Eggless Chocolate Banana Wheat Cake

This recipe has been submitted to Monthly Mingle – Bread and Chocolate (February 2010) hosted by Life’s a Feast and What’s for lunch hunney?

The whole wheat flour makes the cake healthy. Mashed banana holds the cake together so eggs are not required.

Ingredients

1 cup whole wheat cake

1 cup mashed banana

1/3 vegetable oil

1 cup sugar

1/3 cup milk

1 tsp cardamom powder

1 tsp vanilla essence

1 tbsp baking powder

½ tbsp baking soda

1 small milk chocolate bar (I used 4 Lindt eggs)

Whole Wheat Chocolate Banana Eggless Cake

Mix oil and sugar in a bowl. Sift wheat flour with baking powder and baking soda on it while mixing the batter. Add banana, vanilla essence and cardamom powder. Slowly add milk tablespoon-by-tablespoon and mix the batter till it is of pouring consistency.

The cake will rise and will deflate when cooled. Do not worry. It will retain its shape. This cake is great for people who do not have eggs. Also, for vegans, milk can be replaced with water.

Chilled Corn and Coconut Soup

This recipe has been submitted to Monthly Mingle for Dec 2009 being organized by What’s for Lunch Honey? and Tongueticklers.

I recently read The Kitchen Confidential by Anthony Bourdain. The chef is describing the turning point of his life. He was less than 10 years old and had gone to France to visit relatives. That was when he tasted French cooking for the first time. Soup was served and it was cold. He was so taken by surprise that a cold soup and a yummy one at that could exist that it left an indelible mark on him. Funnily, it has also made a huge impact on me and the incident, though experienced only second hand, will always stay with me. This recipe of chilled corn and coconut soup is in memory of that moment when I felt the shock cold soup brought to a top chef when he was a little boy.

The recipe is simple in itself and very wholesome. A beautiful blend of corn and coconut milk, the flavor is enhanced by jalapeno chile and the simple art of reduction.

Ingredients

200 ml coconut milk

2 cups sweet corn

2 cups water

1 jalapeno chile

Salt and Pepper

A dash of lemon juice

Chilled Corn and Coconut Soup

Deseed jalapeno chile and chop it into little pieces. Pour water in a pot. Add chopped chile, corn and coconut milk. Bring to a boil and then let it simmer for 30 mins. Let it cool.

Pass the soup through a blender. Sieve and discard solids. Season with salt and pepper.

Chill overnight or for 4-5 hours.

Add lemon juice only just so much. Serve cold.

Garnish – Black pepper and corn kernels.

Pear Canapes

These days everyone is being health-conscious. Everything served at the table must have fewer calories and still taste good. Combining raw fruits and vegetables gives the natural sweetness and taste that is not only filling but also satisfying. Pear canapés is a recipe for your next cocktail party that will be received well but also be ready in a jiffy.

Pear Canapes

Ingredients

1 pack ready-made canapés

Pear Stuffing

Garnish of your choice

Canapés

If you are not able to get your hands on ready-made canapés, you can always cut bread into shapes of your choice and shallow fry them for base. You do not need to deep fry the canapés. Simply place them on a hot pan for 1 min and they will be as crisp as ever.

Pear Stuffing

1 cup finely chopped pear

¼ cup finely shredded carrots

¼ cup finely chopped onions

2 tbsp finely chopped ginger

1 tbsp fennel

¼ cup bread crumbs

2 tbsp chopped parsley

Salt and pepper for seasoning

1 lemon

1 tbsp butter

Squeeze lime juice over chopped pear to prevent it from browning. Also, let the pear marinate in the juice for 10-15 mins to take the flavor.

Heat the butter in a skillet. Add onions, ginger and fennel. Cook onions till translucent. You will notice that fennel will start giving a beautiful aroma.

Take off the flame. Mix with carrots, parsley, pear and bread crumbs. Add salt and pepper.

The stuffing should have the subtle taste of ginger and fennel along with the sweetness of pear with a hint of lime.

Putting it together

Place 1 tbsp of pear stuffing in a canapé boat. Sprinkle grated cheese and bake till cheese turns golden. Alternatively, for a healthier option, decorate with a fresh cherry.

Canapes

This article has been submitted to Monthly Mingle for October 2009 – High Tea Treats at  Meeta’s What’s for Lunch Honey? and to Aparna’s My Diverse Kitchen.

High Tea is a tradition that has come to be a sophisticated event from 4 pm to 5 pm in the modern world. This is the time when working men and women break from work to rejuvenate themselves and mingle. Commonly called a coffee break in IT industry these days, High Tea is the time between lunch and dinner when one would like to have something light to carry them on during the rest of the day.

High Tea is generally a serving of hot beverages with a spatter of bite sized dishes. A very classic dish that can be served is canapés. Canapes are small bread bases that can be topped with almost anything. Here I have used ready-made canapés. They are small square box-like flour moulds and are readily available anywhere. I have served sweet and savory canapés to satisfy both kinds of palates.

Preparation

One box of canapés. Shallow fry the individual canapés in oil. This will make the canapés crisp and tastier. In case canapés are not available in market, you can cut out brown bread in the shape of 1 inch circles or squares and fry them to get the base.

Sweet and Savory Canapes

Sweet canapés

Ingredients

½ cup cottage cheese

7-8 tbsp sugar

1 pinch cardamom

Topping

Apple

Strawberry sauce

Blend cheese with sugar and cardamom powder to get a paste. Drop a tablespoon of the mixture in a canapé. Cut apple into very thin wedges and decorate the canapés for the final crunchy taste. Place a drop of strawberry sauce for the final touch.

Savory canapés

Ingredients

3-4 potatoes

Béchamel sauce

1 pinch cinnamon

Topping

Carrot

Tomato sauce or ketchup

Boil potatoes and mash them. Prepare béchamel sauce and mix with cinnamon and mashed potatoes. Fill canapés with mashed potatoes and shallow fry or bake for 5 mins. Prepare carrot wedges and decorate the canapés for a final crunchy taste while garnishing with tomato ketchup. Alternatively, green chutney can also be used.

Bechamel sauce

2 tbsp butter or ghee

2 tbsp flour

1 cup milk

1 tbsp cheese (optional)

1 pinch salt

1 pinch white pepper

Heat butter in a pan and roast flour in it till it turns light pink. Take of heat and pour milk in the pan. Mix well and cook on low flame. Grate cheese and add to the sauce along with salt and white pepper.

Summer Blaster Challenge – Results

The results are in. The winner of Summer Blaster Challege is Renuka with her Mango Payasam.

Many congratulations.

Eggless Marble Cake

Everything I have learned about cooking has come from my Mom including cakes. I remember when I was a kid, she used to describe a marble cake she used to make. She would spoon one portion of vanilla and then one portion of chocolate batter into the pan one after the other. She would relish describing it and that would make me also want to make it sometime. However, I never got around to doing it somehow….

Now I had made an eggless cake when my SIL had come over and half a can of condensed milk was left over. Just to use it up, I decided to give marble cake a try. I searched the recipe on the net and it was nothing but spooning two different batters into the cake pan one after the other just like Mom used to describe. Only thing is, I substituted condensed milk for eggs.

Ingredients

1 cup all purpose flour (maida)

1/2 can condensed milk (200 ml)

1/4 cup unsalted butter (ghee)

1/2 cup sugar

1 tsp vanilla essence

1 tbsp cocoa powder

1 tbsp baking soda

1 tbsp baking powder

Marble Cake

Cream the butter and sugar together. Sieve flour with baking soda and baking powder. Add the creamed butter and sugar to the flour. Add condensed milk and vanilla essence. Roll the batter while adding water spoonful by spoonful till it is of pouring consistency.

Divide the batter into two equal parts. To one part add cocoa powder and mix.

Marble Cake close up

Grease and dust the cake pan. Put one spoon of vanilla batter and then one spoon of chocolate batter in it. Alternate till all the batter is utilized.

Heat the pressure cooker. Place the cake pan in it and bake on low flame for about an hour. Remove when a toothpick comes out clean when inserted in the cake. Cool cake on a wire rack before serving.

Egg Kathi Roll with Paneer Stuffing

HD suggested this. One day he just ordered a dozen eggs and suggested we should have kathi rolls for dinner. He went on to describe in detail how to make them. It was so cute the way the request was made. So I got out my kitchen tools, did some shopping and just made them along with green chutney and the works. I will have to say it tasted pretty good. Eggs rule. No question about it.

You need to prepare five things to put this dish together. First is the tortilla (roti/wrap), paneer stuffing, green chutney, lemons cut in half and deseeded and the eggs.

Ingredients

Tortilla

1 cup plain flour

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp corn flour

1 tbsp ghee

Ghee for cooking

 

Egg mixture

2 eggs

Salt and red chili powder to taste

 

Paneer Stuffing

1 onion

1 capsicum

1 cup paneer cubes

1/2 tsp ginger-garlic paste

1/2 tsp turmeric (haldi)

Salt and pepper to taste

2 tbsp tamarind paste

1 tbsp green chili sauce (optional)

Chat masala

2 tbsp oil

 

Mix flour, soda, corn flour and ghee and make a smooth batter with water. Cover with wet muslin cloth and leave for 1 hour. Knead the dough once more. Make 4 balls out of it. Roll them and cook them with ghee.

Beat the eggs with salt and red chili powder. Spread some of it on a non-stick pan in a circular shape the size of the tortilla. Immediately place the tortilla over it. Remove from gas one the egg has browned well.

Cut the onion and capsicum into cubes. Heat oil in a pan and saucte the onion and capscum cubes in it. Add the paneer cubes, tamarind paste and spices. Cook for 5 mins.

 

Assemble

Place the tortilla egg side up on a plate. Place some paneer stuffing on it right along the centre. Spread green chutney on top and squeeze some lemon juice on it. Roll the tortilla and stick a toothpick t hold it together. Alternatively, it can be wrapped in parchment paper also.

Egg kathi roll with paneer stuffing served with extra serving of green chutney

Green chutney has been made from raw mango and mint leaves. Check out green chutney here.

Raw Mango Chutney with Mint

Come summer and the markets are flooded with mangoes. There are so many varieties across the country. In fact, the raw mango available in North India is very different from that available in South India. The northern version is more tart and lends a unique taste to any recipe. The southern version is generally sweeter. It is quite hard to get your hands on a really really raw mango in Chennai. Anyways, to make the best of what is available, here is the raw mango chutney I made.

Ingredients

1 raw mango (kairi)

1 cup fresh mint leaves (pudina)

1 green chili

3-4 tbsp salt

1 tbsp black salt

Lemon juice (optional)

Green Mango Chutney

Peel and core the raw mango. Chop the pulp into small pieces. Remove the fresh leaves from the mint stems and wash them thoroughly. Mix all the ingredients and make a puree in a blender. Add a little water to make the chutney thin and of flowing consistency. Add lemon juice if required.

Refrigerate for upto a week.

My First Daring Cooks Challenge – Chinese Dumplings/Potstickers

Cooking is my passion. I read recipes on the net at office. I try to keep track of cooking shows. I try to weasel out recipe secrets from friends and family. I am obsessed with trying new dishes. In fact, I really really need a microwave now for all the yummy baking recipes I have in my store. But……it was only today morning that I realized how crazy I am about cooking….

I came across The Daring Kitchen while browsing the net and was immediately hooked. I could not wait for my membership to start. It was so cool when I found out I had access to the private forums. I felt like a little child who had laid hands on grandma’s secret stash of chocolates….he he he. I was scared though…the recipes mentioned in The Daring Kitchen are quite complicated for a newbie like me. So imagine my surprise when I found the June, 2009 Daring Cooks Challenge to be dumplings. This was something I could do….yes.

I did the first batch at night yesterday. It did not look great. In fact, the secret to making dumplings look appetizing is the pleating. Unfortunately, I had not checked out the trick for pleating and I ended up making a big thick roll where it should have been simply two layered and soft. The dumplings still tasted great but the end was inedible.

Veggie Dumplings - First Batch

So I went back to the website for help. The Daring Cooks recipe was even supported by pics on how to pleat the dumpling!!! Wow! That website truly lives upto its name. It truly wants people to better their cooking skills. So I kept mulling over it and today morning itself I just could not help myself. I dumped by gym session for……dumplings session. Looking back now it seems crazy but the passion of cooking I felt in the morning when nothing else mattered other than to get those darned dumplings to look good feels all worthwhile. And I learnt something new.

Ingredients

For the wrapper

1 cup plain flour (maida)

1 tsp butter (optional)

For the filling

½ cup cabbage, grated

½ cup carrots, grated

1 tsp garlic, chopped finely

1 tsp garlic, minced or chopped finely

Salt and pepper to taste

Prepare the wrapper by mixing flour and butter. The butter will keep the dough soft for a longer time. Add water spoonful by spoonful and make a smooth dough. Cover with a wet muslin cloth and set aside.

Mix all the ingredients for the filling. Though the filling for dumplings is generally bland to go along with the chilly sauce, a little green chili sauce can be mixed in to give an extra zing.

Make 1 cm balls out of the dough. Roll them so they are thin enough to be see-through. The centre should be thicker than the sides. Fold the dumplings on one side so a small pocket is formed. Fill it with the stuffing and seal with the help of water.

Pleat the dumpling wrapper on one half to make a pocket for stuffing

Rolled, Pleated, Stuffed and Sealed

Place the dumplings on a cabbage leaf and steam. They can also be fried or boiled.

Ready to be served

Enjoy while hot with red chili sauce.

Chhole with a hint of Tamarind

Everyone has their own recipe for chhole. I was watching a cookery show on Tatasky and the cook did not use tomatoes or onions in the chhole. He just added a variety of spices to boiled chickpeas and that was it. I have prepared chhole before but never with tamarind. Tamarind adds the subtle bite to the dish and enhances the flavor. It is tastes best with bhature.

Ingredients

1 cup chhole (chickpeas)

1 tbsp baking soda

1 onion

2 tomatoes

1 inch ginger

4-5 cloves of garlic

1 green chilli

2 tbsp oil

1 tsp zeera

A pinch of hing

1 tbsp haldi

2 tbsp dhaniya

1 tbsp garam masala

Salt, red chilli to taste

¼ cup tamarind

Chhole flavored with Tamarind

Soak chhole in 3 cups of water. Add baking soda to it. This will make the chickpeas soft. Leave overnight.

Soak tamarind in ½ cup water and leave overnight.

Boil the chickpeas in cooker for atleast 20 mins till they become soft. Mash the tamarind in the water itself to make a pulp. Drain through a sieve to get the paste.

Blend onion, tomatoes, ginger, garlic and green chilli to make a puree. Heat oil in a skillet. Add zeera and hing to it. When zeera starts to pop, add the puree and cook till it separates from oil. Add the boiled chickpeas along with the spices. Add 2 tbsp of tamarind paste. Add 2-3 cups of water and bring to a boil. Let it simmer for 7-8 minutes. Serve hot.