Nimi's Culinary Ventures

KARA SEVA the crispy noodles!

Indian recipes, Snacks, veg | July 15, 2010 | By

16 comments

I’m so excited with this post of mine coz this is my first post for the ICC!
Kara Seva reminds me of my college days at Coimbatore .I was a frequent visitor to the Sree Krishna Sweets and Nellai Lala Sweets shop.I used to check out the wide array of sweets..ahh those days seem like yesterday!
The recipe posted is not very spicy .If you want it spicier please increase the amount of chilli powder.

2 1/2 cups of Gram flour
1 cup rice flour
1/4tsp Chilli powder
1tsp coarsely powdered Black pepper
2 1/2 tsp Ghee
a pinch of Cooking Soda
salt to taste
2 pods of garlic crushed
Oil for frying

  • Sieve both gram flour and rice flour into a bowl.
  • Mix chilli powder,pepper powder,salt,crushed garlic ,ghee and cooking soda to make a paste.
  • Make a pit in the seived  gram rice flour and mix in the paste with your hands.
  • Adding water mix it into a dough form.
  • Heat oil in a kadai.
  • Take a portion of the dough and fill it in the idiyappam presser or potato ricer(Thank you Frank for your note!) . Select the disc having large holes for pressing it through an idiyappam presser.
  • Now press the mix into the oil and fry them out when they are golden and crispy.
  • When cooled store them in an airtight container.
  • Tea time is going to be crispier with these crispy noodles!

BLACK FOREST GATEAU WITH A TWIST

Baking, cakes, Desserts, flour, Snacks | June 19, 2010 | By

16 comments

These days its been raining cats and dogs !For the past two days I guess there’s been a twist in the weather.Its sunny(at least till afternoon)..so I thought I’ll go on for a Black forest gateau.Whenever I opt for an icing cake I usually have to be all eyes on my younger one coz he’s always there to tamper with the baked cake.Last day  after baking a chocolate cake I was busy whipping cream…when I checked out my cake for spreading the cream my cake was dug up  with a hole in the centre and he was laughing at me  with  the cake in his mouth..!!

For my black gateau I have used homemade strawberry wine instead of  Kirsch .I had to do my topping with canned cherries..sigh..didn’t get fresh ones!

Black Forest Cake
For the cake
1/2 cup of all purpose flour
1/2 cup of cocoa powder
1cup of icing sugar
6 eggs
100g of butter
1tsp vanilla essence
1/2 tsp baking powder
For filling
Tinned cherries
Chocolate curls
2 cups of whipping cream
1/2 cup sifted icing sugar
For cake syrup
1/2 cup of water
7tbsp of sugar
2tbsp of strawberry wine or kirsch

  • Sieve cocoa powder and flour together.
  • In a bowl beat the eggs and sugar till it becomes creamy.Add vanilla essence to it and beat it again.
  • To this beat in the cocoa-flour mix slowly till all the flour is well incorporated.
  • Add the melted butter to it and mix well.
  • Grease and lightly flour the baking tin .Now pour in the cake mixture.
  • Preheat the oven at 180degree Celsius for 15 minutes.
  • Bake the cake for about 45 minutes and let it cool on a wire rack.
  • Cut the cake into three partitions carefully.
  • Prick all the three cake partitions with a fork.
  • In a saucepan on flame add in the ingredients for the cake syrup and bring it to boil stirring for about 10 minutes .
  • Let the syrup cool and slowly pour the syrup over the partitions.
  • Whip the whipping cream with sifted icing sugar to get soft peaks using a blender.
  • Deseed the canned cherries as per requirement .
  • Place the first part of the cake on a large plate and spread the whipping cream on to the cake.Now arrange the cherries on the cream .Now place the second partition on it and lightly press it.Repeat the filling process in the same manner and place the third partition on it.
  • You can use the leftover whipping cream to cream the cakes outer part.Decorate it with chocolate curls and cherries.After decoration cool the cake in a refrigerator so that the icing sets.  

MINI MILK BUNS

Appetizers, Indian recipes, Snacks | May 11, 2010 | By

8 comments



1 1/4 cup All purpose flour

6 tbsp sugar
2 eggs
1/2 cup milk
a pinch of baking soda
1/4 tsp baking powder
2 drops of cardamom extract
Oil for frying


  • In a bowl beat the eggs well adding sugar.
  • When the sugar dissolves add the flour,milk,baking soda and baking powder,mixing them well with a blender to get a semi thick batter which has pouring consistency.
  • Stir in the cardamom drops.
  • Heat oil in an unniyappam pan , pour the batter in to the depressions and fry them out till they turn light golden on both sides. 


BANANA DUMPLINGS STEAMED IN COCOA LEAF

Indian recipes, Snacks, veg | May 8, 2010 | By

5 comments

            A snack with a hot mug of tea…is what most of us opt for when the clock ticks 4.The recipe that I am sharing here today is ada cooked in cocoa leaf.If you are quite familiar with Kerala recipes this is an other version of Chakka ada.


Cocoa leaves
2 cups of semolina
5-6 small ripe bananas
1 cup of melted jaggery
1/2 cup grated coconut
1/2 tsp dry ginger powder

  • Pour oil in a pan and fry the semolina lightly in 1tbsp ghee .Let it cool.
  • When the semolina cools, add the grated coconut,ginger powder and pour in the jaggery syrup mixing all the ingridients well to make a soft dough
  • Take a leaf and make a cone .Fill the dough in the cone and make a hole in its  centre.Now secure the filling with the leaf tip.Similarly make the cones out of the leaves and fill them.
  • Steam them for 15 minutes .
  • Open up the leaf and they are ready to be devoured.

POTATO VERMICELLI BALLS

Appetizers, Indian recipes, Snacks | May 4, 2010 | By

6 comments

It’s been a couple of days since I blogged.After Vishu celebrations I  was quite stuck up with a hectic schedule. I guess you all will find this snack refreshing..
4 medium sized potatoes
2 large onions finely cut in small pieces
3-4 green chillies diced
1/2 cup of vermicelli lightly crushed
1/2 tsp Garam masala powder
1 tsp red chilly powder
1/2 tsp yellow turmeric powder
3/4 cup bread crumbs
2 eggs scrambled
salt to taste
oil for frying
  • Boil the potatoes with 1/2  a teaspoon of turmeric powder and salt .Mash them well when they are well cooked. 
  • In a heavy bottomed pan heat 1 tbsp oil and  and  saute the onions with green chillies.Stir till the onions turn light brown.Add the mashed potatoes and scrambled eggs and mix well.
  • Add the chilli powder and the garam masala powder and stir well adding the bread crumbs before turning off the flame.
  • When the mix cools make lemon sized balls .Roll the balls in the vermicelli and deep fry them in oil.
  • Tomato ketchups go fine with these vermicelli balls.

CHIFFON CAKE WITH WHITE CHOCOLATE TOPPING

Baking, cakes, flour, Snacks | April 7, 2010 | By

3 comments


Hi Lidia..this is for you.Sorry for not posting the recipe with the photos.I found this recipe while blogging .Thnx shabs for the chiffon cake recipe.They had mentioned it with the black chocolate mould..as the day i tried the recipe I was short of  usual chocolates,I tried it up with milk chocolates.Here goes the recipe..

1 3/4 cup plain flour
3/4 cup chilled Butter
2 large eggs
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup cocoa powder
4 tsp Baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp vanilla essence
1 1/2 cup milk
a pinch of salt

For the cake moistening syrup:
6 tbsp sugar
10 tbsp water

  • Heat oven to 180 degree celsius/Gas mark 4/350 degree Farenheit
  • Cut butter to small cubes.In a large bowl, put chilled butter,sugar with a blender.
  • Add vanilla essence and eggs(one by one) beating well
  • Sift the flour 2-3 times.Add cocoa powder,baking powder,salt and baking soda to flour and mix well.
  • Add dry mix to the egg mix ,mixing well.Add the milk and beat well.
  • Grease a baking pan of 9 inches and bake it for 40-45 minutes.Cool cake on wire rack
  • Heat sugar and water until sugar melts and syrup boils.Keep it aside.
  • On cooling place the cake on a large dish and cut it into two layers.
  • Sprinkle the sugar syrup on the cut cakes.Cover the cake in a plastic wrap and refrigerate  
  • To make whipped cream filling,add 1/4 tsp vanilla essence,2 tbsp sugar & 1/2 cup whipping cream and whip well.
  • Spread the filling paste on to the cut layers and join them together.
  • For the white chocolate topping:8 ounce of milk chocolate cut into small pieces,3/4 cup of whipping cream,2 tbsp butter
  • Boil the whipping cream and pour it on to the chocolate pieces whipping it along with the butter until it becomes smooth.
  • Spread the cream on to the cake evenly .For appearance you can decorate it with cherries..  

WHEAT & SEMOLINA UNNIYAPPAMS

Appetizers, Indian recipes, Snacks, veg | April 6, 2010 | By

No comments


This mouth watering snack very much worth trying..

1 cup wheat flour
1 cup semolina
1/2 cup chopped coconut pieces roasted in ghee
1/2 tsp black seaseme seeds
2-3 ripe bananas mashed
1/4 tsp dry ginger powder
1/4 tsp Baking soda
a pinch of salt
1/4 kg jaggery
  • Heat the jaggery pieces in a pan with a little water and melt it.Strain the impurities and keep the syrup aside
  • Mix the wheat flour,semolina,mashed bananas,seaseme seeds,coconut pieces,baking soda,dry ginger powder,salt along with the jaggery syrup adding water to get a batter of dropping consistency
  • Pour and heat oil in an unniyappam pan .
  • Pour the batter into each of the depressions in the pan
  • Turn over the uniyappams with a fork so that all the parts are evenly golden brown in colour .

Hi! I am Nimi Sunilkumar…an award winning cookbook author /culinary demonstrator/freelance writer / food photographer/food blogger …spiced with the flavors of food..

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