Rich Plum Cake / Christmas Cake

This is one cake that I only prepare for Christmas and it gets over in a day or two in distributing and friends coming over.  I double this recipe and make it.  This is a moist and yummy cake.  I also soak the fruits  2 - 3 months before in rum and store it  a glass jar.

Ingredients

200 Grams Butter - I used salted
200 Grams All Purpose Flour
1/8 Teaspoon Soda-bi-carb
1/2 Teaspoon Baking Powder
200 Grams Sugar - powdered
5 Eggs
1 Teaspoon Vanilla Essence
300 Grams Kismis/Raisins - chopped
150 Grams Mixed Preserves - chopped
25 Grams Nuts - sliced
100 Grams Tea Sugar for the caramel
1 Small Nutmeg
Rum for the soaking the fruits

Method

Grease and line the baking pan and keep aside.

Preheat the oven to 160 degree, then start preparing the cake batter.

Sieve the Flour, soda-bicarb and baking powder thrice and keep aside.

Strain the soaked fruits and keep aside

Beat the sugar and butter till light and fluffy.  Then add the eggs one by one and continue beating.  Add the essence and little by little add the flour and lightly fold it into the mixture.  Then add the fruits and gently fold it into the mixture.  Pour this into the prepared pan and bake for 20 - 25 minutes.   
As soon you remove the cake from the oven sprinkle a tablespoon or two of rum on top.

When cooled slice the cake.  Enjoy and share it with your loved ones.

Labels : Cakes, Bake a thon

Bake-a-thon 2014

An InLinkz Link-up

Gajar ki Kalakand

I saw the recipe on you tube and had written it down. Wanted to make it long back, but since red carrots are in the market only during winter had to wait to make this. I have made some changes to suit my taste. This recipe is not very tiresome. I made this on high flame, only see that you keep stirring and use a heavy bottom pan.

Ingredients

200 Grams Khoya
1 Kg Carrots - peeled and grated
1. 1/2 Cups Sugar
1/2 Cup Ghee
1/4 Teaspoon Orange color
1 Teaspoon Green cardamom powder
3 Tablespoon Almonds and pistachio or cashewnuts sliced
Silver waraq as required

Method
Peel and grate carrots, blanched in half cup water, add orange color till carrots just soft for 10 minutes, dry up all the water then in the same pan add ghee, fry for 5 minutes on high flame then add the sugar and fry well for 10 minutes on high flame stirring continuously till syrup is thick and then nearly dries. Add khoya, keep frying till absolutely dry, then add green cardamom powder, fry well till it leaves the sides of the pan and comes in the center like a ball, add almonds and pistachio, remove in a greased platter, top with some more almonds and pistachios, leave to set until firm.

Check out the Blogging Marathon page for the other Blogging Marathoners doingBM#47.

Labels : Sweets & Desserts, Blogging Marathon

Orange Wine

After successfully making Ginger wine, my enthusiasm to try new wines increased. In dug into my recipe book and found this recipe of Orange Wine in this book (East Indian Recipe) with few changes I made this wine and it turned out so lovely and the color is awesome. This is very easy to make. I know when you speak of winemaking the first thought that come to our mind OH God! who wants take the trouble to make wine. Now all types of wines are available in the Wine shop. But try this wine and you will not regret it.  It has a lovely taste and such a pleasant fragrance.  Have this wine chilled.

Let me tell you I not crazy about wines, actually speaking I do not have wine.  This wine I sent to my friends house as a gift and they enjoyed it.  

Ingredients
10 Oranges  
1 ½ kg Sugar  

4 ½ litre Water 
½ Teaspoon Yeast

Method

Wash oranges and wipe it with a kitchen tissue or clean cloth.
With a citrus peeler or vegetable peeler thinly peel the orange zest without the white part. Extract the juice from the oranges and keep aside.

Boil sugar, water and orange zest in a big vessel.

When the mixture begins to boil, add orange juice and bring it to a nice boil and turn off the flame.

When the mixture becomes lukewarm, add yeast and transfer the mixture to a sterilized glass bottle / bharani, cover it and leave for 14 days stirring daily.

After 14 days, strain the mixture through a cheese/muslin cloth in to a clean dry bottle. 

Keep this again for 7 days untouched. After 7 days strain the wine again, pour it into clean dry bottles and use.  

See the lovely color.  Enjoy it.

Check out the Blogging Marathon page for the other Blogging Marathoners doingBM#47.

Labels: Wine, Blogging Marathon , Orange, Homemade

Stuffed Tandoori Chicken Buns

The previous day was hectic lots of cooking since I had guest. Today I felt like resting and wanted something simple and light for dinner.  Had some chicken tandoori balance in fridge.  Removed it from the fridge.  The first thought that came to my mind was to prepare a side dish. Then I again though why not make something simple and yet filling that we can have without any fuss.  That how I baked these buns, so let's go to the recipe.

Ingredients
For the Bun
1 Tablespoon Instant yeast
2 Tablespoon Warm water
1/2 cup Milk - warm
1 Teaspoon Salt
2 Tablespoon Oil
2 Cups + 1 Cup All purpose flour
1 Tablespoon Sugar
1  Egg
Water if necessary for kneading

For the filling:
2 Cups Chicken Tandoori - grilled/cooked and chopped into small pieces
1 Capsicum – finely chopped
2 Onions - finely chopped
1/2 Teaspoon Ginger - garlic paste
Salt to taste
1.1/2 Tablespoons Oil
1/2 Teaspoon Chilly powder

Method

Beat the egg and reserve a tablespoon of it for brushing.

Mix yeast with water and sugar and keep aside till foamy.

Mix 2 cups flour, egg, yeast mixture, oil, salt and milk mix well . Add the remaining flour and mix well till it forms a smooth dough. (I used almost 3 cups of flour to make it a soft dough). You start with 2 cups of flour as mentioned in the recipe and if you find it difficult to form a soft dough add extra flour little by little, till it forms a soft dough, if you find that the dough is already soft and pliable stop adding the flour. Knead well for 10 mins. Place this dough in a greased bowl, cover and let it rest till it doubles in volume (almost 2-3 hrs).

Punch down the dough lightly using your palm and divide them equally. Flatten them into small discs and fill them with a tablespoon of the filling. Re-shape them into a ball. Apply the egg wash. . Let it prove for another 20 mins or till double in size.

Bake them in a pre-heated oven at 200 C for 15-20 mins.

To make the filling:
Heat oil, add the ginger garlic paste and saute till it gives out a nice aroma. Add the onions & salt. Saute them till soft and transparent. Add the capsicum and chilly powder, stir well for 2 mins. Add salt, chicken and mix well. Keep it off the fire and let it cool. Use it for filling the dough.

These buns are very filling you can have them for breakfast or even for dinner.  Had few remaining we had them for breakfast.


Note:
I had grilled tandoori chicken of the previous day and  this was used to make these buns.

I got 12 buns from the above qty.

Check Recipe index for other bread recipes.

Labels : Breads, Chicken, Bake a thon.

Bake-a-thon 2014

An InLinkz Link-up

Gongura puliyodharai - Rice with Ambadi Leaves

This week for the Blogging Marathon I, picked the special theme Book marked recipes.  I always feel  happy to see a unique recipe on other's blog.  One such recipe is this  Gongura puliyodharai  from Jayashree , when I read her recipe last month I was so surprised that she made rice from this plant ie. Ambadi.  I have been seeing this plant for years during my walk daily in forest of SGNP Thane and it never struck  me that even  these leaves are used to prepare rice.  We usually use these leaves to make a mixed leafy vegetable. This is also freely available, there is saying what comes free is never valued.     After reading  her recipe the next day when I went for walk, picked up these leaves and  prepared this rice for lunch,  really enjoyed it.  The tanginess of the leaves and crunchiness of the peanuts made this rice really yum.  

I also clicked a pics of the plant one green and the other  when the plant turns red, i,e, when the fruit is ripe.  Do you know the fruit outer part is dried and then powdered, this is used to  make any food preparation tangy ( like amchur powder).

Ingredients

1 Cup Rice - cooked and cooled
1/2 Teaspoon Turmeric powder
2 Teaspoon Oil -  (I used groundnut oil, but any oil you regularly use/like will work)
Salt to taste
A fistful Peanuts - roasted 

To fry :

1 Teaspoon Urad dal
1 Teaspoon Chana dal
2 Teaspoons Coriander seeds
2 Sprigs Curry leaves
2 Red chillies
1 Teaspoon Mustard seeds
1 Teaspoon Oil
2 Cups Gongura leaves(washed) -  packed tight


Method :

Spread the cooked rice to cool. Add turmeric powder and 2 tsp of oil to it and set aside.

Heat a tsp of oil. In it, fry on low heat, the urad dal, chana dal, dhania, curry leaves, red chillies, and mustard. Set aside. Fry the washed gongura leaves in the same pan on a low flame till wilted. Let it cool.

Powder the fried spices to a coarse powder. Add the gongura and grind again to a paste without adding any water. Add this to the rice in small quantities and mix well. Add required amount of salt and mix. Top with some more curry leaves. Fry a fistful of peanuts in a teaspoon of oil and mix it into the rice.

Check out the Blogging Marathon page for the other Blogging Marathoners doing BM#47.

Labels: Rice, Blogging Marathon,South Indian, Ambadi,