Chocolate Cake

Ingredients:
• 1 cup malai or cream or unsalted butter
• 1 cup sugar
• ½ cup cocoa powder
• 2 tsp vanilla essence
• 2 eggs
• 2 cups self-raising flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 lemon
• 1 cup icing sugar
• ½ cup Milk
Preparation:

Preheat oven to 200c. Mix cream with sugar and beat until light and fluffy. Add ¼ cup cocoa and one teaspoon vanilla essence. Mix well then add eggs and mix again. Add the flour and baking powder and mix well. The mixture will be quite runny. Pour into a greased and bottom-lined round or square cake tin. Bake for 45-50 minutes, until risen and cooked when tested with a skewer. Remove from oven and cool on wire rack. When the cake is still slightly warm overturn and remove it from the cake dish in a plate. Dissolve 2 teaspoons sugar in ½ cup water and juice of ½ lemon and spread over the overturned cake to moisten it.
To make chocolate icing, beat remaining ¼ cup butter and vanilla essence, then gradually add icing sugar and beat until light and fluffy. Mix remaining cocoa with two tablespoons water add juice of ½ lemon then add to mixture and beat until well combined. Spread over cooled cake.

Traditional Christmas Feast @ 9 Kamnath Contd....

Rich Dark Christmas Pudding

Ingredients:
• 300 gms Currants
• 300 gms Raisins
• 120 gms Plain Flour ( Maida)
• 1 tsp Salt
• 1 tsp ground Ginger
• 1 tsp grated Nutmeg
• 1 tsp grounded Cinnamon and Cloves
• 240 gms Amul Lite
• 120 gms Fresh breadcrumbs
• 120 gms Sugar
• 60 gms Glaze Cherries
• 60 gms Almonds blanched
• Few pieces rind of Oranges finely grated
• Few pieces rind of Lemon finely grated
• Juice of 1 Orange
• 2 Eggs
• 1 tsp Vanilla essence
• 2 teaspoons Cocoa
• 2 teaspoons treacle
• 6 tbsp Brandy, Rum or Whiskey
Preperation:
Wash and pick the currants and raisins and dry thoroughly. Mix the chopped the currants, raisins, cherries, almonds, and orange and lemon rinds in a bowl and put half the rum and keep in the fridge overnight. Remove 30 minutes before making the pudding. Sift the flour, salt and spices into a large mixing bowl. Stir in the Amul lite, bread crumbs and sugar. Now stir in the soaked dry fruits and peels. Stir these into the prepared dry ingredients. Beat the orange juice with the eggs and vanilla essence and pour into the bowl. Add the treacle and mix until thoroughly blended. Turn the mix over into a greased pudding basin. Cover the basin securely with double thickness of grease paper and tie securely. Place in a pressure cooker and cook till done. When ready, remove cover and replace with fresh grease proof paper. Turn out into a hot dish. Pour a little warmed brandy round the dish and light before bringing to table. Serve with rum or brandy sauce.

Rum Sauce For Pudding

Ingredients:
• 1 cup whole milk
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 ½ teaspoon cornflour
• 3 tbsp. butter
• 1 teaspoon rum (add more, if desired)
• 3 Vanilla essence
Preperation:
In heavy saucepan, add milk, sugar, and butter. Cook until hot over medium-high heat. Dissolve cornflour in small amount of water and add to hot mixture. Stir until thickens. Remove from heat and add vanilla essence and rum flavor and food color. Serve over the pudding.

Traditional Christmas Feast @ 9 Kamnath

Whole Roast Chicken Stuffed With A Bread Crumb Stuffing Seasoned With Herbs.

Ingredients:
• 1 roaster chicken, about 4 pounds
• Butter
Marinate:
• Yogurt
• ½ teaspoon thyme
• ½ teaspoon parsley
• ½ teaspoon oregano
• ½ teaspoon rosemary
• Salt
• Pepper
• 2 spoons garlic paste
Stuffing:
• 1 chopped onion
• 1 chopped tomato
• ¼ cup butter
• ½ teaspoon dried leaf thyme, crumbled
• ½ teaspoon chopped fresh parsley
• ½ teaspoon oregano
• ½ teaspoon rosemary
• 1 cups soft bread crumbs
• 1 beaten egg
• 1/3 cup milk
• 6-8 cloves garlic paste or finely chopped
• salt and pepper
Roasting:
• Green onions
• Beans
• Carrots
• Potatoes
Preparation:
In a large vessel mix the yogurt, herbs, salt and pepper, clean the chicken and marinate it with the mixture of yogurt, herbs, salt and pepper for atleast 3-4 hrs in the refrigerator. Remove the marinated chicken from the fridge about 30 mins before stuffing. In a vessel, melt ½ of the butter over low heat; saute chopped onion then add the tomatoes and cook till done. Add the herbs, garlic and bread crumbs. Stir in egg and enough milk to make dressing moist. Season with salt and pepper. Spoon stuffing into cavity of chicken; close by sewing or with a piece of foil. Rub chicken with butter and truss it. Cut the green onions and place them in the roasting pan. Place chicken breast side up on the green onions. Arrange the vegetables around the chicken in the roasting pan. Roast stuffed chicken at 375° for about 30 to 35 minutes, basting several times. Then turn the chicken upside down and roast for another 30 – 35 minutes. Let chicken stand for about 15 minutes before slicing.

Coconut Milk Tomato Curry

Coconut Milk Tomato Curry (Tomatochi Sheer)

Ingredients

Coconut - 1
Turmeric Powder - ½ teaspoon
Red Chilli Powder - ½ teaspoon
Sambar Masala - ½ teaspoon
Chikpea Flour - 2 tablespoons
Asfoetida - A pinch
Onions - 2 Medium
Tomatoes - 5 Medium
Sugar - 2-3 teaspoons
Salt - To taste
Oil - 2 tablespoons

Procedure

Grate the coconut. Extract coconut milk from the grated coconut.
Finely chop the onions and chop the tomatoes in slightly large pieces.
Heat oil in a vessel, add the asfoetida (hing) and then the finely chopped onions, sauté for a few minutes. Then add the chopped tomatoes, turmeric, sambar masala, chilli powder, salt and little water and cook till the tomatoes are soft. Now add the chickpea flour to water and make a paste and add to the coconut milk and mix thoroughly. Now add this to the tomatoes and bring to a boil till the consistency is thick. Add the sugar. Serve with rice or phulkas or have it as a soup.

Green Curry

Coconut Milk and Shrimp Curry (Vatnache Kalwan)

Hi I made this curry today and it turned out lovely. You can make it with or without the shrimps

Ingredients

Coconut - 1
Green Chillies - 2
Turmeric Powder - ¼ teaspoon
Corriander - ½ bunch
Rice - 2 tablespoons
Shrimps (optional - ½ kg
Asafoetida - A pinch
Lemon Juice - 2 teaspoons
Sugar - 2-3 teaspoons
Salt - To taste
Ghee - 1 tablespoons

Procedure

Grate the coconut and keep aside 2 table spoons of grated coconut.
Extract coconut milk from the remaining grated coconut.
Add the green chillies, corriander and rice to the grated coconut and put in the mixer add a few teaspoons of water and grind to a fine paste.
Take the ghee in a vessel, add the asafoetida (hing), turmeric, salt and sugar and then the ground coconut masala paste, boil for a few minutes. Then add the shrimps and cook till the shrimps are tender. Now add the coconut milk and bring to a boil till the consistency is thick. Serve with steaming white rice. This curry can be made without the shrimps too and tastes equally yummy.

Red Curry

Pathare Prabhu Coconut Milk Red Curry (Jirya Mirya Chi Amti)

Now that I have outlined the health benefits of Coconut Milk here are some unusual and yummy recipes to incorporate it in your everyday meals

Ingredients

Coconut - 1
Red Chilly Powder - 1 teaspoon
Turmeric Powder - ¼ teaspoon
Goda or Garam Masala - 1 teaspoon
Pepper Corns - 8-10
Jeera (Cumin) - 2 teaspoons
Garlic - 7-8 pods
Rice - 2 tablespoons
Asafoetida - A pinch
Tamarind - Small lemon size ball soaked in
Sugar - 2-3 teaspoons
Salt - To taste
Oil - 2 tablespoons

Procedure

Grate the coconut and keep aside 2 table spoons of grated coconut.
Extract coconut milk from the remaining grated coconut.
Add the chilly powder, goda masala, pepper corns, garlic, Jeera and rice to the grated coconut and put in the mixer add a few teaspoons of water and grind to a fine paste.
Heat oil in a vessel, add the asafoetida(hing) and then the fine coconut and masala paste, sauté for a few minutes. Then add the tamarind water extract, turmeric, salt and sugar. Now add the coconut milk and bring to a boil till the consistency is thick. Serve hot with steaming rice.

Coconut Milk

Coconut Milk and its Benefits

Coconut milk is obtained from the thick, white flesh or meat found inside a ripe coconut. To extract coconut milk, the white flesh of the coconut is first grated and then soaked in hot water for some time. The grated coconut meat is then squeezed through a cheesecloth. Coconut milk is of two types, thick and thin milk. The thick coconut milk is obtained by squeezing the grated coconut only once, while for getting thin coconut milk, the squeezed coconut meat is re-soaked in warm water and then again squeezed for the second or the third time. This is used in several food recipes like sauces, delicious curries and desserts. Apart from preparing foods tastier and creamier, coconut milk is also a healthy addition to various food preparations.

Nutritional Values of Coconut Milk:
Following are the nutritional values present in 100 grams of fresh coconut milk:
Calories – 230
Proteins – 2.3 g
Fat – 23.8g
Carbohydrates – 5.5 g
Dietary fiber – 2.3 g
Sugar – 3.35 g
Vitamin C – 2.8 mg
Vitamin E – 0.15 mg
Vitamin B1 – 0.026 mg
Vitamin B6 – 0.033 mg
Vitamin B5 (Pantothenic acid) – 0.183 mg
Folate – 16 mcg
Vitamin B3 (Niacin) – 0.76 mg
Iron – 1.64 mg
Selenium – 6.2 mcg
Sodium – 15 mg
Calcium – 16 mg
Magnesium – 37 mg
Phosphorus – 100 mg
Potassium – 260 mg

Benefits of Coconut Milk:
Coconut milk has been widely acknowledged as the miracle liquid which help people to build up and support the immune system effectively. Fortunately, you have many options in your hand. You can buy the canned coconut milk from the local grocery store or even trying out to make it at home. However, the homemade coconut juice is fresh and much more beneficial than the canned one.
Coconut milk contains vitamins, electrolytes and minerals. Those are the essential for human body to support their needs of advantageous substances to live a healthy life. The electrolytes in coconut juice are such as potassium, chloride and also calcium. Besides, the coconut milk provides people with lauric acid which great functions inside the body, from anti-viral, anti-microbial up to anti-bacterial and anti-fungal.
Helps to maintain blood sugar places:
Glucose intolerance may cause manganese deficiency in your body. Coconut milk is a rich source of manganese. Whole grains, legumes and nuts are some excellent sources of manganese.
Keeps skin and blood vessels flexible and elastic:
Copper is very important mineral for most of the bodily functions. Copper and vitamin C help to maintain the flexibility and elasticity of the skin and blood vessels.
Aids in building strong bones:
Coconut milk is not rich in calcium, but it is rich in phosphorus. Phosphorus is an essential nutrient that body needs for strengthening bones. It is must to take phosphorus with calcium particularly to prevent bone loss because it supplies phosphate to the body.
Helps to prevent anemia:
Lack of iron is the most common nutrient deficiency among the people throughout the world. Iron deficiency in body does not allow the body to develop enough hemoglobin for keeping sufficient oxygen levels in red blood cells, resulting in anemia. Each cup of coconut milk supplies the body with nearly a quarter of daily value of iron.
Relaxes muscles and nerves:
Whenever you feel muscle cramps or muscle soreness, have some food along with coconut milk. It is rich in magnesium and can help you in relieving the problem. One of the functions of magnesium is it acts as a gate block in many nerve cells. If magnesium is not present in body, nerve cells become very active because of calcium that activates nerves. Excess contraction of muscles is caused by over active nerve cells.
Helps in Controlling Weight:
This can be a good news for people who are trying to reduce weight. Coconut milk makes you feel full very quickly because of high concentrations of dietary fiber.
Decreases the risk of joint inflammation:
Selenium is an important antioxidant. It controls the free radicals and thereby helps in relieving the symptoms of arthritis. It is observed that people with low levels of selenium may suffer from rheumatoid arthritis.
Helps in lowering high blood pressure:
People who are concerned with their blood pressure will not face any problem for reaching the foods containing potassium. Potassium helps in lowering blood pressure levels in the body.
Helps in maintaining healthy immune system:
Coconut milk helps in warding off colds and coughs by keeping the immune system healthy. It supplies vitamin C to the body which boosts the immune system.
Promotes the health of prostate gland:
Zinc plays a vital role in promoting the health of prostate gland. A preliminary study showed that it slows down the activities of cancer cells.
It is not a dairy products, thus it is good for everyone who are lactose intolerant. This group of people cannot stand with animal milk and they commonly suffer from particular type of allergy It is free from gluten and soy. Hence people who are allergic to these substances can also use this. The fresh coconut milk is a vegan drink with extremely low cholesterol, therefore very recommended for those who look for low fat food product.

Benefits of Coconut Milk for Hair
Coconut milk can have benefits for hair as well. In fact, it is increasingly used for hair care of late. It contains vitamin E and fats, which can prove effective in moisturizing hair. Fresh coconut milk can nourish hair and promote hair growth. It can be used for controlling excessive hair fall as well.

Benefits of Coconut Milk on Skin
Along with hair care, coconut milk can be used for skin care as well. It can be used for cleansing the skin pores by removing dirt and excess sebum. When used for skin care, coconut milk can give soft and supple skin and a radiant complexion. Coconut milk can also remove the dead cells from the skin by acting as a gentle exfoliating agent. At the same time, it helps to keep the skin well hydrated and moisturized as well.