Chris's Carrot Cake

My friends and colleagues think that since I am a vegetarian, Carrot cake would be my favorite cake, but it was not until I ate a bite of Chris's carrot cake. Chris got these for a retirement party at work which was in some other department. But call it destiny, that there were some leftovers and she decided to bring it over in our dept since our dept is famous for foodies.
I was skeptical to try one, but just to be nice, I picked a small piece and then wondered why I dint pick up 2-3 pieces.
Wasting no time, I went to her and asked for the recipe. She gladly gave it to me in writing. I first prepared it for Pavi's Bday (cupcakes), for my brothers bday and then for Radha's Bday - all very special to me :)
And am writing it up for them and others who love baking.

1 Cup Canola Oil
2 cups sugar
4 eggs
3 small jars of baby food carrots
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
1 and 1/4 cups flour
1 tsp salt
2 tsp baking soda
2 tsp cinnamon
1 cup walnuts
1 small can crushed pineapple (drained)
1/2 Cup Golden raisins

Mix first 5 ingredients in one bowl, add dry ingredients, add crushed pineapple and raisins last.
Grease the pan and pour the batter in it.
Bake at 350F for 45 minutes in 13x9 inch cake pan (glass pan preferred), or until toothpick comes out clean.
You can also make 36 cupcakes with these measurements. Grease the cupcake-moulds well.
Refrigerate when the pan cools down.

Generally, Carrot cake is served with Cream Cheese on top, but this one will go with or without ;)

Ripe Mango Curry

Ingredients:  Tamarind, dried chilies, one ripe yellow mango, asafoetida/hing, some curry leaves, 

jaggery, sesame seeds and mustard seeds.This curry is sweet, spicy and tangy all at once. 

Sweetness from the mango, tangy sourness from the tamarind and spice from the chillies.
So first, slice and dice your mangoes, and then pluck out the soft pulpy insides into a bowl

 

Meanwhile you can begin to roast your spices on an open pan.

 Spread your sea same seeds and dried chili onto the pan and roast till it turns to a 

golden brown. 

Roasting the spices is definitive to the flavor of the dish. 

Keep an eye on the color as it turns, to make sure you don’t burn it – or the whole dish

 could be ruined!
Once the spices are nice and golden, put it into a blender and grind into a paste. 

This is where all that delicious flavor comes from! 

Remember the tamarind? This next step is where we use it. 

Remove the tamarind pulp and mush it around in a glass of warm water to 

release the flavour. 

Once the water turns into a light brown color, you can squeeze out the tamarind 

and discard it; 

we will only need its liquid flavor. Add that to your spice mix.

Your mango should be getting soft, and slowly disintegrating over the fire. 

To that lovely yellow pulp, we add some grated jaggery.

 Jaggery has a fuller sweetness than sugar, and it’s more local, which is a philosophy 

we try to follow –

 using good, clean, fresh and local products in every dish.

Now, pour in that creamy spice paste into the mango pulp.

Some red chili powder and salt to taste.

And finally, a little tadka to bring all the flavors of the dish together: 

2 teaspoons of hot oil in a pan, hot enough for the mustard seeds to burst on contact, 

and some of the hing we kept aside in the beginning.

Throw in a few curry leaves to bring out that mouth-watering aroma.

And your mango curry is ready to be plated!
Nothing goes better with this sweet and spicy curry than some beautifully steamed white rice.
Soul food for the balmy summer heat!

 

 

(Adapted from an article on yahoo website)

 

 

Fried Rice - spicy :)

The following recipe is by my bestie Divya, who loves to try out new dishes and this one is my favorite.
She admits to have followed an internet recipe but tweaked to give a homely touch -

2 cups Rice
3 tbsp Oil
100 gms Beans Finely Chopped
2 Carrot Finely Chopped
1 Onion Sliced
100 gms Cabbage Finely Chopped
2 Spring Onions Finely Chopped
2-3 Green Chilies cut lengthtwise
1 tsp Ginger Chopped Finely
1 tsp Garlic Finely Chopped

    2 Eggs

2 tbsp Soya Sauce
1/2 tp Ajinomoto
Salt & pepper to taste

How to make chinese fried rice:

YUMMY CHINESE FRIED RICE

Cook rice
Heat oil in a kadhai / large pan and stir fry all the chopped vegetables.
Cook for 3-4 minutes.
Take care that vegetables are not overdone, they should be crisp.
Mix salt/ajinomoto and pepper to taste.
• Take a seperate pan.. put some oil.. add two eggs and scramble it ( add salt or pepper - very little though)

Add the cooked rice and mix well. Now mix the soya sauce (I have chilli soy sauce) and or little Chinese chilli paste to it.
• and add the scrambled egg and cook the chinese fried rice for 2-3 minutes and serve hot.

Garnish with Spring onions.