Vanilla Cake with nutmeg and lemon zest

Ingredients:

• All purpose flour 1 ¼ cup
• Vanilla essence 1 Tsp
• Nutmeg pdr 1 Tsp
• Lemon zest 1 Tsp
• Baking pdr 2 Tsp
• Butter 1/3 cup
• Salt 1/2 Tsp
• Sugar 1 cup
• Milk ½ cup
• Egg 2

Preheat the oven to 180 d C. Sieve flour, salt and baking pdr twice and keep it aside. Cream the butter and sugar well. Add eggs one by one into the butter and beat it. Slowly combine the flour with the above mixture using a wooden spoon and then pour milk and vanilla essence. Finally mix the fresh nutmeg pdr and lemon zest. Mix it and transfer it into the greased pan and bake it for 35 to 40 mins.

Muringakka Mezhukkupuratty

Ingredients:

• Drumstick 5
• Crushed onion 2 big
• Garlic 10 to 15 pods
• Turmeric pdr 1/2 Tsp
• Garam masala 1/2 Tsp
• Dry chilly 5 to 10
• Mustard seeds 
• Curry leaves
• Water
• Salt
• Oil

Scrape off the drumstick skin and cut into med pieces. Crush the garlic, onion and dry chilly together and keep it aside. Heat oil in a pan and put mustard seeds. When it splutters, add curry leaves, crushed garlic and onion. Saute it in med flame till it turns light brown. Then add crushed chilly, turmeric pdr, garam masala and salt. Saute it for a couple of mins and add the drumstick pieces. Combine well and sprinkle some water. Cover it and cook it. Remove the lid and stir it occasionally till it becomes dry.

[Recipe courtesy: Sheeba Shreenath]

Cinnamon Rolls

Ingredients:

• Milk  ½ cup milk
• Water ½ cup water
• Butter 2 Tbsp
• Salt ¾ Tsp
• All purpose flour 3 cups
• Yeast 2 ¼ Tsp
• Sugar ¼ cup
• Egg 1

For Filling:

• Butter 3 Tbsp
• Ground cinnamon ¾ Tsp
• Sugar 1/3 cup

For the frosting:

• Powdered sugar 1 cup
• Melted butter 1½ Tbsp
• Vanilla essence ¼ Tsp
• Milk 1½ Tbsp

Heat the milk, butter and water till it is warm. Combine the dry ingredients together and add egg into this. Pour the milk mixture into the flour and knead it into a sticky dough. Keep it aside for an hour or more till it doubles in size. Punch down the dough and roll it (onto a floured surface) into a rectangular shape. Mix together sugar and cinnamon pdr. Then spread the melted butter over the rolled dough using your fingers. Sprinkle the cinnamon sugar mix over it. Then roll the dough, from the longer side towards you. Pinch the ends and cut it into circles. Arrange it on a round or rectangle baking pan and keep it aside for 45 mins (till it doubles). Pre-heat the oven to 180°C and bake it for 20 to 25 mins. For the frosting, mix all the four ingredients well. Pour it over the cooled cinnamon rolls.

[Recipe courtesy: Ria's Collection]

Vazhuthananga (Brinjal) Thoran

Ingredients:

• Vazhuthananga 5
• Coconut 1.5 cup
• Turmeric pdr ½ Tsp
• Green chilly  2 to 4
• Shallots 3 to 5
• Curry leaves
• Mustard
• Water 
• Salt
• Oil

Cut the brinjals into small length wise pieces and put it in water. Crush coconut, shallots, green chilly and turmeric pdr.  Squeeze the brinjal well and put it into a manchatti (earthen pot) or any other vessel. Add the crushed coconut, few curry leaves and salt over it and press it with a spoon. Add little water and cook it in medium flame. Combine it slowly with a wooden spoon and keep it aside. Heat oil in a cheenachatti (wok) and splutter the mustard seeds followed by curry leaves and sliced shallots. Finally add the brinjal into it and  mix it slowly.

Chettinad Egg Curry

 

Ingredients:

• Shallots 6
• Garlic 5 pods
• Ginger 1 big piece
• Green chilly 1 and half
• Onion 1
• Tomato 2
• Boiled egg 4
• Butter 1 Tbsp
• Turmeric pdr a pinch
• Chilly pdr 1/2 Tsp
• Coriander pdr 2 Tsp
• Pepper pdr 1/2 Tsp
• Curry leaves pdr 1 Tsp
• Curry leaves 
• Mustard
• Dry chilly
• Saunf
• Water
• Salt
• Oil

Heat oil in a kadai and splutter the mustard seeds. Then add saunf, dry chilly and curry leaves. Put the crushed first four ingredients into it and saute well. Add the finely chopped onion and saute till it turns transluscent. Saute the chopped tomatoes with the onion. Reduce the heat and put chilly pdr, coriander pdr, turmeric pdr, pepper pdr, curry leaves pdr and salt into it. When the oil starts separating, add the sliced boiled eggs and slowly combine it with the masala. Pour 1.5 cups of water into the gravy and boil it for a few mins. Finally put butter into the curry and remove it from fire.

Recipe Courtesy: Home Cooked Indian Food

Fish Biriyani

Ingredients:

For rice:

• Biriyani Rice 4 cups
• Water 7½ cups
• Cinnamon 2 to 3 pieces
• Garam masala ½ Tsp
• Cardamom 3
• Ghee 2 Tbsp
• Clove 3
• Salt

For Fish Masala:

• Fish 1 kg
• Yoghurt 1 cup
• Ghee ¼ cup
• Onion 4 big
• Chilly 5 to 10
• Tomato 5 med
• Garlic 15 pods
• Ginger 1 big piece
• Lime juice of 2 lime
• Chilly pdr 1 Tsp
• Turmeric pdr ¾ Tsp
• Coriander pdr 1 Tsp
• Coriander leaves 1 cup

For Garnishing:

• Onion 1 med
• Raisins ¼ cup
• Cashews ¼ cup
• Coriander leaves

Soak the rice for 10 mins. Clean and drain the excess water. Saute the rice in ghee till it turns crisp and starts to crack. Boil water together with salt, little ghee, lime juice, whole spices. Pour this water into the rice and cook well. When it becomes void of moisture content, remove it from fire and keep it aside.

Clean and cut the fish into medium pieces. Marinate it with turmeric pdr and salt. Shallow fry it and keep it aside. Heat ghee in a kadai and add sliced onion, crushed chilly, garlic and ginger. Saute it till it turns light brown in colour. Then put turmeric, chilly and coriander pdr into it and saute well. Add chopped tomato and stir it for a few minutes. Reduce the heat and pour the yoghurt. Add fried fish and rqd amount of salt into it and cook well. Add grounded coriander leaves and lime juice. Mix it slowly and remove it from fire.

Fry the thinly sliced onion in ghee and keep it aside. Fry the cashews and raisins in the same ghee. Arrange fish masala and rice alternatively in a vessel and garnish the top layer with coriander leaves, fried onions, cashews and raisins. Cover it and cook it for 5 to 10 mins.