Pineapple Upside Down Cake

Celebration time!!!! the reason for the celebration is my sister in law("sil") has started a play school at Bangalore. My hearty congratulations and wishing her all success in her new venture. I am very much attached to my "sil" she is more like a mom to me. As a part of celebration I made this pineapple upside down cake. I am not very good at baking. I choose especially this cake b'coz my hubby loves this one. Any way this recipe turned out to be a great success for bad baker like me. Great success I said as my son loved this cake b'coz he likes only chocolate cake.


Ingredients:
Packed light brown sugar - 2cup
Butter - 1 stick
Sliced pineapple - 1 can
Undrained maraschino cherries
Eggs - 3
Vanilla essence - 1 tsp
White sugar - 1 cup
Baking powder - 2 tsp
All purpose flour - 1 and 1/2 cup
Salt - 1/4 tsp

Procedure:
This recipes goes on using cast iron skillet ,since I didn't have one I just melted the butter separately and poured on the cake pan. If you have iron skillet ,directly melt butter on it over low flame. After melting the butter mix in the brown sugar. Combine slices of pineapple with the butter and brown sugar mixture. Reserve the pineapple juice in the can. Place the cherry in the middle of each pineapple and in between the pineapples or how ever you like. In a large bowl separate the eggs. Beat the egg yolks until fluffy. Add 1/2 cup reserved pineapple juice, white sugar and vanilla essence and mix until sugar is dissolved. Sift baking powder, flour and salt and add to the egg yolk mixture and combine well. Beat the white egg separately until stiff and fold into the egg yolk mixture. Add the mixture to the butter, brown sugar and pineapple mixture. Pre-heat the oven for 350*F and bake for 30 mins. Let it cool for 10 mins then turn upside down onto a plate. Thats it upside down pineapple cake is ready. Eat when its warm . Enjoy!!!

Kothu Parotta

Kothu Parotta a very popular dish in Tamilnadu. Actually it would taste even better when you try from road side parotta stall than the big restaurants. The way the prepare this dish like they throw all the ingredients on a big hot iron griddle and they would mix and mince the parottas by pounding using two heavy iron spatulas. The way he prepares this kothu parotta makes you drool. When ever I visit my sister in Nagercoil she make sure to get this dish almost daily till I stay there. This is such a wonderful dish .






Ingredients:
Frozen kerala parotta - 5
Egg - 2
Finely chopped onion - 1 medium
Finely chopped tomato - 1
Ginger Garlic paste - 1tsp
Green chili - 2 chopped
Pepper Powder - 1tsp
Curry leaves - 5 to 6
Chicken Curry - 1/2 cup (optional)
cilantro
Salt to taste
oil


Procedure:
Microwave the parottas and cut to small pieces and set aside. Heat oil in a non-stick pan and add the onion and green chilies and saute well .Add ginger garlic paste and mix. Beat two eggs to it and mix until the egg is cooked. Add tomato and curry leaves and give a good mix. Tomato need not be fully cooked. Add salt and pepper powder. Now add the minced parottas. Keep mixing and in between add the chicken curry to it little by little and keep mixing. Garnish with cilantro. Serve hot with onion raita. Enjoy!!

Chicken Curry

After a lot of indo-chinese recipe here is an awesome South Indian style chicken curry recipe. I learned this dish from my sister who lives in Nagercoil. The combination of coconut , cashew and poppy seeds gives a rich taste to this dish. This dish doesn't fall into simple chicken curry category, you can name it chicken korma, or even salna as you like. There are probably hundreds of different chicken curry recipes available but each takes the basic chicken curry and enhances it according to the taste. Try my version of this rich aromatic chicken curry. Good recipes are always meant to be shared ....

Ingredients:

Chicken pieces - 1lb

Coconut - 1cup

Cashew - 2tsp

Poppy Seeds - 1tsp

Fennel seed - 1tsp

Cinnamon - 1" stick

Cloves - 5

Ginger - 2"

Garlic - 6 Cloves

Coriander Powder - 2tsp

Chili Powder - 1/2 tsp

Sambar Powder - 1tsp

Turmeric Powder - 1/2 tsp

Onion chopped - 1 medium

Tomato chopped - 1 medium

Mustard and curry leaves for seasoning

Salt to taste

oil

Procedure:

Soak the poppy seed and cashew nut in hot water for 10 mins. Dry roast fennel seed , Cinnamon , cloves and set aside. With little oil fry garlic, ginger and coconut for few mins and grind to a paste along with dry roasted Cinnamon,clove and cashew and poppy seeds. In a cooker pour oil and season it with mustard and curry leaves. Add onion and saute it till onion turns brown. Add tomato and give a good mix. Now add all the powders , if needed sprinkle little water . Add chicken to it keep mixing for few mins and add the grinded paste with little water . Now close the cooker and pressure cook for 10 mins. Garnish with cilantro . Serve with rice, idli dosa.

Chili Chicken

Yet another hot spicy indo- chinese dish - chili chicken. This dish has become a regular one atleast once a month in my kitchen. I usually make this as a side dish for the fried rice. This dish has a great aroma as we add lots of ginger and garlic and peppers. Try out this beautiful dish and pass on the comments.

Ingredients:

Part1:
Boneless chicken(thigh) - 1/2lb
Pepper Powder - 1 tsp
Egg - 1
Corn flour - 3 tsp
MSG ( Ajinomoto) - 1/4 tsp
Salt as required
Oil to fry

Part 2:

Ginger and Garlic finely chopped - 3 tsp

Bell Pepper - 1/2 cup cut into 1" cubes

Onion - 1/2 cup cut into 1" cubes

Mushroom - 1/2 cup cut ( any vegetable of your choice)

Whole red chili - 5 to 6

Pepper Powder - 1/2 tsp

MSG (Ajinomoto) - 1/2 tsp

Chili Garlic sauce - 1 tsp

Soy Sauce - 2 tsp

Salt as required

Corn flour - 1 tsp mix in little water

Procedure:

Mix all the part 1 ingredients expect oil in a bowl. Deep fry them in oil and set aside. Heat little oil in a non stick pan, add the red chili, ginger ,garlic and saute well. Now add the vegetables one by one from the part 2 and saute for few mins. Then add the pepper powder , salt , msg , chili garlic sauce and soy sauce and mix well and add little water. Now add the chicken and mix well. Last add the corn flour mixed in water spoon by spoon to thicken the gravy. The tasty chili chicken is ready , server with fried rice or plain rice. Enjoy!!!

Potato Fry /Roast

Potato is one vegetable almost everyone loves it. My son is a bad eater of vegetables ,its very tough to feed him veggies without his knowledge but some how I am doing it till now.."touch wood " .Only few say 2 or 3 veggies he loves to eat , potato is one kind he eats it any way its made provided it is tasty. This potato fry he likes a lot. After our kids starts eating regular food as we eat , we end up doing their favorite food most of the times. I almost gave up many of my favorite food as my son doesn't like them :-( OK lets go to the recipe of this potato fry or roast.

Ingredients:

Potato - 1 large cut into 1" cubes

Channa dal - 1 tsp

Turmeric Powder - 1/4 tsp

Coriander Powder - 1 tsp

Red chili Powder - 1/2 tsp ( increase or decrease according to your taste)

Curry leaves - 4 or 5

Oil - 3 tsp

Salt as required

Procedure:

Heat oil in a non-stick pan . Add the channa dal and stir till it turns golden brown. Now add the potatoes and saute. Add all the powders one by one and keep mixing. Now add the curry leaves, it gives a nice flavour to the dish. Sprinkle little water and cook covered. Stir in-between . Cook till potato is nicely roasted on both sides. Good with sambar rice. Enjoy!!!

Mutter Paneer / peas and cheese

When ever we go to a restaurant we make sure to order atleast one paneer dish and I guess mutter paneer is the most frequently ordered one as it is our family's favorite. Mutter Paneer is a delicious curry made of peas and home made cheese .Almost everyone would have tried making this dish and each one gets a different taste. I am posting my way of making this recipe. Please try it and pass on some comments.




Ingredients:
Paneer cubes - 1 packet
Peas - 1 cup
Onion - 1 chopped
Tomato - 2
Ginger Garlic paste - 2tsp
coriander powder - 2tsp
Red chili powder - 1/2 tsp
Turmeric Powder - 1/2 tsp
Garam masala - 1/2 tsp
Cumin Powder - 1 tsp
Salt as required

Procedure:
Boil the onion with little turmeric powder and blend to a fine paste and set aside. Make a fine paste out of tomato and keep aside too. Heat oil in a pan and saute ginger garlic paste. After few mins add the onion paste and saute well. Add all the powders and fry for 2 mins. Next add the tomato paste and stir continuously till the oil begins to separate from the masala. Add peas (if you are using a frozen peas thaw them first )to it and cook it for 5 mins . Last add the paneer and little water, cook in reduced heat till the gravy thickens. Mutter paneer is ready. Server with chapati , nan or roti of your choice to enjoy this dish.