CHRISTMAS SPECIAL EASY FRUIT / PLUM CAKE (LIQUOR FREE)

This is a hassle free recipe as it requires no pre soaking of fruits, no hard beating of eggs, sugar or butter and more over you don’t need to bring your ingredients to room temperature!! but the result is awesome. Why don’t you try this super easy, delicious cake on this X’mas..

Recipe is adapted from here 

Ingredients

1.      All purpose flour(maida)-150gm(around 1 ¼ cup)

2.      Baking powder-1 ¾ tsp

3.      Salt-less than ¼ tsp

4.      Brown sugar or granulated white sugar-150gm( around 1 1/3 cup)(refer notes)

5.      Eggs-2nos

6.      Chopped dry fruits and nuts- 1 ½ cup to 2 cups (I used dates,kismis,cashew nuts and almonds)

7.      Butter-100gm

8.      Mixed spice-1tsp (see notes)

9.      Chopped orange peel-3 tsp

Method of preparation

1.      Sift flour, baking powder and salt together.

2.      Take dry fruits and chopped orange peel in a sauce pan. Add enough water to cover the fruits. Bring it to boil and keep in low flame for 5 minutes. Drain the water.

3.      When the cooked fruits are still hot, add the butter .Give a nice stir and allow it to melt.

4.      Add lightly beaten eggs ,sifted flour, sugar, mixed spice into this. Mix well without forming lumps. It is always better to add flour in different batches for getting lump free batter.

5.      Pour into prepared 8” inch cake tin and bake at 180 degree for 1 hour or till the inserted knife comes out clean.

Notes:

1.       If you are using normal sugar, it is better to make caramel for getting dark color cake though it is purely optional. For this, heat ½ cup of sugar(from the mentioned amount) in a saucepan .When it is completely melted and turned brown switch off the flame, carefully add ¼ cup of water. Heat again until sugar crystals completely dissolves. This is the caramel. Add this into the cake mixture once it has cooled.

2.      Mixed spice can be made by pounding a small piece of cinnamon, a clove, a small piece of nutmeg and a small piece of dry ginger.

THALASSERY CHICKEN BIRIYANI

Thalassery is a famous place of Northern Kerala.Thalassery biriyani is known for its unique taste and preparation.The main differences I noticed is  that the cooking of masala involves large number of tomatoes and it does not involve the time consuming process of sautéing of onions. Here onions are deep fried and lastly added into the masala. It gives the meat the wonderful brownish fried look and taste even without adding a drop of oil. Also the Authentic recipe uses special rice variety called ‘jeerakashla or kaima rice’, which is a small grain rice with a wonderful aroma.(bur here I have used basmati).

This recipe is Shared by our Kannur friend Shinoj ,he claims he makes the best thalassery biriyani :).Here goes the recipe….

                                                                                                            

Ingredients

1.      Rice-4cups

2.      Chicken- 1 kg,cut into medium sized pieces

3.      Onion-4nos,( big) thinly sliced

4.      Green chilly-7big,crushed or 5 tbsp crushed

5.      Ginger-2 ½ tbsp,crushed

6.      Garlic-2 ½  tbsp,crushed

7.      Tomatoe-5nos,medium sized, thinly sliced

8.      Biriyani masala-1tbsp

9.      Lemon juice-2tbsp

10.  All spices-cardomom-8nos,cinnamon stick-2nos,star anise-1no,cloves-10nos

11.  Ghee-1/4cup+1tbsp

12.  Oil-1/4 cup

13.  Salt

14.  Coriander leaves and ,mint leaves-one handful each+ few for layering

15.  Cashew and kismiss-2 tbsp each

16.  Rose water-1/2 tsp

17.  Water-7 cups(see notes)

Method of preparation

1.      Heat a tbsp of ghee in a deep bottomed vessel.saute all spices .when the aroma comes add mentioned  amount of water,rosewater and salt.Let it boil.add rice in and cook until the water dries up completely.

2.      Heat ghee and oil together in a pan.fry kismiss and cashew till golden brown.Keep it aside.fry the sliced onions in the same pan till brown.(take care not to burn the onions).Fry onions in three batches. Reserve a handful of fried onions for layering.

3.      Cook tomatoes in another pan without adding any water or oil till mushy.add the crushed green chilly ,ginger and garlic  into this and sauté until aroma comes.  Add biriyani masala.stir for 2minutes.Now add the fried onions and salt.Stir well. Lastly add the chicken and mix well to coat well with the masala.Close the pan.Let it cook for 20 miutes.You don’t need to add any water. When the chicken is fully cooked add a tbsp of lemon juice and give a nice stir.This is the masala.

4.      How to do dum-layer the bottom of the pan with one batch of  chicken masala.Spread rice on the top .Sprinkle few coriander leaves,fried onions,cashew kismiss ,few fried onions ,a tbsp of melted ghee and a tsp of lemon juice.Repeat the process until the rice and the masala is finished.. the top layer should be rice. Add plenty of cashew nuts,kismiss anf fried onions.

5.      Click here to know how to  do dum

Serve with raitha,pickle and pappad

Notes: Rice can be cooked in two ways:One I already mentioned.in this method you have to be accurate in the amount of water to be added.If water is more rice would become mushy .

Other method is draining method-  Cook rice by adding plenty of water (around 12 cups of water).when the rice is ¾ done transfer it into a strainer and drain the water completely.

LOW FAT CHOCO-BANANA CAKE

I am  little  very much confused how to start this post. Its been looooooong time since I blogged something. The only one activity I thoroughly enjoyed in my life was cooking and of course eating too J .but now iam in that precious stage of womanhood where in no mood for cooking so does the blogging. am unable to bear the smell and even the sight of some foods. Nowadays i enter the kitchen just for my survival. But very recently when I happened to open up my recipe folder I could see lots of recipes waiting to be posted. There are lots of hard work behind one dish-preparation,photo session and I don’t want to waste all those efforts.So I decided to honor my   little efforts and this small space by posting all the dishes that I prepared and saved in  drafts long back.

Coming to the recipe-this is cake is quiet simple ,healthy and super yummy as well.try this guilt free, moist ,gooey,chocolatey cake. You will end up in making it again and again.

 LOW FAT CHOCO-BANANA CAKE

Ingredients

1.      Whole wheat flour-1cup

2.      Banana puree-1/2cup

3.      Chocolate powder-3tbsp

4.      Sugar-3/4cup

5.      Melted butter-2tbsp

6.      Hot water-3/4 cup

7.      Baking soda-3/4tsp

8.      Vanilla essence-1/2tsp

Method of preparation

1.      Preheat an oven at 180 degree for 10miutes.prepare an 8” cake tin.

2.      Sift together flour, chocolate powder and baking soda. Mix sugar in this.

3.      Mix all wet ingredients. Add this into the dry ingredients and gently stir without forming any lumps .Pour this into prepared tin and bake for 45-50 minutes at 180 degree or until the inserted knife or toothpick comes out clean.

Once it has cooked, slide a knife along the edges of the pan and gently invert the cake on to a plate. Let it cool completely. If you want sprinkle a little castor sugar or icing sugar over the top.Cut and serve.

Notes:  for making banana puree- grind fully ripened banana without adding any water. For ½ cup of puree 1 or 1 ½ banana will be enough. Always use well ripened one. 

MANGO CAKE-EGG LESS

Recipe is adapted from here

 

Ingredients

1.      All purpose flour-1 ½ cup

2.      Mango puree-1 1/2 cups                         

3.      Baking powder-2tsp

4.      Sunflower or canola oil-1/3 cup

5.      Sugar-2/3 cup

6.      Vanilla essence-1tsp

7.      Cardamom powder-3/4tsp

8.      Salt-1/2tsp

METHOD OF PREPARATION

1.      Sift flour, baking powder,  salt and cardamom powder together . Keep it aside.

2.      Peel off the mango, cut into pieces and grind into smooth paste. Add oil, vanilla essence and sugar into this mango puree .Whisk until sugar dissolves completely.

3.      Add sifted flour into this in three batches. Gently mix all the ingredients. Pour into prepared cake tin. Bake in a preheated oven at 180 degree for 35-40 minutes or until the inserted toothpick comes out clean.

Once it is done, transfer the cake into a cooling rack. Let it cool completely. Cut into desired shapes and serve..This cake taste best on the next day. So be patient till the other day :)