Eggless Pineapple upside down cake.

I had been wanting to bake pineapple upside down cake since along time.The name itself is so very interesting.It had to be eggless.I came across this recipe @ http://kailaskitchen.blogspot.in/2009/11/eggless-pineapple-upside-down-cake.html?spref=fb.

I made some changes & got a dark coloured cake .

Ingredients : 1/2 cup gehun ka atta,1/2 cup ragi flour,2 tbsp  unsalted butter,1/2 cup powdered or grated jaggery,baking powder 3/4 tsp,1/2  cup sugar,1/2 tsp vanilla essence,1tbsp  vinegar,milk for making the batter get a drop down consistency,4-5 slices of fresh pineapples.

Method :Grease the microwaveable  vessel  with oil or ghee & keep aside.

Take a pan & melt the butter.Add the jaggery to the melted butter & mix.The moment ,the mixture starts bubbling,put off the gas.Cool this mixture a bit & pour it into the greased vessel.

On top of this mixture,line the vessel with pineapple slices.

Sieve the atta,ragi flour & baking powder together.Add sugar & salt.Mix nicely.

In another vessel ,mix vanilla essence,vinegar& the remaining pineapple slices which have been chopped finely.Add this mix to the ragi atta flour mix.Add milk  to get a drop down batter consistency.

Now pour this batter into the microwaveable vessel.Microwave for 8 minutes.After 5-10 minutes test with a toothpik.If the toothpik comes out clean,cake is done.Let it cool out side the microwave for 15-20 minutes.Now ,turn it upside down on to a plate.After it has cooled off ,cut into desired shapes.If it is cut while it is still warm ,it might not cut properly.

Undhiyon.

I have loved Undhiyon since a  long time - perhaps, from the time I first tasted it.It was prepared by my bua who  stays in Gujarat.

I had only one problem with undhiyon -it contained brinjal .I wanted undhiyon without brinjal.Hence,I decided, that I must make it myself sans the eggplant.

I have made undhiyon by following Tarla Dalal's recipe .I have made some changes.Many times,I make undhiyon without the green garlic as we do not consume garlic.Once , i Think , I made adding , green garlic.Yes, I make it a point to make Undhiyon , every winter season.

Ingredients :

Methi Muthiyas : 2 cups methi leaves -cleaned & finely chopped, 2 tbsp gehun ka atta,2 tbsp besan ,2 tbsp oil for shallow frying,salt to taste.

Masala  to be ground to paste : 1 cup fresh grated coconut,1/2 cup finely chopped dhania,1/4 cup finely chopped green garlic,1 tsp dhania powder,1tsp jeera powder,1 tbsp hari mirchi-adrak paste,1 tbsp lemon juice,salt to taste ,1 tsp sugar( optional).

Vegetables :12-13 baby potatoes - , 200gm surati papdi -stringed & chopped into 1 " pieces, 1-2 green bananas-chopped into 1" pieces,200gm purple yam ( called as kand ) cut into cubes, 200gm suran -cut into cubes,1/4 cup fresh toovar dana,2 tbsp oil, 1tbsp ajwain ( carrom seeds),1/4 tsp hing, salt to taste.

Please do not peel the skin of bananas.Suran & kand are to be peeled as lot of soil & dirt is stuck to the skin.

Method : Wash the baby potatoes & slit them such  that the two halves remain attached.Please do not peel the skin off the potatoes so that all vitamins are retained.

Take the vegetables ( suran &yam &), which have cut into cubes & make slits in them .In these slits apply the ground masala paste.Do similarly with the baby potatoes.Add the toovar dana,the surti beans & add some more ground paste.Mix & keep aside for 15 minutes.

 In a pressure pan  ,heat oil  & add ajwain seeds .When they splutter,add hing.Now add the masala coated vegetables to the pressure pan.Add salt.Add two cups water & pressure cook for 2 whistles.Put off the gas.

Make muthias by adding salt to fenugreek leaves.Remove all water.Add the other ingredients like besan,red chilli powder ,etc.Apply a little oil on the hands & make this methi -besan masala mixture into small balls.These balls can be shallow fried in tawa or even steamed in cooker.They can even be baked in the microwave.

In one instanace ,I simply mixed besan ,methi leaves & the ground masala paste & shaped them into methi muthias & shallow fried them .

Take the slit bananas & apply the ground masala into the slits.Now add the bananas & methi muthias to the pressure pan & cook by covering the pressure pan with a lid .Keep cooking by stirring now & then  till bananas become soft.

Put off the gas.This can be garnished with fresh chopped dhania.

Oondhiyon is served with puris & shrikhand though I can eat undhiyon just like that !

Eggless fat free Orange cake

I was searching for a recipe in which I could use hazelnuts.I wanted it to be cake recipe.I stumbled upon this recipe @ http://srefoodblog.blogspot.com/2011/01/flaxseed-orange-cake-with-hazelnuts.html

I made some changes & got a delicious orange cake topped with crushed hazelnuts !

Ingredients :
Dry : 1 cup whole wheat flour,1/4 cup sugar,1 tsp baking soda,1 tbsp grated or finely chopped orange peel ( called as zest ), 1/4 cup crushed hazelnuts ( optional - any other dry fruit or nuts of choice can be used ).

Wet : 1/2 tsp vanilla essence, 1 tbsp dahi,1/2 cup straw berry milk ( optional ),1tbsp flaxseed powder dissolved in 1/4 cup water,3 tbsp orange juice

Take 1 tbsp flax seed powder & soak it in 1/4 cup water & keep aside .

Sieve wholewheat flour & baking soda together into a bowl .Add sugar & mix .Add the orange zest ( peel grated or finely chopped ) & mix with the flour soda & sugar mixture.Keep aside.

In another bowl,take 1 tbsp dahi,1/2 tsp vanilla essence,3 tbsp orange juice ( I squeezed juice from  1 fresh orange ).One can also use orange fruit  pieces  after peeling off all skin from them &  remove all seeds & add the said fresh orange pieces to the cake dough. Mix dahi ,vanilla essence & orange juice.Add flax seed water mix & mix nicely.Now add strawberry milk -if this is not there,one can use milk or buttermilk or even water.More sugar may have to be used instead of 1/4 cup sugar.I used 1/4 cup sugar as strawberry milk has sugar in it.

Make a well in the dry mix bowl & add the wet mixture to it.Mix the dry & wet ingredients as the wet contents are being poured into the dry mix.The resulting cake dough must have a drop down consistency .

Now grease a microwaveable bowl with oil & pour the cake dough into it.Sprinkle crushed hazelnuts  on to the cake dough in the bowl.Microwave on high for 7-8 minutes.Let the cake remain in the microwave for 10 minutes.Take it out & check with toothpick .If the toothpick comes out clean,the cake is ready.

Keep it for cooling outside the microwave for 25-30 minutes.Now turn the bowl upside down on to a plate.The cake will drop down on to the plate.Cut into desired shapes & serve.

Sabudana khichdi

This is a very popular Maharashtrian dish.It is eaten during fasts.I love this snack with &  without potatoes.

 Sabudana  is washed & soaked overnight .The standing water level above the sabudana must be half an inch.By morning, the sabudana would have soaked in all the water.  Peanuts are roasted dry & powdered to get a granular powder .I used to remove the skin of peanuts after roasting.My neighbour told me that I was wasting the healthy part of the peanuts & from that day onwards ,I have powdered the peanuts with the skin on .Earlier, I used to dread making this dish as I found deskinning the roasted peanuts too tasking .After my padoasan enlightened me on the healthy side effect of the peanut skin,I find making this dish a breeze !

Ingredients : 2 cups sabudana soaked ,1 cup roasted &  powdered peanuts, 2 tbsp oil,1green chilli finely chopped,1 boiled  & diced potato (optional),2 tsp jeera( cumin),1/4 tsp hing,1 sprig of curry leaves washed ,a bunch of coriander leaves -washed & finely chopped for the garnish,1/4 lemon to add tanginess,salt to taste.

Method :Take a kadhai & add oil.Heat the oil.Add jeera.When they splutter add hing ,green chillies,kadipatta, potatoes & mix .The oil will coat the potatoes.Take the peanut powder & add to the soaked sabudana.Any water which Mix the two nicely with your hands in a bowl.Now add salt to this bowl & mix nicely.The potatoes would have turned colour.Now add the mixture from the bowl to the kadhai.Mix all the ingredients nicely.Cover with a lid & allow it to cook.After 5-10  minutes,uncover the lid & mix again so that there are no lumps.Again cover with a lid & cook.After another 5-10 minutes,uncover the lid & there will be a change of colour- the sabudana would have turned translucent & browned a little.Mix again.Sprinkle water if it has started touching the bottom of the kadhai.Mix again & cover with a lid.Cook for 5 more minutes.Turn of the gas.After five minutes, uncover the lid.Now sprinkle chopped coriander & squeeze juice of quarter of a lemon.Mix again & serve hot.

For fasting, this snack will be prepared in  ghee instead of oil.

Methi jowar dosa

My mom made this dish this week.It is easy & makes use of leftover dosa batter.

Ingredients :2 cups leftover dosa batter,2 cups jowar atta,1 cup dahi or buttermulk,1 cup methi /palak- chopped,1 tsp red chilli powder,salt to taste,water to be added to maintain dosa batter consistency , 5 tbsp oil.

Method :Add jowar atta to dosa batter & mix so that no lumps remain.Now add dahi or buttermilk.Again mix to get dosa batter consistency.Now add cleaned,washed & chopped fenugreek or palak .Add salt to taste & mix.The final batter must have dosa  batter consistency.

If one opts out of buttermilk or dahi,one can add water.In such case,it would be advisable to ferment  the jowar atta added dosa batter overnight.

Take a ladle full of the dosa batter & spread it on the tawa which has been oiled & is being heated on the gas.Cover with alid.After 4-5 seconds,take out the lid ,spread a tsp of oil on the dosa & turn the dosa upside down.After 2-3 seconds,the dosa can be taken off the tawa & served.One can serve it with any chutni of choice or chutni pudi.