Strawberry and Banana Shake and Awards!

Today, I am sharing a very simple recipe. I have this often for my breakfast. Its just a 2 minutes job and quite filling. Its best when you are in a no cook mood.

Kashmiri Pulao

Me and my hubby loves anything that is fruity and nutty. I had made this pulao a few days back. First time when he asked me to make this pulao,I googled to find out a recipe which will meet our criteria and sooth our tastebuds. I found 2 links which were helpful. You can check them here and here.
My version also came out really good. We enjoyed having it for lunch. I served it with raita, but is go well with Aaloo Dum as well. Here is my recipe for 'Kashmiri Pulao'.

Chola Bhatura

Chola Bhatura,this is another dish which is a hit in my house. It is a North Indian dish, but it is popular all over India. I remember, the bhaturas served in Indian restraunts are huge in size, it is well puffed up and one could prick the finger to make a whole in the belly of the bhatura. Well, I dont have the expertise to make such a large bhatura, nor do I have the resources (my frying pan is small) but the ones I make also tastes good.
I am sending this post to the following events.

The Combo Event at Foodelicious
Family's Favourit Food Event at Shama's Easy2 Cook Recipes
Rachel's Event 'My Legum Love Affair#20 started by Susan.

Matar Paneer

When I saw 'Family Favourite Food Event' at Shama's Easy2cook Recipes, I was at a loss in deciding what to send for the event. There are always some dishes in every house which are welcomed by the whole family wholeheartedly. I was glad that she had allowed to send multiple entries. I hope that I will be able to send more than one entry for this event.
Paneer is one item which never hears a 'no' in my household. Today, I am sharing the recipe of 'Matar Paneer'

Chana Dal Dilpasand (Tadka Dal)

My mother in law had given me a cook book,'Vyanjan Bahar' (व्यंजन बहार) by Prem Bengani when I came here from India. It has a variety of dishes from across India. It has been my guide since then. I refer this book in my daily cooking. One of the dishes, I make from this book is Chana Dal Dilpasand. I love this fancy name for our simple tadka dal. Today, I am going to share this recipe which is largely from this book.

Now, coming to the benefits of lentils in our diet, lentils are a very good source of protein and essential amino acids. For a vegetarian diet, it is a must to include lentils in your daily diet. I use many varieties of lentils in the food I prepare. Chana Dal is the one quite frequently used.

Here is the recipe for Chana Dal Dilpasand (Tadka Dal):

This recipe serves 3-4 people.
Ingredients:

100 gm chana dal (split peas)
2 cup water.
1 small onion.
1 medium tomato.
¼ cup finely chopped green bell pepper.
a bunch of coriander leaves chopped finely.
1 green chilli chopped finely.
1 tsp cumin seeds.
2 tbsp oil.
¼ tsp turmeric powder.
½ tsp red chilli powder.
½ tsp garam masala.
1 tsp salt or to taste.
a few strands of grated ginger.

Process:

Wash and rinse the chana dal and soak it in water for half an hour. Pressure cook it till 2 whistles such that they are tender. Add salt and turmeric powder while pressure cooking. When done, take it in a bowl and keep aside.
Heat a frying pan. Add oil to it. When heated add cumin seeds to it such that they crack right away. Add grated ginger and chopped chilli. Then add the chopped onions and green pepper. Sauté for 2 minutes such that the onions are translucent. Now add the tomatoes and sauté for a minute. Add the chana dal and stir. Add all the spices and cook for 5 minutes. Garnish it with chopped coriander and serve hot with rice or phulkas.

I am sending this to Rachel's Event 'My Legume Love Affair#20' (MLLA)starting by Susan.
Enjoy!!

Crunchy Veg Cutlets

Veg Cutlets is one of my favouite snack. When in India, I had never made cutlets at home. It was so readily available in fast food corners that I had never felt the necessity of looking into details of making it. But, after coming here, I missed this indulging snack. I have made it many times now but this time I tried it in a new way. Previously, I used to mix all the veggies with potatoes. This time I have stuffed the veg mixture in a potato layer. I learnt this from my hubby's Aunt (Mami Saas). It came out too good and was very very crunchy. I intend to make cutlets this way from now on. Its definatly a better way.

For these 'Crunchy Veg Cutlets' you will need:

Valentine Day Special Eggless Chocolate Gateau and Some Awards!

February has been a very lucky month for my blog. I have been showered with lovely awards from my fellow bloggers. I am very glad and thank ful to them. Thanks a ton for remembering me and encouraging me through these awards. It means a lot to me.

Priya on acheiving the milestone of 200th post passed an award to her fellow bloggers. Thanks a lot Priya for making my  day.                                 

     

Nithu also shared this award and another award with me.

                                                                            

Thanks Nithu for these lovely awards.

Renuka has shared a bunch of awards with me. Thanks a lot for your kind gesture.

                                            

                         

                                                                        

I would like to share these with all my blogger friends! Please accept them.

Coming back to the recipe I am sharing here. It is the cake I made this Valentine's day!

'Chocolate' is a word that brings a plethora of feelings, tastes and pleasures. A peice of chocolate that lands on our tongues, melts slowly into a rich and creamy taste and soothes and tantalize our tastebuds. Me and my husband, both are chocolate lovers. A peice of chocolate is a must after every meal. It is a stuff of mood lifting happiness. But when it comes to cake he always wishes to have a plain vanilla cake with cream icing and cherries. After having made it for several occassions now and most recently on new year, I wanted to make a chocolate cake. Gladly, my husband agreed and I made this cake.

 

Eggless Chocolate Gateau:

Ingredients:

2/3 cup AP flour.
½ cup condensed milk.
¼ cup margarine.
1 tbsp chocolate powder.
2 tbsp cocoa powder.
½ tsp baking powder.
½ tsp baking soda.
¼ cup milk.
¼ cup aerated drink.
½ tsp vanilla essence.

This measurement is for one sandwich cake.We need two sandwich cakes for this gateau so just twice this measurement.

A little extra margarine and flour for greasing and dusting the pan.

Icing:

250 ml fresh cream.
1 tbsp cocoa powder.
½ cup icing sugar.
10-12 glazed cherries cut in halves.

Sugar syrup:

1 tbsp sugar.
2-3 tbsp water.

Process:

Preheat the oven at 180 C for 15 minutes. Grease a sandwich tin and dust it with flour. In a mixing bowl, add all the dry ingredients together and mix. Sieve it so that the mixture in uniform and there are no lumps in it.

In another bowl add the melted margarine and beat in the condensed milk. Stir well for two minutes. Add the vanilla essence and milk and beat nicely for 2 minutes till everything is evenly mixed. Now add the liquid mixture to the dry mixture, slowly and keep rotating to form a batter. Add the aerated drink and mix for another couple of minutes. Pour it in a pre greased tin and bake it in the preheated oven for 25-30 minutes at 180 C till nicely raised and a skewer pricked in the middle of the cake comes out clean.

                                                   Fresh from oven

We will need 2 sandwich cakes. Make the other sandwich cake in the same way.

Whip 125 ml of fresh cream with ¼ cup of sugar. Keep it in the refrigerator for 30 minutes. In a small bowl make sugar syrup by mixing the sugar and water. The sugar should dissolve completely in the water.

Heat a pan and add fresh cream. Keep the heat on low and let the cream melt. Add the cocoa powder and mix well. Remove it from heat and let it cool down a bit. Now add ¼ cup of sugar and beat well. Sugar will help it to thicken. Keep aside and cool it completely. Refrigerate it for 30 minutes before using.

The cake must be completely cooled down before using it or else the icing will melt and start running.

Place one sandwich cake on a flat plate. Brush it nicely with the sugar syrup. It will help the cake to remain moist. Spread the whipped cream over it evenly. Place the other sandwich cake over the cream layer. Spread the cocoa icing over it evenly. Decorate with glazed cherries.

I used ready to use tubes to write over the cake. It was very thick and I could only manage to write a few words.

                                                  But this lack of decoration this year was covered by the lovely taste. My husband loved it. I also served it later hot with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

                                                                             

[ Microwave a slice of cake for 30 secs and top it with a scoop of vanilla icecream, chocolate sauce and glazed cherries].

Hope all of you guys had a wonderful Valentine Day! Enjoy!!

Awards and Honey Bee!

Award time again!!
I am on cloud nine... Devi has bestowed me with 2 awards. Thanks Devi for sharing them with me. They mean a lot to me.

Rules for accepting this award:

1. Thank the person who gave you the award
2. Pass it on to your blogger friends.

Corn Palak

'Corn Palak' - When I reflected on these words, I suddenly realised we are so accustomed to 'Hinglish' (Hindi-English) words them we seldom realise that we have so many mixed words in our vocabulary. Still, I thought it would not be a good idea to call it Bhutta- Palak or Corn Spinach as I am so used to hearing  'Corn Palak'. 
I make this very often coz its so full of nutrients. For further reading, read benefits of Spinach and Corn here and here.

Here is the recipe for 'Corn Palak'.

Sweet corn kernels in spinach and tomato gravy spiced with Indian spices.

Cherry Tomato Salad

I love tomatoes. I like them best raw in salads. Sometimes, when I have to prepare lunch only of myself, a salad is something that comes to my mind first. I always have lots of tomatoes in my refrigerator. The other day, when I was going out shopping at noon, I prepared this tomato salad for my self. Ideally this recipe is for 2 people but I gulped all of it!

Creamy Dates and Coffee Smoothie

I am not very much a coffee person. In a coffee shop, I order only creamy cold coffee. But I like a hint of coffee flavour in cakes, chocolate and smoothies. So, I made this smoothie which has dates (I love them) and a hint of coffee. This sweet and creamy smoothie has an intriguing taste and the caffeine kick that’s just right for breakfast. It gives you the feel good energy that keeps you buzzing all morning.

Here is the recipe for 'Creamy Dates and Coffee Smoothie.'

Makes 2 glasses:

Ingredients:

8 dates pitted
1 tsp instant coffee.
2 tbsp fresh cream (optional, I did not use)
300 ml fresh milk.
2 tbsp sugar.

1. Soak the dates in warm water for 2-3 hours or better overnight.

2. Put all ingredients in a blender and blend for 1 minute until really smooth and creamy.

3. Pour into a glass and serve immediately.

I am sending this to the 'No Cook' Event at 'Seduce your tastebuds'.

Updated 9th of March.

Sending this to the event at cookcurrynook - Serve me some..juices, shakes and smoothies.

Delicious Gujia Vada - Reposted

I saw this 'Repost Event' going on at 'Desi Soccer Mom' and immediatly I knew what I wanted to repost. Indeed, the first posts are the ones who sit quietly at a lonely corner of the blog without any attention. So, I am reposting my first post- 'Gujia Vada' for this event.

 My earlier post looked like this. 'Gujia Vada' are very similar to 'Dahi Vada' only difference is that 'Gujia Vada' is the rich cousin of Dahi Vada as it is stuffed with cashew bits and raisans for a richer taste. I make 'Dahi Vada' with only urid daal but in 'Gujia Vada' I use two varieties of daal.To make the post look different and better I have dressed it up - I have included elaborate pictures of the process.
 It is a big favorite with me and my hubby. When ever I tell him that today I am going to prepare this, he shows his instant delight by saying a big 'Jaroorrr...'

Rajma Curry with Plain Rice

Award time again!! I am so happy!! :-).. Many thanks to Devi for sharing these awards with me.

I would like to share it with Rachana, Sushma, simply.food, Deepa, Siddhi, Sara, Asha & Renuka.

Coming back to the recipe I am sharing today from my drafts,"Rajma Curry with Rice". I make this often. 'Rajma and Rice' is a very healthy combination. Rajma is a very good source of cholestrol lowering fiber and when served with rice it provides a wholesome meal which is virtually fat free and high in protien. They are also a good source of folate, pottasium, iron, manganese, copper and iron.

Moong Dal Chilla

"Moong Dal Chilla", the very word and thought of it brings fond memories from India. It is a must snack in an Indian marriage chat counter.I looked forward to my meals when my mom prepared these with "Sweet Chilla". Apart from that I can recollect my days in Kolkata when a hang out at Salt Lake City Centre and Swimming Pool (the area was named such) was a must after six days of slogging in the office. I loved to eat these savoury lentil crepes with green chutney and ketchup. But, I found the best one at the stalls outside "Vardaan Market", in Kolkata. The street food of kolkata has its own charm. One can get a variety of street food at these stalls. Icing on the cake was sweet lime soda from the corner shop"Sibuji". A cool drink was always must to beat the heat.

Tomato Noodles Soup and "Some Secrets"

January is finally over. So, I am looking forward to a better weather and some sunny days in the coming months. I loved winters in India as there was some respite from the heat and scorching sun. But, here I dread them as they are so cold and chilly. Cold, chilly and windy is a dreadful combination. So, with the end of January, I hope there will be some cheerful and bright days. Today, I am sharing a recipe of soup from my drafts. Its again a small variation to the normal tomato soup and it is quite filling - a one bowl meal! Before the recipe I have something else to share. Guess What? Some awards and some secrets!