Bun, bread roll and few cakes can be baked in a cooker. The texture and taste of the baked items is very much similar to the oven baked foods. It is also easy to bake in a cooker because the temperature settings required for an oven is simply absent here. However, it is important to take note of the following points before attempting to bake in a cooker.
1) Do not use non-stick cookers for baking. 2) Remove the rubber gasket from the lid before baking. 3) Do not use the weight while using the cooker for baking. 4) Place a perforated plate or a steel stand inside the cooker and preheat the cooker.(Do not add water to bottom of the cooker) This is give a gap between the bottom of the cooker and the baking dish. 5) Place the baking dish with the dough on the perforated plate or stand. This helps to prevent the food from burning at the bottom. 6) Preheat the empty cooker in high heat and lower the flame once the baking process starts.
Method: Combine yeast, warm water, 1tsp sugar and 1tsp flour. Set it aside to become creamy and frothy. In another bowl mix the balance flour and butter to the texture of bread crumbs. In another bowl combine the warm milk, balance sugar, salt and oil. Then, add the yeast mixture. Mix well. Then, slowly add the flour to make dough of sticky consistency. Cover and set it aside it to rise. It will triple in volume. Then, deflate and knead once. Allow it rise for two hours. Deflate and knead again. Then, make small round buns out of this dough and place it in a wide vessel. Place the buns at a distance, so that they do not touch each other when they rise again. Allow it to rise and then place them in the preheated cooker. Bake it till the top of the bun starts changing colour. Remove and allow it cool before cutting it.
Chocolate is everyone’s favourite and when it comes in the form of cups it doubles the happiness. It is a hit with kids when ice cream is served in these edible cups. My son used to enjoy ice creams in these cups as a kid, during the summer holidays. His friends also used to enjoy it, when they came visiting us during the summer holidays. I always stock some chocolate cups in the fridge to surprise my guests.
To make chocolate cups
Ingredients: Cooking chocolate -800gms Paper cups -few
paper cups & mould Method:
Make a small slit on the rim of all the paper cups. Keep it aside. Break the chocolate bar into small pieces. Place it in a small deep bowl. In another big bowl, heat some water. Allow the water to boil. Lower the flame and place the small bowl with broken chocolates on it. See that it does not touch the bottom of the big bowl. Care must be also taken to see that the water does not enter the chocolate bowl. Allow it melt completely. (Take care not to boil the chocolate). Pour the melted chocolate in one cup. Coat the inside of it till the rim. Pour the excess chocolate if any back into the pan. Similarly, coat other cups also. Refrigerate the cups. After 2 hours, remove them from the fridge. Then, slowly peel off the paper cup starting from the slit at the rim. Refrigerate it again until use. Fill them with ice cream or seasonal fruits or nuts before serving. Fruit cups can also be topped with whipped cream before serving.
To make chocolates:
Ingredients: Silicon mould Butter for greasing
Method: Grease the silicon mould with butter. Keep it aside. Melt the chocolate as mentioned above. Using a small spoon fill each of the depressions in the silicon mould. Refrigerate it for 6 hours. Then unmould them and wrap it in colourful toffee papers. Put it back into the fridge for few hours.
Note: I have used my favourite dark chocolate here.
This rice is a hit among kids as it is not spicy like other variety rice. Besides, they love the fried cashew nuts that dot the rice.
Ingredients: Long rice -1cup Chopped cashew nuts -1/2cup Chopped onions -1cup Black pepper corns -1tsp Cumin seeds -1tsp Clarified butter -4tblsps Oil and Salt - as required
Method: Toast the pepper corns and cumin seeds lightly. Cool and pulverize it. Keep it aside. Wash and soak the rice in one cup of water for 20 minutes. Cook it along with the water in a pressure cooker for 10 minutes. Remove the rice from the cooker after the pressure has released. Allow it to cool for 5 minutes. In the meantime, fry the chopped cashew nuts in little clarified butter to a golden brown colour. Empty it over the rice set aside to cool. In the same pan, fry the chopped onions till it turns translucent. Then, add the cooked rice and powdered spices. Add more clarified butter and stir fry for few seconds till it is blended well. Serve it alone or along with any chutney of your choice.
This stir fried vegetable is so similar to the dry 'alu mutter' side dish served in most restaurants. Here, I have added capsicum for that extra flavour of green chillies sans its heat. Potato capsicum pea’s fry goes well with all types of flat breads.
Ingredients: Potatoes -200gms Shelled peas -50gms Capsicum -1/2 Onion -1 Turmeric powder -1tsp Sambhar powder -2tsps Dosa podi -2tsps Coriander leaves - few Salt and oil -as required
Method: Cut and boil the potatoes along with turmeric powder and salt. When it is cooked, peel and cube it. Blanch the green peas in little water. Drain and keep it aside. Chop the onions and fry till it turns translucent. Reduce the flame to the minimum and add the sambhar powder. Stir for few seconds. Next, add the vegetables and dosa podi. Add more oil if required and stir fry till everything is blended well. Garnish with chopped coriander leaves.
A simple and tasty stir fried vegetable that is low on calorie. It goes well with flat breads and rice.
Ingredients: Lady’s finger -200gms Onion -2 Turmeric powder -1tsp Dosa podi -4tsps Grated coconut -1tsp Salt and oil - as required
Wash and chop the lady's finger. Chop the onions. In a frying pan heat few teaspoons of oil and fry the lady's finger till it changes colour. Then, stir in the chopped onions, turmeric powder and salt. Close and cook for few seconds stirring occasionally. When the lady's finger is done, add the dosa podi and grated coconut. Stir fry for few seconds over a low flame till everything is blended well. Serve it as side dish for sambhar rice or flat bread.
Little millet is known as Samai in Tamil, Kutki in Hindi, Sama in Telugu, Same in Kannada and Chama in Malayalam. It is rich in dietary fibre, iron, calcium, and B vitamins. Like other millets, it also releases glucose steadily without affecting the metabolism of the body. Hence is highly recommended for diabetics.
Ingredients:
Little millet -2cups Husked split green gram -1cup Cumin seeds -1tsp Black pepper -1tsp Asafoetida powder -1/2tsp Curry leaves -few Clarified butter -3tblsps Salt and oil - as required
Method: Soak the green gram in water for two hours. Dry toast the millet till it emanates a sweet smell. In a pressure pan/cooker temper cumin seeds, black pepper, asafoetida powder and curry leaves in little oil. Add the soaked green gram and toasted millet. Add five cups of water and salt. Close and cook under pressure for 15 minutes. When the pressure has released, open the pan and stir in the clarified butter. Serve it along with Orange peel pulikachal or any chutney of your choice.
Karanji Lake is located in the city of Mysore in the state of Karnataka, India. This lake with an area of 90 hectares has water spread area of about 55 hectares. It is a nature park comprising of a butterfly park and a walk-through aviary. The aviary with a height of 20 m, length of 60 m and width of 40 m makes it the biggest 'walk-through aviary' in India. The butterfly park created on a small island within this lake has about 45 species of butterflies. This park also has a watch tower to view the birds from a height.
