Spicy Chilly Stand Up Kuzhalappam - Easy Recipe

Spicy Chilly Kuzhalappam is a slightly tweaked recipe with few strands of red chilly and a secret ingredient to make it reeaally crunchy. The snack is made to stand up to create a more impressive look....may be for a restaurant style snacking! Keep reading to know how....

ingredients for kuzhalappam

fine rice flour used for string hoppers (powedered and roasted) - 1 cup
boiling hot water - 1 cup
salt to taste or 1/4 tsp
sesame seeds - 2 tsp
grated coconut - 3 tbsp
small onion or shallots - 4
cumin - 1/6 tsp
dry red chilly (Kashmiri) - 5 (washed, deseeded and cut into thin strips)
Oil to fry
butter - 1 tsp

the method

Wash the sesame seeds twice and let it dry. Grind together coconut, shallots and cumin. Deseed the red chilly and cut it into thin strips as seen on the kuzhalappam in the image.

Measure 1 cup roasted rice flour into a bowl. Boil water with salt and pour it over the flour. Use a spoon to bring the flour and water together into a rough dough. Once the dough has cooled to medium heat, add the butter, sesame seeds, red chilly strips, ground coconut mix and knead it into a smooth dough. You can invert a steel plate and oil it to roll the dough. Pinch a good portion of dough and roll into a circle using an oiled rolling pin. Roll the circle onto the rolling pin to form a tube and then gently slide it out on the side. Now cut through the middle of the kuzhalappam to get 2 pieces. Deep fry in medium hot oil. Once it starts turning golden brown remove it from oil. Place the cut side down and the stand up kuzhalappam is ready to go. I did the rolling and frying simultaneously. You can do it the way you are comfortable with.

Parippu Payasam without Coconut Milk | Easy Payasam Recipe for Vishu | Easy Sadya Recipes

I just started to write about this 'without coconut milk' recipe and remembered a viral post going around in Facebook about Mallus... today. There is a little bit of coconut story in that too; ......but i hate to use coconut because of all the process that includes scraping it , grinding it, and milking it :). So here is an easy parippu payasam recipe especially after you have done a lot of cooking to put a good sadya and don't wish to involve in another long process. The second best part of this coconutless recipe is that you can make it ahead and refrigerate it. This tastes good in a chilled form too. If you want to serve it warm, defrost it and reheat the payasam just before serving. No one can recognize that this is made of plain milk instead of coconut milk. 

As an experiment i made this using a small quantity. I tried this twice to make sure it really works. You can multiply the measures given below to make a large quantity.

the following recipes serves 6, when served in tea cups

yellow moong dal or payasa parippu or paasi paruppu - 125 gms

jaggery / vellam / sharkara - 250 gms

regular milk (boiled) - 500 ml

powdered cardamom - 6 nos (skin removed)

ghee - 1 tbsp

cashew nuts and raisins - as much as you need.

the method

Wash the dal / parippu 3 times and soak it in 300 ml hot water for about 20 minutes. Place the soaked dal in a pressure cooker and cook it for 4 whistle in medium flame. The dal is cooked in medium flame to make sure it softens completed and does not remain grainy. The number whistle differs with each pressure cooker. I used a Prestige pressure pan. You can cook the dal you do the normal but just follow the two steps of soaking it and cooking it in medium flame. 

While the dal is cooking, place the jaggery in a pan with 3 to 4 tbsp water in low flame. If the jaggery is one whole lump don't worry. As the jaggery gets heated you can use a sharp knife and poke it. It will break into pieces. While the melting is going on, heat ghee in a pan and fry the cashew nuts and raisins. Drain it and reserve the remaining ghee. Meanwhile, strain the melted jaggery to remove any impurities.

Once the dal is cooked, use the back of a large spoon to mash it almost thoroughly. Place the pressure cooker in low flame and add the reserved ghee to the dal and stir it for about 2 minutes. Now add the melted jaggery and stir it till the dal and jaggery has combined thoroughly. Now check whether the dal has given way to a sweet  concoction. It takes about 5 minutes. 

Now add the milk and increase the heat to medium while stirring to make sure the dal mixture does not stick to the bottom of the pan and does not form any lump. When the milk is thoroughly infused into the parippu payasam mix, add cardamom powder and the fried cashew nuts and raisins. Serve after 15 minutes. By this time the payasam will slightly thicken and the heat will reduce to a palatable temperature. 

If you wish to serve the next day, follow the method given in the beginning of the post.

Here are some of the other easy to make payasam recipes in this blog

Ambalapuzha Pal Payasam | Rice Pudding - Pressure Cooker Method

Simple Flavourful Semiya Payasam (without condensed milk)

Dates & Vermicelli Payasam

Saffron Sago Badami Kheer

You might also like to make some Neyyappam for this Vishu

Neyyappam

Click here for Vishu Sadya Recipes like Mixed Veg Theeyal, Pacha Manga Pachadi, Idichakka Thoran, Pavakka Pachadi, Olan, Pazham Pulissery, Erissery, Beetroot Pachadi, Pavakka Pachadi, Puli Inji, etc.

Have a nice time!

A collection of Kerala Christmas Snacks

Little Hearts shaped diamond cuts

Achappam with Maida & Regular Milk

Pethipireethu | Kul Kulz

I dont know if Neyyappam is a Christmas snack in any part of Kerala...adding it anyway

Neyyappam

...................shall  be adding more recipes

Orange Basbousa | Eggless Semolina Cake

Orange Basbousa

Basbousa can be best described as a dessert of Middle Eastern origin. Yes it is a dessert from a desert. It has variations in each country, especially those near the Mediterranean region and i have attempted to create a recipe of my own by making some variations in the syrup rather than in the cake itself.

This is my second attempt at baking a semolina cake. The first one was a Turkish Pistachio semolina cake. It tasted good but since i reduced the quantity of egg, it was not that soft. So i decided not to change the basbousa recipe and followed the ratio. Since this is the first attempt at basbousa i tried with small portions. The actual syrup recipe has sugar and few drops of lime. But for the syrup i followed the syrup in the Turkish recipe. This is one of the desserts i would call it 'divine'. Sorry for the bad picture above.....i was in a hurry and couldn't make it good diamond shapes, i should have at least cut in squares...

You can keep a ratio of the ingredients, so that you need not write down the recipe all the time. Here the ratio is 200 gms of semolina (rava), 200 gm sugar (in total) and 200 ml liquid (yogurt + oil), 200 mls syrup (100 ml orange juice and 100ml water) ...isnt that easy..

the recipe

ingredients for the cake

fine semolina - 200 gms (you can blend regular rava / semolina in mixie for 5 seconds)
caster sugar - 100 gms
Yogurt  - 100 ml
Vegetable oil - 100 ml (the orginal recipe has 100 gm melted butter)
Vanilla extract - 1 tsp
Baking powder - 3/4 tsp
Rind of 1 orange (optional)
Almonds and pistachios - 1 for each piece

for the syrup

sugar - 100
fresh orange juice - 100 ml
water - 100 ml
rosewater (optional) - 3 drops
Rind of 1 orange

the method

Place the sugar, yogurt, vegetable oil, vanilla and rind of orange in a bowl and mix well until the sugar is fully dissolved. Add the semolina and baking powder and mix well with a spoon or your hand. The mixture will be slightly water. Leave it aside for 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, place all the ingredients for the syrup in a saucepan and bring it to a boil in medium heat. Let it boil for 5 minutes. Turn off heat and let it cool.

Grease a baking tray with butter or oil. Once the semolina mixture has rested for 30 minutes, give a quick mix again and place it in the baking tray and smoothen the top to level it. Cut it into desired shape and place the alomonds on each piece. I sprinkled the pistachios. Bake it at 180C for 30 - 35 minutes until the top of the cake turns golden brown.

Take it out of the oven. Pour the cool syrup on the hot cake. Serve warm. You'll love it. This is totally different from the Indian sooji ka halwa aka Rava Kesari

Rava Kesari

Neyyappam

Neyyappam

Neyyappam is Kerala's own rice pancake deep fried in ghee. It can be compared to the North Indian deep fried pancakes called Malpua . I thought that it is intricate and difficult to prepare Neyyappam at home, but it is not. It is very easy as long as you have a dependable recipe and all the ingredients. I did a detailed research about Neyyappam before trying it, 'coz none of the photographs i saw online had the texture and colour of what i have seen in the ones we buy from store. And also because this is not a family recipe, just my trial to check whether i can be successful with it. 

If any of you who have a traditional recipe for Neyyappam, do let me know whether cardamom and dry ginger is added. Because the taste i have known does not have cardamom or any other flavourings, so i have left out in my recipe, but if you feel like you can add it. The measures of cardamom and ginger is given here on the basis of a similar Anglo-Indian snack called Soulinjha which we prepare during Christmas season.

ingredients for the recipe

rice flour (puttu podi)  - 2 cup (200 gms)

jaggery, grated - 2 cups (approx 175 - 200 gms)

plantain (palayamkodan) - 2 or banana - 1

water to crumble the rice flour - 100 ml

water to melt the jaggery - 100 ml

butter or ghee - 1 tbsp

coconut bits - 2 tbsp (cut thin slices of coconut and dice it into 1.5 cm pieces)

sesame seeds - 1tsp

oil for deep frying

Though the name literally means made of ghee, i have used vegetable oil for frying. Use a flat bottom pan to fry the neyyappam as seen in the picture below.

Neyyappam being fried

Place the rice flour in a deep bowl. Add the water and crumble it as done for puttu or for a pastry dough. Keep it aside for one hour. Mash the plantains and place it in the rice crumble. Add the butter. Knead it into a smooth dough. 

Heat water and melt the jaggery. Let it cool down to room temperature. Add one third of the syrup into the rice mix. Start mixing with your hands or a whisk. I mixed with hands. Get rid of all the lumps and mix till you get a smooth batter. Add the remaining two thirds of jaggery and mix well.

Fry the coconut bits in ghee or oil and add it to the batter. Wash the sesame seeds 2 to 3 times and add it to the batter. Let the batter rest for 5 hours or overnight. It would have become a thick batter now, but it will be in pouring consistency. 

If you like to add cardamon , powder 3 cardamoms and add to the batter at this stage. Additional spice is dry ginger. You can powder 1/4 inch piece and add to the batter alongwith cardamom.

Heat adequate ghee or oil in a pan. Use a small ladle to pour the batter. Or else you can use a spoon from which you can pour the batter in one direct stream. When the bottom of the neyyappam is cooked it will leave the pan by itself, otherwise you can slightly loosen it once the sides start turning brown. As you see in the picture , the first set i fried is the blacking brown colour, since i was not aware of the cooking time. So you can test with one and then repeat the frying process.  Switch heat between high to medium or even to low while frying Neyyappam.

This can be stored for a week or two in air tight containers.

Enjoy!

Bread Pori - lettes

If there can be cakelettes and tartlets, why not some pori-lettes. Pori is nothing but the shot form of porichathu. In Kerala, we have our own, famous pazham pori and undampori. Similarly in rustic tea shops and some city tea shops you can find bread porichathu - a Mildly Sweet, Batter fried bread. But the one you get in the tea shop is a whole slice of bread, which has very little crispy sides. What i like in a snack is the crisp and crunch. When i used to eat undampori  served in our college hostel, i used to peel off that brown coat like crispy side and leave a table tennis sized inside of the undampori in my plate. I hate to waste food, but i just couldn't afford to eat the uninteresting inside. So, the undampori's i prepare is also small. Maybe i should start calling it undampori - lettes .....

The miniature sized bread pori's as you see in the picture is as a result of my fondness for that crispy edges and crunchy sound you get with every bite. Kids would just love to see these tiny snacks. It is easy for them to pop in one, run around and pick another one. You need not hold that one huge slice of bread pori and think when is this going to finish.

This recipe is good to use up left over bread slices, which are a day or two old.

Recipe for bread porichathu

Bread
Oil for frying

ingredients for the batter

5 tbsp flour / maida

1 1/2 tbsp rice flour (this gives the crisp & crunch) - its fine, even if  u don't have rice flour - just add soda instead of water to prepare the batter or you can just skip this ingredient and add the same quantity maida

1/4 tsp or a little less salt

2 tbsp sugar

1 or 2 tbsp sesame seeds - Sesame seeds are healthy, so i have added a lot of it

Water - 12 tbsp or as much required to get a thick batter. If the batter is runny it wont coat the bread

Turmeric - 1 large pinch for colour (optional)


method

Place the water, turmeric salt and sugar in a bowl. Stir and gradually add the maida and rice flour until a batter is formed. Add the sesame seeds.

Cut the bread slices into small pieces. I sliced each bread slice into 12 pieces.

Heat oil in a pan. When hot, take each piece of bread, dip it in the batter and fry it in medium heat, turning sides.  Remove from oil when the sides start to brown. Serve warm.

Click here for more Indian Snack Recipes in this blog.

Scandinavian Rosette Cookies - Achappam with Maida

Christmas is just over ..... but my hang over is still on. Out of the various snacks i prepared, i just left out Achappam. I just think it is difficult and i keep on postponing. This time i took the Rosette iron from my mother in law and was searching for the recipe. The proportion should be correct, otherwise, the batter wont leave the iron. That is when i came across the European version which used flour / maida instead of rice flour. Since Achappam requires fresh rice flour you dont have any short cut using store bought roasted rice flour. So the Scandinavian version was just right for the lazy me. I tried it today and the first one was a flop. I think i overheated the iron before dipping it in batter. Rest is what you see in the picture. 

This is just another reason i would like to say never  give up. Even if you follow a recipe strictly, sometimes we should use our intuition and logic to get it right. Not for just recipes, but everything in life - I believe.

You can prepare these rosette cookies if you have a rosette iron. If you  dont have one, use a cookie cutter of any shape (star, flower, heart, rounds, ovals, etc) and hold it with a tweezer.

ingredients for the rosette cookies

flour / maida - 150 gms

egg - 1 large

milk - 150 ml + 25 ml if need be

vanilla essence or rose essence - 3/4 tsp

salt - 1/4 tsp

sugar - 1  tsp

vegetable oil for frying

ingredients for dusting

sugar - 4 tbsp

cinnamon powder - 1/2 tsp

method

Take a narrow bowl. Just wide enough to dip the rosette iron / mould. Place the egg, salt and sugar in it and whisk. Add milk little by little until all milk is used. Add the flour little by little as done for a pancake until the flour is fully used. Add the essence.  I used rose essence. You can  use according to your choice. Place the batter in the refrigerator for 15 minutes.

Heat oil in a deep pan. When hot, place the iron in the oil. Make sure the iron is moist free, otherwise you can see some explosions. When the iron is medium hot, say 1-2 minutes, lift it from oil, shake off excess oil   and place it in the batter, such a way that the batter does not cover the top of the iron. (If it is covered the cookies wouldnt leave the iron while frying). Place the iron covered with batter in the oil and gently shake it continuously. Also, use a broad knife to help the rosette cookie leave the iron. Gently slide it away from the iron. Do the entire process in low to medium heat, otherwise, the cookies will turn dark. Once the rosette is golden brown drain it from oil. Repeat the process. You may not be able to use all the batter to prepare cookies because the batter needs some elevation to coat the iron. Use up the balance batter by spooning it into oil.

For the dusting - Place the sugar and cinnamon in a mixer and powder it. Place the sugar mix in a sieve and dust it generously or as per your taste.

Phirni - a rice dessert

hi everybody,

I prepared Phirni and was determined to post it today itself. As always, the photo session was a very hurry one. I thought i could convert the video into photo.  I couldn't. So you may have to click on it to view.

Phirni is a thickened rice dessert with a nutty flavour from the almonds and pistachios.

 

the recipe

Milk - 300 ml

Rice flour (Idiyappam flour) - 3 tsp or 3tbsp raw rice soaked & ground to paste

Sugar - 3 heaped tbsp + extra if u need

Rose essence - 2 drops or Rose water - 1 tsp

Cardamom - 3

Pistachios and Almonds - 15 each slivered

Rose petals - optional

Water - 3 - 5 tbsp

the method

Make a paste by mixing the rice flour and water. Heat milk in low flame and add the rice paste and mix well. Stir continuously in low flame till the rice flour is fully incorporated with milk. Taste it. When milk turns to a thickened consistency, like a condensed milk, add sugar, cardamom powder and rose essence. Continue stirring. Taste it. If you need more sugar add it. Add 3/4th of the slivered nuts and stir and taste it to check whether the rice flour is fully cooked. Turn off heat. Continue stirring to prevent the formation of lumps. When warm, spoon the phirni into pudding / dessert bowls. Cover and chill for 1 to 2 hours. Take it out of the refrigerator and garnish with remaining nuts and rose petals.

This is a very simple recipe. Make sure you keep all the ingredients and serving bowls ready before you start the preparation.

I'll try to upload a photo soon (instead of this video).

cheers

roshan

Wattalappam - Srilankan Coconut Cream Custard

Wattalappam is a Srilankan dessert prepared using coconut milk & jaggery which is a regional take on the basic milk-egg custard. The sugar that gives sweetness to the traditional custard is replaced by jaggery / palm sugar that gives a nice concoction like flavor. Wattalappam is spiced with nutmeg instead of the usual vanilla.  

I have been reading  Wattalappam recipes from various sources for quite a number of years but the number of eggs made me dizzy.  All the recipes I  have come across for the pass 4 or 5 years have had 10 eggs. I came to know about Wattalappam from a television program in which also, the person adds 10 eggs.  

I knew i had to find an alternative by adding some thickening agent. Then I decided to reduce the liquid content so that I would require only lesser number of eggs. Finally I reworked everything and came up with this recipe which has just two eggs.

You can serve 8 -10 people moderately or just 8 scrumptiously or just four generously…

I prepared one bowl  full (in picture) plus 4 ramekin sized cups. Serve Wattalappam with fruits or nuts to make it more filling. We had it plain.

The old recipes I read had only nutmeg as a spice. Recently I saw the addition of more different types of spices like, cardamom, cinnamon or a combination. I guess nutmeg is traditional ingredient and so i have added only nutmeg. The custard is very good, wobbly, velvety and had a melt in the mouth consistency.

the recipe

eggs - 2
jaggery - 200 gms
cream - 100 mil
hot milk - 100 ml
coconut - half of a medium sized one
nutmeg - 1/3 of  a whole nut

I coated the bowl with jaggery so that it is easy to get it out once it is chilled and it is more sweet with that extra syrup.

Step: 1 - Extract the coconut milk - Grate the coconut or cut the coconut into chunks and put it in a mixer jar and run it for few seconds. Pour the hot milk. Grind the coconut till soft. Pour it through a sieve and extract coconut milk. Keep it aside. (do not add more water)

Step: 2 - Melt the jaggery with 1 tbsp water and strain it to get rid of any impurities.

Step: 3 - Pour the coconut milk into the melted jaggery and mix quickly. If it tends to form lumps, heat it in low flame till the jaggery melts.

Step: 4 - Lightly beat the eggs in a bowl.

Step:5 - Pour a 2 tablespoons of the coconut-jaggery mix into the eggs to temper the eggs. Tempering means stabilizing the temperature otherwise the eggs will curdle. Once it is mixed pour the egg mix into the coconut-jaggery mix and stir well.

Step: 6 - Grate the nutmeg into the custard.

Step: 7 - Strain the whole mix.

Pour into a bowl coated with jaggery and steam it for 20 - 25 minutes. Make sure half of the bowl is immersed in water.

 Let it cool at room temperature. Chill it in the refrigerator for an hour or more and serve. Steaming time differs with quantity.

This pudding can also be baked by placing it in a water bath ( by placing the wattalappam bowl on another bowl half filled with hot water).

enjoy!

Simple Flavourful Semiya Payasam (without condensed milk)

All the luxuries in life need not be reaally luxurious. I just wanted to say that you can enjoy gourmet food without the oomph ingredient which in this recipe is the condensed milk. 

We were not at home this Onam and i just couldn't manage myself without preparing a payasam, though i had few varieties of payasam during the Onam celebrations at my office. Coming to condensed milk, it is not an ingredient which i usually store. Because it cannot be stored for more than a day especially if the can  has been opened once. There is one thing you need to be careful with the tin. In our violent urge to lick the last bit of condensed milk left in the tin it is usual that we try to wipe it with our finger. But if the rim / seal of the tin extents out even a little bit, it is very likely that we get injured. Well, i have got injured that way and got a deep wound in my pointing finger. 

This was a quickfix Vermicelli payasam which i prepared after returning from office (bcoz) i couldnt wait till the next weekend. The sun was setting and i tried to get the last bit of sunlight and there you can see the shadow of our window in the photograph.

The recipe is simple. Preparation & Cooking time - 20 minutes. Serves four sumptuously.

ingredients

Use the same cup to measure the ingredients - the right proportion yields best results

Vermicelli / Semiya - 1 cup

Sugar - 1 cup

Milk - 3 cup (2 1/2 + 1/2)

Water - 1/3 cup

Cashewnutes - a handful

Raisins - 3-4 tbsp

Cardamom - 6-8 medium sized, peeled

Ghee - 1 1/2 tbsp

the method

Heat a sauce pan in medium heat and add ghee. Fry the cashewnuts and raisins and keep it aside. To the remaining ghee add the vermicelli and stir till the vermicelli starts to turn golden brown.

Add water and half cup milk and let the semiya cook (about 7 minutes). Stir continuously to avoid the mixture from forming a layer on top. Cook in medium heat continuously.

Semiya / Vermicelli is a kind of pasta. The normal cooking time for all types of pasta is 9 minutes. Vermicelli is stirred in ghee to make it non stick and to prevent it from turning mushy.

When the vermicelli has been cooking for seven minutes add the remaining milk. Continue stirring. You can keep your eye off to grab other ingredient. That much time the payasam can hold without you :-)

I like to powder the cardamom with sugar bcoz i dont store cardamom in powder form. Put the sugar and cardamom in a mixie jar. I mentioned flavorful in the name for a reason. When you powder the sugar and cardamom you can add few fried nuts also to bring in that added flavour. Put it in the mixie for, say, 5 - 8 seconds. Add the sugar to the semiya mixture. Stir well and let it boil for 1 or 2 minutes. Add the friend cashew nuts and raisins. Serve at room temperature.

The Semiya Payasam has a not so thick not so runny consistency.

Belated Onam Wishes!

Butterscotch Apple & Walnut Cookies

Butterscotch Cookies are simply gorgeous. I think it looks and tastes awesome. So a mention to its looks is unavoidable. This is the second time i am trying a butterscotch cookies and so there is a shot of apple and walnuts to take it another level of taste.

Preparing the butterscotch is slightly tricky when you try it for the first time. When you add the butterscotch into the cookie mix it is likely that it solidifies. So in each trial i come out with some solution so the butterscotch gets incorporated into the dough without turning hard.

the recipe

Plain flour (Maida) - 150 gms

Wheat flour - 150 gms

Sugar - 100 gms

Brown Sugar - 75 gms

Butter - 100 gms (50 + 50) @room temperature

Walnuts - 100 gms

Apple -2 medium sized

Vanilla extract - 1 tsp

Baking powder - 1/2 tsp

Baking soda - 1/2 

Salt - 1 generous pinch (omit salt if you are using salted butter)

Milk - 3-4 tbsp

Egg -1

Water - 3-4 tbsp

Method

Measure both the sugar and powder it. Divide it into two portion. One portion is to be used up for the butterscotch. Place the other half in a bowl. Mix the flour, baking powder, salt and baking soda. Sieve it once and mix with sugar. Keep it aside. This forms the dry ingredients.

Deseed the apple and blend it to form a puree. I dint peel the apple. It is left to you how you puree them. No probs whatever the method. You may have to use 3-4 tbsp milk while blending.

Place 50 gm of butter and soften it with a folk. Add the egg and just beat it till mixed. Pour the apple puree into it.  Place all the dry ingredients into the bowl and mix till the ingredients turn into a cake like batter. Well, this is a cookie but we are not talking dough, instead it is a thick batter. Once this is done, cover the bowl and keep it aside or keep it in a refrigerator.

Method to prepare the butterscotch....this is tricky

If you browse through the web you can see many recipes for butterscotch, prominent ingredients being butter, brown sugar, vanilla and cream. I am going to share with you my own recipe...which has not let me down thus far, when i have used this in cookies as well as puddings.

Place half of the powdered sugar mix in a heavy bottom saucepan, in medium heat.When the sugar is almost melted add 50 gm butter and keep stirring till the butter is fully incorporated. Turn to low heat and add water. The butterscotch will loosen up. Turn off heat and keep stirring continuously. When it has reached pour tablespoons of butterscotch over the cookie batter and immediately mix the batter. Continue till the butterscotch is fully used up.Roast the walnuts and stir into the cookie mix. Place the batter in the refrigerator for one hour.

Preheat oven at 180 C.

Prepare a baking tray by applying butter and flour or just place a baking sheet. Spoon one tablespoon batter by leaving one inch space between cookies. Bake the cookies for 12 minutes.

Oven temperatures differ. Bake till the edge of the cookies start to brown.

The recipe goes to Bake Fest

Mushroom Tarts

ingredients for the tarts

180 gm flour (maida)
75 gm unsalted butter (chopped into cubes)
1 tsp sugar
1/4 tsp salt (if using salted butted dont use salt)
30-35 ml chill water

Method 1: Mix the flour with salt and sugar. Place it in a bowl. Stir in the chopped butter and crumble it with your fingers. You can also use a knife to cut the butter through the flour to crumble it. Sprinkle the chill water and slowly gather the crumbled flour and shape it into a disk.

Method 2: Place the flour, butter, salt and sugar in a mixer jar and use the whip button. When the ingredients reach a crumble form add water through the small lid until  the flour mix is just collected. Take this into a bowl and shape it into a disk.

Refrigerate the dough for one hour.

Roll the dough and cut out circles that fit in muffin cups. Place the circles in muffin cups and leave it in the refrigerator for another one hour. This will make the dough firm and it will not pull down while baking. Use the excess dough to make small rings or whatever you feel like and place it on the filling of the tart.

Recipe for Mushroom filling

Mushroom - 300 - 400 gms ( i used oyster mushrooms - these are soft than button mushrooms). Cut into thin strips. Use only the soft part. I used home grown mushroom, still i rinsed it in a bowl of water mixed with vinegar and salt.

Onion - 2 large

Garlic - 3 cloves

Salt - to taste

Turmeric - 1/4 tsp

Pepper powder - 1/2 tsp

Oil - 2 tbsp

Cheese - as much as you need

method to cook the mushroom

Heat oil in a pan and add the onion and garlic. Stir till the onion is translucent. Add salt, turmeric and pepper. Stir for few seconds and add the mushroom. Do not add water. Turn to low flame. Let the mushroom cook in its own liquid for about 6-7 minutes or till tender. Turn off heat. 

Baking the Tart

Usually, tarts are filled and then baked. I am slightly apprehensive about this idea because i feel the juices in the filling will melt the dough. So i baked the crust first and then placed the filling just till the cheese melted.

The original recipe called for baking at 190 C for 15-20 minutes. Since oven temperatures differ you can check after ten minutes. I'll tell you what i did - i baked the crust at 190 C for 10 minutes and then filled about 1 1/2 tsp of mushroom filling, grated some cheese over it and placed a ring of the excess dough and baked for another 5 minutes. I think you should go by your logic for this step. The tart can served as a started or packed as a lunch or just snack.

The recipe for the tart crust is adapted from Joy of Baking. But i have reduced the quantity of butter. Yet the tart had a melt in the mouth texture.

Malpua - banana malpua, the Indian deep fried pancake dessert

This is yet another dish which I have been wanting to prepare for a long time and have not been confident enough even to read a recipe thinking that I can’t achieve the finesse the malpua demands. Finally I tried this recipe from Vatsala’s blog ‘Show & Tell’ when I got the opportunity to participate in BlogHop Wednesdays. I was infact searching for a recipe which includes ingredients which is readily available in my pantry. The Malpua thus happened and I was happy with the outcome. Frying the first one or two taught me how to go about the temperature of the oil and also learnt that you should have patience while frying the malpua.

The actual recipe includes maida which I have replaced with pure wheat flour  - just for health reasons. On the first bite itself you will realize that you are treating yourself to a royal sweet. 

the recipe

Wheat Flour – 1 cup 

Rava / Sooji – ½ cup 

Milk – 2 - 2 ½  (add milk till you get a pouring consistency)

Sugar – 1 tsp ( I have a very sweet tooth so I added 2 tsp…..add sugar according to your taste)

Banana – 1 small

Fennel Seeds – 2 generous pinch 

Veg oil to deep fry 

ingredients for the sugar syrup

Sugar – ½ cup

Water – ½ cup 

Cardamom – 2 , powdered or whole

Slivered nuts - for garnishing

  

method to prepare sugar syrup

Add sugar and half cup water in a sauce pan. Let the sugar syrup boil for a while. Take few drop of the syrup in a spoon and take a drop between your pointing finger and thumb and check whether it forms a string. Add the cardamom or cardamom powder and turn off heat.

  

method to prepare malpua batter

Mash the banana, ( I deseeded the banana and then mashed them). Place the sooji / rava in a bowl and add the milk. Keep it aside for some time. Stir in the mashed banana, wheat flour, sugar and fennel seeds and stir well. Gradually add the milk until you get a pouring consistency. 

frying the Malpua 

Frying Malpua is slightly tricky especially if you are preparing it for the first time. Pour the batter when the oil is in medium to hot temperature. Let the batter take a round shape by itself.

  

Heat oil in a flat pan and pour a ladle full of the prepared Malpua batter. It will take some time for the sides to become light brown. Now flip the malpua gently. Let the other side also brown. Drain it from oil using a slotted spoon. Place it on a tissue paper to get rid off excess oil. Place it in the sugar syrup for 5 minutes turning sides and then place it in another bowl. Garnish with silvered nuts and serve hot.

Rava Kesari / Sooji Ka Halwa

the recipe


Rava / Semolina - 1 cup
Water – 2 cup + 2 tbsp
Turmeric – 2 pinch (I used this instead of food color)
Sugar – 1 ½ cup
Cardmom – 4 (powder it with some sugar)
Cashewnuts, Almonds and raisins – as required (fried in ghee)
Ghee – 2 – 3 tbsp

the method

Heat 2 tbsp ghee in a pan and lightly sauté the semolina and turn off heat. Heat water in another pan with turmeric. When it come to boil, turn to low heat and add the rava slowly into the water and stir in circular motion briskly. The heat is turned to low to avoid formation of lumps. Keep stirring till the semolina is almost cooked. Add the sugar 1 or 2 tbsp at a time and keep stirring. Add the cardamom powder and fried nuts. Add one more tablespoon ghee on top and mix well.

Pour the kesari into a greased tray or plate. Cut it into diamond shapes and serve it hot or cold. I used some saffron strands just to give an appeal for the photograph.

the recipe goes to sinful delights by Vardhini

Coconut Cake with Custard Apple & Cream

 

I have been wanting to prepare a Coconut Cake for a long time. I was in doubt whether I should use fresh coconut or desiccated ones. Finally I decided to prepare homemade desiccated coconut and the cake thus happened. The idea of custard apple and cream is from Chef Vicky Ratnani. I saw it in a program called ‘Do it Sweet’ aired on NDTV Good Times.

ingredients for the Coconut Cake

Flour (maida) – 3 cups

Eggs – 3 large or 4

Caster Sugar – 2 ¼ cup

Veg oil – 1 ¼ cup

Vanilla Extract – 1 tsp

Baking powder – 1 tsp

Dessicated coconut – 6 tbsp (Check ‘Basics’ page for method)

ingredients for the Custard Apple Cream

Custard Apple – 3 (just ripe fruit)

Sugar – 3 tbsp

Whipping Cream Powder – ¾ cup

Chilled water – 40 ml

If you are using fresh cream you might require 300-400ml medium fat cream

 

Method to prepare the cake

Preheat Over at 180 C.

Sieve the flour and baking powder three times.

In a mixing bowl, beat the eggs one by one: Place one egg in the bowl and place the electric mixer on the yolk and start fluffing up the yolk and white until they are combined well. Continue with the other eggs. Once all the eggs are added continue for one more minute.

Add the caster sugar little by little in speed 1 or 2. When all the sugar is added switch to high speed and continue beating for about 5 minutes till the mix has doubled in volume. Add the vanilla extract and oil and mix together for a minute.

While adding the flour, use a spatula to mix the batter. Add the flour little by little until fully used up. Add the dessicated coconut and mix well. Pour into the prepared pan and bake at 180C for 40 minutes (Keep checking after 35 minutes because oven temperatures vary). Let it cool in the pan for ten minutes.

Take the cake out of the pan and let it cool for a day (Keep it wrapped in an aluminium foil in a refrigerator).

Method to prepare custard apple cream

Deseed the Custard Apple. Grind it coarsely along with 3 tbsp sugar.

Place the whipping cream powder in a bowl and gradually add the cold water and whip it into cream. Add 2 tbsp cream into the custard apple and blend for a second. Transfer the custard apple mix into the whipped cream and gently fold in.

Assembling the cake

Cut the cake into two horizontally. Place a layer of the custard apple cream on one layer of the cake. Place the other half of the cake over it. Place the whipped cream in the middle of the cake and spread it to the sides evenly. Decorate the cake with custard apple seeds (not to be eaten – take care while serving the cake to kids).

Enjoy!!

Pazham Nurukku (Traditional Onam Breakfast)

I stumbled upon the name 'Pazham Nurukku' while I was preparing an Onam related article for the publication I was working for. It would have been the year 2005 or 2006 and an immediate search for recipe did not yield any result. Every year then on I would remember about the Pazham Nurukku during Onam season. Finally, one day there was a recipe in the The Hindu - Metro with a title, 'Pazham Nurukku in Chocolate cups'. Well I knew the chocolate cup part is slightly weird for a traditional Onam breakfast. Recently i made another search in the web and got to read various Pazham Nurukku recipes  and here we go i tried it and i knew why people gave so many nostalgic account of eating the Pazham Nurukku on an Onam day morning with lots of papad. 

I have prepared a very simple and easy to prepare recipe and have avoided the use of coconut milk and cardamom powder which i read but which i thought could be ignored. This tasted really good. Try it!!

the recipe

Banana / ethapazham  - 4
Jaggery, grated - 4 tbsp
Ghee - 1 tsp

the method

Cut the banana into 1 inch pieces with the skin on. Steam it till it is half done. Peel the skin.

In a sauce pan, add the jaggery and melt it. Strain it to get rid off any dust particles. Place the jaggery syrup in a heavy bottom pan. Place the pan in medium heat and add the banana pieces.Cover the banana pieces with the jaggery syrup till the fruit is fully coated. Turn to medium heat. The jaggery will start sizzling at this point and thicken. Gently tilt the sauce pan so that the banana is well coated and there is no more melted jaggery. Pour the ghee on top of the banana and shake well and then gently give a stir so that all the pieces are coated with the ghee. Serve warm with papad or serve as it is.

Lemony Star Cookies for Christmas

Its Christmas time and the designs that come to my mind are stars and Christmas trees. I took an adventurous step towards preparing these star cookies bcoz I don’t have a star shaped cookie cutter so I decided to cut out a butter paper in the shape of a star and then stencil it on the cookie dough. I adapted a short bread kind of recipe since I dint want the cookie to rise. A lemony flavor is induced for a change in the cookie as well as in the frosting.

the recipe

ingredients for the cookies

flour – 1 cup

butter – ¼ cup

melted butter or veg oil – ¼ cup approximately

egg – 1

sugar - ¼ cup

salt – 2 pinch

vanilla extract – 1 tsp

lemon rind – 1 tbsp

ingredients for the frosting & deco

butter – ½ tbsp

sugar – 3 tbsp

buttermilk – 2-3 tbsp

lemon juice – 5-6 drops

silver sugar balls – as required

the method

Bring the butter to room temperature. Beat it till fluffy. Mix the sugar and salt. Add the powdered sugar and beat well. (Since this is a small quantity I used a fork to beat the mix). Add the egg and beat well. Pour the vanilla extract and melted butter or oil. Mix well. Add the lemon rind. Stir in the flour in batches and mix well. Make it into a disc shape and keep it in refrigerator for half an hour. Grease a baking tray or spread a butter paper and apply butter. Cut the cookies into preferred shape, place it in the baking tray and keep it in the refrigerator for another half an hour. Bake at 170C for 10 – 11 minutes. Remove from baking tray immediately. Cool it on wire racks.

For the frosting, mix together butter, sugar and lemon juice. Heat till sugar melts. Add buttermilk and boil until a pale white color forms. Turn off heat and cool it.

Brush the frosting on cookies and place the silver sugar balls in preferred design or just sprinkle it on cookies.

the recipe goes to Dr.Sameena's Cakes and Cookies for Christmas event  & Champa's Bake Off Event