Few days back I made 'Khatakhata' - a special mixed vegetable dish from konkani cuisine. It needs pumpkin and I looked for it through all grocery stores, super markets, indian stores but every one said its out of season. But Wholes food had canned pumpkin and I thought of giving it a try. But when I opened the can I found that it was mashed one and not cubed ones. So I couldnt use that in the khatkhata. (Yes recipe will come for it when I cook it next time as this time I forgot to take pics). Then I was looking for all pumpkin recipes that can use puree of Pumpkin and found that cupcakes use them. So finally after reading lot I came up with this my version. Once it started baking it spread so much of aroma that I just couldnt wait for them to get ready. What a nice way to eat Pumpkin :)

Ingredients

2 cup Pumpkin Puree

3 Cup Maida

1 Cup Butter

1.5 Cup Brown Sugar

1/2 Cup Castor Sugar

2 Spoon Baking Powder

1/2 Spoon Baking Soda

1/2 Cup Milk

1/2 Spoon Cinnamon Powder

1/2 Spoon Cloves Powder

1/2 Spoon Nutmeg Powder

1/4 Cup Almond Sliced

1/2 Spoon Pistachio Essence

2 Eggs

Method

Sieve through Maida, baking powder, baking soda few times.
Mix Nutmeg powder, cinnamon powder and cloves powder. Keep aside
In a bowl, beat butter, brown sugar and castor sugar together untill mixture is fluffy and sugar is completely mixed
Add in each egg at a time and beat them into the mixture.
Now add the sieved maida-bakingpowder mixture little at a time till completely accomodated. Stir with a spatula and dont use blender here.
Add milk and mix well. Mixture will thin down a little
Add pumkin puree and pistacheo essence and mix gently using the spatula
Mix in the almonds except few to decorate in the batter.
Preheat the oven to 350F/180C
Grease the cup cake trays and fill in the mixture upto 3/4th level in each cup
Garnish with remaining almonds
Bake in the oven on 350F/180C for 20 minutes. Knife inserted should come out clean.

Notes
If you are using fresh pumkin, just steam the pumkin and then mash it in mixie. I guess that should work too.
Made around 16 medium sized cup cakes

Carrot Paratha

I was thinking about something new yet simple for dinner yesterday. I thought of parathas as ajoy loves it.. But then I didnt want to cook something that we always eat.. So came up with this idea. Turned quite nice.

Carrot Paratha

Ingredients
1.5 Potato
2 Cup Grated Carrots
2.5 Cup Wheat Flour
1 Spoon Red Chilli Powder
3/4 Spoon Corriander Powder
1/4 Spoon Carom Seeds
1/2 Lemon
Salt to taste
Oil
Ghee

Method

Mix wheat flour, salt to taste and 2 spoons of oil.
Add water to it and make the dough. It shouldnt be too loose or too tight.
Add another couple of spoon of oil and knead well and keep aside for half an hour atleast.
Cook potatoes in the pressure cooker and let them cool
Mash the potatoes and mix with carrots
Add red chilli powder, salt, corriander powder, carom seeds and lemon juice. Mix well.
Prepare the balls of small lemon size out of this mixture
Make same size balls from the dough and prepare the cup shape.
Stuff the carrot ball in the cup shape dough and close the ball. Roll the paratha
On medium flame, heat the tawa and cook the paratha from both sides till brown. Spread few drops of oil while its cooking.
When completely done apply few drops of ghee and serve with pickle and/or curd

Notes
I prefer to use only few drops of ghee at the end of cooking of paratha but if you like you can fry them in ghee itself.