Banana Muffin Recipe | Best Ever Cupcakes

Banana Muffins

 Ingredients :

• over ripened banana - 3 [300g]
• all purpose flour - 1 1/2 cups [180g]
• eggs - 2
• sugar - 1/3 cup [70g]
• melted butter/oil -1/3cup [80ml]
• cashew - 30g
• baking powder - 1tsp
• salt - 1/2tsp
• vanilla essence - 1tsp

 Method :

• sieve together flour,baking powder and salt and keep aside
• mash the banana  
• add eggs, sugar,butter and vanilla essence
• combine well
• add the flour mix into this
• fold in gently
• add cashews and combine well
• put the batter into greased muffin tin [fill upto 3/4 ]
• bake in a preheated oven at 180 degree Celsius for 25 - 30 minutes 

Thalassery Chicken Dum Biryani Recipe

Thalassery Style Chicken Dum Biriyani Recipe

 Ingredients:

  For biriyani masala powder :

•    fennel seed (perumjeerakam) - 1 tsp
•    cinnamon stick (karukapatta) - 1" pieces 2
•    clove (gramboo) - 3-4
•    cardamom seeds (elakka) - from 4 pods
•    star anise (thakkolam) - 1 small
•    cumin seeds (jeerakam) - 1/4 tsp
•    poppy seeds (kasakasa) - 1 tsp
•    pepper corns - 1tsp
•    mace (jathipathri) - 1 strand
•    nutmeg (jathikka) - a small piece
• dried red chilly -  2
• sajeera - 1/2 tsp

  For the toping

   cashew nuts - 1/2 cup
   raisins - 1/4 cup
   onion - 2 cups (thinly sliced)

  For chicken masala

    chicken - 1 kg
    green chillies - 6-7 (adjust as per taste)
    garlic - 30g
    ginger - 15g
   onion - 2
   biriyani masala powder (previously made) - 2 tbsp
   tomatoes - 2
   curd - 2 tbs
   lemon juice -1 tbs
   coriander leaves - 1/2 cup chopped
   mint leaves - 1/4 cup
   salt

  For rice

   jeerakasala rice - 4 cups
   whole spices ( cinnamon -1"stick,cloves -4,  3 cardamom,1 small star anise )
   ghee - 2 tbs
   water 7 cups
   salt

 Method

  step 1 : making biriyani masala powder

• dry roast the spices [listed under 'for biryani masala'] except chilly and poppy seeds for two minutes on medium heat
• after two minutes add chilly and poppy seeds and roast for one minute more
• turn off the heat and powder them when cool

step 2 : frying the toping

 - fry cashews till get a golden shade and then drain and keep aside
 - fry raisins till they  puffed up and then drain and keep aside
 - fry thinly sliced onions in batches till get pretty golden colour then drain and keep aside

 step 3 : chicken masala

 - crush ginger-garlic-green chilly into a paste and keep aside
 - saute sliced onions till become very soft
 - add in the crushed ginger-garlic-green chilly paste
 - saute till the raw smell gone
 - add in the biriyani masala powder and turmeric powder and saute for 1 minute
 - add in the cleaned and drained chicken pieces
 - stir well till the colour of the chiccken pieces turned white (5 minutes)
 - add in chopped tomatoes,coriander leaves mint leaves and salt
 - mix well
 -  cover it and cook on low flame till the chicken pieces are done (10-12 minutes)
 - no need to add extra water; moisture released from chicken is enough to cook them well
 - stir in between to prevent burning
 - once the chicken pieces are cooked add in curd and lemon juice
 - cook without putting lid until the gravy become thick
 - turn off the flame
 - crush 3/4 of fried onion with your hands and add into the gravy
 - mix well
 - chicken masala is ready now; keep this aside

 step 4 : rice preparation

  - heat up 2 tbs ghee in a heavy bottomed vessel
  - saute the whole spices for 1 minute
  - add the washed and drained rice and stir for 2 minutes (no need to soak the rice)
  - then pour 7 cups of hot boiling water
  - add in enough salt
  - add in 1 tbs lemon juice
  - mix well
  - cook it covered on medium flame till the rice absorbed entire water.

 step 5 : dum

  - in a small bowl mix together tbs rose water and tsp turmeric powder and keep aside

  - take a heavy bottomed vessel
  - layer the chicken masala first
  - then layer half of the rice
  - add some of the fried cashews,raisins and fried onions
  - sprinkle some biriyani msasala powder
  - sprinkle the rose water mix
  - add some coriander leaves
  - then layer the remaining rice
  - add in the cashews,raisins,fried onions
  - sprinkle biriyani masala powder and 1 tbs rose water
  - add in 1 tbs ghee
  - cover the top with aluminium foil and seel the edjes and then place the lid
  - heat up an old tawa
  - place the biriani pot over it
  - cook in low flame for 10 minutes and then switch off the flame.
  - open it after 10 minutes .
  - when serving make sure that each portion get equal amount of gravy and rice

   

Easy Beef Dry Fry

Easy Beef Dry Fry

 Ingredients :

• beef - 500g

  for marination

• ginger - a small piece [15g]
• garlic -  30g
• green chilly -1 
• chilly powder - 5g [adjust according to taste]
• turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
• salt as needed
• onion -30g

 for frying

• ginger - 60g
• onion - 70g
• green chilly -  3 - 4
• fennel seeds - 1tsp

 Method 

• cut,wash and drain the beef
• crush ginger,garlic and green chilly together and add into the beef
• add chilly powder, turmeric powder, sliced onion,curry leaves and salt and mix everything well
• pressure cook the beef until cooked well [ I usually cook this on high flame until the first whistle and then cook for another 10 minutes on low flame ]
• open the cooker when the pressure has been settled  
• if stock is there cook without lid until dry
• for frying heat up oil in a pan
• add fennel seeds and fry for a few seconds
• deep fry the ginger until crisp
• add sliced onion , green chilly and curry leaves and drain when they are soft
• deep fry until the beef become dark brown and almost 80%crisp
• drain and mix with fried ginger,onion and curry leaves
• sprinkle pepper powder, salt and garam masala as per your taste;serve hot

Homemade Whole Wheat Noodles Recipe

Homemade Wheat Noodles

 Ingredients :

• wheat flour - 1cup [140g]
• egg - 1[50g]
• water - less than1/4cup[47g]
• salt 
• carrot - 30g
• capsicum -  30g
• onion - 70g
• cabbage - 50g
• garlic - 5g
• spring onion 
• soya sauce -  1.5tsp
• green chilly sauce -  1tsp
• tomato sauce -  1tsp
• red chilly sauce -  1/2tsp
• vinegar -  1tsp
• pepper powder - 1/2tsp

 Method

    

• add flour,egg [lightly beaten] and salt into a bowl and mix well
• add water a little at a time and make dough[I used less than1/4 cup of water.]
• knead the dough for 5 minutes
• after kneading cover it and rest the dough for 30minutes
• meanwhile thinly cut the mentioned veggies and keep aside
• mix the sauces and vinegar in a bowl and keep aside
• after  30 minutes of rest, again knead the dough for two minutes
• to cook noodles boil about two litre of  water and add salt
• press the dough directly into the boiling water
• stir in between and cook for 3 - 4 minutes
• drain the cooked noodles into a bowl with cold water
• change the water to two times to remove the excess starch
• now put the noodles into a strainer and shake off the excess water
• to saute the veggies, heat up  1 tbs oil in a wok
• saute the garlic first
• then add the carrots and saute for  1 minute
• now add onion and saute for 1minute
• add cabbage and capsicum and saute for1 minute
• finally add spring onion and saute for  30 sec
• season with salt
• add cooked noodles and sauce mix
• mix well and serve hot

Kallappam Recipe in Malayalam | vellayappam Recipe

Kallappam

Ingredients

• raw rice - 1 cup
• grated coconut - 3/4 cup
• yeast 1/4 tsp
• sugar -2tbs
• cumin - 1/2tsp
• garlic -1clove
• shallots - 3-4
• salt as needed

 Method

• wash and soak the rice for minimum four hours
• grind the soaked rice into a coarse paste, first
• take 2.5tbs of coarsely ground rice into a sauce pan to make rice cream [kappi kachiyatu]
• add 3/4cup of water into this and cook on medium flame until thick, stirring continuously
• when it is ready, turn off the flame and allow it to cool
• meanwhile dissolve the yeast in a few water along with 1/2tsp sugar
• now grind the 'coarsely ground rice' into a fine paste
• pour this into a vessel
• further grind cumin,shallots and half amount of coconut along with yeast dissolved water
• now add sugar, cool rice cream [kappi kachiyathu] and remaining coconut into the mixer jar
• grind them for a few seconds and add into the ground rice
• mix very well 
• add more water if necessary;do not make the batter too thin or too thick
• cover it and keep it in a warm place for fermentation
•  fermentation time varies depending on the weather condition; for me it took four hours
• add needed salt into the fermented batter and mix well
• pour a ladleful of batter into a medium hot pan
• do not spread the batter
• when holes appear on top cover it and cook for a while
• flip it when the bottom is golden in colour 
• remove from pan when both sides are cooked
• repeat the same with the remaining batter
• serve the soft and delicious appam along with your favourite curry

Note

• I used idli rice for this recipe
• use good quality yeast
• instead of water, you can use coconut water to grind the rice

Easy Christmas Fruit Cake | Plum cake

Easy Christmas Fruit Cake

Ingredients

 for cake batter

• flour -180g (1+1/2 cup)
• baking powder - 1tsp
• salt - 1/4 tsp
• butter (softened) - 180g (3/4cup)
• eggs - 3
• brown sugar -  180g(1 +1/4 cup)
• orange juice - 2 tbs
• vanilla essence - 1tsp

 fruit mix

• cashews chopped - 1/4 cup
• dates chopped - 6 no
• cherry -1/4 cup
• raisins - 1/4 cup
• candied peel - 1/ 3 cup
• tutty fruity - 1/ 3 cup
• ground spices -1tsp  (1small piece of  cinnamon, 1 cardamom, 1 cloves, a small piece of nutmeg) 

  Method

 step 1 : prepare cake tin

• butter an eight inch round pan
• line ith butter paper 
• dust with flour and remove the excess flour
• note that baking time varies depending on pan size; when you use small size pan , the baking time increases.

step 2 : prepare fruit mix

• add the fruits into a bowl
• mix in the spice powder
• you can use fruits and nuts of your choice; when the quantity of fruit mix increases, baking time also increases

   step 3 : prepare cake batter

• in a mixing bowl cream together butter and sugar until light and creamy
• beat in 3 eggs one at a time
• add in vanilla essence and mix well
• mix together flour, baking powder and salt; sift into the butter mixture in batches
• use a spatula for folding
• fold in gently; over mixing results in tough cake
• add in the fruit mix into the batter and combine well
• pour orange uice and combine well; note that do not overwork the batter
• transfer the batter into the cake tin; spread evenly; tap out any air bubbles trapped.

 step 4 : baking

• bake in a preheated oven at 165 degree for 1 hours or when a toothpick inserted at the centre of the cake comes out clean
• if you bake this in high temperature, the outside will become brown and the inside will remain uncooked.
• when it is done allow the cake to cool completely in the pan[it may take two hours]
• then cut it and serve!

Japanese Cotton Soft Sponge Cake Recipe

Cotton Soft Sponge Cake

 Ingredients :

• maida/all purpose flour - 1/2 cup [60g]
• corn flour -2tbs[20g]
• sugar - 5 tbs [90g]
• eggs - 4
• milk -3tbs
• veg.oil -3tbs
• lemon juice -  1 tsp
• vanilla essence - 2 tsp
• a pinch of salt

 Method

 Prepare tin

• line a 6 inch cake tin with baking paper and keep aside

 Prepare batter

• mix together maida and corn flour and set aside
• separate egg yolk from the white
• into the egg yolks add 3tbs sugar, milk,oil and vanilla essence
• mix well
• sift in the maida - corn flour mix in three batches
• combine well and set aside
• beat the egg white for a minute
• add lemon juice, salt and remaining sugar in batches
• beat till stiff peak forms
• mix this with the yolk mixture gently
• pour this batter into the prepared tin and tap 3-4 times

 Baking

• place this in a large tin 
• pour hot water into the large tin 
• bake this in a preheat oven at 155 degree Celsius for 90minutes
• after  90minutes turn off the oven and let the cake sit in the oven for 5 minutes more; a sudden varation in temperture can cause a considerable shrinkage in size
• take the cake from the oven after 5 minutes
• remove the cake immediately from the tin and allow this to cool completely
• cut, serve and enjoy

 Note

• I used cold eggs for this recipe
• no need to grease the cake tin
• fold the egg whites [meringue] very gently into the batter;the air bubbles formed in the meringue is the rising agents of this cake,so make sure that they are undistrubed when you mix with  the batter
• use clean and dry bowl and beaters to whip the egg white;if there is a tiny bit of yolk or fat in the whites the won't froth prpoerly
• water bath is very important for this cake;it will maintain a steady temperature and also will protect the cake from craks on top
• baking time may vary depending on the oven