Rich Chocolate Cake...for a special Occasion

It had been a month or more since I baked some cakes and Cookies.I was held up with few work..Few days back HH had his birthday and I wanted to bake something special for his birthday.I had bookmarked this recipe few months back to bake but felt this was the apt time for us to celebrate the special occasion with this rich chocolate cake..

 

I was taken aback by the taste and the finish of this cake.It tasted so so yummy and happy that HH and kids loved eating it..And for the first time I tried chocolate ganache and it turned out so so well..

 

Anyone who is new to baking can try this cake.Just just follow the instructions clearly..U will bake a yummy chocolate cake...

 

Arcot Makkan Peda....Delicacy of Arcot Nawabs

Arcot is not only famous for history and Biryani..It is famous for Makkan Pedas too.Arcot is a small town which is near my hometown and  I just love eating these Makkan Peda whenever I visit my native place.Though they look similiar to that of the Gulab jamuns they taste much tastier and yummier than that..

Arcot Chettiyar Sweet stall is famous for the Makkan Pedas.They are the oldest of the town and it is about 188 years old :) which is run by an fifth generation owner..who is around 70 years!!The one who had  started this shop(Govindasamy Chettiar) was a family friend of Nawabs..He happened to taste these Jamuns with a dry fruit filling at Nawabs house  and being blown away by the sumptuousness of the Bedas he  started to introduce it in his shop.This was how Makkan peda was introduced in Arcot ....

Even E.V.R.Periyar was a great fan of this sweet..I remember my grandfather telling me that Periyar's followers buy this delicacy for Periyar when they visit him..and Periyar never fails to have this sweet when he visit North Arcot!!

If u happen to visit Arcot( few kms from Vellore)then don't forget to taste the Makkan pedas from Chettiyar Shop..If not just follow my recipe carefully,make it and relish the diwali with this traditional sweet...:))

For the ones who are not aware of what Makkan Peda is...

Makkan Peda is a sweet that is made with unsweetened Koya n Maida..stuffed with a variety of dry fruits ,made into a ball and then slightly flattened deep fried and then soaked in sugar syrup.The juicy texture and the nut content make the taste exotic...

Diwali Sweets n Savories

Say No to crackers....Celebrate this Diwali without polluting the atmosphere..

Make these easy sweets n relish n celebrate this Diwali..


1.Mysore pak (Krishna Sweets Style)

For the recipe n instructions:

http://www.cookndine.blogspot.in/2012/11/mysore-pak.html#more

Thukkada...A famous snack of Tirunelveli

Thukkada..The best combination to have with Tea/coffee.In south Tamilnadu they call this as Thukkada but some refer this as spicy diamond cuts.It is raining here in Tuticorin and felt like having something spicy with a hot cup of filter coffee.One of my friend who is a native of Tirunelveli was telling me about this snack which she used to prepare for Diwali.Borrowed the recipe from her and made it..Thank u G for the recipe...This dish can be prepared within a short time and can be stored for a week.

 

Usually they prepare it with All purpose flour/maida.But considering the health aspects I replaced Maida with Wheat flour and followed the same process.I found the taste to be much better than the maida one..

 

So try making this Thukkada and enjoy this Diwali and so the rain...

 

KamarKat....A sweet with Jaggery n Coconut

Last week on a casual talk my elder daughter was asking me about the snacks which I took during the school days.I was explaining her about the snacks which we had ..like Kadalai Burfi/Chikki,Kamarkat,ElanthamPazham,Then Mittai,KodikaPuli,Javvu Mittai,Panchi Mittai,Sonpapdi etc..

 

She was more excited by the name kamarkat and kept asking more details about the sweet.I vaguely remembered how it tasted too...As I couldnot give more details on it she called up her grandma and was asking the details...Only then I knew that my mom knew to make kamarkat :).Immediately I grabbed the mobile from her and got the recipe ..

 

Made it,relished it and gave my kids  a feel of this evertime favourite kamarkattu..

 

For the ones who are not aware of this sweet..It resembles much to a hard chocolate which is made of jaggery and coconut.It is a jaw breaker..Don't even take a chance to bite the sweet.Just put it into ur mouth and enjoy it getting dissolved slowly..

 

For the recipe click READ MORE below:

 

Sweet Somas/Sweet Somasi

All blogs had started posting sweets for Diwali and many of my readers keep asking to post some Diwali dishes.I had already posted some diwali special sweets like Boondi ladoo,Mysore pa, Murukku, Achu Murukku, Rava Ladoo,Kaju Lotus,7 Cups Burfi, 7 minutes Thiratti paal,Coconut Burfi, 3 minutes Doodh Beda.I will posting few more in the forthcoming days before Diwali..So stay tuned..

In this context I am starting off my Diwali Post with a Sweet Somas/Somasi.They also call it as Karchikka/Karanji/Kajjikayalu..It is customary in our family to make these during Diwali and also for baby Showers.Last month there was a baby shower in our family and my aunt made these yummy somas for her daughter.I got the recipe from her and thought I could post the same for Diwali.

 

Usually the fillings that we add inside varies according to ones taste.But I love the rava n sugar filling.I had also tried the roasted gram powder combination but I feel the crispy rava n sugar with a crispy outer layer gives a rich taste to the simple sweet..

 

It remains crisp for a week only.So make it accordingly..

 

Enjoy making this..

 

For the recipe please click READ MORE below:

 

Tutti Fruite Cake

It is almost after a month I am switching on my oven...I baked these Tutti Frutti cake yesterday.My younger daughter Y had Rainbow day last week at her school.So she wanted me to make a cake  with all the colours of Tutti frutti in it.

Browsed the recipe from Sailu's kitchen and baked it.Its nice to breathe in the nice aroma when they are getting baked.

The taste was the best I could say that I was left with an empty plate with little remains of the cake..My kids loved to have it..

Just try this recipe by strictly following the instructions..

For the recipe pls click read more below:

Safed Paneer/Paneer in white gravy

 

 

 

 

Are u bugged of eating the red tomato based paneer gravy?Don't have tomatoes with u??Then try this gravy..For a change u will love to have this with the Phulkas.The taste of the pepper imparts an exotic taste to the dish.This dish can be made within minutes.

 

So try this white based paneer gravy and let me know how it tasted too..

 

For the recipe n instructions click READ MORE below:

 

KootanChooru...A Tirunelveli Special One pot meal...

This is the dish which I had been waiting for to make.My Husband HH keeps recalling  the taste of this dish which he had tasted at his neighbour's house in Tirunelveli.Since my marriage I had been searching for an authentic Kootanchooru recipe.The one I had posted is the traditional recipe of Tirunelveli.I should say the taste is just unexplainable...

 

I got the recipe from one of my friend who is also a food blogger Asiya Omar

I just gave a try and the dish tasted too good.Thank u Asiya for sharing the recipe..

 

After relocating to Tuticorin one of my friend who is a native of Kovilpatti introduced this tasty authentic dish to me.One  of her aunt makes yummy Kootanchooru..It tastes very good even when it is not hot...but unfortunately I could not get the recipe from her :)

 

This dish is a perfect and healthy combination of lentils,greens,vegetables and rice.

 

A quick brief about how this dish got its name...

 

In earlier days kids used to play Seppu at the backyards..Kids play a realistic drama by bringing in real ingredients and cook a meal...Like one kid brings rice,other lentils,some other vegetables,some greens etc..They mix them in a pot add water make it to cook and make a meal.Then they share them with all the friends..This builds the teambuilding,cooperation,sharing concepts with the kids..But now with the advent of computers and video games and changing family structure to nuclear family this type of playing is not found in Big cities..Still it prevails in small villages ...

 

This is a step that makes the kids to learn cooking too!!

 

Make this healthy one pot meal and share this authentic,traditional dish of Tirunelveli with your kids...

 

For the recipe click read more below:

 

Millets Masala Paniyaram/Varaguarisi Masala Paniyaram

When I saw the recipe in the green commune of Hosur I was much excited to give a try.The recipe looked very easy and also healthy.I should say it tasted more yummier than the normal rice paniyaram.

So try this healthy version of Paniyaram..
 

 

 

With no much waiting, jump on to the recipe..

 

Nellikai Urukai/Gooseberry Pickle/Amla Pickle

I had already posted gooseberry pickle.But had not posted any step by step photos.Last week a friend of mine gave a bag full of fresh gooseberries when she visited us.My mom makes yummy pickles and luckily she was there at our home at that time.So the very next day my mom made yummy yummy pickles and I clicked the step photos.This time to increase the shelf life of the pickle I didn't steam cook the gooseberries in the steamer instead I sauted it much so that it gets cooked...

 

Try this tasty Amla/Nellikai/Gooseberry pickle..U will fall in love with it..

 

For the recipe click READ MORE below:

 

Appala Kootu/Papad Ki Sabji

 I had been lazying around for the past one week.My Kids had a week off from their school and we had been to my hometown after an year.It is always  nice to get back to your hometown and meet some of your old friends...This makes u feel young n energetic...

 

It was quite hard to get back to my routine!!!I was very lazy to cook ...Suddenly remembered my athai's Appalam Kootu which she used to make whenever she runs out of vegetables.So with a simple Vatha Kuzhambu and a appalam kootu I started cooking my lunch.This appalam kootu goes well with the Kara Kuzhambu/Vathal Kuzhambu.

 

This Kootu can be made within minutes and it can be served as a side dish for the rice or as a main gravy...

 

For the recipe click READ MORE below: