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EASY BELGIAN CHOCOLATE CAKE

Soft, sophisticated Easy Belgian Chocolate Cake, in two easy mixtures…fool proof.

Of course it doesn’t have to be Belgian Chocolate, I used Swiss chocolate, which works just as well. This recipe for easy, Belgian, chocolate cake comes from my neighbour in the Arabian Ranches who is Swiss but used to live in Belgium, Thanks Isabel B.

I don’t think it needs anything with it but you could add creme fraiche and a mint leaf for effect or in this heat add a good quality vanilla ice cream. Have you tried the ice creams from Govindas, fabulous flavours like fig, chikoo and fresh mango?

Easy Belgian Chocolate cake Melting DoinDubai

This Belgian chocolate cake will not last long, it’s delicious! 

Did  you find this way of displaying the recipe helpful?

Here’s the new video we just made: October 2016

DoinDubai’s top tips for Easy Belgian chocolate cake

* To add a pinch of baking powder to your 50 g of flour and then blend in.

* Buy the small packets of butter that are pre measured in 50 gram blocks, so 90 grams is just under 2 mini blocks.

* Buy the 70 % cocoa solid chocolate as opposed to 85 %

* Use soft brown sugar instead of white.

Serve on it’s own or with a good quality vanilla ice cream, prepare to see it disappear fast.

 

Please leave me a comment in the box below; I would love to know whether the new look recipe works.

If you would like more recipes like this one that really work, do leave your email id in the subscribe box below, simple.

monica 100_edited-1

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FRESH CARROT CAKE RECIPE

Brilliant Carrot Cake Recipe 

Many people have their favourite recipe for fresh carrot cake, this is mine, it’s easy, it works and is popular with kids and adults alike, it works well as a teatime treat, but this carrot cake is brilliant as a dessert after a spicy Indian meal. Try it and see if you agree!

Carrot Cake improved

Ingredients for Carrot Cake Recipe 

Don’t use whopping great big mugs as your cup, a typical tea cup is about the right size, but do get a few of them the same size full of all the ingredients you need :

1 cup of sugar
3 medium sized eggs
¾ cup of vegetable oil
1 and 1/3 cups of self raising flour
1 teaspoon of baking powder
1 teaspoon of bicarbonate of soda
1 teaspoon of cinnamon powder
2 cups of fresh grated carrots
¾ cup of fresh roughly chopped up walnuts and a few halved walnuts to decorate

carrot-cake-ingredients

 

Method to make the Carrot Cake 

Beat the eggs with the sugar until light and fluffy
Sieve all the dry ingredients in together
Then add the oil and nuts and mix well
Pour the batter into a pre greased cake tin, bake on about 170 ◦ C or until cake is spongy to touch and the tip of knife comes out clean

The Icing on the Carrot Cake 

Half a 250 gram block of good butter
Half a tub of cream cheese
7 oz of sieved icing sugar
Blend all the icing ingredients together and spread over the cooled cake
Decorate with walnut halves
Prepare to see it disappear fast!

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EASY RECIPE THAI SALMON FISHCAKES

Salmon Fishcakes make an ideal midweek family meal 

My family loves oriental flavours and these fishcakes are a tasty, easy and nutritious meal that everyone enjoys. Fresh salmon and courgettes with a great Thai twist. Easy recipe, read on to find out more.

salmon fishcakes Thai

Imported courgettes for the Salmon Fishcakes please

Usually I always suggest using local produce but in this recipe use the very dark green imported courgettes. (of course the salmon is also imported!)  The huge imported courgettes look so much greener than the local ones and I only bought one, this was more than adequate despite them being a bit more expensive. Since writing the recipe of course now (October 2015) all I am doing with green courgettes is spiralising them!

Ingredients for Salmon Fishcakes 

So to feed a family of 4 and to make 10 to 12 small fish cakes this is what you need:

  • 1 salmon fillet (about 350 grams), remove skin and check for any tiny bones
  • 1 large imported (very dark green) courgette, finely chopped, do not peel
  • 1 tsp of fresh deseeded red chilli (you can buy a packet, chop them up and store in a tupperware box with some olive oil over them, then use in pasta sauces and curries)
  • 1 tsp of Thai red curry paste (buy a small tub and keep in the fridge, lasts for ages, better still if you can find a Thai person to make up a batch for you)
  • 1 tbsp of Fish sauce (very inexpensive, large bottle, keep in the fridge after opening, easy way to add saltiness to any oriental dish)
  • 1 large spring onion finely chopped including the green stalks
  • 1 egg for binding
  • Bak Choi with oyster sauce
  • 1 large fresh garlic clove (the supermarket sells plump cloves ready peeled in a resealable box)
  • Large handful of finely chopped coriander (costs very little, so buy regularly)
  • Salt and pepper to taste
  • Vegetable oil for shallow frying the fish cakes

Method to make your Salmon Fishcakes 

Simply put the fish with all the ingredients apart from the oil and the courgette into a blender and pulse till you have a thickish paste.

Remove the paste into a bowl and stir through the finely chopped courgette and then shape into small fish cakes, this bit can be sticky so maybe flour your hands and work surface.

Lay the fishcakes out onto a plate, cover with cling film and chill in the fridge till you’re ready to fry

Fry the fishcakes till golden brown on both sides. Serve with local bak choi, this is a fraction of the cost of the imported stuff and tastes just as good (one bunch per person) and brown rice. Perfect midweek family meal, no fuss, all eaten up. Now please share in your favourite way. 

 

Thanks Monica.

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SOUTH INDIAN PRAWN CURRY

An Easy Prawn Curry recipe that works

People always ask me how to make a good Prawn Curry although everyone has their own versions with slight variations. I’ve experimented with a few recipes and have come up with a simple, authentic, tasty recipe that seems to be a hit with kids and friends from East and West. So try it and tell me what you think…

South Indian Prawn Curry

 

Luckily in Dubai we can easily and cheaply obtain staples for a lot of Indian cooking, things like ready chopped onions, fresh curry leaves, coriander and tamarind paste all cost a fraction of what they would in London, so get into using them regularly !

Here are the ingredients for Prawn Curry for 6 people

  • 1 kg of fresh medium-sized prawns washed and deveined or large packet of frozen shrimps which have been defrosted
  • Half a small box of ready chopped fresh onions, red or white (most local supermarkets)
  • 3- 4 garlic cloves (again ready peeled in a box)
  • 2 inches or so of fresh peeled ginger
  • 4-5 med fresh tomatoes cut in halves or quarters (get local ones, much cheaper and really tasty)
  • 1/4 tsp of salt, same amount of fresh black pepper and turmeric (spices)
  • Half a fresh deseeded red chilli chopped up
  • 1 tablespoon of tamarind paste dissolved in warm water (most supermarkets, any brand is fine, but try to get Indian as opposed to Thai variety)
  • Coconut milk (I use 1 tablespoon of powdered coconut from a box and add hot milk/water all in a small jug, but places like Lulu’s sell fresh grated coconut if you prefer)
  • 1tsp of dark brown sugar
  • Ideally you want some curry leaves and mustard seeds but again not essential
  • Fresh coriander to garnish

Method to make your Prawn Curry 

  • Put onions, tomatoes, garlic and ginger in a food processor and pulse till the mixture resembles a watery paste · Transfer mixture to a pan which has some vegetable oil already heated in it. (no hard and fast rules on amounts but try 1 dessertspoon per kilo roughly) any veg oil is fine, corn oil or sunflower seem to work well, do not use olive oil · Fry your paste and add in all the spices and chilli, fry a little more until the paste thickens and darkens in colour, I also add in half tsp of brown sugar at this point as well, · Then add the prawns, put lid on and cook slowly, about 10 mins or so) · Then add the tamarind paste dissolved in hot water, stir through
  • Finally pour in coconut milk and let the new mixture heat thoroughly · Add coriander to the curry before serving, or if you want it to be really South Indian, heat some oil in a small frying pan, throw in a small teaspoon of mustard seeds, let them sizzle till you get a nutty aroma, throw in a stem’s worth of fresh curry leaves and watch them curl and darken slightly, then pour this whole mixture over the curry, stir through. · Serve with rice, your favourite salad, plain yoghurt with chopped up cucumber ENJOY

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