Posted by: Malini on: February 8, 2010
There is no chocolate cake better than my mothers! I would love to share that recipe with you but after having watched her make it countless times, I conclude that she has no recipe, she follows no science and that cake cannot be repeated by any other human hands!!
So moving on……. I’m sharing with you a chocolate cake that is a close second to hers. This one luckily has a recipe and has an unlikely ingredient in it. Adding Beetroot to the cake makes it really moist and healthy too.
CHOCOLATE BEETROOT CAKE
Serves 8-10
Ingredients
2 cups fresh cooked beetroot mashed
2 ½ cups plain flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 teaspoons salt
½ cup cocoa
2 cups white sugar
1 ½ cups vegetable oil
4 large eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla essence
METHOD:
Posted by: Malini on: February 1, 2010
I belong to a wonderful local CSA where I get all kinds of organic vegetables all through the fall and winter months. Since I get only seasonal vegetables through the CSA, I often have to be inventive with how I can make my kids eat those veggies over and over again. I was really thrilled with this recipe that I threw together last week. The recipe is based on a superb recipe for a tuna fish pie that my mother makes ( which Ill blog very soon).
This dish can be made with just veggies or you can add tuna fish to if you would like. I made it with Tuna and my kids loved it.
KALE AND CARROT TUNA CASSEROLE
Serves 6 people
Ingredients:
3 medium-sized carrots peeled and shredded
2 cups of finely chopped kale
1 packet of wide egg noodles or curly pasta cooked according to directions.
5-6 red or white potatoes boiled
1/4 cup milk
2 cans of tuna fish
1 stalk of celery chopped fine
1 small onion chopped fine
5 tablespoons of mayonnaise
2 cups of grated cheese ( I used a four cheese mix – you can use any cheese that melts well)
3 tablespoons of olive oil
METHOD:
Pasta/ Wide Egg Noodles
Veggies:
Potatoes:
Tuna Fish: ( vegetarians can skip this step)
Putting it all together:
Posted by: Malini on: January 25, 2010
I’ll never forget my 5 year old nephew, Shiv’s reaction to this Batman Cake that I made for him last summer. He saw the cake and looked at me with his big brown eyes and said, ” This is exactly the cake that I had thought of making for my birthday in my house in Delhi!!”
So cute – oh boy, I sure am thrilled that I got it right!!!
Ingredients:
One 9X13 rectangular sheet cake (made from your favorite recipe)
3 cups of white frosting (made from your favorite recipe)
Batman themed confetti (available at any party store)
A few rectangular pieces of thick cardboard or plastic sheets in varied sizes to make buildings (as shown in picture)
A Batman candle and a 5 candle
A Batman on a motorbike small plastic toy ( you can use anything you have)
Some yellow tissue paper
2 thin wooden skewers
METHOD:
Posted by: Malini on: January 18, 2010
Here is another yummy version of a pomelo salad. This is the one that Varong’s Aunty Pen taught me in Bangkok. It’s a little different from the Chivasom’s Pomelo Salad recipe but is equally delicious.
Serves 4
Ingredients:
1 cup shredded cooked chicken
2 cups pomelo
½ cup finely sliced shallots or red onion
2 tablespoons of fried garlic
¼ cup chopped cashew nuts, peanuts or almonds
4-5 teaspoons of minced roasted coconut (optional)
3-4 Fried whole red chilies
5 tablespoons of fried shallots
Ingredients for salad dressing:
3 tablespoons of Thai chili paste
7 tablespoons of limejuice
3 tablespoons of fish sauce
1 tablespoons of palm sugar
METHOD:
Posted by: Malini on: January 11, 2010
Posted by: Malini on: January 3, 2010
This is a really healthy, quick spaghetti dish that can be cooked up in minutes. I always keep imitation crab meat in my freezer. It adds a really nice flavor to this dish. You can substitute the shredded carrots and corn for any other vegetables that you have on hand.

Spaghetti with Shredded Carrots, Corn & Imitation Crab Meat (pollock)
1 package spaghetti or angel hair pasta – cooked according to directions
10 -12 sticks of imitation crab meat
6-7 clove of garlic chopped
3 cups of frozen corn
2 cup of shredded carrots
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Salt & pepper to taste
METHOD


Posted by: Malini on: December 28, 2009
Ground Chicken with Basil is one of my all time favorite Thai dishes. I love it extra spicy!!!! I could not believe how easy it was when Aunty Pen showed me how to make it in Thailand. You can put any kind of vegetables you like in the chicken with basil. She used bamboo shoots….I used onions and green beans when I made it! Both taste great. Here is the recipe I learned.
Chicken with Basil
Serves 4
Ingredients:
4 chilies peppers ( red, yellow, green – the slightly bigger ones that are less spicy)
10 cloves of garlic
2-3 sliced Thai chilies (optional – depending on how spicy you want to make it)
1 pound of ground chicken
1 sliced onion
1 cup green beans/ any veggie you choose
2 teaspoons of fish sauce
1 onion sliced thin
½ teaspoon dark soya sauce
1-teaspoon palm sugar
1-cup Thai basil
METHOD:
Posted by: Malini on: December 21, 2009
While I was in Thailand, our friend Varong set up a cooking lesson for me with his Aunty Pen who is a phenomenal cook. Her real name is ML Tidapen Kridakara ( ML stands for Royal blood…so according to Varong……Ive been taught the secrets of the Royal Thai recipes!!) Needless to say, I was floored by her food! She taught me everything from salad to soup to all my favorite Thai dishes. It was truly a gastronomical adventure!!
This salad is unbelievable. I’ve never tasted anything quite like it. It is made with something called Winged Beans. I was delighted to find that in the local Thai markets in Queens – they actually sell winged beans!! You could substitute it with asparagus or green beans but wait till you try the real thing!
Winged Bean Salad with Chicken & Shrimp
Serves 4
Ingredients:
10 winged beans (you can substitute this with asparagus or green beans)
1 cup ground cooked minced chicken
1 cup cooked shrimp (steamed)
¼ cup chopped cashew nuts, peanuts or almonds
4-5 teaspoons of minced roasted coconut (optional) – I just bought shredded dried coconut and roasted it in a pan
3-4 Fried whole red chilies
4 tablespoons of fried shalots
4 tablespoons of coconut milk
Ingredients for salad dressing:
3 tablespoons of Thai chili paste (You can buy this at any Asian store – Maeseri is a good brand – you get chilli paste with soybean which is good)
7 tablespoons of lime juice
3 tablespoons of fish sauce
1 tablespoons of palm sugar
METHOD:
Posted by: Malini on: December 14, 2009
Besan ka puda is essentially a very thin, chick pea flour pancake. It’s not sweet like a traditional pancake but is a really yummy breakfast food. It is one of my kids favorite breakfasts when they are visiting their grandparents in India. This is a very typical food in Punjabi homes and can be eaten with spicy pickles, any kind of chutneys or even ketchup.

Besan ka Puda
Ingredients:
2 cups chick pea flour
One onion finely chopped
1/2 – 3/4 cup water ( the batter should be not too thick)
¾ teaspoon cilantro
½ cup cilantro finely chopped
½ teaspoon turmeric powder (haldi)
Salt & chili powder to taste
METHOD:





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