Tuesday, May 26, 2009

Chocolate Cake!!

I like cooking and love eating! I am sure that is quite understandable for those who read my posts…. I have tried quite many recipes and have been successful in getting them right and tasty! I can proudly say I have been successful, one because my people totally relish anything I make, ok… most of the things I make. Another is because my lil adorable sister, who is a chef in the making approves of them!! She is a pro and makes some of the best cakes, pastries and cookies I have ever savored! For a few years now, it has been a tradition that she bakes cakes for any family occasions like b’days and anniversaries. Her cakes make these special occasions even more special! We celebrated my mother’s birthday this month for which chef wasn’t in town, we concluded that they’d be no cake from the her, until it occurred to me that I could try my hands in baking!
I was a good student in taking notes through Gtalk and over phone and following every single detail my chef told me to do.
I exactly did everything she said n..... Voila! There was a beautiful, delicious cake. Quite a fast learner, I am!!
I found process of making a chocolate cake quite simple, All you have to remember is to follow the process.
Here’s how I made it.

Ingredients

Cake:
Eggs - 4 Whole Eggs
Sugar - 1 cup

Oil - 1/4th cup
Baking Soda – a pinch

Maida (All purpose flour) - 2 cups
Vanilla Essence – 2 Tbsp.

Baking Powder – 1Tbsp

Cocoa Powder - ½ cup

Icing

Sugar – 1 cup

Cocoa Powder – half a cup

Water – 1 cup

Gems, cherries – 5-10 Grams


Break the eggs (whole) into a bowl, beat them till it become 4times its volume. Powder sugar and when the egg mix looks fluffy add sugar, pour oil into the egg n sugar mixture, pour the oil little by little and finally add the vanilla essence. Take a separate bowl, add maida, cocoa powder, baking powder and baking soda mix them together and add them into the egg batter. Now fold these ingredients together. Fold it horizontally and vertically. With this the batter is done!
Pre heat the oven at 180 Degree Celsius for 10 minutes. Grease the cake tin and pour the batter in. Bake this in the oven for 35min at 180 Degree Celsius and your cake is done!

For those who are curious (just like me) Do not open the oven for at least 20 minutes, there are chances, it might sink. Extra sugar also would result in a sunken cake.


There are innumerable ways to decorate your cake, here is the most simple and yummy way to do one. Add 1 cup of water into a bowl, heat this and pour granulated sugar once the sugar water mixture gets thicker, add half cup cocoa powder and mix it well. Pour it on the center n rotate the cake.


Add frozen cherries or gems to make your cake attractive.


With this I can certainly say that I have my latest crush on baking and would share more on things I bake-make!!

Tuesday, May 19, 2009

Delectably Delicious Dosas!! Sri Sagar (Formerly CTR)

The Dosa, is indisputable the pride of south Indian cuisine. Every bite and it temptingly and quite very simply slips the mouth, mind and mood into a sumptuous fantasy!
It is easily one of the favorite, popular and likable breakfast in south India, I have always relished these golden-brown crispies in all their variety and forms, quite obviously, the Masala Dosa is my favorite.

Two weeks ago, it was in Malleshwaram that I got to eat the perfect Masala Dosa.
We started our kingsize breakfast at Veena stores and with that sumptuous treat, 5 crosses down is a corner green building madly crowded!
That's CTR for you, It is hard to miss, because of the bright green oil paint it has on the exteriors and the amount people movement.
We were lucky to get some parking on one of the side roads and squeezed ourselves inside the famous CTR. Thanks to the timely exit of a family and we got seats almost immediately. Something that I saw was that people who are waiting did not wait for longer to occupy seats. There was some good synchronization and speed.
We ordered for the Benne Masala dosa. The one who took the order asked us if we wanted extra butter, we said, “No”.
Thankfully because the one without the extra butter had more than XX-extra butter, however very tasty! They serve very quickly and consciously, they have got to keep up with the pace. The insides of this place had the necessary table and chairs and just enough place for one person to walk.
The just-cant-wait-to-eat dosas are brought in a plate with banana leaf below. The hot glossy, pleasing, golden brown dosa rolled on the green leaf gives you a contrasting and pleasing presentation.
I couldn't wait to savor it! The feel of this and u'll have your fingers all shiny with the generous amount of ghee and butter over it. The potatoes curry accompanying this was awesome. Bite by bite, it was getting better, I prefer to eat slowly to savor each bite completely. You can choose the hot delicious sambar over the chilli-n-coconut chutney, I have always been a sambar lover.
At the end of it, it was a super satisfying breakfast! We shared the table with another family and they didn’t seem to have any difficulty in having more than one.
Cheers to these deliciously delectable dosas… I am sure to go back there many times.
This review is also available on Burrp
. This review made it to the weekly "just missed the crown" list! :)

Sorry about not having a picture of these delectable dosas... what can i say, i was just too unconscious and involved!!
Address:
Sri Sagar (
Formerly and famously Central Tiffin Room)

No.154
, Ground Floor, Margosa Road, 7th Cross, Malleshwaram, Bangalore.

Thursday, May 7, 2009

Vowwwwie Vadas at Veena Stores!


This review is also available on Burrp
Reviews on Burrp and a foodie friend of mine suggested the same exciting plan of going to Veena stores and next to CTR for their famous dosas. I simply succumbed to the temptations of their experiences at these places and wanted to visit them as early as possible.
Finally made it on last sunday. I woke up way too early for a Sunday and decided to walk in beautiful Lal Bhagh, After a rigorous session of running, jogging and walking the calorie conscious duo didn't think it was a sin to pamper ourselves with some high-cal food, for this i wanted my husband to take me all the way to Malleshwaram!

Since it was early on a Sunday, It didn't take too long for us to get to Margosa road. Veena Stores is a humble little shop on the 15th cross. it is beside Lakshmi maternity hospital. There is no parking on the main road, so we parked our vehicle at one of the side roads and walked up to the store to find a long queue, patiently stood and soon when it was our turn, we quickly placed an order for idly, vada and Kara bath.
Without much wait, we got hot plates of idly n vadas.
The idly was flawless white and extremely soft. The chutney and idly made a heavenly combination. The idly at Veena stores was so close to the best idly i had eaten. It was at a vacation to Mysore during Dasara festival it is available only during the festive season and is called 'Mallige Idly' (Mallige - Jasmine in kannada).
The vada is the best here, it is honestly the best i have ever eaten! I am usually not a Vada person, but totally loved the bite and taste of the crispy, brown, fried chunk with the green chilli and coconut chutney. Without much wait we decided to bite on more. They were generous enough to take the second order off the queue :-)
The hot Karabath is extremely rich with ghee, ghee and more ghee. The mixture of rava, ghee, vegetables and species just melt in your mouth.

The fact that you are standing is totally forgotten amidst the yummies in your hand and mouth! They are very quick in their service. We were Full and completely loved the place. A place I would emphatically recommend for idly and vada lovers! Wait up for my next review on 'the best' and sumptuous Dosas at Sri Sagar (Formerly called as CTR - Central Tiffin Rooms)
Address:

15th Cross, Margosa Road, Malleshwaram, Bangalore
.