Mango Pie

Mango Pie - from Swapna G

Ingredients

Mango pulp - 1 Can Laxmi brand Keasar Mango pulp is great

Heavy cream - half pt
Unflavoured Gelatine - 2 packets
Sugar - 1 cup
Cream cheese - 1(8 ounce)
Vanilla essence - 1 tsp
Warm water - 1/4 cup
Graham cracker crust - 2

Steps to do
1. Boil heavy cream in a pan.

2. Mix the Gelatine in warm water and allow the Gelatine to get dissolved completely.

3. Blend the heavy cream and Gelatine together.

4. Add cream cheese and sugar into it and blend again.

5. Pour the mango pulp turn by turn into the blender and beat it, until the whole can of mango pulp is finished.

6. Add vanilla essence into the beaten pulp and beat again for a minute.

7. Pour the entire pulp into the graham cracker crust and refrigerate for almost 7 hours to set completely.

From one pie crust, u will be able to get 8 slices

Bean Casserole

A recipe from my friend Swapna. Thanks for contributing to this blog.

Ingredients
    •    1 cup  chopped onion (1 large)

    •    3/4 cup chopped green bell pepper (1 medium) 

    •    1 small can diced tomatoes and green peppers, 

    •    Jalapeno peppers 2
    •    Onion flex ( you can omit these.  I do not like its taste)
    •    Garlic powder or Papa John's Garlic Pizza spice
    •    Red chili flex (again I used leftover from Papa John's  pizza ;)

    •    2 Teaspoons ground cumin (if you want to make it more spicy. Adjust the amount as per your need)

    •    2 cloves  garlic, minced 

    •    1 Can black beans or red kidney beans soaked over night and drained now.
    •    Soy chunks or soy balls (if you are meat person, put ground chicken )

    •    5 Roties/ Pita bread/ Naan or if you want to go fancy get store bought corn or flour tortilla. I used leftover Pita bread from my day before's Mediterranean dinner.

    •    8 ounces  reduced-fat Monterey Jack cheese, shredded (2 cups) 

    •    1 medium Tomato, chopped

    •    2 cups shredded Lettuce


    •    1/2 cup  plain low-fat yogurt (make sure yogurt is not watery but tough like sour cream) 


Directions
1. Take 10-15 soy balls in a bowl, pour water till 3/4 level and boil in microwave for 5 mins. After they soften, squeeze out all the water from them. Chop them fine like onion. You can put them in food processor to make course pieces.

2. In a large skillet combine onion, green pepper, undrained tomatoes, onion powder, garlic powder, cumin, and garlic and soy pieces. Bring to boil; reduce heat. Simmer, uncovered, for 10 minutes. Stir in beans.

3. Spread one-third of the bean mixture over the bottom of  bowl(You can use fancy baking dish too ). Cover with Pita bread/ Tortillas/ Rotis, cover it up with 1 cup of the cheese. Add another one-third of the bean mixture; again cover with Tortillas and remaining bean mixture.

4. Bake, covered, in a 350 degrees F oven for 35 minutes. Keep checking in between. Sprinkle with another layer of cheese. Let stand 10 minutes.

5. Cut it like a cake and serve with cake knife (again save it from last birthday cake;)
Sprinkle some chili flex if you are one of those who do not feel full until your tongue is burnt.
Top with chopped shredded lettuce, cilantro and serve with yogurt dollop.

Serves
Makes 4 main-dish servings.

Tip: Serve with Grilled Jalapeno peppers on side.

I am thinking of making it more desi next time. I would recommend adding hot sauce to the bean mixture. If you have some Tomato salsa at home which is waiting to be finished , that can be added to bean mixture. Also some salt to bean mixture would  not hurt. Before you add salt to bean mixture, find out how salty is your cheese.
Also instead of buying canned black beans, you can soak some red kidney beans at home and use them instead of canned black beans.

Enjoy...

Eggless Cake

Ingredients

1 cup   Maida(All purpose flour) 
1/2 cup Sugar
1 Tbsp  Baking powder
1/4 Tbsp Soda Powder
1/2 cup Milk
1/2 cup Fresh Dates pieces
1/2 cup Almond pieces
1/2 cup Cashew pieces
1/2 cup Curd
1/2 cup Oil
1/2 Tbsp Vanilla Essence(Based of the flavour you want)

Preparation Steps:

1.Apply butter to the cake bowl.

2.Apply little maida in the cake bowl evenly.

3.Mix all the above ingredients (keep aside few cashew and badam for decoration) and pour them in the cake bowl.

4.After spreading the cake batter evenly decorate with remaining cashew and badam.

5.Bake at 350 Degrees for 30 minutes.

6. Optional - You can spread your choise of icing if you need on the cake and decorate it however you need.

Chayote Curry

Ingredients
Chayote 2 Nos
Cooking Oil 2 Tbsp
Dhaniya Powder 1Tbsp
Jeera Powder 1/2 Tbsp
Red Chilli Powder 1 Tbsp
Turmeric Powder 1/4 Tbsp
Salt to Taste
Basan powder 1 Tbsp (optional)

Popu Ingredients

1/4 Tbsp Mustard

1/4 Tbsp Jeera
1/2 Tbsp Urad Dal

1/2 Tbsp Channa Dal (Senaga Pappu)

Preparation Steps

Step 1: Wash and peel the skin of the chayote. Cut into small pieces.

Step 2: Place container on stove, add 2 Tbsp cooking oil, once hot add poppu ingredients. Once they splutter add Curry leaves, and cut chayote pieces, stir and close lid, keep for some time.

Step 3: After 5 Min remove the lid add salt and turmeric powder, stir, close lid and keep it for another 5 mins.

 

Step 4: Once Chayote is well cooked, add dhaniya powder, jeera powder and chilli powder, stir and let it cook for another 2-3 mins without closing the lid. if needed you can add 1 Tbsp of besan powder, stir and cook for another 1-2 mins. Now the curry is ready to eat with rice or roti.

Home Made God Mandap.

 God's Mandap.

 

Steps for Constructing Mandap:

While making the mandap I did not take any photos, so I do not have much of the photos.

On request on have noted some steps below, if any help or doubt please post comments so that I can reply for the same. Thanks.

1. Get the required materials - 

     Aluminum wall beeding, Nuts & bolts, Hard card board, Golden paper, silver paper, bells, thermocol balls, thermocal rectangular cut pieces, Golden glitter powder, golden craft thread, golden color border's(from dollar store), glue, golden glitter glue.

You can find the below Aluminum wall beeding in Home Depot store.

2. Cut the aluminum wall beeding to construct and rectangular box frame of the desired size you wish to make the mandap.I made of the rectangular box  frame of 36W X 28H X 15D (inches). Join the frame using nuts & bolt. From the base about the height of 9 inches (for some space for drawers) make the base for placing the Gods by joining the beedings

3. Cut the card board with the desired design you want for the mandap for the 4sides of the mandap and the gopuram. And also cut the cardboard for making the drawers. Glue the golden paper for the outside of the mandap and silver paper for the inside of the mandap.

4. Glue the finished cardboard to the frame to make the mandap and its gopuram.
5. Glue the thermocol balls & thermocal rectangular cut pieces with the golden glitter glue and spray some golder glitter powder on it to give it nice finish. With the golden paper make the cones to keep them on the thermocol balls. Place the balls on required places as shown in the mandap photo.

6. Use the golden border to place it on the four sides of the gopuram as required.
7. Make the holes on three sides( front, and 2 sides) of the base gopuram each at certain fixed distance. Pull the golden thread within that and place a bell within it before pulling it into next hole.
8. Use the golden thread to make the handles for the drawers. Place the drawers within the base of the mandap, may be use some round marbles below the drawers to give it the smooth flow.
9. Decorate the mandap as desired.
10. You can make a hole withing the gopuram to fix light fixture.

Peanut chutney (Palli Chutney)

Ingredients:
1 cup peanuts
1 small onion
3 red chillis
2 green chillis
salt to taste.









Preparation Method
Step 1: Place a container on the stove, add peanuts, dry roast them. While roasting add red chillis towards the end and roast both together.

Step 2: Keep them aside and allow them to cool. Once cool if required you can peel off the peanuts skin by rubbing them with the hands.

Step 3: In the same container add little oil, once hot add cut onions and fry them for sometime, add green chillis and fry them with onions.Keep them aside and allow them to cool.

Step 4: Put rosted peanuts, red chillis, fried onions, green chillis, salt in a grinder and grind them to a fine paste.Add water to get required consistency.

And this delicious peanut chutney is ready to serve with idli or dosa.

Carrot-Beans Curry

Ingredients
Carrot 2 Nos
Beans 1/4 Kg / 15-20 Nos
Grated Coconut (Optional)
Dhaniya powder
Chilli Powder
Few Curry leaves
Coriender leaves
Salt to taste
Oil 1 Tbsp
Water 1 Cup

Popu Ingredients

1/4 Tbsp Mustard

1/4 Tbsp Jeera

1/2 Tbsp Urad Dal

1/2 Tbsp Channa Dal (Senaga Pappu)

Preparation Method

Step 1: Peel carror skin, wash cut in the small cubes as shown below. Wash and cut beans also in to small pieces.

Step 2: Add 1 cup water in a container with the little salt, cut carrot and beans, place the container on stove wit lid closed. Let it boil for 5 min. Filter out the water once carrot and beans are boiled.

Step 3: Place a container on stove add oil, once hot add the popu ingredients. Allow it to splutter. Add Curry leaves. Add the boiled carrot and beans. Add salt mix and let it fry for 5 min with lid closed.

Step 4:  Add chilli powder, dhania powder and grated coconut, mix well and let it fry for 2 mins. Once ready add coriender leaves and serve hot with rice or roti.

Kacchi Dabeli

A Snack item prepared by Swapna. This is a very tasty snack with a mixed taste of sweet, sour hot.

Ingredients

9-10 Pav/ Buns.
2 medium Potato (Boiled)
1/2 Cup Pomegranates seeds.
1 Onion sliced in to small pieces.
1/2 Cup roasted Peanuts.
1/2 Cup Sav
1 Tbsp Pav Bhaji Masala
1/2 Tbsp Chat Masala
1 Tbsp Dabeli Masala
Green/ Mint Chutney
Tamarind Chutney

Preparations

Step 1: Prepare dabeli masala by mixing, mashed potato, pav bhaji masala, chat masala, channa masala, salt to taste. Mix all thoroughly to make a thick paste.

Step 2: Cut bun into half slice keeping one end intact, apply green chutney, Tamarind chutney on the top and bottom side of the bun, add dabeli masala, onions, sev, pomegranate seeds, roasted peanuts. Stuff all this in a proper quantity so that nothing much falls out of the bun.

Step 3: Heat pan for sometime, apply some butter or ghee on both sides of the bun and heat it on both side by pressing it against the pan.

Once baked on both the sides your Kacchi Dabeli is ready to eat!!!!