Eggless Vanilla Cake

This recipe is dedicated to all my vegetarian friends who don't use eggs in their cooking. This cake can be made easily out of  ingredients from your pantry. Its no hard job, no fancy equipment involved, just mixing with a whisk or spoon.
I made this cake for my little princess who turned one few days back. she love ducks and so this cake came up. Little princess said quack quack when she first saw the cake and as a mom i was happy with the outcome. The cake was decorated with no fancy nozzles but simple used ziplock bag to do the grass and used chocolate fingers and chocolate chips for decoration.

Level: Easy

Total time: 30-45 mins
Makes: one 7 or 8 inch round cake
1 cup = 240 ml

Ingredients

Plain Flour: 1 cup
Corn Flour: 1/4 cup
Baking Powder:
Baking soda:
Condensed Milk: 200gm( 1/2 tin)
Butter (melted): 1/4 cup
Hot water/plain soda: 100 ml
Vanilla essence: 1 teaspoon
Salt a pinch

Directions

Prepare your Pans: Butter the pans and place the parchment paper and again butter the paper. If you don't have parchment then butter the pan and dust some flour on it.

Dry ingredients:
Sift flours, baking powder,baking soda and salt in a bowl.

Wet ingredients:
In a bowl mix in condensed milk, melted butter, vanilla and hot water until well combined.

Now gently fold in dry ingredients to the wet. The batter should be thick pouring consistency(add little more water if required). 
Pour in the batter into two 7 or 8 inch round pan and bake it in middle rack in preheated conventional oven at 180°C for 20-30 mins or until a tooth pick inserted should come out clean .
Cool the cake and sandwich with your favorite frosting.

Tips

• If you have cake flour use instead of plain flour and corn flour that is 1 1/4 cup.

Quack Quack ....Wanna try....let set go....

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Lauki Ki Puri -- Bottle gourd Fritters

Lauki/bottle gourd can be called as summer squash from india. It is used as coolant in summer and we make curry, Dal cha, puri's and even we cook along with lamb, it tastes great in any form. If you have checked my previous post Dal Cha using courgette, where Lauki is replaced with courgette.
Coming to todays post it is a tea time snack or a starter. This is mouth watering snack which is crispy on the edges and soft in the middle. I personally love this snack which my mom used to make when we have lot of stock of gourds at home. Its easy to make and it will be wiped up when you serve. You can add other veggies like carrots, cabbage and so on but i like this all alone.
I tried making a video for this but it was a disaster attempt because holding a camera with hand and doing with other hand is a hard task. Some how managed to have a small clip. Next time if i record something then i should make use of some helping hand or buy a tripod to hold the camera. ha ha ha. 

Level: Moderate 

Total time: 30-45 mins
Makes: 12-15
1 cup = 240 ml

Ingredients

Lauki/Bottle gourd: 200gm (1 1/2 cup grated)
Rice Flour: 1/2 cup
Chilli paste: 1/2 teaspoon
Grated Ginger: 1 teaspoon
Cumin Powder: 1/2 teaspoon
Salt: 1/2 teaspoon(to taste)
Oil for frying 

Directions

Wash Lauki and grate it and discard the center part which contains seeds.
Add rest of the ingredients except oil. And knead it to a dough. If the dough is too sticky then add rice flour (2-3 tablespoons). The dough will be sticky but we will be able to make small dough balls.
Take a plastic paper, rub oil on it and place the dough ball and make a circle shape using your fingers. 
Check here for the video making.
Heat up the oil, it should be on medium heat. Lift the plastic paper and slightly peel off the fritter and place it in oil and fry both sides golden brown.  


Tips

• Make sure the oil be on medium heat all through frying.
• You can make the fritters on the left palm and flatten it using your right hand fingers. But i personally prefer the plastic surface for making the fritters, as it is easy to lift the fritters from the surface and drop in to the oil.
• Lauki will leave water so no need of adding any water to form a dough.

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Courgette Dal Cha / Courgette Lentils Tangy Curry

Dal Cha is tangy lentil curry with bottle gourd in it. But when ever i don't find fresh bottle gourd in indian store then i use up Courgettes/zucchini instead. It tastes similar to the bottle gourd and Courgettes are summer vegetable and it is easily available in the store. This dal cha can be served with boiled plain rice, pulao or biryani's.
Courgettes/Zucchini are british summer vegetable and known as summer squash. Courgettes are versatile and can be fried, blanched, steamed, soups and even in breads. They come in different colours (yellow,green..) and shapes and they resemble as cucumber.

Level: Moderate 

Cooking time: 45 mins
Serves: 4
1 cup = 240 ml

Ingredients

Courgette: 3 small (500gm)
Tomato: 100gm
Chana Dal: 1/2 cup
Turmeric powder: 1/2 teaspoon
Chilli powder: 1 teaspoon (to taste)
Sambar Powder: 1 teaspoon
Coriander Powder (daniya ): 1 teaspoon
Tamarind: 1 golf size
Salt to taste
Oil: 1 teaspoon

Tempering:
Curry leaves: 5-6
Mustard Seeds: 1 teaspoon
Cumin seeds: 1 teaspoon
Onion: 100gm
Oil: 2 tablespoon
Ginger Garlic Paste: 1 teaspoon

Directions
Preparation:
Wash and soak Chana dal for 3o mins.
Peel, wash and Cut the Courgettes 2x1 inch.
Chop onion thin length wise.
Chop tomatoes.
Chop fresh coriander
Soak tamarind in warm water (1 cup).

Method:
In pressure cooker add chana dal, tomato, turmeric powder, chilli powder and 1.5 cups of water and hear 3-4 whistles until dal is soft.
While the dal is cooking, in a pan add 1 teaspoon of oil and add courgettes and fry till they are tender.
Press and squeeze the tamarind and remove the pulp from the tamarind juice. 
TADKA: In a pan add 2 tablespoons of oil, add mustard seeds. when mustard seeds start splattering add cumin seeds, curry leaves and then add chopped onions. Fry until onions are soft and add ginger garlic paste. Fry for a minute.

Once the Dal is cooked, use hand mixer and blend it to thin paste.Now add Courgettes, Coriander powder, Sambar Powder, tamarind juice, salt and tadka and Cook for  15 minutes on medium flame.Check the consistency and add more hot water for desired consistency.
Garnish with coriander and serve.

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Sheer Khurma | How to make Sheer Khurma recipe | Flavour Diary

This would be one of the easiest dessert to make for any celebrations. No hard job to do just boil up milk add roasted semiya (hair thin indian noodles called vermicelli) and dry fruits and you are done with your dessert. Serve hot or cold both tastes great.

Level: Easy 

Total time: 30 mins
Makes: 8-10
1 cup = 240 ml

Ingredients

Semiya/Vermicelli : 75 gms
Milk: 1.5 ltr
Evaporated Milk: 1 can (approx 400ml)
Melted Butter/Ghee: 2 tablespoons
Dry fruits (Almonds,cashews, pistachios): 1/2 cup
Pitted Dates : 4-5
Sugar: 1/2 cup (to taste)
Cardamon powder: 1/2 teaspoon

Directions

Bring milk to boil. And simmer it for 10 mins
While milk is heating up chop up the nuts. 
In a pan add ghee, when hot, fry dry fruits till golden colour. 

Remove the nuts and fry the Semiya in same ghee.
Add Evaporated Milk, Fried Nuts, Semiya,Cardamon powder,Sugar to the milk and cook until the semiya becomes soft.

Keep stirring in between and Turn off the flame when you have a desired consistency. Then add Chopped dates.


Tips

• If you are serving hot then consistency which see is what it is, but if you are serving cool then it gets thicken up. 
• You can use condensed milk instead of evaporated milk but reduce the amount of sugar you add.

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Stuffed Dates | How to make Stuffed Dates | Flavour Diary

 Why to have just dates for your snack, why not have them with little more added vitamins and minerals. These lovely tiny energy bundles are easy to make and serve. Having a date a day would be satisfying your taste buds with sweetness and also giving you all the essential nutrients for the day. 
I first saw these stuffed dates in London at the mall, those were cutely decorated and had both savoury and sweet version. Today i am going for one of the sweeter version, which can be made in no time with no flop story. Its a blending and stuffing process.
  

Level: Easy 

Total time: 30 mins
Makes: 12-15
1 cup = 240 ml

Ingredients

Dates/Khajur : 15 number
Almonds/Badaam : 1/2 cup
Cashews /Kaaju : 1/2 cup
Sugar: 1/4 cup (optional)
Food colours (optional)

Directions

Half cut the Dates and remove the stones or just use pitted Dates.
In a blender add Almonds, cashews and sugar and blend it to fine powder.
Divide almond mixture and add food colour if desired and add water a teaspoon at a time and make a dough consistency. Make sure not to pour water at a time.
Make a small date shaped almond mixture and stuff it in Dates.

TADA your dessert is done, get creative with the decoration add shredded coconut or sprinkles or drizzle some chocolate on top.

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Chawal Ki Kheer --- Indian Rice Pudding | Flavour Diary

Oo my my, I am missing all precious moments of holding a new born nephew in my arms. Hope i will do that soon when i go back india. I am sharing my happiness with you all by sharing a most popular dessert from india which is quite easy and needs very less effort.
This is rich creamy and thick rice pudding called Chawal ki Kheer, which is made for any celebrations or for just any sweet tooth day. I love to have this chilled but this will also taste great when hot.

Level: Easy 

Total time: 30-45 mins
Serves: 4

1 cup = 240 ml

Ingredients

Basmati/Long Grain Rice : 1/2 cup
Sugar: 1/2 cup
Cardamon Powder : 1/4 teaspoon
Mixed Nuts(Almonds, Pistachio, Cashew): 1/4 cup
Milk: 1.5 liters


Directions

Wash and Soak Rice for 2 hrs. Drain water and blend it for 20 seconds.It should be grainy texture.

In a heavy bottom pan bring milk to boil and then add rice and sugar. 
Cook on medium flame and stir in between and make sure it won't stick to the bottom. Once the mixture is little thick, add cardamon powder and Chopped nuts. Cook till the mixture is thick or to your desired thickness.

Adjust the sweetness to taste and Serve hot or chilled, both tastes great.

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