Tofu Curry (Bean Curd)

4 to 6 servings

Ingredients

1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 cup finely chopped shallots/ onions
2 tablespoons finely grated peeled ginger
4 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1/4 cup peanut butter (ground fresh roasted peanuts to make butter)
2 teaspoons turmeric
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon hot chili paste
1 cup water
2 cups light coconut milk
3 tablespoons fresh lime juice and 1 1/2 teaspoons finely grated lime peel
1 tablespoon (firmly packed) golden brown sugar
1 (200g) packages organic firm tofu, drained, cut into 1-inch cubes
1 1/2 cups 1/4- to 1/3-inch-thick slices peeled carrots
1 large red bell pepper/ capsicum cut into 3/4-inch pieces 


Method:

Heat oil in heavy large skillet over medium-high heat. Add shallots, ginger, and garlic; cook until shallots are tender, about 6 minutes. Add peanut butter, turmeric, cumin, and chili paste; stir until fragrant, 1 to 2 minutes. Whisk in 1 cup water, then coconut milk, lime juice and peel, and brown sugar; bring to simmer. Season sauce with salt. Add tofu, carrots, and bell pepper; simmer over medium heat until carrots are tender, adjusting heat to medium-low if beginning to boil and occasionally stirring gently, about 20 minutes. Season to taste with salt.

Egg Moillee (Egg Curry with Coconut Milk)

Recipe adapted by Aparna @ My Diverse Kitchen from The Vegetarian Menu Book by Vasantha Moorthy . This curry gives a silky smooth gravy and very mild taste egg curry.

Ingredients:
6 eggs, hard boiled
2 large onions, sliced thin
2 large tomatoes, chopped
2 -3 green chillies, slit lengthwise
½ tsp ginger paste
½ tsp garlic paste
½ tsp turmeric powder

1/2tsp chili powder

1/4tsp black pepper powder
3 cardamom pods
4 cloves
2 small sticks cinnamon
2 bay leaves
4-5 tbsp ghee
thick milk from 1 coconut
1 sprig curry leaves
3 tbsp chopped coriander
salt to taste

Method:
Cut each egg in half. Heat the ghee in a pan and place the eggs with cut side face down. Shallow fry the egg halves, gently turning over, till golden brown. Remove from pan and keep aside.
To the remaining ghee, add the bay leaves, cardamom, cloves and cinnamom and stir a couple of times. Add the green chillies, stir and now add the sliced onions. Sauté till soft and golden in colour. Add the ginger and garlic pastes and sauté till the ghee separates.
Add the turmeric powder, curry leaves and tomatoes and allow to cook well.
When done add the coconut milk, 2 tbsp coriander leaves, salt and mix. Just bring to a boil and take off the heat immediately. If you allow the curry to boil after adding coconut milk, it will split. The consistency of the coconut milk gravy should be thick and sauce-like rather than watery.
To serve, place the shallow fried egg halves in a serving dish and pour the coconut milk curry over this. Garnish with remaining 1 tbsp coriander leaves.
Serve hot with chapathis/ parathas/ rice or aapams (fermented rice pancakes).

Chocolate Cupcakes

Makes 6-10 cupcakes

Ingredients:

Semi sweet chocolate 150g (I used Ritzbury Caters Dark Chocolate)

Butter 70g

Sugar 80g

Plain flour 80g

Baking powder 1 tsp

2 large eggs

Method:

Line muffin tray with muffin cases. Pre heat oven to 170C.

Melt butter and chocolate together in microwave or in double boiler method. Mix well and keep aside.

Beat eggs lightly till creamy and stir in sugar and mix until dissolved.

Pour the egg mixture in to the chocolate mixture and stir well to combine.

Sift in the flour and baking powder and stir to combine.

Pour the mixture in to muffin cases in the tray and bake for 20-25 minutes.

Once baked remove from tray and let it cool on wire rack.

CUPCAKES

This is a recipe from Nigella Lawson. The cake came out soft and moist but her suggested baking temperature was not agreeable so I adjusted the baking time and temperature.

Makes 12 cupcakes

Ingredients:

125g all purpose flour

1 1/2 tsp baking powder
125g caster sugar
125g soft butter
2 eggs
Half a teaspoon vanilla extract
Approximately 2 tablespoons milk 

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 180C and line the tin with the muffin cases.
2. Cream the butter and sugar, beat in the eggs one at a time with a little of the flour.
3. Then add the vanilla extract and fold in the rest of the flour, adding the milk to get the dropping consistency. 
4. Spoon the mixture on to the cupcake cases trying to fill each case equally, judging by eye.
5. Put in the oven and bake for 15-20 minutes or until the cup cakes are cooked and golden on top. As soon as bearable, take the cup cakes in their cases out of the tin and let cool, right way up, on a wire rack.
6. Once they're cool, spread the top with royal icing.

Royal Icing Using Egg Whites:
Makes about 3 cups

2 large (60 grams) egg whites

2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice

3 cups (330 grams) confectioners (powdered or icing) sugar, sifted

In the bowl of your electric mixer (or with a hand mixer), beat the egg whites with the lemon juice until combined. Add the sifted powdered sugar and beat on low speed until combined and smooth. The icing needs to be used immediately or transferred to an airtight container as royal icing hardens when exposed to air. Cover with plastic wrap when not in use.

Read more: http://www.joyofbaking.com/RoyalIcing.html#ixzz19m30TPhs