Double Dark Chocolate Cappuccino Muffins (Eggless and Whole Wheat)

s I was browsing around my own creations on USMasala the other day - which by-the-way I do much too less often as much as I would like to - I realized that I haven't blogged lately about any dish with one of my most favorite ingredients - Chocolate. It was also surprising to me as I make something that has chocolate in it almost every other day for my little one.

So here is a recipe for a baked chocolcate goodie that is one of the most common and most loved in my  household. I make a small batch of these muffins atleast twice a week and they serve me well mostly as a quick snack when kiddo gets back from her pre-school.

Now as this is a regular, it has to be healthy. So you will notice the use of whole wheat flour and olive oil and zero butter. You can use whole wheat flour or even whole wheat pastry flour, any that is locally available. To kick it up a notch, addition of coffee is a must for me in anything that I make with chocolate especially when baking.

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Gajar Halwa/Carrot Pudding

his delicious and classic Indian dessert is a huge favorite with dear hubs. The warm aroma of the sweet succulent carrots cooking in the milk with saffron, cardamom, all slowly cooking and simmering in pure homemade ghee fills my house with a wonderful pleasing and festive aroma that always draw him to the kitchen... always.

We Indians love our spices as well as sweets. Any celebration or happy occasion for that matter is definitely accompanied with sweets. There is a mushrooming of mithai shops and  local halwais on every nook and corner wherever you go and there is usually such a variety of sweets that it is difficult to decide what you want to eat. Each part of India has its own sweet specialties and varieties so you can imagine how vast and expansive the world of Indian sweets can get.

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Thai Massaman Curry (Vegetarian)

his one time, soon after we got married and I came to the US, hubby and I went to a wedding ceremony of one of his colleagues. Strangely enough they did not have much food. Only some light snacks and drinks. So after the ceremony on our way back we decided to get lunch. He said he knew a Thai-Japanese place that was pretty good. At the restaurant we saw they had vegetarian sushi on the menu. I got all excited about it and we ordered it. When it arrived, it looked really pretty, got me even more excited to try it out. Hated it. I almost spit it out in my napkin. I kid you not. To my surprise though, hubby seemed to like it. Well anyway that was end of Sushi for me for a very long time. Well that was until we went to another Thai restaurant and this time hubby knew better than to order Sushi. So he ordered, you guessed it, Massaman curry. That was the day I was completely hooked to Thai cuisine. Thai is now definitely my favorite after Italian (and of course Indian) cuisine. I like everything about Thai cuisine; the ingredients used, its flavor, the way it’s cooked, the fresh herbs and aromatic spices and above all the way it tastes. And another reason for my love affair with Thai food is the familiar spices flavors with my very own Indian cuisine. Among the different Thai dishes, the varieties of curries definitely top the charts. The unique burst of flavors and the gorgeous color is so appealing that I order it over and over again whenever I am at any Thai restaurant. Not quite so popular as its more popular cousins Red curry, Green n Yellow Thai Curry, but heartier and a lot more aromatic is the unique Massaman Curry. It’s a sort of fusion between Thai and Indian food :)The tamarind, coconut and spices give it a distinct Indian flavor.

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Virgin Piña Colada

This drink probably needs little introduction. It is one of the most popular drinks and rightly so as just the thought of it takes you in a flash to an exotic location. Think beach-side hut sitting on a wooden bench and sipping this drink out of a coconut and yes of-course with a little umbrella for the kicks. The cool thing is though this drink is so versatile, you can have it any time of the year come rain or shine.
When I decided to make it, I got a little curious and read up about it on Wikipedia. That is when I got a true sense of its popularity. Piña Colada is the official drink of puerto rico since 1978. The official record of its introduction is dated 1954 but apparently several others claim for the credit of its invention.
Simple ingredients, easy to whip up and a taste that is out of this world combined with the fact that it tastes great in its virgin form as well makes it perfect for that friday night party over a card game, or even for a large party.
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Thai Red Curry

To quote: Chat Mingkwan, in Buddha’s Table: Thai Feasting Vegetarian Style-

“This dish is the most often cooked curry in the Thai household. If a home chef can’t decide which curry to prepare that would please all family members, he or she will end up making red curry. Its paste can be easily made with staple ingredients in the Thai pantry, such as dried chilies, garlic, shallots, and dried herbs and spices. The paste also pairs well with nearly all ingredients, especially any vegetables that grow near the house or those that have been left in the refrigerator.”

Thai is definitely my favorite after Italian (and of course Indian) cuisine. I still remember the first time I gave Thai cuisine a thought was when I was watching Priyanka Chopra's interview after she was was crowned Miss World and the whole Indian media went crazy after her... all TV channels were filled with her biography, interviews, childhood pictures, repeat telecasts of her crowning moment (which was actually 10,000 times lol) and then during one such interview someone asked her about her favorite food and she answered "Thai". I only tasted it after coming to the US and I am totally with Priyanka, at least on her  choice of food... love it! Among the different Thai dishes, the vegetable red curry definitely tops the charts. The unique burst of flavors and the gorgeous color is so appealing that I order it over and over again whenever I am at any thai restaurant.

There was this Thai restaurant about a couple of miles from my place. They were famous for this curry. You would pick your own veggies from a buffet line and the chefs would make it right in front of you in large woks over ceiling high flames. As my luck would have it, they went out of business :( We were craving this curry for sometime now... my hubby challenged me if I could make my own version... I of course accepted it. With a little assistance from my friend and guide *google* and my own memory of the taste of that curry, I tried making it with whatever ingredients I had that time and made it the same night for dinner. Hubby dear was bowled over. We enjoyed it with some Thai sticky rice and had Thai sticky rice with mango for dessert!!  Now, I can  proudly add the world famous Thai red curry to my resume :) Thai cooking is fast, super easy and absolutely heavenly... if you have the paste ready. As I said before, in this version, I used the ingredients that were handy so I have substituted some of the classic thai ingredients (see notes for details).

So, here it is, my version of the classic-

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Kesar Phirni/Saffron Rice Pudding

Phirni is an Indian sweet dish. It has a texture that is a cross between custard and pudding and is made with ground rice and milk. The popular flavor variations are Badam (using almond paste), aam (with mango pulp) and rose phirni (obviously with rose syrup). Here however I am sharing with you the variation that is one of my most favorite flavoring for sweet dishes - kesar (saffron) phirni. The saffron gives the phirni a level of sophestication which is just perfect for oncoming festive occasion of Deepawali. During the festival of Deepawali, or the festival of light, no Indian family can do without sweet dishes.  Many families use the store bought sweets and even more families are busy making sweets at home. The list of those universally liked Indian sweet dishes is really long. Some dishes can be tricky and time consuming to make but phirni is quick and easy. The smooth creamy cool taste of this dessert just puts you in a good mood. Its so good that my princess, who doesn't have much of a sweet tooth and is a very fussy eater, ate a whole bowlful. She just started to learn Spanish at her pre-school and lovingly gave it the name "blanco ice-cream" :)
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Thai sticky rice with mango

e ate sticky rice  with Thai curries all the time at our local Thai restaurants . Never really gave it much thought. After all it was just rice, just a little more sticky then usual, right?

Wrong. One day when watching Top Chef on Bravo I saw one of the contestants actually being sent home for not getting this rice right, I remember the dish was Thai sticky rice with mangoes. I wondered 'how can you mess up rice even if you are a basic cook, let alone a chef'. That's when it got my curiosity. When I started looking at how to make it that is when I realized it is not as easy as I thought. I looked around a bit more and ever since have thought of giving it a shot. The desire came back when I saw the Sticky rice with Mango post on Priya's site. The dish looked perfect the way she had made it and having a good detailed explanation definitely helped make it appear do-able. Here's my attempt to recreate the dish as described by Priya. The rice package I bought however required a sticky rice steamer to make it. Since I did not have it, I just used my regular rice cooker with its steamer attachment. Have included the details below.

Thanks darling, we relished it, it tasted awesome.. and  I can now proudly add sticky rice to my resume :)

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