Vegetable Kurma

Ingredients:

1 ½ Cup Beans
2 large Carrots
2 Cups Peas
2 Potatoes
1 medium Cauliflower
2 Red peppers
1 cup Corn kernels
½ cup raisins
2 ½ inches Ginger
2-3 Green chilies
2 Cups Home made fresh yogurt
1 Can Evaporated milk
1 cup Cashew nuts
3 Tbs. Cornflower
3 Tsp. Salt
2 Sugar
2 masala cardamom
2 bay leaves
2 tsp. Cumin
¼ tsp. asafetida
1 ½ Tsp. Turmeric powder
1 ½ Paprika powder
2 tbs. Coriander powder
1 tsp. Cumin powder
1 Tsp. Cardamom powder
Masala…
1 Tbs. black pepper
3 Kashmir chilies
4 Green Cardamom
1 tsp. Cloves
1 tsp. Shahi jeera
2 Tbs. Coriander seeds
1 shell Mace
½ tsp. Anise seeds
Dry roast ingredients for masala till you get nice aroma. Grind this to powder. Soak the cashew nuts for 1 hour and grind it to paste. Grind ginger and chilies to smooth paste. Peel and chop carrots and potatoes in small cubes. Cut the red bell pepper in small cubes. Cut the cauliflower into small florets. Mix ½ can of evaporated milk with corn flower. Beat the yogurt till its smooth.

Now boil the vegetables in around 6 cups of water in batches. First put carrots and beans. Cook them till they are half cooked just tender. Drain and keep aside. In the same water boil potatoes and peas and at the end boil cauliflower. Reserve the stock. Also do not cook bell pepper.

Add ½ cup water in ginger chili paste. Now in large pot heat oil and put two-tsp. Cumin. When cumin crackles add asafetida, masala cardamom, and bay leaves. Now add the ginger chili paste. Fry for 2-3 min. and add cashew paste. Fry for another 2-3 minutes and add all the powdered masalas including the ground masala. Fry tilll you get nice aroma.

Now add the cornflour mix and yogurt. Mix well and stir for 2-3 minutes. Add the vegetable stock ,milk, bell pepper, salt, and sugar. Stir for 3-4 minutes. Now add all the vegetables. Let it cook covered till the gravy starts thickening.

Serve the kurma with naan or chapati.

Pineapple Upside Down Cake

Ingredients:

4 eggs

1/2 cup butter

1 cup packed light brown sugar

1 can sliced pineapple

9-10 maraschino cherries(optional)

1 cup sifted cake flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt

3/4 cup powdered white sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Spray 9-inch cake pan with nonstick cooking spray and coat with flour. Melt 1/2 cup butter over very low heat. Remove from heat and add brown sugar evenly over pan. Pour this mixture in the prepared cake pan and arrange pineapple slices to cover bottom of skillet. Put cherries in the pineapple rings and set aside.
Sift together flour, baking powder, and salt. Separate the eggs into two bowls. Beat egg whites just until soft peaks form. Add white sugar gradually, beating well. Beat until stiff peaks form. In a separate bowl, beat egg yolks and vanilla extract at high speed until very thick and yellow. Gently fold egg yolks and flour mixture into whites until blended. Spread batter evenly over pineapple.
Bake for 45 to 50 minutes, or until surface springs back when gently pressed with fingertip. Loosen the edges of the cake. Cool the cake for 5 minutes before inverting onto serving plate.

Christmas Cake

Ingredients:

3 Cup Mixed Dried fruits
1  Cup butter

2 Cup packed brown sugar

5 eggs

3 Cups flour

1/2 Cup Molasses
½ Tsp. baking soda

½ Tsp. baking powder
1/4 Tsp. Ground Cinnamon
1/4 Tsp. Ground clove

1/4 Tsp. Ginger powder

1 Tsp. Vanilla extract

1 Cup cognac

Soak dried fruits in 1/2 cup cognac for 24 hours at room temperature. Preheat oven to 300 degrees F (150 degrees C). Butter a big a loaf pan.
        Add ½ cup of flour to mixed dried fruits . Sift together flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and ground spices. Cream the butter and the sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment until fluffy. Whisk eggs in a separate bowl. Add the flour to sugar, butter mix in three parts in between add whisked eggs, molasses and 1/2 cup cognac. Fold the dried fruits into this batter gently. Pour it into the pan. Bake for about 1 hr 20 minutes. Let it seat in oven for 10 min after the oven is shut off. Then cool it on a rack. After an hour or so when its completely cooled down, sprinkle 1-2 Tbsp. cognac on it.You can serve immediately or store it in an airtight container for up to a week.

Note: For dried fruits you can use dried cranberries, candied citrus peel, candied cherries, dried currants, Optionally add chopped walnuts, sliced almonds. You mix and match according to your choice.