Eggless Vanilla Sponge Cake

Preparation Time : 20 min.

Baking Time : 45 min.
Baking Temperature : 350 degree Fahrenheit

Complexity : Medium

Ingredients :

Maida : 2 cups

Unsalted Butter : 1/2 cup

Condensed Milk : 1 cup

Milk : 1 cup

Sugar : 1/2 cup

Baking Powder : 1 tsp

Baking Soda : 3/4 tsp

Vanilla Essence : 1 tsp

Cashews (chopped ) : 1/4 cup

Raisins : 1/4 cup

Method :

1. Sieve maida, baking powder and baking soda together and keep aside.
2. Take sugar and butter in a bowl and beat them until mixture becomes fluffy.
3. Add condensed milk and beat again for 3-4 min.
4. Add vanilla essence and mix well.
5. Now add sieved maida mixture and mix gently.
6. Now keep on adding milk until batter gets dropping consistency. 
7. Add cashews and raisins to it and mix well.
8. Pour the batter in a greased and dusted baking pan.
9. Pre-heat oven at 350 degree Fahrenheit.
10. Place the pan in oven and bake it for 45 min.
11. Take a tooth pick and poke it to check whether it comes out clean or not, if not then bake it for another 5-10 min.
12. Turn off the oven.
13. Eggless vanilla sponge cake is ready. Let it cool down and invert the pan over plate or tray to unmould the cake. Cut in the pieces and serve it.
    

Kaju Badam Poha Namkeen

Preparation Time : 5 Min.

Cooking Time : 15 Min.

Complexity : Easy

Ingredients :

Murmure (Puffed Rice) : 1.5 cup

Poha (Flattened Rice) : 1 cup

Corn flakes : 1 cup

Peanuts : 1 cup

Almonds : 1/2 cup

Cashew nuts : 1/2 cup

Raisins : 1/4 cup

Coconut : 1/4 cup (chopped in thin strips)

Curry leaves : 10

Oil : to fry

Spices :

Cumin seeds : 1/2 tsp

Asafoetida   : 1 pinch

Turmeric : 3/4 tsp

Salt : as per taste

Sugar :1 tsp

Red chilli powder : 1/2 tsp

Chat masala : 1.5 tsp

Method :

1. Heat enough oil in a deep and wide pan (Kadhai).
2. When oil become hot then add curry leaves and fry them till they become crispy.
3. Now fry peanuts on medium flame till they become golden.
4. In similar way fry coconut, cashew nuts and almonds till they become golden.
5. Now add poha in hot oil. When done it will come up and start floating over oil.
6. In the same way fry corn flakes.
7. Now heat 1 tbsp of oil in a wide and deep pan.
8. Add cumin seeds and allow them to sizzle. Then add turmeric and asafoetida to it.
9. Add puffed rice and roast them till they become crispy. Now turn off the flame.
10. Now add all fried ingredients to it and mix well.
11. Add salt, red chilli powder, sugar and chat masala and mix well.
12. Let it cool completely and store in an airtight container.

Tips :

1. Fry poha and corn flakes in hot oil otherwise they will not become crispy.

2. Add all spices in hot namkeen as soon as possible otherwise spices will not stick to it.

3. You can adjust the quantity of peanut, cashew nuts and almonds according to your own taste.

Ras Malai

Preparation Time : 15 Min.

Cooking Time : 60 Min.

Complexity : High

Ingredients :

Chenna : 250 gms. (For chenna recipe please refer this link :  http://swatigreenkitchen.blogspot.com/2013/10/chhena-or-paneer-at-home.html )

Sugar : 1.5 cup

Water : 5 cup

Milk : 1 ltr. (5 cup)

Saffron : 15-20 threads

Cardamom : 4-5 (peeled and grind)

Pistachios : 15-20 (chopped)

Almonds : 10-12 (chopped)

Method :

1. Mash Chenna in bowl to make a smooth dough. 
   
2. Take small portion of Chenna and make small flattened balls.
3. Now take 1 cup sugar and 5 cup of water in a pressure cooker and let it boil on high flame.
4. As soon as sugar syrup starts boiling add 6-7 Chenna ball and cover it. (Number of Chenna balls depends on your cooker size)
5. Cook it on high flame until one whistle and then let it cook for another 6-7 min. on low flame.
6. Now put water in a wide pan and place pressure cooker in it to cool it down.
7. When it cools down, take out Chenna balls and follow same process with other balls.
8. Leave these balls in sugar syrup for 3-4 hours.
9. Boil milk in a heavy bottomed pan at low flame and stir it continuously. 
10. Add saffron, cardamom, pistachios and almonds to milk.
11. Keep boiling the milk until it reduces to half or 60% of its quantity.
12. Now add sugar. Your milk is ready to dip ras malai.
13. After 3-4 hours take balls from sugar syrup and dip them into milk.
14. Garnish ras malai with pistachios and almonds.
15. Refrigerate ras malai for 3-4 hours and serve them chilled. 

Tips :

1. Do not boil too many chenna balls at a time in cooker otherwise they will not get enough to increase in size.

Chhena or Paneer At Home

Ingredients :

Full Cream Milk : 1 ltr. (5 cups)

Vinegar or Lemon juice : 2 tab sp.

Method:

1. Boil the milk in a deep, heavy bottomed non-stick pan and keep on stirring so that milk do not stick at the bottom of the pan.
2. Once milk starts to boil add the lemon juice or vinegar gradually and keep on stirring until the milk starts curdling.
3. Drain it using a strainer line with muslin cloth.
4. Wash the chenna with cold water and squeeze it till all the water is drained out.
5. If you want to use chenna to make curry recipe, then place a heavy object on wrapped chenna or paneer.

 

Sandesh

Preparation Time : 15 Min.

Cooking Time : 30 Min.

Complexity : Medium

Ingredients :

Milk : 8 cups

Lemon juice : 1/4 cup

Sugar :1/2 cup

Green cardamom powder : 1/2 tsp

For Garnish :

Pistachios, chopped : 2 tbsp

Saffron : 8-10 thread

Method :

1. Boil the milk in a deep, thick bottomed non-stick pan.
2. Add the lemon juice gradually and keep on stirring until the milk starts curdling.
3. Drain it using a strainer line with muslin cloth.
4. Wash the chenna with cold water and squeeze it till all the water is drained out.
5. knead the chenna with your palm for 4-6 min to smoothen it.
6. Add sugar and green cardamom powder and knead again for 3-4 min.
7. Now heat a non-stick pan and add this mixture to it and cook on slow heat for 8 min.
8. Turn off the heat and take this mixture on a plate. Let it cool down at room temperature.
9. Rub it again with your palms.
10. Now divide it into 12 equal portions and roll each portion into a ball and make a dent on top.
11. Mix saffron threads in 1 tsp of warm milk and mix it well.
12. Now put a drop of saffron paste on dent and garnish it with pistachios.
13. Refrigerate them for few hours and serve chilled!!

Tips : 

1. Vinegar  can also be used instead of lemon juice for curdling.
2. Make sure not to overcook chenna otherwise it will become crumbly.
3. You can make sandesh in various shapes.
4. For garnishing you can also use almonds, pineapple or any thing of your choice.

Khasta Kachori

Preparation Time : 20 Min. + 2 hours soaking time for Daal

Cooking Time : 30 Min.

Complexity : Medium

Ingredients : 

For Dough :

Refined flour (Maida) : 2 cups

Semolina (sooji) : 2 tbsp

Salt : 1/2  tsp or as per taste

Oil : 1/4 cup

For Stuffing :

Urad Daal(white) : 1/2 cup

Green chilli : 2-4

Ginger : 1 inch long piece finely chopped

Cumin seeds : 1/4 tsp

Asafoetida : 1 pinch

Red chilli powder : 1 tsp

Coriander powder : 1 tsp

Garam masala : 1/2 tsp

Fennel seeds (crushed) : 2 tsp

Salt : As per taste

Oil : to fry

Method :

1. Take refined flour and semolina in a bowl, add salt and oil. Mix well and add water to make a soft dough.
2. Wash and soak the daal in water for 2 hours, drain it and wash well.
3. Grind the daal in a grinder coarsely.
4. Heat oil in a pan and put cumin seeds, Asafoetida and ginger and mix them.
5. Add coriander powder and fennel seeds and roast them.
6. Add daal and salt into it. Mix them and roast it.
7. Turn off the gas and add gram masala into mixture. Now stuffing is ready.
8. Take a small portion of dough. Flattened it and stuff it with 1 tsp of daal filling. Close the edges.
9. Roll the stuffed ball into flat thick kachori.
10. Heat the oil in a deep pan and fry kachori in it until it gets golden brown in color. Make sure heat should be on medium flame while  frying the kachori.
11. In similar way make more kachories. Your khasta kachori are ready to serve. Serve it with green coriander chutney, chole or aaloo sabzi.

Paneer Sandwich

Preparation Time : 15 Min.

Cooking Time : 25 Min.

Complexity : Medium

Ingredients :

Cottage Cheese (Paneer) : 400 grams.

Bead Slice : 3

Oil : 3 tbsp

Corn Flour : 1 tbsp

Boiled potato : 3 Medium, Mashed

Green chili : 2-3 or as per taste

Salt : As per taste

Red chili powder : 1/2 tsp

Lemon juice : 1 tsp

Chat Masala : 1tsp

Tomato Ketchup : 1tbsp

Cilantro : 1tbsp, finely chopped

Method :

1. Toast bread slices on a non stick pan or in a toaster.
2. Grind toasted bread slices coarsely to make bread crumbs.
3. Now cut cottage cheese into 1/2 cm thick slices and set aside.
4. Heat 1 tbsp of oil in a pan and add green chillies and sauté. 
5. Add boiled mashed potatoes, tomato ketchup and mix well.
6. Now add salt, chat masala, red chili powder, lemon juice, chopped cilantro and mix well. Now stuffing is ready.
7. Now take a cottage cheese slice and  spread a portion of stuffing evenly on it. Now cover it with another cottage cheese slice to make a sandwich. In the same way make more sandwiches. Keep them aside.
8. Now dissolve corn flour in 1/2 cup of water.
9. Heat oil in a non stick pan.
10. Dip sandwiches in the dissolved corn flour and coat evenly with bread crumbs.
11. Place these sandwiches on non stick pan and grill them from both side till they become golden brown.
12. Remove them from pan and cut them into triangles and serve hot.