Khaman Dhokla a Savory Steamed Cake

Dhokla can be eaten for breakfast or as a main course or as a snack. It is fluffy spongy and porous and a signature dish of gujarati cuisine. I served the dhokla with a sweet, spicy, tangy ginger tamarind chutney.

Ingredients

• 1 cup chickpea flour/besan
• 1/2 cup curd
• 1/2 cup water
• 1/2 tsp lemon juice
• 2 green chillies fine chopped
• 1/4 tsp turmeric
• 1/2 tsp cooking soda or baking soda
• 1 tbsp oil
• 1 tsp sugar
• 1 sachet eno powder
• salt to taste

For tempering

• 1 tsp oil
• 1/4 tsp mustard seeds
• 1/2 tsp sesame seeds
• 1-2 springs curry leaves
• 1 tbsp grated coconut
• 2 chopped green chilli
• pinch of asafoetida/hing
• 1/4 cup water

Procedure
Mix the besan with curd and water until it is lump free with a consistency like idli batter, it should not be too flowy.Now add turmeric powder and soda and mix nicely, let is rest for 20 min

After 20 min the batter will rise, to this mix oil, lemon juice, salt, sugar, chopped green chillis and mix nicely. Meanwhile prepare your steamer or pressure cooker (place a bowl with water and then a plate which will hold the batter, I used baking tray instead of a plate).

Once the water starts bowling prepare the batter by mixing the eno to it nicely and pour into the plate immediately, because of adding eno you will find lot of bubbles in batter.

Steam for 5-7 minutes, remove the lid of pressure cooker and check with tooth pick, if it comes out clean your dhokla is ready for tempering. Switch off the gas and let it cool for 5 min, in the meantime prepare your tempering

Heat oil in a pan, add sesame seeds, mustard seeds, curry leaves, chopped green chilles, when mustard start spluttering remove from gas and add 1/4 cup water to this and pour this tempering over the prepared dhokla and also sprinkle the grated coconut. 

Let it rest for five more minutes and cut it into a desired shape and size and serve with tamarind chutney or hari chutney

Ginger Tamarind Chutney

Ingredients

• 1 lemon size tamarind
• 1 lemon size jaggery chunk
• 2 green chilli
• 1 spring curry leaves
• 1 tsp chopped coriander/cilantro
• 1/2 inch ginger
• 1/4 tsp jeera/cummin seeds
• pinch of turmeric
• pinch of asafoetida
• salt to taste

Make a smooth paste of all the above ingredients if required add little water and serve

Note:
1. Batter should not rest even for a min after adding the eno
2. If you prefer more sweetness in your dhokla then while preparing the tempering add 1 tsp of sugar to it. 

Summer Special Eggless Mango Mousse Treat

Summer is the only season we can get mangoes and that is the best part about summer !!So lets make something special when the sun shines.

A mousse in french means foam and this mango mousse is a soft,light, fluffy and creamy delicious treat which will simply melt in your mouth.

Ingredients

• 200 gms mango puree ( I used fresh banganapalle mangoes )
• 200 gms heavy whipped cream ( I used nilgiris fresh cream )
• 4 tbsp sugar
• 2 tsp gelatin powder
• 3 tbsp water

Procedure
Mix the gelatin with water nicely.
Heat mango puree and sugar in a pan until warm.Add the gelatin mix nicely till it completly dissolves. Remove from the flame and let it cool.
Now whip the cream till peaks form, gently fold the above cooled mango puree to the whipped cream until it nicely blends
Now pour it into a serving dish and refridgerate for 1 hr.
Serve chilled

Note:
1. If you are using canned mango puree then dont add sugar.
2. Gelatin mix should be added to warm mango puree and immediately stirred it should be switched off as soon as possible while it is warm. If it becomes hot then gelatin will loose its property and the mousse will not set.
3. Only when the gelatin mixed mango puree is fully cooled then only it should be added to the whipped cream otherwise the cream will melt and you will not get the correct consistentcy for the mousse
4.If you set the mousse in small portions then it can be served as it is

A Quick Snack with Sauteed Celery Flavored Mushrooms

If you are looking for a quick and healthy snack with a preparation time less than ten minutes !! then this would be the perfect recipe. I had made stir fry earlier with oyster mushrooms too and that has made me a big fan of mushroom stir fry.

Ingredients

• 1 cup slided button mushroom
• 1 tbsp freshly chopped celery
• 1 tsp chopped garlic
• 1/4 tsp oregano
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• salt and pepper to taste

Procedure
Heat oil in pan, add celery, garlic and fry for 30 sec , add mushroom and cook on a high flame for 3-4 minutes .Add salt, oregana and black pepper powder and stir nicely until mushroom is cooked with with a red tinge. Serve hot

Note:

1. Always cook mushroom in a high flame otherwise lot of water will retain in the pan.
2. You can also stuff this mushroom between a slice of bread and enjoy like a sandwich

The Mysterious Stuffed Eggplant Curry / Kalonji Baingan

Many people do not like eggplant and there is a mystery how to use them to make flavorfull curries. The wonder of indian spices is a vegetable like eggplant can become a exotic dish.

This dish is tradionally known as Kalonji Barvan Baingan. Kalonji/Nigella is a dark and mysterious spice that adds flavorful surprise to this dish that will make eggplants taste superb.

The recipe courtesy goes to vah reh vah . His excitement inspired me to try this wonderfull eggplant curry

Ingredient

• 12 small eggplants/brinjal/baigan of equal size
• 3 tbsp oil
• 1/4 tsp cummin seeds/jeera
• 1/4 tsp mustard seeds/sarso
• 1/4 tsp nigella seeds/kalonji
• 1/4 tsp fennel seeds/saunf
• 1/8 tsp fenugreek/methi

For stuffing

• 4 red chilli
• 1 tbsp coriander/dhania seeds
• 1 tsp mustard seeds/sarso
• 1/2 tsp cummin seeds/jeera
• 1/2 tsp nigella seeds/kalonji
• 1 tsp fennal/saunf
• 1/2 tsp ajwain/caraway seeds
• 1/2 tsp fenugreek seeds/methi seeds
• 1/2 tsp tumeric powder
• 1 tsp amchur powder
• 1/2 tsp chilli powder
• salt to taste

Dry roast red chilli, coriander, mustard, cummin, kalonji,methi,ajwain,saunf till the nice aroma will come ,then cool it and make fine powder .

Add turmeric powder,amchur powder,chilli powder and salt and mix properly .Then add little water to this mixture so it binds mildly.

Wash the eggplants ,cut the stem little bit and then cut through the eggplant with a  pluse sign upto the stem as shown in the pic.Stuff the eggplants with the prepared stuffing carefully

Heat oil in the frying pan and add cummin,mustard,kalonji,saunf,and methi seeds and fry till cummin splutters ,once it splutters arrange the stuffed eggplants in the pan and cover the pan with a lid and cook in the low flame .Roll the eggplant occasionally to ensure it cooks on all sides.

Once it soft and cooked on all sides add the remaining leftover masala with some salt and stir softly , cover and cook for another min and swith off the flame

Enjoy you stuffed eggplants with hot steamed rice or rotis 

Eggless Chocolate Banana Marble Cake

Baking this cake can make a delightful family treat.It is soft, moist and infused with a beautifull blend of flavors that will simply burst their tastebuds asking for more.The advantage of this cake is there is no need to use eggs considering the moistness and texture of this cake.

Ingredients

• 2 cups All purpose flour
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/8 tsp salt
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup oil
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 3 ripe banana
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1/4 cup yogurt
• 1/4 cup cocoa powder

Procedure
Preheat the oven to 180 degree Celsius.Grease the 9x5x3 inch loaf pan and keep aside. Sieve the dry ingredients all purpose flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt and together 3 times.

Beat milk and sugar together till sugar dissolves.Add oil,yogurt,milk,mashed banana,vanilla extract and mix nicely.Combine with the above dry ingredients and mix nicely until all lumps dissappear.

Remove 1 cup plain batter into a bowl and mix cocoa powder to it nicely.Pour the spoonfull of cocolate batter followed by spoon full of plain batter and alternatively repeat the process for rest of batter now run a knife gently through the batter to get a nice swirl effect.

Bake for 60 minutes and test with a toothpick in the very center of the loaf to come out clean.Let it cool on a cooling rack, slice and enjoy.

Anytime Munch Rice Flake Mixture

Its summertime and the last place you want to be is the kitchen, kids are always demanding in these moments for a snack and there can be no better option to delight them with this light and crispy popular snack mixture.

Using microwave is a healthier option to prepare this snack without compromising on the taste

Ingredients

• 2 cups superfine rice flakes/chivda/atukalu/aval
• 1/4 cup peanuts
• 1/4 cup roasted dal
• 2 tbsp rice bran oil
• 3 springs of curry leaves
• 6-7 chopped green chillies
• 1/4 tsp mustard seeds
• 1/2 tsp cummin/jeera seeds
• 1/8 tsp turmeric
• 1/2 tsp chilli powder
• 1/4 tsp chat masala
• pinch of hing
• salt to taste

Procedure
Microwave the rice flakes stiring every one minute until it turns crispy in a microwave safe bowl for approximately 10 ten minutes. Keep an eagle eye else it may burn. Keep aside

Heat oil in a pan add cummin seeds,mustard seeds,hing and once it splutter add curry leaves, green chillies, peanuts and fry in a medium flame till peanuts roast properly.Then add the fried gram stir for 30 seconds and then the beaten rice, salt, turmeric, chilli powder , chat masala and stir until it blends completely

Let it cool and store it in a airtight jar to enjoy with a hot cup of tea anytime.

Delicious Eggless Thumbprint Jam Cookies

I have watching food food channel lately and it is so inspiring to watch Rakesh Sethi cook some wonderful recipes.Its been a long time I baked some cookies and this happens to be one of my favorite. These cookies have a mild crunch and would melt in your mouth.

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup cooking butter
• 1/4 cup superfine sugar
• 1/4 cup maida / all purpose flour
• 2 tbsp milk
• 1/2 tsp vanilla essence
• 1/4 cup of dry fruits mixture
• 2 tbsp jam of your choice (I used mixed fruit jam)

Procedure
Dry roast the almond, pistachio, cashewnut and make a rough grained powder.

Beat the jam with the spoon until it becomes a smooth consistency and keep aside

Beat the butter and superfine sugar (powered sugar) and mix the vanilla essence and milk to it,then add the all purpose flour and mix nicely with a spatula and then with your hands into a soft lump , cover the dough with a cling wrap and refridgerate for 10 min

Preheat the oven for 180 degrees

After 10 min divide the dough into small lemon size balls. Roll the balls on the dry fruit mixture  then remove and press softly and make a small thumbprint in the center and fill with 1/4 tsp jam and place on a greased metal tray

Bake them for 30 minutes until they begin to turn golden brown .

Enjoy your cookies

Note:

1. Keeping the dough in refridgerator makes the dough more firm to handle

2. Dont refridgerate for too long otherwise the dough will become too hard

3. You can more versatile by a any other jam of your choice, I used kissan mixed fruit jam

The Authentic Panchapuran Aloo Mooli Curry

This authentic dish is prepared in the northeast part of India. It is traditionally cooked with 5 spices, panchpuran simply means "five spices" in Bengali. In Bengali cuisine mustard oil is extensively used, the aroma of mustard oil complements the other flavors of this gravy really well .

Ingredients

• 2 cups diced radish(approx 5 to 6 medium size)
• 1 cup diced potatoes(approx 2 medium size potatos)
• 3/4 cup chopped onion
• 3/4 cup chopped tomato
• 1/2 tsp cumin seeds
• 1/2 tsp mustard seeds
• 1/2 tsp saunf
• 1/2 tsp black jeera
• 1/4 tsp fenugreek seeds
• 1 tbsp coriander powder
• 1/8 tsp sugar
• 1/4 tsp chilli powder
• 1/4 tsp turmeric powder
• 1 tsp garlic ginger paste
• 1/2 tsp garam masala
• 3 tbsp mustard oil (see the note)
• 1/2 tsp himalayan salt or salt to taste.

Cooking Procedure
Wash the radish and poatoes and peel them ,cut them into dices.

In the pressure cooker heat another tbsp oil , add cumin seeds,mustard seeds,fenugreek seeds,saunf and black jeera (panchapuran) , when these seeds splutter, add onion garlic ginger paste,turmeric powder and stir till light golden brown. Add tomatoes and cook till soft.

Add all remaining powders,sugar,salt and stir until oil begins to saturate out of gravy.Then add the radish chunks and potatoes and stir and blend the mixture with the veggies and fry for 5 mins.

Add one cup of water mix nicely and cover the lid ,pressure cook for three whistles.Once it cools open lid and switch on the flame again and bring it to a boil.Mash some potato chunks in the curry to make the gravy little thicker.Check the consistency if needed add a little water.

Serve hot with rice or rotis.

Note:
1.Normally panchapuran and potao combination is awesome and when it is cooked in mustard oil it become awesome but prefer ot add some veggie with potato.

2.To cook food with mustard oil,first heat oil until the mustard oil begins to smoke otherwise the mustard oil would smell and spoils the dish.

3.Cooking with mustard oil is purely optional, but I prefer to cook my gravies with mustard oil for the authentic flavor and healthy benefits.

4You can shallow fry radish and potatos lightly before adding it to gravy but i prefer the above method when i am really in jiffy.

5.You can replace the radish with cauliflower and it will also taste awesome.

Celebrate A Party with Homemade Waffle & Maple Syrup

Waffle is directly derived from the Dutch ’wafel’and with ancient origin tracing back to the neolithic age. A waffle is a batter-based or dough-based cake cooked in a waffle iron patterned to give a characteristic size, shape and surface impression.

Waffles are eaten throughout the world, particularly in Belgium, France, Netherlands, Scandinavia, and the United States.

My first experience with waffles was when I had it in the US and can never forget its wonderful crispy texture with the tasty maple syrup. Recently my SIL gifted me a waffle maker which are available in India too. It fired me up to prepare the waffles at home.

The perfect combination is to have waffles with a spoonful of maple syrup. In India maple syrup is expensive so I found a alternative recipe on the internet courtesy to Peggy on About.com which tasted as good.

So celebrate a waffle party with your family

Ingredients for Homemade Maple Syrup Substitute

• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1 cup brown sugar, firmly packed
• 1 cup boiling water
• 1 teaspoon butter
• 1 teaspoon maple extract or vanilla extract

Preparation:
Place granulated sugar in a heavy skillet. Heat until the sugar melts and turns brown.

Meanwhile, place brown sugar into a heavy saucepan. Pour water over brown sugar and bring to a boil without stirring.

Add caramelized white sugar to the melted brown sugar in the saucepan. Simmer, stirring often, until syrup is thickened.

Remove from heat, and whisk in butter and maple or vanilla extract. 

Waffle Ingredients

• 1.5 cup all purpose flour
• 1/2 cup whole wheat flour
• 3 eggs seperated
• 3 tbsp butter melted
• 2.5 cup milk
• 1 tbsp sugar
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 2 tsp baking powder

Seive the dry ingredients together and keep aside

Seperate the egg white and egg yolk, beat the egg yolk along with butter and milk till it blends

Mix the above dry ingredient to it and make a smooth paste.

Now beat the egg whites in a medium speed till small peaks form

Now add the egg white to the batter and fold it carefully with spatula until it gets incorporated. Dont fold too much

Heat the waffle maker and pour a scoop of batter in each segment and close it. Let it cook until the waffle maker gives the green indication or until it turns golden brown, it will take approximately 7-8 minutes per session

Note:
1. You can replace the butter with oil

2. Batter should be mildly flowy

3. You mix chocolate chips with the batter and make chocochip waffle.

Enticing and Refreshing Melon Melody

With the summer just around the corner in south india, it thought it would be a great idea to introduce you folks one of my favorite mocktails and provides a perfect balance of flavors that will refresh your body and mind.  

The original recipe was adopted from sanjeev kapoor.

I however provided a twist to the recipe and instead of using regular pineapple juice I used pineapple fruit based mogu mogu as it takes away all the strain of peeling and slicing a pineapple.

Mogu Mogu  is a  fruit juice based healthy drink that has come to India after making its presence felt in 40 other countries.Mogu Mogu is a totaly new, exciting drink. It consists of fruit Juice (25%) and Nata de Coco (25%) packed with soft, fruity, tasty Nata de Coco Gel bits which add fiber in the drink.

You will find mogu mogu in any of the "nuts and spices" store in chennai.

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup pineapple juice (Mogu Mogu)
• 1 cup water melon
• 1 cup musk melon
• 4-5 mint leaves
• 1/2 tsp stevia or 1 tbsp sugar
• 10 ice cubes

Procedure
Grind water melon, musk melon, mint leaves, stevia and the 10 cubes.

To it add the pineapple juice stir well and serve chilled.