Brussels Sprouts Curry

I love brussels sprouts. Not only do they look cute but they taste lovely in this awesome curry. I picked some up during my trip to Ooty, fresh from one of the freshest markets in the world that I know.

Ingredients (serves 3):

1. 125g brussels sprouts - about 15
2. potato - 15 cubes of similar size as the brussels sprouts - this will ensure even cooking
3. 2 tbsp masoor dal - washe and kept aside to soak
4. 1/4 cup fresh coconut
5. 1 tsp coriander powder
6. 4 whole red chillies - adjust as per spiciness desired
7. 4 cloves of garlic
8. 1 inch of ginger
9. 5+5 small onions
10. 1 small sized red onion - chopped
11. 1 medium to large sized tomato chopped
12. 1/2 tsp red chilli powder - may not be needed as per spiciness desired
13. 1/2 tsp turmeric powder
14. 1/2 tsp mustard seeds
15. 1 spring curry leaves
16. 1 tbsp oil
17. 1 cup water
18. Salt to taste
19. coriander leaves for garnish

How I made it :

1. Grind together the coconut, garlic, ginger, whole red chilly, coriander powder and 5 small onions. Add a little water to bring it all together. 
2. Remove the outer dirty layers of the brussels sprouts. Halve them. Place in salted water until ready to cook. This will help get any worms out.
3. In a pressure cooker, heat oil.
4. Put in mustard seeds. Let them splutter.
5. Add the curry leaves followed by chopped onion and the remaining 5 whole small onions.
6. When the onion turns pink, add the ground paste from 1.
7. Fry till fat separates or the mixture moves as one mass without sticking to bottom of cooker.
8. Add chopped tomates. Fry on low for 5 minutes.
9. Add potatoes. Add 1/4 cup water and allow to cook for another 5 minutes on low.
10. Now, add the masoor dal and remaining water. Add turmeric powder. Boil away for 5 minutes.
11. Adjust salt. Add the brussels sprouts. Add red chilli powder if required.
12. Cover and give one whistle on high and one on low. 
13. Garnish with chopped coriander leaves and serve with rice. 

Chocolate Almond Tart

I was trying to make a cake and while the cake was baking, I made the frosting. Unfortunately, the cake did not cook and so I had the frosting stored away in a box. I had to do something with it. I then tried to make cookies and that sparked this idea.

For tart filling :

1. 2 ounces cooking chocolate
2. 2 tablespoon rum
3. 5 to 6 tablespoon unsalted butter

For the tart (adapted from here): 

1. 2 tablespoon unsalted butter
2. 1/8 cup sugar
3. 3/4 tablespoon brown sugar
4. 1/8 teaspoon salt
5. 1/8 tsp baking powder
6. 1/8 tsp vanilla extract
7. 1/8 tsp instant coffee powder
8. 1/8 cup maid
9. 1/4 cup cocoa powder
10. 1 egg yolk

Topping :

1. Chopped toasted almonds
2. Whole almonds - about 20

How to make it :

Tart filling : 

1. On 50% micro power, melt the chocolate minute by minute, mixing in between. Don't do it on high and ensure that the bowl is completely void of any water droplet or else the chocolate could seize.
2. Add in the butter and rum. Mix to form smooth mixture.

Tart :

1. Preheat oven at 200 degree C.
2. Mix together the butter, sugar, brown sugar, salt, baking powder, instant coffee powder and vanilla extract until well combined.
3. Mix in the egg yolk and beat well.
4. Add the flour and cocoa all at once. Mix well. A beater will be very helpful here to get the mixture evenly distributed.
5. Combine to form a smooth dough. 
6. Roll out the dough to a round shape bigger than the size of the tart pan.
7. Carefully place this over the tart pan. Push into the corners. Cut out extras. Using the rolling pin is helpful in getting the rolled out dough into the tart pan. Roll the dough over the rolling pin and then unroll over the tart pan.
8. Since there is not much baking powder, we can bake without the weight on the top.
9. Bake in the oven for 15 minutes.
10. Once out and cooled. Pour in tart filling.
11. Garnish with almonds. Serve chilled.

This reminded me of the chocolate rum balls that we used to get at Sugar Daddy in Ooty.

Homemade bounty bars

Inspired by my friends, here is the recipe for home made bounty bars. Hubby being a mallu loves Bounty due to the coconut filling inside. I too love bounty and thus, this sure was a super hit.

Ingredients (Makes 18 bite sized bounty squares): 

1. 1 cup + 1/4 cup grated fresh coconut
2. 1/3 cup milkmaid
3. 1/4 cup icing sugar
4. 1/4 tsp vanilla essence/powder
5. 1tbsp honey
6. 5oz cooking chocolate

How I made it :

1. Grate and keep coconut aside.
2. In microwave safe bowl, mix the milkmaid, icing sugar, vanilla essence and honey.
3. Heat in microwave on 50% power for 1 minute. Mix well.
4. Repeat step 3, until you see the mixture turning colour, basically caramelizing. This is called Maillard reaction. This was the first time I was trying this in my microwave and so I was extra careful and this kind of affected the taste of the bounty filling. Basically this mixture should turn golden brown and be sticky like caramel.
5. Once you get that, mix in the coconut. Keep in the fridge for 10 minutes.
6. Shape into squares. Keep in fridge to firm up over night.
7. Melt chocolate in double boiler. I usually use the microwave. Put into a micro safe bowl and heat at 50% power for 1 minute. Mix. Repeat if needed until chocolate has melted. This can not be done at 100% power cause the chocolate can seize if overheated. Also, ensure that the bowl is free of any water else that too could cause your chocolate to seize.
8. Get the coconut bars out of the frige. Drop into melted chocolate. Use a fork to turn them around and fish them out and lay out baking paper to firm up and the chocolate layer to set.
9. Bounty bars are ready to pop in.

Eggless Chocolate Banana cup cakes with Pomegranate

I got home today, thinking about the enthusiasm of my friends who travel with me to work. They have immense energy and always manage to try something new after work. And I went, why could I not show more zeal. They were planning to make cup cakes and I said, why should I not do so too. So, I quickly found this recipe to use up the pomegranates that we'd bought during our grocery shopping and decided that it was what I was going to make. I made an eggless version using banana puree instead of the egg and I quartered all the ingredients as I did not want to make 24!!! I also had half a coconut with which I thought I would make bounty bars - this again inspired by the same friends. Posting that recipe soon.

Ingredients (for 6 cupcakes) : 

1. 1/4 + 1/8 cup flour
2. 1/4 cup cocoa powder
3. 1/8 tsp vanilla powder or essence
4. 1/8 tsp baking soda
5. 1/4 + 1/8 tsp baking powder
6. 1/8 tsp salt
7. 1/4 cup sugar
8. 1/4 cup milk
9. 1/8 cup oil
10. 1 medium banana - ripe
11. 1/4 cup pomegranate seeds
12. 1/8 cup boiling hot water

How I made it :

1. Preheat oven to 190 degree C.
2. Blend the banana, milk and oil in a mixie jar and keep aside.
3. Sift the flour, baking powder, baking soda and cocoa powder.
4. Add the salt and vanilla essence to the flour.
5. Add the sugar followed by the blended mixture of step 1.
6. Add boiling water. Mix well into smooth mixture.
7. Throw in the pomegranate seeds.
8. Line muffin tins with liners.
9. Pour in mixture upto 3/4th level
10. Bake at 190 degree C for 25 minutes.

These were amazing. The flavour of chocolate and banana with the bite of pomegranate here and there. Loved them and they were gone in hours.