Plum cake

Hi guys this is christmassyyy time, so let s bake a plum cake with sooo simple, available ingredients at home.

I am doing it as my first challenge or task from Baking Partners, which has the logo as follows:

Ingredients required

• 100gm butter
• 125 gm maida
• 125 gm powdered sugar
• 3 tsp sugar (to caramelise)
• 1/4 cup of boiling water
• Two eggs, with yolks separated
• 125 gm of combined mixture like cashew, pista, badam, raisins, chopped dates, chopped orange peel
• One small packet of apple/grape juice
• 1 tsp of baking powder

Initial preparations

• First, let us caramelise the sugar.  In a deep pan, add 3 tsp of sugar and 6 tsp of water, let the sugar melt.  After the sugar passes two-string consistency, it darkens its colour from white to golden brown, which will take ten to twelve minutes. Don't stir in the entire process.    When it starts to darken, switch off the flame and add 1/4 cup of boiling water and swirl the pan.  After sometime, you can see golden brown caramelised sugar syrup, you can also view some videos online that explains the complete process.  Now keep the caramelised syrup aside
• Mix nuts, dates, orange peel and marinate them with apple/grape juice in refrigerator for one week.  Traditionally, rum or brandy is used, but i preferred apple juice better.  
• Sift flour along with baking powder in a separate plate, mix them also add marinated nuts-dates-orange peel (draining the  liquid after a week's time)  and mix again in plate such that nuts get coated with maida very well.  This is done so that nuts dont go and stick down to cake.  

Method

 In a vessel blend butter and sugar using electric blender.  Now, add two egg yolks and blend again.

In a separate vessel, add two egg whites beat it till they turn fluffy. 

Now add the egg white mixture to butter-sugar blended mix and stir well.  Also add in caramelised syrup.

Now add maida-baking powder-nuts mix 

Now pour the batter in baking dish and bake at 180 degree celsius for about one hour

Plum cake is now ready to serve!!!!!

Wannaaaa a sliceeeee?????

Spicy and creamy bottlegourd gravy

Who said bottlegourd can be boring always with dal or some non-spicy gravy?? Try this flavourful and creamy gravy... u will be asked for some more   ;)

Ingredients required

To be sauted and blended into masala paste

• 1 cup finely chopped onions
• 2 cups finely chopped tomatos
• 2-3 slit green chillies
• Handful of mint leaves
• 1 tsp garam masala
• 1 tsp Everest kitchen king masala
• Pinch of turmeric
• Half tsp salt
• 1 tsp ginger-garlic paste

To be blended into creamy paste

• 4 tsp coconut water
• 2 tsp khus khus
• 1 tsp putane ki dal/pottu kadalai
• 2-3 whole cashewnuts

other ingredients

• 1 cup bottlegourd pieces, deskinned, deseeded and chopped into big pieces
• 3 tsp finely chopped coriander leaves, to garnish

Method

Saute ingredients given under masala paste and blend them after they are cooled.

In a kadaai, add bottlegourd pieces and masala paste, heat in simmer flame till bottlegourd gets three fourth cooked.

Now, add creamy paste and heat for ten more minutes, garnish with coriander leaves and serve hot with parathas

Tandoori stuffed potato

Ingredients required

for the filling

• 4 tsp crumbled tofu/paneer
• 4-5 raisins
• 2 tsp broken nuts like cashew, badam etc
• 1 tsp garam masala
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp mashed potato

other

• 250 gm potato, pressure cooked for one whistle

for marination

• 1 tsp gram flour/besan
• 2 tsp hung curd
• 1 tsp cornflour
• 1 tsp chilli powder
• 1/2 tsp dhanya powder
• 1 tsp tandoori masala
• 1/4 tsp amchoor powder
• 1/2 tsp salt

Method

Peel the skin off the potato and cut in top portion.  Now scoop out potato pulp such that potato now resembles like a vessel.  Reserve the pulp for filling

Now mix all ingredients under filling and fill in empty potatos, now marinate them in batter of gram flour, corn flour and curd, all spices for six hours.  Pre heat the oven for 200 degree celsius and bake these potatos for twenty to thirty minutes, occasionally turning them.

Serve hot with tomato ketchup

Enjoy!!!

Mangalorean curry

Mangalorean curry is a spicy curry that has a strong coconut base with tamarind flavour along with other spices.  This curry is prepared usually with chicken or with  vegetables

Ingredients required

For the masala paste

• Half cup of sauted onions
• One cup of grated coconut(Which is later sauted along with garlic pods)
• 6-7 garlic pods
• 4-5 tiny pieces of tamarind
• 5-6 dry chilly
• 1 tsp of whole dhanya
• 1 tsp of whole jeera
• 1/2 tsp of peppercorn
• Half tsp of methi seeds/venthayam

To temper

• 3 tsp oil
• 1/2 tsp rai/ mustard seeds
• 1/2 tsp jeera
• 1/4 tsp methi/venthayam
• 1/4 tsp peppercorn
• 1/4 tsp dhanya
• 6-7 curry leaves
• 2-3 green chillies, slit lengthwise

Other

• 1/2 cup of finely chopped onions
• 1/2 cup of mixed vegetables like carrot, cauliflower, potato, green peas
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 cup of boiled double beans (optional)

Method

As given in pic below, first dry roast coconut with garlic.  Then,  onions  (sauted alone).  Also all dry spices , cool them separately, blend them together.  This forms the basic masala for mangalorean curry, keep them aside

In a kadaai, heat oil and add ingredients for temper one by one.  Later, add chopped onions.

Now, throw in salt and vegetables, double beans.  

Add in blended masala, cook till vegetables are done.  Serve hot with rice

choclaty sandhesh

Sandesh is bengali sweet whereby panner is kneaded with powdered sugar and cardamon powder, here i made by choclatty simple version.  Just follow simple steps and relish ur taste buds...

Ingredients required

• Home-made paneer (Panner made from one litre milk)
• Dairy milk choclate bar one numbered
• Pinch of butter
• 3 tsp of powdered sugar
• Pinch of cardamon powder

Method

In a bowl knead paneer, sugar and cardamon powder into a fine dough, keep aside

In a double-boiler set, melt dairy milk choclate with a pinch of butter.  Below given is double boiler setup in stove.

In oil greased hands, shape or mould kneaded dough into small vessels with deeper hole.

Like this......

Meantime, take the melted choclate, whip it nicely and add in paneer vessel, top it with nuts or cherries your wish.  I just topped with remaining crumbled paneer.  Refrigerate this for 5 minutes and serve chilled

OOOPSS ONE SANDESH BROKE OUT :)

So heavenly in taste, choclate sandesh is a must try!!!!