Apple and Peach Cake

Ingredients:

Cake Flour - 250 gms
Castor sugar - 250 gms
Eggs - 4
Baking powder - 1 tsp
Vanilla essence - 1tsp

For dressing:

Peaches - peeled and chopped finely
Apples - 1 big peeled and chopped finely
Fresh cream - whipped
Orange juice + Sugar water - water boiled with 1tsp of icing sugar
Grated chocolate (optional)
Bottled cherries

Method of Preparation:

Mix Cake flour with baking powder and vanilla essence, take another bowl and whisk together eggs and sugar, whisk thoroughly and mix the cake flour mixture into it, fold it in and whisk such that the air does not escape.

Now grease a baking tray and pour the above mixture and put it in a pre heated oven at 180 degree centigrade for 30-35 mins. Prick using a knife to check if the cake sticks and bake until it does not.

Now cut the cake into two portions. Moist one portion of the cake with some orange juice mixture. Spread a layer of whipped cream. Over that sprinkle the chopped fruits and sprinkle some grated chocolate if you like. Over this keep the other moist slice and layer it similar.Sprinkle with grated chocolate and finally place bottled cherries on top for decoration.

Vegetable Bake

This is one of the recipes i found on another blog, i have lost the link to it. This is a modified version of the same according to our tastes.

Serves : 3-4 people

Ingredients:

Carrots - 2 big
Beans - 1/4 kilo
Brocolli - 1 big
Cauliflower - 1 big
Peas - 150 grams
Mushrooms - 200 grams
Red/Green Peppers - 2 big
Onion - 1 Big
Mozzarella Cheese - grated according to taste and preference
Oil - 2 tsps

White Sauce Ingredients:

Milk - 2 cups
Pepper - to taste
salt - to taste
Plain Flour - 2 big spoonful
Butter/Olive oil - 2 tsps

Method of Preparation:

Chop all veggies, steam all veggies with salt except onions, Green/Red Peppers, Mushrooms. Keep it aside. Now to prepare the white sauce, mix the plain flour with milk with no lumps and then take a pot and heat some butter, add milk mixture and boil for a few mins, then add salt and pepper. Boil until the sauce thickens.

Now take some oil in a pan and saute the onions, peppers and mushrooms until soft.

Preheat the oven to 200 degrees centigrade, grease the baking tray with butter/olive oil and place the steamed veggies, layer it with half the sauce, now place all the sauteed veggies and layer it with the remaining sauce. Finally top it with as much cheese as you like and leave it in the oven for about 15 mins or until the cheese melts. Now that's a yummy bake.

This is a favourite in our home since my hubby loves it and it is nutritious for my son since it has all veggies with cheese and of course my fav since its a quickie and makes my life easy!

Hope you enjoy this dish. Let me know if any of try this.

P.S. - For people who would like some chicken, you could add some pre-cooked chicken to this and adjust the quantity of veggies accordingly.

Methi Rice

Ingredients:

Methi leaves- 1 Big Bunch
Garlic - 1 Whole medium sized
Ginger - 1 inch
Cloves - 5-6
Bay Leaves - 2
Cinnamon stick - 1 inch 4 sticks
Fresh grated coconut - 1/4 cup
Rice - 2 cups (medium sized cups)
Onions - 2 Big and 1 small chopped finely
Green chillies - 5-6
Pudina/Mint Leaves - 4-5 strands
Other pulav masala - few fennel seeds, 1-2 Cardamom, 2 cloves, 2 bay leaves, 2 cinnamon sticks

Method of Preparation:

Grind 1 small chopped onion , green chillies, 2 Cinnamon sticks, 3 cloves,Ginger, Garlic, Pudina, Coconut, Coriander leaves and keep aside.

Now heat some oil in the cooker and add mustard seeds, once they splatter add 2 onions finely chopped now add pulav masala like cinnamon, cloves, bay leaves etc.Saute till onions are transparent and then add methi leaves and the ground masala. Now add washed rice and saute for a min/two and then add water and close the lid and cook till rice is done.

Serve hot with raitha.

Note: This is real tempting and you might end up over eating....me n my hubby do that most times, so i make it only once in a while.

Yanagayi/Stuffed Brinjal Curry

Yanagayi yet another magical recipe from my mom's kitchen.The thought of it just makes my mouth water and how i wish i could ask my mom to post it for me all the way to UK...ummmmmm....

I have had so many requests for this recipe from my friends and hence i decided to post it on my blog.

Ingredients:

For the filling:
2 red chillies ( can increase/decrease based on how hot you would like it)
1/2 cup grated fresh coconut(you could use cut pieces of fresh coconut)
1 tsp sambar powder
2 medium sized onions chopped
1 tsp roasted dhania/coriander powder
1/4 bunch coriander Leaves
salt to taste

Fry the copped onions and red chillies in oil. Now take this and add the rest of ingredients listed and grind it to coarse paste with a little water.

For the Curry:
8 small brinjals
2 medium Onions chopped
2 tomatoes chopped
2 strings of curry leaves
3 big spoons of Oil
1/4 tsp mustard seeds
salt to taste

Method of Preparation:

Now slit the bringals into four without cutting it open. Stuff the ground masala into it.Take a pan and heat oil, once hot add mustard seeds wait for it to splutter, now add curry leaves and onions.Saute it till onions are translucent and then add tomatoes.Now add the stuffed brinjals and fry until half cooked.Now add the rest of the ground masala and fry for a min/two.Now add water as required. Now reduce heat and close the lid and wait for it to cook for 10mins. Add salt (please watch the amount of salt since we have already added it to the stuffing) and cook until the brinjals are done.Garnish it with coriander leaves and serve hot with rice/chapati.This tastes yummy with rice and ghee!

Spicy Chicken Fry

Ingredients :

Chicken - 1 kg - boil in water with 2 bay leaves, 1 garlic pod, turmeric and salt.(Use this to make soup, refer to the link Chicken Soup)
Ginger - 1 inch piece
Garlic - 1 whole (big)
Coriander leaves - 1/2 cup chopped finely
Pepper corns - 20 corns(you can increase the quantity if you like it hot)
Clove - 2
Cinnamon stick - 1
Oil - 5 tsp
Onions - 1 big finely chopped
Salt - to taste
Red chillies - 2

To grind :

Grind ginger, garlic, 2 dry chillies, clove, cinnamon stick, pepper corns, coriander leaves and grind into a fine paste.

Method of Preparation:

Heat oil and add mustard seeds.Now add onions and saute them , add the cooked chicken pieces and add the ground mixture and coriander leaves, now close the lid and keep it on low flame.Check if salt is required since it was already added to the cooked chicken. Now cook until done and decorate it with coriander leaves and serve hot. Can be eater with roti/rice or just as a starter.

Chicken Soup

Ingredients:

Chicken - 1 kg(with bone and boneless, i used chicken thighs and legs)
Garlic - 1 big clove
Chicken Stock - 1/2 lt
Boneless Chicken Pieces - 2 medium sized
Carrots - 1/2 big chopped finely
Onions - 1/2 big chopped finely
Corn flour - 1/2 soup spoon dissolved in water
Cloves - 1-2

Chicken stock:

Use 1/2 kg chicken(with bone and boneless, i used chicken thighs and legs), boil it in water with 2 bay leaves , 1/2 tsp turmeric, garlic and salt. Use this stock for the soup and use the chicken to make chicken fry for which follow the procedure on following link. Remove this used garlic piece from the stock and use it again while making soup. (This ensures a good flavour without making it too strong)

Method of Preparation:

Boil the two boneless chicken pieces in water with a bay leaf , used garlic pod taken from the stock and 1 or 2 cloves.Once the chicken is half cooked add carrots and onions and any other veggies you like. Once they are cooked, shred the chicken pieces to fine consistency. Now add the cornflour mixture, salt if required and pepper and boil until it thickens and remove the garlic pod. This makes a delicious chicken soup.
Decorate it with coriander leaves chopped finely and serve hot.

Menthi pappu/Methi Dhal

This is part of typical Andhra style main menu and you will find pappu either made of methi or some other green leaves in any andhra style restaurant.

This is my favourite recipe from my Mom, who is a great cook!!!!!What makes it more delicious is that she adds to it, her love and tops it with extra love!!!!!Mom this is my way of telling the world of your marvelous cooking!

Ingredients:

Methi Leaves - 1 big bunch finely chopped
Red Chillies - 4 (4 for spicy version, adjust chillies based on preference)
Garlic - 1 whole medium size
Toor Dal - 1/2 cup
Turmeric - 1/4 tsp
Salt - to taste
Methi seeds - 1/4 tsp
Curry leaves - a few
Oil - 5 tsp
Onions - 1 big chopped

Method of Preparation:

Pressure cook methi Leaves along with garlic, 3 red chillies,1/2 chopped onions, turmeric and dal with water. Once pressure cooked take it off the cooker and separate out the water and mash rest of the mixture to medium consistency. Now take a pan and heat the oil. Once the oil is hot, add mustard seeds, curry leaves , methi , 1 red chilli and the other half of chopped onions. Once the onions are sauteed, add the water that was kep out separately and now add the mashed mixture and cook until done. This tastes good with dosa/idli/chapati/rice. Yummy with rice and ghee!!!!!

Crunchy Salad

Ingredients:

Cucumber - 1 big chopped
Guava - 1/2 chopped
Water melon - 1 big bowl chopped
Mango -1 medium chopped
Coriander - 1/4 bowl chopped
Carrots - 1/4 bowl grated
Chat masala - 1 spoon
Pepper - 1/2 spoon
salt - to taste
lime juice - 4 tsp
Green pitted olives - 10 in number

Method of Preparation:

Mix all the ingredients and serve chilled. Makes a yummy crunchy salad!

Methi Kichadi

I was lazy to go get onions and since there are very few options rather i know very few to cook without onions, I decided to cook kichadi.But some how the kichadi idea did not appeal to me much, so decided why not try a different version of kichadi.So that's how i started.
I chopped up some methi leaves and decided to make methi kichadi.As i went on i seemed to be in a very experimental mood, so i added some chopped carrots and beans and onion shoots since i had to get rid of them.That means a few veggies in the kichadi is not a bad idea at all, that's how i ended up with this recipe....

Ingredients:

Red Chillies : 3
Curry Leaves : 10 leaves
Jeera : 1/2 tsp
Mustard : 1/2 tsp
Turmeric : 1/2 tsp
Rice : 2 bowls(small)
Methi : 2 bowls chopped
Carrots : 1/4 bowl chopped
Beans : 1/4 bowl chopped
Onion shoots : 2 shoots chopped
Moong Dal /Yellow Lentils : 1.5 bowl(small)
Oil : 4 spoons
salt : taste

Method of Preparation:

Heat oil in the cooker.When the oil is hot enough, put some mustard seeds, jeera, curry leaves, ginger,garlic and red chillies.Once they are a little fried add sliced carrots, beans and onion shoots , now add some methi leaves and saute it.Now add the washed rice and moong dal and fry it for a minute/two and then add water.Once water starts boiling add the turmeric and salt and close the lid and let it pressure cook. Once cooked dish it out in a bowl and garnish it with coriander leaves. You can eat this with cucumber/onion raitha.

Your Methi Kichadi is ready to eat!

NOTE: Methi kichadi is nice just with methi, you don't have to add other veggies....i was just trying to make it as much nutritious as possible for my 8 month old son who is a fussy eater..:-) !!!

Bread Crumb Pakoda

Ok, it all started with bread stock at home and didn't know what to do with it.Didn't want to make the same old Bread Pakoda, i feel it becomes soft after sometime.So i kept thinking of some way to use bread and yet not give that soggy feel. So here it goes...the recipe invented by me.

I started with toasting 3 slices of bread with some butter.Now i made crumbs of them.I digged into my refrigerator to check what else i had.Found some Methi leaves, Onion shoots and added them all...:-)....Now mixed all of these with some spices and gram flour and invented Bread Crumb pakoda/Bonda recipe by accident!I will upload some pics later, until then here goes the recipe description in words.

Here goes the actually recipe.Note that i am not great at measurements but its an effort.

Ingredients:

Bread Crumbs - Crumbs of three toasted (with butter) bread slices.
Gram Flour - 5 big(soup) spoon full.
Green chillies - chopped fine 3 (depends on how spicy you want it)
Chilli powder - 1/2 tsp
salt - to taste
Methi - leaves from 10 strands finely chopped
Onion shoot/Spring Onions - 2 shoots finely chopped
Onions - 1 big finely chopped ( i didn't use it this time but felt that it would add to taste)
Cooking Soda/Baking powder- pinch
Jeera - 1/2 tsp
Coriander leaves - finely chopped 1/2 cup

Method of Preparation:

Mix all the above ingredients with water.Now heat up some oil, once the oil is hot enough, make round dumplings of the mixture and fry them in oil until cooked.

Your Bread Crumb Pakoda is ready to yet. Serve with some tomato sauce/chilli sauce.