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. 

Eggless Multigrain Coffee cake

I had this urge to bake & felt that coffee cake would be a great cake.The recipe is similar to chocolate cake @ http://www.egglesscooking.com/

 Ingredients : 

Dry :1 cup multi grain atta ( I used Aashirwad ),1/2 cup sugar,1tsp cocoa powder (I used bournvita),1tsp baking soda,1/2 tsp baking powder.

Wet :1/2 cup dahi, 1/4 cup milk,1/4 cup coffee decoction,1/2 tsp vanilla essence,1/4 cup oil.

tsp is teaspoon 

Mix all dry ingredients together in a bowl..Now mix all wet ingredients in another bowl.Milk amount may be increased or decreased depending on batter consistency.

Now make a well in the mixture of dry ingredients.Pour the wet mixture into this well.Mix slowly.The batter must have a consistency which is more than drop down consistency.Accordingly, add more milk.Grease a microwaveable dish with oil  or ghee .Pour the batter into the dish.Microwave for 7-8 minutes.Put off the microwave.Check with a toothpick.If it comes out clean,cake is ready.If not ,microwave for 1-2 minutes more.Let it stand for 5-8 minutes.Now take out the dish from microwave.Let it cool outside for 15-20 minutes.Then put the dish upside down on to a plate.Cut into desired shapes & serve.

I made a coffee decoction  as I had run out of instant  coffeee powder.One can use instant coffee powder like Nescafe or Bru- about 2 tablespoons.I used only half cup sugar as I did not want a  very sweet cake.One can increase sugar content to about 3/4 of cup.

I am sending this to Linking to Dish it out hosted by Foodomania as well as 

Eggless banana cake

I surfed the net & came across this recipe @http://recipesbysam.wordpress.com/2009/05/03/the-best-ever-eggless-whole-wheat-banana-bread-with-walnuts-and-cardamom-sprinkled-with-sesame-seeds-on-top-%e2%80%93-baked-in-cooker/

I made some changes & got a yummy cake smelling of bananas !

Ingredients : 1 cup whole wheat flour ( instead of maida ) ,1 tsp baking soda,1/2 (0.5 )cup sugar,4 elaichis ( cardamoms),2 over ripe bananas,1/4 cup milk ( 1.25 cup),1/4 cup oil,25 raisins ( optional ).

Method : I mixed the atta ( whole wheat flour ) & baking soda nicely.I skipped sieving the atta along with the soda as in my last recipe when I had sieved ,hardly any flour lumps were left on the sieve.

I mashed the over ripe bananas& added sugar & mixed.Powder the cardamoms & added to the banana -sugar mixture.I added this banana mix to the flour -soda mix.I mixed the mixture thoroughly.Then I poured oil into the mixture & whisked it.Now add a little milk to mix nicely & get a drop down consistency of the batter.Add raisins if you wish. 

Take a microwaveable dish & grease it with oil.Pour the cake batter into the greased dish.Microwave for 5 to 5.5 minutes.Let it stand for 15 minutes after switching off the microwave.Remove the cake from the microwave & let it cool for 15-20 minutes.Turn the dish upside down on a plate.Cut it into desired shapes & serve.

Healthy eggless cake

Dates are used in this cake .Dates are rich in iron & fibre. So dates aid in digestion as also in improving hemoglobin content of blood. Hence, for those who suffer from iron deficiency,  dates are a helpful snack. Dates help in purifying blood as well.

The recipe is from the blog "Santosh's Kitchen ".

I tweaked it a little. And my recipe is as under ..

Ingredients : 1.5 cups whole wheat flour,1/2 cup oil,1 cup dates,1 ripe banana,1.25 to 1.5 cups milk,1.5 tsp baking soda,a few almonds & pistachios ( grated ).

Method : Sieve flour & baking soda together.Add milk & mix thoroughly -if 1.25 cup milk is less,make it 1.5 cups milk.The batter must have drop down consistency.Make paste  of dates by  immersing dates in milk & crushing them once they turn soft.Add a mashed ripe banana to the milk,flour date mixture.Now add oil.Mix well.Lastly, add the grated dry fruits & mix well.

Grease a dish with oil & pour the cake mixture into the greased dish.Microwave on high  without lid, in  the greased dish for 7 minutes.Allow the cake to stand in the oven for 5-10 minutes.

Take out the dish after that.Again, allow it to cool for 15-20 minutes outside.Now turn the dish upside down on a plate.The cake will come on to the plate.Cut into desired shapes & serve .

This is another recipe for #livoenironchef entry for the Iron Chef contest on IndiBlogger.