Donuts

Happy Independence Day!!!
Happy Birthday Hubby!!!

Happy First Anniversary www.vegibites.blogspot.in!!!
Yes, my blog turned one today. Thank you, everyone for all the support, compliments, and feedback.

Eggless Donuts step by step instructions:
Celebrations demand sweets and yes I made donuts. Do try these and share your feedback.

Let us start cooking!!!

Ingredients:
All-purpose flour (Maida): 2 cups (around 250 gms)
Dry Yeast: ½ tbsp.
Milk: little more than 1/2 cup + 2 tbsp
Sugar: 2 tbsp
Ghee (clarified butter): ¼ cup
Powdered sugar for dusting the donuts
Ghee for frying
Salt as per taste

Method:
1. Take 2 tbsp lukewarm milk (little warmer than lukewarm) and sugar in a deep bowl.
2. Add yeast and stir.
3. Cover it and keep it in a place where it does not come in contact with air e.g. microwave, casserole etc.
4. Let it rise for 10 minutes.
5. After 10 minutes you will see froth on the top.
6. In a bowl take maida. Add the activated yeast and ghee.
7. Mix well.
8. Now knead the flour until it turns soft. This procedure will take around 12-15 minutes.
9. After that grease another bowl and keep the dough in it. Keep it covered with a wet muslin cloth. Keep this dough in a warm place.
10. Let it rest for at least 2 hours.
11. After that, you will find that the dough has doubled in volume.

12. Punch the air out.
13. Divide the dough into 3 parts.
14. Take one part and roll it keeping the thickness of the rolled circle around ¾ cm.

15. Now take a glass or a bowl with which we will be cutting our donuts of circular shape.
16. Take a small size cap and cut circles inside the previously made circles.
17. Follow the same steps for the remaining dough.

18. Arrange all of them on a tray and brush each one of them with milk.

19. Cover these with a cloth.
20. Keep in a warm place and let them rise.
21. After 1 or 1-1/2 hour you will find that the size of the donuts has increased.
22. Now heat ghee in a kadai and add donut.
23. I fried one donut at a time. Let the donut fry from one side for about a minute or till its one end has turned brown. Now flip it carefully and fry it on the other side. You will observe that the size of the donuts increases while frying.

24. As soon as you take out the donuts from the kadai sprinkle powdered sugar over the donuts with the help of a sieve.
25. If you want to make chocolate glazed donuts, melt chocolate in a double boiler. Take out the bowl of melted chocolate and keep it. Hold the donut from the edges with the help of fingers and dip it in the chocolate. Bring up and let that extra chocolate drip off.
26. Keep on a plate.
27. Serve the yummy donuts warm with a cup of hot coffee.

Tips:
1. For activating the yeast, make sure the milk is little warmer than lukewarm and sugar is completely dissolved in it.
2. Instead of ghee you can take butter at room temperature and avoid adding salt if using salted butter.
3. The milk should be at room temperature.
4. Make sure you knead the flour with your fingertips. It will help in maintaining the air inside the dough for the perfect rising of the donuts.
5. If the flame is too low then the donuts will absorb lots of ghee. So make sure that ghee is neither too cold nor too hot.

See you soon with a new recipe till then Happy Cooking!!!

Read More »

Bread Enchiladas

Bread Enchiladas step by step instructions:

It’s a weekend!!! After all the exercising and walking I got late in the kitchen. Hence, I decided to make brunch for both of us.
Bread enchilada is one among those recipes which was pending for quite some long time. I always waited for the perfect time to come so that I could cook it. And yes, today it was the perfect day!
Although some preparation is required but the taste is worth the time.
Do try the enchiladas :)

Let us start cooking!!!

Ingredients:
Mixed veggies: 1 cup (chopped - I took potatoes, tomatoes, carrot, capsicum and onions)
Spinach: ½ cup (chopped)
Ghee (clarified butter): 2 tbsp
Whole wheat flour: 2 tbsp
Milk: 1 cup
Black pepper powder: 1 tsp
Red chili flakes: ½ tsp
Bread: 3-4 slices (cut into 4 equal parts)
Tomato ketchup: 1 tbsp (optional)
Cheese cubes: 2 (grated)
Salt as per taste

Method:
1. In a heavy bottomed pan heat 1 tbsp of ghee.
2. Add all the veggies (except spinach) and sauté for 5-6 minutes on high flame.

3. Add salt and pepper and mix well. Take them out in a bowl.
4. Now take the remaining ghee in the pan and heat it.
5. Add flour and roast for 1-2 minutes or you start getting the fragrance of the flour.

6. Add milk. Make sure no lumps remain. Stir it nicely.

7. Cook for about 10 minutes or till when you observe a change in the consistency of the sauce.
8. Now add salt, pepper and chili flakes. Mix well.
9. Add the veggies and cook for other 5-6 minutes.

10. Take a pan which will go into your oven.
11. Put one layer of veggie with white sauce.

12. Arrange the bread pieces over it.

13. Spread the spinach over it.

14. Again put a layer of veggie with white sauce.
15. Continue 12, 13 and 14 steps until you are left with no more sauce.

16. Spread some tomato ketchup over it.

17. Put grated cheese over it.

18. Preheat the oven.
19. Let the enchiladas cook in the oven for around 30 minutes. (The cheese layer will turn brown)

20. Cut into square pieces and serve hot with tomato ketchup.

Tips:
1. You can put your choice of the veggies in it.
2. I have used whole wheat flour for making the white sauce. You can use maida (all-purpose flour). If using maida then take less quantity of it.

See you soon with a new recipe till then Happy Cooking!!!

Read More »

Bread Poha

Bread Poha step by step instructions:

Hello foodies, back again with yet another very simple breakfast/snack recipe. If you are left with a few slices of bread and not interested in making sandwiches; then bread poha is a must try. With just some masalas it tastes equivalent to chaats.

Let us start cooking!!!

Ingredients:
Brown bread: 4 slices
Tomato: 1 medium (finely chopped)
Onion: 1 medium (finely chopped)
Curry leaves: 5-6
Green chili: 1 (deseeded and finely chopped)
Ghee (clarified butter): 1 tbsp
Asafetida: a pinch
Mustard seeds: 1 tsp
Cumin seeds: 1 tsp
Turmeric powder: ½ tsp
Coriander powder: 1 tsp
Red chili powder: ¼ tsp (or as per taste)
Lemon juice: 1/2 tsp
Coriander leaves: 1 tbsp (finely chopped)
Salt as per taste

Method:
1. Cut bread into small pieces.

2. In a heavy bottomed pan heat ghee.
3. Add asafetida and mustard seeds and let the seeds crackle.
4. Add cumin seeds.
5. Roast them for a few seconds.
6. Add curry leaves and green chili. Fry for a few seconds.
7. Now add onion and fry till they turn translucent.
8. Add turmeric powder, coriander powder, red chili powder, and salt.
9. Add tomatoes and fry till they turn mushy.
10. Now add the bread pieces and mix well. Add lemon juice and gently mix.

11. Garnish with coriander leaves and serve hot with tea, coffee.

Tips:
1. Any type of bread can be taken. I was left with brown bread slices so made poha out of it.
2. If you wish you can remove the brown edges of the bread.
3. Use salt wisely as it is already present in bread.

See you soon with a new recipe till then Happy Cooking!!!

Read More »

Poha Appam

Poha Appam step by step instructions:

Nowadays me being lazy ;-) I planned to make poha (flattened rice). After soaking the poha, suddenly my laziness went off (hehe) and I thought of making appams and quickly started to implement it; before I change my mind ;-). I made poha appams for the first time and they turned out to be very very nice. Do give it a try.

Let us start cooking!!!

Ingredients:
Poha (Flattened rice): 1 cup (washed and kept for half an hour)
Potatoes: 2 medium (boiled, peeled and mashed)
Onion: 1 medium (finely chopped)
Capsicum: 1 small (finely chopped)
Ginger: 1 tsp (grated)
Green Chilies: 1 (finely chopped)
Chaat masala: 1 tsp
Oil: 1 tbsp (for cooking)
Sesame seeds: 2 tsp
Salt as per taste

Method:
1. Mix together all the ingredients except oil.

2. Make small balls out of it.

3. Heat appam pan.
4. Put a little oil in each cavity. Let it heat.
5. Put the sesame seeds and let the turn brown.
6. Now keep the balls in the cavities, cover the pan and let the appams cook for 8-10 minutes.

7. Flip them.

8. Again let them cook covered for other 7-8 minutes.
9. Take out on a plate. Serve hot with green chutney.

Tips:
1. Since this was my first try, I felt that I really missed a few things like fresh green coriander leaves and some more veggies.
2. Flipping is a bit tricky, so do it carefully. Otherwise, you will puncture the appams as I did 2-3 of mine ;-)

See you soon with a new recipe till then Happy Cooking!!!

Read More »

Chocolate and Almond Cookies

Chocolate and Almond Cookies step by step instructions:

I love making sweets and cookies is not an exception even. Cookies with a cup of coffee, wow, just love it. Give this shaded cookie a try; I am sure you will love the look as well as the taste too :)

Let us start cooking!!!

Ingredients:
All-purpose flour (Maida): 1 cup
Almond: 1/2 cup
Sugar: ½ cup
Ghee or unsalted butter: ¼ cup
Baking Powder: 1/2 tsp
Baking Soda: 1/4 tsp
Chocolate Syrup: 2 tbsp

Method:

1. Grind the almonds coarsely.
2. Take ghee and sugar on a plate and with your hands mix them until light and fluffy.

3. Add maida, baking powder, baking soda, and almonds and knead it into a soft dough.
4. If the mixture is too crumbly you can add a little milk.
5. Divide the dough into two parts.
6. In one part add the chocolate syrup.
7. Roll (as shown in pix below for almond dough) both the parts separately.

8. Keep one roll above the other and gently roll it combined.
9. Wrap this roll in a cling wrap and refrigerate for at least an hour.

10. Preheat the oven to 180 degree Celsius.
11. Grease a baking tray.
12. Take out the roll, remove the cling and with the help of knife cut; little less than a cm thick; cookies.

13. Arrange the cookies on the baking tray.
14. Bake the cookies for 10-12 minutes or until they turn brown.
15. Take out the tray and let the cookies cool down.

16. Remove the cookies from the tray and store them in an airtight container.
17. Enjoy them with tea, coffee etc.

Tips:
1. You can add flavors like cardamom, cinnamon etc.
2. When the cookies are hot, they are very soft, so don’t remove the cookies from the tray instantly. Let them cool first and then take out otherwise they will crumble.

See you soon with a new recipe till then Happy Cooking!!!

Read More »

Vermicelli Uthappam

Vermicelli Uthappam step by step instructions:

Hello everyone, back to the blog after a long time. I just wonder what kept me occupied that I could not even post. ;-). But I am happy that I am back :)

I made vermicelli uthappam today. (A secret: I made it because it is very simple to make and delicious to eat ;-), that's why I cooked it)

Let us start cooking!!!

Ingredients:
Wheat Vermicelli: 1 cup
Sooji: 1 cup
Curd: 1 cup
Water: ¾ cup
Ghee: 1 tbsp
Black pepper powder: 1 tsp
Tomatoes: 1 medium (finely chopped)
Onion: 1 medium (finely chopped)
Capsicum: ½ small (finely chopped)
Chaat masala
Salt as per taste

Method:
1. In a bowl mix together sooji, curd, and water.

2. Let it rest for at least half hour.
3. Heat ¼ tbsp ghee in a pan. Add vermicelli. Roast it.

4. Put this vermicelli in the sooji batter.
5. Mix well.
6. Add black pepper and salt and mix.

7. Heat a pan. Put some ghee over it.
8. Take the batter and spread small sized uthappams on the pan.
9. Put tomatoes, onion, and capsicum over it.
10. Sprinkle chaat masala over it.

11. Let the uthappams cook on low flame for 7-8 minutes from one side.
12. Then flip them, put some ghee and let them cook for 5-6 minutes more.

13. Serve hot with chutney or ketchup.

Tips:
1. Make sure the consistency of the uthappam batter is neither too thick nor thin, so water quantity can be adjusted accordingly.

See you soon with a new recipe till then Happy Cooking!!!

Read More »