Carrot Pistachio Cake

This is my first cake recipe that i am posting here. I wanted to post this asap as it was in my drafts for a long  time! whenever i wanted to post, i had no chance of completing it, so the reason it was left behind in the long

time drafted list... and now finally i think its the right time to post this recipe to i love baking #2 event.We enjoyed the cake and it was totally good and filling too. Now let us go to the recipe.

Carrot Pistachio Cake
 

All you need is:

(MAKES  6 SERVINGS) 

1. All purpose flour - 2 cups

2. Granulated sugar - 1 and 1/2 cups

3. Baking powder - 1 tsp

4. Salt - 1/2 tsp

5. Ground cinnamon - 1 tsp

6. Grated carrots - 2 cups

7. Pistachios - 1/2 cup

8. Nuts (optional) - 1/2 cup

9. Egg - 1

10. Oil - 1/2 cup

11. Milk - 1/2 cup

12. Water - 1/4 cup

13. Vanilla extract - 2tsps

Do it this way:

• Combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, nuts in a large bowl
• Add the carrots and pistachios to the flour mixture, toss until mixed and set aside.
• Whisk the egss, oil, milk, water and vanilla extract together in a medium bowl and add to the flour mixture.
• Stir until everything is combined.
• Pre heat the oven to 350F.Butter the cake pan and transfer the prepared batter to the pan .
• Bake for about 40 mins or until a teaser inserted in to the center of the cake comes out clean.
• Cool the cake and you can spread the icing evenly on the top if you wish or simply enjoy the cake without any icing.

 

I am sending this recipe to the event" I love baking #2" in Tickling Palates :)

Panneer butter masala! (hotel recipe)

Who wouldnt like panneer butter masala!! Its one of the dish which i would order when i go to hotel along with my dad and sisters during my childhood days!! Never tried such versions at home..
Yes, It tasted exactly like the way in restaurants! was very glad that i tried and of course, got appreciations too! For weight conscious folks,its a kind of a rich and heavy side dish for roti, nan and simply a fried rice, but its fine to try once in a blue moon! :)

Panner butter masala! (hotel recipe)

All you need is:

1. Onion - 1 chopped finely

2. Tomato - 2 (puree)
3. Ginger garlic paste - 1 tsp
4. Panneer - 1/2 ( around 10 to 13 cubes)
5. Milk - 1 cup
6. Chilli powder - 1/2 tsp
7. Salt - to taste
8. Coriander powder - 1 tsp
9. Kasoori methi dried- 1/4 tsp
10. Tomato sauce - 1 tsp (it can be any flavored tomato sauce)
11. Butter - 1tsp

Do it this way:

• Chop onions finely, make the puree from tomato, shallow fry the panneer cubes and keep all these stuffs aside.
• In a bowl add chilli powder, dried kasoori methi, coriander powder, 1/2 cup milk and tomato sauce.
• Add butter in a wok , let it melt and saute chopped onion along with ginger garlic paste..
• Add tomato puree and saute well until the raw smell leaves.
• Add the milk mixed with spices to the above.
• Add remaining 1/2 cup milk little by little stirring continuosly to prevent the milk from curdling.
• It would be like gravy now addsalt and then the panneer cubes.
• Serve the gravy hot with nan or roti or fried rice!

I am dedicating this recipe to my sisters and sending this recipe to I am the star hosted by Rasi - her first blog event.

                                                                    

                                   
                                                                                   

                           

                            

                             

                                   

                                                                 
                                                                    

                                                                       

                            

                           

                                                 

                                   

               

                         

                                                                  

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                   

Applam koottu

This is one among my fav basically a recipe from chennai! passed from my grandma to my amma and now from her to me! I love this one with rice and tastes best with potato fry! And its very simple to do.

Appalapoo koottu

All you need is:

1. Appalam/ papads - 10 to 15 in numbers 

2. Bengal gram/channa dhal - 1/2 cup

3. mustard seeds- 1 tsp

4. turmeric powder - 1/4th tsp

5. chilli powder - 1 tsp

6. Salt - to taste

7. oil - 2tsp

8. Onion - 1/2 - finely chopped

Do it this way:

• Fry the papads and keep it aside (either go for deep fry or keep it in oven for 2 mins batchwise)

                                                   

• Soak channa dhal for 15 mins and add turmeric powder, chilly powder,salt to it.
• Pressure cook the above channa dhal with 2 cups of water until it gets cooked (up to 3 to 4 whistles).
• Keep the cooker aside and let the steam be released in the mean time.  

                                                                                            

• In a wok heat 2 tsp of oil and temper the mustard seeds and onion.

                                         

• Transfer the contents of the pressure cooker to the wok and mix well.
• Now add the fried papads and serve hot with rice!

                                     

 This will taste good with potato fry and i bet the kids in your house will like it!

I am posting this recipe to only south indian @ Foodelicious

Shrimp Curry

Non veg!! i always have an attraction towards chicken and sea food. Comparatively sea food the most!
Shrimp, crab, fishes, anchovy - my preferred dishes! My mom and mil cook non veg so well that i used to have 2 rounds of lunch, one while cooking ~ lonely taste testing session and the other one is the main course lunch session with everyone in the family!! Its beyond words to explain the feel of contentment!
Now to the recipe..

Shrimp Curry

All you need is: 

1. Shrimp - 1 lb

2. Onion - 2

3. Tomato - 1

4. Ginger garlic grated - 2 tsp

5. Oil - 4 tsp

6. Salt - for taste

7. Green chilly - 1

8. Pepper power - 1 tsp

9. Coriander powder - 1 tsp

10. Chilli powder - 1 tsp

11. Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp

12. Cumin poder - 1 tsp

13. Urad dhal - 1 tsp

14. Coriander to garnish

Do it this way:

• Take a wok, heat it. Add oil and let it heat
• Add urad dhal and fry until it turns brown
• Add ginger garlic paste, saute till the raw smell leaves
• Add onions and saute well until you can feel the aroma of the ginger garlic and onion. 
• Add green chilli and saute along with the onions.
• Add tomatoes and saute well (here where the trick is - saute well so that altogether you find a paste like texture) 
• Add the shrimps to the above and mix well 
• Add the masalas one by one and salt
• Sprinkle some drops of water and keep the wok closed with the lid

• After some 5 to 10 mins garnish with coriander and serve hot.

     Notes: 

• See to that you dont add much water
• If the shrimp is overcooked, it will be like rubber. So dont over cook it.
• This tastes good with rasam sadham, sambar sadham or simply as a side dish for roti, dosa etc.,

This fat elephant looks cute right!! We got this once we saw it as I like all fat fat dolls and elephants! 

 

Scrambled egg fried rice

Many of us when we go to any restaurants , never forget to order a fried rice!! wanted to try at home one day and it came so good in my first attempt!!

Scrambled egg fried rice

All you need is:

1. Fresh vegetables - 1 cup

2. Capsicum - 1

3. salt - As reqd

4. Egg - 2

5. Basmati rice - 1 cup

6. Chilly tomato sauce - 2 tsp

7. Soya sauce - 1 tsp

8. Pepper - 1 tsp

9. oil - 2tsp

You have to do it this way:  

• Soak basmati rice with water for 10 mins
• Drain the water and add a tsp of oil to it and microwave for 2 mins
• Pressure cook the rice with 1 and a 1/2 cup of water until you get 2 whistles.
• Keep the rice aside.
• Add oil in a wok and saute the vegetables till they are partly cooked
• Mix the sauces to the sauted vegetables, add salt and eggs.
• Scramble the mixture well until the eggs are cooked.
• Mix the boiled rice with the above and garnish

Boiled rice with rajma

Scrambled egg with veggies

Scrambled egg fried rice

You can also add rajma to the rice and mix, i did this way since i soaked rajma last night before i prepared this one.

             

Fish fry

I love non veg dishes a lot compared to vegetarian food!! Very easy to make as well as tasty too!! My husband's fav is this fish fry! i could save only two pieces of fish from him to take snaps!  Here comes the recipe..

Fish Fry

All you need is: 

1. Thilapia - 5-6 pieces 

2. Ginger garlic paste - 4 tsp

3. Salt - to taste

4. Chilly powder - 3 tsp

5. Pepper powder - 1 tsp

6. Cumin powder - 1 and 1/2 tsp

7. Coriander powder - 1 tsp

8. Corn flour - 1 tsp

9. turmeric - a pinch

10. oil - for shallow frying

Do it this way:

• Wash and clean the pieces of fish. 
• Add the above ingredients and mix well in a bowl. you can add little water and oil in order to blend well.



fish coated with masala

• Coat the above masala to the pieces and shallow fry in a tawa or a pan keeping in a medium flame.                                                                                 

This tastes best with rasam sadham!!

Thattai

who doesnt love snacks! That too home made ones.. i just love the snacks and sweets that are prepared in our home. . Miss those 'tasty tasty' murukku, sirma laddu, and many other snacks prepared in home. In such desperate day when i wanted to try any snack, Thattai  was the one which flashed in to my mind.

Its very very easy and simple to prepare.

Thattai

All you need is:

1.Rice flour - 2 cups

2.Urad dhal fluor - 1/4 cup

3.Oil to fry

3.Red chilly pepper - 2 to 3
4.Fennel seeds - 2
5.Salt for taste
6.Water to make dough
7.Red chilly powder as per your taste
8.Chana dhal soaked in water for 15 mins.

Do it this way:

• Fry urad dhal in a dry pan for some time and powder it along with fennel seeds and red chilly pepper in a mixie. 
• Mix the above flour with rice flour
• Add soaked chana dhal, salt, red chilly powder and water
• Make it to a dough consistency. Add little water so you are able to make round thin patties with the dough. 
• Fry it in oil and remove the excess oil with the help of a tissue.
• you can keep this for 3 days in store. it will be very crispy too!