Sweet Paniyaram

These paniyarams can be made as sweet or savory. I prepared sweet one today.

Ingredients
--------------

Raw Rice -1 cup
Idly Rice  - 1/2 Cup
Javvarisi   - 2 Tsp
Coconut   - 1/2 Shredded
Sugar        - 1 Tsp
Urad Dhal -  2 Tablespoon
Methi Seeds - 1/2 Tsp
Salt

For Sweet Paniyaram
--------------------------
Powdered Jaggery -  as required
Cardamom - 1
Coconut pieces

For Kara Paniyaram
------------------------
Onion
Green Chilly
Ginger
Coconut pieces
Mustard
Oil

Method
----------
1.Soak Rice and dhal, methi seeds for 2 hrs seperately.
2.Grind Methi and urad dhal in mixer for 6 minutes. I used my magic bullet. Keep the batter in a bowl.
3.Grind everything else together now.
4.Take 2 tablespoon batter from second batch.
5.Mix 2 batters together and mix well.
6.Mix 1/2 cup water 2 tablespoon batter  from step 4 and heat this mixture in low heat until it become very thick paste.
7.Once this paste is cooled , mix with rest of batter. It should be bit thicker than idly batter.
8.Keep it in warm place for 8 hours.

This is the basic batter for paniyaram and appam as well.

Sweet Paniyaram
1.Mix powdered jaggery according to taste,crushed cardamom and coconut pieces in the batter.
2.Heat the paniyara chatty and add pinch of butter or 1/4 tsp oil in each hole.
3.Fill 3/4 with prepared batter.
4.After 2 minutes carefully flip them.
5.Once both sides are cooked , remove from pan and serve hot.

Kara Paniyaram
1.Heat oil in a pan and season with mustard , curry leaves, finely chopped onion, green chilly and ginger.
2.Once cooled , mix with batter.
3.Add coconut pieces.
4.Make like sweet paniyaram.
5.Serve hot with coconut chutney or tomato chutney.

Black Forest Cake

This is from my draft folder.. Think this is the cake I made for our 6th wedding anniversary.

 I followed the recipe of Marry Berry for the cake and my own recipe for icing.

Ingredients
--------------

For Cake
------------
Egg - 4
Self Raising Flour - 75gms
Cocoa - 25gms
Vanilla - 1/2 Teaspoon
Baking Powder - a pinch

For syrup and stuffing
---------------------------
Tinned pitted black cherries - 2 tins
Sugar - 3 Tablespoon

Icing
------
Whipping Cream - 500ml
Icing Sugar - 2 Tablespoon
Vanilla - 1/4 Teaspoon
Gelatin - 1 Teaspoon
Water - 2 Tablespoon

Method
----------
1.Preheat the oven to 180C.
2.Sift the self raising flour and baking powder.
3.Beat the eggs nicely with sugar till it becomes pale and fluffy with a electric beater.
4.Fold in the sifted flour and vanilla with a spatula.
5.Pour it into greased 23cm pan and bake for 15mins or till done.
6.Remove from Oven and cool it completely.

Syrup and stuffing
-----------------------
1.Drain the syrup from tinned cherries.
2.Add sugar to 1/4 cup of syrup.
3.Reserve 12 cherries for decoration. Chop the remaining cherries finely.

Icing
------
1.Keep the bowl and beater in fridge for 15mins.
2.Soak the gelatin in cold water and let it melt.
3.Keep some ice cubes in a wider container. Place the glass bowl from fridge in that container.
4.Pour whipping cream in glass bowl.
5.Add icing sugar and beat with electric beater .
6.Add gelating mixture and beat till soft peaks formed.
7.Beat in high speed and do not over beat.

Assembling
---------------
1. Cut the cake into 2 pieces horizontally.
2. Prick it with fork.
3. Sprinkle the cherry syrup over it.
4. Wait for 10 minutes.
5. Apply a layer whipping cream over the first cake. spread chopped cherries.
6. Top with other layer of cake.
7. Sandwich them together with  icing.
8. Wrap it in cling film and keep refrigerated for atleast 1 hour.
9. Apply another coating of icing all over the cake.
10. Pipe some stars on top of the cake and decorate with cherries.

For Chocolate syrup to write
-----------------------------------
Melt 50g chocolate bar in microwave for 45 seconds.
Mix with a fork and heat again for 45 seconds. Repeat this process till chocolate melts.
Add 2 drops of oil and mix well.
Pour this into a zip lock bag , twist the bag tightly and cut a tiny bit at the end.
Practice writing in  a paper before writing on to the cake.

Kala kala

This is usual xmas recipe back at home. Got the perfect measurement from amma and tried for xmas. Definitely a keeper..

Ingredients
--------------
All Purpose Flour - 250gms
Egg                       - 1
Sugar                    - 100gms
Cardamom            - 1
Salt                       - a pinch
Oil

Method
----------
1.Powder sugar and cardamom together.
2.In a bowl beat the egg with fork till frothy.
3.Add flour, sugar and salt and knead like chapathi dougth.
4.Add water if required.
5.Heat oil in a frying pan.
6.Take a  orange sized ball from dough and spread it like a thick chapathi.
7.Cut them into diamonds with knife or pizza cutter. or cut them into  small circles using bottle lids.
8.Fry in medium hot oil until golden brown.
9. Store them in an air tight container.

Nandu Gravy

Ingredients
------------------

Blue Crab - 700gm

Onion       - 1

Ginger Garlic Paste - 1 Tablespoon

Tomato     - 3

Chilli Powder - 2Teaspoon

Coriander Powder - 3 Teaspoon

Turmeric powder - 1/2 Teaspoon

Tamarind  - Size of small marble(Optional, extract the juice))

To Grind
--------------

Coconut - 3 Tablespoon

Pepper   - 1/2 Teaspoon

Gingelly Oil - 1 Tablespoon

Mustard

Methi Seeds

Curry leaves

Method

------------

1.Clean crabs.

2.Heat a pan , heat the oil and season with ingredients for seasoning.

3.Add chopped onions and fry with a pinch of salt till golden brown.

4.Add ginger garlic paste and fry till the raw smell goes.

5.Add chopped tomatoes , chilli powder and coriander powder ,turmeric powder and saute till oil seperates.

6.Add cleaned crab and saute till it becomes orange colour.

7.Now add required boiling water , close the lid and cook for 5 minutes.

8.If adding tamarind juice , add now and let it boil till the raw smell goes.

9.Grind coconut with pepper and saunf to a smooth paste. Add now in crab gravy and swith if off once it boils again.

10.Serve hot with rice.

Note:

It's better to get crabs on new moon day . And avoid getting crabs on full moon day.

Crabs with blue/purple legs and little spots on shell are the first quality crabs. Now a days it's very hard to find these crabs. Don't miss them if you find in market.

When you lift a crab, it should feel heavy. Omit the crabs which are lighter..

Crabs get spoiled very soon. So always cook them as soon as possible.

Pepper Chicken Roast

Ingredients
--------------
Chicken - 500gms
Onion    - 1
Tomato  - 1
Garlic    - 4 Cloves
Ginger   - 1 Inch
Turmeric Powder - 1/2 Teaspoon
Jeera      - 1/2 Teaspoon
Pepper   - 2 Tablespoon
Saunf     - 1 Tablespoon
Ghee      - 1 Tablespoon
Curry leaves
Coriander
Salt

Method
----------
1.Mix Chicken,Onion, Tomato,Ginger, Garlic, Turmeric Powder,Coriander leaves in a bowl.
2.Place this bowl in pressure cooker and cook for 1 whistle. Add water in pressure cooker and not in the bowl.
3.Dry roast Jeera, Pepper and Saunf and powder it.
4.Heat ghee and add curry leaves. Add the drained chicken pieces from pressure cooker and powdered pepper and saunf mix.
5.Add salt and roast the chicken pieces till dry. If required add more ghee and pepper powder.

Note:
Heat the drained liquid from pressure cooker with some more water. Add salt and pepper and enjoy your soup.

Appam

Ingredients

Raw Rice - 2 Cups
Coconut   - 1 Cup
Cooked Rice - 1/2 Cup
Sugar       - 2 Teaspoon
Salt
Cooking Soda - a pinch

Method

1 . Soak raw rice for 2 hours.
2 . Grind raw rice, shredded coconut, cooked rice into a smooth batter.
3 . Take 2 tablespoon of batter and mix with cup of water.
4 . Cook this mixture in low flame till its turned into a thick paste.
5 . Once cooled, mix this paste into remaining batter and leave it overnight.
6 . Mix a generous pinch of soda just before making appams.
7 . Add water if required and make the batter bit thinner than dosa batter.
8 . Heat the appal chatty. Add a ladle of batter , tilt the pan and cook with lid closed.
9 . Serve hot with coconut milk.

Velvety Pound Cake

Ingredients
Butter - 230 gms
Self Raising Flour  - 3 cups
Caster Sugar - 2 and a half cups
Eggs - 6
Whipping Cream - 1 cup
Vanilla extract  - 1 Tablespoon
Orange extract - 1 teaspoon
Almond extract - 1 teaspoon
Cream Cheese - 1 Tablespoon  (optional )

Method
1. Prepare a bundt tin by applying butter and flour.
2. Sift the flour. Cake flour can be used instead of s r flour.
3. Cream butter and sugar.
4. Add eggs one by one. After adding each egg beat for atleast 1 minute.
5. Add flour and cream alternatively and mix gently.
6. Add cream cheese and extracts.
7. Pour the mixture to prepared bundt tin.
8. Place it in middle rack of cool oven.
9. Set the temperature to 190 c.
10. Bake for 45 minutes or till the cake is  done.
11. Cool for 30 minutes.
12. Enjoy the velvet cake.