Xmas 2010

This time, I prepared quite a lot of sweets and savories for xmas. First time, I have tried so many varieties and all of them are good..

In picture, from bottom left corner..

Muruku

Ribbon pakoda

Macroons

Star cookies

Badusha

Mysorepa

Kaju kathli.

Apart from these, I prepared rich fruit cake and orange sponge cake, which were finished before taking snaps..

On the day of xmas, we had vada, idli, coconut chutney and mutton salna for brunch. And for dinner, I prepared chicken biriyani, baked chicken drumsticks, pepper chicken, white rice and rasam. We had some friends for dinner and it was all fun.

Over to the recipes...

1.Muruku

I prepared easy muruku, recipe from arusuvai. It was very good .

Ingredients

Urad dhal - 1 cup

Rice flour - 3 - 31/2 cups

Butter - 1 tablespoon

salt - to taste

oil - as required

Method

1.In pressure cooker, cook 1 cup of urad dhal with 2 cups of water for 2 whistles. Open the pressure cooker, and mash it with the hand blender or food processor.

2. Add rice flour, butter and salt to mashed urad dhal and knead it into muruku maavu consistency. I used 3 cups of rice flour but since it observed more oil , next time going to try with 3 and half cups of rice flour and will update here..

3. Put them into muruku press and fry it in hot oil .

2. Ribbon pakoda

Ingredients

Rice flour - 2 cups

Besan flour - 1 cup

Asafoetida - a pinch

Chilly powder - 1/2 teaspoon

Butter - 1 tablespoon

Salt - to taste

Oil - as required.

Method

1. Sieve rice flour and besan flour.

2. Except oil , mix everything together with little water to a thick dough.

3. Put it in muruku press with ribbon achhu and fry them directley in hot oil.

3.Macroons

Ingredients

Egg white - 4

Sugar - 250gms

Almond or cashew powder - 250gms.

Method

1.Beat egg white with electric hand mixer for 10 minutes. When you turn the bowl upside down , it should not fall down.

2. Now add sugar little by little and continue to beat with mixer in medium speed for 10 - 15 minutes.

3. Fold cashew or almond powder with a spoon without breaking the air.

4. Use a spoon or piping bag and arrange them in a lined a baking sheet as circle or as cones.

5.Bake in preheated oven(150-175) for 10 minutes or till the knife comes out clean. try to bake them without changing colour.

4.Star cookies

This is the recipe from Deeba of PAB. Kids just love these cookies.

Ingredients

Maida - 400gms

Butter - 200 gms

Sugar - 200 gms

Egg - 1

Vanilla essence - 1 teaspoon

Orange extract - 1 teaspoon

Method

1.Bring everthing into room temperature.

2.Cream butter and sugar together. dont over mix it.

3.add the essences and mix sieved maida little by little. knead in to thick dough.

4.Divide it into 3 parts and wrap them in cling film and refigerate for 30 mins.

5.Roll them out and cut with cookie cutters. since it is very cold here, I just baked them immedietely. But in hot countries like india, it is better to refrigerate the cookies in baking tray for 20-30 mins.

4. Bake them in preheated oven(175) for 15minutes or till done.

5.Badusha

This is jayashree govindarajan's recipe from thalikum oosai.

Ingredients

Maida - 4 cups

Butter - 100 gms

baking powder - 1/2 teaspoon

baking soda - a pinch

curd - 2 teaspoon

sugar - 2 cups

lemon juice - 1 teaspoon

Method

1. Sieve maida with baking powder and soda.

2. Add butter, curd and mix it till it resembles bread crumbs.

3. Add little water and knead it like chapathi dough.

4. Knead well for 20 minutes.

5. Keep the dough aside and prepare the sugar syrup by heating sugar with 1 cup of water. when the sugar is complteley dissolved and sticky(before 1 string consistency), remove from fire and add lemon juice.

6. Now take small ball from dough and shape it like a circle and put some pressure on top with thumb. Make them as flat as possible. prick it with some fork till bottom.

7.Make atleast 7,8 balls and heat the oil in a big pan. when it is in medium heat, switch off the stove and put 7,8 badushas in hot oil. they will go down and after some time, start coming up to the top. when all the badushas have come up,switch on the stove and fry them in mild heat for atleast 7-8 minutes. After it is done, remove from oil, put it in colander and after 2 minutes when still hot, put them in sugar syrup.

8.Like this finish all the dough. After 20 minutes, we can remove the badusha from sugar syrup.

6.Mysorepa

This is also a easy recipe by mrs.jayasree of thalikum oosai, I have tried this 3,4 times and it resembles srikrishna mysore pa..

Ingredients.

Besan flour - 1/2 cup

Sugar - 1 1/4 cup

Ghee - 1 cup

Method

1. Sieve the besan flour.

2.Fry the besan flour in hot pan for 2-3 minutes till you get the smell but without changing colour. keep it aside.

3.Heat sugar in a nonstick pan with 1/4 cup of water till it dissolves completely. when touching with finger, we should not feel the sugar like sand grains. it should be completely dissolved. Do this process in low flame.

4.Now add fried besan flour little by little and mix without any lumps.

5. when it thickens , add the melted ghee(yes ghee should be melted . I just microwaved for 1 minute) in 3 - 4 intervals.

6. when mixture coming out of the side , remove from fire, pour in to greased tray. level the top with greased spatula. After it cools down, we can cut it into different shapes.

7.Kaju kathli

this recipe is from saffron hut. very easy and you can eat it without guilt as there is no ghee or oil..

Ingredients

Cashew - 1 cup

Sugar - little less than 3/4 cup

Method

1.Grind cashew into powder in a mixie.

2.In a nonstick pan, heat sugar with little (2-3 tablespoon) water in medium heat. when sugar dissolves compltetely and come to rolling boil, add cashew powder little by little without any lumps.

3.Mix them thoroughly till it cooks and thickened. Take a small amount into a plate , and once cooled you should be able to make a small ball. Now remove from fire, and transfer into a plate.

4.Once it cools down, knead well to the chapathi dough consistency.

5.Roll them and cut into desired shapes.Enjoy...

Baked chicken drumsticks

Ingredients

chicken drumsticks - 12

Lemon juice - 2 tablespoon

Ginger Garlic paste - 2 tablespoon

Chilly powder - 1 tablespoon

Soya sauce - 1 teaspoon

Chilly sauce - 1 teaspoon

Olive oil - 2 tablespoon

Butter - 1 tablespoon

Method

1. Wash chicken drumsticks 2, 3 times in water with lemon juice and turmeric powder.

2. Drain them well with a kitchen towel.

3. With a knife, make 2,3 slits in the chicken.

4.Mix olive oil,lemon juice, salt, chilly powder,ginger garlic paste, soya sauce , chilly sauce and make a paste.

5.Apply this paste all over the chicken pieces and refrigerate overnight(atleast 4 hours).

6. Arrange chicken pieces in a greased baking tray and bake them in a preheated oven(220 degree) for 20 mins.

7. Now take the tray out, turn the chicken pieces and apply some melted butter over the chicken.

8. Bake for another 20 minutes or till done.

Mutton salna

This is a recipe of Mrs.Jaleela from arusuvai. Very tasty and goes well with idli and biriyani.

Ingredients

Mutton - 1/2 kg

Onion - 3

Tomato - 1 or 2

Ginger Garlic paste - 1 tablespoon

Turmeric powder - 1/2 teaspoon

Curd - 3 tablespoon

Mint - a small bunch

Coriander - a small bunch

Lemon - 1

Chilly powder - 1 tablespoon

Coriander powder - 1/2 teaspoon

Green chilly - 2

Cinnamon

Cardamom

Clove

Coconut - 1/4 cup