Glazed Banana Spiced Loaf

The lemony glaze perfectly sets off the warm flavours of nutmeg and cloves in this moist banana teabread!!! (Recipe source: children's party cakes and cookies by Martha Day)

Ingredients:

1/2 cup butter, at room temperature

3/4 cup caster sugar

2 eggs,at room temperature

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 tsp salt

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp freshly greated nutmeg

1/4 tsp mixed (apple pie) spice

1/4 tsp ground cloves

3/4 cup sour cream

1 large ripe banana, mashed

1 tsp vanilla essence

For the glaze

1 cup icing suger

1-2 table spoon lemon juice

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 180degree C. Line a 23 x 13cm/ 9 x 5in loaf tin (pan) with baking parchment and grease the papaer.


2. Cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.


3. Sift together the flour, salt baking soda, nutmeg, mixed spices and cloves. Add to the butter mixture and stir to combine well.


4. Add the sour cream, banana and vanilla extract, and mix to just blend. Pour this mixture into the prepared tin.


5. Bake until the top springs back when touched lightly, about 45-50 minutes. Cool in the tin for 10 minutes. Turn out on to a wire rack.


6. To make the glaze, combine the icing sugar and lomon juice until smooth, then stir until smooth. Place the cooled loaf on a rack set over a baking sheet. Pour the glaze over the loaf and allow to set.

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Eggless Chocolate Mousse

I am back after Summer Holidays!!!!!

I was on my summer vacation for the last couple of months. I had a very good time in India attending lot of weddings. After coming back my dear friend Bharathy kept on asking why I don’t post something on the blog…and my answer was I will…it took one month for me to get over my holiday hangover!!! This being my first post in almost 3 months, I thought something sweet was appropriate. So here is the recipe for Eggless Chocolate Mousse!

Eggless Chocolate Mousse
Recipe source: Nita Metha's Desserts and Puddings

Ingredients:
Milk-4 cups / 950 ml
Cornflour-2 ½ tablespoons

Cocoa powder-3 tablespoons

Sugar-8 table spoons
Cream- 1 ½ cups ( 300 gms)
Gelatin- 4 teaspoons
Vanilla essence- 1 teaspoons

Method:

• Mix cocoa and corn flour in 1/2 cup milk.
• Boil the rest of milk with sugar.
• Add dissolved cocoa and corn flour to the milk, stirring continuously.
• Cook on low heat for 3-4 minutes. Keep aside.
• Put 4 tbsp water in a small pan. Sprinkle gelatin on it. Heat on low flame to dissolve it. Do not boil.
• Mix the gelatin with the custard. Chill in the freezer till thick, but not set.
• Beat the thick chocolate custard. Add cream and essence and mix gently.
• Pour in six mousse cups. Chill in the freezer till set properly.
• Transfer to a shelf of the refrigerator, but 15 minutes before serving, return to the freezer.
• Sprinkle each cup with a little cocoa powder and powdered sugar at the time of serving.
• Decorate with whipped cream.

I am delighted to receive the Chat Award from Purnima of Fantasy Cooking. I am forwarding the same to my dear friend Bharathy!

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Keema Paratha

Filling

250gm keema (minced meat)
1 onion- chopped finely
2 tsp ginger- chopped finely
1/2 carrot- chopped finely
3 tbsp oil
1 tsp coriander powder
1/2 tsp garam masala
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp red chilli powder
2 green chillies- chopped
1 tbsp finely chopped fresh coriander

Dough

2 cups Wheat flour
1/2 tsp salt
1 tbsp ghee

Topping

1 tbsp kasoori methi (dry fenugreek leaves)

Method:
1. To prepare the dough, sift flour and salt. Rub in 1 tbsp ghee. Add enough water to make a dough. Keep aside for 30 minutes.
2. To prepare the filling, heat 3 tbsp oil and fry the chopped onion until rich brown. Add keema ( mince), carrot and ginger and mix well. Reduce heat. Add salt, coriander powder, red chilli powder and garam masala. Fry for 1-2 minutes. Cook covered on low heat for about 5 minutes, till the mince is cooked.
3. Add green chillies and 1 tbsp finely chopped coriander. If there is any water, uncover and dry the mince on fire. Keep the stuffing aside.
4. Divide the dough in to 10 equal parts. Shape into round balls. Flatten each ball, roll out each into a round of 5" diameter. Spread 1-2 tbsp of filling all over.
5. Make a slit, starting from the centre till any one end. Start rolling from the slit, to form an even cone. Keeping the cone upright, press slightly.
6. Roll out, applying pressure only at the centre. Do not roll or press too much on the sides, otherwise layers of the paratha donot separate after cooking.
7. Sprinkle some kasoori methi and press with a rolling pin.
8. Cook it on hot tawa on both sides, spread some ghee and serve hot.

This goes to Srivalli's Roti Mela

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Chocolate Coconut Frosties

Ingredients:

125gm (4oz) butter, cubed and softened
1 cup (125gm/ 4oz) icing sugar, sifted
1 egg
11/4 cups (155gm/ 5 oz) plain flour
1 tsp baking powder
2 tbsp cocoa powder
1/2 cup(45gm/ 1 1/2 oz) desiccated coconut
1/2 cup (60gm/ 2 oz) chopped walnuts
Shredded or flaked coconut, to decorate

Chocolate Frosting

100 gm (3 1/2 oz) dark chocolate
50 gm (1 3/4 oz) butter
1 tbsp icing sugar

Method:

1-preheat the oven to moderate 180 degree C (350F/ Gas 4). Line a baking tray with baking paper. Beat the butter and icing sugar until light and creamy. Add the egg and beat until well combined.
2-Sift the combined flour, baking powder and cocoa into a bowl. Fold into the butter mixture with the coconut and walnuts. The mixture will be very stiff.
3-Place slightly heaped tablespoons of the mixture well apart onto the prepared tray. Bake for 15-20 minutes, or until lightly browned. Leave on the tray for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool.
4-To make the chocolate frosting, melt the chocolate, butter and icing sugar in a small bowl over a pan of simmering water. Leave to cool until the mixture has thickened, stirring occasionally.
5-Spread the frosting onto the cooled biscuits and sprinkle with the coconut while the frosting if still wet.

Makes about 20

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Mixed Fruit Smoothie

A healthy and refreshing smoothie for any time of the day!

Ingredients:
Orange-1
Leamon-1/2
Apple-1
Mango-1 (I used 3/4 cup of frozen mango pulp)
Strawberry-10
Banana-1 small
Sugar-5 tbsp
Water-2-3 cups
Method:

1- Blend together orange segments and lemon with 1 cup water and strain the juice.
2- In to this strained juice add peeled and cut apple, mango, banana, strawberry, sugar and water and blend to a smooth puree. Pour in to glasses and serve.

Note: You can increase or decrease water and sugar according to personal taste. You can even substitute any kind of fruits of your choice.

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Microwave Khandvi

Recently I tried Microwave Khandvi recipe from Sia of Monsoon Spice and it come out very good. You can view her original post with beautiful detailed photographs here. This is the first time I am making a Gujarati dish. Thank you Sia for posting this recipe and your method was very easy to follow. Here is her recipe reproduced

Ingredients:

ForBatter:

1cup Besan /Gram Flour
3cups Sour Butter Milk / 1cup Sour Yogurt + 2 cups Water

1-2 Green Chillies, ground to paste

½inch Ginger, ground to paste

A big pinch of Hing / Asafoetida

A big pinch of Turmeric Powder

Salt to taste

For Tempering:

1tsp Mustard Seeds

2-3 Green Chillies, finely chopped

1tbsp Fresh Coconut grates
1-2tbsp Coriander Leaves, finely chopped

1 tbsp Oil

Method:

Take gram flour, turmeric powder, chilli and ginger paste, hing and salt to taste in a microwave safe bowl and mix well. Add butter milk to the mixture and mix well with a egg beater or spatula taking care that no lumps is formed. The batter should be thin and flowing without any lumps.

Place the bowl in a microwave and cook at high speed for 5 mins. Remove the bowl and mix the contents well.

Mean while, keep ready 2-3 steel plates or glass chopping board as I have used and a spatula to spread the batter. Don’t grease them with oil.

Place again in a microwave and cook uncovered for another 5 mins. Mix well and check if you can spread them thinly on the back of steel plates or glass chopping board. If the mixture is still runny, place it again in microwave and cook for another 2-4 mins.Spread the thick batter quickly on the back of steel plates or glass chopping bowl. Spread it as thinly as possible.

Let it cool for 2-3 minutes. Then slice them with knife into 2 inch long stripes and roll each stripe neatly. Place each rolls in a serving dish.

For tempering, heat oil in a skillet and add mustard seeds to it. When mustard starts to pop and splutter, add chopped green chillies and sauté it for few seconds.Spread them evenly over rolled Khandvi.

Serve them immediately garnished with coconut grates and chopped coriander leaves and enjoy!!!

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Idiyappam

Idiyappam is a famous typical Kerala breakfast. It is also known to as Noolappam in some parts of Kerala. The best thing about this is it will go very well with any kind of veg or non-veg Kerala dish or even with sugar!!!!

Ingredients:

Rice flour – 1 cup
Ghee- 1 tsp
Salt to taste
Boiled water
Freshly grated coconut-1/2 cup

Idiyappam with Kadala curry

Method:

Boil 1 cup of water and keep aside for 5 minutes. Meanwhile mix rice flour, ghee and salt well. Add boiled water little at a time mixing well with a spoon, till the dough is soft to touch. Take this dough and put in to an Idiappam press. Press a layer onto idly moulds in circular motion add 1 tbsp of grated coconut in between and press the dough on top of coconut. Continue till whole dough finishes. Steam in a pressure cooker or in an appachembu till Idiappam is well cooked. Serve with egg roast/ stew/ kadala curry or sugar.

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Lassi

Ingredients:
Curd-1 cup
Cold water-1/4 cup
Sugar- 3 tbsp or to taste
Ginger-1" piece

Method:
Mix curd, water, sugar and ginger in a blender. Blend for few seconds. Pour in individual glasses over ice, garnish with mint sprig and serve.

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Ethakka Vazhattiyathu / Fried Banana in Ghee

This is one of the simple and very tasty snacks my mom used to make. I still love this one any time of the day!!!!

Ingredients:
Ethakka/ Banana-2
Ghee-4 table spoon
Sugar-5 tbsp

Method:
Cut bananas in 1/2" circles. In a pan put banana pieces, sugar and ghee and cook in medium flame stirring in between till bananas turn golden brown. Serve warm!!!

Note:
You can adjust sugar according to personal taste. You can even reduce the amount of ghee if you make it in a non-stick pan….but tastier with lot of ghee!!!

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Cabbage and Carrot Thoran

Ingredients:

Cabbage -1 cup, shredded
Carrot - 1 no, grated
Freshly grated coconut- 1/2cup
Onion -1 medium
Green chilles-3 nos
Garlic -3 cloves
Cumin Seeds-1/4tsp
Turmeric powder- a pinch
Salt to taste
Mustard seeds - 1/2tsp
Curry Leaves- 2 springs
Oil -1tblsp

Method:

Grind coarsely, coconut, onion, green chilies, garlic, cumin seeds and turmeric powder and salt. Heat oil in a frying pan and fry mustard seeds. Add coarsely ground coconut mixture and curry leaves and fry for one minute. In to this add shredded cabbage and grated carrot. Mix well, cover and cook on low flame for 3 minutes. Open lid and stir well until all the water in it evaporates. Serve hot as a side dish with boiled rice.

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