Mixed vegetable korma

There is a new advertisement for a pressure cooker brand.It shows a young girl being taught to make vegetable korma recipe by her mom.Her mother says that the particular pressure cooker is a handy tool for making vegetable korma.In that ,the recipe is a breeze !

I googled for the recipe & came across this .I made a few changes because I did not have the same veggies as in the original recipe.

Ingredients : 1 small cauliflower destemmed & cut into florets,1 potato peeled & diced into cubes,1 large carrot diced ,1/4 cup peas, ,1 medium onion finely chopped,1/2 capsicum roughly chopped,2 tsp oil,1/4 tsp turmeric,1 /4 cup dahi, 1/4 tsp hing,salt to taste,1 tsp readymade schezwan chutney ( optional ).

Masala paste : 1 heaped tbsp dalia or roasted chana dal , 1tbsp fresh coconut, 1 tsp dhania powder ( I had no sabut dhania hence used dhania powder), 2 cloves, 3 byadgi mirchis ,1/2 inch ginger finely chopped, 1 inch cinnamon stick,1 tbsp dahi,2 small tomatoes,finely chopped.

 Cauliflower is supposedly ,the vegetable that is loaded with pesticides.So ,I have started boiling the florets in water, to which a pinch of salt & turmeric has been added.After one boil,the florets can be used for cooking.Keep aside the  boiled florets .

Make a paste of all the masala ingredients except  tomatoes.The masala  paste must be fine.Then add tomatoes & a wet paste will be the result.Keep aside.

In the pressure pan or kadhai,saute the finely chopped onions in oil till they are transluscent.Add haldi & hing.Add the schezwan chutney,Mix nicely.Add all the diced vegetables except cauliflower florets..Mix nicely.Saute them for 4-5 minutes.Add salt.Mix nicely.Add the wet masala paste. Mix nicely with the sauteed veggies.Add dahi.Mix nicely.Pressure cook for 2 whistles.Then lower the flame & cook on slow flame for 10-15 minutes.Now put off the gas.When the pressure has subsided that is when the cooker cools down ,remove whistle.Open the lid of pressure cooker & take out the vessel containing the mixed verggie mix. Add the cauliflower florets & mix with the veggie mix. Simmer this veg korma for 5-10 minutes.Put off gas. Serve mixed veg korma with rice & or rotis.

The korma turned out little spicy than what I am used to eating .Maybe, the schezwan chutney was the culprit.More curds or dahi can be added to dilute the pungency.

Biscuit cake

After the success of Oreo cake,my friend suggested Glucose biscuit cake.She had lots of Parle G biscuits, which were leftovers from biscuit packets.Her kid eats some biscuits & leaves some.Next he opens another fresh packet another day & so on.Because,biscuits go soft in humid weather.I googled & got this recipe .

Ingredients : 10-12 Parle G biscuits,5-6 Hide & Seek biscuits ( optional ) , 1/2 tsp baking powder,1 cup milk,3 tbsp brown sugar,1 tsp cocoa powder or Bournvita ( optional ).

Method : Take Parle G biscuits & powder them in mixer.Keep aside.Similarly powder Hide & Seek biscuits.If Hide & Seek biscuits are unavailable ,Parle G biscuits can be substituted .Instead of Hide & Seek ,any available chocolate biscuits can be added in powder form.Keep aside.

Mix both the powdered biscuits in a bowl.Add baking powder.Mix.Add sugar.If white sugar is being used ,please use less as brown sugar is less sweeter.Mix sugar with the biscuit flour.Now add milk slowly & whisk the mixture to get cake batter.Add water if necessary.Batter must have drop down consistency .

Take a microwaveable vessel.Line it with butter paper.Pour the cake batter on to the butter paper in the microwaveable vessel.Microwave on high for 5- 7 minutes.After that ,check by fork if cake is done.If the fork comes out clean.Otherwise bake for another minute.Cool inside microwave for 10 minutes..Then cool outside for 10 minutes.Then put the microwaveable vessel upside down on a plate.The cake will drop down on plate.Peel off the butter paper from the cake.Cut into desired shapes & serve.

The cake was soft.Yet it did not taste like chocolate had been put into it.So ,better to put more chocolate.Maybe a tablespoon instead of a teaspoon.

This is a good make over of leftover biscuits !

Croutons

I love soups.They are light on the stomach & taste great ! My kid will eat a tomato soup in a restaurant as it has croutons.I decided to make croutons as there was some bread at home.I wanted to tempt my kid to drink soup with the croutons thrown in it.

I googled & got the recipe@http://www.food.com/recipe/microwave-croutons-110930

Ingredients : 2-3 slices of brown bread,2-3 tsps butter.

Method : Take 1 tsp of butter in a small microwaveable bowl .Microwave butter for 25-30 seconds or till it melts.Put off microwave.

Cut the bread slice into sixteen square pieces .The pieces may look small & yet when they are soaked in soup ,they appear quite big.


Now toss the bread pieces into the bowl with the melted butter.Place bowl with buttered bread pieces in microwave.Microwave on high for 30 seconds. Put off microwave.Remove it from microwave.Toss the bread pieces again in bowl.Microwave again for 30 seconds.Repeat two -three times by microwaving the pieces again & again.When they are crisp,they are ready.Always microwave just for 30 seconds.Not more.Total time of microwave will be less than 4-5 minutes.
Just dunk the bread pieces or croutons into the tomato soup made & serve.

My kid did end up drinking one bowl of tomato carrot soup.With one bowlful of croutons !

One can remove the sides of the bread slices while cutting the bread slices.Otherwise ,the sides can remain.I tried both & my kid was unable to point this out.

I used brown bread.White or multigrain bread can be used instead.I used Amul butter,which is a salted butter.