Tea Cake

Ingredients

Maida(Refined flour)  2 cups

Sugar                           2 cups

Butter                          2 cups

Eggs                            5 eggs

Vanilla essence            ½ tspn

Sunset yellow color     a pinch

Baking powder           1/3 tspn

Method

Powder the sugar and sieve it 2-3 times to aerate it

Similarly sieve Maida with the baking powder 2-3 times separately

Break the 5 eggs and empty the contents into a bowl

In the mean time preheat the oven to 180 degrees for 15 minutes

Beat the butter using a hand or electric blender to a creamy consistency

Add powdered sugar slowly into the butter continuing to blend to the same creamy consistency

Now slowly add the egg one by one and continue to blend

Slowly fold the aerated maida into the mixture and blend for a minute

Now add the vanilla essence and the color and blend the color uniformly

Grease the bake tray with butter/oil lined with a butter paper and empty the cake mix into it

Bake at 180 degrees for 45-50 minutes

Cake can be served with or without icing

Tomato Upma Semolina

Ingredients

Roasted Semolina       1 cups

Onions (chopped)       1 small szie

Tomatoes                     1 medium size

Finely chopped ginger ½ tspn

Green chillies              2-3

Red chilly powder      ½ tspn

Turmeric powder         ½ tspn

Coriander leaves         handful

Salt                              As per requirement

Seasoning

Mustard seeds             ½ tspn

Cumin seeds( Jeera )   ½ tspn

Redchilly                     1

Urad dal                      1 tspn

Channa dal                  ½ tspn

Ground nuts/cashewnuts few (optional)

Curry leaves                1 stalk

1 tbspn oil

Method

Heat oil in kadai/wok and add seasoning ingredients

Add chopped onions, chopped ginger and slit green chillies and saute

Now add chopped tomatoes, red chilly and turmeric powder and saute until oil seperates

Now add 4 cups of boiling water and add salt

Now slowly add the roasted semolina constantly stirring

Cook with lid close for 3-4 minutes until done

Garnish with chopped corinader and serve

Coconut onion Choganzha chutney

Ingredients

Grated coconut           2 cups

Red small  onions        2-3

Red chillies                 2

Red chilli powder       1 tspn

Tamarind pulp             ½ tbspn

Salt                              as per requirement

Seasoning

Mustard seeds ½ tspn

Urad dal-1 tspn

Channa dal ½ tspn

Curry leaves

1 tbspn oil

Method

Coarsely blend coconut, red chillies, chopped onions, red chilli powder, salt, tamarind pulp with ¼  cup of water

Separate into a serving bowl

Add the seasoning ingredients into the hot oil and saute until the dals give out a roasted aroma

Allow the seasoning to cool before adding it to the coconut chutney

Can be served with all varieties of dosas and idlis

Guava cheese

Ripe guavas                                        3-4 kg

Sugar                                                     1 kg

Lime                                                      2

Butter                                                   100 gm

Salt                                                         a pinch

Method:

Wash the guavas and pressure cook it for about 8- 10 min.  Cut the guavas into half and scoop out the seeds into a vessel.  Put the guavas in the mixie and blend it to a paste.  Measure the pulp and put it in a heavy bottom dish and add the same quantity of sugar and allow it to cook on slow fire.  Keep stirring it continuously so that the mixture does not get stuck to the bottom.  Add the pinch of salt and the juice from the lemon and keep cooking till the mixture leave the sides of the dish, add the butter and keep mixing, the colour will slowly change from light to dark brown.  When the mixture leaves the side of the dish, you can remove it quickly into a flat tray or plate that is greased with butter or oil.  When cool you can cut it into pieces and store it in an air tight container.  If you are trying out for the first time it is better to take a small quantity.

Sambhar Kerala

Ingredients

Cubed Vegetables 2 cups (bottle gourd, madras cucumber, carrots, bhendi, onions)

Cooked Toor Dal – 1 cup

Tamarind pulp from 1 lemon size

Coriander leaves

Tomatoes 2-3

Green chillies 6-7

Sambar powder (Everest/777 of your choice)- 2-3 tbspn 

MTR Madras Sambhar Powder 7oz

Seasoning

Mustard seeds 2 tspns

Curry leaves

Methi - 5-6seeds

Jeera – 1 tspn

Crushed Garlic – 4-5 pods

Red chillies- 4

Sliced Sambar onions- 3-4

Asafotedia/Hing – ½ tspn

Oil or ghee -3 tbspn

Method

Pressure cook ½ cup of dal with ½ tspn of turmeric, green chillies and curry leaves

Add the vegetables, tamarind pulp, tomatoes, salt, sambar powder, 1 cup of water and pressure cook until it whistles

Adjust the salt and spice (add red chilly powder if required) and consistency of the sambar by adding water (tamarind water to adjust the sourness) bring to boil

Season with seasoning ingredients and garnish with chopped onions

Served with rice, idli, wada or dosa

Cabbage Thoran

 Ingredients

Chopped cabbage 2 cups

Green chillies   4-5

Turmeric 1/3  tspn

Grated coconut 1 tbspn

Pepper powder a pinch

Salt to taste

Seasoning

Mustard seeds-half tsp 

Channa dal  -half tsp

Urad dal-1 tspn

Curry leaves

Oil 1 tspn

Heat oil and add seasoning ingredients into the kadai

In the mean time add turmeric, chopped ginger, slit green chillies, curry leaves to the chopped cabbage and mix well

Add the above mixture into the seasoning and stir with a little salt

Steam with lid covered

Adjust the salt and stir until extra water evaporates

Sprinkle a pinch of pepper powder and stir

Garnish with grated coconut

Ready to be served with rice, roti, poori etc

Fish Fry

Ingredients

Any Sliced Fish pieces 4-5

Red chilly powder 2 tbspn

Turmeric ½ tspn

Salt as per requirment

Method

Mix red chilly powder, turmeric and salt into a paste   (dripping consistency)

Coat the fish pieces into this paste and leave for a while

Heat 2 tbspn oil in shallow pan

Fry fish pieces in medium heat

Turn over when one side is done to get a rich  brown crust

Optional

Ginger garlic paste or Jeera powder also may be included in the paste

To get a thicker crust, corn flour/besan also may be added