Coconut Cake with Fluffy Coconut Frosting

 

Coconut Cake with Fluffy Coconut Frosting

A most wonderful, moist and crumbly Coconut Cake recipe! Its tried and tested as you can see in the photos and if you follow the directions exactly, the recipe leads to fool proof rising of the cake sponge which retains its moisture. The fluffy Coconut frosting is very unique and light and you can be sure of gathering many complements from everyone who eats this cake! 

 

Ingredients:

 

Sponge:

• 1 tablespoon cake flour
• 2 1⁄4 cups sifted cake flour
• 2 1⁄4 teaspoons baking powder
• 1⁄2 teaspoon salt
• 1 2⁄3 cups sugar
• 1⁄3 cup butter, softened
• 2 large eggs
• 1 (14 ounce) can light coconut milk
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• ½ tablespoon coconut extract / essence

 

Fluffy Coconut Frosting

• 4 large eggs
• 1⁄2 teaspoon cream of tartar
• 1 dash salt
• 1 cup sugar
• 4 tablespoons hot water
• 1⁄2 teaspoon vanilla
• 1⁄4 teaspoon coconut extract
• Bounty milk spread with coconut flakes
• 2⁄3 cup sweetened flaked coconut, divided

 

 

Directions:  Made

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees (176.6’C).
• Coat 2 (9 inch) round cake pans with cooking spray and dust with 1 tablespoon flour.
• Combine 2 1/4 cups flour, baking powder and salt, stirring with a whisk.
• Place sugar and butter in a large bowl (or Stand Mixer) and beat with a mixer at medium speed until well blended (for about 5 minutes).
• Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.
• Add flour mixture and coconut milk alternately to sugar mixture, beginning and ending with flour mixture.
• Stir in vanilla and coconut essence.
• Pour batter into prepared pans.
• Sharply tap the pans once on countertop to remove air bubbles.
• Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in the centre comes out clean.
• Cool in pans for 10 minutes and then remove from pans.
• Cool completely on wire racks.
• Place 1 cake layer on a plate, spread with Bounty milk spread and then with 1 cup fluffy coconut frosting.
• Sprinkle with 1/3 cup coconut.
• Top with remaining cake layer, spread remaining frosting over top and sides of cake.
• Sprinkle with 1/3 cup coconut over top of cake.
• Store cake loosely covered in refrigerator.

 

Fluffy coconut Frosting:

• Place egg whites, cream of tartar, and salt in a large bowl, beat with a mixer at high speed until stiff peaks form.
• Combine sugar and water in a saucepan, bring to a boil.
• Cook, without stirring, until candy thermometer registers 238 degrees (114 Celsius).
• Pour hot sugar syrup in a thin stream over egg whites, beating at high speed.
• Stir in extracts.

 ~ Enjoy!

 

 

 

 

 



Tandoori Fish with Lemon & Lime

Tandoori Fish with Lemon & Lime

Sea Bass (or any fish of your choice), marinated in Tandoori spice with lemon juice & melted butter and then baked  in oven with lemon & lime wedges. Yum!

Recipe:

Ingredients:

• 2 whole Sea bass (or any single serving size fish of your choice), cleaned, scaled and gutted
• 1 lime wedges (half moon shaped)
• 1 lemon wedges (half moon shaped)
• Juice of 1 large lemon
• 2 - 3 tbsp Tandoori Masala (any brand) 
• 2 tbsp melted butter
• Oil for greasing 
• Aluminium foil for wrapping the fishes

Method:

• Pre-heat oven at 200'C.
• Make diagonal slits on fishes, both sides.
• Add melted butter in juice of 1 lemon and mix in Tandoori Masala to make marinade
• Rub both sides of both fishes with the prepared marinade.
• Rub the marinade in the cavities of the fishes and also fill the slits you made on the fish with this spice.
• Wrap both fishes separately in greased aluminium foil (as shown in the video)
• Marinade for 30 - 60 mins (or more in fridge).
• Drizzle fishes lightly with oil (optional)
• Wrap both fishes loosely on top too with aluminium foil.
• Bake for 20-25 mins (or more depending on your oven) till done.
• Serve with mint & tamarind chutney / chips / salad of your choice.

~ Bon Appétit!

Daleem (Haleem)

Daleem (Haleem)

Arabic: دلیم‎‎, Urdu: دلیم‎, Persian: حلیم

Wonderfully yummy and spicy Daleem recipe by Flavour Essence! 

Daleem is a stew composed of meat, lentils and pounded wheat made into a thick paste. It is originally an Arabic dish which is very popular in Middle East, Central Asia and Indian Subcontinent.

Recipe:

Ingredients:

• 500 grams boneless meat cubes (beef / mutton / chicken)
• 1/2 cup wheat
• 2 tbsp barley
• 2 tbsp white lentil
• 2 tbsp gram lentil
• 1.5 tbsp yellow lentil
• 1.5 tbsp red lentil
• 1.5 tbsp ginger garlic paste
• 1 tsp coriander powder
• 1 tsp garam masala powder
• 2 tbsp red chili powder
• Salt, to taste
• 2 large pinches nutmeg & mace powder (jaifal javitri)
• ½ tsp black pepper powder
• ½ tsp white cumin powder
• ½ tsp turmeric powder
• ½ cup oil
• 3 medium onions, fine julienned
• Fine chopped green chilies, ginger, lemon wedges & chaat masala for serving

Method:

• Soak all the grains for 3-4 hours or overnight if you have time.
• Cook soaked grains on low-medium heat till tender.
• Fry onions, stirring constantly till uniformly golden brown.
• Separate half of the fried onions for garnishing and serving later on.
• In the pot with remaining onions, add ginger garlic paste and stir.
• Add boneless meat cubes and all the spices.
• Cook and stir-fry well for five minutes.
• Add plenty water (3-4) glasses and cook half covered till meat is very tender.
• Now separately start mashing meat and grains in their own pots till well mashed like paste as desired.
• Now add meat in grains pot, and mix and mash till well combined.
• Serve with Naan and condiments (crispy fried onions, fine chopped green chilies, ginger, lemon wedges & chaat masala).

Happy Cooking & Bon Appétit!

Chicken Tikka with Tamarind Chutney, Mint Raita & Puri Paratha

Chicken Tikka

with Tamarind Chutney, Mint Raita & Puri Paratha

Ingredients:

• 3-4 chicken quarters
• 3-4 tbsp oil for drizzling
• Marinade:
• 1 tsp red chili powder
• 1/2 tsp turmeric powder
• 1 tsp cumin powder
• 1/2 tsp garam masala powder
• 1/2 tsp white pepper powder
• Juice of 2 large lemons
• 1/2 tsp black pepper powder
• 1 tsp Kashmiri chili powder / paprika (this chili powder is very mild in taste but impart a vibrant red colour to any dish)
• 1/2 tsp chaat masala powder
• Salt, to taste
• A pinch or two of orange food color
• 2 tbsp oil

Method:

• Pre-heat oven at 180'C.
• Make diagonal slits on chicken quarters.
• Combine all marinade ingredients and coat the chicken pieces well in this marinade using your hand.
• Leave for 2-3 hours so that meat is infused with spices.
• Arrange chicken pieces on an oiled rack over a baking tray.

• Drizzle with oil.
• Bake in pre-heated oven for 40-45 minutes. (Flip the side after 30 minutes during baking if using leg quarter.)

~ Serve. 

Spicy Mint & Tamarind Chutney

Ingredients:

• A handful of mint leaves
• A handful of parsley / coriander
• 4-5 green chilies
• 1 garlic clove
• 2 tbsp red chili flakes
• Salt, to taste
• 2-3 tbsp tamarind paste
• 1/4 cup water

Method:

• Mix all ingredients together and blend until smooth.

Mint Raita:

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup yogurt
• A handful of mint leaves
• A handful of parsley / coriander
• 4-5 green chilies
• 1 garlic clove
• Salt, to taste
• 2 tbsp water

Method:

• Mix all ingredients together and blend until smooth.

Special Puri Paratha:

My puri paratha recipe with step-by-step pics:

http://flavour-essence.blogspot.co.uk/2016/04/special-puri-paratha.html

Chicken & Corn Soup

Chicken & Corn Soup

Winter is almost here and that means its Soup time! So here's this comforting, warming and delicious 'Chicken & Corn Soup' recipe by Flavour-Essence!

Serve it with prawn crackers or garlic / cheese bread and you can make your soup a complete meal.

Recipe

Ingredients:

• 2.5 cups water
•  ½ chicken breast fillet
• 1 chicken stock cube
• 1 tablespoon light soy sauce
• 1 teaspoon finely grated fresh ginger
• 1.5 tablespoon corn-flour
• 60 ml (1/4 cup) water
• 2 tablespoons creamed corn
• 2 tablespoon corn kernels, rinsed, drained
• ½ egg, whisked
• 1 teaspoon sesame oil
• 1 spring onion, green part finely chopped
• Salt & freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Method

• Place water, chicken and chicken stock cube in a large saucepan and bring to the boil over high heat. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 5 minutes or until chicken is cooked through. Transfer chicken to a bowl. Set aside for 5 minutes to cool slightly. Finely shred.
• Add the soy sauce and ginger to the chicken stock.
• Make corn-flour slurry by combining corn-flour and water in a small bowl.
• Gradually stir the corn-flour mixture into the chicken stock.
• Cook, stirring occasionally, for 2 minutes or until soup thickens slightly.
• Add shredded chicken, creamed corn and corn and cook, stirring occasionally, for 3-4 minutes or until its boiling.
• Gradually pour in whisked egg into the soup, stirring constantly.
• Cook for 2 minutes or until white ribbons swirl though the soup.
• Add the sesame oil, black pepper and half the green shallot and stir to combine. Taste and season with salt and pepper if required.
• Ladle the soup among serving bowls and sprinkle with the remaining green shallot.

Serve hot.

Chicken Handi

Chicken Handi

Recipe of traditional restaurant style delicious and aromatic 'Chicken Handi'.

Its called 'Handi' because it is cooked in a vessel called 'Handi' which is made up of clay / terracotta or sometimes metal. But it can be cooked in any kind of pan and for authentic look, usually served in a Handi.

Recipe

Ingredients:

• 700 grams boneless chicken cubes
• 2 Tomatoes, chopped
• 3-4 green chilies, julliened
• ½ cup oil
• 1.5 tsp red chili powder
• 3 cloves of garlic, fine chopped
• 1 tbsp coarsely chopped coriander seeds
• 1 tbsp coarsely chopped cumin
• An inch piece of ginger, julienned
• 1 onion, julienned and fried golden brown
• ½ tsp turmeric powder
• 1 tsp ground fenugreek seeds / methi dana
• 1 tsp garam masala  
• 2 tbsp yogurt
• 4 tbsp fresh cream
• Salt to taste
• a handful of chopped coriander

Method:

• Heat oil in a wok (or handi).
• Sauté garlic till tender.
• Add tomatoes and fried onion and stir-fry.
• Add salt, red chili powder, turmeric and mix well.
• Add Chicken and stir-fry till chicken turns white.
• Cover and cook till meat is tender.
• Now add coarsely ground coriander and cumin and yogurt.
• Stir-fry for few minutes.
• Add green chilies, ginger, garam masala and fenugreek powder. Stir-fry.
• Add in little water if it’s too thick and heat up a bit.
• Stir in fresh cream and mix well till handi is heated through.
• garnish with julienned ginger and chopped coriander.
• Serve hot with naan and salad.

~ Enjoy! 

Kadhi Pakora

Kadhi Pakora

Kadhi Pakora is a classic Pakistani-Indian gram-flour curry with fried gram-flour & onion pakoras. It’s everyone’s all-time favourite comfort food, served with boiled / steamed rice or naans.

Recipe

Ingredients:

For Pakoras:

• 1 cup sieved gram flour
• 1 fine chopped onion
• 2 tbsp fine chopped coriander / parsley
• 1 tbsp yogurt
• Salt, to taste
• 2 tsp red chili powder
• 1 tsp turmeric powder
• ½ tsp garam masala powder
• Water, as required

For Kadhi Sauce:

• 2 tbsp gram flour
• 1 cup sour yogurt (if yogurt is not sour enough, add 1tbsp lemon juice)
• 1.5 tsp or to taste red chili powder
• 1 tsp garam masala powder
• 1 tbsp turmeric powder
• Salt, to taste
• Water, as required

Other ingredients:

• 1 tbsp oil
• Few curry leaves
• 4-5 dried red chilies whole
• 1 tsp white cumin (zeera) whole
• 1 tsp fenugreek seeds (methi dana) whole
• Chopped coriander
• 1tbsp oil
• 1 tsp black / yellow mustard seeds

Method:

• Combine all pakora ingredients in some water till you get a thick paste.
• Set aside for 15 minutes.
• Fry small pakoras in hot oil and set aside.
• Combine all kadhi sauce ingredient together and whisk well adding water till you get a semi-thick slurry.
• In a pan, heat oil and sauté curry leaves, dry red chilies, methi dana and zeera till fragrant.
• Add kadhi sauce and stir until gram-flour smell goes away.
• Add water till sauce is thinned and bring to a rolling boil while constantly stirring.
• After one boil, lower the flame and cover and cook until few more boils.
• Turn the flame off and add fried pakoras and coriander.
• Mix and cover the pan so that pakoras get soaked and soften.
• In a small sauté pan, heat 1tbsp oil and crackle mustard seeds.
• Pour over kadhi served in a bowl.
• Serve with boiled / steamed white rice or naan bread.

~ Enjoy!