The New Year is always welcomed with wine and cake, but you also need something substantial in your stomach to remain steady on your feet 🙂 My Bacon Wrapped Meat Loaf will provide loads of protein and fat to prepare you for your next trip around the sun. I had seen bacon wrapped dishes and wanted to try one myself. I created this recipe from scratch and a clip from a TV show taught me how to wrap bacon; my daughter came to my aid and did it to perfection.
India banned cow slaughter in 1977, so my husband’s friend used to refer to beef dishes as bull dishes as bull slaughter was (and is) allowed. My family loves the rich flavour of beef and I have been making this biriyani for 4 decades, especially for the Christmas feast. I created a beef biriyani recipe as mutton prices had soared and good mutton was hard to get. I have refined this recipe over the decades and it is now a sumptuous, satisfying, and irresistible treat. I serve it with my Sweet and Sour Brinjal Masala and Thayir Pachadi (Yoghurt and Onion Salad). I have now begun serving this biriyani with a boiled egg as well, as all the restaurants serve biriyani this way and it makes this biriyani extra festive.
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.
Dindugal Biriyani became very popular in Chennai during the early years of this century. It is unique in being very different from the conventional Tamil Muslim biriyani – it does not use basmati rice; the dry masala is broiled and powdered and includes stone flower and star anise; the green masala has onion and green chillies ground together with ginger and garlic. The Dindugal Thalapakatti Biriyani is the most famous version of this biriyani, but I was always unimpressed with it because it lacked the wholesomeness of biriyani and the explosion of flavours in your mouth. I tried out various recipes and slowly developed my own which retains the uniqueness of the original but is also delicious and appetising.
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.
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.
Happy Pongal everyone! I used to enjoy Aama Vadai as a child in both Thirunelveli and Madurai. I was surprised to find that very few people knew about Aama Vadai in Chennai. The characteristic feature of the Aama Vadai is the use of 3 dhals, unlike the Ulundhu Vadai or Masala Vadai which only uses one dhal. This vadai has a very mild flavour, and, therefore, is typically served with or as an accompaniment.
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.
Christmas is the time when guests drop in casually, and you would like to be able to serve a hearty meal quickly. This Chicken and Potato Roast doesn’t take much time to cook, and you can continue with other preparations while it is marinating. Though it is a simple dish, it has a special something that can turn food into a feast. My daughter found this recipe on the net, and I modified it to suit the Indian kitchen and palate.
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 Kalai 