Travel to Cambodia - An unforgettable experience! (Part 1)

We are back!!! Almost a week ago and I've been wanting to write this post from the moment we landed, but you know, the lazy me... Editing the mountain of photos we clicked had be bogged down the whole week. Back to the essence of the post - Cambodia.

We loved Cambodia and none of us wanted to come back.

All of us at Angkor Wat

I admit I was once not even interested in going to Cambodia (thankfully that changed) until I saw pics of Angkor Wat. After that, Cambodia as a vacation destination made place somewhere in the corners of my mind. 

What I saw and experienced in Cambodia in a short time of one week can only be described in many many words and hence, I'm splitting this post into two parts. The first part to describe my experience, how to travel, visa, food, shopping, stay etc and the second part is dedicated to the sights to see. Watch out for the second part next on www.oneteaspoonoflife.com.

Angkor Wat at Sunrise

The Experience:

What strikes you first when you land in Cambodia is not the magnificent temples, or the heat, it is the people of Cambodia. I believe it is the people that make a country and the people of Cambodia make a very fine country. Everywhere we went we found people always smiling and ever courteous, which is very heartening to see. Something our guide Mr. Chanty said to us, stayed with us – “We were fighting for so long, we forgot to develop our country”. He informed us that Cambodia has been at war for centuries, and one would expect that people from a war ravaged country would be bitter towards everyone. However, this is not the case here, the people welcome you wholeheartedly.

Among the four of us, we’ve been to 10 different countries, and Cambodia was our 11th, and we all felt that of all the countries we’ve been to, Cambodia had the softest, the nicest people. The Cambodian people speak softly. While most of them speak better English than you will find in the rest of South East Asia, even those who barely scrape through with English will try their level best to communicate with you. They understand when you say “No”. The tuk tuk drivers or the Night market vendors will ask you just once if you want something, they don’t pester you.

We did not find one rude soul there. If I go back to Cambodia, it will be more for the people there than the sights to see.

Apart from the people, we also loved the Temples, the Food (Yay!) and the Shopping.

Travel  + Visa:

Cambodia is well connected by air. You have many other local and major airlines flying into to Cambodia. Check what works for you in terms of cash and convenience. You can fly into Phnom Penh or Siem Reap airport, but if you plan the temple trail, then Siem Reap works best.

We took a Thai Air Asia flight via Bangkok on a Friday night and reached Siem Reap on Saturday morning. The flight from Bangalore to Bangkok takes around 3.5 hrs and Bangkok to Siem Reap takes about 1 hour. Thai Air Asia does not have any vegetarian food on board, so it's better to eat at the airports. You are allowed to carry your own food, but not eat in on board.

Siem Reap Airport

Visa is on arrival and they provide the forms in the flight. The Visa costs $30 per person. All you need is a completed visa application form, a passport size photograph and the money. The speed of the officials who approve the visa is commendable. We were done with our visa in 15 minutes. Immigration and baggage clearance takes a little longer but neither of that should hold you in the airport longer than 30 minutes.

If you plan on buying a SIM card, you can at the exit of the airport. There are representatives of several service providers stationed there. You can get a SIM card for as low as $5.

Tuk Tuks are the way to travel in the country once you are there. They are cheapest and best mode of transport according to me. Since the temple trail is pretty much surrounded by forests and there is minimal pollution, the open air travel seems nice and fresh as compared to a closed AC car.

Tuk Tuks

Hotel:

We booked our stay through www.agoda.com. We booked Silk D'Angkor Boutique Hotel on Charles de Gaulle Boulevard. It is located around 9km from the airport and 2km from the city center. It is a quiet hotel with exceptionally friendly staff. We had requested them for airport transfer and they sent us 2 tuk tuks for 4 of us. We were greeted by ever-smiling Daniel, the manager, at the reception who helped us plan out the next 2 days of our travel. The hotel arranged for 2 tuk tuks and a guide to take us around the temples. One tuk tuk cost us $19 and the guide $40. This may work out cheaper if you hire an independent tuk tuk or go through a travel agency. However, the tuk tuk drivers were nice and our guide was knowledgeable, so we had no regrets paying a little extra.

Extremely friendly staff at the Hotel

The stay included breakfast. The breakfast was a standard fare and tasted good. The hotel also had a pool, a restaurant and massage facilities. We tried the Khmer massage and I recommend it only to the brave. Do not expect a soft sweet massage, Khmer massage includes a lot of kneading and while it can seem painful at the moment, the pain does not last beyond the massage. There are massage parlors all over town that offer it for very low rates, you can also get it done there.

Food:

What can I say about the food except that it was FANTASTIC!!! I love my Thai curry and Cambodian curry did not disappoint. Infact, it may have just beaten the Thai curry to become my favorite. I could not have enough of it. I even picked up some curry powder there and am dying to try it out.

In Siem Reap it is very easy to find awesome vegetarian food. For all you non vegetarians out there, I believe there is no shortage of food you'd want to try. You get everything from your regular chicken to fried insects.

Peace Cafe ROCKS!!!

For all you vegetarians like me, there are several cafes around the city that serve veg food like Peace Cafe, Banlle, Artillery Cafe, Chamkar House to name a few. There are several Indian restaurants in the city like Currywalla, Vanakkam, Maharajah, Namaste, that serve you a mix of South and North Indian food, both in veg and non veg.

I tried a lot of things there like the Khmer Red Curry, Thai Green Curry, Vegetarian Amok, Fried Rice, Durian Ice Cream, Bubble Tea, Coconut-Rice cake (num krok) along with some western cuisine like Spinach Pizza, Veggie Burgers, Nachos, California roles etc. I loved everything we tried.

Vegetarian Amok

I specially recommend the Vegetarian Amok, Cambodian's national dish at Peace Cafe. Peace Cafe is a beautiful restaurant surrounded by greenery. They serve only vegetarian food that is fish sauce free, MSG free and shrimp paste free. They have a long exhaustive menu and we tried a lot on it and it very soon became our favorite place to eat. They also have a small but slightly overpriced gift shop that holds beautiful things. I picked up my curry powder from here. They also conduct Yoga classes. You can find out more from their site.

We loved the "Flying Zebra" for Pizza. It is a tiny little place in the city with a wood fired oven. We tried their Spinach Pizza which was amazing, so was their Cheese Garlic Baked Potato. Just don't kiss and tell, they are generous with their garlic. We also tried the vegetarian pizza and a quirky spicy mango pizza which you can try for an experience.

Also, there are a lot of French Bakeries across Siem Reap where you get amazing bread. The cakes may be good too, but I did not try any. I just fell in love with the bread and sorely miss it here in Bangalore.

Last but not the least, you cannot leave Siem Reap without having the "Cold Coconut" which is tender coconut kept under ice. It is nice and sweet and healthy. You will find it being sold outside pretty much every major temple and is a must have. It cools you down instantly. Be aware that these coconuts are huge and extremely filling. They cost $1.

The average cost of a meal ranged from $5 to $10 per person for us.

Night Life:

Pub Street is the place to be when the day starts to fade. It is the most happening place in town. Noisy and fun. You can buy draft beer for as little as $0.5. The Angkor What? is the most famous pub which has tourist flocking in there just to say "we went there" and to leave their mark on the walls of the pub. The other pubs around are slightly cheaper and some also serve food. Some pubs serve traditional barbecues while others can get you filled up on regular burgers and fries.

We were on Pub Street on the night of the Halloween Party and it was amazing. A little too loud, but fun nevertheless.

You have not experience Siem Reap, until you've been on the Night Scene

There are also several carts all across that serve you everything from the coconut-rice cakes, to fried ice cream rolls, pancakes, insects to cocktails. Yes, you have carts that sell you cocktails along with carts that sell you fruit smoothies.

I cannot describe night life without the Night Market. My favorite activity in Siem Reap was bargaining at the night markets. There are several night markets around the city. Almost all sell you similar stuff and at similar prices. Don't pay what the vendors ask you for, haggle for at least half the price. Look around the market and don't buy at the first place you see.

Most Night Markets are open from 4pm-11pm, however some are open throughout the day. We liked shopping at the Angkor Night Market and the Noon Night Market. The vendors speak manageable English and are excited to sell their goodies. Clothes are sold here at a bargain and unless you already bought them outside the temples (where they are sometimes cheaper), I highly recommend buying them here. T-Shirts are for $2, and you can buy 3 for $5. Same with the cotton pants. This is also a nice place to shop for souvenirs and gifts.

Currency:

Thanks to Matt from LandLopers, we did not exchange our US Dollars into Riels, the Cambodian local currency which worked just fine. In major cities, all the vendors deal in USDs only. So if you by something for $3.5 and pay with a $10 bill, they will return $6 in USD and the $0.5 in Riels. However, if you travel to interior places or to small villages, you may need to carry Riels.

Watch out for my next post on what to do and see in Siem Reap, Cambodia. Until then, you can read my reviews on Trip Advisor:

• Angkor Wat
• Neak Pean
• Ta Prohm
• Flying Zebra
• Peace Cafe

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Beetroot Capsicum and Blue Cheese Tart

I promised, and here it is - Beetroot Capsicum and Blue Cheese Tart...

But first, how was Diwali? I hope you all had a safe and fun Diwali. Belated Diwali wishes for all those who missed my wishes on Facebook.

Did you eat sweets till your tummy hurt? I'm so used to doing that on Diwali. The whole month's diet goes for a toss on a single day, and yet, it is totally worth it. But this year, I'm missing that. Did you forget, I'm on my super-duper-awesome trip to Cambodia? Read all about my plans here and get my latest updates on Twitter.

Back to my recipe of Beetroot Capsicum and Blue Cheese Tart.

When I made Caramelized Onion Mushroom Tart for myself and Gee, I made this Beetroot Capsicum and Blue Cheese Tart for Raj. The whole idea of making either of these tarts actually started when I went ahead and finally bought "Blue Cheese". I like blue cheese, but I've never bought any. I've had it in restaurants or cheese platters elsewhere, but never at home. I'd been toying with the idea of buying it for a long time. I knew I liked it, but I definitely cannot eat the entire slab, and I wasn't sure Raj would like it, he really isn't into funky foods. He finally got fed up of seeing me standing at the cheese counter eyeing blue cheese and forced me to buy some. Yay!!

Tangy salty blue cheese and sweet beets work wonderfully well together. For this tart, the beetroot was first cooked until almost done. Then peeled and sliced into bite sized pieces. After that I fried it with little oil in a frying pan along with some sugar, pepper and balsamic vinegar, just to caramelize it. Hey, I was having caramelized onions, he deserved caramelized beets. Just the beets and the blue cheese taste great together so skip everything else if you want. I added sauteed capsicum and strips of fresh basil just to oomph up the tart.

You may notice I haven't added a lot of the blue cheese. I wanted to, but it was his first time having blue cheese and I definitely did not want to overwhelm him, so I kept it to a minimum, where there is a hint of the tang and the salt, but it is subtle. If you love blue cheese, go on and replace the regular cheese with more blue and it should be your little mouthful of cheese heaven.

If you liked this, you may also like:

• Caramelized Onion Mushroom Tart - Tart made with sweet caramelized onions, pepper sauteed mushrooms, an easy vegan pastry and creamy rich cheesy white sauce.
• Beetroot Burger - Spiced beetroot, cauliflower and beans patty combined with some eggless mayo to make a Veggie Burger.
• Stuffed Potato Skins - Baked potato skins stuffed with an instant tomato sauce, fried green Capsicum and Mozzarella cheese.

Beetroot Capsicum and Blue Cheese Tart

Beetroot Capsicum and Blue Cheese Tart is an eggless tart made with caramelized beetroot, sauteed capsicum, basil and a creamy rich blue cheese sauce held together in a crispy pastry.

Recipe Type:  Breakfast / Snacks
Cuisine:            International
Prep Time:     30 minutes
Cook time:     60 minutes
Yield:                6 Tarts (3.5" each)

Ingredients:

For the Pastry:

1 cup All Purpose Flour
0.25 cup Olive Oil
0.5 cup cold Water
0.25 tsp Salt

For the Sauce:

3 Tbsp Olive Oil
1.5 Tbsp All Purpose Flour
1.25 cups Milk
25gms Cheese or 2 Cheese Cubes
2 Tbsp Blue Cheese
3-4 cloves Garlic
0.25 tsp Nutmeg
Salt to taste
Pepper to taste

Filling:

1 small Beetroot
0.5 Capsicum
8-10 Basil Leaves (Optional)
0.5 tsp Balsamic Vinegar
1 tsp Jaggery Powder or Sugar
5-6 tsp Oil
Salt to taste
Pepper to taste
Water as required

Method:

To make the Pastry:

Whisk together 0.25 cups of water and the oil to form an emulsion.
Take the flour in a large bowl, add salt.
Add the emulsion to the flour and mix with a spatula or hands until combined.
Fold the dough 4-5 times, do not knead.
Wrap the pastry in plastic wrap and rest in the refrigerator for 15 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 200 degree C.
Grease the tart tins.
Divide the pastry into 6 equal parts. This recipe uses 6 individual tart tins of 3.5" diameter. If you plan on making one large tart, do not divide the dough.
Dust the counter with flour and roll out the pastry until it is big enough to cover the tart tin.
Place the rolled out pastry in the tin and gently press the pastry in tin. Remove any excess pastry from the sides.
Put in baking beans and bake the pastry for 12-15 minutes or until done.
Allow them to cool a little and then remove the pastry shells from the tins and keep aside.

To make the Sauce:

Heat oil in a pan.
Once the oil is hot, add in the flour and fry for 45-60 seconds.
Add the milk and allow it to come to a boil.
Lower the heat and add the salt, pepper and nutmeg.
Continue to simmer for 1-2 mins until the sauce thickens.
Grate the cheese into the sauce and mix well.
Simmer for another 2-3 mins and remove from heat. If the sauce has become very thick, add 1-2Tbsp milk to loosen it.

To make the Filling:

Boil the whole beetroot without peeling it.
Once the beetroot is almost cooked, remove it from water and allow it to cool.
Once it is cool enough to handle, peel it and cut it into small chunks.
Heat 2-3 tsp oil in a pan.
Once it is hot, add the beetroot. Add a pinch of salt and mix well,
Fry the beetroot on low heat until cooked.
Add the balsamic vinegar, salt, pepper, sugar or jaggery and mix well.
Cook for 2-3 mins and remove from heat.
Cut the capsicum into small pieces.
Heat oil in a pan and when it is hot, add the capsicum.
Add salt and pepper.
Saute the capsicum for 2-3 mins and remove from heat.
Julienne the basil leaves into thin strips.

Assembling the Tart:

Preheat the oven to 200 degree C.
Place the beetroot, capsicum and basil in the tart.
Spoon in the sauce.
Sprinkle another layer of beetroot and capsicum on top.
Bake for 15-20 minutes or until the top browns.

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Banana Blossom Cutlets

Finger Food Fridays !!!

And this time with a Healthy Pan fried Banana Blossom and white peas spicy cutlet.

Speaking of Friday, guess where we are off to today??? 

SIEM REAP, CAMBODIA.... Really!!! (I'm still pinching myself)

I'm super excited. I was in a state of disbelief until I had to pack. I hate packing. May be a little less than unpacking though. But YESSS... the tickets are booked, hotel's spoken for, the bags are packed and the Passports are out and ready to be stamped. It's been so long that we took a vacation, and we've been all working so hard in office, that this is such a welcome break.

I'd never heard of Cambodia, while Raj went on and on that we should go there once in our life. This was waaay back some 5 yrs ago. I ignored him then and we went to Phuket (which I loved loved loved). But then I saw photos of these magnificent temples online and I wanted to see them NOW. So here we are, a few hours away from actually seeing those beautiful temples, but before that we have miles to go and lots of airport wait time.

Has anyone of you out there been to Cambodia and can give me tips on what to see and where to eat and where to shop? I'm all ears. 

What this means next Tuesday, I won't be blogging live, it will be a scheduled post. Watch out for it though, it is on the lines of Caramelized Onion Mushroom Tart, only minus the mushrooms and plus some colorful ingredients, but just as delicious. But I will (hopefully) be active on Twitter tweeting our latest photos of sites we saw, food we ate (I'm excited to try out the Khmer curries, I've heard wonderful things about them) and knick-knacks we shopped for (dying to see what Siem Reap has to offer in the night market) - don't miss it out, follow @oneteaspoonlife on Twitter.

Back to Friday's finger food - Banana Blossom Cutlets. Banana Blossom or Banana Flower as it is sometimes called is a popular in South East Asian cusine (so perfect for today's post). Banana flower is very much like an artichoke in structure and in flavour. Usually, a typical Banana Blossom Cutlet uses potato along with the banana blossom to bind it. But here, I've used mushy white peas and a little bit of besan or chickpea flour to bind them. The banana flower in itself has no taste, (but it is loaded with texture), so generously use spices. 

Preparing a banana blossom needs patience, but the reward at the end is worth it. Did you know it acts as an anti-depressant? So by the time you are done eating, you WILL be happy! So back to preparing, 

• The maroon outer layer is to be discarded, the tiny flowers attached to the stem are for keeps. 
• Continue peeling away the layers until you reach a white heart where distinguishing the layers becomes difficult. 
• Chop this heart finely and immediately soak it in water with added lime juice to prevent browning. 
• For each of the tiny flowers, remove the inner filaments and chop the flowers finely and add to the water. 
• These need to be soaked for 4-5 hrs or overnight to remove any bitterness it may contain. 

The white peas need soaking too, until they can be cooked. So this would be the right time to soak them too.

After 5 hrs, cook the peas until mushy and cook the banana blossom until done. Drain both and mix. Add in besan or chickpea flour, spices, salt and mash well. Shape into patties and pan fry while spooning oil on each of the cutlets.

If you liked this, you may also like:

• Goan Banana Blossom Curry - Semi dry curry made with banana blossom and white peas in Goan style
• Sabudana Vada - Shallow fried vadas or poppers made with Sabudana/Sago, Peanuts and mashed potatoes.
• Raw Banana Fry - Dry spicy curry made with raw banana or plantains in South Indian style.
• 10 minute Plantain Chips - Goan style chips made by pan frying finely sliced plantain dipped in spices and fine semolina.

Banana Blossom Cutlets

Banana Blossom Cutlets are vegan pan fried snacks made from cooked banana blossom, mushy white peas and spices.

Recipe Type:  Snacks
Cuisine:            South Indian
Prep Time:     8 Hours (includes soaking time)
Cook time:     1 Hour
Yield:                10-12 cutlets

Ingredients:

1 cup Banana Blossom, chopped (Refer to the post on top to see how to prepare banana blossom)
0.25 cup dried White Peas
2-3 Tbsp Chickpea Flour or Besan
1/2 tsp Red Chilli Powder
1/2 tsp Turmeric Powder
1/2 tsp Garam Masala
Oil to fry
Salt to taste

Method:

Soak the chopped banana blossom in water overnight or for 4-5 hours. 
Soak the dried white peas in water overnight or for 8-10 hours.
Drain out the water and pressure cook for 1 whistle or cook in a sauce pan until done.
Separately pressure cook the white peas with 1/2 tsp salt for 2-3 whistles or until done.
Drain out the water from the banana blossom and the peas.
Combine the banana blossom and peas and mash them slightly.
Add in the turmeric powder, garam masala, red chilli powder, besan and salt and mix well.
Shape into cutlets.
Heat a frying pan and grease it.
Place the cutlets on the pan and spoon 1 tsp of oil on each of them. Cook on medium heat.
Flip them when the first side browns. Cook until the second side browns.
Serve hot with ketchup or chutney.

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Caramelized Onion Mushroom Tart

Sweet Caramelized Onions + Peppery Sauteed Mushrooms + Crisp Pastry + Creamy Cheese Sauce = Yum yum YUM!!!

If you've ever enjoyed this combination, I need not say more. If not, then you are definitely missing out on something. Raj definitely did, the guy just won't eat mushrooms. I had to make something else for him, but that's a recipe for another week. But for now, it's all about this individual sized portion of rich cheesy heaven.

This Caramelized Onion Mushroom Tart is perfect for the cold winter days. Winter always makes me want to have rich warm food. I'll give you two options - wait for winter. When the nights are cold, snuggle up under a blanket on the sofa or next to the heater and eat a warm hearty sized portion of this amazing Caramelized Onion Mushroom Tart, OR, say why wait for winter when I can have this piece of yummy goodness right now.

Read on to find out why you should be choosing option 2. 

Caramelized Onions are super delicious. Sweet, soft, rich brown is the way to go. Caramelizing onions is a slow process, you have to lovingly delicately coax those pungent crisp onions into sweet submission. But here's the good part, you can caramelize them in advance and stock them in your fridge. After that they can go into sandwiches, on top of crackers or soups, or you know, eat them just like that standing in front of your fridge. They taste great anyway. To caramelize the onions, slice the onions into slices and then gently fry them on low heat with a pinch of salt until they brown slightly. Then add balsamic vinegar, sugar or jaggery, and a little bit of water or stock and let them cook until they are sweet, soft and dark brown. Just make sure they never burn or they will turn bitter. I promise you this is the only time bit of the tart that actually takes some effort.

Mushrooms - The easiest part of the tart. Clean them, slice them, saute them. Sprinkle over some salt and pepper and they are done. My favorite thing about mushrooms is how quickly they cook. Don't you just love it. I prefer when my mushrooms still have texture and bite to them, so I tend to undercook mushrooms. You go ahead and cook them how you like them. Remember, they also cook in the oven when the tart is baked after assembling.

Pastry seem daunting to you? All that rubbing cold butter with flour until it resembles sand? Keep that for another day. What I have here is a vegan pastry that can be made in under 5 minutes. Well, except the baking part, of course. Here's a recipe I learnt a long time ago - whisk cold water with oil and it combines to form a smooth emulsion. Add flour and salt to this and gently fold in. No kneading required. In fact, the recipe asks you to not knead. Mix until combined and then refrigerate it for 15-20 mins and then roll out and blind bake them for 15 more minutes until they are done. Wasn't that the easiest pastry you ever made?

The last bit is the Sauce. It is creamy, rich and cheesy. This sauce is what brings together the whole tart and also imparts the maximum flavour. It is a basic white sauce, may be slightly thicker than usual with added cheese. This sauce needs to be thick cause the tart does not contain any eggs, so a thin sauce will make your pastry soggy and the tart runny. To make the sauce, just fry flour in oil or butter and add milk. Add in the garlic, salt, pepper and nutmeg and simmer until you get the desired consistency. Then just mix in grated cheese and allow it to cool slightly before adding to the tart. 

The number of steps may look a lot, but then good things need some effort. Let's be realistic, I don't see you caramelizing onions or making a cheesy white sauce on a busy weeknight, but if you get a free night or weekend when you decide to sit at home and watch classic movies on TV, then give this Caramelized Onion Mushroom Tart a try, and I promise you will not regret the effort you put in. And when you are as well putting in the effort, let me tell you, make how much you think you will eat, and a little more, cause these tarts are DIVINE!!! Thank me later :)

If you liked this, you may also like:

• Vegetable Quiche - Mixed vegetable tart
• Eggplant Pizza - Guilt free pizza made with grilled eggplant as the base, topped with tomato sauce and cheese.
• Stuffed Potato Skins - Baked potato skins stuffed with an instant tomato sauce, fried green Capsicum and Mozzarella cheese.

Caramelized Onion Mushroom Tart

Caramelized Onion Mushroom Tart is a tart made with sweet caramelized onions, pepper sauteed mushrooms, an easy vegan pastry and creamy rich cheese-y white sauce.

Recipe Type:  Breakfast / Snacks
Cuisine:            International
Prep Time:     30 minutes
Cook time:     60 minutes
Yield:                6 Tarts (3.5" each)

Ingredients:

For the Pastry:

1 cup All Purpose Flour
0.25 cup Olive Oil
0.5 cup cold Water
0.25 tsp Salt

For the Filling:

2 large Onions
10-12 button Mushrooms
1 tsp Balsamic Vinegar
2-3 Tbsp Water
2 tsp Jaggery Powder or Sugar
1.5 Tbsp Oil + 2-3 tsp Oil
Salt to taste
Pepper to taste

For the Sauce:

3 Tbsp Olive Oil
1.5 Tbsp All Purpose Flour
1.25 cups Milk
25gms Cheese or 2 Cheese Cubes
3-4 cloves Garlic
0.25 tsp Nutmeg
Salt to taste
Pepper to taste

Method:

To make the Pastry:

Whisk together 0.25 cups of water and the oil to form an emulsion.
Take the flour in a large bowl, add salt.
Add the emulsion to the flour and mix with a spatula or hands until combined.
Fold the dough 4-5 times, do not knead.
Wrap the pastry in plastic wrap and rest in the refrigerator for 15 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 200 degree C.
Grease the tart tins.
Divide the pastry into 6 equal parts. This recipe uses 6 individual tart tins of 3.5" diameter. If you plan on making one large tart, do not divide the dough.
Dust the counter with flour and roll out the pastry until it is big enough to cover the tart tin.
Place the rolled out pastry in the tin and gently press the pastry in tin. Remove any excess pastry from the sides.
Put in baking beans and bake the pastry for 12-15 minutes or until done.
Allow them to cool a little and then remove the pastry shells from the tins and keep aside.

To make the Sauce:

Heat oil in a pan.
Once the oil is hot, add in the flour and fry for 45-60 seconds.
Add the milk and allow it to come to a boil.
Lower the heat and add the salt, pepper and nutmeg.
Continue to simmer for 1-2 mins until the sauce thickens.
Grate the cheese into the sauce and mix well.
Simmer for another 2-3 mins and remove from heat. If the sauce has become very thick, add 1-2Tbsp milk to loosen it.

To make the Filling:

Slice the onions lengthwise.
Heat 1.5 Tbsp Oil in a frying pan.
Once it is hot, add the onions. Add a pinch of salt and mix well,
Fry the onions on low heat until they are golden brown. Caramelizing onions takes time, this may take around 18-20 minutes.
Add the balsamic vinegar, sugar or jaggery and 2 Tbsp of water and allow to cook for another 8-10 minutes.
When the onions are brown, sweet and soft, remove from heat and keep aside.
Slice the mushrooms.
Heat oil in a pan and when it is hot, add the mushrooms.
Add salt and pepper.
Saute the mushrooms for 4-5 mins until soft and remove from heat.

Assembling the Tart:

Preheat the oven to 200 degree C.
Place the caramelized onions and mushrooms in the tart.
Spoon in the sauce.
Sprinkle another layer of onions and mushrooms on top.
Bake for 15-20 minutes or until the top browns.

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Wedding Anniversary Gajar ka Halwa

5 years of love, 5 years of disagreements.

5 years of understanding, 5 years of why-can’t-you-understand-me moments.

5 years in happiness and sadness. 5 years of ups and downs.

5 years of sharing work, 5 years of fighting over the TV remote.

5 years of buying new stuff, 5 years of we-really-need-to-get-rid-of-stuff.

5 years since we tied the knot. Sunday, the 16th was our 5th Wedding Anniversary. Somehow, being as different as chalk and cheese we’ve made it work. 

10 years ago, I saw him across the room and wanted to get to know him. I did get to know him a few months later. We became friends, very good friends. Friends who fell in love eventually.

Raj is probably the nicest guy around. A man who hurts not even a mosquito (literally!!), much to my annoyance. A man with immense patience - he can entertain toddlers for hours and teach technology to senior citizens. But totally loses it when someone cuts in front of his car breaking traffic rules. A man who sings well but has two left feet when it comes to dancing (he may as well be fighting Kung Fu with me). Totally low maintenance guy, whom I love very much, no matter how much he annoys me at times.

Today morning as I was waiting for the bus, I was trying to think of the things we have in common and while we are more different than similar, we do have quite a lot of stuff in common…

• Travel – We both love to travel, we’ve always loved to see new places and take long drives. We loved the snowcapped peaks of Manali just as much as the pristine waters of Phuket. We were equally mesmerized by the Taj Mahal as we were by the Sigiriya Rock in Sri Lanka.
• Desserts – Both of us have a massive sweet tooth and are always trying to curb it. But yes, desserts are our weakness, no matter how much we try.
• Movies – We may have different tastes in movies, I love rom coms and he love his action movies (typical Man.. Duh!), but give us an Animated Movie and we are willing to tolerate the headache we both get from the 3D glasses.
• Jamie Oliver and Top Gear – He’s all about cars and I’m all food, but for a change we both love watching Jamie Oliver cook things we would probably never eat and watch them test drive cars on Top Gear that we will never buy.
• Tea – Tea is what led to this marriage according to me. We bonded over cups and cups of tea and still cannot get enough of.

This Gajar ka Halway is a dedication to our 5 years of Marriage. 5 years ago, just before we got married, Raj told me he makes the most amazing Gajar ka Halwa and will one day make it for me. I’m still waiting for him to make it… I probably will be waiting for the next 5.  So instead of denying myself of the sinful pleasure, I made it myself. 

Gajar ka Halwa or Carrot Halwa is a traditional North Indian carrot pudding that is made by slow cooking grated carrots along with milk, sugar, ghee and dry fruits. It is a sweet rich dessert, fit for special occasions, like our Wedding Anniversary.

You can either grate the carrots or use a food processor to shred them. Use juicy carrots, avoid fibrous ones. The grated carrots are first lightly roasted in ghee. Then they are slow cooked in milk on low heat. Traditional recipe uses full fat milk. I used regular toned milk. Once the milk has almost evaporated, add the sugar. The sugar will melt and you will again find liquid in your halwa. I love some desserts very sweet. Adding the 1 cup of sugar will make the halwa very sweet. I suggest adding half a cup and letting it evaporate, before adding more if you prefer your desserts to be less sweet. Once all the sugar has evaporated, add the cardamom powder. I also love adding a lot of dry fruits to my desserts. I added almonds, cashew nuts and raisins after lightly frying them in ghee. 

Although I love cold Gajar ka Halwa, it tastes best when served warm. It also is great when paired with a scoop of Vanilla Ice Cream.

If you liked this, you may also like:

• Chana Dal Payasam | Kadle Bele Payasa - Kheer made with lentils, coconut milk and jaggery. 
• Kaju Katli | Cashew Barfi-  Fudge made from cashew nuts. Very popular Indian sweet.
• Kashi Halwa - Halwa made from ash gourd or petha.

P.S - You know my biggest accomplishment? After 5 years, I finally got him to smile when the camera is pointed at him.

Gajar ka Halwa | Carrot Halwa

Gajar ka Halwa or Carrot Halwa is a slow cooked North Indian carrot pudding made with grated carrots, milk, sugar, ghee and dry fruits.

Recipe Type:  Breakfast
Cuisine:            North Indian
Prep Time:     15 minutes
Cook time:     1 Hour 45 Minutes
Yield:                Serves 5 to 6

Ingredients:

3 cups grated Carrots (300 gms)
2 cups Milk
0.75 to 1 cup Sugar
0.5 tsp Cardamom Powder
3 Tbsp Ghee
8 to 10 Almonds
8 to 10 Cashew nuts
8 to 10 Raisins

Method:

Heat 2 Tbsp ghee in a kadhai and add the grated carrot.
On low heat, fry the carrots for 4-5 mins, stirring continuously.
Add the milk and continue to simmer on low heat until all the milk has evaporated. Stir occasionally.
This will take around 30-45 minutes. By the time the milk has evaporated, the carrots would have almost cooked.
Now add the sugar and continue to cook on low heat. The sugar will melt and the halwa will again have liquid in it. Continue to stir occasionally.
Once all the liquid has evaporated, add the cardamom powder and mix well.
Remove from heat.
Heat the remaining ghee in a small pan.
Add sliced almonds, split cashew nuts and raisins and saute until the nuts brown slightly.
Add the nuts to the Gajar ka Halwa and mix well.
Serve warm.

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Sweet Potato and Cheese Paratha

Today was day 1 of my long long weekend. Yesss!!! I have a 4 days weekend. I used to wonder if there is anything better than a long weekend, there definitely is, this 4 days weekend. 4 full days, well 3 now, I'm so excited.

Day 1 was very fruitful. I finished all my festival shopping. The market place was crazzzy. People everywhere. I guess everyone wants to finish off all their Diwali shopping this long weekend.

Let's talk about the Sweet Potato and Cheese Paratha. Paratha is wholewheat flatbread that is usually stuffed with either vegetable or cheese. It is a popular breakfast dish across North India. Just as I say that, I must also say I'm a big fan of all day breakfast. Breakfast for lunch, Breakfast for dinner - I'm all for it.

I made this Sweet Potato and Cheese Paratha for dinner. It was a busy day, and I wanted something hearty and filling yet easy to make. Don't let the number of steps below frighten you, the paratha is actually very easy to make. Let me take a minute to tell you just how tasty this Sweet Potato and Cheese Paratha is - It is super delicious. They have that slight sweetness of the sweet potato, the hit of heat from the green chillis and the saltiness of the melting cheese all enveloped in a crispy wholewheat covering.

I used regular processed cheese cubes. Use any sharp salty cheese that melts when heated. Hard or very creamy cheese will not go well with this Paratha.

I usually knead the dough well in advance and keep in the fridge. The same dough is used to make chapatis or rotis. The dough stays good for 3-4 days in the fridge. So go ahead and make it in advance and remove it around 30 mins to 1 hour before you make the parathas so the dough is pliable.

I also made the stuffing in advance and kept it in the fridge. This also stays good for 3-4 days. So for dinner, all I had to do was the assembling part, where you roll out the dough to a small circle, fill the stuffing in the center and then just fold the edges of the dough until the filling is sealed in the dough. Exactly, as you would seal a wanton or momo. Then gently roll it out as thin as you can without all the stuffing coming out. Then just pan fry it and ta-da, hot crispy parathas are ready to be eaten. Never skimp on oil while making parathas, you will lose out on flavor.

If you liked this, you may also like:

• Methi Paratha - Wholewheat flatbread flavored with fresh Methi or Fenugreek leaves and spices. 
• Szechwan Paratha - Wholewheat flatbread stuffed with a mix of cabbage, onions, capsicum and carrot cooked with chinese sauces. 
• Sweet Potato Chaat - Sweet Potato Chaat is a flavorful street food inspired snack that is made with baked sweet potato, sweet and spicy chutneys, finely chopped vegetables, spices and sev.

Sweet Potato and Cheese Paratha

Sweet Potato and Cheese Paratha is an unleavened Indian whole wheat flatbread stuffed with a mixture of cooked sweet potato and cheese.

Recipe Type:  Breakfast
Cuisine:            North Indian
Prep Time:     45 minutes
Cook time:     45 minutes
Yield:                6 parathas

Ingredients:

For the Dough:

2 cups Wholewheat flour / Atta
1.5 cups Water
0.5 tsp Salt

For the Stuffing:

1 medium Sweet Potato
0.5 cups grated Cheese
1-2 Green Chilli, finely chopped
2 Tbsp chopped Coriander Leaves
0.5 tsp Mustard Seeds
0.5 tsp Turmeric Powder
3 tsp Oil
Salt to taste

Others:

Wholewheat flour for dusting
Oil to fry the Parathas

Method:

To make the Dough:

In a large bowl, take the wholewheat flour. Add salt and half cup of water.
Bring the mixture together and knead into a smooth soft dough. Add more water as required. Cover the dough with a kitchen towel and keep aside for 30 minutes.

To make the Stuffing:

Boil and peel the sweet potato and keep aside to cool.
Once the sweet potato has cooled, mash or grate the sweet potato. Ensure there are no large chunks in there.
Heat oil in a pan or kadhai and add the mustard seeds.
Once the mustard seeds splutter, add the finely chopped green chillis and fry for 30 seconds.
Add the turmeric powder and mix well.
Now add the mashed sweet potato and salt. Mix well and remove from heat.
Allow it to cool to room temperature and add the chopped coriander leaves and grated cheese. Mix well.

To assemble the Sweet Potato and Cheese Paratha:

Divide the dough into 6 equal pieces and roll them into balls.
Divide the stuffing into 6 equal portions.
Take a ball of dough and flatten it. Dust it with wholewheat flour.
Using a rolling pin, roll out the dough to a circle of about 3.5" to 4" diameter. Dust with wholewheat flour as required so that the dough does not stick to the counter or the rolling pin.
Place the stuffing into the center of the rolled out dough and using your fingers, bring all the edges together and seal the stuffing inside the dough.
Dust the stuffed dough ball with wholewheat flour and roll it out again until the paratha has a diameter of 5" to 6".
Heat a griddle or tava and grease it with oil. Always cook parathas on high heat, cooking them on low heat will make them hard.
Place the paratha on the hot tava. Once the first side has developed small brown spots i.e. it has cooked, spoon oil on the uncooked side and spread it using a spoon.
Flip the paratha and allow the second side to cook.
Repeat the same with the remaining 5 portions.
Serve hot. Parathas taste great with butter, yogurt, chutney or pickle.

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Sabudana vada | Sabakki vada | Sago Poppers

Hi folks, what's cooking this week?

Now that Navratri is here, what are your plans? Has that gorgeous "Ghagra-Choli" come out of the wardrobe ? Did you go for Garba or Dandiya?

I'm not sure I'll ever wear a Ghagra-Choli, but dancing the Dandiya is definitely on my bucket list and I wish to cross it off soon. 

You know what I enjoy about festivals in India? The colors. I love to see people dressed up in colorful attire. Colorful flowers in markets and adorning houses. Large "Pandals" where community or sarvajanik celebrations happen. The diyas or lanterns that are lit up outside houses. Beautiful Rangolis everywhere. It sets such a festive mood, you want to celebrate. What is it about festivals that excites you?

Festivals always bring good food with them. So does Navratri. A lot of people fast during Navratri where they avoid rice, wheat, meat etc. Sabudana Vada is very popular during such "upavaas" or fasting. I don't fast, I've never done so till date and considering the foodie I am, I doubt I'll ever be able to avoid food for too long. But that does not stop me from eating all the yummy snacks like Sabudana Vada. In fact, I make them very often for breakfast or tea time snacks. They disappear quicker than I can cook them. 

Sabudana Vada is a popular Mahastrian snack made by frying balls of sabudana (sago), mashed potato and crushed peanuts. While traditionally, the vadas are deep fried, I pan fry them or shallow fry them. 

To make the Sabudana Vada, first the sabudana needs to be soaked for around half hour and then drain out the water and leave the sabudana in a box or a covered bowl for 1-2 hours until they fluff up. Then add in the mashed boiled potato, crushed peanuts, curry leaves, chopped green chilli, chopped coriander leaves and salt and mix. Take lemon sized balls of this mixture and flatten them gently and place on a hot greased pan. Spoon in 1 tsp of oil on them and cook until one side browns, then flip and cook until the next side browns. If you are in a hurry, or you don't mind deep fried snacks, then go ahead and deep fry them and enjoy the traditional taste of Sabudana Vada.

Sabudana Vada tastes awesome with chutney or ketchup. I don't bother with either, as no one in my family cares what comes with it, as I said it disappears quicker than it appears. 

If you liked this, you may also like:

• Sabudana Khichdi - Another popular Maharastrian fasting meal made with the exact same ingredients as this vada.
• Sabudana Chana Vada - Sabudana Vada where Potatoes are replaced with Chhole or Chickpeas.
• Millet Cutlets - Shallow fried cutlets made from foxtail millet and mixed vegetables.
• Curried Brown Rice and Zucchini Fritters -  Fritters or Tikkis made with mashed Brown Rice and grated Zucchini. Spiced with Garam Masala and pan fried. 

Sabudana Vada / Sabakki Vada/ Sago Poppers

Sabudana Vadas are shallow fried vadas or poppers made with Sabudana/Sago, Peanuts and mashed potatoes.

Recipe Type:  Snacks
Cuisine:          Indian/ Maharashtrian
Prep Time:     2 hours
Cook time:     20 minutes
Yield:              Makes 12-15 vadas

Ingredients:

1 cup Sabudana/Sago
2 medium sized Potato
2 finely chopped Green Chilli
8-10 Curry Leaves
0.25 cup Peanuts
2 Tbsp chopped Coriander leaves
A pinch Garam Masala (Optional)
1 tsp Red Chilli Powder (Optional)
4-5 tbsp Oil
Salt to taste

Method:

Wash the sabudana and drain all the water. Let it rest covered for about 2 hours or until the sabudana have softened.
Boil the potato and peel it.
Roast the peanuts and grind into powder in the mixer.
Mash the potato, add the sabudana, curry leaves,coriander and green chilies. Mix well.
Add salt, red chili powder, garam masala, peanut powder and mix well.
Shape into balls and flatten them gently.
Heat a tava or frying pan and grease it.
Place the sabudana vada hot tava and spoon around 1-1.5 tsp of Oil per vada. You may need more or less oil depending on your liking and the tava you have used. I used a non stick tava.
Flip them when they brown on one side.
Remove from heat once both the sides are browned.
This can be served with chutney or ketchup.

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