Molten Lava Cake

Recipe contributed by Dhara Balwa

I think almost everyone who knows me knows that I am not a big fan of chocolate desserts. Chocolate by itself, I love. But cakes, fudge, brownie-nope! Of course there are some exceptions like Ghirardelli's brownies and Oreo cookie dessert. But generally, I don't make much chocolaty desserts at home.

Anyway, so last weekend, I had a girls night-in at my home. It was an after dinner 'desserts and drinks' kind of get together. I decided to serve hot, cold and ready to eat desserts including Baklava, Gulkand icecream, Kulfi. I was still in the middle of making up my mind on hot dessert. The only thing I was sure was of doing individual servings. I realized that chocolate dessert is favorite of all my friends. I am the odd one out! And though I don't eat it, the Molten Lava cake always makes my mind say OOOOs and AAAAs. I wondered how it worked! You know a mountain of chocolate filled with lava of chocolate! It seemed very tricky. But I decided to do a search last week and find out what it takes to make a good Lava cake. Well, it turns out its super easy with minimum ingredients. You just need to make sure to use good quality chocolate and stay very alert while the mini-cakes are baking. So are you ready to make and enjoy this delectable dessert this weekend which is now on my 'Chocolate desserts I eat' list?

Serves: 6
Prep time: 15 min Cook time: 10-11.5 min
Difficulty level: Easy
Adapted from Paula Deen's recipe

Baklava

Recipe contributed by Dhara Balwa

Baklava is a Mediterranean delicacy. It is one of the best desserts to end your Mediterranean meal or a delicious snack. I was first introduced to it on my stay in Sudan. Heavily coated in sugar/honey syrup and butter, it is sticky goodness. But too sweet for my liking. Ever since then, in the past 7 years, I have tried so many varieties.. from Egyptian, Saudi Arabian, Turkish, Lebanese, also a made in America brand available in Costco on which we settled.

But recently, a friend who has moved to Jordan gifted us a pack of Baklava from a very popular sweets chain called 'Habibah'. The best Baklava I have eaten so far! So light and perfectly sweetened. You taste the flaky layers, the nuts, the sugar and the essences. No ingredient overpowering the other. Honestly, its the balance that makes the best recipes. SO, my only disappointment---it was not enough. :) Of course we have requested(ordered?) our friend to bring it again the next time he visits us.

But me being the crazy person I am, my hunt for the copy cat recipe began. It would be a few months before he comes back and seriously I was craving it too much to wait! After so many search queries in google including the word Habibah and Amman, I ended with zero recipes. But that got me thinking that homemade anything is usually better than store bought. So, trying a baklava recipe at home should yield good results especially when I can control what I put in it. Generally, there are only handful of ingredients in a traditional recipe. And all the good ingredients should have a combined better result. It is simple math! Settling on combining three recipes that looked good, I decided to take a chance and try the tricky looking baklava at home. Thanks to the frozen section of Whole Foods where I got my Fillo/Phyllo dough sheets from Whole Foods whose listed ingredients mimic that of home-made sheets, it was an easy though time consuming task. The end result totally makes it worth though! Different from Habibah but equally delectable.

So, I have tried to do a step by step tutorial. The only steps I am missing is making of sugar syrup and adding it to the Baklava after they are out of oven as it is a quick process and any wasted second can change the quality of Baklava.

I have tried baklava with three kinds of nuts - Pistachio, Almonds, Pecans. Walnut and Pistachio are typically used but I have read even pine nuts and cashews are not unusual. So really! whatever you have on hand. Pistachio Baklava is the most famous though.

Without further Blah Blah Blah... here is the recipe! The pictures may not be doing justice to them. But they are delectable. Trust me!

Almond Pecan Baklava

 

Servings: 75-80 pieces
Prep time: 30-45 min  Cook time: 35-40 min
Difficulty level: Medium

Authentic Veg. Thai Green Curry

Recipe contributed by: Dhara Balwa

Hello World! I realize how much I miss blogging when I actually sit and start typing the post. At least 10 recipes on hands to type in and share around! It has been busy couple months lately. I am learning to manage the time better to take time out for blogging. Let's get this exotic recipe down so one less on the backlog.

My husband LOVES Green Thai Curry. Me, hmmm, I am not as excited about it as Sichuan cuisine. It is flavorful nonetheless. We completed 10 years this year since we started going out or dating. It was a special milestone and I wanted to cook something that he especially likes. Thus began the search for authentic Green Curry. I must have searched a minimum of 25-30 recipes to find the one that sounded the closest to real deal. I finally settled on one (cited below) that is by a Thai and explains everything so well, you feel you can do it! Whenever I am trying out a new recipe and I am looking for ingredients I have never used before, I have a hop in my step due to excitement! It was so exciting browsing through the Asian grocery store aisles looking for very specific ingredients (someone may call me very picky). Anyway, bags full of variety of vegetables and coconut milk, I was ready to try it. The results were AMAZING. It was better than many restaurants around, if I say so myself. :)

This recipe is actually two recipes. One is Green Curry Paste and other is Green Curry which is very flexible in terms of the kind of vegetables and protein you want to add. You can make the Green Curry Paste in advance which lasts for at least 1-2 months in refrigerator. Enjoy it as much as we do!

Khajoor/Date Balls

Recipe contributed by: Dhara Balwa

Dates is my favorite dry fruit. I like all varieties but Deglet Noor are my favorite kind. Not too sweet, a bit chewy and stuff it up with some roasted nut -- it is a perfect filling healthy snack. This recipe, however, requires Medjool dates because of their soft and plump nature. Due to the same reasons, Medjool dates are overly sweet and you have to tone down the sweetness with lots of nuts, shredded dried coconut and edible gum. Edible gum, light brown/white in color, is a frequently used ingredient in sweets made in India during the winter time. It supposedly helps in keeping the body warm and strong. It also provides a slight crunch which I love. This Christmas, I decided to gift a pack of these date balls to friends celebrating the occasion. They are quick to make and again a good snack for the winter time (which has been brutal this year BTW!)

Makes: 90-100
Prep time: 30 min; Cook time: 10 min; Finish time: 15 min

Veg. Momos

Recipe contributed by: Dhara Balwa

Well, I have been away from blogging for so long it feels like I am starting all over again. While I have been busy with other things, there are still recipes written and pictures taken. Just not typed up here. The New Year is notorious of bringing this feeling of a new start and across the globe so many people decide to live differently and make resolutions. I am one of them. I have made two resolutions. First, to post at least two recipes a month. And in order to fulfill that resolution for this month, here is the first one.

Did you know I never had Momos before until these friends of ours prepared it for dinner at their place? First Momo with the special chutney and the flavors so harmonious, my mouth and tummy did a happy dance. Though I haven't had it anywhere else, I can say they are as best as the Momos can get. While I was so appreciative and happy of this tasty meal, my husband was elated. He is the reason I decided to give it a try making them. It was not rocket science to figure out that they are not so easy to make and very time consuming, especially to make the best kinds. So, having looked around at few recipes and videos, I plunged into the kitchen. The result, Ehhh! The filling was nice, the dough covering it was okay. But as the bench mark was high, it was a disappointment. Given the time the prep took, I decided not to try it again.

We were invited for Christmas dinner at the same friend's home and because we loved Momos, they were kind enough to prepare it again. Since I had tried already and wanted to ask what I was not doing right, I discussed it and got inspired to try it again. Mind you, it was not less laborious, but the end results were more than satisfactory. So, was it worth it? Yes! Will I be making it regularly? No! Only when I really feel like making a treat/butter up my husband. :) It would also help if you are at least a team of two. It is faster to prepare then.

Lastly, I would like to convey a very special Thanks to Renu, whose recipe I have adapted. She shared the recipe of Chutney and also put in so much effort to make these Momos. She should definitely be in Momos Business.

Makes: 40 Momos
Difficulty level: Medium
Prep time: 50-60 min Cook time: 10-15 min