Baked Shankarpala

Baked Shankarpala in Marathi

Time: 1 hour
Yield: 3 to 4 cups Shankarpala

Baked Shankarpala

Before Baking

Ingredients:
1.5 to 2 cups Whole wheat flour
1/2 cup melted ghee
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1/2 cup Milk
1/2 tsp baking powder

Method:
1) Take ghee and sugar into a medium bowl and beat until mixture becomes light.
2) Sieve baking powder and wheat flour through a fine mesh.
3) Add wheat flour to sugar-ghee mixture. Add milk and make a semi-stiff dough.
4) Cover the dough for 10 minutes.
5) Preheat the oven at 300 F. Keep the baking pan ready. Divide the dough equally into tennis bal sized portions. Roll it with rolling pin. It should be thick like paratha. Cut diagonally with Pizza cutter or Shankarpali cutter. Put them into baking trey (each shankarpala should be separate from each other). Bake for 30 to 35 minutes.
Remove from the oven and Cool them for few minutes. Baked shankarpala is ready !!

Dhokla

Dhokla in Marathi

Time: 30 minutes (excluding fermentation time)
Makes: 15 to 17 medium pieces

Ingredients:
1 cup Besan (Chickpea Flour)
3 tbsp Rava
1/2 cup yogurt, beaten
1/2 cup water (you may need a 1/4 cup more)
1/2 tsp grated ginger, 1/2 tsp green chili paste, a small pinch of citric acid (tip 2)
Salt to taste
1/2 tsp Baking soda
Sugar syrup with tempering:
2 tsp Oil, 1/2 tsp mustard seeds, 1/4 tsp turmeric powder, 1/8 tsp Hing, 2 tbsp sugar, 1/4 cup water, juice of 1 lemon

Method:
1) Take a deep, medium bowl. Add yogurt and water into it. Mix together. Add besan and rava. Blend well without any lumps. Make a semi-thick batter (consistency should be a little thicker than pakoda batter)
2) Cover this bowl and place it at a warm place. Let the batter ferment for atleast 10 to 12 hours (It may take a few more hours if the weather is cold. my batter took 20 hours to ferment)
3) Once batter is fermented, add grated ginger, salt, chili paste and a pinch of citric acid. Mix well.
4) Heat water into the dhokla steamer. Water level should be around 2 inches from the bottom. Grease the dhokla plates with some oil (grease the edges too).
5) Once water starts boiling, add baking soda into dhokla batter and whisk clockwise. Batter will become frothy. Pour the batter into greased dhokla plates. Put them into dhokla steamer. Cover and steam on high heat for 10 to 12 minutes.
6) Then turn off the heat and let it stand for 7 to 8 minutes. Open the cooker and wait till dhokla cools down a bit. Run a knife around the edges and remove dhokla into a plate.
7) Take a tadka pan. heat 2 tsp oil. add hing, turmeric powder and mustard seeds. Once mustard seeds are crackled, transfer this tadka into a small glass bowl. Add 1/4 cup water, sugar and juice of 1 lemon. Add little salt. Mix well. You may add little more sugar if required.
8) When dhokla is cooled down, drizzle the syrup with a spoon. Let the syrup soak into dhokla for few minutes.
Dhokla can be served warm or cooled. Garnish it with fresh scraped coconut and cilantro.
Serve it with green chutney.

Tips:
1) You can add a pinch of yellow food color into the batter to give a readymade, store-bought kind of look to dhokla :). However, do not add turmeric into the batter, as when turmeric mixes with baking soda, the color turns to red. Ultimately dhokla will become red.
2) Citric acid gives a slightly sour taste to the dhokla. My batter wasn't fermented enough and hence the sourness due to fermentation was missing. Therefore, if the batter is well fermented, no need to use citric acid.

Falafel Wraps

Falafel Wraps in Marathi

Time: 15 minutes
Makes: 4 servings

Ingredients:
4 Pita breads - Click here for the recipe
8 Falafel - Click here for the recipe
1/2 cup Tzatziki Sauce - Click here for the recipe
For salad:
1/2 cup Cucumber, peeled and cut into small dices
1/4 cup Tomato, medium cubes
3 tbsp Red onion, finely chopped
2 tbsp Parsley, finely chopped
1 tsp lemon juice
1 small green chili, finely chopped
Salt to taste
1/4 cup Lettuce leaves, cut into strips


Method:
1) To make salad, mix all the ingredients given under salad label.
2) Warm the pita breads. Put two falafel on each pita bread. Add 2 to 3 tbsp salad and drizzle some tzatziki sauce.
Prepare a wrap and serve immediately.

Falafel

Falafel in Marathi

Time: 35 to 40 minutes
Makes: 8 to 10 medium pieces

Ingredients:
1.5 cups soaked Chickpeas
2 tsp chickpea flour (besan) (tip 1)
3 big Garlic cloves
1 tsp Coriander powder
1/2 tsp Cumin powder
1/2 cup Parsley
2 green chilies or 1/2 tsp red chili powder
Juice of 1 lemon
Salt to taste
oil for deep frying
Pinch of baking soda

Method:
1) Put the soaked chickpeas in a blender. Add garlic cloves, parsley, green chili, salt and lemon juice. Grind to a coarse mixture. Take it out in a medium bowl. Add baking soda, coriander-cumin powder and besan and mix well. Taste the mixture and adjust the seasonings.
2) Heat oil into a kadai. Once oil is hot turn the heat down to medium.
3) Take 1.5 tbsp of mixture and make small ball. Gently, leave it in the oil. Deep fry until golden brown.
Serve hot with cucumber sauce (Tzatziki sauce)

Tips:
1) If the falafel is breaking after adding to oil, add a tbsp chickpea flour to the mixture. Mix well and then start making falafel.
2) It is important to fry falafel over medium heat. If you fry them on high heat, it will turn brown quickly. However they will remain uncooked from the inside. Also, flame shouldn't be very low. Falafel may break into small pieces if they stay in the oil for longer.

Vegetable Kabab

Vegetable Kabab in Marathi

Time: 40 minutes
Servings: 4 to 5

Ingredients:
3 medium potatoes, boiled
1 Large carrot, grated
French beans 10 No., finely chopped
1/4 cup bell pepper, finely chopped
1/4 cup peas, boiled
1/4 cup sweet corn, boiled
2 tbsp Cilantro, finely chopped
1 tbsp Corn starch
2 tsp ginger-garlic paste
1.5 tsp garam masala
1 tsp kashmiri red chili powder
1 tbsp green chili paste
Salt to taste
2 to 3 tbsp Oil for Roasting Kabab
4-5 long Skewers

Method:
1) Take a nonstick pan. Add 1 tsp oil. Add ginger garlic paste, french beans and carrot. Cook the vegetables covered for 2-3 minutes over medium heat.
2) In a small bowl, mix together corn starch and 2 tbsp water. Add this mixture to the pan. Mix well and cover. Let it cook for few minutes.
3) Add salt, peas and sweet corn. Cook for 3-4 minutes and then turn the heat off.
4) Mash the potatoes into a bowl. Add cilantro, red chili powder, green chili paste salt and cooked vegetable mixture. Mix nicely and divide into 4 to 5 equal portions.
5) Take one portion of mixture and press around a skewer to give a cylindrical shape. Likewise prepare rest of the kababs. brush all the kababs with some oil.
6) Heat a nonstick tawa. Roast all the kababs over medium heat, turning after each 2-3 minutes. Let kababs become little crisp on the outside.
Serve hot with Onion, tomato slices. Drizzle some lemon juice and sprinkle little salt over onion.

Macaroni Upma

Macaroni Upma in Marathi

Time: 15 to 20 minutes
Makes: 2 to 3 servings

Ingredients:
1 cup Macaronis
1/2 cup onion, finely chopped
1 small tomato, finely chopped
1-2 green chilies, slit lengthwise
1 tsp ghee or oil
1/4 tsp cumin seeds, 2 pinches hing, 4 to 5 curry leaves
Salt to taste
finely chopped Cilantro for garnishing

Method:
1) Boil 5 to 6 cups of water into a deep pan. Add a tsp of salt. Once water starts boiling, add macaronis and cook for 8 to 10 minutes or use the packet instructions. Drain the hot water and add cold water in the macaronis. Cold water will stop the cooking process.
2) Heat ghee into a pan. Add cumin seeds, hing, curry leaves and green chilies. Saute for few seconds. Add onion and saute until well done. Add tomatoes and cook till they become mushy.
3) Add drained macaronis. Mix well. Cook for about 2 minutes. Taste a macaroni and sprinkle little salt if required. Garnish with cilantro. Serve hot.

Oats and Brown Rice Idli

Oats idli in Marathi

22 to 25 medium idlis

Ingredients:
1/2 cup urad dal
1 cup brown rice
1 cup rolled oats
salt to taste

Method:
1) Soak urad dal and brown rice separately in the water for 6 to 7 hours.
2) After 6-7 hours, drain the water and grind them separately by adding as little water as required.
3) Soak rolled oats for 10 minutes in 1/2 to 3/4 cup water. Grind it to fine paste.
4) Take a big steel or glass container. Add ground rice, ground urad dal and ground oats. Add a tsp of salt and mix well.
5) Cover and keep this container to some warm place to ferment. It will take 8 to 10 hours to ferment. (imp tip 1)
6) Once the batter is fermented well, taste a tiny bit of it. Add some salt if required.
7) Grease Idli molds with little oil. Fill them with the batter. Take the Idli cooker, add water (fill upto 2 inches) and heat it over high heat. If you are using normal pressure cooker, remove the weight before using, as we want to steam the idlis.
8) Once water starts boiling, place the Idli stand, cover with lid and steam cook for 12 to 15 minutes. Turn off the heat and let the cooker stand for 5 minutes. Scoop out by using knife of sharp edged spoon.
Serve idlis hot with Coconut chutney or spicy Sambar.


Tips:
1) In cold weather fermentation takes place very slowly. To pace up fermentation, heat oven on 200 F for 2 to 4 minutes, then turn off the oven. Put the batter covered in the oven. The warmth inside the oven helps the batter to ferment.
2) Make all the idlis and reheat in the microwave. So that all the family members can enjoy them together.
3) I have tried making idli using only oats. But they were very heavy and dint puff up. Hence using rice alongwith oats is important.

Methi Gota Bhajji

Gota Bhaji in Marathi

Time: 25 to 30 minutes
Makes: 15 to 18 medium Bhajji

Ingredients:
1/2 cup Besan (tip 1)
1/2 cup mung dal flour (tip 1)
3 tbsp coarse rava
1/4 cup Kasoori Methi
1 tsp garlic paste
1/2 cup yogurt or as much as needed
Spices: 2 cloves, 2 pinches of cinnamon powder, 1 tsp coriander seeds, 1/2 tsp cumin seeds, 7-8 black pepper corns - Crush together and make a coarse powder
1 tsp red chili powder
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
1/4 tsp hing
2 tsp sugar
1/8 tsp baking soda
Salt to taste
Oil for deep frying

Method:
1) Take a mixing bowl. Add besan, mung dal flour, kasoori methi, garlic paste, coarse spice powder, red chili powder, hing, turmeric, sugar and salt. Mix well. Add yogurt, a spoon at a time. Mix and make a semi-thick, sticky batter. Batter should not form a dough, but it should not be runny. Add Baking soda and mix.
2) Heat oil in a kadai. Once oil is hot, reduce the heat to medium to medium-high. Grease your palms. Take a tbsp of mixture and make a smooth round ball without any cracks on the surface. Drop carefully into hot oil. Deep fry until golden brown.
Serve hot with green chutney or Tamarind chutney.

Tips:
1) Use coarse flour to get more nice textured goda bhajji.
2) Pakoda made from doughy batter will remain uncooked from the inside. Opposite to that, you won't be able to form perfect rounds if the batter is loose in consistency. Therefore, make sticky and gooey batter. Use some oil while handling this batter, otherwise the batter will stick to your hand.
3) Kasoori methi gives nice flavor. However, you may add fresh methi leaves instead of kasoori methi.

Pitta bread Pizza

Pita Bread pizza in Marathi

Time: 30 minutes

Makes : 4 servings

Ingredients:

4 Pita Bread

1/2 cup Pizza sauce

1 small red onion, Make thin round slices, then separate the rings.

1 small bell pepper, julienne

5-6 Mushrooms, thin slices

2 tbsp sweet corns, boiled

1.5 cup mozzarella cheese, grated

1/2 tsp red chili flakes

1/4 tsp Italian seasoning

2 tsp Olive oil

Salt to taste

Method:

1) Preheat oven at 400 F for 10 minutes

2) Heat a pan. Add 1 tsp olive oil, saute onion rings, bell pepper slices, mushroom slices and sweet corns. Sprinkle little salt, Italian seasoning and red chili flakes. Saute for two minutes. Remove pan from heat.

3) Brush little oil to pita breads. Place pita bread on a baking sheet. Put it in the oven for two minutes, just to make them warm. Take the baking sheet out.

4) Spread Pizza sauce evenly, 1 to 2 tbsp on each pita bread. Sprinkle cheese, 1/4 cup on each bread. Place sauteed onion rings, bell pepper juliennes, mushroom slices, and sweet corns.

5) Put pita bread pizzas in the oven. Bake for 8 minutes or until cheese melts and becomes slightly brown.

Serve hot.

For more flavor, sprinkle some grated parmesan cheese.

Tips:

1) Try some other of toppings to create your own pizza. Pineapple pieces, black olives, Jalapino peppers, Broccoli etc can make a delicious pizza.

Grilled Paneer Sandwich

Paneer Sandwich in Marathi

Time: 20 minutes
Yield: 3 sandwiches

Ingredients:
6 Bread slices
3 tbsp Onion julienne
3 tbsp Bell Pepper julienne
1 tsp Chat masala
3 tbsp green chutney
1 tbsp butter
Stuffing:
75 gram paneer, small cubes
1/2 tsp cumin powder
2 to 3 tbsp Tomato Ketchup
Salt to taste

Method:
1) In a small bowl, mix cumin powder, tomato ketchup and pinch of salt. Marinate paneer cubes in it for 10 minutes. Paneer cubes should be well coated.
2) Grill paneer pieces or you may stir fry them in a pan with little butter or olive oil. After grilling keep aside.
3) Apply little butter on both sides of the bread. Toast the bread slices in a pan over low flame.
4) Now apply green chutney on 3 bread slices. Add paneer pieces and vegetables. Sprinkle some chat masala. Take the remaining bread slices and apply green chutney. Finish making sandwiches.
5) Grill them well or you can use a nonstick pan to toast them. If using nonstick pan, Toast one side on medium-low flame. After 2-3 minutes, use a wide spatula and gently flip to the other side. Toast another side for couple more minutes.

Serve hot with green chutney and tomato ketchup.

Tips:
1) If making for kids, use very mild green chutney or use no green chili.
2) Use readymade paneer as it does not melt quickly.

Broccoli Paratha

Broccoli Paratha in Marathi

Time: 30 minutes
Makes: 4-5 medium Parathas

Ingredients:
::::Stuffing::::
1 medium broccoli head
1 medium onion, finely chopped
2 tsp garlic paste
1 tsp ginger paste
1 tsp garam masala
salt to taste
1 tsp chili paste
1/2 tsp amchoor powder
::::Dough::::
1 cup wheat flour
1/4 tsp turmeric powder
1/2 tsp cumin seeds
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp oil
Other ingredients:
1/4 cup oil for roasting parathas
Some dry flour for dusting

Method:
1) First make dough. Take a mixing bowl. Add wheat flour, turmeric, cumin seeds, salt and oil. Add water and make semi soft dough.
2) Wash broccoli and cut into small florets. Grind coarsely. Add onion, ginger-garlic paste, garam masala, chili paste, amchoor powder and salt to taste. Mix well.
3) Divide dough and stuffing into 5 equal portions. Heat a nonstick tawa.
Roll one dough ball into 3 inch circle. Put one portion of stuffing at the center. Gather the edges and seal. Dust with flour. Roll and make paratha. Spray some oil on one side. Place the paratha on tawa, oiled side down.
4) Roast one side, spray some oil and flip the paratha. Roast both sides well. Serve broccoli paratha with yogurt and butter.

Healthy Oats dosa

Oats dosa in Marathi

20 medium dosas
Time: 2 to 3 minutes/ dosa

Ingredients:
1 cup rice
1 cup urad dal
3 cups rolled oats (quick cooking oats)
1/2 tsp fenugreek seeds
salt to taste
Oil to roast dosa

Method:
1) Soak Rice and urad dal separately in sufficient water for 5 to 6 hours. Soak fenugreek seeds along-with urad dal.
2) Soak oats just 10 minutes before grinding rice and urad dal. Soak them in 2 cups water.
3) Drain the water from rice. Grind it in a grinder. Add water little at a time to get fine paste.
4) Drain water from urad dal and grind it to fine paste. Add soaked oats to the mixer and grind it along with urad dal.
5) Mix ground rice, urad dal and oats together. Add little water to adjust the consistency. Add salt to taste. Cover and keep it to dark warm place. It should ferment within 8 to 10 hours. (See important tip regarding fermentation)
6) Once batter is fermented, take about 2 cups of batter into a separate bowl. If the batter is thick, add some water. The consistency for dosa batter should be little thin than idli batter. Likewise, take required amount of in a separate bowl and adjust the consistency by adding little water.
7) Heat a nonstick tawa. Spray some oil and carefully wipe it with a paper towel. Flame should be on medium high. Pour a medium ladelful batter at the center. swirl the spoon clockwise, in circular motion. Make a thin crepe. After 30 seconds, drizzle little oil around the edges and over the dosa. When the dosa is well done at one side, flip it to the other side. Press gently with flat spatula. After flipping, there is no need to roast longer.
Serve oats dosa with sambar and coconut chutney.

Tips:
1) Use a bigger container to ferment the batter. There should be atleast 10 inch space above the level of the batter to rise.
2) In cold season, batter does not ferment well or doesn't ferment at all. If you have oven at home, preheat it at 200 F for 3 to 4 minutes. Then switch off the oven. Put the covered container inside and close the door. If you are going to put the container in the oven, use steel or glass container.
3) The batter will stay fresh for 5 days in refrigerator.

Besan Dhirde

Besan Chila in Marathi

5 medium Dhirdehttp://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gif
Time: 15 minutes

Ingredients:
1 cup besan
2 tbsp rava
1 tsp green chili paste, coarse
2-3 tbsp cilantro, finely chopped
1 + 3/4 cups water
1 tsp garlic paste
1/4 tsp turmeric powder
1/8 tsp hing
2 pinches cumin seeds
salt to taste
some oil to cook the pancakeshttp://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gif

Method:
1) Take a mixing bowl. Add besan and rava. Add water little at a time and make a thin constancy batter.
2) Add in chili paste, cilantro, garlic paste, turmeric powder, hing, cumin seeds and salt to taste. mix well.
3) Heat a nonstick pan over medium-high heat. drizzle some oil. Add a ladelful batter and try to keep round shape.
4) Cover and cook over medium heat till one side gets done well. Drizzle some oil and flip the side. Cover and cook till another side is cooked nicely.
Serve hot with or Dry garlic chutney.

Rice Flour Chakali

Rice flour Chakali in Marathi

Time: Prep Time- 15 minutes | Cooking time- 20 minutes
Makes: 15 medium chakali

Ingredients:
1 cup Rice Flour
1 cup Water
1/4 cup butter
salt to taste (tip 1)
1/2 tsp cumin seeds
2 tsp green chili paste
Oil for frying

Method:
1) Take rice flour into a deep bowl
2) Take a small pan and heat water in it. Add salt, cumin seeds, chili paste and butter. Let the water boil. Add this boiling water to rice flour and mix with spoon. Cover for 15 minutes.
3) Once mixture becomes warm, knead it.
4) Grease chakali machine with oil. Stuff the mixture in it. Heat sufficient oil in kadai to deep fry chakali. Keep flame beween medium and high.
5) Take small plastic papers (tip 5). Press chakali machine. Slightly rotate the maker round and round until you get a spiral shaped chakali. stick the tip so that it won't open after dropping into hot oil
6) Gently lift the chakali and leave into hot oil. deep fry until golden color. Place deep fried chakali on paper towel.
Once chakalis are completely cooled down, store them into an airtight container.

Tips:
1) When you add salt, taste a drop of water. It should taste little salty than usual. After adding rice flour, the salt will get adjusted.
2) If you want long lasting and crunchy chakalis, fry them till they get nice deep golden color. If you get the chakalis out of oil when they are white, they will taste crunchy at first but they may become soft after a while. Also do not overfry. If color turn dark brown, chakali will taste bitter.
3) Do not fry chakalis over low heat. Chakalis become oily.
4) Rice flour does not have enough gluten. before frying, Rice flour chakali can break while handling. Hence, lift chakali very gently. Also, careful while leaving it into hot oil.
5) Use 5" x 5" plastic paper. Press 1 chakali on 1 paper. It will make easy handling of chakali. Aluminum foil or butter paper can be used instead of Plastic paper.

Garlic Sev

Garlic sev in Marathi

Time: 30 to 40 minutes

Ingredients:
2.5 cups Besan (Approx 325 Grams)
1/2 cup Oil
1/4 cup garlic paste
1/2 cup water
2 tsp green chili paste (Tip)
1 tsp Carom Seeds
1/2 tsp white pepper powder
Salt to taste
Oil for deep frying

Method:
1) Mix besan, white pepper powder and salt to taste. Sieve these three ingredients.
2) Heat 1/2 cup oil till smoking point. Add it to besan mixture. Mix with spoon.
3) Heat a tawa and turn off the heat. Lightly toast carom seeds. crush and make coarse powder.
4) Take 1/2 cup hot water. Add green chili paste, crushed carom seeds, and garlic paste. Mix well. Crush garlic and carom seeds with hands. This helps to infuse more flavor to the water. Strain and save the water.
5) Use this water to prepare sev batter. Add little water at a time. Mix it in besan well. Sev batter should be thick and sticky.
6) Grease sev presser from the inside with some oil. Pour Batter in Sev presser.
7) Heat oil in kadai. Press the sev pressing machine clockwise in circular motion. and keep coming in to form smaller circles and finish off when you come to center. Try to keep a single layer for even frying. Do not overlap, otherwise some parts will remain uncooked.
8) Fry over medium high heat. Flip to other side once one side becomes little firm. Do not fry until color changes to brown. It will taste bitter. Place on a paper towel to remove excessive oil. Let it cool down. Crush gently with hands to make Shev.

Tips:
1) Green chili paste can be substituted with red chili powder. However, Sev color becomes reddish due to red chili powder.
2) Quantity of water may vary by few tbsp. Hence add little water at a time. Mix and add if more required.
3) We are not mixing green chili paste, crushed carom seeds, and garlic paste to the flour because they can create problem while pressing sev. Small particles of garlic and carom seeds can get stuck in sev presser and block the flow. Therefore, we have flavors of garlic and carom seeds in water.

Pineapple Flavored sponge cake

Pineapple flavored cake in Marathi

Time: Preparation- 20 minutes | Cooking time- 45 to 50 minutes
Makes: 15 to 16 pieces

Pineapple cake can be made without eggs. For eggless cake recipe link and couple of changes you need to make for pineapple eggless cake, please check Tip no. 5

Ingredients:
1 and 1/2 cup All purpose Flour
1 and 1/2 stick unsalted butter, softened (3/4 cup)
1 cup granulated sugar
3 medium eggs (Room temperature)
1/4 tsp Pineapple essence
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
2 tbsp yogurt
1/2 cup milk (room temperature)
Pinch of salt
Method:
1) Preheat oven at 350 F (175 C) for atleast 10 minutes. Grease an 8 x 8 inches pan with butter.
2) Sift all purpose flour, Baking Soda, Baking powder, and salt. You may find small lumps of baking powder. Break them with fingers.
3) In a glass bowl, add sugar and softened butter. Beat at medium speed with hand mixer or electronic stand mixer till mixture becomes light and creamy. It will take minimum 2-3 minutes.
4) Now add eggs and beat well. Mixture will become fluffy and smooth. Do not over-beat. Over-beating eggs and butter will curdle the mixture.
5) Add Yogurt and pineapple essence. Add flour and milk alternately in three batches. Mix slightly after adding each batch of flour.
6) Pour the batter in greased pan. Spread the batter evenly and make the surface plain.
7) Put the cake batter in the oven on middle rack. Bake for 40-45 minutes.
8) After 40 minutes, check the doneness of cake by piercing a skewer in the center. If it comes out clean, then the cake is done. If you find wet batter on skewer. Bake for another 5 to 8

minutes or till skewer comes out clean. (Use cleaned skewer every-time you check)

Tips:
1) Do not add fresh pineapple pieces in the batter. Cake becomes soggy because of juices in pineapple. You may add dried pineapple pieces.
2) Once you put the batter in heated oven, do not open the oven. It will reduce the temperature and cake won't get baked well.
3) If using extra large eggs, use only 2 eggs.
4) When comes in contact with acidic ingredient (here yogurt), baking soda starts to react and release carbon dioxide gas as soon as it is added to the batter and moistened.
5) Click here for Eggless sponge cake recipe. Use pineapple flavor essence instead of vanilla essence. In Eggless vanilla cake recipe, the given ingredients would make only 8 to 10 pieces. For 15 to 16 pieces double the amount of ingredients.

Rice and urad dal Appe

Appe in Marathi

Time: 20 minutes
Yield: 15 appe

Ingredients:
2 cups Idli Batter
1 tsp ginger paste
1.5 tsp green chili paste, coarse
3-4 curry leaves, finely chopped (optional)
2 tbsp cilantro, finely chopped (optional)
Salt to taste
2 to 3 tbsp oil for roasting appe

Method:
1) Add ginger paste, cilantro, curry leaves, green chili paste and little salt in batter. Mix well.
2) Heat Appe pan. Add two drops of oil in each mould. Fill moulds with batter. Cover and cook over medium heat for 3 to 4 minutes.
3) Uncover and brush some oil on the surface. Flip the side, cover and cook for couple of minutes.
Serve hot with coconut chutney.

Masala Toast Sandwich

Masala Toast Sandwich in Marathi

Time: Preparation - 15 minutes | Cooking - 10 minutes
Yield: 4 sandwiches

Ingredients:
8 slices of bread
2 to 3 tbsp salted butter, softened
1/4 cup green chutney
Onion slices, thin and round
Masala:
2 big potatoes, boiled
3 tbsp green peas (Frozen)
1/4 cup onion, finely chopped
2 tsp green chili paste
For tempering: 1 tsp oil, pinch of mustard seeds (optional), pinch of hing, 1/4 tsp turmeric powder
4 to 5 curry leaves, finely chopped
1.5 tsp ginger-garlic paste
salt to taste

Method:
Masala:
1) Peel and mash the potato. Heat oil into a nonstick pan. Add mustad seeds , hing, turmeric powder and curry leaves. Saute for few seconds.
2) Add green chili paste and ginger-garlic paste. Saute for 15 seconds. Add chopped onion, cover and cook for 2 minutes. After two minutes, add peas and cook covered till onion becomes reddish and peas are done.
3) Add mashed potatoes and salt. Lower the heat and mix well. Cover and cook for couple of minutes.

4) Spread butter on one side of all 8 bread slice. After applying butter, take 4 slices and spread chutney on them.
5) Spread an even layer of masala over 4 bread slices on which we have applied chutney. Place an onion slice and finish it by putting buttered bread slice on top of it.
6) Then Spread little butter on the surface and toast in the toaster. If you don't have one, toast it on heated tawa (medium heat). Press gently and brown both the sides.

Serve hot with green chutney and tomato ketchup

Tips:
1) Use white sliced bread.
2) Masala toast sandwich tastes much better if it has sufficient amount chili paste. So add as much as you can tolerate.
3) Use as little oil as you can for making masala. If it becomes oily, it does not taste good.
4) To make the above recipe for kids, add very little or no green chili in chutney as well as in potato masala.
5) You may add mint leaves in green chutney

Bottle gourd pancakes

Dudhi Thalipeeth in Marathi

Time: 30 minutes
Yield: 3 to 4 medium thalipith

Ingredients:
1 cup grated dudhi, peeled (bottle gourd)
1.5 to 2 cups Upavas Bhajani or as requiered
3 green chilies, crushed
1/4 cup finely chopped cilantro
1/4 cup roasted peanut powder
Salt to taste
Ghee or oil to roast thalipeeth

Method:
1) Peel the dudhi first. Grate. Add crushed green chilies, salt, peanuts powder, and cilantro. Mix and add bhajani flour and make a dough. Divide the dough into tennis ball sized rounds.
2) Grease tawa with oil or ghee. Spread 1 dough portion round evenly in the center of tawa.
3) Put the tawa over medium high heat. Cover the tawa for a minute. Drizzle some oil around thalipeeth. Let one side cook thoroughly.
4) Flip to the other side. Cover and cook both sides. well.
Serve hot with Yogurt or sweet lime pickle.

Paneer Lollypop

Paneer Lollypop in Marathi

Time: 30 minutes
Serves: 4 persons
Ingredients:
1 cup Paneer, grated
2 medium potatoes, boiled
1.5 tsp ginger, grated
1 tsp garlic paste
2 tsp light soy sauce
1 tbsp corn starch
1/4 cup cilantro,finely chopped
1/2 tsp white pepper
2 to 3 green chilies, finely chopped
1/4 cup finely chopped onion
3 tbsp Maida, for dusting
salt to taste
oil to deep fry

8 to 10 ice candy wooden sticks OR baby corns

Method:
1) Peel the potatoes and mash without any lumps.
2) Mix all the ingredients except Maida. Knead well and divide into 8 lemon size balls.
3) Take 1 mixture ball and pierce the candy stick into it. Press gently between your palms to secure it on the stick. This way, prepare all the lollypops.
4) Roll the lollypops in dry maida. Coat lollypops well and shake slightly to remove excess maida.
5) Heat oil to deep fry lollypops. Deep fry over medium heat. Turn occasionally to cook evenly.
Serve hot with Schezwan sauce or tomato ketchup.

Tips:
1) Do not use potatoes which become gooey after mashing. Russet potatoes work well.
2) Adjust the amount of chili to your preference.
3) Use WOODEN sticks.
4) If using baby-corn, pierce thicker side of the baby-corn in paneer ball.