SIMPLE AND EASY FRUIT CAKE

        SIMPLE AND EASY FRUIT CAKE(500 gm)

Hi.. Foodie....Christmas and New year is nearing. So I planned to share to you all a very simple and easy method for preparing a Fruit Cake.

 A Christmas cake may be light or dark, crumbly- moist to sticky-wet, spongy to heavy, leavened or unleavened, shaped round, square oblong as whole cakes, cupcake, with marzipan icing , glazing, dusting with icing sugar or plain. If a Christmas cake is covered in icing, it is quite common for it to be decorated- models of houses, of fir trees or Santa Claus....

Fruit cake is a cake made with chopped candied fruit and or fried fruits, nuts and spices and optionally soaked in spirits like rum, brandy or wine. A cake that simply has fruits in it as an ingredient can also be colloquially called a fruit cake. Fruit Cakes are often served in celebration of weddings and Christmas.

Here I m preparing this for the beginners. This year let everyone  try a homemade fruit cake.

                                          INGREDIENTS

• Maida /All purpose flour     100 gms
• Baking powder                   1/2 Tsp
• Baking soda                        less than1/4 Tsp
• Dark cocoa powder              1 Tsp

• Sieve them and keep aside

•  Cashews,Dates,Raisins, chopped and soak in wine or rum(2 Tbsp)- 100 gms

•  Eggs                                   -2 nos
• Butter or margarine       -  100 gms
• Garam Masala powder  -1/4 tsp( a owder of cinnamon, cloves, cardamom ang nutmeg)
• Vanila essence                -1/4 tsp

•  Sugar                      -   100 gms

                                       METHOD

• Powder the sugar in a mixer grinder, then add egg , butter ,garam masala , Vanila esssence and blend well.
• Now add seived maida to it and blend for 1 or 2 minutes more.(Take out 2 or 3 tbsp maida to mix up with fruits)
• The batter should be loose like this as shown in the pic.

•  Transfer this batter to a bowl 
• Add 2-3 Tbsp of maida to the chopped  and soaked fruits.Mix them well with a spatula.

•  Pour the batter into a greesed baking tray.And tap the bowl for 2 to 3 times. This has to be done in order to remove the air holes.

•  Cover it with an aluminium foil.

                                      

• Pre-heat the OTG oven to 200degree celsius for 10 mins.And bake for 20 mins.

•  The simple and easy fruit cake is ready for you guysss...

• After cooling remove from the tray and serve the fluffy and soft fruit cake . 

PRAWNS BIRIYANI

                                       PRAWNS/SHRIMP BIRIYANI

Hi.....Today I am presenting to all a heavy recipe Biriyani. It's a mixed rice dish from the Indian Sub-continent. It is made with spices, rice and meat or fish or vegetables. We make Biriyani of different types. Mutton Biriyani and Chicken biriyani are the most famous non veg biriyanis. . Like that Prawns biriyani is also a very popular one and has become the favorite biryani for many of them.

Biriyani has a long history of being one of the important feast dishes of Muslims, with the recipe remaining exclusive with Muslims till few decades back. There are two basic types of biriyani: pakki ("cooked", also pukka) and kacchi ("raw", also kutchi). In pakki biryani, the cooked meat and cooked rice are layered. In the kacchi biryani, raw marinated meat is layered with raw rice before being cooked together. A boiled egg and mixed salad often accompanies the meat biriyani.

The non-vegetarian biryani may include chicken, mutton, beef and sea food among types of meat. Although originally cooked with meat, biryani is now also cooked with vegetables, especially in India. The vegetable biryani is prepared with rice, masala and non-meat ingredients such as potatoes and cauliflowers. Egg biryani, Dal biriyani, soya biriyani etc. are different  types of other biryanis.

Hyderabadi biriyani and Thalassery biriyani are the most famous South Indian biriyanies. The Palakkad Rawther biryani is a spicy Dum biryani prepared mainly by the Rawther Muslim community in Palakkad district of Kerala and some parts of Tamil Nadu. The variants include: lamb and mutton, chicken, beef and egg. This is accompanied by Kaichar, a type of gravy, their chuttney (curd salad) and a dessert prepared from winter melon. There are many  men and women who are specialized in commercial cooking of  Biryani, especially in the Narikkuthi area of Palakkad. Nowadays, many small shops exclusively sell Biryanis and have extremely flourished in the town.

Today I am preparing Prawns biriyani...exclusively  my own recipe… So guys....try out this…am sure this recipe is going to be a delicious one...

                                         INGREDIENTS

• Shrimp                           - 2.5 cups( cleaned and de-veined)

• Shrimp/Prawns             -  6 nos apply some masalas and keep aside  to fry for garnishing
• Ginger Paste                 - 50 gms
• Garlic paste                  - 50 gms
• Green chillies crushed  - 6 Nos
• Onions    to fry             - 1/2 cup sliced
• Onions sliced                -  5 nos
• Corriander powder       - 3 tsp
• Red chilly powder        -1 tsp
• Garam masala              - 1 tsp
• Tomatoes                     - 2 big chopped
• Turmeric powder         - 1tsp
• Basmathi rice               - 1 kg( 6 cups) Soak for 30 mins and drain it
• Water                           - 9 cups
• Star anise                     - 2
• Cinnamon                    - 3 stick
• Cloves                         - 7 
• Corriander leaves       - as required
• Curd                           -1/2 cup
• Lemon                        - 1 nos
• Coconut milk             - 1/2 cup-- 1 cup
• Salt                             - to taste
• Ghee                           - 5 Tbsp
• Oil

• For grinding masalas
• Red chilly powder         2 Tb sp
• Turmeric powder           1/2 tsp
• Pepper powder               1/2 Tsp
• Fennel seed                    1 Tsp
• Coriander leaves            few
• Curry leaves                   few  ( grind this and make a fine paste)

                                     METHOD

• Marinate the cleaned shrimps or prawns with lemon juice , salt and grinded masala.

                                      

                                      

• Keep this aside for 30 mins.

• Shallow fry the marinated shrimps in a heavy bottom pan 

• Keep the fried shrimp aside.

• In the same pan add some ghee 

• Fry the 2 sliced onions till golden brown

• Keep this aside.

• In the balance ghee  and add star anise, cloves and cinnamon.

• When it splutters add the drained rice and fry it lightly

• Take away from fire and keep aside.

• Boil 9 cups of water in a pressure cooker. When it starts boiling, add the fried rice,salt and close the cooker. Do not put the head .When the steam comes, put the head and simmer the fire and cook for 5 mins in low flame.After 5 mins switch off the flame and let it rest for another 5 more minutes.After 5 mins open the cooker and move the rice immediately to 2-3 flat plates, not to get sticky and keep aside.

                                     

• In the same pan add some oil and saute the 5 sliced onions.

• When it is half cooked add the ginger paste to it.

• Add garlic paste and crushed green chillies to it and saute for a while.

• Add salt to it

• Now add the coriander powder to it.

• Add  turmeric powder to it.

• Add garam masala to it.

• Add red chilly powder to it.

• When it sautes well, add the chopped tomatoes to it.

• Add the stem of corriander leaves to it.

• Now add  the fried onions to it and mix well.

• Add the curd and mix well, let it cook for 5 mins in a low flame.

• Now add the thick coconut milk and combine well.Taste the salt

• After 5 mins open the pan and add the cooked rice over it

• Garnish with corriander leaves and fried onions

• Close  the pan and keep a weight over it and dum for 10 mins in low flame.

• Garnish  with fried prawns, coriander leaves and fried onions.

• Serve  it on a plate .Enjoy my yummy Shrimp biriyani and please do comment.