Jam Studded Cake

Everyone expects fruit cake at Christmas time but that takes a long time and a lot of effort to make. This Jam Studded Cake technically has fruit in it by way of the strawberry jam. This cake is unusual in using vegetable oil instead of butter and the large number of eggs used. It can be served without accompaniment as a snack, or with ice cream as an after-dinner dessert. You can use either pineapple jam or marmalade if you do not like strawberry jam, in which case you will need to use pineapple or orange essence instead of strawberry essence.

Jam Studded Cake

Rice Flour Cookies with Cardamom and Vanilla

It is customary to leave cookies for Santa on the night before Christmas. I came across this unusual recipe in a book called 1001 Best Baking Recipes of All Time. I was struck by the unusual list of ingredients like rice flour and cardamom with vanilla. I had never used this combination earlier in cookies. When I baked these, I fell in love with both the unique flavour and texture. So, I thought why not give this to Santa – and by Santa, I mean myself 😀

Rice Flour Cookies with Cardamom and Vanilla

Kala’s Yellow Corn and Carrot Pulav

January-March is the season for luscious yellow corn. It has a bland sweetish flavour and a crunchy texture which adds character to a dish. I have always loved sweet corn and chicken soup and wondered if I could get the same flavour with rice – and I could! I added coconut milk to give the rice rich flavour. It is a favourite in my house, and it goes very well with both vegetarian (Sweet and Sour Brinjal Masala, Dry Peas Curry) and non-vegetarian (Kala’s Chicken and Capsicum Curry, Kovilpatti Chicken Curry) side dishes. It is also a very attractive dish which can be served at festivals and to guests.

Kala’s Yellow Corn and Carrot Pulav

Date Bar For Your Fit Valentine

If your date lifts or runs, they may turn their nose up at traditional candy treats. However, these macro trackers usually cannot resist the word Protein and Energy 😀 I found this recipe for a Date Bar in The Complete Family Cook Book. I was quite reluctant to make this as my son doesn’t like fruits and nuts, but he doesn’t lift or run anyway so he doesn’t really need this 😀 My daughter and I just wolf these down, and I can testify that I become full of energy after even a single bar.

Date Bar For Your Fit Valentine

Kala’s Baby Corn Manchurian

The late ‘90s saw Cauliflower Manchurian become wildly popular in Tamil Nadu. I do not know why it is called Manchurian because it has no link to that region, but its popularity drove me to try it out. I then make the Manchurian with Baby Corn, as my son refuses to eat cauliflower. The spice mix used here for making the masala paste is entirely my creation.

Kala’s Baby Corn Manchurian

Kala’s Paneer, Capsicum and Baby Corn Pulav

I have a fondness for pulavs and fried rice and like to come up with my own recipes. I have seen rice recipes using paneer by famous chefs, but I wasn’t impressed with the taste. As paneer is rather bland, I added capsicum to enhance the flavour. I also added baby corn because it complements capsicum. I usually serve this dish with hot and sweet tomato chutney as it goes well with the mild flavour of this dish.

Treacle Raisin Cake

I bought a bottle of treacle and then wanted to make something that used treacle. I set about reading about treacle and the way it is used in recipes. I discovered this recipe in a book from my daughter’s cookbook collection that was given to her in 1988. I was delighted to find that the cake is easy to make and the finished product is very good. My daughter suggested that adding crushed cashew nuts or almonds would transform this cake from being just energy rich to also flavour rich.

Treacle Raisin Cake

Kala’s Chocolate Bread Pudding

Christmas is a time of heavy feasting, with dishes like Turkey Biriyani and Chicken Roast filling the stomach almost to capacity. There isn’t much room for dessert, which is why light desserts are required to add a final flourish to the festive meal. My cousin Ebenezer Edwin, who was the choirmaster and organist of Egmore Wesley Church, was very fond of chocolate bread pudding and his wife Helen used to make it very well. She gave me the recipe in just 4 sentences, and it was a big flop when I made it. As usual, I set about creating a recipe of my own which could be made easily in the Indian kitchen. I like to bake puddings but those who do not wish to do so can even steam it.

Kala’s Chocolate Bread Pudding

Kala’s Chocolate Bread Pudding Slice

Chocolate Coated Spicy Donuts for Santa

Advent is when we make plans for Christmas, especially for Christmas Eve when Santa drops in. We usually leave cookies and milk for Santa, but I’m sure he’d like a bit of variety in his diet. I decided to make donuts and preferred to bake rather than fry them because I wouldn’t want Santa to get stuck in the chimney 🙂 I added spices used in fruit cakes to add variety, and the chocolate icing to add extra ‘Christmas’ to the donuts. Santa may get chocolate stains on his beard instead of cookie crumbs, so remember to leave a serviette for him.

Kala’s Easy To Make Aloo Paratha (Potato Stuffed Indian Wheat Bread)

Coming from Thirunelveli where we didn’t use much wheat back in the day, my introduction to Aloo Paratha was in Delhi where I attended a Summer Institute in Lady Irwin College in 1969. When we went on a tour, the North Indian cooks prepared very light parathas for us with a pickle as side dish. It was really delicious with good satiety value. When I got married I tried this out, but it took a very long time to cook this, and the parathas were very heavy. Now with my daughter’s help I have created my own recipe which has very few ingredients, and is easy to make. I also serve it with Fresh Mango Pickle and Boiled Lime Pickle.

 

Kala’s Easy To Make Aloo Paratha