Turnip Kurma

Fell in love with Turnip since the first time I made it a few weeks ago. It's purple skin and white interior thats hard to cut, but crisp n juicy to bite into makes for some melodrama in your mouth!
I made a Kurma with it as a side for Rice and Rotis. S and I loved how the combination tasted, so I decided to put it down here.

Here's the recipe (and a picture, ofcourse!)

Serves 3
Turnip - 3 diced
Tomatoes - 2, diced fine
Onion (Medium) - Chopped roughly
Grated Coconut / Coconut powder - 1/2 cup
Cumin + Black Pepper Corns + Fennel - ground to a fine powder
Kashmiri Chilli powder - 1/2 tbsp
Turmeric - 1/2 tbsp
Green Chillies Slit lengthwise - 2
Garlic Pods 2 - chopped
Cilantro - to garnish
Oil 3 tbsp
Water - 1 cup

• Heat oil in a pan, and add in the garlic and green chillies
• Once the aroma rises, add the onions and saute till golden brown. Now add in the tomatoes and let them sweat for a bit until it forms a coarse paste
• Add in the chopped turnip and cover with a lid for a minute or 2 to let it sweat. 
• Add the salt, chilli powder, turmeric and spice and mix well. Close with a lid and cook until tender.
• Now add a cup of water and let the gravy thicken. 
• Once it's thickened, simmer the flame and add the coconut powder and stir. 
• Garnish with Cilantro and serve with roti or rice.

Orange Nut Bread

'Cuties' as they are called are my favorite fruits. Tiny, easy to peel, seedless sweet oranges that come in crates of 24 and called 'Cuties' would be the #1 selling fruits if only they were marketed right! Somehow, they are not available in our local supermarket at all times. So when I do find them, I buy them in an instant.

After patiently emptying almost half the cart of cuties myself, I decided to try something new with the rest. You guessed right, I tried to make Orange Bread. It came out pretty well, and I made 2 packets of bread and took them to my colleagues M and J :)

Orange Nut Bread

Bowl 1
2 Cups All Purpose Flour
1 Cup Sugar
3 tbsp grated Orange Zest
1 tbsp Baking Powder
1/4 Cup chopped Nuts
1/2 tbsp Salt

Bowl 2

2 Eggs
1 Cup Orange Juice, freshly squeezed and strained
1 tbsp Vanilla Essence
2 Oz Butter, Melted

• Preheat the oven to 175F
• Beat bowl 2 together. Add in Bowl 1 mixture and blend until well mixed.
• Pour into a prepared bread pan and bake until cake rises and sides become golden brown and a cake tester inserted into the center comes out clean. Roughly 50 mins.

Spinach Cucumber Soup

Eating significantly smaller portions than what I am used to gives me a nagging headache. I usually last 4 meals before I give up and remind myself I should start eating normally n just exercise regularly.

Who am I kidding, Right? We all know how that one ends... And it's not even New Years yet.

Anyway, green has a calming effect on me. And it also makes for a pretty colorful bowl of soup.

So, Monday night I served Spinach Cucumber Soup !


Makes 2 large bowls -

Spinach, 1 bunch roughly chopped
Cucumber, 1 long, peeled and sliced
Veg Stock, 1 cup
Butter, 1 tbsp
Peppercorns, Fennel, Jeeraham - 1 tbsp each finely ground
Ginger Garlic Paste - 1 tbsp
Lemon Juice - 2-3 tbsp
Salt - 1.5 tbsp

Add chopped spinach and cucumber in a heavy bottomed pan with enough stock & water to cook the vegetables. Once cooked, cool and purée in a blender. Meanwhile, heat the butter in a pan and add the spice powder and ginger garlic paste and sauté for a few mins. Add the purée to the spices and stir in the salt and lemon juice. Serve hot or cold with some bread on the side.

Chayote Corn Soup (Pretty Spicy)

Soup week resurfaces every time our bathroom scale hits a never seen before high. Yes, it happened again this Sunday!

We started our Saturday with a cup of green tea with lemon n honey. (Don't laugh! There is no harm in believing that all those years of bad eating & lack of exercise can be nullified with a glass of tea!)

And, to intensify the regime - we slept through most of Sunday as someone once told us that lack of sleep makes you bloat.

Lastly, while doing our weekly groceries - we stayed clear of the chips, cheese and cake aisles.

Good so far? :)

We still ended up with a fairly fat bill buying just fruits & vegetables. A lot of first time buys this time - including Chayote (Chow Chow), Butternut Squash & Asparagus.

Sunday menu was Chayote Corn Soup. Don't judge me for thinking that the Chayote would be perfect to play the part of a grumpy mean vegetable villain in a children's cartoon. Doesn't it look like it would eat you up, if you don't bite into it first? :P





Chayote Corn Soup (Pretty Spicy !)
Makes 2 large bowls

Onion (Medium Sized, Chopped)
Garlic Pods - 3, Minced
Green Chillies - 2, Slit Lengthwise
Chayote - 1, Diced
Sweet Corn - 1 cup, defrosted
Olive Oil - 3 tbsp
Cilantro - To garnish
Fennel, Pepper Corns, Jeeraham - 1 tbsp each, ground to a fine powder
Veg Stock - 1 cup
Water - as required
Salt - 1-2 tbsp
Yogurt - 1/2 cup

Heat oil in a pot, add garlic n chillies n wait till aroma rises. Add onions n sauté till browned. Add Chayote & Salt and let them sweat for a bit. Add stock to just submerge all the veggies in your pot. Once the veggies are cooked - allow to cool slightly. Transfer to a processor and purée. Transfer back to the pot n add water as required to control how thick or thin you need your soup to be. Add sweet corn, spice mix and yogurt and give it a stir until all ingredients have blended.

Transfer to soup bowls, garnish with cilantro and have with dinner rolls / garlic knots or sour dough bread!

Rudolph's Red Nose Spritzer

This time, the occasion was Deepavali. There isn't ever a time when there's no reason to celebrate, right? Not when you are surrounded by a bunch of happy souls who are ever ready to raise a glass n toast to good times!

S & I hosted a potluck at our place last night for Deepavali and sure enough - friends from in and around NJ made it a lovely evening by attending and staying over. It wasn't complete without a lunch at Saravana Bhavan and a movie at Edison. Too bad, it had to be a Vijay starrer.

In anycase - the best part of any get-together are those mini conversations that occur in groups of 3 and 4 throughout the night. The guys talk about cricket and the girls whine about the guys talking cricket and many such cliches. Amidst one such chatty session - me and my girl friends came up with some exciting new cocktail recipes. Some borrowed, and tweaked to suit the Indian tongue which still finds melagu rasam the most intoxicating drink amidst all!

Will release each of the cocktail recipes here one by one. First up, is Rudolph's Red Nose Spritzer (Inspired from Pinterest)

What you need:

A large glass pitcher
A standard measure of a cup
Mix together the following, decorate with some Rosemary springs n serve in a chilled glass...

5 cups Orange Juice (no pulp, store bought)
2 cups Lemon Soda (I used Archer Farm's Lemon Soda from Target)
2 cups Vodka
1/2 cup Maraschino Cherry Juice

Maraschino cherries are not a variety of cherry, but given the name due to the manufacturing process used to preserve them. There's more detail here, but I will say it is the same as the accompaniment with Sweet Pan that you consume in India at a wedding!

1/2 cup fresh Lemon Juice
Lemon Slices / Raspberries and Rosemary Sprigs to garnish

Stir all the ingredients together and serve chilled. It's that simple!

Scrambled Tofu Manchurian

By now, I am fairly certain that the regulars to my blog might have figured out that I am an Eggetarian, with special affection to Paneer.

As you can see, we use Paneer in everything from Pizzas to Tikkas and consume some form of Paneer at least once a week. And since, we are being health conscious n all - I tried to work with its low fat cousin last Sunday. Yes, 'Tofu'.

What came about was Scrambled Tofu Manchurian. It's the kind of dish that goes well with English muffins, bread, rotis and even curd rice!

What you need:

1 pack frozen Tofu, I used extra firm organic un-cut tofu

1 carrot, grated

1 medium onion sliced

1/2 capsicum sliced

3tbsp olive oil

Chopped Cilantro

Spices

1 tbsp Garlic powder 

1 tbsp Chili powder

1 + 1/2 tbsp Salt

1/2 tbsp Garam Masala

Sauce

5 tbsp Manchurian Sauce

I used store bought sauce. Sauce can also be made by simmering 2 parts soy sauce + 2 parts vinegar + 1 part red chili sauce with 3 garlic pods and sesame seeds toasted in olive oil. If you like it tangy, you may add some ketchup to the mix.

Method :

• Boil tofu in hot water until spongy
• Cube Tofu and pat try on a tissue
• Preheat the oven to 300F and spray a pan with some olive oil and spread Tofu cubes evenly and toast until brown in the oven
• Alternately, you can shallow fry them
• Meanwhile, in a non stick pan - sauté veggies until they are cooked with a lil salt and the spice mix
• Now add Manchurian sauce and bring to boil 
• Add toasted tofu and cover lid for a few mins until smell of raw flavor disappears
• Top with fresh cilantro & serve while hot

Lemon Sponge Cake

Back in Pilani where I spent 4 wonderful years is where I started baking. No fancy ovens, no clean utensils even. With broken hindi and cocoa powder weighed in an old fashioned balance n bundled in a day old newspaper - some of us would set out to make cookies or cakes in one corner of our hostel's mess. Mess, is a good name for it all. =)

Often times, these baking experiments were remedies to forgotten birthdays, bad exams or a way to cope with lonely nights far away from your family. But over the years - they've come to mean something else. The smell from the oven as the cake rises to fill the mold brings with it memories of midnight gossip over coffee n cookies. I cannot imagine life @ Pilani without my wing.

 Here's a toast to good times!

 Ingredients

2 Eggs
1 + 1/2 Cup All Purpose Flour
1 tbsp Baking Powder
1 tbsp Baking Soda
1/2 cup Milk
4 Oz Butter
1 Cup Sugar
2 tbsp Vanilla Essence
1 tbsp Lemon Extract

• Preheat the oven to 350F
• Beat the melted butter, 1/2 of milk and sugar together. Add in the 2 eggs and beat further until blended well.
• Add in the flour, baking powder and soda and remaining milk until the batter is smooth and folds into a ribbon when scooped using a spoon
• Add the vanilla essence and lemon extract and whip 1-2 times
• Add batter to a greased cake mold and bake for 20-22 mins or until a cake tester inserted to the center comes out clean

I had tossed in some cut strawberries into the batter but wouldn't recommend that if you are trying this recipe :)

Paneer Pizza

In my home, our work schedules don't allow too much time to hit the gym. So we try to do our best to eat home cooked meals made from fresh organic produce to stay healthy. I am tempted to call ourselves locovores, as we make it a point to buy veggies from our local farmer's market every summer. I also consider myself a kitchen hoarder for I seem to spend most of my shopping budget buying serveware, bakeware and kitchen electronics! My favorite amongst all my kitchen gadgets is the Cuisinart 14 Cup Elite Food Processor that helps me chop all my veggies within seconds.

 

Anyway, with Sandy keeping most of us indoors for a few days - I thought to take on Project Pizza. For some reason I had thought it to be a difficult dish to do from scratch and I managed to break that myth last Sunday. It was super simple to put together and made for a mess-free hearty meal that tasted even better with a glass of wine!






For the Dough: 1 large 11'' pizza

2 Cups All Purpose Flour
Quick Rise Yeast 1 + 1/2 tbsp
Olive Oil 1/4 Cup
Warm Milk 3/4 Cup
Salt 1 tbsp
Sugar 1/2 tbsp
Black Pepper 1 tbsp
Garam Masala 1/2 tbsp

Sauce: Bottled Marinara Sauce
Topping: Chopped veggies of your choice

• Heat the oven to 200F for a few mins and then turn the oven off.
• Meanwhile, in a big bowl, add yeast and sugar to the warm milk and let it froth. Takes about 8-10 mins. Add salt and olive oil to the frothed mix.
• Now add in the remaining ingredients (Flour, Pepper, Garam Masala) and knead until the dough pulls away from the sides and is evenly mixed.
• Cover the bowl with a wet kitchen towel or a damp paper towel and place it inside the pre-heated (turned off) oven for 1.5 - 2 hours until the dough doubles in size.
• Once this is done, take the dough and punch it to release the air. Transfer to a parchment paper spread on a flat surface and use a rolling pin (or your hands) to spread into a flat circle as in the picture below

• Preheat the oven to 375 F
• Sift some flour on a Pizza Stone / Pizza Pan / Cast Iron Pan and transfer the pizza base onto the surface.

• Now brush a lil olive oil on the top side of the pizza dough, and evenly spread Marinara sauce leaving 1/2 '' around the edges

• Layer with some shredded mozarella, arrange chopped veggies on top and bake for 20-25 mins, constantly checking from around minute 20. Turn the stove off once the corners begin to brown and keep inside the oven for the last 5 mins.

I used a Cast Iron Pan (a wedding gift from my friend GB) and the pizza came out crispy along the sides and chewy in the center... tasted more like a deep dish pizza and we loved it! One of the advantages of using a Cast Iron Pan is that the food gets heated evenly and doesn't leave burnt bases or uncooked centers. Some recommend using the back of the pan as opposed to the regular side, and some others recommend heating the base of the pan for a while before placing in the oven. I did neither, and my pizza came out perfectly fine!

Pizza is sure to become a regular in our home, specially when I can make it Indian by using some paneer cubes as a topping!

Butterscotch & Chocolate Brownie Bites

13th October, 2012 is going to lock down some bitter sweet memories for a bunch of us in New Jersey. At Rutherford, NJ there's a house that's been home to almost all of my friends on the east coast at some point or the other. A bachelor pad + frat home, one that has always welcomed then girlfriends, now wives of the once-upon-a-time bachelors. A duplex with a huge hall and a carpet that's had much of the wine n biryani from any party!

Ever hospitable hosts (RN & SMK) have made that a second home to all of us. This month, we bid the house farewell and tonight we plan to party... one last time at that venue.

Anyway, just like bitter-sweet memories, I have a batch of semi-smoked, semi-sweet butterscotch-chocolate brownies that I plan to take with me. Recipe follows...

Bowl 1

3/4 Cup All Purpose Flour
1/2 tbsp Baking Powder
1/2 tbsp Salt
1 Cup brown sugar
1/3 Cup cocoa powder

Bowl 2
1 stick Unsalted Butter
1/2 cup choco chips
1/2 cup butterscotch chips

2 Eggs.
1 tbs Vanilla Essence

• Preheat the oven to 350F
• Grease mini muffin pans or any cake pan of your choice and set aside
• Microwave the ingredients in bowl 2 for 30-60 secs on high, stopping inbetween to give it a quick stir. Once melted, allow it to cool and then add the 2 eggs and vanilla essence. Fold in ingredients of Bowl 1 until just combined.
• Scoop the batter into the muffin trays to fill halfway. I also added some chopped walnuts on top of the batter once in the muffin tray. Bake for 10-15 mins or until cake tester inserted into the center comes clean.
• Allow to cool on a wire rack.

Best when served with chilled icecream or hot choc!
PS: I had a fire-alarm tragedy that led to a slightly burnt brownie, but it still tastes yum!

Beetroot Soup

Having made soups for a while, I noticed how some vegetables always fight the rest and take over the flavor n color of the resulting bowl. From pictures in my previous posts you'd have seen carrot and zucchini soup look almost the same. That got quite boring, honestly.

Being a vegetarian, I pride myself in making a colorful meal. Color is almost synonymous with deliciousness (in my mind atleast!). So I set out to make this brilliant purplish-deep-maroon-beetroot soup.

While making it, I couldn't help but think how AWESOME a saree in Beetroot color with a white n gold zari would look. Pair it with some awesome Kemp Temple Jewelry and you have a stunning outfit! I dressed my soup in all the colors I'd love to see in a saree :)
Now, off to the recipe....

Ingredients

2-3 medium sized beetroots roughly chopped
1 onion chopped
2 tomatoes, boiled and skin peeled
2 garlic pods (toasted)
2 tbsp olive oil
2 cups vegetable broth
salt to taste
2 tbsp fresh ground pepped + chilli powder + turmeric
Fresh cilantro to top
Yogurt (2 tbsp)
1/2 potato peeled, boiled n cubed (optional)

Add oil to a skillet and saute the onions, garlic n beetroots until well cooked. Add in the tomatoes and salt + spice mix, then simmer with a closed lid. After 2-3 mins when the tomatoes are cooked, turn the stove off n allow to cool. Puree the mix into a thick paste. Transfer back to a non stick heavy bottomed vessel and allow to boil along with 2 cups of stock and then turn the stove off.
Transfer to a soup bowl, top with fresh boiled potatoes, cilantro and a drizzle of yogurt. Serve with garlic bread / crackers or bread.

Hope you like it!

Spicy Zucchini Soup

This happens to be Soup week, atleast in my home. My friend's blog Cinnamons & Clove, I am beginning to experiment with vegetables in the kitchen. However, I still hunt for recipes online that I modify and spice up the way I like.

I chanced upon this recipe on NY Times and modified it to suit the Indian tongue. It tasted like Maggi Masala noodles, and we loved it!

2 Zucchinis (1 Green, 1 Yellow) - diced
1 Medium Onion chopped
Green Chillies - 2, slit lengthwise
Garlic Pods - 2-3, finely chopped
Veg. stock and water - adjust as required to make the soup thick or thin
Fresh Cilantro - roughly chopped
Paprika Powder - 1 tbsp
Fresh Cumin n Pepper ground - 1-2 tbsp
Fennel - 1 tbsp
Red Chilli Powder - 1 tbsp
MDH Kitchen King Powder - 1 tbsp (Any curry powder should work too)
Salt - 1-2 tbsp
Oil - 3 tbsp

Heat the oil in a pan, add fennel, green chillies and garlic and let it roast. Toss in the onions and sweat it for a few mins by closing the lid. Add in the Zucchinis, salt and all the spices and cook thoroughly. Now add in the stock and bring to boil. Transfer the contents to a food processor and puree it to make a fine paste. Transfer back to a bowl and add water as much as you need to make the soup thick or thin. Taste and adjust salt. Top with cilantro and serve with some crostinis or toasted bread!

Carrot, Ginger & Cilantro Soup

I dream about food. A lot! On some days - the only thing that helps me get through the day is browsing and slow cooking recipes while deciding what to make for dinner. It's funny how therapeutic cooking is for me. :)

Yesterday, I saw on FB that a friend had posted that they had Corn on the Cob and Carrot Soup for dinner. I read that very briefly while switching subway lines, but swear I couldn't stop thinking about it since. Thanks to a Saturday well spent (at the local Farmers market and Wegmans) - the fridge was well stocked and I had all the ingredients I thought I needed to make that much wanted Soup!

1 Medium Sized Onion finely chopped
5 Medium Carrots, peeled and grated
Vegetable Stock & Water (Adjust as needed)
1-2 tbsp Ginger

Freshly Ground Pepper
Fresh Cilantro
1-2 tbsp Olive Oil
1 tbsp Fennel
1 tbsp Cumin
1-2 tbsp Chilli Powder
1/2 tbsp Garam Masala

Saute all the spices and veggies in oil in a heavy bottomed pan (with lid) until its cooked well. Add salt midway and vegetable stock/broth and water towards the end and bring to boil. Toss everything in a food processor and puree it. Top with fresh cilantro and spring onions, sprinkle some pepper and lemon juice and serve with bread/corn on the side for a healthy dinner!

Note: Adjust the veg. stock and water proportion to create a soup as thick or thin as you like.

Lemon & Poppy Seed Muffin

Last night S & I went out to Palmer Square at Princeton and were amazed at how lively and beautiful the whole place was. Victorian buildings, tiny little coffee shops and home made ice-cream. Not just that, there was music and couples old and young, so full of love and cheer dancing like no one's watching.

So anyway, we were walking around there a lot just admiring everything and wondering why it took us over a year to find this place that was a stone's throw away. We made mental note of the places we wanted to take our parents to, when they visit us here. And I reminded myself that I would one day own a cute lil muffin shop.

But for now, I have some eggs, an oven and 1 sure customer in my very own home. So this Saturday, we made us some Lemon and Poppy Seed Muffins ! Pair it with some Ginger Chai and a movie - we have a winner !

Here's how..

2 Eggs Separated
1 and 1/4 All Purpose Flour
2/3 Cup Lemon Sugar (Sugar + 3/4 of a Lemon's Zest pulsed together). You'll know its done when the aroma kicks in :)
1 tbsp Baking Soda
1/2 tbsp Baking Powder
4 Oz or 1/2 Cup Butter (Unsalted)
1/4 tbsp Salt
2 Tbsp Poppy Seeds
Juice from 1/4 Lemon
1 tbsp Vanilla Essence
1/2 cup Buttermilk

• Preheat the oven to 350F
• Beat the butter and lemon sugar until fluffy. Add in the egg yolks one at a time and beat well.
• Add in the Flour, Soda, Baking powder, Poppy Seed and beat well by mixing in the buttermilk as needed
• Finally add the lemon juice and vanilla essence
• Beat the egg whites until fluffy in a separate bowl and fold it into the batter
• Spoon the batter into the muffin trays and sprinkle some sugar on top. 
• Pop the tray into the oven and bake 20-25 mins until fluff and a cake tester pushed into the middle comes out clean.

Cheesy Spinach Dip

Here's one more from the Party Menu - an easy & quick Spinach Dip. I like serving baked appetizers as it's convenient. It's easy to store in the oven until your guests arrive, and the dish will stay warm even when prepared hours in advance. Turn the temperature up for a few minutes before serving, and its as good as it gets!

Warning: This one is for those who indulge and don't count calories
Recipe adapted from Martha Stewart's

• Olive Oil - 2 teaspoons, plus more for baking dish
• 1 Onion - chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 pack Spinach
• 1/2 cup milk
• Reduced-fat bar cream cheese - 5 oz
• Soy Sauce - 2 tbsp
• Chilli Sauce - 3 tbsp
• Mozzarella - 3/4 cup
• Ground Pepper

Here's How:

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. 
2. In a non-stick pan, heat oil and add onion and garlic; cook until lightly browned, 5 to 8 minutes.
3. Add spinach in small proportions and ensure they are completely wilted, 5 to 8 minutes.
4. Transfer to a colander; drain, pressing to release all excess liquid. This might take time, but is important if you need your dip to be the right consistency.
5. In the same pan, warm milk over high heat and whisk in cream cheese until melted (about 5 minutes) 
6. Add spinach, soy sauce, chilli sauce, and 1/4 cup mozzarella; stir to combine. Season with salt and pepper. 
7. Pour the mix into shallow baking dish; top with remaining 1/2 cup mozzarella.
8. Bake until bubbly and golden brown, 20 minutes. 
9. Serve with mini bagel bites or onion/sesame crackers and enjoy!

Paneer Tikka

Did I tell you already that I love to host parties? It gives me such pleasure to be able to plan a party in my head and execute it exactly the way I planned. My closes friends and S (am sure) are convinced that its some form of OCD. They call me Monica, and I actually like that! 

I have to make elaborate plans.
I have to send out atleast a 100 mails in the process of preparation.
I have to be able to make as many things to eat as I possibly can, and in record time.
I have to photograph them before anyone digs into it. And it naturally ends up here and on facebook.

I tried to grill Paneer Tikkas for one such party recently, and here it is:

To make 12 Skewers, with 3-4 Paneers in each.

Marinade: Prep previous night and soak in the refrigerator.

• Yogurt - 1 cup
• Ginger Garlic Paste - 1 tbsp
• Lemon Juice - 1 tbsp
• Oil - 1 tbsp, 1 more for brushing (later)
• Garam Masala - 1 tbsp
• Red Chilli Powder - 1 tbsp
• Coriander Powder - 1 tbsp
• Jeera Powder - 1 tbsp
• Methi, crushed - 1 pinch
• Salt - 2 tbsp

Mix all of the above and pour into a wide bottom vessel.

Veggies

• Cut Paneer into cubes (~45 pieces)
• Chop Onions and Bell Peppers into similar sized pieces. They need to be big enough to thread in the skewers.
• Cherry Tomatoes

Soak the veggies in the marinade overnight. Keep this in the refrigerator.

Threading & Grilling

1. Line the bottom of your oven with an Aluminum Foil or parchment paper. This is done in order to prevent the Oven from steaming/sizzling when the marinade drips from the skewers.
   
2. Preheat the oven to 350F. If you like a smoked taste to the Paneer, broil instead.
   
3. You would need a pack of Bamboo skewers. Soak these in water for 10-15 mins, so they don't char instantly upon grilling. 
4. Carefully thread the pre-soaked veggies in the pre-soaked bamboo skewers in order: Onions - Capsicum - Paneer - Tomato, and repeat!
5. Take a cooking brush (a new paint brush washed well) and dip in oil. Brush the veggie threaded in the skewer slightly.
6. Place these in a cookie baking tray and keep them in the oven for 20 mins total, turning the skewers every 5 mins to have all sides evenly grilled.
7. The marinade is lip-smackingly-delish and can be used as a dip!

 Enjoy!

Let's go Cuckoo !

You know... it's summer n all ?

It's super hot on the east coast... so, I had picked up lots of cucumbers and watermelons when I shopped 2 weeks ago.

I chopped up the first one, and sprinkled some salt, pepper and chilli powder and made an evening snack out of it. But then, I came across a cocktail recipe on Pottery Barn and decided to try a variant at the party we were hosting on July 3.

Presenting to you - Let's go Cuckoo ! :)

• Take 5-10 Cucumber slices and mash them up using a muddler to extract the juice.
• Toss them in the cocktail shaker
• Add 1 small measure of sugar syrup
• Add 2 measures of Tequila
• Add 1.5 measure of Soda or Water
• Stir them up a bit and keep aside
• Add in just a pinch of lemon pepper powder
• On a small side plate - Add some salt, lemon pepper, chilli powder 
• Take a nice cocktail glass and dip it rim first on the side plate so that the rim gets lined with the spice mix
• Then carefully pour the mixed drink into the glass, through a cocktail strainer that holds back the cucumbers and seeds (you can let the cucumbers fall through if you want)
• Decorate with a slice, and serve it like a pro!

I loved it, and so did a bunch of my friends :)

My Pink Lady

I found this amazing recipe on Pinterest recently. A recipe for a fresh fruit cocktail... with a strawberry and watermelon base. What better time that July 4 to experiment with it? Our friends gifted us a cocktail mixer kit for our first wedding anniversary... and it seemed like the stars had aligned and the time had arrived :)

I modified that recipe a lil bit and made my own first fresh fruit cocktail. I must admit, though the first glass tasted a lot more like watermelon juice than a cocktail... it got progressively better and became S's favorite before the night ended.

Here's what I mixed in together:

Use a standard measure, whatever you have on hand. Doesn't have to be something that comes with a cocktail shaker kit. The following makes 1 tall glass.

• Puree watermelon and strawberry in equal parts and then strain it through a colander to get a pure seedless puree. Add 2 spoonfuls to a cocktail shaker/glass where you will mix more.
• Drop 1-2 mint leaves into the container.
• 1/4 fresh lemon squeezed. Drop the lemon wedge as well into the shaker. You may use bottled lemon as an alternative.
• Give it a stir and add 1 measure of Vodka
• Keep stirring while adding 1.5 measure of Soda
• Finally add 1 measure of Simple Syrup (Sugar Syrup). I used a store bought bottle.
• I added a lil bit of the spice mix that I describe in 'Prepping the Glass' section below and that adds some kick!

Caution - if you add water instead of Soda, you may close the shaker lid and shake the cocktail container. It is believed to deliver a better taste. However, with Soda in the glass - shaking will only create fizz and consequently a messy bar table !

Prepping the Glass
In a shallow plate - add some salt, and lemon pepper powder and some red chili powder (or cayenne paper). Hold the semi wet glass upside down and dip into the plate with the powder so that the rim is evenly lined with the mix.

There you go, stir it all up and pour into a glass. Let the mint leaves fall through, but hold the lemon wedge. Decorate by adding tiny slices of Strawberries and Blueberries into the glass. I used a portion of a bamboo skewer to thread the fruits and served a pro-drink!

PS: I made a small cut on the strawberry in the skewer to balance it on the glass.

Sour Cream Blueberry Bread

Everybody's first choice when it comes to home baked bread defaults to the Banana Bread. I'd have done the same, but then it has been tried and tested and I've gotten bored of it already.

I love the flavor and texture that Sour Cream adds to breads/cakes. After slow-cooking several recipes that I found online in my head... I decided to try a Banana-Blueberry-SourCream bread this afternoon. The bread is baking and the house has this wonderful aroma. I cannot wait to slice them, drizzle butter on top and have them with some coffee! S is away for his Sunday cricket, and I hope the bread 'll last till he is back :)

Here's the recipe I followed:

Bowl 1

2 Cups All Purpose Flour
3/4 Cup Sugar
1 tbsp Baking Soda
1/4 tbsp Salt
1 tbsp Cinnamon

Bowl 2

2 Eggs
2 Oz Butter
1 Cup Sour Cream
1 tbsp Vanilla Essence

Fruit Bowl

1 Banana Mashed up
3/4 Cup of Blueberries

• Preheat the oven to 350 F, and grease a bread loaf pan with butter spray.
• Mix Bowl 1 together. Beat Bowl 2 together. Add in Bowl 1 to Bowl 2 and beat until smooth.
• Further, add Banana mash into the mix and top with Blueberries and fold into the batter
• Pour into the prepared pan and bake for 40-50 mins or until brown on sides and baked fully.

Plum Buckle

After a very hectic vacation in India and a fairly busy weekend, I needed to do something therapeutic. Some paint and some garden. My mom used to read and I tend to cook.

I went to the market yesterday evening... I like to shop for fruits and vegetables on Saturdays. That's when the fresh farm produce is displayed in aisles, the smell of cinnamon and baked bread fills the air at the local Wegmans Supermarket... the cilantro bunches get a fresh cold sprinkle and wait to be picked up! I usually end up buying more than my fridge can hold. This time, I brought home fresh plums, black berries and straw berries. I also picked up a bunch of asparagus on my way out, thanks to my friend S's recipes on her blog.

Anyway, the berries are likely to end up in the processor along with a few bananas and some milk or yogurt. But, the plums - I had to make something with the plums.  A Buckle? Maybe.. the recipe from William Sonoma sure looked easy!

Bowl 1

1 and 1/2 cup All Purpose Flour
1/4 tbsp Salt
1 tbsp Baking Powder

Bowl 2

2 Cups Butter (8 Oz)
1 Cup Sugar
2 Eggs

To Sprinkle

1 tbsp Cinnamon Powder
1 tbsp Sugar

• Preheat the Oven to 350F
• Take a round pan, and spray cooking butter on it
• Layer with parchment / baking paper and once again grease with butter flavored spray
• Mix Bowl 1, Beat Bowl 2. Add in Bowl 1 to Bowl 2 until smooth.
• Pour the batter on to the prepared pan.

• Now slice up the plums into tiny pieces and place on top of the batter. Apply slight pressure so as to push them halfway into the pan.
• Sprinkle the cinnamon + sugar mix on top of the batter and bake until sides turn golden brown and a cake tester inserted into the middle comes clean.

Transfer to a tray, let it cool and enjoy with Tea !

Applesauce Muffins

Hola !
Am back after a long and much needed vacation @ Puerto Rico. So stepping in here with a quick update, before the next one to India!

Ever gone overboard with buying a dozen apples and then not know what to do with it? Here's a lil something you can try.


AppleSauce

Peel and core 2-3 apples (McIntosh or any semi-tart apple), then chop them up into lil cubes and toss them into a small vessel with hot boiling water. Simmer, and cook partially closed until the cut apples becomes soft and tender. Cool and transfer to a blended and blend until you get it to a sauce like consistency. You may add sugar as you feel necessary.

In an air tight container in the fridge - the sauce will keep up for about 2 weeks.

Apple Sauce Muffin

Bowl 1
2 cups All Purpose Flour
2/3rd cup Sugar
1.5 tbsp Cinnamon
1 tbsp All Spice (Tastes like a mixture of Cinnamon, Nutmeg and Cloves)
2 tbsp baking powder
1/2 tbsp baking soda
1/2 tbsp salt
1 cup dark or golden raisins

Bowl 2
1/3 cup walnut / almond or canola oil
1 large egg
1 cup applesauce

• Preheat the oven to 350 F and grease your muffin tray. Note, this recipe does not contain butter, so grease well.
• Mix Bowl 1 ingredients and set aside
• Mix Bowl 2 ingredients until blended well
• Add in Bowl 1 to Bowl 2 in portions, mixing well each time until you get a smooth batter. The batter will loosen as you keep beating.
• Spoon the batter into muffin trays up to the brim. (This muffin does not rise a lot, so you will be alright filling up to the brim)
• Bake till golden dry and springy to touch (about 20 mins), cool and serve at room temperature!

Hope you enjoy a healthy, no butter all fruit recipe ;)
This one, is modified from a William Sonoma recipe. I used fewer apples, lesser oil, no butter and did not add in walnuts.

Blueberry - Sour Cream Coffee Cake

Coffee Crumb Cakes are Awesome. Enough said! The crumbs aren't even that difficult to make. :)
For an 8" cake, here's what you'll need.

For the Cake

Bowl 1

• 1 and 3/4 cup all purpose flour
• 1 cup sugar
• 2 tbsp baking powder
• 1/4 tbsp baking soda
• 1/4 tbsp salt

Bowl 2

• 3 eggs
• 1 cup sour cream
• 1 tbsp vanilla extract

And then a cup of Blue Berries (or) Raspberries

For the Topping

• 1/2 cup all purpose flour
• 2/3 cup sugar
• lemon zest
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter (chunk 'em up)

1. Preheat the oven to 350 F
2. Grease and flour a spring-foam pan. (Spring Foam Pan is one where you can pop out the base of the cake pan). A regular pan works too, but then keep a constant watch on the cake as it bakes and take it off the oven as soon as the cake is 95%up done. You end burning the base of the cake, otherwise.
3. Mix bowl 1 ingredients and set aside
4. Mix and beat bowl 2 ingredients. Pour bowl 1 ingredients into bowl 2 and mix well until smooth.
5. Pour into the prepared pan
6. Now, arrange the blue berries on the batter in a pattern and set aside.  

To make the crumbs, chunk up the butter into small cubes. Add in the flour and sugar in proportions mentioned atop and use a fork to mix them roughly. When you use the fork to do this, the process is very uncomfortable, but it gives the crumbs the semi-mixed texture.

Sift this mixture on top of the cake and then place the pan in the oven



Bake for 35-40 mins or until the crumbs begin to turn brown

 

Voila! It's done and serve warm or at room temperature

Brussel Sprouts with Dill Weed Dip

After trying SV's recipe of Brussel Sprouts the Indian way, I tried to go the easier route and make a simple + flavorful version of it last week. What you'll need is a bag of frozen brussel sprouts (or fresh, if you like it like that) and some lemon & pepper.

• Preheat the oven to 350 F.
• Quarter or halve the sprouts and toss them with 2 tbsp olive oil and salt in a big bowl. 
• Layer a baking tray with parchment pepper and spread out the sprouts on the tray. 
• Sprinkle some ground paper on top of the sprouts (or lemon pepper powder) and place them in the middle rack of the oven. 
• Bake until brown (about 25 mins) and turn them around and bake for another 5 mins so that all sides are equally brown. Once baked, take them out and let them cool. 
• Sprinkle some lemon juice (if you did not use lemon pepper powder).

For the dip, take a cup of yoghurt and add minced garlic, salt and chopped dill weed. That gets you a dip that tastes similar to the ones you get at Greek restaurants. Tastes yum !

Veg Frittatas

Waking up and running right out the door is a regular in my home. What comes with it is a bad breakfast habit. So, in an attempt to not starve, and at the same time not wake up early just to make breakfast... I made some Veg Frittatas today (and hope they last me a couple of days) !

It's rather quick and easy to make. You can stick to the non spicy version, if you'd like.

Saute

2 tbsp Olive Oil

1/2 cup white onions chopped

1/2 cup green peppers chopped

1/2 cup red peppers chopped

1 zucchini chopped

 with salt, pepper, and chilli powder (optional, do not use if you don't want them spicy)

Whisk together 7-8 eggs, add some herbs/oregano and keep aside

Saute - Paper Cups - Fill with Eggs - Top with Cheese

1. Preheat the oven to 350 F
2. Use muffin paper cups or a small square sheets of parchment paper to layer the muffin trays in the shape of a cup
3. Toss in the sauteed veggies into each of the muffin cups (this will hold the cups in place)
4. Fill the remaining area with egg, top with some cheese and bake for 10-12 minutes or until the eggs are set
5. Serve warm or cold. You may store it in the Refrigerator in an air tight glass container and consume over a few days.

Onions, Garlic & Shallot Muffins

Some more Indian twists !

Shallots, are chinna vengaiyam (for those of you from South India). It's a diminutive member of the onion family and grows in clusters like garlic with a papery skin. To prepare a shallot, cut the ends, remove the papery skin, slit length wise and mince like you would cut up a small onion.

Fry & Cool

• 3 tbsp Olive Oil
• 1/4 finely chopped red onions
• 1-2 shallots minced
• 1 garlic pod - minced
• 1-2 green chilli - finely chopped (optional)

Bowl 1

• 3 cups all purpose flour
• 4 tsp baking powder
• 1 and 1/3 tsp salt

Bowl 2

• 1 cup milk
• 2 large eggs
• 2 tbsp Olive Oil

Toss In for Flavor

• 1 tsp crumbled oregano
• 3 tbsp minced fresh parsley
• 1/2 tsp celery seed (optional)

Topping

• 1 and 1/4 grated cheese (preferably swiss)

 Method

1. Grease muffin tray with non-stick butter spray, preheat to 375 F
2. In a frying pan, over medium heat.. fry and cool the ingredients in the first list above
3. Stir together ingredients of Bowl 1 and set aside
4. Whisk together Bowl 2 ingredients until blended, add the onion mix from the pan.
5. Make a well in the center of the Flour mix in Bowl 1 and stir in Onion-Egg-Oil-Milk mixture until evenly moistened (Do not use electric blender, you'll waste a lot of batter)
6. The batter will be extremely lumpy, you may add very lil extra oil/ milk to make the mixing easier.
7. Add the toss ins to the mix and combine
8. Spoon the batter into the muffin tray, filling up to the brim. Top with cheese
9.  Bake until golden dry and springy to touch... about 20 mins.
10. Let the muffins cool on a wire rack for 5 mins, before serving.
11. Tastes great with Ketchup or Bombay Sandwich Chutney !

Almond & Lemon Zest Pound Cake

I've seen Chefs in a number of these cook shows reference the use of Orange Zest/ Lemon Zest in recipes. I've wondered how some scrapes of a lemon or orange can actually add any distinct taste to the dish you are trying to make.... and decided to try it out myself. And wow, it does add a unique flavor and surprises you by surfacing at times you'd least expect it to pop !

While a Pound cake is buttery, rich and delicious all by itself... but it tastes equally stunning and can take quite a number of variations. I added some almonds and finely grated lemon zest & lemon juice to it.

Bowl 1

• 1 and 1/2 cup All Purpose Flour
• 1/4 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 salt

Bowl 2

• 3/4 cup unsalted butter
• 2 large eggs
• 1 cup Sugar
• 1 and 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Add In

• 1/2 cup Sour Cream

For the Zest:

• Use a cheese / carrot grater and use the fine blades to scrape of the lemon shell to get finely grated zest. I'd leave out the white skin as it tends to make the taste sour.

1. Preheat the oven to 325F and grease a bread ban with non-stick butter spray or regular melted butter (unsalted)
2. Whisk together Bowl 1 ingredients and keep aside
3. Beat together bowl 2 (use an electric blender for smoother texture) until light and fluffy by adding the eggs one at a time.
4. Add in the Sour Cream in phases to incorporate into the mixture n blend well
5. Sprinkle the lemon zest and give it a light spin
6. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and shake it a lil, to even out the surface
7. I tossed in some sliced almonds on top as an addition
8. Bake until a cake tester inserted comes out clean, takes about 70 mins or longer if using a metal pan. Let cool on a wire rack for 15 mins.
9. Run a knife through the sides of the pan to pop the cake out of the pan on to a plate. Toss it to one side and let it cool for a few mins before slicing the cake. Serve warm @ room temperature.

Notes: A pound cake usually has very lil baking soda, no baking powder, some sour cream and bakes at a lower temperature for a longer duration. This is what gives the pound cake its slow cooked and buttery/ fluffy texture. A pound cake looks, tastes and feels very similar to a Sponge Cake.

Jam Filled Muffins

Remember those Jim-Jam biscuits from Britannia ? 

They used to be my favorite, along with Good Day and Marie Biscuits... the pleasure of digging into cold and delicious jam in between crispy layers of biscuit.. aah. Love those! So, I made my own version of Jam Filled Muffins one Saturday, reminiscing fond memories of Adyar Bakery @ Ashok Nagar :-).

Bowl 1

• 2 cups All Purpose Flour
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1 tbsp Baking Powder
• 1/2 tsp Baking Soda
• 1/2 tsp Salt

Bowl 2

• 6 tbsp Unsalted Butter, melted
• 2 large Eggs
• 1 tsp Vanilla Extract
• 1/4 tsb Almond Extract
• 1 and 1/4 cups Sour Cream

Filling

• Mixed Fruit Jam/ Jelly/ Marmalade (Seedless)

1. Grease muffin trays with non stick spray and preheat oven to 375F
2. Stir together Bowl 1 ingredients and keep aside
3. Beat together Bowl 2 ingredients and add in Bowl 1 in phases and stir until just evenly moistened. The batter will be slightly lumpy, do not over mix.
4. Spoon the batter into the muffin trays to fill 'em half way
5. Drop a heap/ teaspoon full of Jam into the half filled muffin trays, then cover with batter until level with rim
6. Bake muffins until golden dry and springy to touch... 20-25 mins.
7. Transfer the pan to a wire rack and let cool for a few mins and serve!

Tomato & Goat Cheese Muffins

While cookies and cupcakes are alright, I enjoy a Pakora / Bajji so much more. And since there aren’t that many stalls that sell Indian chaat where I live, I make spicy muffins that last a week. 

Makes 10-12 Med Sized Muffins

Bowl 1

• 1 and a 1/2 cups All Purpose Flour
• 1 cup Besan (Chickpea Flour)
• 3 and 1/4 tsp Baking Powder
• 1 tsp Salt

Bowl  2

• 1 and a 1/4 cup Milk
  2 large eggs

 Other Ingredients

• 6 oz unsalted Butter
• 1 Plum Tomato diced into 10 small pieces
• Fresh Basil (1/2 bunch) or Basil flakes (2-3 tbsp)
• 1 Cup Onions (Green/ Red finely chopped)Italian herbs
• Goat Cheese

I made it spicy by adding in chopped green chilies and paprika powder. You can skip these, if you’d rather have it low on the spice scale.

1. Preheat oven to 400 F
2. Grease muffin cups with non-stick butter spray
3. Mix Bowl 1 ingredients and keep aside
4. Beat Bowl 2 ingredients and keep aside
5. Heat the butter in a pan, add onions, sauté for 1-2 minutes. Then turn the stove off. After a minute, mix in the fresh basil + herbs and let it rest.
6. Pour the Flour mix into Bowl 2 alternating with the sautéed Onion mix
7. The batter will become very thick and hard to whip, I recommend using a hand whip and not an electric blender.
8. Spoon the batter and fill in the muffin trays half way.
9. Place a piece of sliced Tomato and a pinch of cheese and slightly push it into the batter (ensure that it does not touch the bottom of the tray)
10. Then fill again to the brim with more batter

Bake till sides are brown and the top just begins to crack (18 – 20 mins)
I baked it for 19 minutes and then turned the oven off. Let the muffins cool on a wire rack for a few minutes before serving.

Tastes great with Ketchup / Green Chutney

Banana-Walnut Muffin

Banana Walnut Muffins as my friend S says in her blog (which is AWESOME btw !) is a quickie. Come Sunday, we do a usual trip to the Whole Foods nearby and pick up " Organic " Fruits & Veggies (thanks to K's obsession with organic food). A week later, it's a pity to see at-least 3 out of every dozen have dark black wrinkled skin in some forbidden corner of our fairly full refrigerator.

Hence, Banana Nut Muffins or Banana Nut bread gets made every week. This week, it's the muffin. Makes for a good snack (morning/ evening)

If you can get your hands on Walnut Oil, I'd recommend using that instead of Canola. It has a subtle flavor, very nutritious and high in unsaturated fat. Store in a refrigerator to prevent from becoming rancid. It will keep up for 3 months.

Banana Walnut Muffins (Makes 12 Mini Muffins)


Bowl 1

• 1 & 1/2 Cup All Purpose Flour
• 1/2 tbsp Baking Soda
• 1/4 tbsp Salt
• 3/4 Cup Granulated Sugar

Bowl 2

• 1/2 Cup Canola Oil/ Walnut Oil
• 1 large Egg
• 3 tbsp Buttermilk

Bowl 3

• 3 super ripe Bananas (cut & mashed)
• 1/2 Cup Crushed Walnuts

1. Preheat the oven to 375F. Meanwhile, grease a muffin tray with butter flavored non stick spray (Alt: Use unsalted butter and grease each cup). Fill unused cups with water to prevent warping.
2. Stir together ingredients in Bowl 1
3. Whisk together ingredients in Bowl 2
4. Add in Bowl 3 ingredients to Bowl 2 and blend.
5. Add in Bowl 1 in phases and beat well until evenly combined and slightly creamy.
6. Use a cookie scoop and fill muffin cups up to the rim.
7. Bake until muffins are golden, dry on surface and springy to touch.

In a proper full size oven, the muffins should cook in under 20 mins. In a mini oven, it might take a couple of mins extra. I usually let it bake, and wait till it turns slightly brown and turn the stove off. Let it cool on a wire rack and then serve.

Or if you are like me, you'd arrange it on a plate, set up the area for a nice looking photograph and click, before anyone can bite into it ;-)

Butterscotch Coconut Cookies

I was never a big fan of cookies. Am not one, even now. But every now and then, it's a nice thing to take to your workplace. I tried to make these, as Butterscotch and Coconut are 2 of my favorite flavors - and they turned out pretty nice!





Here's what you'll need.

Bowl 1

• 1 and 1/3 all purpose flour
• 1/2 tbsp baking powder
• 1/2 tbsp baking soda
• 1/2 tbsp salt

Bowl 2

• 1/2 cup unsalted butter
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1 Large Egg
• 1/2 tbsp Vanilla extract

Bowl 3

• 1 cup butterscotch chips
• 3/4 cup coconut flakes/ powder

Use an electric blender for this recipe, as cookie doughs can get lumpy. Once again, using a Cookie Scoop is recommended!

1. Preheat the oven to 325F
2. Stir together Bowl 1 and keep aside
3. Beat together ingredients in Bowl 2 (in that order) until they fold smoothly. Pinch the batter with your thumb and index finger, the batter needs to be slightly coarse, but blended well. Finally, add in the egg and vanilla extract and beat to combine.
4. Add the Butterscotch chips & Coconut flakes and fold in using a spatula. Scrape down the sides.
5. Now, line baking trays (or pizza pans) with parchment paper.
6. Scoop lemon sized balls of the cookie batter and scoop on to the baking tray in a row, 2 inches apart. (The cookie ball lump will take the shape of a circle as it bakes. You want them to be as far apart, so that they don't touch each other upon baking)
7. Bake for 10-12 mins and cool off for 5 mins on a wire rack before serving.

This method will get you 2 dozen big flat cookies, that are semi soft on the inside with a crispy shell.

Spiced Cake with Golden Raisins

Despite the multiple cuisines that I have access to, Indian is still the hands down favorite. Come Friday, our dinner choices default to Mylai Masala or Saravana Bhavan. So when it comes to cakes and baking, why not give it an Indian twist?

I baked this cake with a number of spices including Coriander, Cayenne Pepper & Cinnamon, and glazed with Honey on top. The combination was different and quite addictive. I'd urge you to try it. It tastes brilliant with a mug of Ginger chai!


Spice Mix

• 3/4 tbsp Coriander
• 1/2 tbsp Cinnamon
• 1/2 tbsp Cayenne Pepper
• 3/4 tbsp All Spice

Other Ingredients

• 2 tbsp Baking powder
• 1/2 tbsp salt
• 3/4 cup Whole Milk
• 1 tbsp Vanilla Extract + 1 tbsp unsalted butter for glaze
• 3/4 cup (6 Oz) unsalted butter
• 1 cup dark brown sugar + 2 tbsp for glaze
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 2 large Eggs
• 1/2 cup Golden Raisins
• 1/4 cup Honey

1. Grind the spices in the Spice Mix finely. I use Cuisinart's Spice & Nut Grinder and it is my most favorite kitchen gadget ! A lovely gift from another friend S, for my wedding :-)
2. Preheat the oven to 350 F, line the bottom of a cake pan with parchment paper. Take a Tbsp of the ground spice mix and add some baking soda. Sprinkle on top the parchment paper.
3. Sift the flour, remaining spice mix, baking powder, salt and set aside
4. In a small bowl, combine the Milk and Vanilla extract and set aside
5. Beat butter until creamy. Add both sugars and beat until pale and fluffy.
6. Slowly drizzle in eggs, beat well after each addition.
7. Alternate and add the flour mix and milk to the batter, beat until just combined. Fold in the raisins.
8. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 35-40 mins, or until brown.
9. Take it out of the oven, and let it cool on a wire rack,

For the Glaze:

1. In a small saucepan, combine 2 tbsp sugar, honey and 1 tbsp butter. Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring constantly. Cook for about 3 mins to make the glaze. Pour over the cake, smooth on top using a spatula.

Hope you like it!