Eggless carrot orange cake

I wanted to try a cake recipe with carrots & oranges as ingredients as the winter season is going to end soon.I googled & came across this cake recipe @http://vegweb.com/recipes/orange-carrot-cake.I made some changes & got a superbly textured cake -of orange colour.

Ingredients : 1 cup multigrain atta ( I used Pillsburry ),1/2 tsp baking soda,1/2 tsp baking powder, a pinch of salt,1 tbsp orange zest,1/4-1/3 cup orange juice,1/2 cup dahi,3/4 cup carrot,1/4 cup oil,1/3 cup brown sugar.

Method : Grate carrot .Squeeze orange juice in a blender after removing seeds.This si the most tedious step.Next time around,I am going to just clean orange by removing seeds & all skin & cut up & put the orange strands into the cake batter.Better still would be adding Minute maid orange drink in place of orange juice as it contains orange pulp.

Mix oil,dahi,orange zest ( grate  orange peel or finely chop orange peel & use it ) ,grated carrot & orange juice.Add brown  sugar to this liquid mixture.Mix nicely.Keep aside.If regaulr sugar is being used,it can be added to liquid mix or to dry mix of atta, baking soda etc.

Mix all dry ingredients - atta,baking soda,baking powder & salt.Make a well.Into this well pour ,the liquid mix & nicely make a batter so that no lumps remain.Batter  must have drop down consistency.Keep aside.

Take a microwaveable vessel.Line it with butter paper.Pour the cake batter into it.Microwave for 8-10 minutes.Let it cool.Poke a knife to check if cake is done.If knife is clean,cake is done.If not ,bake for 1-2 minutes more.Cool.

Remove cake vessel from microwave .Let it cool for 10 more minutes.Take a plate & put the cake vessel upside down on the plate.After a few minutes,the cake will drop down on plate.

Cut the cake into desired shapes & serve.The cake was moderately sweet -so apt.This is the best cake by me so far- it had a texture which is found in cakes sold in markets !

More sugar can be added if so desired.

Namkeen Shavinge

I love seviyan as breakfast -the salty ones.In the market ,there are wheat seviyan available as also rice ones.Generally,on the vermicilli packet,instructions would be given regarding proportion of water to be used for the quantity of vermicilli.It is usually 1cup vermicilli to 2 cups water.

I have used wheat vermicilli in this dish - roasted ones.Even plain ones ( unroasted ones ) are available.If unroasted ones are being used,it is preferable to roast them in kadhai till they change colour & become little brown in colour.These roasted ones can be used for this recipe.

Ingredients : 3/4 cup roasted vermicill,1-5 cups water,1 tbsp boiled peanuts ( optional ),1 small onion ,1/2 capsicum,1 small carrot,1 green chilli,1 sprig  of curry leaves,1/4" piece ginger,1/2 tsp mustard seeds,1/4 tsp urad dal,1 tbsp oil,1/4 tsp  haldi,1/4 tsp hing,salt to taste,1/4 piece of lemon.

Method : Cut all veggies finely - onions,capsicum & carrot.I cut the green chilli in the middle longitudinally so that I can avoid eating it. I prefer to peel & then grate the carrot.I grate the ginger.Chop the curry leaves as well so that one can eat them even if the curry leaves are not crunchy.

Heat oil in a kadhai.Add mustard seeds.After they splutter add urad dal.Let the urad dal turn golden brown.Now add onions,green chilli & ginger..Once onions turn translucent,add capsicum & carrots & shallow fry all veggies.Add haldi & hing.Mix with all veggies.Now add the vermicilli & the bolied peanuts.Mix so that vermicilli & veggies are nicely combined.Add salt to taste.Mix again so that salt is distributed .Now add water & mix thoroughly.Cook by covering with lid for 5-10 minutes on high flame.Open the lid & see if all water has escaped.If it has,vermicilli is cooked.If little water is still there ,cook for 1-2 minutes more.Check & now vermicilli will be cooked.Put off the gas.Let the lid cover the kadhai.After five minutes,squeeze a piece of lemon on the seviyan.Mix the lemon juice nicely with the prepared dish & serve.

Eggless Carrot cake in Microwave .

I tried this cake 2 times earlier .They came out fine.This time, though ,it turned out superbly !

I have tried this carrot cake recipe from http://www.foodtale.com/2010/02/01/eggless-cinnamon-carrot-cake/
I made a few changes & my recipe is as under.

Ingredients : 1/2  cup whole wheat flour ( I used Pillsbury brand ),1/4 cup quick oats,2 tbsp corn flour,5 pistachios,5 almonds,5 hazelnuts,1/2 cup sugar,1/2 tsp baking powder,1/4 tsp baking soda,1/2 cup grated carrots,a pinch of salt,1/2 tsp vanilla essence,1/4 cup oil,1/4 cup curds or dahi ,water to adjust consistency of batter.The dry fruits are optional.

Method : My small jar of mixer is quite big & so I took the oats & the dry fruits ( pistas,hazelnuts & almonds ) & powdered them at one go.I used dry fruits as my daughter does not eat them otherwise.Even adding them whole or big pieces to the cake batter will make her avoid the cake.One can add them whole if it is fine to consume cake pieces with whole dry fruits.I forgot to add a piece of cinnamon while powdering this oats -dry fruit mixture & hence my cake is without cinnamon.

Sieve the whole wheat flour ,corn flour,oat flour ,dry fruit mix along with sugar,baking soda & baking powder.Keep aside.

In another vessel ,take oil ,add vanilla essence & dahi .Mix.Pour this mix, into a well, made in the dry ingredient mix.Mix till no lumps remain.Now add carrot & mix again. .Add water to adjust the cake batter consistency.The consistency has to be just a little more than drop down consistency as I bake in microwave.

Take a microwaveable vessel & line the bottom with butter paper.Now pour the cake batter into the vessel -on to  the butter paper lining the bottom of the vessel.Tap the vessel sides ,after the batter has been poured to release any air bubbles.

Bake in microwave for 8 minutes.Let the vessel be standing in the microwave for 5 minutes after it is switched off as the cooking continues.Take out the vessel using cotton padded gloves .Use a toothpick or knife to check .If the toothpick or knife comes out clean after poking it into the cake ,then cake is ready.Allow the cake to cool.After 15-20 minutes,put the vessel upside down on a plate. The cake will drop down on the plate.Allow it to cool further.Then remove the butter paper sticking to the cake bottom.Cut into desired shapes & serve.

My neighbour complimented, "This is the best cake, made by you, so far ."

Con uttapa

Ingredients : 1 carrot,1 onion,few kadipatta leaves,1/2 " ginger piece ,dosa atta,3 tbsp oil,salt to taste.

Method : To the dosa atta ( 1 cup urad ,3 cups rice ,1 tbsp methi seeds,1 /2 cup cup thick poha -ground fine after soaking for 5-6  hrs),add grated ginger & carrot.Also add finely cut onions & kadipatta leaves.Another option is to add whole kadipatta leaves.Add salt to taste.Add some water to this mixture & mix nicely.Water is needed as the veggies make it difficult to spread the batter on tawa.


Heat the tawa & spread some oil on tawa.Now put a ladle full of batter on the tawa & spread it .It cannot be spread too thinly like dosa.Cover with the lid & let it cook.After 1-2 minutes,just turn down the uttapa on its back & heat it .After a minute or two, ,it can be removed & served.It can be eaten with chutni ,sambar ,chutni powder & gingelli ( til )oil .Chutni powder can be added to dahi & served with uttapas.

Mixed veggie raagi uttapa

This is again a recipe to make use of leftover batter -idli batter.

Ingredients : Left over idli batter-1 cup,raagi flour 1 cup,1/4 tsp hing,1/2 inch piece adrak ( grated),1 medium carrot ( grated),1 medium onion ( finely cut),curry leaves & coriander -finely cut & salt to taste.A small bowl of oil to apply on the uttapas whilst being cooked.If you like it spicy,also add finely cut green chillies to the batter.

Method : Mix all the veggies in the idli batter along with the raagi flour & hing.Add enough batter so that it has the consistency thicker than dosa batter.Keep it for 2-3 hours so that the raagi flour gets soaked.Now add salt-remember that idli batter already had salt.

Take a non stick tawa  & heat it on the gas. Spread a little of this batter from a ladle on the tawa.Don't try to spread it -it may break.Cover the tawa  with a lid & let it cook for a minute.Take out the lid .Spread a little oil on the uncooked side & turn it over.Again cover with lid.After a minute -take out the lid.If the uttapa is fully cooked,it will have a  milky coffee color.Take it off  from the tawa.Serve the uttapa with coconut chutni or chutni podi .