Carrot Cake

Ingredients –

All-purpose Flour (Maida) – 2 cups

Baking Powder – 1 t-spoon

Baking Soda – 1 t-spoon

Salt – ½ t-spoon

Cinnamon Powder – 1 t-spoon (as per your taste)

Nutmeg Powder – 1/4^th tsp

Yogurt – 1 cup

Brown Sugar – ½ cup, packed

Sugar – 1 cup

Vanilla -1 t-spoon

Carrots – 2 cups, finely shredded

Walnuts – 1/2 cup, chopped (reserve few for garnishing)

Unsalted Butter – 1 stick (4oz), melted

Eggs – 2

Procedure -

Preheat Oven to 350 degrees F or 180 C.

1. In a mixing bowl, add All-purpose Flour, Baking Soda, Baking Powder, Cinnamon Powder and Nutmeg Powder. Mix well. Sieve if possible.

2. In another large mixing bowl, add Yogurt, Brown Sugar, Sugar and Vanilla. Mix until sugar dissolves.

3. Take two bowls and break eggs separating white and yellow of eggs. Beat yellow and white separately. White should be very light and frothy.

4. Add Eggs to the sugar and yogurt mixture. Fold in the Flour mixture until a smooth batter is formed.

4. Add shredded carrots, walnuts and butter. Mix well but lightly.

5. Grease the bottoms and sides of 2 9” cake pans and dust with flour. (A

9”×13” rectangle pan can also be used.)

6. Evenly divide the batter into the 2 cake pans and smooth the top.

7. Bake for 30 minutes at 350F/180C.

8. Remove from Oven and allow the cakes to cool in the pan for 5 minutes.

9. Flip them out onto waxed or parchment paper and allow them to cool.

If you wish to frost this cake let the cake cool completely and then start frosting.

Dal Fry (II)

Ingredients -

1. Toor Dal/Pigeon Peas – 1 cup

2. Chana Dal/chick peas – 1/4^th cup

3. Urad Dal – 2 tb-spoons

4. Finely chopped ginger – 2 t-spoons

5. Green chilies – 2, with slit

6. Turmeric Powder – ½ t-spoon

7. Salt to taste

Tadka (seasoning) –

1. Butter/ghee – 2 t-spoons

2. Cumin Seeds – 1 –t-spoon

3. Onions – 2 medium, finely chopped

4. Tomatoes – 2 medium, finely chopped

5. Cloves -3

6. Cinnamon – 1 ½ “

Garnishing –

Chopped coriander

Garam Masala (optional)

Procedure –

1. Soak Chana Dal for 2-3 hours. Cook in a pressure cooker Toor Dal, soaked chana dal and urad dal, ginger, green chilies together along with turmeric powder and salt.

2. Heat butter/ghee in a kadhai. Add jeera and let them splutter. Add cloves and cinnamon. Add chopped onion and sauté till it becomes golden brown.

3. Then add tomatoes and sauté till they become mushy. Then add red chili powder and garam masala. Pour hot tadka on cooked dal and serve hot with rice.

Bhindi Fry

1. Bhindi (okra) – ½ kg./1 pound

2. Onions – 2 medium

3. Garlic paste – 1 tb-spoon

4. Green chili paste – 1 tb-spoon or as per taste

5. Coriander seeds powder – 1 t-spoon

6. Amchoor powder – 1 t-spoon

7. roasted and crushed peanuts – 2 tb-spoons

8. Besan/chickpea flour – 2 tb-spoons

9. Oil – 3 tb-spoons

10. Mustard seeds – ½ t-spoon

12. Asafetida – 1/4^th t-spoon

13. Turmeric powder – ½ t-spoon

14. Chopped coriander for garnishing

Procedure –

1. Chop bhindi (okra) in ½” long pieces. Make paste of onions.

2. Heat 2 tb-spoons oil in a pan. Add chopped bhindi and shallow fry till it gets cooked. Bhindi should be little crispy. Transfer bhindi in a different pan.

3.   Heat remaining one tb-spoon oil in the same pan. Add mustard seeds. Let them splutter. Add asafetida. Then add onion paste, garlic paste and green chili paste. Sauté till onions become golden brown.

4. Add turmeric powder and sauté. Then add fried bhindi and mix well. Sauté for 2-3 minutes.

5. Add coriander seeds powder, amchoor powder, crushed peanuts and sauté 2-3 minutes. Then add besan and sauté for 5 minutes. Turn off the heat. Then add chopped coriander and serve hot with roti.

 

Cauliflower Curry (Maharashtrian way) (फ्लॉवरचा रस्सा)

Ingredients -

Cauliflower – 1 medium

Green Peas – 1 bowl

Potatoes – 2 medium, cut into big chunks and fried

Tomato – 2 finely chopped

Jaggery – 1 tb-spoon

Red chili powder – 1 t-spoon or to taste

Salt to taste

Masala –

sesame seeds - 1 tb-spoon

Chana dal – 1 tb-spoon, roasted

Cinnamon – 2” piece

Cloves – 7-8

Onion – 2

Garlic pods – 7

Cumin seeds – 1 t-spoon

Dry grated coconut – ½ bowl

Freshly grated coconut -  1/4^th bowl

Chopped green coriander – 1/4^th bowl

Oil – 2 tb-spoons

Mustard seeds – ½ T-spoon

Asafetida – 1/4^th T- spoon

Turmeric Powder- ½ T-spoon

Procedure –

1. Grind roasted chana dal and sesame seeds in a mixer grinder and keep aside. Add tomatoes in mixer grinder and make a paste and keep aside.

2.  Add 1 tb-spoon oil in a pan and heat the oil. Add chopped onions and garlic and sauté for  5 minutes until onions turn golden brown.

3. Add freshly grated coconut, chopped coriander and sauté for 2-3 minutes more. Let it cool down completely. Add in a mixer grinder and grind into fine paste.

4. Heat 1 tb-spoon oil in a pan. Add mustard seeds and let them splutter. Add asafetida. Then add cauliflower, potatoes and green peas. Sauté for a while. Then add ground masala, sesame seeds and chana dal powder and tomato paste.  Add some water as per consistency you want and cook the curry for 10 minutes.

5. Add jaggery, salt, grated coconut and chopped coriander and turn of the heat.  If you like more sourly taste, you can add little tamarind pulp.

6. Serve it hot with roti or puri.