EASY DOUBLE LAYER FUDGE

Recipe source :Vanitha

Ingredients

1. Milk Powder- 1 1/2 cups
2. Condensed milk-1/2 cup
3. Melted butter- 2 tbsp
4. Cocoa powder-3 to 4 tsp

Method

• Combine milk powder,condensed milk and melted butter in a large mixing bowl.Knead well to form a smooth dough.(you can  use a food processor if desired)
• Divide the dough into two.
• For the chocolate fudge layer ,transfer one half into another mixing bowl and add cocoa powder , knead well until combined.
• Lightly grease a baking tray (or line it with a foil with a bit of  overhang on either sides for easy removal.)
• Press the chocolate fudge layer on the greased baking tray,level the top using your fingers or with a spoon.
• Press the remaining dough onto the chocolate layer and level the surface.
• Refrigerate if desired or just cut into squares and serve  as it is .ENJOY!!!

VALENTINE'S DAY CUPCAKE (BAKE A HEART INTO YOUR CUPCAKE)

   

Ingredients

1. All purpose flour-1 1/4 cup
2. Baking powder-1 1/4 tsp
3. Salt-1 pinch
4. Butter-1/2 cup
5. Caster sugar-2/3 cup
6. Egg- 2 nos
7. Vanilla extract-1 tsp
8. Butter milk-1/2 cup
9. Fresh beetroot juice- 3to 3 1/2 tbsp ( Or use beetroot powder or fresh beetroot puree)
10. Cocoa powder-2 ts
11. Vinegar-2 tsp(see note)

Method

• Preheat oven at 180 deg C.
• Sift all purpose flour,baking powder and salt together.Keep aside.
• Cream butter ,vanilla extract and sugar until light and fluffy.
• Beat in the eggs, one at a time.
• Fold in the dry ingredients into the butter mixture in 3 batches,alternating with the milk.
• Spoon 1/3 rd of the batter into another mixing bowl and add food color,cocoa powder and vinegar and mix well.(Keep the remaining 2/3 rd covered)
• Pour this batter on a baking tray lined with parchment paper .(it must be about 1/2 inch thick).Bake for 10 to 15 minutes or until a cake tester inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean,
• Using a small heart shaped cookie cutter cut out heart shapes from the cake.Allow it to cool.(pop it in the fridge to speed up the process)
• Line the muffin tins with paper cases,spoon a dollop of the remaining 2/3 rd batter into each paper case.Place each heart vertically onto the batter(point side down)in each paper case.Now carefully spoon a dollop of the batter around the heart until it is almost covered.
• Bake for 10 to 15 minutes or until  a cake tester inserted into the side of a cupcake comes out clean.
• Cool completely before frosting cupcakes.
• For frosting, tint whipped cream with fresh beetroot juice.

ENJOY!!!!

 Note : while using fresh beetroot juice as  food color ,the batter should be a few shades darker to the shade you actually require because the natural pigment  (betatin) may turn lighter during baking  due to the addition of baking powder  /baking soda.Adding vinegar helps to retain the color to an extend in this recipe.( When i tried this recipe for the first time ,i got a pale pink color  ,as you can see in  the  5th picture  .So the second time  i added  2 tsp vinegar and the result was much better.) You can read more about the use of  beetroot juice in baking here.If you are using beetroot powder ,follow the instructions given here.
 Important:Keep track of which direction the heart in the cupcake is facing.You can make small cut on the side of the frosting ,that way you can figure out which direction to cut or just bite into  the cupcake

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HERBED WHEAT BUNS

Radhika of Tickling Palates is hosting a fun event named BLOG HOP WEDNESDAYS.This week I am paired with Pari of Foodelicious.I chose to make this delicious herbed  buns from her blog. You can find the original  recipe here.

Ingredients

1.  All purpose flour- 1 cup
2. Whole wheat flour-3/4 cup (extra for dusting)
3. Coriander leaves chopped- 2tbsp ( i used 1 tbsp dried parsley)
4. Dried red chili flakes- 1 to 1 1/2 tsp
5. Salt-1/2 tsp
6. Lukewarm milk-1/2 cup
7. Sugar-1 tsp
8. Active dry yeast-1/2 tbsp
9. Melted butter- 2 tbsp
10. Egg- 1 no (plus extra for brushing)

Method

• Combine lukewarm milk ,sugar and yeast,mix gently and keep aside for 10 to 15 minutes or until it rises.
• In a large mixing bowl ,combine all purpose flour,whole wheat flour ,salt,coriander leaves ,dried chili flakes and salt.
• Make a well in the center and add the egg,melted butter and yeast mixture.
• Combine the ingredients well and transfer the dough on to a clean working surface and knead the dough for about 10 to 12 minutes or until the dough is soft.(Lightly dust the working surface with flour if the dough is sticking to the surface.)
• Place the dough in a clean bowl and lightly coat the surface of the dough with oil or melted butter.Cover with a clean kitchen towel and leave to rise until doubled in volume.
• Divide the dough into 7 or 8 equal parts , roll to form a ball and place on a greased baking tray leaving at- least 2inch in between each balls.Keep aside for 15 to 20 minutes or until doubled in volume.
• Preheat the oven to 180 deg C.
• Lightly brush the buns with egg white and bake for 15 to 20 minutes or until it turns golden in  color.

Use it to make your favorite sandwich or just serve it with peanut butter or any other spread of your choice.ENJOY!!!!!!

KERALA BEEF ULARTHIATHU / BEEF ROAST

Recipe source :Suriani pachakam (Bava R Luckos)

Ingredients

1. Beef(cut into bite sized pieces)- 1 kg
2. Thinly sliced coconut pieces-3/4 cup
3. Turmeric powder-1/4 tsp
4. Shallots/chumanulli (sliced)-3/4 cup
5. Ginger (chopped)- 2tbsp
6. Garlic(chopped)-1 tbsp
7. Curry leaves- 3 to 4 sprigs
8. Vinegar- 2 tsp
9. Onion sliced-1 big
10. Salt to taste
11. Hot water
12. Coconut oil

To grind

1. Coriander powder- 2 tbsp
2. Chili powder-1 tbsp( or Kashmiri chili powder-2 to 3  tbsp,according to taste)
3. Turmeric powder-1/2 tsp
4. Black pepper powder- 1 tsp
5. Cumin seeds-1/2 tsp
6. Fennel seeds-1/2 tsp
7. Cinnamon-2" piece
8. Cloves- 5 nos
9. Cardamom-3 nos
10. Water

Method

• Mix together thinly sliced coconut,turmeric powder and salt.Heat oil in a pan and saute this until it turns golden brown.Keep aside.
• In a blender,combine all the ingredients to grind and blend to form a smooth paste.Keep aside.
• Place beef pieces in a pressure cooker or a heavy bottomed pan.Add the masala paste,fried coconut pieces,shallots,ginger,garlic,curry leaves , vinegar,hot water and salt to taste.Cook until the beef pieces are tender.
• Heat oil in a large  frying pan ,add sliced onion and saute till it turns golden brown.Now add the cooked beef and saute on a medium heat for about 15 to 20 minutes or until it is almost dry.(if you prefer dry fry ,cook for another 5 to  minutes until it is completely dry.)

Serve with rice,appam,dosa or puttu.ENJOY!!!

CHOCOLATE ESPRESSO MUG CAKE

Ingredients

1. All purpose flour- 3 tbsp
2. Instant coffee powder-1 tsp
3. Drinking chocolate powder or sweetened cocoa powder-2 tbsp
4. Sugar- 2 1/2 to 3  tbsp
5. Baking powder- 1/4 tsp
6. Milk- 2tbsp
7. Egg- 1 no
8. Oil-2 tbsp
9. Vanilla extract-1/2 tsp

Method

• In a mixing bowl combine all purpose flour,coffee powder,sugar and baking powder.Mix well.
• Add milk,egg ,oil and vanilla extract,stir with a fork ,just until combined.
• Pour this into a greased mug and microwave on high for  90 seconds( or a few seconds more) until cooked through.(DO NOT OVER COOK)
• Serve with a scoop of vanilla ice cream or simply dust with powdered sugar.

ENJOY!!!!!

NOTE: you can use cocoa powder instead of drinking chocolate mix ,in that case add 1 or 2 tsp more  sugar according to your taste.

sending this to any one can cook event at taste of pearl city

CHICKEN TIKKA WRAP

Ingredients

1. Chicken breasts(cut into bite sized pieces) -2 medium 
2. Onion (chopped)- 1 medium
3. Cucumber (chopped)-1 small
4. Tomato (chopped)-1 small
5. Lettuce (chopped)-1 cup
6. Pita bread-3 to 4 nos
7. Yogurt/Mayonnaise-1/4 cup
8. Pepper powder-1/4 to 1/4 tsp

For marinade

1. Lemon juice-1 tsp
2. Ginger paste- 1 tsp
3. Garlic paste- 1 tsp
4. Kashmiri chili powder-2 to 2 1/2 tsp(or to taste)
5. Ajwain seeds(crushed)-1/4 tsp (if not available substitute with cumin powder)
6. Kasurimathi (dried fenugreek leaves) (crushed)-1/4 tsp
7. Garam masala-1/4 tsp
8. Yogurt-1/4 to 1/2 cup
9. Oil-2 tsp
10. Salt to taste

Method

• Combine all the ingredients for marination and rub it onto the chicken pieces and refrigerate for about 2 hrs.
• Arrange this on a greased baking pan and bake at 250 deg C for about 20 to 25 minutes ,turning sides in between.
• Combine yogurt/mayonnaise with pepper powder and spread it on to the pita bread.(you can also use green chutney instead of this)
• Now place a few spoons of cucumber,onion ,tomato, lettuce and chicken tikka on the bread,roll it up and enjoy!