Butterscotch Cream Cake - Cake Recipe

Recipe:

Sponge Cake

You will need an 8" vanilla sponge cake.
Trim the top and sides of the sponge cake and divide it into three layers and keep aside.

For the butterscotch 

150 grams granulated sugar
3 teaspoons of butter
5 tablespoons of crushed cashew nuts
½ teaspoon of vanilla essence or 2 drops of butter scotch essence
A few drops of vegetable oil

Spread the vegetable oil over your cleaned kitchen counter top.

Stir together sugar and butter over a low heat in a thick bottomed pan till the sugar has melted. Let the mixture boil till it turns golden brown in colour. 

Take the pan off the heat, and mix in crushed cashewnuts and essence. Pour it over the oiled surface and let it cool and harden completely.

Once it has hardened, break off pieces and place it in a ziploc bag. Crumble it using a mallet or a rolling pin.

For the sugar syrup

1 cup of water, approximately
1 to 1½ tablespoons of sugar
1/4 teaspoon of vanilla essence or a drop of butterscotch essence

Mix together all the ingredients for the sugar syrup and stir until the sugar has dissolved completely. Adjust sweetness according to your taste.

Whipped Cream


1½ cups + ½ cup (about 500 ml) of cream, chilled.  (I used 25% Amul Cream that comes in tetra packs)
2/3 cups butter
6 tablespoons of powdered sugar (adjust according to taste)
½ teaspoon of vanilla essence or a drop of butterscotch essence

Heat the butter and half a cup of cream, stirring constantly till the butter has melted. Let it cool completely.

Beat the remaining cream at high speed till it turns thick and frothy. Add powdered sugar and essence and continue beating till the sugar has mixed in well with the cream.

Add the butter cream little by little, beating at low speed with stiff peaks have formed. 

Test for sweetness and adjust as required.

Assembling the cake

Place the bottom layer of the cake on the serving platter. Starting from the outer edge of the layer, spread in tablespoon by tablespoon of the sugar syrup, moving inward to the centre, such that the entire surface has been moistened. I used about 12 tablespoons of syrup for each layer.

Heap about 1/5th of the cream on the layer and spread it out evenly. Sprinkle a little less than 1/3rd of the butterscotch on top of the cream.

Repeat with the next layer. 

Keep the topmost layer upside down to get a smooth finish, and again add sugar syrup, followed by cream and butterscotch.

Use to and fro motions of a palette knife to spread the rest of the cream on top and sides of the cake. Sprinkle the rest of the butter scotch on top and sides of the cake.

Chill for a few hours before serving so that the sugar syrup is absorbed completely into the sponge layers.

If you find it difficult to slice the cake, then keep some hot water ready. Dip your knife into the water, wipe dry quickly, and slice. Repeat before making each slice into the cake.

Read more »

Ginger Lemonade - Juice Recipe

1/2 cup of freshly squeezed lemon juice
1/2 cup sugar
1 teaspoon coarsely chopped fresh ginger
5 to 6 cups of chilled water
Ice cubes, lemon rind and mint leaves, to serve

Blend together the lemon juice, sugar and ginger till the sugar has dissolved completely. Stir in water, and serve in tall glasses with ice cubes and mint leaves.

Read more »

Chili Chicken With Rice - Kerala Special Chilli Chicken Recipe

Chili Chicken

500 grams boneless chicken, cut into bite size pieces
1 teaspoon red chili powder
1 teaspoon pepper powder
1/4 teaspoon turmeric powder
To taste, salt

2 cups + 1 cup thin long onion slices
4 green chilies cut into rounds
1" piece ginger + 4 garlic cloves, chopped finely
2 sprigs curry leaves
2 tomatoes, chopped finely
1/4th  of a green capsicum, cubed
1 tablespoon soya sauce + 1 tablespoon tomato sauce
1/2 teaspoon sugar
3/4 teaspoon pepper powder
A handful to chopped coriander leaves

Sunflower oil, as required

Method:

Marinate the chicken with chili powder, pepper powder, turmeric powder and salt and let it rest for at least 15 minutes.

In a pan, heat a cup of oil (or as required to deep fry) to medium high. Deep fry 2 cups of onion slices till they are brown. Remove with a slotted spoon and keep aside. Add the marianated chicken pieces to the same oil, cover and fry over low heat till they are cooked. Keep fried chicken aside. Strain oil leaving behind a couple of tablespoons in the pan. 

Sauté 1 cup of onions slices along with green chilies, ginger, garlic and curry leaves in the remaining oil till the onions have softened well. Add tomatoes and continue sautéing till oil has separated from the mixture. Mix in fried onions, chicken, capsicum, coriander leaves, soya sauce and tomato sauce and let cook together for a few minutes. Finish off with sugar and pepper powder.

Serve as a starter or as a side dish.

Note: Adjust spice level according to taste.

Read more »

Bonda Using Bananas - Kerala Delicious Sweets

valluvanadan-taste-food

2½ ripe robusta bananas
1 cup plain flour
1/4 cup sugar (adjust according to sweetness of bananas)
2 pinches soda powder
Oil, to deep fry

Method:

Mash the bananas with a fork. Mix in all the ingredients except oil till well combined and let it rest for half an hour.

Heat oil in a wok over a medium - high flame. Drop in tablespoon by tablespoon of the banana mixture, without overcrowding the pan. When one side is brown, turn over and brown the other side. Remove with a slotted spoon and serve hot. 

You can optionally mix coconut slices fried in ghee and sesame seeds in the banana mixture just before frying.

Read more »

Mango And Mint Milk Shake

 

 

How about we celebrate the heat with some delicious mango and mint milk shake?

Recipe:

2 cups fresh mango chunks
1½ cup chilled milk
12-15 fresh mint leaves
4 tablespoons sugar, or according to taste

Blend together all the ingredients until smooth and creamy. Serve in tall glasses, and garnish with mint leaves.

Notes:

You can store the milk shake in your refrigerator for upto a day.

When choosing mangoes, pick those that yield slightly to gentle pressure and do not have blemishes on the skin. Or just smell them; ripe mangoes have a fragrant aroma. Also keep in mind that fibre free mangoes such as Alphonso are the best to eat.

You can refrigerate ripe mangoes in plastic bags for 3-4 days if you do not want to use them immediately. However, if you want them to ripen just a bit more, then keep them in brown paper bags in a warm place.

Most importantly, before using mangoes, wash them thoroughly. Infact, an even better idea would be to leave them in slightly salted warm water for half to one hour, rinse them and then peel the skin off before eating.

        

Read more »

Daal Curry Recipe - North Indian Style Curried Lentils

                                         Valluvanadan Tasty Food

Recipe:

You will need:
1 cup toor dal/tuvara parippu/yellow pigeon peas
2 dried red chilies
½ teaspoon mustard seeds
2 tablespoon oil
1 onion, finely shopped
8 cloves garlic (the small kind), finely chopped
4 green chilies slit lengthwise
¼ teaspoon turmeric powder
1 tablespoon red chili powder
2 small tomatoes, finely chopped
3 cups water
1½ tablespoon tomato sauce
½ teaspoon sugar
¼ cup coriander leaves, chopped
To taste, salt

Method:

Pressure cook the peas along with water till the peas are completely cooked and mushy. About 4-5 whistles should be enough.

In a pan, heat oil. Add mustard seeds and dried red chilies and let the seeds splutter.

Add onions and sauté till they start to brown. Toss in garlic and green chilies and continue sautéing for a couple of minutes more. Reduce heat and add turmeric powder and red chili powder. Mix in tomatoes and stir till the tomatoes have softened. Stir in the cooked lentils along with some salt and boil for a couple of minutes. If you want the daal to be loose, add some more water. Add tomato sauce, sugar and coriander leaves. Boil for a minute more. Take off heat and serve hot with rotis or white rice.

Read more »

Sandwiched Indian Omelette - Recipe

Recipe:

For the Indian omelette:
(This is a very simple recipe, the way I like it. You can try adding in garam masala, coriander leaves, chili powder, chopped ginger etc as per your taste)
2 eggs
1/2 a red onion, chopped very finely
1 green chili, chopped very finely
1/2 teaspoon salt (or to taste)
1/4 teaspoon pepper powder
1 teaspoon oil

To sandwich
4 slices of bread
2 tablespoons ghee
2 tablespoons tomato sauce

Method:
Beat together all ingredients for the omelette except oil with a fork.

Brush the oil onto a pan, warm over a low flame. Pour in the egg mixture. When the underside of the omelette has browned slightly, turn over and cook the other side. Keep aside.

Brush ghee on the bread slices, and toast in a pan till browned to your liking. Spread the tomato sauce over toasted bread, top with omelette, cover with another slice of bread, and serve hot.

How simple is this! I will soon share the recipe for my mother's easy to make tomato sandwich, which was extremely popular in my class.

Read more »

Nadan Kozhi Curry - Kerala Chicken Curry Recipe

The Naaden Kozhi Curry involves cooking the chicken in its own juices along with slightly bruised spices and fresh ginger and garlic. Once the chicken is juicy and infused with the aromatic spices, plenty of sautéed onions are added, along with fried slices of coconut, which is perhaps the most sought after part of the dish. The entire dish is cooked till the sauce reaches a bare minimum, and every bite of chicken is packed with the flavours of all the spices that Kerala is home to. For the authentic Kerala taste, coconut oil is a must.

Recipe

A.
1 kg chicken, on the bone, cut into medium sized pieces (approximately 30 pieces) and cleaned
1 tablespoon piece ginger, finely chopped + 8-10 cloves garlic, finely chopped
3 cardamom + 5 cloves + 1" piece cinnamon + 1 star anise + 2 pinches of mace (jathi pathiri) + 1 tablespoon fennel seeds, slightly bruised using mortar and pestle
1 table red chili powder + 1 tablespoon coriander powder + 1/4 teaspoon turmeric powder
1 tablespoon lemon juice
To taste, salt

B.
2 large onions cut into thin long slices
1.5 teaspoon mustard seeds
2 tablespoons ginger julienned + 2 tablespoons garlic julienned
1 sprig curry leaves
4 tablespoon oil, preferably coconut oil
1/2 teaspoons salt
1/2 cup thinly sliced pieces of coconut (1.5" long slices)
1 teaspoon red chili powder + 1 teaspoon coriander powder
3/4 tablespoon pepper powder + 1/2 teaspoon garam masala powder

Method:

Mix together all the ingredients labeled A, and let it marinate for 15 - 20 minutes.

In a large pot, cook the marinated chicken over a low heat till it is completely cooked. While cooking, add a quarter cup of hot water, if you find the chicken sticking to the bottom of the pot. Once the chicken is cooked, boil off excess juices.

In a large pan, heat the oil. Crackle the mustard seeds. Add ginger and garlic, and then toss in the sliced onions. Sauté the onions till they brown lightly. Add the chili powder, coriander powder and salt, and sauté over a low flame. Then add the coconut slices and curry leaves and continue sautéing till the onions have turned golden brown. Add the chicken pieces and continue sautéing till the onions have coated all the chicken pieces well. Sprinkle over the pepper powder and garam masala and mix well. 
 

This curry is quite fiery, as is the curry served in most homes in Kerala. For a milder version, reduce the quantity of spice and chili powder - drastically. Serve hot with rice.

Read more »