Suji dhokla

text and pic by http://whatscookingmom.in/

Preparation time: 5 minutes
cooking time: 15 minutes
serves 4

for the batter:2 cups semolina( suji)
1 cup sour curd
1 tsp oil
½ tsp haldi( turmeric powder)
¼ tsp red chili powder
salt to taste
1 tbsp or 1 sachet eno fruit salt
for the tempering:1/2tsp mustard seeds (rai)
2 green chillies
4-5 leaves curry leaves
2 tsp oil
2 tbsp sugar
½ cup water
for the garnish:chopped corriander

How to make suji dhokla:

Mix together all the ingredients for the batter, except fruit salt (Eno), using enough water to make a thick batter. Let it stand for 10 minutes. When the steamer is hot, add in fruit salt, sprinkle a little water over fruit salt and mix thoroughly. The mixture will rise immediately. Pour the batter in greased thali or dhokla stand and steam for about 12 -15 minutes. Let it stand for 5 minutes. Cut dhokla in half and arrange in a dish.

For the tempering, heat oil in a small pan and add mustard seeds. When mustard seeds start to crackle, add curry leaves and green chillies. Now add sugar and water and let it boil for 2 minutes. Pour this over the steamed Dhoklas. Garnish with corriander leaves and serve hot with tomato ketchup or green chutney.

Tips: You can add chopped or grated vegetables (carrot, cabbage and peas) to the batter to make the Suji dhokla more nutritious.
Steamer should be hot when you add fruit salt to the batter.

Savory Bread Pancakes

text and pictures by http://whatscookingmom.in/

Preparation time: 5-7 minutes

Cooking time: 20 minutes
makes around 8 pancakes

Ingredients:10 bread slices
½-1 cup milk as required
2 onions grated or chopped very fine
1 capsicum diced
2 tomatoes chopped( without pulp)
1 tbsp chopped green chilies
1 tbsp grated ginger
1 potato medium size, peeled and grated
2 tbsp cilantro/ coriander leaves
salt to taste
½ tsp red chili powder
½ tsp garam masala
oil for shallow frying

To make Savory Bread Pancakes

Remove corners of the bread slices. Crush the bread slices roughly and soak them in 1/4-1/2 cup milk for 10 minutes. Now add all the other ingredients except milk and oil. Make a thick batter using milk. The batter will be sticky but do not dilute it otherwise it will be too soft to retain shape.

Heat a non stick pan or griddle and grease it lightly with oil. Spread batter on the pan and give it round shape with the help of a spoon.

Spread a little oil around pancake to keep it from sticking to the pan. Cook it on slow flame till the base is golden brown. Turn it over and cook the other side in the same way using a little oil.

Serve hot with ketchup or green chutney.

Spicy Vegetable toast

Text and Pictures by http://whatscookingmom.in/

How to make Spicy Vegetable toastPreparation time: 10 minutes

Cooking time: 20 minutes
makes 16 pieces (4 out of 1 slice of bread)

Ingredients:4 slices of bread
4 medium boiled potatoes
1 cup finely chopped vegetables (Onion, Capsicum, Tomatoes etc.)
½ tsp red chilli powder
½ tsp chaat masala
salt to taste
2 tbsp finely chopped green chillies and ginger
2 tbsp chopped coriander/cilantro leaves
oil for shallow frying

To make Spicy Vegetable toast

Mash the potatoes. Add all the vegetables, spices, green chillies and coriander to the mashed potatoes. You can taste the mixture and adjust spices accordingly.

Take a bread slice and cut it in the desired shape. You can cut it round, rectangular or square. I have cut 4 square pieces out of 1 slice of bread.
Spread mixture on both sides of the bread. Heat a non stick pan or griddle and grease it lightly with oil.

Cook on both sides till golden brown just like pancakes using a little oil. Repeat with all the remaining slices of bread.
Serve hot with chutney or ketchup.

Mac and Cheese Recipe

• Macaroni Pasta – 2 cup
• Butter -3 tbsp
• All purpose flour – 3 tbsp
• Milk – 3 cups
• Cream – 3 tbsp
• Salt to taste
• Black pepper powder – 1 tsp
• Cheddar cheese – 1 cup (grated)

Method

• Heat water in a large pot.
• When it comes to a boil, add 1 tsp salt with macaroni.
• Cook till macaroni is done, strain and keep aside.

• Melt butter in a pan, add all purpose flour and fry till slightly browned.

• Switch off the heat and slowly whisk the milk not to form any lumps.
• Add cream, grated cheese and cook till cheese melts, then add salt and black pepper.

• Add cooked macaroni and mix well.
• Transfer to an oven proof dish.

• Pre heat the oven to 180 C and bake it for about 20-25 minutes or till it is lightly browned from the top.
• Serve hot.

Namkeen Karele

Recipe Source: Shveta Hora.

Ingredients:
For 50 pieces approx.

All purpose flour (maida) - 1.5 cups
Whole wheat flour – 1/2 cup
Vegetable oil – 3 tbsp
Cumin seeds – 1 tsp
Ajwain – 1 tsp
Salt as per taste
Water (enough to make firm dough)
Cooking oil to fry

Method:
Combine all purpose flour, whole wheat flour, cumin seeds, ajwain seeds, vegetable oil and salt.
Mix together well and add water very slowly to make dough. Knead well to make it a little firm dough (puri kind).
Keep the dough aside for 10-15 minutes.
Take a small ball out of this dough and roll a small puri.
Cut it vertically, but take care not to cut all the way. Do not separate the cuttings.
Slowly roll the slit puri and gently twist both the sides to give it a karela shape.
Repeat the above process to make all the karelas.
Fry them carefully in medium hot oil.

Serve them any time with tea of coffee.

Chocolate Brownies

Recipe Source: Divine Taste

Ingredients:

280 gm (2 cups) flour

2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

240 gm (1 1/4 cup) dark chocolate*

190 ml (3/4 cup) water

150 gm (3/4 cup) butter at room temperature

40 gm (5 tbsp) castor sugar

397 gm (1 tin) condensed milk

1 tsp vanilla extract

1/4 cup walnuts, chopped

Method:

Grease  and line a 10” square tin with baking parchment or greaseproof paper.

 In a bowl mix all the dry ingredients, the flour, baking powder and baking soda and sieve once to make it uniform.

 In a small sauce pan, put in the dark chocolate broken into pieces and the water and heat until the chocolate melts. Stir well to get a smooth sauce and keep aside to cool.

Set your oven to heat at 180 C/350 F.

In a large bowl put in the butter and the sugar and beat well with a wire whisk or a hand blender or stand mixer until smooth and creamy, about 2 to 3 minutes.

 Put in the condensed milk and the vanilla extract and beat again for 3 to 4 minutes.

 Stir in the melted chocolate and mix well.

 Mix in the flour and beat again for two or three minutes until all the flour is mixed into the liquid.

 Pour the batter into the tin, tap the tin once or twice to make the batter uniform, scatter the nuts all over on the top and bake for 40 minutes.

Eggless choclate cake with filling

Taken from Deeba Rajpal's blog


Ingredients
 3 cups all-purpose flour
 1 3/4 cups sugar
 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
 2 teaspoons baking soda
 1 teaspoon salt
 2 cups hot water
 3/4 cup vegetable oil
 2 tablespoons distilled white vinegar
 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
Preparation
 Preheat oven to 180ºC with rack in the center. Line the bottom of 1 9″ spring form tin.{If you can, use two 9×2 inch round cake pans}
 Whisk together flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda, and salt in a large mixing bowl. {Don’t use a mixer.}
 Combine water, oil, vinegar, and vanilla in a large measuring cup. Add to the dry ingredients and whisk just until combined, a few lumps are OK. Turn batter into prepared tin {or divide batter between pans if using 2}, then bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, 50-60 minutes for 1 or 35-40 minutes for 2.
 Cool cake on a rack for 15 minutes, then invert them onto the rack.. Leave cake upside down (this flattens domed cakes) to cool completely.
 Slice into 4 layers, and sandwich with filling {recipe follows}. Allow to rest in the fridge for about 30 minutes, and then frost with the chocolate ganache {recipe follows}
Filling
 Ingredients
 300ml low fat cream
 200gm strawberries, chopped
 1/4 cup sugar
 1tbsp balsamic vinegar
 1/2 vanilla bean scraped
 1-2 tbsp powdered sugar
Preparation
First prepare filling: Place strawberries, sugar, scraped vanilla bean and balsamic vinegar in a sauce pan, and simmer till it becomes thick and jam-like. Cool completely.
 Beat cream to medium stiff peaks, and gently fold in cooled strawberry mixture, taking care not to release the volume of the cream.
Chocolate Ganache
 Ingredients
 200gms dark chocolate, room temperature
 150ml low fat cream, room temperature
Preparation
 Place the chocolate and 100ml of cream in a heatproof bowl and microwave for 30-40 seconds {if the weather is warm as it is here, else try for minute}. You can also simmer it in pan until the chocolate melts. Stir well to combine both into a smooth ganache.
 Give the cake one basic thin coating with this ganache, and reserve some for piping decorations. Add the remaining 50ml cream and mix until smooth.