Honey and soy are a great combination – the umaminess balances the sweetness and to me, is a signature flavour from Chinese cuisine. I used that as a base to make this baked chicken dish, inspired by several such chicken dishes I’ve had over the years.
I grew up in Delhi and am half Bihari half Bengali. If there is one beverage in my DNA, it is Tea! The strong, brewed and with some milk variety.
‘Regular’ chai is a constant in my house and in the house of everyone I have grown up with. No morning starts without a nice cup of tea. For many, tea is also needed through the day, especially in the afternoon.
One of my favourite versions of chai is the one with ginger – Adrak Chai. Strong, aromatic and slightly spicy. Tea for the soul!
Paneer is one of those things which taste pretty good raw as well – just slice some and eat. It is ,after all, cottage ‘cheese’ 🙂
One of those times of nibbling on paneer, while it was being prepped for a meal, I added a little masala to it to boost the flavour. Was so yum! That made me think that this could be made even better with a little pan time. A little crispiness maybe? The chatpata paneer was thus born 🙂
How many of you like Fruit & Nut chocolate bars? *Raises both hands*
I love the little surprises of raisin and nuts that intersperse the chocolate bar. Figured it is about time there are cookies that mimic this deliciousness right? But can they be taken up another notch?
When there are raisins in the mix, the other thing that pops into my head is ALWAYS rum! *hic* Rum and raisins are such a divine combo! My rum and raisin cake is clear testament to the fact.
Do you know I love hosting people at home? It’s one of my favourite things to do for people I am close to. It doesn’t need to be any specific occasion, just a normal weekend or even weekday dinner (if work isn’t too crazy). I love to cook a nice meal for them and we usually end up having a super time eating, drinking, playing games and generally chattering non stop. Best way to spend a evening or even a lazy afternoon, don’t you think?
For New Year’s Eve last year (welcoming 2018), I decided it will just be much easier to call people home and avoid the usually NYE madness. I invited around 15 people and after much research and debating (with myself), decided on serving a mediterranean menu. Being the uber enthu cutlet I am, I planned an extensive menu : hummus, souvlaki, falafel, meatballs, moussaka, chicken wings and cake. It was a lot of food! I cooked for 2 whole days, but loved every minute of it! While the savoury courses were relatively easy to finalize, I struggled for a long time to come up with the dessert. I didn’t want to do traditional sweets like baklava because they are super tough and I’ve never made them before. Cakes are my strength and I figured it would be easy to go that route, given I figure out flavours that work. Much research later, I landed on pistachio as my hero ingredient for the cake. And what a cake!
My Tuck Box 