Sunflower Seed Garlic Bread

For those who do not have a bread machine:

Place the flour in a deep mixing bowl and sprinkle the yeast on top.  Add the rest of the ingredients and mix well with a wooden spoon until the mixture comes together.  Knead for 20 minutes until smooth and elastic.  If you happen to own a cake mixer use the dough hooks to knead the mixture for 10 minutes.   Cover with cling film and keep in warm place to rise until double in size.  This takes about 1 hour or so.  Punch it down and knead again for 5 minutes.  Shape into a round loaf and place on a greased baking sheet. Cover and let rise until doubled, about 1 hour. 
Sprinkle sunflower seeds on top and parsley if desired.  Bake in a preheated oven at 375° for 35-40 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from pan to a wire rack to cool.  Slice and serve with garlic butter, mixed vegetables and any main dish.

To Attend My Cooking Class CLICK HERE
 

1. 
   
2.  
3. 
   
4. 
   
5. 
   
6. 
   
7. 
   
8. 
   
9.             Visit Ruth's profile on Pinterest.   
10. 
    

Double Skewered Grilled Prawns

Cleaning prawns are messy and unless I buy jumbo prawns, I usually avoid this fast food in the market.  Every once in a while I do buy some and make the quickest, simplest recipe to compensate for the time I spend cleaning them.  This is the time I take out my sauces and powders and mix and stir and grill them to luscious perfection.

The Recipe:

50 large prawns, shelled,washed and deveined; 1/2 tsp chilli powder; 1 tsp light soya sauce; 1/4 tsp jeera powder; 1 tsp tomato sauce; 1 tbsp olive oil;salt and pepper to taste.

20 wooden skewers

Drain the prawns thoroughly.   Mix the oil, powders, sauces and salt together.  Marinade the prawns overnight in this mixture.  Soak the skewers in water for 1 hour.  This is to prevent them from burning on the grill.  Next day, take on of the skewers,and poke it through the side of the prawn.  Take another skewer and poke it through the opposite side of the prawn as in the photograph.  Similarly skewer 5 prawns per set of skewers.  Repeat with rest of the prawns and skewers.  Grill on an open grill on high heat for 5 minutes on each side or in a preheated  oven at highest setting for 5 minutes on each side.  Serve hot as an appetiser.

To Attend My Cooking Classes Click Here

Three Ingredient Cheesecake

                                                         Dark Chocolate Cheesecake / Japanese Cheesecake

Who doesn't love Cheese Cake?  Last week I saw a recipe for a Three Ingredient Japanese Cheese Cake on Facebook and shared it on my page.  My friend, Rose tried it out and posted the photograph to me.  I decided to make it with dark chocolate instead of white.  The result was a melting, moist chocolatey Cheese Cake.  Perfect for that special occasion.

The Recipe:

250 gms dark chocolate or white chocolate); 250 gms cream cheese; 5 large eggs, seperated; icing sugar to sprinkle on top.

Melt the chocolate in a double boiler stirring all the while.  Add the cream cheese and keep stirring till thoroughly mixed.  Remove the bowl from the double boiler, add the 5 yolks and mix well.  Beat the whites to a stiff consistency and add to the mixture little by little.  Pour into a greased and lined 9 inch round cake pan.  Pour some hot water into the tray on which you place the pan in the oven.  I poured 1 cup.  Bake in a preheated oven at 170 Celcius for 15 minutes, 160 Celcius for 15 minutes , then switch off the oven and let the cake cook in the remaining heat for 15 minutes.  Cool, unmould, sprinkle with sugar and serve at room temperature or cold.  In my opinion it tastes better cold.

TO Attend My Mangalorean Food Workshop Click Here

            Visit Ruth's profile on Pinterest.   

Nourishing Hair Mask

                                                                    Protein Hair Mask

This has to be one of the best recipes I ever found.  More than three decades ago, while browsing through an old book I found this recipe for shiny , well kept hair.  I had no idea what protein was, but never the less I copied it down in my best hand writing and added it to my prized collection of recipes.  Years later, I found it and made it and use it regularly.  It's very effective and my hair has never looked better.

The Recipe:

1/2 cup thick curds (yoghurt), 1/4 cup very ripe papaya; 2 tbsp good quality protein powder; 2 tbsp pure coconut oil.

Blend the papaya, curds and protein powder to a thick paste.  Transfer to a glass bottle or storage container and stir in 2 tbsps of coconut oil.  Apply required amount all over your hair and scalp and keep on until dry.  Wash, rinse and shampoo hair as usual.  You will see the difference after one use.  Hair will be healthier, stronger and shinier.  Use three times a week initially.  After 3 months use it once a week regularly.  Store the remaining Mask in the refrigerator and bring to room temperature before using.

To Attend My Low Calorie Cooking Class Click Here  

Red Indian Basil Chicken

Ruth Isaac

Fresh Indian Tulsi Chicken

Have you ever made chicken with Fresh Indian Basil (Tulsi Leaves)?  I was very excited when the tulsi seeds I planted grew into lush, beautiful plants.   I wondered whether I could use it to cook chicken since I had so much of it.  To cut a long story short, I use it for many of my recipes now - soups, sauces, curries, bread and what not.  Here then is a very simple recipe that is a feast for the eyes and taste buds.

The Recipe:

500 gms chicken fillets, boneless; 1/2 cup very ripe tomatoes, ground to a pulpy consistency; 1 onion, sliced fine; 3 flakes garlic, minced; about 7 Tulsi leaves and a few more for garnishing; a slice of cheese, torn into pieces for topping;salt to taste;  2 tbsp olive oil for frying.

Wash and drain the chicken.  Heat oil in a large non stick wok.  Add oil and when hot, lower the flame to medium and stir fry the onions, garlic and tulsi leaves till the onions are glazed and transparent.  Add the chicken and saute till golden brown all over.  Pour in the tomato mixture and cook for 5 minutes till as thick as you want and the colour changes.  Add salt to taste.  Transfer to serving dish, scatter the cheese and garnish with the tulsi leaves.  Serve with warm garlic bread or toast.

http://fromthefryingpan.blogspot.com/2010/01/tasty-toast.html

To Attend My Low Calorie Cooking Classes, Click Here

Apple Rose Cake

                                                               Apple Rose Cake 

I love baking cakes and especially cakes that have a creative twist to them.  Today baking is an art and the internet is full of fantastic recipes and cakes that are works of art.  Some are simple, some very intricate and there are enough and more recipes to choose from.  I particularly like to browse through Pinterest and save them to my various boards.  This is a combination of a couple of cakes  I enjoyed baking and giving as a gift to various people. 

The Recipe:

2/3 cup brown sugar; 1 2/3 cup white caster sugar; 2 tsp cinnamon powder; 1 cup butter; 4 medium eggs; 3 tsp vanilla essence; 3 cups flour; 3 1/2 tsp baking powder; 1 cup milk; 2 apples- Wash and cut the apple into quarters.   Core it.  Place the cut side down and slice each half  as thin as you can. Keep in 1 cup water with 1/4 tsp salt for 5 minutes to prevent the slices from going brown.  Drain and  use as required.

2 x 9 inch round pans, greased and lined

Makes 2 Cakes

Mix the brown sugar and cinnamon in a bowl.  Keep aside till required.

Beat caster sugar and butter at room temperature till creamy.  Add the eggs, one at a time and then beat in the vanilla essence.  Add the sieved flour and baking powder to the batter 1/2 cup at a time, gently stirring to incorporate the mixture.   Divide the batter into two portions.

1. For The Apple Rose Cake: Cake Number One

Pour half the batter of portion number 1 into one of the greased and lined pans.  Arrange slices from half an apple on the batter, gently pressing to position the slices.  Sprinkle 1/4 of the cinnamon and brown sugar mixture over the sliced apples.  Pour the remaining half of the batter from portion number one over the apples and  cinnamon mixture and layer with slices and sprinkle with 1/4 of the cinnamon.   Bake in pre heated oven at 175 Degrees Celcius / 350 Degrees Farenheit for 40 minutes or until skewer inserted in cake comes out clean.  Cool completely and arrange the roses and leaves on the cake attaching them with honey or icing to stay firmly in place.

How To Make The Roses:  See the video on how to make the roses.  It's pretty easy.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NgetvGCoEFQ&list=FL6DSUpL_0eJvs5jBwg33_Kw

 For Roses:  1 red apple; 2 tbsp sugar; 1 tbsp honey; 3 tbsp water.

Wash and cut the apple.  Core it.  Place the cut side down and slice each half very thin.  Place in a small saucepan with the sugar, honey and water.  Bring to the boil and simmer 3 to 5 minutes until the slices are soft.  Take out the slices and cool on a plate.

For the Pastry:  1 cup plain flour, sifted; 1/2 stick butter- 55 gms approx; 3 tbsp cooked apple water.

Knead the sifted flour, apple water and cut butter until smooth.  Shape into a ball and cut into two pieces.  Roll out each piece into a rectangle.  Cut into strips 1 inch in width and 8-10 inches in length.  Take a strip and place 5 to 6 cooked apple slices on it overlapping each other.  Roll from one end to another into a rose.  Repeat with all the strips until the cooked apple slices are used up.  Make a few leaves too.    Place the roses  in  cup cake cases.  Arrange leaves on baking paper  and bake  both together in a preheated oven at  175 Celcius for 15 to 18 minutes until golden brown.  Remove from oven and glaze with honey using a pastry brush.  Sprinkle with sugar and cinnamon.   Arrange on Apple Rose Cake when cool.

2.  For The Apple Cake:  Cake Number Two

To see how to arrange the sliced apple go to  

https://www.pinterest.com/pin/294422894367566766/

Pour all  the batter of portion number 2 into one of the greased and lined pans.   Sprinkle 1/4 of the cinnamon and brown sugar mixture over the batter.  Arrange slices from remaining apple all around  the batter, gently pressing to position the slices to look like a rose.     Sprinkle remaining cinnamon mixture over the top and gently tap the pan to release any air bubble in the mixture.   Bake in pre heated oven at 175 Degrees Celcius / 350 Degrees Farenheit for 40 minutes or until skewer inserted in cake comes out clean.

Serve both cakes warm or at room temperature with Vanilla Ice cream for an unforgettable experience.

 To Attend My Cooking Class CLICK HERE

Just Ghee

                                                          Ma's Home Made Ghee

My grandmother made fantastic ghee.  There was always a very large bottle in her meat safe and sometimes when she had extra we would be the lucky recipients.  She would collect the butter from the milk from her buffaloes and cows and make it into delicious ghee that we would pour over rice and dhal or ganji (rice porridge) or payasam blissfully ignorant of the calories it contained.  My Mum also made delicious ghee.  She would get some local milkman to deliver milk, collect the cream that rose to the top the next day after boiling and cooling the milk and when she had enough of cream, she would make it into the rich, creamy, golden yellow, buttery, rich concoction we all loved.  As a special treat both she and my Grandmother would boil a few betel leaves along with the cream and we would greedily wait for them to be shared out to us once the ghee was done.  Just looking at this photograph evokes the most heavenly smells and scrumptious tastes.  Food eaten with a dollop of ghee is like none other.

4 to 6 cups of cream collected over a period of three to four weeks.  Store it in the freezer compartment of the refrigerator till required; 4 betel leaves (The betel (Piper betle) is the leaf of a vine belonging to the Piperaceae 

Bring the cream to room temperature.  Pour it into a large, heavy bottomed pan.  Place the pan on the fire at medium heat.  Throw in the washed and dried betel leaves.  Bring to the boil and then simmer until the solids sink to the bottom.  Skim off the foam from the top. Simmer for 10 to 15 minutes.  Cool and strain with a fine wire mesh strainer into a glass bottle so that the beautiful colour can be seen.  You can either eat the milk solids with a little bit of sugar or add it to your puri or chappathi dough and enjoy that one in a million taste and sensational aroma.

                                                   

  

Ruth Isaac

To Attend My Low Calorie Cooking Classes, Click Here