Banana Muffin

This is a muffin which I make regularly when the banana’s starts getting black and no one like to eat it.  The darker it become, the bananas flavor is stronger. 

The dry ingredient and wet ingredients can be mixed separately and kept ready in the night.  Wet ingredient mixture should be stored in the refrigerator. You can mix it together in the morning and can make fresh muffins in the morning for your child’s tiffin.

Ingredients

Dry Ingredient

Maida – 100gm ( ¾ cup)
Sugar – 50 gm ( ¼ cup)
Brown sugar – 2tbsp
Baking powder  - ½ tbsp
Baking soda – ¼ tsp

Wet Ingredients

Butter – 60gm (melted)
Egg – 1 room temperature
Banana – 2 mashed
Vanilla essence – ½ tsp
Banana essence – ½ tsp

Method

1.   Mix together all the wet ingredients and mix  together and keep aside.

2.   Mix all the wet ingredient, beat with a fork and keep it in a separate bowl .
3.   To the dry ingredients mix the wet ingredient mixture.
4.   Mix together just to combine, do not over mix.
5.   Fill in the muffin moulds.  Fill till 3/4. Makes around 9 muffins.
6.   Bake at 180⁰C for 20 min.
7.   You can do icing with Maple Cheese cream icing.

Chakkakuru Manga Curry

I have a major major taste bud for chakkakuru (jackfruit seeds).  This is one of my father’s DNA transfered to me.  Even today my grandmother at the age of 85, if she comes to know that her son is coming to visit her. She will sit and scrape all the chakkakuru seeds and make some delicacy out of it.

All my relatives and mallu friends know this liking of mine.  So anyone coming from Kerala to visit us in Gurgaon would get me minimum 2 kg seeds.  I treasure it as gold in my refrigerator.

This is one of the recipes I make with Jackfruit seeds.  You can have this as a chare kootan with rice i.e. a nice accomplishment with rice.

Ingredient  

Green Mango – 1no. (cut into medium size pieces)

Jackfruit Seeds ( Chakkakuru) – 2 cups
Turmeric Powder – ½ tsp
Salt – as per taste

For the paste

Green chilli – 2 nos
Grated coconut – ¾ cup
Turmeric powder – ½  tsp
Jeera – ½ tsp
Garlic – 3 nos

For Tempering

Mustard seeds – 1tsp
Whole red chilly – 2 nos
Shallots (sambar onion ) – 4 nos (chopped into long strips)
Curry leaves - a spring
Oil – 1tsp

Method

1.      Remove the outer cover and the brown covering  of the jackfruit seed. Cut into 4 lengthwise strips and clean it nicely

2.      Cook this seeds in the cooker with  ½ tsp. turmeric and little salt for a whistle and 10 more min.
3.      To this add the mango  and cook for another 2 whistle
4.      Grind coarsely all the ingredients for the paste
5.      Mash this mango and jackfruit mixture.
6.      To this add the paste and mix well.
7.      Let this come to low boil.
8.      Switch of the heat and keep aside
9.      Heat oil in another pan.
10.  Allow mustard seed to splutter.
11.  Add red chilly, shallot and curry leaves and fry until they are brown.
12.  Pour this seasoning over the curry.

Donuts & Sugared Donuts

The first donut I tasted  must have been around 15 yrs back in one of the station near Goa, on my first trip to Goa.  I still remember the taste.  At that time I use to consider it as a special Goa bakery item.  Making  it was out of question. As years went by it became common in local bakery, but still making it was unimaginable.  Then came Roopali’s cooking class, and that’s were I learnt making donuts where so simple.  Once you know the basic, then you can make lots of variation.

And the best part is kids love it as evening snacks.

 

Ingredient

For yeast mixture

Dry yeast – 2tsp (or a sachet with is normally 7gm)
Warm water – ¼ cup
Sugar – ½ tsp

Other Ingredient 

Maida – 1 ½ cup (150gm)
Milk powder – 1 tbsp leveled
Egg – 1 at room temperature
Sugar – powdered ¼ cup
Milk – 1 to 2 tbsp or as required for kneading
Butter – 1 tbsp ( softened)

Method

1.      For yeast mixture: Mix ½ tsp sugar with water, sprinkle yeast over it, mix. Keep it covered in a   warm place for 10-15min, till it gets frothy.

2.      Put the maida, milk powder and sugar in a mixing bowl and mix well.

3.      Make a hill of the mixture and a well in the center.

4.      In this well add egg and the frothy yeast mixture.

5.      Knead it to a dough. Remove the dough  from the bowl and place it on a clean kitchen platform.

6.      Add the soften butter and again knead for about 5 to 10 min. pressing with you palm.

7.      Place the dough in a greased bowl and cover it with plastic sheet.

8.      Keep this in a warm place for 2 hrs or till it swells up to double the size.

9.      Punch this swelled dough back and knead again till smooth.

10.  Roll this into long strip.

11.  Cut it into equal portions.

12.  Roll this portions round and make a hole in the center.

13.  Arrange these rolls in greased tray, leaving a distance of minimum 2 inches and cover it with a wet muslin cloth. Leave it for an hour.

14.  Heat oil for deep frying. After heating the oil, lower the flame.

15.  Fry donuts in low flame till golden brown and crisp.

16.  Dust sugar powder on the donut if you want.

 

 

Plum Chutney

Plum is a red colour fruit. It has a sweet and sour taste.  Plum in Hindi is called Allu-bukhara.  You get this in North India during May to August.  It’s a very healthy fruit. Dried plums in general known as prunes.

Now days I see it everywhere and I get tempted to buy it.  I like to eat it with a pinch of salt. Yummmmmmmmmy.  I love the colour, especially when it is cooked it gives a bright red colour, it is gorgeous.

I have always eaten it raw, saw thought of making something out of it. Here is chutney make out of plum. Very simple and tasty.  Try replaceing this with  Imli chutney for Dhai Wada.
 

Ingredients

Plum – 6 to 7

Honey – 4tbsp
Apple vinegar – 3tbsp (or any fruit vinegar)
Red Chili flakes – 1tsp
Salt – as per taste

Method

 

1.      Clean the plum, deseed it and cut it into small pieces.
2.      Heat a pan, add plum, honey, vinegar and chilly flakes.
3.      Bring it to boil, add salt as per taste.
4.      Now lower the flame and cook till the plum becomes soft, for about 5-10min.
5.      Stop the heat and let it cool. ( you can use the chutney at this level)
6.      Now make a paste in a mixer
7.      Again put it back in the pan and cook it till a thick consistency is formed.

Note : - prefer to us fruit vinegar as synthetic vinegar will give a very sour taste and dominates the flavor

Pumpkin Cake with Maple Cheese Cream Frosting

The hunt for this recipe started with a gift. One of my Canadian colleague Steve gifted Maple syrup. And, the only use I knew was applying it on bread and eat for breakfast like bread & honey.  This was not what I wanted to do with this precious gift.  So I went goggling for recipes with Maple syrup.  And, gain landed up at my favorite baking site, “Joy of baking”.  The only problem is it is a pumpkin cake again, 2nd  in a week time.  My son says that I have gone crazy about pumpkins.  But still I am ok with it, as both  my kids enjoyed.

Ingredients

For the Cake

Unsalted butter – ½ cup (about 115gm), room temperature
Light brown sugar - 1 ¼ cups ( about 250gm)
Egg – 2, room temperature
Pumpkin puree – 1 cup ( about 250gm)
Vanilla essence – 1 tsp
Maida  (cake flour) – 2 cups ( 200gms)
Baking powder – ¼ tsp
Baking soda – 1 tsp
Salt – ½ tsp
Cinnamon powder – ½ tsp
Ginger powder (saunt)  – ½ tsp
Clove powder – a pinch (1/8 tsp)
Butter milk – ½ cup, room temperature

For Cream Cheese Maple frosting

Cream Cheese – 200 gm, room temperature  
( In India cream cheese are available by brands like Britannia &  Flanders )
Unsalted butter – 50gms
Pure Maple syrup – 2tbsp ( I have use Jakeman’s brand)
Icing sugar or confectioner sugar - 3 ½ cup, sifted
Food colour of your choice to decorate

Method :

Pumpkin Spice cake

<!--[if !supportLists]-->1.      <!--[endif]-->Preheat the  oven to 1800C.

<!--[if !supportLists]-->2.      <!--[endif]-->Beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy , about 2 to 3 min with an electric mixer.

<!--[if !supportLists]-->3.      <!--[endif]-->Add egg one at a time and mix well after each addition.

<!--[if !supportLists]-->4.      <!--[endif]-->Add the pumpkin puree and vanilla essence and beat until it gets incorporated nicely.

<!--[if !supportLists]-->5.      <!--[endif]-->In a separate bowl mix together flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt all the 3 spices.

<!--[if !supportLists]-->6.      <!--[endif]-->Add the flour mixture and buttermilk alternately to the pumpkin batter, in three additions, beginning and ending with the flour mixture.

<!--[if !supportLists]-->7.      <!--[endif]-->Butter and flour 9 inch cake pan ( you can do this process in the beginning and keep the pan prepared).

<!--[if !supportLists]-->8.      <!--[endif]-->To this add the cake mixture.

<!--[if !supportLists]-->9.      <!--[endif]-->Bake at 1800C for 50 min or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean.

<!--[if !supportLists]-->10.  <!--[endif]-->Remove from the baking oven after 10 min. Invert and remove from the pan. Cool completely before frosting.  

For the Frosting

<!--[if !supportLists]-->11.  <!--[endif]-->Place the cream cheese and butter in bowl and mix with a mixer till it is smooth.

<!--[if !supportLists]-->12.  <!--[endif]-->Now add the maple syrup and icing sugar and mix with hand till all the lumps are gone and the right thick consistency in obtained.

<!--[if !supportLists]-->13.  <!--[endif]-->Note : you can adjust consistency by adding  icing sugar if it is watery or by adding syrup if it is very thick.   

<!--[if !supportLists]-->14.  <!--[endif]-->To this you can add colour as and when required.

 For Assembling the Cake  

<!--[if !supportLists]-->15.  <!--[endif]-->Cut the cake horizontal in the center and make 2 parts.

<!--[if !supportLists]-->16.  <!--[endif]-->Place the below part on the serving plate.

<!--[if !supportLists]-->17.  <!--[endif]-->Frost with layer of icing

<!--[if !supportLists]-->18.  <!--[endif]-->Place the 2nd part on top of it.

<!--[if !supportLists]-->19.  <!--[endif]-->Now frost the top and sides of the cake. 

<!--[if !supportLists]-->20.  <!--[endif]-->To the remaining frost you a add colour and decorate the cake.

Refrigerate  and use when required

Pav Bhaji

This weekend was pavbaji special.  As dad was not at home and kids did not wanted the regular rice and roti’s.  So came up with Pav bhaji. Normally I make it with the regular readymade masala.  This time wanted to try something different and goggled for some recipes.  Tarla Dalal’s recipe was quite appealing so ended up trying it.

In this search some facts which I came to know was, this delicacy was first twisted for mill workers in Mumbai to modify  a long full meal to quick full meal due to short lunch breaks. Pav originates from the Portuguese Pao, which means bread and Bhaji is vegetable in Marathi. So that’s it a combination of bread and vegetable. However it may have started, but now it is a must have in all Indian restaurant menu. 
 

Ingredients

Pav ( bread ) – as required

Butter – As required

For the Bhaji

Potatoes – 3 big sized (boiled and mashed )
Cauliflower – 1 cup finely chopped
Green peas – ½ cup
Carrot – ½ cup chopped
Onion – 1 finely chopped
Tomatoes – 3 finely chopped
Red chilli powder – ½ tsp
Turmeric powder – ½ tsp
Black slat - ½ tsp
Salt – as per taste
Pav Bhaji masala – 1½ tsp
Butter - 4 tbsp
Lemon juice – 1tsp

For chilli garlic paste

Dry Kashmiri red chillies - 3, soaked in water
Garlic – 5
Grind them together

For Serving
Onion – 1 finely chopped
Lemon wedges – 4
Chopped coriander – 1tbsp

Method

For Bhaji

1.      Boil the cauliflower, peas and carrots till they are soft.  Strain and keep the excess water.

2. Heat the butter in a flat pan, add the onion and capsicum and sauté for 2 minutes. Then, add the prepared chilli-garlic paste and sauté till the onion become transparent.
3. Add the tomatoes and cook till the oil separates.
4. Add the turmeric powder, chilli powder, pav bhaji masala, black salt and salt and cook for 2 to 3 minutes
5. Add the boiled vegetables and potatoes and mash thoroughly using a potato masher. The vegetables should blend with each other.  If required add a little vegetable stalk which you had kept while boiling vegetable.
6. Finally add lemon juice and mix well.

For Pav

1.      Slice each pav into 2 horizontally. Apply a little butter to each side.

      2.      Heat a large tava and cook the pav on both sides till the pieces are lightly browned.

To Serve

1. Serve the hot bhaji top with the onion and coriander.
2. Serve with the hot pav and lemon wedges.

Alu Vadichi Kadi

This recipe was invented to cover a disaster.   Sometimes when you fry the steamed Alu vadi, it just splits open, and you have no control over it.  It tastes the same, but the shape is completely lost. And for kids shape & and look of a dish is a major factor. 

As an even snacks I made aluvadi, and it just split open, And my kids absolutely refused to eat it. So what to do next with this misshaped vadis. Next thing I did was to cut the log strips in to small pieces.  And invent this dish.  It goes very well for steamed rice or kichidi. 

 

Ingredients


Alu Vadi - 10
Jeera – 1tsp
Hing a pinch
Onion – 1 big (chop into small pieces)
Tomato – 1 (chop into small pieces)
Ginger garlic – 1tsp
Red chilli powder – 1tsp
Turmeric powder – ½ tsp
Garam Masala – 1tsp
Besan ( gram flour) – ½ cup
Water – 2 ½ cups
Oil – 1tbsp
Salt as per taste
Coriander leafs to garnish

Method

1.                  Dry roast the basin till a nice aroma comes.  It should be done in low heat and with continues stirring. Don’t let it burn.

2.                  Remove this roasted basin and let it cool.

3.                  Mix it with water and keep it aside.

4.                  Heat oil in a pan, add jeera and let it crackle.  Reduce the flame and add hing.

5.                  Immediately add onion, cook till it becomes transparent.

6.                  Add ginger garlic paste and mix for 2 min.

7.                  Add red chili, turmeric and garam masala powder. Mix and let it cook for a min

8.                  Now add chopped tomatoes, mix well close with a lid and let it cook for 5 min or till the oil starts separating. 

9.                  To this add the alu vadi ( can use whole vadis or can cut into  small pieces the way I have used), mix for  1 min.

10.              Now add the besan mixture and salt. Keep stirring continuously, till it gives a thick consistence and the mixture should boil.  If you feel the mixture is getting very thick you can add 1/2cup water. Let it boil in low heat for 10 min.

11.              Garnish it with coriander leaf.