Chicken Korma

This whole week I have been thinking about chocolate and then hear it has also been curry week. Seriously I can't keep up!

I have eaten a lot of curries in my time and felt like cooking one that I did not discover in my mums kitchen but in an Indian restaurant.

The KORMA.

Some say this cuts corners compared to a traditional curry - I disagree. 

 I created a playlist that has many flavours but still keeps an Indian base.

♬

Cutting Korma's Playlist:

'Maine Pyar Kiya' By Lata Mangeshkar, Usha Mangeshkar, S.P. Balasubrahmanyam and Shards Sinha

'Chura Liya' By Bally Sagoo

'Addictive' By Truth Hurts Featuring Rakim

'Boom Shack-A-Lak' By Apache Indian

'Jogi' By Panjabi MC

'Get Ur Freak On' Missy Elliot

'Sunshowers' By M.I.A

'Me Against The Music' By Britney Spears Featuring Madonna and Juggy D

'Beware' By Punjabi MC Featuring Jay -Z

'Hindu Sad Diamonds' By Nicole Kidman, John Leguizamo and Alka Yagnik

'Indian Flute' By Timbaland, Magoo, Sebastian and Rajé Shwari

▶ Feeds 2 I tell you.

Ingredients:

1 bay leaf

4 cloves

2 garlic cloves crushed.

1 green chilli finely chopped.

200ml natural yoghurt ( 6.76 fl oz)

100g ground almonds (3.53 oz)

1 tsp ground coriander

400g chicken breast cut into chunks. (14.12 oz)

Vegetable oil

100ml water (3.37 fl oz)

1 medium onion

1 tsp turmeric

2 tsp chili powder (maybe 1 if you think the  fresh chilli will be enough)

Method:

: Mix the ground almonds with the yoghurt and add the chicken, garlic and chilli - refrigerate.

: In a large pot fry 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil with the cloves, ground coriander and bay leaf.

: Add the onion and leave on a low heat until they get soft.

: Take the chicken out the fridge, tip in the pot and add water.

: Let it simmer on a very low heat, add the turmeric and chili powder after 20 minutes.

<Once chicken is done, serve straight away with naan, pitta or rice.

Next Time:

⤵ Will take a better picture, I really struggled with this dish. My twitter followers were not impressed!

Favourite Song:

ê 'Chura Liya' By Bally Sagoo

Have a great weekend, make curry and eat chocolate...NEXT WEEK IS NATIONAL BAKING WEEK!!

Chocolate Fridge Cake

No BAKED cake today only a refrigerated block of beauty.

P.S it takes 4 hours to chill.

The recipe was inspired by Konditor and Cooks 'Chocolate Biscuit Cake' but I put my own spin on it.

Chocolate week is turning out to be quite magical, next week is baking week then after that Diwali and after that Halloween. I'm rubbing my forehead while re- reading what I just typed.

In the space that I was preparing this beautiful yet strange looking cake Aqualung was being played. Chosen because they create such a peaceful and heartbreaking atmosphere, and I had 4 hours to wait...

♬

'Aqualung' By Aqualung (2002)

▶ 10 thick slices

Ingredients:

100g Divine dark chocolate, minimum 70% cocoa (3 oz)

100g Montezuma's dark chili chocolate (3 oz)

50g Green and Black's Dark Chocolate with Ginger (1.8 oz)

75g maple syrup (3 oz)

125g soft unsalted butter (4.5 oz)

1 medium egg

50g hazelnuts chopped in half (2 oz)

50g digestive biscuits broken in large chunks (2 oz)

50g dried soft apricots ( 2 oz)

50g glaced cherries, and keep a few to decorate. (2 oz)

Method:

: Line a small loaf tin with greaseproof paper.

: Melt the chocolate in a bowl over hot water.

: Add the butter and wait for it to melt.

: Add the syrup and the egg.

: Beat everything slowly and make sure the bowl is still over heat. Do this for about 2 minutes.

: In a separate bowl add the nuts, biscuits and fruit.

: Pour the chocolate mixture over the dried ingredients and stir.

: It's ready to go in the tin! Put a few cherries on top and leave in the fridge for 4 hours.

< A great cake to make the night before a party, and can stay in the fridge for a week.

Next Time:

⤵ I think I could make this vegan friendly by using soy margarine, soy milk and vegan chocolate.

Favourite Song:

ê 'Strange and Beautiful' By Aqualung

Mixed Chocolate and Nut Cookies

I'm taking this chocolate week rather seriously, it's only been a few hours since I blogged about the hot chocolate! Here is a recipe for these soft cookies, Gaia ( the little girl I look after) was my little assistant, and we had a baby Mozart playlist.

♬ Composing Cookies Playlist:

'Sonata No. 16 c major (sonata facile) KV 545 (1788) 1 allegro'

'Sonata No. 12 f major KV 332 (1783) 2 adagio'

'Oh My Darling Clementine - Relaxing Piano Version

'Sonata No. 10 c major KV 330 (1783)mov 2 andante cantabile'

'Sonata No. 8 d major KV 311(1777)mov 3 rondo allegro'

'Sonata No.13 Bb major KV 333 (1783) 1 allegro'

▶ Recipe for 12 medium cookies.

Ingredients:

• 75g (3oz) unsalted butter
• 60g (2½oz) caster sugar
• 1 large egg, beaten
• 50g (2oz) mixed nuts (brazil, pecan and walnut) chopped.
• 175g (6oz) wholemeal plain flour
• half a teaspoon almond extract
• half a teaspoon of baking powder
• half a tablespoon of milk
• 150g (6oz) Green and Black's mini chocolate selection roughly chopped (exclude the almond)
• 
  

Method:

Preheat oven 160°c

Grease a large baking tray with butter or line it with baking parchment.

: Whisk the butter and sugar until pale and fluffy.

: Add the egg then sieve in the flour and baking powder.

: Pour the milk in the mixture and fold in with a large spoon so it starts looking like dough.

: Lightly flour your work surface with plain flour and sprinkle some on the rolling pin.

: Add the nuts and chocolate to the mixture and tip the bowl on the floured work surface.

: Start forming the cookie dough with your hands.

: Roll out 5mm thick and cut out whatever shape you might like, I would suggest a big cutter because the nuts and chocolate chunks are not that small!

: Space out on baking tray and bake for 20 minutes.

< Once done, leave them to cool and enjoy with a cup of tea or a glass of milk for the little ones.

Next Time:

⤵ Might roll them a bit thinner or chop the nuts a bit finer.

I really liked taking a bite and not knowing what would be inside, these would go very quickly at a Halloween party!

Gaia's Favourite Song from this playlist which I had to repeat about 10 times:

ê 'Sonata No. 16 c major (sonata facile) KV 545 (1788) 1 allegro'

Have a great evening.x

Butterscotch Hot Chocolate

A home made hot chocolate with an organic twist!

This is not a post about how chocolate is good for you. In fact it is bad - quite bad and this week I would suggest packing away those bathroom scales!

National Chocolate week over here and I will combine chocolate in recipes with classical music. Loads of other music genres were running through my mind but for me chocolate is elegant, smooth and a classic treat that I nibble on after a hectic day; so rock or the blues can wait till next year! 

♬ Compose Your Chocolate Playlist:

'Prelude' By Cinematic Orchestra

'Für Elise' By Beethoven

'J'y Suis Jamais Alle' By Yann Tiersen

'Sudden Turn' By Jan A.P Kaczmarek

'Ice Dance' By Shirley Walker

'The Changing Seasons' By James Horner

'In The Tub' By Danny Elfman

'The Winds Gently Blow Through The Garden' By James Horner

'Unfaithful' By Jan A.P Kaczmarek

'Jack's Future' By James Horner

▶ Flavoured Hot Chocolate serves 2

Ingredients:

Green and Blacks Butterscotch Chocolate 35g

150ml Semi skimmed milk

3 cloves

half teaspoon of nutmeg

half teaspoon of Green and Blacks cocoa powder

small pinch of cinnamon

small pinch of chai masala (or rip open a chai teabag and use these)

Method:

: Pour milk and add everything in the pan EXCEPT the chocolate, leave on a medium heat.

: When it boils, turn off the heat and pour through a tea strainer in a large huggable mug.

: Drop the chocolate in the mug and let it melt.

< All done and drink in the next 20 minutes!

Next Time:

⤵ Dark chocolate with a hint of lemon. 

You can use most flavour chocolates in this drink - maybe not one with nuts, that could be dangerous.

Favourite Song:

ê 'Prelude' By Cinematic Orchestra

When someone says "chocolate', I think of Green and Blacks.

xx

The Cake Factor - Lemon Drizzle

My Sunday of cake debauchery does not consist of sexy chocolate covered cakes - only lemon drizzle.


The classic lemon drizzle cake is all over the internet with a similar recipe to the one you are about to read. 


So what makes Mita's any different?


I don't just put all the ingredients in a cake mixer: it's all about going through the stages slowly. Also you could follow the same recipe but your cake could look different, it doesn't mean it is going to taste any different!


All the whisking, sieving, folding and squeezing will be worth it once you have had a mouthful of this cake. And of course my playlist with the recipe is pretty cool, and based on the X factor UK live show that was on last night!

♬ Cake Factor Playlist 1

'Billie Jean' By Michael Jackson

'The A Team' By Ed Sheeran

'Teenage Dream' By Katy Perry

'Believe' By Cher

'Ticket To Ride' By The Beatles

'You Really Got Me' By The Kinks

'Beautiful People' By Chris Brown

'Fix You' By Coldplay

'Free' By Ultra Nate

'Rolling In The Deep' By Adele

'She Said' By Plan B

'Jar Of Hearts' By Christina Perri

'Who Wants To Live Forever' By Queen

▶

Ingredients:

225g unsalted butter 

225g brown sugar 

3 medium eggs

100ml milk 

225g wholemeal self raising flour 

1 tsp baking powder

finely grated zest  and juice of two lemons

100g granulated sugar

Method:

Preheat oven 180°c.

: Grease a medium sized square baking tin (about 30 x 23 x 4cm)

: Whisk the butter and sugar until well combined.

: Add the eggs and milk and whisk until a runny batter.

: Sieve the flour and baking powder, stir in half the wholemeal bits that are left in the sieve and add to the mixture.

: Add the lemon zest.

: Pour in baking tin and put on the middle shelf for 30 minutes until golden brown.

: Combine the lemon juice with granulated sugar and leave in a bowl.

;Once cake is done, prick all over with skewer and pour the juice mixture all over.

< Eat for pudding with ice cream whilst watching your favourite Sunday night programme!

Favourite Song:

ê 'Who Wants To Live Forever' By Queen