Spaghetti Alla Carbonara

Here’s a tricky one. The recipe uses raw eggs. Don’t freak out, I’ve been relishing carbonara for many years and I still live to tell the tale. The reason I said it was tricky is because of the technique. You need to keep everything hot, so that when you add the eggs at the end, they just cook in the residual heat but do not scramble. Otherwise we would have scrambled eggs with spaghetti – not the best combo! That said, it’s the quickest and yummiest thing you can have with pasta. Also when the final result tastes like restaurant goodness in under ten minutes, your guests are sure going to sing praises of your effortless magic. Shall we say Nigella style? (It helps if you wear lipstick! Wink wink ;)

Spaghetti Alla Carbonara

Prep time: 10 mins

Cooking time: 10 mins

Serves: 4

What you need:

450gms Spaghetti

1 Tbsp Olive oil

225gms rindless pancetta or lean bacon, chopped

4 Eggs

5 Tbsp light Cream

3 Tbsp freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Salt and freshly ground Pepper

What to do:

Bring a large heavy bottomed pan of lightly salted water to a boil. Add the pasta, return to a boil and cook according to time instructions on the packet. The spaghetti should be tender but still firm to the bite. Meanwhile heat the olive oil in a heavy-bottom skillet. Add the bacon and cook over medium heat, stirring frequently – 8 to 10 mins. Beat the eggs with the cream in a small bowl and season to taste with salt and pepper.

Drain the pasta and return it to the pan. Tip in the contents of the skillet, then add the egg mixture and half the parmesan cheese. Stir well, then transfer to a warmed serving dish. Serve immediately sprinkled with the remaining cheese.

Nutella Cupcakes

Here’s a little treat for my sweet tooth! One – it’s a cupcake, Two – it’s got frosting, Three – Its nutella frosting. I nicked this recipe off the official nutella website – not promoting them, but boy was it worth it! You can’t really replicate the taste of nutella with anything else. Am I glad my supermarket had a buy one get one free offer. Considering the co-resident finished one whole bottle by just digging in a spoon and licking it all off, I needed to use up the other in more productive ways. So yes, this is an attempt at productivity – though it resulted in sheer indulgence!

Nutella Cupcakes

Prep time: 10 mins

Cooking time: 25 mins

Makes: 12

What you need:

1/4 cup butter, at room temperature

1/4 cup canola or mild vegetable oil

3/4 cup sugar

3 large eggs

1 tsp. vanilla

1 3/4 cup all purpose flour

2 tsp. baking powder

1/4 tsp. salt

1/4-1/2 cup Nutella, at room temperature

What to do:

In a medium bowl, beat the butter, oil and sugar with an electric mixer until light and fluffy. Add the eggs and vanilla and beat until smooth.

In a small bowl, stir together the flour, baking powder and salt; add to the butter mixture and beat on low speed just until combined. The batter will be thick. It needs to be in order to swirl in the Nutella!

Divide the batter between 12 paper-lined muffin cups. Drop a spoonful of Nutella on top of each, and swirl through the batter with the tip of a bamboo skewer, knife or other pointy object. Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until springy to the touch. Tilt them in the pan to help them cool. Makes a dozen cupcakes. 

Chili Chicken - Indian Chinese Style

This recipe might not be understood by everyone. I say that with confidence, because to understand this recipe, you needed to have eaten Indian-Chinese Cuisine. You probably won’t find it listed even if you look hard in the dictionary. Fact is, its not got much of Chinese in it other than the soy sauce and stir fry technique. But as a nation we love this so much, that we’ve given it a top three slot in our hearts. 80% of our everyday restaurants will list themselves as, ”Serving Indian, Mughlai and Chinese”! And that my friends, is the ONLY way to stay in business! The most popular dish of this marvelous collaboration is of course the ubiquitous Chicken Manchurian. (And its vegetarian cousins - Gobi Manchurian and Paneer Manchurian). However another post shall sing its glory, but for today it’s the Chilli Chicken’s place in the sun!

Chilli Chicken – Indian Chinese Style

Cooking time: 25 mins

Marination time: 2 hrs

Serves: 4

What you need:

500 gms of Boneless Chicken cubes

For the marinade:

1 Egg

2 tsp Yoghurt

1 tsp Chilli Powder

1 tsp Kabab Masala powder (available in stores)

Paste of 3 pods Garlic and 3 Green Chillies

2 Tbsp Cornflour

Orange-Red Coloring (optional- available in stores)

Salt to taste

For the Stir Fry:

1 Onion sliced

4-6 Green Chillies, split lengthwise

¼ tsp Ginger paste

½ Capsicum, cut lengthwise

1 Tbsp Soya Sauce

2 Tbsp Oil (Refined Oil/ Peanut Oil) for stir fry

Oil to deep Fry

What to do:

Mix all the ingredients for the marinade and coat the chicken with it. Refrigerate for 2 hrs to tenderize it. Heat the oil and deep fry the marinated chicken pieces for 10-12 mins till tender and crispy. Set aside to drain on a paper towel.

Heat 2 Tbsp Oil, toss in the Onion and ginger paste. Saute. Toss in the chillies. After 3 mins toss in the capsicum and sauté till the onions just start to turn brown. Add the soya sauce and mix well. Check seasoning. Add salt if required. Now toss in the fried chicken pieces and sauté till the sauce coats every piece. Serve hot!!