Moon Cakes

Ingredients:

Glutinous rice flour - 150 gm
Icing sugar - 150 gms
Extra Virgin Oilive Oil  (EVOO)  - 3 tsp
Water
Food colours

For moon cake filling:

Coconut milk moong bean paste

Moong dal - 200 gms
Caster sugar - 100 gms
coconut milk - 80 ml
Vegetable oil - 1 tsp
Wheat flour - 1 tbsp



Method:


Moon cake filling:

There are various types of fillings and i have chosen coconut milk moong bean paste.

Steam moong dal until soft. Make puree. Take a pan. Add puree,sugar,coconut milk, oil and salt. Cook over medium heat until the quantity is reduced by 2/3rds.

Add wheat flour slowly and combine the whole thing slowly until it it forms a thick paste soft paste.

Allow to cool completely.


For moon cake dough:

Roast Glutinous rice flour in a pan. Mix with icing sugar. Now add EVOO and  cold water and mix well until it reaches dough like consistency. Divide the dough in equal portions and mix food colours of your choice (Red, blue, light rose, green).

Make round balls then flatten it to place the moon cake filling in it. Close it and then place it in the moon cake mould. Then take it out and press the desired mould designs on top of it.

Chill before serving.

P.S. There is an item called Moon Cake Moulds available specifically  for the preparation of this sweet, you can purchase it. I have used bottle cap and it served the purpose too.

Instant Bread Utapam

Are you 'B'ready for this very different  stuff, colorful looking item? Very easy, quick and nutritious one.And by the way there is a deliberate use of misnomer here, though the title carries the word 'utapam' there is no use of dosa batter here. It is just that the appearance is suggestive of one. This is as relishing as http://preethskitchn.blogspot.com/2016/09/bread-pakoda.html.



Ingredients:

Carrot - 3 tsp (grated)
Tomato - 2 tsp (chopped)
Onion - 1 (chopped)
Coriander leaves - 1/2 cup - finely chopped

To be grinded: 

Bread - 6 to 8 slices.
Curd - 1/4 cup
Semolina/Sooji - 1/4 cup
Maida - 3 tbsp.

Salt
Oil

Method:

Take a mixie jar and grind the ingredients given under ' To be grinded' to a smooth consistency. You can add 1/4 cup of water and it should be in the consistency of dosa batter. Then add the chopped vegetables followed by coriander leaves and salt. Along with other vegetables you can add capsicum too.

Mix the batter with the vegetables and coriander leaves nicely.

Take a tawa. Add a drizzle of oil and pour the batter as shown below.

Cook the way as you would for Utapam or dosa. Add a tsp of oil on all sides and then turn it over slowly and surround the Utapam with drops of oil again. Once cooked serve it Onion chutney. You can have it with tomato chutney too but i would prefer onion chutney.

Soya Maida Chips

Combination of Soya flour, Wheat and Maida and the goodness of black pepper corns and Jeera is sure to go down well in your throat. You can add carom seeds too. Enjoy this also as a evening tea time snack with a cup of piping hot adrak ka chai!



Ingredients:


Soya wheat flour - 11/4 cup
Maida - 1/4 cup
Black pepper corns and Cumin  - 2 tsp, each, grounded.
Turmeric powder - 1 tsp
Ghee
Salt

Oil for frying

Method:

Take a bowl and bring everything together one by one and knead with water to a smooth dough as shown below.

Then take a medium size portion from the dough. Roll it flat, Cut in to diamond shapes ready to be fried in oil.

Repeat the procedure for rest of the dough and store the chips in an air tight container.

I used Datar's Soya Wheat flour. If you can get soya flour separately use one cup of soya flour and add 1/4 cup wheat flour, the other ingredients remain the same.

Arrowroot Milk Cakes

Arrowroot milk cakes can be refrigerated for future consumption,but am only mentioning this considering the nature of the sweet as it contains milk and coconut, but there wont be any left as soon as they are ready for consumption. It simply melts in your mouth and the best part is that just takes 20 minutes or so to prepare...!



Ingredients:

Arrowroot powder - 1 cup
Milk - 500 ml (Reserve 1/2 cup to mix arrowroot powder)
Sugar - 275 gms
Coconut - 2 tsp
Cardamom powder - 1/2 tsp
Ghee for greasing

Suggested garnishing : Pistachios

Method:

Take 1/2 cup milk and mix the powder devoid of lumps. Boil the remaining quantity and lower the flame till the last stage of preparation. Add sugar. stir well. Add the arrowroot mix, along with coconut and cardamom powder and stir well. This has to be done really quickly as arrowroot powder tends to thicken pretty fast. Once you get a smooth consistency, transfer to a plate greased with ghee.

Take a flat ladle and spread it evenly. Allow it to cool really well. Cut into cubes. Garnish with pistachios or even almond pieces.

Polenta and Tomato Basil sauce

Ingredients:


Polenta Pronta : 1 cup
Water - 2 cups
Milk - 2 cups
Parmesan Cheese - 2 tsp
Salt

For Tomato Basil sauce:

Tomatoes  - 4 (blended)
Onion - 1 (large)
Black Pepper corns - 11/4 tsp
Basil - 1/2 tsp
Oregano - 1/2 tsp
Olive Oil
Salt


Method:


Take a large pan. Pour water and milk.Let it boil. Then add the polento powder while stirring with a ladle simultaneously. Add cheese and salt. Keep mixing until you get a nice smooth lump free texture. This would not take more than 10 minutes.

Then grease a plate with butter. Transfer the contents to the plate and refrigerate for about 3 to 4 hours.


Then cut into rectangle pieces as shown below and fry in oil.

For the sauce, Saute onion. Add ground pepper corns followed by blended tomatoes. Add the herbs fresh or dried form. Add salt. Mix well. Keep in low heat for 5 to 7 minutes and then switch off.

Polenta and Tomato Basil sauce is ready.

Bread Gulab Jamun

It would be apt to caption this as the twin of our ubiquitous Gulab Jamun! Needless to say it is simply delectable and the interesting aspect is that it is made using just bread, maida and Khoya. As nobody can deny savoring its predecessor same goes with this Bread Gulab Jamun. Made using home made khoya, maida and bread you can gorge as much as you can this diwali and for many occasions.

 You can prepare this sweet using store bought Khoya too.


Ingredients:


Bread - 6 slices
Maida - 1 1/4 tsp

For Khoya:

Salted Butter - 2 tbsp
Cream - 1/4 cup
Full fat milk - 1 tumbler
Milk powder - 1 cup


Method:

Take a bowl. Remove the edges of the bread slices and crumble into pieces. Add maida to it. Mix well and set aside.

Now to make Khoya/ Mawa.

Take a heavy bottomed pan. Heat it. Add butter. Let it melt.Then add cream. Mix well. Add milk. Then add milk powder in parts. KEEP STIRRING IN ONE HAND while adding the powder. Maintain LOW FLAME throughout the entire process of making Khoya. It took me around 35 minutes to make this as it has to reach a THICK AND SMOOTH  consistency.

Now this is khoya.

The next step is to Mix 3 tbsp of Khoya with the bread maida mixture. Add 2 to 3 tsp of water while kneading.

Grease your palms with ghee and make small balls from this and arrange on a plate.

Fry in oil.

Prepare sugar syrup. Toss these fried balls to the syrup. Then enjoy after a couple of hours.

Bread Pakoda

Bread Pakoda - One or two is enough to satiate a super hungry stomach! We are not talking about just slices of bread here but slices sandwiched with potato and peas masala stuffing, coated in flavored Besan batter and fried in oil. Now if this description has induced hunger pangs better scroll down and rush to your kitchen!

Ingredients:

Bread slices - 12

For Stuffing:

Potato - 2
Peas - 1/2 cup
Oil
Mustard
Ginger and green chilli paste - 2 tsp
Red chilli powder - 1 tsp
Turmeric powder - 1 tsp
Salt

For the batter:

Besan flour - 11/2 cups
Rice flour - 31/2 tsps
Garam masala powder - 1 tsp
Turmeric powder - 11/2 tsp
Red chilli powder - 11/4 tsp
Ajwain or carom seeds - 1 tsp
Salt
Water


Method:

Steam Potato and Peas. Mash them.Take a pan. Add oil. Once hot. Add a tsp of mustard seeds. After it splutters add ginger and green chilli paste followed by the spice powders required salt. Add this to the mashed vegetables. Mix well.

For the batter mix all the ingredients one by one. The consistency should not be too thick nor thin.

Now take the bread slices. Spread the masala on one slice and close it with another slice of bread. Repeat this process until the masala is over.

Cut the sandwiched portions diagonally.

Dip it in the batter and fry them in oil.

This can be served with coriander mint chutney. --

(1 cup coriander + 1/4 cup mint + 1/2 tsp of fried gram + 1/4 tsp Jeera + 2 garlic pods + 2 small slit green chillies and of course salt!)

Enjoy!!!

Cocoa Vanilla Cream Cake

This is something on the lines of http://preethskitchn.blogspot.com/2016/05/yellow-pumpkin-cheese-cake.html 

The similarities being a) Egg less b) bake free c) the base used - the cheese crackers. Having outlined the similarities the methodology is entirely differently which you will agree once having read the preparation method for this cocoa oozing item. 



Ingredients:

For filling:

Cake mix (White) - 2 to 3 cups (I used Betty Crocker's)
Milk - 3 cups
Whipping cream - 250 ml

For the topping:

Unsweetened cocoa powder - 3 tsp
Sugar - 1/4 cup
Milk - 1 cup
Vanilla extract: 1 1/2 tsp
Butter - 1/2 tsp

For the base:

Cheese crackers - 250 grams

Method:


Powder the cheese crackers roughly. lay them as base on a tray or flat vessel or plate that you are using. 

Mix the ingredients given under ' For filling' without lumps. Just whip it thick. 

Then pour this on the crackers. 

Then again top it with crackers.Then again use this whipped portion to cover the crackers completely. Now you would have 2 layers of the whipped mix and 2 layers of cheese crackers. 

Now the topping you will have to add the ingredients in a vessel  (EXCEPT VANILLA EXTRACT and BUTTER)and whip it once you have a smooth texture. Switch on the stove and keep stirring until the cocoa mixture begins to boil switch off  immediately then after a minute or two add the vanilla essence. Mix it. 

Now use this for topping. 

Refrigerate it overnight and here it is!

Arroz Rojo

Arroz Rojo otherwise called as Mexican rice can be made both in the vegetarian and non vegetarian method. This is a vegetarian version of Mexican  rice and i have used substitutes that have been recommended based on my browsing for this recipe. I have used plain red chillies (long ones) in place for Jalapenos and only water instead of vegetable stock and for rice it is Basmati. I have added beans and baby corn for additional taste.You can substitute with carrots too.

This is a one pot meal, something that will not leave you disappointed in the taste department and health wise as it includes nutrient rich orange and red bell peppers.

This is very a healthy dish, which you can relish for your lunch or dinner.


Ingredients:

Onion - 2
Tomato - 1 (big and juicy)
Garlic - 6
Orange and red bell peppers - 1/2 cup each -sliced.
Beans - 1/4 cup - cut medium size.
Baby corn - 1/2 cup (chopped)

Basmati rice - 21/2 cups (soaked for 20 minutes and drained)

Long red chillies - 6
Salt
Olive oil


Method:

Chop all the vegetables. Take a medium size pressure cook pan. Add olive oil. Keep on high flame. Add garlic, saute until it turns brownish followed by chopped bell peppers, tomato and red chillies. Continue tossing  on high until it looks slightly charred. Remove from stove and set it on a plate to cool. This has to be grinded to a smooth paste. Do not add salt for this.

Now again pour 2-3 tsp of olive oil.Once warm add onions, beans and baby corn. Saute it, Add rice,that has already been soaked and drained. Maintain medium flame. Saute it for 5 to 7 minutes. At this juncture the blended bell pepper paste should be added. Add little water to the blender so that the remaining paste in the corners come off too. Add salt. Mix thoroughly. Pressure cook for just 1 whistle or you can just cook it open and it will be ready.

Broccoli Manchurian

Ingredients:

Broccoli florets - 30

For the Batter:

Maida - 11/2 tbsp
Corn flour - 21/2 tbsp
Kashmiri chilli powder - 1 1/2 tsp
Pepper- 1 tsp
Salt

For Manchurian mix:

Ginger (finely chopped)- 4 tsp
Garlic (finely chopped) - 2 tsp
Spring onion (finely chopped) - 1/2 cup
Tomato sauce - 3 tsp
Sweet soya sauce - 2 tsp
Schezwan stir fry sauce - 2 tsp
(you can alternatively use chilli sauce. Since i did not have it then i opted for this which is also spicy)


Method:

Immerse the florets in hot water for about 20 minutes. Then drain the water completely. Tthen spread the florets on a plate.

Mix all the ingredients to prepare the batter.

Then prepare the Manchurian mix and keep it ready. Heat kadai. Add olive oil (optional), then add ginger garlic and spring onion and saute them till you get a nice aroma. This should be done in medium flame then after that add the sauce types one by one and whip it up and set it aside. DON'T ADD SALT.

Heat oil.  After this is done dip the florets in batches of 6 to 8 in the batter and fry them in oil.
Once all the florets are fried in this fashion you may then coat them in the manchurian mix and serve it.

Green Brinjal Mustard Curry

Ingredients:

Long Green Brinjals - 500 gms
Onion - 1
Tomato - 1
Turmeric powder
Green chilli (slit) - 1
Kashmiri Chilli powder - 1 tsp
Salt
Oil

For Grinding:

Mustard - 11/4 tsp
Cumin Seeds - 1 tsp
Ginger pieces - 3
Garlic - 2 pods

Method:

Chop green brinjals, onion and tomato. Grind mustard, cumin seeds, ginger and garlic with little water.

Take a pan. Add oil. Once hot, add onion and gree chilli. Saute for a while before adding tomato. Once it turns soft add the brinjals. Add turmeric and kashmiri chilli powder. Once the brinjals become soft add the mustard paste. Add required amount of salt and oil.  Mix well. Close the lid for sometime.

Serve it chapati, dosai or even idli.

Oats Aaloo Tikki

Ingredients:

Oats - 2 cups
Steamed Potato - 1
Grated Cheese - 2 tsp
Chat Masala - 1/2 tsp
Cumin powder - 1/2 tsp
Garam Masala - 1/2 tsp
Aamchur powder - 1/4 tsp
Lemon Juice - 1 tsp
Chopped Cilantro - 1/4 cup
Salt

Oil for shallow frying and for greasing.


Method:

Dry roast oats for 5 minutes. Mash steamed potato. Take a bowl add all the ingredients and mix well. Add  water and make a dough as shown below.

Take a tawa. Grease it with oil. Keep the flame in medium. Take a small portion of the dough. grease your palm with ghee or oil and flatten it on your palm into a circle, ensure that it is not too thin. It should feel like a cutlet. Then place it on the tawa. When one side turns golden brown toss it to the other side.Wait until both the sides turn golden brown. Then with a ladle set it aside on a plate. Repeat the process.

This Oats Aaloo Tikki can be had with Ketchup.

Turnip & Wheat Basandhi

 I had my own doubts as to how this will turn out to be,a sweet from a vegetable like Turnip,given the unique pungent flavor of turnips, and as to how a raw vegetable can be converted into a occasion befitting dessert. But with the right combination of other rich ingredients like cashew powder, saffron milk this becomes possible and ...Voila! here it is right in front of your eyes!!!Now move down to see how to bring this to your mouth!


Ingredients:

Turnip (grated) - 1 cup
Milk (full fat) - 500 ml
Wheat - 2 tsp
Jaggery syrup - 1 cup
Sugar - 2 tsp
Cashew coarsely powdered - 2 tsp
Saffron strands
Pistachios - few
Cardamom powder - 1 tsp
Ghee

Method:

  Peel the skin of turnip completely. Grate it well. No need to strip off the moisture content of the grated turnip.

Take jaggery and prepare syrup equal to 1 cup. Filter it so that it is devoid of any impurities.

Now take a pan and boil fresh milk. Add saffron strands. Reduce the flame to minimum till the milk reduces to half its original quantity. Switch off. The essence of the saffron will get immersed in the milk in this period. Keep it aside.

Take another pan. Dry roast wheat for little less than 5 minutes. Set aside.

Retain the pan. Add 2 tsp of ghee. Take grated turnip and saute it for about 7 minutes. Add cashew powder, cardamom at this stage.Mix well. Then at this stage add the saffron milk. This adds pure richness to the sweet. Then add filtered jaggery extract.Add 2 tsps of sugar. Mix this well. Let this remain on flame till it reaches a creamy thick consistency. Keep stirring it from time to time.

Garnish with pistachios and few saffron strands.

Serve chilled.

Beetroot Kola Urundai

Ingredients:


Grated Beetroot - 2 cups
Steamed Potato - 2
Onion - 1
Chana dal - 1/4 cup
Red chillies - 3
Fennel - 1/4 sp
Ginger - 1/2 piece
Garlic pods - 2
Rice powder - 11/4 tsp
Salt
Oil


Method:

Soak chana dal for 1/2 hour. Grind with red chillies, fennel, ginger, and garlic. Grate beetroot. Steam potato and mash it.Take a large bowl. Add grated beetroot, rice powder, grinded chana mixture and mashed steamed potato. Add required salt. Mix well.

Take small portion of this dough and make small balls as shown below.

Take a pan. Pour oil required for frying. Once warm, fry these balls. Keep the flame in medium while frying the balls.

Once ready these can be had with coriander chutney.