This page has been started on demand--- for Reshma, and Divya and Biju --- very cute couple and for lil Divs to become the trendy mom ...who hopefully will use her mobile to surf and make breakfast .....books ka zamana gaya kiddo :)
the first recipe is an idea for breakfast...... a vegetarian health food one.... i cooked up !!!!!
I call these experiments because i do not use any system to measure ingredients i am using in cooking ...no weighing, spoon or cup....so everything is an experiment ..i do this everyday and the only concession i have is to make food with my heart and soul in the process of cooking .....so 99% of the time i put out delicious food on the table ......but do have disasters on some days..... but everything is a learning experience ...... and cooking can be the most calming thing for me to do in the day ......
Whole Wheat Pancakes made with Jaggery (Eggless)
Ingredients :
2 cups of whole wheat flour
1/2 cup of melted and strained jaggery
1/4 cup of grated coconut or 1/4 cup of cooked and mashed pumpkin or a mashed banana
1 1/2 teaspoons of Eno fruit salts (i never use baking powder or baking soda)
water to get the consistency of the batter to the required thickness
a pinch of salt to get the balance in flavour.
Mix the dry ingredients to the required dropping consistency.
Brush a non stick girdle with either butter or oil and pour the batter with a biggish ladle.
Allow it to brown on one side, flip it over and repeat on the other side.
Keep warm in the oven till u finish making all the pancakes and serve with honey.
2.Cake made in a Wok (for reshu :))
now this is only for people who are living away from home and need to bake....one does need a big hard bottomed wok though :) otherwise the cake is the same as a normal cake ....except for the fact i use Eno fruit salts...instead of baking powder ....
Ingrdients
1 1/2 cups of flour not the self raising variety (maida for Indians)
1 cup sugar (powdered if possible)
3 eggs
200gms butter (slated)
1 tablespoon Vanilla essence
1tablespoon of Eno fruit salts
milk if required to get the desired consistency of the cake mix
Method
Put on the heavy bottomed wok on low fire and then start mixing the cake batter.
Bring the butter to room temperature and beat along with the eggs and sugar, to get a fluffy mixture, add the eno fruit salt and beat some more. Then slowly add the flour and keep folding in one direction, add the vanilla essence and beat till you get a mix that falls down in a smooth way, when you hold up the spatula or beater.Grease a round cake tin, pour in the cake mix and place the cake tin in the wok, bake for 40- 45 minutes till the cake is done....ensure that the cake tin fits in the wok and that the wok can be covered with a lid.
To check if the cake is done, immerse a tooth pick or knitting needle into the cake and it should come out clean ... cool the cake and cut into wedges and either serve plain or with ur desired sauce or jam or it can also be used in a trifle pudding !!!
One thing i must confess to is that when i cook i never ever use a measuring cup or spoon i do everything by an understanding of how much of each ingredient is required. I have always cooked like this and only use a measuring cup for baking a cake. I even make biscuits like this. I have always been like this but luckily i have never gone wrong with the end product.
Normal Pancake with eggs
Ingredients
1 1/2 cups of flour
i always use whole wheat flour, unless it is over, i also use sorghum flour (jowar atta for Indians) The use of sorghum flour gives the best pancakes i have ever made or eaten, but of course taste is a matter of subjective preferences.
2 eggs
2 tablespoons honey
1/2 cup sugar ....i do not like the pancakes too sweet and if the sugar level is too high ...it can cause them to burn...
100gms of butter (i use limited amount of butter than most people)
milk if required
1 teaspoon of eno fruit salts
1 tablespoon of vanilla essence
Method
Crack the eggs into the bowl, add the sugar, and butter and beat, add the fruit salts,vanilla essence,honey and fold in the flour. Add milk or water to get the desired pouring consistency, that should not be too watery. Ladle onto a non stick girdle and let it brown on one side, before flipping it and browning on the other side too. Make the entire lot and keep warm in the oven till serving them. Serve with honey or any sauce of your choice or even jam. My younger son and I like to have them plain.
Cutlets or Something similar using leftovers and Grated Beetroot.
Ingredients
2 cups any left over vegetable or meat (shredded)
1big boiled and mashed potato
1 beetroot skinned and grated (you can steam the grated beetroot if your kids do not like the taste of beetroot)
1-2 green chillies chopped finely
1 finely chopped onion
salt to taste
a few slices of bread or one can even add leftover cooked rice,or shredded flat bread too.
1/4 cup of finely chopped cilantro/coriander
1teaspoon of cayenne pepper if you want it a bit on the hot side.
Method
Mash up all the ingredients and check the amount of salt, add bread crumbs if the mix is a bit watery. Make small balls of the mix and flatten a bit and shallow fry on a girdle till brown on both sides and serve hot with sauce.
This can be good for breakfast or as an evening snack, it can also be carried to school as a meal for small children or even office going people.
Vermicelli Vegetable Upma
(I also use vermicelli to make a Chinese dish with vegetables and egg or shredded chicken, this can be made in a jiffy in the mornings for breakfast or even as a snack for tea)
Ingredients
1 packet vermicelli
1 onion diced finely
1 tomato diced finely
3-4 green chillies
1/2 cup of green peas
1/4 cup of finely diced capsicum
1/4 cup of grated carrot
1/2 teaspoon of turmeric
3-4 tablespoons of cooking oil
1teaspoon of cumin seeds (jeera) and mustard seeds
a handfull of chopped corriander leaves
Method
Dry roast the vermicelli in a wok and keep aside, pour the oil into the wok and add the mustard and cumin seeds and wait till it splutters. Then add the chopped onions, once they become pink, add the turmeric, chopped tomatoes,green chillies and other vegetables. Stir it a little and put a lid on, to let the vegetables cook with an occasional stirring, when nearly done, toss in the vermicelli and stir. Add enough water to just immerse the vermicelli, and put the lid back on with an occasional stirring till the upma is done. Serve with a garnishing of corriander leaves.
Once when living on the tea estate i send this dish across to my neighbour to taste. She asked me the recipe and made it and was waiting for her husband to reach home for tea. She was carrying then and as it was getting late for her husband to reach home, she asked the cook's assistant to get her a glass of milk. The young boy had never seen vermicelli made as a savoury dish. In India it is always made as a sweet dish, and he thought that Madam had asked for the milk to be mixed into the prepared vermicelli dish. So he happily poured the milk into the prepared dish and warmed it and it curdled!!! now the chap panicked and called the lady of the house to take a look ......she was so upset at what she saw but had no option to throw away the mess and make it all over again!!!!!!!!
the first recipe is an idea for breakfast...... a vegetarian health food one.... i cooked up !!!!!
I call these experiments because i do not use any system to measure ingredients i am using in cooking ...no weighing, spoon or cup....so everything is an experiment ..i do this everyday and the only concession i have is to make food with my heart and soul in the process of cooking .....so 99% of the time i put out delicious food on the table ......but do have disasters on some days..... but everything is a learning experience ...... and cooking can be the most calming thing for me to do in the day ......
Whole Wheat Pancakes made with Jaggery (Eggless)
Ingredients :
2 cups of whole wheat flour
1/2 cup of melted and strained jaggery
1/4 cup of grated coconut or 1/4 cup of cooked and mashed pumpkin or a mashed banana
1 1/2 teaspoons of Eno fruit salts (i never use baking powder or baking soda)
water to get the consistency of the batter to the required thickness
a pinch of salt to get the balance in flavour.
Mix the dry ingredients to the required dropping consistency.
Brush a non stick girdle with either butter or oil and pour the batter with a biggish ladle.
Allow it to brown on one side, flip it over and repeat on the other side.
Keep warm in the oven till u finish making all the pancakes and serve with honey.
2.Cake made in a Wok (for reshu :))
now this is only for people who are living away from home and need to bake....one does need a big hard bottomed wok though :) otherwise the cake is the same as a normal cake ....except for the fact i use Eno fruit salts...instead of baking powder ....
Ingrdients
1 1/2 cups of flour not the self raising variety (maida for Indians)
1 cup sugar (powdered if possible)
3 eggs
200gms butter (slated)
1 tablespoon Vanilla essence
1tablespoon of Eno fruit salts
milk if required to get the desired consistency of the cake mix
Method
Put on the heavy bottomed wok on low fire and then start mixing the cake batter.
Bring the butter to room temperature and beat along with the eggs and sugar, to get a fluffy mixture, add the eno fruit salt and beat some more. Then slowly add the flour and keep folding in one direction, add the vanilla essence and beat till you get a mix that falls down in a smooth way, when you hold up the spatula or beater.Grease a round cake tin, pour in the cake mix and place the cake tin in the wok, bake for 40- 45 minutes till the cake is done....ensure that the cake tin fits in the wok and that the wok can be covered with a lid.
To check if the cake is done, immerse a tooth pick or knitting needle into the cake and it should come out clean ... cool the cake and cut into wedges and either serve plain or with ur desired sauce or jam or it can also be used in a trifle pudding !!!
One thing i must confess to is that when i cook i never ever use a measuring cup or spoon i do everything by an understanding of how much of each ingredient is required. I have always cooked like this and only use a measuring cup for baking a cake. I even make biscuits like this. I have always been like this but luckily i have never gone wrong with the end product.
Normal Pancake with eggs
Ingredients
1 1/2 cups of flour
i always use whole wheat flour, unless it is over, i also use sorghum flour (jowar atta for Indians) The use of sorghum flour gives the best pancakes i have ever made or eaten, but of course taste is a matter of subjective preferences.
2 eggs
2 tablespoons honey
1/2 cup sugar ....i do not like the pancakes too sweet and if the sugar level is too high ...it can cause them to burn...
100gms of butter (i use limited amount of butter than most people)
milk if required
1 teaspoon of eno fruit salts
1 tablespoon of vanilla essence
Method
Crack the eggs into the bowl, add the sugar, and butter and beat, add the fruit salts,vanilla essence,honey and fold in the flour. Add milk or water to get the desired pouring consistency, that should not be too watery. Ladle onto a non stick girdle and let it brown on one side, before flipping it and browning on the other side too. Make the entire lot and keep warm in the oven till serving them. Serve with honey or any sauce of your choice or even jam. My younger son and I like to have them plain.
Cutlets or Something similar using leftovers and Grated Beetroot.
Ingredients
2 cups any left over vegetable or meat (shredded)
1big boiled and mashed potato
1 beetroot skinned and grated (you can steam the grated beetroot if your kids do not like the taste of beetroot)
1-2 green chillies chopped finely
1 finely chopped onion
salt to taste
a few slices of bread or one can even add leftover cooked rice,or shredded flat bread too.
1/4 cup of finely chopped cilantro/coriander
1teaspoon of cayenne pepper if you want it a bit on the hot side.
Method
Mash up all the ingredients and check the amount of salt, add bread crumbs if the mix is a bit watery. Make small balls of the mix and flatten a bit and shallow fry on a girdle till brown on both sides and serve hot with sauce.
This can be good for breakfast or as an evening snack, it can also be carried to school as a meal for small children or even office going people.
Vermicelli Vegetable Upma
(I also use vermicelli to make a Chinese dish with vegetables and egg or shredded chicken, this can be made in a jiffy in the mornings for breakfast or even as a snack for tea)
Ingredients
1 packet vermicelli
1 onion diced finely
1 tomato diced finely
3-4 green chillies
1/2 cup of green peas
1/4 cup of finely diced capsicum
1/4 cup of grated carrot
1/2 teaspoon of turmeric
3-4 tablespoons of cooking oil
1teaspoon of cumin seeds (jeera) and mustard seeds
a handfull of chopped corriander leaves
Method
Dry roast the vermicelli in a wok and keep aside, pour the oil into the wok and add the mustard and cumin seeds and wait till it splutters. Then add the chopped onions, once they become pink, add the turmeric, chopped tomatoes,green chillies and other vegetables. Stir it a little and put a lid on, to let the vegetables cook with an occasional stirring, when nearly done, toss in the vermicelli and stir. Add enough water to just immerse the vermicelli, and put the lid back on with an occasional stirring till the upma is done. Serve with a garnishing of corriander leaves.
Once when living on the tea estate i send this dish across to my neighbour to taste. She asked me the recipe and made it and was waiting for her husband to reach home for tea. She was carrying then and as it was getting late for her husband to reach home, she asked the cook's assistant to get her a glass of milk. The young boy had never seen vermicelli made as a savoury dish. In India it is always made as a sweet dish, and he thought that Madam had asked for the milk to be mixed into the prepared vermicelli dish. So he happily poured the milk into the prepared dish and warmed it and it curdled!!! now the chap panicked and called the lady of the house to take a look ......she was so upset at what she saw but had no option to throw away the mess and make it all over again!!!!!!!!
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