Monday, July 29, 2013

Bombay Style Masala toast

How does the idea of Bombay Masala Toast with a cup of tea sounds to you in this rainy season??It is what I had this weekend and thought of sharing the recipe here.
I did a small variation in this humble toast,I made it into a double decker sandwich  so that I can include lots of crispy veggies and cheese in between the layers of green chutney topped bread slices.



Ingredients

3 slices of bread (white or brown, I have taken multi grain bread)
3 tablespoons of green chutney
1/2 medium sized tomato,thinly sliced
1/2 medium sized potato,boiled and thinly sliced
1/2 small capsicum, deseeded and thinly sliced
a few slices of cucumber
2 tablespoon grated Mozzarella Cheese
Chat masala to sprinkle
Butter,enough to spread

How to prepare Bombay style masala toast


  • Butter 3 slices of bread on one side 
  • Then apply 1 tablespoon of green chutney on each slice


  • On first slice of bread,arrange cucumber slices evenly and then arrange potato slices on over it. Generously sprinkle chat masala on top.
  • Place another slice on top with its buttered side up.


  • Arrange a layer on tomato slices and then finely sliced capsicum.Generously sprinkle chat masala on top.
  • Lastly sprinkle grated cheese over capsicum and place last slice of bread with buttered side pointing inside
  • Carefully place the sandwich on a hot grill and toast for 5 minutes till golden brown on both sides
  • Serve hot with green chutney and tomato ketchup





Quick Tips

  • Be sure to butter bread slices evenly otherwise the bread will get soggy due to green chutney
  • You can also use shredded cabbage,carrots,onion slices or any veggie of your choice in your sandwich.Imagination is the limit.
  • This sandwich can also be toasted on a griddle/tawa on gas top. Just make sure to press the sandwich well  before flipping it for the first time.











Green Mango Mint Chutney

I just love the season of mangoes. There are so many delicious recipes based around mangoes and it is so sad that they are available only for few months a year.
There are gazillon recipes for green chutney but this raw mango and mint chutney is the best green chutney I have tried so far.This is my mothers recipe and it goes well with almost everything like onion bhajiyas,chaats,samosas, as a sandwich spread.


Ingredients

1 medium sized raw mango,chopped roughly
1/2 Cup mint leaves
2 cups Green Coriander,roughly chopped
1 green chilly
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon Cumin/ Jeera
1/4 teaspoon black salt
Salt to taste


How to prepare green mango mint chutney

Grind all the ingredients of chutney together in a mixer by adding a little water till you get a chutney of smooth consistency.Adjust water quantity and seasoning according to personal preference.
If you like your chutney hot then you can add 2-3 green chillies.I add raw Amla /Gooseberry to it  during winters in place of raw mango.The color of this chutney gets a little pale because of green mango but it makes up for the color by having loads of flavors. It stays well refrigerated for up to one week.
A must have accompaniment for rainy season snacks!






Friday, July 19, 2013

Eggless Caramel Carrot Cake

I am back with another favorite cake of mine Caramel Carrot cake.You don't need any fancy equipments like beater for making this cake.Just a simple bowl and a couple of spatulas will do.The more popular version of carrot cake uses spice mix,raisins etc. in the cake but my version of carrot cake is more kid friendly.It has loads of carrots hidden in it and with its rich caramely taste it is hard to resist.My 3 years old son Aarav loves to munch on this cake(and me too:p) and there is any hardly left within  an hour of its baking.This cake turns out to be so soft and spongy with a rich caramel taste and it has the right amount of sweetness.It's just the way I like it, not too sweet.




Ingredients


2 cups Refined Flour/Maida
2 cups Carrots,grated
1/2 Cup Sugar,Powdered
1 teaspoon Baking Powder
1 teaspoon Baking Soda
1 Teaspoon Vanilla Extract or Essence
1/2 Cup Refined Oil(I used Rice Bran Oil)
1/2 Cup Milk

For the Caramel Syrup

1/2 Cup Sugar
1/2 Cup Water

How to Prepare Caramel Chocolate Cake



  1. To prepare Caramel Syrup,heat sugar in a completely dry pan over medium heat,keep stirring it till it turns a deep amber color. Take care that sugar does not gets burned at this stage.Add 1/2 Cup of water to the caramel,give it one boil and turn off the flame.Let it cool while you do other preparation.
  2. Preheat Oven to 180 degrees Celsius and grease a 8 inch cake tin with some buuter or oil and dust it with a little maida and keep aside
  3. Grate Carrots and keep aside in a bowl.
  4. Sieve Refined flour along with baking powder and baking soda in a separate bowl
  5. In a separate bowl combine oil,grated carrots,sugar Powder,vanilla extract and caramel syrup and mix till sugar is completely dissolved
  6. Into the above mixture fold the flour gently in 3 separate batches till the mixture is well mixed and no more flour streaks can be seen 
  7. Add 1/2 cup milk to the prepared batter to get a batter of thick flowing consistency
  8. Pour the batter into the greased cake tin and tap gently to make it even
  9. Bake in a preheated oven at 180 degrees Celsius for 40-45 minutes till top is golden brown in color and toothpick inserted in the middle of cake comes out clean.
  10. Let the cake cool completely before taking it out of the tin and serving.

Quick Tips

  • You can substitute  1 cup Refined flour with one cup whole wheat flour in the recipe to get an even healthier version of this recipe and its tastes as good as the original recipe
  • While preparing caramel syrup add hot water instead of cold water to minimise splattering
  • You can add walnut pieces,almond pieces or raisins to the batter.I didn't add any as my son does not like nuts.
  • It is a nutritious tiffin box recipe for kids and keeps well for upto a week refrigerated.
  • You can adjust the quantity of milk added a little bit according to the juiciness of the carrots.The final batter should be of thick flowing consistency.







Wednesday, July 17, 2013

Eggless Melting Moments Cookies

Hello Everyone! After a looong break I would be posting new recipes on this blog of mine.So let me start this blog again with a sweet recipe. My favorite Melting Moments Cookies.





My Sis used to make these cookie more than a decade back and I used to love eating them. I asked my sister to dig up this recipe for me and I baked them over the weekend.They are as delectable and melt in the mouth as I remember. These cookies are very light,soft in center with crunchy exterior and they soon disappear off the plate.


Recipe

140 gms Refined Wheat Flour/Maida
85 gms Sugar, Powdered
115 gm White Butter
½ Cup Cornflakes, Crushed






Method of preparation

1. Preheat oven to 180 degree Celsius and line a cookie sheet with parchment paper

2. Sieve Refined Flour and keep aside

3. Beat Butter and Sugar till the mixture becomes light and creamy

4. Gradually add the Sifted Flour to the butter sugar mix and make smooth dough.
5. Make small lemon sized balls from the prepared dough and roll the in crushed cornflakes mixture.
6. Place cookies 2 cm apart on a lined baking tray and bake for about 20-25 minutes at 180 degree Celsius till cookies are light brown in color.

7. Let the cookies remain for 5 minutes on baking tray before transferring them to wire rack to cool completely. Store in an airtight container.



Quick Tips

  • Cornflakes can be crushed easily by putting them in a poly bag and pressing lightly with a rolling pin.
  • Make sure the butter is at room temperature so that the beating process gets a whole lot easier
  • These cookies can also be rolled in sugar granules instead of cornflakes and they taste equally good