Moist Carrot Cake Recipe

Like I said earlier with a cake expert in-house in my big sister I normally never bake cakes. But then with the sweet success I enjoyed when I tried out the little cupcakes and the miniature bar cakes I have decided to get a bit adventurous. Do something perhaps that big sis hasn't tried in cake making. We had gone to my other sister's place a couple of weeks back; she was celebrating her birthday over lunch. An ex-student of hers came over with her fiance and a carrot cake that he had baked at his bakery. (Who says teaching doesn't pay??!! ;) Ha Ha! Just kidding!) She served the carrot cake but I wanted to savour it so I packed my bit and brought it home. I loved that carrot cake and so the hunt for the perfect carrot cake recipe began. It  had to be a moist carrot cake recipe but then my first attempt did pay off with big dividends. It was simply delicious, at least everyone said so. I took some to office and they just polished it off. I had told them it was an experiment but they just hushed me and said it was great. I was in seventh heaven! My mom had three bits and our cake expert couldn't keep her hands off it so I messaged my niece to come get the last piece before it vanished. Luckily she came in time! Now I already have an order for a carrot cake for next week!

How to make a moist carrot cake

Ingredients:
175gms sugar
175ml oil (I used sunflower)
3 large eggs, lightly beaten
140gms grated carrots (3 medium-sized)
100gms raisins
grated zest of 2 oranges
175gms all-purpose flour
1.5 tspn baking powder
1 tspn bicarbonate of soda
½ tspn grated nutmeg (preferably freshly grated)
1 tspn ground cinnamon

Ingredients to make a moist carrot cake

Method:

• Preheat the oven to 160C. Oil and line a 9” cake tin or any suitable tin you might have.
• Put the sugar into a large mixing bowl, add the oil and the lightly beaten eggs.
• Lightly mix with a wooden spoon.
• Stir in the grated carrots, raisins and orange rind.
• Mix the flour, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda and spices and add to the mixture in the bowl.
• Lightly mix all the ingredients till it is all incorporated. The mixture will be quite soft and nearly runny.
• Pour the mixture into the prepared tin and bake for 40- 45 minutes, till it feels firm and springy when you press it in the middle.
• Cool in the tin for 5 minutes or so, then turn it out and cool on a wire rack. 

Meat Loaf Recipe

This easy meat loaf recipe is one that I got from a friend while at my second job. She got it from her neighbour. Sunita, thanks for this great recipe. Whenever I make this meat loaf, I think of you! You can serve this meat loaf with some salad if you wish but then most often I end up making meat loaf sandwiches so it works as a good sandwich spread. Meat loaf sandwiches with mayonnaise are pretty popular around here. Good to pack for school tiffin and makes a filling snack after playtime.

Meat Loaf Recipe

Ingredients:

½ kg beef mince

200 gms bacon mince

2.5 tspns salt

1.5 tspns pepper powder

2 eggs

2 slices bread soaked in water and squeezed out 
Corriander leaves, chopped (optional)

Ingredients for meat loaf

Method:

• Mix all the ingredients together and put in a loaf tin or other suitable vessel.

 

• Steam for ½ hr on simmer. (Follow steaming instructions as in the caramel pudding recipe)

Goan Chicken Xacuti Recipe

The Goan Chicken Xacuti is very popular and a lot of people want to know how to make the chicken xacuti. So I am providing herein the recipe for chicken xacuti. I have recently shared with you the Goan xacuti masala recipe; like I said earlier this is not a spicy recipe and so can be included in regular everyday Goan meals.

Chicken xacuti Goan recipe

Ingredients:
1 chicken, cut into medium or small pieces as per your taste
2-3 tspns ginger-garlic paste
salt to taste
2 onions, cut fine
2 tomatoes, cut into 1 inch cubes
2 potatoes, cut into 1 inch cubes
Curry leaves
2-3 tbspns oil
Xacuti masala
Coconut juice (optional)
Corriander leaves, chopped (optional)


Method:

• Apply salt and ginger-garlic paste to the chicken and keep aside.
• In a vessel or pressure cooker, fry the onion in oil and add the chicken with a tbspn or two of water.
• Cook until done. I cook in the pressure cooker for 5 mins. or less on simmer after the first whistle.

• Put the xacuti masala in a heavy pan and add some water depending on how thick or thin you want your chicken xacuti to be. You may also substitute the water with coconut juice.

• Bring to boil and add the curry leaves, tomatoes and potatoes.

• When the potatoes are cooked, add the cooked chicken.
• Bring to boil and turn off the flame. 
• Garnish with corriander leaves.
• Serve hot with rice, pulao, chappatis or bread.

Recheiado Mackerel Fish

 The recheiado fish is a very popular item on the Goan menu and many a Goan have it for their lunch almost everyday.

How to make Goan recheiado mackerel

Ingredients:
Mackerels
Goan Recheiado Masala
Salt to taste
Semolina for coating
Oil for frying

Method:

• Slit the mackerels on the dorsal side and lift the bone up using a knife.

• You can discard the bone or leave it as is.
• Apply the recheiado masala to the mackerel as shown in the picture and under the bone too if you leave it in.

• Close the mackerel.

•  Coat the recheiado mackerel with semolina on either side.

• Shallow fry the recheiado fish on a non-stick griddle.

• Turn and fry on the other side.

• Drain on kitchen paper and serve.