Eggless Banana and Walnut Cake

Eggless Banana and Walnut Cake

Ingredients:

Dry ingredients:
• 1.5 cup whole wheat flour 
• ½ tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp baking powder
• a pinch of salt
• Handful of choco chips
• Few cashewnuts (Optional)

Wet ingredients:
• 5 banana ripped (I have taken small one’s)
• ¼ cup sugar (I have used powdered one to save time)
• ½ cup oil
• 1 tsp vanilla essence

Method:
1. Grease a cake tray with butter or parchment paper and also preheat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius for 15 minutes. You can use the same temperature for preheating in the convection mode of a microwave oven.
2. Take a large bowl add chopped bananas along with sugar and mash the bananas with a fork or you can also blend the bananas and sugar in a blender to get a smooth puree.
3. Now add oil or you can also use melted butter instead of oil stir the mixture very well with a wired whisk so that the oil is mixed evenly.
4. Now add vanilla essence and choco chip and stir well and keep aside.
5. Sieve 1.5 cups whole wheat flour, ½ tsp baking soda, 1 tsp baking powder, a pinch of salt directly in the wet ingredients bowl. Mix well and now pour the batter in the cake mould….Now bake the cake in the preheated oven for 30 to 35 minutes or till a tooth pick inserted comes out clean
6. NOTE: Temperatures in oven differs, so do keep a check while baking. your oven might bake the cake in 20 minutes or even 40 minutes.
7. It took 35 minutes to bake in my oven the final check is that a tooth pick should come out dry or with fine crumb particles. there should be no stickiness. use the same temperature for baking in the convection mode of a microwave oven.
8. Once warm or cooled at room temperature… Serve with tea or coffee…..

Paneer Tikka made in Oven

Paneer Tikka made in Oven

Ingredients:

• 250 gms paneer
• 1 large green bell pepper/capsicum (Optional)
• 1 medium size onion (Optional)

for the marinade:
• 200 gms thick curd
• 1 tbsp ginger garlic paste
• 1 tsp ajwain/carom seeds
• 2 tsp kashmiri red chili powder
• ½ tsp turmeric powder/haldi
• 1 tsp jeera powder/cumin seeds powder
• 1 tsp dhania powder/coriander powder
• ½ tsp garam masala powder
• 1 tsp dry mango powder/amchur powder
• 1 tsp chaat masala
• juice of half lemon
• 1 to 2 tbsp oil for brushing
• Salt

Method:

For marination:
1. Take a large bowl add curd and whisk it till it becomes smooth then add ginger garlic paste and all the spice powders plus ajwain, including salt and at last the paneer mix it well. Keep aside.
2. You could also add oil at this stage if you do not want to brush the paneer tikka with oil later now add the veggies and paneer to the marinade.
3. Marinate for at least 1 hour or more in the refrigerator.
4. Now use the skewer and skew the veggies and paneer alternately on skewers or tooth picks.
5. Preheat the oven for 6-7 minutes at 180 degree Celsius.
6. On a rack or a plate arrange the paneer skewers. brush some oil on the veggies and paneer.
7. Bake the paneer tikka for 30 minutes at 180 degree Celsius.
8. After 15 mins remove the skewers, and turn the skewers again brush some more oil.
9. Keep again in the oven and bake for a further 15 mins or till done.
10. Arrange the paneer tikka on a plate. sprinkle some chaat masala on paneer tikka.
11. Serve the yummy paneer tikka with cucumber, carrot and onion rings with lemon wedge.

Baked Stuffed Capsicum

Ingredients:

• 3 medium to large shimla mirch/capsicum
• 3 medium potatoes boiled and mashed
• 1 small onion, finely chopped
• ½ tsp cumin/jeera powder & Coriander/ dhaniya powder
• ¼ tsp turmeric powder/haldi
• A pinch of hing (Optional)
• ¼ tsp red chili powder/lal mirch powder
• ½ tsp dry mango powder/amchur powder or chat masala
• ¼ to ½ tsp garam masala
• 2 tsp oil for sautéing the onions
• 1 tsp oil for sautéing the capsicum
• Amul cheese grated (optional)
• Salt

Method:

1. First, boil the potatoes cool it peel and mash potatoes. Keep aside.

2. Slice off the tops of the capsicum remove the seeds rinse them in water and pat dry with a kitchen towel and keep aside.

3. Heat a pan, add oil and now fry the cumin seeds and then add chopped onions saute the onions till light brown and add turmeric powder, red chili powder, asafoetida,cumin coriander powder stir again.Now add the potatoes and mix everything sauté the potatoes for few mins and then add garam masala powder, dry mango powder or chat masala and salt.

4. Now keep aside and allow the potato stuffing to cool down.

5. Take Capsicum and start stuffing it with a spoon or with your hands.

6. Now it’s ready for baking in an oven or to saute in a pan.If baking brush the capsicum with oil..

If cooking on a pan:

1. Heat oil in a pan and place the stuffed capsicum in the pan.

2. Cover the pan and allow the stuffed capsicum to cook on a low flame.

3. You will have to check after every 5 to 6 mins and keep on changing the sides of the capsicum, so that all sides are cooked well check, turn the sides and cover the pan again continue to check, change the sides and then cover again till the bell peppers are cooked well.

For baking:

1. Preheat your oven to 200 degrees C for 5 mins

2. Place the stuffed capsicum on a baking tray and bake at 200 degrees C for 25 to 30 mins (oven temperatures vary, so keep an eye) till the capsicum has become golden and wrinkled. 

NOTE: You can also top some grated amul cheese on the potatoes and then bake.

3. One’s it’s baked serve these stuffed bell peppers hot or warm with rotis, rice or as a side dish.

Enjoy!!!

Corn & Spinach Sandwich

Corn & Spinach Sandwich

Ingredients:
1 bunch of Spinach washed & finely chopped
1 cup Frozen Sweet Corn ( I hv used American Sweet corn)
1 or 2 Garlic flakes or 1 tsp amul garlic cheese spread
1 tsp Jeera seeds
1/2 tsp Black Pepper pdr or 1 tsp amul pepper cheese spread
3 Cheese Slices or 1/2 cup mozzarella grated cheese ( I hv used Milky Mist brand)
Salt to taste
1 tbsp Oil

Method:

1.Wash and drain spinach and frozen sweet corn.Now chop the spinach finely keep aside.Heat oil in a kadai and add jeera let it crackle and now add garlic flakes or the spread & black pepper cheese stir it well and now add the sweet corn,spinach and salt. Fry for few mins in high flame and switch off the flame & keep it aside....

2. Heat the tawa. Spread little butter on the breads on one side and toast it now spread the filling and you can keep it as an open sandwich or close it with another bread on top. Toast both the sides.

6. Cut them in to bite size or in half and serve it hot with ketchup.

Stuffed Brinjal

Stuffed brinjal

Ingredients:

4 small Eggplants or brinjals
1 cup Ground nuts,dry roasted and grounded
2 tbsp roasted Sesame seeds
1 tbsp Coriander powder
2 tsp Red chili powder
1 tsp Cumin powder
1 tsp Garam masala
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
a small ball of tamarind soaked in water and later ,extracted to pulp
1/2 tsp amchur pdr
1 tsp grated Jaggery
Salt to taste
2-3 tbsp Oil
Coriander leaves

Method:

Grind roasted groundnuts to a coarse powder.

In a wide bowl add groundnuts powder and sesame seeds, coriander powder, cumin powder, red chili powder, amchur pdr, garam masala,turmeric powder, salt and mix well.
Add tamarind pulp and grated jaggery to the above mix and mix well.Sprinkle some water to the mix so that the mixture becomes little wet and would be easy to stuff the eggplants.

Remove the stems of eggplants or brinjal and slit the eggplant into four by keeping the top portion intact and keep aside...

Stuff all the eggplants with this masala mixture and keep them aside.

Heat oil in a big thick bottomed kadai and arrange the stuffed eggplants side by side and let them fry for 2-3 mins.
Add the remaining masala over them.
Cover it and reduce the flame and cook on low-medium flame for 20-25 mins.
Flip the eggplants carefully in between so that they will cook evenly on all sides.

Check the top portion of eggplant is cooked or not by inserting the knife or spoon..
Pour half cup of water depending on the consistency you need and cover it and let them cook again for 10 mins until the oil floats on top.

Serve it hot with Chapati or rice........

Enjoy!!!!!!

Lauki Ke Kofte

Lauki ke kofte

Ingredients:
1 lauki medium size washed ,peeled the skin n grated
1 onion chopped or pureed
2 big tomatoes pureed
Pinch of turmeric n hing
1 tsp jeera seeds
2-3 tbsp besan roasted
2 tsp kashmiri red chilli powder
1 tsp each of coriander n jeera pdr
1 tsp garam masala
1tsp ginger garlic paste
Salt to taste
1 cup of water
1-2 tbsp of cashew nuts roasted and powdered
Coriander leaves for garnishing

Method:
Wash peel the lauki and grate it squeeze it to remove the water and keep the water aside.

Meanwhile roast the besan on low flame till u get a nice aroma remove n keep aside.

In the same pan roast cashew nuts and onces its cooled grind it to a powder form.

To make kofta's :
In a bowl add the lauki along with besan, 1/2 tsp garam masala, haldi, hing, salt, 1/2 tsp each of coriander n jeera pdr , 1/2 tsp red chilli powder mix it well n give a round shape to it..

It can be deep fried or made in appam pan also with little oil. Fry it till golden light brown in colour...keep aside

Now to make the gravy:

In a blender make onion, ginger garlic paste, tomato puree n keep aside.

Method:
In a pan add oil jeera seeds when it splutters add the blended paste and mix well Onces it starts leaving oil add turmeric, roasted cashewnut pdr, red chilli powder, garam masala mix it well add water or else u can add lauki water cook it for 8-10 mins before adding kofta's (I have added both normal and lauki water since it was bit less). Check the spice n salt and now add the kofta's to the gravy give a stir if needed or else keep it as it is choice is yours... Garnish with coriander leaves... Serve with jeera rice, naan or normal roti......

Fresh Spicy Corn Chat

Fresh Spicy Corn Chat


Simple chat with few ingredients available in the pantry..... 

Ingredients:
1 cucumber chopped
1 onion chopped
1 tomato chopped
1 Sweet corn cob or the normal corn
1 tsp lemon juice
salt as per taste
1 tsp chat masala
1 tsp red chilli pdr
1/2 tsp black pepper pdr
coriander leaves
Nylon sev (Optional)

Method:

Combine all the chopped veggies along with corn add lemon juice, chat masala, salt, red chilli pdr, black pepper pdr mix well and garnish with coriander leaves..... Serve immediately.........