My First Cake

Today I tried baking a cake for the first time. It came out looking decent, though not very clean and sharp. I didn't bother to cut off or level the top portion- so that's on me. When I checked out some recipes, it seemed like: huh, not that tough, really. But, I think baking is something that definitely comes only by practice. Here's how I made the cake:

What you need:

Dry ingredients: maida/flour, powdered sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, Oreo biscuits

Wet ingredients: unsalted butter, milk, thick curd, cooking oil, vanilla essence

How to make:

1. Take 2 cups of maida, 1 cup of powdered sugar, 1 tsp baking soda, 1 tsp baking powder, 1/2 cup of cocoa powder- sift them together and mix well. 

2. Take unsalted butter at room temperature, 1 cup of milk, 1 cup of thick curd, 2 tsp cooking oil, 1 tsp vanilla essence- whisk all the wet ingredients well and make sure there are no lumps. 

3. Slowly add the dry ingredients in the wet ingredients and whisk them till smooth batter consistency is reached. There should be no lumps. Add pieces of Oreo biscuit and gently fold it into the batter.

4. Take the pressure cooker, add some salt to the base. Keep a stand, and pre-heat the cooker for 15 minutes on medium flame. You should not put the weight on the cooker. Do not forget to remove it.

5. Meanwhile, coat the cake tray with cooking oil, line it with butter paper. Pour the batter, and tap the tray gently to make it even.

6. Bake for 40 minutes on low flame, and let the cake cool down completely. 

Your cake is basically ready!

How I made the frosting:

1. I made chocolate ganache by melting Dairy Milk chocolate, adding cocoa powder and milk to it until it reached a creamy consistency. I used this on the top of my cake. 

2. I took some Oreos, removed the cream, and powdered the biscuits. The cream can be whisked with cooking oil and some fresh cream milk to get a nice white frosting, which I used for the side of the cake.

3. I stuck some Oreo powder to the sides. 

4. I topped the chocolate ganache with gems!

My cake has turned out looking decent, and I am actually yet to taste it! This is the first time I am ever baking anything. The cake is far from anything perfect. Baking is after all an art that is mastered over time. But, by how it looks- it's not that bad for a first try! Also, with all the Oreos, I am wondering if it is going to be a little too sweet. I'll let you know soon, stay tuned!

Paneer Burji Gravy

We had another packet of paneer after I made momos the other day. So, that called for another paneer dish. And, this time I made paneer burji gravy for dinner. This is a simple, creamy dish that can be had with rotis, and it takes only 20 minutes to make it. Here's the recipe that'll serve four people.

What you need: 1 tsp jeera, some chopped ginger, 4 medium sized tomatoes, 2 onions, 1 cup water, garam masala, cumin powder, coriander powder, turmeric, cashews, one cup thick curd, one packet of paneer, fresh coriander leaves

How to make:

1. Take a thick bottomed vessel and add some cooking oil. Let it heat up a little, then put the jeera and let it splutter. 

2. Add chopped ginger and onions, and saute for 2-3 minutes till the onions turn pinkish/transparent.

3. Cut up the tomatoes in big pieces and add them to the pan. Cook till the tomatoes start losing water and become squishy. It'll take around 3-4 minutes. Turn off the gas.

4. Take the mixer. Add the fried tomatoes, onions and ginger into it. Add 5-6 cashews to this. You can add red chillis as per taste if you want, I didn't. Grind into a smooth paste.

6. Put the paste back into the same thick bottomed vessel. Add a cup of water, and cook in low flame till the raw smell of the paste goes away for 4-5 minutes.

7. Add a pinch of turmeric, 1/2 tbsp garam masala, 1/2 tbsp coriander powder, and cumin powder as per taste. Also, add salt as required. Let the gravy cook for 5-6 minutes.

8. Grate the paneer, and add the grated paneer to the gravy and gently mix the paneer and gravy. Do not break the paneer further by being too hard or too fast while mixing. Add a little more water after checking the consistency, only if needed. Let the mixture cook for 2-3 minutes.

9. Add a cup of fresh, thick curd to the gravy, and give it a good mix. Let it cook for a minute.

10. Check salt, and add as per taste. 

11. Add finely chopped fresh coriander leaves. Switch off the gas.

The dish is done. It is creamy, not very spicy, and has a fresh taste. It is extremely simple to make. One lesson that I have constantly learnt with such dishes is that if you want to increase the quantity, always increase the number of tomatoes and onions proportionately. Do not add water in hope of increasing the quantity as it always messes up the consistency.  So, increasing the amount of tomato-onion paste is what you should be focusing on while trying to increase quantity. 

I have always like paneer burji dishes, whether dry or with gravy, because you feel like there is no dearth of paneer! The best part is you can add more to it if you want- like chillies/chilli powder to make it spicier, or garlic if you like it. You can also add crushed methi to make this dish more rich in it's texture and flavour. Whatever you add or leave out, this dish comes out nice in all versions!

So, do give it a try!

Paneer-Vegtable Momos (from Momowoman)

This pandemic has stopped the usual Momoman trips my friends and I used to take through the semesters, situated at a ten minute ride from the college campus. So, I decided to make paneer veg momos today, to which a friend promptly said 'Momowoman' when I sent a picture. So, all the credits of that part of the title goes to my friend!

Let me tell you how I made the momos today!

What you need for the dough: two cups of maida, oil, salt, water

1. Prepare the maida dough: take the required quantity of maida, add salt, add a spoon of oil, mix it well, and slowly knead it by adding small quantities of water every time until it becomes a dough. The dough should not be too soft or too hard. This is important because a dough that is too soft or too hard will make it difficult to seal the momos after stuffing the filling.

What you need for preparing the filling: onion, cabbage, ginger, capsicum, carrot, beans, one packet paneer

Other ingredients you can add(but I didn't today): chopped green chilli, ginger, soy sauce

2. Chop all the vegetables. You can chop ginger, capsicum, carrot, onion, and beans finely, while cabbage can be chopped wispy(like how it is inside spring rolls). Grate the paneer evenly.

3. Take a thick bottomed pan, pour a little bit of oil. You can use butter instead of oil if you prefer. 

4. Saute ginger and onions first, until they turn golden. Then put the rest of the vegetables and fry them well until all the wetness of the vegetables dry out. Let the vegetables cook well on low flame. Add paneer, and gently mix it well with the other vegetables. Let it cook for 2-3 minutes. 

5. Add salt and pepper powder as per taste. Mix them all well, and let it cook in simmer for 5 minutes. 

Your dough and filling is now ready. Time to make momos!

6. Take a really small ball of dough. Ideally it is the amount of dough you take to make a poori. Dust the ball of dough in maida, and flatten it to the thin sheet. Make it as thin as you can. The thinner they are, the better the momos!

7. take 1-2 spoons of the filling and heap it in the centre of the flattened dough. Start making frills in the edges and close the filling by bringing the frills to the centre. This is for a round momo, you can check out other shapes that can be given to momos, if you prefer otherwise.

8. Repeat the steps until you are done with all the dough and filling. 

Time to steam the momos!

9. Take steaming deck/steaming plates. I used our idli plates today because they are the perfect steaming decks for this that we already have at home. Crease the plate well with oil. This is very important. Otherwise, the momos will stick to the plate after they are done, and it would be difficult to remove them without tearing the momo.

10. Arrange all the momos on the steaming deck. Take your pressure cooker, and fill the base with water. Take a bowl, fill it up with water and place it in the cooker. On top of this arrangement, place your steaming deck. Close the cooker, and steam for 20 minutes. 

11. After 20 minutes, switch of the gas and wait fro 5 minutes before you open and serve hot!

Time to eat!

The momos today came so well! The shape was slightly bigger and flatter than the ones that we get in the restaurant. But, the taste came out very well. We had it with spicy tomato pickle! It is really simple, and the process may seem elaborate, but I think it is just a matter of getting used to it. It makes for a simple and satisfying dish!

Remember that doing all the small steps like making the dough in the right consistency, creasing the steaming plates, flattening as thin as possible, and other such small tips truly change how the momos might turn out. Do try it out and let me know how it comes!

Steamed Chocolate Cake

I tried my hand at steamed chocolate cake today, and it came out looking really good! This steamed cake is essentially just bourbons and milk, and I have topped it and created a dressing according to my own choice and preferences. Here's the simple recipe! The amounts mentioned here give a dessert for four people. 

What you need: Two twenty-rupees Bourbon packets, milk at room temperature,  almonds, any biscuit of your choice.

How to make:

1. Take the bourbons, and separate the cream from the biscuit part for all the biscuits.

2. Grind the biscuits to a fine powder.

3. Slowly, add milk to the Bourbon powder, and whisk it continuously till it reaches the consistency of a flowing batter. 

4. Take the cooker, or any thick bottomed vessel, and add some water in the base of the vessel. Keep a stand, or a cup inside the vessel on top of the water. Turn on your gas, and pre heat the vessel for a couple of minutes till it starts steaming. 

5. Take an aluminium tray or a cake tin, and grease the insides of the tray with cooking oil. Make sure to grease it generously so that there is no trouble later while removing the cake. Now, add half the quantity of the cake batter into the greased tray. Tap the tray firmly to spread the batter into an even thickness.

6. Keep the tray on top of the cup inside the steaming vessel. Cover the top of the steaming vessel with a cloth, and then put a lid over it. Make sure that the cloth is not flowing down to the gas as it can catch fire. The purpose of the cloth is to absorb the water while steaming, so that the cake doesn't come out soggy. Steam it for around 5-10 minutes. 

7. Meanwhile, take a few almonds and crush them. You can also take a biscuit of your choice and crumble it. I used a Gooday choco chip cookie. This step is optional, and only for additional taste. 

8. Take a little part of the bourbon cream and smash them together. When they are smashed up, add a few drops of milk and whisk them fast to get a creamy chocolate syrup-like texture. Keep it aside. 

9.  After 5-10 minutes of steaming, open the lid and check. When it has been steamed, arrange the rest of the cream, that wasn't used to make the syrup-like liquid, on top of the steamed batter. You can also sprinkle part of the almond-cookie crushed mixture along with the cream. 

10.  Pour the rest half of the cake batter on top of this cream arrangement and spread it equally. Sprinkle some more almond-cookie crushed mixture on top of this final layer of batter. Follow step 6 and steam again for 10-15 minutes. You can open and check after steaming it for 15 minutes. 

11.  Insert a toothpick, or the edge of your knife, to check if it has steamed completely. The final cake will not stick to the toothpick when inserted. This means, that the cake is done. Let it cool down. 

12. After the cake completely cools down, take it out carefully and transfer it to a plate. Add the syrup-like chocolate sauce that you made using the bourbon cream and spread it out nicely on top of the cake. Sprinkle all the rest of the crushed almonds and cookies. I had a KitKat at home, so I just put it on top for a better look and tastier cake! Give it a couple of minutes for it all to set. 

The cake is ready!

It was tasty, and very, very chocolaty. The top dressing was sweet, and the bottom steamed cake made of biscuits balanced the sweetness. The cream that we put in between the two batter layers made sure there's a little gooey cream between the steamed layers! The almonds and the crushed cookies add very nicely to both the aesthetics and the taste! 

One line of warning: this is a steamed cake, not a baked one. So, it will not be fluffy and spongy, don't expect what we usually have in mind as a 'cake'. What it really feels like is a sweet, chocolaty dessert. 

It came out well! Do check it out!

Dal Bati: A Modest Attempt

I first saw this semi-brown hard bread served with dal in my college. I neither knew what it was, nor knew how to eat it. And so, the first several times that I found this in the mess, I just skipped it because I couldn't understand at all how we were supposed to eat it (after a few weird attempts of trying to bite it or just dip it in dal and eat it). A friend saw me struggling once, and actually taught me how it is eaten. And, from then one, this has been one of the most satisfying, tasty dishes I have ever had. 

Dal Bati is a delicious Rajasthani dish, most typical in the arid areas of Rajasthan. In fact, it is the dish that the Rajasthani cuisine is most famous for. The popular combination to eat this is dal-bati-churma. The bati is the hard bread that is crushed while eating and is mixed with the tasty and spicy dal, while also accompanied by the semi-sweet churma. I absolutely love this wholesome combination that I got introduced to during my semesters. With the college shut down for a couple of months now, a conversation with a friend about dal bati made me try it out today!

Traditionally, batis are made in the fire and ashes of wood and cow dung- which gives it the authentic smoky flavour. However, in other places and at home, it is usually made in a grilled oven or tandoor. The hard knead dough is made into even-sized smooth, round-ish balls of dough which are then placed in the oven till they are baked inside out! But today, I've tried to make them without an oven, as I don't have one at home, and the recipe for making batis without an oven can be found here! I am not discussing the process of how it is made, so those interested can look up on page that I have linked. 

Considering that doing it on a stove was basically a substitute for oven, which in itself was a substitute for the traditional cow dung fire, I was skeptical as to how it would turn out. But, the pictures speak for themselves! Even if may not be as great as the authentic ones, for a first time it was as good as the my college benchmark. I feel really happy that it turned out well!

While preparing, kneading the dough thoroughly is very important. Simply put: better the keading, better the batis. The secret to batis that taste and smell absolutely delicious seems to be the ajwain/omam (carom seeds). They made them smell wonderful and made them feel like how batis should be. Heavily doused in hot, molten ghee, and with a tasty dal to eat it with, batis are sure to steal your heart! 

I had fun preparing it, and felt really happy eating it! If you are skeptical about trying without an oven, don't be- it turns out just fine!

Aloo Paratha

It was Aloo Paratha for dinner today.

Here is how I made it:

1. Prepare chappathi dough.

2. Pressure cook potatoes.

NOTE: Do not forget to put the cooker weight(pressure regulator on top).

3. Take the pressure cooked potatoes, take off the peel, and mash them well.

4. Switch on the gas stove. Place a thick bottomed vessel.

5. Pour some oil and add jeera and omam.

6. Add the mashed potato and mix well.

7. Put the required amount of salt and  a pinch of turmeric(haldi/manjal).

8. Add garam masala to the potatoes and mix well. Let it all cook well. Switch off the gas stove.

The stuffing is now ready!

9. Divide the stuffing into balls and stuff it into the chappathi.

10. Flatten it well.

11. Switch on the gas stove and place a tava.

12. Toast it well in high flame.

Aloo Parathas are ready!!! I made onion raita as side dish. It was very tasty!

Baigan Bharta

Hi! Today I did my favourite Baigan Bharta. It is quite simple. Here are the steps:

1. Take a baigan(eggplant).

2. Apply oil all over it.

3. Prick holes on the outer layer of the baigan.

4. Switch on the gas stove. Roast the baigan well in low flame. Switch off the gas stove.

5. Let the baigan cool down.

6. Grind masalas into a fine powder and keep the powder ready.

7. Grind chopped tomatoes, small onions, garlic, and ginger into a fine paste and keep it ready.

6. Now, peel off the outer skin of the roasted baigan.

7. Cut them into small pieces and grind them into a paste.

8. Switch on the gas stove. Place a thick bottomed vessel.

9. Pour some oil.

10. Add chopped onions and fry well.

11. Add the baigan paste to the fried onions.

12. Put a pinch of turmeric(haldi/manjal) and also the needed amount of salt. Mix.

13. Let it cook well.

14. Add the tomato, onion and garlic paste to the baigan.

15. Aso, add the ground masalas. Mix well.

16. Add a little amount of water and cook well.

17. Add karipaththa leaves.

18. Switch off the gas stove after sometime(2-3 minutes).

Baigan Bharta is ready!!! We had it with chappathis and it was very good. My mother roasted the baigan as I couldn't do it. Rest all I did with the help of her instructions.

Sambar

Today’s dinner was dosa, and I did sambar as a side dish.

Here is the recipe:

1. Take a bowl full of water. Soak some tamarind for 5 minutes.

2. Take 1 cup of pasi paruppu(moong dal) and put it in a big bowl. Add chopped radish, carrot, potato and capsicum to the moong dal. Aso, add a pinch of turmeric(manjal/haldi).

3. Pour ample water.

NOTE: Pour water at the bottom of the cooker. Also, do not forget to put the cooker weight(pressure regulator on top).

Pressure cook with 4-5 whistles.

4. Take a thick bottomed vessel and add some oil.

5. Put mustard(kadugu) and fry.

6. Pour the tamarind water and add karipaththa leaves on the fried mustard.

7. Add sambar powder. Mix well.

8. Put the pressure cooked moong dal and vegetables in this and stir.

9. Add the needed amount of salt.

10. Let it cook well for a few minutes.

Sambar is ready!!!

Adai

Hi! Adai was today’s dinner. Making Adai from the batter is simple. But, there is a definite process for the batter to be made.

Here is how it is:

1. Take boiled rice, urad dal, channa dal and toor dal.

NOTE: For every two cups of boiled rice(puzhungal arici), add one cup of channa dal(kadalai paruppu), ½ cup of urad dal and ½ cup of toor dal.

2. Soak them in a bowl of water. Leave them soaked for two hours.

3. Take the soaked rice and dals, and grind it into a batter using grinder.

NOTE: You can add chillies and grind according to your preferences.

4. Add the necessary amount of water.

5. Grind it for 15-20 minutes.

6. Transfer the batter into a clean container.

7. Add the needed amount of salt.

8. Add karipaththa leaves to the batter.

And the batter is ready!!!

After this, making Adai is very easy.

(i) Switch on the gas stove.

(ii) Place a tava.

(iii) Spread the batter in a circular shape.

(iv) Add drops of oil around the circle.

(v) Take it off carefully from the Tava and invert it.

(vi) After all sides get roasted, take the Adai off the Tava again carefully, and serve!

Adai is usually eaten with Avial, a type of side dish with mixed vegetables. It is also eaten with butter, or jaggery.

Palak Paneer

  

I did Palak Paneer as side dish for chappathis.

Here are the  steps:

1.Light the gas stove. Boil a bowl of water and keep it aside.

2. Place a thick-bottomed vessel on the gas stove.

3. Pour some oil. Put the paneer cubes and fry deeply.

4. After frying, put the paneer cubes in the hot water.

5.Pour some more oil in the thick bottomed vessel.

6. Add mustard(kadugu), jeera, omam, green chillies, and fry well.

7. Add chopped onions and tomatoes to the above.

8. Add the required amount of salt and a pinch of turmeric(manjal/haldi). Mix well.

9. Close the thick bottomed vessel and let it cook.

NOTE: Keep the gas flame low.

10. Take a few small onions(I took 5-6), tomatoes, garlic and ginger, and grind it into a smooth paste using mixer.

11. Add this paste to the the onions and tomatoes and mix well.

13. Take chopped Palak and wash well.

14. Put the palak in mixer and grind this into a fine paste(add a few drops of water if necessary).

15. Add this Palak paste to the gravy.

16. Mix well and let it cook.

17. Allow all the ingredients to blend together.

18. Finally, add the fried paneer(without the water) to the rest and mix.

Palak Paneer is ready!!!

Kadalai Paruppu Payasam

Today’s special is Kadalai Paruppu Payasam! I did it with the help of my mother’s instructions. 

Here is how to do it.

1. Light the gas stove.

2. Take a thick-bottomed vessel and put some ghee in it.

3. Add cashews, almonds and raisins to the ghee and fry them well. After frying well, switch off the gas stove and transfer these into a cup.

4. Take a plate. Put the needed amount of pasi paruppu(moong dal) and kadalai paruppu(channa dal). 

5. Turn on the gas stove. Fry the paruppu dry in a vessel until they turn golden.

NOTE: Ghee or oil SHOULD NOT be added while frying.

6.Add water to the fried paruppu.

7. Take a cooker. Pour some water at the bottom. Place the plate containing pasi paruppu and kadalai paruppu inside the cooker. Close the cooker.

NOTE: Do not forget to put the cooker weight(pressure regulator on top).

8. Pressure cook the paruppu mixture(I let it stay on until 4 whistles).

9. After the paruppu mixture is ready, take the same thick-bottomed vessel, and add the required amount of jaggery to it. Add water and mix it well with jaggery. Make a solution of water and jaggery.

10. Add the pressure cooked kadalai paruppu and pasi paruppu to the jaggery solution. Mix well.

11. Add the necessary amount of water.

12. Add elakkai(cardamom) powder. Stir well.

13. Switch off the gas stove.

14. Add the fried cashews, almonds and raisins to the payasam.

Kadalai-Paruppu Payasam is ready to be eaten!

You Can Name It

Hello! This is my first step into the kitchen. I did the side dish for the chappathis, today. I am penning this down so that I can refer to this in the future.

Before starting to prepare the dish, pressure cook urad dal and sprouts. Also, chop onions and tomatoes. Keep these ready before doing the rest.

Here are the steps:

1. Take some oil in a thick-bottomed vessel.

2. Put some mustard, jeera, chillies and omam, and fry.

3. After these get nicely fried, add chopped onions and tomatoes, and fry them deeply once again.

4. Add salt and haldi(manjal/turmeric) to the above mixture and mix it well. Allow the mixture to cook well.

NOTE: Keep the gas flame low.

5. Take the pressure cooked urad dal and sprouts, and smash them well. Pour some water on the smashed mixture and mix well.

6. Add the smashed mixture to the fried onions and tomatoes. Mix all well.

7. Add the needed amount of salt.

8. Add karipatha leaves and coriander leaves to the side dish. Mix well.

9. Switch off the gas stove.

10. Take a small measure(we use something called karandi to measure the amount) of the dal and cool it completely. Add few drops of lemon juice in the dal and mix well.

11. Mix this dal with the rest of the dal.

And, the dish is ready to be served! It is very tasty!

I don't really know what to call it. So, You Can Name It!