Eggless Dry Fruit cake - Dates and Apricots

I havent been blogging for a while now. This time around in India, I showed off my baking skills to family (nice to be acknowledged for what i know ..right!!)...lol. On the menu were carrot cake, ginger snap cookies and mango swirl bread. I am back to Atl and was not sure what to bake to start my regular kitchen schedules. (It is quite tough to get back into a cooking routine after a great vacation). sigh!

I had to use up the apricots and dates in my pantry and ended up baking this yummy Dates and apricot cake. Dates are known to be a great source of fiber, zero calorie snack. I recently came to know that California was the haven for luscious date varieties in the US. (courtesy: travel channel)...hmm..got to try some soon....This Middle-East-Asian wonder fruit is known for its richness and a very fruity flavor.

Did you know that a few dates and a cup of unflavoured milk give you an instant energy boost?..Being rich in iron and potassium,  they are used as a great "Fast breaking" food by people following Ramadan fast (Islamic holy month). Dates contain folate and traces of Vit A, B and are considered great to treat anemia, fatigue and constipation. No wonder they are used to break a whole day of Ramadan/ ramzaan fast by people across the world.

(left: dried apricots; right : dry dates)

just FYI, this is how fresh apricots look

Pic: source wiki

Apricots  are a great source of beta carotene and help in reducing infections and skin issues. They are also a great source of Iron and Potassium. However, the dried versions contain Sulphur di-oxide (preservative) which is known to trigger asthma attacks. (hmm..another reason why we could avoid preserved food..right!!).  It is better to soak preserved /dried apricots in water for fifteen minutes before consumption. Remember to drain the water it was soaked in).

The recipe:

you need: for a loaf

Whole wheat flour - 2 cups

Sugar - (I used white this time) - 1 or 3/4 cup (dates lend a bit of their sweetness to the cake )

Olive oil or butter - 1/2 cup or lesser

Baking soda- 1 tsp

baking powder- 1tsp

(Cardamom) Elaichi powder - 1 tsp

Nutmeg powder - a pinch

Cinnamon powder - a pinch

milk or water -  1 1/2 cup

dry fruits : apricots and dates - Chopped - 1/2 cup

Process:

• mix all the dry ingredients in a bowl - flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon powder, cardamom powder
• Add the dry fruits and butter / olive oil and knead them in. 
• keep adding water/milk and mix in well. 
• grease a bread loaf pan or a 9 x9 pan and pour in the batter
• bake at 350 F / 180C for 35 minutes or until done (do the fork test)
• Take it out of the oven and let it cool for a few minutes before popping it out onto to a plate
• you could drizzle it with a tbsp of milkmaid /condensed milk or dust on a tbsp of powdered sugar and serve!

The cake turned out pretty moist and yummy...!!! Cant wait to finish the loaf

Note: We could use raisins instead of apricots as both lend the same sour and tangy sweet taste to the cake

Dum aaloo

I made dum aaloo sometime back and instead of posting my version, I wanted my friend Pooja to submit her recipe for a guest post. She obliged and sent me a picture and the recipe.

Dum Aloo recipe

18-20 small-sized potatoes
Oil to deep fry
½ tspn red chili powder
2 cups of yogurt
1 tspn coriander powder
1 tspn of dry ginger powder
1 tblspn of fennel powder
5-6 cloves
Salt to taste
tspn of roasted cumin powder
tspn of garam masala powder


Recipe

• Boil the potatoes ( pressure cook -1 whistle )
• Peel and prick the  boiled potatoes all over with the help of a fork. Heat oil in a kadai and fry the potatoes on medium flame till golden brown.
• Whisk the yogurt with red chill powder ,salt, coriander powder, garam masala powder , dry ginger powder and fennel powder.
• Heat 2-3 tbspn oil in a pan.
• Add clove , half a cup of water and bring to a boil
• Stir in the yogurt mixture and bring it to a boil
• Add fried potatoes and cook till the potatoes absorb all the gravy and oil floats on top
• Garnished with freshly roasted cumin powder(optional).

Serve with roti, parata or a bowl of steamed rice/jeera rice

Summer time special - Vegetables on a skewer, BBQ style!

Summer is in and I feel like I am running out of ideas to keep my dinners appealing and appetizing. This has been a long pending promise to my hubby, a veggie bbq for dinner! I couldnt get to do the post immediately. Better late than never..right :).

All you need : serves 4
Capsicum / bell peppers : 3 (large) (Red, yellow and green)
Onion - 1
Tomatoes- 2
Pear - 1 (could use a green apple- optional)
cheddar cheese - 10 cubes (I cubed a store bought cheddar block)
Cucumber - 3 (smaller English / Indian variety)
Bamboo or metal skewers

for the sauce:
Salt to taste
Turmeric powder - a pinch
Kuzhambu powder - 2 tsp
olive oil - 2 tsps
Garam masala (All indian spices powder ) - 1/2tsp
Lemon juice - 2tbsps
Water - 2 tbsps

Process: 
Mix all the ingredients for the sauce and blend well
Soak the skewers in water for a few minutes
Wash and cube the vegetables
Coat the vegetables, all separately and keep them aside in different plates
Make sure to dip in tomatoes as the last ones.
Arrange them on to a skewer and onto a baking tray
Pour put them in a sequence to make a colourful line up
Place a few cubes of cheese over the veggies for them to melt over them
Bake at 375 F for 40 minutes (make sure to use the pre heat time as well)
Serve with a side of (rest of the ) cheese cubes and a cup of whipped yogurt or curd (optional)