Masala Dosa

INGREDIENTS:
Ingredients for the Dosa Batter:
•1 cup regular rice
•1 cup parboiled rice
•½ cup spilt black lentils or urad dal
•¼ cup poha
•¼ tsp fenugreek seeds
•salt to taste
•water as required
Ingredients for the Masala - Potato filling:
•4-5 potatoes
•10-12 cashewnuts
•10-12 curry leaves
•1 tbsp chana dal
•3 onions sliced
•½ tsp mustard seeds
•1 tsp cumin seeds
•1 or 2 chopped green chillies
•1 or 1.5 tsp chopped ginger
•2 tbsp chopped coriander leaves
•½ tsp turmeric powder
•a pinch of asafoetida
•3 tsp oil or ghee
•salt
INSTRUCTIONS:
Preparing the Dosa Batter:
1.Rinse the rice and urad dal separately first.
2.Soak the parboiled rice, regular rice and poha in a bowl or pan.
3.In another bowl soak the urad dal-methi in enough water
4.Grind the urad dal with methi to a fine and fluffy batter.
5.Grind the rice and poha to a smooth batter.
6.Mix both the rice and urad dal batter with salt.
7.Cover and let the batter ferment for 8-9 hours.
Preparing the potato filling-sabzi:
1.Soak the chana dal in hot water for 30 minutes.
2.Later drain the chana dal and keep aside.
3.Heat oil or ghee. Fry cashew nuts and keep aside.
4.Splutter the mustard seeds. add cumin seeds and drained chana dal.
5.Fry the chana dal well. Now add the onions and curry leaves.
6.Fry the onions till they become soft. Add the green chilies and ginger.
7.Add the turmeric powder and asafoetida. Mix well.
8.Now add the boiled chopped potatoes. Add the fried cashew nuts and salt
9.Cook for 2-3 minutes stirring well. Add chopped coriander leaves. Stir and keep aside.
Preparing the Masala Dosa:
1.Heat a flat pan or a flat non-stick pan. Smear some oil if using an iron pan or griddle. don't smear oil on a non stick pan, as then you won't be able to spread the dosa batter.
2.Spread the dosa batter in a circular way on the pan. Add some oil on top
3.Flip and cook the other side. Flip again.
4.Spread the potato sabzi filling on one side of the dosa.
5.Cover with the other half and let the dosa cook for 15-30 seconds.
6.Serve masala dosa hot with coconut chutney and sambar

eggless apple cake

INGREDIENTS:
dry ingredients:
•1 medium sized apple, peeled, cored and chopped
•1 cup whole wheat flour
•1 cup all purpose flour/maida
•½ tsp baking soda
•½ tsp baking powder
•¼ tsp cinnamon powder
•¼ tsp nutmeg powder
•¾ cup coconut sugar
•a pinch of salt
wet ingredients:
•¼ cup oil
•1 cup water
•1 tsp lemon juice
•½ tsp of vanilla extract or powder
INSTRUCTIONS:
1.sieve all the dry ingredients first, except the sugar and chopped apple.
2.add the chopped apples and stir in the sieved flours.
3.now add the sugar and mix it well.
4.now add the wet ingredients one by one.
5.stir well so that there is a uniform mixture.
6.now add the lemon juice and give a quick stir so that the lemon juice is incorporated well in the cake batter.
7.pour into a greased cake tin.
8.bake in a preheated oven for 45-50 mins at 180 degrees C/356 degrees F or more till a tooth pick inserted in the cake comes out clean.
9.unmold and cool on a rack.
10.serve the apple cake cake warm or when cooled with tea or coffee.

eggless vanilla cake

INGREDIENTS:
•1.5 cups all purpose flour/maida
•1 tsp baking powder
•a pinch of salt
•½ cup water
•½ cup melted butter or oil
•¾ cup organic unrefined cane sugar
•3 tbsp yogurt/curd (dairy or vegan) + 1 tbsp water
•1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
•½ tsp baking soda
•1 tsp vanilla extract
INSTRUCTIONS:
1.first sift the all purposed flour/maida with the baking powder and a pinch of salt in a mixing bowl or pan.
2.just keep everything ready as you have to be quick enough to mix the batter.
3.preheat the oven to 180 degrees C.
4.grease a 6 or 7 inches pan with butter or oil.
5.you can also line the pan with butter paper and then grease the butter paper with oil or butter.
6.now take some butter and melt it in a small pan or microwave.
7.you need to get about ½ cup of melted butter.
8.just melt the butter. no need to heat it.
9.when the butter is still warm or a bit hot, add the sugar to the melted butter.
10.stir and mix well.
11.keep aside.
12.now in a measuring cup or in a small bowl, whisk the 3 tbsp yogurt + 1 tbsp water till smooth.
13.add 1 tbsp vinegar.
14.then add the baking soda and stir.
15.pour the butter+sugar mixture, ½ cup water and the frothing yogurt+vinegar+baking soda into the sieved flour.
16.add vanilla extract.
17.be quick enough to fold and make a lump free batter.
18.don't over do the folding.
19.pour the batter in the greased baking pan.
20.shake and tap the sides of the pan so that air bubbles are released.
21.place the pan in the preheated oven in the center rack.
22.keep the heating in both the bottom and top elements of the oven on.
23.bake at 180 degrees C for 30-35 minutes or more till a tooth pick inserted in the cake comes out clean.
24.if the vanilla cake browns too quickly on the top, then cover the top with an aluminium foil or butter paper.
25.once done let the vanilla cake stand at room temperature for 7-8 minutes.
26.then with the help of oven mitts, gently remove the vanilla cake on a wired tray or rack.
27.once the vanilla cake cools, you can serve the eggless vanilla cake as it is or use the vanilla cake to make pastries or gateau.

eggless gingerbread cake

INGREDIENTS:
main ingredients:
•1.5 cups organic whole wheat flour/atta
•2 tsp ginger paste or grated ginger
•2 tbsp candied ginger or golden raisins
•¼ tsp cinnamon powder
•¼ tsp nutmeg powder
•½ tsp baking soda
•1 tsp baking powder
•¼ cup yogurt (dairy or vegan) + ¼ cup water
•½ cup oil
for the jaggery syrup:
•¾ cup powdered or grated organic jaggery
•½ cup water
INSTRUCTIONS:
1.mix the whole wheat flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon and nutmeg powder well in a bowl. you can also sieve the above ingredients.
2.add the ginger paste and candied ginger and mix again.
3.in a separate bowl, whisk the ¼ cup yogurt with ¼ cup water till smooth. then add the oil to it and mix well. keep aside.
4.heat the ½ cup water till its just hot (no need to boil) in a microwave or on stove top.
5.add jaggery to the hot water and stir well.
6.pour the yogurt+oil mixture to the flour.
7.then add the jaggery solution.
8.fold the ingredients well and make a smooth batter.
9.pour into a greased baking round pan or loaf pan and bake in a preheated oven at 180 degrees C for 35-40 mins. it took me 41 minutes to bake the cake.
10.if the top gets browned quickly while baking, cover with butter paper or aluminium foil and then continue to baking.
11.once warm, remove the gingerbread cake from the pan and keep it on the tray to cool.
12.dust some icing sugar on the cake if you prefer.
13.slice the eggless gingerbread and serve plain or with some whipped cream.

eggless tutti frutti cake

INGREDIENTS:
•1.5 cups all purpose flour/maida
•5 to 6 tbsp tutti frutti - approx 100 gms of tutti frutti
•¼ tsp cinnamon powder
•1 tsp baking powder
•a pinch of salt
•½ cup water
•½ cup oil
•¾ cup organic unrefined cane sugar
•3 tbsp yogurt/curd (dairy or vegan) + 1 tbsp water
•1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
•½ tsp baking soda
•1 tsp vanilla extract or vanilla powder
INSTRUCTIONS:
1.first sift the all purposed flour/maida with the baking powder, cinnamon powder and a pinch of salt in a mixing bowl or pan.
2.just keep everything ready as you have to be quick enough to mix the batter.
3.preheat the oven to 180 degrees C. grease a 6 or 7 inches pan with butter or oil.
4.you can also line the pan with butter paper and then grease the butter paper with oil or butter.
5.then mix sugar with oil in a measuring cup or bowl and keep aside.
6.now in a measuring cup or in a small bowl, whisk the 3 tbsp yogurt + 1 tbsp water till smooth.
7.add 1 tbsp vinegar. then add the baking soda and stir.
8.pour the oil+sugar mixture, the frothing yogurt+vinegar+baking soda and ½ cup water into the sieved flour.
9.add vanilla extract. be quick enough to fold and make a lump free and smooth batter.
10.don’t over do the folding. pour the batter in the greased baking pan.
11.shake and tap the sides of the pan so that air bubbles are released.
12.place the pan in the preheated oven in the center rack.
13.keep the heating in both the bottom and top elements of the oven on.
14.bake at 180 degrees C for 40-45 minutes or more or less till a tooth pick inserted in the cake comes out clean.
15.if the tutti frutti cake browns too quickly on the top, then cover the top with an aluminium foil or butter paper.
16.once done let the eggless tutti frutti stand at room temperature for 7-8 minutes.
17.then with the help of oven mitts, gently remove the cake on a wired tray or rack.
18.once the cake cools, slice and serve the tutti frutti cake slices with tea or coffee.




 

strawberry cream cake

INGREDIENTS:
for the basic vanilla cake:
•1.5 cups all purpose flour/maida
•1 tsp baking powder
•a pinch of salt
•½ cup water
•½ cup melted butter
•¾ cup organic unrefined cane sugar
•3 tbsp yogurt/curd (dairy or vegan) + 1 tbsp water
•1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
•½ tsp baking soda
•1 tsp vanilla extract
for the cream frosting and filling:
•200 ml whipping cream - use cream which has at least 30% fat
•4-5 tbsp icing sugar
•½ tsp vanilla extract
•175 to 200 grams fresh strawberries
•3 to 4 tbsp organic unrefined cane sugar
INSTRUCTIONS:
preparing the eggless vanilla cake:
1.first sift the all purposed flour/maida with the baking powder and a pinch of salt in a mixing bowl or pan.
2.just keep everything ready as you have to be quick enough to mix the batter.
3.preheat the oven to 180 degrees C.
4.grease a 6 or 7 inches pan with butter or oil. you can also line the pan with butter paper and then grease the butter paper with oil or butter.
5.now take some butter and melt it in a small pan or microwave.
6.you need to get about ½ cup of melted butter. just melt the butter. no need to heat it.
7.when the butter is still warm or a bit hot, add the sugar to the melted butter.
8.stir and mix well. keep aside.
9.now in a measuring cup or in a small bowl, whisk the 3 tbsp yogurt + 1 tbsp water till smooth.
10.add 1 tbsp vinegar. then add the baking soda and stir.
11.pour the butter+sugar mixture, ½ cup water and the frothing yogurt+vinegar+baking soda into the sieved flour.
12.add vanilla extract.
13.be quick enough to fold and make a lump free batter. don’t over do the folding.
14.pour the batter in the greased baking pan.
15.shake and tap the sides of the pan so that air bubbles are released.
16.place the pan in the preheated oven in the center rack.
17.keep the heating in both the bottom and top elements of the oven on.
18.bake at 180 degrees C for 30-35 minutes or more till a tooth pick inserted in the cake comes out clean.
19.if the vanilla cake browns too quickly on the top, then cover the top with an aluminium foil or butter paper.
20.once done let the vanilla cake stand at room temperature for 7-8 minutes.
21.then with the help of oven mitts, gently remove the vanilla cake on a wired tray or rack.
22.once the vanilla cake cools, you can serve the eggless vanilla cake as it is or use the vanilla cake to make pastries or gateau.
23.let the cake cool completely before you prepare the icing.
preparing the icing and filling:
1.rinse the strawberries well and then dry them with kitchen napkin.
2.reserve about 5-6 small to medium strawberries for the decoration and keep them in the fridge.
3.hull and chop the rest of the strawberries.
4.take the chopped strawberries and about 3 to 4 tbsp sugar in a bowl.
5.the proportion of sugar here depends on the sweetness of the strawberries.
6.mix the sugar with the strawberries and keep aside for at least 30-40 mins to macerate in the fridge. you can also keep them overnight.
7.in a stand mixer fitted with the wired whip blade, whip the cream and icing sugar along with vanilla extract, at high speed till you get stiff peaks in the cream.
8.taste the cream and add more sugar if required.
9.you can also use a hand held electric beater to whip the cream.
10.the cream should have stiff peaks - meaning on turning the bowl the cream should not fall down.
assembling the cake:
1.slice the cake with a serrated knife from the center carefully into two equal halves.
2.brush the syrup from the chilled macerated strawberries lightly on one half of the cake.
3.spread the chopped strawberries evenly on the cake.
4.spread another layer of the whipped cream evenly on the cake.
5.keep the other cake slice over.
6.now spread the remaining whipped cream all over the cake with a palette knife or spatula evenly.
7.keep the cake in the refrigerator for 2 to 3 hours so that the cream icing sets.
8.slice the strawberries which we had chilled for decorating the cake and keep them aside.
9.remove the cake and decorate the cake with the fresh strawberry slices.
10.serve the strawberry cream cake immediately.
11.or you can keep it covered in the fridge and then serve later.
12.its advisable to finish this strawberry cream cake in a day or two.

eggless pineapple cream cake

INGREDIENTS:
for the basic vanilla cake:
•1.5 cups all purpose flour/maida
•1 tsp baking powder
•a pinch of salt
•½ cup water
•½ cup melted butter or oil
•¾ cup organic unrefined cane sugar or regular sugar – add as required * check notes
•3 tbsp yogurt/curd (dairy or vegan) + 1 tbsp water
•1 tbsp apple cider vinegar or white vinegar
•½ tsp baking soda
•1 tsp vanilla extract or pineapple essence
for the cream frosting and filling:
•200 ml whipping cream – use cream which has at least 30% fat
•¼ tsp vanilla extract or pineapple essence
•4-5 tbsp icing sugar or as required
•2 to 3 pineapple slices, finely chopped
•3 to 4 pineapple slices for decoration
•a few glazed cherries for decoration or chocolate chips
•2 to 3 tsp pineapple juice for brushing on the cake
INSTRUCTIONS:
preparing the eggless vanilla cake:
1.first sift the all purposed flour/maida with the baking powder and a pinch of salt in a mixing bowl or pan.
2.just keep everything ready as you have to be quick enough to mix the batter.
3.preheat the oven to 180 degrees C.
4.grease a 6 or 7 inches pan with butter or oil. you can also line the pan with butter paper and then grease the butter paper with oil or butter.
5.now take some butter and melt it in a small pan or microwave.
6.you need to get about ½ cup of melted butter. just melt the butter. no need to heat it.
7.when the butter is still warm or a bit hot, add the sugar to the melted butter.
8.stir and mix well. keep aside.
9.now in a measuring cup or in a small bowl, whisk the 3 tbsp yogurt + 1 tbsp water till smooth.
10.add 1 tbsp vinegar. then add the baking soda and stir.
11.pour the butter+sugar mixture, ½ cup water and the frothing yogurt+vinegar+baking soda into the sieved flour.
12.add vanilla extract or pineapple essence.
13.be quick enough to fold and make a lump free batter. don’t over do the folding.
14.pour the batter in the greased baking pan.
15.shake and tap the sides of the pan so that air bubbles are released.
16.place the pan in the preheated oven in the center rack.
17.keep the heating in both the bottom and top elements of the oven on.
18.bake at 180 degrees C for 30-35 minutes or more till a tooth pick inserted in the cake comes out clean.
19.if the vanilla cake browns too quickly on the top, then cover the top with an aluminium foil or butter paper.
20.once done let the vanilla cake stand at room temperature for 7-8 minutes.
21.then with the help of oven mitts, gently remove the vanilla cake on a wired tray or rack.
22.once the vanilla cake cools, you can serve the eggless vanilla cake as it is or use the vanilla cake to make pastries or gateau.
23.let the cake cool completely before you prepare the icing.
for the pineapple cream frosting & assembling.
1.finely chop 2 to 3 pineapple slices and keep aside.
2.slice the cake with a serrated knife from the center carefully into two equal halves.
3.brush the base slice of the cake with some pineapple juice.
4.in a stand mixer fitted with the wired whip blade, whip the cream and icing sugar along with vanilla extract or pineapple essence, at high speed till you get stiff peaks in the cream.
5.taste the cream and add more icing sugar if required.
6.you can also use a hand held electric beater to whip the cream.
7.the cream should have stiff peaks – meaning on turning the bowl the cream should not fall down.
8.mix the finely chopped pineapple with ¼ or ⅓ of the cream
9.spread the pineapple cream frosting on the base slice evenly..
10.keep the other cake half over.
11.now spread the remaining whipped cream all over the cake on the top as well as the sides, with a palette knife or spatula evenly.
12.decorate the cake with a few more pineapple slices.
13.keep the cake in the refrigerator for 2 to 3 hours so that the cream icing sets.
14.remove the cake and decorate the cake with the fresh strawberry slices.
15.serve the eggless pineapple cream cake immediately.
16.or you can keep it covered in the fridge and then serve later.
17.its advisable to finish this pineapple cream cake in a day or two.

cucumber cake

INGREDIENTS:
•1.5 cups suji ravva
•1.5 cups organic powdered jaggery
•4-5 green cardamoms
•¾ cup grated fresh coconut
•2 cups grated cucumber, tightly packed - regular
•¼ tsp cumin powder
•2 to 3 tbsp cashews, chopped
•½ tsp coconut oil for greasing the pan
INSTRUCTIONS:
1.roast the rava/sooji/semolina till fragrant. keep aside.
2.take the cardamoms in a mortar-pestle and powder them.
3.discard the peels and keep the cardamom powder aside
4.rinse and peel the yellow cucumber. slice the cucumber and remove the seeds. if using regular cucumber, then no need to remove the seeds.
5.grate the cucumber and keep aside.
6.a lot of the cucumber juice will be collected in the bowl or in the plate. just add this juice to the batter.
7.in a mixing bowl, take the roasted semolina.
8.mix in the grated cucumber along with its juice, grated coconut, chopped cashews and add the powdered jaggery.
9.add the cardamom powder and cumin powder.
10.mix the batter very well without any lumps.
11.the batter has a medium consistency and is neither too thick nor thin.
12.depending on the consistency of the batter you can add a few tbsp of milk or coconut milk.
13.i did not need to add any milk as the batter had a medium consistency.
14.heat about 3 to 3.5 cups water in a steamer or electric cooker or pressure cooker.
15.grease the pan with coconut oil.
16.pour the batter in the pan.
17.place the pan in the steamer, electric cooker or pressure cooker.
18.cover the steamer or electric cooker with its lid. if using pressure cooker, then remove the vent weight (whistle) from the lid and then tightly cover the cooker with its lid.
19.steam for 30 to 40 minutes until a knife inserted comes out clean.
20.when the cucumber cake become warm or is cooled completely, then slice and serve them.

eggless mango cheese cake

INGREDIENTS:
for the bottom layer:
•14 to 15 crackers or marie biscuits
•3 tbsp honey or 3 tbsp melted butter
•¼ tsp cinnamon powder
for the middle cream cheese layer and top layer:
•3 medium mangoes - yields about 2 cups of mango pulp
•200 to 225 gms plain cream cheese
•200 ml cream
•1 tsp vanilla extract or essence
•¾ cup sugar or add as required depending on the sweetness of the mangoes
•5 to 6 tbsp chopped agar agar strands or 3 to 3.5 tsp agar agar powder
•¾ cup water
INSTRUCTIONS:
preparing the bottom layer:
1.break the biscuits and add them to a food processor or a dry grinder and powder them. add cinnamon powder and honey or butter and just blend them once more till the honey/butter is evenly mixed.
2.grease a detachable pie pan bottom with unsalted butter.
3.place the powdered crackers/biscuits on the pie pan and with your fingertips just press them and make an even layer.
4.keep in the fridge for about 15 to 20 mins for the bottom crumb layer to set.
preparing the middle and top layer:
1.cut the agar agar sticks and soak them in ½ cup of water for 20 to 25 mins in a small pan.
2.peel and chop the mangoes. prepare a smooth puree of the chopped mangoes in a blender. divide the mango puree into two equal portions in separate bowls and keep aside.
3.in a another mixing bowl or pan, take the cream cheese, cream, vanilla extract and sugar.
4.with a wired whisk whip this mixture very well till smooth. you can also use a stand mixer or a hand held mixer or food processor.
5.then add half of of the mango puree (i had 1 cup of mango puree) and gently mix it with the cream cheese mixture.
6.now heat the pan containing the agar agar and water on a sim or low flame.
7.keep on stirring and cook this mixture till the agar agar dissolves completely in the water and you see a smooth gelatinous liquid.
8.when the agar agar solution becomes warm, take equal portions of it. add one portion of the warm agar agar solution to the mango cream cheese mixture and stir quickly and vigorously.
9.add the remaining half portion to the mango puree and again stir quickly. if the mangoes are not sweet, then do add some sugar to this half of the mango puree before you add the agar agar solution.
10.in case, the agar agar solidifies, then reheat it again adding some water. you can also keep it on a hot water bath to melt it again.
11.pour the mango cream cheese mixture on to the cracker crumb layer.
12.shake the pan gently to spread even the cream cheese. with a spatula even the second mango cheese cake layer.
13.keep the pan in the fridge for about 30 to 35 mins.
14.remove and then layer the mango + agar agar mixture gently on the middle cream cheese layer. with a flat spatula spread the last layer carefully.
15.if the mango puree has become thick with the agar agar setting in it, then just lightly microwave it.
16.cover the pan and keep in the refrigerator for the mango cheese cake to set for 3 to 4 hours.
17.unmould carefully and then place the cheesecake on a serving tray or plate or cake stand.
18.decorate with whipped cream, chopped mangoes, mint leaves or whatever you prefer.
19.slice the mango cheese cake and serve immediately.

eggless banana cake

INGREDIENTS:
•4 medium to large ripe
•1.5 cups whole wheat flour
•1 tsp baking powder
•½ tsp baking soda
•a pinch of salt
•½ cup organic unrefined cane sugar
•⅔ cup any neutral flavored oil
•1 tsp vanilla extract
•10 halved walnuts, chopped
INSTRUCTIONS:
1.preheat your oven at 180 degrees C/350 degrees F. if using a regular oven, heat both the top and bottom elements. for a microwave convection oven, just preheat the oven.
2.peel and chop the bananas. add them to a bowl and mash them with a fork. you can also use a blender to mash the bananas.
3.add sugar, oil and vanilla extract.
4.stir very well so that the oil mixes with the banana puree and the sugar dissolves.
5.sieve whole wheat flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt directly in the bowl. you can also sieve these separately and then add them to the wet ingredients.
6.fold the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients very well.
7.add the chopped walnuts and fold again. apart from walnuts, you can also add raisins, pistachios or any dry fruits of your choice. chocolate chips or cacao nibs can also be added.
8.pour the batter in a greased or lined loaf pan ( 7.5 x 4 x 2.5 inches) or round cake pan (7.5 x 2 inches).
9.gently tap and shake the pan. place the pan in the center rack if using a regular oven or OTG.
10.bake in the preheated oven at 180 degrees C/350 degrees F for 45 to 50 mins or till tooth pick inserted in the cake comes out clean. if the top of the cake starts browning then cover the top with an aluminium foil or butter paper. * check notes
11.when warm or cooled, slice and serve banana cake plain with tea or coffee.

mawa cake

INGREDIENTS:
•2 cups maida
•⅔ to 1 cup tightly packed, crumbled kova
•1 cup whole milk
•4 tbsp cream, low fat 25% to 30% - i added amul cream
•1 tsp baking powder
•½ tsp baking soda
•140 to 150 gms unsalted white butter
•1 cup fine granuled sugar
•1 tsp cardamom powder
INSTRUCTIONS:
1.grease a 7 to 8 inches round pan with butter. dust some flour on it. shake and tap the pan so that the flour spreads evenly.
2.you can also line the cake pan with butter paper or parchment paper.
3.preheat oven to 180 degrees celsius.
4.grease some butter on the butter paper or parchment paper.
5.crumble the mawa and keep aside. you can also grate the mawa.
6.cream butter and sugar till light and fluffy. you can use a stand mixer, food processor or an electric beater to cream the butter and sugar.
7.add the crumbled mawa and mix very well.
8.then add the flour sieved with baking soda and baking powder directly into the cake mixture.
9.sprinkle the cardamom powder.
10.pour the milk and cream.
11.fold everything till the flour, milk and cream are incorporated well in the cake batter.
12.pour the cake batter in the prepared cake pan.
13.place the pan in the pre heated oven at 180 degrees C and bake for 45 to 1 hour, till you the top is browned and a tooth pick inserted in the cake comes out clean.
14.if baking cupcakes, then just bake for 20 to 25 mins or till the tops are browned.
15.allow the cake to cool down.
16.slice the mawa cake and serve plain with tea or coffee.

basic eggless chocolate cake

INGREDIENTS:
•1 cup whole wheat flour
•3 tbsp cocoa powder
•½ tsp baking soda
•a pinch of salt
•¾ cup sugar, 150 gms
•1 cup cold water, 250 ml
•¼ cup oil or melted butter, 62.5 ml
•1 tbsp lime juice
•½ tsp vanilla extract or vanilla powder
for the cocoa frosting:
•2 tbsp unsalted butter at room temperature
•4 tbsp cocoa powder
•3 tbsp milk
•4 tbsp sugar or add as required
INSTRUCTIONS:
for the cake:
1.first grease a round baking pan of 7.5 inches diameter x 2 inches height with oil. preheat your
2.oven to 200 degrees celsius/392 degrees fahrenheit.
3.seive 1 cup whole wheat flour, 3 tbsp cocoa powder, a pinch of salt, ½ tsp baking soda in a plate. use good quality cocoa powder.
4.in another pan or bowl, take ¾ cup sugar.
5.add 1 cup cold water and stir so that the sugar dissolves.
6.now add ¼ cup oil or melted butter. i added oil. stir briskly so that everything is mixed well.
7.next add 1 tbsp lime juice. stir again.
8.now add ½ tsp vanilla extract or powder.
9.add the sieved dry ingredients to the wet mixture. using a wired whisk, mix everything well.
10.there should be no lumps in the cake batter. the batter is not thick but thin.
11.pour the cake batter in the prepared cake pan.
12.tap the sides of the cake pan so that the extra air bubbles are let out.
13.bake the cake in a preheated oven for 200 degrees celsius/392 degrees fahrenhiet for 35 to 40 mins. since temperatures vary from oven to oven, do keep a check. for baking in a convection mode of microwave oven, preheat the oven at 180 degrees celsius/356 degrees fahrenheit for 15 minutes. then bake the cake at 180 degrees celsius /356 degree fahrenheit for the 30 to 35 minutes.
14.for doneness check the cake with a tooth pick. the tooth pick should come out clean. once the cake becomes warm or cools down, unmold and place it on a wired rack. if the tooth pick is sticky, then place the cake bake in the oven and continue to bake for some more minutes. before frosting let the cake cool completely.
for the frosting:
1.take 2 tbsp butter and 4 tbsp sugar in a saucepan.
2.heat and melt the butter. also the sugar should dissolve. once the sugar has dissolved switch off the stove top. the sugar should be just dissolved. we don't need to cook the sugar in its various stages.
3.next add 4 tbsp cocoa powder.
4.with a spatula stir so that the cocoa powder gets mixed evenly with the butter-sugar mixture.
5.add 3 tbsp milk. stir very well. to make a slightly thick frosting, you can also add 2 tbsp milk. the cocoa frosting is ready.
6.while still hot, spread the frosting on the cake as well as the sides with a spatula. you can also slice the cake in halve and spread frosting in the center and then on the top. usually i wrap a medium sized plate with aluminium foil and then keep the cake on it. this make the frosting work easier. this time i just kept the cake directly on the plate. keep the cake covered in the fridge for the frosting to set. you can use a dome shaped bowl to cover the cake. make sure the there is enough space between the cake and the bowl which you are using for covering the cake.
7.the frosting will set after some hours. i kept overnight.
8.next day, sieve some icing sugar and cocoa powder on the cake. this is optional.
9.slice and serve the the eggless chocolate cake.

eggless black forest cake

INGREDIENTS:

•1 medium sized eggless chocolate cake

for eggless chocolate cake:

•1 cup whole wheat flour/atta, levelled, 120 gms
•3 tbsp cocoa powder
•½ tsp baking soda
•a pinch of salt
•¾ cup sugar, 150 gms
•1 cup cold water, 250 ml
•¼ cup oil or melted butter, 62.5 ml
•1 tbsp lime juice
•½ tsp vanilla extract or vanilla powder
for the icing:
•200 ml chilled amul fresh cream
•5 tbsp icing sugar
•3 tbsp chopped red cherries
•7 to 8 tbsp grated chocolate
•2 to 3 tsp of cherry syrup
•8 to 10 whole cherries for decoration
•some chocolate shavings for decoration
INSTRUCTIONS:
for the eggless chocolate cake:
1.first grease a round baking pan of 7.5 inches diameter x 2 inches height with oil. preheat your
2.oven to 200 degrees celsius/392 degrees fahrenheit.
3.seive 1 cup whole wheat flour, 3 tbsp cocoa powder, a pinch of salt, ½ tsp baking soda in a plate. use good quality cocoa powder.
4.in another pan or bowl, take ¾ cup sugar.
5.add 1 cup cold water and stir so that the sugar dissolves.
6.now add ¼ cup oil or melted butter. i added oil. stir briskly so that everything is mixed well.
7.next add 1 tbsp lime juice. stir again.
8.now add ½ tsp vanilla extract or powder.
9.add the sieved dry ingredients to the wet mixture. using a wired whisk, mix everything well.
10.there should be no lumps in the cake batter. the batter is not thick but thin.
11.pour the cake batter in the prepared cake pan.
12.tap the sides of the cake pan so that the extra air bubbles are let out.
13.bake the cake in a preheated oven for 200 degrees celsius/392 fahrenhiet for 35 to 40 mins. since temperatures vary from oven to oven, do keep a check. for baking in a convection mode of microwave oven, preheat the oven at 180 degrees celsius/356 fahrenheit degrees for 15 minutes. then bake the cake at 180 degrees celsius/356 degrees fahrenheit for the 30 to 35 minutes.
14.for doneness check the cake with a tooth pick. the tooth pick should come out clean. once the cake becomes warm or cools down, unmold and place it on a wired rack. if the tooth pick is sticky, then place the cake bake in the oven and continue to bake for some more minutes. before frosting let the cake cool completely.
icing method:
1.keep the top of the cake facing you. slice the cake neatly and from the center with a large knife or serrated knife. you can also use a dental floss to slice the cake into two. with knife things can go uneven, so slice carefully. if crumbs fall, collect them and then add them on top of the cream layer.
2.remove the top half and keep aside. keep the the bottom cake half facing you. just cover them and keep aside while you prepare the cream icing.
3.in a stand mixer take cream and icing sugar. you can use an electric beater and take the cream and icing sugar in a bowl. i have used amul cream as that the only cream i get here. also it works very well for me. but one has to use icing sugar otherwise amul cream does not whipped well due to its low fat content. if you can get heavy whipping cream, then nothing like it. remember to chill the cream in the refrigerator at least for a day or two before you use it.
4.at the highest speed, run the wire whip blade and whip till the cream become stiff. i whipped amul cream for about 8 minutes in the highest speed of the stand mixer. if you use heavy whipping cream, you won't have to whip for so long. don’t overdo the beating as the cream might turn into butter, when you get stiff peaks, just stop the mixer or beater. to check, just invert the bowl and if the cream does not fall, the cream has got stiff peaks.
5.sprinkle some sugar syrup on the cake evenly. to make sugar syrup, dissolve 1 tsp sugar with 3 to 4 tsp water. you can also use rum or wine instead of sugar syrup.
6.now with a spatula spread about ¼ or ⅓ of the whipped cream.
7.spread evenly. since this is a moist cake, the crumbs will be seen while spreading the cream. there is a method that can be used to to avoid the crumbs. but since we are making at home, this much is alright.
8.then add a layer of chopped red cherries. red cherries are easily available. these are in the indian variety of candied karonda berries. they are also called as karonda murabba in hindi. i get them easily at mithai shops here.
9.sprinkle grated chocolate on top.
10.cover with the top halve of the cake.
11.spread some cream on the top evenly. spread on the sides. if you have a cake decorating stand, then its best to use. for home purpose, i use a small flat plate covered with aluminum foil and place the cake on it before icing.
12.add the remaining whipped cream in a piping bag and use any decorative nozzle. decorate the cake with the cream from the piping bag.
13.don't worry about design flaws as we will be adding more grated chocolate on the cakes. so imperfections can be hidden :-)
14.place whole cherries on the cake.
15.you can add the amount of cherries you want to make a neat looking cake.
16.sprinkle some grated chocolate all over. you can also add chocolate shavings or chocolate vermicelli.
17.also place the grated chocolate on the side of the cake. i also added some chocolate shavings from top.
18.cover the cake with a large bowl without it touching the sides and place in the fridge for the cream icing to set. keep to set for 3 to 4 hours or overnight.
19.when the cream icing has set well, slice and serve the eggless black forest cake.

eggless orange muffins

INGREDIENTS:
for the eggless muffins:
•1 cup whole wheat flour
•½ cup sugar or 50 grams
•1 cup orange juice
•1 tsp orange zest
•a pinch of salt
•½ tsp baking soda
•½ tsp baking powder
•1 tbsp corn starch
•¼ cup oil
for the chocolate glaze:
•2 tsp orange juice
•3 tbsp cocoa powder
•2 to 2.5 tbsp sugar or add as required
•½ tbsp oil
•2 to 2.5 tbsp water or add as required
INSTRUCTIONS:
preparing eggless muffins:
1.first seive 1 cup whole wheat flour/atta, 1tbsp corn starch, ½ tsp baking soda, ½ tsp baking powder and a pinch of salt in a mixing bowl or pan.
2.keep the sieved dry mixture aside.
3.for the orange zest, with a zester or grater, grate the zest from one medium orange and keep aside.
4.line a muffin tray or pan with muffin liners. also preheat the oven at 180 degrees celsius/356 degrees fahrenheit for about 10 to 12 minutes.
5.in another bowl, take ½ cup sugar and ¼ cup oil.
6.just mix and keep aside.
7.prepare the orange juice in an electric juicer or a blender. if using a blender, then remove the seeds from the orange segments and then blend. then strain the orange juice though a fine seive. from 3 oranges, i got 1 cup orange juice.
8.add the 1 cup orange juice to the sugar + oil mixture.
9.stir briskly and very well till the sugar dissolves.
10.add this orange juice mixture to the sieved dry mixture.
11.add the orange zest.
12.with a wired whisk, stir the mixture to a smooth batter with light hands. don't over mix.
13.here's the orange cake batter ready to be poured in the muffin liners.
14.spoon the batter in the muffin liners till it reaches ¾ part of the liners. gently shake the pan to release excess air bubbles.
15.place the muffin tray in the preheated oven. bake at 180 degrees celsius/356 degrees fahrenheit for 20 to 25 minutes or till a tooth pic inserted comes out clean.
16.let the muffins cool. you can serve orange muffins plain or dusted with icing sugar, cocoa powder or prepare any chocolate glaze or icing. the recipe yields 8 regular sized muffins.
preparing chocolate glaze:
1.take 3 tbsp cocoa powder in a small pan or sauce pan.
2.add orange juice, cocoa powder, sugar, oil and water.
3.mix everything and keep the pan on a low flame on the stove top.
4.stir till the mixture thickens a bit. the sugar should also dissolve completely.
5.when the glaze is still warm, spread it on the orange muffins. you can also slice the muffins and then spread the glaze on the base slice. cover with the top slice and then spread the glaze on the top. allow the glaze to cool before serving.
6.serve eggless orange muffins plain as a sweet snack or as a dessert.

eggless banana muffins

INGREDIENTS:
dry ingredients:
•1.5 cups whole wheat flour
•½ tsp baking soda
•1 tsp baking powder
•a pinch of salt
wet ingredients:
•3 large bananas
•¼ cup organic unrefined cane sugar
•½ cup oil
•1 tbsp lime or lemon juice
•1 tsp vanilla extract
INSTRUCTIONS:
1.line a muffin tray with muffin liners. also preheat the oven to 180 degrees celsius/356 degrees fahrenheit for 15 minutes. you can use the same temperature for preheating in the convection mode of a microwave oven.
2.in a bowl take chopped bananas along with sugar. begin to mash the bananas with a fork or a masher till smooth. a few small chunks of bananas are fine. you can also blitz the bananas and sugar in a blender to get a smooth puree.
3.add oil. you can also use melted butter instead of oil.
4.stir the mixture very well with a wired whisk so that the oil is mixed evenly.
5.add vanilla extract or powder. here i used vanilla powder. stir well.
6.then add 1 tbsp lime or lemon juice. mix well and keep this wet mixture aside.
7.begin to seive 1.5 cups whole wheat flour/atta, ½ tsp baking soda, 1 tsp baking powder, a pinch of salt directly in the wet ingredients bowl. you can also seive the dry ingredients in a plate or tray and then add later.
8.holding a spatula, with light hands gently fold the dry ingredients with the wet ingredients. don't over do the folding.
9.the muffin batter ready to be poured in the muffin liners.
10.spoon the batter in muffin liners till ¾th of the liners. using a spatula remove the excess batter from the bowl and add to the muffin liners.
11.place the muffin tray in the center rack with both the top and bottom heating elements of an OTG. bake the muffins in the preheated oven at 180 degrees celsius/356 degrees fahrenheit for 30 to 35 minutes or till a tooth pick inserted comes out clean. the recipe yields 10 regular sized muffins. temperatures in ovens differ, so do keep a check while baking. your oven might bake the muffins in 20 minutes or even 40 minutes.
12.it took a total of 35 minutes for the muffins to bake in my oven. the tops should be golden. 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.
13.once warm or cooled at room temperature, serve these eggless banana muffins as sweet snack or dessert.

eggless pound

INGREDIENTS:
•1.5 cups whole wheat flour
•1 tsp baking powder
•½ tsp baking soda
•1 tsp vanilla powder
•200 grams unsalted butter, melted
•200 grams sweetened condensed milk
•½ cup warm milk, 125 ml
•¼ cup sugar, 40 grams
INSTRUCTIONS:
1.first grease a loaf pan measuring 8.5 x 4.5 x 2.5 with oil or butter. you can also use a round pan of 7 or 7.5 inches diameter. preheat the oven at 180 degrees celsius 15 minutes before you start baking. use 170 degrees celsius as the preheat temperature, for baking in the convection mode of the microwave oven.
2.sieve whole wheat flour, baking powder and baking soda in a plate or tray. keep aside.
3.melt butter in a pan.
4.once the butter has melted, keep the pan down. to the melted butter, add sweetened condensed milk.
5.with a wired whisk, stir and mix very well. the whole mixture should be homogeneous and even.
6.then add warm milk. you can warm the milk in a small pan on the stove top or in the microwave.
7.next add sugar and begin to stir with a wired whisk, till the sugar is dissolved completely.
8.add vanilla extract or powder or scraped vanilla bean.
9.add all sieved dry ingredients to the wet ingredients.
10.with a wired whisk mix lightly and with light hands. don't use pressure from your hands while mixing. mix evenly. if there are tiny small lumps in the batter, then its fine.
11.pour the cake batter in the prepared pan.
12.bake in a preheated oven at 180 degrees celsius till you see cracks from top and a golden color. if top starts to get browned, then cover with foil or butter paper and continue to bake. it took me 50 minutes to bake this cake at 180 degrees celsius. depending on the temperature conditions in your oven, it make take less or more time. the final check is a golden crust and a tooth pick or wooden skewer coming out clean. for baking in the convection mode of a microwave oven, use the temperature of 170 degrees celsius. again the baking time will vary in the convection mode of your microwave oven.
13.when the pound cake becomes slightly hot or warm, remove it from the pan and cool on a wired rack. here’s a pic of the bottom of the cake. a lovely crumb.
14.once cooled, serve the pound cake with milk or tea or coffee. you can also keep the cake covered in a box and refrigerate. this eggless pound cake stays good for 4 to 5 days in the fridge. the recipe makes one loaf.

nankhatai

INGREDIENTS:

•1.5 cup maida
•¼ cup besan
•2 tbsp dahi
•¼ tsp baking soda
•½ cup ghee or butter at room temperature
•¾ cup powdered sugar or icing sugar or as required
•¼ tsp nutmeg powder or grated nutmeg
•¼ tsp cardamom powder
•few sliced almonds or chironji
•1 to 2 tsp milk or water for kneading
INSTRUCTIONS:
1.cream the ghee and powdered sugar with a hand held blender or in a food processor.
2.the mixture should become smooth, light and creamy.
3.add the dry ingredients - maida or all purpose flour, gram flour/besan, cardamom powder, nutmeg powder and baking soda.
4.mix well and add the yogurt.
5.gently mix everything. avoid kneading. just mix and gather to a smooth dough.
6.add water or milk only if required while kneading and if the dough looks dry.
7.pinch medium sized balls from the dough.
8.roll them evenly in your palms.
9.slightly flatten them. press chironji or sliced almonds on the top slightly.
10.you can also make some criss cross designs on the nankhatais with a fork or toothpick.
11.place the cookies in a baking tray.
12.keep some space between them as they expand while baking.
13.bake the nankhatai in a pre heated oven at 200 degrees C for 20-25 mins till light golden.
14.remove and place them on wire racks.
15.when cooled, store the nankhatai in an air tight container.

tomato soup

INGREDIENTS:
•4 medium to large tomatoes
•2-3 garlic clovese
•1 small onion
•1 bay leaf/tej patta
•1 tsp corn starch + 2 tbsp water
•1 or 1.5 tbsp butter
•1 cup water
•1 tbsp cream - you can consider adding 2 tbsp cream
•½ tbsp organic unrefined cane sugar
•1 or 2 slices of bread - brown, whole wheat
•freshly crushed or powdered black pepper as required
•salt as required
INSTRUCTIONS

1.first rinse the tomatoes really well and keep aside.
2.remove the stems if there are any.
3.in a saucepan or pot take enough water so that the tomatoes get immersed completely.
4.add 1 tsp salt to the water and bring the water to a rolling boil.
5.add the tomatoes and switch off the fire.
6.close the saucepan or pot with the lid.
7.let the tomatoes be immersed in the hot water for 20-30 minutes.
8.in the meantime, finely chop the onion and garlic. keep aside.
9.heat a frying pan/tava or pre heat the oven.
10.place the bread in the pan and on a low flame toast the bread till its browned and crisp from both sides.
11.if using the oven, place the bread in the oven at 200 degrees C and toast the bread till its browned and crisp.
12.once the bread is toasted and golden, slice it into cubes.
13.make a smooth paste of the 1 tsp cornflour with 2 tbsp water.
14.drain the tomatoes and let them become warm or cool down.
15.peel the tomatoes. remove the eyes of the tomatoes.
16.then directly chop the tomatoes above the blender jar so that the juices drop directly inside the blender jar.
17.if you cannot do this, then chop the tomatoes on a chopping board and add everything to the blender including the juices.
18.blend the tomatoes to a smooth puree.
19.melt butter in a pan. add the bay leaf and saute for 5-6 seconds
20.add the garlic and saute for about 10-12 seconds on a low flame.
21.add the chopped onion and saute till the onions become translucent.
22.now add the tomato puree.
23.stir and then add water, salt and pepper.
24.on a low to medium flame, let the soup come to a gentle boil.
25.stir the corn starch paste (since the corn starch settles down) that we made earlier and add it to the soup.
26.stir well and simmer for 3-4 minutes till the soup thickens on a low flame.
27.now add sugar and stir. then add the cream and simmer for a minute.
28.pour the steaming hot tomato soup in soup bowls.
29.add the bread croutons to the soup. garnish tomato soup with parsley or coriander leaves.
30.serve the tomato soup hot.

orange squash

INGREDIENTS:
•2.25 to 2.50 kg oranges - yields 5 to 5.5 cups orange juice
•1 kg organic unrefined cane sugar or regular sugar
•1 litre water
•3 to 4 tbsp lemon juice or ½ tsp citric acid
•¾ tsp potassium metabisulphite
•a generous pinch of saffron
INSTRUCTIONS:
1.first begin making the sugar syrup.
2.dissolve the sugar in water in a large saucepan or pot.
3.add lemon juice and stir. let the sugar solution come to a boil.
4.lower the flame and simmer for 4 to 5 minutes till the sugar solution thickens a bit.
5.you don't need any thread consistency.
6.just a slightly thick and sticky flowing sugar solution.
7.remove from the pan and let the solution become warm.
8.filter the sugar solution to remove the impurities.
9.let the sugar solution cool at room temperature.
10.crush saffron threads and add them to the warm sugar solution. this is an optional step.
11.whilst he sugar solution is cooling, you sterilize the bottles and start making the orange juice.
12.in a large pot, bring enough water to a boil so that your canning jar or bottle gets completely immersed in it.
13.place the glass jar in it and its lid separately in the hot water.
14.continue to boil for further 8 to 10 minutes.
15.with the help of canning tongs or regular clean tongs, remove the jar and the lid and keep aside.
16.next, peel and chop the oranges.
17.in a blender, add ⅓ or ½ of the oranges or as much as the capacity of your blender is. keep on pulsing for some seconds till the oranges have been crushed very well.
18.then strain the orange juice through a juice strainer.
19.press the pulp with a spoon so that all the juice is strained away.
20.add the strained orange juice to the sugar syrup and stir.
21.we need to add the orange juice immediately, so that it does not become bitter.
22.now work again juicing the oranges in batches and then adding them to the sugar syrup.
23.you can also use an electric juicer to juice the oranges.
24.take ¼ cup of the orange squash in a cup or bowl.
25.stir in the potassium metabisulphite very well so that it is completely dissolved in the water.
26.add this preservative solution to the orange squash.
27.stir again very well.
28.pour the orange squash in the sterilized jars or bottles.
29.close tightly with its lid and let is stay for some hours, about 3-4 hours outside at room temperature.
30.later refrigerate the orange squash jars or bottles.
31.let the orange squash sit for some days (about 3 to 4 days or a week) in the fridge and then you serve.
32.the flavors improve after some days.
33.shake the jar or bottle before you use the squash.
34.for serving, stir ¼ to ⅓ part of the orange squash with ¾ or ⅔ parts of cold water or regular water.
35.add ice cubes if required and you can garnish with mint leaves or lemon slices.
36.serve the orange drink immediately.
3.2.2708

roasted makhana

INGREDIENTS:
•3 cups makhana/phool makhana
•¼ tsp turmeric powder
•½ tsp red chili powder
•1 tsp chaat masala
•rock salt as required
•2 to 3 tsp oil or ghee
INSTRUCTIONS:
1.heat oil in a pan or kadai.
2.add the makhana and roast for a good 10-12 minutes on a low flame till they become crisp and crunchy. keep on stirring in between.
3.lastly add all the spice powders and salt, except chaat masala.
4.switch off the fire as you don't want the spice powders to get burnt.
5.stir the whole mixture well.
6.lastly sprinkle the chaat masala powder and again mix well.
7.serve roasted makhana straightaway.
8.or once they cool down, store roasted makhana in an air-tight container.
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sabudana snack

INGREDIENTS:
•½ cup sabudana/tapioca pearls
•1 medium sized potato, boiled and peeled
•a pinch of red chili powder
•1 tbsp peanuts
•1 tbsp cashews
•1 tbsp chopped coriander leaves
•½ tsp chaat masala
•2 tsp oil
•few drops of lemon juice or as required
•rock salt
INSTRUCTIONS:
1.rinse the sabudana well in water till the water runs clear.
2.soak the sabudana in enough water overnight or for 4-5 hours.
3.chop the potatoes and keep aside.
4.instead of using boiled potatoes, you can also fry the potatoes in oil.
5.drain and keep aside.
6.in a pan, dry roast the peanuts till they are browned and crisp.
7.remove and keep aside.
8.in the same pan, roast the cashews till golden.
9.remove and keep aside.
10.heat 2 tsp of oil in the same pan.
11.add the sabudana and continue to stir while sauting them.
12.stir and cook till the sabudana pearls become transparent, softened and completely cooked.
13.mix the chopped potatoes, peanuts, cashews, coriander leaves, lemon juice, rock salt, red chili powder, chaat masala.
14.garnish with a few coriander leaves. an optional step.
15.serve the sabudana bhel in bowls and serve immediately.

corn cutlet

INGREDIENTS:
for the corn stuffing:
•1 medium corn cob, steamed
•½ tsp red chili powder
•½ tsp chaat masala
•4 tsp chopped coriander leaves
•1 tsp finely chopped ginger
•1 tsp lime juice
•salt as required
for the outer cover:
•3 medium or 2 large potatoes, steamed or boiled
•1 to 1.5 tbsp rice flour
•¼ tsp red chili powder
•¼ tsp cumin powder
•¼ tsp coriander powder
•salt as required
other ingredients:
•oil for shallow frying or pan frying
INSTRUCTIONS:
preparing the spiced corn stuffing:
1.first steam or cook the corn cob till the kernels are tender and cooked well. remove the corn kernels with a knife and keep aside.
2.you can steam or pressure cook both the corn cob and potatoes together. the potatoes have to be cooked completely till they fall apart.
3.in a bowl or a small pan, take the corn kernels. add chopped ginger, chopped green chilies, coriander leaves, chaat masala, red chili powder, lime juice & salt.
4.mix well and check the taste. add more of the spices or salt if required.
5.i have not minced the corn. but if you want you can coarsely grind the corn in a mixer-grinder without the spices, coriander leaves etc.
preparing the outer potato cover:
1.in another bowl, peel and then grate the boiled potatoes. mash them with your hands or a potato masher.
2.add rice flour, cumin powder, coriander powder, red chili powder and salt. i have used rice flour to bind the patties. you can also use corn starch (called corn flour in india) to bind. other options to bind are bread pulp (soaked and squeezed bread slices), arrow root flour and even gram flour (besan). gram flour will give its taste in the patties. you can also add add buckwheat flour (kutttu ka atta), water chestnut flour (singhare ka atta). but remember the taste will change.
3.mix and then form equal sized balls from the mixture.
stuffing, shaping & frying the patties:
1.take each ball and flatten it on your palm. place a few teaspoons of the corn stuffing in the center.
2.bring the edges in the center and cover the stuffing. shape with your palms into medium or large patties/tikkis. before stuffing & shaping the patties, apply some oil on your palms. the oil gets rid of the stickiness if any from the potato mixture.
3.make all the patties this way.
4.heat oil in a tava/griddle or frying pan till medium hot. you can either shallow fry or fry with less oil.
5.place the stuffed corn patties in the medium hot oil.
6.turn over gently with a spatula and fry the other side.
7.flip a couple of times to get an even golden color and crisp texture.
8.remove corn patties on a paper kitchen napkin.
9.serve corn patties hot with coriander chutney or tomato sauce.

mysore bonda

INGREDIENTS:
for the mysore bonda:
•½ cup urad dal
•1 to 1.5 tbsp rice flour
•½ tsp crushed black pepper
•½ inch ginger, finely chopped
•1 green chili, chopped
•2.5 to 3 tbsp chopped coconut
•8-10 curry leaves, chopped
•a pinch of asafoetida
•salt as required
•water as required for soaking and grinding urad dal
•oil for shallow
for the chutney:
•¼ cup grated coconut, fresh or frozen
•1 tbsp roasted chana dal
•1 or 2 green chilies, chopped
•8-10 curry leaves fried in 1 or 2 tsp oil
•water as required
INSTRUCTIONS:
preparing the mysore bonda:
1.soak the urad dal overnight in enough water or for 5-6 hours.
2.drain the urad dal.
3.in a mixer or wet grinder, grind the lentils till smooth and fluffy, adding very little water.
4.pour the batter in a bowl.
5.mix in all the ingredients, except oil.
6.heat oil for deep frying in a kadai or fryer.
7.shape the batter in a round shape on your palms and slid these gently into the oil.
8.fry in medium hot oil till the bondas are crisp and golden.
9.drain the mysore bondas on kitchen towels to remove excess oil.
10.serve hot mysore bonda with coconut chutney.
preparing the coconut chutney:
1.first fry the curry leaves in 1 or 2 tsp oil till they get crisp.
2.grind all the ingredients mentioned under the coconut chutney list, along with the fried curry leaves and oil, with little water.
3.serve the coconut chutney with the mysore bonda.

pan fried tofu

INGREDIENTS:
for the peanut sauce:
•3 tbsp smooth peanut butter
•1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
•½ to 1 tbsp organic cane sugar
•½ tsp red chilli powder
•¼ tsp soy sauce
•salt as required
for the pan fried tofu:
•250 gms plain tofu
•3 tbsp all purpose flour/maida
•3 tbsp cornflour
•½ tsp red chilli powder
•½ tsp black pepper
•½ tsp soy sauce
•¼ tsp baking powder
•1 or 2 sichuan pepper, crushed
•2 to 3 tbsp oil for pan frying
•½ cup water
•salt as required
INSTRUCTIONS:
preparing the peanut sauce:
1.first combine the vinegar, sugar and salt in a pan.
2.keep on flame and bring to boil. then simmer for 1-2 minutes.
3.remove from heat and add peanut butter, soy sauce, chili powder or flakes.
4.stir and mix well. pour peanut sauce in a serving bowl and keep aside.
preparing the pan fried tofu
1.chop the tofu into cubes or triangles or rectangles.
2.take the all purpose flour, corn flour, sichuan pepper, red chili powder, baking powder, soy sauce, water and mix to a smooth batter.
3.heat oil in a frying pan. dip the tofu pieces in the batter and place them one by one in the pan.
4.when one side of tofu becomes opaque and done, flip and cook the other side.
5.pan fry till the tofu till they are crisp and light golden and done.
6.serve the pan fried tofu with the peanut sauce.

eggless cheese biscuits

INGREDIENTS:
•1 cup whole wheat flour, 120 grams
•½ cup all purpose flour
•40 grams chilled butter, about 3 tbsp chopped chilled butter, salted or unsalted
•80 grams plain regular cheese
•8 tbsp milk
•½ tsp salt or add as required
•½ tsp black pepper
•¼ tsp baking soda
•½ tsp baking powder
•1 tsp corn starch
•2 to 3 tbsp olive oil
•some whole wheat flour for dusting
INSTRUCTIONS:
1.take 1 cup whole wheat flour (120 grams), ½ cup all purpose flour/maida (60 grams), ½ tsp salt, ½ tsp black pepper powder, ¼ tsp baking soda and ½ tsp baking powder in a mixing bowl.
2.with a spoon or spatula mix everything very well. you can also seive the above ingredients together.
3.add 40 grams chilled butter. better to chop the chilled butter in cubes or sticks. you can add either salted butter or unsalted butter.
4.mix the butter with the flour. you can cut the butter with two knives and mix in the flour or do with both your hands. meaning just break the butter with your fingers in the flour and mix. this can also be achieved with a food processor or a stand mixer. if the butter melts while mixing with your hands, keep the mixture in the fridge for some minutes and then start again.
5.the mixture should get a bread crumb like texture.
6.add grated cheese. lightly mix everything.
7.add a few tbsp of milk in parts and start bringing the whole mixture together.
8.add the remaining milk and continue to bring the mixture together. don't knead. overall 7 to 8 tbsp of milk is added.
9.mix and gather and bring the whole mixture together in a dough. but don't knead like we do for chapati dough. cover and keep this cheese biscuit dough in the fridge for 30 minutes.
10.next sprinkle some flour on the work surface and roll the dough to get about 0.50 cm to 0.75 cm thickness.
11.with a biscuit cutter or a small bowl, cut the rolled dough. gather the remaining dough and again roll and get the biscuits with a biscuit cutter.
12.heat 1 tbsp olive oil in a tava or griddle. you can also heat butter. keep on a low flame.
13.place the cheese biscuits. keep the flame to the lowest, so that the biscuits don't burn.
14.within a minute, flip the biscuits. you will see the bases have got browned.
15.flip again and a couple of times more till they are evenly golden and crisp. these biscuits cook quickly. takes about 3 to 5 minutes on a low flame.
16.once done keep them on a wired rack and let them cool. make all cheese biscuits this way. add about ½ to 1 tbsp olive oil while frying the biscuits in batches.
17.you can serve cheese biscuits hot or warm or at room temperature. they taste good as they are. but you can serve a cheesy dip along side.

vegetable soup

INGREDIENTS:
•1 cup shredded cabbage
•½ cup finely chopped carrots
•½ cup sliced mushrooms
•½ cup chopped capsicum
•⅓ cup moong sprouts
•¼ cup finely chopped french beans
•¼ cup finely chopped onion
•2 tsp finely chopped celery
•1 tsp finely chopped garlic
•3 cups water, 750 ml
•2 tsp soy sauce or as required
•½ tsp black pepper powder
•1 tbsp oil
•salt as required
INSTRUCTIONS:

1.rinse and shred the cabbage.
2.rinse, wipe and then slice the mushrooms. chop the bell pepper.
3.rinse and finely chop the french beans. also finely chop the onions & garlic
4.heat oil in a pan. add onions and garlic. saute till the onions are translucent.
5.then add the chopped mix veggies. stir well.
6.saute on a medium flame for 4 to 5 minutes.
7.add the moong sprouts and stir well. saute for 2 minutes.
8.add water and stir.
9.the add soy sauce, black pepper and salt. stir again
10.cover the pan and simmer the soup for 10 to 11 minutes on a low to medium flame.
11.then check the seasonings and add more salt or black pepper if required.
12.serve the soup plain or accompanied with some boiled noodles or steamed rice.

apple pomegranate juice

INGREDIENTS:
•2 medium to large apples
•2 medium to large pomegranates
•2 to 3 pinches of black salt
•ice cubes
INSTRUCTIONS:
1.chop the pomegranate into two. remove the pomegranate arils.
2.peel, core and chop the apples.
3.first add the apples in the feeder tube of the juicer and extract the juice.
4.then add the pomegranate arils and extract the juice.
5.pour the juice in glasses.
6.sprinkle a pinch of black salt in each glass and serve the apple pomegranate juice immediately with or without ice cubes.

salted lassi

INGREDIENTS:
•2.5 cups chilled fresh full fat curd
•1 cup chilled water
•1 tsp black salt
•1.5 tsp roasted cumin powder
•6 to 7 mint leaves
•a few ice cubes
INSTRUCTIONS:
1.take the chilled fresh yogurt in a bowl or pan.
2.add chilled water to yogurt.
3.sprinkle the salt and roasted cumin powder. a tip is to add ½ tsp of salt first. then once you blend everything, add salt accordingly.
4.if you don't have cumin, then just dry roast ¾ tsp cumin till fragrant, in a small pan or skillet/tava and then crush in a mortar-pestle till fine.
5.with a wired whisk blend everything well till smooth.
6.in the step by step pics, i have used the traditional indian hand held blender, known as madani in hindi. you can use an electric blender.
7.pour the lassi in glasses. garnish with mint leaves and serve salted lassi immediately. ice cubes can also be added or you can use the chilled yogurt and water to make this lassi. you can also refrigerate the lassi for a couple of hours, before serving.

lemon squash

INGREDIENTS:
•500 grams lemons, 10 to 12 lemons or 1 cup lemon juice
•1 cup water
•500 grams or 2 heaped cups of organic unrefined cane sugar or regular sugar or raw sugar
•½ tsp saffron/kesar, crushed
•8 to 9 green cardamoms/chotti elachi, crushed or 1 tsp cardamom powder
INSTRUCTIONS:
1.first in a pan or sauce pan, take 1 cup water and 500 grams sugar.
2.keep this sugar-water solution on a low flame. stir so that the sugar dissolves. the solution will be sticky when you touch it.
3.when all the sugar has dissolved switch off the flame. you can also heat the sugar solution till ½ string or 1 string consistency.
4.next step will be to filter the sugar solution of its impurities. line a bowl with a strainer. line the strainer with a muslin cloth.
5.now pour the hot sugar solution carefully through the muslin lined strainer into the bowl.
6.here's the collected sugar syrup in the bowl. let this filtered sugar solution become lukewarm or come down to a room temperature.
7.then rinse the lemons well in water. halve them.
8.with a lemon squeezer, extract juice from each half in a bowl or mug.
9.from 500 grams lemons, i got 1 cup lemon juice.
10.if there are small seeds in the lemon juice, then filter it through a tea strainer.
11.powder seeds of 8 to 9 cardamoms and ½ tsp saffron/kesar in a mortar-pestle. keep aside.
12.now add the lemon juice to the sugar syrup. the sugar syrup should be lukewarm or at room temperature when you add the lemon juice.
13.add the powdered cardamom and saffron. stir the lemon squash very well.
14.now pour the lemon squash in a sterilized bottle or jar. close the lid tightly and refrigerate.
15.when preparing the lemon squash drink, add 3 to 4 tbsp of the squash in a glass and add water. stir and serve. you can also add ice cubes in the drink or make the drink with chilled water.