Egg Less Zebra Cake in Microwave

I really miss baking. Not that I was/am very pro at baking, but for some unknown reasons I love to bake. I say unknown reasons because my Maa never liked baking and there was not much baking around when I was growing up!!!! This love for baking is the reason why I miss my old kitchen and my oven in particular. I am yet to get an oven for my new kitchen ( I know, I have said this for nth time).

The other day, when I came across this recipe of zebra cake (heard/read it for the first time) in Aparna's wonderful blog, my hands started to itch to bake. So, what did I do? I baked, but..........in a microwave.

I modified the recipe a bit, particularly in terms of amount of the ingredients, and baked it in a microwave. The baking took way less time than arranging the stuffs. This is actually a third cake that I baked in the microwave. I am slowly getting used to it. Now, I warn you, don't even expect the same result in a oven bake and microwave baked cake. I really miss the darkened, little crispy top layer of a oven baked cake. But, trust me, the cake turned out pretty well, soft and moist, and can be enjoyed with tea, coffee or ice-cream. The name of the cake might intimidate you, but it is super easy to make. And it is egg less too!!

  

Ingredients:

(Makes a 7 inch round cake)

For Orange Batter

All purpose flour - 1/2 cup
Baking Powder - 1/2 teaspoon
Salt - 1/4 teaspoon
Sugar - 1/3 cup
Orange Juice - 1/3 cup
Vinegar - 1/4 teaspoon
Oil - 1 and 1/2 tablespoon

For Chocolate Batter

All purpose flour - 1/2 cup
Baking Powder - 1/2 teaspoon
Salt - 1/4 teaspoon
Sugar - 1/3 cup
Cocoa Powder - 1 and 1/2 tablespoon
Milk - 1/3 cup
Vinegar - 1/2 teaspoon
Oil - 1 and 1/2 tablespoon
Vanilla essence - 1/2 teaspoon

Mix the batter separately in two bowls. Do not beat, just fold in. I mixed the dry stuffs first followed by the wet ingredients.

 Take a big spoon full of batter and add it to the middle of the cake bowl. Let it spread on its own. I started with the chocolate batter. Add a spoon full of the alternate batter and add it to the middle of the first batter. Again, do not spread it. Let it spread on its own.

It will look somewhat like this.

Repeat the steps until the batter is over.

Put it in microwave and bake it for 5 minutes. Let it sit in the microwave for 5 minutes more before you take it out. I cooked it in the microwave mode and not in the convection mode.

The cake turned out to be soft and moist and very yummy.

And the stripes looked good too.

This is really a super easy cake to make and do not need anything fancy. And completely egg less!!!

Have fun at tea time.

Cabbage Curry - Andhra Style

Unlike today, when we get all kinds of veggies throughout the year, cabbage was a winter veggie in my mother's kitchen. Maa used to make the cabbage curry with machher matha on special occasions and other days it was simple curry with green peas and jeera phoron.

I vaguely remember having a special type of cabbage dish at my paternal aunt's place, chunks of cabbage cut and dipped in egg batter, fried, and then made into curry. It was jhol instead of tarkari. But frankly, I don't remember the taste. Maybe I will try it someday to recreate the dish.

But today it is the different cabbage curry that I tried. These days  I am having this curry too often at the office canteen and in spite of the fact that it was way too hot for me, I liked the curry. My version is not hot at all. In fact, these days all the dishes I cook is way too mild. I do this for my lil A, so that she can have the same food as we do. She never eats anything special that I cook for her, it have to be our food.


Ingredients

Cabbage - Thinly cut, washed and drained
Chana dal - 1 tablespoon, washed and soaked for 15 miutes
Onion -1 medium, thinly sliced
Ginger paste - 1 teaspoon
Mustard seeds - 1 teaspoon
Cumin seeds - 1 teaspoon
Red chili - 1
Oil- 1 tablespoon
Ghee - 1 teaspoon
Turmeric powder - 1/2 teaspoon
Cumin powder - 1 teaspoon
Sugar - 1/2 teaspoon
Salt to taste

Cut the cabbage in thin small pieces, wash and drain.

Heat oil in a pan and add the red chilli to it. Temper it with the mustard seeds. As soon as the mustard seeds splutter, add the cumin seeds and stir. Add the onions to it and stir it for 2-3 minutes.

When the onions starts to turn pinkish brown, add the chhana dal and stir for about 3 minutes.

Add the cabbage to it. Add turmeric, cumin powder to it and mix well. Add the sugar and salt and give it another mix.

Cover the pan and cook in low to medium flame for 10 to 12 minutes. The cabbage releases a lot of water and turns soft. At this point, stir it well. If required ( if it seems to dry) add 1-2 tablespoon of water. Cover and cook for another 3- 5 minutes. Turn off the heat and add the ghee. Mix well and keep it covered for couple of extra minutes.

Your cabbage curry is ready to go with white steamed rice.

Coffee Break - Black and White Wednesday # 94

Cannot thrive without one, a cup of coffee I mean.

I modified this photo and this is my contribution for this week's Black and White Wednesday, a weekly event hosted this week by Lynne of Cafe Lynnylu. For participation details, please visit Cindystar blog.

Tea Party from Lil Chef's Kitchen - Black and White Wednesday # 93

Lil A always makes tea for herself and me in this cute tea set. She even imitates my "Ahhhh" after a hearty sip.

As I am settling down slowly, I am coming across all these wonderful blogs and I am thrilled in participating in these various events. 

The above picture is my contribution for this week Black and White Wednesday, hosted by Satsuki of Stregatto Cuciniero . Black and White Wednesday has wonderful collection of anything culinary related photos. If you want to participate, you can find the details in Cindystar blog.

Split Bengal Gram aka Chholar Dal or Chana Dal for MLLA (My Legume Love Affair)-61

 Let me admit it. A well cooked dal makes me happy.

Since childhood I loved to eat daal, be it simple day to day thin, watery yet tasty masoor dal, or the delicious bhaja moonger dal with machher matha (fish head) or the more glamorous chholar dal, that tastes heavenly both with luchi and warm plain rice. Chholar dal was usually cooked on sundays, the day  when you take all your time to relish your meal. Unlike childhood, these days in my kitchen, food is cooked in complete random manner- my kid perhaps will not be able to relate a particular dish to a specific day!

I came across this wonderful blog, My Diverse Kitchen, just in time for the MLLA announcement last week. And at once thought of taking part in it. Since I moved to a new city only a month and half back, have a new job and a toddler, I hardly cook any blog worthy food these days. Even if the dish turns out to be good, there are no pictures taken.

I hardly have anything fancy in my pantry right now, only the bare minimums and I really miss my kitchen in US (sob, sob). So, when I thought to participate in this love affair the first thing I thought was what I have in my pantry! The only legumes in my kitchen right now are the three common dals that I mentioned at the beginning of this post. So, I decided to go with the chholar dal. Maa used to do two /three types of this dal, with or without pieces of coconuts but I always liked this one the best. This can be eaten with sada bhaat at lunch or even with puri/paratha for an evening snack or dinner.

Ingredients:

Chholar Daal- 1 cup (washed and soaked for 2 hours; if you forget, never mind)

Red Chilli- 1 or 2

Cinnamon sticks- 1 inch

Cardamom- 5/6

Cloves -  3/4

Whole cumin seeds-1/2 teaspoon

Red Onion (Medium)- 1 chopped

Tomato (Medium)- 1 chopped

Ginger paste - 1 teaspoon

Garlic paste- 1/2 teaspoon

Turmeric powder -1/2 teaspoon

Cumin powder- 1 teaspoon

Raisins- 8-10 (soaked)

Canola oil- 1 tablespoon

Ghee- 1 + 1 teaspoon

Wash and soak one cup of chholar dal for 2 hours or so.

In a pressure cooker or a thick bottomed pan heat the oil and one teaspoon of ghee. Temper the oil with red chilli, and whole garam masala (Cinnamon, cardamom and cloves). As soon as the aroma of garam masala comes out, add the cumin seeds. Wait till it becomes light brown.

Add the chopped onions and fry till it becomes pink and translucent.

Add a pinch of sugar and add the tomatoes. Cook in a low flame, till it becomes mushy.

Add the ginger-garlic paste and cook for 2-3 minutes.

 

Now add the pre-soaked dal to it and stir for 2-3 minutes. Add cumin and turmeric powder and stir well so that the spice is well mixed with the dal.

 

Add 1 and 1/2 cup of water and let it boil in low flame. You can also pressure cook it for 3 to 4 minutes. Add the raisins at this point.

I cooked it in a kadhai with lids on for about twenty five minutes. Check the consistency of the dal, it should not be too watery. At the end, add the remaining one teaspoon of ghee and give it a stir.

It totally uplifts my spirit when I have it with warm plain rice on a Sunday afternoon. I am sending this to MLLA 61, hosted by My Diverse Kitchen. MLLA was initiated by Susan of The Well Seasoned Cook and is now carried on by Lisa of Lisa's Kitchen.

Settling Down Slowly

Sorry friends for the delayed post.

After the huge move across the continent with a toddler, I was extremely tired and exhausted. That was enhanced by the super hot and humid weather that Kolkata had for me. I came from a temperature of -2C to 35C. Even my mom got annoyed by the 1000th times that I mentioned, " uff, ki gorom" and said lucky you, this year its not even that bad now.

Well, I am settling slowly but steadily now. I have a new apartment (well, new for me) and a new kitchen to start cooking. Last one month I almost did not cook and was fed by my Maa and Maa-in-law. I am slowly starting to cook now and even it is only one month I almost feel like a newcomer.

I like my new kitchen actually. I will try to post some photos in my next posts. For today, I will like to share with you this one photograph.

I am falling in love with this piece of green outside my kitchen window. This window faces east and every morning I open the window this green is bathed in warm sunshine and this makes me happy.

As I said, I am not much into cooking these days and this is a simple pasta dish I made for my lilA today. I am sure all of you make this dish for your kids, or even maybe for your own lunch box.

I just sautéed some onions, green peppers, carrots and tomatoes in 1 teaspoon of oil and added scrambled eggs to it. I then added the boiled pasta to it and sauteed it for couple of minutes more. That's it. I served this with a piece of cheese and my lil one loved it.

Have a nice weekend ahead friends.

Wednesday Blah Blah

This post was originally named as " monday blah...". But with all the things that need to be done at a single time, it became "wednesday bl.....".

We are moving across the mighty Atlantic, from one continent to the other. In less than a week. And with an almost 2 year old. Yeah, you heard it right.

This move is sort of "ghorer meye ghore phera".

With the move comes all the stress and mess. Suitcases piled up.

Boxes packed to ship.

Papers shredded and many, many (read "many" as many times possible) more to shred.

LilA unaware of the move is having a gala time admists of the messes, giving the mother a very hard time.

Tired and grumpy husband. (No photo for this, though).

But among all these mess, there was relief. Tiny flowers popping out. Its Spring after all dear friends.

More daylight and some beautiful sunsets.

Sunset from my balcony.

More wonderful and relaxing evening strolls with lilA.

Wonderful food. Last weekend, friends gathered to celebrate baby shower of a friend and you guessed it right, no celebration is complete without yummy foods. And deserts.

And among all these stuffs now that time to leave is near, I am having a very deep sad feeling to leave the place I called home for a long time, almost as long as half of the time of "banabas". A place where I became "mother". A place where my lilA first school, aka daycare is.

.....

Sorry for the blah, blah. Go ahead, have fun my friends. After all its Spring.