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July 26, 2006
Carrot Cupcake Disaster!
I started making carrot cupcakes yesterday. Halfway throught the recipe I realised that it called for "oil" as one of the ingredients. The last time I made low-fat carrot cake, I had used oil. Come to think of it, most carrot cake/cupcake/bread recipes call for oil, must be a made for each other kind of thing. But it must have slipped my mind completely. See, the problem was that i was making the cupcakes for my son and I wanted to make something with butter in it. So with all the over-confidence of an avid baker, I went ahead and substituted oil with butter and added a dash of milk to retain the moistness [the batter was rather dry without the milk]. Ahhh Disaster!! you may think at this point ..... but no, i think the switch of ingredients was on the dot and things seemed fine. Then I made the mistake of using tacky patty-cups which I had bought from the supermarket, fooled by the glossy aluminium foil and truly believing in my heart that they were indeed strong to hold a dollop of batter and cook it to perfection. Sadly, that wasn't the case. And disaster struck!!
Once the cupcakes were in the oven and the batter started melting and cooking in their doomed cups, the cups lost shape and the batter started running everywhere. I physically hovered over the oven [if that is indeed possible] and willed the batter to cook fast enough and reach a semi-solid, spongy state so that it would stop running. My prayers were answered, eventually. The resulting cupcakes were delicious, although they looked like their own flat mushroom-topped cousins. Ah well, my son enjoyed them; what more can a mother ask!!
PS : Moral Of The Baking Story is - Always use strong cups for baking your sweets treats.
Posted by Gel at 3:46 PM | | Comments (0)
July 13, 2006
Seven Fruits & Vegetables a day keeps bad health away.
I read in the June 2006 issue of Australian Table magazine that Australians are recommended 7 serves of fruits and vegetables a day by National Health Council guidelines ... it was 5 serves a day when I used to live in Singapore and I am sure the numbers are similar in several other parts of the world .. the bottom line being that everyone has to make a conscious effort to sample at least 5-6 serves of fruits and vegetables everyday for optimum health.
I must say I am pretty bad at that and am implementing a lot of changes in our diet to make sure we eat healthier. Here are some helpful pointers on doing just that. This list is stuck on my fridge door and is a constant reminder of healthy eating choices I can make.
1. Grate vegetables into bolognese sauce, rissoles, hamburger patties and stews to win over reluctant begie eaters.
2. Pack the kid's lunch boxes with sticks of raw carrot and celery or small vegies such as sugar snap peas and cherry tomatoes. These make a great mid-morning snack option for adults as well.
3. Serve hot corn on the cob as a warming winter snack.
4. Fill hungry tummies with vegetable soup when they come from school, vary the vegetables everyday for more variety.
5. Use leftover vegetables for bubble and squeak and serve instead of mashed potato for a healthier side dish option.
6. If your kids won't eat fresh fruits at school, offer a plate of sliced apple, pear or rockmelon for dessert after dinner.
7. Bake fruit such as apples, pears, oranges or nectarines for a nutritious dessert.
8. Add a sliced banana with a sprinkling of cinnamon to your porridge.
9. Make vegetable sticks to dip into hummus, salsa or vegetable dips instead of chips or crackers.
10. For dinner, serve up large portions of non-starchy vegetables such as broccoli, mushrooms, brussel sprouts, carrots and asparagus.
11. Enjoy a colourful stir-fry, the more colourful the vegies, the more antioxidants will help your health.
12. Team your Sunday [and I quote a typical endearing Aussie term :)] "brekkie" eggs with tomatoes, mushrooms or greens. Or try an omelette with corn and zucchini.
13. Add extra salad to your sandwich. Add a variety of stuff everyday like roket, spinach, sprouts, cucumber, carrot or beetroot.
14. Have a mug of homemade vegetable soup with lunch instead of coffee.
I also think making vegetable based desserts is a huge plus .. like carrot and zucchini muffins topped with yoghurt, apple cake, ginger lamingtons, fresh fruit puddings and cobblers.
Posted by Gel at 7:26 PM | | Comments (0)
July 4, 2006
In search of a quick and sweet Indian treat.
"Gajar Ka Halwa" brings to mind little ornate steel bowls full of delicious, moist, beautifully textured carrot pudding garnished with slivered nuts and silver foil [varakh]. Hot ... Of course, fresh off the stove!!
The typical Halwa like the one Mum makes, takes anywhere between 2-6 hours simmering away on the stove. It takes constant stirring [so it doesn't stick to the bottom of the pot and burn], constant adjusting of consistency [adding more milk or cream, adding more sugar] and a lot of love. My mum always says that the longer you cook the halwa, the more sweet it becomes. Maybe it is just love after all ... the love of the person doing all the toiling away at the stove.
Thanks to modern technology [microwave] and a lot of laziness [me], I have conjured up my own version of the "Microwave Gajar Ka Halwa". It takes 20 minutes to cook and if you practice it enough number of times, it tastes as good as the lengthy procedure version, I swear!!
Microwave Gajar Ka Halwa
[Serves : 3/Preparation Time : 10 mins/Cooking Time: 20 mins]
Ingredients
1 kg carrots, grated fine
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup cream
3 tbsp milk powder
2 tbsp ghee
1/4 cup cashewnuts, coarsely chopped
1 tsp cardamoms, coarsely ground
1 tsp milk masala
Method
Spread out grated carrot in a shallow microwaveable dish. Cook uncovered on high for 5 minutes. Add all the remaining ingredients, mix well and cook uncovered on high for 12-15 minutes. the carrots should appear glossy and tender.
Serve hot with a dollop of vanilla ice cream.
Posted by Gel at 7:46 PM | | Comments (0)
July 3, 2006
Dum Da Dee Da .. I'm so rumbly in my tumbly!
Thanks to my firstborn who is now in the throes of his terrible twos, I have developed a very strong affection for everything Pooh. You would think that after watching the same old cartoons day in and day out, reading the same stories at bedtime and listening to the really funny songs an upteenth time a day, I would've had enough? Well, what can I say; Pooh and his gang have a rather warm and fuzzy appeal. And he is so right that Winnie The Pooh when he sings "Dum Da Dee Da .. I'm so rumbly in my tumbly!", coz that is exactly how I have been feeling smack in the middle of winter.
As I had mentioned a long time ago somewhere in this blog that I would review "The Pooh Cookbook" first and foremost when I started going through my massive stash of cookbooks, that is exactly what I did. It is a lovely book, makes a lovely read and I just love reading the little jingles and poems that don't rhyme and then those that do. The recipes are so out of the Hundred Acre Wood, full of childish glee and sleepover fun. I tried out one of the easy-peasy quick to make recipes over the weekend and all that are left a day later are crumbs [it wasn't all me, hubby dear helped polish off some of it too]. It was a recipe for Chocolate Peanut Squares and called for the addition of Chunky Peanut Butter. We kept it away from our son as we are unsure about the safety or dangers of peanuts at this age, but all in good time!
Posted by Gel at 8:05 PM | | Comments (0)
July 1, 2006
Lazy Saturday Lunch : Authentic Homestyle Chicken Curry.
You know it is a lazy weekend afternoon and that things are extremely relaxed when you are having lunch at 3:00pm. As long as that lunch is a full bodied, spicy chicken curry with fluffy, steamed white rice, I don't care what time it is that we are eating. If your chicken is thawed and ready to cook, this delicious family recipe is faster to put together than a standard sandwich. For glorious results always use a pressure cooker, if you don't have one, a simple saucepot will do the trick but will take an hour longer to cook.
Ingredients
For The Marinade
1 large chicken, cleaned and cut into medium sized pieces
2 tsp salt
1 tsp turmeric powder
1 tsp chilli powder
For The Curry
3 large onions, coarsely chopped
4 large tomatoes, chopped
8-10 cloves of garlic
1 inch piece of ginger
4 small green chillies
1 1/2 cup water
2 tsp coriander powder
2 tsp garam masala
a few sticks of cinnamon
3 bay leaves
1 tbsp oil
1 large potato, peeled and chopped
a handful of freshly chopped coriander leaves
Marinating
Rub salt, turmeric powder and chilli powder all over the chicken pieces. Cover and set aside for at least 30 minutes.
Making The Curry
Blend onions, tomatoes, green chillies, ginger and garlic in a blender. Heat oil in a pressure cooker. Add the cinnamon and bay leaves. When they start browning, add the blended puree. Stir in the coriander powder and garam masala. Additionally 2 tsp of " chicken masala " [optional] can be added too. Simmer uncovered on low heat for 15 minutes till the puree reaches a delicious, roasted hue. Add the marinated chiken pieces and potato. Check for salt, adjusting all spices and seasoning to taste.
Cover with the lid of the pressure cooker, whistle attached and pressure cook for 30 minutes on medium heat, allowing 7-9 whistles. Remove from heat, stand for 15 minutes. Garnish with fresh coriander leaves and serve hot with rice.
Posted by Gel at 6:02 PM | | Comments (0)
