Chocolate Walnut Cake - microwave

Heres the recipe of choco walnut cake - to be made in a microwave

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cup maida
1/2 cup cocoa powder
4 eggs
1 1/4 cup sugar
1 tbsp vinegar
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 cup curd
vanilla essence - 2-3 drops
chopped walnuts - as per ur wish

Method:
Mix a sieve together the maida, cocoa powder and the soda.
Break the eggs in a bowl and beat it. Now add sugar to it and beat it again for 2-3 minutes. Now add small portions of the seived powders - beating with each addition. Repeat till all dry things are mixed in. Add vinegar and curd as well to the mix. If the curd is a bit dry - you can add a bit of milk to the batter.
Now add the vanilla essence and the chopped walnuts.
Put this in a greased microwavable utensil - and nuke it for 6 1/2 minutes. Leave this in the microwave for 2 minutes more after the microwave is switched off (to complete the cooking) Now put a toothpick in the centre of the cake to check the doneness of the cake. If it comes out clean - good enuff - else nuke it for a minute or so more.
Once the cake cools off compeletely, invert it on a plate and tap the edges of the utensil so that the cak slides off the utensil easily.
Cut into pieces and server.
This can be served with vanilla icecream as well - tastes yummy.

Vegetable Idli

Hi - long time no blogging. Anyway - i am back now.
Vegetable Idli is a very light snack - and quick too.

Ingredients:
3/4 cup sooji
1 cup curd (preferably sour)
1 sachet Eno
1 cup Chopped vegetables (carrots, onions, cabbage, beans etc - all chopped very finely.)
salt - as per taste

Method:
Mix the sooji, curd and salt and keep aside for 10 minutes. Now add the vegetables and mix. Add Eno now and mix it quickly (dont over mix it)
Pur this in moulds and stem for 5 minutes as in the recipe below.
Hot vegetable Idlis are ready - eat with chutney or sauce.

Recipe - Idli

Heres a recipe for really quick idli.

Ingredients:
1 cup sooji (rawa/ wheat germ)
1+ cup sour curd (u can keep it out of the refrigerator overnight)
1/2 sachet Eno
1/4 tsp salt

Water

Method:
Mix the curd with sooji and salt. Vary the quantity of curd so that the batter is neither too thick nor too runny. It shud resemble the consistency of pancakes batter.
Also add salt. Keep this for abt 15-20 mins. Just when u r ready to cook the idlis - add eno. Mix it quickly - but dont over beat the batter. Pour this into the idli moulds and microwave it for 5 minutes. (make sure that the moulds are just a bit more than half full - idlis need space to become fluffy) (dont forget to add water to the base of the mould)
After 5 mins - cool the idlis a bit - and take off the moulds - they'll just slide off easily - hot idlis - ready to eat with sambhar/ chutney etc.

Dal - arhar

Hey Vivek - this one is for u.

Ingredients:
1 katori - dal (arhar - yellow)
3 tomotoes
1 onion (optional)
1 green chilli
1/2 inch piece of ginger
1 tbsp ghee

1 pinch hing (asoefitedia)
1/2 tsp jeera
1/2 tsp haldi
1/2 tsp dhania ppowder
1/4 tsp red chilli powder

salt - as per taste
Water - 2 katori

1/4 tsp - Amchoor
2 pinches - garam masala
Chopped coriander - for garnish.

Method:
wash and soak the dal for abt 15 minutes.
Meanwhile - puree the tomatoes and chop the onions, chillies and ginger.
In a pressure cooker, take a tbsp of ghee, when it heats up, add the hing in it. now add jeera. when the jeera splutters, add the onions, green chilli and ginger to it.Fry it for some time till the onions are translucent. Now add the pureed tomatoes. Also add all the other dry masalas (except amchoor and garam masala) and salt now, and cook this on low heat for abt 4-5 minutes. The mixture will soon start leaving the sides. Now add the soaked dal and water, and put the lid of the cooker. Put the gas stove at max temperature.
When the cooker gives out one whistle, lower the gas stove temperature - and shut off the gas after 3-4 minutes.
After the cooker cools down - open it, add the amchoor, garam masala and chopped coriander - and u r done. You can now adjust the quantity of water, salt and chillies if needed.
Enjoy this daal with steamed rice or chapattis.

Recipe - Vegetable Dalia

This is something I make when I am not in a mood to make something elaborate. This one dish suffices for the whole meal - for the whole family. And everybody loves it.

Ingredients:
1 cup dalia (broken wheat)
1/2 cup moong dal (green - with chilka)
Seasonal Mixed Vegetables -Cut into small pieces/shredded - About 3 cups
(I use carrots, capsicum, cabbage, cauliflower, beans, potatoes, peas - whatever is available in the season )
Salt - as per taste
Ghee - 1 tbsp
Garam Masala - optional
Chopped Coriander Leaves - for garnish.
Water - 4 cups

Method:
Dry roast the Dalia. Wash and soak the dal in water.
In a pressure cooker - add the ghee and when it is hot - add the vegetables. Now cook the vegetables lightly for a minute or two. Add the dalia, drained dal, water and salt and put the lid of the cooker.
When the cooker whistles once, put the gas on slow, and let the dalia cook for about 15 more minutes.
After the cooker cools down enough, open the cooker and mix the garam masala and the coriander leaves to the dalia. Serve immediately.

Tip:
1. I just put all the vegetables (except potatoes) in my food processor - and chop them roughly instead of cutting each of them separately.
2. The dalia can be served with chutney, pickles, papad etc.

This is a very healthy and low calorie dish - especially good for kids and elders.