Mini Bundt Cakes with White Chocolate Ganache

Mini Bundt Cakes with White Chocolate Ganache

Experiments! They bring an interesting twist to life. And my experiments in the kitchen are something to write about. I make all kinds of mess all day long. And the best thing about these messes are that they lead to further experimenting.

I was making cake pops and my white chocolate covering would not turn out the way it is supposed to. So i simply ate up the cake balls and started on licking spoonful of ganache. The ganache was yummm. And why not? It had white chocolate and heavy cream!! What’s not to like!!

As I licked the spoon I surfed the web. I came across this very interesting blog hipfoodiemom.com. The very name sounded so interesting. Anyhow I came across this recipe for Mini Bundt Cakes with White Chocolate Ganache. Loved the cake! Made the cake!

Recipe source : www.hipfoodiemom.com

Ingredients

2 cups grated carrots

½ cup brown sugar

½ cup raisins

2 eggs

½ cup granulated sugar

½ cup oil

2 pineapple rings (tinned ones), pureed

1 ½ cups flour

¾ tsp baking soda

½ tsp salt

2 tsp cinnamon powder

For the ganache

250 gms white chocolate, grated

1 cup heavy cream

Grease a mini bundt cake pan and dust it with four. This dusting part is important otherwise your cake will not come out easily.

Mix the grated carrots and brown sugar and keep aside for 10 minutes. 

Then add the raisins.

Beat the eggs well. Add the sugar and oil and beat. Add the pureed pineapples.

Sift together flour, baking soda, salt and cinnamon powder. Add it to the batter. Fold gently. Now add the carrot mixture. Pour the batter into bundt pan.

Preheat the oven to 170 degrees Celsius. Bake for 25-30 minutes.

While the cake is baking you can make the ganache. Put on a double boiler. Gently heat the cream and then add the grated white chocolate. Whip well till smooth.

When the cake is baked take it out and let it cool a little. Unmould the cake and drizzle ganache on top. Let the white molten chocolate flow down the sides.

Garlic Groundnuts

Gujrat is the land of “Sing Dana”..peanuts the size of almonds. They were like nothing I had ever tasted. Simply roasted you can have them bowlfuls.

These Garlic Groundnuts are a bit time consuming but they are way better than the packaged ones with preservatives and overdose of salt. If you soak them then you can use any normal variety of peanuts that are available at the local grocery shop. The groundnuts will swell in size to look like Sing Dana.

The groundnuts are soaked first as this makes them puff up and when fried they have a nuttier texture. Believe me because I have tried making it both ways, soaked and directly.

Often people make garlic groundnuts by heating oil, frying groundnuts and then frying peanuts in the same oil. I avoid this method because of two reasons. Firstly simply frying in garlic flavoured oil does not bring that taste. Secondly if you fry the garlic first, keep it in the oil and add the groundnuts then by the time the groundnuts are fried the garlic turns absolutely black.

After many trials and errors I have perfected the art of making Garlic Groundnuts

Ingredients

2 cups groundnuts, soaked overnight

10-12 garlic pods, sliced thin

½ cup oil

Salt to taste

1 tsp pepper powder

Soak the groundnuts overnight. Peel them and keep aside.

Heat the oil mildly. Remember you don’t want it too hot or the garlic will burn. Add the garlic slices and stir on low heat. After a while the garlic will stop sticking to the pan. This will take only a minute. NO more!

 Remember the garlic at this stage should still be white. It should not even be light brown. You have to keep control of the flame. If the garlic is brown at this stage by the time the groundnuts are fried they will be black.

Add the groundnuts and stir well. Keep the flame absolutely low. Do not cover the pan. Let the groundnuts fry on low flame for about 20-30 minutes. Keep stirring after few minutes. Add salt and pepper powder.

This is a very slow process and you need to keep patience. There is a big difference between slow fried and quickly deep fried groundnuts. Believe me!

 

 

 

Dhokar Dalna

Dhokar Dalna

The name sounds funny!! This is a Bengali dish and when you translate the name into Hindi it does sound funny. Dhoka literally means Betrayal in Hindi. However, rest assured, this dish will far surpass your expectations. It is a Bengal gram preparation which, if prepared properly, tastes like mutton.

This is one of my favorite childhood dishes. However as I remember my grandmother making it, I realise what a troublesome task it must have been. In the days before the use of mixers ladies had to do all the grinding on a stone slab. It required quite a lot of time and effort to grind the Bengal gram to a smooth paste. 

Nowadays it takes a few minutes. However, there is a distinct difference in taste between things ground in mixers and ground on a mortar and pestle. The latter, somehow, tastes more delicious.

Ingredients

For the Dhoka

2 cups Bengal gram/chana dal , soaked overnight

2” ginger, grated

½ cup oil

1 tsp cumin seeds

Salt to taste

For the Dalna/gravy

2 onions, pureed

2 small tomatoes, pureed

1 bay leaf

2 dry red chillies

1 tsp cumin seeds

2 tbsp ginger-garlic paste

1 tbsp coriander powder

2 tbsp cumin powder

1 tsp turmeric powder

1 tsp red chilli powder

1 tsp garam masala

Salt to taste

A pinch of sugar

½ tsp cinnamon powder

½ tsp green cardamom powder

1 tbsp ghee

Make the Dhoka first. Grind the soaked dal along with the ginger and salt. 

Heat the oil. Add the cumin seeds and then add the ground paste. Fry on high heat till the water evaporates and the mix forms a dough like consistency.

 When the dough starts leaving the sides of the pan then you can switch off the gas. 

Oil a large steel plate. Spread the dal dough on the plate and pat down with firm hands to a rough rectangle. It should be about ½ inch thick. 

Let it cool. Then cut into diamond shapes.

Heat some oil in a pan. Deep fry the dhoka. 

In the same oil add the cumin seeds, bay leaf and dry red chillies. 

Once they start spluttering add the ginger-garlic paste. Add the onion paste and saute. 

Once the onion becomes pinkish add the tomato paste. Add all the masalas and fry on low heat. 

Once the oil starts leaving the sides then add a cup of water. Bring to a boil and add the dhoka pieces. Cover and simmer for about 10 minutes. 

Switch off the heat and sprinkle the cinnamon and cardamom powder and add the ghee. 

Garnish with a little cream or green coriander.

Homemade Pav and Bhaji

Homemade Pav and Bhaji

You know where you can get the best Pav Bhaji? On the roadside stalls!!

Yes they might not be the posh outlets but their food has a very real, earthy tone. Living in Nasik for two years, my husband and I would try and sample from all the myriad stalls serving Pav Bhaji. It was fun siting on wooden benches with steaming hot plates in our hands.

Form Nasik to Leh is a long journey and I don’t just mean as the crow flies. At this altitude fresh food is not available almost 7 months in the year. So what do you do when you simply have to have Pav bhaji? You make it! Even the Pav!!! And it really is not that difficult once you start making the pavs.

So here is my homemade Pav with bhaji!!

Ingredients

3 cups flour

1 tsp salt

1 tbsp sugar

1 ½ tbsp yeast

½ cup water

½ cup milk

3 tbsp milk (additional)

3 tbsp butter

Sift together flour and salt.

Heat the water and sugar to lukewarm and add the yeast. Cover and keep aside to froth.

Heat the milk and butter till the butter melts.

Add the butter-milk mix to yeast mix.

Slowly add this mix to the flour and knead. If you feel the dough is too dry add the 3 tbsp milk but not at one go. Keep adding 1 tsp at a time. You might not need the whole 3 tbsp.

Knead for 10 minutes. The dough must feel silky. Try out the windowpane method to see if you have kneaded enough. Take a small ball of the dough and slowly start stretching. If the stretched dough seems transparent against the window light then it means you have done a good job kneading.

Apply oil all over the dough and place in a  large bowl. Cover the bowl with clingfilm and keep in a warm place. Since I live in a cold clime I have to take extra special care of my dough. I wrap the whole bowl in a thick towel and place it near the heater. The towel keeps it insulated from the atmospheric cold.

Leave the dough to double. It will take about 2-3 hours.

Once the dough has doubled you can start on the pavs. First dust your working surface/kitchen slab with some flour so that the dough does not stick. Punch down the dough a bit. Make 12 balls.

Grease a baking pan with oil. Place the balls in the pan leaving gaps in between. 

Cover and keep again in a warm place again for ½ to 1 hour. The balls will double in size. Apply some milk wash as this will give a glaze to the pavs.

Preheat the oven at 175 degrees Celsius. Bake the pavs for 25-30 minutes.

Bhaji

Ingredients

1 cup chopped French beans

1 cup chopped carrots

1 cup chopped cauliflower

3 potatoes, boiled and mashed

2 onions, chopped

1” ginger, chopped

1 capsicum, chopped

2 tomatoes, chopped

½ cup green coriander, chopped

½ lemon

2 tbsp pav bhaji masala

1 ½ tsp salt

1 tsp turmeric powder

1 tsp red chilli powder

3 tbsp butter

Heat some oil. Add the chopped ginger and chopped onions. Saute till the onion turns translucent.

 Add chopped tomatoes. Add the veggies and saute. Cover and cook on low heat till the veggies are cooked. 

Add all the masalas and check the salt. 

Add the mashed potatoes and mix well. 

Now add a cup of water. Bring to a boil. 

Using a flat spatula try to mash up the bhaji. 

Simmer for 10 minutes. 

Add juice of ½ lemon and chopped coriander. 

Murg-e-taaus

Murg-e-taaus

Another Mughlai Dish!

When the Mughals came to India they brought with them the culinary cultures of the countries they had been to such as Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Azerbaijan, etc. 

As a result the food culture that evolved was a combination of Indian, Persian and Middle Eastern cuisine. Nuts, raisins and saffron were liberally used to make the dishes exotic and suitable for the Royal palette.

Murg-e-taaus means Royal Chicken. However the word in Urdu has a more romantic and exotic tinge to it. Just like the dish itself! There are very few masalas used in the dish and the richness comes from the use of dry fruits.

Ingredients

For the marinade

1 chicken, cut into pieces

1 cup yogurt

Salt to taste

Khada masala

2 green cardamoms

2 black cardamoms

4 cloves

1 “cinnamon

For paste

½ cup almonds

¼ cup poppy seeds

3 tbsp char magaz/melon seeds

2 onions. Chopped

1” ginger, chopped

1 tsp white pepper powder

½ tsp turmeric

Few strands soaked in 2 tbsp milk

¼ tsp cardamom powder

¼ tsp mace/javitri powder

Marinate the chicken with yogurt and salt for about 2-3 hours.

Make a paste of the dry fruits using a little water.

Heat some ghee. Add the khada masala. Add the onion and ginger and saute. 

Once the onions become translucent then add the chicken pieces and fry on high heat. 

Cover and cook for 5 minutes. Add the dry fruits paste, turmeric powder and white pepper powder. 

Check the seasoning. Add ½ cup water, cover and simmer till the chicken is cooked. 

Add the soaked saffron, cardamom powder and javitri powder.

Coleslaw Sandwich

Coleslaw Sandwich

Sandwiches are wholesome food. They are best for late night snacking. Whenever I get those midnight hunger pangs I just sneak over to the fridge, take out few cold cuts, slices of tomatoes or onions, select some spread and Voila!!

Ingredients

1 cup shredded chicken ( you can boil and shred some chicken or you can use some left over kababs)

you can use a vegetarian version like paneer or cheese

½ cup shredded cabbage/lettuce

½ cup chopped onion

½ cup chopped capsicum

4 tbsp mayonnaise

1 tbsp tomato ketchup

1 tsp mustard

Salt to taste

½ tsp black pepper powder

1 packet whole wheat bread

Mix together cabbage, onions, capsicum, mayonnaise, ketchup, mustard, salt and black pepper powder.

Trim the edges of the bread slices. Place filling in between and make sandwiches.

You can have them as it is without grilling. However if you want to grill them then apply a little butter on top of the bread slices and grill the sandwiches.