Vanilla Sponge Cake

Sponge cake is the basic cake recipe to tried before going to more sophisticated recipes. Easy to try and can expect good results in one or two attempts itself.

Ingredients:

Maida	2 cups
Sugar	1 ¼ cup
Egg	6
Baking Powder	1 ½ tesp
Pineapple or Lemon Essence	2 tesp
Vanilla Essence	1 tesp
Oil	½ cup
Salt	1/8 tesp

Procedure:

1. Sieve the Maida with baking powder and keep it aside.

2. Grease the cake pan with oil and flour.

3. Preheat the oven for 10 mins at 200 degree C .

4. Break the eggs and pour into the wide bowl. Add sugar and beat them well till it reaches soft and fluffy consistency.

5. Then add salt, pineapple essence, vanilla essence and sieved Maida.

6. Mix them gently. Now add oil. Do not over mix. Just give the fold only.

7. Pour this batter into the greased pan and bake at 180⁰ C for 25 – 35 mins or till the inserted tooth pick comes out clean.

 Ensured that the cake cools down completely before serving it.

     

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Blooming Hibiscus

One of my first attempts in photography.

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Tri Color Idli

 I created this tri color idli for Republic day celebration.

Ingredients:

Dosa / Idli Batter	1 ½ cup
Coriander Leaves	½ cup
Curry Leaves	1 spring
Carrot	1
Oil	3 tea spoons

Procedure:

1. Clean and wash the coriander leaves and curry leaves.

2. Grind them into a fine paste with little water.

3. Filter the extract and keep it aside.

4. Peel the skin of the carrot and chop it into small pieces.

5. Grind the carrot with little water and extract the juice, keep it aside.

6. Divide the batter into 3 parts and take it into 3 bowls.

7. Now mix the coriander juice and carrot juice with batter separately.

8. Then make 3 different color small idlies with these 3 color batter.

9. Place the idlies on the plate and then arrange them like a flag.

           Tri Color Flag Idli is ready.

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Drumstick Leaves and Little Millet Soup | Little Millet Recipes

    This soup is different from others through the usage of millets for thickness and consistency instead of corn flour in regular soups. This is the good remedy for cough and cold in winter season.

Ingredients:

Drumstick Leaves	Handful
Little Millet / Saamai	2 tbsp
Split Green Gram / Yellow Moong dal	1 tbsp
Small Onion	4
Garlic Pods	2
Dry Ginger	¼ inch
Jawa Peppercorn / Vaal Milagu	6
Piper Longum / Thippili	2
Salt	As required
Roasted Cumin Seeds Powder	As required

Procedure:

1. Wash and soak little millet and moong dal together for 15 mins.

2. Grind the small onion, garlic pods, dry ginger, jawa peppercorns, and piper longum into a coarse paste.

3. Wash the leaves and keep it aside.

4. In a cooker, add the soaked millet and moong dal, ground paste, drumstick leaves and salt. Add enough water and pressure cook for 4-5 whistles in a high flame.

5. After pressure has gone, drain the soup completely and serve. Sprinkle roasted cumin powder at the time of serving.

      Healthy winter special soup is ready.

Note:

1. Adding cumin powder is optional.

2. You can use normal peppercorn instead of jawa peppercorn.

3. No need to drain the soup. You can have it with leaves also.

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Strawberry Kuzhi Paniyaram

Making traditional dishes attractive for kids is a big challenge. So I tried making paniyaram like a continental dish.

Ingredients:

Idli Batter or Paniyaram Batter	1 cup
Strawberry Sauce	¼ cup
Fresh Strawberry	2-3
Oil	For fry

Procedure:

1. Mix the batter and strawberry sauce well.

2. Wash and chop the strawberry into small pieces and keep it aside.

3. Heat the kuzhi / kuli paniyaram pan, pour few drops of oil and then pour this batter upto only half of the kuzhi.

4. Then keep 2-3 strawberry pieces at its center.

5. Again pour the batter upto ¾ of the kuzhi. Cook it in medium flame.

6. After few mins, turn them to the other side and cook until it becomes golden color on both sides.

     Yummy and tasty evening snack is ready to serve.

I am sending this to ShobsKitchen event.

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Bread Halwa | Halwa Recipes | Bread Recipes

     Need a sweet to be prepared within 15 minutes – really fast and quick? But yet want to create a special feel as well? Bread Halwa is a good recipe that fits this well.  The recipe requires only standard ingredients readily available in kitchen at all times.

     Before going into the procedure, I want to thank my sister for giving this recipe idea.

     Ingredients:

Bread Slices	10
Sugar	1 ¼ cup
Water	1 ½  cup
Cardamom Seeds	3
Vanilla Essence	1 tesp
Ghee	1 tbsp
Oil	For Frying
Cashew nuts	7

Procedure:

1. Remove the crust of the bread slices and cut them into two halves or small pieces.

2. Heat the oil in a pan and deep fry the bread slices until they turns into golden brown. Keep it aside.

3. Heat the ghee in a small pan and fry the nuts till golden brown, Keep it aside.

4. Mix the sugar and water. Heat the mixture until the sugar dissolves completely.

5. Now add the fried bread slices one by one and press them well with ladle. Keep the flame at simmer.

6. Mash the mixture well with hand blender or ladle.

7. Then add the ghee and nuts mixture, essence and powdered cardamom into the halwa.

8. Stir well till the water absorbs completely and the mixture comes to halwa consistency.

Easy and yummy bread halwa is ready to eat. Serve it hot. Use this for 3-4 days without having to store in the fridge.

Note:

1. Adjust the sugar level according to your requirement.

2. you can add  any other dry nuts also if you wish.

     3. you can use rose essence instead of vanilla essence.

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Happy Pongal - இனிய பொங்கல் நல் வாழ்த்துக்கள் !!!

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Mixed Millets Ven Pongal - Millet Recipes

This recipe is a healthy and tasty dish - Ven Pongal with combination of  kodo, barnyard and little millets. 

Ingredients:

Kodo Millet / Varagu	1/3 cup
Barnyard Millet/ Kuthiraivali	1/3 cup
Little Millet / Saamai	1/3 cup
Split green moong dal / Paasipparuppu	½ cup
Cumin Seeds	1 tes
Black Pepper	1 tes
Ginger	1 inch (grated)
Curry Leaves	1 spring
Salt	As required
To Temper
Ghee	1 tbs
Cashew nuts (chopped)	1tbs

 Procedure:

1. Dry roast all the millets together and moong dal separately till the aroma comes out. Allow them into cool down and mix them together. Wash and soak it in a cup of water for 5 mins.

2. Dry roast pepper and cumin seeds together till the aroma comes out.

3. In a pressure cooker, add the millets and moong dal mixture with water. Then add roasted pepper and cumin seeds, curry leaves, grated ginger, salt and 5 cups of water. Mix them well.

    4. Pressure cook for 1 whistle in high flame and keep the flame in sim for 7       mins.

5. Heat the pan, add ghee and fry cashew nuts.

6. After pressure has gone, temper it with fried cashew nuts.

   Mixed millet ven pongal is ready to eat. Serve it with Coconut chutney, Sambar and Vadai.

Note:

Mix the millets in any ratio. But the mixture should come to 1 cup.

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