Raagi Sweet Dosa/Uthappam/Adai

Ingredients:

Raagi Flour- 1/2 cup
Wheat flour -  2 tbsp
Jaggery/Bellam - 1/4 cup
Grated Coconut - 1/3 cup (optional)
Cardamom powder - 1tsp
Nuvvula Oil/ Gingelly Oil - for frying or cooking the dosa

Procedure:

• In a mixing bowl, add ragi flour, wheat flour, grated coconut, cardamom powder and mix well.
• In a microwave safe bowl heat 3 to 4tbsp water and to it add the jaggery and dissolve it. 
• Now filter the jaggery mix to remove any sand or dust in it.
• Add the jaggery mix to the flour mix and mix it well by adding water to the mix.
• The mixture has to be not too thick nor watery. It has to be thicker than the dosa batter.

• Heat a dosa pan and add ghee/ oil on the pan.
• Put one laddle full of batter on the heated pan and spread it from middle to sides very slowly.

1. It will take for 2-3 mins to cook.
2. Now put little oil on the dosa and flip it to the other side and cook for another 1 min and serve.
3. Repeat the process with the remaining batter and serve it hot. 
4. This is a very good and healthy breakfast for both kids and adults.

Tips: 

• This will not be very thin as dosa and not as thicker as uthappam but medium in size.
• If you try to turn or spread the batter hard and fast on the pan it may not be perfect but crumbles. So be careful while spreading the dosa.
• Without the grated coconut it may be little harder but tastes good too. 

Eggless Whole Wheat Chocochip Cupcakes

Ingredients:

Whole Wheat Flour - 1 cup
Sugar - 1/2 cup
Baking Soda - 1/2 tsp
Pinch of salt
Choco chips - 1/2 cup
Vinegar/Lemon juice - 1/2 tbsp
Vanilla Extract - 1tsp
Oil - 3tbsp

Procedure:

• Preheat the oven to 350F. In a bowl sieve all the dry ingredients wheat flour,baking soda and salt and keep aside.
• In a mixing bowl mix 1/2 cup water and 3tbsp of oil.
• To this add Sugar and mix it with a whisk or beater till all the sugar is completely dissolved.
• Now add vinegar/lemon juice whichever you are using, vanilla extract, choco chips and give a turn and do not over mix the batter else cup cakes may turn flat.
• Lightly grease the cupcake pan (or line with muffin cups and grease muffin cups).
• Add the cake batter with a small laddle one after the other and fill the cupcake pan. Only 3/4 cup is filled as it will rise once cooked. (as shown in the below pic)

• Bake for around 20 mins to 30mins until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. 
• Remove from the oven and let them cool on a cooling rack to room temperature and served. Store in a air tight container and enjoy for at least a week. 

Sweet Pongadalu with Coconut

Ingredients:

Raw rice - 1 cup
Grated coconut - 1/2 cup
Cardamom pods -5 tsp
Grated jaggery - 1 1/2 cups
Wheat flour - 1/4 cup
Oil for deep frying

Procedure:

• Soak raw rice for 1 -2 hours.
• Drain the water completely and grind the rice first in a mixie.Then add little water, grated coconut, cardamom pods and grind it to a smooth paste. 
• Add grated jaggery to it and mix well till it dissolves.
• Then add wheat flour and mix well .The batter should be of dosa batter consistency, so adjust accordingly by adding the flour.
• The batter need not ferment, you should make pongadalu immediately after grinding it.
• Heat oil in a small kadai, keep it in medium flame, take a small amount of batter in a small ladle or ice cream scooper and drop it gently into the oil. One pongadam at a time is preferred. 
• When it puffs and float on the oil, turn over and cook the other side also till golden brown(refer notes if it is not comes out in the correct shape). Drain the oil using a slotted ladle and take it out from the kadai. 
• Repeat the same process for the rest of the batter.
• Sweet pongadalu is ready to be served. It can had as a tea time snack.

Notes:

• If it sticks to the pan when the batter is dropped into the kadai, then the batter is thin and need to adjust the consistency by adding little wheat flour.
• If the pongadam gets squeezed and rises up rather than puffing up in the middle and flat on the edges then the batter is thick and need to adjust the consistency by adding little water of 1 tbsp at a time. 

Eggless Wholewheat Dates Cake/Cupcakes

Ingredients:

Dates - 18 to 20 (preferred seedless)
Milk - 3/4th cup
Sugar - 3/4th cup
All purpose Flour/ Maida - 1cup (or) Whole wheat flour - 1cup
Oil - 1/2 cup
Baking Soda - 1tsp
Cashews/Walnuts/Pecans/Almonds - 1/2 cup (chopped) use any nuts you have.

Procedure:

• Soak dates in warm milk or just microwave for 5 mins till warm so that the dates turn soft enough to grind.
• Add sugar and along with the milk and dates into a blender and grind it to a smooth paste.
• Take this in a large mixing bowl. Add oil and mix.
• Sieve together flour and baking soda in a separate bowl.
• Add the flour 1 tsp at a time and mix well with a spatula.
• Add nuts and mix well. Do not over mix it.
• Preheat oven at 350F. Bake the cake in a greased oven proof dish for 35-40 mins or till the knife inserted in the cake comes out clean. (or) Pour the batter in the cupcake molds. But it takes only 20- 25 mins to cook the cupcakes.
• Cut it into pieces and serve the cake. For cup cakes transfer them onto the cooling rack and serve when cool.

This cake is more yummier the next day.

Tomato Brocolli Pachadi/Pickle

Ingredients:

Tomatoes - 3 medium
Brocolli - 1/2 medium
Green Chillis - 4
Tamarind - small piece for taste
Garlic pods - 3
Jeera - 1tsp
Salt to taste

Popu/Tadka:
Oil - 1tsp
Urad Dal - 1/2 tsp
Mustard - 1tsp
Curry leaves - 6 to 7
Red Chillis - 2
Hing/Asafoetida - pinch

Procedure:

1. Heat a pan, add little oil and add the green chillis. Once they start turning color add the tomatoes and broccoli to it and let it cook till the tomatoes and broccoli turn soft.
2. Add the tamarind to it and switch off the flame.
3. Transfer this mixture to the mixie jar and add jeera, salt, garlic and let it cool. 
4. Once cool grind it to a fine paste without adding any water and take it in a bowl.
5. Now heat oil in a small pan and add the tadka/popu items and add it to the prepared pachadi.
6. Mix it well and serve it with hot rice/ idly/ dosa/ uthappam etc. This goes well with any breakfast dishes.

Prawn Fry in Kerala style with grated coconut

Ingredients:

Prawns - 1lb (peeled and cleaned in vinegar water)
Onions - 2 medium size
Green Chillis - 3
Cilantro/Coriander Leaves - few
Curry Leaves - 10
Oil -2tsp
Salt to taste

To grind:
Onion - 1/2
Dry Coconut - 1tbsp
Fennel Seeds - 1tsp
Dry red chillis - 2
Garlic - 3 cloves
Cloves - 2
Cinnamon Stick -1 inch

For Marination:

Chilli powder - 1tsp
Jeera powder - 1tsp
Turmeric - pinch
Dhaniya powder - 1/2tsp
Garam Masala - 1/2tsp
Ginger Garlic paste - 1tsp
Lemon Juice - juice from 1 lemon
Oil - 1tsp
Salt to taste

Procedure:

• Add all the grind ingredients mentioned above in a blender and make it a paste without adding any water.
• Clean the prawns in vinegar so that the smell goes away. Now add all the marinate ingredients mentioned above into the prawns and marinate it at least for 15 to 45 mins.
• Heat a pan/kadai and add the marinated prawns and fry for 10 mins with the lid on. There will be water coming out from the prawns so need of adding any extra water. 
• Now remove the lid and cook on medium high flame to evaporate the remaining water till it is dry.
• Take the prawns aside in a bowl and in the same kadai add oil and to this add mustard seeds, onions, green chillis, curry leavesand fry for few mins till the onions turn light brown color.
• Now add the fried prawns and mix well. Add the grinded mixture at last and mix and cook for few mins. 
• Garnish it with coriander and serve with rice or as an appetizer.

Eggless Tutti Frutti Cake

Ingredients:

Maida/All purpose Flour/Whole wheat flour - 1.5 cups

Tutti Frutti - 1/2 cup

Cinnamon Powder - 1/4tsp

Baking Powder - 1tsp

Oil- 1/2 cup

Powdered Sugar - 3/4 cup

Yogurt/Curd - 1tbsp

Apple Cider Vinegar/ Vinegar -1tbsp

Baking soda - 1/2 tsp

Vanilla extract - 1tsp

Water -1/2 cup

Almond slices - 2tbsp

Salt -pinch (optional)

Procedure:

• In a mixing bowl add the flour, baking powder, cinnamon powder. Sift these items two times and keep aside.
• Add the tutti fruttis into the flour and mix well so that the fruits are mixed with the flour.

• Preheat the oven for 180 degrees C or 350 F.
• In another bowl mix the oil along with sugar till sugar dissolves.

• In another glass take yogurt and add 1tbsp water and whisk it till smooth. To this add Baking soda, vanilla extract, vinegar and stir till bubbles with froth formation. 

• Now in the flour mixture add the oil+Sugar mix and the yogurt mixture.
• Mix it slowly by adding 1/2 cup water with a spatula. Do not over mix it. Just mix it enough till there are no lumps in the batter.

• Grease the 7 to 9inch pan or place a butter paper in the pan. Pour the batter into the greased baking pan and add almonds on the top.
• Place the pan in the preheated oven and bake it for 35 to 45 mins at 350F/180C till the inserted toothpick or fork comes out of the baked cake without any batter sticking to it.
• Once done let the tutti frutti cake stand at room temperature for 5 to 10 mins.
• Cut the cake into slices and serve it as a snack.
• I made it with wholewheat flour so it is not that fluffy.But  if you make it with maida then it will be very smooth and fluffy.