Dates and Almond cake

This is my first attempt at baking a cake from scratch. It is a very simple recipe, and quite tasty. One does not miss the eggs or the butter in this cake. I made this cake twice in a week, and it was a winner. My mom got me Lion dates syrup from India, and I used this in place of sugar in this recipe. This cake does not require any icing on it, however I glazed the cake with some orange flavored glaze. I adapted this cake from several dates cake recipes I found on other blogs.

Dates - 15
Milk - 3/4 cup
Date syrup - 1/2 cup
Sugar - 1/4 cup
Flour - 1 cup
Baking soda - 1 tsp
Oil - 1/2 cup
Almonds - 1/4 cup

For Glaze: (Optional)
Powdered sugar - 1/4 cup
Orange juice - 2 tbsp

Heat the milk and dates in the microwave for 3 minutes. This will make the dates soft and help with grinding them. I used Lion dates that were pitted and soft. If using dried dates, soak them in milk over night.

Grind the dates with the milk. Add the date syrup and sugar and grind. If you do not find date syrup, substitute it with sugar. Just use 3/4 cup sugar instead of the date syrup + sugar combination. 

Add the oil to this mixture and whisk well. Mix the flour and baking soda and add to the liquid one spoonful at a time. Mix well. When the mixture is well incorporated, grease a cake pan, and pour the batter into the pan.

Chop the almonds, and top the cake with the chopped nuts.

Pre-heat the oven to 350F and bake for about 30 to 35 minutes. A knife inserted in the middle should come out clean. If the cake is not cooked through, the knife will have some batter on it.

Cool and remove.

Powder some sugar, else use a 1/4 cup of powdered sugar. Mix the orange juice into the powdered sugar. The glaze should be runny, and you should be able to pour in onto the cake with a spoon. Use more juice if required.

Drizzle the glaze onto the cake with a spoon. Cool and serve.

 

Chicken Kebobs

Chicken Skewers:
Chicken Breast meat - Cubed
Green bell peppers, Red onion, Red bell pepper, Tomatoes - Cubed
Marinade:
Red chili powder, salt, tandoori masala, lime juice, ginger garlic paste and yogurt.
Bamboo Skewers



Marinate the veggies and the chicken overnight if possible. The chicken gets really flavorful if it marinates for long.
Soak the bamboo skewers in water.
Pierce the meat and veggies alternatively onto the skewers.
Preheat the oven to 425F and cook them for about 1/2 hr, turning them halfway.
Pop them under the broiler for 2 min, to get the charred taste.

Kottu Parotta

This is my favorite dish to order in a restaurant in Chennai. I love the way they break up (kottu) the parathas in the roadside eateries using the iron spatulas. I skipped the egg in this recipe, as I did not have any on hand. Scrambling an egg in the end would make this more authentic. Typically kottu parotta is made with salna, a spicy sauce cooked using chicken or mutton. This can be substituted with a couple table spoons of any chicken or mutton gravy on hand. I am sure that this will taste good even without this.

Parottas - 3
Onion- 1
Green chilis - 4
Ginger garlic paste - 1 tbsp
Capsicum - 1
Tomato - 1
Turmeric - 1 tsp
Coriander powder - 1 tsp
Cumin powder - 1 tsp
Soy sauce - 1 tbsp
Salna or chicken/mutton gravy - 1/4 cup
Salt - to taste

Seasoning:
Mustard seeds - 1 tsp
Cumin seeds - 1 tsp
Curry leaves - 1 sprig
Oil - 1 tbsp

Cook the parathas and tear them to bite sized pieces after they cool down. I used frozen kawan parottas for this.
In a flat bottom pan, heat the oil and splutter the mustard seeds and cumin seeds. Add the curry leaves and slit green chilis.
Add the sliced onion and capsicum. Fry till soft and add the tomato and ginger garlic paste. Fry till the tomato is wilted. Add the salt, coriander and cumin powers and soy sauce. Add about a 1/4 cup of water. Cook till the water evaporates and add the gravy. I had left over chicken gravy, and I used that here.
Add the torn parotta pieces, mix well and check for seasonings. Garnish with cilantro and serve immediately with raita.