Christmas Cake/ Kerala Plum Cake

                       

   

  
Ingredients:

All purpose flour - 2 cups

Butter - 1 ½  stick

Egg - 4 no's
Sugar - 1 cup
Baking powder - 2tsp
Cinnamon Powder - 1tsp
Cloves - 1tsp
Nutmeg - 1tsp
Ginger - 1tsp ( dry ginger powder)
Vanilla essence - 1tsp
Salt a pinch
Dry fruits and nuts (raisin, dates, cranberry, almond, walnuts) - 2 cups

For caramel

Sugar - ½ cup

Water - 1tbs

Preparation:

In medium heat, heat ½ cup cup of sugar with 1 tbsp of water and keep stirring until the color changes from light brown to dark brown.  Once the color becomes darker remove from heat and pour  water ¼ cup  and keep aside.

In a large bowl beat sugar and butter till smooth and add eggs, and beat until fluffy.  Sieve all purpose flour, baking powder and salt. Add cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg ginger powder and caramel and combine well.  Add vanilla essence and blend all the ingredients to get a smooth batter. Sprinkle 1 or 2 tsp flour over the  dry fruits and nuts and fold them into the batter lightly. Pour the batter into a greased baking pan.and bake at 350F. When its  done, remove the cake and keep it outside, and allow it cool, slice it and serve.

Spicy Prawn/Shrimp Fry

Ingredients:
Shrimp - 40 to 50
Onion - 1 large
Tomato - 1 deseed them
Ginger - small piece crushed
Garlic -  5 to 6 crushed
Green chili - 4 crushed
Pepper corns - 1 tsp

Turmeric powder - ¼ tsp

Garam masala - ¼ tsp

Curry leaves- few
Salt to taste
Oil - 2tbs

Preparation:

Wash the shrimp nicely and marinate it with turmeric powder, pepper corns (powder them) garam masala and salt for 15 to 20 minutes. Heat 1tbs oil in pan and fry the shrimp and keep aside. In the same pan add another 1tbs of oil and saute the crushed ginger, garlic and green chili until raw smell goes away. Then add the chopped onion and tomato and fry. When it changes its color to light  brown add salt and the fried shrimp and mix well. Finally add the curry leaves and turn off the heat. 

Serve with steamed rice. 

Carrot Cake

Ingredients:
All purpose flour - 2 cups
Butter - 1
Egg - 4
Sugar - 2 cups
Carrot - 3 cups grated
Baking powder -2 tsp
Nutmeg powder - 1 ¼ tsp
Cinnamon powder - 1 ¼ tsp
Salt - a pinch

Preparation:

Sieve flour, baking powder, cinnamon powder, nutmeg powder and salt and keep it aside. Take a large bowl add butter and sugar into it and beat till smooth with cake mixer. Then add eggs and beat until fluffy.  Finally add carrot and  mix well. Preheat the oven to 350 degree c. Pour the batter into a greased baking pan and bake. When it is done, remove cake from oven, and allow it to cool and serve..

Pappadam Thoran

Ingredients:
Pappadam 5 to 6
Garlic - 5 flakes
Ginger - small piece
Red chili - 3

Mustard seeds - ½ tsp

Cumin - ¼  tsp

Channa and Urad dal - ½ tsp

Curry leaves - few
Grated coconut - 2 tsp (optional)
Oil for frying
Salt a pinch

Preparation:

Heat the oil in a pan and fry the pappadam, drain and keep aside.  Take another pan, and heat 1 tsp oil and add  mustard seeds, when the mustard seeds pops, add urad dal, channa dal, cumin, red chili and curry  leaves and saute it, then add  crushed ginger and garlic and saute until raw smell goes away. Now add the  grated coconut and  pappadam ( make into small pieces with you hand ) mix well. Serve with steamed rice or kanji

Chicken & Potato Gravy

Ingredients:
Chicken - 1 lb
Potato - 2 large
Onion - 2 no's
Ginger - small piece
Garlic - 6 flakes
Green chili - 3 -4 slit lengthwise

Turmeric powder - ¼ tsp

Red chili powder - 1 tsp
Coriander power- 2 tsp

Garam Masala - ½ tsp

Salt to taste
Oil  - 3 tbs

Preparation:

Wash the chicken nicely and cut into bite pieces. Slice onion, chop ginger and garlic, slit the green chili and add to the chicken pieces, followed by the spices (turmeric, red chili and coriander powder) salt and  2 tbs oil and mix well with your hand. Take a pan add remaining 1tbs of oil, and  add the mixed chicken pieces cover with lid and allow it get cooked.  Meanwhile peel skin of the potatoes and cut into pieces. When chicken is half done, add the potato pieces, and garam masala and mix well. Do not add water, keep stirring in between. Let it cook until thick gravy is formed. When its done remove from heat and serve.

Palkova - Microwave

Ingredients:
Condensed milk - 1 tin/can
Yogurt -3 tbs
Ghee - 1tbs

Cardamom powder -  ¼ tsp

Preparation:

Take a microwave bowl, grease with ghee and pour the condensed milk into the bowl. Add 3 tbsp of yogurt to the condensed milk and mix well.  Place the bowl in the microwave  and  microwave for 10 to 15 minutes. (this depends upon the type of microwave you use). Keep stirring in between every 1 or 2 minutes. When you see the change in color and consistency, add cardamom powder, mix well and allow it to cool.

Yummy palkova is ready to serve now.

Chicken Roast with Crushed Spices

Ingredients:
Chicken thigh - 4 no's
Onion - 1 large
Tomato - 1 no
Yogurt  - 1 tbs
Ginger - Small piece
Garlic - 10 flakes
Red chilli - 6 No's
Pepper corns - 1tsp

Turmeric powder - ¼ tsp

Salt as required
Oil for frying

Preparation:

Wash and  cut the chicken thighs into two pieces. Crush nicely ginger, garlic, red chili and pepper corns. Marinate the chicken pieces with crushed ingredients, yogurt  and salt for 30 minutes and fry the chicken pieces and keep aside. Cut the onion into thin slices, deseed the tomato and cut into small pieces,  Use the same pan in which chicken pieces was fried, and add sliced onion and chopped tomato and fry until it turns brown. Now add the fried chicken pieces to it, mix well and turn off the flame.

Serve with chapathi, steamed rice, poori.

Raw tomato pickle

Ingredients:
Raw tomato - 10 No's

Gingle oil - ¼ cup

Ginger - small piece - chopped nicely
Garlic - 5 pods finely chopped

Turmeric powder- ¼tsp

Red chili powder - 2 tsp
Fenugreek  - a pinch ( dry roasted and powder)
Mustard - 2tsp
Cumin - 1tsp
Asafetida -¼ tsp

Salt as required

Preparation:

Wash tomatoes nicely, cut into pieces. Heat oil in a pan, add mustard seeds when it splutters, add cumin, followed by fenugreek powder and asafetida. The add chopped ginger and garlic and saute it until raw smell goes away. Add  tomato pieces, turmeric, red chili powder, salt and remaining oil ad cook on medium flame. Do not add water. When it its cooked well, remove from heat allow it to cool and store it.

Serve with steamed rice.

Note: You can add 1 tsp vinegar to the pickle before you store it.. This is optional.

Ney Choru/Ghee rice

 Ingredients:
For rice:
Basmati rice - 2 cups
Water - 4 cups

Ghee -  ¼ cup (4 tbs)

Cardamom - 4 no's
Salt as required
Star aniseed - 5
Bay  leaves - 2 no's
Cinnamon - 1 stick

For garnishing:
Onion - 1 no( sliced thin)
Cashew - 1tbs
Raisin  - 1tbs

Preparation:

Wash the rice, drain well and keep aside . Take a pan add 3 tbs of ghee and fry the sliced onions until golden brown, drain them  and keep it separate. In the same pan fry cashews and raisins in  ghee  and keep aside. Then fry the spices ( star aniseed, bay leaves, cardamom and cinnamon stick). In the same pan add the drained rice and keep stirring for few minutes. Then pour water to it add salt,  cover it with a lid and cook until its done.

When rice is cooked, garnish with fried onions, cashews and raisins and serve.  Mutton gravy or chicken gravy can be used a side dish.

Note: I used food color. But this is optional

Bombay Halwa

Ingredients:
All purpose flour - 1 cup
Corn flour - 1 tbs
Sugar -2 cups

Ghee/butter - 1 ½ cup

Salt - a pinch
Lime juice - 1tbs
Almond -  1tbs
Cashew - 1 tbs
Cardamom - 10 no's (powdered)

Food color - ¼ tsp  - can be added more if u want

 

Preparation:

• Take a bowl and mix corn flour, all purpose flour ,salt and food color with 2 cups of water and keep aside. 

• Fry the cashews and almonds in 1 tsp of ghee  and set aside 

• In a heavy bottom  pan pour 1 cup of water and dissolve  sugar and  bring it to boil until it reaches single string consistency, at this point add lime juice and stir well. Now add the mixture and stir it vigorously, do not stop stirring.  When its cooked and starts getting thick, slowly add ghee little by little and stir it continuously till it leaves the sides. Add the cardamom powder, mix well and add the fried nuts (cashews and almonds) to the halwa leaving a little bit for garnishing . 

• Grease a tray with butter/ghee and pour the mixture into the tray, garnish with remaining nuts and allow it to cool. Cut into desired shapes and serve.

Note:
You can use any food color of your choice - orange, yellow or green
Sugar can be increased or decreased.

Rabdi

                                         Happy Diwali

 

Ingredients:
Milk - 4 cups
Sugar - 1 cup
Condensed milk - 5 tbs (optional)
Almond - 1tsp
Pistachios - 1tsp
Cardamom - 2 powdered

  

Preparation:

Take a wide and heavy bottom pan add milk in the pan and boil on medium flame.When milk starts boiling, a layer of malai  will start forming over the milk. Take the malai with the spoon and keep aside in a bowl. Keep collecting it by stirring the milk in between so that it will not stick in the bottom. Keep repeating the process till the milk is almost reduced to half.  Now add sugar and condensed milk and boil for 10 to 15 minutes.  Add the scraped, collected malai, cardamom powder, chapped nuts to it and mix well, remove from the flame. Allow it to cool, keep in refrigerator and serve chilled.

Note: You can add saffron strands, i did not use.

Pumpkin Payasam

Ingredients:
Pumpkin - 1 cup
Milk - 4 cups milk

Sugar - ½ cup

Ghee - 2 tbs

Sago - ¼ cup

Almond - 2 tsp
Raisin - 2 tsp
Saffron strands - few

Preparation:

Cut the pumpkin into small pieces and pressure cook by using enough water  to cover it and leave it for a  whistle or two  and switch off.  Once the pressure is released, take the pumpkin out and remove the skin and blend it in a blender to fine puree.

Meanwhile soak sago in water for 30 to 45 minutes, wash it and keep aside. Take a pan pour milk into it and bring it to boil, add sago to it and allow it to get cooked, when it becomes translucent, add pumpkin puree and mix well, now add sugar to it and keep stirring for few minutes. When done remove from flame. Fry almond pieces & raisins in ghee and transfer to this. Garnish with saffron strands, allow it to cool and serve.

Shrimp/Prawn Biriyani

Ingredients:

For shrimp gravy:

Shrimp/ Prawns -1 lb

Onion - 2

Ginger – small piece

Garlic -  10 cloves

Green chili – 7 or 8

Cilantro - handful

Mint leaves - handful

Turmeric powder – ¼ tsp

Red chili powder – 1 tsp

Lemon - half

Salt as required

Oil/ ghee -  3tbs

For rice:

Basmati rice – 2 cups

Water – 2 cups

Cardamom – 4
Aniseed - 3
Pepper corn - ¼ tsp

Oil/ ghee – 1tbs
Salt as required

For garnishing:

Onion - ½ cup finely sliced

Cashew - 2 tsp
Raisin - 2tsp
Saffron color -mixed in milk 3 tbs
Oil/ghee - required oil for frying onion, cashew & raisin

Preparation:

Wash the rice nicely and drain well. Heat 1 tbsp of ghee in a cooking vessel and fry rice for 3 to 5 minutes. Add 4  cups of water, salt and cardamom, aniseed, peppercorn and cook it covered till it is done.
Fry onion, cashew, raisins in ghee/oil and keep aside.

Wash & clean the shrimp nicely & marinate with turmeric, red chili powder, salt & lemon juice for 30 minutes. Heat oil in a pan and fry shrimp and keep aside. Do not deep dry. In the same pan, add sliced onion and saute it, until it starts changing its color,then add ginger, garlic paste & crushed green chili and saute until raw smell goes away.  Now add turmeric, red chili, garam masala,  chopped cilantro & mint leaves, salt & mix well. Then add the fried  shrimp and allow it get cooked on low flame until thick  gravy is formed.

Now take a baking dish, grease with some ghee, spread a layer of rice in the bottom and then shrimp gravy on the top, followed by fried onion. Repeat layering rice, gravy and fried onion. Finally garnish with fried onions, raisins and cashew nuts. Sprinkle saffron color and cover it with an aluminum foil. Preheat Oven to 350 degrees and bake this for 10 minutes.

Yummy biriyani is ready to server........ Serve with raita and pickle

   

Mango Kesari - Baked version

Ingredients:
Semolina/Sooji/ Rava - 1 cup
Mango pulp - 1 cup
Sugar - 1cup
Butter - 1stick

Ghee - ½ tsp

Raisin - few
Almond/ Cashew - few

Preparation:

Take a pan, add ghee and roast semolina on low flame until nice aroma comes. Switch of the flame and keep aside. In the same pan, add mango pulp, sugar and butter and mix well.  Take a baking pan and grease it, transfer the mixed ingredients into the baking pan and bake it at 350 degree for 35 to 40  minutes. Remove from oven and allow it to cool. Garnish with raisins and almond.

Then  mix it well and serve. You can also cut into any desired shapes (square or diamond). I prefer like this.

Apple Chammanthi/Chutney

Ingredients:
Apple (Green apple) - 1
Coconut - ½  cup grated
Curry leaves -1 or 2 leaves ( do not use more)

Dry red chili -  1 or 2
Shallot - 2  (this is optional)          

Salt to taste

Preparation:

Peel the skin of the apple and cut into small pieces. Coarsely grind apple, grated coconut, shallot, red chili & salt in a blender, do not add water, if required just sprinkle little water and grind.  In the end add curry leaves and pulse it for few seconds, Mix well and serve with rice or dosa.

Shrimp Fry (Simple & Easy way)

Ingredients:
Shrimp - 25 to 30 no's (large)

Coconut - ½ cup (grated)

Curry leaves - few

Red chili powder - ½ tsp

Turmeric powder - ¼ tsp

Salt to taste
Oil - 2 tbs

Preparation:

Marinate shrimp with turmeric, red chili powder, salt  & 1tbs oil for 15 to 20 minutes. Heat a pan/kadai by adding remaining 1 tbs oil, add the marinated shrimp to it and fry, when it is half done add grated coconut and mix well, followed by curry leaves and fry for few more minutes. When its done remove and serve with rice.

Rosemilk Shake

Ingredients:
Milk - 2 cups
Rose milk essence - 2 tbs (i used rooh-afza)
Rose water -  few drops
Vanilla Ice cream - 1 or 2 scoop
Ice cubes - 3

Preparation:

Blend  milk, rosemilk essence, rose water, 1 scoop of ice cream and ice cubes  in a blender. Then pour in a glass  &  add the remaining scoop of ice cream & serve..

Orange & Lemon Rasam

Ingredients:

Toor dal – ¼ cup

Tomato - 1

Green chili - 2

Ginger – a small piece

Orange juice (fresh) – ½ cup

Lemon juice – 1tbs

Rasam powder – 1 ½ tsp

Cilantro - handful

Asafetida – 1pinch or 2

Mustard seeds – ¼ tsp

Cumin – ¼ tsp

Salt to taste

Ghee – 1 ½ tbs

Preparation:

Pressure cook toor dal until soft and mash it well. Take a cooking bowl add 1 tbs ghee, followed by asafetida, chopped tomatoes, green chilli & ginger and saute for a minute, then add turmeric powder, rasam powder & pour some water and boil it . Simmer and boil for 15 to 20 minutes. Add the pressure cooked water from toor dal to it. Do not boil rasam too much as it will loose its taste, when froth starts forming at the top add  orange & lemon juice to the rasam and switch it off. Heat ½ tbs  of ghee and season the rasam with mustard & cumin seeds. Garnish with cilantro.

Serve with steamed rice. Enjoy the sweet & sour rasam

Almond Chutney

Ingredients:
Almond - ½ cup whole
Coconut - ½ cup grated
Green chili - 3 to 4
Curry leaves - 1 twig
Mustard -  ¼ tsp
Urad dal - ¼ tsp
Oil 1 tbs
Salt to taste

Preparation:

Soak the almonds in warm water  for 30 mins or soak it overnight and peel the skin. Put the almonds, ,green chilies  and salt in a blender  & grind it to  fine smooth paste. Heat oil in a pan and do the tempering with mustard, urad and curry leaves. Add it to the chutney and mix it well.

Serve with idli/ dosa.

Dates Banana Milkshake

Ingredients:

Dates – 10 no’s

Banana – ½  of small banana

Milk – 1 ½ cup

Vanilla ice cream – 1 cup

Preparation:

Deseed the dates if needed and  blend all the ingredients together.  Pour into tall glasses , garnish with some chopped dates and serve immediately.

Chicken/Kozhi Mappas

Source: From recipe book

Ingredients:

Chicken .- 1kg

Onion - 2nos  medium size (chopped)

Tomato - 1small

Green chillies - 2 no's

Ginger - ½ sliced

Garlic - 3 cloves (sliced)

Coconut milk - ½ cup

Coriander powder - 3 tsp

Red chilli powder - 1 ½ tsp

Turmeric powder - ½ tsp

Black pepper - 1tsp (crushed)

Cinnamon stick - 1 crushed

Coconut oil  - 2tbsp

Ghee - 2 tbsp

Curry leaves - 2 springs

salt to taste

Preparation:

Soak the chilli, coriander and turmeric powders together in a little water, use just enough water to soak. Heat oil & ghee together, saute the curry leaves onions, garlic, ginger & green chillies. Add the soaked & crushed spices and fry one minute. Add the tomato & cook a few minutes. Finally put the chicken pieces with salt to taste, stir well and cook covered medium flame. Stir occasionally. If the liquid dries out too early, pour a little boiling water and mix well. Cook till tender, pour the coconut milk. simmer over low flame for five minutes.  Remove from heat.

Serve with steamed rice.

Masala stuffed idli

Ingredients:
Idli batter
Potato stuffing

For Idli batter
Rice 2 cups
Urad dal -1/2 cup

Wash rice & urad dal nicely and soak it for eight hours and grind it.  Mix batter well and allow it to  ferment  overnight.

For stuffing
Potato - 2 to 3 medium sized
Onion - 1 small (finely chopped)
Green peas - ¼ cup

Turmeric powder - ¼ tps

Red chili powder - ½ tsp

Coriander powder -  2 tsp
Garam masala -  ¼ tps (Optional)
Salt to taste

Preparation:

Boil the potatoes, peel and mash the potatoes and keep it aside.  Add chopped  onions and fry until they change its  color.   Add boiled fresh or frozen peas and fry well.   Add turmeric, red chili powder, salt and mashed potato into it  and give a nice stir and cook it for few minutes.   Add coriander to it and mix properly and keep it aside to cool down.   Make small  sized balls out of the mixture and flatten them and keep aside.

Grease the idli plates with oil and fill it with idli batter until half full. Add one tbs of the prepared stuffing and then add some more batter on top.   Steam cook for 10 minutes or until its cooked nicely.

Serve with chutmey.

Coffee Cake

Ingredients:

For cake

All purpose flour – 2 cups

Egg – 4 no’s

Butter –  1 ½ stick

Sugar – 1 ½ cup

Milk – ¼ cup

Baking powder – 2 tsp

Salt – a pinch

Oil – 1tsp

Essence – 1 tsp

For Topping

Butter - 1 stick, melted

Brown sugar - 1 cup

Walnut - ¼ cup chopped

Cinnamon powder -1 ½

Flour - ¾ cup

For filling:
Brown sugar -¾ cup
Cinnamon powder - 1 tbs

Preparation:

In small mixing bowl, combine all topping ingredients. Blend  nicely  with fork or hand until crumbly and keep  aside.

Take a large bowl add butter and sugar into it and beat till smooth with cake mixer. Then add eggs and beat until fluffy. Sift flour, baking powder, salt, vanilla essence & milk. Blend all the ingredients to get a smooth batter. 

Pour half of the batter into a greased and floured baking pan. Sprinkle the filling evenly  on top of the batter.  Then spread the remaining batter on top the filling.

 Sprinkle topping crumbs  mixture evenly over batter.

                                     (My son helped me to sprinkle the  filling & topping)
 
Bake at 375°  for 30 minutes or until cake is  done. Remove the cake from the oven and allow it to cool. Cut into square shapes and serve.