Cake for Celebration- Chocolate Cake with Chocolate Mousse filling covered with Chocolate Ganache

A year back, this is the day my blog baby was born. Though I had created my blog account much earlier it was left untouched until one fine day suddenly I decided to write something, created a blog, baked and posted- My first post , Simple Vanilla Cake.  I can't believe one year has flown by so quick. In this one year, I have learnt a lot. Blogging has made life more interesting and meaningful. I have made lot of good friends.  Everything is good but the only bad thing (not bad, even that is good) might be am always stuck with laptop or tab or my phone checking blog stats, new posts, visiting other blogs, commenting or just chat with my darling friends in Facebook :D mmmmm.. Life is good.. So it is all because of this blog and my blog baby is turning one today which definitely calls for celebration. We had a dessert party in my Facebook page, where all our blogger friends brought their yummy desserts. Thanks a lot friends for your participation. 

So for this occasion, I baked a special cake, Chocolate Cake with chocolate mousse filling covered with chocolate ganache. Yummy Chocolate'y treat. 

Chocolate cake

Recipe Source: Entenmann's Big book of Baking

What are the ingredients needed?

Butter(room temperature), 1/2 cup

Light brown sugar, 1 1/2 cup

Eggs, 2 nos.

Unsweetened cocoa, 3/4 cup

All purpose flour, 2 cups

Baking powder, 1 1/2 teaspoon

Baking Soda, 1 1/2 teaspoon

Salt, 1 teaspoon

Whole milk, 1 cup

Vanilla extract, 2 teaspoon

Boiling water, 1 cup

How it is made?

1. Preheat the oven to 350 F. Grease and flour two 8 inch cake pans and line with parchment paper.
2. Cream butter and sugar together and beat one egg at a time, mixing well.
3. In another bowl, combine all purpose flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder and salt and set them aside.
4. Slowly add this mixture little by little  to the butter mixture alternating with milk. 
5. Then to this add the vanilla extract and boiling water and mix well. 
6. Pour the mixture evenly to the prepared cake pans and bake for 30 minutes or until the fork inserted comes out clean.
7. Remove and let it cool for atleast 10 minutes, before transferring them from cake pan to prevent the cake from breaking. 

Chocolate Mousse

What are the ingredients needed?

Unflavored gelatin, 1 teaspoon

Cold water, 1 teaspoon

Hot water, 1 teaspoon

Cocoa powder, 1/4 cup

Sugar,1/2 cup

Heavy Cream, 1 cup

Vanilla extract, 1 teaspoon

How it is made?

1. Dissolve the the gelatin in cold water and let it sit for a minute. Then add the hot water mix well until the gelatin is melted.Set aside.
2. With the electric mixer, beat the heavy cream till it forms soft peaks. 
3. Whisk together cocoa powder and sugar to remove any lumps. Then add this mixture and vanilla extract to the heavy cream and continue beating for 2-3 minutes.
4. Finally add the melted gelatin and beat till they are completely mixed.
5. Now cover this and keep it refrigerated for 30 minutes.

Chocolate Ganache

Recipe Source: Joy of Baking

What are the ingredients needed?

Heavy cream, 3/4 cup

Semi sweet chocolate chips, 1 cup

Butter, 2 tablespoon

How it is made?

1. Place the chocolate in a heat proof bowl.
2. Heat the heavy cream  and butter in pan and bring it to boil.
3. Then add this mixture to the chocolate bowl and let it stand for few minutes.
4. Then whisk them together gently until it is smooth.

Final assembly of the cake.

1. Once baked let the cake cool completely. 
2. When the cake is baked it  forms a crown and it has to be removed to get a flat surface. That is called leveling. I used a cake leveler to do that. You can use a long serrated knife too.
3. Both the cake are leveled. Place one layer of the cake, apply the chocolate mousse and spread it around smoothly on top and then place the next layer. Such that two layers are sandwiched together. If there are any leftover mousse reserve for decoration.
4. Now brush off any crumbs. Apply a thin coat of ganache to give a coating. Let it set and then cover the whole cake with ganache. Let it set completely before the final decoration.
5. Finally, fill the leftover mousse in a piping bag, with the star tip, drop splotches around the perimeter of the cake and top it with glazed cherries.
6. Store the cake in refrigerator, till it is ready to be served.

Linking this to Vardhini's event, Sweet Luv 2013

Event Announcement- Cooking with Seeds- Quinoa/ Ragi

I am so happy to announce that I am guest hosting Priya Akka's event, Cooking with Seeds.  This month it is going to be Quinoa or Ragi (finger millet). You can cook any dish with these any one of this seed and link it up here. You all know quinoa, is relatively new, and we have all started experimenting/ cooking with it. It is said to have lot health benefits and Ragi is a very familiar grain and in most of our traditional cooking we use it and it is packed with nutrition too. Interesting and healthy event, huh? So start cooking and send in your entries. Let this be the beginning to healthy eating. If you are already into healthy cooking, continue doing that and send us entries.. :)

The rules for the events are as follows,

1. The event runs from February 1, 2013 to February 28, 2013.
2. You can cook any dish with either quinoa or ragi and link it here.
3. Both vegetarian and non vegetarian dishes are accepted.
4. Link your entries to this event announcement page and to Priya Akka's page.
5. Though usage of logo is not mandatory, but it is appreciated since it helps spread word.
6. Link your entries in the linky tool given below, in case of trouble linking up, mail your entry with all details(name, blog name, recipe url, picture) to c.divyaprakash@gmail.com

Guest Hosting- Flavors of Italy for the month of February

We are now on a culinary Journey to Italy in the "Flavors of Series 4 around Europe" by simply.food. I am happy to announce that I would be guest hosting the event, Flavors of Italy. Italian cuisine is one of my favorite cuisine. What comes to your mind when you think of Italian cuisine?? Pizza, Pasta, Calzone, Focaccia etc., etc.,

Here are some of the links to help you know more about the cuisine.

• About Italian cuisine from Wiki pedia
• Vegan and Vegetarian recipes from About.com
• Italian Recipes from Tarla Dalal

The rules for the event are simple. They are as follows

1. The event runs from 1st February to 28th February, 2013.
2. You can send in recipes that fall under Italian cuisine only.
3. Both Vegetarian and non vegetarian entries are accepted.
4. All entries must be linked to this event announcement page and also to simply.food.
5. Any number of new entries and archived entries are accepted as long as they are linked to both the pages.
6. Although usage of logo is not mandatory, using it helps to spread word. 
7. Link the entries to the linky tool given below. In case of trouble linking up, mail me the link with pictures and details of your blog to c.divyaprakash@gmail.com

Come on friends, start cooking and link in your entries.
Happy Cooking!!

Matar Paneer/ Mutter Paneer/ Paneer Peas Masala

The weather is too cold here and I went into a kind of hibernation in the blogging front. Not much posts or blog hops. So to get inspirations for the next post, I asked for suggestions in my FB page, ideas started pouring in. Since two of our friends suggested paneer dish, I decided to prepare paneer dish. I have already posted Palak paneer, so today am posting Matar Panner. It is a rich gravy made with green peas(matar) and Cottage cheese (Paneer). I make this often at home and everyone love it. There are different versions of this gravy in the net. This is my version of matar paneer without cream or cashews. 

What are the ingredients needed?

Paneer, 1/2 lb

Green peas, 1 cup
Oil, for shallow frying paneer

Milk, 1/2 cup 

Kasoori methi, 1 tablespoon 

Salt, to taste

Cilantro, to garnish

To fry and make paste
Oil, 2 teaspoon
Fennel seeds, 1/2 teaspoon
Cloves, 3-4 nos.
Cinnamon stick, small piece
Cardamom, 3-4 nos.
Onion, 2 nos
Green chillies, 2 nos.
Tomatoes, 3 nos
Ginger garlic paste, 2 teaspoons
Turmeric powder, 1/2 teaspoon
Chilli powder, 1 teaspoon
Coriander powder, 2 teaspoons
Cumin powder, 1/2 teaspoon

How it is made?

1. Cut the paneer into cubes and shallow fry them till they are slightly browned. Drain them in paper towel and keep them aside.
2. In a pan, heat oil, add fennel seeds, cloves, cinnamon stick, cardamom and fry for a minute or two. Then add onions and green chillies and saute till onions are translucent.
3. Then add the ginger garlic paste and all the powders (turmeric, coriander, chilli and cumin powders) and mix well. Finally add the tomatoes and cook till the tomatoes are cooked and turn mushy. Let it cool and puree them in a blender into a smooth paste.
4. Then return the puree into the pan and dilute it with water as per the required consistency and let it simmer. 
5. Now add green peas and required salt and cook for 3-4 minutes and when the peas are cooked, add paneer and cook for another 2-3 minutes and then add kasoori methi and milk, mix well and cook for another 2-3 minutes. 
6. Add chopped cilantro and turn off the heat.

Serve with roti or rice of your choice.

It serves 3- 4 persons.

Notes:

• The gravy thickens with time. So adjust the consistency before serving. 

CupoNation- for smart online shopping.

Who doesn’t love Shopping? I too love Shopping. Just go, see so many options, choose the best, do bargain then pay and get the product... Wow! It gives a great happiness.  Though my love for shopping remains the same, with the change of time, the method of shopping has changed. Initially, we used to go shop in person, compare different options, different shops, bargain and buy. With 2 kids hardly I get time to go out for shopping, so mostly I prefer shopping online.  With just touch of a button we get a lot of options and deals, to make it easier. Of course, we need to do a little bit of research, but without even getting up from the couch (or wherever you are sitting) you can enjoy the whole process.  We get complete satisfaction of shopping, only when we get good deals on the products. There is a program in TV, which I watch about couption’ers (Who collect coupons from everywhere and go shopping and buy huge merchandise for fewer prices). It is always fun watching that show and it has inspired me to collect coupons and it has saved quite few dollars.

But this in the US, what about India?  Now in India online shopping is becoming popular. There are a lot of popular sites available for online shopping. But, what about the deals and coupons? As I was doing more research regarding the coupons and deals in India, I came across the site Cuponation. It is an online coupon portal which is designed such a way that it can meet the needs of all type of online shoppers. It has coupons from all major e-stores- Cleartrip, Jabong.com, Myntra.com, naaptol, pepper fry, Domino’s Pizza, eBay, Zovi, flipkart, snapdeal.com etc., covering all of the categories - books, electronics, fashion, healthy, beauty, home and living, jewellery, kids, travel, restaurants deals and many more. If you are a smart shopper, you should definitely visit the website. I am sure you will find a better deal than you are expecting, for the product you are looking for.

If you don’t want to miss out a deal, follow them in Facebook, Twitter, Google+ or you can also signup for their news letter. 

Mutton Kuzhambu - South Indian style Mutton gravy

Today's recipe is Mutton Kuzhambu. I made this kuzhambu on Wednesday, clicked the pictures, edited it and even, put an announcement in my FB page but it has taken me 2 days just to sit and finish the post. This time I was not busy with anything, just the laziness that sets in because of the cold weather. We are all non- veg lovers at home, especially Thaara loves mutton. But I make it once in 2 weeks only, that is 2 times a month- once it will be mutton Biryani, next time it will be this kuzhambu. Only now it strikes, I haven't tried anything new with mutton. May be will try, test and then post. For now, enjoy this delicious kuzhambu. 

What are the ingredients needed?

To marinate:

Mutton/ Baby goat, 1 lb

Ginger garlic paste, 1 teaspoon

Turmeric powder, 1/2 teaspoon

Garam masala powder, 1 teaspoon.

Salt to taste

Other ingredients

Onion(large), 1 no.

Tomatoes, 2-3 nos. depending on the size

Curry leaves, a sprig

Oil, 2-3 teaspoon

Fennel seeds, 1/2 teaspoon

Whole Peppercorns, 1 teaspoon(optional)

Cloves, 3-4 nos

Cinnamon stick, small piece

Bay leaf, 1 no.

Ginger garlic paste, 1 teaspoon

Coriander powder, 1 tablespoon

Chilli powder, 1 teaspoon

Salt, to taste

Coconut milk, 1/2 cup

Cilantro, to garnish

How it is made?

1. Marinate mutton with the listed ingredients for at least an hour.
2. Heat oil in a pressure cooker, add the fennel seeds, cloves, cinnamon and bay leaf and fry for a minute or two, then add the sliced onions, curry leaves and saute till the onions turn translucent.
3. Add the chopped tomatoes, ginger garlic paste and cook till tomatoes turn mushy.
4. Then add Coriander powder, chilli powder and cook for 2-3 minutes.
5. Now add mutton, mix well,if needed add water, close the lid of the cooker and pressure cook till mutton is done.
6. Once the pressure is released, open the pressure cooker, add the coconut milk, check the consistency, adjust the salt and let it simmer in low flame for about 5-6 minutes. 
7. Turn off the heat, garnish with chopped cilantro.

Serve with idly, dosa for breakfast or pulao for lunch or for roti/ chappathi/ parotta for dinner. 
It serves  4 persons.

Notes: 

• Adding peppercorns are optional, instead you can add pepper powder.
• Adjust the spice level according to your taste.
• Depending on the meat time taken in pressure cooker varies. If it is mutton it takes about 3-4 whistles while baby goat gets cooked faster. Also the type of pressure cooker too varies. So cook accordingly.
• Also take care not to over cook the meat. If over cooked, meat becomes tough.

Potato Peas Pulao

Today's recipe is Potato peas Pulao. A simple one pot meal that can be easily prepared and  yet delicious. It is perfect for packing lunch too.Potato and peas make yummy combination which hardly anyone will say no to. This recipe is for the final day of the blogging marathon. 

What are the ingredients needed?

Basmati Rice, 2 cups

Potato, 2 nos. (peeled and cubed)

Peas, 1 cup

Oil, 2-3 teaspoon

Fennel seeds, 1/2 teaspoon

Cinnamon, a small stick (about 2" long)

Cloves, 3-4 nos.

Star Anise, 1 no.

Bay leaf, 1 no.

Red onions, 1 no. (finely sliced)

Green chillies- 3 nos.

Ginger garlic paste, 2 teaspoon.

Turmeric Powder, 1/4 teaspoon

Mint leaves, a handful

Cilantro- (a handful)

Salt, to taste

How it is made?

1. Soak Basmati for 15 - 20 minutes.
2. In a pressure cooker, heat oil, add fennel seeds, cloves, cinnamon, star anise, bay leaf and fry for a minute or two, then add the sliced onions, green chillies and fry till the onions turn translucent.
3. Then add ginger garlic paste, turmeric powder, mint leaves and cilantro and saute for a minute.
4. Then add potatoes, peas,  and cook for 2-3 minutes. 
5. Now add the soaked basmati rice, add water and close the lid and pressure cook, till it is done. 
6. Once pressure is released, open the lid, gently fluff the rice.
7. Serve with any spicy side dish or you can even serve it with raitha. 

Notes:

• For cooking the rice, I added 3 3/4 cup of rice. But you can go ahead with your ratio which works best for your basmati rice.
• Pressure cooking time varies with each cooker. In my cooker, I cooked in medium high heat for one whistle and then lowered the heat and cooked for 5 minutes before I turned off the heat.

To check what the other marathoners are doing click here
Sending this to Vardhini's Dish it out hosted here.

Thayir Saadham/ Curd Rice/ Yogurt rice

Today's recipe is Curd Rice. Typical South Indian meal is never complete without curd rice. I often make this Curd rice. Thaara loves it so much. Whenever you ask her, what she wants to eat , her first choice will be  "thayir mamma- chicken" , second choice will be "Thayir mamma- mutton" and third choice will be "thayir mamma- fish".  So when I run out of options, I pack curd rice for her lunch and of course, she will finish it fully. Other days, the excuse will be she didn't have enough time. When I selected the kids delight lunch box recipes theme, I  wanted to post this recipe. 

What are the ingredients needed?

Rice, 1/2 cup
Yogurt, 1 cup
Milk,  1/2 cup
Salt, as needed
To temper
Oil, 2 teaspoon
Mustard seeds, 1/2 teaspoon
Asafoetida, a pinch
Green chillies, 2-3 nos
Ginger, a small piece(about 2")- grated
Curry leaves, a sprig
Cilantro, a handful (to garnish)

How it is made?

1. Pressure cook the rice with 1 1/2 cup of water. 
2. Once the pressure is released, mash the rice and let it cool.
3. Then mix yogurt, milk and salt to this rice. 
4. In a pan, heat oil add mustard seeds, when they crack add the chillies, curry leaves, grated ginger, a pinch of asafoetida and fry for a minute or two.
5. Add this tempering to the curd rice, mix well and serve. 
6. Garnish with chopped cilantro.

Classic combination for the curd rice is pickle. It serves 2 - 3 persons.

Notes:

• The ratio I use to cook rice for this is 1:3. For a cup of rice, 3 cup of water.
• For variations,you can add cucumber, raw mango and  carrot too in the rice. Also can add fruits like grapes, pomegranate etc.,
• If needed, adjust the yogurt and milk to your taste.

To check what the other marathoners are doing click here

Linguine Pasta with Cilantro Almond Pesto

Today we are starting yet another week of blogging marathon. The theme for this week is Lunch box recipes for the kids. So I am going to post here the recipes of what Thaara likes to carry for her lunch. She is so fond of Pasta. So I made this Linguine pasta with Cilantro almond pesto. She just loved it. Not only her, even my little one enjoyed this. 

For the Pesto

Cilantro (Cleaned and chopped), 1 cup

Almonds, 1/4 cup

Garlic, 3-4 cloves

Green chillies, 2-3 nos (depending on the heat needed and also size of the chillies)

Olive oil, 2 tablespoon

Salt, 1/4 teaspoon

Other ingredients needed

Pasta, 1/2 lb

Parmesan cheese, 1/4 cup

How it is made?

To make pesto

1. In the cilantro, make sure the thick stems are removed.
2. Blanch the almonds.*(Refer notes)
3. In a food processor or blender add cilantro, green chillies, garlic, almonds, salt and pulse till they are well blended. Finally add the olive oil and continue to pulse till it is smooth.
4. It yields about 1/2 cup of pesto.

The final assembly

1. Cook the pasta as per the package instructions to al dente. 
2. Drain the pasta, and return to the pan, add the pesto, Parmesan cheese and mix well and serve.

I served this with Baked Fish. But for vegetarian option, you can serve with Roasted Baby Potatoes or any side dish of your choice.

It serves for 2 adults and 2 kids or 3 adults.

Notes

• How I blanched the almonds- Take almonds in a microwave safe bowl, pour water to immerse them and microwave for a minute or two. Once it is cooled, peel the skin of the almonds.
• You can make pesto ahead of time. This pesto keeps well for 2-3 days when stored properly. 
• You can use any type of pasta. I used Linguine pasta.
• While cooking pasta, add enough salt  to the water, so pasta catches flavor and also add oil to the water, so that pasta doesn't stick to one another.
• You can toast some almonds, chop them and add to the pasta for extra crunch.

To check what the other marathoners are doing click here

Linking this to Srivalli's Kids delight- Lunch box recipes hosted by PJ.

Paruppu Poli/ Puran Poli/ Obbattu

Today's recipe is Poli / Obbattu. This is for the 3rd day of blogging marathon under the theme, stuffed breads. Better late than never, I am posting almost 4 days late. I was in the midst of many things in the family, I hardly could find time to blog, blog hop or do anything related to blog. Also my laptop is not co-operating, it is counting its days now. But somehow, finally managed to post today. 

What are the ingredients needed?

For the dough

All purpose flour, 1.5 cups

Water, as needed to knead

Turmeric powder, a pinch

Oil, 2 Tablespoon

Salt, 1/4 teaspoon

Ghee, as needed

For the stuffing

Chana dhal/kadalai paruppu, 3/4 cup

Jaggery/ Vellam, 1 1/2 cup

Shredded Coconut, 1/2 cup (optional)

Cardamom, 1/2 cup

How it is made?

1. In a bowl, combine the flour, salt, turmeric powder and knead adding water little by little into a soft dough. It will be sticky. Now add oil and knead for a minute or two and let it rest for at least an hour. The more resting time, the better.
2. Cook channa dhal in pressure cooker. Drain excess water and grind the dhal into a coarse mixture.
3. In a pan, melt the jaggery, filter and add to  ground channa dhal and mix well. 
4. Cook this mixture, stirring regularly until it thickens. Then add grated coconut, cardamom powder and switch off the flame and let it cool.
5. Once cooled, roll them into small balls.
6. Now divide the dough and roll them into equal sized balls.  
7. With the rolling pin, roll the dough to small discs, place the dhal stuffing ball and cover it by bringing all the edges together and seal the edges and flatten slightly.
8. Repeat the same for all the dough balls.
9. Roll the prepared balls into poli, dusting flour as needed. 
10. Heat the griddle, cook poli on both the sides  drizzling ghee as required. 
11. Serve the poli warm.

Notes

• You can also use toor dhal in the stuffing. If using toor dhal, use both the dhals in the 50:50 ratio.
• The thickness of the poli depends on your preference. 
• Poli tastes best when eaten warm. 

To check what the other marathoners are doing click here

Also linking this to Sharanya's event Traditional and Native recipes and to Favorite recipes event- Lentils/ Legumes @Zesty South Indian Kitchen

Thengai Buns / Coconut Stuffed buns

Today's recipe is Thengai Bun. There is a flashback story behind these buns. Near my home in India, there is a bakery. Every day around 3' o clock, they will bake these buns freshly, the whole area will be aromatic. When we are at home during holidays we will get these buns for 2 Rupees a piece and enjoy it warm. Not only me, after marriage, even my Hubby became a fan of those buns.  I wanted to bake these buns for really long time, I found this recipe from Julie's site. I didn't know it is called dilkush too, until I read in Julie's post.  I tried this and we all loved it. 

Recipe Source :Erivum  Puliyumm

What are the ingredients needed?

For the buns

All purpose flour, 2 cups

Active dry yeast, 2 teaspoon

Warm milk, 1/2 cup

Oil, 1 tablespoon

Water, 2 tablespoon

Eggs, 1 beaten + 1 egg for egg wash

Sugar, 1/4 cup

Salt, 1/2 teaspoon

For the filling

Sweetened coconut flakes, 1 cup

Raisins, 3 tablespoons

Dried cranberries, 3 tablespoon

Cashew nuts, 1/4 cup

Sugar, 3 tablespoons

Cardamom powder, 1/2 teaspoon

How it is made?

1. In 2 tablespoons of warm water (around 110 F), mix the yeast and wait for 8- 10 minutes till it is frothy. 
2. Combine salt, sugar, flour,  mix the warm milk, then the yeast mixture and then the beaten egg and keep kneading adding water little by little till they are well combined and forms a sticky dough, then add the oil and knead for few minutes.
3. Generously apply oil and cover it and let rise for about 2 hours.
4. In the mean time prepare the stuffing by  mixing all the ingredients(coconut flakes, dry fruits, nuts, sugar & cardamom powder) together.
5. After 3 hours, the dough would have doubled in size. Deflate the dough and knead it well.
6. Divide the dough into 2 equal parts. 
7. Roll one dough into 9 inch diameter, fill in the stuffing and roll the other dough large enough to cover this. 
8. Seal the edges properly and apply the egg wash and let it rise for another 30 minutes. 
9. Preheat the oven to 375 F and bake the bread for about 15- 20 minutes. 
10. Cool the bread for few minutes and slice and serve it warm. 

Notes

• Take care to seal the edges properly otherwise it will look like sandwich and the stuffing will come out. 
• You can shape the bread and bake in a cookie tray or you can use a round baking pan.

Linking this to Yeastspotting

Kitchen equipments- Chef's dream to own..

Hello Friends,

Now a days life has been really busy. That too with 2 kids, I am hardly left with any time to do anything else. That is what affecting my frequency of posting new recipes and also blog hopping. But not all the days are the same. There are few days (very few) where everything goes so smoothly that I will have a lot of time for myself. It was one such day yesterday. Thaara was in school and Tejas was so quiet and was playing all by himself. I was watching him and started thinking about future. You can say dreaming about the future.  He will grow up soon too. Then I will have a lot of time left for myself. Have I told you all, my dream is to start a restaurant?  So then I can do that.  I didn’t stop with that. I started browsing what are all the things needed to start a restaurant and I stumbled upon this site. It is based in UK and deals with all commercial refrigeration and catering equipment. Wow!! They had amazing collection of all commercial equipments.  Then I was wondering, I may start the restaurant in India but this is a UK based company, how will I get the equipments from them? There is a solution to that too. They export worldwide, so problem solved. :)

It is always nice to dream right? Though all dreams may not come true, We all don’t stop dreaming.  But still I want to share with you all the stove/ cooker which I saw in that site.  It will be the best fit for my dream kitchen It is a six burner stove. It is all the result of excessive watching of HGTV where I have seen people using commercial grade stove in the kitchen.

And also the other item that caught my eye is the chest freezer. You know now freezer in our fridge is fully packed with all frozen Item even if we get this chest freezer, I am sure I will fill it all. ;)

Now you all know how I know how my day went yesterday. One after the other, as I was browsing each equipment was so appealing,  wanted to have them all. You too visit the site and you will know what I am talking about. This site has all the available equipment for commercial catering and in all available brand.  If you dream of owning a restaurant like me, you must visit website.

Ok  friends, that is it for now. See you all soon in another post.

Carrot Paratha

I am back to blogging marathon, after few months break. The theme I have selected is stuffed breads. So for the next 3 days, you are going to see some stuffed breads here. Today's recipe is Carrot Paratha. Since I wanted kids to eat it, kept it simple with less spices. They all loved it. 

What are the ingredients needed?

For the dough

Wheat flour, 2 cups

Water, 1 cup (approx)

Salt, as required

Oil, 2 teaspoon (optional)

For the stuffing

Grated Carrot, 2 cups

Turmeric powder, 1/4 teaspoon

Ground cumin, 1/2 teaspoon

Chilli powder, 1/2 teaspoon

Salt, as needed

Oil, 1 teaspoon

How it is made?

For the dough

1. Combine wheat flour and salt and knead adding water little by little to form a smooth and soft dough.
2. Add oil and knead for a minute or two.
3. Cover it with a damp cloth and let it rest for at least half an hour. 

For the stuffing

1. Heat oil in a pan add the carrots, turmeric powder, cumin powder, chilli powder, salt and saute till the carrot is cooked. 
2. Remove from heat and let it cool for some time. 

For the parathas

1. Knead the dough that has been resting again for few seconds. Divide the dough to 10 equal parts.
2. Roll the balls into small discs, Keep the stuffing and seal the edges together and roll it again to a smooth ball. Take care that the stuffing is properly covered. 
3. Repeat the process for all the other balls.
4. Flour the work surface, then carefully roll these prepared balls with rolling pins into parathas. 
5. Heat tawa and cook the parathas on both side, drizzling some oil .
6. Serve them with raitha or cilantro chutney or side dish of your choice.

To check what the other marathoners are doing click here

Ginger Garlic Paste

The quintessential in any Indian kitchen is ginger garlic paste. I have always used  a store bought paste. I thought it was fine until the day I decided to give a try at home, then I realized home made is the best.  There are different versions of making this, but here is my version. I know there are so many of you, who make these at home but this is for those who rely on store bought paste. It is so simple and easy to make, then why not make at home.

What you need?

Ginger (washed, de- skinned and chopped), 1/2 cup

Garlic (de- skinned ) 1/2 cup

Oil, 1 teaspoon

How it is made?

1. In a blender add ginger and garlic and grind them to fine paste.
2. No need to add any water. 
3. Then finally add oil and mix it well.
4. Transfer this to a clean dry container and keep refrigerated.