Delicate sponges with a real orange kick. What could be better? Having it with Monique's chai.. Which is exactly what we did :) it was her tea time treat for the company she interned for.

Haven't you always wanted to try to make those fancy sounding dishes they serve in a French restaurant? And I'm not talking about the gastonomically cutting-edge dishes, just the ones they serve in cozy corner bistros. Nah? Okay, I always did! And Coq au Vin was on top of the list.


Chicken thighs, pearl onions, carrots and mushrooms. Really? I can do this! Plus I've got a nice bottle from which I can spare two cups down this pot of 'poulet extravaganza' while I sip the rest as this cooks. Works nicely for both of us, the poulet and I.


Borrowed this book from the library ... Ruhlman's Twenty ... and was glad I did. Probably learnt more about techniques this month compared to the last 3 years. Learnt how to brine, for one, and made great pork chops from that lesson. But I digress...


So ... chicken thighs, carrots, mushrooms and onions. I had them all and now was the time to learn a new thing or two. I have to cook for 7, and I had 15 thighs, yes the math doesn't add up, that is just how many there were in the pack. And so I tripled the recipe. Baked the chicken separately in a pyrex dish, then plonked it in the gravy and later returned to it again because the dutch oven wouldn't hold all that good stuff. Seriously, don't they make 10qt Dutch ovens?

This recipe feeds 4, but would't you want leftovers? Double it, I say! They are even better the next day :)

Ingredients:
8 chicken legs (or 4 whole thighs)
Olive oil
Salt, pepper
1 tbsp garlic powder
1 tbsp paprika

12 bacon slices, sliced again by 1/2 inches
1 large onions, finely diced
6 cloves garlic, smashed
Kosher salt
1/4 cup flour
3 carrots, cut into 4 on the diagonal
6 shallots, peeled, left whole
6 bay leaves
1/2 pound button mushrooms
2 cups red wine
4 tbsp honey
Freshly ground pepper
Chopped fresh parsley, grated lemon zest

Directions:
1. Heat oven to 375F.
2. Place chicken legs on a large baking sheet or Pyrex dish, drizzle olive oil on top, sprinkle salt, pepper, granulated garlic and paprika and massage it into the chicken.
3. Roast for 30 minutes. Remove from oven; reduce oven temperature to 325F.

4. Meanwhile, put the bacon, onion and garlic in a large ovenproof skillet or Dutch oven and let it sweat for 5 minutes.
5. Add 1 tbsp of salt and enough water just to cover ingredients. Cook over high heat until the water has cooked off, 10 minutes.
6. Reduce the heat to medium-low; cook, stirring, until the onion has begun to caramelize, another 10 minutes.
7. Sprinkle with the flour, then stir until the lumps have disappeared.
8. Add a bit of water if the roux becomes difficult to stir.

9. Nestle the chicken into the onion mixture in one layer.
10. Tuck the carrot, shallots and bay leaves into the pan; then add the mushrooms.
11. Add the wine and honey; season with pepper.
12. Pour enough water to reach three-fourths the way up the chicken.
13. Heat to a simmer over high heat.

Now normally you would just place the dutch oven into the hot oven right now. However since I had filled it to the brim, after infusing those wonderful flavors into the chicken, I lifted the chicken pieces out of the Dutch oven and placed them into the Pyrex baking dish again with a bit of the gravy.

14. Slide (both the baking dish and) the Dutch oven, uncovered, into the oven.
15. Cook about 30 to 40 minutes; turn chicken pieces skin-side up.
16. Stir ingredients in Dutch oven to make sure they cook evenly.

17. To get crispy skin, if using skin, that is, broil chicken about 1-2 minutes. Maybe with the oven door ajar as you monitor it. Don't want to set off the smoke alarm, like I did!

18. Remove the bay leaves. (Twenty also asks you to remove the carrots, but I thought it was wasteful, so I kept them ... they were delicious!)
19. Serve chicken in shallow bowls garnished with parsley and lemon zest.

Let's not forget that wine! This one was savoured with many a complements to the chef. Yaay! Definitely a keeper.

Now is it dal? dhal? daal? Same fabulous dish. It gets more complicated when referring to this particular dish ... I grew up with Dal Makhani, but often hear people talk about it as Maa ki dal, or even Dal Bukhara (same beans but more tomato-y). A rose by any other name ... a dal by any other origin ... would taste as sweet!


Usually when making dal, every single ingredient would go into the pressure cooker, though not all at once ... lol ... but not this time. I find that cooking the tomato gravy before introducing it to the dal makes for a richer taste as you allow the onions to brown and the tomato to sweeten, while at the same time waiting for the pulses to soften in the pressure cooker. Ok ... it's another pan to wash, but an overall less cooking time. Yay! Happiness is the shortest time between you and your food ;)

Ingredients:
200g (1 cup) whole black grams, washed and soaked overnight
50g (1/4 cup) red kidney beans, washed and soaked overnight
3 cups water
3 bay leaves
2 inch piece of cinnamon bark
2 cloves

2 tbsp coconut oil or ghee
1 tsp cumin seeds
1/2 onion, diced finely
1 green chili, chopped
1 cm cut ginger, julienned
2 cloves garlic, chopped
2 tbsp tomato paste (or 4 tbsp tomato puree)
3 medium tomatoes, chopped
1/2 cup water
1 tsp turmeric powder
1 tsp coriander powder
1 tsp Kashmiri chili powder
1 tsp garam masala
Salt, to taste

To serve:
1/4 cup heavy cream (or yogurt)
Cilantro

Directions:
1. In a pressure cooker, cook the lentils and beans with the water, bay leaves, cinnamon and cloves for 15 minutes (timing after the cooker is pressurized). Start on a medium high heat, then once at pressure, reduce heat to medium.

2. Meanwhile in a large fry pan, heat the coconut oil (or ghee), then add the cumin seeds along with the onions and green chilies, cook for 2-3 minutes until the onions turn translucent.
3. Add the ginger and garlic, cook a further 1-2 minutes until fragrant.
4. Next up, the tomato paste and the tomatoes. Cook until oil separates from this mixture. About 4-5 minutes. If it starts to dry or stick to the bottom of the pan, add half a cup of water to keep it 'saucy'. It may not need any water if tomato puree was used. The gravy will have browned nicely a little bit by now.
5. Add the turmeric, coriander, chili powder and salt. Mix well and turn off the heat.

6. Back to the pressure cooker ... when the timer is up, carefully release the pressure, then open the lid.
7. Give it a good stirring, then place the tomato gravy into the cooker, stir again.
8. Cover, and cook (without pressure) until it comes to a gentle boil, about 4-5 minutes.
9. Lower the heat and simmer for another 5 minutes.
10. Stir in garam masala, and add salt, if needed.
11. To serve, pour a swirl of heavy cream and finish with a heap of cilantro.

And this, my friends, is why I named this site 'Fueling with Flavour'. Yes ... yes ... I come from the Spice Islands too, but more than anything, it's because spices are indeed the spice of life. Not only are they life-giving, with their range of health benefits, but also life-enhancing, with their flavours and aromas, giving instant uplift to bland and boring meals. Now who doesn't love that?



We know that jeera, or cumin, is present in an array of Indian dishes. And Mexican too, for that matter. And what better way to complement their main dishes than with Jeera Chawal. Delicately spiced with cinnamon, cardamom, and clove, this cumin rice ... hey, wait a minute. I should call this a 4C Rice! But I digress ... with fragrant spices, the humble rice is now so aromatic and delicious, I catch my kids consuming it by the spoonful on its own.

Now, there are essentially two ways to make cumin rice. The first one is to make a spiced oil which you then pour into cooked rice. Probably easier, but not as flavorful. The second, which is what I did here, infuses more flavour into the rice, where the rice is cooked with the spices. I made it so much easier by finishing it in the rice cooker. Tadaa! Rice so fragrant and flavorful, don't be surprised if it's just as popular as your main course ;)

Ingredients:
2 cups basmati or any long-grained rice
2 tbsp coconut oil
2 inch piece of cinnamon
6 bay leaves
4 cloves
1 tsp cumin seeds
1/2 onion, diced finely
1 tbsp ground cumin
1 tsp salt
1 tbsp turmeric powder (optional)
Water, as needed

Directions:
1. Wash the rice until the water runs clear. Set aside.
2. In a fry pan, heat the coconut oil, then introduce the cinnamon, bay leaves, cloves, cumin seeds, and cardamom.
3. Keep stirring until fragrant, on medium heat, it will take about 2 minutes. Be watchful the spices don't get burnt.
4. Introduce the onions to the pan and cook until softened.
5. Turn off the heat, then stir the rice into the pan, coating all the grains with the aromatic spices.
6. Add the ground cumin, salt and turmeric powder (if you want a yellow tinged rice), and mix well.
7. Place this into a rice cooker, and add enough water to come up to the 2 cup mark.
8. Cook as 'white' rice.
9. Give it a good fluffing up when the timer's up. Enjoy!