Pistachio cake with Lemon Curd Filling

Pistachio cake with lemon curd filling has wonderful flavor of pistachio and lemon. It is nutty and has a beautiful light green color. I made this cake a few days back for my hubby's birthday. To give the green color, I added a box of pistachio pudding mix along with powdered pistachio. Try this sweet,nutty and tangy cake. You will surely love it.

Ingredients
Cake flour- 2 1/2 cup
Pistachio pudding mix- 1 box (3.4 oz./9 g)
Baking powder- 1 1/2 tsp
Salt-1/2 tsp
Sugar- 1/2 cup
Egg-2
Butter- 4 tbs (1/4 cup)
Vanilla essence- 1 tsp
Milk- 1/2 cup
Pistachio crushed- 1/2 cup
( half for the cake and the rest for garnish)

Lemon curd filling ( recipe source: Joy of baking.com)
Eggs-2
Sugar- 1/2 cup
Lemon juice- 1/4 cup
Lemon zest- 1/2 tsp
Butter- 3 tsp

For the frosting
Confectionery sugar- 2 cup
Butter- 1/2 stick
Vanilla essence- 1/3 tsp
Lemon juice- a few drops
Whipping cream- 1- 2 tbs

To make the filling
Whisk together,egg,sugar,lemon juice and lemon zest. Using a double boiler method cook stirring continuously till it thickens. It will take about 7-8 minutes. Strain to remove lumps add butter and whisk till the butter melts and gets incorporated. Cover and chill till it is ready to use.

To make the frosting
Whisk sugar and butter,first in low speed and then increase the speed and beat for three minutes. Add vanilla and cream and beat for one more minute. Keep in fridge till it is ready to use.

To make the cake
Pre heat oven to 375 degree F
Whisk together, flour,pistachio pudding, baking powder and salt and set aside.
Whisk butter and sugar till pale and fluffy. Add egg one at a time and beat for three minutes till light and fluffy.
Mix in the flour mixture and the milk in little additions and gently fold in. Add half of the crushed pistachios and then transfer into prepared cake tins. Bake for 30 minutes or till a tooth pick inserted in the center comes out clean.
Cool for 10 minutes in the pan and then carefully insert the cake to a cooling rack and allow to col down completely. Cut the cake into two slices. Place one slice on the plate and gently pipe a outline with the frosting and then spread the lemon curd filling in the center. Place the second layer of the cake and spread the frosting. Garnish with the rest of the pistachios. Refrigerate for a hour before serving.

Try this
Hope you will all enjoy!

Stuffed Pomfret With Green Masala- A Guest Post at Cooking-Varieties

I am extremely delighted and honored to be a guest at Wan's Cooking Varieties. When she asked me for a guest post I was so excited.She is one of my favorite foodie friends .She is very warm and friendly person and I love her blog. There is always a healthy edge in her cooking which is really inspiring.It has beautiful write-ups about food, health benefits and healthy eating habits.She has always shown genuine appreciation for other culture and culinary traditions. I am honored to be in your esteemed space.

Thanks Wan for this opportunity.

Recipe is pomfret stuffed with a green masala and prawns filling...Hop over to Wan's place for the recipe..

Wan sent me this card with beautiful bouquet of roses,this made my day :)
so sweet of you Wan..really appreciate this:)

Once again thanks Wan for this opportunity
Hope you will all enjoy..
Have a great day!

Suja

Kerala Chicken Roast

Spicy Kerala Chicken Roast is another nadan recipe and a family favorite. It is a dry version and is great accompaniment with rice, chapathi or fried rice.The chicken in this recipe is usually deep fried or shallow fried, (some times whole stuffed chicken ) and then coated with the masala. Here I have shallow fried the chicken.It tasted delicious with fried rice. Give this recipe a try...

Ingredients
1)Chicken - 1 lb
Chilly powder -1 1/2
Turmeric powder-1/2 tsp
Powdered Garam masala-
(Two tsp of fennel powder, 5-6 cloves,2 inch stick
cinnamon, a small piece of nutmeg, 2 cardamon )
Vinegar- 1 1/2 tsp
Salt to taste

For the Masala
Thinly sliced Onion- 2 medium
Thinly sliced ginger- 3-4 tsp
Thinly sliced garlic- 3-4 tsp
Chopped green chilly- 2
( I used 2 Jalapeno pepper instead of green chilly)
Coriander powder- 3/4 tsp
Chilly powder- 1/2 tsp(optional)
Turmeric powder- a pinch
Meat Masala- 1 tsp
Curry leaves
Pepper powder- 1/2 tsp
oil

Dry roast the ingredients under garam masala …

Shrimp Biryani

Shrimp Biryani has a wonderful taste and flavor which makes it stand apart as one of the most popular and favorite among Biryani lovers. There are different ways to make an authentic shrimp Biryani. This is not an authentic one. It is inspired by the Goa shrimp Biryani which makes use of coconut milk and tomatoes instead of yogurt. When i read about this i had an instinct to make it as I wished to understand why Goa food is unique is in its flavor and taste. This recipe actually called for the traditional method of making it with raw shrimp and uncooked rice cooked in coconut milk. But I did not try that fearing that I will end up with a pulao. Luckily my method proved successful and the Biryani came out well and there is a wonderful aroma now in my kitchen.

Ingredients
For Rice
Basmati Rice- 1 1/2 cups
Water- 3 cups
Cardamon-2
Cinnamon- 1 stick
cloves - 2
Salt to taste
Oil- 1 tsp

For shrimp masala
Shrimp- 1 lb
onions- 1/2 cup
Garlic-ginger-green chilly paste- 3 tsp
Tomatoes- 2
Chilly powder 1/2 …

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Nadan Mutton Curry

April 18, 2011

Nadan Mutton curry
If you wish for some spicy non vegetarian recipes here is one to relish on...nadan mutton curry made with authentic Kerala spices. What makes this dish flavorful and inviting is the flavor of fresh ground masala, coconut oil and the fresh taste of curry leaves.In this recipe I have also added mint. I love adding fried mint in my home made mutton curry just like my mom( but it is optional). It is spicy and delicious and is a great combo with rice, ghee rice or appam

Ingredients

Mutton - 1 kg
Shallots sliced- 2 cups
Onion- 1 small
Coconut slices- a few
Green chilly-5-6
Ginger and garlic minced- 4-5 tsp
Chilly powder- 1 1/2 tsp
Coriander powder- 3 tsp
Turmeric powder- 1/2 tsp
Garam Masala- 1 1/3 tsp
Fennel powder- 1/2 tsp
pepper powder- 1/2 tsp
clove - 2
cinnamon stick- 1 small
Curry leaves- 1 spring
Mint leaves-a few
oil
salt to taste

Cut mutton pieces into small cubes and marinate with pepper powder,salt, turmeric powder, fennel powder and a few curry leaves and set aside for h…

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Lemon Chicken

June 01, 2011

Lemon chicken This is a great chicken recipe infused with Asian flavors and was very similar to the Chinese restaurant style lemon chicken.It is citrus flavored,sweet, tart and crispy chicken .The chicken is first cut into small pieces, dipped in batter and deep fried. The sauce is made separately and drizzled over the chicken.This is perfect with jasmine rice.

Ingredients
1)Chicken boneless- 1 1/2 lb
Soya sauce- 3 tsp
Salt a pinch

2)For the batter
Egg- 2
Corn starch-2 tbs

3)For the sauce
Water - 3/4 cup
( or you can use chicken broth)
Sugar- 3-4 tsp
Salt- 1/2 tsp
Lemon juice- 1 lemon
Lemon zest- 1 tsp
Corn starch- 1 tsp
Yellow color- one drop( optional)

Sesame seeds roasted - 1 tsp
Chopped spring onions - a few

Clean and cut chicken into small pieces and marinate with soya sauce and pinch of salt and keep aside for ten minutes.
Mix the ingredients under two and make a batter. Heat oil in a pan. Dip the marinated chicken in the batter and deep fry in batches for four to five minutes…

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Thai Fried Bananas

May 23, 2018

Thai Fried Bananas
Thai fried bananas is very popular in restaurants and also a yummy street food. When I first read the recipe it sounded interesting and I wanted to replicate this popular street food at home.It is made with Thai bananas and the batter is made with coconut milk and rice flour. The first time I saw these bananas fitters, I thought that it was just like the Kerala pazham pori/ plantain fitters. It looks somewhat similar,but this had a unique taste and favor.It has enticing flavor and taste of sweet banana, coconut milk and fresh grated coconut. The rice flour makes it super crispy. This is a sure winner if you have sudden guests at home.

You can find Thai banana at any South Asian market. If you cannot find them use any banana with a firm texture to make these fitters. Ripe plantains can also be used. It is a sweet dessert and can be served on its own,but to make it extra special serve it with some vanilla ice cream. Give this recipe a try, you will surely love it.

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Chemeen Masala Varattiyathu/ Pan roasted Prawns

December 16, 2010

Chemeen Varattiyathu is a popular sea food delicacy of Kerala. It is not fried prawns but gravy with is almost semi-dry. It is a great side dish for rice. It has the enticing flavors of garam masala and coconut oil and curry leaves. It is spicy, peppery and a bit tangy due to the use of Kukum or kudampuli. You can instead add tomatoes or lemon juice. You can also add coconut pieces in the recipes and it gives a crunchy bites along with the prawns.

Ingredients
Prawns- 1 lb
Shallots chopped- 1 cup
Ginger and garlic paste- 2 tsp
Chilly powder - 1 1/2 tsp
Pepper powder-1/2 tsp
Coriander powder- 2 tsp
Turmeric powder- 1/3 tsp
Garam masala- 3/4 tsp
fenugreek powder- 1/3 tsp
Kukum- 2-3 pieces
Fennel powder- 1/2 tsp (optional)
curry leaves
Coconut pieces( Optional)
Coconut oil

Clean and marinate prawns with salt, turmeric, pepper and fennel powder and keep it aside for fifteen minutes.
In a pan heat oil and saute shallots till lightly golden brown. Add in ginger garlic paste, curry leaves and saute for …

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