Simple tea cake for the New Year

This recipe is a simple one with minimal ingredients. I am in Bangalore now and I do not have a conventional oven to bake. So I decided to try baking in my microwave oven. This is my first attempt baking in convection mode and so I chose a simple recipe. And the result: A Soft and Spongy cake. I couldnt find any difference in the texture of the cake baked in convection mode, it was just perfect like the ones baked in a conventional oven.

Ingredients:


All Purpose flour/Maida – 2 cups
Baking powder – 2 tsp
Salt – ¼ tsp (omit if using salted butter)

Sugar – 1 cup
Softened Butter – ½ cup (100 g)
Eggs – 3 at room temperature
Vanilla essence – 1.5 tsp
Milk – 1 cup at room temperature

Preparation:

1. Sift together flour,baking powder and salt to a bowl.
2. Cream the butter and sugar together till fluffy.Add the eggs one by one and whisk well. Add the vanilla essence and combine well.
3. Add half of the milk and half of the flour and whisk well. Add the remaining half of milk and flour. Whisk till the ingredients are combined well and the batter is smooth without any lumps.
4. Grease a cake tin with some butter and pour the batter.
5. Set the oven to convection mode. Preheat the oven to 180C. My oven took 7-8 mins to pre-heat. After the oven beeps, place the cake tin and bake for 25-30 minutes.
Insert a skewer or toothpick at the centre of the cake to check if it is done.

Good bye 2011, Welcome 2012

Everyone is eagerly waiting for the new year, a new beginning, a few resolutions...2011 was a really special year to me, the year I decided to take a break from my IT job of 7 years, the year I could spend more time with my little girl and my husband and yes, the year I started this little blog of mine... I must admit that I felt really bored being a full time mom, I needed a hobby for time pass and that's how I decided to experiment with  spices and flavours. This blog was initially just a place to save my recipes, but as the number of hits and followers increased, it encouraged me to post more recipes and visit the other blogger friend's recipes. I also enjoyed participating in the various events of this blogger world.

So, here are the Top 5 recipes of the year 2011. Looking forward to cook and post new recipes in the coming year.

WISH YOU ALL A VERY HAPPY NEW YEAR 2012.

VEG NOODLES AND CHILLY CHICKEN

PAAL PIDI

OVEN ROASTED CHICKEN

PANEER BURJI SANDWICH

DOUBLE KA MEETHA

I also hosted a few events on this blog. Checkout the roundups here

Fusion Food: Pasta Event Roundup

A for Apple - September 2011

B for Banana - October 2011

Ongoing event: Cakes for Christmas

Pav Bhaji - enjoy at home

What's your favourite street food? Mine is Pav bhaji, anytime...I've been planning to make it at home for a long time now. Finally, I made it today and it was so yum...

Ingredients:

Potato - 1 large, cubed
Cauliflower - 3 to 4 florets
Carrot - 1/2 of a medium sized, cubed
Green peas - 1/4 cup
Capsicum/Bell Pepper - 1/2 of a medium sized, seeded and chopped fine
Green chilly - 1 or 2, chopped fine
Tomato - 2, chopped fine or minced
Ginger garlic paste - 1 tsp
Pav Bhaji masala - 2 tbsp(I used MDH brand)
Oil - 2 tbsp
Salt to taste

Pav bread - 6 to 8
Butter as needed

To serve

Onion - 1, finely chopped
Coriander leaves chopped
Lemon wedges


Preparation:


1. Cook potato, cauliflower, carrot and green peas together in a pressure cooker adding just enough water to cook. Mash it using a potato masher and keep aside.
2. In a pan, heat oil and saute capsicum for a few minutes. Add ginger garlic paste and mix well. Add the tomatoes and saute till oil starts appearing. Mash it a little.
3. Add the cooked and mashed veggies, pav bhaji masala, salt and enough water to the pan. Bring to a boil and simmer for few minutes.
4. In a flat tawa, add butter. Slit the pav bread into 2, and toast both sides well.

To serve, take the bhaji in a bowl and top it with chopped onions and coriander leaves. Squeeze a bit of lemon juice and enjoy with the buttered pav !!!

Off this goes to Snacks Mela

Also to Sinful delights

Also to New year, new dish..

Street foods event

Vanpayar thoran

Ingredients:

Vanpayar (Red lobia) - 1 cup
Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
Green chillies - 2
Salt to taste

Dry red chillies - 2
Shallots - 3 to 4, sliced
Garlic - 2 or 3 cloves, crushed
Curry leaves - a sprig
Grated coconut - 1/4 to 1/2 cup
Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp
Jeera/cumin seeds - 1/2 tsp
Oil - 1 to 2 tbsp

Preparation:

1. Soak vanpayar for a few hours. I usually soak it overnight. Cook it with turmeric powder, green chillies, salt and enough water. Do not overcook as it becomes mushy. If there is excess water, keep it on high flame till water is evaporated.
2. In a pan, heat oil and splutter mustard seeds. Add dry chillies, shallots, crushed garlic and curry leaves and saute for a minute. Meanwhile mix the grated coconut and jeera with your fingers. Add this to the pan and combine well. Now add the cooked vanpayar and stir fry for sometime till the ingredients are combined well and becomes dry.