Eggless Tiramisu

Cooking Time: 20-30 minutes
Preparation Time: 30-40 minutes
Servings: 4



Ingredients:
Eggless sponge cake, 6 inch - 1                  
Vanilla custard powder - 4 tsp
Milk - 1.5 cups
Sugar - 6 tsp
Instant Coffee powder - 1 tbsp
Hung curd - 4 tbsp
Whipped cream - 3 tbsp

Method:

1. Slice the cake horizontally into three slices.
2. Mix custard powder in a little cold milk. Heat the remaining milk in a pan, add the custard powder mixture and cook, stirring continuously, till it begins to thicken. Add sugar and stir till it dissolves. Set aside to cool. 
3. Heat a cup of water in a pan. Add one teaspoon instant coffee powder and mix. Set aside to cool. 
4. Add hung curd to the cooled custard and mix. 
5. Add the whipped cream and mix well.
6. Place the base slice of the cake in a glass bowl. Pour some of the coffee decoction over it and let it soak well. Spread some of the custard mixture all over it. 
7. Soak the remaining cake slices in the remaining coffee decoction. Place another cake slice over the one in the bowl and spread some of the custard mixture all over it. 
8. Cover it with the third cake slice. Pour the remaining custard mixture over it and spread it over the top and the sides of the sandwiched cake. Put the remaining instant coffee powder in a small sieve and sprinkle it all over the top of the tiramisu. Keep it in the refrigerator to set for at least one and a half hours. Serve chilled.

DHOOD SAMBAR

Dhood sambar

Ingredients:
Onion - 2 big size
Potato - 1 big
Milk - 1 litre
Ghee - 1 tbsp
Salt to taste
Garlic - few
Lavang (Cloves) - 2-3
Dalchini (cinnamon) - small piece
Khus Khus (Poppy seeds) - 1 tbsp
Dry Coconut - 2 tbsp
Jeera
Curry leaves
Coriander leaves
Asafeotida
Red chilliy powder
Garam masala
Kala masala (Masale khara)

Method:

1.  Roast one onion on fire.
2. Cut the roasted onion into pieces and add to kadhai.
3. To the kadhai put garlic, lavang, dalchini, khus khus and dry coconut and roast. Make a paste of this.
4. In the above empty kadhai,  add ghee and allow to heat. Now add hing, Jeera and lots of coriander leaves. Add one chopped onion and fry well.
5. Now add small chopped potato and allow to cook well. If needed add some water. 
6. Then add red chilly powder, garam masala, kala masala and fry for sometime.
7. Next add the above paste and mix well. 
8. Put one litre milk and allow to boil.
9. Just before serving add salt to it. Do not add before as it will spoil the milk.
10. Serve with rice or bread.

Maida Halwa
Serves: 4 people
Preparation time: 30min


Ingredients:
Maida (All Purpose Flour) - 1 Cup
Sugar - 1 Cup
Milk - 1 Cup
Ghee - 1.5 Cups

Method:

1. Mix all the above ingredients in a kadai.
2. Keep the above mix on gas. Mix well while heating.
3. Allow it to cook for 20-25min, by mixing well.
4. Serve hot by garnishing with some dry fruits.

Avacado-spinach salad with Olive oil and sesame dressing..

Preparation time:  15min
Cooking time: 0min
Serves 2 people

Ingredients:
Spinach - 1 bunch
Avacado - 1 big size
Olive oil - 2 tsp
Sesame seeds - 3 tsp
Salt to taste

Avacodo-Spinach salad with olive oil and sesame seed dressing

Method:

1. Wash the spinach well in water and chop them.
2. Clean the avacodo and cut them into pieces of your size of choice.
3. Mix together spinach and avacado in a bowl.
4. In a pan heat the oil. Once the oil is hot, add the sesame seeds and allow to splutter.
5. Now add the hot oil and sesame mix to bowl.
6. Then add salt and mix well and serve.

Pitatla vangi (Flour brinjal)

I have used typical Maharastrian naming conventions in the recipe. I have put in the hindi names in the brackets. This  curry can be served with Bhakari (Jowar Roti) or chapati. The side items with this will be masala peanuts and bukki kanda (Hand hit onion).

Ingredients:

Besan flour - 2 cups

Wheat flour - 2 tsp

Oil - 3 tbsps

Salt to taste

Jeera - 3 tsps

Red chili powder - 2 tsps

Dhaniya powder - 1 tbsps

Peanut powder - 1 and 1/2 cups

Kala tikhat (Masala chili powder) - 1 and 1/2 tbsp

Dry coconut grated or powdered

Ginger-Garlic paste - 2 tbsps

Coriander

Tumeric powder - 1 tsp

Amchur - 1 tsp

Mustard seeds -  1 tsp

Curry leaves

Green chillies

Onion - 2 medium

Tomato - 2 medium

Water for the dough

Part 1:

To make the dough for the flour brinjal.

Mix the below ingredients and make a dough by  adding water.

•         2 cups of besan
•         2 tsp wheat flour
•         2 tsp oil
•         Salt
•        1 tsp crushed jeera
•         Red chili powder according to taste and spicyness of the powder
•         1 tbsp dhaniya powder

Part 2:

Saran (Filling or masala):

Mix the below ingredients in a mixer.

•         1 cup Peanut powder
•         1 and ½ tbsp. Kala masala
•         Dry coconut powder roasted in oil
•         ½ tbsp. ginger-garlic paste
•         Chopped coriander
•         Turmeric powder
•         Salt to taste
•         1 tsp amchur

Part 3:

Vangi (Brinjal)

1.        Take out small portions of the dough, roll into round (similar to wheat rotis). Put Saran (filling) in it.
2.        Give it a shape similar to Brinjal. Apply oil on the complete vangi.
3.        Take a pressure cooker, do not use the whistle. Take a flat vessel which can fit in the cooker and layer it with oil.
4.        Put the vangi in the vessel and then in the cooker and cook for 3-4min without whistle.
5.        Let them cool down.

Part 4:

Rassa (Gravy)

1.        Put Fodani (Tadka) with Oil, Jeera, Mustard seeds, curry leaves, green chili.
2.       Then put onion and fry till golden brown.
3.        Then put tomatoes and cook it till the tomatoes leave some oil.
4.        Now add salt, red chili powder, the remaining Saran (Filling). Add water to it.
5.        Allow this mixture to boil. Now add Vangi.
6.        Boil again and serve hot with Bhakari (Jower roti), Masala peanuts and raw onion.

Coffee-Banana Milkshake

Ingredients:
Banana - 3 small or 2 big Nos
Coffee - 1 tsp
Sugar - 2 tsp (Or according to taste)
Chilled Milk - 2 glasses
Ice cubes if you like.

Method:
1. Cut bananas in random sizes. Blend in the blender.
2. Now add the other ingredients except ice and blend it well.
3. Now add the crushed ice and blend once Or you can keep the milkshake in the deep freezer for say half hour. Then before serving just blend it once and serve it.
4. Serve it chilled.

Mixed vegetable upma (Upittu)

Cooking time: 20min
Preparation time: 20min
Serving: 4 persons

Ingredients:
Sooji (Rawa) - 2Cups
Onion - 1 large
Ginger - 1 inch
Garlic - 6 to 8 cloves
Kadipatta
Asofoetida
Jeera
Mustard seeds
Green chilly - 1
Carrot - 2 small
French beans - 200 gms
Peas - 50gms
Salt to taste
Oil - 3 tbsp
Ghee - 2 tsp
Lemon - 1/2
Sugar - 1/2 tsp
Water - 2 and 1/2 cups
Cilantro leaves
Grated coconut (Optional)


Below in powdered form:
Cardamom - 2
Cinnamom - 1 cm
Black Pepper - 3-4


Method:
1. Chop the Onions into cubes.
2. Grate garlic and Ginger.
3. In the meantime, keep a kadai on flame. Then when hot add rawa and dry roast it till slightly brown.
4. Chop green chilly. Add less chilly as we already have other spices into the upma.
5. Chop Carrot into cubes. Also chop beans finely as it will cook faster.
6. By now the rawa would be done. So take it out and keep it aside.
7. In the same kadai, add oil and allow to heat.
8. Now add Asofoetida, Mustard and Jeera. Allow mustard to splutter.
9. Then add Kadipatta, Green chilly and Ginger-Garlic. Allow Garlic to become golden brown.
10. Then add Onions and fry for 5min. Then add all the vegetables. Fry for a minute or two. Add a little salt and cook well with closed lid of the kadai.
11. Now add the powdered masala and fry for sometime.
12. Once above is cooked well, Add the Water and allow to boil.
13. To the water add salt, Lemon juice, Cilantro leaves and sugar. Mix well.
14. Add the rawa to boiling water, mix quickly and close the lid as it starts to splutter all over.
15. After 2 min, Open the lid and mix well.
16. Now put 2tsp of ghee and mix it well. Close the lid and allow the raw to cook.
17. Garnish with cilantro leaves and grated coconut. Serve it plain or with Farsaan.

Corn Cheese chops

Cooking time: 40min
Preparation time: 15min

Ingredients
Corn kernels - 2 cups
Ginger - 1 inch piece
Garlic - 6 cloves
Green chilli - 3-4
Onion - 1 medium
Oil - 2 tablespoons
Turmeric powder - 1/2 teaspoon
Salt to taste
Crushed black peppercorns - 1/2 teaspoon
Fresh coriander leaves - 2 tablespoons
Bread crumbs - 2 1/2 cups
Mozzarella cheese - 1/2 cup
Cornflour/ corn starch - 2 tablespoons
Sticks a few

Method
1. Peel ginger and garlic and chop in a chopper with green chillies.
2. Peel and finely chop onion.
3. Heat 2 tbsps oil in a non-stick pan, add ginger-garlic-green chillies and sauté. When garlic turns a light brown add onion and sauté for 2 minutes.
4. Coarsely chop corn kernels in the chopper and add to the pan. Mix well and sauté for a while. Add turmeric powder, salt and mix. Transfer into a bowl and add peppercorns, coriander leaves and mix.
5. Add 1½ cups white bread crumbs and mix well.
6. Heat sufficient oil in a kadai.
7.Thickly slice mozzarella cheese and then cut into small cubes.
8.Mix cornflour with water to make a thick batter. Spread the remaining bread crumbs in a plate.
9. Dust your palms with a little cornflour, take a portion of the corn mixture, keep a cheese cube in the centre and roll to cover it completely and shape into a oval chop.
10. Roll it in a little cornflour and pierce an ice cream stick at one end. Shape it again.
11. Dip it in cornflour batter, roll in remaining bread crumbs and deep fry till golden. Drain on tissue paper. Serve hot.

Cheese Corn Balls

Cooking time: 15min
Preparation time: 15min

Ingredients:
Processed cheese,grated - 2 cups
Sweet Corn - 1 cup
Sweet corn ( cream style) - 2 tablespoons
Green chillies - 3
Ginger - 1 1/2 inch piece
Refined flour (maida) - 4 tablespoons
Salt to taste
baking soda a pinch
Oil to deep fry

Method:
1. Take cheese in a bowl.
2. Drain sweet corn and rinse in fresh water and add to the bowl.
3. Add cream style sweet corn. Finely chop green chillies and ginger and add.
4. Add refined flour, salt and baking powder and mix well. Cover and rest the mixture in the refrigerator for about 15 minutes.
5. Heat sufficient oil in a kadai. Shape the mixture into small balls and deep fry on medium heat till golden.
6. Drain on absorbent paper and serve hot with your choice of chutney.

Garlic Chutney (Wet)

Preparation Time: 5 Minutes
Cooking Time: 0 Minutes
Makes 0.75 cup

Ingredients
1 cup roughly chopped garlic (lehsun)
1 tbsp chilli powder
1 tsp tamarind (imli) pulp
2 tsp coriander (dhania) powder
1/2 tbsp lemon juice
salt to taste

Method
1. Combine all the ingredients in a mixer with ¼ cup of water and blend to a smooth paste.
2. Refrigerate and use as required.

Channa dal and Palak Kebab

Preparation Time: 20 mins
Cooking Time: 15 mins
Makes 8 kebabs

Ingredients
For The Chana Dal Paste
1 1/2 cups cooked chana dal (split bengal gram)
1/2 tsp turmeric powder (haldi)
1 tsp chilli powder
1 1/2 tsp ginger-garlic (adrak-lehsun) paste
salt to taste

Other Ingredients
2 tsp oil
1 tsp cumin seeds (jeera)
1 1/2 cups blanched and puréed spinach (palak)
1 1/2 tbsp dried fenugreek leaves (kasuri methi)
3 tbsp cornflour
2 tsp garam masala
1/2 tsp white pepper powder
salt to taste

For Serving
garlic chutney

Method
For the chana dal paste
1. Combine all the ingredients in a broad non-stick pan and sauté on a medium flame for 3 to 4 minutes.
2. Cool slightly and blend in a mixer to a coarse paste. Keep aside.

How to proceed
1. Heat ½ tsp of oil in a broad non-stick pan and add the cumin seeds.
2. When the seeds crackle, add the spinach purée and cook on a slow flame, while stirring continuously, for 2 to 3 minutes or till the water evaporates.
3. Add all the remaining ingredients along with the chana dal paste and cook on a medium flame for another 3 to 4 minutes, while stirring continuously.
4. Sprinkle a little water if the mixture becomes very dry.
5. Cool slightly and divide the mixture into 8 equal portions.
6. Roll out each portion into a 67 mm. (2½”) flat round kebab.
7. Heat a non- stick tava (griddle) and cook each kebab, using 1/8 tsp of oil, till they turn golden brown in colour from both the sides.
8. Serve hot with garlic chutney.

Baby corn dry sabji

What you need:
Baby corn
Onion
Tomato
Garam masala
Chat masala
Red chilly powder
Salt to taste
Mint leaves
Coriander leaves
oil
Jeera
Mustard seeds
Asafoetida
Turmeric powder

How do we make it?:
1. Cut baby corn into circles.
2. Cut onion lengthwise.
3. Cut tomatoes into cubes.
4. Chop the mint leaves and coriander leaves as well.
5. Put oil in a kadhai and heat it.
6. Put some Asafeotida, turmeric powder, Jeera and mustard seeds and allow to splatter.
7. Then add the onion fry till golden brown. Now add tomatoes and fry well till they become soft.
8. Now add baby corn and mix well.
9. Add salt, red chilly powder, garam masala and chat masala and mix well. Close the kadhai and allow to cook.
10. After about 10-15min add the chopped coriander and mint leaves and mix well and serve hot.

Magic Wrap (Frankie)

Magic Wrap name because this wrap has all the nutrients Dietary fibers, Proteins, calcium, iron with Zero Cholestrol and very low in fat content.

Preparation Time: 20 mins.
Cooking Time: 40 mins.
Serves 4

Ingredients:
For the filling:
Moong
Beetroot
Onion
Tamarind juice
Salt to taste
Red chilly powder
Tomatoes
Long Brinjal
Black pepper powder
Amchur powder

For the cover:
Wheat Flour - 2 cups
Mint leaves
Salt to taste
Water to kneading the dough

How to make the cover?
1. Take wheat flour in a kneading vessel.
2. Put some salt to taste.
3. Chop the mint leaves and add to the wheat flour.
4. Add water as needed and make the dough (Similar to chapati). Keep it aside for 15min.
5. Now make some balls of the dough.
6. Roll the balls into rounds and roast it using very little oil and allow to cool.
Now the cover is ready.

Now comes the filling
Part 1:
1. Soak the moong daal in water for 2 hours. Then pressure cook it, till its cooked so much that you can mash it.
2. Now add some salt, tamarind juice and red chilly powder. Mix well and keep aside.

Part 2:
Now how to make the long brinjal chips
1. Cut the brinjal into thin circles.
2. Put salt, pepper powder and amchur powder and mix well.
3. In a non-stick pan put these circles and spray some oil to shallow fry them.
4. Allow them to become crispy. Keep aside.

Part 3:
1. Chop the onion into semi circles.
2. Chop the beetroots, to long thin stick like.
3. Chop tomatoes into semi circles.

Here comes the final setting up the wrap
1. Take one cover on a flat surface.
2. Put a layer of mashed moong.
3. Then put a layer of Beetroot and tomatoes.
4. Then next layer of Brinjal chips in Part 2.
5. Now the final layer of Onions. The wrap is ready to serve. Can be served with ketchup.

Tomato-onion soup with crostini

TOMATO-ONION SOUP

Preparation Time: 10 mins.
Cooking Time: 20 mins.
Serves 4

Ingredients:
Onion - 2 medium sized
Garlic - 6 to 8 cloves
Ginger - 1/2 inch
Butter - 2 tsp
Tomatoes - 3 to 4 medium sized
Wheat flour - 1 tbsp
Green chilly - 1nos
Salt to taste
Black Pepper powder

Method:
1. Cut the onion and tomatoes lengthwise.
2. Peel Ginger and cut into small cubes. Also peel the garlic and keep aside.
3. Cut the green chillies about 2cms in length.
4. Now pressure cook tomatoes, Onion, ginger, garlic and green chillies with some water. Let it cook very well.
5. Allow the above to cool completely.
6. Separate out the vegetables only and put it in the mixer-grinder with almost no water. Make it into very fine paste. Keep in mind that there should be very minimal water, else the vegetables will not grind into fine paste.

7. Now in a kadhai heat the butter and allow it to melt. Now add the Wheat flour and fry it till you get a good aroma.
8. Now add the ground paste to the kadhai. Add the water left out after we pressure cooked the vegetables. Let the soup boil.
9. Now add salt and pepper and stir it.
10. Serve the soup hot with some crostini or bread or breadsticks.




CROSTINI
Preparation Time: 10 mins.
Cooking Time: 15 mins.
Serves 4

Ingredients:
Panini bread or garlic bread or normal bread
Green chillies - 2nos (Depends on how spicy you need)
Green Bell peppers - 1/2 medium sized
Butter or ghee
Beetroot - 1/2 small sized
Garlic - 8 to 10 cloves
Tomato - 1 medium sized
Onion - 2 medium sized
Oregano
Salt to taste


Method:
1. Cut the bread into the shape you like. I cut into triangles.
2. In a Kadhai, heat some butter or ghee and allow it to melt.
3. Now add the chopped garlic and fry it for about 5min.
4. Next add bell peppers and onion. Fry till slightly brown.
5. Now add salt and mix well. Bring it down from the gas.
6. Cut the tomatoes in small cubes.
7. Grate the beetroot and keep aside.
8. Now arrange the breads. The toppings will be 1st onion-bell peppers mix, followed by tomato and then beetroot. Sprinkle the Oregano and serve with hot Soup.

Double decker paratha

I was very confused as to how will both sweet vegetables i.e. Peas and Carrot go along. They both are sweet in taste. But I was amazed by the combination with proper quantity of green chillies. In this recipe the proportion of chillies is very important, we need to keep that in mind.

Preparation Time: 20 mins
Cooking Time: 30 mins
Makes 4 servings

What all you will need:
12 chapatis

For The Carrot Stuffing
1/2 cup grated carrot
1 tsp cumin seeds (jeera)
1/2 tsp finely chopped green chillies
1 tsp lemon juice
1/2 tsp oil
salt to taste

For The Green Peas Stuffing
1 1/2 cups boiled and mashed green peas
1 tsp cumin seeds (jeera)
1 tsp finely chopped green chillies
1 tbsp chopped coriander (dhania)
1/2 tsp oil
salt to taste

Other Ingredients
2 tsp oil for cooking

How do we make them:
For the carrot stuffing
1. Heat the oil in a non-stick pan and fry the cumin seeds until they crackle.
2. Add the carrots, green chillies, lemon juice and salt and mix well.
3. Cover and cook for 2 minutes. Keep aside.

For the green peas stuffing
1. Heat the oil in a non-stick pan and fry the cumin seeds until they crackle.
2. Add the green chillies, coriander and salt and cook for 1 minute.
3. Add the green peas and cook for another minute. Keep aside.

How to proceed
1. Spread 1 tablespoon of the carrot stuffing on one chapatti and cover with another chapatti.
2. Then spread 1 tablespoon of the green peas stuffing, place another chapatti on the top and press firmly to seal the edges.
3. Cook the resultant double decker parathas on a tava (griddle) on both sides, using a little oil.
R4. epeat with the remaining chapattis and stuffing to make 3 more parathas.
Serve hot.

Palak-Carrot soup

Ingredients you will need:
Coriander leaves - just few
Green Chilly - 2nos (Should not be very spicy)
Wheat Flour - 2 tbsp
Palak - 250gms
Carrot - 100gms
Garlic - 6 cloves
Pepper - to taste
Ginger - 1 inch
Butter - 1 tbsp
Onion - 2 small
Milk - 1/2 cup
Salt - to taste
Water


How do you proceed:

1. Separate the palak and coriander leaves from the roots. You should use most of the stem part for the soup. Wash it well and cut the leaves into halves .
2. Wash and peel the carrot skin and and cut them into cubes.
3. Cut the onion lengthwise.
4. Peel Ginger and cut into small cubes. Also peel the garlic and keep aside.
5. Cut the green chillies about 2cms in length.
6. Now pressure cook palak, coriander leaves, Carrot, Onion, ginger, garlic and green chillies using milk and some water. Let it cook very well.
7. Allow the above to cool completely.
8. Separate out the vegetables only and put it in the mixer-grinder with almost no water. Make it into very fine paste. Keep in mind that there should be very minimal water, else the vegetables will not grind into fine paste.
9. Now in a kadhai heat the butter and allow it to melt. Now add the Wheat flour and fry it till you get a good aroma.
10. Now add the ground paste to the kadhai. Add the water left out after we pressure cooked the vegetables. Let the soup boil.
11. Now add salt and pepper and stir it.
12. Serve the soup hot with some crostini or bread or breadsticks.

White sauce spread

Ingredients:
Milk - 1Cup
All purpose flour (Maida) - 1Tbsp
Cooking butter - 2Tbsp
Onion - 1 chopped into cubes
Green chilly and garlic paste
Salt to taste
Mint leaves (not a key ingredient)

Method:
1. Melt the butter in a frying pan.
2. Add the chopped Onion and fry till slightly brown.
3. Add the chilly, garlic paste and the chopped mint leaves. Fry well for few minutes.
4. Now add the maida and fry for few more minutes.
5. Add salt and mix well.
6. Finally add milk, mix well and allow to cook. Taste the mix and maida should be cooked well.
7. Serve it with a toasted bread. Cheese lovers, can grate cheese over the spread and enjoy it.


Variations:
1. We can also add boiled sweet corn kernels to the above spread and mix well and spread over bread.