PINEAPPLE CHERRY UP SIDE DOWN CAKE

This cake is one of my daughter's favorite cakes. Why only kids, elders alike would love this pineapple cake too.

INGREDIENTS

Pineapple rings-6 pieces

Glazed cherries-as per requirement

Refined flour-100 gm

Baking powder-1 tsp

Baking soda-1/4 tsp

Soft butter-100 gm

Castor sugar-100 gm

Eggs-2

Pineapple juice-4 tbsp 

Vanilla essence- 1 tbsp

For Greasing Baking mould:

Sugar- 2 tbsp

Butter-1 tbsp

METHOD

Take a large bowl, and add butter and sugar to form a smooth creamy mixture out of it. Add one-by-one 2 eggs and beat properly followed by vanilla essence. In another bowl, mix all the dry ingredients first. Now its time to mix both the wet and the dry ingredients together to form a nice batter. Add the pineapple juice to it to get the desired consistency. Now grease the baking mould using butter and sprinkle sugar onto it. Nicely arrange the pineapple rings and the cherries in between. Now pour the batter and bake it at 200 deg C in pre-heated oven for about 35 mins.

Calzone

Hello friends, I am back again. It is been a long time to share any of my recipe with all of you. Though I was unable to pen down my recipes, but neither my passion for cooking died nor did I stop cooking. So on my come-back, I wanted to share a lovely recipe of Calzone (of course my own discovered stuffing) with all of you. Originally, a calzone is an Italian filled oven bread, originating in Naples,and it is shaped as a folded pizza. It resembles a half-moon and is made of salted bread dough. A typical calzone is baked in oven and stuffed with salami or ham, mozzarella, ricotta and Parmesan or pecorino cheese, amalgamated with an egg. Its regional variations include other ingredients that are normally associated with pizza toppings. Calzones of smaller dimension can also be fried in olive oil. 

INGREDIENTS:

For the Calzone dough

Refined flour-2.5 cups

Dried yeast-8 gms or 2 teaspoon

Olive oil-2.5 tsp

Warm water (105-115 deg hot)-1/4 cup

Salt-1/2 tsp

Sugar-1 tsp 

For Egg wash: 1 egg+ 1 tbsp water+ pinch of dried herbs+ salt+ little olive oil

For the stuffing

Onion-1 small choppped

Garlic-2 tsp small chopped

Grated cheese-1/2 cup

Mushroom-1/2 cup

Chicken sausage-2 boiled and cut into small pieces

Boiled sweet corn-1/2 cup

Olive oil-1.5 tsp

Add the dried yeast in the hot water along with salt and the sugar. Let it rest for 5 mins. Stir it and mix it with the dough and knead the dough using little water and the olive oil. Cover it and let the dough ferment for 2-3 hrs. By that time get the stuffing ready. Divide the dough into 9 (or as much you want) equal portions. And roll out the dough, put the stuffing inside and seal it. Give impression at the edges of the calzone using a fork. Pre-heat oven at 220 deg C and bake it for 40 mins at 190 deg C or till it becomes brown. Give an egg wash on the upper side of the calzone before baking. After 20 mins, turn the calzone and give egg wash again on the other side. Bake again for another 20 mins. Serve hot with any sauce of your choice.

PRAWN KHARA MASALA

This is a recipe that has the flavor of some dry roasted and grounded Indian spices. Here, I have used 'tiger prawns' but it can be made with any kind of prawns. Though the taste would vary with the size of the prawns. This needs very less ingredients as well as time to cook. Let's check out the recipe.

INGREDIENTS

Tiger Prawns-5-6 (De-veined and washed)

Chopped onion-1 medium

Finely chopped Ginger garlic- 1tsp

Sliced tomato-1

Coriander powder-1 tsp

Green chilli-1

Kasuri meethi (Dried fenugreek leaf)-1 tbsp

Coriander leaf-1/2 bunch

Dry roasted and grounded spice powder-(cinnamon, cloves, cardamon, peppercorn, coriander seeds, fennel seeds, cumin seeds, dry red chilli)
Mustard oil/ Refined oil

METHOD

Wash the prawns properly and smear salt and turmeric. In a wok, take mustard oil and fry the prawns and keep aside. Prawns should not be over-fried because then it becomes rubbery. In the same oil in which prawns have been fried, add chopped ginger garlic followed by sliced onion. Fry well. Then put green chilli, chopped tomato, kasuri meethi and coriander powder. Add little water also to avoid the spices from been burnt. Add the dry roasted masala also. Now add the fried prawns. Mix well. Add little water for gravy.

EGG SQUARE SURPRISE

Well, unable to think any name other than this. In this preparation, one of the main ingredients is of course egg, but it also has a surprise mix of boiled and mashed split bengal gram paste. Though it looks like squares made out of eggs but when one eats this, gets that surprise in taste.

INGREDIENTS

For the Egg Square batter:

Egg-4

Parboiled Chana dal (Split Bengal gram) paste-1/2 cup

Chopped onion-1 medium

Chopped Coriander leaf- 1/2 bunch

Salt and sugar as per taste

Green chilli-2

Grated ginger-1 tsp

For the gravy:

Cumin seeds-1 tsp

Dry red chilli-1

Onion paste and chopped-1 large 

Ginger paste- 1tsp

Tomato puree-1 cup

Cumin powder-1 tsp

Asafoetida (Hing)- 1 pinch

Turmeric powder-1 tsp

Garam Masala- bayleaf, cinnamon, cloves, cardamon

Refined oil

METHOD

Mix all the batter ingredients together mentioned above and fry it with oil by spreading the batter on a pan like a big omelette. After frying this, cut small square pieces out of it and keep aside. Now for the gravy, take oil in a pan, put cumin seeds, dry red chilli, pinch of Asafoetida and whole garam masala as tempering. Then put the chopped onion first followed by the onion and ginger paste. Add little sugar and salt, cumin powder, turmeric powder and fry the masala little. Add tomato puree, after frying for a while, add water required for the gravy. Now when the gravy starts boiling, add the above egg square pieces. Cover cook for a while. Serve hot with steamed rice or chapati.

HYDERABADI MIXED VEGETABLE CURRY

There are number of ways to make a mixed vegetable curry. All over the world different recipes are made with different combinations of vegetable. In India itself, there are so many ways to make mixed veg curry. I have already shared the Bengali way of cooking mixed veg curry. Today I am sharing the hyderabadi style.

INGREDIENTS

Blanched (except brinjal) mixed vegetable (like beans, carrot, cauliflower, green peas, potatoes, brinjal)-2 cups

Chopped onion-1 large

Ginger garlic paste-2 tsp

Tomato puree-1 cup

Cumin seeds-1 tsp

Garam masala whole- bayleaf, cinnamon, cardamom, cloves

Beaten curd-2 tbsp

Turmeric-1 tsp

Red chilli powder-1 tsp

Any curry powder-1 1/2 tsp

Chopped coriander-1/2 cup

METHOD

Take oil in a wok, and put the cumin seeds, the garam masala and the bayleaf as tempering. Fry for few second. Then put the chopped onion, followed by ginger garlic paste. After frying the masala a little while, add the vegetables (fry the brinjal separately, smearing salt, turmeric and sugar) and fry well. Then add turmeric powder, red chilli powder, tomato puree and the curry powder. Add the seasonings as well. Now when the vegetables are nicely done, add the beaten curd. Put little water and lid-cook for sometimes. Sprinkle chopped coriander and serve hot with roti or parantha.

CHICKEN SPRING ONION

INGREDIENTS

Chicken-750 gm

Mustard seeds-1 tsp

Chopped onion-3

Chopped tomato-1

Tomato puree-1 cup

Cumin powder-2 tsp

Ginger garlic paste-2 tsp

Red chilli powder-1 tsp

Turmeric powder-1 tsp

Mustard oil- 1 tsp

Salt and sugar as per taste

Spring onion-1 bunch  

Refined oil for cooking

METHOD

Marinate chicken pieces with lemon juice and little salt, and keep aside for 20 mins. Then discard the juices that the marinated chicken leaves. Now add ginger garlic paste, red chilli powder, mustard oil and cumin powder. Keep it aside for 20 mins. more. Take refined oil in a pan, put mustard seeds. Once the mustard seeds start spluttering, add chopped onion, and fry well adding little sugar, salt and red chilli powder. Then add the marinated chicken. Cook till the chicken becomes white in color. Now add chopped tomato and the tomato puree as well. Fry well and add adequate amount of water. Lid-cook for sometime. Put lots of chopped spring onion. Mix well and cook for few more minutes. Serve hot with roti or any tempered rice.

DRY VEGETABLE MANCHURIAN

INGREDIENTS

Grated Cabbage-2 cups

Grated Carrot-1 cup

Chopped Capsicum- 1/2

Chopped Onion-1

Chopped Garlic-2 tsp

Ginger paste-1 tsp

Salt and sugar as per taste

Pepper powder-1 tsp

Chopped green chilli-1 tsp

Red chilli powder-1/2 tsp

Cornflour-1 tbsp

Refined flour-2 tbsp

For Sauce:

Chopped ginger-1 tsp

Chopped garlic-1 tsp

Chopped onion-1 tbsp

Vinegar-1 tsp

Chopped Green chilli-1 tsp

Soya sauce-1 tsp

Green chilli sauce-1 tsp

Tomato sauce-2 tsp

Salt and sugar as per taste

Chopped spring onion-1 tbsp

Sesame/ Refined oil as per requirement

METHOD

Smear little salt to the grated cabbage and keep aside for 1/2 hr. Then take out the cabbage in other bowl, squeezing all the water, and then mix all other ingredients together to make medium sized balls. Deep fry the balls and keep aside. Now make the sauce in another pan. Take little oil, put the chopped ginger followed by the garlic, and fry well for sometime. Add onion and green chilli. Then, go on adding, soya sauce, green chilli sauce, vinegar and tomato sauce to complete the gravy. Add seasonings according to the taste. Now put the balls in the sauce and cover it with a lid. Lid- cook for 2 minutes. Sprinkle chopped spring onion or coriander leaves.