Tres Leche

This cake is a very popular dessert in many parts of Latin America. 'Tres Leche' literally means '3 Milks'. This is essentially a sponge cake with less butter and more eggs. The cake is soaked in a mixture of evaporated milk, condensed milk and half-n-half. 
There are many variations of Tres Leche, using the basic cake recipe. The cake itself can be soaked in a mixture of water, rum/brandy and sugar. This is called 'Pastel Borracho'- the drunken cake. This is popular in Mexico and Central America. The Carribean version uses coconut milk, rum and sugar.


INGREDIENTS:                          Yield- one 13"x9" cake. Total Prep time-1hr 30 mins + 12 hrs refrig.time


1. Cake Flour or All Purpose Flour (APF) - 192gms/6.75oz
2. Baking Powder - 1 tsp
3. Kosher Salt - 1/2 tsp
4. Cinnamon powder - 1/2 tsp
5. Nutmeg powder - 1/2 tsp
6. Unsalted butter, softened - 113gms/4 oz
7. Sugar -226gms/8 oz
8. Eggs, separated - 5
9. Vanillas essence - 1 1/2 tsp


For Glaze/Soaking Liquid
1. Evaporated milk* - 355ml/12 oz
2. Condensed milk - 414ml/14 oz
3. Half-n-half** - 240ml/1 cup


For Frosting
1. Heavy whipping cream - 480ml/2 cups
2. Sugar - 113gms/4 oz
3. Vanilla essence - 1 tsp
4. Cherries or any other berry - a few to top (optional)


METHOD:
1. Preheat the oven to 350 F/176 C.
2. Grease a 13"x9" metal cake pan and keep aside.
3. Sift together the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt. Keep aside.
4. Beat to stiff peaks the egg whites. Keep aside.
5. In a large bowl, cream the butter till it is light and fluffy.
6. Add in the sugar and beat till light about 3 to 5 minutes.
7. Add the egg yolks one at a time.
8. Add in the vanilla.
9. In batches of 3, slowly add in the flour until just incorporated.
10. Fold in the egg whites.
11. Pour into the prepared pan and bake for about 20-25 minutes or till a toothpick inserted comes out clean.
12. Cool on a rack for at least 30 minutes.
Glaze:
1. Mix together the 3 types of milk.
2. Prick the cooled cake with a fork all over.
3. Pour all of the mixed milk mixture on the cake. It will feel as though the milk mix is too much, but not to worry- all the liquid will be absorbed in a matter of minutes.
4. Cover lightly and refrigerate for 12/24 hrs.
Frosting:
1. Beat into stiff peaks the heavy cream, sugar and vanilla essence.
2. Spread the frosting over the cake and decorate with the berries if using. Serve.
( The frosting could be made sweeter if desired by adding more sugar - another 100gms/4 oz-although the milk soaked cake is quite sweet)


*Evaporated milk could be made by simply reducing and simmering regular milk to a thicker consistency OR 2/3 cup milk powder mixed with 3/4 cup water will yield 240ml/8 oz.


**Half-n-half can be made mixing equal parts milk and heavy cream.
This is absolutely delicious, though a little heavy. 

Khausway

Khausway ( khaoo-sway) is a street food from Burma. I first had this at a friend's place in India. Khausway is a curry noodle dish. It is basically noodles with a coconut-milk based curry with garnishes/ toppings of choice. of the toppings/garnishes. This dish is an explosion of taste and textures, each distinct, but still blend and come together beautifully in the end.


Ingredients:                                                serves 4, prep time 30-45 mins, total time 30 min


For the Khausway ( Chicken curry)
1. Boneless chicken, cut in strips - about 700gms/1.5 lbs
2. Roughly chopped onions - 1 large
3. Ginger, roughly chopped - 2" ( about 20gms/ 3/4 oz)
4. Garlic cloves - 6 to 7 ( about 20gms/ 3/4 oz)
5. Serrano pepper, deseeded for less heat - 1
6. Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
7. Curry Powder - 2-3 tsp - SECRET INGREDIENT
8. Coconut milk - 2 cans of 14 oz
9. Oil - 1 tbsp


10. Noodles, uncooked - 500gms/1lb (FOR GLUTEN-FREE OPTION - use rice noodles for Pad-Thai)

For the Toppings/Garnishes
1. Garlic - 1 pod
2. Dried red chillies - 3
3. Oil - 3 Tbsp
4. Green chillies/ serrano peppers/ Thai chilli peppers - 4
5. Cilantro, chopped - 1 cup
6. Cabbage, shredded - 1 cup
7. Spring onion/green onion, chopped - 1 cup
8. Eggs, boiled - 4,quatered 
9. Peanuts, roasted and coarsely chopped - 1 cup
10. Potato chips/wafers/kettle cooked, crushed - 1 cup
11. Lime, quatered - 4
12. Bean Sprouts - 1 cup (optional)
13. Fried shrimp or fried dry shrimp - 1/4 cup (optional)
14. White vinegar - 1/4 cup


METHOD:


Khausway- 
1. Mix together 1/2 tsp curry powder, 1tsp of ginger and garlic paste , 1/2 tsp salt and chicken. Keep aside for 15 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, grind together in a rough paste, onion, ginger, garlic and chilli pepper. Keep aside.
3. Heat oil in a wok or large saucepan. Add in the onion paste and saute till the raw smell of onion goes away ( about 7- 8 minutes).
4. Add in the turmeric.
5. Add in the chicken along with it's marinade. Saute till the chicken turns a little brown.
6. Add in the coconut milk, cover and cook till the chicken is 3/4th done.
7. Add in the curry powder if using, cover and cook till chicken is cooked through. 
8. Khausway is ready.
9. Cook noodles as per manufacturer's instructions.


Garnishes-
1. Chop the garlic in small pieces. Fry in oil the garlic till it is golden brown. Remove from oil and strain on a paper towel. Place in bowl.
2. Break the dry red chillies in about 1/2 inch pieces in a small bowl. Add in all of the hot oil from frying garlic ,should be about 3 to 4 tbsps of oil. 
3. Chop the green chilli peppers into rings. Add in about 1/4 cup of white vinegar.
4. Prepare the rest of the ingredients and keep aside.


Assembly-


Take a small bowl. To this add some noodles, spoon over the curry ( depending on whether  you'd want less or more), top with the garnishes as per personal preference. Give it a good squeeze of lime. Mix and it is ready to eat.




Instead of chicken, you could use shrimp/prawns, cauliflower with carrots, mushrooms, bamboo shoots etc. Some recipes call for thickening with Bengal gram flour. I do not like to the curry very thick so usually I don't add the Bengal gram flour.


There is a Thai version of this dish. It is called Khao soi. It is popular in the northern part of Thailand. The Thai version calls for using Red curry paste as well as the Curry powder in the chicken curry along with Fish sauce. The number of garnishes in the Thai version are greatly reduced to finely chopped shallots, fried noodles, fried and crushed dried chillies, cilantro, pickled mustard greens and lime.

Cauliflower And Potatoes

Cauliflower and Potatoes are cooked together throughout India and there are many recipes, styles and variations for this combination. The one featured here is one which I make quite often . This could be fancy enough for a party or just simply as one of the courses for a regular meal.

Ingredients:

1. Cauliflower, cut in florets- 18 oz/500 gms

2. Potatoes, peeled & cubed - 9 oz/250 gms

3. Onions, finely chopped - 9 oz/250 gms

4. Tomatoes, chopped - 2

5. Ginger - julienned - 2"

6. Oil - 1 tbsp

Seasonings:
7. Cumin Seeds - 1 tsp

8. Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp

9. Cayenne pepper - 1/2 tsp ( or more as per personal choice - more for more heat)

10. Coriander powder - 2 tsp

11. Cumin powder - 3/4 tsp

12. Garam Masala - 3/4 tsp

13. Salt - 1 to 2 tsp

14. Cilantro - a few sprigs for garnish

Method:

1. In a large skillet or wok, heat oil. Add in the onions and saute till the onions begin to caramelize ( turn brown if using white onions or turn pink if using red onion).

2. Add in half the ginger and the tomatoes . Saute till the tomatoes turn mushy and it looks like one big mixture - the masala. Saute till the you see bubbles at the sides of the masala. This is actually the oil separating out from the mixture.

3. Add in a few drops of water and turmeric powder, cayenne pepper, coriander powder , cumin powder, half of the garam masala and salt. Saute till it starts drying out and a fragrant aroma starts wafting.( If the masala starts sticking to the pan, add a few drops of water)

4. Add in the potatoes and mix well. Add in about 1/4 cup of water. Cover and simmer till the potatoes are 3/4th cooked. If the potatoes haven't cooked and the water has dried out, add in a little more water.

5. Add in the cauliflower florets and the remaining ginger and mix well. Cover and simmer for about 5 minutes. Uncover the skillet/pan and check the cauliflower. The cauliflower should be just cooked through and should have a little crunch.

6. Check the seasonings and adjust accordingly.

7. Before serving, sprinkle the remaining garam masala and stir.

8. Garnish with cilantro/coriander leaves and serve.

This could be made as a dry preparation which could be eaten with rice, roti, chapati, naan, dinner rolls etc. The variations to this are endless - with garlic, without ginger and garlic, without onions, with more potatoes etc....

This could be made ahead and kept. Be sure to not fully cook the cauliflower. So, when it is reheated, it cooks through at that time and doesn't become mushy.

Peanut Salad

Peanut Salad is great as a snack, a salad or as an appetizer with cocktails. The recipe can be personalized to make it as tart or salty or pungent (spicy) as you'd want. The basic ingredients are simple and you as the cook has the option of adding or deleting any of the ingredients.

Ingredients:

1. Raw Shelled Peanuts - 1 cup

2. Shredded cabbage - 1/4 cup

3. Finely chopped onion - 1/4 cup

4. Chopped Tomato - 1

5. Finely chopped serrano/jalapeno pepper, deseeded - 2

6. Chopped cilantro - 1/4 cup

7. Finely chopped raw mango - 1/4 cup

8. Finely chopped carrot - 1/4 cup

9. Salt - 1-2 tsp

10. Lime juice- 2 tsp

11. Cayenne powder - 1 tsp

12. Sugar - 1/2 tsp

Method:

1. Soak the raw peanuts for about 2 to 4 hrs. Boil the peanuts till just tender, about 30-40 minutes. Drain.

2. Mix together all the ingredients. Check the seasonings and adjust accordingly.

3. Serve.

This salad keeps well. The ingredient list is just a starting point. One may add other ingredients like boiled potatoes, jicma cubes; omit ingredients like cabbage, tomato etc. The combinations are endless. One may always make it more/less spicy as per personal preference.

This is a popular street snack served on the beaches of Chennai, a city in Southern India.

Chicken Curry

Chicken curry always brings memories of a lazy Sunday with family and friends, of evenings with unexpected guests staying for dinner, of the very first 'thing' that I cooked with my Mother looking on....

This chicken curry is great one-pot meal, as a part of a larger fancy dinner or just as it is...

This recipe has a delicate flavour and is probably one of the most popular chicken curries from India.

Ingredients:

• Young chicken, skinned and cut into 8 pieces- 1- 1.5kg / 2-3 lbs 

OR

• Boneless, cubed (1-1.5") chicken - 675g/ 1.5 lbs.

• Oil 2- 3 tbsp
• Onions, sliced 3 medium
• Tomatoes, sliced 3 medium
• Ginger pulp 1 tsp
• Garlic pulp 1 tsp
• Cinnamon stick 2.5 cm / 1"
• Large black cardamom pods 2
• Green cardamom pods 4
• Cloves 4
• Black peppercorns 4
• Bay leaves 2
• Black cummin seeds OR cummin seeds 1/2 tsp OR 1 tsp resp.
• Garam Masala 1 tsp
• Chilli powder 1 tsp
• Salt 1 tsp
• Yoghurt , plain 2 tbsp
• Lemon juice 4 tbsp
• Fresh chopped cilantro 2 tbsp
• Tumeric 1 tsp

Method:

• Mix together, 1/2 tsp of salt, turmeric, chilli powder and 2 tbsp of lemon juice. Keep aside.
• Mix in trimmed pieces of chicken in above and leave for about 15 minutes.
• Meanwhile, heat oil in thick bottomed frying pan or skillet or wok.
• Add in the spices- cinnamon, cardamoms, cloves, black pepper, bay leaves and cummin. As it starts sizzling add in the onions.
• Saute till the onions start changing colour.
• Add the tomatoes. Saute for about 1 minute.
• Add in the ginger and garlic, turmeric and remaining chilli powder. Saute for a further minute.
• If the food starts sticking to the bottom of the pan, add a tbsp of water. Saute till the water evaporates. This process is called Bhunao ( bhoo- no).
• By this time, there should be a nice aroma wafting thru.
• Add in the chicken and saute till it is well coated by the spices and onion mix for about 7-8 minutes.
• Add in yogurt to the above party.
• Lower the heat, cover with a lid and cook till the chicken is cooked thru. Should take about 15-20 minutes. If you think the chicken is drying out, add about 1/2-1/4 cup of water or chicken stock.
• Once it is cooked thru, add in the remaining lemon juice. Stir it in.
• Taste the curry before serving for salt, spicy hot and sour flavours. Balance them out if something more is needed.
• Garnish with the chopped cilantro and serve either with Naan, Roti , steamed rice or crusty bread.

I have noticed that this always tastes better the next day. This freezes well, so making more and freezing the extra is great.

Sometimes, I make this as a dry preparation and use boneless chicken. I then use this as a filling for making Subs.