The not-really-classic chocolate cake

I was at it again this weekend. Any baking experiment of mine starts with the jitters, followed by reading and re-reading the recipe until I can recite it the way it is written even when I'm asleep. This time was no different; only the recipe was a book I bought off the pavement, intrigued to find it there. No name, no author, just a bunch of eggless cake recipes bound together and sold for fifty bucks.

I don't need a reason to bake, but this time Samit's teacher forbade him to carry 'bakery stuff' for his snack box, so I thought why not bake him something at home instead. I sifted the flour with cocoa and baking powder, I beat the butter, sugar and oil, folded in the flour and mixed in a handful of chocolate chips for good measure. 180 degrees centigrade, pre-heated oven and baking time of 30 min. Off it went into the oven.

The aroma was delicious, and I was soo looking forward to dig in. The cake came out looking crusty on top, much like its cousin, the brownie. On cooling, I used Nutella as icing and tossed some sprinkles on top. But the cake wasn't moist enough. Sinking my teeth in, I transitioned through a crunchy, chewy crust into a soft middle that was chocolatey and just sweet. But not that gooey, moist, chocolatey heaven that you experience while eating that classic chocolate cake.

So while I wonder if I faltered with the recipe, or if the unknown recipe itself is at fault, the cake's almost eaten up. So when Samit said, 'Its quite nice Amma, why don't you make it again and again till you get it right?', I'm getting ready to give it another go.

Carrot Cake from Ritu Dalmia's Traveling Diva

Savored pouring through Ritu Dalmia's cookbook Travelling Diva. Infact loved everything about it, including the cover (Ritu sitting on a white scooter with a red outfit and matching red shoes), the delish food shots and the personal, narrative style of writing. I pondered about which recipe to try out first, the chocolate orange pots, the hummus, the sabudana vada or the luscious looking carrot cake, and the pondering continued for over two weeks. So when fresh carrots, raisins and Sri Lankan cinnamon were giving me the 'cold' stare from the refrigerator, I decided that carrot cake it would be.

80 gms butter, 1 cup flour, 2 eggs, 1/2 tsp each of baking powder, baking soda and cinnamon powder, 1 1/4 cup sugar, 1/4 cup oil, 2 tbsp honey (not part of the original recipe), raisins and 1 cup grated carrot went into the heart-shaped baking pan and baked for 30 minutes in an oven pre-heated to 180 degrees centigrade.

The cake that came out looked was springy to touch with a darker crust that usual and i wondered if I had baked it a bit too much. But on cooling, it turned out to be a moist, dense and flavorful cake. Deep brown,  flecked with grated carrot and cinnamon, it brought back memories of a fantastic carrot cake I had eaten in a Christmas party long ago. Although the center was a bit sunk in, it thankfully didn't take away from the flavor of the cake.

Loved baking it as much as I enjoyed sharing it and eating it myself. Here's to more wonderful cooking escapades!

Honeyfab from Nutrine

 As it happens quite often with me, I got down from the auto near office this morning only to realize that I had no change to pay the autodriver. I hurried quickly to a tiny candy shack-shop nearby, pleading for change. The guy gave me all he had and for the remaining 5 bucks he smartly said 'No change, chocolate kodla?'. Hmmm ok, what should I buy for 5 bucks? Making a decision seemed harder that what I bargained for. I bought some mint, one chewing gum and then I spotted this candy that I hadn't eaten in years... 'Honeyfab' from Nutrine. It has a golden-yellow wrapper that is designed like a honey comb. The dusty glass jar of Honeyfab stood farthest in the row of sweet jars  and didn't seem to have many takers.

I hastily unwrapped the candy and popped it into my mouth, and memories of school came gushing back. The distinct honey and vanilla flavour comes right through and envelops you with a warm, sweet, summery feeling. Oh, I completely forgot! The center has a wacky orange syrup filling. Bitter, sour and sweet, the confection does a complete volte-face from the sweet, smooth experience it starts you off with. A face-off literally.

I enjoyed the sweet momet that probably lasted two minutes. But hey, that dusty glass jar in the corner of the sweet shop now has a taker!

Lunch at Café Terra

Breaking our day-long work-related discussions on a new project, my friend Shridevi and I decided to lunch at Café Terra, which is next door to NaVaRaSa, Shri’s entrepreneurial venture and an art and culture hub.
We started off with a lemon and coriander soup which is probably one of the tastiest soups I have savored in a long time. Lemony, peppery and clear except for the tiny chunks of paneer and finely chopped coriander dotting the soup bowl, it was extremely energizing, almost ambrosial. I’m a fan now, and would love to go back for this one.
Lunch was a mushroom and cheese sandwich made of brown bread. The bread was grilled and nicely buttered and the mushroom and cheese filling quite generous, only the portion a little small. I think I devoured it in no time! :-P
Shri ordered Hakka noodles which were nice, but in terms of taste the sandwich was way better. We rounded the meal with cold coffee as against the dessert, and I must say it was a wise choice. The tall glass with chilled coffee was creamy, just sweet and delicious.
Tucked away on one of the floors of a nondescript building, this little joint has quite a few fans I figure. I’m going back to try the Belgian breakfast (Shri recommends it) and I love the fact that you can order this any time of the day.
So Belgian Breakfast for lunch, it shall be!

April Summers and Heady Brews

April was adventurous in terms of sampling a variety of coffees and teas in and around Bangalore and Munnar. By the end of it I know, harsh winters or sultry summers, a cup of well-brewed coffee or tea entices you like none other.
My quick trip to the Mantri Square food court in Bangalore left me pretty disappointed. The counters were pretty much the same as elsewhere without any novelty. The only place that beckoned me was the cheery Hi!Chai outlet which prominently listed out its variety of teas on offer. I treated myself to a cup of piping hot tulsi chai and did a dekko of the mall with with cup in hand. The brew was refreshing-just enough milk, sugar and a heady brew of tea and tulsi all offering their flavours in perfect balance. It was the best part of the mall visit, especially on that day when the weather was perfect-gusty and windy with the skies threatened to tear open unleashing a torrent of rain.
Nelyani Gold from Kalmane Koffee was another new flavour I experimented with. But coffee with cardamom isn’t really my cup of umm coffee. The blend just didn’t seem to work for me. I love their plain filter coffee though; it’s probably the best in the city – full bodied flavour and a caffeine punch that works wonders!
Munnar was a discovery of a variety of tea brews and tastes. Sitting by the wayside ‘chaaya kada’ on the way to Munnar awakens your senses. You feel a sense of belonging with your surroundings and nothing worries you – all you want to do is soak up the soothing sunlight peeping out of thick, curly clouds and savouring tea that comes straight from the garden. The ginger tea served in glass tumblers was all spice and nice. Hot, sweet, satisfying and upping the happiness quotient exponentially.
The scary, nail-biting jeep drive to Kolukkumalai, one of the highest peaks leaves you with a sense of accomplishment. I firmly held on to the jeep railings until my fingers hurt, firming my grip further each time I looked down at the height we were at. The world’s highest organic tea garden, here the temperature suddenly drops and the chill in the air is surreal. All you see are mountain peaks swathed in green and acres of lush tea plantations covered in thick mist. A paper cup of organic tea is all you need to feel a sense of enhanced bliss. Just for a moment, when you sit by the pristine waters sipping the brew and grasping the full extent and exuberance of nature, you feel this is it. That sense of perfect happiness we clamour for all our lives.
The tea was delicious, never mind that it was tad sweeter than usual. Fresh and virgin, if you may say so and a pure taste that is hard to come by. I absolutely had to bring back some tea to savour a tiny part of that bliss, if nothing more. I’m sure the aroma of the cup of tea will bring those moments gushing back, those few moments of pure joy and happiness.

Good food but a bad, lazy pen!

The new year kick-started with a huge writer’s block and some memorable food experiences right at home! My trip to Cochin was errr…ummm… fattening. My mother-in-law loves pampering us with food, while I tuck in without a care. This time she taught me how to make TANG the right way. She whipped the juice in the mixer ensuring that the TANG, water and sugar indeed mix well. And as a refreshing twist, she added finely chopped apples and crushed mint before refrigerating the orange juice.
I think it was one of the best tasting juices I had in a long time. Do try it. Serve the orange juice in tall glasses, so you can see the cheery green mint and the cutesy tiny chopped apples floating on the surface. Gorgeous!
I also indulged my weakness for the ‘karela’ or bitter gourd. She deep fried them in oil and tossed it into a curry make of thick coconut base flavored with jeera, shallots, chillies and salt. If you love bitter gourd, you can’t stop eating this Karela-Kerala style! Shall post the recipe shortly!

Meanwhile, back in Bangalore, I hardly ventured beyond mall food courts in terms of eating out. So when I saw this picture of Café Mondo with an inviting sunny yellow exterior, I was tempted to pay them a visit. I dragged a reluctant husband and a food-happy baby to Café Mondo that is nestled on one of the nicer roads of Basavangudi.
The place is nice, with an old-world café charm that you usually associate with cafes abroad. No fluorescent, plasticky chairs nor an over dose of orange and green interiors. Muted colors, some interesting knick-knacks, trivia on coffee and cafes that you could read while waiting for your order and comfortable seating that puts you at ease – I liked it until now. We dropped in at lunch time, so we skipped the caffeine and tackled food instead. The menu is completely vegetarian, so I was more than happy to have the whole menu to pick from, not some measly 1/8th of a menu that you miss with the blink of an eye.

I ordered a pizza that had aubergine (brinjal), olives, zucchini, peppers and cheese sprinkled generously on it. The crust was crisp and thin and the pizza enjoyable, though I really thought the brinjal was quite the odd man in the mélange of veggies. Shinu chose a vegetable burger that was served with fries and salad. It would have been a nice and hearty burger, except that it was stone cold. Samit’s kiddie cheese sandwich was nice, extremely cheesy, and served with potato wafers. He seemed to enjoy it as well as the pizza I was eating.

We rounded off with a brandy flourless cake for dessert. It was nice, but would have tasted way better with ice cream (you can order it separately, but I like restaurants who give a small scoop of it by default without charging more---like Casa Piccola does). The meal was nice; I would definitely visit again to try the coffee. But for the prices, the portions are really small. In terms of portions, give me Casa Piccola any day!

Minty Nice Rice!

I love-to-hate harried mornings spent scurrying about the kitchen to get stuff done, but some of my best accidental discoveries happen then! Hmmm…..

My sweet mom packed some pudina (mint) chutney last week, and there was plenty left. I shoved it into the refrigerator, pretty certain that it will end up on my maid s plate the next day. The next morning was a rush of course, and I was unsure what to pack for lunch. Idlis for breakfast, but cold idlis for lunch….Not very nice.

Eureka, the idea just thwacked me on my head. I steamed some long-grained rice and kept it aside. I heated oil, waited until the mustard and jeera sputtered, threw in curry leaves and red chillies that hissed merrily in the hot oil. Then it was the turn of some finely chopped baby onions that cooked in the oil till it was nice and brown. Then went in the mint chutney (which had mint, coconut, salt and green chilles all roasted and blended) which mixed happily into the oil. As a final, to-please-myself touch, I broke lovely, large almonds and pista into bits and sent them packing into the oil. All cooked and ready – the mixture looked a lovely green.

I tossed in some salt and the steamed rice and deftly mixed it up till the chutney-oil mix coated the rice well. Tossed it some more so the grains of rice didn’t stick to one another before removing it from the heat....It turned out well, I must say, with the almond and pista adding different textures to the rice. I’m assuming that a papad and some raita would definitely pack in more punch.

The Oreo Cookie Cheesecake at Spiga

I love the all-new Spiga. Thumbs up to their stark white-black interiors, their gloriously intact menu and the absolutely, gloriously intact prices! Ok, I write this piece to strictly discuss what I ate—and what I ate from their vegetarian part of the menu. The Parmigiano was nice, with eggplant batter-fried and arranged on a bed of mashed potatoes, surrounded by penne and drizzled with white sauce and olive oil. Nice—would recommend it.

But I am so very, very pleased with the Oreo cookie cheesecake. I was pretty sure that it was going to be a frozen cookie crumb base with layers of cream cheese or chocolate or whatever, but this one is extremely different. The almost crumbly and powdery cookie base has a nice, not-too-thick chocolate sauce layer on top of it, with a layer of whipped cream coming right on top. A spoonful of chocolate is drizzled over it for a stunning looking dessert.

You can spoon away easily and gorge on it. It is a wonderful feeling. I don’t know about its calorie count, but I actually walked out feeling light….

…..It’s a week, and I am still as pleased.

Tuesday Trial

Woke up at 6.00 am this morning after a fierce debate between brain and body if I could afford another 15 min of shut eye…

My fridge is a sorry state of affairs during week-days, I just make do. Today, one tomato peeped through the chill refrigerator mist and wished me good morning. I had no clue what to do with it. Bleary eyed, I quickly prepared whole wheat dough, and kept it aside. I chopped an onion, real fine, and with it went the finely chopped tomato. I grated two cubes of flavored cheese, and mixed it up with the chopped onion and tomato. Tossed in oregano, salt and pepper powder and mixed well.

I rolled out the dough into thin chapathis, and spread one half with this veggie-cheese mix. I folded the other half over, so it formed a semi circle, with the filling inside. I patted it well, and sealed the edges with a bit of water. I patted these semi circles some more so they were nice and flattened—made about four of these.

I heated some oil on a tava and cooked the semicircle parathas till they were done well on both sides. Cut this into strips for Sam’s snack box, and left three of them for Shinu.
I sampled it hot in the morning, and thought they were decent. And they don’t take long too. Maybe next time grated carrots and beets too can go in. Maybe grated apple too, for an interesting twist. Shredded palak will go well with the cheese; I’m thinking…….and Shinu says shredded egg- so yeah, possibly that too.

Must shop for lots of veggies this evening…

There’s more to milky desserts Nigella!

It seems Nigella Lawson’s mother tore up crusty bread into bowls, sprinkled a heap of sugar onto the bread shreds, and finally poured boiling milk over it as a comforting bedtime treat. And Nigella on Chew (the show on Travel and Living) recreated the recipe before tucking her two kids and herself into bed (for Mamma Bear and Baby Bears she said).

Unfortunately for me, milk and bread reminds me of fever, of a tongue that can’t tell between chalk and cheese and the breath of painkillers.

Milk, however, is a sassy complement to a few South Indian desserts. Immediately, two of my favorites come to mind: Bele Obattu and Haal Obattu. There are others like Peni and Chiroti, but the former two get my vote!

The hot milk seeps into the soft sweetness of the Bele Obattu, and blends beautifully with the dal-jaggery-coconut-cardamom powder innards of this pancake. You don’t eat it, you savor it….mesmerized.

And the Haal Obattu is apparently a Mysore specialty. Here the milk is boiled with sugar, saffron and ground almond into a beverage called baadami haalu (almond milk) and poured boiling hot over freshly made puris. My grandma would make a hot, watery payasam made of almond, jaggery, coconut and poppy seeds (gasagase payasam) instead of the badaami haalu and it works as an absolutely super alternative! This is topped with toasted almonds for a stunning looking dessert, and devoured instantly. The soft-crunchy texture is so unique.

If Haal Obattu were a guy, I would have said ‘I do’.

Manage to catch hold of a Kannada Brahmin friend and sample this dessert in his/her home—it’s a foodie milestone.

Thoms’ Treats

Most weekdays are ‘Sandwiches for breakfast’ days. Sandwiches are easy to assemble, versatile (it perks me up 6-7 a.m.), and easy to eat while I’m on my way to office. And after I’ve discovered Thoms, all I want to do is try out sandwiches of all kinds.

For the ignorant, Thoms is this wonderful bakery near Frazer town(Phone:080-25301860; 080-25361076). I just can’t help sneaking away from office at lunch time for a quick shopping extravaganza. Walk in and the aroma of freshly baked breads drives you crazy!

Ok, I try to speak to the sales folks in Malayalam because:
1. They are all from Mallu land
2. I’m improving my own language skills…and,
2. I strike a chord with them instantly and therefore, I’d like to believe that I get the best loaf they’ve baked that day!

Their little tubs of chocolate cake are awesome tasting and so are their chocolate doughnuts. Oh, they have these little chocolate balls which are, out-of-this-world! I simply have no clue as to how they bake these, but I figured it is probably the cake crumbs mixed with chocolate sauce, molded into cute, lemon-sized balls, and liquid chocolate poured on top, for a lovely icing-like finish.

Back to the breads, my favorite is the huge bun-like brown bread which I slice into two, top one half with loads of veggies, cheese and jalapeno sauce, put the top back again and cut this into thick wedges.

I also love their multi-grain bread. Soft and chewy these loaves stay that way even on the third/fourth day, if you don’t manage to use it up. I usually make a sandwich spread with grated veggies, lots of boiled corn and an eggless mayonnaise and slather them on to thick slices of this bread. Delicious!

I haven’t tasted the ragi bread yet, but they were so soft to touch that I once sent them home to my mother-in-law who was experimenting with ragi foods those days. She was floored.

What I like is that they don’t slice the bread, which means you can tear them off and eat them if you are ravenous, or cut them into thick slices (I love my sandwiches this way.) And what I like even more is that they wrap it in brown paper, which is so charming. Simple tomato slices and cheese, grated cucumber in low-cal butter spread, shreds of omlette tossed with veggies (for Shinu), and slices of fruit wedged in with butter (for Samkuttan)…I experiment endlessly.

Am off to Thoms tomorrow for their brown bread, and yeah, while I’m there, will pop one of those chocolate balls if they have them ready by then. Pure Indulgence, that!

The cake that PLUMmeted!

Ruby-red, absolutely fresh-looking plums seem irresistible. And I succumbed to a boxful when I happened to visit Spencers last Saturday afternoon.
It was evident from Samit’s face that they were very sour, as the poor baby bit into the deceptively luscious-looking fruit. So I wondered what I could do with them. Bingo! I sent Shinu to buy some brandy, and soaked the chopped plums in a heady mixture of sugar and brandy.

I let it rest for 30 hours, before proceeding to bake a fresh, continental plum cake.

The flour was measured, the eggs weighed and the sugar creamed into the butter. I spread the batter on to the cake tin and topped the mix with a luscious layer of macerated plum.

The cake had risen beautifully: golden yellow with shiny heads of red, peeping in between the cake. I let it cool and cut them into squares. Only the taste was a bit disappointing. The plums had turned bitter-sour spoiling the taste of what would have been a very nice cake (I think).

Nevertheless….there was a bit left for cheer. The remnant brandy had flavors of plum nicely infused, with hints of sweetness from the sugar, and made a heady drink on a Sunday evening!!

Of Pumpkins and Parmesan

Surfing the television, I stumbled upon ‘The Naked Chef’, Jamie Oliver whipping up a hearty, gorgeous-looking, chunky pumpkin soup on an episode on Travel and Living.
He chopped up leeks, onions, garlic and fresh carrots and sautéed them in olive oil. And proceeded to dice sun-kissed pumpkins (that probably came straight from the green patch in the garden) into huge chunks. He then pressure-cooked the pumpkin with the other vegetables, and chicken stock (I guess veg-stock for the vegetarians) in a super-looking blue-black pressure cooker (I’ve never seen the kind in India).
As a final step, he blended the cooked mass into a sunny yellow-orange soup throwing in salt and pepper, to taste.

But what grabbed my eyeballs were the croutons he dished up….
Thick slices of ciabatta bread were laid on the chopping board and Parmesan cheese grated on it. He patted the cheese, so it stuck firmly to the bread and toasted these on a skillet. Gorgeous, sizzling, golden-brown slices that made a great pairing with the soup…

This early morning, I tried to recreate the Jamie Oliver magic by grating Britannia cheese cubes (the sour cream and onion flavor) on brown bread and toasted them the same way, for Samit’s snack box – it bombed…..The cheese almost immediately burned into a black layer of carbon that peeled away from the bread.

So while Samit had to stay content with buttered brown bread toast, I’m determined to buy Parmesan and give it another go. What fun!