Molten Lava Cake

Its raining cakes at home :) Have been experimenting on a couple as you can see and also got few from relatives :) Yummy indulgence :)

My sis lent me her Wii sports and Wii fitness lately and I have been shedding calories happily for the past few days :) So this reason keeps me calm while indulging in high caloried sinful food like cakes :)

This spree would continue until Wii and the little brats are at home :P

Molten lava cake has been my dream for really long time and my poor soul was desperately searching for ramekins(Porcelain bowls) to bake them at home. The search ended last weekend and was urging to make them since then. I instantly referred to the book marked recipe from "Show me the curry" and made them yesterday :)

Ingredients:

Semi sweet baking chocolate - 113 gms (4 oz or little more than 1/2 cup)
Butter - 113 gms (4 oz or little more than 1/2 cup)
Sugar - 1/3 cup
Eggs - 2
All purpose flour - 1/4 cup

Method:

Chop chocolate into small pieces and melt using a double boiler.

Chop the butter into small pieces too.

Once the chocolate melts completely remove it from heat and add in the butter. Mix until the butter melts and mixes up smooth with chocolate.

In a mixing bowl, beat eggs and sugar until they turn light and fluffy.

Pour in the chocolate butter mixture and all purpose flour into the eggs and whisk until well incorporated.

Apply butter on the sides and bottom of the ramekins( small porcelain bowls/ moulds) and pour in the cake batter filling about 3/4th of the ramekin.

Preheat oven to 350°F or 180°C.

Bake at 350°F or 180°C for 10 mins - 15 mins.

Mine was perfect at 10 mins sharp.

Serve it warm with vanilla ice cream or enjoy it as it is :)

Tips:

Serve the cake just after you bake for a perfect flowing chocolate lava.

Once baked, allow the ramekins to cool down for just two mins and invert it on the serving plate. Leaving it for long in the ramekin would not give you flowing lava.

Reduce the amount of sugar to 1/4 cup if your chocolate is sweet.

Note:

Allow the batter to sit for ten mins and then bake the cake. (This is my tip out of experience)

My first batch of molten lava cake had a flaky top after ten mins, so I baked for another two mins which made my cake gooey but the lava dint flow out :( It did taste wonderful though.

I baked my second batch exactly for ten mins and it was so perfect with flowing lava. :)

I used baking milk chocolate (Lotus brand) for my cake. This chocolate is pretty sweet and lighter in shade. Hence my cake was not as dark as I expected it to be and was a little sweeter for my taste.

Enjoy the warm goodness of deep chocolate lava cake :)

Written by: Nithya
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Eggless Carrot Cake

I have been waiting for long to bake the ever famous carrot cake and now came the occasion of having my little niece and nephew at home for summer holidays :)

Having school going kids around is super fun. They tell me their adventurous tales, play with me, entertain me with their lovely talks and nag me too ;) I'm having a busy schedule entertaining them and keeping them occupied by teaching some simple origami, cooking, music etc :)

The weekend that passed went on well with some baking too ;)

Got this recipe from a beautiful blog called food tale and made just a few changes to get my version.

Ingredients:

All purpose flour - 1 1/2 cups
Powdered Sugar - 1 cup (I used brown sugar)
Baking powder - 1/2 tsp
Baking soda - 1 tsp
Cinnamon powder - 1 tsp
Salt - a pinch(skip this if you are using salted butter)
Carrot (grated) - 1 cup (around 2 medium sized carrots)
Melted butter - 1/4 cup
Cooking oil - 1/4 cup
Vanilla essence - 1 tsp
Water - 3/4 cup
Walnuts - 5

Method:

Sieve all purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda, powdered sugar and salt together in a bowl.

Add the cinnamon powder and grated carrots to it and mix well until evenly spread.

Now pour in the melted butter, cooking oil, water and vanilla essence and mix until well blended.

Do not over beat.

Preheat oven to 375°F or 190°C. Line the muffin tray with liners.

Fill muffin cups with batter upto 3/4th and bake it for 15-20 mins at 375°F or 190°C. Adjust the time according to your oven settings.

I baked 6 muffins and the rest in my 4" Silicon mould which took around 45 mins to bake at 190°C.

Check if cooked by inserting a skewer in the center. Once done, allow it to cool on a wire rack for a while.

Delicious carrot cakes are ready :)

Enjoy them warm :)

Note:

Grate the carrots finely.

Use normal white sugar instead of brown sugar to get a brownish orange shade of cake instead of brown ones. I missed to do that :( Anyways I like brown :P

You can completely replace the butter with cooking oil.

I enjoyed the cup cakes eating them as it is and served the larger one into slices along with vanilla ice cream. It definitely made a lovely dessert :)

Written by: Nithya
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Apple Frapple

The thirst continues ;)

The hot climate is making me indulge on more of liquid diet than other forms of food which is so unlikely in my case. I'm a person who would happily survive with just one glass of water a day and people even used to call me a camel ;) But now things have absolutely changed and I'm cornered to consume more of liquid due to the super hot climate.

On one such thirsty moment this morning, I came up with two super quick versions of apple smoothies and both of them were damn yummm that I bet no one would resist having only a glass ;)

Apple Frapple

Ingredients:

Apple - 2
Milk - 1/2 cup
Vanilla ice cream - 1 scoop
Sugar - for taste
Cinnamon powder - a pinch

Method:

Peel the apples and chop them roughly.

Powder cinnamon and keep aside.

Add apples, milk, vanilla ice cream and sugar to the blender and process until smooth.

Transfer to serving glasses and add a pinch of cinnamon powder to it.

Truly aromatic and energizing apple frapple is ready :)

Serve chill and enjoy :)

Apple vanilla yoghurt smoothie

Ingredients:

Apple - 2
Yoghurt (curd) - 1/2 cup
Vanilla ice cream - 1 scoop
Vanilla essence - 1/4 tsp
Honey - for taste

Method:

Peel the apples and chop them roughly.

Add apples, yoghurt, vanilla essence, vanilla ice cream and honey to the blender and process until smooth.

Thick and rich apple vanilla youghurt smoothie is ready :)

Serve chill and enjoy :)

Tips:

You can replace milk with soy milk or curd.

You can add apple pieces and other fruits to the yoghurt smoothie and serve it in a bowl as well :)

Written by: Nithya
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Banana Smoothie

The scorching sun already shows the sign of peak summer here in Chennai. Sun seems to work hard right from 9AM to 5PM and its becoming really hard to step out of the house.

Feeding on steaming hot food or beverages is not a likely choice at all for this kind of climate. So my choice is to go for more of cold milk shakes and cool drinks to keep myself hydrated.

Last evening when I was thirsty for smoothies, I just picked all my favorite ingredients and blend them together to make this delicious drink ;)

Abiruchi on E tv is one of the cookery shows that I keenly follow and I must agree to the fact that Mr.Raju is one of the most talented chefs I have come across. He rocks with different dishes and also carves a lot of creative creatures with simple vegetables.

This banana boat is one of his creations that I got lot inspired and tried :)

Ingredients:

Banana - 1
Raisins (kismis/dry grapes) - 2 tblspn
Almonds - 2
Milk - 1/2 cup
Honey - 1 tbl spn
Vanilla ice cream

Method:

Soak raisins and almonds in warm water for an hour.

Chop the banana roughly. Peel the almond skin.

Blend banana, soaked raisins and almonds along with milk and honey.

Serve chill topped with vanilla ice cream :)

This quantity would make one tall glass of smoothie.

Tips:

Replace the milk with some fresh yogurt(curd) to make smoothie.

You can add dates instead of raisins to make a different version.

Banana Boat:

You will need a banana, 5 tooth picks, 1 skewer and some thread.

Take a long morris or green banana which is pretty stiff and in the shape of a boat.

Tie a tooth pic vertically to a skewer using thread. Carefully slip open a 1/2 inch width of banana peel leaving it attached to one side of the banana. Now pierce the skewer into the peel in a zig-zag manner and pierce it into the banana leaving an inch gap on the right.

Now poke two tooth picks on left end as well as right end of the banana. Tie a thread to the left side tooth pics and secure the thread to the top of the skewer and extend it to the tooth picks on the right.

Pretty looking banana boat is done :)

Written by: Nithya
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Peas & Mint Paratha

I enjoyed posting chaat items for more than a week and now I'm back to blog other yummylicious dishes :)

We have been having India bread varieties like Chapathi/Paratha in our dinner menu for almost three years now and variety has become inevitable to omit boredom.

My vote(quite influenced by the word today :P) goes for paratha since I don't have to think of any subzi accompaniments and they just go awesome with plain curd or raitha :P that shows the lazy me isn't it!!

Ingredients:

Peas - 1 cup
Onion - 1
Green chillies - 3
Wheat flour - 2 cups
Garam masala - 1 tsp
Hing(asafoetida/perungayam) - 1/4 tsp
Salt - for taste
Mint leaves - 1/2 bunch

Method:

Cook peas and roughly chop the onion.

Clean, wash and chop the mint leaves finely and keep it aside.

Grind the peas along with onion and green chillies into a smooth paste by adding little water.

Take the ground paste in a bowl and add wheat flour, salt, garam masala and chopped mint leaves to it and make a dough by adding water little by little to it. The consistency should be that of chapathi dough.

Keep it closed for half an hour before use.

Pinch lemon sized balls of dough and roll it into parathas on a well floured surface.

Now roast them on a tawa by adding few drops of oil.

Yummy peas and mint paratha is ready :)

Serve it with raitha of your choice.

Enjoy making :)

Tips:

You can also make the chapathi dough and filling separately and make parathas just like aloo paratha.

You grind the mint leaves along with peas and make dough as well.

Written by: Nithya
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Chaat Mela #5 - Garam Bhel / Garam Pori

The chaat series cannot be closed down without posting a dish using puffed rice(pori). Its one of the most versatile and simple ingredient to make chaat items too :)

Garam pori or garam bhel is pretty famous in hill stations especially in Tirupathi. I have never missed to have them when I visit Tirupathi every year. It would be a great snack for the chill climate :)

There are various versions of Garam pori and I have put down three variations in this post. Enjoy munching on a guilt free snack :)

And that officially marks the end of my Chaat mela but would definitely post more of such when I make them in the coming days :)

Miniature set up of the street bhel shop :)

Gharam Pori (Version 1 - Street style)

Ingredients:

Puffed rice(pori) - 2 cup
Tomato - 1
Onion - 1
Carrot - 1
Cucumber - 1/2
Raw Mango (Manga) - 1/2
Chilly powder - 1/2 tsp
Chaat masala - 1/2 tsp
Salt - for taste
Coconut oil - 1 tsp

Method :

Chop raw mango, tomato, onion and cucumber finely. Grate the carrot.

Take the puffed rice in a bowl and add all the veggies and mix well. Add a tsp of coconut oil along with red chilly powder, chaat masala and salt.

Gharam pori is ready to eat :)

Serve and eat it as soon as possible to enjoy the crispy chaat :)

Jhal Muri (Variation 2)

Add finely cut coconut pieces and sev or bhujia to the above recipe and replace coconut oil with mustard oil to make Jhal Muri :)

Gharam Bhel (Variation 3)

Ingredients:

Puffed rice (Pori) - 2 cups
Coriander leaves - 1/2 bunch
Mint leaves - 1/2 bunch
Ginger - 1/4 inch piece
Garlic - 2 pods
Green chilly - 1
Coconut (scrapped) - 2 tblsp
Salt - for taste
Coconut oil - 1 tsp

Method:

Grind ginger, garlic, coriander, mint leaves, green chilly, coconut and salt together without adding water.

Take the puffed rice in a bowl and add the ground paste along with a tsp of coconut oil and mix until the puffed rice is coated well.

Gharam bhel is ready to eat :)

Tips:

Add the vegetables just before serving the bhel.

Eat quickly for best results ;)

You can replace coconut oil with olive oil or mustard oil.

You can add mint chutney and sweet chutney to the bhel as well.

Written by: Nithya
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Chaat Mela #4 - Dahi Papdi Chaat

Me and my family have been thoroughly enjoying the chaat series so far. Its sheer bliss to indulge on your favorite dishes everyday, isn't it?? ;) It adds to the pleasure when I enjoy making them all by myself :)

Gangotri is one of the best eatery all Chennaites would have enjoyed having chaat from. I am no exception and have visited quite often during college days :) Every time I visit Gangotri, I would order Dahi papdi chaat since I love chaats with curd a lot :) So this chaat has a special place in my favorites list always.

I had bookmarked this recipe from Ria's Collection long time back and instantly took out the recipe and made it this afternoon :)

The recipe was foolproof. No wonder when it is from her! she is one of the best blogger's I have come across :)

I followed her papdi recipe as it is but went by my own choice when assembling the chaat.

Ingredients:

All purpose flour(Maida) - 1 1/2 cups
Salt- for taste
Ajwain(Omam / Carom seeds) - 1 tsp
Oil - 2 tblsp
Water - 1/2 cup or less

Method:

Take maida, salt and ajwain in a bowl and mix well. Add the oil to it and rub with your hands to make crumbs.

Now add water little by little and make a hard dough. The consistency should be harder than chapathi dough.

Keep this covered for twenty minutes.

Roll them into a large circle of 2mm thickness. Cut out circles using cookie cutter or a bottle cap.

Pierce lots of holes on the papdi with fork tines.

Put the cut circles on a paper and let it aside for ten mins. This step helps in getting flat(un puffed) and crispy papdi.

Heat oil in a pan and deep fry the papdi until light brown on both the sides.

Drain the excess oil on tissue and store in air tight containers.

Dahi Papdi Chaat

Ingredients:

Papdi
Dahi (youghurt / curd)
Mint chutney
Sweet chutney
Potato
Onion
Chilly powder
Salt
Chaat masala
Sev or Aloo bhujia

Method to assemble:

Cook the potato and dice into small pieces. Chop onion finely. Beat the curd with three tsp of sugar.

Make sweet chutney and mint chutney. Find recipes of both here.

Line papdi's on a plate and add some potatoes and onion.

Pour the beaten curd on the papdi's.

Drizzle some sweet chutney and mint chutney on top.

Now sprinkle salt, chilly powder and chaat masala.

Top it with aloo bhujia or sev and finely chopped coriander leaves.

Yummylicious Dahi papdi chaat is ready to eat :)

Enjoy making and happy eating :)

Tips:

You can add cooked chickpeas(channa) or cooked peas too.

You can also add some sprouted gram to the chaat.

Written by: Nithya
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