Badamlicious Oats

My little one loves having oats for his breakfast. I generally give him the adult breakfast at home but on the day rice is prepared as a breakfast i settle down to giving him something else and ask him what he wants he quickly says oats, well knowing that its really healthy why should i not give him. I make more healthier by adding something new to it all the time so that he never gets bored eating the same stuff, say i add cocoa powder or even drinking chocolate powder to make it more tasty for him. This time around i did add in MTR Badam Drink powder...


Preparation time: 2 minutes
Cooking time: 3 minutes
Serves: 1 hungry and taste seeking toddler


Ingredients:

1. Oats 2tbsp
2. Milk 1/2 glass
3. Water 1/4 glass
4. Sugar 1tsp
5. MTR Badam Drink powder 2tbsp

Method:

1. Take oats, add milk, water, sugar and MTR Badam Drink powder in a microwave safe dish.
2. Give it a nice stir and place in microwave at high power for about 2 minutes and 30 seconds.
3. Keep stirring in between and please mind that you dont cover the dish.
4. Keep looking for overflowing in between, necessarily stirring in between.
5. Voila, your oats are ready to serve. Cool down a bit however before you serve.

If you little one can eat a little big chunks of dry fruits, you can also add raisins, cashews, badams in this yummy breakfast.


I guess its not a bad idea to serve it for other members of the family as well, especially the loving and hard working hubbies for a day full of energy.

Pav bhaji upma

I'm an ardent fan of Sihi Kahi chandru, a comedian and an actor who also has his own cookery show on Suvarna Kannada channel. This Upma he made the other day really got me going as it was unique in itself. I had to try it out, but only thing i had to assure was people at home liked it. I usually try most of the recipes he cooks on his very famous show Bombatt Bhojana and this one is one among many..

Preparation time: 20 minutes
Cooking time: 25-30 minutes
Serves: 7


Ingredients: 

1. Vegetables [I took 200gms each of beans, carrot, potatoes, capsisum and green peas]
2. Onions 4-5
3. Tomatoes 3-4
4. Pav bhaji masala 3tbsp
5. Green chillies 7-8
6. Bansi rawa 2.5 cups
7. Salt
10. Mustard seeds 1tsp
11. Chana dal 1tsp
12. Urad dal 1tsp
13. Jeera seeds 1tsp
14. Water about 3 cups
15. Curry leaves
15. Coriander
16. Oil
17. Fresh grated coconut 1/2 cup


Method: 

1. Roast the bansi rawa till it emits good smell and keep aside for it to cool.
2. Chop the veggies into small cubes and cook them till half done (except for the capsicum and tomatoes).
3. Heat oil in a kadhai and make seasoning of mustard seeds, chana dal, urad dal, jeera seeds,  green chillies followed by fresh curry leaves.
4. Add in the onions and saute till they turn golden brown.
5. Next add in the capsicum and saute them.
6. Time to add in tomatoes and cook them a bit.
7. Add pav bhaji masala, give it a nice mix and  then add water, salt, the half cooked veggies and let it boil.
8. Now add the grated coconut and mix well.
9. Slowly pour in the roasted rawa and keep stirring so that no lumps are formed.
10. Simmer the flame and let it cook covered for about 5-6 minutes.
11. Garnish with fresh coriander leaves and serve hot.


Look at the family gulping down this never tasted before upma...

Just Bake - Sponge cake with choco icing

Now that i had started to bake I wanted to bake something special for our 4th wedding anniversary. I rushed into the local store and bought a heart shaped cake tin and started to bake a cake..


Preparation time: 20 minutes
Baking time: 30 minutes


Ingredients: 

For the sponge: 

1. Maida 1.25 cups
2. Sugar 1.75 cups
3. Butter 2 cups
4. Eggs 3 or 50gms of egg mix
5. Vanilla essence 1tsp
6. Baking powder 1/4tsp
7. Salt a pinch
8. Milk as required

For icing:

1. Icing sugar 100gms
2. Butter 50gms
3. Cocoa powder 1.25tbsp
4. Milk if required


Method: 

For sponge: 

1. Sieve maida, salt, baking powder twice.
2. Fold in butter (melted) and sugar.
3. Mix beaten eggs and vanilla essence till fluffy.
4. Add this mixture to the butter sugar mix and blend well.
5. Slowly add the flour mix and blend well. Add milk as required to dropping consistency.
6. Pour into greased tray and bake in a preheated oven @ 190 degrees for 25-30 minutes or till done. (you can check this by poking a stick, if it comes out clean it shows its done).
7. Cool completely before you proceed for icing.

For icing:

1. Soften butter (at room temperature).
2. Add icing sugar and cocoa powder and mix well to make a thick paste.
3. Spread over the cake or pipe through a nozzle as desired.

Just Bake - Eggless Cupcakes

Baking, an interest i developed of late and as a beginner i always have the zest to keep baking something all the time so for starters i bought a  new muffin (cupcake) mold and after buying it i had to try out right.. so i started with the eggless version.


Preparation time: 20 minutes
Baking time: 20-25 minutes
Makes: 10 cupcakes


Ingredients: 

1. Maida 1.5 cups
2. Cocoa powder 2tbsp
3. Baking powder 1tsp
4. Salt a pinch
5. Sugar (powdered) 1.25 cups
6. Butter 1 cup
7. Milk 1 cup
8. Vanilla essence 1 tsp


For icing: 

1. Icing sugar 1 cup
2. Butter 1/2 cup
3. Vanilla essence a few drops
4. Milk if required


Method: 

1. Preheat oven @200 degrees for 15 minutes.
2. Grease the muffin tray/mold and keep aside.
3. Sieve maida, cocoa powder, salt and baking powder twice.
4. Fold butter, sugar, vanilla essence and mix well.
5. Add flour mix and fold gently. Add milk as required so that batter comes to a dropping consistency.
6. Spoon batter into mold till 1/2 or 2/3 full.

7. Bake for about 20-25 minutes or till brown.



For icing:

1. Sieve icing sugar to make it lump free.
2. Soften butter well and mix it with icing sugar and vanilla essence.
3. Add milk if required and spread as desired or pipe it in.

Mixed Vegetable sagu

Sagu.. the side dish, the name of which is synonymous along with puri and chapathi promises to be one tasty delight east to make and healthy to eat.


Preparation time: 20-25 minutes
Cooking time: 35-40 minutes
Serves: 7 people


Ingredients: 

1. Veggies [I took 200gms each of carrots, beans, potatoes, chow chow (seeme badanekai) and green peas]
2. Onions 3
3. Tomatoes 2
4. Green chillies 9-10
5. Coriander leaves
6. Fresh grated coconut 1/2 cup
7. Ginger 1 inch
8. Garlic (optional) 4-5 pods
9. Mustard seeds 1tsp
10. Salt
11. Water
12. Jeera seeds 1tsp
13. Poppy seeds 1tsp

Method: 

1. Cut the veggies into small cubes and wash them well and cook.
2. Grind green chillies, ginger, garlic, jeera seeds, 1 onion, 2 tomatoes, corinader leaves along with fresh grated coconut and poppy seeds to a fine paste.
3. Slit the remaining onions and cook them along with veggies.
4. Once vegetables are cooked add the ground paste to them and mix well.
5. Let it boil until raw smell disappears.
6. Finally make seasoning of mustard seeds, garnish with coriander leaves and serve hot with puri or chapathi.


Variation: You can add about 1/2 inch cinnamon stick and about 2-3 pods of cloves as well for grinding for that extra taste.