A slice of my B'de cake baked by T... :)

About a month back, T had this bizarre thought of baking me a cake for my B'day... this coming from a guy who'd once asked me if he had to make noodles in a tawa or kadai!! :O He was being adorable by wanting to bake a cake.. but then, i HAD 2 supervise - else he had planned on using rice powder & was going by 'a little of this' & so on!!
He made the Choco Mocha cake, but used brown sugar instead of white & since the batter was sitting outside the oven for about 45min(thanks to the once-in-a-bluemoon power failure which chose this day!), when the cake was half-way done, we poured in about half a cup of soda(carbonated water) over it. The result - a deliciously yummmmy goooooey cake! :)
Since T came home real late & still insisted on baking the cake, i ended up cutting into a warm cake - first time ever on my B'de!!! :) He was so ecstatic about 'his' cake & the grin still remains! :)
Cakez over, though! :D

Kalakand... :)

I was oooohhh soooooo happy with the way this turned out & the recipe is a sure-shot one & EASY too! We like to munch on stuff that is not overly sweet...& now that we make it at home, we get to decide the sweetness of the Kalakand.. :D
You need:
milk 2 litres
citric acid crystals 1/2 tsp, dissolved in 3 tbsp of warm water
sugar 1/2 cup - i used a little lesser
sweetened condensed milk 3 tbsp - i used milkmaid **see pointers
ghee(clarified butter) 2 tsp + 1 tsp for greasing the plate
Optional, but would be a great add...
Finely chopped nuts - i used a handful each of almonds & cashew nuts pounded with a mortar & pestle
good quality silver sheets (vark) for garnishing

How to:
Boil 1 litre milk and add the citric acid solution, simmering and stirring lightly till the milk curdles(forms paneer). Sieve this and let it rest for about 15min in the sieve till all the water drains out.
Meanwhile, boil the remaining 1 litre milk in a wide-mouthed wok and stir lightly occasionally till it reduces by half. Now add the drained paneer and stir continuously till the mixture thickens. Add the finely chopped nuts and the sugar, followed by the condensed milk. Allow it to cook and reduce further ensuring you stir to avoid burning.
You will know that it is ready when the mixture comes together to form a mound. Now add 2tsp of ghee and stir well, cooking for about 2 to 5 min. Transfer this into a well greased plate and allow it to cool. Garnish with silver sheets and cut into squares of oodles of goodness!!... :)
Pointers:
>> Feel free to add more sugar in this recipe if you so desire.
>> Adding sweetened condensed milk is optional. I like adding them since they lend a cream-ish color & taste. You might as well replace the same with sugar.
>> You could use 2tsp vinegar or juice of half a lime if you don't have citric acid crystals.
Source: Adapted from my stack of newspaper-cut-recipes Deccan Chronicle.

Peanut Brittle... Chikki - with crushed peanuts...

T LUUUUUUvvvs chikkis in any form... since he was working this Sunday & we couldn't go out to buy some, i planned on making a few to replenish the dwindling stack.. Had made some chikkis(peanut brittle) earlier, so this time, thought i'd use coarsely pound peanuts. T was reeling off chikki ideas & totally veto-ed buying them.. ;) More with sesame seeds & dessicated coconut will follow... :)
You need:
peanuts 1 cup - coarsely ground
sugar 3/4 cup - i used white
clarified butter(ghee) 2 tsp + extra for greasing the plates

How to:
In a wok, heat the sugar with about 2tbsp water till all the crystals dissolve. In a few seconds, it will take on a brownish hue & start to caramelize. Stir, making sure that it does not burn. Add in the crushed peanuts & stir well. To this, stir in 2tsp of ghee.
Transfer this onto a well greased plate and mark lines halfway through - as in chocolate bars. Now let them cool - the brittle hardens during cooling. Pop them out of the plate once cooled & break along the indent. Store in air tight containers.
Pointers:
>> I toasted the peanuts & used a mixer to pulse through them.
>> Found it easier to work with granulated sugar rather than powdered sugar while making these.
>> Ensure that you don't skip greasing the plates.
>> Caramelize a wee bit more for a different taste & darker shade.
EnJoY!! :)

Pork - Coorg style! :)

Usually served with kadumbutt or otti, this is a favorite dish among Coorgs! :)

@ Sausalito, CA...

This quaint village by the bay is one of the prettiest & most enchanting places that just makes you feel wooooowww!!! :) The place is dotted with bright flowers in pots all around, cozy caffes & oodles of joyyy!!!! This was where we met the supposedly guitar playing dog.. :D The owner did the singing & was a rather colorful character... i just found them on YouTube too! :D This place is a dream! :) Clicks by V... :)

Spinach (Palak) Parathas...

While making the dough, I used sautéed spinach. The spinach had been sautéed with cumin seeds, a pinch of turmeric powder, finely chopped onions & green chillies with salt to taste. If you are in a hurry, you could just chop the spinach finely & add it to the dough with seasoning.

Shahi tukda...with a twist :)

I had some rabdi leftover from the batch i made for some carrot halwa. In a corner, some bread slices looked lonely...so put them together ;) Since we had been high on sugar throughout the week, decided to cut some here. It still tasted real good & T polished off most of it by the time i started on my share. :)
The twist:
Slice off the edges of the bread, brushing them lightly with ghee(clarified butter) & sugar. Toast this till the sugar is caramelized & the toast has some crunch.
Cut each slice in half or 4 pieces and arrange alternating with toast,rabdi, crushed nuts till all the slices are used. Top with rabdi & nuts. Chill in the refrigerator for about an hour(if you can put up with the waiting - worth it ;)..tastes better if you let it rest. Yummmmmmm! :)