Eggless Cake - Pure Vegetarian Cake

Neccesity is the mother of invention.

Why am I talking philosophy on this blog you may say. Actually last week my son happened to come down with Chicken pox.

In India it is believed that a very light diet helps in reducing the effect of Chicken pox and helps in healing of the scars faster. Though the doctor believes that this is a myth and we need to follow a normal diet, I strongly believe there is some truth to this theory that our forefathers have imbibed in us.

It was this belief that made me abstain my son from any sort of non-vegetarian food including eggs. Now comes the reason as to why I started with that statements. One of those days when he got so bored of the bland food that he wanted me to bake a cake. I am a firm believer that a good cake can only be baked with eggs and this got me in a dilemma. After searching for a while I nailed down a recipe that had no eggs and is totally vegetarian. This was handed over to me by my SIL.

The base ingredient to this cake is milk and milk products and can be baked in a microwave or an OTG. My sis-in-law who gave me the original recipe(which I changed to my fancy:)) uses a cooker to bake this cake.

I thought of all the people who keep telling me that they can not bake because of the limitation of not having a microwave or an oven I thought this is a boon. My recipes are all tried and tested as you see and this one too had to be in a cooker if I had to tell my friends that they could bake too in a primitive oven (Read Cooker) of sorts.

To my surprise this cake did come out pretty good though I must say it is a little milky since the base ingredient is milk and milk products.

Ingredients:

3/4 cup condensed Milk

3/4 cup Milk Powder or Dairy Whitener

2 cups of Whole Wheat Flour

1/2 Cup Sugar

1 1/2 Cup Milk

1/2 cup fresh cream

1/2 cup Yoghurt

1 tbsp Baking Powder

1/2 tsp Baking Soda

1 tsp vanilla essence

Method:

1. Keep a steel stand inside a cooker. This is to hold the cake tin so that it does not rest at the bottom of the cooker. Now let it simmer without the whistle.


2. Mix all the wet ingredients first in a seperate bowl using a whisker.


3. Mix all the dry ingredients seperately in a bowl.


4. Add the dry mixture slowly into the wet incorporating it slowly into the wet mixture until all the ingredients are well combined.


5. Now take a cake tin and grease it with little oil and sprinkle some flour on it.


6. Pour the cake mixture into this tin and slowly lower the cake tin into the cooker and leave it to simmer for the next one hour.


7. After about an hour check the doneness of the cake with a fork or a tooth pick.


8. Your eggless cake is ready to be served. Enjoy!!
   

P.S:

You can use the oven to bake this cake too. Preheat it to 170 deg c and then pop this mixture for 1/2 hour to 45 minutes and the cake will be ready.

Instead of 2 cups of flour you can use 1 1/2 cup of whole wheat Flour and 1/2 cup of cocoa powder to make a chocolate cake instead of the plain vanilla.

The original recipe called for 1 cup oil instead of 1/2 cup of cream and 1/2 cup of Yoghurt. You can try that version too. Use vegetable oil such as Sunflower oil in that case.

Pavlova

Pavlova the name itself is as mystic as the delicacy this is.

I happened to come across this recipe by chance. Never had heard of it before though I knew what a Meringue is. Once I discovered the beauty of this recipe I have been mesmerized till date. I made this first on my Mom's Birthday and was quite nervous. Cos if you have never had something in your entire life it is kind of difficult to judge your outcome. Rather you do not have any benchmark. But coaxed primarily by my sweet MIL I presented it to my mom and everyone gathered. To my surprise it turned out to be quite a crowd pleaser. Voila!! One more addition to my ever growing list of "I can make this cake/pastry!!" :)

The recipe is simple and ingredients minimal. As you beat the ingredients the color of the egg whites which forms the base ingredient comes out in a very ethereal manner so light as if it is floating in air. This was the highlight of me making this dish. The light airiness of the egg whites!! The name Pavlova is after a Russian Ballet dancer called Anna Pavlova. As I was making it I realised why it so represents her!! A picture they say speaks a thousand words, here is a photograph of her in her very famous "Dying Swan" I could relate the ethereal feel of the dessert with her completely.You may find it interesting to read about Anna Pavlova here.

There are two types of Pavlova that I have tried. One with chocolate (yes how can I deny chocolate in any of my cakes) and one without which is the classic Pavlova or Pav it is called fondly.

I used the following two links to come up with two different versions of Pav.

http://www.nigella.com/recipe/recipe_detail.aspx?rid=283

http://www.taste.com.au/recipes/7271/classic+pavlova

The Pav in the photograph is a Chocolate Pavlova and for this I have used Chikku, Banana and grapes as topping.

I had made a classic version without Chocolate and for that I used grapes, strawberry preserve and topped it with some buttesctoch sauce. Totaly awesome!! That is the best part any pulpy fruit that you feel will taste well as per your shoice can be used liberally as a topping. I am waiting for the mango season to start :) so I can use that as a topping!!

You are going to get lot of wows!! if you do make it in any party that I can assure you. Enjoy!!

Date and Almond Laddu - Moroccon Dessert

This is a sweet that I had made way back during Diwali. It is very easy to make plus lots healthier than the other sweets normally associated with Diwali since this does not include any ghee and needs no sugar to be added. The Dates give the natural sweetness to this dessert. If you find it a little subtle on the sweetness quotient you may add some sugar like how I did. Else you can avoid it totally.

I give this recipe two thumbsup for anyone who has just started cooking and wants to show thier little culinary expertise to friends and family!!

The original recipe can be found at Alia's site for Moroccon cuisine. According to Alia, dates are prominently used to break the fast during the holy month of Ramadan and this sweet is widely used during this season.

I have made the sweet with some changes. So here goes.

Ingredients:

2 cups of De-seeded Dates (Used the Lion Brand)

2 cups Roasted Almonds

Dessicated Coconut (I used the Maggi Brand)

2 tablespoons of honey

2 tbsp of castor sugar

1 tablespoon of Rose water

½ teaspoon of cinnamon powder

Method:

In a double boiler steam the dates for 20 minutes.

Now take the dates and the almonds in a mixie and make a paste out of the same.

When done, add honey, cinnamon, castor sugar and rose water and mix into a dough.

Make laddus from the paste and then roll them into the dessicated coconut. Enjoy!!

Homemade Paneer

I often am questioned by my friends at work on how to make Paneer or the cottage cheese at home. It is so easy to make and is much better than the store bought variety. Since this is the base ingredients for most of the north indian cuisine I find it important enough to be included in my list of recipes.

It is very easy to make Paneer. All you need is available in the Indian Pantry.

First of all take about a litre of fresh cow's milk and bring it to boil. Once it is boiled then reduce the heat to a simmer, add a pinch of salt and juice of 1/2 a lemon right at the middle of the vessel. Let it simmer for a couple of minutes and then check if the milk is curdled. If it hasen't you may add some more juice of lemon.

Once the milk has curdled switch off the gas and keep stirring the mixture. You can now see that the water and the fat content in the milk have seperated.

Strain this mixture through a muslin cloth and what remains in the muslin is the Paneer. Leave it for a few minutes till all the water has drained and then use it in any dish of your choice.

Now the water that is left behind is the "Whey" and is very nutritious in nature. You can reserve it for kneading your Chapati dough for soft Chapatis.

Enjoy!!

Tava Vegetables

I am posting this on behalf of my better half whose culinary expertise is quite famous among all his friends. This vegetarians dish that he churns out for them is always the talk of every party or get together that we have ever had.

So here goes ..in his own words.. The famous Tava Vegetables..

I have made this recipe over a period of time and did lot of experiment on the way and finally its here. Finding it difficult to name, because reaction to food resides as much in our heads as in our mouths, if we believe a food is going to be delicious, we're more likely to enjoy eating it. That's why simply making the name of a food more descriptive or tantalizing can lead us to believe it is tastier and it happens. But believe me whatever name I choose for the “crispy”, “spicy”, “luscious”, “tangy”, “Bitter”, “Piquant”, just ambrosial, it’s the tastiest of all to fulfill all your gustatory organs and ya the “tender”, “slimy”( bit ;-) ) texture is absolutely crucial in any gustatory experience

So here it goes:

Red Bell Pepper (Big size) – 1 – Cut lengthwise

Green Bell Pepper (Big size) – 1 – Cut lengthwise

Yellow Bell Pepper (Big size) – 1 – Cut lengthwise

Brinjal (small) – 5 – cut into roundels

Baby Potato - 250 gms – peeled

Cherry Tomato – 250gms – whole, poked with fork

Beans - 100gms – cut into 3" lengthwise

Ladies fingure(Okra) – 200gms - cut into 3" lengthwise

Baby corn – 6-7 Pcs - cut into 3" lengthwise

Bitter Gourd – 4 Pcs – Boil in salt water and cut into 2 pcs

Sambar Onion - 200gms – peeled

Green chillies – 3-4 big size

Oil - 4 tbsp

Salt - to taste

Method 1:

Fry all the above vegetable in oil in a wok one by one and keep it aside

OR

Method 2:

Spray oil and add salt in all vegetable and bake in an oven on medium to high till the veggies turn crispy brown. You may need to toss them a couple of times in between.

For the Masala:

Onions – 3 medium size – finely chopped

Ginger – 1 inch – ground

Garlic – 10 pcs - ground

Cumin seed – 2 tsp

Pav bhajji masala – 4 tbsp

Tava Veg Fry Masala (MDH) - 2 tsp

Garam masala – ½ tsp

Butter - 2tbsp (Optional)

Method:

Put oil in a wok and add cumin seeds once they sputter add the chopped onions and ginger garlic paste and fry till light brown.

Now ensure the flame is on a simmer and add all (except the green chillies) the fried or baked veggies, mix it carefully ensuring that the veggies are intact and are not mushy.

Add salt, pav bhaji masala and incorporate into the veggies carefully

Add tava veg fry masala, garam masala, butter, and put it in on slow flame for 20-25 mins stirring once in a while.

Garnish with corriander and fried green chillies.

Tasty Tips:

If you fry the veggies in the masala on a slow flame carefully for a long time the masala will get incorporated well into the veggies making it more tastier.

Peanut Butter Banana Moist Cake

Happened to enter the kitchen one evening and felt that I had some time on hand and wanted to bake something different. Saw some bananas waiting to used in something, some peanut butter left in a jar, a couple of eggs and I thought why not try out a cake with these ingredients instead of the usual cookie.

And so started my quest for a moist peanut butter banana cake which ended up successful enough for me to blog about it!! Here goes!!!

Ingredients:

2 1/3 cup flour
2 cup jaggery
1 cup crunchy peanut butter
1/2 cup butter
1 cup milk
2 eggs ligtly beaten
2 bananas mashed
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda

Method:
1. Add the flour, jaggery, peanut butter, melted butter and mix it either with a wide spatula or best done by hand till it becomes a crumbly mixture.Reserve one cup of mixture for later use.
2. Now make a small well right in the middle of the mixture and add milk, eggs, mashed bananas, vanilla, Baking Powder and Baking Soda.
3. Mix all the ingredients well into a batter.
4. Meanwhile you need to pre-heat the oven to a 160 deg C
5. Grease a pan and pour the batter and then top it with the reserved crumble mixture.
6. Bake the cake for about 40-45 minutes and ensure that the top mixture (crumble layer) does not get burnt.
7. Check if the cake is done by inserting a tooth pick. Enjoy the cake with some Butterscotch sauce. Awesome!!

Tip: If you feel the top of the cake is getting burnt then you may cover the top with Aluminium foil.

Kutchi Dabeli - Desi Burger - Street Food

Hey wanted to share an amazing dish that I bumped across. It goes well as a part starter or a snack.

Originates from the Kutch region of Gujarat from where it migrated years later to the streets of mumbai that have made snacks like Pav Bhaji, Chat, Vada Pav so famous. It got its due here and became quite famous with all the street food lovers.
Don't miss it if you are anywhere there.

Anyways one advantage it is not as famous as the Pav bhaji that anyone will know to make and so this can be "your" introduction to any small party, gathering meet that you are having and trust me "No one can steal your thunder" on this one :)

The recipe follows. I have to say it is a little cumbersome but the praises you will get..well worth it!!

Ingredients:

For the Dabeli Masala

• 2 tbsp Oil
• 2 tbsp Butter
• 3 - Onion
• 3 tbsp Dabeli Masala Powder
• 2- Tomatoes
• Salt to taste
• 3-4 Potatoes Boiled
• 1 tsp Sugar
• 2 tsp Lemon Juice

For Garnish:
• 1 cup Spicy Peanuts( I took the non spicy variety)
• 1/2 Cup Corainder Leaves finely chopped
• 1 cup Nylon Sev
• 1 cup Pomegranate Seeds
• 1/2 cup Chopped Onions


For the Bread:

Any Pav Bun will suffice. Ensure that it is soft and fresh. You will have to split the bun into half just until the end and not completely. This should form a kind of a pocket for us to smear all the masalas.

Method for the Dabeli Masala:

1. Take the oil and butter in a wok.
2. Once it is hot add the onion and fry for some time.
3. Now add the Dabeli Masala (1 tbsp) and saute some more.
4. Once it is well mixed add the Tomatoes and fry.
5. Add Salt and fry till the tomatoes are soft.
6. Once the tomatoes are done then add the boiled potatoes, 1 tbsp of Dabeli Masala and a little bit of sugar and lemon juice and sauté till well done.
7. Transfer the ingredients into a flat plate so that you can assemble the Dabeli.

Assembling the Dabeli Masala with Garnish:

Pulse the peanuts for a couple of seconds till they are slightly crunchy at the same time are not whole anymore.

Sprinkle the peanut mixture on top of the Potato mixture.

Sprinkle freshly chopped coriander leaves on top of this mixture.

Now sprinkle the Nylon Sev on top of this mixture generously.

Finally add the Pomegrate Seeds on top of this.

Now the mixture is ready to filled into the Pav along with the chutney.

Apply a little butter onto the Pav buns till they are soft.

Now apply little bit of the Sweet chutney inside the Pav and then close it to ensure the chutney has spread evenly inside the Pav.

Now apply the Red chutney and do the same procedure as above.

Scoop a portion of the Dabeli mixture and put it inside the Pav and then add chopped onions, some coriander leaves, peanut and press the pav lightly.

Enjoy your Dabeli.

Spicy Red Chutney:

• 10 Red Chillies
• 15-20 Garlic Pods
• Lemon Juice 2 tsp
• Salt to taste
• Water to blend
Procedure: Pulse everything in a mixie till it becomes a smooth paste.

Sweet Chutney:

• Tamarind – Lemon size ball
• Sugar or Jaggery – ½ cup
• Water - 1 cup
Procedure: Simmer the tamarind and jaggery along with water till the mixture thickens. Sieve and remove the tamarind seeds and skin to get the sweet chutney.

Dabeli Masala is easily available across Maharashtra and some parts of Gujrat. It can be prepared at home and Sia in her blog has given the procedure to make the dabeli masala from scratch. Do check out her version of making this dish too..