Cookaroo

Sometimes the blogging world thinks up of very fun stuff for us food bloggers to do. It's not just about recipes and contests, but also about fun ways to engage people into understanding a product line with the help of us food bloggers.

The #Createfearlessly hashtag is a joint effort between Blogadda and Hamilton Beach. While Hamilton Beach is well known kitchen gadget brand in the US, it's just made it's way into India and that's why it wants to come in with a bang.

I received two fab gadgets from the Hamilton Beach catalog - a Classic hand mixer and a 12 liter Oven Toaster Grill: together called "The Sweet-toothed baker". Boxed in tightly, I had plenty of trouble with the courier service that was on it's way to deliver it. But the lesser said about that, the better.

The gadgets were both brand new and shining. I loved the steel finish on both. And as I opened the them both up, the attachments stood high and mighty looking at me.

The 12 liter toaster oven was a lot more spacious than I thought. It came with a crumb tray, a grill and a cookie sheet. I loved that it had temperature controls that made it easy to bake. The timer too was easy to use, but I felt it went off a bit too soon. And even though it was tiny it could hold a whole lot of things such as 1 4 x 6 inch baking dish, 3 ramekins at a time, 4 toasts and 9 cookies. Not too bad I thought.

The problem that I did face is that the back of the OTG gets a lot hotter than the front, so if you're baking cookies, you'll have to flip them after 6 or 7 minutes. Basically it's hard to leave it unattended.

The best part though, was the roll top door, which ensured that you couldn't burn yourself, so yay!

Coming to the hand mixer. It came with it's own box that could store the attachments and let the mixer stand on it. The attachments included two whisks, two kneaders, and one blender. This time around I only used the whisk.

6 speeds and a quick burst options ensured that the whipping, beating, whisking happens every quickly. Easy to use and ergonomically designed, I love love love this gadget.

What didn't make sense though was the combination of the two - it's very very hard to bake a pie or a cake unless its 4 inches large in this OTG. For a baker, this was going to be a hard bet. I think the whisk would have paired better with the 32liter oven while the 12 liters should have been paired with the blender to make it a Breakfast special option.

But oh well.

I also found both gadgets easy to clean, which is a BIG plus from my end.

So on to what I baked with this. A simple super quick chocolate souffle that takes 25 minutes from the prep time to serve time. A souffle for two that can be made with pantry staples.

Of course you can play with the flavours - chocolate orange, chocolate coffee, chocolate mint, chocolate lemon - you know what I mean. I've used cinnamon and chili because I'm currently obsessed with them, but feel free to mix and match your ingredients.

My tip for the souffle is that you must must butter the souffle ramekins well, you'll get a gorgeous even rise and frankly don't be afraid of it, it'll take at least 10 minutes before it falls half way down and even if that happens, give it another 5 minutes in the oven and call it a twice-baked souffle. Voila!

Chocolate Cinnamon Souffle
Serves 2

Ingredients
70 grams dark chocolate (50 percent atleast)
1 tblsp cocoa powder
3 tbslp sugar
1 tsp butter
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/8 tsp salt
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1 egg yolk
3 egg whites

Method

1. In a microwave friendly bowl melt the chocolate and add to it the sugar, butter and cocoa powder,
whisk well.
2. Add the cinnamon, chilli, vanilla and salt and whisk well. Keep aside.
3. In a large bowl whisk the egg whites till they form stiff peaks.
4. Fold gently into the chocolate mixture. Pour into prepared ramekins.
5. Bake at 180 minutes for 15 to 18 minutes.
6. Serve hot dusted with a bit of cocoa powder.

Last month, the Oberoi group of hotels started a movement of sorts called Rivaayat. Or quite literally, the revival of tradition. The forgotten food of the past, that's what they are aiming at reviving. This festival is a pan-Indian journey, through the year. Last month I'd been to the Rivaayat at The Oberoi New Delhi. And this time around it was The Oberoi Gurgaon turn.

The Rivaayar-e-Rampur which is on at the hotel till March 5, is the brainchild of Osama Jalali and his mother Nazish, who are bringing back the glorious food from Rampur, UP. I've sampled their delicious cuisine at Ssence when they did the Shahjahanabad ki Sair and it was mind blowing. You can read all about that here.

This time round, it was all about the amazing company and the beautiful setting. Sitting down for the first-ever Chef's Table at the deck at the Oberoi, it was definitely an afternoon to remember.

The tasting menu was extensive.And we started our meal with the Dahi Phulki, which was way to flat for me. Then came the Shammi Kebab, Seekh Kebab, Kacche keeme ki Tikiya, Aloo palak ki Pakodiyan and Kathal ki Shammi. Of the the kathal ki shammi was hands down the favourite. Beautifully spiced with a glorious melt-in-the-mouth texture made it the best starter on the table.

For the mains, out came the Saag Kofte, Urad ki Daal Gosht, Chicken Qorma, Aloo Gosht, Masale ki Machli, Hari Mirch Qeema, Mutton kade masalon ka stew and Mutton stew. You can just about imagine the disbelief at the amount of food! My favourite for the afternoon was both the mutton kade masalon ka stew and the mutton stew. I loved how the sweet onions in both the stews made them so deliciously light on the palate. And somehow I could crave was some more the two. But the best was yet to come.

Urad Ki Safed dal dry, Urad ki Kali dal with sukhi Methi, Karele ki chidiya, Laute palaute and the arvi masale ki was served under the vegetarian umbrella and I have to same the Karele ki chidiya was extraodinary. Filled with a masala that included fennel, this was a definite delight.

The biryani, the khichadi and then the piece de resistance - the khichada was brought out. I love love loved the Khichada, for me this was the dish that saved the same. A beautifully fragrant combination of mutton and lentils served with a whole lot of accompaniments including fried onions. lemons and green chilli, it was as if I had died and gone to heaven. I licked my bowl clean, and then looked around to get another helping.

The meal ended with some Aloo Ka zarda and some Gulathi. Both delicious desserts and were a great end to a meal that had been dissected, discussed and devoured.

I really enjoyed my afternoon. If I have two suggestions for Rivaayat it's this - go easy on the salt, and make a smaller tasting menu - but all in all, what a commendable effort. I can't wait to go try the next one.

Ever since I saw the recipe for an ice cream bread on Charis's blog two years ago, it's been on my mind forever to try and make it.

The idea is simple, you take some left over ice cream, some flour and baking soda and a bit of sugar, mix it all together and bake it. And voila! You have something that's halfway between bread and cake. It's like magic.

You can imagine why I've been in awe of this recipe. I've just never ever got around trying it. And I know why - there's never any ice cream left over in my house. Between the cookie monster and me, I think this is a dangerous dangerous house for ice cream.

I am really terrible when it come to ice creams. I can easily polish off a whole tub in a sitting, let alone want to share it. I don't necessarily like to eat it plain, I'm happy making it into a sundae and sometimes even into an ice cream soda. So going by that logic, I should have already made this bread.

I confess, I did try once a few months ago. It came out terrible. It was rock solid and strange and I wondered what I'd done wrong. I realised I had over baked it and that I did not mix it enough, so this time armed with enough ice cream, I set about a second attempt.

I had some black currant ice cream leftover, so I used that but I'd recommend you use vanilla or chocolate to get the real deal. I also added a pinch of salt which was alright but in hindsight I wish I'd added another spoon of sugar.

You see, despite all that ice cream this bread is not sweet. No sir, it isn't. It's quite cakey and would do well with a nice dollop of butter and some jam.

You can ofcourse mix in whatever you'd like - sprinkles (like Charis does), chocolate chips, dried fruits, some nuts - just about anything you like to make it fancier.

I left mine plain, with the addition of some strawberries on top, just to pretty it up. But otherwise it's really quite straightforward. All you need to remember is not to melt the ice cream completely in the microwave and instead just soften it and beat in the flour mix, and then, the rest is magic

Ice cream bread
Adapted from here

Ingredients
2 cups good quality ice cream
1 1/4 cup flour
1 tsp baking soda
2 tblsp sugar
a pinch of salt

Method
1. In a large bowl measure out the ice cream and pop it in the microwave for about 30 seconds. Take it out and let it sit out.
2. In another bowl sift out the flour, baking soda and salt. Add the sugar to it.
3. With the help of a spoon, squelch the ice cream till it forms a smooth paste. Add in all the flour mix and whisk in well.
4. Pour into a greased loaf tin and bake for about 30 minutes at 180 degree centigrade
5. Serve warm with some jam.

And don’t forget to take part in the Cookaroo and Philips contest to win a Philips Rice Cooker. Click here for more details.

Let me tell you a story. It's a story about a teenager addicted to the 2 pm cookery shows on TV back in the 90s. A story that sometimes ended with hits and sometimes misses.

As latch-key children, my sister and I were often home alone for a few hours every day. Which meant unlimited TV viewing, raiding the refrigerator and most definitely not doing any homework till a couple of minutes before 6, because that's when we know our mother was on her way back home from work.

Cable had just about arrived in India, and my father, who loved all sorts of television viewing, insisted that we catch up with the times. So despite plenty of protest from my mother, cable TV entered our lives. Yet, I was addicted to something totally differently - on a channel of Doordarshan or DD, (I think it was DD2), 2 pm everyday was a cooking show.

The hosts were different everyday. Sometimes there were chefs from 5-star hotels who made special appearances, but most of the times, they were women who enjoyed cooking. The week was divided into Indian, Chinese, Continental and such. But come Friday, Friday was the day where you learnt how to bake.

Every Friday, I'd rush back home, pen and paper in hand and start noting down ingredients even before the measurements were announced. And come Saturday, I'd bug my mum to buy ingredients so that I could try out different baked goodies.

From regular sponges to brownies to lamingtons, I learnt a lot watching the telly. I learnt the difference between baking powder and baking soda, the use of different kinds of sugar and how to make a great eggless cake.

But one cake failed me always. It was a cake that used Coca cola as one of the ingredients. I don't know what it was about that cake, but I'd always end up with something that was hard as a rock. After two miserable failed attempts, I finally denounced this cake. Until now that is.

Post my friend Ira's baby shower at home, I had a bottle of Coke left over and I decided to make something of it. A cake seemed easiest and quickest and as I searched through a myriad recipes, I spotted one that would sort of work.

Since most of the recipes were American, I decided to tweak the cake to my palate, that is, made it a lot less sweeter and a lot more moister.

I didn't even use a whisk for this cake and worked with a fork instead. It took all of ten minutes to assemble the cake and about 45 minutes of baking time to ready this yummy moist chocolate cake.

The frosting too took barely five minutes to put together. Ofcourse you can do away with it completely, but I feel that the frosting makes it so much more yummier.

Coca Cola Chocolate Cake
Adapted from here

Ingredients

For the cake
1 1/4 cup all purpose flour
1/4 cup cocoa powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/8 tsp salt
1/3 cup milk
1 tsp vinegar
1/2 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 egg
1/4 cup oil
3/4 cup Coca Cola

For the frosting
2 tbslp butter
1/3 cup cocoa
1/4 cup icing sugar
1/8 cup Coca Cola

Method

1. In a large bowl measure out the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt. Keep aside
2. In another bowl measure out the milk and vinegar and keep aside for 5 minutes while you go about collecting the other ingredients.
3. Into the milk mixture add the egg, oil, sugar and vanilla. Add this into the flour mixture.
4. Add the 1/2 cup of the Cola into it and stir well with a whisk or a fork, once the mixture has come together, add the remaining 1/4 cup of the cola to it.
5. Pop into a butter paper lined tin and bake for 45 minutes at 180 degree centigrade.

For the Frosting

1. Melt in butter in a microwavable bowl
2. Sift in the icing sugar and the cocoa into it and stir well.
3. Add the cola and stir gently till it all comes together well.
4. Let the frosting sit for at least 20 minutes before you ice the cake.

I've been having a lot of fun with the Philips Soup Maker. It's a really fun gadget to own especially if you're feeding a crowd. The soups and smoothies are a breeze to make. Just chop, bung and fugeddaboutit. You can read the review here.

So while I've shown how to use the chunky option with this Mexican Kidney Bean and Nacho Soup and the smooth option with my Thai-spiced Carrot Citrus Soup , I knew I that the versatility of this fun gadget wouldn't be complete without showing off the cold blend option. I sat on the idea for a bit - a smoothie or a juice - I pondered. And then it suddenly crossed my mind, how about this wonderful cold soup that can be both an appetizer and a dessert.

I remembered this soup I'd drunk (eaten) many moons ago at a restaurant in California. The strawberries were in season and they were humongous.They weren't as sweet as I'd have liked them to be, nonetheless they could be found everywhere.

We were heading for a quick meal, but the name of the soup ensured that I'd try it no matter how much time it would take. When the soup arrived, it was love at first sight. It was bright pink with droplets of condensation all around it. A dollop of sour cream and a sprig of mint on top, I thought I had never seen anything prettier.

As I put the first spoonful into my mouth, I realised why this was a summer specialty. It was cold with a lovely tang which refreshed you instantly. The flavours of the berry stood out but you could feel the coolness of the yogurt coming through as well.

Which is why making this soup was much needed in this Soup Maker. Plus truth be told, this takes only a couple of minutes, so if you want to serve it as dessert you can just blend the whole thing a la minute.

I used orange juice as a base for my soup, but feel free to use pineapple or apple too. You also have the option of replacing the yogurt with cream, but truth be told, it just gets very heavy.

A squeeze of lime is a must as is the sprig of mint, because that's how you'll make the prettiest soup in the world.

Cold Strawberry and Yogurt Soup
Serves 4

Ingredients
200 grams strawberries, hulled a chopped
1 cup orange juice (or pineapple or apple)
4 tbslp sugar
Juice of one lemon
1 cup yogurt
4 cubes of ice
a pinch of salt.

Method

1. Add all the ingredients into the Soup Maker. Set it on the Cold Blend or Smoothie option. Let it churn away for 5 minutes.
2. When you are ready to serve, add a dollop of yogurt on top along with a sprig of mint.
3. Enjoy chilled.

Also announcing the winner of the Philips Rice Cooker - Nandita Banerjee for her Roasted Carrot and Apple Soup.

Nandita please send your address via email and the Rice Cooker will reach you soon. And the rest of you, thank you so much for participating and hang on there, bigger and better things coming your way.

You know how some nights you are just too tired to even think of cooking and will raid the fridge to eat anything remotely edible? Well, here's a way you can avoid that

Mumbai-based company Chef's Basket recently launched a range of gourmet recipe kits that gives you an option to eat gourmet meals whenever you want. And the best part? You'd think you're making a meal from scratch. On their website they call the Recipe kit, "a complete set of premium and authentic ingredients, to prepare dishes from across the globe."

The ingredients are handpicked from their origins including Italy, Spain and Morocco and Mexico for an authentic culinary experience and an impeccable taste. Every product is 100% Natural and has NO artificial colors, preservatives or flavors.

Currently you can order it all online here.

The good people from Chef's Basket send me three recipes kits to sample - Olive and Basil Pesto in Whole Wheat Spaghetti, Creamy Tomato Penne and Thai Green Curry with Jasmine Rice.

I loved the packaging. It was pretty much leak proof and the boxes were so attractive. And when you opened them out everything was so neatly packed and labelled well. All you have to do is follow the instructions to cook a meal for two. Price between Rs 250 to Rs 350, these kits are worth a try.

I'm reviewing each product on the basis of taste, authenticity, ingredients and cooking time. So here goes

Olive and Basil Pesto in Whole Wheat Spaghetti

Box content: Whole wheat spaghetti, sea salt, cracked pepper, pesto, pine nuts and basil-seeped extra virgin olive oil
Making it: So basically, you have to boil the spaghetti with the sea salt for 10 to 12 minutes and then toss it with the basil-seeped olive oil once cooked. Then, add as much pesto as you'd like and then add the pine nuts and cracked pepper.
Taste: This dish was wayyyyy to salty. The pesto has too much salt and no matter how much I washed the pasta, it wouldn't come off. The whole wheat pasta, unlike durum wheat pasta is a lot more stodgy and so it feels like you're eating cardboard. But that's true of all whole wheat pastas so I won't fault Chef's Basket for it. Portion size wise, I think atleast 3 people could have eaten from this box (which is meant for two) so that's a win-win.
Authenticity: The salt was an overkill, making this my least favourite of the three recipe kits. The pesto needs a lot more nuts and it left a bitter aftertaste.
Overall: 2/5

Thai Green Curry with Jasmine Rice

Box content: Jasmine rice, bell peppers and baby corn, green curry paste, extra virgin olive oil, kaffir lime and dried herbs, coconut powder and a cup
Making it: You measure out the water and start the rice which comes with a piece of star anise. Whilst the rice cooks you mix your coconut milk with the help of the paper cup. Then you make the curry - the curry paste, the dried herbs and the vegetables are all added into a saucepan and then add the coconut milk as per taste.
Taste: The curry paste was a little raw, and needed to be cooked out for at least another five minutes. The instructions also talk about adding additional vegetables, which is not a bad idea at all. I felt the dish needed a bit of sugar and some lemon to balance it out. But here's what I LOVED - the jasmine rice. It turned out to be most perfect sticky rice and I saved some to make a bit of mango sticky rice with a bit of leftover coconut milk.
Authenticity: The curry paste needs a little bit of work, otherwise this quite a decent rendition of the Thai curry. And ready in under 15 minutes.
Overall: 3/5

Creamy Tomato in Penne

Box content: Penne pasta, olives, sea salt, creamy tomato pasta sauce, dried herd and extra virgin olive oil.
Making it: Because I was so skeptical about the salt, I boiled the penne without the sea salt. Which was a great idea, since I thought the salt could have overpowered the sauce. Once the pasta is boiled, too it in the olive oil and then mix in the pasta sauce according to taste. Add the herbs and then add the olives on top.
Taste: I really liked this pasta sauce. You could make out that it was made from good quality tomatoes. It had a nice sweetness to it. So you had to use just a bit in the pasta. The olives were a good addition too.
Authenticity: The one thing missing was some Parmesan cheese, I think with that, this would have been a perfect recipe kit. But this was definitely my favourite of the lot. Again there was a lot of food - you could easily feed three people with small appetites for a good meal.
Overall: 4/5

You can go through the range of products here. And you can order your gourmet recipe kit from Amazon over here.

I love cakes that barely take anytime to whip up. Which is why I normally prefer one-pot cakes. But every now and then you come across a cake that's really worth the effort of separating eggs, and making a bit of an effort to sift the dry ingredients.

This is that cake.

A cake that has a beautiful crumb and yet is moist thanks to the juice glaze. Now if you don't have sour cream don't fret, use yogurt instead. But use the butter, that's what makes this cake soooo good.

Now, I've made a number of orange cakes before. There's the Greek Yogurt and Olive Oil Orange Cake with Dark Chocolate and Marmalade Ganache, an Orange Juice Cake with Orange Blossom Water and a Whole Orange and Sweet Potato cake that I made for Daring Bakers. But this cake, takes oranges to another level.

You can make these with tangerines, kumquats or good old oranges. Whatever citrus you choose, I say make it. It's completely worth the effort. Meanwhile this is also the cake that got me into the top 50 of the KitchenAid Probaker 2015, so you can imagine my delight.

The thing with such cakes is that they are packed with flavours which makes them so fabulous. They might not be so pretty to look at, but they always hit the spot. This cake is great for breakfast as well. And for tea, and for dessert. You can dress it up or down as much as you'd like it. But basically, you have to eat it :)

Orange and Sour Cream Cake with Orange Juice Glaze
Adapted from here

Ingredients
For the cake

1 cup flour

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

pinch salt

1/2 cup sugar

100 grams butter at room temperature

2 eggs separated

1/2 cup sour cream at room temperature

zest of 1 orange

1/2 cup orange juice

For the orange juice glaze

1 cup powdered sugar

1/2 cup fresh orange juice (about 2 oranges)

¼ cup fresh lemon juice

¼ teaspoon vanilla extract

Method

1. Preheat oven to 180 degree centigrade

2. Sift flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a mixing bowl and set aside.

3. Separate the eggs. Beat egg whites on high speed until the peak forms, set aside.

4. In another bowl cream butter and sugar. Add egg yolks, sour cream and orange zest and beat until light and fluffy on medium speed.

5. Add the flour to the mixture along with the orange juice and mix until combined on low speed. Fold in the reserved egg whites to the mixture until just combined.

6. Pour the batter into a greased tin and bake for 45 minutes. Let the cake rest in the pan for 15 minutes.

7. To make glaze, mix all the ingredients in a sauce pan and bring to to gentle boil over medium heat. cook

the sauce for 3 to 4 minutes. Remove from the heat and let it cool for 10 minutes to thicken slightly. Pour the

sauce over the cake

One of the nicest things that can happen to you as a food blogger, is when you get to meet a chef who inspires you and cooks some delicious food up for you.

When I tried the new menu at Travertino at The Oberoi in New Delhi, I was thrilled. There was freshness in each bite, and the fact that the new chef, Chef Vincenzo Di Tuoro had used so much local produce that it made the meal extremely interactive and very fun.

Our tasting meal began with the Grilled Asparagus and Goat Cheese salad with baby beetroot in honey mustard dressing. The tang from melt-in-the mouth goat cheese worked wonderfully well against the beetroot dressing. The colours were stunning. So it was like eating with your eyes as much as it was allowing yourself to eat it.

Quinoa salad with the toasted lemon brioche, made from a very light appetizer. Served with a tomato salad and vanilla foam, the contrast of textures and flavours was like a party in the mouth. The squishy quinoa worked wonderfully against the crunch of the brioche while the foam swirled around the mouth lightly coating the tongue.

For our pasta course we ate the Parmesan cheese tortellini which was served with a Parmesan consomme, fresh celery and tomato dust. Yes, it all sounds so very poncy, but believe me, I could have eaten this tortellini all day long. The pasta was almost translucent allowing the flavours of the Parmesan to stand out. The consomme was beautifully clear and had a sharpness to it, which you could easily associate with fresh Parmesan. We also ate the homemade ricotta and brocolli agnolotti which was a soupy style pasta.

As the Main course, I opted for the Slow cooked pork belly while my companion ate the grilled red snapper with buffalo mozzarella and tomato. I love love loved my pork belly. The apple and red wine cream that came with it was fantastic - sweet and earthy, it complemented the pork very beautifully. Served with a side of grilled pak choy and mushrooms, this was one of my favourite dishes of the afternoon.

We finished our meal with a Slow cooked Belgian chocolate cake that was served with a hazelnut ice cream that had been made in house and the Cannolo with raspberry and mascarpone mousse. Both the desserts were spectacular but if you're looking for a reason to go try Chef Vincenzo's food, go for the Pork Belly. It is certainly one of the best I've had.

It's Pi Day today! As in 3.14 on the calendar also known as March 14, well every year.

Truth is, I had no idea there was a pi day until Deeba mentioned it on a phone call last night. And when she explained it, it made perfect sense to me.

It was also a matter of convenience that I was baking a few pies that exact moment. This pie, to be perfectly honest. I'd just sauteed the bacon with some onions and was waiting for my pie crust to cool so that I could begin filling it while I was on the phone.

So it was just sort of added up.

Now about this pie. Let's get one thing straight. You can eat all of them at one go. But please don't. Eat one. Wait for the end of the day and eat another. Savour. Enjoy. Devour.

This pie uses two kinds of onions, caramelised onions and onions that are sauteed with the bacon. These two levels of onions do two things. 1. They ensure that the pie does not get too salty. 2. They add an additional texture making it a pie you'll want to eat over and over again.

I flavoured my crust with some thyme and some cayenne pepper but you can replace that with whatever herb you like.

I know it seems like you're making a lot of stuff, but just divide it up in two days or use ready-made short crust pastry and you'll know you've never had a better pie.

Bacon and Caramelised Onion Cheese tart
Serves 6 individual pies

Ingredients
1 recipe shortcrust pastry (recipe here)
3 tblsp mustard sauce
1/2 packet streaky bacon
1 onion
6 tsp caramelised onion jam. (recipe here)
1 egg
6 tblsp cream
1/2 cup Cheddar cheese
1/4 cup milk
1/2 tsp thyme
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
1/4 tsp pepper
8-10 cherry tomatoes

Method
1. Make the short crust pasty according to the recipe. Roll and into individual tins and chill in the freezer for half an hour before blind baking.
2. Blind bake the pastry shell for about 25 minutes. Remove the weights, brush each shell with mustard and open bake for about 10-15 minutes.
3. In the meanwhile, in a large saucepan, add all the bacon that you have chopped in large chunks, let it crisp. Keep draining the excess oil.
4. Slice the onion and throw it in with the bacon. Keep sauteing until the onions softens and some bits of bacon are crisp. Drain out all the excess oils and sit the bacon and onion on a large absorbent paper for a few minutes.
5. In a bowl mix the egg, half the cheese, cream, milk, thyme, cayenne pepper and pepper. Whisk well. Get ready to assemble.
6. In the prepared baked pie shells divide all bacon and onions in the six shells. Top with a tablespoon of caramelised onion jam on each tart.
7. Add the remaining the cheese dividing on all six. Pour the egg mix gently dividing amongst the six.
8. Half the cherry tomatoes and top the pie with them.
9. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes until a skewer comes out clean.
10. Serve warm or cold. And enjoy the bacony goodness

On till just March 22, the Sizzle Food Festival at Hard Rock Cafe's pan India is hodge-podge of flavours.

Let's start by saying that I actually really like the burgers and cocktails that Hard Rock Cafe offers. Infact one of my favourite order is a portion of the Nachos and then a burger while washing it down with a good cold daiquiri.

The Sizzler fest however really didn't do complete justice to an otherwise awesome menu. Don't get me wrong. The portions were huge. Atleast two people (if not more can easily share off a portion of the sizzler) and some of the things that came with it were delicious too.

We started our meal, with something that was not off the sizzler menu, but the long drive had ensured we'd worked up an appetite. A light and delicious salad with walnuts and oranges that whet our appetite.

We waited for our sizzlers to arrive as we sipped on our drinks - The Bacardi Gold Sour and the Great Eastern Daiquiri. The Bacardi Gold Sour was pretty much a rum take on whiskey sour, while the great eastern daiquiri was a mix of mango juice and chilli and lots of rum. Potent and way too sweet. This cocktail needed some lemon and salt to balance it out.

The first sizzler was the Lebanese Vegetarian Fajita. A love child of Lebanese cuisine and Mexican, this sizzler stayed true to a lot of the Lebanese flavours since it was served up with some delicious and cool tzatziki alongwith some salsa, tortilla wraps and cheese and lettuce. Never the less, the combination worked well and was a winner.

Next up was the Hungarian goulash steak stew. I have to to say this was hands down a favourite for the both of us. The meat was tender and succulent and the accompaniments were a lovely flavoured rice and some salad. The problem however was the overpowering flavours of cinnamon which killed the delicate balance of flavours.

The Seafood platter - a mix of prawns, fish and squids were up next. And while it drew heavily from the flavours of the orient, this was the least favourite of the lot. The Chinese and tex mex combination did not work well. And I really wished I'd ordered the Lime and Tequila Prawns instead.

Nevertheless we plodded on. After dissing a number of dessert options we settled on the tres leches cake and the yogurt mojito mousse. I have to say, this is what made our day.

The tres leches cake completely hit the spot. Served with assorted fruits, this is the dessert I'd go back to Hard Rock and eat any day. The spongy cake bathed in three kinds of cold milk, made it one of the best things I had eaten in a long long time.

The yogurt mousse, though very good too, was overshadowed by the tres leches.

The festival is on till March 22.

I was perhaps six years old when I first tasted Nolen Gur. The memory o my mother sitting on the dining chair eating hot phulkas with lashings of home-made ghee and a bowl of molten jaggery is still so vividly etched.

I remember the caramelly smell of the molasses and that steel bowl that seemed to be bottomless as my mother would scoop out the liquid into a piece of the hot roti and seem to be enjoying each mouthful.

Ofcourse, the curious kitty that I was (read am), I wanted to have what my mother was having. I was given my own tiny bowl and a phulka to try the delicacy. Gur Pak my grandmother called it. The gorgeous amber liquid was just a tiny bit warm, enough to let it drip down on the ghee-laden phulka and onto my fingers. I remember feel all warm and fuzzy inside and lapping my bowlful of this gorgeous jaggery and then asking for more.

Only one bowl a day, I was told. It had to be rationed you see, since this jaggery was available only in the winters. Plus my grandmother would make this kickass south Indian style payasam that the jaggery only seemed to make it better.

Much later did I learn that what I had enjoyed as a childhood memory, was nothing but Nolen Gur, or Date Palm jaggery. Patali gur - the solid version of the liquid gold Nolen Gur, often sneaks its way into my kitchen as a present every now and then.

This time around Deeba gave me a nice chunk of patali gur that her husband had lugged back with him from his trip to Calcutta. She ofcourse made this beautiful Nolen Gur Rice Kheer but I wanted to make a dessert that screamed east meets west.

Rummaging through my pantry I found some gelatin, some coconut milk and a box of cream. It was as if a panna cotta was calling it out to me.

I decided to flavour it with a bit of cardamom, because according to me jaggery, coconut and cardamom are a match made in heaven.

This recipe is super simple. You can make it the night before and then if you'd like add the additional jaggery jelly on top to make it a two layered sublime dessert. Or you can drizzle a bit of the liquid nolen gur to give it an amazing fudge like texture. I added a bit of coconut flakes to it before serving, but just plain will also be wonderful.

I had to make this dessert twice over to be able to photograph it, because everytime I'd let it sit in the refrigerator, it'd disappear. But truly, it's that good.

Nolen Gur & Coconut Milk Panna Cotta
Serves 6

Ingredients
For the Panna cotta
200 ml low fat cream
200 ml coconut milk
1/4 cup date palm jaggery/nolen gur/patali gur
a pinch of salt
2 cardamom pods crushed
2 tblsps gelatin (if using agar agar use double the amount i.e. 4 tsp)
2 tblsps water

For the jaggery jelly
3 tblsp jaggery
3 tblsp water
1 tsp gelatin

Method

1. Soak the gelatin in the water until it blooms. Set aside.
2. In a saucepan add the cream, salt, cardamom pods and nolen gur and bring it to a boil. Mix well and let it simmer for 2 minutes. Turn off the gas.
3. Add the coconut milk and stir it it all mixes well.
4. Once the gelatin has bloomed, microwave for 20 seconds in two intervals. Pour the melted gelatin into the cream and coconut mixture.Stir well.
5. Strain the mix into the moulds and let it sit in the refrigerator to set for atleast 2 hours.

For the jaggery jelly

1. Soak the gelatin in the water until it blooms. Set aside.
2. In a saucepan melt the jaggery with the water until it completely dissolves.
3. Once the gelatin has bloomed, microwave for 20 seconds in two intervals. Pour the melted gelatin into melted jaggery.
4. Strain into the set panna cotta and let it set for 1 hour before serving.

People underestimate the brilliance of the food from South east Asia. It's sweet, it's spicy, it's full of textures and fresh flavours. And the best part it you can choose to add as many vegetables or meats to it, without having to think twice about the proportions.

Between the weather and the soil conditions, there's a great variety of vegetables and plenty of fresh catch, making the cuisine varied and well, just fantastic.

Singaporean food is all that and more. With influences from Malaysia, India, China and Indonesia, the food in Singapore is a national obsession. Plus thanks to a cheap street food, most people opt to eat out or do a takeaway (or Ta Pao).

The Seafood Barbecue is to-die-for. You can read all about that on the Far East Hospitality website. Odes can be written about Chicken Rice which is a religion unto itself while the Red bean filled Roti Pranta can bring you to your knees.

But nothing, just nothing scream Singapore than the Curry Laksa. One of my favourite Singaporean street food the Curry Laksa is quite the cross cultural dish. Different from the Malaysian Laksa thanks to the sambal sauce and the coconut milk, this soupy-noodly one-pot meal makes for a fantastic dinner time meal. It's fast, it's filling an soooo tasty.

The amazing thing about Laksa is that you can make it as full of vegetables or shrimps or noodles as you like. I like my Laksa with lots and lots of veggies and just a touch of prawns.

You can make the Laksa paste and refrigerate it for upto 3 months. and then add all the veggies and shrimp and whatever accompaniments you like to make a meal fit for a king, or atleast someone who loves Singaporean food

Singaporean Curry Laksa
Serves 2

Ingredients:

For the paste
4 shallots
8 cloves garlic
1 1 inch fresh turmeric
2 red chillies
1 1 inch galangal

For the Laksa

1/4 packet noodles cooked
1 cup chicken stock/ water
1 tsp oil
2 cups coconut milk
2 fresh prawns
1/4 cup fried tofu
1 cup mixed vegetables
such as mushrooms carrots and babycorn
1 tbsp curry leaves
1/2 tsp shrimp paste
2 red chillies
1 inch galangal
1/4 tsp turmeric
2 cloves garlic minced
1 onion thinly slice/
1 bit of lemon grass

For the toppings

Hard-boiled egg
Salt and pepper
Beansprouts
Lemon

Method

1. Make a paste with the ingredients mentioned above. Set aside.

2. Add oil to wok. Fry chillies, turmeric, galangal, garlic and shallots till fragrant. Add roasted shrimp paste,lemongrass and curry leaves on low heat. Add 1 tsp of the paste to it. Fry gently until fragrant.

3. Add coconut milk, bring to boil. Add a little Salt, chicken stock to taste. Add vegetables, fried bean curd, and shrimps. Let it simmer for a few minutes.

4 Blanch the bean sprouts in hot water and take out quickly. Place in a bowl the noodles (cooked),

5. Pour in the hot laksa broth. You can add boiled eggs and coriander leaves for garnish. Sprinkle over it some crispy fried shallots for taste.

6. Ready to be served steaming hot.

This post is a part of the Indiblogger and Takeaway Level: Singapore contest, but this delicious Laksa is all mine.

I'd been reading some interesting things about Smoked Biryani House, before I decided to review it. After a visit, all I have wondered if people are just too nice to call a spade a spade, or do they really not know their food.

The truth is, if you were to ask me, if it's worth trudging across town to Noida to eat at this restaurant, I am probably going to say no. But I will lay down my reasons, before you to make up your mind.

First and foremost Smoked Biryani House, lays tall claims to be serving authentic Hyderabadi nizami biryani. Of the three biryanis we tried - the vegetable, the chicken and the mutton kheema, none of them were remotely Hyderabadi. Don't get me wrong, the biryani was good, it was just not Hyderabadi. The rice was fragrant and flavourful, but it certainly wasn't royal or even from the south.

We also ordered the Chicken 65 and the Apollo Fish. Again, decent enough. But they had no connection to the south. You cannot put curry leaves on everything and call it South Indian. Our starters tasted Indo-Chinese with a liberal helping of curry leaves. We did however eat a portion of the Vegetarian manchurian, which stood true to its name and was pretty good.

Of the things we ordered to drink - Mango Raapchik, Iced tea and rose lassi - only the mango raapchik turned out to be really delicious. The iced tea was like lemon water with a bit of colour thrown in from some tea. The rose lassi, well, the less said the better.

Dessert wise, we ordered the Kaddu ki kheer and the khubani ka meetha as well as the shahi tukda. Strangely it was the strange green coloured kaddu ki kheer which turned out to be the best of the lot. The Khubani ka meetha was a disappointment and the shahi tukda, I don't even want to explain how many ways wrong it was.

If you do go to Smoked House Biryani, eat the Kheema Biryani. It's really quite good. But not for a moment should you be fooled by the name Hyderabadi on the menu.

There are two kinds of yumminess. One that is delicious. One that is oomph and then some.

This is the latter kind of dessert.

I made this dessert earlier this month for my friend Radical's birthday party. In reality she was going to get Ottolenghi's chocolate fudge cake, which is a fantastic dessert, but we'd gone out for lunch the day before and had just dug into a mousse cake, when she decided that's what she wanted for her birthday.

With less than 48 hours to go, I was in a spot of a panic. I didn't have chocolate. I didn't have cream. Hell, I didn't even have a mold to set the mousse cake in. Instead I had a dinner engagement and one of my friends was here to visit.

Halfway between a meltdown and shopping spree, I called up Deeba, asking what I was to do about the cake. Use a spring form tin instead, she told me. And don't unmould till you have to.

I set about to make a chocolate sponge. But it got stuck on the tin. And as disheartened as I was, I decided instead that I'd make the base with some biscuits instead.

Biscuits, butter and some cocoa made the base. And measured out three kinds of chocolate for the various layers of mousse and I plodded along.

I made the ganaches first. And made the layers as the others set. First up was the dark chocolate mousse. Then milk chocolate and finally white chocolate. And only when I unmoulded the whole thing, I topped it with a layers of dark chocolate ganache.

Although this cake is not hard to make, it is time consuming because you need to wait between the layers to be able to put the next one. Ofcourse splitting it into two days might have been a more sensible approach. But, truth be told, I am not known to be sensible.

The end result was one of the most decadent cakes I have made in a long long long time. And it stays well for a couple of days.

Light, airy and completely delicious, I know this is a cake that people are going to ask for over and over again.

Triple Chocolate Mousse Cake

Ingredients

For the biscuit layer

150 grams digestive biscuits

2 tblsp butter

2 tblsp cocoa powder

For the dark chocolate layer

200 grams dark chocolate (atleast 60 percent)

200 grams low fat cream

250 ml whipping cream

2 tsp gelatin

2 tsp water

For the milk chocolate layer

200 grams milk chocolate

200 grams low fat cream

250 ml whipping cream

2 tsp gelatin

2 tsp water

For the white chocolate layer

200 grams white chocolate

200 grams low fat cream

250 ml whipping cream

2 tsp gelatin

2 tsp water

For the ganache

100 grams dark chocolate

100 grams low fat cream

Method

1. Make the biscuit base by crushing the biscuits in ziploc bag. Once nice and crumbled, add the butter and the cocoa to it and mix well.

2. In a well oiled ring mould, press down the biscuit mix until neatly packed. Press it down as much, so that all the air bubbles escape and you can see that the biscuits are firmly packed. Place in the freezer.

3. Make the dark chocolate layer. Melt the chocolate gently with the low fat cream until nice and smooth. Keep aside.

4. Set the gelatin to bloom. Once bloomed, microwave for 15 seconds and sieve and pour into the chocolate mix. Allow this mix to come to room temperature.

5. Whip the cream until it forms stiff peaks and fold into the dark chocolate mix. Pour over the biscuit mixture and transfer into the freezer until firm to touch.

6. Now make the milk chocolate layer.Melt the chocolate gently with the low fat cream until nice and smooth. Keep aside.

7. Set the gelatin to bloom. Once bloomed, microwave for 15 seconds and sieve and pour into the chocolate mix. Allow this mix to come to room temperature.

8. Whip the cream until it forms stiff peaks and fold into the milk chocolate mix. Pour over the dark chocolate mousse and transfer into the freezer until firm to touch.

9. Now make the white chocolate layer.Melt the chocolate gently with the low fat cream until nice and smooth. Keep aside.

10. Set the gelatin to bloom. Once bloomed, microwave for 15 seconds and sieve and pour into the chocolate mix. Allow this mix to come to room temperature.

11. Whip the cream and fold into the white chocolate mix. Pour over the dark chocolate mousse and transfer into the freezer until firm to touch.

12. To make the ganache, pour boiling hot cream onto the chocolate and stir until no lumps.

13. Let the mousse cake set for atleast 4 hours before serving.

14. Unmould using a hot knife and pour the ganache over just before serving.

It took me a while to get around this post, only because this March has flown past me so quickly. So in reality this is actually a part two of #Createfearlessly hashtag which is a joint effort between Blogadda and Hamilton Beach.

For the first time around I made this super simple and super quick Chocolate Cinnamon Souffle. I have to say, it took the fear out of souffles for me.

The gadgets were both brand new and shining. I loved the steel finish on both. And as I opened the them both up, the attachments stood high and mighty looking at me.

The 12 liter toaster oven was a lot more spacious than I thought. It came with a crumb tray, a grill and a cookie sheet. I loved that it had temperature controls that made it easy to bake. The timer too was easy to use, but I felt it went off a bit too soon. And even though it was tiny it could hold a whole lot of things such as 1 4 x 6 inch baking dish, 3 ramekins at a time, 4 toasts and 9 cookies. Not too bad I thought.

So, for the second part, I decided to bake some cookies. I wanted something I would need to cream butter and sugar together so that I could use the mixer. I'd made these Buttered Popcorn Cookies earlier which I loved. So I decided to up the ante a bit and make it with caramel popcorn that I totally adore.

You can make these cookies two ways - either you buy caramel popcorn from the market and add a bit or salt or you buy regular popcorn and make salted caramel popcorn sauce and add to it. I made them both ways. And didn't find them particularly different.

So I'm actually going to tell you to do this the lazier way - buy the caramel popcorn from the market and then proceed. It just makes this so much more low effort.

These cookies will brown a little more than what you anticipate, only because the caramel will ooze out and stain the tops. Don't worry. They'll still be delicious

Salted Caramel Popcorn & Chocolate Chip Cookies

Makes 20 to 24
Adapted from here

Ingredients
One box caramel popcorn (should give you about 4 to 4 1/2 cups)
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup butter, softened

1/2 cup light brown sugar
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg1/2 cup chocolate chips1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract1 and 1/4 cups of all purpose flour1/2 teaspoon baking soda

Method:

1. To the caramel popcorn - add the salt. Mix well keep aside.

2. To make the dough: Preheat your oven to 180 degree centigrade. In a large bowl, cream together the softened butter, brown sugar, granulated sugar, egg and vanilla until smooth.

3. In another bowl, whisk the flour and baking soda together. Stir the combined dry ingredients into the butter sugar mixture.

4. Fold in the cooled popcorn and chocolate chips so that it is evenly distributed through the batter, even though it doesn’t seem like it’ll work. It is no big deal if the popcorn breaks up a bit when folding. (I used my hands.)

5. Scoop a large tablespoon-size mound onto a parchment-lined baking sheet, leaving about 2 inches of space between cookies, because they’ll puff up.

6. Bake for about 10 to 12 minutes, until the edges are light brown. Let them sit on the pan for a few minutes to firm up before transferring them to a rack to cool.

A couple of weeks ago, I ate out three consecutive days. And strangely I had three distinctly different experiences. Even though I wasn't comparing the kind of cuisine I was eating, the experiences were also completely unique. From a sub par meal to a meal that was pretty good to a fantastic meal, it was quite an unusual experience for me.

This review is that of a meal that was pretty good. At Schengen Deli, some things were a revelation while others needed a bit of tweaking. We started our meal with some Iced Tea. A tall refreshing glass of ultra tangy iced tea needed loads of sugar to balance it out. As we ordered our appetizers, we took in our surroundings and nibbled on some marinated olives and some beautiful tomato brioche.

Spread over three floors, the interiors of the deli are pretty simple. Some wall plates, some paintings of Paris and lots of white walls making it very easy on the eye. Quirky retro fans and telephones make for excellent conversation starters while the upholstery is really what made the place for me. Library prints in black and white just made me want to take the sofas home.

Our Rocket, Apple and Walnut salad made for a great beginning. The caramelized walnut brittle worked well with the sharp rocket while the apple was nice and crunchy. I did think they could have been more generous with the feta.

Cajun spiced chicken skewers with some peri peri mayo were up next, which was also served with some hummus and pita both of which were quite delicious. I liked the size of the chicken skewers and that the spices did not overwhelm the meat. The hummus was very smooth and creamy and I thoroughly enjoyed the dish.

As we looked around, we realised that it was the burgers and pizzas that people had been ordering, so we opted to do a portion of both. The Six cheese pizza and the Sweet Potato and Haloumi burger. As you can see we really weren't afraid of cheese.

I loved loved loved the Sweet potato burger. A nice hefty sweet patty which worked so well with the tangy halloumi. Served with Mc Cain fries, which was a bit of a disappointment because thick cut fries would have really done so much justice to the dish. Of course this was a gigantic burger, so I had to remove the bun and nibble on the patty.

The six cheese pizza was also delicious. The crust could have been a little more crisp but otherwise you could taste the gorgonzola as much as you could taste the feta and the fresh mozarella. The drizzle of the pesto oil really elevated this pizza. We also tried the pan fried prawns with citrus salsa, but it was way to fishy for me. I did enjoy the mashed potato that came with it but I did mention the fishiness to the chef.

For dessert we opted to have a red velvet cupcake from the deli downstairs which turned out to be awesome. Unbaked and filled with color that you could taste, this was plain bad news. The double chocolate mousse however was quite delicious and that's what inspired the Triple Chocolate Mousse Cake that I made the other day. Balanced with some nice bits of hokey pokey, it was a sweet finish to a good meal.

There's something to be said about steaming. You can make your meal as low cal as you'd like with as little oil in the mix and yet make a dish so tasty that it's totally worth the extra effort that it demands on the way of an accompaniment.

The Tupperware Steamer is a very handy gadget to have. Firstly, it occupies very little space and secondly it required nothing but a large saucepan or a wok or a kadhai and some water to make it work. Made from a special kind of plastic, it has ridges that prevents food from getting stuck and the grooved water drainage channel ensures that the food does not get "wet" and steams properly. Plus to top it all it has a lifetime guarantee.

When the steamer first arrived at home, I used it to make the most obvious thing - momos. They turned out great. After that I tried steaming some cabbage rolls, a piece of fish and finally some broccoli. But I felt I needed to do something more. Something delectable, something that was more, well, me.

A few weeks ago I had been browsing through Anjum Anand's book I Love Curry. This Savoury Pea Cake had caught my attention. I'd made it in my idli cooker, the last time over and so I thought this might we perfect for the Steamer as well.

I tweaked the recipe a little, because I wanted it more flavourful and the end result was a glorious, green, spongy savoury cake that made for a great gluten-free meal.

Savoury Pea Cake with Sweet & Sour Tempering
Adapted from Anjum Anand's I Love Curry. Available in India, US and UK

Ingredients

For the pea paste
200 grams peas (frozen or fresh)
20 grams ginger
salt to taste
1/2 tsp sugar
2 tbslp vegetable oil
3 whole green chillies
Juice of 1 1/2 lemons
1/4 tsp cumin powder
1/4 cup water

For the cake
150 grams gram flour /besan
2/3 tsp baking powder
2/3 tsp baking soda

For the sweet & sour juice
Juice of one lemon
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp sugar

For the tempering
4 tsp oil
1 tsp mustard seeds
handful of curry leaves
2 tsp sesame seeds
2 dry red chillies

Method

1. Grease a six inch baking tin with oil. Get your steamer started.
2. First make the pea paste by blending all the ingredients together. Add the baking soda and baking powder to it and leave it to bubble for about 40 seconds.
3. In a small bowl measure out the gram flour/besan. Add the pea paste to it, and adjust for water and seasoning.
4. Move the whole mix to the steamer and cover and steam on moderate heat for about 18 minutes.
5. Meanwhile make the sweet and sour juice by mixing the lemon juice salt and sugar and keep aside.
6. Once the cake is ready, pour this juice over it and keep aside as you begin to prepare the tempering.
7. Heat oil add the mustard seeds to it. Let it splutter and then add the curry leaves, dried red chillies and sesame seeds. Pour over the cake.
8. Cut and serve either plain or with some chutney.

Oh and here's the best part. I'm also doing a giveaway for this steamer on my blog.

This is all you have to do

1. Like my Facebook page The Great Cookaroo
2. Leave a comment at the end of this post.

The winner will be announced after the giveaway closes on April 18.

Till then happy cooking

I got a goodie basket the other day. A beautiful basket with goodies that were too good to be true. There was some Coffee, some hazelnuts, walnuts, fragrant honey, cinnamon, jaggery granules (that are nearly impossible to find), hand ground whole wheat, fresh apples and a gigantic zucchini.

I suppose most people can't understand why I'd make such a fuss about a basket. But the truth is, this was all Organic. From this wonderful Delhi-based company called ISayOrganic.

Ok so I know a lot of people are slightly sceptical about going "organic", but the only reason I call it wonderful is because I know that they make a lot of effort to make sure that the products are a 100 percent organic.

How do I know? For starters, when I met the owner Ashmeet Kapoor a few years ago, he really knew his stuff. He talked about sustainable development, he talked about the farmers, he talked about making it produce accessible to people like you and me.

I loved that about him. Over the last two years, I've ordered/bought from these guys whenever I get a chance. Yes, they are slightly more expensive than your regular subziwala. Yes, everything is not available all the time. But, this is a good thing. You know then, that they stock only seasonal produce. And one bite into any fruit you buy, you know it's worth every single paise you spent.

So, yes, I was super excited about receiving this basket from the peeps of ISayOrganic.

I wanted to make something, that allowed the true tastes of the organic goodies to shine, this apple crumble does that. The only non-organic thing I used was some butter, but this was from my local dairy, so I think I was kind of okay.

Unlike other crumbles where you peel and dice the apple and then let it cook down, here you scoop out the apples and add from fruit it and cook it on the stove. Then you fill the apples with the cooked fruit and top with the crisp and bake till golden. Serving with Ice cream or cream is optional, because, mark my words, you can't stop at just one.

Baked Apple Cinnamon & Jaggery Crisp
Serves 4

Ingredients
4 apples
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp butter
4 tblsp jaggery granules
1/2 lemon

For the crisp
1/4 cup jaggery granules
1/4 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 cup butter

Method

1. Cut two apples in half. Remove the move and as much fruit as you'd like to make it a bowl. Rub the insides with lemon.Keep aside.
2. Peel and chop the other two apples. In a saucepan, add jaggery, butter and cinnamon and the chopped apple. The remaining fruit that had been scooped out can also be added to this. Cook until the mixture is soft. About 6 to 8 minutes.
3. Meanwhile make the crumble/crisp. Add the jaggery and cinnamon and flour together. Mix in butter and with your hands try and mix it together so that it looks like coarse bread crumbs. Keep aside.
4. Once the filling is ready, fill into the apple bowls, top with the crisp mixture and bake for 20 minutes until the top is golden.
5. Serve warm with ice cream or whipped cream.

Oh and don't forget to take part in the Tupperware Giveaway that on till April 19. Click here to participate.

I've been talking about three meals that governed a major part of last month - one mediocre, one pretty good and one really delicious. This review is that of the one that was really delicious.

Let me put it out there - Desi Roots is a poor man's Indian Accent. The presentation is inspired. The menu is inspired and certainly the experience is inspired. But that suits me just fine. Because at the fraction price, you are still getting a meal that's fantastic and will have you talking about it for weeks.

Quirky interiors that have been divided into three distinct sections ensured that we could sit wherever we pleased and we opted to sit in the center where we could listen to the music from the bar yet look at who was coming and going.

The amuse bouche was a lovely little dal vada which came in a nice little mason jar for effect. My companion for that evening, was a friend, who preferred old fashioned Indian food over everything else. So, more than anything, it was she who was completely impressed.

Next up we'd ordered a portion of the Bhatti da paneer, desi khurchan pulled kathal taco, a deconstructed samosa chaat and the kulle chaat.

Each one of these dishes was delicious but the deconstructed samosa chaat was the best. Crisp pastry, tangy potato filling with a side of yogurt spiced with some tangy sweet tamarind chutney, this was a delicious dish and we wiped our plates completely clean. The Kulle Chaat was an eye opener for my friend. She'd never known something like this existed. Pieces of watermelon scooped out and filled with tiny flecks of popped chickpeas and a spice mixture that is sweet sour and spicy at the same time. Oh so divine.

The Pulled kathal taco, a straight lift from Indian Accent, lacked the oomph that the one at Indian Accent has, but was still wonderful while the bhatti da paneer had a lovely smokey flavour to it.

For our maiins we ordered the Khichadi ke chaar yaar, daal baati choorma and the Pepper chicken ghee roast with churi chur naan.

The Khichadi ke chaar yaar - were four different khichadis made with four differnt grains - jowar, bajra, riceand quinoa. Served with a bit of pickle, some paapad and a side of cool yogurt, it was one my favourite dishes on the table. I loved the jowar ki khichadi the most because of the texture and wish I could have gotten another helping.

The daal baati choorma came in its own platter, with mason jars, tiny bottles of ghee and ofcourse a side of sweet choorma. The bati was smashed by our server from the back of a kullad. I loved the crispness of the baati, the daal was very nice not overly spiced and the lashings of ghee just brought it all together.

The pepper chicken ghee roast with the chur churi naan was up next. Robust and balanced this was a nice pepper chicken. I wouldn't call it authentic south Indian style but it was very nice nonetheless. The churchur naan was very flaky and could have been eaten just plain since it was so yummy.

For dessert we'd ordered the Jamaluddin Kheer and the Badam Halwa Baklava with Shrikhand. The kheer was very nice but too podgy. I like my kheer to be a little on the runny side, the podginess didn't allow me to enjoy it that much.

The Badam Halwa Baklava with the Shrikhand was a bit of a disaster. As in the combination did not work at all. They did taste much better one their own. While Baklavas are sweet, this baklava took it to another level of sweetness which I, the person with a sweet tooth, could not eat at all.

All that apart, the meal was fantastic. Inspired or not, this is a place that's worth a visit.

Oh and don't forget to take part in the Tupperware giveaway. Click here for more details.

Ordering online has just made our lives so much easier. You don’t have to travel all over the city to ebb that craving when hunger strikes. Sites such as Foodpanda, Justeat and Dominos are there to do just that.

The thing about Delhi is that the city has a lot to offer when it comes to e-commerce sites. Take for example Singapore-based Foodpanda. Established in March 2012, they saw so much success that by the end of the year they had expanded to 16 countries. And by the end of 2013, they’d added another 50 countries.

What worked for them was allowing the customers to place hassle free orders and thereby improve their buying experience. Plus with a range of payment options including cash on delivery ensures that the buyers didn’t felt let down. And the real time delivery option just made it a win-win. Which is why Couponzguru is offering a deal with 50 percent discount for selected restaurants.

Another example is that of TastyKhana that came into being in 2007. One of India’s first food delivery portal it had partnered with around 9,000 restaurants across India until Foodpanda acquired it last year.

But it was Justeat is another food delivery portal that revolutionized the online food delivery in India. Between the standard food delivery portal features such as different payment options, order tracking system and guest login, it has a great customer support process as well. What was widely appreciated though was the option to place orders in bulk and in advance. Plus is the restaurant hadn’t started processing the order, this could be easily cancelled. For Justeat, there is a voucher available on Couponzguru that'll give you a 25 percent discount on all orders.

Personally I am a big fan of ordering online since it saves me a lot of trouble, but when it comes to baking, I'd much rather do it myself.

This chocolate and coffee cake is something that got made only because I had a whole lots of coffee leftover and didn't have the heart to throw it since it was from quite an expensive bean, but I believe that just made for a fab cake.

The cake is pretty straightforward. As is the ganache. It's the wait that is nearly impossible. And if you have left over cake, make a milkshake with a bit of vanilla ice cream and ice cold milk and a nice chunky slice of this cake. You'll thank me. You'll really thank me.

Chocolate & Coffee Cake with Espresso Ganache
Adapted from My Baking Addiction
Serves 8

Ingredients
For the cakemail
1 cup sugar

1 cup all-purpose flour
1/3 cup + 2 tblsp cocoa powder
1teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 egg
1/2 cup milk

2 tsp vinegar
3/4 cup strong black coffee
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

For the ganache

100 ml cream

50 ml coffee

100 dark chocolate

Method

1. In a small bowl measure out all the dry ingredients - flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder and salt.

2. In a large bowl measure out the milk and vinegar, let it sit for five minutes before proceeding.

3. Once the milk has curdled add the egg, coffee, vegetable oil, vanilla to it. Mix well.

4. Add all the dry ingredients to it and stir until combined.

5.Pour into a greased 8 inch tin and bake for 40 minutes at 190 degree centigrade.

6. Cool and cut into half.

7. Meanwhile make the ganache by heating the cream and the coffee together and pouring over the chocolate. Stir well and let it cool until frosting consistency.

8. Once the cake is cool and the ganache thickened, frost the cake as you'd like.

9. Let it sit for an hour in the refrigerator before serving.

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