Banana Bread is a kids favorite at home and once I added chocolate to their favorite bread, they loved it. The flavors go really well. Banana Nut Bread that I make has loads of walnuts whereas Chocolate Banana has loads of chocolate chips and cocoa.
Preparation Time : 15 minutes
Bake time : 60 minutes
Makes : 1 loaf
Ingredients:
All purpose flour : 1 1/2 cups
Cocoa Powder : 1/2 cup
Baking powder : 1/2 teaspoon
Baking soda : 1 teaspoon
Butter : 1 stick/ 1/2 cup
Granulated sugar : 1/2 cup
Brown sugar : 1/4 cup
Eggs : 2 large
Ripe Bananas : 3 medium mashed
Chocolate chips : 1/2 cup
Instructions:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
In a medium size bowl, cream butter and sugars until they turn light and fluffy.
Add eggs, banana and stir to combine.
Add flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, chocolate chips and stir to combine. Do not over mix.
Grease and flour a 9×5 loaf tin, add the batter and bake for 55-60 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.
Let the bread rest for 10 minutes in the tin before transferring it onto a cooling rack.
This Chickpea Salsa salad is a simple yet refreshing salad made with chickpeas, spicy salsa and pomegranates. You can either make everything from scratch or just use the canned chickpeas and readymade salsa. I made everything and mixed them up.
Preparation Time : 10 minutes
Serves : 2
Ingredients :
Canned or soaked and boiled chickpeas : 1 1/2 cups
Beetroot Hummus is a dip or spread made with cooked and mashed chickpeas, roasted beetroot, garlic, cumin seeds, lemon juice and Tahini. It’s a popular Middle East and Mediterranean dish but is famous internationally.
Roasted beetroot adds a beautiful Color and more flavour to the hummus. The color is really inviting. Canned chickpeas can be used to speed up the process. Taste in using canned chickpeas and soaking/cooking chickpeas is really negligible.
Preparation Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time : 10 minutes
Makes : 2 cups
Ingredients :
Soaked and cooked chickpeas : 1 1/2 cups (can use canned chickpeas)
Dosa is a popular breakfast from South India. Dosa is a such a versatile dish that can be made with various filling or toppings. Masala Dosa is made with a potato filling. Serve it with some Andhra Senakkaram and ghee or Peanut and Coconut Chutney for Tiffins.
Take all the ingredients listed under for potato filling and mix well to combine.
Heat a dosa tawa, pour a large laddle full of batter on the tawa, add 4-5 tablespoons of potato filling in the middle of the dosa as shown in the picture. Add a teaspoon of oil in the edges. Let it roast until the sides lift and dosa turns golden brown.
Take the dosa off the pan and serve immediately with some karam or chutney.
Vegetable Dum Biryani is a very simple dish and you can add any vegetables of our choice. Fried onions and the spices mixed with the vegetables give the rice a delicious flavour.
Preparation Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Serves: 4-5
Ingredients:
Basmati rice : 3 cups
Onion : 2 medium sliced and fried
Cashews: 2 teaspoons fried
Carrot : 1 large cut in circles
Potatoes : 2 diced
Green chillies : 2 slit
Green beans : 1/2 cup sliced
Peas : 1/2 cup
Cilantro/coriander leaves : 1 bunch chopped
Ginger garlic paste : 1 tablespoon
Yogurt/curd: 1/2 cup
Red chilli powder : 2 teaspoons
Garam masala : 2 teaspoons
Turmeric : 1/2 teaspoon
Salt to taste
Warm Milk : 1/2 cup+ 6 strands of saffron
Whole Spices:
Cloves : 7
Green cardamom: 6
Bay leaves : 2
Shahi jeera : 1 teaspoon
Mace : 2
Star Anise : 1
Cinnamon stick : 2 inch stick
Method:
Boil water in a large pot, add rice, salt and cook for 7-8 minutes. Drain the water, put a wet cloth over cooked rice in a bowl and keep aside.
Heat oil in a large pot, add all the ingredients listed under whole spices and saute for 1 minute. Add ginger garlic paste and saute for 30 seconds.
Add potatoes, green beans, green chillies, peas, half of the cilantro and saute for 4 minutes. Add salt, red chilli powder, turmeric, yogurt, mix well and cook for 5 more minutes.
Add cooked rice, fried onions, fried cashews, cilantro, warm milk, close lid put some weight on top and cook for 7-8 minutes.
Ponganalu or paniyaram are ball shaped dumplings made with idli or dosa batter. These are one of the breakfast dishes made in South India. These Carrot and Coriander Ponganalu/Paniyaram is a simple dish made with Idli batter, grated carrot, coriander leaves and tempering. The Ponganalu taste delicious and it’s a good way to serve veggies and greens for breakfast.
You can find non stick pans and cast iron pans. I like the non stick pan as there is no need of oil in making this delicious breakfast.
Take the idli batter in a bowl and add the chopped coriander leaves, grated carrot, chopped onions and mix well.
Heat oil for tempering, add the ingredients listed under for tempering except curry leaves and let the seeds splatter. Add curry leaves and add tempering to the batter.
Using a spoon, put the batter into the paniyaram pan and place the pan on the stove on medium heat. Close lid and cook for 5 minutes, turn the paniyarams and cook for another 5 minutes or until the outer layer is golden brown and crisp.
Serve hot with coconut chutney, peanut chutney or podi.
Whole wheat Bread is very popular and fairly easy to make at home. Kneading extremely well to get a soft and light dough is really important for a perfect loaf of bread. This bread can be used to make toast, sandwiches and even croutons.
Use only whole wheat flour. You can use chakki atta too but no multi grain atta.
Preparation Time : 5 minutes
Kneading time: 12 minutes
Resting time : 1-2 hours depending on the weather
Bake Time : 30 minutes
Makes : 1 loaf
Ingredients:
Warm Milk : 1 cup
Regular Sugar : 2 tablespoons
Active Dry Yeast : 1/2 tablespoon
Whole wheat flour : 3 cups
Salt : 1/2 teaspoon
Warm water : 1/2 cup + 2 tablespoons
Oil : 2-3 tablespoons
Milk and butter for brushing
Instructions:
In a medium size bowl, add warm milk, sugar, yeast, mix and let it sit for 7-10 minutes until the yeast is activated. Keep the bowl covered.
To the yeast mixture, add the flour, water, salt and start kneading. Pull the mixture onto a clean surface and keep kneading while adding the oil. Knead well until the dough is lighter in colour, elastic and soft. That will take about 10-12 minutes. (There is no such thing called over kneading so don’t worry)
Grease a large bowl and place the dough in it and cover it with a damp cloth.
Once the dough is double it’s size, take the dough onto a clean working surface, pull the edges and close into the middle. Gently pat the dough into a rectangle shape, roll and tuck the edges forming a cylindrical shape. Pinch the ends and pat to make it smooth as shown in the pics.
Grease a loaf tin, place the dough in it, cover it and keep aside for 30 minutes.
In the meanwhile, pre heat the oven to 180 degrees C.
Once the dough is ready, brush it with milk and bake for 30 minutes.
Take it out of the oven, let it cool for 30 minutes before taking the bread out of the oven and let it cool on a cooling rack. Wait until the bread is almost room temperature before slicing the bread.
Point to note is the bread should be consumed within 3 days as there are no preservatives. Otherwise refrigerate it to increase the shelf life.
Add warm milk, sugar and yeast to activate yeast.Add flour, salt, water and oil Knead for 10-12 minutes Let the dough rise to double the quantity Roll and tuck the edges. Pinch and seal Sealed and ready to go into the tin Brush with butter as soon as the loaf is out of the oven
These Sweet Rolls are so much similar to the rolls served at Texas Roadhouse. Texas Roadhouse is a restaurant in US and the rolls they serve are super soft, buttery and sweet. The rolls are served with Cinnamon butter. The combination is super delicious.
Preparation Time: 1 1/2 hours
Bake Time : 20 minutes
Makes : 15 rolls
Ingredients:
Warm water : 1/4 cup
Granulated Sugar : 1 teaspoon
Active dry yeast : 2 teaspoons
Milk : 1 cup lukewarm
Unsalted butter : 1 1/2 tablespoons melted and slightly cooled
In a small bowl, add warm water, sugar, yeast, stir, cover and let it rest for 10 minutes until the yeast is activated.
In a large bowl, add milk, butter, sugar, eggs, salt and mix using a dough hook or even with hands.
Add the flour little bit at a time and mix until a soft dough is formed. Mix the dough until it comes clean from sides of the bowl.
Place the dough in a greased bowl and cover it with a damp cloth. Let it rest for 1 hour or until the dough is doubled in size.
Punch down the dough, place it on a floured surface and roll it into 1/2 inch thick rectangle. Cut the dough into squares and place them on to a greased cookie sheet. Cover with a damp cloth and let them rest for 30 minutes.
Pre heat the oven to 350 degrees F/ 175 degrees C.
Bake the rolls for 15-20 minutes or until the top is golden brown. Take them out and brush the rolls with melted butter.
In a small bowl, whisk all the ingredients listed for Cinnamon butter.
Serve the rolls hot with Cinnamon Butter.
*My little one wanted to cut the squares so please pardon the shape.
Amaracooking 