Blondie

Amazing cake. Sort of reminds me of the cake available in the local bakery during my younger days.
The recipe for the Brownie and Blondie is the same, just that the cocoa powder is completely omitted.
It is a lovely easy recipe. By the time the oven gets pre-heated, the batter will get ready.

Ingredients:
Sugar - 1 cup, powdered (can be reduced to 3/4 cup)
Fat (vegetable oil / butter at room temperature) - 1/2 cup
Eggs - 2
Vanilla essence - 1 tsp
Flour - 1 cup
Baking powder - 1/2 tsp
Salt - a pinch
Chopped almonds / walnuts - 1/2 cup (optional)

Method:

Preheat oven at 180 C for 10 minutes.
Sieve together flour, baking powder and salt. Mix in the some or all the chopped nuts and keep aside.

Beat the butter / oil and sugar until creamy and add eggs one at a time. Beat well.

Add the essence and mix well.
Add the sieved powders and fold well into the mixture. Do not beat.

Pour into the greased tray and decorate with any left over nuts.

Bake for 25 - 30 minutes at 180 C.

Vegetable stock

Vegetable stock can be made in advance and stored frozen. Stock is nothing but water in which vegetables have been boiled in , so that the water ends up with a flavor of its own. While boiling the water with the vegetables, I have added a "Maggi Magic Cube" which is a stock powder.You can omit this if you do not have it.

To make Vegetable stock (pick any 2 or use all of the following)

1/2 cabbage

1 onion

1 carrot

1 potato

1 maggi veg cube (optional)

Optional:
Aromatics like celery , rosemary.
Spices like pepper, bay leaf

Peel the above vegetables and cut into large pieces and boil in 4 litres of water. 

Boil this or pressure cook for 3 whistles till the vegetables soften.
DO NOT MASH the vegetables or the stock will turn murky.
Strain and throw away the vegetables.
The left over liquid is the vegetable stock.
Use this in risotto and soups.

Corn chips

Maize flour / makkai atta makes tasty rotis but it a tough flour to handle. It is easy to knead, but try to roll it....disaster and frustration!!
So when I first tried to make corn chips, I ended up frustrated.
So use equal parts of makkai atta with maida / all purpose flour to make corn chips. That is the trick.
Try to use a press to flatten the dough. Line the press with a oiled plastic cover for easier peeling.

Ingredients:
Makkai atta / maize flour - 1/2 cup
Maida / all purpose flour - 1/2 cup
Salt
Oil - 2 tbsp + extra for deep frying
Water to knead

Method:
Mix the flours together with the salt.
Then add the oil and mix well.
Make a smooth dough with just enough water.

Keep covered for 1/2 hour.
Make small balls and press to flatten.
Use a fork to pierce holes. This will prevent the chips from puffing up.

Cut each flattened dough into 6 to 8 triangles.
Deep fry on low flame.
Once cooled, transfer to an airtight container.
Enjoy with Guacamole and / or Salsa.

Guacamole / Mexican dip with avocado

Avocado grows abundantly at our cousin's house and she had made some guacamole with it.
Guacamole is a dip made with avocado. It is a mexican dip, but has an Indian taste.
Recipe is pretty easy and straight forward.
We Indians, make a typical salad using onion, tomato, green chilly, coriander leaf ,salt and lime juice.
Now add some garlic, avocado and jeera powder to this and grind it either into a chunky paste or fine paste.
That is all.
Your Guacamole is ready.

So do you really need a recipe?
If yes, here goes:

Onion -1, medium
Tomato - 2, large
Green chilly - 3
Coriander leaf - 2 tbsp
Garlic - 2 cloves
Jeera / cumin powder -1 tsp
Lemon juice - to taste
Salt
Avocado - 1

Grind all the above to a chunky paste and add the lemon juice at last.
Serve with Corn chips.

Chocolate torte

Can you improve on Chocolate?
Yes....Try this silky smooth Chocolate torte.
EASY recipe.

Ingredients :
Cooking chocolate with 50% cocoa - 1 and 1/2 cups
Heavy cream (like rich's) - 1 cup
Coffee powder (nescafe) - 1 tbsp mixed in 1 tbsp water
Eggs - 6
Powdered sugar - 1/2 cup
All purpose flour / maida - 1/4 cup
Butter to grease

Oven temperature : 200C

Method:
Preheat the oven for 10 minutes.

Keep 2 cups of water for boiling.

Line a 10 inch spring form cake tin, 3 times with aluminium foil. This will prevent water from entering inside.
Then grease the insides of the cake tin.
Keep a roasting pan / large plate with 1 inch sides which can accommodate the spring form ready.
(A pictorial explanation is given at the very end)

Break the cooking chocolate into small pieces.
Heat the cream till boiling point, while stirring continuously.
Add this to the broken chocolate and beat till you get a smooth cream.
Add the coffee mixture to this and beat again.
This is your ganache.

Whisk the eggs one at a time with the sugar and flour.
Once all the eggs are used up, beat for another 2 minutes till the mixture becomes nearly white and doubled.
Now add the hot ganache in batches to the egg mixture and beat well.
Pour into the prepared tray.

Place the aluminium lined spring form tin on top of the large plate.
Pour the boiling water into the large plate / tray till it is about 1 cm high.
Place this inside the preheated oven for 15 minutes.
After 15 minutes, it will be wobbly in the middle, but do not cook more than 15 minutes.

Take the tray out of the water bath and keep to cool.
Once it reaches room temperature, place inside the fridge overnight.
The next day remove from the spring form pan and invert to remove the aluminium foil.
Then re invert so that the good side is up.

Before slicing, place your knife in hot water, dry it and use it to get clean slices.

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Pictorial explanation of the spring form cake tin prep

Various equipments. Chopper, beater, cake tin, large plate and aluminium foil

Springform cake tin. The base is removable.

Cover the base with large sheets of aluminium foil thrice.

Fold the extra aluminium foil over the bottom of the base

Clip the top to the base

Now bring back the aluminium foil around the base.

This will prevent water from entering the cake tin.

Choose a large plate / frying pan which accommodates the cake tin.

Fill the bottom plate with boiling water.

Place the lined cake tin over this large plate filled with water.

Grease the insides of the cake tin. Pour the prepared torte batter in.

Potato masala / potato curry

The most common potato curry served with Chapathy and poori.
This masala can be used to make Stuffed Capsicum, a great side dish.

Ingredients:
Onion - 1 large , chopped fine

Potato - 2 large, boiled, peeled and mashed

Tomato - 1 medium , chopped fine

Green Chilly - 1, chopped fine
Ginger - 1 tsp, chopped fine (optional)

Coriander leaf - 3 tbsp

Salt

Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp

Chilly powder - 1 tbsp

Oil - 1 tbsp

Mustard seeds - 1 tsp
Jeera seeds - 1/2 tsp (optional)

Curry leaf - 1 sprig (optional)

Method:

Heat 1 tbsp oil and splutter the mustard seeds and jeera seeds (if using).

Then add the onion, green chilly, ginger (if using) and fry till onion becomes transparent.

Add the salt, turmeric powder and chilly powder.

After 30 seconds, add the tomato and saute till the tomato softens.

Now add the potato and mix well.
Add some water, to loosen the gravy, if you wish.
Cook on a low flame and keep stirring occasionally to prevent the potato from sticking to the bottom.
Garnish with coriander leaf.

Rava Dosa

No one can eat just one!!

If you do not have dosa batter at home , but you have the urge to eat dosa, then THIS is the dosa to make. No fermentation required. Crispy, tasty and easy to make.

Notes:

1. Unlike the ordinary dosa, where the batter is spread as a circle on the tawa, here the batter is splashed on the hot tawa to make a thin net. And since the dosa is extremely thin, we do not flip it.

2. Before you make each dosa, mix the batter very well, as the rava settles in the bottom.

3. Keep adding more water to the batter if it thickens.

Recipe courtesy: Mrs. Shefali Arvind and Mrs. Rajalakshmi Parameswaran (my mom)

My mom always adds Maida / All purpose flour in the batter, but my friend Shefali advised me to use whole wheat flour instead.

To make: 10 Rava Dosas

Ingredients:

Rava / Semolina - 1/2 cup

Rice flour - 1/4 cup

Wheat flour - 1/4 cup

Green chilly - 1, finely chopped

Ginger - 1 inch , finely chopped

Curry leaf - 1 sprig , chopped

Coriander leaf - 3 tbsp

Cashew nuts - 1 tbsp, chopped

Jeera / cumin seeds - 1 tsp

Pepper corn - 1 tsp, slightly crushed

Salt

Asafoetida powder - 1/2 tsp

Oil (preferably til / gingelly oil) - nearly 1 tbsp per dosa

Onion -1 large (optional)

Method:

Mix together all the above ingredients, except the til oil and onion.

Add just enough water to make a thick paste.

Leave aside for 10 minutes.

(enough time to make your chutney and possibly chop the onions!)

Add water, mix well and make a very thin batter.

Heat the tawa.

Spread some onions over it (if using).

Now using your hand, mix the batter well and sprinkle the batter over the hot tawa.
It will look like a net. Try to not sprinkle over areas you have already sprinkled on.

Wait for 30 seconds and drip some til oil over the dosa and around the edges.

When the dosa starts browning and edges start leaving the sides....fold (no need to flip) and transfer to serving plate.

Enjoy with chutney / dosa podi.

Different varieties of Coconut chutney

Typical South Indian chutney.
I have written down 14 possible combinations for you to try!

Basic Ingredients:
Coconut - 1 cup
Salt - to taste

(optional) Tamarind - a ball of 1 cm radius
(or)
Raw sour mango -1 tbsp

Different additional ingredients:
1. Green chilly - 2 + Roasted Gram dal / pottu kadala - 1 tbsp + Asafoetida / hing - 1 tsp
2. Small onion - 3 (sauteed or raw) + Dry red chilly - 3
4. Green chilly - 3
5. Dry red chilly (fried / raw) - 4
6. Coriander leaf - 3 tbsp (sauteed or raw) + Green chilly - 2
7. Mint leaves - 1 tbsp (sauteed or raw) + Green chilly - 2
8. Green chilly -3 + Asafoetida powder / hing - 1 tsp
9. Ginger - 1 inch + Green chilly -2
10.Garlic - 3 cloves (sauteed or raw) + Dry red chilly - 3
11.Carrot - 1 small + Green chilly - 4 + Ginger - 1/2 inch

Garnish:
Oil (refined or coconut) - 1 tbsp
Mustard seeds - 1 tsp
Urad dal split - 1 tsp
Red chilly - 1, broken
Curry leaf - 1 sprig

Method:
Grind the basic ingredients with any 1 combination of additional ingredients, into a fine paste with just enough water. Transfer to the serving vessel. Add  more water to thin out the chutney, if you so require.
Splutter the mustard in the oil. Add in the urad dal and red chillies. When the dal turns red, turn off flame and add the curry leaf.
Add this garnish to the chutney and serve.

Classic : served at restaurants:
Coconut + salt + green chilly

Recipe frequently made at my house:
Coconut + salt + tamarind + green chilly / dried red chilly

Coriander coconut chutney

 Carrot chutney ingredients

Carrot chutney ready

Coconut + Garlic+ Red Chilly + Small onion + Tamarind

Garlic onion chutney ready!

Pazham choondiyathu / caramelized banana

Nenthra pazham / Ethapazham...Kerala's own variety of banana.

I have fond memories associated with this banana. My mom used to make a variety of dishes with it, this recipe being one of them. I have not added the 'frills' mom used to add....a sprinkling of coconut and a pinch of cardamom....as I was in too much hurry to gobble up my childhood favorite!

I love having it with salty banana chips, made from the same variety of unripe banana.
Sweet caramelized banana with salty crispy chips. Match made in Heaven.

Ingredients:

Ripe nenthra pazham - 2
Jaggery / sharkara - 1/3 cup to 1/2 cup
Ghee -1 tsp
Coconut - 2 tbsp (optional)
Cardamom / elaichi powder - 1 tsp (optional)

Method:

Cut each banana, with skin into 2 or 3 pieces. Steam over boiling water for about 10 minutes till the insides are cooked.

Melt the jaggery and add the skinned banana to this and mix well.

When all the water from the jaggery evaporates and the banana gets well coated, add the ghee.

Mix well, turn off flame. That's it!
Add the coconut and elaichi powder, if using, as garnish.