Bourke Street Bakery's Ginger Brulee Tarts

Bourke Street Bakery is a popular bakery located in Surry Hills, Sydney. It is famous for many reasons, but mainly because of their pastries and pies.

Everyone has their favourites and for me they are the pork and fennel sausage rolls and the ginger brulee tarts. Unfortunately, I live quite far away from the bakery - with a round trip taking an hour - but thanks to their fabulous cookbook which has in it every single recipe for everything sold in their bakery, I can now replicate my favourites at home.

I started with some relatively simple recipes such as Flourless Chocolate Cake, Carrot Cake and Chocolate Sour Cherry Cookies before moving to the more complicated ones. None of the recipes have failed me and I have achieved great results.

Last weekend I was ready to tackle their famous sweet shortcrust pastry which is notoriously hard to replicate. It has a rustic look, is slightly darker than the usual shortcrust pastry and it's exceptionally buttery and flaky.

It has two full page of instructions - just for the pastry - and one more page for the ginger brulee filling. It took me almost a full day, partly due to the resting time, but it's worth the effort. The brulee was set perfectly, the pastry didn't shrink and the result was exactly how I remembered it to be from the bakery. Follow the instructions to a tee and you will succeed.

However, it's so bad for my diet... After making two batches of these tarts - Ginger Brulee and Vanilla Brulee with Strawberry Puree (I will blog about it later) - I saw myself having a brulee diet: breakfast, morning tea, lunch, afternoon tea, after dinner dessert. Five brulee tarts a day! So don't complain I didn't warn you: Do not bake these tarts unless you are up for the brulee diet! You simply can't stop picking one after another when the tarts are sitting in the kitchen.

Ginger Brulee Tarts Recipe
(Adapted from Bourke Street Bakery cookbook)
Makes 20

Bourke Street Bakery - "The idea behind this tart came about many years ago when I was travelling through the Indian Himalayas. It was here that I first tasted the flavours of masala chai, the spiced milk tea that is drunk in all chai shops in India. At first I wanted to make a custard flavoured with these spices and years later, when the Bakery opened its doors, I did, only by then it had morphed into a chai spiced brulee. Although we call it the ginger brulee tart, it actually contains some of the spices commonly used in masala chai and is a popular favourite at the bakery. The tart filling is one of the most challenging in the book - the brulee filling is easy to overcook and easy to undercook. This version of the filling uses pouring (single) cream with a 35 % fat content, which results in a softer filling than the one we produce at the Bakery, where we use a cream with 45% fat that is often hard to find in shops."

Ingredients

720 ml (25 fl oz) pouring (whipping) cream (35% fat)
5 cm (2 inch) piece ginger, finely sliced
1 cardamom pod, bruised
1/2 cinnamon stick
10 egg yolks
80 g (2 3/4 oz / 1/3 cup) caster (superfine) sugar, plus extra for burning
1 quantity sweet shortcrust pastry (recipe follows)
1 1/2 tbsp pistachio, chopped

Method

1. Put the cream into a saucepan over high heat and add the ginger, cardamom and cinnamon stick. As soon as it boils, remove from the heat, pour into a large container or bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and place in the refrigerator overnight for the flavours to infuse.
2. Reheat the infused cream in a saucepan over medium-high heat, bring to simmering point, then remove from the heat. Set aside until needed.
3. Place the egg yolks in a stainless steel bowl and use a whisk to combine. Add the sugar and continue whisking for about 30 seconds, or until the sugar has dissolved. Pour the warmed cream through a fine sieve, discarding the spices, then pour the cream into the egg yolk mixture, whisking well to combine.
4. Put the bowl over a saucepan of simmering water, making sure the base of the bowl does not touch the water, and continue stirring with a whisk for about 10-15 minutes, or until the mixture is smooth and thick, scraping down the sides of the bowl regularly with a rubber spatula. It is important to keep stirring at all times or the mixture will curdle. Remove the bowl from the heat and whisk briskly for about 2 minutes to cool it quickly. Over the next 1 hour, whisk the mixture every 10 minutes until cooled. Use a rubber spatula to clean the side of the bowl thoroughly and place plastic wrap directly on top of the mixture refrigerate overnight to set.
5. Roll out the pastry and use it to line twenty 8 cm (3 1/4 inch) round fluted loose-based tart tins. Set the pastry cases in the freezer for at least 20 minutes.
6. Blind bake the tart cases in a preheated 200C (400F) oven for 20-25 minutes, or until golden. Remove from the oven and allow to cool.
7. Pipe the custard into the tart shells with a piping (icing) bag fitted with a plain nozzle - you should just slightly overfill the filling in each one. With a small pallet knife, scrape the custard to be flush with the top of the tart shell. Place in the refrigerator to set for 4 hours.
8. Sprinkle about 1 tsp caster sugar over the top of each tart and burn with a blowtorch to caramelise the top. Sprinkle a few pistachios on top to serve.

Variation: If you prefer, you can omit the blowtorch step and serve the tarts simply with the ginger custard - just sprinkle a few pistachios directly onto the custard to serve.

Sweet Shortcrust Pastry (Pate Brisee)
Makes 1 quantity

Bourke Street Bakery - "The following recipe for sweet shortcrust pastry will leave you with a slightly uneven edge around the rim of the tin when you line it, resulting in a tart that looks rustic and home-made, which is what we aim for at Bourke Street Bakery. If you are looking for a perfectly even effect, this is not the correct recipe to use. The fact that this dough has water in it means it will shrink as the water evaporates during baking; the following method is to help counteract this shrinkage. This recipe makes enough pastry for twenty 8 cm (3 1/4 inch) tarts with a little left-over. The number of tarts is going to vary from baker to baker depending on how thin the pastry is rolled. The pastry can be frozen for up to 2 months, so it makes sense to line all the shells, freeze them and simply blind bake them as you need them."

Ingredients

400 g (14 oz) unsalted butter, chilled, cut into 1.5 cm (5/8 inch) cubes
20 ml (1/2 fl oz / 1 tbsp) vinegar, chilled
100 g (3 1/2 oz) caster (superfine) sugar, chilled
170 ml (5 1/2 fl oz / 2/3 cup) water, chilled
665 g (1 lb 7 1/2 oz) plain (all-purpose) flour, chilled
5 g (1/8 oz / 1 tsp) salt

Method

1. Remove the butter from the refrigerator 20 minutes before you start mixing - the butter should be just just soft but still very cold so it doesn't melt through the pastry while mixing.
2. Put the vinegar and sugar in a bowl and add the water, stirring well. Set aside for 10 minutes, then stir again to completely dissolve the sugar.
3. If you are mixing the dough by hand, mix together the flour and salt in a large bowl and toss through the butter. Using your fingertips to rub the butter into the flour to partly combine.
4. If you are using a food processor, put the flour and salt in the bowl of the food processor and add the butter, pulsing in 1-second bursts about three or four times to partly combine.
5. You should now have a floury mix through which you can see squashed pieces of butter. Turn out onto a clean work surface and gather together. Sprinkle over the sugar mixture and use the palm of your hand to smear the mixture away from you across the work surface (a pastry scraper is a useful tool to use for this step). Gather together again and repeat this smearing process twice more before gathering the dough again. You may need to smear once or twice more to bring it together - you should still be able to see streaks of butter marbled through the pastry; this gives it a slightly flaky texture to the final product. Divide the dough into two even-sized portions and shape into two round, flat discs about 2 cm (3/4 inch) thick. Wrap each disc in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 2 hours or overnight.

   

6. Remove the pastry dough from the refrigerator 20 minutes before you wish to roll it. Sprinkle a little flour on the bench and rub a little flour over a rolling pin. Working form the centre of the pastry, gently roll the dough away from you, then turn the dough about 30 degrees and roll out again. Repeat this process until you have a flat round disc, about 3 mm (1/8 inch) thick. Sprinkle extra flour over the bench and rolling pin as needed, but try to use it as sparingly as possible - if too much is absorbed into the pastry it will result in a dough with poor flavour and texture. Bear in mind that you are trying to flatten the pastry into a disc, not ferociously stretch it out in all directions. Stretching will only cause the pastry to shrink excessively when baking. transfer the pastry to a tray and place in the refrigerator, covered in plastic wrap, for at least 2 hours to allow the gluten to relax.

   

7. At Bourke Street Bakery, we prefer to use loose-based tart tins and moulds, which have sides that are at an angle of about 90 degrees to the base. The right angle offers more support than sloping sides and makes it easier to remove a fragile tart. Again, it is important not to stretch the dough when lining the tins.
8. Brush twenty 8cm (3 1/4 inch) individual tart tins with a little butter. Cut the pastry using a round pastry cutter with an 11 cm (4 1/4 inch) diameter. Place the pastry on top of the mould ensuring it is in the centre and use use your fingers to gently push the pastry into the mould, moving around the rim until all of the pastry has been inserted - you should now have about 1 cm (1/2 inch) of dough hanging over the sides.

   

9. Use your index finger and thumb to work your way around the edge, forcing the pastry into the mould so that little or no pastry is left protruding. Where the upright edge of the pastry meets the base there should be a sharp angle where is has been firmly forced into the corner - this method of lining the tin is to counteract the pastry shrinking once baked.

   

10. Set the pastry cases aside to rest for at least 2o minutes in the freezer so that the gluten relaxes and holds its shape when you line it with foil.



11. Once the tart has been lined and rested, most recipes will call for it to be blind baked. Blind baking pastry simply means you need to pre-bake the pastry before filling it, to ensure the base is crisp and cooked through. If you own a pizza stone this will work perfectly, as long as it is heated well and the pastry tin is placed directly on the stone.
12. Preheat the oven to 200C (400F). Line the pastry with a double layer of aluminium foil, making sure the foil is pushed well into the corners. Pour in some baking beads or uncooked rice to fill the case and bake for 20-25 minutes - the baking time will vary considerably from oven to oven.

    

13. When cooked properly, the pastry should have a golden colour all over, particularly in the centre, which tends to be the last part to colour and become crisp.

    

14. The tart shells are now ready to be filled.

Vietnamese Style Caramelised Pork Belly

I have tried a few Vietnamese Style caramelised pork belly recipes but none has given me the results that I like. Finally, When I came across this Thit Kho Trung recipe from the Secrets of Red Lantern cookbook, I decided to replace the pork neck and pork leg with pork belly and Bingo! I nailed it! The pork belly has the perfect 'melt in the mouth' texture and the sauce is light but flavoursome.

This Vietnamese style caramelised pork belly recipe uses sugar to create the caramelised sauce base which is different from the Malaysian version or Indonesian Babi Kejap. The Malaysian (as seen on Masterchef by Alvin, recipe here) and Indonesian versions use the "Thick caramel sauce" made from molasses, sugar, water and caramel which is called kejap manis in Indonesia. We simply call it "thick / dark soy sauce" in Malaysia. It's quite confusing as many people have mistaken this "thick caramel sauce" as the Chinese "thick soy sauce". Rose brand or Cheong Chan Brand are among the most popular brands but I am not sure if they are available in Sydney.

Vietnamese Style Caramelised Pork Belly Recipe
(Loosely adapted from Secrets of the Red Lantern - Thit Kho Trung / Caramelised Pork Leg and Whole Egg with Chilli and Pepper)
Serves 6

Mark Jensen - "This is such a delicate dish. It is the pork fat that gives Thit Kho its subtle richness. The length of time given in this recipe should be sufficient for a 'melt in the mouth' results. It is always good practise, however, to continually check for taste and tenderness and adjust the cooking time accordingly."

Ingredients

1 kg pork belly
220 g sugar, or caramelizing
2 litres (70 fl oz / 8 cups) water
125 ml (4 fl oz / 1/2 cup fish sauce
75 g (2 1/2 oz / 1/3 cup) sugar, extra
5 spring onions (scallions), white part only, bashed
1 tsp salt
2 tsp fine white pepper
6 hard-boiled egg, peeled
6 red bird's eye chillies, left whole (Note: I omitted the chillies because of Miss C)

Method

1. Cut the pork belly into 2 x 4 cm (3/4 x 1 1/2 in) pieces and set aside.
2. To make the caramel, put the sugar and 2 tbsp of water in a large saucepan and place over high heat. Cook without stirring until sugar becomes a rich golden colour, then carefully add the pork pieces to the pan.
3. Stir to coat the pork with the caramel, the add the water. Slowly bring to the boil, skimming off the fat and impurities that rise to the surface.
4. Reduce the heat to a simmer, then add the fish sauce, extra sugar, spring onions, salt and pepper. Cook for 45 minutes, then add the eggs and cook for a further 30 minutes, adding the chilli in the last 5 minutes of cooking.

Bánh Cuốn - Steamed Rice Noodles filled with Pork Mince and Wood Ear Mushrooms

Luke Nguyen - "These noodles are made with a batter of rice and tapioca flours. Tapioca flour may also be labelled as tapioca starch - both flours are gluten-and grain-free. When I was a child, my Aunty Five would make this dish every six months, family would travel from all over Sydney to eat her Bahn Cuon. I can remember standing on a milk crate watching her prepare her delicate rice noodle sheets. In Hanoi the noodles are made over a pot of rapidly boiling water, with a piece of cloth tied across these top. A thin layer of batter is poured onto the cloth and steamed, creating the rice noodle sheets. For the home cook, Aunty Five's technique is less complex. This recipe and cooking technique belong to her."

Bánh Cuốn (literally "rolled cake") is a northern Vietnamese dish. It is similar to a Chinese Yum Cha dish (肠粉), usually translated into English as "steamed rice roll" or "rice noodle roll," and it is generally eaten for breakfast.

I had bookmarked this recipe soon after I bought Luke Nguyen's The Songs of Sapa cookbook last year, but as with a lot of other recipes that I have bookmarked, I never got around to make it. These rice rolls are usually steamed and extremely fiddly to make at home because they are very thin and delicate. What intrigues me in this recipe is Luke's Aunt's technique to make them with a non-stick frying pan. This technique did immediately register in my mind.

When Masterchef contestant Alvin made steamed rice rolls with yam cake for guest judges Jacque Raymond, Mark Best, Kylie Kwong, and Alla Wolf-Tasker during last week's signature dish challenge, I immediately recognised the unique technique from the cookbook. It was the last button to finally push me to try out this technique.

Although the technique makes it sounds as easy as making crepes, the noodle is very thin and extremely delicate. This makes it very fiddly to handle but it does get easier as you get the hang of it. Finding the right temperature of the stove is also crucial. You will need to play around to get it right. Oil is an essential ingredient to avoid the rice noodle sheets from sticking.

This technique produces extremely thin and silky smooth rice noodles and they don't taste any different than the steamed version. The step-by-step photos don't do justice as it's extremely difficult to handle the noodle and a heavy DSLR camera at the same time all by myself!

If you are a big fan of Masterchef as I am, here is the list of the contestants blogs and twitter accounts so you can continue to stalk them or get yourself updated with their journeys post Masterchef:

Aaron http://foodthatrocks.tumblr.com/ @Aaronharvie

Adam http://adamliaw.com/ @Adamliaw

Alvin http://cinnamonpig.com.au/ @cinnamonalvin

Callum http://callumskitchen.com @callumskitchen

Claire http://cookingfromthehearth.co/

Jimmy http://www.jimmysspicekitchen.com.au/ @Jimmy_Mastchef

Jonathan http://www.jonathandaddia.com/ @Jonathandaddia

Marion http://www.hedonistichostess.com.au/ @Hostesshedonist

Matthew http://www.makesyouscreamforicecream.com/ @MattCaldi

Peter @PeteKrita

Sharnee http://sharneerawson.blogspot.com/ @Sharnee_R

Skye http://wildsugar.com.au/ @WildSugar_Skye

Bánh Cuốn - Steamed Rice noodles Filled With Pork and Wood Ear Mushrooms Recipe
(Adapted from The Songs of Sapa by Luke Nguyen of Red Lantern)
Serve 4-6 as part of a shared meal

Ingredients

4 dried wood ear mushrooms (you can replace them with dried shiitake mushrooms if you can't get wood ear mushroom)
1 tsp fish sauce
125 g (4 1/2 oz / 1 cup) rice flour
125 g (4 1/2 oz / 1 cup) tapioca flour
about 125 ml (4 fl oz / 1/2 cup) vegetable oil
4 garlic cloves, finely chopped
300 g (10 1/2 oz) minced pork
1/2 tsp sugar

To serve:
2 Lebanese (short) cucumbers, sliced into batons
1 bunch perilla, leaves picked
1 bunch mint, leaves picked,1 bunch Vietnamese mint, leaves picked
300 g (10 1/2 oz) bean sprout
50 g (1 3/4 oz / 1/2 cup) fried red Asian shallots
250 ml (9 fl oz / 1 cup) dipping fish sauce (Recipe follows)
2 bird's eye chillies, sliced
(Note: I served my banh cuon with fried red Asian shallots, sliced red chilli, coriander leaves and dipping fish sauce)

Method

1. Put the mushrooms in a bowl, cover with water and soak for 20 minutes, then drain and thinly slice. Return the mushrooms to the bowl and combine with the fish sauce.
2. To make the batter, combine the rice flour , tapioca flour and 1/2 tsp salt with 750 ml (26 fl oz / 3 cups) of cold water. Whisk well, until a smooth batter forms.



3. Heat a non-stick frying pan over medium heat, add 2 tbsp of the oil and fry the garlic and shallots until fragrant. Add the mushrooms, pork, sugar and a pinch of salt and freshly ground pepper, and stir-fry for 4 minutes. Transfer to a bowl and set aside.

   

4. Brush a round tray with oil and place beside the stove. Heat a large non-stick frying pan over medium heat, and add enough oil to coat the base of the pan. Pour a small ladleful (2-3 tbps) of the batter into the pan, turning the pan in a circular motion to cover the base with a thin layer of batter.

   

5. Cover the pan with a lid and cook for 30 seconds. Remove the lid and slide the think noodle sheet onto your oiled tray. Spoon 1 tbsp of pork mixture onto the noodle sheet, fold two sides in, then fold over to form a roll.
   
   
   
   

6. Transfer to a plate. Repeat this process using the remaining batter and pork mixture, adding oil to the pan as necessary.
7. Top the rolls with cucumber, perilla, mint, Vietnamese mint, bean sprouts and fried shallots. Dress with the dipping fish sauce and garnish wth sliced chilli.

Dipping Fish Sauce Recipe
Makes about 250 ml (9 fl oz / 1 cup)

Ingredients

3 tbsp fish sauce
3 tbsp rice vinegar
2 tbsp sugar
2 garlic cloves, chopped
1 bird's eye chilli,thinly sliced (I use 1/2 red chilli)
2 tbsp lime juice

Method

1. Combine the fish sauce, rice vinegar, sugar and 125 ml (4 fl oz / 1/2 cup) of water in a saucepan and place over medium heat. Stir well and cook until just before boiling point is reached, then remove from the heat and allow to cool.
2. To serve, add the garlic and chilli, then stir in the lime juice. Store, tightly seated in a jar in the fridge, for up to 5 days.

Japanese Style Salt and Pepper Tofu

This recipe is truly a cross between the Japanese Agedashi Tofu and the Chinese Salt & Pepper Tofu. The Chinese salt & pepper tofu is usually coated with cornflour, deep-fried and then seasoned with salt and pepper. The Japanese agedashi tofu is coated with potato / sweet potato flour, deep-fried and served with a dashi broth. The potato flour produces a much crispier coating than cornflour which I prefer.

For this recipe, the tofu is coated with potato flour instead of cornflour, deep-fried and seasoned with salt and pepper seasoning without the dashi broth. It has taken the best of both recipes and the end result is applaudable. Who says we can't have the best of both worlds?

I have posted a similar recipe Agedashi Tofu with Chilli, Basil and Crispy Ginger Shreds in which I have coated the tofu with seasoned potato starch, deep-fried it and then served it without the dashi broth but garnished it with sliced chilli, deep-fried crisp basil leaves and ginger shreds.

Japanese Style Salt & Pepper Tofu Recipe
(Adapted from Masterchef Magazine May 2010 issue, recipe by Shaun Presland)
Serves 6

Shaun Presland, Sake Restaurant - "I serve this Chinese style dish at Sake because not everyone likes the wet texture of agedashi tofu (Japanese fried tofu in dashi broth)."

Ingredients

60 g (1/2 cup) salt
3 tsp white pepper
1 tsp Chinese five-spice powder
3 x 500 g packets firm tofu
100 g potato / sweet potato starch
Vegetable oil, to deep-fry
1 long chilli, seeded, thinly shredded
2 spring onions, thinly sliced on the diagonal

Method

1. To make seasoning, combine salt, pepper and five spice powder in a small bowl.

   

2. Drain tofu and cut into 2 cm-thick, 4 cm square. (* You can buy pre-cut tofu from Asian food shops)

   

3. Carefully coat tofu, one at a time, with starch. Leave for 30 seconds for starch to stick to tofu.

   

4. Fill a saucepan one-third full with oil and heat over medium heat to 180C (or until a cube of bread turns golden in 10 seconds). Fry tofu, in 6 batches, for 2 minutes, turning halfway, or until light golden. Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towel.
5. Season with salt and pepper seasoning.
6. Serve tofu in bowls with chilli and spring onions scattered over.

Lemon Cheesecake Mousse with Minted Sugar

There are so many elements that I like about this mousse. Firstly, the colours. Green is my favourite colour and I love the combinations of green, yellow and white. It's such a summery and cheerful tone that will elevate your mood even by just looking at it.

Furthermore, it's a non-baking / non-cooking dessert that you can prepare ahead and leave in the fridge until it's needed. Great for any dinner party.

Ultimately, the taste and texture sum up how great a dessert this is. The light and airy mousse with the crunchy minty sugar. The citrusy lemon has given a zingy lift to the creamy cheesecake flavour. Overall, it's a simple and yet brilliant recipe.

Lemon Cheesecake Mousse with Minted Sugar Recipe
(Adapted from Masterchef Magazine July 2010 issue, recipe by Masterchef contestant Sharnee)
Serves 6

Ingredients

4 egg yolks
295 g (1 1/3 cups) caster sugar
500 g cream cheese, chopped, softened
2 lemons, zested, 1 juiced
6 egg whites
1/4 cup finely shredded mint leaves

Method

1. To make mousse: Using an electric mixer, beat egg yolks and 220 g (1 cup) sugar until thick and pale. Add cheese and the zest and juice of 1 lemon, add beat until smooth. In a clean bowl, whisk egg white to stiff peaks. Fold one-third of egg whites into cheese mixture, then fold in remainder until just combined. Divide mixture among 6 x 375 ml (1 1/2-cup) glasses and chill for 2 hours.
2. To make minted sugar: Combine mint, the remaining lemon zest and 75 g (1/3 cup) sugar in a bowl.
3. Scatter minted sugar over mousse.

Butter Chicken

Butter chicken is so popular in Australia that all Indian restaurants in Australia have this item on their menu. Adults and kids alike love it. I absolutely love it. However, I never knew how to cook it from scratch: not using the ready-made pastes or bottled sauces available from the supermarket. Yes, I did come across some butter chicken recipes, but all require a long list of ingredients - like Christine Mansfield's squab recipe that requires 55 different ingredients and some of the spices I will never use again!

That's the beauty of Masterchef contestant Jimmy's Butter Chicken. It requires only two spices: turmeric and garam masala and two types of fresh herbs: coriander and mint leaves. Yoghurt and lemon juice in the marinade tenderise the chicken beautifully. The clever use of passata produces a silky smooth sauce base.

When I saw his recipe, I was keen to try it. After I cooked it, I know this recipe is a keeper and I am very happy to share it with you.

Butter Chicken Recipe
(Adapted from Masterchef Magazine June issue)
Serves 4

Matt Preston - "Jimmy's bravery in doing this creamy, rich curry for the kids' birthday party challenge saw his team win. Not too spicy, this recipe comes from a curry his mum used to make when he was a lad. Make sure you serve it with steamed rice or some Indian bread - and not on its own in a cup like Jimmy did!"

Ingredients

140 g (1/2 cup) Greek-style yoghurt
3 cm piece ginger, peeled, finely grated
2 cloves garlic, crushed
2 tbsp garam masala
1 lemon, juiced
2 tbsp olive oil, plus extra, to grease
1/4 cup roughly chopped coriander, plus extra leaves, to serve
800 g chicken thigh fillets, cut into 3 cm-wide strips
2 tbsp ghee (clarified butter)
2 onions , thinly sliced
1 tsp ground turmeric
1 1/2 tbsp tomato paste
2 long red chillies, seeded, finely chopped
260 g (1 cup) passata (sieved pureed tomatoes)
300 ml pouring cream
1 bunch mint, leaves picked, finely chopped
Basmati rice and pappadams, to serve

Method

1. Combine yoghurt, ginger, garlic, 1 tbsp garam masala, lemon juice, oil and half the coriander in a large bowl, then season with salt and pepper. Add chicken and toss to coat. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 3 hours.
   

   

2. Preheat a lightly greased barbecue or chargrill pan over medium-high heat. Remove chicken from marinade and cook, in 2 batches, turning for 6 minutes or until almost cooked through.
3. Heat ghee in a large saucepan over medium heat, add onions, turmeric, tomato paste, chillies and remaining garam masala, and cook, stirring, for 5 minutes or until onions are soft. Add passata and cook for 5 minutes or until thickened slightly. Reduce heat to low, add cream, mint and remaining coriander, and cook, stirring, for 2 minutes. Add chicken and simmer, stirring occasionally, for 15 minutes or until sauce thickens. Scatter with extra coriander and serve with rice and pappadams.

Gluten-Free 5 Minute Chocolate Mug Cake

5 minute chocolate mug cake is not new. If you google it, plenty of recipes will pop up on your search results.

Almost all the 5 minute chocolate mug cake recipes call for flour, oil and cocoa powder as part of the ingredients. I always like my chocolate cake to be made of butter and real chocolate instead of vegetable oil and cocoa powder. Hence, I have replaced oil and cocoa powder with butter and dark chocolate. I always like to go for the real deal.

Being gluten intolerant, flourless versions of chocolate cake (Flourless Chinese Five Spice Chocolate Cake, Bourke Street Bakery Flourless Chocolate Cake, French Flourless Chocolate Cake) have always been my first priority, so that I can indulge in my chocolate cake without having to worry about digesting the flour. For this occasion, I used the Vitarium Gluten-Free Flour sent to me by Genevieve from Haystac.

I wanted to test out if this gluten-free flour can totally replace normal wheat flour. I have chosen this 5 minute chocolate mug cake because it's simple and it's perfect to test this ingredient.

The result is excellent. I made two mug cakes, one with normal wheat flour and one with Vitarium gluten free flour and all of us couldn't really tell the difference. The only telling sign is that the gluten-free flour version is slightly less starchy than the wheat flour version. However, although I have great success with this simple chocolate mug cake recipe, please bear in mind that you will have to add xanthan gum if you intend to do more complicated baking such as tart pastry.

Gluten-Free 5 Minute Chocolate Mug Cake Recipe
Serve 1

Ingredients

50g dark chocolate, coarsely chopped
3 tablespoons butter
4 tablespoons Vitarium gluten free flour
4 tablespoons sugar
1 egg
3 tablespoons milk
1/4 tsp vanilla extract

Method

1. Melted the butter and chocolate in a double boiler. Set aside to cool.
2. Add flour and sugar to a small mixing bowl, and mix well. Add the egg and mix thoroughly. Pour in the milk and mix well. Add the melted chocolate and vanilla extract, and mix again.
3. Pour the mixture into a large coffee mug. Put the mug in the microwave and cook for 3 minutes at 1000 watts.
   
   

   

4. The cake will rise over the top of the mug and sink.
   
   

   

5. Allow to cool a little, eat it straight from the mug with a spoon or tip it out onto a plate.