Chocolate cup cake

Makes 12 cupcakes.

100 gms powdered sugar
65 gms cooking chocolate, broken into small pieces
175 ml milk
150 gms flour
2 tsp Baking powder
65 gms butter
2 tbsp chocolate chips
1 small egg
1 tsp vanilla essence
a pinch of salt

Heat oven to 180C.
Sieve the flour , baking powder and salt.
Mix 50 gms of sugar and cooking chocolate in a bowl.
Boil the milk and pour on top of the chocolate sugar mix. Beat well.
Beat the rest of the sugar and butter until creamy.
Add the vanilla and egg. Beat for some more time.
Mix the chocolate milk mixture with the butter sugar egg mixture.
Add the chocolate chips and slowly fold in the flour.
Divide the mixture among 12 cupcake moulds.
Bake for 20 minutes.
Cool and glaze with melted chocolate and sprinkles.

Kosu Malli from Chettinad

When we were travelling in Tamil Nadu, we stayed over night at the UNESCO heritage village of Chettinad and here they served us a watery tangy spicy dish. And on enquiry, I was surprised to know that one of the key ingredients in the dish was Brinjal / Aubergine.This recipe was what the chef / cook told the bearer and was passed on to me. It took me nearly 3 attempts to get it right.

The only thing that adds spice to this curry is the Green chilly. I found 4 chillies suit us, adjust according to your family taste buds.

This dish is VERY good with idiyappam.

Ingredients:
Potato - 4 medium
Brinjal -  3 small or 1/2 of an large aubergine / bharta baingan
Onion -  1 small, chopped fine
Green Chilly  - 4 or more , chopped fine
Ginger - 1 inch, minced
Oil - 2 tbsp
Mustard - 1 tsp
Urad dal - 1 tsp
Curry Leaf - 7
Salt to taste
Turmeric powder - 1 tsp
Coriander leaf (malli)- 4 tbsp
Lemon juice - 3 tbsp or more

Method:
Pressure cook the potato and brinjal. Peel skin. Mash well and add enough water (about 3 cups) to make it a loose liquid.
Heat oil. Splutter the mustard , urad dal , red chilli and curry leaves.
Add the ginger, green chillies and onion.
Reduce flame and cook for 2 minutes.
Add salt , turmeric powder and then add the brinjal - potato liquid.
Boil for 2 minutes, turn off flame.

Just before serving, boil the curry again and turn off the flame.
Now add the coriander leaf and lemon juice.
Taste and add more salt or lemon juice.

My lettuce salad

• Iceberg Lettuce - 1, washed and torn by hand into bite size pieces.
• Tomato - 1 large , deseeded and cut into small cubes
• Yellow and Green Capsicum - 1/2 each , deseeded and cut into small pieces.

       Mix and chill.

• Bread - 4 slices

       Cut each bread into 12 pieces and toast in oven at 200C for 10 minutes
 (or) Toast until crisp on hot tava.

• To be mixed together for Dressing:

Small onion - 4 , minced fine

Garlic - 1 clove - minced fine

Lemon juice - 3 tbsp

Olive oil - 6 tbsp

salt

Sugar - 1/2 tsp

pepper - 1/2 tsp

English mustard - 3/4 tsp

Before serving add the toasted bread and dressing to vegetables.
Taste and adjust seasoning.

Pink Soup

Onion - 1 medium , chopped
Garlic - 2 cloves , crushed
Celery - 1 stalk , diced
Potato - 1 medium
Carrot - 1 medium
Pumpkin - 3 cups
Beetroot - 1 large
salt
Pepper - 1 tsp
Rosemary - 1 healthy pinch
Thyme - 1 healthy pinch
Oil - 2 tbsp (olive oil preferably)
Milk - 1 cup
Water -2 cups

Cut all the vegetables into big chunks.
Heat oil in a heavy bottomed pan or pressure cooker.
Saute the onion , garlic and celery on a low flame for 5 minutes.
Next add in all the other vegetables.
Saute these for 5 minutes on medium flame.
Add the rest of the ingredients and cook covered.
(Pressure cooker = 4 whistles + 10 minutes on low flame.
Heavy bottomed vessel with lid needs atleast 1 hour on slow simmer.)
All the vegetables must be well cooked.
Cool and puree or use an immersion beater.
Add more water to loosen and adjust seasoning.
Heat the puree again before serving.
Serve topped with croutons and more olive oil.

Tilwale Aloo Gobi

Potato - 3 medium, cubed
Cauliflower - 10 small florets , broken into smaller pieces
Ginger - 1 inch, julienned
Green chilli - 2, slit
Curry leaf - 15
Onion - 1 medium, minced
Mustard - 1 tsp
Jeera - 1 tsp
salt
Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
Chilli powder - 1/2 tsp
Coriander leaf - 5 tbsp
(opt) Coconut - 2 tbsp
Sesame seeds - 3 tbsp
Lemon juice - 2tbsp (adjust to taste)
Oil - 2 tbsp

Boil the potato cubes in salted water and when half cooked add the cauliflower.
Toast the sesame seeds till it turns golden and starts to pop. Keep aside to cool..
Heat oil , splutter mustard and jeera.
Add the onion, ginger, chilli and curry leaf.
Saute for 2 minutes on medium flame.
Add the turmeric powder and chilli powder.
Add the vegetables and fry till all water has evaporated.
Adjust salt.
Add the coconut and coriander leaf.
Continue cooking on a low flame for 1 more minute.

If you plan to serve later. Stop now.

Before serving heat the dish well and turn off flame before proceeding.

Add the lemon juice.
Mix well and adjust the taste.
Garnish with the til seeds.

Tapioca Thoran - 3

Tapioca with Coriander is not an oft seen combination. But this recipe uses coriander leaf with tapioca and gives it a beautiful flavor. A very different recipe.

This recipe was given to me by my cousin - Leena Balasubramaniam

Ingredients:
Tapioca - 1 large, cut into bite size chunks
Coconut oil - 3tbsp
Mustard - 1 tsp
Curry leaf - 4
Red chillies - 2 , broken
Salt
Turmeric powder - 1 tsp

To be ground coarsely:
Coconut - 1 1/2 cups
Small onion - 5
Red chillies - 3
Coriander leaf - 4 stalks
Opt: Garlic - 2 pods

Method:
Boil / pressure cook the tapioca in ample water with little salt and turmeric powder until it becomes soft and biteable.
Drain the water and keep aside.
Heat oil and add the mustard, red chillies and curry leaves.
Into this tip the ground coconut mixture and saute until good smell comes (2 min on medium flame).
Add the salt and turmeric powder. Mix well.
Add the tapioca and stir to coat with mixture.
Cover and cook for 5 minutes.
Open lid and cook a further 5 minutes.
Serve hot.

Tapioca thoran - 2

This recipe is how we usually make tapioca thoran at home. The same way we would make beans, cabbage or beetroot. It is a very easy recipe and highlights Tapioca as the star.
Serve with sambar or rasam.
I have used coconut oil in this recipe as we Keralites use this oil the most.
If you prefer to not use coconut oil, use vegetable oil, but surely not any other oil.

Ingredients:
Tapioca -1 large , cut into bite size chunks and cooked
Small onion / shallots - 10 , chopped fine
Coconut oil - 5 tbsp
Mustard - 1 tsp
Urad dal - 1 tsp
Curry leaf - 10
Coconut -1 cup
Green chilli - 3 , chopped

Method:
Grind the coconut and green chillies together without any water and keep aside.
Heat the coconut oil and splutter mustard.
Add the urad dal and fry till golden.
Add the onion (if using) and curry leaves. Fry on low flame till transparent.
Add the salt and turrmeric powder.
Now add the tapioca and mix well.
Add the ground coconut , green chilli mixture. Mix well.
You can continue cooking till the edges of the tapioca turn crisp.
Serve hot.