Spiced Chikoo and Raisin Cake

Chikoo, most commonly known as ‘Sapota’ in India, is a very familiar fruit. Sapota, Sapeta,Chikoo, Chiku or Sapodilla is the humble and very simple fruit that has plenty of benefits to give out when eaten or consumed as a dessert. Chikoo is also called as Noseberry, Mud Apples and Sapodilla Plum.

 Ripened chikoo contains minerals like iron, potassium, copper and vitamins A and C and others like niacin, folate, etc. Thus they help in boosting immunity besides good skin and hair. It contains a good source of dietary fibre and therefore acts as a good remedy to curb constipation. Our neighbor had a huge tree and we would have our share of fruits from them. My mother mostly used to make shake or Halwa out of it. Though I donot like Milk Shake myself ,I would eat it only because I was told it was good for you. 

This time I had tried to make something different out of it like how about baking a cake with this as the ingredient. The reason for this is quite obvious. A few days back I have received my gift of the Kitchen aid Hand mixer from the Urban spice group for winning the  First prize in the recently concluded Diwali giveaways for my entry of  Brown Rice Biryani . This 7 speed Digital Hand Mixer has really made my life easy.

So using this product to the maximum use was obvious and what better occasion than the upcoming Christmas to bake  a cake out of this exotic fruit. The cake turns out to be perfect in taste and texture.  Scroll down to have a look at the recipe.

Type: Dessert

Serves: 8 to 10

 Ingredients:

• 1 cup All Purpose Flour
• 1 cup Butter
• 1 cup Sugar
• 1 cup yogurt
• 2 teaspoon ground cinnamon powder
• 1/2 teaspoon grated nutmeg 
• 3 nos of Chickoo peeled, and thinly sliced
• 2 tablespoon warm honey for the glaze

Let’s Learn how to make this cake:

• Preheat the oven to 180degree and Grease a round pan with butter and line a parchment paper.
• Shift the flour, cinnamon powder and grated nutmeg and keep aside.
• Place the butter and the sugar in a large bowl and beat together until light and fluffy.
• Gradually add the yogurt. Gently fold in the flour spice mix with a spatula. Fold in the raisins.
• Spoon half of the mixture into the prepared tin and level the surface. Scatter half of the sliced Chickoo over the batter.
• Now pour rest of the batter over it and gently level the surface. arrange the rest of the sliced Chickoos on the top.
• Bake in the preheated oven for 1 hour 30 minutes or until golden brown in color, risen and firm to touch.
• leave it to cool in the tin for 10 minutes and then turn it out to cool on a wire rack.
• Brush the top with warmed honey and leave to cool completely.
• Serve with a warm cup of Tea or eat it just like this.

Rich Christmas Fruit Cake

Merry Christmas and Season’s Greetings to all.

    Christmas (rum soaked) Fruit Cake  is a traditional cake prepared during Christmas.  Its best if the dry fruits are soaked in Rum/Brandy several weeks/months prior to making the fruit cake, as this allows the fruits to become moist, juicy and absorb all that Rum. I soaked mine for just 5 weeks. I only know one thing, my home smelled amazing while baking this cake and the taste was so sinfully yummy, as it had an exotic flavor from the spices and the rum soaked moist and juicy fruits just melted in your mouth. In most of the Hotels, Christmas cakes are usually made well before Christmas, almost a month in advance, and the cake is stored upside down and then a small amount of Rum/Brandy/Sherry is poured over the cake periodically. This is called "feeding" the cake. The cakes usually have red and green candied fruit (tutti-fruitti), raisins and other dried fruit, orange peel , cashews or other nuts, in addition to spices and just enough flour to keep all the fruits together.

Christmas is all about fruit cakes.Delicious, fruity, rich cakes which will make your Christmas so special. I usually make instant fruit cake at home which needs no soaking quite often, but for this time I have made up my mind to try this rich traditional fruitcake soaked in rum. Every year I had the chance to witness the cake mixing ceremony of the hotels in my city where rich dry fruits are soaked in different kinds of wine month in advance to be baked alter. So giving this Cake a try at home was  must to do it this time.

 Ingredients:
For Soaking the Fruits

• 1 cup dates
• 1/2 cup  apricot
• 1/2 cup prunes
• 1/2 cup raisins
• ½ cup chopped Nuts (Cashews, Walnuts, Almonds, Pistachios) 
• 1/2 cup dried Kiwifruit
• 1/2 cup Anjeer
• 1/2 cup Cherries
• 1/2 cups  orange peels
• 375 ml Dark Rum or as required

For Caramel Syrup (to be used in Cake) 

• 1 cup Sugar 
• 1 tbsp Water 
• ¼ cup Hot Water

For Spice mix

• 2 inch Cinnamon stick
• 4 to 5  Cloves powder 
• 2 to 3 Cardamom 
• 1/4 Nutmeg 

For the Cake Mix:

• 1 ½ cup All-purpose flour 
• ½ teaspoon Baking powder 
• ½ teaspoon Baking soda
• ¾ cup oil
• ½ cup powdered sugar
• 1 teaspoon Coffee powder
• 1/2  cup yogurt
• ¼ cup warm milk
• 1 tbsp vinegar
• Salt - a pinch

For Soaking the fruits

• Atleast 2-3 weeks in advance , chop all the dry fruits and place them in an airtight container, soaking them in required amount of Rum and 4 tblsp  Caramel syrup. For Caramel syrup, heat 4tblsp sugar and 1 tsp of water on medium heat until the sugar melts and browns up. Take off the heat and carefully add the water and stir well and use.

preparing caramel solution for the cake mix:

• In a sauce pan, take ½ cup sugar (100 grams) and 2 tbsp water.Mix and stir very well. keep this pan on the stove top on a low flame. Bring this sugar solution to a boil on a low flame. you will see the mixture bubbling initially. continue to cook and do keep on stirring often.At one point it might look that the sugar is getting crystallized. Continue to cook and stir frequently. the pale brown color is still there. continue to cook and stir and you will see the color changing to a dark brown.  Remove the pan from the stove top and place it down. immediately add 1 cup water to the caramel. be careful while doing so as the mixture splutters. the caramel will harden as soon as you pour the water. keep the saucepan back on the stove top on a low flame. stir often and bring to a gentle simmer till all the hardened caramel is dissolved. do stir often so as to aid in dissolving the caramel. let this caramel solution cool completely. filter this solution and keep aside.
• Preheat Oven to 160 degree and grease your Cake pan and cover the bottom and sides with greased parchment paper.
• Sift together all the dry ingredients - Flour, baking powder, coffee,salt and Spices. 

• Beat the oil with powdered sugar until smooth and creamy.  Add the whisked yogurt until well incorporated. 
• Add in the dry ingredients slowly and mix until combined.
• Add the  Caramel syrup and smoothly combine everything together.
• Strain the rum soaked fruits (save the rum) , and coat them with some all-purpose flour to avoid the fruits from sinking to bottom of cake and add the fruits into the cake batter , Use a large wooden spoon to fold/mix the fruits into the cake evenly.
• Mix 1 tablespoon of vinegar to the warm milk and let it split. Add the baking soda to it and you will see it rising . immediately fold it into the batter and mix everything well.
• Pour the cake batter into your prepared cake pan and bake for 55 to 60 minutes.Each oven is different, so do a cake test at 55 mins - insert a toothpick into the cake center  If it comes out clean, the cake is ready.

• After taking the cake out from the oven, pour 2-3tblsp of the saved rum over the cake. Allow the cake to cool for 15 mins and then flip the cake pan onto a wire-rack.
• Once cooled release the cake from pan and brush the sweet rum (from the strained fruits) all over the cake.

Sending this to 19th Foodie Monday Bloghop theme of Christmas cakes 

Orange and Poppy seed Cake

Juicy and sweet and renowned for its concentration of vitamin C, oranges make the perfect snack and add a special tang to many recipes; it is no wonder that this is one of the most popular fruits in the world. Oranges are generally available from winter through summer with seasonal variations depending on the variety. Sweet, juicy oranges make a delicious and healthy snack or addition to a meal. Oranges not only  boost our immune system and improve our skin; they also reduce the risk of respiratory diseases, certain cancers, rheumatoid arthritis, ulcers and kidney stones.

Orange juice is also packed with nutrients but does not contain the fiber of a whole orange. Orange pith, the white substance between the peel and the flesh, is high in fiber. Did I say Orange Juice? Yes, With rising health concerns and increasing awareness about the importance of consuming fruits and vegetables on a daily basis, juicing has become a way of life. This brings with it the wonder product which makes our everyday life easy......The Philips citrus juicer for the kitchen.....Many of us would definitely agree that with the fast paced life , keeping pace with the daily nitty gritties of life...Gadgets/Appliances play a major role in our life. They not only makes our life easier but also helps in minimizing wastage. Coming to this let me remind you , this product has come to me as a winning gift for my recipe made during Navaratri called Kiwifruit sandesh.

The Philips citrus juicer  HR2771 is a good quality citrus juicer for your kitchen. This juicer is designed with a two-way rotation mode that allows you to extract the maximum amount of juice from your fruit, minimizing wastage. Juicing is also easy and convenient with this press as everything from juice, to the pulp, to fruit seeds are separated in the Philips citrus press.Citrus Press is an easy way to have fresh juice ready in a matter of seconds. Its 500 ml jar comes with own volume indicator that shows you exactly how much juice has been extracted. It comes with two-way random rotation that ensures maximum juice extraction. This Philips citrus press has provision for juicing both big and small fruits, with its double cone feature.

This citrus press also has a pulp selector option that helps to extract juice as efficiently as possible. Its cord winds up inside the device, which prevents it from getting damaged. It is also easy to maintain as it only requires timely cleaning with a damp cloth. It also has a drip stop feature that prevents the juice from dripping continually.This Philips citrus press has a relative low noise level while it is functioning, which is a beneficial feature. It has a handle that makes it easy for you to pour out the juice that is inside the built-in jug. The juicer is made of white plastic and has a red volume indicator. The unit is also inclusive of its own power adapter, instruction manual and warranty card.

Now coming back to the orange juice , the orange juice can be just as beneficial as eating the fruit whole, provided it is 100% natural, and is not loaded with preservatives, additives, and sugar. The closest thing to eating an whole orange would be drinking a glass of  freshly squeezed orange juice. In all possible way we should avoid frozen orange juice, canned orange juice, or concentrate, because with all of the processing, it loses a considerable amount of the natural goodness. So the best way is to Go natural and make sure you are getting all of the benefits of this miraculous and delicious fruit juice.

• Orange juice is an amazing drink for the patients of high or low blood pressure as this delicious drink contains a significant amount of magnesium which has a wonderful ability to bring back the disturbed blood pressure level to normal range.
• Orange juice acts as a best defender against several diseases such as flu or colds promoting the immune system due to the presence of vitamin C.
• Oranges contain flavonoids  which are anti-inflammatory stuffs heal the stiffness and pain.

• The risks of formation of kidney stones can be reduced by taking one serving of orange juice on regular basis. 
• This citrus fruit is full of antioxidants, which act efficiently to lose weight.
• Oranges contain hesperidin  in sufficient amount, which lower risks of heart attacks. 
• Orange juice provides a good quantity of vitamin C that promotes the absorption of iron into blood stream thereby preventing anemia. 
• The antioxidant properties of orange juice make the skin fresh, beautiful and young-looking by preventing the aging effects. 

Now coming back to the Orange Juice which I have prepared with the help of my Citrus maker, I had baked a  fresh  Orange Cake as a Birthday Present. This cake is very simple to make and since its egg less, anyone can have it too.

Ingredients:

• 11/2 cup All Purpose flour
• 3/4th cup Sugar
• 1/2 Cup Oil
• 1/3rd cup Yogurt
• Finely grated rind of one orange
• 1/2 cup fresh Orange Juice
• 1 teaspoon Baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon Baking Soda
• 1 teaspoon Orange Essence(Optional)
• 11/2 teaspoon Poppy seed

For Orange Syrup:

• 1 cup sugar 
• 1 cup Fresh Orange juice

Let's Learn How to make this Cake:

• Preheat the oven to 160 degree. Grease and lightly flour a cake tin.
• Shift the All Purpose Flour, baking powder, Baking Soda thoroughly.
• Cream the oil and sugar together until fluffy, then add the yogurt gradually, beating continuously.
• Stir in the Orange rind and poppy seed.
• Add the flour and fold in evenly. lastly add the Orange Juice and mix everything just once.
• Pour the mixture into the prepared tin and bake in the preheated oven for 45 to 50 minutes or un till a toothpick comes out clean.
• Leave to cool the in the tin for 10 minutes, then turn it out onto a wire rack to cool.
• For the Orange syrup, place the sugar and orange juice in a saucepan and heat gently un till the sugar melts.
• Bring this to a boil and simmer for about 5 minutes or untill it is reduced to a syrup consistency.
• Pour the syrup over the cake while it is still warm. top it with strips of orange Zest and serve warm or cold.

Spicy Spinach Cornmeal Bread

Nothing Soothes the sight and taste of freshly baked food coming out of the Oven . I am not a baking person nor do I bake often . But after I started to Blog about my food adventure, my love affair with baking had taken off so effortlessly that I sometimes feel I have been doing this for ages. But the fact is that I am a novice baker and try to learn and understand the science behind the baking and integration of flavours. In order to sharpen my Baking skill I have joined a group of Bakers at Baking partners who every month comes up with a theme on which all bakers has to bake and post their recipe . Though I am always eager to participate every month ,due to some personal reason I could not participate in the November month’s challenge of Skillet Cheese Corn Bread. 

For a new bee like me in the world of baking, Cornmeal Bread seems a logical challenge to take up, but the nonavailability of Corn meal and Skillet at home, dampen my spirit a bit. But when I saw my fellow blogger friend Sreelatha’s recipe of cardamom flavored cornbread muffins at  http://www.framedrecipes.com/, a ray of hope arises that this recipe can be done without a skillet also. Then a frantic search for Cornmeal ended with a shop who promises to get it for me. I have been waiting to bake this Cornmeal bread for a long time and finally the day came when my house is filled with the beautiful aroma of the freshly baked spinach and cornmeal bread. The whole process of trying this recipe is so satisfying that its worth waiting for all these days.

The original recipe for this month’s baking partner’s challenge has been given by Suja of Kitchen Corner Try It. She has given two recipe one with cheese and jalapenos and other with molasses. While going through the history of Cornbread I came to know that Cornbread is a common bread in United States cuisine, particularly associated with the South and Southwest, as well as being a traditional staple for populations where wheat flour was more expensive.I have changed the recipe and the ingredients a bit to adopt it to the likes of my family and it’s taste bud. However You can find the original recipe at http://kichencorner.blogspot.in/2015/11/skillet-chile-cheese-cornbread.html.

 Ingredients:

• 1 cup Cornmeal
• 1 1/4^th cup All Purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon Baking Powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoon Sugar
• 2 nos of egg at room temperature
• ½ cup sunflower oil
• ½ cup yogurt
• ½ cup milk
• 1 teaspoon fennel powder
• 1 tablespoon Chilli flakes
• 1 teaspoon Ground pepper
• 1/ 2 cup finely chopped baby spinach
• ¼ cup sweet corn kernels

 Let’s Learn how to make this recipe:

• Pre heat the oven to 220 degree C for minimum 10 minutes.
• Shift the dry ingredients like the cornmeal, all purpose flour, baking powder, salt, sugar, chilli flakes, ground pepper, fennel powder and keep aside.
•  Now in a large bowl, break the eggs and whisk them nicely. Slowly add the oil to the egg mixture and whisk till well. now add the yogurt and mix well. Lastly add the milk and mix.
• Add  the finely chopped spinach and sweet corn into it.
• Now fold in the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients in small batches. Do not mix too much, just mix easily with a spatula scrapping the sides of the bowl.
• Now grease a Loaf Pan and pour the mixture into it.
• Bake on a preheated oven at 220 degree for 15 ms and then lower the heat to 180 degree and bake for another 20 mts or till a toothpicks comes out clean.
•  Allow the bread to cool in the oven for 10 mts and after which you can cool it on a wire rack. This bread is best served warm.

 

Linking this recipe to  baking partners challenge at http://zestysouthindiankitchen.com/.

Sarson Da Saag and Makki Di Roti (Tempered Mustard Greens with Cornmeal Flat Bread)

Winters brings with it a respite from the scorching hot summers, where temperature drops in and the spirits soar. Along with cosy blankets and quilts it brings with it variety of food, vegetables, fruits and sweets. This is the time when the  markets are flooded with lush greens saags and vegetables. Come winters Makki di roti (coarse maize bread) and Sarson da saag (mustard plant) are culinary delights that are savoured in every household of North India especially Punjab .

The prominent names that come to mind whenever Punjabi cuisine is mentioned are tandoori chicken and butter chicken. But one thing that remains literally evergreen, is the traditional Punjabi dish of sarson da saag with makki di roti. Come winter and every Punjabi household, eateries and most roadside dhabas 

have their fill of this dish which is so rich in iron and calorie.

Sarson ka saag is made with combination of different green leafy vegetable such as sarson or mustard leaves to which smaller quantities of paalak (spinach) and bathua (wild spinach) are added. Mustard leaves or sarson tastes a little bitter on it's own, to suppress that spinach or any other leafy vegetable is used along with it. Popularly spinach, bathua or methi is mixed with sarson but if it is not available you can just add spinach. However bathua adds a very nice taste to this saag. 

The sarson leaves are washed properly before being shredded and then pressure-cooked. The flavour of the dish comes from the Tadka, which is an art itself and has to be good. The saag dish is not complete without dollops of butter - be it the home-made white butter or the salted one. One does not have to be calorie-conscious to savour this Punjabi delight. Serve hot with spoonful of butter or cream. Sarson ka saag tastes best with makki ki roti made from corn flour, which makes it a complete package. Sarson da saag and  makki di roti is a quintessential Punjabi dish that is enjoyed by both Punjabis and non-Punjabis alike. The dish uses spinach-which makes it a healthier alternative.

Cuisine: North Indian/ Punjabi 
Prep Time : 30 minutes
Cook time : 40 minutes
Serve : 4

Ingredients

• 4 cups chopped Fresh mustard leaves
• 2 cups chopped Spinach
• 1 cup chopped Bathua ( Wild Spinach)
• 2 tablespoons Pure ghee 
• 2 medium Onions finely chopped
• 2 nos of medium tomatoes
• 2 inch piece of Ginger chopped
• 6-8 cloves Gralic cloves chopped
• 4 nos of Green chillies chopped
• 1 teaspoon Red chilli powder 
• 1 tbsp coriander powder
• 1 tsp garam masala
• Salt to taste
• 2 tablespoons Cornmeal 
•  Unsalted butter for garnishing
• Sliced Green Chillies, Tomatoes and Ginger Julienne for garnishing

Let's Learn how to prepare Sarson da saag recipe:

• Clean , wash and chop the mustard leaves, spinach and wild spinach leaves and keep aside.
• In a pressure cooker place the chopped mustard, spinach and wild spinach along with the ginger, garlic , tomatoes, salt and 2 cups of water and bring to  a whistle and let it simmer on low heat for another 10 minutes.
• After cooling take away the boiled leaves and keep the water aside. Place the boiled leaves in a food processor along with 2 tablespoon cornmeal and grind to smooth paste.
• Now heat 2 table spoon ghee in a pan.Add the finely chopped onion and sauté till light brown. Add green chillies and sauté for a few minutes more. Add the ground mixture , red chilli powder , coriander powder , garam masala and cook for five to ten minutes or till the paste thickens.
• Garnish with thinly sliced tomato, green chillies and ginger julliens Serve hot with makki di roti.

Makki di roti is a flat, unleavened Punjabi bread made from corn flour, primarily eaten in Punjab region of Pakistan and India. Like most rotis in South Asian cuisine, it is baked on a tava. It is an important element of the rural Punjabi cuisine. Makki is a Punjabi word for maize (corn) and a yellow flour made from it is the base ingredient for this recipe. Traditionally makke ki roti is prepared by flattening a dough ball into round shape by repeatedly pressing it in-between palms in a thumping motion and then baked on hot tawa.

Makki ki roti is a little different from the regular whole wheat flour chapattis. They are essentially to be made using warm water and they do not roll easily. One can use dry flour to roll them out between parchment paper or butter paper. Locally, corn flour is available only in the winter months. Rotis made with the flour of freshly harvested yellow corn are delicious. A dollop of unsalted white butter is mandatory on the roti; a half dollop doesn’t hurt in the saag as well. Winter is not the time for a low-fat diet.

Ingredients

• 2 cups Corn Meal or Maize flour
• 1 bunch of Chopped coriander leaves
• Salt as per taste
• 1 inch finely chopped ginger
• 2 nos of finely chopped green chillies
• 1 teaspoon ajwain
• Warm water

Let's Learn how to make  makki di roti:

• Mix maize flour, ajwain,chopped coriander, green chillies, ginger  and salt in bowl.
• Add warm water. Mix and knead to make a smooth dough. Cover With a damp kitchen cloth, cover the dough for 30 minutes.
• Divide the dough into equal parts. With your palm, flatten the dough pieces.Slowly roll the dough to a thick and small round on a silver foil or baking sheet to prevent it from sticking to the floor. A small quantity of flour can be sprinkled to stop the dough to stick to the surface.
• Place the Roti on a hot Tawa or griddle and cook on both sides. Roti is now ready to be served. Add a dash of butter  for a richer taste.

This recipe has been prepared for the 18th Foodie Monday Blog Hop theme of "Indian Flat Bread Recipes".