DIWALI !!

Diwali !! The festival of lights and victory of good over evil! also the festival everyone looks forward to for all the sweets and savouries that are prepared in all the households. The end of dassehra begins the spring cleaning and sweet smells wafting from kitchens! Well I do not as such make many things but atleast a few and this time just made 3 items that is karanjis, chaklis and sakkarparas (shankarpale or by whatever different names you call it). Right now just adding the picture of the things I made, will soon be posting the recipes too. Btw belated Happy Diwali and a Happy and Prosperous New Year to all !!

Cheesy Rolls!!

 

 

 Cheesy Rolls-

 Ingredients:

Few slices of sandwich bread

200 gms of processed cheddar cheese grated

1 medium onion chopped finely

1-2 green chillies chopped finely

Few sprigs of coriander leaves chopped

1/4^th tsp pizza seasoning (optional)

Oil for deep frying

In a bowl mix grated cheese, onion, coriander leaves, green chillies and pizza seasoning (if using). Take a slice of bread dip it in a bowl of water (not completely) and squeeze out the excess water to make it moldable then put a spoonful of the cheese mixture and make it into rolls. Make as many as can be made from the above mixture. In the meanwhile keep oil on heat for deep frying. Deep fry these rolls till golden brown and crispy.

Serve them with tomato sauce.

Note: While making the rolls keep in mind that the rolls don’t break otherwise while frying the cheese will spill out in the oil.

DAL PAKWAAN

Ingredients
For Dal:

1 ½ cup chana dal (washed & soaked for 2-3 hrs)

½ cup moong dhuli dal (peeli dal / without outer covering) washed & soaked for ½ hour

½ tsp turmeric pd

3-4 cups water to cook the dal

1 tsp jeera

1 tsp red chilli pd

½ tsp garam masala pd

½ tsp amchoor pd

2 tsp ghee / oil

Salt to taste

A pinch of hing

For Pakwan:

2 cups maida

2-3 tbsp oil

Salt to taste

½ tsp  jeera (optional)

Water to knead the dough

Oil for deep frying

Method: 

For Pakwan:

Mix oil, salt, jeera (if using), into the maida and knead it into a soft pliable dough. Keep it covered for a few minutes, then make small balls and roll into thin puris, prick these puris with a fork or a knife(as shown in pic) and deep fry till golden and crisp. Drain and keep aside.

For Dal:

Cook the dals alongwith salt and turmeric pd till done but not mushy, then add all the masalas. In a pan heat the ghee/oil and add jeera, when it starts changing colour add the hing and pour over the dal.

Serve dal pakwan with coriander-mint chutney, chopped onions(optional).

ZEBRA CAKE

Ingredients

6 Medium eggs  or 4 Large eggs

1 cup Sugar

1 cup Milk (I used low fat )

1 cup Vegetable oil

2 cups Maida

2½ tbsp Cocoa powder

1 tbsp Baking powder

1 tsp Vanilla essence

¼ tsp Salt

In a large bowl beat the eggs and sugar till light and creamy, then add the milk, oil and vanilla essence. In another bowl whisk together maida, baking powder and salt, then add to the vanilla mixture. Divide the mixture equally and add cocoa powder to one bowl. Before assembling the mixture preheat the oven to 1800 C. Take a round tin and line it with parchment paper and grease it all round. Now the assembling part : in the centre of the tin put 3 tbsp or a ladle full of the vanilla batter first then 3 tbsp of the cocoa batter, continue in this way till both the batters are exhausted (as shown in the picture).

 **(Do not at any point try to spread the batter yourself by tapping the tin as the batter will spread itself)**. Bake it for about 50 minutes or until the skewer comes out clean. Cool the cake for 10-15 minutes and serve it with coffee or just have it plain or sprinkled with icing sugar.

P S: The original recipe is taken from here:-  http://bakingbites.com/2008/07/zebra-cake/

Sindhi Sai Bhaji recipe

Sai Bhaji

Ingredients

2 bunches Paalak (Spinach)

½ cup chana dal soaked for ½ hour

2 small onions sliced finely

2-3 green chillies

3 medium tomatoes

1  cup brinjal bottle gourd (lauki) cut into cubes

2 cloves of garlic sliced

1 tsp Turmeric powder

1 tbsp oil

Salt as per taste

For tempering:

1 tbsp ghee

1 tsp cumin seeds

1 garlic clove chopped finely

1 tsp red chilli powder

½ tsp hing powder

Wash and chop paalak roughly. In a pressure cooker heat 1 tbsp oil and add the sliced onion and garlic, sauté till light pink, add tomatoes, chana dal, green chillies, vegetables, paalak and turmeric powder. Mix everything properly, cover  and cook till 3-4 whistles and put the gas on slow for about 5 minutes. Switch off the gas and let the cooker cool down. Open and beat the paalak either with mathni or hand blender, add salt to taste and then finally the tempering. Serve alongwith pulao, papad and raita of your choice.