Fruitcake

After a much needed break…am back again, but I wonder where the long weekend disappeared???

When it comes to Christmas….the main “must eatable” stuff would be the “Christmas Fruitcake”.The amazing combination of loads of nuts and cherries in the spongy cake makes it all the more tempting. To ensure I don’t miss much of Christmas here…I baked a Fruitcake too.

Ingredients:

All Purpose Flour/Maida – 1 ¾ cup
Granulated Sugar – 1 Cup
Dark Brown Sugar – 3/4th Cup
Baking Soda – 1 tsp
Eggs – 5 ( medium )
All spices grounded – 1 tsp ( 2 Cloves, Cinnamon and 3 cardamon)
Pecans – ½ cup (small pieces)
Candied fruit – 1 ½ cup (This is nothing but preserved fruit that has been dipped in sugar syrup for long – this is similar to the Tutty Fruity that we get in India)
Cashewnuts – 1/4th cup
Raisins – 1/2 cup (I used California seedless raisins)
Vanilla Essence/Almond Essence – 3 tsp
Milk – ½ cup
Unsalted Butter – ½ cup/1 Stick
Rum – 1/4th cup (optional)

Method –

1. In a large bowl, cream together butter ,sugar (both)and eggs till fluffy. Sift Flour,Baking Soda & Spice powder(I jes grounded all the spices together to a fine powder) and add it to the mixture. Stir until well combined.
2.Being heavy, the candied fruits might settle down in the bottom of the cake……to avoid that sprinkle 1 tbsp of Flour onto it & toss well.
3.Add all other ingredients except for the candied fruits and nuts. Beat at low speed until blended;beat at high speed for 3mins ,scrapping the bowl occasionally.
4.Gently fold in the fruits & nuts.Stir well.
5.Scrape the mixture onto a well greased pan. Bake in a preheated 250F until a toothpick inserted in the centre of the cake comes out clean.It took close to 40mins for me.
6.Cool for few minutes before removing from the pan.

The authentic Fruitcake as far as I know does have some form of Alcohol. If using Rum(this is optional),mix the candied fruits along with it and leave it for about 3 hrs before using it. I also dusted powdered sugar on the top, this is again optional.You can also add more milk to get the batter like consistency.

Onion Pakoda

If Potlucks are based on a theme, it makes it all the more fun…something to do with a particular region,the same color,same cuisine,ethnic food,Americanized Indian food etc.My personal favourite would be one revolving around a particular vegetable/ingredient…eg – Potato,Eggplant ,Pepper. I also prefer the Indianized American food or vis-à-vis …….there is so much to do.While browsing I came across an interesting theme which is calling it “The Best Story dish” meaning whatever dish is brought it should have an interesting story behind it,as to how it was created,when was it made,where was it tried etc. I will keep this in mind,when I host the next Potluck!

Today at my Husband’s work place, there was a Potluck lunch organized with the clients. There were people from this country, Latin America and India. So I had to think of something which would suit everyones taste buds .I decided on Appetizers and what could be more better than our very own Onion Pakodas.

Ingredient-

Onion – 2 large thin sliced
Besan – 2tbsp
Rice Flour – 1tsp
Corn Flour – 1 tsp
Green chillies- 2 finely chopped
Red chilli powder – 1tsp
Curry leaves – few
Mint/ Pudina Leaves – Optional (few leaves)
Asafoetida powder/hing- A pinch
Oil – for deep frying
Salt to taste

Method :-

1.In a large vessel, mix Onions,asafoetida(hing) and salt. Keep it aside for 10mins…this is something like marinating it.
2. Add green chillies,chilli powder,curry leaves and Pudina leaves.Mix well.
3.Heat oil in a kadai. In the meanwhile add besan ,cornflour and rice flour to the above .By default the Onions would have left some water as they were marinated with salt, so excess water wouldn’t be required to make the mixture.The flours should just stick to the Onions.
4. Take the mixture in hand and sprinkle them onto the hot oil.
5.Deep fry the pakodas .Crispy Pakodas are ready to eat.

If the besan is added well in advance, the Pakoda’s turn out to be a li’l soggy.Mint/Pudina leaves is optional. If we are left with excess mixture, we tend to refrigerate and use it later, but this recipe doesn’t hold good for that. The entire mixture should be used at once, else it gets soggy instead of crispy.

These crispy Pakodas are off to Trupti‘s Winter Treat Event

Gajar Ka Halwa

This is in continuation to my Husband’s birthday celebration. I surprised him again by inviting his friends home for dinner.I made everything and hid it inside the oven,he had no clue abt it. He wanted to take me out for Dinner and kept asking me my choice of restaurant. I kept smiling as I had my own plans made. The Menu was – Urad Dal bonda,Masala Vada,Pulao,Raita,Til Aloo curry and Carrot Halwa. End of the day,he was very happy and I am glad that I made his day

Carrot Halwa or so called the “Gajar Ka Halwa” is our favourite sweet. Carrots are rich in Vitamin. There are different ways of making it.Some boil and mash the carrots,some grate and pressure cook it etc. This is the method that I follow.

Ingredients:

Carrots – 8cups grated
Sugar – 1 cup
Milk – 2 cups
Cardamom /Elaichi powder– less than 1/4tsp
Ghee – 2 tbsp
Cashewnut and Raisin – ¼ cup

Method :-

1.Heat a tsp of Ghee in a Kadai,fry the cashewnuts and raisins and set aside.
2.In the same kadai, add a tbsp of ghee and sauté the Carrot for about 5-7min.
3.Add milk and allow it to cook.
4.When the moisture is absorbed, add sugar, remaining ghee and Cardamom powder , mix well.
5.Allow it to thicken, in the end add the fried cashews and raisin and turn off the heat.
6.This can be served warm or cold.Usually a scoop of Vanilla Icecream goes well with warm halwa.

Keep on mixing while on flame. Saffron strands( jes a pinch) can also be added to the Halwa.My Mom adds Khova or milk powder for the same recipe and its mindblowing:-P

Am sending this to Sindhirasoi‘s event “Just for you” hosted by Alka

Butter Biscuits

I am reminded of a quote – “ Men are like wine. Some turn into vinegar, but the best improve with age”:-P

Today is my husband’s birthday.I have planned a lot of things. All started with a wonderful game – “Treasure Hunt”.I had hidden around 12 clues in the house ,each one linking to the next clue and the treasure was nothing but the “Birthday Gift”.Unfortunately he got stuck with the last clue, but after whacking his brains for long…he finally found the treasure…it was fun to see him run around the house.

Yesterday was the coldest day in December in the last 12yrs, so we weren’t expecting any friends to drop in at midnight to wish him . To our surprise, jes a l’il before 12, four friends dropped in all of a sudden with a cake in their hand. We were very delighted to see them.That was really appreciable!

I had also picked up a “Banana Truffle Cake”.When the clock struck twelve, he cut the cake and I sang the B’day song…ha ha it was a great moment.The cake was yummy too!!!!! My husband mentioned to me that “this year was the best b’day he has ever had”……hope i keep this enthu alive for all the years to come!

The two special things that I made for him, was the “Carrot Halwa” so called the “Gajjar ka Halwa” and “Butter Biscuits”.My Mom used to make Butter biscuits and I have thoroughly enjoyed it .Those days in India,we had an Oven which looked like a cooker,but unfortunately it stopped working and that was the end of my Mom’s baking days.Somehow we forgot about it and never thought about buying a new one.Now,I have started trying my hands in baking too. This is how I made the Butter Biscuits

Ingredients:-

All Purpose Flour (Maida) – 2 cups
Sugar – 3/4th cup
Cardamom(Elaichi) – 4
Butter/Ghee – 1 ¼ cup melted
Baking Soda – 1 tsp
Method :-
1.Grind the Sugar and Cardamom together.
2. In a large bowl, mix the Flour,Sugar and Baking Soda
3.Heat the butter/ghee in a kadai till it melts and add it to the flour.
4. Mix all the ingredients together ,press hard with hand as the mixture tends to loosen. Do not add water .If required, melt some more ghee(this wudnt be ideally required for the ratio mentioned) and add it to the mixture. Make a tight dough.
5.Keep it aside for 4-5 hrs.
6.Now, you will find the mixture to be a li’l hard, don’t panic(I remember panicking for the first time), just press it hard with hands and it should be fine.
8.Make small rounds and flatten it li’l(not too flat,just press a l’il on the top).The mixture might loosen out in between. If so, use li’l ghee in hands and apply pressure .
9.Preheat the oven at 300F.Place the balls(space it well) in a greased oven proof dish and bake it for 25-30min.Once done store it in a air tight container.

I have done a lot of experiments with this recipe. I tried to bake it as soon as the dough was made (ie., without keeping it for 4-5hrs) the taste was fine but the balls flattened completely,stuck with each other and turned brown in color in no time.I suggest, keep checking in between as the base tends to become too brown.These taste all the more good when they are hot or warm.

This is going to participate in FIC-White hosted by Kitchen Flavours started by TongueTicklers

This also goes to Susan’s Eat Christmas Cookies event.

This is off to Trupti‘s Winter Treat Event

I am sending this to Sindhirasoi‘s Just for you event hosted by Alka.

Tawa Pulao

The best day of the week is “Friday”. Throughout the week, I keep waiting for this day coz I get to go out and have loadsa fun…be it movies, catching up with friends, eating out, shopping etc. Unfortunately, yesterday (a Friday) my husband was too busy with work and we cudn’t do much. I was a li’l disappointed . Offlate I have been moody,irritable, li’l stressed out too…boredom totally kills me. Cooking is one of the few things that interest me and completely helps me to relieve my stress.

Cooking is an art. There is something really relaxing about chopping Onions,Baking a cake,enjoying the aromas while cooking etc. At the end of a good meal, I see him smile, licking his fingers and appreciating me ……these l’il things give me immense joy which again helps me reduce my stress. He has really been very understanding and kind.He is a wonderful gift to me and am really grateful.

Now that I couldn’t go out I wanted to make something special, something simple yet different. I asked my husband about his preference and he wanted to have Pulao. When I thought of Pulao, too many things came to my mind…I mean the variety.There are different kinds of Pulao like….Vegetable Pulao,Peas Pulao,Paneer Pudina Pulao,Spinach Pulao,Tofu Pulao,Tomato Pulao etc. As mentioned I wanted to make a different kind of Pulao which is spicy,easy to make and colorful too.

I believe “Pulao” is a word of Persian Origin.In India it is also called as “Pulav”.
After alot of thinking,I made “Tawa Pulao” and served it hot with Raita.We relished it and at the end of the dinner, we felt as though we had a great feast!

Ingredients:-

Basmati Rice – 1 cup ( cooked)
Butter – 1 tsp
For the Masala:
Mixed Vegetable – 2 cups chopped (1” piece) (You may use Carrots,French Beans ,Cauliflower and Peas)
Onion – 1 Large (finely chopped)
Tomato – 2 Large (finely chopped)
Ginger Garlic paste – 1 tsp
Green Chillies – 6 (either very finely chopped or grinded)
Cumin Seeds/Jeera – 1 tsp
Red Chilli Powder – 1/2 tsp
Butter – 1 tbsp
Pav Bhaji Masala – 2 tbsp
Lemon Juice – ½ tsp
Cilantro/Coriander leaves for garnishing

Method :-

1.Boil the vegetables in a Kadai till 3/4th done. Don’t over cook because we are going to let it to cook again.
2.Heat butter in a Nonstick Tawa/Kadai,add Cumin seeds,Ginger Garlic Paste and Green Chillies .Saute it for about 10 seconds.
3.Add the chopped Onions and sauté till it turns pink. Now add the tomato and mash it with a spoon (you can also use the Pav Bhaji masher).It should be like a thick gravy.
4.Add Red Chilli powder,Pav Bhaji Masala and sauté it for 2 -3 mins.
5.Add the boiled vegetables and salt. Close the lid and allow it to cook. Do not mash the vegetables.
6.The above is the Masala/Bhaji used for the Pulao, keep it aside.
7.In a large Pan/Tawa, add a tsp of Butter and the Masala . Saute it for few seconds and then add the cooked/boiled rice. Mix well. Ensure that the rice is mixed well. Heat the Tawa Bhaji over high heat and sprinkle lemon juice before serving .Garnish with Coriander leaves.

The Basmati Rice shouldn’t be sticky.The spice level can be increased as per individuals taste. I grinded the green chillies so that I din’t have to pay much attention while eating.Tawa Pulao is also one of the popular street foods in Mumbai.

Aloo Mattar

A very simple and a classic North Indian dish. It is pretty easy to make and it adds zing to any meal.Today at school there was a function so called the “ Mela”. We were asked to get some home-made food which was later sold at the Mela to raise funds (i guess).I had made Til Aloo curry.There were too many Chole’s and Aloo Matar.I guess these are very commonly made for any Potlucks/Dinners.I had made this a week back and here is the recipe.

Ingredients :
Potato – 2 medium sized
Frozen Peas – ½ cup
Oil – 1 tbsp
Onion – 1
Tomatoes – 2
Green chillies – 2
Garam Masala – 1tsp
Cumin seeds – 1tsp
Kitchen King Masala – ½ tsp (Optional)
Turmeric Powder – ¼ tsp
Ginger Garlic paste – 1tsp
Cilantro – for garnishing
Salt – to taste

Method –
1.Cook the Potatoes till 3/4th done(Meaning not fully boiled, as we have to cook this again with the gravy). Peel and cut it into cubes (1“ inch).
2.Puree the Onions, Tomatoes and Green chillies together.
3.Heat oil in a kadai, add Cumin seeds.Add the pureed Onion Tomato paste and sauté till you see the oil separating from the sides.
4.Add Turmeric powder,Red chilli powder, chopped Potatoes and l’il water(1/2 cup) to cook the Potatoes. Do not overcook the Potatoes.
5.Once done, add the Frozen Peas,Salt and Garam Masala.Allow it to cook until the gravy thickens.
6.Garnish with Cilantro and serve hot along with Rotis,Naans,Pita Bread or Rice.

Instead of the Puree, you can finely chop the Onions and Tomatoes. Bay leaf can also be added in the beginning and removed before serving, this gives an added flavor.I remember one of my neighbor (In Inida) using coconut for this recipe, guess that’s the South Indianised version. I’ve added Kitchen king masala too.I use this in most of my cooking, I simply love the extra taste it adds to the food.

Sabudana Khichdi

This one is a Maharashtrian Cuisine, made for breakfast and also a Vrat ka Khana(for fasting).It is prepared using Tapioca ie., Sabudana along with peanuts,Potatoes and spices. This recipe made me nostalgic and took me back on a wonderful trip down memory lane,when i relished my friend Aditi’s Sabudana Khichdi in Mumbai.It was delicious.She din’t let anyone inside the kitchen till she was done.

Sometimes we do give up on recipes which don’t turn out well in spite of repeated attempts. One such recipe which I had given up was “Sabudana Khichdi”. I have tried this recipe many times but was always disappointed.

They say -“Try and fail,but don’t fail to try”

I like this stuff alot…and wanted to give it one last try and it was worth it….this time, it was the best I’ve ever made. I had all smiles

Ingredients:

Sabudana – 1 cup
Groundnuts (roasted and crushed) – ¼ cup
Jeera/Cumin Seeds – 1 tsp
Green Chillies – 4
Potato – ¼ cup finely chopped
Curry leaves – few
Mustard seeds – ½ tsp
Oil – 1 tbsp
Sugar – 1/4tsp
Asafoetida/hing – a pinch
Lemon Juice – 1/2 tsp
Salt – as per taste

Method:

1.Wash and soak Sabudana overnight. Water should be just enough to soak it, too much will ruin the Sabudana.
2.Heat oil in a kadai, add Mustard seeds,Jeera, Green chillies,hing & Curry leaves
3.Add the potatoes and sauté till it gets cooked and then add the peanuts.
4. Saute the peanuts for about 3 mins , add the Sabudana,salt , sugar and mix well.
5.Gently sauté the Sabudana , the seeds may turn to look transparent. Once done sprinkle lemon juice & serve it hot along with sweet curd(Curd and sugar mixed together).

Sabudana has the tendency to stick to the Kadai, ensure it is sauted well.Adding coconut is also an option.It is easy to find this dish in any restaurants in Mumbai…but not anywhere else…atleast I haven’t found. Sabudana Vada is another yummy thingie:-P

Green Onion Curry

Green Onions or Scallions…also has the name spring onions are used in Salads,Soups and Chinese Cuisine. They can be eaten raw , but you can also grill or sauté them. My mom used to make this stuff and served it with Rotis. In India it looked a l’il different….at the end of the bunch small flowers were found,probably that’s the reason they were also called as “Vengaya Poo” meaning Onion flowers in Tamil. I picked up three bunches couple days back and used it yesterday……….ofcourse the one we get here are without the flowers.

I was thinking about my brother while making this….as he used to like this curry too…..Gosh…. I miss him loads.

It’s a very simple curry and it hardly takes time. Adding peanuts was the only variation/addition to the original recipe.

Ingredients:-
Green Onions – 3 bunches
Red Chilli powder – 1tsp
Turmeric Powder – ¼ tsp
Oil – 1 tbsp
Mustard seeds – ¼ tsp
Urad Dal – ½ tsp
Peanuts – 2 tbsp roasted & crushed(coarse)
Salt – as per taste

Method –
1.Heat Oil in a Pan, add mustard seeds and Urad dal.
2.Add the chopped Green Onions , Turmeric Powder, Red Chilli powder and salt. Saute well.
3.When it becomes soft , add the Crushed peanuts , Sauté for a min and switch of the flame
Serve the above with hot Rotis.

For the peanuts – In a kadai, roast the peanuts till they turn brown, remove skin and crush it. I used the mixer and coarsely grinded the peanuts.

Also,once the onions get cooked the quantity reduces.Three bunches is good enuf for only one person.

Pav Bhaji

I was thinking of “Chaats” and my mouth started watering.Ummmmm…gosh!

Mumbai – the city never sleeps….I have fond memories associated with this place.In Bandra (Hill Road to be precise)there is this place called “Elco”…I guess they make the best Paani Puris and Pav Bhajis.I remember being charged Rs 56 ($1.12)for 6 Pani Puris…which is actually expensive as per Indian standards, coz you get Pani Puris for Rs 10 ($0.20)too.Though its expensive, its worth tasting it.The Paani…ie., the liquid was cold…thats how an authentic Pani Puri should be.

The other best thing to try is the “Pav Bhaji”.It is the quintessential street food.
Imagine butter toasted bun along with mashed vegetables with good amount of spices….with alot of flavouring agents….sounds yummy right?????

There are different kind of Pav Bhaji…the one without Onion & garlic is the Jain Pav Bhaji,Sada Pav Bhaji is without butter,Kada Pav Bhaji is without mashing vegetables.This one is the Mumbaiya Pav Bhaji by Sanjeev Kapoor…he comes up lovely recipes.Long back,I had seen this in Television in India …here it is for all…

Ingredients :

Butter – 1 tbsp for the Bhaji and good amount for toasting the Pav
Pav – as required (I dont get Pav here, so I used Hamburger buns)
Onions – finely chopped – 2-3 medium sized
Tomatoes – finely chopped – 3 medium sized
Tomato Puree – 1/2 cup
Ginger Green Chilli Paste – 2 tsp
Peas – 1/4 cup ( I use frozen peas as it is easy to cook)
Capsicum – finely chopped – 1/2 cup
Potato – 1 cup (boiled and mashed)
Cauliflower – 1/4 cup grated
Coriander leaves – for garnishing
Pav Bhaji Masala – 1 3/4 tbsp
Turmeric Powder – 1/4tsp
Lemon – 1 (cut into cubes)
Red Chilli Powder – 1/2 tsp
Oil – 1tbsp
Salt – As per taste

Masher – An equipment used to mash the veggies (Available in plastic,steel,wood).

Method –

1.Heat a mixture of Oil and butter in a Kadai.Add the chopped Onions and Ginger green chilli paste and saute till the Onions turn pink.
2.Add Tomatoes and cook till you get a gravy consistency.
3.Add Cauliflower and Peas.Let it cook for few minutes and then add the Pav Bhaji Masala,Tomato Puree,Red Chilli Powder & Turmeric Powder.
4.Mix the above well and leave it for a minute or two.Add Potatoes,Capsicum and li’l water (around 1/2 cup) and allow it to cook.Use the masher( this is used to mash veggies)and mash the vegetables.Don’t overdo it.
5.Add salt, add more water if needed.It should end up to a thick gravy.
6.Once done garnish with coriander leaves

For the Pav

Slice the Pav/Hamburger buns horizontaly, apply butter on both the sides and toast it on a Tawa (pan).

Squeeze lemon on the Bhaji and serve it with the Pav and chopped Onions.

I used the Pav Bhaji masala which was readily available at the Indian Stores.Instead of using all the Veggies, few selected ones make alot of difference.Also, instead of Mashing the boiled Potatoes, grating them is definetly better.Ensure you don’t overdo with the masher. The Capsicum is added in the last so that it remains a l’il crunchy.

In Mumbai, to make it spicy l’il bit of Red Chilli Powder is sprinkled inside the Pav and then toasted.Its yummmmmmy!!!!!

Dabeli

Long back, I was in Mumbai on an official visit.At about 1 in the morning,a friend of mine picked up Dabeli’s from the cafeteria…..it looked like Vada Pav to me….I din’t even know what “Dabeli”was.I saw the cafeteria guy make it in front of me and got a hang of the recipe.Jes to check on it, i spoke to my friend’s mom who shared her method. I also found an interesting version of the same in Tarla Dalal’s site….I tried her recipe with a l’il bit of addition and deletion which is mentioned below.

After coming here, I started cooking alot.I guess thats one good time pass too.
All of a sudden, I decided to make this to please my husband:-P.They say “The best way to get into a man’s heart is through his stomach”…and I think I already made my way:-)

Ingredients:-

Dabeli Masala

Jeera – 1/2 tsp
Dhania(coriander seeds)- 1/2 tsp
Red Chillies – 3
Cinnamon – 1 an inch length
Cloves – 1

Roast the above in a dry Kadai and grind it to a fine powder.

Filling

Potato – 1 large (Boiled and mashed )
Dabeli Masala – 1 tbsp
Jeera – 1/2 tsp
Cilantro/Coriander leaves – li’l
Tamarin & Dates chutney (Imly & Khajur chutney)- 1tbsp
Asafoetida -a pinch
Oil – 3 tbsp
Salt – as per the taste

1.Heat oil in a kadai.Add cumin seeds,Asafoetida,Potato & Dabeli Masala.
2.Saute well.Add salt & 1/4th cup water
3.Add the Tamarin & Dates Chutney,mix well and switch of the flame.
4.Add Cilantro/ Coriander leaves too.

Also required –

Hamburger buns/Pavs – 4
Oil/Butter – 2tbsp

Onions – 1 cup finely chopped
Sev – 1 cup
Roasted peanuts – 1/2 cup
Cilantro/Coriander leaves – for garnishing
Pomegranate seeds – 1/4cup
Garlic Chutney – 1 tbsp
Tamarin & Dates chutney (Imly & Khajur chutney) – 2 tbsp

Keep all the above ingredients ready

1. Slice the Pav/hamburger buns into half(Similar to Pav Bhaji’s Pav),apply butter on both sides and toast it on a pan.
2. On the lower half of the Bun/Pav, place one spoon full of the filling,peanuts,Onions,Pomogranate,Tamarin Chutney,garlic chutney,Cilantro/coriander leaves.Close it with the other half Pav/Bun.This would look like a sandwich.
6.Sprinkle Sev on the top and sides.

Hot Dabeli is ready to eat.Its definetly a sweetish dish.I have never found this anywhere else other than Mumbai:-) I am not quite happy with the pic,will change once I take a better one.