Methi cabbage onion salad

The other day ,my mom made this yummy salad ! It has just a few ingredients & tastes superb ! It gets ready in no time at all !

Ingredients :  1 cup methi leaves,cleaned & roughly chopped,1/3 cup  & cleaned finely chopped cabbage,1/3 cup finely chopped onion,1/2 lemon, salt to taste.

Method : Put all chopped veggies in a bowl.Squeeze lemon juice of half a lemon on to the veggie mix.Add salt to taste.Mix all nicely.the fresh salad is ready !

Tip : If the juice of half a lemon is too tangy,less can be added.

Marble cake :1st attempt.

I have been baking a cake for my kid & her classmates since I learnt baking some time ago.Every Valentine day ,I bake a chocolate cake for them as chocolate is a flavour which is a hit with kids & teens.

I searched & got this marble cake recipe here.I omitted bananas & made this cake.

Ingredients :1 cup multigrain atta ( I used Pillsbury ) ,3/4 cup brown mineral sugar, 1/2 tsp baking soda,1/2 tsp baking powder, 2-3 tbsp cocoa powder or Bournvita powder ( I used 1 tbsp milk chocolate powder which I had at home & 1.5 tbsp Bournvita powder ) ,1tsp vanilla essence, 1 cup yoghurt,2tbsp oil,salt a pinch.

Method : Mix atta, baking soda,baking powder,salt  & sugar with a fork or whisk many times so that all dry ingredients are finely mixed with each other.Keep aside.

Mix liquid ingredients :oil,vanilla essence & yoghurt with whisk.Now make a well in dry ingredient mix & pour the wet ingredient mix.Mix nicely.Add water if needed.It must have drop down consistency.Divide this batter into 2 equal parts.In one part add the chocolate.I added chocolate just like that.I should have boiled  a little water & dissolved  chocolate in that hot water & then added to batter.I was afraid that batter may get runny.Hence some Bournvita chunks can be seen in cake pieces as dark blobs.

Line a microwaveable vessel with butter paper.Pour a layer of plain batter ( without chocolate ) into it.Put some spoons of chocolate batter next.Repeat with plain & chocolate batter till both batters get over.With a  fork or knife ,make a swirl pattern in the batter.

Bake in microwave for 8-10 minutes.Let it cool.Take out from microwave.Test with knife.If it comes out clean ,cake is done.Otherwise bake for 1-2 minutes more Repeat knife test.

Let it cool inside microwave for 10 minutes.After 10 minutes,let it cool for 20 minutes outside microwave.Then put the vessel upside down on plate.The cake will drop down on plate or can be gently loosened from sides.Let it cool for 10-15 more minutes.Cut into desired pieces & serve.

The cake had a crumbly texture.It just melts in the mouth ! My teen's friends gobbled up all pieces which she packed to school.

It is so healthy - multigrain atta ( wholegrains ) ,yoghurt,brown sugar,low fat ! What more is needed ? !

Cauliflower peas potato nimona

I heard or rather read about nimona recipes at Sangeeta Khanna's blog banaras ka khana.I was interested in knowing about it.Moreover since I am someone who will try to test any recipes which are easy to whip up,I delved deeper.She has many nimona recipes like masoor nimona with gobhi,peas nimona,aloo gobhi matar nimona to name some.I picked up aloo gobhi matar nimona & tried it.Mine came out thicker.I am sure ,it thickens up as it cools, just like oondhiyon & bisi bele bhaath.

Ingredients: 1/2 cup boiled,peeled & diced potato chunks ,washed & boiled cauliflower florets ( bring water to which haldi & salt has been added & drown the florets in it & bring it to a boil .This is to  3/4 cup,3/4 cup peas,1-2 green chillies,2 pods garlic,1/4 inch ginger,1 tsp dhania powder,1/4 tsp black pepper powder,1/4 tsp jeera powder,1tsp jeera,1 tbsp oil,salt to taste.

Method : Heat  cauliflower florets in water with turmeric & salt to remove pesticides.I added peeled & cubed potatoes as well.After one boil of the water.Put off gas.Let the florets & potato cubes remain in the hot water. Keep aside.

Take the peas in a mixer & churn the mixer once or twice so that a granular mixture ( not paste ) of peas is obtained.Keep aside.

Take a kadhai.Add oil.Heat up the kadhai.Add cumin.After,they splutter, add the hot florets & potato cubes,Fry the veggies nicely till they slightly change colour.Add salt. Mix.Add the spices. Mix nicely.After 1-2 minutes, add the chilli ginger paste.Mix nicely. Let it heat the veggie spice mix for 1-2 minutes.Add the ground green peas  to the kadhai.Mix all nicely.Let it cook for 4-5 minutes till veggie mix starts sticking to the bottom of kadhai.Add 1 cup water & mix. Let the water veggie mix simmer for 4-5 minutes. Put off gas.

Serve nimona with rice and or rotis. It goes well with both.

This was my second attempt & today ,it turned out just a bit  more salty than I like.Still,I loved it ! It has a very different taste from the usual gram masala added gobhi sabzi.So ,if you want to try some different tasting sabzi with gobhi this winter,please give this a try.You can also try masoor nimona,hare chane ka nimona...all from banaras ka khana.And believe me ,you will be delighted with the results.This is because,Sangeeta is too good  a food blogger.Her recipes are detailed & finely tuned.

Cauliflower in carrot tomato gravy.

Winter is the season of fresh cauliflowers ,carrots,tomatoes etal...so many vegetables to choose from. Aloo gobhi ka nimona at Sangeeta Khanna's blog "Banaras ka khana " was the inspiration for this recipe.

Ingredients :Cauliflower cut or broken into florets 1cup,medium sized tomatoes 2,carrot peeled & cut into chunks,peas 1/4 cup, 1 medium onion chopped ,1green chilli, 1/2 inch ginger cleaned & grated,few curry leaves,1/2 tsp garam masla,1/4 tsp haldi,1/4 tsp hing,1tbsp oil,salt to taste.

Method :Take oil in a kadahi & heat it up.Now add cauliflower florets & peas.Saute them in oil.Cover with alid & cook.After 2-3 minutes,remove lid ,add hing ,haldi & salt.Mix nicely & again cover with lid & cook.Add some water if you feel that the veggies are getting stuck to bottom of kadahi.

Grind onions,ginger,green chilly & curry leaves into a paste.Add this paste to the kadhai & mix nicely.Let the vegetable mix simmer in the kadhai.Grind together carrots & tomatoes in the mixer.Add this carrot tomato paste to the kadhai.Mix nicely.Add salt & garam masala.Mix nicely .Put off the gas.

Now put the contents of the kadhai into a vessel which can be fitted into the pressure cooker.Pressure cook the mixed vegetable dish for two whistles.Put off the gas.Let the cooker cool.Remove from the cooker & serve with chapatis & or rice.

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