Momos/Steamed Dumplings -North eastern starter

Momos are made from all purpose flour and usually steamed. They are also pan fried and served with red garlic chutney/sauce. They can be filled with vegetarian stuffing or non vegetarian stuffing and termed as veg or non veg momos. Lets gather ingredients required for it.

Ingredients for Momos dough :

1 Cup All purpose flour/Maida
1 tbsp Oil
Water as required for kneading dough
Salt to taste

Ingredients for Stuffing :

1 Carrot
1 cup Cabbage
1 Capsicum
1 tbsp Garlic paste
Salt to taste
1 tsp Black pepper
1 tsp Soya Sauce
1 tsp Red Chilli Sauce
1 tsp Tomato ketchup
2 tbsp Oil

Ingredients for Red garlic chutney :

3 Medium sized Tomatoes
1 finely chopped Onion
1 tbsp Chopped Garlic
2 Chopped Green Chilli
1 Tsp Soya Sauce
2 tsp Tomato ketchup
1 tsp Red chilli Sauce
1/2 tsp Red chilli powder
1/2 tsp Black Pepper
Salt to taste


Method : Mix all the ingredients of dough together and knead stiff dough. Cover it with damp cloth and set aside for 1 hour. For  stuffing take oil in pan, heat it add garlic paste and saute till raw smell goes away. Finely chop all the vegetables with help of food processor or manually and add to pan and saute for 3-4 mins. Add all the spices and sauces and mix well and switch off flame. Let it cool down completely before filling in momos.

After one hour take dough and divide it into small balls and roll it into small circular chapati form by applying little oil on rolling board to avoid sticking. Rolled chapati should be little thick from middle and thin from outer area. Now put 1-2 tbsp stuffing inside each dumpling and apply water at sides, bring the side together in centre by pinching firmly together to form dumpling. Remember to cover the dough and prepared dumpling with damp cloth.

Now in a steamer heat water and place dumplings on steamer plates and steam for 10-15 mins till they are done at medium flame. Usually it takes 15 mins maximum. Take them out and serve with red garlic chutney.

For Chutney, blend the tomatoes in a mixer and now heat oil in pan saute chopped garlic than add finely chopped onions, green chilli and cook till onions become transparent in color, add blended tomatoes and saute till whole chutney becomes dry a bit. Add all the spices and sauces and mix well, cook for 1-2 mins till it is of chutney consistency. Add little water if your chutney is bit dry. Switch off flame and cool it.

Serve hot dumplings with red chilli chutney. If you want fried version than roast dumplings with this chutney in pan for 2-3 mins they are done.

Langar wala Prasad

Langar wala Prasad includes Maa cholley ki dal with Tandoori Roti and Karah Prasad which is Atta ka halwa .Yesterday on the occasion of Gurpurab i was missing langar prasad so tried cooking it at home. Although i was not able to match the taste of prasad offered in Gurudwaras but still it was somewhat near to it in taste.

Langar wali dal is simple and comforting food that can be added in everyday meal and can be eaten with jeera rice or tandoori or tawa roti. It consists of split black /urad dal with skin and bengal gram/channa dal.

Ingredients  for Langar wali dal :

1/2 cup Split Black/Urad dal
1/4 cup Bengal gram/ Channa Dal
1/2 tsp Hing/Asafoetida
1 tsp Turmeric Powder
Salt to taste
1 Moti elaichi/ Black Cardamom
1-2 sticks of Dalchinii/Cinnamon sticks
5-6 cups of Water for boiling dal

For tadka/Tempering :

 2-3 medium sized tomatoes chopped
1-2 green chillies chopped
1-2 tbsp grated ginger
1 tbsp Cumin seeds
1 tbsp roasted cumin powder
1/2 tbsp Red chilli powder
1 tbsp Coriander powder
 2-3 tbsp Clarified butter/Desi ghee

Method : Wash both the dal 2-3 times and soak in above mentioned amount of water for 3-4 hours and if u forgot to soak them than soaking in hot water for 15 mins will also work. Transfer them in pressure cooker along with water and add all the spices mentioned above except for tadka. Pressure cook it on high flame till first whistle comes than lower flame to minimum and cook for 15-20 mins till it is mushy in texture. If u r not having pressure cooker u need to cook it in heavy bottomed pan for about 1 hour.

Now take ghee in another pan and heat it add cumin seeds once it starts crackling add grated ginger and green chillies and lower the flame. After 1-2 mins add chopped tomatoes, saute for 4-5 mins till tadka leaves ghee at sides now add spices and mix well. Switch off flame. Pour tadka over boiled dal and give nice stir, if ur dal is thick in consistency add water and boil for 3-4 mins otherwise just give one boil and its ready to eat. Simple and tasty dal without onion garlic and any garnishing like offered in Gurudwaras.

Ingredients for  Tandoori Roti

2 Cups Whole wheat flour
1 Cup Water or as required
Desi Ghee/Clarified butter for applying on rotis

Method : Knead atta for chapatis like we do for normal rotis  and let it rest for 10-15 mins. Now take heavy bottom pan or pressure cooker without lid and keep it in inverted position on medium flame to heat. Roll chapati with rolling pin keep it little thick and apply water on one side, now stick it to hot cooker's side by placing water applied side in contact with cooker and invert it on gas let it cook for 1-2 mins , turn it out u will see patches of black marks like we get in tandoor now take out chapati
from cooker with help of spatula and cook other side on direct flame and serve hot by applying ghee. Cook all chapatis in same manner.

Ingredients for Karah Prasad/ Atta ka Halwa :

1 Cup Whole wheat flour/Atta
1 Cup Melted desi ghee/Clarified butter
1 Cup Sugar
3  + 1/2 cup Water

Method : Take ghee in heavy bottom karahi/wok and heat it, add atta to it start stirring continuously and keep flame at medium low and roast the atta till it becomes reddish brown in color ,u need to stir it continuously to avoid burning of flour . Keep an eye on it as its crucial stage when atta turns reddish brown in color immediately lower the flame to minimum and start adding water slowly slowly by mixing it from another hand. Once water is added increase flame to medium low and let it cook till water evaporates from halwa. Add this stage add sugar and mix well , cook for another 2-3 mins till halwa leaves ghee at sides. Switch off flame and serve.

Points to remember :

 Always take equal amount of flour, ghee and sugar for this halwa and water 3 +1/2 times.
To achieve best taste even roasting of flour is required.
Never reduce the amount of ghee otherwise halwa sticks to bottom of wok and it will get burnt spoiling all material and your effort.
Add more ghee if u think it may sticks to bottom.
Never cook halwa on high flame.

Hope you guys will enjoy langar wala prasad at home like us :)

Eggless Vanilla Sponge Cake with Chocolate butter cream frosting

Happiness is baking a cake on your own birthday. This cake is close to me as it was first time baked by me on my birthday and loved by everyone whosoever tasted it. Its simple eggless vanilla sponge cake which can be used as basic cake for any cake baking. I had done chocolate frosting on it and topped it with white chocolate chips.

Ingredients :

1 Cup All purpose flour/Maida
4 tbsp Cornflour/Corn starch
1 tsp Baking powder
1/4 cup Thick Curd
3/4 cup Powdered Sugar
1/4 cup Milk
2 tsp Vanilla Essence
1/2 cup Butter ( i used Amul butter at room temp)

For chocolate buttercream frosting:

1/2 cup Butter ( at room temp, i used Amul butter)
2 + 1/2 cup Icing Sugar
4-5 tbsp Cocoa Powder
1 tsp Vanilla essence
1 pinch Salt
2-3 tbsp Milk
1/2 cup White chocolate chips for topping

Method : First of all sieve all the dry ingredients 2-3 times including all purpose flour, cornflour and baking powder. Take another bowl and beat the butter till its light and fluffy add powdered sugar in it and mix well. Add thick curd, milk and vanilla essence and mix well. Don't worry if mixture curdles on adding milk .
Now fold the wet ingredients with dry by adding flour mixture in 2-3 batches and folding them with help of spatula .
Grease 8 or 8.5 inch baking cake tin and transfer cake batter to it. Pre heat microwave at convection mode at 180 degree for 10 mins and place baking cake tin at lower wire rack in preheated microwave at convention mode at 180 degree for about 35-40 mins.
Check the cake by toothpick test if it comes clean its done otherwise bake for few more mins.
After it is done take it out and let it cool down completely before frosting.

For frosting take butter in mixing bowl and beat it with hand whisker or blender till its light and creamy, start adding icing sugar say about 1/2 cup each time and whisk it to avoid lump formation. After addition  of all icing sugar add salt, vanilla essence , cocoa powder and milk to it and whisk it again properly .

Apply it on ur cake and decorate it with white chocolate chips. If frosting is thick to spread add more milk and if it is thin than add more icing sugar.
This frosting can be stored in refrigerator in air tight container upto two weeks.

Enjoy yummy cake :)

Baked Veggie Toasts - Snacking

Baked Veggie Toasts are quick and easy snack item that can be served at any time of day to family and guests. They are loaded with all sorts of vegetables and cheese too. These can be eaten in lunch and dinner accompanied with bowl of soup. You can hide lot of healthy veggies in it for kids and top it with cheese. Lets gather ingredients required for it.


Ingredients :

1/4 cup chopped green capsicum
1/4 cup partially boiled sweet corns
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/8 cup jalepones
1/8 cup chopped black olives
Salt to taste
1-2 tbsp Oregano flakes
3-4 tbsp tomato ketchup
1-2 tbsp oil for greasing baking tray
1/2 cup grated cheese ( i used processed cheese)
4-5 slices of White bread

Method : Diagonally cut each bread slice in two pieces to get two triangle shape from each slice. Pre heat the microwave at convention mode at 200 degree for 10 mins . Place the cut bread slices on baking tray and keep on higher wire rack for 3-4 mins at 200 degree to toast them a bit. Don't over toast them as they are to be baked again with veggies too.

Take them out apply generous amount of tomato ketchup on each slice or u can use pizza sauce too and keep them aside. Now mix all the vegetables, spices and grated cheese together.
Add 1-2 tbsp of this mixture on each bread slice and top them with more grated cheese. Grease the baking tray with some oil and arrange these bread slices on it. Bake them for 8-10 mins at 200 degree at convection mode of microwave or till the bread is crunchy from bottom and cheese melts on top. Mine took complete 10 mins.

Take them out and serve hot with your choice of tea/coffee/soup etc.

Methi Mathri/Fengureek Mathri

Mathri is another kind of namkeen that can

 be eaten as snack with tea or coffee or with pickles too.They are deep fried and made from different types of flour like whole wheat flour or all purpose flour and can be made in different shapes like round, tikoni etc.

Here we are giving twist to them by adding dry methi powder to provide crunchy and different flavour.

Ingredients :

1 Cup Whole wheat flour/Atta
1/2 Cup All purpose flour/Maida
1 tsp Ajwain/Carom seeds
1 tsp Jeera/Cumin seeds
1 tsp Dry methi leaves powder
Salt to taste
Water as required
Oil for deep frying

Method : Knead dough by mixing all the above mentioned ingredients using normal water.Dough should be little tight and hard .Keep them aside for 10 mins. Now roll them in desired shape round or tikoni etc and fry them in hot oil at low flame till it is golden brown in color from both sides.

Keep them on kitchen towel to remove excess oil and serve them.

Namakpare

Namakpare is kind of namkeen or snack item that can be eaten as such or with tea or coffee. It can be made from whole wheat flour or all purpose flour or semolina etc.

Ingredients :

1 cup All purpose flour/maida
1/3 cup Whole wheat flour/atta
Salt per taste
2 tbsp Oil
1 tsp Ajwain/Carom seeds
Water as required
Oil for deep frying

Method : Mix all the ingredients together in a mixing bowl and knead dough using water.Dough should be neither too tight nor too soft. Keep them aside for 10 mins and than take a big size ball from dough and roll it into chapati forms slightly thicker than chapati and cut into desired shape.

You can use cookie cutter too for flower or heart shape to give different shapes,  i preferred diagonal cutting of them.Now heat oil in wok and deep fry them on medium low flame from both sides till they r golden brown in color. Take them out on kitchen towel to remove excessive oil.
Fry all of them in same manner and after cooling down keep them in air tight container and enjoy..

Gulgule/Meethe pakode

Gulgule are known as indian mini donuts or meethe pakode too.These are made from whole wheat flour or all purpose flour and sweetened using sugar or gur/jaggery.One of the simplest and easy recipe to cook from ingredients available in everyone's kitchen.

Ingredients :

1 cup Whole wheat flour/Atta

1/2 -3/4 cup Gur/jaggery

Water as required

1 tbsp Fennel seeds/saunf

Oil for deep frying

Method : Initially dissolve gur in luke warm water , use that amount of water as required for dissolving gur. Now mix the mixture with atta and fennel seeds and prepare batter consistency like we require for pakodas..add more water if required or if ur batter is too thin add more flour.Keep it aside for 1-2 hrs at room temp it helps in fluffy and soft gulgule.

Take oil for deep frying in wok and heat it and pour the batter with ur hands like we fry pakodas and keep flame at medium low, fry from both sides till they are golden brown in color.Fry all the gulgule in same manner and keep them on kitchen towel to remove excessive oil.

Serve them as such ,we used to make them during festive season.

Taste the batter to check sweetness required by u and if by any chance your batter spreads away in oil it means u need to add more flour.

Macroni pasta with herb garlic bread rolls

Pasta comes in various shapes like penne , spiral and shell etc and they are known by different names accordingly. Here we are going to cook macaroni pasta with home made pasta sauce accompanied by herb garlic bread rolls.

Ingredients :

2 cup Macroni pasta
2 medium sized chopped onion
1 medium sized chopped capsicum
Salt to taste
1 tbsp Red chilli flakes
1 tbsp Oregano flakes
2 tbsp Oil

Ingredients for home made pasta/pizza sauce :

3-4 medium sized tomatoes
1 tbsp cooking oil
2 tsp finely chopped garlic
1 medium sized finely chopped onion
1 tsp oregano flakes
1 tsp red chilli flakes
1 tbsp tomato ketchup
Salt to taste
1/4 tsp sugar


Ingredients for herb garlic bread rolls :

1 cup all purpose flour/maida
1 tsp active dry yeast
1 tsp sugar
Salt to taste
1 tbsp finely chopped garlic'
1 tbsp mixed dried herbs
4-5 tbsp oil + for brushing baking tray
1 tbsp melted butter for brushing rolls
Milk as required (around 100 ml)

Method : First we will prepare dough of garlic bread rolls , for this take 2 tbsp of warm milk not too hot and put dry active yeast and sugar in it , mix well and let it rest for 10 mins ..u will see frothy bubbles on milk this shows yeast is activated ..now take a bowl put all purpose flour in it and add yeast mixture to it and mix well , knead the dough with your hands , add remaining milk and u need a soft dough like used for chapatis..keep on kneading till all dough come together .

On stretching the dough it will break,knead it till it won't break on stretching say about 6-7 mins , now shape it in form of ball and cover it and keep in warm place for min of 2 hrs or till it double in volume. After 2 hrs take out from warm place and knock it with hands to remove all air inside dough and flatten it and add salt ,chopped garlic ,herbs and oil and knead till all flavours are incorporated inside it.

Now shape them in desired shapes like knots, rolls and keep them in baking tray (greased with oil ) covered with clean kitchen towel for min 30 mins for second proofing/rise.

Meanwhile preheat microwave at 180 degree for 10 mins at convection mode and now apply some milk on rolls and bake it at 180 degree for about 20-25 mins , mine took 30 mins to get light brown color. Take them out once done and brush them with melted butter to get shiny look on your freshly baked rolls...let them cool down for 10 mins ..serve them with pasta /salad or eat as such..

Now in the meantime , we will prepare pizza sauce first put criss cross on all tomatoes on bottom side and put them in boiling water for say 3-4 mins this leads to blanching of tomatoes ,take them out once done , let them cool down than peel them and grind them in mixer grinder..Take oil in pan , heat it and add chopped garlic cloves , roast them , add chopped onions , once onion becomes transparent in color add grinded tomatoes puree and cook till sauce starts thickening..at this stage add tomato ketchup ,oregano and chilli flakes , mix well let it cook for 2-3 mins more and its done ,switch off flame and add salt and sugar and give final mix.Keep it aside for cooling down.

Lets start preparing pasta , boil it in boiling water till it is half done and strain it and keep aside by applying little oil on it.Heat oil in pan , add chopped onions and saute till it becomes transparent in color , add capsicum and cook on high flame for 2-3 mins , add boiled macaroni pasta , prepared pasta sauce and seasonings and salt, mix well , cook for 1-2 mins and switch off flame.

Your Macroni pasta is ready to serve with herb garlic bread rolls.

Garlic Noodles with Crispy honey chilli potatoes

I want to try Noodles this time with garlic flavour and little bit spicy so tried Garlic Noodles with Crispy honey chilli potatoes. Recipe for honey chilli potatoes i followed bhartzkitchen blog will add link in comments section for same. For Garlic noodles lets c what all we need ..


Ingredients for Noodles :

1 pack of Chings Hakka noddles(i usually prefer this brand)
Water (for boiling noodles)
6-7 chopped Garlic cloves
2 medium sized finely sliced onion
1 big sized finely sliced capsicum
1 medium sized sliced carrot lengthwise
1/2 finely chopped cabbage (smaller size)
3 tbsp oil for stir frying
Salt to taste
Red chilli powder 1 tbsp (increase or decrease according to taste)
Chings Soya Sauce 2 tbsp (use less amount if its dark soya sauce)
Chings Vinegar 1-2 tbsp (depending on sourness required )
1 tbsp Green/Red chilli Sauce

Method: Keep water for boiling in big spacious open vessel for boiling noodles,follow instructions written on pack of noodles for quantity of water required and time required for boiling.U need to keep noodles little bit 'kaccha' to avoid over cooking and sticking of noodles.Strain the water and keep boiled noodles aside by applying some oil on it to avoid sticky noodles while u r busy stir frying veggies.

Take oil in deep wok prefer non stick and heat it ,add chopped garlic cloves , saute them and add sliced onions and cook them for 2-3 minutes on high flame,now add all other veggies including carrot,capsicum and cabbage and mix well and stir fry on high flame for 3-5 mins till the time they are partially cooked.Keep on mixing in between to avoid burning of veggies.Now add salt and red chilli powder and mix well.Its time to put boiled noodles in wok and soya sauce,vinegar, chilli sauce. Mix throughly so that all veggies and spices get mixed with noodles.

        Your spicy tangy noodles are ready to serve with ur choice of gravy or sauce.

Tip ..Always boil noodles al-dente/kaccha to get perfect texture and cook veggies on high flame by continuous stirring.

Cheesy bites Pizza - Pizza hut style

My husband and me are die hard fans of pizza specially those which are loaded with cheese..Everyone of us love to eat pizza at any time of the day and we don't need occasion for it..Right guys..This recipe is inspired from one of Cal( Chef at large) member with few changes in making pizza dough and pizza sauce.

Yes guys u heard it right we can make pizza dough n sauce and pizza hut style pizza in our own kitchen..excited..so lets gather all the ingredients required for it..

Ingredients :

For pizza dough :

2 cups All purpose flour/maida + for dusting 

1 tsp Active dry yeast

200 ml lukewarm milk

1 tbsp Sugar

2 tbsp Oil

2 tsp Salt

1-2 tbsp Corn meal/makkai ka atta

For pizza Sauce :

3 medium sized Tomatoes

1 medium sized Onion chopped

7-8 Garlic cloves chopped

2 tsp Oil

Salt to taste

1-2 tbsp Tomato ketchup

1 tsp Sugar

1 tbsp Oregano flakes

1 tbsp Chilli flakes

For topping and making cheesy bites :

1 block of Mozzarella cheese ( 200 grams)

1/4 cup Processed cheese

1-2 tsp Oregano flakes

1-2 tsp Chilli flakes

1 medium sized Tomato

1 small sized Onion

9-10 Black Olives

7-8 Jalepenos

Method :  For kneading dough first take yeast and sugar in bowl , add 20 ml luke warm milk in it and mix well , let it rest for 10 mins for yeast to activate. Once the yeast mixture becomes frothy it is ready to use ..take a mixing bowl add apf/maida , salt and oil in it and add yeast mixture and mix well..slowly add all milk and knead dough till it becomes smooth and shiny in texture..u may need to add more flour if dough becomes too sticky on ur hands.Once done keep it in warm place by applying oil on it for minimum of 2 hrs or more till dough becomes double in size.

Now in the meantime , we will prepare pizza sauce first put criss cross on all tomatoes on bottom side and put them in boiling water for say 3-4 mins this leads to blanching of tomatoes ,take them out once done , let them cool down than peel them and grind them in mixer grinder..Take oil in pan , heat it and add chopped garlic cloves , roast them , add chopped onions , once onion becomes transparent in color add grinded tomatoes puree and cook till sauce starts thickening..at this stage add tomato ketchup ,oregano and chilli flakes , mix well let it cook for 2-3 mins more and its done ,switch off flame and add salt and sugar and give final mix.Keep it aside for cooling down.

Keep both cheese out at room temp for 2-3 hrs for ease of cutting.Cut 3/4 block of mozzarella cheese blocks into rectangular pieces and keep rest for grating on middle of pizza.Cut all veggies of your choice in desired shapes.

Take out pizza dough and punch it with hands to remove all the air inside it and roll it into circular shape by applying corn meal/makkai ka atta to get crispy pizza base with help of rolling pin.Put pizza base on greased baking tray, and stretch it from all sides outside , now align mozzarella cheese cut into rectangle shapes on the outside circumference of pizza base and roll the dough back by covering cheese completely.Cut the sides of pizza covered with cheese by knife by 2 inches gap in between.Now pull each bite and twist it ..will copy link for it in comments section.

Apply pizza sauce in centre portion and grate some processed cheese over it , align all veggies and season them with oregano and chilli flakes and grate again both mozzarella cheese and processed cheese as much as u want.

Pre heat microwave at convention mode only for 10 mins at 200 degrees and now put baking tray with pizza on higher wire rack and bake at convention mode for about 25-30 mins at 200 degree..mine took 35 mins to get golden brown crust.

Once done take it out cool it for 2-3 mins and slice it with pizza cutter and serve cheesy bite pizza and enjoy...

Sabudana Kheer

Sabudana also known as Tapioca sago looks like beautiful white pearls..they can be eaten in variety of forms like kheer, khicdi, vada and namkeen etc. It can be eaten during fast too..As Navratri are going on so i cooked sweet form of it i.e Sabudana kheer..lets collect simple ingredients required for it.


Ingredients :

1 cup of sabudana (soak over nite in water)
Water as required ( depends on quantity of sabudana)
500 ml full cream milk ( i prefer milk whose malai is taken out from it)
1 cup sugar ( increase or reduce according to sweetness required )
15-20 chopped mix dry fruits ( i used almonds n raisin)
5-6 strands of saffron (optional)


Method : Soak 1 cup of sabudana over nite by washing it initially and if u forgot to soak it than soak next day in warm water for one hour.Now remove all the water from sabudana and put all sabudana in one big wok and add that much amount of water that sabudana is soaked only in water and switch on the heat.Stir it continuously to avoid sticking at bottom and cook in water till sabudana changes its color from white to transparent ..its my mom in law's tip as sabudana will not stick to ur teeth or with each other if cooked initially in water.

After sabudana losses color start adding milk slowly slowly by continuously stirring , cook it for 9-10 mins i cook it little more as i like kheer in thick consistency. Now add sugar and chopped dry fruits n cook for another 2-3 mins..your kheer is ready to serve.

Put saffron strands in 1 tbsp water and garnish it on kheer..

Serve hot or cold as per your taste.

Triple layer pudding - Sinful Dessert

Triple layer pudding is a kind of dessert which was experimented by me without following any recipe. Its a combination of three flavours of brownie , custard and flavoured cream.Lets check out ingredients required for it.

Ingredients : 

2 pieces of chocolate brownie ( i used the leftover one )
2-3 tbsp of chocolate syrup/sauce ( Hershey's syrup used by me )
1 cup milk
2-3 tbsp custard powder ( Vanilla flavour)
2-3 tbsp sugar
1-2 tbsp tutti frutti
1/4 cup chilled amul fresh cream
2 tbsp Roohafza syrup
5-6 pieces of dry fruits (almonds and raisins ) for Garnishing

Method : Take chocolate brownie and crush them with spoon and mix chocolate sauce in it.Now take big tumbler/glass and put this mixture inside it and press slightly .Keep it in fridge for half an hour to settle down.

Prepare custard using 1 cup milk following the instructions written on pack and consistency should be semi thick.Once it is cooked ,cool down completely and add tutti fruity to it.

Take out glass from fridge and add second layer of custard to it and keep it in fridge again for 1-2 hours.

For third/ topmost layer u need to keep amul fresh cream in fridge for overnight so that it becomes thick now take out 1/4 cup out of it  and mix roohafza syrup in it and add this layer on custard layer.

Garnish it with chopped almonds and raisins serve chilled.

Stuffed Braided Bread with Cheesy Dip

I always want to bake bread at home but practically speaking was having fear from using yeast..with lot of courage i started using it and surprisingly it is so easy to bake bread at home ..You just need to follow steps and measurements precisely and  than u will love to experiment it in different shapes and flavours in your own kitchen that too without any preservatives and emulsifiers present in market brought breads..

Ingredients :

For bread dough u need

1 cup Whole wheat flour/Atta
1 cup All purpose flour/Maida
1/2 cup lukewarm Milk + 2 tsp for brushing bread
1 tbsp Butter/Vegetable oil
1 tsp Salt
1 tsp Sugar
1 tsp active dry yeast

For stuffing

1/4 cup chopped Paneer
1/4 cup chopped Onion
1/4 cup chopped Tomato
1/4 cup corns ( microwaved for 1-2 min)
1/4 cup jalepones and olives
2 tbsp oil
Salt to taste
1 tsp red chilli flakes
1 tsp oregano flakes

Cheesy Dip 

1/2 cup Milk ( at room temp)
4 Amul cheese slices
1 tsp All purpose flour/Maida
1 tbsp Butter
1/8 tsp Salt
1 tsp Red chilli flakes
1 tsp Oregano flakes

Procedure : To start with bread dough mix sugar and yeast in luke warm milk (2 tbsp) and keep aside for 10 minutes , it will become frothy/ bubbles appear on mixture.Now in separate mixing bowl add both flours , butter and salt mix with hands , add yeast mixture to this and knead soft dough by adding milk slowly slowly.

Take out the dough on kitchen slab and knead it for 5-7 mins till its soft ,smooth and shiny in appearance.. u may need to add some oil/ butter or flour if it sticks much to ur hands. Dough should be soft like when u press it with fingers it presses down and than comes up and retains its original form. Keep this in warm place for minimum of two hrs or till it doubles in volume.

After 2 hrs punch the dough and knead it for 2-3 mins and divide into bigger balls say 2-3 for this amount of dough. Take one ball on kitchen slab by applying small amount of flour and roll it into 1/2 inch thickness in oval  shape with hep of rolling pin ,put stuffing in centre and cut /slit it from sides as shown in picture attached , remember to apply equal no of slits on both sides and now fold them one by one as shown in pictures in braid form. Shape remaining two balls in same way and let them rest for about 30 mins for second rise by covering them with cling film.

After 30 mins brush them with milk and bake it at convection mode at 200 degrees for about 20-25 mins..remember to pre heat microwave at convection mode for ten mins at same temp before to start baking of bread.

Check them after say 15 mins once color changes to light brown from all sides take them out or bake more if required. Immediately apply some melted butter on baked bread to get soft and shiny bread.

For stuffing heat oil in pan , saute chopped onions till it is translucent in color , add tomatoes cook for 2-3 mins than add chopped panner and corns and cook for 2 mins on medium flame ,add spices and mix well turn off the flame.At this stage add jalepones and black olives and mix it. You can use different veggies of ur choice and non vegetarian can use chicken stuffing too.

Let it cool down completely and stuff inside bread as shown above.

Cheesy dip my all time favourite can be stored in fridge for 2-3 days ,melt butter in a pan , add maida saute for 1-2 min ,slowly add milk and stir it with whisker continuously to avoid lump formation.
Boil for 2-3 mins on medium flame , add cheese slices by cutting them into 4 pieces each and again stir continuously , boil for 3-4 mins and switch off flame. Add salt , red chilli flakes and oregano.
Let it cool down before serving , it taste just like dominos cheesy dip and it becomes thick when kept in fridge so u can adjust its consistency by adding small amount of milk and boil it again.

Enjoy this awesome meal with ur family or friends..

Semolina Almond Raisin Cake / cup cakes

Cake can be baked from different flours this time i tried my hands with semolina/sooji. And believe me guys its better than cake baked with all purpose flour or wheat flour. Semolina imparts crunchy/crispy texture to cake.

 Lets collect ingredients required for baking it.

Ingredients :

2 cup Semolina/Sooji/Rawa
1 cup thick curd
1 cup milk
1+ 1/4 cup powdered sugar
2 tsp ghee/oil
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp vanilla essence
3/4 cup of chopped almonds and raisins


Method : Mix together milk , sugar and ghee in one mixing bowl and than add curd and vanilla essence to this mixture. Whisk all wet ingredients well and add semolina in it in 2-3 batches and mix by following cut and fold method. Add chopped dry fruits in batter and baking soda , mix well.

In the meantime pre heat microwave at convection mode only at 180 degree for 10 mins and than pour cake batter in cake tin and bake it at 180 degree for about 35-40 mins depending on setting of microwave.

Check by inserting toothpick in cake if it comes out clean than take out cake.Let it cool down for 5  -10 mins in cake tin and than transfer on wire rack.Once it is completely cool cut it into desired slices and enjoy..

I have baked cupcakes with same batter at 180 degree for 20-25 mins ..

Enjoy yummy cake full of energy of dry fruits.

Khus Khus ka Halwa

Khus khus or poppy seeds is used in many vegetables and sweet dishes too. My mom used to cook halwa of it and pack it during my hostel days so that i can have something nutritious everyday..see this is mother's love..

I tried cooking it yesterday evening and nailed it.Its super yummy and healthy too.

Ingredients :

1/2 cup of poppy seeds/ khus khus

1 cup of dry coconut (grated form)

3/4 cup to 1 cup sugar ( depending on taste)

 2 tbsp clarified butter/ghee

1/4 cup water

1/2 litre / 500 ml milk

Method : Soak poppy seeds in 1/4 cup water for 4-5 hours  and than grind them with same water in mixer grinder to form fine paste. Add more water if needed during grinding process.

Heat ghee in kadahi with heavy bottom and add this mixture , roast it on medium flame till all water evaporates by continuously stirring in between. When water evaporates add grated coconut in it and roast it for 2 mins. Add milk and let it come to boil and cook till u will not see any milk in the halwa or it will be in dry form.

Add sugar at this stage and roast it till halwa leaves ghee at sides in the same way like we cook all other types of halwa.

Switch off flame and serve hot..u can garnish with dry fruits too or serve as such.

It can be stored in fridge for one week and u can eat 2 tbsp of it daily with cup of hot milk during winter season..it will cure cold from ur body as it has hot affect on body.

So eat it during winter season or small amount in summer season.

Do let me know your comments about it in comments section.

Happy cooking ...

Eggless Vanilla Tutti Frutti Cupcakes

Eggless Vanilla Tutti frutti Cupcakes ..once i was baking simple tea cake/tutti fruity cake and had some batter left with me so baked two cupcakes of it they turned out so soft and yum that they got finished in two mins so next time i baked these cupcakes from same batter. Lets check out ingredients required for it.

Ingredients :

1+3/4 cup all purpose flour/maida
1+ 1/4 cup Thick Yoghurt/Curd
1 cup Sugar
1 tsp Baking Powder
1/2 tsp Baking Soda
1/2 cup+ 2 tbsp Vegetable oil
1 tsp Vanilla Essence
1/2 cup Tutti frutti


Method : Sieve all purpose flour and keep it aside. In a separate bowl whisk curd with sugar till sugar is dissolved completely. Add baking powder and baking soda in it , mix well. Let this mixture rest for 5-6 mins to become frothy. Once it is frothy add vegetable oil and vanilla essence in it and mix well.

Add sieved flour into this mixture in 3-4 batches and mix by following cut and fold method. Also add tutti frutti in it , spare few for topping on cupcakes.

Preheat the Microwave at convection mode at 180 degrees for 10 mins.

Pour the batter in silicon moulds or tray and top them with some tutti fruity.Bake them at convection mode only at 180 degrees for 20-25 mins.

Once they are done take them out and cool them on wire rack.

Enjoy it and it can be stored in fridge for a week.

Above measurements yield 20 cupcakes of medium size ..

Eggless double chocolate chip coffee cupcakes

Eggless  double chocolate chip coffee cupcakes are made for those who crave for chocolate and coffee at that same time.Topped with belgium white chocolate chips, add double chocolate flavour to it with brown chips inside and white on top.


Ingredients :

1 cup All purpose flour/Maida
5 tbsp Whole wheat Flour/Atta
1/2 Cup Powdered Sugar
1/4 Cup thick Curd/Yogurt
1/4 tsp Salt
1/4 tsp Baking Powder
1/2 tsp Baking Soda
1/4 cup Vegetable Oil
6 tbsp Milk
1 tsp Instant Coffee powder
2 tbsp Brown chocolate chips
1/4 cup Belgium White chocolate chips
1 tsp Vanilla Essence

Method : Sieve the all purpose flour , atta and salt together, keep it aside. Mix the coffee powder with warm milk and keep it aside too. Take another bowl and mix sugar and curd together , add baking powder and baking soda in it and leave it for 4-5 mins. Now add vegetable oil and vanilla essence to this wet mixture and mix well.

Start adding dry ingredients mixture (maida, atta and salt) to wet mixture in 2-3 batches and mix by following cut and fold method.

Add milk coffee mixture to above mixture and again mix well. Also add brown chocolate chips in it.

Preheat Microwave at convection mode at 180 degrees for 10 mins and put low height wire rack inside it.

Pour the mixture in silicon moulds or tray by filling upto 3/4 level only and top it with white chocolate chips and bake at convection mode at 180 degrees for about 20- 25 mins by putting moulds on baking tray.

Serve it as such or with coffee /tea/milk.

Happy Baking :)

Sooji ka Halwa

Halwa is a kind of sweet cooked from variety of flours like whole wheat flour, semolina and gram flour etc. It is popularly eaten during festive season in almost every part of our country.

Ingredients :

1 cup Sooji/semolina
1 cup melted Clarified Butter/Ghee
1 cup Sugar
3+1/2 cup Water
9-10 chopped Almonds

Method : Heat ghee in karahi and add sooji in it, roast it by stirring continuously till it is golden brown in color , now add water to roasted semolina and cook till all water evaporates from halwa.
At this stage add sugar and cook till halwa starts leaving ghee from sides.

Add chopped almonds and mix well , switch off flame and serve hot by garnishing with chopped almonds.

Vada Pav - Street food of Maharashtra

Vada Pav is one of the most popular street food from the state of Maharashtra. It consists of deep fried potato patty eaten with Pav and red chutney and fried green chilly.

Ingredients :

4 Pav ( Pav which we use for pav bhaji  goes well )
3 medium sized boiled Potatoes.
6-7 tbsp Gram flour/besan
Salt to taste
2 tsp Red chilli powder (1/4 tsp for besan batter ,1/4 tsp of frying potatoes and 1+1/2 tsp for red chutney)
1/2 tsp Turmeric Powder
Pinch of Baking Soda
Water as required
Oil for deep frying
4 Spicy green chilly (slit it from center)
1 tbsp Oil (for frying potatoes)
Pinch of Asafoetida/Hing
2-3 garlic chopped

Method : Take boiled and peeled potatoes in bowl and mash them with hands. Heat 1 tbsp oil in pan and fry green chilly in it and keep it aside. Now add hing , chopped garlic in this oil and saute for 1-2 mins and add salt to taste,1/4 tsp red chilli powder and 1/4 tsp turmeric powder in it. Mix all the spices and add mashed potatoes and mix well.Switch off the flame and keep it aside.

Take another mixing bowl add gram flour in it , salt, 1/4 tsp turmeric powder , 1/4 tsp red chilli powder and baking soda and prepare batter by adding water. Batter should neither be too thick nor too thin in consistency , keep it aside for 3-4 mins for baking soda to work in it.

Heat oil for deep frying vadas in deep karahi and make small balls from potato mixture and dip it in besan mixture, fry in hot oil on medium flame till it is golden brown from all sides. Deep fry all vadas in the same manner and keep them on kitchen towel to remove excess oil.

Pour the leftover besan mixture in hot oil to form crunchy boondi and after frying them , crush it with back side of spoon and add red chilli powder in it and mix well, red chutney is ready .

Slice the Pav from centre not to the end and apply red chutney inside it and put fried vada inside it and enjoy each bite with fried green chilly.

Hot and spicy Vada Pav can be eaten at any time of day :)

Whole wheat chocolate muffins

Whole wheat chocolate muffins are best way to fulfil your hunger for chocolate that too in healthy way as it is baked with whole wheat flour/atta. Lets start collecting out ingredients required for it.

Ingredients :

2 + 1/8 cup Whole wheat flour/Atta

2 tbsp Cornflour

1 cup Powdered Sugar

1/8 tsp Baking Soda

2 tsp Baking Powder

1/2 cup Cocoa Powder

1/2 cup Chocolate chips

2 Eggs

1/2 cup Vegetable Oil

2/3 cup Milk

1 tsp Vanilla Essence

Method : Mix all the wet ingredients together (eggs, vegetable oil,milk and vanilla essence).Sieve all the dry ingredients ( atta,cornflour,baking powder ,baking soda and cocoa powder).Mix sugar in wet mixture and now mix dry ingredients into wet mixture following cut and fold method.Add chocolate chips and mix well.

Pour in each muffin cup with help of spoon or ice cream scooper, fill only upto 3/4 level and bake it at convection mode at 180 degrees for 20 mins.Check by pricking toothpick inside if it comes out clean muffins are baked.If not bake for 2-3 mins more.

Keep them out for ten mins in muffin cups only and than transfer onto wire rack for cooling down.

Enjoy it with your favourite cup of tea or coffee or milk.

These can be stored in fridge for 1 week in airtight container.

Remember to pre heat the microwave at convection mode only at 180 degrees for ten mins before starting baking muffins.

Curry leaves chutney / kadi patta chutney

Curry leaves are used to impart fragrance and flavour to various curries and dishes in our country.They are very good for digestion and had lot of herbal benefits too.We are going to make chutney of it..this recipe is very close to my heart as it is taught by my Mom.
 
Ingredients :

3/4 cup curry leaves ( CUP i used the one which i use for baking purpose)
2 medium sized sliced onion
2 medium sized sliced green chilli ( spicy chilli to be used)
Salt to taste
1 medium sized lemon juice
1-2 tbsp water


Method : Mix all the ingredients in mixer grinder and grind it till forms chutney like consistency.

Your chutney is ready and goes well with any dal/curry/khicdi.

Remember to use mentioned quantity of curry leaves as it may give bitter taste if quantity is increased.You can add tomato / dry mango powder also for taste by skipping lemon juice.


Enjoy spicy and tangy chutney guys.

White chickpeas with tandoori roti

This recipe is same as my earlier written recipe in the month of July 2015 of White chickpeas with tandoori naan.

Just for making tandoori roti replace all purpose flour with whole wheat flour/atta..all the ingredients and procedure is same.

Pineapple Kiwi Cake

I use to bake cake at times but this was the first cake baked by me with proper whipped cream and decorations.This recipe is very close to me as it came out so perfect and was baked on my niece birthday by me few days back.

Ingredients for Cake :

1+3/4 cup All purpose flour
3/4 cup Sugar
1+1/4 cup Curd
1 tsp Baking powder
1/2 tsp Baking soda
Sligthly less than 3/4 cup vegetable oil
1 tbsp Milk
1 tsp vanilla essence


For Filling and icing :

1+ 3/4 Cup Whipping cream ( i used the ready one with sugar in it , just need to add cold water)
Tinned pineapple slices ( 1/2 tin)
10-12 pieces sliced kiwi (for garnishing)

Method : Sieve all purpose flour and keep it aside.Take another mixing bowl and whisk sugar and yoghurt till they are mixed properly.Now add baking powder and baking soda in it and mix well.
Keep it aside for 6-7 minutes so that fermentation takes place.

Now add vegetable oil and essence to this mixture and mix well.Add sieved flour in four batches and mix it using cut and fold method.

Grease the cake tin with butter and dust all purpose flour on it and pour the cake batter to fill upto 3/4 level only.Tap a bit to level the batter in cake tin.

Pre heat the microwave at convection mode at 180 degree for ten mins and now keep the tin inside pre heated microwave to bake the cake for 30-35 mins at 180 degree.Check with toothpick and bake for 5 more mins if required.

Take the cake tin out and brush it with milk and bake it again for 1 min this will provide glaze to the cake.

Keep it in baking tin for ten mins and than rest it on cooling wire rack till it is cool down completely.
Cake should always be cool before u start with icing.

Icing and layering : Take the whipping cream powder in cool bowl( bowl kept in freezer for half hour) and add cold water as mentioned on packet , whip it till soft peaks are formed.

Cut the cake in two halves with help of knife and apply sugar syrup on sliced cake , i have used syrup from pineapple tin only , u can use home made syrup too.

Apply whipped cream on bottom cut portion of cake and put sliced pineapple slices over it.Now put remaining half portion of cake over it and apply whipped cream all over the cake with help of knife and level it smoothly with help of knife.

Decorate pineapple slices over top of cake and round cut slices of kiwi at sides.Serve cool.

Cake with icing should be finished with in two days if kept in fridge.

Enjoy it with your loved ones :)

Double chocolate chip Cappuccino

If you like to get indulged in chocolaty drink anytime than try this simple and super easy drink.

Ingredients :

1 cup /250 ml milk (cold milk)
5 tbsp chocolate syrup ( i prefer Hershey"s- 3 tbsp for drink and 2 tbsp for topping)
4 tbsp chocolate chips
1/2 tsp vanilla essence
1 tsp instant coffee powder (i prefer Nescafe)
2-3 tbsp sugar
5-6 ice cubes (optional)
2 tbsp whipped cream/vanilla ice cream

Method : Mix all the ingredients in a blender and blend it till chocolate chips are finely chopped and ice cubes are crushed. It should look like thick milk shake. Pour

it in a glass and top it with whipped cream/vanilla ice cream and some chocolate syrup .

Enjoy this yummy drink as it is or with your choice of cookies/muffins.

Calorie conscious can use low fat milk and can skip whipped cream topping :)

Mahani - Kangri /Himachali cuisine

Mahani is made from bengal gram whole or kale channe. Basically there are four grams eaten together with steamed rice and sweet (usually gulab jamun).All the four grams are cooked in mustard oil and without onion and garlic. This food consist of kale channe/mahani , white channe/madra and sabut maah dal and chana dal all four eaten with rice and gulab jamun in one plate. It is popular in the state of Himachal Pradesh and served in marriages also.

Here we are going to cook Mahani only and i will post the recipe of remaining grams surely on my blog very soon :)

Ingredients :

1 cup Kale channe (soaked over night)
4 tbsp Oil
1 tsp Hing/Asafoetida
1 tbsp whole wheat flour/atta
1 tbsp garam flour/besan
1 tbsp makki ka atta/corn flour
Salt to taste
2 tsp red chilli powder
1 tsp turmeric powder
1+1/2 tsp coriander powder
4-5 tsp dry mango powder/amchur
4-5 tsp jaggery/gur
2 medium sized sliced tomatoes
2 sliced green chillies
2 inch sliced ginger

Method :  Soak the kale channe in water over night and boil them by adding salt in the same manner like we boil for normal kale channe gravy recipe.

Now take another wok and heat mustard oil in it , add hing once it is hot.Now add all the three flours 1 tbsp each as mentioned above and simmer the flame to low and roast it by continuous stirring like we roast flour for halwa/sheera till it is light brown in color. Now add all the spices and roast them for 1-2 mins. Add boiled channe without water and cook it on medium flame for 4-5 mins.At this time add water of channe along with jaggery/gur. Cook for 9-10 mins till all spices and gur blends with channe properly.

Add sliced tomatoes,green chillies and ginger and boil for another 3-4 mins , they should be partial cooked only.

Your Mahani is ready to serve with hot steamed rice.

One can increase or decrease the sweetness and sourness by increasing/decreasing the amount of jaggery and dry mango powder according to taste.

This is the recipe i have taken from my mom in law..their may be different version of it too :)

Enjoy it and do let me know ur comments about it ..

Dahi bhalla/ dahi vada - Street food

Dahi Vadas are deep fried vadas made from urad dal and and served with thick curd/yoghurt.It is very famous street food in our country and eaten in almost all parts of India.

Ingredients :

1 cup Urad dal
Salt to taste
Pinch of Hing/Asafoetida
1 green chilli
1 inch chopped ginger
Water as required
Oil for deep frying
2 cup thick curd
1 tsp red chilli powder
1 tsp jeera powder
1/2 tsp dry pudina powder(optional)
2 tbsp imli/tamarind chutney

Method : Wash and soak dal in water for at least 3-4 hours , strain the water from dal and grind it in mixie grinder to form smooth paste .Add hing,green chilli ,ginger and salt during grinding process.Take out the mixture in bowl and mix it with hands for 5-6 mins this will result in soft dahi vadas.

Heat oil in deep wok and once it  is hot reduce the flame to medium and pour 1 tbsp mixture in ball shape with help of spoon and palm and deep fry it on low flame till it is golden brown in color from both sides.Keep an eye on vadas while deep frying in order to get even color on all sides of vadas.Fry all the vadas in the same manner. Take them out on kitchen towel and dip them in water if u want to serve immediately or if u want to serve it later than soak them in hot water for around 10-15 mins.

Take them out and press gently between ur palms to remove excess water and put them in serving plate , add beaten curd over it ( i usually mix salt and red chilli powder in curd only).Sprinkle jeera powder , little red chilli powder and pudina powder over it .Finally add tamarind chutney over it.

Serve it and enjoy with ur loved ones :)

You can add boiled potatoes, papri , sev or pomegranate seeds .(optional)

Diet Poha/Chivda - Snack

Poha chivda ,we all eat it usually by soaking it in water and tempering with mustard seeds, curry leaves and choice of vegetables. This is healthy  version of it which is made from 1 tbsp oil and can be cooked in 6-7 mins. It can be eaten as snack item with tea or coffee and can be stored in air tight container for 1 month. Sounds interesting than lets check out ingredients require for it.

Ingredients :

2 cups poha /chivda
1/2 cup roasted chana dal (dry roast in non stick pan without oil)
1/4 cup unsalted peanuts
1/4 cup chopped dry coconut
2 tsp mustard seeds
1 green chilli chopped
6-7 curry leaves
1/4 tsp turmeric powder
Salt to taste
1 tsp Sugar (optional)
Pinch of citric acid crystals(for tangy flavour)
1 tbsp oil

Method : Place poha in deep microwave safe dish and microwave for 2 minutes, stirring after 1 minute.Keep it aside.

In another microwave safe bowl , add oil  and mustard seeds and microwave for 2 mins.Take it out  and add green chillies ,curry leaves ,peanuts ,dry coconut ,roasted chana dal and turmeric powder and microwave for 1 min.Take this mixture out and mix with poha ,mix well with spoon gently and finally microwave for last 1 min.

Add sugar ,salt and citric acid crystals and mix well.Cool completely and store in air tight container.

Enjoy eating :)

Banana Muffins

Muffins are small pieces of baked bread which can be sweet or savoury. They are baked in variety of shapes and with different variety of flour ,fruits ,vegetables and flavours.Here we are going to bake muffins with banana which is a rich source of vitamins.

Ingredients :

1 cup All purpose flour/maida
2 overripe medium sized Bananas ( Mashed form with help of spoon)
1/4 cup Sugar
1/4 cup milk
1/4 cup melted Butter
1/2 tsp Baking powder
1/2 tsp Baking soda
1 tsp vanilla essence


Method : To start with baking any cake,bread or muffin first step is to preheat the microwave to 180 degree for 10 mins at convection mode.

Now sieve maida,baking powder and baking soda and keep it aside. Mix all wet ingredients i.e. bananas ,sugar ,milk ,butter and vanilla essence with help of whisker. Fold the dry ingredients mixture in this wet ingredients mixture with help of spatula. Don't over mix the mixture.

Pour it in each silicon mould/muffin tray with help of spoon i use ice cream holder for it. Fill only 3/4 level and leave rest portion for rising of muffins.Tap a bit to level the mixture ,place all the silicon moulds in baking tray and put tray inside pre heated microwave.

Bake at 15-20 mins at 180 degree at convection mode.Check by inserting toothpick inside one muffin if it comes clear switch off the microwave.

Take it out , let them rest in moulds for 5 mins and than shift them on wire/cooling rack and cool them completely.

Serve them with cup of coffee or tea or topping of icing sugar /chocolate sauce etc.

Sooji Upma

Upma is very quick , easy and healthy breakfast dish. It is cooked from roasted semolina/sooji or rice flour. One can add vegetables of your choice according to taste.Lets see ingredients required for it.


Ingredients :

1 cup semolina/sooji
1 medium sized chopped onion
1 cup chopped vegetables (capsicum,corn, carrots and peas)
1 tsp mustard seeds
5-6 fresh curry leaves
Salt to taste
1 tsp red chilli powder
2 tbsp oil
2 cup water (double the amount of sooji)
Few sprigs of coriander leaves (for garnishing)

Method : Take one pan and dry roast ( means without any oil)sooji in it by stirring in between to avoid burning of it. Roast it till light brown in color , switch off flame and take it out in plate or bowl.

Now heat oil in another pan ,add mustard seeds and curry leaves , once they starts spluttering add chopped onions and fry it till they are light brown in color ,add all other chopped vegetables and salt ,mix well and cover it with lid and cook for 3-4 mins.Now add red chilli powder or green chilli and water into it. Once water starts boiling add roasted sooji and stir continuously to avoid formation of lumps.When all water evaporates your upma is ready to serve, switch off the flame.Upma has semi solid consistency. Garnish with coriander leaves and serve hot.

Can be used as semi solid meal for baby too by adding little more water.

Enjoy it guys :)

Veg Choupsey - American Chinese cuisine

Choupsey is kind of American chinese cuisine consist of fried noodles with vegetables cooked in tomato sauce.Veg Choupsey is served with vegetables like onion,capsicum, carrot and cabbage etc. and non veg served with meat ,chicken, fish and beef etc. This dish is very close to my heart since college days..so here goes the recipe..

Ingredients :

1 pack of Chings Hakka noodles
Water for boiling noodles
2 medium sized finely sliced onion
1 big sized finely sliced capsicum
1 medium sized finely sliced carrot lengthwise
1 cup finely chopped cabbage
Salt to taste
3 tbsp oil for gravy
1 tbsp red chilli powder
Chings vinegar 1-2 tbsp
Oil for deep frying noodles
1 cup of tomato ketchup
1 cup of water for gravy
1-2 tbsp cornstarch/cornflour


Method : Take water in big open vessel and add noodles for boiling once water comes to boil. Follow instructions written on pack for boiling noodles always.Once they are partially cooked , switch off the flame and strain the water out of it.Apply some oil onto noodles to avoid stickiness .

Heat oil in wok for deep frying , once oil is hot keep it on medium flame and pour boiled noodles with hand in such a way that it forms nest like structure. Fry it it till its light brown in color now turn it with spatula and fry from other side till it is light brown in color and crisp in texture.Take it out once done and keep it on kitchen towel to remove excessive oil. Deep fry all the boiled noodles in the small batches by forming nest like structure while frying process.

For gravy,heat 3 tbsp oil in another wok ,add sliced onions ,once they are transparent in color add all other vegetables and cook for 3-4 mins on medium high flame by stirring in between. Add salt  and red chilli powder and mix well. Add tomato ketchup ,water and let it cook for 2-3 mins.Once gravy starts boiling take cornflour in bowl add 2 tbsp of water and form paste,add this to boiling gravy and stir continuously, gravy will start thickening by this time. Add vinegar mix well and switch off the flame.

Take one batch of crispy fried noodles in a plate and pour gravy over it and serve hot.

You can put omelette or pineapple slice over it .(optional)

Enjoy this hot, tangy and crispy choupsey and do let me know ur comment in section below :)

Instant Coffee almond mug cake

This is the first recipe tried

by me after joining Chef at large (Facebook group).Someone posted 5 min chocolate mug cake in microwave on this group so i thought of making it with coffee powder.

Ingredients :

2 tbsp melted butter/ghee

3 tbsp condensed milk

4 tbsp coffee (2 tsp coffee mixed in 4 tbsp  warm milk)

4 tbsp all purpose flour/maida

1/8 tsp baking powder

pinch of baking soda

3-4 chopped almonds

Method : Take a microwave safe mug and mix all the ingredients as mentioned above so that no lumps remain in batter.Microwave it for 1.5 mins initially and than 30 sec more if required.

You can add sugar too (optional).

Serve hot as it will become hard on cooling as its not baked but microwaved only.

It should be eaten same day and usually with in 10-15 mins of making for better taste.

Bread upma

Upma is categorised under breakfast dish and can be eaten as snack too.It is made from dry roasted semolina/sooji or rice flour.Today we are going to cook it with normal sandwich bread.One can use brown or multigrain bread too for this recipe.


Ingredients :

4-5 Slices of white bread
1 medium sized chopped onion
2 tbsp chopped green capsicum
2 tbsp green peas
1 tsp mustard seeds
5-6 curry leaves
Salt to taste
1 tsp red chilli powder
2 tbsp oil


Method : Heat oil in pan ,add mustard seeds and curry leaves,once it starts crackling,add chopped onion and cook till it becomes light brown in color. Now add capsicum and green peas and cover pan with lid and cook for 3-4 mins on low flame.Add spices and mix well.Take each slice of bread and soak it in water and press it slightly between ur palms to remove excess water and crush it ,put it in pan.Repeat the process for all bread slices and toss it well ,cook for 2-3 mins by continuous stirring.

Bread upma is ready to serve.

 I like it with namkeen/sev and tomato ketchup.

You can add any vegetables of your choice (potato,panner and corn etc).

Dahi Kababs

My family is fond of dahi kababs so whenever we go out for elaborated dinner we used to order it as starter. So one day i thought of cooking it at home and nailed it.It is made from hung curd and crispy from outside and soft from inside.

Ingredients :

400 grams Curd (i used Amul masti dahi )

Salt to taste

1/2 tsp garam masala powder

1 tsp red chilli powder

1 tsp chaat masala

1 finely chopped green chilli

3-4  tbsp of bread crumbs or roasted gram flour/besan

2 tbsp coriander mint chutney

8-10 pcs of raisins

2-3 tbsp oil for shallow frying kababs

Method: Take curd in muslin cloth ,tie it and hang it on tap for around 4-5 hours, we will get hung curd by this process.Take out this curd in bowl and add salt ,red chilli powder ,garam masala ,chaat masala and green chilli ,mix well with help of spoon.Its difficult to make kababs with this mixture so add 2-3 tbsp of bread crumbs or roasted besan to make it thick batter ,remember don't add too much of bread crumbs or besan it will destroy the taste of dahi kababs which should be soft, moist and tangy in taste. Keep this mixture aside for 15- 20 mins .

For stuffing , take 1-2 tbsp of bread crumbs in another bowl, add coriander mint chutney ,salt to taste and raisins. Mix well.

Take small ball size mixture of hung curd by applying all purpose flour on ur hands so that it shouldn't stick to ur hands and flatten it with cavity in centre to fill 1 tsp stuffing inside.Roll it gently with hands ,flatten it a bit to give shape of kabab.Prepare all kababs like this and heat oil in non stick pan and shallow fry from both sides till they are golden brown in color.

Serve hot with your choice of dip .

Panner tikka - Tandoori starter

Paneer tikka is a type of dish which is made from marinated panner and grilled in tandoor. It can be served dry as starter or with gravy as main course dish. We can grill it on tawa or microwave too.
It can be eaten with wrap or chapati and rice.

Ingredients :

250 grams paneer (cut into 1 inch cubes)
1 big sized green capsicum
1 medium sized onion
1 medium sized tomato
1 tbsp grated ginger
3-4 tbsp of thick curd/yoghurt
1 tbsp butter
2 tbsp gram flour/besan
1/4 tsp carom seeds/ajwain
2-3 tbsp of mustard oil
1 tsp of turmeric powder
Salt to taste
2 tsp red chilli powder
1 tsp gram masala
1-2 tsp of coriander powder
2 tsp of dry mango powder/amchur
2 tbsp oil for greasing

Method: Cut paneer into cubes, i usually bring it from dairy shop. And cut onion, capsicum and tomato into cubes form and keep it aside.Now heat butter in pan and add carom seeds, once it will start crackling ,add garam flour /besan and roast it till it turns light brown in color.

Take mixing bowl add curd in it and whisk it to form smooth paste, add besan mixture in it and mix well. Add all the spices and grated ginger except turmeric powder.

Heat mustard oil in another pan till smoke comes out of it, switch of the flame and add turmeric powder in it.

Add this mustard oil in curd mixture slowly and whisk properly. Put all the veggies including panner , onion ,tomato and capsicum in it and mix it slowly with hands to coat marination on all veggies.Cover the bowl and keep it in fridge for at least 2 hours, i kept it for 5 hours.Greater the time for marination better will be taste of panner tikka. Soak wooden skewers in water for 2 hours.

After 5 hours take marinated panner tikka out of fridge and arrange it on wooden skewers, insert panner cubes ,onion , capsicum and tomato and than repeat the sequence for all the vegetables.
Meanwhile preheat the microwave at micro grill option at 180 for ten mins. I m having Samsung microwave it was not showing temp in degrees for micro grill option so i pre heated at 300 watt by placing lower wire rack inside microwave during this process.

Now grease all the skewers with oil and arrange it on wire rack directly in pre heated microwave.Grill it on micro grill option at 300 watt or 180  degree for 20 - 25 mins by rotating the skewers in between.

Serve panner tikka with chutney of ur choice and sliced onion and lemon.

Tip : I keep one tbsp of marinated masala aside and mix it with 2 tbsp of curd and 1 tbsp pf mint coriander chutney to serve it with panner tikka .

Enjoy..

Pomegranate Ginger ale - Mocktail

I was having lot of pomegranate at my home so thought of experimenting with it.Tried this mocktail its refreshing and leaves very nice taste on your taste buds of ginger and pomegranate.
Very few ingredients are required for it so lets gather them.

Ingredients :

180 ml pomegranate juice
90 ml of sprite or 7 up or aerated soda
2 tbsp lemon juice
2 tbsp of ginger juice
Salt to taste
Crushed Ice (optional)

Method: Take a blender/ cocktail shaker and add pomegranate juice , lemon juice,ginger juice and salt to taste.Mix well for 1-2 mins now pour this mocktail in glass and add 7 up/sprite/aerated soda to add fizz in mocktail. You can add crushed ice if u want it to be very chilled.

Serve it alone or as welcome drink to your guests.

Do le me know ur feedback in comment section.