X'Mas Menu Idea

I know like me there are many of you who are confused when it comes to planning a menu for an occasion. I always will have so many ideas to try something very different. but finally decide on something that my hubby enjoys to eat. 

Few more days left for Xmas & I am still finalizing on what to make. I have made a ready menu reference & I hope it will be of some use to you too:) Choose from the options that are available & also let me know what you made.

Starters /Appetizer:

     Poultry

• Juicy Chicken Kebab
• Almond Chicken Wings
• Juicy Parsley Chicken
• Lemony Chicken
• Chicken Ghee Roast
• Steamed Chicken Balls in Mushroom Sauce
• Chicken-lollipop
• Stirfried chicken with mushrooms
• Mixed Veg Chicken Stir Fry
• Chicken steamed dumplings
• Chicken Manchurian
• Chilli Chicken
• Tofu & Chicken Nuggets Canapes
• stuffed chicken breast
• Chettinad Chicken Fry

 Pork:

Stewed-pork-ribs in garlic Sauce

Chili Pork with Pan Roasted Potatoes

Sea Food

• Stuffed Mushroom Canapes
• Stir fried Prawns in Oyster Sauce
• Prawn Kebab
• Prawn Chili
• Masala Calamari Rings
• Prawn Shiraz
• Prawn Ghee Roast
• Fish Cutlet
• Spicy Fish Nuggets

Veg

• Veg Shammi Kebab
• Stuffed Eggplant Canapes
• Mongdal Oats Pakora
• Cottage Cheese in Orange Sauce
• Baked Sweet Potatoes
• Gobhi Manchurian

 Main Course

• Yogurt Chicken Curry
• Chicken Pasanda
• Chicken Badamika
• Grandmas Chicken Curry
• Kolhapuri Chicken
• Chicken Rendang
• Chicken Vindaloo
• Prawn in Spicy Tomato Gravy
• Mummy's Mutton Curry
• Gobhi Manchurian Gravy (Cauliflower)
• Stuffed Egg Plant in Peanut sauce

Desserts

•  Sticky Date cake with Toffee Sauce
• Gooey Choco Almond Brownie
• Gulab Jamun Cheese Cake
• Moist Apple Bar
• No-bake-Oreo Cheese cake
• Chocolate cheese Cake
• Tiramisu
• Mango Ice Cream

 

 

 

Sticky Date Cake with Orange Toffee Sauce

After watching this recipe on Barefoot Contessa, I have been waiting to try this out. Finally I did that today & I must say that this is out of the world. Never thought a dates cake will taste this good. This is definitely one of my fav desserts now & will be made more often. Here is the recipe adopted from Ina Garten.

For the cake:

• 200 gms dates, pitted and chopped
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 15o gms butter, at room temperature
• 3/4 cup Powdered Brown sugar
• 2 large eggs, at room temperature
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/4 teaspoon  salt
• 1 tablespoons baking powder

For the sauce:

• 2 Tbsp butter
• 1/4 cup light brown sugar or normal sugar
• ½ cup heavy cream
• Pinch of salt
• 1 tspoons pure vanilla extract

• 1 Tspn Orange extract

 
Method:
Preheat the oven to 180 degrees. Butter and flour a 8 inch round cake pan.

 

Place the dates in a deep saucepan with 1¾ cups of water. Bring to boil, stirring a little to break up the dates & become mushy. Allow to simmer 1 minute. Off the heat, stir in the baking soda (it will bubble up!). Set aside.

 

Meanwhile,  cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. With the mixer on low, add the eggs, one at a time, and then the vanilla, scraping down the mixing bowl. (It may look curdled.) Combine the flour, baking powder, salt and add it to the batter.  Now add the hot date mixture in two batches to the batter, scraping down the bowl. Mix this well &  pour into the prepared pan. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

 

Meanwhile, combine the butter, brown sugar, heavy cream and salt in a medium saucepan and bring to boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for 1 minute. Add in vanilla, orange extract and pour into a 2-cup heat-proof glass measuring cup. Set aside.

 

As soon as the cake is done, poke holes all over it with a toothpick. Pour three-quarters of the sauce evenly over the cake while still warm and allow it to soak in for 30 minutes. Turn the cake out bottom side up onto a flat serving plate and pour the remaining sauce on top. Cool completely.Serve at room temperature

 

*

Note:

• I used regular sugar since I dint have brown sugar
• I used Lion Dates which took a lot of time to cook as it was hard

Check out the video recipe here

Instant Xmas Fruit Cake

I love this X'mas season & the fruit cake too. Fruit cake/Plum cake is very commonly found in all Kerala Bakeries. However this is not so common in other parts of the world. This cake is mostly made during X'mas & it has Alcohol in it. In this particular recipe I haven't soaked the dry fruits in rum for too long. This is more of a instant fruit cake. However I will be making another one soon which will be more richer than this:) This recipe is a tasty & easy one. 

Ingredients

• 2 cups dry fruits( Cherries, cranberry, raisins, sultanas, candid orange peel)
• 1/4 cup Rum/Brandy
• 1/2 cup walnuts  or any nuts of your choice
• 2 cups of Flour
• 3 large eggs
• pinch of salt
• 1.5 cups of powdered brown sugar
• 1 Tspn Baking powder
• 150 gms of butter
• 1/2 Tsp cinnamon powder
• 1/4 tspn nutmeg powder
• 1/4 tspn cardamom powder
• 3 crushed cloves
• 1/2 cup caramel sauce (1/2 cup brown sugar & 1/4 cup water)

Directions

1. Soak all the dry fruits in 1/4 cup rum for 10 mins or 24 hours. Cover tightly, and store at room temperature. (Dust them with flour before you add it to the cake batter)
2. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Butter a 6x3-inch round pan or loaf pan and line it with parchment paper.
3. In a heavy bottom pan add 1/2 cup brown sugar & 1/4 cup water & cook this for about 5 mins until its gets brown. Make sure you don't burn this mixture. Keep this sauce aside in a cup.
4. In a large bowl, cream together butter and brown sugar until fluffy. Beat in egg & caramel sauce. Whisk together flour, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg & cardamom powder.  Stir in soaked fruit and chopped nuts(dusted with flour). Scrape batter into prepared pan.
5. Bake in preheated oven for 60 to 80 minutes. Cool in the pan for 10 minutes, remove &  then sprinkle with 2 tablespoons rum or icing sugar.

Kolhapuri Chicken

 

 

 

Chettinad chicken & kholapuri chicken has a lot of common ingredients & it tastes also a lot similar. I love both the dishes & it tastes so good with Rice. I made this for lunch today & it was finger licking good. This recipe is adopted  from Sanjeev Kapoor's Khana Khazana. I have just made few changes to the recipe. The original recipe doesn't call for tomatoes but I have added some for a little tanginess. If you are bored with your regular chicken curries you must try this one. This recipe is filled with flavours & the aromas just fills your house & the neighbourhood:)

 

 

Ingredients:

1 Kg Chicken

8- 10 Dried red chili (Bedagi)

1/2 cup grated coconut

1 blade Mace

5 Cloves

1 Balck Cardamom

3 Green Cardamom

1 Inch Cinnamon syick

1 Tspn Cumin Seeds

1 Tbsp Poppy seeds

1 Tbsp Sesame seeds

8 to 10 black pepper corns

Pinch of Nutmeg powder

1 Tomatoes

1 Tbsp Ginger Garlic paste

3 Onion chopped

1/4 Tspn Turmeric powder

Salt as per taste

5 Tbsp Oil

5 red chilis (for tempering)

Coriander leaves or curry leaves for garnish

Method

For the masala paste, dry-roast the sesame seeds, poppy seeds, peppercorns, cumin seeds, cinnamon, green cardamoms, black cardamom, cloves, mace, dried coconut and Bedgi chillies separately. Cool and grind with a little water to a fine paste. Heat the oil in pan; add the red chillies, saute for a few seconds, remove from heat and reserve for garnishing. Add the onions to the same oil and saute till golden brown. Add the ginger paste, garlic paste and cook over medium heat for a few seconds. Stir in the ground paste and cook for three or four minutes over medium heat, stirring frequently. Add the chicken, mix well and cook over high heat, stirring continuously, for two or three minutes. Add half a cup of water and continue cooking over medium heat for three or four minutes, stirring frequently. Add the turmeric powder, grated nutmeg, tomatoes and salt. clods a tight lid and cook for about 10 mins. The masala should be quite thick and dry. Serve hot, garnished with coriander leaves and fried chillies

Note:

• Since cooking oil was over, I made this with coconut oil
• Since I dint have coriander leaves, I garnished the dish with curry leaves
• I also added tomatoes for some tanginess, which is not in the original recipe