Cucumber Dip

Dips! For me no party menu is complete without one, hence the pressure to innovate and not repeat earlier ones :) This was a super hit, went all out with the chillies to give it a zing, you can modify as per your taste. Serve with chips (calorific but the best option!) or vegetables or lavash..


Ingredients (makes one big cup size)

1 cup hung curd
1 cucumber
1 tablespoon grated cheese or cheese spread
2 green chillies
1 tablespoon chopped herbs (fresh or dried)
1 tablespoon olive oil,plus extra
1 garlic pod
Salt to taste

1. Peel the cucumber and chop into rough pieces.
2. Put the cucumber and all the ingredients into the mixer jar and blend into a smooth dip. You can use any choice of herbs, fresh herbs preferred.
3. Garnish with olive oil and serve chilled with chips.

Spiced Lauki Cake (eggless)

Everyone makes a carrot cake, so tried to experiment with a variation - lauki ! By itself, lauki (or bottle gourd ) is  a very bland tasting vegetable, so I chose to spice things up with ginger and cinnamon.To match the colour of the gourd, added some pistachios as well. The end result - a deliciosuly moist and flavoursome tea cake !


Ingredients

1/2 tin condensed milk
50 gms butter
40 ml milk
1 cup flour
1 cup grated lauki/bottle gourd
1/4 cup chopped pistachios
1 teaspoon vanilla essence
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon powder
3/4 teaspoon grated ginger

1. Pre-heat oven to 250 degrees (this temperature will be reduced later)
2. Beat the condensed milk and butter for 3-4 minutes till thick and creamy.
3. Beat in the milk at speed 1. Add the lauki and beat again tillmixed in.
4. Sieve the flour,baking powder and baking soda together.
5. Add the flour mixture in two parts, beating continuosly till folded in. Beat for further two minutes.
6. Add the vanilla essence,pistachios, ginger and cinnamon. Mix well with the batter.
7. Pour into a 5/6 " diameter tin and place in the oven center rack. Reduce the temperature to 180 degrees C
8. Bake for 25-30 minutes or till a toothpick inserted comes out clean.
9. When done, cool and remove from tray. Cut into squares and serve.

 

Singhi Aloo

A recent addition to my (limited) Sindhi heritage ! Singhi is Sindhi for drumstick :) so this recipe is a drumstick and potato curry .This super easy curry makes a different use of drumsticks other than sambhar. Tastes great with rice or puris or even hot phulkas..great for a sumptuous hot lunch!


Ingredients

2 drumsticks (fleshy ones)
2 medium potatoes
1 onion, finely chopped
3 medium tomatoes, grated
Salt to taste
2 tablespoons oil
1/2 teaspoon jeera
piinch heeng
1 teaspoon ginger paste
2 cups water (more for a thinner gravy)

Dry masalas
2 tablespoons coriander powder
2 teaspoons red chilli powder (as per taste)
1 teaspoon haldi
1 tablespoon amchoor powder
1/2 teaspoon garam masala

1. Heat the oil in a pressure cooker. Add the heeng and jeera and let the oil splutter.
2. Add the ginger paste and fry. Toss in the onions and cook till light brown in colour.
3. Add the tomatoes and cook till the tomatoes dry out
4. Mix all the dry masalas together and add the mixture to the cooker. Fry for a minute.
5. Cut the potatoes into big chunks, drumsticks into finger length pieces and add to the cooker.
6. Add the salt and water and cover the lid of the cooker. Put flame on high , after one whistle, reduce the flame to sim.
7. After 6-7 minutes, turn off the gas.
8. When the steam releases, serve the curry after garnishing

Eggless Date n Walnut Cake

Had a packet of dates lying around in the fridge for a while now. Since I don't particularly enjoy the taste of raw dates, this cake is the best alternative to use them. Combined with walnuts, a cake that is loved by all. And it happened to be my mom's birthday the day I baked it :)

Ingredients

1/2 tin condensed milk
50 gms butter
50 ml milk
1 cup flour
2 tablespoons cocoa
1/2 cup chopped dates
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
1 teaspoon vanilla essence
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1. Pre-heat oven to 250 degrees (this temperature will be reduced later)
2. Beat the condensed milk and butter for 3-4 minutes till thick and creamy.
3. Beat in the milk at speed 1.
4. Sieve the flour,cocoa, baking powder and baking soda together.
5. Add the flour mixture in two parts, beating continuosly till folded in. Beat for further two minutes.
6. Add the vanilla essence,walnuts and dates. Mix well with the batter.
7. Pour into a 5/6 " diameter tin and place in the oven center rack. Reduce the temperature to 180 degrees C
8. Bake for 25-30 minutes or till a toothpick inserted comes out clean.
9. When done, cool and remove from tray. Cut into squares and serve.