Drumsticks Gravy\ Shevgyachya Shengachi Bhaji

Drumsticks are a rich source of highly digestive proteins, calcium, iron, Vitamin C, and carotenoids. It purifies blood and lowers the blood sugar levels. It eases respiratory problems. It protects against infections. It aids in digestion.

I started this post with the health benefits of drumsticks. Most of us restrict drum sticks only to sambhars. But drumsticks can be used to prepare various kinds of gravies.

Below if a recipe of a sweet and tangy gravy prepared specially with drumsticks. Its definately worth a try for its ample health benefits and ofcoarse its awesome taste.

Ingriedients:
4 Drumsticks - cut into 1 inch long
1 Onion - finely chopped
Roasted Peanut powder - 2 tablespoon
Turmeric powder - one teaspoon
Chilli powder - one teaspoon
Garam Masala  - one teaspoon
Mustard seeds - half teaspoon
Cumin seeds \ Jeera - half teaspoon
Hing\ Asoefatida
Tamarind
Jaggery - 1 tablespoon
Oil - 1 tablespoon
Water - 1 cup
Salt
Corainder leaves - finely chopped

Procedure:
1. Take a kadhai and pour 1 tablespoon oil. Add mustard seeds. Once it splutters, add cumin seeds.
2. Next add hing and chopped onions.
3. Once the onion becomes translucent (golden brown), Add the turmeric powder, chilli powder and garam masala.
4. Next add the drumsticks and fry them for 2-3 mins.
5. Finally add one cup water and let it boil for 5 mins. Also add sufficient salt.
6. Add the roasted peanut powder, tamarind extract and jaggery and let it boil for another 5 minutes.
7. Garnish with chopped corainder leaves.

Serve with rice. It can be also served with roti with an additional side dish.

Simple Chocolate Cake (Eggless)

Since the time I have bought this Oxy Fryer, I have got addicted to baking cakes. Every month, I wait for some occasion to bake a cake. This month it was my brother in law's birthday. And this simple chocolate cake was especially baked for him.

It is a little hard on outside, but very soft inside. Just delicious :)

Here goes the recipe.

Ingriedients:
Maida\ All purpose flour - 1.5 cups
Powdered Sugar - 1 cup
Cocoa powder - 1/4 cup
Vanilla Extract - 1 teaspoon
Baking soda - 3/4 teaspoon
Baking powder - 1 teaspoon
Salt - 1/4 teaspoon
Lemon juice - 1 teaspoon
Ghee - 1/3 cup
Warm water - 1 cup


Procedure:
1. Sift all the dry ingriedients that is  maida with cocoa powder, powdered sugar, baking soda and baking powder. Keep it aside.
2. To this, add the wet ingriedients one by one. - ghee, lemon juice, vanilla extract and warm water
3. Beat this till you get a smooth mixture.
4. Grase the tin with ghee and pour the mixture in the tin.
5. Pre-heat Oxy Fryer for 5 minutes at 140° C. Keep the cake tin in fry basket and
close it properly. Keep the fryer at 140° C for 25 minutes. After 5 minutes de-mould the cake and let it cool completely.

The delicious cake is ready.

Cabbage Kofta Curry

I had some leftover cabbage sabji from previous day.  Usually we do not like to eat the same sabji again. I was thinking what to do with this left over sabji. Something best out of the waste(not really waste though). I thought, lets prepare cabbage koftas and see how it works.

And guess what, It was just awesome!! Really one of the best kofta curry I had ever had!!

You can also prepare koftas with chopped cabbage. Cooked cabbage(sabji) is not really mandatory.

Additionally I prepared the koftas in the Oxy Fryer so that its oil free. You can ofcoarse deep fry them if you dont have an Air Fryer.

Ingriedients:
Cabbage - chopped finely
Onions - 2
Tomatoes - 2
Cloves - 3
Cinnamon - 1 small piece
Bayleaf - 1
Ginger garlic paste - 1 teaspoon
Jeera\ cumin seeds - half teaspoon
Mustard seeds - half teaspoon
Besan\ Gram flour - 4 tablespoon
Hing\ asaefatida - 1 teaspoon
Chilli powder - 3 teaspoon
Turmeric powder\ haldi - 1 teaspoon
Garam masala - 1 teaspoon
Coriander powder -half teaspoon
Cumin\ Jeera powder - half teaspoon
Ajwain\ Carom seeds - 1 teaspoon
Coarinder leaves - finely chopped
Baking soda - one forth teaspoon

Procedure:
Preparing Gravy
1. Grind the onions and tomatoes to a paste using a mixer.
2. Take a kadhai, add 1 tablespoon oil. Add cloves, cinnamon and bayleaf. Next add mustard and wait till it splutters.
3. Next add the jeera.
4. Next add the hing and the ground onion tomato paste and fry it for till the raw taste of onion  dissapears.
5. Next add the ginger garlic paste and fry it till the raw taste of garlic dissapears.
6. Next add 1 teaspoon turmeric powder, 1 teaspoon chilli powder, 1 teaspoon garam masala, half teaspoon corainder powder, half teaspoon jeera powder and mix well. Fry it till it starts to leave oil.
6. Finally add 2 cups of water and let it cook for 10 minutes. Also add sufficient salt.
7. Gravy is ready. Keep it aside.

Preparing Cabbage dumplings (Kofta)
1. Take a mixing bowl, add the chopped cabbage (or cabbage sabji), besan, 2 teaspoon chilli powder, 1 teaspoon ajwain, pinch of baking soda and salt and mix well.Make small balls as shown in picture below

2.. Heat oil for deep frying. Leave this prepared balls in the kadhi to prepare the pakodas or dumplings.
4. Once done, take it on a tissue and keep it aside. You can enjoy some of these for starters.

Preparing Cabbage Kofta curry
1. Add the cabbage dumplings to the prepared gravy.
2. Garnish it with chopped corainder leaves.

Serve it with Roti or Rice.

Tips:
1. Adjust the water added to the gravy as per your needed consistency.

2. If you have a Oxy Fryer, you can prepare the dumplings in that with low or no oil. I usually prepare the koftas in the oxy fryer. Trust me, the taste is just the same as the deep fried version.

Rava Cake\ Semolina Cake (Eggless)

I heard about this recipe from one of my friend and I could not really believe that we can actually prepare cake with rava and curd. I thought of giving it a try this weekend and it was worth the try.

This is one of the few traditional cake recipes and hence it is very simple to prepare. As it uses rava rather than maida, it is healthy too. I guess you can prepare this also with cooker using sand.

The addition of curd makes it really soft. So just enjoy baking.

Ingriedients
Rava\ Semolina- 1 cup unroasted
Fresh Curd - 1 cup
Sugar - two-third cup
Ghee - 3 tablespoon
Baking soda - one forth teaspoon
Cardamom\ Elaichi powder - half teaspoon
Saffron - a pinch
Vanilla extract - half teaspoon (optional)
Cashewnuts - crushed - 2 tablespoon (optional)
Raisins - 1 tablespoon (optional)

Procedure:
1. In a medium bowl, whisk together rava, yogurt and sugar. Add softened ghee and mix everything until batter is formed. Let it rest for 30 minutes to an hour.
2. Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees / 180 degree Celsius.
3. Add the remaining ingriedients to the batter and mix well.
4. Grease the baking tray with ghee and pour the batter in the tray. Add the saffron strands on the top.

5. Bake this at 180 degree Celsius for around 25-30 mins.

The delicious rava cake is ready.
Let it cool down before serving it.

Tips:
1. Use only fresh curd. If the curd is sour, the cake may also become a little sour.
2. I have baked this in Oxy Fryer, you can also use microwave.