Matki chi Usal/Moth bean curry

Hello Sweeties!!! Last week was all about cakes and cookies, so briging my sweet tooth and crazy carving in check, I am concentrating on healthy and soul food this week.

It does happen, you slip, give in the craving and then try making things work out by eating right.


**Sprouting beans; Soak a cup of dried beans in hot water for 5-6 hours, Rinse the beans and discard the water it was soaked in, either tie these soaked beans in a cloth or keep in a air tight box in a warm place for 8-10 hours for sprouting. 

 

You will need; 

1 cup sprouted Matki/Moth Beans
**Boiled with 2 cups water in a pot for 8-10 mins.
1 inch ginger grated

2 cloves garlic mashed 

1/2 cup dry roasted coconut

2 tsp cumin seeds/jeera

1 clove

3-4 peppercorns

1 tspn Usal Masala-(Substitute with 1/2 tspn Garam masala + 1/2 tsp Cayenne pepper) 2 tsps Cumin-Coriander powder

Juice of 1 lemon

Salt to taste

1 tspn Goda Masala- Optional (** Black Garam Masala commonly used in Marathi speaking homes)

Tempering

1 tbspn oil

1 tspn Jeera/cumin seeds

1 tsp rai/mustard seeds

pinch of hing/asafodita

1 tsp turmeric/haldi

In a grinder powder the dry roasted coconut and the jeera with the clove and some peppercorns. Keep this powder aside.

Heat a wok on medium heat and add oil, add the tempering ingredients, rai/mustard seeds and jeera/cumin seeds, let it sizzle and then add the ginger and garlic, then add the turmeric/haldi and hing. Then add the boiled matki beans with the water in which it was cooked.

 

Then add the coconut powder, usal masala, cumin-coriander powder, salt and cover and cook for 5-7 mins. The usal is ready. Garnish with cilantro if you like.

** The Usal masala, which I have is very spicy, so adjust the heat levels as per your liking. Generally it is wiser to start with less amounts and increase to you liking.

Enjoy this usal with bread or rice or phulka or any Indian roti. If you are like my kids they eat it as a snack too.

Two Tone Rosette Cake

  Hello Sweeties!!! Today is a bright two tone icing cake. The process is so easy and yet looks like you took so much effort to create.

 Cake recipe-- Try my perfectly Chocolate cake
Whipped Cream Choc Frosting

All you need to do is prepare two icing bags with two colors and fit them into one bag with the 1M Wilton Rosette nozzle and bingo, pipe your rosettes like you do every time.

I used my trusted whipped cream custard icing and Choc frosting recipes and made this cake as an Easter gift for my dear friend.

Cashewbutter Cookies

Hello Sweeties!!! Spring break and kids at home means constant I am hungry and I am bored song. Cooking with kids is a fun activity and these cookies  are made just for that.

I baked these after my cousin who likes to experiment made thse. These are super addictive and so not good if you are watching the weight, but for kids they are excellent source of energy. I am planning on making these with Peanut butter for my kids play dates. Lucky for me, no one we know are having any issues with nuts. Safely we can say we are "Nuts for nuts".

Source

You will need;
Makes 18-20 --2 inch cookies.
8 tbspn/1 stick butter at room temperature
 1.5 cups Flour
** I mixed wheat flour and all purpose equally.
1/8th tsp Baking powder
1 tbspn Vanilla extract
1 egg  
1 cup Sugar- 
**Mix white and brown or use brown entirely.
1/2 cup cashew butter  
** I used store brought

Preheat the oven at 350F. Line the cookie tray with some parchment paper.

In a bowl cream the butter, egg and sugar and then add in the cashewbutter, vanilla extract, slowly add the flour + baking powder till everything gets mixed and the flour does not lump.

Drop the cookies and press with a fork. Bake at 350 F till they turn slight brown...for abt 9-10 mins.

Enjoyy with a cuppa coffee or as snack on the way driving on some road trip, making small memories!!!

Low Fat Chivda-- Poha Papad Chivda

 Hello Sweeties!!! Most moms of teenage kids are searching for some fast and healthy snack ideas. This chivda fits the bill as its a healthy and fast snack; its good for kids and its good for adults watching their weight.

The only oil that is used; is to fry the papads and no other traces of oil can be found. This recipe was very new to me. I had my aunt from India visiting me who made this when I told her, that my Dr had ordered me to cut my weight and watch what I eat. 

This is a keeper recipe even if you are not watching your weight as it is a  life saver when you are always outdoors in the short summers that we get on the east coast.  
 
You will need;
1 lb Thin Rice Flakes
1/2 lb Murmure/Puffed rice
2-3 Urad Papad Fried 
1/2 cup Corn Flakes
Salt Sugar, Coriander and Cumin/Jeera powder and 1 Tspn Amchur or dry mango powder- approx 1/2 tspn each. 2 Tspn Bedekar Chivda Masala- Optional But highly recommended.
  In  a wok, dry roast the rice flakes till they get roasted .. meaning if you crush a few flakes, they should form powder... this is a good sign that they are roasted well..remove these roasted flakes in a tray.. let it cool...
 
In a mixing bowl, crush the fried papad and add the roasted thin flakes  puffed rice, corn flakes,and stir well.... add the salt, sugar, coriander and cumin powder, dry mango powder, chivda masala and stir well....Njoiii this Chivda.

Barista in the comfort of my kitchen-- Frothy Instant coffee

Hello Sweeties!!! All my childhood Sunday afternoons went in stirring and mixing instant coffee with sugar and little milk, as our family enjoyed endless rounds of tea and coffee. 

We always had guests and my mom was always making snacks/dinners. So the task of continuous rounds of coffee and tea was on us teenage kids in the house.

Since my brother was elder and was away at hostel, who else but me could be given this endless and tiring job of stirring the coffee and sugar in a mug for minutes which did seem like hours then.

After coming here to US, I was so happy that you could enjoy any amount of Cappuccino, Mocha, espresso without working too hard. 

Now Baristas and CCD are everywhere in India, but I still missed the frothy coffee back home from my childhood days.  Now I was stirring and mixing instant Coffee and sugar willingly, just so that I could lick the froth from my lips and enjoy a true cup of frothy coffee.

IKEA came to my rescue with this cute little coffee/ milk frother. It takes the pleasure out of stirring, but its so easy and fast, that I can make this cup within minutes now. and more important part is NO MORE STIRRING!!!!Alas!!!!!

You will need;
1/2 cup milk- 2% is fine
1/2 Cup water
1 Tspn Nescafe Instant coffee
Sugar as needed

In a pot, take the milk and water and keep it to boil. In a mug, take the sugar and the coffee, add little milk from the pot, just abt a teaspoon, mix well. Then use the frother and  let it go for about 2 minutes. 

When the milk and water mixture boil, add it to the mug. If you want additional froth, Let the frother go for anr 30 seconds. Enjoy the Barista styled coffee in comforts of your own home any time any day.


I simply enjoyed the moments of licking the froth from my lips, it kind of took me back to my moms kitchen, many moons ago.

If you are wondering, I was given coffee and tea from a very young age, it was like regular norm if kids don't drink milk, add some tea and give, at least they have the milk needed.

I don't really encourage my kids to enjoy tea and coffee and its an adult drink for them in Ashland. One more thing my mom thinks we are internet parents as little tea never hurt anyone is what she stands for even today. 

Are all grandmoms like this? The rules for their kids suddenly disappear in thin air when the same comes for grand kids. What is your take on this? 

I would love to be one such nana someday. Spoil rotten and send sugar high grand kids to my kids, some sweet revenge, talk about payback.

Hershey Choc Cake tweake d as Nutella Banana Cake--Eggless and Ohh so Goodddd

Hello Dearies!!!! Today, I bring to you a very simple cake from Hershey's. I tried their Purfect Choclate cake before, so this recipe is not one that I am scared of trying now, although for the first time this cake at one point scared the wits out of me with Too much liquid and too less flour, but the end result was very much pleasing. 

So this time around, when I had to make an eggfree version and had over ripe bananas that were calling out to me, I decided to tweak the basic recipe and make this eggless version.

You will need;

2 cups sugar

1-3/4 cups all-purpose flour

1/4cup HERSHEY'S Cocoa

1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1-1/2 teaspoons baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

2 very ripe bananas

1 cup milk mixed with 2 tbspn Nutella

1/2 cup vegetable oil

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 cup boiling water

Heat Oven to 350 Degrees F. Grease (2)9Inch pans.

In the bowl of the stand mixer, add the sugar, flour, cocoa, baking soda. baking powder, salt, mashed bananas and milk. Beat for 2 mins on medium and stir in the  boiling water. Batter will be THIN. Pour the batter in the greased pans.

Bake 30 to 35 minutes or until wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes; remove from pans to wire racks. Cool completely.

This cake is very moist and very very addictive, so use caution when you make this. This cake has made it to an all time favorite list in Ashland.

Mugachi Usal/ Sprouted Green Beans Curry

Hello Sweetpeas!!! Thanks a tonn for reading this space and looking out for me when I go missing in action. Many of my friends wanted to learn how to make Usal and include sprouts in their daily diet.

So Radhika if you are listening, This post is for you. I have been making usal in 2-3 ways; but this is the fastest and the simplest way with less spices and oil.

**Sprouting beans;
Soak a cup of dried beans in hot water for 5-6 hours, Rinse the beans and discard the water it was soaked in, either tie these soaked beans in a cloth or keep in a air tight box in a warm place for 8-10 hours for sprouting. Sprouted beans will look like the below picture.

You will need; 

1 cup sprouted Greeen Beans/ Moog/ Mung
**Boiled with 2 cups water in a pot for 8-10 mins.
1 inch ginger grated
2 cloves garlic mashed

1 tspn Usal Masala-(Substitute with 1/2 tspn Garam masala +1/2 tsp Cayenne pepper)
2 tsps Cumin-Coriander powder
Juice of 1 lemon
Salt to taste
1 tspn Goda Masala- Optional
(** Black Garam Masala commonly used in Marathi speaking homes)

Tempering

1 tbspn oil
1 tspn Jeera/cumin seeds

1 tsp rai/mustard seeds

pinch of hing/asafodita

1 tsp turmeric/haldi

Heat a wok on medium heat and add oil, add the tempering ingredients, rai/mustard seeds and jeera/cumin seeds, let it sizzle and then add the ginger and garlic, then add the turmeric/haldi and hing. Then add the boiled mung beans with the water in which it was cooked.Then add the usal masala, cumin-coriander powder, salt and cover and cook for 5-7 mins. The usal is ready. Garnish with cilantro if you like.

** The Usal masala, which I have is very spicy, so adjust the heat levels as per your liking. Generally it is wiser to start with less amounts and increase to you liking.

Enjoy this usal with bread or rice or phulka or any Indian roti. If you are like my kids they eat it as a snack too.

Roasted Gobhi Aloo-(Roasted Cauliflower with potatoes)

Hello Sweeties!!!!. Aloo Gobhi is one of the favorite veggies my kids like. They don't like when the cauliflower florets get soggy and lose their muscle. They are not pesky eaters but they do appreciate the crunch in the veggies.

Roasted/Fried Cauliflower was my all time favorite snack and anytime my mom deep fried few florets mi and my bother would be armed with our forks not to eat but to guard them more. Food fights were oh so common while my growing up.

You will need;
1 whole cauliflower tore into florets and roasted
**Roast in a pre-heated oven at 400Degress. Coat the florets with some olive oil and sprinkle salt if you like. Roast for 20-25 mins.
1 tspn Ginger Garlic paste
1 cup tomato pureed
1/2 onion chopped fine
2 Boiled potatoes diced 
Salt if needed as the roasted cauliflower might have salt
 1 tspn Cayenne chili powder
1 tspn turmeric/haldi
1 tspn Garam Masala
2 tbspn oil

Heat the oil in a wok, add the onions, and saute for a minute, add in the pureed tomatoes, then the ginger garlic paste, fry this masala till oil starts leaving the sides; than add in the roasted cauliflower, diced boiled potatoes and saute for a minute.

Lastly add in the haldi, cayenne chili powder, garam masala and salt and stir well. Cook till the veggies gets coated. Serve hot with roti, naan or with rice and dal.

This screams comfort food for us, what is your comfort food. you might travel the world, enjoy the finest dining experience yet there is something about the home and  simple food, that kinds of de-stresses you and makes you go strong in your faith and beliefs.