Tres Leches Cake

mearl223 — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 06:15:44 +0000

Tres Leches stands for the ‘Three milks’ – Evaporated milk, Condensed milk & Heavy cream – used in making this super-moist Spanish cake. A close friend of mine introduced me to it today & I simply HAD TO learn more about this divine dessert & share with you all..

PrepTime 30mins – Soaktime 8hrs – Makes one 13X9 cake – CookTime 25mins

Ingredients:

For the cake:

Vegetable oil
6 3/4 ounces cake flour, plus extra for pan
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
4 ounces unsalted butter, room temperature
8 ounces sugar
5 whole eggs
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

For the glaze:

1 (12-ounce) can evaporated milk
1 (14-ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
1 cup half-and-half

For the topping:

2 cups heavy cream
8 ounces sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Cooking Instructions:

For the cake:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Lightly oil and flour a 13 by 9-inch metal pan and set aside.

Whisk together the cake flour, baking powder and salt in a medium mixing bowl and set aside.

Place the butter into the bowl of a stand mixer & beat it using the paddle attachment, on medium speed until fluffy (approx 1min).

Decrease the speed to low and with the mixer still running, gradually add the sugar over 1 minute. S

Add the eggs, 1 at a time, and mix to thoroughly combine.

Add the vanilla extract and mix to combine.

Add the flour mixture to the batter in 3 batches and mix just until combined.

Transfer the batter to the prepared pan and spread evenly & bake on the middle rack of the oven for 20 to 25 minutes or until the cake is lightly golden.

Remove the cake pan to a cooling rack and allow to cool for 30 minutes. Poke the top of the cake all over with a skewer or fork. Allow the cake to cool completely and then prepare the glaze.

For the glaze:

Whisk together the evaporated milk, sweetened condensed milk and the half-and-half in a 1-quart measuring cup, pour it over the cake & refrigerate overnight.

Topping:

Place the heavy cream, sugar and vanilla into the bowl of a stand mixer. Using the whisk attachment, whisk together on low until stiff peaks are formed. Change to medium speed and whisk until thick. Spread the topping over the cake and allow to chill in the refrigerator until ready to serve. Top with light chocolate carvings & some chocolate sauce.

Thai Green Chicken Curry

mearl223 — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 05:57:03 +0000

Here it is – my special Thai Green Curry recipe – SO MANY of you have been waiting for it & I know you’ll make me proud by trying it out soon with chicken, prawns or tofu and some freshly steamed jasmine rice.. I’ve had my dinner already but man, I’m SO hungry just typing this!

PrepTime 20mins – Serves 4 – CookTime 40mins

Ingredients:

1/2 kg or about 1lb skinless, boneless chicken – cut into 1 inch cubes
1 tbsp dark low-sodium soy sauce
1 tbsp all-purpose flour
2 tbsp cooking oil
2 tbsp green curry paste (avlbl in any Asian mkt)
2 green onions with tops, chopped
3 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped
1″ fresh ginger, peeled and finely chopped
2 cups thick coconut milk
1 tbsp fish/oyester sauce
1 tbsp dark soy sauce
2 tbsp white sugar
1/2 cup cilantro, lemon or basil leaves, for garnish

Cooking Instructions:

Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium high heat.
Toss chicken first in 1 tbsp dark soy sauce, then in the flour, coating pieces evenly. Place chicken in the skillet, cook and stir chicken until browned, about 5 minutes. Remove chicken & drain on some paper towels.
Reduce heat to medium and stir in curry paste. Cook for 1 minute until fragrant.
Stir in the green onions, garlic, and ginger – cook an additional 2 mins.
Return chicken to the skillet, stirring to coat with the curry mixture.
Stir the coconut milk, fish sauce, 1 tablespoon soy sauce, and sugar into the chicken-curry mixture.
Allow to simmer over medium heat for 20 minutes until the chicken is tender.
Serve garnished with cilantro/lime/basil leaves & fresh steamed jasmine rice.

African Bobotie

mearl223 — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 05:33:20 +0000

Bobotie, that gets its name from the Indonesian “bobotok”, is a very old South African dish, which originated in Indonesia or Malaysia & was brought to Africa by Dutch traders waaay back in history! You can bake it in a regular casserole or the way I like it – in a ‘Moroccan Tagine’. Bobotie is typically served with geelrys (yellow rice) and a side of mango chutney or any sour-sweet chutney called blatjang.

PrepTime 10mins – Serves 6-8 – CookTime 50mins

Ingredients:

2-3 tbsp Oil
2 Onions, thinly sliced
1kg or about 2lbs ground beef
2-3 slices white bread, crust removed and cut into cubes
1 cup milk
1/4 cupvinegar or lemon juice
1/2 cup raisins
2tbsp Sugar
2tbsp Curry powder
1tsp Turmeric
Salt and pepper – to season
5 Bay leaves / lemon leaves
2 Eggs, beaten

Cooking Instructions:

Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium flame. Add the onions and sauté until translucent and just starting to brown. Add the ground beef and break it up while sautéing until cooked through and crumbly. Remove from heat, drain of any excess fat and place in a large bowl.
Put the bread and milk in a bowl and soak for 5-10 minutes. Remove the bread and squeeze it dry, adding squeezed milk back into the bowl.
Preheat oven to 325°F. Add the soaked bread, vinegar or lemon juice, raisins, sugar, curry powder, turmeric, salt and pepper to the bowl with the cooked meat and mix well. Taste and adjust seasonings. The meat should have a pleasantly sweet-sour flavor.
Pour the meat mixture into a greased casserole dish and smooth out the top. Lay the bay leaves over the meat in a decorative pattern and press down lightly to make them stick. Bake uncovered for 30 minutes.
Beat the eggs with the reserved bread-soaking milk. After the meat has baked for 30 minutes, pour the egg-milk mixture over the top of the meat and bake for another 15-20 minutes, or until the custard is set and lightly browned.
Remove from the oven and serve hot with geelrys (yellow rice) & mango chutney.

Variations

Add a couple tablespoons of mango chutney, apricot preserves or grated apple to the meat if you like.
Stir a handful of toasted almonds/ pine nuts into the meat mixture before cooking, or garnish the finished dish with toasted almonds or pine nuts.
Add one or two beaten eggs into the meat mixture.
Use ground lamb in place of the beef – it cooks faster.
For more ‘tagine’ recipes, visit www.cookingwithalia.com

Bread Pudding

mearl223 — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 04:46:16 +0000

So, what does this cold, rainy weather make me wanna do – sit on the porch with a huge mug of hot-choco or my special masala chai (& samosas or glucose biscuits, yummm!!!) or I could grab a quick warm desert at the local cafe.. Oooooh, I’m in heaven!

PrepTime 30mins – Serves 8 – CookTime 45mins

Ingredients:

2 cups granulated sugar
5 large beaten eggs
2 cups milk
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
3 cups cubed Italian bread, allow to stale overnight in a bowl
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter, softened
1 cup chopped pecans

For the sauce:

1 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, melted
1 egg, beaten
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1/4 cup brandy (festive option)

Cooking Instructions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 2″ deep 13×9 baking pan.

Mix together granulated sugar, eggs, and milk in a bowl; add vanilla. Pour over cubed bread and let sit for 10 minutes.

In another bowl, mix and crumble together brown sugar, butter, and pecans.

Pour bread mixture into prepared pan. Sprinkle brown sugar mixture over the top and bake for 35 to 45 minutes, or until set. Remove from oven.

For the sauce, mix together the granulated sugar, butter, egg, and vanilla in a saucepan over medium heat. Stir together until the sugar is melted. Add the brandy, stirring well. Pour over bread pudding.

Serve warm, topped with a generous dollop of your fav ice-cream! Or chilled, if you like

Chicken Tikka

mearl223 — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 04:06:44 +0000

This is clearly one of India’s most popular dishes, served as tikkas (small bite-size chunks) or in a curry/gravy called ‘chicken tikka masala. You’ve probably had it in an Indian Restaurant or visiting Indian folks for a meal & thought – Gosh, I’d LOVE to make that! Well, now you can!

PrepTime 5mins – MarinateTime 2-3hrs – Serves 4 – CookTime 20mins

Ingredients:

1 kg chicken (breast or thigh) skinless and cut into 2″ chunks

1 cup fresh yoghurt (should not be sour)

1 tbsp garlic-ginger paste

3 tbsps lime/ lemon juice

1 tsp chaat masala

2 tbsp kasuri mathi

2 tbsps garam masala

1/2 tsp red-chili pwd

salt to taste

1/4 tsp pepper-cumin pwd

1/2 tsp red-orange food color (optional)

1/4 cup olive oil

For the chutney:

1/2 a bunch of coriander leaves/ cilantro – abt 30 sprigs

15 sprigs of mint leaves

1/4 tsp garlic paste

1 cup yoghurt

1 tbsp chaat masala

3-4 peppercorns

1/4 tsp cumin seeds

Garnish

1/4 cup chopped coriander

2-3 tbsp butter

1/2 tsp chaat masala

lemon wedges

onion rings

Naan pieces

Preparation:

Marinade the chicken in the non-chutney ingredients above, excluding the oil too – for 2-3hrs.
Preheat the oven to 350-deg.
Place a large piece of aluminum foil on your baking tray, dab some oil on it, place the chicken pieces on it & top them with the remaining oil. Fold over to cover & seal it to a closed package.
Place it in the center of the oven & bake for 10-12mins. (depending on the size of your pieces)
Grind the chutney ingredients together to a smooth paste.
Uncover the chicken, drizzle melted butter all over the chicken & set to broil for 5 mins.
Place the pieces on a serving plate, toss a pinch of chaat masala & some chopped coriander leaves on it. Serve with the chutney, some onion rings, naan, lemon wedges &/or steamed veggies tossed in some olive oil & a dash of salt.

Variations:

- You can skewer the tikkas & grill/ bbq them, but I find that sealing them in foil & baking them keeps them really juicy & succulent.

- You can make a rich gravy (Chicken tikka masala) by tossing the tikkas into a reduced creamy paste of tomato pulp, cream & ground cashewnuts, cooked in mild spices.

Thai Masaman Curry

mearl223 — Wed, 12 Oct 2011 02:47:58 +0000

I’ve always loved Thai food and I have my favs like Pineapple fried-rice, Chicken Satay, Drunken Noodles & above all – the red/yellow/green curries & this peanut-based red curry with coconut milk – SO smooth ‘n creamy!

Prep Time: 10 minutes, Cook Time: 25-45 minutes, SERVES 3-4 (with rice)

Ingredients:

1lb chicken pieces OR cubed beef (vegetarians can use paneer/cottage-cheese cubes or fried tofu cubes) or shrimps
1-2 potatoes, chopped into bite-size chunks
1/2 green capsicum – cut into bite-size pieces
1 can (around 450ml) coconut milk
1/2 cup chicken stock
1 large carrot, sliced
optional: 6 okras – chopped in half OR 1/2 cup green beans chopped into 1″ pieces.
3 bay leaves
1/2 tsp. cumin seeds
for the garnish: fresh coriander and peanuts

For the Spice Paste:

1/4 cup roasted unsalted peanuts
1 shallot OR 1/4 cup purple onion, chopped
1 fresh red chili OR 3/4 tsp. dried crushed chili, to taste
2 bbsp. minced lemongrass
1 thumb-size piece galangal OR ginger, thinly sliced
1 tsp. tamarind paste, OR substitue 1.5 Tbsp. lime juice
3 cloves garlic
1/2 tsp. turmeric
1/2 tsp. ground coriander
1/4 tsp. cardamom (or cinnamon)
1 tbsp. palm sugar OR brown sugar
3/4 tsp. shrimp paste
1 tbsp. fish sauce

Cooking Instructions:

Grind all the ‘Spice Paste’ ingredients with 2-3 tbsp coconut milk, to a fine paste.
Heat some oil in a large wok & fry the paste for 1 minute.
Add coconut milk, stir & bring to a boil.
Add chicken/beef and the potatoes, carrots & other veggies.
Add the stock and bay leaves.
If you used fresh lemongrass for the paste, add the leftover stalks to this gravy- stir well & bring to a boil.
Reduce heat, cover & simmer for 45 mins or until the meat is cooked, stirring occassionally. (Alternatively, you can transfer everything to a covered casserole dish and bake for 1 hour at 350 degrees OR cook it in just 25mins in a pressure cooker – my FAV!!!! Shrimps will take just 5 mins in your wok.)
When the meat is done, add the whole cumin seeds and stir.
Bring to room-temp & then add some fish sauce (for more flavor), coconut milk (to cut the spice level, if you need to) &/or 3/4 tsp. tamarind paste and 3/4 tbsp brown sugar (to make it more sweet-sour).
Top with coriander & peanuts & serve with plain steamed rice or Thai coconut or Jasmine rice!

Thai Lemon-Shrimp Stir-fry

mearl223 — Wed, 12 Oct 2011 02:36:31 +0000

A vibrant quick dish of shrimps, that’s light on the palette yet so rich in flavor! Lemongrass adds to the lemony taste, while lime leaf and lime zest add that extra zing!

PrepTime 5mins – Serves 2-3 – CookTime 20mins

Ingredients:

1 lb. (460 g.) raw shrimp, shells removed (tails can be left on if desired)

2 shallots OR 1/4 cup purple onion, finely chopped

4 cloves garlic, minced or finely chopped

1 fresh red chili, finely chopped, OR 1/2 to 1 tsp. dried crushed chili

2 kaffir lime leaves, left whole, OR substitute 1 extra tsp. lime zest

2 Tbsp. frozen prepared lemongrass OR fresh lemongrass, very finely minced (available at Asian food stores)

juice of 1 lemon

2 Tbsp. honey

1/2 tsp. shrimp paste (available by the jar at Asian food stores)

3 Tbsp. fish sauce

1/4 tsp. turmeric

3 to 4 Tbsp. thick coconut milk

zest of 1 lime (about 1 Tbsp.)

generous handful fresh coriander/cilantro

Cooking Instructions:

1. In a cup or small bowl, whisk together the lemon juice, honey, shrimp paste, fish sauce, and turmeric. If using frozen prepared lemongrass and dried crushed chili, add those to the mixture as well. Stir until honey is dissolved. Set aside.

2. Warm a wok or large frying pan over medium-high heat. Add 2-3 Tbsp. oil and swirl around, then add the shallots or onion, garlic, fresh red chili (if using) and kaffir lime leaves. If using fresh lemongrass, add it now as well. Stir-fry 2-3 minutes, or until the spices are fragrant and the shallots/onion have softened.

3. Add the prepared lemon mixture (from step 1) plus the shrimp. Stir-fry 2-3 minutes, or until the shrimp are pink and plump (avoid over-cooking, or they will lose their succulence).

4. Reduce heat to medium-low. Add 3 to 4 Tbsp. coconut milk, stirring gently to incorporate. Finally, sprinkle over the lime zest and stir again.

5. Remove from heat and taste-test for a balance of sweet, sour, and salty flavors. Add more fish sauce if more salt is needed, or a little sugar or honey if too sour. If too sweet or salty for your taste, add another squeeze of lemon or lime juice. If too spicy or pungent for your taste, add another Tbsp. or two of coconut milk.

6. Add a final topping of fresh coriander and serve immediately with plain rice or saffron rice. (This dish is also nice over noodles/pasta). ENJOY

Deviled Eggs (Eggs Mimosa)

mearl223 — Sun, 09 Oct 2011 16:42:19 +0000

Its funny how I’ve always marveled at this delightful little Roman breakfast dish, but only recently got down to making some myself – And what a treat it was!! This is easily one of the simplest things you can whip up for a quick snack or appetizer, even for a party or a potluck.. and they look adorable too!

PrepTime 10mins – Serves 2 – CookTime 10mins.

Ingredients:

4 eggs

1/2 tsp mustard pwd – yellow or brown

1 tbsp vegannaise/ mayonnaise

1/4 tsp vinegar

salt & pepper to taste

1 tbsp cream cheese (kids will love this)

1 tbsp finley chopped green onions

a pinch of chopped parsley

paprika pwd to taste & some for the garnish

Cooking Instructions:

- Boil the eggs for 10 mins & set aside to cool – then peel, cut into half & scoop out the yolks.

- Cream the yolks with the cheese, mayo, some salt & pepper, some paprika pwd, the mustard pwd, vinegar, onions & some of the parsley.

- Either spoon this batter into the half shells or decoratively pipe them on with an icing bag.

- Garnish with some parsley & paprika pwd.

Green Fish Curry

mearl223 — Tue, 04 Oct 2011 04:10:07 +0000

Put this together this weekend, in a bid to make a unique fish curry with the fresh black pomfret that I’d just bought – something different from my usual Goan red or Kerala white fish curries.. Let’s just say the experiment paid off, BIG time!

PrepTime 15mins – Serves 5-6 – CookTime 15mins.

Ingredients:

2lbs or 1 large black pomfret cut into 1/2″ slices (or white pomfret, salmon or surmai/kingfish)

2 tomatoes – chopped

5 tbsp oil

1 medium onion – chopped

2-3 sprigs of curry leaves

1.5 tbsp vinegar

salt to taste

For the masala (Spice Paste):

a handful of mint leaves

1 bunch of coriander leaves/ cilantro

1 tbsp coriander seeds

1 small green chili

6 tbsp dessicated coconut

1/4 tsp jeera/ cumin seeds

4 pepper corns

4 cloves garlic

Cooking Instructions:

- Wash the fish, rub the slices with salt & turmeric & set aside for 15mins.

- Grind the ‘masala’ ingredients to a smooth paste with little water.

- Heat the oil & fry the onions to light pink-brown & then add the curry leaves.

- Fry the spice paste in the onions, adding 2-3 tablespoons at a time and cook till the oil separates & the smell of raw spices disappears.

- Add the tomatoes & cook till they’re soft.

- Add enough water to get the gravy to be of the consistency of your liking.

- Bring it to a boil, then wash & add the fish slices.

- Top with the vinegar & salt to taste, stirring very gently.

- Allow to simmer, open, for 7mins (5 if the slices are thin).

- Serve with freshly steamed rice & your choice of a side, perhaps of some fried fish!

Hara-Bhara Kabab

mearl223 — Sun, 02 Oct 2011 21:13:39 +0000

A veggie kabab made with all GREEN vegs, hence the part, ‘hara’ in the name (hara = Green in Hindi) – different, delicious, delectable!

PrepTime 10mins – Serves 5-6 – CookTime 10mins.

Ingredients:

3-4 medium potatoes – boiled, peeled & smashed
1 cup green peas – boiled/cooked/canned/frozen
2 chopped green chilies
1/2 cup chopped coriander leaves
1 inch piece ginger – finely minced
1 cup spinach – blanched in boiling water & a tsp of salt, then cooled & chopped
1 tsp chaat masala
2 tbsp corn starch
salt & pepper to taste
1/4 tsp cumin pwd
optional 1/4 tsp dry mango (aamchur) pwd
oil to shallow fry
Cooking Instructions:
Boil, peel & mash the potatoes, Blanche the spinach in boiling water & salt to taste. Drain, cool & grind. Mix the potatoes, peas & spinach – knead well. Add remaining ingredients & knead together to form round, oval or square cutlets in your palms. Shallow fry (or deep fry if they are thick), drain on paper towels & serve hot with a sauce, chutney or dip of your choice.