Superhero Cake

I made this cake for my sweet nephew, who celebrated his Bday this Saturday. As any 7 year old, he asked for a Spider man cake, so better yet I made him a Spidy and a Superman cake, because I can never control myself, when things start going smooth.. It was a Super humid day and we used Whipped cream icing, so you see that the icing had started to melt by the time we cut the cake, there were batman logos also on the side of the cake, the picture is hidden will try to see if I can find any pic..

When dealing with a kids birthday party, I always stick to boxed mixes, if I know any kid with any allergies, its just easy to explain the concerned parent of what the cake is made of..It breaks my heart to say "NO" for cake for any kid especially at a birthday party.. whats a birthday with no cake..unimaginable for me..a birthday has to have cake at least....I can imagine a NO GIFT birthday...MY mom always had a dessert and a cake at my birthday.. we never had huge parties at home with many friends; but gifts and return gifts were unheard of back then..but we always had CAKE

The cake was relished by one and all and my experience is that there is hardly any leftover cake when you make it at home, so always make extra when you are planning on a big party at home.

As a kid I never had a huge birthday party with many kids as guests but we always had  a small family lunch or dinner depending on what day it was, MY mom was a working mom yet she always made something sweet and we got CAKE from the bakery......there were no signature or themed cakes..we always got the round cake with 2 pink roses( why 2  u ask?? one rose for me and one for my BIG Bro)..then the bake shop started selling the bird's nest cake...everything was kept simple; I miss such birthdays now, planning a kids birthday has become more stressful and the whole idea of gifts and return gifts is taking its toll on Poor MOM....

We still follow a tradition of  NO TIME OUTS for the Birthday Child on his Birthday, so one day of the year the kids truly feel special.

Hope you make this cake real soon and enjoyy it with your superhero on his special day!!!

Love Ash.

Black Forest Cake--Two Tiered

For your viewing pleasure and a weird request by a certain 7 yrs old, for a two tiered black forest cake resulted in this cake. MY family loves loves Black forest cake, I mean what is not to love, choclate cake, cherries and whipped cream...bring on a slice or two and feel the love, baby...

Since my kids gobble up most of this cake, I do not add any rum or vodka, another reason is that we are non alcohol drinkers.. not even wine can be found at my home...I often make this cake, as this is one cake I know will be finished by my kids, and my waist would not be punished for baking a cake.. does it happen only in Ash-land or is it common, that the first day everyone is excited for the cake, kids cry, hubbies crib for a particular thing, you make it to please everyone, the first day, everyone enjoys it and then it lingers around for the next 2-3 days...maybe for a week or so and then you kind of GB it...meaning Garbage Bowl it.. or Garbage Tummy it....maybe, I need to make everything in smaller portions or start making friends who like such treats every now and then.

Coming to the rec, you can make a black forest cake like I did here. Or make a chocolate cake from scratch like I did here. Either ways you do it, make it and make two or even three tiers and add tyres to your expanding waist...or better yet, make new Friends and spread the love.. they will thank you for being such a nice soul...

Love Ash.

Vanilla Cupcakes with Chocolate Ganache

As promised I am here again with the same recipe of the Vanilla Butermilk cake which I posted yesterday.  I made cupcakes for my son who has taken a new liking for cupcakes, he doe snot like to eat a cake now he says, but a cupcake is good for him, says he gets a feeling of eating the whole thing rather than just a piece of it, either way you have it, you will 100% enjoii this treat.. I follow this Rec to make the ganache, IT is very user friendly and makes a very fast gift with the leftover ganache which can be used to dip strawberries and made into chocolate strawberries, or dip frozen banana's or simply add roasted nuts and make rocks. This would be the coolest Teacher gift or hostess gift or simply share it with someone you love....

Love Ash.

Crafts by Ash.

This is a non food post today. Sorry for that, but I felt that I should be sharing with you some part of Ash that is not always thinking and talking about flour and sugar. These are some very old pictures of the paintings and craft stuff I had done to decorate my home and my kids room. I did not want to spend a lott on decorating the walls for something which I would be using only for a few days/months or in all cases years, but that certainly was not on my agenda. They are still so good, that it has been more than seven years that I made few of these. I am sharing them with you all, if any of you are intretsed in making them, drop me a line and we  will see how we can do it!!

This is on card paper and I used acrylic colours. The motifs and peacocks are traditionally used in the Rajasthani and Gujrati handicrafts in India, basically embroidered by women on cotton cloth with silk threads. I wanted to have some touch of India, but I don't have any stitching experience and my work resembles the work of a elementary school child.

I made these diya's on one diwali, with the model clay that we get in any craft store. I placed tea lights inside. I think they simply look  nice and do have a calming effect. I even shared it with my friends as diwali gifts.

I made these by glueing felt pieces on the cereal boxes and cutting the Pooh Bear and 100 Yard characters. They are still on my sons room wall, I made them when he was only 1 yr old and he still loves them at 7 years.

This is a empty Jute rice bag, I removed the stitching that joint the two sides. I painted a simple Ganpati Bappa and its a piece of art now hanging proudly in my kitchen and blessing my home each moment.

Love Ash.

Vanilla Buttermilk Cake

I had my Birthday in June. The reason for this vital piece of information is that I got the girls best friend

No diamonds silly, but a Kitchen Aid stand mixer...Its a dream come true...I had dreamt  a lott about owning a kitchen aid. I had heard an old maid's tale, that if you stay long with a person, you kind of read their minds...On my birthday, I had mentioned to one of my cool blogger friends, about how getting a kitchen aid stand mixer as a gift would be the COOLEST gift I could ever receive...I was at work on my Birthday, so evening I went home, had  small party with a friends family, cut the cake, ate dinner and slept...NO gifts were ever exchanged on that day.....I was a little happy and little sad that day..Happy coz I was blessed in so many ways, my Friend visited in spite of being a work day, got me my favourite treat, happy because my family arranged for the wonderful party, every year I bake my own birthday cake, but this year the LIFE got better than me, so I could not bake any cake, seeing this Mr. Ash got an ice-cream cake on his way home...Sad because I really wanted  a GIFT....We don't do  chocolates and Flowers.. we are not romantic in that way..old couple express their love and feelings through yummies in the tummies....all our celebrations start with what to cook and what to eat...when planning any vacation, we search for hotel, points of interest and points of vegetarian food joints...30% of my luggage is food any given time and place we are visiting...even while travelling back home...even when the airline keeps serving food at odd times and irrespective of the times they serve the food, I WILL ALWAYS CARRY FOOD WITH ME....There I said it, now all is fine with my world....

 Coming back to this recipe.. I was attractedd to this rec. because it had Oil and Buttermilk, this is my version of a healthy cake as it has no butter, oil is still ok, for me.. and I had never ever baked with Buttermilk before..intresting combination, calls for immediate efforts.. This is so far the best cake I have ever baked, I am replacing my old vanilla cake and sticking to this one form now on.. thanks again Gloria for this wonderful treat...now would you like to share a piece of the cake with me...

So you liked it and want the rec...humm...what a girl to do???

here you go;

http://glorioustreats.blogspot.com/2011/07/perfect-vanilla-cupcakes-recipe.html

The recipe is as follows, if you are tired of blogwalking; I understand, it can get tiring if you are at it for a while...

Perfect Vanilla Cupcakes

Recipe by Glorious Treats

Yields- 15-16 cupcakes



1 1/4 cups cake flour

1 1/4 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
3/4 cup sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup oil (vegetable, canola or extra light olive oil)
1/2 cup buttermilk

(or 1/2 cup milk plus 1/2 teaspoon white vinegar or lemon juice- add acid to the milk then set aside for 5 minutes before using)

Directions-

 Preheat oven to 350*F. In a medium bowl, add cake flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Stir together with whisk, and set aside. In the bowl of an electric mixer, add eggs and beat 10-20 seconds. Add sugar and continue to beat on medium speed about 30 seconds. Add vanilla and oil, beat. Reduce mixer speed to low and slowly add about half of the flour mixture. Add half of the milk, then the rest of the flour and the rest of the milk. Beat until just combined. Scrap down the side of the bowl. The batter will be thin. Pour batter into a muffin pan prepared with paper liners. Fill liners about 2/3 full.

Bake cupcakes in pre-heated oven for 12-14 minutes. Cool in pan 1-2 minutes, then remove cupcakes from pan (carefully) and finish cooling on a wire rack. Frost as desired when fully cool.

* Feel free to use this recipe for a cake as well. The recipe above will work for a 6" cake. Double the recipe for an 8" or 9" cake.

* A note about Cake Flour- Cake Flour has a lower protein content than traditional all-purpose flour, which results in a more tender, delicate crumb in the finished product. If you can not find or access cake flour, feel free to substitute as necessary, but your results will vary from the original recipe.

Note from Ash;

 This is a very safe rec.. as it did not fail all three times I tried it.. this cake tasted better the next day and I did add more sugar as I did not frost the cake the first 2 times I baked it. The Third time I baked it, I frosted with chocolate ganache, which is in the following post.

Now, go and make your own and enjoii with your loved ones and friends. Life is short so make most of it when you get a chance. Do not wait for birthdays or special occassions to show your family that you love them, it can be shown in many ways everyday...by showing that you CARE is really all it takes!!!

Love Ash.

Indian Mava Cake

I am always searching for cake recipes. I had a Small religious function a few days back and had brought dry milk powder/mava powder on hand.. since I had only used half of the packet, I still had good enough amount left, this gave me a good excuse to try this recipe.

Mr. Ash has become a little skeptical with what goes in his tummy. BE warned that this cake is not for you if you are on a either self imposed diet or diet by restriction, it is a very very HEALTHY cake, ideal for people who want to PUT ON some weight or very active adults, I am very active in taking it easy and doing things at my pace, so I do qualify, you better have a very good excuse to justify the reasons and avoid all blame game later. If you are asked for any justifications, I will help you with all the arguments, if you promise to make this cake, just like I defended my position when questioned by Mr. Ash...He has been trying to get me to exercise and get fit, but watching people exercis eon TeeVee tires me out...its a genetic issue..sorry Mr. Ash, dont't really mean to disappoint you, believe me in my mind I do exercise, just that you never see my mind...

I did add saffron and pistachio's.. simply because I had to finish the nuts lying around in the freezer, but I have tried the cake without any and its tastes really good with out any dry mava(Nuts and Saffron).

 The story goes as, there was a little girl who visited a Persian bakery which sold the best Mava cakes in set of 4, which were really expensive to buy everyday on her way to the market, so the girl never missed any opportunity to go shopping with her mom and made her mom stop by the bakery just so she could get the treat, she would not let her mom hire  a rickshaw and walk the extra mile for the treats. Do you suggest, I should be telling my mom the reason for all that walking without any tantrums, maybe she already knows, after all she is my MOM....Please please, pretty please make these cakes and if you are like me watching the vast waist line, make it a cupcake or a mini loaf cake, but its my humble request, try at least once..

I am not pasting or writing the recipe but am linking you to the source of the recipe, hers are better than mine in pictures, but I am getting there at least am trying to..

http://sinfullyspicy.com/2011/03/07/indian-mava-minicakes/

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp green cardamom powder
pinch of salt

1/2 cup mava, softened at room temperature

*( I Used half cup mava powder)

7 tbsp unsalted butter,softened

1 cup white granulated sugar

2 eggs

6 tbsp whole milk
**2 tsp saffron threads

**1/2 cup fine chopped unsalted pistachios for mixing in cake batter

**1/4 cup chopped unsalted pistachios for topping.

**--You need not use any of the above--to get a decent mava cake..

Method;

Cream butter, sugar and eggs  for 3 mins and sift dry ingredients.Then add the dry mixture to the wet mixture. In a pre-heated oven @ 350 degree, bake the cupcakes for about 12-15 mins. If baking in a round pan or any other pan, use your best judgment and bake till knife inserted comes out clean..This cake tastes better the next day, so CONTROLL and eat it on the second day!!

Take a Chill Pill and enjoy!!!

Love Ash.

sandwich

I have always loved sandwiches.. I was a Chicken eater some 10 years back, and there was a place behind Metro Cinemas in Bombay, where I and my Bestest Friend would go and hog on the cold chicken sandwiches and the yummiest pastries and the grilled panninis...and it all cost each of us Rs. 50 for all of that food....This place was so well hidden and cramped and it had only 2 tables and total of 6 chairs, so in way it was bliss from the noisy streets of South Mumbai, where the old city charm lived and thrived...Some day I promise to give you a photo tour of all the places near Churchgate and Metro Cinema that I and my Bestest Friend attacked when hunger striked us, which were easy on our pockets yet so much satisfyinggg.... We were in happy place then...

We both are well placed today, so in a different happy place and in a totally different set up now, but I still crave for those days and small things like rains/thunderstorms reminds me of our marine drive walks in the rain, hot wada pav's and eating way too much to make us sick, but I still MISS those days and my friends...

Back to reality..
Coming back to this simple yet satisfying whole meal. Takes about 10 mins to put together if you are doing cutlets. I had some leftover cutlets which I had made  for an evening snack. So what better way to use it up.. I stored them in an air tight box in the fridge and next day in the morning.. zipped them up in a microwave for about 40 seconds and used them in my sandwich for lunch. I always have green chutney/pesto on hand, so butter plus some pesto/chutney and some salad with these cutlets squished between two slices of bread is my ideal lunch on many days...

The cutlets rec can be found here. You can make simple patties with any leftover vegetable/subji by adding boiled potatoes or adding dry potato powder. I usually use cabbage subji or cauliflower, peas and potatoes subji and add a big boiled potato and make the cutlets.

Since I am trying to eat healthy, I used Whole Wheat bread and baked Chips.. I am still trying to get over my salt cravings, so cannot do without any chips...and besides it was too hot to make some soup..Panera breads is my favourite stop for some soup and sandwich on a cold winter morning...Do try and make it and drop me a line.

Love Ash.

No Bake Mango Cheesecake

In continuing with the Mango theme.. I made this some time back. This is a No BAKE cheese cake with few ingredients. You will need about 15 mins of preparation time, and few hours to let it set.

You will need;

2 Ready made Graham Crackers Pie crusts--Find it in regular grocery store in baking aisle

1 8oz box of Sour cream

1 8oz box of Cream cheese.

2 cups Ratna Mango Pulp ( you will get this brand in any Indian Grocery store)

1 cup sugar

1 and 1/4 th packet gelatin dissolved in 1/4 th cup warm water and bloomed for 3 mins

In a blender mix all the above ingredients from the sour cream to the bloomed gelatin in the same order except the pie crust and blend till it is a thick milkshake consistency. Fill the mixture in the pie crust shell and refrigerate for minimum of 6 hrs. Once set, dig in and enjoii the mango pie.

This is a very heavy dessert, so be careful that you do not eat a whole lot and make when you have a crowd. this pie will stay well in the fridge for 2-3 days. IT never stayed longer in my home beyond the 2nd day. Since there is sour cream and cream cheese, I did not decorate it with any topping or whipped cream.. but a sprinkle of pistachio or whipped cream swirls would be darn good....

Do make this no bake pie and drop me your inputs.

Love Ash.

Amba Murammba-- Mango Preserve.

I grew up practically eating Amba muramba or mango preserve. As a child I absolutely hated( Hate is a strong word, so will not use it again)  disliked my veggies. I grew up in Mumbai and my mom worked Full time adding more than 40 hours plus the commute to her weekly work schedule, so I am not amazed that eating veggies was not a battle she chose with her kids...although she insisted that we do eat our veggies..I have an awesome Mom in a way.. she let us have our share of Junk along with a good share of nutritious and fresh food. Even after  a long days hard work, she cooked FRESH each meal, something I still am struggling with.. I do cook everyday, but only in the evenings, I only cook my kids lunches in the Morning, I and Mr. Ash take leftovers for lunch, but I am still trying, maybe someday I will be an Awesome Mom too!!!!

Summers in India are from March to June and Mangoes are in season from April to May. A special type of mangoes are the BEST which come from a region in Konkan  in Western Maharashtra are Alphonso mangoes.

As per Wiki;

Alphonso (हापुस Haapoos in Marathi, હાફુસ in Gujarati, Aapoos in Kannada) is a mango cultivar that is considered by many^[who?] to be one of the best in terms of sweetness, richness and flavor. It has considerable shelf life of a week after it is ripe making it exportable. It is also one of the most expensive kinds of mango and is grown mainly in western India. It is in season April through May and the fruit weigh between 150g and 300g each.

The mango is often referred to as the king of fruit. This is because of its taste, color and beauty. Mangoes are among the most popular fruits worldwide and are especially popular in South and Southeast Asia, Mexico, and Hawaii. Mangoes are a seasonal fruit and are available only during late spring and early summer.

Haapus is used to make sweets, candies and smoothies - Mango Milkshake, Mango Lassi (both smoothies), Aamba-Wadi (a somewhat chewy sweet), Aam-Ras (Mango pulp which is eaten with puris - an Indian Bread), Sakhar Amba (Marathi word for a home-made mango jelly/jam), Mango barfi (see Barfi).

Alphonso mangoes are also eaten either sliced, or pureed with hot poori's or Phuklas, or by making various preserves like amba poli, amba saathe or methiamba or amba muramba.

I am posting this simple yet divine recipe of Muramba just like my mom makes it. I have my mom with me this summer and although we did not get alphonso mangoes in NJ, she prepared this for my kids with the regular mangoes we get here, no harm done but the beauty of alphonso is not matched.. if you have ever ever tasted an alphonso mango, you will not like any other mango, rest all are SIMPLY ADJUSTMENTS you make with food and life.

You will need;

4 Cups Mango diced

2 cups sugar

1 Tsp Cardamom Powder-Optional

1Tsp Lemon Juice

In a wide bowl, take the diced mangoes and add sugar to it. Keep aside for an hour or so.. In a heavy bottomed saucepan, mix together the mango and sugar mixture, and one tspn lemon juice. Stir over low heat until the sugar is dissolved. Increase heat to high, and bring the mixture to a full rolling boil. Boil, stirring often. When Cooked and the jam starts sticking to the sides of the pan, remove from heat and cool.

It is optional to add little cardamom powdered( elaichi) after ist cooked but while still warm, gives a nice aroma and taste. Most Indian sweets have elaichi in them, it's almost mandatory to have cardamom in sweets for indian sweeets. Transfer to hot sterile jars and seal. Process in a water bath. If the jam is going to be eaten right away, don't bother with processing, and just refrigerate after its cold enough.

**This lasted for 1 day at my home. No Kidding guys, My Kids were sugar high for most of the day, but since it is summer vacation now, it was still Ok. They ate it with bread toast for breakfast as a spread, with phulka for lunch and just like that as a snack, by dinner we were licking the inside of the bottle....

Make some while you still have fresh mangoe's available, you will not be disappointed.

Love Ash.

** Know more about Hapoos Amba--Alphonso Mango

The Alphonso Mango is named after Afonso de Albuquerque. This was an exquisite and expensive variety of mango, that he used to bring on his journeys to Goa. The locals took to calling it Aphoos in Konkani and in Maharashtra the pronunciation got further transformed to Hapoos. This variety then was taken to the Konkan region of Maharashtra and other parts of India.

The southern district of Ratnagiri and south northern parts of Sindhudurg in Maharashtra state, including regions around the DEVGAD' and Taluka, produce the finest quality alphonso mangoes in India. The southern districts of Valsad and Navsari in Gujarat state and particularly Alphonso mangoes from the Amalsad region (including villages such as Dhamadachha, Kacholi, and all villages of Gandevi) produce Alphonso mangoes as well. Southern States in India are also major mango producing areas. From north to south, climatic changes occur which result in differences in the quality of the produce. Even in Ratnagiri and Devgad the finest fruit comes from a patch of 20 km from the seashore.

The variety grown in Devgad in the Kokan region of Maharashtra is supposed to be the best. It's also the most expensive amongst the sub-breeds of Alphonso. In most of the Indian market sub-varieties are fetching the price of good quality alfonso. These varieties neither have the sweetness, nor have the flavour of hapoos.**

Oat Dosa

This has been in my mind for many many days....we love love love Dosa's....they are fast to make and eat and with minimum ingredients, you can have an awesome satisfying meal...they are a essential BLD meals..You can have these dosas with sambar or chutney or ketchup or sour cream or yogurt or just plain..you will not be disappointed...I had got a box of quick cooking oats from a wholesale club shop.. I had never ever had oats that needed to be cooked..I always brought the flavouredd oat the microwave kind with chunks of dried fruit..but the EAT HEALTHY BUG got wise  and I got the box, which obviously was not at all tasty so no one dared touch it...does it happen with you all or its just me...see a coupon grab a box....Coupons KILL my thinking process.. I would not have got the box had I been shopping in the regular grocery store, but wholesale Club and coupon have a power over my mind.. I go in to get 2 things and my bill is over $100...still don't know if I NEED or simply WANT all of those things I BUY...so now on, any of you see me at the club shop, remind me I said that!!

I often need to be reminded of what I really want and need....

I made this Dosa with the oats and wheat flour.  Sunday morning brunch in my home will see us eating and trying to finish that big box of UNWANTED AND NOT NEEDED Oats

You will need;

1 cup Wheat flour -

1 cup Oats - powdered fine

1 chopped Big onion

1 cup mixture of shredded carrots, tomato, corn, (I added small diced Pumpkin also)

1/2 tsp chili powder

1 green chili - chopped fine

1 tbsp chopped curry leaves

few coriander leaves

Salt and Sugar to taste

2 tbsp refined oil

Directions

Add all the other ingredients with wheat flour and water as needed and mix well. Mixture should be like a pancake mix, not runny but flowing. Heat Dosa Tava/Pan on low flame and grease it with oil . Spread dosa batter like a pancake..and let cook on one side, then turn over after a min and cook the other side well. cook covered if needed..

Enjoii when its still hot.. from pan to plate should be JUST fine....

Love Ash.

Dabeli

Dabeli is one of those street foods that was added to the Mumbai Street food palate around 10-15 years back....I remember because the whole idea of adding pomegranate seeds, roasted masala peanuts and spicy sweet tangy potato mixture to a hot double roti( Bun) was unique and brainchild of a pure genius...this whole sandwich was then fried in AMUL BUTTER..it was a piece of heaven on earth.. I mean even if GOD came down to earth, he would be amazed with what mankind has done to FOOD...

Dabeli, is a spicy potato mixture combined with onions, garlic chutney, Tamarind chutney, spiced masala peanuts and fruits like pomegranates and grapes… how can the equation go wrong! serve plain or smeared with butter and grilled on a tava! since dabeli masala is easily available in provision stores, you can easily recreate the roadside experience.

I am obsessed with Tarla Dallal and Sanjeev Kapoor and do regularly turn to them in need of any reciepe..

You can find this at;

http://www.tarladalal.com/Dabeli-(-Mumbai-Roadside-Recipes-)-3340

Ingredients

For The Stuffing

1 1/2 tbsp dabeli masala

(readily available in the market)

2 tbsp meetha/ tamarind chutney

2 tsp oil

1/2 cup boiled, peeled and mashed potatoes

salt to taste

1 tbsp finely chopped coriander (dhania)

2 tbsp fresh pomegranate

2 tbsp chopped green grapes

For The Geela Lehsun ka Chutney

(makes approx. 3/4 cup)

1 cup peeled and roughly chopped garlic (lehsun)

3 tbsp chilli powder
salt to taste

Other Ingredients

4 dabeli pavs

2 tsp geela lehsun ka chutney, recipe above

2 tbsp meetha chutney
4 tsp finely chopped onions

4 tsp masala peanuts

(readily available in the market)

4 tsp nylon sev, refer handy tip

2 tsp butter for cooking

Method

For the stuffing

Combine the dabeli masala and meetha chutney in a bowl and mix well. Heat the oil in a pan or kadhai, add the dabeli masala and chutney mixture, mix well and sauté for a few seconds. Add the potatoes, salt and 2 tbsp of water, mix well and cook on a medium flame for 2 minutes, while stirring continuously. Transfer to a thali, sprinkle coconut, coriander, pomegranate and grapes evenly over it. Keep aside.

For the geela lehsun ka chutney

Combine all the ingredients, add ¼ cup of water and blend in a mixer to a smooth paste. Use as required and store in an air-tight container in the refrigerator.

How to proceed

Take a pav and slit it on two sides at right angle (keeping them joined at the remaining 2 ends). Apply ½ tsp of geela lehsun ka chutney and 1½ tsp of meetha chutney evenly on the inner sides of the pav. Stuff with 1½ tbsp of the stuffing and top with 1 tsp of onions, 1 tsp of masala peanuts and 1 tsp of sev.

Repeat with the remaining ingredients to make 3 more dabelis.

Just before serving, cook each dabeli on a hot tava (griddle) for a minute on a using ½ tsp of butter. Serve immediately.

Handy tip:

Nylon sev is a variety of deep-fried besan (bengal gram) sev, which is very thin and crisp. It adds crunch to the recipe and is thus used as a topping for chaats. It is readily available at most provision stores.

So what are you waiting...I tried it on a Sunday as a evening snack.. but we were so full that we ended up skipping dinner....and biting our fingers while we ate this....

DISCLAIMER; The recipe is by Tarla Dallal and have copied it here to avoid mistakes in typing but the picture is my very own and the masala peanuts are also made at home, since I did not find it in stores.

Masala Peanuts;

1 Cup Roasted salted peanuts

Salt to taste

1 tsp sugar

1tsp red chili powder

1tsp chat masala

little oil

In a non-stick pan, heat oil, add the salt sugar and chili powder and then the peanuts, fry for 2 mins till the oil coats the peanuts and then add the chat masala. Stir well and in a  zip lock bag shake the peanuts vigorously, so as that the masala coats the peanuts well...once cooled enjoii as is or with dabeli...

Love Ash!!!!

Dal Dhokli-Chakolya

 Hey All!!! I am so glad to be back in action. I really missed you all. You might have noticed some changes around here, hopefully I will be able to set out all that I plan to change around here and freshen up a bit...As always your comments and encouragement means the world to me, so keep sending me good vibes through your comments, they are truly appreciated!!!

Today, I ams haring with you a simple yet easy reciepe that my mom usually makes when we are home from a long vacation or a saturday night dinner.. simple lazy yet filling meal on its own....my kids call it INDIAN PASTA in LENTIL SOUP....whatever name you give it, its all so easy yet satisfying...

I followed Tarla Dallal's receipe . IT can be found on

http://www.tarladalal.com/Dal-Dhokli--By-binaca-8738r

But am copying the list here to make it easy for evryone to read.

Ingredients;

For The Dhokli

1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour (gehun ka atta)

1/2 cup besan (bengal gram flour)

salt to taste
1 tbsp coriander-cumin seeds (dhania-jeera) powder
a pinch of safoetida
2 tbsp oil
1/2 tsp chilli powder

For The Dal

2 cups s cooked and mashed toovar (arhar) dal

3/4 cup chopped tomatoes

1/2 cup boiled peanuts
1 tsp chopped ginger (adrak)

2 to 3 slit green chillies

a few curry leaves (kadi patta)
1 tbsp jaggery (gur)
1 tbsp tamarind (imli) pulp
1 tsp chilli powder

1 tsp garam masala

1 tbsp chopped coriander (dhania)

salt to taste

For The Tempering

2 tbsp oil

1 tsp cumin seeds (jeera)

1/4 tsp asafoetida (hing)
1/4 tsp turmeric powder (haldi)

Method

For the dhokli

Combine all the ingredients in a bowl, mix well and knead into a soft dough, using enough water.

Cover and keep aside for 15-20 minutes.

Divide the dough into equal portions and roll out each portion into 6" diameter circles.

**Cut each roti into diamond or desired shapes and keep aside.

For the dal

Heat the oil in a kadhai and add the cumin seeds.

When the seeds crackle, add the asafoetida, turmeric powder, red chilli powder and the cooked dal, mix well and bring the dal to boil.

Add enough water, salt, ginger, green chillies and garam masala and mix well. Add the curry leaves, tomatoes, jaggery, tamarind and groundnuts and simmer for 10-15 minutes.

How to proceed

Just before serving, add the dhoklis to the dal and bring the dal to boil. Cook the dhokli's for about 10-12 mins.

(This recipe was contributed by Binaca on 27 Jul 2011)

** Serve hot with little ghee( Clarified Butter) and Steaming White rice. YUMM OOO
 

This ** is added from good old ASH.. The original rec asked about adding cooked roti to boiling dal.. however my mom and most maharashtrians home add the uncooked dhokli's and let it cook in the dal itself....

 

but try this on a rainy snowy or tired day!! and Bless your heart....

 
Love Ash.