Chocolate-Honey Cake

This is one of Nigella's heavenly looking cakes that I had been eyeing for sometime. I guess the way she waxes eloquent about them only adds up to ones' expectations. 'So..it is just a modified version of a chocolate cake' most folks would be thinking. But it is tough to conjure up the right words to describe what the honey bit ( well actually a lot of it ) does to this cake. I can only say that its pure unadulterated pleasure . The gooey sauce that is poured over it only makes it more sinful. And the bees just add to its mystique. It has got everything to be that 'made for a special occasion' cake.

Having been out of practice for quite sometime ( around 5 months), I ended up over-filling(more than 2/3rd) the baking tin as I could not find my usual measuring cups. Had to deal with a real mess as it overflowed and was all over the oven floor. Moreover the top got a little too dark as i forgot to cover it with a foil after the cake had done its rising. Finally, as i did not have the honeycomb baking tin, I resorted to cutting off the edges of a round cake to give it the desired shape. Not finding my usual serrated knife, i cut it with a regular one that resulted in some chipping on the sides. Felt really bad when the sides did not look as clean as I had visualized. Moreover, I painted the bees when the sauce was still a bit warm and hence it ended up spreading a bit (Please keep these in mind before trying out the cake). Have to admit that it did dampen my spirits a bit but the first bite itself made me forget everything.

Read on for the recipe:

Preparation Time - 1 hour 30 mins

Ingredients -
For the cake - 1 1/2 cup unsalted butter, 1 cup powdered sugar, 1 1/2 cup all-purpose flour, 2/3 cup honey, 1 cup dark chocolate pieces, 3 eggs, 1 tsp baking powder, 1/2 tsp fruit salt ( i used ENO), 1 tsp cocoa powder, 1/2 tsp coffee, 1/2 - 1 cup boiling water.

For the gooey sauce - 1/2 cup honey, 1/4 cup water, 1/2 cup dark chocolate pieces, 1/3 cup powdered sugar.

For the honey bees - Marzipan, almond flakes.

Preparation - Melt the dark chocolate in a double boiler. Allow it to come down to room temperature.

Beat the sugar and butter till light and fluffy. Add the honey and mix well.

Break the 3 eggs in another bowl and whisk them up till soft peaks can be formed.
Add the eggs to the butter-sugar mixture, a little at a time. Stir in 1-2 tsp of the flour into the batter.
Once all the eggs are incorporated into the batter, add the melted chocolate.

Mix the flour, cocoa powder, coffee, baking powder and fruit salt in a separate bowl.
Sift in the flour mixture into the batter, a little at a time. Do not beat too much, just gently stir it in.

Finally add the boiling water, a few teaspoons at a time. Check that the mixture does not get too runny.

Cooking - Pre-heat a oven to 180 degrees.
Grease a baking tin with butter. Sift in some flour over it.

Pour the batter into the tin and put into the oven. Bake at 175 degrees till the cake is done. A toothpick inserted into the center should come out clean.( Took about 40 mins for mine.)

Remove the cake from the tin while it is still warm. Allow to cool down completely before pouring the sauce over it.

For the sauce - Bring water and honey to boil. Add the dark chocolate pieces and stir in gently. Switch off flame. The heat is sufficient to melt the chocolate. Add the powdered sugar and beat to remove any lumps. One should get a silky texture sauce. Allow it to stand till it is just warm to touch.

Pour the sauce carefully over the cake. It does get a little drippy and messy. (But you are welcone to lick it off...and trust me, you will only be too happy doing it.)

Shape the bees out of the marzipan. Take a toothpick and paint their face and stripes with the remaining chocolate sauce. Stick in the almond flakes to give them wings. Position the over the cake.

Chocolate-Honey cake is now ready to be served. (Anybody fancy eating a fat honeybee????)

[ Note -All ingredients should be at room temperature. A have used a low sugar dark chocolate. If you are using a normal one, do reduce the quantity of sugar added to the batter/sauce. Also keep the consistency of the honey in mind while adding water.]

How to make Vegan Marzipan @ home ??

Marzipan is a confection consisting primarily of sugar or honey and almond meal, sometimes augmented with almond oil or extract. It is often made into sweets; common uses are marzipan-filled chocolate and small marzipan imitations of fruits and vegetables. It is also rolled into thin sheets and glazed for icing cakes, primarily birthday and wedding cakes and Christmas cake. [Source: Wiki]

While some marzipan recipes make use of the egg white instead of water, I preferred this simple vegan recipe: It can be used it as a substitute for fondant in some cases. Read on for the recipe:

Preparation Time - 10 mins

Ingredients - 1 cup almonds, 1 cup powdered/castor sugar, coloring agent as desired.

Preparation - Boil water in a saucepan. Add the almonds and boil for 1 minute.
Drain off the hot water and add cold water. Allow to stand for 2-3 mins.

Drain off water. Now you can remove the skins easily. (The above steps are usually referred to as blanching)

Take the almonds in a food processor and grind into a powder (almond meal). Do not overdo else the almond meal releases its natural oils and it starts sticking to the sides of the jar.

Take the almond meal and powdered sugar in a mixing bowl. Add water ( if using any color, add it to the water), a few drops at first and then more if needed. The ingredients should come together into a tight dough.

Take the dough and work/knead if further on a clean working surface to remove any lumps.

Shape it as desired or roll out into a thin layer to cover your cake.

Store it for up to 1 week (rolled in a thin film and put in a airtight container). But remember to bring it to room temperature before working it.

[ I have painted the marzipan figurines in the above picture with chocolate sauce ]

Mutton Ghuguni ( Mutton and Yellow Peas Curry )

Mutton curry and  ghuguni(yellow peas curry) both have a cult following in Orissa. The two dishes cannot be more different from each other and yet are equally delectable. So it is little wonder that they had to come together and create yet another delicious recipe.

Mutton fat or 'Charbi' is usually added to ghuguni to improve its flavor while keeping the costs low, I preferred adding mutton pieces instead. This is my way of cutting back on my meat intake as one would have fewer pieces of meat in a ghuguni as compared to a full fledged mutton curry. One can serve this with roti, paratha, chakuli or even rice.

Read on for the recipe:

Preparation Time: 40-50 mins

Ingredients: Mutton pieces ( 200 gm ), yellow peas (200 gm), potato ( 1 medium sized one ), tomato ( 1 medium), onion ( 1 medium), ginger-garlic paste ( 1 tsp), cumin seeds (1/5 tsp), cumin powder (1/3 tsp), coriander powder (1/3 tsp), chilli powder ( 1/2 tsp), garam masala powder (1/5 tsp), meat masala ( 1/3 tsp), oil (2 tsp), coriander leaves, turmeric powder, salt to taste.

For the mutton marinade - 1 small onion (chopped) , 2 green chillis, 1/2 inch cinnamon, 1 small green cardamon, 1 tsp mustard oil, 1/4 tsp turmeric, salt to taste.

Preparation: Soak the yellow peas for about 8 hours. Wash and put in a cooker along with potato, salt and turmeric powder. Cook for 1 whistle. Open when steam escapes and remove the potato.

Marinate the mutton pieces with all the ingredients for the marinade for 1 hour. Cook or 2-3 whistles or till it is sixty-seventy percent done. Transfer this to the pressure cooker containing the boiled peas. Cook together for another 1-2 whistle . Allow the steam to escape before opening lid.

Cut the onion and tomato into small pieces. Peel the potato and cut into medium sized cubes.

Cooking: Heat oil in a deep vessel. When it starts smoking, add the cumin seeds and bay leaf. Wait till it splutters, and then add onion pieces. Fry the onion for about 2-3 mins and then add ginger-garlic paste.

Cook for 2-3 mins, then add the potato pieces ,tomatoes, salt and turmeric powder. Fry for about 5 mins. Add the cumin powder, coriander powder, meat masala and chilli powder.

Cook for 1-2 mins. Add the contents of the pressure cooker. Mix and cook on high flame for 4-5 minutes. Add boiling water, check the salt (add more if needed) and allow to simmer for 10 minutes.

Stir in the garam masala and remove from fire. Garnish with coriander leaves and serve hot.

Egg Butter Masala ( Low calorie version )

Chicken Butter Masala happens to be one of the most popular Indian chicken dishes. I guess if the Tandoori chicken wins first place in any popularity contest, the butter masala would be considered as a close second. Whenever I invite any friends who do not eat chicken, I feel rather sorry at not being able to serve them this wonderful dish. That is what egged me to recreate the magic of Chicken Butter Masala with eggs (Yeah ...everyone loves eggs). And it turned out to be a winner.

You can use fresh cream if you like but I have added low-fat milk instead of water to add richness to the gravy. Keeping a close check on the calories these days. Read on for the recipe:

Preparation Time - 30 minutes

Ingredients - 4 eggs, 2 big onions, 2 small/medium tomatoes, 2 tsp ginger garlic paste, 1/2 tsp cumin seeds, 1 big cardamon, 1/2 tsp red chilli powder, 1/3 tsp turmeric, salt to taste, 3 tsp oil, 1 tbsp butter, 7-8 cashews, a fistful of raisins, 1 cup skim/low-fat milk.

Preparation - Soak the cashews and raisins for 3-4 hours.
Grind into a smooth paste.

Roughly chop the onions and tomatoes.

Cooking - Heat 1 1/2 tsp of oil in a wok. Add the roughly chopped onions. Fry on low flame till you can see brown spots. This indicates that caramelization has started and the onions turn sweet.

At the same time, heat sufficient water in a saucepan. Add the eggs and boil for 12-15 minutes. Allow to cool down a bit and remove the shells.

Remove the onions from the wok and allow to cool a bit. Grind into a smooth paste.

Add the boiled eggs along with a pinch of turmeric to the wok. Fry to a golden color. Remove and keep aside (You can skip this step if you wish)

Add the remaining oil and butter to the wok. Once it is hot enough, add the cumin seeds and big cardamon. Fry for 30 seconds and remove the cardamon as it tends to overpower the other flavors.

Add onion paste and fry for 2 mins. Add GG paste and fry for 3-4 minutes.

Add the roughly chopped tomatoes with salt, turmeric and red chilli powder. Fry till oil separates from the paste.

Add the cashews and raisins paste and cook for 2 mins. The raisins add sweetness to this curry hence i have skipped sugar. If not using raisins add 1 1/2 tsp sugar.

Slowly stir in the milk and bring to a boil. Simmer for 2-3 minutes.

Make small cuts into the eggs and add to the curry. Simmer for another 2-3 minutes. Switch off flame.

Serve hot with rotis/phulkas or rice. (I like to have it with both)

Oats Pongal

My son's liking for this simple and wholesome rice dish has turned me into a faithful fan (read follower). Easy to make and quite comforting, I have been cooking it regularly in the last weeks. With my current obsession with oats, i felt tempted to add some to the regular pongal. Turned out to be quite nice. Also, adding oats greatly increases the soluble fiber content of this dish which helps reduce the bad cholesterol (LDL) and keeps one's heart healthy . Read on for the recipe:

Preparation Time - 15 mins


Ingredients - 1/2 cup rice, 1/2 cup yellow moong dal, 1/2 cup quick oats, 8-9 cashews, 1 tsp peppercorn, 1 tsp cumin seeds, 1 pinch carom seeds, 1/2 inch ginger (cut into juliennes), 3-4 tsp ghee, salt to taste, 41/2 cups water.

Cooking - Heat 2 tsp ghee in a pressure cooker. Add the cashew and lightly fry them. remove and keep aside.

Add cumin, carom seeds, peppercorn and ginger. Wash and add the rice and moong dal. Fry for 2-3 minutes or till a fragrance comes.

Add the hot water, fried cashews (keep aside a few for the garnish) and salt. Close lid and cook for 2-3 whistles.

Allow steam to escape before opening. Put on the stove again. Add another 1/2 to 1 cup of hot water (only if required) and the quick cooking oats. Cook for 3 minutes.

Sprinkle the remaining ghee and stir in.

Garnish with a few cashews and serve hot.

Pudina Biryani

I have been quite lazy of late and been looking around for quick fix /one pot meals. While all that i want to do is lie down on the couch with a feel-good book and a hot cup of green/ginger/lemon tea, it is quite a case of wishful thinking with a two year old running around the house. This is a simple and nutritious rice recipe that I prepared last week. While I would have done good with my old Pudina Rice recipe, my kid has been looking forward to eating more spicy stuff these days. I guess its the cold which has dulled his taste buds. Without much delay, read on for the recipe:

Preparation Time - 20 mins

Ingredient - 2 cups Gobindobhog rice ( you can use sona masuri instead ), 1 cup soya granules, 1 medium sized potato, 3 tsp mint paste, 3 tbs thick yogurt, 1 medium sized onion, 2 dry red chillis, 2 tsp oil, whole garam masala (2 cloves, 1 inch cinnamon stick, 1/2 star anise, 1/2 javitri, a pinch of grated jaiphal, 1 small green cardamom) , salt to taste.

Preparation - Wash, peel and chop potato into small pieces. Cut onion into thin long slices.

Soak the soya granules in hot water. After 10 minutes squeeze and wash 2-3 times with fresh water.

Cooking - Heat the oil in a pressure cooker. Add broken red chilli and onion pieces. Fry till translucent.

Add the whole garam masala and saute for 30 seconds. Add mint paste and cook for 2 minutes on medium flame.

Add the potato and soya granules. Fry for another 2-3 minutes.

Stir in the yogurt and cook for 3-4 minutes on medium to high flame till the mixture starts leaving oil.

Add the washed rice along with 3 1/2 cups of hot water. [ Sprinkle some chopped mint leaves if you wish ]

Close lid and cook for 2 whistles.

Allow steam to escape before opening lid.

Serve hot with papad and raita. Or just pack some for your lunchbox.

Note - Instead of using pudina paste, one can use pudina and coriander leaves in equal proportion for making the paste. Throw in 5-6 garlic flakes for added flavor.

Surmai Fry

"So its Fish fry this Sunday ?", enquired hubby. And as I was feeling a little lazy I readily agreed. Fried fish with a simple rice-dal and salad makes for a wholesome and quick meal. Having had quite a bit of Rohi in the past weeks, we wanted a change and zeroed in on 'Surmai'.

Though a lot more expensive than Rohi, it provides a nice change once in a while. And it is free from bones (just one tiny bit at the centre) which makes it very suitable for all the folks who worry about swallowing them by mistake. I have kept the seasoning to a minimum but feel free to add more if you wish. The addition of sesame also gives it a nice touch but again it is optional.

Preparation time - 15 mins

Ingredients - 2 slices of Surmai fish, 2 pinches turmeric, a pinch of cumin powder, a pinch of coriander powder, 1/5 tsp chilli powder, 1/3 tsp ginger garlic paste, 1 tsp sesame seeds, few drops of lemon juice, salt to taste, 3 tsp oil for frying the fish.

Preparation - Wash and dry the fish pieces with a paper towel. Sprinkle the lemon juice and rub gently. Keep aside for 1 minute.

Make a paste with the remaining ingredients (except oil).

Rub the paste on the fish pieces (both sides).

Heat a non-stick frying pan. Add the oil. When oil is very hot (but not smoking), add the fish slices. Fry on high for 30 seconds on each side to get that seared effect. Bring down flame and cook on low to medium flame for 4-5 minutes on both sides.
[Do not overcook else the juices would dry up and the fish will turn chewy.]

Serve hot with white rice, dal and salad.

Review: Banchharam @ Marathahalli

Its been so long since I did a review. This time it is my favorite sweet shop in Bengaluru, Bancharam. Ok, so Bancharam is a Calcutta based sweet shop that has three branches in Bengaluru, the other two being Kormangala and Ulsoor.

Yes, its been there at Marathahalli for a long time and I have been visiting it regularly. But I was unaware that so few Bengaluru folks know about it. Found out last week when we served their Misthi Doi and Rasmalai to our friends.

Though on the pricier side, their items are a treat. They have the entire gamut of bengali sweets like quite a few varieties of Sandesh, Peda, Chum Chums, Gulab Jamuns, Rasgullas and Labanga Latika. And they also have that liquid Nolen Gur in stock these days. I have left out quite a few stuff for the list just gets too long.

My favorites are the Rasmalai, Rasgulla, Misti Doi and Malai Chumchum. I especially love the Rasmalai for its tiny and succulent melt-in-the-mouth rasgullas. At 50 rupees per 100 ml ( or about 5-6 balls), it is hardly cheap but every bite is worth relishing.

The Misti Doi is priced at Rs 16 /100 ml for the plastic cups and Rs 20/100 ml for the earthen cups. The rest of the sweets are roughly priced in the range of Rs 18-25 per piece.

Another must-try item is their Samosa. Priced at Rs 16/piece, it is tiny but really spicy and yummy. However, I felt that they fry it in Vanaspathi Ghee (Dalda) which gives that lovely flavor but is really bad for the heart. I havn't had it confirmed so it is just a niggling doubt. On second thoughts, a one off indulgence (and one that is so tasty) would hardly clog the poor arteries.

How about visiting this place for finding out the rest ???

Overall, I would rate the place at: 4.5/5 ( -0.5 for the price and also that they have no place to sit).
Taste - 5/5
Hygienic - 5/5
Price - 4/5

[  Bought this Misthi Doi and Rasmalai last night. See how nicely they have packed it. And check that open container at the top right corner. Its so yumm..had to dig it before taking the snaps .]

Eggplant Yogurt Salad ( Dahi Baigana in a new avatar )

As part of the food makeover series, I have picked up the mundane 'Dahi baigana', a delicious raita made with deep fried aubergines/eggplant . For this particular recipe, I had a twin agenda in mind. The first requirement was to reduce the number of calories. So instead of deep frying, I chose to bake the eggplant. But with an unscheduled power-cut throwing my plans out of gear, I decided to roast them on the non-stick tawa/frying pan instead. Used an oil-spray instead of using regular oil.

To give it a pretty look, I replaced the curd with thick yogurt and made it into a salad. Along with a few pomegranate seeds thrown in for the garnish (they do add a nice sweetness when you bite in), one can use some fresh herbs to add that extra zing to this dish. I used cilantro but it tastes equally good with basil/mint/parsley.

Preparation Time - 15 mins

Ingredients - 7-8 thin slices of eggplant, 3/4 cup thick yogurt, salt to taste, oil spray/1 tsp olive oil.

For tempering - 1/2 tsp mustard seeds, 1/2 tsp cumin seeds, 1 sprig curry leaves, 1 dry red chilli, a pinch of asafoetida, 1 1/2 tsp oil ( i used rice bran oil ).

For garnish - handful of pomegranate seeds, 1 tsp chopped cilantro, 1/3 tsp roasted cumin-chilli (jeera-lanka) gunda.


Preparation - Rub a little salt over the eggplant slices and keep aside.

Heat the oil in a tempering pan. Add the seeds along with broken chilli. Just as they start popping, add curry leaves and asafoetida. Switch off flame immediately and cover the pan with a lid.

Take the yogurt in a bowl. Add the salt and whisk gently. Strain the contents of the tempering pan when cool and add to the mixing bowl ( we will just be using the oil which has absorbed all the flavors of the tempering and leave out those offending bits ). Mix well.

Pre-heat the oven to 200 degrees centigrade.

Dry the eggplant slices with a paper towel and brush a little oil on them. Place a foil on the baking tray and place eggplant slices on it. Cook at 200 degrees Centigrade for 2-3  minutes on each side. ( Else spray on some non-stick oil on a pan and roast the slices for 2 minutes on each side. )

Arrange the roasted slices on a platter. Pour the tempered yogurt over it. Sprinkle the pomegranate seeds and chopped cilantro. Finally add the roasted cumin-chilli powder.

Serve as a salad.

Note - I quite liked this makeover as it actually captures the essence of the original recipe (like the use of tempering, addition of the jeera lanka gunda and the use of pomegranate seeds instead of sugar for adding sweetness). Let me know what you think about it.

Cilantro-Mint Chutney (Dhaniya-Pudina Chutney)

This chutney has become my favorite dip/spread. I use it for sandwiches, chaat, samosas, pakoras, aloo-chop or even to spice up simple roti-subzi rolls. With healthy ingredients like cilantro, mint and carom seeds, and taste to match, this dip is simply a guilt-free indulgence ( little wonder that you will not find any other calorie laden dips in my fridge ). Read on:

Preparation Time - 10 mins

Ingredients - 1 cup chopped cilantro (tightly packed), 1 cup chopped mint (tightly packed), 5 garlic flakes, 1 1/2 tsp tamarind paste, 1 pinch ajwain (carom) seeds, 1 tbsp jaggery, 2 green chillis, salt to taste.

Preparation - Take all the ingredients in the grinding jar. Add 2-3 tsp water and grind into a smooth paste. Add another few teaspoons of water if thinner consistency is desired.

Note - The chutney should not be too sour or sweet, just a subtle hint of sweetness/sourness is desired. However, one can increase/decrease the amount of jaggery/tamarind added as per taste. One word of caution. Do not go overboard with the carom seeds as it is sure to kill the other flavors.

Red Pepper Boats

'Aloo Chop' or Bonda as it is called in the Southern parts of India, is a very popular snack in Odisha. One can easily spot a shop selling these at every nook and corner of the state. Balls of slightly spiced boiled potato dipped in a batter of Bengal gram batter and deep fried, these can hardly be considered as a gourmet's delight.

As part of my new year resolution, I intend to give a makeover to some of the most common oriya dishes. This is the first in line. Cutting out the deep frying part, I stuffed the potato filling into these lovely red bell peppers and roasted them on a non-stick pan with a only a few drops of oil. The firm (read Al dente) peppers not just make for great holders but also add a fresh flavor to a popular snack. I had originally planned to add Kaffir lime leaves to the potato mixture but could not find it anywhere in Bangalore. Read on for the recipe:

Preparation Time - 20 mins

Ingredients - 2 medium sized red bell peppers, 2-3 medium sized potatoes ( boiled and peeled ), 1 tsp grated garlic, 1 tsp grated ginger, 1 medium sized onion ( finely chopped ), 1/4 tsp mustard seeds, 1/4 tsp cumin seeds, 1/2 tsp chilli powder, 1/5 tsp turmeric, 2-3 tsp chopped coriander leaves, 2 tbs fried peanuts, 4 tsp oil, salt to taste.

Preparation - Wash and cut each bell pepper into two. Remove any pith/seeds from within. Brush all over (both insides and outside) with oil and a bit of salt.

Cooking: Heat 3 tsp oil in a wok. Add mustard-cumin seeds when the oil starts smoking. Follow with chopped onion and the grated ginger and garlic. Fry for 4-5 mins till the raw smell goes away.

Add the mashed potato along with chilli powder, salt and turmeric. Fry for 2-3 mins. Now add the fried peanuts and chopped coriander. Fry for 1-2 mins. Remove from heat and keep aside till it is bearable to touch.

Stuff the potato mixture into the bell peppers.

Heat a non-stick frying pan. Drizzle with remaining oil. Add the stuffed peppers and cook on each side for 3-4 mins. They should be cooked but still firm.

Serve hot as starters/snacks.

Sending this to Cook With Red Event at Shweta's blog Merry Tummy.