Tutti Fruity Cake

Celebrated my daughter, Saesha's monthly birthday with this simple yet delicious vanilla cake. The cake is packed with nutty goodness and best part is that it doesn't require any additional icing or makeup ;)

I followed the  recipe of  Garima Sarolia Narera (a fellow member of a facebook group) . Like all her recipes, this recipe is also perfect and beautifully explained for any novice, to follow easily. Here is the link of her recipe.


Ingredients :

Maida - 1 cup + 1 tsp

Baking powder - 1 tsp
Eggs - 2
Powdered Sugar - 1 cup
Butter - 80 grams
Vanilla essence - 1 tsp
Tutti fruity- 1 cup
Almonds - 8 to 10
Milk - 1 Tbsp

Pre-Preparation :

1. Sliver the almonds.
2. Butter , milk and eggs should be kept at room temperature.
3. Preheat the oven at 180 C.
4. Grease a baking dish with butter and line it with baking /parchment paper.
5. Sift the flour and baking powder together at least thrice .
6. Coat the tutti fruity with the additional 1 tsp flour so that the nuts don't sink.

Preparation :

1. In a bowl, add the butter and sugar. Whisk it until the mixture becomes light and fluffy( 5-6 minutes using an electric blender). The mixture will turn white.
2. Add the eggs and whisk again.
3. Add the vanilla essence and whisk .
4. Fold in the flour and baking powder mix very lightly using a wooden spoon or spatula.
5. Add milk.
6. Add the tutti fruity and mix once.
7. Now pour the batter in a greased tin and sprinkle almond slivers on top.
8. Bake it at 180 degrees for 40 mins or until a skewer inserted in the centre comes out clean.
9. Let the cake cool completely before slicing.

Enjoy and  Happy Cooking !!!


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Falafel

Falafel - is an important element of the Middle-eastern Cuisine. It is basically a vegetarian deep fried snack in the form of a  ball or a patty . It's main ingredient is raw chickpeas (soaked overnight) or fava beans. Falafels can be served in many different variations... in a pita, in the form of salad , wraps or just as a fritter.

Ingredients :

Chickpeas - 1 cup (soaked overnight)
Onion - 1
Garlic - 3-4 cloves
Lemon juice - 2 1/2 Tbsp
Roasted Cumin powder - 2 tsp
Dry mango powder - 1 tsp
Red chili powder - 1 tsp
Green Chili - 1
Fresh Coriander - few sprigs
Semolina - 2 Tbsp
Dry Bread Crumbs -3 Tbsp
Salt - to taste


Pre-Preparation:

1. Soak the chickpeas overnight or for atleast 4-5hrs. They will approximately double in volume.
2. Finely chop the onion and coriander leaves.

Preparation :

1. In a food processor, add the drained chickpeas , garlic and green chilli and make a fine paste.

2. Transfer it to a bowl, add onion and coriander.

3. Add the spices , cumin powder, red chili powder and dry mango powder.

4. Season with salt.

5. Mix well, and add the lemon juice .

6. Part by part, add the semolina and bread crumbs until the mixture binds together.

    (You can adjust the amount of semolina and bread crumbs according to the consistency of the paste.)

7.Cover and keep the mixture for 10-15 minutes. 

8. Heat the oil for frying in a wok.(Make sure the oil is not too hot , otherwise the falafel will be uncooked from inside.)

9. Divide the mixture in equal parts , and make balls or patty or any desired shape.

10. Fry the shaped falafels in small batches on medium heat , until they are golden brown from both sides and cooked from inside. ( The falafels will become fluffy on its own if cooked at the right temperature.)

11. Take the falafels out on a kitchen towel to drain the excess oil.

Serving Suggestion:

1. Falafels are generally served with a hummus dip , but they go great with any green chutney or yoghurt dip.
2. As part of a green salad.
3. With pita bread .

PS : You can prepare the mixture beforehand and just fry them as and when required.

 Thanks a lot for visiting... <3

Enjoy !! and Happy Cooking !!!

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Cajun Spiced Potato

Cajun Spice is a mix of herbs. It includes salt, paprika, garlic powder,onion powder,thyme,black pepper,white pepper and oregano. It is a hot pungent spice mix, brownish red in colour and similar in size and consistency to seasoning salt.

My husband & I love this dish served in one of the leading table grill restaurants in India (Barbeque Nation). After one such visit, he asked me to replicate the dish for one our friend's dinner at home. I was a little sceptical in the beginning, as completely based on taste and look, its difficult to get the same dish. I took it as a challenge, and to my surprise I perfected it on the first try itself. My guests loved it and hubby said  "Its better than the restaurant one". 

Now its a regular item in my kitchen. So sharing with you all my recipe of BBQ nation styled Cajun Spiced Potato.

Ingredients :

Potato - 3
Rice Flour - 3 Tbsp
Water - 3 Tbsp
Salt - 1/2 tsp
Chili flakes - 1/4 tsp

Mayonnaise - 3 Tbsp

Cajun Spice - 2 tsp
Garlic paste - 1/2 tsp
Onion - 1 small
Coriander - few sprigs
Oil - to fry

Pre Preparation :

1. Slice the potatoes thinly, like wafers.
2. Soak the potatoes in slightly salted water.
3. Chops the onions and coriander finely.



Preparation :

For the batter:

•  In a bowl, mix the water and rice flour . The batter should be of dropping consistency, to be able to coat the potato with a thin layer of batter. If the batter is thick, add the water accordingly.
•  Season it with salt, 1/4 tsp Cajun spice and chili flakes.

Frying the potatoes :

• Remove the potato slices from the water and place them on a kitchen towel to dry. 
• In a wok, add the oil for frying. The oil should should not be too hot.
• Now dip the potatoes in the batter one by one and fry in the oil on medium flame. Make sure the potato is coated with a thin layer of batter evenly on both the sides. This is important to make the potato crispy.
• Once they are brown on one side, flip them and cook till they get an even tone on the other side .
•  Once cooked, take them out on a kitchen towel to absorb excess oil.

For the dressing:

•  In a bowl, mix together the mayonnaise, garlic and Cajun spice mix.

For serving :

•  In a plate, place the fried potatoes side by side. Drizzle the dressing on top of it. Then sprinkle the onion and the coriander on top of it.

PS : Drizzle the dressing on the potatoes just before serving , otherwise the potatoes will become soggy.

Enjoy and Happy Cooking !!!!

Thanks and Keep visiting my blog for more mouth watering recipes.....

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Oil free Low fat Creamy Grilled Chicken

Oil free low fat Creamy Grilled Chicken .... YES !!! You heard it Right !!! 
Its loaded with flavour and light on the waist !!!

This Chicken Preparation requires just two Steps :
     

                   - Marination  &   Grilling.










The Chicken is marinated in a hung curd based batter which gives it the creamy flavor. The most important aspect is the marination time. Ideally, it should be marinated overnight , if not so then for at least an hour, the more the better. Its makes the flavor seep in through the chicken.

The Grilling is done at a low temperature around 170 to cook the chicken evenly. Do not overcook the chicken otherwise it will not be juicy.

  

 Ingredients :

Chicken Drumsticks - 5
Hung curd - 3 Tbsp
Ginger Garlic Green chili paste - 2 1/2 Tbsp( take 10-15 cloves of garlic + 1 1/2 inch ginger + 1 green chili make a paste by adding 2-4 tsp water )
Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
Red Chili powder - 1/4 tsp
Salt - 1/2 tsp
Garam masala powder - 1/2 tsp
Dry mango powder - 1/2 tsp
Chat masala - 1/4 tsp
Lemon juice -1 tsp (optional )

Pre- Preparation :

1. Make cuts or slits in the Chicken drumsticks.
2. Mix all the above mentioned ingredients together except Chicken and lemon juice and make a marinade.
3. Marinate the chicken in the marinade and keep it overnight in the refrigerator or for at least an hour. It enhances the flavor. 
4. The Chicken should be brought at room temperature before grilling.

Preparation :

1. Preheat the oven at 170-180 degrees.
2. Place the chicken on the grill rack and grill for 20-25 minutes or till the chicken is cooked..
3. Sprinkle some chat masala over the Chicken and drizzle some lemon juice and serve hot.

Serving suggestion :

1. Serve hot with onion rings  and green chutney.

Enjoy !!! and Happy Cooking !!!


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