Fudge Cake in a Pressure Cooker!

This is one of my favourite fudge cakes for many reasons—It’s easy to make, fuss free, moist  and made of things you usually have at home. And it can be cooked in a pressure cooker!!!!

The fudge frosting with nuts makes it so yummy..All cake lovers are gonna love this one for sure!

INGREDIENTS

Recipe source: Susie Aunty

120g Maida

120g Salted butter

120g powdered sugar

3 eggs

¼ tsp vanilla essence

½ tsp baking powder

Milk if required

METHOD

• Sift maida and baking powder together.
• Beat butter and sugar.
• Add eggs and maida alternatively to the butter-sugar mixture.
• Add vanilla essence.
• If the mixture becomes too thick , loosen it by adding milk.
• Preheat the cooker for 5 minutes. Do not add any water.
• Keep a ring or small steel stand inside the cooker.
• Line the cake tin with butter and sprinkle Maida to cover all sides.
• Pour the cake mixture into the cake tin.
• Place the cake tin inside the cooker.
• Close the pressure cooker.Do not  keep the weight/whistle.
• Cook on high flame for 5 minutes.
• Then lower the flame to medium for 10 minutes
• Lower to low flame for 5 minutes.
• Check if the cake is baked by inserting a toothpick in the middle. It should come out clean.
• Remove cake from cooker and leave it to cool for 10 – 15 minutes. Do not place it under the fan as it may lose its moisture and make the cake dry.

Fugde Icing:

Ingredients:

1/2 tin(200 gm) Condensed milk(I used Amul Mithaimate)

50 gms butter

3 tbsp sugar

3 tbsp chopped nuts

Method:

• Heat a pan. Put 3 tablespoon sugar and stir.
• The sugar will caramelize to a dark brown colour.
• Remove from fire and add condensed milk first and keep stirring briskly.
• Add butter and mix well.
• Keep on high flame first and then reduce to medium flame. Keep stirring to reach a thick consistency.
• Make sure no lumps are formed.
• Pour it over the cake while it is hot. With a spatula cover the cake with the icing.
• Top it with the chopped nuts.

A sinful slice...........

Arikkadukka/Stuffed Mussels

Arikkadukka/ Stuffed Mussels is a speciality of Kannur and Thalassery. I could go on and on eating this tasty snack. I know its not a good idea but it says it all. This is one of the best way to eat mussels.

Clean them, steam them, cook them and EAT them!! A good appetizer..Try it out..I am sure you will thank me :)

Enjoy!!

INGREDIENTS
Recipe source: My mom

Ingredients	Quantity
Mussels	20
Parboiled Rice	500 gm
Grated Fresh Coconut	1 Medium
Aniseed (saunf)	1 tsp
Salt	to taste
Oil	to fry
For Marinade
Red Chilli powder	2 tbsp
Turmeric	1 pinch
Salt	to taste

METHOD

• Soak rice overnight.
• Scrub and wash the mussels clean.
• Cut open each one half way down, remove the hairy substance and dirt.
• Wash again removing any dirt inside.
• Keep it upside down to drain.
• Grind rice, aniseed, coconut and salt.
• Stuff the mussels with the rice mixture and close. Tie it with a string.
• Steam it for 10- 15  minutes. Remove from fire and cool.
• Remove stuffing along with the mussel.
• Mix the chilly, turmeric and salt in little water to make it a paste.
• Dip each mussel in marinade and shallow fry till crisp.
• Transfer it into a plate with kitchen paper. Serve hot.

Tips:
Make sure you don't open the shell fully. Just slide a knife slowly and open halfway.
Add salt with care as mussels are salty.
While steaming you can stack the stuffed mussel shells on top of each other. Steam it in an idli maker.

Coconut Groundnut Chutney

Coconut Groundnut Chutney is a delicious chutney quite different from the usual coconut chutney. It goes well with Idly, Dosa, Rava Idli or even upma. 

INGREDIENTS

1	Coconut	1 medium size grated
2	Groundnuts	2 tbsp
3	Roasted broken chana dal	5 tbsp
4	Chilly	3
5	Ginger	1 tbsp
6	Coriander	½ cup
7	Mustard seeds	1 tsp
8	Urad dal	1 tsp
9	Curry leaves	5 strands
10	Salt	As required
11	Coconut oil	2 tbsp
12	Water	¼ cup

METHOD

•  Grate coconut
•   Add groundnuts, roasted broken chana dal, chilly, grated ginger, coriander, few curry leaves and salt
•  Blend this to a fine paste.
•   Heat oil. Add mustard seeds.
•  When it splutters add urad dal and fry for 4 secs in low flame.
•  Add curry leaves
•   Add the blended mixture and mix well
•   Add water. Check salt.
•   When the chutney is warm remove from the fire. It need not boil.
•   Check salt and serve with Idly or dosa.

Idiyappam/Noolputtu

Idiyappam is a delicious easy to make breakfast / dinner item. Its basically rice noodles made by steaming. I love to have it with Kerala Nadan Chicken curry or Stu.

INGREDIENTS
Recipe Source: My mom

1. Rice powder - 2 cups

2. Hot water – 1 ½ - 2 cups.

3. Grated coconut - 1/2 to 3/4 cup

4. Salt - 1/4 tsp or to taste

5. Idli mould.

6. Noolputtu Maker

7. Idli maker

METHOD

·         Boil water.

·         Add salt and mix well.

·         Slowly add this water to the rice powder and mix with a ladle.

·         When it’s a bit cool mix with hand and make it into soft smooth dough.

·         Make a ball of the dough and fill it in the Idiappam maker.

·         Keep the Idli maker on the stove with 1 1/2 cups of water.

·         Sprinkle some grated coconut on the Idli mould.

·         Press the Idiappam maker slowly, over the Idli mould where the grated coconut is sprinkled making small circles.

·         Make similar ones in all the moulds.

·         Sprinkle some more grated coconut over all the Idiappams.

·         When the water boils keep the Idli moulds in the Idli maker and steam it for just 5 minutes.

·         Remove from the mould and serve hot.

Beetroot Soup

Soups are easy to make and the best if you are trying to follow a healthy lifestyle. This soup has been a hit with all our guests at the resort. Try this yummy soup..

INGREDIENTS

Beetroot	5 Medium size
Shallots	5
Tomato	5 small size
Potato	3 Medium size
Coriander leaves	A handful
Water	8 glass
Salt	As required
Oil	1 teaspoon

METHOD

• Wash, peel beetroot and potato.
• Cut beetroot, potato and tomato into big pieces
• Pressure cook these vegetables with water.
• Strain water and keep aside.
• When cooled grind the pressure cooked vegetables to a nice paste.
• Chop shallots into small pieces.
• Heat oil in a pan and add shallots and fry for 5 seconds.
• Add the mixture and bring to a boil.
• Add the strained water to bring soup to the right consistency.
• Add salt and chopped coriander and serve hot.

Appam with Chicken Stew

Appam is one of the popular breakfast of Kerala and one of my favourites too. No one at home  gets tired of eating this yummy combination.  INGREDIENTS APPAM

• 1/2 cup Cooked Rice  • 1/2 kg Raw Rice  • 1 Coconut (grated)  • 2-1/2 cup Water  • 3 tsp Sugar  • 1/2 tsp Yeast  • Salt to taste

How to make Appam:

• Soak raw rice for about 4 hours and drain. • Blend with cooked rice and grated coconut in a mixie. • Mix sugar, yeast and salt in boiled water. Leave it for half an hour. • Add this mixture to the above grinded mixture. • Leave the mixture for fermentation for 8 hours. • Stir the mixture well and pour a curry spoon of mixture into the non stick appam pan. • Put a lid on the pan and heat it for 2 minutes. • When the outer crust turns golden the appam is ready. Serve it hot with stu. STU Recipe Source: My mom Onion- 3 large sliced thin Ginger -1 inch piece Chilly - 2 slit into half Cinnamon - 1 inch piece Clove       3 Potato       6 medium Chicken       1/2  kg Coconut Milk       3 large cups(thin milk) Corn flour       2 teaspoon Coriander leaves    A handful Coconut oil       2 teaspoon Pepper       ½ teaspoon Ghee       2 teaspoon Salt               As required METHOD Heat oil in a pressure cooker.  Add Cinnamon and Clove.  Add onions and sauté for a minute. Add chicken stock powder and stir well.  Add pepper and ghee.  Stir well and add potatoes.  Optional: You can add 1carrot,  2beans and 3 boiled egg whites to make it  healthier.  Stir well for 2 minutes. Add chicken pieces. Stir well and add salt.  Add coconut milk. Pressure cook (4 whistles). Add corn flour (diluted in ¼ glass water) and coriander leaves. Tasty stu is ready…

Welcome Post

All of us are eagerly waiting to welcome the New Year 2011 ..so I thought of making a new beginning and post  my favorite recipes of the year. The credit for this goes to  my hubby Naveen, ma best friend Shireen, Ria and Susie aunt. Here I am, to share my favorite foodie creations. Hope you enjoy them as much as I do making them. Wishing all of you a very Happy and Prosperous New Year -2011 !!!!