Oats n Wheat Pancake

Pancakes - you can make pancakes in many ways- with or without eggs, fruits, oats, wheat flour, all purpose flour etc etc. Here I have made this pancake with oats and wheat , served with banana and strawberry jam. When you want to fix a quick breakfast I would say this is the easiest, healthiest for both kids and grown-ups! You can even make bite size pancakes for your little one's . It doesn't stop here, you can use your imagination and mix fruits, chocolates etc into this batter, and yes! its yummy :)
Here is how you can make this.

Ingredients

Wheat flour - 1/2 cup

Rolled Oats - 3/4 cup

Baking Powder - 1 1/2 tsp

Milk - 1 cup (1/2 cup milk and another 1/2 cup you can also use water instead of milk, but I prefer milk)

Egg-1

Vanilla - 1 tsp

Salt - a pinch

Butter - 15 grams

Method

1. Grind the rolled oats into a powder

2. Add this to a bowl along with wheat flour, baking powder and salt

3. Warm 1/2 cup milk and add the butter into it to melt.
4.When the milk cools down, add in egg and mix well.
5. Add this into the wheat flour mix(step 2)
6. Mix well and add the remaining 1/2 cup milk or water little by little until you get the consistency of a pan cake batter (like dosa batter-neither thin nor thick)
7.Add vanilla and give a mix
8. Heat a pan and apply some butter or oil
9.Pour 1/4 cup batter on to the pan and let it cook on both sides(you will see nice brown color)
10. Serve hot with fruits topped with jam/fresh cream

Hope you and your family enjoy this :)

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Smash Cake for baby

Smash cake - they are exactly what they sounds like- yes! Smash cake is prepared for your little one to dig into it and have all the cream and cake all over him/her on their very first birthday:) I was not familiar with the smash cake 'tradition' until I stumbled upon this on a website. So I also decided to make a small smash cake for 'my little boy :) and I was sure there will be lots of photo-op's! There are many options to go by, whether you want a healthier, yummy, super cute cake etc. I decided to go with a simple apple cake topped with butter cream frosting. And as we anticipated he was very curious to play with the cream than the cake !

Here you go!

Ingredients

For Apple cake

Apple - 1 large

Cinnamon Powder - 1 tsp

All purpose flour - 1 cup

Baking powder - 1 1/2 tsp

Vanilla essence - 1 tsp

Egg - 1 large

Vegetable oil - 1/4 cup

For butter cream frosting

Butter - 125 g (at room temperature)

Powdered sugar - 2 cups

Method

1. Peel and slice the apple into 1/2 inch chunks into a bowl

2. Add cinnamon powder and mix evenly

3. Take another bowl and add flour, baking powder, vanilla essence, egg and vegetable oil and stir well until a batter just forms. (just use a spatula/spoon here - no need of electric mixer)

4. To this add the apple mix and mix evenly.

5. Pour this into a buttered pan.

6. Bake at 180 degree for 35 minutes or until the top turns golden brown color.

7. Let it cool it in the pan before you apply frosting.

8. To make frosting, place the softened butter into a bowl and give it a mix (mix for 1 minute if you are using a electric mixer)

9. Gradually add powdered sugar and beat well in each addition.

10. Beat until frosting is smooth.

11. Apply this on the cake and your smash cake is ready.

Hope your little one enjoy special buttery treat :P

 

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Tomato Fish Curry

Fish Curry - A day never passes without having fish either for lunch or for dinner at my home. My dad says, his meal is not complete without fish. My mom's fish curry is the best I ever tasted and it always look rich in its color and texture :) (whoever compliments her, she says her mother-in-law's fish curry was the best!!- we miss you grandma) There were days when myself and my sister(luckily my brother kept a safe distance from fish ) used to fight for the earthen pot in which fish curry was prepared. Nothing can beat the taste of it when we mix the rice in it and eat - scrumptious!!

Mom's fish curry is the most sought after by her son-in-law and daughter-in-law as well! I use mom's fish curry recipe every time but it never tasted the same like hers (of course I too use an earthen pot :))

There are many ways to cook fish, but this recipe is a simple tomato Kerala fish curry. This recipe calls for coconut milk instead of ground coconut paste which is commonly used in fish curry.
You can use any type of fish to make this. I have used an earthen pot to make this , if you have one, go for it :)

Ingredients

Fish - 500 g (cleaned and cut into pieces)

Oil -2 tbsp (coconut oil preferred, but you can use any cooking oil too)

Mustard - 1/2 tsp

Fenugreek - 1/2 tsp

Ginger - 1/2 tsp (cut into small pieces)

Green chilly - 2 (cut into half)

Curry leaves - few

Onion - 2 medium (chopped in small pieces)
Turmeric Powder - 1/2 tsp
Chilly Powder - 1 tsp
Tomato - 1
Coconut Milk - 2 tbsp
Salt - As required
Water -As required

Method

1. Clean and cut the fish into pieces

2. Heat oil in your earthen pot (or any other cooking vessel) and add mustard seeds, fenugreek seeds and saute for a minute

3. Add ginger, green chilly, curry leaves and saute until they become light brown color.

4. Next add onions and saute until it turns brown color

5. Add turmeric powder, chilly powder, salt and mix well.

6. Now add chopped tomato and saute until it becomes soft, 

7.Now add water (start with 1/2 cup water) and then add fish and mix gently. (you can add more water depending on what consistency you would have)

8. Allow it to boil. 

9. Once the fish is cooked add coconut milk and mix.

10. Fish curry is ready to serve with rice.

Hope you enjoy it! Pleasure to hear comments/suggestions :)

Kerala

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Butter Bun

Butter buns - They were my(many I would guess) favorite during my school days-indulged in the cream than the bun though :) Whenever, wherever, whoever says 'butter bun' it's this word which comes into my mind first always  - Best Bakery, yes! This bakery is right opposite to my school in Ernakulam and they used to sell this butter buns! Once in a week or so, my parents gave us the luxury of having these buttery, creamy buns...yumm! and we used to wait for that day.

Even after these many years, I still reach out for these butter buns whenever I go to best bakery and trust me you will love it too. My search for the recipe ended when I came across this simple recipe in a TV show. These buns can be made with few ingredients and you can fill the bun with butter cream or any other cream you like.

My little one was very interested to find out what the buns are filled with.

Here you go.

Ingredients

All purpose flour / Maida - 2 cups

Butter - 25 grams (at room temperature)

Yeast - 2 tsp

Sugar - 1 1/2 tbsp

Water - 1 cup

Salt - a pinch

For the butter cream

Butter - 40 grams

Icing Sugar - 1 cup

Vanilla essence - 1/4  tsp

Milk - optional

Method

1. Take a bowl and add flour, yeast and sugar and mix well

2. Next add butter and give a mix

3. Now add water little by little until you get a soft, little sticky dough. (sometimes you end up using less than 1 cup of water)

4. Cover with a plastic foil or a damp cloth and keep it aside for an hour.

5. It will be doubled after 1 hour.

6. Knead the dough a little and divide and shape into equal balls.

7. Cover it again and leave aside for 15 minutes.

8. Next, deep fry the balls until both sides turns brown
9. Drain into paper towel and let it cool.

Next we have to prepare the butter cream

Mix all the ingredients listed down under butter cream and whisk it until it turns creamy and fluffy . You can add a tsp of milk and whisk if the cream is very thick. Add more milk if necessary.

Butter bun - Cut the bun and fill it with the butter cream and cherish your good old school memories.

Do try this recipe and would love to hear your feedback.

Note: Butter cream will stay outside for 3 days and in refrigerator for 5 days.

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Red / Green / Chocolate Velvet Cake

Red Velvet Cake - first time I had this cake and have fallen in love with it :)
Baked this cake for our wedding anniversary, but without using red color instead used little amount of green (I couldn't find the red color on time in fact!)

You can watch out this space for the red velvet cake recipe very soon. Please bear with me and hope you like the pics from what I earlier baked without red color.

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Tuna fish cutlet

Fish in a can ? It was difficult to believe when I heard this for the first time 5-6 years ago :) Moreover I was very sure I am not going to like/eat it! But my perception of canned fish changed when one of my friends prepared a simple yet delicious food for dinner using canned tuna. It was during those days when I stayed with my friends, we always got together on Fridays and cooked dinner together and eat at 12 or 1 AM :)We discussed (gossip) everything from politics, climate, work, food, sales in shops, dress, perfumes, movies... you name it! Sweet memories :)

As these canned fish are ready to eat, and are minced, cutlet was the first thing came to my mind - by giving it a spicy aroma. Happy to add yet another easy recipe here. Please do try and let me know how you like it :)

Ingredients

Canned Tuna - 175 g

Potato - 2 medium

Onion - 1 medium size finely chopped

Ginger - One inch chopped

Garlic - 2 chopped

Green chilly - 1

Fennel seeds - 1/2 tsp (optional)

Black pepper - 1/2 tsp

Garam Masala - 1/2 tsp

Chilly Powder - 1/4 tsp

Turmeric Powder - 1/4 tsp

(If you have meat powder , you can use 1 tsp of it instead of the above Garam masala, chilly powder and turmeric powder)

Egg - 1

Breadcrumbs as required

Salt as required

Oil for frying (deep or shallow)

Method

1. Drain the water from the canned tuna as much as possible and keep tuna aside.(Refer Note)

2. Boil the potato and mash it.

3. Crush or grind together ginger, garlic, green chilly, fennel seeds, black pepper.

4. Heat oil in a pan and add onions, curry leaves and saute until onions become soft,
5. Now add crushed ingredients (step 3) into the pan and saute until raw smell goes.
6. Add all the powders - garam masala, chilly powder and turmeric powder and  saute for a minute.
7. Now its time to add tuna and fry until it is dry .
8. Remove from fire and let it cool.
9. Add mashed potatoes and salt to the tuna mixture and mix well until you get a smooth dough.
10. Take some mixture and shape it in the form you like- here I shaped it round balls.
11. Meanwhile beat the egg in a bowl.
12. Dip the tuna balls in the beaten egg first and then roll it in breadcrumbs.
13. Deep fry these until you get a nice brown color.

Note:
1. If you are using fresh fish, just cook the fish with turmeric and salt and shred it.

2. I used unniappam chatti / paniyaram chatti to make these tuna fish cutlet.
You can as well use a normal pan and shallow fry these cutlets.

tuna

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Hara Bhara Kabab

A healthy vegetarian kabab prepared with spinach, green peas and potato. This makes a great snack with the evening tea as well as with your meal. It's a nutritious snack for kids and they will love to enjoy it with any dips. My little one loves to have it with his meal :)

I usually use a cup of spinach leaves along with dal and by the time I want to use it again, may be after a week or so, the leaves would have got rotten and it's painful to throw the most nutritious thing.
I stumbled upon this recipe in the internet and decided to make this. It's quite an easy recipe and you will enjoy having this hot hot :P

Here is how you can make this.

Ingredients

Potato - 1 big or 2 medium (Boiled and smashed)
Green peas - 1/2 cup (boiled)
Spinach - 2 cups
Green chilly - 1
Ginger (crushed) - 1 tsp
Turmeric Powder - 1/4 tsp
Chat Masala - 1 tsp
Dry Mango Powder - 1 tsp
Gram Flour (Besan) - 2-3 tbsp
Salt - As required
Oil for shallow fry

Method:

1. First we need to blanch the spinach. For this, add washed and cleaned spinach into a bowl of hot water and let it for 2 minutes and then plunge into a bowl of cold water for 1 minute.  

2, Finely chop the spinach.

3.Take a bowl and add smashed potato, boiled peas chopped spinach and mash it well.

4. To this mixture add salt, green chilly chopped, Ginger, turmeric powder, chat masala, dry mango powder and gradually add gramflour. If you feel the mixture is sticking too much, add some more gram flour. I used almost 3 tbsp gram flour.

5. Shape the mixture into round.

6. Take a pan and add 1 tbsp oil and shallow fry the kababs until brown on both sides.

Serve hot!

Note: You can add pinch of salt when you blanch the spinach to retain the color of the veggies. But this is optional.

spinach

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