Kerala Fruit Cake

During Christmas season this fruit cake is widely baked and gifted in Kerala. Home-made dessert wine and this cake are traditional items to be served in any Christmas party.

Ingredients

1. Sugar -250 gms ( powdered / confectioners)
2. Butter -250 gms
3. Maida/ A.P flour - 250 gms
4. Eggs - 5
5. Dates - 125 gms
6. Raisins - 125 gms ( soak raisins in rum or brandy well ahead of time)
7. Nuts - 65 gms
8. Ground spices ( cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves) - 1/4 tsp each
9. Caramel (make it with 1/4 cup of sugar)
10. Baking powder - 1/2 tsp
11. Salt - 1/4 tsp
12. Vanilla - 1/2 tbs

Steps

1. Prepare caramel: In a pot, roast granular sugar under medium-high heat until it is browned. Add 1/4 cup of water to it carefully (as the pot will be extremely hot and there is chance for hot water to spill). Mix well and let the mixture to cool before using it to prepare the cake mix.
2. Chop raisins, dates and nuts into tiny pieces.
3. Mix flour, ground spices, salt and baking powder and keep it aside.
4. Cream butter and sugar using mixer. Add egg yolks and mix well. Add caramel and vanilla to that. Add the mixed flour and white of eggs (beaten well) alternatively with spatula. Add cut fruits and nuts .
5. Pre-heat oven to 325F. Add cake mix to greased baking pans and bake; at 325F for the first 20 minutes then decrease the temperature to 250F. Bake it for a total of 1 hr, or until it is cooked through. (When the cake will be fully cooked, it will not stick to probing skewer or any other inserts.)

Vegetable Stew (Ishtoo)

It is a traditional Kerala dish of mixed vegetables cooked in coconut milk, which can be served with appam or chappathi.

Ingredients
(serves 6)
1. potato - 2 ( big)
2. carrot - 1
3. frozen green piece - 1 cup.
4. green chili - 3
5. onion - 1/2 piece
6. rice flour - 1 tsp
7. coconut milk - 1/2 can ( 200 ml)
8. cinnamon - 1 stick (broken into small pieces)
9. cloves - 6
10. whole black pepper - 10
11. curry leaves
12. salt
13. oil -1 tbs

Steps
1. Cut potatoes and carrot into small pieces, about the same size as the green piece. Split green chilies length wise. Cook these in a small pot with just enough water to cover the ingredients. Add salt to taste.
2. Cut onion to large cubes. Saute onion,curry leaves, cinnamon, cloves and black pepper for about a minute, add rice flour to it and saute it for 10 seconds. Then add the cooked vegetables to this. Bring it to boil.
3. Add coconut milk to this and bring it to boil and serve it hot with appam or chappathi.