Eggless Wheat Sponge Cake

Ingredients
2 cups Wheat Flour
1 and 1/2 cup Powdered Sugar
2 tbsp Milk powder
2 tbsp Cocoa Powder
4-5 medium-sized chocolate chip cookies
1/2-1 tsp Baking Soda
1 and 1/2 cup Milk
1/2 cup White Unsalted Butter (you can use regular yellow butter too if you don't mind the salt) 1 tsp Vanilla Essence
1/2 cup grated semi-sweet chocolate

Method
Take a bowl and mix half of the milk, butter and essence properly. Seive the wheat flour, sugar, milk powder,cocoa powder and baking soda. Now add this to the milk and butter mixture and beat properly in one direction. Whisk continuously for 5-7 mins till the mixture starts to fold and form peaks. If it's too thick, add the reamaining of the milk slowly while stirring till desired consistency is achieved. Take a microwaveable dish and grease it with oil or non-stick spray. Dust it with some flour and pour the mixture into it. Bake in the microwave oven for about 8 mins, or until done. You can test this by inserting a toothpick in the center of the cake and see that it comes out clean. Remove from the microwave, let it cool for some time. Meanwhile, crush the cookies in a grinder. Then garnish the cake with the crushed chocolate chip cookies and the fresh shredded chocolate. You can also use dessicated coconut shavings. They go well with chocolate too.

Eggless Microwave Chocolate Cake

Ingredients
400 g sweetened condensed milk
2/3 cup softened butter
1 3/4 cups self-raising flour
1/2 cup cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon vanilla essence
1/2 cup sugar (if you would like a richer cake, halve the sugar and use 50g of melted plain chocolate)
150 ml soda water

Method
1. Grease a ROUND microwaveable cake tin and line with greaseproof paper.
2. Sift together the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder and bicarbonate of soda and set aside.
3. Cream together the butter and the sugar.
4. Add the condensed milk, melted chocolate (if using it) and vanilla essence and beat well to mix.
5. Add the dry ingredients (from step 2) and mix well together.
6. Slowly pour aerated soda into the mixture and mix in well.
7. Pour the cake mixture into the prepared tin.
8. Microwave on High for 4-5 mins (depending on the power of your microwave) and on Medium 4-5 mins (bake for on Medium for the same amount of time as you did in High).
9. Hold in dish for 2-4 after baking (MAKE SURE YOU DO THIS AS HOLDING IS VERY IMPORTANT BUT DO NOT LET IT REMAIN IN THE TIN FOR LONGER THAN THE HOLDING TIME).
10. Then, remove from the cake tin and place it on a wire rack to allow it to cool.
11. Decorate if desired before cutting into slices to serve.

Channa In Tomato And Curds

Ingredients
6 tomatoes firm, red
1 cup channa, soaked overnight
(pressurecooked, drained)
2 tbsp. channa dal
salt to taste
1 tsp. each ginger and garlic grated
1 green chilli finely chopped
1 tsp. red chilli powder
1 tsp. cumin powder
1/4 tsp. turmeric powder
1/2 tsp. black pepper powder
1/2 tsp. garam masala powder
1/2 tsp. amchoor (dried mango) powder
2-3 pinches clove-cinnamon masala

For garnishing:
1 cup fresh beaten curds
1 tbsp. coriander finely
chopped
1 tbsp. tamarind chutney
1 tsp. green chutney
1 onion finely chopped
1 tbsp. fine sev
cumin powder
salt to taste
1 tbsp. oil

Method
1. Snip off tomatoes from the base end, with a sharp horizontal stroke Snip off a similar but
smaller piece, from other end, to make it stand erect.
2. Carefully deseed, remove all juice, stand hollow tomatoes aside. Heat half tbsp. oil, add
gingergarlic, cored tomato juice and seeds.
3. Simmer for 2-3 minutes, add all masalas, Mix well, add channa, simmer till liquid is absorbed.
4. Fill tomatoes with this mixture, press down lightly. Bakein preheated oven or steam in colander for 2-3 minutes.
5. Place carefully in serving dish. Mix salt, cumin powder in curds. Pour curds over it, to cover tomatoes.
6. Drizzle both chutneys, chopped onion, sev and coriander for garnishing. Serve hot or cold. 7. Makes a lovely light evening meal accompaniment.

Stuffed Baby Potatoes

Ingredients
10 baby potatoes, about 4 cm in diameter

For the Filling
6 teaspoon corn, boiled and crushed
2 teaspoon thick curd or cream
1 teaspoon coriander leaves, chopped
2 mint leaves, chopped
salt and pepper to taste
For the Topping
5 teaspoon grated cheese
a few small mint leaves

For the Red Sauce
1 tablespoon butter
½ cup tomato puree
salt, pepper and sugar to taste
1 teaspoon cornflour
1 teaspoon red chili sauce
1 teaspoon tomato ketchup


Method
1. Thoroughly wash the baby potatoes and scoop out the centers with a knife, large enough
to hold at least one teaspoon of the filling.
2. Do not peel the potatoes.
3. Cover the potatoes and cook on microwave high for four minutes.
4. Stir them once in - between for even cooking. Stand for 10 minutes.
5. Mix all the ingredients for the filling and stuff the potatoes with it.
6. Arrange them on a greased baking dish.

To prepare the Red Sauce
1. Put all the ingredients in a small casserole and cook on microwave high for four minutes,
stir in-between.
2. Put a little sauce on each of the baby potatoes. Sprinkle cheese and arrange tiny mint
leaves over them. Microwave high for two minutes. Serve hot.

Coconut Chutney

Ingredients
1 cup shredded fresh coconut
1/3 cup gram dal
1 tbsp. peanut peeled, crushed
4-5 green chillies
1/2 cup coriander leaves
1 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. sugar
For seasoning:
1 tsp.oil
1/4 tsp. mustard seeds
1/4 tsp. cumin seeds
4-5 curry leaves finely chopped
1 pinch asafoetida


Method
1. Grind all the ingredients (except those for seasoning) together.
2. Use a stone hand/electric grinder or mini grinder or a mixie, in that order of preference.
3. Stone ground chutneys will always give a better flavour and texture.
4. Grind till smooth. Heat oil and add the seasoning ingredients.
5. Pour hot oil over the chutney.
6. Mix gently.
7. Serve fresh with dosas, idlis, upma, uthapams, vadas, etc.