Carrot Cupcakes Everyone seems to love Carrot Cake, what I also like about them is how wonderfully moist they are and how flavorful they taste. I love this Carrot Cupcake recipe because it's so easy to make. No mixer is required. The time consuming part is the grating of the fresh carrots. I have included applesauce in the cupcake batter which, along with the oil, makes these cupcakes so moist. But, if you like, you could use an equal amount of grated apple or even crushed pineapple. You can also add 1/2 cup (120 ml) of currants or raisins to the batter. Carrot Cakes became popular with the health food craze of the 1970s. There are many theories on the origin of this cake, some say it descended from the English's baked carrot puddings or European steamed carrot puddings. Others say it may have come from German carrot breads. Carrots were used in European sweet cakes since the Middle Ages when other sweeteners were hard to find or just too expensive. In fact, carrots, along
Kavuni Arisi, Chettinad Kavuni Arisi Sweet "Let food be thy medicine, and medicine be thy food." The olden day Chettiar community was a very affluent community and traded all over the world. The community had trade as far flung as Rangoon (Current day Myanmar) to Singapore. They brought back a lot of things from their travels which included exotic ingredients as well. Black rice is a very popular ingredient in South Asia and it must have found its way into the Chettiar households through these routes. The rice has become so customary that its a ritual to serve it in weddings. Black Glutinous Rice is also sold in the shops as Kavuni Arisi, Karuppu Arisi or Karuppu Puttarisi. Even though the rice is black in colour, it gets a hue of burgundy after soaking and the colour intensifies after cooking. All these ancient rices are packed with health benefits than these Modern day supplements. There is rice for every human need. Sample this, there is a rice called a maapil