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October 30, 2015

Rice & Multigrain porridge powder for babies


Do you want to introduce rice to your babies?  This is the perfect cerelac powder ideal for babies above 7 months.  Cumin and ajwain helps in digestion.  Even a small portion satisfies your babies hunger.  

Ingredients :
  1. Parboiled rice - 1/4 cup
  2. Roasted gram dal - 1/4 cup
  3. Broken wheat (samba wheat) - 1/4 cup
  4. Rolled oats - 1 tbsp
  5. Cumin seeds - 1/2 tsp
  6. Ajwain - 1/4 tsp

Method :

1.   Dry roast all the ingredients separately.  Allow them to cool completely and grind them to fine powder.  Sieve the powder and store it in air tight container.

2.   Take a teaspoon of this powder and cook them in water.  Before serving add breast milk or formula.


It's yum!!!!

October 28, 2015

Coffee Walnut cake - For coffee lovers



Coffee cake is a simple treat that can’t only be mastered by bakeries or pastry shops — it also can come right out of your own oven. With these highlighted recipes, you’re guaranteed to enjoy some caffeine-fueled success. Start brewing your coffee to have alongside these treats and thank me later.
Ingredients :
  1. Hot strong coffee - 3/4 cup
  2. Chopped walnuts - 1/2 cup
  3. Butter - 125 gms
  4. Sugar - 1 cup
  5. Eggs - 2 nos
  6. All purpose flour - 1 3/4 cup
  7. Baking soda - 1/2 tsp
  8. Salt - 1/2 tsp
  9. Baking powder - 1 1/2 tsp
  10. Vanilla extract - 1 tsp

Method :

1. Preheat the oven to 180 C. Lightly grease the baking pan & line the base with non-stick baking paper.

2. Pour hot coffee over walnuts & allow to cool.

3. Cream butter and sugar, add eggs and beat well. Sift in dry ingredients. 

4. Lastly, mix the nut mixture and vanilla extract.

5. Pour into prepared cake tin and bake for 50-60mins. 


Happy baking :)

October 26, 2015

Mutton Skewers - It's Finger licking


If you're cooking for your family or for a party, these mutton skewers will do the trick.  They are so easy to make and really tasty.  Marinated in a blend of Indian spices, they can be grilled, chargrilled or cooked on the BBQ.  Mutton can be substituted with lamb or chicken.  This can be served with yoghurt garlic dip!!!

Ingredients :
  1. Boneless mutton - 400 gms
  2. Salt to taste
  3. Onion paste - 1 tsp
  4. Green chilli paste - 1 tsp
  5. Lemon juice - 1 tbsp
  6. Ginger garlic paste - 2 tbsp
  7. Cumin powder - 1 tsp
  8. Coriander powder - 1 tsp
  9. Kasuri methi powder - 1/2 tsp
  10. Red chilli powder - 1 tsp
  11. Coriander leaves, chopped - 1 tbsp
  12.  Hung yoghurt - 2 tbsp
  13. Oil 

Method :

1.   Mix all the ingredients together and marinate for at least 2 hours.

2.   Then, using the skewers, spike each piece of meat and grill them in the pan around 4 mins each side.


Serve them with garlic yoghurt dip... 

October 25, 2015

Sambar Vadai - Restaurant style


Who doesn't love vada's?  The crispy vada's served with spicy and tangy sambar with onions, coriander leaves & desi ghee is just a delight.   Love these savoury fried dumpling in sambar for my breakfast.  It's yum !!! 


Ingredients :

For Sambar :
  1. Oil - 1 tsp
  2. Mustard seeds - 1 tsp
  3. Urad dal - 1 tsp
  4. Hing - 1/2 tsp
  5. Fenugreek seed - 1/2 tsp
  6. Shallots - 10 nos
  7. Curry leaves 
  8. Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
  9. Tomatoes - 2 nos
  10. Toor dal - 1/2 cup
  11. Tamarind pulp - 1 tsp
  12. Coconut (Grounded to smooth thick paste) - 2 tbsp
  13. Sambar powder - 2 tsp 
  14. Ghee - 1 tbsp
  15. Jaggery / sugar - 1/2 tsp
  16. Coriander leaves for garnishing
For Medhu vada :
  1. Urad dal (Without skin) - 1 cup
  2. 1/2' inch ginger, finely chopped
  3. 3 - 4 green chillies
  4. 1 sprig curry leaves, chopped
  5. 1/2 onion, chopped
  6. Coriander leaves 
  7. Coconut pieces - 1 tbsp
  8. Pepper corns  - 1 tsp
  9. Cumin seeds - 1/2 tsp
  10. Salt to taste
  11. Oil for deep frying
For sambar vadai (Garnishing) :
  1. Ghee 
  2. Coriander leaves
  3. Onion, finely chopped

 Method :

For sambar :

1.   Pressure cook the toor dal with little turmeric powder, hing and 1/4 tsp of oil.  Smash and keep aside.

2.   Heat oil in the pan, add mustard seeds, urad dal, hing, fenugreek seeds, curry leaves and shallots.  Saute till tender.

3.   Add finely chopped tomatoes, turmeric powder, tamarind pulp and salt to taste.  Saute.

4.   Add cooked toor dal, coconut and enough water.  Cook for 5 mins over medium heat.  

5.   In another pan, add ghee and sambar powder.  Cook for a second and immediately add it in the sambar.  

6.   Finally, add Jaggery and coriander leaves.


For medhu vadai : 

1.   Soak urad dal in water for atleast 4 hrs & grind it along with green chillies & salt without using any water. Batter should be thick enough to shape vadas.

2.   Add chopped onion, curry leaves, peppercorns, cumin seeds, corriander leaves, ginger pcs, coconut & salt to taste to the urad dal & mix well.

3.  Heat oil in the pan. Wet your palm. Take a dollop of batter(lemon size), put it in your wet palm, flatten to a round shape & make a hole in the center with your finger. Dry fry them till golden brown & crispy.

For sambar vadai :
1.   Take around 3 cups of salted hot water.  Soak the fried vadai's in the water for 3 - 4 mins. Squeeze the water between your palm.  Set aside.

2.   Arrange the squeezed vadai in the serving plate.  

3.   Pour generous amount of sambar over the vadai and garnish it with chopped onion, coriander leaves and a tsp of ghee.

Serve immediately.

October 23, 2015

Vegetables in spicy coconut gravy


This is one of my favourite dish which goes good with dosa, idly, idiyappam, rotis and rice.  This dish taste like a nice mix of spicy flavours tempered by the coconut added to the masala, the thick gravy a combination of the coconut paste as well as the boiled potatoes adding their own starchiness to it. The other vegetables like beans, carrot, cauliflower or peas bring out the the rest.  Perfect way of adding veggies to our everyday menu.

Ingredients :

  1. Oil - 1 tbsp
  2. Cinnamon - 1 stick
  3. Cloves - 3 nos
  4. Cardamom - 2 nos
  5. Onion, finely chopped - 1 large sized
  6. Ginger garlic paste - 1 tbsp
  7. Tomato - 1 no
  8. Green chilly - 1 no
  9. Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
  10. Chilly powder - 1 tsp
  11. Coriander powder - 1 tsp
  12. Cumin powder - 1/2 tsp
  13. Garam masala = 1/2 tsp
  14. Vegetables (Carrot, beans, potato, cauliflower, peas, kohlrabi) - 1 cup
  15. Salt to taste
  16. Coconut, grated - 1/2 cup
  17. Cashew nuts - 6 nos (Soaked in water)
  18. Mint leaves 
  19. Coriander leaves
  20. Water - 1 cup

Method :

1.   Heat oil in the heavy bottomed pan, add cinnamon stick, cloves, cardamom and finely chopped onions.  Saute till tender.

2.   Add ginger garlic paste, turmeric powder and salt.  Saute.

3.   Add vegetables, green chilly, chilly powder, coriander powder, cumin powder and finely chopped mint leaves.  Saute.

4.   Meanwhile, grind together coconut, tomato and cashew nut to smooth paste.  Add the coconut mixture to the vegetables.  Add water and cook over medium flame till done.

5.   Add garam masala and coriander leaves.  


Serve hot !!!

October 22, 2015

Puffedrice cerelac for babies


Puffed rice porridge is ideal for babies from 7 months.  By adding sweet potatoes to this porridge makes it really yum.   

Ingredients :

  1. Puffed rice - 1 cup
  2. Roasted gram dal (pottukadalai) -  1/2 cup
  3. Whole almonds - 5 nos (Without skin)

Method :

1.   Dry roast the ingredients separately and allow it to cool completely.  Grind them to smooth powder.  

2.   Sieve the powder and store it in airtight container.


Preparation 

Ingredients :
  1. Breast milk / Formula
  2. Sweet potato (or) potato 
  3. Water
Method :

1.   Either smash or grate the cooked potato and keep aside.

2.   In a pan, add a tsp of puffed rice baby powder and water.  Cook them over a medium flame.

3.  Add smashed potato and cook them without any lumps.

4.   Switch off the flame and add breast milk / formula.  


Serve immediately.

October 21, 2015

Spiderman themed vanilla sponge cake - A Perfect celebration cake



I'm a big fan of cake, especially uncomplicated and classic recipes like this delicious vanilla cake.  This cake will please the pickiest of palettes - it's vanilla right?  But don't call it boring.  It's so rich, so good and so sinful.  And, might I add, so worth the calories.

This moist and tender vanilla cake is a great foil for any filling.  It's easily transformed into custom flavours with a few simple tweaks.

Ingredients :
  1. 3/4 of a Cup of Unsalted Butter at Room Temperature
  2. 4 Egg Whites
  3. 2 1/2 Cups of All Purpose Flour
  4. 2 1/2 tsp of Baking Powder
  5. 1/2 tsp of Salt
  6. 1 1/4 Cup of Sugar
  7. 1 Tbsp of Vanilla
  8. 1/4 Cup of Sour Cream
  9. 1 Cup of Whole Milk
  10. Whipped cream frosting (for covering the cake)
  11. Fondant (for decoration)


Method :
1) Preheat the oven to 350 degrees, line up the baking pan with parchment paper and set aside.
2) In a small bowl, mix together the flour, salt and baking powder, set aside.


3) In the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, whisk the egg whites until stiff peaks form, remove to a bowl. Change the whisk attachment to a paddle attachment and cream together the butter and sugar until fluffy, add the sour cream and vanilla and whisk until smooth. 


4) Add half of the flour mixture along with half of the milk and whisk until mostly combined, add remaining flour mixture and milk and mix until everything is nice and smooth.

5) Fold in the egg whites 1/3 at a time and divide the batter between the two prepared pans. Bake for about 30 to 35 minutes or until fully cooked through. 

6) Allow the cakes to cool for about 10 minutes, invert the cakes on to a rack and allow them to cool completely.

7)  Frost and decorate the cake with whipped cream frosting and fondant.

Happy baking :)

October 20, 2015

Diamond Biscuits / Maida Biscuits / Savoury Diamond cuts


Savoury maida biscuits is my childhood favourite snack.  I love having some kind of spicy snack with my evening tea.  Instead of cumin we can substitute with ajwain for different flavour.  Perfect crunchy snack for any special occasion.

Ingredients :

  1. All purpose flour - 1 cup
  2. Salt to taste
  3. Pepper powder - 1 tsp (Or Red chilly powder / Green chilly paste)
  4. Cumin seeds - 1 tsp
  5. 1 tbsp  hot oil
  6. Water for kneading
  7. Oil for frying

Method :

1.   Mix together flour, salt, pepper powder, cumin seeds and 1 tbsp of hot oil.  Add enough water and knead the dough till smooth and firm.

2.   Divide the dough into 4 equal portion and roll each portion into slightly thick roti's.  Using the fork prick the rolled dough all over.  Using the knife, cut them to desired shape.

3.  Heat oil in the pan, deep fry the cut maida squares till crispy & golden brown.  


Store them in the airtight container and enjoy :)

October 19, 2015

Chocolate cake with Golf theme




This chocolate cake is my go to recipe. I love the fact that this cake is moist and delicious. I also wanted to make a cake sturdy enough to carve into novelty cakes. I’ve been making this chocolate cake recipe for many years, adding a few tweaks here and there, and it has never let me down. Whether it's smothered in whipped cream,  buttercream, draped with fondant or dripping with ganache, this cake is a must

Ingredients:


For the cake:
  1. 2 cups Granulated Sugar
  2. 1 cup Buttermilk
  3. 2/3 cup Vegetable Oil
  4. 1 cup Water
  5. 2 Eggs
  6. 2 cups Flour
  7. 1/2 tsp Salt
  8. 1 tsp Baking Soda
  9. ½ tsp Baking Powder
  10. ¾ cup Unsweetened Cocoa Powder
  11. ½ tsp Vanilla Extract
  12. 1 tsp Instant Espresso Powder

For the filling:
  1. 1 (8oz) Package of Philadelphia Cream Cheese, at room temperature
  2. 1 cup Smooth Peanut Butter
  3. ½ cup Powdered Sugar
  4. ½ tsp Vanilla Extract
For the topping :

Fondant for decoration



Method :
1)   Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Grease the baking cake pans, line the bottom with parchment paper and set aside.


2)   Add the instant espresso powder in the water and give it a stir. Set aside.

3)   In a large bowl, combine the sugar, buttermilk, oil, espresso water, vanilla extract and eggs. Whisk well to combine.

4)   Add the flour, cocoa powder, salt, baking powder and baking soda. Mix together just to combine but not over mixing.

5)   Divide the cake batter evenly between the 2 greased cake pans. Bake in your preheated oven for 35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle of the cake comes out clean.

6)   Allow the cakes to cool for 45 minutes or until completely cooled.

7)   For the filling, in a large bowl mix together the cream cheese, peanut butter, powdered sugar and vanilla until well combined.

10)   Place one cake layer on a serving plate, spread the filling over the top. Add the second cake layer.

11)  Cover the cake with whipped cream topping and decorate it with fondant.

Happy baking :)

October 18, 2015

Mutton Bone Pepper Rasam


Mutton Bone rasam is one of my favourite soup and like to serve especially during cold and cough.  Freshly grounded spice powders gives unique flavour to this dish.  Serve this healthy soup with rice or even with  bread slices.

Ingredients :

  1. Mutton bones - 250 gms
  2. Tomato - 1 no
  3. Curry leaves - 2 tbsp
  4. Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
  5. Coriander leaves, finely chopped - 1 tbsp
  6. Tamarind pulp - 1/2 tsp
  7. Cumin seeds - 1 tsp
  8. Coriander seeds - 1 tsp
  9. Fennel seeds - 1/2 tsp
  10. Sesame seeds - 1/2 tsp
  11. Pepper corns - 1 tbsp 
  12. Garlic pods - 3 nos
  13. Ginger - 1 inch sized
  14. Onion - 1 small sized
  15. Water
  16. Salt to taste

Method :

1.   Dry roast together cumin seeds, fennel seeds, sesame seeds, coriander seeds and pepper corns.  Then add onion, garlic and ginger.  Roast them and grind them coarsely.

2.   In a pressure cooker, add mutton bones, turmeric powder, tamarind pulp, roughly chopped tomato, curry leaves, salt and coarsely grounded spice paste.  Add enough water and cook them for 5 to 6 whistles or till done.

3.   Garnish it with coriander leaves.  Serve just like that or filter them for clear mutton rasam.

Serve them hot.

October 17, 2015

Samba wheat & Oats powder for babies

Homemade baby food

Homemade porridge is a healthy weight gaining food for babies.  It's a wholesome meal which keeps your baby tummy full for a long time.  This porridge can be given to babies from 7 months.  First, introduce your baby to this porridge with little portion and gradually increase the quantity.  I like to add some cooked and smashed fruits to this mixture to make it little sweet and more yum. 


Ingredients :

  1. Samba wheat (Broken wheat) - 1/2 cup
  2. Rolled Oats - 1/4 cup
  3. Almond flakes (Without skin) - 1 tbsp (or use the whole almonds with skin removed - 5 nos)
  4. Water - 1/2 cup
  5. Breastmilk / Formula

Method :

1.   Dry roast the ingredients individually.  Allow them to cool completely.  Grind them to smooth powder.  Store it in airtight containers and refrigerate it.

Preparation of porridge :

Cook this mixture in water first and them add breast milk/ Formula.  We can also add cooked grated apples or smashed bananas to this cooked mixture.  


Babies will just look this :)

October 8, 2015

Laadi Pav / Pav Bread for Bhaji




Pav is an Indian bread and very famous street food served with bhaji or as vada pav.  These homemade pav are really soft inside and have a crispy texture on top.  It has goodness which would meet the standards of any delicate royalty, here I can surely say it melts in your mouth. 

Ingredients :

  1. All purpose flour - 2 cups
  2. Salt - 1 tsp
  3. Milk powder - 1 1/2 tbsp
  4. Dry Yeast - 2 tsp
  5. Sugar - 1 tbsp
  6. Milk - 1 cup + 2 tbsp
  7. Butter - 20 gms 
  8. Melted butter - 1 tbsp

Method :

1.   Warm the milk and mix sugar & dry yeast.  Keep it aside for 10 mins until it becomes frothy.

2.   Meanwhile in a large bowl add flour, salt, milk powder and whisk together.  Once the yeast mixture is ready, add it to the flour and mix together to form a sticky dough.

3.   Mix the butter to the dough and start kneading the dough until it becomes a soft dough about 15 mins.

4.   Place the dough in the greased bowl and cover it with wet cloth until its double in volume.  Then knead the dough again and divide the dough in the equal portion.  Roll each portion into a smooth ball.

5.   Place the balls in the greased baking pan and cover it with wet cloth for about 45 mins until its double in volume.

6.   Brush the tops with milk.  Bake it for  18 mins at 200 C.  Once baked, brush the top with melted butter and allow it cool.




Enjoy the buns with Bhaji.
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