CRUNCHY CHOCOLATE CAKE BALLS

Cooking chocolate melted

Paper cups

Topping for decoration

TO MAKE CAKE BALLS:

1 cup fruit cake ( I use leftover cake )

( if plain cake add ¼ cup mixed, chopped dried fruits )

½ cup chopped roasted mixed nuts

¼ cup desiccated coconut

1-2 tbsp melted butter

METHOD:

Mix all the above ingredients together

into marble size balls.

Dip each balls into melted chocolate.

Arrange on paper cups, decorate with toppings.

Keep in the fridge until chocolate is  hard, 

transfer it into a container & serve.

HOME MADE PLUM CAKE

 For this Xmas an easy recipe for Home made Plum Cake

Recipe by:

John Lenin

Ingredients:

For 1 kg dry fruit mix:

 250 gm red glazed cherries

125 gm tutty fruity

100 gm cashew nuts

125 gm raisins

25 gm orange peel

25 gm lemon peel

3 gms nutmeg powder

3 gms cinnamon powder

125 ml brandy

50 ml rum

50 ml red wine. (wine must , others optional)

For the cake:

150 gm refined flour

150 gm demerara sugar

150 gm butter

3 eggs

3 gm baking powder

10 gm milk powder

325 gm dry fruit mix

3 ml vanilla essence

100 gm crumbed biscuits.

Method:

Chop the peels and cherries into halves.

In a bowl, mix all the solid ingredients of the dry fruit

mix and finally pour brandy, rum and wine into the mix.

If possible, soak and keep it in a container for at least

15 days.

This will make it flavorful.

For the cake, preheat the oven at 200 degrees Celsius.

Grease the cake mould with butter and place butter

paper at the base.

In another bowl, mix together butter and sugar and

blend it well.

Add eggs and vanilla essence and beat well.

Now, add refined flour, baking powder and salt to

the egg and butter mix and blend well.

Add to it the dry fruit mix and pour mixture in the

cake mould.

Sprinkle the cake top with biscuit crumbs and bake

for around 25 minutes till it cooks well.

Serve hot.

KUTTANADAN MUTTON ROAST

 Recipe from my friend:

John Lenin

Here is the recipe for Kuttanadan Mutton roast 

for this X mas . Please refer notes & chicken preparation, 

if you are planning to make chicken instead of mutton.

Mutton – 1/2kg
Grated coconut – 1 cup
Red chills – 4-5, whole

Coriander powder – 2 tbsp
Turmeric powder – 1/2 tsp
Black peppercorns – 1/2 tsp, optional
Curry leaves
Crushed ginger & garlic – 1 tbsp each
Onion – 2 big, sliced finely
Tomato – 2, sliced finely
Coconut oil
Salt
For Garnishing

Thengakothu(bite size coconut pieces)- 1/4 – 1/2 cup
Mustard seeds – 1/2 tsp
Red chills – 2
Curry leaves

METHOD:

Heat oil in a pan & add grated coconut.

Once the colour starts changing add red

chilli, coriander powder, turmeric powder,

pepper corns & curry leaves.

Fry this till the coconut becomes golden brown

colour, let it cool. 

Grind the cooled coconut mixture into a smooth paste.

Add 1-2 tbsp of water to this paste & keep it aside.

Heat Oil in a pan & add crushed ginger & garlic. 

Fry it for a few minutes. Add onion. 

When the onion becomes pale golden colour, add tomato.

When tomato is cooked add the ground paste. 

Mix well. Add mutton pieces and salt. 

Combine well & saute for 5 minutes. 

Add 1/2 cup water & cook till the mutton is done.
 

Garnishing:

 Heat oil in a pan & splutter mustard, add thengakothu,

 red chilli & curry leaves. Fry for a few minutes & pour it over the mutton curry.

Serve hot with rice, chappathi, appam etc;

 For Chicken preparation:

Marinate chicken (1/2 kg) pieces with 2 tsp of kashmiri

chilli powder, 1/4 tsp of turmeric powder & salt.

Keep it for half an hour.

Shallow fry the marinated chicken pieces & continue

cooking in the same method of mutton roast.

STIR-FRY ONION LEEKS WITH SAUSAGES

1 tsp chopped garlic

1 red chilly sliced

2 sausages sliced

4-5 onion leeks sliced

Salt to taste

Oil to cook

METHOD:

Heat up oil & sauté the garlic till light brown.

Add in chilly, sausages & fry for few minutes.

Add leeks, salt, stir-fry for few minutes &

dish it out.

Serve hot with plain rice or fried rice.