Eggless Chocolava Cake (without oven)

Ingredients:

 

Ap flour (Maida)	½ cup
Cocoa powder	¼ cup
Baking powder	½ tsp
Salt	a pinch
Sugar	½ cup (powdered)
Oil or Melted Butter	¼ cup
Milk	½  + 2 tbsp
Vanilla essence	½ tsp
Dark Chocolate	100 gm

Method:

1. Break the chocolate into small pieces. Transfer into a bowl. Add 2 tbsp of milk. Melt using double boil method (boil some water in a vessel. Place the bowl over this. Keep mixing till chocolate melts to soft, smooth and shiny). Keep aside to cool. 
2. Sieve flour, cocoa powder, baking powder and salt together. Add powdered sugar and mix well. Then add oil or melted butter and vanilla essence. Mix again. 
3. Now add melted chocolate. Mix again. Then add milk gradually (in intervals) and mix gently to get a smooth flowing consistency. 
4. Select 4-5 small katories (steel cups). Rub with oil and dust with flour. 
5. Pour the prepared choco lava mix into each cups till 3/4 th. Keep ready. 
6. Can use cooker or a wide, thick and big aluminum vessel to bake the lava cake. Spread 1 cup of salt at the bottom of the vessel. Place a stand (which is used to keep kadai). Over this place a plate.
7. Place this prepared vessel or cooker over a high flame covering with a suitable plate or lid. Heat for 7-10 minutes depends upon the thickness of the vessel. Then reduce to low-medium flame. 
8. Place 2-3 cups (with choco lava batter) inside the vessel (over the plate). Cover the vessel with plate. Bake for 8-10 minutes. Outer layer should be just cooked. Immediately takeout from the vessel. Allow to cool for 10-15 minutes or till it comes to warm. 
9. When it is warm, gently release the sides using small sharp knife and tap into a plate. Dust with powdered sugar. 

Choco lava cake is ready. Enjoy as it is or with an ice-cream. 

Guthi Vankaya (Eggplant Masala)

Ingredients:

Brinjal (round and hard type) (Violet or green)	6 – 7 nos
Onion	1 medium
Garlic	2 – 3 cloves
Curry leaves	few
Coriander leaves	few
Mustard	¼ tsp
Oil	3 tbsp
Tamarind	½ small lime size

Ingredients for spice powder:

 

Turmeric	1/8 tsp
Red chilli-coriander powder mix	1 tsp
Sambar powder	1 tsp
Salt	1 tsp

Ingredients for grinding:

 

Groundnut (roasted)	4 tbsp
Sesame seeds (white)	2 tbsp
Red chilli	5 – 6 nos
Coriander seeds	1 tsp
Cumin seeds	1 tsp
Curry leaves	5 – 6 nos
Oil	2 tsp

Method:

1. Prepare the masala for stuffing:  Heat 2 tsp of oil in a kadai. Add all the ingredients mentioned for grinding except sesame seeds. Fry in low flame for 2 minutes. Then add sesame seeds and fry till it pops out a little bit. Switch off the flame and allow to cool. Then grind into smooth - coarse powder. Remove into a bowl. Add all the ingredients mentioned for spice powder with this ground powder. Make into a thick paste using required water. Masala paste for stuffing is ready. Keep aside. 
2. Take the Brinjals. You can use with or without stem or with half-cut stem. Make a cross slit starting from the head to bottom without cutting the stem part. Keep soaked in salt water for 5 minutes. Then completely remove the water from brinjal by shaking it gently. 
3. Now start stuffing the prepared spice masala paste inside the slits of the brinjals. Take care to keep the brinjal intact. Once all the brinjals are stuffed, mix little water with leftover masala paste for later use. Keep stuffed brinjals and masala paste aside. 
4. Soak tamarind in very little water for 10 minutes. Squeeze and strain the water. Chop onion and garlic into fine pieces. 
5. Now we start the cooking:  Heat 3 tbsp of oil in a kadai. Add mustard and allow to splutter. Then add chopped onions and garlic pieces. Fry till light brown. Lower the flame and add curry leaves. Fry a bit. Then place the stuffed brinjals and gently turn over. So that the oil and onion will get coated with brinjals. Cover with a lid and cook till brinjals are half-cooked (turn the brinjals in-between to avoid burning). 
6. Now add the remaining masala paste and tamarind water along with 1/4 cup of water. Mix gently without breaking the brinjals. Check the salt. Cover and cook till brinjals become soft. Stir in-between to check. If it becomes too thick, add little more water. This masala should be thick. Take care not to add too much of water. Once done, add chopped coriander leaves and mix gently.

Guthi Vankaya is ready. 

Serve as side dish to rice or roti. 

 

Kooraaku Pappu (Greens cooked along with Toor Dhal gravy)

Ingredients:

Kooraaku (Greens – Spinach or  Methi)	1 Cup  (Shredded)
Toor Dhal (Red gram Dhal)	½ cup
Onion	1 Medium
Sour Tomato	2 Big
Green Chilly	3 – 4 nos small
Red Chilli-Coriander powder mix	½ tsp
Mustard	Little
Garlic	3 Flakes
Asofoetida Powder	2 – 3 Pinch
Turmeric	Little
Oil	3 tbsp
Salt	To Taste
Curry Leaves	Few

Method: 

1. Wash & Soak the dhal for 1 hour in 1 - 1/2 cups of water with little Turmeric, Asofoetida ,Garlic Flakes in a vessel/bowl and place this in a pressure cooker. (Placing in a vessel is to avoid burning of dhal and washing the messed up cooker 🙂). 
2. Cook it for 5-6 whistles, lower the flame and cook further for 10 minutes. Keep aside. 
3. Chop onion into thin slices and tomatoes into medium cubes. Slit the green chillies and discard the seeds. 
4. Heat 3 tbsp of oil in a Kadai/wok, add mustard and allow it to splutter, add sliced onions and green chillies. Fry till pink and transparent. Now lower the flame to avoid onion from burning. Now add tomato cubes and curry leaves, fry till it becomes soft (for faster cooking cover with a lid for 1 to 2 minutes). 
5. Then add little turmeric, red chilli-coriander powder mix and salt ½ tsp and mix well. Now add shredded greens and pour only water from the cooked dhal. Cover and cook in low flame  for 10 minutes.
6. Mash the cooked dhal using a ladle or a hand whisker and add it to the boiling gravy. Mix well. If it is too thick add little more water (this dhal should be semi thick. Once it cools down, it will become more thick). Check the salt and if needed adjust. Cook for another 2-3 minutes and switch off the flame. Kooraaku Pappu is ready. 

Serve with melted ghee. Goes well with hot rice or roti. 

Tip :   Cooking in low flame tastes better.