Cherry Cake

I got some cherries at Pondy Bazaar in Chennai. Those cherries were special, as i handpicked them one by one, choosing the Best. I would usually buy a Pack of cherries, from the Vegetable shop, which will have only few good cherries in it. So having got such Rich Red Cherries, i wanted to make Cake out of it. There i baked this Cherry Cake, and it turned out Good. It will be so Perfect along a cup of Coffee. I tried the cherry cake from here.

Ingredients:

Cherries - 100gms (remove the seed and slice them into four pieces)
All Purpose Flour - 2 Cup's
Butter - 1 / 4 Cup
Baking Powder - 1 tsp
Powdered Sugar - 1 Cup
Egg's - 2
Milk - 1 / 2 Cup
Vanilla Essence - 5 ml

Method:

Pre-heat the oven at 350F / 180C. Grease a Baking Bowl with little butter and set aside.

In a Mixing bowl, beat the butter and Sugar, till they turn creamy. Add Egg's one by one and beat well.

Add Vanilla Essence to the bowl and mix.

Add little Flour and mix with a wooden spoon. add  flour and milk alternatively and keep mixing with the wooden spoon.

Last, add the cherries to the bowl and mix. Reserve some cherry slices, to top, on the halfway of baking.

Bake the Cake at 180C / 350 F for about 1 hour.
In Between, remove the Cake from the oven and top with few left cherries and put back into the oven.

Check the cake, by inserting a toothpick at the centre of the cake comes out clean.

Its such a easy Cake to make.
For me, it tasted like Pound Cake and the cherries gave a nice taste to the Cake.
This Cherry Cake will be a Perfect Tea Time Snack.

Seppankizhangu Sambhar

This is another favourite dish of mine from my mom's kitchen. Seppankizhangu is a root vegetable, which is called as Taro Root in English. also called as Colocasia. Seppankizhangu Roast is the popular dish, but i wonder how come preparing this sambhar came into practice in my home. If you love Seppankizhangu, then you must try this Sambhar. the soft Seppankizhangu in Sambhar will sure impress you all.

My Hubby don't love this vegetable, so i usually prepare this only if he is not going to come home for Lunch. so one such day was today, and i happily prepared and enjoyed the meal today:) Kovakaai is another veggie that i like, but he hates. and Kothavarankaai is one which i hate and he likes it a lot:)

Is there any similar stories in your family?

 

Ingredients:

Seppankizhangu - 6
Onion - 1
Tomato - 1
Cooked Tuvar Dal - 1/2 Cup
Tamarind - half of a lemon size

Oil - 1 tbsp
Mustard - 1/4 tsp
Asafoetida - 1 tsp
Dry Green Chilli - 3
Curry Leaves - 8

Turmeric Powder - a pinch
Sambhar Powder - 2 tsp

 Method:

Cook the Tuvar Dal with a little asafoetida. If you Pressure Cook, cook it upto for 5 whistles.
Cook the Seppankizhangu with little salt to taste in Pressure Cooker for upto 4 whistels.
After Cooking the Seppankizhangu, wash them with cold water and let it cool and peel its skin. and set aside.
Soak the Tamarind in warm water for about 5 minutes.

In a Pan, heat oil, add mustard and let it pop and add, asafoetida powder, curry leaves and dry green chilli's.
Add Diced onion to the Pan and saute it along.
Add chopped Tomato to the Pan and saute it along onion.
Now add salt to taste, add Turmeric powder, Sambhar powder and mix well.
Add boiled and peeled Seppankizhangu to the pan and mix well.
Now add Pressure Cooked Tuvar Dal to the pan and mix.
Add tamarind water and 1/2 cup of water and mix well.
Let the Sambhar boil in medium flame for about 5 to 7 minutes. and remove from flame.

* Add more water, if like your sambhar little watery.
* Its must to add Asafoetida powder, as it helps to remove gas from the seppankizhangu.


Serve the Sambhar with Hot Rice. some appalam or vadams will make a good combo.

Ennai Kathirikkai Kulambu

This is one of my most most favourite kulambu from my mom's kitchen. We used to call a Cook to prepare special sweets like Jangri, Laddu etc. for festivals. The Cook Prepares excellent Ennai Kathirikaai Kulambu. Whenever the cook comes to our home, i used to whisper at my mom's ears, to prepare this kulambu. and whenever my mom comes to my college hostel, she brings a big dubba of this kulambu, which we will finish of in a single meal. so this is the best ennai kathrikaai kulambu recipe, which i try atleast once in a week.

Ingredients:

Small Purple Brinjals / Pinji Kathrikaai - 4
Sesame Oil - 1/4 cup
Tamarind - a small lemon size.

For Masala:

* Chana Dal / Kadala Paruppu - 1 tbsp
* Dhania / Corriander Seeds - 1 tbsp
* Roasted Peanuts- 1 tbsp
* Dry Red Chilli - 4
* Sesame Seeds - 1 tbsp

Dry Roast the above ingredients and grind into a coarse powder. to the grounded coarse powder, add the following and grind into a smooth paste.

* 1 Tbsp Ginger Garlic Paste
* 1 Big Red Onion
* 2 Tomatoes

Now the Masala is Ready.

Method:

Make a X cut on Brinjal's. check inside whether its clean (without sothaai). Fill some masala's into the "X" cut of brinjal's and let the brinjals marinate in masala for about 10-15 minutes.

Soak the Tamarind in a 1/4 cup of warm water for about 10 minutes. squeeze the tamarind and throw out the pulp.

Heat Oil in a Kadaai / Thick bottomed Pan. drop the brinjals stuffed with masala's one by one into the Oil.
Let the Brinjal's get cooked in medium flame. when the Brinjals shrink and fried for about 4 minutes in medium flame, add the Masala's to the Oil and fry the masala in the oil for 2 minutes.

Add Tamarind water to the Pan and let the kulambu boil. slow the flame. add salt to taste and mix well. Now reduce the flame and close the pan with its lid and let the kulambu sit on the flame for about 15 minutes or till the brinjals get cooked fully and till Oil comes on the sides of the Pan.

Add some Curry leaves and remove from the flame.

Serve with Hot Rice.
The Kulambu will be in a thick paste form. it will be so divine to mix with Hot Rice.