DATES, WALNUTS , BANANA CAKE- EGG LESS AND SUGARLESS. GARAM MASALA INGREDIENTS AND TIPS .

DATES, WALNUTS, BANANA  CAKE- EGGLESS AND SUGARLESS

GARAM MASALA  INGREDIENTS AND TIPS

Santosh Bangar is a Punjabi lady residing in New

 Delhi, India. A lawyer by profession, Santosh has always been interested in cooking since her childhood days and experimented a lot on culinary recipes, to meet up with the “healthy food “criteria.  The dishes were then improvised and  the results will be a simple, light, easy to prepare healthy dishes- that surely brings smiles to many. She started her blog “Santosh’s kitchen” about a year ago, which has since, gained a lot of popularity internationally. Her mother was a great cook too.

Santosh feels that priority should be cooking Good and Healthy Food. There are a lot more health conscious nowadays . Her four favorite recipes are Dal-Baati, Choley bhature, Corn cake and Vegetarian egg and  Dates,walnut,banana cake(below)

DATES, WALNUTS, BANANA EGG LESS AND SUGARLESS CAKE.

Do visit Santosh’s kitchen at:  http://santoshbangar.blogspot.com

DATES, WALNUTS, BANANA EGGLESS AND SUGARLESS CAKE

http://santoshbangar.blogspot.com/2010/12/dates-walnut-eggless-sugarless-cake.html 

This cake is best made from food leftovers. I saw dates in my fridge, syrup of jaggery and some apples. I thought of making a cake from all these ingredients. I used them and the result is fabulous . You all can try it .It  tastes great and healthy.

Ingredients:

wheat flour-1/1/2 cups
dates-1cup
walnut-1/2 cup
dates syrup-or jaggery -1cup or according to sweetness
cinnamon powder-1/4 tsp
dry ginger-1/4 tsp
milk 1cup
oil-1/2 cup

baking soda-1 1/2 tsp
banana -1ripe  

Method:
Discard the seeds of dates and crushed in grinder. Mix dates in hot milk/sieve flour and baking soda. Now mix the all ingredients in milk and make a smooth paste. If It is thick add some more milk. Cut the banana into thin slices and mash it. Mix in the batter. Pour batter in baking dish. Bake in microwave for 7 minutes.

Jaggery  is a traditional unrefined non-centrifuga l whole cane sugar consumed in Asia, Sfrica, Latin America and the Caribbean. It is a concentrated product of cane juice. without separation of the molasses and crystals, and can vary from golden brown to dark brown in color. Jaggery is made  from the products of both sugarcane and the palm tree.

GARAM MASALA:

Garam masala  is a familiar name in Indian cooking ingredients. Garam ("hot", but not ‘hot’ in the same way as ‘chili hot’)) and masala ("mixture")) is a blend of ground spices . It is used alone or with other seasonings.

The composition of garam masala differs regionally across India in accordance to region and personal taste, The components of the mix are toasted, then ground together.

A typical Pakistani Punjabi version of garam masala is: (cinnamon is not a part of this)

·         black & white peppercorns

·         cloves

·         malabar leaves

·         mace blades

·         black & white cumin seeds

·         black, brown & green cardamom pods

·         nutmeg

·         star anise

·         coriander seeds    

·         There are many variants: most traditional mixes use just cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg and/ or mace, black pepper and green cardamom seed or black cardamom pods.

    

      The wet masala- Some recipes called for the spices to be ground with water, vinegar, coconut milk or other liquids, to make a paste. In some recipes, nuts, onion, or garlic may be added.

·         The dry masala- This has no liquid added-  The flavours are carefully blended to achieve a balanced effect, or a single flavor  emphasized. Usually a masala is toasted before use to release its flavours and aromas.  

Tips on Garam masala:   Add garam masala only after curry is cooked. This will retain the taste and color of vegetables used.

Garam masala can be used during cooking, but unlike many spices, it is often added at the end of cooking, so that the full aroma is not lost

Toast ingredients of garam masala before grinding them. This is to enhance their flavors and tastes. In rainy seasons, they are softer and thus easier to grind.