Calla Lily

Foam paper Calla Lily.

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400th Blog:Simple Cake with Milk Chocolate Frosting

 INGREDIENTS:

• All purpose flour - 2 cups
• Baking powder - 2 tsp
• Salt - 1/4 tsp
• Milk  - 1 1/2 cup
• Eggs - 4, beaten
• Unsalted Butter - 6 tbsp
• Sugar - 5 Tbsp
• Vanilla extract - 2 tsp
• Milk chocolate - for frosting
  
  

METHOD:

• Preheat the oven to 350°F. 
• Grease two 9-inch round cake pans and keep it aside.
• Sift cake flour, baking powder, and salt together; set aside. 
• Whisk egg and milk; set aside.
• Beat butter and sugar together until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. 
• Alternately add flour mixture and egg/milk mixture into butter mixture, scraping sides of the bowl as necessary. 
• Beat with an electric hand mixer, whisk or spoon just until the mixture is uniform and smooth and there are no lumps. 
• This shouldn’t take more than a minute with an electric hand mixer/beater. 
• Be careful not to over beat as this tends to stiffen the batter which might lead to a less softer cake.
• Divide batter between prepared cake pans, spreading evenly. 
• Bake until cake rises and center is firm, about 35 minutes. 
• Cool cake in pans for 10 minutes before unmolding and transferring to a rack to cool completely.

• Take 5 Tbsp of  milk chocolate in a bowl.
• Beat frosting until light, about 20 seconds. 
• Spread frosting evenly over the top of one cake layer. 
• Top with remaining layer and frost top and sides of cake.
• Enjoy the tasty cake.

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Green Beans- Carrot Thoran

 INGREDIENTS:

• Green beans (chopped) - 1 cup
• Carrots (medium,chopped) - 2 nos
• Onion (chopped) - 1 no
• Green chillies (chopped) - 3 nos
• Garlic paste - 1 tsp
• Grated coconut - 1/4 cup
• Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
• Garam masala - 1/2 tsp
• Curry leaves - 1 stem
• Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp
• Salt - As reqd
• Oil - 1 tbsp

METHOD:

• Grind together coconut,turmeric powder and garam masala and green chillies into a coarse form.
• Heat oil in a pan.
• Splutter mustard seeds.
• Add curry leaves.
• Now add onion, stir it till it becomes transparent.
• Add the chopped green beans and carrot and saute for 5 mins.
• Add the ground coconut mixture and garlic paste along with salt and saute.
• Lower the flame and cover with a lid.
• Cook for 5 mins.
• Remove the lid and saute again.
• Serve Green Beans- Carrot Thoran with Rice.

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Appam & Cauliflower Curry

Appam with  Cauliflower Curry

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Appam & Roasted Chickpeas Curry

 Appam with Roasted Chickpeas Curry Comments

Idiappam & Spicy Potato Curry

Idiappam  with Spicy Potato Curry

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Cauliflower Curry

INGREDIENTS:

• Cauliflower - 1 small 
• Tomato - 1 large 
• Cloves - 2 
• Onion, chopped - 2 large
• Pepper powder - 1/4 tsp
• Garlic paste - 1 tsp 
• Ginger, chopped - 1 inch piece
• Oil - as reqd. for frying
• Salt - to taste
• Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp 
• Cilantro leaves, chopped - 1 Tbsp
• Coriander Powder - 1 tsp 
• Meat masala - 1/2 tsp
• Red Chilly Powder - 1 tsp

METHOD:

• Separate the cauliflower florets, wash them under running water and put them in warm water for 5 minutes to remove any impurities. Strain and pat dry with a paper towel.
• Heat oil in a pan and deep fry the cauliflower florets till light brown. 
• Spread them out on a plate lined with paper towel to take out the excess oil.
• Heat a 1 tbsp of oil in a pan and add cloves and pepper powder. To this add chopped .
• Saute till the onions turn dark brown.
• Add chopped ginger, garlic paste, chilly powder and coriander powder, meat masala  and enough salt to the onions and mix well.
• Cook till the masala color turns darker red.
• Now add the chopped tomato and cook for 1 or 2 mins till the tomato pieces become soft. 
• Add 1/2 cup water and mix well to make thick gravy.
• Add the deep fried cauliflower florets and mix well  till the florets get completely covered with the masala.
• Cook on low heat for 5 mins.
• Garnish with chopped cilantro leaves and serve hot with roti or appam.

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Appam & Spicy Potato Curry

Appam with Spicy Potato Curry

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Thanksgiving Special: Decorated Eggless Cake

INGREDIENTS:

• All purpose flour - 200 gm (1 1/2 cups)
• White or brown sugar sugar - 5 tbsp
• Baking powder - 2 tsp
• Baking soda/ sodium bicarbonate - 1 tsp
• Butter melted - 150 gm
• Vanilla - 1 tbsp
• Milk - 250 ml (1 cup)

 For the icing and decorating:

• Strawberry frosting - 3 tbsp
• Milk Chocolate frosting - 4 tbsp

• METHOD:
• Preheat the oven at about 150 c/300F.
• Grease and line the base of an 8” round cake tins with greaseproof paper/baking parchment/butter paper.
• In a mixing bowl, assemble the flour,sugar, baking powder and baking soda, mix with a spoon and sieve once to make the mixture uniform.
• Add milk, melted butter, and vanilla  in it. 
• Beat with an electric hand mixer, whisk or spoon just until the mixture is uniform and smooth and there are no lumps. 
• This shouldn’t take more than a minute with an electric hand mixer/beater. 
• Be careful not to over beat as this tends to stiffen the batter which might lead to a less softer cake.
• Pour the batter into the prepared cake pan and bake for 25 to 30 or until a skewer or toothpick comes out clean.
• After the cakes are done, allow them to rest in their tins for 3 to 4 minutes and then invert them on to a cooling rack.
• When the cakes are cooling, apply the icing and decorate the Eggless Cake according to your taste.

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Bread-Omelette Sandwich

INGREDIENTS:

• Bread slices - 8 nos
• Butter 1 Tbsp

For making Omelette:

• Eggs -3 nos
• Onion (finely chopped) - 1/2
• Green bell pepper (finely chopped) - 1/4
• Red bell pepper (finely chopped) - 1/4
• Tomato (chopped) - 1/2
• Chopped curry leaves - 4 or 5
• Black pepper powder - 1/4 tsp
• Red chilly powder - 1/4 tsp
• Salt - To Taste
• Oil - 1 tbsp

METHOD:

• Crack the eggs into a mixing bowl and beat them well for few minutes till it becomes frothy. This enables the omelet to become fluffy.
• Add black pepper powder, red chilli powder to the egg and mix well.
• Now add chopped onion, green bell pepper, red bell pepper, tomato,curry leaves and enough salt to the egg and mix well.
• Mix well to incorporate all the ingredients.

• Heat a non-stick pan and grease it with oil/butter.

• Now pour 1 ladleful of the egg mixture to the pan and cover and cook it for few minutes till the bottom layer has turned golden brown.
• Carefully flip the omelet to the other side, cover and allow it to cook well.
• When both sides have attained golden brown color, the omelet fully cooked, so remove it from the heat.

• Repeat the same process with remaining egg mixture.
• Make 4 or 5 small Omelette.
• Now apply little both sides of  each bread.
• Then  heat a pan and roast both sides of each bread till it gets nice crust and gets golden color.
• Now place 1 omelette on 1 bread slice and top with another bread slice. 
• Repeat this  omelette sandwiching process with the remaining bread slices and omelette.

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Idiappam and Roasted chickpeas Curry

Idiappam with Roasted Chickpeas(Kadala) Curry.

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Roasted Chickpeas(Kadala) Curry

INGREDIENTS:

• White Chickpeas ( vella kadala) - 1 cup 
• Onion (finely chopped) - 1 
• Tomato (chopped) - 1, big 
• Salt - to taste 
• Garlic paste - 1 tsp
• Ginger (chopped) - 2" piece
• Coriander leaves (chopped) - 2 tbsp
• Green chillies (Sliced) - 3 nos
• Bay Leaves - 1 no
• Oil - 1 Tbsp

To Roast

• Red chilly powder -1/2 tsp  
• Coriander powder - 1/2 tsp  
• Turmeric powder – 1/4 tsp 
• Garam masala - 1/2 tsp 

To Roast and Grind :

• Coconut (grated)  - 1/2 cup 
• Cinnamon - 2" long stick 
• Cloves - 3 nos 
• Fennel powder - 1 tsp
• Pepper powder - 1/2  tsp 
• Red chilly powder -1tsp  
• Coriander powder - 1tsp  
• Turmeric powder – 1/4 tsp
• Cumin powder - 1/2 tsp 

For seasoning:

• Oil - 1 tsp 
• Dry red chillies - 2 nos 
• Mustard seeds - 1/4 tsp 
• Shallots (cut into thin rounds) - 3 nos

METHOD:

• Soak the Chickpeas overnight. 
• Then pressure-cook it with 1/4 tsp of turmeric powder,enough salt, and 2 cup of water.
• In a pan dry roast  cinnamon, cloves, pepper, and grated coconut on medium heat. 
• When the coconut became golden brown add red chilli powder, 1/4 tsp of turmeric powder,coriander powder, fennel powder,  and cumin powder.
• Saute till the powders are well roasted. 
• Grind it to a fine paste by adding 1/4 cup water.keep it aside.
• Now drain excess water from cooked Chickpeas.
• Heat 1 Tbsp of oil in a pan and add cooked chickpeas in it and saute well.

• Then add Red chilly powder -½ tsp, coriander powder - ½ tsp , Turmeric powder – 1/4 tsp ,Garam masala - ½ tsp ( items under (To Roast) with chickpeas and mix everything well. 
• When everything mix well and , remove roasted chickpeas from heat and keep it aside.
• Heat 1 tbsp of oil in another pan and add chopped onion, and saute well till the onions turn golden brown.
• Now add  sliced green chillies, enough salt, chopped ginger, and garlic paste and saute well.
• Then add chopped tomatoes and  saute few minutes till the tomatoes are mashed into a paste. 
• Now add salt and the ground paste in it and mix well. If you need add 1 cup of water and enough salt.
• Then add roasted Chickpeas and mix with gravy.
• Bring to boil and remove from heat when gravy begins to thicken. Check for the salt. 
• Heat oil in a small pan and splutter mustard seeds. 
• Fry shallots and dried red chillies.
• Add this to the curry and mix well.

• Now garnish the Roasted Chickpeas Curry with chopped coriander leavers.

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