Egg Free Date and Walnut Cake

Its been a small hiatus from the blogging world. I've been busy as a cat on a hot tin roof. Baby A has been on a cold, cough and teething spree that seems endless, have had many a sleepless night and if thats not enough, we've had to deal with "Seperation anxiety".

When Baby A was more of a baby between 6-12 months of age, he was the most social bee in town. Smiling at Uncle Tom weeding his garden, or Aunty Molly sipping tea next door, or crawling behind little Johnny who he just met in a shop, or grabbing little Susie's hair in church, most happy to leave mommy and play with anyone who would give him a smile........hmmm.....

Fast forward to the present, at 15 months Baby A will not let mommy out of his sight without breaking into a cry. Be it a short trip to the kitchen to grab him a plate of food or the more urgent calls of nature. Ive got to be in Baby A's range of surveillance. Some call it "Seperation Anxiety"....I call it "Mommy Entrapment", should I be enjoying all the attention ?? maybe I should.....who knows??.... come adolescence, it might be me suffering from Seperation Anxiety... hahaha!

Oh well, coming to todays recipe, is a much loved and in demand recipe for an Eggless and Butter free Date cake especially for the health conscious . This cake is not only tasty and easy to make, it is a good vegan option and is filled with dates that are rich in iron, Vitamin A and B. I made this cake for my MIL soon after getting married, she usually doesnt eat much cake but this one she shared with none, she absolutely loved it :) On our trip to the US last year, she asked me to bake it for her again, saying that it was the best she has ever  eaten........hmmm......swelling with pride and joy.....let me share the recipe with you.....

Original Recipe Source: here

My Adapted version:( I found the original recipe a bit too sweet so toned it down to suit me)

Ingredients:
Dates: 18 nos

Milk: 3/4 cup
Sugar: 1/2 cup
All purpose flour or maida: 1 cup  

Sunflower oil: 1/2 cup
Baking soda: 1 tsp
Walnuts: 5-6 whole chopped. a few to decorate.

Method:
1. Soak the whole dates in warm milk overnight in a covered vessel. Remove the seeds. Add sugar and grind them to a smooth paste along with the milk in which it is soaked in. Add oil and mix. 

Note: If using seedless dates heat milk and dates for few minutes on a stove top or nuke in a microwave to soften them.  

2. Preheat the oven to 350F/ 180C. Lightly dust a 23 cms round baking tin, or line a regular tin with baking paper ( I used lighlty greased foil as I ran out of BP). Keep aside.

3. Sieve together flour and baking soda. Fold in the flour one table spoon at a time into the dates mixture. Lastly add the nuts and gently mix.

4. Pour the cake batter into the baking tin, level the mixture.

5. Place on a rack in the centre of oven and bake at 180C/ 350F for 35-40min (or till a wooden toothpick inserted into the centre of the cake comes out clean, or cake leaves the side of the tin). You will know when the cake is done as the aroma of the baked dates and walnuts will waft through your home and get all those tummies rumbling.

Let the cake cool down completely before slicing. Enjoy on its own or with a scoop of your favourite vanilla icecream . Store the remaining cake in an airtight box. Make sure you double or triple the quantity to share the love........:)

Enjoy :)

Jegujje Sukke/ Deeviso Sukke or Breadfruit in a Dry Style with Coconut

This is one of my favourite vegetables. 


Breadfruit when cooked, its flesh is soft, sweet and melt in the mouth. Mangaloreans have numerous recipes to enjoy this tasty vegetable. Some add it to meat curries instead of potatoes, some enjoy it as a dry vegetable/ sukke with a generous sprinkling of freshly grated coconut and others relish fried thin slivers of the vegetable either spice coated with the Mangalore chilli paste/ or batter coated (pakodas/ podis) as a snack. 


Breadfruit/ Jegguje is pretty hard to comeby outside Mangalore, but is now widely stocked in most Mangalore Stores. 


Breadfruit (Artocarpus altilis) is a species of flowering tree in the mulberry family, growing throughout Southeast Asia and most Pacific Ocean islands. It is called breadfruit because the texture of the cooked fruit has a potato-like flavor, similar to freshly baked bread. Breadfruit is a staple food in many tropical regions. They were propagated far outside their native range by Polynesian voyagers who transported root cuttings and air-layered plants over long ocean distances. 

                                                                                                          Image Source:Wiki

Nutritionally, breadfruit flesh is an excellent staple, rich in proteins and with a range of amino acids.

This is my moms recipe for Jegguje sukke or Breadfruit cooked in dry style with coconut. We kids grew up eating this lovely dish.

To make Jegguje Sukke you will need:
Ingredients:
Breadfruit: 1 no
Onion: 1 finely chopped.
Tomato: 1 finely chopped
Green chillies: 2 slit
Salt to taste.


For seasoning:
Cumin seeds: 1 tsp
Naked Urad dal: 1/4 tsp
Curry leaves: 1 sprig
Asoefitida/ Hing: 2 pinches.
Oil: 2-3 tsps


Sprinkling:
Freshly grated Coconut: 1 small handful


Method:
1. Peel the bread fruit and remove the fibrous part in centre. Slice them into ½ cm thickness. Then cut them across to make bitesize triangles. Keep them immersed in water till required.
2. In a kadai heat oil, add the urad dal, cumin seeds and fry till fragnant, add hing and curry leaves, fry for a couple of seconds before adding the slit green chillies and chopped onions. Fry onions for 4-5 minutes till soft. Add the chopped tomatoes and salt to taste and fry till tomatoes are soft ( 4-5 mins on a medium flame). 
3. Add a cup of water to the kadai and close the lid. Allow the mixture to cook for five minutes and come to a boil. Then add the cut breadfruit pieces. Give a good stir. Cook till soft/ done. Add the freshly grated coconut, give a good stir, check for salt, take off the fire. 


Serve with steaming hot rice, lentil soup/ daaliso saar and a piece of mangalore style fried fish on the side. 


Enjoy.

Mangalorean Pothrade/ Pathrade/ Steamed Spicy Rice and Colocossia leaves Cake

I never really appreciated these flavourful and lightly spiced nutrient packed, steamed rice cakes in my younger days. Now that I live across the seas with thousands of miles that seperate me from my dear mum who used to painstakingly prepare these rice cakes from scratch and serve them drenched in a delicious coconut curry of chicken/ mutton or prawns, makes this dish all the more desirable. 


On my last trip home I was determined to learn how to make mums special Pothrade's and  Curry. Mum hunted about for these Allu leaves which are really hard to come by, and then finally managed to get a few leaves through our friendly neighbour. I watched as mum ground the batter for these cakes, then added the cleaned shredded Allu/ Collocassia leaves to it, shaped the batter in banana leaves, and then steamed them in traditional steamer called thondoor till done.


As a tip make a bigger batch of these cakes when you have the day off... bung the extra pieces in a freezer bag and then forget about them in your freezer. On a rainy day when those cravings strike ...you simply let them defrost drop them into your favourite Pathrode coconut curry and watch the flavours come alive!!

Allu /Collocassia leaves :15  (or substitiute with palak leaves, methi/ fenugreek leaves/ drumstick leaves/ tender cabbage leaves)
Boiled rice: 3/4 kg
Kashmiri/ Bedgi red chillies: 8-9 
Cummin seeds: 1.5 tsps
Coriander seeds: 1 tbsp
Turmeric powder: 1/2 tsp 
Salt to taste.

Method:

1. Wash the rice well and soak  it water for a couple of hours.

2. Wash the leaves, dry and then roll the leaves into a cigar shape and cut into fine shreds.

3. Grind the rice, chillies, cumin seeds, coriander seeds and turmeric to a smooth and fine dough.

4. Mix the shredded leaves with the dough well.

5. Place the dough in banana leaves ( baking paper)  and roll to form cylinders/ rolls.  Place in the centre of a hot thondoor/ steamer and steam on a high flame for 20-25 minutes or till done.

Serving: 

Pathrode Curry: Cut the pothrade into 1/2 inch slices and serve in curry of chicken, mutton or prawn.

Fried Pathrode: thin slices of pathrode shallow fried crisp either naked or with a smearing of the Mangalore meet mirsang paste.

For a delicious Pothrade Curry Recipe go here

Have a lovely weekend.....

Mangalorean Pothrade Curry/ Pathrade Curry

To make this traditional Mangalorean spicy coconut curry ( for chicken/mutton/ prawns) you will need:


Ingredients:
Pathrades/Pothrade: 2 cylinders cut into 1.5 inch pieces. I prefer the pathrade to be less chunkier.
Tender Chicken/ Mutton:  : 1 kg
Large Prawns: 1/2 -3/4 kg


For Grinding: 

Roast seperately

Kashmiri/ Bedagi red chillies : 8-9  

Peppercorns:  6 
Turmeric: 1/4 tsp
Cumin seeds:  2 heaped tsps 
Coriander seeds: 2 tbsp
Whole  mustard:  1 tsp 
Grated coconut:  1/2 cup 

Add to the above roasted spices before grinding:

Tamarind: marble size 

thin coconut milk or water to make a spice paste.

To make the gravy you will need:

Onion: 1 large sliced

Coconut milk : 1 can ( keep 1 cup of thick milk, remaining milk dilute to make 2-3 cups of thin milk)

Salt to taste.

For seasoning: 

1 large onions roughly sliced

Ghee/oil: 2 tbsps


Method for Chicken Curry:
1. In a large vessel, heat some oil and then fry1 sliced onion till it turns brown( 7-8 mins on a medium flame), then add the deskinned, cleaned and cut chicken pieces to it and fry well till the chicken turns lightly brown.
2. Add the ground masala with the masala water (1/2 Cup), 2 or more cups of thin coconut milk to get a good dipping consisitency, salt and bring to a boil. Cover. Let the chicken cook till almost done. Then add the cut pothrade pieces and gently simmer covered for 10-12 minutes.  Lastly add the thick coconut milk, check for salt, bring to a gentle boil. Take off the fire. 
4. Seasoning: In  a pan fry the thinly sliced onion in some ghee/ oil and when it turns golden brown add it to the gravy. 
Enjoy!


Method for Mutton Curry:
1. Cut meat into medium size pieces and cooked with 1 tomato, 1/2 a sliced onion, 1 tsp ginger garlic paste and  a little salt, 1.5 cups of water in a pressure cooker till done.
2. In a large vessel, heat some oil and then fry1 sliced onion till it turns brown( 7-8 mins on a medium flame), add the cooked meat with all the stock, add the ground masala with the masala water (1/2 Cup), 2 cups thin coconut milk as required to make a gravy of dipping consisitency, bring to a boil.

3.  Add the cut pothrade pieces. Gently simmer covered for 15 minutes. Lastly add the thick coconut milk, check for salt and sourness add tamarind extract if required, bring to a gentle boil Then take off the fire.

4. Seasoning: In  a pan fry the thinly sliced onion in some ghee/ oil and when it turns golden brown add it to the gravy. 


Method for Prawn Curry:
1. 1. In a large vessel, heat some oil and then fry1 sliced onion till it turns brown( 7-8 mins on a medium flame).
2. Add the ground masala with the masala water (1/2 Cup), 2 or more cups of thin coconut milk to get a good dipping consisitency, salt and bring to a boil. Add the cut pothrade pieces and gently simmer covered for 10-12 minutes.  
3. Add the cleaned prawns and let it cook for 3-4 minutes till they turn a shade pink or white.

4. Lastly add the thick coconut milk, check for salt and sourness add tamarind extract if required, bring to a gentle boil Then take off the fire.

5. Seasoning: In  a pan fry the thinly sliced onion in some ghee/ oil and when it turns golden brown add it to the gravy. 

For A Delicious Pothrade recipe go here.

Jamaican Grilled Jerk Chicken

I love Caribbean cuisine and whenever we get a chance, we visit "Yeahman" our favourite family run Caribbean joint in Bournemouth to have some delicious Jerk Chicken or Goat curry served along with a satisfying kidney bean rice and salsa.

I have tried many versions of the jerk chicken and this grilled version I find simple and irresistible. It is herby, spicy, tangy and delicious. A favourite for barbeques. You could use the jerk seasoning available in most large supermarkets or you could use this simple recipe to make your own jerk seasoning. I add a few more ingredients to spice up the jerk seasoning and let the chicken soak in this lovely marinade for a few hours before baking/ barbecuing.

To make my version of the Grilled Jamaican Jerk Chicken you require:

Ingredients:
Chicken : 1kg with skin
Jerk Seasoning (Commercial) or to make your own jamaican jerk seasoning: 2 tbsp
Peri Peri /Red Chilli Sauce: 2 tsps

Dried thyme leaves: 1 tsp
Sugar: 2 pinches
Lemon Juice: to taste
Salt to taste
Any cooking oil to make a paste


For Garnish: optional
Lemon juice: 1/2 lemon
Jerk seasoning: 1/2 tsp

Method:
1. Make deep slits all along the chicken. Pat the skin dry.
2. Put all the ingredients for the marinade in a bowl. Mix well and make a paste using oil. Check for salt and sourness and adjust accordingly.
3. Apply marinade all over the chicken, make sure the marinade seeps through the slits well. Apply the marinade inside the cavity as well. Keep aside for atleast 3-4 hours covered in the fridge or overnight. Remove chicken from fridge atleast an hour before cooking to allow it to come to room temperature.
4. Place the marinaded chicken on a rack in a roasting tin, and place the tin in the centre of a preheated oven at 180C or 350F and cook for an hour, turning once after 30 mins and baste with the juices from the bottom of the baking tin.  (If in the last 15 minutes the chicken is browning too much cover lightly with a piece of foil and allow it to complete cooking covered). Check whether the chicken is done by using a knife, make a gash along the thigh or leg of chicken, the juices should run clear.
5. Rest the cooked chicken for atleast ten minutes before serving. Cut the chicken into 8-10  large pieces, squeeze over lemon juice and 1/2 tsp of jerk seasoning(optional) and serve along with red bean rice and salsa  or simply with a fresh salad and potato wedges.


Leftover chicken can be used to make chicken sandwiches. Simply shred the left over chicken, add a couple of chopped black olives, a tsp of shredded cheddar cheese, a few lettuce leaves,  add a little mayonaisse to moisten the mixture,  a tsp of chilli sauce if you like it hot or sprinkle a little pepper powder, check for seasoning, place between 2 slices of bread and voila you've got yourself a wholesome tasty sandwich.


Enjoy. 

Spicy Beef Chilli Fry.

My fondest memory of this flavoursome, spicy, earthy and fiery beef chilli fry was on a house boat cruising along the backwaters of Kerala during our honeymoon 6 years ago. Our chef on board made us a special lunch to accompany this awesome beef chilli fry. I did ask him how it was made and made a note of it on a paper napkin, which I lost somewhere along the way.........however before leaving Kerala hubby bought me an authentic Kerala cook book called "Flavours of Kerala" which I truly enjoy cooking from. 

I find a lot of similarities between Mangalorean and Kerala dishes, I suppose as both places share the same coastal belt....our love for spices, coconuts, fresh fish and beef go unparalleled........ I have tried most recipes from this book. This one has been adapted from there. Do give it a go......the wholesome flavours will transport you to "God's own country"

To make Spicy Beef Chilli fry


Ingredients for the Spice powder :-
Roast and Grind -
Coriander seeds -1.5 tbsp
Black Pepper corns - 1/2 tsp
Cinnamon - 4 inches
Cardamom - 4
Cloves - 5
Star anise -1
Ajwain /Oma- pinch
Fennel seeds - 1 tsp

Naked Urad dhal- 1tsp

to add without roasting:

Kashmiri Chili powder 1 table spoon

Ingredients:

Beef (Stewing/ undercut/ tenderloin)- 1 kg 

Tamarind extract- 2 tsps

Spice powder - 2 tbsps
Salt to taste

Water- to cover meat partly

To Fry :

Turmeric powder - 1/2 tea spoon
Curry Leaves- 2 sprigs
Shallots or onion chopped - 1.5 medium
Garlic sliced - 4-5 cloves
Ginger finely chopped - 1 inch
Green chilli slit - 3
Coconut slices- small handful
Salt to taste
Oil- 3tbsps


Garnish-
Lemon juice- 1/2 no.
Coriander leaves- handful chopped (optional)

Method:

 1. Make the spice powder-Heat a small pan and add all the ingredients to make the spice powder except the chilli powder. Dry roast it for a couple of mins (3-5 minutes) on a medium flame till fragnant. Place in a coffee grinder, add the kashmiri chilli powder on top of the roasted mixture and coarsely grind to a powder. Keep aside.

2.Clean and slice the beef into medium sized pieces. Marinate the meat with 1.5-2 tbsps of  prepared spice powder, keep aside for half an hour. Then add salt to taste, tamarind extract, and sufficient water to cover the meat, pressure cook it for 3-4 whistles or until the beef is tender. Once the meat is cooked, keep the pressure cooker open on a high flame and allow most of the gravy dry up.
3. Heat oil in a heavy bottomed cooking pan and add the turmeric powder and fry for 15 secs, then add the curry leaves and coconut slices. Fry for 3-4 minutes then and add the sliced onions. Saute for 7-8 minutes, then add sliced ginge, garlic and slit green chillies. Fry well until onion and garlic start browning. Add the remaining spice powder (according to your spice levels/ preference) and fry for a minute or two. Add the cooked beef along with any gravy and simmer until it is dry. Check for seasoning, squeeze over half a squeezed fresh lemon and sprinkle over chopped coriander leaves (optional).

Enjoy as an accompaniment with drinks or along with boiled/ white rice, and daalisosaar/ lentil soup.

Hot, Spicy and Divine Oxtail Vindaloo and its Back to Work again!!!

 "Wow that's the best dish you've ever made"......exclaimed hubby after he had one bite of this "Melt in the mouth" oxtail cooked in a hot, enticingly spicy and simple Vindaloo curry. Must try it to believe it!  

Oxtail is a bony, gelatin-rich meat, which is usually slow-cooked as a stew or braised. It makes a delicious soup too. Oxtail (occasionally spelled ox tail or ox-tail) is the culinary name for the tail of cattle. Formerly, it referred only to the tail of an ox or steer. An oxtail typically weighs 2 to 4 lbs. (1-1.8 kg) and is skinned and cut into short lengths for sale.

Well I made this vindaloo curry last weekend, and so much has happened since then, that I had no time to blog this recipe until now.....phew........Im tired....happy tired...and cant wait to go to bed!!!! but first ive got to share the happenings of this week and this delicious recipe with you all. 

My maternity leave of a year finally drew to an end and this past week saw me rejoin work and go back to a job that delights my soul (except for the part where Ive got to get up at 6:30am and get everything ready before work!!! as I love to sleeep!! :((((. The joy of going back to caring for people and bringing a smile to their face......makes my life worth living. Little actions like that of content children  adorning my coat with stickers in gratitude for my work ....brings me an immeasurable joy, thats hard to express..... and amidst it all, baby A was in the nursery making new bonds, learning new tricks and having a messy adventure of his own.  My life has taken a new turn, and a new chapter has begun, and as the days go by there may be a lot less posts but Im not ready to give blogging yet!! So friends I promise not to make a disappearing act....though if I do....you know why :)

So here it  is .....Oxtail Vindaloo before sleep takes over............I hope you enjoy.....do let me know what you think of it!! My pillow's calling..so cheerio.....goodnight!!

Ingredients:

250gms oxtail cut into rounds
50g plain flour,
salt to taste

1 onions chopped 

1 big tomatoes pureed
1/2 teaspoon cumin powder
1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder
2 teaspoon chilly powder
1/2 teaspoon pepper powder
1 teaspoon ketchup

1 teaspoon ginger garlic paste

2 tbsps malt vinegar

Oil for frying

Salt to taste.

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 200C/gas 6. 

2. Season the flour with salt and pepper, then use to dredge the oxtail till well coated. Shake off excess flour and set the meat aside

3. Heat 2–3 tablespoons oil in a pan on a medium-high heat and brown the oxtail, until well browned all over and any fat on the surface is rendered out. Place the browned oxtail in the bottom of a pyrex dish.

4. Drain and discard all the rendered fat from the pan and place back on the stove.Pour in 2 tbsps of oil and fry the onion till golden brown.

5. Add the ginger garlic-garlic paste and sauté for some time till the raw smell dissappears. Add the spice paste to the fried onion mixture ( made by making a paste of all the spices with a little water), fry for a minute then add the tomato puree and continue frying till the oil separates from the spice paste. Add the vinegar and bring the mixture to a boil. 

6. Pour the spice mixture over the browned oxtails in the pyrex dish. Add enough hot water to completely cover the oxtails. Place covered in a preheated oven and bake at 200C for 30 mins. Turn the oxtails over and then reduce the oven temperature to 170C and cook for further 1 and a half  hour or until  the oxtails are well cooked, tender and easily fall of the bone, and the gravy is thickened and rich. Check the liquid level from time to time, adding more water if necessary. Taste for seasoning, allow the meat to rest for a few minutes before serving with a slice of french bread and a healthy salad.

Enjoy!!

.