Jalebi - A Sweet post for Diwali and my 100th post in this blog !!!

I am glad that I have reached a milestone with this 100th post. I thought this is the perfect post for celebrations and a perfect sweet post to celebrate Diwali. 

All though I am still considered as a “newbie” in blogging, I have come so far in my blogging world.  With this blogging I have found very supportive blogging friends from different parts of the world, a level of confidence which I was lacking in cooking, my food photography skills have improved a lot (still I am struggling to get the best shot ..), I have become better in my day-to-day cooking and always trying different varieties of cuisine and experimenting them on my poor Husband and my sweet li’l cutie pie:).

I am really thankful to all of you, for all the support, love and care you all have shared with me. Thanks a lot for all your encouraging comments. And another happy news to share with all of you is that my little space will turn 1 within a week. I am all excited and looking forward for my blog’s birthday. I think, I am boring you all with my stories :-)

To start with I have made these yummy delicious Jalebis which I got from Manjula’s Kitchen. Instead of chick pea flour, I have added corn flour for crispiness.

Usually I will be making these jalebis with curd and leave it for 24 hours to ferment, but this is an instant method of making it within 1 hour by adding yeast instead of curd. Now this is being made regularly in my kitchen for all the occasions for parties, birthdays, for family get togethers and so on. 

This tastes little sour, sweet, crispy and crunchy. Make sure that after adding yeast, this should ferment only for 1 hour. Otherwise I have seen the jalebis not coming out as well as we would like to see.
Ingredients:

1. All purpose flour / Maida- ½ cup
2. Corn Flour- 1tbsp
3. Yeast- ½ tsp
4. Oil- 1 tsp
5. Sugar- ½ tsp
6. Water (luke warm water)- ¼ cup
7. Oil- for deep frying

Sugar Syrup:

1. Sugar- ½ cup
2. Water- ¼ cup
3. Cardamom Powder- 1tsp
4. Yellow Food Colour / Saffron- a pinch
5. Lemon Juice- 1tsp

Method:

1. Dissolve the yeast in luke warm water and let it sit for 5 minutes till it raises.
2. Mix the flour, corn flour, oil and sugar in a bowl. Add the yeast solution to the above dry ingredients and mix well without forming any lumps.
3. The batter should not be too thick and not too thin. It should be in a pouring consistency.
4. Let the batter sit in a warm place for about 1 hour to ferment.
5. Mean while make the sugar syrup by boiling the sugar and water together till 1 thread consistency. Add the lemon juice, cardamom powder and food colour and keep it aside.
6. Lemon juice is added to prevent crystallisation, so just add a few drops to the sugar syrup.
7. Heat oil for deep frying
8. Fill the jalebi batter in a piping bag / plastic cover / zip lock bag. For this plastic cover / zip lock bag after pouring the batter make a hole so that it can pass through.
9. Press the batter in the hot oil, fry at a very low flame till golden brown in colour.
10. When it is done remove from oil and drain excess oil. Immediately dip the jalebis in the warm sugar syrup for a few seconds and remove it in a plate.
11. Serve hot / decorate it with chopped pistachios / Serve it along with rabdi.

Note:

• After adding yeast the batter should ferment for only 1 hour. After 1 hour we have to mix well and pour into piping bag.
• The oil for deep frying should not be too hot, it should be medium or else the jalebis will become flat they wont take the shape.

I am linking this to oh taste n see, my easy to cook recipes, yummy food and to anuz healthy kitchen

Cheera Avial / Amaranth leaves in coconut gravy

One fresh vegetable which I enjoy throughout the year are the fresh amaranth leaves. These are used in different ways in almost all the kitchens. Each and every one has their own way of preparing this amaranth.

These leaves are highly nutritious and extremely rich in anti-oxidants. They are in different colours like the red, green and purple. All have the more or less same nutritional values and turns into a tasty dish. These are similar to beets, Swiss chard and spinach. Amaranth leaves are available in the market through out the year.

Usually this avial is made with red amaranth leaves but I tried with green and the result was very inspiring. When I was newly married, I didn’t know much about cooking. You all might know from my previous posts that for each and every bit of cooking I would call my mom or my MIL for help. This dish I learnt from my friend, whom I met here and who cooks perfect Kerala dishes.

I didn’t know that a wonderful tangy and tasty curry can be made out of amaranth leaves. I believed that only thoran can be made with leaves. But my friend has introduced me to so many new Kerala dishes that I never tasted before (since I stayed in Andhra, I loved Andhra food a lot).

Here is the result.

Ingredients:

1. Green Amaranth Leaves- 1 bunch
2. Coconut- ½ cup
3. Cumin seeds- ½ tsp
4. Shallots- 2nos
5. Green Chillies- 2nos
6. Raw Mango (sliced)- ½ no
7. Turmeric powder- ½ tsp
8. Chilli powder- ½ tsp
9. Coconut oil- 1tbsp
10. Mustard seeds- 1tsp
11. Curry Leaves- few

Method:

1. Wash, drain and cut the amaranth leaves into small pieces.
2. Cook this along with slitted green chillies, salt, raw mango pieces and turmeric powder till it becomes soft.
3. Grind coconut, cumin seeds and shallots to coarse paste.
4. Add this ground paste and red chilli powder to the above cooked leaves and cover the vessel with a lid and cook for few minutes.
5. Remove the lid and mix well and cook for about 2-3 minutes and switch off the flame.
6. In a small vessel heat oil and splutter mustard seeds and curry leaves and pour this over the above curry. Serve hot with steaming rice.

I am sending this to Kerala Kitchen, hosted by Khushi.

Ambreen of Simply Sweet and Savory has tagged me for 7 links challenge. Thank you Ambreen for giving me this opportunity, where I can share my thoughts with all my fellow bloggers.

The most beautiful post: Chocos Cookie Biscuits
I love the shape of these cookies and I think this is the most beautiful post in my blog.

The most popular post: Mixed Vegetable Cutlets
This is the most viewed post in my blog.

The post that was surprisingly successful: Black Forest Cake
Though it did not get the popularity which I expected,  those who tasted it wanted to have more and asked for the recipe. This is the most prepared dessert at home. 

The most controversial post:
I don't think I have any.

The post that did not get the attention it deserves: Rara Chicken Curry.
This was one of my favorite curry recipes, but it did not get the attention which I thought it deserves.

The most helpful post: Easy Microwave Milk Sweet- Palkova
This post is the most helpful post as this is so easy and simple to make sweet.

The post I am so proud of: Chatti pathiri / Layered Pancakes
I am so proud of this post, as I cannot believe that I made this on my own, as I thought that this is the most toughest dish and it came out perfect.

I am tagging the following fellow bloggers too.

Pratima Rao of Prats Corner
Pavitra of Dishes from my Kitchen
Nits of 4th sense cooking
Nags of Edible Garden
Sangeetha of Kothiyavunnu
Sarah of Vazhayila
Rose of Magpie Recipes

Easy Apple Cake

Hello my dear friends, I am back from Kerala after a short vacation. Had a lovely time there, enjoyed a lot and now with a lot of holiday hangover, I am back to my daily routine.

In the meanwhile, I tried making this apple cake, which is very easy to prepare and bakes quickly. This will be loved by all, as my parents who does not have too much of a sweet teeth also loved this and were not stopping with one or two. I grew up eating the vanilla cake which my mom used to make and in those days, there was not much of such special fruit cake preparations. 

Recently, as there were so many apples left over at home,  I thought of giving it a try and made this as I had a recipe ready in hand. This is a very easy and simple cake within minutes.
Apple cake is a popular dessert in which the main ingredient is of course, apple. In this, various spices such as nutmeg powder or cinnamon powder can be added which gives the cake an unique flavor.

Ingredients:

1. Apple (washed and diced)- 1cup
2. All purpose flour- 1 ½ cups
3. Sugar- 1cup
4. Cinnamon powder- 1tsp
5. Baking soda- 2tsp
6. Vanilla Essence- 1tsp
7. Oil- 1/2 cup
8. Egg- 1no
9. Salt- a pinch

Method:

1. Pre heat the oven to 180 degrees C.
2. Sift the all purpose flour, baking soda, cinnamon powder and salt in  a bowl.
3. Mix egg and sugar in a bowl till frothy. Add this in the above dry ingredients. In this add vanilla essence and oil and mix well without any lumps.
4. Add the apple pieces in the above mixture and stir well.
5. Grease the baking tray with butter and flour. Pour the above mixture in the pan and bake for about 40- 45 minutes.
6. When it is done, cool it on a wire rack and decorate as you wish.

Hello Friends... I am on a short vacation

Will be back soon with more recipes for you...