tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-91347937285098111692024-03-12T20:03:54.993-04:00Ghar ka KhanaGhar ka bana,Ghar ka khana mein hum apka swagath karte hain aur asha karte hain ki apko humara banaya khana pasand aaye !Deepa Rajagopalanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04520332608776058191noreply@blogger.comBlogger25125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9134793728509811169.post-63176000089984845152014-09-20T23:45:00.001-04:002014-09-20T23:46:09.109-04:00Aloo Paratha (Parathas with potato filling)<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<i><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b><span style="font-size: large;"> </span><span style="font-size: x-large;">I</span>t is my belief that the humble potato is the most versatile of all vegetables :) Versatile, because you can make absolutely anything with this tasteless veggie. Either fry it, bake it or mash it with salt, or a little sugar, spice it up or just eat it plain boiled... the tattie will seldom disappoint you. And why should it? After all, its what most of the world is eating right now..... as the famous 'French Fries' ;)) Potatoes are a rich source of carbohydrates and often consumed in lieu of rice, which is a staple diet of most Asians. We south Indians, especially tamilans sometimes avoid 'the spuds' like plague as they are known to produce a lot of gas and ahem, no one wants to be around a 'gassy' person :) Even though there are tonnes of recipes that use the potato, to me the aloo symbolizes just one tasty dish... my favorite 'aloo ka paratha'. Piping hot aloo parathas with curd (dahi) and home made avakkai urugai (mango pickle) were indeed a very welcoming site for a frosty winter morning. The combo of curd and acchar (especially mom's tomato pickle) is truly unbeatable! Truth be said, I can never eat these parathas with any curry or veggie fry... the original paratha taste is always lost. I did eat a lot of these with jam...hmmm, now that's another good combo, especially for kids. Smear jam and roll it up or just eat each small paratha piece with a little jam. As a kid, I always felt an awe watching my mom make these parathas. It seemed a big deal back then, but now making them is a breeze. Just knead the wheat dough for the paratha, boil the tatties and add all the masalas, stuff them in the wheat dough and make parathas. This recipe is so simple, you will most probably find yourself making this ever so often, just like me. Make it for a hearty breakfast or a heavy dinner, you will love it. You can even make it any style....south or north Indian, just alter the masalas you add to the boiled potatoes. And it is a time saver, especially when you are out of veggies and the only veggies you have in the fridge are the beloved tatties! And don't forget the curd and pickle :) Indeed this was the best breakfast ever at home and a family favorite...with my dad, my brother, my mom and me all gathered at the family table enjoying warm parathas with curd and mummy's home made tomato pickle :)</b></span></i><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My Mummy made this :) Love her for my favorite dish!</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b><i>Ingredients:</i></b> South Indian style</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Potatoes - 8 (medium sized, red or white russet variety)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Onions - 1 (finely chopped)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Chilli powder - 1 to 1 1/2 tsps (add more as per taste)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Mustard - 1/2 tsp (optional for seasoning)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Salt - to taste</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Oil - </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">2 tsps for tadka (seasoning) and 5 tbsps for making paratha</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Dry atta(wheat flour) - about 1 cup (to dredge stuffed atta while making paratha)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b><i>Ingredients: </i></b>North Indian Style</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Potatoes - 8 (medium sized red, or white russet variety)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Onions - 1 (finely chopped)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Chilli powder - 1 to 1 1/2 tsps (this is optional if using green chillies, so add as per taste)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp</span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> (optional for seasoning)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Salt - to taste</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Jeera - 1 tsp </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">(optional for seasoning)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Green chillies - 1 (finely chopped)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Garam masala - 1/2 - 1 tsps (I use ready made masala)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Amchur (dried mango powder) - 1/4 tsp or more ( this is optional, but gives a tang to the masala)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Oil - 2 tsps for tadka (seasoning) and 5 tbsps for making paratha</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Dry atta(wheat flour) - about 1 cup (to dredge stuffed atta while making paratha)</span></div>
<i><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></i><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b style="font-style: italic;">Ingredients: </b>Paratha dough</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Atta (wheat flour) - 4 tea cups </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Salt - a pinch</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Water - about 2 cups or as required</span><br />
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<i><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>Method:</b></span></i>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">1) Wash and cut the potatoes in half. Boil them in a pressure cooker with just enough water so as to immerse them. About 2 whistles in the cooker with around 5 minutes of simmer time are enough to cook them. Allow the potatoes to cool until they are just luke warm to the touch. </span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Boiled potatoes with skin</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">2) Peel the potatoes when still warm and mash them in a container. Use a potato masher, a ladle or just your hands. If you allow them to cool completely, it will become difficult to mash and you will end up with big chunky pieces. Set aside.</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Boiled potatoes without skin</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Warm mashed potatoes</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">3) Measure the atta (wheat flour) in a container, add salt and required water. Knead into a pliable soft dough. I usually place the kneaded dough in the fridge for a couple of hours as I am not very adept at making parathas with freshly prepared dough. Don't forget to cover the dough lest you want odors from the items in the fridge to add to your paratha flavor.</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kneaded dough</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">4) Next, heat the 2 tbsp of oil in a kadai or thick saucepan. Chop the onions finely and set aside. </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">For South Indian style, o</span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">nce oil is hot enough, add mustard if you want to, then add chilli powder, turmeric powder and stir fry without burning the masalas. Add the chopped onions and fry till the onions are dark brown. Add salt to the onions. Then add the mashed potatoes and turn off the gas. Mix the potatoes with the onions nicely so that the salt and chilli powder are evenly coated over them. Add more salt/ chilli powder if needed. chop green coriander and garnish once mixture is cooled (optional).</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Stir frying onions with turmeric and chilli powder</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">South Indian style stuffing</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">For North Indian style stuffing, heat 2 tbsps of oil and when it is hot enough, add the jeera and allow it to splutter. Lower heat and then add the chopped green chillies, followed by turmeric powder and garam masala powder. Add 1/2 tsp of chilli powder if more spicy stuffing is needed. Add chopped onion, stir fry till golden brown and add the potatoes and salt. Turn off heat and mix well to make a homogenous mixture. Add amchur powder if needed.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">5) Heat a tava or skillet. Take a small lemon sized ball of atta (kneaded wheat flour) and flatten it out into a disc with the center slightly thick and the edges slightly thinner than the center. Take a tablespoon of the stuffing and place it in the center of the flattened atta disc. Hold the disc with stuffing in the palm of one hand and with the other gently, fold the atta over the stuffing, sealing it within the atta. </span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Stuffing in the center of the flattened atta disc</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Atta disc with the stuffing </td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">6) Dredge the stuffed atta disc in dry flour and roll it into flat thin/ thick parathas. My mother likes to roll her aloo parathas really thin, almost like rotis, and nowadays, I do the same :) I know a lot of people associate a paratha to be very thick...actually that's how its supposed to be, but then,sometimes we all do our own thing! I find that rolling mine somewhat thin helps the stuffing to spread evenly and the paratha cooks very evenly too.</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Aloo paratha rolled and ready for cooking</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">7) Heat the tava on high and place the rolled paratha over it. When the color of the dough changes slightly, flip over and smear oil evenly over the paratha. Now lower the flame and when you see dark spots or bubbles forming, flip again, smear oil and allow to cook. Ensure that oil is sufficient and paratha does not burn. The hallmark of the aloo paratha is that it should appear oily, as that's where all the taste is ;)) So, don't cut back on the oil.. be liberal, enjoy a hearty meal....count the calories and number of parathas eaten later.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlpCjBsy5SWeWsaZV5HPefGF3LsfA70ipHLxd_XXaPLNjjdtp2l1UC76fwRjnCSVxWCBSfQlP6NB4jKbiNAW-Y21GckwGIIxTAUXaHIzPLgQTccyza8skq4Kmpf5VG5BrbjlPuJax1bV6W/s1600/PA040758.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlpCjBsy5SWeWsaZV5HPefGF3LsfA70ipHLxd_XXaPLNjjdtp2l1UC76fwRjnCSVxWCBSfQlP6NB4jKbiNAW-Y21GckwGIIxTAUXaHIzPLgQTccyza8skq4Kmpf5VG5BrbjlPuJax1bV6W/s1600/PA040758.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Color of paratha changing when slightly cooked</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRHo_R1aEH9QZY2gFWBhGp-ff6RUWLaZ7vOrK6oNrklrmUu-cRlXITBEozL4CqpS673P_0xyxf-WXPpMtnBi0UxTjmGbTwqs7mZzPIJTg522p1YOfX6yLXgt4KLH6NF2CWb0Gc9nKC0Z-A/s1600/PA040759.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRHo_R1aEH9QZY2gFWBhGp-ff6RUWLaZ7vOrK6oNrklrmUu-cRlXITBEozL4CqpS673P_0xyxf-WXPpMtnBi0UxTjmGbTwqs7mZzPIJTg522p1YOfX6yLXgt4KLH6NF2CWb0Gc9nKC0Z-A/s1600/PA040759.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Oil smeared paratha flipped over</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">8) When both sides of the paratha are cooked evenly, remove from the stove and place on a plate or casserole (hotcase) to keep warm. This paratha is best eaten piping hot, especially in winters. Serve with curd and pickle, like I said above for best taste :) Or eat it with raita, raw green chilly and onion....hmm, from what I remember there were times I ate this with salted butter, in lieu of curd. Yup, I love this paratha with a dollop of jam too. And it tastes good plain too, all by itself, without the accompaniments.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNeVUEZC7s9AZ6vl41Ne4ENKqlBv61QDHUEkXclqmGAhNSDbwl1lNoPXVQ9a_-d3kss76nGQuGmjGBNgCragETed3a0fh7-k8hXhOG8EiOLjjIRxsTs5BpdPbBc5wLrKJXILo-dkX4JR1A/s1600/PA040760.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNeVUEZC7s9AZ6vl41Ne4ENKqlBv61QDHUEkXclqmGAhNSDbwl1lNoPXVQ9a_-d3kss76nGQuGmjGBNgCragETed3a0fh7-k8hXhOG8EiOLjjIRxsTs5BpdPbBc5wLrKJXILo-dkX4JR1A/s1600/PA040760.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Aloo paratha waiting to be eaten!</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><i><b>Note:</b> </i>Don't fret if the paratha is not spicy enough when eaten plain. That's where the pickle comes in..to make up for any lack of taste. If you want to avoid pickle, make the stuffing spicy or better still add chat masala to the katori of curd. Any leftover stuffing can be used as masala for dosa, to make aloo bonda, tikki, sandwich base, pav bhaji masala, stuffed bread roll etc.In short, there are no dearth of recipes you can make with the spud! </span><br />
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Deepa Rajagopalanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04520332608776058191noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9134793728509811169.post-24315484592648067002013-06-06T17:50:00.002-04:002013-06-06T17:50:25.860-04:00Marble Cake<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfbWuz2e_Qtt7OzdNaGBGXaQ-1zlb1mJWi1PnlngVxMaD8VH6WsQ2hJlruEFaJGXlHI_U7k6JE22IbHRIOMm33yXDKgg6BuAXD1rjhCltZNebPZly1S51mnOtSU28FhJzADK65h3p7KeRW/s1600/P3150968.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfbWuz2e_Qtt7OzdNaGBGXaQ-1zlb1mJWi1PnlngVxMaD8VH6WsQ2hJlruEFaJGXlHI_U7k6JE22IbHRIOMm33yXDKgg6BuAXD1rjhCltZNebPZly1S51mnOtSU28FhJzADK65h3p7KeRW/s640/P3150968.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: x-large; font-style: italic;"><b> N</b></span><b><i>ope, the marble cake does not have the round marbles we used to play as children ;) In fact, this cake originated in Germany somewhere in the 19th century, when a batter with darker ingredients was lightly mixed into a yellow cake batter, to create a streaked or mottled appearance, something similar to our childhood marbles. The original marble cakes were made using molasses and different spices, especially cinnamon. When many German bakers immigrated to the US after the world wars, they began using chocolate instead of the spices, thus giving us today's famous marble cake.... lovely chocolate swirls inside a vanilla cake :) It need not always be chocolate, I later came to know.The marbling effect can also be done using pink food color (rose milk, in India) or with multiple food colors (red, green, chocolate and vanilla). If I can remember well, my mom's marble cake was usually a pink and white color cake. An avid baker, she seldom repeated the same cake recipes. So, sometimes it was chocolate swirls, rainbow marble cake or </i></b></span><b style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><i>her favorite pink and white. Yup, I very well remember it being a part of my snack/ lunch box. The recipe I have posted here is from her collection and the some of the photos are of the cake I baked in my mother's home, this last trip to India in December 2012.</i></b><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Triple colored marble cake</td></tr>
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<b><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Ingredients:</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">All purpose flour - 2 cups</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Sugar - 1 cup</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Baking powder - 2 tsps</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Oil - 1/2 cup + 2 tbsps</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Eggs - 4 ( I used large white eggs at room temperature)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Milk - 1/2 cup (optional, add only if you feel adding oil does not bring out batter consistency)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Vanilla essence - 1 tsp</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Salt - 1/4 tsp</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Cocoa powder - 1 and 1/2 tbsps (for triple colored marble cake)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Rose pink essence - 1 tsp or 1 and 1/2 tsp if you want a darker color (I used the Indian 'rose milk' essence and the smell and taste overpowered the vanilla flavor. Luckily this subsided after a day and the cake tasted much better the next day. Truth is, baked goods always taste better after a day. Use an essence or food color which is less overpowering. Actually, any color of your choice will do. Hmm...I am yet to try using food colors in my baking)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>Method:</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">1) Preheat the oven to 35<span style="line-height: 19.1875px;">0 degrees. Grease and flour either a 9 inch round pan or a 9.5 inch square pan. I tried baking this cake in both types of pans. The pink and white cake was baked in a round pan and the multicolored one in the square pan.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">2) Sift together the flour, baking powder and salt in a large bowl. To this, add the sugar. Since we get finely granulated white sugar here in the US, I just add it. But in India, it is better to first powder the sugar as the crystals are bigger. While measuring, take a 1 cup measure and then powder it. If directly using powdered sugar, you may need 1 and 1/4 cups, but I am not too sure of this measurement :) Mix the dry ingredients well with a whisk.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5qtYRy9_vd1VzxCjvm8M3-UNxLcqzxsRPGH9QVKqe8A-StYbX3MU6OTPRdCyDeBQOoVbIAujzAVENLhNjqDkDrUEtrx6Wvawuu3O6I5TYIhWVpr9RvtA4ujtdqlR2Dt0EUWzXcWr_CVDQ/s1600/P2040691.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5qtYRy9_vd1VzxCjvm8M3-UNxLcqzxsRPGH9QVKqe8A-StYbX3MU6OTPRdCyDeBQOoVbIAujzAVENLhNjqDkDrUEtrx6Wvawuu3O6I5TYIhWVpr9RvtA4ujtdqlR2Dt0EUWzXcWr_CVDQ/s640/P2040691.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sifted flour with salt and baking powder</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoOdnDyBKMSD1kvNkwjcyx0hZZZgx6Rze8qOyDrIf-YezAh3uuBLymKJ6jkrCI7aeBvUrqSGjciOS-ocyfaNcERRZCumb4eWgr1PuZOECwZiISMMEdOZdi8tsFDt794ssqFKlFWkus0HPq/s1600/P3140936.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoOdnDyBKMSD1kvNkwjcyx0hZZZgx6Rze8qOyDrIf-YezAh3uuBLymKJ6jkrCI7aeBvUrqSGjciOS-ocyfaNcERRZCumb4eWgr1PuZOECwZiISMMEdOZdi8tsFDt794ssqFKlFWkus0HPq/s640/P3140936.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Adding sugar to the flour</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">3) In another bowl, beat the 4 eggs on medium speed till they are frothy. Should take a minute for this. Add vanilla essence and beat for 10 seconds.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipxe7ZITRJxFs7DD1_zjco4M0iuOX5BrGngvTual0TJVqmO3LF2WrqiVhWRlaP1Ue80Faolk-IrUMxoqeBcEc5dgW1Xu3rF_Z53mnXgyEmVKNUI4F3JDINhR_2uaUCTf1FUujOIvKxjAFP/s1600/P3140937.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipxe7ZITRJxFs7DD1_zjco4M0iuOX5BrGngvTual0TJVqmO3LF2WrqiVhWRlaP1Ue80Faolk-IrUMxoqeBcEc5dgW1Xu3rF_Z53mnXgyEmVKNUI4F3JDINhR_2uaUCTf1FUujOIvKxjAFP/s640/P3140937.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Beaten eggs with vanilla essence</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">4) Now make a well in the center of the bowl containing all the dry ingredients. Pour the oil and milk into this well and cut and fold the dry ingredients with this, mixing well.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcWktPrZ87vQXBIBCV3zTRUwEH3XLba6OBMRSqqQeTnd9lngq8hcgm141f-QEskQuqLmJ7KI6YwIB8-sYzvDYJb-hqNlyfxEyqZMSImRna_JGsUWt1Gt534hJJFpFjp5VL9-fp_AqzkFv7/s1600/P3140938.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcWktPrZ87vQXBIBCV3zTRUwEH3XLba6OBMRSqqQeTnd9lngq8hcgm141f-QEskQuqLmJ7KI6YwIB8-sYzvDYJb-hqNlyfxEyqZMSImRna_JGsUWt1Gt534hJJFpFjp5VL9-fp_AqzkFv7/s640/P3140938.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pouring oil in the 'well' :)</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmMfMEM15amDkLy0QoCtNN0iO5A45G4nzyp5LxIPXg2bDIMH_iPEfo_-3h1mWty_Hw5IIJsqQFwOiYtzPpJPVaoLYKAPG9ujhXmFKcDnzPmLSgsZcLEShPZvkfuvi8Yx8PZenfypydkOTC/s1600/P3140940.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmMfMEM15amDkLy0QoCtNN0iO5A45G4nzyp5LxIPXg2bDIMH_iPEfo_-3h1mWty_Hw5IIJsqQFwOiYtzPpJPVaoLYKAPG9ujhXmFKcDnzPmLSgsZcLEShPZvkfuvi8Yx8PZenfypydkOTC/s640/P3140940.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mixing eggs with dry ingredients</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcK1v029T9-QiU4AcbhFp8zlKx41wBDh5NydE10wINnfQ1wu8gY7Jb0PpHX1HFd4OF4hLiD63MzBx25VS6Sh1zm1oLkYRJE5ETt-hCeTom2T9UG9UjG1AfDpFrvsTPD1xSbpkXmoND81ZW/s1600/P3140941.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcK1v029T9-QiU4AcbhFp8zlKx41wBDh5NydE10wINnfQ1wu8gY7Jb0PpHX1HFd4OF4hLiD63MzBx25VS6Sh1zm1oLkYRJE5ETt-hCeTom2T9UG9UjG1AfDpFrvsTPD1xSbpkXmoND81ZW/s640/P3140941.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">All mixed well :)</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">5) Divide the batter into two halves, if you want to marble it pink and white. To one half, add the pink food color and mix well, taking care not to over mix. If using a round pan, first pour in the white vanilla batter in a semi-circle, taking care to keep it on one side of the pan. Now pour the pink colored batter on the other side of the pan in a semi-circle, completing the circle of white and pink batter. The batter may seem to get mixed up, but don't worry,they won't. Repeat the same process, if using 3 colors too.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjNH0abQIWaOKn92F4mfzT5sitgJVwMZVco8TMBv7oPCk2kaY51coZ-UejE7nOBixBiecjXDZr2AqPjYh4dFU-_cZH1IQASFVP3P059bKUrXslFl5yR-NXdubjfDbIW2di-eF6-JYWimFZ/s1600/P3140943.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjNH0abQIWaOKn92F4mfzT5sitgJVwMZVco8TMBv7oPCk2kaY51coZ-UejE7nOBixBiecjXDZr2AqPjYh4dFU-_cZH1IQASFVP3P059bKUrXslFl5yR-NXdubjfDbIW2di-eF6-JYWimFZ/s640/P3140943.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Batter colored pink :)</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFAQPs3EL8f4yVgPEZRVi_M5GhznQiCoLkBFKTpoWxgjzbD_X_hglWJSyJWyj9GvC7-_RRFGf1St6CD5ZU2guGU7QtMB_G_RvKZ2EeVt5KuYLwN8x-DulOykGDI06a-PtBYxE3Wf-TzCcI/s1600/P2040700.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFAQPs3EL8f4yVgPEZRVi_M5GhznQiCoLkBFKTpoWxgjzbD_X_hglWJSyJWyj9GvC7-_RRFGf1St6CD5ZU2guGU7QtMB_G_RvKZ2EeVt5KuYLwN8x-DulOykGDI06a-PtBYxE3Wf-TzCcI/s640/P2040700.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Half pink, half white batter in a round pan</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Making chocolate colored batter for triple color marble cake</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Chocolate, pink and white batter alternate in a square pan</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">6) Take a fork and gently run it between the two batters. This motion will create the marbling effect, mixing the two batters just enough. Do not over mix, else you might get too much of one color overlapping the other. But worry not, if you feel the batters are mixed too much.... you can always create art work of your choosing !!</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Marbling the batter in the round pan .... the proof of the effect can be seen in the cake ;))</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Marbling effect in triple colored cake :)</td></tr>
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7) Place the pan in the pre-heated oven and bake for about 30 - 35 minutes or until toothpick inserted comes out clean. Allow the cake to cool in the pan itself and when completely cooled, cut into round or square pieces. Keep the pieces in an airtight container. This should stay fresh for atleast 3 days. If its peak summer, refrigerate the container as cake may get spoilt due to excess heat and humidity.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I know, I know.... the pink color was not enough for the round pan :(</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ta Da :)) Marbling effect finally here !! </td></tr>
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<i><b>Note:</b></i><br />
The cake I baked in the round pan was perfect, albeit a bit colorless :)) I did not add any milk in this, but added the 1/2 cup milk to the triple colored one as I felt the batter was a bit too thick. Like I said before, the milk is optional, as the 4 beaten eggs and oil are sufficient to provide the necessary moisture to mix the cake batter.<br />
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Deepa Rajagopalanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04520332608776058191noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9134793728509811169.post-42518120723869748062013-05-01T15:12:00.001-04:002013-05-01T15:21:55.589-04:00Fish Fry (Ooli meen varuval)<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgN2jkjSBAPnmBqcpyE4L5-jn7hr_lgWcKCK75R5BUpMzCA4ufJLM05BXygPrCtFsXMKIglVqZRvwqutFpYra6-D71gRiihpHHOZFfV7zSQkec7drs_6MiK9F9U-m4kmfgoBplLlRY3ILd2/s1600/P1260487.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgN2jkjSBAPnmBqcpyE4L5-jn7hr_lgWcKCK75R5BUpMzCA4ufJLM05BXygPrCtFsXMKIglVqZRvwqutFpYra6-D71gRiihpHHOZFfV7zSQkec7drs_6MiK9F9U-m4kmfgoBplLlRY3ILd2/s640/P1260487.JPG" width="640" /></a><b><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><i><span style="font-size: large;"> N</span>othing can beat the flavor of fresh local ingredients and I always find that I am never able to replicate the taste of many of my mom's delicacies, be it simple 'paruppu sambhar' or even tomato chutney :) I think it has to do with the taste of the onions, tomatoes, the local vegetables and off course, my mom's 'kai pakkvam' (magic of the hands - In south India, this is a term used to refer to how good a cook one is ). On a recent visit to India, I got to taste 'Ooli meen curry' at a neighbor's place and just loved it. This was the first time I came to know of the 'Ooli meen' which is the Tamil name for the Barracuda fish, found in tropical and sub-tropical waters. Such was my desire to taste this fish again, dad and me were lucky enough to find it at the local fishmongers, that too quite fresh. The usual way we prepare fried fish at home, is to marinate it with salt, chilly powder and turmeric powder. O</i></span><i style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">ccasionally mom added corn flour to it or if she found a new recipe, she would spice it up further. This time round, I prepared the fish and found a time saver in the paneer butter masala mix as I didn't feel like adding a whole lot of individual masalas to my fish ;) This masala mix is a combination of many spices like dry ginger, bay leaf, nutmeg, cardamom, fenugreek leaves, mace, caraway, cashew nuts etc. I must say that it did add a tang to the flavor, so much so, my little son absolutely loved this fried fish and I felt like one good mom, happy that her fledgling finally loved his fish!</i></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Ingredients:</span></b><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Ooli fish (Barracuda) - 3/4 kgs or 1 1/2 lbs (fish should preferably be fresh and cut into </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"> small 2 inch</span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> thick pieces)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Chilly powder - 1 and 1/2 tsp</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Salt - 1 and 1/2 tsp (add according to taste)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Paneer butter masala powder - 1 and 1/2 tsps</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Corn flour - 1 tsp (add 2 tsp, if you want the skin to be crispy )</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Oil - 4 tbsps (for shallow frying, I used sunflower oil)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; text-align: justify;">1) Thoroughly wash the pieces and drain any water from the vessel.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; text-align: justify;">2) Sprinkle turmeric powder, chilly powder, salt, paneer butter masala on the fish and mix them well, so as to evenly coat the pieces.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">3) Finally sprinkle the corn flour and mix once more. Leave the fish marinated for an hour or so. You can also cover this with cling wrap and fry it the next day, but there is nothing more delicious than fresh fried fish :)</span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Marinated fresh ooli meen</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">4) Heat a heavy bottomed saucepan on high, reducing the flame slightly when it is well heated. Use a regular or non-stick pan, depending on your choice. Smear some oil on the pan and place a few marinated pieces on the pan, leaving enough space to flip them over. Add some more oil on the fish and when one side is slightly cooked, turn over. Allow the fish to cook well on both sides. Next, flip the fish over on its side to cook the sides too. The entire process should take about 10 minutes. You can also deep fry the fish if you so desire. Just be sure to discard the oil used for deep frying, as you wouldn't want the smell and taste of the fried fish to permeate other foods you intend to fry.</span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fried fish on the traditional 'Dosai kal'</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">5) Drain any excess oil on a paper towel. Since this is shallow fried, you will hopefully not need the paper towel :) There you are, fried fish ready! Take a fork and dig in or better still, use your hands......food always tastes better when eaten with the hand.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><i><b>Note:</b></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> You don't need any chutneys or accompaniments to eat this fried fish. It tastes good as is. If you so desire a chutney or a dip, hot thick mint chutney would be a good bet. Just be sure to check how salty your fish is before you add salt to your chutney.</span></div>
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Deepa Rajagopalanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04520332608776058191noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9134793728509811169.post-60719423781926468732012-11-18T22:58:00.000-05:002013-05-01T14:24:37.479-04:00Rava Upma (Semolina upma)<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<i><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"> <span style="font-size: large;"><b>R</b></span>ava upma or uppuma is a southern breakfast delicacy which is tastiest when lapped up piping hot. Have it as is, eat it with your favorite pickle, thick coconut chutney, oodles of curd or my childhood favorite...sugar :) The origin of the upma is from the concatenation of two words, namely 'uppu' (salt) and 'maavu' (flour), which was intended to mean 'salted flour'. Well, I don't know how salty it was originally meant to be, but most people I am sure add palatable amounts of salt to the dish. Aha, this reminds me of an 1970's anecdote my mother once told me. Apparently, a north Indian friend of my parents was very keen on making rava upma for a picnic. The friend was so carried away by the literal name of the dish, that he ended up adding tonnes of salt to it...and it really became 'uppu-mavu', so very salty, no one could even taste it! :)) Upma is mostly called upma in most places in the south, but region specific names would be calling it Uppittu in Karnataka, Uppindi in Andhra and Uppumavu in Kerala. The famous Kharabath of Karnataka is upma with sambhar powder and garam masala added to it....a real compliment to the sweet Kesaribath or Sheera (Rava Kesari /Sooji halwa). Upma is easy to make. You stir fry rava (semolina), season it with mustard seeds and curry leaves, add fried veggies with green chillies, then cook the rava in water with salt. A lot of people hate eating upma as it tastes bland most of the time, reason being that masalas and chilli powder are not added to this dish. Moreover, upma is more on the greasy side as you have to be a bit generous with the oil used for seasoning :) Upma made with very little oil is totally unpalatable. It tastes as though the rava has been cooked only in water or as my husband would call it.... 'Concrete' ! And it is lumpy. I bear testimony to this, as my first attempts at making upma were disastrous. I could only make a lumpy white substance which I called 'my rava upma'.</span></i></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8oKXmmZ-8KCf9Z1JpQqjEPE3UaUwvXQWPfNZzfzmfqmVrW1evk3WMGAG2UvZXDB4Hae1TKcVdezvtuqwlQCLNSmoqfP5cz7NT08_Wim96yDLYVoj-1mBEQajZsQmrbEDQFyMRr9XcUStD/s1600/P7051151.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8oKXmmZ-8KCf9Z1JpQqjEPE3UaUwvXQWPfNZzfzmfqmVrW1evk3WMGAG2UvZXDB4Hae1TKcVdezvtuqwlQCLNSmoqfP5cz7NT08_Wim96yDLYVoj-1mBEQajZsQmrbEDQFyMRr9XcUStD/s640/P7051151.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>Ingredients:</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Rava (</span><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Sooji) - 2 tea cups</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Onion - 1 thinly sliced</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Carrots - 1 (chopped into small pieces)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Beans - 4 </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Peas - 1/4 to 1/2 cup ( use fresh or frozen peas)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Cauliflower - 2 to 3 florets</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Tomato - 1 (finely chopped)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Green chilly - 2 (slit vertically)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Turmeric powder - a pinch (optional)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Asafoetida powder( Hing) - a pinch</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Salt - according to taste</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Water - 4 </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">tea cups (ratio of rava and water should be 1:2) </span><br />
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<b style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">For seasoning:</b><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b><br /></b></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Urad dal - 1/2 tsp</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Channa dal - 1/2 tsp</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Curry leaves - 3</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Oil - 3 to 4 tbsps</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><b>Method:</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><b><br /></b></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">1) Heat a kadai or any thick bottomed saucepan on high flame. Once it is hot enough, reduce the heat to low and roast the rava till the raw smell leaves, taking care not to burn it. Remove the roasted rava before it turns a golden brown. Its alright if there are a few specks of slightly browned rava :) Set aside on a plate.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJIzq4ewOXSo7Hrv9XFn2KwcfFNeSXV8M_58awSVtvcMcYlf0koLQL8pJQUbl4uSIpM6XG31eGVvUcrPH7S4ohJwjDSeqeS889AbZtfE9MupDy44_DiyzR4dv8clxAiELx0Nv6-eZDMq6p/s1600/P7051147.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJIzq4ewOXSo7Hrv9XFn2KwcfFNeSXV8M_58awSVtvcMcYlf0koLQL8pJQUbl4uSIpM6XG31eGVvUcrPH7S4ohJwjDSeqeS889AbZtfE9MupDy44_DiyzR4dv8clxAiELx0Nv6-eZDMq6p/s400/P7051147.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Roasted Rava (Sooji)</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">2) In the same kadai, heat oil and when it is hot enough, add the mustard seeds, urad dal, channa dal, slit green chillies, curry leaves and hing. When the mustard seeds start spluttering, add the onions. Fry them till they are translucent, then add the tomatoes and fry again.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">3) Now add the remaining veggies, namely carrots, chopped beans, peas and the cauliflower and fry till they just change color, but remain slightly crunchy. I prefer my upma veggies to be slightly crunchy, so I don't fry them too long :) I usually reach out for the English veggies while making upma, but you can use just about any veggie you want like potatoes and capsicum. You might like to refrain from using veggies like brinjal and lady's finger though ;)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">4) Once the vegetables are cooked or fried to your heart's desire, add water with salt and turmeric powder, if you wish to dig into a yellow colored upma. Upma, to me has mostly been a pearly white, so I seldom add turmeric powder, unless I feel I want a change in appeal. </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">I also add 1 or 2 extra cups of wa</span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">ter, as I find adding more water cooks the rava better. Moreover, my husband likes </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">his upma to be of a gooey consistency, rather than the grainy texture produced by adding water in the 1:2 ratio. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5nMsuxBTqqKDQqBfWLkNsMSiKN39g2-LA82LwaZZHEHBL7T4tejkTrU0j5MZOeUoWF5ICICfzNEXi5OTHk08y-Hzn0WIG9ZUwnzTr_QleMeqq4JP2I40i7DCe4UYHeG6Wki14g1QrbstT/s1600/P7251369.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5nMsuxBTqqKDQqBfWLkNsMSiKN39g2-LA82LwaZZHEHBL7T4tejkTrU0j5MZOeUoWF5ICICfzNEXi5OTHk08y-Hzn0WIG9ZUwnzTr_QleMeqq4JP2I40i7DCe4UYHeG6Wki14g1QrbstT/s400/P7251369.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Water with salt kept for boiling</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">5) Allow the water to boil. This should take about 2 minutes. Once the water starts boiling, reduce the flame to medium low and add the roasted rava. Try to add the rava at one go and stir immediately to prevent the formation of lumps. Take care when you add the rava as it will tend to splatter and you don't want to get singed by hot rava :) Keep stirring till the rava gets cooked. You will notice that the rava will absorb all the water and the upma will start to become thick. Once done, switch off the heat and dig into hot rava upma :))</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjb7fvbc4LWEzs80ZBuf0dx_8vHNmvlkkY8ILivCLTyLJq6t6v4hrUwUvqaO2Dl5v-CC-U-KpGcbr6K94wfeYDpqWqzeN9wr-Xz4Poz9aaHEcr9lyQiYLysYCwv-bHeYB_OhsH7Ov7A4ouW/s1600/P7251370.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjb7fvbc4LWEzs80ZBuf0dx_8vHNmvlkkY8ILivCLTyLJq6t6v4hrUwUvqaO2Dl5v-CC-U-KpGcbr6K94wfeYDpqWqzeN9wr-Xz4Poz9aaHEcr9lyQiYLysYCwv-bHeYB_OhsH7Ov7A4ouW/s400/P7251370.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Upma Ready!</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b><i>Serving Size:</i></b></span><i style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-weight: bold;"> </i><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Above recipe will serve two people for two helpings.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><i><b><br /></b></i></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><b style="font-style: italic;">Note: </b>You can also try mixing the roasted rava with the stir fried veggies and freezing it in a zip lock bag or any thick polythene bag in the freezer. This mixture should stay for a month or two at most. As and when you wish to make upma, just boil water with salt and add the rava (you don't have to thaw the rava as you will be adding it to boiling water) .... you will get instant upma. I have tried doing this and it is a time saver :) I tried making this after a month of freezing my home made upma mixture. Here are the steps to make this an easy recipe:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">1) Heat some oil and do thadka (seasoning) with the mustard seeds, urad dal, channa dal, hing, green chillies and curry leaves.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">2) Add onions and other veggies when the mustard starts to splutter. Add turmeric powder and fry the veggies till they are crunchy. Then, add the unroasted rava and fry again till the raw smell of the rava is gone. Alternately, you can roast the rava before hand and then mix it to the veggies.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">3) Cool this mixture well before freezing it in the freezer.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9o6RtVmO0V0uGoT-2WnZGPsSu_1ZJGdLsOESxgcMuXCmFJ0o2mNIuHBMH9sYUQcTyi1TupOkASkfT6OV2vDWFblZm0ZvXrTkmlcM0kNuMwCj4KE1pRxd_bxkDlWtvXqUzlZ6Qb-wiri5F/s1600/P7241364.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9o6RtVmO0V0uGoT-2WnZGPsSu_1ZJGdLsOESxgcMuXCmFJ0o2mNIuHBMH9sYUQcTyi1TupOkASkfT6OV2vDWFblZm0ZvXrTkmlcM0kNuMwCj4KE1pRxd_bxkDlWtvXqUzlZ6Qb-wiri5F/s400/P7241364.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Roasted rava with the stir fried veggies and seasoning</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">4) Boil water in the 1:2 ratio or 1:3 ratio as mentioned above, add salt according to taste (this includes salt for the veggies and rava as well). Remember you cannot adjust salt once the rava is added or when the upma is done. Upma by itself is a very bland dish and that's why most people avoid eating it. So just make sure that your water does not taste very salty and has just the right tinge of salt in it :)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">5) Add the rava with fried veggies and stir till it is done. Serve the upma with coconut chutney or your favorite pickle or sugar. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><i><b><br /></b></i></span></div>
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Deepa Rajagopalanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04520332608776058191noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9134793728509811169.post-17519789896918028742012-10-20T17:19:00.001-04:002012-10-20T17:19:46.026-04:00Eggless Chocolate Cake<div style="text-align: justify;">
<i><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"> </span></i><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoyhtYI5M6Xe0aywhu1FOt2rne3Ax8Pu78YRyWI8BB1WA2zqAmaufRVZV6rCftt6b9wQMIQiireonV2RHSS6D8M9t8ofFHqa7gaqgmI5prBb4aH5Cwl1AtMV8XHYm7cn7uvERrTKasalSc/s1600/PA030742.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoyhtYI5M6Xe0aywhu1FOt2rne3Ax8Pu78YRyWI8BB1WA2zqAmaufRVZV6rCftt6b9wQMIQiireonV2RHSS6D8M9t8ofFHqa7gaqgmI5prBb4aH5Cwl1AtMV8XHYm7cn7uvERrTKasalSc/s640/PA030742.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<i><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b> </b></span></span></i><br />
<i><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b> I</b></span> have been wanting to try eggless baking for a while now and after some searching on the web, came across this easy recipe for chocolate cake. I tried baking this recently and was so surprised with the result, I just had to blog about it! Most recipes for baking always call for the use of eggs to add texture, increase the volume and enhance the taste of the baked goods. Eggless baking on the other hand uses egg substitutes to get the same end quality. These substitutes may be products like distilled vinegar, condensed milk, pureed fruits like applesauce, pureed tofu, curds etc. I had a tin of condensed milk on hand, to use if I needed, but decided against it as I wanted to eat something chocolaty without making too much of an effort. This recipe uses vinegar in lieu of eggs. Do try this and tell me how much you liked it :)</span></i><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Luscious cake to bite into :)</td></tr>
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<b style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Ingredients:</b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b><br /></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">All purpose flour or maida - 1 and 1/2 cups</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Cocoa powder - 3 tbsps</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Sugar - 1 cup</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Oil (any vegetable oil) - 1/4 cup (I used canola oil)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Water (at room temperature) - 1 cup</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Baking soda - 1 tsps</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Distilled white vinegar - 1 tbsp</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Salt - 1/4 tsp (I used just a pinch)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Vanilla essence - 1 tsp</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Walnuts - a handful (roasted in the microwave for 20 secs, to make them crisp)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Chocolate chips - a handful</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"> ( I added the walnuts and chocolate chips to enhance the taste and indulgence. You can leave them out, if you so desire to )</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>Method:</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b><br /></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">1) Preheat the oven to 350</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: x-small; line-height: 16px;">° </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; line-height: 16px;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">F. Grease and dust a 9 inch round pan. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">2) Sift together the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt, till all lumps are removed. Set it aside in a bowl.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8G2ZLUVOC2LjVc2bHRCuRqxrNI7k2qaoMUZe9MP6-ZqsIXcM4Ywbngn8VVEd8ZM88dyxymJmah-otUBDOMJOit5wimks1JnUjNS7gM8v2H8AdqnAhI0neMy1b1VQ0W2_MqOdVV5eZJYCN/s1600/PA020720.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8G2ZLUVOC2LjVc2bHRCuRqxrNI7k2qaoMUZe9MP6-ZqsIXcM4Ywbngn8VVEd8ZM88dyxymJmah-otUBDOMJOit5wimks1JnUjNS7gM8v2H8AdqnAhI0neMy1b1VQ0W2_MqOdVV5eZJYCN/s400/PA020720.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Adding the flour, cocoa powder, soda and salt</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirdGn7b4mCvMWCma_WflXRNHYzYQtIK_wJTRoEwJFx5uuNmhf-1Gb0aC6mtKf3jJPY8JSHThvuCKRG1yMPm-PcCUmRMZ2HtwZgbrW1JbHyNPz0doJwg5KVCnhLa_00MJf0kNE8sx2_yGDb/s1600/PA020721.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirdGn7b4mCvMWCma_WflXRNHYzYQtIK_wJTRoEwJFx5uuNmhf-1Gb0aC6mtKf3jJPY8JSHThvuCKRG1yMPm-PcCUmRMZ2HtwZgbrW1JbHyNPz0doJwg5KVCnhLa_00MJf0kNE8sx2_yGDb/s400/PA020721.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sifted dry ingredients</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">3) In another large mixing bowl add water, then add the sugar and stir together till the sugar is all dissolved. Now add the oil, vanilla essence and distilled vinegar. Stir just once to blend the liquids. Take care to pour just the measured quantity of vinegar. Excess vinegar will make the cake taste tart.</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Water, sugar and oil mixed together</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Vanilla and vinegar added to the sugar mixture</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">4) Add the dry ingredients to the liquid in two parts, mixing well with a spatula. Take care to see that there are no lumps of dry ingredients. Don't over mix as once the vinegar comes in contact with the baking soda, it will begin to react. The batter will be a little watery and thin. Don't worry, you are assured of getting a fluffy cake :)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">5) Now add the walnuts and chocolate chips, mixing once or twice with the spatula to blend them well. </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Pour the batter into the prepared container and bake for 30-35 mins or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean. </span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Batter with the walnuts and choco chips in the pan :)</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">6) Take the cake out from the oven and cool it in the pan itself or remove it from the pan onto a cooling rack. Once cooled, cut into pieces and store in an air tight container. Refrigerate the cake if it is summer, else it should stay out for about 3 days, if you don't have a go at it ! </span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hmmm..Eggless chocolate cake ready !!</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><i><b>Note:</b></i> This is a very moist, soft and fluffy cake....so much so, its hard to believe it is eggless. I was a little surprised to see the walnuts on the cake surface when I was expecting them to actually sink :) The choco chips being denser were mostly at the bottom of the cake though. You can convert this recipe into a eggless <a href="http://gharkabana.blogspot.com/2012/09/black-forest-cake.html" target="_blank">Black forest cake</a> too. Sure, the amount of cocoa powder may seem less. Just double the quantity of the ingredients and bake two cakes and proceed to follow the instructions I have written down for the Black forest cake :) I must admit that I am yet to try the eggless version of the black forest myself, but will try it out soon. But knowing how good anything chocolaty can taste, I am sure it will come out good.</span></div>
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Deepa Rajagopalanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04520332608776058191noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9134793728509811169.post-23496785976011070032012-10-17T00:05:00.000-04:002012-10-18T17:15:26.755-04:00Tayyir Sadham (Curd Rice)<div style="text-align: justify;">
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<i><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b><span style="font-size: large;"> </span><span style="font-size: x-large;">A</span></b>part from Idlis and Dosas, the next best thing that happened to South Indian cuisine, especially Tamil cuisine, is the Tayyir Sadham (curd rice) or dahi chawal, as it is called in North India. In most households, this rice item is usually consumed after all the spicy sambhars, kulumbhu's and rasams are savored. The usual way of eating tayyir sadham is to just mix cooked rice with home made curd or plain yogurt. But the tayyir sadham served at hotels or taken along as 'Katthu sadham' (parceled rice or 'picnic rice', as I prefer to call it) is prepared quite differently. Aah, old memories are kindled yet again......who can ever forget all the sweet times spent with cousins, aunts and uncles, out on a temple trip and my grandma serving tamarind rice (puli sadham) followed by curd rice and pickle on a plantain leaf for a sumptuous lunch :) Eating out of a banana or plantain leaf truly elevates the taste of food :)Tayyir sadham prepared for a picnic or as a meal in itself starts with the preparing of cooked rice. The rice is usually cooked the previous night itself. In the mornings, the rice is mashed up, boiled milk is added, followed by a few tablespoons of curd, then salt and mustard tempering is added for taste. Most people like adding green chillies, grated ginger and hing (asafoetida) to the tempering. It is in fact the hing and green chillies that give the 'picnic rice' its real taste. The reason milk is added to the rice is to prevent it from souring too much.Traditionally, curd rice is sometimes offered as prasadams in temples. Most people love curd rice as not only is it tasty, but it aides in digestion. Every family has its own way of preparing curd rice. Some add fruits like grapes, chopped apples and pomegranate seeds, others prefer just the tempering, and still others add boondhi and fried cashews. Some people, like my mother, add a tablespoon of home made dairy cream (cream collected from the surface of refrigerated boiled milk, better known as 'Pal aadai') while mixing the curd rice, to add a rich flavor... so rich, it will literally transport you to Tenth Heaven :)) and leave you stranded there! Sure thing, I can't count enough the number of times I have been to 'Snoozeland' after consuming my mother's rich curd rice with pickle for lunch. At school, at work and just about every where, the curd rice and pickle combo is sooooo tasty, especially during the hot summer months, you will sleep through any task you intend to do after eating this ;) Prepared curd rice is best eaten at room temperature, when you can just taste the mildly sour flavor of curd and the added tempering. If it is hot or too warm, you will mostly taste milk. If chilled or out of the refrigerator, it is not curd rice at all! Rather it would be frozen yogurt rice. Curd rice should never be heated or warmed in a microwave, I really don't know why, but assume that it affects the composition of the curd. Try making this very simple dish and you will love it!</span></i><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>Ingredients: </b></span><i style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">For the rice </i><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Rice (Sona masoori, basmati or any variety) - 2 cups ( I use sona masoori as I find it very tasty)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Water - 4 cups</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Salt - 1/4 tsps</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>Method:</b> <i>To prepare rice</i></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">1) Wash rice and drain the water. Place washed rice in a pressure cooker and add 4 cups of water. Mom always followed the 1:2 ratio of rice and water and I do the same. Sometimes if the rice is 'new' (freshly harvested rice), mom would reduce the quantity of water as the rice would over cook if too much water was added. If it was 'old rice' (a year or more old), she would add 1/2 cup extra water or allow it to soak for at least 15 minutes. If using basmati rice, wash it once and soak the rice in water for at least 20 minutes. That way you will get longer grains when the rice is cooked. I don't really prefer basmati rice for making my 'picnic rice', as I feel it doesn't bring out the real taste of curd rice. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">2) Add salt depending on your taste. Some people leave out adding salt while cooking rice. You could do the same if that's the way you prefer to. But do remember to add the salt while mixing the rice with the milk and curd. Pressure cook the rice until done. I usually cook it on high for about 2 whistles, then simmer it for about 3 minutes and switch it off. Make the rice the night before to save time, in case you wish to have it for lunch the next day or use any leftover rice. You can make curd rice out of </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">fresh hot rice</span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> too, only it will consume more milk than the cold rice made earlier.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>Ingredients:</b><i> For the tempering and making curd rice</i></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Mustard - 1 tsp</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Urad dal - 1 tsp</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Jeera - 1/2 tsp (I use this as my hubby loves the taste)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Chana dal - 1/2 tsp</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Green chilly - 2</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Ginger - 1/4 inch (finely chopped, use mango ginger if you can as it tastes even better....awesome actually!)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Asafoetida powder (Hing) - a pinch</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Curry leaves - 2 or 3</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Whole or 2% Milk - 1 or 1/2 liter ( I use 1/2 liter of 2 % milk and water it down further as I feel it is still a bit fatty :))</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Curd - 1/2 cup</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Milk cream - 2 tbsps (optional, I have never used this here in the US )</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Oil - 2 tbsps</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Fresh coriand</span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">er leaves - a few finely chopped (optional)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Fruits (optional) - Pomegranate seeds, green grapes, chopped apples or any dry fruit of your choice</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>Method:</b> To prepare the tempering and curd rice</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">1) Heat oil in a pan on high heat and when it becomes hot enough, add the mustard, urad dal, jeera and channa dal. Slit the green chilly or chop it finely and add it to the seasoning.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">2) Next, add the finely chopped ginger, curry leaves and asafoetida powder (hing). The seasoning is ready once the mustard starts to splutter. Take care not to burn the seasoning by reducing the flame to medium heat, once the spluttering starts. This whole process should take about 1 minute.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">3) Boil milk in a saucepan or heavy bottomed vessel. You can dilute it with water if you wish to reduce the fat content further :) It is better to boil the milk as cold milk will not allow the curds to sour, thus giving you only milk rice after a few hours of making curd rice.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">4) Slightly mash the cooked rice with a ladle and add the cup of curd to it. You can also leave it as is, but I find that mashing it up gives a better texture to the rice and the curd mixes well with it too.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">5) Add the tempering to the rice and mix it nicely. Add salt if required.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">6) Now add the boiled milk and mix well. Garnish with freshly chopped coriander leaves or any fruit or your choice (preferably without seeds). </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">7) Enjoy your curd rice with aam ka acchar or any veggie pickle after a few hours ! It should take less than 3 hours for the curds to sour in peak summer and about 5 hours in the winter. </span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Allowing the curds to sour in milk rice :)</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><i><b>Note:</b></i> Above recipe will serve two people for approx. two helpings.</span><br />
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Deepa Rajagopalanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04520332608776058191noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9134793728509811169.post-83463034663882086282012-09-26T00:15:00.000-04:002012-09-26T22:44:03.752-04:00Melting Moments (Russian Tea Cookies)<div style="text-align: justify;">
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<i><b> </b><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: large; font-weight: bold;">I</span> love home made cookies as I know for sure that I wouldn't ever get to see the calorie value of the cookies I bite into, unlike the packaged ones where the first thing I always seem to count are the 'Fat Calories' :) Remember, how the very mention of a food item can bring back some very fond memories......well, the Melting moments cookies does make me a wee bit nostalgic. I do remember how I used to take hand written notes of this recipe to my mother's friends home as a little girl. And the many times mom and her friends would discuss cookies at tea parties, melting moments would definitely find a mention :) These Russian tea cookies are very delicate. Oh, so very delicate they simply melt in your mouth....hence the name. History has it that the Russians baked them for their tea sharing ceremonies during the 18th century. They just mixed flour, water and nuts and baked them, finally dredging the hot baked cookies in powdered sugar. Apparently they added more sugar once the cookies cooled down. The water in the recipe was replaced by oodles of butter over the course of time, which made these cookies really light. The Mexicans have a similar cookie called 'Mexican Wedding Cookies' which uses ground anise as an additional ingredient and are traditionally a part of every mexican wedding. These cookies are better known as 'Snowball cookies' in the US and are a part of Christmas holiday traditions. I baked these cookies recently and was simply blown away by their crisp lightness. When I told my mother about me baking them, she said she always preferred baking other cookies than baking these. She felt there was much better use of all the butter that went into baking a batch of these.... yup, she sure was health conscious. All the same, indulge in the melting moments cookies first and count all the fat calories later :) </span></i></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Ingredients:</span></b><br />
<b><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></b>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Flour - 2 cups (sifted)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Butter - 1 cup (2 sticks, softened at room temperature)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Sugar - 1/2 cup (add a few tsps more if you want sweeter cookies)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Salt - 1/4 tsp </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Vanilla extract - 2 tsps</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Chopped nuts - 1/2 or 3/4 cup (chopped and roasted almonds, pistachios and walnuts)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Confectioners sugar - 1/2 cup</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>Method:</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b><br /></b></span>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">1) Preheat oven to 325 </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; line-height: 16px;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">°F</span>. Line a baking sheet with parchment or silpat. You can use a medium or large size cookie tray for these cookies.</span></span><br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgV9hrBQzkVB5hBl34kMk5b9MIftMqkAtxVz12zWpY_X7Khtq7LngzRrF_CRWnj2Ws9qPmmV7DzNp82mkAT9SYPwtW36JBc1iEHeyyS8PeJFUQfXVcTRDxe60IcAb8S2ZmWjTgM1KM2dozN/s1600/P8081526.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgV9hrBQzkVB5hBl34kMk5b9MIftMqkAtxVz12zWpY_X7Khtq7LngzRrF_CRWnj2Ws9qPmmV7DzNp82mkAT9SYPwtW36JBc1iEHeyyS8PeJFUQfXVcTRDxe60IcAb8S2ZmWjTgM1KM2dozN/s400/P8081526.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Flour, sugar, butter and vanilla essence</td></tr>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 16px;">2) Cream butter in a large bowl by beating it with a hand or stand mixer for about 2 minutes till it is very soft. Add sugar and vanilla extract to it. Continue beating the butter for about 3 minutes till the mixture is pale yellow and not gritty. Take care to scrap the sides of the bowl while beating to ensure all the butter is well creamed.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; line-height: 16px;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">3) Sift together the flour and salt. Remember to measure out 2 cups of flour after sifting it first. That way air will be incorporated into the flour and will ensure soft cookies, since there is no baking soda or powder in this recipe.</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; line-height: 16px;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">4) Divide the flour into three parts and add it little at a time to the creamed mixture and blend thoroughly with a spatula. </span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; line-height: 16px;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">5) Add the nuts and mix well. Use store bought roasted nuts or roast them at home. First chop them into small pieces, then microwave them for about 20 secs at high power. That way they will be crunchy and add flavor to the cookies.</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; line-height: 16px;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">6) The cookies dough should be soft in texture. Scoop out 1 inch balls with a spoon or ice cream scoop and place them on the parchment lined sheet 2 inches apart. Bake for 15-20 minutes till the sides of the cookies are slightly brown. Don't allow the cookies to brown completely. Russian tea cookies are meant to be slightly browned on the sides only.</span></span><br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8EpkYiPpBJ5OYji0lxHh8U92qeiIaouiZPAPe8ePVTiiKWvMFFMTr63miY9nEbeIYf85aS9krgVr5Vf9hIYIa5Vn7DsbWtN-UmaApatnO9Jx1EvJZwIgVSZJromD11gCGfDnecMuwWOSB/s1600/P8081528.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8EpkYiPpBJ5OYji0lxHh8U92qeiIaouiZPAPe8ePVTiiKWvMFFMTr63miY9nEbeIYf85aS9krgVr5Vf9hIYIa5Vn7DsbWtN-UmaApatnO9Jx1EvJZwIgVSZJromD11gCGfDnecMuwWOSB/s400/P8081528.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cookie dough ready for the oven!</td></tr>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 16px;">7) Once done, remove the cookies onto a cooling wire rack or another unused baking sheet. Once cooled, roll the cookies in confectioners sugar. You can either buy this sugar at the store or just powder a cup of granulated sugar in the mixie or coffee grinder. </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 16px;"><br /></span>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNC7Pp88EkSEyd1cbjy8kaEXi2V5EYjZP9pK37WwCcLVWThqkK4n4hojjZZVlY6MLkC00kRvVn7C5EB02O8mt0qVigcBzv-M1uuVRfFydrIU0Hp_w0OSkL-IvwmlaWdy6_L0zajXUR11QT/s1600/P8081529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNC7Pp88EkSEyd1cbjy8kaEXi2V5EYjZP9pK37WwCcLVWThqkK4n4hojjZZVlY6MLkC00kRvVn7C5EB02O8mt0qVigcBzv-M1uuVRfFydrIU0Hp_w0OSkL-IvwmlaWdy6_L0zajXUR11QT/s400/P8081529.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cookies left to cool on a baking sheet</td></tr>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 16px;"><br /></span>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjST4PokXOxqFCMJ8n84omcB9fmE230iDNBuNFR62UQ8oNxKuEBqJa620OUFsnTgsIyNn13NT9RSB9LHhbLpY__KCsx07HqIEf7jGTzqWUBZcj0720QfWW3aFNEx8kVLQnsbAKyveFegSL0/s1600/P8081530.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjST4PokXOxqFCMJ8n84omcB9fmE230iDNBuNFR62UQ8oNxKuEBqJa620OUFsnTgsIyNn13NT9RSB9LHhbLpY__KCsx07HqIEf7jGTzqWUBZcj0720QfWW3aFNEx8kVLQnsbAKyveFegSL0/s400/P8081530.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgA9dKcYi_g0eD7S8R4yZleYZWa4r5bhkFsXW3CBGC_vRXIuj2wRgQEQxwB5MDzoCydUiwc044K845Bn72t_gNfbJEOApdcj6_PZSClteUgeYfHRrIFrJOXFoUWBmzEdewqCeXeyuwd2BUU/s1600/P8081540.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgA9dKcYi_g0eD7S8R4yZleYZWa4r5bhkFsXW3CBGC_vRXIuj2wRgQEQxwB5MDzoCydUiwc044K845Bn72t_gNfbJEOApdcj6_PZSClteUgeYfHRrIFrJOXFoUWBmzEdewqCeXeyuwd2BUU/s400/P8081540.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dredging cookies in confectioners sugar</td></tr>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 16px;">8) Now sit back and enjoy the most delicate cookie ever......just melts in your mouth!!!</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9l5qU_EVr1fRLupwyIMFZJ01Nmh-sshHBSsZxbaNjUjMaZKHyQ8Q1el7HkxaP5JNz7Hs2kdwgtE51kBz9ohgOuXakumTki7ADzn6gV5zgOsMPdh4Yj5lCW8Lz9PL4NocomxRxr9xf0A2A/s1600/P8081541.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9l5qU_EVr1fRLupwyIMFZJ01Nmh-sshHBSsZxbaNjUjMaZKHyQ8Q1el7HkxaP5JNz7Hs2kdwgtE51kBz9ohgOuXakumTki7ADzn6gV5zgOsMPdh4Yj5lCW8Lz9PL4NocomxRxr9xf0A2A/s400/P8081541.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">No one can eat just one :)</td></tr>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="line-height: 16px;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="line-height: 16px;"><b>Note: </b>This recipe should make close to 3 dozen cookies. It should store upto 2 weeks in an air tight container.</span></span></div>
Deepa Rajagopalanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04520332608776058191noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9134793728509811169.post-21390697382688936692012-09-20T23:55:00.000-04:002012-09-26T00:18:23.261-04:00Black Forest Cake<div style="text-align: justify;">
<i><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b> </b><span style="font-size: large; font-weight: bold;"> </span></span></i><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcJHfoT2X8qX1CLV7pijyZp7FMrZ1oeSdXeEhuBMn0V_6skgcBQWthRjyzqX4-gu2vVNEIo6I1TOPDdxACQg4PF19XN7Ssti8dhey8pjbLVSuhdpbXHQxMg-yguZ_QGs4t2rujrdeXcdyC/s1600/IMG_2000.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcJHfoT2X8qX1CLV7pijyZp7FMrZ1oeSdXeEhuBMn0V_6skgcBQWthRjyzqX4-gu2vVNEIo6I1TOPDdxACQg4PF19XN7Ssti8dhey8pjbLVSuhdpbXHQxMg-yguZ_QGs4t2rujrdeXcdyC/s640/IMG_2000.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Black Forest Cake with Strawberries</td></tr>
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<i><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: large; font-weight: bold;"> I</span><span style="font-size: large; font-weight: bold;"> </span>vividly remember the times I visited the 'Nilgiris Bakery' on Brigade road in Bangalore as a kid. I was irresistibly always drawn to the 'black forest pastry' :) in spite there being so many other delicious looking pastries...hmm, guess it was either the tantalizing chocolate factor or the rather mysterious name that drew me towards it ;) I was allowed to indulge myself at times, but on many occasions I was denied the pleasure of eating my favorite pastry, since my mother believed that it was only chocolate color and no real cocoa in the pastry. And she wanted to keep my teeth safe from the excess sugar! She was mostly correct about there being no real cocoa (or rather a sparing amount) in the pastry, as the last time I ate the pastry at Nilgiris as an adult, I was thoroughly disappointed. But I must admit that no matter which bakery I go to in India or anywhere I visit for that matter, I am always on the lookout for the Black Forest. This cake or pastry has its origins in the black forest region of south western Germany and is named after the specialty liquor '</span></i><i style="background-color: white; line-height: 19.200000762939453px;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Schwarzwälder Kirsch', that is distilled from tart cherries. A typical black forest cake has several layers of chocolate cake with whipped cream and pitted maraschino cherries in between. Then the entire cake is covered in whipped cream and decorated with whole cherries and chocolate shavings. Traditionally the tart cherry liquor was added to the cake layers, but it may be substituted with rum. Since its this alcoholic Kirsch that gives this cake its unique and absolutely heavenly flavor, this cake is truly called '</span></i><i style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 19.200000762939453px;">Schwarzwälder Kirschtorte' (Black Forest Cherry Torte).</i></div>
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<i style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="line-height: 19.200000762939453px;"> I baked this cake for the first time for my little son's birthday and had no idea it would turn out a big hit! I used fresh strawberries as I love them more than cherries. Moreover I could not get fresh maraschino cherries and did not want to used the canned variety. I did not use any alcohol whatsoever to wet my cake... instead, I steeped some strawberries in sugar syrup and used the syrup in lieu of the kirsch. I would call this the asymmetrical cake as I baked two very moist chocolate cakes in disposable pie pans, didn't bother to trim the cake edges to a circular shape, layered one cake on top of the other with the whipped cream and strawberries in between....lo and behold , I made my very own tasty black forest cake! And this recipe is so easy, you will absolutely love it. </span></span></i></div>
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<i style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="line-height: 19.200000762939453px;"><br /></span></span></i></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="line-height: 19.200000762939453px;"><b>Ingredients:</b></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
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<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="line-height: 19.200000762939453px;">All purpose flour - 1 3/4 cups</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="line-height: 19.200000762939453px;">Sugar - 2 cups</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="line-height: 19.200000762939453px;">Cocoa powder - 3/4 cup</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="line-height: 19.200000762939453px;">Baking powder - 1 1/2 tsps</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="line-height: 19.200000762939453px;">Baking soda - 1 1/2 tsps</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="line-height: 19.200000762939453px;">Salt - 1 0r 1/4 tsp (I always add a slightly more than a pinch of salt)</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="line-height: 19.200000762939453px;">Eggs - 2</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="line-height: 19.200000762939453px;">Whole milk - 1 cup</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="line-height: 19.200000762939453px;">Oil - 1/2 cup ( Canola or any vegetable oil )</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="line-height: 19.200000762939453px;">Vanilla extract - 2 tsps</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="line-height: 19.200000762939453px;">Boiling water - 1 cup</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="line-height: 19.200000762939453px;">Chocolate bar (for shavings) - 1 (160z) use the one with 70% cocoa</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="line-height: 19.200000762939453px;"><b>For decorating between the cake layers:</b></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="line-height: 19.200000762939453px;"><b><br /></b></span></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="line-height: 19.200000762939453px;">Maraschino Cherries - Fresh or 1 can (20 oz), drained ( you can cut and pit fresh cherries, not necessarily the maraschino variety. The ones in the can will already be pitted and cut. If using fresh strawberries, wash and slice them into thin pieces. This will make it easier to layer the cake.)</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="line-height: 19.200000762939453px;">Kirsch or brandy or rum - 1/4 cup</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="line-height: 19.200000762939453px;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="line-height: 19.200000762939453px;">If you desire to refrain from using any alcohol, then you can make your own fruit in syrup to wet the cake layers. I have used this in the above cake, as mentioned before.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="line-height: 19.200000762939453px;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="line-height: 19.200000762939453px;"><b>Fruit in syrup:</b></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="line-height: 19.200000762939453px;"><b><br /></b></span></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="line-height: 19.200000762939453px;">Water - 2 cups</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="line-height: 19.200000762939453px;">Sugar - 1/2 cup or 3/4 cup (if you want a very sweet cake. Black forest cakes should be slightly tart, to allow the chocolate flavor to stand out.)</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="line-height: 19.200000762939453px;">Fresh cherries (any variety will do) or fresh strawberries - 1 pack (8 oz or 16 oz, if you want many layers of cake)</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="line-height: 19.200000762939453px;"><b>Method:</b></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="line-height: 19.200000762939453px;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="line-height: 19.200000762939453px;">Boil the 2 cups of water and add the 1/2 cup sugar in it. When the water boils, add the cut and pitted cherries or sliced strawberries. Cook for 5 minutes and cool completely. Refrigerate juiced up fruit.</span></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjK9Rbw9OoLpx5CT-CoZSVZdew38RDci_yX1U7pEPnQUqAxk7iINzvGAbSjSGOgaCZMqtzoaydDn3IagdCWTfWm0Rj5JaCpvpDmrj1kCMofcOVrt6dPSSe7etOu2ON9nIPB-XgioixOkzHP/s1600/P7131230.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjK9Rbw9OoLpx5CT-CoZSVZdew38RDci_yX1U7pEPnQUqAxk7iINzvGAbSjSGOgaCZMqtzoaydDn3IagdCWTfWm0Rj5JaCpvpDmrj1kCMofcOVrt6dPSSe7etOu2ON9nIPB-XgioixOkzHP/s400/P7131230.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Preparing fruit in mild sugar syrup</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="line-height: 19.200000762939453px;"><br /></span></span>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4Y0c8ob1f4ogUbVXlhuFw7G8tm8RCp2zyb1Ln95B62tCYKzcOjaprRWmSbvz-yfAc4DaaFcOcFTo_QOOfAc5vpf4Nnfy_PN5STSVvg-hVmQM1PXOsT1QYOV9PHksZKyw817hKtUElJw6E/s1600/P7131244.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4Y0c8ob1f4ogUbVXlhuFw7G8tm8RCp2zyb1Ln95B62tCYKzcOjaprRWmSbvz-yfAc4DaaFcOcFTo_QOOfAc5vpf4Nnfy_PN5STSVvg-hVmQM1PXOsT1QYOV9PHksZKyw817hKtUElJw6E/s400/P7131244.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Steeping strawberries in syrup</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="line-height: 19.200000762939453px;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="line-height: 19.200000762939453px;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="line-height: 19.200000762939453px;"><b>For the whipped cream topping:</b></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="line-height: 19.200000762939453px;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="line-height: 19.200000762939453px;">Heavy whipping cream - 1 cup or 1 1/2 cups (8 fl.oz or 16 fl.oz pack, if you want more cream)</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="line-height: 19.200000762939453px;">Sugar - 1/2 cup</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="line-height: 19.200000762939453px;">Vanilla extract - 2 tsps</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="line-height: 19.200000762939453px;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="line-height: 19.200000762939453px;">Chill the container in which you wish to whip up the cream in. If using a stand mixer, place the bowl in the refrigerator for about 20 minutes. If using a hand mixer, place the wire whisks into the fridge too. I usually place the wire whisks into the bowl and place them in the ice box for a good 1/2 hour. That way on whipping up the cream, it will retain the stiff peaks a while longer. Pour the chilled heavy cream into the cold bowl and beat on high speed for about 3 minutes. Add the sugar, vanilla extract and beat again till soft peaks form. Don't over beat, else it will become butter. You can whip up the cream as the cake cools, cover it with cling wrap and place it in the ice box, until it is ready to use.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="line-height: 19.200000762939453px;"><b>Method for baking the cake:</b></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="line-height: 19.200000762939453px;"><b><br /></b></span></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="line-height: 19.200000762939453px;">1) Preheat the oven to </span></span><span style="background-color: white; text-align: -webkit-center;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">350°F. Grease and flour two 9 inch round cake pans.</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; text-align: -webkit-center;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></span>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgf1qZgHEwXrd_HjLC4VyAm7Ek1Ahy0EV3CjwjlLu95QX1hRTGhsVjR5Uv_Nl05FOBs1vFpbaaP2sb29ruMeV5PXpFhfuWMyMKxYHkUzJ8BlrNVEh5vD-7OBb43VjEdoSGTCxNvb5kx0muh/s1600/P7131238.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgf1qZgHEwXrd_HjLC4VyAm7Ek1Ahy0EV3CjwjlLu95QX1hRTGhsVjR5Uv_Nl05FOBs1vFpbaaP2sb29ruMeV5PXpFhfuWMyMKxYHkUzJ8BlrNVEh5vD-7OBb43VjEdoSGTCxNvb5kx0muh/s400/P7131238.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Greased and floured pan </td></tr>
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<span style="background-color: white; text-align: -webkit-center;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></span>
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<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: white; text-align: -webkit-center;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">2) Whisk or sieve together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cocoa powder, salt and sugar in a large bowl.</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; text-align: -webkit-center;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></span>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1YEh1ftYnmxtNs8Zf1h6rcQXjxwOQ46gApFrWy6yDpqRs_UYYBfPaXKPHHD3gUA4voel_6AOBYj4JPSpTsJa9iTTdWZs9cdAjbk3CZhGDEcYJ44lHGxRVAI4TYbF4sQLbuUVpsgCg0_Df/s1600/P7131232.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1YEh1ftYnmxtNs8Zf1h6rcQXjxwOQ46gApFrWy6yDpqRs_UYYBfPaXKPHHD3gUA4voel_6AOBYj4JPSpTsJa9iTTdWZs9cdAjbk3CZhGDEcYJ44lHGxRVAI4TYbF4sQLbuUVpsgCg0_Df/s400/P7131232.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">All the dry ingredients sieved together</td></tr>
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<span style="background-color: white; text-align: -webkit-center;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: white; text-align: -webkit-center;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">3) Beat eggs or add them directly with the milk, oil and vanilla extract to the dry ingredients. Beat all the ingredients on medium speed for 2 minutes. Remember to use a really large bowl for this as mixing all the ingredients will increase its volume.</span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: white; text-align: -webkit-center;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">4) Stir in 1 cup of boiling water. You can microwave it on high for 2 minutes until water boils. Stir the batter well. It will be of a very thin consistency.</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; text-align: -webkit-center;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></span>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDTCFC8TYxOrLKKFYyy4Ii8Iph0fvAwzrAUVULoifsHa3ksNQ5nQWbmNxlS4BlPeN5nzYClBHsrOYjxCHFzeQl0dK08ULE4aY5njlsLpLHxGRlQ32vEXCSrbFW9t8DizABnwO4zJsNdNhJ/s1600/P7131239.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDTCFC8TYxOrLKKFYyy4Ii8Iph0fvAwzrAUVULoifsHa3ksNQ5nQWbmNxlS4BlPeN5nzYClBHsrOYjxCHFzeQl0dK08ULE4aY5njlsLpLHxGRlQ32vEXCSrbFW9t8DizABnwO4zJsNdNhJ/s400/P7131239.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Chocolate Cake batter before placing in the oven</td></tr>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; text-align: -webkit-center;">5) Now divide this batter equally between the prepared pans and bake for 30 to 35 minutes . Test for doneness with an inserted toothpick. It should come out clean. Cool the cakes completely in the pans or remove them from the pan to a wire rack.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: white; text-align: -webkit-center;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">6) Once cooled, level both cakes by removing any peaks from the center. If you have used baking strips, then you would not have to level the cake as it would have risen evenly. Place one cake on the serving platter you wish to serve the cake on.</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; text-align: -webkit-center;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></span>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKgi4R1AQoyKOmHYvRc3YLCUo01FtDpf7CovA-qjOJdPbe7Be95rgc9i8rREoQa6nBuIRP5uahb41GN8MFbwSOtDT44S1H_mGAJnTxTjw8LeHni6q7DpE_WfVf9YN2_xKusK7P5B8pjsck/s1600/P7131245.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKgi4R1AQoyKOmHYvRc3YLCUo01FtDpf7CovA-qjOJdPbe7Be95rgc9i8rREoQa6nBuIRP5uahb41GN8MFbwSOtDT44S1H_mGAJnTxTjw8LeHni6q7DpE_WfVf9YN2_xKusK7P5B8pjsck/s400/P7131245.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">One layer of cake placed on the serving platter</td></tr>
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<span style="background-color: white; text-align: -webkit-center;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: white; text-align: -webkit-center;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">7) Wet the cake with a few tsps or so of the prepared fruit juice. Take care not to wet the cake too much, else it will become a pudding. Start from the sides and move on the center of the cake. If using kirsch or rum, sprinkle few tsps of this of the cake to slightly wet it.</span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: white; text-align: -webkit-center;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">8) Take a dollop of whipped cream, place it on the center of the cake and with a spatula evenly spread it round. Place the cherries or strawberries in juice on the cake, after draining the sugar syrup.</span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: white; text-align: -webkit-center;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></span>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjDuawMys553yGtWxa4BI1zIvEOHsOFiKOi8MOxmg7-JUAT4uyIwotx4x3FcfPlEwAfm1Yvbivs-LwOjE0Gv1tV8_ysh46uW_raufaD7ULGdS980ay2F_vmTlh2uJmOqXrjFcpR4Uv5l3B/s1600/P6231000.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjDuawMys553yGtWxa4BI1zIvEOHsOFiKOi8MOxmg7-JUAT4uyIwotx4x3FcfPlEwAfm1Yvbivs-LwOjE0Gv1tV8_ysh46uW_raufaD7ULGdS980ay2F_vmTlh2uJmOqXrjFcpR4Uv5l3B/s400/P6231000.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Whipped cream and drained strawberries on 1st layer of cake</td></tr>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; text-align: -webkit-center;">9) Place another layer of cake on top of the 1st cake, wet it with the fruit juice, add whipped cream and level it. Cover the sides of the cake with more whipped cream. If you have a pastry bag, you can pipe rosettes onto the top of the cake. In the picture below, I have placed the second cake atop the first one.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; text-align: -webkit-center;"><br /></span>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtfkuhb6X1_dcd1SVwFh8iD2uAc9GwmJC1ckz3Qm_bJ5hrw6j34D-hfCcipZotb3caHgXb7uWsJx-O5U9zyJ3CjDjvoIry2-Yerd1S5tELGiQNqXiEpO8E7NAKEHGXmG7YojDRMEAJKGkL/s1600/P6231002.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtfkuhb6X1_dcd1SVwFh8iD2uAc9GwmJC1ckz3Qm_bJ5hrw6j34D-hfCcipZotb3caHgXb7uWsJx-O5U9zyJ3CjDjvoIry2-Yerd1S5tELGiQNqXiEpO8E7NAKEHGXmG7YojDRMEAJKGkL/s400/P6231002.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cream covered two layered cake, with tiny rosettes</td></tr>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; text-align: -webkit-center;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white; text-align: -webkit-center;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">10) Take the bar of chocolate and using a knife or melon baller scrap the sides to get shavings. Take care to do this as fast as you can as holding the chocolate too long will start to melt it. Gently lift the shavings with a flat knife or spatula and place them on the sides and top of the cake. If you find it challenging to place the shavings on the cake, use your imagination and decorate the cake as you please :)</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; text-align: -webkit-center;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">11) Place glazed or fresh maraschino cherries with the stem on the top of the cake or decorate with sliced strawberries. Enjoy!</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; text-align: -webkit-center;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></span>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhb2t6j1yFQCGUk6Rvg9DjklFvEL0j0F-Ufjg-hip8Veo8Wu4r_EzCsNao5r6FCglbTllzFqNDMkv-POZ5sNAuza_K-oMC9_h_oDAta0JNQ_1TtpP3fiWIh1qt0HEaPebgnAgDwQ5vHUuIF/s1600/P6231029.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhb2t6j1yFQCGUk6Rvg9DjklFvEL0j0F-Ufjg-hip8Veo8Wu4r_EzCsNao5r6FCglbTllzFqNDMkv-POZ5sNAuza_K-oMC9_h_oDAta0JNQ_1TtpP3fiWIh1qt0HEaPebgnAgDwQ5vHUuIF/s400/P6231029.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cake without the decorative strawberries. My son ate them all !! :)</td></tr>
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<div style="text-align: justify;">
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<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"> I also tried decorating just a single layer of the cake with cherries. For this, just take one layer of cake, place it on the serving platter and slice it into two even halves by turning the platter and running a knife through it. Follow the same procedure of placing whipped cream and cherries in juice between the layers and decorating with more cream and cherries.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmdFZio7aq7EX9iiQKehDzOYAzRrkr2-R-WTfS8mbvSiAMWBZjAql-9_B6GIYpO4hXEbfEK9vHUOdq-YSOHInh9Je-YvjimaaeJRmNiLmniiKkmtNlcLyZinD0WIFbIrm9tnz0ALGl7KeJ/s1600/IMG_2045.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmdFZio7aq7EX9iiQKehDzOYAzRrkr2-R-WTfS8mbvSiAMWBZjAql-9_B6GIYpO4hXEbfEK9vHUOdq-YSOHInh9Je-YvjimaaeJRmNiLmniiKkmtNlcLyZinD0WIFbIrm9tnz0ALGl7KeJ/s400/IMG_2045.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Black Forest cake with cherries</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDwwkKRnPR0Rla0EH52mOm2S2IJsqGBSWlffV3MR4XG5tmWUZV4lRRziNqtMorVx7klUYKqk3J6ZGw-WCfyjGrVhwujw8_ZNkvgNM4qWTxX22cm6daQuWnGqI_0Y_pUgpYW0YARB_tFJHq/s1600/P7131257.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDwwkKRnPR0Rla0EH52mOm2S2IJsqGBSWlffV3MR4XG5tmWUZV4lRRziNqtMorVx7klUYKqk3J6ZGw-WCfyjGrVhwujw8_ZNkvgNM4qWTxX22cm6daQuWnGqI_0Y_pUgpYW0YARB_tFJHq/s400/P7131257.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: justify;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 19.200000762939453px;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Yummy Schwarzwälder Kirschtorte !</span></span></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfPpRwYp9M9YWEAjkuFHfDpKH5T-EGmwPzuOUOULRi-sx4xNy6UJHhIapwWeRZMsPpQLD31eCjdE1ZOXq5xk06n16kcGkK6TbK38-mrGwp1ZICKmmd0Q88eCokGytTgI2w4zj9fBU3I-Ir/s1600/P7131254.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfPpRwYp9M9YWEAjkuFHfDpKH5T-EGmwPzuOUOULRi-sx4xNy6UJHhIapwWeRZMsPpQLD31eCjdE1ZOXq5xk06n16kcGkK6TbK38-mrGwp1ZICKmmd0Q88eCokGytTgI2w4zj9fBU3I-Ir/s400/P7131254.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A slice of the delectable Black Forest Cake !</td></tr>
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<i style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-weight: bold; text-align: -webkit-center;">Note: </i><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; text-align: -webkit-center;">This is a very moist and spongy cake. You might wonder how using just 2 eggs can make a cake so spongy..... trust me, I had the same doubt, but after baking my cake, I was surprised too. Mixing all the ingredients is almost like baking a cake out of a boxed cake mix. On one occasion, I forgot to add the boiling water, but still got a moist, but slightly dense cake. You can use both cakes to make the black forest or else use just one, slicing it into 2 or more layers. You can try freezing the unused cake and use it later on. I did try doing that once, but was not very happy with the cake once it was thawed. Maybe I did not do a good job trying to freeze the cake.</span><br />
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Deepa Rajagopalanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04520332608776058191noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9134793728509811169.post-23000449628103712832012-08-30T09:55:00.002-04:002012-08-30T10:03:10.668-04:00Vanilla Butter Cake<div style="text-align: justify;">
<i><b><span style="font-size: large;"> B</span>irthdays were always a special occasion at my maternal home. My mom always baked me a cake, icing or no icing :) I guess my brother was not as lucky as me when it came to getting to cut a birthday cake..... as mom mostly made payasam for his birthday. I vividly remember how my mother once baked a plain cake and iced it with my favorite pink color home made icing. She used all the different nozzles to pipe out a cute doll on the cake. I still remember the black peppercorns she used to create the doll's eyes with :) That was for my eleventh birthday. Back then, there was no ready made icing available in India and there definitely was no Betty Crocker brand in any of our stores. So mom would buy icing sugar, food colors, blanch almonds, make almond paste, make colorful rosettes and flowers out of that to decorate the cake...in short, it was a tedious process. But she always took extra pains to get an outcome as good as the photos in her recipe books. She mostly preferred to bake a simple vanilla cake or 'plain cake' as she would call it, whenever she wanted to ice it. She always felt that this was the best cake to enjoy the flavor of home made icing. Well, all I can say is that whatever she baked, I thoroughly enjoyed eating...it really didn't matter to me whether the cake was plain or not :) Mom did try to hand me down the recipe for her vanilla cake, but the recipe got misplaced somewhere :( Hence began my search for the perfect 'plain cake' and after many months of searching the web, I chanced upon a recipe quite similar to my mother's. On second thoughts, I wouldn't exactly call this my old plain cake as this one is way more buttery than my mom's cake. I do relish this recipe though, as this was the first perfect cake I baked, all on my own. It is very simple to bake and very heavenly to eat...... thank the butter for all the dense flavor!</b></i></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjk_DZMTDXIKk-xI27iQyL0rhmB35pr1k6Zf2hNxKG-jjFgRvvjliVUo9DpYq75UuYXgRwAE40tJT7E7WASQ0u4FQ7scvSavvtx7GxrzKT1Ma3I8d7tqDbHUL4qc8M-g1t_9t-bTJRslBCi/s1600/P2080413.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjk_DZMTDXIKk-xI27iQyL0rhmB35pr1k6Zf2hNxKG-jjFgRvvjliVUo9DpYq75UuYXgRwAE40tJT7E7WASQ0u4FQ7scvSavvtx7GxrzKT1Ma3I8d7tqDbHUL4qc8M-g1t_9t-bTJRslBCi/s400/P2080413.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Vanilla butter cake out of the oven</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Vanilla cake, less a yummy slice !</td></tr>
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<b><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Ingredients:</span></b><br />
<b><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></b>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">All purpose flour or maida - 1 1/2 cups</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Sugar - 1 cup</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Eggs - 2 (at room temperature)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Baking powder - 2 tsps</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Butter - 1/2 cup (1 unsalted stick)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Salt - 1/2 tsp</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Milk - 3/4 cup</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Vanilla extract - 2 tsps</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Method:</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><br /></b></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Preheat oven to 350 </span><span style="background-color: #f9f9f9; line-height: 19.200000762939453px; text-align: start;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">°F.</span></span><span style="background-color: #f9f9f9; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.200000762939453px; text-align: start;"> </span><span style="background-color: #f9f9f9; line-height: 19.200000762939453px; text-align: start;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Grease and flour either a 8 or a 9 inch round pan. The cake will rise more in an 8 inch pan. The pan in the above picture is a 9 inch one.</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: #f9f9f9; line-height: 19.200000762939453px; text-align: start;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="background-color: #f9f9f9; line-height: 19.200000762939453px; text-align: start;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">1) Bring the eggs and butter to room temperature. You can place cold eggs in luke warm water to speed up the process. Microwave cold butter for about 10-15 seconds if you don't have time to thaw it. Hopefully in peak summer time, it should take less than an hour to thaw them both.</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: #f9f9f9; line-height: 19.200000762939453px; text-align: start;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">2) Sieve together the flour, baking powder and salt in a large bowl. </span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: #f9f9f9; line-height: 19.200000762939453px; text-align: start;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">3) In another large bowl, cream the butter using a hand or stand mix on low and then medium speed, for about 2-3 minutes. Slowly add the sugar and continue beating on high speed, till you use up all the sugar. Take care to scrap the sides of the bowl so that all the butter is well creamed. You should get a smooth pale yellow mixture once creaming is done. If the butter and sugar are not properly creamed, then the mixture will be slightly gritty in nature and this will affect the texture of the cake. The creaming process will take about 3 minutes.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">4) Now add the eggs and vanilla extract to the creamed mixture and beat on medium speed until the mixture is light and fluffy.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">5) Gently add the sieved ingredients to the creamed mixture alternately with the milk until well blended. Use a spatula to 'cut and fold' all the ingredients.To do this first add a small quantity of the flour followed by a little milk, then take the spatula and cut through the creamed mixture, simultaneously folding all the ingredients in a gentle circular motion.You could d</span><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">ivide the dry ingredients into 3 portions to make this easier. Continue with this gentle mixing until all the dry ingredients and milk is used up.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">6) Pour the mixture into the prepared pan and bake for 35-40 minutes at </span><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">350 </span><span style="background-color: #f9f9f9; line-height: 19.200000762939453px; text-align: start;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">°F. </span><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Check for doneness with a toothpick or a tester. The cake if done should spring back on a slight gentle touch. Remove from the oven and let it cool in the pan for about 10 mins, before transferring to a cooling rack. I prefer to leave the cake in the pan itself to cool down, as that way, the surface of the cake does not become too moist. Just be sure to cover the cake with a clean kitchen towel or paper napkin after a couple of hours.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 19.200000762939453px;">7) Once cooled completely, cut into pieces and store in an air tight container. Refrigerate the cake in the hot summer to increase shelf life, else it may go bad in a few days due to the heat.</span></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 19.200000762939453px;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i style="font-weight: bold;">Note: </i>This cake is awesomely buttery in taste and so is slightly on the denser side. If you don't prefer the dense taste, increase the quantity of flour to 2 cups. Enjoy eating 'plain vanilla cake' :) Once cooled you can ice it with any icing of your choice.</span></span></div>
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Deepa Rajagopalanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04520332608776058191noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9134793728509811169.post-68712405389333290492012-08-22T13:29:00.001-04:002012-08-22T13:37:56.176-04:00Stuffed Brinjal Curry<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;"> </span><b><i><span style="font-size: large;">I</span> love Andhra cuisine! Most varieties of 'pappus','podis','kuras' are mouth watering and very tasty mainly because of the famous Guntur red chilly and groundnuts, I suppose. My first brush with andhra style of cooking was when I got to stay with a very close telugu family friend of mine (my favorite Latha aunty), for an extended period of time. I got a taste of 'Meerakai Pacchadi', 'Pesarettu and Upma', 'Khaja from Kakinada' and a variety of Andhra specialities. Then again, when I moved to Bangalore, I stayed with my Aruna aunty (also from Andhra) and got to taste her awesome 'Stuffed Brinjal kura'. If you love spicy food, then tasting this is a must, in my opinion :) Aruna aunty always made her stuffed brinjals with the powdered stuffing from her native place. And it was always a dry fry, made with very little oil in a small cooker. She always used the freshest brinjals to make these. She would slit the brinjals, stuff them with the powder and place them in the cooker and allow them to fry without actually closing the cooker lid. After a while she would toss the brinjals gently. This kura or vegetable was a favorite of mine, especially with curd rice. Since then, it has always been my interest to learn to make this wonderful dish. As luck would have it, I found many recipes online, tried a few, but none came close to what my aunt used to make. The one I am writing now has become somewhat of a favorite of mine, as it evokes memories of the time I spent with both my aunt's. </i></b><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhStiOvmMoVj8vC6TBlEJRa9H7k1ryiVKYtcvW4CfgZ_EESfBEgNJSw9RkBXQhhvfFJpvDXKBaSjcoHtCI5yAov_AH2nGJtpV9ERYZEr8PEme8RKFkbaXNbjbUGJU-S7Nh3zUUYMAspwRCf/s1600/P5160577.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhStiOvmMoVj8vC6TBlEJRa9H7k1ryiVKYtcvW4CfgZ_EESfBEgNJSw9RkBXQhhvfFJpvDXKBaSjcoHtCI5yAov_AH2nGJtpV9ERYZEr8PEme8RKFkbaXNbjbUGJU-S7Nh3zUUYMAspwRCf/s400/P5160577.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Stuffed Brinjal Curry</td></tr>
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<b><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Ingredients:</span></b><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Small brinjals - 6 to 8 (I prefer the purple ones to the green ones as they have lesser seeds)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Onions - 2 large ones</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Tomatoes - 3 plum or 1 beefsteak tomatoes (add more if you want more gravy)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Tamarind - half lemon size (add a lime sized ball if you want a sour gravy)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Chilli powder - 1 tsp</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Oil - 2 tsp for seasoning</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Salt - to taste</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Powder for stuffing - (dried coconut + roasted peanuts + roasted sesame seeds + urad dal + chana dal + cumin seeds + dried red chillies + cinnamon stick + cloves + salt)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">(refer to the 'Stuffed brinjal powder' in the 'Powders and Pickles' menu item for full details)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Jaggery - small pellet</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Mustard - 1/2 tsps</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Urad dal - 1/2 tsp</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Curry leaves - a few</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjY1HSDaq9unw6-NGQ_iqOgAxf8tY2eWsNrAOWb2UFpxdQXoQmSc8uAvdNF4wHqHzXXmrd0lfu2zRiqM9IX4XhElaL58uWCS3kOzMhEo6p0HElAkawGwXvxEdY6fAv1d0aIh51UcgE-6f0b/s1600/P5160571.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjY1HSDaq9unw6-NGQ_iqOgAxf8tY2eWsNrAOWb2UFpxdQXoQmSc8uAvdNF4wHqHzXXmrd0lfu2zRiqM9IX4XhElaL58uWCS3kOzMhEo6p0HElAkawGwXvxEdY6fAv1d0aIh51UcgE-6f0b/s400/P5160571.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Slit brinjals stuffed with wet paste</td></tr>
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<b><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Method:</span></b><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">1) Chop the onions finely and grind the tomatoes into a fine paste. You can also use store bought tomato puree if you like. You can add chopped tomatoes if you wish, but I feel grinding them gives you more quantity of curry. Wash the brinjals and remove the green stem. Dry them on a paper towel and slit them vertically without breaking them. Take about 4 tbsps of the stuffing( I shall call it 'brinjal powder') add few drops of water to it to make a paste and stuff this paste into the slits of each brinjal. You can also stuff the brinjals with the dry powder instead of making a paste. Soak tamarind in water for half hour and extract the juice. Keep aside.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">2) Heat some oil in a heavy bottomed vessel. I prefer to use the cooker for this curry as it is much faster. When the oil is hot, season it with mustard seeds, urad dal and curry leaves. Add the chopped onions, a little salt for the onions and fry till onions are translucent. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">3) Now add the pureed/ chopped tomatoes and fry till it is cooked. Add the tamarind extract and salt to taste. Any leftover brinjal powder paste can be added to the curry, together with another tbsp of the same.Gently place the brinjals one by one, the slit side facing upwards, into the curry. Add a small piece of jaggery for taste. Close the cooker and place the weight. Simmer the cooker for a minute or two when you hear the whistle and then switch off. Allow the cooker to cool a little before opening it. That way the brinjals would have been cooked just well enough. Serve this curry with hot rice.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMOZaC35K7xsWEBA72cTt4liwFjOW_blamXPOrnFzxPSg4Cx7yXIf1_0T2xeF3A55ysh9rYSnWvUHyHOGlBOAUnWhqKVKk8_by02bJ9n8z5KfNRd4u9-zIGFJhEHaESDrToFHdvRcnh0m3/s1600/PA050004.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMOZaC35K7xsWEBA72cTt4liwFjOW_blamXPOrnFzxPSg4Cx7yXIf1_0T2xeF3A55ysh9rYSnWvUHyHOGlBOAUnWhqKVKk8_by02bJ9n8z5KfNRd4u9-zIGFJhEHaESDrToFHdvRcnh0m3/s400/PA050004.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Brinjals ready to be placed in the curry. The green one was a trial brinjal :) </td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Curry with onion, tomatoes, tamarind extract and brinjal powder</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgR6mkFsLBWcdDnsLWxGIl_U1XY3JqSvl2lhvONkxZiboDh8yb8xZHfTyHEentZChi5ts9fJtC5hW_AYrE_3xhTeOx4yDJsRkWo426MQWzI1UdjivORw3Ts8cuMtiKyhAIIS38gYU3jZPBG/s1600/PA050005.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgR6mkFsLBWcdDnsLWxGIl_U1XY3JqSvl2lhvONkxZiboDh8yb8xZHfTyHEentZChi5ts9fJtC5hW_AYrE_3xhTeOx4yDJsRkWo426MQWzI1UdjivORw3Ts8cuMtiKyhAIIS38gYU3jZPBG/s400/PA050005.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Brinjals placed in the curry to be cooked</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Brinjal curry done!</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b style="font-weight: bold;"><i>Note:</i></b> This is a curry recipe and not a dry fry, but you could use the brinjal powder to make a dry fry. Slit the brinjals, stuff the powder and place it in a kadai with few tablespoons of oil. Season the oil and add the brinjals to the same. Allow it to fry, taking care to turn over the brinjals from time to time till done. In the above recipe, I have added a small piece of jaggery and it truly enhances the taste of the curry....giving the essential sweet-sour flavor. You can omit the jaggery, if you wish to savor only a sour taste.</span></div>
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<i style="font-weight: bold;">Serving size: </i><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">This curry will be enough for 2 people for 2 servings. Increase the quantity of all ingredients to serve more people.</span><br />
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Deepa Rajagopalanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04520332608776058191noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9134793728509811169.post-31554237043963820912012-08-15T21:51:00.001-04:002012-08-22T13:29:38.881-04:00Phulkas (Puffed Rotis)<div style="text-align: justify;">
<i><b><span style="font-size: x-large;"> <span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">P</span></span><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">hulkas are made of wheat flour which is kneaded with water and salt, rolled out into a thin circular shape and cooked on a tava or griddle. You can call it the thinner version of the roti or chappati, which are generally thick. I call them 'Halka Phulka' as they are an extremely light and a versatile Indian bread.You can eat them with any sabzi (vegetable), curry, jam, pickle or butter. The Phulka derives its name from the fact that it puffs up when it is directly placed over the fire. 'Phulna' in Hindi means puffing up. This Indian bread is a staple of North India and is a little difficult to make as compared to the regular roti. The technique to get the phulka right, is in the quantity of water used and the amount of kneading done to make the dough soft. The more you knead the dough, the softer it becomes. Some people may find it difficult to make phulkas with a very soft dough, not to worry, refrigerate the dough for about 20 minutes and it will be easier to work with. My mother made phulkas almost everyday for lunch and dinner as these and thick chappatis were a favorite of my brother's. Most times when we had unexpected guests for lunch, my mother would scramble to make rotis. And she was so adept at making these, she would have a plate stacked up with garma garam phulkas in under twenty minutes. Not to mention the dollop of home made desi ghee smeared on each phulka. I prefer making phulkas to the thicker chappatis. At home, we had something called the 'thick chappati' and the regular chappati which was the phulka. I always preferred the phulka as it was easier to eat and consumed less time ;) </span></b></i><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Naram Garam Phulkas (without the ghee)</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Phulkas when kept folded</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>Ingredients:</b><i> </i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Wheat flour (Atta) - 2 cups (for kneading)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Wheat flour - 3/4 cup (for dusting the phulkas)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Water - 3/4 to 1 cup</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Salt- a pinch (to taste)<i> </i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Ghee- a few tbsps</span><br />
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<b><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Method:</span></b><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b> </b>Keep the following at hand: Rolling pin, Tava/ flat griddle, a pair of tongs or a wire mesh, Hot pack/ Casserole to store the phulkas</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">1) First visit the Indian store and buy a 5 or 10 lbs atta bag :) You will have many choices to choose from. I found that the brand one picks also matters here in the US as some are coarse ground and others are finely ground. There are also some brands which have maida mixed in the wheat flour, but claim to be pure wheat flour. In my opinion, coarse ground attas are better to make rotis/chappatis/phulkas/puris. I am not promoting any particular brand, but after lots of experimenting, I found Sujata atta to be the one closest to what my mother uses back home. Mom always did it the old fashioned way....buying wheat, washing and drying it and then getting it ground the way she liked it at the flour mill (chakki). She doesn't do that anymore as it is laborious and I am not there to help her too.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">2) Measure out the atta in a large bowl. Add the salt. Add a little water at a time and begin to knead the dough. Add only so much water initially so as to wet and bind the entire dough. Keep kneading and sprinkling a little water till you get almost an elastic consistency in the kneaded dough.The dough should be come soft and pliable. Cover and rest the dough for about 10 mins before making phulkas. You can also refrigerate the dough for about 20 mins in case you are not very comfortable working with a very soft dough.</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Soft and pliable dough</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">3) Now make small round balls out of the dough. Take a flour ball and flatten it a little by hand, to make a small slightly thick disc. Dust this in the extra flour and roll it into a very thin roti. You will have to dust the roti once or twice to prevent it from sticking on the surface you are rolling the phulka out on. Making rotis or phulkas may be a little messy and I prefer to use the flat kitchen counter top to roll out the phulkas. I keep the atta for dusting usually in a flat plate or on the counter itself. You could use a 'chakla' or traditional elevated flat wooden surface to make the phulkas too. Not that it will reduce the mess :)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">4) Heat the tava / griddle on high. Once it is hot enough, slightly lower the flame and place the phulka on the tava. Once it changes color, flip it over and allow it to cook, till light brown spots appear on it. Now, holding the tava handle with one hand, place the phulka directly on the fire with your other hand. You could also place the hot tava on another unused gas burner, so as to keep your hands safe. Making phulkas is a little tricky and does need some practice, but once you get the hang of it, it is very easy :)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">5) The phulka placed directly on the fire should puff up due to trapped steam. Using the kitchen tongs, flip the phulka over on the fire for a few seconds. Remove it with the tongs and place it on a plate or casserole. Smear with a dollop of ghee, if you like the taste of ghee. Mom used to smear a lot of ghee on her phulkas, but I stopped using ghee on mine long ago....guess I don't really like the taste anymore. Repeat the process for all the balls of atta you have, taking care to lower the flame when placing the phulka on the tava each time.Take care to cover the casserole once all the phulkas are made. That way they will stay warm and remain soft when you eat them.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">6) Another option would be to use a wire mesh, which I believe is available in the Indian store. Place this on a different gas burner than the one on which you place your tava on. Keep the flame on high and place the phulka over the mesh to puff up. I have never used the wire mesh and learnt to make the phulkas my mom's way.....which did include burning my finger tips in the process. But definitely worth it!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"> <b><i>Note: </i></b>In case you find placing the phulka directly on the fire or wire mesh is not for you, then you could also use a kitchen towel. Crumple it first and gently press down on the phulka when it has slightly cooked on both sides, keeping the flame on high while doing this. Steam will build up inside the phulka causing it to puff up.</span><br />
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Deepa Rajagopalanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04520332608776058191noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9134793728509811169.post-53197329552341972482012-07-23T00:12:00.000-04:002012-08-22T13:30:45.737-04:00Maavu Laddu (Pottu Kadalai Laddu)<div style="text-align: justify;">
<i><b><span style="font-size: large;">M</span>aavu laddu is a sweet delicacy mostly popular with the people of southern Tamil Nadu. It is made from Pottu kadalai or Pori Kadalai which is the south Indian name for split gram dal, which in turn is chutney dal. Or more specifically the gram dal used to make coconut chutney. Pottu kadalai being a very rich source of protein, these laddus are usually made in many households with little children. It is called Maavu laddu, since all the ingredients are in powdered form ('Maavu' in Tamil means powder) and 'laddu' is any sweet in the form of a sphere.I recently came to know that these laddus can also be made from Pasi paruppu or whole moong dal and are called Pasi paruppu laddus. I haven't tried making them with moong dal yet, but I may give that a shot in future. I have seen these maavu laddus in quite a few sweet shops selling traditional sweets, but never bothered to buy them or even taste them as they never appealed to me. I had my first taste of this laddu after my marriage at my in-laws home. My co-sister makes these very often for her kids and I found the taste of the laddus to my liking, albeit I always felt there was something missing in the laddu. I eventually got to make these laddus myself when I found a nice way to get my son to eat ghee...apparently, he doesn't enjoy the taste of ghee with his rice and curry :) And ghee (clarified butter) being essential for a child's growth, these laddus are very handy. Its another story that a calorie conscious me can never eat these laddus. But I really enjoy making them. And what I found was missing in my co-sister's laddus was the fact that she always made these laddus the traditional way. That is, just grinding the pottu kadalai with the sugar, adding ghee and making laddus. She never roasted the split gram dal. Well, I found that roasting the dal, cooling and then grinding it makes a lot of difference in the taste of these laddus. You should try doing the same. Ahem, I think I'll go and take a dig at just one laddu from my kitchen.</b></i></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Maavu Laddu</td></tr>
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<b>Ingredients:</b><br />
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Split gram dal (Pottu Kadalai) - 1 and 1/2 tea cup<br />
Sugar - 1 cup<br />
Ghee - 1/3 cup or 1/2 cup (depending on how rich you want it)<br />
Cardamom - few grains or 1 pod ( as per individual taste)<br />
<span style="background-color: white;">Cashew nuts - 1 tsp or 1 tbsp (finely broken)</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;">Raisins - (optional)</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white;"><b>Method:</b></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white;">1) First you need to make a trip to the Indian store to buy 'Chana Dalia', as that's the name under which pottu kadalai/ split gram dal is sold in the Patel store. Next, heat a kadai or heavy bottomed saucepan on high. When it is hot enough, reduce flame to medium and quickly dry roast the gram dal till it is a slightly golden color. Stir continuously so as not to burn the dal. </span><span style="background-color: white;">This should take few minutes. </span><span style="background-color: white;">Most people usually just grind the gram dal along with sugar to make the laddus. </span><span style="background-color: white;">A</span><span style="background-color: white;">s the raw smell disappears, y</span><span style="background-color: white;">ou will find that this dry roasting really enhances the taste of the laddus. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;">2) Transfer the dal to a plate and allow to cool completely. On cooling, grind it to a fine powder along with sugar. In case you use fine powdered sugar, like we do in the US, you don't have to grind it along with the dal. Mix the roasted gram flour and sugar in a large bowl and set aside.</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sugar mixed with powdered gram dal</td></tr>
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<span style="background-color: white;">3) Warm the 1/3 or 1/2 cup ghee in a microwave. Use a little of this ghee to stir fry the cashew and raisins, in case you desire to add them to the laddus. I usually don't add either as my little son does not like biting into them while eating his favorite laddu :) </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;">4) Powder the cardamom and add it to the gram flour mixture. Mix well. Now, pour the warmed ghee little by little into the mixture. Using a spoon or ladle, constantly stir the ghee into the mixture. Actually, using your hand would be better as you will know just when to stop adding any more ghee. The mixture should have just about enough ghee, so as to easily shape it into laddus. No problems if you use up all the ghee to make the laddus....just make sure you workout more in the gym afterwards ;)</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mixture after adding few tbsps of ghee</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mixture ready to make laddus after adding more ghee</td></tr>
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<span style="background-color: white;"><b>Note:</b> </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;">This recipe will make approx. 25 - 27 small ladoos. Since the protein in the dal and the oodles of ghee added make this sweet a little heavy on the stomach, you may want to limit the quantity consumed by very small kids, say in the age group of 2-5 yrs. Agreed that they play a lot and burn all the calories, but it is better to be cautious :) Also, I have used a measuring cup to measure out the ghee, but you can add as much as your heart desires. Just know that it is the ghee which actually brings out the taste in this delectable sweet.</span>Deepa Rajagopalanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04520332608776058191noreply@blogger.com0United States37.09024 -95.71289111.6301275 -136.1425785 62.5503525 -55.2832035tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9134793728509811169.post-60932097418572279532012-07-17T23:25:00.000-04:002014-09-11T08:20:36.572-04:00Kara Kadalai (Spicy Peanut snack)<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;"> <b><i>P</i></b></span><b><i>eanuts or Monkey nuts have always been a favorite food of mine, albeit ever since I began counting the calories, they are not as dear as before! 'Kara Kadalai' was always a great snack to have, especially during the summer vacations when I loved getting lost, reading my favorite Enid Blyton books. Just loved digging into the kadalai and sipping cold 'Rasna', the most popular flavored drink of those times. Kara Kadalai derives its name from 'Karam', which means 'hot and spicy' in Tamil and 'Kadalai,' meaning peanuts. So it is basically 'Hot and spicy peanuts'. You can find these in most savory shops in south India. I have tasted the shop made kara kadalai......they were deep fried and almost always dark red in color, maybe due to the red chilly flakes added to make them spicy. But they were never anywhere close to the kara kadalai my mom made, either in taste nor appearance. They also seemed to lack the besan coating of the home made kadalai. </i></b><span style="background-color: white;"><b><i>The measurements given below are based more on judgement rather than accuracy, since I sometimes increase or decrease the quantity of all the ingredients mentioned. To start with, you could use about 1 teacup of raw peanuts and try out this recipe, altering the quantity of all the ingredients. Since my mother used her experience in making this snack, her proportions always went by 'a handful'. This recipe is from her favorite old, handwritten recipe book.</i></b></span><b style="background-color: white;"><i>This is one easy snack to make, so do try it :)</i></b><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIc5nJJxFmP8gMorTVn0D9Ky7Xf_M-yHJu5S1mg89RsX-muOGhykt1InWa9rn_pqW-zP6XaxMrxoHZwSzPPzxU1OKt_QA9yLgq568FoTvogvko5ZFIdHGt5HYSl-fiMyMF9CbG8CkWsznj/s1600/P7061182.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIc5nJJxFmP8gMorTVn0D9Ky7Xf_M-yHJu5S1mg89RsX-muOGhykt1InWa9rn_pqW-zP6XaxMrxoHZwSzPPzxU1OKt_QA9yLgq568FoTvogvko5ZFIdHGt5HYSl-fiMyMF9CbG8CkWsznj/s400/P7061182.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kara Kadalai</td></tr>
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<b style="background-color: white;">Ingredients:</b><br />
<b><i><br /></i></b>
Raw Peanuts - 1/4 or 1/2 kgs (use whole peanuts with skin)<br />
Besan (Gramflour/ Chickpea flour)) - 1/4 to 1/2 cup<br />
Chilli powder - 1 tbsps (add more if you like it very spicy)<br />
Salt - 1 tsp or as per taste<br />
Water - 1/4 cup<br />
Oil - 1 cup<br />
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<b>Method:</b><br />
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1) Place the raw peanuts in a large bowl and sprinkle just enough water so as to just coat all the nuts with water. Take care not to soak the nuts, else you will get lumps of peanuts while adding besan. Kara kadalai is supposed to have individual peanuts coated in gramflour. Don't worry if the 1/4 cup water mentioned above is not used up entirely. The peanuts should have just enough water, so the besan sticks to them properly. An easy way to do this would be to toss the nuts around in the bowl :)<br />
2) Now add a handful of besan, chilli powder and salt to the peanuts and toss them around till they are well coated in the besan. Taste the raw peanuts to check for salt and chilli powder. Add more besan, chilli and salt, in case you feel it is less. Sprinkle some more water on the peanuts if you feel it is too dry and the besan is not sticking to it. The reason I recommend using a handful of besan at a time, rather than just adding 1/4 or 1/2 cup to the peanuts is to ensure that you don't over coat the nuts in the gramflour. This way you can adjust the flavor. Want to taste more peanuts, add less gramflour. Want a spicy flavor, add more gramflour, salt and chilli powder.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgewfIK5ycCdNyk2CfZFQ9IabjhL0voq0RYCluv7AmSv5Qf-s8kfYIYOfwG8lEEsK0mUOBU6BZ1aURZoFnezjJ-L4I-1IdkckXG2t1tgsj2a9zjwGWEJOYdhNKS1vJuaxgvVx8Mkbvg2szb/s1600/P7051152.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgewfIK5ycCdNyk2CfZFQ9IabjhL0voq0RYCluv7AmSv5Qf-s8kfYIYOfwG8lEEsK0mUOBU6BZ1aURZoFnezjJ-L4I-1IdkckXG2t1tgsj2a9zjwGWEJOYdhNKS1vJuaxgvVx8Mkbvg2szb/s400/P7051152.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Raw peanuts coated with Gramflour, Chilli powder and Salt</td></tr>
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<span style="background-color: white;">3) Heat the 1 cup oil in a kadai or heavy bottomed saucepan on high flame. Once the oil is ready, test it by adding one peanut. If it sizzles, you should lower the flame and add a handful of nuts to the oil. Fry the nuts on very low flame till it appears light brown in color, taking care to stir them continuously, lest they burn.</span><br />
4) Place the fried nuts on a paper towel and put them in an airtight container once they are cooled. They should remain crunchy for upto two weeks.<br />
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<b><i>Note:</i></b><br />
<span style="background-color: white;"> The peanuts will appear to taste soggy when you take them out of the oil. But they will become crunchy once they cool down.</span><br />
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Deepa Rajagopalanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04520332608776058191noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9134793728509811169.post-70379246380488974922012-07-12T23:14:00.003-04:002012-08-22T13:31:30.469-04:00Poondu Kulumbhu (Garlic Curry)<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;"> </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><i><b><span style="font-size: x-large;">G</span></b></i><i><b>arlic or Poondu as it is known in South India, is a very strong smelling, pungent root. Peeling garlic in the kitchen is despised by most women, thanks to the smell that lingers in the fingers. But everyone will agree when it comes to the health benefits of the garlic clove, that it is one ingredient they would love to include in all their cooking. Garlic pearls are known to purify blood, improve blood circulation and serve as an anti-oxidant, promoting the well being of the heart and immune system. Mom used to use garlic in all her dishes in one form or the other. Sometimes it was garlic paste, garlic powder, chopped garlic, whole garlic..... the garlic pod was a staple in our kitchen and together with ginger, it was essential to create many a gastronomic delight ! Mom used to make poondu kulumbhu a lot, especially in garlic season. This was my Dad's favorite and together with plain dal, he used to have a feast. I never liked poondu kulumbhu in my younger years, but developed a taste for this once I learned to cook. Like my dad, now I love the combo of having hot rice with plain dal, a dollop of ghee on top and the poondu kulumbhu as an accompaniment or mixed with the dal rice. Absolutely delightful !</b></i></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi80SmTcxgfqI4r55ihtqhqXQK4q13KVp7Bl2W1DkwuBR_Mzlw_E9K8EtXiRfIJL1RyFmvt-SrCIzDDlHiJNwO032bir94J7ZpsPAx7rRUwOabJTvCUcQd1BKipiEbVEvdkcDYKgHj1V9Is/s1600/P7031105.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi80SmTcxgfqI4r55ihtqhqXQK4q13KVp7Bl2W1DkwuBR_Mzlw_E9K8EtXiRfIJL1RyFmvt-SrCIzDDlHiJNwO032bir94J7ZpsPAx7rRUwOabJTvCUcQd1BKipiEbVEvdkcDYKgHj1V9Is/s400/P7031105.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Poondu Kulumbhu (Garlic Curry)</td></tr>
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<h4>
Ingredients:</h4>
<div>
Garlic cloves or poondu - 1 and 1/2 <span style="background-color: white;">handfuls</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;">Onion - 1 and 1/2 (finely chopped)</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;">Tamarind - a small pellet (1/4 size of a lemon)</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;">Tomatoes - 2 (pureed or finely chopped)</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;">Fenugreek seeds (methi seeds) - 1/4 tsp</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;">Sambar powder - 1 1/2 to 2 tsps</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;">Grated fresh coconut - this is optional</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;">Salt - to taste</span></div>
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Cooking Oil - 2 tbsps (use sesame/ gingelly oil as it is tastier)</div>
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Mustard - 1/2 tsp</div>
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Urad dal - 1/2 tsp</div>
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Curry leaves - 3</div>
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<span style="background-color: white;"><b>Method:</b></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;"><b><br /></b></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;">1) Soak the tamarind in water for 20 minutes and extract juice by squeezing the pulp and straining. You can increase the quantity of tamarind in case you prefer a very sour flavor (pulipu flavor). You can also microwave the soaked tamarind in water for about 1 minute, cool it and extract the juice.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;">2) Heat some oil in a kadai or skillet. When oil is hot, add mustard seeds, urad dal, fenugreek seeds and curry leaves to season the oil. Take care not to add too much of fenugreek seeds, else the curry will turn bitter. These seeds are only added to enhance the flavor of the kulumbhu. Now add chopped onions, a little salt and stir fry till onions are slightly translucent.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;">3) Add the peeled garlic cloves. An easy way to peel garlic would be to microwave the garlic with the skin for about 30 seconds. Or else roast the garlic with the skin in a hot kadai/ saucepan for about a minute. The skin will loosen up and the garlic will become soft, making it easier to remove the skin. An advantage of this is the fact that the garlic cloves will fry faster and absorb the liquid curry better, making the kulumbhu tastier. If peeling garlic is not for you, then use the peeled garlic readily available in the freezer section in the Indian store or Costco. I am sure you get peeled garlic in India too, only I don't know the store names.</span></div>
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4) Now add the pureed tomatoes, the tamarind extract and the sambar powder to the fried onions and garlic cloves. Fry them for few minutes till the tomatoes are cooked. You can add chopped tomatoes too, but I feel adding ground/ pureed tomatoes increases the quantity of the curry and the garlic cloves blend well into the curry. You may need to add red chilli powder in case your sambar powder does not contain chilli powder in it. Since I use home made sambar powder already containing chilli powder in it, I have not added the same here. Add salt to taste. Add only required quantity of water to the mixture, making sure you do not thin down the consistency. This curry is usually an accompaniment to rice and dal, so should have a slightly thicker consistency. It can be eaten with rice as such too, not necessarily as an accompaniment. Watering down the curry would essentially ruin the taste. </div>
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5) Bring the curry to a rolling boil till the raw smell of the sambar powder is all gone. You can add grated coconut before the curry starts to boil, in case you wish to tone down the sourness of the kulumbhu. I have had this kulumbhu with and without the coconut. I like the one without the coconut better as you get the actual sour flavor of the curry and the pungent but yummy taste of the garlic cloves.</div>
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<i><b>Note:</b></i></div>
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<i><b><br /></b></i>
<b style="background-color: white; font-style: italic; text-align: justify;"> </b><span style="background-color: white; text-align: justify;">Try to u</span><span style="background-color: white; text-align: justify;">se gingelly oil (sesame oil ) while doing seasoning as it enhances the flavor of the kulumbhu. You can also use regular canola, sunflower or vegetable oil. My mom says you should try grinding</span><span style="background-color: white; text-align: justify;"> the tomatoes with 1/4 onion. Add a small pellet of jaggery to the kulumbhu before bringing it to a boil. This way you will sample a delightful combination of sweet, sour and spicy kulumbhu.</span></div>
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<span style="text-align: -webkit-auto;"><b style="font-style: italic;">Serving size: </b>Will serve 2 people for a single meal.</span><br />
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Deepa Rajagopalanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04520332608776058191noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9134793728509811169.post-21808906800528341092012-06-29T23:42:00.005-04:002013-04-02T00:19:54.872-04:00Banana Walnut Cake<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> </span><b><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><em>I</em></span></b></span><em><b><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"> got my first taste of the banana walnut muffin in the US. I do vaguely remember seeing banana recipes in my mother's old trusted recipe books, maybe my mom did try out this cake long time ago, but I have no memories of that.All I remember about bananas being used as an ingredient in a sweet was the 'unniappam', where ripe bananas were smashed, mixed in the maida or rice flour batter along with sugar, cardamom and deep fried. Those were yummy in their own way, but nothing beats the combo of walnuts with bananas. Truly heavenly! Got ripe bananas and don't feel like eating them...well then, just bake this cake. I tried baking this cake with variations in the quantity of flour and it came out great on all the occasions.</span></b></em><br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUkCDvmCBfNVH3jHwZAKEbgqy1RTkD3hlAemn9suNfPn8-P6FSmeh_2fLWOjNy9Xt4L-67Db8fN2lqy10J6oPO7ygymmks1tKaYsXcXLVodybn9e86ivNnqkDobycBSdqqd8BX13PjBhzQ/s1600/P3160483-001.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUkCDvmCBfNVH3jHwZAKEbgqy1RTkD3hlAemn9suNfPn8-P6FSmeh_2fLWOjNy9Xt4L-67Db8fN2lqy10J6oPO7ygymmks1tKaYsXcXLVodybn9e86ivNnqkDobycBSdqqd8BX13PjBhzQ/s640/P3160483-001.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Banana Walnut Cake</td></tr>
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<div style="text-align: justify;">
<strong>Ingredients:</strong></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
All purpose flour or maida - 2 cups</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Sugar - 1/2 cup</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Brown sugar - 1/2 cup(optional, but highly recommended for best results!You can also use just 1 cup sugar, if you don't have brown sugar)</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Ripe bananas - 2 (pureed)</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Baking soda - 1 tsp</div>
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Salt - a pinch</div>
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Eggs - 2</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Butter - 1/2 cup (use 1 stick of unsalted butter)</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Milk - 3/4 cup</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Walnuts - 1/2 cup (broken and roasted)</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Cinnamon powder - 1/2 tsp or more (if you like a cinnamon flavored cake)</div>
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Vanilla essence - 1 tsp</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
1 round 9 inch cake tin or a 8.5 inch square tin</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
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<div style="text-align: justify;">
<b>Method :</b></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<b> </b>Prepare the cake tin first by smearing a little butter or cooking spray and dusting with flour.Set aside. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
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<div style="text-align: justify;">
1) Firstly, bring the butter and eggs to room temperature. You can microwave the butter for about 10 seconds till it is just soft, taking care that it does not become liquid. Immerse cold eggs in luke warm water for a while and it should fasten the process.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOeUBoQwgKKFYsL_MNFOPKoXCeBFvu3zrxehyphenhyphenmCETNcB8FPDyDwXzRzKb2i4_pZw3qWm9NmW8UPT0tpE4AqMug84YF2IzxlRz0kRYLPXLzBTOIH3c130Yxzxq1_Z3Tne9SldXY2eDdFcLx/s1600/P3280328.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOeUBoQwgKKFYsL_MNFOPKoXCeBFvu3zrxehyphenhyphenmCETNcB8FPDyDwXzRzKb2i4_pZw3qWm9NmW8UPT0tpE4AqMug84YF2IzxlRz0kRYLPXLzBTOIH3c130Yxzxq1_Z3Tne9SldXY2eDdFcLx/s400/P3280328.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Butter and eggs ready for use</td></tr>
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2) Sift together all the dry ingredients (flour, soda, salt and cinnamon) in a large bowl using a sifter. Sifting ensures that all the dry ingredients are mixed well without any lumps.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpaz2Vc_t6oI6AXulZhWC6lT2HEvxJsYYZj8h2yXb1eeFwn0dvG-blnKvWHdNAKs1SkNxMRAu3TnFtStywCOxCLZz9R38MODojfqmfulMX_zSD7FzchyBGN8f9W_gK8_I4E6qLfhGxm3js/s1600/P3280323.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpaz2Vc_t6oI6AXulZhWC6lT2HEvxJsYYZj8h2yXb1eeFwn0dvG-blnKvWHdNAKs1SkNxMRAu3TnFtStywCOxCLZz9R38MODojfqmfulMX_zSD7FzchyBGN8f9W_gK8_I4E6qLfhGxm3js/s400/P3280323.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sifting together flour, soda, salt and cinnamon</td></tr>
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3) Cream the butter using a hand or stand mixer at low speed in another large bowl. You will find it easier to cream butter kept at room temperature.Slowly increase the speed till the butter turns a light yellow color, taking care to scrape the sides of the bowl. By scraping the sides, you make sure that all the butter is properly beaten.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOmM2b4FeFGWG05Nuv8WH6MpD5DGIZ9C9U8FFNa536vu6_sJyzqEWBe4l47x2m8TMwdVPY6YMl3ciYlOUV__JKZQsyMr1Alh5zKMqgBuyq-8t5Kf6oIRkR5BQV7VjXmdrrP5cso7W6YMpf/s1600/P3280329.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOmM2b4FeFGWG05Nuv8WH6MpD5DGIZ9C9U8FFNa536vu6_sJyzqEWBe4l47x2m8TMwdVPY6YMl3ciYlOUV__JKZQsyMr1Alh5zKMqgBuyq-8t5Kf6oIRkR5BQV7VjXmdrrP5cso7W6YMpf/s400/P3280329.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Creaming butter with a hand mixer</td></tr>
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4) Slowly add sugar to the butter and continue beating the mixture till you get a coarse sand like texture. It is best to add the sugar in parts, so as to incorporate maximum air. Now add the two eggs and vanilla essence.Beat again on low speed. You can add the eggs directly or first mix them in a bowl and then add them.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPwPqw_Wyhxgw9TLcWlFSY8dp_Ck1mapxJUkXaHCAQ_W2gI9raq334lsvkOmYeLF73Vj47vwLggLUt_S2iPqv68YwFJ9RlXXX6ZuoyJHyrEwtLc-ALyLNa750RSbZer6L3Fi9DwbEL6yxI/s1600/P3280330.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPwPqw_Wyhxgw9TLcWlFSY8dp_Ck1mapxJUkXaHCAQ_W2gI9raq334lsvkOmYeLF73Vj47vwLggLUt_S2iPqv68YwFJ9RlXXX6ZuoyJHyrEwtLc-ALyLNa750RSbZer6L3Fi9DwbEL6yxI/s400/P3280330.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">1/2 cup Sugar and 1/2 cup brown sugar mixed together</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEis-OwhEMho_jnZ2ptP_n0yPGMgCuuDyGJRaBx7GwumO5_CKa5l3rWTSQAGUu4L0WlgdKuckBFsZ4JAaMdda5KpcnkxcpG7p6SWMuMkv-joMTU5Jz7WlA4d7DIeSBunREn8gyROLlWLiXdB/s1600/P3280332.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEis-OwhEMho_jnZ2ptP_n0yPGMgCuuDyGJRaBx7GwumO5_CKa5l3rWTSQAGUu4L0WlgdKuckBFsZ4JAaMdda5KpcnkxcpG7p6SWMuMkv-joMTU5Jz7WlA4d7DIeSBunREn8gyROLlWLiXdB/s400/P3280332.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Creaming butter with sugar</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjf2OUKYtcCsYS5ruSLMdFtGtMX9ITLNhGPp3PNhVuP__h6WpgzW11QrN54ySYhe0wBj6Dn4D7EvjPlKwRz-2VOPFhAF00moy18Uz0MIqonV-yFmWNnt7Js2rdcisqfi-agRIC7qIhM-RL/s1600/P3280333.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjf2OUKYtcCsYS5ruSLMdFtGtMX9ITLNhGPp3PNhVuP__h6WpgzW11QrN54ySYhe0wBj6Dn4D7EvjPlKwRz-2VOPFhAF00moy18Uz0MIqonV-yFmWNnt7Js2rdcisqfi-agRIC7qIhM-RL/s400/P3280333.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Eggs and vanilla added to the creamed butter</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiZ-kI-ZA2wSISVw0cBlKjPTbDX0kTRKyWWUTsfZgBaIpqcNHGDzo-cB1GzqLMjwHfcdFkXlCBW2OCSVLf3MgfABECYZNqJGhEULTxQFYW7Ue9Ohq6LhgkhxiWWyraWepjgCW5pH6OGsbV/s1600/P3280334.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiZ-kI-ZA2wSISVw0cBlKjPTbDX0kTRKyWWUTsfZgBaIpqcNHGDzo-cB1GzqLMjwHfcdFkXlCBW2OCSVLf3MgfABECYZNqJGhEULTxQFYW7Ue9Ohq6LhgkhxiWWyraWepjgCW5pH6OGsbV/s400/P3280334.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fluffy texture after beating eggs and vanilla with creamed butter</td></tr>
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5) By now you should have a fluffy light colored mixture. To this add the banana puree and beat for a few seconds on high.The mixture will appear curdled. You can even try to mash the bananas with a fork and add the same. Personally, I prefer the smooth texture of the pureed bananas to the mashed one.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8rkkePvOewpfKvd8tIGxnm4Mq-PKkdYqPGo2AzBxR92b7T1TsThdyHxAa9KOAKObPFO9YHxz_44nKoAwF1_d9-iQE4zRTVBY_WkC6yalUw4850EKlutghjnOfzXQVFUGXacMFU1u92dwy/s1600/P3280324.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8rkkePvOewpfKvd8tIGxnm4Mq-PKkdYqPGo2AzBxR92b7T1TsThdyHxAa9KOAKObPFO9YHxz_44nKoAwF1_d9-iQE4zRTVBY_WkC6yalUw4850EKlutghjnOfzXQVFUGXacMFU1u92dwy/s400/P3280324.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bananas in mixer jar ready for pureeing</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbZdn2xWqg9CU-AVA8YBl81NpkzFA5BjwMaTk2jBVibZjz4wnL5yBE5WurgI9BSJ3PSkZg0MCYPqU6-H1AaZXpZ0ERO1am2QciaU-tIf4DVNNVQ1OWFkOF4FkQUsGlIgXj6HBTliPkc9Pz/s1600/P3280325.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbZdn2xWqg9CU-AVA8YBl81NpkzFA5BjwMaTk2jBVibZjz4wnL5yBE5WurgI9BSJ3PSkZg0MCYPqU6-H1AaZXpZ0ERO1am2QciaU-tIf4DVNNVQ1OWFkOF4FkQUsGlIgXj6HBTliPkc9Pz/s400/P3280325.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pureed bananas</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLN-v0DVvAt8QSXFaqX0n6tkItlNLSa8CyrL6FlbzviDUrCUME1D8528QI-U7zIKZwwxxMOfiE5De2NUNUCNEv8LyqW59EP35iagGVXP3LPU4Hv1mb3myDH-eFhHWcJrVfb8qNw1SbRCJY/s1600/P3280335.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLN-v0DVvAt8QSXFaqX0n6tkItlNLSa8CyrL6FlbzviDUrCUME1D8528QI-U7zIKZwwxxMOfiE5De2NUNUCNEv8LyqW59EP35iagGVXP3LPU4Hv1mb3myDH-eFhHWcJrVfb8qNw1SbRCJY/s400/P3280335.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Adding banana puree to creamed mixture<br /></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj07CvNf1wMcA5voO9gZntSL0HcPOa-GHhy8TOZ7JyKgbMX1cCqAvL19XypWobGUVK7FfwlFDTVNjC3pPVUAlVwRWhQBqadMJX8enHH5HZVxqnRRVKzwqBVAy84MmaWOotCQnC_ee3rchcl/s1600/P3280336.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj07CvNf1wMcA5voO9gZntSL0HcPOa-GHhy8TOZ7JyKgbMX1cCqAvL19XypWobGUVK7FfwlFDTVNjC3pPVUAlVwRWhQBqadMJX8enHH5HZVxqnRRVKzwqBVAy84MmaWOotCQnC_ee3rchcl/s400/P3280336.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Creamed mixture after adding banana puree</td></tr>
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6) Add the dry ingredients slowly to this curdled mixture alternating with the milk.Use a spatula to gently cut and fold the ingredients into the wet mixture.You can use cold milk for this purpose.Milk is added to give texture to the cake and to prevent it from being too dry after it is baked.Use up all the flour mixture and milk to get a smooth batter.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7Lqn3LL2ZxDR6VbMf8fdD6wLjmkUG-4ubGWSOBvfodXuFVSUlkdQEkRmsGg8lm_LIyj9LktR-95PBoixYI-k2GACNv2mEnFRy2j1W6qWvfLpCZO1G_1QLeUmvSQ9dt1asrpQJi9ef8OSY/s1600/P3280327.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7Lqn3LL2ZxDR6VbMf8fdD6wLjmkUG-4ubGWSOBvfodXuFVSUlkdQEkRmsGg8lm_LIyj9LktR-95PBoixYI-k2GACNv2mEnFRy2j1W6qWvfLpCZO1G_1QLeUmvSQ9dt1asrpQJi9ef8OSY/s400/P3280327.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Measuring 3/4 cup milk</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZ_ophaI5S5IVhcGUywKejkMKhzzLZpThhAr4AD61buWCIRcnjYWgBkn3EkOkn-hnRhRW0Qtd7GEXo4gHm6aGxF6ce5GbOqs_tdS2Cm17gA-EsZyFQkUDSHH-CXbGJY9tLn2th1aDgk5Tm/s1600/P3280337.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZ_ophaI5S5IVhcGUywKejkMKhzzLZpThhAr4AD61buWCIRcnjYWgBkn3EkOkn-hnRhRW0Qtd7GEXo4gHm6aGxF6ce5GbOqs_tdS2Cm17gA-EsZyFQkUDSHH-CXbGJY9tLn2th1aDgk5Tm/s400/P3280337.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cut and fold dry ingredients with creamed mixture, alternating with milk</td></tr>
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7) Now add the roasted walnuts and give it just one mix with the spatula till the nuts blend in. Microwave the walnuts for about 20 seconds, if roasted ones are unavailable.Adding the nuts in the end will ensure that they don't sink to the bottom and are evenly distributed in the cake.Add either 1/2 cup or 1 cup depending on how 'nutty' you want your cake to be.I usually don't add more than 1/3 cup as I don't prefer a very nut filled cake, even though I love walnuts<span style="background-color: white;">.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilVXuS9COQXxn0zcXbd83z68NmpRO6a1ISWCZmwDQXg-FkKsII4fo6Cm72a8v8Vxj8cC61z_CzAAVO9UkJaMbA9q6OOzBQJbH3jtkGzrhnUceNpQQecDCYahKw7fsVuvT9b6Ef3mUjN0bc/s1600/P3280319.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilVXuS9COQXxn0zcXbd83z68NmpRO6a1ISWCZmwDQXg-FkKsII4fo6Cm72a8v8Vxj8cC61z_CzAAVO9UkJaMbA9q6OOzBQJbH3jtkGzrhnUceNpQQecDCYahKw7fsVuvT9b6Ef3mUjN0bc/s400/P3280319.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Roasted walnuts dusted with wee bit of flour</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikBEvg2Mx27mbC7K9urmHyADl8pldb6TUxzaWwYlNidT8k-vKgUGYQEb-gcrX7MDHJeF-AmVbXs6uFgnvEvmelurBtcZZDSJsGAi2Z2AUk0xWIimbxFjz-18V7V17Z8Bbxr35xMZEXcofo/s1600/P3280338.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikBEvg2Mx27mbC7K9urmHyADl8pldb6TUxzaWwYlNidT8k-vKgUGYQEb-gcrX7MDHJeF-AmVbXs6uFgnvEvmelurBtcZZDSJsGAi2Z2AUk0xWIimbxFjz-18V7V17Z8Bbxr35xMZEXcofo/s400/P3280338.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mixing in the walnuts</td></tr>
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8) Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake at 350 degrees for 30-35 minutes.Check with a toothpick or cake tester for doneness, both on the top and sides of the cake. Bake for 5 more minutes in case you feel it is not done. Remove from the oven and keep in the pan for 10 minutes before transferring it to a cooling rack.Cool completely before cutting and storing the cake in an airtight container.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhW_zQh_aJEtlpwhfXratliomAQGjHJsbO4XKfgLoYG62SNO9BsDMZRdYsclqwRk9UtWXJsi6em66hFuUwhDQkI16vSAqBaxRDAzLQUdc8UKJ6YyxtOjI34J9TWqn-UAItH0UDPtUE_olLi/s1600/P3280339.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhW_zQh_aJEtlpwhfXratliomAQGjHJsbO4XKfgLoYG62SNO9BsDMZRdYsclqwRk9UtWXJsi6em66hFuUwhDQkI16vSAqBaxRDAzLQUdc8UKJ6YyxtOjI34J9TWqn-UAItH0UDPtUE_olLi/s400/P3280339.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cake batter in a 8.5 inch square pan</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0hMJdfeevZ4kU-lEaHUZcQwvPasi5buzn2HbdKiAKLxbciHZNPrveXLa32KsPUK0NKkQr4gtTsK6TDPhphQHw4m4IpnL3b76-L7c4Ea9k6AKl9QqzDl0tNp4b1OK3owy1e2XtQ_F4LHvt/s1600/P3280344.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0hMJdfeevZ4kU-lEaHUZcQwvPasi5buzn2HbdKiAKLxbciHZNPrveXLa32KsPUK0NKkQr4gtTsK6TDPhphQHw4m4IpnL3b76-L7c4Ea9k6AKl9QqzDl0tNp4b1OK3owy1e2XtQ_F4LHvt/s400/P3280344.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ta Da!! Banana Walnut Cake :))</td></tr>
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<b>Variation:</b></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Try these measurements if you want a denser, more rich cake with a buttery taste.<br />
Flour- 1 and 1/4 cup, Sugar - 3/4 cup + 3 tsps, Baking soda - 1 tsp, Salt - a pinch, Eggs- 2, Bananas - 2(pureed), Milk- 1/2 cup, Butter - 1/2 cup or 1 stick, Vanilla essence - 1 tsp.<br />
<br />
Follow the same instructions as given above and bake at 350 degrees for 30 - 35 minutes in a 9 inch round pan. Test for doneness. <span style="background-color: white;">Cool completely before cutting and storing the cake in an airtight container.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white;"><b><i>Note:</i></b></span><span style="background-color: white;"> </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;">1) If both recipes are made in a 9 inch round pan, expect it to rise in the center and don't worry if the cake cracks a little on the top. The first recipe is also perfect for the square pan. The cake rises only slightly, but mostly evenly in this pan. In case the cake is not cooked well enough in the center after 35 minutes, reduce the heat to 200 degrees and leave the cake in the oven for 5- 7 minutes till the center cooks well enough.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;">2) The first recipe is very light and fluffy and absolutely yum! The variation recipe I have mentioned above, I used it when I first started out baking cakes. I recently tried baking this cake in a 9 by 13 inch pan with 3 large and 1 medium ripe banana. I had 2 and 1/2 cups of the puree and used it all with a cup of white sugar. I ended up with a slightly dense brownie like cake. It was mildly sweet and good, but I am still wondering why I didn't get a fluffy texture. Have to investigate ;) Also, I have not used brown sugar in either recipe...... a must ingredient in the banana walnut cake, because on all the occasions I have baked this, I never had stock of this sugar in my pantry :) Honestly speaking, I never missed using brown sugar as my cake was tasty without it. Its only recently that I have started adding 1/2 cup of brown sugar to 1/2 cup white sugar. Oh wow, nowadays, I am baking the tastiest Banana walnut cake ever!!! The brown sugar really does work wonders to the flavor.....hmm, heading to the kitchen to indulge in more baking ;) </span></div>
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Deepa Rajagopalanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04520332608776058191noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9134793728509811169.post-24737728648290157402012-05-17T23:32:00.000-04:002012-08-22T13:32:46.229-04:00Peanut Chikki<div style="text-align: justify;">
<b> <i><span style="font-size: large;">A</span>s a kid, no vacation to my grandma's place was ever complete unless I bit into my favorite 'Kadalai mittai'. I can still remember how we kids used to buy peanut chikki (peanuts and jaggery toffee) from the store near grandma's home.Each small square would be covered with colored dried coconut shavings, mostly pink and yellow colors. I still love kadalai mittai and bring back a packet each time I visit my mother's place.This recipe is a purely accidental one as I was attempting to make the 'puran' for the delicacy called 'puran poli'.Simply said, the jaggery syrup boiled a wee bit longer and changed color and consistency.Knowing it was beyond the 'puran' point, I hurriedly fried peanuts and added them to the syrup, spread it on a sheet, cut it and lo and behold, I get peanut chikki :)) What a sweet accident it turned out to be! The picture below may not appear very</i></b><b><i> appealing as I was in a big hurry to snap a picture before my tasty chikki was all gone!</i></b><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcX0gLW8a4-rb4iCCBF9CftDKlFRmKNqPfbzicO9DH52ecEEY3tSpGex1Q-WjfY8h3teKcDAbIlIjg2AtZG-KUV488Ia5j9iqPJttFl2yTnhfaOkUiTLXky_9kO8qW6AiXTMvQGqZyhtgy/s1600/P2100416-001.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcX0gLW8a4-rb4iCCBF9CftDKlFRmKNqPfbzicO9DH52ecEEY3tSpGex1Q-WjfY8h3teKcDAbIlIjg2AtZG-KUV488Ia5j9iqPJttFl2yTnhfaOkUiTLXky_9kO8qW6AiXTMvQGqZyhtgy/s640/P2100416-001.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Peanut Chikki</td></tr>
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<b>Ingredients:</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
Raw Peanuts - 1 to 1 1/2 cups<br />
Jaggery - 3/4 to 1 cup<br />
Water - 1 cup<br />
Ghee - 1 tbsp (to grease plate)<br />
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<b>Method:</b><br />
1) As you'll need peanuts without the skin, you would first need to remove them. The easiest way to remove the skin is to roast the peanuts.Heat a kadai or saucepan on high and start roasting the raw peanuts.Reduce the flame to medium once you see the skin peeling off.Transfer to a plate and allow it to cool a little. Now using your hand rub off the remaining skin from all the peanuts.Your roasted peanuts are now ready.<br />
2) Grease a plate with the ghee to place the chikki on.I greased a foil and placed it on a cookie sheet.<br />
3) Mix the water and jaggery in a heavy bottomed pan and heat it on high flame till the jaggery dissolves.It is better to use powdered jaggery to make the syrup, as I have always struggled to break hard jaggery balls bought from the Indian store.Strain the syrup once to remove any impurities from the jaggery.Once the strained syrup begins to boil, the jaggery will start to get a thick, glaze like consistency.Take a little of the melted jaggery between your thumb and index finger and check for one string consistency.Continue to boil till you get almost a two string consistency and the jaggery starts to leave the sides of the pan with almost a toffee like appearance.<br />
4) Now remove from the gas and immediately add the roasted peanuts.Mix well and spread on the greased plate.Cut it into squares.Yummy chikki is ready to be relished.<br />
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<b style="font-style: italic;">Variation: </b>You could try adding some cardamom powder and colored dry coconut shavings while mixing the peanuts with the jaggery.<br />
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<b style="font-style: italic;">Note: </b>I got 20-25 chikki squares. Also, the measurements given here are based on 'Andaaz se' (using your own judgement) as I have already said, this was a on the spur creation to prevent wasting the jaggery syrup :) A lot of traditional Indian recipes handed down from grandmothers to mothers are based on this 'Andaaz se'.The chikki's turned out crunchy, hard and tasty,just like the ones at my grandma's place. But I must admit, the quantity of jaggery was a wee bit more than the store bought chikki. Should have added more peanuts perhaps...some sweet accident, eh!<br />
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Deepa Rajagopalanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04520332608776058191noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9134793728509811169.post-74858806178458980942012-05-14T23:39:00.000-04:002012-08-22T13:33:35.103-04:00Ulundu Vadai/ Medhu Vadai<div style="text-align: justify;">
<i><b><span style="font-size: large;">V</span>adai or vada is a south Indian delicacy.Serving up a meal with vadai and payasam is considered the ultimate in 'Athithi Sanskar' (hospitality) in the south.So much so, wedding feasts are considered incomplete without the vadai...either urad dal (ulundu) or channa dal. Ulundu vadai or Medhu vada is truly versatile.....you can add onions and peppercorns to it, serve it up plain with coconut chutney or sambar, soak it in sambar to create sambar vadai, soak it in lots of home made curd and serve it up with chaat masala and imli chutney to make the mouth watering dahi vada.....the ulundu vadai will never disappoint you :) I learnt to make this vadai from my mom and in true tradition, I used to make the vadais as soon as I ground the soaked urad dal(ulundu).The general belief is that the batter would become watery if the vadais are not made immediately, due to the salt added to it.Apparently, this is not true and I improved my vadai making skills by watching Vahchef Sanjay Thumma on the internet.The secret of making light, crispy and fluffy vadais is to beat the batter by hand to incorporate air after mixing salt and other ingredients.So, here is the recipe for plain vadai.....eat it as is or with coconut chutney.Enjoy!</b></i><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicAQncrZqpL0hzJOFBVwSCgqHUEjA_DNiH9T9JasG89v-yf5qCutbUkN1sN9k8cHH8twAtqCt-cVASx7cV6n1ycfCLXzP2Y_tn0Z921ZirGMW1iX8WDcTX2acLqhOuCpj5WVHZ93iQj9UN/s1600/P5050453.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicAQncrZqpL0hzJOFBVwSCgqHUEjA_DNiH9T9JasG89v-yf5qCutbUkN1sN9k8cHH8twAtqCt-cVASx7cV6n1ycfCLXzP2Y_tn0Z921ZirGMW1iX8WDcTX2acLqhOuCpj5WVHZ93iQj9UN/s640/P5050453.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ulundu or Medhu vadai with coconut chutney</td></tr>
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<b>Ingredients:</b><br />
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Urad dal without the skin (whole or split) - 1cup<br />
Onion - 1/2 (finely chopped)<br />
Curry leaves - few<br />
Pepper powder - 1/2 tsp (you can use whole peppercorns too, instead of the powder)<br />
Salt - 1/4 tsp (the batter should not taste salty )<br />
Hing(Asafoetida) - a pinch<br />
Oil - 1 to 1 1/2 cup for deep frying<br />
Water- about 1/3 cup for grinding and 1/3 cup to soak hands while making vadai<br />
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<b>Method:</b><br />
1) Wash and soak the urad dal in water for atleast 1/2 hour. You can buy this at the Indian store and it is commonly called 'black gram' or 'white lentil'.You don't need to soak the dal for too long.I usually soak it upto a maximum of 2 hours.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguRuuQp2OYjmcidrdSgg6Rx1poD8FQ0JRwfyTblQTsU32cqkLAFj1H6rSQZ2CUYmRgqQJhbdVdd2N1Vm3m0HR7QspVhqyspQygC-FKHQFupI6nNnDKstR5Hh9t3XVCJh_A0YxrhjPFbO8E/s1600/P5040451.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguRuuQp2OYjmcidrdSgg6Rx1poD8FQ0JRwfyTblQTsU32cqkLAFj1H6rSQZ2CUYmRgqQJhbdVdd2N1Vm3m0HR7QspVhqyspQygC-FKHQFupI6nNnDKstR5Hh9t3XVCJh_A0YxrhjPFbO8E/s400/P5040451.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Urad dal before soaking</td></tr>
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2) Grind the dal in a mixie or blender.Add a little water at a time,taking care not to add all the water at one go.Grind to a smooth but slightly thick paste like consistency (the ground batter should not be of a flowing consistency like dosa batter).Transfer batter to a vessel.<br />
3) Now add the chopped onions, curry leaves, pepper powder or whole peppercorns,hing and salt to the batter. Use your hand to blend in all the ingredients.Check the taste of the batter and add more salt if needed. Just keep in mind that the vadai should taste of all the condiments added to it, not just of salt.Moreover the quantity of salt is kept to a low in this vadai to bring out the flavor of the chutney/sambar/dahi accompanying it. In case you get a salty batter, just add more chopped onions or balance it with more pepper powder.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFIjZ7u_WmqD1htYwHPbYMGkdRba3SFU5H800bznxY6dkHDDNyEPnTidjTmfaf0g4O5w-UJkvg5GdTPC-r5XHIqU-iTyBgZTXtvEmX1wKI72zHpUqsASrj2Vd0oPufOkVZbh-EObLkyOWG/s1600/P5040449.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFIjZ7u_WmqD1htYwHPbYMGkdRba3SFU5H800bznxY6dkHDDNyEPnTidjTmfaf0g4O5w-UJkvg5GdTPC-r5XHIqU-iTyBgZTXtvEmX1wKI72zHpUqsASrj2Vd0oPufOkVZbh-EObLkyOWG/s400/P5040449.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ulundu vadai batter ready to be fried!</td></tr>
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4) Now comes the trick! Once you have added all the condiments to the batter and mixed it all once or twice with your hand, continue to mix a while longer in a manner so as to incorporate air into the batter. Let the batter rest for about 5 minutes.You can also make this batter a day ahead, refrigerate it and then make vadais.Don't worry...it will not become watery.You just need to leave it outside the fridge for about 15-20 minutes before making the vadais.Also remember to first allow the batter to cool down to room temperature after grinding it, then store it in the refrigerator.<br />
5) Next, heat oil in a kadai or heavy bottomed saucepan on high.To check if oil is hot enough, spoon a little batter into the hot oil.If it sizzles and floats on the top, then the oil is at the correct temperature to fry the vadais. Keep a little water in a glass bowl handy, to soak your fingers into while making the vadai.Wet all the fingers and using your right hand scoop a little batter out onto your left fingers.Make a hole in the batter and place it in the hot oil. Be very careful while doing this.You could reduce the flame while placing the batter in the oil.Don't worry too much if you don't get the perfect vadai shape.To me, the taste is more important than the shape and it takes a little practice to make perfectly round vadais.<br />
6) Once the vadai turns golden on one side, flip it over and fry till the other side is golden in color.Remove and drain on paper towels.You should be able to fry about 3 vadais in one go.Serve with sambar or the all time favorite, coconut chutney.<br />
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<b style="font-style: italic;">Variation: </b>Try adding a few chopped green chillies in lieu of the pepper. Or try a few finely chopped pieces of ginger and finely chopped fresh coriander.<br />
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<b style="font-style: italic;">Note: </b>This recipe will make about 15 medium sized vadais.Frying the vadais may seem a little messy process. But I'll bet, you won't stop with eating a few crispy vadais....you will definitely long for more!<br />
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Deepa Rajagopalanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04520332608776058191noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9134793728509811169.post-85166724210764504442012-05-10T08:19:00.000-04:002012-08-22T13:34:02.494-04:00Badam Burfi<div style="text-align: justify;">
<i><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;"><b>B</b></span>urfi is a traditional sweet made for almost all Indian festivals, especially Diwali.The name has its origin in the Persian word 'Barf' (snow) as most burfis are similar in appearance to ice or snow.Plain burfi is usually made with mava (khoya) or condensed milk and sugar with almonds and pistachios for decoration. Nowadays you will find burfi's in all colors, flavors and shapes.... most loved shapes being diamond, squares or rectangles.My friend Isvarya gave me the original recipe from a cook book she had referred to.I looked it up online and found one using lesser sugar.I must admit though that the burfi I made was way less in ghee and different in texture than the badam and kaju burfi's made by my mother-in- law.MIL is an expert in making these...so much so that I usually call her kaju burfi, 'ghee' burfi as she uses tonnes of ghee to lovingly make them :) This recipe is so easy to make....its almost a cinch! The badam burfi I made were really delicious...hmmm, never thought I would be able to make such delightful burfi. And this is a good way to get picky toddlers to eat nuts, if they are not allergic to them, that is!</i><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7mIVwy484pNuR4H7REN-eEF2fL5-iRx12isJx3N51kJF2-1Sd_IMf9GBEVSN72tMaFjaaXoDNu7Phg-Eu5dS4GQPHbrMU2_aqRb3AxwMjUBjyOjarILmp1EF_cpRZHrlAIocwYuuazjoC/s1600/P5010423.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7mIVwy484pNuR4H7REN-eEF2fL5-iRx12isJx3N51kJF2-1Sd_IMf9GBEVSN72tMaFjaaXoDNu7Phg-Eu5dS4GQPHbrMU2_aqRb3AxwMjUBjyOjarILmp1EF_cpRZHrlAIocwYuuazjoC/s640/P5010423.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Badam Burfi</td></tr>
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<b>Ingredients:</b></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
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<div style="text-align: justify;">
Badam(Almonds) - 3/4 cup</div>
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Cashew nuts- 1/4 cup (I used cashew nuts as I did not have enough badam)</div>
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Sugar - 3/4 cup</div>
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Milk - 1/2 cup</div>
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Ghee - 2 tbsps</div>
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Cardamom - 1 pod (grind to fine powder)</div>
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<b>Method:</b></div>
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1) Soak the badam in water for more than an hour, to remove the skin.I soaked the cashew with the badam as I was not too sure if I was to powder them separately.You could microwave the soaked badam for a minute to speed up the process.Peel the skin off and grind the badam and cashew to a fine paste in the blender.I added the 1/2 cup milk to this paste as it was very sticky and ground it some more.This way I could get the fine paste to come out of the blender.You could maybe try grinding the badam, milk and sugar all together, like my friend did.Just use a large jar while grinding, keeping in mind the quantity of paste you will get. </div>
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2) Grease a flat plate or thali with little ghee to pour the burfi into.Set aside.</div>
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3) Put the badam and milk paste into a kadai or heavy bottomed saucepan.Add sugar to this and stir continuously on slightly medium to low heat.After about 5 minutes add the 2 tablespoons of ghee and continue stirring on low heat, till the mixture starts leaving the sides of the pan.This entire process takes about 15 to 20 minutes.You will know when to switch off the gas as the mixture would have changed to a slightly creamish color by then. Take care not to burn the burfi mixture. I do wish there was a way to avoid the stirring as my arm did slightly ache as it was my first time.But entirely worth the effort!</div>
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4) Remove from the stove.Add the cardamom powder and mix well. Transfer to the greased plate and flatten the mixture with a flat spoon or ladle.Allow it to cool sometime and cut into diamond shaped burfi. You can add a pinch of saffron while adding the cardamom powder.Garnish with silver foil (varki) if you like.</div>
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<b><i>Note:</i> </b>This recipe will make about 30 burfi.</div>
Deepa Rajagopalanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04520332608776058191noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9134793728509811169.post-491271257389413982012-05-04T04:10:00.000-04:002012-08-30T10:35:46.599-04:00Choco- Walnut cookies<i style="font-size: x-large;"> <span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>B</b></span></i><span style="font-size: small;"><i><b>aking is a passion with my mother. Such is her dedication, that she has at times gone to the extent of baking an entirely new batch of cookies with freshly made dough if she wasn't happy with the previous batch :) Ditto for her cakes! I have eaten so many varieties of her home made cookies....pinwheel, salted, almond, nan khatai,pista, ice box,cornflakes cookies to name a few.In fact, I think there were hardly any times when we ran out of home made cookies.... she enjoyed baking so much :) Anyways ,the recipe I have here was my very first attempt at baking cookies.These are actually sugar cookies, but I added walnuts and few choco chips just for taste.When starting out with the measurements, I had no idea I would have so much dough that it would bake almost five batches of upto forty cookies. So watch out if this is your first time and halve all the ingredients, else be prepared to stand an extra hour in the kitchen.....hmm worth the effort though as these came out just great! My family and friends enjoyed them thoroughly.</b></i></span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Choco-Walnut sugar cookies</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Ingredients:</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">All purpose flour- 2 3/4 cups</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Unsalted butter- 1 cup (2 slabs, at room temperature)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Baking soda- 1 teaspoon (tsps)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Baking powder- 1/2 tsps</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Sugar- 1 1/2 cups</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Salt- a pinch</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Eggs- 1</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Vanilla extract- 1 tsps</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Almonds- 3/4 cup (roasted and coarsely chopped)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Chocolate chips- 1/2 cup or more</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Cookie sheet, wire rack and parchment</span></div>
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<b>Method:</b><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
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1) Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. In a large bowl, sift together the flour,salt,baking powder and baking soda. Set this aside.Always remember that unless specified in the recipe, all measurements are flat and not heaped. So do not pack the flour in the cup while measuring.Ditto for the baking powder and soda.Take a heapful in a teaspoon and using another spoon or your finger, flatten it out.Add the almonds and chocolate chips, mixing them once.You can add more or less depending on your taste.</div>
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2)In another large bowl, cream the butter and sugar with a hand mixer or stand mixer.I made the mistake of using cold butter as I read somewhere that it will automatically melt while being creamed.I must say that it is easier to cream 1/2 cup of cold butter, but 1 cup is a whole lot. I almost ruined my hand mixer doing this.So soften butter till it is at room temperature. If you are in a hurry, you can try microwaving it maybe for about 20 secs till it is just soft, not melted.First beat the butter till it is all mushy, then slowly add the sugar.You should get a pale yellow and smooth texture.</div>
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3)Add the egg and vanilla extract and beat again.Gradually blend in the dry ingredients.You can use a spatula for this.Keep in mind that you will be mixing a very large quantity of dough, so use an appropriate mixing bowl.</div>
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4)Line the cookie sheet with parchment.Scoop a heaped teaspoonful of the dough, make a small ball and place them on the parchment, 2 1/2 inches apart. You should be able to place 9 such balls on the sheet.Don't worry about the size of the balls as they will spread while baking.</div>
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5)Bake them in the preheated oven for 8-10 minutes for soft cookies. If you want crisper and slightly harder golden colored cookies, bake for 15 minutes.Once done, remove the sheet from the oven, leave the cookies on it for a minute and then transfer to a cooling rack. The cookies will appear soft initially, but once cooled they will harden.Will make about 40- 45 medium sized cookies.</div>
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<b><i>Note:</i></b> Cool the cookie sheet completely before baking another batch, or else use another sheet. If not completely cooled, it will alter baking time as the cookies will start to bake even before they hit the oven. </div>
Deepa Rajagopalanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04520332608776058191noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9134793728509811169.post-71583210253723379232012-04-29T17:13:00.000-04:002012-08-22T13:35:16.781-04:00Rava Ladoo<b style="font-size: x-large; font-style: italic;"> </b><i><b style="font-size: x-large;">R</b><b>ava ladoo or sooji (semolina) ka ladoo is one of the easiest and quickest sweets to make for any occasion.You can find this ladoo in many sweet shops in South India, but you can seldom make out rava in it.... so fine is its texture, I sometimes feel they actually grind the rava before using it. My husband refers to the store bought version of this ladoo as 'Concrete'.....so hard it is! As a kid, I have had the not so good fortune of having tasted this ladoo made in numerous friends home on Diwali day...and they were very hard to bite into, so much so, we tried to avoid eating these ladoos outside. Well, the ones my mother made would melt in the mouth. Don't really know where she got the recipe from, but here it is....</b></i><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rava Ladoos</td></tr>
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<h4>
<b><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></b></h4>
<h4>
<b><span style="font-family: inherit;">Ingredients:</span></b></h4>
<div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Rava (Semolina) - 1 cup (dry roasted)</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Sugar - 1 cup</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Coconut - 1 cup (grated)</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Cardamom - 2 pods (finely ground)</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Milk - few tablespoons (tbsps)</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Cashew nuts - 1 tbsp (broken in small pieces)</span></div>
<div>
Raisins - 1 tbsp</div>
<div>
Ghee - 1 and 1/2 tbsp</div>
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<br /></div>
<div>
<b>Method:</b></div>
<div>
<b><br /></b></div>
<div>
1) Preheat a kadai (wok) or saucepan and then dry roast the rava till the raw smell disappears. Do this on low heat so as not to burn the rava. Once done, remove and cool the rava on a plate. Use upma rava for this as it is easier to make ladoos with it.</div>
<div>
2) Place the cooled rava in a large vessel and add the sugar, grated fresh coconut and ground cardamom. Mix all the ingredients nicely. I prefer fresh coconut as it is tastier than the dried version. Either grate a fresh coconut or buy the already grated fresh coconut from the freezer section in the Indian store. You can also halve the amount of coconut, if you don't like your ladoos to contain too much of it. I usually use just 1/2 cup these days as my hubby is not a great fan of coconut.Do remember not to pack the coconut in the cup while measuring, else you may end up with coconut ladoos instead ;)</div>
<div>
3)Now heat a small pan and place the ghee together with the broken cashews and raisins.Fry them on low heat stirring continuously till the raisins puff up and the cashews turn a golden brown. Be careful so as not to burn them. Add these to the rava, coconut mixture and mix well. </div>
<div>
4)Next sprinkle few tablespoons of cooled, boiled milk to the mixture,so as to bind it and make ladoos.Immediately mix well,so that the entire rava is coated with milk.I prefer to microwave the milk first, cool it and then use it to avoid the raw smell of milk. But there have also been days when I have used cold milk directly from the fridge, without bothering to boil it. Didn't make much of a difference in taste though or even smell for that matter. A friend once made these ladoos with evaporated milk and they came out quite tasty. She however did not fry the raisins in ghee, but added them as is.Do try it and let me know :)</div>
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5) You should now have a wet, sand like consistency of a mixture.Take a handful of the mixture and form small or medium sized ladoos. If you are unable to shape them into ladoos, sprinkle more cold milk and mix again until you get a consistency that can be shaped into a round ladoo. Make ladoos and store them in an airtight container in the fridge, especially in hot summers. They will go bad if left out as they contain fresh coconut. In winters you can keep them outside for a day or two, then refrigerate.These ladoos should stay good upto a week if you can resist eating them, that is!<br />
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<i><b>Note:</b></i> This recipe will make about 30 small sized ladoos.</div>
Deepa Rajagopalanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04520332608776058191noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9134793728509811169.post-4954774495158673812012-04-25T01:06:00.000-04:002015-09-01T22:57:56.474-04:00Chocolate Cake in a Mug<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Chocolate walnut cake in my coffee mug</td></tr>
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<i><b style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-large;"> W</b><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>ho doesn't love chocolate cake...hmm, the very mention of this cake in a mug makes me want to go and bake one in the microwave right now. Yup, its a microwave cake and takes exactly 2 and 1/2 minutes on high power. That's it! I found this recipe online after trying out one using a whole egg. It came out ok, but the one I'm about to write down is awesome. It's also the first cake I ever baked and I was absolutely thrilled with the results. So here goes.....</b></span></i><br />
<i><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></i>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Ingredients:</b></span><br />
<b style="font-family: inherit;"> </b><span style="font-family: inherit;">F</span><span style="font-family: inherit;">irst and foremost you need a microwave and a large coffee mug!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">All purpose flour - 4 tablespoons (tbsps), measured flat and not heaped</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Sugar - 4 tbsps, </span> measured flat and not heaped<br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Unsweetened cocoa powder- 1 tbsps (add 1 more tbsp, if you love a lot of chocolate)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Milk - 3 tbsps</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Oil - 3 tbsps</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Whisked egg - 2 tbsps (Mix the white and yellow yolk with a whisk and measure out)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Baking powder - 1/8 teaspoon (tsps)</span><br />
Vanilla essence - 1 (tsps)<br />
Walnuts - a few small bits<br />
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<b>Method:</b><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
1) This recipe is so simple, you can directly mix all the ingredients in the coffee mug itself. But I prefer to use a small bowl to do the mixing. First measure out the flour and place in the bowl. Then add the sugar, baking powder and unsweetened cocoa powder.Mix these all together. You can use unbleached, bleached flour, enriched flour or even maida..... but remember, without the baking powder, the cake will not rise. I have never tried making this with self rising flour..maybe then the baking powder may not be necessary.</div>
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2) Now add the 2 tbsps of whisked egg, milk, oil, vanilla essence and walnut pieces and mix well. You can use cold milk. Using a whole egg the first time I made this, made the cake very dense. But the 2 tbsps of egg made it just right. Actually you don't have to trouble yourself to whisk the egg at all. Just mix the white and yellow parts well enough. A fork will do.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">All ingredients in the mug!</td></tr>
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3) Pour the mixture into the coffee mug and microwave for 2 and 1/2 minutes on high power. Be sure not not keep it any longer, else the cake will turn out very dry. You can spray cooking spray or butter the mug, in case you wish to remove the cake from it. But trust me you will be far too busy eating it once its done :)<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Eating warm cake on movie night is absolute yum :)</td></tr>
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<div style="text-align: justify;">
<b><i>Note:</i></b> Double the quantity of ingredients if you want to make 2 mug cakes. Adding 2 tbsps of cocoa powder for 1 mug cake makes it very very rich...last time I tried, it was heavenly...but I couldn't finish it in one go. If you are chocoholic, add chocolate chips! Bake this if you wish to eat warm chocolate cake as a dessert in one sitting or in a few hours. It doesn't taste all that great if kept till the next day (atleast mine didn't). For that I'd bake a cake the traditional way in an oven.</div>
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Deepa Rajagopalanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04520332608776058191noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9134793728509811169.post-991353780605132302012-04-23T23:12:00.000-04:002012-08-22T13:44:23.948-04:00Daliya Upma (Broken Wheat Upma)<span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace; font-size: large; font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;"> </span><i><b><span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace; font-size: large;">D</span><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">aliya is the Indian name for broken wheat or bulgur. This type of wheat is usually sold parboiled and dried and can be a good substitute for couscous or rice. Daliya is sometimes confused with cracked wheat, which is not parboiled. It has lots of health benefits due to its fiber content. I vividly remember my mother trying to stuff us little kids with daliya porridge almost every day before we left for school. Don't think I really enjoyed my porridge back then, but now I love it with cold milk and sugar. Like rice, you can make lots of dishes with daliya, bulgur, broken wheat or whatever you call it :) Agreed, it does take longer to cook and does not have much of a taste of its own.... but add the right amount of salt, spices or sugar and you can make it mouth watering. Here is the recipe for daliya upma, which has become something of a staple every week at my home.</span></b></i><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Daliya upma with coriander, coconut chutney</td></tr>
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<i><b><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span></b></i>
<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span>
<b><span style="font-family: inherit;">Ingredients:</span></b><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Daliya (Bulgur wheat) - 2 1/2 tea cups </span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Moong dal (Yellow split dal) - 1/2 tea cup</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Carrot- 1</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Peas- a handful or less</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Capsicum -1/2</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Beans - 5 to 6</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Cauliflower - 6 small florets</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Green chillies - 2 slit vertically</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Turmeric powder - a pinch</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Salt - according to taste</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Water - 7 tea cups ( Daliya : Water should be 1: 3 ratio)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Hing(asafoetida) - a pinch</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Curry leaves - 3 leaves</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp (for seasoning)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Urad dal - 1/2 tsp (for seasoning)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Jeera - 1 to 2 tsps</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Ghee/oil - for seasoning</span><br />
<b><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></b>
<b><span style="font-family: inherit;">Method:</span></b><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">1) Clean the daliya first to remove any impurities. You can buy daliya at the Indian store. You can choose between the coarse and fine varieties. My family prefers the coarser and more chewy variety for upma as it is tastier. The finer variety is more like semolina or upma rava, only it is light brown in color. To this you can add the measured out moong dal and wash them both together, draining any excess water. Place this in a cooker or heavy bottomed saucepan, with a lid. I use a pressure pan as it is faster.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">2) Clean and chop all the vegetables into small cubes. You can use any of the vegetables you use to make rava upma. My default veggies are carrots, beans, peas and occasionally cauliflower. Tomatoes and capsicum add a very yummy flavor too.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">3) Now add 7-8 cups of water along with salt and veggies to the daliya in the cooker/saucepan. Add a pinch of turmeric and jeera with the green chillies. You can add the jeera while cooking the daliya or while seasoning it. Add salt to taste. </span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">4) Close the cooker and cook on high for 7 mins. After about 2 whistles, simmer it and cook for another 5-10 mins. You will know the daliya is cooked when it starts to give out an aroma of cooked daliya. Allow the cooker to cool.If you feel the upma is not cooked well enough, add little more water and cook for another 5 mins. Coarse daliya takes little longer to cook than the finer variety. I have purposely reduced the water to about 8 cups because many times, excess water spewed out of the cooker making a mess. Remember that the above mentioned measurement includes the water to cook the veggies too. Follow the 1 : 3 ratio to get a liquidy consistency, else on cooling your upma will be very hard.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">5) In a small saucepan or kadai, heat ghee/oil.Add mustard seeds, urad dal, pinch of hing (asafoetida powder) and jeera.When the mustard starts to splutter, add curry leaves and remove from the gas. Now add this seasoning to the upma in the cooker and stir once to allow it to blend in. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">6) Serve with coconut chutney.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><b><br /></b></span><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><b><i>Serving size:</i></b> </span><span style="font-family: inherit; text-align: justify;">This recipe will make about 4 single servings.</span><br />
Deepa Rajagopalanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04520332608776058191noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9134793728509811169.post-92176717885283309252012-04-10T00:25:00.000-04:002012-08-22T13:58:08.113-04:00Plain Paratha<div style="text-align: justify;">
<i><b> <span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace; font-size: large;">A</span>s the name denotes, this is just a Paratha with no stuffing inside. These usually come out layered as they are folded repeatedly before being rolled out. Sure it does have a wee bit more oil/ ghee content and is a little heavier on the stomach, but nothing can beat the taste of hot parathas with a tasty curry like mutter paneer. Mom used to make them very often when we were young and I remember paratha with egg burji was my favorite breakfast.You can have plain parathas any time of the day. Breakfast, lunch or dinner. They make a tasty snack too. Just smear your favorite jam and roll them....voila you have jam rolls. Like plain cooked rice, these can be the base for any dish you choose to make with wheat. Wraps, rolls, kotthu paratha...you name it, you can work wonders with this bread just like you can with Phulkas and Chappathis!</b></i></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Plain Paratha</td></tr>
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<b>Ingredients:</b><br />
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Atta (wheat flour) - 4 cups + 1 cup to dust while rolling out<br />
Salt - a pinch or according to taste<br />
Oil - 4 to 5 tbsps (to smear while cooking)<br />
Butter - 1/2 tbsps unsalted<br />
Water - 1 cup to knead the dough<br />
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<b>Method:</b><br />
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<div style="text-align: justify;">
1) In a large vessel place the 4 cups of atta and pinch of salt to taste.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
2) To this add the unsalted butter and mix well. You can add cold or butter at room temperature. Melted butter should also be fine. Omit salt if using salted butter.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Butter added to the atta</td></tr>
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3) Now add the water slowly and knead into a smooth dough. The more water you add and knead, softer will be the parathas. Cover and refrigerate the dough or let it rest for atleast 1/2 hour at room temperature.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Smearing oil to make shapes</td></tr>
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4) Make medium sized balls of the kneaded atta, dust them with flour and shape them into rectangles or triangles if you want to. To make a rectangular shape, compress a medium sized dough ball with your hand into a circle. Place some flour or oil inside and take one edge and fold inwards.Now, fold the other edge over the first edge. Repeat the process again and roll out like a rectangle, occasionally dusting with flour. No need to add flour/ oil while folding again. I have shown pictures of the dough folded for a triangular, rectangular and circular paratha.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rectangular paratha folded once</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Double fold to create layers</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Paratha rolled out in rectangular shape</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Paratha rolled out in triangular shape</td></tr>
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5) Heat a tava or non-stick girdle and place the paratha on it. After it changes color on one side, turn it over, smear it with oil and allow it to cook for few seconds. Then turn it over to the oil-less side, apply oil and allow it to cook until done. Store it in a hot-case to keep warm. Serve it with any spicy curry of your choice and enjoy!</div>
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<i><b>Note: </b>This recipe should make about 12 medium sized parathas.</i></div>
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<br />Deepa Rajagopalanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04520332608776058191noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9134793728509811169.post-74216233383896938782012-04-03T00:09:00.002-04:002012-08-22T14:03:26.145-04:00Methi Paratha <i><b><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;">P</span>aratha's or Indian flatbread are made with atta (wheat flour) and are a staple in Northern India. These are not to be confused with the Parotta's which are a layered flatbread more popular in Southern India and made with maida (all purpose flour). Paratha's can be made either plain or with some stuffing inside and rolled out flat. My mom's paratha's came in different shapes and sizes...sometimes they were round, rectangular or triangular. The shapes were usually to excite and coax us kids to eat. One of my favorite is the methi paratha or fenugreek leaves paratha. These are made out of fresh methi leaves which are said to have a cooling effect on the body. Sure, it may seem a pain to clean and cut the methi leaves, but the end result is definately worth the effort :) Frozen methi leaves can also be used, after the leaves are thawed, washed once and water completely drained from the leaves.</b></i><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Methi paratha with curd and pickle</td></tr>
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<b style="background-color: white;">Ingredients:</b><br />
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<i> </i>Methi leaves (preferably fresh) - 1 Bunch<br />
Atta flour - 4 tea cups<br />
Ajwain seeds(Carom seeds) - 1 tbsp<br />
Besan (gramflour) - 2 tbsp<br />
Chilli powder - 1/2 or 1 tsp<br />
Salt - according to taste<br />
Butter - 1 tbsp (If using salted butter, don't add salt)<br />
Water - 1 cup, to knead the dough<br />
Oil - to smear on the parathas while cooking<br />
Atta - 1 cup ( to dust the parathas while rolling out)<br />
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<b>Method:</b><br />
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1) Clean and wash the methi leaves, taking care to remove all the stems. Dry them thoroughly and chop them finely. Set aside.</div>
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2) Take atta (wheat flour) in a large vessel. I usually take about 4 heaped handful of atta. Next, add the ajwain seeds, besan flour, chilli powder and salt to the atta. You can vary the quantity of ajwain, but the more you add, the bitter it can get. Remember that methi leaves are bitter as it is. Also, don't overdo the besan flour as it is only for taste. Too much besan will cause a complete change in taste and you may end up with Theplas instead :) Besan also gives a yellowish tinge to the parathas. Mix these ingredients nicely.</div>
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3) Add the butter and mix well. I add cold butter, but butter at room temperature is also fine. Butter is added to make the parathas nice and soft. And it remains soft for several hours, even a day or two.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg19jtlmIKTwl2187C7M1XthyphenhyphenINBDNW3E6wbmELz9a70lsHFShyphenhyphenPR86b6ZKiX9c8AoaPKU-zGfwIA-5i28og7JhsPivEFo8aKrB8jHIXI-eTQnLfTzasGtNr5hl_UKfq21FlgLnRqImhpQk/s1600/PA250080.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg19jtlmIKTwl2187C7M1XthyphenhyphenINBDNW3E6wbmELz9a70lsHFShyphenhyphenPR86b6ZKiX9c8AoaPKU-zGfwIA-5i28og7JhsPivEFo8aKrB8jHIXI-eTQnLfTzasGtNr5hl_UKfq21FlgLnRqImhpQk/s400/PA250080.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ajwain(Carom seeds) and butter added to the atta</td></tr>
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4) Next add the chopped methi leaves and mix till the leaves get well coated with the flour.</div>
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5) Now add water and knead the dough into a large ball. Let it rest for 1/2 to 1 hour. I usually refrigerate the dough a couple of hours. Its easier to work with it afterwards that way. You can make the dough a day ahead and refrigerate it too. Make sure it does not freeze though.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kneaded dough with methi leaves</td></tr>
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6) Heat the tava or a skillet. Make medium sized balls and roll them out, occasionally dusting them with atta. Place the parathas on the tava and allow one side to cook. When it changes color, flip it over, smear with oil and repeat the process until both sides are evenly cooked.Store in a stainless steel casserole or hot-case with a lid.My mother used to place a fresh kitchen towel inside the hot-case and then place the parathas in them, in order to retain the heat and absorb the moisture created by the heat.I make do without the towel as I am not too keen on having to wash it later on.Moreover I feel the towel causes more moisture build up.<br />
7) Serve with curd and pickle. You can also have this with spicy or plain dal, depending on how much chilli powder you choose to add in your parathas.<br />
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<b style="background-color: white;"><i>Note:</i></b><i style="background-color: white;"> The recipe above will make 10 - 12 medium thickness parathas.</i><br />
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Deepa Rajagopalanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04520332608776058191noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9134793728509811169.post-23246875147432781192011-10-25T00:27:00.001-04:002012-04-03T00:25:48.743-04:00<span style="color: blue;"> <em>Everyone loves home cooked food..or don't they? Think food and the image of Ma ke haath ka bana garam garam khana definately crosses one's mind. I for one, love food and am very passionate about cooking. In fact, I believe that if you put your heart and soul into the food that you make, you can create absolute magic. Now that doesn't mean slaving over a hot stove for hours on end, it just means that you need to believe that you can create magic in the kitchen...and voila, you will. I have often heard many women complain about following lenghty recipes and not getting proper results. All I can say is that ladies, you need to practise to become perfect. Cooking is an art and I am indeed blessed to have a great teacher in my mother, who is an epitome of perfection. Dear Amma, this blog is a tribute to you.</em></span><br />
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<span style="color: blue;"> <em>So people</em>, <em><strong>Welcome to Ghar ka bana,</strong> <strong>Ghar ka khana, </strong>my blog on what I love to cook. </em></span>Deepa Rajagopalanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04520332608776058191noreply@blogger.com0