Cake House

Coconut chutney is the most famous South Indian style chutney. This was the only chutney we had with our monthly treat of Dosa and idli as kids. I am sharing the traditional way in which most household make this chutney. There could be some variations but the basic recipe remains the same. Here it is. Prep time - 10 minutes Making time - 10 minutes Yields - A cup of chutney All you need is Coconut - 1 cup ( cut into small pieces. ) Roasted Bengal gram - 1\4 cup Curd - 2 tbsp Green chili - 1 Ginger - 1\2 inch piece Salt to taste For tempering Oil - 1 tbsp Mustard seeds - 1\2 tsp Urad dal\ split skinned black lentil - 1 tsp Dry red chilies - 1-2  ( broken ) Curry leaves - 1 sprig Heeng \ asafoetida - 1\4 tsp Method of preparation Blend all the ingredients for chutney in a blender to make a smooth paste. Use little water to blend the chutney. Transfer in the serving bowl. For the tempering Heat oil in a small pan. Add mustard seeds and urad dal. Fry till the dal turns brown. Add dry r...

Masaledar bharwan baigan is a simple dish made by stuffing brinjal with a masala. It could be a dry masala with only spices or it could be a onion based masala. I prefer the onion based masala as it gives the brinjal a very lovely flavor. Finely chopped onions are cooked with ginger garlic paste and the dry masalas are added to it. This filling is then stuffed inside the slit brinjals. Here is the recipe. All you need is Small brinjal - 8-10 Oil - 3 tbsp plus 3 tbsp Kalongi \ Onion seeds - 1\2 tsp Saunf \ Fennel seeds - 1 tsp Onion - 2 cups ( finely chopped ) Ginger garlic paste - 1 tsp Coriander powder - 3 tsp Red chili powder - 1 tsp Turmeric powder - 1\2 tsp Garam masala powder - 1\2 tsp Amchoor \ Dry mango powder - 1 tsp Fresh coriander to garnish Method of preparation Heat 3 tbsp oil in a pan. When the oil is hot, add onion seeds and fennel seeds. Add onion and fry till translucent. Add ginger garlic paste and fry till golden brown. Add coriander powder, red chili powder, turmeric...

Karahi or kadai paneer is a very famous Indian Cottage cheese recipe and is one of the most common dishes ordered in a restaurant. I too love the dish and used to make it a lot in my kitchen but there use to be something missing in my home made version.I realised that it is the smoky flavor which is there in the restaurant style kadai paneer that is lacking in my home made recipe. So this time, I smoked my kadai paneer with some flavorful smoke and the result was superb. The dry roasting and then grinding of coriander seeds and dry red chilies gives this recipe a unique flavor too. Here is how I made  it. All you need is Coriander seeds - 3 tbsp Dry red chili - 5 Oil - 3 tbsp Cloves - 2-3 Black cardamom - 2 Black peppercorns - 5-6 Cinnamon stick - 1 inch piece Onion - 1\2 cup ( finely chopped ) Green chili - 2 ( slit into half ) Ginger paste - 1 tsp Garlic paste - 1 tsp Tomato - 1\2 cup ( finely chopped ) Salt to taste Kashmiri red chili powder - 1 tsp Garam masala powder - 1 tsp G...

Here is the honey and mustard yogurt salad dressing I made to go with my roasted pear and fig salad. This is a very healthy dressing and goes well with any salad. It can be stored in refrigerator for 3-4 days. Here is the recipe. All you need is Yogurt - 1 cup Honey - 1\4 cup Mustard sauce - 2 tbsp Salt - 1\4 tsp Freshly ground black pepper - 1\4 tsp Lemon juice - 2 tbsp Method of preparation Whisk yogurt in a bowl till smooth. Add all the remaining ingredients to it. Whisk well. Chill for a few hours. Pour over the salad.

It's been a lovely day since morning. We got up early and went to capture the spring the Bangalore. It's spring time here in Bangalore and the trees are laden with beautifully colored flowers. The roads get covered by the flowers falling from the trees making a beautiful carpet of pinks and yellows. To celebrate the spring, here is my spring salad with roasted pears and figs. I topped the salad with some dried cherries, roasted walnuts and some feta cheese and made a healthy dressing of honey and mustard in yogurt to drizzle over the salad. Here is the recipe. All you need is Pears - 2 Fig - 8-10 Lettuce leaves - 1 cup Dried cherries - 1\4 cup Walnuts - 1\4 cup Feta cheese - 50 g Method of preparation Cut the pear into thin wedges. Cut the figs into halves. Heat an oven to 180 degrees C.Line the pear wedges and figs on a baking sheet. Bake for 30 minutes. Layer the walnuts in a baking tray and roast for 5-6 minutes. Chop them into small pieces. Tear the lettuce in a salad bowl....

Korma or qorma is a dish made with yogurt and a paste of nuts and seeds. I made a badami chicken korma today with almond paste and yogurt and it's turned out very delicious. The recipe is very simple to make and unlike other chicken recipes, very less onion is used to make this. Take care while frying the onions to golden brown. They should not be over fried otherwise the gravy will have a bitter taste. Keep in mind that they keep to brown a little more even after taking out from the oil. Here is the recipe All you need is Chicken - 1 kg ( cut into small pieces ) Onion - 1 and 1\2 cup ( very thinly sliced ) Oil for frying onions Ghee - 5 tbsp Cloves - 3-4 Black cardamom - 2 Black peppercorns - 5-6 Cinnamon - 1 inch piece Dry red chili - 3-4 Yogurt - 1 cup Ginger paste - 1 tsp Garlic paste - 1 tsp Kashmiri red chili powder - 2 tsp Garam masala powder - 1 tsp Coriander powder - 3 tsp Salt to taste Almonds - 20-25 Method of preparation Soak the almonds in hot water for 10 minutes. Rem...

T his is my Mom’s version of mutton curry which I used to cherish from childhood. The smell of this yummy curry will awaken our taste buds and the nostalgic feeling that surrounds this delicious dish is awesome. When I was small, my mom used to make this often and the aroma of this dish drag me towards the kitchen and I used to steal mutton pieces :-) As my mom is here with me nowadays, she made it and the magic was created again, which would not have happened if I made the same way as she made the curry. Try this out and you will get the magic… Btw, this time the mutton pieces were stolen by my li’l one… :-) Ingredients: Mutton- ¾ Kg Onions- 3 nos Shallots- 9-10 nos Green Chillies- 3 nos Ginger and Garlic paste- 2 tbsp Tomato- 1 no Red Chilli Powder- 3 tbsps Coriander Powder- 3 tbsps Turmeric Powder- 2 tsp Garam Masala Powder- 2 tsp Fenugreek Powder- 1 tsp Curd- ½ Cup Water- 2 Cups Oil- 2 tbsps Mustard Seeds- 1 tsp Fenugreek Seeds- 1 tsp Curry Leaves- few Salt- as required Method: Was...

Chocolate ganache is a sauce made with chocolate mixed with cream and butter. It is an excellent topping for cakes, desserts, ice creams and pastries. It is very easy to make at home and can be refrigerated for a few days in the refrigerator. Dark, milk or white chocolate can be used to make ganache. I am sharing a recipe of ganache which is excellent for pouring on cakes and desserts. Here it is. All you need is Dark chocolate - 120 g Unsalted butter - 1 tbsp Fresh cream - 1\2 cup Granulated sugar - 1 tbsp You can also use semi sweet chocolate to make the Ganache but then skip using sugar. Method of preparation Chop the chocolate into small pieces. Transfer it in a bowl. Heat fresh cream and butter in a bowl. Add sugar. Heat till it just starts to boil. Pour the cream mixture over the chocolate and whisk vigorously till the chocolate melts and the mixture is shiny and smooth. Your ganache is ready. Store it in an airtight jar for up to a week in refrigerator. Heat or microwave the gan...

Spinach is a good source of iron, vitamins and calcium and I try to incorporate it a lot in my diet. This chickpea in a spinach curry is a delicious way to incorporate the green in your meal. The spinach is blanched and pureed and is blend with a onion and tomato gravy. You can also add paneer, corn or even meat to this gravy. Here is the recipe. All you need is Spinach - 250 g ( washed and chopped ) Baking soda - a pinch Oil - 5-6 tbsp Dry red chilies - 3-4 Cumin seeds - 1 tsp Onion - 1 cup ( finely copped ) Garlic - 5-6 cloves Ginger - 1 inch piece ( chopped ) Tomato - 1\2 cup ( chopped ) Coriander powder - 3 tsp Red chili powder - 1\2 tsp Garam masala powder - 1\2 tsp Chole \ Chickpeas - 3 cups ( soaked overnight and boiled with salt ) Salt to taste Lemon juice - 2 tbsp Fresh cream for garnishing Method of preparation Pick the leaves from the spinach bunch and discard the stems. Heat water in a big vessel and let it come to a boil. Add 2 tsp salt and baking soda and spinach leaves i...

Sprouts are very nutritious food rich in proteins, vitamins and dietary fibers. They are made by germinating the beans and a variety of beans can be used to make the sprouts, however moong bean  is the most common. Making sprouts at home is very simple. You just have to wash the beans twice a day and in 5-6 days, you have beautiful sprouts growing in your kitchen. I used a plastic tray to grow my sprouts. I did a few holes in the tray to let the excess water drain. You can use any tray with holes in it. Here is how to grow perfect moong bean sprouts. All you need is Moong beans - 1\2 cup A plastic tray with holes in it. Aluminium foil Method Wash and soak the moong beans in enough water over night. Drain the water. Arrange the beans in the plastic tray in a single layer. Fold the aluminium foil in 2-3 folds as the size of the tray. Keep the tray over the folded foil. Cover the tray with another piece of foil. Keep in a warm place for 12 hours. Take the tray in the sink and wash the...