Orange Marmalade Cake

Orange Marmalade cake

Buttery and citrus flavored marmalade cake, it was at instant hit and my family loved it.There was no specific recipe. I just used an ordinary cake recipe and gave extra flavor with orange juice, orange marmalade and wine.Adding wine is optional,I had some leftover after I made Christmas plum cake and so added into this cake.You can substitute it with buttermilk.I had actually prepared a orange syrup( orange juice and sugar) to drench cake layers,but the wine and orange juice had already made the cake moist and super flavorful so I did not use the syrup. Try this cake,you will surely love it.

Ingredients

Flour- 2 1/2 cup
Baking powder- 1 1/2 tsp
Salt - a pinch
Eggs- 3
Sugar- 3/4 cup
Butter- 1/2 cup
Vanilla essence-1 tsp
Wine- 1/2 cup
( or you can use 1/2 cup butter milk)
Zest of one lemon
Juice of one lemon
Orange marmalade- 1/3 cup
(I used the store brought one-use 1 tsp for the cake and rest to spread on top of the cake)

In a medium mixing bowl, combine flour, baking soda, and salt.Shift flour and keep aside.Preheat oven to 350 degree F.Prepare cake tin by buttering and lining with parchment paper.

In a small mixing bowl, stir in the juice of one lemon, zest of one lemon, orange marmalade and wine and set aside. 
Using a hand mixer beat room temperature butter till soft and fluffy. Add little by little of sugar till it blends well and becomes a pale color. Beat for about three to four minute. Now add one egg at a time and continue to beat in high speed till it is well blended,light and fluffy.Add vanilla essence. With a spatula fold in 1/3 of the flour mixture and little of the orange juice wine mixture.Gently fold and continue the same process till all the dry and wet ingredients are well incorporated.
 Pour into prepared cake tin. Even it using the spatula spread it evenly in the pan. Bake for 40-45 minutes or till the tooth pick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool the cake completely. Decorate the cake as you desire. If you wish you can do a cream frosting and use orange marmalade as a filling. I just spread a layer of marmalade on top of the cake. 


 Try this..
Hope you will all enjoy..
       

Kerala Vegetable Stew

Kerala Vegetable Stew

Vegetable stew is a breakfast favorite of Kerala and a delicious accompaniment with appam,palappam or idiappam. It is a mild and creamy curry that can be made in a jiffy . Vegetables are cooked in coconut milk and flavored with spices and curry leaves.

Ingredients
Potato - 1 medium
Carrot-2 medium
Beans chopped 1/2 cup
Onion- 1 small
Ginger- 1 inch thick
Green chilly -2-3
Cardamon -2
Cinnamon- 1 inch thick
Cloves- 3
Whole pepper- a few
Star Anise-1peice
Thick coconut milk- 1 cup
Thin coconut milk- 1 1/3 cup
Curry leaves- a few
Coconut oil- 3 tsp

Chop vegetables into small cubes. Heat oil and add the whole spices and saute till there is a nice aroma. Next add onions,ginger, curry leaves and green chilly and saute till it slightly change color. Add the chopped vegetables, salt and thin coconut milk. Close the lid and cook vegetables till it is soft and cooked. Once cooked add the thick coconut milk and simmer for one minute and switch off the flame. Garnish with fresh curry leaves. Serve with vellappam,palappam or idiyappam.

Try this
Hope you will all enjoy.

Nadan Chemmeen Varuthathu

Nadan Chemmeen Varuthathu

One more quick and easy prawns fry recipe.Earlier I had posted one prawns fry,very simple which I commonly make at home. This one I called nadan sytle because its my grandmother's recipe. What makes this special is the addition of sliced coconut, curry leaves and sliced ginger while frying. It has a very enticing aroma and can be served as a appetizer or with rice.

Ingredients
Prawns- 1 lb
Sliced coconut- 1/2 cup
Sliced ginger- 2 inch thick
Sliced chilly -2
Chilly powder- 1 tsp
Pepper powder- 1/2 tsp
Turmeric powder- 1/2 tsp
Garam masala- a pinch
Rice flour- 1 tsp (optional)
Salt to taste
Curry leaves-a few
Coconut oil for frying

Clean  and de-vein prawns.If you like you can keep the tail intact. Marinate prawns and coconut together with chilly powder, turmeric powder,pepper powder,garam masala and salt and keep aside for 10 minutes. Just before frying mix in rice flour. This will help to bind the masala. Heat oil in a pan and add curry leaves,green chilly and sliced ginger and fry till there is a nice aroma of ginger. Layer prawns and shallow fry on both sides till crispy  in the outside in a low medium flame. The coconut will also get fried and crispy along with the prawns. Serve warm.

Try this
Hope you will all enjoy

Beans Cheruparippu Thoran

Beans Cheruparippu Thoran/Beans and Moong Dal Thoran

This is a delicious and healthy side dish for rice. It is stir fried beans with cheruparippu/moong dal and coconut.

Ingredients
Beans chopped- 2 1/2 cup
Cheruparippu/Moong dal cooked- 1 cup
Grated coconut- 3/ 4 cup
Onion- 1/2
Green chilly -3
Turmeric powder- 1/2 tsp
Chilly powder- a pinch
Cumin - 1/2 tsp
Garlic- 2 pods
Curry leaves- a few
Mustard - 1/2 tsp
Coconut oil- 3 tsp

Cook chopped beans with salt and green chilly and sprinkle some water. Cook covered  in medium flame and saute occasionally. If you feel necessary sprinkle little more water. Allow the beans to get soft and cooked.

In a mixer make a course mixture of coconut, cumin seeds, turmeric, chilly powder and garlic and keep aside.

Heat oil in a pan and add mustard seeds and when they splutter add curry leaves and chopped onion. Saute till onion changes color. Add the coconut mixture and saute for a minute followed by cooked beans and cooked moong dal. Check for salt and stir fry for two more minutes. Thoran is ready.Serve with rice.
Note: To cook moong dal use a wide mouth pot .Cook it till it is soft and still retains its shape and the dal remains separated from each other. Do not pressure cook it as it will get mashed up.

Sending this to Kerala Kitchen

And Serve It-Stir- fried @ Krithi's Kitchen

Try this..
Hope you will all enjoy

Gothambu Payasam

Gothambu Payasam

Today's recipe is gothambu payasam or cracked wheat payasam.It is a dessert made with winning combo..wheat,jaggery,ghee and coconut milk:). When ever it is celebration time like Vishu or Onam,I plan different types of desserts but end up making semiya payasam, because its my favorite and is real quick :)

But recently cracked wheat payasam has gained importance in my list of delicious desserts.I had this payasam only twice and I love its taste.My mom makes certain snacks(nalumani palaharam) which combines wheat flour and jaggery. So I never had a doubt about the success of this recipe.It is a humble version of the rich ada pradhamam, yet its taste is irresistible.Try this,you will surely love it.

Ingredients
Cracked wheat/nurukku gothambu- 1 cup
Jaggery ( powdered)- 2 1/2 cup
(Adjust according to sweetness you prefer)
Coconut milk thick- 1 cup
Coconut milk thin- 2 cup
Cardamon crushed- 5-6
Raisins and cashew nuts- a few
Ghee- 3 tsp

 Wash cracked wheat nicely and cook but adding one liter of water.Cook in medium flame for around twenty minutes till it is soft. Drain out the excess water. If possible pour a little more fresh water and strain once again.
Tip: I have noticed that cooking with lot of water and straining reduces the wheat starch smell and also prevents sticking with each other.
Add jaggery in a heavy bottom pan and add 1 1/2 cup of water  and bring to a boil.Strain the impurities and bring it back to boil. Allow this to reduce and become a thick syrup. Add the cooked cracked wheat/gothambu and keep on stirring till jaggery is completely reduced. Add half of the ghee at this stage to prevent sticking in the bottom of the pan.  Add thin coconut milk and allow to cook and stirring in between for five to six minutes. Add crushed cardamon and finally the thick coconut milk. Simmer in low flame for two minute. Do not allow to boil.
Heat ghee in a separate pan and fry cashew nuts and when it changes color add raisins and fry for a few seconds. Add this to the payasam and mix.

Try this..
Hope you will all enjoy

Chicken Shawarma

Chicken Shawarma

Today's recipe is a home made version of chicken shawarma. Shawarma is a popular sandwich of the middle east and is a favorite fast food. No one can resist this delicious sandwich of spiced meat wrapped in pita bread and drizzled with a delicious and tangy yogurt based sauce.The source of inspiration is Dedemed in youtube. I combined some recipes and ended up with a marinade flavor which my family enjoyed .The original meat used in shawarma is slow cooked chicken very similar to rotisserie chicken.But you will get almost the same results if you thinly slice chicken and use a grill pan.

In the spice mix I used a little of sumac ( it is optional). It is part of middle eastern cooking and has a tart flavor and enhances the taste of seafood,meat and salads.Sumac has a very inviting fruit tart flavor which you will love,but if you do not have sumac you can very well substitute it with lemon.You can use either chicken or mutton and your own combination of salad vegetables.

Ingredients
Pita bread-3 ( I used store brought ones)

Marinade for chicken
Chicken (boneless) - 1 lb
Spices-cinnamon-1 inch piece, clove-2 nutmeg- a small piece,
black pepper- 1/2 tsp, cardomon-1,cumin a pinch..Make this into a fine powder
(you can substitute this with Curry powder)
chilly powder- 1/2 tsp
Sumac- 1/2 tsp
garlic paste- 1/2 tsp
olive oil- 2 tsp
Salt and few drops of lemon juice.


To Make Sauce
Tahini- 1/2 cup
Yogurt- 3 tbs
salt to taste
lemon juice- 1/2 lemon
( or you can use a combination of mayo,yogurt
and lemon juice)

For garnish
Onion- 1/2 finely chopped
Tomato -1 finely chopped
Chopped coriander or parsley- a hand full
Cucumber pickle or any vegetable pickle (optional)

Cut chicken pieces into thin strips.Mix all ingredients listed under chicken marinade and keep the chicken marinated for at least an hour. For best results marinate in refrigerator for at least six hours.
Using a mixer or a food processor combine all ingredients listed under sauce into a uniform mixture. You can also add one pod of garlic for extra flavor.
Heat two tsp of olive oil in a pan and  fry chicken till it is cooked. This will take about six to eight minutes. Allow to cool.
For garnish chop onions, tomatoes and parsley and also thinly slice pickles.
Now to assemble, place pita bread flat on a plate and spread a little of the sauce. Place a little of chopped vegetables,pickle and the cooked chicken . Drizzle a little bit of sauce and tightly roll it.Cover with foil and place it on the hot pan so that it gets a little warmed up..Serve and Enjoy!

Try this..
Hope you will all enjoy

Ulli Puli/Sweet and Tangy Onion Curry

Ulli Puli/Sweet and Tangy Onion Curry

Ullipuli/ulli curry is a tangy and spicy onion sauce with a touch of sweetness. The tangy taste is from puli/tamarind and the natural sweetness of pearl onions which is lightly enhanced by adding a little of jaggery, which is optional.It is a common sadhya recipe and is served as a thodu curry along with pickles like ginger, mango and lemon .It is very popular in central Kerala. The first time I tasted ullipuli was after my marriage. I first thought that it was inji/ginger curry as they looked very similar,but it tasted delicious. Give this recipe a try,you will surely love it.

Ingredients
Pearl onions/shallots thinly sliced- 3 cup
Sliced coconut pieces- 1 cup
Tamarind- lemon sized ball
Green chilly- 3
Ginger chopped- 1 tsp
Fenugreek seeds- 1/2 tsp
Mustard seeds- 1/2 tsp
Chilly powder- 1 tsp
Turmeric powder- 1/2 tsp
Asafoetida- a pinch
Jaggery powdered- 2 tsp (optional)
Curry leaves- a few
Dry red chilly-2
Coconut oil- 2 tbs

Soak tamarind in half a cup of water and squeeze out the pulp. Cut shallots into thin slices and keep aside.

Heat oil in a pan and add mustard seeds and fenugreek seeds. When they splutter add curry leaves and dry red chilly and fry. Add sliced and chopped coconut and fry till it changes color and there is a nice aroma. Next add diced shallots,green chilly, ginger and salt. Continue sauteing in medium flame for about 8-10 minutes  till the onions change shade to brown and crispy.
Add chilly powder,turmeric powder and asafoetida and saute for a few seconds. Add tamarind pulp and adjust consistency. Allow this to cook in low medium flame till oil separates. Finally add jaggery and mix well. Once cool you can preserve this in fridge for over a week. Serve this with rice.

Sending this to Kerala Kitchen @ COOK-EZEE

Try this
Hope you will all enjoy

Samosa

Samosa

When it comes to deep fried snacks my favorite is samosa. There can be very few who can resist this spicy stuffed pastry. When ever I think of samosas I think of those street food vendors in India who sell the most delicious samosas ever.The taste of those samosa and the crispness and perfection of the pastry dough is really hard to recreate.  I tried making it several times and most experiments where disasters. I should admit that I learned it the hard way.The stuffing I have used here is a spicy and tasty potato peas combo.You can be creative with the filling There are different fillings both vegetarian and non- vegetarian,sweet and savory.

Ingredients

For the dough
All purpose flour/maida- 1 1/2 cup
Ajwain seed- 3/4 tsp
Ghee/oil- 2 1/2 tsp
( use ghee for better results)
salt to taste

For the filling
Potatoes- 2 medium
Green peas- 1/2 cup
Ginger chopped- 1 tsp
Green chilly finely chopped-3
Cumin seeds- 1/3 tsp
Chilly powder- 1/3 tsp
Coriander powder- 1/2 tsp
Amchur powder- 1/2 tsp
Chaat masala- 1/3 tsp
Garam masala- 1/2 tsp
Coriander leaves chopped- a hand full

To make the dough
In a bowl mix flour, ajwain/carom seeds and salt together. Add ghee or oil and mix and rub the flour with your fingers till the ghee gets mixed uniformly with the flour and looks like a crumbly mixture. Sprinkle water and knead the dough( use between half to 3/4 cup). Do not add too much water and do not knead too much.  Make it little stiff dough so that it does not absorb too much oil. Allow this to rest for one hour and keep covered with a moist towel.

To make the filling
Boil potatoes and remove the skin ( do this in advance). Mash it a little and keep aside.
Heat oil in a pan and add cumin seeds followed by chopped ginger. Allow this to fry a bit and add cooked green peas and potatoes and mix well. Add all the spice powders listed under filling and stir fry and blend. Finally add chopped coriander and switch off the flame. Allow this to cool down completely before doing the filling.

To fry
Divide the dough into equal sized balls and allow this to rest for another five minute. Use a rolling pin roll into thin oblong shape ( 5-6 inch). Cut into two half's.Dip your fingertips in water and slightly moist the edge that you had cut and lift them from two sides and bring it together and seal so that it resembles a cone. Put three tsp of filling inside. Moist  with your finger and pull forward the larger  third end and secure. Make sure that it is tightly sealed so that the filling does not come through gaps while frying. Heat around 2 cups of oil in a deep pan. The oil should not become too hot. Slide the samosas and fry in low medium flame till both sides are evenly browned. This will take about six to eight minutes. Drain in paper towels and serve with chutney/ ketchup.This recipe will make around 10 samosas.

Try this
Hope you will all enjoy..