No Bake Chocolate Cake

June 16th, DH's Bday !! For me its a great reason to celebrate  So I just made this cake :) And its 11:00 PM . Waiting for clock to tick 12:00 for eating it :D.  Its very easy awesome cake and you can't go wrong at it. Here is the recipe

INGREDIENTS :-
Marie Biscuits :- 1 ,10 rs Packet(you could use horlicks biscuit too... It doesn't go well with me so i used marie)
Maida :- 1 tablespoon
Dark chocolate:- I used nestle , a cup
Chocolate powder :- 1 teaspoon(use more if you want it more chocolaty )
Milk :- 3 cups
(I didnt add any extra sugar)
Coffee powder ;- 1 teaspoon
Cocoa powder :- 1 teaspoon
METHOD :-

1. Take Marie biscuits in a grinder and grind into fine powder.
2. Heat 2 cups  milk add dark chocolate , chocolate powder, coffee powder, cocoa powder and stir it well till all ingredients mix well . Chocolate should entiiirely melt into milk.
3. Bring milk to boil.
4. In remaining cup of milk add maida mix it well so as to remove any lumps.
5. Add this to milk and bring it boil and stir it till it attains thick consistency.
6. Add powdered biscuit slowly into chocolate mixture.
7. Stir well.
8. Take a mold apply butter to it and pour this mixture into it. Adjust it so that its even
9. Place it in deep fridge for 3-4 hours and its ready :D.

PS :- please don't mind random icing with a jam. Actually you could add some nice vanilla icing to it !!

Baked Vankaya Vepudu

I never knew brinjal fry would be this tasty and with wonderful texture when baked. The outcome was very good. With hardly 1/2 tablespoon oil. Try it , I bet you will be a fan of it.
INGREDIENTS :-
Vanakaya/Brinjals :- sliced into proper pieces.
Salt :- as required
Chilly powder :-as required .
Oil :- 1/2 tablespoon
METHOD :-
Take brinjals into baking dish, add oil , mix them well.
Bake it for 10 minutes. Basically I had vegetable menu already. Or else you can bake it at 190 C for 8-10 minutes.Ovens vary according to company.Mine is Croma. Please select suitable temperature according to your type.
Stir with a ladle and again bake it for 5-6 minutes.
Now add salt and chilli powder and bake it for 3-4 more minutes.
Its Ready !! :)

Pata in white sauce

Pasta is my favorite. Whenever hubby dear has lunch party at office, I have pasta blast at home. This time I made white pasta. Here is the recipe.
INGREDIENTS :
Pasta (any variety) :- 2 cups
Wheat flour/Maida (I used wheat flour) :- 2 tablespoons
Extra Virgin Olive Oil :- 1 tablespoon
Garlic flakes :- 10-12
Pasta seasoning :- 1 -2 teaspoons
Milk :- 4 cups
Salt :- as required
Grounded pepper :- 2 tea spoons
Mozzarella cheese :- to sprinkle
Any vegetables :- broccoli, capsicums, chillies, corn  1 1/2 cup
METHOD :-
Boil pasta keep aside.
Take a pan heat olive oil , add garlic and allow it to sizzle.
Add vegetables and stir fry them  a bit.
Add Wheat flour fry it a bit and slowly add milk stir continuously to remove any lumps.
Add salt, pasta seasoning and bring it boil till it attains thick consistency.
Add boiled pasta and stir it for a while.
Now in baking dish add pasta,  a bit of milk and sprinkle cheese on it and bake it for 10-15 minutes till cheese turns bit brown. (this brownish mozzarella cheese adds extra zing !!)

Mirchi ka Thecha

I first ate this when my hubby's cousin's wife's mother made it :D Confusing eh ?. They are Maharastrians and aunty cooked wonderful meal one day. I couldn't forget the taste for months together. Finally I found this recipe on internet(Couldn't contact aunty again :) ). Here is the recipe. So this is spicy, hot and dedicated to all chilli lovers (I am one of them). Thecha means something which is pounded or crushed. There are various versions to it. Some add peanuts, some don't some add only garlic and some both garlic and ginger.  This is my version. Added peanuts to it
INGREDIENTS :
Peanuts :- handful
Garlic :- 50 gms chopped very finely
Ginger :- 50 gms chopped very finely
Green chillies :- chopped very finely(12-13)
Oil :- 1 tablespoon
Salt :- as required
Nimbu :- 4-5 drops
METHOD :-

1. Heat oil in pan fry peanuts ,ginger, garlic, chillies till they are fried well.
2. Remove them, allow them to cool ,add salt, nimbu, and grind into coarse powder.
3. Can be stored in deep fridge . Can be eaten as side dish with hot phulkas and chapathis. :)

Aalo-Paneer-Matar Curry

So I needed a curry accomplishment with my capsicum fried rice. You can find the recipe here. I made fried rice a bit bland. So I really wanted some great masala with it. This is good option with home made paneer and frozen matar. I made this without regular ginger-garlic -tomato-onion gravy method. Here is the recipe.
INGREDIENTS :-
Aalo :- 3 big(Boiled and chopped into large pieces)
Paneer :- a cup (chopped finely, fry them separately)
Matar :- a cup
Oil ;- 1 tablespoon(I used olive oil)
Green chillies :- 3 chopped
Badam :- 7-8(Soaked and peeled)
Cashews :- 7-8 soaked
Besan/Chick Pea flour :- 2 teaspoons mixed well with water without lumps
Tadka :- whatever you feel like adding(I added jeera and mustard)
Salt :- as required
Garam masala :- 1 1/2 teaspoons
Turmeric :-a pinch
Coriander :- chopped for dressing
METHOD:-

1. Take a pan add oil add tadka and green chillies,badam and fry them.
2. Add choppd-boiled aalo,fried paneer and add sufficient water (3-4 cups).
3. Add matar, turmeric , salt, garam masala .
4. Now make a paste of cashews and add it to the pan.
5. Close the lid and simmer for 5-10 minutes till masalas are well mixed.
6. Add besan-water mixture to the pan and stir well. This acts as hardener and simmer for 5 more minutes. Dress with coriander and serve hot.

Capsicum Fried Rice

You can actually make this with colorful capsicums . I used red and green. Didn't get yellow in Inorbit mall. Basically I love shopping in hyper city. ! I can spend hours and hours together roaming in Hyper city food section. But unfortunately poor my dear husband starts calling me ."how much time will it take ??". So I considering his plead(Plight !!) I return back. So after my yesterday's expedition at Hyper city. I made this one.
INGREDIENTS :
Green capsicums :- 2 small (chopped finely)
Red capsicums :- 2 small(chopped finely)
Green Chillies :-  5 (chopped very finely)
Soya granules :-1  cup
Olive oil/Butter :- 1 tablespoon
Noodles/Fried Rice masala :- 2 teaspoons (You can substitute this by using Cardamom, Ilaichi, Dal chini ,pepper corns powdered with Ajinomoto)
Basmati Rice :- 1 cup per each person.
Salt:-as required

METHOD :-

1. Take olive oil in a pan add green chillies , chopped capsicum all kinds.
2. Fry them until they looked bit cooked.
3. Add Soya Granules and mix well. 
4. Add basmati rice. For each cup of basmati rice add one cup water. 
5. Add noodles masala/ or powdered spices and ajinomoto.
6. Add salt. Mix well and close the pressure pan and cook for whistles.
7. Garnish with Coriander.

Home Made Paneer(Cottage Cheese)

I always used to buy paneer outside until I knew this :). Now I buy half liter full cream milk((normal would also do !!) and make it fresh at home. Sometimes in summer milk gets spoiled if exposed to sun for long time or if its not kept in fridge. Now a days I use that milk to make paneer . This can be used in anything same as you use paneer bought from outside.
INGREDIENTS :-
Milk (full cream would be best/normal would also do) :- as per requirement
Lime juice :- 1 tablespoon
METHOD :-

1. Heat milk and bring it to boil.
2. Let it cool for a while. After it cools add lemon juice and stir it fr 5 minutes. You can see milk solids getting separated . Keep aside for 30 minutes.
3. Now After 30 minutes, you can see clear water on top of the milk. Now again heat it and bring it to "just about to boil" condition.
4. Now filter the upper water using a filter.
5. Now take a vessel fill water upto brim and place it on the paneer in filter. In sort the idea is to press it with weight so as to remove any water in the paneer. Leave it for 15 minutes.
6. Take the paneer cut into pieces and store it in fridge.

Cracked-wheat (Dalia) Halwa

Yesterday night while we were about to sleep. I wanted to eat something sweet something like halwa. Now I can't make it at 11  in the night. I made it today :). Here is the recipe
INGREDIENTS :-
Dalia :- Brown one or white one(I took brown one) a cup
Ghee :- 1 tablespoon
Cashews :- 10-12 soaked in warm water
Badam :- soaked in warm water and peel the skin and cut into flakes
Sugar :- 1 tablespoon (adjust)
Food color :- orange red,a  pinch
Milk :- 1 1/2 cup(you can substitute with khoya)
Water :- a cup
METHOD :-

1. Melt ghee in a deep frying pan and add dalia to it when it heated well.
2. Fry dalia in ghee until a bit golden brown.
3. Now grind cashews in water to make it smooth paste. 
4. Add this to fried dalia . Add milk and add water and add food color.
5. Cook under closed lid till daila is boiled.
6. Add sugar and keep on stirring with ladle and close the lid again.
7. Continue opening the lid and stirring every 3-4 minutes until sugar completely melts.
8. Now open the lid and simmer for 3-4 minutes untill halwa becomes thick.
9. Decorate with flaked badam and serve hot :)

Mamidikaya Charu/Raw Mango Rasam

My parents visited us these days. My mom is an awesome cook. She is a delight for food lovers like me :) .

This one is made by her and I took the photos and learnt the recipe :) . We fed it to my kid with rice. He is 9th month old. Trust me he loved it and cried if we stopped feeding him that . So me and kiddo were eating until rasam was over :D
INGREDIENTS :- 
Sour Mango :- 1
Tomato :- 1 large chopped
Green chillies :- 2-3
Rasam powder :- 1 teaspoon
Turmeric :- a pinch
Salt :- as required
Oil :- 1 tablespoon
Sugar/jaggery :- a small piece(optional)
For Tempering/seasoning :-
Urad Dal :- 1 teaspoon
chana dal:- 1 teaspoon
jeera :- 1 teaspoon
aavalu/mustard seeds :- 1 teaspoon
Dry Chillies :- 2-3
Curry leaves :- 2-3
Hing :- a pinch
Curry leaves for tadka :- 4-5
METHOD :-
In a pressure cooker , cook mango for 3 whistles.
After it cools down  squeeze out entiiire pulp into a pan. add water of necessary
Add salt, turmeric , chopped tomatoes, rasam powder and slit green chillies and bring it to boil.
Now in a frying pan add oil heat it and add all tempering ingredients and ad them directly to rasam .
Serve it hot with rice.

Achari Baingan

I being a foodie have lots of cravings (a pregnant lady is nothing before  me). I somehow always think of making/eating good food . This one i stumbled upon searching for good recipes that can be made with baingan/vanakaya. This originally use a lot of oil. But as I said in my "about me" column I sprayed oil :)  ,used Microwave, baked it and it was all ready. With good taste :). Wonderful , easy recipe that goes well with rotis, phulkas.
INGREDIENTS:-
 Vanakaya/Brinjals :-small ones purple or green whatever available.(7-8)
Tomatoes :- 250 gms (chopped)
Jeera :- a teaspoon
Chana dal :- a teaspoon
Fennel seeds :- 1 1/2 teaspoons
Vaamu/Oregano seeds :- 1 1/2 teaspoon
Kalonji/Onion seeds :- 1 1/2 teaspoons
Ginger-Garlic paste :- 1 1/2 teaspoons
Methi seeds:- 1 teaspoon
Oil :- 1 tablespoon
Salt :- as required
Red chilly powder (Preferable kashmiri) :- 1 1/2 teaspoon
Lemon :- 1 big
METHOD :-

1. Slit the brinjals by removing the stalk. Apply oil to the surface of baking container and carefully place brinjals on it.
2. Bake it at 170 C for 7 minutes .(I actually had pre set menu for vegetables. I used that).
3. Powder together fennel-kalonji-oregano- methi into coarse powder.
4. Take it out keep brinjals aside.
5. Take chopped tomatoes in baking container and bake it at 170 c for 7 minutes.
6. If your baking container is large enough you can actually place brinajls and tomatoes side by side and bake. But remember they should mix as we are going to grind tomatoes.
7. After they are baked take out tomatoes and grind them. 
8. Now in pan add remaining oil and heat it.
9. Add chana dal , jeera.ginger garlic paste , and powdered masalas (fennel-oregano). and fry until they release their aroma.
10. Now add this entiiire thing into baking dish. Add brinjals , pureed tomatoes, alt, chilli powder , garam masala if you wish and 1/2 cup water. and bake it at 170 C for 7-8 minutes till water evaporates .
11. Squeeze fresh lemon on it :)
12. Serve it hot.