During our childhood days, Cake was a luxurious treat for us. Rarely we had a chance to eat the bakery products like cakes, so it felt like cakes were the most delicious food when compared with whatever Mum made at home with all the love! Gone are those days and now, many of us have ovens at home and its easy to prepare cakes or other bakery food whenever we feel like.
I often prepare varieties of eggless cakes at home. When kids are at home, how much ever snacks I prepare, they all vanish so quickly! My daughter loves to eat cake for her evening snacks. Eggless Vanilla Cake and Eggless Chocolate Cake were here favourites before. And when we found this way of making Eggless Orange Cake, this cake has become her favourite now!
I just tried to follow the technique of Hot Milk Cake while preparing my Eggless Orange Cake and the result was - Wow! My eggless loaf turned out to be the most delicious one with a soft, airy, moist texture. It tastes the same like Iyengar Bakery Plain cakes. 
Below is the recipe of Eggless Orange Cake for you all:


Preparation time: 10 minutes
Baking time: 25 - 30 minutes
Difficulty level: medium
Serves: 1 loaf cake

Ingredients:
  • All purpose flour (Maida) - 1 1/2 cup (Or you can use Maida and wheat flour in 50:50 ratio)
  • Baking powder - 1 1/2 tsp
  • Baking soda - 1/8 tsp
  • Salt - a pinch
  • Fresh orange juice - 1/4 cup
  • Sugar - 1/3 cup
  • Orange zest - 1 1/2 tbsp
  • Milk - 1/2 cup
  • Curd - 1/4 cup
  • Oil - 1/2 cup

Recipe Instructions:
  • Preheat the oven to 175C.
  • Grease the baking pan with oil, dust it lightly with flour and line it with baking paper. 
  • Sieve together flour, baking powder and baking soda 2 - 3 times.
  • Mix together sugar, salt and curd in a bowl.
  • Once sugar is dissolved completely in the mixture, add orange juice, zest and oil. Mix it well.
  • Fold in the flour in small batches and mix it gently. 
  • Add the hot milk to the batter little by little and bring it to thick, pouring consistency (like dosa batter).
  • Transfer the batter into the lined baking pan and bake it for about 25 - 30 minutes or till the toothpick inserted comes out clean. Mine got done exactly at 25 minutes.
  • Wait for it to cool down on a cooling rack. 
  • Once its almost cool, take it out of the pan and allow to cool down completely before cutting it into slices.
  • You can pour some icing if you would like to. Or it can be eaten as it is.

Tips:

  • Tutti frutti chunks can be added to this cake to enhance the taste and make it more colourful.


ಕನ್ನಡದಲ್ಲಿ ಓದಲು ಇಲ್ಲಿ ಕ್ಲಿಕ್ ಮಾಡಿ. 

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Now, its the season of Jackfruits in India. Both raw and ripe jackfruit are great for cooking. Few food items are made using them which can be preserved till the next season. At my mum's place, they prepare raw jackfruit chips, preserve some raw jackfruit flesh in salt water and also, sundry the raw jackfruit pieces. So, its possible to prepare jackfruit dishes whenever they feel like.
My Mum had packed some Sun-dried Raw Jackfruit pieces for us during our recent India trip. We are enjoying typical native style curries once in a while now! Below is the recipe of Sun - dried Raw Jackfruit Bajji or Raita.
Click here to see How to make Sun - dried Raw Jackfruit Pieces.


Preparation time: 20 minutes
Soaking time: 20 minutes
Difficulty level: medium
Serves: 4

Ingredients:
 - For seasoning:
  • Oil - 1 1/2 tbsp
  • Dry red chilli - half piece
  • Urid dal - 1 tsp
  • Mustard seeds - 3/4 tsp
  • Green chilli - 1 (or as needed)
  • Crushed garlic - 1 tsp

Method:
  • Soak 1/2 cup of sun-dried raw jackfruit pieces in 3/4th cup of water for about 20 minutes.
  • Pressure cook the soaked raw jackfruit pieces along with the soaked water for 2 whistles.
  • Take off the excess water and mash the cooked jackfruit pieces lightly.
  • Add 1 cup of thick curd to the mashed jackfruit. Also add salt and lime squeeze for taste.
  • Heat oil for seasoning in a wok of small pan. Add red chilli piece, urid dal and mustard seeds.
  • When mustard seeds start crackling, add green chilli pieces and crushed garlic. Sauté it for a minute or two, or till aromatic. 
  • Add this seasoning to the curd - jackfruit mixture. Crush the chillies with ladle or with your finger tips. 
  • Mix the bajji / gojju / raita well and serve it with hot rice.

Tips:
  • Take care while adding salt to this recipe. Since the jackfruit pieces are salted and sun-dried, it already has some salt in it. If the Raita / Bajji tastes too salty, take a palm size of banana leaf and soak it in the salty dish for about 15 - 20 minutes and take it off. Banana leaf will suck the salt content in it.

 ಕನ್ನಡದಲ್ಲಿ ಓದಲು ಇಲ್ಲಿ ಕ್ಲಿಕ್ ಮಾಡಿ. 

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This year, we had planted some snow pea plants in our little backyard. Snow peas are easy to grow, they won't need much care and the yield is also pretty quick. Now, the winter has started and still we are getting enough crop to serve our little family. As they have a sweet taste, my kids love to pick the snow peas fresh from the garden and eat them as it is.  
Here is the recipe of a side dish which my family loves to eat often. I use potato, snow peas, capsicum and green peas for this Subzi. But it should be ok if you skip capsicum and / or green peas.


Preparation time: 25 minutes
Difficulty level: Medium
Serves: 4

Ingredients:
  • Potatoes (big) - 2 
  • Snow peas - 8 to 10
  • Capsicum chopped - 3/4 cup
  • Green peas - 3/4 cup (I have used frozen peas)
  • Kasuri methi - 1 tbsp
  • Cumin coriander powder - 1 tsp
  • Salt - to taste
  • Pepper powder - 1 tsp or for taste

 - For seasoning:
  • Oil - 2 tbsp
  • Fenugreek / Methi seeds - 1/4 tsp


Method:
  • Wash all the vegetables thoroughly in clean water.
  • Chop the snow peas and capsicum into medium size pieces.
  • Peel and chop the potatoes into small pieces lengthwise.
  • Heat oil in a heavy bottom pan. Add the fenugreek seeds and toast till aromatic.
  • Add the potato pieces, mix well and close the lid for cooking.
  • Keep mixing it frequently to avoid potatoes sticking to the bottom.
  • When the potatoes are half-cooked, add chopped snow peas, capsicum, green peas and kasuri methi. Close the lid and continue cooking. Keep mixing them regularly.
  • When potato pieces are almost cooked, add salt, pepper powder, cumin - coriander powder and cook for 3 - 4 minutes or till done.
  • Serve this delicious side dish along with rice, chapathi or pooris.



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Who loves chocolates? I know, most of us love chocolates. Chocolates are good to eat in any form and any time. Here is one easy and quick recipe using cooking chocolate and rice bubbles. I guess, rice bubbles can be replaced with our own Murmura (Mandakki) if its not salty; but I have not experimented it yet. These Choco treats are my kiddo's favourite snacks. Also, they are perfect for kids parties, food stalls, picnic and travels.
Here is the recipe of Choco Crackles to munch on any time!


Preparation time: 15 minutes
Difficulty level: Easy
Serves - 27 byte size treats 

Ingredients:
  • Cooking chocolate (I have used dark cooking chocolate)- 100 gram 
  • Rice bubbles (plain, white ones) - 2 1/2 cup
  • Coconut oil (or Copha)- 1 1/2 tbsp 

Cooking method:
  • Heat coconut oil and cooking chocolate in a double boiler. Or, fill water in a wide pan upto 1/4th. Place a vessel inside and start heating. Put the oil and chocolate in the inner vessel. 
  • Keep mixing the mixture regularly. 
  • Once everything is melted and turns into a fine paste, fold in the rice bubbles.
  • Mix everything well and turn off the flame.
  • Scoop the mixture on a plate or into cupcake moulds. I have used small cupcake tray to make them cuter!
  • Keep the tray inside the fridge for 10 minutes.
  • Heat the bottom of the tray / plate for a second or two. This make it easy to unmould the choco crisps in no time. 
  • Have a byte or more. And store the remaining in an airtight container!


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Appehuli is a special variety of curry or rasam which is prepared mainly in Western Ghats of Karnataka. This curry is mainly prepared in Havyaka Brahmin households and hence, the name 'Havyaka' is very much associated with 'Appehuli'. Appehuli is served as a side dish with rice. Some people love to drink it as Soup too.
Nicely aromatic raw mangoes are perfect for preparing Appehuli. Apart from raw mango, sour fruits and veggies like Kanchikayi (Kaffir lime), lime, lemon, Star fruit, raw / ripe tamarind, etc. are all good to prepare Appehuli. 
Today, I am sharing the procedure of preparing Tamarind Appehuli. Ripe tamarind which is a bit sweet and sour in taste is good for preparing this Appehuli. 


Preparation time: 15 minutes
Difficulty level: Easy
Serves: 5 - 6

Ingredients:
  • Ripen tamarind - 2 tbsp
  • Water - 1 1/4 cup
  • Salt - 1 tsp or to taste
  • Sugar - 1 tbsp or to taste
 - For Seasoning:
  • Oil - 2 tsp
  • Dry red chilli - 1 inch piece
  • Sesame seeds - 3/4 tsp
  • Asafoetida / hing - a pinch
  • Turmeric powder - a pinch
  • Green chilli - 1 
  • Curry leaves - 5 or 6
  • Crushed garlic - 1 tsp


Method:
  • Take the tamarind in a small bowl. Add enough water to cover it and soak for 10 minutes. Soaking in warm water will quicken the process. 
  • Squeeze the tamarind and collect the pulp. Add little more water and prepare 1 cup of tamarind water. Adjust the sourness according to your taste. 
  • Add salt and sugar according to taste. This Appehuli tastes good with sweet - sour taste.
  • Heat oil in a small wok. Add dry red chilli, sesame seeds and a pinch of hing. 
  • Once the sesame seeds start crackling, add a pinch of turmeric powder, green chilli pieces and curry leaves. Sauté it for a while and add crushed garlic. 
  • Turn off the flame once the garlic becomes aromatic and add this seasoning to the tamarind water. 
  • Crush the chillies and crunchy curry leaves to enhance the taste. 
  • That's all, tasty Appehuli is ready to go with hot rice! 


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