Chocolate Banana Muffins

Story behind these muffins is the same. Bananas in my house were sitting idle without being put to any use. So I thought, ‘Hmm, let’s make some banana muffins’.

These muffins are an absolute delight. Try them and you won’t be disappointed. :)

Ingredients

All Purpose Flour/ Maida – 1½ cups

White Sugar – ¾ cup

Unsalted Butter – 1/3 cup

Baking Soda – 1 tsp.

Eggs – 1

Ripe Bananas – 2 ½ - 3, mashed

Salt – Pinch (if using salted butter, salt can be avoided)

Vanilla Extract – ½ tsp.

Milk Chocolate Chips – ¼ cup

Hersheys Chocolate Syrup – ¼ cup

Coffee Decoction – 1 tbsp.

Yield – 12 muffins

Method

1. In a large bowl, mix together butter (melted/ at room temp), sugar, eggs and vanilla. Set aside.

2. In another bowl, sift together flour, salt, soda. Add these dry ingredients to the creamed mixture. Beat together well. Add the mashed bananas (Make sure that the banana is well mashed and gets properly mixed with the batter).

3. Add in the chocolate syrup, coffee decoction and chocolate chips in to the mixture and mix well.

4. Preheat the oven at 375 degrees F/ 190 degrees C.

5. In the meanwhile, Spoon batter into paper-lined muffin cups, filling each cup ¾ full.

6. Bake the muffins for 25 – 30 minutes. A toothpick should come out clean when inserted.

7. Cool the muffins and serve with a hot cuppa coffee. :)

Palak ke Gatte ki Sabzi

 

Gatte ki sabzi was one dish I wanted to try for a very long time. And there was this day when I decided to finally try it out. I thought I’ll try it out with spinach and below is what I made.

Ingredients

For Gatte

Besan/ Chickpea flour – 1 ¼ cup

Rice flour – ¼ cup

Spinach – 1 cup, cleaned and chopped

Curd – 1 tbsp.

Ginger garlic paste – ½ tsp.

Chat Masala – ½ tsp.

Turmeric Powder – ¼ tsp.

Chili Powder – ½ tsp.

Dhanya and Jeera Powder – ½ tsp.

Ghee – 1 tsp.

Water – 4 cups

Salt – to taste

 

For the gravy

Tomato – 2 cups, chopped

Curd – ¼ cup

Cumin seeds – ¼ tsp.

Ginger garlic paste – ½ tsp.

Red chili powder – ½ tsp.

Green chilies – 3, slit vertically

Garam masala – ½ tsp.

Chat masala – ½ tsp.

Cilantro/ Coriander Leaves – ¼ cup, chopped

Salt – to taste

Sugar - pinch

 

Method

1. Mix all the ingredients in the gatte section (except water) and make dough.

 

          

 

               

 2. Keep the dough aside for 5 minutes. In the meanwhile, boil 4 cups of water in a saucepan. Once the water comes to a boil put small portions of the dough in to the water.

 

 

3. Put in the whole dough (divided in to small portions) in to the water. In about 2 minutes the small lumps will start floating. Keep the gattes in the water for 5 – 7 minutes.

4. Take out all the gattes and place them on a plate (don’t throw the water).

 

 

5. Take a pan, add oil and once it’s hot add the cumin seeds. Add the green chilies and chopped tomatoes. Sautee for about a minute.

6. Add in the ginger garlic paste, salt, dhanya jeera powder, turmeric powder, garam masala, red chili powder and mix well.

7. After 3 – 4 minutes, add curd and mix well. Pour in ½ the water (in which gattes were boiled) and bring it to a boil.

 

 

8. Add all the gattes in to the gravy and mix well.

9. Pour in rest of the water and let the gravy cook (covered) until a thick creamy consistency is reached.

10. Turn off the flame, garnish with chopped cilantro and serve hot with either rice/ roti.

 

Rava Idli

Rava idli is my favorite form of idli. Mom used to make it once in a blue moon and I would be the happiest person then.

Post marriage when I was in the learning stage (well, I still am), rava idli was one thing I really wanted to learn. I made it a few times and it only got better with each passing time. So here I am, posting the recipe of one of my favorite dishes.

Ingredients

Rava – 2 cups

Split chana dal – 1 ½ tsp.

Mustard Seeds – ½ tsp.

Oil – 1 tbsp.

Green Chilies – 1 tbsp., chopped

Grated Carrot – 1 cup

Green Peas – ¼ cup

Curd – 5 tbsp.

Cilantro/ Coriander Leaves – ½ cup, chopped

Eno/ Fruit Salt – ½ tsp.

Salt – to taste

Water – 1 cup

Ghee – for greasing the idli molds

Yield – 15 small idlis

Method

1. Take a pan, heat oil and add mustard seeds and chana dal. Once the mustard seeds start spluttering, add green chilies and rava.

2. Saute for about 5 – 7 minutes (until the rava starts giving out an aroma). Turn off the flame and allow the mixture to cool.

3. In a big bowl, mix grated carrot, peas, curd, cilantro, rava mixture and salt. Add water if required to attain a batter consistency. Let the mixture stand for about 15 – 20 minutes.

4. In the meanwhile, take a pressure cooker, add 4 – 5 cups of water and let it come to a boil.

5. Take the idli molds, grease them with ghee/ oil and pour in scoops of the rava batter. Add eno/ fruit salt to the batter just before putting it in the molds.

6. If you wish to garnish the idlis with cashews, place a cashew on the mold first and then pour the batter. (I forgot and put the cashews on top of the batter ;))

                                                

7. Stack all the molds and lock them. Place them in the pressure cooker with boiling water. Put the lid on and steam cook for 20 minutes.

8. Take the molds out and scoop out the idlis. Serve hot with fresh coconut chutney and sambar.