Banana Nut Bread

Banana Nut Bread introduced to me by the United States of America most probably in the form of a muffin and then as a slice of bread (or cake?). Many a times this has worked as breakfast accompanied with coffee. Not sure if there would be anybody who would not like it unless they have some sort of aversion to banana. So today was the day for me to experiment on banana bread - from scratch. After the one sided World Cup final - there was not enough reason to watch it - so why not bake.

Went through a few recipes on the internet - each having it's own slight variation. Eventually arrived upon a mix and match of options from here and there. Nothing like the power of convenience. :-) So here it comes...

Ingredients

1) Banana (Ripe) - (enough to make about a 1.5 cups of mashed banana)
2) Nuts (I used a mix a walnuts and pecans) - 1.5 cups

3) All purpose flour (Maida) - 1 & 3/4 cups
4) Butter - 150 gms (Melted and cooled)
5) Sugar - 1 cup
6) Vanilla Essence - 1 tea spoon
7) Baking soda - 1 tea spoon
8) Baking powder - 1 tea spoon
9) Eggs - 2
10) Cinnamon powder - 1 tea spoon


Method

1) Pre-heat oven to 150 Deg C

2) Chop the nuts roughly.
3) Mix sugar, butter and vanilla essence using an electric mixer for about 10 minutes.
4) Add the egg and beat the mix for a few minutes.
5) Add all the remaining dry ingredients and give it a good stir with the electric mixer and finally with a wooden spoon.
6) Transfer the contents to a baking pan covered with baking paper. Garnish with some nuts.
7) Bake it in the pre-heated oven for about 80 minutes

Note: Check about every 5 to 10 minute after the 50th minute with a toothpick. If it's not cooked well you could see the mix sticking to the toothpick.
8) Remove the dish from the oven and cool it for about 10 minutes.

Banana nut cake done.


Happy Baking!!

C

Banana Nut Bread

Sweet Corn Chicken Soup

Sweet corn chicken soup - one of those soups that gives a meaning to "Chicken Soup for the Soul". It has all the goodness in it to bring your spirits up - especially on a gloomy cold night. After tomato soup this would have been one of my earliest memories of soup consumption - especially in a restaurant. There's something about the smell, the texture, the consistency and of course the flavour. So without much further ado - here's how to prepare sweet corn chicken soup - restaurant style - at home.

Ingredients

1. Sweet corn - fresher the better. If not a frozen packet would do just fine. (2 cups)
2. Chicken - Boneless - either thigh or breast pieces - thinly sliced or cubed
3. Chicken stock - either store bought or stock made out of boiling chicken with bones for about an hour.
4. Vinegar - 1 tablespoon
5. Garlic - minced (1 tablespoon)
6. Corn Flour - 50 gms
7. Eggs - 2 (beaten)
8. Milk - 1/2 cup
9. Sesame oil - few tablespoons
10. Spring onions (for garnish)

Method

1. Take about 3/4th - 1 cup of the sweet corn and pulse it to create a rough / chunky mixture.
2. In a large sauce pan or wok heat the sesame oil and saute the chicken and garlic for a few minutes. Saute until the pinkness is vanished in the chicken.
3. Add the vinegar and give it quick toss.
4. Add the sweet corn (whole and the chunky mixture) and saute for a few minutes.
5. Add the chicken stock and milk and bring it to a boil.
6. While the chicken stock is boiling, create a corn flour slurry by mixing water to the corn flour - about 1/4 cup.
7. Once the stock has come to a boil add the corn flour slurry and let the soup thicken up for a few minutes. I like my soups thick - so if the consistency is not thick enough for you, prepare more corn flour slurry and add it to the soup.
8. Once the soup is thick enough pour the beaten eggs in a circular fashion around the soup and stir it around in ONE direction with a fork. This should create the "egg flower" - which BTW is also another name for this soup in Chinese restaurants.
9. Simmer the soup for 2-3 minutes.
10. Serve hot with a garnish of spring onions.

Note: Some people like to have this with a bit of chilli vinegar mixed for a bit of a tangy and spicy flavour. If you would like it - just chop of a few green chillies in a few tablespoons of vinegar before you start this process.

Restaurant style - Indo Chinese - Sweet Corn Chicken soup ready!!

Happy Cooking!!

C

Chewy Crunchy and Fudgy Chocolate Brownies

Can anyone not like chocolate? Especially when heaps of the cocoa goodness is mixed with egg, butter and sugar - that's simply an irresistible combination. Thanks to the likes of Max Brenners and Oliver Browns we've been exposed to some good variety of chocolate fudges and brownies. Thanks to the school holidays kids and I - this time it was just the boys who wanted to experiment some brownies at home. While researching I realized there were 2 schools of brownies - the fudgy and the cakey. I thought why not introduce a 3rd school which lies somewhere in between and also crunchy as well. So without further ado, here comes the recipe.

Ingredients

1. Chocolate chips - 225 gms
2. Butter - 170 gms (3/4 cups)
3. Brown Sugar - 250 gms (1 1/4 cups) (I used brown sugar for the extra moistness / fudginess - you can use normal sugar too)
4. Eggs - 2
5. All purpose flour (Maida) - 95 gms (1/2 cup)
6. Cocoa powder / Hot Chocolate - 30 gms (1/2 cup)
7. Vanilla essence - 2 teaspoons
8. Salt - 1 teaspoon
9. Walnuts and pecans - 1/2 cup

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 180 deg C (or 350 deg F) - slightly less if it is fan forced
2. Boil water in a medium sized sauce pan.
3. Place a ceramic bowl on top of the boiling plan and melt the butter and half of the chocolate chips.
4. Once well mixed and melted keep aside and mix the sugar and vanilla essence in. Keep stirring until the sugar is all mixed up.
5. Leave the mixture to cool down for about 10-15 minutes.
6. Mix the eggs one at a time - not beating / mixing it too hard. The key here is not to overmix.
7. Sift the flour, cocoa powder and salt and fold it in slowly into the chocolate mixture.
8. Mix the remaining chocolate chips, walnuts and pecans and fold it in. Do not mix it too hard.
9. Line a baking tray (preferably square) with baking/parchment paper and transfer the batter into the parchment paper.
10. Bake for 20-25 minutes - as always using your nose as an indicator. Stop baking when you can insert a tooth pick and it comes out fairly clean.
11. Let it cool for at least 1-2 hours.
12. Use a sharp knife to slice it nice and thick squares (or rectangles).
13. Chewy crunchy and fudgy chocoloate brownies are now ready to be devoured.

Enjoy Baking!!

C

Pad Kee Mao - Thai Chilli Basil Noodles aka Drunken Noodles

Pad Kee Mao also known as Chilli Basil Noodles and also known as Drunken Noodles is a huge family favourite for us. I don't remember the first restaurant where I started relishing it - but has been on our orders during pretty much every visit to a Thai restaurant. No - there is no alcohol involved in the "drunken" noodle. The legend goes that some drunkard stumbled across this dish by accident and became very popular later on. Another story goes like Thai people made this after a night of hard partying. Of course definitely a great dish that could go very well with a nice cold beer. The best part of this dish is the aroma. This was the first recipe when I came to know that basil - thulasi (or tulsi) can be used in cooking. In fact you need what they call as Thai Basil or Holy Basil. Do not try this with the Italian basil - it's not going to be the same. Vegetarians - you can try making this with just the veggie ingredients but it's never going to be the same.

Ingredients

1. Flat rice noodles - the fresh variety from an asian store - 500 gms
2. Thai Holy Basil - you will need about a cup since you will need this during different stages of cooking.
3. Garlic - 1 bulb
4. Thai Bird's Eye Red Chilli - 8 - 10
5. Shallots - thinly sliced - 1/3 cup
6. Veggies - Sliced carrots, beans, some leafy vegetable
7. Green pepper corn - 3-4 twigs
8. Thinly sliced galanga - 2 table spoons
9. Protein - I used prawns this time. One can use any thinly sliced meat or tofu.
10. Fish sauce - 1 table spoon (got to be careful with this one) - Vegetarians feel free to skip. 
11. Sugar - 2 tea spoons
12. Dark Soya sauce - 2 table spoons
13. Oyster sauce - 2 table spoon
14. Any vegetable oil - 3-4 table spoons

Method

1. Create a sauce mix with fish sauce, oyster sauce, soya sauce and sugar.
2. Marinade the meat with a few tablespoons of sauce.
3. Prepare the noodles as per the packet instructions. Some may need a blanch in boiling water.
4. Pound the garlic and red chillies roughly.
5. If not done already keep your vegetables sliced and ready. Once the process starts then there's no stopping. :)
6. In a large wok heat a few table spoons of oil and saute the garlic-chilli mix.
7. Add the shallots, galanga slices and the pepper corn twigs and saute for a minute.
8. Add the prawns (or any meat) and saute until about 75% cooked.
9. Add the stems of leafy vegetable, beans and carrots and saute for a minute.
10. Add the remaining sauce and mix well.
11. Add the noodles and mix well.
12. Add the basil leaves and toss it around for about a minute.

Happy Cooking!!

C

Schezwan Chilli Chicken

Schezwan or should I say Sichuan cuisine is known for it's spiciness thanks to extreme climate of the Sichuan province in China. As with many other Indo-chinese adaptations here's my version of Schezwan Chilli Chicken made using home made schezwan sauce. It's a great appetizer / entree that has a slight amount of sauce in it. 

Ingredients

1. Diced chicken - 500 gms - I normally use chicken with bones for this one.
2. Schezwan sauce - 3-4 table spoons. Something you can keep adding later if you want to increase the "heat".
3. Finely diced red onion - 1
4. Dried red chillies - 10-15
5. Egg - 1
6. Corn flour - 2 table spoons
7. Vinegar - 2 table spoons
8. Sugar - 1 teaspoon
9. Tomato sauce - 1 table spoon
10. Spring onions - for garnish

Method

1. Marinade the chicken with egg, a table spoon of schezwan sauce and corn flour. Let it marinade for at least 30 minutes.
2. In a large wok - heat a few table spoons of vegetable oil.
3. Add half of the minced onions and saute for a few minutes.
4. Add the schezwan sauce and the red chillies and saute for a few minutes.
5. Add the vinegar and sugar and mix it up.
6. Add the marinaded chicken and cook for about 15-20 minutes.
7. Add the remaining onions and saute for a few minutes.
8. Finally add the tomato sauce and mix it up well.
9. Garnish with spring onions and serve.

Enjoy!!

C

Prik Gaeng Ped - Thai Red Curry Paste

Add caption

Prik Gaeng Ped aka Thai Red Curry paste is a great condiment to have at home to make yummy Thai curries. A word of caution - once you have tasted home made curry paste you may not quite like the curry from your favourite Thai restaurant. There's not many ingredients involved but you will need to have a bit of patience if you want to do it the right way. But hey if you are after tasty food...who's looking at the clock. :)

Ingredients

1. Red Chillies (Dried or Birds eye) - about 20 chillies 
2. Lemon Grass - just the bottom white section finely chopped - 4-5 stalks
3. Coriander stems - 15-20 stems finely diced
4. Kaffir Lime leaves - 1/2 cup - ensure the middle stalk is removed
5. Galanga - 200 gms - remove the skin and dice it up
6. Garlic - 1 bulb
7. Coriander seeds - 1 table spoon
8. Cumin seeds - 1 table spoon
9. Black Pepper seeds - 1 table spoon

The Method

1. Soak the dry red chillies in hot water for about 30 minutes. Once soaked  remove the seeds and stalks from the chillies. Make sure you wear gloves for this step.
2. Now comes the best part - just pound all of the ingredients in a mortar. This might take a good 30-40 minutes. You absolutely need this since the galanga and kaffir leaves need a good pounding before it gets to the next step.
3. Once you have made a coarse paste blend it to a smooth paste in a blender with water used sparingly. 
4. Once blended heat a wide sauce pan and pour about 1/4 cup of vegetable oil and sautee the blended paste for about 20-30 minutes with a teaspoon of salt until the paste is cooked and oil separates.
5. You can refrigerate / freeze this paste once it has cooled down to room temperature. The last time I made it this lasted for a few months.

Enjoy!!

C

Chilli Chicken - Indo Chinese Style

Since the time I left India there is always a craving for good Indo Chinese food. Unfortunately there have not been many restaurants that fitted the bill. I ended up re-creating those dishes I was missing. Chilli chicken is definitely one of those. This can be made in a different ways - dry, semi-dry or with a bit of sauce. I like this as a starter and hence made the dry version. This is a great starter to go along with the drink of your choice or as a side dish for noodles or fried rice. So without further ado...

Ingredients

1. Boneless chicken - 500 gms
2. Eggs - 2
3. Corn flour - 1.5 cups (add more as needed to get the required batter consistency)
4. Maida / Plain Flour - 1/2 cup
5. Red chilli powder - 1 tea spoon
6. Onions - 1 - cut in cubes
7. Green chillies - about a dozen depending on your spice appetite
8. Vinegar - 2 table spoons
9. Garlic - minced - 2 table spoons
10. Ginger - grated - 1 tea spoon
11. Sugar - 1/2 tea spoon
12. Dark soy sauce - 1 table spoon
13. Capsicum - 2 diced in cubes
14. Vegetable oil
15. Salt - to taste

Method

1. Dice the chicken breast in small slices. It is important to cut / slice it thin and diagonally. DO NOT chop it in cubes. Idea is to make it cook fairly quickly or a flash fry.
2. In a large bowl mix 2 eggs, corn flour, plain flour, red chilli powder and some salt. 
3. Create a thick paste and add water slowly and create a smooth but thick batter. If too watery add little amounts of corn flour to make it thick.
4. Marinate the cut chicken in the batter until you get done with other chopping / preparation tasks.
5. Chop up the onions in small cubes.
6. Slit the green chillies.
7. Mince the garlic in small pieces.
8. Grate about 2 inches or so of ginger to get about 1 tea spoon of grated ginger.
9. Dice the capsicums.
10. In a large hot wok fill about 1 cup of oil and heat it up. Test the heat by dropping a small piece of batter and it should pop up immediately.
11. Fry the chicken pieces in batches and keep aside.
12. Once done transfer the oil into a separate bowl, wipe it with a towel and heat it again.
13. Pour a few table spoons of the oil.
14. Once hot add the garlic, chillies and onions and saute for about 2 minutes.
15. Add vinegar and sugar (to balance the pungentness of vinegar) and toss it up.
16. Add the deep fried chicken pieces with the soy sauce and toss it up.
17. Add salt to taste.
18. Add the capsicums and toss it well.
19. Make a corn flour slurry with a tea spoon of corn flour and few table spoons of water.
20. Add the slurry and toss well for about a minute.
21. If you want more sauce add about a cup of water and bit more of corn flour slurry and let it boil until a thick sauce is prepared.

Enjoy!!

C