This weekend we got to enjoy a cyclonic weather in Mauritius after such a long time!    Despite the cyclone warning class 2 issued on Saturday morning, I had lunch out with S after half day at work.  The evening was spent cooking some delicious spaghetti with homemade Marinara Sauce, which I enjoyed while watching the latest episodes of Greys Anatomy. 

Marinara (mariner’s) sauce is a southern Italian tomato sauce usually made with tomatoes, garlic, herbs (such as basil), and onion.  Traditional Italian cuisine utilizes this sauce to add flavor to pasta, rice, seafood and pizza.  A nice pile of spaghetti topped with homemade marinara sauce is definitely one of my favorite meals!  This recipe is fast and easy to prepare, and you can easily adapt it according to your taste.  I love mine with extra herbs and a lot more of chili flakes! 

INGREDIENTS :

• 1 1/2 tbs olive oil
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1 big onion
• 1/2 c tomato puree
• 1 cup chopped fresh tomatoes (6 – 7) or canned tomatoes
• 1 tsp dry basil
• 1/4 tsp sugar
• salt and pepper (to taste)
• 1 small carrot grated (optional)
• 1 – 2 tsp red chilli flakes
• 1 tbs chopped fresh parsley
• 1 tbs fresh mint leaves (optional)

METHOD :

• Blend the chopped fresh tomatoes with some water to obtain a paste.  Finely chop the onion and garlic.
• In a skillet over medium heat, sauté the onion and garlic in olive oil.  If using grated carrot, add it to the skillet and stir for few minutes more.
• Add the tomato puree, blended tomato paste to the pan along with the remaining ingredients.
• Add some water if needed and let the sauce simmer for about 10 minutes or till thickened to the desired consistency, stirring occasionally.  Adjust the salt, pepper and herbs according to your taste.
• If you like your sauce to be smooth, blend it once cooled.  The sauce can be prepared beforehand and stored in the fridge.

Spaghetti alla marinara

Boil your spaghetti (or pasta of your choice) in salted water until “al dente”.  Keep some of the marinara sauce (about 2/3) aside and add the cooked spaghetti to the pan.  Toss till well coated and place on the serving plate.  Top with the Marinara sauce and grated cheese.  Serve warm!  

I usually like to mix in my spaghetti with all the sauce and top it with lots of cheese.   Yummy!!  Bon appetit!

Hope it’s been a great start for you guys.  I’m glad to finally be able to get back to writing for my blog.  The last 3 weeks have been quite hectic for me.  I started my first ever job as an intern at Flacq Hospital as from 3rd Jan and I’m still trying to get used to the new routine after 1 year of unemployment.  My first posting is in the Obstetrics and Gynaecology department where I’ll be spending 20 weeks!   

The recipe for these delicious treats is adapted from here.  You can make the coconut truffles plain (as per the original recipe) or add a yummy white chocolate coating for an even more irresistible delish.

The use powdered milk in the coconut balls might seem unusual but it gives a unique flavor to them.  With half of the recipe I got around 40 small snowballs.

 Don’t these White Chocolate Coconut truffles remind you of something?  Hmmm…  The yummy Ferrero Rafaellos?!…  Believe me; they do taste very similar!    Even I wasn’t convinced until someone told me that the coconut balls are just like Rafaellos.  Hope you’ll give the recipe a try and leave your feedback!

INGREDIENTS :

• 100 ml water
• 125 g butter/margarine  (8 tbs)
• 200 g white sugar  (1 cup)
• 3 – 4 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 tsp coconut extract  (optional)
• 200 g coconut flour/dessicated coconut  (4 cups)
• 200 g powdered milk  (3 cups)
• 100 g hazelnuts/almonds, toasted and skinned (optional)

For chocolate coating :

• 300 – 400 g white chocolate

METHOD :

• Keep 1/4 – 1/3 of the coconut flour aside for coating (around 1 cup).
• Heat water, butter and sugar in a saucepan till it comes to a boil and sugar dissolves.  Simmer for a few minutes and then set aside to cool slightly.
• Add the vanilla and coconut extracts, milk powder and coconut flour.  (Start with 2 cups of coconut flour and then add more as needed)
• Mix well until there are no lumps.  The mixture will still be slightly sticky.
• Let it stand for a few minutes in the fridge.  (I did not find it necessary to refrigerate)
• Roll out small balls out of this mixture; placing 1 almond or hazelnut in the centre if desired.  (I did not add any)

For Plain Coconut Snowballs/Truffles :

• Roll the balls into the rest of the coconut flour till well coated and then refrigerate.

For White Chocolate Coconut Truffles :

• Keep the coconut balls refrigerated while you melt the white chocolate.  Break / cut the white chocolate into equal pieces and the melt in the microwave or on stovetop using double boiler.  (Make sure you check out my previous post if, like me, you don’t have much experience with melting chocolate!) 

• Using a fork or toothpick, dip and coat each coconut ball in the melted chocolate.  Place on a tray (lined with wax paper or lightly greased) and sprinkle with coconut flour before the chocolate sets.
• Once all the truffles are coated, refrigerate till the chocolate hardens and then gently remove from the tray.

One of the things that I miss from last year is my daily cooking adventures; which will be now limited to Sundays and public holidays (if I’m not On call!).  But I’ll surely keep on sharing my adventures and recipes with my readers.  I’ve been checking my blog regularly and I’m really glad that the site stats did not drop while I was away. 

I couldn’t stop thinking about the coconut truffle recipe I came across last night.  I’m pretty much sure I’ve been dreaming about this the whole night!  With all the coconut flour lying around at home, I had no choice but to give it a try today.  And the idea of dipping the coconut balls in white chocolate was irresistible. 

So, the coconut balls were ready, waiting in the fridge.  My baking tray was greased, the chocolate chopped finely.  I was quite confident about melting the chocolate even if it was my first try!  (The microwave manual said to cook it at half power for 3-5 minutes, stirring occasionally)

30 secs… still the same… 1 min… a little bit soft…  2 mins… not much change, but it’ll surely melt eventually… 3 mins…  What is that brown colour?!!   Uh oh… 

I really wasn’t expecting anything to go wrong.  The spoilt chocolate was kept aside (It still tasted yummy!) and I started rolling the truffles in coconut powder as mentioned in the original recipe.

Halfway in between, I decided to give it a second try with the remaining white chocolate I had.  This time I heated it very less in the microwave and stirred thoroughly over a bowl of hot water.  Voila!!  I had melted chocolate.    Even though it was a bit thick, I did not risk heating the chocolate more, and dipped the remaining truffles in that.

Don't they look awesome?

  I was able to salvage the first batch of chocolate by putting it back in the fridge.  It’s a bit grainy and browned but tastes pretty much the same.  Here’s a few tips about melting chocolate (which I wish I had read earlier!) :

Some useful articles :

• The art of melting chocolate
• How to fix common chocolate mistakes
• How to dip truffles in chocolate

If  like me you’re new to this, I strongly suggest that you read about the art of melting chocolate before attempting it.

1. The most important thing to remember is, “Low heat and Slow melt”.
2. Your chocolate should be chopped finely in almost equal sized pieces or use chocolate chips.
3. The bowl should be completely dry.  Even a few drops of water with seize the chocolate and result into clumps!
4. Do not overheat!  You have to be patient.
5. Stir thoroughly while melting the chocolate as it’ll hold its shape even when soft.  The only way to find out is by stirring.
6. Remove from heat before all the chocolate melts and keep stirring till smooth and even.
7. Melt at 50% power in microwave (450W).  Microwave at short intervals (15 – 30 secs for a small batch) and stir thoroughly in between.
8. To melt on stovetop, use a double boiler or place the bowl with chocolate over a pan with simmering water.  Water should not touch the bottom of the bowl above.  Keep the heat low and switch off if water bubbles too much.  Again, watch carefully and stir frequently.

I’ve written these mostly as a note to myself, so that I don’t fail to fail to melt my chocolate perfectly next time.  Any more tips and advice will be most welcome from you. 

Have a great night!… or day…  And check out the recipe for these White Chocolate And Coconut Snowballs/Truffles in my next post!

I started this post 2 days back but couldn’t get back to it until now.  I’m hoping to finish the writing and editing by tonight, so I’ll keep it short.

Here’s what you can bake if you want something different from your usual cookies for the holiday seasons.    These rich Cardamom Cookies are one of my favorites and will surely impress family and friends.  Recipe adapted from here.

INGREDIENTS :

• 1 cup flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 2 tsp ground cardamom  (adjust to taste)
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon  (optional)
• 1/8 tsp salt  (if using unsalted butter)
• 6 – 7 tbs softened butter  (room temperature)
• vanilla extract  (optional)
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup ground almonds

For decoration

• 2 tbs powdered sugar
• 3/4 tsp ground cardamom
• sliced almonds  (optional)

METHOD :

• Preheat oven to 180 degrees C.  Grease a baking sheet.
• If using whole almonds, grind them with about 1 tsp sugar to a powder.  I used whole almonds with their skin but you can blanch them if you want.
• Powder the sugar in your grinder.
• In a bowl, combine flour, baking powder, cardamom, cinnamon and salt.
• In a separate bowl, beat butter until creamy.  Add sugar and continue to beat until light and fluffy.   Add some vanilla extract if desired.
• Gradually beat in flour mixture and ground almonds.  Mix well to obtain a uniform cookie dough.  (I finished the mixing by hand)
• In a small bowl, stir together powdered sugar and cardamom.  Shape dough into small balls (or of desired size), and coat with the sugar-spice mixture. Place on baking sheet and flatten cookies with your palm or the bottom of a glass.
• Decorate with sliced almonds if desired.  I made designs on top with the back of a knife.
• Bake cookies for 12 – 14 minutes or until golden brown.
• Remove sheets to wire racks to cool for few minutes and then transfer cookies to wire racks to cool completely.

Enjoy your holidays with these delicious treats! 

I’ve been intending to bake gingerbread or gingersnaps for a while now but it kept getting postponed.  Well, there could be no better time than the holiday seasons to get some baking done. 

This time I used a brown sugar substitute for the molasses required in the recipe; which must be why my gingerbread cake is of a lighter shade of brown instead of dark brown colour.  I’ll make sure I use molasses next time since it also adds an essential component to the taste of Gingerbread Cake.  However, I’m very glad with my first attempt at this Classic Gingerbread Cake which was wonderfully moist and full of flavors. 

Recipe adapted from here.  I bet the chocolate version of this would amazing as well!

INGREDIENTS :

• 2 1/2 cups flour
• 1 tbs ground ginger
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/8 tsp ground cloves (optional)
• 1/8 tsp nutmeg (optional)
• 1 cup molasses
• 1/2 cup butter (8 tbs)
• 1 large egg
• 1/4 cup brown sugar (2 – 4 tbs)
• 1 cup milk / buttermilk / water (warm)
• 1 – 2 tsp vanila extract (optional)

Molasses substitute (1 cup) :  To 3/4 cup brown sugar, add 1/4 cup water.  Heat on stovetop or in microwave till sugar dissolves and becomes slightly thick.  Allow to cool and use as directed in the recipe.

METHOD :

• Preheat your oven to 350°F / 175°C.
• Mix flour, ginger, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, clove and nutmeg in a medium bowl. Set aside.

• Beat butter and sugar in a large bowl.  Add in the egg and then molasses and vanilla extract.  Beat till well blended.  (I used 1 tsp vanilla extract and 1 tsp caramel essence)
• Fold in the flour mixture alternating with warm water / buttermilk / milk until just mixed.  (I used buttermilk)

• Pour into a greased 9-inch cake pan.  Bake at 175°C for 40 – 45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.

• Cool in pan on wire rack for 10 minutes.  Invert cake onto wire rack to cool completely.

Serve the cake as such or add some frosting of your choice or simply dust with some icing sugar.  

This cake was definitely a hit considering that most of it was gone within a day. 

MMMM…  Who can resist warm sweet buns fresh from the oven?  And what if as you bite into one, you find a delightful coconut filling inside?    That’s something to die for!

Macatia Coco are sweet buns or rolls with a coconut filling in the centre.  Being a typical Mauritian pastry, I’m sure these need no introduction to some of you.  I was glad when I found the recipe on Inspired to Bake since I had never heard of anyone baking these at home! 

Having successfully made pizza dough from scratch, these sweet buns were my second adventure with yeast.  While I was very happy with the result on my first attempt, thinking back about it, I realized that I had to improve on it before I share the recipe here.

I remember trying to halve the recipe and then ending up adding more flour to make the dough.  So I’m pretty much sure that whatever went wrong on my first attempt was due to my amateur skills! 

• This time, I increased the sugar content considerably to make sure the buns are not bland in taste with just the coconut filling being sweet.  I wanted the dough to be sweet by itself.
• I added some more butter and reduced the amount of water.  The result was perfectly soft and fluffy buns!
• I added vanilla extract to the dough and powdered cardamom to the filling.  Some more flavors could do no harm! 

INGREDIENTS :

Dough (makes 12 buns) : 

• 3 1/2 cups all purpose flour
• 10g instant / dry active yeast (1 sachet)
• 1 cup lukewarm water
• 3 tbs milk powder
• 5 tbs butter
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/2 tsp salt (if using unsalted butter)
• 1 1/2 – 2 tsp vanilla extract

Filling :

• 10 tbs dessicated coconut (1/2 cup + 2 tbs)
• 5 tbs sugar
• 4 tbs water
• 1 tsp ground cardamom (optional)

METHOD :

• Take ¼ cup boiling water and ¾ cup tap water to make 1 cup. This would roughly equal the temperature of lukewarm water.
• To half cup of the lukewarm water, add milk powder and butter.  Stir until butter melts.  (If you need to warm it slightly to melt the butter, make sure it’s cooled back to lukewarm)
• In a large bowl, place the remaining 1/2 cup of lukewarm water.  Stir in the yeast and 1 tsp sugar.  Cover and set aside for 15 minutes until frothy.
• Then, add the milk – butter mixture to the yeast suspension.  Stir in the sugar, vanilla and salt.  (I skipped the salt since I was using salted butter.)  Mix well till the sugar dissolves.
• Gradually add flour to yeast mixture, 1/2 cup at a time.  Fold in until you have a loose ball of dough.  Turn dough onto floured surface and knead well for 10 – 15 minutes.  3 ½ cup was enough to make the dough as well as for dusting during kneading.
• The dough might be slightly sticky but don’t be tempted to add more flour.  Simply dust your hands with flour at regular intervals and continue kneading.
• Dump the dough in a lightly oiled bowl (the one you used for mixing above) and cover with cling film or damp towel.  Let it rest in a warm place for 1 – 1 ½ hours or until doubled in volume.

• Dump the dough back on your work surface.  Stretch it into a rectangle and then cut into 12 equal portions with a sharp knife.
• In a small bowl, combine ingredients for filling.  Heat your oven at 50 degrees C for 5 minutes and then switch off.
• Flatten one portion of dough gently with your fingers.  Place about 2 tsp filling in the centre.  Pinch the edges together to enclose the filling and gently roll into a ball.
• Fill the remaining dough in the same way.  Place dough balls side by side on a lined or lightly greased baking tray / dish.
• Keep the tray in preheated oven (which should still be warm, not hot) and leave it until doubled in volume (around 30 minutes).  The dough balls will expand and stick to each other.  OR, you could simply leave them to rise in a warm place during hot summer days. 
• Remove tray from oven.  Preheat your oven to 175 degrees C while you brush the dough balls with milk.  Sprinkle with sesame seeds or chopped nuts if desired.
• Bake for 20 minutes or until the buns turns golden brown.  They should sound hollow when you tap them with a finger.
• Remove from pan and cool on wire rack to prevent steam from condensing at the bottom.

This time I’m 100 % sure the Macatia Coco turned out perfect.    Enjoy these delicious treats at tea time or any time of the day!

I know these seem like lengthy procedures, but I assure you the toughest part of the recipe is the waiting!  Once you go through the recipe a few times, it won’t seem complicated at all.  If I can’t bake these, you surely can!

Finally and most importantly, a very happy birthday to you S!!!

Hey there!  I was in the middle baking these sweet coconut filled buns yesterday when I got an awesome news!    After 13 months of waiting, I’m finally gonna start my internship as a Pre-Registration House Officer as from 3^rd Jan.  This 2 years internship is compulsory before being fully registered as a medical practitioner.

I’ve been so obsessed about my mail the last few months but when the long awaited letter finally came, I was more relieved than excited about it.  It’s been such a long wait after all!  What started as great holidays became extended vacations and ended up simply as annoying unemployment.

Now that the good news has seeped in, anxiety is starting to build up!  After 1 year, I wonder how much of my 5 years of studies at med school has evaporated from my brain.  Hopefully it’s not gonna be a hard time getting used to my new life as an intern. 

As for my baking and blogging adventures, I’ll surely find some free time for those!  Baking is the perfect stress reliever!  Check out the recipe for these delicious sweet buns in my next blog post.

P.S.  Click on ‘follow’ or subscribe for emails to keep up with my new blog posts if you like what you’re reading!

I came across Jam Tarts on Joy of Baking months ago and the recipe was added to my To-do list immediately.  But I did not give these a try until recently since the jar of jam lying in the fridge could no longer be ignored.  Or, let’s say I was impatient to use the mini tart molds I had bought! 

Don’t they look cute?!    All you need is some jam and a bit of pastry to make these delicious mini tarts.  I used my Easy Pie Crust recipe to make the tart shells and some Apricot jam as filling.  Toasted chopped almonds added a lovely finishing touch.

If you have readymade pastry you can go ahead and use that or simply use your favorite pastry recipe.  Make bigger or smaller tarts with any jam or marmalade of your choice!  The filling should preferably be thick so that it doesn’t boil over while baking. 

INGREDIENTS :

• 1 batch Easy Pie Crust recipe for pastry (makes 7 mini tarts)
• 1 1/2 cup flour
• 4 tbs sugar
• 1/3 – 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 4 tbs cold milk
• 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon (optional)
• pinch of nutmeg (optional)
• about 1/4 cup jam of your choice
• toasted chopped almonds (optional)

METHOD :

• Preheat your oven to 200 degrees C.
• Prepare pastry as per Easy Pie Crust recipe (or use your favorite pastry recipe).  Divide the pastry into small portions and press directly into your tart molds or muffin tins.  Shape the edges with your finger.  Don’t be alarmed if the pastry is crumbles while handling; it’ll hold its shape once baked.
• With the help of a fork poke holes in the bottom and sides of the tart shells.  Bake in the preheated oven for 15 minutes.
• Meanwhile, roughly chop and toast few almonds.  Place jam in a small bowl and stir it with a spoon to soften slightly.
• Fill the prebaked tarts shells with about 1 ½ tsp of jam and sprinkle some toasted almonds on top.  Do not overfill or else the jam will boil over while baking.
• Bake the mini tarts for another 15 minutes or till the edges are lightly browned.  Remove from oven and allow to cool for atleast 15 – 20 minutes before taking out the tarts from the molds or muffin tins.  The tarts might crumble if you try to remove them when still hot.
• I simply inverted the mold on my hand and tapped the base gently till the tarts came out.

Enjoy these little tarts with a warm cup of tea or coffee! 

Fried Rice was the first true meal I learned to cook for myself.  Served as a main dish or side dish, it is one of the world’s most popular rice dishes.  I have always thought of Fried Rice as a perfect meal on its own. 

If you’ve never tried making it at home, you should definitely do so!!  It comes together super fast with just a few simple ingredient.  Turning plain rice into an amazing Fried Rice dish won’t take you more that 10 minutes!  And another plus point of making this dish is that you get to use up the leftover cooked rice lying in your fridge since 1 or 2 days.  1 or 2 days-old rice is what works best in this recipe.

Here’s how I make a basic Fried Rice.  This is a very adaptable recipe; you can easily add in more seasonings, veggies or cooked meat. 

INGREDIENTS :

• 2 – 2 1/2 cups cold cooked rice
• 1 – 2 eggs
• 1/3 – 1/2 cup mixed vegetables; peas, carrots, green beans, sweet corn (frozen or fresh)
• 1 onion
• salt and pepper
• oil
• soy sauce / oyster sauce
• red chilli flakes (optional)

NOTES :

• Use cold cooked rice which is atleast 1 day old.  Since it is drier, there’ll be less chance for your fried rice turning wet and mushy.
• If ever you don’t have cooked rice on hand, place a batch of freshly cooked rice in the freezer for about 20 minutes before using.  (I have not tried this yet)
• Fresh veggies can be used instead of frozen, but they’ll have to be precooked first.

METHOD :

• Finely chop the onion.  Lightly beat the egg with some salt.
• In a wok or frying pan on medium heat, add 1 – 2 tbs oil. Add in the beaten egg and stir till scrambled and set.  Remove and keep aside.  The egg can also be fried and cut into strips if you prefer it that way.
• Next stir fry the chopped onion with 1/2 tbs oil till lightly browned.  Remove and keep aside.
• Add the mixed veggies to the pan with a dash of salt and 1 tbs oil and stir fry for 1 – 2 minutes.  Remove and keep aside.

• Place your rice in the pan along with 2 tbs oil; breaking any lumps if present.  Season with salt, pepper, red chili flakes, soy sauce and/or oyster sauce according to your taste.  Stir fry for few minutes.
• Finally add the egg, onion and veggies back into the pan and mix thoroughly.  Serve warm.

Bon Appetit! 

Have you ever spent hours looking for a recipe and not being satisfied with any?  Hmmm…  I went through loads of recipes before I baked this cake few months back.  Not that the recipes I found were not good enough!  They were just not what I was looking for at that moment.    In the end, I came up with this chocolate cake recipe.  It’s kind of very simple, but I was so excited that I came up with a recipe on my own and that it worked perfectly!

Chocolate, almond extract and lemons…  This is what I started with.  And yeah; I was baking this for S!    So, obviously chocolate and almond flavor were my first choice since he loves them.  As for the lemons, well, they were lying around in the fridge and I wanted to use them up. 

Eventually I ended up leaving the lemons out.  A sweet lemon glaze would have been nice over the cake but it did not need any.  The cake is sooo delicious on its own! 

INGREDIENTS :

• 1 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
• 4 – 5 tbs cocoa
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 cup butter
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 2 eggs  ( OR 1 egg + 4 tbs plain yogurt )
• 1/2 tsp almond extract
• 1/2 cup milk

METHOD :

• Preheat your oven to 190 degrees c.  Grease and flour a baking dish.
• In a large bowl, add sugar and butter and beat till light and creamy.
• Add the eggs, one at a time.  (OR egg + yogurt)  Mix in the almond extract.
• In a separate bowl, mix the flour, cocoa, baking powder, and baking soda.  (You can add in ¼ tsp salt if using unsalted butter)
• Fold in the flour mixture into the egg-butter mixture, alternating with the milk.  DO NOT over mix.
• Pour into prepared baking dish.  Sprinkle some sliced almonds on top if desired.  Bake at 190 degrees C for 35 – 40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the centre comes out clean.

EGGLESS VERSION :

• Use 8 tbs of plain yogurt + 1 tbs vinegar instead of the eggs.  Also, increase the baking soda to 1 tsp.
• The batter will be thicker when making the eggless version, but once baked the cake will be as light and yummy as the ones with eggs! 

Try it out and your feedbacks are most welcome!