Thai Fish Cakes with Coriander, Lime Mayo

I love fish cakes. Especially the ones made with Sear fish. Sear fish is a delicacy in South India and Sri Lanka and is generally the costliest fish in the market after Pomfret. In Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu it’s called “Vanjaram” and in Kerala its christened “Neimeen”. Some people also refer to them as king mackerels. I am partial to the seer, because a. it’s an ocean fish, b. it cooks beautifully in a curry or a fry, c. It’s isn’t riddled with too many bones, d. It’s so tasty! My mom-in-law makes the best fish cutlets (south Indian style with loads of masala!) and the co-resident can’t stop eating them. Since I can’t compete with the mother recipe, I din’t try to replicate it. Instead I found one that uses thai red curry paste to give a fantastic spin to the basic fishcake recipe. It’s really simple to make. You can even make the cakes in advance and refrigerate them, just pull out and fry before serving. Now isn’t that what we all strive to do? – reduce time in the kitchen and increase time actually savoring the dish! Though I guarantee this will get over the minute it hits the plate from the frying pan. Kŏr hâi jà-rern aa-hăan! (That’s Bon Appétit in Thai :P)

Thai Fish Cakes

Prep time: 10 mins

Cooling time: 30 mins

Cooking time: 10 mins

Makes: 8

What you need:

100 gms Sear fish fillet (poached)/ 100gms can of flaked Tuna

2 Tbsp Thai red Curry paste (I used Real Thai)

1 tsp Vegetable Oil

¾ cup chopped Spring Onion

2 Medium Potatoes (skinned, boiled and mashed)

1 cup fresh Breadcrumbs

Oil for deep frying

To serve:

½ cup Mayo

Juice of 1 lemon

¼ cup finely chopped cilantro

Salt and pepper

What to do:

Poaching the fish: Place the sear fish in a saucepan and pour just enough water to cover the fish.  Season with salt and pepper. Bring liquid to a simmer over medium heat. Simmer 7-8 minutes or until center is opaque and fish flakes easily when tested with fork. Remove fish with slotted spatula. Keep aside. (If you are using a can of tuna, then you can omit this step).

Remove bones from fillet. (there is generally just one big bone). Flake the fish into a big bowl. Fry the thai red curry paste in a teaspoon of oil for 3 mins. Add the paste, spring onions, potatoes and bread crumbs to the fish. Combine gently to bring the ingredients together. Divide into 8 portions and shape into flat, round cakes. Chill for 30 mins.

Meanwhile combine the mayo, cilantro and lime. Season with salt and a dash of black pepper. Chill in the refrigerator.

Now fry the fish cakes in oil, over a medium heat until crisp and golden. (Medium heat is important otherwise the outside will burn while the inside remains uncooked). Drain on a paper towel. Serve the hot fish cakes with the cool lime and coriander mayo. Fantastic!

Fluffy Sponge Cake and a Trifle Pudding

Sponge cakes are so called because they are as fluffy as a sea sponge. The air incorporated into the batter lifts the cake to make it light and irresistible. Since it is used as a base for many other desserts it’s one of the first cake recipes that I wrote down in my little black book of Baking! (Yes, I have one – though the color is more navy blue than black). There are many variations to turn out a perfect sponge. I use the method which involves creaming the eggs and sugar and adding the melted fat in the end. Some people use oil instead of butter, but I always think butter makes everything better, so you know my leanings! You can eat the sponge cake like a Victorian Sandwich – jam and whipped double cream or use it for a rolled cake like a Swiss Roll. (The flexibility of a sponge cake allows us to roll it without breaking).  I have used it as a base for the popular English Trifle. Now the Trifle is nothing but a combination of layers of cake, custard, fruit and cream. But it is an impressive looking dessert to turn out! I use ready mix custard and jelly which saves me time. You can also go ahead and use a ready cake as the base of the trifle. (I won’t tell anyone!) But it’s so cost effective and easy to make at home, that I desist buying some from the bakery. Once you have all the ingredients, a trifle pudding is just assembly – though you have to wait a trifle between steps. Like George Savile said, “A man who is a master of Patience is a master of everything else”. (I don’t think he had a wife…’master of everything else’ ….hmph!) J

Fluffy Sponge Cake

Prep time: 20 mins

Cooking time: 25 mins

Serves: 4 (makes one 8X8 inch cake or two 20cm round cakes)

What you need:

4 eggs

¾ cup (165 gms) Caster Sugar

1 cup (150 gms) Flour

1 ½ tsp Baking Powder

½ tsp Salt

1 tablespoon Cornflour

10 gms (2 teaspoons) Butter, melted and cooled

1/3 cup (80 ml) Hot Water

What to do:

Pre-heat oven to 180°C for a normal oven or 160°C for a fan-forced oven. Grease one 8x8 inch square cake pans, and line the base with baking paper. (Baking paper makes it easy to remove the sponge cake – other be prepared to lose large chunks to the pan).

Beat eggs in a bowl, using an electric mixer, for about 10 minutes, until thick and creamy. Gradually add sugar, beating until dissolved. Triple-sift flour, baking powder, salt and corn flour together and fold it into the egg mixture gently.  (Folding in flour and other ingredients can be tricky when you use a spoon or spatula, but you can use your fingers to pull the dry ingredients up and through the egg mixture).

Combine the melted butter and the water, pour it down the side of bowl and fold through gently

but thoroughly. Pour mixture into the pan and bake for about 25 minutes. Immediately turn out the sponges to cool, top-side up, onto a wire rack covered with baking paper. Cool and use as you please.  

Basic Trifle Pudding

What you need:

4 cups Vanilla Custard (Prepared from 500ml milk and 3-4 tbsp Custard packet mix)

2 cups Jelly (prepared from 1 packet – I used Rex)

2 cups fresh Cream whipped with 3 Tbsp Sugar

1 Sponge Cake Base

2 cups of mixed Fruit (strawberries, cherries, pineapples, apples, grapes)

What to do:

In a big glass bowl, layer the sponge cake at the base. Put the jelly in as the next layer. Now top with fruits. Pour custard over. (It's better if the custard is thick rather than runny...helps hold the trifle's shape better). Now lightly top with whipped cream. Decorate with fruit slices/ sprinkles. Ready to serve!

Note: You can also make individual portions of trifle, much easier to serve!

Green Goddess Frittata (Spinach, Broccoli and Mushroom)

Frittata is a variation of an omelette and is derived from the Italian word fritto meaning to fry. The difference between an omelette and frittata are four fold. (A) Ingredients are combined with the beaten egg mixture before cooking, unlike an omelette where its tossed on top before the omelette is fully cooked. (B) The mixture is cooked over a very low heat, but for a longer period of time (10-15 mins) compared to an omelette (4-5 mins). (C) The frittata is not folded over like an omelette, but grilled briefly to set the top (D) and finally a frittata is for sharing, unlike an omelette which is a one person dish. So after getting all technical on you, I’d like to conclude by saying – it tastes just like a fat, fancy omelette or a baseless quiche. Both of which are fully acceptable and appreciated with gusto in my home. I would serve the frittata cold with some toasted baguettes for a fuss free lunch. It’s also a great option to lug around for a picnic. I call this one Green Goddess – with Spinach, broccoli and mushroom, how could I have not?

Spinach, Mushroom and Broccoli Frittata

Prep time: 10 mins

Cooking time: 20 mins

Serves: 2-3

What you need:

3 Tbsp Olive Oil

80 gms Broccoli florets, chopped

200 gms Button Mushrooms, sliced

2 cups Spinach leaves, coarsely chopped

6 eggs

A splash of soy sauce

Salt and freshly ground Black Pepper

2 Tbsp grated Parmesan Cheese

What to do:

Heat the oil in a large non stick frying pan. Add the mushrooms and broccoli and cook over a high heat s, stirring, for about 7 mins. Add the spinach and sauté for 1-2 mins. Lower the heat, do not let the spinach wilt.

Break the eggs into a bowl, season with salt, pepper and soy and beat well. Pour over the veggie mix in the pan and cook over medium heat for 10 mins. As the eggs set, lift the frittata with a spatula and tilt the pan so that the uncooked egg runs underneath. Repeat till the whole frittata looks set.

When the eggs are set sprinkle with grated parmesan and place the pan under the grill. (about 4 inches from the heat). Cook for 1-2 mins or until the top is golden brown and firm when pressed. Cut into quarters and serve with freshly toasted and buttered baguettes and a nice glass of wine.

Note 1 : Use a frying pan that can be placed in the oven as well. Or else you need to transfer the frittata into an oven proof dish to grill the top.

Note 2: Non Veggie Option: Reduce the olive oil to 1 Tbsp and add 60 gms of diced bacon and sauté the veggies in the bacon fat. Omit the soy sauce, as the bacon will provide the requisite saltiness.

Summer Pasta Salad - a la Infinitea

I’m more of a summer person than a winter person. Or so I thought, till I got baked in the sun the past couple of days. The heat has been unbearable. I have the fan on full speed at home and there’s still no respite. Being Bangalorean, I always think I don’t need an AC in our pleasant city. Boy, am I wrong! The only time I’m happy these days, is when I’m in the car and I have the AC on full blast in my face or when am under a cold shower! Which leads me to change my earlier notion of what weather person I am - I am an opti-weather person. I don’t like it too hot or too cold, too dry or too rainy, too windy or too still! I’m not fussy, but that’s the weather I would like. If wishes were horses, right? But I still concede that when it comes to satisfying my weather requirement, no other city in the world gets it as close to perfect as Bangalore. It’s almost like my genes have adapted to the city of my birth and the thermostat has been set to ‘comfortable’. Speaking of comfortable, I went to my old hangout Infinitea last week. Lazing around on their sofa’s, ordering a pomegranate ice tea and summer pasta salad and chatting with the girls. Can’t get more comfortable than that! I adore their version of the summer pasta salad (which is more of a main course in my opinion) and tried to replicate it at home. Results? A very comfortable match!

Summer Pasta Salad

Prep time: 30 mins

Cooking time: 15 mins

Serves: 4

What you need:

350 gms Penne

3 Peppers (1 red, 1 yellow, 1 green), finely chopped

1 small Onion, finely chopped

6 cloves of garlic, minced

3/4 cup Corn Kernals

100 gms Mushrooms, finely chopped

1 Tbsp chopped Jalapenos

1 Tbsp chopped Sun dried tomatoes in oil

2 Tbsp chopped Green and Black Olives

2 Tbsp Olive Oil

1 Tbsp Butter

200 ml Cream

Salt and freshly ground black Pepper

To garnish:

Grated Cheddar Cheese

Mixed Herbs

What to do:

Julienne the peppers and then chop them up into tiny pieces. Ensure that the onions and mushrooms are also chopped to roughly the same size. Try to cut up the olives, jalapenoes and sun dried tomatoes to the same size as well. In the meantime, boil the corn and set aside.(I used the microwave).

In a large saucepan, heat the olive oil and toss in the butter. When the butter sizzles, lower the heat and add the onions. Saute for 2 mins till it gets soft. Raise the heat. Then add the garlic and the mushrooms and saute for another minute. Toss in the peppers, saute for 3 mins. Finally add the corn, stir to combine.

Now lower the heat and add the cream. Cook for a minute and toss in the jalapenoes, sun dried tomatoes and olives. Season with salt and pepper. Mix to combine and Turn off the heat.

Spoon the pasta into a serving dish. (it helps if its microwave friendly). Now toss the grated cheese on top and heat for 30 secs in the microwave till the cheese is melty. Season with mixed herbs and serve!

P.S. You could add in the juice of 1 lemon in the final stage of seasoning to make it more tangy.

Ice Cream Sandwiches for Milestones and Hot Days

I’ve always been bewitched by Ice Cream Sandwiches. Not many companies made it and on the rare occasions that I would get to eat it; I was always in awe that ice cream could be held together by two cookies! They are very popular in Singapore (being one degree above the equator, that’s fair enough!) and that’s where I had one, every day of my trip. No exaggerating! There, they use wafers to make the sandwich but I much prefer the cookies…so much more yummy! A very popular flavor there is Durian ice cream sandwich. The fruit may stink like old socks but the ice cream tastes divine. Summer just kicked in last week and the Bangalore heat has gotten as bad as Singapore this year. No really, we were at 35 degrees yesterday! The heat made me crave for the ice cream sandwiches. After looking for them in most ice cream parlors and turning up negative, I made them myself. (Not the ice cream darlings, bought that one). And since this is the month I got married in and the co-resident and I completed five years of being together, I dedicate the (cheesy) heart shaped ice cream sandwiches to him. Ha ha ha , I can just imagine him going red in the face… well, he can cool off with an ice cream sandwich can’t he?

Ice Cream Sandwiches

Prep time: 30 mins + cooling time

Makes: 10 sandwiches

What you need:

500 ml Ice Cream slab (I used Amul Vanilla)

For the chocolate cookies:

100 gms All purpose flour (Maida)

¼ tsp Baking powder

¼ tsp Baking soda

20 gms Cocoa powder

40 gms Butter

50 gms Powdered sugar

1 Tbsp Water

What to do:

Sift flour, baking powder, baking soda and cocoa powder together in a medium sized bowl. Chop butter into small chunks. Beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Now add a tbsp of water to it and beat for few mins more. Add the dry ingredients mixture in two parts and beat with an electric mixer on low speed until the mix is incorporated and rolls into a ball. Now wrap the cookie dough in a cling film and refrigerate for 10 mins.

Preheat the oven to 180°C. Remove the dough from refrigerator. Sprinkle some All purpose flour on your working surface and roll out the dough into a 1/4 inch thick rectangle. Use your cookie cutters to cut out shapes. (I used a heart… ahem ahem… go ahead and laugh, it looked cute!)

Place the cut out cookies on a baking tray and bake for 12-15 minutes at 180°C. Let the cookies cool on wire rack for a while and store in air tight container

Assembling the Ice cream sandwich: Bake the cookies. Place one cookie (under side facing up) on a plate. You need to work really quickly in the coolest part of the kitchen now. Cut a slab of ice cream as thick as you want the sandwich to be. (I used ¾ inch). Quickly cut the ice cream using your cookie cutter and place the shaped piece on top of the cookie and sandwich it with another cookie on top. Now quickly transfer it to the freezer for it to firm up. (I used a Tupperware box lined with butter paper to store the ice cream sandwiches).

Serve chilled just out of the freezer :)