In search of my Gastronomic Awakening!

For weeks now I have been in search of a gastronomic awakening, an epicurean epiphany, a taste-bud bungee jump. I have eaten out and indulged in multifarious culinary delights but something has always been amiss. Last night I was at Pandara road gorging on the uber rich Butter Chicken, while a week before we were at Gunpowder, an entire eleven of us, and the food, as usual, was mouthwateringly good. The vast Big Chill menu has been explored and tested enough times over the last week, right from the soups and salads to the grills and the bakes. Cha Shi, Mamagoto, Khan Chacha --- my week-long list has been pretty endless. [I do eat ghar ka khaana too, the complete affair of dal-roti-subzi, just in case you think I eat out ritually!]

Yet, I sit here today, typing away dismally, for my food has kept me content but not satisfied. Many people do not tend to know the difference and often mistake contentedness for satisfaction. I, on the other hand, know, and know to an extent that despite my conscious search for a fantabulous foodie experience, satisfaction has eluded me. But what is it that my senses want? What cuisine or food item shall provide me that? Is it going to be a spicy Thai affair or maybe the mellow flavors of a Gujarati thaali? Will a dessert shake my senses awake or will it be some salad? I wish I knew, for the only thing I know is my food is getting predictable as is Delhi’s gastronomic scene. I am yearning for anything that’s going to break this lull in my life with a kaboom! and open up to me a Universe of possible flavors.

Where are you, Mister Dish-amiss? Where are those eye-popping flavors? Where is the head-rush, that sense of adventure, that too-good-to-be-true type food? I want to gorge on that dish and exclaim with naïve delight “Oh this is just so goo-o-oooooood!!” You know what I mean? I want NEW! I want a culinary skydive, food that gets the adrenaline rushing! This routine food and typical eating out is getting to me! Oh Dilli, can you provide me ANYTHING on those lines?

Photo courtesy: Cruzine.com

Note to my dear readers: Any and all suggestions are welcome!! 

Unhate!

Courtesy: The Benetton Blog, www.blog.benetton.com

After having seen the furore over the recent Benetton "Unhate" campaign, I must admit I was inspired. Why I personally like the campaign is because it is not expecting the Utopian of us by delivering the message of forgive and forget, or to begin to like that which we loathe. It doesn't prod us to love, for loving can be a whole new ball game, nor does it ask us to be humane and volunteer to help re-build this world on a foundation of tender, loving care. Instead, it asks us to simply stop hating if we were, which I think is probably a more practical, and in some ways, a nobler virtue to practice than loving.

So inspired I felt, that I decided to cook some Chindi food. [For those of you who are unaware, Chindi is a portmanteau word stemming from Chinese and Indian, which obviously implies I decided to cook up something associated with Chinese food but prepared in a way that it pleases the Indian palate.]. This might automatically suggest that I hate China and / or Chinese people, culture and food, but that is not completely correct. Frankly, I really savor Chinese food and find the culture intriguing. I also find the Chinese people's skin flawless and hair oh-so-shiny. However, when it comes to their country, I have to accept that personally, I do feel a little jealous, and maybe even a minor form of inferiority complex each time India is juxtaposed with China, and China has overtaken us (yet again!) in nuclear growth or in economic progress and even in population! :-/

Well anyways, getting back to the point, I have resolved to "unhate", and with this newly adopted philosophy, I happily made some Crispy Lotus Stem served with Honey Chilli Sauce. Recipe below:

Ingredients:

Lotus Stem: 1 stem, approx. 180-200 gms

Cornflour: To drizzle

Chili Garlic Sauce: 3 tbsps

Tomato Ketchup: 2 tbsps

Honey: 1 tbsp

Soya Sauce: 1/2 tsp

Spring Onion: 1, finely chopped

Water: 1/2 cup

Vegetable Oil: Enough for deep frying + 1/2 a teaspoon for the sauce

Method:

• Take the lotus stem and remove the outer skin using a vegetable peeler. Slice the stem up into half centimeter wide pieces (not any thicker if you want them to be nice and crunchy!)
• Drizzle cornflour over the slices and ensure each piece is lightly coated with the same
• Now heat some vegetable oil in a wok and once it is hot, fry your cornflour coated lotus stem slices till golden brown. [Note: You could test a few pieces first. Once you fry them, they should be nice and crisp - almost like chips]
• Place the fried lotus stem on tissue paper in order to completely drain out all the oil

• In the meantime saute the spring onions till translucent, in less than half a teaspoon of vegetable oil, in a saucepan
• Now add all the remaining ingredients to the sauteed onions and bring to a boil or cook till the sauce has thickened lightly
• Voila! The sauce is ready! Yes, that quickly!
• Pour the hot honey chili garlic sauce over your lotus stem crisps and savor the sweetness of honey, the sharpness of the soya, the spice of the chili, the crunch of the onions and the crisp of the lotus stems --- oh what a mélange! Completely CHINDI!!! :)

So you see my dearies, unhating can be pretty much as simple to practice as this Indian taste of China is to put together, and takes as little time to be adopted as the very philosophy of your life once your mind is made up! Therefore, make lotus stems in honey chili sauce, not war!

HINDI CHINI BEHEN BHAI! :p

Cut the Mustard!

For an entire month I have been less of a gourmand and more of a glutton. Right from my gourmet affairs at Punjab Grill, Mamagoto and several others, to the mini food festival on the way to and at Patiala, to delicious (and free!) French wines, this month I have had it all. While in Patiala, I ate like there is no tomorrow, especially because the trip marked the end of the nine day abstinence from non-vegetarian food. Also, it was PUNJAB, and Punjab spells culinary indulgence!

Soon enough I began to feel horizontally challenged, precisely why it became almost imperative for me to enroll myself for yoga classes and shed those extra pounds I was gaining thanks to my endless bingeing. Muscle pulls combined with a hyper-active social life *feels cool at this point* ensured my cooking plan remained just that - A PLAN!

I began worrying for fear of having poor Orange Zest vanish into some gigantic black-hole of the blogosphere and knew I had to get cooking. I read a million recipes and spoke to a gazillion friends, fretting and searching for inspiration. Finally, a South India return friend (yes Kiki, you!) who felt deprived of Big Chill food made a request. I was asked to replicate a grilled chicken dish that she had thoroughly enjoyed at the restaurant, but because Mayawati ruined this Noida resident's Delhi visiting plans, I experimented on my good ol' flatty, Saaransh.


Confession: This dish took 2 attempts in order to turn out the way I had imagined, and poor Saar had to bear the brunt of the first, almost unpalatable version of it, so THANK YOU, my lowe, for keeping the faith and daring to gorge on the second attempt :)


Now before I get too emo, please find the recipe below for my Rosemary Grilled Chicken served with Creamy Mustard Sauce:

Ingredients:
Chicken (boneless): 450 grams
Olive Oil: 1/4 cup
Mustard Sauce (I used the French's one): 5 tbsps, 3 for the chicken marinade and 2 for the sauce
Rosemary (dry): 1 tbsp
Salt and Pepper: To taste
Lemon Juice: Juice of one lemon
Cream: 1/2 cup
Milk: 1/4 cup
Cheese: 1/2 cube, grated

Method:

• Take the boneless chicken and clean thoroughly. Now poke the pieces with a fork or make small gashes with a sharp knife. (This allows the marinade to seep right in, making the chicken burst with flavor.)
• Next, rub olive oil generously all over the chicken, followed with mustard sauce, salt and pepper, and rosemary, and finally drizzle the juice of half a lemon on top.
• Allow your chicken to marinate for at least an hour and a half in the refrigerator. More is always better, but anything lesser than an hour will not give you that same zingy, zesty result. 

• Once you feel the chicken has rested enough, pop the lazy bugger into an electronic grill for about 30 odd minutes, or till such time you smell the heady aroma of the rosemary and lemon wafting through the kitchen, arousing your hunger and disallowing you from controlling anymore!
• While the chicken grills, prepare your creamy mustard sauce. Take a saucepan and pour the cream into the same.
• Add 2 tbsp of mustard sauce (you could use more/ less depending on your capacity to enjoy/ bear the piquancy of mustard), a dash of rosemary and pepper to the cream and cook over medium heat till the cream reduces a bit and the sauce begins to thicken.
• As your sauce comes to a boil, add grated cheese to the saucepan and gently mix. This gives it that added cheesy, creamy flavor.
• Remove from the flame and allow to cool. Add the remaining lemon juice to this and your sauce is ready!  

Note: I have included milk in my recipe as I sat and prepared fresh cream instead of using the store bought variety due to lack of availability of the latter, but you could simply buy the cream off the shelf. Quantity of cream used remains the same.

• Remove the chicken from the grill and serve hot with the sauce. Enjoy the juicy pollo with your home-made creamy mostaza sauce! GO DIG IN!!! 

With the second attempt, I think I finally cut the mustard! :)

Ethiopian Yergacheffe

So I was at the DLF Emporio this morning for a coffee date with myself. Well, not quite, as I was waiting for someone, but considering the predictable Delhi traffic scenario that disallows people from arriving on time, I decided to indulge in a cuppa. I made myself comfortable at Cafe E and carefully pored over the coffee menu (limited but interesting). That's when it caught my eye, that exotic sounding name - the Ethiopian Yergacheffe (pronunciation highly debatable as per the many discussions I read on the internet, but I choose to pronounce it as yERR-ga-cheffay) - and once I read the details of the brew on offer, I did not waste another millisecond in summoning the maitre d' and enlightening him with my lavish order.

The coffee must be exclusive, for it took longer than 15 minutes to arrive, and when it did in all its glory, there was no grand ceremony marking the occasion. It, along with a glass jar containing a measly four bite sized cookies, was merely (and rather quietly) slipped onto a leather coaster before me. But oh, Exotico, you must be special, ye, 'cause as the aroma traveled up my nose, it more than just awakened me. It UPLIFTED my soul to a jannat reserved for such and such who must really have done something wonderful (I am left wondering what it was that I did, but then again, that list is just so long ;p). And then, the awaited first sip - siiiiiigh! If there was ever a heaven on earth...

They mentioned a freshly brewed affair. I could taste the freshness.  They promised an aroma of vanilla, they delivered beyond perfection. And Coffee ji, oh he, he was bitter as Bitter should be. But they also wrote of a hint of citrusy notes. Where were those, I ask. Did it matter much? It did, of course, but not enough. You see, while sipping on that yerga, one gets transported to the dark continent that produces this glamorous stuff and relishes what there is rather than mull over what is amiss. Oh, and those cookies, I know why they serve just 4. There is hardly a need!

Note to Cafe E: The chocolate cookies were nice and chewy but my suggestion is you drop those almond flavored ones. They are completely unpalatable! 

Well, I drained my cup of every little drop, and as my solitary coffee date came to a pleasant end, I knew it was time to get back to work. The cup of heaven came at a price, but then again so does everything else. To those of you who love their coffee and are based out of Delhi or NCR, I cannot stress enough on how you must ABSOLUTELY discover and savor the yerga. For those of you who are not, oh well oh well, dream on...

Found this on Google and just KNEW I had to share this. After all, I believe, coffee will unite the world, if not today, someday :)

Now as I finish writing this, let me go dig into a fresh cheesy omletto! Mmmmmm....

Mushroom Mania

I have been hoping to cook and wishing to create for over three weeks now, but what with the new job (yes, people, I've finally been employed for more than a month now :p) and a certain set of emotionally draining circumstances, the all-elusive and ever-transient inspiration constantly gave me the royal miss.

However, I have learned now that when inspiration is at an all time low, all you can do is sit and wait, for if you chase around in search of it, it is sure to elude, but if you build on good ol' Patience, voila, my dearies, it comes in packages most unexpected.

A few things and people inspired this post; the first was the mould I found growing in my bathroom in Delhi, courtesy a leaking geyser over a wooden shelf, that helped me set the very theme this time around. The second, and most kindly, was the very thoughtful book on Spanish cooking sent all the way from vilayat by my âme-sœur Vatsala (Vatty, you know I love you :*), which not only made me reminisce a fantastic time I had spent in that country earlier this year but also allowed me to bring a Spanish twist to a traditional Anka recipe that I have been cooking for aeons now, and finally, the really interesting reading I have been doing as part of my new job that gets me hungry all the time. So when I found myself back in the valley this weekend, I knew what it would take to spring the kitchen back into activity -- Mushroom Mania!!! Recipes below:


#1 Champiñónes al Ajillo (That's Spanish for Garlic Mushrooms)


Ingredients:
Mushrooms - 250 gms
Garlic - 3 cloves minced or finely chopped
Chili flakes - 2 tsp
Fresh red chili - 2 small or 1 medium chili, seeded and finely chopped
Lemon juice - 1 tsp
Salted butter - 2 tbsp (The traditional Spanish recipe uses olive oil but I prefer butter)
Parsley - 1 tsp finely chopped
Salt - a pinch

Method:

• Heat some butter in a non stick skillet and add the finely chopped garlic, freshly chopped chili and the chili flakes to the same. Saute for about 2 minutes or till the ingredients have imparted their flavor to the melted butter.
• Chop mushrooms and pour the lemon juice over them. Now add these and the chopped parsley to the skillet and let them cook over medium heat for at least 10-15 minutes or till the mushrooms have sweat and lost their water content and are reduced to a beautiful bronze. Add salt as per taste.
• Serve immediately as the mushrooms are ready to be gorged upon!
• Enjoy the citrusy zing with the burst of garlic and chili in your mouth...

#2 Mushroom Pâté (pronounced paa-TAY)


Ingredients:
Mushrooms - 250 gms, chopped
Onion - 1/2 diced
Garlic - 2 cloves minced or finely chopped
Walnuts - A fistful, roughly broken
Cottage Cheese - 100 to 150 gms, mashed
Capsicum (Green Bell Pepper) - 1/2 diced
Olive Oil - 3 tbsps
Salt - To taste
Pepper - To taste

Method:

• Heat the olive oil in a non-stick skillet and add the mushrooms, garlic, onions and bell pepper. Saute till onions are translucent and mushrooms are cooked (approximately 7 to 10 minutes on high flame)
• Put off heat and allow to cool. Now put this and the remaining ingredients into the blender and blend until the texture is that of a smooth paste. 
• Chill in the refrigerator and serve over toasted French Baguette or regular bread, whichever is available. Enjoy!

Note: Pâtés are traditionally prepared with various types of meats combined with other vegetables for flavor, but this one tastes nothing short of the non-vegetarian version, as Dad very subtly checked with me if I had, on the sly, added some without anyone's knowledge. No Dad, I honestly added the Batra's favourite PANEER to that mix!

#3 Szechuan Mushrooms with Hot Garlic Sauce


Ingredients
Mushrooms - 250 gms
Green chili - 2 seeded and finely chopped
Cheese - 2 cubes, grated
Refined flour - 3 tbsp
Baking powder - A pinch
Cornflour - 1 tbsp for batter, A pinch for the sauce
Salt and Pepper - To taste
Tomato Sauce - 3 tbsp
Chili Sauce - 2 tbsp
Garlic - 2 cloves
Water - 3/4 glass (for the batter and the sauce)
Vegetable Oil - For deep frying

Method:

• Wash the mushrooms thoroughly and remove the stalks
• Mix the grated cheese and chopped green chilies together and use the same to stuff all of the mushrooms
• Now make a batter using the refined flour, cornflour, baking powder and water. (Note: You could add an egg as well). The batter should have lotion like consistency
• Now heat the oil and while that happens, prepare the hot garlic sauce in a skillet by adding the tomato sauce, chili sauce, minced garlic, water and seasoning. You could add some chopped spring onions for added flavor. Add a dash of cornflour in the end for glazing the sauce. 

• By the time your sauce is ready, your oil will have heated.
• Poke each mushroom with a toothpick and dip them one by one into the batter. Now slide into the deep frying dish and fry till golden brown
• Drain on paper towels once done and dig into the golden crispies with a touch of that hot sauce. Oh oh ohhhh that cheese that bursts into your mouth! What joy and what comfort! 

Inspiration, you are back! 

So next time you are low on Mister Inspiration, just trip on the magic of the mushrooms, and no, I do not mean the hallucinogenic variety, but simply the plain Jane white ones cultivated and found with every subzi-waala in cartloads, but cooked with tender loving care! He will come rushing back :)

So cheers and happy cooking/ eating! 

Dear Ex-New Maid - this is dedicated to you!

The maid has left us and gone. Yes, we no longer have the luxury of a full time domestic help, thanks to the revival of NREGA in many states as well as the somewhat rapid rural development in our country. (Why she left makes for a whole new blog post, but let's avoid that territoy!). I am not denying I am happy for these sections of our society who benefit directly, but for people like me, who live away from home and do not know much about nor have enough time/ patience for housekeeping, such schemes and development only spell doom. (Judge me all you'd like, but truth is, if you, dear reader, were in a similar situation, you would curse enough to make Satan cringe :p).

In a crisis such as this, where hot chapatis straight off the tawa are a distant dream, it is time to dig into some comfort, and if all the Ghajinis out there remember, comfort food for me is Italian Khaana, with an Anka touch, of course. For those of you who don't have a good memory or are first time readers, do read the July post titled Italian food = Comfort food.

So what did I cook this time around, sans New Maid? (This nomenclature for the ex-domestic help solely because I couldn't and still cannot remember what her name is). I chose to stick to the basics and favorites, for the chopping, cooking, eating and cleaning all had to be done by the one-and-only me, which is why I picked Penne à la Sauce Champignon. Yes, yes, I know it sounds fancy and all that but I am just trying to show-off a bit of my French here. Simply put, I cooked Penne in Mushroom Sauce :p
Recipe below:


Ingredients


Penne Pasta (cooked al dente, or as you prefer) - 100 gms
Mushrooms - 150 gms
Garlic - 2 cloves, finely chopped
Chili flakes - 1 tsp
Onions (diced) - half
Salted Butter - 1 tbsp for the mushrooms and 1 tbsp for the Bechamel Sauce
Refined flour - 1 tbsp
Milk (cold) - 1 and 1/2 glasses
Cheese (grated) - 2 cubes
Salt - To taste
Peppercorns - 2 to 3
Oregano - To taste


Method

• Heat some butter in a non stick skillet and add the finely chopped garlic and the chili flakes to the same. Saute for about 2 minutes.
• Add the chopped onions and mushrooms to the skillet and let them cook over medium heat for at least 10-15 minutes or till the mushrooms have sweat and lost their water content and are reduced to a beautiful bronze.
• Remove from the heat and allow to cool.
• Once cooled, roughly blend and put aside till later. 
• Take another non-stick skillet if you have one, or in my case, wash the only one you have (Dear New Maid, you were sorely missed at this point) and prepare the Bechamel Sauce.
• For the Bechamel: Place 1 tbsp of butter and melt it completely. Now add the refined flour to this and cook it for at least 3 minutes or till golden. 
• Add the cold milk to this, constantly stirring to ensure no lumps are formed. Put in the salt, pepper and oregano to the sauce-to-be and then, just before it comes to a boil, add almost all of the grated cheese to it and cook till it boils. Your Bechamel Sauce is ready!
• Add the roughly blended mushroom mix to the bechamel to create your Sauce Champignon (this is my invention --- copyrighted, patented).
• Pour over the penne (cooked as per packet instructions) and allow to rest for a few hours for the sauce to really bring out its true flavor, or if you are in dire need of comfort, simply DIG IN!!!

No presentation for lack of patience and the growing number of hunger pangs!

PS - I have made an effort to cook vegetarian food this time around on grounds of complaints that I discriminate. I DO NOT and this post is proof. However, I shall favor the non-veggies and suggest to them that you can give this very pasta a twist by adding bite-sized chicken pieces to it (boil the same first, of course) and squeezing some lemon into the sauce when cooked for that citrusy zing. And maybe you can then re-name the dish as Pollo al Limone!


Create and Cook on! :D 

Summer Cornucopia

I enjoy walking and believe there is no better way to connect with a city or discover what guides its rhythm other than by simply traversing its streets, for one might chance upon wonders that are otherwise missed while speeding across in air-conditioned snooties, and such a chance meeting, more often than not, may turn out to be a transforming journey from hatred to love.

There was a fury raging inside of me yesterday. I was mad at the world, especially at Delhi, at its people, its weather, its traffic and even its very existence as a city. If I could, I would punch a physical form of the capital in its face. (Yes, I tend to get slightly violent - only in my thoughts, mind you - when I am angry. Moreover, all of us have days like these where we tend to hate all that we love!). However, I wanted to make peace, as much with myself as with the city, and so I set forth to rediscover the soul of dear ol' Delhi. That's when I spotted what I spotted:

Those gorgeous, sun-kissed peaches that sat at the vendor's and shyly blushed crimson! Oooh, that lush, crispy head of lettuce that smiled meekly at me, and those plump, juicy, ready to burst grapes that I'd much rather have bursting in my mouth! Ah, how they beckoned me! I knew the moment I spotted these lovelies that it was just the day to toss together a scrumptious, healthy salad.  Recipe below:

Ingredients

Peaches - 2
Grapes - A bunch
Lettuce - Enough to create a comfortable bed for the salad
Chicken breasts (skinless) - 2, weighing approximately 250 grams
Orange Juice - 1 cup
Olive Oil (Extra Virgin) - 1/4 cup
Garam Masala - 2 tbsps
Salt and Pepper - To taste

Method

• Thoroughly wash all the uncut fruit as well as the lettuce and leave aside in a bowl of fresh water.
• Coat the chicken breasts with the olive oil and then rub them all over with the garam masala, salt and pepper.
• Place the chicken on an outdoor grill if you have the luxury of one or settle for the electronic way as I did, and grill for 8 to 10 minutes on each side or until firm. (Note: Poke the chicken with a fork or cut through its thickest part to ensure it's all opaque. Please do not assume!) Once done, cut into strips.
• While the chicken is grilling, prepare a simple dressing for the salad by bringing the cup of orange juice to a boil and then allowing it to simmer on low heat for about 20 minutes or till it is reduced to a quarter of its original volume. You may add a dash of olive oil, salt and pepper to the dressing if you like, or enjoy the natural flavor of oranges. Allow to cool to room temperature.
• Cut the peaches and grapes into slices, pitting and de-seeding, respectively
• Prepare the salad by creating a bed of lettuce and then putting together all the ingredients. Pour out the dressing and toss well to coat.
• Serve, or in my case enjoy the bounties of summer by simply DIGGING IN!!!

Summer Cornucopia

Need I mention that in my quest to search for Delhi's soul, I stumbled upon mine, and that somewhere along this journey on foot the city and I happily reconciled? :)

Italian food = Comfort food

What can one expect to have as consequence when an unemployed youth sits and watches food shows on NDTV Good Times all day, I mean other than the feeling that there's nothing Good about the current Times? Quite obviously it stirs a hunger so profound it's almost religious, and one that leads to kitchen experiments and yet another blog post.

So, Vicky (Ratnani, of course) was making a delectable fish in citrus. (Yes, I like to refer to him on first name basis 'cause he and I are friends. You see, we do hang out quite a bit all day, everyday. I follow him on Twitter too, if that helps.) Watching him prepare that dish with so much fervor combined with tender love got me ravenous. Before I knew it I had driven across to Kailash Colony and was purchasing ingredients.

No, I was not replicating his TV efforts. Yes, I was planning on indulging in some comfort food, and for me Italian food spells comfort. However, I wanted the comfort to be a bit of a challenge this time and so I decided to embark on the not yet explored territory of some good, home made gnocchi. (For those of you who do not know what that is, please Google it :p].

I must add before I proceed that I had originally planned on making myself Gnocchi in Bacon Sauce, but lo! and behold! Star Bazaar stocked only chicken and mutton based products. My only choices were to drive till Khan and buy bacon or settle for Chicken Ham instead. No prizes for guessing I compromised!

Note to the Supermarket in question: Do not worry, Star Bazaar. This is not a libel against you, for you are only catering to your clients' tastes and preferences, but South Delhi, especially, you Mr. oh-so-posh Kailash and neighbours -- you do not partake of bacon or any other piggy products? Royal shame!


I got home in no time and was soon working meticulously towards my virgin attempt at home-made gnocchi. Recipe below:

Ingredients
For the Gnocchi:
Potatoes - 500 to 750 grams
All purpose flour (Maida) - 250 grams (Note: A few 100 grams up will do, but will only make the gnocchi heavier)
Salt - to taste
Extra Virgin Olive Oil - 1 tablespoon
Egg (yolks only) - 2

For the Chicken Ham Sauce:
Butter - 1 tbsp
All Purpose flour - 1 tbsp
Milk (cold) - 1 glass
Cheese - 1 to 2 cubes (grated)
Salt and Pepper - To taste
Chicken Ham - 150 grams (Add or deduct as per personal preference)
Onion - 1/2 chopped length-wise


Method
For the Gnocchi:

• Begin with boiling the potatoes. Peel and mash them once boiled and allow them to cool to room temperature. It would be best to use a potato masher in order to minimize the number of lumps, but in case you don't have one (In my super equipped kitchen -- read barely equipped --  in Delhi, I quite obviously did not have one. Sigh! Home is a blessing!) use a fork followed with clean hands, instead. You shall get the same result.
• Put the mashed potatoes on a lightly dusted work surface and create a well in the center. 
• Now, separate the eggs ( I successfully managed to do the same with no prior experience so separating shall be no task) and pour the yolks into the well. 
• Pour the 1 tablespoon of Olive Oil into the well too. Now mix them gently into the potatoes. 
• Take the all purpose flour in a separate bowl and mix the salt into it. Now add this to the potatoes, gently kneading into a dough that soon enough appears to have a crumbly texture. Make sure you add more flour if the dough is sticky.
• Once the dough is ready, tear off a fistful of the dough and roll into a rope that is approximately 2 cm thick, over your lightly dusted work surface. Now cut into bite sized pieces. You can leave these pieces as they are or give them the traditional concave shape using the back of your fork.
• Repeat process to make desired number of pieces of gnocchi, as the dough is actually more than what can be used in a single go. (You can store the remainder in the freezer and use it well within 2 months) 
• Bring a large saucepan of lightly salted water to a gentle boil. Add the gnocchi and cook for 2 minutes or till they float up to the surface. Your gnocchi is ready!

Method

For the Chicken Ham Sauce:

• Heat the butter in a saucepan till it melts into a lovely, yellow liquid.
• Add the flour to this and cook till golden brown or till you can smell the lovely aroma of the bubbling flour undergoing radiant chemical change.
• Now add the glass of cold milk to this, stirring continuously, making sure the mixture has been smoothly incorporated into the milk.
• Add the salt, pepper and grated cheese to this and bring to a boil. Cook for another 5-7 minutes or till the sauce thickens.
• In a separate non-stick pan heat olive oil and cook the chicken ham and onions in it for at least 7 minutes or till the onions attain a golden hue.
• Add this to the Bechamel Sauce prepared above and cook over medium heat for another 2 minutes.
• The Chicken Ham Sauce is ready.

Now, you can choose to either combine the gnocchi into the sauce or pour the sauce over the gnocchi. (It matters not!) Serve hot and bask in the glory of the compliments you shall receive if you care to share like I did. 

Please do not mock the presentation too much, or that you can barely tell the gnocchi from the ham, but simply discount it given the fact that I had to make do with whatever best available crockery and camera I had at my disposal. So go on, don't judge, simply DIG IN!!!

A Glimpse of Heaven

I have always loved my food, and believe a good meal possesses divine, curative powers that can heal the body, mind and spirit, precisely why there is chicken soup for the soul and also why one is always asked to feed the cold.

I cannot accurately recall when was the first time I felt so passionately about food, but it was probably around the time I was packed off to boarding school. Eating cold fried eggs and surviving on dry, thin rotis made me gain new found respect and love for the proverbial "ma ke haath ka khaana". My mum realized that too and made sure I went back to school from the holidays looking like a turkey before Thanksgiving. It was her way of showering love, and I was not complaining. One tradition in particular made me feel truly loved and pampered - the glimpse of chocolate heaven she'd conjure and have waiting at the breakfast table on the very first morning of my vacations, summer or winter.

When I decided to start my own food blog, I mulled for nearly two days over what would make the ideal first post. I debated between writing a review on my recent visit to a Mexican restaurant and my critique on blueberry cheesecakes found at different outlets across the city. Neither seemed to fit the bill. Meanwhile, I made an unannounced trip home, and when I did not find my Glimpse of Heaven at the breakfast table the following morning, I knew what I had to get cracking at.

And this is how I got baking the very first chocolate cake of my life. Recipe below:

Ingredients
For the chocolate cake:
Ground Sugar - 1 cup
Refined Flour - 1 cup
Baking Powder - 1 tsp
Cocoa Powder - 4 tsps
Refined Oil - 3/4 th cup
Eggs (at room temperature) - 3
Vanilla Essence - A few drops
Milk - 2 tbsps


For the icing:
Unsalted butter - 2 tbsps
Cocoa powder - 3 to 4 (heaped) tbsps
Ground Sugar - 2 tsps
Grated Chocolate - Plenty


Method 
For the cake:

• Begin with pre-heating the oven at 320 degrees or Gas mark 6
• Grease your baking tin with some oil and baseline it with brown paper, greasing the same too
• Break the eggs into a bowl and add a few drops of the vanilla essence to them. Beat this mixture using an electronic blender, making sure you don't overdo the beating as that will ruin the cake. 
• Now add the oil to the sugar, and blend this mixture in a separate bowl
• Add the egg blend to the above mixture, blending simultaneously
• Sift the flour with the Baking and Cocoa powders. (Tip: Always sift twice for cakes)
• Now drizzle this dry mix spoon by spoon into the sugar and egg mix, folding it in. Fold gently, incorporating air all the time. You should be able to see bubbles in the mixture while doing this.
• Add the 2 tablespoons of milk to this and fold it in as well
• Pour this delicious mixture into your tin and bake it for 30 minutes

Within 10 odd minutes the kitchen, and most corners of your home will have the aroma of this lovely cake wafting in. *Drools while writing this and reminiscing*

• Once the cake has risen and is fully baked, place it outside and allow it to cool. Then cut it into two layers, horizontally. 

Method

For Decorating and Finishing:

• Boil 2 tablespoons of sugar and 3 of cocoa in half a glass of water till it forms a syrup. Remove from fire and allow to cool.
• Prick the lower layer of cake with fork and pour the syrup lavishly over it. 
• Prepare the icing for the cake by mixing together the unsalted butter, ground sugar, cocoa powder and grated chocolate.
• Spoon a part of the icing on the inside of the upper layer of cake and spread evenly.
• Place the upper half over the lower half of the cake and then douse the cake with the remaining chocolate syrup. This ensures the cake remains moist even when refrigerated. 
• Now spoon the icing on the top and sides of the cake and spread evenly. 
• Finish with drizzling the cake extravagantly with grated dark chocolate - Lindt in my case (or milk chocolate, if you prefer)
• Chill till required.

Now remove the cake from the fridge and cut yourself a generous slice. Do not wait for anything or anyone, simply DIG IN!!!

Sigh, what utter delight! If there be a heaven on earth, it is here, it is here, it is here...