Karinelika Achar (Black Gooseberry Pickle)

Ingredients

 Nellika  ( amla / gooseberry)  - 3 kg

 Sea Salt                       - 2 cups

Water   -   4 ½  cups

Sesame seed   oil   -  ¾  cup

Asafoetida    -   1 big piece (3 inch)

De-seeded dry   red   chilli  -  12

Mustard   -   ¾  cup

Fenugreek   -    3tsp

Crushed   black pepper   -  4 tbsp

Turmeric   powder  - 1tsp

Red chilli powder  - 3 tbsp

Sugar  -  2 tbsp

Garlic   - 1 cup heap

Julienned   ginger  - 1 tbsp

New  earthen pot 

Preparation

In a saucepan , boil water and add sea salt , stir and let it cool.

Wash and clean the new pot and put the amla in.

Pour salt water and close the pot with banana leaf.

Keep the pot on wood fire.

(as salt water might drip from the pot, the  metal burner stove is likely to

get damaged)

Let it  boil . Stir in between.

As the fire settles, the red hot wood will give steady low heat.

Preferably, next day, repeat the same process  till  the water is fully dried and the amla turns black .

Heat sesame seed oil in a wok  ;  fry asafoetida piece. Take it out and powder it.

(readymade asafoetida powder lacks sharp flavour)

In the same oil, fry red chilli, garlic and ginger and keep aside;

Add turmeric powder in the remaining oil. Now, add mustard and

fenugreek, as it  splutters  ,add  crushed  black pepper and chilli powder.

Finally add fried chilli and all remaining  ingredients and sugar.

Take the pot  from  fire and   let  it cool and then mix in the black  amla.

Store in clean glass jars  or (barani).

As it ages, it is really   YUM.

Even the seed of the amla  tastes  good.

This pickle is worth all the effort put in it.

The fire, the smoke, pepper, asafoetida, mustard ,garlic  all add  taste to the

Sour, sweet  amla.

Meat Samosa

Ingredients

Minced meat       - ½  kg

Chopped onion    - ¼ kg

Chopped fresh coriander leaves -  a bunch

Mint leaves             - 3 tbsp

Green chillies          - 6

Lemon                      - ½

Coriander  powder – 1 tbsp

Sauf powder            -  ½  tbsp

Garam masala         -  ½ tsp

Garlic   paste            -  2 tsp  

Ginger Paste              -2 tsp

Salt

Samosa  wraps (ready made)

Preparation

On a low flame, stir fry minced meat till it gets dry. Add

 ginger- garlic paste , chopped green chilli and stir.

Add all spices and salt.  While stirring, add chopped onion

 and  stir till the onion turns translucent. Turn off the heat and

add   butter, lemon juice chopped coriander and mint leaves

and mix well.

Readymade samosa wraps are the best,  available in all

Super market freezers.

Fold the corner of the rectangle shaped wrap into

a  triangle, then into a cone shape. Fill the cone with

 the meat filling, wrap  the other end and

 stick the end with flour and water paste.

Now ,deep fry the samosas on low flame tuning sides alternately.

Serve hot with tomato sauce or mint & coriander chutney.

Marble Cake

Ingredients

Plain Flour (maida)  -  3 ½ cup

Baking powder  - 3 tsp

Butter  -  1 cup

Powdered sugar – 2 ½ cups

Eggs   -  4 cups

Buttermilk   - 1 cup

Vanilla essence  -2 ½  tsp

Salt

Caramelised sugar  - ½ cup

Cocoa powder  - 2 tbsp

To  caramelise sugar

Take two sauce pan. In one,  pour half cup of

water and keep on slow fire.  Simultaneously in

in another sauce pan, spoon in a teaspoon of

butter and half a cup of sugar and keep on

low flame and let it caramelise. As the the

sugar caramelise, and gets dark colour, pour in

carefully - boiling water from other sauce pan.

Turn off the flame and let  it cool.

Preparation

Sieve,   flour  and  baking powder twice and keep aside.

Beat powdered sugar and butter to get a smooth

texture.  Add eggs one by one and mix well.

Now  add  vanilla essence, salt  and pour in ¾  of the

 buttermilk and reserve quarter  of the

butter milk to use later.

Now spoon by spoon fold in seived flour.

Pour half of the batter in another

mixing bowl to make a chocolate batter.

Pour in caramelised sugar and cocoa powder

and mix well.

Both vanilla and chocolate batter should have

same consistency. If needed add the reserved

buttermilk to the thicker batter.

In the baking tray in the centre pour a tablespoon

Of chocolate batter , and on top of it pour a tablespoon of

Vanilla batter. It will spread naturally as you pour on top.

Repeat the same process till both the batter is over.

Tap slowly the baking tray on the table to release

any air trapped in the batter.

Bake it in a pre- heated oven 180c for 40 to 45 minutes.

Insert a skewer in the centre of the cake and check

if the skewer has come out clean or bake till the skewer

comes  out clean.

A beautiful cake with its layers!!!

Chakka Kumbil Appam (jackfruit Appam)

Ingredients

Sweet   jack fruit   - 2 cups
Rice  flour   - 1  cup
Semolina      - 1/2 cup
Sugar            - 3 tbsp
salt
Bay leaves (vazhana ela)
Toothpick

Preparation

Make a  cone (kumbil) shape  with each  green bay leaf and tooth pick  and keep aside.
Remove the seeds from the jack fruit.
In a mixer bowl,  make a smooth paste of the sweet yellow jack fruit.
In a bowl, put rice flour, semolina, sugar, salt and jack fruit paste and stir.
If needed One or two table spoons of milk can be added. 
It depends how much the Jack fruit is ripe.
With a spoon pour the mixture into each bay leaf cone and 
keep in a steamer for 20 minutes.
Serve as it cools.

As the Appams have the natural  flavour of jack fruit and bay leaves, no other flavours are required.

There are two types of jack fruit - Varikka and Kuuzha.
Varikka – has a thick texture.
Kuuzha – has a thread like texture as it ripens.
To make Appam  from Kuuzha - jack fruit, sieve the jack fruit and ensure that there is no thread.