Wednesday, March 23, 2011

Aloo Tiki and Chickpeas


Okay, so I tried this recipe a while ago and it was so YUM! So I'm sharing it with you. I can't find the website I got it from. But there are heaps of different versions of it anyway, so you guys can look it up.


Underneath, I have also posted photos of the process.


The first time I made this, it was much redder and sweeter. I think that's because I used fresh tomatoes rather than canned tomatoes. So the quality of your ingredients is really important if you want a much stronger and sweeter taste.

Aloo TikkiIngredients:
1/4 kg potatoes boiled and grated
1/4 cup of boiled and mashed green peas
2 slices white bread toasted a bit and made into a coarse powder (bread crumbs)
2-3 green chillies finely chopped
1″ ginger grated
3 tbsps of chopped fresh coriander leaves finely chopped
salt to taste
1/4 tsp garam masala
1/4 tsp chaat masala (optional)
1 tsp roasted cumin pwd
1/2 tbsp lemon juice
ghee/oil for shallow frying


METHOD:
Boil potatoes and cool them before grating them.Add the rest of the ingredients except the ghee and mix well.Roll into lemon sized balls and flatten them and shape into cutlets or round burger shaped patties and flatten them a bit.
Heat 1 tbsp ghee on a griddle and add 3 to 4 tikkis at a time and let them cook on slow fire till a crisp golden color crust is formed on both the sides.Remove on absorbent paper and serve with chole & a squeeze of lemon.

CHHOLE (Punjabi chickpeas)Ingredients:
2 cans Garbanzo beans also called Chick Peas
2 large Onions, chopped finely
4 large Tomatoes, chopped finely OR 1 cup of canned tomatoes can be used instead
2 teaspoons Ginger paste
2 teaspoons Garlic paste
2 Bay leaves
1 Star anise
2″ long Cinnamon stick
2 to 3 teaspoons Cumin powder
1 teaspoon Garam masala
Salt to taste
1 teaspoon Sugar
2 to 3 tablespoons Oil
3 table spoons fresh mint leaves, chopped finely
1/4th cup cilantro or coriander leaves, chopped finely

METHOD:

Heat the oil; add the bay leaves, star anise, cinnamon stick and the ginger and garlic paste. Sauté for a few minutes till light brown.

Add the onions and fry till brown. Add the tomatoes and sauté till the oil starts to separate.






Add the cumin powder, garam masala salt, sugar and mint leaves. Mix well.



























Add the garbanzo beans. Add 1/2 cup of hot water and cook for 5 to 8 minutes. Serve over Aloo tikkis with some finely chopped red onion, cilantro leaves & a squeeze of lemon.







Thursday, March 3, 2011

Chocolate Souffle - Results!

So I made the souffle this morning and I think it came out really well - considering it was my first try. My boyfriend helped me make it - which was really fun and nice of him to do. We had difficulty separating the whites from the yolks, but he got the the hang of it - I however did not... several accidents :P

On the whole, it was pretty simple and easy. I used 70% cocoa instead of 60% so it came out darker and a tad bitter - but tasty! And it came out a little bit more like a cake rather than light and fluffy - a really nice cake though. I even got it a little moist - YUM!

So yeh, next time I am going to try making a cheese souffle (maybe add some bacon bits).

Wednesday, March 2, 2011

Chocolate Souffle

Tomorrow I am going to attempt baking a chocolate souffle. I spent a while looking for recipes, but I think I found one that will turn out light and fluffy - not heavy like pudding.

Here is the recipe I will be following and I will tell you how it goes.


Easy Chocolate Soufflé Recipe – Ingredients

Serves 4
  • 100g (3.5 oz) good quality dark chocolate (I used Lindt Excellence 50% Cocoa solids)
  • 50g (1.75 oz) Golden Caster Sugar
  • 4 Egg Whites
  • 2 Egg Yolks
  • Butter
  • Single Cream, optional

Easy Chocolate Soufflé Recipe – Method

  1. Pre-heat your oven to 150 degrees c (300 degrees f), and rub the inside of 4 ramekins with butter.  Set to one side.
  2. Place your chocolate in a heat proof bowl over a pot of heating water.  This will allow your chocolate to melt without burning; stir it to help the process along.
  3. Whisk the egg whites in a bowl.  If you’re using an electric whisk (as I did) then start off slowly, speeding up once the eggs start to thicken.  Stop once the eggs form a glossy, thick mix which forms fairly stiff peaks (they do not wilt when you stop whisking).
  4. In a separate bowl, whisk the egg yolks together with the sugar until combined.
  5. By this time your chocolate should be melted; take it off the heat and drizzle slowly into your egg yolk mix, then stir in one spoon of your egg white.
  6. Add your egg whites spoon by spoon into your chocolate mix.  Fold until combined but do not stir fast or over-stir – this will beat the air out of the mix.
  7. Spoon into your ramekins and smooth the edges with your thumb (this helps them rise evenly).
  8. Put the ramekins straight onto your shelf for 25 minutes.  Don’t open while they’re cooking or they’ll collapse.
That’s it.  I copied a Gordon Ramsey tip and cut a hole in the top with my spoon and poured in single cream to serve; I recommend you do the same.


School results!

I had to do a 'viva voce' for my individual project for drama. I am doing a Director's Folio on Eugene Ionesco's Rhinoceros. I got 4.5/5 (90%) - which is awesome! Just a shame that it is only worth 5% of my total HSC - but I am still happy. It is certainly better than getting zero!

I got 16/20 for my English listening task on Belonging - OMG hate English class...

I am doing Mathematics 2 unit. We just recently had a test on Geometrical Applications of Calculus. I got 97% (lost one mark) - which is awesome! HUGE shame that it doesn't go towards my HSC (directly). But it's good to know that I am doing well. Just hope that I'll get marks like that in my exams :s

I'll think of something witty eventually - Do You Know God's Will?

I'm a follower on his blog, so I had a read and found this interesting. Have a look yourself:

http://cyborgcommando0.blogspot.com/2011/02/do-you-know-gods-will.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed:+IllThinkOfSomethingWittyEventually+(I'll+think+of+something+witty+eventually)