Banana Date Cake with Walnuts (Eggless)

       Dates are the main cultivated plant in Gulf countries. In Oman 75% of cultivation area dedicated to this date palm cultivation. This fruit is traditionally served with coffee when welcoming guests or served as a dessert. Dates are rich in fibre and contains 20 essential vitamins and minerals.

       Dates does not elevate the blood sugar level due to their low glycemic index. You wont feel hungry soon after having this wonderful fruit. About this recipe i have adapted this recipe given in Y magazine. They adapted from BBC good food's recipe and I have referred both recipes and modified according to my taste and needs.

       Once i go through the recipe in magazine they have added dates paste and banana puree so i thought it must be slightly fudgy cake. So adding eggs is not essential for this cake. And bananas are the good re placer for eggs. I am planning to make this cake for my kids snack box. So i have to make the cake much tastier, healthier as much i can. So i replaced eggs with yogurt and butter with oil. After making this cake i have to say a perfect cake can be made for Christmas.

INGREDIENTS:
Yogurt-1 cup (or) Eggs- 2 if you are making with eggs.
Butter/ Oil- 1/2 cup (100 grams)
All purpose Flour- 1 cup
Baking powder- 1 teaspoon
Baking Soda- 1/2 teaspoon
Sugar, powdered- 3/4 cup
Date paste- 3 tablespoons
Cinnamon- 1 teaspoon
Dates, Chopped- 10 nos
Bananas-2 big
Walnuts- 1/4 cup

For the Date Glaze:

Butter- 2 tablespoons
Dates paste- 2 tablespoons
Honey- 2 tablespoons
Walnuts- 1/4 cup

PROCEDURE:

• Preheat the oven to 160 degrees for 10 minutes as it is a heavy cake.
• Grease the 20 cm pan or fancy cake pan like this with butter and dust with a tablespoon of flour and tap the pan to cover and stick to all over the pan; set aside.
• First we have to make dates paste for this recipe. Take 25 number of dates, deseed them and make a paste by adding little water using a blender. 

• Mash the bananas using fork and mix 3 tablespoons of the date paste prepared earlier; set aside.
• Remove the seeds and chop the dates. Roast the walnuts in a pan till crunchy by constant tossing for about 5 minutes; set aside.

• In a bowl add the yogurt and beat well using a electric mixer or whisk. Mix in oil or butter and again beat well. Now add the powdered sugar and beat well.

• Add the honey and cinnamon powder and beat well. Now add the banana dates puree and mix well till uniformly combined. 

• Sift/ sieve together all purpose flour, baking powder and baking soda (to get a uniform mixture); Add half cup at a time and mix well without lumps.
• Add the chopped dates and the roughly broken half of the roasted walnuts and fold inside the batter.

• Transfer the cake batter inside the greased cake pan and level the surface.

• Bake the cake for 50-60 minutes till the skewer inserted at the centre of the cake comes out clean.
• Allow the cake to cool down for 5-10 minutes and remove from the cake pan.

For Date Glaze:

• Add butter, dates paste, honey together and bring it to boil and allow to bubble for about a minute until it thickens. Do not allow much time it turns to jam like consistency.

• Stir the walnuts with this galze and remove from heat and allow to sit for minute.
• Pour over the glaze on top of the cake.

Notes:

• You could use Self raising Flour for this cake. If you use SRF do not add baking powder and baking soda.
• You can replace yogurt with 2 number of  Eggs if you are making with eggs.

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Vegetable Kappa Biryani/ Vegetable Kappa

       Kappa Biryani is one of my favorite dish. I crave some time for this dish and that time in my fridge no meat to make this yummy dish. The original version is made with beef or mutton cooked with tapioca so called Beef or Mutton Kappa/ Kappa Biryani.

       This recipe came out becasue of my instant craving for this dish. I tried this dish with veggies by giving a healthy twist to this recipe. And the results came out really well. It matches the taste of non veg version and i am happy that i can make this dish with in minutes without meat too.

       The high light of this recipe is, this dish does not require any side dish to eat. Best one pot meal ready in minutes. So filling dish and u wont feel hungry any more. You can prepare this dish for brunch, lunch, snack or even for dinner any time of your choice. I have to say it is a real treat for vegetarians.

INGREDIENTS:
Tapioca/ Kappa- 4 cups (1 kg)
Oil- 3 teaspoons
Onion-1 big
Ginger, chopped/ crushed- 1 inch
Garlic, chopped/ crushed- 3 cloves
Green chillies- 2-3
Curry leaves- 2 strand
Carrot, chopped-1
Beans, chopped- 4-5
Peas- 2 tablespoons (optional)
water- 1 cup
Turmeric powder- 1/4 teaspoon
Chilli powder- 1 teaspoon (adjust according to your spice level)
Coriander powder- 1/2 teaspoon
Garam masala powder- 1/4 teaspoon
Pepper powder- 1/2 teaspoon
Salt - to taste

PROCEDURE:

• Heat some water and bring it to boil; add the tapioca and salt and cook till soft.

• Drain the water from the tapioca and mash it slightly with hand or backside of a laddle. Donot puree them.
• Heat oil in a pan and add the onion and green chillies and cook for about thirty seconds. Then add the ginger and garlic and curry leaves; cook for further thirty seconds or the raw smell leaves.

• Add the chopped carrot, beans, peas and salt; cook in that oil for about thirty seconds.
• Now add a cup of water and close with a lid and cook for a minute or two till the vegetables cook well.

• Open the lid and add turmeric powder, chilli powder,coriander powder, garam masala powder and pepper powder; mix well and cook the gravy for about thirty seconds or minute till the oil starts to separate.

• Add the mashed tapioca and mix well. Check for salt and add if required and switch off the gas.
• Sprinkle some curry leaves and drizzle with two teaspoons of coconut oil for more flavor. But this step is optional.
• Note: Do not add more carrots and peas in this recipe as the sweetness of the veggies makes the dish tastes bit sweeter.
• Add the veggies of your choice like capsicum, sweet corn etc.

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Pineapple Pachadi

       Pineapple Pachadi has many variations such as sweet and spicy version. This one is a spicy version of the pineapple pachadi. So easy to make in a jiffy. The sweetness from the pineapple and the spiciness from the green chillies combine together and gives and wonderful taste.

       Pineapple is an easily available fruit in our place in through away price. Even in my home too we get from backyard. So i planned to make pachadi out of it. I made this recipe two months before when i was there at my home and didnot get time to type and left in the drafts. Today i planned to type and post this recipe. Atlast i am posting this gor today.

INGREDIENTS:
Pineapple, chopped fresh/ tinned- 1/2 (1 cup)
Salt- to taste

To grind:
Coconut- 1/4 cup
Green chillies-2
Mustard seeds- 1/4 teaspoon
Curd- 1 cup

To temper:
Oil- 2 teaspoons
Mustard seeds- 1/4 teaspoons
Dried red chilli-2
Curry leaves- 1 strand

PROCEDURE:

• Take pineapple in a pan; cover it and cook with a cup of water and salt.
• Grind coconut, green chillies and mustard seeds in a blender and blend as a fine paste as possible with out adding any water.

• Add the ground paste with cooked pineapple and mix well and cook for thirty seconds and turn off the gas. Do not cook long. Because the ground mustard seeds changes the taste of the pachadi.

• Add the beaten curd and mix well with the pachadi.
• Heat oil in a pan and splutter the mustard seeds.

• Add the dried red chilli and curry leaves and pour over the tempering on top of the pineapple Pachadi.

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Unniyappam/ Kuzhipaniyaram/ Kuzhiyappam/ Paniyaram

Unniyappam is an traditional Kerala snack or dessert prepared at every home generally during festive season. In India it is called in different names and each state has its various versions in Tamil-Kuzhi paniyaram, Kannada - Paddu, Telugu -Ponganalu, Konkani - Appe. In each state the basics of preparation is the same and slightly varies in method of preparation and also the ingredients.

In Kerala Unniyappam's speciality is the addition of fried coconuts in ghee and the addition of small bananas especially palayamkodan variety is the highlight. In Kerala version rice is powdered and batter being made with the rice flour. In other states the rice is ground with other ingredients as a thick batter.

INGREDIENTS:

Raw rice/ Pachari- 2 cups

Jaggery, grated - 1 ½ cups

Water- 1/2 cup

Small Banana- 2 big (preferably palayamkodan variety)

Cardamom- 4

Dry ginger- 1 inch piece

Cumin seeds/ Jeera-1/2 teaspoon

Ghee- 1 tablespoon

Coconut, chopped- 1/4 cup

PROCEDURE:

• Soak the rice in water around 1-2 hours. Drain water from rice.
• Powder the rice using a blender. It is not necessary to powder it too fine.

• Grate the jaggery and add half a cup of water and turn on the heat.
• Dissolve the jaggery and allow to reduce and form the syrupy consistency (one string- If you drop the syrup from spoon last drop has to form string. If you touch the syrup in between fingers it should form a string ).

• In a bowl add the bananas and mash it with fork or hand; add the warm jaggery  syrup over it and mix well with a ladle.
• Powder cardamom, dry ginger and cumin seeds together as a fine powder and add in the bowl.

• Add the rice flour a tablespoon at a time and mix well till you finish the whole lot.
• In a pan heat a tablespoon of ghee and roast the coconut till golden colour. Add this roasted coconut with the ghee into the batter; Mix well.
• Add 1/4- 1/2 cup of water to make the batter little runny (dosa batter consistency) to pour easily.

• Allow this batter to ferment about an hour till small bubbles appear on top.
• Heat the Kuzhi Paniyaram pan and add half a teaspoon of oil on each well.
• Pour a teaspoon of batter/ fill till the top and fry them on low flam till brown colour by covering with lid. Keep the flame low to medium while cooking.

• After sometime turn the side of the paniyaram and cook the other side too till brown colour.
• If you want soft paniyaram do not allow them to fry till deep brown colour cook only golden brown colour.
• This paniyaram can be made in bigger size by directly dropping a small ladle full of batter on a hot oil. Flip the paniyaram using a spoon once the bottom side cooks and fry the the other side too till brown colour. 
• If you cook till light brown colour, you will get more fruit flavour. But it spoils fast.
• If you are planning to keep for loner period fry them till brown colour.
• Drain the excess oil using paper towel and store in air tight container.

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Cherry Ice cream (Egg less)

       Cherries are now in season and it is a tasty versatile  fruit fits for almost all dessert recipes. I love these to eat it as such and it is a very pretty fruit used generally used for cake  and other desserts garnishing. It has so many preserved forms Maraschino sweetened cherries are made from dark coloured cherries and the Colored sweet cherries are made from light colour varieties.

       I used the dark variety to make this colorful ice cream. Here i have made the eggless easy version. You can try this ice cream with eggs too. Really an easy to make ice cream with no pain. A real colourful home made dessert perfect for summer.

INGREDIENTS:
Cherries- 1½ cup
Sugar- 1/4 cup
Condensed milk- 1/4 cup
Whipping cream- 500 ml

PROCEDURE:

• Wash the cherries and remove the seeds. If you do not have the pitting equipment you can cut and remove the seeds.
• In a pan add the cherries with sugar and cook. The sugar starts to melt and sweeten the cherries. With in 5-10 minutes you will get a thick sauce.

• Using masher slightly mash the pulp if needed.
• Remove from flame and allow to cool and puree the cherry sauce in a blender; set aside
• Chill the whipping cream before hand and the whipping vessel and the whisks.
• Transfer the condensed milk and the whipping cream into the chilled bowl and whip it till you starts to get stiff peaks; set aside.

• Stain the sauce to remove pieces falling in the ice cream. You can add as such but the ice cream will not get a uniform colour. If you donot strain the sauce you will get purple dots here and there in ice cream.

• Now add the strained cherry sauce and mix well using a whisk or electric beater.
• Transfer the cream mixture into a 500 ml capacity freezer safe tub. You could use ice cream tubs.
• Close it tightly and allow to freeze for an hour inside the freezer.

• Then remove the tub from freezer and whip it once again and close the tub and keep inside the freezer.
• Again remove the tubafter 1 hour from freezer and whip it and close the tub and keep inside the freezer.(This step prevents ice cream becomes hard and gives smooth texture to the ice cream)

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