Chocolate - Cherry Cake

Chocolate cake with cherries awesome combination. This summer my home is filled with two little angels (my brother-in-law’s daughter, Disha and Isha, 8 and 5 yrs old resp), as they wanted to learn making of chocolate cake... I prepared this recipe…OOPS my angels baked this cake with my directions...They are so happy  that almost whole day spent in eating the cake and calling everybody in phone and telling how they prepared and all(even thought they are not so well understood about baking time ,measurements but its ignored in front of their excitement)…J

Prep Time: 20 min

Cook Time: 10 min

Serves for: 2-3 persons

Ingredients:

All purpose flour - 1 and 1/2 cups (225 gms)

Cocoa powder - 3 tbsp

Baking soda – 1/4 tsp

Baking powder - 1/2 tsp

Salt taste

Powder Sugar - 3/4 cup [Adjust according to your taste]

Chopped Cherries - 2 tbsp

Water – 1/2 cup

Curd – 1/2 cup

Vanilla essence - 1/2 tsp

Lemon juice - 1 tbsp

Oil - 1/4 cup (60 ml)

Direction for Preparation:

1 Take water in a bowl, add curd, vanilla essence, lemon juice and oil. Mix well and Keep aside.

2. Now take flour, Powder Sugar, baking soda, baking powder, salt and coco powder and sieve together.

3. Then slowly add the sieved flour mixture to the wet ingredients mixture.

4. Gently mix in one direction until no lumps are formed, (mixing in one direction will reduce the hair crack on your cake after baking).

5. Now add chopped cherries (you can use chocochips, raisins instead of cherry) and gently mix it.

6. Preheat oven to 200 deg C for 10mins. By the time grease the cake pan with few drops of oil and pour the batter into the cake pan.

7. Bake for about 7-9 min (I am using Onida Conventional microwave and my cake takes almost 7 min at 200 C). Or until toothpick inserted come out clean.

Khaman-Dhokla ( Gujarati Recipe)

Finally I learnt making of these wonderful gujarati snack dhokla...:)

Prep Time: 15 min

Cook Time: 10 min

Serves for: 2-3 persons

Ingredients:

1 cup bengal gram flour (besan)
1 1/2 tbsp semolina (rava)
3 tsp sugar
1 tsp ginger-green chilli paste
1 tsp lemon juice
salt to taste
2 tsp fruit salt
3 1/2 tsp oil for greasing and cooking
1 tsp mustard seeds
1 tsp sesame seeds (til)
1 tsp chopped green chilies
a pinch of asafoetida (hing)
2 to 3 curry leaves (kadi patta)

2 tbsp chopped coriander (dhania)

Direction for Preparation:

1 Combine the besan, semolina, sugar, ginger-green chilli paste, lemon juice and salt along with little water (approximately ¾ cup) in a bowl and mix well with the help of your hand to get a smooth and thick batter.

2. Add 2 tsp of fruit salt and pour little water to the fruit salt, it starts spreading out with your batter( this is to make easy to combine fruit salt with batter)now mix gently.

3. Pour the batter immediately into a greased with oil (125 mm. (5") diameter )thali and spread evenly by rotating the thali clockwise..

4. Steam in a steamer for 7 to 10 minutes or till the dhoklas are cooked. Keep aside.

5. Heat 3 tsp of oil in a small pan and add the mustard seeds

6. When the seeds crackle, add the sesame seeds. Green chillies, asafoetida and curry leaves, mix well and sauté on a medium flame for a few seconds.

7. Remove from the flame and add 1½ tbsp of water and mix well.

8. Pour this tempering over the dhoklas.

9. Cool slightly and cut into equal sized pieces.

10. Serve hot garnished with coriander and green chillies.

11. Serving Tip: Cut single piece of dhokla in middle and add pudina chutney and serve like sandwich it tastes good.

Hot and Spicy Kathi-Rolls

Today I wanted to try out something new dish as I am bored with routine chapatti and bhaji... :( I want to try a spicy, hot food as its raining in Bangalore…J. While in office cafeteria I tried almost all food but Khati rolls are always my favourite, as I can avoid long queue and it is spicy also. So today I remembered this one and recalled my memory for how they make (as they make just in front of us in my office)? Prepared it in home with Chapatti and mixed vegetables, its hot, spicy and yummy…J try out in your home whenever you are bored with routine food with same ingredients.

Prep Time: 20 min

Cook Time: 20 min

Serves for: 2 persons

Ingredients:

3 Chapattis

1tbsp Ginger Garlic paste

1 cup Chopped mix vegetables (I used combination of Gobi, Maze, Potato and Carrot)

½ cup chopped onion

3tbsp Cheese, grated

1 tsp tomato sauce

1tsp Soya sauce

1tsp Green chilli paste

½ tsp Garam masala

½ tsp Coriander powder

½ tsp Turmeric powder

½ tsp Sugar / Jaggery

½ tsp Cumin seeds

½ tsp Mustard 

1tsp oil

1tsp fresh chopped Coriander

Salt for taste

Aluminum foil

Direction for Preparation:

1. Boil the mixed vegetables. I boiled them in microwave with tsp oil and 3tbsp of water for about 12 min (with 60% power).

2. Heat pan and add oil to it.

3. Add mustard and cumin seeds. When they start spluttering add chopped onion.

4. Saute the onion for 2 min maintain its crunchyness, don’t let them until golden brown.

5. Add boiled mix vegetables and sauté for 2 min.

6. Now add all spices like garam masala, coriander powder, turmeric powder, chilli paste, sugar, ginger garlic paste, soya sauce and tomato sauce. Saute the mixture for 2 min. Now the vegetable mix for Kathi rolls is ready.

7. Use ready chapatti or you can make fresh chapatti.

8. Spread above prepared vegetable mix on the chapatti with help of spatula and sprinkle some grated cheese over it.

7. Make the chapatti into rolls and roast these rolls on thava by pressing them (press them lightly) to make the vegetables stuck to chapatti and melt the cheese.

8. If you want smaller pieces of rolls cut them in between or use whole roll as Kathi rolls, wrap them with aluminum foil (it makes easier to hold and roll will not get cold soon).

9. Now serve Kathi rolls with any sauce or simply rolls which are favorite for kids and also elders... ;)

Cheesy Garlic Bread

We both are found off Cheese, so the called “GARLIC BREAD WITH CHEESE”. Whenever we get chance love to have them, never thought the preparation is so simple! I surfed for this recipe and finally found it…:D, and prepared it on the same day its really easy and delicious…J Have it hot with more cheese if you are not bother about fat…J Enjoy Eating…!!

Prep Time: 10 min

Cook Time: 20 min

Serves for: 2 persons

Ingredients:

4 Dinner Rolls

4-5 Cloves Garlic, minced

200 grams Butter

2tbsp Cheese, grated

1 tsp Dried mixed herbs

½ tsp Sesame seeds (til)

½ tsp Black peppercorns, coarsely

Salt for taste

Aluminium foil

Direction for Preparation:

1. Preheat oven to 175°C.

2. Cut the dinner rolls in the middle (as I am not getting here loaf/baguette so I used Dinner rolls for making this), not slicing the dinner roll completely.

3. In bowl melt butter and add minced garlic to the butter.

4. Once butter is melt add salt, dried herbs mix and Black pepper, check for taste.

5. Add this butter and garlic mixture on the gaps of bread roll, spread remaining butter over the bread roll. 4. Sprinkle with grated cheese and some sesame seeds on the bread roll.

5. Wrap the bread in a aluminum foil and seal the ends.

6. Then in the oven and bake for 7-10 minutes.

7. Remove from the oven carefully and serve unwrapped with accompaniments like Cheese dip or orange dip...

8. Garlic bread with soup is best option for dinner..:)

Mango - Palya (Deedir Uppinakayi)

Mango season is back, can’t resist myself eating mango and other mango based recipes. In childhood my mother used to make it…I used to have this playa almost with everything like rice, chapatti, jolad rotti etc...We used to call it as Deedir Uppinkayi also...So today I am trying this recipe first time…wish me luck… :)

Prep Time: 15 min

Cook Time: 30 min

Serves for: 4 persons

Ingredients:

1 large (about 350grms) raw mango

1-3/4 cups (about 350 grams) Jaggery, powdered

1 tsp Mustard Seeds

2-3 tsp Ghee/oil

1-2 dried Red Chilly

Chilly Powder (according to taste)

A pinch of Turmeric

Salt (according to taste)

Asafoetida (Pinch)

Fresh Coriander leaves

Curry leaves

Water

Direction for Preparation:

1. Peel the mangoes, slice it into pieces.

2. Pressure cooks these raw mangoes for about two whistles.

3. To a pan, over medium heat, add jaggery and 1 cup of water.

This is done to melt the jaggery - takes around 4-5 minutes

Filter this to a cup. This straining is essential to remove any scum or debris (that's mostly found in jaggery). Keep aside.

3. In the pan, add the Ghee and when hot, drop the mustard seeds. Add Red chillies if using. When it starts spluttering, add the boiled mangoes.

4. Stir gently for few seconds. Add jaggery and turmeric.

5. Add about 1-1/2 cups water, cover and cook for around 5 minutes. Or until it starts becoming mushy.

6. Serve with Cahpatti, Rice; it goes well with almost everything. You can store this in air tight container for about week in refrigerator.