Fluffy and Easy Pan cake

Pancakes are my son's favourite.He loves to eat it with the maple syrup.So we used to buy it in bulks from sam's club.But when I got this recipe from Vah chef, I completely stopped buying pancakes from shops.Because it was fluffy and fresh than the store bought.This is a very good recipe and easy too.Now I am preparing the pancakes in bulk and freezing them for future use in ziploc bags.We can also top the pancakes with fresh fruits  and feed the kids.Other alternative we can use for maple syrup is honey.

Ingredients:
1.All purpose flour - 1 cup
2.Egg                     - 1
3.Baking pwdr        - 1 tsp
4.Salt                      - a pinch
5.Sugar                   - 2 tsp
6.Milk                     - 1 cup
7.Oil                          - 1 tbsp

1.Mixing the dry ingredients   2.Mixing the wet ingredients
3.Beating the egg whites till peak.   4.Cooking the pan cakes in a griddle.

Method:
* Take a mixing bowl, add flour,salt, baking pwdr and mix it well.(dry ingredients)
* Separate egg white from the yolk in separate bowls.
* Take egg yolk,sugar,milk and oil.Beat them and mix well.(wet ingreients)
* Take the egg white and beat it for atleast  20 mins in a wide bowl.When we beat the egg whites,it will start forming foams.After 15 mins, we can see peaks forming on the whisk as shown on the picture.
* Now mix the wet ingredients and dry ingredients together .
* Finally fold in the egg white into the batter .Fold in well,so that there is airation in the  batter.

* Heat the griddle to a medium heat.
* Pour a laddle full of batter on the griddle .Cook for a minute and flip it over.
* We can see pores on top of the pan cake,as shown in the picture.
* This is because of the airation and it makes the pancake fluffy.
* Top with banana and enjoy with maple syrup.

Notes:

* Beating the egg whites is very essential in getting a fluffy pan cake.

* Care should be taken in cooking the pan cake,as there are chances for it to get black.

* Pancakes will cook in less then a minute ,so be very carefull.

* Mix the dry ingredients with the wet ingredients ,without any lumps.

Fish Dhum Biriyani

 Fish biriyani became one of our favourites .This was introduced to us ,by Saras, when she gave box full of this yummy biriyani.From  then 'H' wanted to have this often.We can either use fish fillets or the whole fish sliced.In this,marinated fish is partly fried ,mixed with the gravy and finally layered with the rice.This biriyani needs lot of onion ,because it should be able to prepare a good gravy.I have given the steps in a detailed manner, but the whole process is easy to prepare.Prepare this biriyani and make your Sundays colourfull.

Ingredients:

For the  gravy :

1.Tilapia fish fillets            -          15 pieces

2.Onion                           -           3 (big)

3.Green chillies                 -           2

4.Tomatoes                      -           2 (medium) or 1 cup curd

5.Ginger garlic paste         -           1 tsp

6.Chilli pwdr                     -           1 tbsp

7.Garam masala                -            1/2 tsp

8.Orange color                 -            a pinch

9.Cilantro                         -            1/2 cup (chopped)

10.Mint leaves                  -            1/2 cup (chopped)

11.Ghee                            -             3 tsp

For the rice:

1.Basmati rice                   -            3 cups

2.Water                            -            10 cups

3.Cinnamon                       -            1/2 inch

4.Bay leaf                          -            few

5.Cardamom                      -            3

6.Cloves                             -            4

7.Salt                                  -            1 tbsp

8.Oil                                   -              2 tsp

For Tempering :

1.Oil                                    -            1/2 cup

2.Cinnamon sticks                -            1/2 inch

3.Cardamom                        -            3

4.Bay leaves                         -            2

5.Cloves                               -            few

For marinating:

1.Chilli pwdr              -            1 tsp

2.Garam masala         -             1/2 tbsp

3.Ginger garlic paste   -             1 tsp

4.Lemon juice             -             1 tsp

5.Salt                          -             1/2 tsp

6.Turmeric pwdr          -             1/4 tsp

Method:

Marination:

* Wash the fish and drain it.

* Take a mixing bowl and add all the marination ingredients .

* Rub it with the fish and marinate it for 1/2 an hour in the fridge.

Cooking the rice:

Wash and soak the rice  for half an hour.Drain it for 20 mins.

* When the gravy is half cooked,start cooking the rice.

* Take a wide mouthed pan and add oil and splutter cinnamom sticks,cardamom ,cloves and bay leaves.

* Add water and bring it to rolling boil.

* Sprinkle salt and add the drained rice.

* Cook till it is 90 percent done.

* Strain the water and reserve it .

* The rice should not contain any water .

Preparing the gravy:

* Thinly slice the oninons ,slit the green chillies and cube the tomatoes.

* Take a pan,add oil and fry the fish partially on both the sides.

* In the same pan,add oil and temper with the ingredients under "for tempering" .

* Dump in the sliced onions and green chillies.

* Fry the onions well,till it turns golden brown.This is the very essential step for a tasty biriyani.

* Add the chopped tomatoes and sprinkle salt to cook them quickly.

* Let the oil separate from the masala.

* Add chilli pwdr,garam masala pwdr to the gravy.

* Saute till the masala looses its raw smell.

* Add the chopped mint and cilantro,saut it for a while.

* Now add the partly fried fish to the gravy and cook for a minute covered .

* After a minute ,take the fish with some gravy out.

Layering the biriyani:

* Now the pan has half the gravy.

* Layer it with cooked rice .

* Again layer the fish with gravy.

* Sprinkle orange color,ghee and cilantro.

* Tightly cover the pan  with a plate and place the reserved water on the top.

* Leave it for 20 mins .

* Remove the fish slices and fluff the rice with fork.

* Shred two pieces of fish and mix it with the rice.

* Serve rice with cooked fish.

* Serve it with raitha.

Note:

* Fish should not be fried fully.

* The rice should be cookeD 90 % ,if not the biriyani wont taste good.

* while layering ,the rice should be hot.

* Dont use laddle to mix the rice,always use fork.

* We can also use 1/2 cup of curd instead of tomatoes.

Iyengar Bakery Butter Biscuit / Nankattai / Short bread cookie

  Butter biscuit  or Nankattai ,is a very famous tea time snack .These bisuits are always available in the tea shops of Tamil nadu.A cup of tea will be a very best accompaniment for these biscuits.These biscuits are usually prepared  in Iyengar bakeries in TN.Wanted to try these ,for long.Today got a good recipe from the net.This is a inspiration from Divya's Recipes.She had garnished with nuts,which I have avoided,as I like the biscuits plain.These biscuits can be prepared in less than an hour.Try it it will be a treat for our bellies.

Ingredients:
 1.All purpose flour - 1 cup
2.Powdered sugar - 1/2 cup
3.butter - 1 stick (1/2 cup)
4.Baking pwdr - 1/4 tsp
5.Salt - a pinch
6.Cardamom pwdr - a pinch
7.Rice flour -  2 tbsp

Method:
* Pre heat the oven for 350 degrees farenhiet.
* Powder the sugar ,Sieve the flour and keep it aside.
* Melt the butter and cool it completely.
* Take a bowl,add flour,salt,powdered sugar,baking powder,cardamom powder and mix well.
* Slowly add the melted butter and make a dough out of it.
* The dough will be crumbly yet pilable dough.Dont be tempted to add some more butter to make it a soft dough.I did the mistake for the first batch.It made my biscuits flat and crispy.So stick to the measurements.
* Rest the dough for 15 mins ,by covering it.



* Cover a cookie sheet with aluminium foil .
* Divide the dough into equal sized balls.Slightly press them and arrange it in the sheet.
* Take a fork and press it .This step is purely optional.
* Bake the biscuit for 15 - 20 minutes in the middle rack, or untill it becomes golden brown.
* Take the biscuits out and cool them in wire racks completely.Store in air tight containers.
* Serve with coffee .

Note:
* Adding powdered sugar is different from adding normal sugar.
* If you want the biscuits to be bit sweeter, then u can add 1/4 cup more.
* The dough will be crumbly, dont ever try to add some more ghee,butter or milk to make it soft.Then it will be flat and crispy.
* No need to grease the foil with butter,as the dough itself has enough butter ,so it wont stick to the foil.
 * Bake the buiscuits in the middle rack,this will bake the biscuits slowly.If u keep it in the last rack then ,there are chances for the biscuits to become black.

Restaurant style Chicken 65 / Deep fried version / Version 2

  Chicken 65 is a very popular starter ,which originated  from tamilnadu - a state in India. It has some interesting stories ,like it was first prepared in a military canteen, by a local chef. Initially it was prepared out of 65 ingredients,hence its name chicken 65. I still remember the days at my mom's place , will prepare this  often. I would get a ready made mix to prepare the dish. But here,could not find those masalas,so prepared with the regular chilli pwdr. The secret lies in frying the chicken without any moisture,if not the chicken 65 will be soggy. Always,pat dry the chicken and then fry it.

Ingredients:

1.Boneless Chicken -                500 gm

2.Chili pwdr            -                 1 tbsp

3.Ginger garlic paste -               1 tbsp

4.Aachi chilli pwdr -                 1 tsp (optional)

5.Red powder -                        a pinch

 6.Corn Flour -                        1 tbsp

7.Salt             -                        as per taste

8.Oil for frying

Method:

* Cut and wash the boneless chicken and drain the water completely.

* Take a hand towel ,place the washed chicken on it and cover the chicken with towel.

* Leave the chicken,till the paper towel absorbs moisture completely .

* Take a mixing bowl,add chilli pwdr,ginger garlic paste,Achi chilli pwdr,red  color,corn flour,salt and a tsp of oil.Mix it well to form a thick paste.

* Once the chicken becomes dry,add it to the masala and toss it.

* Make sure the masala is rubbed all over the chicken.

* Marinate for an hour and deep fry it in hot oil.

* Strain the excess oil on a tissue paper .

* Serve with fried curry leaves.

Chocolate Cake in a mug - microwave version / A foolproof recipe

   I am a great chocolate lover. I can have it in any form like,cakes shakes etc. But H is not a big fan .So I feel hesitant in baking big chocolate cakes. When I saw ,fellow bloggers baking chocolate mug cake in microwave,it tempted me a lot. So I went ahead in research of easy ,yet spongy chocolate cake.Got this yummy recipe from a youtube video.The original recipe didnt call for baking powder,but I felt it adding baking powder does the magic.We can also avoid adding chocolate chips,but the gooey texture of the chocolate chips will enhance the taste of the cake.The speciality of this cake is ,it can be baked in less than 2 minutes,in a mug.Both Rohith and me enjoyed the cake. Prepared it several times from that day on.

Ingredients:
1.All purpose flour               -     4 tbsp
2.Sugar                                -     4 tbsp
3.Egg (beaten)                      -     2 tbsp
4.Oil                                     -     3 tbsp
5.Milk                                   -     3 tbsp
6.Cocoa powder                   -     1 tbsp
7.Vanilla essence                   -      a dash
8.Baking powder                   -      1/4 tsp
9.Chocolate chips                  -      3 tbsp

Method:
* Beat the egg well..Bring milk to room temperature.
* Take a mug,add all purpose flour,sugar,baking powder and mix well.
* Add egg,oil,milk,vanilla essence ,mix it real good.
* Add the chocolate chips on top ,but dont mix after adding the chocolate chips.Because,if u add the chips and mix ,then the cake will not rise and it wont be soft too.

1.Mixing egg with dry ingredients                              2.Adding milk 
3. Ready to microwave                                             . 4. final outcome

* Microwave for 1 minute and then again for 30 seconds .
* Now your chocolate cake is ready in 1.30 minutes.
* Enjoy the cake when it is hot with powder cane sugar.

gooey and yummy cake!!!

Note:
* The cake will rise well,so use a big mug.
* The cake will stick to the edges,it took me about 10 mins to clean the edges.
* Don't try to mix the batter after adding the chocolate chips.
* We can also replace chocolate chips with nutella, peanut butter ..

Mango Sambhar in South Indian Thaali

          Mango Sambhar is flavourfull combo for rice.I love this vege ,more than any other in the world. Don'no why,may be because of its flavour and taste . This taste has been inherited by Rohith and he loves this sambhar a lot. Today I prepared mango sambhar and wanted to post the recipe,as one of my reader was asking me to post it for a long time. Suddenly ,I thought,why can't we prepare a thaali out of it. Its been ages ,where we had thaali in Chennai.We always enjoy that in Saravana Bhavan. This thought was there in my mind so long.Today I wanted to do it . So Grabbed all the dishes and arranged into a thaali.
           My South Indian Thaali had Veg cutlet,Phulka,Tomato thokku,Mango Sambhar,Ladies fingure pepper fry,Garlic Rasam,Rava Ladoo,Fryums,Paruppu podi,Rice ,Ghee and curd. I closed H's eyes and showed the thaali to him. My H was totally impressed with the thaali presentation.Rohith got excited and started mixing curd,sambhar ,ladies fingure . The best part is ,he started eating it immediately. The next day,while going to school,Rohith said "Amma mango sambhar was delicious and I want that variety food today also". Felt very happy and I would say,this is my happiness. This can never be replaced by anything in the World. Will post the recipe for Rava Ladoo,Vegetable cutlet,tomato thokku and phulka soon.

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Rava Ladoo,Veg Cutlet,Phulka,tomato thokku,Mango Sambhar,
Ladies fingure pepper fry,Garlic rasam,Paruppu podi,ghee,rice,curd and fryums.



Ingredients:

1.Raw Mango                   -          1( cubed)

2.Toor dal                         -          1/2 cup

3.Onion                             -          1/2 (chopped)

4.Tomato                           -          1 (chopped)

5.Garlic pods                     -           2 - 3 pods

6.Chilli pwdr                      -           1 tbsp

7.Turmeric pwdr                -           1/4 tsp

8.Tamarind extract             -           1/4 cup

9.Salt                                 -           to taste

              

For tempering:

1.Mustard seeds                -            1/4 tsp

2.Cumin seeds                   -             1/4 tsp

3.Methi seed                      -             1/4 tsp

4.Oil                                   -             2 tbsp

For garnishing:

1.Curry leaves                    -             a handfull

2.Cilantro                           -             a hand full

3.Red chillies                      -             2 to 3

Method:

* Pressure cook the toor dal ,till soft.

* Take a pan,add oil ,splutter with mustard seeds,cumin seeds ,curry leaves and methi seeds.

* Dump in the onion , sprinkle salt  and fry till it turns transulent.

* Now add the chopped tomato and again sprinkle salt to make it cook fast.

* Cover the pan and cook the tomatoes till it becomes mushy.

* Now add the mango pieces and cook till the mango gets half cooked.

* Add the turmeric pwdr and chilli pwdr .Turn the stove to sim ,let the masala looses its raw smell.

* Pour the tamarind extract and bring it to boil.

* Mix the dal with a laddle,so that it gets mushy.Dont use blender,if not the sambhar will not taste good.

* Bring sambhar to boil and chk the mango.

* When the mango is cooked completely,turn off the stove and garnish with curry leaves ,cilantro and red chillies.Keep the pan on the stove covered for dhum.

* Serve it with rice and pappad.

Stuffed eggplant fry / Gutti Venkaya Koora / Kathirikkai varuval

Eggplants are my H's favourite.Whenever he goes for grocery shopping,picks the eggplants immediately.He would live with eggplants all seven days.So this time also I got a bag of 2 lbs eggplants from him. Bored of preparing it the usual sambar,kaara kuzhambu,stir fry,gothsu.This time I wanted to prepare the stuffed fry.So grinded cumin,coriander and peanuts.Stuffed them into the eggplants and fried.The outcome was scrumptious and lipsmacking .We thoroughly enjoyed it.The magical addition of cumin and coriander transferred  the fry from good to awsome.This fry can be had with any rice.My choice would be curd rice.Nothing to say more,over to the post.

For grinding:

1.Peanuts                     -     2 tbsp

2.Coriander seeds        -     1 tbsp

3.Cumin seeds              -     1/2 tbsp

4.Onion                        -     1/2 (chopped)

For thr fry:

1.Purple eggplants         -    7

2.Turmeric pwdr            -    1/4 tsp

3.Chilli pwdr                  -    1 tbsp

4.Oil                              -    2 tbsp

5.Mustard seeds             -   1/2 tsp

6.Urad dal                      -   1/2 tsp

7.Salt                              -    as required

8.Curry leaves                 -    handfull

1.Fried peanut,coriander and cumin seeds 2.Grinding with onion
3.Sauting 4.Frying with the grinded mixture.

Method:

* Wash and pat dry the egg plants.

*  Make 4 slits to each eggplant,but dont cut them fully.

* Take a pan , dry roast the peanuts,coriander seeds and cumin seeds.

* Cool them and grind with onion.

* Now add turmeric pwdr, chilli pwdr and little salt, to the grinded paste and mix well

* Stuff the eggplants with the 3/4 of the masala.

* In the same pan,add oil splutter with mustard seeds and urad dal.

* Now add the stuffed eggplants and fry them by covering it.

* When the eggplant is partially cooked,add the remaining masala and fry.

* Cook the eggplants in low flame ,by covering it.

* Sprinkle salt and cook it.

* Serve with rice and pappad.

Spicy brinjal fry !!!