1 minute Vanilla Mug Cake | Easy Vanilla Mug Cake

 

Today's recipe is very simple and very quick to make. As the name suggests, it is a 1 minute microwaved mug cake. As it is a 1 minute cake, the quantity is less. So if you are a cake person whose cravings are difficult to satiate, I guess you would have to microwave 3-4 cups at a go ;) But this is a quick fix recipe for those sudden hunger pangs or craving callings. Today was one such day when I wanted to have a cake. I know this mug cake is best with chocolate, but I didn't have cocoa powder in my pantry, hence had to feel contented with the vanilla version. 

The best part is that, it looks like DD fell in love with this cake. He was coming back from his encounter with his toys every now and then for a nibble. When I wiped the ramekin clean, he leaned over and took a nice look at it. Made sure, it was empty and then returned back to his toys :D :D I feel I have a cake lover son. That thought does make me very happy indeed :D So, this recipe is to many more cake testing and eating together with my DD :) :)

Other Cake Recipes:

1 minute Vanilla Mug Cake

Cheesecake

Lemon Glow Chiffon Cake

Ultra Moist Chocolate Cake

Eggless Strawberry Banana Yogurt Muffins

Eggless & Butterless Vanilla Cupcake

I Took: 

Preparation Time: 5 minutes

Cooking Time: 2 minutes

Serves : 1 person

I Used:

Dry Ingredients:

All purpose flour/Maida	-	2 tbsp
Sugar	-	1.5 tbsp
Baking powder	-	¼ tsp
Salt	-	A pinch

Wet Ingredients:

Milk	-	2 tbsp
Oil	-	¾ tbsp
Vanilla Essence	-	3-4 drops (As much as you prefer)

The Way:

 1. In a bowl, take all the dry ingredients and mix them together. 

2. Add the wet ingredients to it and mix them well. The sugar should dissolve completely.

3. Now transfer the contents to a microwave safe ramekin or mug or glass.

4. Set the oven to microwave setting at the highest temperature for 1 minute. I set to 900 W.

5. Bake them. Check after a minute if a tooth pick inserted comes out clean or is without moisture. If not keep for a few more seconds according to how much the cake is moist at that point.

Serve hot. 

Notes:

• If you let them sit for long, they become hard or rubbery. If you need to serve it later, transfer to another cup or serving dish

• I doubled the measurements and made, as my ramekin is bigger in size. Hence I microwaved for 2 minutes

Cheers,

Chitz

Sauteed Mushrooms Recipe

The star ingredient of the day is mushroom :) I am becoming a die hard fan of this ingredient week after week. I make it a point to include mushrooms in my menu once every week. Usually I do not like to cook a specific dish for me alone. So if Deeps doesn't like a veggie I do not cook it ! I feel it's boring to cook and have the entire bowl for myself :D But mushrooms have become an exception nowadays. Deeps can't stand the sight of it whereas I am poles away in this regard ! Even though my liking for mushrooms have increased, I still do not like to pair it up with tomatoes for some silly reason. Maybe I have to try some gravy recipes where I can tweak and add tomato puree instead. Sometime in the future, maybe :)

Did you know that mushroom is the only vegetable that has Vitamin D in it, whereas it is found in plenty in non vegetarian sources like meat, liver and fishes. Now intake of Vitamin D is important as it aids in the absorption of the calcium into our body. This specific recipe is quite a regular in my kitchen as it takes less than 20 minutes to put it together and I can gobble up the entire bowl in one go. At times it cheers up my sometimes boring lunch platter as well. But, as this recipe does not use any garam masala or any other Indian flavourings, it may not appeal to many. It has a strong mushroom flavour, so I would say that this is a recipe for those ardent fans of mushrooms :) Do try it out for yourself and let me know how you liked it :) And my other recipes with mushrooms are Mushroom Dry Fry, Mushroom Do pyaza, Restaurant Style Mushroom Pepper Fry & Kadai Mushroom

I Took: 

Preparation Time: 20 minutes

Cooking Time: 12-15 minutes

Serves : 2 persons

I Used:

Button Mushroom	-	200 gm
Butter	-	1 tb2sp
Garlic Salt	-	To taste
Chilly Flakes	-	To taste
Italian Seasoning	-	To taste
Lemon jucie	-	1 tsp
Coriander leaves	-	To Garnish

The Way:

1. Clean the mushroom by removing the stalk & peeling off the skin as shown in the photo below. Clean all the mushrooms in the similar manner. 

2. Then rinse them in water twice or thrice and pat them dry immediately using a clean towel. Do not soak them in water for long, rinse them and remove them from water immediately else they will suck and retain water.

3. You can slice the mushrooms and cook as well. Slice or cut them as per your choice. You can use the stalks as well. Cut them into an inch piece in length and a quarter an inch in thickness.

4. Heat butter in a pan, When the butter melts, spread them across the pan and add the mushrooms in the pan. 

5. Add half of the required garlic salt and chilly flakes. Cook for 5 minutes in medium flame.

6. Now flip over the mushrooms and add the remaining garlic salt and chilly flakes. Cook for another 5 minutes. You can cover and cook as well. When you cover and cook, mushroom releases water. So in the end, you would have to open and cook on high flame to evaporate the water.

7. In the end, add lemon juice & italian seasoning and leave on flame for around a minute or two. Switch off the flame and garnish with coriander leaves and serve hot.

Serve for breakfast along with fried eggs or as a side for fried rice or roti or curd rice. Or you can eat as is, as a main course, as I usually do :)

Notes:

• You can use half and half of butter and oil, if you would like to reduce the quantity of butter
• Chilly flakes can be replaced by pepper powder
• If you do not have garlic salt, use normal salt and garlic instead. If then saute 2-3 pods of chopped garlic in butter before adding the mushrooms
• As this recipe does not use any garam masala or any other Indian flavourings, it may not appeal to many. It has a strong mushroom flavour, so I would say that this is a recipe for those ardent fans of mushrooms :)

Cheers,

Chitz

Beans Thoran | Kerala style French Beans Thoran | Green Beans Poriyal | Onam Sadhya Recipes

Beans sauteed in coconut-shallot tempering

I am still lingering in the Onam mood!! :) I took a 10 day vacation & was roaming and eating & visiting friends & relatives during this Onam. That is the essencce of Onam right? So I can say, that this Onam was well spent :) But what I miss now the most is the food :D as always! It's nice to have food prepared by someone else once in a while right.. I miss my mom's soul filling comfort food, the elaborate sadhyas of Kerala, the heavy biriyani & meen curry of Deeps' aunt.. 

So to relive the Onam moments, it's a simple Beans Thoran today. Very easy to make and a quintessential to the Onam Sadhya,Thoran is basically veggie cooked/tempered with coconut shavings. It's not necessarily beans but Sadhya can be served with a thoran made with any veggie. It can be Long beans or Cabbage or Beetroot or any veggie of your choice for that matter. 

So what was the thoran that you served this Onam? 

Other Sadhya recipes: Beans Thoran Cabbage Thoran Mathanga Erissery Mathan Erissery | Mathan Vanpayar Erissery Mampazha Pachadi | Pazhutha Manga Pachadi Mambazha Pulissery | Mambazha Kaalan Chembu Kumbalanga Moru Kootan | Taro-Ash Gourd Pulissery Pulissery | Kachiya Moru | Mor Kuzhambu Sambar | Kerala Style Varutharacha Sambar with no Coconut Homemade Ada for Adapradhaman Recipe Source: Ma   I Took:  Preparation Time: 20 minutes Cooking Time: 20 minutes   Serves : 3-4 persons I Used: Beans - 250 gm/1.5 cups (chopped) Turmeric powder - ¼ tsp Salt - As needed To Temper: Oil - 1 tbsp Mustard  - ½ tsp Shallots - 6-8 nos (sliced) Red Chilly powder - 1 tsp Curry leaves - A sprig To Pulse: Coconut - 3 tbsp Shallots/Small Onion - 2 no Green Chilly - 1 no Garlic - 1 pod Cumin Seeds - ¼ tsp The Way:

1. Rinse the beans in water twice or thrice. And chop them finely into small quarter inch pieces.

2. In a pan, add the chopped beans along with ¼ tsp turmeric powder, salt and ¼ cup of water. Allow them to cook covered in a medium low flame until done. Check in between if water is sufficient, take care not to overcook or burn.

3. Now while the beans get cooked, coarsely pulse together the ingredients under 'To Pulse' in mixie without adding water. Do not grind to a smooth paste. Just 3-4 pulse until all the ingredients get crushed and mixed well would be sufficient.

4. Heat oil in a pan. Splutter the mustard seeds.

5. Now add the chopped shallots and saute for 2-3 minutes. When they start to turn colour, add the curry leaves.

6. Now add the ground coconut paste and saute for another minute.

7. Add red chilly powder and again saute for 3-4 minutes till the raw smell goes away. Now add in the cooked beans and give a nice stir till the coconut tempering is coated evenly all over the cooked beans.

Serve along with brown rice, Sambar and pappad or as a side dish in your Onam Sadhya :)

Notes:

• Addition of garlic, cumin & shallots while crushing the coconut is completely optional. As a family who does not like the strong flavour of garlic, I always add 1 pod of it. So adjust the ingredients to suit your tastes

• Coconut is the key ingredient for thoran. So do not compromise on it :)

Cheers,

Chitz

Yellow Pumpkin Kootu | Poosanikai Kootu | Parangikai Kootu - without coconut

Yellow Pumpkin cooked in Mung Dal

Many think that pumpkins, especially the yellow ones, are for Halloween carvings ! It does remind you of the Harry Potter movies & the Hogwarts dining room, na? I know many a friends who do not like it as a veggie. Maybe the sweetness that it imparts is what puts off many to have it as a side dish. But it is said to be a great source of Vitamin A & antioxidant beta carotene. It also seems to decreases the risk of obesity, heart disease, diabetes & promotes a healthy complexion & hair. Now that last part would make you feel that including pumpkins in your diet does not sound like a bad idea after all, right? It is also a great substitute for oil & butter in your bakes ! Now I have heard that they even make payasam (kheer) with pumpkins. So many ways to have them..

Yellow pumpkin is one of the favorite veggies of my sis, my mom, me & now Dhruv as well :) I am happy that he likes it & I do not have to run behind him to make him eat them. I was scared that he might not like them coz it's not Deeps' favorite. But this kootu recipe has impressed even Deeps as well & he eats at least 2 spoons of it when I make them (Yes, that's an achievement) Somehow, my mom's recipes do have a very positive impact on his veggie eating habits ! :) So people out there, who do not like pumpkins, do try this recipe for sure, coz it's a breeze to make & a keeper for sure and you are going to start liking them hereafter :)

Other pumpkin recipes:

Vegan Pumpkin Bread
Mathanga Erissery

Recipe Source: Ma

 

I Took: 30 minutes

 

Serves : 2 persons

I Used:

Yellow Pumpkin - 250 gm (A big piece) Moong Dal - ¼ cup Ginger - An inch piece Garlic - 2-3 cloves Turmeric powder - ¼ tsp Salt - As needed

To Temper:

Oil	-	1 tbsp
Mustard	-	½ tsp
Urad Dal	-	1 tsp
Red Chilly	-	4 nos
Curry leaves	-	A sprig
Asafoetida	-	2 pinch

The Way:

1. Rinse moong dal thoroughly in water. Then soak the dal in water (I took 1.5 cups) for 20-30 minutes

2. Remove the skin of the pumpkin (and also the middle mushy part with seeds) and dice it and keep aside

3. Add salt & turmeric powder to the soaked dal and boil it till it is 3/4 done. Check in between if water is required and add accordingly

4. Once the dal is 3/4th cooked, add the diced pumpkin pieces

5. Crush the ginger & garlic and also add them along with the pumpkin pieces

6. Now cover and cook till the pumpkin pieces are cooked and becomes soft and mushy. This should take around 8-10 minutes

7. Now for the tadka/tempering, heat oil in a tadka pan/kadai

8. Add the mustard seeds. When they splutter, add the urd dal. As it slightly turns colour add the remaining ingredients and give a nice stir

9. Add the tadka to the kootu and mix and serve

Tastes awesome with Plain Rice / Rasam Sadam / Kathirikai Kara Kuzhambu / Pavakkai Puli Kuzhambu

Notes:

Instead of boiling the moong dal, you can pressure cook as well. Just about 2 whistles should suffice. As pumpkin gets cooked fast, I would not recommend to pressure cook it.

Cheers,

Chitz

Cheera Kootan | Cheera Parippu Curry | Kerala Style Spinach Gravy with Dal & Coconut

We are the Popeye family in matters of spinach :) We love spinach. It always so happens that I end up preparing dishes with spinach at least twice a week. I like it more when spinach is cooked along with dal but Deeps loves it in any form. 

My mom is such an ardent fan of spinach that there was a time when she used to make it daily. Any day you drop by my house for lunch then, there would be a keerai poriyal or masiyal or parippu keerai, either as a side dish or as the gravy for rice ;) She is an expert in preparing any variety of the spinach. Yes, there are umpteen varieties of spinach that is available in Tamil Nadu. And there is a nuance or knack in which each should be prepared. Some should be paired up with dal & some should not be ! Some need more onions, while some need extra shallots. And there is a variety of the spinach that she says is very good for relief from joint pains, I suppose 'Mudakathan keerai', which she uses to make dosa. Trust me, they taste yum :) I am still learning all these tit-bits from her.  

Having said all that, this recipe is not from my mom and is from my mil. As Deeps loves this dish, I prepare it often. You can say that this is a mallu version of dal palak with coconut paste added to it. This is best had by pairing up with steamed rice & curd. If you have some fried fish on the side then definitely you would want extra helpings of rice :) As it was a no fish day, I made peace with some chettinadu baby potato roast :) So do try out & let me know how you liked it !

My other spinach recipes are  Cheera Thalippu, Cheera Thoran, Sirukeerai Paruppu Masiyal, Vallarai keerai Poriyal, Chembin Thandu Parippu Curry, Chembila Mezhukkupuratti & Palak Paneer

Recipe Source: Amma

 

I Took: 30 minutes

 

Serves : 2 persons

I Used:

Spinach	-	1.5 cups after chopping
Tur Dal	-	¼ cup
Turmeric Powder	-	½ tsp
Salt	-	As Needed

To Grind:

Grated Coconut	-	¼ cup (2 tbsp)
Cumin Seeds	-	¼ tsp
Green Chilly	-	2 no

To Temper:

Coconut Oil	-	1 tbsp
Shallots Red Chilly (optional)	- -	4-5 nos (chopped) 1-2 nos (broken)

The Way:

1. Rinse the tur dal thoroughly & soak in water (I took 1.5 cups) for 30 minutes. Add turmeric powder & salt and pressure cook it till done (3-4 whistles)

2. Clean & chop the spinach finely. Add the chopped spinach to the cooked dal & pressure cook for another 2 whistles. (Refer notes)

3. Grind together the ingredients under 'To Grind' to a fine paste, by adding a little water. 

4. Add this to the cooked spinach and give a stir. Allow it to boil for another 2-3 minutes & then switch off the stove

5. Heat oil in a small tadka pan & temper the shallots and broken red chilly (optional and number of chillies to be used as per the hotness you require). When it turns brown in colour, add this to the cooked spinach-dal & mix. 



Serve hot with steamed rice !

Notes:

• Pressure cooking the spinach is optional. Many do not like to do that as it is believed that the nutritional values are lost when the spinach is pressure cooked. In that case, you can add the chopped spinach to the cooked dal & allow it to cook for 10 minutes or till the spinach is cooked.

• I used thandu keerai as this recipe suits that variety of spinach the most

Cheers,
Chitz