Biryani and mangoes in Hyderabad

April 14

On the left is a picture of what biryani is supposed to look like, so I'm told. I took it with my cell phone, so it's not of the best quality, but according to the menu at Paradise restaurant in Hyderabad, the grains of rice in a biryani should all be separate — no sticking together.

Hyderabad, the capital of Andhra Pradesh state, claims to be the birthplace of biryani, and the best place to eat it. And Paradise, by several accounts, is as good a place as any to get it. So while the franchisors on the trade mission were having their late morning speed dates, I hired a driver to help me find mangoes and to take me to Paradise.

When I worked in Thailand, a place with very fine mangoes as far as I and the Thais are concerned, my Indian colleagues would snigger and laugh at the local fruits, declaring them to be inadequate shadows of real Indian mangoes.

My pre-trip research indicated that mangoes were in season now in India, and although the people of Mumbai told me it was a bit early for the prized fruits yet, they agreed that I might have better luck in Hyderabad, farther south.

The Hyderabadis laughed at me — about as politely as you can laugh at someone, but they laughed — and suggested I wait a couple of weeks before trying mangoes.

I pointed out to them that I was in India now and would not be in a couple of weeks, and suggested that perhaps with Indian mangoes being so good, even those that were not at the peak of season might possibly be the best I’d ever tasted, and they agreed that that might be so.

So I had my driver take me to the fruit market. To see what we could find.

There weren’t a lot of mangoes, but there were some, and after wandering around for awhile the driver recommended a stand to me, and I bought a kilo of mangoes for 40 rupees — about a dollar.

They had the great floral aroma of a good mango and the promise of a complex and nuanced flavor that I would expect from an excellent piece of fruit.

Delighted with my purchase, I headed to Paradise for lunch and had mutton biryani.

What can I say? All the Biryani I’d had in the past was basically rice pilaf with meat in it, and so was this. The distinguishing characteristics were very long-grained basmati rice that didn't stick together and a strong but not overpowering cardamom aroma. This being Andhra Pradesh, which claims to be the state with the spiciest food (although I’m told that some people in Tamil Nadu would beg to differ), there was also plenty of chile in the rice.

It was tasty. I suppose it might have been the most delicious biryani I'd ever had. I don't know. It was hardly worth a trip to Hyderabad to eat, but since I was there already I was glad for the experience, and to have a benchmark for what is considered great biryani.

Back at the hotel, I had the staff peel and slice my mangoes for me, which they did with alacrity.

And let me tell you, they were terrible. The flesh had the right orange color, glistening sheen and slippery texture of a good mango, but it was soulless and sour, and I was sorely disappointed.

Whimsical Chocolate Easter Cake

S.Kenney 2011

Easter brings so many special memories to mind.  When my children were 3 and 5, we decided to take a trip to Italy during the Easter holiday.  I know what many of you are saying... Italy?  TransAtlantic flight?  With 2 toddlers?  

I know.  And...Guess what...

S.Kenney 2011

We went on this trip to Italy with 2 toddlers and my IN-LAWS!

S.Kenney 2011

It was all fabulous.  We had a wonderful trip.  It was hectic.  It was crazy at times.  Finding diapers between 2:00pm and 4:00pm in the afternoon was an interesting predicament on one day.  All stores close for "nap time"!

S.Kenney 2011

We stayed on a family run olive oil farm in Tarvarnelle Val di Pesa.  The farm is named "Sovigliano".  We were actually only 20 minutes from Florence but it felt like everything you imagine the Italian countryside should look like.  Outside our  shuttered windows grew the largest rosemary bushes I had ever seen.

S.Kenney 2011

So many memories.  But, one of our fondest is when we went to the local church of this tiniest of tiny Italian villages for Easter Sunday mass.  The owners of our farm told us to listen for the church bells and begin walking in that direction to find the location.

Seriously?

Incredible.  The bells were beautiful.  We started walking...

S.Kenney 2011

I had dressed my little toddlers in their carefully thought-out Easter attire.  Madeleine had a pale pink linen dress with white crocheted collar (huge pink bow in her hair of course).  Riley, I dressed in a pale lemon linen sailor jumper with little canvas white tennis shoes.  (He even had a yellow sailor cap)

**I must interrupt this visit to my memories of Easter past for a moment.  I just have to comment on these chocolate curls.  The incredible blog "Sprinkle Bakes" posted an absolutely gorgeous cheesecake that she made for The Cheesecake Factory.  Yes, The Cheesecake Factory.  She is that good...and her photography is incredible.  She made these chocolate curls and posted a video "tutorial".  I loved it.  I had to try it.  So, these are my chocolate curls.

...Back to small Italian village reminiscing...

We had been encouraged by our farm hosts to purchase little woven baskets for the children, line them with white linen napkins, and fill them with simply decorated boiled eggs.  During mass on Easter, the children are invited to walk up to the altar and place their baskets there to be blessed.  With some prodding and coaxing, we hoped that  our wee ones would participate in this little procession.

What we weren't prepared for, however, was to undoubtedly become the town spectacle the minute we entered the tiny chapel.  There we were:  My in-laws, husband, 2 toddlers and me!  We were dressed in our typical Easter pastel outfits just like our children.

S.Kenney 2011

No kidding when I say this...every pair of eyes was turned on us as we attempted to look as casual as possible filing into an empty pew.  It was evident within minutes that our dress was making us into quite the local spectacle.  The other little children were completely turned around in their seats staring open-eyed at my children.

S.Kenney 2011

It was at this moment that  I discreetly took off my son's sailor cap and tucked it into my purse.

That must be it...

the sailor cap was too much and it was drawing attention.

My colorful floral silk scarf now felt rather garish and loud.  My husband's yellow Ralph Lauren button-down even seemed too bright.

S.Kenney 2011

After sweeping our eyes over the local dress on this Easter Sunday, we couldn't help but notice that Americans (that would be...us) definitely dress brighter and a bit...um... "louder" than do the Italians.  The Italian people in that little chapel dressed beautifully, don't get me wrong.  I'm not being insulting.  Honest!  Its just one of those wonderful cultural opportunities to truly notice the differences between cultural styles.  Their dress was more somber, quiet, natural, and fresh.  I loved it.

S.Kenney 2011

Everything about Italy was somber, fresh, beautiful and under-stated.  Try as we might, there was no way we were going to slip in anywhere and not be undoubtedly cast as Americans.

We dubbed our children the "lolli-pop" kids the rest of the trip.  We had many good laughs remembering the shy glances as well as the overt stares that we received traveling through this stunning country with my Gymboree attired "lolli-pops".

The Lollipop Kids chasing pigeons in Florence, Italy

Alas...no sailor cap

Aren't these experiences, and chuckles, and memories what make traveling the world so wonderful?  Easter will always be filled with these adorable memories for our family.

So, about this cake?  Do you think its a tad bit over the top?  I'm thinking the majority will say "YES".  Oh dear, so American.  

So sugary. 

So chocolate-y.  

So Froo-Froo!

(Cake adapted from Martha Stewart magazine)

Ingredients

For The Cake

Unsalted butter, room temperature, for pans

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

2 1/2 cups granulated sugar

1 1/4 cups unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder, plus more for pans

2 1/2 teaspoons baking soda

1 1/4 teaspoons baking powder

1 1/4 teaspoons salt

2 large eggs, plus 1 large egg yolk

1 1/4 cups buttermilk

3/4 cup warm water

1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons vegetable oil

1/2 cup dark rum

1 1/4 teaspoons vanilla extract

For The Frosting

4 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar

1/2 cup unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

12 ounces cream cheese, room temperature

1 1/2 sticks (3/4 cup) unsalted butter, room temperature

18 ounces bittersweet chocolate, melted

1 1/2 cups sour cream

For The Garnish

1 thick 16-ounce block bittersweet chocolate, room temperature

Confectioners' sugar, for dusting (optional)

Phyllo nest

Small candy-coated chocolate eggs

For The Nest

2 teaspoons unsalted butter, melted, plus more for mold

1/2 ounce ( 1/2 cup) kataifi (a type of phyllo), thawed (Snippet's note:  I used regular phyllo dough and cut it in thin strips.  I couldn't find this kataifi variety)

Cocoa powder, for dusting

Directions:

Make the nest: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly brush a 1/3-cup-capacity round silicone mold with butter. In a bowl, gently toss butter and kataifi to combine. (Snippet's note:  butter made my phyllo dough all soggy so I just left it out...)

Lift kataifi out of bowl, gently stretching strands to form a loose rope. Lay 1 end in the cupped fingers of 1 hand. Gently spiral rope to shape into a nest.

Fit nest into mold, pulling up edges to rest over rim. Place on a baking sheet. Bake until golden brown, 25 to 30 minutes. Let cool completely in mold on a wire rack. Unmold. Dust with cocoa.

Make the cake: Butter two 10-by-2-inch round cake pans. Line with parchment cut to fit, and butter parchment. Dust with cocoa, and tap out excess. Sift flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder, and salt into the bowl of a mixer. Add remaining ingredients. Mix on low speed until smooth, about 3 minutes. Divide batter among prepared pans.

Bake, rotating pans halfway through, until a toothpick inserted into centers of cakes comes out clean, about 35 minutes. Let cool in pans on wire racks for 45 minutes. Run a knife around edges of cakes to loosen, and turn onto racks. Remove parchment, turn cakes right side up, and let cool completely.

Make the frosting: Sift confectioners' sugar, cocoa, and salt into a bowl. In the bowl of a mixer, beat cream cheese and butter on medium-high speed until fluffy, about 4 minutes. Reduce speed to low. Gradually add sugar mixture, beating until combined. Beat in melted chocolate and sour cream until combined.

Make the garnish: Using a vegetable peeler, scrape chocolate at a 45-degree angle. Using a spatula, transfer curls to a parchment-lined baking sheet. Cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes (or up to 4 days). (Snippet's Note:  I used the chocolate curls found on SprinkleBakes's blog.)

To assemble: Using a serrated knife, trim tops of cakes to create level surfaces. Reserve trimmings. Place 1 cake, cut side up, on a cake stand. Spread 2 cups frosting over top. Top with remaining cake, cut side up. (Snippet's note:  My cakes were unbelievably flat.  So I crushed chocolate graham crackers for the top) Spread remaining frosting over top and sides. Finely grind cake trimmings in a food processor. Sprinkle crumbs over top of cake.

Using tweezers, gently press chocolate curls to sides of cake. Dust top with confectioners' sugar if desired. Decorate with nest, chocolate eggs, and flowers.  (Snippet's Note:  Get one big glass of milk because this is one killer chocolate cake!!)

Bolu Kukus Susu

Camilan satu ini termasuk camilan sepanjang masa dan tak kan bosan untuk membuatnya, begitu banyak yang kreatif dengan kreasi bolkus di NCC akhirnya weekend kemarin baru terlaksana untuk membuatnya.

Berbagai resep yang beredar tapi akhirnya cocok dengan resep satu ini karena mudah didapat dan cara membuatnyapun tidak sulit.

Bolu Kukus Susu
By Nilamsari


Bahan :
200 gram terigu
50 gram susu bubuk
50 gram maizena

250 gr gula pasir
2 butir telur - yang agak besar
1 sdt elmusifier

200ml fresh milk

1 sdt pasta coffee /pandan / strawberry
1 sdt pasta vanila

Cara membuat :
1. Siapkan kukusan dan beri air dan masak hingga air mendidih dan uap banyak.
2. Kocok gula,telur dan elmusifer hingga kental lalu masukan campuran bahan kering dan fresh milk hingga tercampur rata.
3. Bagi adonan menjadi 2 bagian lalu beri masing masing bagian dengan 1 sdt pasta aduk hingga rata.
4. Tuang adonan dalam cetakan
5. Kukus selama 20 menit dijamin pasti mekrok semekroknya dan bawahnya tidak akan mengkerut.

One of the best days of this past winter was getting out with Nate and his family for some ice fishing. Randy and I drove over to meet up with the whole clan out on the ice. Nate was out there with all four of his boys, one of his brothers, and both of his parents. We had a rip-roaring good time playing on the ice and getting film footage of the boys manning the lines of the traps. We also had a great view of an adult bald eagle swooping in to snatch up a fish that we had left out on top of the ice.

Randy and I managed to get out and do a bit of hunting together this winter, which usually resulted in us sitting around in the snow and talking quietly with one another until we decided that it was too cold to stay out any longer and it was time for a bottle o' suds! We have an old fox hat that I made several years ago, which is in need of retirement, so when we called in this foxy lady, we decided that she'd become the new hat for the Auchtermachty Lodge.

Just want to give a congratulatory "shout out" to my big sister Lesley, who has finally completed her dissertation, and is mere moments away from escaping the clutches of higher education. Somehow, in her 35 years of life, she has managed to squeeze in approximately 47 years worth of college credits, and will henceforth be referred to as "Dr. Beaner" or "Profesora Leslita." Congratulations Lesley. I am truly proud of you, and I love you.

Found these crazy little ice monsters while hunting rabbits and ducks in Nantucket this winter. Two hawking buddies and I went out to spend some time with long-time friend Mark, (a.k.a. "The Bird-Man of Nantucket") and in trade for cooking him good meals at the end of each day, he guided us around the island and directed us to good hunting areas. It was a great trip. One that I hope to repeat. These icy phalluses were the result of a burst water pipe that ran to the outdoor shower behind a seasonal cottage. It was spraying a fine mist over 20 feet from the cottage.

The biggest bit of news from the past few months is that while our house was a total mess, and still clearly a busy jobsite, I took it upon myself one evening to cook up one of Emily's favorite meals while she was busy painting. We sat down to eat(on milk crates) and I pulled out a bottle of champagne and a ring, and did my best to talk her into marrying me. She decided that she still liked me well enough to take the leap, and said "yes." So one day, when this project is behind us, we'll plan a simple wedding and "get hitched." We're both very happy about it.

Well, it seems I've been absent from this blog for quite some time, and my most valid excuse (aside from suffering some of the winter doldrums) is that Emily and I have been completely engrossed in the renovation of our new home, and all of the tasks and trials that have come with that project. It's been a long haul, but the project is just about finished. If you'd like to hear about it all in detail, and see loads of photos of the house, inside and out, have a peek at Emily's blog about it; www.64highstreet.blogspot.com

Spicy Sardines in Caramelised Onion and Tomato Sauce

I posted a roasted sardine dish earlier to show how we can include fish in our diet without breaking the bank, and here's another sardine dish, this time using sardines from cans. Sardines in cans are much easier to come by for most people and are really cheap. You get the same healthy omega 3 fats, b12, protein and best of all, calcium from the soft bones (no need to worry about picking them out this time because they just crumble). Another good thing about small fishes like sardines is that they are lower in toxins because they're lower in the food chain.

I like sardines in tomato sauce, but I avoid the tomato flavoured canned sardines because they're full of nasty vegetable oils and corn syrup. I get them canned in brine, simply salt and water, and then add tomatoes and onions instead of sugar for the sweetness, and of course, a fiery chilli kick.

Spicy Sardines in Caramelised Onion and Tomato Sauce

serves 1-2

Ingredients

1 can of sardines in brine (or olive oil, but brine is cheaper)

2 medium tomatoes, chopped (or about 1/3 cup of tinned tomatoes)

2 onions, peeled and sliced

1 Thai birdseye chilli, deseeded and sliced (or a milder chilli/chilli flakes/powder, to taste)

1 tbsp sweet rice vinegar (or balsamic vinegar)

1 tbsp coconut oil (or extra virgin olive oil)

Method

1. Heat the coconut oil in a pan over medium high heat. Add the sliced onions and let them cook till brown and caramelised.

2. Add the chopped tomatoes and cook till it disintegrates.

3. Add the rest of the ingredients, including the sardines and cook for a couple of minutes more.

4. Serve with rice and vegetables. If you want to, you can hack at the sardines with your spatula to break them up and then serve like a ragu of sorts over noodles or pasta too.

This is a fast and frugal dish that I can whip up anytime because I always have onions, a can of sardines, tinned tomatoes, and chilli flakes in my larder. Plus it's yummy; any "fishy smell" will cease to exist under all that sweetness from the caramelised onions, sourness from the tomatoes and vinegar, spiciness from the chilli, and saltiness from the sardines.

Quite evidently, I'm back from Romania! To my disappointment Mcdonald's has made its way there too, in fact, is there a country without the famous golden arches? But I had a great time eating my way through yummy bouncy (yes bouncy! how?!) sausages called mititei, cornmeal porridges (like polenta, called malinga) and stuffed cabbage rolls (something I really want to try making a version of really soon ;)

This is part of Real Food Wednesday, Full Plate Thursday, Simple Lives Thursday, Fight Back Friday.

Taking a Mulligan

I could have sworn the president already submitted a budget. No, really! He gave a speech about it and everything.  Now he's going to give another speech about another budget, presumably for the same country and the same year. Where  the last one spent money like crazy, this one is supposed to be all grown up and stuff.

I wonder if anyone else will notice the change.

Recipe of the Week Blog Hop - Mini Carrot Cake Cups

It's time to share your recipes for the week! Sorry this is a day late. I have been super busy and barely home all week so far, so I had no time to type this up yesterday. Be sure to grab the button on the right and link to the linky with your recipe post!

Today I am sharing a really yummy Pampered Chef recipe that I actually made for a party this past weekend. It is a dessert and is super easy to make and very delicious!

Mini Carrot Cakes Cups

1 pkg of yellow cake mix

1 and 1/2 tsp. allspice

1 egg

2 TBS vegetable oil

2 medium size carrots

Filling & Garnish 

1 pkg of cream cheese

3/4 cup powdered sugar

1/2 cup thawed whipping cream

chopped walnuts (optional)

Directions

Preheat oven to 350ºF (180ºC). Spray each well Mini-Muffin Pan with nonstick cooking spray. For cups, combine cake mix, allspice, egg and oil in bowl; stir until ingredients are moistened. (Mixture will be very thick.) Grate carrot. Stir 3/4 cup of the carrots into batter; set aside remaining carrots for garnish. Divide batter evenly among wells, filling wells about two-thirds full; bake 11-13 minutes or until cups feel firm to the touch. 

Meanwhile, whisk together cream cheese and sugar until smooth; fold in whipped topping. Spoon cream cheese mixture into resealable plastic bag; secure bag and set aside.

Remove pan from oven to cool. Press tops of cups with lightly floured Mini-Tart Shaper to make slight indentations. Cool in pan 3 minutes. Carefully remove cups from pan; cool 5 minutes. Trim corner of cream cheese-filled bag; pipe filling evenly into cups. Garnish cups with chopped walnuts and reserved grated carrots, if desired. 

Happy Cooking!

Post is linked to: Tuesday at the Table,