Eggless Banana Wheat Bran Walnut Muffins

Baking is my passion. I can bake day and night without any break (of course if my toddler allows me) :)  I do not get much time but still I try to satisfy my urge of baking by creating all sorts of muffins as they take comparatively very less time to bake than a cake.  The other reason is that muffins are small in size and always looks inviting (not like a piece of cake which, to me, looks so weird after a day or two).  Above all, finishing a whole cake is a bit tough job for me but these little beauties are always welcome :)  

Today's recipe is also a baby of my hunger to bake :D  Nothing fancy going on here.  I had a pack of wheat bran which I try to add in every second thing be it cookies, cakes, muffins or breads.  So this time I added it to these muffins and they came out delicious.  I added no egg or butter for making them.  

Its a healthy option for breakfast and tiffin treats for both kids and adults.  The texture was so soft and fluffy.  Walnuts gave these muffins a perfect crunch so do not skip them.  

For parties, you can transform these muffins to show stoppers by adding a nice glaze or icing on top.  For chocolate frosting you can check here and for easy n delicious hung curd icing check here.

Recipe is so easy so you can involve your kids too. Don your aprons guys.  Happy Cooking :)

Makes - 5 muffins

Baking time - 25 min.

My 1 cup measures 250 ml

Ingredients:

Ripe banana (mashed)	1/4 cup
All purpose flour/Maida	¼ cup or 4 tbsp
Oats flour	1 tbsp
Wheat bran	3 tbsp
Oil	2 tbsp
Baking powder	½ tsp
Baking soda	1 pinch
Sugar	3-4 tbsp
Milk	1 ½ tbsp
Vanilla essence	Few drops
Walnuts (chopped)	¼ cup or 4 tbsp
Coffee powder	1tsp (diluted in 1 tbsp warm milk)

Method:

• In a bowl, mix together all purpose flour, wheat bran, oats flour, baking soda and baking powder.  Set aside.
• In another bowl, take sugar and mashed banana.  Mix well with a spoon till sugar melts (if using granulated sugar).  Add oil, diluted coffee and vanilla essence. Mix again.  Then add little flour and mix well.  Add 1 tbsp milk and mix again.  Add remaining flour and 1/2 tbsp milk little by little and make a smooth batter without any lumps.  At this stage if you feel the batter is not of dropping consistency, add 1 more tbsp milk and mix well.  At the end, fold in 2 and half tbsp of chopped walnuts.
• Preheat oven at 180 degree and line muffin pan with liners.  
• Fill the muffin liners till 1/2 or little more than that and top it up with remaining chopped walnuts.  Bake for 25 minutes or till you get the perfect browning on the top.
• Remove and shift to a wire rack. Serve warm.
• Store in an airtight container.

 

 

Notes:

1. I used castor sugar but granulated sugar can also be used.
2. You can substitute walnuts with any nut of your choice.  I strictly recommend to add nuts.
3. If you do not have wheat bran you can substitute it with oats flour or wheat flour or oat bran
4. Adjust the quantity of milk as per the consistency of your batter.
5. After 16-18 minutes, keep an eye on the muffins to avoid over baking as every oven temperature varies.  If your muffins gets brown before 25 minutes insert a toothpick in the center of a muffin and check if it comes out clean to make sure your muffins are not undercooked.

Lauki Halwa / Bottle gourd fudge

Halwa is a famous Indian delicacy.  It looks royal and making it is so easy.  No fuss yet mind blowing dessert to end a nice meal.  There is a endless list of halwas in Indian menu.  You can make it with almost anything be it pulses, fruits or even vegetables.  
I love to try making different kind of halwas.  In this list, my latest addition is Lauki Halwa.  It sounds a bit not-so-interesting but trust me it tastes divine. I had heard about this halwa a lot of time but never thought to try. Last week I found one big lauki lying in my fridge. I didn’t want to make any curry, kofta or dal with it so decided to make lauki halwa. 
Instead of making it all with milk I used condensed milk. Addition of condensed milk gave it a rich texture without adding Mawa/Khoya and at the same time made it a quick cooking dessert. Although I added milk too but only 2 tbsp just to cook the lauki.  In case you don’t want to use condensed milk, you can make it with milk too. I have given the procedure in the notes at the end. Do check.  Hey, did I mention that I used only 1.5 tbsp ghee in it unlike other halwas and you wont find it any less tasty from those ghee loaded halwas :D

This halwa came out so well that I am gonna make it more often :) Its a good option for parties too. Clever idea to add veggies in kids meal.  They would love it surely. So try it and you will be glad that you did. Happy Cooking :)

Serves – 2

Ingredients:

Lauki /  Bottle gourd (finely grated)	1 cup
Ghee	1 ½ tbsp
Condensed milk	¼ cup
Milk	2 tbsp
Cardamom (crushed)	2
Raisins	15
Green food color (optional)	2-3 drops

Method:

• In a non stick pan, heat ghee. Add raisins and fry for few seconds. Remove and set aside.
• In the remaining ghee, add grated lauki and fry for 8-10 minutes or till water evaporates and raw smell goes. 
• Add condensed milk and mix well. Cook for 2 minutes. Add milk and mix again. Cook for 2 more minutes. Add crushed cardamom, food color and fried raisins. Mix again and cook till the halwa gets thick.
• Serve warm or cold.

                                              

 Notes:

1. Grate the bottle gourd very finely.
2. I recommend to use a non stick pan for making this halwa to avoid sticking while frying the bottle gourd/lauki.
3. You can add any dried fruit of your choice.
4. In place of cardamom you can use saffron.
5. If you do not want to use condensed milk then boil 1 cup of milk till a bit thick.  Fry lauki as given in the recipe.  Add the fried lauki to the thick milk and mix well.  Add 6 tbsp sugar (or adjust to taste) mix again.  Add crushed cardamom and dried fruits and cook till thick.

Homemade Rose Water

I have got lots of roses in my garden but never thought of using them in any way.  My mom makes rose water at home as it is more hygenic and pure.  Above all, you know that the rose flowers you are using are not grown on pesticides.  I never made it at home but yesterday I took the recipe from my mom and tried my hands on it.  Its very easy and just 2 ingredients needed - Roses and distilled water.  The best part is that you can use it for anything be it food, body, face, eyes and so on. Rose water is so good for skin and eyes.  It gives a soothing and cooling effect.  It also gives a wonderful flavour and aroma to any food specially desserts. I made it specially to add in food. 

Use red or pink rose for making this rose water.  You would get a light pink hue in the final product and I just loved it.  So lets make it.  Happy Cooking :)

Ingredients:

Red/Pink Roses     -     1

Distilled water       -      As required

Method:

• Wash the rose petals thoroughly and put them in a vessel.  Pour the distilled water over the petals.  Add just enough water to cover the petals.  Set aside for 20 minutes.
• After 20 minutes, put the vessel on the stove over slow flame. Let the water heat ( Do not boil).  Heat it till the petals leave their color and start looking faded.
• Remove from the stove and let it cool down.
• Refridgerate for 2-3 hour.
• Strain and store in a clean plastic or glass bottle.  

Notes:

1. Store it in the refridgerator.
2. Use fresh roses for best results.
   
   

Kothimbir Vadi

Today's recipe is a very healthy one. It is a modified version of famous Kothimbir Vadi.  Kothimbir Vadi is a Maharashtrian snack.  In Marathi, green coriander is called Kothimbir.

This is my version of Kothimbir Vadi that I always make at home. Tastes great and is guilt free too as instead of deep frying I simply stir fry it.  The crunchiness of outer crust and softness inside makes it so delicious.  Its a very good option for breakfast too.  You can prepare it in advance and fry just before serving.  Traditionally, a lot of green coriander is used to make this wonderful dish but as V doesn't like green coriander much I didn't add more of it.

I love the nice fragrance of til and coriander in these vadis.  I am sure it would become your favourite too.  It can be given to babies and kids too just skip green chilly and chilly powder, they would definitely relish it.  So give it a try and share your feedback.

Happy Cooking :)

                              

Ingredients:

Gram flour/Besan	½ cup
Rice flour	2 tbsp
Fresh coriander (Chopped)	¼ cup
Sesame seeds/Til	1 tsp (Roasted)
Lemon juice	1 tsp
Baking soda	1/8 tsp
Oil	1 tsp
Salt	½ tsp or to taste
Green Chilly	1 (chopped)
Red Chilly powder	1/8 tsp
Turmeric powder	2 pinch
Water	As required
Oil	For frying and greasing the pan

Method:

• In a mixing bowl, mix together gram flour and rice flour.  Add water little by little and make a lump-free and smooth thick batter.  Leave it aside for 15 minutes.
• Grease a round pan and set aside.
• Add salt, chilly powder and turmeric in the gram flour batter and mix well.  Add chopped coriander, chopped green chilli sesame seeds, oil and lemon juice.  Set aside.
• Take water in a pressure cooker and let it boil.  
• In the gram flour batter, add baking soda and mix well.  Do not over mix.  
• Pour the batter in the greased pan and put it inside the pressure cooker.  Put the lid and remove the whistle.  
• Let it cook for about 10-12 minutes or till a knife inserted comes out clean.
• Once cooked, remove the pan from the pressure cooker.  Let it cool down for 5 minutes.
• Unmould the steamed vadi and cut into desired shapes.  Set aside.
• Heat 2 tbsp oil in a non stick pan and add steamed vadis in it.  Stir fry till golden brown and crispy.
• Remove on a tissue paper and serve warm.

Notes:

1. If you wish you can deep fry the steamed vadis.
2. Adjust the salt and chilly as per your taste.
3. For steaming the batter, you can take a deep non stick woke/kadhai with glass lid.  Fill it with water.  Let the water boil and put the batter filled pan in the center of the woke.  Cover with glass lid and steam the batter.
4. If making in advance, store the sliced vadis in an airtight pan and keep in the refridgerator.  Do not store it for more than 1 day.

Nan Khatai

I love Nan Khatai.. It has been my favourite cookie since childhood.  I used to have it in old Delhi.  If I am in Old Delhi the first thing I would do is looking for these cookies.  The heavenly aroma of these cookies can make your day and the melt-in-mouth texture oh my is simply divine.  I can have lots of these cookies in one go :D

After leaving India, like so many other things, I miss my Nan Khatais too :(  I tried to make them at home twice with different measurements but didn't get the desired results.  Though the taste was good.
Last week I tried one more time and finally nailed it.. yes yes yes I nailed it :)  Just seeing the final product, I started jumping with joy as they were so perfect.  I got those beautiful cracks on top too.  I took the first bite and it just melted in my mouth.  mmmmm.. The whole batch finished up in no time.  My toddler loved them too as they were so soft.  Needless to say my nan khatais were super duper yummilicious :)

While making the dough I used only 6 and a half tablespoons of Ghee / clarified butter as my dough got the desired texture with that even I had to add one more tablespoon flour.  As nan khatai is famous (infamous) for its ghee content, I was not so sure about the texture with so little ghee but it came out delicious just like the market ones.  Finally my efforts paid off.  Its my NO-FAIL recipe that I am proud of :)

I was so full of confidence that on the same day I tried another cookies with orange flavour.. that too came out well.  (will post the recipe soon).

I was dying to share this recipe here.  So don your aprons and start making Nan Khatai.  Simply follow the recipe (read the notes before making) and enjoy a mouthful of heaven. Happy Cooking :)

For more cookies recipes:
Vanilla Horlicks Cookies
Bakery Style Cake Rusk
Eggless Whole Wheat Cumin Walnut Cookies
Eggless Whole Wheat Peanut Butter Cookies 
Eggless Whole Wheat Oats and Ragi Cookies

Makes- 13 cookies
Baking time -  20-22 minutes
Temperature -  170 degree

My 1 cup measure 250 ml

Ingredients:

All purpose flour/Maida    -    1 cup + 1 tbsp

Ghee/Clarified butter         -    6 and a half tbsp

Castor Sugar                      -    1/2 cup

Baking soda                       -    1/4+1/8 tsp

Baking powder                  -    1 big pinch
Green Cardamom              -    3 (crushed)

Method:

• Mix together all purpose flour, baking soda and baking powder.  Set aside.
• Take castor sugar in a mixing bowl.  Melt ghee and add to castor sugar.  Mix together till it becomes a smooth paste.  Add crushed cardamom and mix again. Add in all purpose flour little by little and make a soft dough.  Chill in the refrigerator for 10-15 minutes.
• Meanwhile, preheat oven at 170 degree.  Lightly grease a baking tray.  Set aside.
• Remove the dough from the refrigerator and pinch out a small portion and roll it to a lemon size ball.  Likewise make balls with the remaining dough and arrange them in the greased baking tray.  Press the balls a little on the top.
• Bake in the preheated oven for 20-22 minutes or till the bottom gets a little brown,  You will get beautiful cracks on top.  
• Remove and let them cool for 2 minutes in the tray.  Carefully shift to a wire rack and let them completely cool down.
• Enjoy and store the remaining cookies in an airtight container.

Notes:

1. In place of Castor Sugar you can use powdered white sugar also.
2. The consistency of dough should not be too loose or too firm.  You should be able to roll the soft balls without any cracks.
3. If your dough doesn't come out together you can add 1/2 tbsp more ghee.  Do not add milk or water to make the dough.
4. Do not let the top get the browning while baking.  Check the bottom after 18 minutes, if it gets brown your cookies are ready, if not bake for another 3-4 minutes.
5. As oven settings varies, keep an eye on the cookies after 15 minutes.