KHIRAPAT

Khirapat is a prasad offered to ganesha during ganesh utsav.
Its very simple to make.

Ingredients:
3/4 cup grated dry coconut

1 tbsp Poppy seeds

150 gram Rock sugar



1/4 tsp cardamom powder
6 to 7 dried dates ( to taste)
8 to 10 Almonds



Method:
1) Grate dry coconut and then dry roast grated coconut over medium-low heat until color changes to golden.
2) Grind almonds to fine powder and dry roast it in same kadhai of coconut.
3) Dry roast Poppy seeds over low heat for one or two minutes. pound in khalbatta (mortar n pestle)

4) Do not roast for longer otherwise it could get burn.
5) Grind sugar in mixer or else grind in mortar pestle. 

6) Now mix all coconut, dry powder of almonds and dates, sugar, little cardamom powder and here you go....Khirapat is ready.


During Ganesha Festival this Khirapat is offered to Lord Ganesha as naivedyam.

Eggless Cake

I have encountered many such incidents when best of my cakes went uneaten just coz they had eggs in it...some senior citizens or people allergic to eggs or those who are pure vegetarians...so here i post recipe to egg-less cake taught to em by my mom...an expert cook...

Ingredients

• 2 cups whole wheat flour/ flour

• 2 cups sugar/ shakkar

• 3/4 cup - 1 cup refined oil

• 1 cup curd

• 1/2 Tbsp baking powder

• 1 1/2 Tbsp soda bicarbonate (meetha soda)

• 1-2 Tbsp cinnamon powder

• Water / milk to be added according to the consistency of the batter

• A handful of walnuts, raisins, almonds as per choice

Method

1. Pre-heat the oven to 200 degrees Celcius.

2. Mix curd and oil together in a bowl ( you can use blender, whisker or even a mixie pot) and.... Then mix the dry ingredients(flour, BP and BS) into this bowl and fold well. 

3. Mix it till dripping consistency, adding water/milk  if needed.

4. Grease the bottom of a baking dish and sprinkle lil flour on it and pour the batter in pot.

5. Now bake at 170 degrees C for 1 hour and keep checking at intervals with a knife.

6. Cut and serve when cool.

Suggested garnishing - choco strands, rice crispies and choco pieces

Coke chocolate cake

Yes you heard it right it's a cake with coke and chocolate ctoo...a deadly combinations isnt it....
so here's what u have to do...


Flour / maida        - 2.5 cups
cocoa powder       - 1/2 cup

baking powder      - 1.5 tsp
baking soda          - 1.5 tsp
refined oil             - 3/4th cup
condensed milk    -  400gm(1 tin)
sugar                     - 3 tbsp
pepsi/ coke/ thumbs up - 180 ml
vanilla essence      - 1 cap
walnuts                 1 cup

Coke cake method

Beat oil + condensed milk + sugar.
Mix well till oil is not seen in separate state and is mixed properly. It should be a uniform paste.

Side by side sieve maida, cocoa pdr, BP, BS 6-7 times.

Now add half of maida mix and half of soft drink to above mixture.
Mix properly not much of beating is required till all mixture is added....

now slowly add remaining maida mixture and coke and now finally beat properly using spatula or whisker or mixer...till its light

Beating with hand is well enough in this cake no beater is required if you can manage.

Preheat oven at 180° C and bake cake for approx 60 mins at same temperature.

Marble Cake or Layered cake

Layered cake or call it marble cake, well when i had not made it i use to think why this name, why cant it be just called simple chocolate cake, but name matters.

When made with proper layering one can actually enjoying the different layers that can be seen when cake is ready. There is no specifications but natural layers that cake produces look really beautiful, and when such creative layers are your own creations then you feel more on top of it.

Easy to make, and more than that beautiful in platter.

• Eggs   6
• Refined oil  300ml
• Sugar  300g
• Flour  300g
• BP  2tsp
• Cocoa pdr  1tbsp
• Pine esse  2tsp
• Soda bicarb  ½ tsp
•  
• METHOD
• Beat eggs and sugar
• Mix flour with baking powder and soda bicarb
• Add cocoa powder to half the batter.
• Alternately pour chocolate and plain batter into the tin and run a fork or knife through it to create marbling effect.
• Bake it at 200 deg for 60 minutes. 
   

Sweet pickle of raw mango/ Gulamba/ Methamba/ kairi cha god loncha

Sweet pickle of raw mango/ Gulamba/ Methamba/ kairi cha god loncha

The smell and taste of raw mango is captivating in summers and refreshing too.
Lot of things are made of it be it pickle, panna, chutney's etc.
Here i am sharing recipe of one such accompaniment of raw mango....

Its called gulamaba coz it has "gur" (jaggery) and "amba" ( mango) in it, also methamba as thr is touch of methi dana in it or in simple terms kairi cha god meaning raw mango's sweet pickle...

So for this you need

Cooking time - 10 minutes


Ingredients

• Raw Mango ( any variety) 3-4 nox.

• Jaggery 200-300 gms

• Red chilly powder - 1 tsp

• Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp

• Salt as per taste

For Tempering

• Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp

• Fenugreek seeds -1/2 tsp. you can use powder also if u dont like to bite this seed.

• Cumin seeds - 1/2 tsp

• Fennel seend (saunf) 1 tsp

• Mustard - 1 tsp

For Seasoning 

• Refined oil - 2 tsp
• Mustard 1- 1tsp
• Asafoetida - 1 tsp
• Curry leaves - few

cut raw mango in to pieces even uneven pieces are welcome in this recipe no rules for same size....

Take kadhai/ big utensil and heat oil
add hing, saunf, jeera to it and immideately add raw mango pieces.
Do it quickly else saunf will be burnt

Now add chilly powder and salt top taste
and now add gur and cook it for 5 mins for 1-2 boils and here it is the khatta mitha tangy pickle is ready to use.



It can stay for 10 days if kept in fridge.

Moong Dal (Split gram) Halwa

Winters are soaring and so are the taste buds, there is that special place of pudding after every meal, and when sun's heat is not much around we need the heated puddings on platter. Out of which mung dal halwa is one of my i am sure everyone else's favourite too. 

Its one of those rich delectable dessert.

So here my mung dal halwa recipe which has experience of my mom's hand as she only taught me and now i m mung dal halwa expert in my family.

You will need:

2 cups yellow mung dal (dhuli) (split yellow gram)
300 gms ghee(clarified butter)
2 sp besan

3 & 1/2 cup water
2 & 1/2cup sugar

1 tsp elaichi powder
Sliced almonds, cashews, pistachio for garnishing.

Now how to make:

1. Soak moong dal in water for 3 to 4 hours. ( Dont leave too much water)

2.  Drain and grind to fine paste using very little water.
3. Pour and melt ghee in non-stick pan or kadhai.
4. Add Moong dal paste and stir the mixture continuously on a low flame.

    Initially the paste may stick to the pan but slowly when it becomes golden brown it will leave sides.
    Note - This strirring and roasting off dal is long process so ned ample of time and effort with your hands        and spatula.
5. On other burner in the meanwhile in a separate vessel add the sugar and water and give it a single boil.    
( Don't make chashni just one single boil is enough)
6.  Add the mixture or dal mixture which is now golden brown and ghee has left the sides. and keep stirring continuously again.
7. Add cardamom powder.
8. Take is serving dish and give layers of garnishing after every layer as dry fruits will give it body and character....

Serve HOT.

Instant microwave dhokla

Being in land of missiles...errr....remember 3 idiots yes the MISSILES i mean are dhokla, khakra, fafda, gathiya, well i never felt that they are missiles as i love these snacks or what gujju's call them "farsan" the ultimate namkin.
If u order a thali it accompanies the 'farsan' for sure so gujjus cant skip this be it any occasion, a regular thalli or a chai ki pyali, a marriage function or railway junction....

my aai cooks yum dhoklas, i will try them too but this generation which is always in hurry I thought of trying the instant version first. as it is microwave is there, soda is there so why waste and of course mom dont worry will try the traditional version too soon.

so here's the instant dhokla to save time but relish toungue.

Dhokla batter

1 big cofee mug of besan,

1 big cofee mug water ( same )

1/2 tea spoon citiric acid crystal

salt n sugar as per taste

mix all well..so that there are no lumps

1 sachet of non- flavored eno ( fruit salt )

pour it on batter and mix it vigorously....batter will rise almost double.

pour it in about 6 inch greased microwave plate

microwave it on high for 3.5 to 4 mins

 

then cut it into pieces after few minutes of resting out of oven....

  

Tempering
mustard seeds, hing , red dry chilli n curry leaves

ENJOY !!