Chocolate banana cake

Chocolate - yum! 

Over ripe bananas - throw away.

Mix these 2 together and bake a great chocolate cake!

Oven temperature - 180C 

Baking time - 35 min

Mix together in 1 large bowl :

Powdered sugar - 1 cup

Refined oil - 1/4 cup

Milk - 1/4 cup

Water - 1/2 cup

Egg - 1

Ripe banana mashed - 1/2 cup

Sieve together in another bowl

Maida - 1 cup

Baking powder - 3/4 tsp

Baking soda - 3/4 tsp

Cocoa powder - 1/2 cup + 1 tbsp

Salt - 1 pinch

Now mix in the dry ingredients into the wet mix and fold in. Pour into a oiled and lined baking tray (9 inch * 7 inch). Decorate with sliced almonds and Bake in a preheated oven @ 180C till skewer comes out clean, about 30-40 minutes.

I have used Hershey's chocolate syrup over the cake. But that is just not necessary!

Masala kappalandi / masala peanuts

Movies or walk in the park or a temple visit is incomplete without buying some peanuts from the kappalandi karan. Those small cone shaped paper having hot hot peanuts which were fried in sand for uniform heating might contain some stones. But the taste was / is delicious. 

Masala peanuts was always bought by dad from the local bakery. I remember seeing it in those huge glass jars and if you were lucky the person weighing it might just get generous and present you with a handful!

Here is my version on those crunchy spicy delight.

Raw Peanuts - 1 cup

Kadala mav / besan / chana dal powder - 2 tbsp

Salt - 1 tsp

Chilli powder - 1 1/2 tsp

Asafoetida - 1/2 tsp

Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp

Oil for deep frying

Curry leaf - 2 sprigs

Mix together the powders - besan, salt, turmeric, asafoetida, chilli powder.

Take the peanuts in a deep vessel and tip the mixed powder over it.

Take water in a cup. Also take a spoon.

Carefully pour water by spoonfuls to just wet the mixture. The dough must be very thick while coating the peanuts.

Keep aside for 10 minutes.

Heat oil in a kadai.

While frying the peanuts, reduce flame and try to sprinkle individual nuts into the oil, ie, avoid cluster.

Keep mixing often and take off flame when golden.

When last batch is done, add the curry leaf to the hot oil and turn off flame. Remove using slotted spoon after 5 minutes. Mix with the masala peanuts.

When the peanuts cool down, store in airtight containers.

Vazhakka poriyal

Raw banana - 3 numbers

( padathi kaya or nenthiran is the best)

Dry Red chilli - 4 numbers

Kadala parippu / channa dal - 1 tbsp

Asafoetida powder / kayam - 1/2 tsp

Salt

Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp

Oil - 1 tsp + 1 tbsp

Mustard seeds - 1 tsp

Curry leaf - 5 numbers torn into half

Heat 1 tsp oil and fry the channa dal and red chilli until dal turns golden. Turn off flame and add the asafoetida powder. When this cools down, powder and keep aside.

Peel and Cut the raw banana into small pieces. Cook in water (add salt and turmeric powder to the water) until soft but holds shape.

Heat 1 tbsp oil in a kadai and splutter mustard seeds. Add the cooked banana and curry leaf. Mix well.

Add the powdered spices and mix to coat all sides of the banana.

Heat on medium flame for 1 minute and serve.

Moru curry / moru kuttan / curd curry

Moru or curd is a staple in any Tamil Brahmin house. And every state in India has some recipe which converts curd into a curry. My version is a combination of tam bram style and malayali cooking.

Here I have used fenugreek seeds and green chillies to be ground with coconut.

Other options for grinding with coconut:

1.Fried Fenugreek seeds and fried red chilli

2.Jeera and green chilli

This curry can be made without any vegetables too. 

When ripe mangoes are in season, we make mambazha kuttan.

Ash gourd / cooking cucumber - 1/4 kg, peeled, deseeded and cubed

Drumstick - 6 pieces of 2 inch length

Green mango - 1/2 , skin removed and cut into big bite size pieces

Green chilli - 2 slit and 2 for grinding

Salt

Turmeric powder - 1 tsp

Coconut - 5 tbsp

Fenugreek seeds - 1 tsp, dry roasted 

Curd - 1 cup

Coconut oil - 1 tbsp

Mustard seeds - 1 tsp

Curry leaf - 6

Red chilli - 2 broken

Small onion (opt)- 4 cut into thin rings

Fenugreek seeds - 1/2 tsp

Boil the gourd, drum stick and slit green chilli in water with salt and turmeric powder.

Once the gourd gets cooked, add the green mango pieces.

Grind the coconut with the roasted fenugreek seeds and 2 green chillies.

Once the mango gets cooked , add the ground paste and reduce flame.

Mix well and bring to a slow boil.

Break the curd and add to the curry. Mix well. 

Keep a close eye as the curry must not boil or the curd will split. When the sides start frothing, turn off flame.

Splutter the mustard in coconut oil. Add the fenugreek seed and red chillies.

If you are using the small onion, add this once the chilli turns deep red and fry till the onions crisp up. Add the curry leaf and pour over the moru kuttan!

Apple upside down cake

One of my favorite chef is Jamie Oliver. What I like best about him is his non fussy style. Here is my version of his 'Apple pepper pot cake'.

Apple - 2 large, peeled, quartered, cored and sliced thin

Butter - 60 gms

Sugar - 100gms

Cinnamon - 1/2  a stick, powdered

Clove - 6 numbers, powdered

Ginger powder - 1/2 tsp

For the sponge:

Flour - maida - 110gms

Baking powder - 1 tsp

Baking soda - 1/4 tsp

Butter (room temperature) - 70gms

Sugar powdered - 60 gms

Egg - 2

Milk - 100 mls

Arrange the apple slices neatly in a 24 cm round baking pan in concentric circles. You might have to make 2 layers depending on the thickness of you'd slices.

Heat the butter, sugar, spices together and when it turns golden brown pour over the apples. If there is excess caramel, keep aside.

Preheat oven to 180 C.

Sieve together the baking powder, soda and flour.

Beat the butter and sugar till creamy.

Add the eggs one at a time and beat well.

Add the milk and make a smooth creamy batter.

Add the flour and incorporate it slowly to the butter mix. Do not beat. Fold it in.

Pour this over the apple and spread evenly.

Bake for 35 minutes.

Invert after 10 minutes or caramel will solidify.

If you have excess caramel, add milk to it and boil, till you get a smooth sauce. Pour over each slice and enjoy.

Photographs:

Spices ready for pounding. Add a tsp of sugar for easier powdering.

Powdered spices.

Prepared baking tray. Lined with aluminium foil, and smeared with butter.

Apple preparation:

Caramel sauce:

Sponge preparation.

Butter + sugar

Egg one at a time.

Milk.

Then sieved flour, baking powder and baking soda.

Pour this over the apple and spread evenly.

Bake at 180 C for 35 min.

Invert after 5-10 minutes, while still warm.

Stir fried bak choy

Garlic - 6 cloves

Bakchoy - 1/2 kg

Soy sauce - 1 tbsp

Salt

Pepper

Water - 1 cup

Olive oil - 1 tbsp

Seperate each leaf of the bak choy if large. If you are using baby bak choy, then cut into half lengthwise.

Heat olive oil and garlic. When it starts turning colour, add the bakchoy. Stir on high flame for 1 minute. Then add the water and soya sauce. When the leaf starts wilting and stalk has crunch, turn off flame and season with salt and pepper. Serve hot.

Pasta with bread crumbs

Pasta with bread crumbs? Wondering what that is? That is what you get when 2 recipes from different sources merge in my brain! One is by a famous cook and food stylist - Donna Hay and second recipe is from BBC Good Food magazine. And when these 2 asked for ingredients I did not have... Viola! A different new dish!

Pasta - 400gms

Olive oil - 3 tbsp + extra for garnish

Zucchini / cucumber  - 1 small 

Onion - 1 medium

Garlic - 4 cloves

Bread crumbs - 4 tbsp heaped

Rosemary / thyme - 1 tsp

Dried Mushroom - 5 no:s soaked in hot water and diced fine.

Salt 

Pepper

Cook pasta in plenty of salted water and drain well. Keep aside after coating with olive oil so that they don't stick.

Heat olive oil and add the cucumber / zucchini. Once it turns golden add the garlic. Sauté for a minute and remove the 

Vegetables using a slotted spoon.

Into the same oil add the onion and cook on low flame till transparent.

Add the bread crumbs , rosemary / thyme and fry till crispy.

Add the mushroom and continue cooking for 2 more minutes on low flame, mixing well.

Add the cucumber / zucchini , salt and pepper to this and keep aside till serving time.

Just before serving, reheat bread crumb mixture and add the pasta.

Heat till pasta becomes hot.

Serve immediately drizzled with more olive oil on top.

Pasta with grilled vegetables and basil

Pasta - 500gms

Zucchini - 1 medium

Mushroom- 200gms

Onion- 1 medium

Garlic - 6 cloves

Tomato - 1 large or 2 medium

Capsicum - 1 medium

Olive oil - 6 tbsp

Salt

Pepper

Basil - 1 handfull, chopped fine

Cheese - 5 tbsp or 1 cup

Grill vegetables individually with some salt, pepper and olive oil. Keep aside.

Boil pasta al dente and drain.

Return to vessel and mix in rest of the ingredients - vegetables, cheese and basil.

Serve hot.

Banana chips

Banana chips or upperi is a staple of Kerala made from a banana indigenous to my state - nendrakaya.

Frying the banana chips is a fairly straight forward process but adding the salt to it is, I think, very unusual. And it takes concentration. I will tell you why.

While the banana is frying in oil, brine or salt water is adding directly into the oil. The next batch of chips requires lesser brine as the oil is already salted. Usually by the last batch, no salting is required!

I have been making chips for many many years and am still learning( thanks to my memory / concentration!).

Of course the easiest option is to sprinkle the salt over the chips as soon as you take them out of the oil. But then it will not be original!

Peel the raw banana and keep them immersed in water (opt-add 1/2 tsp turmeric powder to the water)

Heat coconut oil in a large deep vessel (kadai).

Mix 2 tsp of salt with 1/2 cup water and keep ready. This is your Brine.

Take one banana and wipe dry.

Once the oil gets hot ( add a small piece of banana to it and it will sizzle up immediately), start grating directly into the oil. Be careful!

Now add 2 tsp of brine into the hot oil and see it froth up. Mix well with a slotted spoon.

It will subside soon and you have to fry the chips until they turn golden and no longer sizzle in the oil.

Use a slotted spoon to take them out of the oil. Place on a tissue paper and once cool ( not room temperature) store in an airtight container.

While frying the next batch of banana remember to reduce the amount of brine or you will end up with very salty chips.

Variation:

Traditional round banana chips and new age banana finger chips!

If you cut your raw banana into thin batons, then you end up with a 'not-so-popular' variant of the traditional banana chips.

Recipe is the same , just the shape is different.

Mushroom peas korma

This recipe is little on the sweet side because of the pineapple and raisins. My younger daughter and I loved it, but my husband thought may be I could have avoided the raisins. 

Mushroom - 10 , cut in half

Green peas - 1/2 cup

Onion - 1 large

Tomato -1 large

Green chilli - 1 or 2

Ginger garlic paste - 1 tsp

Pineapple fresh - 1 /2 cup

Sugar - 1 tsp 

Cashew nut broken - 1 tbsp

Raisins - 1 tbsp (opt)

Ghee - 2 tbsp

Oil - 2 tbsp

Jeera - 1 tsp

Salt

Turmeric powder - 1 tsp

Garam masala - 1 tsp

Chilli powder - 1 tsp

Milk - 1 cup

Garnish

Coriander leaf - 1 tbsp

Capsicum - 2 tbsp

Boil green peas with salt, 1 /2 tsp chilli powder and 1/2 tsp garam masala. When half cooked add the mushroom. Cook till peas are tender. Keep aside.

Heat 1 tbsp ghee in a kadai . Fry the cashew and raisins and remove using slotted spoon. Keep aside.

Boil the pineapple in water and once cooked, add the sugar. Mix well (add more water if necessary) and cook till all the water evaporates.

Into the kadai, add rest of the ghee and oil. Splutter the jeera.

Fry the onions and ginger garlic paste till onions becomes golden brown.

Add the salt, turmeric powder, rest of the chilli powder and garam masala. Fry for 1/2 a minute.

Add the tomato , green chilli and fry till they soften. Leave to cool.

Once cooled grind to a paste.

Return the paste to the kadai and add the milk.

Add the mushroom and peas. Boil for 2 minutes.

Add the cashew , raisins , pineapple , capsicum and coriander leaf.

Mix well and serve hot.