My first Awards

Thanks Sushma u made my day by passing these awards.

Blogging Break.............

As we are returning to India, i ll not be able to blog for sometime. But sure will visit all your blogs and comment whenever I find time.Hope to c u all soon.....

Banana Bread

                             

Got this recipe from joybaking.


Ingredients:
Walnut or Pecans - 1 cup (chopped)
Banana - 3 large mashed
All Pupose flour - 1 3/4 cup
Sugar - 3/4 cup
Baking Powder - 1 tsp
Baking Soda - 1/4 tsp
Salt - 1/4 tsp
Cinnamom Powder - 1 tsp
Eggs - 2 large
Unsalted Butter - 1 Stick (melted and Cooled)
Vanilla Extract - 1 tsp

Pre heat the oven to 350 F .Place the nuts in a baking tray and bake it in the oven for 10 min or until it is toasted.

1.In a large bowl mix the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cinnamon powder, nuts and set aside.
2.Mash the bananas. Whisk the eggs only until the white and yellow combine together. Add the eggs and melted butter, vanilla extract to the mashed bananas.Mix it.
3.Add the banana egg mixture to the flour  by a rubber spatula or wooden spoon using folding method until the flour gets moistened. Dont over mix.Then the bread will be rubbery.The end batter should be thick and chunky.
4.Prepare a loaf pan by spraying with vegetable oil on all sides or apply butter over all sides of the pan and dust it with all pupose flour. Scrape the batter into the pan.
5.Bake golden brown  for 1 hour or until a tooth pick comes out clean.

Ayila (or) Mackeral Curry

This is again my mom s recipe. Prepared with canned Jack mackeral.

Ingredients:
Mackeral - 1 can
onion - 1 medium (Chopped)
Tomato - 1 small
Green Chili - 2 (slit lengthwise)
Tamarind - 1 lemon size(Soak in water and extract the juice)
Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp
Fenugreek - 3-4
Curry leaves - 2 Sprigs
Coconut - 1 cup
Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
Chilli Powder -1 tsp
Coriander Powder - 1 1/2 tsp
salt to taste
oil

 Grind the coconut along with turmeric powder, Chilli powder and Coriander powder into a smooth paste.

1.Heat oil in a kadai and add mustard seeds. When they splutter add the fenugreek seeds.
2.Add the onions and saute. When they become brown here and there add the green chilli s  and the tomatoes.
3.Then add the ground paste and mix well. Add the tamarind juice.Then add the canned mackeral and salt and mix well. Add 1/2 cup of water. Cut the mackeral into small pieces and add. Then only the masala will get into the fish.
4.Add curry leaves and close with a lid and allow it to cook for 15 -20 min.

The curry tastes even more when left for 2 -3 hrs before serving.

Apple Cake with Streusel topping

Hooray atlast i baked a cake. This is my long time dream.My mom used to bake cake for christmas at home.After seeing all the baking in the blogs, i wanted to try...........but never attempted. Recently one of my friend baked a cake for her hubbys b'day and even in her first try it came out gr8. From then onwards my dream became my obsession and atlast it got satisfied.

 This recipe is Laura s. From the day 1 i  saw this recipe i wanted to give a try. I followed the same recipe. But i added extra egg and milk, since using the original recipe i found the batter little thick.

Ingredients:
For the Cake:
All purpose Flour - 3 cups
Granulated sugar -1 cup
Sour cream - 1 cup
milk - 1 cup
Baking Powder - 4 tsp
Unsalted Butter- 1 stick (Melt the butter and allow it to cool)
Eggs - 3
Granny Smith Apples -2
Salt - 1 tsp

For the Topping:
Brown Sugar - 1cup
All purpose flour - 1/2 cup
Unsalted Butter - 3/4 stick (Cold and cut into 1/2 inch peices)
Chopped Walnuts - 1 cup
Cinnamon - 1 tsp

Pre heat the oven to 400 F.

1.In a bowl add all purpose flour,granulated sugar, baking powder and salt and mix together. Keep it a side.

2.Take another bowl and add the eggs and whisk until the white and yellow mix. Add the sour cream, melted butter and milk and mix well.

3.In another bowl mix well all the ingredients for topping except the butter.Using 2 knives cut in the butter.The mixture should resemble coarse crumbs.

4.Peel and cut the apples. Add the egg mixture to the flour kept aside at first and mix until the flour gets moistened.Then add the apples and mix well.
5. Apply butter in the baking pan and dust all purpose flour over it and tap and remove the excess flour.
6.Pour in the batter and over it sprinkle the coarse crumbs.

Bake until the cake is done.

Stuffed Brinjal (or) Ennai kathirikai

As i told earlier, i really dont like this veggie. But since Raja likes it very much, we have it in our weekly menu in some form. As the name says it takes a lot of oil. This recipe i came across in a cooking book.In our early marriage days since i dint know anything about cooking, borrowed  this cooking book from a friend in our nearby apartment and tried this.It was a hit with Rajas friends too. One guy even told that he also doesnt like brinjals and never try them.. But after tasting this he had started liking brinjals. Do i need another reason to blog this?

Ingredients:
Brinjal - 1 lb Indian variety (Smaller ones taste even better for this recipe)
Small onions - 10
Tomatos -2 (small)
Grated coconut - 2 tsp
Chilli Powder - 1 tsp
Coriander Powder - 1 tsp
Ginger - small wedge
Garlic - 5cloves
Cinnamon - 1 inch stick
Cardamom - 1
Cloves - 1
Salt to taste
Curry Leaves - 2 stalk (optional)
oil

1.Cut each brinjal half way. Dont cut the brinjal into pieces.It should be intact with the stem. Just make two perpendicular cuts in the end oposite to the stem,so that u can stuff in the masala.
2.Grind all the above ingredients(little coarse) above except brinjal, salt, curry leaves and oil ,without adding water.Then add salt to the ground paste and stuff the masala into each brinjal and let it rest for 5 min.
3.Heat oil in a kadai and and add the brinjals.If u have excess masala dont throw it away add it into the kadai.
4.Cook with a lid  in medium heat. stir it frequently until the brinjals are cooked.
5.10 min before removing from heat add curry leaves and stir.

Note: Stir frequently or it might get burnt

Vadai Curry

Idly with vadai curry is my favourite combo.I dont remeber having it in my childhood as my mom doesnt prepare it. During my PG hostel days, we used to have this combo as break fast every Thursday. During those days i dont miss my breakfast on Thursdays. After that i dint get a chace to taste such a vadai curry. After  i started cooking i tried to recreate that taste, but i dint get close to it. Now after many trials and errors also i couldnt get the exact taste

Ingredients:
Paruppu Vadai- 6-7
Cumin seeds - 1/4 tsp

Fennel Seeds - 1/4 tsp

Cardamom - 1

Clove - 1

Cinnamon - 1 inch Stick

Bay leaf - 1
Onion - 1 medium (chopped)
Curry Leaves - 2 sprigs
Tomato - 1 small
Green Chili - 2
Ginger garlic Paste - 1 tsp
Tamarind - 1 small lemon size (Soak in water and extract the juice)
Turmeric Powder - 1/4 tsp
Chili Powder - 1/2 Tsp
Coriander Powder - 1 tsp
Garam Masala - 1 tsp
Fennel Powder - 1 tsp
Salt to taste
oil

1.Heat oil in a kadai. Add the bay leaf, clove, cinnamon stick, cardamom. Add the cumin seeds and fennel seeds. Add the chopped onion along with the cury leaves and saute. Add the green Chili
2.When the onions become little brown here and there add ginger garlic paste.
3.When the raw smell goes off add the tomatoes along with the turmeric powder.
4.When the tomatoe get mashed up add all the spice powders and mix well. Add the tamarind juice, salt and allow it to cook for 3 min.
5.Crush the paruppu vadai s with hand and add to the kadai along with 1 1/ 2 cups of water.
6.The vadai will absorb the water , so add water accordingly.

Note: 1.U can alternatively prepare the vadai dough and make it into small dumplings and steam it in Idly maker for 10 min and add it to the gravy.

Paruppu vadai

Ingredients:
Chana Dal - 2 cups
Onion - 1/2 (chopped )
Green Chili - 1
Ginger - a small wedge
curry leaves - 1 stalk (optional)
Asafoetida - a pinch (optional)
salt to taste
oil
1.Soak the Chana dal in water for 3- 4 hrs.
2.Strain the chana dal and grind it coarsely by adding minimum water. Add curry leaves, green chili, ginger, salt along with chana dal and grind it.
3.Add asafoetida  and onion to the batter and make small round patties.
4.Heat oil in a kadai and allow drop the patties in it and deep fry it.
Enjoy with sauce or chutney

Chicken Kheema

Chicken Kheema or rather aloo mattar kheema. I adapted Vahrehvah Sanjay's kheema recipe and modified according to my taste.

Ingredients:
Ground Chicken - 1 lb (or) 1/2 kg
onion - 1 medium (chopped)
Potato - 1 small (cubed)
Tomato - 1 small
Green Peas - 1/2 cup

Green Chili -2  (chopped)

Cloves - 1

Bay Leaf - 1

Cardamom- 1

Cinnamon -1

cumin seeds - 1/2 tsp

Ginger garlic paste- 2 tsp

chilli powder - 1/2 tsp

coriander powder - 1 tsp

Fennel Seeds Powder - 1 tsp

garam masala - 1 tsp

Curd - 1 cup

1.Heat oil in a kadai and add the clove, cinnamon, cardamom and bay leaf.Then add some cumin seeds.

2.When they splutter add the chopped onions.When they become little brown add the ginger garlic paste.

3.when the raw smell goes off add turmeric powder and saute.Then add the chopped green chillis

4.Add the chicken and mix it well. Break the lumps that form with the spatula. Dont add water.The chicken will cook in the water it oozes.

5.Add chilli powder,coriander powder, garam masala, fennel powder, salt and mix well. Then add the tomatoes and curd. Again mix well. Add the green peas and the potatoes.

6.Allow it to cook for 15-20 min covering the kadai with a lid.

7.Add Coriander leaves and mix well and allow it to cook for further 5 min.

Alternatively we can cook green peas and potaoes with salt seperately and add after the chicken is 3/4 cooked.