Tomato Pickle

Ingredients:

500gms Tomatoes

1 cup Oil

1 (lemon size) Tamarind

1 tbp Methi seeds

2 tbp Mustard seeds

½  cup red chilly pwd

1 tbp Sugar

¼ th tbp Turmeric Pwd

1 tbp Salt

7-10 pods of garlic

Method:

• In a small pan dry roast Methi seeds first and then add Mustard seeds. Turn off the heat when they start to splatter. Cool it and make powder of it.
• Chop tomatoes and coarsely grind them.
• Add oil in a pan and start cooking the tomatoes. Add tamarind juice and cook till almost all the water evaporates.  
• Add salt, sugar, chilly pwd, turmeric pwd and mustard-methi pwd. Mix it well.
• In a small pan add 2 tbp of oil and fry the garlic pods. Add it to the above Pickle.

Tip:

• Fry garlic until it turns brown in a very low flame.
• If you don’t like to use Garlic, you can replace it with Asafetida.

Microwave Cake!

50 gms butter
2 eggs
1 pkt baking pwd
1 1/4 th cup all purpose flour
1 cup of sugar
2 tbp of coco pwd
1 tbp of Rum essence (Optional)
1/4 th cup of hot milk

Method:

•  Add butter n sugar and mix it properly. Now add 2 eggs and beat in high speed.
• Add all purpose flour, baking pwd n coco pwd using a net (put it in a net n stir it. This is done to avoid lumps.)
• Add rum essence and beat it in high speed for 1 min.
• Now add hot milk and beat it once again.
• Grease a microwave safe bowl and put this batter and microwave it for 5mts in High.

Remove it and check it in the middle if the knife comes out clean its done. Run a knife along the sides n transfer it to a greased plate by inverting it. Do it in less than 5 mts after u remove it form the microwave.

Buttercream icing!

1 cup (250gms) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
6 cups confectioners sugar (Pwd)
1/2 cup milk
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Food coloring (optional)


Method:

• In the bowl add butter, 4 cups of sugar, milk, and vanilla.
• Set timer to 5 minutes. Using electric mixer, whip it on medium speed beat until smooth and creamy.
• Add remaining sugar 1 cup at a time and beat well after adding each cup. Set timer to 2 minutes before each addition. Add more sugar for thicker consistency.
• Add a few drops of food coloring to get desired color and beat until color is mixed in. With rubber spatula, fold icing over a few times to make sure the color is mixed in thoroughly.

Tip:

• Place in an airtight container at room temperature or in a refrigerator for up to 3 days.

Fresh cream icing!

250 ml of Whipping cream refrigerated

50 gms of Pwd sugar (optional)

Whisk

Some ice cubes

Method:

• Pour the Cream into the smaller bowl and add sugar. Place it into the bigger bowl and fill it with ice cubes.
• Whisk whisk whisk... to incorporate air into it.
• Whisk till you see soft peaks on the cream and your whipped cream is ready to be used.

Tips:

• It is easier to whip cream at cold temperatures.
• I don't add pwd sugar generally.You can also add few drops of color if you wish to it in the beginning.
• If you have an hand-held electric whisk it is always better. Else you will have a very good exercise for your arms ;-)

Chocolate icing!

250gms Cooking chocolate bar

50-100ml Milk

Using Microwave:

• Cut the bar in cubes and microwave it in low heat for 30 secs. Remove it and mix it and again heat it for 30 secs. Continue doing it till the chocolate melts.
• After all the chocolate melts keep adding 1 tbp of milk at a time and mix it. Check the consistency how you want it to be. Don't make it too thin.

Tips:

• If you heat the chocolate continuously for more than 1 min it will burn. So be patient when you are doing it.
• If you add the whole milk at once it will break or separate.
• Once you start to add the milk please don't over mix it. The more you mix after adding milk the more it tends to separate.

Using regular stove:

• Take a large cooking pot and fill it half with water. Take another small vessel which fits into this. Here you are creating a double boil method.
• Add the chocolate cubes to this small vessel and keep string it continuously till the choco melts.
• Now add milk 1 tbp at a time and mix it gently. Once the desired consistency is reached stop adding milk.

Tips:

• If you add the whole milk at once it will break or separate. 
• Once you start to add the milk please don't over mix it. The more you mix after adding milk the more it tends to separate.

I prefer to use regular stove rather than microwave.

Mango Jam!

1 kg of Mangoes

2 cups Water                                         

500 gms Sugar                                         

1/4 Tbp Citric Acid(Nimma uppu)    
1 Tsp of Mango essence        

1 Cup Pectin                                         

Method:

• Cut the mangoes in to pieces. You can use both cut mangoes or the juice mangoes. 

• Grind the above mixture and using a soft cloth ( I used cotton cloth) squeeze out the juice into another cooking pot.
• Now add the sugar, citric acid, mango essence, pectin (Details below) and bring it to boil. This should take about 5-10 mts.

• Now pore it into glass jars once you turn off the stove. Let it cool down n set.

Tips:

• Stir now and then after adding the sugar. When it starts to boil remove the froth and throw it.

• Transfer it immediately into the glass jars. Coz then it looks like the one which we buy from the shop ;-)

• Close the lid immediately so that it creates vacuum. 

• For 1Kg of fruit we add 500gms of Jam sugar.

• Don't forget to sterilize the glass jars. To sterilize them boil them in water for about 10-15 mts. 
• For people living out of India you can find jam sugar separately. I used Gelier Zucker 2plus1. This contains the gelling agent pectin, the citric acid and the preservative sorbic acid. If you are using this jam sugar please don't add citric acid, pectin and sugar from the above list.

Homemade Fruit Pectin: 
Pectin is a natural carbohydrate found in fruits, causes jam or jelly to set.

• Combine 1 kg (2 lbs) sliced unpeeled apples and 750 mL (3 cups) water. 

• Simmer 30 to 40 minutes, adding water as needed. 
• Drain through moistened cheesecloth. To clear, heat the fruit juice to a boil and can or freeze the pectin for later use. 

Pectin Test:
To determine if a fruit juice has enough pectin for jelly, do a pectin test.

• Stir together 5 mL (1 tsp) fruit juice with 15 mL (1 tbsp) of non-methyl alcohol. (This is a poisonous mixture, so do not taste it and destroy it immediately after the test.)

• If the juice forms one big clot, which can be picked up with a fork without breaking, it has sufficient pectin. If the juice is low in pectin, several small clots will form.

•  If a clot doesn’t form, simmer gently to reduce the water content of the juice. 

Egg less Microwave cake!

1 cup Sugar     
1 cup Whole Milk  

1 n 1/2 cups All purpose flour (Maida)   

3 tbp Coco Pwd                      

1/2 tsp Backing powder              

1/4 tsp Baking soda          

1/2 tsp Vanilla essence                

3 tbsp (optional) Sunflower oil                      

1 tbsp Lemon juice                       

Method:

• Add sugar and milk and whisk until the sugar is dissolved well in milk.
• Add all purpose flour, baking pwd, baking soda n coco pwd using a net (put it in a net n stir it. This is done to avoid lumps.)
• Mix milk and all the dry ingredients together to form a batter.
• Add vanilla essence n oil and mix well.
• Add lemon juice at the end and mix it quickly.
• Grease a microwave safe bowl and transfer this batter and microwave it for 5mts in High.

Remove it n check it in the middle if the knife comes out clean its done. Run a knife along the sides n transfer it to a greased plate by inverting it. Do it in less than 5 mts after u remove it form the microwave.


Tip:

• You can also replace oil with 100 gms of unsalted n melted butter.
• Adding lemon juice will react with the baking pwd n baking soda and create bubbles.
• Make sure in your microwave safe bowl there is enough place for the batter to become double. Don't fill more than half.
• Once you transfer in to the microwave safe bowl give it a tap twice so that there are no air bubbles in between.

Dry Bhindi Masala!

400 gms Bhindi

2 large Onions

1 large Tomato

3 tsp oil

1/2 tsp cumin seeds

1/2 tsp mustard seeds

Few curry leaves

1/2 tsp of Turmeric

1/2 tsp of chilli pwd

Salt according to taste

Fry Masala n make pwd of it:

1/2 tsp oil

2 large tbp of Peanuts (almost 2 handfuls)

1 tbp of sesame seeds

1/2 tbp of coriander seeds

1/2 cup of dry grated coconut

1 dry chilly

Method:

• Cut Bhindi in length wise in 4 parts and in 2 inches length.
• Adding 2 tbp oil fry them in a non sick pan until cooked (sticky part is gone) and keep them aside adding little of salt to it.
• To the same pan add 1 tbp oil and fry cumin seeds, mustard seeds, curry leaves. Once they start to splatter add onions and fry them till they are half cooked.
• Add tomato and cook until it is soft. Add turmeric pwd, chilli pwd n little salt.
• Add the grinded pwd and cook until it starts to leave oil.
• Now add fried bhindi and mix well.
• Serve it with hot rice.

Tip:

• Wash and dry the vegetable before hand to avoid too much stickiness.
• Don't fry bhindi continuously. The more you fry it the more you are increasing the stickiness. Fry it occasionally. 
• Try using a wide pan to fry the vegetable.
• Distribute the salt in two parts. Half add to the bhindi and the other half to the onion-tomato mixture.
• When you are frying the masala. Add the ingredients in the following sequence: oil, peanuts, coriander seeds, sesame seeds n chilly, coconut. 

Bendi chutney or Okra chutney

To serve 4 people:

Ingredients:
• 500 gms of Bendi or Okra's
• 3-4 tbps of oil
• 2 big tbp of urad dal
• 5 dry red chillies
• Very little tamarind (small marble size)
• Asafoetida a pinch
• Pinch of turmeric
• Salt to taste


Method:
• In a pan add 3tbpsof oil and fry bendi. Fry till they don't stick to each other. Some of them may turn into little black in color. Cool it after it is done.
• Heat oil in an another pan add urad dal and fry for about a minute. Add asafoetida and dry red chillies. Fry till are cooked.
• Grind the above fried tempering (tadaka) into a coarse mixture. Add tamarind just for taste.
• Now add the cool fried bendi to the grinder and just grind it into a coarse mixture. Serve it with hot rice.


Tips:
• Don't fry bendi often. The more you keep frying it the more sticky they become.

Tomato-Yoghurt Chutney

 To serve 4 people:

Ingredients:
• 500gms of yoghurt
• 2 tbps of oil
• 3 large tomatoes
• 3-4 methi seeds
• 1 teaspoon of cumin seeds
• ½ teaspoon of mustard seeds
• 1 tbp of urad dal
• 2 dry red chillies
• 2 green chillies
• Asafoetida a pinch
• Pinch of turmeric
• Salt to taste
• Coriander to garnish

Method:
• To the yoghurt add salt and turmeric powder.
• Heat oil in a pan add methi seeds, urad dal and fry for about a minute. Add cumin, mustard, asafoetida and dry red chillies. Fry till they start to pop up. Now add green chillies.
• Add chopped tomatoes and fry till they are cooked. Add this to the yoghurt mixture once it cools down.
• Garnish with coriander and serve it with rice.

Mixed Fruit Jam

These are the fruits I used. You can also add some other seasonal once like mango, papaya etc. But do not add Guava coz it will have too many seeds. Also change the ratio of different fruits according to your taste.

Mixed fruit total 1kg :

Grapes                                       300 gms

Bananas                                     200 gms

Strawberry                                 200 gms

Apple                                         200 gms

Lemon                                        2 Tbl

Water                                         1 Cup

Mixed fruit essence                     5 drops

Strawberry essence                     2-3 drops

Red Color (optional)                   2 drops

Sugar                                          500 gms

Citric Acid(Nimma uppu)             1/4 Tbp

Pectin                                          1 Cup

Method:

• Wash the grapes and soak them in warm salt water for about an hour. Meanwhile cut rest of the fruits.

• Add all the fruits in a cooker and add water. After one whistle remove it and let it cook. Add Lemon juice.

• Grind the above mixture and using a soft cloth ( I used cotton cloth) squeeze out the juice into another cooking pot.
• Now add the sugar, citric acid, pectin (Details below) and bring it to boil. This should take about 5-10 mts.

• Now pore it into glass jars once you turn off the stove. Let it cool down n set.

Tips:

• Stir now and then after adding the sugar. When it starts to boil remove the froth and throw it.

• Transfer it immediately into the glass jars. Coz then it looks like the one which we buy from the shop ;-)

• Close the lid immediately so that it creates vacuum. 

• For 1Kg of fruit we add 500gms of Jam sugar.

• Don't forget to sterilize the glass jars. To sterilize them boil them in water for about 10-15 mts. 
• For people living out of India you can find jam sugar separately. I used Gelier Zucker 2plus1. This contains the gelling agent pectin, the citric acid and the preservative sorbic acid. If you are using this jam sugar please don't add citric acid, pectin and sugar from the above list.

Homemade Fruit Pectin: 
Pectin is a natural carbohydrate found in fruits, causes jam or jelly to set.

• Combine 1 kg (2 lbs) sliced unpeeled apples and 750 mL (3 cups) water. 

• Simmer 30 to 40 minutes, adding water as needed. 
• Drain through moistened cheesecloth. To clear, heat the fruit juice to a boil and can or freeze the pectin for later use. 

Pectin Test:
To determine if a fruit juice has enough pectin for jelly, do a pectin test.

• Stir together 5 mL (1 tsp) fruit juice with 15 mL (1 tbsp) of non-methyl alcohol. (This is a poisonous mixture, so do not taste it and destroy it immediately after the test.)

• If the juice forms one big clot, which can be picked up with a fork without breaking, it has sufficient pectin. If the juice is low in pectin, several small clots will form.

•  If a clot doesn’t form, simmer gently to reduce the water content of the juice.