Strawberry Jam (Pectin free)

This is the jam I was talking about in my previous post. It can be used as a bread spread, rolled with chapattis and can also be used as strawberry sauce drizzled over pancakes. Your kids will love it.

Ingredients-

30 to 35 strawberries cleaned and washed,

½ cup sugar

Method –

Blend strawberries to a smooth paste, mix in the sugar.

Transfer the contents to a heavy bottomed pan and keep on low flame.

Keep stirring till the pulp becomes thick. Check for sweetness. Add more sugar if required.

Allow it to cool completely and store in airtight jars under refrigeration.

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Pineapple Jam (Pectin free)

We had a lot of sugar syrup remaining of the Gulab Jamuns. This time when my parents visited us I told my mom to put the syrup to use. My dad came up with this idea of making jam so he got one big pineapple. Mom made it and we all liked it so much that the jar was empty in no time.Milo liked the idea of making home made jams so he took the initiative of making this in bulk. He also made Strawberry Jam.The recipe for this will be in another post. This jam remains good in the fridge for a month.

Ingredients-

1 large pineapple peeled, cleaned and grated,

1/4th cup sugar

Method –

Put pineapple pulp in a heavy bottomed pan, mix in sugar and keep on low flame.

Keep stirring till the pulp becomes thick. Check for sweetness. Add more sugar if required.

Allow it to cool completely and store in airtight jars under refrigeration.

Corn Rabdi for Ramya’s ABC Series: DESSERTS

This is going to be my first events participation. If time permits I am going to participate in many such events. I am reposting this Corn Rabdi for Ramya’s ABC Series: DESSERTS event.

Ingredients-

1 big sweet corn,

500 ml skimmed milk,

½ cup sugar,

2 tsp ghee,

A pinch of cardamom powder,

2 pinches of saffron,

Broken pieces of cashew nuts

Method-

Grate the corn on a grater and collect the pulp.

Heat ghee in a deep bottomed pan and fry cashew nuts till golden brown.

Add corn pulp to it and keep stirring. Fry the corn pulp till the raw smell goes off. This will take approximately 6 to 7 minutes.

Mix in the sugar and add hot milk, cardamom powder and saffron.

Let the rabid cook well. It will thicken as it cooks. Once it is done switch off the gas and allow it to cool to room temperature. Keep it in the fridge for a minimum of 2 hours and serve chilled.

Nippattu / Rice flour fritters

I had seen this recipe floating on most of the blogs during Diwali and I made a few at that time. That lot got over pretty soon so thought of making it some time again but somehow was not finding time. This time when my parents visited me I made it with the help of my mom. Milo had got different shapes of cookie cutters for me and I chose the star as it was Christmas time when I made them. We all liked them and I also sent a small batch for my sister Shilpa who lives in Goa. They taste good with hot evening tea and you cannot stop eating just one. The original name of this fritters is Thattai or Nippattu but at my place we call them stars.  Now off to the recipe…

Ingredients-

3.5 cups rice flour (I used store brought rice flour),

½ cup urad dal,

1 tbsp soaked chana dal,

10 to 15 flakes of garlic,

10 to 15 curry leaves,

3 tsp red chili powder,

2 tsp ghee/butter,

Salt to taste,

Water,

Oil to deep fry

Method-

Dry roast urad dal and grind to a fine powder.

Mix this powder with the rice flower, red chili powder and salt.

Crush garlic with a pestle and tear curry leaves into 3 to 4 pieces with hand.

Mix garlic, curry leaves, chana dal and ghee with the above rice urad dal powder mix and knead to make smooth dough with little water.

Take a portion of this dough and place it on a plastic sheet. Place another plastic sheet on the top and roll the dough evenly with a rolling pin.

Cut out into different shapes and prick with a fork to avoid fluffing up when frying.

Deep fry in hot oil till crispy.

Christmas and New Year 2012 Celebrations

Best Seasons greetings to you all…. Wishing each one of you the BEST in 2012!!!!

  

We baked 2 types of cakes (Dates Cake and Chocolate Cake) on the occasion of Christmas for family and friends. See the above pic.

I also tried my hands at Zebra Cake for the New Years celebration. The recipe and the pic will follow soon….

And last but not the least I made this awesome Corn Radbi on the eve of New Year. This recipe was given to me by my colleague and friend Jaykumari (affectionately called as Jayku). It’s a very quick and easy dessert and tastes yummyyy when served chilled….. She got the third place for this at the Cooking Competition that took place at our office. Here is the recipe…

Ingredients-

1 big sweet corn,

500 ml skimmed milk,

½ cup sugar,

2 tsp ghee,

A pinch of cardamom powder,

2 pinches of saffron,

Broken pieces of cashew nuts

Method-

Grate the corn on a grater and collect the pulp.

Heat ghee in a deep bottomed pan and fry cashew nuts till golden brown.

Add corn pulp to it and keep stirring. Fry the corn pulp till the raw smell goes off. This will take approximately 6 to 7 minutes.

Mix in the sugar and add hot milk, cardamom powder and saffron.

Let the rabid cook well. It will thicken as it cooks. Once it is done switch off the gas and allow it to cool to room temperature. Keep it in the fridge for a minimum of 2 hours and serve chilled.

Eggless Banana Semolina Cake

I had a couple of ripe bananas in my fruit basket and I had all the ingredients to make this simple cake. Also my parents have come to visit us so I wanted to bake a cake of semolina for them. (My mom enjoys semolina cakes more then the flour ones).

I baked it in the night and served it for breakfast the next day. Milo did not like it so much and the reason for his dislike is he cannot stand the strong taste of bananas. But my parents and Anaya enjoyed it. It had a strong banana aroma and was quite fluffy. You can reduce the quantity of bananas to 2 if you don’t want the banana flavor to overpower the cake.

Ingredients-

3 ripe bananas,

1 cup Rawa/semolina,

½ cup sugar,

1 cup yogurt,

½ tsp baking soda,

1/ tsp cardamom powder,

Broken cashews for garnishing

Method –

Blend well ripe bananas, sugar and yogurt in a mixer.

Dry roast semolina over a low flame and once it gets cooled mix it well with the banana sugar mixture.

Mix in the baking soda and cardamom powder.

Allow the batter to stand for 1 hour.

Transfer the contents to a greased cake tin and sprinkle cashew nuts on top.

Bake till the knife comes out clean in a preheated oven at 175 degree C.

Allow the cake to cook in the cake tin for 10 minutes.

Later invert it on a wire rack and cool it completely.

Green Chili Pickle

Pickles are my weak point and especially when it comes to home made ones. This one is a very easy method of making chili pickle adapted the recipe from my sisters MIL. This pickle needs to be stewed for 8 to 10 days before consuming else it will taste pungent and bitter. But at my place Milo started consuming it right from day 2 of making it. I always store my pickles in the fridge as I don’t want to get it spoilt and I always make it in less quantity. So here is the recipe for you….

Ingredients-

¼ kg green chilies,

1 cup fresh lime juice,

1 cup any refined oil,

1 tsp oil,

1 cup split mustard (mohair dal),

1 cup salt,

1 tbsp fenugreek seeds,

1 tbsp asafetida

Method-

Heat 1 cup oil till smoking point, switch off the gas and allow it to cool completely.

Cut green chilies in medium sized pieces and mix in the lime juice, salt, heated and cooled oil and mustard dal.

Heat 1 tsp oil in a small skillet and fry fenugreek seeds and asafetida. Take care not to burn the spices.

Once cooled, powder and mix it with the pickle.

Store the pickle in an airtight glass jar in a dark place.

Let the pickle stew for 8 to 10 days.

Spring Onion Zunka (Kandyachya Paticha Zunka)

Zunka bhakri is a specialty among the Maharashtrians. For those who don’t know, the key ingredient for this delicacy is chick pea flour (Besan). I have eaten Zunka of capsicum but this one with spring onions is my favorite. This is my mom’s way of making it and I have no idea of when she has learnt this. This is very uncommon in Goa. Nevertheless, we all love it….You can also add green chilies to give it a spicy kick. I have omitted green chilies because my parents cannot handle pungent food. So off to the recipe…

Ingredients-

1 bunch of spring onion (only the green stalk) finely chopped (approx 3 cups),

1 cup of onion bulbs of the spring onion chopped lengthwise,

2 tomatoes finely chopped,

1 cup of chick pea flour (besan) dry roasted for 5 to 6 minutes till the raw smell does off,

15 cloves of garlic,

1 “piece of ginger,

3 tsp oil,

1 tsp mustard seeds,

1 tsp cumin seeds,

½ tsp turmeric powder,

1 tsp chili powder,

1 tsp garam masala powder,

Salt to taste,

2 cups of hot water

Method-

Heat oil in a pan and splutter mustard seeds and cumin seeds. Add onions and fry for a minute.

Crush ginger to a fine paste and add it o the onions. Lightly crush garlic and mix it with the onions and continue frying till the onion turns golden brown.

Add turmeric powder and tomatoes and continue frying.

Mix in the red chili powder and the garam masala powder. Fry for a minute.

Add the spring onion leaves, season with salt, mix well and cover the pan and let it cook for 5 minutes.

Now add the besan, mix well and add the hot water. Mix all the contents well and cover the pan and let it cook. Keep stirring in between.. Serve hot with bhakris or chapattis and with some raw onion on the side.