Aloo Palak Paratha / Potato Spinach Paratha

The story of healthy cooking continues. This time the focus is on greens. And what best than spinach. It’s an easy tiffin food for kids.

Ingredients

Whole wheat flour – 2 cups

Besan /Gram flour – 1/3 cup

Boiled potato – 2, well smashed

Spinach leaf – 1 cup, finely cut

Green chilli – 2 finely chopped

Curd – 4 tbsp

Oil – 1 tbsp

Salt to taste

Oil for cooking

Method

1.      Knead all the ingredient to a dough ( if the dough is watery add the flour and if the dough is dry add more curd).
2.      Take big lemon size portion of the dough.
3.      Lightly flour the surface and roll it into a thick paratha.
4.      Heat a nonstick roti pad/tava. 
5.       Cook both sides on a tava (griddle) in medium heat till both sides a cooked properly.
6.      Apply little oil on the paratha and serve hot.
7.      With this dough, you will be able to make about 10 paratha.

Whole Wheat Vanilla Cup Cake

Making wheat cake was not by intention but it was due to sheer compulsion. I had promised my little one that I will make cupcakes in the morning and pack it in his tiffin box. I was confident enough that I had all the ingredients at home. 

Today morning as a started my day in the kitchen at 5.30am, the first thing was to make the cupcake mixture and put it in the oven, so that I can continue with my other works.  Half asleep I started mixing for the cake mixture starting with butter, sugar and egg. Now came the turn to add the flour, when I opened the flour container, it was empty. This point I could not back out, so the most easily available flour in any Indian kitchen is wheat flour.  Immediately replaced the regular flour to whole wheat flour, but when I mixed in the batter, it was a little thick, so there came in milk as a handy thinner.

But after all this the end result was absolutely mind-blowing. So it was easy, simple and healthy. And the kid loved it. What else does a mother want?

Ingredients

Whole wheat flour – 100gm

Caster sugar – 100gm

Butter – 70gm

Egg – 1

Milk – ¼ cup

Vanilla essence – ½ tsp.

Baking powder – ½ tsp.

Yellow food color – 2 drops

Method

1.      Preheat the oven to 180 degree C.

2.      Mix and sift flour and baking powder.

3.      In a bowl, whisk together sugar and butter, till it mixes together.

4.      To this add the egg and mix till the mixture is fluffy.

5.      Now add the flour mixture mix till it combines.

6.      Finally add in the vanilla essence and color and mix well.

7.      Line the cupcake mold with cupcake liner (paper).

8.      Pour about 1tbsp mixture on each mold. It will make about 9 cupcakes.

9.      Cake at 180 degree C for about 15 min.

10.  Once it is done transfer it to a cooling rack.

11.  Enjoy this healthy cupcake. 

Dal Vada / Parupu Vada

Parupu vada is a snack specially made in south India.  You can also call it the street food of south India.  Especially in Kerala you will find it at every tea stall.

In the monsoon if you are in Kerala and if it is raining, stop at any road side tea stall and try the combination of  a hot cup of tea with these vadas.  It is amazing.

I learnt it from my mother-in-law. I can never reach to that standard. It is soft from inside and crispy from outside. She made it as evening snacks. So, this time I also made it for my kids as an evening snack which they relished after their play time.

Ingredients

Channa Dal – 1 cup ( socked in water for about 5 hrs)

Onion – 1 finely chopped

Green chilly – 2 finely chopped

Ginger – 1 tsp finely chopped

Curry leaves – 10 finely chopped

Asafetida – ½ tsp

Salt as per taste

Oil to fry

Method

1.      Drain out the water completely from the soaked dal and grind it coarsely (there should be few whole dal left.  Please don’t make it into a paste.

2.      Mix all the ingredient except the oil.

3.      Take small lemon size portion of this mixture, make a small ball and flatten them between your palms.

4.      Similarly, make all the vadas and keep it on a plate to fry.

5.      Heat oil in a heavy bottom pan.  

6.      Deep fry the vada till it is golden brown( approx. 5 min)

7.      Now remove and drain the excess oil on a paper towel. 

Palada Payasam

An easy payasam made during onam or any other special occasion.  It is easy but different.  The adai is made of rice flour.  It is readily available in any of the Kerala stores.

 Adai

 

Ingredients

Small ready made Adda – 1 cup

Milk – 1 liter
Sugar – ¾ cup
Cardamom powder – ½ tsp
Raisins – 1 tbsp
Cashew nut - 1 tbsp
Clarified butter / Ghee – to fry (about 2 tbsp)

Method

1.      Heat the ghee in a pan, toss in the raisins and fry for few seconds till the raisins swells, remove them into a plate, next fry the cashew nut till it is about to become brown, remove this into the plate and keep it aside.

2.      Boil milk in a heavy bottom pan, lower the flame and add the adai.  Keep steering this continuously so that the adai does not stick at the bottom.

3.      Cook till the adai are soft, about 20 min.  This milk will thicken and a little.

4.      Now and the sugar and stir till it melts.

5.      Switch of the heat. Then add the cardamom powder and the fried cashew nut and raisins.  Mix well.

6.      You can serve it when it is hot.  But prefer all payasams when it becomes cold or a day older is better.
 

Birthday Cake Design 2

HAPPY BIRTHDAY NIA

Nia my colleague daughter celebrated her 2nd Birthday yesterday.  She wanted a small cake for a celebration at home. This is what I made for her.  It’s a tricolored, tri-flavored cake with a vanilla flavored fondant icing.

Choco Banana Cake

What do you do with over ripen banana, which the kidoo’s completely reject to touch? This is what I do with it, make a chocolate cake.  It looks very rich and temp the children to take the lion's share of it. So, try and enjoy it.

Ingredients

Flour – 1 ¾ cup flour

Castor sugar – 2 cup

Coco powder – ¾ cup

Baking powder – 1tsp

Baking soda – ½ tsp

Egg - 2

Ripe banana – 1 ½ cup mashed

Warm Water – ½ cup

Milk – ½ cup

Oil – ½ cup

Vanilla essence – 1 tsp 

Method 1.      Preheat the oven to 180 degree C 2.      Mix and sift flour, castor sugar, coco powder, baking powder, baking soda, 3.      In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, mashed bananas, water, milk, oil and vanilla essence. 4.      Add the dry ingredient to the wet ingredient and whisk until it combines. 5.      Grease and dust a 9” cake tin. 6.      Pour the above mixture into the prepared tin and bake for 40 to 45 min or until a toothpick inserts into the center of the cake and it comes out clean. 7.      Remove from oven and let cool on a wire rack. 8.      When completely cooled  have with icecream and banana like  sundaes 9.      Enjoy !