Super Moist Carrot Cake....shhhh, secret orange fibre!

Carrot Cake…there, I removed the word “moist” for those allergic to it!! Personally, I have no major issues with the word – I find the use of “lush” and “scrumptious” more annoying J So tell me, are you one of those who likes Carrot Cake because of the icing or because you think it's healthier? Me, I hate icing, frosting or glaze of any sort on homemade cakes (which reminds me, “naked cake” or “nude cake” are again words I find extremely annoying and noooo I am not a prude…at least I think I am not!)…as for healthier, well, all that sugar certainly isn’t good for you, but if a cake is what you crave for, all that fibre certainly is good for you and the no icing bit sure does help! I have been using this cake recipe for quite a while now…a Rachel Allen recipe so of course it has to be perfect…but seriously it was the least complicated and fuss free recipe I found and I stick to those like my life depends on it…as for the facebook post on the secret ingredient...the secret ingredient got added in last year when I was short on carrots and all prep was done before I realized…the solution was simple, I could either not make it (my first instinct always leads me away from doing anything!) or use something similar to make up for the bulk…and bingo! there it was right in front of my eyes…Sweet Potatoes!!...and ever since, the Super Moist Carrot Cake has been converted into Super Moist Carrot and Sweet Potato Cake…the only thing you have to remember, is to use the fine grater attachment to ensure that the carrots (and sweet potatoes, if using) blend in and it is easier to cut the cake cleanly later…I didn’t this time, to ensure the grated sweet potato shows up in the picture…and before I forget, adding raisins and walnuts is totally up to you…I don’t add either as it makes the cake taste like Christmas cake and to me personally, the clutter free cake (just like my life now) tastes much better J

Carrot Cake (Carrot and Sweet Potato Cake)

Ingredients:

• Self Raising flour, 180gms (you can substitute with 170gms Regular All Purpose Flour + 10gms of Baking Powder)
• Salt, ¼ tsp (Self raising flour in the UK unlike the US doesn’t have salt added to it. Skip the salt here, if you are using US self raising flour)
• Baking Soda/Soda Bicarbonate, ½ tsp
• Vanilla Extract, 1 tsp (RA doesn’t, I do)
• Ground Cinnamon, 1 tsp (or if allergic to cinnamon smell or taste or the idea of using spices in a cake, skip both cinnamon and nutmeg and just increase vanilla extract to 1 tbsb)
• Grated Nutmeg, ½ tsp (I have stopped using this one)
• Eggs, 2 large
• Flavourless Vegetable Oil, 150ml
• Soft Brown Sugar, 200gms (or dark brown sugar or demerara sugar or regular old white sugar….I almost always use Demerara sugar as that is our normal sugar in the house for tea, coffee etc and I hate buying specific ingredients for a single recipe unless I absolutely have to. Back home in India I used to make this with plain white sugar most of the time and the cake is absolutely fine using it)
• Carrots, peeled and grated and then weighed, 300gms (when using sweet potatoes – I use 150-200gms of carrots and make up the balance with grated sweet potatoes, ensure both are freshly grated)
• Orange zest from 1 orange (optional)
• Walnuts or Pecans, roughly chopped/crushed, 75gms (optional)
• Raisins, 100gms (optional)

Instructions:

Preheat the oven to 150ºC. Oil and line the 5X9 inch loaf tin or an 8 inch round tin with grease proof paper. (Rachel Allen’s recipe specifies using a loaf tin, but I use a round tin as it makes it look more like a cake and not bread)

In a bowl, sift and whisk together flour, salt, baking soda, cinnamon and nutmeg.

In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, oil, brown sugar and vanilla extract.

Stir grated carrots, sweet potatoes and orange zest into the wet ingredients until evenly coated. If you are using nuts and/or raisins, stir them in at this time as well.

Fold in the dry ingredients into wet just until no floury bits remain.

Pour the batter into prepared pan, smooth the surface and bake for 60 to 75 minutes, until a skewer inserted into the center comes out batter-free.

Let cool in the pan for 20 to 30 minutes, then remove from pan and cool the rest of the way on a wire rack.

The cake keeps at room temperature for a few days, and longer in the fridge. It’s even “moister” on the second day.

Crispy Salt and Pepper Lotus Stems (Chinese style or Indian style)...no running!

Crispy Salt and Pepper Lotus Stems (Chinese style or Indian style…do you ever run out of words? I do, all the time…but, I never ever run out of food, do you? J

Crispy Salt and Pepper Lotus Stems (Chinese style or Indian style)

Ingredients:

• Lotus Stems, washed & peeled, cut into 1/8 inch thin slices, 300 gms
• Cornflour/ Corn Starch or Rice Flour, to dust, 1-2 tbsp
• Salt & Pepper to taste
• Oil, for deep frying

For the sauce:

(specifying measurements to give an idea of proportion, adjust to taste and/or qty needed accordingly)

Option A - Chinese Style

• Garlic, 2-3 cloves, finely chopped,
• Fresh Green Chillies, finely chopped,1-2 (remove seeds if you want)
• Spring Onions/Scallions, white and green portion separated and finely chopped, 2-3
• Dark Soy Sauce, ½ tsp
• Vinegar, 1 tsp
• Chinese 5 Spice powder, ¼  tsp
• Oil, 1 tbsp

Option B- Indian Style

• Mustard Seeds, ½ tsp
• Curry leaves, 7-8
• Garlic, 2-3 cloves, finely chopped,
• Shallots, finely chopped, 1-2
• Fresh Green Chillies, finely chopped,1-2 (remove seeds if you want)
• Vinegar, 1 tsp
• Oil, 1 tbsp

Instructions:

Heat sufficient oil in a kadhai/wok/pan to deep fry.

Dust the lotus stem slices with cornflour, salt and pepper.

Deep-fry in hot oil in batches till golden and crisp. Drain on absorbent paper and keep aside.

Option A- Chinese Style

Heat 1 tbsp oil in the wok/pan over a high heat.

Add garlic, green chillies and finely chopped white portion of the spring onions to the wok and fry for a couple of minutes till garlic starts to go crisp golden.

Lower the heat and add soy sauce, vinegar, Chinese 5 spice powder and finely chopped green portion of the spring onions. Stir together for about 15 seconds.

Add the fried lotus stems and toss everything together gently.

Switch off the heat and done!

Option A- Indian Style

Heat 1 tbsp oil in the wok/pan over a high heat.

Add mustard seeds to the wok.

Once the mustard seeds start spluttering, add in the curry leaves, garlic, green chillies, and finely chopped shallots to the wok.

Fry for a couple of minutes till garlic starts to go crisp golden and shallots take on some colour.

Add vinegar and fried lotus stems and toss everything together gently.

Switch off the heat and done!

Notes:

• ALWAYS…and I can’t insist enough…ALWAYS fry double the quantity of what you think you would need for the final dish. These things are magical (and super addictive)…they magically start disappearing right after deep frying!

• If knife skills are an issue- slice them a little thicker- closer to ¼ inch thick and blanch in hot water for a 3-4 minutes, strain, pat dry and then dust with cornflour before deep frying.

• Lotus stems discolour after chopping very quickly. Chop as close to frying time as possible. You can also chop them and soak them in cold water and vinegar solution to avoid the discolouration. Pat dry thoroughly before dusting with cornflour.

Easy Sausage and Bean Casserole...Spring is here!!

Easy Sausage and Bean Casserole...it is officially Spring...the Sun has started showing up at least once a week…Blossom trees and Magnolias are everywhere (seen my Instagram?)…the days are warming up…but the nights are still chilly enough around my neck of the woods and perfect for this no fuss hearty meal…actually, to be honest except for probably thirty days in a year Casseroles always seem like a good idea here! J
 

Easy Sausage and Bean Casserole

Ingredients:

• Good Quality Pork Sausages, any kind you like, 6-8
• Rindless Streaky Bacon, 4-6 rashers
• Onion, finely sliced, 1 large
• Garlic, finely chopped, 2-3 cloves
• Potato, peeled and quartered, 1 large
• Carrots, peeled and each carrot cut into 4-5 even pieces, 2
• Chopped Tomatoes, 1 X 400 gm can
• Chicken Stock, 400 ml
• Butter beans, 1 X 400 gm can (*refer to notes)
• Kidney beans in Chilli Sauce, 1 x 400 gm can (*refer to notes)
• Fresh Rosemary or Fresh Thyme, 2-3 sprigs
• Smoked Paprika, 1 tsp
• Chilli powder or Chilli Flakes, ½ tsp (optional)
• Bayleaves, 1-2
• Worcestershire Sauce, 1 tbsp (optional)
• Brown Sugar, 1 tsp (you can skip if you want but it helps to cut down on acidity from the tomatoes)
• Salt, to taste
• Pepper, to taste
• Oil, 1 tbsp

Instructions:

Prick the sausages all over with a fork so that they don’t split open as they cook.

Heat the oil in a heavy bottomed casserole and fry the sausages for about 10 minutes, turning often, until nicely browned all over. Remove the sausages from the pan and set aside.

Add the chopped bacon pieces to the casserole and fry till they begin to brown and crisp. Remove and add to the sausages.

Add the chopped onion to the casserole (there should be enough oil in the casserole from the sausages and bacon) and cook over a low heat for 5-10 minutes, until the onions soften.

Add the garlic and fresh rosemary/thyme sprigs and cook for a couple of more minutes until the onions start turning golden brown at the edges.

Add the smoked paprika, chilli powder, chopped potatoes and carrots and stir everything well so that the vegetables are well coated with the oil.

Stir in the tomatoes, stock, Worcestershire sauce, sugar and the bay leaves and bring to a simmer.

Return the sausages and bacon to the casserole.

Cover the casserole and continue to cook on low heat on the stove till the potatoes are cooked through or move to a preheated 180C oven for around 40 minutes or so till the potatoes are cooked through. ( I find the oven easier – I don’t need to check or stir)

Drain the butter beans and rinse them in a sieve under cold running water.

Stir the drained butter beans and kidney beans in chilli sauce into the casserole, and cook uncovered for another 15 minutes or so until the sauce thickens and beans are warmed through.

Season to taste with salt and pepper and serve with rice or crusty bread or just some greens.

Notes:

• Use any beans of your choice.

• If using regular canned beans instead of canned beans in Chilli Sauce you would need to additionally add 1 tbsp tomato puree, ½ tsp cumin powder, ¼ tsp paprika, ¼ tsp chilli powder, ½ tsp mixed dried herbs, 100 ml water or stock per can to the casserole (add all this along with canned tomatoes, stock etc)

• Depending on what you are in the mood for and availability, feel free to play around with any permutations and combinations:

1. Skip the bacon.
2. Skip potatoes and carrots and instead serve with mash and greens.
3. Add chunks of coloured peppers after frying the onions.
4. Add thinly sliced wedges of fennel bulb.
5. Sub potatoes with sweet potatoes.
6. Use only 1 can of beans or completely skip the beans.
7. Stir in chopped fresh spinach or frozen spinach along with the beans.
8. Add about 100 ml wine (red or white) after frying the veggies and reduce the stock amount to 300 ml.
9. Skip Worcestershire Sauce and add a tbsp of Balsamic Vinegar.
10. Top with herb spiked fresh breadcrumbs and grill for a couple of minutes till breadcrumbs are golden crisp before serving.

Honey Chilli Lotus Stems...housekeeping 2017!

Honey Chilli Lotus Stems…housekeeping since this is an old post that needed a better picture and a separate post of its own…there is absolutely no other reason for me to put that dreaded H word right up there where it can just sit and stare at me and then guilt me into doing some actual work around the house instead of doing what I do best…relax and breathe!!

Honey Chilli Lotus Stems

Ingredients:

• Lotus Stems, washed & peeled, cut into 1/8 inch thin slices, 300 gms
• Cornflour/ Corn Starch, to dust, 1-2 tbsp
• Salt & Pepper to taste
• Oil, for deep frying
• Spring Onions and/or Roasted Sesame seeds, to garnish

For the sauce: 

(specifying measurements to give an idea of proportion, adjust to taste and/or qty needed accordingly)

• Garlic, 3 cloves, finely chopped,
• Honey,1 tbsp
• Tomato Ketchup, 3 tbsp
• Dark Soy Sauce, 1 tsp
• Vinegar. 1 tsp
• Dried Red Chillies, roughly chopped into 3-4 pieces each, 2-3 (remove seeds if you want)
• Oil, 1 tbsp

Instructions:

Heat sufficient oil in a kadhai/wok/pan to deep fry. 

Dust the lotus stem slices with cornflour, salt and pepper. 

Deep-fry in hot oil in batches till golden and crisp. Drain on absorbent paper and keep aside.

Heat 1 tbsp oil in the wok/pan over a high heat. 

Add the red chillies and chopped garlic. 

Once the garlic is fragrant, lower the heat. Add honey, ketchup and soy and let the sauces cook for few seconds. 

Add the fried lotus stem to the sauce and toss to coat. 

Sprinkle vinegar, mix and switch off the heat. 

Garnish with spring onions and/or roasted sesame seeds. Serve piping hot!

Notes:

• ALWAYS…and I can’t insist enough…ALWAYS fry double the quantity of what you think you would need for the final dish. These things are magical (and super addictive)…they magically start disappearing right after deep frying!

• If knife skills are an issue- slice them a little thicker- closer to ¼ inch thick and blanch in hot water for a 3-4 minutes, strain, pat dry and then dust with cornflour  before deep frying.

• They discolour after chopping very quickly. Chop as close to frying time as possible. You can also chop them and soak them in cold water and vinegar solution to avoid the discolouration. Pat dry thoroughly before dusting with cornflour.

Malai Paneer...Punjabi Dairy!!

Malai Paneer…brings back such fond memories…while growing up all those tantrums to avoid veggies almost always led to something or the other being made with either doodh or malai or both and the Punjabi genes in me were kept loved, happy, smiling…and fat! J

P. S. The chillies in the picture are just to add some colour; this is not a spicy/hot dish (unless you want it to be!)

P.P.S The Paneer index is now up.

Malai Paneer

Ingredients:

• Paneer,/ Indian Cottage Cheese, 250 gms
• Milk, ½ cup
• Onion, cubed, 1 medium
• Green Bell pepper, cubed,  ½  large
• Cumin seeds, ½ tsp
• Turmeric powder, ¼ tsp
• Kasoori Methi/Dried Fenugreek leaves, ½ tsp
• Crushed Black pepper, to taste
• Salt, to taste
• Malai or  Clotted cream or Devonshire Cream or Double cream, ¼ - ½ cup  (written down in order of preference, use whichever is available to you)
• Oil, 1 tbsp
• Fresh Chillies , finely sliced,1-2 (optional)

Instructions:

Warm the milk slightly in a small pan and switch off the heat. 

Cut the paneer into small cubes and let it soak in the warm milk for about 15 minutes

Heat oil in a heavy bottom pan and add cumin seeds. When the seeds start cracking add the fresh chillies, onions and green bell peppers

Sauté till onions start going soft. Add turmeric, kasoori methi, salt and pepper. Sauté for about 5 seconds to cook the spices.

Add the cubed paneer and toss around a couple of times so that the spices coat the paneer well.

Lower the heat and add the milk in which paneer was kept soaking.

Let it all cook together till the milk is reduced to almost less than half.

If using Malai or Clotted cream or Devonshire cream – lightly whip with a fork before using.

Add malai and stir to mix well on low heat for only a couple of minutes just to warm it up. 

Switch off the heat and done!

Goes best on its own with plain paranthas but is also good served as a side dish with any Indian meal.

Punjabi Besan Aloo...never say never!!

Punjabi Besan Aloo (Gram flour coated potatoes)…from someone who hated almost every kind of aloo with a few exceptions – I could never stand the look, the taste, the smell…to someone who has now added a separate Potato Index in the blog, Boy oh Boy, I sure have come a long long way! They do say never say never…well, now I know! Hmm...who knows maybe one day, I will actually also end up eating the aloo in the samosa as well  J ...the recipe below is one of the few exceptions that I have always loved and I promise you, if you try, so will you!

Punjabi Besan Aloo (Gram flour coated potatoes)

Ingredients:

• Potatoes, 500 gms
• Besan/ Chickpea Flour/Gram Flour, 4 heaped tablespoons
• Amchur/Dried mango powder, ¾ tsp
• Heeng/Asafoetida, ¼ tsp
• Jeera/Cumin seeds, ½ tsp
• Kalonji/ Nigella/ Onion seeds ½ tsp
• Methre/Methi seeds/ Fenugreek seeds, ¼ tsp
• Coriander powder, 3 tsp
• Saunf/Fennel seeds powder, ½ tsp
• Turmeric powder, ½ tsp
• Kashmiri Red chilli powder 1 tsp (for colour)
• Red chilli powder ½ tsp (for heat)
• Salt, to taste
• Oil, 2-3 tbsp (Typically made in Mustard oil, but you can use any oil of your choice)
• Fresh chillies, 2-3 
• Fresh Coriander leaves, to garnish

Instructions:

Boil potatoes, cool and peel.  Cut the potatoes into big cubes and if using baby potatoes just halve them.

Heat a flat heavy bottom pan on low heat and dry roast the besan till it changes colour to fairly light golden brown. Do constantly keep on stirring – it goes from the perfect colour to burnt in seconds.

Remove the besan from the pan into a bowl. Mix amchur into the besan and keep aside.

In the same pan, now heat the oil on low heat. Add the asafoetida, cumin seeds, fenugreek seeds and onion seeds.

Once the cumin seeds start spluttering, add the all dry spice powders – coriander powder, fennel powder, turmeric powder, both the chilli powders and salt. Sauté for 10 to 15 seconds on low heat.

Add the roasted besan (mixed with amchur, kept aside earlier) and mix well with the spices.

Add the cubed boiled potatoes. 

Mix and stir well to ensure all the spice powders and besan coats the potatoes well. (don't skimp on the oil, you need that 2-3 tbsp oil to get the coating right)

Sauté on medium heat for about 10 minutes till the potatoes start crisping up on the sides and besan is complexly cooked.

Add the fresh chillies; increase the heat to high and further sauté for a couple of minutes.

Serve hot or at room temperature with paranthas or dal and rice.