Capsicum & Peas Egg Curry

Egg curry is a very common dish in India. We all make it with different versions of course. I tried making the usual egg curry with a slight twist for appams. My hubby and son loved this delicious curry and it was an instant hit at home. Do try it and you will love it for sure.

Ingredients:-

• 4 eggs (boiled and cut in quarters)
• 2 tomatoes (ground)
• 1 large onion (finely chopped)
• 1 capsicum (de-seeded and chopped)
• 1 tsp ginger-garlic paste
• 2 tbsp oil
• 1 tsp cumin seeds
• 1 tsp kasoori methi (crushed)
• ½ tsp red chilli powder
• ½ tsp coriander powder
• ¼ cup green peas
• ¼ tsp turmeric powder
• ¼ tsp all spice powder
• salt to taste
• few coriander leaves (for garnishing)

Method:-

• Heat oil in a wok and add cumin seeds.
• Saute and add chopped onions.
• Fry till transparent.
• Add green peas and ginger-garlic paste.
• Saute well for 2 minutes.
• Add tomatoes, turmeric powder, red chilli powder, coriander powder and salt.
• Cook till oil separates. 
• Add capsicum and mix well.cook for 2 minutes.
• Add kasoori methi and 1½ cup of water.
• Cook till it boils.
• Add all spice powder
• Switch off and add eggs.
• Serve hot with rice or appams

Notes:-

• You may add 1 tbsp ground coconut along with tomatoes.
• You may shallow fry the eggs and cut in halves too.

Happy Cooking!!

Vanilla Pound Cake

I love pound cakes. Today, I made Vanilla pound cake for breakfast. It is the best cakes I've ever come across. It is very rich and creamy, but still feels light when you eat it. 

This is the first cake I learned from my Mom. She used to bake it in a pressure cooker when we were kids. And I always felt my Mom was a magician. To me, she was perfect and I always looked up to her thinking "Wish I get at least quarter of her wisdom when I grow up". There was nothing I believed that my Mom cannot do and I still stand by that thought. I always used to come running from school to my Mom and ask, "Mumma, my friends favourite flavour is strawberry. She will come home tomorrow. Will you make strawberry cake for her?" And the answer was always, "Yes beta, why not ?" No matter how tedious her job was, No matter how busy she was or no matter how tired she was! She would always say YES with a smile on her face. Cooking as I though earlier was not my cup of tea, but it was her encouragement, patience and love that made me into what I am today. I cannot thank her enough for whatever she has done for me. Today's post is dedicated to her for the number of times I still don't remember she made this cake for me and my friends. Love u mumma! 

Coming back to the recipe... This is a basic recipe that everyone should have coz it's really simple to make and can be made with different variation of flavours from the same recipe. I definitely recommend this cake to all those who haven't tried their hands at baking. Go bake it for yourself and see the results. 

Ingredients :-

• 1½ cups flour / maida
• ½ cup butter
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup sugar (grind to pdr)
• ½ tsp vanilla essence
• 2 tsp baking pdr
• ¾ cup milk

Method:-

• Preheat oven to 180 degrees Celsius.
• Grease and dust an 8 inch baking tin and keep aside.
• Sieve together flour and baking pdr and keep aside.
• Beat the butter and gradually keep on adding sugar while beating till batter is fluffy and well mixed.
• Add vanilla essence and beat again.
• Then add one-third of the flour and beat again.
• Add one egg and beat well.
• Add half of the milk and beat well.
• Again add one-third of the flour and beat again.
• Add the other egg and beat till well mixed.
• Then stop beating and add the remaining flour and milk and fold lightly in clock-wise direction with the help of a spatula.
• Pour the mixture in the baking tin.
• Bake at 180 degrees Celsius for 45-50 minutes.
• Cool completely on a wire rack.
• Cut in slices and serve.

Notes:-

• Use all the ingredients at room temperature.
• You may substitute vanilla essence for your favourite flavourings (For ex- add strawberry essence and few drops of pink colour or pineapple essence and few drops of yellow colour). You can use any of your favourite flavour.
• Insert a toothpick in the center of the cake. It should come out clean, with no batter clinging to it. Then your cake is done or else you need to bake for a few more minutes.

Happy Cooking!!

Sending this entry to :- Sweets & Dessert Event @ MJ Delights and Love For Mum & Jagrutis Celebrate Love For Mum and Bake Fest # 19 & Vardhini's Bake Fest and Story telling with food event by The Big Sweet Tooth and Foodelicious Cook Like Mom Event 

Corn & Capsicum Quiche

Quiche pronounced as ‘keesh’, which is means ‘Cake in a shell’. It is a savory bake which is mostly prepared at breakfast and is a complete meal in itself. I had baked this quiche for breakfast today . A healthy bake with a pie/tart crust laden with butter filled with mild flavours, cream, cheese, eggs  and veggies.  

Ingredients  for the tart :-

• 2 cups flour
• 1 egg yolk
• 5 tbsp butter
• ¼ tsp salt
• chilled water (for kneading the dough)

Method:-   

•  In a bowl, combine the flour, butter and salt. Rub the mixture with your fingertips till it resembles fine breadcrumbs.
• Add egg yolk and mix well.
• Add the chilled ice water and knead the dough lightly. Cover in cling wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
• Pre-heat the oven to 180 degrees Celcius. 
• Grease a 9-inch tart dish lightly with oil.
• On a floured surface, roll out the dough with light hands.
• Spread the base carefully on the tart dish and gently push the pastry into the sides of the dish to give it a shape. Do not leave the dough hanging around the edges as it might be difficult to remove the quice later.
• Bake for 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow to cool.

Ingredients for the filling:-

• 5 tbsp corn
• 1 capsicum (chopped finely)
• 3 tbsp cheddar cheese
• 2 tbsp cream cheese
• 1 cup fresh cream
• 2 eggs
• ½ tsp white pepper pdr.
• ½ tsp mustard pdr / paste
• ½ tsp salt

Method :- 

• In a bowl,  combine eggs, cream, salt, pepper pdr, mustard and mix well. 
• Add in sweet corn, capsicum, cream cheese and cheddar cheese. Mix well again.
• Pre-heat the oven to 180 degrees Celcius. 
• Pour the filling mixture on top of the half baked tart.
• Bake for 30-35 minutes till done.

Notes:-

• You may prick small holes before baking the tart or spread some rice, baking beans or lentils on it so that it doesn;t puff up while baking or else just press lightly with hand while still hot and it will get back to origainal shape
• The vegetables can be changed as per your liking (mushrooms, spinach , broccoli, green peas, cauliflower or sliced baby corn etc) in this quiche. But be sure to steam the vegetables before mixing them up for baking.
• You may also add some boiled and shredded chicken.

Happy Cooking!!

Egg Samosa

Samosa is one of the most popular snack found in India. It is the tastiest and my favourite among  all the savouries. I haven't come across anyone in my life who doesn't love samosas. You will find that everyone has a unique method of preparing samosas with different tastes all over the India. Today I would like to share with you all my version of Egg Samosa which is also an healthy option as an after school snack for kids. My hubby and son love these samosas more than the potato ones and the samosas vanish in no time :D  Somehow I manged to save a few samosas for the pic ;-)

Ingredients for the outer layer:-

• 2 cups wheat flour
• ½ cup maida
• 2 tbsp warm milk
• 1 tbsp oil
• salt to taste
• water (to knead dough)

Method :-

• In a bowl, add wheat flour, maida, salt, milk and oil. Mix well.
• Make a soft dough, adding little water at a time. The dough should be firm enough to roll.
• Cover and keep aside for 10-15 minutes.

Ingredients for the filling :-

• 4 eggs
• 2 onions (grated)
• 2 tbsp oil
• 2 green chillies (finely chopped)
• ½ cup coriander leaves (finely chopped)
• ½ tsp turmeric pdr
• salt to taste

Method:-

• In a bowl, beat eggs along with salt. Keep aside.
• Heat oil in a pan, and add green chillies. Stir fry.
• Add onions and saute till it is transparent and all the water evaporates.
• Add turmeric pdr. Mix well.
• Mix in beaten eggs. Stir continuously.
• Keep mashing the mixture with the back of your spoon. (There should not be big pieces of egg.)    
• Mix in coriander leaves.
• Switch off the flame and let the mixture cool completely.

Preparation:-

• Divide the dough into four equal balls.
• Roll into thin chapatis.
• Cook both the sides on a nonstick pan for about 2 seconds. This is just to ensure that the chapati is strong enough to hold the stuffing.
• Divide 3 parts in each chapati and cut them. Keep aside.
• Roll the sheet into a cone and stuff with 1tsp of the filling
• Fold it well and seal the remaining sides with the maida paste.
• Heat oil in a wok.
• Deep fry samosas on medium flame in hot oil.
• Serve with tomato ketchup or chutney of your choice.

Notes:-

• You can freeze these samosas in an airtight box and fry them later.
• While rolling the chapatis, keep the rest of the dough covered with a moist cloth.
• If you see an opening or crack in the samosa at the time of filling, use maida paste to cover and stick it back.

Happy Cooking!!