Chocolate Cake: A Guest Post by Tasty Indian Khana

One of the first bloggers I knew and was inspired by was D. This was in 2003, almost a decade ago. She had a "livejournal" which I followed with enthusiasm - not just because the posts were interseting but also because she is a fab writer.

In these 9 years, D and I have moved from "freshly-graduated-MBAs-starting-their-career" to being professionally mature, finding our life partners and discovering various aspects of life along the way. And as you may have guessed, she is one of my closest friends.
She now also has various other blogs which I still follow - the Shoe Blog and more. The most recent one - and I am so happy that she started it - is a Food Blog. Tasty Indian Khana.

D is a fine cook and an amazing baker. Now that she has started blogging on food, I could not have missed the opportunity to feature one of her recipes on my blog. So here it is - a sinful chocolate cake.

Thanks D for sharing this.

P.S. This was sent to me a few weeks ago. Got the opportunity to post it today.

"Good things happen to those who wait"

Around January I started on my quest to get an oven home. Finally, last week, we had a shiny, glorious new oven at home. Oooh was I excited!
However, time is a constraint and finally last evening, when the weather was breezy, with a hint of rain, I decided to christen the oven and made a much loved baked goodie - a chocolate cake!

As far as baked food go, a chocolate cake is a sure shot hit with almost anyone. And, it is simple to make, to boot.
All you need to do is use loads of chocolate, and lots of love. The moment the cake smell overtakes your house, do not, I repeat, do not blame anybody in your family for coming into the kitchen and bothering you before you finish the cake off!

What you need:

For the CakeFlour - 1 1/2 cups
Eggs - 2 large or 3 small.
Butter - 100gms or 1/2 cup sunflower/groundnut oil
Baking powder - 1 tsp
Cooking chocolate - 1/2 block (100gms)
Cocoa powder - 2 heaped tablespoons
Sugar - 1/2 cup (add more if you like your cake sweet)
A dash of milk

Switch on the oven, at 200C or as specified by your oven instructions.
Seive together the flour, cocoa powder and the baking powder. Do this 2-3 times, till the mixture is evenly brown in colour. Keep it aside.
Line the baking pan/mould with a little oil and then dust it with plain flour, till it is evenly coated. Keep it aside.
In a bowl,whisk together the oil and the sugar, till the sugar completele dissolves. The mixture should have a thick consistency.
Add in one egg into the sugar-oil mix and an equivalent amount of flour and slowly whisk it together.
Ensure that you mix it in only one direction. Do not change the direction of whisking, as it somehow reduces the fluffiness of the cake.
Once it has completely dissolved, mix in the other egg and some more flour.
By the end of the whisking, it should be a chocolatey, gooey mixture.
Add in the remaining amount of flour bit by bit till completely dissolved.
The consistency should be runny enough to fall on its own from the edge of the whisk. If its thick, add some milk into it - not too much. And whisk it in.
If you want, this is the time you can add some walnuts/dry fruits into the cake.
Once the mixture is ready, dont let it sit for too long.
Pour it into the baking mould right away. Pour it gently, and let it flow into every nook and crevice. Then, once every drop is transferred, lightly tap the mould on the counter. THis dislodges any air bubbles that might be trapped inside.
Pop it into the hot and ready oven.
Give it 25 mins.
Relish the aroma of a fresh-baked chocolate cake at home. It is a natural perfume to make the whole house smell incredibly good and warm and welcoming.
Towards the end of the timer, dip in either a toothpick or a fork, and if it comes out clean, your cake is ready! (if not, let it stay in the hot oven for some more time)
Bring out the tray, and tap the mould again. This time to dislodge it.
Let it cool for a minute or so, and then tap it out.

Note:To take out the cake, hold a plate of the same diameter as the cake on top of the mould, like a cover. Then, in a quick action, invert it, so that the plate is at the bottom. Tap the bottom of the mould (now at top) with the back of a knife, evenly. The cake should fall into the plate. Transfer it to a wire rack to cool evenly.

To make the chocolatey icing-ganache
Chop the cooking chocolate into small squares.
Put it into a double boiler.

Note:A double boiler is basically a large vessel partly filled with water, and a smaller vessel inside it. The larger vessel is placed on heat, and the hot water heats the contents of the smaller vessel. THis ensures a consistent, low temperature.

Once the chocolate starts melting, stir it around with a spatula, and add either a little cream, or milk.
Let it heat till the consistency is runny. Add in castor sugar, and stir it well, till the sugar is completely dissolved.

Putting the cake together

Keep the cake on the wire rack, or on an icing table. If on a wire rack, keep a sheet under it to catch the falling icing.

Coat the top of the cake with icing and let it cool for some time till its becomes harder.

Decorate with chocolate sprinkles and silver dragees.

Serve, and enjoy!

Gajar ka Halwa

It's so good to be back. And relaxing. I spent the last few days going through the updates on my Google Reader (and there were so many!) and I now feel much more at peace after moving the "unread" items to "read".

So, without much ado, we go straight to the Gajar ka Halwa, which is one of the most popular winter desserts, especially in North India. The dessert is best made from the "red" carrots which are available only in winters.

Like most Indian recipes, this too has several variations. The quickest way to prepare is using condensed milk. What I am sharing today is the more traditional method, which takes atleast an hour to prepare, if using a kilogram of carrots! The time can be reduced if you are making lesser quantity.

The dessert can be stored in refrigerator and will easily last for a week. Heat it everytime before serving.

Ingredients:

Red Carrots: 1 kg

Milk (preferably full cream): 1 lit

Sugar: 3/4 cup, or to taste

Ghee (Clarified butter): 1/2 cup

Nuts, raisins

Method:

- Scrape off the peel, and wash the carrots well. Grate them (or refer to the short cut below).

- Add the grated carrot and milk in a heavy bottomed pan (preferably non stick). Bring to a boil

- Let it simmer on low - medium heat till the milk evaporates, and the mixture becomes dry. This will take approximately 45 minutes. While the milk is in the process of drying, keep stirring in between to ensure that the mixture does not stick to the bottom

- Add the ghee and let the mixture cook in it on medium heat for 5 - 7 minutes. Keep stirring from time to time.

- Mix in the sugar. The halwa will become slightly fluid as the sugar melts. Stir it on low heat for another 10 minutes.

- Add nuts, raisins of your choice. Serve hot

Alternate to grating carrots:

Grating carrots manually (as it is still done in many kitchens in India), can be an extremely tedious task. My food processor ensures that I donot spend more than a few minutes on the grating bit. However, since my Mom's kitchen is bereft of the processor, my Dad has found an alternate.

Cut the carrots roughly in small - medium sized pieces. Pressure cook them with milk (2 whistles and a few more minutes should do the job). Mash the carrots using a fork / masher. Transfer contents to the pan and proceed with the rest of the recipe.

My Mom was initially sceptical about this short cut, but now is more than happy with it. There is no loss of flavour, and the halwa is as yummy as it can get!

This Carrot Dessert goes to Haalo's Weekend Herb Blogging # 221, the event originally started by Kalyn. This week, the event is being hosted by Cinzia from Cindystar.

Celebrating Indian Republic Day with Besan ka Halwa

Today is a special day for all Indians, as our country celebrates the 60th Republic Day. We celebrated the day by watching the "Republic Day parade" on Doordarshan, and with this rich and delicious Besan ka Halwa!

This halwa is my Grandmother's recipe and I learnt it from her. Its rich, full of calories and delicious. And doesn't really take much time to prepare.

Indulge yourself!

Ingredients:

Besan (Gram flour): 3/4 cup

Suji (Semolina): 2 tbsp

Ghee (Clarified Butter): 1/2 cup (or more :) )

Sugar: 3 tbsp (or as per taste)

Water: 3/4 cup

Almonds, to garnish

Method:

- Heat ghee in a kadhai / heavy bottomed pan

- Add the besan and suji. Reduce the heat to the minimum, and mix. The consistency of the mixture should not be dry, but slightly wet. If its too dry, add a bit more ghee.

- Keep stirring so that the besan cooks evenly

- When the color starts changing, and a beautiful aroma fills your house, the mixture is about to be done

- When the besan assumes a brownish tinge (as in the pic), add the water while stirring the mixture continuously, to avoid any lumps being formed.

- Mix well and let the water get absorbed by the besan

- Add sugar, and cook on low heat till the sugar dissolves, and mixes in with the halwa.

- Serve hot.

Sweet Beginnings: Kheer (Rice Pudding)

The past one month, or rather the last month of 2009 seems like a blur. In between traveling, visiting friend's wedding, falling ill, vacationing, several rounds of packing and unpacking, I left my 3.5 year long association with my current (now past) organization.
Even now, my mind is still full of to - do lists and preparation for the new assignment which I am due to begin in a week's time.

So, when I opened my mailbox today after 3 days, and read Ushnishda's mail wishing me a Happy New Year (and reminding me that the Ginger tea has been long drunk), I realized how long it has been since I last blogged. There are quite a few recipes ready to be posted - as in the pics have been clicked, and it was a bit difficult to choose what to post. My impulse was to post about the lunch we had hosted today afternoon for a couple of friends, but I decided to start the new year on a sweet note. Yes, with a dessert.

This is a dessert which is made in most Indian households, though the recipe and the name may vary - Kheer, Payas, Payasam, also referred to as Rice Pudding. I developed the taste for it a bit late in life - I think in my teens. This was the first Indian dessert I learnt to prepare, and I pride myself at making it quite well. I am still trying to perfect it the way my dear Grandma makes, but I think it will take years to reach that level of expertise!

Here's to the year 2010! Wishing you and your family a very happy and healthy new year!

This recipe has been made without condensed milk, and the rice has been "broken" a bit to give the kheer "Rabri" like texture. It is not a quick recipe - and takes around 45 minutes to prepare.

Ingredients:

Milk: 1 litre
Rice: 1/4 cup
Sugar: 2 - 3 tbsp / to taste
A few strands of saffron, soaked in 2 tsp warm milk
Almonds / Cashews: To garnish

Method:

• Grind the rice in a mixer for a few seconds to "break" it roughly, not powder it
• Boil milk in a heavy bottomed pan
• Add the rice to the milk, and let it simmer on low heat. Keep stirring it from time to time
• When the milk reduces to around half the quantity, the rice will also have cooked. Add the sugar and saffron, and keep stirring to prevent the milk from sticking to the bottom
• The kheer is done when the milk starts bubbling on the top and makes a "bubbly" sound. The rice and milk are mixed well, and the mixture takes on a creamy hue.
• Turn off the heat, and cover it with a lid. This is to prevent a layer of "Malai" to form on top
• Garnish with your favourite nuts and serve hot or chilled

Dry Fruit Kheer

Posting this recipe took some research. Not that the recipe itself is complicated, but because I wasn’t very sure of the English / popular terms used for two of the ingredients - “Makhana” and “Chiraunji”.
Wikipedia refers to Makhana as Fox nut or Eurale Fox. While a Google told me that it is also referred to as Popped / puffed Lotus Seeds.
Chiraunji was simpler. Google / Wikipedia tell me that the alternate name is Chiroli.
They both are categorized as dry fruits, and are used in Indian dishes. While Chironji is popularly used as garnish to flavor desserts, makhana forms a key ingredient in desserts as well as savoury preparations. Makhana is also used to prepare snacks which can be consumed during religious fasting in Hindu festivals.

Makhana Kheer has always been one of my favourites. As a kid, I remember it being prepared on festivals like Janmashtami or Shivratri.

This year on Janmashtami, we had purchased a large packet of makhanas, and I had made up my mind then to prepare this dessert. It’s simple and I made it richer by adding an assortment of dry fruits which were available.
This recipe is dedicated to my Mom, who gave me the idea for the preparation.

Ingredients:
Milk: 750 ml
Makhana (Puffed Lotus seeds / Fox nut), cut in halves: 2 cups
Almonds: 15 – 20, finely chopped
Cashew nuts: 15 – 20, finely chopped
Chironji / Chiraunji / Chiroli: 2 tbsp
Cardamom / Ilaichi powder: 1 tsp
Saffron threads: a few, soaked in 2 tsp of warm milk
Condensed milk: ¼ cup, or Sugar: 3 tbsp (Can be adjusted as per taste)

Method:
- Heat milk in a heavy bottomed pan. When it comes to a boil, add the makhana, cashew, almonds and chironji
- Let it cook on low heat, stirring occasionally
- When the milk thickens and reduces to almost half the original quantity, add the condensed milk / sugar, saffron threads and cardamom powder
- Keep stirring till the sugar / condensed milk is mixed completely. Let it cook for another 3 – 4 minutes
- Serve hot or chilled

This recipe goes to FIL – Milk, the event hosted by Sanghi.

This recipe also goes to WYF: Festive Treat Event at Simple Indian Food

Quick Fruit Dessert

A quick dessert. I made it today to celebrate India’s 62nd anniversary of Independence. Okay, the colors are not the customary saffron, white and green. But nonetheless, it’s something special to celebrate this very special day! The idea (for the dessert) is again my Mom’s.

Ingredients: (Serves 4)

Custard (Made by using 350 ml milk, 2 tbsp sugar, and 1 ½ tbsp vanilla custard powder)

Arrowroot Biscuits, crushed in a blender: 8

Sponge Cake, crushed: 1 cup

Bananas: 2, sliced

Apple: 1, peeled and cut in small cubes

Pomegranate: 1

Method:

- Take a bowl, and spread half the biscuit powder. Then top it with half the cake

- Arrange half of the banana slices, apple cubes, and pomegranate

- Pour the rest of the biscuit mixture, and then the cake

- Pour the custard

- Arrange the rest of the fruit on the top

- Set in the refrigerator for atleast 2 hours before serving

Lauki Ka Halwa (Dessert made from Bottle-gourd)

July – August is usually the time in the time of the year when my husband and I visit our hometown. Both his parents as well as mine reside in the same city, and hence one visit suffices the purpose. This year, the visit was more special since I met my grandmother (paternal) after a gap of 1 ½ years. Usually she stays with my Uncle in a different city, and her health does not permit her to travel very often.
Post marriage, my interest in cooking has increased and whenever I meet my Mom, I always request her to prepare some of the recipes she specializes in, and which my brother and I loved as kids. Even now, when my brother and I get together, we reminisce those days when every Sunday was made special by my Mom’s culinary skills. And not just my Mom, my Dad as well. Yes, he is a great cook, and some of the recipes are still made usually by him – this halwa for instance.
Lauki (or Dudhi / Doodhi / Ghiya /Bottle gourd) halwa is popular in some parts of India. But I have met very few people who have heard of the same. The more popular use of Lauki is as a vegetable – whether in a curry or when added to dal / legumes.
At my parents’ place, the Lauki halwa is prepared usually in summers when the more popular Gajar ka Halwa cannot be prepared due to seasonal constraints – the red juicy carrots are available only in winters. And like I mentioned earlier, it is prepared by my Dad. I was reminded of it during this visit (he had saved some especially for me!), and I made it yesterday for post dinner dessert.

Ingredients:
1 small Lauki / Bottle gourd, peeled and grated (will yield approx 4 cups)
Milk – ½ litre
Sugar – ¾ cups (can be increased / decreased as per taste)
Ghee (Clarified Butter) – approx 2 -3 tbsp (can be increased as per taste. But will result in more calories!)

Method:
- Add the milk and the grated lauki and heat it in a kadhai / heavy bottomed pan. Keep stirring in between to ensure that it doesnot stick to the bottom.
- Reduce the heat when the milk has dried up (this should take approx 20 minutes), and the mixture reduces to a lump.
- Add the ghee and the sugar. The mixture will become slightly fluid once the sugar melts
- Stir it till the mixture changes color, and all the moisture has dried
- Garnish with almonds, and serve hot.

This is my entry to the August's Family Recipes Event hosted by the Spiced Life.

Layered Dessert – Mango Special

For me, the biggest inspirations come when I am alone. Like yesterday, when my hubby was to attend the marriage of a colleague, and I was not accompanying him, and had the Sunday evening all to myself. We had bought mangoes in the afternoon, and as always, my husband insisted that we have Mango Shake once he returns from the function. I had other plans though. Since I started this food blog, and before that as well, I had always been impressed with the trifles that a Google Image Search always yielded. Yummy!
So, I decided to try out a Mango Trifle myself. But did I have all the ingredients? Actually, no. I did not have a sponge cake to begin with, nor any whipped cream. I finally created something with whatever ingredients I could lay my hands on and ended up with what I can safely label as Mango Layered Dessert.
The verdict? Hubby was pleasantly surprised, and at the end said “This is really tasty. You can make it again” Yay!
Okay, the image is not as professional as I would have wanted it to be, but like my friend D said: "Go ahead and post it. You can always replace the picture later"

Ingredients: (Serves 2)
Thick custard (made with 250 ml milk, 1 ½ tbs custard powder and 2 tbs sugar)
Ripe Mango: 1
Vanilla Ice cream: 2 scoops
Plum: 1

Method:
- Peel the mango and cut it in small cubes
- Take a tall glass (or a bowl) and put a few cubes of mango. Pour a ladle of custard on it
- Alternate again with mangoes and custard, till the glass is nearly full
- Chill in the refrigerator - Before serving, add a scoop of vanilla ice cream on top, and garnish with pieces of plum, or strawberries
This is also my entry to the Mango Mela hosted by Srivalli.

Mango Shake - It's summers!

One of the few good things about Indian summers (at least for me) is the arrival of Mangoes - the king of fruits. There are several varieties which are grown in India, and the way it can be eaten are many. A simple google search will yield umpteen recipes. But I like to eat the fruit the way it is, and prefer not to use it as an ingredient for desserts, chutneys or any other delicacy.
But since the day we bought our first Alphonsoes this year, my husband has been after me to make "Mango Shake". I finally managed to save a couple of mangoes for this purpose. We had guests yesterday over for lunch and after the heavy meal in the afternoon, both of us didn’t feel like eating a complete meal again at night. So Mango Shake it was (after several other options were rejected). And I couldn’t stop myself from adding a dollop of Vanilla Ice cream to the glasses before pouring out the heavenly and thick shake :)

Ingredients (Makes 2 glasses):
Milk: 1 glass
Mango (Ripe): 1 (medium sized)
Sugar: 3 tsp (You can increase / decrease the quantity)
Lots of Ice cubes

Method:
- Peel and cut the mango. Blend the sugar and mango pieces in a blender / mixer till it is a smooth paste
- Add the milk and ice cubes. Blend till the milk and mango pulp are mixed well
- You can add a scoop of mango / vanilla ice cream before pouring the shake into glasses

Why I recommend it?
Actually, if I am given a choice, I would still go for the fruit and not use it in a shake! But I recommend it as a great breakfast option (minus the vanilla ice cream) or even as a dessert.

Kulfi

In North India, Kulfiwallahs are the norm during summers. When I was a kid, every afternoon at around 3 pm, the kulfiwallah would visit our lane, ringing the bell tied to his thela (2 - wheeler mobile "shop"). His timing was perfect - most of the kids were back from school by then, and lunch was also over. The most basic kulfi cost Rs 2, and then there were larger and more "richer" versions priced from Rs 3 - Rs 5.
My Dad is the kulfi making expert at home, and I remember the freezer unit in our refrigerator being stocked with blue colored plastic kulfi moulds (These were given free along with every tin of Nestle Milkmaid, and a kulfi recipe on the back cover of the tin).

This weekend, I decided to make kulfi at home. I read the recipe given by my Mom (she has given me her collection of Nestle Milkmaid recipes collected over the years :) ). This recipe (as well as several others on the internet) called for adding corn flour which I wanted to avoid. So I put in a bit of hard work, and the result was fabulous. The compliment paid by my husband - "I award you Bharat Ratna for making the best kulfi in the world!" - made it totally worth the effort.

Ingredients:
Milk: 1 Lit
Sweetened Condensed Milk: 1/2 tin
Saffron: 5 - 6 strands, soaked in 2 tsp of milk
Almond, finely chopped: 7 - 8

Method:
- Bring the milk to a boil in a kadhai or a thick bottomed pan
- Reduce the flame to medium, and keep stirring till the milk thickens and the quantity is almost reduced to half. This should take approx 15 - 20 minutes
- Lower the flame, and add the condensed milk. Stir continuously on low flame for another 3 - 4 minutes till the two are well blended. Mix the saffron and the almonds.
- Pour in kulfi moulds or air tight containers. Let it cool for sometime before placing them in the freezer.
- Freeze overnight.

Why I recommend this dessert?
Try it and you'll know why!