Naval kol sabzi

Naval kol is a cabbage like vegetable .It is shaped like any onion .Its colour is like green cabbage.It tastes like cabbage .It is a solid mass unlike cabbage which has layers.

I love this vegetable as I like variety.It is quite a tricky vegetable.It may look fresh & yet may be hard to cut as also get cooked.It has leaves like radish.I discard the leaves & only use the solid mass for sabzi.I peel the vegetable to remove small offshoots which are there on the outside & cut it like any other vegetable.If I find any part of the vegetable very hard,It has to be discarded as it will not cook .The rest can be cut & cooked.

Ingredients : 2 navalkols- chopped into half inch pieces,1 green mirchi-chopped into 2-3 pieces,1-2 sprigs of curry leaves,1/2 tsp urad dal,1/4 tsp haldi,1/4tsp hing,1/2 mustard seeds,1tbsp oil,1tbsp fresh dessicated coconut,salt to taste.

Method : Heat oil in a kadhai.Add mustard seeds.When they  pop up,add urad dal.After urad dal has turned golden ,add mirchi & kadi patta.Then add the navalkol pieces along with haldi & hing.Mix all.Cover with a lid & cook for 5 minutes.Remove lid & sprinkle some water.Mix & cook again for 5minutes.Prick the navalkol pieces to see if they have turned tender.If tender ,add coconut & salt & mix nicely & cook covered with lid for another 2-3 minutes.Put off the gas.Serve sabzi as side dish to chappatis or even as an accompaniment to rasam-rice.

If they are not tender,add some more water.Cover with lid & cook again.After the veggie pieces have turned tender,add salt & coconut.Mix nicely.Cover with lid & cook for 2-3 minutes.Put off gas.Navalkol sabzi is ready.

Ukrainian coffee cake

I came across this exotic cake in the magazine i Diva.I have made some changes.Please refer to the  original recipe here.

I made some changes.

Ingredients :
For cake :
1 cup whole wheat flour,1/2 tsp baking soda,1/2 tsp baking powder,1/4 tsp cinnamon,a pinch of salt,1/3 cup jaggery sugar,1/4 cup honey,1/3 cup coffee ( 2 tsp Bru  instant  coffee powder dissolved in hot water ),2 tbsp oil,1/3 to 1/2  cup yoghurt.

For icing : 1/4 cup powdered sugar,1tbsp lemon juice,1tbsp honey.

Method : Sift the atta,baking powder,soda cinnamon & salt together in a bowl .Keep aside.

In another bowl ,mix the jaggery sugar with yoghurt,hot coffee & oil.Initially,add only 1/3 cup yoghurt to this mixture.The jaggery sugar cakes out ( in humid climate,it forms lumps ) & hence, it is advisable to mix in liquids before adding to cake batter.Otherwise,if it is added just like that without mixing in liquid,it may not mix properly in cake.

Pour the liquid into the dry mix bowl & mix till no lumps remain.The batter must have drop down consistency.More yoghurt can abe added to get drop down consistency.

Take a microwaveable vessel & line the bottom with butter paper.Pour the cake batter into it.Microwave for 7-8 minutes.After 5 minutes.Check with toothpik.If toothpik comes out clean,cake is ready.

Take it out from microwave & cool for 15-20 minutes.Put it on to a plate.

Mix the powdered sugar ,honey & lemon juice nicely.Take a spoon & spread this icing  mixture on the surface of the cake evenly.It can also be spread on sides & bottom as well.

Cut into desired shapes & serve.One can cut the cake & then apply icing individually to cake pieces & serve.

Bread Pizza

This is a recipe, which was shared by a friend.My daughter insists that I make this each time ,we buy the bread.My daughter calls this Bread pizza.

Ingredients : 6 slices of bread ( brown or white ),1 medium potatoes, 1 small carrot,1/2  capsicum ,1 small onion,1 tbsp semolina or rava,1 small green chilly,1tsp lemon juice,1 tsp garam masala powder, 1/4 inch grated ginger,1/4 tsp haldi,1/4 tsp hing,2 tbsp oil ,salt to taste.

Method : Boil the potato & peel the skins.Mash the boiled potatoes.Add rava, to the mashed potato & mix.Keep aside.Grate carrot & onion.Finely chop the hari mirchi & capsicum.Add all these grated veggies along with grated ginger & capsicum &  green chilli to the potato rava mixture.Mix nicely.Add lemon juice.Add haldi,hing,garam masala & salt to the mixture & mix nicely with hands.Let no lumps remain.

Take a tawa & spead oil on it.Put on the gas.

Take a bread slice &  scoop out a spoonful of the potato-veggie rava mix & spread it on the bread slice on 1 side.Take another spoonful & spread on the same side till the side of bread is fully covered with the potato veggie rava paste.Now put the bare side bread slice on the tawa. After 1-2 minutes,turn the bread slice upside down.The bare side of the bread slice would have browned.After 2 minutes,take off the bread slice from the tawa. as the rava bata paste side would hav browned a little.Similarly make snacks with remaining bread slices.

Put one bread snack on another slice with pasted side up.Cut two slices together into four pieces each.Serve with ketchup or sauce.