salad/ koshimbir

Koshimbir in maharashtra is a must have side with lunch. Its a salad where in all ingredients are grated or finely chopped so as to consume more quantity and more ingredients instead of just picking up one single at one time.

There is no set rule for what to add.
this is a simple example to add the basic salad ingredients...

onions -2 finely chopped
cucumber - 2 finely chopped
tomatoes - 2 finely chopped
carrots - 2 finely chopped
reddish -1 finely chopped
cabbage - 1/4th or say 1/2 cup finely chopped

green chilies 2-3 finely chopped
coriander - 2 tbsp finely chopped
salt, pepper sugar to taste

all this can be just mixed and eaten or we can temper it with 1 sp oil n rai or
to enhance taste add curd to it.

Chilly coriander chutney

Chilly coriander chutney

Ingredients

coriander - clean n cut approx 2 cups
green chillies - 5-6 as per spicy taste
cumin seeds/ zeera - 2 tsp
salt to taste
lemon juice of one lemon

Grind all in  a mixer pot to fine paste and squeeze lemon juice

chocolate cake

The Basic simple yum chocolate cake....everyone's favourite...

So what we need...

Ingredients

Flour/ Maida        - 1.5 cup
Baking Powder    - 1 tsp
Cocoa powder      - 2 tpsp
Coffee pdr            - 1 tsp
Eggs                     - 4 numbers
powdered sugar   - 1 cup
vanilla essence    - 1 tsp

How to bake chocolate cake...

Add sugar, then oil and then eggs one by one in a bowl or mixing pot.

side by side seive flour + cocoa powder + baking powder and coffee.

No pre heat oven for 15 mins at 180° C in convection mode.

Now add flour mixture to oil egg mixture and beat a little more

Now bake cake for 45 minutes in oven.

Chocolate cake

The Basic simple yum chocolate cake....everyone's favourite...

So what we need...

Ingredients

Flour/ Maida        - 1.5 cup
Baking Powder    - 1 tsp
Cocoa powder      - 2 tpsp
Coffee pdr            - 1 tsp
Eggs                     - 4 numbers
powdered sugar   - 1 cup
vanilla essence    - 1 tsp

How to bake chocolate cake...

Add sugar, then oil and then eggs one by one in a bowl or mixing pot.

side by side seive flour + cocoa powder + baking powder and coffee.

No pre heat oven for 15 mins at 180° C in convection mode.

Now add flour mixture to oil egg mixture and beat a little more

Now bake cake for 45 minutes in oven.

Suggested serving - Coffee liquour poured on cake adds taste to this cake
Coffee liquor - 1/2 spoon coffee + 4sp grounded sugar + 1 cap rum.

How to keep coriander fresh for long......

Ready to go in dryer

Coriander is my weakness and keeping it fresh for longer is a challenge....so here i share a secret tip shared by my mom to keep the garnishing green for longer...

 

After bringing coriander home clean it, if its too much soiled with mud then give it a clean wash now its wet....so what to do?
    

Yes now cover it up in a clean muslin cloth you can use an old saree or dupatta piece and then put it in dryer of your washing machine....

YES you heard it right...put the cloth with coriander in dryer and move it for say a minute and voilla the coriander is dry and clean so its basically dry-cleaned...

now clean it further as per your requirement and again take separate similar piece of cloth and fold coriander in it and put it in an air tight box/ tumbler and there its ready to stay in fridge/ refrigerator with longer freshness intact inside...for the lovely green to garnish your dishes....

Eggless cake

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.

snack cones

how to make snack cones...well this is how...

They are easy to eat and as one picks cone so no spoon is required.

We need-

• Green Gram Sprouts - 1 cup 
• [for sprouts soak green dal overnight and then spread on seive and cover with damp cloth for 2 days and keep on soaking cloth in between, if the climate is normal sprouts will pop in 24 hrs
• If you don't want raw sprouts, steam it for three minutes and it will become soft; or microwave all the vegetables for a minute or two.  

• Chopped onion - 1
• Chopped Ginger - 2 tsp
• Chopped Capsicum - Green, Yellow, Red - 1/2 cup as per availability
• Chopped Tomato - 1 cup
• Chopped Cucumber - 1 cup
• Grated or finely chopped Carrot - 1 cup
• Salt as required
• Lemon Juice - 1 tsp
• Pepper Powder - 1 tsp
• Chaat Masala - 1 tsp
• we can add nuts to add crunch to it.  

  
Method

• Mix all the ingredients and fill in canapes. 
• i made canapes at home in cone style.
• At the time of serving, add puffed rice or sev, tomato sauce, sweet chutney, boiled potato and so on. 

Chocolate fillings

Sharing some of simple to make and ready available at home fillings for moulded chocolates.


1 # desiccated coconut mixed with little cream of milk and sugar or honey to taste.
2 # rose petals gulkand
3 # caramelised sugar, granulated and filled in.

chocolate nutties

Well that's my version of chocolate nutties.

Ingredients:
Dark chocolate - half slab
Milkmaid - 3/4th tin
Butter - 75gms
Marie biscuits - 4-5
chocolate essence
vanilla essence
walnuts, pistachios, raisins

Method:
Melt chocolate on double boiler or microwave on 60%power
Add melted butter & mix together and stir until smooth.
Keep stirring, add maries biscuits by crushing them.
Add pistachios, raisins & walnuts. Mix quickly
Cook and stir constantly until mixture is thick, smooth and glossy, about 4-5 minutes
Add essence
Finally pour it in muffin cups or a tray and let it cool
Cover; refrigerate 3 to 4 hours or until firm. 
You will have About 2-1/2 dozen candies.

Chocolate crazy

Having chocolates and kauphi weakness!!!!!!!!

Isn't it a heavenly combo!!!!! and why this name as these 2 things together can change your mood.

have a cuppa kauphi in hand and then set the mood!!!!!!!!!!!!!

hmmmmmm so this is to all chocolate lovers...

Life is so beautiful yet complicated, we have one life to live and just cant let it go only living it. some spice has to be there.....

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 (mom) 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 don't 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 mins of resting out of oven....

transfer it to plate so u can cut pieces

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

ENJOY !!