Pumpkin Cake Roll

Pumpkin Cake roll

Pumpkin cake rolls is perfect for holidays and is a yummy dessert You can make it well in advance. It is thin sheets of spiced pumpkin cake sheets filled with sweet cream cheese frosting.

Recipe source from here

Ingredients
All purpose flour- 3/4 cup
Sugar- 1 cup
Pumpkin puree- 2/3 cup
Eggs-3
Baking Soda- 1 tsp
Ground Cinnamon- 1/2 tsp
Ground ginger- 1/3 tsp
Ground Clove- 1/3 tsp
Salt - a pinch

For the filling
Cream cheese- 8 ounce
Butter- 2 tsp
Lemon Zest- 1/3 tsp
Vanilla essence- 1 tsp
Confectionery sugar- 1 cup

Pre heat oven to 375 degree. Grease a 15-in x 10-in baking pan or a jelly roll pan.Line it with wax paper and grease the top of wax paper again and keep aside.
ix all the dry ingredients,flour,ground cinnamon,ground ginger,ground clove,salt and baking soda and keep aside.
In a large bowl beat egg till it is light and pale ( you an also separate egg yolks and whites and beat separately). Gradually add sugar one spoon at a time till it is thick and lemon colored. This will take five minutes. Gradually add pumpkin puree and fold in.Combine ad fold in gently the flour mixture in little additions. The batter at tis stage is light and will be little runny.
Pour this into the greased baking pan. Spread evenly with a spatula. bake this for about 10-12 minute or till tooth pick inserted comes out clean. The cake will spring back when touched.
Take a clean kitchen towel and lay it on the counter. Dust generously with confectionery sugar.As soon as the cake comes out of the oven flip it over the towel. Loosen the edges of the wax paper from all four sides and gently and slowly peel off the wax paper. Roll the cake up in the towel starting from the end that is towards you. Allow this to cool and refrigerate for about an hour.
Mean while using a hand mixer beat cream cheese and butter and vanilla essence till light and fluffy, Gradually add lemon zest and confectionery sugar till light and fluffy.
Carefully unroll the cake and spread this mixture evenly,slowly roll back again. Slice and serve

Sending this to 60 days to Christmas event

and to Akilas event at Learning - to -cook, Dish Name Starts with P
Try this
Hope you will all enjoy!

Mutton Pepper Fry

Mutton Pepper Fry

Today's recipe is a dry mutton dish which can be served with chapathi, appam or rice. I love adding pepper to non-vegetarian dishes especially mutton. This dish has vibrant flavor which you will love, the earthy spices, the spicy heat of black pepper and aroma coriander leaves .The marinated mutton is first pressure cooked and then stir fried with onions and a flavorful ground masala.  Try this recipe,you will surely love it.


Ingredients
To Pressure cook

1)Mutton - 1 lb
Turmeric powder- 1/2 tsp
Ginger garlic paste- 1 tsp
Pepper- 1/3 tsp
Green chilly- 3
Salt to taste

To stir fry
Chopped Shallots- 1 cup
Ginger - 2 pieces ( 1 inch thick)
Garlic- 8-10 cloves
Black pepper whole- 2 tsp
Coriander powder- 1 1/3 tsp
Coriander leaves- 1 cup (chopped)
Curry leaves- 2 springs
Fennel seeds- 1 1/3 tsp
Cloves- 3
Cinnamon- 1 inch piece

Clean and wash mutton pieces. Marinate with ingredients listed under (1) and keep aside for half an hour. Pressure cook this for about 15 minutes( 5 whistles). If there is excess gravy continue cooking till all the water is absorbed.
Dry roast fennel seeds, cinnamon stick, black pepper and cloves and allow to cool.Make a paste of this along with a few curry leaves,coriander leaves, ginger and garlic and keep aside.
Heat oil in a pan ( I used coconut oil) and add curry leaves and then chopped shallots. Saute this till it is golden brown. Now add the ground paste and saute till the raw flavor disappears and oil separates. Add the cooked mutton and mix and coat well. Continue shallow frying for about four to five minutes in low flame till the masala is slightly browned. Garnish with few fresh curry leaves and squeeze some lemon juice before serving.

Try this..
Hope you will all enjoy!

Rava Khoya Ladoo

Rava Khoya Ladoo

A quick and delicious ladoo any festive occasion or to satisfy your sweet craving. It is rich and extremely flavorful with roasted semolina/rava and khoya. I have earlier posted a rava ladoo,it is an instant recipe. Rava ladoo is a family favorite and I make it often.So this time tweaked a little by adding some khoya  and  it turned out very delicious. Another variation to khoya ladoos is adding roasted and powdered sesame seeds or adding coconut instead rava/semolina.

Ingredients
Rava/Semolina- 1 cup
Khoya- 1 cup
Sugar- 3/4cup
( according to the sweetness you prefer)
Ghee- 3 tsp
Cardamon - 4-5
Milk- 1/3 cup
Raisins- a few
Cashew nuts- a few

Heat 2 tsp of ghee in a pan and slightly roast chopped cashew nuts and raisins and keep aside.
In the same pan roast rava/semolina till it slightly changes color to slight golden allow this to cool.
Into the same pan mix ghee,milk and khoya and cook in medium flame,stir continuously till the khoya gets cooked and changes color and you get a nice aroma. This will take about four to five minutes.Add rava, sugar, cardamon powder, roasted cashew nuts and raisins and mix well and the sugar to slightly melt.Switch off the flame and allow this to cool a little, or till you are able to handle it and make small golf sized balls. Enjoy!

Try this..
Hope you will all enjoy!

Kalikanji / koozh dosa/ Non Fermented Rice Pancake : Gluten and Vegan Free : A guest post from Swathi of Zesty South Indian Kitchen

Today I am extremely delighted, to have as a guest,  my precious blogger friend Swathi. She is the author of Zesty South Indian Kitchen,the founder of the Baking partners group and also one of the host of Hearth and Soul,Tuesday Blog Hop. She is extremely talented, a great mom and a wonderful friend.

There are many things in common between us and so lots to share, we both are from Trivandrum,Kerala, studied in the same college (in different departments) and started blogging around the same time.  From the beginning of my blogging journey she has shown interest in reading my post and always gave wonderful suggestion and feedback's. Many times we discuss about cooking and recipes through emails and more often now-a days as I am part of her baking partners group .Her blog,Zesty South Indian Kitchen, has an exquisite collection of recipes from simple, traditional Kerala recipes to creative and  eye catching baked goods. Check her world cusine page and you will be amazed at her creativity,understanding and passion for cooking.She is a busy mom,with two cute little kids,a daughter and a son. But when I asked her for a guest post,she readily agreed.Thank you so much Swathi for being such a sweet friend :)
Swathi's post today is a traditional ,healthy breakfast recipe, which is her mom's favorite and one that is very close to her heart.Thanks Swathi, I am so happy and honored to have you here.

Now let's hear form Swathi...

Kalikanji / koozh dosa/ Non Fermented Rice Pancake : Gluten and Vegan Free : A guest post for Kitchen
Corner Try It

Hello, my name is Swathi, and I write the blog: Zestysouthindiankitchen.com

When my friend Suja of Kitchen Corner Try It asked me to do a guest post for her, I immediately said yes. Blogging has brought me a few, but great friends and she is one of them; she started her blog roughly six month after I started. She never fails to stop by whenever I post and if I need any help I can ask her. She will not say no to me. She has cute little boy who just started pre-school. She is from Kerala, my home state in India, and is an excellent cook, great blogger, great mom and friend.

Since she knows that I am busy and crazy with two kids, she gave me freedom to choose recipe. I choose this recipe as it is close to my heart. My mom used to make it very often. She makes regular dosa (our south Indian crepe), Adai (rice and mixed lentil crepe) and Kalikanji dosa. It is one of the traditional Tamil Brahmin cuisines. She used to makes it once a week, when she ran out of batter for regular dosa. Both I and my sister usually would have it with sugar. My father would choose some spicy chutney /pickle or curry. I was planning to make this for long time; however I had only vague memories about this recipe.

I told my father during a phone conversation that I am missing kalikanji dosa which amma used to make it. I don’t how to make them. Then he gave me the recipe. I never learned any cooking from my mom, and I got interested in cooking only after staying alone. Meaning running out tasty food option? Yes I did that.

This recipe is made only with rice flour and coconut and salt, one step in the cooking process make its really soft crepe. You don’t need any overnight fermentation like dosa, only need is to soak the rice for about 3 hours grind it into smooth batter and set aside a portion of the batter and then cook the batter to form poridge and add it to the batter. Make pancakes as soon you need it.

It’s yummy and you only need a spicy side dish to dig in. Try it and it won’t disappoint you.

Here goes the Recipe

Ingredients

2 cup raw rice
2 cup water + extra water for soaking
½ teaspoon salt
3/4 cup grated coconut (fresh or frozen, don’t use desiccated one)
2- 3 tablespoon of oil

How I made

Soak the rice for about 3 hours and set aside
Wash and grind the rice with1/2 cup water in grinder or blender. After grinding rice set aside ¼ cup of rice batter and add coconut and grind once again to combine everything well.
In a small sauce pan heat ¼ cup rice batter you set aside with ¾ cup water for about 2 minutes with constant whisk to prevent forming clumps. Batter should be cooked and have nice shiny white /transparent in color.
Add this cooked batter to remaining rice –coconut batter, add salt and ½ cup water to form a loose crepe or pancake like consistency.
Heat favorite girdle or skillet and brush with oil and pour ¼ cup of batter and spread it in a circular motion to form a 9 inch circle. Add few drops of oil around the side of circle.
Cook for 30 seconds on one side and flip the other side and cook for another 30 seconds. Once it is done it have small brown spots. Mainly white in color.
Enjoy with any spicy curry. They are soft and delicious.



Swathi

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins for Baking Partners Challenge # 3

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins

Baking partners challenge #3 is  muffin/cupcake. This moths theme speaks about colors and flavors of fall and the Halloween spirit and nothing says Halloween, like pumpkin :)
So keeping with the festive theme, Swathi, suggested baking a muffin/cupcake featuring pumpkin. Three delicious recipes were suggested by the baking partners and we can select one or bake all three. I made Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffin suggested by Reshmi of Easy Cook..This recipe is from one of my favorite sites Joy of Baking. Thanks Reshmi for suggesting this wonderful recipe.
This months theme was challenging for me as I have never tried baking with pumpkin puree. I made this with home made pumpkin puree.The muffin was delicious,moist and full of flavor  and chocolate chips is a sweet surprise and makes it even more exciting  for kids. Unlike regular muffins it is little more rich with the addition of butter and chocolate chips.

Baking partners is a lovely group created  by Swathi of Zesty South Indian Kitchen and I am happy to be part of the group. Thanks Swathi for this wonderful theme. Try this recipe,you will surely love it.

Ingredients
All purpose flour1 1/2 cups (195 grams)
Baking soda- 1 tsp
Ground Cinnamon- 1 tsp
Ground Nutmeg- 1/4 tsp
Ground Ginger- 1/4 tsp
Ground Cloves- 1/4 tsp
Salt- 1/2 tsp
Sugar- 1 cup
Eggs- 2 large
Butter- 1/2 cup ( room temperature) (113 grams)
Vanilla extract- 1 tsp
Pumpkin puree- 3/4 cup ( 180 ml)*
Semisweet chocolate chips- 3/4 cup

To make pumpkin puree
I use a 2 1/2 pound of sugar pumpkin( the smaller round variety) and I got approximately 2 cup puree (you can freeze the rest) Rinse the pumpkin and cut off the top and cut open into half,scoop out the seeds and fiber. Rub vegetable oil in the inside and place the cut side down in a baking pan lined with parchment paper. Bake for about an hour at 350 degree F. You can check it by piercing a knife and if the flesh is tender the knife will go in and come out smoothly. Allow to cool and you can peel out the skin or simply scoop out the flesh and put into a food processor and blend.Refrigerate till it is ready to be used.

To make the muffin

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (177 degrees C). Place rack in the middle of the oven. Line 12 muffin cups with paper liners.
Bring eggs and butter and pumpkin puree to room temperature.
In a large bowl, sift together the flour, baking soda, ground spices, and salt.
In  a separate bowl cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy using a hand mixer.Add the eggs and beat well till it is light and fluffy.Mix in the vanilla extract. Fold in the dry ingredients and pumpkin puree alternately in three additions, beginning and ending with the flour mixture. Fold in the chocolate chips.
Fill the muffin cups evenly with the batter using two spoons or an ice cream scoop. Place in the oven and
bake for about 18 - 20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the muffins comes out clean. Place on a wire rack to cool.

Makes 12 regular-sized muffins.

Recipe source: Pumpkin chocolate chips Muffin from Joy of baking which is adapted from Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffin recipe Baking from the Heart, a collaborative cookbook, Michael J Rose

Try this,
Hope you will all enjoy!

Vazhuthananga Thakkali Curry/Baby Brinjal Tomato Curry

Vazhuthananga Thakkali Curry/Baby Brinjal Tomato Curry

This curry is quick and simple and is packed with flavors. It goes well with rice/chapatis. I used baby brinjal/eggplant for this recipe which is  first baked ( or you can pan fry it)and then added to a tangy pepper flavored tomato gravy. I had a roasted eggplant dish in a hotel once and  loved its tangy tomato sauce. So when I found these cute little baby eggplants/brinjal tried the same combo. Tried to bring a little Kerala touch by adding roasted coconut paste,but it is optional.Try this..you will surely love it.

Ingredients

Baby brinjal- 10
(Or one medium sized Eggplant)
Tomatoes- 3 medium
Onion- 1 medium
Green chilly-2
Ginger chopped- 1 tsp
Turmeric powder- 1/3 tsp
Pepper powder- 1/2 tsp
Chilly powder- 1/3 tsp
Fennel seeds- 1/3 tsp
Fenugreek powder- 1/3 tsp
Coconut paste- 1/3 cup (optional)
(or you can use thick coconut milk)
Curry leaves- a few
Coriander leaves- a little

Cut baby brinjal lengthwise into two. If it is large eggplant chop into one inch thick pieces. Rub with turmeric powder, salt,  pepper powder and drizzle a few drops of oil. Layer them in a baking pan. Heat oven to 350 degree F and bake till eggplant pieces is soft and slightly roasted. (or pan fry till it is cooked and slightly crispy)
Dry roast coconut and fennel till it changes to golden brown. Make a fine paste of this and keep aside.
Heat oil in a pan and add ginger, curry leaves and green chilly and saute followed by finely chopped onions. Saute till onion changes color. Add tomatoes and saute till tomatoes become soft and mashed up. Add chilly powder, fenugreek powder, pepper powder ground coconut paste and saute till oil separates. Add the baked baby brinjal. Mix well cover and cook in low flame for about two to three minutes. Garnish with coriander leaves and serve with rice.

Sending this to Favorite Recipes Event: Vegetarian Recipes at Swathi's Zesty South Indian Kitchen.

Try this...
Hope you will all enjoy..

Tiramisu

Tiramisu

Tiramisu is an Italian luxurious dessert,creamy and rich and is taking dessert to a new level.Italian word Tiramisu means 'pick me up' and it is definitely a dessert that makes you happy! It is filled with layers of  savoiardi/ladyfingers biscuits and creamy custard made with egg yolks and mascarpone cheese.The wonderful flavor is from espresso coffee,cocoa and rum/sweet Marsala wine (I used rum extract instead).
Tiramisu is traditionally made with raw egg yolks. If you are using the raw eggs make sure they are fresh.If you are not comfortable using raw eggs you can use the double boiling method and heat the egg yolks. For this recipe I used home made mascarpone cheese from left over heavy cream. The dessert is put together the day before it is served, for the flavors to get infused. Try this,you will surly love it :)

Recipe adapted from: Chow Ciao of Chef Fabio Viviani

Ingredients
Mascarpone cheese-1 pound
Egg yolks- 4
Sugar- 1/2 cup
Espresso coffee- 1 1/3 cup (brewed)
Rum extract- 1 tsp
(or Marsala wine/rum- 3-4 tbs)
Lemon zest- 1/3 tsp
Ladyfinger biscuits- 24
Cocoa powder- to dust on top
Chocolate shavings- to garnish


To make mascarpone cheese
Heavy cream- 700 ml
lemon juice- 1/2 lemon
Double boiler

To make the mascarpone cheese
Heat heavy cream in a double boiler in medium heat for about fifteen minutes or till the cream starts bubbling at the edges. Add lemon juice and stir. Continue cooking in medium heat. There will be no curdling but it will start thickening into a custard form( another 15-20 minutes). Allow this to cool down.Take cheese cloth and fold into three or four layers and place in a sieve. Strain the custard and allow it to rest for an hour. Do not squeeze it. Refrigerate this for several hours and it will thicken inside the fridge.

The recipe source is from here,pls check to get a detailed description.

To make the cream filling.


Brew espresso coffee and allow it to cool down to room temperature. Mix in rum extract or Marsala wine and keep aside

Whisk egg yolks and sugar till it is pale and light. Add lemon zest and one tbs of the coffee mixture and blend. Add mascopone cheese and whisk till it is well combined and light. Refrigerate this for about half an hour and allow it to set.
Note:To use the double boiling method whisk egg yolks and sugar and place it in a double boiler and continuously whisk in low medium flame for about four to five minute. Take it out before the eggs start cooking and turn into custard form. Continuously whisk till it cools down and then add the mascopone cheese

To assemble
Take a glass dish. I used Pyrex 1  1/2 qt dish for this. Take ladyfinger and dip in espresso and layer in the bottom of the dish. Do not dip biscuits in coffee for too long,just for a few seconds. Pour half of the cream filling and spread it evenly to all edges. Take one tsp of cocoa in a sieve and dust it in a thin layer on top. Place the second layer of ladyfinger dipped in coffee and the rest of the cream filling. Dust again with cocoa powder. Refrigerated this overnight. Before serving garnish with chocolate shavings. Enjoy!

Try this..
Hope you will all enjoy!

Vendakka/Okra Upperi

Vendakka Upperi

 Upperi is a Kerala style simple vegetable stir fry and is served as a side dish with steamed rice. Okra is my favorite veggie and  is also a nutritionally rich vegetable. This type of stir fry is good for those who wish  to avoid the sliminess of okra. It is a very simple dish and you will love it.

Ingredients
Vendakka/Okra- 3 cups chopped
Shallots/pearl onions thinly sliced- 3/4 cup
Turmeric powder- a pinch
Pepper powder- 1/3 tsp
Crushed red chilly- 1/3 tsp
Mustard seeds- 1/3 tsp
salt to taste
Curry leaves- a few
Coconut oil- 3 tsp

Wash vendakka/okra under running water and pat dry (to avoid sliminess). Trim off the edges and cut into small pieces.
Heat coconut oil in a pan and add mustard seeds. When it splutter add sliced shallots,turmeric,crushed dry red chilly and curry leaves and saute for a minute and add the chopped okra/vendekka. Fry in medium flame.Do not cover and stir occasionally for the first few minutes. (If you continuously stir for the first few minutes it will become more slimy).
When the okra becomes dry and slightly brown on the edges add salt and pepper powder and continue to stir fry in medium high flames for about two minutes. If you want it a little more crispy continue till you attain the desired crispness. Serve with rice.

Sending this to Swathi's event  

Try this
Hope you will all enjoy!

Malabar Chicken Curry

Malabar Chicken Curry

This chicken curry is one of our family favorites.  It is a great accompaniment with ghee rice,pathiri or parotta. Chicken is slowly cooked in a rich gravy of crispy fried onions,coconut and cashew nut paste. Try this,you will surely love it.

Ingredients
1)Chicken - 2 lb
Turmeric powder- 1/3 tsp
Salt - a pinch
Pepper powder- 1/3 tsp
lemon juice-1/2 lemon

For the gravy
Thinly sliced onion- 3 medium
Tomato-2
Ginger garlic paste-2 tbs
Turmeric powder- a pinch
Chilly powder- 1 1/2- 2 tsp
(adjust according to taste)
Coriander powder- 1 1/2 tsp
Thick coconut milk- 1 cup
Thin coconut milk-2 cup
Cashew nuts- 8-10
Whole garam  masala- cinnamon stick one inch peice-3
Cardomon-2, clove-5,star aniseed-1
Curry leaves - a few

Clean chicken,wash and drain and marinate with ingredients listed under (1) for about 10 minutes.
Soak cashew nuts in warm water for some time and make a fine paste.

Heat a little oil in a pan and add onions and salt and saute and fry till crispy. Add tomatoes and saute till the tomatoes are soft and cooked. Allow this to cool and make a coarse paste of this mixture.

Heat one tsp  of oil and add the whole spices and saute till there is a nice aroma. Add curry leaves and after a minute ginger garlic paste and saute till raw flavor disappears. Now add the ground onion paste and simmer till it is reduced and oil separates. Add chicken and mix well. Continue mixing and frying the chicken for about five minute till the chicken turns pale. Add the thin coconut milk cover the lid and cook till the chicken is almost cooked. Add cashew nut paste and simmer for another two to three minutes, Finally add thick coconut milk and simmer for a minute and switch off the flame. Enjoy with ghee rice, pathiri or chapati.

Try this
Hope you will all enjoy :)