CHOCOLATE CAKE USING SOUR CREAM

One day I was searching for chocolate cake recipes and found this one. This cake uses sour cream and I had sour cream in my fridge , so thought of giving it a try. It was a hit , soft and moist . 

Ingredients

200 gms flour

200 gsm Castor sugar

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

40 gms cocoa powder

175 gms soft unsalted butter

2 large eggs

2 tsp vanilla extract

150 ml sour cream

Method

Take everything out of fridge so that all the ingredients are ta room temperature.

Preheat oven to 350 F.

Now mix all the in ingredients into a food processor until you have a smooth thick batter.

Pour this batter in the greased cake tin and bake in for 35 minutes or until skewer inserted comes out clean.

Remove the cake, to a wire rack and let it cool for 10 minutes before turning out. 

Spoon any icing of your choice on the cake after its cooled down completely.

GRAPES RAITA

This raita tastes a lot different from all other raitas. I felt, it did taste like a chaat,due to the addition of dry roasted cumin seeds. There's something so addictive about this one because there's sweet & salty along with the heat from the red chili powder. You have to try it to believe me.

Ingredients:
2 cups plain yogurt
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon red chili powder
1 teaspoon cumin seeds, dry roasted
1/2 pound green and red seedless grapes,sliced in half
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh cilantro leaves

Method:

Whisk together yogurt,salt & red chili powder.Add the dry roasted cumin seeds along with the grapes and cilantro and fold it in. Serve chilled.
This raita will keep in the refrigerator,covered,for up to 5 days.

BOTTLEGUORD CHUTNEY

Ingredients

1 tsp sesame seeds

1 small bottleguord cut into Small cubes

1 tsp cumin seeds

5-8 green chillies

4 cloves garlic

1/2 tsp tamarind paste

1 tsp oil

1 tsp mustard seeds

curry leaves

salt as per taste

2  dry chilli 

Method

In a hot pan add sesame seeds and dry roast it. 

Switch off the flame and transfer it in a blender to make powder.

Now in the same pan ass oil and cumin seeds, green chillies, garlic, bottleguordpieces, turmeric powder and saute it . 

Cook on low flame until soft. Add tamarind paste and saute for 2minutes.

Switch off flame and after it cools down , put in ablender and make paste.

Temper with mustard seeds, curry leaves and dry chillies. 

Add this to the chutney and mix it properly and serve.

MILLET DOSA

Ingredient

1 cup Foxtail Millet 

1 cup Idli rice

1/4 cup poha

1/2 cup ural dal

1/2 tsp methi seeds

salt to taste  

Method

Wash Millet, rice, urad dal, poha and methi seeds and soak millet, urad dal separately and rice and poha together in a bowl and soak for 2-3 hour.

After that In a grinder bowl or mixer jar, first grind foxtail millet then to it add rice, poha, urad dal, methi seeds and grind everything to a fine coarse batter using little water for 25-30 in grinder.

Then transfer the ground batter to a big bowl or container add enough salt mix altogether and allow to ferment for 8-10 hours or overnight.

After 8-10 hours of fermentation you will see the volume of the batter is little raised, stir the batter gently, if its properly fermented the batter will be so light, airy and fluffy.

The next day, stir the fermented batter once again and that's it the batter is ready to make soft idlis and crispy dosa.

Notes-

If using idli rice the adding poha is optional.

If using sona masoori the adding poha is must.

This batter gets sour soon, so grind with 1-2 cups and noit more than that. 

KAPPA ULARTHIYATHU

Ingredients  1 Kg Tapioca(Kappa) 1 cup Shallots, sliced thinly 4-6 Green Chillies, slit  1 -2 tsp turmeric powder1 tsp Mustard seeds  4 Dry Red Chillies,  2 sprigs Curry Leaves 2 tbsp Coconut oil  Salt to taste Method Clean and cut kappa into 1/2 " cubes and wash well.  Boil kappa in salt water until it becomes soft . Strain in colander and keep aside. Heat coconut oil and add mustard seeds , let it splutter..  Add dry chili, curry leaves.  Add shallots and green chillies and fry till brown. Add boiled kappa and mix well. Serve with fish curry or chicken curry.

KADALA CURRY

Ingredients

1 cup Black Chana

1 tsp Turmeric powder

1 large Onion sliced and chopped

3 nos Green chillies  slit

1 tsp Red chilly powder

1/2 tsp Mustard seeds

2  Dry red chillies

Coconut oil – As required

Salt as per taste
few Curry leaves

To roast and grind to a paste

1/4 cup Grated coconut

2 tbsp Coriander powder

Whole spices – (Fennel seeds – ¼ tsp, cardamom – 2, cloves – 3, Cinnamon stick – 1, Whole pepper corns – ½ tsp, star anise (thakolam) – 1 petal)

Method

Soak the kadala overnight and cook in a pressure cooker till soft alongwith salt. After the first whistle, reduce the heat to medium and cook for 4 more whistles. Keep it closed for 20 mins. Drain the water and save it for making gravy.

Heat 1 tsp oil in a pan and add the coriander seeds & whole spices. Saute for a few seconds and add the sliced pearl onions. Saute for a minute and add the grated coconut. Roast until it turns reddish brown. Switch off and leave aside. Grind it to a paste when it cools down.
In a deep pan heat some coconut oil and splutter mustard and brown the dry red chillies.
Now add the sliced coconut pieces. Saute until they turn brown.
Add the sliced onion, pearl onions, green chillies and curry leaves. Saute until they turn light brown. Now add turmeric powder, chilli powder, saute for a few seconds and add the reserved water from the cooked kadala. Bring to a boil and add the ground coconut paste and cooked kadala.
Mix well and cook until the gravy achieves your desired consistency.  Switch off and serve hot with puttu.

Notes

N.P. -The gravy tends to thicken a bit after sometime, so adjust the gravy accordingly. If you are using coriander powder instead of coriander seeds, add it along with chilly powder & turmeric powder while making the gravy. Add around 2-3 tsp of coriander powder. I added a little salt while making the gravy too. Do a taste test after adding the cooked kadala to the gravy and add salt, if required

RAGDA PATTIES

For The Ragda Filling

1 cup dried white peas

1 big onion finely chopped2 tsp ginger garlic paste

2-4 green chili finely chopped1-2 tsp rasam powder

1 -2 tsp coriander -cumin seed powder

1-2 large tomatoes chopped
salt  to taste

For The Tempering (for The Ragda)

1/4 tsp mustard seeds
6 curry leaves 
a pinch of asafoetida
2 tbsp oil

For The Patties

1 kg potatoes
1 tbsp Ginger-greenchili paste
1 -2 tsp cumin seed powder

1/4 cup chopped coriander leaves

1/2 tbsp lemon juice
salt  to taste

Other Ingredients

oil for deep-frying
coriander chutney
tamarind chutney
1 cup sev  
1 cup onions  , chopped

Method 

For the ragda

Soak the dried peas overnight.
Drain, add approximately 3 to 4 cups of fresh water and pressure cook for 4 whistles or until the peas are soft.
Prepare the tempering by heating the oil, adding the mustard seeds, curry leaves and asafoetida and stirring till the mustard seeds crackle.
Add chopped onions, green chili, saute. Add tomatoes , saute till mushy. 

Add coriander-cumin seed powder, rasam powder and saute.

Now add boiled peas and add more  water if required. Mix well mashing the peas slightly so that the gravy becomes thicker.

Add chopped coriander leaves. Simmer for 10 minutes and keep aside.

For the patties
Boil,  the potatoes and mash it well.
Add Ginger- green chili paste, salt , cumin seed power, lemon juice , coriander leaves . Mix well.

Pour little oil in your hands and make patties .
Divide into 12 equal portions and keep aside.
Repeat to make the remaining 11 patties.
Shallow fry on a non-stick pan till the patties are golden brown and crisp.

How to proceedFor serving, place 2 patties on a plate and pour the ragda over.
Top with all the chutneys. Sprinkle the sev and onions on top.
Serve immediately.