Chocolate Walnut Brownie

Blogging Teaches me a Lot. Iam trying to bake few goodies for my home nowadays. and this brownie is one such attempt. I have posted my first brownie recipe here. This time, it tasted more like a brownie, but i could'nt get fudge brownie's, i should try making it next time.

Ingredients: ( yields 12 sqaures)

1. Dark Chocolate - 350 gms / 12 oz (Morde Dark chocolate i used 1 and half bar)
2. All Purpose Flour / Maida - 1 cup / 6 oz
3. Butter - 100gms / 3.5 oz
4. Castor Sugar / Powdered Sugar - 1/2 cup / 3 oz
5. Walnuts - 1/2 cup (chopped)
6. Egg's - 2
7. Baking Powder - 1/2 tsp
8. Baking Soda - 1/2 tsp
9. Salt - a pinch

How to Prepare?


1. Melt the Dark Chocolate by double boiling method or microwave it for 90 secs in Microwave High.

2. Powder the Sugar by running the sugar in your mixer grinder. (do not powder very finely)

3. Bring the Butter to Room Temperature, by immersing the Butter with its carton in a bowl of water. replace the water twice or thrice, whenever it gets chilled. It takes around 10 minute's.

4. Now Beat the Butter with Sugar, using a hand whisk for about 3 minutes atleast.

5. Whisk the Egg's with Yolk's and keep aside. I use my mixie to whisk the egg's. its done in a minute.

6. Sift the Flour with Baking Soda, Bkaing Powder and pinch salt. Sift the flour for atleast three times.

7. Chop the Walnuts and keep aside.

8. Pre-Heat the oven for 10 minutes at the temperature of 180 C. / 350 F.

9. While the oven get's Pre-Heated,

Add the Melted Chocolate to the whisked Butter-Sugar Mix and blend the chocolate with a spatula.

Add the Whisked Egg's to the Chocolate-Butter-Sugar mix and mix well.

Also add the sifted flour and mix well. Now add the chopped walnuts and mix well.

10. Pour the Flour+Egg+Butter+Sugar mix to a Greased Baking Bowl. Bake in the Pre-Heated oven at 350F for about 20 minute's.

11. Cool the Baked Brownie's for about 30 minute's and then cut them into sqaure's.

* No Need to check for cooked, by inserting a tooth pick and ensuring it comes out clean.

Any suggestion's on how to get fudge brownie's.

Sending these Chocolate  Walnut Brownie's to Cooking for Kids Event Orginated from Sharmi, now Hosted by Hema.

Thai Massaman Curry with Eggplant and Potato

When i was bored to cook ennai kathrikka kuzhambu, i got the idea of trying Thai Eggplant Curry. I just Googled and went ahead to cook with what all ingredients i had at hand. I should tell you, that this is not an authentic Thai Recipe, this is customised recipe for an South Indian Vegetarian Palatte. But this won' t cheat you in any way. This is such a Flavourfull Curry that i have ever cooked. It was little spicy, little tangy, little sweety, little heavy. No flavours' dominated the curry and all played its role perfect.

Massaman Curry Paste:

Dry Roast the following:

1. Dry Red Chilli's - 8 - 10
2. Corriander Seed's - 2 tbsp's
3. Cumin Seed's - 2 tsp's
4. Cardamon - 2 pods
5. Cloves - 3
6. Cinnamon stick - 1" inch size (2 nos)
7. Nutmeg - 1/4 (crush a nutmeg and use a small part) **
8. Peanuts - 1/4 cup (Roast it seperately)

Grind along with the Dry Roasted spices:

1. Shallots - 10 - 12 / one Red Onion
2. Garlic - 5
3. Galangal / Ginger - 1 inch size
4. Soy Sauce - 1 and half tbsp.
5. Basil Leaves - 10
6. Tamarind Paste - 4 tbsp's.

It's authentic to grind using pestle and mortar. If you feel its tough to grind, add some tamarind water and grind to a fine paste.

Curry Paste on Top left and Tamarind water on Bottom right.

Ingredients for the Curry:

1. Eggplant's - 8
2. Potato's - 4 (chopped cubically)
3. Coconut Milk - 3 cup
4. Cooking Oil - 5 tbsp's
5. Tamarind Juice - 2 tbsp's
6. Palm Sugar - 3 tsp's

First Heat the oil in a Pan and add the chopped potatoes and and roast the potatoes till they are semi-cooked.

Add the freshly chopped Eggplant's to the pan and fry along with the potato's, till the eggplant's start to shrink and change its skin colour. add little bit salt to cook the eggplant's fast.

Now add the Massaman curry paste to the pan and saute it along with the eggplant's and Potato's. Let the curry paste get sauteed along with eggplant's for a minute. Add the Tamarind juice and let it boil for 2 minute's.

Slow the flame and add the Coconut Milk. Mix well. add salt to taste and Let it rest in slow flame for about 10 minute's.

Add the Palm sugar and mix well. also let the curry stand on slow flame for about 5 minutes.

Serve with some chopped spring onion's on top with Rice.

This is such a flavourfull curry with soft eggplant's and Potato's. It was little spicy, little tangy, little sweety, little heavy. No flavours dominated the curry and all played its role perfect.

A must try dish!!

** Do not use Nutmeg more than specified in the recipe, it makes your curry sweeter. so make sure its presence is not felt.

Baked Pasta with White Sauce

We had our friends from france for lunch on last week-end, me and my hubby were confusing each other on planning the menu for them. We wanted to show off our Tamil lunch also. Somehow we both planned the Menu with, * Badam Kheer, * Vadai, * Appalam, * Baked Pasta with Cabbage & Egg Salad, * Tomato Rice, * Curd Rice, * Chapathi, * Tomato Dal and * Chocolate Cake.

I prepared every food except chocolate cake, Yes, I didn't have any for dessert and finally managed with Apples. They enjoyed the Baked Pasta very much. The Vada's and Badam Kheer was also liked. the other all items were failure one's, as they felt everything spicy. I was glad that i made the pasta, credits goes to my hubby for choosing it on the menu.

Baked Pasta with White Sauce Recipe

Prep Time: 15 mins 

Cooking Time: 25 mins  
Serves: 2
Recipe Cuisine: Continental
Recipe Type: Maincourse

Ingredients:



Pasta - 20 nos.
Water - 2 cup's
Salt - 1 tsp

I bought Tri-Colour Pasta, took some 20 pasta in no's.
Boiled 2 cup's of water with a tsp of salt.
Added the Pasta to the Boiling water and cooked it for about 10 minute's.
I Drained the Pasta and kept it aside.

While the Pasta was getting Cooked, I Prepared the White Sauce.

White Sauce / Be'chamel Sauce :

Butter - 1 tbsp
All Purpose Flour / Maida - 1 tbsp
Milk - 1 and half cup
Fresh Cream - 2 tbsp's
Salt - a pinch

Heated a Pan, then i added a tbsp of butter and let it to melt on low flame.

After the Butter got melted, i added a tbsp of all purpose flour and mixed with butter with a whisk. Don't let lump's get formed.

The flour started to change its colour to golden yellow. (Just wait till the flour starts changing its colour). Add Milk and stirr well in the low flame.

Do not allow any lumps to be formed. Keep stirring for about 2 minute's or till the sauce get's thicker, if it's too thick add some more milk and let it get thick a bit. The consistency is, it should be able to coat the spoon and little thin.

Switch of the flame. Add the Fresh Cream and Salt. Stir well and keep it aside.

How to Bake?

Processed Cheese - 3 tbsp's Grated
Mozarella Cheese - 2 tbsp's Grated
Oregano - few sprinkled on top
Pepper Powder - a pinch

Pre-Heat the oven for about 10 minutes. While the oven get's heated, Place the cooked pasta in a glass baking bowl, add the white sauce on top and mix well. add some grated Processed Cheese and Mozarella Cheese on top.

If desired, add Oregano and Pepper Powder on top.

Place the Pasta bowl in the oven and Bake it on 180C / 350F for about 20 minute's.

The Cheese on top should have melted and should have turned golden in colour.

Serving Suggestion:

Serve it with some Cabbage Salad and Boiled Egg's and Tomatoe's. I also served with boiled potatoe's.

We all Loved this Creamy, Cheesy Pasta. I learned that this is also called as au gratin, as it is cooked till it gets golden colour top. It can be called as Baked Pasta / Pasta au gratin.

Tip at the End:

If you want to substitute the pasta, go for some spaghetti or some vegetables like corn's, broccoli, bell pepper's and mushroom's. Iam sure this would be a great dish to please your guest's.