Eggless vanilla cake using a pressure cooker is my long time pending readers requested recipe. Many readers who tried my eggless cakes using convection oven had requested me to share some eggless cake recipes using a pressure cooker. Long back I had shared an eggless chocolate cake in a pressure cooker. But its procedure and recipe is completely different from the usual cooker cake. I used water in the bottom of cooker instead of salt or sand.
Today I have shared the proper & perfect pressure cooker cake using powdered salt. I followed my eggless tutti frutti cake recipe and made it using pressure cooker instead of baking in oven. This simple, eggless cake recipe is made without using condensed milkor butter. Curd and cooking oil are the major ingredients. Cake came out really well, spongy and very soft as expected. The texture of the cake is equally great with the oven ones. There is no much difference in baking time as well. This vanilla sponge cake can be used as the base, decorate it with simple frosting and enjoy for birthday & anniversary celebrations Or it can be relished as simple tea time cake as well.For variations, you can mix in some tutti frutti to make this cake colorful.
Friends, do try this cake during this vacation for your kids. I am sure you will get perfect results. I tried frosting the cake using Amul fresh cream.It tasted great but its texture was not so perfect. Soon I will try to make a simple and easy frosting recipe using fresh cream and share here. Lets see how to make eggless vanilla sponge cake in a pressure cooker with step by step pictures and video !
Cooking oil - 1/2 cup (I used refined oil. Any flavorless oil works)
Milk - 1 to 2 tbsp ( optional)
Vanilla essence – 1.5 tsp
Maida & cooking oil – 1 tsp to grease the baking pan
HOW TO MAKE EGGLESS VANILLA CAKE IN PRESSURE COOKER - METHOD
In a wide bowl, take the curd. Add sugar and mix till sugar dissolves in curd. Then add baking powder and baking soda. As soon as u mix them, bubbles appear in the curd. Mix gently and keep the curd bowl aside for 5 minutes. It foams up well.
After 5 minutes, add vanilla essence and cooking oil in the curd mixture. Mix gently.
Add sieved maida to the curd mixture little by little. If the cake batter is too thick, add 1 to 2 tbsp milk and loosen the batter slightly. Batter should be thick but pourable.
Take an aluminium baking pan and grease with oil. Spread 1 tsp maida all over the pan and pat the excess flour. Pour the cake batter and pat it twice to spread the batter evenly.
Take the pressure cooker, remove the gasket and whistle in the lid. Spread 1/2 kg powdered salt evenly in the bottom of cooker. Put a slotted plate or any plate over the salt.
Heat the cooker in high flame for 5 minutes. Salt gets heated well. Now open the cooker and place the cake pan inside it carefully. Close with the lid and heat the cooker in very low flame for 30 to 40 minutes. Open the cooker after 30 minutes and insert a toothpick or back of spoon. If it comes out clean, cake is done else cook for another 5 minutes. Mine got done in 35 minutes.
Remove the cake pan carefully and rest it for 10 minutes. Run a knife around the cake and invert in a plate. Cut the cake into pieces after it becomes warm. Enjoy. Store the leftover pieces in an air tight box. Do not refrigerate or let it open, cake will become dry. It stays good for 2 days.
Enjoy !
Note
Adjust the quantity of sugar as per your taste. For me 1 cup sugar was fine.
Do not add more milk than the mentioned quantity.
Baking time varies from 30 to 40 minutes. So keep an eye after 30 minutes. Make sure you don’t burn the cake.
Try this soft and spongy eggless pressure cooker cake. You will like it ! I tried frosting the cake using fresh cream. Soon I will try to make a perfect frosting recipe and share here !
Homemade mango frooti recipe with video and step by step pictures. Frooti is my most favorite mango drink since childhood. I guess most of you are like me. On those days, for any small functions at home like birthday party or guest visits, Frooti bottle makes its presence without fail. My mom used to serve it as a welcome drink. Even though there are many soft drinks available in the market, the craze for this store bought mango drinks like Frooti, Maaza or Slice never goes away. But once my family had a bad experience after drinking Frooti in a tetra pack. It must be an old stock I guess. So we stopped buying it and started running miles away whenever I see it in functions or parties. I restrict Raksha & Sendhil too.
Last week I bought few alphonso mangoes and a raw mango to try some interesting recipes with it. When I was browsing for it, I saw few homemade Frooti recipe. I never imagined Frooti making process at home would be so easy with very less ingredients and that too without any preservatives. What else I need to try this !. I became very happy and tried it immediately with an over ripen mango which I wanted to finish off. This juice came out yummilicious in taste. It tasted very close to Frooti, Maaza or any store bought mango drink.
Sendhil & Raksha loved it and gave a big thumbs up. You can make this as concentrate, refrigerate & store it, add ice cold water to dilute it and drink chilled anytime.The best part is we didn’t get any stomach pain, loose stools, cold/throat infection or fever.
As everyone says, homemade is always the best !! Now I don’t have to buy the highly priced mango drink from shops anymore. I have tried this drink thrice so far with different mangoes and observed few points.
To make a perfect homemade Frooti recipe, you must follow this.
1. Use only Alphonso mangoes. It works the best ! Taste differs for Badami, malgova or Banganapalli mangoes. 2. Mango should be over ripen. Make sure it doesn’t have sour taste. You can clear off the over ripen ( about to decay) mangoes by making this drink. 3. The ratio of ripe mango & raw mango should be 2:1 based on the size of raw mango. Raw mango is just to give mild tanginess. 4. Quantity of sugar differs as per the sweetness of mango. 5. Color of the juice also varies based on the color of mango.
Now I can confidently prepare this mango juice for my guests. You too try this recipe in this summer vacation for your kids and family. I am sure your kids will sing “ Mango Frooti Fresh and Juicy”.
Ok, Lets see how to make Homemade mango Frooti recipe with step by step pictures and a video !
Homemade Mango Frooti Recipe - How to make Frooti drink at home
Mango Frooti Recipe - How to make mango frooti drink at home without any preservatives and very less ingredients !
Raw mango - 1/2 no (If small sized mango or 1/4 part of big mango) (1/2 cup chopped)
Sugar - 1/4 to 1/2 cup (Adjust)
Water - 3 to 4 cups
Ice cubes – while serving
METHOD
Wash and peel the skin of raw mango & ripe mango. Chop into pieces.
In a pressure cooker, take the chopped mango pieces, add 1/3 cup sugar and 2 cups of water ( If you want to make thick concentrate, add 1 cup of water). Pressure cook in very low flame for 2 whistles or till mango cooks soft.
Open the cooker after the steam is released.Strain it and filter the cooked water. Keep it aside till use.
Grind the cooked mango to a pulp without adding water. Mix this pulp with the cooked mango water. Mix well and strain it again to remove the fiber part of mango. Discard the fiber part.
Mix the mango juice well and check for taste and thickness. If you want to store as concentrate, pour in a glass bottle and refrigerate it. If serving immediately, add 1/2 to 1 cup water and adjust the consistency. If sugar is less, add little more sugar and mix well. Refrigerate for 3-4 hours till chilled.
Put some ice cubes in a glass and pour the drink. Serve immediately ! This drink stays good for 3 days if refrigerated !
Enjoy !
Note
Use over ripen alphonso mango for best taste.
Adjust the quantity of sugar and water as per taste and desired consistency.
Some recipes suggested equal quantity of ripe mango and raw mango. But I feel 2:1 ratio would be fine.
Potato curry ( Urulai Kizhangu poriyal in Tamil) is known to be one of the best side dish recipes for sambar rice, rasam rice, Dal rice or even curd rice for many South Indians. Sometimes I love to have it rolled in chapathi as its a dry curry.Indian style potato roast or potato fry ( Aloo curry in Hindi) can be done in ‘N’ number of ways. People prepare it with their own variations and style. Most of us have adopted our mom’s recipe when we were beginners in cooking. Yes, I too learnt this way of making boiled potato curry from my mom. She makes it for rasam rice. Every Thursday Dal/Paruppu,Tamarind pachadi/ Puli pachadi, Rasam, Potato curry and Papad would be our lunch menu before my marriage. But amma makes spicy potato curry whereas I prepare a less spicy version. So adjust the quantity of chilli powder according to your taste. In most of our houses, potato curry makes it appearance once in a week at least for our kids sake as this would be the favorite side dish for many. In my house too, I make this potato poriyal mainly for Raksha’s lunch box as she loves to take it without any complaints and brings back empty lunch box in the evening.So I pack Dal rice( Paruppu sadham) and Potato curry (Urulai kizhangu poriyal in Tamil) at least once in a week for her lunch box.Its also an easy side dish to prepare during busy morning hours.When you have boiled potato ready in hand, this poriyal can be done under 10 minutes.I am sure bachelors and working women find this recipe useful. Do try this easy and simple boiled potato fry and let me know your feedback. I love it with Sambar & Rasam sadam. Lets see how to prepare South Indian style Potato poriyal with step by step pictures and a video !
Check out myMIL’s Potato poriyal version which I make it specially for my guests .Also check out my no onion no garlic Brahmin style potato curry !
Elai Vadam / Exhibition appalam – Rice papad / Arisi appalam made in banana leaf ( Vazhai ilai) was in my try list for the past few years. Whenever my fellow bloggers post this elai vadam recipe, I get tempted to try but I never got the confidence to try on my own. Recently my MIL prepared this ilai vadam using idli rice after watching Revathy Shanmugam mam’s cookery show in Jaya TV. Last week when she came to Bangalore, she brought some vadam to taste. She said its a time consuming process but the end result is worthy.Its taste reminded Delhi appalam we get in exhibition.We had this rice papad sprinkled with red chilli powder and we loved it very much.
My MIL told me the tradition behind this appalam making process.On those days, people in Tamilnadu villages used to make this rice vadam using Vadham ilai or Poovarasan ilai. This vadam is usually given for ladies after delivery ( Postpartum diet) as urad dal papad creates gas problem.This vadam is roasted in direct fire ( Sutta appalam) instead of deep frying in oil as deep frying makes it difficult to digest.The best thing about this vadam is it dries up quickly even under the shade. It takes one to two days to get ready based on the weather in your place. Overnight drying under the fan would be enough. I felt this vadam is ideal for places where there is lack of sunlight.
With the help of my MIL, I prepared this easy arisi appalam in Bangalore using raw rice. This vadam can be prepared with raw rice, idli rice or both in equal quantity. If you make it with raw rice, vadam comes out super light, airy and crispy whereas vadam made with idli rice comes out crunchy and very flavorful like store bought arisi appalam but slightly dense in texture.
In that case, you can add little sago( javvarisi) to bring the light texture. As I have thatte idli stand, this vadam process was completed within one hour. If you don’t have this plate it may take more time. You can buy thatte idli stand or elai vadam stand in the market if you are really interested to try this one. Now lets see how to make elai vadam recipe with step by step pictures and VIDEO !
Water - As needed (I used 1/2 cup for grinding, 3/4 cup for mixing)
HOW TO MAKE ILAI VADAM / RICE APPALAM - METHOD
Wash and soak the raw rice in enough water for 2 hours. Drain the excess soaked water completely and grind the rice coarsely without adding water. Then wipe the sides and add 1/2 cup water, required salt. Grind to smooth paste like maida. Please note there should not be any grits in the batter. It should be completely smooth. So grind patiently for long time. I used my Indian mixie for grinding the batter and it took 5 minutes. Grind in two batches.
Remove the batter in a bowl.Add cumin seeds. The consistency of batter should be slightly thinner than dosa batter.
Now take a banana leaf and spread the leaf inside the plate according to its shape.Add 1/2 ladle of batter and swirl the plate. Batter spreads all over the plate. If you don’t have banana leaf, just spread the batter directly in the plate & swirl/rotate it.It also works but its difficult to peel once its cooked. If you have 3 plate or 6 plate ilai vadam stand, follow the same and spread the batter in all the plates.
Heat water in an idli pot. When the water comes to roll boil, place the idli plate. Let it steam for 5 minutes. The color of batter changes to pale white & transparent after cooking. Remove the leaf from the plate and let it become warm. Peel the cooked vadam and spread in a cotton cloth( Dhoti) or in a polythene sheet. Do not put in newspaper. It will stick with it.
Let it dry in balcony or under the sun for one day. If you don’t have this option, dry it under the fan wind. When it dries up, it shrinks in size & changes in color slightly. After one day drying, it would have dried up to 75%. During night, keep it under the fan. If its crispy all over, its ready. If its soft in the middle, it needs more time to dry. So the next day, keep it under the sun & repeat the same till its completely moisture free. Store it in a box & use it for months. Stays good even for an year if prepared properly.
Heat required oil in a kadai to deep fry. Break the vadam into half & deep fry in oil. Flip & cook both the sides. Remove & drain in a tissue. Sprinkle red chilli powder on top & serve as an evening snack or with any variety rice !
Enjoy !
Note
The consistency of batter is very important. Do not make it too watery or thick.
You can make this vadam with idli rice instead of raw rice.
Steaming takes maximum 5 minutes.
Try to peel the vadam after its cooled down.
If the vadam turns golden brown after frying, it may be due to the quality of rice. In that case, you can try adding few drops of lemon juice in the batter and make it next time.
Enjoy this crispy, yummy arisi appalam with rice or as an evening snack !
Pazham pori @ Ethakka appam – Kerala special Nendram pazham bajji ( Ripe banana fritters in English) was in my try list for years. Crispy and hot Pazham pori with tea/Chai is one of the most popular and classic combo in Kerala. People love to have this pazham pori with hot tea as an evening snack. I have tasted this bajji only once in Bangalore - Ernakulum intercity express train pantry car. I loved it very much and I decided to blog this recipe at that instance. But I couldn’t find nendram pazham/etha pazham in my area.
Recently I got few ripen nendram pazham from my neighbor. My neighbors from Kerala used to buy this nendram pazham regularly and feed their toddlers for breakfast as it has lots of health benefits. As soon as I got the ripen banana, this pazham pori recipe flashed in my mind. I browsed for few recipes and videos to make a crispy pazham pori just like the ones I tasted in train. I came across many pazham pori recipes with eggs, besan flour and even with wheat flour. But I wanted to try the traditional, authentic ones with Maida and rice flour.
Finally I got this recipe from my neighbor and tried it for our evening snacks. This sweet bajji is of my kind. I loved it a lot more than Raksha & Sendhil. We are planning to visit Kerala during this summer vacation. I have a big list of dishes to taste in Kerala hotels. This pazham pori is also one among them. I will try to update this post and share a picture in my Instagram feed from Kerala tea shop. Now lets see how to make Kerala special Pazham pori recipe with step by step pictures and video !
Pazham Pori Recipe - Kerala Ethakka Appam
Pazham Pori Recipe - Kerala Ethakka Appam - Kerala Nendram Pazham Bajji Recipe
Sugar – 1 to 2 tbsp ( based on the sweetness of banana)
Turmeric powder – 1/8 tsp
Cooking Soda – a pinch (optional)
Jeera / Cumin seeds – 1/4 tsp
Crushed Cardamom seeds – 1 no ( optional)
Water – 1 cup ( approx)
Cooking oil or coconut oil - to deep fry
HOW TO MAKE PAZHAM PORI - METHOD
Take the ripen banana and peel the skin. Cut into long, thin or thick strips as you wish. Set aside. Taste a small piece of banana to know the sweetness. Mine looked over ripen and black as u see in the picture. But It was mildly sweet. So I had to add more sugar in the batter. The quantity of sugar in the batter depends on the sweetness of banana.
In a wide bowl,take the maida, rice flour, sugar, turmeric powder, cumin seeds, cardamom powder and a small pinch of cooking soda. Adding soda is optional. Mix well.
Add water little by little and make a smooth, lump free batter. Batter should not be too thin or too thick. Its consistency should be like bajji batter.It should fall like a thin ribbon. Batter should coat the banana well. So make it accordingly. Please watch the video for reference. I used approx 1 to 1.25 cups of water.
Heat oil in a kadai and when it gets heated ,drop a pinch of batter to check oil temperature. If it rises to the top immediately, oil heat is just right.
Now take one banana strip and coat well on both the sides in the batter. Drop in hot oil. Deep fry 2-3 pazham pori for one batch. Flip & Cook in medium flame on fry both the sides till golden. Remove in a tissue paper. Serve hot to enjoy its best taste.Tea with pazham pori is a classic combo in Kerala. You too give a try and enjoy !
Note
Rice flour is not used in many recipes. But I added it to make crispy pazham pori.
Cardamom powder is also optional. If you want the flavor of banana to be dominant, skip it.
Adjust the quantity of sugar based on the sweetness of banana.
Adding cooking soda is optional. If you don’t add pazham pori looks flat and thin. But mine looked slightly bulgy because of soda. Its your choice of how you want it.
Try this Kerala special snack – Pazham pori at home for your tea time and enjoy !!