Baker's Corner: Raspberry Chocolate Cupcakes

Tough times we are living in right now. As you all know very well, we are amidst an unprecedented health crisis on a global scale with the novel coronavirus. Thousands of people across the world are getting sick every day or worse, dying, people are losing their livelihood, economies are nose-diving, frontline health workers are overburdened, healthcare systems are collapsing, and governments are scrambling to find a solution without much success. Several countries are under complete lockdown with citizens justifiably anxious about the availability of food or medical supplies for the testing quarantine duration. 

As of this moment, Singapore is still not under lockdown. Singapore was one of the early responders who swiftly implemented travel history recording, temperature screening and health checks as soon as the virus broke out. Working-from-home was soon adopted by companies island-wide and those who had to be at work are required to follow some sort of protocol. To slow the spread of the virus, Singapore has recently taken more drastic measures. First, the doors were closed to tourists and short-term visitors. Then pubs and entertainment outlets were ordered to be shut and large gatherings banned. However, public transport, schools, malls and restaurants continue to be open albeit with extra precautions put in place. Groceries are still in supply, medical care is readily available and people are going about their lives not drastically different from before. The measures the government has adopted is catered to the situation in Singapore. I don't know how this strategy will play out but I can only hope and pray that we can emerge from this without significant casualties and losses. 

I do not envy the job of government officials involved in the decision-making. If they keep businesses running and companies open, obviously, more people could catch the virus and pass it along, prolonging the public health and economic crises. But if they do not, it could spark a recession, perhaps even a depression that may inflict lasting damage to the country. It is a no-win situation right now. 

A cloud of gloom has descended over the world engulfing everyone in its path. Talk of the virus is everywhere and there is no escaping from it. There is misinformation spreading across social media like wildfire further triggering further panic. Tough times can bring out both the best and the worst in people and we can witness acts of kindness and selflessness as well as hate and greed. Everywhere, people are largely confined to the walls of their homes, unable to go out and meet their loved ones or do the things they normally enjoy and it is no surprise that the quarantine is slowly starting to take its toll on people both mentally and physically. 

Yes, socializing is an essential human need but if being at home as much as possible can break the chain of transmission and save lives in the process, then it is a no-brainer as to what we all should be doing. We can make use of this time to spend time with family, watch TV series and movies, read books, solve puzzles, do indoor exercises, get more sleep and/or engage in creative pursuits like painting, writing, cooking, gardening and home improvement projects. If not, being a couch potato is perfectly acceptable too (provided you pull your weight around the house when it is required). And then, there is always FaceTime, Zoom and Hangouts to connect with family and friends. As difficult as it might seem, having a roof over our head, enough food to eat and medical care is a privilege so keep in mind that compared to a lot of people, we have it so much better. We CAN do this folks.

Parents of small children (like me) may have to wrack their brains a bit more to keep restless minds occupied during times like these. At the start of the year, I had planned to bake more often with the girls but I never got around to doing it. Even though I haven't been inclined to cook elaborate dishes ever since this virus exploded across the globe (it has just been unremarkable one-pot rice dishes, roti, dals, subzis, salads and upmas around here for the past several weeks), I pushed myself to start baking again. I knew it would take my mind off thinking about the well-being of my family and friends scattered across the globe. 

Last week, I and the girls made sugar cookies with an easy icing which they enjoyed immensely. This week, I promised them that I would teach them how to make cupcakes. 

Raspberries are my daughters favourite fruit hands-down. And they love everything chocolate. So I tweaked one of my old cake recipes to make moist chocolate cupcakes, made a luscious chocolate ganache and a raspberry-cream cheese frosting. The girls were by my side from start to finish helping with the mixing and decoration. The girls loved the cupcakes (as I knew they would) and we managed to put a fun spin on what would have otherwise been, a dreary uneventful Saturday. 

If you are looking to brighten up your family's day during quarantine, try these cupcakes which do not require any fancy ingredients and can be make within an hour. 

Stay healthy and stay safe folks. This too shall pass 💗

Recipe of the month: Mallige Idli

Idli is something that I've grown up eating. Although I was never particularly fond of idlis as a (fussy) child, over the years, I have gained massive respect and even developed a sincere liking for this humble South Indian breakfast staple. I'm so glad my kids aren't like me and they genuinely enjoy idlis dunked in sambhar and coconut chutney (although they will ask me by default if I have made medhu vada as well). 

I have never ever used store-bought idli or dosa batter in Singapore and I don't see myself using it in the future either. Not that I think there is anything wrong with that but it is just that the process of buying good quality ingredients, soaking and grinding them and the process of fermentation that gives me a profound sense of joy. It is only the process of cleaning out the wet stone grinder that I don't look forward to 😅

Since the past decade, I have made idlis in my kitchen using a combination of urad dal and idli rava. That is how both my mum and MIL have been making idli at home and how I was taught as well. Most of the time, I use the idli trays but rarely I use the long steel tumblers to give it a kadubu-like appearance. The only other variation of idli that I make on a regular basis is rava idli (the easier no-grind, no-fermentation variation that is quite delicious too).   

Hailing from the city of Mysore, Mallige idli is all too familiar to me. Mallige idli is a Karnataka speciality which is named after the pleasantly perfumed Jasmine flowers in kannada. The epithet has to do with both colour and texture. These idles are snow white, super soft and spongier than regular idles. 

I have been wanting to try this method of making idli for so long but I just never got around to doing it. The weather we have in Singapore is warm and humid all year round so we never have any issues with fermentation. On the contrary, on several occasions I have come into the kitchen groggy-eyed to witness a mini idli batter explosion as a result of the batter rising too much.

The wonderful texture of the Mallige Idli is obtained by using idli rice, sago and beaten rice flakes to make the batter. I've seen some recipes using yoghurt but I didn't follow that because I was worried the batter would turn sour especially if the weather was warmer than usual. Most restaurants add baking soda to the batter by default but I don't add any baking soda in this recipe yet the idlis turn out soft and pillowy. 

This was a huge hit with my family the first time I made it and I've made it a couple of times since then. Henceforth, I will probably alternate between this recipe and my former recipe with idli rava.

This is how a typical weekend idli breakfast looks like in my household 😋 

And we don't worry about leftover batter around here. If you are not sure whether to turn leftover idli batter into more idlis, crispy thin dosas or uthappams, I suggest you do all three like I do 😆 Why make that difficult choice right? 😛