My cooking confidence has recently taken a battering. I admit I can't cook Dal Bhaat. When I make tea i always let the milk boil over. I never put enough chili in anything. Basically when it comes to producing anything in a Nepalese kitchen I am rubbish.
But do not fear my children won't starve, I am able to report that it has been confirmed (by my mum, I may need an independent verification) that i am a "really good' Aussie cook. I love cooking, but most of my specialties involve an oven and a kitchen stocked with more than a pressure cooker and a fry pan.
Anyway yesterday i dusted of my apron and baked these delicious coffee flavoured butterfly cakes. I don't care if it is rude to sing your own praises, these cakes are the best thing i have eaten all year. My mum and i ate four yesterday and i am trying not to finish them off before she returns from work.
So in case your interested the recipe goes a little something like this:
Mix 3 teaspoons of instant coffee powder with 1 tablespoon of hot water with 125g butter (I used cooking margarine) in an electric mixer (or whatever you use to beat cakes). Add 2 teaspoons of vanilla and beat until creamy. Add and mix 3/4 cup of brown sugar, firmly packed, i cup of self raising flour, 1/4 cup of custard powder. The custard powder gives it an extra special taste. Beat in 1/3 cup of milk, adding slowly or you will get lumps. Lastly add two eggs, one at a time. Beat on high until smooth.
You can cook in patty cases and make 12 small cakes or cool in a 20cm ring case. Bake in moderate oven for 30 mins. When cooled top with coffee flavoured icing and BAM the best cakes ever!
They were really delicious... I can certainly vouch for your cooking!!!
ReplyDeleteThose cakes do look delicious, I cook for a living but Ive never been able to cook anything in a Nepalese kitchen that I wasn't embarassed to serve. The benches are always to low,the strange knives that you hold between your toes, the two burner LPG gas stoves with the uncontrolable flame and the pressure cookers ! they terrify the living daylights out of me.
ReplyDeleteNo doubt about it learning to cook Dal Bhat is a steep learning curve,but I think you'll find it a lot easier in a western kitchen.
Ally