Eggless mango cake.

I have been wanting to bake a mango cake this mango season.I did try it & it did not come up that well.I tried it again today & it has turned out okay.So ,I am posting this now.The original recipe is from http://www.sharmispassions.com/2011/06/eggless-mango-cake-mango-loaf-bread.html

I have made some changes.

Ingredients : 1 cup whole wheat flour,1/2 tsp baking powder,1/2 tsp baking soda ,a pinch of salt,1/4 tsp cardamom powder.
3/4 cup mango puree ( I used Dussehari mango ),1/4 cup curd malai,1/4 cup oil,1/2 cup jaggery sugar ( this is dark brownish black sugar from jaggery -it is unrefined & available at Rajkamal Tea centre,Chembur).I use this sugar as it is healthy . Ordinary sugar can be used.My cake has got a dark colour due to this jaggery sugar.

Method : Mix all dry ingredients together - the flour,baking powder,soda & cardamom.

Mix mnago puree,curd malai ( or curd ),oil & sugar.Jaggery sugar is lumpy & if mixed in dry mix does not mix properly.Hence ,I mix jaggery sugar in liquid ingredients.

Make a well in the dry mix & pour the liquid mix.Mix nicely till no lumps remain.One can add water or curds or chaas to get drop down consistency batter.Curd,chaas should not be sour to avoid sour taste.

Line a baking dish with butter paper.Pour the batter onto the butter paper in the dish.Bake in microwave for 7-8 minutes.Leave for 5-10 minutes.Remove from microwave & insert a knife to check if it comes out clean.If knife is clean ,cake is done.Otherwise,bake for 1-2 minutes more.Leave it for 5-10 minutes.

Then cool it outside the microwave for 15-20 minutes.Then put it upside down on a plate.Cool it for 5-10 minutes.Cut into desired shapes & serve.

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. 

Eggless apple cake in Microwave

I wanted to bake another cake to see if my carrot cake texture was a fluke .As I had apples,I googled for an apple cake recipe & decided to follow the recipe @ http://seduceyourtastebuds.blogspot.in/2010/12/microwave-eggless-apple-cake.html

I made some changes like substituted maida with wheat flour etc.

Ingredients : 1/2 cup whole wheat flour ( used Pillsbury brand ),1/4 cup powdered oats ( 1/4 cup oats which was powdered in mixer ) ,1/4 cup corn meal & powdered dry fruits ( 6 pistas,6 almonds & 6 hazelnuts- actually one can substitute other dry fruits ),heaped 1/2 cup jaggery sugar( Ishan brand available in Rajkamal tea Chembur ,Mumbai ) ,1/4 tsp cinnamon powder,1/2 tsp baking soda,1 tsp baking powder,1 /4 tsp salt,1/4 cup dahi or yoghurt,1/4 cup oil,1 apple grated.

Method : Take a bowl & mix atta,corn meal-dry fruit mix & powdered oats nicely.This flour mix can be sieved to get a good mix.I used jaggery sugar as I got it locally here.It is healthier than sugar.Ordinary sugar can be used.Mix sugar with the flour mix.Add baking soda,baking powder,cinnamon powder & salt to the flour -sugar mix.Mix all dry powders nicely.Keep aside.

Mix oil & yoghurt nicely in another bowl.Grate the apple & keep in a plate.

Make a well into the dry mixture & pour the yoghurt oil mix into it.Mix nicely.Now add grated apple to this mixture.Mix so that no lumps remain.If it does not have drop down consistency, add water to the dry-wet -apple mix to get drop down consistency.Wait for 5 minutes so that all dry mix is saturated.

Line a microwaveable vessel with butter paper.Pour the cake mix into the vessel, on  to, the butter paper lining.Microwave for 7-8 minutes.After microwave is witched off test with toothpick.If it comes clean ,cake is ready.If not ,microwave  for another minute.Let it remain in microwave for 5-7 minute after switching off.Then take out the cake container & cool outside the microwave for 15-20 minutes.After it is cooled to room temperature,turn the vessel upside down on to a plate.Let it cool for 5-10 minutes.Then cut the cake into desired shapes.

Cake texture was same as carrot cake texture.This only happened as cake batter  was left aside for five minutes after mixing .Only after 5 minutes,cake batter was poured into cake vessel & baked.

The cake colour is dark as jaggery sugar is brown powder.The black specks seen in the cake is the garted apple peel.The apple used was quite small.Next time ,I will use a bigger apple.

Lapsi upma

Lapsi is being increasingly used nowadays as it is more healthy than Bombay rava or semolina .I make upma from lapsi rava of finer variety.I buy lapsi rava & lightly dry roast till it changes colour slightly.Then I let it cool & put it away in air tight box.Whenever I have to make upma,I use this roasted lapsi so that I need not dry roast it at that time.It saves my time.

Ingredients :1 cup lapsi rava,3 cups  water , 1/4 -1/3 cup finely chopped cabbage ,1 capsicum- diced,1 carrot finely diced,2 tbsp peas,1-2 hari mirchi diced,1tsp grated ginger,1 red chilly,1 sprig kadi patta leaves,1 tsp urad dal,1tsp mustard seeds,1/4 tsp hing,2 tbsp oil,salt to taste.Fresh corainder & fresh dessicated coconut for garnish.

Method :Keep water for boiling, on gas in a container.On another gas burner ,take a kadhai with  oil & as it warms up ,put mustard seeds.When they splutter, add urad dal.They will turn golden brown.Add red chill & then all the veggies including hari mirchi & grated ginger .Roast in oil for 2-3 minutes.Then add lapsi rava.Roast it for 2 minutes along with veggies.Add the boiling water to this lapsi veggie mix .Add salt & mix everything.Cover with lid & cook .After 5 minutes,check, to see if all water has been absorbed.Mix with ladle .If the water has been fully absorbed,please put off gas.If not, keep cooking, covered with lid, till water is absorbed.

Garnish with fresh coriander & coconut when you serve.

Tips : Upma is my hubby's favorite breakfast & as he is off onions,I use only capsicums,carrots, cabbage  & peas in season.Only 2 vegetables or even 1 vegetable can be used as per ease, convenience or availability.One can add potatoes also.

Peas can be seperately boiled in water so that they are nicely cooked before adding to upma.One can also use diluted chaas to upma to give tanginess.Accordingly ,reduce the amount of water to be added.Alternatively, a piece of lemon, can be squeezed just before serving.

Eggless Carrot cake in Microwave .

I tried this cake 2 times earlier .They came out fine.This time, though ,it turned out superbly !

I have tried this carrot cake recipe from http://www.foodtale.com/2010/02/01/eggless-cinnamon-carrot-cake/
I made a few changes & my recipe is as under.

Ingredients : 1/2  cup whole wheat flour ( I used Pillsbury brand ),1/4 cup quick oats,2 tbsp corn flour,5 pistachios,5 almonds,5 hazelnuts,1/2 cup sugar,1/2 tsp baking powder,1/4 tsp baking soda,1/2 cup grated carrots,a pinch of salt,1/2 tsp vanilla essence,1/4 cup oil,1/4 cup curds or dahi ,water to adjust consistency of batter.The dry fruits are optional.

Method : My small jar of mixer is quite big & so I took the oats & the dry fruits ( pistas,hazelnuts & almonds ) & powdered them at one go.I used dry fruits as my daughter does not eat them otherwise.Even adding them whole or big pieces to the cake batter will make her avoid the cake.One can add them whole if it is fine to consume cake pieces with whole dry fruits.I forgot to add a piece of cinnamon while powdering this oats -dry fruit mixture & hence my cake is without cinnamon.

Sieve the whole wheat flour ,corn flour,oat flour ,dry fruit mix along with sugar,baking soda & baking powder.Keep aside.

In another vessel ,take oil ,add vanilla essence & dahi .Mix.Pour this mix, into a well, made in the dry ingredient mix.Mix till no lumps remain.Now add carrot & mix again. .Add water to adjust the cake batter consistency.The consistency has to be just a little more than drop down consistency as I bake in microwave.

Take a microwaveable vessel & line the bottom with butter paper.Now pour the cake batter into the vessel -on to  the butter paper lining the bottom of the vessel.Tap the vessel sides ,after the batter has been poured to release any air bubbles.

Bake in microwave for 8 minutes.Let the vessel be standing in the microwave for 5 minutes after it is switched off as the cooking continues.Take out the vessel using cotton padded gloves .Use a toothpick or knife to check .If the toothpick or knife comes out clean after poking it into the cake ,then cake is ready.Allow the cake to cool.After 15-20 minutes,put the vessel upside down on a plate. The cake will drop down on the plate.Allow it to cool further.Then remove the butter paper sticking to the cake bottom.Cut into desired shapes & serve.

My neighbour complimented, "This is the best cake, made by you, so far ."