Three-minute chocolate coffee cake

So I just read a recipe posted by Jaya Nair and I had to try it out because it looked so yum and quick. A cake which can be microwaved in 2 minutes. This was too good to be true. But no, Jaya seems to be a messiah of sweet cravings which can be sated in minutes. May the dessert gods bless her. I no longer have to crave a hot chocolate fudge sundae from Nirula's at an unearthly hour. I can just whip this up. It's also a super-easy dessert to make if guests arrive suddenly. It took me 10 minutes from taking out the ingredients to taking the cake out of the microwave. I did tweak her recipe just slightly, because I'm a coffee and alcohol fiend. 

Recipe

4 tbsp flour

4 tbsp sugar (white or brown)

3 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder

1 tbsp instant coffee

1 tsp baking powder

1 egg

3 tbsp milk

1 tbsp dark rum

3 tablespoons cooking butter (I used 2 tbsps butter and 1 tbsp saffola veggie oil)

2 drops of vanilla extract (optional)

How I made it:

Mixed the dry ingredients in a bowl. Add egg, milk, butter/oil, vanilla essence and rum. Fold well. Pour into a microwavable dish. Remember it will rise because of the baking powder, so your dish should be at least 1.5 inches above the level of the batter. Microwave for 3 mins. And it’s done. And was delicious. 

Khao Suey (Burmese noodle and soup dish)

One of my favourite comfort foods and pick-me-ups of the non-sexual kind is a big bowl of Khao Suey. In Calcutta, every home has its own recipe for khao suey. Some use more coconut, others less, some have 20 accompaniments, some have 5. Some put bhujia on their khao suey, some would rather die than do that.

So since I was feeling particularly whiney, utterly unappreciated and like nobody’s child, I of course decided that it was high time I made myself a bowl of Khao Suey.

So here it is. All measurements are approximations. So tweak it to your taste. My friends and family lick the bowl clean every time I’ve made this, so I think if you stuck to the recipe you wouldn’t fare too badly. Enjoy.

Recipe

1 packet egg noodles
2 tbsps garlic paste
2tbsps ginger paste
2 onions (paste)
2 tomatoes (skinned and pureed)
2 tsp red chili powder
500 ml coconut milk
250 gms boneless chicken chopped into small pieces

For vegetarians, replace the chicken with chopped mushrooms, brinjals and paneer

1 tsp freshly ground Garam masala (equal portions cinnamon, cardamom and clove)
Accompaniments
1 small bowl chopped spring onions
1 small bowl chopped lemon
1 small bowl chili flakes
1 small bowl roasted garlic
1 small bowl crisply fried baby prawns
1 small bowl sliced boiled egg
1 small bowl chopped coriander

Recipe:
Take a teaspoon of vegetable oil. Add the onion and ginger and garlic pastes. Saute till it changes colour. Then add the chili powder. Keep sautéing. Then add the chicken pieces. If making the vegetarian version, add the vegetables now. Keep sautéing till the chicken changes colour and is coated with the pastes. Then add the tomato puree and salt to taste. Once again, sauté till the tomato puree is cooked through. Then pour in the coconut milk, bring to a boil once and simmer for 10 minutes. Add the garam masala powder at the end, stir and take off the flame. 

In the meantime, boil the noodles.

To serve: 
Each person should have a large soup bowl, in which they take one serving of noodles. Top it with as much soup as they want and the accompaniments of their choice. The lime should be squeezed on the individual soup servings. 
We usually serve this at home with spring rolls and steamed momos.