Raw Papaya Caramel Muffins

Ingredients:

Butter - 50 gm

Powdered Sugar - 50 gm

Flour - 50 gm

Eggs - 2

Vanilla Essence - 1 tsp

Raw Papaya (grated) - 50 gm

Granulated Sugar - 20 gm

Baking Powder - 1/2 tsp

Baking Soda - 1/4 tsp

Salt - A pinch


Procedure:

1.  In a kadai, add raw papaya and sugar and mix together well in low heat.  Keep stirring until all the liquid that oozed out dries up and a semi-solid soft pulp (like halwa) is formed.  Do not leave it for long as it will crystallize and become hard.  Transfer to a bowl and set aside to cool.

2.  Preheat oven at 180 degrees for 10 minutes.

3.  Line the muffin molds with paper liners for easy handling and serving.

4.  Sieve together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together.  Keep aside. 

5.  In a mixing bowl, whisk butter until soft, say for about 2 to 3 minutes.

6.  Add powdered sugar and continue to whisk on high speed for about 5 minutes until it is creamy, soft, and fluffy.

7.  Add eggs one by one and whisk at medium speed for a minute until it mixes well.

8.  Add vanilla essence to this and whisk for a minute.

9.  Add the sieved flour little by little and fold with the spatula until it is incorporated.

10.  Finally, add the prepared papaya pulp to the batter and mix gently until just incorporated.

11.  Fill this batter in the muffin molds until 2/3 level and bake at 180 degrees for 12-15 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

12.  Cool on a wire rack and serve.

Yield: Approximately 6 muffins of 40 gm each.

Vermicelli/Semiya Green Pulao

Inspired By

Gayathriscookspot


Ingredients:

Short Vermicelli - 2 cups ( I used Savorit)

Oil - 2 tbsp

Cloves - 2

Cinnamon - 1/2 inch stick

Sombu/Fennel Seeds - 1/4 tsp

Fresh Green Peas - 1/2 cup

Onion - 1 large (sliced lengthwise)

Water - 3 cups

Rock Salt - 1-1/2 tsp or according to taste

Turmeric Powder - 1/4 tsp

Finely Chopped Coriander Leaves - 1 tbsp

Fried Cashews (optional) - Few to garnish


Grind Together:

Green Chillies - 4

Mint Leaves - A handful

Coriander Leaves - A handful

Ginger - 1 inch piece

Garlic - 3-4 cloves

Make a smooth paste of all these ingredients by adding some water as needed.


Method:

1.  In a kadai, roast vermicelli until light brown using and keep aside.

2.  After transferring the roasted vermicelli, add oil in the kadai and then add in the cloves, cinnamon, and sombu.

3.  When they crackle, add the sliced onions and saute until golden brown.

4.  Cook green peas until tender in another pan with just enough water.  Drain the excess water and set the cooked peas aside.

5.  When the onions are fried enough, add the ground paste and turmeric powder.  Saute well until the raw smell goes.

6.  Add the cooked peas and saute well.

7.  Add water and salt and allow to boil.

8.  When it starts boiling, add the roasted vermicelli and let it cook on low flame for a few minutes with the lid covering the kadai.

9.  Once all the water is absorbed (this may take a few minutes), switch off the flame, and cover the kadai again with the lid.  Leave it as such for about 5 minutes.

10.  Garnish with coriander leaves and fried cashewnuts.  Serve hot with any accompaniment of your choice, may be a raita or a gravy.

PS:  I could not take a snap of my pulao as it vanished off in a jiffy.  I will surely post pictures the next time I do this recipe.

Peanut Butter Energy Bars

Inspired By

Sharmis Passions


Ingredients:

Oats - 1/2 cup

Cornflakes - 1/4 cup

Honey - 3 tbsp

Peanut Butter - 2 tbsp (Click for recipe of Homemade Peanut Butter)

Unsalted Butter - 2 tsp

Brown Sugar - 2 tsp

Water - 2 tsp

Dry Fruits and Nuts (chopped) - 1/3 cup (I used cashews, almonds, peanuts, figs, candied ginger, dried grapes)


Procedure:

1. Dry roast oats, cornflakes, dry fruits and nuts in a deep pan until the oats turns light brown and nice aroma of it comes.  Keep aside.

2.  In the same pan, melt butter.  Add honey, peanut butter, sugar, and water.  Bring to a boil.

3.  Add the roasted oats mixture to this and mix well until combined together.  Check if the honey-peanut butter mixture is coated on all of the oats mixture.

4.  Line a tray with butter paper.  Transfer and spread the mixture immediately on the butter paper to 1/4 inch thickness with a wooden ladle.  Straighten the edges with the ladle and make it into a square or a rectangle.  Gently press all over with the ladle to make it intact.  Allow to cool for 5 minutes. Cut into rectangular bars.

5.  Bake in a preheated oven at 180 degrees C for 5 to 7 minutes.  This step is purely optional.  When baked, it gives crispiness and crunchiness to the bars.  You can leave this step, yet the energy bars taste good.

5.  Cool and store in airtight containers.

These are crunchy, chewy energy bars loaded with all the healthy ingredients and give instant energy.  A good alternative to other sweet treats that are not so good for your health.

Usually, I pack and carry these bars when I travel.  A great snack to munch on-the-go that would not affect your tummy.  No hazards of the white sugar too.  A real energy booster to have it handy.

Basic Sponge Cake - Egg Free

Source:

Mrs. Sangeeta Jain


Ingredients:

Maida - 100 gm

Condensed Milk - 200 gm

Butter - 2 tbsp

Powdered Sugar - 2 tbsp

Baking Powder - 1/2 tsp

Baking Soda - 1/2 tsp

Aerated Water (Drinking Soda) - 100 mL

Vanilla Extract - 1/2 tsp

Salt - 1 pinch


Method:

Preheat oven at 180 degrees for 10 minutes.

Grease baking pan with butter and line with parchment paper.

Sieve together maida, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.

In a mixing bowl, whisk butter till soft.  Add condensed milk and whisk together.  Add vanilla extract and powdered sugar and mix together well until combined.

Add one-third of the maida and mix gently.  Add half of the drinking soda and mix.  Mix gently the rest of the maida and soda alternatively.

Transfer this batter to the prepared baking tin and bake at 180 degrees for 25 to 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.

Cool and use.

Notes:

This basic sponge cake can be used as base for many flavored and iced cakes.  One best example is that it can be used to make eggless white forest cake.  I used Amul mithai mate (condensed milk).

Mullu Murukku

Source:

Mrs. Saraswathi Raj

Ingredients:

Roasted Rice Flour/Idiyappam Flour - 4 cups

Gram Flour - 2 cups

Roasted gram (pottukadalai) flour - 1/2 cup

Moong Dhal (payaru paruppu) flour - 1/2 cup

Salt - 2 to 3 tsp

Red Chilli Powder - 3 to 4 tsp

Asafoetida Powder - 1/4 tsp

Cumin Seeds - 1 tsp

Omam - 1 tsp (optional)

Butter - Lemon sized ball

Water - As needed

Oil - To deep fry


Procedure: 

1.  Mix all the flours together well.

2.  Add salt, red chilli powder, asafoetida, cumin seeds (jeeragam) and/or omam.  Mix well together so that all the ingredients are uniformly mixed all over.  Adjust salt and chilli powder according to your taste.

3.   Add butter to this mixed powder mixture and mix well with your fingertips all throughout so that a crumbly texture is formed uniformly.   You can around 50 to 60 gm of butter for this quantity.  Adding too much of butter will distort the consistency of the murukku, so beware.  Alternatively, you can heat up 1/2 cup of oil and add to the flour mix instead of butter (if you do not have butter or do not want to use it) and mix it up uniformly.

4.  Divide this flour mixture into 3 to 4 parts and keep aside.

5.  Take one part of the powder mixture and add water as needed by sprinkling little by little at a time to make a soft dough.  Make into medium sized balls for easy handling.

6.  Heat oil in a medium sized deep frying pan.  Drop a small ball of the dough to check if the oil is hot enough to fry the murukkus.  If the dough rises to the top immediately with a sizzle, the oil is ready for frying.

7.  Use your murukku mould fit with the star nozzle and greased with little oil on the inside.  Fill with 2-3 balls of the dough until 3/4th full and press the mould directly on hot oil (simmer the flame) spreading all over the kadai.  Deep fry till golden brown in color and the sizzling sound stops.  (Do not over fry, else it will get burnt.)  Repeat the same for the rest of the portions of the mixture.

8.  Drain in a tissue paper.

9.  Cool and store in an airtight container.

This recipe is one my mother-in-law taught us and her murukkus are so crispy and oil-free on touch.  She is a versatile cook and follows the traditional recipes that are tasty and healthy too.

Notes:

To make roasted Rice Flour - Wash and soak raw rice in water for about 1 hour.  Strain water and spread in on a cloth and allow to dry.  Do not allow to dry completely.  When it is half dry, machine it to a fine flour.  This step can be made at home by powdering the semi-dry rice in a mixer grinder and sifting it.  When the flour is still wet, roast the rice flour little at a time (say about a cup or 2) until the moisture is completely removed and the flour is dry.  Try drawing lines with this flour.  If you could draw the lines without a break, the roasted rice flour is ready.

Roasted Gram (Pottukadalai) Flour -  Powder the necessary quantity of roasted gram in a mixer grinder and sieve.  You can sun dry or roast for a while in a kadai to make the pottukadalai crispier and making powdering easier.

Moong Dhal (Payaru paruppu) Flour - Dry fry the moong dhal in a kadai till it slightly changes color.  Cool and powder in a mixer grinder.  Then sieve and use.

Raw Banana Peel Stir Fry/Ethakka Tholi Thoran

Source:

Sachu's Kitchen


Ingredients:

Raw Banana Peel (finely chopped) - 1 cup

Buttermilk - 1 tbsp

Van payar/Thatta payar (Red Cow Beans) - 1 tbsp

Turmeric Powder - 1/4 tsp

Salt - 1 tsp

Grated Coconut - 2 to 3 tbsp

Green Chillies - 3 (medium)

Small Onions - 1 or 2

Cumin Seeds - 1/2 tsp

Curry Leaves - 1 sprig

Mustard Seeds - 1/2 tsp

Urad Dhal - 1/2 tsp

Asafoetida - 1 pinch

Coriander Leaves (chopped finely) - 1 tbsp

Oil - 2 to 3 tsp

Lemon Juice - Few drops


Method:

1.  Mix buttermilk with around 2 cups of water and wash the chopped banana peel in this.

2.  Strain and pressure cook the chopped banana peel, washed vanpayar, turmeric powder in little water for 10 minutes (3 to 4 whistles).

3.  Once done, strain off the excess water and keep aside.

4.  Grind together coarsely the grated coconut, cumin seeds, curry leaves, small onions, and green chillies.  Do not add water to grind.

5.  In a kadai, heat oil and splutter mustard seeds, ural dhal, and asafoetida.

6.  To this, add the cooked banana peel and beans.  Saute for a minute or so.

7.  Add the coarsely ground coconut mixture along with salt and mix well.  Cook for 3 to 4 minutes.

8.  Once done, switch off the gas and sprinkle chopped coriander leaves and lime juice and mix.

This is a best accompaniment for hot steaming rice.

This is a very common and famous dish in the Kerala cuisine.  Though you can use any raw banana peel, the peel of nendhran kaai is tastier when used in this recipe.

Eggless Wheat Carrot Cake with Raisins and Cashews

Adapted From

Fullscoops

Ingredients:

Carrots - 1-1/2 cups (freshly grated)

Whole Wheat Flour - 3 cups

Brown Sugar - 1-1/2 cups

Vegetable Oil - 3/4 cups

Milk - 1 cup plus 2 tbsp

Baking Powder - 1-1/2 tsp

Baking Soda - 2 tsp

Cinnamon Powder - 1-1/2 tsp

Nutmeg Powder - 1/2 tsp

Salt - 1/4 tsp

Raisins - 1/4 cup (chopped)

Cashews - 1/4 cup (chopped/broken)

Vanilla Extract - 1 tsp

Yield:

Approx 850 gm


Method:

1.  Wash and clean the carrots, grate them, and set aside.

2.  Preheat oven to 180 degrees for 10 minutes.

3.  Grease an 8 inch baking pan with oil/butter and line the base of the pan with butter/parchment paper cut to size.

4.   In the mixing bowl, add the vegetable oil and brown sugar.  Beat for a minute or so.

5.  Add in the milk and beat on high speed until the sugar crystals dissolve.  Add the vanilla and beat again.

6.  Sift in the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon powder, nutmeg powder, and salt.

7.  Fold gently with a spatula and also mix in the grated carrots, raisins, and cashews until well combined.

8.  Pour the batter in the greased pan and bake at 180 degrees C in a preheated oven for 30 minutes or until a skewer inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean.

9.  Remove the cake from the oven once baked and cool on a wire rack for 10 minutes and then invert the pan.  Cool completely and store.