RAW MANGO LAUNJI

Kairi launji is a raw mango relish which I have relished all my childhood. It is a summer special when raw mangoes are in season. Raw mangoes prevents water loss; eating raw mangoes with a pinch of salt on it helps to prevent the water in the human body. It quenches thirst and prevents high temperature during the summers. Aam ki launji is a tongue-tickling raw mango relish from the state of Maharashtra. It is a perfect balance of sweet, sour and spicy flavours. the spices give it a very good fragrance and a tangy taste. You can use slightly sweeter raw mangoes if you want to use less sugar. Or you can replace sugar with jaggery if you want a healthier version.[ I alwasys prepare this with jiggery] This sweet and sour dish adds magic to any meal. It is quick to cook, requires very few ingredients and you can even store it for 2-3 weeks in refrigerator. You just need to warm it up when you want to eat. This is my family’s favourite recipe and popular at my place. It is very easy, simple and ready in just few minutes. It is the best side dish for lunch or dinner. You can serve it with paratha, roti or plain rice. 

📌📌 Watch the video recipe here 👇👇

https://youtube.com/shorts/gwmmEGH4gJw?feature=share

INGREDIENTS:

1-2 Medium Raw Mango Cubed [ peeled / without peeling]

2 tablespoon Oil

½  teaspoon Cumin Seeds

¼ teaspoon Mustard Seeds

 1 teaspoon Fenugreek Seeds [methi]

¼ teaspoon Nigella Seeds [kalonji]

¼ teaspoon Fennel Seeds [saunf]

1 teaspoon Red Chilli Powder [as required]

2 teaspoon Coriander Powder

¼ teaspoon Turmeric Powder 

1 teaspoon Garam Masala Powder 

 3-4 teablspoon Jaggery [as per taste]

Salt to taste

Water as needed

METHOD:

STEP1 – Cut the mangoes quite big cube sized. Keep them aside.

STEP 2 – Heat oil in the thick bottomed pan or kadhai. Add cumin and mustard seeds. Once they pop, add nigella and fennel seeds and sauté for few seconds.

                                      

STEP 3 –  Add turmeric powder in it and then immediately add cut mango pieces and sauté for 1-2 minutes covered.

                                       
And add some water[1/2 cup], mix it and let it cook for some time.

                                       

STEP 4 – Add red chilli powder, coriander powder, garam masala powder and mix well and sauté for 1-2 minutes.

                                                

STEP 5 – Add water as per required and then add jaggery/ sugar

                                              

and cook covered stirring occasionally for 7-8 minutes or till the mangoes are cooked and pulpy.

                                           

STEP 6 - Check it and if it is done, switch off the flame.

                                           

Remove and cool and serve.

Serve it with chapatti, paratha or side dish with meal.

                                                       

NOTE: *The amount of sugar / jaggery vary according to the sourness of mangoes or as per your liking

EGGLESS BANANA CAKE

Cheap and easy, low-fat and low-sugar…..yet extremely moreish ! This banana cake is almost too good to be true.Eggless banana cake recipe – very simple and easy recipe. A one bowl cake recipe which is eggless as well as vegan. A quick and super easy recipe which gives light, soft and moist cake. This cake was liked by everyone in the family and more so by my hubby. The banana cake can be served plain as it is with a evening cup of tea or as a sweet dessert snack. You can also serve the cake slices with some whipped cream or if you want, frost the cake with butter or cream icing. A chocolate icing would also go very well. You can bake this for breakfast or at evening tea time. I have three over riped bananas and no one is ready to eat them, so I made this cake which is finished within no time.

Enjoy banana fruit, nature’s own energy-rich food that comes with a safety envelope! Just try this fresh and delicious dessert banana cake. Hope you all like the recipe ….if yes then do try and share your experiences. After trying this cake recipe, I am very happy because my daughters don’t eat bananas and this I can feed them bananas.

INGREDIENTS:

 ¾ Cup All Purpose Flour

¾ Cup Mashed Banana [about 2 ripe banana]

6 tablespoon Sugar

½ teaspoon Baking Powder

¼ teaspoon Baking Soda

1/8 teaspoon Salt

¼ Cup Oil [I had taken vegetable oil]

½  teaspoon Vanilla Essence

Some Chopped Walnuts and Cashewnuts

METHOD:

 STEP1 – Mix the flour, salt, baking powder and baking soda and sieve this together to ensure even mixing. Keep this aside. 

STEP  2 -  Mash the banana in a separate bowl.

STEP 3 – Pre-heat the oven at 180 C.

STEP 4 – Grease the cake pan with clarified butter [ghee] and line it with butter paper and keep it aside.

STEP 5 – Now take a bowl, whisk sugar, oil, vanilla essence with the mashed banana in it until combined well.

STEP 5 – Slowly add the sifted flour mix to the banana mixture and gently fold the mixture until the batter shows no trace of flour. Don’t overmix or overbit.

STEP 6 – Add chopped wlanuts and cashewnuts to the cake mix. Pour this cake batter in the prepared cake tin.

STEP 7 – Bake in pre-heated oven for 35 minutes or till a toothpick inserted into the middle of the cake comes out clean.

STEP 8 – Allow the cake to cool down for 15 minutes then invert.

STEP 9 – Let it cool completely and cut into pieces and enjoy.

Serve the yummy eggless banana cake with hot cup of tea/ coffee and enjoy.

CHECKERBOARD CAKE / CHESS BOARD CAKE

A cake I have been waiting so long to try, that makes looking at it an artistic pleasure and the taste of which pure bliss- checkerboard cake –our chess board cake ….!!!

Me and my daughter have been waiting to make this cake for a very long time. I had researched every inch of the net for the recipe and also dashed through every store for the checkerboard pan, but sadly it was not available.  But lastly I found details about how to make this cake. We have followed the method and the result comes out….. was simply great. Finally, had a chance to have our own-very lovingly called –chess board cake….!!!

It was that time of the year again….my hubby’s birthday. We have  a commintment to create his birthday cake. This occasion is always a very special one. The cake was more difficult than it looked [of course].  We used two 8” diameter circle cakes for this cake. We were scared by the thought of making the chess squares out of it. But we tried and very happy that we have done it finally.

This makes for a great celebration cake. Everyone loved it and I am sure I would make it again. I agree the procedure is  a bit tedious but hey…its worth every bit of the effort. So roll up your sleeves and go try it….!!!

INGREDIENTS:

For Sponge Cake:

1 ½ Cup All Purpose Flour

1 Cup Plain thick Yogurt

¾ Cup Sugar

½ teaspoon Baking Soda

1 ¼ teaspoon Baking Powder

½ Cup Vegetable Oil

1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract

For Chocolate Cake:

11/2 Cup All Purpose Flour

1 Cup Sugar

3 tablespoon Cocoa Powder

¼ Cup Vegetable Oil

1 Cup Cold Milk

1 teaspoon Baking Soda

1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract

1 teaspoon White Vinegar/ Lemon Juice

A pinch of Salt

Soaking Liquid:

½ Cup Water

3 tablespoon Sugar

Coffee Liqueur [optional]

More:

1 Cup Whipping Cream

1-2 Cup Chocolate Ganache [as required]

METHOD:

For a Sponge Cake:

STEP 1 – Pre-heat the oven at 350 F/ 180 C. Prepare the cake mould greased with oil and butter paper. Keep this aside.

STEP 2 – Beat the yogurt well removing the lumps and add the sugar to it.

STEP 3 – Beat well again and add the baking powder and baking soda to it.

STEP 4 – Keep it aside for 5 minutes until you see small bubbles on the surface of the mixture.

STEP 5 – To this mixture, add vanilla extract and oil. Mix well until all the ingredients are combined together.

STEP 6 – Sift in the flour in three batches in to this mixture.

STEP 7 – Gently fold the mixture using a whisk or rubber spatula or wooden spoon until you see no more streaks of flour.

STEP 8 – Pour in to the prepared pan and tap it firmly on the counter top a couple of times to get rid of the air bubbles.

STEP 9 – Bake in the pre-heated oven at 350 F/ 180 C for 25-30 minutes ot till the top turns a golden brown or untill a tooth pick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean.

STEP 10 – Cool the cake completely before cutting or serving.

For a Chocolate Cake:

STEP 1 – Pre-heat the oven to 180 C/ 350 F.

STEP 2 – Mix sugar with milk, oil, vanilla and vinegar.Take care to use cold milk otherwise the vinegar will curdle. [if you are not sure how it will go, then just use water]

STEP 3 – Mix flour, cocoa powder, salt and baking soda in a bowl. Sift this dry mixture into the wet ingredients in three batches, folding it in after each addition.

STEP 4 – Don’t over mix at this stage, just gently fold in until you don’t see any trace of the batter. A few small lumps in the batter are fine.

STEP 5 – Lightly grease the cake tin with oil or butter and place a greased butter paper in it. Dust a little flour over it and remove the extra flour.

STEP 6 – Pour the cake mix in the cake mould and bake it in the pre-heated oven for 25-30 minutes. Depending upon the pan used, the baking time will vary. Mine took just over in 25 minutes.

STEP 7 – Let the cake cool and transfer to a cooling rack or cutting board.

How to proceed further:

We will now have 2 cakes –vanilla and chocolate.

Using any circular utensils or cutter you might have in the house, cut each cake in to 3 circles.

You will have 3 circles of vanilla and 3 circles of chocolate cake respectively.

Assemble the cake:

STEP 1 – Exchange the circles between the two cakes in a manner where you have 1 vanilla-1 chocolate and 1 vanilla together making a whole cake as shown here in the picture.

STEP 2 – When you are placing each circles inside the other, brush the inner sides of the cake with the whipping cream.  Whip cream with some sugar and vanilla essence if you like.

STEP 3 – Brush the soaking liquid over the cake. The amount of soaking liquid that you brush over determines the moistness of the cake.

STEP 4 – Sandwich both the cakes together with the remaining whipped cream.

STEP 5 – Make the ganache now. Heat the cream in a microwave for about 90 seconds. The cream will be really hot, add the semisweet chocolate and mix till combined.

STEP 6 – Cover the whole cake with whipped cream and keep it to the refrigerator for some time.

STEP 7 - Then pour the ganache on the cake and spread the ganache over top and sides of the cake.

STEP 8 – Again chill the cake for an hour. Then decorate using your imagination. I used butter cream flowers and whipped cream  icing.

STEP 8 – Chill till needed. Cut and enjoy the pattern.

Serve the cake chilled and enjoy your yummy patterned slice…!!

NOTE: Care be taken that oven temperatures do differ. So keep an eye on the cake after 20 minutes so as not to burn it.