Hi All,
This is to tell u gals that I have a strained ligament and the doctors have ruled out carpel tunnel. Sigh!!!what a relief!! I can dance with joy but then may have problems with my feet :)

Thanks all of you for your GOOD WISHES will comeback maybe by 15th Nov!!
All rights reserved on photographs and written content are copy-written @The Mad Scientist’s Kitchen!! unless mentioned. Please Ask First
 

Chocolate Pumpkin Cupcake & A Break

For Baking Partners this time around we had to make Chocolate pumpkin cupcake with frosting. Of the 3 recipes we were give I choose  Priya R  of  Cook Like Priya suggested Chocolate pumpkin cupcake with orange cream cheese frosting from Country living.

The cupcakes were to be frosted but before they could cool down they had all disappeared in the tummies that were waiting at the first aroma of the baking cupcakes.

I had not lined the silicon moulds as I was unable to find any shop that was selling the liners of the size of my moulds. The muffins were so light and delicious that the fact that we could not un-mould them bid not deter anyone. The cupcakes were eaten right from the moulds. J

The only moulds that had the liners were these small ones and the only cupcakes that I had that were kept as my” models” as they are called.

Yields:   36 cupcakes

  Ingredients:

·       2 1/2 cup(s) all-purpose flour

●       1 cup(s) good-quality cocoa

●       1 tablespoon(s) bakingpowder

●       1 1/2 teaspoon(s) baking soda

●       2 1/4 teaspoon(s) ground cinnamon

●       3/4 teaspoon(s) fresh-grated nutmeg( I did not use)

●       3/4 cup(s) buttermilk

●       1 1/2 cup(s) pumpkin puree

●       1 1/2 teaspoon(s) vanilla extract

●       283grams salted butter, softened

●       1 1/2 cup(s) (firmly packed) dark brown sugar

●       1 1/2 cup(s) granulated sugar

●       5 large eggs

Directions:

1.    Heat oven to 160ºC. Since I bake in the convection side of my microwave I am baking at 160ºC else you will need to bake at 180ºC.

2.    Grease the muffin moulds and line with the paper liners.

3.     Sift the flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon in a large bowl and set aside.

4.    Combine the buttermilk, pumpkin, and vanilla in a medium bowl and set aside.

5.    Beat the butter and sugar together in a large bowl, with an electric mixer until fluffy.

6.    Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition, until the mixture is smooth and light.

7.    Alternately add the flour mixture and buttermilk mixture, blending well after each addition.

8.     Divide the batter among the moulds and fill each with 1/4 cup of batter. Bake for 22 minutes or the toothpick inserted comes out clean.

I would like to announce that I will be taking a short break. With Carpel tunnel rearing its ugly head again I am scared and under a lot of pain so atleast for 15 days I will not be here. Please excuse me. Also I will try and read your posts but my comments will e something like yum or equally stupid but I hope you ladies will be understanding enough to accept the comment as something that I will be doing because it is so and I cannot be as vocal with my comments as I will like to be.

Linking this to Baking Partners



All rights reserved on photographs and written content are copy-written @The Mad Scientist’s Kitchen!! unless mentioned. Please Ask First
 

Mousse~ A Blog Hop Week 21

For Blog Hop Wednesday Radhika paired me with Ruchira Hoon Phillip I was delighted as I was paired with someone I admired. Ruchira blogs at  Cookaroo  and she is amazing. If cooking is a passion then Ruchira is passion personified!

If you don’t believe me just check her recent posts where she has made a Flowerpot Cake, complete with the fondant flowers. The amount of patience she has to make these beautiful flowers and not to mention the research and the preparations (for one I hate the collecting of all the ingredients especially when I have to pick up things from two different parts of the city, thank Goa Panaji is a small place, but I still hate it). Then she has these Nutella Cake, brownies. These are just few examples there are many more. Do go through her place.

As I went through the blog I remembered a delicious mousse that I had seen and wanted to make for some time now but kept postponing. 

What better time than now and what better than chocolate.

Ruchira’s recipe serves 3 so I doubled her recipe.

I started by measuring out double the semi sweet chocolate, as the Supermarket has run out of my brand of Dark Chocolate and then opened the new packet of white chocolate.

 Can you imagine my shock to see no white chocolate inside?

 Then I read the cover and saw that it was milk compound and I assumed that white chocolate and milk compound is same. How I can make the same mistake again and again I do not know but there is some wiring problem in my brains I am sure.

Then I consoled myself as younger kid and I do not enjoy white chocolate that’s fine. Will have a shade darker mousse it will not black and white mousse but brown and light brown mousse.

Then as I was whipping the cream my elder daughter, Apeksha requested me not to make it just chocolate layers but to add a layer or whipped cream. So I ended up with 9 servings of mousse. 3 small and 6 big, small for the dieters and rest for us to hell with diet(ers).

Like most sweets in my house I expected there will not be many takers therein lay my mistake. Apparently the mousse was better than the local bakery; (“much much better” were the exact words! That is high praise from my 18 year old) and the mousse was much appreciated.

I am glad I took the pictures when I did for if I waited to setup my stage alias washing machine for my pictures …  I would have just post the recipe sans the pictures… for the pictures had to be taken today and by the time I came back from work there were empty glasses to greet me.  

For the original Black and White Mousse please click here.

Udmethi

Amade che Udmethi

When I read the Magic Mingle ingredients this month there was a smile on my face. Finally I was to post one of Goa’s most delicious curries. The one that I have made many times and started to write so many times and deleted so many times.

The beauty of this curry is that it can be made vegetarian and non vegetarian both.

The magic is made with urid dal and fenugreek and “Ammado”!

These sour beauties called Ammado  are available almost all the year around. In rains they are tender and taste like raw mango. The pickle made from this is Sluuuurp! As the rains get over at about Ganesh Chathurthi time they have a slight flesh ad there is a hard fibrous nut kind of centre. These delicious fruits are a must for Ganesh and Diwali celebrations, when they are made in delicious chutney.

Ammado

I will post the more about the chutney later, right now it’s Magic Mingle and its magic ingredients of coconut and fenugreek.

Like I said Ammado are used to make vegetarian and non-vegetarian curry. The non vegetarian curry is made with prawns!!

Most Goan curries use coconut as a base with coriander seeds and red chilies. There are some curries where there are additions of pepper, cinnamon etc but the most important curry ingredient is coconut.  Goans use very little curry in their rice. The rice is almost dry the reason I think being that coconut is high in cholesterol and the protein content is taken care of by the fish. So it not eaten like daal.

  

To make the vegetarian curry called

  Udmethi

 Ingredients: 

             ·      10 Ammado

·      ½ Coconut, freshly scrapped

·      1 tblspn urid dal

·      ½ tsp fenugreek

·      4 Red chilies (I used the Goan chilies)

·      ½ tsp turmeric

·      1 small piece of hing/ asafetida or about ½ tsp powder

·      2-3 tsp oil

           ·      Salt  

Method:

1.    Wash and peel the Ammado using the vegetable peeler.

2.    Now with a heavy stone/hammer pound the Ammado till they are a bit broken. (This step I do not follow many times but it’s desirable. All the curry juices seep in and a slight sour taste seeps easily in the curry). Set aside.

The ingredients sans the turmeric

3.  In a kadhai/wok heat the oil fry the hing piece drain well and set aside. Next add the red chilies and fry till they give out an aroma. Drain and set aside.

4.    In the same oil fry the urid dal till reddish add the fenugreek and switch off the gas. Drain the dal and methi.

5.    Grind the coconut, methi, urid dal, red chilies, turmeric and hing to a fine paste using little water. This is your masala.

6.     Heat another tsp of oil and toss the Ammado in. Stir for about 2-3 minutes then add the ground masala.

7.    Add salt and some water. Say about 3 cups. Bring to a boil.

8.    Adjust the seasonings, the thickness of the curry to your liking by adding water. Mine here is quite thick.

Serve udmethi with  steamed rice, pickle,rava fried cauliflower!!

Sending this to Kalyani's Magic Mingle # 10 hosted at Vaishali's space this month...

Kid's Delight Pot luck Party hosted by Srivalli

Nithu's  Healthy food for Healthy Kids  hosted at Sowmya's

Favourite Recipes Event by Swathi Iyer

All rights reserved on photographs and written content are copy-written @The Mad Scientist’s Kitchen!! unless mentioned. Please Ask First
 

Corn in Creamy Milk

I picked up this beautiful book in the Central Library,Panaji, Goa.

The author is Karen Anand. In fact I had typed out a great number of recipes from her book and the laptop crashed!!

Central Library, Panaji, Goa is an amazing place!  I have been told that the library is built and maintained on international standards. It is a pleasure to go there for not only the staff is so good but also the books are so beautifully arranged even an idiot will find the book he/she needs. The reading room is so very beautiful. Many a times I sit in the library and access my pending posts.

As you enter the library you are greeted by a huge mascot of a person resting his/ her face on the palm. The best thing is it is made of tyres.  Different treads are used cleverly to draw your eye to different features.

This is not all there are metal sculptures made out of waste material on display. O by the way the Art and Culture is also in the same building but I have not as yet visited that area. The library has so much of a pull over me.

If you are in Goa please make it a point to visit the library.

No I am not doing a review on the Central Library like I said most of my lunch hours are spent there.

  

Cutlet No 6 Rice Cutlets

Leftovers are the nemesis of any housekeeper. I am sure you will all agree. One way to get rid of all leftovers is to have a leftovers night like in “The Incredibles”, second is to get it out the very next day, like hubby’s  Maushi does and it’s compulsory that all eat it, easy if you have only leftovers in the fridge. But for me who has tomorrow’s veggie, chopped onions, cooked dal to name a few, all of which I store in the container that I have cooked because there will be too many vessels to wash. Leftovers are lost!!

So when I happen to want some space in the fridge I check leftovers. Which happens about once in 2-3 days and things get re-circulated.

I love to make cutlets and generally I make use of these leftovers to make them. I have no less than 5 cutlets here 

1.    Frankies

2.    Suran Gaddi/Suran/ Elephant's Foot Cutlets

3.    Noodle Cutlet

4.    Soya Spinach Cutlets

5.    Cheese Stuffed Rajma Cutlets

Since I love to make them so much I thought, what is the history of these succulent balls that can be eaten plain as well as stuffed in bread? What enterprising soul put in efforts to get start making them?

Was it something made out of necessity for the hard riding soldiers a quick meal on the horseback, can you imagine the Vikings riding out to a rendezvous night & day?

You have them in so many forms, burgers, frankies, even our humble vada pav is an example of these amazing invention.

So these questions naturally have you turning to Wikipedia. Here is what I read about them. 

This is the Dictionary meaning of cutlet is

 cut·let pronounced as [kuht-lit]   is a noun and is defined as

1. a slice of meat, especially of veal, for broiling or frying.

2. a flat croquette of minced chicken, lobster, or the like.

Wikipedia says

Cutlet (derived from French côtelette, côte ("rib")) refers to:

1. a thin slice of meat from the leg or ribs of veal, pork, or mutton (also known in various languages as a cotoletta or Kotelett)

2. a fried breaded cutlet

3. a croquette made of minced meat

4. a kind of fish fillet

5. various preparations using fried cutlets or croquettes

There are cutlets in various forms such as in

•  American cuisine where chicken is used and the cutlet is usually run through flour, egg and bread crumbs then fried in a pan with some oil. The credited creator of the modern American chicken cutlet is thought to be Michael Santaniello.
•  Cutlets are also available In British Cuisine where it is called a chop.
•   Indian cuisine famous being Aloo Tikki.
•   Italian cuisine the most famous is the Milanese cutlet (cotoletta alla milanese); a veal cutlet covered in bread crumbs and fried in butter or the Wienerschnitzel. 
• The Japanese pronounce cutlet as   katsuretsu or shorter katsu is breaded cutlet. Dishes with katsu include tonkatsu and katsudon. These are few of the many variations I read.

The Wise Geek says 

One of the classic preparations for cutlets involves dredging them in flour, following with beaten eggs and bread crumbs. The breaded cutlets are fried and served hot with lemon or other sauces, along with side dishes such as vegetables or mashed potatoes. Cutlets may also be simmered in curries, broiled, roasted, baked, or simply sautéed plain. Generally, the shorter the cooking process, the better the cutlet will be.

Sounds like a kofta does it not?

Kurma

Kurma this veggie bring back nostalgic memories of my stay at my maternal uncle place every summer.

 Mami an excellent cook used to make kurma and chapatti or puri for breakfast on Sundays. The veggie she made was so delicious that we used to fight for it in the afternoon for lunch also.

After my marriage I was used to remember the veggie often but did not know how to make it. Too timid to ring Mami up and ask her for the recipe (we were a joint family then) I never did make it. Now this time I asked her how it is made and Mami true to her word not only gave me the recipe but also made it for me to eat. It was not the same. I missed all my cousins and the fights we had to eat the veggie. Another childhood memory goes in the treasure chest!!

Mere Attithi Series # 4 Maa Laadu/ Porikadalai Laddu

Today in my series of Mere Athithi I am to introduce to you ladies, an person who need no introduction, in fact I should say, ”Gusthaki Maaf ho” and  just say Gayathri of GayathriCook Spot.

I just need not say a word. In fact I have no words to write (which is rare)!

But then since I have to do the MC’s job I must say something. So here goes...

Have you seen chocolate chips? Made them? Tried making eggless checker board cookies? Eggless Biscuit JacondeImprime/Entremet, Moo-Shu (Vegetarian Version) well the lady in question has made them all and not only that has the patience to take pictures of them, step-wise.  Check it out ladies!!

So GayathriKumar was initially GayathriRaani and is a homemaker by profession lives in Madurai, the Temple City, a proud mother Sruti and lovely wife of PPK.

Gayathri holds a diploma in Fashion designing and was conducting classes till she conceived Sruti. Gayathri has may accomplishments below her belt not only she is a yoga enthusiast, she does Mysore Paintings and is hoping to do an exhibition of them. Like the rest of us she loves reading novels and cookbooks.

Her love for cooking and serving is evident from the élan in which she cooked up for the Thali festival that Srivalli had hosted some time ago.(Since there are quite a few Thalis I have not linked them).

 Being a vegetarian and not an egg-eatarian, like most of us she concentrates on Egg less baking. In fact, you will find me heading the moment someone says egg less bake  to Gayathri’s Cook Spot and her recipes are fab. Let me tell you that under the name of egg less baking we have make some delicious muffins, breads, quiche yes even quiche’s egg less.

So when did Gayathri start blogging?

Hmmm, let’s us all wish Gayathri’s blog baby a very Happy Birthday as she has started blogging from   September 17^th 2010.  It has been two years. May you have many such milestones Gayathri. “Now it has become my life”, confesses Gayathri candidly.

Being a fashion designer and am very interested in embroidery, stitching, crafts and painting she has just last month started an arts and crafts blog. Plus another one for kitchen basics!!

The most popular posts on her blog are Chettinad Paruppu Urundai Kulambu  and Bisi Bele Bath. But her personal favourites are eggless bakes, and the Barbie she made for Sruti’s birthday.  “I can’t point out any single post but all the posts which come under eggless bakes are my favourites” she says. Well Gayathri I agree with you they are all my favourites too.

Gayathri loves all kind of food except egg and non vegetarian food which is very evident in the various cuisines that she has posted.

What makes her happy is when her readers give her a feedback. Gayathri has also said and I quote, “I have lots and lots of friends in blogosphere since two years. Even though we haven’t met in person and we live far apart, I feel that I have friends with whom I can share my joys and sorrows. When daughter fell ill, I usually get mails asking about her. I love that care the readers and blogger friends give me.”

Our sentiments exactly Gayathri!! And we will love to see you blogging till you are a grand old dame in your 100^th year!

Now let us all rush to see the delicacy that Gayathri has in store for us.