MANGO UPSIDE-DOWN CAKE

The fun of cooking multiples several times with the presence of family. Staying here all alone I have been missing those funs, now that my Mamoni and my younger sister Anna are here I am having a blast..... :)  19th June was my elder brother's birthday, when we wished him he wanted me to make Strawberry Cake for mom and my sister. But am sorry Dadabhai as I could not fulfill ur wish.......I could not find  Strawberries in market however I did make a new type of cake. Summers are wonderful in Bangalore coz the heat is not scroching and the best part is that we get mangoes everywhere. And its one of my favourite fruit, but with the change in my office timing I didnt time to buy them. Finally just before mom came I had cut down on sleep and got those lovely, plumby , yellow mangoes.......YUMMY...!!!! :D Mangoes have loads of health benefits, that is the reason its called the "king of fruit". It is rich in amino acids, vitamin C and E, flavonoids, beta carotene, niacin, calcium, iron, magnesium and potassium.Let me share some of the health benefits I have read; The phenolic compound found in mangoes has been found to have powerful antioxidant and anticancer properties.   Eating mangoes regularly prevents night blindness, refractive errors, dryness of the eyes, softening of the cornea, itching and burning in the eyes.  Mangoes contain digestive enzymes that help break down proteins and aid digestion.Due to the high amounts of fiber found in mango, it can be a helpful in keeping you regular, thereby helping or preventing constipation. Mango is effective in relieving clogged pores of the skin.Eating mango regularly makes the complexion fair and the skin soft and shining. Mango leaves help normalize insulin levels in the blood.It does not have any significant effect in increasing blood sugar levels. Mangoes are useful to children who lack concentration in studies as it contains Glutamine acid which is good to boost memory and keep cells active.  Unripe mangoes, a rich source of pectin, when steamed and juiced with cumin (jeera), rock salt and sugar, provide an excellent remedy for heat stroke and heat exhaustion in summer. Mangoes can be beneficial for people wanting to gain weight. A 100 gram of mango contains about 75 calories. Now I know I dont really need to have mangoes but the heart wants what it wants.. :D . When I saw those lovely mangoes , I really didnt think about the health benefits I thought of trying out something new and different . I had planned to make Mango Cake and when my elder brother asked me to treat mom and my sister I decided to try the cake. Now I wanted to try the cake with a twist and so I created Mango Upside Down Cake.... !!!!!

FOR MANGO CARAMEL
Water	Half cup
Sugar	1 cup
Lemon Juice	Half slice
Butter	1 tablespoon
Mango	1 medium sized

FOR MANGO CAKE
Mango	1 medium sized
Sugar	1 cup
Eggs	2 number
Flour	1 cup
Baking Powder	1 tablespoon
Nutmeg	As per taste
Butter	50 gms
Oil	Half cup

                              
    MANGO CARAMEL PREPARATION:-

1. Heat water , lemon juice and sugar in a baking dish that can be placed over the gas as well. Cook till it caramelizes.
2. Cut the mangoes into strip shapes.
3. After the caramel cools down slightly place the mango strips in the dish in a single layer.

MANGO CAKE PREPARATION :-

1. Blend together mango and sugar till it form a smooth mango pulp.Whisk the eggs separately till it get fluffy. 
2. To the egg add the smooth mango pulp and whisk again. Whisk the soften butter and oil to the wet mixture as well .
3. Sift the flour , baking powder and grated nutmeg thoroughly.
4. Mix the wet and dry mixture properly using a spatula till it forms a smooth mixture.

ASSEMBLING :-

1. Carefully add the mango batter to the baking dish having the caramelized mango.
2. Bake for about 45-50 minutes in oven at 220 degree Celcius or until a skewer inserted into the middle of the cake comes out clean. 
3. Allow the cake to cool in the tin for 5 minutes then turn it out onto a serving dish.

                   

The gorgeous,sticky,yummy Mango Upside-Down Cake is ready for the tummy.... :D

SPINACH STUFFED CHICKEN

I still remember those old days when I was a kid living with my parents, we had a routine and Sunday lunch without chicken was an impossible thing. Every Saturday Baba (dad) would ask us - me and my sister, what do we want for Sunday lunch and we would scream CHICKEN..... with wasting a minute. Actually this routine is still followed at home :) even I try to follow this here....... :D  My Mamoni(mom) is a wonderful cook and her cooking experiments have never failed till date. Not only me but even my friends are her fan, they keep asking me when my mom would be visiting next. Whenever my mom comes to visit me, all my friends come home with an excuse of learning from her...... :D  actually everyone whats to enjoy her awesome creations and she totally enjoys cooking for everyone . I think my desire to experiment with food has come from her for sure, not that m good like her coz I do have some disasters to my list still I  just love experimenting with all my recipes and chicken is non different. As for the story behind this dish ,it so happened that its Friday and I was getting bored in office and I started checking out some cooking sites and I saw a new preparation 'stuffed chicken'.The name itself attracted me; I found it supper interesting and had to give it a try .Most of their recipes had used cheese for stuffing but I wanted to try something else so I used spinach and so my Spinach Stuffed Chicken was created  :)

FOR SPINACH STUFFING
Spinach Bunch	2 bunches
Onion	1 medium sized
Garlic cloves	3-4 pieces
Fresh Cream	1/4 cup
Red Chilli Powder	1 teaspoon
Oil	Quarter cup
Salt	A pinch

FOR CHICKEN
Chicken breast	2 slices
Honey	1/4 cup
Mustard Paste	1 tablespoon
Flour	1 cup
Breadcrumb	2 cups
Dried Basil	1 teaspoon
Black Pepper	1 teaspoon
Red Chilli Powder	2 tablespoon
Unsalted Butter	1 tablespoon
Egg	1 egg
Oil	2-3 tablespoon
Salt	As per taste

                                     
    STUFFING PREPARATION:-

1. Wash the spinach in running water and chop it as finely as possible.
2. Cut the onion into julienne and soak it into ice cold water for 5 min. Grate the garlic cloves.
3. Heat oil in a pan , add the onion after squeezing off the water. Add salt and grated garlic to this and fry till the onion turns translucent.
4. Add the spinach to the fried onions on low flame. Cover the pan and leave it for sometime till the water from the spinach is soaked and the spinach is properly cooked.
5. Add red chilli powder to the cooking spinach and cook for 2 min.Finally add the cream and cook again till all the excess water is soaked in.

CHICKEN PREPARATION :-

1. While the spinach stuffing is being cooked, wash the 2 chicken breast and pat it dry.
2. Place the chicken between 2 sheets of plastic wrap; pound to 1/4-inch thickness. Repeat the same with the other chicken piece too.
3. Divide the stuffing equally and evenly on both the flatten chicken breast. Roll up the chicken such that the stuffing is totally covered and secure it with wooden picks. Sprinkle some salt and pepper on the stuffed chicken.
4. Place some flour in a place. Then beat an egg on a big bowl with some salt. Then take the breadcrumbs in a place and mix it with salt,pepper and dried basil.
5. Now coat the chicken in flour, removing the excess soak it in the egg mixture and then in the breadcrumbs. Cover the chicken with the breadcrumbs.
6. Take a baking dish and drizzle some oil in it. Then arrange the chicken pieces in the baking dish and cook it in the oven for 20 min in 200 degree Celsius.

ASSEMBLING :-

1. When the chicken is done,heat butter in pan, add mustard paste to the pan and cook it for 2 -3 min or until done.
2. To the pan add red chilli powder and salt and cook it for some time.
3. Finally add the honey to the pan and cook the mixture thoroughly.
4. Place the chicken pieces in a plate and cover it with the honey-mustard paste.

 The Spinach Stuffed Chicken is ready to enjoy.... :) 

STUFFED CRESCENT ROLLS

Finally the exams are over , so whts the first thing i decided to do...quite obvious actually i decided to try something new today. And I made my very first Stuffed Crescent Rolls. Frankly this is the first time i had Crescents. But before I jump onto my recipe I would like to thank Manuela for passing me the award.  I dont know how to express in words the feeling am going through right now. Its the feeling that you have when someone whom you look up to appreciates your work. No words or expression are enough to express the feeling.....I am having the same feeling when i read a message from Manuela saying she has an award for me. I totally look up to her for all the innovative and wonderful recipes she has. A very talented lady I must say, I have learnt a lot new dishes from her. Thanks Manuela for making my day.  But blogging is about sharing and there rules to claim this award . So lets follow the rule. I prefer to visit different resturants and try out different types of food. I am totally addicted to TV  . The first thing is do when I wake up is switch on the TV and its on the whole time I am at home. I am a total believer of faith and destiny. I absolutely adore travelling...I love to go to different place and not only see the tourist attractions but also meet different people and have the local food. I dont like to make the morning tea and prefer if someone does it for me as of now its on to the small bakery shop near my house.... :) I am a very talkative person and love to spend time with my family and friends.I love talking to my mom over phone and we can do that for hours. I love to spend time watching the architectural beauty of the old buildings. 10 bloggers to pass the award, well that's the tough one :  http://www.tasteofbeirut.com/ http://recipesfortheverydaywoman.blogspot.com/ http://vegetariantastebuds.blogspot.com/ http://thischickcooks.blogspot.com/ http://www.mistress-of-spices.com/ http://thesaucykitchen.blogspot.com/ http://www.bitemekitchen.com/ http://thechefandherkitchen.blogspot.com/ http://superyummyrecipes.blogspot.com/ http://www.loveandoliveoil.com/

FOR CRESCENT DOUGH
All purpose floor	4 & half cup
Milk	1 cup
Instant dry yeast	1 tablespoon
Dried Basil	1 tablespoon
Sugar	1 teaspoon
Oil	Quarter cup
Salt	A pinch
Water	3-4 cups

FOR CRESCENT STUFFING
Chicken breast	2 slices
Onion	2 medium sized
Garlic	2 cloves
Corn	200 gms
Spinach	1 bunch
Cream	3 tablespoon
Mozzarella cheese	300 gms
Red Chilli Powder	1 tablespoon
Unsalted Butter	2-3 tablespoon
Egg white	1 egg
Oil	2-3 tablespoon
Salt	As per taste

       CRESCENT DOUGH:-

1. Take water in a bowl; place it on low flame and add sugar, stir till the sugar dissolves.
2. Add the yeast to the sugar-water bowl after removing from heat and leave it for 10 min or till the yeast dissolves properly and the water gets a little frothy.
3. Sift and pour the flour into a large bowl.Add salt and dried basil to the flour and mix them thoroughly.
4. Make a hole in the center of the flour mixture and pour the yeast mixture and oil.Using a spatula, combine all the ingredients properly.
5. Then mix the dough with hands and place it in a large bowl and let the dough stand for at least 1 hour so that the yeast can work on it.
6. After the dough is double its original size, punch it down to eliminate the air bubbles.
7. Sprinkle some flour on the large wooden surface. Place the dough on the floured surface. Knead  the dough by pushing and folding till it forms a smooth dough.
8. Place the dough in the bowl and cover it with plastic wrap.

CRESCENT STUFFING :-

1. Cut the chicken and onion into cubes.Chop the spinach into medium pieces.
2. Boil the corn in a cooker with a pinch a salt, one whistle of the cooker is enough to soften the corn. 
3. Heat oil in a pan, add the chopped onions and fry till it turns translucent.
4. Add the chicken cubes to the pan. Sprinkle some salt and red chilli powder and fry it over medium heat till the chicken turns soft.
5. Heat oil in a separate pan, add grated garlic cloves and fry the cloves.
6. Add the boiled corn and chopped spinach to the pan.Sprinkle some salt and red chilli powder and fry it over medium heat till the water is evaporated and the spinach is cooked.
7. Add 1 tablespoon of cream and combine all the ingredients. Cook it for 5-6 min more.

CRESCENT ROLLS :-

1. For the final assembling, punch the dough down to eliminate the air bubbles.
2. Sprinkle some flour on the large wooden surface. Place the dough on the floured surface. Cut the dough into 3-4 pieces.
3. Cover a oven rack with a baking paper. Drizzle some oil on the baking sheet and cover it with oil properly.
4. Roll the dough using a rolling pin into 1/4" thick circular shape and brush some butter.
5. Cut into 12 pie-shaped wedges. Remove the excess flour. 
6. On the wide-end on the wedge, place the stuffing and grated cheese.From the same end roll-up each wedge; bend into a crescent shape and place point-side down in the baking pans about 1 inch apart.
7. Repeat the process with all the other doughs.
8. Brush the top of the crescent rolls with egg white.
9. Cook the rolls in the oven at 220 degree for 20 min.

                   

The Stuffed Crescent Rolls are ready to be enjoyed with all the Movies.