Plum Cake.. Merry Christmas 2013.

Plum Cake - I had got all the ingredient's well before 1 week and had kept on kitchen slab last night to make sure that I don't forget to bake it today morning. It was a long pending ToDo in my list during X'mas and due to one or the other reason it was always missed... Whole night I was dreaming about the cake only and could not sleep for a very long time.As soon as I woke up, ran to kitchen and started baking the cake so that I can take the picture when the sun is still bright(Sun light always brings best pictures). If I would have got late then I would have not got so good pictures.. Here the sun is so unpredictable and I don't get enough time to relax and do the work. That is the main reason I have to finish my blog work before noon. Any ways all this part of life I am learning to go with flow.. Merry Christmas to everyone enjoy your day to the fullest...

Ingredient's.

3/4 cup all purpose flour

2+1/2tbsp cocoa powder

1tsp baking powder

1/2tbsp instant coffee

1/2 cup butter

2 eggs

1/2 cup sugar

1tsp vanilla essence

1/2 cup milk

1 cup mix berry's, nuts and tutti frutti.

Baking Method.

Preheat oven to 180 degrees C. Butter the square baking pan and keep it aside.

Stir together the flour, baking powder and cocoa powder in a large bowl, set it aside.

Beat the butter and sugar with an electric mixer in a large bowl until light and fluffy. Add the egg and blend for another 1minute. Add the milk, coffee and vanilla essence in a small bowl and mix it well, then add it to the egg mixture and blend for another 30 to 40sec.

Add the dry ingredients and with the speed on low mix together slowly by making sure not to over mix. Then add the berry's, nuts and tutti frutti and mix everything with a spatula from the bottom to incorporate any bit that wasn't mixed.

Pour the batter into buttered pan and bake for 30 to 31minutes. Allow it cool before taking out from the pan, then cut and sprinkle some icing sugar on top.

Serve as you like..

Choco Walnut Tea Cake..

Choco Walnut Tea Cake...I had bought a bottle of drinking chocolate few days back and in the starting we both use to drink every second day. After a while we felt bore and stopped completely and I forgot about it.. While I was cleaning my kitchen, found that bottle and was not having idea what to do with it.. Then suddenly my mind strike, why don't I bake muffins and that's how I ended up making Tea Cake... I have used drinking chocolate instead of cocoa powder in this cake to try out different recipe and I must say this was worth of trying and it came out very well, Though it was bit dry according to me but it was going very well with whipped cream on top and cup of tea...

Then after some days I had baked this cake again by adding more milk and it turn out very soft and moist. This recipe is for the cake which I baked second time, so no need to worry if you run out of cocoa powder at home and you have drinking chocolate which is not being used for some reason this is the best recipe to use that drinking chocolate..

Ingredient's.

1/2cups all-purpose flour

1/2 cup drinking chocolate powder 

1tsp baking powder 

1/2 cup milk

1tsp vanilla extract

1/4 cup butter

1/3 cup white sugar

1egg, room temperature

1/4 cup chopped walnuts.

Baking Method.

Preheat oven to 180 degrees C. Butter the flat square baking pan or loaf pan and keep it aside.

Stir together the flour, baking powder, drinking chocolate powder in a large bowl, set it aside.

Beat the butter and sugar with an electric mixer in a large bowl until light and fluffy. The mixture should be noticeably lighter in color. Add the egg and blend for another 1minute.

Add the dry ingredients and with the speed on low mix together and slowly add the milk and just mix everything to combine, making sure not to over mix. Then add the chopped walnuts and make sure you give everything a good stir with a spatula from the bottom to incorporate any bit that wasn't mixed.

Pour the batter into buttered pan and bake for 30 to 35minutes. Allow it cool before taking out from the pan, then cut into square shape and sprinkle some icing sugar on top.

Serve with Tea or Coffee.

Kesar Shrikhand. (Low Calorie Yogurt Dessert)

Kesar Shrikhand is healthy Indian dessert made from strained curd. This is a low calorie, rich and creamy yogurt. Shrikhand is generally flavoured with saffron, cardamom and dry fruits even it is served with fresh fruits or as a standalone dessert... I was not knowing what is shrikhand and how it taste, I had heard about it but never tasted before I meet my H, I still remember that day when he had got a pack of Haldiram's shrikhand and I told him that why did you get such a expensive curd, you should have just bought a pack of curd which will not cost more then 10rs. He look at me and said you don't know what is this? and I told him yes ofcourse I know this some weird color curd. He started laughing and said this is shrikhand my dear and I can't belive you have still not tasted this and my reaction was ohhh this is shrikhand from then I know what is shrikhand and how it taste like..

I made this dessert last week and it tasted better then the store bought and I did not get the perfect color of saffron while I was taking pictures and I did take the pictures soon just because I knew that it will be over and I was not sure when I will make this dessert again.. After 2 hours I had got the perfect saffron color and it was looking beautiful... Do try this wonderful low fat dessert and serve as you like...

Ingredient's.

2 cups yogurt

1/2 cup powdered sugar (add more if you like)

10 to 15 saffron strands

3tbsp finely chopped dry fruits (pistachio, almond, raisin and cashew)

2tsp milk

Pinch of cardamom powder.

Method.

Spread clean muslin cloth on a big plate. Place yogurt in the center. Wrap and tightly tie muslin cloth.

Hang yogurt for 2 to 3 hours or until all water is drained off from yogurt. It should become very thick.

After that untie muslin cloth and transfer thick strained yogurt to bowl.

Add sugar and cardamom powder and mix well until smooth.

Dissolve saffron in milk and add it to the yogurt mixture and mix well. Then refrigerate for at least 1 to 2 hour before serving.

Garnish it with dry fruits nuts and serve chilled.

Hot And Sour Chicken Soup..

Hot And Sour Chicken Soup.. This is my most favourite soup and it's must on our table when we go to restaurant. I'm a big fan of Chinese food, Soups, as I have mentioned in my earlier post that nowadays I'm not allowed to eat outside and to full fill my Chinese craving I cook at home. The weather is also very cold in Coventry (UK) and that makes it even more better to have hot hot soup any time of the day.. I have added knorr hot and sour vegetable soup to give more taste but you can skip that and use the normal process to make this delicious hot and sour chicken soup.

Ingredient's.

1/3 cup chicken (very finely chopped)

2 button mushroom (finely chopped)

2tbsp very finely chopped (carrot, cabbage, beans)

1 medium egg

1+1/2tbsp corn flour

1+1/2tbsp dark soya sauce

1/2tsp crushed black pepper

1tsp white vinegar

2tbsp knorr hot and sour vegetable soup (optional)

3cups chicken or vegetable stock

2tsp oil

Salt to taste.

Cooking Method.

In a deep pan, add oil and sauté the chicken with little salt and pepper. then in the same oil sauté the mushroom, carrot, cabbage and beans with little salt and pepper. 

In a mean time beat the egg and keep it aside and in a small bowl take little water and mix the corn flour and knorr soup and set it aside. 

Once the vegetable are slightly done, add the chicken back in to it and stir. Now add the chicken stock and bring it boil. Then add the soya sauce and corn flour mixture and keep stirring. Add the vineger, black pepper and salt.. Boil it on a medium flame for about 10 to 12 minutes.

Then take a tea strainer and pour the egg slowly from top with help of spoon and boil for another 1 minutes.

Hot and sour chicken soup is ready..

Serve hot hot with extract black pepper, soya sauce and vinegar.

Mango Pickle/ Aam Ka Achar.. (Home-Made)

Mango Pickle.. This was my first attempt to make mango pickle at home and it turn out to be very delicious and perfect. It is not like I don't know to make pickles I use to help my mother alot to make pickles every time and she makes the best pickles in the world. It has been a 4 years I dint help her and I also use to buy pickles from market or get it from my mom's place, that's how I never got a chance to make at home. I made this in very small batch to see how it will come but I must say it taste very similar..

Ingredient's.

2 large raw mango

1tsp cumin seeds

1/4tsp fenugreek seeds

1/4tsp black pepper corn

1/4tsp coriander seeds

5 dry red chilli

10 curry leafs

2tsp red chilli powder

1/2tsp yellow mustard seeds

10 garlic pods (crushed)

6tbsp Oil

Salt to taste.

Cooking Method.

Cut the raw mango in to medium chunks and keep it aside.

Dry roast the cumin, fenugreek, black pepper, coriander seeds, curry leafs and dry red chilli and grind to a coarse powder.

Heat oil in a deep frying pan, add garlic, mustard, and red chilli powder and fry on a low flame for 1 minute.

Then add the grounded powder and fry for another 1 to 2 minutes, Switch off the flame and allow the pickle masala to cool.

Then add salt and raw mango and give a good mix and transfer it to jar and keep in the sun light every day..

Pickle is ready. You can start eating this pickle after 2 to 3 days.