Veg Noodles

Recipe inspired by my college-time best snack from my friends tiffin box.

Made it for my husband who likes to eat this outside often. As all other recipes, this is also simple easy to make and tasty

Ingredients :
Noodles - enough for 2 ppl
Veggies..carrot, capsicum, onions, cabbage - Hand full
Spring onions (I didnt add this, just used wht I have at home)
Soya sauce - 1 tbsp
Green Chillies - 2/3 (if you like it hot!)
Pepper - 1 tsp
Salt (can add ajinomoto, I skip this as it might not be a healthy choice)
oil - 1 tbsp

• Cook noodles in boiling water with a little salt and 1 tsp oil
• Strain the noodles and run cold water over the cooked noodles and keep it aside
• Heat oil and fry green chillies & onions in a tawa
• Add all veggies and fry for few minutes till they are tender (dont over cook)
• Add pepper, soya sauce and salt and fry for few seconds
• Add noodles to it and cook for 5-8 mins more

Serve it with tomato sauce, I like to eat it plain..

Choclate Nankhatai - Tea cookies

I personally like this recipe as it takes less time and a good snack is ready with less effort.

The key for good baking is always various experiments which most of the time turns into disasters. I have had enough and finally reaching a stage, where I have my little secrets to make it perfect. And the best part of these secrets is even if you share it, it wont be applied as long as its not tried.

These nankhatai was the first recipe I baked in my oven, but was a disaster. The temperature and the middle rack burns it, tweeking these helped in getting the perfectly baked nankhatais

Ingredients :
Maida/Atta - 1 cup
Besan - 1 tbsp
Butter - 1/2 cup
Powdered sugar - 1 cup
Cardamom - 4/6
Cocoa powder - 1 tsp
Baking powder - 1/4 tsp

• Sieve maida, besan, cocoa powder, baking powder together
• In a bowl take melted butter, add powdered sugar and mix well
• Add the sieved mixture and knead it with hand
• Refrigerate it for 5-10 mins
• Meanwhile preheat oven for 10 mins with 150C
• Make small balls and place it on the greased baking tray and bake for 15 mins in 150C

(I used the top rack, as the middle one made them burn in the bottom)

I enjoyed it guilt-free by using nutralite instead of butter!!

Black Forest Cake

Another cake recipe it is!! amazing to make one of my favorite pastry cake and get it right :)
Worth the effort and enjoyed making and eating it with family.

Ingredients :
For sponge :
Flour (maida) - 3/4 cup
Sugar (powdered) - 1 cup + 1tbsp
Baking powder - 1/4 tsp
Cocoa powder  - 4 tsp
Eggs          - 5
Vanilla essence - 1 tsp
Baking soda    - 1/4 tsp

Filling & soaking :
Cherries     - 1 cup
Sugar         - 4 tbsp
Water         - 1/2 cup
Rum (optional) - 2 tsp
Cherry syrup   - 1/2cup
Grated chocolate - 1/2 cup
whip cream - 1 cup


Procedure :
For Sponge :

• Sieve flour, baking powder & cocoa powder 2-3 times
• Add vanilla essence, baking soda & sugar to eggs and beat till thick
• Fold in the flour mixture with beaten egg
• Pour it in greased pan & bake in pre-heated oven at 180C for 30 minutes
• Cool the cake & slice horizontally through the center

For filling, soaking & decorating :

• Mix rum, sugar, cherry syrup, water. Soak the 2 sponge slice, 1/2 cup syrup for each
• Spread whipped cream on one half and sprinkle cut cherries. Place 2nd layer & repeat cream,cherries
• Decorate with grated chocolate, cream and cherries
• Chill the cake for 2-3 hours before serving

Tips :

• For better results use only standard measuring cups/spoons
• Before slicing the cake in horizontal half, refrigerate it for > 5 hrs or a day
• Don't beat the egg yolk & white separate. For pastry cakes, it should be not be separated

Sabudana Paysa

Paysa (Paysam) is a very common dish and made mostly during festivals or any special occasions. The main ingredient here is Sabudana (soaked), which can be replaced with rice , shavige (fried in ghee) to make paysa when you have less time in hand

Ingredients :

Sabudana – 1 cup
Sugar – 1/2 cup
Milk – 1 cup
Water - 1 cup
Cardamom(Elakka) – 1/2 tsp
Cashewnuts, Badam, Dry grapes – A few
Ghee – 1½ tbsp


Procedure:

• Soak sabudana for 1-2 hrs
• Cook soaked sabudana in water till its soft
• Add milk & then sugar.
• Bring it to boil and keep stirring
• Add cardamom powder & ghee fried dry fruits

Serve it hot or chilled

Balekai bajji

Good way to start a lazy saturday with yummy bajjis, made by Anil

This was a practice for me to learn deep frying, rest everything done by him

Frankie

Easy & simple recipe, good to eat any time of the day

• Boil & mash potatoes (can add peas/grated paneer/ carrot)
• In kadai, put tadka with oil, mustard seeds, jeera, haldi. Add finely chopped onion(optional), ginger and fry
• Add garam masala powder, jeera powder, chilli powder(optional) and mix
• Add salt & mix the mashed potatoes together well with coriander

Optional -
After the above palya cools down, using corn flour make tikkis by shallow frying it with little oil

Use the above aloo palya or tikki between chapattis/pulka and enjoy with onion salad/ tomato sause
( Can use putina chutney/tomato sauce to spread on the chapati/pulka )

Yummy Chocolate pudding

 A very simple & tasty pudding recipe, found it online..

Ingredients:

• Milk - 2 1/2 cups
• Corn flour - 4 tblsp
• Cocoa powder - 2 tblsp
• Sugar - 1/2 cup

Procedure:

• Take corn flour and cocoa powder together into a bowl. Pour 1 cup of milk(Room temperature) into the bowl and mix with a whisk until it blends well with the milk
• Boil the remaining milk along with sugar and mix until the sugar melts
• Now reduce the flame and pour in the chocolate milk mixture into the boiling milk and keep stirring. Keep stirring on medium flame until it becomes thick
• Wash the cups pour the pudding into the cups and set them in the refrigerator for 3 hours minimum.

Garnish with grated chocolate & serve them chilled :)