HOME MADE HOT CROSS BUNS

500 grams refined flour
1 teaspoon dried yeast
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon powder
50 grams butter
50 grams sultanas or raisins
50 grams black currants
2 tablespoons sugar
400 ml milk
2 eggs beaten

Disolve the yeast in a little warm milk. Put flour, sugar, salt, cinnamon powder, sultanas / raisins, black currants into a mixing bowl and make a well in the centre. Add the butter, milk, yeast and egg and knead till the dough is soft and elastic. Place the dough in a lightly oiled bowl and cover with a damp cloth. Leave aside for 2 hours by which time the dough would have doubled in size.

Punch the dough down and knead again. Divide the dough into 12 equal balls. Flatten them a little and place on a greased baking tray taking care to leave sufficient space between each bun. Cover and keep aside for 45 minutes till the dough rises again.

Make crosses with strips of dough and carefully place on each bun. Bake in a preheated oven at 200 deg C for about 20 minutes.

EASTER CAKE AND MIXED FRUIT FRITTERS

EASTER FRUIT CAKE

Serves 6 Preparation time 1 hour

300 grams plain flour or maida A pinch of salt

250 grams butter 250 grams sugar (powdered)

300 grams mixed dried fruit (chopped into small pieces and soaked in rum for 2 months)

1 teaspoon finely grated orange rind 2 eggs beaten well

½ cup cold milk 1 teaspoon baking powder

Sift the flour, baking powder and salt together in a big bowl. Mix in the butter and rub finely with the fingertips to form crumbs. Add the sugar, chopped fruit and orange rind and mix well. Add the milk and eggs and using a fork mix to a semi stiff batter without churning or beating. When evenly mixed pour the mixture into a greased and papered cake tin and bake in a hot oven for 45 minutes or till the cake is cooked inside and brown on the top.


MIXED FRUIT FRITTERS

200 grams refined flour / Maida
100 grams sugar
2 eggs beaten
1 cup chopped mixed fruit such as apple, pineapple, banana etc
½ teaspoon salt
oil for frying

Mix all the ingredients together to a thick smooth batter. Heat oil in a deep pan till smoky. Drop a tablespoon of the batter at a time into the hot oil and fry till golden brown.

Serve plain or with vanilla Icecream

PORK VINDALOO

Serves 6 Preparation Time 45 minutes

1 kg pork (With a little fat /lard) cut into medium pieces

3 big onions slices finely

3 big tomatoes pureed

1 tablespoon cumin powder

½ teaspoon tumeric powder

1 teaspoon mustard powder

3 teaspoons chilly powder

2 teaspoons pepper powder

3 tablespoons ginger garlic paste

1 cup vinegar

3 tablespoons oil

Salt to taste

Marinate the pork for about one hour with the salt, vinegar, chilly powder, cumin powder pepper powder, mustard powder, tumeric powder and ginger and garlic paste.

Heat oil in a pressure cooker and fry the onions till golden brown. Add the marinated pork and the tomato puree and keep frying for some time. Now add more water and pressure cook till the meat is well cooked. Serve hot with rice or bread

MUTTON /LAMB PALAU

Serves 6 Preparation time 1 hour

1 kg Basmati Rice or any other Good Rice …wash and soak for about 1 hour

1 kg Mutton / Lamb (or Beef) cut into fairly big pieces

2 bay leaves

2 teaspoons spice powder or garam masala

½ kg tomatoes chopped

3 pieces cinnamon, 3 cloves, 3 cardamoms 1 nutmeg flower

2 cups oil or ghee

Salt to taste

6 green chilies ground

1 tablespoon ginger paste

1 tablespoon garlic paste

2 teaspoons chilly powder

½ kg onions sliced finely

1- teaspoon tumeric powder

½ cup fresh mint leaves

Wash the meat and marinate with the spice powder, green chilly paste, half the quantity of ginger garlic paste and tumeric powder for half an hour.

Heat the oil or ghee in a large vessel and add the cloves, cinnamon, cardamom, nutmeg flower, remaining ginger garlic paste and onions and sauté for some time. Add the chopped tomatoes, curds, mint leaves and chilly powder and simmer till the oil separates from the masala and the tomatoes are reduced to pulp. Add the marinated meat and salt and cook for 10 minutes. Remove the pieces and keep aside. Now add sufficient water to the gravy in the vessel so as to get about 7 glasses of liquid. Add the rice and cook till half done. Now add the cooked meat and mix well. Cover and cook on low heat till done. Serve with Curd Chutney or salad

Jhovaan - (Meal in Konkani): Railway mutton and vindaloo

Jhovaan - (Meal in Konkani): Railway mutton and vindaloo