Roma's Space

Being a chocoholic by nature I’m always looking for ways to make chocolate desserts and goodies. Bet this wont make my doctor very happy. Anyway, here is the recipe of an almond chocolate fudge that I tried a few days ago. It was so delicious that I started eating it without even allowing it to set completely. Its too long to wait overnight to eat a yummy fudge. I shared this chocolate with a few neighbors and they liked it too. I’m sure this fudge is going to be a regular at our place given that its liked equally by kids and grown ups.

This is my entry to the Color in Food event hosted by EC of Simple Indian Food. Brown is the color of chocolate, which I simply love!

Ingredients :

• Nestle Everyday Milk powder – 1 cup
• Brown Sugar – 3/4 cup
• Unsalted Butter – 1/3 cup
• Cocoa powder – 2 heaped teaspoons
• Water – 3/4 cup
• Milk – 1/2 cup
• Almonds (roasted and powdered) – 2 tablespoons
• Few drops of Chocolate milk essence
• 5-6 Black Raisins (de-seeded)

Procedure :

1. Take Sugar in a heavy bottom pan and add an equal quantity of water.
2. Cook the sugar syrup till a drop of it in plain water does not dissolve. That indicates its tight enough to bind.
3. Reduce the flame. Now Add butter and stir quickly till it melts.
4. Mix in milk powder and milk alternately. Ensure no lumps are formed.
5. In case you find the consistency unmanageable then add some more milk. Ensure the mixture is pasty, not watery.
6. Now turn off the heat. Mix in the cocoa powder, almond powder and raisins. Add a few drops of chocolate milk essence and beat well.
7. Pour out chocolate fudge into a greased plate. Allow it to cool off and then give the fudge any desired shape.
8. Dust it on powdered chocolate biscuits (alternately you can use roasted almond powder)
9. Refrigerate overnight and enjoy chocolate fudge the next day.

I made asankhana’s Grilled Tomato chutney last night. Being a great fan of pickles and chutneys I couldnt resist the temptation of trying this delicious red dip. This recipe has a striking similarity to the original recipe of Baigan Ka Bharta.

I made small incisions in the tomato and pricked the garlic pods into the tomato. Then I grilled the tomatoes using skewers and peeled off the black portion of the skin. This chutney is fairly easy to make and has that mildly burnt taste that gives any vegetable a complete twist in taste. Thats what I like so much about grilling.

Thanks notyet100 for introducing me to this easy and tasty chutney. Also, thanks SIG for organizing the Grill-It event that inspired all of us to Grill. This is my entry to the FIC – Red event hosted by Sunshinemom.

Srivalli of ‘Cooking for all Seasons’ is hosting a fundraiser. A family member of her house help is suffering from a serious illness to cure which she needs support and some financial help. You are requested to make a generous contribution and help save a life.

There are certain simple meals in every home that lie in the Comfort Food category for all family members. Phulauri Ki Kadhi is one such dish which makes a perfect Sunday lunch for us. It must be among the top favorite dishes of my husband.

Phulauri stands for Besan dumplings and Kadhi is a curds gravy. In the picture you can see that the Kadhi has been served with steamed rice and Mirchi ke pakode. Makes a great combination. Just remember not to accidentally put the pakode in the curry instead of the besan dumplings If you cant make mirchi ke pakode then have kadhi and rice with red stuffed chilly pickle. The combination rocks!

Kadhi comes from the word ‘Kadhana’, which literally means ‘thickening’. In this recipe we cook buttermilk for a long duration of time on sim flame till it becomes thick and creamy. Hence, the name.

This is my entry to the Curry Mela hosted by Srivalli. I love the idea of having a collection of curries that dont use dal. I am eagerly awaiting the round-up.

Ingredients :

For the dumplings / Phulauri

• 1 cup Besan
• 1/4 teaspoon of Ajwain or carom seeds (optional)
• Pinch of Fruit Salt
• Salt

For the Curds Gravy / Kadhi

• 3 cups of Curds
• 1.5 tablespoon Besan
• Pinch of Hing
• 1/4 teaspoon Turmeric powder
• Salt

For the tempering

• 2 teaspoons Oil
• 1/2 teaspoon mustard seeds
• 1/2 teaspoon Jeera seeds
• 1/2 teaspoon Saunf seeds
• Few Curry leaves
• 1-2 Dried Red chillies

Procedure:

1. Mix the besan with ajwain, salt, fruit salt and water enough to make a paste.
2. Deep fry besan dumplings in hot oil. Keep these dumplings or phulauris aside.
3. Blend curd, hing, salt, turmeric powder, besan with water in mixie jar.
4. Heat the Oil. Add jeera seeds, mustard seeds, saunf, Curry leaves and red chillies.
5. Once the tempering crackles add the curds mixture to it.
6. Boil well on sim flame. This is where you need patience. You need to boil this mixture till it thickens and loses about 25 % of its volume.
7. Add dumplings and simmer for another 2 mins.
8. Turn off the heat and garnish with finely chopped coriander leaves. Serve piping hot with rice.

Gnocchi is a thick dumpling most commonly made from potato. It can be made from other ingredients like semolina, wheat flour, bread crumbs as well. Gnocco in Italian means lump.

I came across this recipe by Shreyas Goenka while watching a show on NDTV Good times. I was amazed at seeing such a young boy make Gnocchi and drop-dead gorgeous cakes with such ease.

I’ve never tried making pasta from scratch. May be I was just too lazy or always had a packet of pasta ready at hand. This recipe sounded interesting as it had some elements that were different from what the usual pasta contains like mashed potatoes and cheese. I did not have basil leaves so I used dry mixed herb powder instead (a combination of basil, rosemary and thyme). Also, I used tomato puree instead of the fresh tomatoes. I was getting restless and hungry but those of you who try your hand at this one please use fresh tomatoes.

One important point that I think was missed out in description of this recipe is that the Gnocchi cubes once cut out need to pushed off the teeth of a fork so they become curled and indented. Just hold your fork out, place a Gnocchi piece on the base end of the teeth and roll the Gnocchi off with mild pressure so that indentations are formed on it. Oil your fork after making 4-5 Gnocchis. I remember Chef Shreyas showing this procedure during the show. He also mentioned that this helps in cooking the Gnocchi uniformly. Here is Chef Shreyas’s Recipe.

This Italian Main Course Dish is my entry to AWED – Italian hosted by Culinary Bazaar.

I received the Brillante award from Sukanya of

Thanks so much Sukanya for your encouragement. I would like to pass it on to…
Alka of sindhi rasoi

For a really long time I have been thinking of making these vegetarian kababs which my mom had learnt from her close friend. Its a recipe that requires considerable effort and may be thats why I was putting it off. Finally, when I saw the Monthly Mingle – Grill It event being organized by Live to Eat, it motivated me to try my hand at it. These vegetarian kababs are made from black chick peas. Its a long drawn process of soaking, boiling, stir frying, grinding, grilling and then finally toasting. Let me see, have I left out any cooking procedure?
I grilled the kababs in the oven so that the outer crust gets a firm texture. Then I went on to toast it on the flame directly. I must also tell you that the end result tasted like never before. The taste of the carefully and mildly burnt sections of the kabab was so unique that now I might want to make it more often.
These kababs which are a bit dry should preferably be served with a minty, thick curd dip or a cheese dip to add to the moisture content.

This is my entry to the Monthly Mingle – Grill It Event hosted by Live to Eat. Do check out the Monthly Mingle Calender for more exciting events and round-ups.

Ingredients :

• 2 cups black chickpeas
• 1/2 teaspoon Jeera seeds
• 2 teaspoons Ginger garlic paste
• 1 Onion
• 1 teaspoon Chaat masala
• 1 teaspoon coriander powder
• Pinch of Hing or Asafetida
• 1 Green chilly
• 1 tablespoon Oil
• 1 slice of small brown bread
• 1 teaspoon of maida (all purpose flour)
• Few springs of Coriander leaves

Procedure :

1. Soak chickpeas overnight.
2. Pressure cook until soft. Will require at least 4-5 whistles on medium flame.
3. Drain out excess water. Heat oil. Add Jeera seeds.
4. Once the seeds splutter add asafetida, slit green chilly, chopped onion and ginger garlic paste.
5. Once onions appear soft add chick peas, coriander powder and salt. Mix well.
6. Turn off the heat. Add chaat masala and coriander leaves. All this to cool.
7. Grind this mixture in a mixie jar without adding water.
8. Now mix maida, 1 teaspoon of oil and crumbled brown bread. Knead for a minute to form a smooth dough.
9. Now take a skewer and wrap the chickpea dough around it. Give it an elongated shape with your hands.
10. Brush oil over it. Grill it in oven for about 15 mins at 200 deg C.
11. Now place skewer directly over the flame very carefully. Ensure you dont allow it to rest in one position for more than 2 seconds else it will get burnt. Careful with your fingers too.
12. Your vegetarian seekh kababs are ready. Serve with sauce, chutney and salad.