Mango Cake

Mango cake is fabulous in taste and easy to make. I got this recipe from Showmethecurry website, they are wonderful ladies who make our lives much easier. I'm a really big fan of them as I have learnt a lot from them. Here is what you will need for making this recipe,

• 1 and 1/2 Cups All Purpose Flour
• 1 Tsp Baking Soda
• 1 Cup Sugar
• A pinch of Salt
• 10 Tbsp of Mango Pulp
• 1 Tbsp of White Vinegar
• 5 Tbsp of Oil
• 1 Cup Cold Water

Preheat the oven to 350degrees F.  Add flour, baking soda, sugar and salt into a mixing bowl. Mix it nicely. Now add mango pulp, vinegar, oil and water. Using a hand blender mix all the ingredients until there are no lumps. Pour the batter into greased 8X8 inch- 2 inch deep pan. Bake this in preheated oven for 40mins ( 35-40mins depending on your oven ). Check with a toothpick if the cake is baked correctly. Remove the pan from the oven and let it cool completely before icing and decorating.

Thukudi OR Spicy Bites!

Thukudi is usually a diamond shaped spicy bites which is perfect for tea/coffee time. Once you taste it, you will be addicted to this for sure. You can adjust the spice level if you are planning to give them to the kids'.

• 1 and 1/2 Cups Maida ( All Purpose Flour )
• 3 Tbsp of Sooji
• 1 Tbsp of Oil 
• 1 Tsp of Red Chili Powder ( or to taste )
• Salt to taste
• Water to make the dough

Oil for deep frying.

Take all the ingredients (except water) in a bowl and mix it. Now add water and make the dough like you do for poori's (dough should be on the dry side, a little). Cover and keep it aside for 10 minutes. Meanwhile keep oil in a pan for deep frying on medium to low heat. Now take a lemon sized ball from the dough and roll it like a chapati, using a rolling pin. Using a knife cut it into diagonal shaped bites and deep fry them. Remove them once they turn golden brown and place it on a paper towel to remove excess oil. Let it cool completely before  storing them. It really has a long shelf life. So you can make ahead of time and keep it for upto one month in any air tight container.

Starbucks Coconut Mocha Frappuccino Recipe

Coconut Mocha Frappuccino is a delicious coffee with coconuts and chocolates as additional flavors. This is my husbands top favorite as he likes coconut a lot! Here is the recipe,

• 1/2 Cup Coconut
• 1/2 Cup double strength Coffee
• 1 Cup Milk
• 3 to 4 Tbsp of Sugar 
• 3 to 4 Tbsp of Chocolate Syrup
• 2 and 1/2 Cups of Ice
• Whipped Cream

Fry the coconut using a pan ( or oven ) till they are brown ( make sure you don't burn them ). Let it cool completely. Keep a spoon of powder for garnishing. Now in a blender take the coconut powder, coffee, sugar, syrup and give it a nice mix. Add milk, whipped cream & ice and mix until the ice is crushed. Pour into 2 large glasses and garnish it with whipped cream, chocolate syrup and coconut powder. Serve immediately.

Moon Shaped Cookies Recipe!

These moon shaped cookies are easy to make and tasty. They are kids' favorite but will be loved by adults too. My friend Preetika used to make these yummy cookies and give it to me every time. Never bothered to learn until she left to India. I had to learn it as we are really fond of it. Here is the recipe,

• 1 Cup Maida ( All Purpose Flour )
• 1/2 Cup Sugar
• 1/2 Cup Ghee
• 1/4th Tsp Cardamom Powder
• Rose Essence, few drops ( Optional )

Take all the above ingredients and mix it to make a dough. Using hands, make small balls and give it moon shape using a glass ( you can also use cookie shaper if you have one ). Place these moon shaped cookies on the baking tray. Preheat the oven to 350degree F and bake the cookies for 15 minutes approximately. Remove and let it cool completely. Store in an air tight container.

Ashgourd (Pethu) Halwa Or Kashi Halwa

Kashi Halwa is a very popular Mangalore sweet. Ash gourd is a vegetable which is not used in major ritual functions but you can make this at home anytime you wish.. My Mom makes this delicious sweet occasionally and I learnt watching her. Note that the Ash gourd reduces to 1/4th of the initial quantity after you make this sweet.

• 4 Cut Pieces of Ash gourd ( approximately 1Kg )
• 200 to 400g Of Sugar
• 100ml of Ghee 
• Fried Cashews 
• Food Color ( Optional, I didn't add as I couldn't find one here! )

Peel and grate the Ash gourd but make sure you keep the water in that. Now in a pan add the grated Ash gourd along with its water ( no need to add additional water ) and keep it in a medium flame. Let it simmer for 1-2hrs. Keep stirring in between. Once the water gets reduced completely add the sugar and stir again. Keep stirring and when the sugar water reduces add ghee and stir again. Cook for another few minutes and when you see it gets the consistency of the halwa, switch of the stove. Pour immediately into another container. Add cashews for extra flavors. Serve hot or chilled. 

Samosa

Samosa is such an appetizer which is loved by almost everyone. The taste and crispiness of Samosa makes it a unique and yummy snack. You can make variety of fillings and get a different taste each time you make. Here is what you need,

For dough making,

• 1 Cup Maida ( All Purpose Flour )
• 1/4 Cup Sooji
• 1 Tbsp of Oil
• 1/4 Tsp Ajwain Seeds
• Salt To Taste
• Water for Kneading

For filling,

• 1 Onion ( Small )
• 2-3 Green Chilies ( depending on your taste ) 
• 1 Tsp Oil
• 1/2 Tsp Jeera Or Cumin Seeds
• 1/4 Tsp Turmeric Powder ( Haldi )
• 1/2 Tsp Garam Masala
• 1/4 Tsp Coriander Powder
• 1/2 Tsp Amchur Or Mango Powder
• Salt To Tate
• 3-4 Potato's Cut into Small Pieces and Boiled ( I prefer cut potato's instead of mashing! )
• 1/2 Cup Green Peas ( Cooked or Frozen )

To Make Dough - In a mixing bowl, take maida, sooji, ajwain seeds, salt & oil. To this add water to make a dough. Knead the dough like you do for Poori ( dough should be little dry side ). Cover and let it sit for few minutes.

To Make The Filling - In a pan add oil. Once it's hot add cumin seeds and next add green chilies. Fry and add onions and turmeric powder. Now fry for a minute. Add Green Peas and the remaining spices-coriander powder, garam masala, amchur and salt. Now add the cubed potatos and mix gently. Filling for the samosa is ready so switch off the stove.

To Make Samosa -  Take a lemon sized ball from the dough and roll it using a rolling pin. Roll it to make a naan( or roti ) shape. Or in other words roll it to make an oval shape ( not like chapati ). Now cut this into half. Take one of the semicircle & apply water ( or water-maida paste but i use water ) along the edge. Now make a cone using the semicircle and make sure it is sealed properly! Fill the cone with the vegetable filling and seal the mouth of the cone.  Do the same with rest of the dough and filling.

Frying - Heat oil in a pan for deep frying. Make sure the heat is medium ( or on the lower side ). Once the oil is ready, drop the samosas carefully. Fry them until they turn into golden color. Now remove from the pan and place them in the paper towel to absorb excess oil. Serve with tamarind or mint chutney.

Ghee Rice - Easy & Quick!!

There are so many varieties of Ghee Rice. If you are in hurry or you don't have much time to prepare a dish, then definitely this recipe is for you! It's quick and easy yet very tasteful. Here is what you need.

Ingredients

• Basmati Rice - 2 Cup
• Green Peas - 1/2 Cup
• Onions - 1 Large, sliced thinly
• Ghee - 3 to 4 Tbs
• Cinnamon - 1/2 " piece
• Green Cardamom - 2
• Cloves - 2
• Bay Leaves - 2
• Green Chillies - To Taste
• Cashews - 1/4 Cup (Optional)
• Water - 3 Cups
• Milk - 1&1/2 Cups
• Lemon Or Tamarind - Few Drops
• Salt - To Taste

Wash and soak the basmati rice for 10 to 15 minutes. Meanwhile slice the onions and cut the green chillies. Heat ghee in a heavy bottomed container (with lid) or pressure cooker. Add the cinnamon, green cardamom, bay leaves and cloves. Next add the green chillies and saute for a minute. Now add the onions and cashews. After frying these add in the green peas and add the water and milk. Close the lid and increase the heat to high. When steam starts, turn the heat to medium to low and open the lid slowly. Add the basmati rice (don't forget to remove the water) and the lemon or tamarind juice and salt. Stir & close the lid and cook for 8-10 minutes. Turn off the stove and mix well. Serve with Tomato Chilli Sauce or Veg Kurma. Enjoy :-)

Chocolate Rolls Using Marie Biscuits!

Here is an easy recipe of Chocolate Rolls which doesn't require any eggs! I got the recipe on the internet but have made some of the changes. Basically this has an outer chocolate layer filled with coconuts. Ingredients are

• 200g of Marie Biscuits
• 3-4 Tbsp of Cocoa Powder
• 3/4th Cup Milk
• 1 Cup of Coconut Powder
• 1/4 Cup of Powdered Sugar
• 1/2 tsp of Cardamom Powder
• 200g  of Sweetened Condensed Milk ( Approximately )

Using a blender, powder the marie biscuits ( make sure they are well powdered! ). To this powder add cocoa  and milk and knead it until the dough is smooth, but not watery! Keep this dough aside. Now in a bowl take the coconut powder, cardamom powder, sugar and mix it. To this add condensed milk to make a sticky mixture ( It should be sticky, add more condensed milk if desired. If the coconut mix is powdery you won't get the right rolls ).  Now take a small part of the dough which we had prepared earlier and using a rolling pin,roll it as you do for chapati. Apply the sticky coconut mixture on top of this. Now carefully roll them along with the coconut mixture to form a cylinder. Do the same for the remaining dough and coconut mixture. Keep these rolls in the freezer for 20 to 30 mins. Remove them and cut into pieces. Store them in the refrigerator for upto one week.

Chocolate Balls OR Chocolate Sticks!

Chocolate Balls is a yummy dessert which is made of mainly Marie Biscuits. It's filled with Coconut Powder which adds the taste. Here is the ingredients you will need,

• 200 to 250g of Marie Biscuits ( or any other plain biscuit but I prefer this!)
• 2-4 Tbsp of Cocoa Powder ( unsweetened )
• 1/4 Tsp of Cardamom Powder
• 1/2 to 3/4 Cup of Coconut Powder
• 1 Can of Sweetened Condensed Milk ( 396g )

Powder the Marie Biscuits using a blender. To this add Cocoa powder and Cardamom powder. Mix well and add the Coconut powder. Now add the sweetened condensed milk and make a dough ( make sure it's not sticky! ). Wash your hands and make balls or sticks using your hand. Roll them on the coconut powder to give a nice presentation. Serve chilled. 

Starbucks Mocha Frappuccino Recipe

This recipe is same as my previous post ' Starbucks Caramel Frappuccino ' , Substitute Caramel with Chocolate Syrup.

Ingredients

• 1/2 Cup Coffee
• 1 Cup Milk
• 3 to 4 Tbsp Sugar
• 3 Tbsp Chocolate Syrup
• 2 and 1/2 OR 3 Cups Ice
• Whipped Cream

Mix all the above ingredients in the blender until the ice is melt. Pour into glasses. Add whipped cream and chocolate syrup as toppings. Serve immediately and enjoy ;-)

Starbucks Caramel Frappuccino Recipe

Ever wondered how to make delicious Starbucks Caramel Frappuccino at home? It's easy once you know the recipe and you can prevent spending bucks on Starbucks! The taste is very close to the one we get in the coffee shop.

Ingredients you need,
* 1/2 Cup Coffee
* 1/2 to 1 Cup Milk
* 3 to 4 Tbsp Sugar
* 3 Tbsp Caramel Syrup
* 2 and 1/2 (or 3) Cups Ice
* Whipped Cream

Take all the ingredients and blend it until smooth. Pour it into two glasses and add whipped cream & caramel syrup as toppings. Enjoy the awesome coffee :-)