Tuesday, February 28, 2017

PAZHAM PORI / PLANTAIN FRY

Ingredients:
Plantain - 2 large or 3 medium
Non bleached all purpose flour or whole wheat flour - 1 cup
Rice flour or fine semolina - 1 tbsp
Sugar - 1 tbsp
Sugar to taste
Turmeric powder (optional) - a pinch
Oil to deep fry


Preparation:
Select ripe plantain. The skin must be black. Only then it tastes good.


Mix all the ingredients except oil and plantain in a mixing bowl. Add water to make batter of dosa or pancake consistency.


Peel the plantains and half them.


Now slice each piece to 4 to 6 pieces.


Heat oil in a heavy bottomed deep pan. When oil is hot enough to fry, dip plantain slits in the batter and fry until golden. When one side is golden turn and fry until the other side too is golden.




Serve hot with tea or coffee. It hoes best with black tea or black coffee.


Monday, February 27, 2017

BASIC BUTTERCREAM AND FEW VARIATIONS

Basic ingredients:
Butter - 1/2 cup
Icing sugar - 1 1/2 cup + (1/2 cup icing sugar for russian tulip piping)

For vanilla buttercream:
Vanilla extract - 1/2 tsp
Milk - 1 tsp

Orange buttercream:
Orange zest - 1/2 tsp
Fresh orange juice - 1 tsp

Chocolate buttercream:
Melted chocolate - 1 tbsp
Milk - 1 tsp
or
Add 1/2 cup cocoa powder
Vanilla extract - 1/2 tsp
Milk - 2 -3 tsp
Tip:
For strong chocolate flavor more cocoa powder and more milk accordingly can be added...

Lemon buttercream:
Lemon zest - 1/2 tsp
Lemon juice - 1 tsp

Any fruit flavor like raspberry, strawberry, pineapple etc:
Add 2- 4 tablespoon of particular jam or one tablespoon smoothly pureed fruits.
If necessary few drops of food coloring can be added.
Tip:
Use jam with no seed or fruit pieces. If not available please press through a sieve. For filling or spreading it doesn't matter.



Coconut buttercream:
Add 2 tablespoon of thick coconut cream.

Preparation:
Leave butter at room temperature overnight to make soft. Sift icing sugar and keep aside.
It is very important that the butter must be softened naturally to room temperature. If the butter is melted and cooled you don't get fluffy buttercream.

In a mixing bowl take softened butter.


Beat with hand mixer for about 5 minutes until it's pale and fluffy.

After beating for 1 minute.


After 5 minutes it became light, pale and fluffy.


Now add icing sugar teaspoon wise and mix well in low speed. When the added sugar is incorporated well add the next spoon. Scrap the sides using a spatula often.


When all the sugar is added, run the mixer at high speed for two minutes. Till this step is the basic recipe and at this point of time, flavor and some liquid for variations must be added as listed in the beginning.



I prepared vanilla buttercream. So clear vanilla extract and milk are added.

Soft and fluffy buttercream is now ready.


This butter cream is suitable for spreading over a cake, sandwiching between layers and also for piping.

If colored butter cream is required, add gel food colors and mix thoroughly.


I just showed three cupcakes frosted over flower shaped cupcakes.


This one is a flower using petal tip no: 123.


Or simply a star tip swirl.


If piping using Russian nozzles, the frosting must be stiffer to hold the shapes. So add another 1/2 cup of icing sugar to this basic butter cream. So the ratio is 1 part of butter to 4 parts of icing sugar.

Also it is very important to use icing sugar for smooth piping. If icing sugar is not easily available then you can prepare your own icing sugar. To get the recipe click here.



ICING SUGAR

Generally we use store bought icing sugar. But it's almost impossible to get non-bleached variation. And you must have it stock if you need to prepare some recipe that calls for icing sugar.


Now it's not at all a great secret to prepare your own icing sugar. As I live in Germany now, here icing sugar is not available in stores. Online shops provide, but too expensive, € 25 per kg. So I prepare my own icing sugar and store in a air-tight container. If you have sugar and corn flour at home you too can prepare.

Ingredients:
Sugar - 500 grams
Corn flour - 50 grams


Preparation:
Just add both the ingredients in a blender and blend together. Don't run continuously. Just pulse or run for a few seconds and then repeat until sugar gets powdered. Sift and use. So simple and good quality icing sugar is ready  

Wednesday, February 22, 2017

EGG DOSA FOR TODDLER

Ingredients:

Egg - 1
Idly batter - 1/4 cup
Salt to taste
Pepper powder - a pinch
Cumin powder - a pinch (optional)

Preparation:
Beat egg with salt, pepper powder and cumin powder.


Now add idly batter and mix well. This will be more watery than a dosa batter.


Heat a tawa and pour 1 ladle full of batter and rotate the pan to spread the batter all over.


When it's cooked on one side flip carefully and let it cook for just a few seconds.


Serve hot with any chytney.