Instant Mango Pickle

It is hot and the temperature reads 38C here.

I live by gallons of juices and water and only curd rice when it comes to solid food.

I always prefer lemon pickle as my first choice of condimanet for curd rice. It is hard to imagine curd rice without pickle. right?


But it is the season for fresh mangoes. So, I went for mango pickle which can be prepared very quickly. Now a days, I am preparing this instant mango pickle very often to make a pair with curd rice.

If the recipe is very simple and easy to prepare, who will feel lazy to prepare it? I definitely don't...

Basic Information:
Preparation Time: <10 minutes
Cooking Time: <10 minutes
Makes: 1 and 1/2 cups pickle

Ingredients:

Fresh Firm Raw Mango - 1 no, large size, 2 cups when chopped
Mustard Seeds - 1/4 teaspoon
Fenugreek Seeds - 1/4 teaspoon
Dry Red Chilli - 11 nos, increase/decrease as per your spicy level
Curry Leaves - 1 string
Oil - 1 and 1/2 tablespoons
Asafoetida -  a big pinch
Salt - to taste

Method:

1) Take a thick bottom Kadai/Pan and dry roast fenugreek seeds, dry red chillies and half of mustard seeds. When you feel the nice aroma of spices and see the spices are changing in colour, turn off the heat and allow it to cool.

2) Meanwhile, Wash and wipe the raw mango using kitchen towel and chop them into very small cubes.

3) By this time, the roasted ingredients must be cooled down. Put them in mixer/coffee grinder/food processor and grind it to a smooth powder as much as possible.
4) Wipe off the same kadai and heat oil in it. When the oil is hot, add the remaining mustard seeds and asafoetida.

5) When the mustard seeds starts to splutter, add curry leaves and immediately add chopped mango.
6) Add salt as per taste and ground spice powder (as said in step 3). Mix well.

7) Continue mixing till the chopped mango turns slightly soft.
8) Allow it to cool and store in a container for future use. It stay good for a week or two.
9) Serve it with curd rice.

Note:
1) If red chilli powder, roasted fenugreek powder and mustard powder is readily available, you can directly add them to chopped mango and skip the roasting part here. Make sure not to add more fenugreek and mustard seeds powder as they give bitter taste.
2) I always like the crunch of raw mango and hence I only fry till the raw smell of spice powder goes off.

3) Increase or decrese the oil quantity as per preference.

Saturday Baking Club Fridge cake

Things have been a bit upside down in the kitchen this last week.

 I am recovering from surgery and can't do much at all at the moment.

 Saturday the twins were out all day at a party so this week baking club was Sunday.

For minimal effort and lifting (on my part) we made a fridge cake:

6oz butter

6oz chocolate

3 tbsp syrup

4oz cherries

4 oz Maltesers

2oz sultanas

2oz pistachios

melt the butter, chocolate and syrup in a pan

stir well to combine

weigh out all the other ingredients

chop them and add to the chocolate mixing well

Line a tin with foil

pour the mixture into it and press in

chill in the fridge

eat

Eggless Armenian Nutmeg Cake

For this Month Daring Baker's Challenge,  Jason of Daily Candor challenged the bakers to prepare two dishes. One is the Armenian Nutmeg cake and the other is Armenian Nazook.  Armenian nutmeg cake is a twist on traditional coffee cake. The Cake has a 2 layers, a crunchy bottom and a soft fluffy baked top. The taste was different from the normal cakes we bake. Due the strong taste of Nutmeg, my kiddo didn't like it much, but my Hubby and his office buddies liked it most. These days, whenever i bake, i keep a slice or two and send the rest to my hubby's Office. Sharing means Caring and keeps the weight distributed!!!!!

This Cake is baked in a Spring-form Pan, since i didn't have one, i used removable-base pan. I will be posting the Armenian Nazook Recipe tomorrow. 

Ingredients

1 cup milk (i used Low-Fat)

1 tsp baking soda

2 cups All-purpose 

2 tsps baking powder 

2 cups brown sugar, firmly packed (see notes)

3/4 cup unsalted butter, cubed

1/2 Cup of Almond and Walnuts mixed

1 ad 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg 

1 tbsp Flax Seed Meal mixed with 1/4 Cup Warm Water

Method

• Preheat oven to 350°F/175°C.
• Mix the baking soda into the milk. Set it aside.Sift together the flour and the baking powder into a large bowl. Add the brown sugar. Add the cubed butte and Work it through the Flour-Sugar Mixture with your hands.Take HALF of this resulting crumbly mixture into your springform pan. 
• In another bowl, take the flax-seed meal mixed with water. Add nutmeg to it.Start mixing slowly with a whisk attachment and then increase to medium speed, Once it's mixed well,  pour in the milk and baking soda mixture. Continue to mix until uniform. Pour in the rest of the crumbly mixture. Mix that well.

• Pour the batter over the base in the spring-form pan. Gently sprinkle the Nut pieces over the batter.
• Bake in a preheated moderate oven for about 40-50 minutes. You'll know it's done when the top is a golden brown, and an inserted toothpick comes out clean.
• Allow to cool in the pan, and then release. Enjoy!

Notes

• 2 cups of Sugar was definitely more for us, if at all i make it next time, i will use only 1.5 cups or even 1 cup.
• Bake time differs from oven to oven, so bake accordingly