Marble Cake

 Marble cake is the most easiest, moist , tender yet a classic cake. It’s exciting cake b’cause both vanilla and chocolate flavour can be enjoyed. The cake can be frosted too for special occasions simply with milk and choco chips. So let’s get started 

Ingredients and process This recipe is eggless. 

Pre heat the oven at 180C

Sugar 1 cup 

Yogurt 1 cup ( if using eggs substitute with 3 eggs) 

3/4 cup oil 

Blend the wet ingredients in a mixer. Keep aside. 

All purpose flour or baking flour 2cups 

Baking powder 1tsp

Baking soda 1/2 tsp 

Sieve the dry ingredients atleast 3 times 

Take a large bowl put the blended wet ingredients. Add the flour mixture and mix well using cut and fold method. Never over mix. 

Add 2 tbsp milk and mix gently. 

Divide the batter. Add 1 tsp vanilla extract to the white batter.

Add 3 tbsp cocoa powder and 2tbsp milk to the other batter. Mix well until well combined. Now in a greased mould put 1 spoon white batter and add 1 spoon chocolate batter. Continue the process. Zigzag with a fork or chopsticks . Bake in a pre heated oven for 35 to 40 minutes or check with a skewer. Cool the cake completely and Enjoy. 

Cumin

                                                     Cumin  

                                          

Cumin (mostly known as Jeera) is a spice made from the seeds of the cuminum cyminum plant. It is native to Asia, Europe and Africa but used widely in cooking in India from ancient ages. Mostly it is available as wholeseeds but ground form is also available in the market easily. I have seen from my childhood, my mom roasting the cumin seeds and then grinding the dry seeds. I do the same thing and while roasting my house is filled with beautiful aroma. Normally in India people use both whole or grounded cumin in almost every dish. It has some amazing medicinal properties too. It promotes digestion, contains beneficial plant compounds, is a rich source of iron, may improve blood cholesterol and even promotes weight loss and fat reduction. It even works as a great acid neutralizer and relieves stomach pain. I will share a very easy drink which you can make everyday and a very common Indian dish. You will need 1teaspoon of cumin seeds, 2glasses of water and 1teaspoon of honey(optional). In a sauce pan, add water and cumin seeds and bring it to boil. Put the flame on medium or low and allow the seeds to be absorbed into the water. Let it boil for 5minutes. Switch off the flame, strain it in a glass. Add honey and stir well. Consume the drink on an empty stomach or after meals both are fine.

Jeera Aloo

Jeera aloo, one of the simplest, easy and quick recipe, yet delicious can be easily made at home. You can have it with  plain roti or even the combination of dal, chawal(boiled rice) and jeera aloo is a perfect comfort food.
 Ingredients for jeera aloo
5 medium size boiled potatoes(cubed)
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 teaspoons cumin seeds
2 green chilies chopped
1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder
salt as required
1/4 cup of chopped coriander leaves
1 teaspoon lemon juice(optional)
Procedure- In a sauce pan , heat 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil, let the oil become hot.Add cumin seeds and wait till they crackle in the hot oil. Then add green chilies and stir well. Add the potato cubes followed by turmeric powder, salt and mix well. Saute the potatoes for 3 minutes. Now add chopped coriander. Switch off the flame, add lemon juice and serve hot.
This is all about another amazing Indian spice, for more information about Indian spices keep reading, I will be back with another wonderful Indian spice with its medicinal properties and some easy recipes.

Indian Spices

Indian Spices

India is a vast country which is famous for its food and its taste all over the world. Great taste, delicious aroma, unique color of the food which comes from different spices are the reason which makes it so popular. These spices are used for thousands of years in every Indian house. Indian spices are known as the world’s best and the most popular spices because of its taste, appealing aroma and above all its medicinal value. Indian spices are used to cure ailments from ancient age. Due to such a huge range of spices like turmeric, cumin, coriander, black pepper, red chili, fenugreek etc., the taste of Indian food is so great.

People make powder, paste or even whole to use these spices in various forms in their food.

Roast, raw or paste whatever way you add, it always gives a unique flavor and aroma. In this blog I will mention about Indian spices used for their medicinal properties and how to use them. Let’s start with Turmeric which we use it in almost every dish.

Turmeric- Turmeric is the spice which gives our food it’s yellow color and contains compounds with medicinal properties. These compounds are called curcuminoids, the most important of which is curcumin. It has anti-inflammatory effects and is a very strong antioxidant. Curcumin has become the 21^stcentury wonder botanical because of its potential to treat and heal several ailments. Ayurvedic medicine, a traditional Indian system of treatment, recommends turmeric for a variety of health conditions.  It helps to prevent various inflammatory diseases, cardiovascular disease, metabolic diseases and even arthritis. It modulates pain, regulates immune system, suppresses inflammation.

Mainly the root of turmeric is used  widely to make medicine. It is also used to treat headaches, cold, lung infections, bronchitis, fever and depression. Warm turmeric water on an empty stomach helps the body to burn excess flab, improves digestion and metabolism.

Today I will share a very easy and healthy beverage for cough, cold and congestion. We call it Haldi Doodh or turmeric milk.

You will need- 1 fresh turmeric root or ¼ teaspoon of ground turmeric or 1 teaspoon of turmeric powder.

1/8 teaspoon of ground black pepper

¼ teaspoon of ground cardamom(optional)

¼ teaspoon of ground ginger

1 cup milk

¼ teaspoon of honey or to taste.

First mix turmeric, black pepper, cardamom and ginger in a bowl. Boil milk in a separate vessel. When the milk is boiled whisk 1 teaspoon of the above mixture and cook for 2 to 3 minutes. Add honey and your healthy turmeric milk is ready.

I generally serve this medicinal ayurvedic drink to my son when the seasons are about to change. This helps to build the immune system and fights cold or cough.

Turmeric is also used as a face mask for glowing skin. It’s a natural beauty product for your skin which exfoliates and improves skin texture. It helps to reduce pigmentation and even out the skin tone. Take 2 tablespoons of all purpose flour, 1/2 teaspoon of turmeric paste, few drops of honey and 3 tablespoons of milk. Make a paste of all these ingredients, apply it on your face and leave it for 20 minutes. Rinse off with cold water and apply moisturizer after that.

So that’s all about this amazing product Turmeric. In my next blog I will share another Indian spice with its medicinal properties and an easy healthy recipe with it. Keep reading.

                                 
                                                               DIGESTIVE TEA

Hi I know I am posting after a long time.But this time I am posting something different. When I tried various medicines for my indigestion, I found that these medicines gives only temporary relief. So when medicines failed to provide solutions I became an avid researcher and tried few ayurvedic and home remedies which I learnt from my Mom. Regular Yoga also helped me a lot. A healthy body and a healthy mind requires not only nutrition but non-toxic personal care. So the easiest way to get rid of indigestion is very easy with the help of this recipe THE DIGESTION TEA.  You require only three ingredients which are available in every Indian kitchen. CORIANDER SEEDS- Coriander seeds support digestion and helps to reduce allergies and bloating, CUMIN- Cumin provides digestive enzymes, helps to balance blood sugar and respiratory issues, FENNEL SEEDS- Fennel seeds again helps to stimulate digestive juices, prevents gas and also helps to cure constipation. Make a powder of all these three ingredients and keep in an air tight container. Lets get started now


 Ingredients
Coriander Seeds - 1/2 cup
Cumin Seeds-1/2 cup
Fennel Seeds-1/2 cup
You can roast the seeds slightly if you want I use raw.
 Instructions
1. Put coriander,cumin and fennel seeds in a blender. Blend it into a fine powder and store it in an airtight glass container.
2. Now while preparing tea (1cup) take 1/4 teaspoon of this powder in a small saucepan with water(2 cups) and bring it to boil. Simmer for 1 minute. Let it cool to warm( you can add 1/2 teaspoon of honey because it tastes little bitter).
3.Strain and serve immediately.
                                               

Soup Recipe- Carrot and Lentil with bread sticks

Carrot beetroot and lentil soup

Carrot beetroot and lentil soup

This is another healthy and quick soup to enjoy in winter. Last week I made this soup with fresh carrots, beetroot and added little red lentil which made the soup more thick and yummy. I  normally make only carrot and beetroot soup but this time I wanted something different. This soup is quick and tastes yum when added lemon juice. So lets start

Ingredients

Carrot 2 cups chopped

Beetroot 1/2 cup chopped

Red lentil 2 tablespoons

Dried bay leaf 1 small

Minced Garlic 1 tsp

Butter 1tsp

Salt to taste

Pepper 1/2 teaspoon

Lemon juice 1/2 tsp

Red chilli powder 1/2 tsp( optional)

Veg stock 5 cups

Method

Start with peeling and chopping the vegetables.

Put the vegetables and red lentil in a pressure cooker, add little salt and 1 cup water, give 3 whistle.

Open the cooker and let it cool.

Now grind the boiled vegetables and dal in a smooth paste.

Heat butter in a heavy bottomed pan.

Add bay leaf, onion and garlic.

Fry for 2 to 3 mins.

Add the puree, salt and pepper.

Add the vegetable stock and let it boil.

Add red chilli powder.

Serve hot with baked bread sticks.

Egg and chicken frankie

Chicken frankie

Chicken and egg frankie

Normally in India it is called Egg roll and chicken roll and is a very popular street food. It is very easy to make at home and it tastes delicious. If you are a vegetarian skip egg and chicken and prepare the filling with veggies. Today I made two frankies one with egg and one with chicken sausage. First lets learn how to make egg roll.

 Ingredients

Chapatis/ tortillas 1

Egg 1

Pepper powder 1/4 tsp

Oil 1 1/2 tsp

Onion 1 sliced

Green Chilli 1 chopped

Cucumber 1/2 sliced

Chaat masala 1 tsp

salt to taste

Tomato sauce 1 tsp

Green chilli sauce 1/2 tsp( optional)

Directions

First prepare the Chapati and keep aside.

( To make chapati take Whole wheat flour, oil, a pinch of salt. In a bowl mix together flour, oil and salt. Add water and make a soft dough. Divide the dough in equal sized small balls.

Take a ball, flatten it with finger tips and using a rolling pin start roll out the dough to form a circle. Use dust flour while rolling. Now in a heated skillet put the rolled out dough and cook for few mins. Flip and cook the other side too. When done keep aside.)

Now break an egg into a bowl and beat it with salt and pepper.

Heat a nonstick pan, apply oil and pour the prepared egg.

Place the chapati on top of the egg mixture and press it.

When one side is cooked flip and cook the other side.

Take it out in a flat dish.

Now place the sliced onion, cucumber, green chilli, chat masala and tomato sauce.

Roll the chapati tightly and cut into half.

Your egg roll or egg frankie is ready.

Now to prepare Chicken sausage roll make the chapati in the same way as mentioned above.

Fry the chicken sausage and cut it into small pieces.

Now put the sausage, onion, cucumber and tomato sauce.

Roll tightly, cut it into half and your Chicken sausage frankie is ready.

Egg frankie

Pasta Arrabiata

Pasta Arrabiata

Pasta Arrabiata

Ingredients

Penne pasta 400g
Onion 1, finely chopped
Garlic 1 clove chopped
Red chillies 3 small chopped
Can tomatoes diced 800g
Extra virgin olive oil 1/2 cup
Caster sugar 1 tablespoon
Vegetable stock 1/2 cup

Directions

Cook pasta in a large saucepan of boiling water until tender.
Drain the pasta and keep aside.
Now heat oil in another saucepan.
Add garlic, Onion and chillies.
Stir for 5 to 6 mins
Add tomatoes and stir.
Now add the stock and bring it to boil.
Add sugar and season with salt and pepper.
Spoon sauce over pasta.
Toss and cook for 6 to 7 mins.
Serve hot.