Lemon Raisin Chocolate Cake and an award!

It’s the month of romance,day of exchanging chocolates,flowers,gifts between loved ones all in the name of St Valentine.He was one of the most popular priest/saint in Rome .One of the kings (I seldom remember his name) decided that single men made better soldiers than the once with families. Valentine disagreed, fought for this injustice and secretly got young lovers married. What a thought!! And finally the King got to know about his deeds and put Valentine to death. I believe V-day is celebrated to commemorate the anniversary of his death.There are many other stories regarding this day,whatever it is,I suppose Valentine is undeniably a romantic figure. I bet most of the men would have loved to beat this guy who made this day possible coz they wudn’t have to buy flowers/chocolates/expensive gifts everytime:-P. Don’t you think women get more stuffs all the time????? They even have a day for themselves “Women’s day”.I think it’s time to have a “Men’s day” and appreciate all men who have made some difference in our lives:)

I had a wonderful time yesterday,thanks to P. I never knew he cud surprise me so well…very thoughtful of him.We had a lovely dinner at a Lebanese restaurant,my first tryst with Tabouli and it was yumm! And not to forget the belly dance there,which was surely a coincidence. The way we were seated,P was facing the dancer,I ensured we exchanged seats once the program started.Am sure Varsha might say "you too Brutusii” again:D. Post dinner it was Icecream time at Coldstone and then we watched Pink Panther 2 which I din’t enjoy much,felt it was a l’il slow.I somehow didn’t find Aishwarya Rai Bachan all that great,she wasn’t very appealing in this movie,age was showing up on her!

I guess liking “Chocolaty” stuff is a girl thing. A lot of men don’t prefer chocolate. As a matter of fact, P doesn’t prefer it much too,so I baked a “Lemon Raisin Chocolate Cake” for him. Though it was for him,knowing the “meanie wife” I am ,I had to ensure that it suits my taste buds too,thus added li’l bit of chocolate chips which he din’t mind:-P



Ingredients:-

All Purpose Flour – 3cups
Sugar – 2 cups
Eggs – 3
Butter – 2 sticks(1 cup melted)
Vanilla Essence – 1 tsp
Lemon Zest - 2- 3 tsp
Raisins – ¼ cup
Chocolate chips – just a li’l (I used ¼ cup)
Milk – 1 cup
Baking Powder – 2 tsp

Method –

1.Sift Flour and baking powder together. Keep aside
2.Beat butter and sugar until fluffy.Add eggs and vanilla essence.
3.Continue beating, add the flour l’il by l’il.Add milk accordingly to get a batter like consistency.You may increase the quantity of milk based on the requirement.Add in the lemon zest.Mix well.
4.Transfer the batter to a greased pan,sprinkle raisins and chocolate chips.


5.Bake at 350F until a needle pierced in the centre comes out clean/till it turns brown. Allow it to cool and then serve.



At the end,it was a gorgeous looking cake:)



Generally, after baking because of the weight,raisins/chocolate chips would have resided in the bottom of the cake,so l’il bit of flour is mixed along with it before sprinkling on the batter. However, I didn’t do this, the raisins and chips were evenly spread in the cake.



Yasmeen of the Healthnut blog has passed on this award to me. Thanks so much Yasmeen:)

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Cinnamon Rolls

Every other day I’ve been going out and things keep me busy. Jes got some time time now, thought to blog and also see what my fellow bloggers are up to!

I got to attend the Midwinter Feast at the International Institute of this state. It was well attended by people from different countries (around 20 different countries).We along with three more friends represented India. P along with his friends started identifying the flags of different countries displayed....Algeria,Lebanon,Denmark,Somalia,Hungary,Indonesia….…etc and that’s when I realized how bad I was.(huh!).For entertainment,there was a belly dance called Shaka Shaka Shaka by two beautiful girls(not sure from which country) and not to forget the soothing Carnatic music performance by our very own Nirmala Rajasekhar,she is definitely a great singer.

Being a foodie,I thoroughly enjoyed the different cuisines.For starters – Hummus & Pita(Lebanese),Piiraka(Finnish) this was new to me,it was something like a pie - a nice crust with mashed potatoes and for non veggies Martabak(Indonesian) and Eggrolls(Thai). Veg options in the main course- Lasagne(Italian),Bean Cake Moi-moi(Nigerian),Pad Thai(Thai) and Spicy Veg Biryani(Somalian) ,Green Bean Salad(Lebanese),Mediterranean Salad(Egyptian).And the best was the Desserts – Apple Turnovers(Swiss),Sweet Potato Pie(African American),Cookies(Tibetan) and Baklava(Egyptian).Ahhhh what a feast:-P. The icing on the cake was the $100 gift coupon(For one of the finest restaurants here) which I won there. I was overjoyed!

Coming to my recipe, I relished my first Cinnamon roll in Las Vegas Airport and haven’t forgotten the taste till date. The flavor that it brings to any food is incredible.P has a sweet tooth and made this for him yesterday.Its usually a li’l soft but I like it to be a li’l crunchy munchy :)



Ingredients & Method:

For the dough
All Purpose Flour – 3 cups
Granulated Sugar – 5 tbsp
Salt – a pinch
Vanilla Extract – 1tsp
Butter – 1 stick(1/2 cup)
Baking Powder – 2 tsp
Milk – ½ - ¾ cup

For the filling

Cinnamon powder – 2 tbsp
Brown Sugar – ½ cup
Granulated Sugar – ¼ cup
Pecans – 2 tbsp chopped (optional)
Butter – 2tbsp
Flour –for rolling/dusting

Mix all the above filling ingredients together and set aside.

For the icing-
Granulated Sugar – 1 cup
Vanilla Extract – ½ tsp
Milk – 5 tbsp
Cream – 3tbsp

Method

1. Mix all the dough ingredients to form soft dough.Use 1/2 to 3/4 cup milk depending on the texture of the dough.
2. Using a rolling pin, roll the dough into a rectangle(use flour for dusting).Evenly spread the filling on top of it. Carefully roll the dough and seal the ends(you may use milk to help you with sealing). Cut the roll into pieces (thickness to an inch or more).


3. Place the rolls on greased baking sheets and Bake at 375F until brown. It took 35mins for me. Allow it to cool for just few minutes.
4. Prepare the icing by mixing all the ingredients and drizzle it on top of the cinnamon roll.Let it set and enjoy the rolls!



I placed few pecans on top of the rolls,which is optional.Serve it hot or cold.

Since this was for P,I am sending this to Alka of Sindhirasoi who is hosting the "Just for You" event.


And also to Varsha of Will-O'-the-wisp who is hosting the event "Desert for the rest of us" originally started by Ramki of One Page cookbooks.

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Easy Coconut Macaroons and awards

While making Coconut Macaroons yesterday, I was thinking about my Dad.After a good meal,he would go to the kitchen and ask my Mom “ Wats there to eat”? He actually meant something to munch or savories. We call it “Norukuthini” in Tamil.I wud ask “ Wats there to Norukufy”? (jes a modernized way of calling it).Mom used to get wild at times as we would have jes finished our dinner.My Bro and me wud end up laughing:).The funniest part are the things that he would enjoy eating – If he din’t find anything like a Muruku,Mixture or cookies, he would scrape li’l coconut and eat it with sugar,Toasted Peanuts/Cashewnuts/Pistachios or even as simple as milk powder. Things haven’t changed even now!

Similarly,once P gets back from work he looks around in the kitchen to “norukufy” something:-P.I try and make different stuff for him and this was the easiest I could think of making yesterday.

Ingredients:

Shredded coconut – 2 ¾ cup (I used sweetened coconut)
Sweetened condensed Milk – ¾ cup
Vanilla extract/essence – 1 tsp
Salt – a pinch

Method :

1.Mix all the ingredients together
2.Use an Ice cream scoop or spoon to drop the mixture onto a greased baking sheet and bake at 325F (preheated)for about 15 min or until golden brown. Cool it before munching:-D

Prep Time – 5 mins apart from the baking time.
Serving - Makes around 25-30 small Macaroons.

I also used Hershey's Chocolate syrup on top of the macaroons.P doesn’t prefer this much,so jes made a few for myself.Few even add eggs to the recipe.Let me know if anyone has tried that.

Varsha of Will–O'-the–Wisp has passed on this award.This is my second one,feels so good!

Also, Mahimaa of the Indian Vegetarian Kitchen has passed on the above mentioned award.Thanks Mahimaa!
And I would like to pass on both these awards to Ramya of Maneadige,Mangala of Recipes24x7,Vidhas of Appetizing recipe,Trupti of Trupti's Food Corner,Nags of Edible Garden,Varsha of Will-O'-the-wisp,Hema of Adlak's Kitchen,Asha,Harini of Sunshinemom and Lubna of Yummy Food.

This goes to the “Just for you” event organized by Alka of Sindhirasoi.

Last but not the least,this is also off to Varsha of Will-O'-the-Wisp event Recipe for the rest of us - Dessert originally started by Ramki of One Page Cookbooks.

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Akki Roti & Badnekayi Yennegayi

Think about hot Jowar/Akki Rotis (unleavened bread made of millet/rice flour) along with the mouth watering Badnekayi Yennegayi(Brinjal/Eggplant Gravy), eh???? Yes am talking about North Karnataka Food.The Kamat groups in Bangalore,India makes one of the finest North Karnataka cuisines.The lunch they serve is mindblowing a typical meal consists of Jowar Roti along with the trademark Badnekayi Yennegayi(Eggplant gravy),Kaalu (a lentil curry),Kosambri(salad),Palya(any veggie curry),Sambhar,Saaru(Rasam),Curd and a yummy dessert.Few of the sweets that I remember is "Dharwad Peda","Antina Undi"( meaning laddus made with edible gum and nuts),Yellu Holige (Indian bread made with Sesame seeds and jaggery). Once in India,I happened to get inside Hotel Kamat Lokaruchi's kitchen where I saw women make Jowar and Akki Roti's with so much ease,they used their hands instead of rolling pins.

In India, at my workplace hot Akki Roti’s were served along with a spicy gravy made of Onion,tomato and peas for breakfast which I've always enjoyed .I have also tried making them many a times and failed miserably.However,the usual Akki Rotis using rice flour and onions are easy to make,but the dry ones have always been a challenge.

Jes like the way I think Strawberries are the best fruit,i think Brinjal/Eggplants are the best vegetables.I simply love them,there is so many recipes one can think of using them.Similar to Badnekayi Ennegayi,in Tamilnadu "Yennaikathirikai" is made,where in Eggplant is almost soaked in oil,however a tasty one!

Generally ,the consumption of peanuts & sesame seeds are more in this cuisine.Thanks to Ramya and Mangala for their wonderful recipes.I made Akki roti from Mangala Bhatt’s Recipe24x7 and Yennegayi Badnekayi from Ramya’s Mane Adige. I did make some changes to suit our taste buds.



Akki Roti

Ingredients:

Rice – 2 cups
Urad Dal – 2 tbsp
Cucumber – 1(grated)
Rice flour - 4 tbsp for dusting/rolling
Salt - as per taste

Method :

1.Soak Rice and Urad dal for about 3-4 hrs
2.Use cucumber to grind the Rice and Urad Dal together.
3.Make a fine paste and pour the paste onto a dry Pan/Kadai and keep stiring.This part is li’l difficult,because lumps form very easily.Keep stiring till you end up with a dough like consistency.Allow it to cool.Knead again,you need to apply a lot of pressure on hands.Use rice flour for dusting and make rotis using a rolling pin and bake without oil on low flame.



These Rotis taste very good when served hot.Two rotis leftover from previous days turned out hard.So this one is best when fresh.This measurement makes 10-12 rotis.Before serving,drop a li'l butter on top of it for better taste.Also, as per the original recipe,2hrs of soaking time is good enough.

Mangala has listed yummy recipes in her blog,do check out her mouthwatering and attractive recipes.The reason I said attractive is because of the pictures in her blog,she has presented it very well,each and every pic of hers would make anyone drool.

Badnekayi Yennegayi

Eggplant/Brinjal – 8 nos(small purple ones)
Tamarind – ¼ cup extract (I soaked ½ of a lemon sized tamarin ball in water)
Onion – ¾ cup (finely chopped)
Green chilly – 2 slit (optional)
Mustard Seeds – 1 tsp
Curry leaves – a few
Asafoetida/hing – a pinch
Jaggery – 1tsp
Oil – 2 tbsp

For the Masala/filling -

Coconut – ½ cup
Coriander seeds – 2 tbsp
Red chillies – 8nos
Cumin seeds – ½ tbsp
Peanuts – ¼ cup
Sesame seeds – 1 tbsp
Onion – 1 small (roughly chopped)

Method –

1.Dry roast all the filling ingredients(except coconut and onions) and grind them alongwith the coconut and onions.
2.Vertically/lengthwise make two slits in the eggplant,jes till the end but not completely chopping it off from its head. Retain the stalk.
3.Stuff the filling mixture inside the slits.The remaining filling masala can be used for the gravy.
4.Heat Oil in a Pan.Temper with Mustard seeds,hing,green chillies and curryleaves.Add onions and saute for about 2 mins.
5.Drop the stuffed Eggplant one by one,gently mix them along with the onions.Close the lid and let it cook for 10mins.
6.Add Tamarind water,the remaining masala,salt,Jaggery and required amount of water.
7.Close the lid again and allow it to cook.Once they turn soft,check for the required consistency and switch off the flame.



I prefer semi gravy consistency,as it goes well with rice too. Serve hot with Akki Roti and enjoy the delicacies of North Karnataka.Ramya's blog is an apt place to look for Karnataka Cuisine.I sometimes feel nostalgic reading her blog:).Thanks again Ramya!

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Bharwan Tamatar and an Award

After making the yummy “Stuffed Capsicum Gravy” I wanted to try Stuffed tomatoes also called the “Bharwan Tamatar”.Generally they are made without any gravy,but with the gravy they taste a lot better.Jes the gravy with plain rice or hot phulkas is soooo perfect!

Tomatoes are fruits or vegetables???? Well this was always a matter of discussion.Tomatoes are technically fruits but used as vegetables. While browsing i read that in 1887,the confusion on Tomato being a Fruit or Vegetable reached the Supreme court.And the ruling was-Its a vegetable,so legally it seems Tomato is not a fruit

I personally like it a lot coz of the taste it adds to any dish. It can be used to make a simple curry,act as a base for many dishes and not to forget its tangy taste is jes so heavenly! They are delicious as well as nutritious too.I agree with what Laurie Colwin had said about Tomatoes - "A world without tomatoes is like a string quartet without violins."

Ingredients:

Tomatoes – 6 – 8 nos

For the filling:

Potatoes – 2 (boiled and mashed)
Paneer – ¼ cup
Peas – ¼ cup(optional)
Green Chillies – 3 (finely crushed)
Amchur Powder – 1/2tsp
Garam Masala – ¼ tsp(optional)
Salt – as per taste

For the Gravy:

Onion – 1
Ginger Garlic paste – 1 tsp
Chili powder – 1tsp
Turmeric powder – ¼ tsp
Coriander powder – ½ tsp
Cumin podwer – ½ tsp
Cumin seeds – ½ tsp
Kitchen King Masala – 1 tsp
Cream – 1 cup
Cilantro/Coriander leaves – for garnishing
Oil – 2 tsp
Salt – to taste

Method:

1.Slice the head of the tomato and scoop out the pulp. The pulp can be used for the gravy.
2.Mix all the filling ingredients(as mentioned above) and stuff it in the tomatoes.Rub li’l oil around the tomatoes.
3.Bake at 300F for about 15-20min or until cooked. Allow it to cool.



4.For the gravy,Blanch onion and grind it to a fine paste.Also,grind the tomato pulp separately
5.Heat oil in a Pan,add Ginger garlic paste,cumin seeds, when it splutters add onion paste,sauté until the oil leaves the sides.
6.Pour the tomato paste along with all the powders.
7.To get the gravy consistency, add water as per your requirement.Once cooked add the cream and switch if the flame after 5 mins.
8.Just before serving, place the tomatoes in a serving bowl,pour the gravy on top of it and garnish with cilantro.



I also used Paneer for garnishing.



Cashewnut powder can also be added to the gravy to give a richer taste.Initially, I had planned to send this for CLICK RED hosted by Jugalbandhi,but I don’t think this would fit into that category, coz once the tomatoes are baked their color changes.



However,this was made specially for my husband so it goes for Just For you event hosted by Alka of Sindhirasoi.



Vidhas of Appetizing Recipes has passed this "Lemonade Award" to me.Thank you so much.You are the first one to give me an award...i am thrilled.Thanks again:)

I would love to pass this onto new and old fellow bloggers:) Sowmya,Sriharivatsan,Varsha,Gita,Cham,Rak's Kitchen,Vijaya of Daily Meals,Anudivya and to Lubna who has been the most helpful blogger!

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Vegetable Puffs/Patties

Puffs are also called Patties???? Ya, this was new to me too, it’s defined as baked patties stuffed with mixed vegetables. My in-laws have spent almost 30years of their lives in Kolkota.Once in Chennai,my FIL mentioned about an Iyengar Bakery making amazing patties which sell in no time.I was wondering how a bakery would be selling Patties…coz I was thinking about “Ragda Patties”.

After a li’l wait, I saw hot Vegetable puffs in front of my eyes.They are Patties not Puffs said my FIL,well that’s how they are called in the North. It tasted Yumm…guess the Iyengar Bakeries make the best ones:D.

I’ve never made an attempt to make it from scratch. At a friend’s place I came across Puffs using Puff Pastry and tried it for my husband who likes this alot.I made a spicy sabzi for the filling, this definitely is an easy appetizer!



Ingredients –

Puff Pastry – 1 sheet ( good enough for 10 small puffs)
Corn starch – 1 tbsp
Mixed vegetables – 1 cup boiled( Carrots,French Beans,Potato,Peas etc)
Onions – 1/4th cup (finely chopped)
Garam Masala – 1 tsp
Oil – 1 tsp
Red Chilly powder – 1 tsp
Turmeric powder – a pinch
Cumin seeds – ½ tsp
Salt – as per taste

Method –

1.Heat oil in a pan,add cumin seeds and Onions.Saute until translucent.
2.Add all the cooked vegetables and the other ingredients .Mix well.
3.Check for taste and allow it to cool.
4.Thaw the Puff Pastry sheet using cornstarch and cut them into small pieces.One sheet can be cut into three layers and further each layer can be cut into five pieces each. Keep altering the size as per your requirement.
5.To make the Puff, place in a spoon full of the veggie mixture (a spoon full) in the centre of the cut pastry sheet, rub a l’il water along the sides and fold ,seal them and bake in an ungreased tray at 400F until it turns golden/ brown.It took me 25mins.



It tastes better when served hot. You can make the veggies as per your choice. Earlier, I had picked the Filo dough sheet thinking it to be the puff pastry, but then later I found the Pepperidge Farm ready to use puff pastry sheets which was the right one. Also am not sure if this is available in India.



Gita passed on the Lemonade award to all her bloggers magnanimously,here it is.A first award on my blog...thanks Gita!



This one is off to Sindhirasoi's "Just for you" hosted by Alka.

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Oat-fashioned Strawberry Dessert

Am crazy about “Strawberries”. I think they are the best fruit that God has ever made:-P. The fruit by itself is not only a treat to the eyes,but great in taste too. They look so cool - a fruit which is something like a heart shaped valentine and not to forget they contain high levels of Vitamin C too.



Ummm....Don't they look heavenly????

I picked up almost three pounds of strawberries and kept thinking what to make.Before I could come up with any recipe,I had already finished eating half of them. After reading Anudivya’s Banana Popsicles I was tempted to make “Strawberry Chocolate dip” which would be on similar lines.

In the meanwhile, I was going through “Taste of Home” a book that I had picked up long back and found a different yet interesting recipe called “ Oat-fashioned Strawberry Dessert”.The name actually amused me alot. I had made “Scandinavian Pecan Cookies” earlier with the help of this book. So I had the confidence of going ahead with this as I didn’t want to waste the yummy berries.

I did add few ingredients as per my choice and here it is…

Ingredients:

Fresh Strawberries – 4 cups(sliced)
Whole wheat flour – 1 ¼ cup
Quick cooking Oats – 1 ¼ cup
Brown Sugar – 1 ¼ cup
Baking Soda – ¼ tsp
Cold Butter – 12 tbsp
Sugar – 2 tbsp
Salt – 1/8tsp
Ground Cinnamon – ¼ tsp
Pecans – ¼ cup (chopped)
Cashewnuts and Pistachios – ¼ cup (chopped)

Method :

1.In a large bowl,combine flour,oats,brown sugar,baking soda,Pecans,Cashews,Pistachios and salt.
2.Cut and add butter and mix until mixture resembles coarse crumbs.
3.Reserve 1 ½ cup of the mixture for the topping.
4.Pat remaining crumb mixture into a greased 9 inch square baking pan.
5.In a bowl,combine sugar,Strawberries and Cinnamon powder.
6.Spoon over the prepared crust.
7.Sprinkle with the reserved crumb mixture.Bake at 350F until golden brown.Serve warm.





I couldn't stop taking another one....



It took me 35mins for baking.Fresh berries should always be refrigerated and washed before use.This goes well with a scoop of Vanilla Icecream too....yummy!

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