Mickey Mouse Cake

I made this Mickey Mouse Cake for one of our neighbors son's birthday party. First I was not sure how to make this cake, but as I started it came out so good and everyone at the party too liked it a lot. I made three round cakes with Vanilla cake box mix, assembled them to form the face and the ears. I did a base coat of the butter cream frosting so that the ears would stick to the face then placed the cake in the freezer so that it sets a bit. Then mixed black and face color to the butter cream frosting and with a start tip decorated the mickey mouse cake.

Star tip decoration is the most difficult ones i guess cos, my hands did pain a lot, but was happy to see the cake turned out good. 

VazhaiPoo Vadai ~ Banana Blossom fritters

Banana blossom/Vazhai poo is usually made into a pitlai or usli at home. Very rarely, I make vadai with these. I mainly cook the vazhai poo for its nutrients and I feel deep frying will not yield the same result.  But at times, you tend to throw all the nutrition and health benefits out of the window and decide to go for a deep fry indulgence.  This vadai is more popular in TamilNadu.

Yields - 12 nos

You need

• 1 medium sized banana flower - picked and finely chopped
• Chana dal / Kadalaparuppu - 1 cup
• Tuvar dal - 1 tblspn
• Red chill- 2 nos
• Saunf /Fennel seeds- 1 tspn
• Green chilli - 3 nos
• Curry leaves - few sprigs
• Turmeric - a pinch
• Salt to taste
• Oil to deep fry

 Method

 

Pick the florets, clean and chop them finely. Soak it in water mixed with buttermilk till you use it. Soak chana dal and tuvar dal for an hour. Drain.

Steam cook the chopped flower with a pinch of turmeric and salt for 10 minutes. You can microwave it for 5 minutes. Squeeze to remove extra water if any.

Grind the dal coarsely. Dry roast red chilli and saunf and powder it.   

Take a bowl. Add the ground dal, powdered red chilli and saunf, steamed banana flower, chopped green chilli, curry leaves and salt. You may not need to add water to prepare the batter. The moisture from dal and the flower will be  enough. Heat oil in a kadai. When hot, pinch lemon sized batter and pat into disc on your palm or greased plastic sheet or banana leaf. Slide into the hot oil and fry till it is brown and crisp.

 

 

 

Pepper (Brown) Rice

I m Excited to join Blogging Marathon #3!!!! This time Srivalli has organized it as two Groups. I m in Group-2, and running with 12 other blogger buddies on this Theme Based 7 Day Marathon!!!!! I have decided on the Theme Rice Dishes!!! Planning to post some Quick n Easy Rice Recipes. Please Check out my fellow Marathoner's Divya Vikram , Harini, Jay, Kamalika, lla, Padma Rekha, Pavani, Priya Mahadavan, Priya Suresh, Suma Gandlur, Vatsala, Veena Krishnakumar 

Ingredients

1 Cup Brown Rice, Cooked

1 - 2 tsp Ghee/Gingely Oil

1/2 tsp Mustard

1/4 gram dal

1 pod Garlic, thinly sliced

1 tsp Grounded Black Pepper

few Curry leaves

Salt to taste

Toasted Almonds, Coriander Leaves for Garnishing

Method

Heat a Kadai, first dry roast the curry leaves. Add a tsp of Ghee/Oil, Splutter Mustard seeds, add Gram Dal, let it brown. Add Thinly sliced Garlic, fry them. When the garlic turns brown, Add Pepper Powder, Fry it for few seconds, Add Cooked Brown Rice, Crushed Curry leaves and Mix Well. If the Rice mix is Still dry, add another tsp of Ghee/Oil. Add Salt and Combine well. Garnish with Toasted Almonds and Coriander Leaves. Serve Hot with Pappad. We actually had it as such. Brings great relieve to Sore Throat!!!!!! 
I have made this using Brown Rice, you can make it White Rice also!!!!! For Health Reason's and to keep my guilt feeling off!!!! i will be using mostly Brown Rice for all my Rice Recipes!!!!!