SABUDANA KHICHDI

Sabudana khichdi is an Indian dish very much popular in Maharashtra and other western parts of India. When you are on a "No grain diet", this is the perfect meal, healthy and tasty. 

Ingredients:

1. Sabudana (tapioca pearls) - one cup

2. Potato (boiled) - half cup

3. Rock salt (sendha namak) - This is used when you are fasting - take as per your taste

4. Peanuts (optional) - 2 tsp (roasted) 

5. Green chilli - 2 or as per taste

6. Ginger - 1 inch piece (chopped)

7. Ghee - 1 tsp

8. Cumin seeds / Jeera - 1/2 tsp

9. Coriander leaves - 1 tsp (chopped)

10. Grated Coconut (optional) - 1 tsp 

Process :

1. Rinse the sabudana couple of times in running water until all the starch is washed away and soak them over night or 4-5 hours. To check if the sabudana has become soft of not, you should be easily able to press the sabudana and it should get mashed up easily. Do Strain very well as there should not be any extra water.

2. Take the potatoes, wash, peel and cut into pieces and boil them. Keep aside once they are done.

3. Take a frying pan, on a medium flame add ghee and cumin seeds, let them crackle and get browned. now add the chopped green chillies and ginger pieces and fry for few seconds on medium flame. Add boil potatoes and mix well. Since this recipe is used while fasting, so no use of any kind of masala.

4. Add sabudana pearls and on the low flame saute them stirring continuously for 4-5 minutes. Add rock salt. If you are using peanuts and grated coconuts, you can add them as well. I have not used any of them. Saute till the sabudana become translucent. Sprinkle coriander leaves and serve hot.

ALOO JEERA

Aloo jeera is one of the easiest dishes to prepare when there is a lack of time, it is a flavorful and delicious dish of potatoes and cumin seeds, hardly takes time to cook. This is so easy that a beginner can also try.

Ingredients :

1. Potatoes - 2 big
2. Jeera / cumin seeds - 1 tsp
3. Ghee - 2 tsp
4. Chilli powder - 1/2 tsp (optional)
5. Ginger paste - 1/2 tsp (optional)
6. Green chilli - 1-2
7. Salt as per taste
8. Hing - a pinch (optional)
9. Cumin powder - 1/2 tsp
10. Coriander powder - 1/2 tsp
11. Amchur powder or Lemon juice 
12. Fresh Coriander leaves - for garnishing (optional)

Process:

1. Boil the potatoes until cooked and not mushy. You can cut the potatoes into cubes and then boil also. I have boiled them first and then cut into cubes. 

2. Add ghee in a hot pan, add jeera and fry on a low heat until they smell good. Add green chilli and ginger paste and give a good stir. Both chilli and ginger is optional, you can skip them. Fry them until a nice aroma comes out. Add salt and hing (you can skip hing also if you dont link it. 

3. Reduce the flame to low and add chilli powder, cumin powder and coriander powder and mix well. Sprinkle amchur powder and add 1 or 2 tsp water and mix well ensuring the spices do not burn.

4. Once the spice powder blends well with water and thickens, add potatoes and toss them gently. Cover and cook with low flame for 5 minutes. Taste and add salt is required. Remove from flame.

Sprinkle with fresh coriander leaves if you want to, or add some lemon juice. Aloo Jeera is ready to serve. You can have them as a snack, or with Dal rice or with Roti. 

CHOCOLATE CAKE - EGGLESS

This is my all time favorite cake. I love chocolate cake. Tried for the first time to bake an egg-less chocolate cake at home, in kadhai. This recipe has sugar moist crumb yet light texture. Once you try and get to eat such a nice cake at home, this will soon be your favorite too. You can also prepare chocolate layer cake, once your chocolate cake is baked, you can cut the cake into layers, pour more chocolate sauce one after one, and finally cover the whole cake with chocolate cream or chocolate sauce. Mine one is not a layered cake, its a simple and easy chocolate cake.

Ingredients:

1. Supar - 1 cup

2. Maida - 1 and half cup

3. Cocoa powder - 3/4 cup

4. Baking powder - 1 tsp

5. Baking Soda - 1/2 tsp

6. Curd - 1 cup (you can also use eggs, if you want to)

7. Milk - 1/2 cup

8. Vegetable oil - 1/2 cup

9. Vanilla extract - 1 tsp (optional)

10. Water - Lukewarm 1 cup

Process:

1. Grease the cake tray, Dust with flour evenly and set aside.

2. Add all the ingredients in a mixing bowl and gently mix until everything is combined well. Add lukewarm water if the batter is very thick.

3. Once the batter is ready, pour this in the cake tray.

4. Heat the heavy bottom kadhai for 10 minutes and then place a steel stand (optional) inside the kadhai and place the cake tray. If you do not have a steel stand, you can directly place the cake tray in the kadhai. If you want to add fry fruits, sprinkle them at the top of the cake and cover with a lid.

5. Let it cook for 15-20 minutes, after 15 minutes you can check by putting a knife inside the cake, if the knife comes out clean, means the cake is done, else you can cook for another 5 minutes and re-check.

Your home made chocolate cake is ready to serve. You can garnish it as you like. Also you can do plating with chocolate sauce and some colorful fruit pieces of your choice and if available at home.

Do share your experience after baking this cake.

Happy Baking.