Sugar Free Fruit Cake / Tuti Fruti / Ruehrkuchen mit Fruchten German Cake

This one I learned when I was in Germany. I was there during Wheinnacten / Christmas, when everyone was preparing such tasty cakes. I learned this from my friend Ella, this is her family recipe. Hope you also enjoy as I do.

Ingredients

1. 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour

2. 1 cup chopped golden raisins

3. 1 cup of green kishmish (raisins)

4. ½ cup of cranberries

5. 1 ½ cups of chopped walnuts

6. ½ tsp of salt

7. 1 cup unsweetened crushed pineapple jam

8. ¼ cup grated orange and lemon peels

9. ¼ cup orange juice

10. 5-8 packets artificial sweetener (as per taste)

11. 1 tsp baking soda

Directions

1. Mix sugar substitute with orange juice. Pour over chopped cranberries. Soak 1 hour, mixing often.

2. Mix raisins, nuts, lemon orange peel and pineapple jam mix it in the flour until well coated.

3. Add the cranberries and orange juice mixture.

4. Sprinkle baking soda over mixture, and mix.

5. Fold in the mixture well don’t stir. Pour batter into a greased and floured 9 inch loaf pan.

6. Bake at 325 degrees F (165 degrees C) for 40 minutes.

7. Cool and serve with fresh strawberry or raspberry syrup or just plain with tea or coffee.

8. For syrup you can crush the frozen raspberries or strawberries and boil them sugar and water. For every cup of berries add ½ cup of sugar and 2 glass of water. After the mixture is thickened or turned syrupy, strain it and cool down the syrup. You can use this over pancakes, bread, cakes or salads.

-Chitra

Tip of the Day

When making the ginger garlic paste add some salt to it before grinding it to have a smooth paste.

Tip of the Day

It you are making Chappati’s (Roti’s) for travel and you want them to remain soft longer, then knead the dough with water mixed with milk or curd.

Chat Pate Peanuts

 

Ingredients

1. 1 bag of unsalted peanuts

2. 1 tsp of kosher /sea salt

3. ½ tsp of red chili powder

4. 1 tsp of chaat masala

5. 1 tbsp of sugar

6. 1 tsp of oil

Directions

1. Roast the peanuts in oven on gas in a non stick pan until it is golden brown

2. In a plastic bag or a brown bag (you can use same bag in which peanuts were packed) add salt, chaat masala, sugar and red chili powder.

3. Now put the warm peanuts and 1 tsp of oil in the same plastic bag or a brown bag.

4. Shake it well until the mixture is stick with peanuts.

5. Serve these as a snack with tea, coffee or cocktail.

-Chitra

Tip of the Day

If your gravy becomes too salty, make a few small balls of chappati dough and put them in the gravy.

Give 2-3 boils. Let them remain for some time in the curry. Before serving remove these balls which have absorbed the extra salt.

Spicy Jimikand

 

Did you know?

Sweet Potato and Yam Health Information

Sweet potatoes are relatively low in calories and have no fat. They are rich in beta-carotene , having five times the recommended daily allowance of Vitamin A in one sweet potato, as well as loaded with potassium. These nutrients help to protect against heart attack and stroke. The potassium helps maintain fluid and electrolyte balance in the body cells, as well as normal heart function and blood pressure.
Wild Mexican "yams" which are related to the sweet potato, seem to have anti-weight-gain, anti-cancer, and anti-aging properties, according to Dr. Earl Mindell.
True yams do not contain as much Vitamin A and C as sweet potatoes.

Ingredients

1. ½ kg jimikand / yam cubed after peeled

2. 1 big / 2 small onions grated

3. 1 tomato grated

4. 1 tbsp of ginger garlic paste

5. 2 tbsp of tomato paste or puree

6. Salt to taste

7. 1 tsp of red chili powder

8. ½ tsp of turmeric powder

9. ½ tsp of cumin powder

10. 1 bay leaf / tej pata

11. 1 black cardamom

12. 1 tbsp of chopped cilantro/dhaniya leaves

13. Oil

 

Directions

1. In a non stick pan add oil and then add tej pata and black cardamom.

2. First add onions till they turn golden brown.

3. Now add ginger garlic paste.

4. Stir for 1 minute and jimikand pieces.

5. Fry them until they turn golden brown.

6. Now add Salt, red chili and turmeric powder.

7. Stir it well and add grated tomatoes and tomato paste.

8. After cooking for 2 minutes add 1 cup of water.

9. Toss it well and let it cook with lid on for 15 minutes or until it is little soft on low heat.

10. Turn off the heat and add cumin powder and stir.

11. Serve with hot chapatti or naan.

12. Garnish with fresh dhaniya/cilantro leaves

-Chitra

Tip of the Day

Add a little oil to the boiling daal /lentil in pressure cooker, this will enable it to cook faster and it will not spill daal mixture out of the cooker.

Spicy and Sour Eggplants / Chatpate Baingan

  

Ingredients

1. ½ kg small purple baingan / eggplants

2. 2 big onions chopped vertically

3. Salt to taste

4. 2 tsp of red chili powder

5. 1 tbsp of mango / amchoor powder

6. 2 tsp of turmeric powder

7. 2 tsp of coriander powder

8. 2 tsp of cumin powder

9. Oil

Directions

1. After washing the baingan thoroughly pat dry them with kitchen cloth.

2. Cut the baingan stems and make two cuts cross wise for filling.

3. In a bowl add salt, red chili powder, turmeric, amchoor, coriander, cumin powder and mix it well with spoon.

4. Now fill in all the baingans with the masala and keep them aside for 30 minutes at least.

5. In the mean time in a non stick pan add 1 tbsp of oil and add onions to it.

6. When the onions are caramelized take it out from the pan.

7. In the same pan add all the baingans carefully with 2 tbsp of oil. Fry them until turned soft and changed color.

8. Now place the onions in serving bowl and then add the baingans on the bed of onions.

9. Serve hot with rice, or chapatti’s

-Chitra

Tip of the Day

Add brinjals pieces from turning black add them in salt water.

Adraki Paneer

Ingredients

1. 200 gms of adraak peeled and chopped in thin slices

2. 200 gms of paneer

3. 2 big onions with 2 cloves of garlic grated

4. 3 medium tomatoes grated with 2 green chilies and 1 tbsp of coriander / dhaniya leaves

5. 1 tbsp of tomato sauce

6. ½ tsp of turmeric powder

7. Salt and Red chili powder to taste

8. 1 tsp of coriander powder

9. ½ cup of lemon juice

10. Oil

11. 1 tsp of poppy / sarso seeds

12. 1 tsp of cumin seeds

Directions

For Ginger:-

1. In a non stick pan add 1 tsp of oil; add cumin seeds, poppy seeds. When they crackle turn off the gas and pinch of salt and red chili powder.

2. In a grater add this mixture and add lemon juice. Mix it well till the mixture is well blended.

3. Now dip all the ginger slices in this lemon mixture and marinate it for 10-12 hrs minimum and 1-2 days. This can be used as Aachaar /pickle also with hot parantha’s or puri’s.

For Paneer:-

1. In a non stick pan add 1 tbsp oil on a medium heat and add coriander.

2. Add Onions and cook them until caramelized.

3. Add tomatoes and tomato sauce.

4. Add salt, red chili and turmeric powder

5. Cook on simmer for 15 minutes.

6. Now add the 2-3 tbsp of ginger slices marinated before with some juice.

7. Turn off the heat and add paneer cubes let it cook with lid on.

8. Garnish with ginger slices and serve.

-Chitra

Tip of the Day

Add a little oil on the cold noodles and then boil them for cooking, in this way they will not stick to each other.

Tip of the Day

Always boil spinach in an open container to keep it looking green.

Peppery Rice

 

Ingredients

1. 2 cups of Basmati Rice (Used India Gate) soak in water for 20 minutes.

2. 1 ½ cup of chopped Red, Yellow, Orange, green bell pepper

3. 1 tsp of cumin seeds

4. Salt and Red chili powder to taste

5. 1 tbsp of oil

6. 1 bay leaf / tej pata

7. Water

Directions

1. In a non stick pan add oil, and cumin seeds and tej pata.

2. When the cumin seeds splutter add bellpeppers.

3. Cook, stir fry them for 5 minutes and then add Salt and Red chili powder.

4. Strain the Rice and lightly fry them.

5. Now add water and cook until done.

6. Serve hot with cool Raita.

-Chitra

Tip of the Day

Save the orange peels the next time you purchase oranges.

Orange peels cooked in sugar syrup are excellent for garnishing and flavorings desserts. Remember to remove the white pith from the skin of the oranges with the help of the knife because it is bitter.

Reserve the orange peels for facial scrub, just mix with besan or multani meeti and add little cucumber juice, that’s it homemade scrub is ready.

Simple Paneer Bhurji

Ingredients

1. 200 gms of crumbled Paneer / Indian Cottage Cheese

2. 2 Onions chopped

3. 1 tbsp of ginger minced

4. Salt and red chili powder to taste

5. ½ tsp of turmeric powder

6. 2 tbsp of oil

Directions

1. In a non stick pan add Oil

2. Add Onions and ginger and let them cook until golden brown

3. Now add Salt, turmeric powder and red chili powder.

4. Cook for 1 minute and then add crumbled paneer. Let it cook until Oil gets separated.

5. I made this as a picnic snack, to make a hot paneer wrap take a roti, spread pickle masala and add Paneer. Roll them and pack them in individual foil covers and serve.

6. Or you can serve as stuffed bread sandwich.

-Chitra