

An easy dessert to whip up when you have very little time on your hand. Litchis are available all throughout summer. So what are you waiting for? Serve with some mint tea.

Ingredients 

1) 10 Litchis.
2) Milk 200 ml
3) Condensed milk 1/4 cup
4) Cream 100 ml
5) 2 1/2 tsp gelatin
6) Toasted coconut

Recipe 

1) Chop up the Litchis and keep aside.
2) Mix the milk, condensed milk and cream together. Add the chopped up litchis.
3) Dissolve the gelatin in about 5 tbsp hot water. Add this to the milk/lychi mixture and refrigerate for 5 hours. Serve cold with hot toasted coconut.

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Shortcrust Lemon Bars.

These lemon bars go wonderfully well with afternoon tea. The slight toastiness of the crust with the delicious lemon fill, tastes splendid in the summer. And, its super easy to make!

Ingredients

For the Crust
1) 5 tbsp butter
2) 2 1/2 tbsp sugar
3) 10 tbsp flour

For the lemon fill
1) 2 eggs
2) 1 cup sugar
3) zest from 2 lemons
4) 5 tbsp lemon juice
5) 5 tbsp flour

Recipe

1) For the base, beat the butter with sugar, until light. Add the flour and mix well. Once the dough is formed spread it out in a baking tray and refrigerate for half an hour. Remove and bake(preheated 180 C) when it comes to room temp for 15-20 minutes.
2) Whisk all the ingredients for the filling and spread it on the baked crust. Bake(oven must be preheated to 180 C) for another 30-35 mins. Cut it into pieces when it cools down to room temperature. Dust with icing sugar and serve!

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Pan Pizza!

It's time to appease all the ravenous belly monsters. Sleepover season and a midnight flick binge without pizza, sounds ludicrous. Let's make some pizza! Easy, breezy, supremely cheesy. ;)

Ingredients 

For the pizza base
1) 1 cup flour
2) 2 1/2 tsp yeast
3) 1 tsp sugar
4) 105 ml room temp water
5) 1 tbsp Oil

For the sauce 
1) 4-5 tomatoes
2) 3 cloves of garlic
3) Dry basil(optional)

Assortment of toppings
1) 2 kinds of cheese. Mozzarella and Parmesan in this case.
2) Olives
3) Onion rings
4) Capsicum
5) Sausage and Salami chopped up.
6) Diced tomato
7) Mint/Basil leaves (Optional)

Recipe

1) Activate yeast by sprinkling it over the water with sugar. Mix well until it blends and wait for 10 minutes. When the yeast froths up, add it to the flour. Incorporate the oil and make a dough with your hand. Keep in a bowl with a cling film on it, for 30 minutes. You can make two pizza bases from this dough.
2) Blend the tomatoes, garlic and basil in a mixer grinder. Empty this salsa mixture onto a pan and cook for 2 minutes with a little bit of oil and salt. Your sauce is ready!
2) Heat up a pan. Spread the Pizza base on the hot pan. Spread some of your sauce on the base. Top it with some cheese, olives, onion etc, Cook for 2-3 minutes until the base becomes brown and crisp. Quickly transfer this to a microwave(mid rack/high rack) and micro+grill(600 W+grill) for 2 minutes, Serve with fresh mint/basil leaves, on top.

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Goan Fish and Mango Curry

Mangoes. Period.

Ingredients

1) 250 gm Basa fish

For the Masala 

2) 1 1/2 tsp Chili powder
3) 3 Peppercorns
4) I pinch of Methi
5) 1/2 tsp Coriander seeds
6) 1/2 tsp Cumin seeds
7) 2 cloves of Garlic
8) 1/2 an inch of ginger finely grated
9) 3/4 cup grated coconut

For the curry

10) 1/4 Raw Mango cut into wedges
11) 1/2 an onion diced
12) 1/2 a tomato finely chopped
13) 1/4 tsp Turmeric
14) 5-6 curry leaves
15) 1 tbsp coconut milk
16) 1 cup water

Recipe

1) Salt the fish pieces and keep them aside.
2) Make the masala by roasting all the ingredients(except the grated coconut) in a pan for 2 minutes. Now, add the coconut and roast for 2 more minutes. Make a fine paste out of this in a blender, with some water.
3) Fry onions, tomatoes and curry leaves in a pan, with a pinch of salt. Add turmeric and the blitzed masala. Keep stirring under low flame. Add water to achieve the desired gravy consistency. Next, add the coconut milk to thicken your curry.
4) When the curry bubbles, add fish pieces and raw mango wedges. Cover the pan and let it cook for 3-5 minutes. Serve the Goan curry with steaming rice and small cubes of ripe mangoes. The sweet from the ripe mangoes works wonder with the spices!

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The cream and lime cake.

Well, I love cake! A super soft lime cake in the summer with chamomile on the side spells bliss. A special thanks to Valmik Kumar's mum for the recipe.

Ingredients

1) 1 cup flour
2) 1 tsp Baking soda
3) 2 eggs
4) 1 cup sugar
5) 1 cup Malai/cream
6) 1 tsp Vanilla essence
7) 1/2 tsp lemon rind
8) 2 tsp lime juice

Recipe

1) Beat eggs. Add the sugar and keep beating until a little thick.
2) Fold the rest of the ingredients into the sugar and egg mixture.
3) Bake at 180 C for 35 mins. Serve with lemon ice cream/sorbet.

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Winter drinks special!

Let us drink to new beginnings! May 2015 prove to be amazing for one and all. 

Ingredients 

For the Virgin Sangria

1) 1 cup orange juice
2) 2 cup pomegranate juice
3) 1/2 cup apple juice
4) 1 orange sliced into circles
5) 1 apple chopped into small cubes
6) 1/4 cup lemon juice
7) 1 lemon sliced into circles
8) Soda water as per requirement

For the Ginger Cane Crush

1) 1 tbsp ginger, chopped
2) 8-10 mint leaves
3) 1 cup sugar cane juice

Recipe

1) To make the sangria, store everything(except soda water) in a jar(Pic below). Mix everything well with a spoon. Refrigerate over night! Sieve the fruits out and store the juice in a bottle. In every glass, serve 2/3 of juice with 1/3 soda water/club soda and crushed ice.
2) Muddle the mint leaves with the ginger. Pour the sugar cane juice and shake well with crushed ice. Sieve and serve the Ginger Cane Crush!

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Pumpkin and Rosemary breakfast cakes!

A new year and all, we should try and eat healthier. The past few days were what I would call an over indulgence in everything nice. Not that healthy cannot be tasty! Serve these delicious breakfast cakes with hot milk. Num num num! 

Ingredients 

1) 180 gm flour
2) 130 gm Atta flour
3) 1 tsp baking powder
4) 1/2 tsp baking soda
5) 1/2 tsp salt
6) 2 eggs
7) 275 ml milk
8) 100 ml yogurt
9) 2 tbsp honey
10) 60 l oil
11) 500 gm boiled pumpkin cubes
12) 6 tbsp dried rosemary
13) 6 tbsp dried pumpkin seeds

Recipe

1) Sieve the two kinds of flour, baking powder and salt into a bowl.
2) Whisk the eggs, milk, yogurt, oil and honey together. Mix with the flour.
3) Add 400 gm of the pumpkin and the dried rosemary to the cake mixture.
4) Pour into a cupcake/mini cake mould. Use the remaining 100 gm pumpkin cubes and pumpkin seeds to line the top.
5) Bake in a preheated oven(200 C) for 20-25 minutes. Let it cool down and serve with hot milk!

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Thai Roast Duck in Soy and Marmalade!

The onset of a new year spells some well deserved merriment. Roast meat and wine would be the unbeatable combination. But most importantly, spend the first day of a new year thankful for everything that has made the last year wonderful. 


Ingredients

1) 3 tbsp soy sauce
2) 3 tbsp Orange marmalade
3) 1 tbsp red chili powder
4) 2 tbsp Orange juice
5) A medium sized duck with skin

Recipe

1) Refrigerate the duck in 1.2 liter water with 4 tbsp salt, overnight.
2) Neatly carve the duck into 6-8 pieces. Prick the skin allover, with a fork. Pour boiling water over the duck pieces and let it rest for 2 minutes. Pat the duck dry. This ensures that the skin shrivels a little and crackles in the oven, easily!
2) In a roasting pan slather the duck pieces properly with the soy, marmalade, chili powder and 2 tsp salt. Pour the orange juice in the pan. Don't pour the juice over the duck as the soy marmalade will wash away.
3) Bake in a preheated oven(200 C) for 25-30 minutes. The duck is ready!
4) Reduce the juice that remains in the roasting pan with 3 tbsp Orange juice and 1 tbsp red chili powder. Serve your roast duck with the Jus and some good Merlot!

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