Apricot Bars

Ingredients:

Dried apricots,chopped-175g

Unsweetened orange juice-4tbsp

Margarine,melted-6tbsp

Honey-6tbsp

Semolina flour or fine semolina-50g

Plain flour-125g+2tbsp

Method:

1.Cook chopped apricots with orange juice in a pan and simmer for 5 minutes,drain if the juice is not absorbed by the fruit.

2.Heat the margarine and honey in a pan until melted,add semolina and plain flour and mix well.

3.Lightly grease a small square cake tin or loaf tin,press half of the semolina mixture into the base of the prepared tin.

4.Spoon on the fruit mixture evenly and top with the remaining semolina mixture,covering the fruit completely.

5.Bake at 200'C/400'F/Gas6 for 35minutes until risen and golden brown.

6.Cool for 5 minutes in the tin, then cut into bars,again leave the bars to cool on a wire rack completely and serve.

Apple Cake

Apple Cake is a versatile dessert, you can use any fruits like pears,strawberrys,blueberry and raspberry etc.
Dorset apple cake and Somerset apple cakes are the traditional forms of this cake,respectively from Dorset and Somerset,England.It is a English country style,rustic cake...Hope you enjoy my simple and easy version....

Ingredients:

Apple-3-4(peeled,cored and diced)any apples,i have used royal gala
Plain flour-1cup
Eggs-2
Sugar-6tbsp
Salt pinch
Butter-4tbsp(soft)
Baking powder-2tsp
Cinnamon powder-1/2tsp
Nutmeg powder-1/2tsp
Custard/whipped cream to serve
Icing sugar for dusting

Method:
1.Sift plainflour with baking powder and salt.
2.Blend butter and sugar until soft and creamy with a wooden spoon.
3.Add eggs one by one blend nicely with wooden spoon.
4.Now add sifed plain flour to the mixture part by part mix well.
5.Add diced apples and cinnamon powder,mixwell,tranfer the mixture into 
greased square cake tin.
6.In a preheated oven at 180'C for 30-35 minutes.
7.Remove from the oven, leave it to cool on a wire rack.
8.Dust with icing sugar,serve with custard or whipped cream.

Cool Entries for Thanda Mela Event!!

                                                          Chocolate banana Milkshake

                                                                          Date shake

                                                                        Melon shake

                                                                    Strawberry Milkshake

                                                                      Pineapple Chaat

                                                                     Figs with Yoghurt

                                                                Pomegrante Shrikand

This Entries are off to Thanda Mela Event  hosted by Srivalli of Cooking 4 all Seasons

KALE MOTI BIRYANI

This finger licking,flavourful biryani recipe I found from a old magazine long back ago, I am a big magazine Buff:), and I collect the recipes from them.The process is little lengthy but its worth a try...I prepare this biryani often in my house and it has become one of my family favourites.Kale moti  means Black pearl,they look like a black pearls in the dish  truly....In the original recipe potatoes are used along with channa,here I have not used it.If you are fan of potatoes,you can used them...The assemble process makes it very flavourful and aromatic...This can  be done without oven also,assemble in a thick bottom vessel and seal the lid with atta dough(if you have a tight fitting lid,don't worry about sealing)keep on a low flame for 10-15 minutes.Serve this with any raitha or it is amazing on its own...Make sure that channa is nicely cooked...Using ghee makes it very tasty,I have prepared it with oil also but you know you can't beat the ghee....:).Once in a while this is a real treat...

                                       Biryani with a sprinkling of  black channa

Ingredients:
Basmati rice-2cups,washed and soaked for30 minutes.
Salt to taste
Cloves-4 
Cardomom-4
Lemon juice-1tbsp
For kale moti:
Kalachanna/Kadlekaalu,soaked overnight-1cup
Salt to taste
A pinch of soda bicarb
Ghee-2tbsp
Gingergarlic paste-2tsp
Onion,chopped-1big
Chilli powder-1tsp
Turmeric powder-1/2tsp
Whisked yogurt-3/4cup
Tomotoes,chopped-2
Green chillies,chopped-2
For garnishing :
Coriander leaves,chopped- 2tbsp
Mint leaves,chopped-2tbsp
Green chillies,slit lenghtwise-2-3
Onions,sliced and fried until crisp-2tbsp
Tomato,Sliced-1
Ginger juliennes-1tsp
whisked yoghurt-1/4cup
Garam masala powder-1tsp
A few strands of safforon  soaked in a little milk

Method:
To prepare the kale moti:
Wash the channa,add enough water,salt and soda bicarb and cook in a pressure
cooker until 3-4 whistles.Drain out the water and keep it aside.
Heat ghee in a kadai, add ginger-garlic paste, onions , chilli powder
and turmeric powder,lower the heat and saute for 2 minutes.
Remove the pan from heat,add curd,tomatoes and green chillies.
Return the pan to the heat.Cook till the ghee floats on top. Then add the boiled chana,
adjust the seasoning and stir well.Saute till done and almost dry


To prepare the rice:
Bring 8cups of water to a boil with salt,whole garam masala and lemon juice. Cook till three-fourths done.Drain out the water.


To assemble the biryani:
Transfer the cooked channa to an ovenproof container.
Spread the chopped corinaderleaves,mintleaves,gingerjuliennes,
green chillies,tomatoes fried onions and pour the yogurt over the channa.
Spread the rice evenly over the garnished channa and sprinkle soaked saffron over.
Cover with a lid and secure with a atta dough to seal the container so that it is airtight
and cook in a pre-heated oven for 10 to 12 minutes at 180'C.
Remove when the steam starts seeping from the side.


To serve:
Break the seal,take out the rice from the container.Put the channa
in a serving dish and spread the rice over.
Serve hot with raitha.

Bele Dosa/Dal Dosa/Mixed Lentils Dosa

Ingredients:
Rice -1cup
Toordal/togaribele-1/2cup
Channadal/kadlebele-1/2cup
Moongdal/hesarubele-1/2cup
Uraddal/uddinabele-1/2cup
Green chillies/dry red chillies-3-4 or to taste
Ginger,chopped-2tsp
Jeera/cumin seeds-1tsp
Salt to taste
Soda bicarbonate-1/2tsp
Sugar-1tsp(optional)


Method:
wash and soak rice and dals together for 6-7 hours.
Grind rice and dals with chillies,jeera and ginger to fine paste.
Add salt to taste,soda and sugar mix well and prepare dosa as usual
no need to ferment.You can prepare dosa's immediatly.
For preparing,heat a tava,take a ladleful of batter on tava,spread evenly 
as thin as possible.
Sprinkle little oil on dosa,cook evenly on both sides.
Fold and serve with chutney or any palya.


Note:Sugar gives nice golden colour to dosa.

Entries for Show me your Wholegrains! Event

Oats Upma

Brown Soda Bread

This whole grain dishes goes to Show Me Your Wholegrains! Event hosted by Divya of  Dil se