Makes 6 servings. This Diwali, I played with fire and torched something sweet. My target? Sweet curd—or as it is better known, mishti doi. An intensely popular Bengali dessert, it is made by fermenting caramel-tinted, reduced milk. Traditional mishti doi does not contain cardamom, jaggery, or nuts—and is perfect, without the bells and whistles. In […]
Tag: fusspot
5-way Caramel Cupcakes
Makes 12 standard sized cupcakes. I used to cringe at caramel. But after making my own batch, I realised it gets a bad rap because the commercially made stuff is too sweet. There are five (whaaaat?) types of caramel flavours in this cupcake—molasses, butterscotch, “caramelised” milk, “caramelised” white chocolate, and finally, true caramel. It’s utterly […]
Goan Chorise Chili
Makes 4-6 servings. One lazy winter evening, I was rummaging around in the fridge and saw some leftover rajma curry and day-old stir fried carrots and beans. Sigh. Then I spotted a chain of Goan sausages, and thought, huh, that stuff can zhuzh up anything. Thus was born my Goan Chorise chili. A one-pot wonder […]
Blue Velvet Cake
Makes a three-tiered 6 inch layered cake. You’ve heard of Red Velvet. She’s passionate and all the rage at parties. This is her introvert cool blue friend from another trend. Just like his more outgoing ruby peer; he too carries a buttermilk moistened crumb and background notes of cocoa. He too is sweet, he too […]
Crispy Pork Gyoza
Makes 30 medium sized gyoza. Translucent, melt-in-your-mouth wrappers envelope a juicy flavourful filling in this gyoza. They’re so light and tasty, that you’ll go through all 30 in under 15 minutes. But these aren’t just any gyoza. What elevates this dish to dumpling heaven is the attached crispy pancake, which adds a wonderful textural contrast […]
Fudgilicious Brownies
Makes 9 brownies; 2 ½ x 2 ½ inches, each. Imagine the thikkkest, gooiest, chocolatiest brownies you’ve ever sunk your teeth into. Cakey brownies? Not on my watch. When I tasted these for the first time, I broke into a jig. The sort that’s really embarrassing. Throw out all your brownie recipes, this one’s a […]
Delhi Butter Chicken
Makes 4-6 servings. Necessity is the mother of invention. This recipe was born of all the disappointing butter chickens that we’ve ordered in Bombay. I’m yet to eat anything here that matches even the most average Delhi butter chickens. Ergo, making butter chicken became an absolute necessity. This dish is completely homemade, but involves a […]
New York Cheesecake
Makes one 8 inch round cake New Yorkers believe that cheesecake wasn’t really cheesecake until it came from New York. I have to agree. A perfectly baked cheesecake should be a symphony of texture and flavour—at once both smooth and velvety, rich yet light, sweet as well as tangy—with no overpowering notes of vanilla or […]
Bigass Burgers
Makes 6 burgers If the Big Mac had an elegant cousin, this would be it. Juicy, tender and loaded with flavour, there’s a reason I call it “bigass”. Fully assembled, it stands at about 6 inches tall. However, because the bun is so soft, it squishes down oh so easily, adjusting itself to your mouth […]
Apple Frangipane Tart
Makes one 10-11 inch tart If you love French pastries, you’re going to fall hard for this dessert. Truth be told, even if you detest everything, you’ll love this. My husband once told me that he didn’t care for apple pie or marzipan. Imagine my horror. That’s until he tried this gloriousness, which brings together […]