cashew – Batter Up With Sujata

Semolina Cake / Suji Cake / Rawa Cake

Suji/rawa or semolina cake.
A cake with all the ingredients we use on sankranti. Loaded with dry fruits, mawa, til or sesame seeds, coconut and flavoured with cardamom and caramel. In Bengal we use khoya/mawa or dried milk, sesame seeds, coconut and dry fruits to make sankranti delicacies. Usually we make a stuffing for our puli pithe with these ingredients. And we use khajur gur or date palm jaggery in this stuffing. I have very little date palm jaggery in my pantry this time so didn’t use jaggery in the cake but drizzled little jaggery syrup on the cake. And it enhanced the flavour and taste. But if you don’t have date palm jaggery then you can skip it.
I have made it with suji or semolina but you can use any flour of your choice.

In dry fruits I have used 2 heaped tablespoon each chopped cashew, raisins, almond, walnut, tutti fruity, candied cherry, you can use any dry fruits of your choice. Make small pieces and use 3/4 – 1 cup mixed dry fruits. I have used my blender to mix sugar with all the other ingredients. So normal granulated sugar is perfectly fine, no need of powdered sugar.

I have made it two times. First one in round cake pan. Used refined flour or maida with semolina. Sprinkle til/sesame seeds and tutti fruity over the cake. Look at the crumb. Cake taste amazing.

And second time used my bundt pan. Used whole wheat flour or atta instead of refined flour. Sprinkled sesame seeds and tutti fruity in the greased and flour dusted bundt pan and poured the batter over it. You can also make upside down cake in a round cake pan this way.

Last week in our bloghop group we were discussing about festival recipes. Priya Iyer who blog at The World Through My Eyes asked why not cake? So here is super yummy cake for festive season. Thanks Priya for the suggestion.

Sending this post to 179 #Foodiemonday bloghop #foodmagbest theme. This week Seema Doraiswamy Sriram who blog at Mildly Indian suggested the theme.

Do visit her blog for the amazing recipes she shared.

I have decided to skip this week because Seema suggested that post a recipe which we will love to see on food magazine cover. My all the pictures are clicked by phone. The pictures are simple and mostly unedited. And which is my best recipe? Let’s decide it my readers. But my fellow bloggers and bloghop members said don’t skip and don’t think about cover, just post your recipe. Thanks friends. So here is a delicious and festive cake recipe for my readers with the pictures without any editing. Pictures are simple but taste of this cake is awesome. I am sure you will love the taste.

Recipe

Suji or semolina – 1 cup

Flour – 1/2 cup + 1 tablespoon

Cardamom powder – 1 teaspoon

Khoya/mawa or dried milk – 1/2 cup

Milk – 1/2 cup + 2 tablespoon

Oil – 1/2 cup

Baking powder – 1 teaspoon

Baking soda – 1/2 teaspoon

Thick yogurt – 1/4 cup

Granulated sugar – 1 cup

Caramel essence – 1 teaspoon, optional

Desiccated coconut – 1/2 cup

Cashew nuts – 2 tablespoon, chopped

Raisin – 2 tablespoon

Walnut – 2 tablespoon, chopped

Almond – 2 tablespoon, sliced

Tutti fruity – 2 tablespoon

Candied cherry – 2 tablespoon, chopped

Chopped mixed dry fruits – 3/4 – 1 cup

Sesame seeds and tutti fruity to sprinkle

For jaggery syrup

Khajur gur or date palm jaggery – 1/4 cup, grated

Water – 1 tablespoon

Method

1. Grease a cake pan with oil and dust with flour or line with parchment paper.

2. Preheat the oven at 180° for 10 minutes.

3. Chop the raisins into half and mix with all the chopped dry fruits and 1 tablespoon flour.

4. In a blender blend mawa or dried milk, yoghurt, sugar, suji or semolina, milk, cardamom powder, dessicated coconut and oil. You can use your hand blender to blend. I have used soft homemade mawa. Get the mawa or dried milk recipe here.

5. Blend everything well.

Take out the mixture in a large bowl. Add flour and mix well. Make a lump free batter and keep aside for 30 minutes.

6. Now add baking powder and soda. Mix well.
Fold in the dry fruits.

7. If you are using a round cake pan pour the mixture into the pan. Tap the pan gently to remove air bubbles.

8. Sprinkle some sesame seeds or til. But this step is optional, you can skip it if you like.
Sprinkle tutti fruity over it.

9. Or you can make upside down cake. And if you are using bundt pan sprinkle sesame seeds and tutti fruity in greased and flour dusted bundt pan.

10. Pour the batter over it. Tap the pan 3-4 times.

11. Bake in preheated oven at 180° for 35 – 40 minutes or till the toothpick comes out clean.
Let it cool down.

12. In a pan heat date palm jaggery and +1 tablespoon water. Boil till jaggery dissolve completely. Let it cool down.

13. Turn out the cake into a plate.

14. Drizzle with date palm jaggery syrup.
Slice and enjoy the heavenly taste.
Happy baking 😊

Notes

1. Jaggery syrup is optional. Cake also taste great without it.
2. You can use any flour of your choice with suji or semolina. Like whole wheat flour or atta, refined flour or maida or you can also use any gluten free flour.
3. Cake can be made with any flour instead of suji or semolina.
4. Sugar will be mixed with other ingredients in blender so normal granulated sugar can be used.

If you tried my recipe, you can share your food pictures with me in the social network sites by using hash tag, #batterupwithsujata
I would love to see your creations.

I would love to hear from you. Please share your thoughts and suggestions in comment.
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Eggless Gluten Free Fruit Cake / Dairy Free Cake

Merry Christmas to all my readers in advance. May your Christmas season be filled with joy and light!

Eggless gluten free fruit cake.
Here is a fruit cake for vegan people. Its also gluten free. Made of Soyabean flour and oats and loaded with dry fruits. Dry fruits are not rum soaked. You don’t need to soak the dry fruits for long periods. Just soak in orange juice for overnight. The cake is spiced with star anise, green cardamom, cloves and cinnamon. Cake is not dense due to Soyabean flour its super soft and moist.

Thanks to Paromita Nath for the spices and orange juice soaked dry fruits idea. Cake taste awesome. Every bite loaded with dry fruits and spices makes the cake aromatic.

I have already shared some more fruit cake recipes on my blog.

Eggless Christmas cake

Diet cake or fruit cake

Sugar free fruit cake with oats

Eggless fruit cake

I have used olive oil in it but you can use butter or any flavourless oil. You can use any flour like APF/maida or whole wheat flour/atta.

Recipe

Soyabean flour – 1 cup + 3 tablespoon

Oats – 1/2 cup

Oil or butter – 1/2 cup

Coconut milk – 1/2 cup ( room temperature)

Lemon juice – 1 tablespoon

Lemon zest – 1/2 teaspoon

Orange zest – 1/2 teaspoon

Orange juice – 3/4 cup

Baking powder – 1 teaspoon

Baking soda – 1/2 teaspoon

Sugar- 1 cup ( powdered)

Sugar- 3 teaspoon

Water – 1/4 cup

Cashew nuts – 1/4 heaped cup, chopped or broken into small pieces

Almond – 1/4 cup chopped or broken into small pieces

Raisins – 1/4 cup, chopped

Tutti fruity – 1/4 cup

Candied cherry – 1/4 cup, chopped

Pistachios – 1/4 cup, chopped

Walnut – 1/4 cup, chopped

Dates – 1/4 cup, chopped

Star anise – 1

Green cardamom – 2

Cloves – 2

Cinnamon – a small piece

Vanilla essence – 1 teaspoon

Some chopped cherry, sliced almonds, pistachio, cashew nuts and walnut for garnishing

Method

1. Chop the dry fruits into small pieces.
And soak in orange juice for 6 – 8 hours or overnight.

2. Preheat the oven at 180°.

3. Grease a cake pan with oil or butter. Dust with little Soyabean flour and keep aside.

4. Mix 1 tablespoon lemon juice with coconut milk and keep aside. Milk should be at room temperature.

5. Take a pan and heat it, spread 3 teaspoon sugar in the center, reduce flame to low. Don’t touch the pan or stir sugar.

6. When all the sugar has completely melted and become brown remove from flame.

7. Add 1/4 cup water and let it boil again. When it starts to boil immediately pour it into the soaked dry fruits. Mix well.

8. Dry roast star anise, cardamom and cloves. Let them cool down.

9. Grind altogether. Add oats and grind again. Make fine powder.

10. Sieve Soyabean flour, baking powder and soda. See notes for more flour options.

11. Drain out the orange juice from soaked dry fruits in a large bowl.

12. Mix 3 tablespoon flour in the dry fruits to avoid sinking at the bottom.

13. Mix lemon juice mixed coconut milk, oil or butter and powdered sugar with drained orange juice from dry fruits. Whisk well.

14. Add vanilla essence, lemon zest and orange zest. Whisk again.

15. Now add star anise, cardamom and cinnamon mixed oats powder mix and add Soyabean flour, baking powder and soda. Milk well.

16. Fold in the dry fruits.

17. If you are using bundit pan spread chopped dry fruits and cherry in bottom and pour the batter over it. Or if using loaf or any other pan first pour the batter in greased and flour dusted pan then spread the dry fruits over it.

18. Tap the pan gently to remove air bubbles.

19. bake in the preheated oven at 170° for 35 – 40 minutes or until the toothpick comes out clean. Insert a toothpick in the middle to check.

20. let the cake cool down completely before slicing. Cake will be super soft and moist so slice carefully.

Notes

1. You can use APF/ maida or whole wheat flour/atta instead of Soyabean flour and oats. Specially if you want your cake dense. Or make a combination of flour of your choice.
2. You can use apricot, figs or any dry fruits you have in your pantry.

If you tried my recipe, you can share your food pictures with me in the social network sites by using hash tag, #batterupwithsujata
I would love to see your creations.

I would love to hear from you. Please share your thoughts and suggestions in comment.
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Cherry Pineapple Kesari

Cherry pineapple kesari.
A delicious aromatic pineapple and saffron flavoured halwa. Hint of cherry made this dessert more yummy.
Pineapple and cherry both are sweet so you don’t need much sugar to make it. I have used cherry, pineapple and dry fruits. You can add mango or any other fruit in it.
This beautiful and delicious kesari is a perfect dessert for festival. Saffron and little orange colour made this dish gorgeous. Isn’t it 😊

This easy to make yet delicious kesari is a famous dessert of South India.
Ganesh Chaturthi is around the corner. So this week our #Foodiemonday bloghop theme is Ganesh Chaturthi recipe. My humble contribution is this cherry pineapple kesari.
Ghee or clarified butter enhance the taste and flavour. You can add 1 – 2 tablespoon more ghee if you like. I have used little orange colour to make the dish attractive. But its optional, you can also make it without colour. And you can use milk instead of water or use half water half milk to make it.

Recipe

Semolina or suji – 1/2 cup

Sugar – 1/3 cup

Saffron – a pinch

Water – 1 & 1/2 cup

Cardamom powder – 1/4 teaspoon

Cashew nuts – 1 tablespoon or 12 – 13

Raisins – 1 tablespoon

Ghee or clarified butter – 3 – 4 tablespoon

Pineapple – 1/2 cup, small pieces

Cherry – 1/4 cup, chopped

Pineapple essence – 2 drop, optional

Orange food colour – little, optional

Method

1. Chop the pineapple and cherry in small pieces.

2. Heat water and sugar in a pan. Add saffron and stir. Let the sugar dissolve completely. Add little orange food colour and pineapple essence if you are using. Mix well.

3. Heat ghee or clarified butter in a heavy bottom pan.

4. Fry the cashew till light brown and keep aside.

5. Now fry the raisins. When the raisins puffed up immediately remove from ghee.

6. In the same pan add suji/rawa or semolina. Stir and fry on low flame.

7. Fry till the semolina becomes fragrant. Don’t make it brown.

8. Add chopped pineapple and cherry. Mix well.

9. Add hot saffron mixed sugar syrup. Stir continuously to avoid lump. Add the syrup slowly and carefully. It may splutter.

10. Cook on low flame till rawa/semolina or suji absorbed all the water.

11. Add fried cashew and raisins. Reserve some for garnishing. Remove from heat.

12. Add cardamom powder and mix well. You can add a dollop of ghee. See notes.
Garnish with cherry, fried cashew and raisins. Serve hot.

Notes

1. You can use mango or any other fruit to make your kesari.

2. Ghee or clarified butter enhance the taste and flavour so you can add 1 – 2 tablespoon ghee at the end if you like.

3. You can use milk instead of water or use half water and half milk.

If you tried my recipe, you can share your food pictures with me in the social network sites by using hash tag, #batterupwithsujata
I would love to see your creations.

I would love to hear from you. Please share your thoughts and suggestions in comment.
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Hayagriva Or Hayagreeva Maddi Or Chana Dal Halwa

Hayagriva or Hayagreeva maddi or chana dal/Bengal gram halwa.
A very easy to make and delicious traditional sweet dish from Karnataka cuisine. No sugar added, its made of jaggery . Its usually made to offer to God as naivedya and served as prasad.

This delicious sweet dish from Karnataka cuisine is made of chana dal or Bengal gram, jaggery, ghee or clarified butter and dry fruits.

Karnataka is a tapestry of colours, cultures, flavours, landscapes, timelessness and heart stopping beauty. It’s a place where vibrant worlds seamlessly meld into one another every few hundred kilometers. Sedate plains suddenly rise to dizzying mist covered hilly heights, and then plunge with careless abandon in a white-watered freefall to become languid rivers that flow past cities where time has stopped altogether. And cities where time rushes a relentless rush to keep up with the world; cities that sometimes escape into the deep quietude of thick forests and sometimes, stretches their arms wide open to embrace the sea. Host to some of India’s largest and most powerful dynasties, the state has across the centuries, carried a legacy of art and culture.

Karnataka is a gracious host and offers a spread that appeals to every palate. Traditional Kannadiga cuisine is typically South Indian with a little bit of sweetness for added measure. But that doesn’t begin to sum it all. The feast of the land includes Udupi, Mangalorean, Kodava and yes, Kannadiga, which again is a journey in itself – it varies with the geographical features. Even cereals vary and consumed in every imaginable and unimaginable form. To the uninitiated, some of the preparations might come across as bewildering, but no less delicious. Add to this, a highly evolved sweet tooth, and you get the deliriously wonderful concoctions, which are like nothing else in the world. With Karnataka, the pudding is the proof itself, and you see where the state gets its signature gusto from.
Source

This month in Shhhhh cooking secretly challenge
facebook group we are sharing different dishes from Karnataka cuisine. In this group members are paired up every month. And the pairs give each other two secret ingredients. This month my partner is Anu Kollon Who blog at http://entethattukada.blogspot.com
Anu gave me two interesting ingredients chana dal or Bengal gram and jaggery. And I gave her rice and coconut. Check out her Vegetable palav recipe she shared with these ingredients.

We loved its taste and now its a regular sweet dish for us. Usually it shouldn’t be dried up. But sometimes I have made laddu with leftover chana dal halwa and its also taste great. If you have some leftover you can try this. Make laddu and keep in refrigerator for later use.

Recipe

Chana dal – 1 cup

Jaggery powder – 3/4 cup

Ghee – 2 – 4 tablespoon

Cardamom powder – 1 teaspoon

Desiccated coconut – 1/4 cup

Almond – 2 tablespoon, sliced

Cashew nuts – 2 tablespoon

Raisin – 2 tablespoon

Water – 2 cup + 4 tablespoon

Method

1. Wash and cook the chana dal or Bengal gram for 4 – 5 whistle or till dal becomes soft. Check by pressing between your two fingers.

2. Let the dal cool down. Drain the water and mash roughly with a spoon or masher.

3. Heat 2 tablespoon ghee or clarified butter in a heavy bottom or nonstick pan. Fry cashew nuts till light brown and transfer them on a plate.

4. Then fry the the raisins. When raisins puffed up immediately remove from ghee and place on a plate.

5. Now fry the sliced almond, keep stirring and fry until light brown. Place the almonds with cashew and raisins.

6. In the same pan add jaggery powder and 4 tablespoon water.
Stir occasionally to melt the jaggery.

7. Add mashed dal and desiccated coconut.
Mix well.

8. Cook on low flame till the mixture becomes thick and creamy. Don’t let it dried up completely.

9. Add cardamom powder and fried dry fruits and 2 tablespoon ghee.

10. Mix well and remove from heat. Adding ghee is optional but it will enhance the taste and flavour.

11. Garnish with fried dry fruits and serve hot or cold.

Notes

1. You can use more ghee if you like. Ghee enhance the taste and flavour.

2. You can add very little clove and nutmeg powder in it for flavour.

3. Dal must be cooked properly.

If you tried my recipe, you can share your food pictures with me in the social network sites by using hash tag, #batterupwithsujata
I would love to see your creations.

I would love to hear from you. Please share your thoughts and suggestions in comment.

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Black Rice Pudding And Mango Parfait

Dairy free black rice pudding and mango parfait.
Pudding made of black rice or forbidden rice, coconut milk and organic jaggery powder.
If you want you can also make it with sugar or brown sugar.
Serve the pudding chilled or make it parfait with mango or any other fruit.

Black rice is quite popular in Asia. The black rice has a texture similar to brown rice, but with a more prominent nutty flavor.
Black rice is more nutritious than brown rice. Its an excellent source of fiber, amino acid, minerals, vitamins and antioxidants.

In China and some South-East Asian country it is known as “Forbidden Rice” because it was reserved exclusively for the Royals in ancient China.

Despite being less popular than brown rice or wild rice, black rice, known as forbidden rice, is an ancient grain that has even more impressive health benefits than most other closely related rice varieties.

Not only is it the type of rice that is richest in powerful disease-fighting antioxidants, but it also contains dietary fiber, anti-inflammatory properties, and has the ability to help stop the development of diabetes, cancer, heart disease and even weight gain.

Black rice has been eaten in regions of Asia for thousands of years; in fact for centuries it was reserved for only Chinese royalty. Today this type of rice is picking up in popularity and popping up in more health food stores across the US, Australia, and Europe, as people discover the numerous health benefits that whole grain black rice has to offer.
Source

You can get some more black rice recipes here. Click on the name below to get the recipe.

Black rice oats and beetroot pancakes

Gluten free black rice double chocolate cake

Stir fry black rice

Chakhao kheer

Its Monday again and this week’s 156 #Foodiemonday bloghop theme is ‘Any but white rice’. When Mayuri suggested the theme I decided to make something with black rice. I love the nutty taste of this rice.

Its a very simple, easy and quick yet delicious recipe. If you have boiled black rice, you can make it in a jiffy. I have made it with coconut milk and used organic jaggery powder to sweetened it. But you can use same amount of sugar or brown sugar if you like. You can use vanilla or any flavour of your choice.

Recipe

Black rice – 1/2 cup

Water – 2 cup

Coconut milk – 1 cup

Jaggery – 1/4 cup

Cardamom powder – 1 teaspoon

Cashew nuts – 2 tablespoon

Raisin – 2 tablespoon

Oil to fry the nuts

Mango – 1, chopped in small cubes

Method

1. Wash the rice well.

2. Black rice takes longer time to cook so soak the rice 6 – 8 hours or overnight. Then microwave for 20 minutes on high power or pressure cook with water for one whistle, after that cook on low flame for 20 minutes.

3. Heat ghee/clarified butter or oil in a pan.
Add raisins. When the raisins puffed up, immediately remove from ghee or oil.

4. In the same oil fry the cashew nuts till light golden brown. Keep aside.

5. Now mix coconut milk and jaggery powder or sugar. I have used organic jaggery powder.

6. Cook on low flame till it becomes thick and creamy. Stir occasionally.

7. Taste the sweetness. If require add 1-2 tablespoon jaggery powder or sugar.

8. Add cardamom powder, fried raisins and cashew nuts. Reserve some for garnishing. Mix well.

9. Keep the pudding in refrigerator to serve chilled.

For parfait

10. In a glass add some mango cubes, layer with black rice pudding over it.

11. Repeat the layers till end. Top with mango cubes and fried cashew and raisins. You can sprinkle little desiccated coconut over it.
Serve chilled.

Notes

1. You can use sugar or brown sugar instead of jaggery powder.

2. You can use any fruit of your choice instead of mango.

3. You can add roasted almond, pistachio or any dry fruit.

4. You can use vanilla or any flavour of your choice instead of cardamom.

If you tried my recipe, you can share your food pictures with me in the social network sites by using hash tag, #batterupwithsujata
I would love to see your creations.

I would love to hear from you. Please share your thoughts and suggestions in comment.

Please visit my facebook page and hit the like button to get the latest update

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