Pineapple Upside Down Caramel Cake

Pineapple Upside Down Caramel Cake is a nice flavorful cake. Its an easy cake and good to make for beginners like me. I really liked the taste and is a different kind of cake. I made this traditional upside down cakes using fresh pineapple and cherries. Though I stewed them first to slightly remove the sour taste. Here I am sharing the recipes with pictures...



Ingredients:

For Cake Batter:

All purpose Flour - 200 gm
Baking Powder - 2 teaspoons
Powdered sugar - 190 gms
Unsalted butter - 130 gm
Salt - 1 teaspoon
Vanilla Essence - 1 teaspoon
Milk - 120 ml
Eggs - 2 big / 3 small and seperated

For Caramel topping:

Butter- 2 teaspoon
Brown Sugar - 1/4 cup
Pineapple slices- 4 canned or fresh
Cherries- For garnishing ( optional)



Method:

Line the ckae tin with butter and preheat the oven at 180 degrees.

In a pan, heat 2 teaspoon butter and 1/4 cup brown sugar and let it simmer until bubbles come out and sugar dissolves completely. Flame should be medium. Once it is done, pour it in the prepared tin.



Place pineapple slices and cherries in the centre and sides.

In a bowl whisk flour, baking soda and salt together twice and keep aside.



In a seperate bowl whisk butter and powdered sugar till it is fluffy.



Now add vanilla essence and yolks. Beat again.



Add flour soda mixture in two batches and fold gently. Keep adding milk spoon by spoon and fold till a smooth batter forms.



In a seperate clean and dry bowl whisk egg whites with a whisker until soft peaks form.



Now fold egg whites in the cake batter gently. Cake batter is ready.

 
Pour this batter in the tin over the caramel topping.



Pat the tin to remove any air bubbles and bake for 35 - 40 minutes.

Insert a needle to check if it cooked properly. the needle will come clean if it is done.

Let it rest for 5 minutes and then unmold it. Cool on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Turn Upside down.



Pineapple upside down cake is ready to serve.

To add more appeal , serve it with icecream or whipped cream.

Hope you liked it !!!

Hyderabadi Dahi Bhindi / Shallow fried Okra in Curd

Hyderabadi Dahi Bhindi has a unique taste and gives a rich view. Its an easy dish and a nice variation to our normal stir fried bhindi / lady fingers / okra. Tried this first time and it came out really well. so here I am sharing the recipes with pics ...



Ingredients:

Shallow fried Okra - 1 bowl
Dry Red Chillies - 2-3 whole
Mustard seeds - 1/2 tbs
Turmeric powder - 1/2 tbs
Coriander powder - 1/2 tbs
Curd - 1 cup whiske
Salt to taste
Mustard oil - 3 tbs

Method:

Prepare Shallow fried bhindi as I have given the recipe earlier.



Now in a wok, heat mustard oil. Once hot add mustard seeds, dry red chillies and let them splutter.



Now add turmeric powder and coriander powder. Saute for 10 seconds. Add 1 cup whisked curd and mix.



Now add cooked okra/ bhindi and mix. For nice colour, you can add 1/4 tbs of kashmiri mirch in it. Let it cook for 5 minutes. Its ready to be served.

Serve it with chapati or parantha.
 

Hope you liked it !!!

Pani Puri / Spicy water stuffed wheat puffs

“Pani Puri”, the name itself is mouth watering. A superhit roadside snack in India is loved by one and all. Also called as “Gol Gappe” it finds a characterstic feature in Ladies favourite list. Its a light and tangy snack. Small wheat or semolina puffs filled with variety of stuffings and spicy water has to be eaten at once. It is such  a delight to eat it so methodically. I prepared this dish at home for kids and sharing the recipe with pics..





Ingredients:

For wheat Puffs-

Wheat flour – 2cups

Semolina-   ½ cup

Baking soda – ¼ tbs

Salt – 1 tbs

Water – to knead

For filling –

Boiled peas / Boiled chick peas / Boiled potato pieces

For Spicy water-

Cold Water – 1lt.

Pani Puri Masala – 4 tbs ( You can easily get Everest brand in market)

Mint leaves- ½ cup

Coriander leaves- ¼ cup

Green mango – ½ chopped into pieces

Green Chilly – ½

Black salt – ½ tbs

Roasted and powdered cumin – ½ bs

Asafoetida – A small pinch

Method:

For Wheat Puffs-

Mix all dry ingredients and knead hard dough by slowing adding water. Add water by spoon one by one.



Cover the dough with a damp cloth and let it rest for about ½ an hour.

Divide dough in 6 equal balls. Take a ball and with the help of a rolling pin, roll a very thin chapatti.



Cut small rounds out of the chapatti. You can try using round caps of bottle or anything which cuts chapatti in Pani puri shape. You can also make very small balls and then roll them thin.



Heat enough oil in a kadhai. Once hot add rounds and fry on medium flame. They should not be fried in high flame otherwise they will not remain crispy.



As they turn golden take them out and keep them on a tissue paper to absorb extra oil. One all puffs are done. Store in an open container for 2-3 hrs and then in an air tight container.



For spicy water –

Mix 3 tbs of Pani puri powder in cold water.



Add paste of mint leaves, coriander leaves, green chilly, raw mango to the water. Add black salt, roasted cumin powder, salt and a pinch of asafoetida and mix.



To Serve-

Serve with sonth and whisked curd.



Make a hole in the centre of a puff. Stuff some boiled potato pieces and peas. Pour water to the full and immediately eat..



Hope you liked it !!!

Idly Manchurian - Punjabi Style

Healthy snacks are always in demand and if you make it from leftovers , you have a satisfaction of utilising the food which could have been thrown or stored in fridge till it stales. My family loves south Indian food and I have to make it once a week..Everytime I am left with 6-7 idlis. So, I make this Idli manchurian Punjabi style.Here I am sharing a tasty and filling snack with you all..Its a great tiffin recipe also..

Ingredients:

Idlis - 7 pieces cut in pieces
Tomato - 4 cut in pieces
Onion - 2-3 cut in pieces
Green Capsicum - 1 big cut in pieces
Green Chillies - 2 chopped
Garlic paste-  1 small tbs
Mustard seeds - 1 small tbs
Cumin - 1 small tbs
Turmeric powder - 1/2 tbs
Red chilly powder - 1/2 tbs
Coriander Powder - 1 tbs
Garam Masala - 1/2 tbs
Salt to taste
Oil

Method:

 In a wok, heat 7-8 tbs oil, add mustard seeds, cumin,and when they splutter add green chillies and garlic paste. Saute.

Add onion and capsicum. Saute for 6-7 min and add tomato. Saute again  for 10 min.



Add all masalas as specified. You may also add some sambhar masala at this time. Pour 1 cup of water now. This makes idli pieces to soak the juices of the dish and enhances the flavour.



Now add idli pieces. Mix properly.

Idli manchurian Punjabi style is ready. Serve hot..

Hope you liked it!!!

Potato stuffed Indian bread / Aloo Parantha

Aloo Parantha is now worldwide famous dish..Thanks to Punjab to actually give it a local exotic frame. Spicy boiled potatoes stuffed in parantha, topped with a dash of white butter with masala curd is a heavenly dish. Ask an Indian and he will rarely say no to it. A simple breakfast dish or a tiffin dish, aloo parantha is loved by one and all. Here, I am sharing the recipe with pics...



Ingredients:

Boiled potatoes - 2
Green chillies - 2 chopped
Coriander leaves - 1/4 cup chopped
Ginger - 1tbs chopped
Red chilly powder - 1/2 tbs
Garam masala - 1/2 tbs (optional)
Amchoor powder - 1/2 tbs (optional)
Onion - 1 chopped ( optional)
Wheat flour dough - For 5 paranthas
Salt to taste.

Method:

Make semihard dough out of wheat flour and water..take help from the pictures.



For stuffing, mash boiled potatoes, add all the ingredients except wheat flour and salt.



Mix properly.



Now divide dough into balls. Take a ball , make a well in the centre with the help of thumb and forefinger and stuff about minimum 1 big tbs of potato stuffing in it. Then seal the edges.

On one side heat a tawa / skillet on gas. On another side, roll stuffed dough ball on the dry flour and with the help of a rolling pin, flatten it a bit. You don't have to make it thin, its better if the stuffing doesn't comes out.



Slowly place this parantha on the hot tawa, let it cook for approx 3 minutes.

Now flip the side and pour one tbs of oil and smear it all over the parantha. Till this time the lower side must be cooked. so again flip it. Press with a spatula for even cooking. Keep flipping till you get the crispiness of your liking.



Remove parantha from the tawa and place it in a serving plate. A dash of butter adds to the taste and serve with mango pickle and masala curd.



Hope you liked it...

Do post your comments !!!