BEST BANANA BREAD EVER!!!

Got ripe bananas? Time to make this delectable treat..

Haven't all of us faced the dilemma of pondering over what to do with those over ripe bananas. What if i tell you that there is a way around this. I have tried banana bread from several bakeries. Some are good , but most of them where just a tea bread with little bit of banana flour. Once you try this recipe, you will change your vision about banana bread. This banana bread is an explosion of flavors like ripe bananas, cinnamon, nutmeg and vanilla. My friends and family loves this easy to make goodness. No wonder its my daughters favorite lunch box treat.

Perfect Moist Banana bread

How to make a perfect moist banana cake?

Preparation Time : 15min, Cooking Time : 1 hour 15 min, Makes : 1 loaf

2 cups :  All-purpose flour 

1/2 Cup : Unsalted butter

4 Ripe Bananas / 2Cups Mashed ripe bananas

1/2Cup : Brown Sugar

1/2 Cup : Granulated Sugar

2 Eggs , at room temperature

1 teaspoon : Baking soda

1 teaspoon : Baking Powder

1/2 teaspoon : Cinnamon powder

1/2 teaspoon : Nutmeg powder

1 teaspoon : Vanilla essence

1/4 teaspoon : Salt

Traditional Banana bread

Directions  to make the Best and Moist Banana Bread

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly grease a 9x5 inch loaf pan.

2. In a large bowl, combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, nutmeg powder, cinnamon powder and salt. 

3. In a separate bowl, cream the butter, granulated sugar and brown sugar. Add the eggs one by one and continue beating until the mixture is creamy. Stir in  mashed bananas until well blended. Fold the flour mixture into the egg-banana mixture. Combine lightly with a wooden spatula. Pour batter into prepared loaf pan.

4. Bake in preheated oven for 70 to 75 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into center of the loaf comes out clean. Let bread cool in pan for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack.

Related Recipes :

• Banana Muffins
• Apple cake
• Chocolate butter cake
• Moist orange cake (My favorite)
• Marble tea loaf

THAYYIR SADAM / Best Curd rice Ever !!!

Today's special in 'Lemon n spice' is the simple South Indian delicacy Curd rice. 

I need to make a confession before i go ahead, I HATED CURD RICE. Now that is out of the way let me explain why... it was all because of the college hostel cafeteria. It was a runny, flavor less and out right example of waste of good ingredients. It made me believe that the chef was too lazy to make anything that day. Fast forward 5 years, my perception of curd rice changed once I ate from  Adayar Anandha Bhavan in Banglore, it became one of my favorite dishes. 

Curd rice can be prepared in different ways, by adding grated carrot / cucumber  / pomegranates / with or without milk etc. I love this method and my family loves it. You can serve curd rice with potato podimas / pappad / pickles.

Adayar Anandha Bhavan Style Curd rice

BEST CURD RICE EVER!!!
Preparation Time : 10 mins | Cooking Time : 20 mins | Serves : 2

Ingredients for Curd Rice :

Raw Rice : 1 cup ( i used sona masoori rice)

Thick curd / Greek yogurt : 2cups to 2 1/2 cups ( Thick curd is a must, otherwise curd rice will be watery)
Milk : 1/2 cup ,Boiled and cooled (optional, Refer Notes *)

Carrot : 1, grated or chopped finely

Coriander leaves : 2 springs, chopped finely

Salt 

To temper :

Sesame oil / vegetable oil : 1tbsp

Mustard seeds / Kaduku : 2 tsp

Urad dal / Uzhunnuparippu: 1 1/2 tsp

Green chilli : 2 chopped finely

Ginger : 1 1/2tsp, finely chopped 

Hing/ asafoetida / Kaayam podi : a generous pinch

Curry leaves : 2 springs

How to make Anandha Bhavan style Curd rice / Thayir sadam:

1. Rinse the rice and pressure cook with 3 cups of water and salt. Once pressure releases, fluff up the rice and allow to cool a bit (warm to the touch). Now mash the rice along with curd. combine well and make it a creamy thick mixture. 

2. Heat oil in a tadka pan and splutter the mustard seeds. Now add the remaining ingredients under "To Temper " in the same order. Add the tampering to the curd rice mixture. Add grated carrot, and coriander leaves. Adjust the salt and give a quick stir. 

3. Delicious Curd rice is ready to serve. Serve hot / cold with pappad and pickle.

Notes *

• Make sure to cool down the rice before you add curd. 
• Milk is added to avoid sourness when curd rice is prepared in advance. So if you are making the curd rice for lunch box, add the boiled and cooled milk along with yogurt in Step 1. As i cook and serve immediately , i don't add milk in my curd rice. 

Enjoy!!!

Lena

8 YEARS OF TOGETHERNESS!!!

Celebrated our 8th wedding anniversary with this beauty. Its a Vanilla cupcake with marmalade filling.

homemade wedding anniversary cupcakes

Similar posts :

• Cupcake bouquet 
• My basic vanilla cupcake recipe
• Frozen birthday cake for my daughter

Enjoy!!!

Lena

SADYA STYLE PINEAPPLE MORUCURRY / Pineapple Pulissery

Starting Vishu sadya special recipes with a yogurt based sweet Kerala dish - Pineapple morucurry. 

Pineapple pulissery - Kerala sadya style

How to make Kerala Sadya style Pneapple pulissery / Pineapple morucurry?

Cooking time : 15min

Preparation time : 15min

Serves : 5

Ingredients

Pineapple : 1/2 of a medium size pineapple

Turmeric powder : 1/4 tsp

Chilly powder : 1/2 tsp

Jaggery : 1/2 inch cube

Salt

Thick Yogurt : 1 Cup

For grinding

Grated coconut : 1 Cup

Green Chillies : 3

Cumin Seeds : 3/4 tsp

Pepper corns : 1/4 tsp

Curry leaves : 1 spring

Garlic : 2 cloves

For Tempering 

Mustard Seeds : 1/2tsp

Dried Red Chilllies : 2

Curry Leaves : 2

Coconut Oil : 2tsp

Method 

1. In a claypot, cover and cook the pineapple pieces with 1/4 Cup of water, turmeric powder and jaggery. After 5 minutes open the lid and cook in high flame till water evaporates. Turn off the flame and allow to cool.

2. Grind together the grated coconut, garlic, pepper corns, cumin seeds, curry leaves and green chillies. Add yogurt and blend for a minute. Keep aside.

3. Add this mixture to the clay pot and combine well with the cooked pineapple. Bring to a boil and cook for 3-4 minutes. Keep stirring till the pulissery / morucurry is heated through. Heating yogurt based gravy in high temperature can make the curry curdle. so stir well in medium heat and just bring the gravy to boil. . Remove from the heat and keep it aside.

4. Heat oil in a thadka pan and add mustard seeds. When it splutters, add the dried red chillies and 2 curry leaves.Turn of the flame and pour over Pineapple pulissery.

5. Serve hot with rice, pappad and pickle :)

Similar Recipes 

• Vishukkani and Sadya Recipes
• Pineapple pachadi
• Pazham pulissery
• Mambazha pulissery
• Kalan

Happy cooking,

Lena