Churros

 Recipe source  - My friend Lakshmi who tried it from Cooking classy

Ingredients

Flour –  1 cup /130 gm

Butter – ¼ cup/ 55 gm

Sugar – 1 tablespoon

Water – 250 ml

Egg – 1 large

Salt – pinch

Vanilla extract – ½ tsp

For coating

Caster sugar – 75 gm

Cinnamon powder  – 1 tsp

Oil for frying

Method

Make the coating by mixing sugar and cinnamom powder in a plate. Leave it aside.

In a pan add water, sugar, salt, butter and bring to boil.

Add flour to it and cook on a medium low heat until it all comes together to a smooth , lump free  dough.
Allow it to cool down for 5 minutes.

Break the egg and add vanilla extract to it and beat with a hand mixer until well mixed and forms a smooth dough.

Meanwhile  heat oil in pan.

Fill the dough into a piping bag with rosette tip. 

When the oil is medium hot, you can either directly pipe the dough straight into hot oil and snip the end with a scissor or pipe it into a plate and gently slide it into hot oil. Do not over crowd the pan.

Fry the churros for 2-3 minutes by flipping sides in between until it’sslightly golden.

Drain it into a kitchen tissue to absorb any excess oil and then then transfer into cinnamon sugar plate. Coat the churros well with sugar.

Enjoy hot just as it is or with some chocolate sauce !

Pazham Nirachathu/ Stuffed plantain

Ingredients

Plaintain/ nenthra pazham ( ripe) – 2

Grated coconut – 1/2  cup

Cashewnuts -1 ½ tbs

Sultanas/raisins – 2 tbs

Sugar – 1 -2 tbs

Cardamom seeds  -from 4 pods

Ghee – 1 tbs

Flour/maida – ¼ cup

Water ( as required)

Salt ( a pinch )

Oil

Method

• Peel the plantain and run a knife through to make a slit keeping the end intact.
• In a pan add some ghee and fry cashewnuts and sultanas until cashewnuts have browned and sultanas have plumped. Remove and keep aside.
• Powder cardamom seeds with sugar in a mixie (skip this step if you have cardamom powder  )
• In the same pan add some more ghee and add grated coconut and cardamom sugar. Cook for a minute or so until sugar has melted and coated the coconut well. Mix this well with roasted cashewnuts and sultanas.
• Stuff the plantain with the filling.
• Meanwhile make a  batter with flour, salt and water.
• Seal the gap with the batter.( make sure your batter is thick enough to coat, my batter was little thin so it didn’t coat the plantain well)
• Heat oil in a pan and shallow fry the plantains for few minutes flipping the sides until it become golden brown.

Shakshukha

Ingredients

Onion – 2 small ( finely chopped )

Large ripe tomatoes on vine – 3-4 ( number depends on the size of tomato)

Garlic pods – 4

Red Pepper/ capsicum – 1 ( finely chopped )

Cumin powder – 1 ½ tsp

Smoked paprika powder -  1 ½ tbs

Oregano – 1 tsp

Sugar – 2 tsp

Salt

Pepper

Coriander leaves ( finely chopped )

Oil

Eggs -4

Method

Blend the tomatoes to a fine puree and keep it aside.

In a wide non-stick pan add oil and saute the finely chopped onions for few minutes until it’s soft.

Add chopped garlic and  pepper and saute for few minutes.

Add paprika , cumin, salt and saute for a minute or so.

Add the tomato puree and cook in a medium high heat uncovered for about 10 minutes until the sauce has thickened a bit.

Make four well on the pan and break one egg each into  each hole.

Sprinkle some salt and pepper on top of the egg.

Cover and cook until the eggs cook , takes about 4-5 minutes.

Garnish with finely chopped coriander leaves and remove from fire.

Enjoy with the bread of your choice !

Chocolate fudge cake

 Recipe source – Mary Berry

Ingredients

Self- raising flour – 1 ½ cup/ 175 gm (if using plain flour add ½ tsp baking soda to the flour)

Cocoa powder – ½ cup / 50 gm (preferably green and black)

Baking powder – 1 tsp

Salt – pinch

Eggs – 3 large

Unsalted butter (softened) – approx  ½ cup /100 gm

Caster sugar – approx  1 1/3 cup / 275 gm

Boiling water – 4 tbsp

Milk – ¼ cup / 50 ml

For icing

Plain chocolate – 150 gm ( 30% cocoa solids,I didn't have plain chocolate,so I used  2:1 milk and dark chocolate)

Double cream – 150 ml

Method

Measure and sift  flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, salt into a bowl .

Cream butter and sugar with a  beater until fluffy.

Add eggs one at time and beat until mixed.

Add half of the sifted dry ingredients into that bowl and fold in.

Add milk and fold in .

Add the rest of the dry ingredients and fold until mixed.

Add some boiling water and mix until incorporated.

Divide the batter and pour it into two 8 inch cake pans and bake it in a preheated oven at 170 degree C for about 25 minutes or until a tooth pick inserted comes out clean.

Cool the cakes in a wire rack.

To make the icing , break the chocolate into  a heat proof bowl, pour the cream over it and place the bowl on top of simmering pan  hot water. Once the chocolate melts give it a mix and remove from the pan. Allow it to cool down so that it thickens slightly.

Sandwich the cakes together with the icing and spread the rest on the top . Enjoy !

Piri piri chicken

Recipe adapted from - Bombaychef

Ingredients

Chicken  -1 kilo ( legs)

Garlic cloves – 10 -12

African red chillies  or similar type red chillies  -6 ( or as per your spice level )

Bay leaves -3

Smoked paprika –  1 1/2 tsp

Lemon juice  from ¼ of lime

Extra virgin olive oil – 4 tablespoon

Method

In a blender ,add in red chillies, bay leaves, garlic cloves, salt, smoked paprika, olive oil,  lemon juice , salt and make a fine paste.

Marinate the chicken with the paste for few hours or minimum 30 mins.

Preheat the oven to 180 degree C and cook the chicken for 40 minutes, by flipping the sides . Half way through, baste the chicken with it’s own juices and coat the chicken well.

You can also shallow fry the chicken in a tawa or even put it on a barbeque.

Methi chicken/ Methi murgh

Recipe adapted from - Vahchef

Ingredients

Chicken - ¾ kg

Onion -4

Tomato – 2 small

Ginger garlic paste – 2 tsp

Cumin seeds – 1 tsp

Methi leaves – 100 gm ( I used frozen methi leaves cubes )

Red chili powder – 1 ½ tsp

Coriander powder – 1 ½ tbs

Turmeric powder – ¼ tsp

Garam masala – 1 tsp

Salt

Oil

Coriander leaves

Method

• In a pan add oil and sputter cumin seeds
• Add chopped onions and saute until brown.
• Add ginger garlic paste and saute until the raw smell goes.
• Add red chilli powder, turmeric, coriander powder  and cook for  a minute.
• Add chopped tomatoes, salt and cook covered until tomatoes are mushed.
• Add  methi leaves  and cook for few minutes until it’s half cooked.
• Finally add the chicken pieces and coat the chicken well in the masala.
•  Cook it covered for 15 minutes and then add garam masala and cook uncovered for further 5 minutes or until it’s done.
• Garnish with chopped coriander leaves.