Eggless Banana-Dates Cake

Today, I am posting a recipe of Eggless Banana Dates Cake...As the name suggests, this cake does not contain eggs and its suitable for egg allergies and vegetarian..Instead of milk,yogurt is added for mixing cake batter..You might be thinking does yogurt make cake sour?..Never..It didn't affect the taste of cake..You can't feel the taste of it..That  makes the cake moist..Adding banana and dates indeed makes cake very tasty...It tastes much better than cake with eggs..If you have bananas which is on the verge of over ripe,don't throw in the bin..Do add it in cake instead..I got the recipe from   here , but I add extra ingredient in this cake i.e dates..Me and my son love this cake very much...Do make this cake and impress your family..Off to the recipe :)

Recipe adapted from here

      Ingredients

• All purpose flour - 1 cup
• Baking powder - 1 tsp
• Baking soda - 1/2 tsp
• Cinnamon powder - 1/2 tsp
• Vanilla essence - 1 tsp ( optional )
• Vegetable / Light olive oil - 1/4 cup
• Thick yogurt - 1/4 cup ( room temperature)
• Brown sugar - 1/2 cup ( can add white sugar too,if you don't have brown sugar)
• White sugar - 2 tbsp
• Salt - a pinch
• Mashed banana - 2 no.s
• Dates chopped - 1/2 cup
• Chopped walnuts/ or any nuts- 3 to 4 tbsp

       Method

• Preheat the oven to 180 degree Celsius..Grease a cake tin sprinkled with little flour..Please make sure to tap the excess flour..You can line with butter paper too...

• In a bowl, mix together dry ingredients like all purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon powder and salt with a wire whisk or sieve all together...

• Add 1 tbsp flour into chopped dates and chopped walnuts and mix well..This is done to prevent sinking into bottom while baking.. 

• In a large bowl, add oil ,brown+white sugar and vanilla essence and mix well with a whisk..

• Then add yogurt and mix well till sugar dissolves...

• Add mashed bananas and whisk well..

• Then add all the dry ingredients into wet ingredients and whisk well.

• Add flour mixed chopped dates and walnuts and mix well with a spatula slowly..

• Pour this batter into oil greased cake tin. 

• Bake for about 40 to 50 minutes..Do check the oven after 35 mins, as baking time varies in different oven..If the toothpick or fork insert in the center of the cake comes out clean,it indicates cake is baked..If not bake for 5 mins more...

• Take out from the oven and place on the wire rack along with cake tin for 5 mins..When it cools down, de mold the cake on rack..Cool the cake completely for about 15 to 20 minutes...

• Cut the cake into desired shapes and enjoy with a cup of tea or coffee..

     Note

• In original recipe,dates are not mentioned..But I add dates into it..

• If you don't prefer nuts,omit adding it..

• While making cake, please note that all the ingredients mentioned should be kept at room temperature.

• Avoid opening the door of oven in middle of baking cake, as it may disturb the cake batter and it will not cook properly..

Tomato Nutty Chicken Roast

Today, I am posting a special chicken curry called, Tomato Nutty chicken roast. As the name indicates, this chicken roast is rich in tomato and nuts..Chicken is first marinated in spices,deep or shallow fried,which is combined with tomato and nuts-coconut curry..I got this recipe from my cook book 'Malabar Chef',which I bought in Kerala...It has a slight taste of kurma,but the preparation is entirely different..Its a tasty chicken roast..It goes well with the combination of chappati,appam.poori, batoora etc..Ok, Lets move to the recipe.

Recipe Courtesy: Taken from my cookbook,Malabar Chef

    Ingredients:

      To marinate:

• Chicken,cut into small pieces - 500 to 900 gm
• Kashmiri/Red chilli pdr - 2 tbsp
• Coriander pdr - 2 tsp
• Turmeric pdr - 1/4 tsp
• Salt - to taste
• Garam masala pdr - 1/4 tsp
• Vinegar - 1 tbsp

      Other ingredient:

• Cumin seeds ( Nalla Jeerakam) - 1/2 tsp
• Fennel seeds ( Perumjeerakam) - 1/2 tsp
• Cinnamon - 2 pcs
• Cloves - 2 to 3 no.s
• Onion sliced - 3 medium
• Ginger-garlic crushed - 1 tbsp
• Green chillies,sliced into halves - 2 no.s ( optional)
• Black pepper pdr - 1/2 tsp
• Garam masala pdr - 1/4 tsp
• Tomato sliced - 2 medium
• Almonds - 1 tbsp
• Cashew nuts - 1 tbsp
• Coconut shredded - 1/4 cup
• Coriander leaves,chopped -11/2 tbsp
• Spring onion,chopped ( green part) - 2 stalk

      Method:

• Marinate the chicken mentioned in 'To marinate' and set aside for 1/2 hr..

• Soak the nuts in little water for 10 mins..This is done in order to grind into paste easily..

• Deep fry or shallow fry the marinated chicken in oil till brown on both sides till 70 percent cooked..No need to fry chicken fully as it will cook in gravy later...Drain the chicken and set aside..

• In a deep pan, heat oil and add whole spices mentioned and let it crackle..

• Add the ingredients from sliced onion till garam masala powder and saute one by one..

• Add fried chicken and  sliced tomatoes and saute well..Close the lid and cook for 8 to 10 mins or till cooked..

• Meanwhile grind the nuts into smooth paste along with soaked water in a grinder...

• In a blender, add coconut shredded and grinded nut paste with one cup of water...

• Pour coconut and nuts mixture into the chicken  and cook for 5 mins in a low flame..

• Taste and adjust salt..

• Off the flame..Sprinkle little garam masala ( optional) and garnish with chopped spring onion (green) and coriander leaves..

• Serve hot with any combination of your choice like chappati, batoora, appam etc

Batoora - Deep fried Indian yeast bread.

Today, I am sharing a recipe of a Indian deep fried yeast bread called Batoora...I know deep fried items are not good for health,but you can prepare for your loved ones rarely or if you have guests..There's nothing wrong in making this..So need to bother about health..Most of the people have their own method of preparing batooras..If you search google, there are many methods of preparing batoora..I got the recipe somewhere but couldn't remember the source..This recipe is hit among my family..It goes well with any non veg or veg curries of your choice..Do eat it when warm, it tastes much better..Off to the recipe

    Ingredients:

• All purpose flour ( Maida) -  1 cup
• Wheat flour - 1 cup **
• Active dry yeast ( yeast granules) - 1/2 tsp
• Baking powder - 1/4 tsp**
• Sugar - 1/4 tsp
• Salt - according to your taste
• Egg - 1 no.
• Yogurt - 1 tbsp
• Lukewarm milk - 2 tbsp + more for kneading
• Oil - for deep frying

      Method:

• In a small bowl,add 2 tbsp lukewarm milk,yeast and sugar..Set aside for 7 to 8 mins..When foam appears on top,it indicates yeast has proofed..Stir and set aside..

• In a large bowl, add all purpose flour, wheat flour,salt and yogurt..Mix well..

• Make well in the center and add lightly beatened egg and yeast mixture, knead well..

• Add some more warm milk and knead into smooth dough with oil greased hand..Can add extra 1 tbsp flour if the dough is too sticky...

• Close the bowl with a large bowl and set in a warm place somewhere for 45 mins to 1 hr...

• After 45 mins,dough must increase double in size..punch the dough and knead again for 1 min..

• Divide the dough into small equal size balls and roll into round,oblong or any shape of your choice...The rolled dough should be thicker than poori...

• Or To roll the dough fast:  Divide the dough into three large balls..Take one dough and roll into think large round..Draw a large cross line on a rolled dough with a knife.. You will get four triangles ( as shown in the pic above)..Repeat with other dough..This is the fastest way to roll dough..

• Heat oil in a kadai in medium heat. add one rolled batoora dough and press lightly with a slotted spoon on all sides..

• When it puff up, turn other side  and cook till light brown on all sides..Drain and place it on kitchen paper towel..

• Continue this step till all the dough is fried..

• Serve with any veg or non-veg curries of your choice..

• Serve warm..

    Notes:

• You can either use 2 cups of all purpose flour or wheat flour...I used both flours one cups each.

• If you are not using baking powder, increase the yeast upto 3/4 tsp or 1 tsp.

• If you are using Instant yeast ( powdered yeast), no need to proof again,since it is already proofed, just add directly into the dough and knead..

• Always proof yeast in a lukewarm milk or water..Never soak yeast in boiling water or milk as yeast will never proof...

Chickoo - Dates Pudding

Hi readers. I am back with blogging after a very long month...Some of the people used to ask me, why don't I blog,the reason is that my laptop is not working for these days and I terribly missed blogging..Now I bought a new laptop and I am happy to blog once again :)..Those times I realize that I got more than 1000+ likes in facebook..I got good response for my recipes..First of all,wishing all my readers a very happy and prosperous New Year..
As it is New year, I am trying to give you a delicious dessert..Coming to the recipe, I am posting a recipe of dates and chickoo ( Sapota) pudding...Chikoo is my favourite fruit,when it combines with dates, it tastes awesome..Difficult part I think is peeling the skin of too many chickoos. Main setting agent used most of the pudding is Gelatin or China grass..but I used in this pudding is agar-agar ( china grass)..It is said that china grass is purely vegetarian,it is derived from plant,where as gelatine is non-vegetarian, it used a fat from animals..I think most of the beginners have difficult in melting china grass..In Sha Allah,I'll include next pudding post with step by step pictures...Because of the lack of time, I didn't took step by step pictures..I made this pudding last Friday..My hubby and bro-in law love this pudding very much..Do make this pudding..Its a tasty dessert..Off to the recipe :)

Ingredients

Ripe Chickoos ( Sapota) - 250 gm

Dates - 6 to 10 no.s

Water - 2 1/2 cup + extra 1 cup for soaking china grass **

Any good quality milk powder - 4 heaped tbsp.**

Sweetened condensed milk - 200 gm ( 1/2 of one tin)

Agar-agar strands ( China grass) - 10gm

Sugar - 4 tbsp ( according to your sweetness)

Milk - 1/4 cup ( to soak dates)

Method:

Peel and deseed the skin of chickoos and cut into halves..keep aside.

Deseed the dates, remove the top part and cut into halves.Soak the halved dates in 1/4 cup of milk for 10 minutes

Soak the china grass in 1 cup of water for 10 to 15 minutes.

Heat a small pan, add china grass along with soaked water..Set the flame to low and allow to melt completely..can stir in between...

In another sauce pan, add 2 1/2 cups of water,milk powder and sugar. Boil for few seconds..

Add condensed milk and stir at medium flame in order to prevent burnt at bottom..Boil for few minutes and off the flame...No need to wait for the bubbles to appear..

China grass might have dissolved completely without any  strands..If there is strands appearing increase the flame at high and stir vigorously till it dissappears..Can add little water (  1 tbsp if needed).Off the flame

Pour the melted china grass mixture immediately through the strainer in condensed milk- milk mixture while hot..Also milk mixture should be warm..Stir well and set aside to cool slightly..

In a blender, add soaked dates along with milk and halved chickoos ..No need to make into smooth paste..Can leaves few bits of dates and sapotas..

Pour the blended mixture into china grass- milk mixture and stir well..( No need to switch on the flame)..

Taste it..Can add little more sugar if needed..

Pour this mixture into wet rectangle glass pudding dish or baking dish..Allow to cool completely..

Cover it with cling film and place this in refrigerator and allow to set for 6 hrs or overnight..

When it set completely, cut into square and serve cool..

Note:

Instead of water and milk powder, you can use 2 1/2 cup of milk.. (I have a very less milk in my refrigerator, so I use milk powder..I always use milk to make pudding, its a first term I am using milk powder..It turn successful )..

If using milk, you can boil condensed milk and sugar all together by strirring in between..If using milk powder,don't boil all together as mixture may curdens if boiling together..Do wait for the water and milk powder to boil slightly for few seconds then add condensed milk and stir it..Then boil for few seconds and off the flame..No need to wait for bubbles

Be careful while melting china grass..It should melt completely with any strands..Don't allow the china grass to cool otherwise it will turn back to solid form..You should pour china grass  immediately into the warm milk mixture while hot..You can use strainer to pour china grass, so if there is tiny strands it will settle on it...

If you don't have time to keep china grass in low flame..You can increase the flame to highest and stir continuously without taking your hand..It may take upto 7 to 8 minutes..

You can add any desired fruits of your choice..