Eggless Chocolate Walnut Brownie Cake !

When my younger one was asking for a cake, I baked this chocolate cake. It was polished off on the same day. My cake looks like brownie too. So I have named it as Eggless Chocolate Walnut Brownie Cake !

Ingredients

APF/Plain flour/Maida - 2 cups
Sugar - 1 cup
Unsweetened cocoa powder - 2 tblspns
Oil - 2 tblspns
Baking powder - 1/3 tspoon
Baking soda - 1/2 tspoon
Vinegar - 1/2 tblspn
Warm milk - about 1/2 cup or more just to get right consistency
salt - a pinch
Choco chips - 1 tblspn for garnish
Walnut - 2 tblspn
Banana - 1 no

Preparation Method

Preheat oven to 180 C.

Seive flour, soda, baking powder, cocoa powder.
Take the banana and make it to a paste in mixie.
In another bowl add banana paste, sugar, vinegar, oil and mix well. you can use hand mixer or whisk. 
Slowly add the flour mix and mix slowly in one direction. You will get a dough form, now add milk to get consistency as idli batter not very runny. Add chopped walnuts.
Taste the batter😋😋
If you feel sugar is less then add chocochips, if not can bake just like that.

Take a baking tin grease it or can put parchment paper.
Pour in the batter tap it twice.
Garnish with little walnut and chocochip.

Bake it for 40mins. Check with a fork/toothpick when it comes clean or bake it for 5 to 10 mins more. Cool it and slice. 

You can also do icing if you wish.

It is good for school snack or coffee time. 

Enjoy the Eggless Chocolate Walnut Brownie Cake !

Notes -
You can just do with banana and walnut.
You can also skip banana do with chocolate and walnut.
My cake was just right in sugar as I don't like cake to be too sweet.😊

You can checkout my other baking recipes here

PS - Your feedback is appreciated. Do try recipe from (http://www.sarascorner.net/) take picture and send it to me through Facebook message or mail me at simplysara07@gmail.com. Will be glad to add in my page Tried & Tasted album on FB or post on my page. Thank you.

Varagu | Kodo Millet Adai | Breakfast Recipes!

Varagu Adai is really healthy and great to substitute rice with millets. I have been trying to include millets in my cooking mostly in my breakfast and tiffin. This was very tasty and delicious. Do try and enjoy.

Ingredients
Varagu/Kodo millet - 2 cups
Channa Dal - 1 cup
Toor dal - 1 cup
Urad dal - 1 tblspn
Peppercorn - 10 nos(according to taste)
Dry red chilli - 5 nos
Curry leaves - few
Ginger - a small piece(optional)
Asafotida - 1/2 tspn
chopped Onion - (optional)
Salt

Preparation method
Wash, rinse and soak all ingredients except salt for 2-3 hrs.
Then grind with salt to coarse batter with water.
Heat a skillet/tawa and can prepare adai like dosas immediately or can rest the batter for 1/2-1 hour and make too.
Drizzle some gingely oil and cook both sides until crispy.

Serve with any of them chutney /molagai podi / Aviyal/Jaggery/Curd.

Instant Adai

You can grind all the ingredients to coarse/fine powder store it and prepare dosa by just adding water anytime.

Relish the Adai!

PS - Your feedback is appreciated. Do try recipe from (http://www.sarascorner.net/) take picture and send it to me through Facebook message or mail me at simplysara07@gmail.com. Will be glad to add in my page Tried & Tasted album on FB or post on my page. Thank you.

Saffron Rice!

Saffron rice is most simple yet fragrant and delicious rice. You can try when you make rich gravy. I have used the best saffron gifted by my friend Ms. Farrukh. Thanks dear.

Follow me on 
instagram - https://www.instagram.com/saraswathiyer/
Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/saraswathiyer/
Twitter - https://twitter.com/simplysara07

Ingredients
Basmati Rice - 1 cup
Saffron - 3 generous pinch
Salt - 1/2 tspn
Milk - 1/4 cup
water as required
Nuts - cashews, raisins, cranberry, badam
2 elaichi
1 tblspn ghee

Preparation Method
Soak 2 pinches of saffron in warm milk.
Take a pressure cooker, wash and add basmati rice, add water and milk and a pinch of saffron.
pressure cook for 2-3 whistles.
Once pressure is gone. let it cool a bit.
Heat a kadai, add ghee, nuts, and elachi saute for a minute.
Add the cooked rice and salt and mix well.
Now add the saffron milk and mix again.
Cook for 5 mns and off the stove.

Saffron Rice is ready to serve. This rice is very flavorful and colorful.

Checkout the gravy recipes.

Dal fry 
Paneer butter masala 
Paneer Pasanda
Mutter Paneer


PS - Your feedback is appreciated. Do try recipe from (http://www.sarascorner.net/) take picture and send it to me through Facebook message or mail me at simplysara07@gmail.com. Will be glad to add in my page Tried & Tasted album on FB or post on my page. Thank you for your encouragement.

Homemade Chocolate biscuits| Kids Snack box!

This Chocolate cookies I prepared for my sons snack box. Its really easy and quick. My kids liked it a lot.

Ingredients
All purpose flour (Maida) - 2 cups
Sugar (Powdered/Bura) - 1 cup (As per your taste)
Cocoa powder - 3/4 cup
Baking soda - 2 pinches 
Baking powder - 1 pinch
Oil for binding.

Method
Preheat the oven at 160 C for 10 mins.

Seive all purpose flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder twice in a wide bowl.
Take oil as required little by little and mix to a smooth dough to get soft dough consistency. around 1/2 -1 cup oil
Take little dough and make small balls by hand and slowly press to get a shape. Arrange them in a baking tray(with baking sheet).

Bake for 12mins. You can keep an eye on it. You will get a good aroma and flavour of chocolate. Do a prick test and remove from oven.

Allow it to cool fully and then store in air tight container for storing.

Enjoy these chocolate cookies!

notes - 
- Do not add more oil just add only required

Variations:
- You can add chocochips .
- You can add nuts also.

PS - Your feedback is appreciated. Do try recipe from (http://www.sarascorner.net/) take picture and send it to me through Facebook message or mail me at simplysara07@gmail.com. Will be glad to add in my page Tried & Tasted album on FB or post on my page. Thank you for your encouragement.

Easy Homemade Strawberry Jam without Agar Agar/china grass!

Strawberry jam is my kids favourite one, my friend Rekha suggesting not to buy store bought ones which is of high sugar and can be easily prepared at home.

Tried this and it was yumm. It was finished the same day. 

Checkout my homemade mixedfruitjam here. using agar agar/china grass.

Ingredients
Strawberry - 15 nos
brown sugar - 1/2 cup (adjust accordingly)
vinegar/lemon juice - 1 or 2 drops (optional)

Preparation method
- Wash and grind strawberry with water to fine paste.
- Heat a kadai, add the ground strawberry and cook for 15 mins.
- Add sugar and cook till its shiny and becomes jam consistency.
- Off the stove when its little semi liquid consistency. It will become thick once cooled.
- Add lemon juice/vinegar if you need to preserve or making large quantities.
- I didn't add them, just adjusted sugar accordingly and finished same day.


Note : Nowadays just making what is required for a day or two and finishing it. Not storing for later use. But you can do and keep handy for weekends or short trips.
- Can use non stick pan too.

PS - Your feedback is appreciated. Do try recipe from (http://www.sarascorner.net/) take picture and send it to me through Facebook message or mail me at simplysara07@gmail.com. Will be glad to add in my page Tried & Tasted album on FB or post on my page. Thank you for your encouragement.

Macaroni Payasam | Pasta Kheer!

Macaroni Payasam | Pasta Kheer is an easy dessert and loved by kids. After all the festivals I have started to post recipe, planning to blog regularly from now on. I prepared this for navaratri. It was different and tasted delicious.

Ingredients

Macaroni - 1 cup(can use baby pasta or any pasta of your choice)

Full cream Milk - 1 ltr

Vanilla Custard powder - 2 tblspn

Sugar - 3/4cup

Method

~In a vessel/bowl boil water, add a pinch a salt and 1 tspn ghee enough to cook pasta. 

~Once pasta is cooked wash in cold water.

~Boil milk in heavy bottom vessel/pan. Keep in low flame to thicken.

~Mix custard powder in a bowl make a paste with milk and add to the milk. 

~Add sugar n keep stirring.

~Add cooked macaroni to the milk. 

~Mix well. 

~Let it boil for 10 mins in low flame.

~Off the stove. Allow to cool.

Serve chilled.

Macaroni Payasam/Kheer ready to serve.

Notes:

- Condensed milk can also be added.

- It can be done without custard powder.

- Can add cardamom/elaichi powder too.

PS - Your feedback is appreciated. Do try recipe from (http://www.sarascorner.net/) take picture and send it to me through Facebook message or mail me at simplysara07@gmail.com. Will be glad to add in my page Tried & Tasted album on FB or post on my page. Thank you for your encouragement.

Homemade Kaju Katli using brown sugar | Deepavali/Diwali recipes!

Kaju Katli was there in my list from long time. My sister in law does very well in India. Was asking her once she had told over phone the recipe. I was thinking it will be difficult one to do, but it was quiet easy.

Since my kids love this and when I tried yesterday they were asking did you make it ma, its very tasty. But still they wanted silver vark on the sweets.

Ingredients
Cashews - 1 cup (levelled)
Brown Sugar - 1 cup( You can use normal sugar 3/4 cup)
Ghee - 1 -2 tpns
Parchment paper

Preparation Method
Grind cashews with small mixie pulse mode or only twice to fine powder. Please do not do continuously or oil will ooze out.
Heat a kadai add sugar and little water.
Stir continously upto 1 string consistency.
Add 1 tspn ghee.
Add cashew powder and start mixing in low flame until it forms soft dough mass.
Grease a plate or parchment paper, transfer and start kneading it and spread roll with rolling pin .
Cut into desired shape when warm.
let it cool for sometime.

Remove and store in air tight container.

Mine was polished off next day.

Kaju Katli is ready, you can prepare for deepavali/diwali.

Notes -
Since it was a first try and I was not using non stick kadai, you need to be careful while removing. Need to be fast to pour on tray or it will become dry and burfi type. But no change in taste. It was yummy.

So just before quick and keep some ghee nearby by to knead the dough.

PS - Your feedback is appreciated. Do try recipe from (http://www.sarascorner.net/) take picture and send it to me through Facebook message or mail me at simplysara07@gmail.com. Will be glad to add in my page Tried & Tasted album on FB or post on my page. Thank you for your encouragement.

Paper Rava Dosai!

Rava Dosa is my kids favourite, at home or at restaurant they usually orders this. But he doesn't like curry leaves in it. So I do not add them first once they finish eating then I add curry leaves as I love it in dosa. Try this delicious dosa.

Ingredients
Rava/Semolina/Sooji - 2 cups(chiroti/fine)
Rice flour - 1 cup(fine)
Wheat flour - 1/2 cup
Jeera - 2 tablespoons
Green chilli - 1no(As per your spice level)
Black pepper -1 tspn
Hing/Asafotida - 1/4 tspn
Water as required
Curry leaves few
Green chilli - 2nos(chopped)
Coriander leaves - 1 tspn(finely chopped)
Salt

Preparation Method
Mix all the ingredients in a vessel to butter milk consistency. Leave it for 1 hour.
Heat a non stick tawa/skillet, slowly pour the batter from side on hot tawa, you may not be able to spread like normal dosa.
You can add 1 tspn, gingelly or olive oil and cook. Turnover and cook both sides.(You can cook without oil also)

Paper Rava Dosa is ready to serve.

Serve hot with any choice of chutney.

Notes -
- You need pour batter in cup or ladle and not spread like normal dosa
- Dosa Kal/Tawa should be very hot then only you will get holes in rava dosai and crispy dosa
- You can mix night and keep the batter in fridge for morning breakfast or mix morning for making for afternoon tiffin.
- Instant also can make dosa but advise batter prepared in advance to get delicious dosa.


PS - Your feedback is appreciated. Do try recipe from (http://www.sarascorner.net/) take picture and send it to me through Facebook message or mail me at simplysara07@gmail.com. Will be glad to add in my page Tried & Tasted album on FB or post on my page. Thank you for your encouragement.

Instant Bread Vada/Vadai!

Are you bored eating bread? Bread vada is a very easy and delicious snack. You can make as starters for a party or a kids evening snack, you can make with or without onion. I had seen on TV long back in a cooking show.

Ingredients
Bread slices(white/brown) - 8 pieces
Rice flour - 1 cup or as required
Rava/semolina/sooji - 1/2 cup
Curry leaves - 2 sprigs finely chopped
Coriander leaves - 2 tablespoons finely chopped
Onion - 1 big finely chopped
Green chilli - 1 no(optional)
Red chilli powder - 1/2 tspn
Salt
Oil for deep frying

Preparation Method
Cut the sides of the bread.
Take 2 bowls, in one water and dip the bread pieces and squeeze water.
In another bowl put this bread and make a dough.
Add rice flour, rava, onion, g. chilli, curry leaves, coriander, r chilli powder and make a dough.
Heat oil in a kadai
Make small balls of the dough.
Just flatten like vada and deep fry both sides till brown.

You can fry like medhu vada or normal vada or any shape you desire.

You can also fry in appe pan if you dont want to deep fry.

Checkout my other bread recipes here 

PS - Your feedback is appreciated. Do try recipe from (http://www.sarascorner.net/) take picture and send it to me through Facebook message or mail me at simplysara07@gmail.com. Will be glad to add in my page Tried & Tasted album on FB or post on my page.

Corn Flour Halwa |

Corn flour halwa is easy and delicious.

This is in my list since a year, when I saw on TV on a cookery show, I had written down the recipe. Looked very easy and delicious. So, I tried it yesterday when my friend came home.

Ingredients
Corn flour - 1cup
Sugar - 2.5 cups(can reduce a bit too)
broken cashew nuts - few
Food colour a pinch(any colour)
Ghee generously 1/2 cup
salt a pinch
Elachi/cardamom powder - 1/2 tspn
Water as required

Preparation method
Take a mixing bowl add corn flour, sugar, water colour and salt. Mix without forming lumps to dosa batter consistency.
Heat a kadai, add 1 tblspn ghee add this mixture and keep stirring till it forms a thick mass. Keep adding ghee in between.
Keep a greased plate ready.
Finally add the nuts, elachipowder, when it becomes big mass. Transfer to a plate and decorate with cashew nut.

Allow to cool fully and refrigerate. You can serve as it is or cut into squares.

Corn flour halwa is ready.

Enjoy.

Rava Laddu !

Rava Laddu is very easy and tasty sweet dish. I prepared this for a meetup in singapore. My kids love laddu.

Ingredients

Fine Sooji/Rava - 2 cups
Sugar - 3 cups(powdered)
Elachi/Cardamom - powder 1 tspn
Ghee - 1/2 cup or more as required
Milk - 1 to 2 tspns(Optional)
Cashew nuts - broken 2 tablspoons
Dry coconut - 1 tblpn grated

Preparation Method

Heat a thick bottom kadai, add 1 tspn ghee, add rava and roast till its slightly brown and gets good aroma.  Once cool grind in mixie to fine powder. Transfer it to a wide vessel.

Add sugar powder and mix well with a spoon.


In the same pan, add little ghee and fry chopped cashews till brown. Add this also to the mixture.

Now mix everything finely with a spoon.

Sprinkle little milk and mix by hand.

In a pan heat the ghee in low flame and add to this mixture little by little and make lemon size balls carefully.

If you do not wish to add ghee you can add little ghee and little milk and make balls. 

Take lemon size of the mix press to get round shape.

Rava Laddu is ready.

Store it in an air tight container.  Its good to prepare for guests and festivals.

Note - If you add more milk shelf life is not long, consume within 3-4 days.

You may also try Sorakkai Rava ladoo  and Samba Rava Ladoo

Homemade Bhatura Recipe!

After very long time posting a recipe, checkout Bhatura recipe I prepared for a weekend as my son loves it. Whenever he goes to restaurant he will surely order this. Since my inlaws are also here, my Father inlaw also likes it. It was very tasty and crispy like restuarant. I will be posting more recipes soon.



Ingredients

APF/Maida - 200 gms
Fine Rava/Semolina- 2 tblspns
Curd/yogurt- 2 tblspn
Sugar - 1/4 pinch
Salt - 1/2 tspn
Oil - 2 tblspn
Water as required to need the dough.
Oil to deep fry

Preparation method
In a wide bowl/basin, add all the ingredients one by one and mix to get a soft dough. Rest it for 1 hour. close a wet towel.

Then heat oil in kadai. 
Make balls like for puris as desired shape and size.
Deep fry both sides in oil.
Remove on a tissue.

Serve with Channa Masala and raw onions.

Note- Oil should be very hot for puris to puff up.