Christmas Fruit Cake

Preparation Time: 40 mins

Baking time: 1 hour

Serves: 8-10

Ingredients:

• 1 tin (400 gms) sweetened condensed milk
• 100 gms butter
• 75 gms castor sugar
• 200 gms + 1 tbsp (for dusting the cake tin) all-purpose flour
• 50 ml warm water
• 150 ml aerated soda
• 1 tbsp baking powder
• 1 tbsp soda bicarbonate
• ½ tbsp cinnamon powder
• ½ tbsp nutmeg powder
• 250 gms chopped mixed dried fruits (cashew nuts, almonds, walnuts, pistachios, raisins, dried cherries, dried figs)

 

Method :

1. Measure out all ingredients and keep them handy
2. Sift together the flour, baking powder, soda bicarbonate, cinnamon and nutmeg. Keep aside.
3. Line the bottom of an 8” round cake tin with butter paper. Grease the tin with ½ tsp butter. Dust a fine layer of flour.
4. Preheat the oven at 180º C.
5. Heat sugar in a pan till it melts and becomes brown. Add warm water (slowly from the side) to make caramel syrup and keep aside. (Be careful while adding warm water as it will sputter.)
6. Mix in 1 tablespoon flour to the chopped fruit to coat the fruit with flour and keep aside.
7. Soften butter in a mixing bowl. Beat in condensed milk.
8. Fold in the sifted flour with the condensed milk-butter mixture, alternating with aerated soda and caramel syrup till all are over.
9. Add the chopped dry fruits. Fold into the mix.
10. Pour the batter into the greased cake tin and bake for an hour at 180° C or till the cake is done. (Prick with the tooth pick in the centre of the cake. If it comes out clean the cake is ready).
11. Remove from the oven and cool for a while. Loosen sides of the cake, using a knife if necessary. Turnout over a wire rack/plate lined with cloth (to absorb moisture) and cool slightly before cutting into pieces.

Courtesy: http://indianexpress.com/

Onam recipe – Semiya Payasam

Onam is a festival celebrated by the Malayalees. Onam starts on the day of attam nakshatram and goes on for ten days till thiruvonam

One of the desert served during onam is Semiya Payasam

Ingredients:

Vermicelli	1 cup
Cashew nuts	handful
Raisins	handful
Water	3/4cup
Sugar	a cup
Saffron	a pinch
Milk	a cup
Cardamom	two or three pods

Method

1. Heat the ghee and fry the vermicelli till light brown.
2. In the meanwhile, boil the water. Add the vermicelli to the boiling water and cover it. Keep stirring occasionally. Once the vermicelli becomes soft , add the sugar and continue to stir. Put the saffron in the milk and dissolve it, add this milk to the vermicelli. Powder the cardamom and add it to the mixture. Then fry the cashew nuts and almonds in ghee and add these. Mix well and boil for about two minutes. Your payasam is ready and can be served hot or cold.

Ganesh Utsav Recipe: Karanji

Prepare delicious Karanjis for Ganesha right away!
Ingredients:

1 cup maida
3 tsp ghee
1 cup grated coconut
3 1/4 cup sugar
1 1/2 cups milk
1 tbsp poppy seeds
chopped almonds
raisins
salt
oil
½ cardomom powder

Procedure:

Make a dough. In a bowl mix salt, maida and ghee. Add warm milk and salt to make a smooth dough.

For stuffing, cook the coconut, sugar, milk, chopped almonds and raisins, cardamom powder and poppy seeds in milk. Boil till the milk evaporates.

Divide the dough and make flat round pancakes. Add the stuffing in middle and close the corners. After stuffing all the gujias or karanji, heat oil in a frying pan.

Fry the karanjis for 2-3 minutes till the colour becomes golden brown.

Take out and place in tissue paper to avoid having extra oil. Let it cool.

Karanji is ready to eat. Enjoy Ganesh Chaturthi with this gujia recipe.

Ganesh Utsav Recipe: Modak

Win you Bappa’s heart with his most favourite Modak’s (ukadi) recipe.

Ingredients

For the filling

• 2 Cup shredded fresh coconut
• 1/2 Cup mixture of unsalted pistachios and unsalted cashews
• 1/2 Pinch of cardamom powder
• 1/2 Cup milk
• 1 Cup jaggery or sugar

For the outer cover

• 1 Cup rice flour
• 1 tsp Ghee
• 1 Cup water
• 1/2 tsp Salt

How to make Modak

• To prepare the filling, combine coconut, milk and jaggery or sugar and mix the ingredients well.
• Cook it over medium flame, stir continuously till they are mixed properly.
• Add cashews and pistachios and cook for about one minute.
• Now add cardamom powder.
• Keep aside the mixture to allow it to cool down.
• Bring the water to a boil in a vessel.
• Now add flour, ghee and salt, stir quickly to remove all lumps.
• Cover the vessel with a lid for some time and let it cook.
• Remove the lid and keep stirring the mix.
• Now remove the pan from heat and transfer all the mixture on a flat plate.
• Knead it to make soft dough. It should be neither too sticky nor too dry.
• Grease the palms of your hands properly and make a ball from the dough.
• Flatten the dough to make a cup shape.
• Put 3/4 tsp coconut filling into this cup.
• Dip thumb and index finger in the oil and make 5-6 small pinches on the outside edges of the cup.
• Bring them together on top and join to shape a peak.
• Put modak on a greased plate.
• Make rest of the modaks in the similar way.
• Now steam them for about 15 minutes and serve with ghee.

Courtesy: Zee News India

Ganesh Utsav Recipe: Puran Poli

This Ganeshostav, treat the Lord with yummy Puran Poli’s.

Ingredients:

1 cup Maida
1 pinch Turmeric Powder
1 pinch Salt
2 tsp Ghee
Water, enough to make dough
6 tbsp Oil
Oil / Ghee, for frying

Inner Filling:

1 – 1/2 cup Jaggery
1 – 1/4 cup Bengal Gram Dal
1/4 tsp Cardamom Powder

Procedure:

Blend the ghee and masala with the maida.

Using water make a soft smooth dough. Leave under a wet cloth for 40-50 minutes.

Knead the maida again. Put in the 6 tbs oil and knead till completely absorbed. Cover and leave aside for 4 hours.

Put the dal in the cooker till one whistle.

Drain the water.

Grind the dal to make a paste with the jaggery and cardamom powder.

Remember that the filling should not be watery.
Make small balls of the filling. Divide the dough into small balls and flatten them.

Place one ball of filling on the dough and cover and seal up the filling.

Carefully roll out the dough into thick puris making sure the filling does not come out.

Fry on a tawa pouring ghee around it. Cook on both sides.

Celebrating Independence with Tricolor Sandwiches

Here’s a quick recipe to prepare tricolor sandwiches for this Independence Day

Preparation Time: 10 mins
Makes 2 servings

Ingredients
6bread slices
1/2 cup butter

For The Green Layer
1/2 cup grated paneer (cottage cheese)
mint chutney
salt to taste

For The Orange Layer
1/2 cup grated carrot
2 tbsp mayonnaise
salt to taste

Method

Butter the bread slice and keep aside

Mix the paneer, mint chutney and salt to a smooth paste in a mixing bowl to make the green layer.

Mixed the grated carrots , mayonnaise and salt well in another mixing bowl to make the orange layer.

Spread the green layer on top of a bread slice

Place another bread slice on the top and spread the orange layer on it.

Put a third bread slice on top.

Cut into three strips.

Your tri-color sandwich sandwiches

 

Courtesy:  Tarla Dalal