Eggless Milk Powder Cake

The more I bake, the more I love it.. and now a days I am trying to prepare eggless and butterless cakes, so that to some extent it will be useful for weight watchers like me.
I love simple cakes, which is easy to prepare and with mild falvors.
I had a lot of milk powder at home and was confused about how to finish it. I googled and googled to find out something interesting. At last, I came up with this mind blowing cake.
I have modified the original recipe to suit my diet requirements. But I feel the result was really mind blowing, because it had an amazing texture and colour. I couldn't stop with one slice. My hubby liked it so much that he said 100 times that it is too good and asked me to prepare again and again.

 

Ingredients

• All purpose flour / Maida - 1+3/4 cup (210 gms)
• Sugar - 3/4 cup (150 gms)
• Milk powder - 3/4 cup (100 gms)
• Vanilla essense - 1 tsp
• Oil -  1/2 cup+1 tblspn (100 gms)
• Baking soda - 1 tsp
• Baking powder - 2 tsp
• Yoghurt (unsour) - 1/2 cup (120 ml)
• Milk - 1/2 cup(120 ml)
• Water - 1/2 cup (120 ml)
• Almonds - 1/4 cup, chopped
• Apple Cider Vinegar - 1 tblspn

Method

• Take all your ingredients (Forgot Apple Cider Vinegar in the pic)

• Preheat the oven @160 Deg Celcious. Take a loaf pan and grease it well using oil or butter. Sprinkle some flour and coat on all the sides. Tap out the excess flour and keep it aside.

• In a vessel, mix together milk, curd and  water. Mix really well.

• Sieve together flour, milk powder, baking soda and baking powder. Sieve them 2 or 3 times until everything is combined.

 

 

• In another vessel, mix oil, sugar, vanilla essence and Apple Cider Vinegar.

• Now all 3 mixtures are ready; flour mixture, sugar and oil mixture and milk-curd mixture.

• To the sugar and oil mixture, add half of the flour mixture and full milk-curd mixture. Use a whisk/spatula and fold in gently.
• Now add the remaining flour mixture and fold again gently, just until there are no lumps and everything is combined.

• Pour the entire batter in to the loaf pan and sprinkle some chopped almonds on top.

 

 

• Bake in a preheated oven for about 40 minutes or until the tooth pick inserted comes out clean.

• Take out from the oven and allow it to cool atleast for 20 minutes.
• Run a knife through the edges and remove the cake from the pan. Allow it to cool. Slice / cut them and Serve. 

  

 

Mor Urundai Kulambu

We had this for the first time from my best friend's house, few months ago. Myself and my hubby liked it to the core. I wrote down the recipe and prepared it twice or thrice and did not prepare this for months. Today, when I wanted to prepare this, I forgot the recipe. At last, I found the recipe what I wrote and made it. Not only my hubby, his lunch group friends too enjoyed this dish. A big thanks to my friend..!!!!

Do try this, and you will love this, as we did..

Ingredients

For the coconut paste

• Coconut - 1/2 cup
• Fried gram dal / Pottu kadalai - 1 tblspn
• Green chillies - 2
• Red Chillies - 2
• Salt - 1 tsp
• Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
• Cumin seeds - 1 tsp
• Yoghurt - 1/2 cup
• Water - 1/2 cup

For the Dal dumplings

• Toor dal - 1 cup
• Urad dal - 1 tblspn
• Green chilly - 1 or 2, according to your spice preference
• Ginger - 1/2 inch piece
• Onion - 1 , finely chopped
• Coriander leaves - 1 tblspn, finely chopped
• Salt - to taste

For seasoning

• Oil - 1 tsp
• Mustard seeds - 1 tsp
• Urad dal - 1 tsp
• Red chillies - 2 nos
• Curry leaves - 1 spring

Other ingredients

• Coriander leaves - 2 tblspn
• Curry leaves - 5 or 6

Method

For the coconut paste

• Combine all the ingredients in the "For the coconut paste" heading under the ingredients list, in a blender and blend it to a very smooth paste. Keep aside

For the Dal dumplings

• Wash and soak toor dal and urad dal together for 1 hour

• Drain the water completely and grind it along with some salt, ginger and green chillies. Do not add water while grinding. Grind in to a coarse paste.

• Transfer this paste in to a bowl and add onion and coriander leaves and mix well.

• Grease your idli molds well

• Make small lemon sized balls out of ground lentils and place them on the idli molds

• Steam it for about 7 - 8 minutes in a medium heat. Open the lid and check whether it is raw. It will be little hard if it has cooked properly.

• Your Dal dumplings are now ready

How to proceed?

• Transfer the coconut paste in a vessel and bring this heat. Add water and adjust the consistency. It should not be too thick nor too thin.

• When it is just about to boil, add the half of the curry leaves and coriander leaves. Save the rest for seasoning and garnishing.

• Check the seasoning and adjust accordingly.
• Take the steamed dal  dumplings and add in to this

• Mix very gently. Make sure not to break them. Allow it to cook for a minute and them turn off the heat
• In a seasoning pan, heat oil and crackle mustard seeds. Add urad dal. Mix until it starts turning golden brown. Add red chillies and curry leaves. Turn off the heat. Pour this hot seasoning in to the curry.
• Transfer the curry to a serving dish and garnish with coriander leaves. Serve with hot rice or string hoppers / idiyappam.

Creamy curd rice

Ingredients

• Rice - 1 cup
• Milk - 1 tblspn
• Curd - 1/2 cup
• Cream - 1 tblspn
• Salt to taste
• Sugar - 1 tsp(or to taste)

For tempering

•  Oil - 2 tsp
• Mustatrd seeds - 1 tsp
• Urad dal - 1 tsp
• Green chillies - 2 nos, chopped finely
• Ginger - 1 tsp, minced
• Red chillies - 2 nos
• Cashews - 10 nos
• Coriander leaves to garnish

Method

• Cook rice until soft. Mash it slightly with the back of your spoon.
• Add milk, salt and sugar to it and mix well. Add the yoghurt and keep them aside.
• For tempering, heat oil in a pan. Crackle mustard seeds. Add urad dal, cashews, green chillies and ginger. (you can even add raisins)
• When the cashews just starts changing its color, add red chillies and curry leaves and turn off the heat. 

• Pour this mixture immediately to the rice.
• Finally, add the cream and give it a good mix.
• Your creamy curd rice is now ready.