Author: Jayanthi

Chettinad style Kalan Masala | Mushroom Curry

Ingredients

  • Mushrooms – 250g
  • Shallots finely chopped – 1 cup (or 1 large onion)
  • Tomatoes, finely chopped – 1/2 cup (or 2 medium tomatoes)
  • Garlic paste – 1 tsp
  • Ginger paste – 1 tsp 
  • Turmeric powder – 1/2 tsp
  • Salt – To taste
  • Oil – 4 tbsp
  • Mustard seeds – 1/4 tsp
  • Kalpasi / stone flower – a small piece
  • Curry leaves – couple of sprigs
  • Coriander leaves – to garnish

For Method-1: (classic)

Dry Roast and grind to fine powder: 

  • Whole Red chillies – 3-4 (depending on spice level)
  • Coriander seeds – 1 tsp
  • Peppercorns – 1 tsp
  • Cinnamon stick – 1 inch
  • Cloves – 2

Grind to fine paste: 

  • Coconut – 3 tbsp
  • Cashews – 4-5 
  • Fennel seeds – 1tsp

For method-2: (Easy Quickfix)

  • Kashmiri chilli powder – 2 tsp
  • Coriander powder – 1 tsp
  • Pepper powder – 1/2 tsp
  • Garam masala – 1/4 tsp
  • Thick coconut milk – 1/3 cup
  • Fennel powder – 1/2 tsp

Instructions:

Method-1 (Classic)

  1. Heat oil in a pan. When oil is hot, add mustard, once it splutters add Kalpasi and curry leaves, saute for few secs.
  2. Add onion and a pinch of salt. Let it caramelize to golden brown. 
  3. Add garlic and ginger paste. Saute on low heat till the raw smell goes off. 
  4. Add the turmeric powder. Saute for few secs on low heat. 
  5. Before the spices start burning, add tomatoes and 1/4 cup water. Close the pan and let the tomato cook well on medium heat. 
  6. Once the oil leaves the pan, add the ground spice powder and coconut paste and a bit of water. Mix well and let it cook till the raw smell of coconut goes off. Keep stirring it well. 
  7. Add chopped mushrooms and saute for a min on high heat. Add salt and adjust water to the required consistency. 
  8. Garnish with coriander leaves and serve with hot rice or chapathi. 

Method-2 (Easy Quickfix)

  1. Heat oil in a pan. When oil is hot, add mustard, once it splutters add Kalpasi and curry leaves, saute for few secs.
  2. Add onion and a pinch of salt. Let it caramelize to golden brown. 
  3. Add garlic and ginger paste. Saute on low heat till the raw smell goes off. 
  4. Add the all the spice powders except garam masala and fennel powder. Saute for few secs on low heat. 
  5. Before the spices start burning, add tomatoes and 1/4 cup water. Close the pan and let the tomato cook well on medium heat. 
  6. Once the oil leaves the pan, add chopped mushrooms and saute for a min on high heat. 
  7. Add salt, coconut milk and fennel powder. Cook till the oil leaves the sides. 
  8. Adjust water to the required consistency. Add garam masala. Cook for a min. 
  9. Garnish with coriander leaves and serve with hot rice or chapathi. 

JayanthiLeave a comment

Eggless chocolate cake

Ingredients

  • All purpose flour – 195gm
  • White sugar – 200gm (i replaced half with brown sugar)
  • Unsweetened cocoa powder, sifted – 25gm
  • Baking powder – 1 tsp
  • Baking soda – 1/2 tsp
  • Salt – 1/4 tsp
  • Unsalted butter, melted – 75 gm
  • Warm water – 240ml
  • Instant coffee – 2 tsp
  • Lemon juice (or vinegar) – 1 tbsp
  • Vanilla extract – 1 tsp

Chocolate Ganache:

  • Semi-sweet chocolate, finely chopped – 170gm
  • Heavy whipping cream (min 35% fat content) – 180 ml
  • Unsalted Butter – 13gm

Method

  1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F (180 degrees C)
  2. Butter or spray an 8 inch (20 cm) baking pan with a non stick cooking spray. Line the bottom of the pan with parchment paper.
  3. In a large bowl whisk or stir together the flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
  4. Mix coffee in the warm water.
  5. Add this with melted butter, lemon juice, and vanilla extract. Mix all the ingredients together until well blended.
  6. Pour the batter into your pan and bake in preheated oven for about 28 – 30 minutes, or until the cake springs back when lightly pressed and a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean. 
  7. Remove from oven and place on a wire rack to cool for about 10 – 15 minutes before removing the cake from the pan.
  8. Chocolate Ganache:Place the chocolate in a heatproof bowl. Heat the cream and butter in microwave with 30 secs intervals. Bring just to a boil. Immediately pour the cream over the chocolate and allow to stand for a few minutes. Stir until smooth, then let stand at room temperature until the Ganache has completely cooled and set to spreading consistency. 
  9. Spread the Ganache on the top and sides of the cake.

JayanthiLeave a comment

Spinach Rice | Palak Pulao | pasalai keerai sadam

Ingredients

  • Basmati Rice – 1 cup (rinse & soak in water for 15 mins)
  • Onion – 1 medium size, thinly sliced
  • Tomato – 1 medium size, finely chopped
  • Ginger paste / minced – 1 tsp
  • Garlic paste / minced – 1 tsp
  • Cashewnuts – 5-6
  • Lemon juice – 1tbsp
  • Water – 1.5 cups
  • Salt to taste
  • Chopped carrots, beans &green peas – 1 cup (optional)

To Grind:

  • Fresh spinach (palak) chopped – 2-3 cups
  • Coriander leaves (cilantro) & Mint – 1 cup
  • Green chillies – 2, slit lengthwise
  • Cashewnuts – 3

Whole Spices to temper: 

  • Bayleaf – 1
  • Cinnamon stick – 1 inch
  • Cloves – 2
  • Cardamom – 2,Cumin/fennel seeds- 1/2 tsp

Spice Powders:

  • Chilli powder – 1 tsp (depending on spice level as 2 green chillies are already added)
  • Turmeric powder – 1/4 tsp
  • Garam masala – 1 tsp
  • Biriyani masala – 1 tsp

Method

  1. Grind all items under „To grind“ to a fine paste. Alternatively you can finely chop the greens if you prefer. 
  2. Heat oil in a pan (or pressure cooker). once it is hot, add whole spices, cashews. Saute till cashews turn light golden.
  3. Add onions, brown it a bit. Add ginger-garlic paste, saute for 2-3 mins till the raw smell is gone.
  4. Add the spice powders, saute for a quick 1 min till the raw smell disappears. Be careful not to burn the spices. 
  5. Add the ground paste or chopped greens, saute them for 1 min.
  6. Add tomatoes, cook for 2 mins till they turn soft.
  7. If adding vegetables, add them, saute for a min. 
  8. Add Basmati Rice with water, salt & give a stir.
  9. If using electric rice cooker, add everything in the cooker, cook as usual. If using pressure cooker, cook for 2 whistles on medium flame. If cooking directly in a pot, cook on medium flame with closed lid, till done. 
  10. After rice is cooked, add lemon juice, fluff it up gently. Serve with any Raita. 

JayanthiLeave a comment

Apple Rhubarb cake

As I had lot of Rhubarb in the fridge, followed Marie-Hélène’s Apple Cake recipe n tweaked it a bit. 

Ingredients

  • Apples – 4 large
  • Rhubarb, chopped – 1 cup
  • All-purpose flour – 3/4 cup
  • Baking powder – 3/4 tsp
  • Pinch of salt
  • Large eggs – 2 
  • Sugar – 3/4 cup
  • Pure vanilla extract – 1/2 tsp
  • Unsalted butter – 113gm, melted n cooled
  • Dark rum – 3tbsp (optional)

Method

  1. Preheat the oven to 180C /350F.
  2. Butter an 8-inch springform pan.
  3. Cut the apples into 1- to 2-inch chunks.
  4. Whisk the flour, baking powder & salt together in small bowl. I added a tsp of cinnamon as i love cinnamon in my apple cakes.
  5. Beat the eggs with a whisk until they’re foamy. Add sugar and whisk for a minute or so to blend well. Whisk in rum, vanilla and melted butter.
  6. Whisk in the flour till you have a smooth, rather thick batter. 
  7. Using a rubber spatula, fold in the apples and rhubarb, turning the fruit so that it’s coated with batter.
  8. Scrape the mix into the pan and poke it around a little with the spatula so that it’s even.
  9. Bake for 50 to 60 minutes, or until the top of the cake is golden brown and a knife inserted deep into the center comes out clean; the cake may pull away from the sides of the pan.
  10. Transfer to a cooling rack and let rest for 5 minutes. Carefully run a blunt knife around the edges of the cake and remove the sides of the springform pan.
  11. The cake can be served warm or at room temperature, with a little softly whipped, barely sweetened heavy cream or a spoonful of ice cream. Marie-Hélène served her cake with cinnamon ice cream.
  12. This cake will keep for about 2 days at room temperature.

JayanthiLeave a comment

Ven pongal | milagu pongal

Ingredients

  • Rice – 1 cup
  • Moong dal – 1/2 cup
  • Water – 5 cups
  • Ginger finely chopped – 1 tbsp
  • Black pepper – 2 tsp
  • Cumin seeds – 2 tsp
  • Cashew – 5-6 (optional)
  • Asafoetida – a pinch (optional)
  • Green chillies slit into half – 2 (optional)
  • Curry leaves – 1 twig
  • Salt – to taste
  • Ghee – 3-4 tbsp

Method

Method-1:

1. Crush pepper and cumin coarsely in a mortar.

2. Add rice, moong dal and water in a vessel and keep it in the pressure cooker. Cook it for atleast 7-8 whistles so the rice and dal gets mushy. 

3. Heat 2 tbsp ghee in a pan. Add curry leaves, cashews, chillies, ginger, pepper & cumin, asafoetida, salt in the same order. Cook for a minute. 

4. Add the cooked rice, dal mixture and mix well. Cook it for couple of minutes till everything is well mixed. 

5. Switch off the stove. Add rest of the ghee and mix well once. Tastes better when eaten hot. .

Method-2: (one-pot method)

1. Crush pepper and cumin coarsely in a mortar. 

2. Heat 2 tbsp ghee in a non-stick pressure cooker. Add curry leaves, cashews, chillies, ginger, pepper & cumin, asafoetida, salt in the same order. Cook for a minute.

3. Add rice and dal. Roast for a minute. 

4. Add water and pressure cook for atleast 7-8 whistles.

5. Once pressure settles down, open the cooker. Add rest of the ghee, mix well and serve hot.

JayanthiLeave a comment

Keto spinach fritters | palak kebabs

Ingredients

  • Spinach, finely chopped – 1 cup
  • Onion, finely chopped – 1/3 cup (alternately 1 tsp onion powder can be used)
  • Mozzarella cheese, shredded – 1/2 cup
  • Coconut powder – 2 tbsp (alternately fine almond flour can also be used)
  • Garlic, minced / finely chopped – 1/2 tsp
  • Ginger, minced / finely chopped – 1/2 tsp
  • Chilli powder – 1 tsp
  • Egg – 1
  • Salt to taste
  • Oil – 2-3 tbsp

Method

  1. Whip the egg a bit.
  2. Mix all ingredients to the whipped egg and mix well. Make patties / tots. 
  3. Heat oil in a pan. 
  4. Shallow fry them in medium heat till both sides are golden brown. 
  5. Serve warm. I served it with low carb salsa. 

JayanthiLeave a comment