BHANOLE

Bhanole is an easy to make delicious and healthy savoury cake which can be had as a snack or as a Starter……..

INGREDIENTS : 1 small Cabbage, 1 onion, 1-2 green chillies, fresh coriander, 1 coconut, 1 tsp jaggery, 1/2 cup besan (chickpea flour), 1/4 tsp baking soda, 1/4 tsp turmeric powder, 1/2 tsp red chilli powder, 1/4 tsp cumin powder, 1/2 tsp coriander powder, 1/4 tsp Goda Masala, a pinch is asafoetida, salt to taste, 1 tbsp oil.

DIRECTIONS : Slice the cabbage to get 1 cup……… Slice the onion too……. Chop the green chillies finely…….. Chop fresh coriander to get approximately 1/4 cup……… Grate the coconut…….. Add hot water and keep aside for some time…….. Extract thick coconut milk through muslin cloth to get about 1/4 cup…….. Oil a container and keep aside…… Now mix sliced cabbage, sliced onion, chopped green chillies and coriander, jaggery, turmeric powder, red chilli powder, cumin powder, coriander powder, Goda Masala, asafoetida and salt……… Add thick coconut milk…… Crush and mix thoroughly with hand……. Now add besan and baking soda to get a batter……. Pour the batter in the oiled container…….. Take a pressure cooker……. Pour some water in it…… Keep the container in the pressure cooker…….. Steam it in the pressure cooker without whistle for about 50 minutes to 1 hour……..When it is done let it cool……. Cut bhanole into squares and serve.

NOTE : Bhanole can be served as it is or it can be shallow/deep fried……. The batter should have the consistency a little thicker than fritters…… Instead of steaming, one can bake bhanole at 175*C for at least 1/2 an hour.

TAVSALI

Cucumber Cake is called by East Indian Community as Tavsali……. Tavsali gets its name from the Konkani word Tavshe……. Tavshe means cucumber……. Very easy to make, the texture of Tavsali is light, moist and soft……. Cucumber cake is generally made from large and ripe yellow cucumbers.

INGREDIENTS : 1 large cucumber, 1 cup semolina, 1 cup jaggery, 3/4 cup fresh grated coconut, 4-5 green cardamoms, cashew nuts as needed, coconut oil/ghee.

DIRECTIONS : Wash and peel the yellow cucumber…… Cut into half…… Remove the seeds….. Grate the cucumber…… Don’t discard the cucumber juice…… Keep aside….. In the meantime, roast the semolina till fragrant….. Keep aside…. Powder the cardamoms……. Chop few cashew nuts.

Take a bowl……. Mix roasted semolina, grated cucumber with all its juice, freshly grated coconut, jaggery, cardamom powder and chopped cashew nuts…… Mix well to get a batter of medium consistency without lumps……. Keep aside for at least 1 hour.

Take a container….. Grease with ghee……. Pour the batter…….. Heat some water in the pressure cooker…… Keep the container containing batter in the pressure cooker……. Cover the container……… Cover pressure cooker with lid……. Steam for 30-40 mins……. Check whether it is done by inserting a knife….. If the knife comes out clean, then it is done…… Cool the cake a little and take out by inverting the container on a plate…… Decorate with cashew nuts……. Serve warm…… One can also serve it with some ghee/milk…… Cucumber cake can be served wit thickened milk/condensed milk…..

One can bake Tavsali instead of steaming it……. Bake in preheated oven at 180 degrees for 30-45 mins.

NOTE : If yellow cucumber is not available, then one can use regular green cucumbers……. If using green cucumbers, one does not need to remove seeds…… Increase/decrease jaggery according to the sweetness required……. If the consistency of the batter is too thick, one can add a little milk/coconut milk…… On can use steamer or Electric cooker too.