Beetroot kanji/kvass

I adapted this recipe by combining Beetroot Kvass and Black Carrot Kanji

Black Carrot Kanji uses Black Carrots which are fermented using black salt and split mustard seeds. Chillies can be added but optional. It is a winter recipe and highly healthy!

Beetroot Kvass is a Russian recipe where beetroots were fermented and the "pickle juice" is believed to have great health benefits(please google up as I cannot post others' content here.

I found both these recipes when going through a phase of low energy and lack of appetite.

How I made this recipe:

1 medium size beetroot
300ml of water
1 tsp black salt
1 tsp split mustard seeds
2 green chillies(optional)

Heat water till tepid and pour into a sterilised glass jar.
Julienne the beetroots, but not very thin.
Add beetroots, mustard seeds and black salt and chillies.
Keep it in sunlight if possible. This will take 3-6 days depending on the temperature.
You can see bubbles floating at the top because of the gas emitted.
This must be refrigerated oce feremented and the feremneted can be had as a tnic, add some beetroot bits along or have the feremented bits during meals.

Healthy Aloe vera jelly

Healthy Aloe vera jelly..
make juice out of aloe vera pulp, mix with china grass dissolved in hot water, add flavoured syrup, I used rose syrup n cherries, set in fridge... enjoy healthy yummy aloe vera jelly!

Tips on how to make the best idlis and dosas

• For the best idlis that turn out light as cotton wool, try using what is sold as Salem rice.This rice used in a 1:3.5 proportion with udad dal, makes the best idlis.
• The second tip is to aerate the batter really well with your hand for at least 10 mins after it comes out of the mixer.
•  And the final one is not to mix the batter in the morning before ladling it out onto the idli stand...you do that and all the carefully built up air is lost and the idlis will never be the same. 

Crispness for dosas - a little bit of besan added to the batter or a couple of tbsps of soaked chana dal added to the rest of the ingredients gives it a nice crisp.


Sugar and methi seeds in the dosa batter gives the dosa it's golden colour. For masala dosa Soak 3 cups Sona masuri rice, 1cup urad dhal,1/2 cup toor dhal, a handful of channa dal and beten rice each,a tsp of methi seeds. Grind and add salt and sugar to the batter .

Junk Removed From Junk Food

Junk Removed From Junk Food

Onion/ pyaaz/ kanda

Did you know onion belongs to the Lily family botanically speaking? Its scientific name is Allium Cepa.

Onion is used to give bulk in gravies in many dishes. It gives an excellent taste but onion has a limitation. The foods in which it is used get spoilt quickly owing to creation of moisture.

 Onions once cut or made into a paste start spoiling quickly, so must be used immediately. Some people 'immerse' it in turmeric powder but may not be a foolproof solution.
 Even with this it is difficult to preserve it for long.

Onion has medicinal uses too! It is used in eye drops for curing cataract.


Onion

Chocolate cake

Ingredients:

Eggs 4
Baking powder 5gms
Vanilla Essence 1tsp
Cocoa powder 175gms
Butter 125 gms
Castor sugar/Powdered Sugar 130 gms
Maida 100gms

Method:
Sift maida with cocoa powder with baking powder.
Beat sugar and butter, add eggs to this and beat again.
Add 2 tbsp flour mixture and beat. Repeat adding and beating till the batter is ready and falls with ribbon consistency.
Bake in a preheated oven or cooker till an inserted toothpick or knife comes out clean

Kitchen blunder -burnt cake

After ages I was trying baking a cake in a pressure cooker instead of my convection microwave oven.
I was really lazy to do anything but desperately wanted to have a home baked cake.

Given that I was not in a state to bake a cake and forgotten how to use the pressure cooker the cake was bound to go wrong and it did because I increased the heat to max much before I place the batter in and it remained high through out thus burning the outer part with and uncooked inside!