Jam Swirl Blondies

Blondies are said to be the original brownies. Crumby with just a hint of chocolate. Over time, chocolate took over the entire dessert and came to reign as the crowd favourite. But aah! Blondies have a charm of their own.

 Ingredients:
                      Jam                            1/2 cup
                      Plain Flour                 3/4 cup
                      Custard Powder         3/4 cup
                      Baking Powder          1/2 teaspoon
                      Salt                             1/2 teaspoon
                      Butter                         1/2 cup
                      Sugar                          3/4 cup
                      Cream                         2 tablespoon
                      Eggs                            2
                      Vanilla essence           1 teaspoon
                      Chocolate chips          1/2 cup


Method:
             Microwave the jam for 1 minute. Stir and leave aside to cool.  Sift all the dry ingredients together. Thrice. Beat the sugar and butter together till thick and pale. Add the eggs, cream and essence and beat again till creamy. Fold in the chocolate chips. Now gently fold in the sieved ingredients, until just combined. DO NOT BEAT! Pour into greased 8 inch square dish. smooth the batter evenly. Drop the jam on top. Swirl gently with a fork or toothpick, taking care to not scrape the bottom. Microwave at full power for 7 minutes. Let it stand for 15 minutes before serving.Alternately you can bake in a preheated oven at 180C for 30 minutes. Serve up with some chilled coffee or a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

Fada Ni Khichdi

This recipe is a treasure from Tarla Dalal. Nutritious and filling, this is ideal for those breezy days when one just wants to feel the wind on the face and stay away from chores. This one pot meal cooks in a jiffy and appeals to even the most finicky eater. Eliminate the chillies and you have an excellent meal for babies and toddlers alike.

Ingredients:

Yellow moong dal              1 cup

Broken Wheat ( Dalia)       3/4 cup

Potatoes, diced                    1 cup

Green Peas                          1 cup

Cauliflower florets              1 cup

Onions, diced                      1 cup

Green chilli-ginger paste     1 tablespoon

Peppercorns                         1/2 teaspoon

Turmeric powder                 1/2 teaspoon

Chilli powder                       1 teaspoon

Salt

Tempering:

                  Cinnamon           1 inch stick

                  Cloves                 3

                  Cumin                 1 teaspoon

                  Heeng                  1/2 teaspoon

                  Ghee                    3 tablespoon

Method: Wash and soak the dal and dalia for atleast 15 minutes. Boil 4 cups of water. Heat the ghee in a pressure cooker and add all the tempering ingredients. When they sizzle, Add the drained dal and dalia as well as all the vegetables, spices and salt. Stir and saute for 5 minutes. Add the hot water. Pressure cook for 4 whistles. Allow the cooker to cool. Stir vigorously, adding more hot water if required to thoroughly mix the dal and dalia well. Serve hot garnished with slivers of chillies, and a side of curds, papad and pickle.