Carrot Cake never goes out of style and one bite will tell you why. This rich and moist spice cake, full of grated carrot and toasted nuts, has great flavor. The interesting part is that while those pretty orange flecks of grated carrot give the Carrot Cake color
and texture, along with sweetness and moisture, its' flavor is almost indistinguishable
Perfect for birthdays or any day, this is a great cake with lots of decadent taste .rich in vitamin a carrot cake is healthy too .
I made this cake in pressure cooker for those people who dont own microwave yet crave to make bakery style cakes and the results were equally satisfying .Please remove cooker ring and whistle while making the cake or else your cooker can get damaged,.use an old cooker for making this cake.
Cooking was never my cup of tea-But neccesity is the mother of invention and now that I have developed a liking for baking & have been trying eggless cakes using pressure cooker
.Do try this & Enjoy !!
Ingredients
Maida - 1/2 cup
Wheat flour - 1/2 cup
Grated carrot - 3/4 cup heaped
Curd - 3/4 cups (200 ml)
cooking oil - 1/4 cup
Milk - 2.5 tbsp
Sugar -3/4 cup
Vanilla essence - 1/2 tsp
Cinnamon powder - 1/4 tsp
Baking powder - 1/2 tsp
Baking Soda - 1/2 tsp
Salt -1/4 tsp
Walnuts, chopped- handful
golden raisins - handful
Method:
1. Grease the cake tin with a little butter or oil.
2. Preheat a pressure cooker as follows.Remove the whistle/regulator of cooker you wont need it throughout the process. . Place a pressure cooker on flame and place a separator and close the cooker with its lid. Remove the whistle/regulator you wont need it throughout the process. (you can either close the cooker with the lid as you normally do or place the Lid upside down too)
3. Then place the cooker set up on high flame for 10 minutes. till the cooker is being preheated lets prepare batter.
4. Grate carrots finely and keep aside. Sieve maida with baking soda and baking powder, set aside. In a mixing bowl add curd, sugar, milk and olive oil. Mix well until sugar completely dissolves.
5.Then add cinnamon powder, vanilla essence and give a quick stir. Finally fold in maida then add grated carrots
6.Whisk it well to form a smooth creamy flowing batter. mix half walnuts in batter. at base of greased cake tin throw few chopped walnuts.
7.Pour the batter into this greased 6 inch pan, do not pour up to the brim, stop when the pan is 3/4th full. (The batter we have prepared will be perfectly enough to fill 3/4th of the pan).sprinkle few walnuts on top of batter too.
8.•Now open the cooker and place the cake pan with batter carefully on
the separator plate and close the lid.(whistle or regulator is not needed )
9.Now switch the flame to low mode and cook for 30 to 40 minutes on
low flame. To Check if your cake has got cooked insert a knife or toothpick in centre of cake if it comes out clean that means cake is done. my cake took 36 minutes to cook.
10•When the cake is ready,remove from flame and set aside. Do not open the lid immediately. Open after 10 minutes. •You will find that the cake has puffed up well and would have browned nice and evenly too.
11. Allow the cake to cool down for 10mins.•transfer the tin onto a wet cloth for easy unmoulding.Just tap the cake tin and the cake would come out easily. But in case if you find difficulty in tapping the cake out, just run a knife through the sides of the cake and tap it out.
12.Leave aside on a wire rack until it cools down. Then cut into pieces
and serve plain or with vanilla ice cream
Tips :
1.The cake will give a nice aroma when it is done. This is a basic
technique to find out if the cake is done or not.
2. cut cake into slices only after it has cooled down completely (leaving
atleast 3-4 hours) to get firm neat slices.
3. If cooking in oven ,Bake in preheated oven at 200 degree C for 10
mins, then reduce temperature to 180 deg C and bake it for 30-35 mins
or till a fork inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean.
4. After the batter is ready, don't allow the batter to sit for more than
the preheating time as cake can turn hard.
5.while inserting fork or toothpick try checking in the center if its
cooked completely or not.If the center of the cake isnt cooked and is
slightly sticky, cover the top of the cake with butter paper and bake it
for 5 more mins,it will be perfect. The butter paper covering will avoid
more browning on top at the same time the centre will be cooked
perfectly.
6.Use exact measurements as given above .
7. You can even do an icing on the cake .
8.Please remove cooker ring and whistle while making the cake or else your
cooker can get damaged,.use an old cooker for making this cake.
9.Do not forget to line the pan or else the cake might stick to the pan.
10 You can use the same recipe to make carrot cupcakes/muffins and bake them for 15-20mins.
11The cake keeps well at room temperature for 2 days then refrigerate it. While serving may be you can just warm it up in oven and then serve it.
12 dont skip walnuts in above recipe
13 you can add 1 cup maida fully to make the cake
Though I am not a great fan of chinese hubby is & hence i keep on making chinese recipes.One such recipe was '
Hongkong style Chicken Hakka Noodles Recipe which I made last weekend.
I saw this on marathi show amhi saare khavayye .
DEFINITELY THE NOODLES WERE TASTY & DELICIOUS
In my view do not skip mushrooms, red + green +yellow capsicum ,red chili sauce and of course sugar which is very important in this recipe as it helps to blend spicy,hot sour flavours as per chef
The name brings back memories of street foods and fast food stalls. This is an Indo- Chinese creation.Hot spicy delicious ,bursting with flavours is what one can describe these noodles
I try to incorporate as many different varieties of vegetables as I can, in a day to day meal.It is very satisfying for dinner and with the addition of veggies completely filling too.
Enjoy Hongkong style Chicken Hakka Noodles with
chicken Manchurian
chilli paneer
schezwan chicken
veg balls in hot garlic sauce
schezwan baby corns
babycorn manchurian
Babycorn 65
Chicken chilli
Prepare the Hongkong style Chicken Hakka Noodles with boiled noodles stir fried with vegetables,fried chicken and tossed with a delectable mix of Chinese sauces.
Ingredients
Boiled noodles - 250 gms ( i used 1 packet chings veg wheat noodles)
chopped ginger - 2 tbsp about 1-2 inch ginger chopped finely
chopped garlic -15-20
Red chilli sauce/red chilli garlic paste -1 tbsp
carrot 1 (cut into long strips)
mushrooms - 5 to 6 chopped
red + green +yellow capsicum (cut into long strips)
red onion (normal onion) - sliced
spring onion (paticha kanda) - chopped both green & white part
oil + salt as required
soya sauce - 1.5 tbsp
oyster sauce - 1 tsp
vinegar - 1 tbsp
seasoning powder - 1 packet ( i had used maggi cube)
pepper powder - 1 tsp
Marination
chicken boneless 150 gms (cut into long strips)
sugar (1 tsp) (v imp dont skip)
red chilli paste - 1 tsp
ginger garlic paste - 2 tsp / chopped ginger pieces
salt
seasoning powder/pepper powder - 1 tsp
soya sauce - 1 tsp
For the Noodles-
4 cups water
1 tsp oil
1 tsp salt
Method
Cooking noodles -
1.Boil the water and add the noodles and salt & 1 tsp oil. cook uncovered over a high flame for 2-3 minutes, stirring often.
2.When it is about 85-90% cooked, drain the noodles and toss it lightly with cold water. Drain it completely and set aside until ready to use.
Cooking chicken
1. Marinate chicken with above listed ingredients for minimum 1 hour.
Next heat oil & deep fry chicken pieces & keep aside .Don't fry too long or else chicken will turn hard.
Hakka noodles -
1.Heat 4 tablespoons of oil in a non-stick pan with high edges.
2.Add the ginger,garlic and green chilies. fry lightly.
3.Add all the vegetables, pepper and salt. stir fry over a high flame for 2 minutes.
4.Add the soya sauce,,Red chilli sauce/red chilli garlic paste,oyster sauce & saute for 2 -3 minutes .Your kitchen will be filled with the beautiful aroma of schezwan sauce.next add chicken & saute it in schezwan chicken
5. Now add vinegar,seasoning powder and the boiled noodles and stir fry over a high flame for 1 minute.
6.Garnish with thin long pieces of spring onion tops.
7.Serve very hot with chicken Manchurian or chilli paneer or schezwan chicken .These noodles are so tasty that you can eat them on its own no need for side dish.
Last friday i made a chinese dinner with chicken fried rice & veg balls in garlic sauce .Husband is a lover of chinese food .I learnt chinese cooking initially when i got married
Vegetable Balls In Hot Garlic Sauce is deep fried vegetable balls served in hot garlic sauce.
it is an indo chinese food .Indian Chinese cuisine is the adaptation of Chinese seasoning and cooking techniques to Indian tastes. The Indian Chinese cuisine is said to have been developed by the small Chinese community that has lived in Kolkata (formerly Calcutta) for over a century. Today, the Chinese food has become an integral part of the Indian culinary scene.
It is also enjoyed by Indian and Chinese communities in Malaysia, Singapore and North America.
This starter is for those who like a little zing. The hot and sour garlic sauce which coats the deep fried vegetable balls makes a tantalising starter or can even be served to make a snack.
I have used schezuan sauce home made from red chili paste, garlic, schezuan pepper & black pepper for making to the garlic sauce .garlic sauce is busting with hot ,sweet and spicy flavours & you will feel like having it more.
i recommend to use homemade schezwan sauce as it is hygienic,flavourful & minus preservatives
You can check side dish for veg balls in hot garlic sauce by clicking on below links
Schezwan chicken hakka noodles
VEG HAKKA NOODLES
Egg vegetable hakka noodles
Hongkong style chicken hakka noodles
SINGAPORE STYLE CHICKEN HAKKA NOODLES
Veg fried rice
CHICKEN FRIED RICE
SCHEZWAN CHICKEN FRIED RICE
EGG FRIED RICE
ASIAN STYLE VEG FRIED RICE PULAO
Ingredients
For The Vegetable Balls
1/2 cup grated carrot (about 1 gajar )
1/2 cup chopped cabbage
1/2 cup cauliflower , grated ( i didnt use it)
1/4 cup finely chopped french beans
1/2 cup chopped red onion /spring onion
1/2 cup chopped red +yellow+green capsicum
1 tsp green chilli paste /chopped green chilli
2 tsp ginger garlic paste or 4-5 cloves garlic, minced +1/2 inch piece ginger, minced
2 tbsp cornflour
1/2 cup maida /all purpose flour
1 tsp oil
salt and freshly ground black pepper powder to taste
Other Ingredient
oil for deep-frying
Hot Garlic Sauce
1 tbsp garlic (lehsun) , chopped
1tbsp finely chopped ginger (adrak)
1/2 tsp finely chopped green chillies
1 tsp white vinegar
1 tsp soy sauce
1 tsp vegetarian oyster sauce
1/4 cup finely chopped spring onions whites
1 tsp olive oil
1/4 tsp black peppercorns (kalimirch) , crushed
1/4 tsp cornflour mixed in water
1 1/2 tablespoons schezuan sauce (pls click here for schezwan sauce recipe)
1 tsp sugar
1/4 cup water
salt to taste
For The Garnish
3/4 cup finely chopped spring onion greens & red yellow capsicum pieces
Method
For the vegetable balls
1.Combine all the ingredients listed under veg balls in a mixing bowl
2.keep aside for 15-20 minutes.you will find mixture will be moist as veggies will release water so no need to add extra water
3.shape into small round balls and shallow fry or deep fry till golden brown in hot oil.
see tip 1
4. drain on absorbent paper.
For sauce
1.heat 2 tbsp oil left from frying veg balls
2.now add the ginger, garlic and green chilies.
3.next add the chopped spring onion and fry till it become transparent.
4.add soya sauce, the schezuan sauce ,sugar ,lime juice/vinegar salt and pepper & mix well
5.add little water and stir.
6.once the mixture starts to boil add cornflour paste slowly and stir.
7.once gravy thicken switch off gas .at time of serving add the fried veg balls.
8.serve hot garnished with spring onion greens and red yellow capsicum pieces
tip
1 add 1-2 tsp more corn flour & roll balls again , if balls break at time of frying in oil
