Khaman Dhokla - Did not know it was this easy :)

The crazy cookie is back :) and this time with a dhokla recipe from here.

Of course there are some things I had to change.

1. 1 tsp of oil instead of the 1 Tbl sp
2. 3 tsp of sugar instead of the 3 Tbl sp
3. After some research gathered that Eno fruit salt is 60:40 ratio of baking soda and citric acid and so I substituted it with approx 1 and 1/4 tsp of baking soda and a little more than 3/4 tsp of lemon juice (from the yellow bottle :))

Pictures:

PS:

1. The inner side of the dhoklas turned out to be red colored. Of course, I had to go back and research and found out from here and here, that tumeric in contact with baking soda causes the change in color. Suggestions were to increase the amount of citric acid or reduce the amount of turmeric. I will give both of these a try in the future.
2. I decided not to add any tadka to avoid that extra bit of oil :) It tastes great as is and I have store bought sweet and green chutney to go with it.

Chocolate Cupcakes with Chickpeas, Avocado, and Applesauce

Note: My sister tried the recipe and said she had difficulty getting it out of the pan. Will try to make it again and see If I can replicate my previous trial. Hopefully, I did not add some ingredient that I have forgotten to take account.

This recipe is adapted from here and here. Of course, it has my additions and omissions :)

You did read the title right. Before you raise an eyebrow skeptically, I would urge you to give it a try. :)

Ingredients
Chickpeas - 1 can
Cocoa Powder - 1/2 cup
Brown sugar - 1/4 cup packed
Applesauce - 2 Tbl sp (as a substitute for the Oil)
Avocado - 0.5 medium size (as a substitute for Eggs)
Baking powder - 1 tsp
 Water - 1/3 cup ( I infused it with coffee. Alas! The coffee flavor refuses to show up in my final product.)

Method:
1. Puree chickpeas, water, applesauce, and avocado.
2. Take this puree in a mixing bowl and sift in the cocoa powder and baking powder. Mix well.
3. Add in the brown sugar. Mix well. The batter will feel light and airy.
4. Scoop into 10 muffin tins and bake at 350 degree until tooth pick comes out clean (I baked for around 35 minutes).

PS:
1. Increase the amount of sugar or add chocolate chips or use sweetened cocoa powder, if sugar levels have to be increased. I love the  bitterness of the cocoa but it is not everyone's cup of tea :)
2. In the future I would fill the cupcake tins up to the top. These cupcakes do not puff up as much as the regular cupcakes do and mine look flatter than most regular cupcakes :). Probably has to do something with the substitutions.
3. Why am I baking and cooking this much? I'm not sure. This baking thingy has turned into an obsession :) Hopefully, with school beginning Monday, I will be out of it :)
4. In the future, would definitely use cupcake liners.
5. Traditionally, they ask you not to substitute all of the butter or oil but I did and cupcakes tasted fine :)
6. Do not tell your kids what's in it because they won't find out if you don't tell :)
7. Did I mention its Vegan??
8. In the future, will add 1 tsp of baking soda as well to help my cupcakes puff up more.



Pictures:

Semolina Muffins with Onion Sambar

Semolina muffins - I found this super interesting recipe from here. I avoided the addition of shredded paneer.

Onion Sambar - Made it with MTR Madras Sambar powder, Masoor Dal, Frozen Red Onions, and cup of frozen Peas&Carrot

White Chocolate Oatmeal Raisen Cookie

I got this wonderful recipe from this website. To which I added some white chocolate chips. Also, I used the instant oats I had instead of the rolled oats.

I Googled and found out that typically rolled oats can be substituted for instant oats but not the other way around. However, my cookies came out just the way the recipe says it would, crispy on the outside and soft in the middle. So, I guess the substitution is recipe specific.

Triple Chip Cookies

I was totally taken in by this  recipe  for triple chocolate chip cookies but I did not have three kinds of chocolate, only two kinds. I added butterscotch chips to make up for the third chip.

I made the recipe with white, dark, and butterscotch chips and reduced amount of sugar to 1/2 cup of  light brown sugar.

For future, will reduce the sugar further- maybe only use 1/4 cup because the butterscotch chips add a significant amount of sweetness.

Chocolate Chip Coffee Date and Walnut Cake

Hi all,
I have been in love with this recipe ever since my sister introduced it to me several months ago. This year for the holidays I decided to bake some and send it across for my sister and brother-in-law but I wanted to modify it to include my all time second favorite flavor (first being mint :)) "coffee."

I made the exact same recipe with the following modifications.

1) I added 1 and 1/2 tsp of instant coffee to about 1/2 cup boiling water and soaked the dates in that water.
2) Added about a 1/4 cup of white chocolate chips

Result?
The cake overall tastes good:) Somehow the addition of coffee seems to have lessened the sweetness which is great!!!
Flip side -  I only get a mild coffee flavor (I expected a stronger one -  will increase amount of coffee next time ) and the white chocolate chips completely melted into oblivion - I guess its not sturdy enough to withstand 50 minutes of baking - will search of other options.

Red Kidney Beans in Beetroot Gravy

Ingredients

Red Kidney Beans -  1 cup (soak overnight and pressure cook)
Beetroot - 2 large (pressure cook and grind to paste)
Onion - 1 large (finely chopped)
Tomato - 2-3 (finely chopped)
Garlic - 4-5 clove (roughly chopped)
Ginger - 1 inch piece (finely chopped)
Cumin seeds - 1/4 tsp
Green Coriander - 1/4 bunch chopped
Chilli powder -1/4 tsp
Dal Makhani masala - 2 tsp
Oil - 1 tsp
Salt - to taste
Water - 1/4 cup

Method
1) Heat oil in a pan, add cumin seeds and wait until spluttering subsides
2) Add the chopped ginger and garlic and fry for a minute
3) Add the chopped onions and fry until golden brown
4) Add salt, dal makhani, and chilli powder and fry for 1-2 minutes
5) Add chopped tomatoes and cook until tomatoes turn tender
6) Now add the beetroot paste and mix well with masala and cook for 2 minutes
7) Add cooked kidney beans and 1/4 cup water, mix well and allow to simmer for 5 minutes
8) Garnish with coriander and server with rice/chapathi