Broken Wheat Rava/LapsiPuli Pongal

Lapsi which is high in fibre,vitamin and complex carbohydrates and is also a great dish for diabetic people. For a change I tried these Puli pongal in lapsi. The dish is very simple and easy to make and requires ingredients that are easily available within the home only. This tangy version of pongal is prepared either for breakfast, lunch or dinner. . It is bit unusual from the regular pongal. It comes out very well and everyone likes different tangy &spicy taste.

Ingredients

 Broken Wheat Rava/Lapsi-300gms

 Gingelly /Seasameoil    - 3tbs

Tamrind  -lemon sized 

 Redchillies -2  

Peanuts-2tbsp

Turmeric powder- ½ tsp

Salt- as per taste

Seasoning

 Mustard seed- 1 tsp

Urud dal- 1tsp

Channa dal- 1 tsp

Asafetida- ½ tsp

Curry leaves- few

Method:   

1.Soak tamarind in two cups of water and keep aside.

2.In a pressure pan, add gingelly oil when it is hot add mustard seeds when it crackles add urud dal, channa dal,peanuts,curry leaves and asafetida.

3.When the dal and peanuts are brown add the tamarind water and allow it boil adding salt and turmeric powder. (tamarind water should be 3 portions more to the Broken Wheat Rava.)

4. When it is boiling slowly add the Broken Wheat Rava Add salt keep stirring without any lumps. 

5.Cover it and cook for 10 min.Add curry leaves and serve.

Egg less Moccachino cake

A rich, dense & moist Moccachino cake infused with rich espresso coffee flavor, with chocolate icing. I made this cake  as teatime snack for My family friends.

 

Ingredients:

    All Purpose flour - 1 cup

    Baking powder - 1 tsp

    Butter – 75gm

    Vanilla essence - 1tsp

    Condensed milk – 2oo ml

    Milk - 1.5 cups

    Coco powder - 1 tbsp

   Instant espresso powder - 2 tbsp

   Ground cinnamon- 1tsp

Method:

1. Sieve Maida, baking powder, cinnoman cocoa and coffee powder twice for even mixing and keep aside.

2. In a mixing bowl, add milk, vanilla essence, butter, sugar, condensed milk and mix well until sugar completely dissolves. Now add the sieved Maida mixture little by little and mix well until a creamy batter without lumps is formed.

3. Preheat oven at 180 deg C. Grease the baking tin with butter and maida, tap the excess flour, pour the batter in the tin such that the batter is more than 1/2 or close to 3/4th of the tin and bake it for 15 to 20 mins.

4. Insert a fork in the middle of the cake to check if the cake is done. If it comes out clean then your cake is ready.

5. Allow it to cool for 10mins then invert the tin, the cake will demould itself perfectly.

Chocolate Frosting

Cocoa powder - 4 tbsp

Softened butter - 4 tbsp

Coffee - 1 tbsp or instant espresso powder- 1 tbsp

Icing sugar - 1 cup-sifted

Vanilla-1tsp

Milk -1 cup

How to Make Chocolate Frosting

1. Melt the butter in a large saucepan. Add the sugar, and bring to a boil.

2. Turn the heat to low, add cocoa and continue boiling for 2 minutes, stirring constantly.

3. Add milk very slowly, being careful not to splatter. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Remove from burner and cool to lukewarm.

4. Using a stand mixer at medium speed, slowly add confectioners' sugar 1 cup at a time, beating after each addition. Beat until frosting reaches desired spreading and/or piping consistency. Add more milk a little at a time if the frosting is too thick. Add more confectioners' sugar if the frosting is too thin.

Assemble the Cake:

Cut the cake into two and soak with sugar syrup.

Spread a bit of chocolate frosting on a flat, round, decorative serving plate. Place one round cake layer on top of the frosting and press lightly.

Spread a thick coat of frosting over this layer and place the second layer on top, pressing down lightly to seal.

Spoon approximately 1 cup of frosting in a pastry bag fitted with a medium size star tip and set aside.

Frost the sides and top of cake using an off-set spatula, making sure to seal all edges evenly.

Decorate with crushed Walnuts/Cashew/Badam or Pipe rosettes over top of cake. (Or pipe alternating dollops of coffee and plain cream using zip bags. Refrigerate until serving.

Tips:

•Add instant coffee to the frosting, and decorate for an all mocha flavor.

•Omit the coffee and add white and/or dark chocolate chips to the batter.

•The coffee and coco flavor compliments each other so well.

•Try adding a 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon for flavour.

•It is a teatime snack cake so it is mildy sweet. You can increase the sugar  if you want the cake to taste like the regular cakes.

Kosumalli/Kosambari

Kosumalli/Kosambari: Kosumalli or Kosambari is a quick healthy salad that is made with split green gram. It is very easy to make .This salad  with low fat, low cholesterol, high protein and high fiber  packed with all the good nesses of carrot and moong ! Kosumalli is prepared as a spicy salad with moong dal (split green gram) and red chillies and seasoned with mustard seeds and curry leaves. We can even add grated carrots, beetroot , cucumber and cabbage to make it even more healthier!

Ingredients:

Moong Daal-1 cup

Cucumber- 1 grated

Carrot- 1 grated

Raw Mango- ½ cup

Coconut-1 tbsp Grated

Mustard seeds-1 tsp

Green Chillies-2

Lemon-1

Chopped coriander leaves - 1 tbsp

Oil – 1tsp for seasoning

Curry leaves- few

Method:

1. Soak Moong dhal in water for 1 hour. Drain the water and Squeeze out and take in a bowl.

2. Grate cucumber, carrot, mango Mix all with salt, coriander leaves and curry leaves and add to the dal.

3. Fry green chillies in oil along with mustard seeds and mix with salad. Then add lemon juice mix nicely.

4. Before serving add fresh coconut .

Chikku Milkshake

Chikku is one of the best delicious and healthy tropical fruit cultivated in huge quantities in India, Pakistan and Mexico. This Chikku fruit is commonly popular as sapodilla or sapota or sapote. This tropical fruit contains many healthy vitamins, minerals and antioxidants. Vitamin A contents in ripe delicious chikku fruits take care of vision, lung and oral health even at the old age also helping to enjoy younger happy life. Vitamin C natural medicinal property in Chikku is useful for maintaining healthy and shining skin texture. Eating this delicious and healthy seasonal fruits will develop body resistance to fight against many infectious diseases throughout the year and rich in iron helps improve HB. Chikku milk shake prepared with ripe and fresh chikkus after removing outer skin and inner seeds are very popular health diet and  popular for its unique taste and serves as a perfect n quick filling breakfast.

 

Ingredients:

Chikku (Sapota)-2

Sugar-2tsp

Chilled milk-1 Glass

Method:

Remove the skin and seeds of the chikku, and cut to small pieces.  Blend Chikku pieces, sugar and milk in a blender. Blend until very smooth and Pour it into a glass and serve chilled.. Enjoy the flavor of this delicious Milkshake!

Eggless PineApple Pastry

Pineapple is my all time Favorite. In my home everyone loves Pineapple. And Eggless Pineapple Cake tastes yummy and delicious. It is an extremely moist cake and very easy to prepare. I have used fresh pineapple for the puree.This time I made Pineapple Pastry ,It tastes yummy and delicious on its own.. Pastry is a term used in India to refer to any cake made with a fresh cream filling or frosting. The most popular ones are the Black Forest and Pineapple pastries. This cream pastry recipe is prepared with pineapple flavor and is almost the same as the typical pineapple cream cake. It only differs in topping, with Fresh cream in used in the topping which sets nicely and quickly so its not necessary to chill the pastry before serving. This cake has subtle flavors and if you love pineapple you will adore this cake. 

 

 Ingredients:

All purpose flour- 200gms

Sweetened condensed milk- 200 gms

Unsalted Butter - 1/2 cup

Baking powder - 1 tsp

Baking soda - 1 tsp

Pineapple essence - 1 tsp

Fresh pineapple juice (NOT syrup)-1 cup

Ingredients for the sugar syrup:

Sugar -2 Tbsp

Water - 1/4cup

In a thick bottom pan,mix the sugar and water and boil till the sugar melts.Keep aside to cool.

Ingredients for Frosting:

Fresh cream - 300 ml

Powdered sugar - 4-5 tbsp

Pineapple essence - 1 tsp

Keep cream and the beater blades in the freezer for about half an hour.

Add sugar and essence to the chilled cream.

Beat well till the cream is thick and forms soft peak. Keep refrigerated till use.

Ingredients for Garnishing:

Pineapple pieces - 1 cup

Cherries - few 

Method: 

 

1.In a mixing bowl combine flour, baking soda and baking powder sieve and Keep aside.

2.Add condensed milk, butter, Pineapple essence and Finally add 3/4 of pineapple puree. Mix and stir and fold everything together.

3.Scrape batter into a greased 6" round cake pan. Preheat oven Bake at 180C.

4.Bake for 20 to 25minutes or until a toothpick inserted at the centre comes out clean.

5.Allow the cake to cool properly before frosting.

6.Whip 400ml whipping cream with 4tbs powdered  sugar +1 tsp pineapple essence until thick and holds peaks.

7.Now divide the cooled cake horizontally into half using  a serrated knife.

8.Carefully slide the top layer using a cake lifter or cake board or a flat plate and keep it aside.

9.Keep one layer of the cake on the serving plate.Sprinkle 5-6 tablespoons of sugar syrup on it.

10.Now spread prepared cream frosting on it.

11.Put other layer back on the first layer making it a full cake.Again spread sugar syrup on it.

12.Cover the cake completely with cream frosting on all sides and the top.

13.Level the top and sides with a broad spatula dipped in chilled water.

14.Decorate the top with pineapple pieces and halved cherries on top.

15.Keep chilled in the fridge till use.