Tuesday, August 28, 2012

Potato Stew


 HAPPY ONAM everyone.

Posting the recipe for a kerala-style potato stew. This stew is usually served with appam and it is also served as an item on the sadhya ela (authentic kerala lunch) . I make my stew in a pressure cooker and I feel it is the easiest way to go about, without consuming much time. Very easy recipe.

Ingredients: ( serves 4)
  • Potatoes - 4 medium (each cut into 6 pieces)
  • Onions - 2 (sliced)
  • Ginger - 2 tbspns (chopped)
  • Green chilies - 3 (slit)
  • Curry leaves - 1 sprig
  • Pepper corns -  1 tspn
  • Coconut milk - 200 ml
  • Water - 2 cups
  • Coconut oil - 1 tspn (optional)
  • Salt - to taste
Directions:
  • In the pressure cooker, take 100 ml of coconut milk and add the water
  • Add the potatoes, onions, ginger, chilies, pepper corns and salt
  • Cook for 3 whistles and turn off the heat.  
  • When the pressure has released from the cooker, open it and add the remaining coconut milk, curry leaves and coconut oil and simmer for 5 mins.



Here are some recipes which you might find useful this onam.

Sambar

Moru kootaan

Avial

Cabbage thoran

Chammandi 

Sambaaram

Paruppu payasam / paruppu pradhaman

Ela ada


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Wednesday, August 22, 2012

Easy trifle pudding


This has been in my draft for almost a year now. It is a trifle pudding recipe. I made this when my cousins came over for a meal. Actually, I had made a plain vanilla cake at home then.( Click here for plain cake recipe) But, I did not want to serve the same boring thing. So, I thought a trifle pudding would be more fun for a change.


The layers in the pudding were vanilla cake topped with a banana custard. Then came a layer of cranberry jelly. Then some slightly sweetened whipped vanilla cream and then some chocolate-cream-cookie crumbs. These layers were repeated.


 

Ingredients:

  • Bourbon cookies - 6-8 (optional)
  • Plain vanilla cake - 1/2 kg ( click here for recipe )
  • Cranberry jelly - 4 cups ( recipe below)
  • Custard - 4 cups ( made according to box directions)
  • Chiquita banana -1
  • Heavy whipping cream-  1/2 cup 
  • Powdered sugar - 3 tspns

 Method for making cranberry jelly:


  • In a pan heat 1/4 cup of water and 1/4 cup cranberry juice.
  • Add 3-1/2 tspns of gelatin. When the gelatin has dissolved completely, turn off the heat. Add the remaining cranberry juice and stir. 
  • Cool and let set in the refrigerator for 3-4 hours.
Making banana custard and whipping cream:
  • Make custard according to package directions
  • When it is cool, add slices of Chiquita banana to the custard stir gently. 
  • Refrigerate.
  • In a clean bowl, whip cream to stiff peaks with powdered sugar. Let cook in the refrigerator.
Assembling: 
  • In the serving dish layer some slices of cake.
  • Pour 2 cups of banana custard on the cake layer.
  • Then spoon some jelly as the next layer.
  • Then add dollops of the sweetened whipped cream.
  • Crush some bourbon cookies and make this the next layer.
  • Repeat these layers again.
  • Serve cool

Wednesday, August 15, 2012

Sprouts salad with pomegranate


Yum, yum and yum is all I can say about this salad.
Green gram sprouts (Moong sprouts) are super yum and easy to make at home. Wash and soak a cup of green gram in water overnight. Next morning, discard excess water and tie the gram up in a wet cloth for about 12-16 hours. Your green gram sprouts are ready.



The dressing was a simple mix of lime juice, salt and powdered cumin. The ruby-like pomegranate seeds added sweetness. This salad is a power house of protein and anti-oxidants. 






Ingredients: ( serves 2)
  • Green gram sprouts - 1 cup
  • Pomegranate arils - 1 cup
  • Onions - 1/2 of a small onion
  • Tomatoes - 1 medium sized
  • Green chilli - 1
  • Coriander leaves - few sprigs
  • Lime juice - from 2 limes
  • Powdered cumin - 1/4 tspn
  • Salt - to taste
Directions:
  • Finely dice onions, tomatoes and chillies. 
  • In a mixing bowl add all the ingredients and toss.
  • Serve immediately.
Tip :
  • Grated carrot also can be added to this salad.
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Monday, August 6, 2012

Pistachio cardamom orange cake



The best thing of being or living in India is that, I can go home whenever I feel like it and our family can visit us often too. That is a real blessing.
My sister and nephew visited us and I made this cake for them.





     


It was a nice pistachio cake which was infused with cardamom. A handsome quantity of pistachios were ground and added to the cake. Orange zest rendered that zing . The orange flavor came through so well. Cardamom powder does the job of  giving a good aroma to the cake. So there is no need for vanilla in this recipe.

 


What I loved most about the cake was that when I cut a slice, the orange and green specs  from the zest and the pistachio were vividly visible, which made it look so beautiful. This cake was a smash hit at home. It lasted 2 days and not a crumb was left.



Ingredients:
  • Pistachios -1-1/2 cups(unsalted, shelled and toasted )
  • All-purpose flour - 1-1/2 cups
  • Baking powder - 2-1/2 tspns
  • Cardamom powder - 1 tspn
  • Salt - 1/4 tspn
  • Whole milk - 1 cup
  • Unsalted butter - 1-1/2 sticks (at room-temperature)
  • Sugar - 1-1/2 cups
  • Eggs - 4 large or 5 small
  • Grated orange zest - 2 tspns
Method:

  • Arrange oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 350°F or 180°C. Line a  9-inch-diameter round cake pan withparchment paper. 
  • In a bowl, mix flour, baking powder and salt and sieve 3 times or mix well.
  • Add cardamom powder and mix well.
  • Using food processor, pulse pistachios until  ground, about 40 seconds. (Do not over process it to a fine powder ).
  • Add the ground pistachio to the flour mixture and mix well.
  • In large bowl using electric mixer at moderate speed, beat together butter and sugar until light and fluffy.  
  •  Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. 
  •  Reduce speed to low and flour mixture and milk alternately in 3 batches,  beginning and ending with flour mixture and beating after each addition just until combined. 
  • Add orange zest and mix until just combined.
  • Spread batter evenly in pan and bake for 35 mins, until wooden skewer inserted in center of cake comes out clean. 
  • Remove from oven and cool the cake in the  pan  for about 10 minutes, unmold cake and let cool on a rack.

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