Pomegranate & Pecan Pudding

Have I ever told you about the pomegranate one?

No? Well, sit back and I'll begin.

Gobi Manchurian

                                      

It's the year of the Dragon - a symbol of power, strength and luck. To celebrate the Chinese New Year, I decided to try out an Indo-Chinese recipe; a fusion of ingredients and cooking techniques from both cuisines developed by the Chinese community in Kolkata (formerly Calcutta) in India. Some of you might already be familiar with the Indian dish 'Gobi-Aloo' (cauliflower and potatoes) - a simple and tasty vegetarian curry. Gobi Manchurian marries essential Indian ingredients such as garlic, ginger and onions (the holy trinity of Indian cuisine) with Chinese ingredients such as Soy sauce.

Black Treacle Brownies with Cranberries

These black beauties, rich in colour and strong in flavour, contrast well with the ruby-like cranberries. The black treacle adds moisture as well as minerals and iron  - a good substitute for sugar - and the cranberries add a tart chewiness as well as having antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. And let's not forget the life and soul of this party - chocolate! Dark chocolate with  70% cocoa content -rich and bitter in taste - is high in magnesium which makes these brownies almost guilt-free!

Chilli Potato Cutlets

This hearty little snack can be found in most corners of the globe under different names: potato cakes, patties, pancakes or cutlets as they are called in the Indian subcontinent. But what’s in a name if they are all the same?