Butterscotch Pumpkin Spiced Cupcakes

Butterscotch Pumpkin Spiced Cupcakes

Ingredients

Whole wheat flour – 1 cup

Jaggery (powdered) – 1

Eggs – 2

Pumpkin puree – ½ cup

Baking powder – 1 tsp

Baking soda – ½ tsp

Salt – 1 tsp

Coconut oil – ¼ cup

Sour cream or strained curd  – ½ cup

Milk – ¾ or 1 cup (to adjust consistency of batter)

Apple cider vinegar – 1 tbsp

Cinnamon, clove, ginger and nutmeg powders – ½ tsp each

Butterscotch chips - 1/4 cup

Method

Beat eggs with salt, vinegar and curd

Sieve flour twice with baking powder and soda

Add slowly to the beaten egg

Add oil and milk

Beat well again

Add pumpkin puree and mix well

Add jaggery, butterscotch and the spice mix

Bake in an oven preheated to 170 degrees C for about 15 mins

Let cool

Enjoy warm with tea or coffee

Drizzle hot chocolate sauce on top or spread chocolate ganache if you want to eat it as dessert 

Decorate it if you desire

Health Benefits of Pumpkin

Potassium in pumpkins can have a positive effect on blood pressure

Antioxidants in pumpkin could help prevent degenerative damage to the eyes

Pumpkin puree or canned pumpkin can be used as a replacement for butter or oil in baking recipes

Thai Red Curry With Prawns

Thai Red Curry With Prawns

Ingredients

Fresh prawns (big sized)  - 6

Ginger (grated) - 1 inch piece

Onions (medium) -  2 or 3

Tomatoes (big) - 1

Thai Red Curry Paste - 3 or 4 tbsp (heaped)

Red chilly powder (if more spicy desired) – 1 to 2 tbsp (heaped)

Basil leaves - 1 big handful (more if desired)

Coconut oil - 1 tbsp

Coconut milk (medium consistency) - 1/4 cup

Method

Heat oil in a non-stick pan

Add ginger and fry it

Add onions and pinch of salt

Saute on slow fire to soften it

Add tomatoes and mix well

Saute for a minute till it softens

 Add the Thai curry paste and mix well

Add chili powder if you like it more spicy

Add basil leaves and mix well

Add water and cook on slow fire for 10 mins till it becomes a nicely blended mixture

Add prawns, salt, mix, cover and cookfor 5 mins

Add coconut milk, mix well and cook for 5 mins

Eat with steamed brown rice  

Health Benefits of Basil

Anti-inflammatory

Antioxidant

Cancer-fighter

Pain-reducer (analgesic)

Fever-reducer (antipyretic)

Diabetes-preventer

Liver-protector (hepato-protective)

Blood vessel-protector

Anti-stress solution

Immune-booster

Health Benefits of Prawns

Good source of selenium, an important antioxidant

Has omega-3

Protein rich

Good source of vitamin B12, iron and phosphorus

Beer Cake

Beer Cake

Ingredients

Whole wheat flour – 2 cups

Jaggery (powdered) – 2 (can increase if you want it sweeter)

Cocoa – ¾ cup

Baking soda – 2 tsp

Baking powder – 1 tsp

Salt – 1 tsp

Coconut oil – ¼ cup

Sour cream or strained curd  – ½ or ¾ cup

Eggs – 2

Beer – 1 cup

Apple cider vinegar – 1 tsp

Mix of cinnamon, clove and nutmeg powders – 1 tsp 

 

Method

Beat eggs with salt, vinegar and curd

Add oil and beat well again

Sieve flour twice with baking powder and soda

Add jaggery and the rest of the dry ingredients

Add dry ingredients little by little to the egg mixture         

Bake in an oven preheated to 180 degrees C for about 20 to 25 mins

Let cool

Enjoy warm with tea or coffee

Drizzle hot chocolate sauce on top or spread chocolate ganache if you want to eat it as dessert  

Banana Chocolate Cake

Banana Chocolate Cake 

Ingredients

Wholewheat flour -  1 cup

Baking powder – 1

Baking soda - 1/2 tsp

Salt – 1/2 tsp

Jaggery  (powder) -  1 cup

Cocoa powder -  1/2  cup

Coffee powder  (instant) – 1 tsp

Vanilla essence – 1 tsp

Eggs – 2

Coconut oil -  1/2  cup

Curd – ½:cup

Apple cider vinegar-  1 tsp

Banana (overripe) – 4 (medium)

Walnut pieces – ½ cup

Topping

Walnut pieces – 2 tbsp

Chocolate chips or sprinkles -  1 tbsp

Method

Add salt and vinegar to the eggs and beat till fluffy

Mash the bananas

Add oil, curds, cocoa and coffee powder and mix well

Add jaggery and mix thoroughly

Add soda and baking powder to the flour and sieve twice

Add little at a time to the egg mix using cut  and fold method

Bake for about 15 mins in an oven preheated to 180 degrees C

Ganesha Sweets

Ganesha Sweets

Wholewheat Modak

Outer Cover (dough)

Wholewheat flour – 1 cup

Oil – 2 tbsp

Warm water - 1 cup

Pinch of Salt

Filling

Grated Coconut (fresh) - 1 cup

Grated Jaggery – 1 cup

Cardamom (elaichi powder) – 1 tsp

Method

Filling

Mix grated coconut and jiggery

Cook it on a low-medium flame till the jaggery melts and coats the coconut to form a dry and sticky mixture

Takes about 10-12 minutes

Keep stirring it occasionally

Add cardamom powder to it and mix well and let the mixture cool completely

Dough

Add salt and oil to the flour

Mix

Add warm water little by little to form a stiff dough

Cover and keep aside for 15 mins

Modak

Grease your hands and divide the dough into small balls

Roll out each into poories

Place a portion of the filling in each

Shape into modaks and steam for about 15 mins

Test with a knife

Cool slightly and serve

Wholewheat Puran Poli

Dough

Wholewheat flour – 1 cup

Oil – 2 tbsp

Ghee – 2 tbsp

Warm water - 1 cup

Pinch of Salt

Filling

Chana Dal – 1 cup

Jaggery – 1½ cups

Water – 2 cups

Cardamom (elaichi powder) – 1 tsp

Pinch of Salt

Method

Dough

Add salt and oil to the flour

Mix

Add warm water little by little to form a soft dough

Cover and keep aside for 15 mins

Filling

Wash and soak the dal for 30 to 45 mins

Pressure cook for 3 whistles using the same water

Let it cool completely

Mix it with salt, jaggery and cardamom powder and cook it on a medium flame till it becomes completely dry  

Cool

Puran Poli

Divide the dough into lemon sized balls

Make small cups and place a portion of the filling in each

Roll out into thick rotis

Roast on a greased pan using little ghee

Serve hot

Chana Dal Kheer

Ingredients

Chana Dal – 1 cup

Jaggery – 1½ cups

Coconut milk (thick) – 2 cups

Water - 2 cups

Cardamom (elaichi powder) – 1 tsp

Brown rice powder (coarse) – 2 tbsp

Pinch of Salt

Method

Wash and soak the dal for 30 mins

Pressure cook for 3 whistles using the same water

Let it cool completely

Mix it with salt, coconut milk, jaggery and cardamom powder and cook it on a medium

About 15 to 20 mins

Mix the rice powder in water and add to it

Cook till it thickens slightly

Roast the raisins and cashew nuts in ghee

Add to the kheer

Serve hot or chilled

Hazelnut Chocolate Sandwich

Hazelnut Chocolate Sandwich

Sponge Cake

Ingredients
Wholewheat flour - 1 cup
Cocoa - 1/4 cup
Jaggery powder - 1 cup
Baking powder - 1/2 tsp
Baking soda - 1/2 tsp
Salt - 1/2 tsp
Instant coffee powder - 1 tsp
Vanilla essence - 1 tsp
Cold milk - 1/4 cup (to adjust consistency of batter)

Filling

Hazelnut chocolate spread
Fresh cream - 1 tsp

Method
Cake
Beat the eggs well adding vinegar and salt till fluffy
Sieve the dry ingredients and add little at a time to the beaten egg
Add essence to the mix
Pour the batter into a brownie tin to form a thin layer
Bake in an oven preheated to 180 degrees C for 6 to 8 mins
Cool
Cut into desired shapes

Filling
Beat the spread with the cream

Assemble
Spread the filling in between two slices of the cake

Breakfast In A Leaf

Breakfast In  A Leaf

It's a tradition in Mangalore to eat rice, coconut and jaggery cakes wrapped in various leaves and steamed. Somewhere while growing up we seemed to have forgotten this age-old tradition. The leaves add a different aroma and flavour to the cakes. More important, the leaves have a lot of medicinal value which it imparts to the food. I requested a cousin to courier the teak leaves from Mangalore. It's not so easily available here.

Health Benefits of Teak Leaves

Healthy hair

Healthy skin

Reduces cholesterol

Helps to overcome anemia

Reduces blood pressure

Prevents hypertension

Improves blood circulation

Prevents absorption of fat 

Natural slimming aid

Health Benefits of Jackfruit Leaves

Prevents diabetes by lowering blood sugar levels

Detoxification - can remove toxic substances from your body

Contains phytonutrients which can prevent various diseases

Enhances immunity

Improves breast milk production

Stalls the aging process

Weight loss aid

Health Benefits of Turmeric Leaves

Helps boost digestion and reduce problems of gas and bloating

Strong anti-inflammatory properties - boon for those suffering osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis

Antiseptic properties

 Jackfruit Cake in Teak Leaf

Ingredients

Rice – 1 cup (I took half cup each of brown and white rice)

Udad dal powder – 1 tbsp

Salt – ½ tsp

Coconut – ½ or ¾ cup

Jaggery – ¾ cup (adjust according to taste)

Curd – 1 or 2 tbsp

Greeen cardamom – 2

Cloves - 2

Peppercorns (coarsely ground) – 2 or 3

Jackfruit (finely cut)  – 1 cup

Ghee – 1 tbsp

Teak leaves – 6 (more or less depending on the size)

Note: If you don’t find these leaves, you can use banana or turmeric leaves

Method

Soak the rice for 3 to 4 hours (Brown rice needs 5 hours)  

Grind it with all the ingredients except peppercorns, half cup of jackfruit and ghee

Mix the rest of the ingredients

The batter should be thick

Take spoonfuls into each leaf and fold the leaves

Steam for about 30 to 25 mins

Serve warm

Cucumber Cake in Jackfruit Leaves

Ingredients

Rice powder – 1 cup (I took half cup each of brown and white rice powder)

Cucumber (grated) – 1 cup

Salt – ½ tsp

Coconut – ½ or ¾ cup

Jaggery – ¾ cup (adjust according to taste)

Curd – ¼ or ½ cup

Greeen cardamom (powdered)  – 2

Cloves  (powdered)  – 2

Peppercorns (coarsely ground) – 2 or 3

Ghee – 1 tbsp

Jackfruit leaves – 6 (more or less depending on the size)

Method

Mix all the ingredients except curds

Adjust consistency using curds

The batter should be thick

Arrange the leaves in an an oiled aluminium mould so as to cover it completely

Pour the batter into the mould

Steam for about 30 to 25 mins

Serve warm

Note: You can replace the cucumber with white gourd. I tried it but baked it in Teak leaves.  The two cakes above.  

Wholewheat Cake in Turmeric Leaf

Ingredients

Turmeric leaves – 8 (depending on their size)

Outer covering

Wholewheat flour (coarsely ground) - 1cup
Salt - to taste
Filling
Coconut (grated) - 1 cup
Jaggery - 3/4 cup (more according to taste)
Cardamom powder - 1 tsp

Method
Make a thick paste with rice flour using little water
Spread evenly over the leaves
Spread the filling over it
Fold the leaf
Steam for 15 mins
Serve warm
Note: I've tried replacing the wholewheat with equal quantities of brown rice and jowar flour. It's good