STRAWBERRY CUPCAKE WITH SPRINKLES

INGREDIENTS

TO MAKE CUPCAKES;

½ cup or 120 gms or 1 stick unsalted butterAt room temperature

1 ½ cups of all purpose flour sifted

A pinch of salt

¼ cup whole milk at room temperature

1 teaspoon vanilla extract or essence

1 cup sugar

1 large egg at room temperature

2 large egg whites at room temperature

2/3 cup of fresh strawberries

FROSTING

½ cup fresh strawberries

1 cup or 2 sticks unsalted butter

A pinch of salt

31/2 cups or confectioners sugar

½ tsp of vanilla essence

METHOD;

CUPCAKES

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F or 180 degrees C.

2. Prepare your cupcake tin by putting cupcake liners in them

.3. Puree the strawberries in a food processor so that you get 1/3 cup of puree.

4. Sieve the flour,baking powder and salt in a bowl and keep aside

5. Mix milk,vanilla essence and the strawberry puree in a small bowl and set aside

6. In a bowl cream butter on high speed using a hand blender or whisk using a whisker until it is light and fluffy about 10 mins.

7. Then gradually add sugar and continue to beat until well combined and fluffy.

8. Now reduce the speed of the blender and slowly add the egg and egg whites until just blended.

9. With the blender on low speed add half of the flour mixture and blend and then add all the milk mixture and in the end add the remaining flour mixture and blend until combined.

10. Pour the batter in to the cupcake cases using the icecream scoop or a ladle for even distribution.

11. Transfer the cake tin to the preheated oven (keep it in the middle rack) and bake until the tops are dry to touch i.e 25 to 30 minutes.

12. Take out the cake tin and transfer it on to a wire rack and let it cool completely before frosting

FROSTING;

1. Puree the strawberries in a blender.

2. Beat the butter and the salt on medium speed

3. Slowly add the confectioners sugar and the vanilla essence and 3 tbsps of strawberry puree and beat well till it obtains a dense and creamy consistency

4. With a spatula slowly spread the frosting on each individual cupcake and then fill a icing bag with any tip that you like and put some sprinkles on top.

INSTANT CABBAGE PAKODA

THIS RECIPE IS A VERY FAST AND EASY WAY TO MAKE INSTANT CABBAGE PAKODAS THE KONKANI WAY WHICH IS VERY TASTY.THIS RECIPE IS DEDICATED TO MY SWEET MOTHER IN LAW WHO TAUGHT ME THE BASICS OR THE ABC s OF COOKING WITH SO MUCH LOVE AND AFFECTION.Mayi, this is for you...................

INGREDIENTS;

2cups of finely chopped cabagge
1 cup of finely chopped onion
3-4 green chillies finely chopped
coriander leaves finely chopped
salt to taste
2 tsps of red chilli powder
a pinch of hing
1/2 cup of coconut freshly grated
1 cup of besan or chana dhal powder
Oil for deep frying

METHOD;

Mix all the above ingredients except the oil in a large mixing bowl and keep it aside. for 10 minutes
The mixture should be such that you should be able to make pattices out of it
if not add a little more chana dhal powder or besan and leave it for 10 minutes.
Make balls out of the mixture and flatten it with you palm and deep fry in oil till golden brown.
Cabbage pakodas are ready to eaten.

PATHRADE OR PATRA OR COLACASIA LEAVES DELIGHT

This is my mothers version of Patrade, there are other methods but I like this the best

INGREDIENTS;

1 bunch of colacasia leaves or arbi leaves or pathrade leaves


2 cups of green gram or moong soaked overnight


1 cup of freshly grated coconut


8-10 dried red chilles which have been fried in a little oil


1 1/2 tbsps of tamarind


1 tsp of hing or aesofetida


salt to taste



METHOD;

Wash the leaves thoroughly in water and keep it aside to dry


Grind the green gram in a mixer grinder and you can add a little water while grinding


when it is coarse add the coconut,red chillies tamarind and hing and grind to a coarse paste


Take it out in a bowl and add salt to taste.


Keep the biggest colacasia leaf with the smooth side or the front side down and the vein portion facing you on a big plate or wax paper and take about a fistful of the ground paste and smear it


on the leaf.


Then place the second leaf and do the same as above.Repeat for about 6-7 leaves and then


from the bottom tip start rolling to the top by also folding on the sides .


Keep the rolled patrade in a idli plate or a steamer plate and keep the same in a pressure cooker


or a steamer.


Do not put the whistle of the pressure cooker and let it steam like you do for idlis for about 20-25 minutes or till done.


Remove it and and cut it in to slices and serve hot with gashi or coconut oil.


P.S; you can also deep fry the slices which is also very tasty.
If left over for the next day it can be cut into small pieces and tempered with mustard and curry leaves and dry red chillies and garnished with freshly grated coconut.

AMMAS SAMBAR POWDER

This recipe is dedicated to my mother who made wonderful sambar powder and give to all her three daughters. Amma!!! this is for you. 

INGREDIENTS;

3 cups of red chillies(dry ones)
1 cup of coriander seeds or dhania seeds
1 fistful or about 3 tbsps of cumin seeds or jeera
1 fistful or about 3tbsps of mustard seeds or rai
1/2 fistful or 1 1/2 tbsp of pepper corns or kali mirch
1/2 fistful or 1 1/2 tbspsof methi seeds
1/2 cup of chana dhal
1/2 cup of toor dhal
1/4 cup of urad dhal or black gram dhal
a piece of aesofetida or hing or 1/2 tsp of hing powder

METHOD;

Take 1 tsp of oil in a kadhai or a thick bottomed pan and when it is hot put the hing and when it
changes color remove it.
In the same kadhai put all the red chillies and fry them a little till they are little crisp and remove and keep it aside
Now fry all the ingredients individually (you can make out by the color change or the aroma) and keep the dhals separately.
Put all the fried ingrdients except the dhals in a mixer grinder and powder it to a fine one.
Same with the dhals too.
Again mix both the powders in a large mixing bowl and allow it to cool.
When cooled put it in a airtight container and use as needed.

INSTANT CHAKLI OR INSTANT SNACK

INGREDIENTS;

3 cups of instant idli powder
20gms of butter(room temperature)
salt to taste
1 tsp of jeera
water
oil for deep frying

METHOD;

In a large bowl, put the instant idli powder and add salt and mix.
Add the jeera
Put the butter and mix very well.
Now slowly add water little by little to form a soft dough.
Remember that the dough should be soft.
Make palm size balls of the dough.And always keep the dough covered.
Now take a chakli maker or a cookie press(use the single star shaped plate) and put the dough in it and keep aside.
In the meanwhile heat oil in a big kadhai for deep frying.
Also keep a full size butterpaper or wax paper or greased banana leaf ready
Make a spiral shape or chakli shape with the dough using the chakli maker on the wax paper.
Make about 10-15 chaklis and keep ready.
Put a small piece of the dough into the oil to check the temperature of the oil.
It is hot enough for the piece of dough to rise instantly put the chaklis one by one and deep fry it till it is golden color.
Take it out on a paper napkin to drain out the excess oil and your chaklis are ready to be served.

P.S; IF YOU FEEL THAT THE DOUGH IS DRY YOU CAN ADD LITTLE WATER.
ALSO IF THE SALT IS LESS WHEN YOU TASTE THE DOUGH,DISSOLVE SALT IN WATER AND ADD IT TO THE DOUGH.
DEEP FRY THE CHAKLIS ON MEDIUM TO LOW HEAT SO THAT THEY BECOME CRISPY

BANANA CHIPS (KELA KACHRI)

INGREDIENTS

4-5 Green Raw Kerala Bananas(Nendra Kai)
2-3 tbsp salt mixed in a cup of water to form salt solution
Edible oil for deep frying preferably coconut oil
Chips grater

METHOD;

Make long cuts with a knife on the bananas so that the slit pierces only the skin of the banana and not the flesh.Now it is easier to peel off the skin (it is not as easy as a normal banana,if needed you might have to use the knife).
Once t he bananas are peeled immerse them in a bowl of water and keep aside.
Meanwhile keep oil in a big kadhai or a heavy bottomed vessel for deep frying.
Before grating the bananas dry them using a cloth or a paper napkin.
Keep the salt water solution and the chips grater ready.
When the oil is hot grate the banana using the chips grater directly into the oil.
When the chips are yellow and start floating in oil or appear a little crispy lower the stove flame to the minimum and put 2-3 tsps of salt water in to the kadai(be very very careful as the oil splutters )
Fry till all the spluttering of the oil stops and chips are ready.Take it out of the oil and put it on a paper napkin to remove the excess oil.
Follow the above procedure for the remaining bananas and chips are ready to be eaten.

NANKHATAI

NAN KHATAI (NARAYAN KHATTAR)

INGREDIENTS:

1 cup all purpose flour or maida
½ cup sugar
1 tsp baking powder
1or 2 drops of yellow food colour(optional)
10 0r 12 cardamom or elaichi
A pinch of salt
7 tbsp of ghee

METHOD:

Preheat oven to 180 degrees. Grease a baking tray.
Powder the sugar along with the cardamom seeds in a mixer grinder or a food processor and keep aside.
Sieve the maida or all purpose flour along with the baking powder and salt.
Melt the ghee.
In a mixing bowl add the maida mixture and the sugar mixture and yellow food color.
Add the ghee and knead it to form a soft dough. The dough should be soft,IF NEEDED you can add another tbsp more ghee.Keep this dough aside for about 6-7 hrs at room temperature.
Make small balls of the dough and flatten it and place it on the baking tray and bake in a preheated oven at 180 degrees for 20 minutes.
There will be small cracks on the nan khatai and it is a sign that it is done. Makes about 20 to 25 nan kahatais.