Pineapple- Blackberry Upside-Down Cake

For the longest I have been wanting to make Pineapple Upside-Down Cake. A few weeks ago Nithya Krishnan, a member of the Chef at Large group had posted a picture of the upside-down cake that she had made. She was also gracious enough to provide us with the link to the recipe that she had followed. It was a recipe by Trisha Yearwood on Food Network. I looked at that link and at another recipe that I had seen and compared the two. I decided to modify Trisha Yearwood's recipe and make the cake. In my home there is an abundance of fresh fruits at all times. I do not use canned fruits. Hence,instead of canned pineapple, I have used fresh pineapple instead of canned and blackberries instead of cherries.I have to confess though that the berries gave the pineapples a star-burst appearance which some may not find aesthetically pleasing.I have also used coconut oil instead of margarine and reduced the amount of butter used.You can find the original recipe here. When I made the batter, I worried that the batter was too thick and that it may not be enough for the pan I used instead of the square 8 inch x8 inch pan that the recipe called for. I had to literally spread the batter over the pineapples so that they all could be covered. This had me worried that the cake layer would be too thin. I figured, if not a cake, I might just end up with a pie.In the end though, I realised that I worried needlessly. The cake was soft, fluffy and the right thickness. The taste was delicious with the right amount of sweetness. My colleagues said it was Purrfect! The cake was gone in no time! That was good for someone who made it the for the first time. I  would definitely make this again. I am also looking forward to making an eggless version of it.

Servings: 8

Ingredients:

Pineapple: 1/2 pineapple sliced into rings( about 6-8 rings), central core removed.
Blackberries: 10-12
Brown sugar: 1/2cup
Butter : 2 tbsp
Flour : 1 1/2 cups
Baking powder: 2tsps
Salt: 1/4 tsp
Egg: 1 large
Coconut oil: 1/3 cup
Sugar: 2/3cup
Vanilla essence: 1 tsp
Milk: 2/3 cup

Method:

Heat the oven to 350 degree F.
Place a baking pan ( I used a 13 x 9 pan, you could use a smaller pan for thicker cake)on low heat on the stove, add butter. When the butter is just melted, turn off the flame. Sprinkle brown sugar. Now place the pineapple rings in a single layer completely lining  up the bottom of the pan. Fill the center hole of each pineapple with blackberries. Keep it aside.

Sift together flour, salt and baking powder. Keep aside.

Beat together coconut oil, egg,vanilla and sugar until the sugar has completely dissolved and the mixture is creamy. Now fold into this mixture flour and milk alternatively in batches,mixing gently. Be careful not to overmix.

Pour this batter over the pineapple-berries, making sure that the pan is completely covered.

Place on the center rack of the oven and Bake for 25-30 mins at 350 deg F. Test with a toothpick to check if it is done. It should come out clean.

Let it cool for 10 mins. Using a knife loosen it from the sides of the pan. Place the serving tray on top of the pan and gently overturn it. Leave it like that for 5mins. Then cut and serve! 

Enjoy! 

Cooking made easy:

There was a time when I used to hesitate to bring whole pineapple home as I used to find cutting it an extremely tedious process. Not anymore! Cutting a pineapple is actually very easy. Here are the steps:

1. Cut the leafy crown of the pineapple, discard it.
2. Now keep it upright on the cutting board and with the knife shave off the peel using vertical strokes, turning the pineapple in a clockwise motion.
3.Now cut the pineapple into 2 halves vertically.
4. Cut each half again vertically into 2 equal halves.
5. Vertically slice off the central hard portion of each quarter.
6. Now place each quarter horizontally and cut it into bite size pieces.

 If you want to slice it into rings, after step 2, place the pineapple horizonatlly on the cutting board and cut it into rings of desired thickness. Remove the central core.

I shall definitely take pictures and add them to this post next time I cut a pineapple.

Tip for healthy living:

Eating pineapple 2-3 hours after a meal is supposed to help burn off belly fat and bloating. This is due to the presence of Bromelain in pineapple that is supposed to help digest proteins. Bromelain is also supposed to have anti-inflammatory properties and helps relieve arthritis pain. Pineapple is a rich source of vitamin C which is known to help with the immune system. Elderly Indians believe that pregnant women should avoid pineapple as it promotes miscarriage/ labor. Why? I have not been able to find any articles stating the reason.

References:

http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=34
http://www.doctoroz.com/videos/your-over-35-survival-kit

http://www.doctoroz.com/videos/mocktail-drink-recipes

Food for Thought:

Every action has an equal and opposite reaction.(Sir Issac Newton).

Chilli Chicken

My foray into cooking Chinese cuisine is thanks to my cousin Ashita Didi. Everything I did before that is insignificant, irrelevant ! It all began with our get-together at my other cousin Geetanjali's place in Michigan. My aunt and uncle were visiting so we all decided to come together and spend some quality family time over a long weekend. That weekend changed my way of cooking Chinese food forever! Thank you for that Ashita didi!

Servings: 4

Ingredients :

Boneless chicken breast: 1 lb cleaned and cut into bite size pieces ( my pieces in the picture are a little bigger than what I would have wanted as I had made them with another dish in mind but ended up using them for this!).

For marination of chicken:
Soy sauce : 1 tbsp
Lemon juice: 1 tbsp
Corn flour: 1 tbsp
Black pepper powder: 1 tsp
Salt: 1 tsp

For the sauce:
Onion: 2 medium, diced, big
Garlic: 6-8 small cloves,chopped julienne
Ginger:2 inch piece,chopped julienne
Green chillies: 4-6 ( depending on your spice level and the spice level if the chilli ), chopped fine
Capsicum/Green Bell pepper: 1 large , diced big.
Soy sauce : 1 tbsp +4tbsp
Vinegar: 1 tbsp
Corn flour: 1 tbsp+ 1 tsp
Spring onions : 1 bunch, chopped fine
Cooking Oil : 3 tbsp+ 2 tbsp
Water : 1 cup( optional)
Salt to taste
Sugar: pinch

Method:

Marinate chicken with 1 tsp salt, 1 tbsp soya sauce,  1 tbsp lemon juice, 1 tsp black pepper powder, 1 tbsp corn flour. Mix well and keep aside for atleast 20 mins in the fridge.

Mix  1 tsp corn starch and  4 tbsp soy sauce and keep aside.

Heat a wok on high heat 3 tbsp oil. Fry  the marinated chicken in a single layer and keep aside in a plate/ dish. You might need to fry it in batches depending on the size of your wok. Chicken breast cooks pretty quickly when done on high heat. Make sure that you don't overcook or undercook your chicken. If overlooked, the chicken will be dry. If undercooked most likely you will get a tummy upset!:(. How do you know the chicken is done? It generally turns white and when you cut it in the middle it should not be pink!

Heat the same wok on high heat,add the remaining oil. When the oil  is hot, add garlic , then ginger. Saut� for 30 secs, then add chopped onions, saut� for 2 minutes.Now add green chillies, then bell pepper and saut� for another minute.Now add the cooked chicken,cornstarch-soy sauce mixture and mix well. Add salt as needed, pinch of sugar and vinegar. Add 1/2- 1 cup water and mix well if you don't want it dry.Let it cook for 3-4 mins.

Garnish with finely chopped spring onions/ scallions.

Serve with hot jasmine rice!

Enjoy!

Cooking made easy:

I have said this before, when you bring home chicken from the store, before dumping it into the freezer, try cleaning it and applying a basic marinade of lemon juice, salt and pepper and then freeze it in batches in small plastic containers or freezer bags.This way you can pull out a bag, thaw it and cook chicken anytime you want without having to spend additional time cleaning, marinating etc. Dinner is ready!

Tip for Healthy Living:

Today, lets discuss organic vs regular chicken. So, how is organic chicken different? Organic means that the chicken has been fed organic feed, given outdoor access and has not the use of antibiotics has been avoided. Organic feed means grains that are not genetically modified and grains whose crop has not been treated with synthetic pesticides.This means that these chicken have less chemical residues in their bodies and therefore are more healthy. Whenever possible it is best to use organic chicken. 

References:

http://www.ams.usda.gov/AMSv1.0/getfile?dDocName=STELPRDC5102526

http://www.nal.usda.gov/afsic/pubs/ofp/ofp.shtml

http://www.wholefoodsmarket.com/blog/whole-story/what-makes-organic-chicken-organic

http://www.foodsafetynews.com/2013/08/organic-vs-non-organic-whats-the-difference/#.Uypn7fldVAE

Food for thought

Tomorrow is not guaranteed for anyone! ( unknown).

Meatless Monday Garlic Saut�ed Spinach With Slivered Almonds

This is a really long name for a simple dish with very few ingredients. This dish was inspired by a dish by the name of " Catalan Spinach". I came across this dish in allthatsdelicious, a blog by Priyadarshini. Once I saw this , the name " Catalan spinach" kept going in circles in my head. It was as if I was haunted by the name. The funny part is that I had not even paid attention to the recipe. After days of being haunted, I decided to give this ghost a rest. I went looking for the blog and the recipe. Once I looked at it, I liked what I saw and decided to give it a try. I of course didn't have all the required ingredients and being a firm believer in using what is available in your kitchen, I modified the recipe. The end result was this quick,simple  yet amazingly tasty dish.

Servings: 4

Ingredients:

Spinach: 1 bunch
Olive oil: 1tbsp
Butter: 1 tsp
Garlic: 6 cloves chopped and then lightly crushed.
Almonds:6 -8 slivered
Red Raisins: 1 tbsp
Chilli pepper flakes: 1/2 tsp
Sugar: 1/2 tsp
Salt: 1/2 tsp
Vinegar: 1tsp

Method:

Clean the spinach thoroughly to get rid of any residual sand. Boil 4 quarts water with 1/2 tsp salt. Add the spinach to boiling water. Let it cook for 3-4 minutes.

Then blanch it by putting it in cold water, drain and keep it aside.

Heat a saut� pan/ frying pan on medium heat. Add the butter and the olive oil.

Now add the garlic and saut�  until you smell the fragrance of garlic. 

Add the raisins, chilli flakes and slivered almonds. Saut� until they turn a little brown. 

Now add the drained spinach, sugar,vinegar an saut� for 3-4 minutes until the spinach is warm. 

Add salt as needed.

Serve warm with hot rice/ bread/ baked fish/ bake chicken.

Cooking made easy:

To clean greens effectively ,soak them in cold tap water with a few drops of vinegar for 3-5 minutes. This will make the sand/mud/dirt in the green settle at the bottom.Then rinse couple more times . Chop the greens after cleaning them. This ensures that you don't lose the essential nutrients and vitamins.

Tip for healthy living:

All fruits and vegetables are best cleaned by soaking it for 2-3 minutes in cold water with a few drops of vinegar. Then rinse and air-dry them.

Food for thought:

Once bitten, twice shy.(unknown).

Idli Usli ( Idli Upma)

Whenever I make idli batter,I generally make double the amount of batter than needed for one breakfast and make extra idlis so that I can make idli upma the next day for breakfast. It is absolutely yummy especially with lots of green chillies finely chopped and fried and the distinct appetizing aroma of asofoetida (hing).

Servings: 4

Ingredients:

Leftover idlis: 12 nos, crumpled fine but not mushed.
Coconut oil: 1 tbsp
Mustard seeds: 1/2 tsp
Curry leaves : 1 sprig
Urad dal: 1/2 tsp(optional)
Green chillies: 3 chopped very fine
Asofoetida( good quality): a pinch
Shredded coconut: 2 tbsp
Salt :1/4 tsp
Sugar: 1/4 tsp

Method:

Heat oil in a saut� pan/ wok on medium heat. Add mustard seeds and splutter them. Now add urad dal, curry leaves and slit green chilies  and saut� until the urad dal turns a little golden color ( don't let it burn). Reduce the flame to low and add the powdered idlis, salt and asofoetida. Saut� for 4-5 minutes on low heat until the idlis are a warm and you smell the nice aroma of slightly fried idlis. Now sprinkle the sugar, shredded coconut and mix well.

Serve warm. Enjoy by itself or with some chips or any numkeen.

Cooking made easy:

My husband loathes plain one texture food items. He likes his food to be colorful. To achieve this, my variation of  the above Usli is the  UPMA with the addition of cooked green peas just before adding the powdered idlis. This addition of veggies is also helpful with kids so that they get their vegetable intake in one dish.

Tip for healthy living:

Try to add as much variety into the foods. Variety means colors and colors means variety. When your plate is colorful and has variety in it you have a nourishing diet. Every color in food is significant as it contributes a different nutrient to our body. By being colorful, you get as many nutrients in one meal as possible.

Food for thought:

Life is unpredictable. ( unknown).

Bhajile Idli (Fried Idlis)

I have fond memories of my childhood associated with fried Idlis. My mother used to make them as a snack when I came home from school.Even today, fried idlis are one of my favorite evening snacks with a cup of tea. I also like it for breakfast. It is a easy-breezy breakfast item as the idlis are already made. All you have to do is slice them and fry them. There are many variations of fried idlis. One of my aunts(Pushpa Mahve)  fries them with chutney powder.

I mostly do mine the way Amma makes it, using asofoetida powder/solution. I am partial to the smell of asofoetida.

Servings: 2

Ingredients:

Idlis: 6 nos
Oil: 1 tbsp ( I use coconut oil, any vegetable oil can be used)
Salt: 1/4 tsp
Asofoetida powder: 1/8 tsp

Method:

Slice idlis horizontally into 2 equal pieces and keep aside.

Heat skillet/ griddle on medium heat. Smear oil. When the skillet is hot, place the sliced idlis in concentric circles. Sprinkle little salt and asofoetida. Let it fry for 3-4 mins on low flame.

Add some oil to the skillet and turn the idlis over and repeat the same process until they are golden brown.

Serve hot right off the skillet with some wet chutney or by itself!

Enjoy!

Cooking made easy:

Like I mentioned earlier, there are other ways of making fried idlis. My aunt sprinkles dry chutney powder over the idli slices and lets them roast. I guess any dry chutney powder would work.She also makes another variation by  slicing the idlis into small cubes instead of slicing them horizontally. That too tastes good.

 When your idlis don't turn out soft and fluffy, don't be disheartened. Fried idlis are a great way to make use of idlis that didn't turn out that great. This is what I call " best out of waste".

Tip for healthy living :

Frequent small meals is better way to eat than large infrequent meals. When you eat frequent small meals, you keep the blood sugar level, thereby preventing spikes and dips. This in turn translates into better energy throughout the day and greater productivity. Another benefit of frequent small meals is that it boosts the metabolism thereby burning calories throughout the day and hence preventing weight gain.

Food for thought:

Hope keeps the world going.( unknown).

Idli ( Steamed Rice-Lentil Cake)

Idlis are ubiquitous in South Indian homes, restaurants, cafes. There are even roadside vendors selling steaming hot idlis for pittance.  Idlis can be served for breakfast, lunch or dinner.

There are several ways of making idlis. The Tamilians ( people from Tamilnadu) make it soft, light and fluffy. Their batter is ground lentil and rice with/without methi seeds and beaten rice/ poha in it. Then there are the idlis that Manglorean Catholics make called sannas which are idlis with bread like texture, puffiness & lightness. This batter is made with parboiled rice and toddy is used for fermentation. Then there are idlis in between with different textures.

My mother likes soft idlis , but I never liked the idlis she made. The idlis taste like a lump of steamed batter of urad dal for me. It is one of the very few things that she makes that I don't like :(

I like my idlis soft but not mushy. I like them to crumble nicely with some texture. Not a lump of steamed batter! The way I make my idlis is  easy with less work( grinding).

Here is my version of idli that my household absolutely loves!

Servings: 4

Ingredients:

Urad dal: 1/2 cup
Idli rava ( rice rava): 1 cup
Water: 1 to 1 1/2 cups to grind urad dal
Salt to taste ( approximately 3/4 tsp)

Method:

Soak Urad dal for 5-6 hours.

Wash idli rava/ rice rava thoroughly and keep aside.

Blend urad dal in a blender adding water little at a time until it rises to 3 times the volume you started with. Make sure you give the motor of the blender some rest in between. The consistency of the ground urad dal should be fluffy  and light ,not runny.
Pour the blended urad dal in a big bowl/ container.

Now mix the washed idli rava with the  urad dal , cover and let it sit overnight to ferment. If living in cold region, you can keep it in the cold oven/ microwave overnight.

Next  morning add  salt to the batter and mix well.

Ensure that the batter has fermented well. You can know this when the batter has risen a little in the container. Inadequte fermentation leads to poor quality idlis.

If the batter is too thick, add a little water. The consistency of the batter should be slightly thick ( thicker than dosa batter).

Grease the idli mold with ghee/ butter, fill it with batter until 2/3 full and steam in the idli steamer / pressure cooker ( without using the weight) for 10 minutes on medium- high flame.Turn off the heat and let it cool down in the steamer for another 10 minutes before taking them out of the mold.

Serve hot with sambar/ chutney or both.

Cooking made easy:

The urad dal to rice ratio is 1:2 for raw rice rava and 1:2.5 for parboiled rice rava. This is the ratio that had worked for me .

The urad dal when ground in a stone grinder is fluffier and lighter. The fluffier the urad dal, the lighter the idli.

You know the idli is done( well cooked) by testing it with a toothpick. Insert a toothpick into the center of the idli. If it comes out clean, the idli is cooked well.

Once you remove the idlis, place them in a airtight container/ hot box as idlis left uncovered tend to develop a dry hard crust  on the top.

I generally make double the amount of batter than stated above as I make idli Upma or fried idlis the next day for breakfast or evening snack.

Tip for healthy living:

Idlis are inexpensive but a complete food with a perfect combination of carbohydrate and protein complementing each other. When served with chutney and sambar, it is a balanced meal providing you with all the essential dietary nutrients while being low in calories;unless of course one tops it with a dollop of butter or ghee(clarified butter).

Food for thought:

Speech is silver, but silence is Golden. ( unknown).

Meatless Monday Moolangi ( Radish) Sambar

I am the kind who drools over vegetables! Today, I am proud to be part of Meatless Monday.Meatless Monday is a organization whose goal is to reduce global meat consumption.For more information about Meatless Monday go here.I am thankful to Mrs Sonal Gupta for introducing me to this movement.She has a great blog http://simplyvegetarian777.wordpress.com.

As a child, I never ate moolangi/ radish. This is because my mother never bought or cooked moolangi. Why???because she does not like the smell that it imparts while cooking. I always wanted to find out how it tasted. When I started living on my own, I started using radish. I like it, especially when I make this sambar out of it. The smell of it when it cooks is a little unpleasant , but that's only temporary. The taste is great.

Servings: 4

Ingredients:

Moolangi /White radish: 2 medium length ones.
Onion: 1 medium chopped
Tur dal: 1/4 cup
Sambar powder: 1 1/2 tsp
Chilli powder:1/4 tsp
Turmeric powder: 1/4 tsp
Jaggery/ brown sugar: 1/2 tsp
Tamarind: marble sized if dry,( 1/4 tsp if pulp)
Water: 1 cup+ 1 cup
Mustard seeds  : 1/4 tsp
Curry leaves: 1 sprig
Asofoetida: pinch
Cilantro ( coriander leaves): 1/4 cup chopped.

Method:

Cook tur dal  thoroughly with 1 cup water in the pressure cooker and keep aside. When cooled, whip it lightly so that it becomes homogenous.

With a knife/ peeler scrape the peel of the radish. Wash it and slice it into 0.5 cms thickness slices.

Add one cup water, salt and cook it on the stove-top. When half cooked, add the chopped onions. Should take about 10-15 mins max for the radish to cook.

In the mean time take 1/2 cup warm water and make a tamarind solution. Add sambar powder, chilli powder, turmeric powder, jaggery and mix well.

To the cooked radish, add the tur dal. Mix well.

Now add the tamarind & sambar powder mixture and let it come to a boil. Turn off the flame.

In a small frying pan, heat oil, add mustard. Once the mustard splutters, add curry leaves and asofoetida powder. Add it to the sambar.

Garnish with freshly chopped cilantro/ coriander leaves.

Serve hot with rice/ idlis.

Enjoy!

Cooking made easy:

I tend to clean as I cook. This makes sure that I do not have a whole pile of dishes and a messy kitchen waiting to be cleaned when I am already tired of cooking. 

Tip for healthy living:

Radish has a whole lot of health benefits. They are potent detoxifiers and therefore purify the liver. It provides much needed dietary fiber and roughage hence preventing constipation.It also is filling and helps us get satiated quickly.They also are supposed to have anti-inflammatory and anti-carcinogenic properties.

References:
http://www.webmd.com/vitamins-supplements/ingredientmono-502-RADISH.aspx?activeIngredientId=502&activeIngredientName=RADISH
http://www.organicfacts.net/health-benefits/vegetable/health-benefits-of-radish.html

Food for thought: 

A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. ( Lao Tzu).