Easy Chocolate Cake

Here is an easy recipe to make egg less chocolate cake using pressure cooker !

Preparation Time: under 15 minutes
Cooking Time: 30 to 40 minutes

INGREDIENTS:
Maida/All purpose flour - 1 cup
Powdered white sugar - 1 cup
Cocoa powder - 2 tablespoon
Baking soda -1/2 teaspoon
Baking powder -1/2 teaspoon
Milk -100 ml
Butter -50 ml
Yogurt/Thick curd - 60 ml
Chopped cashews - 1/4 cup

METHOD:

1. Prepare all ingredients and set ready.

2. Sieve maida , powdered sugar and cocoa powder and mix well. Sieving is to remove any big solid particles and to get smooth powder. Also add baking powder and baking soda. Mix all the dry ingredients well.

3. Now add the milk,butter and yogurt to the above dry mixture and mix well fast with a spoon, without any lumps. Keep stirring for a minute, so the mixture is as smooth as below.

4. In the meantime, take aluminium cooker of any size. Add about 1 to 2 cups of salt in the bottom. Place a small plate above it. Cover the lid without weight and keep the flame in medium high and allow it to get heated for about 5-7 minutes. This is similar to preheating oven.

5. Now take any vessel and grease it with butter. Pour the cake batter , which you prepared in step 3. Spread evenly.

6. Now, place it in the cooker above the plate. Cover the lid and dont put the weight. Keep the flame in medium flame. Keep changing the flame between medium to sim every 5 minutes, so that your cooker doesn't get burnt or spoil. In between open and check the cake with inserting a tooth pick, to see if it is completely cooked till the bottom. It may take approximately 30-35 minutes for the cake to get cooked well.

7. Allow the cake to cool completely. Remove the cake from sides and slowly take it from the container. Garnish with cashews or any nuts of your choice.

SEE ALSO: Egg less wheat cake, Chocolate brownie, Choco burfi

Kanchipuram Idly

This is a type of idly famous in a place called "Kanchipuram" in Tamil Nadu. It is also called "kovil(temple) Idly" , as it is served in famous "Sri varadarajaperumal" temple at Kanchipuram.

Kanchipuram Idly with peanut chutney

Preparation Time: Under 15 minutes(Not including fermentation time)
Cooking Time: Under 15 minutes

INGREDIENTS:
Riceflour- 600 gms
Urad dal- 3 cups(120 ml cup)
Salt- As required
Water - as required
Fenugreek powder - 2 teaspoon
Cumin seeds -3 teaspoon
Grated ginger -1 teaspoon
Black pepper powder -1 teaspoon
Mustard-1 teaspoon
Ghee - 1 tablespoon

METHOD:

1. Prepare/grind your regular idly/dosa batter. Before allowing it to ferment, take some batter in bowl. Add some grated ginger,cumin seeds and black pepper powder and mix well.

2. Keep it aside and allow it to ferment. It may take 8-10 hours. Now, in a pan add some ghee. Add mustard and cumin seeds and allow it to splutter . Pour it over the batter and mix well.

3. Now take a flat bottomed vessel with sides. Grease it with oil or ghee. Pour the batter in that for 1 to 1.5 cms in thickness.

4. In a pressure cooker , add some water in the bottom and allow it to boil. Place the vessel with batter inside and cover the cooker lid without the weight. Allow it to steam for about 10-15 minutes. In between check with a tooth pick whether the batter is cooked completely.

5. Now cut them into desired shapes you want. Serve with peanut chutney/coconut chutney/tomato chutney !.

NOTES:

SEE ALSO:  Dosa batter, Morkuzhambu, Dosai/Idly podi 

Besan Curry

This is an easy side dish for poori or chapatti . It is made of chickpea flour/besan/kadalai maavu with some onions ,tomatoes and chilies .

Preparation Time: Under 10 minutes
Cooking Time: Under 15 minutes

INGREDIENTS:
Besan/Chickpea flour/kadalai maavu - 1 cup
Plain yogurt - 1/2 cup
Ginger green chilli paste - 1 teaspoon
Turmeric powder-1/4 teaspoon
Salt- as required
Water -1.5 cups
Onion -1/2 cup chopped
Tomato - 1/2 cup chopped
Mustard -1 teaspoon
Cumin seeds -1/2 teaspoon
Sesame seeds -1 teaspoon
Green chilli -1 no. slit length wise
Oil -2 teaspoon

METHOD:

1. In a bowl, add besan,ginger green chilli paste ,yogurt,turmeric powder,salt and water . Mix well without any lumps. You can use hand blender to mix it well.

2. In a pan, add some oil. Add mustard, cumin seeds and green chilli. Saute for sometime. Now add sesame seeds and fry for another minute. Now add onions and fry till they change color. Now add tomatoes . Add some salt and fry till they turn mushy.

3. Now add the besan paste which you prepared in step 1. Keep stirring continuously. It would take 8-10 minutes for the mixture to thicken. Switch off and sprinkle generous amount of asafoetida powder.

4. Besan curry is ready . Serve with rotti or poori !.

NOTES:

SEE ALSO: Navratan kurma, Bindi kadhi, Peas butter masala

Oreo Brownie

Brownies are tasty chocolate flavored cakes . It is one of my all time  favorite. I tried making these brownies in microwave oven, from referring through many websites. This is one of the easiest way to make brownies and in just 2 minutes, you will have hot brownies to satisfy your sudden cravings for sweet !.

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

INGREDIENTS:
Oreo biscuits - 12 no.s (Can use any flavor. I used original Oreo with white cream inside)
Whole Milk - 4 table spoon
Butter - 1 tablespoon
Baking soda - A pinch
Ghee - few drops

METHOD:

1. Crush Oreo biscuits in mixer to a fine powder without any lumps. Sprinkle some baking soda on it. Take some butter in bowl and and melt it. Prepare all ingredients and set ready.

2. Before adding the wet ingredients, mix the baking soda and Oreo biscuits powder well. Now add the milk and butter and mix well without any lumps.

3. Take microwave safe bowl. Grease it well with ghee. Now pour the batter to just half the bowl. Because when we cook , the cake would rise up.

4. Now place the bowl in microwave oven. Keep the setting to full heat and cook for just 2 minutes only. Not more than that. If cooked more, the cake would get burnt inside. Now take it out.

5. The cake will be too soft and spongy. So dont try to transfer to other container. Now sprinkle some powdered sugar on the top. Delicious, lip smacking egg less brownies are ready to treat you !. Believe me, this cake will be so tasty, that you cant stop with just one bite ...

SEE ALSO: Egg less Wheat Cake , Mysore Pak, 7 cup Cake

Bread Uthappam

This is an instant dosa recipe and requires no fermentation or soaking of urad dal,rice etc. Can be made in few minutes.

Preparation Time: Under 20 minutes
Cooking Time : Under 7 minutes

INGREDIENTS:

White bread - 6 slices
Rava/Semolina/Sooji - 1/2 cup
Rice flour - 2 tablespoon
Yogurt or plain curd - 1/4 cup
Water - as required
Salt - as required
Capsicum,Onion,Carrot - chopped finely

METHOD:

1. Take white bread and cut the edges and remove it. Now crush the white part of the bread to  pieces. Add rava,salt,rice flour,yogurt and 1 cup of water and mix well. Allow it to rest for about 20 minutes.

2. In the meantime, cut onions and capsicum finely. Grate carrot.

3. Now blend the batter smooth in mixer. When you blend, you can add some water. But do not make the batter too watery, because it will become difficult to flip the dosa. Make the batter little thick. Now heat the pan, pour batter over it. As it is uthappam, no need to spread the batter. Now add chopped onions,capsicum and carrot.

4. Keep the flame in medium low. Now wait for 4 to 5 minutes, and flip the dosa to other side.

5. Take from the pan. Serve the uthappam with any chutney or idly podi !.

Bread Uthappam with idly podi !

NOTES:

1. If you added extra water in the batter by mistake, add equal proportion of rice flour and rava to the batter. The batter would get thick and it will be easy to make dosas.

2. SEE ALSO : Dry fruit and nut rava dosa, Vermicilli biryani, Barnyard millet khichdi 

Paneer Capsicum Frankie

Frankies are road side street food in northern part of India. Veggies are cooked and kept inside a rotti and rolled over. Tasty and delicious snack !

Preparation Time: Under 15 minutes
Cooking Time: Under 10 minutes

INGREDIENTS:
Home made paneer crumbs - 1 cup
Capsicum - 1 no. chopped finely
Onion - 1 cup chopped finely
Garlic - 2 to 3 pods chopped finely
Red chilli powder -3/4 teaspoon
Garam masala - 3/4 teaspoon
Salt- as required
Tomato ketchup -2 tablespoon
Butter - 2 tablespoon

METHOD:

1. Boil 1 liter milk and add 1 table lime juice . It breaks to paneer crumbs. Filter the water and squeeze out all water from paneer . Chop garlic, onion and capsicum finely.

2. In a pan, add 2 tablespoon of butter. Once it melts, add some garlic and fry.

3. Now add some onions and fry for few minutes. Add salt. Do not add more because, in the end we will add tomato ketchup which has salt already .

4. Now add capsicum and fry for few more minutes. Do not cook more and  turn capsicum mushy. It should be crunchier .

5. Now add paneer crumbs and mix well. Add red chilli powder and garam masala.

6. Finally add tomato ketchup and mix well.

7. Make normal chappathi or rotti . Place the above prepared filling in one corner of the rotti.

8. Now roll it over.

9. Place the chappathi roll on a aluminium foil and cover the bottom part as shown below.

10. Fold the aluminium foil around the chappathi. Paneer capsicum frankie is ready !

11. Serve with tomato onion chutney or tomato ketchup !.

NOTES:

1. You can vary the fillings inside the chappathi. You can also add potato,paneer instead of capsicum.

2. You can also stuff the filling inside the dough and make stuffed parathas.

3. SEE ALSO: Wheat ladoo, Rice flour adai, Pav bhaji

Cabbage Dumpling

Dumplings are cooked balls of dough with fillings inside. There are many varieties of fillings inside dumpling.Most of them are non veg items. I have prepared a simple filling made of carrot and cabbage. I have also made spicy red chutney as side dish for this dumpling.

Preparation Time: Under 20 minutes
Cooking Time: Under 20 minutes
Yields - 4 to 5 no.s of dumplings

INGREDIENTS:

FOR DUMPLING:
All purpose flour/maida - 1 cup
Salt- as required
Water -as required
cabbage - 1 cup chopped finely.
carrot - 1 cup grated
Ginger and garlic -1/2 table spoon chopped finely.
Pepper powder -1/2 teaspoon
Green chilli - 1 chopped finely
Oil - 1 tablespoon

FOR SPICY RED CHUTNEY:
Tomato -2 no.s
Red chilli -3 no.s
Ginger and garlic -1/2 tablespoon chopped finely.
Oil -1 tablespoon.

METHOD:

DUMPLING:

1. Take all purpose flour, add salt and oil and mix well. Add required water and make a soft dough.Allow it to rest for 1 hour.

2. Now, cut cabbage finely and grate carrots. Chop ginger ,garlic, green chilli finely.

3. In a pan add some oil. Then add green chilli,ginger and garlic. Fry for few minutes and now add cabbage and carrot. Add required salt and pepper powder. Fry for few minutes . Switch off the stove.

4. Now take lemon size dough. Flatten it to the size we usually make for poori. Dont roll it too thin, as the filling may come out. Roll it little thick .

5. Place the cabbage carrot fillings which you prepared in step 3.

6. Cover it up all the sides and press well , so the fillings doesn't come out.

7. Steam them in idly cooker or steamer for about 12 minutes and switch off .

SPICY RED SAUCE:

1. Boil , Tomatoes and red chilli in water for at least 5 to 6 minutes.

2. Remove the tomatoes and chilli from the boiling water. The skin of tomatoes would automatically come off. Remove it. Now blend the tomatoes and chilli to a puree. In a pan, add some oil. Add 1/2 tablespoon of ginger and garlic and fry for few minutes. Then, add the tomato puree and required salt and fry for few minutes,till the raw smell is gone.

Serve Dumplings with spicy red sauce !.. It is a great snack for evening . It can also be taken as a tiffin.

NOTES:

SEE ALSO : Veg samosa, Tape murukku, Maida biscuits