Vanilla cake

Ingredients :

Sift together twice :

• Maida - 1 cup heaped 120gms. ]
• Baking powder - 1 tsp [ level ]
• Cooking soda - 1 / 4 tsp
• Salt - a pinch

Cream together :

• Buttrer - 60 gms.
• Powder sugar - 90 gms.

Other ingredients :

• Luke warm milk - 150 ml.
• Vanilla essence - 1 / 2 tsp

Method :

Cream butter with sugar until light and fluffy using a spatula in a dry vessel. Then add sifted ingredients, essence, and warm milk. Blend well using electric egg beater. Pour on a greased baking tray and bake in a pre - heated oven until it becomes golden in colour. [180˚C] or approximately for 40 minutes.

Note :

Always pre- heat oven at 220˚C for 10 minutes before baking. Adjust the time and temperature to the recipe after that.

Eggless easy sponge cake

Ingredients :

Sift together :

• Maida - 1 cup
• Baking powder - 1 tsp. [ level ]
• Cooking soda - 1 / 2 tsp

Mix together :

• Butter - 60 gms.
• Powdered sugar - 1 tbl. sp.

Other ingredients :

• Condensed milk - 1 / 2 tin
• Luke warm water - 120 ml.
• Vanilla essence - 10 drops
• Almond essence - 10 drops

Method :

Cream butter and sugar in a dry bowl till it become fluffy. Add condensed milk, vanilla essence, and beat well. Mix sifted ingredients, warm water to that and beat well. Brush the baking tray with little butter. Transfer the batter to that and bake in a pre heated oven until golden. [180 degrees Celsius]

Cream together :
While mixing butter with sugar before baking. Take butter in a dry vessel. [no moisture should be in it] Using a flat spoon or beater whip the butter till it turns light and fluffy. Add sugar and then whip again in the same direction to incorporate air in it.

Muli [ radish ] paratha

Ingredients :

• Muli [ radish ] - 1 big [ grated ]
• Onion - 2 [ peel and grated ]
• Green chilli - 2 [finely chopped ]
• Ginger - small piece [ finely chopped ]
• Finely cut coriander leaves - little
• Salt - as required
• Turmeric powder - 1 / 2 tsp
• Red chilli powder - 1 tsp
• Garam masala powder - 1 / 4 tsp
• Dhania jeera powder - 1 / 2 tsp
• Sugar - 1 tsp
• Butter - 2 tbl. sps
• Oil - as required

[ mix muli, onion, greenchilli, ginger, salt, turmeric, red chilli powder, dhania jeera powder and keep in a oven for 10 minutes till water is absorbed mix coriander leaves to that and keep aside ]

Method :

Sieve and mix the wheat flour in a mixing bowl. Add salt, sugar and butter. Mix well with the flour till butter blends. Gradually add water and knead to a smooth dough. Make medium sized  balls from the dough. Flatten each ball and keep a tablespoon of radish filling inside. Close and seal well all around. Press and dredge in wheat flour and roll out into thick parathas. Heat tawa and fry these parathas using oil both sides while frying. Serve hot along  with curd and pickle.

Tendli gajar subji [ gujarati type ]

Ingredients :

• Tendli - 1 / 2 kg. [ cut into small round pieces ]
• Gajar [ carrot ] - 1 / 4 kg. [ cut into small pieces ]

Masala :

• Salt - as required
• Turmeric powder - 1 / 2 tsp
• Coriander cummin seed powder - 1 / 2 tsp
• Red chilli powder - 1 tsp
• Fresh grated coconut - 2 to 3 tablespoon
• Fresh chopped coriander leaves - little

To temper :

• Mustard seeds - 1 tsp
• Asafoetida - 1 / 4 tsp
• Oil - 4 to 6 tbsp.

Method :

Cut the tendli into round pieces. Peel and cut carrot into small pieces. Heat oil in kadai, add mustard seeds, when splutters add asafoetida. Put tendli, carrot pieces. Cover and cook till subji become tender. Add both the chilli powder and coriander cummin seed powder. Mix well and saute for a while. While serving garnish with grated coconut and chopped coriander leaves.

Aval Dosai

Ingredients :

• Raw rice - 4 cups
• Rice flakes [ aval ] - 1 1 / 2 cups
• Curds - 2 cups
• Salt - as required
• Cooking soda -1 / 2 tsp
• Oil - for frying

Method :

Wash and soak rice in water and aval in whipped curds. Grind both separately to a fine paste. Add more whipped curds for grinding if necessary. Add salt at the end, and mix both the batters together. Allow the dosa batter to ferment until next day morning. Then add cooking soda just before pouring dosas and mix well. Heat non-stick tawa. Pour a ladle full of batter in the centre and spread the dosa to medium thickness. Pour out little oil around the dosai. Close with a lid and cook on one side only. Serve hot with chutney or mixed vegetable kurma.

North indian carrot, mango pickle

Ingredients :

• Finely cut [ lenth wise ] - 2 cups
• Mango [ raw ] - 1 big [ cut into pieces ]
• Mustard oil - 1 / 4 kg.
• Salt - as required
• Vinegar - 2 table spoon
• Grated jaggery - little
• Red chilli powder - 1 / 4 cup dehusked yellow mustard - 1 1 / 2 tbls [ broken ]
• Coriander powder - 1 tsps.

Method :

Wash the vegetables in luke warm water strain and spread on a cloth to dry up excess moisture. Dry well and then cut lenthly. Heat oil in a kadai add vegetables and fry for 1 minute. Take the pieces alone from oil. Keep aside. Again in the same oil, add masala powder, mustard, coriander powder, salt and chilli powder. Mix well and remove from the fire.Dissolve grated jaggery in vinegar. [ do not heat .] Add the vegetables to that. Store it in a clean dry bottle. Use it  after 2 days.

Kothimbir Vadi [Maharashtrian Dish]

Main Ingredients :

• 2 cups of coriander leaves - washed and chopped
• 3-4 tablespoon gram flour
• 1/2 tablespoon rice flour
• 2 teaspoon red chili powder
• 1 teaspoon turmeric powder
• 1 teaspoon cumin powder
• 2 teaspoon curd
• 1 teaspoon oil
• 1 teaspoon lemon juice
• 1/2 teaspoon sugar ( optional)
• salt to taste

Ingredients for Seasoning:

• 2 teaspoon oil
• 2 teaspoon white sesame seeds
• 1 teaspoon mustard seeds
• 1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds
• 1/4 teaspoon asafoetida
• 4 to 5 few curry leaves
• 1 green chili chopped

Method:

Combine all the main ingredients together in a bowl and knead to make a firm, smooth dough. Add little water if required and shape it into a rectangular.
Prepare the steamer with water. Grease a dish of steamer and place the vadi  in the steamer plate. Steam the vadis in the steamer for about 15-20 minutes on high heat.
Once steamed, allow it to rest for about a minute and take it out and cool completely. Once cooled completely, cut the vadies  into 15 equal slices or bite size pieces.
Heat oil in a pan; add mustard and cumin seeds and allow them to crackle. Add in the asafoetida, the curry leaves, green chilies and sesame seeds. Stir well for about 30 seconds.
Add in the steamed vadi  into the seasoning and stir fry for about a minute.  This is so that the vadis get  well coated with the seasoning. Serve warm with hot tea or just as it is for snack.