Orange Muffins with Chocolate Chips

Time just flies when you have kids around. My son celebrated his third birthday few days back... I don't remember if I was so demanding and if my birthday was celebrated this way, with mom and dad planning from almost one month ahead about what to do, how to do, gifts and clothes for the big day.
Since we moved recently to a new town, we do have many friends in the neighborhood so his birthday was celebrated in the Kindergarten. I baked a chocolate cake, and some orange muffins and hazelnut muffins for the kids. I was on very happy and on cloud nine.. when the kids enjoyed them saying yumm... very tasty... will u make them again :-)

Coming to the recipe, this is from the local German cookbook I bought in the Flohmarket(Flea-market) few months back. I feel that if you look patiently then you can find many useful things in the Flohmarket. How many of you like to visit the Flohmarkets?

What you Need :
(Yields approx 12 muffins)

All purpose Flour : 280 gm
Sugar : 100 gm
Orange Peel : 80 gm, finely chopped
Baking Powder : 2 1/2 Tbsp
Baking Soda : 1/2 Tbsp
Salt : a pinch
Egg : 1, whole
Oil : 80 ml
Orange Juice : 100 ml
Buttermilk : 200 ml
Chocolate chips : 70 gm

1. Pre-heat the oven to 180 degrees Centigrade.
2. Butter and Flour Muffin pan or line it with muffin cups.
3. Sieve together Flour, Baking powder, Baking soda and salt.
4. Add in Orange Peel and mix well.
5. In a separate bowl beat egg till light and fluffy.
6. Whisk in Sugar, Oil, Orange juice and Buttermilk .
7. Add the flour mixture to the Buttermilk mixture in batches, and fold gently till everything is mixed well, with a rubber spatula. Do not over mix the batter.
8. Fold in Chocolate chips .
9. Fill each muffin cup till 3/4th full with batter, using a spoon.
10. Place in the oven and bake until a toothpick inserted in the center of a muffin comes out clean, about 20 - 25 minutes.
11. Transfer to a wire rack and let cool for about 5 - 10 minutes before removing from pan.

Food Events :
Sending these to
Srivalli's Kids Delight Party. and
Rak's Sweets/Desserts with Fruits/Veggies started by Niveditha

Andhra Chicken Korma

The other day I was wondering... 'Am I blogging what I cook?' or 'Am I cooking for blogging?'
I guess this question arises, in almost every food blogger.
My hubs started complaining. I don't deny that he is the one behind my blog with constant encouragement, my best critic and adviser. But at times when lunch or dinner is ready, and I jump upstairs with my dishes and props, saying "Just a min hon, I will be just right back, I need to take a picture", he gets upset. He says you are cooking just because of blogging. Hmm... well... what can I say?
My last post was 6 days back, and every day I was thinking about something special to cook so that I can post again. Does every one have the question "What to post next?" hovering in your mind all time? or is it just me?

Coming to the recipe, when I went grocery shopping the other day to buy chicken, I had some other recipe in mind. But I could'nt get all the ingredients. So I made this simple Chicken Korma my grandma used to make when we were kids.

What you need:
Chicken : 1 Kg, cut into bite sized pieces
Onion : 1 big, finely chopped
Jeera: 1 tsp
Curry leaves : a few
Ginger garlic paste : 2 Tbsp
Green chillies : 3 or 4, slit lengthwise
Lime juice : 1 Tbsp
Red Chilli powder : 2 tsp
Turmeric : 1/2 tsp
Salt : to taste
Water / Chicken Stock : 1 cup

Masala powder:
Cloves: 8 to 10
Cinnamon: 2 inch piece
Coriander seeds: 3 Tbsp
Cardamom seeds: 1 tsp

Roast and grind to fine powder

Ground Paste:
Poppy seeds: 3 Tbsp, soaked in warm water for 1 hour
Coconut: 1/2 cup, grated

1. Heat oil in a wide thick bottomed pan.
2. Add Jeera and curry leaves.
3. Add onions and fry till the sides turn brown.
4. Add green chillies and ginger garlic paste. Fry for 3 to 4 mins.
5. Add turmeric and red chilli powder. Fry for 2 more mins.
6. Add poppy seeds and coconut paste. Fry till it emits nice aroma.
7. Add the prepared masala powder. Mix well.
8. Stir in salt.
9. Add the chicken pieces. Cook on high without lid, till chicken pieces turn white.
10. Add 1 cup of water or chicken stock. Cover and reduce heat to low.
11. Cook for around 15 to 20 mins, or till done.
12. Add lemon juice and adjust salt.
13. Serve hot with Steamed Rice or Dosa or Garelu/Vada.
    

Happy Vinayaka Chavithi : Chakkara Pongali

Wish you all Happy Vinayaka Chavithi !!

Back home in India, they used to put a big Ganesh Idol in the temple premises in our colony. I used to go there along with my friends after school to have prasadam :-) Most of the days, they used to give chakkar pongal as prasadam. It used to taste divine with light karpuram(camphor) flavor.

I have always make Pal pongal for all the festive occasions. Today I tried Chakkar Pongal, as mom is here to guide me :-)

What you need :

Rice : 1 cup
Moong Dal / Pesara pappu : 1/2 cup
Jaggery / Bellam : 1 cup (grated)
Sugar : 1 cup
Ghee / Clarified Butter : 1 cup + 2 Tbsp
Water : 3 cups (See Notes)
Pacha Karpooram (Edible Camphor) : less than a pinch (See Notes)
Cashews : to garnish (roasted in a tsp of ghee)

1. Heat 2 Tbsp of Ghee in a large deep pot or a pressure cooker.
   
2. Add Moong dal, and fry for a min, till emits nice aroma and turns to light brown color.
3. Add Rice, and water.
4. Cook till done, stirring in between to avoid burning.
5. Simultaneously, in a medium sized pan, melt sugar, jaggery in half cup water. Strain to remove any impurities.
   
6. Turn the heat of the Rice and dal mixture to low, and add the syrup. Mix well.
7. Add ghee and cashews.
   
8. Now add karpooram and mix well.
9. Serve hot or cold.
   

Mom's Tips :

1. Instead of 3 cups of water, you can use 2 cups water and 1 cup milk.
2. Quantity of Sugar and be increased or decreased according to taste.
3. Do not hesitate while adding ghee :-) The more you add, the tastier it will be :-)
4. If you do not have edible camphor, add powdered cardamom.
5. You can even add Raisins or pieces of dry coconut (roasted in ghee) to garnish.

Beans with moong Dal

Last month was holiday time here in Germany. Most of my friends had their moms visiting them. When ever I used to call them, they usual reply I got was " I am playing with my son, and lunch?? yeah.. my mom took over from me, she is cooking something." An other friend of my said " I had some shopping to do, so I left my daughter with my mom, and they were playing together, she made delicious parathas by the time I came home." Again a similar story, one of my friend had guests for dinner, and when I called her the next day casually to ask how it went, she said " It went very well. All of them enjoyed the food so much... my mom made Biryani, and it was all sold up. "

So, got the pattern, when moms visit us, we handover the kitchen to them... But I thought I would be different. I wanted to ask my mom to rest while I cooked for her . My mom came here on Sunday... I was all excited... As I have decided earlier, I did not make my mom cook ... I asked her to relax and play with her grandson.

Today morning I woke up and came downstairs to get milk for my son and prepare for breakfast... and what do I see???
She is already up, milk already boiled, and cooled and ready to go into bottle. Everything prepared for breakfast... and she was planning on what to cook for lunch.... my my... u see.... Moms :-)

So its not that we handover the kitchen to them... they take over from us :-) or is it the same ... (confused)

Coming to the recipe... This was made by my mom for today's lunch.... a simple and delicious dish which goes very well with Steamed Rice or Rotis.

What You Need :

Beans : 400 gms
Moong Dal : 1 cup
Ginger : 1 inch piece, finely chopped
Green Chillies : 2, finely chopped (increase or decrease acc. to taste)
Onion : 1 , finely chopped
Turmeric : 1/4 tsp
For Tadka :
Dry Red Chillies : 2
Mustard seeds : 1 tsp
Jeera : 1 tsp

Oil : 3 Tbsp

1. Soak Moong Dal in enough water for 2 hrs. Strain and keep aside.
   
2. Boil a cup of water in a medium sized pan, add salt and add chopped beans. Cover and cook till done. Strain the beans, and reserve this water.
   
3. Heat oil in a wide pan. Add all ingredients under tadka.
   
4. After the mustard seeds splutter. Add onions, ginger, green chilli and turmeric.
5. Fry for a minute.
6. Add moong dal. Fry for a minute.
7. Add 1/2 cup of the water from Step 2.
   
8. Add salt, cover and cook on low heat for 5 minutes. Till the water disappears.
9. Add Beans and fry for 2 - 3 minutes on medium heat, and then on high heat for 2 min.
10. Serve hot with Rice or rotis.

Mom's Tips :
Do not add strained water in Step 7, more than 1/2 cup, else it becomes mushy.
Add a handful of chopped coriander leaves for extra taste.
If you are in a hurry, or if you forgot to soak dal before hand. Boil dal along with beans. Strain immediately after done.

Chicken 65

There are many stories as of how the name Chicken 65 originated. Let's not discuss the details of the theories and stories revolving around this name, as the internet is full of them :-) Neither of them are so convincing.

Anyways.....
What's in a Name? That which we call Chicken 65, By any other name would taste as delicious :-)

There are many ways we make this dry, wet, spicy, less spicy. This version of my Chicken 65 is a medium spicy, dry dish, which can be served as starter.... along with drinks, or as a side dish for Sambar as my boys like it.

What you need:

Chicken : approximately half a kilo, skinless and boneless cut into bite sized pieces
Ginger Garlic paste : 2 Tbsp
Pepper powder : 1 tsp
Soy Sauce : 1 tsp
Ajinomoto : 1/2 tsp (See Notes)
Egg : 1, whole
Cornstarch/Cornflour : 1 or 2 Tbsp
Oil : for Frying

Chopped Ginger : 1 Tbsp
Chopped Garlic : 3 Tbsp (you can add less or more acc to your taste)
Curry leaves : a few
Green Chillies : 3, slit lengthwise (vary the number depending on your taste)
Tomato Ketchup : 3 Tbsp
Red Color : a few drops (optional)
Oil : 2 - 3 Tbsp
Chopped coriander and roasted cashews : to garnish

1. Marinate chicken with Ginger Garlic paste, soy sauce, salt, pepper and ajinomoto for about 2 or 3 hours.
2. Heat oil in a pan. Just before frying the chicken add egg and cornflour to chicken and mix well.
3. Fry the chicken pieces in two or three batches, till they come to a nice brown color. Drain excess oil using a mesh strainer or a paper towel. Keep aside.
4. Heat oil in a separate pan.
5. Add chopped ginger, garlic, green chillies, curry leaves and fry for a min.
   
6. Add tomato ketchup and red color (if using).
7. Now add chicken pieces, and toss them till well coated.
8. Garnish with chopped coriander and cashews and serve hot with onion rings and lemon wedges.
   

Mom's Tips:
Avoid using ajinomoto if you are cooking for small kids and pregnant women.
This is a very dry recipe, to make it with lil bit gravy, you can add yogurt and chilli garlic sauce as the base.

Gobi Mattar/ Cauliflower and Peas Stir Fry

Monday Blues.... it is the "ahhhhh no" day for me.

I just had the two most glorious days.. Saturday and Sunday... spending the whole day with my son and hubby... doing what ever I like... lazying on bed for as long as I need....
Now I should be back to work, get up early in the morning... prepare breakfast and pack boxes for both my men. Back to cleaning, cooking, washing :-)

So to overcome my Monday blues, I start my day listening to good music. I love listening to Rafi. My favorite songs are "Chaudavin Ka Chand Ho" and "Baharon Phool Barsaao" sung by him, such a wonderful songs with wonderful lyrics .... can a day start better than this!!
Thinking about delicious and comforting food also helps in dealing with Monday blues in my case :-)

Usually on Mondays I cook which is very easy, which takes very less time and effort.
The recipe I am sharing with you is one such dish which is simple yet delicious and goes well with Roti or Steamed rice.

What you need:

Cauliflower : 1, big and firm, cut into bite sized florets
Peas : 1 cup (I used frozen)
Salt : to taste
Chilli powder : 1 tsp (you can add more or less acc. to your taste)
Coriander leaves : a handful, chopped
Onion : 1, thinly sliced
Ginger : 1 inch piece, finely chopped
Curry leaves : a few
Turmeric : 1 tsp
Mustard seeds: 1tsp
Jeera : 1 tsp
Oil : 3 or 4 Tbsp

Dry roast and grind:
Coriander seeds (Dhaniya) : 1 1/2 Tbsp
Fennel Seeds (Saunf) : 1 1/2 Tbsp
Jeera : 1/2 Tbsp

1. Add oil in a large pan. After it is hot, add mustard seeds and jeera.
2. After the mustard seeds splutter, add curry leaves, chopped ginger and sliced onions and turmeric.
3. Fry for a min or two, and add the ground masala powder.
4. Fry for few mins, and add cauliflower and peas.
5. Mix, and add salt and red chilli powder.
6. Mix well. Cover and cook for 10 minutes on low heat.
   
7. Remove the lid, increase the heat to high, and saute for few more minutes till the moisture disappears.
8. Adjust salt. Add the coriander leaves.
9. Serve with Roti or Steamed rice.

Mom's Tips:
You can also make this as a gravy, by adding a tomato paste or by adding cashew paste.
For extra crunchiness, you can add some peanuts.

Happy Cooking and Have a Fabulous Monday!!!
Let me know how you deal with Monday Blues.

Double Choco Raspberry Roll

I love anything sweet... cookies, chocolates, cakes.... yummm. Cakes in particular are my favorite, nothing can beat the smell of a freshly baking cake in the oven. And talking about cakes, I always had a fascination towards Swiss rolls.
The two myths which got cleared recently are - 1. I used to think Swiss Rolls are from Switzerland :-) 2. I thought that only professional bakers can make Swiss Rolls

After I started Baking, I never tried to experiment with Swiss Roll, because I thought its a very complicated process.But despite the appearance, Swiss Rolls are in fact very easy to make.
It was easy than the Pineapple Pastry I made sometime back.
Its so light and fluffy , not very sweet. You can have this with tea, or as dessert after supper, I can have it even for breakfast :-)

And Swiss Rolls are not from Switzerland. According to wikipedia, they originated somewhere in Central Europe. Its a traditional German, Hungarian and Austrian type of Cake. And in Germany they call it Biskuitrolle or Roulade.

What you Need :

For the Cake :
Eggs : 4
Egg Yolk : 1
All Purpose Flour/Cake Flour : 4 Tbsp
Corn Flour : 3 Tbsp
Sugar : 1/2 Cup + 1 Tbsp
Vanilla essence : 1 tsp
Rose color : 1 tsp (optional)

1. Pre heat oven to 200 degrees C.
2. Grease a 40X30 cm Baking pan and line it with a butter paper, and then butter and flour the paper. Keep aside.
3. Separate two eggs, placing yolks in one bowl and whites in one bowl.
4. To the yolks, add the additional yolk, and the remaining two eggs(including whites)
5. Add 1/2 cup sugar to the yolks and the whole eggs(in Step 4), and beat on high speed till thick, pale and fluffy.
6. Add vanilla essence and color(if using) and beat again for 1 min.
7. Sift the flours together.
8. Sift half the flour mixture into the egg mixture and fold gently till well mixed. Then add the remaining flour to the batter and fold in.
9. Beat the egg whites (in Step 3) on medium speed till it forms soft peaks. Sprinkle in the remaining one tablespoon sugar and beat until stiff peaks form.
10. Fold in the whites in to the batter (in Step 8) in two batches.
11. Pour the batter in to the prepared pan, spread evenly with a spatula. Tap the pan lightly on the kitchen platform to remove any air bubbles.
12. Bake for about 6 to 7 minutes, or till the surface is golden brown.
13. Immediately upon removing the cake from the oven sprinkle with confectioners sugar and then invert the cake onto a clean Kitchen towel.
    
14. Remove the parchment paper, sprinkle with confectioners sugar.
15. Roll up the cake, starting from the shorter side, along with the towel. Place on a wire rack to cool.

For the Creme Filling :
Heavy Whipping Creme : 250 ml
Sugar : 2 Tbsp
Vanilla essence : 1 tsp

1. Whip together Creme, sugar and essence till stiff peaks form
   

Raspberry Jam :
Raspberries : 1 cup, coarsely pureed
Sugar : 1/2 cup
Milk or Dark Chocolate chips : 20 gms

1. Place the raspberries and sugar in a small saucepan and cook over medium-low heat for about 8 minutes. Stir constantly to prevent burning.
   
2. Remove from heat when the jam has thickened (it will thicken further when cool).
   
3. Stir in the chocolate chips, mix well to combine with the jam. Set aside to cool.

To Assemble :

1. Unroll the Sponge Cake.
2. Spread a layer of whipped cream on the sponge.
3. Pipe lines of raspberry jam on the cream.
4. Roll up the sponge.
5. Wrap it in the baking paper and keep chill in fridge for an hour to set the swiss roll.
6. Serve chilled, drizzled with chocolate sauce.
   

Mom's Tips:
You can make the sponge cake before hand.
While beating egg whites, you can add 1/4th tea spoon cream of tar tar or a small pinch of salt, to get full volume.
You can add whole Raspberries for extra taste while rolling the cake.
The Swiss roll can be filled with any filling like, chocolate ganache, any type of jam or just the whipped creme.