Chocolate Gooey Pudding Cake (Eggless)

A rich chocolate moist cake, definitely for the chocolate lovers....fingerlicking good :)

Ingredients
3 Cups All Purpose Flour
1 1/2 Cups Granulated Sugar
1/2 Cup Cocoa Powder
4 tsps Baking Powder
1/2 tsp Salt
1 Cup Milk
2/3 Cup Melted Unsalted Butter
3 tsps Chocolate Essence

Topping
1 Cup Granulated Sugar
1 Cup Brown Sugar
1/2 Cup Cocoa Powder
2 1/2 Cups Hot Water

Preparation
1. Preheat over to 350 C.
2. Sieve all purpose flour, cocoa powder and baking powder in a bowl. Add granulated sugar & salt to the same and mix well.
3. Add all wet ingredients in the bowl & whisk well till all is incorporated. It will be thicker than usual cake batter.
4. Spread cake batter in a greased pan.
5. Now, whisk all dry ingredients of topping in a separate bowl and add hot water to it and mix well.
6. Pour this liquid on the cake batter and dont mix it, let the topping just be there.
7. Bake the cake for 45 minutes.
8. The top will set and you will see a brownie like crust.
9. Take it out and let it cool.

Moms World - Tengai Chadam (Coconut Rice)

Lovely with curries, this rice dish is from Tamil Nadu. It is a tasty dish and was a normal day affair during my growing up days. Try serving with Dum Aloo which makes it a perfect marriage of North & South Indian food...Simbly amazing :)

Serves 3

Ingredients
1/2 kg Basmati Rice
1/2 grated Coconut
Salt to taste
1 tsp Urad Dal
1 tsp Mustard Seeds
A pinch of Asafoetida
Coriander leaves
2 dry Red Chillies
Oil

Preparation
1. Cook rice and keep aside.
2. Heat oil in a kadai.
3. Add mustard seeds, urad dal, red chillies, coriander leaves and grated coconut to it.
4. Continuously stir till the coconut turns golden brown in colour.
5. Add salt to taste.
6. Add cooked rice to the mixture and mix throughly.
7. Serve hot or cold according to liking.

Pasta Arrabiata

The main characteristics of Italian cuisine is its extreme simplicity, with many dishes having only 4 to 8 ingredients. Italian cooks rely mostly on the quality of the ingredients and flavour of the dish rather than elaborate preparation.

Pasta Arrabiata is a recipe with quite a bit of spice and if your family prefers milder flavour, then please omit the red chillies.

Traditionally, penne rigate pasta is used for this dish. Penne rigate are small ridged tubes of pasta cut diagonally at the ends. This dish is very easy and quick to make.

I loveeee this pasta and make it more often than regular Indian food....Spicy Spicy...

Serves 5

Ingredients
3 tbsp Olive Oil
1 large Onion, finely chopped
2 dry Red Chilli, finely chopped
400g Tomatoes, chopped
600g Tomatoes, pureed
2 tsp Basil powder
1 tsp Oregano powder
1/2 tsp Thyme powder
1 tsp Parsley powder
Salt to taste
Freshly ground Black Pepper
500g Penne Rigate Pasta
Cheese

Preparation
1. Heat oil in large pan.
2. Add onion and chillies and cook on low heat until onion and chillies are softened, stirring occasionally.
3. Add chopped tomatoes and let it cook.
4. After 2 minutes add tomato puree, salt to taste, grounded black pepper, half of basil powder, thyme powder and oregano powder. Simmer for 15-20 minutes.
5. Meanwhile, cook pasta according to packet instructions. Add oil while cooking the pasta so that they don't stick to each other. It should be al-dente.
6. Add boiled pasta to the hot sauce and gently toss it.
7. Add remaining basil powder and parsley powder. Stir on low heat for a few minutes.
8. Sprinkle cheese on top and serve hot.

Note: I used Cheddar cheese to sprinkle on the top. Usually, Parmesan cheese is used. 

Let the tomatoes cook well or they will leave raw taste in your mouth.

Keep cooked pasta aside in colander for 10-15 minutes before adding it to the sauce so that all the water has drained out properly.

Paneer Koftas

Paneer Koftas have always been my favourite. My eldest sister used to make it for me and I would not like it any other way. Tried it for the first time on my own and realised its not difficult at all and tastes delicious. The koftas are soft and the gravy filled with nice flavours. Try it and do let me know how it turned out for you. Good luck to you for putting your spoon down once you taste it.

Serves 4

Ingredients

250g Paneer

2 Onions

6 Tomatoes

1 tbsp Coriander Powder

1/2 tsp Turmeric Powder

1/2 tsp Red Chilli Powder

1/2 tbsp Dry Oregano

Salt to taste

1 bowl Milk

1/2 bowl Fresh Cream

Coriander leaves to garnish

Preparation

1. Mash paneer and add salt. 

2. Make small balls of paneer. 

3. Make a paste of besan with water like for bhajjia. Dip the paneer balls in the paste and deep fry in hot oil (this is so that the paneer balls dont crack while frying). You can avoid this step by putting the paneer balls in really hot hot oil but remember to remove faster or the paneer balls will go black.

4. Blend tomatoes in a mixer to make puree.

5. Heat oil in a pan and add onion. Saute for 2 minutes.

6. Add the tomato puree  and fry well for 2 minutes.

7. Now add red chilli powder, turmeric powder, salt and coriander powder. Let it boil for 2 minutes. 

8. Add dry oregano and stir slightly.

9. Now add the milk and stir well so that all the spices mix well with it. 

10. Add fresh cream and let it cook for 2 minutes.

11. Add paneer balls and cover for 5 minutes. 

12. Remove the lid and garnish with coriander leaves.

13. Serve hot.

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Moms World - Pulliyodarai Chadam (Tamarind Rice)

Tamarind is a popular rice recipe of South India. This recipe I learnt from my mother. I like this recipe for its spiciness and tanginess. The paste can be stored for many days in the refrigerator if cooked with proper care. Here it goes!

Serves 4

Ingredients
1/2 kg Basmati Rice
2 medium lime sized tamarind
7 Dry Red Chillies
2 stem Curry leaves
1 tsp Fenugreek Seeds
1 tsp Mustard Seeds
1 tbsp Coriander Seeds
1 tbsp Urad Dal
1 tbsp Chana Dal
1/2 tsp Asafoetida
2 tbsp Groundnuts
1/2 tsp Turmeric Powder
5 tbsp Oil
Salt to taste

Preparation
1. Cook the rice in a pressure cooker. Remove from the cooker and spread it on a plate to cool. Add one tbsp oil to the same.
2. Soak tamarind in water for 1/2 an hour. Squeeze the same and separate the pulp water.
3. Put 4 tbsp oil in kadai. Add mustard seeds, fenugreek seeds, 5 red chillies, curry leaves, groundnut and asafoetida and wait till it becomes brown.
4. Then add tamarind pulp water along with salt and turmeric powder. Bring it to boil and wait for the oil to separate. The consistency should be thick.
5. Roast coriander seeds, urad dal, chana dal and remaining 2 dry red chillies and grind the same in the mixer.
6. Remove the thick paste from the gas and add the ground powder to the same.
7. Add this paste to the rice according to your taste and keep the rest in a refrigerator.
8. Add salt if required.
9. Serve with chips.

Delicious!!!!

Moms World - Spicy Chana Dal Chutney

With their sweet and nutty flavor, Chana Dal or Gram Dal are the most popular dal in India.  They're made from splitting a small relative of the chickpea in half.  They're a dull yellow and are renown for causing flatulence, which Indians try to counter by adding asafoetida to the dish.

This chutney can be had along with Dosa, Idli, Parantha, Bhajjis, Vada and if made with thick consistency can be used as bread spread.

Serves 3

Ingredients
1/2 Coconut, grated
1 tbsp Chana Dal
2 Dry Red Chillies
1 Green Chilli
1 pinch Asafoetida
1 very small ball of Tamarind
Salt to taste
2 tsp Oil
1/2 tsp Mustard seeds
Coriander leaves to garnish

Preparation
1. Roast Chana dal, red chillies and green chilli in a pan with 1 tsp oil.
2. Blend the roasted mixture along with grated coconut, tamarind and salt in a mixer. Remove in a bowl and keep aside.
3. Prepare the tempering by heating one 1 tsp oil and frying mustard seeds in it.
4. When mustard seeds start crackling, add the same to the mixture in the bowl.
5. Garnish with coriander leaves.

Note: Use red chilli and green chilli according to how spicy you want the chutney.

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Vegetable Paneer Burger

A veggie burger is a hamburger-style patty. Burgers are often served with lettuce, tomato, onion, cheese and condiments such as mustard, mayonnaise and ketchup. 

Due to my recent pregnancy and delivery, I am not allowed to eat outside food. I had a strong craving for burgers and hence thought of trying one at home. I realised that burgers are healthy when made home. Below is the recipe I tried and trust me they turned out to be amazing. Try it and let me know how you found it to be.

Serves 8

Ingredients
1 cup boiled Vegetables (carrots, capsicum, french beans)
3 medium boiled Potatoes
1 cup boiled Peas
200 gms frozen Paneer
4 brown Bread slices
1/3 tsp Green Chilli-Ginger paste
1/3 tsp Lemon juice
1/8 tsp Garam Masala
Salt to taste
Brown Bread Crumbs
Oil

Filling
Few Cucumber slices
Tomato slices
Tomato ketchup
Low fat Mayonnaise
4 slices Cheese

Burgers
8 burger buns

Preparation
1. Boil all vegetables, potatoes and peas in the pressure cooker. Mash them together and keep aside. 
2. Thaw the paneer and crumble the same. 
3. Dip the bread slices in water for few seconds and squeeze out the water. 
4. Mix the mashed mixture, crumbled paneer, bread paste, lemon juice, garam masala, green chilli-ginger paste and salt and shape into small flattened rounds. 
5. Sprinkle bread crumbs all over. 
6. Cook on a tawa with oil (you can also deep fry the same).

To Serve
1. Cut each bun horizontally and heat slightly on tawa (both sides).
2. Spread little tomato ketchup and mayonnaise on the lower half.
3. Please vegetable cutlet on the top.
4. Cut one cheese slice diagonally and use one triangle.
5. Put a few cucumber slices and one tomato slice on top.
6. Cover with upper half of bun.
7. Repeat with other buns & cutlets.
8. Serve hot with a toothpick in centre to hold the burger together.

Note: I used olive oil. 

I kept the vegetables & peas in the cooker without water for one whistle. I cut and kept the potatoes in the same cooker around the vegetable vessel in the water i put for the cooker. 

If the mixture becomes soggy, add little bread crumbs and mix.

Yummy Yummy!!!