Eggless chocklate cake

Ingredients

• All Purpose Flour – 1 cup
• Baking Powder – ½ tsp
• Baking Soda – 1 tsp
• Unsweetened Cocoa Powder – 6 tbsp
• Granulated Sugar – ¾ cup
• Vegetable oil – ½ cup ( I used sunflower oil)
• Hot Coffee – ¼ cup (1 tsp of coffee in ¼cup hot water)
• Milk – ¼ cup, room temp
• Yogurt – ¼ cup, room temp
• Vanilla essence – 1 tsp

Chocolate Icing

• Unsalted Butter – 100 gms, room temp
• Cocoa powder – ⅓ cup
• Icing sugar – 2-2.5 cups
• Vanilla essence – 1 tsp
• Hot water – 2-3 tbsp

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 180 C, 10 mins before baking. Lightly grease the cake tin and line with parchment paper.
2. In a large bowl sift together the all purpose flour, baking soda, baking powder, cocoa powder and sugar. Make a well.
3. Add all the wet ingredients one by one.
4. With an electric mixer, beat the mixture on low speed for 2-3 minutes until the dry and wet ingredients are well combined. Do not over beat it.
5. Pour the batter in the prepared pan. Tap the pan a couple of times so the batter is spread evenly and there are no air bubbles.
6. Bake for about 30 min. Check the cake with tooth pick. Toothpick inserted in the middle of the cake should come clean when the cake is ready.
7. Once out of the oven, transfer the pan to a wiring rack to cool. After about an hour remove the cake from the pan and let the cake cool completely before icing.
8. For icing – combine the softened butter and cocoa powder with a hand whisk or a wooden spoon. Add a little of hot water and mix well. Add 1 cup of icing sugar and vanilla essence. Mix well. Add a tbsp of hot water, if required, mix and add one more cup of icing sugar. Combine well. Do a taste test and add more sugar if required. Also, add more hot water to suit your required consistency.

Mutton roganjosh

Ingredients:

Mutton - 1 kg chops

Curd or Yoghurt (dahi) - 3 tbsp

Chilli powder - 1 tsp

Fennel seeds (Mouri or Saunf) - 3 tsp, powdered in a coffeee grinder or mortar and pestle

Ginger - 1/2 tsp, grated

Black cardamom (Bodo elaichi) - 1

Green cardamom (elaichi) - 2

Cinammon (darchini) - 1 inch stick

Cloves (lobongo or lavang) -3

Asafoetida or Hing - 1 small pinch

Garam masala powder -1/2 tsp

Oil - 3 tbsp

Salt to taste

Preparation:

Wash the mutton and drain the water.

Cooking procedure:

In a pressure cooker, add the oil and heat to smoking. Add the green and black cardamoms, cloves, cinnamon and the hing powder and fry until the spices sputter.

Add the mutton chops and fry for 4-5 minutes. Add 1 cup water, close the cooker and pressure cook on low flame for 25 minutes. Do not use high heat or mutton will be overcooked. If required, remove after 20 minutes and check the tenderness. The mutton should be almost done.

Remove the mutton and cool to room temperature.

In a bowl, add the curd, chilli powder, fennel powder, ginger, garam masala, and salt to taste, whisk in one direction for 1 minute till mixture is smooth.

To the almost cooked mutton, add the curd mixture on low heat. Stir frequently for 7-10 minutes until the oil starts to leave the masala.

Garnish with coriander leaves and sliced halves of a boiled egg. Serve hot.

gulab ki kheer

INGREDIENTS                                                                                     QUANTITY

fresh rose petals                                                                                            50 gm
milk                                                                                                               2 ltrs   
sugar                                                                                                             1 cup
milk powder                                                                                                  2 tbsp
khoya (grated)                                                                                               2 tbsp           

METHOD

Select any scented variety of roses – the desi roses work best. Pluck all the petals discarding the stigma (the central portion) and set aside.Boil the milk along with the rose petals (leave them whole), till it reduces to half. Ensure that the milk doesn’t burn – do it on a low flame in a heavy-bottom pan. Add one cup of sugar,milk powder and khoya and then  boil till its consistency is thick. Cool and then refrigerate for at least one hour before your serve. Garnish with some more rose petals.                                         

PAAN KULFI (ICE CREAM)

Reduced milk flavoured with meetha pan, set in kulfi moulds and served
Preparation Time : 25 - 30 minutes
Cooking Time : 6 - 7 hours

Ingredients

Milk                                       5 cups
Sugar                               1/2 cup
Mawa (khoya)                       3/4 cup
Fennel seeds (saunf)               1 tablespoon
Gulkand                               2 tablespoons
Green cardamom powder       1/4 teaspoon
Paan leaves                       4
Meetha paan                       4

Method


Bring milk to a boil and cook till reduced to one third its volume.

Remove from heat and add sugar and mix. Add khoya and mix.

Crush fennel seeds and add to the kulfi mixture and mix well. Add gulkand and mix. Add green cardamom powder and mix again.Wash the paan leaves and break them. Put them in a soup strainer and pour the hot kulfi mixture over. Pass both of them through the strainer.

Break the Meetha paan and pass through the strainer into the kulfi mixture. Mix well.

Fill the mixture into kulfi cones and cover them with lid. If desired you can seal the lid with dough.

Keep the cones in the deep freezer for four to six hours or till well set.

butter chicken

Ingredients

	Boneless chicken ,cut into 1½ inch pieces	400 grams
•	Lemon juice	1 tablespoon
•	Kashmiri red chilli powder	1 teaspoon
•	Salt	to taste
•	Butter	2 tablespoons
•	For marinade
•	Yogurt	1/2 cup
•	Ginger paste	2 teaspoons
•	Garlic paste	2 teaspoons
•	Kashmiri red chilli powder	1/2 teaspoon
•	Garam masala powder	1/2 teaspoon
•	Salt	to taste
•	Mustard oil	2 teaspoon
•	FOR MAKHNI GRAVY
•	Butter	2 tablespoons
•	Green cardamom	2
•	Clove	2
•	Black peppercorns	2-3
•	Cinnamon	1 inch piece
•	Ginger paste	1 teaspoon
•	Garlic paste	1 teaspoon
•	Tomato puree	1/2 cup
•	Red chilli powder	1/2 teaspoon
•	Salt	to taste
•	Sugar	2 tablespoons
•	Kasoori methi	1/2 teaspoon
•	Fresh cream	1/2 cup

Method

Apply a mixture of red chilli powder, lemon juice and salt to the chicken pieces and set aside for half an hour in the refrigerator.

 Hang the yogurt in a muslin cloth for fifteen to twenty minutes to remove extra water. Add the ginger and garlic pastes, red chilli and garam masala powders, salt and mustard oil. Apply this marinade to the chicken pieces and place them in the refrigerator for three to four hours.

Preheat the oven to 200°C/400°F/Gas

Mark 6. String the chicken pieces onto skewers and cook in the preheated oven or a moderately hot tandoor for ten to twelve minutes or until almost done.

 Baste with the butter and cook for another two minutes. Remove and set aside.

 To make the makhni gravy, heat the butter in a non-stick pan. Add the green cardamoms, cloves, peppercorns and cinnamon.

 Sauté for two minutes, add the ginger and garlic pastes and sauté for two minutes. Add the tomato puree, red chilli powder, salt and half cup of water.

Bring the mixture to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for ten minutes. Add the sugar or honey and powdered kasoori methi. Add the cooked tandoori chicken pieces. Simmer for five minutes and add the fresh cream. Serve hot with naan or parantha.

Mind-boggling food facts

1 Pineapple is a natural painkiller The fruit contains anti-inflammatory enzymes that bring pain relief from conditions such as arthritis, according to a study at Reading University.
2 Pomegranate juice could prevent a heart attack This wonder juice is believed to improve blood flow to the heart and lower blood pressure.
3 Onions are natural antibiotics They might make your breath pong but onions contain allicin, a powerful antibiotic that also protects the circulatory system.
4 Mushrooms can ward off colds They contain more of an immune-boosting antioxidant called ergothioneine than any other food, say researchers at Pennsylvania State University.
6 Blueberries can boost memory A study at Tufts University in Boston showed eating half a cup of this fruit regularly could delay age-related deterioration in co-ordination and short-term memory.
8 Eat chocolate, live longer Hurray! Harvard University scientists say that eating a couple of chocolate bars a week could extend your life by almost a year.
9 Grapefruit juice can stop medicine working If you're taking medication, avoid washing it down with grapefruit juice as there is evidence that it prevents some drugs being broken down.
10 You should never drink tea or coffee with meals Tannins in tea and coffee prevent absorption of certain nutrients. A cup of tea with a meal will halve the iron you get from it, whereas a glass of orange juice will double it.
11 Cherries can cure gout Cherries contain compounds that significantly reduce the chemicals in the body which cause joint inflammation.
12 Eating curry could help prevent Alzheimer's According to a report in the Journal of Biological Chemistry, a yellow pigment used in curry, curcumin, can stop amyloid plaques in the brain that cause the condition.
13 Sniffing a lemon could help you beat asthma The UK's 5.1 million asthmatics could find lemons ease their symptoms. Studies in rats found that breathing improved after they inhaled limonene, the chemical that gives lemons their smell.
14 Kiwi fruit can improve your eyesight This fuzzy fruit is a surprisingly good source of lutein, an antioxidant that protects your vision.
15 Garlic can cure mouth ulcers and verrucas Here's an old wives' tale that works: halve a clove of garlic, squeeze, and apply a drop of the juice to the offending growth at bedtime.
16 You can have too little salt Too much salt isn't good for us but not getting enough can trigger low blood pressure in those susceptible. Consult your GP before making any major diet changes.
17 Figs can delay brittle bone disease Good news for the three million osteoporosis sufferers in the UK - it is possible to slow its progress by eating calcium-packed figs.
18 Soya can mimic breast cancer drugs A team of Cambridge researchers discovered that a diet high in soya can have a similar effect to anti-cancer drug Tamoxifen.
19 Barbecued-food can cause cancer Eating meat that's chargrilled or burnt could lead to stomach, pancreatic, colon and breast cancer because it creates high levels of carcinogenic compounds.
20 Cinnamon can help diabetics Just half a teaspoon a day of this spice can significantly reduce blood sugar levels in diabetics, says US research.
21 Chillies can help you breath more easily Capsaicin, which occurs in chillies, shrinks the mucous membranes which can ease blocked noses and sinuses.
22 Watermelon is good for the prostate Men will be glad to know that the red flesh contains the antioxidant Lycopene, which helps keep the prostate gland healthy.
23 Coriander can lower your cholesterol levels This aromatic herb can reduce cholesterol levels and prevent heart problems.
24 Nibbling nuts can prevent blood clots Nuts boost nitric oxide, a compound that relaxes blood vessels and eases blood flow.
25 Banish bad breath with natural yoghurt A few spoonfuls of natural yoghurt can neutralise halitosis, according to Japanese researchers.

paneer butter masala

Ingredients:

• 250 gm Paneer • 2 Onions (blanched and pureed) • 2tbsp Butter • 3 tbsp Tomato puree • 1 tsp Ginger garlic paste • 2 tbsp Cashew nut paste • 2 tbsp Kashmiri chili powder • 1 tsp Coriander powder • 1 tsp Turmeric powder • 1 tsp Garam masala • 1 Cup Fresh cream Method: • Cut Paneer in cubes and fry. Soak them in warm water so that they become soft. • Heat butter in a kadai and add the onion puree and sauté till they turn light brown in color. (This is also known as brown paste) • Add Ginger garlic paste to the brown paste mixture and sauté for sometime. • Then add the Kashmiri chili powder, coriander powder, cashew paste, tomato puree, turmeric powder, garam masala powder and salt and sauté for sometime. • Add the soaked paneer cubes, little water and allow it to cook till the gravy becomes semi-solid. • Finally garnish it with fresh cream. • Paneer Butter Masala is ready.