NUTELLA FILLED CUPCAKE / NUTELLA CUPCAKE / SURPRISE CUPCAKES

Today with this recipe I have completed writing 500 recipes in my blog. It is a day of immense happiness and I would like to thank each and everyone of you for making this possible. Sharing this special recipe as a token of thanks to each and everyone of you. I guess there's nothing better to say "Thank you all" with these surprise cupcakes.

Made with whole wheat flour these muffins are real chocolaty surprise for kids. 

It's very easy to fill in these muffins with any liquid chocolate or nutella inside.

To hide the secret how it's added I cover these with buttercream frosting which is completely optional. 

Do try these muffins and share your feedback.


INGREDIENTS
1 cup whole wheat flour
2 eggs
1/2 cup butter or canola oil
3/4 cup sugar

1 cup milk
1 TSP vanilla essence
1 TSP baking powder
1/2 TSP baking soda
1/2 cup nutella

METHOD
1. Sift together flour, baking soda, baking powder and keep aside.

2. In a beater or using whisk, beat together butter and sugar till pale and light.

3. Add eggs and beat till fluffy.

4. Add sifted flour mix. Mix well.

5. Add milk and vanilla essence to get smooth batter.

6. Fill the batter in greased muffin moulds.

7. Pop moulds in pre-heated oven at 170�C for 15-20 minutes.

8. Let it come down to room temperature.

9. Using a bottle cap or some some circular thing dig in a hole. I used piping nozzle cover.

10. Scoop out little more using knife.

11. Fill in nutella around 1 tbsp in each cavity.

12. Cover the nutella secret with buttercream or ganache frosting.

13. Click on buttercream frosting for detailed recipe and click on frosting for its recipe.


Pictorial:

1. Mix together powdered sugar and butter.

2. Mix well till creamy and pale.

3. Add eggs.

4. Mix and add flour mix.

5. Mix well.

6. Add milk.

7. Add vanilla essence.

8. Batter is ready.

9. Pour in greased moulds, bake in pre-heated oven at 170�C for 20 minutes.

10. Let it come down to room temperature.

11. Using a small circular cap.

12. Dig in to get cavity.











13. Using butter knife or spoon scoop out extra.

14. All done.

15. Fill in Nutella. Serve like this or if you want to cover the secret frost it.

 16. Cut and enjoy!!

 17. These are indeed a chocolate treat!

18. Closer look!

SPROUTED MOONG PARANTHA / SPROUTED DAL PARANTHA / SPROUTED PARANTHA

Sprouts are super food which are rich in vitamin A, Iron and zinc. I am sure we all struggle to feed our kids with this super food.  
Leave aside kids I also don't like to have sprouts in their raw form. So how to feed our family with this super healthy food?

I make Sprouted chila which my family really like. This time I experimented with parantha. Initially I tried plain sprouted parantha which was not much appreciated by my kids, so again I used my innovation and mixed it with gobhi (grated cauliflower) and voila!! They loved it and they didn't even realize any difference. 

You can make plain sprouted parantha or mix it with grated cauliflower like I did or mix with boiled potatoes and make parantha.

 I felt so proud and happy feeding my kids with healthy food, I am sure you will too feel delighted after feeding your family with this parantha.


INGREDIENTS:
1 cup sabut Moong Dal
1 cup grated cauliflower ( phool gobhi)
1 tbsp oil
1 TSP coriander powder (dhaniya powder)

1 TSP cumin powder ( jeera powder)
1/2 TSP chaat masala
8-10 grated garlic
Generous amount of freshly chopped garlic
Salt and chili to taste


METHOD
1. Wash and soak Moong Dal overnight. Next morning tie it in muslin cloth and keep in casserole for 2-3 days to sprout. Keep sprinkling little water over it to keep it moist for big and better sprouts. Depending on the climatic conditions of your place it might take more or less days to sprout.

2. When you have desired sprouts, transfer them in blender jar and make fine paste. Water is not required to blend it. Keep mixing in between and blend.

3. In a pan, heat some oil, add sprouted paste and saut� on low flame for not more than 2 minutes else it will be very dry.

4. Grate cauliflower, add grated garlic and all the dry spices mentioned above. Mix well and add freshly chopped coriander leaves.

5. Using whole wheat flour dough make paranthas.

6. Fry with ghee. Once done cut into 4 equal parts using pizza cutter or knife.

7. Pack in kids school lunch box or if serving immediately serve it whole with butter and curd.

NOTES:
1. I didn't use water while blending Dal add it's already moist. Make sure to mix it 3-4 times while blending for even and fine paste.


2. I roasted the paste for just a minute to absorb the moisture else stuffing becomes too sticky.

3. Using cauliflower is optional you can make plain spouted paranthas or you can add boiled potatoes or any other vegetable. Since my kids don't like plain sprouted parantha I mix it in boiled potatoes or in cauliflower.

4. These are indeed one of the healthiest paranthas you can feed your kids. I make this every week as it has such nutrients which we don't get from vegetables specially vitamin B12.

Pictorial:

1. It took 2 days to get these sprouts.

2. Transfer in blender jar and make fine paste.

3. Keep mixing while blending to get this fine paste.









4. Heat some ghee or oil in pan.









5. Saute sprouted paste for just a minute. Let it cool down a bit.

6. Grate cauliflower, garlic and add all the dry spices mentioned above with generous amount of fresh coriander leaves.

7. Add sprouted paste.

8. Take dough and roll it, add parantha filling.

9. Seal and roll the dough.

10. Using ghee or oil make paratnhas. Serve hot with butter and curd.









11. Or cut it using knife or pizza cutter and pack in kids school lunch box.

12. Serve hot with butter.

13. Pack in kids school lunch box.

14. Do try this super healthy and yummy paranthas.

MEETHE CHAWAL / SWEET YELLOW RICE

Meethe Chawal or sweet rice is a sweet dessert of Punjab. It has chosen assortment of Indian spices like green cardamom, clove, cinnamon and kesar that makes it colorful and  aromatic. Added dry fruits makes it all the more tasty.

It is made mainly during festivals and special ceremonies. But some sweets can be enjoyed without special occasions too and meethe chawal is one of them.

So Let's begin.


INGREDIENTS
1 cup Basamati rice

2 cups water
1 cup sugar
10-15 kesar strands (saffron)
2-3 cloves (laung)
1/2 cinnamon stick or cinnamon powder ( I used cinnamon powder)
1 tsp cardamom powder (elachi powder)
few dry fruits of your choice

METHOD
1. Wash and soak rice for 2 hours.

2. Drain the water.

3. In heavy bottomed pan or wok, add 2 cups of water, clove, cinnamon, cardamom powder and kesar. Bring it to boil.

4. Once it comes to boiling point, add drained rice. Mix well.

5. Cover and cook on medium flame for 10-12 minutes. At this stage it should by 80% cooked.

6. Add sugar and keep the flame low to medium. After adding sugar cover it again for 2 minutes or till sugar releases the water.

7. Once sugar releases the water, open the lid, add ghee and increase the flame to high or medium and let all the water absorb, mix occasionally with very light hands to avoid breakage of rice.

8. Once water is completely absorbed, turn off the flame and add nuts of your choice. Serve hot.

NOTES:
Initially after cooking rice, it might look little sticky, leave it open and let it cool down completely.  After sometime you will see the rice is perfect and grainy.

Pictorial:

1. Add water in heavy bottomed pan, add cardamom, clove, cinnamon and kesar into it.

2. Add soaked and drained rice.

3. Let it come to boil.

4. Once it start boiling, cover with lid and cook on medium flame.

5.Water is absorbed.

6. It's 80% done.

7. Add sugar.

8. Mix well.










9. Cover again till sugar.

10. Once sugar melts, open the lid and cook on high flame till water is completely absorbed. Add ghee.

11. Add roasted nuts.

12. Top with some more nuts and serve.

SUJI APPE BALLS / RAWA APPE / SEMOILINA BALLS

This is a quick, healthy and delicious recipe for those who are in hurry and on the otherwise don't want to compromise on serving healthy food to family.  

 Appam also called Paniyaram is a popular south Indian breakfast recipe made with suji / rawa with veggies of your choice. These soft and melt in mouth dumplings are too delicious and my family's favorite. 

I like to pack these in kids school lunch box as it remains soft for longer time and can be enjoyed even at room temperature.

INGREDIENTS 
1 cup suji / Rawa / Semolina
1/2 cup curd

3/4 cup water
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1 medium sized chopped onion
1 medium sized chopped tomatoes
some freshly chopped coriander leaves
oil for greasing

For Tempering:
1 tsp oil / ghee
1/2 tsp mustard seeds (Rai)
few curry leaves

METHOD
1. Mix suji, curd, salt. Mix well. Add water.

2. Add onion and freshly chopped coriander leaves.

3. Make tempering heating oil, add mustard seeds, let it splutter, add curry leaves. Pour this in batter.

4. Keep batter aside for 15-30 minutes.

5. After 30 minutes, add chopped tomatoes or if using any other vegetable.

6. Grease appe pan with oil.

7. Add baking soda just before pouring batter.

8. Fill in the appe cavity with batter.

9. Cover the pan and cook on low flame for 3-5 minutes

10. Once brown flip and cook uncovered from the other side too.

11. Remove and serve hot with chutney or sauce.

12. I like to pack it in kids school lunch box.

13. Or enjoy in breakfast.

NOTES:
1. I ADD TOMATOES JUST BEFORE COOKING OTHERWISE IT RELEASES ALL THE WATER.

2. TEMPERING IS OPTIONAL, IT JUST ADD EXTRA TASTE.


Pictorial:

1. Mix suji, curd and salt.

2. Add water and mix well.

3. Add chopped onion.

4. Make tempering of raii and mustard seeds. This step is optional.

5. Pour tempering in batter.

6. Add freshly chopped coriander leaves.

7. Cover and keep aside.










8. After 30 minutes add chopped tomatoes.

9. Mix well.

10. Just before cooking add soda.

11. Mix well.

12. Grease appe pan with oil.

13. Fill in all the cavity.

14. Cover and cook for 3-4 minutes.








15. Flip and cook from the other side.

16. Pack in kids school lunch box.














17. And I like to have it in breakfast.