Showing posts with label Christmas Delicacies. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Christmas Delicacies. Show all posts

Chhena Poda Recipe / Food Odisha / Famous Oriya Sweets

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Chhena Poda Recipe / Food Odisha / Famous Oriya Sweets


There are 2 occasions coming up on Feb 13 and Feb 14, 2018. Feb 13, 2018 is Maha Sivarathri and Feb 14 is Valentines Day as all of you know. There is a special recipe which suits both these occasions which I have been planning to post since long. I thought of posting this recipe for a long time but I was waiting for the right occasion. There could not be a better occasion more than this because there are two reasons to celebrate. 

chenna poda recipe


I am talking about the famous Orissa sweet - Chenna Poda. Chhena Poda is also known as Pitha Poda.  This famous Odia sweet is  purely an Indian cake 🎂 which is made with  Fresh chenna ( paneer ). This is one of the traditional recipes of Orissa that is quite famous which is served to Lord Jagganath in Puri. This is a very rich cake or dessert dish that is sooooo delicious and lip smacking. My man and daughter just love this cake.

odia sweets
 

The origin of this Indian milk cake is from the state of Orissa. I was born in Berhampur, a famous town area in Orissa and was brought up in the capital city of Bhubaneshwar until the age of 7 after which I moved to our own state of Andhra. But my dad made frequent official visits to Bhubaneshwar. And there was this delicious eggless cheesecake on his return. In that way, we were connected to this dessert.

famous oriya sweets


Traditionally this is made in a big earthen pot which is cooked on a very low flame 🔥for hours together. Since we do not have such equipment in our homes, we can make it in an oven or even in a pressure cooker. Today, I am gonna give the recipe that requires an oven.

ricotta cheesecake


Preparation



Take milk in a big vessel and bring it to a boil.


When it is boiling, add curd to cuddle the milk. If it doesn't curdle, add more curd and mix gently until the whey is separated from the milk solid.


Switch off the flame immediately and strain through a muslin cloth or a clean cotton cloth.


Do not throw the whey. You can use it for the preparation of chapathi or any other curries. You need not drain the water completely, it's ok even if there is a little amount of water in the chenna. Take curdled milk ( while it is still hot ) in a bowl and beat or stir until smooth.


Add sooji and mix well until smooth.


Add sugar and mix again until the sugar is completely dissolved.


Now add cardamom powder and mix once again. Add any nuts if you wish at this stage and mix well. I do not like any nuts or raisins in this cake, hence I have not added any. Keep aside.


Now take a pan and heat ghee. Add sugar and stir until it dissolves. 


Immediately switch off the flame and pour this sugar mixture in the greased baking pan. This gives a caramalisation effect for this pitha poda. This also makes the cake so juicy unlike the normal cakes. Now add the chenna mixture and bake at 170 degrees centigrade for 45 - 60 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean. After baking, leave the cheesecake in the oven until it cools down completely. Once it comes to room temperature, invert the cake upside down onto a plate and cut into slices. Enjoy with family on the auspicious occasion of Mahasivarathri.

chanar cake recipe


Ingredients



Milk  2l

Sugar  1 cup

Sooji  3 tbsp.

Cardamom powder  1/4 tsp

Nuts  2 tsp

Ghee to roast sugar 1 tsp

Curd  4 tbsp.

Sugar   ( for caramelisation )  1 tsp


Method



  1. Curdle milk with the addition of curd at its boiling point. 
  2. Strain the curdled0 mixture to separate the whey. Do not throw the whey.
  3. Take the chenna in a bowl and add sooji. Mix well until smooth. 
  4. Now add sugar and continue mixing until the sugar is well dissolved. 
  5. Add cardamom powder and nuts and mix. Keep aside. 
  6. Heat ghee in a pan and add sugar. Keep stirring until it dissolves. 
  7. Immediately, pour it in the greased pan and add the chenna mixture on it. 
  8. Bake at 170 degrees centigrade for 45 - 60 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. 
  9. Let the cake cool completely in the oven. Remove on cooling and invert and slice the cake into pieces. 

Notes



  • Adding roasted sugar to the baking pan gives a lovely caramelising to the ricotta cheesecake. So do not skip on this step. 
  • The cake mixture should be smooth and like that of the normal cake mixture. Add little whey if your cake mixture is very thick.
  • The original recipe calls for the addition of baking powder. But I did not feel the need of adding in my recipe. But if you wish, you can add 1/4 tsp of baking powder.

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healthy banana oatmeal muffins with yogurt / quick and easy oatmeal muffins / banana oatmeal yogurt muffins

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Healthy banana oatmeal muffins with yogurt / quick and easy oatmeal muffins / banana oatmeal yogurt muffins


Banana 🍌 and oats - very good and healthy combination of food. There are so many dishes that can be prepared with this combo. Today I am sharing a simple muffin recipe with this combo of bananas and oatmeal.
 
healthy banana oatmeal muffins with greek yogurt

I had some over ripe bananas which my kids never dared to touch. So I had to use them in some preparation. I have already posted some recipes with over ripe banana like banana Choco bread 🍞, banana appalu. I wanted to prepare a banana walnut loaf bread with these over ripe bananas, but changed my mind and went ahead with these healthy banana muffins with yogurt.

quick and easy oatmeal muffins

These moist banana oatmeal muffins were so tasty 😋 that my man 👨 and kids loved them a lot. I also packed these tiny banana cupcakes for their snack break as well. These were loved by their friends as well. There is a secret ingredient added to this muffin recipe which might have contributed to that amazing taste.
 
banana oatmeal yogurt muffins

The secret ingredient is sugarcane juice. Yes, you heard it right. I have added sugarcane juice to these muffins. But, if you do not have it handy, then you can substitute it with maple
🍁 syrup. You can check my recipe to extract juice from the sugarcane at home. The other main ingredient that goes into the preparation of this egg free banana muffins is Greek yogurt. So these muffins are so healthy considering the fact that Greek yoghurt, bananas, sugarcane juice and oats are very good for health.
These breakfast banana muffins are soft, moist and delicious
😋. They can be had as such for breakfast, brunch or as an evening snack. Kids or elders who are hesitant to eat oats will love this muffin as they cannot even hint that they are made with oats.

breakfast banana muffins

You can also check my other bakes which are very healthy and nutritious





 

Preparation

Powder sugar and jaggery separately one after the other and keep aside. Similarly, make a fine powder of oats and sieve it through a fine strainer. Set aside. Mash the banana well with your hands or use the blender to make a smooth pulp without any pieces or lumps in it. Keep aside. Now take all the dry ingredients namely oat flour, maida, flax seed powder, salt, cinnamon powder, baking powder and baking soda in a bowl.


Take yoghurt in another bowl and add the banana puree.


Mix well and add olive oil.


Give a nice mix and add the sugarcane juice and vanilla essence. Mix well until combined.


Now add the powdered jaggery and sugar and whisk well until it is all mixed up completely.


Now add the dry ingredients mixture little by little. Mix well until incorporated. Do not over mix.


Pour into greased muffin tray or cups. Garnish with sliced pistachios or raisins or any other nuts of your choice. Bake at 180 degrees Centigrade for 30 - 40 minutes  or until a tooth pick inserted in the centre of the muffin comes out clean. Allow it to cool completely before removing them from the tray or cups.

eggless banana oatmeal cupcakes


Ingredients

Jaggery powder 1/2 cup
Sugar  1/4 cup ( powder it )


Dry Ingredients

Oat flour 1 3/4 cup
Maida 1/2 cup
Baking powder  1 tsp
Baking soda  1/2 tsp
Salt  big pinch
Cinnamon powder  3/4 tsp
Flax seed powder  1 tbsp.


Wet Ingredients

Mashed bananas 1 1/2 cups ( about 3 bananas )
Sugarcane juice  1/4 cup
Olive oil  3/4 cup
Vanilla essence  1 tsp
Greek yoghurt 1/2 cup


Method
  1. Powder the sugar and jaggery separately and keep aside. Powder the oats into fine flour and sieve. Keep aside.
  2. Mix all the dry ingredients in a bowl and set aside.
  3. Take the wet ingredients namely yoghurt, mashed bananas, vanilla essence, olive oil, sugar cane juice one after the other and mix nicely until everything is combined.
  4. Add jaggery powder and sugar powder and mix again.
  5. Now add the dry ingredients slowly little by little stirring well after each addition.
  6. Pour into greased muffin moulds or cups and top with nuts, raisins, dates or cherries 🍒.
  7. Bake at 180 degrees Centigrade for 30 - 40 minutes or until done.
  8. Cool completely before removing from the muffin tray.

Notes


  • Do not overmix the batter after adding the dry ingredients.
  • The original recipe calls for maple 🍁 syrup in place of sugar cane juice. 
  • You can top the muffins with any nuts or dates of your desire or a combo of any of these. 
  • You could also use whole wheat flour instead of oat flour.
  • Make sure that you puree the bananas well without any pieces in it. You can grind it in a mixie to get it right.
  • You can substitute cinnamon powder with cardamom powder if you like the flavour of the latter. 


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Easy vanilla cake recipe from scratch / Vanilla sponge cake /

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Tasty Sponge Cake Recipe / Homemade Vanilla Cake / Easy Vanilla Cake Recipe from Scratch / Butter Sponge Cake 


Tasty sponge cake recipe

I have posted many cakes in my blog all of which are very healthy. All of them were a huge hit especially with my kids. This is my first sinful cake prepared with plain flour ( Maida Or all-purpose flour ) and full of butter. I felt so guilty while preparing this tasty sponge cake but it has been made for the special occasion of Christmas. I wish all my readers a very merry X-Mas and a very happy new year.

Homemade vanilla cake

This egg sponge cake is a quick and easy vanilla cake. This cake can be prepared in a jiffy without much ingredients. This easy homemade cake is made with butter, icing sugar, eggs and plain flour. I have used icing sugar instead of normal sugar giving it an extra punch. The homemade butter that I used in this preparation gave it a delicious taste which my kids loved a lot. They had 2 big pieces in a shot leaving very small pieces for me and my in laws.

easy vanilla cake recipe from scratch

The texture of this homemade vanilla cake was so soft and spongy. There is no requirement for any icing for this cake. It can be had as such unless you are preparing it for birthdays. This is just like any other store bought cake prepared with homemade ingredients. This is the easiest vanilla cake recipe that has been made from scratch. The icing sugar was also homemade. I have prepared icing sugar all by myself in my mixer jar. I will be posting that recipe so soon, but just for my readers, I am giving out the details. Take 100g of sugar and 15g of corn flour. Grind in a mixer and your icing sugar is ready to be used for frosting or for cakes. You can also use store bought icing sugar.

butter sponge cake

You can also view my other healthy cake recipes :

Healthy Vegan Chocolate Cake







Preparation


Sieve flour, baking powder and baking soda and keep aside. Take butter at room temperature. Whisk using a normal whisk or an electric hand blender. I have taken the help of the latter. Sometimes the butter tends to curdle. But do not panic. It is all ok and proceed with the remaining process of preparing the cake.


Add the icing sugar and beat again.


Whisk until it becomes creamy. Add the eggs and beat once again until it gets well mixed.


It took almost 15 minutes for me to beat using the hand blender. Add vanilla essence and gently mix in the batter.


Now gradually add the flour and mix with a ladle in one direction until the flour is mixed well with the butter batter.


Mix until all the flour is used up. The resulting batter will be thick. Pour into a greased tin and tap well so that the air bubbles if any will be released and will fluff up evenly. You can garnish the cake with any dry fruits of your choice.


Bake at 180 degrees Centigrade for 30 minutes or until a knife or toothpick inserted in the centre of the cake comes out clean. After baking, switch off the oven and leave the cake in the oven for 15-20 minutes. After removing the cake out of the oven, allow it to cool completely before  taking it out of the cake pan. Once completely cool, invert the cake pan and gently tap on the base. Cut into pieces and serve with or without frosting.

vanilla sponge cake


Ingredients



Maida  1 cup

Butter  1 cup

Icing Sugar  1 cup

Vanilla essence  1/2 tsp.

Eggs 2

Baking powder 1/2 tsp.

Baking soda 1 /2 tsp.

Ghee to grease the cake pan


Method

  1. Sieve flour, baking powder and baking soda and keep aside. 
  2. Take butter at room temperature and beast well with a whisk. 
  3. Add icing sugar and whisk with an electric hand blender or with a whisk manually until the batter becomes creamy. 
  4. Add vanilla essence and mix once. 
  5. Now add flour gradually and mix in a single direction with a ladle until all the flour is used up.
  6. Pour in a greased cake pan and tap well on the platform. 
  7. Bake at 180 degrees Centigrade for 20 - 30 minutes or until a knife inserted in the centre of the cake comes out clean. 

Notes

  • Always grease the cake pan with ghee and dust with flour. Dusting with flour helps in removing the cake easily after baking. You can also use the butter paper. 
  • Bake a cake at 180 degrees Centigrade and keep an eye after 20 minutes. Any cake tends to bake fast depending on the size of the cake pan and the position where you place the cake in the oven ( middle, lower or higher ). 
  • If you feel that the cake is burning on the top but is not done in the centre, then cover the cake with an aluminium foil.
  • You can decorate the cake with any dry fruits ( cashews, dates, cherries, etc., ).

I once again wish all my readers a merry X-Mas and a very happy new year. 



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Chocolate Oatmeal Cake Recipe / Healthy oatmeal muffins / Healthy Vegan chocolate cake

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Chocolate Oatmeal Cake Recipe / Healthy oatmeal muffins / Healthy vegan chocolate cake

chocolate oatmeal cake recipe

Todays recipe is specially made for the livogen iron chef contest. This contest is about recipes that are rich in iron. I did submit some of the recipes like Sheer Khurma , Pumpkin Bread , Poornam Boorelu , Poha Oats Chivda , Soya bean sundal , spinach dal , Moong sprouts and spinach curry, drumstick leaves and sesame powder curry for this contest. This is one of the best, easiest and simplest healthy cakes which is made with whole wheat flour and oats.
best healthy cake recipes

Oats and wheat flour are rich in iron and fibre. There is another secret ingredient that has been added which gave the taste which is exactly the same like that of the store bought ones. This non dairy chocolate 🍫 cake is so moist, soft and melt-in-mouth dessert. Once you prepare this oats chocolate cake 🎂, I bet you would not opt for the store bought cakes.
simple healthy cake recipes

Now, coming back to the secret ingredient, it is not so healthy ingredient. So, I am feeling very guilty to share the same. But on the contrary, if you think otherwise, there are other healthy ingredients like wheat flour, oats and orange 🍊 juice and olive oil. So I thought one ingredient and that too in a small quantity is ok. The secret ingredient is coke. Yes. Coke gives the necessary aeration, flavour and sponginess to this awesome eggless Choco cake.


healthy vegan chocolate cake recipe

In this recipe I have used drinking chocolate powder rather than the normal chocolate ( Choco ) powder. Drinking chocolate powder is inclusive of sugar. Moreover, coke also has sugars. Hence I have reduced the amount of sugar accordingly. But if you are using normal Choco powder then you can increase the amount of sugar by a couple of teaspoons.
perfect chocolate cake
 

I have made cupcakes out of this batter, but you can also make it as a proper cake or bread for birthdays, anniversaries or any other occasion. These healthy vegan chocolate cupcakes ( cake ) is so perfect can also be considered as healthy oatmeal muffins which can be served for breakfast or brunch or for a snack box. Now lets get into the preparation of these oatmeal cupcakes. 


vegan chocolate cupcakes

You cam also check my other healthy bakes :

Carrot Cake with Finger Millet Flour

Gingerbread Cake with Whole Wheat Flour

Eggless Pumpkin Bread with Whole Wheat Flour

Healthy Banana Chocolate cake with Whole Wheat Flour

Preparation

Powder oats in a mixie.



Powder sugar and keep aside.



Take all the dry ingredients namely wheat flour, oats flour, baking powder, baking soda and Choco powder. Sieve all the dry ingredients together. Keep aside. Take freshly squeezed sweet orange juice along with the pulp.



Add coke ( coca cola ) to the orange juice. Whisk well.



Add olive oil and whisk once again. Now add the powdered sugar.  Whisk well until you see small bubbles in the mixture and the sugar is completely dissolved.



Now slowly add the dry ingredients mixture little by little and mix until incorporated. Do not over mix the batter. Just fold gently in a single direction after each addition of the flour mixture. Mix until the flour is well mixed in the batter, then add another ladle full of flour and repeat until the flour is completely used up. 



When completely done with the dry ingredients mixture,  add vanilla essence and mix gently. You can also add the zest of orange at this stage of you wish. I could not take the zest of the orange, so I skipped this step. Pour the batter into greased moulds or tins and garnish with nuts of your choice. Bake at 180 degrees centigrade for 20 minutes ( for cupcakes ) or for 35 - 40 minutes ( for cakes or breads ). 



Insert a toothpick in the centre of the cake. If the toothpick comes out clean, the cake is done. If it does not come clean, then bake for some more time. Keep a check after every 3-5 minutes to avoid burning of the cake. Transfer to a wire rack and cool completely before demoulding and serving. You can do some chocolate or butter frosting and serve to family and friends. But I personally feel that there is no requirement for frosting, it tastes awesome as is. 

healthy oatmeal muffins


Ingredients


Oats  1/2 cup
Drinking chocolate powder  1 cup
Powdered sugar  3/4 cup
Baking powder  A little less than 1 tsp
Baking soda  A little less than 1 tsp
Wheat flour  1 1/4 cup
Orange juice  1/2 cup
Olive Oil  1/2 cup
Vanilla essence  1 tsp
Cashews ( or any nuts )  few
Coke ( Coca Cola )  1 cup


Method

  1. Powder oats in a blender and keep aside. Similarly powder sugar and keep aside. 
  2. Take all the dry ingredients namely, oats flour, whole wheat flour, drinking chocolate powder, baking powder and baking soda and mix well. Sieve all the ingredients together and keep aside. 
  3. Take the freshly squeezed sweet orange juice and mix coca cola to it. Whisk well.
  4. Add olive oil to the orange mixture and whisk again.
  5. Mix the powdered sugar and whisk until the sugar is completely absorbed.
  6. Now add the flour ( a ladle full each time ) and mix until incorporated. Repeat until the flour is completely used up.
  7. Finally add the vanilla essence and mix gently. 
  8. Pour into greased cupcake moulds or cake pan and bake at 180 degrees Centigrade for 20 or 35 minutes respectively.
  9. To check if the cake is done or not, insert a knife or a toothpick in the centre of the cake. If the toothpick or knife comes clean, then the cake is done. Put it on a wire rack and allow to cool completely before removing from the moulds. If it does not come out clean, then bake for some more time accordingly.  

Notes



  • I did not preheat the oven before baking for this chocolate oatmeal cake recipe.
  • You can always add the zest of the orange during the preparation of this chocolate orange cake
  • I have added coke ( coca cola ) that was chilled. 
  • If you are using the normal choco powder, then increase the amount of sugar by a couple of teaspoons. 
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