Christmas Rum cake!

Ingredients-
1 cup chopped dry fruits ( I have used Raisins, Dates,Almonds, cashews, Ginger,  Orange peel)
1/4 cup dark rum

1/2 teaspoon nutmeg powder
1/4 teaspoon clove powder

1/2 tsp cinnamon powder

Soak all the above ingredients in rum  for at least 24 hours. Stir them once in a while. Use a large jar, because the fruits more than double in size.

When you are set to bake your rum cake, get the following ingredients together.

1/2 cup butter

1/2 cup sugar
1 egg
1 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/8 teaspoon baking soda

1 tsp baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt

2 tbsps milk 

Directions-
Butter your bake pan pan and set aside.
In a large bowl, cream together butter and sugar until fluffy. Add the egg. Sift together the flour, baking soda, salt,  mix this into butter and sugar mix, alternate with milk and do it in 2-3 batches. 

Drain the rum from the fruits, roll the fruits in some flour to prevent sinking. Add to the batter.

Bake in preheated oven for 40 minutes. Cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then sprinkle with 2 tablespoons rum. Else the cake is rum-doused enough!! Enjoy :)

This is going to -
Srav's Holiday Baking

Ramya's Cakes for Christmas

and to Christmas Delicacy

Wish you all a Merry Christmas! :)

Fruit Custard with Split milk

Do you sometimes feel bad when the milk splits but not completely? If it splits completely, you can make various things out of it, but if it doesn't, then we fret over how so much milk has to go waste.

My MIL told me that my bhabhi makes custard when she is faced with such a situation. Today I decided to give it a try :-)

Ingredients-

1 cup fruits (I used one banana and half an avocado!)
1/2 litre Milk
Sugar
2 tbsp Custard Powder (I used Brown and Polson)

Method-
Bring milk to boil. Take 3 tbsp of milk from the boiled milk and cool it down a bit to add custard powder. Make a fine paste and keeping milk on low flame, add custard paste, stirring continuously so that no lumps are formed. Turn off flame once desired consistency is achieved. Add sugar and mix well to dissolve it. 

Leave it to cool.

Just before serving, add fruits. If you like it chilled, then you should refrigerate it after adding fruits. 

Tomato and Avocado salsa

Ingredients-

1 1/2 cups chopped tomatoes
1 avocado chopped
1 onion, chopped small
juice from 1 fresh lemon
Salt and pepper to taste

can also add- 1/2 cup chopped coriander

Method-

In a bowl, gently combine all the ingredients, add salt and pepper to taste. Combine well.

Salsa is ready!!

Serve with anything! I usually serve with Pasta or sandwiches.

This is going to Let's cook for Christmas - Red and Green event  at Nayna's blog-

Veggie/Fruit of the Month-Cucumber

Ambrosia is hosting Veggie/Fruit of the Month. This series has been started in 2010 by Priya of Mharo Rajasthan's Recipes. Thanks Priya for this wonderful opportunity. Psst- the secret is this has come to me as a surprise, and a big one too! :-)

For Dec, the fruit is Cucumber. 

Yes, Cucumber is a fruit!! Here are some facts about the fruit, source- Wiki-

• Cucumbers originated in India !!
• The cucumber (Cucumis sativus) is a widely cultivated plant in the gourd family Cucurbitaceae, which includes squash and melons. The plant is a creeping vine which bears cylindrical edible fruit when ripe. There are three main varieties of cucumber: "slicing", "pickling", and "burpless". 
• Having an enclosed seed and developing from a flower, botanically speaking, cucumbers are classified as fruits. However, much like tomatoes and squash they are often perceived, prepared and eaten as vegetables. 
• Cucumbers are usually more than 90% water.

Choosing cucumbers- Choose the cucumbers that are displayed in refrigerated cases, because they are sensitive to heat.

They should be firm to touch. Avoid cucumbers that are yellow, puffy and wrinkled at their tips.


Nutritional Profile- Cucumbers provide us with a variety of health-supportive phytonutrients like  flavonoids, lignans and triterpenes. Cucumbers are an excellent source of vitamin K, molybdenum, vitamin C, potassium,
magnesium, manganese, and vitamin B5. They also contain the important nail health-promoting mineral silica!


Cucumber for Beauty!!
Cucumber reduces dark circles and swelling around the eyes. After a long day's work, Cucumber eye pads
can be very very relaxing! Cucumber mixed with mint is a very good face pack.
Cucumber paste helps reduce blemishes too. Cucumber and the skin share the same level of hydrogen, it helps in relaxing the skin.

The regular intake of cucumber juice is very useful both internally and externally.

So cucumber that has so many benefits, should definitely feature in our kitchen! Let's go now to to the rules of the event-

• The dish can be anything -muffins, rice dishes, fired, chutneys or juice but with cucumber as main ingredient.
• The dish can be any course of the meal. (starters / main dish / beverage etc)
• The recipe can be veg or non veg, eggs are allowed in baking.
• The recipes have to be new and no archived entries are allowed!
• Post the recipe in your blog from  14 Dec 2011 to 15 Jan 2012. Multiple entries are welcome!
• Link the recipe post to this announcement page and Priya's announcement page .
• Include the logo as it is manadatory and it helps spread the word.

Use the link tool below to link your recipe.
In case you are not able to link-

Please send in your entries to richapriyanka [at] gmail.com with "Veggie/Fruit of the Month - Cucumber" in the subject line with you rname, blog url and Recipe name and Url.
Non bloggers can send in your recipe details along with the picture to the above email and I will post your recipe in your blog.

Shall we get to cooking then? :-)

Wait!! You can win yourself a cookbook from Infibeam.com upto Rs 500! This is a sponsor-free giveaway, and my way of saying thankyou to all you lovely people participating in this event.

Giveaway guidelines-

• Participate in the event as per the rules and leave me a comment on this post.
• This is valid only for bloggers in India!
• Follow me on Blogger and tweet about my giveaway!! append with #ambrotos 

I eagerly await your entries!! Begin linking now!!

Apple Banana Muffins

Ingredients-

1.5 cups flour (I used WW)
3 tablespoons sugar (I used sugar syrup- the ones you have left over from canned gulab jamuns!!)

1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 egg
1/3 cup milk
1 tablespoon oil
1/2 cup finely chopped / grated apple
1/4 cup mashed ripe banana (I had a really really ripe, large banana)

Method-

Sift all the dry ingredients. In another bowl, beat the egg, milk and oil. Stir into dry ingredients just until moistened. Do not over mix, it dries your muffins. Fold in apple and banana.

Bake at 180 degrees for 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool for 5 minutes before serving.

Mine got over even before I could click pics!! This is all I had left!! They tasted good next morning too :-)

I am sending this to  CC- Holiday Baking

and to Christmas Delicacy

Apples and Pears baked together in the microwave

Ingredients

2 pears sliced
2 apples sliced
4 tablespoons honey
3 tablespoons melted butter
1 tsp powdered nutmeg

Method-
In a micro-safe dish, add the sliced apples and pears. Add the melted butter, honey and nutmeg. Mix well to combine. In the microwave, cook for5-8 mins or until tender. At 180 degrees, bake for 10-12 mins till the slices turn a little brown. (When it cooks in the micro or oven, don't forget to baste with released juices and also do this just before serving)

Mango halwa

I have lots of mangoes everyday from my neighbour's tree whose branches hang over our fence. That evening, I created magic with sooji and mangoes!

Here's my recipe-
2 cups mango pulp (can be blended, I didn't need to, since the mangoes fall and blend themselves!)
1/2 cup semolina / sooji / rava
1/4 cup sugar
2 tbsps ghee
1 cup water
Optional for garnish- roasted cashews, raisins etc.

Heat a wok, add semolina and roast without the ghee. The semolina roasts evenly like this. If you add ghee before adding the sooji, it sticks together and does not brown uniformly. Once it changes color, remove on a plate.
Heat the water in a deep pan and add the sugar to it. Cook for a couple of mins till it gets a thicker consistency. To this syrup, add the semolina and the mango pulp. Mix well. Keep on stirring in between till it is done. Takes aboout 8-10 mins or more. Add the ghee and mix well to combine. Add the garnish on top and serve warm or cold.

Sending this to Mango recipes event hosted by Dr. Sameena.

Eggless mango bread

Inspired from Delhi Belle's Eggless Mango bread, my recipe is a bit different-

Ingredients-

1.5 cups Whole wheat flour

1/2 cup rice flour

2 tbsps sugar

2 1/2 cups fresh mango pulp coarsely done (I used Sindhuri mangoes available around this time in Blr)
2 tbsp oil
1 tsp baking powder
0.8 tsp baking soda
A pinch of salt
2 tbsp flax meal
1 cardamom powdered (I was in half a mind to skip it, because I totally hate them, but it added a lovely twist to the taste!)

(I added 1 very very ripe mashed banana too)

Directions-

Sift the WW flour, rice flour, baking powder, soda, salt together. Keep aside. 

In a bowl, mix together- Oil, Pulp, flax meal, sugar and cardamom powder.

Mix the wet and dry ingredients, combine well. 

Bake in a greased loaf dish, for around 40 mins at 180 deg or till a knife inserted in the center comes out clean.

Mine turned out denser than Delhi Belle's because I used WW Flour, but the aroma of this bread baking in my oven was matchless! And so was the taste!!

Khatta meetha aam ka achaar / Mango pickle

This is called Gudamma in Bihari cuisine. It is aam (mango) preserved in Gud syrup (Jaggery)
We have recently moved to a ground floor apartment in Koramangala 3 Block. There is a mango tree in the neighbouring house, and whenever it gets windy, some mangoes fall in our area too. (It is a different thing that whenever they fall on the tin shed in the neighbouring house, you feel as if someone has bombed them! (Another of India / US most wanted terrorists is our neighbour, with 5 wives or what!)

I never bothered about the mangoes, until one day, Selvi, Yashi's nanny brought them from outside and said I could use them up. Then I decided to try the gudamma thing.

I have tried to make a healthy and less time-taking version of the gudamma. My recipe-

3 raw mangoes
1/2 cup water

I did not peel the mangoes. Their peels have antioxidant properties and also adds to dietary fiber. Read here
Remove the stone, cut them up into small pieces. Add the water and cook them in a microsafe dish for 6-8 mins on full power.

1 tsp oil
1 tsp panch phoran
1-2 split red chillies
1 tsp haldi / turmeric
1/4 cup jaggery or sugar (increase quantity to taste)

In a wok, add 1 tsp oil, add split red chillies (I skipped this), add the panch phoran, add the turmeric and the cooked mango mix along with jaggery. Cook on sim for a few mins till the mixture thickens. Store in a container. Serve with parathas / rice dal / anything you like. Will stay in the fridge for a couple of days.

mango custard with semiyan

The Fun N Sun event has been announced by Tickling palettes for her Blog's 3rd birthday! Check out her blog here. Look at the lovely logo for the event Fun N Sun!

I am sending my entry Mango with Semiyan (Now writing that reminds me of Delhi!! haha)

Ingredients-

1 bowl custard semiyan
As posted earlier here- Custard Sewiyan
I have made it with vanilla flavored custard.

Pulp of one mango either blended or crushed with a potato masher

Recipe-
Cool the custard, keep it refrigerated till serving. After you have blended the mango, store it till serving in the fridge too.
Mix them well before serving. Adjust sugar if mango is not too sweet. Serve chilled as dessert or morning breakfast with muesli or evening snack too!

Mango Shrikhand for Yashi

Yashi did not like curd too much when it was first introduced to her. Then one day I set curd using cow's milk (this is the one she drinks). She really liked it! Mangoes have started coming in, the first ones in Bangalore are usually Raspuri and Badami. I got a couple of mangoes and used them to make mango shrikhand for her. This she doubly enjoyed :)

My recipe-

1 large bowl set curd (can use full cream milk)
1/4 Cup mango pulp (I used crushed fresh pulp, you can blend it too, I didn't)
2 tbsp sugar
1/2 tsp Cardamom powder  (I skipped this, I don't like cardamom)

Directions-
Take a muslin cloth and hang for an hour or so. Transfer the curd into a bowl. Add sugar and mix, leave for some time. Add mango pulp (and cardamom powder). Chill before serving or enjoy JLT!

This is my entry for Healing Foods-Mango. (Just on time to post it!) Also check Siri's announcement page .

Pineapple Sambar

Ingredients-

1/2 cup toor dal
1 onion chopped
1 tsp ginger garlic paste

1 tsp grated coconut

1/2 cup chopped pineapple

1 tsp sambar powder

1 tsp turmeric

salt to taste

1/2 cup water

(Boil these together)

1 tsp coriander leaves- chopped

1/2 cup tamarind water extracted from a smaller than lemon sized ball of tamarind
mustard seeds and curry leaves for tempering
1 tsp oil


Directions-
Clean and wash dal, add in pressure cooker along with-water, onion, ginger garlic paste, coconut, pineapple, turmeric, sambar powder and salt.
Pressure cook for one whistle and simmer for 2 mins. Turn off flame and let cool. Add tamarind water and boil , add chopped coriander, simmer. In a tadka pan, heat oil, add mustard seeds and curry leaves and pour over simmered sambar. Stir and turn off flame. Cover and let stand for a couple of mins before serving.

I used mixed dal. I used juice of half a lemon cos Niket is allergic to tamarind. I skipped tempering, cos I was using it for Yashi, my 7mo baby.

The sweet sour taste of pinepple and lemon was very good :) Should serve with spicy chutney if serving with idlis. It is good as soup as well!

This is going to Fruit / veggie a month- Pineapple

guest-hosting-veggiefruit-month-event on Rupali's blog, linking my post to Priya of Mharo Rajasthan

This is also going to Cooking with whole foods

Linking to announcement page at Suma's blog and Kiran's announcement page

Fruit bowl

A bowl of fruits with cold milk is very refreshing on a hot afternoon, when you are alone and do not feel like making anything for lunch  :)

Ingredients-
1 tbsp honey / sugar
1/4 cup grapes sliced or whole
1 banana sliced
1 musk melon cubed
1 apple cubed

Directions-
Mix all the fruits and honey in a bowl. Add cold milk and mix to combine. Garnish with whatever you like and relish!

Variations:
Can use some raisins, walnuts for garnish
Can add any other seasonal fruits (strawberries, peaches etc)

Can use some crushed Marie biscuits or muesli 

You can also use cream / whipped cream

Papaya in caramelised sugar syrup

There are times when you have a papaya that's not fully ripe. You can't eat it raw, and neither can you cook it,  it will be sweet to taste.

I found a recipe for Lechosa, or Candied papaya which is a Puerto Rican / Caribbean desert. It is a very good alternative to a baked dessert and tastes awesome! I altered the recipe I had found to suit my ease and taste (It used way too much sugar!)

Ingredients-

1 whole papaya, peeled,deseeded and cut into 1" slices
1 cup warm water
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 cup sugar
1" cinnamon stick

Directions-
In a large non-reactive bowl, dissolve the baking powder in the water and soak the papaya in this water for 15 mins or so. This helps in tenderizing the papaya. Rinse and wash the papaya. In a wok, add the papaya and the sugar and the cinnamon stick. Cover and simmer flame. Stir occasionally. The papaya will leave its own water and cook with the sugar.  Let the syrup thicken or caramelise. I let it caramelise (I used a non-stick pan). Take off the flame and let stand for 5-10 mins before serving.