Ode to my Angel

I still remember the day, brother and me waiting impatiently for amma who finally entered the house with a white bundle, carefully wrapped.

She lay there calm and quiet in amma's warmth. The joyous moment, of welcoming the bundle of joy with soft kisses on the rosy cheeks...

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Devil's Food Cake for the Chocoholics!

It was half past midnight. V and me were getting back home chitchatting happily about the eventful Loyolites' meet. Suddenly I came across a pretty looking box sitting at the back seat of my car.I reached out for my mobile, searched the name Shobhna and queried, "hey, is this box yours? shall I just come across and give it back to you?"

"Don't do it Bharathy, it's for you. Open and enjoy," came the reply.

"I thought she left it behind while getting dropped" I explained to my better half.

Shobhna, one of my dearest pals among V's friends' wives, had come down with Sudhakar, her lively n cheerful hubby for the Loyolites' meet from Kodai.

Back home, I couldn't wait to open the cute box.

Yaaoo!! The Rich Moist Devil's Own Chocolate Cake!!

I squealed in delight! Believe me or not, I found licking my fingers clean after finishing half of it within a minute with a heavy burp, that too after the grand buffet dinner at the college meet.

It was the yummilicious Devil's cake I'd ever had!

I called up Shobhana the next day for the recipe which she explained. The ingredients and the method sounded almost exactly like Nigella's Granma's Devil's Food Cake, except for the slight difference in measurements, addition of coffee powder and the frosting.

I baked the cake thrice ever since and it came out perfectly delicious every time I did!

Try it if you are a chocoholic; you will never fail and ultimately will be baking it again and again!

Devil's Chocolate Cake to serve 6 regular people or 3 chocoholics ;)

Remember, you need 11 major ingredients to make the cake.

All purpose flour- 1 1/2 cups

Granulated sugar- 1 - 1 1/4 cup

Butter, softened- 1/2 cup (you may also use 1/4 cup butter + 1/4 cup oil)

Eggs- 2

Salt- a pinch

Baking powder- 1/4 tsp

Baking soda- 1 tsp

Vanilla essence- 1 tsp

Boiling water- 1 cup

Unsweetened cocoa powder- 1/2 cup ( I used Cadbury's)

Coffee powder- 1/2 tsp 

1. Boil a cup of water in a wide saucepan. Switch off the stove and dissolve coffee and cocoa powders well without any lumps. Keep aside to cool to room temperature.

2. Powder sugar. Sift the dry ingredients 3-4 times. (ie, flour + salt+ baking soda+ baking powder). Keep aside.

3. Position a rack in centre of the oven and pre-heat to 350 F/175 C. Grease and flour, two 8 inch cake pans.

4. In another wide n large bowl, beat butter until fluffy using an electric mixer and gradually add the powdered sugar. Beat in the eggs, one at a time; add the vanilla and beat again until light for a minute or two. Fold in the dry ingredients alternating with the cocoa mixture, beginning and ending with the dry ingredients.

5. Divide batter between the prepared pans, smoothing the tops. Bake for 25-30 minutes, until the tops spring back when lightly touched and a skewer inserted in the centre comes out with just a few crumbs clinging to it ( read it again, and it's not like the usual cake test where the skewer has to come out neat n clean)

6. Do not over bake or the cakes will become dry and will lose that 'touch' of the Devil ;)

7. Cool the pans on a wire rack.Run a knife around the edges to loosen from the pans and turn layers out on the rack, placing one upside down and the other right side up.

* For the Easy Chocolate Frosting: (makes 400 gms)

Butter, softened- 200 gms

Confectioners sugar- 150 gms

Unsweetened cocoa powder- 3 tablespoons

Vanilla- 1/2 tsp

Cream butter and sift in sugar and cocoa powder. Add vanilla and mix well until soft and creamy. You may add 3-4 tsps of milk little by little if you find the frosting too thick. Be careful or it may turn out to be runny.

* I never measure when it comes to frosting and the measurements above are approximate. I start with 100 gms/ half cup of butter, add 1/4-1/2 cup of sugar, 2 tbsps cocoa and proceed doing taste tests in between increasing the quantity, slowly. I avoid the addition of vanilla since contented with the 'chocolatey home made butter' flavored frosting.

To Frost the Cake:

1. Brush any loose crumbs from the layers and place one upside down on a serving plate. Spread with some of the frosting. Centre the remaining layer, right side up over the top.

2. Use remaining frosting to coat top and sides making decorative swirls around sides and over the top.

3. Chill to set frosting but return to room temperature before serving.

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POTW ~ When I clicked Damu @ 02:39:08

You might be aware of the news of Chef Damodaran who had set a new Guiness World Record for 'Longest cooking Marathon--Individual'

Under the watchful eyes of the judges and television cameras, I had a tough time clicking him around!

This picture is my favourite among a few, I managed to shoot on the special day!

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Koorkka Mezhukkupuratti (ularthu) / Stir-fried Chinese Potatoes

Koorka, the much common root vegetable in Kerala, is yet another favourite of a Malayalee which finds its way on the lunch tables in many avatars! Known as Chinese Potatoes in English it has a distinct (yummy) flavour which differentiates from its cousins, arbi (chembu in malayalam; seppan kizhangu in Tamil, taro/colocasia in English)

Somehow I've rarely come across Koorka in TN in the name of 'koorkkan kizhangu' during winter and never outside these two states in the world. (Believe me, I dint get a chance to meet them in China too :))

Now, when you pick up koorka, see to it you select larger ones, having the size of a large gooseberry or a small sized lemon.

Wash well to get rid of the dirt and mud and scrape skin off with the serrated end of your knife. More about this process is explained here by my sis who had attempted making the side dish all on her own(not an easy job, for sure!) while her sis typing this comfortably had played 'over smart', shooting while her mom made the same ;)

Cut them into 1" long pieces as you see here and cook till 'just' done in salted, boiling water.

Now for the major ingredients, crushed shallots and garlic, fresh bits of coconut (thenga kothu) and the curry leaves. Oops! amma , where have those two red chillies gone??

To put it all together, to serve two, you need:

Koorka/Chinese potatoes cut and cooked till half done in salted boiling water- 1 cup

Turmeric powder- a pinch

Salt- to taste

Crush or Pulse together coarsely without water:

Shallots- 3-4

Garlic- 2-3 cloves

Dried red chillies- 2

To Season:

Coconut oil- a tbsp

Mustard seeds- 1/4 tsp

Coconut(copra)bits (thenga kothu)- 2 tbsps

Curry leaves- a sprig

Method:

• Heat oil in a non stick pan. Splutter mustard seeds, stir in the bits of coconut until brown followed by the crushed/pulsed ingredients.

• Sauté till that wondddderful aroma spreads all around you.

• Throw in the curry leaves. Mix in the pre-cooked koorka along with the turmeric power.

• Stir- fry without closing the pan, checking salt, tossing now and then until the pieces acquire a golden brown hue and roasted.

• Serve Koorka Mezhukkupuratti warm with rice and curry.

This recipe is off to Kerala Kitchen.

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Photo of the Week ~The Calm woods of Kolli Hills

I have bragged enough and more about the ancestral home in the village located at the foot of the historical Kolli Hills of Tamil Nadu :).

Soon after the Pongal feast, this year, we ; my in-laws, parents and myself, headed uphill for a day.

What you see here is just a section of the calm woods kissing the sky with the simple home garden towards the front, outside the house we stayed up the hill.

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