Wednesday, June 4, 2014

Mango - Carrot cake eggless

Sweets and desserts are not a regular affair in my house.Occasionally , yes we indulge in sweets.One such is this. Sometimes , I would rather find reasons to celebrate.Today is my sister's BirthDay and there I got a reason to indulge this sinfully sweet cake .

She had been my inspiration during my initial days of cooking.By simply observing her cooking in the kitchen,I have learnt a lot of simple technics.


My sister loves mangoes.I just wanted to make use of some fresh mangoes, So quickly decided to make this cake with mango and carrot.I'm sure my sister would love to enjoy this.




Ingredients


Whole wheat flour ..........................1  cup
All purpose flour ............................. 1  cup
Sugar .............................................1/4 cup
brown sugar..................................... 1cup
Baking powder .................................. 1 1/2 tsp
Baking Soda ...................................... 1 tsp
Flex seed...........................................3 tbsp
Oil ..................................................1/3 cup (any neutral oil )
Mango pulp .................................... 1/2 cup ( I used 2 big mangoes to pulp)
Grated carrot ...................................1 /4 cup
Water................................................1/4 cup
Salt................................................... a pinch
ground Cinnamon  /pumpkin spice............... 1 tsp

Method 


  1. Preheeat the oven to 350 F.
  2. Grind the flex seeds with 1/4 cup water.
  3. Mix the flours,salt,baking powder, baking soda , spice together and sift well.
  4. In a large bowl , mix all the wet ingredients except carrots.
  5. Mix grated carrots with the flour mix.
  6. Now slowly fold in the flour mix into the wet mix, little at a time.
  7. gently mix until they are just combined.
  8. Prepare the baking tins by coating some oil and dusting them.
  9. Transfer the batter into the baking tins and bake for 25  to 30 minutes.
 
For the mango sauce,

mango pulp ........................ 1/4 cup
Sugar ............................... 2 tsp
Lemon juice  .......................1/2 tsp

Blend every thing in a blender.
Boil the mixture over medium flame.
When you reach the thick consistency , turn off and allow it to cool.

Enjoy with family and friends !


Notes


  • For health benefits, I have used whole wheat flour. If you want to use all purpose flour,you might need to reduce the amount of water accordingly.
  • If you are using store bough mango pulp/puree , adjust sugar accordingly as the puree has added sugar in it.




Tuesday, June 3, 2014

Pulikaichal | puliyogare mix | Puli Sevai and Lemon Sevai

There are certain foods , which kindles the interlaced memories in your life.This is one such special recipe for me.My mom is an expert in this and for many years I had been enjoying this.





Near my hometown, there is a famous falls, called Kutralam(Courtrallam).We used to pack puliyodharai , lemon rice and curd rice whenever we used to visit that wonderfull falls.



After having bath in the falls you will feel like eating as much food as you can .



Coming back to the recipe, this is super easy to make.I bet you all, after tasting the fresh and homemade pulikaichal, you will never turn back to store-bought ready mixes.


The best part is that, once the mix is ready, it stores well for up to a monthin the refrigerator . Mix with rice or instant sevai or idiyappam or even aval (poha) to make your favourite item.



Ingredients 


 To roast and grind for spice mix


Channa dal  ......................... 3 tsp
Red chillies ......................... 12 (adjust to heat)
fenugreek .......................... 1/2 tsp

Other ingredients


Mustard seeds.................... 1 tso
channa dal ......................... 2 tsp
Roasted peanuts ................ hand full
Red chilli ............................. 2 , broken into pieces.
Cahews ..............................  few ,broken into pieces.
Curry leaves ........................ 2 sprigs
Tamarind ............................ (2 tbsp tightly packed )/ 2 tsp tamarind concentrate
Asafoetida........................... 1/2 tsp
Salt .................................... to taste
Turmeric ............................. 1/4 tsp
Sesame Oil ......................... 3 tbsp


Method


  • If using a fresh tamarind, soak it in warm water for 20 minutes.
  • Later squeeze the extract of it .
  • Heat a shallow pan and dry roast fenugreek seeds,channa dal and red chillies until golden color.
  • Make a fine powder of it.
  • Heat 2 tbsp oil in a deep pan.
  • Add mustard seeds,channa dal,urad dal,peanuts,cashews,red chilli pieces.
  • Now add the tamarind extract (approximately 1 1/4 cup ).
  • Add turmeric,salt and asafoetida and allow it to boil for 7 minutes or until the raw smell of tamarind is gone.
  • Add the spice mix now and mix well.
  • Allow it to boil for 5 minutes, you will notice a thick gravy now.
  • Turn off the heat and let it cool down .
  • Transfer it into a glass jar and pour the remaining 1 tbsp oil on top of it.
  • Tightly cover and refrigerate.

Puliyogare / Tamarind rice /Idiyappam


  1. Prepare instant sevai as per the instructions on the box.
  2. Just mix enough puliyogare mix to it.
  3. Add salt if required.

Prepare rice and mix required amount of puliyogare mix to make tamarind rice.

Notes for puliyogare


  • You can add sesame seeds also while roasting for the spice mix.That gives a different flavor to the puliyogare.

  • Sesame oil is a key ingredient for a good flavor and taste.
  • Always mix with rice or sevai and give a minimum of 30 minutes to let the rice absorb the flavors.
  • The more time it stands, better the taste.

 Lemon Sevai 




Ingredients


Rice sevai .................................. 4 cups (prepared acc to bo instructions)
Turmeric .................................... 1/2 tsp
Asafoetida .................................. 1/4 tsp
Mustard seeds............................ 1 tsp
urad dal ..................................... 1 tbsp
Channa dal ................................ 1 tbsp
Peanus .......................................1 tbsp
Cashew nuts ............................... 1 tbsp
Lemon juice ................................ from 1 1/2 lemon.
salt ........................................... to taste
Oil ........................................... 1 1/2 tbsp
Green chillies ........................... 2 , small, chopped.
Red chilli .................................. 2 , broken into pieces
Curry leaves ............................ few

Method

  1. Heat oil in a kadai / pan.
  2. Add mustard seeds,dals, peanut,cashews,green chilli , red chilli and curry leaves.
  3. Add turmeric powder and asafoetida to oil.
  4. Now add the prepared rice sevai / iddiyappam to the pan and add salt to it .
  5. Mix well and turn off the heat.
  6. Add the lemon juice and mix well.

Enjoy with coconut chutney .