Coffee Streusel Cake

Baked goods are something that I resort to, when I have a sweet tooth. Most of the times, it is the smartest way to cook something with less amount of fat in cooking a dish when using an oven. I love to make cakes and like trying new recipes. Generally, cakes are decadent because of all the ingredients that goes into making it with the added sugar rush of the frosting. Sometimes, you are in the mood for a simple cake with not too much of the fuss and thats how I ended up with this recipe. I tried my own spin on the traditional coffee streusel cake and it turned out great. Give it a try!!

Ingredients:

2 cups whole wheat pastry flour
1 tbsp baking powder
1/2 cup superfine sugar (add more, if you like it a little sweeter)
2/3 cup milk
1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted and cooled
2 tbsp instant coffee powder, mixed with 1 tbsp boiling water
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
3 tbsp ground flaxseed (whisk into boiling water and let it stand for 3-4 mins)
Confectioners' sugar, for dusting (optional)
Cooking spray, for greasing the pan

Topping:

1/2 cup oat flour (make a powder with instant oats)
1/3 cup raw brown sugar
2 tbsp unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
1 tsp ground allspice

Method:

Preheat the oven to 375° F. Grease a 9-inch cake pan with cooking spray.

In a bowl, sift the flour and baking powder, then add the sugar and mix well.

Whisk the milk, flaxseed mix (flaxseed whisked with boiling water), melted butter and coffee mixture together. Pour the wet ingredients onto the dry ingredients. Add the chopped walnuts and mix lightly together. Pour the batter into the cake pan.

In baking, streusel refers to crumb topping made with flour, butter and sugar that is baked on top of cakes, muffins or quick breads. But, I decided to try using oat flour instead (you can make oat flour by grinding either the old-fashioned or instant oats coarsely).

In a bowl, to make the topping, mix the oat flour and raw brown sugar together. Add the butter and mix well until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs (best to use your magic fingers).  Add the allspice and bring the mixture together in loose crumbs. Sprinkle the topping evenly over the cake batter.

Bake in the preheated oven for 50-55 minutes. Cover loosely with foil if the topping starts to brown quickly.

Cool the cake in the pan. Remove from the pan and dust with confectioners's sugar before serving (optional).

Makes 10-12 servings.

Idli Manchurian

Idli Manchurian, an Indo-Chinese recipe is very similar to its counterpart Cauliflower Manchurian. Like, I mentioned earlier, not really a fan of plain old idlis. Every now and then,  my mom used to try so many different recipes disguising the left-over idlis. Inspired from one of the many recipes my mom used to make, this is a simple and easy recipe that can be prepared in no time.

Ingredients:

10-12 idlis, cut each into 4 pieces
1 medium onion, finely chopped
4 green chillies, finely chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp grated ginger
1 1/2 tsp red chilli paste
1 tbsp green chilli sauce
3 tbsp tomato ketchup
1 tsp tomato paste
1 1/2 tsp cornstarch (mixed with little water to a fine paste)
4-5 tbsp reduced sodium soy sauce (adjust to taste)
Pinch of ajinomoto (MSG)
2-3 tbsp oil
1/4 cup spring onions, finely chopped


Method:

Typically, the idli pieces are deep fried but I shallow fried them and they tasted just as good. If you don't want to fry them, you can also bake them at 375° F for 15-20 minutes. Set aside the shallow fried idlis.

In a pan, heat oil, add chopped onions, garlic, green chillies, and grated ginger (personally, I like the fresh garlic pieces and grated ginger but you can also add 1 tsp ginger-garlic paste instead). Sauté the onions until they are soft and translucent.

Now, add red chilli paste, green chilli sauce, tomato ketchup, tomato paste, ajinomoto and soy sauce (adjust the chilli sauces to suit your taste). Cook for 5 minutes until all the raw smell is gone. Add the cornstarch paste and mix well for 2-3 minutes.

Add the idli pieces and toss well with the sautéed ingredients. Garnish with chopped spring onions and serve hot.

Makes 3-4 servings.

Peas Curry

Peas, fresh or frozen, is used in a variety of dishes ranging from rice to gravies. One of the most common recipes is Pea Soup that is consumed all over the world. In India, fresh or frozen peas are used in dishes such as Aloo Mutter (curried potatoes with peas) or Mutter Paneer (indian cheese with peas). This recipe can be made along with potatoes or paneer too.

Ingredients:

1 large onion, diced
3 medium tomatoes, diced
1 tbsp butter
1 tbsp tomato paste
5-6 cloves
2-3 cinnamon sticks
1 1/2 tsp chilli powder
1 tsp cumin powder
1 tsp coriander powder
1 tsp ginger-garlic paste
Salt, to taste
1 tsp kasoori methi powder (dried fenugreek leaves)
1 cup frozen green peas, thawed
1/4 cup cilantro leaves, chopped

Method:

Grind the onion and tomatoes to a smooth paste. Set aside.

In a pan, melt butter and add the cloves and cinnamon. Add the ground onion-tomato paste and simmer until raw smell fades away and the butter starts to separate.

Now, add the ginger-garlic paste, tomato paste, chilli powder, cumin powder, coriander powder, kasoori methi powder and salt. Mix well and cook for 10 minutes.

Add the thawed peas and cook for about 5 minutes. Garnish with cilantro leaves. Serve hot with rotis.

Makes 5-6 servings.