Monday, January 19, 2009

Too Full To Eat

We recorded this story in Washington, D.C. on the eve of the inauguration and wanted to share it. Listen to Martha's story.

Baked Banana Cheesecake

I bake this banana cheesecake for many years and still it's one of my favorites cheesecake. This is something can be made in advance, keep in the fridge and serve casually for my guests without any hassle.
Recipe for 9 Inches spring form pan

Bottom base:
155g Digestive biscuits
75g butter

Fillings:
500g cream cheese, softened
90g caster sugar
1 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 ½ cups mashed banana (700g overripe bananas)
3 eggs

How I made it:
  1. To make the base, process the biscuits in the food processor to make rough crumbs and add the melted butter. Process again until it makes damp, clumping crumbs and then tips them into a 9 inch springform tin. Press the biscuit crumbs into the bottom of the tin to make an even base and put into the freezer while you make the filing.

  2. Preheat the oven to 160’C. Put a kettle on to boil.

  3. Beat the cream cheese to soften it and then add the sugar. Mix in vanilla extract and mashed banana till combine.

  4. Mix in the beaten eggs one at a time till just combine. (Do not over beat or mix)

  5. Take the springform tin out of the the freezer and line the outside of the tin with a good layer of clingfilm, and then another layer of strong foil over that. This will protect it from the water bath.

  6. Sit the springform tin in a roasting pan and pour in the cheesecake filing. Fill the roasting pan with just-boiled water to come about halfway up the cake tin, and bake in the oven for 45 minutes to an hour.

  7. The top of the cheesecake should be set, but the underneath should still have a wobble to it. Peel away the foil and clingfilm wrapping and sit the cheesecake in its tin on a rack to cool.

  8. Chill in the fridge once it’s no longer hot, and leave to set, covered with clingfilm, overnight.

Sunday, January 18, 2009

Onion Sweet, Sour & Spicy curry



Don't have any veggies in the fridge? Then try this hot and sour, sweet and tangy curry. I saw this recipe in Indosungod's blog. I tried it right after I saw her post. It was so tasty. It goes great with chapathis or pooris. I followed her recipe verbatim. Thank you for posting such a lovely dish! Onion lovers should definitely try it.




Ingredients:
Onions-2 small(thinly sliced lengthwise)
Mustard seeds-1/2 tsp
Oil-2 tbsp
Chopped garlic-2 pods
Chopped ginger-1/2 tsp
Salt
Turmeric powder-1/4 tsp
Red chilli powder
Tamarind-small lime size
Jaggery-1 or 2 tsp

Method:
Soak tamarind in 1/2 cup of warm water and set aside.
Heat oil in a pan. Tamper mustard seeds. Add sliced onions, ginger and garlic. Sprinkle some salt. Fry till onion turns golden brown. Extract water from tamarind. It should be thick. Add it to the onions. Add turmeric powder, red chilli powder, more salt and allow the mixture to cook for about 10-15 minutes or until the raw smell of tamarind goes off and oil starts to float on top.
Finally add jaggery powder and mix well.
Serve hot with chapathis/pooris.

I am excited to tell you all that I won second place in Eat-healthy during pregnancy event.

Sangeeth did a great job hosting this event. I thank her for giving me an opportunity to participate in this event.

Many thanks to all my friends and relatives who voted for me. I really appreciate it. I feel very encouraged and motivated.

I also thank Anudivya for sharing her version of sugarless laddoos. I modified her recipe and made to suit my taste. You can find the winning recipe-dates and nuts fudge/cake in the menu.

Last but not the least, I thank my father and his colleagues for voting and taking so much interest in following the results till the last minute. One of my father's colleagues sent me an email to congratulate me.