Mr R’s 30! – Birthday cake – (Nutella buttercream recipe)

Last week Mr R turned 30 and I want to share the cake I made for him. On the eve of his birthday I asked him what cake he wanted and he said ” I want a nice chocolate cake! full of chocolate! You know how much I love chocolate!” So decided why not combine all his favourite chocolates and make one nice big chocolate cake. The result was a close to 5 kg oooeeeyy gooney chocolate cake. When he came back home that evening I told him I was too unwell to bake a cake. When when I got the cake out of the fridge and set it out onto the table, that look on his face was Priceless!! He figured that the cake had all his favourite forms of chocolate. A quadruple Chocolate mud cake with nutella butter cream frosting and each layer stuffed with butterscotch chocolates and topped with all his favourite chocolates. 

Here are the photos –

 

 

 

 

I would also like to share my nutella butter cream recipe that I used for this cake so here it goes

Ingredients:-

1. Nutella – 1 cup
2. Butter – 2 cups
3. Powdered Sugar – 2 cups (more if you want it more sweeter)
4. Vanilla Extract – 2tbsp
5. Milk – 3 tbsp

 

Instructions :-

1. First in a bowl, cream the butter and sugar. Add 1 tbsp at a time
2. Once the sugar and butter have combined well, slowly add the nutella one tbsp at a time
3. Finally add the vanilla extract and if you find that the texture of the cream is too hard to be piped add milk a little at the time till the desired consistency
4. Now cranky up the speed of the whisk and cream for another 3 – 4 mins
5. Finally let the empty the butter cream into a piping bag with the nozzle that you want and you are set to pipe you nutella butter cream

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Menasinakai Bajji / Green Chilli Fritters

 

 

 

 

 

Hello my wonderful readers! How have you all been? I have ben down with a horrible fever and cold again! and this time it resulted in a horrible syncs attack too! argue. As I type out this post I have a big box of tissues near me and a hot mug of rassam. Now that is why I haven’t ben able to cook or post anything this week.

Tomorrow is Onam! My little baby is going to celebrate his first Onam and I am so excited! I can’t wait to go to my moms place for all the good food. I will try to take a few photos of the spread.

Till then I would like to share the recipe for this hot hot green chili fritter.

Ingredients :-

1. Banana green Chilli – 10 – 15( slit vertically)
2. Gram Flour – 2 cups
3. Water – 1 cup
4. Chilly Powder – 1 tsp ( or according to taste)
5. Cooking Soda – just a pinch
6. Ginger Garlic Paste – 1/2tbsp
7. Salt – according to taste
8. Oil – for frying

Instructions:-

1. Mix gram flour , chilly powder, soda, ginger – garlic paste together in a bowl
2. Then add water little at a time. Make a nice thick paste. Just enough to coat the chilli when dipped into it ( it shouldn’t be runny)
3. Then add salt and taste the batter to make sure you have enough there
4. Now heat oil in a khadai or a heavy bottom wok
5. Now dip the chillies individually into the flour batter and fry till nice and golden brown
6. Let them sit on a kitchen towel or tissue paper to drain out the excess oil
7. Serve hot with chilly chutney or tomato sauce

Spiced Pineapple Jam

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ok we all love making apple pies at home just cause of the way it makes our home smell like heavens kitchen right? Now what if you tell you, you do not need to go through all that pain for the same effect  😉 My simple solution to ripe pineapples and a need for some sugar is my spiced pineapple jam. It is the easiest thing to make and you just have to dump it all into one pot. I plan on making pancakes this weekend so this will go perfectly with it. Here is my recipe and I hope you try it out.

ps. I bet your family will ask you if you are making an apple pie at home 🙂

 

Ingredients –

1. Pineapple – 1 ( cleaned, skin cut and chopped) around 400 gms
2. Sugar – 1/2 cup ( I used honey )
3. Star Anise – 2 big
4. Cinnamon – 2 sticks
5. Salt – just a pinch
6. Water – 3 – 4 tbsp

Instructions:-

1. In a heavy bottom pan, add pineapple and honey / sugar with water
2. Leave the flame on low. Stir occasionally. Add salt after 5 mins
3. Now when you see the pineapple get soft and squishy add the star anise and cinnamon
4. Use whole spices and not powder
5. Let the mixture simmer till the water has evaporated till 70%
6. If you find that the pineapple has not softened do add a tbsp of water
7. Finally when the water has reduced and the pineapple is all nice and masked up, take the pot off the stove and let it cool. Now if you like the consistence go ahead and bottle it up once cooled
8. If not used a spoon and fish out the whole spices and blend the pineapple for a min till it is nice and smooth
9. then empty the jam into your bottle and put the whole spices back into the bottle
10. Enjoy

 

Cinnamon Rolls – With a Cream Cheese drizzle

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Another breakfast opinion is the good old cinnamon roll. Cinnamon is one of my favourite spices and I love it cause it reminds me of sweet and wonderful apple pie my mother makes. My mom knows exactly how to take a recipe and breathe life into every element to make it the best dish ever!

Here is my recipe for a quick cinnamon roll.

Ingredients:- 

1. Flour – 3 cups
2. Salt – 1/2 tsp
3. Butter – 2 tbsp ( melted)
4. Sugar – 1/2 cup (powered)
5. Yeast – 2 + 1/2 tsp
6. Milk – 1/2 cup
7. Egg – 1
8. Cinnamon Powder – 3 tbsp
9. Vanilla Essence – 1 tsp
10. Butter – 1/4 cup
11. Brown Sugar – 1/2 cup
12. Cream Cheese – 225 gms
13. Cream/ Milk – 1/2 cup
14. Sugar – 1/2 cup

Instructions:-

1. Firstly heat the milk till lukewarm. then add sugar and mix well. Then add yeast into the milk + sugar mixture and set aside till nice and foamy
2. In the bowl of your food processor, add 2 + 1/2 cups of flour , salt and run the mixer just once
3. Once the yeast mixture has foamed well, while the processor is running on low, slowly add the milk yeast mixture to the flour
4. Then add the butter and egg
5. Process the dough till it forms a nice ball. Sticky when pinched but holds together. Empty the contents of the bowl onto a lightly floured surface and knead for another 3 – 4 mins
6. Now drop this dough into a lightly greased glass bowl for it to rise. Give it an hour or 2
7. Now for the filling combine the vanilla, brown sugar and cinnamon powder and set aside
8. Preheat your oven to 180 C
9. Once the dough is ready roll to out on your lightly floured counter top. Try rolling it out into a big square
10. Now lightly butter the surface of the rolled out dough
11. Evenly spread the cinnamon powder mixture al over the butter surface of the dough
12. Now gently roll the dough in wards to form a long roll
13. Slowly cut the dough into equal circles ( I used a thread)
14. Finally line the inside of your baking dish with baking paper and arrange the cut cinnamon rolls and lightly butter the tops of the rolls for that golden crust
15. Let the rolls sit for another half hour for them to rise again. Once they have increased in size pop them into the oven
16. Bake for 25 – 30 mins
17. While the rolls are baking, cream together the cream cheese , sugar and milk. Set aside.
18. Once the rolls have baked, let them cool off on a cooling rack
19. Once cooled, grizzled the cream cheese over the rolls
20. Enjoy

Sweet and Spicy Sticky Chicken

 

 

 

Chicken! Don we all love a simple nice baked chicken? Like always Friday nights call for a nice treat and this time I dint wanna make anything too rich and unhealthy. So I made a sticky spicy baked chicken which was pretty much all that we had for dinner.

Ingredients:-

1. Chicken – 1 kg ( i used only legs and breast pieces)
2. Salt – 1 tbsp
3. Water – 2 cups
4. Balsamic Vinegar – 1/2 cup
5. Soy Sauce – 1/2 cup
6. Sugar – 3 tbsp ( I used brown sugar)
7. Honey – 1/4th cup
8. Chilly Powder – 3 tbsp
9. Ginger Garlic Paster – 1 tbsp
10. Corn Flour – 2 tbsp
11. Water – 2 tbsp

Instructions:-

1. Clean the chicken well and drain water
2. Then in a bowl add salt to 2 cups water and mix well. Then add the cleaned chicken into the water and let it sit for half n hour. I do this step every time I bake chicken so that it remains nice and juicy. Usually when you bake chicken it tends to get a little dry. This step helps the chicken remain nice and moist
3. While the chicken rests in the salt water, in another bowl combine the rest of the ingredients apart from corn flour and water
4. Mix well to for a nice dark runny sauce. This is your marinade. Add a little salt at this stage. Also check if you want a little more heat in the marinade.
5. Once the chicken is ready, soak the chicken into the marinade for 2 hours or over night in the fridge
6. Once you are ready to bake, pre heat your oven to 180C and line your baking tray with foil
7. Now arrange the chicken on the baking tray and let it cook for 20 mins
8. After 20 mins, turn the chicken pieces over and let it bake for another 10 mins
9. During the baking time, in a sauce pan heat the remaining marinade (after taking the chicken out) . mix corn flour with the water and add to the hot marinade. Once you see the mixture thickening, stir continuously and then switch off the flame
10. Once the chicken has baked, pull of out of the oven and brush with the corn flour mixed marinade.
11. Place all the pieces on your serving dish and serve while nice and hot
12. Enjoy 🙂

Nellikya Pickle / Gooseberry Pickle / The bitter sweet ride

 

 

 

Some one once said “knowing when to walk away is wisdom, acting upon it and walking away takes courage  and doing it with you head held high is dignity”. I believe in it! Every day we make choices. Choices about the food we eat, the clothes we wear, the people we meet or refuse to meet , the music we listen to, everything. Every thing is a choice. Granted that the choice may be driven by compelling factors, but they are choices. Like if I said why do not you follow you dream? you would say its cause you need the money to work and dreaming doesn’t give you money 🙂 And that is true as well. Anyway I am diverting from the point. I wanted to tell you that the choices you make may be good or bad , happy or sad, but they are your choices. They are what make you, You! So next time you decide which shirt to wear or lip colour to wear, do it will you head held high. Cause every one remembers a confident person who stands by his/her choices.

A few years ago I met a person who loved to sing. He was a trained vocalist. He was stuck in an IT job and did nothing for himself. He made enough money to spend at the most expensive bars in town but every time he drank he would sing. And even though he was drunk, all of us loved his voice. But there was this trace of sadness, or rather emptiness about it. I am not sure if it was because of the songs he chose or really sadness. Now I am not saying he should quit his job and teach music or sing professionally but I am saying its ok to join a band or a choir or sing group that engages in regular singing practise! I am saying why not ?

When my father was in school, he said that only two hours a day were allowed for studying (after class). The rest was for sports, music, plays and gym! Also if you talk to older people everyone has a hobby. Like swimming or badminton or writing articles. Older generations always believed that a human being has to develop as a whole. And that means also fuelling your creative juices.

I only hope that I can teach my son to find love in music, happiness in dance and romance in food! I hope he finds colour in the pages of old classics and finesse in writing with an ink pen. I wish he has the time to look up at a starry night sky and find peace in the beauty that is.

I believe that every bitter time

will be followed with sweetness of a kind,

that lets you believe

that hope you shall always find……

And that bring me to the gooseberry :0) Bitter at first and then sweet and yummy………

 

Ingredients:-

1. Goose Berrys – 1 kg ( around 15 – 16 depends on the size)
2. Water – 2 cups
3. Salt – 1 tbsp
4. Oil – 5 tbsp
5. Mustard Seeds -2 tsp
6. Curry Leaves –  a hand full
7. Chilly Powder – 3 tbsp
8. Cumin Powder- 1tbsp
9. Fenugreek Powder – 1tbsp
10. Turmeric Powder – 1 tsp
11. Ginger Garlic Paste – 1 tbsp heap
12. Green Chilly – 3
13. Asafoetida – 1/2tsp

Instructions:-

1. In a heavy bottom pot, pour water and bring to a boil. Then add salt and gooseberries
2. Let it boil well till the goose berries are just about soft. Do not over do it cause you are going to cook it more. Drain the berries and set aside. Reserve the water for later
3. Now in a khadai, heat oil and once the oil is hot, add mustard seeds. Once they splutter, add the remaining ingredients, adding the curry leaves at the end.When the raw smell of the spices has reduced, add the gooseberries. Coast them well with the spice paste in the khadai.
4. Let it fry for 5 – 10 mins on a medium to low flame
5. Once done, add the water that was set aside earlier, into the khadai with the gooseberries
6. Let the mixture boil till the water reduces to 70 %
7. Then close the kadai and turn off the flame
8. Once the mixture cools down, store in a clean, dry jar
9. Enjoy 🙂

Nellikya / Nellika / Aamla

 

 

 

Prawn Biriyani (Quick Version)

 

 

Ingredients:-

Marinating Prawns:-

1. Prawns – 1 kg
2. Chilli Powder – 1 tsp
3. Pepper Powder – 1 tsp
4. Turmeric Powder – 1/2 tsp
5. Ginger Garlic Paste – 1 tsp
6. Curry Leaves – 5 -6
7. Vinegar – 2 Tbsp
8. Salt – 1tsp

Instructions :-

1. Firstly clean and devein the prawns well. (I take off the head and legs)
2. In a bowl combine all the ingredients apart from the prawns and make a smooth paste. Add a little more vinegar if required
3. Now add prawns and coat the prawns well with the spice mixture. Let it marinate for an hour or more ( I usually do it overnight)

Masala for the Biriyani:-

Ingredients:-

1. Oil – 2tbsp
2. Sha Jeera – 1tsp
3. Onions – 4 (big size) sliced to juliennes
4. Tomato – 3 ( big size) chopped finely
5. Green Chillies – 4 cleaned and chopped
6. Ginger Garlic Paste – 1 tbsp
7. Garam Masala Powder – 1tsp
8. Curry Leaves – 4-5 cleaned and dry
9. Coriander Leaves – one hand full ( stem removed and finely chopped)
10. Mint Leaves – one hand full ( stem removed and finely chopped)
11. Salt – 1 tsp
12. Lime – 1

Instructions:-

1. In a pan, heat oil till hot and then add jeera
2. Once they have roasted well, add onions. As they turn pink add ginger garlic paste and green chillies
3. After 3 mins add chopped tomatoes to the fried onions. Let it cook till onion leaves from the sides of the paste
4. Then add garam masala powder and mint leaves and coriander leaves
5. After a few mins take the masala off the flame and add curry leaves and lime juice from one lime to the masala while hot ( make sure you take the pan off the flame). Reserve for later

Rice for the Biriyani :-

Ingredients :-

1. Rice – 1 cup ( soaked for 30 mins and drained well)
2. Water – 2 cups
3. Salt – 1 tbsp
4. Cinnamon – 1 stick ( 2inch)
5. Cloves – 4
6. Bay Leaf – 1 big
7. Cardamom- 3
8. Black Cardamom – 1
9. Oil – 1 tbsp

Instructions:-

1. In a pot, heat 2 cup of water. Add salt and bring water to a boil.
2. Mean while in a pan, heat oil and add cinnamon, bay leaf, cloves, cardamom and black cardamom.
3. Once the spices have fried well ( the aroma is just amazing at this time) add the soaked and drained rice
4. Fry the rice for 2 – 3 mins
5. Then add these fried spices to the boiling salt water
6. Cover and cook till the rice is cooked 90%. Then transfer the cooked rice to two plates and spread the rice apart on the plate

 

Assembling the Biriyani

Ingredients:-

1. Cashewnuts – one hand full
2. Raisins –  one hand full
3. Onions – 1 big onion ( juliennes)
4. Ghee / Oil – 2 tbsp
5. Fried Prawns
6. Prepared Masala
7. Prepared Rice

Instructions :-

1. In a same pan, heat oil/ ghee and cashew nuts and raisins. Reserve in a plate
2. Then in the same oil fry the onions till nice and caramelized
3. Finally in a big pot, first add one layer or prawns, then add the masala
4. Next add one layer of rice and top it off with the fried cashew nuts and raisins
5. Repeat the step till all the masala, prawn and fried cashew nuts, raisins and onions have been used
6. Now cover this big pot and slow cook the pot for 10 to 20 min ( till the rice is cooked well)

Serve hot with raitha and hot poppadoms 🙂

Enjoy

 

 

 

Peanut Butter Fudge Sauce

 

 

I love peanuts! When I was small, my father would buy me these “chikkis” and we both would share one whole big bark. We still do 🙂 We love peanuts so much that my mum hides them away the minute they get home. She makes the best bread upma and the tadka has loads and loads of peanuts! Yummy!! Mr R on the other hand loves peanuts with chocolate. So I usually make big batches of peanut butter and chocolate peanut butter. This time I wanted to make it saucy and fudgy. So I could use it as a topping for vanilla ice cream and also cause I wanna make a peanut butter swirl ice cream. But I am still working on the recipe. It takes quite a few batches to finally find the perfect smooth and soft ice cream. Here is the recipe for my fudgy peanut butter ….

Ingredients:-

1. Roasted Peanuts – 2 cups ( Use freshly roasted nuts that are little warm)
2. Chocolate chips – 1 cup
3. Heavy Cream – 1 cup
4. Sugar – 1 cup (Powdered) ( if using chocolate chips adjust sugar accordingly)
5. Salt – 1 tsp
6. Vanilla Extract – 2 tsp

Instructions:-

1. Firstly drop the peanuts into the bowl of the food processor. Run the processor till the peanuts are nice and pasty. It will take 5 mins or so
2. Then add salt, vanilla extract, sugar
3. Run the mixer again till the ingredients are well combined
4. Now in a double boiler, heat the chocolate chips and heavy cream
5. Once the chocolate has melted take it off the double boiler and set aside to cool
6. Once cooled add the same to the peanut butter mixture in the processor and pulse a few times
7. I like my fudge a little crunchy so I did not pulse it for long ( You can keep tasting it all the while to see what consistency you like
8. Finally pour the mixture into a clean and dry bottle and store
9. I have not stored it for more than a week, but it clearly depends on how good you cream is and its shelf life
10. You can use it on toast or on ice cream or even in milk shakes

Netholli Fry / Nethilli Fry/ Anchovies Fry – Kerala Style

 

 

 

 

Hello Everybody! It’s the weekend and I love Fridays!

Fridays for me means, more family time! With my husband and my baby. I get to cook what he likes, I get to see them both playing and having fun.

This time I decided I wanted to make a nice Kerala Style fish fry for our Friday night dinner. So here is the recipe.

Ingredients :-

1. Netholli / Nethilli / Anchovies – 1 kg
2. Chilly Powder – 3 tsp
3. Turmeric Powder – 1 tsp
4. Pepper Powder – 1 tsp ( more if you like it spicy)
5. Coriander Powder – 1 tsp
6. Ginger Garlic Paste –  2 tsp
7. Curry Leaves – 8 – 10 leaves
8. Salt – 1 tsp
9. Vinegar – 3 tbsp
10. Oil – To fry the fish ( I used half a cup)

Instructions :-

1. Firstly clean the fist well. I do not like the head so I cut off the head, take of the scales and clean it well
2. I also use green gram flour to clean my fish ( 5 – 10 times)
3. Finally once your fish is nice and clean, drain out all the water and set it aside
4. Now in another bowl, combine all the other ingredients except the oil
5. Mix to for a nice paste like consistency
6. Now add the cleaned fish to the “masala” paste and rub the masala well into the fish
7. Let the fish marinate for at least 1 hour ( I leave mine over night in the fridge)
8. Once you are ready to cook it ( make sure it is back to room temperature)
9. Heat oil in your kadai ( or deep heavy bottom pot)
10. Once the oil is nice and hot, slowly fry the fish in small batches of 5 -7
11. Once fried set aside on a clean paper napkin
12. Serve hot with freshly cut onions