Approved Recipe: Best Chocolate Cake

How to make the Best Chocolate Cake

(with Frosting)

Chocolate Cake is a weakness of mine and has been passed down to my kids. I am very particular about the flavours and the level of moistness in a chocolate cake. Because of this, I have searched far and wide to get the best recipe that I could find to meet these requirements. And this is it!!! It's THE best! This is my go-to chocolate cake recipe, which is extremely easy to make and tastes even better when it's stored in the fridge. 

Rich, Moist and Delicious Chocolate Cake!

I grew up with a chocolate cake recipe that my neighbours used to make. It contained a vast amount of oil instead of butter, and the batter was very liquidy. After being baked, this cake was sooo rich! You would see elongated holes throughout the cake that were exceptionally moist. I have since lost this recipe and I still want to cry whenever I think about it 🙈. So my mission was to find something as close to it as I possibly can.

My 5 year old eats it without frosting
when I bake it in my Rectangular pan.
Look at the air pockets in that cake!
It's guarenteed fluffliness 

I have tried many, many recipes; some with butter only,  some with oil and butter, but this one was the one that stood out the most. It came quite close to the one that I grew up with, although still not as rich, but definitely better than the rest. I can't remember exactly where I came across it, but I have never forgotten what it entails. My 5 year old will make a request for it whenever she likes, and it can be whipped up in about half an hour since it does not include any creaming of butter, sugar and eggs. It cannot be over or under mixed and hence it cannot be spoilt!! It's foolproof! Just make sure everything is incorporated, and that you bake it at the right temperature.

The "Fancy" 2 - layer cake, covered in sprinkles,
Disclaimer: I am NOT a cake decorator! LOL.  I'm all about
the taste. And I like to include my 5 year old in the frosting
of the cake part, hence the rustic look. 

You can use this recipe to make a simple rectangular cake where you just cut slices as you like -  it's good just as it is, no frosting needed. But if you want to do a little fancy 2-layer cake, then this recipe works well too. I made a plain rectangular cake with frosting for Christmas to take to my in-laws last year. And boy was it a hit!! Some people commented saying that it was better than where they normally buy their chocolate cake. Imagine that!

Ingredients:

For the Cake:

1 cup boiling water

1 cup oil

1 cup milk

1 teaspoon vanilla essence

3/4 cup cocoa powder

2 cups sugar
2 eggs

2 cups flour

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon baking powder

2 teaspoons baking soda

For the Frosting:

1 cup softened butter

4 cups powdered sugar

3/4 cups cocoa powder
Pinch of salt

2 teaspoons vanilla

1-2 tablespoons milk

Method:

• Preheat oven to 350˚F. 
• Butter your rectangular pan, or your two 9-inch circle pans. Place a piece of parchment paper inside the circle pans to ensure that your cake comes out in one piece. 
• Mix flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a separate bowl and set aside. Ever wondered why we add baking soda and baking powder? Take a look below.

Once for this recipe, I forgot to add the baking
powder and soda. The cake came out like
chocolate bread pudding! It tasted so good.

Difference between Baking Powder and Baking Soda. 

Both are leavening agents that react in different ways to produce carbon dioxide (CO2). The CO2 gas then allows baked products to rise, thus giving them that fluffy texture. 
Baking soda or sodium bicarbonate, is basically that one component. Once added to your ingredients that contain some sort of acid, the reaction to produce carbon dioxide starts immediately.  Baking Powder contains sodium bicarbonate AND 2 acid components. One reacts with the sodium bicarbonate when it's wet, while the other reacts when it is wet and hot. So as the batter bakes, it causes more leavening since the reaction progresses with the hot temperature in the oven. Wow- Flashback to Reaction Kinetics class in UWI! Speaking of chemical reactions here surely brings back some chemical engineering memories 🤭🤭.

• Place the boiling water in a measuring cup. Add cocoa powder and whisk, making sure all is dissolved. Place this mixture inside of your mixing bowl. 

• Add the oil and milk, and mix until combined. 

• Add the eggs and vanilla and mix well. 

Always crack your eggs in a separate bowl, one
at a time. This helps when you get a bad egg,
or shells. I usually crack one and add to the mixer,
then crack the other while that one incorporates.

• Add the sugar and continue mixing for about 2 minutes. 
• Put the mixer on low and add all of the dry ingredients. Make sure it's on low to prevent the flour from flying everywhere. Stop the mixer, and scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl. Continue mixing for a further 5 minutes. Take a look at the video below which shows the consistency of the batter at this point.

• Pour batter into your desired pan or pans. I really can't stress enough how liquid-y it's gonna be as you can tell in my video below.

• Bake for 30-35 minutes or until done. Test if it's done by placing a toothpick in the centre of the thickest part of the cake. If it comes out clean without any batter sticking to it then it's done!

This cake can be stored in an
airtight container in the fridge
for up to 7 days. It tastes great 
cold,  or you can warm it for 
10 seconds in the microwave.

• Let the cake cool completely if you are going to frost. If not, then go ahead and cut a slice while it's warm....Add some ice cream and you have just taken it to another level 🙌. This warm cake absorbing the melty ice cream is plain heaven!

Make the Frosting

• Whip the butter in a mixing bowl. 
• Mix the cocoa powder, salt and the powdered sugar in a separate bowl. 
• Put the mixer on low and add the powdered sugar/cocoa powder mixture in 1/2 cup increments, making sure it mixes through. Scrape down the sides whenever necessary.
• Add the vanilla and 1 tablespoon milk and mix well. If you like this consistency, then go ahead and frost your cooled cake with it. If you prefer it a little thinner, then add 1/2 tablespoon of milk; add 1/2 tablespoon more is desired.

Slice from my rectangle cake
with frosting 😋. Care to indulge?

• Rectangular cake- I usually just leave the cake in the pan and slather on the frosting. Any remaining frosting can be stored in the fridge in an airtight container.

• Fancy 2 layer cake- Remove the first cake from the pan and place on a wide enough plate. Spread about 1 cup of frosting. If this does not cover the whole top, then add a little more. Go right ahead, you can never have too much frosting right😉? Place the other cake gently on top of this layer. GENTLY, with no pressing at all. I like to use an offset spatula to frost the sides first, then the top. Next step is to cover with sprinkles or chocolates, or just leave it as is. 

Cut me a HUGE slice, please! 

Whenever we have this cake in the fridge, everyone in the house eats a slice a day!
Me included 😁

Holidays: Easter Activities with my Kids

Easter with my Kids

It's no secret that I have 2 toddlers; a 5 year old and a 16-month old. So for Easter I like to do fun things with them where we interact with each other and build great memories. To me you can do any little activities with your kid and it will have a huge impact on them. And you know what? It doesn't have to be expensive. The main thing here is doing it with your kids. You may be surprised at how appreciative they are of the little things.

One of my cute decorations this year.

Her first Easter Egg Hunt

When my older girl was 2, I started organizing an Easter basket for her with a few little goodies in it that she likes- a stuffed animal, some crafts, stickers. When she was 3, I decided to ask one of our friends to have a little Easter egg hunt together since it's always more fun with other kids. She loved this so much that last year she made us hide eggs for her over the entire Easter weekend just for fun 😂- not even with any fillers. When she was 4, I added on some Easter cookie baking and decorating. She loves sugar cookies! And eats about 4 in one day if given the chance. And you know what? I let her. Yes ....I let her eat as many as she likes because it's not everyday this happens😁. That year I baked all the cookies and made the frosting ...it was fun but I ended up with a million cookies! Way too much than I asked for.

Home made Easter-themed sugar cookies. Yes I know it looks very amateur but
the main thing here was all the fun we had. And it wasn't your typical sugar cookies.
It was chocolate sugar cookies! Who doesn't love chocolate right? !!

This year, I have another toddler on my hands to plan and prepare for. So what should I do? Well I definitely want to keep the traditions of the previous years alive...with some added on extras. 

Firstly, I bought some cool items to fill their Easter baskets with. Of course I was thinking I could just do one basket for them to share, but knowing my big daughter, it's best to do 2 separate ones; just in case someone doesn't want to share. In my experience, the first child grows up sharing a lot, but somehow when they get a sibling, that goes out the window at times.  Below I shared some of the Easter basket fillers which I give them on Easter Sunday morning.

Easter Basket for my 5 year old- Some lindt chocolates,  good old
peeps of course! Easter egg decorating crafts, a pen (she loves writing),
an Easter egg mitten for her to use in her pretend kitchen, some stickers
and a notepad.

Easter basket for my 16-month old: Bunny sun glasses, age-appropriate
flash cards, a cute unicorn stuffed animal, a pretend make-up set and
peeps of course! It will be her first time tasting peeps.

My lovely cookie decorating box. 

On Easter Saturday, it's all about baking and decorating cookies. This year I decided to order an Easter sugar cookie decorating kit which consists of 12 cookies, royal icing and Easter themed sprinkles. This is just the right amount for us; none gets wasted and my 5 year old loves decorating and eating them all. This year I'll give the little one a cookie as well, although  I'm sure she will end up wasting it 😆. I might do some gingerbread cookies on Saturday, IF I feel up to it. These have such a nice flavour with hints of molasses, ginger and other spices that are a pleasant change from the regular sugar cookies. 

She was super excited to get her hands on
these. Kept eating the sprinkles in between 😆.

This little one's job was to add the sprinkles.
She got  a little carried away with this for sure 😅

The finished product! I don't think we did that bad!

On Easter Sunday I like doing an Easter egg hunt. I buy lots of plastic Easter eggs which I fill with various trinkets. I'm not into too much chocolates. Instead, I look for little fillers that they can use. I got some race cars, some little animals and I still included some chocolates. This year I also thought it would be fun to include some extra actions inside some of the eggs. I expect it to be lots of fun for the little ones who will be here to enjoy. So wish me luck! 

Little animals that fit inside the eggs.
These were about $25 for a pack of 15. 

The kids will have to earn their eggs by performing some of
these actions! 

I came across these little signs to make the place look a little more fun.

These are just some of the things that I like to do. 

What are some fun things that you like to do with your family?

Approved Recipe: Hot Cross Buns

How to make Hot Cross Buns

Honestly, I'm not a huge fan of hot cross buns, but since Easter is right around the corner, I had to take up the opportunity to teach my girls about this delicious and simple Easter treat. This was my very first attempt so please don't be too harsh with scrutiny 😝! I added a few little extras to make it my own and now I'm hooked 😁 Hope you like!

Hot Cross Buns

Typically hot cross buns were baked and eaten on Good Friday, or at least that's what my mother told me. I have read that these buns carried the purpose of warding off evil spirits for the remainder of the year when made on this day. I also came across superstitious beliefs where the buns were believed to carry some sort of magical purpose. I am not too familiar with the actual reason for this, so please comment on my post if you know! I will greatly appreciate learning this 😊. 

I researched a few recipes, and developed this one to suit my tastes and style of baking, where I included orange zest and replaced the raisins with dried cranberries. The "cross" frosting was also changed to a delicious cream cheese version and I used a different glaze for the top of the buns before baking, but you can use an egg wash (1 egg mixed with 2 tablespoons milk) or milk alone. The egg wash will give a more glistening look.

Yield: 12 buns.

Ingredients:

For Frosting:

1/2 cup powdered sugar 
1 1/2 teaspoon liquid milk

1 tablespoon softened cream cheese (optional) 
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

For the Buns: 

1/2 cup dried cranberries plus 1/2 cup boiling water
3 1/2 cups flour

1/2 cup milk, plus 1/4 cup milk.
1/2 cup sugar, plus 1/2 teaspoon sugar
1/4 cup melted butter
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 packet instant yeast - equivalent to approximately 2 1/4 teaspoons
2 eggs
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon orange zest 
1/8 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

For Brushing the Buns:
2 tablespoons milk
1 tablespoon maple syrup

Method:

• Combine cranberries with 1/2 cup boiling water and let sit for 10 minutes. Drain and set aside.

• In a bowl or measuring cup, add 1/4 cup warm milk, 1/2 teaspoon sugar and yeast. Stir and let sit at until bubbly (about 10 minutes).

When the yeast is first added to the milk, it will look like 'A' in the pic above.  After being mixed, it will look froth as in 'B'

  

After 10 minutes, it will look all bubbly . 

Lessens Learnt from my Research: Some of the recipes I 
researched asked for the raisins to be added after the dough
was already kneaded. This was a huge mistake in my books
since it was a nightmare trying to mix in the cranberries so 
late in the recipe. I decided to include them with the dry
ingredients and it was much better and easier to combine. 

• In a large mixing bowl, add the remaining 1/2 cup of warm milk, 1/2 cup sugar, 1/4 cup melted butter, 1/2 tsp salt, cinnamon, orange zest and eggs.  Whisk until combined.  Stir in the yeast mixture.

• Using a wooden spoon or danish dough whisk,  add 1/2 cup flour and cranberries. Continue adding flour in 1/2 cup portions, stirring each time. Knead the dough for about 10 minutes. Form the dough in a ball and let rise for 90 minutes. 

After 90 minutes, the dough should have doubled in size. 

Note: You can use your Kitchen Aid mixer with the dough hook attachment to do the kneading for you. Just cover your dough right there in your bowl and let rise. 

Dough cut in half

• After the dough has risen, cut into 12 equal parts and form into balls. I do this by first cutting into halves, then cutting each half into 6 equal pieces using my bench-scrape.  Place the formed balls in a buttered 9 x 13 inch baking pan.  Cover and let rise for another 30 minutes.

Above shows one half of the dough that has been cut into 6 pieces. That's my bench scrape at the back- I just love using this. It is also handy for picking up chopped ingredients and adding to a pot. 

Instead of buttering my pan, I use my silicone baking mats which allow clean up to be a breeze! Nothing sticks to my pan and doesn't require any buttering or spraying with oil. 

Rolled buns on my Silicone baking mat.

• Preheat the oven to 350˚F.  Make the maple glaze by mixing the milk and the maple syrup together. This is a very unusual glaze but if you don't want to use eggs and still get that brown colour, it will work! Here's a secret-I actually didn't have any more  eggs and that's why I ended up using this 😅! Brush each bun and bake for 15-20 minutes or until the tops are golden brown. Remove from oven and let cool in the pan.

My very cheap squeeze bottle
which you can get in any
variety store.

• Once the buns are warm, whisk together all ingredients for the frosting. You can add more milk if you want it thinner, or more powdered sugar if you want it thicker or sweeter. Transfer frosting to a squeeze bottle and pipe a cross shape over each of the bun. You can do this with a ziploc bag; just cut off the corner tip when ready to pipe.

 Eating these warm is just divine! 

That cream cheese frosting is heavenly!!

Cooking Tip: Learn how to use a Chef's Knife!!!

Cooking Tip: Learn how to use a Chef's Knife!!!

You may ask "why is she asking me to do this💁 ?" Well, if you want to be quick in the kitchen, then this tip is for you. I like to reduce my prep time as much as I can since this will impact how long I take to prepare a meal from start to finish. My advice is to learn how to use a chef's knife!!! This is proven to reduce your prep time, however, it's not just about getting the "big-guns" knife; it's also about using it the right way, with the correct cutting technique and also making sure you don't cut yourself while you're at it 😂😂.  You have to practice in order to get this right, but trust me, it will become your lifesaver in the kitchen.

I started using my first chef's knife after I got married since someone gave me one as a wedding present. It has worked amazingly well, until my brother bought a new set. And that knife has been by best friend in the kitchen ever since.

My Actual Knives that are in use. I have graduated from the First one to the Global one,
whilst my husband continues to use the First one. 

So let's say you have gotten your knife but somehow you just can't get the hang of it. Well have no fear, because the good old mini choppers and food processors are here 😉😉. This is the next best thing to use. Personally, I  choose to use my knife because I hate increasing the amount of wares that I have to wash 😁.

About Anita: How did I get into Cooking and Baking

How did I get into Cooking and Baking

My Brother, Neel and I

Ok...So to answer this question, I need to go back many many years ago to when I was about 12 or 13 years old. At this point, my mom had me making different things in the kitchen with her; cutting up vegetables for fried rice, making roti with her for Divali and so on. My mom believed that everyone needs to know how to cook, that's why she taught both my brother and I to cook at an early age. Believe it or not, but my brother, Neel, can cook and bake just like I do. And he is more adventurous than I am as well. I remember when he visited us in 2017, he made a Trifle. YES....a trifle. And it was soooooo delicious! I already told him that he has to make another when he visits again....lol

 Trifle made by my brother when he visited from Australia

Memory Lane: Another time when I was learning
to cook, I decided to surprise my mom and family by
making pelau, using dried peas. Well I never knew
that the  peas needed to be soaked and half cooked
before  using it in pelau. So the rice ended up coming
out very soggy since the peas needed more time to 
cook. The feedback I got from my family though 
was that it tasted really good!
Pic above shows Dried Pigeon Peas and Pelau.

So back to me. One day, my dad brought home some books he got from a coworker. I, being the bookworm that I am, went through the books and found one that was about Cooking Techniques, and the science being them. This sparked my interest for sure. I cannot remember the name of the book, but I remember the contents. It detailed techniques such as braising, broiling, poaching and many others. It also had recipes to try. So I started trying them; poached eggs, lemon meringue pie, pie crust, pancakes. And during my trials, mistakes happened for sure. I mean how can you be learning if you do not make mistakes? That's an essential aspect of learning!! One of the first things I tried was pancakes. I ended up making about 30 pancakes with that recipe 😆😆. Next was Lemon meringue pie whose recipe called for corn starch. Remember this was many many years ago when we did not have internet at our fingertips or a variety of items in the grocery as we do today. So I went to the next best thing; My Mother. She said well, I think that's the same as cornmeal 💁. So that's what I used. It tasted delicious, but it did not set. Of course years after I found out why...cornstarch and cornmeal are very very different!! 😅😅. 

Learning Time: Difference between Cornstarch and Cornmeal

Both cornstarch and cornmeal comes from corn. Cornstarch is derived from the endosperm of the corn and is used as a thickening agent which has more thickening power than plain flour. Cornmeal on the other hand, is dried corn that has been coarsely ground. It has more of a corn flavour and is does not have any thickening properties. Both look very different, in that cornstarch is powdery and white, while cornmeal is usually grainy and yellow. 

Husband currying some
common fowl.

So as the years went by, I continued to try different things until they were eventually successful. I was very thankful that my mom taught me to cook since this is a very beneficial trait to have for yourself and your family, AND it's not just for women! When my brother and I were in UWI, we relied ALOT on our cooking skills to get by each day since we did not have money at our fingertips to buy food everyday. 

After getting married, I made an effort to teach my husband to cook as well -he had ZERO experience in this field at the time and now he can cook the main things just like I do. He is of course not as adventurous and prefers to stay within familiar territory. I am appreciative of this since I may not be able to cook everyday and he needs to step in when necessary.

Another reason why I like cooking my own things is also because it is a healthier choice since you might not know every ingredient that goes into some food you may buy. I also love making things from scratch when it come to baking. Nothing is wrong with the box cakes, brownies and cookies; I have used them in the past and it can be a very good alternative for those who don't like to spend much time in the kitchen. But I like to challenge myself and the next step for me was to do it from scratch! Don't get me wrong though, we do love eating out and trying new restaurants. That's actually one of our family hobbies when we can get the time to fit it in.

Us! Heading out to have an early dinner at Krave for
Christmas.  One of our favourite places. 

My daughter displaying her knife
set that I got her as an Easter present.
She loves this set so much! 

In my everyday life, I have my 5 year older daughter helping me out in the kitchen by measuring things when I'm baking and cutting up seasonings when I'm cooking. I bought her her very own kid-friendly knife set which she loves sooo much! I have started including my 15 month old now as well, where she helps with the mixing, and she is extremely intrigued with my Kitchen Aid. She will run to the kitchen whenever she hears it come on and wants to be involved immediately.

So my journey started many years ago where I would try new techniques and recipes, and has evolved to the present where I create my own recipes that work for me and my family. They are the ones I cook for the most and hence their feedback and approval is vital. After all, my biggest critic is my husband 😂.

Approved Recipe: Curry Duck

How to make Curry Duck 

Trinidadian curry is very unique and different as compared to other places. We also tend to curry various meats and vegetables that others wouldn't even think of currying. In Trinidad, everyone develops their own method of currying either by trial and error or by what was handed down to them from their ancestors. Over my years of currying, I too have developed my own method of currying which is what I am sharing with you here. You can adjust it any way you like, since currying is versatile.

Curry duck on a bed of Dhal and Rice with a nice piece of green pepper. We
like our pepper, especially the raw green ones when we eat our curry.

The curry Queen- My MOM

I developed my unique method of currying from my Mother, who is the curry QUEEN. This is one thing she can do exceptionally well; she can curry anything and it will taste extremely good! I remember when I began learning to cook curry; I was a teenager and I would always tell my mom that I need specific measurements since her method would include eye-balling everything. After years of trialing and cooking, guess what, my method has now graduated to eye-balling 🙈🙈. During my years of training, my mom specified 2 main words that are used for this process. These words may have been handed down by her grandparents who came to Trinidad on the last ship from India, who knows 💁? They are "chounkay" and "boojay," which I spelt the way it is pronounced. You can review my definitions below 👀:

Define: Chounkay

Verb, ch-oun-kay, ch-oun-kay-ing.  Use in a senstence: "Time to chounkay the chicken or duck." A method of cooking whereby you heat oil in a pot and add a required amount of curry masala which is then allowed to fry until it looks grainy. At this point, the meat or vegetables will then be added and coated with the curry and permitted to cook. 

 Define: Boojay

Verb, boo-jay, boo-jay-ing.   Use in a sentence: " The duck has to boojay properly!"

A technique of cooking meat which develops a rich flavour. After the meat has started cooking in a pot, it springs a certain amount of liquid. After this liquid has dried up, reduce the heat to low, and keep turning the meat at 5 minute intervals, and scraping up anything that becomes stuck to the pot. Continue this technique for about 15-20 minutes before adding water to deglaze the pot to continue cooking.

These 2 terminologies will be used in my recipe below so please familiarize with them as soon as possible! In my recipe, I have also tried to give as much measurements as possible. I usually do all my seasonings together, and sometimes take out a little bhandania, garlic and onion for the chounkay-ing part. I don't do this all the time, but when I'm feeling a little adventurous then I do, so, by all means, go ahead or feel free to omit and just add all to the duck! One thing to note is that I only included the most significant seasonings here for currying any meat. These seasonings are essential no matter what you are currying, so do not exclude any of these. However, you can add any other seasonings that you have a liking for; sometimes I add chives/celery/thyme/Spanish thyme.  The critical things here are the key ingredients I listed, and the technique of boojay-ing. This is where the real flavours erupt. 

 Ingredients:

Cook's Tip: I crush my garlic using a Lorha.
Crushing garlic, instead of chopping releases
more enzymes which gives a stronger garlic
flavor. The Lorha and Sil , passed down by 
our East Indian ancestors,  are utensils made of
stone and is used to grind seasonings and spices.

For the Duck

• 1 7-8 pound duck, cut into bite-sized pieces.
• 6 tablespoons duck and goat curry, I use the Chief Brand. If you do not have this then use same amount of curry masala mixed with 1 tsp anchar masala. 
• 1 medium onion, chopped (save 1 tablespoon).
• 3 tablespoons minced garlic,  I use 1 head of garlic (save 1 tablespoon).
• 2 cups coarsely chopped bhandania/shadow beni/culantro. If you are finely chopping it in a mini chopper, then use 1 cup. (save 1 tablespoon).
• 4 medium-sized pimentoes, chopped.
• 2 tablespoons salt. 
• 1 tablespoon roasted ground geera/cumin.
• 1 Scotch bonnet pepper. If you like it HOT like I do, then use 3 peppers. 
• 6 tablespoons coconut milk powder, Maggi brand by Nestle or any other brand will work.
• Water.

For the chounkay-ing:

• 4 tbsp olive oil. You can use whichever oil you prefer.
• 1 tablespoon each of garlic, onion and bhandhania (saved from the above ingredients list).
• 4 tablespoons curry powder, I use the Chief brand.
• 1 teaspoon anchar masala, I use the Chief Brand.
• 1 teaspoon whole geera/cumin.
• 20 methee/methi/fenugreek seeds.
• 1/4 cup water.

Method: 

Seasoned duck!

• Wash and clean the duck meat according to your liking. I usually remove any thick fat and feather remnants but leave most of the skin on since this leads to a richer flavour in your curry sauce. In Trinidad, everyone prefers to have their duck cleaned a certain way, so by all means, do what you are accustomed to. Season the duck with the garlic, onion, bhandania, pimentoes, curry, ground geera, salt, and scotch bonnet pepper. Oh! And don't forget to save the 1 tablespoon each of the garlic, onion and bhandania.

Seasoning the Duck. Clockwise from top- bhandania, pimentoes, curry, geera,
onions, garlic and salt in the center. 

Spices and seasonings needed to chounkay the duck
Red arrow- whole geera.
Blue arrow- Methee/Fenugreek seeds


• Ok time to chounkay the duck!! Firstly place the curry, anchar masala, remaining garlic, onion and bhandania in a bowl and set aside. I cooked my duck on a chulha using firewood, but for this recipe, let's use the stove. Place the pot on the stove, add the oil and allow to heat up. When hot, add the methee seeds; allow to darken to a rich brown colour. Do not let it get black! If this happens you need to discard the oil and start over since this results in a very bitter, unpleasant taste. I had to learn this the hard way! Once the seeds have darkened, add the whole geera. These should start popping and smell fragrant. when they look golden brown, add the mixture of curry to the oil together with the 1/4 cup water and stir constantly; add a little more water if you prefer. Keep stirring until the mixture looks grainy. Add the seasoned duck and keep turning until it is coated. Add the coconut milk powder and continue mixing. Cover the pot and allow water to render.  If you do not like coconut milk in your duck, then you need to try it this way, and I promise you that you will love it. People who tasted my duck have described it as "tasting sweet and nice!" Well, this is the reason why 😄😄.

• Keep turning the duck at 10-minute intervals. When the water has dried up,  put the flame on low. Continue turning the duck every 5-10 minutes - this is the start of the boojaying step.  You want it to start sticking; whenever it starts sticking, you have to turn it while scraping up all the good stuff that gets stuck onto the pot. Keep doing this for about 30 mins or when it starts to stick to the bottom of the pot in such a way that you are hearing a sizzling or frying sound and need to apply more strength to scrape the bottom of the pot. At this point,  it is ready for more water to be added. Also take note of the smell - this is usually what I use to know when the boojaying process has completed. This is where the most unique and intense flavour of the duck develops. You cannot skip this step if you do then your duck will not have that extra oomph! This step is what will distinguish your duck from most other people's. 

• Add enough water to cover all the meat. Put the heat on medium and let this simmer until the sauce has thickened and has become about half of what it was or even less, depending on how you like your sauce. My husband likes plenty sauce, my mom likes a very little and I am somewhere in between. Remember to taste for salt and adjust as you like; my guess is that you may need to add some more 😏.

Let me know if you have any comments or questions and I will be glad to help. Just remember, everyone has their own way of currying; this is just one way and can be adapted however you like. Oh and check out my final definition in this blog below 😁.

Define: Chulha

Noun, ch-ul-ha

A traditional Indian cooking stove which uses firewood for cooking. It is shaped like a "U" and is made out of mud or clay.  

As I mentioned before, I cooked my duck on a Chulha. The flavour you get in a chulha is indescribable; once you start cooking on one, you will never want to stop! My mom made this chulha for us to use whenever we feel like eating some fireside food, provided that we have firewood of course! My husband is usually the one manning the fire and making sure it is at its optimum level 😉.