Pineapple upside down cake

Ingredients:

Sliced pineapple - (6 canned slices or use fresh)

Cherries - 15-20

All-purpose flour(maida), careful not to over measure - 1 and 2/3 cups (210 g)

Baking powder - 1/2 tsp

Baking soda - 1/4 tsp

Salt - 1/2 tsp

Unsalted butter, melted - 3/4 cup (175g)

Light brown sugar - 1 1/4 cup (250g)

Granulated sugar - 1/4 cup (50g)

Egg - 1 large

Yogurt - 1/4 cup (60g)

Milk or buttermilk - 1/2 cup (120ml) 

Pineapple juice(reserved from the canned pineapple or use fresh)- 1/4 (60ml) cup

Vanilla extract - 1 Tablespoon (15ml)

Method:

Place 1/4 cup of melted butter into a 9-inch pie dish or 9x2 inch round cake pan. Make sure it is a deep pan. Sprinkle with 1/2 cup of brown sugar. Top with pineapple slices and arrange cherries between the pineapple slices. Set aside.

In a medium bowl, mix together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside. In a large microwave-safe bowl, melt butter in the microwave. Whisk in the sugars vigorously getting out any brown sugar lumps - mixture will be gritty. 

Whisk in egg, yogurt, milk, pineapple juice, and vanilla extract until combined. Slowly mix in dry ingredients until no lumps remain. Batter will be thick.

Preheat oven to 180 degrees. Pour/spoon batter into prepared pan.Bake for at 40-48 minutes. Cover loosely with aluminum foil (loosely to avoid the top from sticking to the foil) at the 20 minute mark to avoid browning. Allow to cool for 10 minutes.

Invert cake on top of a cake stand or a large serving plate. Slice and serve warm, room temperature, or even cold.

Try serving with vanilla ice cream - it's a delicious combination. Cover cake and store for up to 3 days in the refrigerator.....:)

Chatti Pathiri

Ingredients:

Chicken pieces - 250 gms

Turmeric Powder  - ¼ tsp 

Salt - as required

Onions - 3 medium sized 

Green Chillies - 5 - 6 

Ginger Garlic Paste - 1 tsp 

Coriander leaves - a handful chopped 

Turmeric Powder - ¼ tsp 

Pepper Powder - 1 tsp 

Garam Masala -  1 tsp 

All Purpose Flour (Maida) - 2 cups 

Eggs - 7 large 

Water -  2 cups or as required for a thin consistency 

Ghee - 2 tsp

Milk - 1 cup 

Raisins - 10 - 15

Cashew Nuts - 10 - 15 

Poppy Seeds - 2 tbsp

Salt - as required 

Oil - 1 tbsp

Method:

Marinate the Washed and cleaned chicken with little turmeric powder, pepper Powder and salt. Cook until done and the water is completely evaporated or Pressure cook the washed and cleaned chicken pieces with little turmeric powder, Salt and Pepper Powder. Remove the water and Shred the chicken pieces with a fork or spoon. Keep aside

For Preparing the batter for making the pancakes/dosas for the layers. Mix all purpose flour( Maida) , two eggs, 1/2 cup milk, required salt and water until well combined and with no lumps. The consistency should be thin, to make thin pancakes.Keep aside. 

In a large frying pan, add oil and saute chopped onions, green chillies, ginger garlic and salt until the onions are translucent. Add turmeric powder,curry leaves, Pepper powder and saute for few more minutes. Add the shredded chicken and mix well. Saute for few more minutes until they are well combined. Switch off the flame and add the coriander leaves and garam masala and mix well.

To make the custard mixture to dip the layers, in a wide bowl, add 5 eggs, 1/2 cup milk, pepper Powder, salt and combine well with a whisk. Keep aside.

Fry Raisins and cashew nuts and keep aside.

The pancakes should be of the same size or preferably slightly bigger than the pan you use to make chatti pathiri.This helps to keep the pathiri in shape.Pour a ladle full of batter into a frying pan at medium flame. Swirl the pan to create a thin round pancake of required size. You can also spread the batter the same way as making dosas. When the pancake is cooked, may be in a minute, flip over to the other side and let it cook for another minute or half. Repeat until the batter is over. I got around 10 Pancakes to fit into my 8 inch pan. Make sure that the pancakes do not stick to each other, it might be a pain to separate them retaining its shape.

Prepare the pan to make the chatti pathiri. Chatti pathiri can be made in a sauce pan cooking on the stove Or in an oven safe dish cooking in an oven. 
If you are making on gas top method.  Take a non-stick deep skillet and spread 2 tsp of oil / ghee all around. Take a pancake, dip it in the custard mixture and place it in the bottom of the pan. Do the same with the second pancake. Two pan cakes are kept so that it wont break while flipping.

On top of the second pancake, spread some filling and then place the third pancake dipped in the custard mixture on top of the filling. Alternate the filling and the dipped pancake until the you use up all the prepared pancakes.Divide the filling into equal parts too.

When done with the layering, pour the remaining custard mixture onto the top of the pathiri. This helps to hold the layers together and form a cake like structure for the chatti pathiri. If you do not have enough mixture, use one more egg and mix it with the left over mixture. Close the pan with a tight lid and cook on a very low flame. After a 5 minutes open the lid and Garnish with fried cashews and raisins. Also sprinkle the poppy seeds/couscous on top of it. Again close the lid and cook until the custard is well set and completely cooked. Remember, the only uncooked item in the pan is the custard mixture. It might take around 25 - 30 minutes. 

Once done,Move a spoon through the sides of the pathiri so that it easily comes out of the pan. Cover the pan with another pan and turn up side down. You can also turn it to a plate and again transfer it to the same pan.Cook for another 5 minutes. This is to make it brown from top.

Alternately, 

 If using the oven, preheat to 180 degree Celsius. Grease the pan well on the bottom and the sides. Spread alternate layers of pan cakes and chicken filling. Pour the egg custard mixture to cover the pathiri .Garnish with fried cashews, raisins and also sprinkle the poppy seeds/couscous on top of it. Cover it with aluminum foil and bake for 30 - 40 minutes in the middle rack. It depends upon your oven. So bake until the custard mixture is well set and a toothpick / knife inserted at the center comes out clean. Remove the aluminium foil and broil it for another 2 - 3 minutes to make the top part light brown in colour.

Once cool turn and cut it into pieces and serve...In my house all just loved it....:)

Manga Inji Acchar / Mango Ginger Pickle / Maa Inji Thokku

Mango Ginger (Curcuma amada Roxb.) is a unique spice having resemblance with ginger but imparts a raw mango flavour. The main use of mango ginger is in the manufacture of pickles and culinary preparations. Ayurveda and Unani medicinal systems have given much importance to mango ginger as an appetizer, many other uses to cure itching, skin diseases, bronchitis, asthma, hiccough and inflammation due to injuries.

Ingredients:

Manga Inji / mango Ginger  - ¼ kg

Gingelly oil - 4 tbsp

Red Chilli powder (adjust spice according to your taste) - 4 tsp

Turmeric Powder - 1/2 tsp 

Asafoeitda powder - ¼ tsp

Mustard seeds - 1 tsp

Fenugreek seeds - ¼ tsp

Curry leaves - Few

Lime juice /  vinegar -.!/2 lime or as per taste   

Salt - to taste

Method:

Peel the skin, Wash and pat dry the mango ginger.

Grate the mango ginger and keep aside.

 Roast and grind fenugreek seeds . keep aside.

Heat 3 tablespoons of oil in a pan. Add mustard seeds. When the mustard seeds starts to sputter, add curry leaves , grated mango ginger and mix well. In low flame, saute the grated mango ginger till they are tender and soft

Add red chilli powder, Salt, Fenugreek Powder and Asafoetida . Mix well. You can taste and adjust the salt and spice. Remove the thokku from flame. Squeeze Lemon to the pickle and mix well.

Allow the pickle to cool. Then transfer it to a glass bottle. Add 1 tablespoon of oil on top of the pickle and close it with a lid. 

 The tasty Mango Ginger Pickle is now ready to serve with curd rice / Plain Rice / Dosa or Idli.............:)