Roasted murmura chivda in microwave

I had made roasted poha chivda in microwave. I wanted to try roasted murmura chivda in microwave. I googled & came across this you tube recipe.

Ingredients :  6 cups murmura, 3 tbsp oil, 2 tbsp peanuts, 2 tbsp roasted chana dal, 20-25 curry leaves, 8-18 byadgi mirchis broken into 4-5 pieces each, 1/2 tsp haldi, 1/2 tsp hing, 1tsp mustard seeds, 1/2 tsp jeera, red chilli powder ( optional ) , salt to taste.

Method : Take oil in microwaveable vessel .Add mustard seeds to the oil.Microwave on high for two minutes. This will pop up the mustard seeds. Put off microwave.Take the same vessel .Add jeera, haldi, hing, peanuts, byadgi mirchi pieces, curry leaves , peanuts & roasted chana dal to the oil-mustard mix. Mix all.Microwave on high for 1 minute. Give all ingredients a nice stir. And again microwave on high for 1 minute. Repeat 2  more time ...microwaving on high for one minute each. Add murmura to vessel.Mix nicely so that the whole murmura gets coated with haldi hing,& other ingredients. Add salt.Add red chilli powder. Mix. Roast murmura mix for 1 minute by microwaving on high for one minute. Mix again the contents. Microwave on high for one more minute. Put off microwave. 

After five minutes, take out the vessel.Take some murmura in a bowl & enjoy ! Rest of the murmura mix can be stored in air tight container.

Kairi Rajma

I have made rajma earlier with recipe from here. It is the season of raw mangoes called kairis.And tomatoes are flying towards the sky....their prices ,I mean. I thought, why not use kairi, instead  of tomatoes while making rajma ?

Ingredients : 1/2 cup rajma beans soaked overnight, 2-3 cubes ( 1/2 inch cubes ) of   kairi washed , cut & skinned, the kairi peels so skinned, 1 tbsp oil, 1/2 tsp jeera, 1 bay leaf, 1-2 green chillies, 1/2 inch ginger cleaned , salt to taste.

Method : Discard the water in which rajma has been soaked.This is to prevent flatulence.Pressure cook rajma with  1 cup water up to  two to three whistles.Then lower flame & cook for 12-15 minutes. he rajma beans must have cracked .If not pressure cook for more time. They must mash up if we press the beans with our fingers.I had not added salt as I felt , that rajma may not split if salt is used. Though ,Sangeeta Khanna pressure cooks rajma with salt always.Keep aside.

Finely chop ginger & green chillies. I run them in the dry grinder attachment. Green chillies & ginger get nicely minced. Take them out into a plate.Mince the raw mango peels in the dry grinder attachment. Keep aside in a plate .The raw mango pieces can be pressure cooked & then the pulp can be used. I pressure cooked & made use of the pulp.Kaii can be grated after peeling or even without peeling & added to the kadhai.

Take oil in a kadhai.Heat up the oil.Add jeera. After they splutter, add the ginger mirchi mince mixture. Then add the bay leaf. Mix nicely so that oil coats all the ingredients. Add the mango peels mince & the raw mango pulp or the grated unpeeled raw mango .Mix nicely.Add salt. Mix nicely.Add the cooked rajma.I pressure cooked this rajma for 3 whistles as my rice was to be pressure cooked .So kept this rajma at  bottom & rice on top & pressure cooked for 3-4 whistles.  Then put off gas. Let it cool Serve with rotis or rice.The rajma was good ...it had not become like pulp considering that it was pressure cooked again.The pictures say that !


Alternatively, add the pressure cooked rajma to the kairi-green chillies-ginger-jeera bay leaf -salt mix. .Bring all to a boil.Let it simmer for five minutes.Put off gas.Serve with rotis and or rice.


I loved the khatta taste of the rajma. And my daughter ate it without complaining ...which says a lot !

If kairi is very sour, then add lesser pieces.Maybe even 1 piece would do. The kairi, I used had become semi ripe.So used 3-4 cubes. And it also depends on your individual taste.

Adai

My husband is very fond of adai.I hardly make them as I feel , they are way too heavy to digest & may cause flatulence. Since, he insisted that once, we must have breakfast of adai,I gave in & made adai.

.In some recipes, chana dal is used generously & other dals are used in lesser quantities.In another recipe, both toor dal & chana dal are used in equal quantities & other dals are used sparingly.In fact, you could have you own measurements for dals.There are other combinations as well.

I asked about adai recipe from one of my mother's friend & she gave me her adai recipe. This is her recipe.

My husband is off onions.So I have skipped adding finely chopped onions to the batter just before making adai on tawa.You can add it. In fact, even methi , palak leaves can be chopped finely & added. Carrots, dudhi, etc can be grated & added as well just before making adais on tawa.

Ingredients : 1/2 cup rice, 2 tbsp   tur dal, 2 tbsp split urad dal, 2 tbsp split mung dal, 1/4 cup  chana dal,5-6 byadgi mirchis, 3-4 tbsp oil for greasing tawas , 1/4 tsp hing, salt to taste, a few curry leaves finely chopped after washing.

Method : Soak rice dal mixture along with byadgi mirchis for at least two hours. After soaking period is over, drain the water. Grind it all into a coarse textured batter inn mixer ( not wet grinder as wet grinder would make it very fine batter ). Keep adding water little by little as it is ground in the mixer. I kept it to ferment for 1 hour .Many do not ferment. Then ,I kept it in refrigerator.I made them the next morning, after adding salt.

Add chopped & washed curry leaves to batter.Add hing. Mix nicely. Take a non stick tawa & pour a ladle full of batter on the tawa. & spread it like a dosa. Cook by covering with a lid. After 1-2 minutes, remove lid.The adai  would have cooked on bottom side. Add 1 tsp oil on dosa.. Flip it up & cook on the other side.After a minute, take it off the tawa. Repeat making more adais with  the remaining batter.

Serve adi with coconut chutni though my husband reminds me time & again, that adai is best eaten with avial.

Tips : De skinned mung dal & de skinned urad dal can be used. In fact, they are used in place of split urad dal & split mung dal.The colour of adai may turn out golden brown  in that case.In the case photographed above, reddish  gold !

I recently mad adai & had no byadgi mirchis at home. So added 2-3 packts of chilli flakes ( the packets one gets when pizza is home delivered ) .And so the colourof adis was so different. Take a dekko below ....

Mango halwa

I wanted to try a dish which had mangoes in it.I came across this mango halwa.And the best part is that it was a microwave recipe.

I made it & it turned out a bit sour .Well, because, the mangoes were little kachha or raw.

Ingredients : 2 mangoes ( I used aapus or alphanso or happus mangoes ) , 1/4 cup sugar, 1 tbsp ghee, 1/2 tsp ghee ( for a greased plate dish for spreading the halwa) , 1/4 tsp cardamom powder ( optional ).

Method : Take out the mango pulp from mangoes. Discard the seed as also the skin afters squeezing all the mango pulp sticking to the seed as also the skin.

Add 1/ 4 cup sugar to the mango pulp & puree to an even paste in the mixer. Take this even paste in a microwaveable vessel .Microwave on high for 5 minutes. Remove the vessel & stir the pulp sugar mixture. Microwave on high for five more minutes.

Add ghee to the sugar pulp mix .Mix nicely.Microwave on high for five minutes.Remove & stir in the ghee sugary pulp mix .Add cardamom powder & microwave for another 4-5 minutes. Remove.The pulp would have become like a gel.If it is still not like gel, If it is not, microwave for some more time like 4-5 minutes after stirring.Spread the pulp on the  greased plate.Let it cool for half an hour or more.Cut into desired shapes & serve.

My father said , the halwa was a bit sour.

Any sweeter variety of mangoes can be used.Even kesar, dussehari, etc.,

Coffee ice cream.

My daughter had got this Nestle coffee mate ,Hazel Nut flavour.She had stopped having it just as suddenly as she started liking or rather gulping it with coffee. I get very cross with such wasteful attitudes. I started using the Coffeemate powder in cakes.And yet, I could hardly use one to two tablespoons per cake. The hazelnut flavored coffee mate powder continued to occupy space in my kitchen.I started googling for coffee mate recipes & came across many at the Nestle Coffee mate site .I tried searching for an ice cream recipe as that would help in using up almost all of the remaining coffee mate powder.I thought, coffee mate could be used as it was like milk powder .Moreover, it was sweet as it had added sugar.I had come across custard powder ice cream recipe.

Hence, I wanted to try ice cream with this coffee mate powder. I had one packet of 200 ml Amul Fresh Cream packet. And I had almost a tiny bit of malai removed that day itself from fresh milk.I decided to use all this to make ice cream.

Ingredients : 2.1/4 cups Nestle Hazel Nut coffee powder containing sugar, 200ml Amul Fresh Cream, 2 tbsp instant Coffee powder ( I used Nestle instant coffee powder ), 1/4 cup brown sugar, 1tsp cream ( mali removed from milk -optional ).

Method : Mix all the ingredients. If needed, add water drop by drop.There will a batter type consistency.Mine was quite wet. Blend all in a mixer .Pour it into a freezer safe air tight container. Freeze for an hour or more.

Take it out after more than an hour & blend it again in the mixer grinder. Again piur it into the same container from which it was removed & refreeze for more than an hour.

Repeat this freezing , de freezing & blending 3-4 times. This will make the ice cream get a creamy consistency.

Then  after it has frozen for the last time, remove it & scoop it out into bowls & serve.Eat it immediately as it melts quite fast .

Scopped ice cream can be garnished with nuts of choice. We had our scoops just like that.The quantity made was enough for five to six persons ( 2 small  scoops per person ) .

Notes : I found ,that I had added too much of coffee powder. Maybe, one tbsp of coffee powder would have sufficed. Initially,I had skipped adding brown sugar.After I tasted the ice cream ,I realised that sugar was needed. If just one tbsp of coffee had been used, there would be no need to add sugar. Coffee mate has added sugar & that is sufficient unless one likes ice cream to be more sweet & yet ,that would dilute the coffee flavour.

I used coffee powder to make coffee ice cream as the recipe used Nestle coffee mate powder .I felt that the coffee mate would blend nicely with coffee.

The ice cream was creamy in consistency.Yet, I feel, ice creams are best eaten outside, as home freezing can never compete with commercial refrigeration.

Microwave doodhi halwa

Lauki is saatvik veggie.My doctor always used to suggest that patients suffering from fever eat lauki ki sabzi.It is cooling as well.

I have made doodhi halwa on gas stove earlier.This time around,I wanted to make it in microwave. I googled for it & got this Tarla Dalal recipe.My recipe is little different.

Ingredients : 2 cups peeled & grated dudhi, 1+ 1/2  cups malai , 1/3  cup sugar, few kesar strands, 1/2 tsp elaichi powder,2 tbsp ghee,assorted nuts for garnishing.

Method : I used grated dudhi as it is  that is I let the lauki be as it is.I did not squeeze out water as I felt all nutrients of lauki would be lost.

I took a shallow microwaveable vessel & added ghee.Add the grated lauki & mix.Microwave on high for 5 minutes.Add malai mixed with kesar strands Again microwave for 2.5 minutes.Mix nicely.Add sugar.Mix.Microwave for 2.5 minutes.Again mix & microwave on high for 2.5 minutes.Add elaichi powder.Mix & microwave on high for two minutes.

Put off microwave.Let it cool in microwave for 10 minutes.Take out the vessel & let it cool outside for 20-25 minutes.Serve in bowls garnished with almonds or any nuts of choice.

My dad & all my extended family who ate the halwa relished it.I ate it later & agreed with them that it had indeed turned out delicious !

Tips : The halwa was sweet & yet, just so.If you would like it to be more sweet, please add more sugar as per taste.

Vegan Marble cake

I had three small over ripe bananas ( the usual ones not elaichi ) &  an  apple .Of course,I have date paste ( an import from Saudi Arabia  ) in the refrigerator.I thought of making a cake & then hit upon this chocolate free marble cake.My marble cake does not have patterns.It has drak & light bands.Next time around,I need to make it artistic !

Ingredients : 

For the light bands in the marble cake : 1/2 cup  + 1 tbsp maida, 1 tbsp Nestle Coffee mate hazelnut creamer (this is optional.I had it...so used it ) ,1 more tbsp of maida can be used in its place ), 1 cup of banana puree ( I pureed 3 small bananas ) , 1 tsp baking powder.

For the dark band in the marble cake : 1/2 cup + 2 tbsp atta ( whole wheat flour ) , 1/4 cup date paste, 1/2 cup apple sauce, 1 tsp instant coffee powder, 2 tbsp brown sugar, 1tsp baking soda.

Method : Preheat oven to 180 degrees centigrade.

Dark batter : Blend date paste , apple sauce, brown sugar   & 1/4 cup water into a mixer .This is because the date paste is very thick & very dry.More water can be added drop by drop if needed .Generally, 1/4 -1/3 cup water should be enough.Keep aside.

Mix all dry ingredients that is atta, coffee powder & baking soda nicely. Make a well into the dry mix & pour the wet mix into this.Blend to make a batter .This batter will be thick as well.


Light batter : Mix all dry ingredients that is maida, baking powder & Nestle hazelnut creamer nicely with a whisk or fork many times over.Make a well into this dry mix.Pour banana puree into this.Mix nicely to make a batter. Batter will be thick.

Line a baking vessel with butter paper. Put the dark batter.Spread it at the bottom as it is thick.Next, spread the light batter on top of the dark batter.Line layer by layer till both batters get over. Bake in oven at 180 degrees centigrade for 45 minutes or till a toothpick inserted in the cake comes out dry.

My toothpik came out wet.So ,I baked in microwave mode for 5 minutes.Put off oven. Let the cake cool in oven for 10-15 minutes.Then take it out of the oven.Let it cool for half an hour .Then put it upside down on a plate.Remove the butter paper sticking at bottom.Cut into desired pieces & serve.

Notes : Added baking soda to dark batter as baking soda darkens colours. Added coffee as date paste was light brown .So there was fear that the resulting marble cake may have  light brown bands. Apple sauce is quite bland.Hence added 2 tbsp brown sugar.If adding white sugar, one tbsp should be enough unless more sweetness is desired.

Nestle hazelnut creamer has added sugar & is creamy in colour. Hence, no sugar was added to light batter.Moreover, the bananas were quite sweet.

Since I had to finish remaining atta as also maida, all the measurements are like 1/2 cup plus tbsps.And last but not the least one tbsp of oil in each batter ( a total of two tbsps ) would have made the cake even better & fluffier ! My dad liked the cake .My maternal UNcle was able to taste date as also bananas .Coffee & applesauce got eclipsed.

Wikipedia states that Nestle manufactures non dairy creamer called coffee mate in many flavours.