Tender Jackfruit cutlet / Idichakka cutlet

Come Summer and loads and loads of jackfruit - both raw and ripe will be sent from my in-laws house. The raw one is called Idichakka while the ripe one is called chakka. We make thoran(dry sabzi) , masala curry, cutlets etc from the raw tender jackfruit. With the ripe one, well I myself can finish one full big jackfruit in one sitting and so is my husband and so is my daughter. So, nothing much will be left for  anything else to be made. But my MIL makes chakka curry, chakka varatti, a preserve which can be used to make kheer or other sweet dishes.

This time, the season has just started and already we have got loads of raw jackfruits three times.While my daughter can gorge on the ripe ones, she doesn't touch the raw jackfruit preparations. There is just one way to make her eat the raw jackfruit, that is by making cutlets.It tastes so delicious, that she finishes all the cutlets, leaving just one each for the rest of us. It is supposed to be very nutritious and very good for health.So, next time you see this in a shop, don't hesitate to buy it and try this recipe. Its not required that you have to follow the recipe.You can just treat this like mashed potato or add mashed potato along with boiled carrots, peas, beans etc to it and make your own favorite recipe of cutlet. So, without more  blah blah, let me get to the recipe.

Ingredients:

Raw Jackfruit - 1 medium
Onion - 1 large (Dice it finely)
Coriander leaves - 1 handful (chop them finely)
Green chillies - 2 (Optional)
Ginger garlic paste - 1 teaspoon
Garam masala - 1 teaspoon
Bread crumbs - 1 cup
salt - As per taste
Turmeric powder - 1 pinch
Rice flour - 1 tablespoon
Refined oil- As required for shallow frying

Preparation:

• Cut the raw jackfruit flesh into cubes. Boil it with salt and turmeric powder.Mash it well either with hand or in the mixie.
• Take 2 tablespoon oil in a pan. 
• Saute the onion.
• Once it turns transparent, add ginger garlic paste,green chillies if using,garam masala and saute it till the raw smell goes.
• Add the mashed jackfruit and just mix it once.
• Once it is cooled, add the coriander leaves and a tablespoon of rice flour. 

• Make them into golf ball sized balls.Press them gently to make into round cutlets.

• Coat them with the bread crumbs nicely on all sides and keep them ready.

• Take a pan, and add little oil for shallow frying.Very little oil is enough if you are using a non-stick pan.
• Once the oil is heated, place the cutlets and let them brown on one side before turning them the other side.

• As all the ingredients are cooked already, you just need them to become crisp on the outer side before they are ready.
• Yummy and healthy cutlets are ready to be served.
• Serve them hot with tomato ketchup.

Healthy Whole Wheat Bread

My kids mid term exams were over last week and I felt like last day of my school before summer vacation!!!
I thought of some baking to do as I had a list of TO DO items pending to bake and selected whole wheat bread. My daughter is very fond of toast - cheese toast, peanut butter toast, vegetable sandwich anything in between two toasted bread slices is her favorite. And her dad is totally against store bought bread, fed to the kid day after day after day after .....

So, settled with the brown bread happily and baked up a nice golden crust bread- which looked lovely and healthy.

Ingredients:

• Wheat flour - 3 cups
• Water - 1 cup
• salt - 1 teaspoon
• sugar - 2 tablespoons +  1 tablespoon
• Dry active yeast - 1/2 tablespoon
• Curds - 2 tablespoon
• Butter - 2 tablespoons

Procedure:

• Activate the yeast by dissolving it in 1 cup lukewarm water and 1 tablespoon sugar.
• Keep it for around 10 minutes.
• The yeast is ready to use when slight foam forms on the surface.
• Add the salt to the flour and mix it well or sieve it.
• Then add sugar, butter,curd and the dissolved yeast mixture.
• Knead it to a dough.Add water if required little by little , one tablespoon at a time.
• Continue to knee it till a smooth dough is formed.
• Cover it with a wet cloth and let it rise in a warm place for an hour.
• The dough should be doubled in size. Take the dough after this and slowly deflate it and roll it over to form a loaf and keep it in a loaf pan.
• Let it rise again in the loaf pan for 30 minutes.
• Pre-heat the oven to 220 degrees C(425 degree F).
• After half hour, bake it in the oven for around 20 to 25 minutes.
• Let it cool completely and cut into slices and store in the bread box.
• Keeps well for 3 to 4 days at room temperature.
• It is best to toast it with slight butter and eat it with jam/maple syrup or honey or just the plain toast with tea/coffee.

Lentil Soup / Moong dal Shorba

This soup can be made with other types of dal like masoor dal , toor dal etc. It is very good for kids as they get all the goodness of the dal, mainly protein. We can give this soup to the kids between their evening snacks/milk and dinner.


Ingredients

• Moong Dal - 1/4 cup
• Turmeric Powder - 1/4 teaspoon
• Salt - As per taste
• Shallots / Small Onion - 2 (chopped into fine slices)
• Garlic - 2 Pods ( chopped finely)
• Ginger - 1/2 inch piece (sliced long and thin)
• Butter / Oil - 1 teaspoon
• Pepper powder - As per taste
• Coriander leaves - For garnish(finely cut)

Preparation / Method

• Wash and cook Moong dal in a pressure cooker for 4 to 5 whistles with turmeric powder.
• Heat butter/oil in a pan.

• Saute garlic , onion and ginger in the butter.
• Add the cooked dal , salt and little water and let it boil.
• Check for consistency and add more water if required.

• Add freshly ground pepper and transfer it to a serving bowl.
• Garnish with coriander leaves.
• Serve immediately

Cranberry Pistachio Cookies

Ingredients

• All Purpose Flour (Maida) - 2 and 1/3 cups
• Unsalted Butter - 1 cup
• Sugar - 2/3 cup
• Vanilla Extract - 1 teaspoon
• Salt - 1/4 teaspoon
• Pistachios - 1 cup
• Dried Cranberries - 1 cup

Preparation / Method

• Take the room temperature butter in a bowl and beat it well using a electric mixer for about a minute till it becomes soft and smooth.
• Powder the sugar and add it to the butter and continue to beat it till it becomes smooth and creamy.
• Beat in the vanilla extract.
• Add salt to the flour and mix it well in a separate bowl.Add this flour and salt mixture to the wet ingredients and gently mix it.
• Fold in the cranberries and pistachios to the mixture.
• Knead it a little and split it to two halves.
• Shape each one to nice smooth long round logs as shown in the below picture.

• Cover it in a plastic wrap and keep it refrigerated for around 3 hours.
• Preheat oven to 160 degrees C (325 degrees F).
• Take out the logs and slice them into half inch thick round cookies.
• Place the cookies on a baking tray and bake them till they are brown in the edges , or about 15 minutes.

• Once done, cool them on a rack and store them in airtight containers.

They are delicious to eat and melts in the mouth.

Apple Fritters

Ingredients

• Apple - 1 large
• Milk - 1/4 cup
• Egg - 1
• Ground cinnamon - 1 teaspoon
• salt - 1/4 teaspoon
• Baking Powder - 1 teaspoon
• Sugar - 1/4 cup
• All purpose flour - 1 cup
• Vegetable Oil - 1 tablespoon

Preparation

• Cut the apple to small pieces.
• Combine flour, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt in a bowl. 
• In a separate bowl, beat the eggs a little, then add milk and vanilla extract
• Gently fold dry and wet ingredients together until just combined. Fold in apples.

• Heat oil over medium heat. If the batter dropped into the oil sizzles immediately and rises to the top, the oil is ready.
• Use a teaspoon or a small ice-cream scoop and drop the batter into the hot oil. Make sure the batter is  cooked through, but do not let it brown too much.

• Remove and drain on a paper towel.  If needed, sprinkle powdered sugar on them.

• Enjoy the deliciously crispy fried fritters warm.

No Bake Lemon Pie

The delicious and refreshingly sweet and tangy citrus flavor of this lemon pie is ohhh soooo goooood!! The best thing about it is , it is a no bake , easy to make, super simple recipe. Because it is rich and creamy, a little goes a long way. You can either make these as individual mini pies or in a 8 inch pie pan.

This recipe has been adapted from the milkmaid.in website.

Ingredients:

• Digestive Biscuits - 20
• Melted Butter - 8 tablespoons
• Nestle fresh cream / Whipping cream - 1 cup
• Milkmaid / Sweetened condensed milk - 200 gm 
• Lemon Juice - 1/3 cup

Note: I used Goodday butter biscuits for the crust.

Preparation:

• Powder the biscuits either in a blender or using a zip log bag. I usually use a zip log bag and a rolling pin to crush them.
• Add melted butter to it and mix it well.
• Press this mixture to the bottom of the pie pan firmly. Use bottom of a small round vessel or glass to press the crust firmly.

• Cover it with a plastic wrap and chill the crust for 30 minutes.
• Meanwhile, add the lemon juice to the sweetened condensed milk and whisk it till it gets mixed well.
• Whip the cream in high speed till nice stiff peaks form. 

Note: I have not seen the heavy whipping cream in any stores in Bangalore except for a few imported ones. So, I use Nestle 25% fresh cream for making the whipped cream. We need to take care of a few points while using this. Forst and most important, the cream needs to be super cold when you start to whip. So, refrigerate the cream  overnight if you are planning to whip it up the next day. Also, freeze the bowl that you are going to use and the whisks for 15 minutes before starting to whip. You can also  keep the bowl of cream inside another big bowl of ice cold water to make sure that the cream gets whipped nicely.

• Once the whipped cream is ready, gently mix this with the condensed milk mixture.
• Pour the mixture over the top of the set crust and level it. 
• Top it with some grated lemon zest and refrigerate it for 4 to 5 hours or until set. 

Healthy Carrot Cake -Whole Wheat

Ingredients:

• Whole wheat flour - 1 cup
• Roasted and chopped walnuts - 1/2 cup
• Grated carrots - 1 cup
• Granulated sugar - 3/4 cup
• Vegetable oil or any cooking oil - 1/2 cup
• Baking powder - 1/2 teaspoon
• Baking soda - 1/2 teaspoon
• Cinnamon powder - 1 teaspoon
• Salt - 1/4 teaspoon
• Eggs - 2
• Vanilla Essence - 1 teaspoon

Preparation:

• Pre heat the oven to 180 degree C.
• Butter and line a 8 inch or 9 inch cake pan with a wax paper.
• Mix flour, baking powder, baking soda,salt,cinnamon powder in a bowl thoroughly.
• Beat the eggs in another bowl using an electric mixer till they become light and fluffy.
• Add sugar and beat it well for about 3 minutes.
• Pour the oil in a steady slow stream and keep on beating the mixture.
• Add vanilla essence and beat once more.
• Now add the flour mixture to this liquid mixture and beat it just till it is mixed.
• Add the walnuts and carrots and mix them together with a spatula.
• Do not overmix.
• Pour this mixture to the cake pan and bake it for about 40 minutes or till a toothpick inserted in the centre comes clean.
• If the cake is browning too much, cover the pan with an aluminium foil and bake it.
• Healthy and tasty carrot cake is ready to eat. We do not need any icing for this cake. It is yummy as it is. 

Pazham Pori / Banana Fritters

Ingredients:

• Ripe Bananas (Nendram Pazham) - 3 
• All Purpose Flour - 1 cup
• Rice Flour - 2 tablespoons
• Sugar - 3 tablespoons
• Salt - a pinch (1/4 teaspoon)
• Turmeric Powder - a pinch
• Baking Powder - 1/4 teaspoon
• Water - around 3/4 cup

Preparation:

• Peel and slice the bananas lengthwise. If the banana is long, cut them into two before slicing.

• Prepare the batter with all purpose flour , rice flour , sugar , salt , turmeric powder, baking powder and water.
• Make sure there are no lumps in the batter.
• The batter should be slightly thicker than the regular idli batter.

• Dip the sliced bananas in the batter.
• Deep fry the dipped banana slices in hot oil. Fry them till they become golden brown.

• Drain the fritters in a paper towel.
• Serve them hot with tea/coffee.

Roasted Pumpkin Soup

Oh! I can see that! Do not make your face like that :-) . This is really a very good soup for those who are on a diet plan. It is very easy to make and very nutritious. I agree it will be a little bland.

Two points you should note before trying this soup. 1. You should like the taste of pumpkin and 2. You should really like the taste of pumpkin. :-)
For spice lovers, add a little red chilly powder when you roast the pumpkin.

Ingredients

• Peeled and cut pumpkin pieces - 1 cup
• Onion - 1 (Peeled and diced)
• Garlic - 1 pod
• salt - to taste
• pepper - to taste
• Olive Oil - 1 teaspoon
• Water or vegetable stock - 1 cup

Preparation:

• Add olive oil in a heated saucepan.
• Add onion and garlic and roast them a little. Then add pumpkin pieces to it and little salt.

• Roast all ingredients well, till the pumpkin becomes tender and roasted well.

• Add half cup of water and cook till the water boils.

• Cool it and puree it in a blender and transfer it to the saucepan again.
• Depending on the thickness of the soup, add more water and simmer it for 5 minutes.
• Season with salt and pepper.

Note: Add lots of pepper and if needed, add some red chilli flakes, as it will be a little bland.

Chocolate Cake Pops

Cake Pops - The latest trend in dessert culture! I have seen them mostly in Starbucks. My kid loves them a lot. When we were in San Jose, there used to be a  Starbucks in our apartment complex. We used go for walk daily in the evening and she stops right in front of the shop. She moves ahead only if she gets a pink cake pop from that shop. 

It is a very elegant and delicious dessert which makes a fantastic centre piece in any party table. Surprisingly, it is very easy to make. Unfortunately, I have not seen candy melts anywhere in Bangalore. So, I used Morde baking chocolate blocks for coating the cake pops.

Ingredients

• Chocolate cake ( 9 x 13 inch) / cupcakes  (Store bought or home-made). 
• Chocolate Frosting - 1 cup
• (Store bought or home made)
• Baking chocolate or candy melts - 200 gm
• Lollipop sticks - 36
• Sprinkles for decoration (Optional)

Preparation

• Gently crumble the cake into a large bowl.Make sure the cake is crumbled well and there are no large lumps.One day old cake works well for this.
• Drop a spoon full of frosting and mix it with the cake. Add frosting little by little and mix it well till you are able to make smooth rounds with the mixture.The mixture should not crumble.
• Once you have got the right consistency, roll the cake mixture into one inch smooth balls using the palm of your hands.
• Arrange them on a baking sheet lined with wax paper. Chill them in the refigerator for half an hour.

• While the cake balls are chilling, prepare the chocolate coating by melting the chocolate in a double boiler or in the microwave. Make sure, the choclate is not over heated. It should be smooth and glossy. 
• Once the cake balls are chilled,take them out of the refigerator.
• Dip the lollipop sticks in the melted chocolate for about 1 inch and insert them into the cake balls till halfway.
• Place them in the refigerator again for 5 minutes.
• After 5 minutes, take the cake pops one by one using the stick and swirl them in the chocolate till they are fully dipped.
• Take them out and gently tap on the stick while slowly rotating the stick.

 

• Once you get a even coating on the cake pop, decorate them with sprinkles immediately and let them set by sticking the end of the lollipop sticks into a styrofoam block or even an apple or a banana, :-) if you dont find a styrofoam block. I used a pomogranate.

• After they are set, store them in an air tight container in the refigerator for upto a week.
• Decadent and delicious cake pops are ready for your party.

Diwali Sweets collection and the links to their recipes for your easy reference

Murukku

Ribbon Pakoda

Boondi Ladoo

Rava Ladoo

Athirasam

Paruppu Vadai

Peanut Butter Cups

Kachayam

Coconut Macaroons

Peanut Butter Cookies