Top Ten Recipes of 2011

It's time to bid good-bye to 2011 and welcome a grand new year, 2012....!! Wishing all my friends and readers a fun filled New Year....!!

Just a quick recap of the Top Ten Recipes of 2011, you voted for:

1.      Snow White Cake

2.    Chocolate Brownie

3.     Tender Coconut Smoothie

4.      Pineapple Pudding

5.     Marble Cake

6.     Thenga Chuttaracha Chammanthi (Roasted Coconut Chutney)

7.      Ottada

8.      Pavakka Achar

9.       Shortbread with a Citrus twist

10.    Chembin Thalu (Taro stem) Thoran

Old Fashioned Fruit Cake

Wishing all my friends a lovely Christmas...!!

Ingredients:
[The below ingredients are sufficient to create two 8"  cakes.]

To soak:

• Jam 2 Tbsp
• Dry fruits 650 g
• Orange juice ½ cup
• Granulated sugar 6 Tbsp
• Vanilla extract 1 Tbsp
• Rum / Brandy 5 Tbsp
• Lemon juice 1 Tbsp
• Powder of 1" stick cinnamon
• Grated nutmeg 1
• Powder of 12 cloves 

Mix everything together in a clean jar or container. If you plan to keep this mixture for more than a day, keep it refrigerated.

For the caramel:

• Granulated sugar 1½ cup
• Hot water ¾ cup

Put granulated sugar into a heavy bottomed pan and heat it in medium to high flame untill it reaches black in colour. At this point, switch off the flame and slowly pour the hot water little by little into the caramalised sugar. Keep it aside.

For the cake:

• Pwd sugar 300 g
• Unsalted butter 250 g
• Eggs 5 separated
• Granulated sugar 6 Tbsp
• All purpose flour 200g
• Baking pdr 1½ Tsp
• Cashew nuts 100 g
• Milk ¾ cup
• Rava 50 g

Grease and line the bottom of the two 8" inch cake pans with butter paper and keep it aside.

Beat the egg whites and 6 tbsp granulated sugar till it turns glossy and stiff. Cream the butter and powdered sugar till it becomes fluffy. Then add the egg yolks one by one and beat well after each addition. Put the soaked dry fruits and mix it. Then add the dry ingredients (flour, baking powder and rava) into it and mix well. Pour the milk and caramel syrup into this. Finally, fold in the beaten egg whites. Transfer this onto the greased cake pans.

Pre-heat the oven into 180° C. Bake it for 1 hr 45 mins. Baking time varies from oven to oven.

[Recipe courtesy: Ria's Collection]

Marble Cake

Ingredients:

• All purpose flour 1¼ cup
• Vanilla essence 2 Tsp
• Milk ½ cup + 2 Tsp
• Cocoa pdr 2 Tbsp
• Baking pdr 2 Tsp
• Butter 1/3 cup
• Salt ½ Tsp
• Sugar 1 cup
• Egg 2

Pre heat the oven at 180° C for 10 min. Sieve together flour, salt and baking powder twice and keep it aside. Beat sugar and butter till it becomes creamy.  Add egg one by one and beat well. Slowly add the flour into the egg and mix it. Pour milk and vanilla essence into this.  Mix cocoa pdr in a little milk and add into the ¼ portion of batter. Pour half of the vanilla mix into the greased pan. Over it pour spoonfuls of chocolate mix. Again, pour the vanilla mix over it. Then swirl it using a knife or fork. Bake it for 35 to 40 mins.

Red Goan Chicken

Ingredients:

• Veg oil 4 Tbsp
• Sliced onion 1 big
• Goan red spice paste  4 Tbsp
• Chicken 1½ lb
• Tomato 4 big
• Salt

Recipe for Goan red spice paste:

• Cloves 3
• Peppercorns 6
• Cumin seeds 1 Tsp
• Coriander seeds 1½ Tsp
• Fresh red chilly (de-seeded) 2
• White wine vinegar 1/3 cup
• Cinnamon 1½ inch piece
• Ground turmeric ¾ Tsp
• Tamarind paste 1 Tsp
• Ginger ½ in slice
• Garlic pods 9
• Sugar ¾ Tsp
• Salt ¾ Tsp

Grind all the ingredients into a fine paste and keep it aside. Heat oil in a kadai and saute the onion until it turns brown. Add the grounded spice paste into it and roast it well till it is void of the raw smell. Then add the chopped tomatoes and salt. Cover it and cook well. When the tomato becomes soft, remove the lid and cook it for another 5 to 6 mins or until it becomes dark in color. Then put the chicken pieces and saute it for a few mins. Pour 1 cup of water into it and boil it. Cover it and cook it in low flame for 20 to 25 mins. Uncover and saute the chicken in high flame until it turns thick and dark in color.

[Recipe courtesy: Anjum's New Indian, Anjum Anand]

Jam Cookies

Ingredients:

• Egg 1
• Butter  100 gm
• Vanilla essence 1 Tsp
• Powdered sugar ½ cup
• Granulated sugar 2 to 3 Tbsp
• Maida 1½  cup
• Jam as required

Beat the powdered sugar and butter together. Add the egg into it and mix well. Pour the vanilla essence into the mixture. Slowly add maida into it and knead it into a soft dough. Refrigerate it in the lower rack for 15 mins. Make lemon size balls of it and coat it in granulated sugar. Place them in a baking tray and bake it for 6 mins at 180° C. Take the cookies out and press the top of the cookie with your thumb. Again bake it for 8 to 10 mins. Allow it to cool and fill the top of the cookie with jam. 

[Recipe courtesy: Magic Oven, Lakshmi Nair]

One Bowl Vanilla Cake

Ingredients:

• Softened butter 100 gm
• Sugar 1¼ cup
• Egg 1
• All purpose flour 1¾ cup
• Vanilla custard pdr ½ cup
• Salt 1 Tsp
• Baking pdr 3½ Tsp
• Milk 1¼ cup
• Vanilla essence 1 Tsp

Beat sugar and butter till it becomes creamy and fluffy. Then add the egg and combine well. Add  rest of the ingredients one by one and whisk it into a smooth batter. Pour it into the cake pan and bake it for 45 mins at 180° C (it took 55 mins for me). Remove it from the pan and cool it.

[Recipe Courtesy: My Diverse Kitchen]