Egg-Veggie Masala Pasta

Category: Pasta / Macaroni 
Preparation Time: 10 mins  
Cooking Time: 20 - 25 mins
Servings: 1-2 servings

Egg-Veggie Masala Pasta

Ingredients:

• Pasta - 1 1/4 cup (I used Radiatore shaped pasta)
• Eggs - 2 nos
• Mixed Veggies, finely chopped - Around 3/4 - 1 cup (I used Carrot, Beans, Peas & Corn)
• Onion, finely chopped - 1/4 cup / 1 small sized
• Tomatoes, finely chopped - 1 small sized
• Ginger-Garlic Paste - 1/2 tbsp
• Green chilly - 1 no (Can be avoided while making for kids)
• Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
• Coriander Powder - 1/2 tsp
• Pav Bhaji Masala Powder - 1/2 tsp (I used Home made powder)
• Oil - 1/2 tbsp
• Salt - to taste
• Sugar - a pinch (Optional)

 Method:

1. Cook pasta as per the package instructions; (Boil water; add pasta with little salt and few drops of oil and cook for 11 -13 mins until slightly soft yet crunchy enough to bite). Drain and rinse with cold water and keep aside
   
2. Heat Oil in a pan, add Ginger-Garlic paste and saute in low-medium flame for 2 mins
3. Add finely chopped onion, green chilly if using and saute for 3-4 mins
4. Add tomato pieces and saute for a min
5. Now add finely chopped vegetables and saute for 2-3 mins
   
6. Add required salt, a pinch of sugar, turmeric powder, Coriander powder and Pav Bhaji Masala powder, mix well 
7. Sprinkle few drops of water and cook covered in low to medium flame till the veggies gets cooked but not getting mushy
8. Once its done, reduce the flame to low and move the veggies to one side of the pan, Crack open the eggs into the other side 
   
9. Sprinkle little salt needed for egg and scramble them until it gets 3/4th cooked
   
10. Combine the soft scrambled eggs with the sauted veggies and saute for few mins until they get combined well
    
11. Now add the cooked & drained pasta and mix gently until it gets coated with egg-veggie masala
    
12. Allow to cook in low flame for 2-3 mins and switch off
13. Serve Hot!
    

Zucchini Kuzhambu (Zucchini in Spicy Tamarind based Curry)

Category:  Kuzhambu Varieties / Lunch

Preparation Time: 10 mins  

Cooking Time: 30 mins 

Servings: 3-4 servings

Zucchini Kuzhambu

 Ingredients:

• Green Zucchini, chopped- 1/2 cup (1 small one or half of a big one)
• Tamarind - Size of a Gooseberry
• Sambar Powder - 1 tbsp
• Turmeric Powder- 1/2 tsp
• Sesame Oil - 1/2 tbsp
• Small Onions, halved - 5-6 nos
• Garlic, halved - 5-6 cloves
• Tomato - 1 small sized
• Rice flour - 1 tbsp
• Jaggery - a small piece
• Water - Around 2 cups
• Salt - as required

For Tadka:

• Sesame Oil - 1 tbsp
• Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp
• Fenugreek seeds - 1/8 tsp
• Toor Dhal - 1/2 tbsp
• Urad Dhal- 1/2 tsp
• Curry leaves -few
• Asafoetida - a pinch

Method:

1. Soak Tamarind in warm water and extract juice to around 2 cups and Chop Zucchini into bite sized pieces (No need to peel off the skin)
   
2. Heat 1/2 tbsp Oil in a pan and once it becomes hot, add the garlic cloves and saute for a min
3. Add the small onions and saute till they turn golden brown
   
4. Add chopped tomato and saute for 2 mins
   
5. Add in the chopped zucchini pieces and saute for 3-4 mins
   
6. Add the Turmeric and Sambar powders along with required salt and fry for a min in low flame
   
   
   
   
7. Now add the tamarind extract and allow to boil for 8-10 mins in medium flame and by the time, zucchini pieces will get cooked up
   
8. In a small bowl, add Rice flour and little water and mix it to form a paste
9. Add the rice flour paste to the kuzhambu and mix well and allow to cook in low flame for few more mins till it reaches kuzhambu consistency
   
10. Once it gets thickened a bit, Add Jaggery, mix and switch it off and prepare the tadka
    
11. In a small pan, add 1 tbsp of sesame oil, once it becomes hot add the mustard seeds, followed by fenugreek seeds, Toor dhal, urad dhal, cuury leaves and asafoetida
12. Pour in the tadka over the kuzhambu
    
13. Serve hot with Rice and papad; It also goes well with Idly / Dosai / Rotis
    

Chocolate Sponge Cake (Whole Wheat)

Category: Baking
Preparation Time: 10 mins  
Cooking Time: 25-35 mins
Servings: 6-7 servings

 

Chocolate Sponge Cake

Chocolate flavoured sponge cake with Hot milk - I adapted this recipe from my earlier Sponge cake recipe and the idea was given by my little one:) He was asking to make a "Hybrid" cake by combining sponge cake and chocolate cake:) This cake is soooo soft and tastes yummy:)

Ingredients: 

Dry Ingredients:

• Whole Wheat Flour / Atta - 1 cup
• Baking powder - 1 tsp
• Cocoa Powder - 2 tbsp
• Salt - a pinch

Wet Ingredients:

• Eggs - 3 nos (At Room temperature)
• Sugar - 3/4 cup
• Vanilla extract - 1 tsp
• Milk - 3/4 cup

Method: 

1. Pre-heat oven to 350 F for 10 mins and Grease the baking pan and keep it ready
2. Heat the milk till it starts to boil and switch off
   
3. In a sieve, add the wheat flour, Cocoa powder, Baking powder and salt. Sieve the dry ingredients into a wide plate/bowl
   
4. In a mixing bowl, add the eggs and using beater / whisk beat in high speed for 3-4 mins till the eggs become creamy and pale in colour
   
   
   
   
5. Sprinkle sugar over the beaten egg in intervals and continue to beat for another 2-3 mins till the sugar gets dissolved 
   
6. Once the egg-sugar mixture becomes creamy, add in the vanilla extract and mix well
   
7. Now add the dry ingredients into the egg-sugar mixture and beat in low speed or with whisk until they gets combined well
   
8. Add the hot milk into the cake batter and beat/ whisk well to combine
   
   
   
   
9. Pour this into the prepared tray
   
10. Bake in the preheated oven for 20-30 mins or until its done (can be checked by using tooth pick method)
    
11. Once its done, remove from the oven and allow to cool for 5 mins; then remove from the pan
12. Slice and Serve warm!
    
13. This can stay well in room temperature for 2 -3 days
    

Sweet Potato Chapathi

Category: Chapathi / Paratha   
Preparation Time: 15 mins
Waiting Time: 30 mins      
Cooking Time: 20 mins    
Servings: Yields around 10-12 Chapathis

Sweet Potato Chapathis

Ingredients:

• Wheat flour / Atta - 2 cups
• Sweet potato - 1 no
• Roasted Cumin seeds, coarsely powdered - 1 tsp
• Salt- to taste
• Warm Water - as needed

Method:

1. Wash, chop and cook the sweet potato in steamer or cook in a vessel placed inside the cooker
   
2. Once it gets cooked, peel off the skin and mash it well 
   
3. In a wide bowl, add the wheat flour, required salt, cumin powder and mix well
4. To this add the mashed sweet potato and knead well to form a smooth soft dough. Sprinkle water only if necessary; at times moisture in the sweet potato will be enough for kneading. Keep it aside for atleast 30 mins
   
5. After 30 mins, knead the dough for 2 mins and divide the dough into equal lemon sized balls 
   
6. Take one dough ball, dust it with flour, flatten it and roll into a thin chapathi
   
7. Heat the tawa, place the chapathis and cook till bubbles started to appear on the surface
   
8. Turn over and cook the other side
   
9. Once it's cooked transfer to plate or place it in hot box till we serve
   
10. These  chapathis are soft and can be had with any dal or gravy
    

Cabbage Kootu

Category: Kootu / Lunch
Preparation Time: 15 mins 
Cooking Time: 20 mins
Servings: 3-4 servings

Cabbage Kootu

 Ingredients:

• Cabbage, finely chopped - Around 2 cups, tightly packed
• Moong Dhal - 1/4 cup
• Channa Dhal - 2 tbsp
• Turmeric Powder - 1/2 tsp
• Castor Oil - few drops
• Salt - to taste
• Water - as needed

For Grinding:

• Fresh Coconut - 1/2 cup
• Cumin seeds - 1 tsp
• Red chillies - 1-2 (Adjust as per spiciness)
• Small Onions - 4-5 nos

For Tempering:

• Coconut Oil - 1 1/2 tsp
• Mustard seeds- 1/2 tsp
• Curry leaves - few
• Asafoetida - a generous pinch

Method:

1. Wash and finely chop the cabbage and cook in a separate vessel with required water until its done. We can also pressure cook it along with dhal, if we want little crunchy we can cook in this way
   
   
   
   
2. In a pressure cooker, add the dhals,turmeric powder, few drops of castor oil and required water; cook in medium flame for 2-3 whistles
3. Meanwhile grind the coconut, cumin seeds, small onions and red chillies into a fine paste
   
4. Once the dhal gets cooked, open up the lid and mash them well
   
5. Add the cooked cabbage to the mashed dal and cook for 2-3 mins
   
6. Add the ground coconut paste to the cooked dhal and allow to boil for few mins in low to medium flame
   
7. Add required salt and once it reaches kootu consistency (little thick), switch it off
   
8. In a small pan, heat coconut oil and once it becomes hot add the mustard seeds followed by curry leaves and switch it off and then add asafoetida
   
9. Pour the tadka into the kootu
   
10. Serve hot with Rice!!