Tuesday 12 May 2009

Kappa Vevichathu/Kappa Perattiyathu



Ingredients
Kappa /Tapiocca/cassava- 500gm
Cumin seeds -1/4 tsp
Grated Coconut -1/2 cup
Garlic - 2 flakes
Curry Leaves - 10 leaves
Salt as required
Green Chillies(Medium Hot)- 4-5 or according to your taste
Turmeric a pinch
Shallots -2
Mustard
Oil - 1tbsp

Method
1. Remove the outer brown cover of kappa wash it and boil till it 90% cooked.
2. Put enough salt and give 2 mts boil.Drain it (keep 1/4 cup water in that)and keep it aside.
3. Coarsely ground grated coconut,cumin seeds, turmeric and garlic.
4. Then make some space in the centre of cooked kappa and put the coconut mixture and half of curry leaves (just cut the leaves) and cover it with cooked kappa.
5. Let the coconut mixture cook for some time,say for 5 mts,in low flame..
6. Then mix everything together.The coconut mixture should spread everywhere.
7. Switch off the flame.
8. Hear oil in a a small tava/pan.Put mustard in that.Let it splutter.
9. Add thinly sliced shallots and curry leaves.
10. When it is light brown switch off the flame and pour over the Kappa-coconut mix.
11. Again using a strong spoon mix everything together and it is ready to serve with fish curry.

Monday 11 May 2009

Dates & Carrot Cake



Ingredients

All purpose flour - 2 cups
Sugar - 1 1/2 cup
Oil - 1 1/4 cup
Eggs - 3
Soda Bicarbonate - 1 1/4 tsp
Dates - 1/2 cup cut into small pieces
Nuts - 1/2 cup cut into small pieces
Carrot - 1 cup grated
Vanilla essence - 1 tsp
Masala for cake - 1/2 tsp (nutmeg/cinnamon/cloves/cardamom powdered)
Caramel - 1/2 cup (almost)
7” Cake tin - 2

Method

1. Soak the dates with 1/2 of the Soda Bicarbonate previous day & keep.

2. Caramelizing sugar: - Take 1/2 cup sugar in a thick bottom pan. Add 1 tbsp water.
Heat it on a medium flame. When sugar melts, just shake the pan slightly in between and when it reach brown color (don’t burn it) switch off flame and add 1/4 cup+3tbsp hot water. It will splash. So do it carefully. After pouring hot water take your hands away fast. Once the splashing is over switch on the flame again. It should be medium-low flame. Stir and wait until it dissolves.
Let it get cool down.
3. Mix all purpose flour with balance soda bicarbonate & cake masala and sieve.
4. Butter cake tins and then dust it with flour.
Or spread butter inside a cake tins and instead of flour you can stick 2 layer grease proof paper (We have 2 tins, so cut for 2 cake tins) inside the cake tins.
If you are using only one cake tin, after removing 1st cake, you have to follow the same procedure of buttering and sticking grease proof paper/dusting with flour. Make sure the cake tin is cold enough to handle.
5. Beat egg white separately till it becomes like foam.

6. Beat sugar, oil and vanilla essence egg yolks (one by one) together (Sugar will not dissolve nicely and mix only till the egg yolks just blends well).
7. Preheat oven to 160°C (Fan).
8. Add caramel and mix well using a spatula.
9. Add sieved flour, nuts, grated carrot & dates to the above mix.
10. Then fold the egg white mixture carefully into the above mix. Don’t over mix it.
11. Pour the batter into the prepared pan, level the top with a spatula.
12. Bake about 20-25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
13. Place on a wire rack to cool, and then gently remove the cake from the pan.

Note: Store the cake in an air tight container or cover it with foil for 2 days before you cut it.