Search Chitra's Food Book

December 31, 2014

Microwave Fruit Cake | Eggless Microwave Plum cake recipe in 3 Minutes

Eggless microwave fruit cake

I wish all my friends and readers merry Christmas and a very happy New year. I should have posted this eggless, microwave fruit cake recipe without alcohol/ rum before Christmas. But I couldn't do it as I was busy with some personal work. Better late than never. Here is an easy microwave plum cake/ dry fruit cake recipe that can be prepared under 3 minutes for you all. Try this cake for your kids as evening snacks or for this New year and have a great celebration. 

I tried this eggless microwave plum cake recipe from “The Hindu” Christmas special recipes edition. I made some changes in the actual recipe to make it more soft n flavourful. It came out really spongy and crumbly as well. I tried this cake twice with and without cocoa powder too. Both came out well but I liked the one without cocoa powder. Its a very easy and awesome plum cake recipe that can be made in 3 minutes using a microwave. It can also be done in pressure cooker I guess.

Please check this link for my eggless cooker cake recipe to get some idea.  Lets see how to make this easy, yummy, eggless,  no butter, no condensed milk, alcohol free microwave fruit cake recipe in 3 minutes at home easily !

Also check out my Christmas fruit cake recipe using convection oven and my eggless Christmas fruit cake recipe in a pressure cooker !

Microwave plum cake

Microwave plum cake recipe/Fruit cake


Microwave plum cake recipe/Fruit cake Microwave plum cake/Fruit cake recipe for Christmas !
Cuisine: Indian
Category: Cakes
Serves: 10 
Prep time: 10 Minutes
Cook time: 3 Minutes
Total time: 13 Minutes


INGREDIENTS
For 1 cup = 240 ml
  • All purpose flour/ Maida - 1 cup
  • Sugar or brown sugar - 1/2 cup ( 100 gms )
  • Vanilla essence - 1 tsp
  • Curd - 1 tbsp ( semi solid,fresh)
  • Cooking soda /baking soda - 1/2 tsp
  • Baking powder - 1/4 tsp
  • Oil - 1/4 cup / 60 ml
  • Lion dates syrup - 4 tbsp
  • Water - 1/2 cup/125 ml + (2 tbsp extra,only if needed)
  • All spice powder OR powdered cinnamon,cloves & nutmeg – 1/2 tsp
  • Cocoa powder – 2 tbsp (optional)
  • **Finely chopped dry fruits n nuts - 1/3 cup (add more if u wish)
  • Orange zest - 1 tbsp
** I used cashews,badam,pista,walnut,plum,cherries,tutti frutti,raisins
HOW TO MAKE MICROWAVE PLUM CAKE - METHOD

  • Heat 1/2 cup ie 125 ml of water in a microwave safe bowl for 1 minute. Put the finely chopped nuts & dry fruits in water and let it soak for 10 minutes.
Eggless microwave fruit cake-1
  • In the mean time, sieve maida,cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder and set aside.
  • To the soaked dry fruits mixture, add sugar, oil, curd, vanilla essence, orange zest and lion dates syrup. Mix well till sugar dissolves.
Eggless microwave fruit cake-2
  • To this, add the sieved maida mixture & all spice powder .Fold it well in one direction.Cake batter would be slightly thick but pourable.If u feel the mixture is very thick,add 1 –2 tbsp of warm water to it and mix well.
  • Grease a microwave safe bowl with oil generously and pour half of the cake batter till half of the bowl.Cake will rise till the rim.So you should bake in two batches.
Eggless microwave fruit cake-3
  • Microwave in high power for 2-3 minutes ( mine is 800w.It took 3 minutes ). Please keep an eye after 2 minutes based on the power of your microwave.If u over bake it,cake will burn or the sides will be dry n chewy. Please be careful.
  • Remove the bowl after 2 minutes & insert the back of spoon. If the spoon comes out clean or with little crumbs, cake is done. If you see the uncooked batter in the spoon,keep it for another 30 seconds and test it again. If not done, keep it for 30 seconds more. Cook till your cake is done. Remove the cake bowl from microwave as soon as its done and keep it outside for 5 minutes.
  • Run a knife all through the sides and loosen it. Invert it in a bowl. Cake will come out easily. Some of the portion might be sticking to the bowl. But that’s fine. Serve hot if you like or keep the cake completely covered and set aside for an hour. It tastes the best when served after 1-2 hours as the cake needs some standing time for all the flavour to infuse well. But don’t keep the cake open. It will dry soon.
Eggless microwave fruit cake-6
  • If you want to make the cake without cocoa powder, do refer the pics below. U will get some idea. Also check out the cake batter consistency which is missing in cocoa version.
Eggless microwave fruit cake-4
Eggless microwave fruit cake-5
  • No need to refrigerate the cake. You can keep it outside for 2 days but keep it covered else cake will become dry.( I always store my cake covered with a lid inside the oven after it cools down because that is the safe place to avoid ants)

Enjoy !
Note

  • This cake takes maximum of 3 minutes to cook in microwave 800w power. So keep an eye after 2 minutes if yours is more than 800w.
  • Over baking makes the cake hard n chewy. Take care.
  • This cake remains soft even for two days if properly covered and stored. Else the outer layer will turn dry.
  • Adding cocoa powder is optional. U can skip it and use the other ingredients as given above. No need to reduce the quantity of water or oil.



Microwave fruit cake


Try this easy microwave cake recipe for New year. Have a fantastic year ahead !!
Eggless-microwave-fruit-cake-recipe

Continue Reading...


December 29, 2014

Millet Flour Porridge Recipe/Millet Sathu Maavu Kanji-Millet Recipes

Millet-porridge-recipe

Last month i shared our homemade mixed millet flour/energy mix powder/sathu maavu recipe here. Using that flour, I have shared an instant sathu maavu dosa recipe too. Recently I tried sweet & savoury porridge/kanji using my millet energy mix powder for our Sunday breakfast. It came out really well and it was flavourful too. Making this millet porridge is just a 10 minutes job. You can try sweet or savory version based on your liking. 

If you have less time in hand to prepare your breakfast, this millet porridge is an easy & healthy option with health benefits of all the millets in one dish.Its one of the ideal recipes for weight loss too. It keeps you energetic and full. Do try it and let me know your feedback. If you don’t want to make millet powder on your own, you can also buy the organic millet powders available in stores and prepare this porridge. But homemade millet powder is economical always ! You can try this porridge for one year old babies too. But keep in mind, you should add just 1 tsp of this powder for 2 cups of water, make it really watery and give them for the first time. If it suits them, you can increase the quantity of powder gradually. Check out my millet flour ladoo/Sathu maavu urundai recipe using jaggery if interested !

Millet porridge-sweet
Millet porridge-savory

Millet flour porridge recipe


Millet flour porridge recipe Millet flour porridge recipe/Millet sathu maavu kanji recipe for breakfast
Cuisine: Indian
Category: Breakfast
Serves: Serves 2-3
Prep time: 5 Minutes
Cook time: 10 Minutes
Total time: 15 Minutes


INGREDIENTS

For sweet porridge
  • Grated jaggery - 1/3 cup
  • Cardamom seeds - 2nos ( crushed)
  • Boiled milk - 1/4 cup ( as needed)
For spicy version
  • Thick curd - 3 tbsp
  • Salt - as needed
To temper
  • Cooking oil - 1 tsp
  • Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp
  • Urad dal - 1/4 tsp
  • Hing/asafetida - 1/8 tsp
  • Red chilli or mor milagai - 1 no ( pinched)
  • Curry leaves - few
  • Coriander leaves - little
METHOD

  • Take 5 cups of water in a big bowl and mix the millet powder without any lumps. Use a wire whisk. Add a pinch of salt and let it boil well for 10 minutes in medium high flame. Stir it once or twice in the middle because it may overflow. The porridge will thicken slightly and its color changes with a shine. It shows that the millet flour is cooked well.
Millet porridge recipe
  • Now remove half of the porridge to another bowl for making savory version. Let it cool. In the mean time, add grated jaggery to the remaining half of the porridge and boil well in low flame. Jaggery melts and mixes with porridge. Color of porridge changes to golden yellow based on the color of jaggery. After the jaggery is melted, allow the porridge to boil for 2 minutes to remove the raw smell of jaggery. Lastly add the crushed cardamom seeds. Mix well and add little milk before serving. Mix well and serve ! ( Do not add milk when the porridge is boiling. It will curdle the mixture. So add boiled milk only after you switch off the flame)
Millet porridge recipe-sweet
  • Take the porridge reserved for savory version. To this, add 3 tbsp of lightly sour curd. Mix well with a wire whisk or beater. Add the required salt and temper all the above said ingredients.
    • You can also add finely chopped raw mango pieces & green chillies, ginger to this porridge to make it more flavourful!
  • Add the tempered items to the porridge.Mix well and serve !
Millet porridge recipe-savory

Enjoy !


Note

  • If you are trying this porridge for the first time, just follow the above measurements.This would give you medium thick consistency porridge.
  • If you want thicker porridge, add 1 tbsp more millet powder Or if you want thinner porridge, add 1 cup of more water. Adjust as per your liking.
  • You can also add sugar in place of jaggery.In that case,add 2-3 tbsp.Check for sweetness and add more.
  • Adjust the quantity of jaggery as per your taste.
  • You can also add finely chopped raw mango pieces & green chillies, ginger to this porridge to make it more flavorful!

Try this quick and easy millet flour porridge for your breakfast and have a healthy start of the day !
Millet-flour-porridge-recipe
 
Continue Reading...


December 28, 2014

75 Kuzhambu Recipes - South Indian Kuzhambu Varieties

30 kuzhambu recipes
Collection of South Indian Kuzhambu recipes for rice. Generally people of Tamil nadu love to make different varieties of kuzhambu recipes for their lunch. We don’t like to eat the same sambar, vathal kulambu or rasam everyday. In my home, both mom and MIL make at least 7 varieties of kulambu for a week. Sometimes we make kuzhambu without tamarind too. They don’t repeat the same at least for 10 days. 

For my MIL’s kulambu varieties, few tsp of our homemade sambar powder is all you need. There are no or very less grinding work. Whereas my mom’s kuzhambu varieties have some grinding job but it tastes flavourful & awesome as most of them are freshly ground with Nellai / Tirunelveli touch. Both are completely different in procedure and taste. Most of these kuzhambu recipes I shared here are without coconut. Here I have given nearly 70+ Vegetarian kulambu/gravies recipes of my mom & MIL under one page for easy and quick reference. Most of these gravies are simple and easy to make for beginners and bachelors too.

Among these 75 gravies, you can find varieties of lunch sambar recipes and brahmin style arachuvitta sambar. Similarly you can find varieties of Vathal kuzhambu like sundakkai vatha kuzhambu, Poondu kuzhambu, Puli kuzhambu, Manathakkali vatha kuzhambu, ennai kathrikai kuzhambu, brinjal masala kuzhambu without tamarind, Chettinad Pakoda kuzhambu, thakkali kuzhambu, kara kuzhambu recipes along with an Iyengar style milagu kuzhambu recipe, paruppu urundai kuzhambu. 

Other than this, you can also find mor kuzhambu, paruppu urundai kuzhambu, Poricha kuzhambu without tamarind, bittergourd/Pavakkai pitlai, Vazhaipoo kulambu, kovakkai masala kuzhambu,Yam gravy, pumpkin and ridge gourd gravies too. 

I have also added some Andhra , Kerala and Karnataka Kuzhambu varieties for rice. Please click on the picture to view the respective recipe. I have given most of the recipes with step by step pictures.

Please check THIS LINK to view my latest additions in Kuzhambu recipes.

Thanks for visiting this page. Do try all these kuzhambu recipes and enjoy cooking varieties!

In future you can expect some yummy n easy lunch menu ideas in my blog. Stay tuned.
Ok, lets see the list of South Indian kuzhambu recipes / Kuzhambu vagaigal of Tamil people and other state people !

Please don’t forget to leave your feedback in the comments section if you try any of these kuzhambu recipes. I will be happy to know it and will help others too ! Thanks.

South Indian Kuzhambu recipes


South Indian Kuzhambu recipes
Cuisine: Indian
Category: Kuzhambu Recipes
Serves: 3
Prep time: 20 Minutes
Cook time: 15 Minutes
Total time: 35 Minutes

Please check THIS LINK to view my latest additions in Kuzhambu recipes. 


Check out my homemade sambar powder which is used in most of these recipes. You can also use store bought sambar powder or kuzhambu milagai thool. 

70 KUZHAMBU RECIPES - Click on the image or text to view the recipe.



Easy mixed vegetable sambar
Mixed vegetable sambar in pressure cooker 

Sambar without toor dal

Vengaya sambar/Onion sambar
Brahmin style arachuvitta sambar
Mullangi sambar/Radish sambar
Vendakkai sambar
Vendakkai sambar/ Lady's finger sambar
Parangikai sambar
Pumpkin sambar/ Poosanikai sambar
Kothavarangai sambar
Cluster beans sambar/ Kothavarangai sambar

Bottle gourd sambar
Bottle gourd sambar / Sorakkai sambar

Amma style tirunelveli sambar
Keerai sambar
Drumstick Sambar/Murungakkai sambar
Drumstick Leaves Sambar/Murungai Keerai sambar

Ponnanganni keerai sambar
Ponnanganni keerai sambar

Palak sambar
Palak sambar

Vendhaya keerai paruppu kadayal

Raw mango sambar

Cabbage sambar recipe
Cabbage sambar

Kovakkai masala kuzhambu

Iyengar paruppu urundai kuzhambu
Iyengar paruppu urundai kuzhambu
Paruppu urundai kuzhambu
Drumstick Poricha Kuzhmabu

South Indian paruppu kuzhambu
Easy Paruppu kuzhambu

Mushroom kuzhambu for rice, chapathi, idli, dosa

Vendhaya kuzhambu/Masala kara kuzhambu
Vendhaya Kuzhambu / Masala Kara Kuzhambu
Thakkali kuzhambu/Tomato gravy
Easy tomato/thakkali kuzhambu without tamarind
Iyengar Milagu Kuzhambu/Pepper Kuzhambu
Easy Kara kuzhambu-Bachelor style

Vendakkai kara kuzhambu
Lady's finger kara kuzhambu
Easy Manathakkali Vathal Kuzhambu
Poondu Kuzhambu/Garlic kuzhambu
Tirunelveli Puli Kuzhambu

Pumpkin puli kuzhambu
Pumpkin puli kuzhambu

Kondakadalai puli kuzhambu

Karamani kuzhambu

Mochakottai kathirikai kuzhambu

Orange skin kuzhambu

Drumstick puli kuzhambu

Hotel style kara kuzhambu

Cauliflower kuzhambu recipe
Cauliflower kuzhambu recipe

Cabbage masala kuzhambu
Cabbage masala kuzhambu
Milagu Kuzhambu
Pakoda Kuzhambu
Karuvepilai Kuzhambu/Curry leaves gravy
Ennai Kathrikai kuzhambu/Brinjal gravy
Brinjal Masala Kuzhambu without tamarind
Sundakkai Vathal Kuzhambu
Raw mango vatha kuzhambu
Raw mango vatha Kuzhambu
Bitter gourd puli kuzhambu
Bitter gourd kuzhambu/ Chettinad Pavakkai kulambu
Vendhaya keerai kara kuzhambu
Vendhaya Keerai Kara Kuzhambu / Methi leaves Kuzhambu
Chettinad ennai kathirikai kuzhambu
Chettinad Ennai Kathirikai Kuzhambu
Pumpkin gravy
Brinjal Rasavangi
>Poosanaikai Rasavangi
Poosanikai Rasavangi / White Pumpkin gravy
Instant mor kuzhambu
Instant mor kuzhambu without coconut
Vazhaipoo kuzhambu/Banana flower gravy
Vazhaithandu kuzhambu
Vazhaithandu Kuzhambu/ Banana stem gravy
Yam gravy/Karunai kizhangu kuzhambu
Soya chunks gravy for rice n roti
Tirunelveli Sodhi Kuzhambu

Puli illa kari
Tirunelveli puli illa kari / Kuzhambu without tamarind
Ridge gourd gravy
Arachuvitta Vathakuzhambu
Mom's More kuzhambu
MIL's More Kuzhambu with vadai
Bittergourd Pitlai/Pavakkai Pitali
Andhra ridge gourd dal
Andhra Raw mango dal
Andhra Palak dal
Andhra Bittergourd gravy / Kakarakaya pulusu
Hitikida Avarekalu saaru
Avarekalu huli
Kerala Onam sadya sambar without coconut
Kerala varutharacha sambar
Kerala ulli sambar
Ulli theeyal
Kerala moru curry



Continue Reading...