WALNUT CAKE

Preparation time: 15 minutes
Cooking time: 45 minutes
Serves: 15

Ingredients:

1 cup maida(refined flour)            

4 eggs

1 cup coaster sugar
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/8 tsp salt
5-7 drops vanilla essence
1 cup or 100 gms refined oil
a handful of walnuts 
butter paper in the shape of baking tray (optional)


Method:

1.Sieve maida along with baking powder,salt and baking soda two to three times.
2.Switch on the oven (OTG) for preheating at 200* CG or 400* F.
3.Break the eggs in a bowl and beat them with a blender.
4.Mix oil and sugar and blend it till the sugar desolves completely.
5.Mix beaten eggs mixture with oil sugar mixture.
6.Add one after one spoon of maida mixed with baking powder in the above mixture using cut and fold method with a wooden spoon(do not use blender now) .
7.When the batter is ready add essence and mix with light hand.
8. coat the walnuts with 1 tsp of maida by dusting dry maida on walnuts. 
9.Grease the baking dish,set the butter paper in it and pour half of the cake batter. Now spread the walnuts coated with maida and then pour rest of the batter.spread some more walnuts coated with maida on top of tthe cake. 
10.Bake it for 10 min.s at 180*CG or 350*F and and after that for 25-30 minutes at 150* or 300* F.
11.Check it with knife if it is not baked completely then bake it for 5 more minutes.
12.Let it cool and then bring it out of the container and the cake is ready to be served.  

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BAINGAN KA RAITA / EGGPLANT RAITA

Ingredients:

2 small eggplants
1 1/2 cup yogurt
Salt to taste
1/4 tsp red chili powder or to taste
1/8 tsp Garlic
mint leaves for garnishing

For tempering:
1 tbsp oil
2-3 cloves garlic
1/2 tsp cumin seeds
   
Method:

1. Slice the eggplant with skin into slim rounds.
2. Heat oil in a frying pan and fry on medium heat until they become crisp and brown. then drain on paper towel.
3. Sprinkle lightly salt and put a layer down in the dish you are using
4. Now whip the yogurt, salt, red chili powder and garlic together with a little water. Adjust for consistency and then adjust seasoning.
5. Gently pour over your sliced eggplant.
6. Heat 1 tbsp of oil in a small pan . 
7. Add thinly sliced garlic to the pan along with cumin seeds.
   Cook the garlic so that it is golden on each side and then gently pour the tempering on top of the raita.
8. Garnish with some fresh mint leaves and serve as an accompaniment.

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LOTUS STEM STIR FRY/ HONEY CHILI LOTUS STEM

Preparation time: 15 minutes
Cooking time: 15 minutes
Serves: 3-4

Ingredients:

3 cups peeled and thinly sliced lotus stem
oil for deep-frying
2 medium sized onions roughly chopped
1 capsicum roughly chopped
2 tsp garlic chopped
1 green chili chopped
2 tbsp oil
3 tbsp honey
2 tsp chili sauce
3 tbsp tomato ketchup
1 tsp soy sauce
salt and black pepper to taste
2 tsp cornflour dissolved in  1-2 tbsp water
2 tbsp finely chopped spring onion whites and greens or roasted peanuts or roasted sesame seeds for garnishing


Method :

1. Deep fry lotus stem in hot oil till they turn golden brown and crispy from all the sides. Drain on an absorbent paper and keep aside.
2. Heat 2 tbsp oil in a broad non-stick pan add garlic,chili, onion and capsicum and stir for a while till they become tender.
3. Add honey, chili sauce, tomato ketchup, soy sauce,pepper and salt, mix well and cook on a medium flame for 1 minute.
4. Add the fried lotus stems and cornflour slurry .
5. Toss well and cook on a medium flame for 1 minute.
6. Serve immediately garnished with spring onion whites and greens.

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LOTUS STEM CHIPS

2 Lotus stem
Oil for deep frying
Salt , black pepper and chaat masala to taste

Method :

Wash, peel and cut the ends of Lotus Stems. Now take a knife or chips cutter to cut the Lotus Stems into thin oval shaped slices.

Heat oil in a kadahi, and put the chips into it.
Fry them first on high flame and after a while lower down the flame. Fry the chips until they turn crispy and brown in colour.
Take them out on a plate and repeat the steps to fry rest of the chips. Let the chips get cool down and sprinkle the masala on them. Sprinkle salt, black pepper and amchoor powder on the chips. Lotus Stem Chips are ready to serve.

Leave the chips in an open air till they cool down. You can serve the chips with tea or coffee and store the left over chips in an air-tight container. Lotus Stem Chips can be stored for more than 15 days.

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CARROT HALWA USING CONDENSED MILK

Preparation time:10 minutes
Cooking time 30 minutes
serves 3-4

Ingredients :

1 kg carrot / gajar
1 tbsp ghee / clarified butter
 1/2cup full cream milk
 1/4 cup sweetened condensed milk / nestle milkmaid/amul mithai mate
1/2 tsp cardamom  powder
a handful of chopped nuts of your choice like cashews , almonds ,pistachios


Method:

1. Peel the carrots and grate them into long threads.
2. Heat a tbsp of ghee in a kadahi and add grated carrots to it and saute for 3-5 minutes on high heat. 
3. Add half cup of milk and mix well, keep stirring occasionally.
4. Simmer for 5 minutes or till the milk is evaporated completely.
5. Once the milk evaporates, the carrots will be almost cooked.
6. Now add condensed milk / milkmaid and mix well,keep stirring occasionally. making sure carrots are completely cooked and doesn't get burnt from the bottom.
7. Keep mixing till the milk evaporates completely.check for sweetness if required you can add some sugar though condensed milk contains sugar.
8. Finally add cardamom powder and chopped nuts and give a good mix.
9. Serve carrot halwa hot garnished with few more chopped nuts .

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CHOCOLATE FRUIT CREAM /FRUITS IN CHOCOLATE GANACHE

Preparation time:10 minutes
Cooking time : 5 minutes
Serves: 4-6

Ingredients:

1 cup non dairy whipping cream or regular cream or coconut cream or coconut milk
1/2 cup dark chocolate
1-2 cups of fruit of your choice like grapes,strawberries raspberries,apple,pear etc. (quntity of fruits depends whether you want more of cream or more of fruits)
sugar to taste (depends how sweet the cream is if it is sweet enough then no need to add sugar)

1. Bring heavy whipping cream just to boil either in the microwave or on the stove .
2. Pour it over the bowl of chocolate.
3. Let the cream sit on the chocolate for a minute.
4. Stir the ganache until the cream and the chocolate are fully combined.
5. Add chopped fruits to the ganache and mix well. 
6. Serve chilled.

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