PRAWN BALCHAO

Prawn Balchao 

Ingredients

2 Medium Sized Cups of Prawns

Balchao Masala

To be ground to paste in Vinegar

24 Kashmiri Chillies
1 Inch Piece Ginger
6 Flakes Garlic
1 and 1/2 Teaspoon Jeera
1/2 Teaspoon Haldi Powder
A Small Ball of Tamarind
Vinegar around 200ml

For Frying

4 Medium Onions cut fine
1/2 Inch Ginger cut into Jullians
6 Flakes of Garlic cut fine
2 Green Chillies 
2 Sprigs of Curry leaves
300 to 500 ml of Oil depending on storage

Put all the masala ingredients in the blender.

They needed to be blended in vinegar so add around 200ml and blend the ingredients in vinegar.

Clean and keep the prawns ready while your masalas getting done.

Once your prawns are cleaned, saute them for a while.

stir fry the prawns

Chop the second set of ingredients, onions, ginger and garlic.

Your prawns should be fried by now, keep them aside till they cool off and become easy to handle.

Put some oil into the pan and add the curry leaves - fry the curry leaves

Add the juliennes of ginger and stir fry with the curry leaves.

Then add the garlic pieces are continue frying

When slightly brown add the onions and continue keep frying!

Chop your prawns into pieces this is if you have large or medium size prawns. You want the masala flavour to get into it.

Mince the prawns into pieces

Once onions are nice and brown, add the balchao masala to the ingredients and let it fry as well.

Now add the chopped pieces of prawn to the masala.

Mix the prawn balchao ingredients in the masala till its spread evenly.

Split and cut into pieces two green chillies or more if you want your prawn balchao extra spicy.

Add the green chilly to the prawn balchao and your done. If you are going to consume the balchao immediately you can use less oil during the steps.

If you plan on preserving it for a long time add more oil, you need to make sure once you bottle it, there should be oil floating above the contents for it to be well preserved.

Valentine's Day Cake

St. Valentine's Day began as a liturgical celebration of one or more early Christian saints named Valentinus. Several martyrdom stories were invented for the various Valentines that belonged to February 14, and added to later martyrologies. A popular hagiographical account of Saint Valentine of Rome states that he was imprisoned for performing weddings for soldiers who were forbidden to marry and for ministering to Christians, who were persecuted under the Roman Empire. According to legend, during his imprisonment, he healed the daughter of his jailer, Asterius. An embellishment to this story states that before his execution he wrote her a letter signed "Your Valentine" as a farewell. Today, Saint Valentine's Day is an official feast day

Valentine's Day calls for a heart shaped cake as it represents love, care, friendship anything connected with the Heart.

Chocolate Chiffon Cake: 

Chocolate Chiffon Cake

3 large eggs, separated

1 large egg white

1 cup (200 grams) granulated white sugar, divided

2/3 cup (85 grams) all purpose flour

1/3 cup plus 1 tablespoon (40 grams) unsweetened cocoa powder

1 1/4 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/8 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup (120 ml) safflower, canola, or corn oil

1/3 cup (80 ml) water

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar

Ganache:

8 ounces (227 grams) semisweet or bittersweet chocolate, cut into small pieces

3/4 cup (180 ml) heavy whipping cream

2 tablespoons (28 grams) unsalted butter

1 tablespoons cognac or brandy (optional)

Decoration:

Golden Sprinkles

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (177 degrees C) and place rack in center of oven.  Butter and flour an 9-inch heart-shaped cake pan (with 2 inch (5 cm) sides).

Separate the eggs, placing the whites in one bowl and the yolks in another.  To the whites, add the extra egg white and then cover both bowls with plastic wrap.  Bring them to room temperature (about 30 minutes) before using.

Meanwhile sift together 2/3 cup (130 grams) granulated white sugar, flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.  Set aside.

In a liquid measuring cup, whisk together the oil, water, and vanilla extract.

In your electric mixer beat the egg yolks for a minute or two on high speed.  Turn the mixer on low speed and slowly pour the oil mixture into the egg yolks until very well combined.  Gradually add the flour mixture and beat until well incorporated.

In a separate mixing bowl, with the whisk attachment, beat the egg whites until foamy.  Add the cream of tartar and continue to beat until soft peaks form.  Gradually beat in the remaining 1/3 cup (65 grams) of sugar and beat until stiff peaks form.  With a large rubber spatula or wire whisk, gently fold the egg whites into the batter just until blended (being careful not to deflate the batter).

Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for about 35 to 45 minutes, or until a wooden skewer inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean.  (When lightly pressed the cake will spring back).  Cool on a wire rack.  To remove the cake from the pan, run a sharp knife around the inside of the pan to loosen the cake.  Invert onto a wire rack.

For the Ganache:  Place the chopped chocolate in a medium sized stainless steel bowl.  Set aside.  Heat the cream and butter in a small saucepan over medium heat.  Bring just to a boil.  Immediately pour the boiling cream over the chocolate and allow to stand for a few minutes so the chocolate melts.  Gently stir with a whisk until smooth.  Add the liqueur, if using.

To Cover the Cake with the Ganache:  Put the cake on a wire rack that is placed over a baking sheet.   In this way if the ganache drips it will end up on the baking sheet, which makes clean up easier.  Pour the ganache onto the center of the cake and, with a large spatula, spread the ganache over the top of the cake, using big strokes to push the ganache over the sides of the cake, to create an even coating of ganache.   If there are any bare spots on sides of the cake, cover with some of the ganache that has accumulated on the baking sheet. 

Gently transfer the cake to your serving platter and place the cake in the refrigerator until serving time.   Cover the top of the cake with red Fondant.  Place golden sprinkles on the edge of the cake to decorate.  I added some sugar flowers that I had to decorate my cake.

Recipe courtesy : Joy of Baking

KHEEMA PAV

Kheema pav is a minced meat recipe that is popular in the streets of Mumbai. Kheema Pav is Mumbai's favorite breakfast dish. It's hot, it's spicy and gets over in most restaurants by 9 am. One of the earliest references to kheema comes from the book of a Mughal emperor Akbar mentioned in his Akbarnama.

A typical board in a Irani Restaurant in Mumbai

KHEEMA PAV – MUMBAI STYLE

The Ingredients

Mutton mince (keema) – 500 grams
Green cardamoms  – 3-4
Black cardamom – 1
Cloves – 3-4
Cinnamon 2 inch stick
Bay leaves – 2
Onions finely chopped- 3-4
Ginger Garlic Paste – 2 tsp
Tomatoes – 3 finely chopped

Tomatoes Pureed- 2

Green Chillies finely chopped – 4-5
Red chilli powder -  1 1/2 teaspoons
Cumin powder – 1 teaspoon
Coriander powder – 1 tablespoon
Garam masala powder – 1 teaspoon
Fresh coriander leaves
Oil
Salt to taste
Lots of Butter
Pav (Bread)

Method

Heat oil in a thick-bottomed pan

Add green and black cardamoms, cloves, cinnamon and bay leaves.

Add your onions and ginger garlic paste in next.

Saute the onions very well, till they turn brown, don’t burn them though.

Next, pop in your finely chopped tomatoes and some fresh coriander.

Add all your masalas in next except the garam masala.

Sauté the entire mixture very well.

Let this mixture cook through till the oil separates along the walls of the kadhai.

Add the kheema in next and give the whole mixture one very good mix.

Fry the kheema  in the masala paste on high heat, till it is very well covered in the masala

Add the tomato puree in next with half a cup of water and cover the kadhai for 20 minutes or till the kheema is cooked through.

Add the salt and the finely chopped green chillies.

Cook the kheema uncovered till your kheema is dry.

Add the garam masala next.

Few dollops of butter go in next to take your kheema to a different level altogether

Garnish the kheema with fresh coriander and serve with pav fried in butter.

Heavenly !

KHEEMA ...Mumbai Restaurant Style