Mom's Tangy Garlic Thokku

This dish plays on your palate! As soon as I saw this I wanted to put a spoonful in my mouth.Truly a tangy treat, so I jotted down the recipe. Its simple and easy!  

Ingredients

 1 1/2 tbsp oil (preferably gingelly oil)

1/2 tsp mustard seeds

1/2 tsp cumin seeds

2 green chillies 

2 sprigs curry leaves 

a small lemon sized tamarind 

20 garlic cloves 

10 shallots(small onions) 

salt to taste

a small piece of jaggery or sugar 1/2 tbsp

Method 

Soak the tamarind in some water for atleast 10 mins.
In a pan heat oil, add cumin and mustard seeds till it splutters.
Sauté onions and garlic on medium flame, add green chilies.
Allow the garlic and shallots to caramelise on low heat ,stirring once a while.
Add curry leaves.
Once the garlic becomes golden brown add the thick extract of tamarind.
Add salt and jaggery.
The sauce will coat the garlic as in the picture
Enjoy!

Goes well with sambhar rice, curd rice and chappathi

Crispy Lentil Fritters

A crispy snack ,nice to have with tea!

INGREDIENTS

1 cup channa dhal (soaked overnight)

¼ inch piece ginger

3 cloves of garlic

¼ tsp cumin seeds

¼ tsp fennel seeds (sombhu)

A small piece cinnamon

1 clove

1 sprigs curry leaves

1 dried red chilli

1 sprig coriander leaves

1 medium sized onion

Salt to taste

METHOD

Drain the channa dhal completely.

Grind all the ingredients *coarsely without adding any water.

Make balls from the mixture and flatten them.

Deep** fry the vadas till it is golden brown on both sides .

TIPS

*Grinding the mixture coarsely gives a crunchy texture and enhances the taste.

**Heat the oil, and turn the stove to medium while frying the vadas. 

Caramel Custard

  Who would have thought that eggs and milk can make such a magical dessert.  Light, melting in your mouth, mildly sweet.... simply amazing!

 CARAMEL CUSTARD

 Ingredients

 Custard

500 ml of Milk

3 Eggs

¼ cup Castor Sugar

1 tbsp vanilla essence

Caramel

3 tbsp Granulated Sugar

1tbsp Water

Directions

Warm the milk. Mix eggs, vanilla essence and castor sugar. Pour the milk into the egg. Make caramel in a pan with granulated sugar and water. Stir till bubbles appear. Take off the heat once its golden brown. Coat the base of a glass bowl with the caramel and let it cool! Pour custard in the bowl through a strainer and cover loosely with aluminium foil and steam for 20 minutes in a pressure cooker or 45 minutes at 180 c in an oven. Cool in the fridge!

Enjoy! 

Fish Cutlets

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I don't understand why someone wouldn't love Fish. This dish is dedicated to all those non-Fish lovers!
Many of our guests who don't enjoy fish have thoroughly enjoyed these Fish cutlets.

FISH CUTLETS

Makes 15 cutlets

Ingredients

500 g Fish

3 Onions finely diced

1 mashed Potato

 chopped Mint, Parsley and Curry leaves(1 tbsp each)

½ tbsp Chilli powder

½ tbsp Ginger Garlic Paste

1 tsp Garam Masala

1 tsp turmeric powder

Salt to taste

Directions 

Fillet the fish. Steam the fish for 5 to 8 minutes; it becomes easier to remove the skin and bones. Mix in all the ingredients and give it a good massage! Apply oil on your palms and make cutlets. Fry on both sides till they crisp up. Step by step photos will be coming soon..

Enjoy! 

Apple Cake

An Incredibly moist and light cake! Inspired by Australian sweetheart of classic cooking Maggie Beer! Do check her site for amazing recipes. maggiebeer.com.au

INGREDIENTS

Poached Apples

250g apples peeled and chopped
1 tspn Olive Oil
1 cup lime juice

Cake mixture

3 eggs separated
125g caster sugar half now, half later
1/2 cup plain flour
1/2 tspn baking powder
1/4 cup Olive Oil
1/4 cup poaching liquid that has cooled down

Directions

• Preheat oven to 180 c .In a bowl beat, three egg yolks with half the sugar until mixture is pale.
• In a separate bowl whisk the three egg whites and the remaining sugar until they form soft peaks. 
• Back to the egg yolks bowl, sift in flour and baking powder.
•  Add (cooled) poaching liquid and Extra Virgin Olive Oil.Slowly fold in whisked egg whites (1/3 at a time) until all is combined. 
• Pour combined mixture over the apples that have already been placed in buttered dish.
• Bake in 180 C oven for 20-25 minutes. 
• It rises a little like a soufflé and falls back again. Dust with icing sugar (optional).Enjoy!

Pineapple Semolina Cake

What a way to start the day! My MIL made this cake in no time! so here is the recipe ..

Pineapple Semolina Cake

5 servings

Ingredients

2 cups semolina
4 cups water
11/2 cups sugar
2 tbsp clarified butter (ghee)
1/4 cup raisins

Directions

Slightly roast the raisins in half the clarified butter.Keep them aside.Roast the semo in the remaining butter for few minutes on low flame. Add boiling water to the roasted semolina and let it cook. Stir to avoid lumps! Add sugar  and rest of the ghee,keep stirring..to form a non sticky texture! Garnish with raisins. Let it cool completely! Cut into slices and Enjoy!

Choco Lava Cake

Find me someone who doesn't love chocolates! They serve this amazingly chocolateey ,gooey inside choco lava cake as a dessert at the pizza shop. yummmm!!!! so simple! 

Anybody can make it at home.

Chocolava Cake

makes 5 muffins

Ingredients

70g Bitter-sweet chocolate

45g Butter

1/4 cup Self Raising Flour

1/4 cup Sugar

2 free range Eggs

Cashews, Dates (optional)

Directions

Preheat oven to 180 c and grease a muffin tray with butter and dust with flour.Melt chocolate with butter in a bain marie*.Meanwhile beat eggs with sugar,mix flour.Pour the melted chocolate  into the egg mixture and fold gently.Bake only for 8-12 minutes!

*bain marie is cooking gently by placing the pan over a bowl of hot water