Quinoa Dosa

Today I soaked Quinoa and moong dal to make dhokalas for the evening snack. When it was time to make dhokalas, I realized that the recipe had called for ½ a cup of sour yogurt. I had completely forgotten to make a new batch of homemade yogurt, so obviously I didn’t have the yogurt. Now what? So when you don’t want to waste your ingredients or don’t want to keep it in the fridge thinking that we can make it tomorrow, your brain throws new ideas to you. So instead of my evening snack I decided to make dosas for dinner. Again the ingredients were enough for dhokala but not for dosas. Then I soaked ½ cup Udid dal in super-hot water for couple of hours to make this yummy dinner. By the way my 4yrs old son and my 64 yrs old mother-in-law both loved it so now I can say that this recipe is good for the entire family and highly nutritious.

Here you go with the detailed recipe of the same.

Ingredients:

1. Quinoa: ¾ cup
2. Moong Dal: ½ cup
3. Udad/ Udid Dal: ½ cup
4. Ginger: ¾ to 1 inch (diced) 
5. Green chilies: 2-3 (paste: according to your family’s taste buds) 
6. Water: To make dosa batter
7. Salt: To taste 
8. Sour Yogurt: 1 Tbsp. (optional) 

Method:

1. Clean quinoa and all the dals till you see clear water.
2. Soak quinoa and moong dal together in around 12-13 small cups of water, at least for 2 hours. I usually soak it in the morning if I have to make it in the evening.  
3. Soak udid dal in a separate bowl in warm water. (If soaking it just for couple of hours then soak it in very hot water.)
4. Now drain all the ingredients (do not throw the drained water) and grind it with 2-3 green chilies, ginger and salt. Use the same drained water to make it in dosa batter consistency. 
5. You may add any spices or vegetables according to your family’s taste buds to this batter.
6. Keep it aside for half an hour. 
7. If making just after grinding, then add a tablespoon of Fruit Salt (plain Eno fruit salt)
8. Now take a non-stick tava and put a ladle full of this batter and start making the dosas. Do not lift the ladle while making the dosa. Also just put the batter in one direction. 
9. Put oil around the dosa of needed. 
10. Serve the dosas hot with coconut chutney and sambhar. 

Please try this super easy recipe of Quinoa Dosa for your next meal and surprise your family with it. If you like this recipe, give a thumps up and please share it with others. Happy Cooking!!!! 

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Homemade Desi Ghee with Unsalted Butter

When I first came to the US few years back I had brought the homemade desi ghee with me. Obviously it didn’t last for a long time and I ended up buying ghee from Indian grocery store. Did I like the taste? Yes and no, since didn’t have any other option. One day a friend of mine told me about the magic of unsalted butter which transforms it into our own desi ghee or tup (in Marathi language) or clarified butter. I was so excited to try it. We always have unsalted butter in the house so tried it and voila yes it was our own desi ghee. Couldn’t stop thanking her enough. She made my life easier and tastier. Here you go with step by step description of this most easy recipe.

Ingredients:

1. Unsalted Butter: 4 Sticks (1Lb) 
2. Tulasi leaves- 3-4 (optional) 
3. Cardamom/ choti ilaychi: 2 (optional) 
4. Water: 1-2 Tsp

Method:

1. Take a heavy and thick bottom pan.
2. Put all the sticks of butter (room temperature) to the pan.
   
   
   
3. Switch on the gas on the medium to low setting. 
4. In less than 2min the butter will melt. Now put the gas on the lowest possible setting. 
   
5. Keep stirring in between and after it starts to leave its foam add tulasi leaves and crushed cardamom powder to the ghee. Adding these ingredients is completely optional. But it surely leaves a nice aroma to the ghee.
   
6. Once the foam starts clearing off and you can see the bottom of the pan, sprinkle a tea-spoon of water in the ghee. If it bubbles and makes cracked kind of sound, your ghee is ready. If not let it simmer for couple of minutes more and repeat the water test.
   
   
   
   
7. Once the ghee is ready, you may want to let it cool down a little bit before you transfer to a glass jar/ bottle.
   
8. Your glass jar/ bottle has to be extremely dry and clean. If you feel it’s damp, microwave the empty bottle for a minute or so. Or alternatively you may want to keep it in a preheated oven just for a minute or so. 
9. If you wish you may filter this ghee and then transfer. I do not like to filter it since we like the flavor of tulasi leaves to remain in the ghee for a longer time.
10. Pour the ghee in the glass bottle but do not put lid immediately. Otherwise the lid will have moisture and it may spoil the ghee. 
    
11. Take out some ghee for regular use and refrigerate the rest. If you have made a big batch then put it in two different bottles and freeze one of the bottle for the future use. This will be good for more than 2 months. 
12. Do not put damp or wet spoon in the ghee otherwise it will be spoiled in no time.
    

Note:

1. Recently found out that you can make this ghee in microwave too. Just keep room temp. butter sticks in a big microwave safe bowl and microwave it on full power for about 12-14 min, stirring it occasionally. Once it changes the color, take it out. Obviously every microwave is different so keep a close eye on it. 
2. Also got to know about pressure cooker method. Keep the sticks in a pan and keep it in the pressure cooker on the lowest possible setting. Since it will be on the lowest setting, it won’t whistle. However as soon as it starts leaving bubbles switch the gas off and your butter will be ready. 
3. Some people also make it with salted butter but I have never tried that one.

Found all these recipes useful and easy. If you like this recipe, give a thumps up and please share it with others. Happy Cooking!!!! 

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Quick Vegetable Pulav (in pressure cooker)

We all love rice. However, if it’s nicely seasoned and if you add veggies in it, obviously it tastes better and also it’s healthy. Vegetable Pulav was one of the two dishes (2^nd was simple dal-fry) which I was able to cook before marriage without any help. I was a terrible cook and I’m still trying to be a good cook. LOL. My mom had taught me how to make this simple pulav. So presenting my mom’s recipe of vegetable pulav.

Ingredients:

1. Basmati rice (uncooked): 2 Cups
2. Hot Water: 4 ½ - 5 Cups
3. Onion: 1 Medium (cut in julienne or thinly sliced) 
4. Green peas: 1/4 Cup
5. Carrot: 1 Small (cut in julienne or thinly sliced)
6. Corn kernels: 3-4 Tbsp. (optional)
7. Green pepper: 1 Medium (cut in julienne or thinly sliced) 
8. Cauliflower florets: 1 Cup (chopped) 
9. Bay leaf: 1 Large
10. Cinnamon stick: 1 Medium
11. Peppercorns: 5-6
12. Cloves: 2-3
13. Star-anise flower: 1
14. Cumin seeds: 1 Tbsp.
15. Cumin-coriander powder: 1Tbsp.
16. Ginger- Garlic paste: 1 Tbsp.
17. Clarifies Butter: 5-6 Tbsp.
18. Cashew nuts: ¼ Cup or just a fistful (either cut in halves or chopped in small pieces, as per your preference)
19. Coriander/ Cilantro leaves: ½ Cup (finely chopped)

Procedure: 

1. Take a large pan or wok or a pressure cooker and put 3 Tbsp of clarified butter to it.
2. Add bay leaf, cinnamon stick, peppercorns, clove and star anise to it. Sauté nicely till the beautiful aroma of this whole Garam masala fills your kitchen. Put cumin seeds and let them splutter.
   
3. Now add onion and fry it till crispy golden brown. Do not over fry it to black color.
4. Once the onion is done, add cashews and little salt.
   
5. Start adding other vegetables to it starting with green peas, green peppers, corn kernels, cauliflower and carrots. Saute them well.
   
6. Now add ginger-garlic paste. Stir well.
7. Add remaining spices like cumin-coriander powder more salt.
8. Once the veggies are cooked, add some cilantro to it and stir well.
9. Now add rice carefully. Stir it well. Do not stir it vigorously otherwise the rice grains will break and the pulav will lose its beautiful look.
   
10. Add hot water. Add remaining clarified butter and put the lid on and let it cook. If you are using a pressure cooker, put the pressure cooker lid and hear one whistle on medium-high heat. Put the gas to lowest setting and switch it off in another minute.
11. Once the rice is done, take the lid off. Take the rice out in a serving bowl and garnish it with the remaining coriander leaves. You may want to take out the whole garam masala or you may garnish the dish with same whole garam masala.
    

Presenting to you a very healthy yet yummilicious rice variety. If you like this recipe, give a thumps up and please share it with others. Happy Cooking!!!! 

Please leave your comments and suggestions about this recipe. We welcome your feedback.

Note: 

1. You may add or omit veggies according to your choice and availability of the vegetables. Also you may use mixed frozen vegetables. Just wash them thoroughly and keep them in warm water.  
2. Clarified butter gives an authentic aroma and taste to this pulav so as per as possible, please do not substitute in with any other oil or butter.  
3. Please add hot water to the rice so rice will be cooked quickly.

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Quick Egg-less Microwave Chocolate Cake

Just googled an easy chocolate cake recipe since my toddler loves it and found a nice microwave chocolate cake recipe. Thanks to Madhura’s recipe. I made a little changes according to our family taste buds to the original recipe. With some preparation ahead of time you will be able to impress your guests for sure. My hubby loved it and my toddler hogged onto it LOL. So here we go!!!

Ingredients:

All purpose flour: 1 ½ Cups
Sugar: 1 ¼ Cup (adjust according to your family’s taste buds)
Whole Milk: 1 Cup (room temperature)
Cocoa powder: 3 Tbsp.
Baking Powder: ¼ Tsp.
Baking Soda: ½ Tsp.
Vanilla Extract: ½ Tsp.
Vegetable Oil: 3 Tbsp. (Optional)
Lemon Juice: 1 Tbsp.

Procedure:

1.    Take sugar in a mixing bowl and add room temp milk to it. Stir it till the sugar is dissolved completely. Please adjust sugar according to your taste. I added little less sugar since my family doesn’t like it too sweet.

2.    Once the sugar dissolved completely, start sieving the dry ingredients in the mixing bowl. Start with all purpose flour. Add cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda respectively. Sieve it nicely by breaking the lumps of cocoa powder and baking soda with the help of a spoon.

3.    Whisk all the ingredients together. There should be no lumps in the cake batter.

4.    Add vanilla extract and oil to the batter. Oil is totally optional however it surely gives a nice glaze and taste to the cake. It helps keep the cake moist. Whisk everything together.

5.    Now add the lemon juice and keep whisking until it’s well incorporated in the cake batter. This will help to rise the cake since we are not adding egg in the batter. Also it will help to make this cake really spongy.

6.    Grease the pan with cooking spray or oil nicely. You may use butter paper in the bottom. I usually use butter flavored cooking spray for all my baking.

7.    Pour the batter in the microwave safe bowl. Tap the bowl lightly on the counter top to take the air bubbles away from the cake batter.

8.    Put this bowl on a microwave safe plate or dish so by any chance the cake oozes out it will be in the dish and will not be a mess in your microwave.

9.    Keep it in the microwave over high power for 5min.

10.  Take the cake out with the help of oven mittens and check with the help of a toothpick insert. Always insert the toothpick in the center or middle of the cake, if it comes out clear that means the cake is ready. If it doesn’t, keep it back in the microwave for another minute. Check it again. At this time it should be done. Every microwave is different so please check after 5min. however do not go over 6 ½ min all together. If you over bake it, the cake will not be moist from inside.

11.   Give a 5 min standing time.

12.  With the help of a knife try to separate it from the edges, take a cooling rack and take the cake out (upside down). Let it cool down on a cooling rack. Taddaaa your quick microwave chocolate cake is ready.

If you like it give a thumps up and please share it with others. Don’t forget to enjoy this yummy and popular cake. Happy Cooking!!!! 

Please leave your comments and suggestions about this recipe. We welcome your feedback.

You can transform same chocolate cake into a beautiful Black Forest Cake. 

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Quick Egg-less Microwave Black Forest Cake

Hubby’s 40^th birthday, wanted to make something different yet easy peasy. Just googled it and found a nice microwave chocolate cake recipe. Thanks to Madhura’s recipe. But didn’t want to just make a cake so transformed the same cake into a beautiful Black Forest cake. With some preparation ahead of time you will be able to impress your guests for sure. My hubby loved it and my toddler hogged onto it LOL. So here we go!!!

Ingredients:

For Chocolate cake:

1. All purpose flour: 1 ½ Cups
2. Sugar: 1 ¼ Cup (adjust according to your family’s taste buds) 
3. Whole Milk: 1Cup (room temperature) 
4. Cocoa powder: 3 Tbsp.
5. Baking Powder: ¼ Tsp.
6. Baking Soda: ½ Tsp.
7. Vanilla Extract: ½ Tsp.
8. Vegetable Oil: 3 Tbsp. (Optional)
9. Lemon Juice: 1 Tbsp.

For Decoration:

1. Cool whip or heavy whipping cream: 2 Cups (8Oz container) 
2. Icing sugar or confectioners’ sugar: 1 Cup
3. Maraschino cherries or red cherries (from Indian grocery store): 9-10 
4. Strawberry Jam/ mix fruit jam: About 1 Cup 
5. Chocolate shavings or grated Chocolate: ½ Cup
6. Water: to make jam thin

Tools:

1. Microwave safe container: 8 inch (square or round)
2. 13 inch. Angled Icing spatula: 1
3. Disposable Decorating bag: 1
4. Pastry tube (star): 1
5. Butter paper or parchment paper: 4 (cut in 5-6 inch wide)
6. Sieve/ strainer: 1 Big & 1 small (tea strainer)
7. Toothpicks
8. Cooling rack: 1
9. Whisk: 1 

Procedure:

1. Take sugar in a mixing bowl and add room temp milk to it. Stir it till the sugar is dissolved completely. Please adjust sugar according to your taste. I added little less sugar since my family doesn't like it too sweet, and also the whipping cream on the decoration is very sweet.
2.    Once the sugar is dissolved completely, start sieving the dry ingredients in the same mixing bowl. Start with all purpose flour. Add cocoa powder, baking powder & baking soda respectively. Sieve it nicely by breaking the lumps of cocoa powder and baking soda with the help of a spoon.

3.    Whisk all the ingredients together. There should be no lumps in the cake batter.

4.   Add vanilla extract and oil to the batter. Oil is totally optional however it surely gives a nice glaze and taste to the cake. It helps keep the cake moist. Whisk everything together.

5.    Now add the lemon juice and keep whisking until it’s well incorporated in the cake batter. This will help to rise the cake since we are not adding egg in the batter. Also it will help to make this cake really spongy.

6.    Grease the microwave safe pan with cooking spray or oil nicely. You may use butter paper in the bottom. I usually use butter flavored cooking spray for all my baking.
7.    Pour the batter in the microwave safe bowl. Tap the bowl lightly on the counter top to take the air bubbles away from the cake batter.

8.    Put this bowl on a microwave safe plate or dish so by any chance the cake oozes out it will be in the dish and will not be a mess in your microwave.
9.    Keep it in the microwave over high power for 5min.
10.  Take the cake out with the help of oven mittens and check with the help of a toothpick insert. Always insert the toothpick in the center or middle of the cake, if it comes out clear that means the cake is ready. If it doesn’t, keep it back in the microwave for another minute. Check it again. At this time it should be done. Every microwave is different so please check after 5min. however do not go over 6 ½ min all together. If you over bake it, the cake will not be moist from inside.

11.   Give a 5 min standing time.
1   12.  With the help of a knife try to separate it from the edges, take a cooling rack and take the cake out (upside down). Let it cool down on a cooling rack. And your "quick, microwave chocolate cake" is ready.

     13.  Now very carefully, with a sharp knife cut the cake in half.

14.  Take strawberry jam in a bowl and add cold water to it, whisk it. Make a thin juice of it. We do not like cherry flavor so I didn't add the syrup of maraschino cherries to make the cake moist. If you like the cherry flavor then instead of using strawberry jam juice, you may use this syrup. Also instead of using water to make the juice, you may add the cherry syrup.
15.  Carefully spread the strawberry juice on the bottom of the cake. Soak it in juice. Also similarly soak the other part of the cake too in another plate. Be very careful, this cake may break it you over soak it or if the layers are too thin.
16.  Take 2 cups (8oz) of cool whip in a mixing bowl and add confectioners’ sugar to it. Fold it gently together. Cool whip becomes very soft and runny at the room temp so you have to handle it very carefully and for a very less time.
17.  Now put the cake either on a plate or on a turn table. Before you start the icing process, slide down 4 pieces of parchment papers under the cake forming a square. We will take these papers out once we are done with the icing. It will keep the cake surface clean.

18.  Take an icing spatula and spread enough amount of the icing on the lower layer of the cake. Spread it evenly.

19.  Put the other part of the cake very very carefully on this one. Spread enough amount of icing on the top layer. At this time spread the icing on the sides and edges of the cake too. The chocolaty cake should not be visible anymore.

20.  Spread the chocolate shavings or grated chocolate evenly on the cake with the help of a spoon. These shavings are very delicate so do not put it with hand, please use spoon. I used tobleron bar for these shavings, however you may use your choice of chocolate bar for it.
21.  Take a disposable decorating bag, cut its tip and put star shaped pastry tube in it. Now fill it with the whipping cream. (Alternatively you may use a zip lock bag, fill it with whipping cream and cut its tip to decorate the cake)
22.  Start decorating the cake. Make small circles or flowers on the cake and put a cherry on each circle. (Before putting the cherries on the cake, strain them in a tea strainer. These cherries have lot of syrup so we need to drain it out, otherwise the cake will be more moist and the cherries will slide down from the icing. Put cherries in a strainer and keep a bowl under the strainer to strain out the syrup from them.)
23.  Remove the parchment paper one by one very gently. You may decorate the sides of the cake if you wish and if you have left over whip cream on hand.
24.  Tadaaa!!!! Your beautiful Black Forest cake is ready.

2  5.  Keep it in the refrigerator and serve it chilled.

Please post your comments on this blog on my blog page. If you like it give a thumps up and please share it with others. Don’t forget to enjoy this yummy and popular cake. Happy Cooking!!!! 

Please leave your comments and suggestions about this recipe. We welcome your feedback.

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