unniappam quick and easy

Ingredients
for 15 unniappams
3 ripe bananas mashed
0.5 cup rava
0.5 cup rice flour
1 cup maida
1tsp vanilla extract
0.5 tsp cardamom powder
pinch of salt
0.5 tsp sod. Bicarb
water or milk as required to get a thick batter
Ghee or oil to fry
0.25 to 0.5 cup brown sugar
cast iron unniappam pan or mould
Method

Mix all dry ingredients and add mashed bananas and enough liquid to get a thick batter.
keep it aside of 15 mts and heat the moulds and fry a tablespoonful of batter on bothsides till done using 0.5 tsp of ghee. I got soft unniappams that are so tasty that I ate most of it and these can be made whenever u have ripe bananas and you feel homesick 😢.

Quick Dosa - B.C Dosa

Ingredients:
1 cup basmati rice
3/4 cup urud dal

Soak these 2 ingredients for 3-4 hrs. and grind to a fine paste, add enough water/buttermilk to get a pouring consistency.

pinch of asafoetida/ hing
1/4 tsp jeera
salt to taste
a pinch sugar
1/2 cup thick buttermilk
a pinch of baking soda
1/4 tsp of finely grated ginger
2 green chillies chopped
4 - 5 curry leaves chopped coarsely

Mix the above ingredients to the batter and keep it aside of 15 mts. Heat a non stick pan and check the temp by splashing a few drops of water - at the right temp the water sizzles and evaporates. Then pour a ladleful of batter and spread it by making concentric circles using the back of the ladle. Wait a couple of minutes for bubbles/ holes to appear and let the dosa cook on one side then flip it and cook the other side. Serve hot with spicy coconut chutney. Enjoy.

I've been getting many requests for posting photographs but unfortunately the camera isn't round when I need it or the dish is devoured by the time I get the camera!! All I can post is the happy faces of my regular customers :).

I got the inspiration to make this after our recent vacation to Vancouver, B.C. I call it B.C dosa because it was better than all the continental breakfasts we had, in the hotels we stayed ;). Een my four yr old was happy to eat a dosa and half without fussing.
 

Fruit n' nut Cake- Spiced, Sinful and from kerala !!

This post is for SRK not Shah Rukh Khan, but for Siju, Reni and krista - this recipe makes three large cakes, good for potlucks or for those busy mums out there. It's kid friendly- my kids help me with the mixing, as I don't use a blender. This is another quick recipe, once you have the caramel ready, which takes about 15-20 mts.

Ingredients:
3.5 cups Flour
2.5 cup sugar powdered with 4 cloves, 4 cardamom pods, small piece of nutmeg (1/4 of a whole nut) and small piece of cinnamon
1 cup butter
1.5 cups margarine
9 eggs
3 tbs marmalade- orange/ citrus,
1 tbs ginger marmalade/ candied ginger
2.5 cups roughly chopped nuts and dried fruits - cashews, pecans, almonds, raisins, cranberries, cherries, dates etc. mixed with 2-3 tbs of flour
1 tbs baking powder
1 tbs vanilla extract/essence
1.5 cups of sugar turned to dark caramel

Method:
Step 1:
Make the caramel from 1.5 cup sugar. Try to dissolve the sugar by heat alone, without adding water, to get a dark coffee brown colour. Add warm water slowly, down the sides of the saucepan, to prevent sugar from burning - this step should be done v carefully. Keep the sink filled with cold water to cool the saucepan and stop the cooking process. Let the syrup cool, add a little water and stir to make a thick dark syrup. Be v cautious while preparing the caramel, and each time u add water to the hot saucepan.
Step 2:
Cream the melted butter/margarine mix and sugar . Use a wooden spoon and mix well for 10 mts till the colour becomes off-white and thick.
Sieve the flour with the baking powder and incorporate it in the butter-sugar mix slowly. Take 2-3 tbs of flour and add it to the butter-sugar mix and fold it in. Add 1 egg at a time, alternating with the flour, till all the flour and egg are used up. Add the vanilla extract and the jams/marmalade and mix it in. It is important not to over mix the batter or the cake texture will become spongy.

Step 3:
Add 2 cups of chopped nuts and the caramel syrup and mix it in. Take 3 cake tins or oven safe baking dishes - butter them and dust them with flour.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and pour the batter in each dish till its 1/3 full. Tap the dish/tin on the counter a couple of times. Sprinkle the rest of the nuts and fruits. Place it in the preheated oven for 45-50 mts, or till a tooth pick inserted in the cake comes out clean.

The cake should be rich, dark and crumbly not to mention delicious.
Merry X'mas and Happy 2014, everyone.