DRAGON FRUIT CAKE

                

WE WANT RAIN & DO NOT WANT IT AT THE SAME TIME!

Like yesterday night, I was feeling pretty hot & it is raining since the morning! This is how it works here in this island! We are the kinds who cannot keep the AC's going on continuously, not even covering ourselves in blankets! Unlike us, Singapore lives inside AC machines practically! In my case, it might be the thought of a staggering electricity bill that works inside! In the senior's case, he perhaps does not even require a fan, he has no fat in the body & never feels hot, can go without a fan! Whilst staying with us, the son too did not require the AC's to be on all the while, although we did not restrict him in this matter! Now, the city he stays in the United States as a student, it's cold most of the time! If it's not snowfall during the winter, there is chill in the wind rest of the year! The cold wind was pretty difficult for us to sustain in the month of October, he however says he enjoys the weather, even the snowfall! As a mother, my concern is him catching a cold, cough & I end up thinking he might catch pneumonia! At thIS point, it does not remain limited to just "thinking", it becomes too worrisome! What is sad is that the rest at home do not understand my stress, do nothing to keep me stress-free!

OTHERWISE, LIFE IS GOOD FOR US!

I mean not that the couple at this home often would fight! My only fight with him now is his inability to make the son understand how we worry, make him talk to us regular! Last October, before visiting him, we had an agenda that the father would sit with the son and discuss, explain him our expectations with regards to the communication part between us! Neither the father attempted to on arrival, nor the son gave us any chance to discuss! Otherwise, the son is not giving us any trouble; he is studying well; like his parents he is not a party animal! He does go out with friends, that is required! We are just too happy at home without partying every weekend! We watched Kajol & Jisshu's "The Trial" at Disney Hotstar yesterday & half a day was spent on it! If in one semester, he gets a B, the next time he would get mumma an A- or A! Before a big expense like buying a guitar or the ticket for a concert he wishes to attend, he would seek the father's consent! But what he does not understand is that the parents of international students have other areas of concern & that can be too stressful! We are not that rich to travel to the United States every six months & I have no complaints about it! I do not work & we have other responsibilities that we cannot deny! Amidst all these, a long chat with someone in Budapest was relaxing! That was with Sreyashi who got me a job in the DPS of Singapore, I will always remember that! Also, I am happy about her new lease of life, jealous how she travels all around Europe on a regular basis! Living in a big country has it's own benefits! We have a peaceful, settled life in Singapore, I have got a little of bored; we did not apply for  a PR or buy an apartment, what's the point staying at one place for this long?

WHAT IS THIS DRAGON FRUIT CAKE?

I seriously had no plans to bake a cake with dragon fruit! Although it does not have a taste of it's own, I enjoy having it because it's low sugar level is good for a diabetic! It so happened that last Friday, when I went shopping for the fish, meat & vegetables; I could not resist buying jackfruit, litchi besides some mangoes! At home, some dragon fruit pieces were resting! With three of my most favourite fruits alluring me to have them, I was not wanting to have the dragon fruit! Cut fruits should not be kept for long, not even in the refrigerator! An idea played on my mind & I baked a vegan, gluten-free DRAGON FRUIT CAKE! While in the son's city last October; the Airbnb flat might not have had what I expected of but there had brown paper cake tins & both a traditional oven and a microwave oven! I do get that the West eat a lot of baked food, they frequently bake a cake; we do not as much as they do! I would bake a cake once a week, but a good amount of sugar goes in! There was a time, the son used to enjoy my unconventional cakes! I wonder why he does not make good use of the oven he has, or does he? I do not want him to buy each of his meals, neither want him to eat cheese & bread, milk with cornflakes all the time! He can do some simple bakes, eat homemade fresh & hot meals! That is what I expect! Three years back, I thought he would share his experiences with pictures & I would share those in the blog & on my social media accounts! Things did not work out that way! So I find solace in eating; the following was my first meal of today!

Cristine made the Vermicelli Upma just the way I told; the way the middle class Bengali Homes used to do in those days, it does not use a lot of vegetables!

INGREDIENTS :

FRESH DRAGON FRUIT CUBE : 1 COFFEE MUG

OAT MEAL : 1/2 COFFEE MUG

OATS : 1/2 COFFEE MUG [GIVES A GRAINY TEXTURE]

RICE FLOUR : 1/4 COFFEE MUG

CORN FLOUR : 1 TBSP

BAKING SODA : 1/4 TSP

BAKING POWDER : 1 TSP

SUGAR : 5-6 TBSP [YOU CAN USE MORE] [I USED BROWN SUGAR]

LEMON ZEST : 1 TBSP

OIL : 1/2 SMALL SIZED TEA CUP

PROCEDURE : 

Blend together the dragon fruit pieces, sugar, oil!

In a bowl; mix together the oat meal, rice & corn flours, baking powder & soda! Add the paste to it & mix well! 

Thereafter, I added the oats! Though I added it to thicken the batter, later found that it gave a texture to the cake!

Add the washed lemon jest & mix well! 

Preheat the oven for 10-12 minutes at 180*C!

Grease a cake tin with few drops of oil and add the batter to it! Lightly tap the cake tin on the kitchen counter!

Place the cake tin atop the tray and bake at 180*C for 40 minutes!

Mine is a mini toaster oven! The time taken may vary in your's, be careful!

It was a supremely moist cake!