Methi Matar Malai

Methi Matar Malai

Methi matar malai is a winter dish. It is called so as in winter fresh methi leaves ( fenugreek greens) and matar (green peas) are available in market. It is a very famous north Indian dish. In every Punjabi or north Indian restaurant it is a very popular dish.

This dish is a white color dish. This awesomely beautiful color comes from cashew, milk and fresh cream. I personally love this dish because of its mild spiciness and sweetness. It is popular between my kids as it is not very hot. Goodness of methi and matar are goes to my kids. It is best way to feed methi greens to kids. It is an easy and quick recipe to cook. Within half an hour a healthy, tasty and delicious curry is ready to serve with roti, naan or pulao. 

Fresh Methi Leaves- 1 Cup

Fresh Green Peas- 1 1/2cup

Onion- 1medium

Garlic- 4 to 5cloves

Ginger- 1/2inch piece

Green chili- 1 as per taste

Cashew- 1/4cup

Ghee- 1tsp

Cumin- 1/2tsp

Green Cardamom- 2

Cinnamon- 1/2inch piece

Milk- 1cup

Water- 1 Cup

Oil- 1tbsp

Fresh Cream- 1/2cup

Salt to taste

Sugar- 1/4tsp (as per taste)

In a bowl add green peas and also add 1 1/2 Cup of water. Also add little salt and haldi. Keep it on gas to be cooked, but not mushy. Switch of the gas and keep aside.

 

Clean and soak the methi leaves for some mins. Then rinse it properly and keep on a colander to dry. Then chop it and keep aside.

Heat ghee in a Kadai add Cumin, cardamom and cinnamon to it and let it infuse it's flavour in ghee. Then add chopped onion and fry for a min or two. Then add chopped ginger, garlic and green chili up to the raw smell goes. Then add cashew to it and saute again.

Let it cool down. Then make a smooth paste.

In the same Kadai heat oil and add the above paste. Cook the paste up to oil separates. 

Now add chopped methi leaves and cook up to soft. Now add parboiled green peas to it. Then cook it up to oil separates. 

Then add milk and water and cook. Also add sugar and salt it. Taste the gravy and balance the seasoning. At last add fresh cream and switch off the gas.

Serve it with naan, roti or pulao..

Non alcoholic Christmas Fruit Cake With Eggs

Christmas Fruit Cake

Any festival is really a nightmare without lovely, tasty and droll worthy food. Christmas is one among those festivals. Every house has their own favorite to cook. My house is also filled with aroma of fruit cake, carrot cupcakes and kulkul. My Christmas tree is well decorated by my boys. So we are ready for Christmas.

In my previous recipe I have given the recipe of Eggless Christmas fruit cake. This time I am giving another recipe. But it contains egg. It is a very tasty and simple cake. I am in love with the texture of the cake. Here are the recipe

Maida- 1 1/4cup

Corn flour- 1/4cup

Butter- 2/3 cup

Brown sugar- 2/3 cup

Eggs- 2

Orange juice- 1/4cup

Baking powder- 1tsp

Banking soda- 1/2tsp

Salt- 1/8tsp

Vanilla extract- 1tsp

Nutmeg powder- 1tsp

Soaked fruits- 2/3cup

Preheat the oven for 15mis in 200 degree Celsius.

Grease a baking pan andline it with a butter paper.

In a mixing bowl add all dry ingredients except sugar and shift it twice

 

Bring room temperature butter. If it is cold one, don't worry, grate it with a grater.

In another mixing bowl add butter and sugar and beat up to fluffy.

Then add 1egg and beat up to well incorporated.

Now add another egg and beat again

When done add vanilla extract and mix.

Now it's time to fold dry ingredients. Mix the dry in 2 batches and also orange juice. Add alternatively and mix well.

Now pour the mixture to the already lined baking pan. Tap the pan on the platform twice.

Bake the cake for 35mins in 180 degree Celsius

It may take more time as the oven temperature may differ.

Bake this up to the tooth pick comes clean. 

Christmas fruit cake

Eggless Christmas fruit cake

Christmas is a festival of colour and light all around the world. Every where in world people bake fruit cake for Christmas. They used to soak dry fruits for weeks in alcohol. Soak the fruits in alcohol is a ritual in itself.

This year I did this. I soaked dry fruits for 3 weeks but I soaked them in orange juice as I am non alcoholic. As per the demand of friends and family I baked eggless version of the cake. It is very moist and very flavourful.

Soaking Dry Fruits

Fresh Orange Juice- 2/3 Cup

Mixed Dry Fruits- 1/2 Cup

For mixed Dry fruits I have used cherry, date, tutti fruity, candied orange peel, golden raisins, black raisins, cashew and almond. 

Take equal amount of each item. It should be half Cup.

In a mixing bowl add dry fruits and orange juice and mix.

Store this mixture in a glass jar. Keep this jar in fridge. It should be soaked for 4 weeks before baking

 For Fruit Cake

Maida- 2/3cup

Corn flour- 1/3cup

Brown sugar- 1/2cup

Milk- 1/2cup

Oil- 1/2cup

Vinegar- 1tbsp

All spice- 2

Clove- 2

Green cardamom- 1

Cinnamon- 1/4inch piece

Baking powder- 1tsp

Baking soda- 1/2tsp

Soaked dry fruits- 1/2cup

Preheat the oven for 10 mins in 200 degree Celsius.

Grease a baking pan and line it with butter paper and keep aside.

Make a smooth powder of the above spices.

In a mixing bowl add maida, corn flour, baking powder and spices powder and shift twice.

To the maida mixture add sugar and mix.

After that add soaked dry fruits to it and mix up to well Incorporated.

Then add oil to it and mix again

In a bowl add milk ad vinegar and let it curdle. Then add baking soda to it and mix.

It will be foamy like agg.

The add this to the above mixture and mix properly. It will be a thick batter.

Then pour the mixture to the already lined pan and tap on the platform twice.

Then bake it for 35 mins in 180 degree Celsius.

It may take more or less time depending on the temperature of the oven. 

Bake the cake up to tooth pick comes out clean.

Romove to a wire rack to cool down. 

Kalkal or kulkul

KALKAL

Christmas is almost here. Every Christian household is busy in preparing their traditional delicacies. Though I am not Christian but this season has a lovely atmosphere with lots festivities. Every year I used to bake cakes to celebrate this festival. This year I got to know about this dish KALKAL. Some calls it KULKUL even.

Kalkal is a sweet deep fried pastry from Goa

 It is famous among Catholics. The original recipe contains egg and coconut milk. But I changed the dish to an eggless one. I knead the dough with cow milk. The taste of the dish differs. A very easy dish  and very tasty. Shape of the kalkal comes by curling them on fork. Here is the recipe

Maida- 1 Cup

Rava- 1/2cup

Powdered Sugar- 1/2cup+ 3tbsp

Ghee- 2tbsp

Milk- 4 to 5 tbsp

A pinch of salt

Baking soda- 1/2tsp

Oil to deep fry.

In a mixing bowl shift maida. Add rava to it and mix properly.

Then add all dry ingredients and mix. Reserve 3tbsp of sugar powder for Dusting.

Then add melted ghee to it and mix it properly. It will has a bread crumbs texture.

Now add milk to it and start kneading. Add 1tbsp of milk at a time. The dough should be soft but not very soft. Rest the dough for 15 mins.

Heat oil  in a Kadai for Deep Frying. After 15 mins make small balls from the dough. Take a fork and flat the balls on the fork and curl it from one end to another. Seal the two ends. Similarly prepare all the kalkals. Now the cover the kalkals so that it won't dry up.

Now place the kalkal on hot oil. Keep some gap while frying. Flame should be low or medium. Deep fry the kalkal up to brown and occasionally stiring. Now bring out to a kitchen towel.

Now dust sugar powder on the kalkals. Store it in an air tight container..

Eggless Double chocolate cupcakes

Eggless Double Chocolate Cupcakes

Younger son demanded cupcakes for his school friends on his birthday. I promised him so. He was very happy and excited. Again asking more he said, mama I want chocolate cupcakes but there should be more and more chocolate. These words give me the lead to bake a double chocolate cupcakes. 

It is called double chocolate because chocolate is added in two ways. One way is in the form coco powder and the other way is the melted chocolate form. It is more chocolaty, more fudgy and more tasty. It become a super hit in his school . So baby is happy and mama too. Here is the recipe of the cake.

Butter- 2tbsp

Milk- 1/4cup

Dark chocolate compond- 1/2cup

Sugar- 2/3cup

Curd- 1/4cup

Oil- 1/4cup

Butterscotch essence- 1tsp

Maida- 1cup

Corn flour- 1/4cup

Coco Powder- 1/4cup

Salt- 1/4tsp

Baking powder- 1tsp

Baking soda- 1/2tsp

In a microwave safe bowl, add butter, milk and dark chocolate compound and mix properly. Then keep it in microwave high for 10sec. Bring out and mix. If not melted then repeat the process until totally melted.

In another bowl add dry ingredients except sugar and mix. Then shift the ingredients twice and keep aside.

Preheat the oven for 10mins in 200 degree Celsius.

In another mixing bowl add oil, sugar, essence, and curd and mix properly. Try to melt in the sugar. 

Then add chocolate mixed milkshakes mixture and mix well.

Then add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients in 3 batches. Mix it perfectly without any lumps.

Line the cupcake papers in the cupcake tray and pour the batter in it. Tap the tray on the platform twice to release the air. You will get 14 cupcakes from the above ingredients.

Bake the cupcakes for 30mins in 160 degree Celsius. Cook up to tooth pick comes clean

Baking time may differ from oven to oven. So be careful while baking.