Sorry fellow blogger's, I have not had the time to look at any of your blogs. I will take a look at all your posts soon. I was also very busy preparing for my daughters birthday and keeping her busy over the winter break. For her birthday party, my daughter wanted me to bake the birthday cake. She always wants a strawberry cake with whipped cream frosting. Though I love to bake cakes, I have always had problems when it comes to baking her birthday cake. I usually order the cake from the local super market chain Vons (they make the best  fruit layered whipped cream frosting  cakes). Not this time,she told me that she believes in my baking skills and wanted me to bake it with her help. 

I think this one is the best cake I have baked so far. I thought it was a big deal when I first read the recipe because it was over whelming. I confess that I ran  into issues with the whipped cream, so I made changes to the frosting as per the advice of my little baker and all ended well. It also helped because she picked the little mermaid theme and decorating was a breeze. I must make a mention that in birthday parties most cakes are chucked into the trash. No kid eats the cake, but this one had minimum wastage and the adults enjoyed it. At the end of the day my daughter and I were very proud of our achievement.If anyone wants to bake any such cakes please give this one a try. 

I am documenting the original recipe and marked my additions in red for all those who want the original recipe. 

Recipe source from :Strawberry Whipped Cream Cake by Amy Wisniewski


Gadgets:

Electrical mixer
Bowls
Measuring cups, spoons and scale
Parchment Paper
Spring form pans 2 (9 inches)
Cake Stand
Offset Spatula
Cutting Board
Knife

Ingredients:
For the Strawberries:

Strawberries - 2 pints, rinsed and hulled (  I used 3 cups)

Granulated Sugar - 1 tbsp

Freshly Squeezed Lemon Juice - 1 tbsp ( about 1.2 a lemon)

Vanilla Extract - 1 1/2 tsp

Grated Lemon Zest - 1 tsp

For the Cakes: ( Two (9 inch cakes)

Cake Flour - 2 cups

Baking Powder - 2 tsp

Kosher Salt - 1/2 tsp

Vegetable Oil - 1/2 cup

Water - 1/4 cup

Lightly Packed Lemon Zest - 1 tsp

Vanilla Extract - 2 tsp

Large Eggs - 6, separated

Granulated Sugar - 1 1/2 cups

For the Filling:

Mascarpone Cheese - 1/2 cup

Heavy (Whipping) Cream - 1/2 cup( check for fat content over 35%)

For the Frosting:

Vanilla Extract - 1 tbsp

Granulated Sugar - 6 tbsp

Heavy (Whipping) Cream - 3 cups

1 cup mascarpone cheese (my addition)

For Decorating:

Mermaid Doll 

Sugar toppings that go with little mermaid theme (Michael's)

Wilton's Blue granulated sugar

Preparation:( as per the original recipe)

Strawberry Preparation: 

Combine all ingredients in a medium nonreactive mixing bowl and toss to thoroughly coat strawberries. Let macerate at room temperature at least 20 minutes before using. Strain macerated berries and reserve syrup separately.

Cake Preparation:
Heat oven to 350°F and arrange rack in upper third. Butter and flour two 8-inch( I used 9 inch) cake pans. Sift flour, baking powder, and salt together into a mixing bowl; set aside.

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whip attachment, combine vegetable oil, water, lemon zest, vanilla extract, egg yolks, and 1 1/4 cups of the sugar. Whip on medium speed, until mixture is airy and light in color, about 5 to 7 minutes. Turn off the mixer and scrape down the sides of the bowl; add dry ingredients and whip until smooth, about 1 minute more.

In a clean bowl, whip egg whites to medium peaks. Add remaining 1/4 cup sugar and continue whipping until stiff peaks form, about 1 minute more. Using a rubber spatula, fold 1/4 of the egg whites into the cake batter until evenly incorporated; gently fold in remaining egg whites until just combined.

( I used a spring form cake pan. Lined the base with the parchment paper and the sides I coated with some butter.)

Divide batter between prepared cake pans. Bake until surface of cakes springs back when pressed and a toothpick or cake tester inserted into the center comes out clean, about 35 minutes. Remove cakes from the oven, and let cool 15 minutes. Run a knife around the perimeter of each, and turn them out onto wire racks to cool completely. Meanwhile, make the filling and the frosting.

For the filling:
Combine mascarpone cheese and heavy cream in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, and whip until stiff peaks form, about 2 minutes. Cover and refrigerate until ready to use.

For the frosting: 
(note: the heavy whipping cream from Costco does not have the required fat content and I ran into issues with the consistency of whipped cream. The fat content over 35% works well and so to stabilize the frosting I added mascarpone cheese)

Place the cleaned bowl of the stand mixer and the whip attachment in the freezer for 10 minutes. ( I had it in the freezer for 1 hour) 

Combine vanilla extract, sugar, mascarpone cheese and heavy cream in the chilled bowl and whip at medium speed until medium peaks form, about 2 minutes. 

Cover and refrigerate until well chilled, at least one hour. (The frosting can be prepared upto 12 hours ahead.)

To assemble:

Using a long serrated knife, trim the tops of the cakes as necessary so they are level. Place cake rounds on a clean, dry surface and, using a pastry brush, brush 1/2 of the reserved strawberry syrup on the cut side of the first cake round; repeat on the cut side of the second cake round.

Evenly spread 1/4 of the mascarpone filling over the cut side of the bottom cake layer. Arrange strawberries standing upright, stem end down, over the mascarpone layer and trim as necessary to create an even layer. Cover berries with the remaining filling, being sure to fill in any empty space.

Place second cake layer over mascarpone and strawberries, cut side down, pressing gently to secure it. Using an offset spatula or a long, thin spatula, spread 3/4 cup of the frosting in a thin layer over the top and sides of the cake. Return remaining frosting and cake to the refrigerator until frosting on cake is set, about 15 minutes.

Spread the remaining frosting all over the top and sides of the cake. Let sit in the refrigerator at least 15 minutes before serving. ( I kept mine for over an hour)

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For Decorating:
Using the offset spatula make wave like flicks on the icing to get wave like effect.

Place the mermaid doll in the middle and arrange the sugar toppings as per your kids wishes. Sprinkle the blue sugar all over the cake to mimic the water/ ocean. Place it back in the for over an hour and then serve it.

One of the most important things while entertaining (which I was doing the whole of last month) is having a variety of things on the menu which are simple to whiz up in small portions. It is usually these simple things that most people appreciate a lot and makes it very enjoyable to entertain. This afternoon, I made cauliflower and peas curry to go with molagu or pepper kozhambu for my uncle and aunt. Cooking cauliflower sounds very simple. It can be cooked very well or half cooked to maintain a crunch. There is a fine line to have it well cooked and still have it crunchy. When I started preparing it, I was wondering if there was a technique to achieve this easily. I think cooking in a iron wok a little over medium heat helps to maintain  the moisture and still keeps the crunch.

Gadgets:

Cutting Board
Knife
Wok
Spatula
Measuring Cups and Spoons
Bowl
Colander

Ingredients:

Cauliflower - 1 medium size cut into uniform small flowers
Peas - 1/2 cup
Cilantro - 1/4 cup chopped
Green Chilies - 2
Mustard Seeds - 1 tsp
Udad Dhal - 2 tsp
Oil - 2 tsp
Salt
Turmeric Powder - 1/8th tsp

Preparation:

1. Cut the cauliflower ( soak it in warm water with salt if in India) and wash it well.

2. Heat a heavy bottom wok with oil a little over medium heat. Add mustard seeds and allow it to pop. Add the udad dhal and green chilies.

3. When they get lightly toasted. Add the cauliflower to it and cook them on medium heat.

4. Add salt and turmeric powder to it and mix well. Add peas and cook until the cauliflower is cooked well and it has a bite but does not turn mushy.

5. Add chopped cilantro and keep tossing it and serve it hot with rice, roti or as a salad.

Quinoa is gaining a lot of popularity among most blogs. It is super healthy and as I had already mentioned I love to substitute it for rice. I have posted quinoa with yogurt here and an Indianized quinoa salad here over the years. I have used quinoa in most varietes of rice and I must agree that it tastes awesome with puliodharai mix. I use 777 brand or MTR or a combination of both the brands in making quinoa puliodharai. It completely masks any smell that most people think quinoa has and keeps the taste perfect. So for all those who are always looking out for news recipes with quinoa, this one is sure to impress you.

Gadgets:

Wok
Measuring Cups and Spoons
Spatula


Ingredients:

Cooked Quinoa - 1 cup (1/3 cup quinoa cooked with 1 cup water)
Puodhari Mix MTR's or 777- 3 tbsp
Oil - 2 tbsp
Asafoetida - a few shakes
Raw Peanuts - 1/4 cup
Curry Leaves - a few

Preparation:

1. In a wok add some oil and when it warms up add asafoetida and curry leaves.

2. Add peanuts and roast it.

3. Turn out the heat and add puliodharai mix and mix it well.

4. Add the cooked quinoa and mix well and serve hot.

After school snack is a big deal for my daughter.She always wants something special and interesting with a wow factor. These days she wants to help me with preparing it at times. I wanted to come up with different snacks using some of the same ingredients. So as I was walking past the fruit bins at Sprouts I came across something that might be easy for me to assemble fast for my daughter and at the same time a snack that she can have fun with. I added a few boxes of blue berries, dessert cakes, a couple of scoops of granola and regular carton of heavy whipping cream to the shopping cart. The last 2 days she has been so elated with her after school snack. I have made for her 2 different snacks so far. Yesterday was the parfait and today I made the following layered dessert shells.A fun way to get them to eat fruits and nuts.

Gadgets:

Bowl
Electric Mixer with Whisk attachment
Measuring cups and Spoons
Plate

Ingredients: ( 1 serving)

Heavy Whipping Cream - 1/4 cup
Powdered Sugar - 2 tsp
Dessert Cakes - 2
Blue Berries - 1/2 - 1 cup
Gronola - 1/2 cup

Preparation:

Happy New Year to everyone who visits my blog. Its nice to get back to blogging after the winter break. Decided to start this new year with something sweet, delicious and healthy and wish that all of you have a wonderful year filled with laughter, good health, peace, happiness and delicious food. Most moong dhal kheer have some of  the following ingredients: jaggery, milk, moong dhal, cardamon, coconut, ghee or butter and nuts in their recipe. The kheer I prepared had most of the above ingredients, but I must mention that instead of milk I used a can of carnation milk and for the nuts slivered almonds along with some cashews. This was the best part of the kheer. I loved the texture the almonds created. It tasted best hot off the stove.

Gadgets:

Pressure Cooker
Pan
Bowl
Measuring Cups and Spoons
Seasoning Wok

Ingredients:


Moong Dhal - 1 cup
Jaggery - 3/4 cup
Water - 2 1/2 cups for Moong dhal and 3/4 cup for melting jaggery
Cardamon - 6 pods
Carnation Milk - 1 can
Fresh Grated Coconut - 1/4 cup
Ghee - 2 tbsp
Slivered Almonds/ Cashews - 1/3 cup

Preparation:

1. In a pressure pan add 2 1/2 cups of water. Add the moong dhal and pressure cook to 3 whistles.

2. Melt jaggery in water and filter the liquid to remove the sediments in the bottom.

3. When the dhal is cooked add the jaggery water and allow it to boil on low for 3 minutes.Add the grated coconut and cook for another 3 minutes.

4. Add carnation milk and mix well allow to simmer for 2 minutes.

5. In a seasoning wok add ghee and lightly roast the nuts. Add them to the kheer.

6. Crush the cardamon pods and powder the seeds and garnish, Serve hot.

A combination of odd number of vegetables (excluding onions, garlic and okra) used in the preparation of kozhambu is what is known as thalatha kozhambu or Thalagam. It is served with the kali ( a sweet roasted and powdered rice mixed with jaggery) for a south Indian festival called Arudhra Dharshan. It is a festival that falls between December 15-January 15 in the Tamil month of Margazhi  on a full moon and is celebrated on Shiva's birth star of Thiruvadhirai. On this day Lord Shiva takes the form of Nataraja and performs his cosmic dance which is the source of all energy in the universe. I loved this combination of sweet with tangy kozhambu and looked forward to it every year as a child. Here is the recipe for the thalatha kozhambu that I prepared this morning.

Gadgets:

Cutting Board

Measuring Cups 

Knife

Spatula

Bowls

Blender

Heavy Bottom Stock Pot

Seasoning Wok 

Ingredients:

Vegetables - ( 2 potatoes pealed, 2 Raw Banana, 1/2 egg plant, 2 Carrots, 1 cup white pumpkin, 1 cup yellow pumpkin, Edema beans - 1/2 cup, peas - 1/2 cup, Beans - 1 bunch cut into 2 inch pieces ( 9 different kinds of veggies)

Tamarind - lemon size ball

Water - 5 cups or more to cover the veggies

Salt

Sambar Powder - 1 tbsp

Coriander Seeds - 3 tbsp

Channa Dhal - 1 tbsp

Red Dry Chillies - 2

Coconut - 1 tbsp

Oil - 1 tbsp

Curry Leaves - a few

Asafoetida - 1 peas size ball or 1/2 tsp powder

Preparation:

1. Wash and cut all veggies into small chunks and soak the tamarind in 2 cups of water.

2. Heat the oil in stock pot. Add asafoetida and curry leaves. Then add the veggies, salt and mix well and allow to cook for a few minutes.

3. Add the sambar powder and mix well for 2 minutes. Then add the tamarind water and the rest of the water enough to cover all the veggies. Cover the pot and allow to cook for 10 minutes until all the veggies are cooked. 

4. While the veggies are cooking, heat the seasoning with 1/2 tsp of oil. Add the channa dhal, dry chillies, coriander seeds and roast until the channa dhal turns golden brown. Add coconut and mix well. Transfer into a blender and blend into a fine powder.

5. Once the veggies are cooked ( test to see if the potatoes are done) then add this mixture to the veggies and allow to simmer for a few minutes and serve with the kali.

Until yesterday, I would have just not cared to buy that big a bag of cranberries from Costco. It was because of a phone call from my sister that I did so. Thishya, our relative had called my sister and  suggested for me to try it. This chutney/thogayal is a little different from others.The cranberries are not cooked and the fresh ones are made into a chutney. It has a strong sour and umami (thuvarpu) taste with south Indian flavor which is so tasty with curd rice, paratha, bread, dosai and rice. If you are pregnant you might really enjoy it.

Gadgets:

Blender

Seasoning Wok

Spatula

Measuring Cups & Spoons

Ingredients:

Cranberries - 2 cups

Oil - 2 tbsp

Asafoetida ( solid )- 1/4 of a marble size

Mustard Seeds - 1 tsp

Channa Dhal - 3 tbsp

Udad Dhal - 3 tbsp

Red Dry Chillies - 6

Jaggery / Sugar - 1 tsp ( adjust the quantity according to taste)

Salt

Preparation:

 1. Wash the cranberries well and add to blender.

2. Heat the seasoning wok with oil. Add the asafoetida and fry in oil and wait till it puffs up and gets roasted. 

3. Add mustard seeds and when it pops, add chillies, udad and channa dhal and roast until golden brown.

4. Add this to the cranberries in the blender along with the required amount of salt and jaggery/sugar.

5. Blend into a smooth paste and use to spread on bread, paratha, dosai or curd rice.

Quinoa is gaining a lot of popularity in the blogging world. Costco sells the organic quinoa in packets and local grocery stores carry red quinoa and quinoa flakes. I love the texture of them all and use them often. Quinoa flakes is super easy to work with and I made dosai with them to go with my coconut chutney. Seriously, just adding a bunch of things into the blender and your dosai/ crepe batter is ready. You can make dosai or uthapam with them and you would never know it has quinoa in it. Tastes almost like rava dosai and I liked it a lot. Addition of rava or cream of wheat might get it a lot more crunchy. I hope all of you enjoy this dosai as much as I did. I just found out that Priya (Yallapantula) Mitharwal is hosting the CWF: Quinoa event and today is the last day. So here is my entry to this event.

Gadgets:

Blender
Measuring Cups and Spoons
Seasoning Wok
Spatula
Ladle
Iron pan
Cutting Board
Knife

Ingredients:

Quinoa Flakes - 1 cup
Rice flour - 1 cup
Water - 2 1/2 cups ( I used warm water)
Salt
Asafoetida - 1/4 tsp
Cumin Seeds - 2 tsp
Ginger - 1 inch
Green Chillies - 1 sliced
Curry Leaves - a few

Cilntro - 1/4 cup ( as much as you like)

Oil - 2 tsp plus extra for making the dosai/crepes
 Mustard Seeds - 1 tsp

Preparation:

1. Measure the quinoa flakes, rice flour, salt, asafoetida, ginger into a bowl.

2. Add them into a blender with warm water and blend well.

3. Add cilantro, green chillies and curry leaves and mix well.( Sometimes I do add onions )

4. Heat the tava/ griddle to medium high add some water and then oil before making crepes or dosai's.

5. Serve with coconut chutney.








If you like quinoa and are looking for other recipes check out these:

Thair Quinoa / Quinoa in Yogurt

Quinoa Salad Made Indian Style

Quinoa Flakes Porridge With Dry Fruits & Nuts

After coming to the U.S the one thing that I missed  most when eating south Indian food, especially dosai or idli's was the coconut chutney. Initially, I used to think that it was because of the oil content in the fresh coconuts here that left an oily taste. Later, I found that when I used the frozen grated coconut it did not alter the taste that much. I always felt all my chutneys smelt of the Indian grocery store and the culprit was the roasted channa dhal or pottu kadai. I almost stopped making the coconut chutney at home until Mrs. Viswanathan suggested an alternative method. Instead of adding the roasted channa dhal, she suggested that I roast the required amount of channa dhal and add it to the coconut to make the chutney. This helped recreate the Indian coconut chutney that I wanted to have here and I have been enjoying them for years now. Here is the recipe to try.

Gadgets:

Seasoning wok

Blender

Measuring cups and spoons

Bowls

Spatula

Ingredients:

Grated Coconut - 1 1/2 cups

Channa Dhal - 3 tbsp

Ginger - 1 inch (fresh)

Curry Leaves - a few

Asafoetida - 1/4 tsp

Mustard Seeds - 1 tsp

Green Chillies - 1 ( add more for extra spice)

Dry Chillies - 1

Salt

Hot Water - 1/2 cup

Oil - 2 tsp

Preparation:

1. In a seasoning wok add 1 tsp oil and roast the channa dhal to golden brown.

2. Place the roasted channa dhal in a bowl and add 1/2 cup hot water and allow to soak for 10-15 minutes.

3. Once the dhal is soaked well and has become soft add the coconut, dhal, green chillies, ginger and salt into the blender and blend using hot water into a thick paste.

4. Heat the seasoning wok again with 1 tsp oil. Add asafoetida, mustard seeds, allow for the mustard seeds to pop. Add curry leaves and red chillies and mix it into the coconut chutney. Serve with dosai, idli, sevai or pongal.

Along with the winter holidays comes over eating, unhealthy eating, change in the weather which leads up to flu like symptoms. Personally, common cold is fine but if it becomes worse and develops into a cough then it gets really uncomfortable. I have posted here a recipe to prevent catching a cold, but this one that I am posting is when you are into it full swing and have a cough along with congestion. My mother made this for us (almost reminds me of the ad for gripe water) and now I make it for my nieces nephews and my daughter. I am currently having it myself because all the swift changes in weather has affected me too. Please do give it a try if you need to get some relief from cough. After reading this post most of you might wonder as to where you can find some of these Indian ingredients. You can find them in Asian or Indian stores.

Gadgets:

Sauce pan

Measuring Spoon and Cups

Strainer
Blender

Ingredients:

Betle Leaves - 2

Tulasi/ Holy Basil - 10 leaves ( thanks to my back door neighbour who grows them in huge bushes and for sharing some with me this afternoon)

Omavalli leaves/ Spanish thyme/ Mexican Thyme or mint/ Hung Chanh - 7 leaves or Omam/Ajwan Seeds - 1 tsp

Water - 1  cups

Honey - 2 tbsp ( can add more for additional sweetness)

Preparation:

1. Wash the leaves well. Boil the water and add the ingredients and allow to simmer for 5 minutes.

2. Grind the leaves and seeds into a fine paste.

3. Strain and have 1 tbsp three times a day with the required amount of honey.

 A very colorful healthy salad to prepare with fresh carrots especially when you have unexpected guests for lunch or dinner. All you need are some carrots, moong dhal and a bunch of staple spices. Moong dhal adds an extra crunch and is very healthy ingredient to be included in our diet. A perfect salad that can be served with any kind of Indian or non Indian food. Sometimes, I make the same salad with cucumbers instead of carrots especially in summer which is very cooling for the body. This is very traditional salad that is served at south Indian weddings and during special occasions. I made them this Sunday and served along with onion kadhi, roasted taro root and rice for lunch.

Gadgets:

Food processor
Grater
Bowl
Seasoning ladle
Measuring Spoons
Peeler
Cutting Board
Knife



Ingredients:

Organic Carrots - 2
Green Chilies - 1
Mustard Seeds - 1 tsp
Moong dhal - 1/2 cup
Salt
Asafoetida
Curry Leaves - a few
Cilantro - 2 tbsp chopped
Grated Coconut - 3 tbsp ( fresh is better)
Oil - 1 tsp
Water
Lime Juice - 1/2 a lime



Preparation:
1. Soak the moong dhal in water for 20 minutes. Cut the two ends of the carrot, peel the skin and grate it. Cut the green chilies into thin slices.

2. Heat the seasoning ladle with oil and add asafoetida, mustard seeds (allowing for them to pop, please cover  or else it will get all over the place) and green chilies.

3. If using desiccated shredded coconut, then you might want to add that to the above seasoning and toast it to golden brown before adding. If its fresh skip this step and add it fresh to the carrots.

4. Add the seasoning, coconut, cilantro, curry leaves, salt, lime juice to the carrots.Mix and serve.

With the onion kadhi I posted yesterday I served roasted taro root. I have another version of the taro root roast posted here, but this one is an easier version. Taro root is mostly pressure cooked and then roasted. I think this is kind of tricky. Sometimes, it gets mushy or under cooked. It is too much work if either happens. So yesterday, I tried the pressure cooker free version by peeling the taro root skin, cutting the root into thin slices and roasting them stove top. It turned out pretty good and all the gooey texture was easily tackled. If you have a lot to roast, I am sure broiling them will work just fine. So here is the pressure cooker free version for all those who do not own one and would still like to enjoy crunchy, roasted taro root/seppankizhangu. 

Gadgets:

Heavy Bottom Wok
Spatula
Cutting Board
Knife
Peeler
Measuring spoons and cups
Bowl

Ingredients:

Taro Root - 12
Salt
Turmeric Powder - 1/2 tsp
Chilli Powder / Sambar Powder - 1/2 tsp
Asafoetida - 1/4th tsp
Oil - 3 tbsp
Mustard Seeds - 1/2 tsp

Preparation:

1. Cut the edges of the taro root and peel the skin.

2. Cut into 1/2 cm discs of the root.

3. In a bowl add the taro root and coat it with 1 tbsp oil. Then sprinkle in the turmeric powder, chilli powder and salt and spread it well evenly over every piece.

4. Heat the wok to medium high and add 2 tbsp of oil, asafoetida and mustard seeds. Allow the seeds to pop and add the taro root and mix well. spread them evenly and roast them on medium heat. Serve hot with any kind of food.