EGGLESS DATE CAKE

             I tried this eggless date cake from the back of the dates pack I bought. The recipe was very simple with no sugar in it. I like mild sweet cakes/breads. This tastes more like that. So loved it. I was first afraid of how it is going to turn out as it is the recipe just from the back of the pack, but it turned out good. But they had given the name as dates rolls. I baked it in bunt pan, they had mentioned to bake in bread loaf pan. If you are sweet toothed, then this may not be your kind of cake, but still you can try adding sugar or pouring some sauces like caramel / butterscotch or chocolate sauce or even you can try spreading nutella after baking and try eating this cake, you will sure love it!

Ingredients

Pitted dates*	1/2 cup
Milk	1/2 cup + 2 tblsp
Butter	3 tblsp
Mixed spice powder	1/4 tsp
Cinnamon powder	1/4 tsp
Baking soda (Bi carbonate of soda)	1 tsp
Lemon juice	1 tsp
Maida/ All purpose flour	1 & 1/4 cup
Water	1/2 cup

* Deseeded dates

Method

Preheat oven to 190oC. Deseed the dates, heat milk in a pan with butter and roughly chopped dates. Cook in medium flame until the dates become mushy and mixture becomes like a thick paste. Meanwhile, mix Maia, baking soda, cinnamon power, mixed spice power in a bowl. Add the cooked dates and water and mix well. Add lemon juice lastly and mix well, do not over mix. Pour into a greased pan, leaving space to rise, dusted with flour and bake for 35-40 minutes in the oven or until the toothpick inserted comes out clean.

   Cool down for 15 minutes and invert over a wire rack and cool down. You can have it with any sweet sauces like butterscotch or caramel, if you want. You can also sprinkle powdered sugar over it.

Notes

Baking time differs  from oven to oven. So better keep an eye after 30 minutes. After baking, keep the pan over wet cloth. This makes the cake come out clean without tearing or sticking to the pan. If you are sweet toothed, you can add 1/4 cup sugar for this cake. You can replace lemon juice with vinegar. You can add chopped nuts 1/4 cup. walnuts is the best combo! I will soon update the pan size.

 

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          I used to think making hakka noodles is complicated until I tried fried rice ,which I make often now a days. So hakka noodles also now a days become usual dish at our home. I love the smoky flavour we get when we toss the vegetable. I feel the wok they use in the restaurants also play a significant roll in the flavour of hakka noodles. Its so simple to make and kids would love this. Only thing is we have to cook the noodles properly to remove the wax coating which is not good for our health. I used Ching’s hakka noodles to prepare this and its good too. You can use any plain noodles for making this.
 

Vegetable hakka noodles recipe

Recipe Cuisine: Fusion  |  Recipe Category: Lunch / Dinner
Prep Time: 10 mins    |  Cook time: 15 mins    |  Serves: 2

Ingredients

Plain noodles	1 & 1/2 cup
Finely cut cabbage	3/4 cup
Carrot	1
Capsicum	1/2
Spring onion	3 sprigs
Pepper	1/2 tsp
Tomato chilli sauce	1 & 1/2 tsp
Salt	As needed
Oil	2 tblsp

Method

1. Cook noodles as per the instructions given in the pack or boil 3-4 cups of water and cook noodles for 3-4 minutes. Make sure its not over cooked. Drain water and wash it to remove the excess starch and add 1 tsp oil and mix well to avoid sticking.

2. Cut veggies into fine thin strips,chop the spring onion finely(green part) and chop the white part separately. Heat a pan with oil and fry white part of the spring onion.

3. Add the veggies one by one frying each for half minute. Add the sauces, salt and pepper. Give a quick stir.

4. Add the drained noodles and mix well. Add the chopped spring onion and stir well.

Notes

• Use oil generously. You can use any cooking oil or olive oil the best.
• Fry always in high flame. If you can, try tossing the veggies in such a way that it catches fire. This gives the smoky flavor as in restaurants. Oil should be more to do this.
• You can also add white pepper or ajinomoto in this. Ajinomoto is not advisable for health though.

                                       
                                          Serve hot with any Manchurian or as such with sauce.

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JEERA RICE | EASY LUNCH BOX IDEAS

Jeera rice is not a complicated recipe to blog about, still , as I am busy and tied up with some works, thought of posting this simple rice. I make jeera pulao too, but jeera rice is nothing but rice tempered with jeera. We can make it exotic by topping with deep fried sliced onions. It is best for lunch boxes with a dal and a subzi. I am really sorry, some how missed the step wise pictures, though there were only two, I will very soon update it surely.

Jeera rice recipe

Recipe Cuisine: Indian  |  Recipe Category: Lunch
Prep Time: 30 mins    |  Cook time: 15 mins    |  Serves: 2

Ingredients

Basmati rice	1 cup
Shah jeera	1 tblsp
Ghee	2 tblsp
Sliced onion (optional)	1
Oil	For deep frying onion
Salt	As needed
Water	1 & 1/2 cup

 

Method

1. Soak rice for 1/2 hour and in a small pressure cooker/pressure pan, heat ghee and add the shah jeera, take care not to burn and fry for few seconds. Add the rice drained and fry for two minutes. Add 1 and 1/2 cups of water and bring to boil, add salt and pressure cook for 2-3 whistles in medium flame.

Notes

• Soaking rice for long time ensures you giving soft cooked rice. So soak as much longer as possible.
• Using shah jeera is recommended than the ordinary jeera.

Top with deep fried onions if you want to make it special or serve hot with any dal,papad and a subzi.



Dal and subji/subzi to go with this rice

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KARA KUZHAMBU RECIPE / KULAMBU RECIPE (WITH BRINJAL, DRUMSTICK)

         If you ask which is the best combo of vegetables for making kara kuzhambu means I would say its brinjal and drumstick. Both the veggies goes well with even sambar and same applies for kara kuzhambu too. I make this basic kuzhambu and make with other veggies like ladies finger and even Parupurundai kuzhambu. I love it a lot and this tastes great with rice,sesame oil/ ghee or even tastes good with dosa. I make usually the no-coconut kuzhambu like this, but make this occasionally when I have coconut in stock.

Kara kuzhambu Kulambu recipe

Recipe Cuisine: Indian  |  Recipe Category: Lunch
Prep Time: 15 mins    |  Cook time: 20 mins    |  Serves: 4

Ingredients

Brinjal	4 - 6
Drumstick	2
Tamarind	Big variety gooseberry size
Onion	1
Tomato	2
Garlic	8-10 flakes
Sambar powder	1 tblsp,heaped
Pepper powder(optional)	1/4 tsp
Turmeric	1/4 tsp
Jaggery	1/4 tsp
Salt	As needed

To temper

Gingely oil/cooking oil	3 tblsp
Fenugreek seeds	1/4 tsp
Mustard	1 tsp
Urad dal	1 tsp
Toor dal	1 tsp
Jeera	2 tsp
Curry leaves	1 sprig

To grind

Coconut grated	1/2 cup
Onion	1

 

Method

1. Chop 1 onion roughly and other onion and tomato finely. Peel the garlic. Extract the tamarind juice. Heat kadai with oil and temper with the items given under ‘to temper’ table in order. Add garlic and onion and fry till transparent. Add tomatoes and fry till soft.
2. Add the tamarind extract and enough water,salt, turmeric, sambar powder. Add drumstick cut into desired size. Let it boil for 4 minutes. Then add brinjal and bring to boil. Grind coconut and another onion smoothly with little water and add it to the kuzhambu.
3. Let it boil until the brinjal gets cooked and the kuzhambu gets thick. Add pepper powder and jaggery and transfer to the serving bowl.

Notes

• Brinjal gets cooked easily, so add it later after drumstick gets cooked almost 3/4th.
• You can add any vegetable of your choice. Even any one of drumstick or brinjal alone.
• If you dont have sambar powder, you can try with red chilli powder too. But use 2 tsp only and add 1 tsp dhaniya powder.

Serve with rice and any curry, kootu or poriyal. I had with vazhakkai curry.

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CRISPY BITTER GOURD/ KARELA FRIES (PAVAKKAI VARUVAL)

              I never liked pavakkai / bitter gourd / karela. When my mom used to make pavakkai pitlai or sambar when I was a kid, I used to cry while eating… yes! Its compulsory to eat veggies and we had no choice to say NO to any vegetables cooked. I hate that much. She even does pavakkai varuval, never liked it though. But Vj loves pavakkai , but only this deep fried, crispy pavakkai. So I tried making this few times. I used to think, pavakkai should be having bitterness and used to wash so much times and soak in butter milk or water with lemon juice or tamarind extract and try making this crispy fries. But never got perfect crisp fries. But Vj used to say that the key is to slice thinly and evenly. But I never had a hope to get it perfect. Last week he bought bitter gourd and he himself sliced and showed me. I dint do any so called processes to remove the bitterness. Just made it simply and the result is…
             Crisp,evenly fried,very very mild bitterness that is a plus for the fries. I was so happy and wanted to record this recipe here. One of my reader also requested to post Karela recipes, so I thought I should try and post here. So today I did to share with you all and keep this recipe recorded here!

Ingredients

Bitter gourd/ pavakkai	5-6
Rice flour	3 tblsp
corn flour	1 tblsp
Sambar powder/red chilli powder	1 & 1/2 tsp
Turmeric	1/4 tsp
Salt	As needed
Water	1 tblsp(approx.)
Oil	To deep fry

 

Method

Wash and remove both the tapering ends of the bitter gourd. Slice as thin as possible, mainly all should be even in thickness,so that it gets cooked perfect. Mix rice,corn flours, turmeric, sambar powder,salt with the sliced bitter gourds. Sprinkle water and mix evenly. Do not add more. Heat oil in kadai and when it is hot, add the karelas in sprinkled way. Make sure none of them are stuck to each other. Cook in medium flame until the bubbles and sounds ceases. It should be golden in colour and light in weight. Drain in paper towel.

         Serve as accompaniment for rice or enjoy as such as chips! You can store it in airtight container and use for 2-3 days.
  

Notes

It was not at all bitter in-spite of the fact that I dint do anything special to remove the bitterness! May be deep frying method wont have much bitterness. Instead, when I tried to so something to remove the bitterness, they were not that crisp! Frying in medium flame is must to get cooked evenly and crisp without getting dark in colour. Add water only a little to just make the rice flour hold over the bitter gourd. Remove any big hard seeds if any in the bitter gourd after slicing. If its tender then no need to worry.

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MACARONI AND CHEESE (STOVE TOP RECIPE)

I have already a cheesy pasta recipe which can be made in a jiffy. This one is also similar but found this recipe interesting. And always wanted to try a proper mac n cheese. I should sure try in oven too, but this one is a short cut method without any fancy items. My husband never liked the pasta sauce with tomato and likes this way, cheesy and juicy! I am sure kids would love to have this for evening snack or dinner. Macaroni and cheese is a classic recipe for pasta and cheese lovers!

Stove top Macaroni and cheese recipe

Recipe Cuisine: Continental  |  Recipe Category: Maincourse
Prep Time: 5 mins    |  Cook time: 25 mins    |  Serves: 2

Ingredients

Elbow macaroni	1/2 cup
Milk	3/4 cup
Grated cheddar cheese	1/2 cup
Butter	1 & 1/2  tblsp
Any Cheese spread (optional)	2 tbslp
All purpose flour	1 tblsp
Pepper powder	1/4 tsp
Crushed red chilli (paprika)	1/2 tsp
Dry mustard powder	1/4 tsp
Salt	As needed

Method

1. Boil 3 cups of water and cook macaroni until soft along with required salt. No need to wash the pasta. Just drain it and keep aside.
2. Mix all purpose flour, pepper, mustard and paprika in a bowl. Heat a heavy bottomed pan with butter in low flame.
3. When butter melts, add the mixed all purpose flour and mix with a whisk.
4. Add milk gradually with mixing with the whisk and mix to form a smooth sauce. As it gets heated, the sauce becomes thicker. Do this only in medium or low flame.
5. When its about to boil, add the cheese and mix well until the cheese melts in low – medium flame. Do not let the sauce boil.
6. When the sauce is ready, pour it over the cooked pasta and mix well.

Notes

• Do not let the milk boil at any time, or cook in high flame as it may lead to curdled sauce!
• Eat hot!
• You can try with any kind of pasta too!
• If you dont have mustard powder, just crush some mustard seeds(big variety) you have and use it.

Macaroni and cheese is ready ! Serve immediately, hot!

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MASALA MILK RECIPE (MASALA PAAL)

      Masala milk recipe has various versions. I never made on my own, but always wanted to try it out at home. I never used to like the masala pal they give in marriages. But now some how my taste changed and wanted to try it out. It is believed to give a good sleep, the recipe source is here. But I liked to add ‘panag karkandu’ palm sugar crystals in place of sugar and also added a pinch of pepper powder. Also skipped nuts like pistachios,almonds or cashews for garnishing. The milk is very flavourful and delicious!

Masala milk recipe

Recipe Cuisine: Indian  |  Recipe Category: Drinks
Prep Time: 15 mins    |  Cook time: 15 mins    |  Serves: 2

Ingredients

Milk	2 cups
Edible camphor	1 pinch (Mustard size)
Almonds	6 to  8
Saffron	A pinch
Sugar or palm sugar crystals	2 tblsp
Elachi	2
Cloves	2
Cinnamon	2 small pieces
Pepper powder(optional)	2 pinches

Method

1. Soak safforn in luke warm milk and almonds in hot water for 15 minutes.

2. Peel the skin of almonds and grind it to smoothly with little water.

3. Boil milk with cloves,elachi (powdered) , cinnamon,camphor, then add the ground almond.

4. Add the soaked saffron milk and simmer for 5-6 minutes. Lastly add palm sugar crystals and pepper and give it a boil.

Notes

• Choose good quality saffron and make sure you add not more than a pinch,adding more will spoil the taste.
• You can add chopped nuts if you like it.
• Some times palm sugar crystals has impurities. You can strain it by dissolving it in hot water.
• Adding crushed elachi and edible camphor gives a great taste. So this is the main flavour in it. You can skip cloves and cinnamon too.
• This is my own version, so there may be some differences from authentic recipe!

If you want you can discard the whole masalas before you add almonds by straining the milk. Enjoy the milk warm !

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