Banana Bread

Lets see how to make Perfect Banana Bread

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Perfect Banana Bread

Banana bread is a type of bread made from mashed bananas.Always use overripe bananas to get best flavor and super moist bread.

You can enjoy plain banana bread or add in nuts and chocolate chips for variety flavor.

Preheat oven to 350 degree F(175 degree C).

Lightly grease a 8 inch loaf pan and line with a parchment paper.

Ingredients :

Overripe Banana -3 nos(large )
Melted unsalted butter – 4 -5tbsp( or 1 cup oil)
Eggs – 3 nos(or 2 large eggs)
Brown Sugar – 1 Tbsp
Sugar-1 Cup
Coconut oil -1 or 2 tbsp
All purpose flour(maida) – 1 1/4 cup
Wheat Flour – 1/4 cup
Baking Powder- 1 tsp
Baking Soda- 1 tsp
Salt- 1/4 tsp
Vanilla essence – 1 Tbsp
Milk-1/4 cup

Preparation

Prepare the oven to 350 degree F

In a small mixing bowl,mash 3 overripe bananas using a fork until completely smooth .

To mashed banana mixture add 1 tbsp brown sugar and mix well .Keep aside .

Dry Ingredients:

Take another medium mixing bowl add all purpose flour(maida) ,wheat flour,salt,baking soda and baking powder .
Mix well ,if needed sieve the dry ingredients .Keep aside.

Wet Ingredients:

In a large mixing bowl add melted butter .Slightly beat butter until soft using a hand mixer or spatula.(option two: add 1 cup oil instead of butter )
Add Sugar and combine well.
Beat in eggs,vanilla essence ,coconut oil and milk (You can add eggs and vanilla first then mix well after that add in coconut oil and milk).
Using a spatula stir in mashed banana mixture until well blended.

Sift dry ingredients through a fine mesh

Add the dry ingredients to the banana mixture(wet mixture) and stir until the batter is just combined, but don’t over-mix it.

Pour the batter into a greased 8 inch (or similar size) bread loaf pan and bake at 350 degrees for about an hour, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the loaf comes out clean.

Let the bread cool in the pan for 10 minutes

Use edge of parchment paper to lift bread from the pan onto a wire rack to prevent the bottom crust becoming soggy

Remove parchment paper and let it cool completely

Perfect and Delicious Banana Bread is Ready… Enjoyyy

Tips

Do not open the oven before 40 minutes
If the bread is browning too much in the oven ,cover bread loosely with foil
You can replace butter with oil( 1 cup)
To get best moist cake use overripe bananas preferably with black spots
After cooling down ,cover bread using a foil for 10 minutes(to keep it moist)

Thank you

Enjoyyy

Easy Indian Chicken Curry -Beginners Recipe

Chicken Curry

Today i am going to prepare easy chicken curry for beginners.It goes well with any Indian bread,ghee rice,normal rice or pulao.

Ingredients:

For marination :

Chicken pieces – 1/2 kg
Cumin -1/4 tsp
Fennel-1/4 tsp
Pepper -1/2 tsp
Small onions chopped-2
Yogurt- 1/4 cup
Turmeric-1/4 tsp
Kashmiri chilly Powder-1 tsp(or more)
Coriander Powder-1tsp
Salt as required

For Gravy:

Turmeric- 1/4 tsp
Kashmiri Chilly Powder- 1/4 tsp
Coriander Powder- 1/2 tsp
Ginger – big piece
Garlic -6 cloves
Chopped Onion- 2 1/2 cup
Ginger cut into small pieces- small piece
Green chilly-4 slit
Curry leaves
Tomato – 1/2 cup
Garam masala-1/2 tsp
Cloves -3
Pepper- few
Cinnamon sticks -4 small pieces
Cardamom -4
Bay leaves-1
Hotwater-1/4 cup+1/4 cup+1 1/2 Cup
Kasuri methi – 1 1/2 tbsp
Butter as required
Salt as required

Method

Clean and cut chicken pieces and make slits on the outside(i am here taking thigh pieces,cut into two)
Grind ginger & garlic and make smooth paste- 1 1/2 tbsp
Grind cumin,fennel & pepper to make powder
Marinate Chicken by adding ground powder,small onions,yogurt,turmeric -1/4 tsp,kashmiri chilly powder-1 tsp,coriander powder -1 tsp and salt.
Keep marinated chicken in refrigerator for minimum 30 minutes.
Heat oil in a pan over medium heat and add cloves, Pepper,Cinnamon sticks ,cardamom and bay leaves & saute for 2-3 mins,stirring occasionally.
Add chopped onion and saute by adding little salt till they turn translucent.Reduce heat to medium low.
Add ginger garlic paste and saute till the raw smell goes off.
Add turmeric powder- 1/4 tsp and saute well
Add Coriander powder- 1/2 tsp and kashmiri chilly -1/4 tsp (or according to your taste) and saute well
Add 1/4 cup hot water and saute till all water gets evaporated.
Add chopped tomatoes and saute well for 2-3 minutes.
Add 1/4 cup hot water and cook tomatoes .
When oil start to separate from onion mixture add marinated chicken pieces .
Saute chicken well.
On medium heat, cover Chicken and let it cook for 7 to 10 minutes approximately(depends on your stove heat)
When chicken is 3/4 cooked add 1 1/2 to 2 cups of hot water.
Add curry leaves,ginger pieces ,green chilly & kasuri methi.
Adjust salt and spice level
Let it boil for another 2 -3 minutes.
Add garam masala and cook until the gravy turns dark brown in color and the gravy thickens.
Finally add butter pieces and remove from the fire.Keep covered until its ready to serve .
Serve with hot rice or any Indian breads and Enjoy !

Happy Cooking !

Divu’s Art Of Cooking

Falafel

Ingredients:

Dried Chickpeas – 1 1/2 Cup
Roughly chopped half onion(big)
Finely chopped Parsley leaves – 1 1/4 cup
Chopped coriander leaves – 1/4 cup
Garlic – 4 big cloves chopped
Cumin seeds – 2 tsp
Black Pepper – 1 tsp
Coriander seeds – 1 1/2 tsp
Lemon juice – 1 Tbsp
All purpose flour – 3 tbsp
Baking powder – 1/2 tsp
Kashmiri chilly powder – 1 tsp
Vegetable oil for frying
Salt to taste

Preparation

Put the chickpeas in a large bowl and add enough water to cover them.Let it soak for 18 to 24 hours.
Rinse and drain soaked chickpea.
In a small pan dry roast cumin and coriander seeds until fragrant.Place them in a motor and pestle and grind them ,add pepper and grind everything until smooth.
Add half of the chickpeas,parsley,garlic,onion and coriander leaves to a food processor or mixie and blend them. Do not make it completely smooth .Repeat the process with the other half of the ingredients.
Place the mixture in a mixing bowl and add grounded spices, salt,baking powder,lemon juice,chilly powder & all purpose flour.
Mix all the ingredients well .Cover and place the mixture in the fridge for about an hour(minimum 30 minutes)
Place a heavy bottomed pan and add vegetable oil .
Grab the mixture and make desired shape (small ball size or patties).
Fry them until golden brown and crispy.(It should be crispy outside and soft & fluffy inside)
Drain on paper towels.
It is served as a sandwich,stuffed in pita bread with lettuce, tomatoes,cucumbers & Pickled onion,topped with hummus & tahini sauces or as an appetizer .

Varutharacha kadala Curry(Kerala Style)

Kadala curry is one of the traditional dishes of Kerala. Puttu (steamed rice flour with coconut ) and kadala curry is one of the famous combination breakfast in every Malayalee household.kadala curry or black chickpea curry also pairs well with Appam,dosa or chapatti .

You can prepare kadala curry with out roasting coconut also.I use to make both varieties and sometimes i use fresh coconut milk.

Here i am making a simple and easy kadala curry cooked in roasted coconut gravy,hence the name varutharacha kadala curry.

kadala has to be soaked in water for 8 hours. First we will pressure cook the kadala and then we will cook the kadala in roasted coconut gravy and spices.

Preparation

Soak black kadala (chickpea/chana) overnight in water – 1 1/2 Cup

2. Now we will pressure cook kadala.Mostly takes 2-3 whistles.

Ingredients needed to cook kadala:

Onion sliced – 3 tbsp
Small Onion- 3 sliced
Salt
Turmeric – 1/4 tsp
Curry leaves
Ginger chopped – 1 tsp
Green Chilly -3
Water – 2 1/2 to 3 cups

Add the above ingredients and pressure cook kadala until nicely cooked.

3. For dry roasting coconut we need the following ingredients:

Coconut grated – 3 Tbsp
Perumjeerakam (fennel)-1/4 tsp
Cinnamon Sticks small piece
Pepper
Cardamom -1
Turmeric-1/4 tsp
Kashmiri Chilly Powder – 1 Tbsp
Coriander Powder – 2 Tbsp

In a small pan saute and roast the grated Coconut on medium-low flame.when it starts to change color add fennel,cinnamon,pepper and cardamom.(if you are using whole coriander seed ,add now)

When coconut turns to medium brown in color ,lower the flame and add turmeric,coriander powder and kashmiri chilly powder. Turn off the flame and let it cool.Grind to a smooth paste adding 3-4 tbsp water.

4. Take few cooked kadala and mash with the back of a ladle.It will make the gravy more thicker in texture.

5. Now we will make gravy .

Onion -1big
Tomato cubed -1 big
Curry leaves
coconut pieces(you can add now or while tempering)
coconut oil
Hot water-1 cup(or more)
salt(if needed)

Heat coconut oil in a pan . Add and saute onion until it turns translucent . Now add tomato and curry leaves and saute for few minutes.Add the coconut paste and saute for 1 minute. Then add cooked kadala and 1 cup hot water. Add more water if the gravy is too thick for you.

Let it boil and add mashed chana.Cover the pan and simmer slowly until you get the desired consistency .

6.Tempering

Mustard seeds – 1 tsp
Dry red chillies -1 big
Coconut slices – 1/4 cup
Small onion -3
Curry leaves

Method: Heat coconut oil ,add mustard seeds and let it splutter.Add dry chillies.Then add coconut slices saute it for few minutes till it turns golden color.Saute Small onion and finally add curry leaves.

Pour the tempering over the curry .