fatmanyash

1. Dark chocolate buttons  285 gms
2. sugar  270 gms
3. flour  45 gms
4. cocoa 85 gms
5. butter  185 gms
6. eggs    3 nos
7. Raspberry frozen  100 gms
8. white chocolate buttons 100 gms
9. vanilla essence 2 ml

Method

• melt the dark chocolate and butter.
• whisk eggs and sugar till thick and creamy.
• mix well the flour and cocoa powder, if lumpy then sieve together.
• Add vanilla essence , and the melted chocolate and butter mix to the eggs.
• slowly fold in the flour /cocoa mixture.
• line one half chafing pan insert with greaseproof paper, and pour the mix over it.then top with the raspberries and the white chocolate.Had forgotten to put this bit in, thanks Rakhi for reminding me.:)
• bake at 175 C for 25-30 minutes. the center shouldn’t be too dry just soft cos we want them to be gooey like proper brownies should
• Cool down well, and cut into desired size for use.
• Makes about 1 small tray of brownie

Made this after tweaking a recipe which i had gotten from Jayshree Visht-Gussain, who had very kindly made it for Ashwinis birthday. I replaced her canola oil with a mix of pomace and extra virgin olive oil, and added in some 70% dark ghana chocolate. Having given all the spiel , lets get down to it.

Makes  one  9″ cake enough for about 8 people

1. olive oil- 250 ml i used half pomace and half extra virgin
2. sugar grain- 200 gms
3. eggs- 2 nos
4. flour- 225 gms
5. Baking powder- 10 gms
6. cocoa powder- 25 gms
7. Dark chocolate-100 gms
8. milk-100 ml

Method

• Melt the dark chocolate and milk together in the microwave – about 45 seconds or as long as it takes really without burning the chocolate. shouldnt take too much longer though
• Warm the olive oil slightly and add in the sugar, and whisk well , with the slight residual heat should help to melt it.
• Add in the eggs one at a time ,and it will get a mayonnaise like consistency
• Add in the melted chocolate +milk mixture
• mix in lightly a combination of the flour, cocoa, and baking powder , which (obviously) you would have mixed together before being the baking pro that you are.
• pour into greased / or sprayed with non stick spray cake tin and bake at 180C for 25-30 minutes. I used a springform tin and after 20 minuted covered the top to prevent it form colouring too much.

Mutton Rezala

One leg of mutton or lamb de-boned

Add some oil or ghee to the mutton and coat it well. This helps in the next process. Now add the ground spices and salt to the mutton and rub in with fingers. It will coat the mutton well. Your kitchen will get fragrant . Now in the food processor,  add the fried onions, fresh coriander, the ginger, garlic, the mint leaves and some water and create a fine paste. Add this to the mutton and massage with your hands. This will now coat the mutton in the masala. At this stage, you will have no choice but to stick in a finger and taste the marinade….it will smell so good

After you have removed the lid, taste for seasoning. By now your neighbours have rung the bell, asking you if they can join you for dinner

One leg of mutton or lamb de-boned
A : Marinade :
1. One cup Fried onions. The packaged stuff works too. Otherwise you can fry the onions.2. 4 Green cardamom, 02 black cardamom, 5 cloves, 1 inch cinnamon stick, one javitri, crushed pepper corns 7 or 8, one tea spoon of saunf (aniseed). Dry roast these spices on a tava. When roasted and fragrant, grind to a powder.(  i do this differently is to use the microwave  to toast them for about 30-45 seconds)3. Plain yogurt. Try the packaged greek yogurt, but otherwise get the thick yogurt. 4. One bunch of fresh coriander leaves5. About 20 mint leaves. Optional6. One one inch piece of fresh ginger & 6-7 cloves of fresh garlic.7. 15 cashew nuts. boil the cashewnuts in the water and grind to a smooth paste8. Salt to taste.
Add some oil or ghee to the mutton and coat it well. This helps in the next process. Now add the ground spices and salt to the mutton and rub in with fingers. It will coat the mutton well. Your kitchen will get fragrant . Now in the food processor,  add the fried onions, fresh coriander, the ginger, garlic, the mint leaves and some water and create a fine paste. Add this to the mutton and massage with your hands. This will now coat the mutton in the masala. At this stage, you will have no choice but to stick in a finger and taste the marinade….it will smell so good
Now whisk 2 cups of the yogurt with a fork. Add some salt to it. The yogurt will be smooth and aerated and add it to the marinade. Using your hands mix well to coat the mutton. Finally add the cashew nut paste. Check seasoning in the marinade.
Leave to rest for an hour if you have the time.
B. Cooking :
Ingredients :
1. 2 onions & 3 or 4 green chillies put in the blender and get a smooth paste. You can add more chillies if you like it hotter.2. 6 cloves of garlic, crushed & an inch of ginger, cut in fine juliennes3. Whole Masala : 1 black cardamom, 4 green cardamom, 2 bay leaves, 5 cloves, 1 inch stick of cinnamon, 1 tsp shahi jeera (optional)4. Masala paste : In a bowl, add 2 tea spoons of Coriander powder, 1 tsp of cumin powder, 2 tsp of kashmiri chilli powder, 1 tsp of turmeric powder. Add a little water and make a paste.
Cooking Process :
Take a heavy bottomed pan or pressure cooker (your choice…Pressure cooker is quicker).
Add enough ghee or oil so that the entire base of pan gets covered and immediately add all the whole masalas. Let the masala get broiled as the oil heats up. Then, once the oil is fragrant and hot, add the onion & green chilli paste. Fry till the onion loses its raw smell. Add the garlic and ginger juliennes & some salt. Fry till the fat leaves the masala.
At this time, remove all mutton pieces from the marinade and add to the pan. Keep the left over marinade. it will be used later.
Fry the mutton. it will sear first and then it will lose some of its water. fry till all the water has evaporated. by now your kitchen would be full of the aroma of the rezala. Reduce the flame and bhunno gently for a while, till you get the nutty aroma of the cashewnut caramelising.
At this stage, add the masala paste to the mutton. Fry some more on low flame till the fat leaves the masala and till you feel that the mutton has been fried just enough. Dont burn the masala.
At this stage, add the rest of the marinade to the pan. Add some warm water as well to cover the meat and the right consistency of your sauce, as you would like it. Bring to boil.
Now, you can pressure cook it or let simmer in the lowest flame for 50 minutes. If you must pressure cook, please pressure cook at the lowest flame. There will be no whistles, but you can switch off the flame after 18 to 20 minutes and let the cooker lose steam by itself. The meat continues to cook at this time, even without the flame. This will take 15 minutes. I assure you that this is the best way to cook the meat.
After you have removed the lid, taste for seasoning. By now your neighbours have rung the bell, asking you if they can join you for dinner
Let the mutton rest for 15 minutes then serve  with fragrant basmati or crisp parathas
Tip : If you forget to add the javitri, the magic is not going to happen

1. minced chicken/beef-300 gms
2. chicken stock – 50 ml
3. coriander – 2-3 sprigs
4. kaffir lime -2 leaves cut into fine julienne
5. red onion/shallot- 1 large/150 gms
6. freh mint – 4-5 sprigs
7. toasted rice-10 gms
8. red chilli dry-1-2 can increase if you want it hotter
9. lime juice- from2 limes/lemon could be used but has completely different flavour
10. fish sauce- to taste
11. cabbage leave- from a quarter cabbage approximately 200 gms
12. cucumber- 150 gms sliced

method

• heat the chicken stock and add the minced meat and cook lightly. it  should be juicy and moist and not coloured. the essence of most thai salads is the balance to achieve in crunchy, juicy and oozing with flavour from various fresh herbs and flavourings
• combine roasted rice and dry chillies and pound or blend to a coarse powder.
• add sliced onions,chopped coriander, lime, lime leaves,fish sauce to the cooked mince.
• just before serving add in the mixture of the rice.
• serve with wedges of cabbage and slices of cucumber to spoon up the tangy mince. the salad should be swerved just slightly warm, not cooled down.

• salmon fillets boneless skin on- 4 nos approximatley 150 gms each
• fresh herbs mixed- parsley, thyme, very little rosemary
• extra virgin olive oil- 15 ml
• fresh breadcrumbs- 50 gms
• salt and pepper.
• zest of lemon- 1

Season the fish with salt and pepper.combine the rest of ingredients to make a kind of sloppy paste which you will smear thickly on top of the salmon skin skin side. preheat the oven to 225 C keeping it on grill mode . pop in the salmon  and roast for about 7-8 minutes (until the crust starts to get nice and brown). turn off the oven and hold for 10 minutes. that way the crust is formed and then the rest of the salmon will cook slowly in the oven and will be still juicy and moist.

serve with a side salad and some nice and crusty baguette!!

chicken marinade- this is good for tandoori chicken or chicken tikka too.

• chicken boneless – 1kg
• greek yoghurt- 150 ml
• red chilli powder- 10 gms
• ginger and garlic paste- 15 gms
• coriander powder- 5 gms
• Cumn powder- 2 gms
• turmeric- pinch
• salt- to taste
• garam masala powder- large pinch- see recipe which i use.
• kasoori methi – 1/2 tsp( dried fenugreek leaves which are lightly toasted then sieved)
• mustard oil- 10 ml

Method.

1. whisk yoghurt with the rest of the ingredients.
2. Cut chicken into large cubes , and marinate atleast 6 hrs with the marinade.

Gravy/Sauce

• tomato paste- 150 gms
• Ginger and garlic paste- 10 gms
• oil-10 ml
• red chilli powder- 10 gms
• white pepper powder- large pinch
• salt- to taste
• sugar/honey- 50 gms ,( to cut the acidity of the tomatoes, not so much that you make it too sweet)
• kasoori methi- pinch.
• cream- 100 ml
• butter- 45 gms
• salt- to taste
• green coriander leaves- 1 sprig
• garam masala- pinch.

Method

1. heat oil, add the ginger garlic paste, tomato paste and red chilli powder, lightly saute.
2. Add about 200 ml of water, pepper pdr, kasoori methi,and sugar.Simmer till thick
3. Season with salt, and add cream  and bring to a boil.
4. roast the marinaded chicken in an oven at 250 C for 8-10 minutes
5. add to the sauce and simmer till done .add in cubes of butter, and chopped coriander.

Heres a little ice cream recipe for the most wonderful and refreshing kiwi fruit ice cream, ive tasted, well since no one else make it, it just has to be !!

• milk -500 ml
• cream -500 ml
• egg yolks -10 nos
• sugar 250+200for the kiwi fruit pulp
• kiwi fruit- abt 10 nos / 1 kgs golden are nicer because they are sweeter.

Remove the pulp from the kiwi fruit.Blend to a puree.cook, till reduced down to half the volume with 200 gms of sugar. you can add a herb flavour to this. i added not only rosemary but sea salt flakes as well.

Combine, the egg yoks, with 250 gm sugar, milk, and cream and cook over a low heat to form creme anglaise / custard, making sure you dont overheat or curdle the eggs.

Mix the custard and the kiwi puree. if you have a sorbetiere then churn in that or else freeze, till set and serve!!!

• eggs – 5nos
• sugar- 100 gms
• dark chocolate (72% cacao)- 400 gms.
• cream 450 ml
• glavya or similar liquer- 200 ml
• butter melted – 25 gms
• dark cocoa powder- 50 gms

melt the chocolate with about 50 ml of cream and keep warm.

whip the remaining cream to soft peaks and keep chilled.

Combine the eggs and sugar and whip over a double b oiler to a sabayon like consistency. should be very thick and creamy and leave a trail when whisking. add in the chocolate mix to this.

Add in the cocoa  powder, and liqueur.Add in 25 gms of melted butter. let it cool down slightly.Fold in the whipped cream.

Set in ramekins and freeze. serve frozen because the consistency is such that in a chiller it will go soft.

Serve with abandon.Enjoy.

This is a fantastic recipe for  foccacia which we use at our hotel. Dont be worried if the ammount of water seems inordinately high. the end product will be great.

• Flour- 1kg
• Dry yeast- 20 gms
• Sugar-25 gms
• Salt- 20 gms
• Dry or fresh herbs to add inside the dough-5 gms
• Salt to sprinkle on the top- as required.
• Olive oil-80 gms
• Warm Water-800 gms

In a mixing bowl, add flour, yeast, sugar and salt, and slowly add in the water.Keep mixing or kneading for 15 minutes to allow for good gluten formation .the doughwill feel almost too wet then , but thats part of the plan.If you have a dough mixer , its best to use that, and let the dough proof in the bowl itself.Oh at this point of time you can add in the herb flavouring(u can change the herbs and even add in chopped olives, sun dried tomatoes,roasted red onions)

after about 30-40 minutes, spread the dough out in a deep baking tray, greased with some of the olive oil.Since its a soft dough, you will not have to roll it out, but can just spread wih your palm.Let it proof again for a good half hour to 45 minutes.

make indentations on the surface of the bread dough, and brush, lavishly with the olive oil.reserve a little to brush after baking.

Bake at 190-200 C for upto 15 minutes.

This is one of my favourites, its very healthy and what mum used to make all the time , when we wre kids and even older.

For the Kadhi you need

• plain unsweetened yoghurt- 200 ml
• besan flour/gram flour/chick pea flour-40 gms or 2 large table spoons.
• Water- 250 ml.

Whisk the above the three ingredients and put on to a low heat.then you have to add on

• Sugar-15-20 gm depending on taste can be increased
• Salt- 5 gm
• Turmeric- pinch
• grated ginger- 5 gms
• bay leaf/or tej patta – 1 nos
• fenugreek seeds-1/4 tsp crushed
• coriander seeds- 1/2 tsp crushed
• Cinnamon stick-1 small 1/2 inch piece
• Dry red chillies- 1no  cut up

then when the whole lot is simmering , you need to add

• ghee/clarified butter-10 gm or 1/2 tbsp
• Curry leaves – 1 sprig
• cloves- 3-4 nos
• Cumin seeds- 1/4 tsp
• Asafoetida/hing- pinch

the process is simple,heat the ghee/clarified butter add in the rest of the stuff, leaving the asafoetida/hing for the last.

When it all starts to splutter, add it into simmering liquid.simmer for 45 minutes to an hour, and adjust the consistency and seasoning.It should not be very thick, but rather like a thin creamy very light yellowish soup.

For the Khichdi you will need,

• Basmati rice- 100 gms
• Tur dal-50 gms
• Salt- to taste
• Turmeric- pinch

Wash the rice and dal together, and put in a steel bowl add in enough water to cover and top by 1 cm or so.Add in the salt and turmeric.Cook in a pressure cooker for 2 whistels/Can be alternatively cooked in a microwave rice cooker for 12-14 minutes , but will need to soak, for half an hour before cooking.

Serve together, with roast papads, or as we do at home with a spicy dipping condiment /oil, which is traditionally an alternative to the kadhi to eat alongwith the khichdi, but i like it alongwith it. for that we need

• Ghee-10 gms/1/2 tbsp
• mustard seeds- 1/2 tsp
• dry red chillies- 1-2 cut up
• red chilli powder-1/4 tsp
• Asafoetida/hing- pinch

Heat the ghee, add in mustard seeds till they start to splutter , turn off the heat and add in the rest of the ingredients and serve as a condiment with your kadhi khichdi. Enjoy it, as my gandma ManiBa used to cook it.