Banana Stem Juice

Every part of Banana is full of nutritional and health benefits. The stem of banana is considered one of the highly nutritious part of plant with amazing health benefits:

*Detoxification and Digestion
* Treating Kidney stones and UTI( Urinary Tract Infection)
* Weight loss
* Managing Cholesterol and Blood Pressure
* Healing Acidity and Gastric problems.

Try this Banana stem juice, that requires no cooking or heating !

Preparation Time: 20 minutes
 Yields: 300 to 350 ml of juice

INGREDIENTS:

Banana Stem -  1/2 of one large stem ( Approx 200 gms)
Yogurt - 150 ml
Water - 100 ml
Salt - a pinch or as required
Pepper powder - 1/4 teaspoon
Cumin powder - 1/4 teaspoon
Ginger - 1 inch sized chopped
Coriander leaves - handful

METHOD:

1. Remove the outer rings of banana stem, so that no more rings seen in the cross section.Cut them in to cubes and wash well. Mix yogurt and water in a cup. Add banana stem in to the blender. Also add little yogurt water, ginger, salt, cumin powder, pepper powder and coriander leaves.

2. Blend them. If difficult to blend, add some more yogurt water. Blend smooth.

3. Now filter the paste using a strainer. As banana stem is very fibrous, it will be difficult to drink the juice without filtering. Hence it is recommended to filter well, before drinking and remove all the fiber. Banana stem juice is ready. Serve immediately after preparation.

Butter Cake(In Pressure Cooker)

Preparation Time: 10 minutes
Cooking Time: 60 minutes
Serves: 6- 7 pieces

INGREDIENTS:

Maida or All purpose flour - 1 1/2 cups
White sugar or powdered white sugar - 3/4 cup
Chocolate sprinkles - 1 tablespoon ( optional)
Butter - 75 gms
Milk - 255 ml ( not cold milk. Room temperature or lukewarm milk)
Baking powder- 1/2 teaspoon
Baking Soda - 1/4 teaspoon
Salt - a pinch
Vanilla Extract - 1/2 teaspoon

METHOD:

1. Take a 5.5 liter pressure cooker , remove gasket and weight. In the bottom spread about 1/2 a packet of salt. Place a plate above it. Cover the lid and keep the flame in medium. It resembles the preheat procedure of oven.

2. In a bowl, take butter and sugar. Whisk well, till it turn soft and creamy.

3. Now add 255 ml of milk. Do not add very cold milk. Add lukewarm milk to it and mix well. Also add 1/2 tsp vanilla extract. Also sieve maida, baking soda,baking powder and salt and add . Mix the contents gently . Do not mix for too long.

4. Take a loaf pan ( Dimensions: Length - 19 cms , Breadth : 10 cms  Height:  8 cms) . Spread baking paper on the bottom and also the sides. Spread some olive oil on the bottom and also the sides. Pour the cake batter into it and gently pat, so that the batter gets spread evenly.

5. Sprinkle some chocolate sprinkles above it. It is optional. You can omit, if you do not want.

6. Gently place the loaf pan in the pressure cooker, which has been already preheating.

7. Cover the lid and reduce the flame to sim and bake for atleast 1 hour. After 50 minutes, check with a tooth pick or any small stick, to see if the cake has been baked well. If no batter sticks to the stick, the cake is cooked completely. Also, the top of the cake will be dry and will not be moist . It indicates the cake is cooked well.

8. Gently take the loaf pan from the cooker. Allow it to rest for another 10 to 15 minutes to cool down. Then transfer the cake to a plate and remove the baking paper.

9. Once cool down, cut them in to slices. You can also refrigerate the cake and heat in microwave for 10 to 15 seconds , before serving.

Dal Dhokli

Try this tasty and protein rich Gujarati side dish made of toor dal, wheat flour and peanuts. It can be had with rice or rotti .

Preparation Time:  15 minutes
Cooking Time: 30 minutes
Serves: 2 to 3 people

INGREDIENTS:

FOR DAL:

Toor Dal - 1/2 cup
Water - 1 1/2 cup
Peanuts- 2 tablespoon
Oil - 1 teaspoon
Ghee - 1 tablespoon
Mustard - 1 teaspoon
Cumin seeds - 1 teaspoon
Dry red chilli - 2 no.s
Curry leaves - a few
Tomatoes - 1 no. finely chopped
Ginger garlic paste - 1 teaspoon
Turmeric powder - 1/2 teaspoon
Kashmiri chilli powder - 1/2 teaspoon
Cumin powder - 1/2 teaspoon
Coriander powder - 1/2 teaspoon
Garam masala - 1/2 teaspoon
Jaggery - a small piece
Lemon juice - 1 tablespoon
Salt - as required
Asafoetida powder - as required

FOR DHOKLI:

Whole wheat flour - 1/2 cup
Turmeric powder - 1/4 teaspoon
Redchilli powder - 1/4 teaspoon
Ajwain/carom seeds - 1/2 teaspoon
Oil - 2 teaspoon
Water - as required
Salt - a pinch


METHOD:

1. In a pressure cooker, wash toor dal and add 1 1/2 cup of water and 1 teaspoon of oil . In a small cup, add 2 table spoon of peanuts and place it inside.

2. Cover the lid and cook in high flame for 1 whistle. Then keep the flame in medium flame, and cook for five whistles. Wait till the pressure settles. Open the lid. keep the peanuts aside. Mash the toor dal well .

3. In a bowl, take 1/2 cup wheat flour. Add  oil, salt,  turmeric powder, red chilli powder, ajwain seeds. Add required water, and make a dough, as like chappathi dough.

4. Take a ball sized dough. Flatten them in to slightly thicker rotti. Do not make it very thin.

5. Cut them in to diamond shapes. Keep it aside.

6. In a pan, add 1 tablespoon of ghee .  Add mustard, cumin seeds, dry red chilli and curry leaves.

7. Now add ginger garlic paste.

8. Now add chopped tomatoes and cook till the tomatoes gets mushy. Add , cooked toor dal and add 1 1/2 cup of water.

9. Now add turmeric powder, kashmiri red chilli powder, coriander powder, cumin powder and garam masala. Combine well and cook for 1 to 2 minutes till the raw smell of masala is gone.

10. Now also add cooked peanuts , required salt, jaggery and lemon juice.

11. Now add diamond shaped dhoklis which you prepared in step 5. Mix gently and cook for 10 to 12 minutes, till the dhoklis are cooked well. After you add dhoklis, the dal may get thicker. Add water whenever required.

12. Once dhoklis are cooked, switch off the stove. Add coriander leaves and sprinkle some asafoetida powder.. Serve with white rice or rotti.

Potato Masala

Restaurant style potato masala - For masala dosa, rotti side dish, bread sandwich etc. Easy to make in minutes :)

Preparation Time: 10 minutes
Cooking Time: 15 minutes
Serves: 2 people

INGREDIENTS:

Potato - 1 large no or 2 medium nos.
Onion - 3/4 cup chopped very fine
Green chilli - 1 large no, chopped fine
Ginger - 1 inch , chopped fine
Turmeric powder - 1/4 teaspoon
Curry leaves - as required
Coriander leaves - for garnishing
Salt - as required
Asafoetida powder - a pinch
Water - 1 - 2 tablespoon

SEASONING:

Oil - 2 tablespoon
Mustard- 1 teaspoon
Urad dal - 1 teaspoon
Channa dal -  1 teaspoon
Cumin seeds - 1 teaspoon

METHOD:

1. In a pressure cooker, cut potato with skin in to four pieces and add sufficient water. Cover with lid. Pressure cook in high flame for one whistle, then simmer and cook for 9 minutes and switch off. Take it out and allow it to cool down. Peel of the skin, and cut them in to cubes.

2. Chop onions, green chilies and ginger in to fine pieces.

3. In a tawa, add 2 tablespoon of oil. Add mustard, cumin seeds, urad dal , channa dal and curry leaves. Once it changes color, add onion and green chilli. Fry , till onion gets transparent.

4. Now add chopped ginger and fry for another 30 seconds. Now add boiled potato cubes, salt , turmeric powder and mix well.

5. Now add very less water ( approx 1 to 2 tablespoon) , so that potatoes turn moist and soft. Mash bigger pieces with a wooden ladle, but do not mash all the pieces and turn it to paste. Switch off the stove. Sprinkle some asafoetida powder and garnish with corriander leaves.

6. Serve it with masala dosa, or a side dish for rotti or poori, or you can also use it as a stuffing for potato sandwich. It will taste very good !

SEE ALSO : Pesarattu Dosa, Peanut Chutney 

Wheat Parotta

Parotta  is a  layered flatbread  usually made with all purpose flour/maida. It is quite popular in TamilNadu and usually eaten with kurma ( mixed vegetables in a coconut based masala gravy) . Today I have tried making this parotta in wheat flour with step by step pictures . Follow my steps, to get a layered wheat parotta !

Preparation Time: 15 minutes

Cooking Time: 1 hour

Yields - 13 no.s of parotta

INGREDIENTS:

Whole Wheat flour - 2.5 cups 

Sugar - 1 teaspoon

Salt - 3/4 teaspoon

Baking powder - 3/4 teaspoon

Milk - 3/4 cup

Olive Oil - 2 teaspoon

Water- as required for kneading

Ghee and oil- For making parotta

Glutinous rice flour- for dusting

Wheat flout - for dusting 

METHOD:

1. In a bowl, add wheat flour, salt, 2 teaspoon oil,  sugar, baking powder and milk. 

2. Add required water and make smooth dough. The dough should be like chappathi dough. Spread some oil over the dough and cover and keep it for 20 minutes.

3. Make lemon sized balls from the dough. Do not make it too big or too small.

4. Take a ball of dough, and use some glutinous rice flour and spread as thin as possible. The reason for using glutinous rice flour is, it is made from sticky rice and help to spread the parotta as thin as possible. If you dont have glutinous rice flour, you can use normal wheat flour for dusting. 

5. Spread some ghee evenly over the dough. Also sprinkle some wheat flour above it. No need to spread the wheat flour. 

6. Now fold it, as like u make pleats for saree. 

7. Now rotate it in to a round shape.

8. Please watch the video for how to fold the parotta to get in layers.

9. Sprinkle some more glutinous rice flour, and using roller pin, spread the parotta . 

10. Cook in a pan, by applying oil on both sides ! 

11. Serve with veg kurma !

Whole Wheat Cake( In Pressure Cooker)

Healthy wheat cake made with whole wheat flour, jaggery, dry fruits and nuts . It came out so well and very tasty. Please do try and leave your comments !

Preparation Time: 15 minutes
Cooking Time : 50 to 60 minutes
Servings: 6 no.s of servings

INGREDIENTS:

Whole Wheat Flour - 1 cup
Olive Oil - 1/2 cup( two tablespoon less than 1/2 cup)
Jaggery - 1/2 cup
Milk - 1/2 cup
Water - 1/4 cup
Vinegar - 1/2 teaspoon
Baking powder - 1/2 teaspoon
Baking Soda - 1/4 teaspoon
Cinnamon Powder - 1/4 teaspoon
Salt -a pinch
Almonds - 1 tablespoon
Raisins - 1 tablespoon
Cashews - 3 no.s
Walnut - 3 no.s
Dates - 3 no.s

METHOD:

1. In a 5 or 5.5 liter hindalium pressure cooker or any cooker with heavy bottom base , spread half a packet of sea salt . Above that , place a stainless steel plate . Above the plate, place a stand. Remove gasket and weight from the lid and cover the pressure cooker and keep the flame in medium . Let it get heated and resemble an preheated oven .

2. In a bowl, sieve and add whole wheat flour. Add baking powder, baking soda , pinch of salt, cinnamon powder and mix well.

3. In a bowl, take grated jaggery. Add oil , milk. Whisk them well, till the jaggery dissolve well and smooth. Now add this mixture to flour and mix gently. Add 1/4 cup of water to get a smooth batter. Do not keep mixing for too long, as it will make the cake very hard. Also add , chopped dry fruits and nuts ( Do not add all of it. Save some to garnish the top of the cake )

4. In a 6 inch cake bowl, grease with olive oil. Spread a baking paper at the bottom of the pan. Pour the cake batter in to it. Decorate the top with remaining dry fruits and nuts.

5. Now carefully place the cake pan in the pressure cooker which has been already heating and close the lid. Reduce the flame to sim. Let it get baked for 50 to 60 minutes. With the help of toothpick, check if the inside of the cake is cooked. If the batter doesn't stick with the cake, then it is cooked well. Also, if the cake is still cooking, the top of the cake will be wet. Once it is cooked, the top of the cake will be dry.

6. Allow the cake to cool down for another 15 minutes. Then with the help of fork, slowly separate the cake from it edges and transfer it to another plate. Whole wheat cake is ready !