Malabar Chicken Curry

       

                     While making chicken dishes; especially Indian dishes, it takes time to get the hang on things. But eventually you would master it, with the most balanced blend of spices and the most exquisite outcome of flavor. And your chicken curry tells all, how great a cook you are or where you stand in the arena of food making. Oh yes! A chicken curry can speak volumes about your culinary skills. And, traditional Indian Chicken dishes is where you can try your hand at perfecting that art at balancing the flavors perfectly. Try your hand at this traditional Malabar Chicken Curry and you would find yourself making it again, if not for reaching that blissfully perfect apex of taste. This recipe is one which I make very often and has never proved wrong for me..

Coming to the recipe...

Malabar Chicken Curry Recipe:

800g chicken, skinned and cut into small pieces
2 large onions, sliced
1/2 tsp freshly ground ginger
1/2 tsp freshly ground garlic
1 large tomato, chopped
1/4 tsp turmeric powder
1/2 tsp chilli powder
1 tsp kashmiri chilli pdr
2 tbsp coriander pdr
1/2 tsp fenugreek seeds
Salt to taste
1 sprig of curry leaves
3 tbsp coconut oil
       
Method:
 
    Heat coconut oil in a kadai or cast iron wok. Splutter fenugreek seeds in it. It shouldn't turn black. Add onion and saute until it turns slightly brown and translucent. Add freshly ground ginger and garlic and saute until aroma comes out. Now add the chopped tomato and saute until mushy. Then add the spice powders and saute until well blended. Add 1/2 cup of water and bring to boil. Adjust salt and finally add the chicken. Cook in medium to low heat, covered ,until well cooked and the gravy is thick. Remove from heat and serve hot with rice or Chapattis.

Strawberry Mousse Cake

        

   
     I was tempted to make this cake after I saw it in one of my buddy blogger's blog, Full Scoops. The procedures proved to be easy and the cake looked too beautiful. It was loaded with strawberry flavour and my kids quite loved it. I used a vanilla sponge cake as base instead of chocolate cake, but made the strawberry mousse from fresh ripe strawberries and the cake became history in no time :)

Strawberry Mousse Cake Recipe

Ingredients

• Cake - one 9" vanilla cake
• Heavy Whipping Cream - 1.5 cups
• Vanilla extract - 1 tsp
• Strawberry puree - 1.5 cups
• Granulated sugar - 2 tbsp (or to taste)
• Icing Sugar - 1 tbsp (for the whipped cream)
• Lemon juice - 1 tsp
• Gelatin - 3 tsp
• Cold Water - 3 tbsp
• Strawberries - to decorate (optional)

Method:

Prepare the vanilla cake in a 9" spring form pan. I made it using the same recipe of vanilla cup cake. but halved the ingredients and poured the batter in a 9" pan and baked for 1/2 an hour. When the cake was done, let it cool in the pan itself.

For the mousse

1. Place  1.5 cups of heavy whipping cream in a large bowl. Leave the bowl (with the cream) and beaters in the fridge and freezer respectively.

2. Add 3 tsp gelatin to 3 tbsp water and let it bloom for 5 minutes. Then heat the gelatin in a microwave or saucepan for 30 seconds. Set this aside to cool completely.

3. You will need about 30-35 strawberries. Roughly chop the berries add the strawberries to the blender or food processor and puree without adding water.

4. Transfer the puree to a saucepan and add 2 tbsp of sugar and 1 tsp lemon juice and stir until the sugar is dissolved. Add the cooled jelatin to it and stir the puree for 3-5 minutes until it's slightly thickened.

5. While the puree cools prepare the cream. Make sure the bowl, beaters and the cream is chilled.

5. Add the vanilla extract and 1 tbsp sugar to the cream and whip for about 7-8 minutes until stiff peaks are formed. Do not overbeat.

6. As you beat the cream, about 5 minutes into beating, you will start seeing beater marks .At this stage add the cooled strawberry puree with gelatin and fold gently. Set this aside

7. Place parchment paper around the spring form pan over the sponge cake to line the sides of the pan. Pour the cooled strawberry cream into the pan over the cake.

8. Cover the cake pan and let it set in the refrigerator for a minimum of 4 hours.

9. Once the mousse sets, remove the ring of the spring form pan gently and top with some strawberries.
10. Cut and serve the cake in individual serving plates. Enjoy!!

Moist Chocolate Mug Cake

           

               Easy recipes  have their own beauty. They are more so, for super busy moms like me. Believe it or not, this recipe was so easy that I hadn't expected it to turn out good, when I first saw it in this gorgeous blog. I had never guessed there was an easy way to make a chocolate cake; without all those whipping, beating and folding processes. And I was not so optimistic as to the outcome of a cake in the microwave, as the one time I had attempted it before had given me something like a sweet spongy dough.

            But  Julie's  words as well as her pictures tempted me enough to try it out. After all it was just a matter of 5 minutes. Amazing enough, incredible enough, so unbelievable, it turned out to be a moist soft chocolate cake, which the boys fought over. I have made it again 3 or 4 times, since the first attempt. It has become one of my latest time saver desserts. Try this out for your kids and you wouldn't be disappointed.

Moist Chocolate Mug Cake
(Recipe adapted from Table for two)

1/4 cup all purpose flour
2 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
1/4 tsp baking powder
3 tbsp powdered sugar
a pinch of salt
1/4 cup milk
2 tbsp veg.oil
1 tbsp Nutella

Method:

1. In a medium bowl, whisk together all the dry ingredients.
2. Whisk in the milk and oil and mix well until well combined and no clumps are seen.
3. Pour batter into a micro wave safe large coffee mug.
4. Drop 1 tablespoon of  Nutella or any other chocolate spread in the middle of the batter. No need to push it down.
5. Microwave mug cake for 1 minute on high.
6. Remove from microwave and serve hot or cold. Enjoy!

Pazham Unda / Undapori

                                                Whenever I have very ripe, ready to wilt bananas on the kitchen counter; the 'no wasting' bell as well as the 'recycling' bell rings in my mind, loud enough to jolt me into some kind of kitchenantics. Two  options rush to my mind all the time. One is the Moist Banana Cake, which the boys are crazy about and the other is this easy peasy old snack of mom, Pazham Unda, which the spouse is quite fond of.

                                        Nowadays, I usually opt for the second; as it is quicker and more easier to make. No need of all those whisking, beating and folding fuss. It can be mixed up in a couple of minutes and prepared in a quarter of an hour. It was one of the easiest tea time snacks mom used to make when we were kids. Back at home, mom used to make it with really ripe 'cheru pazham', the small bananas which is abundantly available in Kerala. I tried it with the chiquita bananas here and it turned out quite as good.

Here is the recipe...

Gajar ka Halwa/ Carrot Halwa- the easy way

                      The temperature is climbing down very reluctantly. It's almost the end of December and still not so cold. I have never seen  December this pleasant and tolerable here before. It is the first time it seems, I don't have to pray for the month to end; dreading the knawing cold which freeze you to inaction. Well.. it's almost pleasant.( I can't believe it's really December) :)

                      So, making sweets in the kitchen is in vogue. Or, should I say the boys made it a vogue to pester me into making something sweet for them everyday; as they are still having the hunger pangs they usually get in the cold season, although it is not as cold as it used to be...?
              Well.. these growing kids!! They have the appetite to eat an army.LOL!! But the army must be sweet and junk. Nothing near to normal food. So, almost everyday; I find myself giving into their nagging and making something sweet in the kitchen. Poor me and my dieting plans!! These kids you know...Sigh!!

                        This time I decided to make Gajar ka Halwa. It somewhat looked like it would help me fight the guilt I felt for making the sweets somehow. After all it's carrots.Right? Loaded with vitamins and beta carotines. Let's forget about the loads of sugar in the condensed milk and tones of calories in the clarified butter, for the time being.The thought can wait, until the dessert is safe in your stomach... WOL!(Wheeping Out Loud)... ;)

                          This recipe using condensed milk is easier and faster than the traditional one where in you use whole milk and have to wait for ages to get the halwa thickened. Handy for superfast moms like me..

Off to the recipe..