Eggless Condensed Milk Cake (T&T-My Diverse Kitchen)

I have three reasons to love this cake. One, all the ingredients were easily available in the local market. Second, there are no complicated steps and lastly, the cake was fluffy and soft and tasted divine like those goodies in bakeries. Thanks Aparna!
Here is the original recipe.
Ingredients:
All purpose flour - 2 1/2 cups
Condensed milk - 1 can (400gm)
Orange juice - 1 cup
Baking powder - 2 tsp.
Baking soda - 1 tsp.
Vanilla extract - 2 tsp.
Melted butter - 3/4 cup


Method:
Sift flour, baking powder, baking soda in a large bowl. In another bowl, mix all the wet ingredients. Make a well  in the centre of flour and pour the blended wet ingredients and mix. Grease and flour the 9" cake pan or bundt pan (I used bundt cake pan). Pour the batter into the pan.
Bake in a preheated oven  at 190°C for 30 to 40 minutes or until the tester comes out clean. Remove from oven and cool the cake in the pan for 15 minutes. Remove the cake from the pan and cool on a rack. Enjoy the sliced cakes.
Note: If you are using unsalted butter, add 1/4 tsp of salt to the melted butter.
Sent off to Zlamushka's "T&T-My Diverse Kitchen" hosted by Srivalli and run by Lakshmi.

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Baigan Mirchi Ka Salan

Ingredients:
Baby eggplants - 250 gm
Capsicum - 200 gm
Whole long green chillies - 50 gm (or according to taste)
Onions - 3
Oil (for frying)
Kashmiri red chilli powder - 1 tsp.
Coriander powder - 2 tsp.
Turmeric powder - 1 tsp.
Cumin powder - 1 tsp.
All spice powder - 1/2 tsp.
Ginger - 2 tsp. (chopped)
Garlic - 2 tsp. (chopped)
Tamarind - key lime size
Curd - 1/2 cup
Whole red chillies - 2
Fenugreek seeds - 1/2 tsp.
Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp.
Salt (to taste)

To grind into paste (A):
Dessicated coconut - 3 tbsp.
Sesame seeds - 1 1/2 tbsp.
Cashew nut - 15
Peanuts - 1 1/2 tbsp.
Whole pepper corn - 1/2 tsp.

Early Preparation:
Cut the capsicum into juliennes. Shallow fry and keep it aside.
Cut eggplant at base as +. Drop them in salted water. Shallow fry the eggplants for few minutes. Keep aside.
Slit the green chillies with the stems intact and remove the seeds. Shallow fry the chillies and keep aside.
Roast the peanuts, sesame seeds, cashew nuts and whole peppercorn in little oil. Make them into paste with coconut.
Slice the onions and shallow fry them till brown color. Cool and make a paste by adding little water.
Make ginger and garlic paste.
Soak the tamarind with 1/3 cup of water and strain. Reserve the tamarind water.


Method:
Heat oil in a deep sauce pan and add the fenugreek seeds. When the seeds splutter, add the ginger-garlic paste. Saute for 2 minutes and add the onion paste and saute till it releases oil. Now simmer and add the cumin powder, red chilli powder, coriander powder, turmeric powder, curd and cook well. Add paste (A) to the above (mentioned) masala and saute properly. Add 2 cups of water and bring it to boil. Add the fried eggplant, green chillies, tamarind water, all spices powder and salt to the above (mentioned gravy). Cover and cook by stirring constantly (without breaking the eggplants) in medium-low flame. When the gravy thickens and oil releases, add the capsicum and cook for 2 minutes. Remove from heat.
Heat 1 tsp. of oil in a small pan and add the mustard seeds and whole red chillies. When the seeds splutter, add it to the prepared dish. Serve hot with biryani, pulav, roti and white rice.
Adapted from a magazine.


Note:
1. Remove the seeds from the green chillies in order to reduce the amount of hotness.
2. If you feel it is too hot, reduce the amount of green chillies or don't add them at all, add only capsicum and eggplant.
3. People with ulcer and heart burn, don't even take a peek of this post please (!).

Sent off to Divya's "Show Me Your Curry", Jay's "Jay Ho Brinjal" and Kitchen Flavours's "Joy of Fasting to Feasting" events.

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Pachcha Mathan Erisseri/Yellow Pumpkin Erisseri (T&T-My Diverse Kitchen)

Well, everyone here knows there's a T&T event going on. "My Diverse Kitchen" is one of my favourite websites to surf in and I've tried one of the recipes before this month's event. Check out my walnut and date cake. And I'll transport you here for the original recipe of the erisseri.

Ingredients:
Yellow Pumpkin - 1/4 kg (chopped)
Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp.
Salt (to taste)
Grated coconut - 1/2 cup
Dry red chillies - 2
Cumin seeds - 1 tsp.
Grated coconut - 1/4 cup

For seasoning:
Coconut oil - 1 1/2 tsp.
Mustard seeds - 1 tsp.
Curry leaves - few
Urad dal - 1 tsp.

Method:
Add chopped yellow pumpkins (I didn't peel them), salt, required water and turmeric powder in a pan. Bring it to a boil and reduce the flame and cook till the pumpkin is tender.
Grind 1/2 cup of grated coconut, cumin seeds and red chillies by adding enough water into paste. Add this paste to the cooked pumpkin (there should be little water with the pumpkin). Bring it to a boil, simmer and cook for 2 to 3 minutes. Remove and keep aside.
Heat oil in a small pan. Add mustard seeds and urad dal. Allow the mustard seeds to splutter and add the curry leaves. Keep aside.
In a dry pan, toast the 1/4 cup of grated coconut till brown color. Add this to the erisseri and also add the tempering and mix gently. Serve as side dish for rice.

Sent off to Zlamushka's "T&T-My Diverse Kitchen" hosted by Srivalli and run by Lakshmi.

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Pineapple Pachadi

Ingredients:
Ripe pineapple - 2 cups (chopped)
Green chillies - 2 (slit)
Salt (to taste)
Coconut - 1/2 cup (grated)
Cumin seeds - 1/2 tsp.
Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp. (crushed)
Turmeric powder - a pinch
Yogurt - 1/2 to 3/4 cup

For seasoning:
Oil
Mustard seeds - 1 tsp.
Whole red chillies - 3
Curry leaves - few

Method:
Add pineapple pieces (I used the canned ones), salt, green chillies and required water in pan. Cook till pineapple becomes tender.
Meanwhile in another pan, heat the oil and add the mustard seeds. When the mustard seeds splutter, add red chillies and curry leaves. Keep aside.
Grind coconut and cumin seeds into a paste by adding little water. Add this paste, turmeric powder and crushed mustard seeds to the tender pineapple (At this stage, the pineapple should not be totally dry and it should have at least a little water such as 2 tbsp. in the pan). Simmer and bring it to a boil. Stir gently in between. Remove from heat. Pour yogurt and the seasoning over the pineapple and mix well. Serve as a side dish for rice.

Sent off to Yasmeen's "Health Nut Challenge 7: Tropical Temptations" event.

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Coriander Chutney

Ingredients:
Coriander leaves (with tender stalks) - 2 cups
Curry leaves (fresh and tender) - 1/2 cup
Coconut flakes - 1/2 cup
Tamarind - 1 tsp. (optional)
Chana dal - 2 tbsp.
Whole dry red chillies - 3
Garlic - 5 cloves
Salt (to taste)

For Tadka (Tempering):
Mustard seeds - 3/4 tsp.
Cumin seeds - 1/2 tsp.
Urad dal (whole) - 1/2 tsp.
Curry leaves - few
Oil

Method:
Fry chana dal and garlic (till golden color) each separately. Fry red chilli and tamarind (optional) also. Grind coriander, curry leaves, coconut flakes, chana dal, garlic, red chillies, tamarind and salt in a blender. Add little water if required. Do the tadka and pour it on the top of chutney and mix well. Serve with idly or dosa.

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Instant Semolina Dhokla

Ingredients:
Semolina/Rava - 1 cup
Sour yogurt - 1 cup
Water - 1/2 cup
Carrot - 1 (grated)
Capsicum (small) - 1 (finely chopped)
Green chillies - 1 (seeded and finely chopped)
Salt (to taste)
Eno fruit salt - 1 tsp.
Lime juice - 1 1/2 tsp.
Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp.
Oil - 1 tbsp.

Tempering:
Mustard seeds - 1 tsp.
Green chillies - 4 (slit)
Asafoetida - 2 pinches
Sesame seeds
Oil

To garnish:

Grated Coconut
Coriander leaves

Method:
Add water to the yogurt and whisk into buttermilk. In a bowl, add rava, pour buttermilk and salt and mix well. Now add carrot, capsicum pieces, turmeric powder , oil and green chilli pieces and give a mix. Keep aside for 10 to 15 minutes. Grease the vessel with oil to steam the batter. Place the steamer on a stove top and allow the water to boil. At this stage add lime juice and eno fruit salt to the batter and whisk vigorously. Pour this batter in the greased vessel and place it in the steamer. Cover and steam for 10 to 15 minutes or until the dhokla is cooked well. After 5 to 10 minutes, cut the dhokla into square or whatever shape. Garnish with coconut and coriander leaves. Do the tempering and sprinkle on the top of dhokla and serve immediately.

Sent off to "Flavours of Gujarat" event hosted by simply.food.

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