Mango milkshake

Milk and fruits are friends forever!! And when the fruit is Mango, the combination will never go wrong. Your kids are going to drink the whole glass of this milkshake in one gulp. I have used Dasheri mangoes, don't limit yourself, use mangoes of your choice. 

Prep time: 10 minutes

Servings: 4 glasses

Ingredients:

Mangoes: 3
Milk: 1/2 cup
Sugar( optional): 1 tbsp
Tooty fruity( optional): 2 tsp
Ice cubes

Method:

1. Add the puree of mangoes in a blender.
2. Add milk, ice cubes and turn the blender on till you get a smooth texture. 
3. Taste the sweetness and add sugar if required. 
4. Pour in a serving glass and garnish with tooty fruity. 

Notes:

• Do not add ice cubes if you are using a blender which has glass jar. There is a risk of glass jar cracking. You can add ice cubes directly into the serving glass. 
• You can use honey instead of sugar. 
• Add some vanilla ice cream for a more rich taste. 

Cabbage Tomato curry

My husband is a very big fan of this curry. It is made on a regular basis at my home. I learnt this from my mom, but I love it when my mom makes it. It goes well with roti and rice.

Preparation time: 10  mins
Cooking time: 20 mins
Servings: 4

Ingredients:

Cabbage, finely chopped: 1 medium size
Oil: 2 tbsp
Onions, chopped: 2 medium size
Green chilies, slit lengthwise: 2
Tomatoes, chopped: 4 medium size
Turmeric powder: 1 tsp
Red chili powder: 1.5 tbsp( suit your spice level)
Salt to taste
Sabji masala( optional): 1 tsp
Coriander leaves, chopped: a small bunch

Method:

1. Heat oil in a pressure cooker. Add onions and green chilies. Saute till onions turn golden brown.
2. Add cabbage and tomatoes, let it cook for 5 minutes.
3. Add turmeric powder, red chili powder, salt, sabji masala and mix well.
4. Add half glass water and close the lid. 
5. Cook for 4 whistles. When all the pressure is gone, open the lid. If there is any water, cook till all the water is absorbed. 
6. Garnish with coriander leaves.

How to make Dhaniya powder

There is adulteration in almost all products you get from outside these days. I try my best to make all spices at home. One of them is coriander powder. You might be thinking where is the time these days. But all you require is just a maximum of half an hour in your busy schedule. Biggest advantage is, 'Good health guaranteed!'

Prep time: 20 minutes
Servings: 1 medium sized bottle

Ingredients:

Coriander seeds/ Dhaniya, roasted: 250 gms

Method:

1. Dry roast the dhaniya till they change colour or turn crisp. Let it cool down.
2. In a blender, grind them to make a smooth powder.
3. Store the fresh, aromatic dhaniya powder in a air-tight container. 

Notes:

• Before you roast the coriander seeds, check for stones in it. If there are any stones, get rid of them. 
• For all homemade spices, buy good quality ones from the market.
• Stays fresh for a couple of months.

Eggless cake

             

 I have always made cake with eggs. Never thought I will make a cake without eggs one day. My nephew was asking me for a cake from a couple of days. And today when I sat down to make one, I found no eggs in my fridge. Went through some recipes online, few of them had condensed milk instead of eggs and few had yogurt. I have settled for yogurt today.
               As I have said earlier, I make cakes in cake oven. This time also same process. People who are used to making it in pressure cooker can follow the same recipe.

Preparation time: 10 minutes
Cooking time: 30 minutes
Makes 1 cake

Ingredients:

Sugar, powdered: 1 cup
All purpose flour(Maida): 1 and 1/4 cup
Mixed fruit essence: 1/2 tsp
Baking powder: 1 tsp
Yogurt: 1 cup
Vegetable oil: 1/4 cup
Tooty fruity: 1 tbsp(optional)

Method:

1. Sieve maida and baking powder together.
2. In a bowl mix maida, yogurt, powdered sugar, vegetable oil, mixed fruit essence, tooty fruity and baking powder till the mixture becomes smooth. 
3. Grease the cake oven with some butter and dust it with some maida. Pour the cake mix to the cake oven. 
4. Heat the sand plate on the gas stove and place the cake oven on the sand plate.
5. Cook on low flame for 30 mins.
6. Allow it to cool for 10 mins and remove the cake without breaking it. 
   

Notes: 

• You can use vanilla essence instead of mixed fruit essence.
• Switch off the flame and remove from gas the cake oven ten minutes before the cake is done. Heat within the cake oven is sufficient,else the cake gets over cooked. 
• Refer to Cooking with a cake oven  for a better idea of the oven I used.

Linking this recipe to Rafeeda