Vegan Pineapple upside down cake

I had made Pineapple cake earlier.This time ,I wanted to make batter using apple cider vinegar.I searched for such a recipe.I stumbled upon this apple cake recipe.I replaced apple with pineapple & lemon juice with apple cider vinegar .

Ingredients : 1 cup  atta ( whole wheat flour  ) , 1/4 cup maida,3/4  cup jaggery  sugar ( Patanjali brand )  ,1 tsp baking soda, 2 tbsp oil,1 tbsp apple cider vinegar,4 round pineapple slices ( the kind available for 10 -20 Rupees in plastic pouches throughout Mumbai now, in season ) pinch of salt, warm water .

Ingredients for sprinkling on pineapple pieces : 2 tbsp brown sugar ,1/2 tsp cinnamon powder.

Method : Preheat oven  @ 180 deg centigrade.

Take a baking dish.Line it with butter paper.On that,arrange pineapple slices by cutting them or as it is.I lined just one layer.One more layer can be lined ,if you so wish.I added remaining tit bits of pineapple into the cake batter.I added remaining sugar cinnamon mix to batter.

Mix all dry ingredients that is atta,miada, baking soda & salt.Mix nicely with fork or whisk many times over.Keep aside.

Mix all wet ingredients that is apple cider vinegar & oil.Add 1/2 cup-1 cup warm ( optional ) water  water.Mix nicely.Add jaggery sugar to this wet mix. This is because, jaggery sugar has lumps & mixing this jaggery sugar in wet ingredients helps dissolve big lumps into small ones & finely dissolves lumps completely.

Make a well in the dry ingredient mix & pour the wet mix into it.Mix both dry & wet ingredients nicely so that no lumps remain.Add remaining pineapple tit bits to batter.Mix nicely again.Pour this batter on the pineappple slices lining the bottom of the baking dish.Bake @ 180 deg.centigrade for 50 minutes.

Put off the oven after 45-50 minutes.Then bake in microwave mode for 4-5 minutes so that no part of cake will remain unbaked. After 10-15 minutes,open the oven & take out the baking dish with gloved hands as baking dish will be hot.

Place baking dish out to cool for 20 minutes.Put the baking dish upside down on a plate.The cake will fall on it.Remove the butter paper from the cake .Let the cake cool for some more time.Cut into desired shapes & serve.

My cake was crumbly.It had started falling apart after I had turned it upside down .Maybe because,I did not allow it to cool much at any stage.Or maybe ,because ,I baked it for a longer time.Maybe ,I should bake it for 45 minutes & see.

The texture was nice.It had a nice dark brown crust on top & pineapple lining at bottom as seen in the picture..The cake was just sweet enough.If more sweetness is needed,sprinkle powdered sugar on top before serving or add more sugar to batter. Jaggery sugar is less sweet compared to white sugar.That makes all the difference in the sweetness. 

Masoor gobhi nimona

I wanted to try something different with gobhi.I thought of Sangeeta Khanna's banaras ka khana .I came across one masoor dal ka nimona.I decided to try it out .Also winter is getting late to Mumbai.I thought, if i tried this winter dish,maybe winter will be tempted to arrive soon !

I had whole masoor at home.I used whole masoor in place of masoor dal .I made very little as it was just for one person that is me.

Ingredients : 1/4 cup whole masoor ,1/2 cup washed cauliflower florets,1 small potato peeled & cubed,i roughly chopped tomato,1 tsp grated ginger,cumin powder 1/4 tsp,coriander powder 1/4 tsp,haldi 1/4 tsp,jeera 1/4 tsp,1 tbsp oil,salt to taste.

Method : Pressure cook whole masoor ( 1/4 cup masoor with 1/2 cup water ) with chopped tomatoes,haldi & salt for 2- 3 whistles.Then slow down the gas.Cook on slow flame for 5 minutes.Put off gas.

Take oil in kadhai.Heat it.Add jeera.When they crackle,add cubed potatoes.Slow the gas to low flame.Saute for 4-5 minutes.Add cauliflower florets & grated ginger .Mix nicely.I added 1 tbsp water as I found all veggies had started sticking to the kadhai bottom.Saute for another five minutes.Add jeera powder & dhania powder now.Mix nicely.Add salt. Mix. Put off gas.Transfer the contents of kadhai to the masoor tomato mix. Simmer the masoor tomato mix with added veggies on slow gas for 10-15 minutes.Put off gas. Whole masoor nimona is ready.

I skipped adding fresh hara dhania as I did not have it.Yes, loved the flavours.The dish becomes thicker as it cooks & water evaporates.

Veg manchurian.

I have made vegetarian manchurian balls in gravy before.They had become hard balls.They could be cut with fork & yet they were hard.So,I googled & came across this recipe here .

I made some changes.And the dish turned out better than last time.Yes,even my kid agreed that this time around,this was a good dish !

Ingredients :

For Manchurian balls :1/4 cup mashed boiled potato,1/4 cup grated cabbage,1/4 cup grated carrot,1/4 cup cornflour ,1 /4 cup  maida,1 tsp grated ginger,2-3 tbsp oil,salt to taste .

For gravy : 1/4 cup finely chopped & washed spring onion greens,1 tsp grated ginger,1 tbsp soya sauce,1tbsp corn flour,1 cup water,salt to taste.

Method :

Manchurian Balls: In a bowl mix all ingredients that is mix mashed boiled  potato,grated carrots,grated cabbage,ginger ,corn flour,maida & salt .Leave 1 tbsp maida asde to roll the veg balls in before frying them.

After mixing all ingredients nicely,shape small balls of the size of small lemons from the veg flour mix.Keep aside.

Start heating a paniyaram vessel.I prefer paniyaram vessel as it uses less oil.Moreover,I am afraid of spilling oil in large kadahis.Put oil drops in each of the inlets of the paniyaram vessel.Drop the balls -one each in each inlet.After sometime,turn the balls all upside down one by one.They will have browned bottpoms.After some time,check if the bottoms have browned.Sides may look light coloured & unfroed.Turn them around in the inlets so that they also get fried.In short,see that alls ides of balls are evenly fried.Put off the gas.Take out the balls & keep aside.

In another vessel,take 1tbsp corn flour & water.Mix nicely & start heating up the vessel.Add spring onion shoots & grated ginger to the vessel.Add soya sauce & mix.Keep stirring to see that no lumps are formed.Add salt to taste always remembering that soya sauce & balls both have salt in them.Add the veg balls that have been kept aside into this vessel.After it has boiled,put it off.If it is too watery,add more corn flour & boil it stirring constantly.If it is too thick,add more water & boil it once.

The veg manchurian is ready.This is a good side dish for veg fried rice as also veg hakka noodles .

Veg hakka noodles

I have made hakka noodles many times before.Yet ,when I wanted to make this dish & put it up on my blog,I decided to check out the recipe on the net.

I liked the step by step method  here.I have used less veggies as my kid will try best to remove all veggies.By default,some veggies, do end up in my kid's tummy.Thank God for that !

Ingredients : 1 packet Veg Hakka noodles,1/ 4 -1/3  finely shredded cabbage,1 medium carrot grated ,1 green capsicum finely chopped, 6-8 French beans  finely chopped, 1 tbsp spring onion green stems finely chopped, 1tsp grated ginger,2  tbsp oil,1/2 tbsp soya sauce,1/4 tsp black pepper powder ( my kid will eat less spicy food,that's why ),salt to taste.

Method : Take water in a pan & bring it to boil.Put the Hakka noodles into the boiling water.Cook as per instructions on the Hakka noodles packet.Add some oil drops to the boiling water as noodles get cooked.Put off gas after the Hakka noodles have been cooked as per instructions on the packet.Now drain the water by straining it in a big strainer.Let tap water run through the cooked noodles .Then add some oil drops & toss noodles so that oil coats the noodles & they do not stick to each other.Keep aside the noodles.

In a pan ,take some oil.Heat it.Add all shredded &  grated veggies except spring onion shoots.Fry the veggies nicely for 4-5 minutes.nicely.Add 1 tbsp soya sauce to the veggie mix .Mix nicely.Fry again for a minute.Now add the cooked noodles to it.Add pepper powder.Toss the noodles well so that all veggies & pepper & noodles get nicely mixed.Add salt.Remember that soya sauce has salt So add less salt..Toss noodle veggie mix nicely.Add spring onion shoots.Toss all nicely.Cook for a minute.Put off gas.

Serve noodles with raita and or veg manchurian.

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.