Celebrating Life.... Creamy Vegetable Soup

No excuses this time for being late on my recipe posts. I am thankful that I have a full life, filled with multitude of things to do. One such wonderful opportunity that came my way again was to cook at my little girl's school. They have started a new cooking lab and I had the opportunity to impart some cooking learning to a bunch of wonderful second graders.

The thing I love about my girl's school is how they inspire the kids to inquire and learn. Kids are curious by nature and to mould them into thinking out of the box is something I simply love. I love that I have a creative, excited little girl who is always willing to explore, learn and better herself.

The Lead Ma'am and I chose a soup to make this time owing to the end of monsoons. Also since there have been a couple of rains off and on causing the temperature to lower. A lot of kids had been falling ill too with cold, cough or flu. So a soup seemed apt.

This soup is a Thai inspired one. But since kids come from different households where either they are vegetarians or cannot eat onions, eggs, etc. or where the kid has peanut allergies or generally don't like things  like ginger, I avoided using them. Kids are also picky on things like bell peppers, etc. So although it is Thai inspired requiring the use of galangal, bell pepper, peanuts, etc I avoided using any of it.

Carrots are liked by most kids and I know many kids who prefer broccoli these days to cauliflower. So a small portion of brocolli, chopped finely was used. Each kid was asked to bring 1-2 ingredients. I loved the excitement of the kids as each ingredient went into the wok. In fact because of all the beta carotene (through carrots), the soup got a nice orangish colour and coupled with the coriander leaves, the kids who had just celebrated their Indian Independence day celebrations were inspired to tell me what the colour of the soup reminded them of, which was the Indian Flag.

Apart from maybe one or two kids who wanted chicken in their soup, the rest even though non-vegetarians liked the soup for its creaminess. I chose to use two homemade coconut milks, the 2nd milk to cook the vegetables in and the 1st milk to add at the end just warmed up and not boiled which added to its creaminess. How to freshly extract the coconut milk is explained here.

That's me by the way. Extra happy with the kids :)

If you want to make the full version, you can used crushed ginger or galangal, lemongrass, either sriracha chili or green chili, bell peppers finely diced and yellow onion. You can also take a non vegetarian option by adding boneless chicken diced small or boneless fish diced small.

You need:

• 2 cups of grated carrots (about 4-6 carrots depending on size)
• 1 cup of broccoli, florets separated into tiny florets
• 4-6 cloves of garlic, grated using a hand grater
• White pepper preferred (if not available you can use regular black pepper) powder - 1-2 tsp
• Salt to taste
• 1 medium coconut gratings (extract two milks)
• 1 bunch of cilantro or coriander leaves, diced well
• 1 cup of sweet corn
• 2 tbsp coconut oil
• 1 cup of drinking water (set aside some more if required)

The Make:
Preparation time: 10-15 minutes | Cook time: approx. 20 minutes | Makes about 4-6 medium sized bowls 

1. In a large wok, heat about 2 tbsp of coconut oil and add the carrot gratings. Saute for about 2-3 minutes on medium-low heat.
2. Next add the broccoli  and sweet corn. Saute for another 2-3 minutes. Add a sprinkle of salt and the pepper. Mix well. Add 1 cup of drinking water.
3. Add the second (thin) milk and half cover the wok. If you have a wok with a glass lid containing a steam hole, then cover fully and keep the heat at medium-low heat. Allow the vegetables to cook for 10 minutes. Add the water and if required add more than 1 cup. Do not overdo it else it will not turn out as creamy.
4. Grate the garlic over the uncovered wok and stir well. Add half of the chopped cilantro and simmer for 5 minutes.
5.  Lower the heat and then add the first coconut milk. Add the remaining coriander leaves and watch over the pot to allow to heat up. Do not boil. Do a salt check and add more if required.

It is better to add just a sprinkle of salt at first as adding to taste levels at first may not balance the dish as the coconut milk tends to sweeten the soup. So you may end up adding much more salt than is required for the soup. You could also cook the vegetables with just the water at first, blend it with a hand held or regular blender and then return it to the wok to cook in the coconut milk and finish off with the first thick coconut milk. Since there was no blender available, I had opted for the non-blending option.

Hope your kids and you enjoy this soup. Do let me know how it turns out. You can also mail me on gginazkitchenette@gmail or visit my Facebook page or Twitter page. We are also on Pinterest and Instagram now.

Crispy Chocolate Surprise Balls #FoodieExtravaganza

Aaaah I'm back and for one of my favourites 'Chocolate'! Thank you Kathleen for my favourite Chocolate theme in time for me to pick up the pace on my food blog as well.

Kathleen Coe Clegg is the wonderful hostess of our October's theme 'Chocolate' over at Foodie Extravaganza. She is the owner of 'Fearlessly Creative Mammas', a wonderful blog sharing recipes from her home.

This time I wanted to do something similar to cake pops except it is presented a lot differently.

I enjoyed making this treat as I knew my little girl would love it.

Cinnabon-style Cinnamon Rolls - Mummy's First Anniversary

I have always wanted to make these rolls. I have been missing Cinnabon's rolls since moving from Dubai, UAE. Most times I miss Cinnabon's Cinnamon rolls during a rainy day :) And would you believe it actually rained today (the first rain) and quite heavily may I add!

It has been a year since I first joined Bread Bakers. I still remember how a few days after joining Bread Bakers and the first event I was to participate in, I had heard of the sudden and untimely demise of my dear Mum. Today marks the first year since Mum left for Heavenly Abode. Mummy has always been my inspiration to bake and cook. She was a fabulous cook and her presence is truly missed in my life. I am grateful to our Good Lord for letting Mum continue to advise and be my guide especially in difficult moments and even when in the kitchen. The difference between how it was earlier when Mum was just a phone call away and now is that I listen to her advice to the 'T' with no questions asked. So yes I am thankful she still guides me. I still miss her like crazy though. Today I am quite spent from the difficult night I had mulling about Mum and our good ol' times.I miss Mum's jokes, laughter and smiles the most. Love you Mum and miss you loads.

I will be trying this recipe again. My biggest critic is my part time maid Betty. Since she loved the flavour of these rolls and my hubby and I felt it lack some more of the fluffiness to make it like Cinnabon's layers, I will definitely be going at this again. These reason for the slight flatness of these rolls is when I placed the tray into the oven to bake at 200°C, our apartment building's gas supply was over and they had changed it to the new supply during the bake. So for 5 of the 15 minutes of the bake the temperature was automatically changed to much higher than it was meant to be. Of course I figured this out at the last few minutes of the bake.

Unfortunately this recipe was meant to go into today's Bread Bakers' event of theme : Rolls. I had to go to church and when I came there was the first downpour of rains this year. I still tried to make it but looks like I messed up on the time conversion this time. I just heard its owing to the Daylight savings time which is an hour forward.

To make these super simple and luscious rolls, 

You need:

For the dough:

• 1/2 cup warm milk (110 degrees F/45 degrees C) 
• 1/4 cup white sugar 
• 1 1/4 tsp dry active yeast 
• 1 egg, room temperature 
• 1/6 cup or 40 gms of melted butter
• 21/4 cup plain flour 
• 1/2 tsp salt

For the spread and sprinkle:

• 1/2 cup brown sugar, packed 
• 11/4 tbsp ground cinnamon 
• 1/6 cup or 40 gms butter, softened 

For the topping:

• 40 gms cream cheese, softened 
• 30 gms butter, softened
• 25 gms castor sugar or icing sugar 
• 1/4 tsp vanilla extract 
• Pinch of salt 

The Make:

Preparation time: 10 minutes | Resting time: 10 minutes | Baking Time: 15 minutes | Makes 9 rolls

1. In a small bowl, mix the yeast with the lukewarm milk and sugar. Allow to activate. If it does not froth, you need to try with a fresh batch of yeast.

2. In a large bowl, place all the dough ingredients and the prepared yeast and mix well.

3. Turn the dough out to a floured surface. Cover and allow to rest for at least 10 minutes. You will find the dough has doubled in size.

4. Preheat the oven to 200°C and lightly grease a baking 9X13 inch baking tray.

4. In a small bowl, combine the brown sugar and cinnamon powder.

5. Roll the dough into a 9X13 inch rectangle. Spread the dough with the 40 gms of butter. Sprinkle the dough evenly with the sugar-cinnamon mixture.

6. Carefully roll up the dough to a log. You can also use a baking mat to do this if unsure. Cut out 9 rolls and place them on the prepared baking tray.

7. Bake the rolls in the preheated oven until golden brown up to 15 minutes.

8. While the rolls are baking, beat the cream cheese, butter, icing sugar, vanilla essence or extract and salt.

9. Once baked, spread the frosting on the warm rolls just before serving.

Bon Appetit! Hope you enjoy this bake.

Cappuccino Cake #FoodieExtravaganza

I was truly delighted when I heard the theme of April's Foodie Extravaganza event 'Coffee Cake' by Caroline of Caroline's Cooking. So delighted that I even skipped the description or skimmed over the description of the event. She really meant any cake that would be accompanied by tea or coffee. Well no regrets! Coffee happens to be my favourite hot beverage.

In fact this is ideal as there are rare times when I am in a dilemma as to whether to have coffee or tea and have even wondered if  I should mix the two (eeeeeeeeks! I know). But such is the case when I have the dual feeling. I never crave tea as such but there are times when I cannot have coffee owing to the meal I had prior which left a heartburn or acidity. In these cases I think the Cappuccino cake would compliment the cuppa tea. A cuppa tea with Cappuccino Cake! Hmm!

I got a Bundt spring cake tin from Dad's and Mom's place. Mom had last baked a Christmas cake and guess what I found some residual crumbs stuck to the bottom of the tin. Yes and as you may have imagined, I spent a few minutes reminiscing over Mum's cakes and how she inspired me to bake cakes. I almost didn't want to use the cake tin until I felt Mum's voice saying, "Oh just get on with it girl, there isn't time!" And so I  did!

My little girl has her summer vacations so I am busy keeping her happy with her activities, play time with friends, etc. Elizabeth, a good friend of recent and my excellent neighbour, who I recently spoke of in the Pain Au Chocolat blog post generously assisted me with my presentation as I scurried to get my pictures before dusk. And as I nervously used my brand new DSLR to click pictures of my Cappuccino Cake creation. Yes! I can almost hear the many friends, family and colleagues say 'Finally there she gets her DSLR'. I have to tell you though I am still such a novice at it despite going to tutorials of the same. I need to spend time with this new baby.

Thank you whole heaps Elizabeth and darling Joanne who let me know how moist this cake turned out. Children never lie and Joanne said she liked the cake and so did my sous chef and admirer Isabelle my darling daughter. Hubby I have left enough cake for you too. So no more grumbling! John, Elizabeth's husband and Joanne's Dad too liked the cake. I am glad it turned out to be a life saving buffer Elizabeth ;).

You can make the Cappuccino from scratch or if it is too much for you, you can even buy Cappuccino satchets and make it. I did two things, one I used 2 satchets of Cappuccino coffee and I also used an extra strong coffee. I only did this as I was lacking time to make the same. Next time, I will make Cappuccino from scratch just to see if there is a difference or not.

Today is the birthday of three lovely neighbours - Priya Thomas:May you have a wonderful year ahead, a handsome little boy Sujith and a darling little girl Jiya. Hope you both have a fun birthday celebration and blessed year ahead.

On with the recipe,

You need:

For the cake batter:

• 270 gms or 2.5 cups of flour
• 2 satchets of Cappuccino Coffee
• 250 gms of Dermerara or brown sugar
• 250 gms of butter
• 1 tsp of baking powder
• 3 large eggs
• 200 ml of strong coffee, room temperature
• Some butter for greasing

For the icing:

• 300 ml of double cream or Amul cream, refrigerated overnight
• 2 tbsp of brown sugar or Dermerara sugar
• Coffee beans (optional)

The Make:

Preparation time: 10 minutes | Standing time: 10 minutes|  Cooling time: 30-45 minutes | Serves 6-8 

1.  In a large bowl, cream the butter and sugar well. Next add in the eggs, Cappuccino powder and flour together and mix well with a large wooden ladle. 

2. Preheat the oven to 180°C. Grease a cake tin of 25 cms with butter.

3. Add half of the strong coffee (once lukewarm) and beat with an electric beater until well combined. Allow to stand for 10 minutes.

4. Carefully place the bundt cake tin into the oven and allow to bake for 30-35 minutes.

5. Meanwhile, whisk the cream well. If you are using Amul cream, the fat percentage is less and in this case, separate the whey from the cream before whisking. Add sugar to the remaining coffee, set aside 4 tbsp of the coffee and pour the rest into the cream and whisk well. Freeze the whisked cream while the cake is being baked and while cooling off to room temperature.

6. Once the cake is baked and cooled off, drizzle the remaining 4 tbsp of coffee over the cake.

7. Remove the cream from the freezer and generously top your cake with it as desired. Sprinkle some roasted coffee beans on top as desired.

Hope you enjoy making this Cappuccino Cake!

Thank you Caroline for such a wonderful theme and for hosting the same!

It's Foodie Extravaganza Day and this month's theme is Coffee Cake with Caroline from Caroline's Cooking is hosting What is Foodie Extravaganza? It's when a group of bloggers get together and make a recipe using one main ingredient. Where do we get the ingredient? We look at The Nibble and pick something off of their list. Croissants are actually celebrated on January 30th, but it's in January, so it's fair game. You can check out our group Pinterest board for past recipes. If you're a blogger, you can join along with us by requesting to join on our Facebook page. Now, on to the goodness being shared this month:

• Almond Raspberry Cake by Food Lust People Love
• Blueberry vanilla coffee cake by Fearlessly Creative Mammas
• Cappuccino Cake by G'Gina's Kitchenette
• Caramel Coconut Coffee Cake by cookinandcraftin
• Classic Coffee Cake by Basic N Delicious
• Coffee Cake Cookies by Sew You Think You Can Cook
• Coffee Cake in a Jiffy by Our Good Life
• Coffee Cake Muffins by I'm Hungry
• German Beer Coffee Cake by Wholistic Woman
• Gluten free hazelnut pear cake by Caroline's Cooking
• Kärleksmums (Swedish Coffee Cake) by Tara's Multicultural Table
• Lemon Thyme n Mint Loaf by Baking in Pyjamas
• Orange Coffee Cake with Pecan Streuse by A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Polish Placek by Cooking With Carlee
• Simple Coffee Cake by Sneha's Recipe
• Strawberry Coffee Cake Muffins by Making Miracles

Kids' Special# 4 - Soft Noodles with Veggies and Poached Egg #FoodieExtravaganza

It has been a long time since the last Kids' Special. I started this tradition of sharing Kids' meals a few weeks before my Mummy passed away and frankly speaking I never wanted to restart it as it reminded me too much of her. 

When Lauren Mitchell of From Gate to Plate hosted March's  #FoodieExtravaganza event Noodles, I had no choice but to restart the Kids' Special as I had already prepped the dish and had to only post the same. And for this thank you from the bottom of my heart dear Lauren. Also special thanks for allowing me to partake in this month's Noodles event though I was a little late without which I would have probably further delayed the sharing of G'Gina's Kitchenette's Kids' meals tradition. 


I have always wanted to make noodles or pasta from scratch. Never had a chance to buy the pasta maker though (someday!! sigh!)


Although this is not Mum's Recipe per say, it reminded me a lot of how she would cook up noodles for her grand kids when we all came visiting home as all of them love noodles.



You need:

• 1 packet of dried noodles of your choice (400 gms)
• 1-2 eggs (optional, I used quail eggs)
• Vegetables of your choice - chopped or diced (2 cups)
• Salt to taste
• Seasoning - A pinch each of turmeric, garam masala, coriander powder
• Cup of Fresh stock or 1 stock cube
• 1:1 ratio of Water to noodles
• Water to boil veggies
• 1-2 cloves of garlic shavings (optional)
• Drizzle of oil
• Drizzle of Soya sauce

The Make:

Serves 2 kids | Preparation Time: 5-10 minutes | Cooking Time : up to 20 minutes

1. Boil the noodles in same quantity of water (or a little less) on medium-low heat. Once the water is cleared, set aside. Boil the veggies until half cooked in another bowl. Drain and set aside.
2. Meanwhile in a wok, drizzle some oil in a wok and add the half cooked veggies and garlic shavings and saute well. 
3. Next add the stock cube, seasoning, salt to taste and saute for a minute.
4. Toss in the noodles and a drizzle of soya sauce (my kid likes it. You can skip it if you like) and saute it for a minute.
5. Serve hot with a poached egg on top. I intentionally did not swirl the water while poaching the egg as my kid likes to see the yolk. This was done with quail egg.

Posting day is always the first Wednesday of each month. If you are a blogger and would like to join our group and blog along with us, come join our Facebook page Foodie Extravaganza. We would love to have you! If you're a spectator looking for delicious tid-bits check out our Foodie Extravaganza Pinterest Board! Looking for our previous parties? Check them out HERE.    

And now for the star recipes from the #FoodieExtravaganza Noodle Party goers:

One Pot Garlic Pasta by From Gate to Plate
Haluski (Fried Cabbage & Noodles) by Making Miracles
Homemade Chinese Noodles by Fearlessly Creative Mammas
Spicy Shrimp with Peanut Noodles by cookinandcraftin
Bacon and Beer Mac & Cheese by Sew You Think You Can Cook
Sopa Seca de Fideo - Spicy Mexican Noodles by Food Lust People Love
Green Bean and Squash Laksa by Caroline's Cooking
Kakaós Tészta (Hungarian Cocoa Noodles) by Tara's Multicultural Table
MiMi's Baked Ziti by Cooking With Carlee
Tortellini and Tomato Salad by The Freshman Cook
Homemade Noodles by Our Good Life
Tossed Homemade Macaroni Noodles by A Day in the Life on the Farm
Kids' Special# 4 - Soft Noodles with Veggies and Poached Egg by G'Gina's Kitchenette

Crispy Fried Chicken

I know I said that I would be sharing recipes for Roasts and sides in the weeks to come. I did however forget to mention that the sides would not just be dips and salads/breads but also meaty (protein - veg/non-veg) starters/bites. After all you need to prepare a complete meal for the upcoming #Thanksgiving, #Christmas and #New Year celebrations. So the Crispy Fried Chicken did resonate out of Mummy's recipe of KFC (Kentucky Fried Chicken) - the recipe of which I will share another day (will not specify when ;) )

This is an all too easy recipe to create. I did mention in one of my recent posts of my little one's love for Chicken Drumsticks. Well this was to please my princess. I served this Chicken starter with the Coleslaw - the KFC way and some dips as well. Yes and this is one of those long overdue recipes that has been sitting on the back burner as well.

My little one raved about the crispiness of the chicken and to top it was all drumsticks. She loved it to the very last bite.

You need: 

• 7-8 chicken drumsticks, cleaned
• 3-4 cups of breadcrumbs
• 2 large eggs, whisked
• Salt to taste
• Ginger and Garlic powder (optional)
• 1 chicken stock cube (optional)
• Oil - for frying battered chicken

Ammo required:

• A large wok
• A large flat plate with breadcrumbs
• A perforated ladle
• A perforated vessel lined with kitchen towel/tissues
• A large bowl to whisk eggs and dip the chicken drumsticks

The Make
Preparation time: 5-10 minutes | Cook time: 20-30 minutes | Serves 4-6 adults

1.  The first step in the process of making the Crispy Fried Chicken is to lay out all the required vessels and ingredients. If using the ginger and garlic powder and the stock cube, make sure to powder the stock cube and add it along with the ginger and garlic powder to the breadcrumbs. Alternatively you can also add it with the egg but sometimes all of the egg does not get used.
2. In a large wok, heat the oil on medium-low heat. Meanwhile, roll the drumsticks in the whisked eggs draining off the excess back in the bowl and roll it evenly over the flat plate with the breadcrumbs already spread out.
3. Once the oil heats up, gently slide in the prepared drumsticks and line up without any overlapping or interaction between each drumsticks. After 2-3 minutes, using the perforated ladle, turn over the drumsticks and repeat after another 2-3 minutes. Ensure that the batter does not burn and if the oil gets too hot between batches, lower the heat and repeat. Each batch to follow would take lesser time to fry. The first batch may take up to 8-10 minutes depending on the size of your wok and weight of the drumsticks. Transfer the fried chicken to the perforated vessel to drain off the excess oil.
4. Once the batches of the chicken drumsticks are fried and drained off the oil, serve hot with your favourite sides. In my case, it was the coleslaw, hot chili sauce for me and hubby and tomato ketchup for the little princess. The tartar sauce was for the calamari -the recipe of which will follow soon enough.

Hope you and your little one(s) enjoy this make as well.

A Tribute to my Inspiration, my Mummy - Pie Meat & Mushroom buns with Sesame

Two weeks ago I was happy and excited to let my inspiration, my Mum know of some new developments with regards to G'Gina's Kitchenette and even before I let my readers know, I wanted her to know as she is the very being of my culinary adventures. Unfortunately I did not get that chance and my Dad confirms that she did not know of the new development either. Little did I know that soon after my angel, my inspiration was preparing for the most important journey of her life...her journey to Heavenly Abode!

My mum for all of you who do not know her was way beyond just my mum...She was an angel, a guide, a friend to the needy and all who walked into her life. Never have I heard of such words of praise, respect and gratitude of any other human being. Her leaving us is a big loss to each and every one of us. She has saved lives with just her intuition and experienced advice each time. I feel privileged to be born the child of such a mother. 

Once someone with great vision of things beyond the physical world, told me of how blessed I was as I was born with two guardian angels unlike others who had only one. My mum she said was my guardian angel on earth! I cannot tell you the loss I feel with Mummy going to Heavenly Abode. She is my everything. I only pray that she will be with me every breath and step of the way guiding me as I go through this challenging life ahead!

I have always wanted to bake bread and have to tell you that I was skeptical regarding any success I may have in doing so. I had already started my bread baking adventure with a little success in the past and more successful recently since Christmas 2014 actually. I have in the past mentioned how my culinary adventure began with baking and how I literally burned the house down with my cake bakes when I was all of 12 yrs.

My mother has always been an inspiration to my cooking/baking feats. She has always cooked and baked creations from around the globe and I was always inspired and in awe of her cooking. Although I was never a foodie growing up, I knew somewhere back then that I would want to do something related to cooking (mostly baking). Also a lot of friends and family growing up would ask me to pursue the food line or to even start my own entrepreneurship or write my recipe creations through books (there were no blogs back then!)

Recently a couple of friends of mine have been inspiring me with their recipe creations around #bread. Among them Dr. Reny Thomas, my school friend has been an immense inspiration with her creations with breads, buns, etc. Also my college buddy and fellow food blogger Shireen had recently posted regarding this fabulous and inspiring group called #BreadBakers, a wonderful group of bread lovers who inspire each other every month to bake theme based bread or with a common ingredient. I am proud to be associated with this group and this will give me a chance to whip out some bread baking skills. This was the much needed leap I required to get me out of my shell.

What inspired me to make this bread was the renowned chef Jamie Olivier's pie creation. I always wanted to try a serious savoury pie and though I have made mince pies and the like during school/college days, I still wanted to perfect my pie making skills. The filling for this bread has very much been inspired by Jamie's pie creation whose recipe I will share very shortly with you.

You need:

For the stuffing/filling:

• 500 gms beef skirt/ tender beef, cut into 1/2 cm chunks
• Ground pepper
• Olive oil
• Rock/sea salt
• 1/2 of a  nutmeg, grated
• 1 large carrot, peeled and diced into cubes
• 1 red onion, peeled and diced finely into cubes
• 2 sprigs of fresh rosemary, separated from the stem
• 125 ml pale ale / non-alcoholic beer / ginger-ale / chicken broth
• 1 tbsp plain flour
• 1 tbsp Homemade Tomato Puree
• 125 g button mushrooms, diced small
• 1/2 litre cold water

For the bread:

• 2 tsp Active Dry Yeast
• 3 tbsp Sugar
• 300 gms plain flour
• 3/4 cup Milk
• 1 tsp Salt
• 3 tbsp lukewarm water
• 1/3 cup Oil
• 2 tbsps Sesame Seeds
• 1 egg, beaten (to brush on the buns)
• 1 tbsp water
• 2 drizzles of oil

The Make:

Preparation time (including proofing/proving time and resting time for the meat): 1 hr, 50 mins  + 3-4 hrs or 8 hrs for resting the meat| Baking Time: 20 minutes | Cooking Time: 1 hr, 53 minutes | Yields 7-8 medium sized buns

For the buns' pie meat filling:

Source for the pie meat filling: Jamie's Olivier

1. In a large bowl, add the beef chunks, 1 tsp of ground black pepper, a good pinch of rock salt and 1 tbsp of olive oil and massage well.
2. Next add the grated nutmeg, toss and coat well. Set it aside.
3. In a wide pan or wide-deep bottomed pot, add a drizzle of olive oil followed by the prepared beef chunks and brown on all sides, cover and cook for 15 minutes. Then uncover and allow and liquid to evaporate over the next 5 minutes, stirring frequently.
4. Simultaneously in another flat pan, heat a drizzle of olive oil and cook the veggies including the rosemary over medium heat for 15-20 minutes or until caramelised and softened. Stir frequently to ensure even cooking. Remove from the heat.
5. Next add the ale to the beef, turn up the heat to high and allow all the liquid to bubble ensuring you are scraping all the delicious sticky bits from the bottom of the pan.
6. Add in the flour and tomato puree and cook for another 2-3 minutes or until a thick paste is formed.
7.  Stir in the softened veggies into the larger pan with the beef and then pour in 1/2 litre of cold water. Add the mushrooms and bring to a boil.
8. Lower the heat to medium, cover and simmer for about 1 hour. Then take off the lid and simmer for another 30 minutes or the liquid has thickened and the beef is tender.
9. Season to taste and set aside for a few hours or preferably overnight in the fridge. The longer you rest the beef the better it gets. 


For the Dough :

1. Remember to use the yeast which has not expired. In a small bowl, mix the yeast and  2 tbsp sugar and dissolve it with 3 tbsp lukewarm water. Mix well and set aside for about 5 mins until it froths. In case it does not froth, throw away and use new yeast.

2. In a large bowl, add the flour,1 tbsp sugar, salt, oil and mix well.
Gradually add the milk and make a loosely formed dough.

3. Sprinkle some flour on a clean surface, take the dough and knead it with your hands until the dough becomes soft and supple. Knead up to 5 minutes until the dough is no longer sticky but still soft.

4. Take a large bowl, add a light drizzle of oil and put the dough and make sure it is coated with oil so that it does not dry out. Cover it with a cling wrap and let it sit at room
temperature for about 90 mins or until the dough doubles in size.

5. Line a flat baking tray with parchment or butter paper. Or you could directly grease the baking tray with a drizzle of oil and use directly (like I did!)

6. This part is going to be fun. Take the doubled dough onto a flat surface and punch down the dough with your hands and knead it well so that all the air held in escapes
from the dough. 

7. Next divide the dough into 8 equal parts.

8. Take one of the 8 parts of the dough, roll it into ball and then flatten it out into a disc about 3-4″ in diameter.

9. Add a tbsp of pie meat stuffing in the center of the disc and fold the corners the disc towards the centre to cover the stuffing well. Keep a kitchen towel at your side to wipe your hands in case your fingers get messy with the filling in the process. Fight the instinct to wash your hands each time as you would get the dough sticky with damp hands.

8. Repeat steps 8 and 9 until the remaining 7 bun dough is formed. Line them on the baking tray, folded side facing down and equi-distant giving enough space for the buns to rise and form. 

9. Set aside the buns at room temperature for about half hour or until they begin to swell.

11.  Preheat the oven to 180°C.

12. Right before popping the bun dough into the oven, whisk 1 tbsp of water with the egg and brush all over each bun. Sprinkle the sesame seeds on top of each bun.

13. Carefully set the buns in the preheated oven for 20 minutes until golden brown. Trust me the smell emitting from your kitchen will woo you to come in time to open the oven and take these beauties out.

14. Remove the baking tray from the oven and let the buns cool and rest on a rack before serving.

Now for my vegetarian friends, remember you can use other fillings such as Aloo Jeera (Potato with cumin seeds) or Kadai Paneer or mushrooms or the like.

Bon Appetit!

Kids' Special #3 - Clear Vermicelli veggie or chicken soup with quail eggs

This is a simple but flavoursome soup that kids' would love! It is especially good as an in between snack or a start to a supper or lunch.

Normally kids' prefer noodles but since my little one does not take well to too much of maida/plain flour related ingredients on a daily basis, and does actually like vermicelli, I substituted noodles with vermicelli.

You can also use shredded chicken instead of or with the mixed vegetables.

You need:

• 1 cup vermicelli / noodles
• 2 quail eggs (optional), boiled
• 1/2 cup of vegetables or (1/2 cup of shredded chicken (optional))
• Salt to taste
• Pinch of white pepper
• 2 cups Stock (either veg/nonveg freshly prepared) or 1 stock cube
• 2 tsp of butter
• 1/4 tbsp ginger-garlic paste
• Drizzle of oil
• 2 cups of water + more as desired

The Make
Serves 1 child | Cooking Time: 20 minutes | Preparation Time: 10 minutes

1. The quail eggs are optional but is recommended owing to its immense number of benefits. Do check out its nutritional value here. It takes a minute to a minute and a half to boil. In fact once the water starts to boil leave it on for about 20 seconds and turn off the flame. Once the water is cooled, de-shell and set aside.

2. In a wok, heat the oil and saute the veggies  (and/or chicken) with a pinch of salt on medium heat. Cover and cook for 5 minutes. Add the butter and saute once more.

3.  Uncover and add the ginger-garlic paste and saute well for a minute. Next powder in the stock cube followed by the water or the prepared stock and bring to a boil.

4. Next add in the vermicelli and bring to a boil. Lower to medium-low and simmer for about minute.

5. Serve in a bowl and top with the quail eggs and a side of crusty bread.

Ghee Chapattis - Indian wholewheat Flatbread topped with clarified butter

Chapattis are well-known around the world now! I even read an article in the newspaper a while ago on a debate as to which country has the ownership of this flat bread!! We all know the answer to that right? #India

I am not doing justice to the images in this blog post. I will add more photos later.

A lot of commercial mixes of Chapatti flour secretly add refined flour (maida) to add softness to the flour. It really isn't required! You can make your own multigrain flour. You can even have it milled to ensure that there is no refined white flour in the mix. A mix of whole wheat:bajra(pearl millet):oat:ragi(finger millet):psyllium husk or isabgol:soya in 2:1:1:1:0.5:0.5 proportion. You could also add Maize or Channa Dal which is a kind of a dried pulse.

You need:

• 2 cups of whole wheat or multigrain flour ('Aata' /chapati flour)
• 1 cup of lukewarm drinking water
• Salt to taste
• Ghee/clarified butter (1 tsp per chapatti)

The Make:
Makes 7-8 chappatis depending on the size | Preparation Time (including standing time): 20 minutes | Cooking Time: 15 minutes

1. In a fairly large bowl, add the lukewarm water and add in the flour and salt.
2. Knead the flour into a smooth dough. Add water if required.
3. If the dough gets too sticky, add a shake of flour taking care not too add too much or it would end up being too floury.
4. Cover the bowl and let the dough stand for 15 minutes. If you leave it longer say like an hour or more, it tends to get softer.
5. Divide the dough into 8 balls and roll out the dough using a rolling pin into a perfect or almost perfect medium sized round using some additional flour as required. It helps to keep the flour in a small ramekin or bowl on the side as you roll out the dough to help dip into the bowl in case of sticky sides.
6. Heat a pan/tawa and lower the heat on medium-low and carefully place the rolled out dough circle on the Tawa. Allow it to cook and rise which takes about  a minute to a minute and a half of each side. Flip to cook the other side. You can also take the cooked chapati and toss over the medium flame directly on both sides to give it a rustic look and flavour.
7. Add a tsp of ghee on each side and set aside in a covered chapatti casserole.

Serve hot with your favourite side dish Rajma Masala, Aloo Jeera, Methi Chicken Curry.

The Almost Perfectly Poached Egg!

I have made poached egg for the family a couple of times now. They have so far enjoyed it quite a bit until I stumbled upon this video from BBC Good Food. I actually was in search of another egg recipe and found this.

Then I knew that my poached egg was just no where near perfect and I still believe after trying the tips in this video that I can improve upon the poached egg. I will let you know where I went wrong and you too can try to improve on your poached egg recipe accordingly.

The perfect poached egg when cut into would ooze out with the yolk!

You need:

• 1 large and fresh egg (remember if there is no fresh egg, then don't bother trying this recipe)
• Salt and Pepper to taste
• Dash of vinegar
• Water to poach 
• A medium sized saucepan
• Kitchen towel
• A slotted spoon

The Make:
Preparation time: 2 minutes | Cooking time: 3 minutes | Serves : 1

Source: http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/technique/how-poach-egg

1. Heat water in the sauce pan and allow to simmer. Make sure you are using a medium sized saucepan.
2. Add the small drizzle of vinegar to the pan of simmering water.
3. Crack the egg carefully in a small cup or bowl, making sure not to cut into the yolk. Some like to crack the egg by tapping on a hard surface whilst others use the stem of a spoon or butter knife to crack at the shell. If you are following the latter approach make sure u crack only the surface, else if you touch the yolk with the metal spoon or knife, you can loosen the yolk into the egg white whilst pouring into the cup.
4. Create a whirlpool in the water using your spoon. This would ensure that the egg white wraps well around the yolk.
5. Tip the egg into the center of the whirlpool or pan of just boiling water. Lower the heat to medium-low and allow the egg to cook for 3 minutes.
6. Once cooked, remove the poached egg with the slotted spoon and leave any feathery edges by cutting it using the edge of the spoon against the pan.
7. Drain the egg on a kitchen towel else you would find eggy poaching water with your egg.
You can also trim the edges of your poached egg once at room temperature to make it into a perfect tear drop shape (the kind you would find at your fine dining restaurants) :)

Season with salt and pepper and serve with toast, flatbread or on top of your salad.

My kid loves poached egg esp. when she sees the yolk spill out of the white when cut into.



Bon Appetit!

Roasted beef chunks with baked potatoes and buttered steamed veggies

Post #Lent the #Beef #recipe creations were the first to come out! I felt like cooking up something English. British do enjoy their beef and potatoes and is so uniquely prepared as well. Perhaps they have left some flavours of their cuisine on our genetic taste buds before leaving India. We thoroughly enjoy beef and potatoes if cooked/baked or roasted well. It just leaves a sublime appealing flavour on the palatte.

To enjoy this recipe, do make sure you get a fresh and clean cut of tender beef from your local butcher otherwise you would find yourself chewing at the pieces all day long.

This can make for a good supper when you want to keep it light and/or free of carbs.

You need:

• 500 gms of beef, cleaned well and cut into 1" cubes
• 2 large potatoes, sliced thinly
• 4 cloves of garlic, crushed
• Drizzle of Worcestershire sauce
• Black Pepper powder -  as required
• Salt to taste
• Rosemary - 2-3 sprigs
• Thyme leaves - 2 sprigs
• 1-2 small tomatoes, diced (optional)
• Oil
• 1 tbsp Duck fat (optional, I had some duck fat from the duck roast that I strained and refrigerated. I will share the duck roast recipe soon.)

The Make:

Preparation Time: 15 minutes | Cooking Time: 1 hr | Serves 2 adults

1. In a pan, drizzle some oil, add the garlic and beef along with a little salt and pepper.

2. Brown the beef cubes on all sides. Add the Worcestershire sauce and toss well.

3. Preheat the oven to 180 °C.

4. In a roasting pan, add the beef, tomatoes (optional) along with remaining salt and pepper and the rosemary leaves.

5. Layer the potato slices on top and add some thyme leaves on top. Add a drizzle of oil on top or the duck fat.

6. Cover the roasting pan with a tin foil and place in the oven. 

7. Roast for 45 minutes to 1 hour until cooked tender.

8.  Serve with a side of Steamed Buttered Veggies.

Serve hot. You could also serve with a choice of your favourite dinner rolls.

Bon Appetit!