CARROT CAKE - HOME MADE

CARROT CAKE - HOME MADE: This is one of the most baked cake in my household especially by my mother. The best thing about the cake it is easy to make right from the scratch. And yeah....you do not need too many ingredients or hi- fi ones....all simple ingredients available at home. And the icing part....is that really necessary????? I really do not think so...in case you need, you may try out one...even a simple butter icing would be perfect on it. I have used vegetable oil instead of Butter as a more healthier option.The cake is not a very sweet one. If you need it more sweet, add more sugar.

INGREDIENTS:

Maida or Allpurpose Flour  -1Cup

Vegetable Oil - 1/2 Cup

or Butter - 1/2 Cup

Sugar - 1/2 Cup

Egg - 2

Soda Powder - less than 1/4 teaspoon

Baking Soda - less than 1/4 teaspoon

Carrot - 1 Big

Vanilla essence Powder - a pinch (optional)

METHOD: 

Mix maida, vanilla powder, Soda Powder and Baking Soda in a bowl. In a mixer, Grind carrot pieces, oil, sugar and eggs until it becomes very smooth. Pour it little by little (two or three times)  into the maida powder mix and fold it in completely without forming any lumps. Transfer the same into a baking dish. Preheat the oven at 110 degrees for around 3 minutes. Bake it for 20 mins at 170 degrees. Cake is ready. Cut the same after cooling.

NB: 

In case you do not have an Oven, the same can be done using a pressure cooker also. Place the cake mixture into an aluminium or steel bowl. Place the same in a pre- heated pressure cooker (heat it for few minutes) and close using the lid after removing the weight. Check after cooking for 20 minutes. If not, cook the same till it is done.

Always spray the baking tin or bowl with some butter and Maida. This will help the cake from not sticking to the bowl. 

Pierce a sharp knife or skewer into the middle of the cake and pull it back. If it comes out clean, the cake is completely baked. The top layer would also be brown. 

KOZHUKATTA or SWEET RICE DUMPLING

KOZHUKATTA or SWEET RICE DUMPLING: This is one dish which can be eaten as breakfast, snack and even as a desert. I am sure every keralite would have had a number of times. Well, there are variations to kozhukatta. The one that I am presenting here is the sweet one. At my husband’s place they call it thuru vecha kozhukatta (no idea why they call it that way....hopefully some Trivandrum person will be kind enough to explain that).

 I also remember my mother making the non sweet version (even my elder sister in law makes it. She loves it that way). But both the versions are different.

 My grand mom used to make it in the traditional way. She used to soak the rice and cumin and grind them and scraped coconut is also used. But I am not sure of the traditional way of making it. My mom used to make it the easy way. So, I am following her footsteps. J

This sweet rice dumpling can be made of sugar or palm jaggery (chakkara) or jaggery (sharkara). I have used palm jaggery here. I will try to post the non sweet version soon.

INGREDIENTS:

Rice powder – 1.5 cup

Hot boiling water - 2 cups

Jaggery – around ¼ cup

Scrapped coconut – around ¼ cup

(The following ingredients are optional.)

Cumin seeds or jeerakam– ¼ teaspoon

Cardamom seeds or Elachi or elekka– 2 to 3

Dry ginger or chukku – a pinch

Salt – a pinch

METHOD:

Mix the scraped coconut and Jaggery along with the spices (which are optional). Take the rice powder in a bowl. Sprinkle with salt. Add hot boiling water little by little and mix at the same time. This will ensure you do not have any lumps and the water gets absorbed evenly. Close the bowl with a lid. Leave for few minutes.

Knead the dough with the hand. Be careful as the dough is hot. The dough will have the consistency of a bit loose chapatti or slightly loose pastry mix. It should not be watery.

Once kneaded, make balls out of it. Once you make a ball, immediately flatten it on the palm of your hand (dip your fingers in water before flattening if the mixture is sticky). Add the coconut mixture to the centre and bring back the flattened dough ends to form a ball.

Once all the dumpling balls are made, place it in a steamer and steam for about 5 to 7 minutes and serve. You may serve it hot or cold.

NB: Once you roll the dumpling ball, you may roll it between your palms to ensure they get a proper round shape.

When you flatten the dough, do not make it too thin as the ball may break and leak the sugar or jaggery juice into your steamer.

Avoid putting cumin and dry ginger together; I personally do not like the taste. You may do it, if you like the combination.

Depending on your sweetness level adjust the jaggery or sugar.  

CHENDAMURI or RIPE BANANA DESERT or ETHAKKA VAZATTIYATHU

CHENDAMURI or RIPE BANANA DESERT or ETHAKKA VAZATTIYATHU: This is one desert that my husband can’t get over with. The first time I heard about chendamuri was after marriage. My mother in law makes it. I guess this dish reminds my husband about his childhood.

This dish is made with jaggery or palm jaggery, ripe bananas and ghee. It is a very simple dish. My 9 month old also seems to be a great fan of it. I have used palm jaggery.

INGREDIENTS:

Ripe Bananas – 2

Ghee or clarified butter -1 to 2 tablespoon

Palm Jaggery - to taste

Elachi or cardamom – 2 to 3 powdered

METHOD:

Cut the bananas into small pieces. Melt the jaggery with little hot water and sieve it to get rid of any particles or sand in it.

Take a heavy bottomed pan and add ghee to it. Add bananas and sauté for sometime till the bananas are tender.

Add jaggery and sauté till the whole liquid is absorbed. Season with cardamom and serve hot. You may garnish with cashew nuts.

 NB: You can also season with dry ginger if you like the taste.